The waiter appeared, carrying a tray with three plates. Thank G.o.d. She"d get some water now.
Outside of Raine blurting a demand for water, no one spoke as their entrees were set before them. Raine used the time to try to dislodge her brain from the rut it was still stuck in. But that proved to be pretty much impossible.
Two men. Two freaking beautiful, rich, powerful men wanted to get to know her better. Most definitely on a s.e.xual level. And maybe on a personal level too.
But what about those rumors?
Tryphon had spent more than his fair share of time gracing the pages of the local newspapers. What had that last story said about him? That he was bis.e.xual, into kink...and more than one ex-partner had died. A bizarre series of coincidences. Those deaths couldn"t be his fault.
She hoped.
Inside, she laughed at the irony. What had she said to Liz this morning? I"m just going for a job interview. I"m not going to sleep with him.
When Liz heard about this, she"d flip out.
Despite the unexpected turn her life had taken, Raine had a good feeling Tryphon Zade was not the un-reformable playboy, and that most of the so-called facts in those articles were unsubstantiated gossip.
Granted, she sensed a certain energy from him. He had an intense, predatory way about him. His body never seemed truly relaxed, and his dark gaze was sharper than a shard of gla.s.s. He made her squirmy. In a good way.
Raine pretty much focused on her food for the next twenty minutes or so, avoiding answering any deeply personal questions. Her nerves were pretty jumpy, which made it hard to eat. Generally speaking, she tended to feel every emotion in her stomach, good and bad anyway. Which meant that right now, because she was feeling lots of stuff, her insides were tight, like twisted rope.
But, thankfully, a second gla.s.s of wine and some easy, breezy small talk about favorite movies, books and restaurants helped untie the knot in her belly. These men were model-gorgeous, powerful business owners and, according to rumors, regulars at local bondage dungeons. But they were also human beings who felt emotions, who had needs, who were searching.
Just like so many other human beings-except her. She wasn"t searching. Not for a man. And most definitely not for love.
Over the next half hour, pleasant warmth suffused her body, thanks to the absolutely scrumptious food, the best wine she"d ever tasted, and the two amazing men she was sharing it with. As she gradually relaxed, she let herself enjoy Tryphon and Bale"s company. To flirt a little. Tease. Tempt.
After they"d finished eating, Tryphon stood and offered his hand. Bale followed suit. Raine accepted both, one in each of hers. She felt the effects of the wine as she took her first faltering step. But after that initial moment of swimmy-headedness, the sensation went away and she was able to walk through the restaurant on a pair of steady legs. Outside, they stopped at the end of the sidewalk, and the Hummer pulled up.
Bale helped her hike herself up into the vehicle while Tryphon circled the front to climb in from the opposite side. Less than two minutes later, she was sandwiched in the middle of over four hundred pounds of lean, mean, manly yumminess. The driver eased the vehicle from the curb without receiving any instruction. Raine a.s.sumed her guys had told him in advance to drive her home.
Home.
The evening was about to end. Already. She was b.u.mmed but couldn"t wait to tell Liz about her impromptu date with the notorious Tryphon Zade. Even though she half expected Liz to pop a few blood vessels.
Inside the moving vehicle, Tryphon stretched his long legs in front of him and eased an arm over her shoulder. She slid down a little in her seat, leaning into him, cozy. It felt good, being this close to him. And whatever that aftershave was he was wearing-it was heaven. He smelled so amazing it drew out the naughty side of her. She wanted to lick him or...something.
Once again, Bale followed Tryphon"s lead, crowding her from the opposite side. But instead of an uncomfortable feeling of being closed in or trapped, it was a very, very pleasant feeling, his hard bulk pressed up against her softer body.
Much to her surprise, she liked being the center of two men"s attention. Tryphon"s hand stroked her upper arm then skimmed up to ma.s.sage her neck. She let her head fall forward and closed her eyes, barely swallowing a sigh of contentment.
Another male hand tickled her knee and, freshly awash in a wave of sensual heat, she giggled. The hand inched up her leg, eventually coming to rest in the center of her thigh, just below the hem of her skirt. Fingers stroked her leg, and a fresh crop of goose b.u.mps blossomed all over her body.
Things were definitely warming up.
Tryphon pressed at the base of her skull, coaxing her to turn her head toward him. When she did, he leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers. It was the softest, most fleeting kiss she"d ever experienced. And it took her breath away.
Another one, please!
As if he read her mind, he slanted his mouth over hers again, this time lingering a little longer. A gentle, patient seduction. Lips, then tongue.
Ohhh, she was ready to melt.
It felt as if her blood were simmering. Her skin p.r.i.c.kled all over, like tiny bursts of electricity were snapping over her arms and legs. She ran her hands up his clothed torso, feeling the hard bulges of his muscles flex under soft cashmere. Absolute perfection.
When she reached about nipple level, Tryphon"s kiss changed. It grew more possessive, impatient. His tongue teased at the seam of her mouth, and she opened to him, welcoming the intrusion. He tasted delicious, like man and wine, and she couldn"t get enough.
Bale"s hands roamed over her body, mapping the curve of her derriere, the slope of her arched spine, the plane of her stomach. Her senses were being pummeled from every direction. The decadent flavor of Tryhpon"s kiss filling her mouth, the wicked heat of Bale"s touches charging along her nerves, the sounds of heavy breathing echoing in her head.
Unbelievable.
Why hadn"t she ever thought to sleep with two men at once before? Good G.o.d, this was beyond words! Crazy s.e.xy.
The car stopped, and she moaned into Tryphon"s mouth. One part of her wished it wasn"t over, that she wasn"t about to step out of the truck and stagger into her apartment alone. The other was somewhat relieved.
This wasn"t like any date she"d ever been on before. Whether it was because of all the earlier confusion, or because there were two guys, or because of who those guys were and how sensual they were, she wasn"t about to guess. All she knew was that the date had been as intense as a three-hour rollercoaster ride. Invigorating.
She was the one who broke the kiss, much to her surprise. A little dazed, she cupped Tryphon"s face and stared into his eyes. "Thank you for a wonderful meal. This was quite a surprise."
"You"re very welcome." He smiled, but the expression wasn"t your typical friendly grin. It told her there were more surprises in store for her.
She looked past him, out the tinted window, and realized they weren"t parked outside her apartment building. Instead, the limo was stopped in front of a white brick and gla.s.s contemporary home sitting in the middle of a copse of towering trees.
She knew without asking that this had to be either Tryphon"s or Bale"s home.
Slightly put off by the fact that one or both of them had made such a bold a.s.sumption without asking, she eased back from Tryphon. Bale"s hot hardness stopped her from moving too far.
"You"re pretty sure of yourselves, aren"t you?" she half-teased.
"If you aren"t interested in coming inside, you can stay in the vehicle. The driver will take you home," Bale calmly explained, leaning over her shoulder. His breath tickled her ear, and she shivered.
Undecided-and not because she wasn"t sure if she wanted to have s.e.x with these two-she watched them both open their doors and climb out.
Things were moving too fast. And those two were calling all the shots. She felt somewhat powerless and vulnerable, as if she"d been tugged this way and that all night.
Tryphon glanced into the vehicle and gave her a questioning look. "Deciding to pa.s.s? I guess I should warn you before you decide, we"re not just looking for one night here." Without waiting for her to respond, he straightened up and swaggered around the front of the limo.
Not looking for only one night? Then what exactly were they looking for?
She was no angel, not by a long shot. She"d enjoyed her share of casual s.e.x. Unlike Liz, she could separate s.e.x from love, in fact, she preferred it that way.
But generally she was the one who called the shots, told the guy-not guys-if she wanted them to take her back to their place. This time, things were going very differently. They were the ones making the demands and setting all the rules. She was left to decide whether she wanted to play along or not.
Yet another first.
The naughty side of her wondered what other firsts those two devious men might introduce her to if given the chance.
The vehicle rolled, and she lunged forward, hands braced against the back of the front headrests. "Could you give me just a minute?"
"Yes, miss." The driver hit the brakes and shifted the truck into park.
She leaned back and stared at Tryphon and Bale, standing side by side in front of a towering black door framed with oddly shaped topiaries vaguely reminding her of giant phalluses.
Liz"s voice, reading that article, kept echoing in her head. Still, she couldn"t convince herself that the two men she"d spent the last few hours with were dangerous. Kinky, yes. Devious, most definitely. Naughty, no doubt. But genuinely dangerous, no. She slid her hand into her purse and flipped open her phone.
Predictably, Liz answered on the third ring. "Hey, girl, where are you? Did you get hired on the spot?"
"Don"t I wish, but no, not exactly."
"Then where"ve you been? I thought you"d be home hours ago."
Raine turned to check out the view from the opposite side of the truck. The property was very isolated. Heavily wooded. "So did I."
"What"s up?"
"I"m in a weird spot." Raine traced the curve of the armrest with her index finger.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Um, just as I pulled up this afternoon after my horrific interview at the bar, Tryphon showed up in this monster of a limo, one of those Hummer things. And he took me to dinner."
"Okay, following you so far. Did the a.s.swipe admit he was wrong and offer you the job?"
Raine"s gaze continued to meander through the pretty but masculine landscaping. "Not exactly. But he and his business partner are calling in some favors, helping me find a job."
"Well, that"s cool. Um, so was his partner there too? At dinner?" Liz"s voice grew heavier with each word she spoke, laced with wariness.
"Yeah."
"It was a business meeting?"
"Kind of."
"Kind of?" Silence. "Oh. Oh no."
Raine explained, "Look, I know what you"ve read in those newspapers of yours, but everyone knows they print outright lies about people. It was just an innocent date-"
"Date?" Liz cut in. "The man invited his business partner on your date?"
"That"s the other thing." Here it comes. She"s going to freak. Why did I decide it was a good idea to call her again? Raine drew in a deep breath. "I think they"re into...sharing. But I"m thinking-"
"That"s it. Where are you? I"m leaving right now to come and get you."
"I"m sitting in the Hummer, outside his house. Their house. Someone"s house. But you don"t need to pick me up. The driver will take me home. If that"s what I want."
"Of course that"s what you want. Right? Right!" When Raine didn"t give Liz the answer she was no doubt looking for, Liz"s voice edged up a decibel or two. "Tell that driver to bring you home right now, Raine Avery!"
"Honey, it"s okay. These guys aren"t psychos."
"You don"t know that."
"And neither do you know that the nephew-of-your-grandma"s-hairdresser isn"t a freak either. But you accepted a blind date with him. And he took you to a taxidermy shop to have matching swans stuffed. These men are strangers, yes. But they"re rich strangers. Extremely good-looking strangers. And so far, I really like them."
"Touche, you b.i.t.c.h."
Raine chuckled. "I"ll be fine."
"If you were so sure of that, why"d you call me?"
"Because..." Because she"d had doubts. Because she needed to hear Liz"s voice, to get in touch with the familiar for a few minutes. She felt kind of like Alice after she"d tumbled down the rabbit hole. Dazed and confused, and yet also curious and excited. "I"ll call you as soon as I leave."
"I don"t like this. I"m worried."
"If you don"t hear from me before morning, then you can worry. Otherwise, chill out, enjoy the evening. Remember, I TiVo"d The Bachelor for you."
"Be careful."
"Will do. Love ya!"
"Bye."
"Bye." Raine snapped her flip phone shut, slid it into her purse, hooked her purse"s shoulder strap over her shoulder and opened the truck"s door. Whatever happened tonight, she knew it was bound to be an adventure, like none she"d ever experienced. Considering the scope of her experience, that was saying something.
Chapter Four.
Of course, her handsome hosts had long given up on her and gone inside, which meant Raine had to ring the doorbell and stand there, feeling like a dork, waiting for them to answer.
The door swung open, revealing Tryphon, shirtless and wearing a satisfied smirk. "Welcome." He stepped to the side as she entered the extremely white interior. White walls. Spotless white tile floor. Soaring white ceilings.
She followed Tryphon through one starkly decorated room after another. Everything in the place was either white, black, brushed chrome or gla.s.s. Very contemporary. Large floor-to-ceiling windows cut the glaring white walls into semi-manageable pieces, the view to the shadowy landscaping outside adding earthy hues of green and brown to the otherwise simple interior. Heavy black drapes bordered every window.
"Nice place," she said.
"Thank you." Tryphon glanced over his shoulder before leading her into an open kitchen. Bale was sitting at a round table, a set of French doors opening to the patio beyond behind him. "Raine"s here, Bale. We can go on with our celebrating now." Tryphon grabbed the three stemmed gla.s.ses and a bottle of wine sitting on the glittering granite top of the huge kitchen island as he walked past.
"What are you celebrating?" She sat next to Bale, and Tryphon took the seat on her other side.
Filling a gla.s.s, Tryphon answered, "Last night was a very special anniversary." He set the full gla.s.s before her.
She ran her index finger down the gla.s.s" smooth stem. "Thanks. What sort of anniversary? Personal or professional?"