by Raven Scott
Huffing a faint laugh at that, I sat up to take up my half-eaten taco, and I scooped the contents that’d fallen out of the shell absently.
“It makes me think. You know, we talked about moving here for a long time, but breaking up with Trevor was what made me make the decision. Why did you agree, Natasha?” My sister shot me a wild look, her taco half stuffed into her mouth, and I took a bite as a contemplative silence stretched between us. I moved here because Trevor cheating on me messed me up, but she didn’t have that excuse. I moved here to get away and focus on my art, but Natasha didn’t have the ability to draw stick figures right.
“I moved here to get away from Mom, honestly. She was always hitting me up for money— more than I ever admitted to you, Valerie. I couldn’t take it anymore. That was why I suggested moving in the first place three years ago. She’d just gotten out of jail, and I wasn’t going to fall into that trap again.” My heart ached for her, and Natasha inhaled deeply through flared nostrils as she met my gaze. “The more I said ‘no,’ the worse it got. Then, right before Trevor cheated on you, she came into money. I don’t know how, and I don’t wanna know how. I just know I had to get the Hell out of there. Just because I’m six minutes older doesn’t mean I’m six minutes more mature or anything.”
“I haven’t talked to her since we moved here.” Truth be told, I hadn’t even thought about my mom since moving here. My last conversation with her was right after I found out that Trevor had cheated on me. She called, asking for money, and I told her to fuck off and hung up.
I wasn’t sure which was worse— knowing she didn’t call to talk to me about anything substantial, or being relieved she hasn’t tried again.
Before the conversation could get darker, my phone chimed insistently, and I set down my taco to pick it up.
Carlyle: I doubt it. You said you worked with computers. Do you know any coding?
My brows rose in surprise, and I pursed my lips thinly.
Valerie: not really . . . but my sister does. Why?
He started replying instantly, and I nudged Natasha with my elbow to draw a grunt from her. Leaning over my shoulder, she swallowed her bite, and I held my breath in expectation.
Carlyle: I need someone to write a program for me. For a good price.
“Wouldn’t that be awesome if he hired me? Say ‘yeah.’ I’ll do it.”
“You don’t even know what it is, Natasha.” Even as I protested, I shot the text she wanted, and Natasha rested her chin on my shoulder. “Plus, why would he ask you if he’s in a global company? Don’t they have people for things like that?”
“Maybe he wants to impress you. Doesn’t take much.” Scrunching up my nose at that, I shirked her off, and Natasha laughed as Carlyle’s next text came in. “Oh, he wants to meet up tonight. Look up the restaurant.”
10
Carlyle
Standing on the sidewalk, I flicked my cigarette into the gutter as strange anxiety burrowed deep in my gut. Jerry’s replacement couldn’t figure out whose voice was on that threatening video but suggested adding a tracker to the email to at least figure out where in the world it came from.
The only issue was that all code had personal quirks, and I needed to have someone write that wasn’t associated with me.
“You nervous about your date?” Glancing over at Theo, I only shook my head, but that’s probably exactly what I was feeling. I hadn’t been on a date since high school, and that was just social awkwardness— and the potential to have sex, of course. Since then, it’d just been the occasional hookup until I realized I could just buy one off Wren.
Until Wren so foolishly got played by that desert snake.
“Have you taken Illya on a date yet?” Theo took his turn to shake his head, and I arched a brow quizzically. “Why not?”
“Why would I bring her to a place like this when I can order in and fuck her?” Rolling my jaw, I bopped my head in acceptance of that logic, and Theo leaned on the wall with a grunt. “I’ll take her somewhere when I tell her to marry me. Until then, it doesn’t really matter.”
“When you tell her?” A laugh escaped me, but Theo’s glare was very serious, and I coughed to cover it up and stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Fine . . . fine. I get not giving her the opportunity to turn you down because she won’t, regardless.”
“Like fuck she would. I’ll kill her before I let her walk away from me.” There wasn’t anything I could say to that, and Theo clenched his hand into a tight fist as his right arm bulged slightly from the tension in him. “She doesn’t get a choice.”
“It’s a good thing she loves you, then, isn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Yet. I could hear the hope in his voice. Theo was helplessly in love with that little firecracker, and he wanted her love in return. Clearing his throat roughly, he smoothed down the dress jacket he borrowed from me and straightened his shoulders. “Anyway, I hope she’s not late. You only rented the place out for three hours.”
“Now, who’s the nervous one?” Smirking at the nasty glare he sent me, I chuckled lightly, and it almost felt like we were . . . pals. Rocking back on my heels to sigh, I let the silence stretch, and Theo didn’t try to revive the conversation. My mind roamed to why I’d arranged this in the first place and the why underneath that reason.
Things like this took time, I knew. Chances were, I’d be sitting around with my thumb in my ass for a month. If I got lucky, Valerie’s sister would put a rush on it, but I didn’t want to wave money in her face and demand.
Just as the thought entered my mind, a car drove up to the curb, and I stepped forward to pop open the back door. The woman who’d stopped me on the road last week stepped out first, and I held my hand out for her as a sleek, black heel touched the pavement. They had to be close in age, they looked so much alike, and I smiled politely even as the knots in my abdomen tightened.
Valerie’s smooth heel was enveloped in dark red leather, and she emerged from the back of the car to show off long, beautiful legs. She and her sister were the same height, but Valerie’s legs looked so much better. When I blinked, I could picture them wrapped around my waist. The sleek, black dress hugging her thick curves and clinging to one shoulder was dressed in sequins that shimmered under the yellow lights illuminating the entrance to the restaurant.
Luscious, mahogany waves tumbled down her back, and I squeezed her fingers as she straightened. Bright brown eyes twinkled with flustered merriment, and Valerie’s cheeks tinged pink as I scanned her from top to bottom. Everything in me screamed to push her back into her Lyft and fuck her like she so obviously wanted, and my palm tingled against hers.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.” Licking my teeth hungrily, I held my smirk at bay when Valerie giggled breathlessly, and I held out my elbow for her to take. Her sister took my other side, and I cleared my throat roughly as I struggled to keep my head on straight. “I appreciate you going out on a limb for me.”
I couldn’t even look at the sister as I addressed her, and I gazed at Valerie out of the corner of my eye on the way inside. The hostess was ready to seat us. Shit, everything should be perfect considering how much money I was dropping to rent this place. Tension ate up the oxygen, but the heat sizzling against my right side kept me going on the way to the booth. Around us, the restaurant was eerily quiet, and anyone not working had been packed away in the kitchen or something, completely out of sight.
“You must be a very prominent member of the community for everyone to bend over backward for you the way they do, Carlyle.” Sliding into the booth, Valerie’s sister smiled with excitement brimming in her eyes, and I simply shrugged carelessly. Holding Valerie’s hand as she slipped into her seat, I couldn’t resist watching her tits jiggle before seating myself next to her. Menus were placed down, but I didn’t have a chance to pick one up before the woman across from me spoke up. “I don’t think we’ve introduced ourselves. I’m Natasha, Valerie’s twin.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, N
atasha.” She reached for a shake, her perfectly manicured, dark blue fingernails scraping against the back of my palm, and I nodded firmly. “Again, I appreciate you agreeing to meet with me. I know it must seem a little unorthodox considering I already have a department dedicated to this kind of thing.”
“I was wondering about that, yeah. Is there any reason you couldn’t use one of them?” I knew I had to be as truthful as possible without revealing exactly why I needed this program written, and Natasha’s eyes narrowed on me shrewdly. “Some backwater website designer writing a program that’ll strip voice modulations. It’s a strange request.”
“I understand. However, it’s more of a personal endeavor, and I don’t want to burden my tech team more than they already are. You mentioned that you graduated from Georgia Tech?” She arched a thin eyebrow, and I propped my elbows on the table to hold my chin on my clasped fists. “All I need is a program that’ll allow me to figure out the original voice, or close enough to it to be viable.”
“I mean, I can definitely write it. It’ll probably take a while, though. At least three weeks. It’ll have to be paired with other audio software, too, probably, if you want it fast versus comprehensive.” Nodding firmly, I wasn’t surprised by that, and Natasha picked up her menu to glance at the wine selection plastered on the front. “I’ll only be able to work on it while I’m not at my actual job, unless you have a contingency plan for that, too?”
“Natasha.” Holding up my hand at Valerie’s aghast attempt at a scold, I leaned back against the booth to stare levelly at her sister.
“What do you have in mind?” I’d spend any amount of money to get this shit over with, and Natasha’s dark eyes flashed in surprise at my question. “As much as I hate saying this, money isn’t an obstacle. You work for a small website company. Did you want to come work for me instead?”
Relief wasn’t a good word to describe the rush that shot through me when Natasha shook her head. I didn’t want them working for me. That created snarls, and I was on the cusp of something really big and really bad. For a moment, she was quiet, and I glanced over at Valerie as irritation tightened her features. My palm moved on its own, wrapping around her inner thigh under the hem of her short dress, and those big, brown eyes flew to mine. Silently, I shook my head just a little, and she seemed to get the message before her sister spoke up again.
“I’ll have to think about it more.” Natasha raised her hand to signal the waitress, and I relaxed a little as Valerie closed her warm, fleshy thighs around my fingers. “So, what are your companies all about, anyway, Carlyle?”
“We operate in a few areas— shipping, government contracts on production, and physical security. But for the most part, it’s really, really boring.” Valerie’s skin was so smooth, and I took my hand off her before it went places that weren’t appropriate. “Being the boss means I don’t get called in unless there’s an emergency, basically, and there’s never anything happening because my employees aren’t idiots.”
“You said you owned a construction firm. You just really get around, don’t you?” The conversation stalled a second as Natasha took it upon herself to order a bottle of wine, and I spent that whole moment staring at Valerie like a creep. She didn’t look away, and she grabbed my hand under the table to press my palm firmly against her upper thigh. Her dress rose up, and my lip twitched in a snarl as hunger clawed at my throat. The question hung thick in the air between us, charged with electricity, and its double meaning wasn’t lost to me.
11
Valerie
The wine, the amazing food, the general atmosphere all swooned in my head, and I leaned heavily against Carlyle as we three left the restaurant. His hard, warm body strained taut, and the bulge in his pants fit perfectly against my ass. Thick ropes of muscle played against my back, and I closed my eyes to savor the throbbing ache between my legs.
“You’re not going to stop, are you?” There was absolutely no way in Hell that Carlyle missed any hints I dropped— subtle or not-so-subtle— and I shook my head. His grumble rolled down the back of my neck, and a shiver lodged between my shoulder blades before he firmly gripped my biceps and stepped back. Disappointment puffed out my lips, and goosebumps blanketed my skin from the loss of his heat.
Turning me around, Carlyle examined me under tightly knit brows, and the alcohol and food in me made him glow in the blurred string lights hanging above us. I wasn’t drunk by any means, but that was the best wine I’d ever have the ability to drink, and the best food I’d ever put in my mouth. I didn’t try to not let it affect me.
His face got closer, and my breath hitched before Carlyle brushed his soft lips against my cheek. Pleasantness skittered across my face and down my jaw, but he tightened his grip on me before I could really process anything.
“Goodnight, Valerie.” Mumbling gravelly in my ears, his tone twisted the knots in my core, and I bit down on my bottom lip as his teased my earlobe. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”
“As much as I appreciate you being a gentleman, I really don’t appreciate it.” Somehow, I managed to snatch his tie, and Carlyle frowned as I tugged insistently. “Do you really think I’m not a slut enough to screw around in the back seat?”
“I didn’t think you would when I brought your sister on a date, and you just tagged along, trying to shove my hand up your skirt all night.” Carlyle didn’t sound judgmental. In fact, he sounded kinda pleased at my efforts, but his frown didn’t lighten under the dense crease between his brows. Scrunching up my face in distaste, I leaned back and let go of his tie to huff softly. “I’m sure Natasha will come down with something and be unavailable on Saturday, Valerie.”
“Of course, she won’t be available.” His lips twitched up at my confirmation, and he cupped the side of my face to rub my cheek with his thumb. The callouses on his palm told me he wasn’t nearly as lazy as he tried to make himself out to be, and my eyelids fluttered closed.
“I’ll see you Saturday . . . every single centimeter of you.” I couldn’t exactly fight that, and I nodded grumpily as Carlyle smiled a genuine smile. Gesturing me to the waiting Lyft, he popped open the door for me, and reluctance stiffened my knees. “For the record, I didn’t think you were a slut at all, Valerie.”
“Coffee’s not gonna help you, Val.” Snapping me from my reverie, Natasha shot me a sultry grin, and heat slithered up my neck as we waited for our brews. “Do you know what kind of date you’re going on yet?”
“Hopefully, the hot and sweaty kind.” My grumble earned me a snort of a laugh, and I crossed my arms over my chest to stop my nipples from poking through my shirt. “Jesus, whoever would’ve thought it’d be this difficult?”
“Personally, I think it’s a good thing he doesn’t wanna jump your bones at the first opportunity. I also think it was really cool how he rented the whole damn restaurant just for us.” Those points, I couldn’t argue with, and Natasha smiled wider. “I wonder if he has a brother.”
“If he does, he probably doesn’t stack up. Carlyle’s, like, perfect. I can’t help but think there’s got to be something really deal-break-ery about him somewhere.” Last night, after I had time to stew on it, I was actually kinda pissed that Carlyle didn’t want to fool around in the back seat of his car. I thought I looked great, and he did, too, judging by the size of the bulge in his dress pants. Sighing irritatingly, I shook my head just as our cups were set down, and I grabbed mine a little sharper than usual. “Maybe he’s got a diaper fetish or something. It’s just too good to be true.”
“You should ask him next time you see him.” Horror clung to my ribs and splattered on my face, and Natasha laughed as she threw back her head. Weaving past the tables to the door, I emerged into the cool morning air and let it suck the heat from my cheeks. “No, for real, though, I’ve been thinking about last night, and . . . what if I asked him to buy out the firm we work at?”
“Why the Hell would he do that?” Popping the top of my black, sweetened coffee, I blew on it as my sister
shot me a snotty look.
“What do I have to lose if he says ‘no’? It’s an opportunity to not work in a cyber sweatshop, Valerie. Plus, he can fire Paul’s disgusting ass, and maybe we can even grow with a boss that actually cares about our opinions. Website design is fine and all, but us employees do want to branch out into other stuff.” Rolling my eyes at the mention of our supervisor, I took a sip of my coffee to hide my frown. Natasha had a point, and she sucked her cold brew up through a straw as we started walking down the sidewalk. “Besides, if he says ‘no,’ no one will ever be the wiser. I mean, Carlyle could’ve contacted anyone, but he asked you, Val. I don’t think it’s all that inappropriate to see what we can get out of this offer. It’s just business.”
“Wow, okay. You can do the business, then. I don’t want any part of it. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m gonna sleep with him, and that stuff doesn’t mix well.” Even as I spoke, I couldn’t help but think Carlyle wasn’t the kind of guy to do anything extravagant at the behest of someone else. Sure, he rented that restaurant out, showed us a great time, and flirted with me a lot, but the initial conversation with Natasha . . .
He didn’t make sure that place was empty just to have some alone time.
“Cool, because I’m gonna ask him.” That declaration seemed to end the conversation, and I paused my strides to put the top back on my coffee cup. “Today’s Friday, you know. What bullshit excuse do you think Paul’s gonna come up with to keep us late?”
“Whatever it is, I’m not staying late. We don’t even get paid overtime.” Our office was smack in the middle of downtown, and only a block or two from the coffee shop. Rounding the corner, I could see the building poking out from the skyline, and I ran my hand through my hair absently as dread built in my gut. “Every day, I hate this job more and more.”