by Suzanne Rock
“You do?” Wes widened his eyes in surprise.
“Yeah, and Jason’s no help.” Deacon leaned in close and lowered his voice so only Wes could hear. “His preferences can be a little too vanilla, if you know what I mean.” He leaned back and winked. “I tend to like things a little more wild.”
“You’re into the scene?” Wes guessed.
Deacon nodded. “Although I’m not much of a player. I prefer to watch.”
Wes raised his brows. “A voyeur?”
“Something like that.” He considered Wes for a moment before continuing. “I’ve had the privilege of watching Jason and his girlfriend a few times now. While it’s been very educational, it has been, shall we say, less than satisfying.”
“Did they know that you were watching them?” Wes noticed that his voice sounded a little breathless, but didn’t care.
“That’s the thing.” Deacon pulled one hand out of his pocket and brushed his fingers along Wes’s arm. “They had no idea I was there. While I was sharing the experience with them, I still felt totally alone.”
Wes felt he should be scandalized over Deacon being a voyeur, but instead it turned him on. It had been a long time since he had been with anyone, and Wes wasn’t very good with staying celibate. Deacon was both rugged and rebellious, a complete and total opposite to his former boyfriend. Perhaps he was just what Wes needed to jerk himself out of this funk and stop feeling sorry for himself.
Wes swallowed as his cock pressed playfully against his jeans. “What would have made it better?”
Deacon leaned forward, brushing his stubbled cheek against Wes’s as he whispered in his ear. “If one of them knew I was watching.”
Wes shivered as Deacon inched away. “You like to watch, knowing that one member of the couple knows you’re there?”
Deacon nodded. “You see, in situations like that, the moment becomes more intimate. It’s less about the couple having sex, and more about me and the one who knows I’m there.” He shifted his gaze to Wes’s lips. “It becomes a show for me and me alone.”
“And when it’s over?”
Deacon dragged his gaze back up to meet Wes’s. “When it’s over, the couple says their good-byes, and then I take the one who knows about me up to my room and show my appreciation for his wonderful performance.”
Wes’s heartbeat quickened and he struggled to get his desire under control. Clearing his throat, he forced himself to keep his voice even. “I could take you by this club, Dark Desires.” He shrugged and hoped he looked nonchalant. “Who knows, you might find what you’re looking for there…”
“Oh, I’ve already found what I’m looking for.” Deacon flashed him a seductive smile. “Your club sounds like it would be just the thing I need.” He slid his finger along Wes’s jaw and smiled. “Pick me up in this lobby at ten.”
Wes’s entire body felt like butter as he watched the handsome bad boy stride away. He had a date. An honest-to-goodness date. Even before his breakup with Marco, it had been a long time since anyone had wanted to go out in public with him. To be seen in a popular sex club with a fine piece of man candy on his arm … It would be just the thing to extinguish his torch for Marco Perconti for good.
Chapter 16
Jason specifically remembered telling Arianna that she was to remain in his apartment. Staying put was for her own safety. She knew this, so why wasn’t she there when he went to retrieve her?
He steeled his jaw and made another frustrated sound as he stepped on the gas pedal of his BMW. No matter how hard he pressed, he couldn’t seem to outrun his demons.
Ari had pushed him to come clean about his time with Deacon and when he did, she’d behaved just as he had feared. She hated him. Hell, he hated himself for sleeping with all of those women. He deserved a chance to explain himself, however, and she had robbed him of that chance.
After calling her repeatedly on her phone, Jason was no closer to finding her. He ground his teeth and hit the steering wheel in frustration. Things never used to be so complicated. He had everything: a booming business¸ a beautiful girl, and Leo Perconti on the ropes. Now everything was shot to hell.
He was losing control. Deacon had said that the loan shark was in the city. If that was true, then it was only a matter of time before they found Ari. Jason had to get her away, but that seemed like an impossibility considering the circumstances. He had no idea how he was going to convince her to do anything when she wasn’t speaking to him.
He was going to have to up his game. The quickest way he knew to get back on her good side was to appeal to her sense of adventure. He thought back to when he’d let her drive the McLaren, and how hot she looked behind the wheel. If he could give her that same sense of freedom and danger, then he’d have her eating out of the palm of his hand.
The only question left was how to do it. He thought about the sexual games they played, and how each felt like a thrill ride. He wanted to create the ultimate thrill for Ari, something that would turn her attention and focus back to him. By using their need for an adrenaline rush, he could show her how good it could be when she didn’t overthink things and went with the moment. It was a long shot, but he was running out of time.
If he was going to create the ultimate sexual adventure, then he’d need some help. Jason changed direction and drove to an out-of-the-way shop called the Sex-It-Up and purchased just the right piece for his plan. He ignored the curious glances and smirks as he paid for his purchase and then took the back roads home, wanting the time to plan out the encounter in his head.
He’d start out by inviting her to a public place, somewhere where he could put the sex toy to good use. Then, when the moment was right, he’d drag her into his McLaren and whisk her away from the city—
The loud blast of a car horn pulled him from his thoughts. Jason jerked back and swerved out of oncoming traffic and back onto his side of the road. The street turned a hard right, and Jason overcompensated. His priceless race car swerved and rammed into a nearby streetlamp.
“Watch where you’re going, asshole,” the guy in the other car shouted as he passed.
Jason gave him the finger and then rested his head on the back of his seat. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
After glancing at his Rolex, he considered calling a tow truck, but going to the station to have it fixed would take time, and showing up at a mechanic with a broken BMW would only draw media attention. He didn’t want to give those damn reporters any more fodder for their magazines.
Pressing his lips together in frustration, he pulled out his cell and swiped the screen. He made it only halfway through his list of contacts before he stopped and realized that although he had a list filled with hundreds of acquaintances, there was no one close enough for him to call when he was in trouble.
Rubbing his hands against his eyelids, Jason came to the horrifying conclusion that, despite all he had done to distance himself from his brother, Deacon was the only person who would care enough to come help him. The realization made him feel like a heel. Ever since he had arrived at Stone Suites, Deacon had proven to him that all he wanted was to be a part of Jason’s life, and Jason kept pushing him away. While Deacon wasn’t exactly refined, he did try hard, and his heart seemed to be in the right place. He was family, and Jason was tired of being alone.
He flexed his fingers and then dialed the number of the one person he knew would not only understand him, but come to his aid.
“Hey.” Deacon’s carefree baritone filled the line.
“It’s me.”
“Little brother?” Deacon sounded genuinely surprised. “I didn’t think you knew how to dial.”
“Ha-ha, very funny. Look, let’s quit the niceties. I have a problem.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I need you to come pick me up. I’m about three blocks from the Prudential Center.” Jason gave him the address.
“Car problems?” Deacon asked.
“You could say that.”
“Do
you want me to bring my tools?”
“There’s no time. Just get my keys to the Jag from my office and come get me. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going.”
Deacon chuckled. “Okay, little brother. I have to say, it feels nice to be needed again.”
“Yeah, just hurry.” Jason gave him the address and hung up. Leaning his head back against the seat, he thought back to when he and Deacon were close. While he’d never con women like that again, he did enjoy the comradery he’d shared with Deacon. His brother made him laugh, and was the first in line to help Jason when he got in over his head. They’d stood up for each other more times than Jason cared to admit.
Once he settled things with Ari, perhaps he could find his brother a place in his hotel chain. Deacon had a head for numbers and was good at negotiations. Together, they’d make quite the team. He bet they could give Leo a run for his money.
* * *
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me, Camille.” Ari crossed her arms and scowled at her friend.
“You had your wedding to plan. I didn’t want to ruin it with such trivial things.”
“Trivial? Camille, we don’t have the money we need to fully supply Children’s Hospital like we had planned. You sat there in my meeting the other day and let me tell those people that we were going to do things we don’t have the funding to do.”
“I’m sorry, Ari. I thought this donor would come through, but…”
Camille didn’t need to finish. The donor had backed out after her non-wedding became front-page news. No one wanted to donate to a charity where the person running it was surrounded in scandal.
“I wish you had said something. We really needed that money.” Ari picked up her tea, then put it back down on the kitchen table of the small apartment.
“What would you have done? Gone crawling back to your brother and marry Landon?” Camille leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. “You know how I felt about that decision. I still feel the same way. Marrying Landon would have been the biggest mistake of your life. His, too.”
Ari waved her hand in dismissal. “I could have gotten money from somewhere else.”
“From where? The only other person you know is Jason Stone, and after what happened, I don’t think you want to go asking him for money.”
Ari rubbed her forehead and leaned back in her chair. “I know. I’m sorry.” She shouldn’t be so mad at Camille. The poor woman was doing the best she could. Ari needed to get her act together and focus on her charity before it fell apart.
That wasn’t the only reason why she needed to get back to work. She had only been at Camille’s apartment for a couple of hours, but she already felt as if the walls were closing in on her. Camille was sweet, but a slob, and the place really needed a good maid. Dishes in the sink looked like they had been left there for days. Clothes and PowerBar wrappers were strewn all over the floor, and a musty smell that Ari couldn’t quite place permeated the bedroom and bath. Ari didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to stay with her friend before she hired movers and a cleaning staff to bleach the entire apartment.
“What are you going to do now?” Camille asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Ari said. “I feel kind of lost. I can’t go back to my brother without first showing him that I can stand on my own two feet, and I can’t stay with Jason knowing that he was using me to gain information about my family. It feels as if the rug has been ripped out from under me, you know?” She shook her head. “I don’t have anyone I can lean on.”
“You have me.” Camille reached across the table and took her hand. “You always have me.”
Ari smiled and squeezed Camille’s fingers. “And I thank you for that. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so grateful for your friendship.” She let go of her friend’s hand and leaned back in her chair. “The funny thing is, I think Jason is genuinely sorry for what he did to me.”
“Did he apologize?” Camille asked.
“Not exactly, but he did try to explain himself. He said that he’s changed. When he was younger, he was poor and desperate. Back then he’d do whatever it took to gain the upper hand. He insists that he doesn’t do that now, but I don’t know. Can people really change?”
“I believe they can. People often become desperate when they need to find a way to survive, and resort to things that they normally wouldn’t do. Back when I was taking Jasmine to and from the hospital, it was so difficult coming up with money for her cancer treatments. I’m not sure what I would have done if you hadn’t helped me out.”
“I’m sure something else would have turned up.”
“Maybe.” Camille nibbled her lower lip in thought. “But your donation sure made things easier.”
“What are you saying, Camille?”
“I’m not justifying what he did. Believe me. It’s just…”
“What?”
Camille sighed. “Like I said, people who are desperate do desperate things.” She looked up and met Ari’s gaze. “Just look what you were about to do to save your charity.”
“But I didn’t sleep with Landon.”
“Not yet.” Camille shrugged. “But you were going to get married. For now Landon agreed to keep his hands off of you, but things change. Who knows what you would have done to stay married and keep the money flowing in to both your charity and your family?”
Ari stared at her friend as Camille’s words sunk in. She was right, of course. As much as Ari wanted to believe that she was different from Jason, she really wasn’t. They had both used people to get what they wanted.
“That doesn’t explain his seducing me for information about my family.”
Camille considered her for a moment. “Are you sure that’s why he’s seeing you?”
“That’s what he told me.”
“I know that’s what he said, but honey, I’ve seen him look at you, especially when he thinks no one is watching him. It’s as if his entire universe revolves around you. That man has feelings for you. Trust me.”
“If what you say is true, then he has a horrible way of showing it.” She took her teacup to the sink, so Camille couldn’t see the tears stinging her eyes. She really had made a mess of things, hadn’t she? All she wanted was a little independence, and look where it had gotten her. Perhaps running away from the wedding and her family had been a mistake. If she had stayed, she would have been financially secure. She never would have learned about Jason’s problems with the loan shark or his sketchy past.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Camille said. “Perhaps coming here was for the best. Heaven knows that the man needs a good kick in the pants to wake him up.”
Ari looked for a place to put her cup, but there wasn’t any counter space. After balancing it precariously on the pile of dishes, she moved back to her seat.
“I don’t want to focus on Jason anymore,” she said. “I’d much rather think about other things, like how we can get Ari’s Kids out of this mess.”
“We could do another fund-raiser…”
Ari shook her head. “It takes too much planning and time. We’d have to front the money for the fund-raiser and we don’t have that kind of cash.” She averted her gaze. “The only way I can think of getting quick cash is by patching things up with my brother.”
“What are you going to say to him?”
“I have no idea. I won’t marry Landon, that’s for sure. I’m pretty sure that ship has sailed, anyway.”
“Are you sure you want to go crawling back to Leo?”
“If you can think of a better idea, I’d love to hear it.” When Camille didn’t immediately answer, Ari sighed. “You know things can’t go on like this. The charity needs money, and I need a place to stay, which means I need my family.”
“What about your independence? What about taking a stand against your brother and being your own person?”
“Those kids are more important than my pride, don’t you think?” Ari pulled out her phone and plac
ed it on the table between them. “Perhaps I can convince Leo to meet me halfway.”
“It will be difficult. Your brother’s holding all of the cards. I wish we had another option.”
“Me, too.”
Camille stood up and hugged her friend. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
“Thanks.” Ari waited until Camille was out of the kitchen. Ignoring her full voice mail box, she took a deep breath and dialed Leo’s number.
“Hello?” Karin said.
“Hey, Karin, it’s Ari. Why are you on Leo’s phone?”
“I sent him to rest. He’s so worried about you. We all are.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Where are you? We’ve been trying to reach you for hours. Someone told us that there was a mugging at Stone Suites. Are you all right? Is Wes with you?”
“Wes? No. Why would he be?”
“When you didn’t return my calls I sent him over to see if you were all right. He texted me a few hours ago, but I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”
“He’s missing?”
“Yes. And I’m worried. Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
“I was busy. And … I’m not at Stone Suites anymore.”
“Where are you?”
“With a friend—and I’m fine. Honest.”
“What’s going on? Leo has been worried sick—”
“Is that her?” Leo’s voice boomed from the other line. “Let me see the phone.”
Ari tightened the grip on her cell as her brother came on the line.
“Ari, is that you?”
“Hey, Leo.”
“Oh, thank God.” His voice was filled with genuine relief. “Did you get hurt? We heard that there was some sort of mugging at Stone Suites—”
“I’m fine. Sorry I didn’t call you sooner, but I was busy. I’m not at Stone Suites anymore. I’m … somewhere else.”
“Where are you?” When she didn’t immediately respond, Leo’s heavy sigh filled the line. “What are you doing, Ari? What’s this all about?”
Ari took a deep breath. “I want to come home, but only if it’s on my own terms.”