“Where’s the note Aurelia wrote?”
Evelyn just waved at the papers in his hand.
Vaughan stepped up behind Trevellyan to look over his shoulder. Merrick did exactly the same thing on Trevellyan’s other side. Evelyn had scanned the delivery receipt, and there was Aurelia’s signature and in tiny, neat printing beside it, I’m well and happy, but something feels a little weird. Please check money is going into my account each month. Exactly as Evelyn had told them. Nothing more, nothing less.
“Thank you. How did you manage to succeed where we had so spectacularly failed?” asked Trevellyan.
“Yeah,” said Vaughan.
“It was just as we’d said. I had an official reason to be there. It made sense. You were just people Aurelia hadn’t requested. You could have been anybody, and they had no reason to let you inside. When I refused to let the woman who answered the intercom sign for the parcel, she got Aurelia and let me into the front hallway of the house,” said Evelyn.
“Details. Tell us every single thing that happened. Everything you saw, everything you thought,” said Trevellyan.
Evelyn was amazing. She spoke without stopping to think, or to refer to notes, or anything for maybe ten minutes. She painted a very clear picture of the house, the woman, and Aurelia. The building was as clear in Vaughan’s mind from Evelyn’s words as if he was standing in front of it again. He could imagine the older woman, see Aurelia.
“Thank you, that was very comprehensive. Unfortunately, I can’t see any leads to investigate apart from her note,” said Trevellyan on a sigh.
“That’s what I told you. I can’t see any likelihood of me being able to earn that ten thousand from you. Did she give you access to her bank account before she left?” asked Evelyn.
“I doubt it. She did leave some papers with me, but I don’t think it’s anything like that.” Vaughan watched as Trevellyan’s shoulders slumped. He put a hand on the shoulder nearest him and gently massaged it.
“I have a friend who’s very computer savvy. He’s not a hacker, just into IT. He’d likely help you, and he’s not too expensive,” Evelyn offered.
“Awesome. Have you got his business card?” asked Merrick.
Evelyn opened a drawer and riffled through a handful of business cards, before passing one to Trevellyan. “Here you go.”
She stood, seeming to indicate the meeting was over. Suddenly, Vaughan didn’t want to go. Didn’t want this to be the last time he saw her. Without thinking of his friends, he blurted out, “Can we take you to dinner? Tonight?”
His gaze was fixed on her face. She seemed surprised but not unhappy. Quickly, he flicked a glance at Trevellyan and Merrick. Both looked hopeful.
Evelyn glanced down at her jeans and boots. “I’ll need an hour to get ready.”
“Shall we pick you up at seven then?” he suggested.
“I’ll meet you there,” she said firmly. “Which restaurant?”
Vaughan looked at Merrick. He hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. But it was Trevellyan who answered. “Papa Giovanni’s in Main Street. He has a great range of food, and we all like the atmosphere there.”
“Okay, see you then.”
* * * *
Papa Giovanni’s was in some ways a stereotypical family Italian restaurant. The man himself was as rotund as any Santa Claus, and his wife was built on similar lines. All the servers seemed to be Giovanni’s children, nephews, nieces, and cousins. The curtains and tablecloths were red gingham, the red wine bore no known label but tasted extremely good, and the pasta was superb. But less stereotypically, the salads were equally good, and the desserts were not just pies and gelato ice cream but concoctions of Papa’s that were totally to die for.
Evelyn had heard the name, but had to Google the restaurant as Main Street extended several miles and she had no intention of walking that far in high heels. She really didn’t go out all that much. She’d been too focused on building up her little business. But when she did dress up, she usually left the motorbike a block away on a laneway or side street where she could change her boots for high heels and strip off her leathers to reveal dress pants and a silk shirt. The leathers and boots were stored in the lock-up carrier on her motorcycle, along with her helmet. It meant rolling the leathers up tightly, but she had perfected the chore and could do it quickly and easily now.
Evelyn was surprised at how excited she’d been at the thought of dinner with these men. Of course, they were very handsome and made her blood pump hard and fast through her body, her breasts filling, the nipples hardening, and her pussy creaming with desire at the thought of them. But it was more than that. She felt that the more she knew about them, the more they appealed to her as people, as friends. It was the first time she’d ever had such thoughts about her clients. Although I suppose they’re not clients anymore. I’ve delivered their parcel, given Aurelia’s message to Trevellyan, so my part in the little drama is done. Which is a shame, as I’d really like to see them again. I wouldn’t have minded their ten thousand dollars either! Oh well, I’ll just have to enjoy tonight.
And she did. They talked, and laughed, and twirled spaghetti on their forks. They drank rich, smooth, red wine and ate cold, tart gelato, as well as a decadent chocolate mousse that should have come with a warning notice about its almost orgasmic effects on her.
Evelyn noticed how Merrick had just the tiniest hint of wanting to be in control. Vaughan had a mischievous, wicked sense of humor. Trevellyan was the calm, quiet one.
They all seemed to laugh a lot. Maybe it was just the wine, but the men were able to come up with clever replies, and she had to concentrate to find witty answers of her own. Evelyn enjoyed that.
“Do you prefer tissues or cloth handkerchiefs, Evelyn?” asked Trevellyan.
“What?”
“Paper or cloth?”
“Um, paper, I guess. I still have some hand-embroidered handkerchiefs my grandmother gave me when I was a child, but they are too pretty to use.” And what a stupid answer that was!
“Hey, my mom had some like that. Really intricate designs they were,” said Vaughan.
“People say tissues are better because you throw away the germs. But with cloth you are using non-renewable resources to launder them. But then, non-renewable resources are used in the making of paper, too,” said Merrick.
“So in fact, it’s a lose-lose situation and the best response is never to sneeze,” quipped Vaughan.
“And the point of the questions is?” asked Evelyn.
“We’ve all learned you like pretty things. We like pretty things, too.”
At Trevellyan’s comment, all the air was sucked from Evelyn’s lungs. The way he was looking at her sent her blood pounding through her body.
She sure wouldn’t mind being bedded by any of these men, but only because she liked a brain as well as a cock when she slept with a man. And these men definitely had both. They were all man, hard-bodied, muscled, and tough, yet entertaining and thoughtful companions as well. Damn shame I’ll be going home alone to my cold, little bed. Thank God for my trusty pink vibrator! But it’s time I started getting out more, developing a sex life. I must be really sex-starved to be thinking about these three men like this. Three men for God’s sake. What am I thinking of!
But she was thinking about it. Over and over again. About Vaughan’s sparkling eyes. About Trevellyan’s deep desire to care for Aurelia. About Merrick’s bossy little quirks. She was also thinking about one or more of them—hell, all three!—in her bed. Merrick being bossy, maybe spanking her ass a little, Trevellyan kissing and licking it to soothe it, and Merrick teasing her until she came and came and came.
“Just your imagination,” she muttered.
She hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud until Trevellyan said, “What are you imagining, Evelyn. I could be imagining a few things about you.” He turned his head to include the other two men. “I think we all could.”
Startled
, Evelyn looked at each man in turn. They had identical happy smiles on their faces. Seriously? They were interested in her? It had to be just a fantasy, didn’t it?
Merrick called for coffee, and Trevellyan, and Vaughan each picked up one of her hands. “We’d all like to get to know you better.”
Evelyn turned her head to look into each face. They were all serious, all nodding. Even Vaughan had no hint of fun in his eyes now.
“I’m free all day Sunday,” she said in a choked voice.
“Well, we’d hoped you’d be free a little sooner than that, but Sunday it is. Plan to spend the whole day with us,” said Merrick.
Evelyn nodded, once again wondering what she’d agreed to and thinking over his words. Had they meant tonight? Had they wanted her to go home with them now? Like, on the first date? In fact, was this even a date? Well, Sunday would be a date. She’d wait and see what happened then.
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Chapter Three
“Is it your birthday today, dear?” asked Mrs. Treeby.
“No, it’s not. My birthday’s in July. Should I open the parcel now, or wait until I get off-shift?” asked Aurelia. She felt sure Mrs. Treeby was as curious about the parcel as she was, but Damien, who replaced the workers on their bathroom breaks, couldn’t be expected to remain at her desk for longer than the usual few minutes it took to visit the facilities.
“Open it now, dear.”
They walked together into the dining room, and Mrs. Treeby, who was the cook as well as the “chaperone” for the young women, handed her a pair of scissors.
Aurelia didn’t want to spoil the wrapping paper, which was quite pretty, so she cut neatly along the line of tape at one end of the parcel and unwrapped it. Inside was a layer of bubble wrap and, under that, a delicately carved wooden photograph frame, with an old picture inside it. Carefully she picked it up and looked closely at it. There were two couples, likely in their late twenties or early thirties. One woman was holding a baby, and the other couple had a small boy standing in front of them.
“They’re my parents, and I assume that was me as a baby. I’ve never seen this picture before. It must be almost thirty years old. Since Trevellyan sent it to me, he will be the child, and the other couple is his parents. It’s hard to tell with a black and white photograph, but the child does look like him, I guess, especially the shape of his chin. Yes, and the way he’s standing with his feet apart. He does that a lot. But I’ve never seen him with a haircut like that. Whatever was his family thinking of!”
“A pudding basin cut, they were called. Lots of folks used to cut their children’s hair like that, but more like fifty years ago than thirty.”
“Really?” Aurelia wrapped her photograph again in the bubble wrap and smiled at the older woman. “Thank you. I’d better get back to work.”
Mrs. Treeby nodded, and Aurelia hurried down the hallway to the call center. For the next few hours, she’d be much too busy to think about her gift. But later today, she would think about Trevellyan and their families. And wonder if he would check her bank accounts. Everything was fine here, really it was. They were well treated and making good money although they worked hard, eight hours on, eight hours off, and meals, laundry, and personal chores all had to be done in the time off, as well as sleeping. But something was niggling at the back of her mind. Something was wrong. Something she couldn’t put her finger on, but eventually it’d come to her. If only all the electronics for the call center hadn’t blanked out cell phone reception in the area. If only she could send him a text message or even call him.
* * * *
Business was busy, and every few weeks, Evelyn considered doing some deliveries on Sundays. But she had to do laundry, shop, clean her apartment, catch up on her business paperwork, and she had the feeling that once she began working Sundays, more clients would expect her to be available, and her free day would quickly disappear. Besides, hadn’t she just decided it was time for her to get a social life?
Gazing into her closet, she decided it was also time to do some serious shopping. She had a nice pair of black dress pants, two silk shirts, one pink and one blue, a pair of still-good jeans, and one dress, neither little, nor black, but a shimmery silver that she thought looked good with her gray eyes. If gray eyes could ever be considered good. Blue would be more attractive. Or green perhaps.
Nothing in her closet was appropriate to wear for a day out with the men. The dress—her only dress—was too pretty to be used on anything less than an evening event, and her jeans—Well, jeans were what she wore to work every day. Even though these were nicer jeans, the distinction was sure to be lost on the men. Also, she’d worn her dress pants and the blue shirt to Papa Giovanni’s. Unfortunately, she had nothing else. Jeans it was, with the pink shirt. But tomorrow I’m going online to buy a pretty skirt!
Once again, she’d refused to give them her address, arranging to meet them at her office. She tried never to have anyone come to her apartment. The art students were fun people to live with—except at three a.m.—but they were pretty wild and certainly didn’t fit her “businesswoman” image. She preferred to keep her home private.
The day was sunny and warm, but nonetheless, Evelyn kept her leather jacket with her, in case a shirt wasn’t enough clothing for wherever they were going. She was intrigued to learn what the men had planned. Not telling her was a clever move on their part to increase the anticipation in her. Although she would have been excited enough anyway, just at the thought of spending time with three such delicious men. Not one date, but three. Pretty awesome really.
Was she wrong in thinking sex was going to be on the menu today? Was it all in her mind, simply her hormones running wild? And how did a woman have sex with three men? One after the other? Or did some of them just watch? Ah, she really ought to have paid more attention when the guys at college were bragging about their sexual exploits! Oh well, she’d find out soon enough. And she would not be disappointed if this was just a date. Really, she wouldn’t. Well, not too much anyway.
She locked her motorcycle luggage bags in her office and then returned down the stairs to the front of the building. Merrick was leaning against the wall—he seemed to do that a lot—and a dark-blue SUV pulled up out the front just as she arrived. Vaughan jumped out and opened the door for her, Merrick helped her into the vehicle, and in a very short period of time, they were pulling out into the traffic again.
“Nice timing. I like a woman who’s punctual,” said Merrick.
“My job is all about deadlines. If I miss them, I lose clients.”
“Yup, that makes sense,” said Trevellyan.
“Where are we going?”
“To a certain extent, that’s up to you. We’ve each chosen an activity. When you’ve had enough of the first one, we’ll move on to the next one. Lunch is part of the program, too. We aren’t going to starve you,” said Vaughan.
“So what’s on first?”
“Do you like skating?”
Evelyn guessed this was Merrick sort of sideways answering her question.
“Ice skating? Only if you promise not to push me over. I didn’t bring a change of clothing. In-line skating? As long as I get elbow and kneepads, yes. They may make me look a little pathetic, but I don’t plan to break any bones.”
“It’s in-line skating, and you can hire everything there. It’s a skate-park but with various areas for more and less experienced skaters,” explained Merrick.
“That sounds like fun.” It’d been a long time since Evelyn had done exercise for pure enjoyment. On Sundays she went to the gym to use the machines there, and to have a swim in the pool, but apart from that, her exercise routine was mostly running up and down stairs and carrying parcels during her workday. Skating would be pure enjoyment.
“Then what’s second?”
“There’s a theater complex where they show movies continuously on a loop. Three movies, on
e in each of the three theaters. I thought surely you’d like one of the choices,” said Trevellyan.
“I haven’t been to the movies in ages, so I definitely won’t have seen the shows already. What is your plan for us, Vaughan?” she asked.
“Paintball.” His voice was a bit hesitant, and she guessed he was wondering what she’d think of the idea.
“I know heaps of people who’ve played, but I’ve never been. You’ve all put a lot of thought and effort into planning today, with a good variety of activities. I think I’m really going to enjoy myself,” she said.
She felt the atmosphere in the car lighten around her, and they began to talk about general things. But a bubble of happiness was growing inside her. They’d gone to considerable trouble to think up things she might like, and they’d guessed her interests pretty well. She was already looking forward to the day even more than before.
* * * *
Merrick stayed beside her until he was sure she could cope with the obstacles at the skate park. Then she surprised them all by winning a speed skating race.
“How did you do that? You hardly seemed to be putting in any effort at all,” gasped Vaughan, his face still red with exertion.
“Glide, don’t push,” she replied grinning.
“Makes sense I guess.” Merrick nodded.
At the movies, it was Trevellyan and Merrick who sat on either side of her, but at lunch, Vaughan claimed that privilege, leaving the other two to sit on hard metal chairs while he pressed against her on the padded, bench seat.
At paintball, she and Vaughan were partnered against Trevellyan and Merrick. She couldn’t help but notice how fast they could all move and how strong they all were. But after about ten minutes, she realized they didn’t expect her to hide, and she managed to find several places where she could watch out for them without being seen. She wasn’t sure whether it was simply a male trait that assumed they’d win, or whether it was beneath their dignity to hide, but it worked for her. She shot both of them several times before Trevellyan got her.
Enslaved [Freedom Be Damned 1] (Siren Publishing M?nage Amour) Page 3