Beneath the Vine

by Lillian Bryant

  “I think you need it, Bennett. I think you need to remember who you are.” It was my last chance. My last bid. I needed our friendship, I needed to know that Bennett was still in there somewhere, that everything I was doing, even if it brought him to ruin, was for his own good.

  He exhaled a long sigh before he shook his head with a short laugh. “You know my number.” He shut the door and the car drove off.

  He’d taken the bait.

  “See you in a couple of days.” She smiled and waved to one of her male co-workers. She pulled her bag over her shoulder and popped in a pair of white earbuds. I watched as the man’s eyes skimmed the length of her body as she walked away. His smirk was too obvious, and the way he adjusted his dick made it clear he was hard for her. She had no clue as she walked across the street with her head down. He’d make his move at some point, not realizing that the smiles she’d given him were friendly not flirty, or when her eyes met his it was out of respect not attraction. I had watched Selene for a few days. She was easy to read.

  I followed her this time. My curiosity getting the best of me. After all, I’d waited for her all night. Sitting out in the cold like a fucking stalker while she finished her shift. I had to meet her, announce my presence. I’ll admit she was a huge distraction to why I was even back in the city. But having her, possibly sharing her with Bennett, having it be like old times, having my friend back, even if I knew it would be short-lived, it was all too tempting.

  It was time to make my move. She walked quickly through the people, maneuvering around them. In my assessment of her, I noticed she always used the subway, only opting for cabs late at night. She was a real New Yorker. I liked that about her. I liked how she moved around the people on the sidewalk as if they were never there in the first place. Her grace drew me in. I moved alongside her, and as I tried to pass her I purposely let my hand graze hers. Her head popped up and I smiled. She slowed her pace.

  “Sorry,” I said, and her brows pulled together.

  She removed her earbuds and stopped walking. “What was that?” she asked. Her eyes seemed lighter tonight, almost amber. Her hair was up in a loose bun, the auburn strands that had freed themselves blew in the breeze.

  I grabbed a stray piece and placed it behind her ear. “I said, sorry.”

  She stilled at the touch and her posture straightened. She was frightened. This just made it even better. I didn’t want her to fear me, but that adrenaline… I could smell it, and it turned me on. It had been ages since I’d found a girl that could get me going like this. “It’s no big deal.” She gave me a shaky smile and turned to leave.

  “Wait, I think I saw you the other night… Monterosso Winery? I think I actually ran into you there, too.” My smile was genuine as I watched the recognition cross her face. Her lips pulled into a shy smile.

  “Oh yeah, I think I might have been a bit snarky to you.” She smiled deeply, and a small dimple formed in her right cheek. Fuck, she was sweet. I suddenly hated that Bennett had had her first.

  “Water under the bridge. My name’s Gage.” I held out my hand to hers and she took it.

  “Selene.” She nodded her head and laughed nervously. Her small hand fit nicely in mine; the shock of it ran up my arm.

  “Nice to run into you again.” I released her hand, and the warmth drained from my arm. “Hopefully, I’ll see you around.” I could be charming if I wanted. If I wanted, I could be everything she needed.

  “Maybe.” She bit the corner of her lip and pushed the ear buds back into her ears. She turned and walked away with a bounce in her step. It didn’t matter if Bennett had her first. She was going to have us both.

  I watched her turn the corner, and decided it was getting late, I needed to head back to my hotel. I was staying at The Standard Highline over in the meatpacking district. It was way too swanky, but I had money. My father and mother had saved well for me, and it helped that my dad had been a well-known defense attorney and he had taught me how to invest my own money. I’d had a pretty decent childhood, fed off upper crust education, and my mother had been a stay at home mom. Normal. It had been completely fucking normal — no skeletons, no broken hearts club. I always wondered if this was why I now craved dominance. I wondered if growing up in a high-end “Leave It To Beaver” household was the reason I craved the deviant side of the coin. I needed to push limits, break away from that perfect fucking mold, and the missionary position style of life. It was who I was, and there was no reason for it. I wasn’t sure if that made it worse. No abuse, no weird neighbor that stole my innocence… nothing.

  The first “heartbreak” I’d had was Clara. She betrayed me, betrayed my trust, but, I wasn’t broken-hearted over her. In all honesty, I’d never been in love, and I wasn’t really trying to be either. My phone vibrated, and I pulled it from my pocket. The name Nate Biggs lit on the screen as an incoming call. Fuck.

  I hit the call button. “Calibri.”

  “What the fuck, man. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you since you left.” Biggs exhaled noisily into the phone. “Are you there?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Well?” he asked with a bit of annoyance. I was only a few blocks from my hotel, and I didn’t want to deal with this call. I was fucking beat.

  “I’m in Manhattan. I’m staying at the Standard. Tell everyone to calm the fuck down. When I get the information, I’ll let you know. That deal won’t go down without me, so tell the boys to chill, and as soon as I have what they need, I’ll let them know. ASAP.”

  “Yeah, but Manning is pretty fucking persistent. You know this shit I—”

  “Give me room, Biggs. I need some breathing room or this shit won’t happen, it will fall apart and then what?” I was sick of being micromanaged. This wasn’t my first fucking day at the rodeo.

  “Yeah, all right, just touch base with the boss, Gage. He gets anxious. Shit, we don’t want him getting anxious.” Biggs exhaled deeply again, and I knew he was nervous. This deal was big, and they trusted me to get it done.

  “Yeah, I got this. I’ll touch base in a few weeks. Let me work. Let me do what I do.” My head was starting to ache, and the pressure in my jaw was tense.

  “You have three weeks. I’ll tell Manning. I should be there, man… you should have let me come with you.”

  “I got it. I don’t need a babysitter.” I shook my head. “Three weeks, I’ll be in touch.” I hit the end button before he said something to fucking irritate me. This was my hometown, my turf. I grew up with Charlie and Thomas Bartolie. Frank was family in all intents and purposes to me, and Bennett… If anyone was going to do this right… it would be me. It should be me.

  This was my favorite spot in Manhattan. Not too many people knew about it, but the ones that did frequented often. Wise Owl Books smelled like dust, leather, and paper. The old book store only carried used books, and the store itself felt like a closet. Four stacks and a loft, that’s all there was room for in the space. Each aisle had a rolling ladder that was necessary to reach the top shelf of each stack and the staircase that took you to the loft, it shook every time I ascended its wrought iron steps. The metal was aged, but it was worth the climb. The loft offered private reading and best of all, music.

  The owner, Gary, had quite the collection of vinyl, especially classical. The record player was one of those old numbers from the seventies. It was a large wooden cabinet that, when you lifted the lid, the record player sat recessed inside with all the controls, and the speakers were hidden behind decorative trim inside the front of the unit. I had just started listening to Chopin’s Nocturnes, my head buried happily in an old, leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre when Gage stepped onto the loft platform.

  When I first laid eyes on him the night in the winery, his gaze had had a certain challenge that lit the embers in my belly, a desirable fear, but it’d been a fleeting moment, forgotten by my cellar seduction. Seeing him again after work, actually talking to him, that same heat burned through me, but it was just a chance encoun
ter, and I didn’t want to think about it too much. After all, I’d just had sex with Bennett for the second time. It felt wrong to look at another man with need after giving myself away so readily to another that same day.

  Seeing him now, I couldn’t believe he was standing here. His dark hair was messy and a bit long. It curled around his hairline and ears in need of a cut. The dark shadow of his stubble defined his chiseled jaw. His jawline was one of the strongest I’d seen. The dark red thermal shirt fit snug on his chest; the muscles underneath the fabric appeared defined. Dark jeans covered his solid thighs, and when those mysterious brown eyes found mine, chills ran down my neck and arms. He was the right amount of sexy and handsome, but he had an edge to him. There was a weariness, an absence of that certain spark. His eyes — it was as if they’d seen too much, and seeing him again, for the third time, didn’t diminish the feeling of fear or need I’d had when his eyes devoured me.

  His full lips parted as he watched me place my book on my lap; my stare meeting his. His teeth raked across his bottom lip before he gave me a small grin, a slight dimple forming in his right cheek. “You again?” he said. His voice was deep, masculine, and it spilled down my spine.

  “I could say the same. Are you following me?” I smiled and his eyes moved to my mouth; the heat of his presence pooled along my cheekbones.

  “What if I said I was?” he asked. A shadow crossed his eyes, and my smile wavered.

  There was a truth in his tone, and that fear he evoked started to grow. “I’d tell you I was just leaving.” I attempted to stand, but he took two steps closer to the chair blocking me.

  “Don’t leave. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” His smile was repentant. “Selene, right?” he asked. He backed away and took a seat in the chair directly across from me. He placed a book on his lap. I hadn’t even noticed he was carrying it.

  “Yes, Gage. If I remember correctly.” I exhaled and sat back in my chair. The space he offered made me feel a little more at ease.

  “Good memory.” He chuckled and his dimple deepened. He was, simply put, beautiful. The dark quality of his gaze, his powerful stature, his smile — the warmth of it filled my stomach, and the butterflies began to swirl.

  “I’ve never seen you here before; I come here a lot.”

  His grin widened at my words.

  “In a city so full of people, it’s amazing to run into anyone more than once, but I’ve known about this store. I have an appreciation for records. I used to sell Gary my old punk albums back in the nineties.” His laugh was hearty, and I felt it more than I wanted to.

  “I didn’t mean to imply—”

  “It’s okay. You’re right, I am following you.” He smirked, and it made me laugh. I was being ridiculous.

  I shook my head, my smile still on my lips. “Well, it’s nice to see you again.”

  “Jane Eyre… that’s a dark little read isn’t it? “‘My very soul demands you.’” The quote seemed to hold more to it than the jovial way he spoke it. This man was a puzzle.

  “You know the classics?” I asked.

  “I do.” He offered little information and it pulled me in even more.

  We sat in silence, his eyes on mine. I had to bite my cheek in an attempt to suppress my grin. I liked how his eyes drank me in. “When did you start playing the cello?” he asked. His question caught me off guard.

  “Um,” I stammered. “When I was five.”

  “I’ve never heard anything like it. Do you always play contemporary music, like the other night, or do your tastes run classical as well… like your books?” He nodded his chin at the book in my lap, with a flirty grin across his lips.

  “I like both. I’m a fan of mixing it up. It gets boring playing the same thing all the time. I love classical music, but I like the edge the cello gives to contemporary music.” I could feel my cheeks fill with color. His eyes flitted across my face, picking up every nuance, talking about music always excited me.

  “What did you say your last name was?” he asked.

  “I never mentioned it. It’s Cavalier.”

  “I like it, Italian, like me. Gage Calibri, nice to actually meet you, Selene.” He dropped his gaze to his book and opened it; I worried he was ending the conversation.

  “How did you know I was Italian?” I asked in a rush. I’d hoped not using my first name would hide that background, and normally it had. He furrowed his brows in confusion. “I mean my first name is Giovanna… but, I go by my middle name, most people can’t decipher from just the last name that I’m Italian.” I was rambling, and I wasn’t sure why I was telling him all of this. Maybe it was the way he looked at me — it was like he saw me for who I really was. He saw right through it all.

  The crease between his brows deepened. “Cavalier…” His Italian accent was perfect. “…if said correctly, is very Italian. Giovanna is beautiful. Why would you use your middle name? Do you not like it?”

  I didn’t think he wanted to hear my life story so I just shook my head.

  “I like it. It suits you, I think.” He smiled and I frowned.

  “You hardly know me.” I sounded incredulous.

  “I’d like to rectify that, Gio.” The implication sewn into his tone was sexy as hell.

  I swallowed and brought my stare back to Jane Eyre. I’d maybe had two dates in the past six months and, suddenly, this week I’d allowed myself to fuck Bennett, a stranger, twice, and now this guy was showing interest. I was starting to think maybe I’d hit the hot guy lottery. I didn’t have time for one guy let alone two. “I’m sort of seeing someone.” I wasn’t sure if that was true. When I’d left Bennett in the bathroom at Felix, I’d hoped I’d be able to move on. But the past day and half, he’s all I’d thought about, until now, until Gage Calibri.

  “Is it serious?” he asked with a knowing smirk on his face that irritated me.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ll ever see him again. Last time… why am I telling you this, you don’t care.” I groaned making him chuckle under his breath. “I’m not really—”

  “No explanation needed.” He stood and placed his book on the table next to his chair. His tall, broad frame towered above me. “I’m sure I’ll see you again.” His grin was lopsided, and I couldn’t help but hope that he was right.

  I didn’t give her time to answer. I turned and left, and as soon as my feet hit the New York City cement, I exhaled a long breath. Giovanna. I’d already known that was her first name, but I’d been curious why she went by Selene. I couldn’t be sure but, after talking to her, it was almost as if she was ashamed of her heritage. Even though it shouldn’t bother me, and I had no reason for it to, it bothered the fuck out of me. It pissed me off. I hated fake fucking people and she wasn’t fake. She couldn’t hide the truth if her life depended on it. She had way too many tells. Her blush… fuck, that goddamn blush made me want to do things, filthy things that would give her a real reason to blush. If just my smile got her wet… the things I wanted show her. My dick twitched and I swore under my breath. The need to have this woman was fucking me up. I didn’t have time for this shit, but it was too late. The minute Bennett gave me the in, there was no turning back. It was time I gave him that call.

  I moved quickly through the streets in a hurry to get back to my hotel. I had to meet my parents for dinner tonight in SoHo, but I wanted to speak to Bennett in private. It took me about twenty minutes to get back to the Standard, but, once I walked into my room, relief poured over me. I fell back onto the king size bed, the plush white duvet a comfort. These late nights, this job… I was tired. I wanted to get this whole deal done, but the distraction of her, of the beautiful Gio, was too much.

  I grabbed my phone and dialed the number I hadn’t dialed in a long-ass time. It rang four times before he answered.

  “Not even forty-eight hours. When was the last time you had some decent pussy?” Bennett laughed and I smiled.

  “Ages.” It was the truth. Clara was the last person that meant a
nything to me. Since then, since I left, nothing sated me, nothing gave me what I truly wanted. It was always a quick, random fuck. On occasion, I’d get a regular — a girl who liked it rough, but then I’d push and her limit never met my expectation. However, I had a new drive, a new goal. I was ready to break hers. “Selene.” It was one word, but it drew out that beast in me — the beast that was starving, and she was the only thing that could fill me up.

  “You see it, too?” Bennett asked. He saw it, she was perfect.

  “I do.”

  “It’s there. That compliance, she owns it, she loves it.” I could hear the grin in his voice.

  “So you’ve fucked her?” I knew the answer; he’d had her the night of the Grand Opening.

  “Twice.” His matter of fact tone set my jaw on edge. Jealousy wasn’t my thing, but I was jealous as fuck right now. “Both times were hurried, quickies. I’d like to spend more time with her, Gage, but I’m not sure I want to share just yet. The last time… she said this wasn’t who she was; I don’t want to scare her off, and I’m not sure I can trust you.”

  There it was. He’d never let me live it down, no matter what I told him, no matter how fucking stupid Clara had been that night with the drugs, he’d always blame me. “She was on drugs, Bennett.”

  “But you lost control,” he chastised me.

  “Fuck, I know, it was five years ago. I was fucking drunk. I don’t drink when I’m with women. You know this. It was a fucked night for us all. Give me a break. Can’t you let it go already?” I raised my voice. I was tired of it, tired of footing the blame. It was a three-way decision to have a relationship like that, a fucking commitment between three people requires trust. “She’s the one who broke your trust, Bennie, not me.” I hadn’t called him Bennie in so long. It made my chest feel tight. He was my best friend. I’d never known a day without him since grade school. “These past five years—”

  “It’s okay, Gage. I just don’t think she’s ready. Give me some time, see if she really has what it takes. She seems perfect now, but we’ve been wrong before.”