“It wasn’t easy,” Bailey sighed out, and they laughed again at her expense. “Like I said, I’m attracted to Lucas, and he doesn’t hide that he wants to sleep with me, but I don’t want to complicate things. If I didn’t have to deal with the fallout of losing my job, and the likelihood of getting blacklisted by Sandra to all the other design firms, I might consider going out with him. But I’m sure he’s only looking for a casual hookup, so what’s the point?”
“They do it, so why can’t we get a little casual somethin’ somethin’, you know.” Sienna chuckled lightly, and then her gaze softened. “I do understand where you’re coming from, but you really should consider, at the very least, a date with him. A man like that won’t keep asking.”
They got out of the car and headed up the walk.
“What if I chose the place for the date?” Bailey asked as they stood outside the apartment door. “Lucas and I could go somewhere where the chance of running into Sandra would be slim.”
“Yes, you could just hang out at his place.” Sienna opened the door with her key and flipped the wall switch that turned on the table lamp. “Get yours.” She winked.
Bailey shook her head. “No, I’m not ready to take it there—the sex part, I mean. Lucas is so intense. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thought about it ... a lot,” she admitted. “He’s kind of intimidating. I’ve never met a man like him before.” Dropping her backpack on the sofa, she released a weary breath and raked a hand across her forehead. “What should I do? Do you really think I should go out with him? It might be okay if I planned out where we’d go and set some ground rules with Lucas.”
“That could work. Hey, it’s been great seeing Faith, right?”
“Yes, it has. Is she here?”
“Faithhhh?” Sienna hollered and received no answer. “Nope, not here.”
“Where would she go and stay all day? Everyone we know that she knows here works during the day,” Bailey said as she slipped out of her sneakers.
“Who knows.” Sienna plopped down in the armchair and did the same. “When Faith showed up at the club the other night, she was acting kind of strange. I assumed she’d downed a couple of shots or something to mellow out before meeting Diego.”
Bailey cut her a side look.
“What?”
“You don’t find it odd that Faith just suddenly popped up here carrying only a backpack, but said that she wasn’t sure how long she’d be here?”
“That’s Faith—unpredictable—you know that.”
“That’s always been her problem,” Bailey returned as she stretched her tired frame. “I have a lot of work to do before I go to bed.”
Their heads turned to the sound of the key working the door lock. Faith entered the apartment. Behind her was Dale Carter. Bailey and Sienna flew to their feet.
“Uh, hey, guys.” Faith looked tentatively between them.
“What the hell is this?” Sienna barked.
“We’re dating again,” Faith explained with an anxious look between them. “It’s not like it was. He’s changed.” She looked at Dale.
“Yeah, I’ve left all that shit ... I mean, that stuff I use to do. I don’t do that no more,” Dale said.
“I thought, thought you were—” Bailey started.
“Incarcerated,” Sienna finished for her.
“Early release for good behavior. I been out about three months.” Dale ran a hand over his dirty-blond hair and stuck his hand into the front pocket of his severely aged blue jeans. “I gotta job with D.C. sanitation, but I got other things working that’s gonna be even better. And now that I got my girl back,” he encircled his arms around Faith’s shoulders from behind and kissed her cheek, “everything’s coming together.”
“See, he’s changed.” Faith smiled up at Dale. “I wanted you all to see for yourself. We’re really good.”
Bailey and Sienna could do nothing but stare at them. Subconsciously, Bailey rubbed her wrist as her mind took a spiral back to when she sat handcuffed and scared within a breath of a heart attack while the cops raided their apartment.
Faith turning into the man’s arms pulled Bailey out of her nightmare. “I’ll call you in the morning,” Faith whispered, then let him out.
When the door closed, Sienna yelled, “What the hell is this? That man nearly got you sent to prison and nearly got us all tangled in his shit too, or have you forgotten? Oh, wait, that’s right, you weren’t the one woken up by a police dog’s growling hot breath in your face.”
Seldom did Bailey witness Sienna at this level of pissed off, especially with Faith. “Yes, Faith, Dale isn’t good for you. You can do so much better.”
“This is why I didn’t tell you two that I was seeing him. Can’t you all just give him a chance? He was released for good behavior. While he was locked up, he took classes and studied really hard. He has his G.E.D. now. Bailey, what was it you said to me back in college when I’d started smoking? That saying by that guy, Bill ... Bob ... I can’t remember his name, but you told me, ‘If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.’”
“Benjamin Sáenz,” Bailey supplied.
“Yeah, him. Dale hasn’t been involved in drugs or anything bad for nearly three years.”
“He’s been in jail, that’s why. And I say when the past calls, let it go to voice mail because it’s got nothing new to say,” Sienna argued.
Bailey almost chuckled at that. “Who said that?” Getting a shrug smothered in heightened frustration from her friend, she turned back to Faith. “Look, it’s your life. Just don’t bring us any drama.”
“He’s not welcome here,” Sienna’s voice whipped sharply. “If you want to see him, that shit’s on you, but don’t bring him here.” Without another word, she stalked off to her room and slammed the door.
Bailey met Faith’s solemn gaze, tears welling in her blue eyes. “I’ll get you a pillow and blanket. The couch is really comfortable, you’ll see.”
“I can still stay here?”
Seeing a tear slide down her porcelain pink cheek, Bailey went to her and wrapped comforting arms around her. Faith had such a good spirit when she’d allow it to surface past the hellfire that kindled above it. Bailey tried not to hold the girl’s poor decisions and transgressions against her. Feeling responsible for her mother’s death and believing her father still blamed her for it, Faith had been through hell. That kind of guilt could do a number on anyone’s healthy psyche. That said, Bailey released her and offered a small smile. “Let me get you the pillow and blanket.” As she went off, she wondered if she’d also need to find herself a life jacket.
Chapter Eleven
Bailey used the key she’d been given to let herself into Lucas’s home. She walked into the great room and was pleased to see Sienna’s artwork had arrived thanks to the help of Lucas’s assistant, Kara.
That morning, she’d called Lucas to discuss the painting, but got Kara, who insisted that she would handle getting the piece picked up from storage and delivered to Lucas’s home for his review. After speaking with the woman, Bailey understood why Kara was his assistant. She was just as autocratic as Lucas.
She checked her watch as she headed into the kitchen. He’s late, but he expects me to be on time.
Looking around the space, she couldn’t wait to get started. The work was to begin as soon as Lucas signed off on her design plan. She gave the spec sheet one last check and headed back into the great room.
“Oh!” She skidded a step at seeing Lucas looking at Sienna’s painting that rested against the wall.
“I didn’t hear you come in. The military could use someone with your stealth skills. You move quiet as a mouse for someone your size.”
“Sienna is very talented. This is exceptionally good.”
“You like it?” Bailey walked over, and he faced her. She purposely wore a pair of five and a half inch espadrilles to avoid having to crane her neck when she looked at him.
“It would work perfectly over the fireplace. S
ienna’s a wonderful artist. She was accepted to compete in that art competition you’re attending with Sandra on Friday.” Feeling the twinge of jealousy return in her gut, she looked away from him.
“Play nothing into it,” he said, apparently having read her expression. “We’re merely business associates.”
She brought her eyes back up to him with a twisted smirk upon her lips. “Whatever you say, Mr. Marx. It’s none of my business.”
He sighed and turned back to the painting. “You and Sienna are very close it seems. Are you related?”
“No, but we’re BFFs, like sisters. We met freshman year at Georgetown.”
He nodded, seeming only mildly curious, walked over to the sofa, and stared down upon it with a frown. “When do you expect I would have suitable furniture to sit on? And I’d like a flat screen above the fireplace that is tied into the security feed. Put the art someplace else.”
“Okay.” Bailey made a note and looked around to see where she’d relocate the artwork, deciding on the large wall it was leaning against.
“I can have a niche cut in where the flat screen would sit within and have it display an art feature when not in use. I have all of the furniture pieces on wait as well. I need your okay to move forward.” She held up her portfolio, and he waved her off as he walked around and took a seat on the small couch facing the fireplace.
“Order what you see fit.”
“You don’t want to see it?” She spoke to the back of his head and got a mere shrug of a shoulder. Circling the couch, she stood in front of him. “I put a lot of work into this, stayed up late to find the perfect pieces for your home, got to work early to place them on hold, and you simply brush it off?” Her hand came down firm on her hip. “You kept me here late the other night, grilled me on every little thing. I was so worried that I’d screw this up and lose my job.”
Looking up at her, he unbuttoned his suit coat and relaxed back with his left arm extended along the low sofa spine, once again appearing only mildly interested in what she’d said. “How’s Kevin? If I recall, you were more concerned with seeing him that evening than doing your job.”
Bailey gasped. “That’s not true! And for your information, I was too exhausted after your grill session that the only thing I saw after I left here were the back of my eyelids. I could barely get my clothes off before I literally crawled into bed.” His gaze did that familiar slow roll up and down the length of her body and settled on her mouth. She slipped her tongue along her lower lip, recalling the feel of his warm tongue tangled with hers, his kisses marking her down to the bone, which she’d savored with a greedy urgency.
“Did you manage the task? You could’ve called me to help.” A grin stretched across his pretty mouth. “So you didn’t meet up with your friend, Kevin, in Georgetown?”
“Nope.” Bailey would have almost sworn that there was a gleam in his eyes at having foiled her night out with her friends.
“Sit with me.” He patted the spot next to him, and she sat down. “Let me see them.”
“What?” Her eyelids fluttered with a look down at her breasts, then back up at him.
“The items you want me to approve.” He took the portfolio she had resting on her lap and began flipping through the pages. “I see your mind is in the gutter, Miss Walters.”
“My mind is in the gutter? I have yet to note your mind to be anywhere else, Mr. Marx. I’m not as naive as you may think. I know seduction when I see it.” She got a full grin and chuckle at that.
His eyes came up to hers, then went back to the book. “Apparently, you do not,” he countered and closed the portfolio, then slid over to her. Her frame tensed up tight as a drum, and she pulled in her bottom lip, apprehensive of his intensions. He brought his hand up to her face, lightly skated the tips of his fingers along the contour of her left cheek, and then leaned in. Feeling his warm breath on her neck and expecting a wet tongue to rim her ear as before, her head snapped back so hard she almost got whiplash. He smiled. “I haven’t attempted to seduce you yet, Bailey. When I do, I promise that you will consider it to be significantly different from all of our previous interactions.”
Sweet geez. The smooth cadence of his voice mixed with his explicit pledge made her stomach clench, and her breath stalled in her throat. Bailey swallowed deep in complete intimidation, but did her best to mask it. “When you do? Pretty sure of yourself, I see. So you admit that sex is what you want from me?”
“To the point, yes. I won’t lie to you, Bailey.” His cool, confident stare held hers. “What heterosexual male wouldn’t want you? You’re very beautiful.” The tip of his index finger lightly traced the outer portion of her ear and along her cheek again. “But it’s not all I want. Like I told you when we first met, I want to get to know you. And you?”
“And me what?” Bailey removed his hand from her face and brought it back down to the top of the sofa. She liked the feel of his touch far more than she should.
“How often has the thought of sleeping with me crossed your mind?” he asked.
Laughter bubbled up within her and spilled over as she shook her head at his arrogance. He looked so sure of himself. Quite honestly, she’d thought about it numerous times, lost sleep over it, but she sure as hell wasn’t about to inflate his ego any more than it was already.
“Unlike you, Mr. Marx, I’m not sitting up at night plotting a strategy to get you into bed. Now can we focus on my portfolio?”
“It’s Lucas. I want you to say my name, Bailey. But you won’t, will you. That would change the dynamics between us, makes it more intimate. You would then have to admit that the attraction is mutual. Instead, you maintain a formal distance and deflect whenever our conversation steers in that direction.”
“That’s not how it is.” Looking away from his intense stare, she fiddled nervously with the hem of her skirt.
“No to which part? That you are equally attracted and want to sleep with me? You wish to keep a formal distance? Or that you deflect when our talks become too intimate?”
“Yes ... I mean no.” Flustered as well as irritated, Bailey shook her head. “You’re trying to rattle me, Mr. uh ... Lucas. If you’re not interested in seeing the items I’ve selected for your home, then we’re done here.” Not five seconds from slapping his arrogant face, she jerked her portfolio out of his hand and stood up.
“Why do you fear me?” Looking up at her, he sat forward with his elbows on his knees, head cocked to the side, studying her. “Or is it that you fear your reaction to me?” At her quick look away, he grinned. “That’s it, isn’t it?”
Bailey had to laugh again at the enormous size of his ego. Obviously, the man was used to women drooling over him. “I don’t fear you. I just know how this ends.” She had been ready to take Sienna’s advice and go out with him, but now ...
“Enlighten me since I don’t share your clairvoyant gift.” Seeing her eyes slit hot, he smirked with a look of enjoyment that he was getting under her skin. “Well, I’m listening, Miss Walters.”
“You’ll take and give nothing back. I’m not Sandra. You won’t see me pawing and panting after you,” she bit out. His brows shot up before slanting inward, looking both surprised and perhaps offended.
“You think I like that? That I get off on a woman’s supplication? So you’ve defined me.” He dragged his fingers through his hair and looked over toward the window wall.
Her remark bit deep, Bailey knew. She’d already made up her mind on the type of person he was without getting to know him. It wasn’t fair. How had their meeting turned into this messy discussion?
“Lucas?” His name was said with purpose as she sat back down and laid her hand upon his that rested on the sofa. “I shouldn’t have said that. It was out of line. I really don’t know you well enough to judge you in that way. I’ll admit that the little I do know about you comes from the Internet. My mom has a saying: Believe half of what you hear, see, and read about a person because there are always two sides to every story.�
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He looked at her then, and the hard lines between his brows slowly diminished. “I like how your southern drawl creeps in now and then. Really, I find it quite sensual,” he said with a bit less suggestion to it. “Have dinner with me tomorrow evening. You can then decide if I’m worth getting to know.”
“Okay, but I’ll pick the place where there is less chance of running into Sandra.” His eyes brightened, letting her know that she’d caught him off guard for once. “Sandra is never to know about this, Lucas,” she said firmly, and that beautiful smile returned.
“I have no intentions of discussing anything short of the work on my home with Sandra. Even that can be discussed with you. So where to, Miss Walters?” Looking into her eyes, he brought her hand to his mouth and lightly brushed his lips across the back of her fingers.
Sweet mercy! His soft lips and warm tongue drew slow circles on her knuckles. It shocked Bailey how swiftly her nipples tightened and her sex pulsed over such a simple act.
“Where are you taking me?” he asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Bailey reined in her growing desire for him in order to focus and gave his question some thought while lightly tugging her hand free to relieve the throbbing between her legs. “I know just the place. Be sure to dress casual and comfortable.”
“You won’t tell me?”
“It’s a surprise,” she answered with a grin. “You can pick me up at seven thirty. That should give us plenty of time.”
“Miss Walters, whatever your heart desires, I’m at your command.”
“Are you now?” Bailey smirked, and his head cocked slightly at the mischievous look she now gave him. “At my command, huh? We shall see.”
Chapter Twelve
“Sie, do you really think I’m doing the right thing by going out on a date with Lucas?” With her cell on speakerphone, Bailey held it in one hand and held tank top number six in front of her before the full-length mirror.
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