“Not yet, but we're all going to a party on Saturday,” she told him.
“Sounds nice. I know I was angry, but Liam did seem like a really nice guy, pumpkin,” her dad said. She paused as she held a pot over a strainer. Where was this coming from?
“He can be, when he puts his mind to it. He feels really bad about how everything went down,” she replied.
“I know – he sent your mother flowers. She's embroidering 'Mr. & Mrs. Edenhoff' on pillowcases.”
“Oh jesus.”
“I know! It was my car that got scratched, where the hell are my flowers?”
“I thought Wulf was paying to have that fixed?”
“Sweetie, he did more than pay for it.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, tossing the now empty pot into the sink and putting her hands on her hips.
“Let's just say Daddy's got a new toy.”
“Excuse me?”
“Remember that motorcycle I had when you were eight?”
“Oh my god, he did not send you a motorcycle!”
“We'll have to take a ride on it when you come down.”
“No. This is not happening. I'm going to tell him to take it back.”
“You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead, fingers first. You don't have to ride on it – he had the car fixed, too.”
“Dad,” she took a deep breath. “You're over fifty. You're glasses are basically coke bottles. You should not ever be on a motorcycle.”
“You underestimate your old man. It's like riding a bike. Get it? A bike,” he laughed at his own joke.
“I'm really not okay with this, Dad. I don't like the idea of you cruising down the freeway on a motorcycle,” she whined, using her little girl voice that usually got her anything.
“Relax, sweetie. I've only ridden it twice, around the block. It's sitting in the garage under a cover right now,” he assured her.
“Good. Good, okay, thank you. He shouldn't have done that. Why would he do that!?” she groaned, rubbing her hand across her forehead.
“Well, I think he felt bad, too.”
“He could try saying he's sorry!”
“Maybe that just is his way of saying sorry. Not everyone operates the same way you do. Wulf's always been special, I always found it was best to let him do things his way. Box him in, and he just gets resentful.”
Hmmm, I get the feeling we're not talking about expensive gifts anymore.
“Dad, what are you trying to say?”
“I'm trying to say that Thanksgiving isn't too far away, and we would love it if you brought a date – but only one date.”
“And you want my date to be the kind of guy who gifts motorcycles,” she grumbled.
“No, I want your date to be the kind of guy who treats you right and you like,” her dad countered. “I know those two boys are twisting you up inside. I want you to figure out what it is you want, and just go for it. I like motorcycles, sweetie, but I also love weekends at the beach and learning how to surf. Or hey, even just spending a holiday alone with my baby girl.”
Katya sighed and leaned against the counter.
“Thanks, Dad. I mean it. What you think … it means a lot to me. Thank you for being understanding. I know none of this is what you'd like for me,” she said in a soft voice.
“Of course not. I wanted you to be a doctor.”
“Daddy!”
“Gotta go, sweetie. Mr. Tunt across the street wants me to race against his Harley.”
“Please tell me you're joking, I don't want -”
“Love you lots.”
“Love you, too.”
And then her dad was gone. Katya frowned and started moving around again when Tori wandered into the kitchen. They worked together to put the meal on the table and laughed and talked through the night, but her mind was always halfway thinking about her conversation with her father. When she'd gone home with Wulf a month or so ago, her mom had impressed her with how understanding she was about the whole two men situation. Now her dad was blowing her away with his level of understanding.
Jesus, maybe I'm the one who isn't very understanding.
Katya knew she was stalling. It was so easy to say, or even think, just make a choice. Wulfric, or Liam. Or hell, neither. It just wasn't that simple, though. If it was, she already would've made the decision.
Starting out, she'd had the strongest emotional connection to Wulf – an almost physical pull on her soul, tying her to him. But he'd ruined it and damaged that connection. It wasn't as electrical as it used to be, she didn't trust him, so she kept pushing away any potential feelings for him. How could she choose him? And worse, if she didn't choose him, was she prepared to never see him again? Because she was pretty sure he wouldn't be interested in “staying friends” afterwards.
Her bond with Liam had been different, and maybe even stronger in some ways. She'd seen him almost every day. He made her laugh and feel good about herself, but back then, there hadn't been that spark. She'd never even contemplated it, because she'd been focused on Wulf. Now, though, things were different – he was putting in the effort, apologizing and trying. Making her feel special. Was she willing to lose that kind of special person if she chose Wulf?
Maybe I should be alone – this is a stupid problem to have.
Just to complicate things more, Liam showed up around ten o'clock with a bottle of champagne. The three of them dove into the lemon soufflé Katya had made for dessert, a sort of specialty of hers that she didn't the opportunity to make too often.
Tori surprised them all by begging off early, cracking jokes about having to go to work early for her ball busting boss. Liam chuckled, but after she'd gone into her room, he mentioned to Katya that Tori didn't need to be at work till two in the afternoon.
“I wonder why she's going to bed so early?” Katya mumbled as she followed Liam up the stairs.
“Maybe she has a boyfriend,” he suggested, fumbling with the keys to the rooftop door.
“What, hiding in her room?” Katya laughed, hugging a blanket tight to her chest as he opened the door.
“Maybe. Tied up in her closet,” he joked, leading the way to the worn loveseat. They skirted the kiddie pool he'd brought up there so many weeks ago. All the water had long since evaporated.
“Ooohhh, maybe an online boyfriend!” Katya gasped. It was possible. Right out of high school, Tori had driven clear to San Diego for some guy she'd met through a chat room.
“I hope not. She's too good for that,” Liam said, holding out a hand.
She handed off the blanket and they both sat down, rearranging the fluffy blanket around them. When she was settled back into the cushions next to him, he set a plastic bag on his lap and pulled out a bottle of wine and a box of desserts. She laughed and grabbed the box.
“What are these?” she asked.
“You've never had a Choco Taco!?” he gasped, staring down at her.
“No. No, I have not.”
“Oh my god, they're amazing. Ice cream and chocolate and cone. I figure you're always making stuff for all of us, I should try to do something. But I can't bake for shit,” he laughed, opening the box for her and pulling out one of the treats.
“It just takes practice. Holy shit, these are good,” she commented after she'd taken a bite.
“I know. Also, I forgot to grab glasses.”
The wine was screw top, at least, so they took turns passing it back and forth, drinking straight from the bottle. They both ate their desserts, Liam polishing off four before coming to a stop.
“Where do you put it all?” she asked, looking over his body when he finally leaned back in to the couch. “You're so trim.”
“I know, right? Always been this way. Can pretty much eat whatever I want.”
“Lucky.”
“Says miss skinny minny. You're like a bird. A tall, skinny, bird,” he said.
“I think you just compared me to an ostrich,” she laughed.
“Nah. Your butt's not big enough.”
> “And I can't eat whatever I want. Notice I almost never eat my own desserts? I gained forty pounds while I was in school. I learned real quick to never eat as I baked,” she laughed.
“I can't imagine that.”
“Tori, though, she's like you. She can literally eat and drink as much as she wants, and she always looks the same. She's looked like that since the eighth grade,” Katya said.
“Jesus, she had those tits in eighth grade? She must have been really popular.”
“Nice, Liam. Real nice.”
“Aw, don't be jealous, angel cake,” he teased, cuddling in close to her. “You have nice breasts, too.”
It was a nice moment. Feeling comfortable with him again, being in their special place together. She loved that no one else had never been up there. Not Wulf, not even Tori. It was the one place that only belonged to her and Liam.
“I'm glad we're friends again,” she sighed, looking across the rooftop.
“Me, too.”
“You sure?” she asked, glancing at him. “Even if I only ever want to be friends?”
“I'm sure,” he said, then his hand was sliding into her hair, gently pulling her close to him. “But I'm still not positive that's what you want.”
“I'm not even positive what I want,” she replied.
“That's good. Take your time. Figure things out,” he suggested. She smiled at him.
“Thank you.”
“Aaaand … maybe I can help you a little,” he offered.
“Oh really? And how do you -”
He was kissing her. Of course he was. And it was nice and lovely and she felt warmth blooming in the center of her chest. But tainting the whole thing was her dirty secret. The feeling that what she was doing was very wrong.
“Liam,” she breathed, pulling away. “I have to tell you something.”
“Something about love, devotion, free meals for life,” he mumbled, rubbing his nose along the side of her neck, breathing her in.
“No. I want us to be honest with each other, always.”
“I know, that's how you know I'm telling you the truth when I say you're the one for me,” he chuckled, then his teeth were nipping at the tendon in her neck.
“Yeah, soooo …. I should be honest, too, and I feel like I need to tell you something. It's about Wulf, he -” she tried to confess, but Liam backed away suddenly. Two fingers were pressed over her lips, effectively silencing her.
“I don't want to know,” he said simply.
“Hhhmph?” she mumbled.
“I really don't. This isn't about him – he doesn't matter to me, not when I'm with you. I don't care what he's scheming or how many kisses he's stolen, or whatever. This is about us, right now. I don't want him to ruin it,” Liam insisted. She frowned and pushed his hand away.
“That's very sweet, but I really feel like -”
He leaned back in and kissed her hard, forcing her to swallow her words.
“I don't care,” he whispered, moving so both hands were in her hair. “This is us. Just be here with me.”
She wanted to be insistent – to argue and demand that he listen, so the situation couldn't come back to haunt her. But she couldn't get another word out, his tongue was taking up all the available space in her mouth.
*
Though Liam had pulled out some of his best moves while kissing her, Katya managed to escape the roof unscathed. Her father's words were still strong in her mind – she needed to make a choice. Sex would only confuse things more than it already had, and she didn't want that; she didn't want to string these men along.
She tied up everything neatly at the bakery before heading home the next afternoon. She wouldn't be going in the next day, which was okay because Sunday was typically slow, anyway. She went home feeling guilt free about taking a day off so soon after her sabbatical and tried to get excited about the party that evening.
Since she'd only gotten to wear it for such a brief amount of time, she changed into the Herve Leger dress she'd worn to her dinner with Wulf and Liam. The black and beige fabric clung to her body in a way that probably should've been obscene, but fell just short of it and stayed nicely in sexy.
She went to pull her hair up into a bun, then paused as she looked at her reflection. She thought for a second, then smiled and started digging around under the sink, searching through Tori's enormous supply of make up and hair products.
Almost an hour later, she'd blown out, flat ironed, and put waves into her dark auburn tresses. Definitely a different look for her, she felt like it even changed her face. It really highlighted her apple cheeks, her narrow chin. She did her eye makeup a little darker than normal, but stuck with a pink gloss for her lips. Happy with the overall look, she grabbed her special-events-only Burberry trench and made her way downstairs before ordering an Uber.
When she walked into the club, she was a little blown away. It looked like a New Year's party was being thrown – there were fancy gold and black balloons everywhere, coating the ceiling. She was shocked to see that the door to the super private downstairs bar was propped open, and Timmy the bartender explained that for the party, all illicit activities had been put on hold.
It was only around seven at night, but the party was in full swing. A lot of people had turned out for the event, she was happy to see. Liam had pumped a lot of money into marketing the party, and the chance to be in a real live sex club had been too much for most people to resist their curiosity. When she got downstairs and walked around, she saw people giggling and pointing at the private apartments that had all been opened up, and gasping over the sex toys that were for sale behind the downstairs bar.
“Kitty Kat!”
She turned around at Tori's high pitched voice, then gasped as her roommate approached her. Tori normally dressed super sexy for work, but she'd really outdone herself that evening. She wore a black sequin pair of underwear – “they're booty shorts!” – with a black jewel encrusted push up bra. Her wavy brown hair had been pinned away from her face, but fell in curls down her back. Knee high boots, fishnets, and fingerless leather gloves completed the look.
“What do you think?” she laughed, turning around and shaking her very perky, and very exposed, butt at Katya.
“Uh … I think you look like a prostitute,” Katya was honest. Tori just laughed harder.
“Thanks a lot.”
“I mean, the sexiest one I've ever seen. Probably like super expensive,” Katya tried to fix her comment while she took off her jacket.
“I take that as a compliment. The more tit I show, the bigger my tips. Eventually I'm gonna talk Liam into letting me wear pasties,” she joked.
“I'm pretty sure if you just say 'pasties', he'll say yes.”
“Right!? That man, oi vey. C'mon, you can stash your jacket in his office.”
After they'd hung up Katya's precious coat, Tori made her way back behind the bar, flirting every step of the way. Katya hung out near the entrance to the hallway, looking around the crowd. She didn't recognize anyone at first, and while she was sociable, she wasn't particularly good at striking up conversations with people she'd never met. Luckily, her eyes landed on a small knot of people across the room and she smiled before making her way over to them.
“Hey! I didn't know you guys would be here!” she exclaimed, stepping up between her neighbor Gaten Shepherd and Wulf's sister Vieve. Brie stood across from them, absorbed in her phone.
“Yeah, Wulfy invited me. I gotta say, the idea of coming to a sex club for a party made me nervous,” Vieve laughed. “But he assured me it would be rated PG-13 for the evening.”
“I saw a flyer in our lobby,” Gaten explained. “I remembered you saying something about that guy in my building owning the place. Then when I got here, I recognized Genevieve from the other day, so I came over and said hello.”
The way he was smiling at Vieve, it made Katya's mind begin to wonder. Obviously, he had probably assumed Katya would be there, and Katya and Vieve were friends – ha
d he come hoping to bump into Vieve? That would be so sweet.
Vieve, however, seemed oblivious to the attention she was getting. She smiled at everyone and nervously fingered the pearls around her neck.
“And you?” Katya asked, directing her question at Brie. “I really wouldn't have thought you'd be here.”
“Is that an actual question?” Brie asked back, not bothering to look up.
Vieve may be a carbon copy of Wulf looks-wise, but Brie opens her mouth and it's like listening to him.
“I meant, it doesn't really seem like your scene,” Katya explained. Brie finally put her phone away into a tiny crossbody purse.
“Um, there's free alcohol and there's good looking men – rich men. It's my scene,” she assured her.
“Oh. I guess that's as good a reason as any.”
“Besides, Wulf said his partner would be here. I'm curious to meet anyone who can drive my brother insane,” she commented, her eyes scanning the crowd. Katya turned to look around as well and spotted the object of their discussion leaning against the end of the bar, laughing at something Tori was saying.
“He's right there – I'll go see if he can come say hi. Excuse me.”
Katya wormed her way through the thickening crowd and popped up at Liam's side. He did a double take at her, not recognizing her at first. Then his eyes grew wide and he turned to face her.
“Holy shit, angel cake. You look … incredible. Your hair,” he said, his eyes wandering all over her.
“Normally I hate to wear a dress to two events so close together, but I really do love it,” she laughed.
“So do I.”
“Me, too,” Tori chimed in while she shook a cocktail shaker up and down. “Does amazing things for your ass.”
“Uh, not as amazing as what those sequins are doing for yours,” Katya laughed back.
“An excellent point. Your ass is defying gravity tonight, Tori,” Liam agreed.
“Hush, I take sexual harassment in the work place very seriously,” Tori said.
“Really? Then why do you keep flirting with me?” he asked.
It had clearly been meant as a joke, and Katya even started to laugh, but she was surprised to see Tori blush a little. Tori never blushed. Her eyes bounced between Katya and Liam before a grin was fixed into place.
The Neighborhood (Twin Estates #2) Page 22