“Wait, wait, wait. Let me get the wine, then we're gonna start from scratch.”
Katya didn't drink anything, but she did tell Tori about the sex club. About having sex with Liam, though she left out the explicit details. Gave a run down of her morning and being at work, then told all about her meeting with the mighty and powerful Wulfric Stone. She gave a bit of the backstory on her previous relationship with Wulf – i.e., being a stupid teenager with a crush on the jerk guy from next door, and him being a jerk guy who'd never given her the time of day.
“So you see,” Katya sighed, glancing at her watch. “His assistant told me to meet him at this restaurant downtown, at seven. I looked it up, it's super fancy and exclusive, I'll be shocked if we even get a table.”
“Well, if he's as rich as all these websites claim, then it probably won't be a problem,” Tori mumbled. She'd gotten her laptop out and had already googled Wulf's name.
The Stone Agency owned large chunks of San Francisco. He also had other companies and other realty businesses, owning property in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills and Malibu and Orange County and just about every other rich California town that came to mind. Beyond that, there were articles about investments and possible shell corporations. Wulfric Stone was a very, very wealthy man.
“Why does he want to have dinner?” Katya asked.
“Maybe he could smell the sex-kitten-vibe rolling off you,” Tori suggested.
“I was only a sex kitten for about six hours last night,” Katya said.
“So. Counts, and men like this, they can always smell it.”
“Stop saying smell, it sounds gross.”
“Who cares, Kat? You're meeting a guy you used to have a major hard on for, and you're not the little brat next door anymore. You're a successful, bright, sexy young woman who is coming into her sexual peak, apparently. Go eat dinner on his dime, see what he wants, and if he's halfway nice to you, boff his brains out,” Tori said. Katya started to laugh, but then it died away.
“What about Liam what's-his-face?” she asked.
“What about him?”
“I don't know … are we dating? Was that a date last night? I mean, I can't have sex with him last night, then go on a date with a new guy tonight … can I?”
“Babe, you can do whatever you want. I always wondered why you had so many rules for yourself. Did Liam ask you out again?” Tori asked.
“Well … no,” Katya was honest.
“Okay. Did he get your number?”
“No.”
“Has he had sex with other women in that club?”
“I got the impression he had, yeah.”
“So then no harm, no foul. You're not his girlfriend. Go out with this Wulf guy tonight, who knows, maybe all he wants to talk about is cake. Maybe he wants to eat you out like you're made of cake.”
“I'm seriously going to be sick if you keep talking like that.”
“Either way, you're not tied down or committed to anything, so why not have fun?”
Going out to meet Wulfric Stone didn't exactly sound like Katya's idea of “fun”, but she found herself getting ready anyway. Her hangover was still lurking in the back of her brain, but she downed three extra strength Tylenol and pounded a beer at Tori's suggestion, then dug a decent outfit out of her closet. A skirt short enough to show off her legs, which she thought were pretty nice, but demure enough to be appropriate for a business dinner. Another flowy blouse on top, covering up her arms to balance out the amount of skin showing on her legs.
Then she got in her second shower of the day and scrubbed every inch of her skin. Shaved all the pertinent parts of her body, because obviously, one needed to be squeaky clean for a “business dinner”. After she'd lotioned up, giving her olive-tinted skin a shine, she finally pulled her hair up into a loose, rounded bun, then worked on her make up. She preferred a mostly natural look, light pink gloss on her lips, long delicate lashes, shimmer on her cheeks and eyelids. Fresh faced, that's what she called it. But when she was done, she wondered if she looked a bit … young.
“What do you think?” she asked as her roommate came into her bedroom. The other girl dipped down, looking in the mirror as well.
“Cute. You're so adorable with those beautiful eyes,” Tori teased, blowing kisses at their reflection.
“But I don't want to be adorable. I want to be sexy,” Katya said.
“It is sexy – just in a different way. Your look, it's like … you kinda … when you look as cute and innocent as you do, it makes men want to dirty you up. Defile you,” Tori said.
Hmmm, certainly did the trick last night.
So at seven o'clock on the dot, she found herself standing in the entrance to Mirage restaurant, looking around for the mysterious Mr. Stone. She paced from one wall to the other, tapped her Jimmy Choo against the marble floor, then paced again. Glanced at her phone, as if magically Liam would have somehow gotten her phone number and texted her. He hadn't, and the screen was blank. So she paced some more.
At five past, she began to wonder if it had all been a joke. The assistant chick had made such a big deal about being on time – so where was Mr. Punctual? At ten past, Katya had enough and started heading towards the exit. Just then, the maître d' glanced up from his podium.
“Excuse me, were you looking for someone?” he asked in a polite voice. She smiled at him.
“Yes, Mr. Stone, but he's late,” she said.
“Oh, he's already been seated! My apologies. Please, right this way.”
Katya was once again surprised. That Wulf was already there, and had been seated, not bothering to look out for her. Or obviously not bothering to tell the wait staff that he was expecting someone else. If she hadn't been sure before, then she was definitely sure now that it wasn't a date.
“Mr. Stone, you have a guest,” the maître d' made a big show of pulling out her chair for her, laying her napkin across her lap.
Wulfric Stone stayed seated the whole time, barely glancing up from his menu to acknowledge her. He nodded at the other man, then went back to looking over the food. Katya stared at him for about a minute, unsure of what she should do.
“Are you hungry? The lobster here is fantastic,” he said. He'd spoken to her in the bakery, but she'd been so out of sorts, she hadn't paid attention. His voice was smooth, and much deeper than she remembered it being.
“I'm sorry, are we having dinner?” she asked. He finally looked at her.
“So you have trouble with speaking English and don't understand the basic functions of a restaurant. You see, Katya, in a restaurant, they tend to specialize in producing food, particularly around the socially acceptable hours for lunch and dinner, and possibly breakfast, depending on the establishment.”
Her blood instantly went from stagnant to full boil and she stood up, her chair scooting out behind her. She didn't owe this man anything, didn't even know him, and couldn't give two shits about his order with her bakery. She grabbed her purse and went to storm past him when he grabbed her arm.
“Do not touch me,” she hissed, but his hand didn't move.
“I was being serious – the lobster shouldn't be missed. Sit down,” he said, finally putting down his menu.
“Are you joking? I'd rather eat my own hair than have a meal with you,” she said.
“Well, you can do that at this table, too. Sit.”
She sat down, shocking herself. He smiled at her – a closed mouth, tight lipped number, then retrieved her napkin from where it had fallen next to the table. She took it from him and smoothed it out on her lap.
“What do you want?”
“I was very surprised to see you in that bakery. I wasn't aware you were living in San Francisco,” he said.
“Been here for a long time now.”
“You're a baker?”
“Well, you see, Wulf, when someone makes cupcakes for order, and cakes, and cookies, and other desserts, depending on the establishment, that person is generally considered a baker,” she m
ocked him. She expected him to get angry, but he actually smiled. She wasn't sure if she'd ever seen him smile.
“Feisty. How's your mother?” he asked, sipping at his wine.
They discussed their families for a while. Their mothers were still close, and Katya had only been two years older than one of his sisters, though she hadn't spoken much to the other girl since graduation.
After they'd ordered, Katya found herself feeling more comfortable. More confident. Why was she so intimidated by him? Because he was rich? Because she'd had a crush on him, a million years ago? Refusing to blush, she remembered the woman she'd been the night before; remembered the kind of unbridled passion she'd experienced. She'd been fucked seven different ways to Sunday, in full view of multiple people – Wulf was nothing in comparison to that kind of intimidation.
Just another guy. You weren't scared of Liam – don't be scared of this asshole. You had anal sex last night, for god's sake. He wouldn't even know how to handle you.
Though while they ate, she caught him looking at her sometimes. Looking in such a way that she had a feeling he would know exactly how to handle her. By the time dessert menus were brought around, she was feeling so hot and tense and turned on, she felt like she was about to start running circles around the room.
“The food was lovely,” she said while she waited for her wine to be topped off. “And I even admit, it was fun to catch up with someone from the old neighborhood, but I have to be honest Wulf – why are we out at dinner?”
“For a bright girl, I feel like you don't catch onto things very quick,” he said. His sense of humor was odd, that was for sure. So dry and sarcastic, she wasn't entirely sure when he was or wasn't joking. She decided to take a guess.
“Then enlighten me, and speak slowly, please,” she joked back. She was given another tight lipped smile.
“Well, Katya, when a man asks a woman to share a meal with him late at night, that's generally considered a date.”
“We're on a date?”
She'd blurted it out before she could stop herself, but she was so shocked. Her? On a date? With Wulfric Stone? The world had officially gone crazy. First she's engaging in public displays of indecency, then she's accidentally going on a date with the biggest asshole she'd ever met.
Maybe I'm in a coma or something and this is all a crazy hallucination.
“What did you think this was?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“I don't know, I thought maybe you wanted to talk about your order or something. I mean, you acted like you didn't even know me, then you sent your assistant in with a card, what was I supposed to think?” she asked back.
“I didn't really care, I suppose. I just saw little Katya Tocci behind a counter, all grown up, living in the same city as me. Thought it would be nice to sit down together, see what was behind that apron of yours,” he said. She willed away the blush.
“Um … that's … flattering,” she managed to reply, and she finally got a genuine smile out of him.
“It is, isn't it? C'mon, I have an early morning tomorrow.”
He walked her out of the restaurant, his hand on the small of her back, burning a hole through her shirt. She expected him to say goodbye and sail off into the night in a fancy car, leaving her to hail a taxi. But he kept his hand on her as he spoke to the valet, and a minute later, a sleek, sporty, convertible Mercedes rolled up in front of them. He stepped forward and opened the passenger door, and Katya didn't even question him, she just slid into the leather seat.
When had she become so docile? Something about him, it was like he could snap his fingers, and she would bend over backwards. Without even a thought or a question. It was bizarre. She may have been a bit of a goody-two-shoes pushover in her day-to-day life, but she wasn't the type to just let a man strong arm her in any way, either.
“Realty is a good business,” she commented when he was behind the wheel and pulling them away from the building. He glanced at her, then watched while she slid her hand along the dash.
“Very good. A lot better than baking,” he replied, and it was her turn to laugh.
“I'm sure, though baking does alright by me.”
“I bet. Three month waiting list – was that bullshit? You seemed pissed off.”
“I was, but it wasn't bullshit. I'm 'in demand', as they say,” she laughed, doing air quotes.
“Nice. Address, please.”
She prattled it off to him, then got sucked into a conversation about school. They'd taken very different paths, with him attending a prestigious ivy league school on the east coast, and her attending a culinary school in California.
She moved in her seat to somewhat face him, her knees and head pointed in his direction while she animatedly talked about a cooking class that had gone very wrong. She hadn't noticed it happening, but sometime while telling him about the oven catching fire, his hand found its way onto her thigh. She was proud of herself that she was able to keep talking without any hint of surprise, but when he began rubbing back and forth, dipping between her legs, she stumbled over a couple words.
He illegally parked in front of her building and walked her into the lobby. He was on his phone most of the time, and only when she got onto her elevator did he stop talking long enough to notice her again.
“Thanks for being a good sport and meeting me,” he said. She smiled at him, not letting on that she was just a teensy bit disappointed. She wasn't entirely sure that she liked him at all, but it would've been nice if he'd asked for her number, or another date, or anything that showed he was interested in her.
“No problem. It wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be,” she teased. There was one more tight lipped smile, then he started lifting his phone back to his ear.
“Cheers, Tocci.”
Then he was walking away and the elevator doors were sliding shut.
Katya dragged her feet down the hallway and clear through her front door. Tori hollered from the bathroom, and Katya dreaded telling her how the bizarre date had gone.
“Did you see his penis!?” the other girl yelled. Katya rolled her eyes and kicked off her heels.
“Jesus, I'm not some total slut, you know!” she yelled back, tossing her purse to the floor.
“Yes, you are!”
Katya went to respond, but was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. She groaned again and turned around, wondering who it could be at that hour. It was almost ten o'clock at night. She glanced through the peep hole and was shocked to see a very familiar looking tie. She scrambled to pull back the chain lock and yank open the door.
“Hi,” she breathed, staring up at Wulf. Without her heels and standing so close to him, she suddenly realized he was a lot taller that she'd thought. He stared down the length of his nose at her.
“I'm sorry, did you just say you weren't a slut?” he asked. She cringed.
“No. I mean, I'm not. My roommate, she said … we were just … I only mean ...” Katya babbled, not sure how to dig herself out of her hole.
Turned out, she didn't need to. While she fumbled around, waving her hands and searching for words, Wulf leaned down and kissed her, gently holding her chin between his thumb and forefinger.
It was simple, just his lips pressed against hers. No hint of tongue, or anything naughty, really. He kept her in place, tilted her head at the perfect angle, held her lips to his. Very chaste in comparison to what she'd experienced the night before.
And yet, her blood was on fire. She felt weak in the knees and leaned into him, gripping onto his lapels. It was driving her insane. Wulf was sex in a three piece suit, why wasn't he tearing into her? Was she ready for that? Did she even want him to tear her apart?
Oh yes, I most definitely fucking do.
“Hmmm,” he hummed when he finally pulled away. “Maybe we can explore that whole 'slut' thing another time.”
“Uhhh …” she responded eloquently. He smiled and she felt his hands on top of hers, gently pulling her away from his blazer.
“Good seeing you again, Tocci.”
He kissed her once more, this time resting his hand against the side of her neck. She felt the heat from his fingertips long after he walked away.
“Pssst,” Tori hissed from behind her, after Wulf had disappeared onto the elevator. “Was that the guy?”
“No, that was the guy from 4A downstairs,” Katya said.
“Seriously?”
“No! Of course that was him! Who else would I be kissing!?” Katya snapped, finally turning away and slamming their door shut.
“I don't know, Liam?”
Liam. Two simple kisses and Katya had already forgotten the man she'd slept with just twenty-four hours ago.
“No. I think Liam was just for fun,” she sighed.
“And Wulf isn't?”
“I don't know what the hell he is.”
“Did you at least have a good time?”
“Yeah … yeah, I think I actually did.”
“But no sexy time.”
“Trust me, that kiss was definitely sexy time.”
“Didn't look very sexy to me.”
But she wasn't listening to her roommate. She had her fingertips pressed against her lips, her mind going over the kiss once again.
*
Day one, Katya had made an in-the-moment decision to go out on a date with a random stranger and have sex with him in his sex club. Sex had evolved into first time anal sex, a huge step for her. It had been amazing, and eye opening, and such a change from her every day life, she couldn't believe it. She'd felt like a new woman.
Day two, Katya had gone on a kinda-sorta-date with a ghost from her past. She hadn't realized it was a date till it was almost over, and it had been a bad date, but also a good one, and a ten year old crush had gotten dusted off, and he'd kissed her, and she'd been pretty sure she'd seen the back of her own eyeballs. She'd felt like an amazing woman.
Day three, it all came crashing down. Oh god, oh god, what had she done!? Fucked a stranger, let him fuck her in the ass – which was still sore – and then she'd gone on a date with a man she didn't technically know, at least not anymore. A man who hadn't been nice to her ten years ago, and still wasn't very nice to her now.
Neighbors (Twin Estates #1) Page 6