by May Sage
Tori couldn’t help it; she didn’t even plan them, but the words were out of her mouth.
“Was he there with anyone?”
The blond shook her head, and Tori’s shoulders relaxed.
“Nah, it was just him. He said that club wasn’t great, security wise, and he knew a better one. I mean, everyone online said it was the best, but as I wasn’t into anyone, I figured I could always go see that other place, you know? He’s the one who mentioned I should text someone, by the way. He seemed very concerned about my safety.”
Tori’s smile was a little more genuine this time. “That’s rather sweet of him, actually.”
“Right? Anyway, we got to this super-posh building. There were huge security men just about everywhere, and they got me in an office. I freaked out a little, because they pushed a lot of paper my way - a nondisclosure agreement, for one, and I had to agree to a background check, too.”
It explained why Bryant had offered to show her, rather than tell her about his club. Still, Tori frowned.
“Won’t you get in trouble if you tell me anything, then?”
Lexi shook her head.
“I was a legal secretary for two years, so I know my way around that sort of contract; it seemed pretty legit. The NDA states that it is null and void if anything happens to me and I want to tell the police. I can’t talk about what I see, who I see there, and I can’t give the location away. Trust me, I’m not about to break my contract. Anyway, I like it: it means no one has the right to talk about me.”
That made an awful lot of sense.
“Bryant sat there, and kept on telling me I could get out anytime. I’d never heard of that club - no one mentions it online or anything. When I got in, though…let’s just say I understood why. The people I met? Some of them are on TV. Some of them make the Forbes list of richest people around the planet.”
“Jesus. How much did that cost you?”
The corner of the assistant’s mouth curled up. “I got in on Bryant’s membership. I think the woman who set me up said he can get five people in. She joked about how she’s surprised it took him so long to bring a woman in. He told her we’re just friends, though. Then they showed me around each floor and I basically creamed my panties for about three hours. Can’t say much more, but wow.”
Tori couldn’t place a finger on what she was feeling. Lexi had mostly eased her concerns; it didn’t sound like Bryant was trying to get her into sex trafficking or whatever else she’d imagined when she’d first read the text. She hadn’t really believed him capable of that, but still, she was glad that possibility had gone out the window. And, apparently, Lexi had found her way to that scene by herself.
Still, Tori wasn’t happy about the development. Imagining her friend being shown around sexy stuff by Bryant made her feel…
No. She wasn’t going to say jealous, dammit. She just wasn’t.
13
180
Bryant stretched his neck, hearing it click in one thousand different places. He’d run for an hour around Central Park that morning, but it hadn’t helped; needed a massage, maybe some physical therapy. Getting old sucked. Having a job that required him to spend so much time with his butt on a chair wasn’t helping, either.
He’d barely seen Tori today, which might have contributed to his sour mood. She’d waltz into work, back in her business attire, about five minutes after he’d locked himself in his office. As Jeremy was trying to get him to agree to change their software, he couldn’t go see her. Then, after the IT guy, he had to deal with a report he’d asked for, a call from a potential client, an email from Naomi, a call from James, and, before he knew it, Tori was leaving for lunch. He hadn’t had the time to find an excuse to go bug her in her office all morning.
He’d find something. He always did.
Bryant was in the process of replying to his ex when the corner of his eye caught something he couldn’t ignore. Today, Tori was wearing a dark purple pleated, flowy skirt that looked like it might feel softer than heaven. It moved with each sway of her hips. She’d paired it with a tight black blouse, her favorite wool jacket and, needless to say, her signature fuck-me shoes.
He saw her enter the floor, and expected her to walk past his office to reach hers, like she did every day. Maybe she’d paused by Sam’s desk to say hi.
But instead, Tori stopped in front of his door, and opened it.
Abandoning his email, Bryant immediately got to his feet. She’d come to him. For the first time. Ever.
Was the office on fire?
“Hey.”
“Hey?” he echoed, his confusion obvious.
Tori stepped into his office, and closed the door behind her. He gripped his desk, cursing his brother, who had chosen one of those trendy open plan offices with glass walls. Never mind the fact that he’d also had one of those in his firm back in London. Right here, right now, he wished for some privacy.
Why? He mused. It wasn’t like she’d let him fuck her on the desk.
“I spoke to Lexi.”
He stared at her, and his lips curled up. She’d come to him, and she wasn’t here to talk about work, either?
“Have you, now?”
“I did. And I need to apologize, I guess? By the sound of things, you were just helping her out. I guess I wanted to say, sorry about assuming things.”
That made him frown.
“This is about Saturday,” he conjectured.
She wanted out of this weekend now her friend had reassured her that she was okay. He should have seen that coming.
Tori nodded. “Yeah. I shouldn’t have acted like I was entitled to know your business. Lexi is obviously fine, and she’s an adult. You both are.”
Bryant sat on his desk, and forced himself to returned his gaze to his computer.
“Was that all, Tori?”
He expected her to get out of there, turn on her high heels and go. Why wasn’t he hearing any steps?
He turned back to her.
Fuck.
She was looking down, and nibbling at her bottom lip like the sexy vixen she was.
“I…I mean, you can say no, of course.”
He sat back on his chair, his eyes fixed on her.
“Talk.”
His tone made her look up, her lips slightly parted. She must have sensed the difference; there was no smile, no teasing now. Bryant was done playing cat with this pretty little mouse.
“I’d still like to see your club.”
The silence might have lasted an entire minute or less than a second, he wasn’t sure. Then the corner of his lip slowly curved up.
“Why?”
She shifted her weight from one leg to the other one, feeling awkward.
“I’m intrigued.”
She wasn’t, not really. Lexi had been intrigued; so she’d researched dungeons on the internet, doing the leg work. Bryant doubted that Tori fell in that category. She wasn’t interested in BDSM - but she was interested in him.
Not demanding that she spelled that out for him took a lot of self- discipline.
“Of course.” He’d never sounded more casual. “I’ve already penciled you in on my schedule.”
The woman blushed and smiled.
“Great. Hm, I was wondering if there’s a dress code? I can’t imagine whatever I’ll be wearing to the benefit will be appropriate for…wherever we’re going.”
“Wearing the right thing…that’s important to you, isn’t it?”
She shrugged.
“Standing out feels like a cry for attention. I reserve that for family dinners,” she ginned.
He smiled back, recalling the way she’d dressed the previous day. Halfway through the lunch he’d endured after she’d left, he understood her. The shorts had been a way to get on her mother’s nerves, and he couldn’t blame her. The woman was a piece of work.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
She didn’t even need to think about it.
“No.”
Bryan
t couldn’t say he was surprised by that answer. He amended, “Do you trust me to pick out an outfit for you? You can always bring something else, and wear that if you’re not comfortable with what I’ve bought.”
Tori tilted her head.
“You like that, don’t you? Picking a woman’s clothing.”
Damn astute woman.
“Yes.” For good measure, he added, “Very much so.”
She held his gaze, and eventually shrugged.
“Why not. I’m a size four on top, six for the bottom.”
He wrote that down.
Damn. Bryant must have done something very, very right in another life.
Four hours later, when everyone was leaving the office, a tall, familiar figure walking in reminded him of an appointment he’d completely forgotten about.
He inwardly sighed, wishing he could just go home and lie down. Plastering a smile, he went to greet Carter, who was chatting away with Sam, a massive dog at his feet.
“Hey, mate, glad you could make it,” he lied, his hand extended to stroke the dog’s head.
“No problem. The lady of the house is on a strict deadline, so she just ignores me. I left food and coffee around her desk, we’re good to go for an hour.”
He spoke of his woman very fondly, smiling in a way Bryant recognized.
“Cassie, right?”
His friend nodded. “Yes. She’s an author. She’d write through a fire alarm, so right now, I don’t actually exist.”
There was no heat behind his words.
“What does she write, anything I’d recognize?”
“If you’re into books with half naked guys on ’roids on the cover, then yeah, probably.”
Bryant grimaced.
“Not my thing.”
“There’s nothing wrong with romance books, especially when they’re written by Cassie,” a raspy, sensual voice interjected a second before Bryant smelled Tori’s heady perfume.
“Hey, Buddy,” she baby-talked, scratching the dog, who enthusiastically licked her face.
Tori let him make a mess without so much as a blink.
Could that woman stop being so goddamned perfect?
“Tori,” Carter kissed one of her cheeks, so naturally it must have been a normal thing, for them.
Do not, I repeat, do not punch the guy in the teeth. He’s your friend. He isn’t interested in your woman.
Telling himself that wasn’t helping. He didn’t get to kiss her, so no one else fucking should, either.
“Heading out?” Carter asked. “We could certainly use a woman’s opinion if you have some time.”
Never mind punching him. Carter was obviously his best friend.
“Oh?”
“I’m going to buy a place around here; a real estate agent sent me some options, but I don’t have the time to go visit a ton, so I figured I’d ask a native about the area, the market value, that sort of thing. But, hey, another set of eyes would be great.”
“Home shopping,” she bobbed her head. “That’s always fun. I did have a date with my Kindle and a lush bath bomb, though. What’s in it for me?”
“We were going to grab a burger and some beer.”
And because the woman was annoyingly perfect, she declared, “Sold.”
14
Dinner
Tori’s usual evening consisted of heating up a ready-to-eat meal or calling takeout, then watching a show or reading a book before bed. She had friends, but the rest of them also worked, so they only met up occasionally.
When she attempted to socialize, things usually went awry.
Hey, wanna meet up for a drink? She asked, and within a few seconds, three responses would turn up in the group chat she and her best friends had set up. I’m busy with Carter, was Cassie’s usual MO, although sometimes the word Carter was replaced by the word deadline. Sorry, volunteering at the hospital tonight, came from Amelia. Erin went with, my PJs are on, and they’d all learned, long ago, that that process was irreversible until morning. When she was really desperate for human interaction, she cast a broader net, asking friends she wasn’t all that close to. But Piper and Lucy were usually busy with their men, and the cool gal Cassie had introduced into their crowd, Tessa, would genuinely break her leg rather than drag her ass out the door.
Then there were the socialites she knew. She didn’t even bother trying anymore, because their responses generally were something along the line of I’m on a desert island, getting massaged by a half-naked Adonis, come join me. She wished.
They’d only known each other for a couple of months, but she was considering seeing if Lexi wanted to start hanging around out of the office because, well, she was desperate. If she didn’t start to at least pretend having a life, she was going to grow gray hair and adopt a bunch of cats in no time.
So, she’d said yes. Having some people to eat out with wasn’t something she could resist.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that…
That evening was considerably more entertaining than her usual Monday night. For one, Carter led them to one of her favorite steak houses. Bryant had promised beer, but when they got there, the men were good sports about sharing a bottle of merlot instead. Double win.
“Let’s look at these babies,” Tori said, eagerly reaching for the folders Bryant had brought with him. She whistled after opening the first one.
“Damn. You’re not pulling the punches.”
Bryant shrugged. “I’ll be expected to entertain business partners at home, I’m sure. Plus, these are an investment.”
“Not this year they aren’t. It’s not like you’re grabbing a bargain while the market collapses; the prices have done nothing but increase in the last few years.”
“Not necessarily,” Carter butted in, pulling his iPad up. “See, the fluctuations of the market in NYC aren’t something you can generalize that way. You can’t speak about Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan at the same time. Even just in Manhattan, there’s a humongous difference between a studio in Hell’s Kitchen and what Bryant is looking at. The sales were down on luxury buildings last quarter, and that made them drop the prices.”
She frowned. “So, you’re telling me that, instead of looking at two bedrooms, I should also look at these.”
“You’re going to buy?”
She sighed. “When my dad died, my mother got all his money and the family home, of course, but he left me his share in Croft Advertising. I didn’t think about that too much, but I got my share of the profits last quarter, and…well, let’s just say I’m not comfortable sitting on that sort of money. I’ll look at investing, eventually, but for now, I guess that paying rent in the city doesn’t really make sense when I can buy a place outright now.”
It just felt wrong, because the reason why she could afford to do so was because her father was dead. But he wouldn’t have wanted her to let that stop her.
The few apartments she’d seen so far had been various shades of terrible, so she’d put the project on hold. It wasn’t like she had a ton of time off.
The folders she was now flipping through were anything but terrible. Every single one of them made her want to drool.
“None of those houses scream bachelor pad,” she remarked.
“That would be because I’ve asked for the opposite. The place where I’m staying now is pretty much a bachelor’s pad - you’ve seen it, it’s pretty clinical. In London, I lived in the Croft family home, an old building with character. Call me spoiled, but I prefer that sort of vibe.”
“She’s seen it, hm?” Carter asked with a teasing smile.
Shit. Tori could feel her cheeks burning.
“Don’t start. You saw us leave together, so that’s not news.”
“Maybe. I just didn’t expect you to take her to The Tower.”
Bryant’s easy smile disappeared, and his eyes flash, cautioning Carter. “We went straight up to my apartment. Tori hasn’t seen the rest of The Tower.”
They were speaking about her without
even looking at her, and it was pissing her off.
“Hello, gentlemen. Let me remove my invisibility cape and signal my presence.” They both turned to her, Carter, still amused, and Bryant, annoyed. “What’s The Tower?”
And, just like that, she knew. She had no idea how or why, but she could tell, something in the way Bryant’s eyes went dark green, before returning to their usual mesmerizing shade, like it was just a trick of the light, told her everything she could have wanted to know.
“Oh my god. That’s your…club. Am I right?”
Bryant flipped off Carter, who was just laughing now. “Wait, you’re into that sort of thing, too?”
Her eyes widened as she imagined Cassie, shy little Cassie, in leather, and with a whip in her hand.
Brain bleach. She needed brain bleach, stat.
“Not anymore. Quit the club years ago. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good fun while it lasted. I just wasn’t after a permanent fixture in my life, and I don’t see the appeal of being a Dom for a night. Submission is too intimate for one-night stands.”
Tori’s lips parted, and she was just about to ask if he was doing that sort of thing with Cassie, but she caught herself in time. “You know what, I’m going to just ignore everything I’ve heard and carry on looking at houses.”
She buried her head behind the folder in an attempt to hide her blush. God. She was having dinner and wine with two goddamned Doms. Yipee.
“Oh, that’s got to be expensive,” she said, stopping at a high ceilinged, renovated, and modernized penthouse with five bedrooms. The Palladian style, the original fixtures now fitted with elegant lighting, and the view of Central Park screamed opulence, but she couldn’t help herself from liking it. The pictures the agent had given them were of a furnished home that seemed almost boring. Everything inside needed to go, but imagining a colorful scheme, rather than the beige festival they had going on, she saw that the place definitely had a lot of potential. She loved that one of the walls was made of bricks, giving it a rustic feel.