Eight
I half expected an aging butler to pull back the front door of the massive house, but Leo let us in without even a knock. The feeling of my hand nestled in his was all I could focus on. His warm skin against mine had my head buzzing as much as the anticipation of the night. Glancing over at him as he led me through the foyer toward the sound of roaring laughter, I let a deep breath expand my chest then pushed it out along with every hesitation. No holding back.
“Calloway!” a man’s voice shouted as we entered the gorgeous living room.
There were plush sofas, a stunning chandelier, and one entire wall was covered with a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. Leo’s hand slipped from mine as he reached out to return the solid handshake of the man who’d called his name. The man looked to be in his forties, a touch of silver at his temples adding something dashing to his otherwise dark chocolate waves of hair. He, like Leo and the other men I surveyed quickly, was dressed somewhat formally in a black suit with a deep sapphire blue shirt and a pale blue pocket square folded neatly at his breast.
Leo grinned from ear to ear as he clasped the man’s hand then drew him in for a half-hug. “Gabe, it’s good to see you,” he said.
A beautiful mocha-skinned woman in a cherry red dress and sky high heels sauntered up behind Gabe. She slid one hand around his waist and up to stroke the lapel of his jacket as she smiled at Leo around his shoulder.
Leo wordlessly leaned in and pressed his cheek to hers. “Mel. You look great.”
She replied with a modest thank you and I realized only then that I’d been carefully watching the intimate exchange between old friends. I’d been twisting my fingers and picking at my nails as I took in the way Leo smiled at them—so honestly, so graciously.
Melanie dropped her hands from her husband and moved to me in a way that made electricity shoot up into my chest. Her caramel eyes examined me as she took her steps toward me and her hips swayed with purpose. I glanced at Leo and he only shook his head and grinned at Gabe when Melanie reached me. Her hands came down on my bare shoulders softly and smoothed down my arms, stopping just above my elbows. Then we simply stared at each other. She was as tall as I was, but I remembered the stilettos and figured flat-footed I’d have a few inches on her.
Melanie traced her bottom lip with her tongue as a grin grew on her mouth. She was also most likely in her forties, though not a single silver hair lay among her natural mane of long black curls. She was beautiful and not just that—she was sexy. She exuded sex with everything she possessed.
“Sloane,” she purred, lowering her chin to look at me from beneath thick lashes. “We are so happy you’re here.”
A jagged breath made its way in through my nose and I managed to smile and nod. “Thank you for having me,” I replied in that mouse voice Leo had conjured out of me a time or two.
She turned and linked her arm through Leo’s. “Come on, I’ll introduce you two. Everyone, welcome Leo and Sloane,” she said, pulling us both farther into the room where the rest of the guests still chatted.
Though their conversations hadn’t seemed to let up, each one of them had eyed Leo and me at least once after we came inside. Everyone turned with polite faces and Melanie began.
“Leo, you of course know Ben and Jade,” she said and the first couple smiled.
Leo slapped the man on the back and gave the same cheek kiss to the woman at his side. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever seen such a seemingly ill-suited match. Ben looked like a linebacker, with cropped sandy hair and an all-American jaw line; he could’ve been a first string NFL player for all I knew. Beside him was who I knew to be his pet and if Leo hadn’t told me as much, I might’ve deduced it with a glance. The top of her head barely cleared Ben’s bicep. The sleek, jet black hair, cut in a short style with bangs, framed the porcelain face she’d made up like some of the less extreme Goth girls from my high school. Sooty eyeliner, pale skin and dark lipstick gave her a startling albeit beautiful look. Around her neck she wore a collar much like a cat, complete with a little heart tag hanging from the center. Her all black attire seemed perfectly normal aside from the fur bracelets around her wrists. She smiled softly at me and then rolled her neck, nuzzling into Ben’s side. I blinked twice and moved my eyes along to the next couple.
“Then we have the Miller-Temples, Ian and Jack,” Melanie said, gesturing to the two oddly similar-looking men. The two stocky men both had closely trimmed full beards, though Ian wore his hair a little longer than Jack’s buzz cut. They nodded at me as though we were meeting at a company picnic. I lifted my hand in a small wave and plastered on another smile, wishing Melanie wasn’t standing between Leo and I as I was starting to feel overwhelmed. I wanted his sturdy frame beside me.
“And Sean and Tracy Higgins and their guest Missy,” Melanie finished the introductions. While Sean and Tracy looked old enough to be Leo’s parents, their guest looked like she might’ve been dropped off by a big yellow school bus. The perfectly suburban looking couple said hello and their sultry sidekick, with her platinum blonde hair that faded into turquoise waves long enough to completely cover her breasts, dragged her eyes up and down my body before winking at me.
The millionaires, the kitty and her keeper, the leather bears, and the triad. And of course, the bookseller and her brooding boss. I barely had time to let every name sink into my mind as well as the quick judgements and assumptions I’d made about them, when Melanie and Gabe ushered us all into yet another gorgeous room. The dining room, with its crystalline light fixtures and framed art on the walls also held a long table set for eleven.
I jumped, feeling Leo place a hand on the small of my back as I glanced at a plate with my name written on a card. I turned and caught his eyes. My mind was already so overwhelmed and the show hadn’t even begun. But as I looked at Leo next to me, pulling out my chair smoothly and without hesitation, I let the worries fade and his strong presence soothe me.
A smile slowly curved his lips and he glanced down at my feet for a moment before I took my seat in the chair he held out. “You still have your heels on. Not preparing to run just yet then?”
I rolled my eyes and grinned up at him. “I’m at least going to eat first,” I teased back.
He chuckled and sat next to me as everyone settled in. Just as the distinguished man in a tux I’d expected to answer the door came out with the first course, I felt Leo’s hand slide over my knee, under the table but surprisingly not under my dress. I shot him a look and saw the smirk tugging at his delectable lips. I had no intention of running.
***
I slid my spoon through the most heavenly chocolate mousse I’d ever tasted, making sure to get the last bite of the small portion. As I licked it clean, I turned my eyes toward Leo, who watched my mouth shamelessly. My tongue swiped over my lips when my spoon was empty and Leo matched my move.
“Sloane,” I heard Gabe’s voice and broke my gaze away from my date. “You’ve been quiet this evening. Tell us a little about you.”
Forcing a smile, I took a sip of water. He was right. I’d remained silent since the moment the oysters came out, save for a few agreements here and there. I was just taking it all in. Gabe and Melanie’s stories of their recent Mediterranean vacation, Jack and Ian’s home improvement projects, and the exciting news that Mr. and Mrs. Higgins were going to be grandparents. Aside from the muffled noises of Jade lapping up her dessert from beneath the table, the dinner had been incredibly normal. But I hadn’t added anything to the conversation because every time I felt myself easing into the seemingly average dinner party, I’d picture one of them naked. I’d get so close to sinking into the night and allowing it to become normal, but then my mind would wander to the future when I knew I’d watch them all in compromising positions.
I cleared my throat. “Well, I moved here a little less than a year ago and I’ve been working at Leo’s store part time.”
“Where did you move from?” Melanie interjected.
“Blacksburg.”
“You did?” Leo’s voice at my side startled me and I turned to him with a furrowed brow.
“Yeah... Why?”
“I just—didn’t know that,” he uttered before pursing his lips and looking down into his water glass before silencing himself with a drink.
“What did you do before Leo hired you?” Gabe asked.
I was starting to feel flushed as the inquiry built. “Before I moved, I worked in marketing. But I have a minor in English so when I came to Salem I got it in my head that I should try my hand at fiction.” I laughed lightly. “I’m not sure I’ll keep that up though.”
“Marketing? Really?”
Again, I looked over to see Leo gawking at me. My lips turned down briefly and then I nodded at him.
“Come on, Calloway, don’t you know anything about the woman?” Ben asked with a chuckle from across the table.
Leo shook his head and snorted a laugh in response.
“It sounds like you’re too creative to just be selling retail. You’ll have to find an outlet for that imagination of yours.” Melanie’s voice was like silk as she spoke to me, her eyes dancing wildly. She stood from the table, glancing down at Gabe, who instantly lowered his eyes. My head ticked back when I saw the exchange, confused by the challenge of my assumption that Melanie was Gabe’s submissive, not the other way around.
“Shall we get started?” she proposed. Multiple voices answered in quiet yet enthusiastic agreement.
“How about we get some fresh air for a minute?” Leo’s hand slipped around my elbow as the crowd dispersed without any more discussion. My gaze drifted in the opposite direction of where he gently led me, watching everyone else file down the hallway. My stomach fluttered with anticipation as we made our way out onto a stone patio off the kitchen.
“Here,” Leo said, offering me his jacket over my shoulders.
I smiled in thanks and sat beside him as he lowered into one of the outdoor chairs. I breathed in the scent of the night air and let a surprised smile take over my face when an erotic grunt sounded loudly from the house. “That didn’t take long.” I snickered, glancing over at Leo.
His blue eyes zeroed in on me and though his face was still, I saw something in his expression I’d come to recognize. It was the look of a hunter waiting for his prey. I knew despite the fact we hadn’t talked about having a scene tonight that he was bordering on Dominant in that moment. I crossed one leg over the other, causing my dress to ride up slightly. At the sight, Leo pulled in a sharp breath before he spoke.
“You know my sister, Marie, lives in Blacksburg. We must’ve been living there at the same time.”
“Really? Wow. I mean, I guess that’s not too crazy, it’s not that far away, but still…”
“Too bad we never met there; we could’ve started this sooner.”
My eyes shot to his. Would I have even given him the time of day? Warren had a hold of my every thought and desire; I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like to meet Leo while Warren still had his hooks in me. Maybe he would’ve pulled me away from him. Or maybe I would’ve retreated further into Warren’s grasp.
“I was a different person there,” I whispered to the expansive, dark backyard.
I could feel him watching me out of the corner of my eye, but I didn’t look. The feeling of his gaze both unsettled and aroused me. Knowing what we’d be witnessing side by side in a few minutes was already turning me on.
“So you’ve been writing a book up on the second floor of the store, huh? What’s it about?” he asked as though he already knew my life in Blacksburg had led us to the topic of my book.
Turning my head, I heard another sexual cry from the house but it didn’t keep me from focusing on him and him alone. I searched his face and saw only his beauty. Strong, dark brows, straight Roman nose, temptingly full lips and a fierce pair of blue eyes that all but wilted me into submission. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him asking me personal questions. It was easy to separate my life into two parts when Leo wasn’t trying to get to know me. We weren’t dating. This wasn’t a relationship. What I had with him was my personal thrill. My secret awakening. Something I wasn’t ready to share with the other part of my life—the part still riddled with cracks glued together from a hundred pieces.
“Answer me.”
I gulped and shook my head. “No. I don’t want to talk about it.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly and his lips parted. I expected him to narrow his gaze and make me feel small for my disobedience. Leo looked me up and down and nodded before extending his hand.
“All right. Let’s go back inside and see what we can see.”
I took his hand, his fingers lacing comfortably—intimately—with mine again. My thoughts swam. He didn’t scold me for my reply and I didn’t know if that meant we weren’t playing our roles tonight…or if the lines I’d drawn between us had already begun to blur.