Betting on Julia (A Melville Sisters Novel) (Entangled Covet) (12 page)

“What’s the matter?”

Julia gave a shrug. “Why should anything be the matter?”

“You’re wearing your ‘comfort’ robe. It’s old and it’s shabby and the only reason you would wear it is if you were in need of comfort.”

Julia sat down on one of the chairs around the small table. Maybe this was good; she’d talk it out and realize there was nothing odd going on. She’d no doubt missed something. “I think Sebastian has been lying to me.”

“You do?”

“Well, maybe not lying but perhaps not telling the whole truth.”

Lissa didn’t speak as she moved around the kitchen making the coffee. She put Julia’s mug in front of her and took the seat opposite. “Why?”

“I don’t know, maybe because he’s too perfect and I’m trying to find a problem.”

Lissa pursed her lips and studied her a moment. “Don’t lie. There’s more than that—what have you found out?”

“Nothing really.” She chewed on her lip for a minute while she considered what to say. In the end, she decided on the truth. Lissa was her best friend; she’d always told her everything. “We went out for dinner last night and Bastian’s old girlfriend turned up.”

“What’s wrong with that? You knew he’d just broken up.”

“Yes, but I thought he’d moved here to get away from her. But it turns out she lives in London, which presumably means Bastian lived in London.” She took a gulp of coffee and forced out the question, “So…why the move next door?”

“A break? Get away from the memories?”

“Maybe.”

“You don’t believe it?”

“You know the old saying—if something seems too good to be true… And Sebastian is so…perfect.”

“Why don’t you just ask him?”

“Because I’m scared.” She chewed some more, drank some coffee. “I think I might be falling for him.”

“That’s fantastic.”

“Not really. My life isn’t exactly settled right now. I have to find a way of hiding the whole”—she curled her upper lip in a snarl—“thing from him if we stay together. But I’ve never been with anyone who makes me feel so…complete. The sex is out of this world, but it’s more than that. I haven’t felt this at peace since before…”

Lissa grinned. “You still can’t say it.”

“I’m not even going to try. Now these doubts have come up, but maybe I’m using them to push him away because I’m scared. So I don’t want to confront him.”

“Okay. Tell me exactly what was said last night.”

She repeated the conversation as well as she could, which was actually pretty much word for word. Lissa didn’t speak until she was finished.

“Wow,” she said. “I see your point, but it could be nothing. Maybe he just didn’t want you to find out he’s some sort of pervert.”

Was Bastian a pervert? She thought over the past week. If he was, he’d hidden it well. “He isn’t.”

“Really? How disappointing.”

“He’s inventive but certainly not perverted.”

Lissa quirked a brow but didn’t ask for details—which was just as well. “I think we should get Jason to run a check on him.”

About to take a mouthful of coffee, she put her mug down, and cast Lissa a look of disapproval. “I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not?”

Julia fiddled with the belt of her robe, while she considered her answer. “Because it would be an invasion of privacy.”

“Hey, he investigated Daniel, why not Sebastian? He’ll probably find a really simple explanation and put your mind at rest.”

“Yeah, because there was a really simple explanation for Daniel wasn’t there?”

“Well, I somehow doubt he’ll come up with anything quite so interesting about your neighbor. That would be too much of a coincidence. Two…”

“Monsters,” Julia supplied.

“Don’t be melodramatic. Two such unique individuals living next door to each other.”

She was right.

“If you’re uncomfortable asking, I will.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket before Julia could say anything to the contrary, punched in a number and put the phone on speaker.

“Jason?”

“Yeah? You woke me up.”

“That’s what sisters are for. I wondered if you could you do me a favor. I want you to run a check on Julia’s new neighbor.”

“The guy I met at your place?”

“Yes, Sebastian Crane.”

“Why? What’s he done?”

“Nothing, but Julia is falling in love, and I’d like to be sure he’s good enough for my best friend.”

“Is she there?”

“I’m here.”

“You okay with this?”

She thought for a second, then remembered Sebastian’s weird behavior of the night before. She wanted to understand why. Part of her suspected that it was wrong to check up like this and she should just confront him, talk to him. Another part niggled that if he’d been open in the first place, she wouldn’t need to know. And she’d tell him afterward. He was an accountant; he was sensible. He’d no doubt consider this a sensible thing to do.

“Julia?”

“I’m here and yes, I’d like you to do the background check.” She took a deep breath. Might as well go the whole way. “And on his old girlfriend. Her name was Melanie Stoke and she owns a club in Soho—Mel’s Dive, she said it was called.”

“Let me get this straight—your next-door neighbor was going out with the owner of Mel’s Dive?”

“You know it?”

“I’ve heard of it. It has a reputation.”

“I guessed. There was also a man she was with. I only know his first name—Colin—but he was some sort of fight organizer.”

“What have you got yourself into?”

“Nothing. I don’t think Sebastian has either—I think he split up with her and moved because he didn’t like her lifestyle and wanted a new start.”

“Hmm. Okay. Well, I’ll see what I can find and give you a call later. It shouldn’t take too long.”

They ended the call and Julia sat back and tried to ignore the guilt prodding at her skull.

“Don’t feel guilty,” Lissa said. She’d always been able to tell what Julia was thinking. “This is the sensible thing to do. Lots of people do background checks on potential partners these days.”

That pretty much echoed her earlier thoughts, and she gave a quick nod. “I know. Just seems underhanded.”

“He should have been more open with you then.” Again it mirrored what she’d thought, and she pushed the worries aside. It was too late now anyway. Even if she called Jason back and said she’d changed her mind, she had an inkling that he would go through with the check.

Best not to think about it.

“Best not to think about it,” Lissa said. They were so attuned. Sometimes it was scary. “We need to take your mind off this. And you know, Debs needs cheering up. Her husband was an asshole, but he was still her husband and she’s hurting. Why don’t we take her out tonight? Unless you and Mr. Mystery Man have plans.”

“No, he has an old friend visiting.”

“We’ll call Marcy as well. It will be a Melville girls’ night out. We could try somewhere new.”

She suddenly had an idea where Lissa was going with this. “You mean like maybe Mel’s Dive in Soho?”

“I mean exactly that.”

“Why not?” Julia thought for a moment. “What about your bodyguards? I thought you weren’t allowed out without them.”

“Daniel won’t know. He’s out on pack business tonight. Besides, I’ll have Deb and Marcy. They’re far more scary than a couple of werewolves.”

Chapter Twelve

At ten thirty that night, they spilled out
of a cab in Soho. They were all dressed in the closest they could come to hard-core BDSM gear, which was the suggested dress code for the club. Lissa had researched it on the internet.

Julia didn’t even know what hard-core BDSM meant.

She was more a cute pink sort of person, but Lissa had gone through her wardrobe and decided on her outfit. Black leather skirt, her fuchsia pumps, and a black lace shirt through which her pink underwear was clearly visible.

And she was feeling a little happier. Jason had called back and said that the preliminary report on Sebastian appeared clean, nothing out of place, but he was digging into a couple of things and would give her a final report later. He’d said Melanie checked out, and he’d been amused more than anything when she’d told him of their planned outing. Apparently, the club had two levels, a public area and a members’ only section. Jason reckoned they couldn’t get into much trouble in the public area and the membership was strictly adhered to. He’d even said he might pop in himself if he could make it. Colin he hadn’t managed to trace yet, but he’d put out a few feelers.

So she’d determined to push her concerns aside and enjoy herself for the night. It was a while since they’d done this. She hadn’t exactly felt like partying since the incident. Now she was determined to let her hair down and have a bit of girlfriend fun.

The entrance was unobtrusive, and she would have passed the place by if she hadn’t been looking for it. A matte black door with Mel’s Dive in scrawling script in crimson along the top.

“Is this it?” Deb asked.

“It is.” Even Lissa sounded dubious.

“Tell me again why we’re here?” Marcy put in.

“To have a good time, take Deb’s mind off the horrendous state of her life, and stop you both thinking about the consequences of your pathetic taste in men.”

“Thanks,” Debs said and rolled her eyes. “But why here in particular.” They’d told Debs that she should think BDSM when she was dressing but obviously nothing in her wardrobe was suitable. She appeared the same as normal in a dark blue wraparound dress that reached past her knees. Stylish, sophisticated…boring—it was definitely time to shake her up. Marcy was a little better; at least she was in black, black pants tucked into black combat boots and a black leather jacket.

“The club is owned by Julia’s boyfriend’s ex,” Lissa said. “And she told Julia to drop in.”

“You mean Sebastian, the accountant? That boyfriend?”

“Yup.”

“Wow. Let’s get in there.”

Julia planned on keeping a low profile. She had no intention of seeking out Melanie; she’d just have a look around, indulge her curiosity, have a few drinks, and maybe a dance. Nothing more.

The door opened into a wide hallway, and the others crowded in behind her until her forward movement was stopped by a large man. A bouncer, she’d guess, who pretty much filled the wide hallway with his massive shoulders.

Suddenly Julia really didn’t want to do this. Maybe he wouldn’t even let them in and they could go get a pizza or something. She shouldn’t be here. If Melanie saw her, would she tell Sebastian she’d been snooping? Though there was no reason Melanie would see her, she’d no doubt be in the members’-only section Jason had mentioned. And she wasn’t really snooping, just having an ordinary night out with the girls…at a BDSM club.

So far, it didn’t look anything too weird at least. The walls were crimson, and the throb of music wafted out of a doorway across the way. She could hear the muted voices of a lot of people; obviously the place was popular.

“You been before?” the bouncer asked.

“No.” And she was wasn’t ready to change that. She turned to tell the others when Lissa stepped up beside her.

“We’re friends of Melanie,” Lissa said. “She told us to drop in.”

Julia glared at her, but Lissa just grinned.

“Name?” the bouncer asked.

“Julia Melville,” Lissa replied.

He turned away and spoke quietly into a phone.

“I really wanted to keep a low profile,” she whispered fiercely to Lissa. “What if she tells Sebastian I was snooping?”

“You’re not snooping. You’re having a night out.”

“I—”

The bouncer turned back at that point, and she snapped her mouth closed. “You’re to go through. You can leave your coats at the check-in.” He gestured behind him.

Lissa headed over, then turned back and spoke to the bouncer. “My brother might turn up—his name’s Jason Jackson. Would you let him in please?”

He nodded, and Lissa smiled. “Thank you.”

As they approached the coat-check area, Julia shrugged out of her jacket and handed it to the girl behind the counter. She needed a drink. A strong drink. And after that, she was going to beat up Lissa. Except she couldn’t, because Lissa was pregnant and you weren’t allowed to hit pregnant women. Dammit.

Julia positively stalked into the main room and stopped a foot inside the doors as her eyes adjusted to the low light. The room was huge, the decor scarlet and black, but didn’t seem particularly different from a normal nightclub, and she breathed out on a sigh.

“Table for four?” A waitress came to a halt beside them. She wore a miniscule leather skirt, a leather bra, six-inch stilettoes, and a studded dog collar. Typical waitress getup.

“Yes, please,” Marcy said.

After following her through the crowd to a small table at the edge of the room, they ordered vodka cocktails except for Lissa, who was sticking to orange juice. Julia relaxed a little as she sipped her drink. Their group was easily the most conservatively dressed, but most people appeared vaguely normal and no one was tied up or being beaten. There was a tiny dance floor, empty right now, and a small stage. Across the room was a set of double black doors with “Members Only” in big letters across it.

She was quite happy to stay on this side of those doors.

The waitress brought their drinks, and Julia took a healthy swig. This place was really no different than an ordinary nightclub, and she relaxed a little more. Jason had discovered nothing bad about Bastian, and this place wasn’t a den of iniquity housing a multitude of perverts. Which meant Sebastian was not a pervert after all. Everything was well with the world.

She took another sip and sat back in her seat. The others were chatting together, but she was happy to just relax, suddenly realizing how tense she had been. It was a measure of how much she had come to care for Bastian.

For the first time in an age, she was ready to consider a possible next step with a guy. Dating for real. A relationship. When the word didn’t make her want to heave, she figured she was ready. Tomorrow, she would go around, she’d tell him about Jason and the background check, and he’d understand because he was a nice, sensible guy.

“You’re smiling,” Lissa said.

“I know. I was thinking how stupid I’ve been. This”—she waved a hand around the club—“is nothing weird.”

At that moment, the black double doors opened for the first time, and Melanie stood poised in the opening, elegant in a red leather dress and matching shoes. She must have known exactly where they were sitting because she stared straight at them.

“Is that the ex?” Marcy asked in a hushed whisper. “She’s stunning.”

“Yes.”

“He obviously doesn’t go for a type. You couldn’t get much different.”

“Thanks.” So she wasn’t stunning. She knew that.

Melanie was heading over now, and Julia had to fight the urge to run or slide under the table. She was no doubt just popping over to say hello, to be polite.

She came to a halt by the table. Her smile appeared genuine. “Julia, how lovely to see you again so soon. Is Sebastian not with you tonight?”

“No, he was seeing an old friend. We wanted a girls’ night out, and I thought this would be fun.”

“I hope it is. You don’t look the type, but if you’re seeing Sebastian, that’s probably misleading.”

“It is?”

“Hmm. I’ve never come across anyone quite so…inventive.”

“Really?” Her brain seemed to have turned to mush. But hopefully with the pleasantries over, Melanie would leave them alone now.

Not so.

“Would you like to come through and see what goes on in the members’ section?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Julia and Lissa spoke at the same time. Melanie’s lips twitched in amusement. “You can’t get a real flavor of the club out here,” she said.

Julia cleared her throat. “Actually, we’re waiting for someone.”

“Well, why don’t you two come with me and your friends can wait for your guest and join us when they arrive.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Lissa said, getting to her feet before Julia could think up an excuse not to go. She didn’t want to see what went on behind those doors. Not when she’d done such an excellent job of persuading herself what a nice, normal guy Sebastian was after all. She didn’t want to know how inventive he really was.

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” she asked Lissa meaningfully, while staring at her stomach.

“I’m pregnant,” Lissa said as Melanie raised an eyebrow. “But I really don’t think the twins are going to be corrupted at this early age. Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?”

She scowled, but secretly deep down maybe she did want a peek behind the doors. “Okay. Just a quick look.”

Melanie smiled. “Come along then.”

“She seems nice,” Lissa said in an undertone.

And it was true. Even if she did run a BDSM club, she seemed a genuinely nice person. A nice person who just happened to like being tied up and whipped? Julia refused to think of Bastian doing the whipping. Nope. That was over.

Instead, an image filled her brain, and it was
her
tied up and it was
her
ass that was turning red. She squirmed. Yup. Werewolves were total pervs.

She had expected the doors to lead into another room similar to this one but instead they opened into a dark, steep stairwell. They were heading for the basement, underground. The light was dim and at the bottom of the stairs was another set of doors, these heavy and iron.

“Welcome to the dungeon,” Melanie said and pushed open the doors.

“Holy shit.”

…

Bastian paced the floor of his sitting room. He was back in his penthouse where he’d spent the day trying out various spells to keep Dante contained. Nothing worked and all he’d succeeded in doing was pissing the demon off.

The air was thick with the reek of sulfur, and a headache nagged at his brain. He felt a violence rising inside him, a need to lash out, release some of the pent-up energy.

He’d never felt quite like this before, and he recognized it as panic.

He was going to fail. Julia would never love a man like him. He was a fucking unlovable bastard.

Haven’t I been telling you that for a long time? Maybe it’s time to accept what you really are.

He scrubbed a hand through his short hair, trying to ease the tension. He was so tired. All he wanted was to crawl into bed with Julia and forget everything. But he’d never have her again. Never hold her, never lose himself in the delectable softness. God, he wanted her and not because of any stupid bet. He wanted her for himself.

Aw sweet. You could still have her. Do this one small thing for me, and I’ll be gone and you can do whatever you want with your sad and miserable existence. Go back to Julia.

He’d never marry again. Look at what had happened last time he had taken someone normal into his fucked-up existence. She’d died screaming, and he wouldn’t risk that again. Not Julia. She was too good and…

Christ, this is turgid. You want the bitch, then just have her. Stop all the fucking lamenting. It’s doing my head in.

But even if he could never have Julia, he needed to be free of the demon. Needed him back in Hell where he belonged.

Yeah, that’s right
.
I need to be back in Hell, and you have it within your means to get me there. Give us what we both want. And this is a werewolf were talking about. You hate werewolves. Think of it as ridding the world of scum.

Maybe Dante was right. He could be ridding the world of two monsters in one go. There was no such thing as a good werewolf. Except maybe good and dead.

Exactly. Just tell yourself it’s a service to mankind. Tell yourself anything…

For a second, he thought about asking for details, but did he really want to know? He didn’t want to see his target as a person. All he’d need were the bare bones.

He couldn’t believe he was actually contemplating this course of action.

“Why?” he asked.

Why what?”

“Why does your…friend want the werewolf dead?”

From what I gather, this new pack leader killed the old Alpha and took over. The old Alpha and my…friend were business acquaintances, so he’s a little pissed off.

Bastian paced the room, trying to clear his head and think this through. Was there really no chance Julia would fall in love with him?

None.

“Fuck.” He slammed his fist into the wall. Perhaps once he’d done this he could go back and say good-bye, have one last night with her. Even if he didn’t deserve it.

Pleeeease, stop all the breast-beating. You know you’re going to do it.

“Don’t push—” Before he could finish, his cell phone rang, and he strode across the room and picked it up.

Melanie. For a second, he thought about ignoring the call, but he supposed he’d better find out what she wanted.

“What?” he snapped.

“Feeling a little tetchy?” she asked.

“What do you want, Mel? I’m a little tied up right now.”

“Tied up? Sounds delicious. Is this with your friend from out of town?”

“What?”

“Julia told me that’s why you couldn’t come tonight, because you were seeing an old friend. Anyone I know?”

“No. Julia? When did you see Julia?” Was that panic in his voice?

“Your little friend came to the club tonight. I’ve been giving her a tour of the place, but really Bastian, she seems somewhat out of her depth. I thought you might like to come and rescue her.”