Equity (Balance Sheet #3) (15 page)

Fingertips danced at my nape before traveling down and stopping midway. “You’re not wearing a bra.”

His touch elicited a shiver. I should have stopped his hand from gliding under the parted fabric of my dress and around to cup my breast. My yearning for his touch kept my lips firmly shut. A nimble hand yanked the hem of my dress up, revealing the lacy boy shorts I wore.

“Fuck, Lass.” His breath fanned over my neck. “I could bend you over right now.”

The haziness that clouded my brain with his seduction fractured. “Fuck you, Kalen,” I said, stepping away from him with all the will I could muster.

Pivoting on my heels, I faced him.

“That’s exactly what I want to do,” he confessed with a sly grin.

The knock on my door saved me. This time it had to be Brian. I’d given my doorman the okay to buzz him up. Which is why I thought it was him earlier. I shouldn’t have assumed that, since Kalen had upgraded our security, he would have free reign to come and go. Even if I’d thought of that, his actions earlier wouldn’t have given me any clue he would show up.

My feet began a path ready to open the door to my reprieve. Kalen stepped in my way.

“Don’t let him touch you,” he said under his breath.

Eyes narrowed, not wanting Brian to hear, I murmured, “You don’t have a say.”

I stepped around him and gave him my back as another fuck you. He proceeded to stop my progress again and I felt my zipper go rise along with his fingers grazing my skin in the process. He pressed himself against my back as the zipper hit home.

Another knock came. I jerked away and fumbled at unlocking the door. Kalen was there in an instant, crowding me, making my every nerve tingle. He turned the lock I couldn’t seem to manage and stepped back while warning again, “Don’t let him touch you.”

So many foul epithets wanted to leave my lips, but he’d timed his statement perfectly. I could say nothing because I’d already cracked the door opened. With my date standing right on the other side, he would hear everything I said.

“Brian,” I said sweetly, stepping into his open embrace. It was another fuck you to the man who stood behind me.

My date came to a stuttering stop inside the doorway of the apartment. Instead of my name it was “Kalen.” Brian sounded surprised to see him there with me. His eyes bounced between us as he solved the equation of what Kalen plus me equaled.

When I stepped back, he asked, “Am I interrupting something?” The gears were continuing to turn in his brain. He was putting two and two together and would most certainly come up with four.

“No,” I said emphatically.

“You sure?” he scrutinized, giving Kalen a quick glance. “I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”

“No,” I repeated. “In fact, Kalen was just leaving.” It was my attempt to try to put the kibosh on the awkwardness.

Kalen in fact didn’t move. However, Brian’s attention was firmly back to me. His inquiring eyes softened a bit as he took me in.

Seeing his admiring gaze, I did a little twirl. “You like?” I asked before I could wonder how much patience Kalen had.

“I do,” Brian said. “You are certainly going to be the most beautiful woman at dinner tonight.” His words might have been directed at me while capturing my gaze. However, as he said them, he flicked his attention to Kalen for a brief second.

“We should go,” I said. “I’m sure Kalen has somewhere else to be.” My words were punctuated with meaning.

Brian answered, “He didn’t tell you? We’re all going out together. His date’s already in the limo. He was next in line to pick up.”

I spun around to narrow my eyes at Kalen, who looked completely unflustered. He’d planned this. I would bet my life on it. “No, he didn’t tell me. I guess he forgot.” I heard the sarcasm in my voice. It was too late to take it back.

“This was already planned before Brian asked you along,” Kalen said impassively.

Pivoting, I directed my gaze forward again. “We should leave then.” I headed to the door. Brian’s hand met the small of my back. I had the door open just a smidge before it swung out of my hand to open wide. I turned to see Kalen’s menacing eyes. I rolled my own but stepped forward, making my way to the elevator, leaving Brian to catch up. Kalen wouldn’t do anything to him, would he?

The elevator ride could have been labeled as one from hell. It seemed like the entire building was headed out for the night. As more passengers piled on at each floor down, Kalen helped make room by tugging me back towards him. With each stop more space was put between me and Brian. I ended up on opposite sides of the cab from my date, pressed more and more to Kalen like fly paper.

I should have been amused to find out Kalen was a stone cold liar. He couldn’t deny he wasn’t affected by me. His erection pushed against my back, letting me know just how much he’d bullshitted me earlier in his office. More and more his words at that time didn’t make sense as his strong arms wrapped around me possessively. Extending this torment, the elevator just about stopped on every floor on the way down.

Kalen took the opportunity to tease me when I couldn’t protest or fight back without drawing attention to us. His hand glided easily from my hips to the front of my thighs. He tugged up my dress despite my efforts to stop him. He even managed to slip a finger to the center of my panties to rub skillfully. My head dropped back to his chest involuntarily.

Thank god for eighty-year-old Ms. Heartly, my neighbor a floor below me, who was chatting up Brian. He graciously bobbed his head in agreement while listening attentively to whatever she was saying. I was nearing panting from Kalen’s ministrations when she showed Brian her miniature poodle.

“Kalen,” I admonished, speaking somewhere between a whisper and regular tone.

A gasped escaped me when he pushed a finger underneath and inside me. “Wet for me already?” he whispered in my ear with a self-satisfied tone.

The elevator finally opened to the lobby with a ding and suddenly the cab began to empty. Brian was still listening while he stepped out, helping Ms. Heartly. Kalen and I were last to leave. I spun on my heels, and slapped him hard across the face before I stormed off. I forced myself to find a smile to give to Brian. He glanced up from his conversation with a grin of his own. He held out a hand and I took it in rebelliousness of Kalen’s orders.

Immediately, I was sucked into the tale Ms. Heartly was sharing about losing her poodle. Apparently, the poor thing got on the elevator yesterday before she did and the doors closed between them. It was a harrowing experience for them both. The poodle still held an alarmed expression nearly quivering in her arms.

I was jostled in place when a hand landed hard on my backside. The noise of which was muffled by the poodle toy like barks. Brian was still giving the older woman his attention and didn’t notice when Kalen spoke in my ear. “That’s for letting him touch you. This is my last warning, or I’ll take out my anger on him.”

My jaw dropped as Kalen continued outside unperturbed. Brian being a gentleman was still giving the older woman his full attention. When we finally got free from my former neighbor, he walked me out, none the wiser about what happened.

I moved forward, evading his touch and feeling foolish. Why was I letting Kalen dictate to me? He had a date, for goodness sake.

The driver was a tall man who could double as a bodyguard sporting dark shades. As he opened the door for us, I made a silent vow not to glower at Kalen’s date. I wouldn’t know this woman. And it wasn’t her fault she would be caught in the crosshairs of whatever was going on between us. I had manners and I would somehow use them.

Inside, I came face to face with a woman I never thought to see in person, the heiress. She was stunning with black hair off to one side coiffed in waves worthy of any shampoo commercial. She was the woman Kalen had taken up with days after I left. Jealousy bubbled up in me.

Reaching out a hand, I graciously said, “I’m Bailey.” My face hurt from the smile that I forced there. I wasn’t mad at her. How could she know or care about me? I was angry at Kalen for dating her so soon after I left. Just because I’d told him to move on didn’t mean he had to after claiming to love me.

“Kinsey St. Claire,” she said, giving my hand a quick shake that was barely more than a limp wrist action. I was used to the professional, stiff two-pump handshakes. But my face held onto a painted on smile.

We sat on the only empty bank of seats, which faced the door. A hand moved out in front of me, diverting my attention. “Hi, I’m Suz,” the woman said who sat across from me. She had a very distinct New York accent with red hair like mine, until I spotted brown roots that were the color of her eyebrows. I was struck that she didn’t say
Suzie
or
Suzanne, but call me Suz
.

“Griffith,” the blond, severely handsome guy sitting next to her said. I remembered him briefly from the pub in Scotland, but we’d never been introduced.

I was in very mixed company. From the very rich Kinsey, to a woman like me, and Suz, or so I assumed. I didn’t know her story, but she didn’t sit all prim and proper. I figured I’d found my friend for the night.

At dinner, I was sandwiched between Brian and Suz at a round table, which was fine by me. Kalen was across from me, silent but staring. Brian was pulled into conversation with the billionaire’s daughter who sat on his other side.

Suz and I got into a conversation about hair color. She was impressed with mine. That only led to an uncomfortable explanation that my hair was naturally that color. It wasn’t a great “dye” job as she’d praised. Suz turned out to be a good sport about it which relieved me.

“So Bailey, how do you know Brian?” Griffith asked, pointedly. Kalen apparently hadn’t told his best friend I was coming to dinner because I assume that question would have already been answered. Kalen probably assumed his threats were going to work.

Brian took the opportunity to answer. “I met her in Ireland at this great little café.” He grinned in recollection. “I went there one morning because the café I normally frequented was too crowded and I’d been in a hurry that day. There she was. I made a point to come back every day.”

I found myself eyeing Kalen covertly for his response. Like him, I hadn’t known this part of Brian’s story. I watched with a spike of fear as Kalen’s knuckles went white around the steak knife he held.

Griffith, however, wasn’t done. His motivation was for blood, mine. I couldn’t tell if he was complimenting Brian or disparaging me. In his thick accent, he said, “Oh, I bet with a handsome guy like yourself, she jumped at the opportunity to go out with you.”

Bullets of mass destruction left my eyes. Griffith had just made it clear he wasn’t my biggest fan. And what had I done to him? He met my gaze and mine didn’t waver.

Brian, as it turned out, was good-natured. Unfazed, he answered, “Not exactly. In fact, I didn’t think she’d ever crack. It wasn’t until I told her I was leaving the next day for the U.S. that she finally agreed.”

“Is she any good in bed?” Griffith threw out there.

I stood fuming, thinking if I’d been a dog, I would have been foaming at the mouth, ready to tear into the guy. “What is your problem?” I asked.

Brian looked between Griffith and me. Being the smart guy, Brain began puzzling the pieces together. “This is your first time to the U.S. in a while. And Bailey’s working in DC. When did the two of you meet?”

The light was dawning on everyone at the table. Griffith hadn’t been subtle with his tone or questions. All the while, Kalen said nothing. That didn’t go unnoticed by me.

Griff sneered as if relishing sharing this information. “I met her when Kalen brought her to Scotland before she deceptively fled to Ireland.”

I didn’t wait to see the light dim in Brian’s eyes. He had to have put it together that Kalen and I had lied to him. I grasped the napkin from my lap as I stood up and tossed it onto my plate. I headed for the nearest waiter or waitress to direct me to the ladies’ room.

Inside, I turned the water to cold. I let my fingers get numb before I placed them on my closed eyelids. Damn, my makeup. I could feel my eyes puff with unshed tears. I wouldn’t let Griffith or Kalen make me cry.

A hand touched my shoulder and I looked into a friendly face. “It’s okay, huh, I told the jackass he was an ass.”

Something between a sob and a laugh escaped me. “Thanks.”

“Ever since I met the man, he talks about his friend constantly. I thought maybe he was in the closet the way he goes on and on about Kalen this, and Kalen that. But the man can screw. So I told myself if he swings the other way, why should I care? I’m getting my serving of O. And these days, more and more men are going both sides. And women too.”

The girl was speaking in a monologue, but at the same time I was happy she hadn’t asked if I was okay.

“So the way I see it,” she continued, “he’s looking out for his friend. I saw the way he looks at you.”

“Griffith?” I asked. Not sure why I interrupted her diatribe.

“No Kalen. That man wants you for sure.”

Just then, the door opened and Kinsey sauntered in as if to add salt to my wound.

“So you’re my competition.” She was blunt; I had to give her that.