An Indecent Proposition (12 page)

“I fucked her. Alright? I fucked her in a goddamn closet. I couldn’t keep my damn hands off her.”

The other end of the phone went deadly silent.

Erik was beyond pissed. Which proved, without Erik ever saying a word, that he wanted Jules just as much as Keegan did.

“I’ll fix it. I don’t know how but I’ll—”

“Did you hurt her?”

“
What
? You know I’d never fucking hurt her.”

Not physically. Not ever. But he’d probably done a number on her emotionally.

“Shit.” Erik’s voice held a definite sneer. “I know that, asswipe. I know you’d never hit her. But you did hurt her, didn’t you?”

“She was already hurt. We didn’t call her. We should’ve fucking called her.”

Another pause. “I know. Okay, I know. God
damn
it.”

Something clattered in the background on Erik’s end and Keegan figured something metallic had just gone flying in the lab. Hopefully it wasn’t anything important.

They both went silent then.

“Call her,” Keegan said. “Call her and ask her to come to the house. I’ll follow her over. You talk to her then I’ll throw myself on her mercy.”

“Yeah, like she’s gonna want to talk to me.”

“Erik, we’ve got to do something. This situation is getting fucked beyond imagination. We gotta fix it.”

Another silence but this time, Keegan knew Erik was thinking.

“Fine. I’ll call you back.”

Keegan hung up and settled back in the seat to wait.

* * *

“Hey, did something happen out there? You look flushed. Are you feeling okay?”

Jules pulled a smile for Lori, who frowned at her as she began cleaning up the kitchen.

“My stomach’s a little unsettled. I’m not needed on the floor anymore so I figured I’d help us get out of here faster.”

And keep away from Keegan.

“Alright.” Lori didn’t look convinced but she headed back out the door. “Just make sure you go home and get some sleep. You’re starting to look pretty sick.”

She did feel sick but not because she was coming down with something. Unless stupidity was in the same league as the flu.

She must have lost her mind. That was her only excuse for what she’d just done with Keegan.

The slight ache in her bare pussy, because Keegan still had her panties. The shaky muscles in her thighs…

Stupid
.

But, oh my God.

She nearly dropped the trays she was stacking just thinking about Keegan and that little alcove.

Anyone could’ve walked in. Anyone could’ve seen them. And the gossip would start again.

That bastard she’d met at an event three years ago, who’d seemed so decent, had turned out to be a complete asshole. A married asshole.

But she’d been the one to take all the shit for his failed marriage. How the hell anyone had ever found out she’d been the foolish nineteen-year-old who’d believed his bullshit about having just gotten out of a horrid marriage and how he thought they’d clicked, she’d never really found out.

But someone had and his wife had gotten hold of her phone number and raged at her for days. Vile texts and horrible voice messages. She’d to get her phone number changed.

That incident had almost,
almost
, made her swear off guys for good. But she knew she couldn’t let one dickhead ruin her for the rest of her life. She enjoyed guys. She enjoyed sex. She didn’t have a lot of hang-ups about it. If she liked a guy…if he treated her well and she wanted him…why the hell shouldn’t she enjoy herself?

She’d more than enjoyed herself with Keegan and Erik.

And that was the problem, wasn’t it?

She’d thought there’d been some connection between them, something that went deeper than just the money and the lust.

Damn it, she’d
wanted
them to call.

“Hey, you really don’t look good. Why don’t you take off for the night? We can manage without you.”

Jules looked up to find Carol, standing by her side. She and Carol had struck up a friendship from the moment Jules had interviewed for this job with the catering company when she was seventeen. Carol was several years older but they’d recognized a kindred spirit in each other.

Which meant Carol knew her better than a lot of people, her mother included.

When she didn’t answer right away, Carol frowned at her then pulled her out of the kitchen and into the room just behind it, where they kept the dishwashing machines. “What the hell happened? Spill it.”

Leaning back against the stainless steel counter along the wall, she took a deep breath. “Keegan was here.”

Carol nodded, not looking surprised. “And…”

Jules took another breath. “And things got a little out of hand.”

“What?” Carol’s blue eyes widened. “Did he—”

“No. Wait.” Jules held up one hand. “Nothing like that. God, this is coming out all wrong.”

Carol crossed her arms over her ample chest. “Then just tell me exactly what happened.”

Sighing, Jules shook her head, trying to put things in order. “I needed some space. I headed for that little alcove down the hall before the bathroom. He followed me. We had sex. He left.”

Carol’s mouth opened but nothing emerged for a good ten seconds. “That… That…
Keegan
? Really?”

Grimacing, Jules sighed then let her head fall back as her eyes closed. “Shit. That’s exactly what happened and not at all what happened. I’m being such a bitch.”

“No. No, you’re not. This whole situation—”

“Is becoming a clusterfuck of the highest proportions. I know that. And they’re not totally to blame. I agreed, Carol. I took the money and I screwed them and I had a damn good time doing it. I just need to realize that that’s all it was to them. A good time and a charitable donation. Christ, they can probably write it off on their tax return next year.”

“Jesus.” Carol lifted a hand to rub her forehead then pushed her hands through her shoulder-length blond hair. “They managed to fuck this up royally, didn’t they?”

“No, I’m the one who fucked it up. I...let myself think there could be more to whatever it was we did.”

“Oh, now wait just a minute. They never told you why they asked you to come to the house that night, did they?”

“They said they saw me at their company’s reception. They wanted me. They found my weak spot and exploited it. My mom’s debt.”

Carol grimaced. “Damn them. Yes, I know that’s exactly what it seems like, but they’re not that cold. You’ve seen Erik but I’m not sure you know how really screwed up he was after the fire.”

“You mean how screwed up he still is.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s exactly what I mean. The guy was gorgeous before the accident. I mean, we’re talking male-model perfection. He was used to getting whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted. And Keegan isn’t too hard on the eyes either. Together, they were irresistible.”

Carol paused and Jules found herself holding her breath, wanting more, needing to hear more.

“And then the explosion changed everything.” Carol shook her head, sighed. “Erik withdrew from the world and it drove Keegan crazy. Keegan loves the guy like a brother. I know some people think he’s got a thing for Erik, a sexual thing but I’m not one of them.”

“How do you know them so well?”

“I was one of the first people they met when they moved here for the business. My sister…she’s a real estate agent. She helped them find the property. She fixed me up with Erik.”

Jealousy pricked at Jules. She wanted to tear at beautiful Carol’s perfect hair like a raving bitch.

Which Carol must have been able to see because she held out one hand, her expression turning rueful. “Trust me, I was willing, but Erik wasn’t interested. And Keegan was never my type. But the guys are dedicated to working with local businesses and they hired me to handle their events. Our friendship just happened. They really are great guys. But then the accident turned Erik into this lifeless, bitter shell. It was like…watching cut flowers die. Does that make any sense?”

Jules nodded, completely understanding. “But why me?”

“Chemistry? Fate? Hormones?” Carol shrugged. “Who knows? But for the first time in two years, Erik wanted someone more than he wanted to hide.”

“But he wasn’t
going
to come out of the shadows. If I hadn’t figured out he was there, he would’ve hung back and watched me and Keegan. And that’s all.”

“Do you really think you ever would’ve known Erik was there if he didn’t want you to?”

Okay, Carol had a point. If Erik had only wanted to watch, he never would’ve stepped out of the shadows. She didn’t know him well. Hell, she barely knew him at all. But she’d learned enough about him that night to know Carol was right.

“Then what the hell happened with Keegan tonight?”

Carol shook her head. “No idea. I only know that it’s totally out of character for him. Keegan’s a sweet guy and I don’t mean that in a bad way. He and Erik run the business together but Erik had been the public face until the accident. After that, Keegan was forced into the role. It’s not one he likes. I think he got used to Erik handling all the messy stuff. Keegan’s good at smoothing, at tying up the loose ends. They’re both brilliant engineers and, when they work together in the lab, it’s like they read each other’s mind. But they’re two very different men otherwise.”

It wasn’t only engineering where they seemed to read each other’s mind. When they’d fucked her together, it’d been like nothing she’d ever experienced. The way they worked together…

“Didn’t Keegan say anything at all tonight?” Carol prompted.

“He wanted to talk but I couldn’t keep my hands off him. And afterward, I was too freaked out. God, what an absolute mess.”

“So call him. Let him talk.”

Jules couldn’t stop shaking her head. “Maybe I should just cut my losses and run.”

She looked up at Carol for any hint that she agreed but her friend just stared at her.

“If that’s what you think you should do.” Carol raised her eyebrows. “But you know that’s not what you want.”

No, it wasn’t. Jules was starting to work up a good mad. At herself. At Keegan for waylaying her. At Erik for not calling.

“Hey, Jules.” Lori stuck her head into the room and held out Jules’ cell. “This has been ringing for the past few minutes. You left it on the table. Thought it might be important.”

Jules took the phone and gave Lori a weak smile. “Thanks. I better check to make sure it’s not my mom.”

“No problem. Hey, Carol, that bitchy blonde is looking for you to settle up. Jon’s been deflecting her but he’s getting to the end of his rope with her. Sorry.”

“Go on.” Jules waved her friend to the door. “I’m fine. Sorry I laid all this shit on your doorstep.”

“Well, technically I brought it to your doorstep first so I feel kind of responsible. Just think about what I said, okay?” Then Carol rolled her eyes and straightened her shoulders. “Off to be the boss. Not as much fun as you might think.”