Consume Me (A Burning Desire Novel) (5 page)

Soon we
were joined by Jenna and Ryan. We switched partners and I got to dance with
Ryan to
'Valerie'
. It was as fun as it was with Jude. He was in full
mode.

"You
know. I used to get jealous of these moments between the two of you."

He
confessed, referring to Jude and me.

"Oh
honey. You never told me that. Does it still bother you?"

"Err,
nonsense. I get it, and cherish it. Plus, I have my own with you now. So he
gets to be jealous." Ryan said with a full on grin and a wink. I couldn't
help the urge to hug him fiercely. I really loved him, very much.

People
who weren't into PDA might've thought we were some kind of a sect. But I didn't
care much. It was the French way to show affection. We kissed and hugged a lot,
which was a foreign concept between friends in this country. Ryan grew
comfortable to embrace it, just like Jude, Jenna and I'd started out.

"I'm
sorry to cut on your fun."

Mr. Dark
and mysterious Landon Davis stood next to us.

"Can
I steal a dance with Miss Dane?" He asked with one of those smiles that
didn't reach his eyes.

Ryan
eyed me with a questioning look. He didn't understand anything that was
happening, and it frustrated him. His look was also intended to ask whether I
wanted to dance with our intruder or not.

I'd
felt confident enough, courtesy of a cranberry colored Russian drinking juice
that'd managed to recover my fried brain cells and give me some resolve to accept
his offer. Ryan nodded and gave me a feathered kiss on the cheek before turning
to Landon. Surprisingly, he seemed to be sizing up my friend, which I found
both absurd and hilarious.

"Excuse
me." Ryan walked back to our table and Landon Davis stood there, in front
of me, watching me with darkness in his piercing eyes.

It took
me a moment to gather up my thoughts again and accept the hand he'd offered me.
When I took it, Landon Davis pulled me hastily to him and gripped the small of my
back to press me further against him.

I was
both angered and delighted by the way he did it. I was confused by the
statement it made.

Landon
Davis was definitely a skilled dancer. He knew how to lead with grace. He kept
watching me silently. I didn't want to speak, I found myself cherishing the
moment as much as I did the kiss.

He had
the strongest arms I'd ever been wrapped in; I found myself unconsciously
gliding my palm down his arm.

It
should've been illegal to look like that. He was no man; he was a walking
eye-gasm. Felt like one too.

"Are
you enjoying yourself Miss Dane?" He asked mildly.

"I
have no idea what gave you that impression."

I said
tartly.

"I
don't know, might be the groping that seems to put this smile on your
face." He brushed the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

I
hadn’t realized I was smiling. I was thinking about the way he'd lifted me in
his arms back in Paris. He'd done it effortlessly and with so much grace.

"My
smile has nothing to do with you. And I wasn't groping you." I said dryly.

"If
you say so."

I
nodded.

"So
tell me Miss Dane."

He said
rounding me in a swift pirouette and grabbing me just as expeditiously.

"Do
you have some sort of arrangement with your friends over there?" He cocked
his head gesturing to Ryan and Jude.

They
were fixing us, seemingly amused; but mostly dying with curiosity.

Landon
carried an unreadable expression; which added to my confusion as to what he'd
meant.

"I
don't understand. Arrangement?" I asked disconcerted.

He took
a hard breath in. He examined me and seemed annoyed by my ignorance.

"Don't
be coy Miss Dane. Just tell me what I'm dealing with here. Are you fucking
them?"

I
froze, suddenly turned to stone.

I
wasn't expecting that, or was I. After his statement in Paris, he'd shown me
how crude and impolite he could be.

I
blinked at him and slapped him.

Sadly,
he stopped me by grabbing my wrist. I tried to get out of his grip, but he'd
managed to hold me in place.

"Just
answer me
Miss Dane
."

Landon Davis
wasn't the least disturbed by the situation. As if he'd expected me to react
the way I did. I grew even more annoyed by his temper.

"That
is none of your business. Let go of me you asshole." I bit at him furious.

"The
hell it isn't. I've been looking for you, so I need to know what I'm dealing
with here." I was taken aback, but he continued.

"I
need to know if you're having a three-way relationship with those two
men."

There
it was again. I was nauseated by the suggestion, and furthermore by his boorish
audacity.

"What
is your problem you bastard." I rasped at him trying to get out of his
grip again, and failing miserably, again.

He
didn't budge.

His
expression sobered

"I'm
sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

"That's
an understatement." I responded dryly.

"I
just saw you flirting with them. And quite frankly, they both looked very fond
of you. They also didn't seem to mind sharing you in a very public display, as
you didn't seem bothered by it either"

He
paused, and focused on his next words.

"Just
answer me as truthfully as you can. Please Miss Dane." I detected a silent
beg in his tone.

Frankly,
the whole situation was hard to process. He acted like a jealous boyfriend and
I couldn't understand why, I didn't know the man. Yet, he was intensely
inquisitive. I remembered the kiss. It was possessive. The tension on his
features when he'd asked me about my relation with Ryan and Jude was
transparent.

He'd
also said that he had been looking for me.

It was too
much to wrap my brain around; we were standing still in the middle of the dance
floor, the crowd didn't seem to notice anything over the noise. I looked to
where my two 'fuck-buddies' were standing. They were still watching us. Jude
had a quizzical frown. I shook my head to reassure him, suck in a breath and
resolved myself to calm down.

I
decided that the best way to deal with the situation was to do it his way. I
needed to get some answers, so I had to let go of my fury and try to carry a
normal conversation without giving in to his barbaric ways.

I toned
down my annoyance.

"Why
do you need to know? And most importantly what do you mean you've been looking
for me?"

He
began leading a dance again.

"What
do you think it means?"

There
you go, with the mystery solving again.

"I
don't know. Have you tried to check on me at Cour Napoleon when we'd met in
Paris and couldn't find me?"

He
leaned in further "Something like that."

He
smiled as if cherishing the memory of that day.

"Can
you give me a straight answer?"

His
lips twitched "I have a proposition for you."

I cut
him off "No. I'm not interested in fucking you."

I had
no idea why I was swearing so much. He just pushed my buttons.

"See?
Now I'm rethinking my fair suggestion. You are already lying to me."

He was
such an ego-centrical bastard.

"I’m
not."

"You’re
a very bad liar Miss Dane. Anyhow, what I was going to suggest was a little
game; question for question, straight to the point. Fair?"

I
considered his game. Frankly, how was I going to refuse with a smile like his?
I nodded my agreement.

"I’ll
go first." I started

"What
do you mean looking for me?"

He
grinned

"Wrong
question, but fair enough. I looked for you in Paris. Didn't expect you were
leaving so soon and it lead me all the way back to New York."

"So
you're stalking me?"

He
threw one of those sinful smile. I felt my knees weaken.

"Now,
now Miss Dane, don't be so eager. Our deal was question for question."

"Fine."

"Are
you sleeping with those two men?"

I guess
I should've known. At least he had the courtesy to choose a more adequate
vocabulary.

I shook
my head no "Those are my best friends. I must say Mr. Davis, you're not
very perceptive, or you have a very bad gay-dar."

His
face lit up. As if, it was possible to look more radiant despite the smooth
lightning.

The
tension in his shoulders eased.

"I
believe it’s your turn." His gaze turned all hot and predatory.

He was
such a mercurial man.

"What
is the right question regarding you stalking me?"

He
quirked his lips, "The right question is the reason I've been looking for
you."

The man
was seriously wearing me out. I needed some water, or another drink.

"I
think I need to sit down if we're going to continue this charade."

"Please,
lead the way Miss Dane."

He
glided his fingers slowly down to the small of my back burning a path over my
skin and tugged me out of the crowded dance floor.

We
walked to the bar. I avoided glancing back at my table to bypass the
inquisitive looks that must've been all over my friends’ faces.

Landon Davis
lifted me on a barstool and ordered me a bottle of water and a single malt
scotch for himself. I remembered the taste of caramel when we'd kissed. I was
all flustered by the thought. I crossed my legs to calm my contractions and
grabbed the bottle of water.

I took
a long sip of the fresh pure liquid.

He was
watching me intently holding his drink. He was truly handsome, I couldn't wrap
my brain around so much charm and pure allure. He carried himself with so much
confidence. He was aware of the attention he provoked from the females around
the lounge. Yet he didn't care about it.

"I
believe it's my turn now?" He stripped me out of my thoughts.

I
acquiesced and acknowledged him to go ahead.

"So
other than your two friends over there; are you involved with anyone?" He
didn't know my answer, yet he was undressing me with his eyes in the most
intimate way.

Landon
Davis had no shame.

I shook
my head to assert my answer "No."

"I'm
not cut out for relationships." I responded truthfully.

Not
from lack of trying. It seemed like I didn't fit in a couple dynamic. I'd
always chosen the wrong men; I had some reticence about sex. In addition, if my
last failure was any suggestion, I should avoid any relationship.

He
frowned, as if he couldn't understand my answer,

"What
do you mean by that?"

I
smiled and thought about returning his sentence the way he did previously but
refrained from it.

"To
put it mildly. Bad experiences, disastrous relationships, and lots of
disappointment." I said trying to sound less pessimist then I actually
was.

"I
can understand that. But don't you regret it?"

"Regret
what exactly? Haven't you heard Bad - Disastrous - Disappointment?" I
explained quoting every word.

He
beamed at me and my heart skipped a beat.

"Surely
it wasn't all that bad. You must've had some good moments."

I
searched my head for a way to answer it. “Nope. Bad ones trump them all. So I'd
rather focus on my career and get all the love I need from those two over
there." I said gesturing to Jude and Ryan who were flirting lovingly.

"What
about sex? Surely, you have needs. You are a stunning woman and I have no doubt
men would kneel to pleasure you."

I
couldn't help to double over in laughter. He had no idea how absurd his statement
sounded in my situation or how it was the reason of my demise.

I
decided to play with him a little. He made me feel like a horny sixteen year
old by standing there. He was also inquisitive about my love life. I realized
he didn't even ask me about my age or my job. He seemed interested in the ways
I pleasured myself and whether I was fucking my best friends.

"You
know." I leaned further and closed the little distance between us.

"Funny
you would mention my needs, because after we're finished here, I'm actually
going to purchase a BoB."

I
winked at him and took another sip of water.

He
muttered something I couldn't hear but I was sure he swore.