Craving HIM (Serving HIM Vol. 7) (9 page)

“Of course.” He slid me a look, his eyes dropping to linger on my breasts. “Aleena. A pleasure.”

He lost himself in the crowd while next to me, I heard Dominic made a low, angry noise in his throat.

Shit. He’d noticed.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. He started to push back from the table.

I placed a hand on his arm. “Please don’t.” Looking over at him, I managed a weak smile. “I have to deal with men staring at my tits fairly often. It’s annoying, but when you’re a woman who's...built like me, you deal with it. I don’t want you getting into a fight because some asshole's a letch.”

His muscles vibrated under my arm, but after a long moment, he nodded.

After a few awkward seconds, we slipped into familiar small talk and I sipped from the glass of wine until the knot in my belly relaxed.

When I finally put the now-empty glass down, I looked up and caught a woman across the room staring at me.

The moment our eyes locked, she looked away. After a few seconds, I looked away as well, but from the corner of my eye, I saw her lean over and say something to the man with her. He glanced at me, then Dominic and snorted, waving a dismissive hand.

My gut began to crawl. I didn’t have to hear her to know she was talking about me. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for me.

“Mr. Snow.”

I looked up as the server approached and put a plate in front of us. A few minutes ago, the bruschetta would have been more than welcome. I hadn’t eaten much today, but now I wasn’t very hungry. I took the piece Dominic offered though, smiling at him as I lifted it to my lips.

It was very good and I slowly ate the one piece, concentrating on the man in front of me instead of the woman I’d seen staring at me.

I might have done okay, might have gotten through the meal just fine, as long as I kept watching Dominic. But his eyes kept straying off to the side. Unable to resist, I glanced backward and surprise jolted through me at the woman I saw sitting off to my left.

I knew her.

She was a friend of Penelope’s. I couldn’t remember her name, assuming I’d ever known it, but she’d been out with Penelope the day I’d tried to go shopping for some new clothes, and Penelope had all but had me thrown out of the shops. Max had been there to save me, bringing Dominic’s name up and the women running the store had looked like they’d had their mouths stuffed with rotten fish.

Now, Penelope's friend was looking at me and laughing. As I stared hard at her, she leaned over and whispered something to one of the others with her and the entire table broke out into laughter. Though I couldn’t hear it, I imagined I could. I'd spent enough time getting laughed at to imagine pretty well.

Jerking back around, I stared at Dominic, my face hot. I was blushing. I knew I was. Embarrassment churned inside me, although I had no idea why. I hadn’t done anything.

“I’m…” Shoving upright, I stared at him blindly. “I’m going to the ladies room.”

Dominic gave a small nod, still staring toward the table.

I hurtled off away from the table and the eyes I could feel on me.

I didn’t even know where I was going, but somehow, I ended up in the ladies room anyway. I didn't even consider this might've been a mistake until the door opened behind me as I stood there clutching the edge of the counter. I cringed inwardly and when I recognized the pretty woman who’d been with Jefferson, I was only barely able to manage a smile.

“Hi.” She glanced behind her at the door and then toward the stalls.

My dread increased when she came closer and pressed on the doors. The stalls were all empty and as I watched, she walked back to the door and leaned against it, arms crossed over her chest.

“Jefferson wanted me to make sure you were okay. You looked…” She hesitated and then sighed. “Upset.”

“I’m fine.” I lied through my teeth. “I'm just a bit overheated.”

“Please.” She rolled her eyes and jerked her head toward the restaurant, and presumably the crowd out there. The crowd I still didn't fit into. “You can’t stand there and tell me you weren’t feeling the burn out there. I bet you grew up feeling it plenty.” She gave me a knowing smile. “I know I did.”

“Please, spare me.” I shook my head. “I don’t want some sister to sister bonding.”

A rich, friendly laugh escaped her. “Jefferson said I’d like you. He’s probably right.” She grinned at me. “I'm Shaynelle, by the way.”

Her eyes were warm and dark, shades darker than the smooth brown of her skin, her hair a smooth, neat cap against her skull. It was the sort of the style that took a lot of confidence and the right kind of face to pull off. She had the features and the confidence in spades. She also had the honest sort of face that made me want to trust her. Not because any sort of friendliness or kindness that she seemed to radiate. Actually, it was the honest thing. Something about her made me think she’d tell me exactly what she was thinking, whether I wanted to hear it or not.

I shifted my gaze past her shoulder, as if following an invisible line back toward the dining area, where so many had been watching me. “You ever get the feeling that you’re in a room full of people and you’re the only one who didn’t get let in on some little joke?”

“More than once.” She raised one beautifully thin eyebrow. She pursed her lips and I immediately knew that she'd been let in on this one.

“Okay. So.” I planted my hands on my hips and stared at her. “Tell me.”

“You aren’t going to like it,” she warned.

“I can deal with that. I’ve dealt with worst.”

***

After she told me, I proved that I could deal with it. That didn’t mean it was easy to walk out of there with my shoulders back and my head held high. My new friend walked along with me and we laughed together as we came out of the hall—okay, she laughed. I nodded and smiled.

“You’re doing fine,” she said, giving me a hug. “Be sure to call me. We should definitely have lunch and soon.”

I nodded. I don’t know if I meant I was going to actually follow up on it or not, but it was something to say as we made our way through the tables. When we reached mine, she leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Chin up, girl. You know how this game goes. You never let them see you cry.”

“Never.” I squeezed her hand and then slid into the chair.

Dominic’s eyes slid to mine. If I hadn’t known him, if I hadn’t had him imprinted on my very soul, then I probably wouldn’t have seen it. He rose and gave Shaynelle a polite kiss on the cheek and that was enough to tell me something else about her. He knew her and liked her. Dominic didn’t waste his time on the empty courtesies of society, when it came to physical contact.

Once we were alone, Dominic looked at me again.

He was no longer drinking the wine. He had a new glass in front of him. I’d bet anything it was scotch, a double. He tapped a forefinger on the rim as he studied my face. I could read him. He could read me as well as I could read him.

“Jefferson’s girlfriend…” I forced a smile. “She’s nice.”

“I don’t think they’ve progressed that far.” Dominic gave a small smile, but it was more reflex than anything else. His eyes were hard and flat.

Our food came out and we made a lousy attempt to make idle talk before we finally lapsed into silence and ate our food. I could feel eyes all over me and, worse, now there were the faintest echoes of whispers reaching my ears.

Not just mine, either. Dominic grew more and more tense and by the time the server came by to offer dessert, we were both ready to leave.

We were outside, but when the valet offered to get the car, I caught Dominic’s hand. “Let’s walk. For a while at least.”

He gave the valet a terse shake of his head and then we started to walk. The farther we got from the restaurant, the more the muscles in my shoulders relaxed and I heaved out a breath of relief.

“We need—”

“I was talking—”

We both stopped and turned to face each other. Dominic lifted a hand and cupped my cheek. “Go first.”

“They were talking about us.” Everything that Shaynelle had told me came spilling out, and the more I spoke, the faster the rest came. “About us, about me…and about you. Somehow…they…dammit, Dominic, people know about…about…”

He put my panicked rambles to an end by leaning forward and closing his mouth over mine. His tongue licked across the seam of my lips and I eagerly parted them. The tension in me eased as he slowly and thoroughly explored my mouth.

When he finally pulled away, he pressed his forehead to mine and sighed. “I know. Jefferson came over and talked to me while you were in the ladies room. Apparently…” He lifted his head and looked down at me, his jaw tight. “Somebody has been talking.”

“About us.”

“About me.” He rubbed his thumb across the line of my jaw. “You’re involved with me so you’re being drawn into it, but you’re not the target. I am.”

“I sure as hell feel like I am.”

“I’m sorry.” He slid his hands down my back and tugged me in closer, curling his arms around me. His voice was full of regret. “I’m so sorry, Aleena.”

“Who's doing this?” But even as I said it, I thought of the smirking blonde I’d seen in the restaurant. The woman I’d seen with Penelope. Just like that, I knew. Slowly, I lifted my head and met his eyes.

I could tell he'd already come to the same conclusion.

“I’ll deal with it.” He pushed a hand into my hair and tangled it there, tilting my head for better access to my mouth. He nipped at my bottom lip.

“I’d rather deal with it and her.” I scowled. “By punching her right in the middle of her pretty, perfect teeth.”

A wolfish grin lit Dominic’s face. “Well, if you have the option, darling…”

We stood there for another minute, neither one speaking, before we turned to head back to the car. I reached out for his hand and laced my fingers between his.

“I think I’d like to go to the club tomorrow.”

He shot a look at me, his expression unreadable. “Would you?”

Heat crawled up my cheeks as I blushed painfully hard. But I managed a nod. “Yes. We weren’t able to enjoy our meal tonight, thanks to everybody being more interested in gossip than being decent human beings. I wanted your birthday to be special and they ruined it. So we'll celebrate tomorrow.” I hesitated, then added, “If you want to.”

He skimmed his fingers down my back, leaving a new trail of heat. “Oh, I definitely want to.” He slid his hand down to my ass and squeezed. “But who says the night's completely ruined? I still have plans for you and that necklace.”

Chapter 8

Aleena

I felt bruised.

Bruised and raw, and it had nothing to do with the way Dominic had barely waited until we were through the door before he’d put his hands on me.

That had been cleansing. Rough, real, desperate.

He’d bent me over the couch and spanked me. When I'd screamed, he’d used his tie to gag me and I’d loved every second of the pounding he'd given me. My ass was still sore, rubbing against the material of my dress.

But that wasn’t what was responsible for the ache that seemed to permeate all of me.

I hadn’t wanted to hide in the penthouse all weekend, so I’d gone out for coffee at my favorite little café. Instead of just taking my drink back, I'd sat down to read, telling myself I’d enjoy my morning off. Dominic was out doing something. His brain never slowed and although I was gathering up the information for the foundation he wanted to start, he was too bored with Trouver L’Amour to focus any more attention there.

I'd gotten the feeling he was doing something else and it likely had to do with his parents—his birth parents. But I wouldn’t ask. He’d tell me when he was ready. Until then, I’d leave him to his private time and enjoy mine.

That was what I wanted.

But I couldn’t have it.

I hadn’t been at the café for more than ten minutes when I started hearing the whispers.

Heat flooded my face and I was glad I’d elected to sit at a table near the sliding glass doors. They'd been left open to allow the fresh summer air in. It would be too hot later, but now, it was perfect and it gave me the perfect excuse to keep my sunglasses on. With them shielding my eyes, I was able to look around without moving my head as I searched for the source of the whispers.

It wasn’t hard to find them.

My jaw clenched into a hard, straight line when I saw her.

Penelope Rittenour.

She was sitting with several friends and all of them were casting glances my way before snickering down into their coffee. Deliberately, I reached for mine and took a sip before turning the page on the book I was no longer reading.

I kept that act up for an excruciating ten minutes and was congratulating myself on how well I’d pulled it off when a shadow fell across my table.

I looked up to see Penelope standing over me.

Maybe I’d pulled it off too well.

She stood there with a friend at her side, both of them looking rather amused.

“Yes?” I gave them both my best blank face.

“Aleena.” Penelope's voice gushed with false warmth. “How nice to see you getting outside for a change.”