Glutton for Pleasure (2 page)

Alisa Rai

tacky. No incense, thank God. The stuff drove his allergies crazy. The small band of musicians on the corner stage strummed sitars and blew into flutes, creating a melodic counterpoint to the murmurs of the dinner crowd.

He caught sight of the pretty waitress across the room and wondered again if something had kindled in the month he’d been away on his business trip. Jace had been insistent they come here, and he and the woman had bantered with easy familiarity. She’d been cordial enough to Marcus, but with an underlying watchfulness, as if she was evaluating him on every level.

They both also liked spicy women, and in his experience, Indian was a good choice there too. Marcus studied her objectively. Golden skin, nice ass and shapely legs. She carried herself with the casual confidence of a model, her long blue black hair flowed in a silky straight fall and her tight black uniform showed off a killer body. She looked more complicated than easy. The women they usually screwed knew the score and agreed to it. A mind-blowing sexual experience, little conversation and silence later on. Easy, no love involved. Marcus rarely remembered their faces or names later.

He hadn’t ridden a woman in months, and the tension and stress of the past few weeks of intense work had built the pressure in his system to the blowing point. He wanted nothing more than to pound his frustration into a willing woman.

Marcus tried to work up enthusiasm for their waitress, but barely managed a lukewarm stirring at the idea of her sandwiched between the two of them.

Oh well. Surely he’d be able to generate some excitement once they were naked. Marcus took a drink of his beer. “She’s nice.”

“Huh?”

“Our waitress.”

“Yeah. Rana. But she’s not really your type.”

His shoulders tensed. Now that he thought about it, Jace had withdrawn lately. Marcus had deliberately ignored it while work distracted him, but he couldn’t put off facing it any longer.

Was he unhappy with their casual lifestyle?

“Jace, what the hell is going on?”

The corner of Jace’s lip twitched, a sure sign he had something up his sleeve. “Okay. I brought you out here to meet someone.”

“No shit. Who?”

“Someone I think we’re both going to enjoy.”

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Glutton for Pleasure

Marcus relaxed. That was better. “You think?”

Jace shrugged. “I haven’t exactly met her myself.”

“Crap, Jace. You know we can’t just chase after anyone. We need someone who knows what we’re looking for here.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve spoken with her sister.”

“Yeah?” Marcus settled back in his seat and let his gaze drift over the restaurant. The other servers out front were male or older, but one of the bartenders, a young, buxom Latina, looked like she had potential. Bold, flirtatious eyes. She’d do for a night. “The bar looks good.”

“Later. Wait ’til you try the food.”

“Speaking of which, where is the food? You wouldn’t let me even grab a burger on the way.

I haven’t eaten since this morning.”

“I didn’t want your appetite dulled.” Jace glanced around before pausing. “Here she is.” A surge of heat lit his eyes, warning Marcus even before he turned to the right.

At first he could only catch glimpses of the short woman behind the large tray of food, but as she came closer, the tray shifted out of the way.

Soft.
She shared the same flawless golden skin and big dark eyes as the waitress. However, unlike their server’s knowing and self-confident gaze, this one had a wary and vulnerable look about her that automatically turned the heat up, bringing out his protective and dominant instincts.

Her cheeks were round, flushed, from the heat of the kitchen no doubt, her lips full and pink.

A ponytail restrained her long black curls at the nape of her neck. A spotless apron covered the sensible black jeans and snug T-shirt. She might be too plump to actually be called curvy, but Marcus approved of the slight roundness of her belly, the plush columns of her thighs. Her ass promised to be a luscious handful, and her breasts, outlined in her T-shirt, were large and pillowy.

He couldn’t imagine why he would want a hard, tight body below his when he could be plowing into the cushion of this one.

She hefted the tray in one hand and placed plates in front of both of them. Her breasts were at his eye level and he fantasized about leaning over and burying his face between them. Even the scent of the appetizing fare couldn’t tear his gaze away.

“Smells great,” Jace said.

Marcus knew when seduction was in his brother’s low voice. Sure enough, Jace stared at her with as much vibrating intensity as Marcus felt.
Danger, danger.
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Alisa Rai

but not messing with good girls had definitely been hammered into them. This one’s fresh and clean appearance practically screamed “good girl”.

“Thanks.” She placed the bowl of bread in the middle of the table and then held the tray clasped under her arm with a polite smile pasted on her face. “I’m your chef. I hope you enjoy your dinner tonight.”

He loved her voice, low and a little bit throaty. It didn’t match her wholesome image. He imagined her, sweet and innocent in a tiny white negligee and, please God, lace stockings, talking dirty in his ear with that sexy voice. His semi-hard cock lengthened and in a perfect inverse relationship, his conscience hushed. “What’s your name?”

From the startled expression in her eyes, his request probably had come out as a growled order, but what could he do? He’d never experienced lust like this right off the bat, especially for a woman he would normally avoid like the plague. Cordial speech lay beyond his immediate capability.

“Devi Malik,” Jace answered for her, his eyes locked on her face.

“That’s right.” She hesitated, her polite smile slipping a bit. “How do you know that?”

“I asked your sister.” Jace turned to him. “Our waitress, Rana. Their other sister, Leena, manages. They own this place.”

“Our mom actually owns the restaurant,” she corrected.

“But you guys run it. I’m Jace Callahan and this is my brother Marcus.”

A light of reluctant laughter lit her eyes. “Get out. I never would have guessed you were related.”

Jace smiled. “Yeah, I guess it’s stupid to introduce us that way, huh? It’s a pleasure. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

“Why?”

Jace raised his left eyebrow, a move Marcus knew he had practiced in the mirror since they were ten. “Why, what?”

She laughed, the soft sound nervous. “Do you make it a habit to meet all of the employees at the places you eat?”

Jace’s smile was slow and seductive. “Only the special ones.”

“Oh.”

“You have some excellent attractions here.”

“Yes, our band is wonderful, aren’t they?”

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Jace hummed noncommittally.

“Is there anything else you need?” She stepped back from the table.

You
, Marcus involuntarily thought. And then he realized, from the way both Devi and his brother stared at him, he hadn’t just thought it.

“What?” Devi clutched her tray closer.

“You…must be a great cook,” he finished lamely. Ah, hell. No one could ever say he was the suave one.

“Um, okay. Well, try the food first, and please let me know what you think.”

“Wait.”
Keep her here.
Marcus followed his instincts. “Sit with us.”

“What?”

“Sit.”

“What my brother means,” Jace interrupted, with a warning glance at him, no doubt for his caveman behavior, “is that we would love to talk with you.” He gave her a winning smile, flashing a set of dimples Marcus knew had won over more than one woman.

“Please.” Marcus double-teamed her without mercy and brushed the back of the hand clenched on the tray. Her skin was soft, the golden color warming through her flesh. The electrical current that passed through his fingertips surprised and dismayed him.
Trouble.
He slipped his hand under hers and drew it away from the tray to hold it. He swept his thumb over her small palm, marveling at how tiny it felt in his grip. Her nails were short and unpainted. Small calluses on her flesh were a testament to the work she did with her hands.

Her brow furrowed in bewilderment. “I—I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“I’m working.”

“Isn’t part of owning a family business being able to set your own hours?” Jace asked practically.

“Yes…no. I don’t…” She glanced back and forth between them, clearly overwhelmed.

Marcus stiffened. He didn’t care what Jace had talked with the sister about. He’d bet money Devi hadn’t known the score. She was too confused.

“Just so you know, I already asked your sister’s permission. No one’s going to fire you for eating your dinner with us,” Jace teased.

At the mention of her sister, her eyes filled with obvious hurt before anger took its place.

“Ah. I get it. Did my sister put you up to this?”

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Alisa Rai

Marcus glanced at Jace, but he shrugged. “Up to what?”

She smiled, but it seemed forced. “You can drop the act. And while she might have pitched it to you as a way to get me out of my shell, I can assure you that this is more an insult than a kindness.” Devi withdrew her hand. “Two of you were overkill. Enjoy your dinner.” She pivoted and stalked toward a shadowy corridor off the main dining room. Marcus couldn’t help but watch all of the glorious jiggling that accompanied her furious exit.

Jace cocked his head. “That went well.”

The back office door slammed against the wall with a satisfying thunk.

Rana jumped and straightened from where she shuffled some papers on the office desk.

Whatever she glimpsed in Devi’s expression made her eyes widen in fear.

Good. She better be afraid. “Where’s Leena?”

Rana licked her lips. “I told you, she had to go somewhere tonight. Why?”

Devi stepped inside and kicked the door closed with her foot before starting toward her sister. “I don’t want any witnesses when I kill you.”

“
Wait.
” Rana darted behind the big chair and swiveled it so it stood between them. “Are you mad?”

“Hell yes, I’m mad. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was? How dare you tell them—our customers, a regular customer—to flirt with me like that? What did you say? That your poor desperate sister hadn’t had a date in a year and needed to get her ego stroked a little?

That I needed some practice?”

“What?”

Devi stopped a few feet away from the chair. “I’ll tell you what I told them—you shouldn’t have had them both go for it.”

Rana stilled. “They both were into you?”

“Yeah, they followed your instructions to the letter. Good job.”

“Hey, wait just a second. If they were checking you out, I had nothing to do with it. I admit, I knew Jace liked you. He’s been pestering me for weeks to tell him your name. Quite frankly, it wasn’t ’til last week I agreed. I wanted to make sure he had his shit together.” Rana’s shoulders tensed imperceptibly. “You said the brother was hitting on you too?”

“Like you don’t know.” She didn’t believe a word Rana said. Beneath the anger lay a bone-deep hurt and a wicked sense of loss. Anyone else, she would have written off, but this had been 14

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her secret fantasy man. She knew she didn’t have a chance, but no woman wanted to look desperate in front of a man she dreamt of late at night while tucked away in bed with a romance novel. To think of Rana patiently explaining her poor, dear sister’s plight while Jace and his brother listened in sympathy—she just wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere.

“Devi.” Rana’s tone brooked no-nonsense. “Okay, so here’s the deal…” She trailed off.

“Look, sis, I need to go cook. I don’t have time for this.”

“They share women, okay?”

Devi’s jaw dropped. Literally, she felt it unhinge. “What?”

Rana’s lips compressed into a thin line. “I should have warned you before I sent you out there, but I had no idea if it was true, or if you would just hit it off with Jace by himself. There’s a lot of rumors—too many for them to be discounted. Jace is a pretty high-profile attorney so they’re well-known here even though his brother travels a lot. You don’t hear these things ’cause you’re always hiding away, but I do. They’re, like, the kings of one-night stands. And they do it together. Always. I don’t think I know a single woman who’s fucked just one of them.”

Devi shook her head. “How?”

“Huh. Okay. You know how you’re fucking one guy, so the other one, he—”

“Jesus, Rana, I don’t want a blow-by-blow. I know how these things work.” Now she felt as uncomfortable as Rana looked. “I read enough.” Well. Wow.

“Why would you think that I set them up? I know the brother is new, but Jace has been salivating over you for a month. I can’t believe you didn’t see it. Shit, I thought that was the reason you kept sneaking out of the kitchen, so you could make junior high googly eyes at each other. I just wanted to give you a push, an excuse to talk to him.”

“Stop teasing.”

“I’m not teasing.”

“Right.”

“He’s been watching you, Dev. Every time you looked away, his eyes were glued on you.

He eats you up.” A perplexed frown creased Rana’s smooth brow. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“Because if you and I were in the same room, no one would be looking at me.”

She immediately regretted her words, but they had slipped out before she could stop them.

Rana inhaled sharply, and then glared. Devi suppressed a sigh. Even outraged, Rana looked good.

“I can’t
believe
you just said that. Like you’re a hag.”

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Alisa Rai

Not a hag. Just a normal woman. In her experience, super-attractive types always went for super-attractive types. “We all know who the pretty one is.”