Good Girl (15 page)

She didn’t care about him. Or she
couldn’t walk away. Like he had walked away from all of the women he didn’t
care about.

It felt like a knife in his gut.
Twisting and torturing him.

He had to sit there and not run after
her. Like the more pathetic girls who ran after him…

It took a long time, but when he finally
left, he had one clear determination—he wasn’t going to lose her. He wasn’t
going to let that happen.

If she needed proof that he wanted more
than just sex with her, then he would give her that proof. Whatever it took.

***

When he saw her the next day, she
wouldn’t meet his eyes when she spoke to him. It was like she was a different
person. Fear washed over him like an icy flood of water. He had to fix this.
Fast.

But he barely saw her all week. He was
stuck in his studio creating the numeral medallion patterns for the sundial.
They had to be sent to the foundry where he would make the molds the next week,
so working nearly around the clock, he carved twelve medallions out of slabs of
clay.

When his brother Drew texted to say he
was coming into the city on Friday and wanted to get together, Hunter was
irritated. He was too busy working! And he needed to figure out what to do
about Kali. He didn’t want family problems dragging him back into that old
familiar pit of never-ending chaos.

Then he realized this was his chance.
Kali wanted proof of his sincerity. He would ask her to meet his brother. He
would bring her into his life, and share the ugly secrets of his past. He would
make himself as vulnerable to her as he wanted her to be with him.

The thought of exposing himself that way
sent a shudder through him. She would judge him. How could she not? It might
even change her opinion about him.

But it was time to man-up. How badly did
he want this? Enough to expose himself and risk more rejection?

Whatever it takes
,
he swore to himself.

He knew Kali wouldn’t let him speak to
her alone, so he texted her,
I want you to meet my brother tomorrow. I want
you to be part of my life.

Then he waited.

Chapter 10

Every night, Kali cried thinking about Hunter.
She craved that man like she was in physical withdrawals. But she knew sex
games weren’t enough. Not for her.

As hard as she tried to put on a
pleasant face when she had to deal with Hunter at work, she knew her effort
showed. How could it not? One look at him was enough to stop her in her tracks,
as much as she tried to ignore the fluttering in her breast. Her traitorous
feelings made her want to reach out to him, to hug him so she could feel like
everything was okay again.

So when she got his text, it floored
her. He was asking her to meet his brother!

This was real life, not kinky sex play.

It was a chink in the wall, letting in
light. Maybe he did want a real relationship with her.

Then again, maybe the second she stopped
running away, he would lose interest.

And even if he did want a relationship
with her, what about everything else? Just like her parents, they weren’t
compatible. And that way laid heartbreak.

But in the end she figured, what did she
have to lose by meeting his brother? It would tell her a lot about Hunter. It
could confirm everything she had seen so far, and then it might be easier to
say good-bye to him.

And if it really wasn’t too good to be
true, if he did want to get serious with her, she couldn’t miss out on Hunter
because she was too scared to take a chance.

Finally she texted him back.
Ok where
and when?

He instantly sent back the name and
address of a restaurant.
I’ll meet you at the deli at 6 to walk up together.

The next day at work, she stayed away
from Hunter. But whenever she saw him, his eyes lit up with pleasure. It was
really hard to resist him. He could make a connection with her from across the
construction site with a dozen people around, and somehow manage to make her
feel special.

She met him at the deli on the corner
after work. Hunter said, “I’m glad you decided to come.”

“Why did you ask me?”

“Because I want you to know me. And I
want to get to know you. I’d like to come meet your parents and see where you
grew up. I think that tells you a lot about a person.”

It sounded perfect. But Kali couldn’t
help thinking of the last time they had stood here, setting off on their date
where he had ticked off the romantic gestures one by one: rose, limo-car,
surprise destination, restaurant with candles, white tablecloths and a stellar
view, plus lots of talking about their childhoods. Was he playing a role, or
did he really mean it? Looking back now, she thought that date might have been
a means to the end of getting her into bondage.

So rather than listen to any more of
that kind of talk, she asked him questions about the next phase of the project.
The demo was complete and the raw space was ready. The patterns for the sundial
and medallions had been sent to the foundry along with the unique ball-bench
that he had packed into a crate. He would be staying all next week in
Pennsylvania monitoring the creation of the molds. The dial part of the sundial
was being poured into a special form since it was twenty-four feet long.
Meanwhile the construction crew would start laying the new pavers in the plaza
and set the bolts for the installation.

Their work conversation carried them on
their walk up to 6
^th
Street to a row of tiny restaurants. The bottom
of every tenement building, down a short flight of steps, were Indian
restaurants, one after the other. The narrow, deep interiors were filled with
mirrors, tiny lights and a rainbow of silk hangings.

“There’s so many!” she exclaimed as they
walked by more than a dozen.

“There are a lot of people who need to
eat.”

As Hunter turned off the sidewalk and
went down several steps to a glass doorway on the basement floor, Kali asked
him, “How can you tell them apart?”

He grinned. “I’ve been to every one, and
this is the best. Drew loves Indian food.”

Before she knew it, she was shaking
hands with Drew Munro as Hunter introduced her. He looked a lot like
Hunter—tall and handsome, but he was bulkier, and heavier in the face. He also
had blue eyes, but they were milder. Whereas Hunter was lean and hungry, Drew
was a solid, dour mass.

Drew was surprised to see her. “Uh, hi,
there. You’re Hunter’s friend?”

“I work for SunTech. We’re doing the
sundial project together.”

Now Drew looked even more worried,
shifting his gaze to his brother. Hunter nodded, and said, “It’s all right. I’m
dating Kali, though she’s not sure she wants to. My bad reputation, and all
that.”

Drew raised his brows. “I can understand
that.”

Kali wanted to pounce on his comment but
if she put him on the defensive, Drew wouldn’t tell her anything. So she sat
down and they chatted for a while about Drew’s job as a fireman and life in the
firehouse. He had taken the train up from Harrisburg and was going back that
afternoon.

Kali thought Drew was a blurred
mirror-image of Hunter. He was solid, reliable—a fireman, for Christ’s sake! He
saved lives for a living. What a noble, wonderful job with health insurance and
a good retirement plan. She felt awful for thinking it, but who wouldn’t?

But she didn’t have a smidge of
attraction for Drew. It was like he was made of mud for all the electricity she
felt from him. But she could feel Hunter sitting at her other side as if sparks
were coming off him in a continual, never-ending display.

The two men discussed the menu options
and Chase ordered for her as usual. After they ordered, Hunter turned to Drew.
“Let’s get this over with, Drew. I know you’ve got something to tell me or you
wouldn’t be here.”

Drew’s eyes slid to Kali, as he hedged,
“It’s about dad.”

Hunter nodded. “Yeah?”

“He lost his job again.”

Hunter hit the table with his fist.
“Damn it!”

Drew glanced at Kali again. “He was
drinking at work. He’ll have a tough time finding another trucking company
willing to hire a driver who was let go for drinking and driving.”

“Was he arrested?”

“No, the company found the bottle. He
won’t be charged.”

Hunter let his breath hiss out of his
teeth. “We have to be grateful for that.”

Kali stayed very still, feeling like she
was an intruder. This was serious stuff! Drinking and driving! Fired from his
job! Hunter looked like he wanted to strangle someone. Maybe his dad.

“What did mom say?” Hunter asked.

“What can she say? She only works at the
A&P thirty hours a week, so after taxes it barely covers the lot rent and
utilities.”

“And you don’t get unemployment for being
fired.” Hunter sighed. “They need money.”

Drew nodded. “I can give them $100 a
week until Dad gets another job.”

“Who knows when that will be?” Hunter
dragged his hands through his hair. “I can do the same. I figure I’ll have a
year and a half, maybe more, before the funds from this project dry up. I’m
hoping to pick up more work from the publicity that Kali’s creating for it.
Maybe dad can pull it together by then.”

“I hoped you’d say that. David is paying
off his student loans and doesn’t have an extra dime to spare.”

After that, the two brothers dropped the
subject and they dug into the food. For such different men, they seemed very
much in synch. They shared the different dishes and after a while the mood
lightened. Kali really liked Drew—he was sensible, capable and honest. In some
ways, he seemed much older than Hunter, as if he had already solidified into
the form he would have for the rest of his life.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked
Drew at one point.

“I’m married.” Drew lit up and suddenly
he looked a lot more like Hunter. His wife was an EMT, someone he had met on
the job and then it had turned into romance. They’d been together for more than
two years. Drew said their biggest problem was that his job took him away for
four days at a time.

Kali finally asked the question she had
been dying to broach all evening. “What about Hunter? Am I like the girls he
usually dates?”

Drew opened his eyes wide. “I don’t
know. I haven’t met any of his girlfriends since high school.”

“You haven’t? Not in, what, twelve
years?”

Hunter was watching them, letting Drew
answer for him. “No. He doesn’t talk much about that.”

So it really meant a lot that Hunter had
brought her to meet Drew. But she needed to know more. “What about his high
school girlfriends?”

“Hunter was real popular with the girls.
All of them. He was the envy of the other guys. One time he tied up this girl
in the computer lab and the teacher walked in, and it was the talk of the
school. I had guys high-fiving
me
…” Drew trailed off when he saw
Hunter’s frown.

“That’s what I thought,” Kali said.

Hunter leaned closer to assure her.
“It’s different with you.”

Drew agreed, “That’s for sure. I never
figured I’d be talking about dad in front of a girlfriend of yours.”

Girlfriend! Kali bit her lip hard.

Hunter shrugged. “It’s not much fun
letting Kali hear it.” He turned to her. “But you need to know who I am if you
want us to be together.”

Kali couldn’t have said it better
herself. It really made her look at Hunter with new eyes. He was serious about
her. He was willing to take her hand and walk into the future together. To see
if they fit together.

It took her breath away. Who would have
thought eating Indian food with two brothers could be the most romantic thing
she had ever done? But it felt like Hunter had slain a dragon for her, opening
himself up like this.

After they were done with dinner and
standing on the sidewalk outside, Hunter turned to Kali in front of Drew. “Will
you give me another chance, Kali? Come meet my friends this weekend. Get to
know me better. That way you’ll be able to decide.”

The fear in his eyes stopped her cold.
For a moment, she could see how much this had cost him. He looked as if he had
been stripped bare.

She was ready to say anything to make
him stop looking like that.

Drew was also expectant, so much like
his brother, but lightyears different.

“How can I turn you down when both of
you look at me like that?” she asked.

She reached out and took Hunter’s hand,
and he grabbed onto her with a fierceness that seemed to claim her through a
handclasp.

Drew was beaming. “That’s great! He’s
really not so bad, Kali. He just needs a little understanding and patience.”

Hunter smacked his brother on the
shoulder. “You make me sound like a dog!”

“You
are
a dog!” Drew shot back.

Hunter laughed, but Kali felt an inward
twinge. How could she compete with all of those other women? Surely he would
get tired of her soon enough.

But she had to try.

***

Kali did her best to not let her hopes
get too high. Meeting his brother was huge, but Hunter’s real life was here in
the city. He went to kinky parties and his friends were part of that world. If
she wasn’t comfortable with that, it could tear them apart before she knew it.

On Saturday night, Kali felt like she
was going down the rabbit hole with Hunter as they entered the side door of a
big brick building in the east 20s. There was no sign. The door opened straight
off the parking lot, without even an awning to protect it from the softly
falling rain. It was a utility door, while the fancy glass doors around the
corner were for the patrons of the building. Not for them.

They went down a long flight of concrete
steps, then rounded a corner and went down a long corridor with a low ceiling.
At the back end was a window where a nice-looking blond woman was taking money.
She handed over a sheet of paper with the club rules. Kali scanned it and saw
things like “no intercourse or oral sex,” “no play for pay,” “no drugs or
alcohol on premises,” “must be 18 or over to enter.”

That told her what she couldn’t do. It
was up to Hunter to show her what could be done.

They went through a black steel door
with the word “Paddles” spray-painted in stencil on it, and down another short
hallway. It opened up into a narrow room with a bar down one side and banquettes
along the opposite wall. The ceiling was very low with exposed ductwork painted
black. Signs on the wall advertised ice cream sundaes and smoothies. There were
people seated on the stools and on the benches and several called out greetings
to Hunter.

Almost everyone was wearing black.
Hunter had told her anything black when she had asked what to wear. So she had
on her shortest black skirt that came to her mid-thigh, and a black button-down
shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the neck opened to expose a good amount of
cleavage. She got the idea from the old movie, Secretary. The character in that
movie had rocked the sexy librarian-look while her wrists were locked to a bar
over her shoulders. But the serious mental health problems of both characters made
Kali wonder who she was going to meet tonight.