Lies in Love (4 page)

Landon
pulled the picture in front of him and studied her. Her oval face was
framed with her beautiful long locks. She was smiling, and it created
the faintest crinkle at the top of her slightly upturned nose. It was
absolutely beautiful. “This is her?”

“Yes.”
Camey’s voice had grown much softer since he arrived. “Will
you need directions?”

“No,
I’m pretty familiar with the place.” Landon decided the
challenge might be fun. At least he got to stare at a cute girl for
an hour or so. “What time Friday?”

“We
usually arrive around ten. It gives us a little bit of time to unwind
after work.” Camey stopped speaking when Landon raised his hand
to her.

“Got
it.” He slid a paper across the table before continuing. “These
are my rates. I figure two hours should cut it.” The Hispanic
watched him derisively.
What
is with her?

“Here’s
enough for the night.” Camey slid an envelope across the table.
“I’m an eternal optimist.”

“Can
you take a check for the extra thousand?” The cute little
blonde eagerly pulled her wallet from her purse and opened it.

“That’s
not necessary.” Landon gently closed the lid on her checkbook
and eased it closer to her, urging her to put it away. The money
could be useful for his father, but he felt guilty accepting it. He
had a feeling he would rather enjoy this conquest. “This will
be fine.” He held up the envelope with Talia’s picture
hidden beneath it. “I’ll see you ladies Friday.” He
prepared to leave, turning away from the table, when he felt Camey’s
hand grasp his.

“Please
don’t tell her. This has to be a secret.”

Landon
pinched his fingers together and slid them across his lips before
mimicking a locking motion. “Your secret is safe with me. It’s
what I do.” He slid his leather jacket back on, placing the
envelope and photo in his inside pocket. “Friday.” He
smiled and walked out, zipping his jacket and pushing his hands back
in his gloves. He climbed back on his Harley and strapped on his
helmet, then began the trip back downtown.

The
late winter wind whipped around him as he pulled into traffic. His
mind was racing, making the ride back more dangerous now that the
streets were bustling with cars racing home from their workday. He
needed to focus on the road ahead, to live in the adrenaline rush he
felt every time the motor roared beneath him. The chilly sting
against his face built so many sensations in him that he lost track
of where he was going, relying solely on instinct.

Before
he knew it, he was back at his contemporary apartment building,
pulling his bike into the parking garage. He backed into his stall,
removing his helmet to tuck it under his arm, and took the stairs two
at a time to the main floor of the building. Several women stopped on
the marble tile to stare as he moved through the lobby. He was
accustomed to those stares and the constant ogling. He could almost
enjoy it if it weren’t for the fact that he had no desire to be
tied down. If only they knew what he was, he could act on their
desires.

He
took the elevator up to the fourth floor and entered his apartment,
now lively with the sounds of basketball playing on the television.
The place was ultra-modern with its sleek appliances and light
fixtures. The furniture was a mix of blacks and browns put together
by three eternal bachelors. All of the furnishings were upscale, but
there was no set style to the place. Brent, one of his roommates and
a fellow escort, was relaxing on the couch, his short black hair
showing just above the black leather. Landon dropped his helmet on
the kitchen counter and began taking off his riding gloves and jacket
when Ethan, the other, more easy-going roommate, entered sans shirt.

“Where
you been, man? I was just about to hit the gym. Wanted to see if you
wanted to come with.”

“I
had a meeting for a job.” Landon clutched his jacket and gloves
in his hand when a smirk filled his face as he recalled what he’d
been asked. “Some girls wanted to hire me to
seduce
their friend.” He chuckled at the hilarity of it. He’d
been hired for all sorts of freakishly kinky tasks, but never to
seduce an unknowing party. What would the guys think when they found
out he took the job?

“What?”
Ethan laughed, pulling a white tank top over his head.

“They
said she’s been out of the game for a while and they want me to
improve her
mood
.”
He snickered.

“You’re
kidding.” Brent stood from the couch, joining the conversation.
He was always so cynical within the walls of the apartment, but he
had an amazing charm with women. “Who do they think we are?”

“Yeah,
it was pretty crazy.” Landon ran his hand through his hair,
momentarily stalling the reaction to what he said next. “This
all goes down Friday.”

“You’re
kidding. You took the job?” Ethan slapped Landon on the back,
laughing before he slipped on his tennis shoes.

“That’s
not a good idea, man. This type of thing never ends well.”
Brent glowered at Landon. “You’re treading a fine line
here.”

“Nah,
it’s cool. I think it’ll be fun.” Landon placed his
jacket on the nearest barstool to dig out the photo of Talia he’d
snatched from the table at the coffee shop. “The girl’s
pretty cute, too.” He tried to ignore the menacing glare Brent
was tossing his direction.

Ethan
snatched the photo from his hand, still laughing when Brent declared,
“You don’t know what you’re getting into, Landon.
Trust me on this.” He didn’t attempt to view the photo.
Something had him strangely unsettled with Landon’s decision.

“You
know I’m always up for a challenge.” Landon took the
photo back from Ethan and gathered his things from the stool. Without
offering a single glance toward Brent, he turned to Ethan. “I
think I’ll join you in the gym. I could use a little
distraction.” He walked away, retreating to his room to change.

It
was another Friday night, another night when Talia dressed up just
enough to appease her nagging friends. Tonight’s ensemble
consisted of her oldest pair of stone-washed skinny jeans, a black
short-sleeve tunic belted at the waist, and her most comfortable pair
of ass-kicking slouch boots complete with chains above the ankle.
When she heard the girls honk outside, she harrumphed while adding a
leather cuff on each wrist, and trudged downstairs. This ritual had
become torturous and aggravating, but Talia continued to go along
with her friends knowing she wasn’t the easiest person to live
with as of late and, if she didn’t mollify them somehow, she
might lose them forever.

She
had to figure out how to be enough for them while finally forgiving
herself for what Mason did. He had played her and she never saw it
coming. She couldn’t allow herself to be blinded that way
again. Men weren’t worth the effort. Her mother always said the
only thing they were good for was sex and money. Maybe she should
adopt that mindset as well.

While
Talia opened the car door, Reina questioned, “Mami, what took
you so long? Wade’s shift started fifteen minutes ago.”

“Yeah,
it’s not like you were
trying
to look good,” Sara nagged from the driver’s seat,
seeming more sardonic this evening.

Feeling
even worse for not making an effort to placate her friends, Talia
fell into the backseat next to Camey. “I’m here, Sara.
Let that be enough.” She wouldn’t apologize for who she
was. This was who she had to be now whether her sister liked it or
not.

“You
look nice,” Camey fumbled with a smile plastered on her face.
She was clearly lying.

Talia
rolled her eyes. “Thanks.” She looked forward, finding
her sister ogling her in the rearview mirror. “Can we go now,
Sara?”

“Whatever.”
Sara pulled from the alleyway and drove the girls to the club.

Everyone
seemed on edge this evening. Reina refrained from making snitty
remarks and Camey sat wringing her hands in her lap, not her usual
bubbly self.
And
what is with Sara’s pissy attitude?
Talia
wondered what happened to the overly concerned sister who constantly
found herself face first in all of Talia’s business. Whatever
the reasoning, Talia basked in the quiet, silently preparing for the
assaulting noise of the club that would soon attack her every sense.
She inwardly contemplated how much longer she could tolerate the
weekly visits to
Satin
.
She needed a way to pacify her friends so she wouldn’t be
subjected to this torture week after week.

As
they neared downtown, Camey began primping next to her, checking her
makeup and hair in her compact. Talia wondered if Camey had any idea
what she was doing all the grooming for, if she had a clue what a
waste of time men were. Talia knew she was better off without the
hassle. It was the sex that she missed the most, but if nuns could go
their entire life without it, she’d certainly find a way.

Sara
finally pulled up in front of
Satin
,
it’s Greek façade glowing brighter than the stars in the
night sky. A line of people gathered outside its opulent wooden
doors, shadowed by the lights of the club behind them as the valet,
in his white Polo shirt, hopped to action to open their doors before
whisking the car away. Talia walked reverently to the bouncer, Lenny,
who instantly let them in. The pungent smell of sweat with undertones
of alcohol immediately assailed her when she walked in the door. The
odor caused her to roll her eyes as the strobing lights sporadically
lit the room.

Squeezing
through bodies of movement, she made her way to the bar, where Wade
quickly served her the usual, vodka martini with a single olive and
lemon wedge, then she made her way to the second floor to grab a
table near the back of the balcony where she hoped she’d be
hidden amongst the shadows. The table conveniently overlooked the
dance floor below and Talia scanned the crowd to find her friends
suggestively dancing while various men of questionable intentions
circled round. From the look in their eyes, she assumed they had one
thing on their mind and Camey was most likely the only one who would
be giving it up this evening, or any evening for that matter. She
enjoyed sharing her time with men; it was just that
one
man didn’t appeal to her enough to enjoy
only
him.

Tired
of the scandalous scene below, Talia turned her attentions to the
tables around her. Several couples animatedly strained to communicate
amidst the noise, a limited amount of random words reaching her ears.
She noticed the occasional male leaning against the balcony’s
glass railing looking her way, but she was quick to scowl in their
direction, prompting them to change their line of vision.

She
continued her pairing of scanning the dance floor for her friends and
surveying the tables when she noticed a tall, broad-shouldered man
dressed in a crisp, gray, long-sleeve shirt and pressed black slacks
smiling widely in her direction. She produced her standard scowl, but
it seemed to trigger his approach.

“Shit.”
Talia struggled for an angrier, more menacing glare as he neared, but
he continued on. In that moment, she wished smoke would pour out of
her ears or fire from her nostrils. She would have to practice her
mean look when she got home, because she didn’t have the
desired effect on him she was aiming for. This man was beyond
good-looking and she immediately knew he would be nothing but
trouble. When he was standing just inches from her table she turned
to look back at the dance floor, eager to signal for help, but her
friends had disappeared.

“Hi.”
His voice was deep and raspy, enveloping her just as much as his
woodsy cologne did. Everything about him spelled trouble.

Talia
looked up at him to find his sapphire eyes intensely searching hers.

“I
noticed you were alone. Mind if I sit down?”

He‘s
a forward bastard.
“I’d rather you didn’t.” Talia returned to
searching the dance floor, but the girls were nowhere. She heard the
faint scratching of the opposing chair’s legs across the
balcony’s floor then felt a slight breeze as the obstinate man
took a seat. She looked back at him; his gaze was still intent on
her. “You really can’t take a hint can you?”

“My
feet are tired, Petal.” His cocky grin marred his face. It
wasn’t the most attractive look for him, although with it he
was still better looking than three quarters of the men in the club.

Talia
pushed away from the table, crossing her arms in front of her,
sulking.

“My
name’s Landon,” he offered over the blaring music. “Do
you come here often?”

Talia
refused to look in his direction, but she was certain he could see
her rolling her eyes. She wondered why he chose her to harass this
evening.
Is
he looking for a challenge?
She
decided if that was the case she’d give him more than he
bargained for. She resolved to make certain
he
was the one walking away when this was all said and done. She turned
back to look at him, the anger forming in the corner of her eyes as
she took a sip of her martini.

When
the music changed, Landon yelled, “I love this song. Want to
dance?”

Talia
looked him directly in the eye and took another drink of her martini.
She refused to say a word in reply to his request. She hoped if she
stared long enough he would finally get the hint and walk away.

Unfortunately,
his response was less than gratifying. His face erupted in a
full-out, beautiful, teeth-baring smile and a chuckle quickly
followed. “Would you like another?”

Talia
looked at her glass to find she’d emptied it with her last
swig. Fully irritated, she rolled her eyes once more. She was dying
for another drink but she refused to relinquish her seat simply
because he was infuriating her.