Strung Out (17 page)

The urge to fidget was strong. The two women glanced at each other and then continued their frank appraisal of Talia. She wondered if she ought to introduce herself to dispel some of the hostility she sensed building behind their glares. But no one else had gone through the motions of introduction, and she didn’t want to seem as if she were desperate for Erik to introduce her to his friends as more than just his latest piece of tail.

She sighed and smiled up at a waiter who filled her water glass. A decent-looking guy in his midtwenties, the waiter returned her grin, though he seemed surprised she’d bothered to notice him at all. When she murmured her thanks, the dark-eyed woman snickered and shot a conspiratorial smile at the blonde.

Feeling more and more uncomfortable by the second, Talia reached for her water glass and took a sip. She wasn’t exactly thirsty, but at least it was something to do with her hands. Already on edge, her hand shook and spilled a trickle of water droplets down the front of her dress.

Talia didn’t need to see the smug smiles from the other women. She could feel them. Standing up, she picked up the tiny beaded black handbag she’d borrowed from Desiree along with the dress. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Involved in a deep conversation with Seth, it was difficult to tell if Erik had heard her or not. Talia didn’t care. The underground wine cellar that had seemed unusually roomy at first had taken on the quality of a tomb. She needed to find a place to breathe and regroup. Stumbling away from the table, she headed back toward the narrow stairwell and freedom.

* * *

Seth and Josh’s date, Sara, exited the wine cellar with Mark’s fiancée, Naomi. Seth gave Sara’s ass an appreciative glance until it disappeared from sight. “What is it about women that makes them unable to go to the bathroom alone?”

“It does seem like false advertising,” Josh remarked.

Mark Jenson cocked his head and downed the contents of his wineglass. “How so?”

Josh grinned. “Haven’t you ever noticed the only thing they don’t do in pairs is fuck?”

Mark refilled his glass. “Maybe if you two idiots would quit bringing so much cock to the activity, they’d be more willing to consider the idea.”

A loud round of guffaws punctuated Mark’s sarcastic observation. Though Erik only casually knew the man through business dealings, he’d always found him to be entertaining. And culturally speaking, there was no bigger cliché than the age-old idea that every man wanted a shot at the fabled ménage. But for the first time Erik found himself uninspired by the concept.

Two women, two strangers most likely, or casual acquaintances you would likely never want to run into again after a night spent exposing yourself in such spectacular style. How could any of that compare to a night spent with Talia?

His cock stirred beneath the table, roused by the memory of satin skin and soft curves. Every detail was etched into his brain—the sweet scent of her cream, the slick heat as he spread her legs and pressed into her tight cunt, and the sound of her cries as she climaxed in his arms.

“Aasen!”

“Fuck having two chicks at once; I want a piece of what he’s got. The man’s away from her pussy for five minutes and look at him.”

“Billion-dollar pussy would have to be that good and better.”

Fury overpowered the lust in his blood, and Erik fought the urge to crawl over the table to strangle Mark Jenson and Todd Elliot. Instead he managed to remain civilized. “The next man who suggests Talia is nothing more than an expensive piece of ass is going to find out why I specialize in hostile takeovers.”

Seth and Josh exchanged a look before Joshua cleared his throat to speak. “You can’t have expected any less, Erik.”

“They don’t know you outside the boardroom, they don’t know her at all, and they haven’t seen the two of you argue like we have,” Seth continued.

“What the hell does arguing have to do with it?”

Seth grinned. “We’re divorce lawyers, man. We deal with bitchy couples all the time. Most of them can’t stand each other. But sometimes they just don’t know how to deal with their emotions.”

“And you think I fall into the second category?” Erik managed not to laugh out loud at the idea that he was a victim of emotional turmoil.

“You’re the one acting like a jealous lunatic,” Josh pointed out. “You tell us.”

Chapter Sixteen

The ladies room was cramped but quiet. Someone had taken great pains to cram as much luxury as possible into the tiny space. Soft music played in the background, and the light was gentle and pleasant. Somewhere an air freshener pumped out sweetly scented jasmine fragrance. But it was still just a bathroom.

The oval-shaped gilt mirror showed a woman Talia barely recognized. She’d tried so hard to be someone that would fit into Erik’s world. Desiree had brushed, twisted, and damn near ripped out her hair trying to twirl it into an elegant updo for the occasion. Then there had been the round of facial treatments and cosmetics applied in layers to accentuate her eyes while downplaying her full cheeks.

She took a step back to gain a better view of the dress. Desiree’s dress, purchased at some sale and never worn. There it had hung in the back of a massive walk-in closet the size of Talia’s whole apartment until Desiree had dug it out while trying to find something to disguise Talia’s shortcomings.

Thirteen hundred dollars. That had been the amount on the price tag she’d seen Desiree casually clip off the dress. Had she ever imagined she’d wear a thirteen-hundred-dollar dress?

Tears stung her eyes, and she grabbed one of the neatly folded little hand towels from a basket on the counter. Using one corner, she dabbed at the thick eye makeup. Her motions grew more frantic, rubbing away at the cosmetics, dampening the little towel and scrubbing some more. Until finally a face she recognized peered out of the mirror, its haunted, red-rimmed blue eyes and apple-round cheeks looking like a slightly more polished version of the insecure orphan who’d snuck into a music room during lunch hour to practice the violin.

She sucked in and released a huge breath of air, turning and resting her backside against the granite counter. Her hands lifted, fingers flexing in an imaginary pattern. How long had it been since she’d practiced? Since she’d drawn notes from strings or keys and soothed the ragged emotions inside?

Turning toward the door, she was torn in two. Half of her longed to be with Erik, to be the person he needed her to be. But the other half had no desire for dinner parties and snobby guests who smiled to your face and stabbed you in the back.

She reached out and pushed her way back into the dim hallway between the kitchens and the bathrooms. The murmur of the main dining area was to the right, and the subterranean wine cellar to the left. Following a heart that was already committed to Erik despite its doubts, she turned to find the tiny stairwell.

“Did you call Courteney?”

Talia ducked into an alcove. While she knew eavesdroppers rarely heard anything pleasant, she didn’t figure announcing her presence to her female dinner partners would have changed much of the conversation anyway. But remaining incognito would at least give her a few more moments of privacy. Pressing her back to the cool brick wall, she leaned around the corner until she could see and hear what they were up to.

“I’m trying right now, but you know how she is.” Seth and Joshua’s dark-eyed date was furiously punching numbers on her touch screen. “She told me the bitch was hitting on Seth and Josh the night of Courteney’s engagement party. Can you believe that?”

The strawberry blonde nodded her pale head. “It makes perfect sense. I mean, Josh and Seth make good money. But it’s nothing compared to Erik Aasen.”

“You’re just jealous because he turned you down before he started dating Courteney.”

“Screw you! Courteney tried everything to keep him.”

“Well, apparently this bitch has talent.” There was a pause as the dark-eyed woman fiddled with her phone again. “But it doesn’t have to be some sexy fetish.”

“Can you think of any other reason a guy like Erik Aasen would take up with the hired help?”

“Ugh!” She tossed the phone back into her purse. “I’ll have to call Court later. This piece of crap phone never has service when I need it.”

Their designer heels clicked across the bricks, the sound disappearing as they descended the steps back to the dinner party. Talia slipped her feet out of her own borrowed heels and moved into the shadows at the rear of the alcove until she was hidden from the outside world. Forgotten trolleys of unused dishware and some cleaning supplies were her only company. Slipping to the floor, she put her back against the cold wall and drew her knees up tight. If she was lucky, Erik would miss her and come looking. But if he didn’t, she was happy to stay there until someone threw her back out on the street where she belonged.

* * *

Erik cut a piece of medium-rare steak from the filet and savored the complex scent before lifting it to his mouth and placing it on his tongue to enjoy the sweet, peppery taste of the perfectly cooked beef.

It was a relief to sink into silence and enjoy a good steak after being pushed through the emotional wringer by two men who were far too perceptive for their own good. In fact, after their practically feminine sentiments and observations, Erik had happily distracted himself by talking business with Mark until the waiter brought their steaks.

He was halfway through his cut of beef before his eyes fell to the untouched portion beside him.

“Was Talia still in the ladies’ room when you came back to the table, Sara?” He pegged Seth and Josh’s latest plaything with a hard glare.

She shrugged one slender shoulder. “Naomi and I didn’t see her. Maybe she had someplace else to be.”

The sweet delivery of the words was ruined by the venomous look in Sara’s dark eyes. He got the feeling she likely knew what had happened to Talia but wouldn’t have helped him if he’d paid her in gold.

Beside Sara, Joshua set down his silverware. He reached out and cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You have no idea what happened to her?”

Erik wasn’t certain what rankled him more, Talia’s disappearance or Joshua’s obvious concern about it. “I can handle this, Josh.”

Sara tried and failed to avert her gaze from Josh’s. “She was still in the bathroom when Naomi and I were up there.” She nibbled her lip, obviously trying to decide how much more to say. “She might’ve overheard the two of us talking about Courteney.”

Erik stood, tossing his napkin onto his plate.

Sara pulled away from Josh. “She’s a big girl. Either she can handle the truth or she can’t.”

Seth’s lip curled. “And what’s the truth?”

Sara’s gaze drifted toward Erik. “Fucking your way to the top has consequences. She needs to know that.”

He didn’t stay to hear more. Turning his back on the table, he took the steps two at a time until he reached the upstairs level. Most of the kitchen bustle happened farther along. The wine cellar was designed to be a private dining area, with very few employees coming and going and restricted access to the other guests.

“Talia?” He called out in a low voice as he approached the door to the ladies’ room. “Are you all right in there?”

A strangled sob caught him by surprise, and he lunged toward the thick wood door. But the sound hadn’t come from within. Between the two lavatories, a narrow arched alcove was hidden in shadows. He could’ve sworn the sob had come from inside.

He lowered his voice to a gentle rumble. “Talia?”

A ragged breath in the darkness and then he heard her husky voice. “I’m in here. Come on in. It’s their most private seating yet.”

He dipped his head in order to step into the small space. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out the shape of her body curled up on the floor. Anger, pity, and guilt twisted his gut into knots. He’d done this to her.

Squatting down, he knelt on the cool bricks and placed his hands on her bare knees. “What are you doing in here, sweetheart?”

“I was debating on how long I was going to wait before going out and asking someone to call a cab.”

The catch in her voice cut him to the quick. “How about if we both get the hell out of here?”

She looked up, her face framed by wispy strands of sable hair that had escaped her sleek hairstyle. “I think I’m stuck down here.”

He stood and leaned down, tenderly scooping her off the floor and depositing her on her own two feet without letting go. He wrapped his arms snugly about her body, and he held her close for several moments, trying to understand the sense of completion he felt when she was in his arms. Her fingers found purchase in his jacket, and she clung shakily to the fabric.

“Kiss me, Erik.”

She didn’t have to ask twice. Her words set him on fire. He lowered his mouth and took her lips. They were soft and pliant, molding against his as if designed for nothing else. He brushed his tongue along the seam of her mouth, and she opened immediately. His tongue slid inside and tasted her sweetness, staking a claim while warring with hers for dominance of a kiss that was quickly spiraling out of control.

Talia broke away, pressing her face into the hollow of his neck, her breathing ragged. “If we don’t stop, I’m going to beg you to take me right here against the wall.”

The idea went straight to his cock, bypassing his brain and ignoring reason. He could smell her arousal, the sweet cream he knew he’d find spreading from her pussy to the insides of her thighs.

He cast a glance to the dimly lit hallway that functioned as a doorway to the rest of the room. Concealed by the shadows inside the alcove, there was nothing to stop him from taking what he needed.

Talia’s body refused to follow orders. Her brain was screaming at her to step back from Erik and walk out of the alcove and away from the temptation of wild sex tinged with the spice of discovery. But her body had other ideas.

Erik walked her back until the cool brick was a stark contrast to the fiery heat of his body pressed against her front. Her arms wound about his neck, holding her upright while his hands reached down and gripped the sides of her skirt. He inched it upward, baring her legs.