Twist (Siren Publishing Allure) (2 page)

She looked downward demurely, gazing at him through her auburn bangs. “Thank you. You're quite handsome yourself.” Lana had often been accused of being openly blunt, but she hated to have questions nagging at the back of her mind. She braced herself and looked directly into his eyes. “I have to ask. Why does a really nice-looking, thirty-three-year-old man want to have dinner with me? You could have a really young, really hot woman hanging on your arm.”

“I could. A really hot woman who can’t boil water and wouldn’t dream of getting her hands dirty in the garden. Who cares more about having her nails done and buying expensive shoes than anything substantial. Not to mention the fact that they can’t sit still for long enough to enjoy my fountain. Oh yeah, and then there is the running race to get married and have kids before their biological clock runs out.”

Lana chuckled at his analogy. Quite a few of her younger Facebook friends fit his description perfectly. “How do you know that I’m not those things?”

He gently lifted her hand, turning it over. “Your nails are polished, but they are real and have traces of dirt under them, most likely due to the fact that you have photos of your real garden on your homepage. I also checked out the picture on your homepage of your Facebook farm, and it tells me that you have patience because you spent hours arranging things to get them the way you wanted. I see your sense of imagination in those designs, and you have a ten-section fountain running through the middle of your farm. Your sandals are cute but not expensive. Your age means that you are past that race and have settled down to less creative pursuits.”

Lana laughed at the undertone in his words, raising her eyebrows at him. “I don’t know about less creative.”

He turned his palms outward in a gesture of acknowledgment. “I meant ‘creative’ as a literal term in reference to children. Are you suggesting that you’re inclined to be searching for more adventurous pursuits in your life?” He gestured toward the door of the restaurant. “I’m starving.”

Lana walked beside him through the thick oak double doors, her mind clicking with wary intrigue. The hostess led them to a booth, and they sat across from each other. Her eyes took in the heavily shell-laden tabletop, and when she looked up, he was staring at her, his gaze intense. “What?”

“Are you going to answer my question?”

“I’m not sure. Your wording is filled with ‘read between the lines,’ and it leaves me at a loss as to how to interpret it. Is that your intent, or should I take what you say at face value?”

He laced his fingers and set them on the table, leaning closer to her. “I tend to say things with alternate meanings to see how intelligent the person I am speaking to is. It also gives me an idea of your mind-set. Are you searching for something more adventurous?”

“I don’t know. Are you discussing adventure in terms of spicing up my daily life, or are the undertones in reference to sex? ”

“Touché. Both.”

Lana grabbed the menu and glanced at it, already knowing what she was going to order. On more than one occasion, she and Joe had gotten into a heated discussion at a restaurant and looking at the menu had always been a good tactic to change the subject.

Fred snatched the laminated pamphlet from her, his head tilted, his grin evil.

Despite her blunt question, Lana was intimidated by his bold mannerisms. Joe had never been very talkative and she had learned early in their marriage that Joe often avoided deep discussions about emotions or sex. To have Fred grab the menu in such a swift, almost violent manner made her nervous. He obviously wasn’t willing to drop the discussion, as Joe had always done. “You scare me.”

“I shouldn’t.” Fred flipped open his phone, hit a number, and then put it on speaker.

A man spoke. “What’s up?”

“Lee, conference call Nancy and ask her to call Maria. I have a very interesting woman sitting before me who is suddenly wondering if this date could turn dangerous.”

Lee’s laughter billowed from the phone. “What the hell did you say to her?”

“It was just our conversation,” he replied, his eyes never leaving Lana’s face.

Lee’s phone clicked, and a woman came on the line. “Hey, Nancy, this is Lee. Could you do me a favor and conference call Maria?”

“Sure. Why?”

“Humor me.”

Moments later Maria was saying hello, and Fred handed Lana the phone. “Maria. This is Lana.”

“Oh, hi. That was weird. Nancy’s name came over the caller ID.”

“I’m here,” said Nancy.

“Oh. How do you know Lana?”

“I don’t. Lee called me and asked me to call you.”

“Who is Lee?” asked Maria.

“He is a friend of mine. I think he is still on.”

“I’m here,” said Lee. “Why am I doing this, brother?”

Fred took the phone back. “Maria, you are a friend of Nancy. Is she a good, honest person?”

“Yeah. Of course she is. Who is this?”

“My name is Fred. Nancy, you know my brother Lee. Is he a good, honest person?”

“You are his brother. Why are you asking me?”

“Humor me.”

“I love Lee. He is the best. From what he has said, so are you.”

“Thank you, Maria and Nancy. I was just trying to establish a line of connection. You can hang up now.”

There was silence, and when they didn’t hang up, Lee said, “Have a good night, ladies.” The phone clicked and Lee continued, “I’m sure Nancy will be calling me back with a million questions. What is this about, Fred?”

He handed the phone back to Lana. “Hi…you’re Fred’s brother?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“Lana.”

“Lana? Oh, the Facebook woman. Fred called me and said you were going to have dinner. From his former mention of him being dangerous, I have to assume that your conversation turned to sex. That was quick.”

Lana could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as Fred chuckled. He snatched the phone from her, clicking off the speaker. “It hadn’t actually gotten that detailed, Lee. It was just a general conversation about a need for adventurous pursuits. I think it was more the look on my face that spooked her.”

He smiled and nodded at the phone, laughing as he handed it back to Lana.

“Lana. I know that look. My brother has a lust for adventurous pursuits. It doesn’t make him a serial killer or anything. He is harmless and actually quite loving and gentle. If you want to see into his soul, look into his eyes.”

Lana looked directly into his eyes and frowned. Lee asked, “What do you see?”

“Something that isn’t possible. The only man that ever looked at me like that was my husband, and I haven’t seen that look in years.”

“You are very perceptive. My brother is an excellent judge of character and also knows himself very well. Enjoy your dinner. I’m sure we will meet. Good night.” Lee hung up the phone, and Lana handed it back to Fred.

“Did that help?”

“I don’t know,” replied Lana, the look of unquestioned adoration she had seen in Fred’s gaze unnerving her.

The waitress broke the mood, and they ordered dinner. The moment she was gone, Fred asked, “What did you see in my eyes?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re lying. I don’t believe in lying or pulling punches for the sake of properness. I know I just met you, but I like you. I really like you. I don’t
need
a woman in my life. As you said earlier, I can have my pick of women. I’ve been there and done that. I would rather have one amazing woman to share my life than a parade in my bed. I’ve been looking for someone to share adventures with. I gave up that part of my personality when I was married, and I no longer want to do so. Are you looking for adventures?”

Lana fought the smile threatening to take over her lips. “I’m not sure exactly what adventures you are referring to. Enlighten me.”

“Have you ever taken a really good look at the background of your Facebook picture?”

“No. I thought it was a good photo and I am not very photogenic. Why?”

“Where was it taken?”

“In my junk room or, as a more proper wording, study.”

His smile was intriguing. “Can you think of anything in your study that would allude to your sexual curiosity?”

Lana thought about the photo. She was standing in front of the cabinet that she used as a storage area and bookcase. If she figured correctly, the smaller books were to her right and the larger ones to her left. Inhaling sharply, she felt the heat of scarlet embarrassment flowing into her cheeks. The two largest books in her library were informational reading about the physical and mental nuances of untraditional sex. If she remembered correctly, one cover had the word “dominate” on the spine and the other had “S&M” in bold letters. Lana grimaced and lowered her forehead to the tabletop, dramatically groaning. A moment later, she looked up, sucking her bottom lip guiltily into her mouth. “No way. That isn’t…is it? Shit!”

Fred handed her a blown-up version of her homepage on his phone. She looked at it, wrinkling her nose and laughing nervously. “Wait a minute. Are you into that?”

“I used to be. My wife wasn’t. I thought that maybe I could change her, but that didn’t happen. We met, fell in love, and got married. She wanted children. I can’t have any. I wanted a more playful sex life. She wasn’t interested. Her family didn’t believe in divorce, and in all honesty, I never stopped loving her. Three years later she got sick and was sick for seven years. The cancer made her sick, the treatments made her sicker. If she had one good week out of every month she was lucky. Her death was a blessing.”

The man sitting before her suddenly seemed less menacing. “I’m sorry. That sounds horrible. Joe…my husband was hit by a drunk driver in an eighteen-wheeler. It was a shock, but he died instantly. He left me with twenty-two years of shit to sort through and a belligerent stepdaughter with two children of her own.” Lana shrugged. “I know that sounds crude. Things between Joe and I weren’t so good. I suppose that I still loved him in a way, and I certainly didn’t want him to die, but we had grown apart. Sometimes things were okay and other times, our marriage was teetering on the verge of a divorce.”

The waitress brought over their salad and seltzer waters. Fred picked at his. “I’m not really into iceberg lettuce.”

“Me neither, it has no nutritional value, and this is not organic.”

He tilted his head, looking at her suspiciously. “Your page didn’t say you were into organic.”

“Surprise. I am. Have been for about six years. Joe hated it.”

“So did Sue. You never answered my question.”

The heat instantly flooded back into her face, and she shrugged. “I don’t know. Joe was not adventurous. If anything, over the years he got kind of boring. I read something on Facebook, and it piqued my interest. The book in the back of the photo was interesting and educational. It answered that curiosity. That is as far as it goes.”

“Does it interest you?”

She was reluctant to answer him, but he obviously wasn’t going to allow her to change the subject. “Kind of. I…umm…never met anyone who was into the reality of it. Isn’t there, like, many variations? What part are you into?”

“I’m into the giving part, and I would love a woman who is interested in learning. All you need is an open mind and desire for the most intense sex of your life.”

“I thought your brother said that you were kind and gentle.”

His smile was radiant. “I am. I just occasionally enjoy things a bit rough.”

“So I will occasionally go home with blood dripping down my back?”

The waitress clunked the tray down loudly on the serving table to announce her presence. Lana felt her cheeks flushing scarlet again. She had been raised with strict values on sexual interaction, but the books she had read about the unconventional side of sex had intrigued her. The intensity and submissive attitude that were involved when a woman allowed herself to be sexually manipulated by a man were enticing. She had tried to broach the subject of spicing up their sex life with Joe, but he had been completely unresponsive. Just the mention of him tying her up had earned her a looking that suggested that she had suddenly grown a second head. What Fred was proposing was exactly what she had dreamed about. “Maybe we should finish this conversation later?” As she said the words, Lana suddenly wondered, if she was faced with the reality of following a man that she had just met down a path into the adventurous sexual images in her mind, would she be hesitant to do so?

“I would love to,” he replied, his eyes seeming to glimmer with intrigue. His tongue traced a leisurely course over his beautiful red lips, the action enticing and arousing in a way that Lana had never experienced. The sight flowed from her eyes into her brain, causing an intense ache in her groin.

He waited until the waitress was gone and then leaned closer. “Are you okay? You look a bit flushed.”

She met his intense gaze, suddenly feeling a need to reciprocate his forwardness. “I believe the word ‘overheated’ would better apply.”

Fred chuckled, tilting his head in appreciation. “The woman has sass. I have always believed that a gesture can be as enthralling as a touch. Want to play?”

The very tip of her tongue drifted over the underside of her top lip. Reversing direction, she trailed it over the bottom of her top teeth and then with a flick sucked it into her mouth.

He took a long drink from his glass, twisting his tongue around a piece of ice. She considered the gesture and retorted as she pushed her hair back, trailing her palm down her cheek. Lana leaned her chin into her folded knuckles and began to nibble on the tip of her pinky, encircling it with her tongue.

A dramatic exhale of air escaped his lips, and Fred smiled. Lana noticed that he was moving slightly, probably from bouncing his leg under the table. She felt his foot slide up her calf and tilted her head, raising her eyebrows. “That is a bit more than a gesture.”

“I’m cheating. Your fault.”

She laughed. “Why is it my fault?”

“Ask me later. Do you like 3-D movies?”

“I love them, why?”

“I have been told that a really good one is playing in North Haven. Want to go?”

“I would love to. When?”