“You’re not funny.” Though his eyes laughed anyway. He pulled a stool around to the other side of the island and sat down facing Olivia. “Cheryl has been with our family for a very long time.” He scooped up one half of his sandwich and took a big bite. “She’s a proud woman. A good woman with a handful of grandkids now.”
Olivia reached for her sandwich. “That’s nice you keep her on even though you don’t need her.”
He shrugged. “She’s a nice lady.”
Apparently, he was starving because after that, he didn’t say a word, with his attention only on his sandwich.
Olivia supposed that made sense. Noah needed fuel to feed that hard, incredible body. Though as she sat and watched him eat, she realized he was quite the contradiction. She’d expected a senator to be more arrogant…maybe more in your face, showing off what kind of man he was. But Noah was silently strong and seemed to downplay his kindness.
She liked that about him.
And so did her womanly bits and pieces. Tingles stirred between her thighs again. She shifted against the stool, trying to get away from all that heat.
When that failed, she asked, “Why didn’t that tough guy come with us here?”
Noah finished chewing then gave her a quizzical look. “What tough guy?”
“Your driver.” After their first meeting at the restaurant, Olivia had noticed Noah chat with him then get into his SUV. The guy belonged in an action movie.
His mouth twitched. He sucked the mayo off his thumb then added, “I would suggest you never call Jared my driver to his face. He’s a retired Navy Seal who owns a private investigation company in Manhattan.”
“Oh.” Nothing like putting her foot in her mouth. “He’s kinda a big deal then?”
“A very big deal.” Noah nodded, wiped the paper towel over his mouth, then continued. “To answer your question, Jared’s not here because there’s no reason for him to be. He was only with me that first day I met you because I’m cautious.”
Olivia finished chewing. “He’s not full-time security?”
“No.” Noah reached for his glass of water. Once he polished off half of it, he explained, “Politicians aren’t granted security unless it’s necessary. I’ve never had a threat against me. We do get security when we go to the Hill, but that’s provided by Capitol Police. I hire Jared independently to keep my interactions with SiR private and to look deeper into the submissives whom I allow into my life.”
Olivia mulled that bit of information over, taking another bite of her sandwich. She never really took the fact that she could do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted seriously. But to have such restrictions on her life was not something she could imagine. “Do you ever wish you could have sex without having to go through all the security?”
“Sure.” He tossed a piece of the crust into his mouth. “It would be great to live my life without worrying that my competition is going to air my dirty laundry on all the news outlets. But on the flip side of that, I love my job.” His eyes filled with something better than happiness. They filled with pride and fulfillment that his dreams had been met. “I love the political game. I love it enough that I don’t want to lose my position because I happen to like my sex to have a certain flavor.”
She finished off the final bite of her sandwich. “The media sure does love a juicy scandal.”
“Yes, they do.” He reached for her empty plate then took his as well and set them in the dishwasher before turning to her again. “A scandal involving dominance and submission would destroy my career. People would turn it into a witch hunt and make up stories to vilify me.” He leaned against the counter, folding his arms. “I won’t allow that to happen. I want to win the election again in a couple years.”
She tried not to notice his ripped arms and defined abs…and failed miserably. “What about after that?”
“Who knows what I’ll do,” he said with a slight shrug. “I never think that far ahead. One goal at a time. Dream the dream. Face the dream. Conquer the dream.”
Olivia sipped her water, the coolness easing the tightness in her throat that the conversation had brought out. The way Noah spoke made chasing dreams seem all so easy. “I envy your fearlessness.” She polished off her water then set the glass down. When she looked up, she found him watching her very carefully.
He pulled out the stool beside her then turned her in to him, his strong legs hugging hers. The loaded silence stayed with them for quite possibly the longest minutes of her life while he stared at her and she stared back, wondering if she’d said something wrong.
“I want to ask you a question,” he finally said. “If it’s too personal, tell me to go to hell and that will be that.”
“Okay,” she said with caution.
He leaned in just a little and his voice softened. “What happened with Cameron?”
“I already told you what happened.” She glanced down at her hands, instantly feeling all that tension expand in her chest again.
Noah’s finger gently tucked under her chin, and then she became lost in his gorgeous eyes. “You told me he cheated. I get the feeling there is more to that story.”
She sighed heavily, hoping that would ease the tension. It didn’t even touch it. “What exactly do you want to know?” she asked.
“The details that I’m sure you don’t want to share.”
A thousand things went through her mind. Most of all, she felt stupid that this was her life. She’d always been the composed one. The smart one. The one who made all the right choices in life. Things like that shouldn’t have happened to her.
But those things had happened to her. There was no turning back the time on that.
She sighed, noting the tenderness in Noah’s eyes. Figuring she had nothing to lose, she admitted a truth she hadn’t spoken aloud to anyone but her parents. “You’re going to have to let me look away,” she said honestly. “I can’t look at you while I explain what happened.”
He lowered his hand to his thigh but stayed perfectly quiet.
She dropped her head, her fingers fidgeting in her lap, and sighed heavily. “I found Cameron in bed with my best friend.”
Noah stilled. She glanced up, finding his expression entirely closed off. He arched an eyebrow. “Your fiancé slept with your best friend?”
“Ex-fiancé.” Olivia cringed, wishing she could erase that event from the timeline of her life. “And I know, it’s unbelievable, right?”
“It is unbelievable…” he said, voice hard, his expression still showing very little, “…considering you are living at her apartment.”
“What?” Olivia scrunched her nose. But seeing the fury in Noah’s eyes, she slowly understood. “Oh no, it wasn’t Paige.” She laughed softly.
Noah didn’t laugh. “Then who was it?”
“Our other friend, Lacie,” Olivia explained, even though saying Lacie’s name brought a bucket-load of emotion into her throat. “Growing up, it was always the three of us, but Lacie and I were neighbors, so we were super, super close. She was going to be my maid of honor.”
Noah’s brow wrinkled and his lips pinched, obviously understanding why she’d been so hurt. “How long were you and Cameron together?”
“Since high school.”
“And this woman, Lacie, what happened to her?”
Olivia noted that he avoided the use of friend. She hadn’t really noticed it before, but she slowly began to see how loyal Noah was. He seemed to have clear lines between good and bad, and he knew what side he wanted to be on. After Cameron and Lacie, Olivia realized how much she needed those lines too. “I haven’t talked to Lacie since that day I found them in bed together.”
“Are they still together?”
Again, she shrugged. “I don’t know. And to be honest, I don’t really care.”
At that, Noah cocked his head
, hardness crossing his features. “You didn’t approach them after and talk about what happened?”
“Are you kidding me?” She shuddered at the thought. “That was the very last thing I wanted to do. It’s very likely I wouldn’t talk to Cameron at all anymore, but he’s handling the sale of our house in the Bronx.”
Noah arched an eyebrow.
She couldn’t really gauge exactly what he meant by that gesture, so she moved along. “To be perfectly honest with you, I hope the house sells soon, and then I can put this all behind me. It hasn’t been a good time in my life.”
Noah hesitated then frowned. “You want to move on without actually facing any of it?”
“What’s to face?” she countered. “I saw them having sex with my own eyes. The shock of what they’d done, the hurt, it all happened on that day.” She inhaled deeply again, trying to get through this without crying.
She thought maybe he’d agree with her then.
Again, he surprised her.
He stared at her deeply, intensely, and soon, she was squirming under that intrusive examination, feeling like he was looking into places she didn’t want him to see. “Are you feeling bad for me?” she suddenly blurted out. “Because if you are, please don’t. The last thing I want is pity.”
Noah slowly shook his head, placing his hand over both of hers and squeezing. “I don’t feel bad for you, Olivia. I am, however, impressed with your strength.”
She nearly barked a laugh. She hadn’t felt strong lately. She felt like she was avoiding everything and hiding away…until SiR, of course. “How in all of what I said did I come out looking strong?”
“Because you should hate the world right now and you don’t. You still see the beauty in things.”
She swallowed back the emotion climbing up her throat. “Cameron and Lacie did this to me. No one else. Why would I punish anyone else for what they did?”
“They deserve that hate,” he declared, stroking a thumb over her hands. “In fact, they deserve much worse.”
“Believe me,” she said softly. “They got it.”
In the loaded silence in the bedroom, Lacie gasped and reached for the duvet. “I need to get out of here.”
Not on Olivia’s goddamn life. She charged into the room and grabbed the bedding, ripping it away from Lacie, glaring at the best friend she’d had since they were six years old. “I’m sorry, is being naked in front of me uncomfortable for you?” she snapped.
Lacie’s cheeks reddened. She gave Cameron a quick glance, obviously looking for help. When he failed to man up, Lacie bowed her head and sniffled.
Standing in front of the hope chest at the foot of the bed, Olivia released the duvet, letting it fall to the ground along with all her hopes and dreams. She parted her lips to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat.
Was that normal when faced with this type of thing?
Cameron was sliding off the mattress when Olivia noticed his semi-hard, bare cock glistening against the light, showing off Lacie’s arousal. Olivia drew in a long, deep breath, inhaling the musky aroma of their sex. The coldness that had invaded her when she walked into the bedroom began to vanish, replaced by something hot and uncontrollable. “You’re not using a condom,” she choked out. “You put me at risk. How fucking could you?”
“Olivia,” Cameron began.
Somewhere in the crevasses of her mind she knew being angry at him for not wearing a condom didn’t make total sense, but for whatever reason that’s where her anger began. There was no off switch. Violent thoughts rushed through her head as she reached for a vase. She parted her lips to scream, but she silently chucked the vase in their direction.
Lacie screeched, leaping out of the bed.
The vase blasted against Cameron’s shoulder then smacked into the bedside table before shattering to pieces on the floor. The glass shards a harsh mirror of her heart.
Without barely even looking, Olivia reached for the jewelry box that Cameron’s mother had given her for Christmas last year. With her heart pounding in her ears, she watched Lacie reach for her clothes. To hurt the two people she loved and trusted, she whipped the box at Lacie.
Cameron lurched forward, snatching Lacie’s arm, yanking her back out of the way. Lacie fell on her bare butt then scrambled to her feet again, as the jewelry box crashed to the ground, sending the necklaces and bracelets that Cameron had bought her over the years scattering around them.
All. Fucking. Lies. Of. Love.
Olivia growled—a nonhuman sound even to her ears—and reached for the stone statue of a couple kissing. Right as she went to throw it, Cameron charged, locking his arms around her.
“Go, Lacie,” he yelled.
A bare-assed Lacie ran from the room. Olivia used the self-defense training she’d learned in high school and elbowed Cameron in the gut. A groan spilled out around her as his arms released.
“Olivia.” He held up his hands, backing toward the door. His soft cock flopping between his legs. “Calm down.”
Olivia held the statue up and finally the scream broke free. It sounded as raw as she felt.
She obviously looked like she was on the verge of committing murder, since Cameron spun on heels and roared, “Lacie, run!”
His naked body was all that Olivia saw as he raced down the stairs. She’d bought this house. With her savings. For them. And he was fucking someone else. Her best friend.
Betrayal burned at the back of her throat as Olivia charged after them, statue in her hand. Lacie ran out the front door first, followed by Cameron. Screaming as loud as she could, Olivia reached the door a second later, slamming it shut and twisting the deadbolt.
“Help!” Lacie shrieked. “She’s gonna kill us.”
Another voice Olivia recognized as their next-door neighbor yelled, “Get them blankets.”
Cameron shouted, “Call 9-1-1!”
* * *
—
Noah was laughing by the time she got to the end of the story. “Thatta girl.”
She snorted. “I’m not sure I deserve your praise. It wasn’t my finest moment.”
“I disagree,” he countered. “You handled that perfectly. Did the cops show up?”
She nodded. “Yeah, the cops came, but nothing came of it once they understood the situation.”
“Good.” Noah studied her again then gave a slow nod like he’d found the answer to something he had been wondering. “That’s a pretty big emotional blow that you went through. Is that why you signed up for SiR then, because the escape for you isn’t only physical but emotional?”
She agreed with a nod. “I wanted to do something daring. Be bold. Be all the things I have never been in my life, since all the choices I had made in the past because I thought they were the right—and smart—thing to do had gotten me nowhere good.”
Eyebrows drawn, he stroked her cheek. “Angel, you only need to be yourself. Always.”
Her breath hitched and belly fluttered. He always seemed to know the right thing to say. Maybe that was because he was a dominant, aware of her emotionally in ways that most men wouldn’t be. Because those words reached something deep inside that desperately sought a tender touch.
Before she could find the words to explain how what he said meant everything to her, he rose. “Have you had enough to eat?”
She nodded.
“How about enough to drink?”
“I’m good.” She smiled.
“Do you need to use the bathroom?”
Err…“Not at the moment. Why?”
Instead of answering her, he moved toward the staircase. “Follow me.”
“To where?” she called after him.
He glanced over his shoulder and gave a panty-melting smile. “To play.”
Chapter 6
Noah climbed the old creaky steps
, the smile Olivia brought to his face never fading. The look of both shock and excitement mixed with hot desire that Olivia had given him a moment ago was pure joy to him. Maybe it was the reason that had brought Olivia to him. Her motivation was different than that of any woman before her. She wasn’t necessarily looking for the things a typical submissive looked for—a dominant to give her what she needed from him. Olivia was looking for a fantasy. An escape from the harsh reality she’d been handed.
Noah liked being her escape. Maybe even more than he should.
Many times over the years, he played this game with submissives. He also knew the rules. One week. No attachments. On his part and on hers. Those rules kept his life uncomplicated. It made things less risky for the both of them.
But with Olivia, a week seemed hardly enough. And sometimes rules needed to bend a little. This was one of those times. Because he enjoyed spending time with Olivia, and it had been a long time since a woman made him want more than a sexual connection.
Those thoughts, and so many others, raced across his mind as he entered the master bedroom. He had always liked this room throughout his childhood. The vintage feel, with the old charm of the house, gave off a warmth that Noah found peaceful. As a child, the deep closet off to his right had been the best hiding spot in the entire house.
He moved farther into the room and the floorboard creaked behind him as Olivia followed. The energy at his back felt nervous but also heavy, reminding him of what she’d told him in the kitchen, and of the responsibility he had now. His duty to her as her dominant suddenly became about so much more than simply showing her a good time. He didn’t want only to awaken and ignite her body, he felt a strange tug to heal those cracks in her soul that two careless individuals had caused.
“Kneel on the carpet for me, Olivia.” He gave the order without looking back, allowing the silence to begin their scene together. With another creak of the floorboard indicating she’d knelt, he moved to the drawer to take out the ten pack of votive candles he’d asked Cheryl to leave for him.
Perfectly Inappropriate Page 7
