“H-Hi, I thought I had the wrong address, or maybe you changed your mind. I didn’t see anyone in there, so I...hi,” I mumble, walking back over to the front door.
Landry smiles, leaning forward to kiss my cheek and the soft touch shoots straight down to my center. Oh, Jesus no, please no. Not right now.
I close my eyes and let out a quiet breath as my hand moves to his chest, leaning into his body.
“You look ravishing, Magnolia,” he whispers against my neck.
I shiver, the warmth of his breath like a feather against my pulse. Dammit. I want him. I want him so damn much. Flashbacks of our night together in the club start to play like a porno in my mind, and before I know what I’m doing, I push him inside the restaurant and slam my lips against his. My hands slip inside the top of his shirt, cupping his neck as he reciprocates it, twirling my body as he sits in a nearby chair, pulling me onto his lap. My brain takes us back to the club, and my body starts to rock against his, the memory of the song playing in my head. I move my body to the nonexistent rhythm as I feel his erection grow against the flimsy material of my panties.
His hand cups my ass, pulling me down against it, and I moan, wanting so badly to just slip my panties to the side, pull his zipper down and go to town on him. I can’t. No, I can’t do this. Not yet.
“I’m sorry,” I pant, breaking the kiss. “God, I’m so sorry.” I scramble off his lap, shaking my head as I wipe at my lips, fixing my hair, and pulling down my dress.
“No,” he says, his voice hoarse. He clears his throat and adjusts himself in his pants, getting to his feet. “I... I’m the sorry one. I shouldn’t have... let’s...hi,” he laughs. “You look beautiful tonight. I rented out the restaurant, so... let’s sit, shall we?”
I laugh with embarrassment, nodding as he crooks his arm for me to slip mine through. “Thank you,” I whisper. “It’s been over a decade since I’ve done this. I’m...nervous,” I admit.
He pulls out my chair as I sit, and he takes the chair across from me, his eyebrows pulling together. “I don’t believe that for a second. There’s no way a woman like you wouldn’t be hounded daily.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “I...chose it to be that way. I have a lot of...baggage.”
I sigh, reaching for the water on the table and press it to my lips, cooling my heated body.
“Baggage doesn’t scare me. Red or white wine?”
I choke on my water, coughing a few times before I shake my head. “I’ll stick with water,” I say with a tight smile.
Landry looks at me quickly before nodding and reaching for his own glass of water. “Fair enough, I’ll stick with water too then.”
“So...medical equipment, huh? I feel bad we didn’t get to talk much over lunch. I should have warned you my cookie, and milk addiction takes precedence over everything else,” I laugh.
“Yep. The medical field intrigues me, but I don’t have the stomach for it, as you could have guessed. Turned my attention to the machines that save lives, rather than actually doing it myself.”
I nod, taking another sip from my water. “It’s not for the faint of heart, although your sister’s delivery wasn’t too bad.”
He looks down, rubbing the back of his neck, laughing. I love seeing embarrassment on his face; it’s adorable.
“Yeah, well, maybe it was just because she’s my younger sister, and I don’t like to see her in pain, I don’t know,” he shrugs.
“How much younger?”
“Five years.”
“So that makes you...thirty?” I ask, arching an eyebrow.
“Right. You saw her chart. I know it’s not polite to ask, but…”
“I’m her age. Too young for you?” I joke.
“Not at all. You seem older.” I arch an eyebrow, and his smile fades.
“No, I mean, not older as in looks, I meant your demeanor, your personality seems older. You look young, really, really young. I didn’t...I mean, not too young. Not like a teenager young, I’m not a creep like that, but...I always seem to do this,” he laughs, shaking his head. “Why do I get tongue-tied around you, Magnolia Giordano?”
I lick my lips, pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose, and shrug. “I-I don’t know...I seem to do the same.”
We stare at each other, the tension between us so tangible if I lean forward just the slightest, it’ll knock my glasses right off my face.
“I find you so entrancing, Magnolia. I hope I’m not being too forward by admitting that. There is just something about you that sucks me in, something about you that I need to go toward…”
“Really?” My heart beats faster as he leans over the table, reaching for my hand as he laces our fingers together.
“Almost like a...siren.”
His words snap me out of my daze, like jumping in an ice-cold ocean, and I try and hide my reaction, but I fail, my hand flinching against his.
I clear my throat, giving him a tight smile as I pull my hand away, tying my hair up into a bun.
“It’s...a little hot in here, no? I’m just gonna go wash my face for a second.”
I stand, walking toward the back of the restaurant, and burst through the bathroom and to the sink. I pat my cheeks with cold water, my breathing coming in short pants.
He knows.
He knows, and he’s playing with me. I grit my teeth, cursing myself for putting myself in this position instead of just coming clean when I saw him at the hospital. I should have come clean this afternoon, called him, or texted him to have dinner at some point. I shouldn’t have avoided him the weeks after we slept together. So many times, I could have come clean. Now here I am, on a date where he knows, and he’s going to make me pay for not telling him.
“You’re fine, Magnolia. Pull yourself together.”
I reach into my purse, taking my phone out, and texting the girls.
Me: 911. He knows, and I didn’t even tell him yet. Come and get me ASAP.
I pace in the bathroom, knowing full well they won’t text back because they’re most likely already in the car driving here. I take a few breaths, walking back and forth in the bathroom, buying some time before I finally get the courage to step back out. I walk toward the table, not seeing Landry, and I quicken my pace, looking around the empty restaurant.
“You okay?” I feel a soft hand on the back of my neck and freeze.
My tattoo. He’s tracing his fingers over my tattoo, and my stomach drops to my ankles.
I whip around, and Landry sports an indented crease between his eyebrows as he looks me over from head to toe. Crap.
“I...actually d-don’t feel too good. I’m havin’ my friend come and pick me up. I’m sorry.”
He gives me a sad smile, nodding his head as he puts his hands up, backing away from me. “I’m not trying to push you, Magnolia. If that baggage makes this too hard, just tell me. We can take it slower.”
I exhale a relieved sigh, maybe just making myself crazy in my head. He doesn’t know; stop worrying for nothing. I smile, opening my eyes again, and nod.
“Maybe we can...hangout in a group setting? It may make it a little less... intimidatin’.”
“Of course. I’m down for that. Tell me when and where.”
“My girlfriends and I...maybe you can come to our pool one day? We can have a little get together, and it won’t be so much...pressure.”
“You have my number.”
I nod, licking my lips, aware of what it does to Landry but not being able to help it. “I do. I’ll...give you a call this week then. Thank you for all of this. I’m...really sorry for being weird, I just…”
He puts his hand up to stop my apology. “You’re not weird, Magnolia. You’re human. The last thing I want to do is push you.”
He lowers his voice as he walks closer to me. I take a step back, the back of my thigh hitting the barstool, and I put my hand up, pressing against his chest.
“When you do let me in, I want you to be one-hundred percent sure of it. I want you
to desire me as much as I desire you.”
I close my eyes as his breath washes over my face, my body coming alive again, wanting to take what I almost took the second I stepped into this restaurant.
“I...I want—”
A horn beeps from outside the restaurant, causing me to jump and open my eyes. Eden, Addison, and Everleigh stick their heads out of the window of the black car, and I smile, looking back to Landry.
“That’s my ride. I’ll call you, okay?”
He nods, and I stand up on my tiptoes, placing a kiss on his cheek as I walk out toward the curb and get into the back seat of the car.
“So…?” Eden questions.
“False alarm. I don’t think he actually knows, but...I might have agreed to a group date at the pool. I just...I jumped his damn bones as soon as I saw him, guys. I need buffers.”
“Buffers, huh?” Addison smirks. “Never thought one of us would actually need a cock block.”
I roll my eyes and laugh.
“Home, please. Just...take me home.”
6
Landry
It’s her. I knew it was her.
The voice, the aura she has about her that keeps me a willing hostage is something only she would possess. I watch as she walks across the pool deck in her black one-piece bathing suit, her blonde hair pulled up into a knot at the top of her head. She has sunglasses on her cute little nose, and as she walks closer to me, the mesh robe falls down her arms as she tosses it to the lounge chair next to me.
“Hey,” she whispers. “I’m glad you could come.”
She leans forward, kissing me on the cheek, and I know I can’t stand up because the whole place would get a show. Remembering how her body came undone at that club makes me want to do it all over again.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You guys have a nice place here.”
“Thanks,” she responds, taking a seat next to me on the lounge chair. “We all have different apartments on the top two floors.”
“Labor and delivery nurse is the way to go, huh?”
I see her eyes flash with something, and now I just unraveled another clue. If she’s a co-owner of that club, that’s the real reason she can afford a place like this. She gives me a fake smile and leans back on her palms.
“What about you? You ain’t from around here, are you?”
“No, ma’am,” I respond. “Grew up in San Diego actually, but my sister’s husband got stationed down here a few years back, so I followed. He deploys a lot, and with Theo and then Sylvie, you know, big brother duties,” I shrug.
“That was pretty big of you. I’ve never been to San Diego, but I imagine it’s a lot different than Atlanta.”
“Little bit,” I laugh, making a motion with my thumb and pointer finger. “What about you? Born and raised here?”
“Yes, sir. Born and bred that Bulldog red. Goooooo Dawgs! Sic ’em!”
I laugh as the crowd around the pool chants back, “Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Magnolia pulls her sunglasses up on top of her head as she squints to me, winking, and then looks up across the pool deck.
Shit, her eyes. So fucking gorgeous without the glasses covering them.
She’s got such a different air about her today, oozing confidence, and it turns me the fuck on. I love her mumbling stutters and her black-rimmed glasses, but this Magnolia is just as intoxicating.
“Well, help yourself to whatever you want. Jimenez makes the best mango margaritas I’ve ever had, and that mac and cheese station is always a must-have when we do these parties.”
She points at the various stations set up around the deck, and I look around at all the people, trying to see if I would recognize anyone from the club.
“Luckily, Spring seems to be comin’ early this year, but the pool’s heated, and the hot tub is always a bonus. Oh, here. Let me introduce you to the girls.”
Her voice breaks me out of my thoughts as she waves her hand in the air and three women come barreling our way, each just as breathtaking as the next. Their bodies are sculpted, their hair dark, and they command the patio with mesmerizing attention.
“Eden, Addison, and Everleigh, this is Landry,” Magnolia says, motioning to the three girls.
“Nice to meet you,” they all say in unison, putting their hands out for me to shake.
“Nice to meet you all. I was just telling Magnolia what an amazing place this is.”
The taller one nods, eyeing me up and down, and I feel uncomfortable, my back starting to sweat.
“How you treatin’ our girl, Landry?” she asks, her voice raspy and intimidating.
“Eden…” Magnolia warns. “We’re...friends.”
I look over at her, furrowing my brows, and give Eden a smile. “Right. Friends.”
The girls all give me a knowing smile as they turn and walk away, and then my eyes zone in on their backs, trailing up to the back of their necks. Shit. All three of them have the same scar-like tattoo as Magnolia, and now the conversation at the club barrels into me, and I feel like I want to throw up. I slept with one of these girls—what if it wasn’t Magnolia? The taller one gave me a knowing look. Maybe it was her? The smaller brunette gave me a look, too, though? I try to remember more of Siren, but the night blurs together mixed with the alcohol, and I wonder if I’m forcing Magnolia into my Siren memories, wishing it to be her.
There are too many similarities for it not to be her, right?
“You good?” asks Magnolia, putting a hand on my knee.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” I stutter, giving her a smile.
“Don’t listen to them; they’re just protective. I hope I didn’t make things awkward by sayin’ we were friends. I mean, we are, but…”
“Not awkward, I get it. We can keep things between us. Take it slow.”
I stand, needing some space to collect myself, the guilt eating at me. What if I slept with one of her friends? Wanting to start things with Magnolia, it would ruin any chance of building something with her, knowing I had sex with one of them. What if her friend tells her before I can figure it all out? What if it was her, but she never dates clients? That’s why she’s so hesitant about me.
“Landry, are you—?”
“I actually forgot I promised my sister I was going to help with the baby today.” I reach into my pocket, taking my phone out, and press a few buttons. “Crap, yeah, she texted me. Can we… rain check?”
Her eyes widen, and I see them start to water as she gives me a smile, slipping her sunglasses back down her nose. “Of course.”
She kisses me quickly on the cheek, walking away from me, and I mentally smack myself for being rude, but there’s only one way to find this out, and I can’t see Magnolia again until I do.
I walk back to RISE the next day with Wilkins’s card, going straight toward the main bar and motioning to one of the bartenders.
“Hey, buddy. Question for you. Madam Siren. Is she here tonight?”
The guy smiles, nodding behind me, and I turn, seeing her walk onto the side stage.
“Finally,” I whisper.
I walk toward the stage, pushing my way through the crowd, and find a spot against one of the pillars, watching from afar as Siren twists her body around the pole, her muscular legs holding up as she hangs upside down. The song picks up as she walks down off the stage, grabbing a microphone as she prances to the main stage.
Italian.
She starts to sing in Italian as she exaggerates her steps, dancing against the chair in the middle of the stage. Her voice wraps itself around my body, and I walk forward, taking a seat in the chair in front of me to get closer to her.
She doesn’t see me continuing to dance and sing, entrancing everyone in the damn place before the song finishes, and she bows, leaving the stage.
I get to my feet, walking toward the back, and a big, burly bodyguard stops me.
“You have to be invited back here, buddy.”
“I know, I need to talk to Madam Siren. Can you j
ust tell her to come and meet me by the bar? Or maybe come back there with me so you know I’m not a—”
“He’s okay, Gregorio. Let’s go, sap,” says a woman’s voice from behind the brick wall of a bodyguard.
Red nails skate down the man’s chest as the gold-haired woman comes into view.
“You sure, Madam Roxie? I can accompany him back.”
“We’re okay, handsome. Come on, pretty boy.”
The bodyguard moves to the side as Madam Roxie walks ahead, and I follow closely behind her.
“Can I ask you, do you ladies ever change wigs?”
She turns around, eyeing me with confusion. “What?”
“The Madams. Do you keep the same wig all the time, or do you switch? When I was...um...with Siren, she had blue hair. She always has blue hair, or do you switch?”
“We stay the same. Why are you askin’?” she responds, crossing her arms over her chest.
I breathe a sigh of relief and smile. “I just...I want to make sure I have the right girl, that’s all.”
She stops walking, putting a hand on my chest, and my smile fades. She closes her eyes as she shakes her head. “You know, don’t you?”
“I...have an idea, yeah,” I admit.
“Listen. You signed an NDA when you entered this club. Remember that.”
“Yeah, but what if I—?”
“Remember. That,” she interrupts. “The NDA’s are for the protection of everyone, Mr. Laurent. You have no idea the mess that could unfold if someone were to break their NDA agreement, who could get hurt.”
I nod as she continues to walk down the hall and stop at the familiar black door with bright blue writing.
Siren’s Grotto.
“This is where I leave you, and this is me giving you permission. I stand by what I said, Landry. You hurt my girl, and there is no amount of suffering I won’t inflict on you.”
“None.” A voice from behind me makes me jump, and I turn, seeing another woman with a white feather mask and silver-white hair.
Delivered in Sin Page 9
