by Various
“I’m not into funny guys.”
“Oh, in that case, I’m not funny at all. Barely crack a smile normally, this whole date was a façade.”
They reached her car and stopped walking. She was having a good time with him and sad to see it had come to an end so soon. “So this was a date?” She attempted to keep her expression blank, but it was hard; it seemed she’d been wearing a goofy smile on her face from the moment they’d sat down at the restaurant.
Graham paused, his eyes searching hers seeking the correct answer. “Well, if it was a date then it should be ending with a kiss.”
The humor within her faded as their eyes locked. They’d spent the past couple of hours joking and laughing, keeping the atmosphere light and fun. Would they have the chemistry they had in Vegas? There was only one way to find out.
“I think this could be considered a date.” She stepped into him, closing the distance, but keeping far enough away that he’d have to make the final move.
His blue eyes grew dark as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “I’m glad you decided to let me feed you.”
Genevieve’s hands slid up his chest and fingers locked around the back of his neck. “Thank you for coming to see me. I know that may not have been easy. Especially after how we left things.”
They stood staring into each other’s eyes while pedestrians strolled past them, none of them paying much mind to the potential lovers. With each second she waited for him to close the distance and meet her lips with his, her anxiety increased.
When he finally bent and his lips touched hers, she breathed a sigh of relief. But instead of being the deep, passionate kiss that she was expecting his lips merely teased hers. He teased just long enough to ignite the fire between her legs, before he ended the kiss and straightened, leaving her longing for more.
Her body screamed out in frustration, remembering vividly and longing to feel him more intimately. Closing her eyes she forced the thoughts of his beautiful, naked body from her mind.
He has it right. Take it slow. No mistakes. If we do start seeing each other we don’t want to blow this by getting too physical too quick.
“So if I were to stop by the boutique in a day or so and ask you for another dinner?”
She swiped her tongue along her lower lip, forcing his eyes to follow the travels of her tongue. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
“Good.” He stepped back and opened her car door for her. “Have a good night, Ginny.”
Chapter 8
~ Genevieve ~
Genevieve couldn’t concentrate. The entire day went by in a blur and now that she was sitting home alone, she couldn’t keep her mind from thinking about her “date” with Graham the previous day. Admittedly, she was disappointed he hadn’t shown up at the boutique today. Each time the door chimed, signalling a customer, her mood would perk up and she look up at the door with teenaged excitement. But it was never him.
Dressed in a pair of jogging pants and sweatshirt, she flicked on the television and began surfing the channels, hoping for a show interesting enough to keep her mind occupied. She’d just found a semi-interesting reality television show when there was a knock at her door.
She frowned. How the person at the other side of the door got past the security lock front door was beyond her; must have been a neighbour knocking. The only time they came to her door was to bitch about something. She didn’t want to deal with a bitching neighbour, but considering her television was on and easily heard into the hallway she could hardly pretend not to be home.
On tiptoes she peered out through the peephole and her heart skipped a beat. Graham. A smile spread across her lips. Taking a deep breath in she attempted to calm her excitement as she opened the door to greet him.
“Hey Gra - ” She stopped herself when she noticed the man opposite her didn’t have the scar on his jaw. “Wow, Dane. Ummm…” Her eyes lowered to his hands. One carried a four-pack of beer and in the other was a brown takeout bag.
“Hey. Can I come in?” Not waiting for a reply he walked around her and into her tiny one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s West Side. Walking over to her sofa, he placed the food and beer onto the coffee table and made himself at home on her sofa. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“Ahhh. Yeah. I guess.” She closed the door and spun around to face him, not sure what to do or say to him, so she voiced the one question that was nagging on her mind. “What are you doing here? Did you guys find out who broke into my store?” She knew that wasn’t why he was there, but hoped the store was the reason.
He grimaced and ran a hand through his blonde hair. “No, I’m sorry. I’m doing all I can, but there’s no leads.”
“Oh.” She hesitantly made her way across the room and sat next to him on the sofa. “Then can I ask why you’re here?” Her nose crinkled at him. “And how did you find out where I lived?”
His face flushed as he pulled Chinese food from the paper bag. “I hope you like Chinese.”
“Yeah. Yeah. It’s fine.” She wasn’t concerned about the food.
“I sort of grabbed your home address from your police report.”
“Is that legal?”
He shrugged and turned to face her. “I’m here because after I left your store the other day I did some thinking and I feel I owe you an apology. My cold behavior around you yesterday was uncalled for. And we should have a discussion about what happened last month.” As he waited for her reply he twisted off the cap of a beer and passed it to her.
After her discussion with Graham the previous day she felt better about what happened. She really didn’t have a desire to rehash it, which made her wonder if Graham told Dane about his going to see her and their having dinner. She suspected he didn’t. But why?
She took a long drink from her beer. She hated beer but didn’t want to hurt his feelings and she had the feeling she was going to need to have a few in her to deal with the conversation Dane was going to insist on having.
Would it be rude if I cut him off, told him I didn’t want to talk about it and bid him a good night? she mused. As much as she wanted to do just that, a part of her was glad he’d shown up. At least his company would keep her mind from thinking about his brother. Well, sort of.
He twisted off the cap of the beer he had in his hand and took a long drink, drinking down close to half the bottle before placing it back onto the coffee table.
His eyes locked onto hers and she saw the sincerity in his blue depths. When she gave it some consideration she was as much to blame for the night as he was. She’d responded to his advances, she welcomed them. And the next day when he’d suggested something she’d never even considered before, she was reluctant at first, but by the time her body was sandwiched between the striking, muscular bodies of the two brothers she didn’t care anymore – she welcomed the feelings. And she doubted she’d ever feel such intense pleasure again that the two of them gave her.
She could see him trying to decide the words to use to begin his apology and she found herself softening to him. “Just let me speak first, okay?”
His brow furrowed at her request, but he nodded.
“I have just as much to apologize for as you do. I shouldn’t have taken off like I did. I had a lot of fun with you at the musical and after…” She felt butterflies begin to flutter in her stomach as memories of him pleasuring her in the shower skirted through her mind. As she looked at him she found she was becoming uncomfortably wet. This was bad.
“After?”
“I realized that what I had with Alex, especially the sexual aspect, was well below par. A part of me was concerned that there was something wrong with me.” She felt her face flush as she considered admitting her insecurities, but Dane’s expression was one of concern with not an ounce of judgment in his eyes. “You made me realize it wasn’t.”
Dane chuckled as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “You were amazing.” He dropped his hand and lowered his gaze. “But I shoul
dn’t have shared you, or even suggested it, and I’m sorry. It was a stupid and impulsive idea.”
“No. No.” She placed a hand on his leg, just about his knee. “I enjoyed it. I’ve never felt…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. It was her turn to flush and lower her gaze. She snatched her hand away from his leg and she felt her face beginning to grow warm. Discussing Vegas wasn’t going to do either of them any good.
He placed a paper plate in front of her and opened a little box. “Sweet and sour chicken?” He began to empty half of the carton without waiting for her response. “You left Vegas because of me and I regretted that I wasn’t able to spend more time with you. I fucked it up, but after seeing you again, I want to make it right.”
She focused her attention on the plate of food he’d dished out to her, scooped up some rice and popped it into her mouth. Anything to avoid having to comment on his last statement. She watched him eat out of the corner of her eyes as she began to devour the food in front of her, surprised she was as hungry as she was.
“Wow, big Chinese fan I see.”
Genevieve smiled, looking at her plate, which was almost empty compared to his; he hadn’t even gotten halfway through. “It was a long day.”
“How are you doing on getting new inventory?” He speared a chicken ball and plopped it into his mouth.
“Bad. I had the largest collection of pre-owned Birkin bags in the city. And it’s hard to get them used for a good price since they resale for so much and in such high demand.”
“So how much would one of those Birkin purses cost?”
She shrugged. “Depends on the condition, but usually people who buy Birkin keep them pristine. A used one can range from ten grand to thirty or forty – sometimes more.”
Dane’s eyes went wide as he began to choke on his rice.
She was used to Dane’s exact reaction from people. Tourists visited her boutique often and would leave outraged at her prices. “Depending the type of leather. The cheaper ones would be in the ten to fifteen range, but crocodile, ostrich, the exotic leathers come into the serious money.”
He cleared his throat and took a long swig from his beer. Dane reached across her and grabbed the bag she had sitting on her end table. Straightening back up, he placed the bag on his lap and inspected it.
The faint musk smell of his cologne came drifting to her nose. Oh dear God, it smells so good! It was amazing to her how a scent could lure someone to someone else so easily. It would be so much easier to deny her body’s reaction to him if he didn’t smell so damned good!
“So this one here. What is this?”
“It’s a Chanel quilted caviar leather double-flap bag,” she answered and the response she got from him was a blank stare. She didn’t expect anything different. Men never knew the difference. One of the only men she knew who knew the difference was Alex, but he had come from a well-to-do family who lived for luxury brand goods. Alex was the one who gave her the idea to open the shop and his mother and his mother’s richie-rich friends had helped to stock it – initially that is.
“And how much would one of these cost new?” He opened the first and then second flap, peering inside at the contents of her purse. One of the items on the top was a tampon, in its bright pink wrapper.
Mortified, Genevieve snatched the handbag from his grasp. “Geez, nosy much?” She placed it back onto the end table. “And almost five thousand.”
His mouth dropped and he leaned over her again, to get another look at the bag. “Five grand. For that?”
This was getting embarrassing.
She shrugged. “It’s what it costs. I don’t pay that when I buy them, however. I pay about half that – sometimes less, depending on the condition.”
“Why?” Dane finished his plate and placed it onto the coffee table.
She frowned.
“I mean, why do people pay so much? I could buy a car for five grand. Not the best car, but an okay one.”
“Because they can.”
He puffed out a loud huff of air, falling back into the sofa and draping an arm along the back of the sofa. “It’s hard to comprehend.”
Done with her plate, she folded her legs under her and cuddled closer to him, not really meaning to, but his body seemed to be a magnet to her. She seemed unable to stop herself from wanting to be close. The space between his arm and torso begged her to settle into him and she didn’t want to resist.
What about Graham? a voice at the back of her mind chimed in.
Nothing with Graham was for sure. One dinner and a partial kiss didn’t make a relationship. He hadn’t even called her. He’d simply left it up in the air. She was doing nothing wrong getting to know Dane, nothing at all.
~*~*~*~*~
~ Dane ~
Genevieve had been on his mind since she snuck out of their room in Vegas. He’d brushed it off to his brother as no big deal; another chick to add to his list of conquests. But he was a lying son-of-a-bitch and he knew it. He pretended the threesome was cool – an experience to scratch off his bucket list. But it hadn’t been for him. After the fact, after he woke up and grasped the full ramifications of what had happened, it made him feel a feeling he’d never felt before – jealousy.
He didn’t want to share her. He wanted her to himself, but she hadn’t given him the opportunity to voice his feelings. She’d left without a word.
Dane’s first call after leaving her shop was to call Graham to let him know he’d found her and that she seemed… okay. Graham had seemed a little perturbed about Vegas, scared they’d upset her, so Dane knew it would set his mind at ease to know she was doing fine and only harboured a slight resentment toward them. His brother seemed okay with that and never voiced any desire to pursue her further so as far as Dane was concerned she was free for the wooing.
“No, no, no. Are you serious?” Dane shook his head in disgust.
“Why not?” Genevieve snatched the remote from his hands, flipping to a dating reality TV show.
“Because it’s staged. And cheesy.”
She groaned, rolling her eyes at him as she settled on the channel she’d been searching for. “It’s romantic. And sweet.”
“I can’t do it. Anything but that show. Anything. I think Cops is on.” He reached for the remote, but she pulled back, hiding the remote behind her back. Her bright green eyes challenged him as a wicked grin emerged on her lips.
“Sorry. You want this remote, then you’re going to have to take it from me. I’m not giving up that show without a fight.”
He chuckled and allowed his eyes to scan her. Unlike in Vegas and at her boutique where she was dressed to kill, tonight she was wearing a plain pair of jogging pants and sweatshirt and her hair was up in a high ponytail. She looked nice – approachable. She had a girl-next-door sweetness about her tonight that touched him.
Sensing his scrutiny, she inched away, but her eyes remained glued to him – continuing to challenge.
“We’re seriously going to play it like this?”
Genevieve nodded, her smile widening. As their eyes locked her body tensed as if she were about to leap from the sofa at any second.
Dane lunged at her. She squealed and attempted to squirm from the sofa, but didn’t stand a chance. She fell backward onto the sofa, her arms behind her back with his weight toppling over her.
“Give it!” He reached behind her back, searching for the remote but coming up empty.
“Not a chance!” Giggling, she squirmed and bucked under him, until her legs spread with him settled between them.
Dane groaned inwardly; her squirming under him wasn’t achieving her objective of getting free, but it was giving him a serious hard-on. He attempted to lift off of her, but her wiggling kept knocking him off balance and instead he kept rubbing against her. It was excruciating, and at the same time so fucking hot it was driving him insane.
“Might as well give up, Ginny,” he grunted through clenched teeth, pulling up and staring down at her. He wanted to be a
gentleman. Had to be to make up for Vegas, but she was making it so damned hard.
Her face grew serious and body went still under him and he thought he’d won. He was both disappointed and relieved.
“So, we’re done. I win.” Relaxing, but remaining between her legs, he stuck his hand under her nose and wiggled his fingers. “Give it.”
The defiant look flared back up in her eyes and she shook her head. “Take it.”
Instead of digging behind her hoping to strike remote gold, he sat up on her, straddling her waist and keeping her secure to the sofa.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Her eyes narrowed and she scowled at him.
He wiggled his fingers at her. “One last chance Ginny.”
Her green eyes grew wide, her lush lips parting. She bucked up against him, trying to toss him off. “Don’t you dare Dane!”
“A dare?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and pounced.
She squealed and giggled, squirming and bucking against him with every ounce of power she had. “No no no. Stop. Oh my God. Dane!” Her hands grabbed the front of his shirt and attempted to push him off to no success.
Changing tactics, she pulled him down. Thrown off balance, he landed flat on her, causing a soft “oomph” sound to come from her. Terrified he’d hurt her, he struggled to get up, but she clutched to him and they both went toppling over and onto the floor, Genevieve landing on top of him.
It was his turn to groan a low “oomph” sound. “This isn’t fun anymore.”
“Oh my God, are you okay?” She braced a hand on either side of his head and stared down at him.
Dane couldn’t keep his eyes from her lips, lush and plump. And her perfume… It was driving him mad, begging him to draw her tight into his arms. He wanted to kiss her so badly it hurt, and he didn’t think he’d ever wanted to kiss someone so badly in his life.
It’s the perfect opportunity. Just reach up, pull her down to you and kiss her, he coached himself. The tension between them thickened until it became hard for him to breathe. Just as he made the decision to go for it his mobile phone started to blare in his pocket. And just like that, the moment was gone and Ginny was scrambling to get off of him and seat herself back onto the sofa.
