by Penny Wylder
He wraps his other arm around me, and presses his lips to my neck in a way that tells me this cuddling might not last. “Then maybe you can wait just a little while longer.”
9
The next morning, I take my car to the shop Thomas recommended. Thankfully the mechanic’s assessment of the car doesn’t break the bank, and I can pick it up the next day. Fiona’s catching up on some sleep and Dad’s at the bakery, so I call a cab. But while I’m waiting outside, I wish I hadn’t. I wish I’d just sucked it up and walked the two miles back to the bakery. Because the person pulling into the parking lot right now is none other than the infamous Samuel Logan. The Sammy who broke my sister’s heart and the whole reason we agreed to avoid the Logans in the first place.
And he’s definitely seen me. Great.
He gets out of the car, and grins at me. You can’t deny that the Logan brothers are handsome. Robert is too, though he’s far more reclusive than either of his brothers. “Rosie Monroe,” he says across the parking lot in a cheerful voice. “Been a long time.”
“It’s Rose,” I say. “And yes it has. I thought you were a mechanic? Unless you got out of the business?”
“Nah,” he says. “I still am. High end vehicles mostly, and I work on my own cars when I can. But Joe in there has a way with paint that I’ll never have, and I want her to have some touch-ups.” I’m assuming ‘her’ is the cherry red Mustang parked on the other side of the lot. “Man,” he says, “when was the last time we saw each other?”
“I think it was prom night,” I say flatly.
Samuel visibly winces. He rubs the back of his neck with one hand, obviously uncomfortable. “Yeah. How is Fiona?”
I give him a close-lipped smile. “Sorry, Sam. I can’t do that.”
“Yeah,” he says again. “I get it.” He turns to leave and then turns back. “For what it’s worth, Thomas really likes you. Don’t use that against him. Your dad made some mistakes, but they don’t have to be yours, and you shouldn’t try to solve those problems by manipulating him.”
I go stock still. He knows about Thomas and me, which means Thomas said something. That could either be good or very, very bad. There’s a vicious anger rising at the accusation that I’m using Thomas, but given our past history, I can’t really blame him for thinking that might be the case. I do my best to control my expression and nod. “I’ll remember that.”
He turns and disappears into the mechanic shop, and I go back to waiting for my cab.
We make the signs and stand outside with them all day. But there aren’t many takers. It’s discouraging, and by the time the day is over, I’ve got a headache and there’s nothing I want more than to shower, eat, and sleep. Fiona is driving me home and our father isn’t far behind. I’m dozing off in the passenger seat when my phone buzzes.
Come to dinner with me.
I text back,
I’m not sure you fully comprehend how exhausted I am right now.
The little typing bubble appears.
I’ll make it worth your while. Plus, I left a surprise for you at the house.
Surprise makes me wake up a little.
My house?
That’s the one.
I smile.
What is it?
Not telling.
I almost make a face at the phone before I remember that Fiona is in the car.
Well I’m almost home. I guess I’ll find out.
“Who’s making you smile over there?”
“Just a friend,” I say, leaning back and closing my eyes. I must have fallen asleep, because before I know it, I open my eyes and we’re pulling into the driveway. There’s a box sitting in front of the door. I big flat white box, the kind that expensive clothes come in. My stomach does a little flip, because that box is from Thomas, and that means there could be almost anything inside. Even though I’m exhausted, I’ve already made the decision to go to dinner. Against all odds, being with Thomas relieves my stress and makes me feel better. I honestly never thought I’d have that. Especially with a Logan.
I drag myself out of the car and up to the front door. The box has a card with my name on it in a pretty script, and even though I’m not the girliest person in the world, I love it. No matter what is in this box, it’s a nice surprise and it makes me feel pampered. My pretty underwear is the most pampering I ever give myself, really. I head inside and Fiona is right behind me. I set the box down on the kitchen table and peel open the envelope. The handwriting isn’t the same as the outside of the envelope, this handwriting is more masculine.
Rose,
You took me out to one of your places, and now I want to take you to mine. And this time I made sure you would feel properly dressed. I can’t wait to see you in this.
Thomas
P.S. Plain underwear will do.
The grin on my face is so wide that it hurts. I put the little envelope aside and lift the cover of the box. Inside is a dress that takes my breath away. A dark, shimmering blue with a plunging neckline, I can tell just by looking at it that he has a good eye for women’s clothes. Given the way he dresses himself, I honestly shouldn’t be surprised. I lift the dress out of the box, and hold it up, watching the way the light plays off the fabric.
“Someone sent you a dress?” Fiona asks from behind me.
My stomach plummets. I got so caught up in opening the box that I forgot Fiona was even here. Crap. “Yes.”
I grab for the card on the table, but she’s faster. She opens it, reads the note, and I watch her face go white with shock, and then red with furious anger. “Thomas? As in THOMAS LOGAN?”
My father comes in the front door at that moment, and I see him register the fight, and I shake my head, telling him not to intervene. “Yes, Thomas Logan.”
“You lied to me? When you showed up in his car? You slept with him, didn’t you?”
I cross my arms. “Given your reaction right now, I can’t imagine what possible reason I would have to lie.”
“You promised,” Fiona points at me. “You promised you’d never have anything to do with them, and now you’re sleeping with one of them!”
Finally, the anger spills over. “That was ten years ago! What happened to you sucks. You were cheated on! I get that. It was awful and I wish that it had never happened, but I’m not you, and Thomas isn’t Sam. I didn’t come up here expecting this to happen, and I’m not even sure what it is yet. So kindly back off and let me try to have some happiness in the middle of this mess.”
I see it happen, the moment she draws into herself. And if there’s anything that I’ve learned over the years, it’s that my sister is far more dangerous when she gets quiet. “Well, now I know what your promises are worth. I used to think that you’d be there for me no matter what, but if you’d do this? You don’t care about me at all. All you are is a traitorous bitch.” She spits the last word at me and storms towards the door.
“Fiona!” my father calls after her, but I hear her car start and the tires squeal on the asphalt trying to get away. Anger and frustration build up in my chest, and I’m not a crier but I’m crying now. Exhaustion brings my emotions closer to the surface, and I can’t control them. After everything I’ve done for her and dad, I’m not sure how she could even think that let alone say it. I sink into the nearest chair and try to get myself under control. But I’ve fully lost it now.
There’s a hand on my shoulder and my father speaks softly. “You shouldn’t let her get to you. What happened to Fiona changed her. She’s never gotten over those wounds, and it’s hard for her to imagine you being happy with someone who’s associated with her deepest pain.”
“I know,” I say, hiccupping through the tears. “But that doesn’t make what she said okay.”
“No,” he says, “it doesn’t. But Thomas and I have become pretty good acquaintances over the last year, and I know he’s a good man. Even if he is on the other side of my legal battle. It’s not his fault. I signed it.”
He hands me a tissue and
I take it. “Thanks, Dad.”
“You should go,” he says. “You’ve been working hard to help me, and you deserve a break. Besides, that dress is far too beautiful not to be worn.”
I lean back, and he hugs me around the shoulder. “I’m sorry it’s not working better, Dad.”
He sighs. “If it isn’t, it’s my own fault. I dug myself into this mess, and if you can’t dig me out then I made my own bed.”
“You know I’m still going to try, right?”
“I know,” he says. “Now go get ready.”
I wipe my eyes and take a few deep breaths, calming down. “Okay.”
I grab the box and take it into my bedroom, and then I take out my phone.
Pick me up in an hour.
10
I’m already standing outside when Thomas pulls up. My hair is done, I’m wearing the dress he sent—with matching shoes that I didn’t even notice until I put the dress on. Thomas has impeccable taste. I love the way this dress looks and feels on me. I don’t think I could have picked a better one if I had gone shopping for it myself.
He gets out of the car in an amazing dark suit. He’s not wearing a tie, and the top button of his shirt is undone which gives him a carefree, sexy look. He never takes his eyes off me as he walks up the driveway. They’re roving up and down my body—he’s consuming me with his eyes the way he consumed me with his mouth last night. As requested, I wore plain, boring underwear under this dress. It’s probably a good thing because I can already feel myself getting wet in anticipation, and I’m almost certain that this set of panties will be ruined by the end of the night.
Thomas doesn’t say hello, just sweeps me into his arms and into a kiss. I could kiss him forever, the way my stomach goes into free-fall and I feel like I’m flying. “Hi,” I say when we break apart to breathe.
“You look amazing,” he says. “Perfect.”
“You have good taste,” I say.
He smirks. “In clothes and in women.” Taking my hand, he leads me to the car.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
Thomas smiles. “Heron’s Nest.”
“How did I know?”
“Well, you’re a very smart woman,” he says as he opens the door for me.
I slide into the car and a heaviness settles on me. Even though I’m excited, happy to be going out with Thomas, the words of both Samuel and Fiona are still weighing on me. I can feel them on my chest.
Thomas turns on some soft music and I get lost in my thoughts. Soon enough we’re at Heron’s Nest. It’s not quite as far across town as his apartment.
There are couples dressed to the nines waiting, but we don’t wait at all. As soon as the maître d’ sees us, she waves us through and we’re seated at a private table in the back with a beautiful view of the city. The sun is setting and it’s picture perfect. The waiter appears almost immediately. It’s not hard to order. Heron’s Nest is one of those restaurants with a limited menu, so all it takes is a glance to see which one of their options you want.
“Are you all right?” Thomas asks after the waiter disappears.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” I say. “Why?”
He smiles, “You haven’t said anything since we got in the car. I don’t mind silence, but you seem down.”
“Oh.” I really must be in my own head. “My sister and I…we had a fight.”
“About what?” He looks concerned.
I’m not sure how much I should say, but I already got into one fight today because of a lie. I don’t want to get into another. “You.”
Thomas’ eyebrows rise into his hairline. “Me? Why?”
I cringe. “How familiar are you with the end of Sam and Fiona’s relationship?”
“Not overly. He’s always said that he made a big mistake, and that’s what ended it.”
“It was prom night,” I say. “Where I went when we were…you know. He cheated on Fiona at the prom. I had to drive there with my learner’s permit to pick her up. I’ve never seen my sister so…broken. She was devastated. We made a pact never to have anything to do with your family again, which is why I was…less than friendly to you that first day. But that was ten years ago, and you’re not what I had thought.”
Thomas’s face goes pale. “I didn’t know that happened.”
“Yeah. Anyway, I didn’t tell Fiona that we slept together. I knew it would just cause more problems, but she saw the card with the dress. And it…didn’t go well.”
The waiter appears with our food and we both wait until he’s disappeared to keep talking.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
I shake my head. “It’s not your fault. I should have been honest with her from the beginning.”
“Maybe, but sending you the dress obviously didn’t help things.”
“The dress is beautiful and I love it.”
His brilliant smile is back. “Good. For the rest of the evening, my goal will be to cheer you up. How does that sound?”
There’s a tiny tension that releases in my shoulders. “That sounds lovely.”
We eat and chat and Thomas keeps his promise. He tells me funny stories about him and his brother’s growing up. He asks me more about New York and how I like it there and if I like my job. He orders champagne, and by the time we’re finished eating I feel so much lighter. And then, “Would you like to dance?”
There’s delicate music coming from another part of the restaurant, but I didn’t know they had a dance floor. “I’m a terrible dancer,” I say.
“That wasn’t a no.”
The thought of dancing with Thomas, being close to him, is appealing. I nod, and he stands, taking my hand. He leads me through the restaurant to a huge open room where there’s a dance floor surrounded by tables. There are a few couples dancing, but the floor is mostly empty. I flush, embarrassed by the idea of all these people watching me dance, but Thomas doesn’t hesitate. My hand is in his, and his other hand is on my waist. I’ve never been a good dancer, but this feels okay. For the first time I understand why a partner leads. Thomas guides me, pushing, pulling, twirling me across the dance floor.
In no time at all I’m not thinking about the fact that I can’t dance. I’m noticing how close his body is to mine, looking up into those incredible eyes and feeling lightness and joy and growing lust. I know I’m not going home tonight and I can’t wait for that. I feel like we’re suspended in time, just the two of us and this music, moving together. I’m not sure how being with someone like this can make me feel euphoric and settled at the same time, but it does.
A few songs later, he pulls me away from the dance floor. “You ready to get out of here?” he asks softly.
“Yes. Absolutely.”
I know my way to the bedroom this time, so I head there right away, and I hear Thomas laughing behind me. I kick off my heels on the way, turning and crooking my finger at him. I want to undress him, and this time he lets me. I push his jacket off his shoulders, and then his shirt. I use my hands to trace the lines of him, from his chest down to his waist. I like watching the way he reacts to my hands, the shudders and tremors. And then I reach his belt. His pants fall in a pile on the floor and his underwear follows. His cock is already hardening and I stroke it, watching it grow in my hand.
Thomas spins me around, practically growling. He peels down the zipper of my dress, pushing it to the floor and unhooking my bra. Lips press against my spine and I have goosebumps across my skin. He pulls me back against him, and his cock is hot and huge against my back. “I have a question,” I say.
“Go for it.”
“Just how dominant are you? Are you fully into the kink or just a little? Your answer isn’t going to scare me away.”
He makes a low, groaning sound against my skin. “I like it. Just enough to add a little dynamic, but not so much that I want to tie you up,” he says. “Yet.”
I have images in my head of being tied to the bed while he has his way with me and I shiver. They’re not bad images. They�
�re very, very good images. The way he’s touching me and with those thoughts in my head, I’m so turned on that I’m soaking through my panties. Thomas senses my stillness. “What are you thinking?”
“Nothing,” I say, too quickly.
He chuckles darkly, and I feel it tug at my core. “You were thinking about being tied up. And you liked it.”
“Maybe.”
“I don’t have anything to do that tonight, but I’ll keep it on a list for next time.”
I turn to face him, pressing up against his body. “Then what’s tonight?”
“Tonight I want you to ask permission.”
“For what?”
He smiles, hot and slow. “For every orgasm.”
A thrill goes through me. “And if you say no?”
“Then you’re not allowed.”
“What if I do it anyway?”
Thomas guides me back towards the bed. “I’ve always wanted to try spanking.”
“You wouldn’t…”
“I would,” he says. My knees hit the back of the bed and I have to sit down. He continues to crawl over me until I’m lying down, and he continues until he’s straddling my waist. “And who knows, maybe I won’t spank you on the ass. Maybe I’ll spank you on that pretty little pussy for being naughty.”
Oh God. I’m hot and aroused and I can feel my clit pulse. His cock is hard and pointing right at my mouth. In a second I realize what he wants, and I open my mouth. Thomas feeds me the tip of his cock and groans in pleasure. His weight on me, I can’t move, and again I feel that fierce heat roll through me at his light control. It makes me wonder what it would be like if he had more. I’ve never wanted that before, but Thomas makes me feel safe. Safe to experiment and play with his kinks and maybe mine. I didn’t realize I might have any until now.
He fucks my mouth with shallow strokes, and his eyes are dark as he looks down at me. Weaving his fingers into my hair, he lifts my head so it’s taking more of his cock. “Suck.”
Just one word and my body explodes with arousal. I suck him, pulling as hard as I can. I watch him close his eyes, lips parted with the sensation. I like watching the pleasure I’m giving him. His hand guides me, down onto his cock and back, a slow, luxurious blow job. When he opens his eyes again, they’re glazed with complete and utter lust. He releases my head and pulls back, moving back down my body until he pulls off my panties. “God, you’re so wet,” he says, pressing a kiss against my clit that makes me moan. “I think you like being told what to do.”
