Deceptive Changes: Kat LaMond Book 1

by R A Baker

  Todd patted Sven’s shoulder and said, “Thanks for taking care of her.”

  Sven bobbed his head but wouldn’t let my hand go. I tried pulling but he just tightened. I looked at him. He was scared.

  “Sven?” He looked at me. I could see his fear more plainly in his eyes. “Are you okay?” He nodded but the fear didn’t leave. “What’s wrong?” He shook his head. “I think we should talk.” I looked at my guys. They nodded.

  I pulled Sven into his room. The door had been fixed, courtesy of Charles. I shut the door and pulled my hand from Sven’s. He went to grab my hand back but I moved away from him. “What’s going on, Sven?”

  He turned his back on me and sat on the bed, still facing away from me. “I was afraid that I was going to lose you.”

  I sat down on the chair by the window. “You saved me. Again. I forgot to thank you. So, thanks.” He nodded. “What’s really going on, Sven?”

  “I…” He stopped.

  I tried being patient but I’m not very good at waiting. I started to walk toward him but he continued to move away from me so I couldn’t look at his face. “Well, as fun as this waiting game is, I don’t really have the patience. When you’re ready to tell me, I’ll be in the kitchen.” He nodded. I left.

  I walked into the kitchen and found my guys still sitting at the table. “Sven’s in an odd mood.” They didn’t say anything. “What’s up, guys?”

  “Monica’s dead. Her head was mailed to us today.”

  I grimaced. “I’m so sorry, Todd.”

  He nodded. “We weren’t close, Kat. It’s that Cyril seems to be pushing things further.”

  “Then we need to take him out.”

  “It’s not that easy. My vampires lost him after he came over here. We don’t know where he is.”

  “Damn. Well, we still have that one plan. It may help push the issue if we can cause problems for us here.” They looked at me. I saw sadness in their eyes. “Don’t look so sad. I’ll try to be good.” They chuckled but the sadness held. “Why so sad, guys?”

  “We don’t want to put this plan into effect but it’s the only way,” Trace explained.

  “When?” I looked to each of them. We had to make it look good. If we didn’t there was no way we’d pull off our ‘break-up’.

  “It’ll take a little bit of time. We have to show certain things.” I knew why we were being evasive. If Sven heard us, which is likely, we’d be giving things away to our enemy, not that Sven was our enemy.

  “Let’s go out to dinner. I’m hungry after this whole mess.” They chuckled. Damn, I forgot Todd’s truck. “Your truck’s at the dealership. Sven didn’t want to let me out of his sight.”

  “It’s okay. We’ll take the company car,” he winked at me. Hope we don’t get ambushed again. The company car was a stripped down model Chevy Malibu that was used to run short errands around town.

  “Get ready. I’ll make the calls.” They left the kitchen. I looked around for my purse. It was in the X3. Double damn. I grabbed the cordless phone and called a five star restaurant. They were, of course, more than happy that I was going to be there tonight.

  The guys were ready a few minutes after I hung up the phone. They were dazzling in dark jeans, dress shirts, and open, dark blazers. Erick held out his arm to me and I took it. Trace and Todd were already at the car. I slid into the back seat and Erick slid in next to me.

  >< ><

  Todd drove us to the restaurant. He pulled into valet parking, got out, and received a ticket stub. We walked to the door. I had Erick and Todd on my arms and Trace was right behind me. The restaurant was done nicely in romantic themes: low lighting, candles, flowers, and subdued tablecloths. The maitre d’ came rushing over. He smiled at us and led us to the back.

  The room was private and had two doors. One door we went through, the other was a service door. A table that sat six was made up with a creamy tablecloth, a three candle candelabra, a bouquet of wildflowers, and a bottle of champagne.

  Erick waved the maitre d’ off before he could pull my seat. Erick guided me into my seat and took the chair to my left. Todd and Trace sat across from us. The maitre d’ laid out menus for us and then left quietly.

  We looked at our menus. I wanted a steak. I spotted my choice, filet mignon with steamed asparagus. I placed my menu down and flipped it closed. The guys knew what they wanted also. We waited for the waiter to take our order.

  After the waiter had left we got down to talking. “I think after dinner I’ll set things to where we can’t be in the same room together or something.” They frowned at me. “What?”

  “We don’t want you to be out of our room.”

  I looked at Trace. “This will only be for a short time, Trace.” He nodded but wasn’t happy about it. Like I was. “I do need to know where you stand on me ‘falling’ into Sven’s arms.”

  “Don’t fall, Kat. Run to him if you must but don’t fall.” Todd’s expression was hidden by the bouquet. I moved it but by then his face was under control. “Are you thinking more about him, Kat?” This time I could see his eyes. They held anger even though his voice was quiet and steady.

  “I don’t think so. I’m not sure. He seems to really care about me and I’m sure him being around me for the past week hasn’t helped with his desire. I don’t have the same desire, if that’s what you’re asking.” He nodded. “I like Sven okay. He’s not for me. I wouldn’t worry about me keeping my distance from him.”

  “He may think otherwise. If you go to him, that’s playing with a fire that may burn us all in the end.”

  “I know, Todd. Should I have feelings for him before I tear his heart right out of his chest?”

  “I think you shouldn’t lead him on. It’d almost be better if you ran into Thorn’s arms. That way you could kill him.”

  I snapped my eyes to Todd. I think he was joking but I wasn’t. “That’s not very nice, Todd. Thorn’s misguided and has a control problem. After this is over, I’d suggest sending him far away from here.”

  “You’re right, Kat. I was being mean. It’s just that every male vampire I bring to the house seems attracted to you. I suppose I’m jealous.”

  I could understand that. “I understand, Todd. I was jealous as heck when Monica was taking your blood. I didn’t like your arms around her. Here I am talking about running to another man’s arms over a fake break-up.”

  The waiter came in with our food. He gently laid the plates in front of us and poured wine that complimented our meals. He left as quietly as he had entered. We didn’t say much more.

  We finished our food in near silence. Our dessert came and the bottle of champagne was opened. We drank the bottle of champagne and ate our dessert.

  I wasn’t looking forward to the moment when we had to ‘fight’. I suggested we go to the apartment and make love before we did this. I left my apartment open for just such an occasion. They agreed without any coaxing from me. I paid the bill and we left.

  >< ><

  When the four of us walked into the lobby the receptionist waved. We waved back and took the elevator to my floor and I let us in.

  I flipped on the small light in the living room. The apartment was clean and kept that way by the same service that was provided to all residents.

  Todd picked me up and shoved me against the wall. He kissed me hard on the mouth. I opened to him. He stuck his tongue in and we kissed. I could tell he wasn’t happy. Not unhappy that he was against me, no, he was definitely happy there. He wasn’t happy about what I planned to do and I felt it in his mouth, tongue, and the way his hands were holding me against the wall.

  He pulled back abruptly and we sucked in air. He growled low in his throat and stripped my shirt off. His mouth covered my breast through the flimsy fabric of the bra. He bit into me and pulled noises from my throat. He unsnapped my jeans and pulled them and my underwear down. I started to unsnap his jeans when his hands pulled mine roughly away. He held me against the wall with his upper body and undid hi
s jeans. He wasn’t wearing underwear.

  He entered me as he sucked on my neck. He pounded into me as his hands roamed my stomach and grasped my hips. I could only hold tight with my legs as he took me there against the wall. I cried out as the orgasm shook me. A moment later he cried out against my chest. His legs were shaky as I unwound my legs from his waist. He let me slide down the wall but he kept me pressed between him and the wall. He breathed against my neck for a few moments and then backed off.

  I stood against the wall for support. Trace and Erick had disrobed and were ready. I gulped as I looked at them. They were lovely. Todd sank to the ground and let out a breath. I could feel wetness on my thighs. I walked out of there and into the bathroom. I cleaned up and walked into the bedroom. The lighting was low. Trace and Erick were lying on the bed waiting. Todd was sitting in the chair beside the bed. I guess he was going to be a spectator.

  I climbed into bed with Trace and Erick. They ran their hands along my body. Trace whispered, “We want to try something new.” I didn’t know if this would be a good thing.

  “New?” They nodded. “What kind of new?” Erick held up a bottle of lubricant. Oh. “That kind of new?” My mind couldn’t keep up. It was stuck on the lubricant. “I don’t think that’d be a good thing.”

  “Come on, Kat. Just try it. If you don’t like it, we’ll try something different.” My heart thudded in my chest at what they were suggesting. I didn’t trust my voice so I nodded.

  Trace laid me against the bed and teased me as he kissed his way from my lips to my chest to my stomach. His hands played with my breasts as he slid lower. His tongue flicked out. I moaned as he continued to give my clit attention. Erick’s mouth closed on mine. I opened my mouth to kiss Erick and cried out against him.

  Trace moved away and Erick gave me one more kiss before moving away too. Trace straddled me but didn’t enter me. He kissed me gently on the lips and then rolled us over so I was on top. Erick came up behind me. I bit my lip. I couldn’t do this. I shook my head. Trace held my face to his and kissed me. I felt Erick’s hands slid along my bottom and spread some of the lubricant.

  Erick kissed the back of my neck as he gently nudged my butt. I stopped breathing as he gently entered me. It was an odd feeling. Intense. Filling.

  “Are you okay?” he whispered. I nodded. He slid in further until he was completely inside me. I took a shallow breath. Trace lifted my hips gently and maneuvered so he was at my other opening. He slid inside.

  I cried out as the intensity of the whole thing hit me. They stopped. “I’m okay,” I breathed. Trace continued to slide inside me. It was so intense. I could feel both of them inside me. They started to move slowly, controlled movements. As Erick pushed inside me, Trace slid out. They both fastened their mouths to my neck and bit me. I cried out softly.

  They found a rhythm and started to push me further. I could feel the orgasm building as they slid in and out of me, as they nibbled my neck. Erick’s chest against my back was a warm weight against me. He pressed me against Trace’s chest as the rhythm changed. I could feel they were close. I whimpered as I came closer. They bit my neck again and I went over the edge. I screamed and clawed my passion. They came shortly after. We lay in a heap on the bed with me sandwiched between them.

  Erick slid off me. Todd had grabbed three soapy washcloths and passed them out. I slid off Trace and cleaned myself up. I didn’t want to think about what had just happened. My mind felt numb but my body was happy. I slipped off the bed and went into the bathroom. I washed more thoroughly in the shower. After I had washed my hair all three joined me.

  They soaped up and rinsed off. They gave me a kiss as I stepped out of the shower. I wrapped a towel around my body and handed them towels as they stepped out. Erick was the first to step out. He pulled me to him and held me. He whispered, “Are you okay?”

  I chuckled quietly. “Yeah, my mind’s a bit numb though.”

  Todd stepped out and I handed him a towel. He wrapped it around his waist. “That sure was something, Kat.” I could feel the blush rising in my throat and pooling in my cheeks.

  “I liked it,” Trace said as he stepped out.

  I handed him a towel and he wrapped his waist. “Can we not talk about it?” They gave me masculine chuckles and nodded. “Thank you.”

  Todd lifted me into his arms and carried me to the bedroom. He fell onto the bed with me still in his arms. “I like your haircut, babe.”

  I was wondering when someone would notice. “Thanks.” He kissed me as his hands wound through my wet hair.

  All four of us were on the bed now. Trace and Erick were lying next to us. I felt their hands on my arms and legs as Todd continued to kiss me.

  We spent the rest of the night in one position or another until we lay gasping on the bed. We fell asleep cuddled into each other.

  >< ><

  I woke up to kisses on my shoulders and back. I sighed happily. “It’s time to get up, Kat.”

  I turned my head to look at Todd, and mumbled, “A few more minutes.” He chuckled and kissed my cheek. He got off the bed and I fell back to sleep.

  I was being shaken. I groaned and swatted at the hands. I opened an eye and looked at the person shaking me. It was Trace. “Kat. We need to get going.”

  “I don’t want to. I like it here.” I snuggled further under the blankets.

  Trace pulled the covers back. “I know you want to sleep, Kat. It’s five-thirty in the evening. We need to put the plan into action.” I groaned again and sat up.

  All of them were freshly showered and dressed. They looked yummy. I ran a hand through my hair and got out of bed. I didn’t want to put the plan into action anymore. I just wanted to stay here, away from everything. I staggered into the bathroom and did the cleaning thing. I finished and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I tossed a sweatshirt over my t-shirt and was ready to go.

  I looked at them and felt sadness well into my throat. I cleared my throat and tried to keep my thoughts on the end, when I’d be with them again. I walked quickly to cut off the door. I leaned against the door and looked at them. My men. My eyes filled with tears. I sniffled and continued to look at them. They came up to me and pulled me into their embrace. I hugged them to me and breathed in their scents. I wanted to keep this memory alive for as long as I could but I knew it would fade with time.

  I stepped back and wiped my tears away. I took a deep breath and held my head higher. It was a defense mechanism, I always held my head a little higher when I didn’t like something but knew I had to do it.

  We walked out of the apartment, locking it behind us. I would see the apartment in a little while here. We took the elevator down and walked outside. The valet ran off to get our car. I tried to think of a way to cause an argument but I couldn’t.

  The car came and we piled in. Todd drove slowly to the house. “Kat. I’m going to start the argument. Remember that I love you and the words I’m going to say aren’t true.” He grasped my hand in his and kissed the knuckles.

  We arrived at the house. I put on a brave face, at least I hoped. We got out of the car and started to argue.

  Todd shouted, “I never wanted you with me on this, Katja. You’re just an accident prone bitch who can’t deal with anything.”

  I stared at him in shock. It took a couple moments for me to respond and when I did it wasn’t original. “You’re an asshole. How the hell could I have lived with you for this long?” I stormed into the house, banging things, tossing knickknacks.

  Trace and Erick decided that they were going to enter the argument. Trace spoke loudly. “I can’t believe you really thought that I loved you. I just used you to get my company into the black. You’re worthless.”

  My heart clenched at his words. “I don’t know why I even kept your company on retainer, it freakin’ sucks.” Slam, bang.

  Erick spoke less loudly but more hurtful. “You raised me not to help kill Antreas but to be your whore. That’s all I am to you and I’m tired of being wi
th you and having you force me to do things that I don’t want to do.” My mouth fell open. I couldn’t speak. Everyone came out of their rooms. Tears sprang to my eyes at their words.

  I took a breath and hoped that Erick would forgive me. “You suck as a whore, Erick. You couldn’t even last long enough. You can’t even get someone off if you tried.” His mouth fell open. He knew it was a lie. He was damn good at what he did and he knew it.

  “I’m leaving you assholes. Don’t try to call me or find me because you won’t be able to.” I stormed off and went into the bedroom. I took out a suitcase and threw clothes into it.

  Charles walked into the room. “Mistress?”

  “What is it, Charles?” I yelled.

  He bowed his head. “You cannot leave. What will happen if you do?”

  “I don’t freakin’ care anymore. I’m done with this whole stupid mess. Just leave me alone.” He turned. “Charles, wait. Have Sven pack. I’m taking him with me.” He nodded and left the room. I finished packing and zipped my suitcase. I pulled it to the floor and rolled it through the house.

  I found my men in the sitting room. I spoke loudly at them. “I’m taking Sven since you guys are such assholes.” Their mouths fell open.

  Todd spoke quietly, holding back anger. “You’ve always wanted him. He’s lesser than me and yet you want him.” He spat out the last word.

  “He’s more of a gentleman then you guys will ever be.” I walked out of the room. I heard them follow.

  “Sven isn’t going with you, Katja.”

  “The hell he’s not. I need someone to protect me and you guys can’t even do that.” Sven walked up to me. His eyes flicked between us. I still had tears running down my face and the guys looked angry. I turned on my heel and called, “See ya.”

  Sven caught up to me. “What happened?”

  I looked at him and shook my head. “Not now. I’m too upset to talk about it.”

  He nodded, opened the door of the Malibu, and gently ushered me in. I looked out the window and saw my men standing there, hands on hips. I pursed my lips at them and then we were off.

  Sven drove around for a little bit.