Tease Me

by Kaye Blue

  He didn’t.

  “Fuck!” I said, pacing around my living room.

  Things were going okay, but I just wasn’t comfortable. I still hadn’t figured out how to be in two places at once, which meant I was screwed.

  Unless…

  I lifted my phone, which I had been squeezing almost to the point of breaking, and quickly dialed Dallas’s number.

  “Dallas,” I said after she answered.

  “What’s wrong, Kristian?” she asked quickly, her voice rising an octave, her concern clear.

  I took a moment to marvel at the fact that she immediately recognized that there was an issue, but then proceeded on. “There’s business…family stuff that I need to take care of tonight,” I said.

  “You need me to help with something?” she asked.

  “I know you’re busy with your sketches. But if you—”

  “Tell me what you need, Kristian,” she said, her voice serious as she cut me off.

  “Would you mind going to the restaurant tonight?”

  “Sure, what do you need me to do?” she asked.

  “I just need you to be my eyes and ears. Step in if you see something that looks like it’s about to blow up. Drive the team,” I said.

  “But you have a manager,” she said.

  “Yeah. And I trust him, but…”

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain. If you need me to be there, I will be.”

  “Thank you,” I responded, some of the anger that had been roiling in my stomach loosening.

  Dallas wasn’t me, but her being there would be the next best thing. And I’d make it very clear to my father that his impromptu summons wouldn’t be accepted anymore.

  “But you know…” Dallas said, her voice mischievous.

  I smiled, my anger receding even further. “What do I know?” I asked.

  “If I do this favor for you, you’ll have to find a way to make it up to me,” she said, her voice lowering an octave, throaty.

  I chuckled, my own voice a bit huskier now. “I’m sure I’ll be able to think of something that will be mutually satisfactory,” I said.

  “I’m going to hold you to that. I’ll call you if there are any problems, but I’ll also make sure there are no problems,” she said.

  “I know you will,” I responded.

  I hung up the phone and then proceeded to get ready. I had half a mind to wear a tank top so my father could see my tattoo, but years of training wouldn’t allow that to happen. So instead, I dressed in my suit and tie, resenting every moment of it, but feeling better because the restaurant was in Dallas’s hands.

  Though it had been a couple of weeks, I hadn’t been able to shake that night at her studio, the one when I had been so close to expressing my feelings.

  That same impulse that had come over me time and time again, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I wouldn’t be able to ignore it.

  I also knew I could no longer pretend that what I felt for Dallas was simply friendship.

  It was that and so much more.

  I loved her.

  Maybe I’d loved her all along.

  I didn’t know, but what was certain, undeniable, something I wouldn’t even pretend to disbelieve, was that I loved her, and that if it was possible, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

  Of course knowing that and telling her were two different things, but after giving it some thought, I decided that the time was close. Neither of us deserved to be like we were, stuck out in limbo, and if she didn’t return my feelings, it was best to find that out now, see if we could salvage something of our relationship.

  As I left the penthouse, I was firm in my resolve.

  I loved Dallas, and I was going to tell her so tonight.

  Dallas

  “Did you guys clear down the line?” I asked.

  It was after midnight, and the restaurant was finally winding down.

  “Yeah,” Tommy, the kitchen’s sous chef said, “everything has been cleaned, and we’re ready to lock up.”

  “Good,” I said.

  After hearing from Tommy, I pulled the crisp white button-down out of the black slacks I wore.

  After Kristian’s call, I’d had to make an impromptu stop to find something appropriate to wear. He hadn’t said anything, but I knew he would appreciate it if I didn’t wear a graphic tee and leggings to manage his restaurant. I’d even been kind enough to brush my hair into another tight ponytail, and donned the lightest dab of lipstick to complete the look.

  I wasn’t putting on airs, but Kristian had asked me to represent him, and if I was going to do that, I was going to put my best foot forward.

  And though I was exhausted, I was confident that the night had gone well. He’d spoken to the manager about me coming in, and all the staff had treated me appropriately, deferred when I asked, and short of the few hiccups with a couple of meals, everything had run smoothly.

  The sense of pride I felt at what I had accomplished tonight was close to what I felt when I created a new piece. I’d done work that I was proud of, had helped Kristian, and had hopefully made him happy too.

  I’d never had any doubt that I would do almost anything for him, but to step in when he needed me, to be able to help him when he asked for it, knowing what that question required of him was something that filled me with a sense of pride.

  It also reminded me of an inconvenient truth that was becoming harder and harder for me to ignore.

  I thought I could manage things with Kristian, keep them on something of an even keel. Which only went to show how little I knew.

  I’d been denying the truth that had been in front of my face, but after tonight, I couldn’t anymore.

  This had started out as an attempt for me to free myself so that I could find the love, the life, that I wanted.

  And I had found it.

  With him.

  I’d tried to think of some other word for it, tried to find an explanation that would be more comfortable, one that I would be able to accept, but I’d had no such luck.

  Because there was no way to avoid it, no way to work around it, no way to pretend that it was anything but what it was.

  And what it was was that my fool-self had gone and fallen in love with the man.

  I’d been convinced that wouldn’t happen, but hindsight being twenty-twenty and all, I had been wrong.

  Some part of me wondered why this hadn’t happened before, but I had quickly puzzled out the answer.

  Before, I hadn’t even allowed myself to contemplate it. My resolve had been strong, as had my follow-through. There was no way I would allow myself to think of Kristian as anything other than my friend.

  But when I muddied the waters, I’d opened myself up to this and fallen right in.

  I walked through the now-empty restaurant, shutting off some of the lights, and making sure the tables were in proper order, my mind swirling with each step.

  I wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with this new revelation, or acceptance of feelings that had been there all along, so I tried to think of things rationally.

  I loved Kristian.

  I could try to sugarcoat it, pretend it was something else, pass it off as deep affection, but all that would be bullshit, and I prided myself on not peddling bullshit.

  I had no doubt about my feelings, so the only question was what I would do about them.

  I didn’t know where Kristian stood, or rather wouldn’t presume that I knew where he stood.

  I could try to figure it out myself, but I knew the only way to get clarity was to talk to Kristian about it.

  I froze, looking out of the beautiful plate-glass window onto the quiet street.

  The thought of forming those words was one that terrified me, made me shiver down to my very core.

  But it also made me happy.

  Because as unlikely as it was, as much as I wouldn’t dare bank on it, it wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility that Kristian felt something for me to
o.

  Besides, if our relationship had proven anything, it had proven that he and I defied the odds.

  I would have to trust in that and hope that it would be the thing that would save the day.

  “And besides, you ain’t no bitch,” I said to myself before giggling.

  I wasn’t. And I wouldn’t run from this, even if the risk of being hurt was so great.

  “We’re headed out, Dallas,” Tommy called.

  “I’ll come lock up,” I said.

  “You gonna stay here by yourself?” he asked, looking skeptical.

  “Just for a few minutes. Then I’m out of here,” I said.

  “Okay. Be safe,” he responded.

  I let him out of the back door and then punched in the security code.

  I took one last look around the kitchen, certain that Kristian would be happy with the way it looked when he returned, and then started to make my way toward the office.

  Froze when I heard the locks disengage.

  I whirled around, and saw a familiar figure standing at the front door.

  Kristian pushed the door open and I breathed out a deep sigh. “Holy shit, Kristian! You scared the crap out of me,” I said.

  I had thrown my hand over my chest and lowered my lids, but when Kristian didn’t respond I looked at him more closely, saw the solemn expression on his face.

  “Sorry, Dallas,” he said in an equally solemn voice. “I thought you’d be gone for the night.”

  He pushed the door open farther, but instead of walking in he stepped aside.

  “You wanted to see it, so here it is,” he said, sounding as angry as I’d ever heard him.

  At first I didn’t see the person he was talking to, but when I heard the soft, feminine laugh, I instantly knew.

  “Kris, it’s very…clean,” Marta said as she stepped through the door and looked around the restaurant.

  My emotions were a mix, anger, hurt, disbelief. I felt like I had been mule-kicked, the air forced out of my lungs, so I didn’t dare try to speak.

  Not that doing so would have been necessary.

  Marta, who had locked eyes with mine, skipped over and then proceeded to walk around the place, looked down her nose at it even though the ceilings were thirteen feet high, and she was barely five.

  “Who did the decor?” she asked.

  “Dallas handled a lot of it,” Kristian said.

  She wrinkled her nose, her disdain clear.

  “It makes sense. She does have a common sense of style,” Marta said.

  Were I not still in shock I might have had a snappy comeback, but for the first time in a long time my voice failed me.

  I couldn’t talk, couldn’t really think, except about one question.

  It was a question I wouldn’t dare ask him, not now, but one that I would have an answer to, and soon.

  “You’ve seen it, now let’s go back to the car,” he said.

  “There’s no rush, Kris,” she said, her voice dropping an octave in suggestion.

  “As I’ve told you multiple times, Marta, my name is Kristian.”

  “And as I’ve told you multiple times, what’s a little nickname between friends?” Marta said.

  Friends? Bullshit. Marta didn’t have friends, and I thought Kristian was smart enough to know that.

  It seemed I had been wrong.

  Kristian

  Tonight had been a disaster, but from the look in Dallas’s eyes, if I didn’t do something it would be a catastrophe. It was time to end this charade.

  I glared at Marta.

  “You wanted to see the restaurant. You’ve seen it. Now leave.”

  Marta froze, appearing temporarily shocked at the icy tone of my voice. She quickly shook the comment off, but I saw that it had gotten to her.

  “It’s…lovely, Kristian,” she said, sounding as insincere as anything I had ever heard. “But you’re right. It’s been a long night, one that I hope to extend a little longer. So let’s get out of here.”

  The innuendo wasn’t subtle, but I marveled that she thought some uninspired flirting would change what I had told her a thousand times now.

  She probably didn’t believe it would work, but the woman was tenacious, and I wouldn’t dissuade her with words. So instead, I took a different tack.

  “No, we don’t need to leave. You need to leave. Now,” I said.

  “Very well. I’ll wait for you in the limo,” she answered.

  I grabbed my money clip out of my pocket and peeled off two $100 bills. “Take a cab,” I said, extending the money.

  Marta’s face remained stoic, but I could see a flush beginning to creep up her exposed cleavage and neck. She was angry, but her years of training kept her from expressing it.

  “Fine,” she said, her usually easy, seductive voice brittle.

  She plucked the bills from my hand and then took a dramatic turn and walked out of the restaurant.

  I locked the door behind her, lingering a few extra moments to try to gather myself.

  When I returned to the dining room, I saw that Dallas had finished the last task she had been working on, and appeared ready to leave.

  “Thanks for stepping in tonight, Dallas. I really appreciate it. Are you ready to leave?” I asked.

  “That was a real dick move, Kristian,” she said.

  “I know. But I explained the circumstances—”

  “No, not tonight. What you just did to Marta. You would never give me a couple bucks and send me on my way,” she said.

  Because I didn’t want her to leave, and even if I had offered her the money, I knew Dallas wouldn’t have taken it. And based on the way she was looking now, I didn’t think she’d appreciate my explanations either, so I kept those to myself.

  Instead I said, “Marta can take care of herself.”

  “Oh I don’t doubt she can more than take care of herself, but it’s the principle of the thing,” Dallas said.

  I stayed still for a moment, studying her, trying to get a read on her emotions, but unable to.

  “So, what? You think I should have taken her home?”

  “Well, it would have been the chivalrous thing to do.”

  “I prefer to save my chivalry for people who deserve it,” I said.

  The “like you” was left unspoken, but Dallas clearly got the message.

  “Still,” she said, shaking her head. “It was rude. You need a spanking.”

  “That an offer?” I asked, crossing the rest of the dining room to stop in front of her.

  She was wearing a nondescript white blouse and black slacks, but she had never looked more beautiful. But every time I saw Dallas I thought she was more beautiful than the time I had seen her last.

  “What if it was?” she asked, lifting one corner of her mouth, amusement and challenge taking some of the disapproval I had seen in her face away.

  “If it’s an offer, I’ll make a counter,” I said, taking a few steps closer to her.

  I leaned forward to quickly tug her earlobe between my teeth.

  Her sharp inhale raced through my body and landed at my cock. I had intended to wait until I had her home to do this, but the need I felt for her now wouldn’t be denied.

  I began working the buttons open on the shirt and quickly pushed it off her shoulders.

  I didn’t bother to pull the undershirt she wore over her head, and instead put my hands under it, beginning my exploration of her abdomen, moving ever closer to her full, straining breasts with puckered nipples I could see through the fabric.

  I quickly unbuttoned her pants and stuck my hand in them, finding her core wet, ready for me as it always was.

  “A counter?” she said, her voice coming out breathy.

  “Yeah,” I said, as I began to circle her clit with my finger.

  “I’m all ears.”

  Seventeen

  Kristian

  A few hours later, the limo moved through the city streets in the direction of Dallas’s studio.

  “You
sure you don’t want to come over, or have me stay with you tonight?” I asked.

  “Nope. I’m tired, and I don’t trust you not to keep me up all night,” she said, her voice stern, though she wore a big smile.

  “Smart and beautiful,” I responded as I leaned over and kissed her softly. “If you’re sure...” I said.

  The limo had come to a stop in front of Dallas’s studio, but she didn’t immediately make a move to get out.

  Instead she stayed seated, looking around the limo, before finally settling her gaze on me.

  “Kristian—”

  I could hear the heaviness in the way she said my name, and her abrupt cutoff only added more.

  “What is it, Dallas?” I asked.

  She looked at me a moment longer, then shook her head as if to clear it.

  “Nothing. Good night,” she said.

  Without waiting for me to respond, she pressed a quick kiss against my cheek and then got out of the limo.

  I cracked my window to watch her into the studio. Something was telling me to go after her, and it wasn’t desire to see her, though I wanted to.

  No, I felt guilty. Leaving her like that had been a mistake, and I hoped she would give me a chance to make it up to her.

  Brooding didn’t do anything to help my mood, so after a few moments more I had the driver leave, hoping and praying I hadn’t done anything to damage this new, fragile thing Dallas and I were building.

  “Change of plans. Take me to my father,” I said into the intercom.

  The driver changed course, and I was relieved when he stopped in front of the hotel.

  I wasted no time to see him, though I still had to go through his security detail. All the men on it had known me since I was born or shortly thereafter, but that didn’t spare me from a thorough pat down and check. The same happened when I visited Leo, but at least he seemed apologetic about it. I could imagine that my father knew it was happening now, and he certainly wouldn’t be apologetic. I’d never known him to be apologetic about anything, but fortunately I hadn’t come here tonight seeking it.