“Hot tub tonight?” she asked.
Fuck. Yes.
I decided to go with a more dignified response. “Absolutely.”
Once I heard her bedroom door close, I left my room to join Delilah.
“What’s up, sweetie?” I asked, leaning over the back of the couch to kiss the top of her head.
“I’m hungry,” she whined. “And you were taking so long.”
“I’m sorry. Do you want cereal?”
“I want Callie to make me breakfast,” she said, folding her arms in front of her.
“She’s still getting ready,” I said, brushing my hand over her curls. “I’ll get it for you. Cheerios or Life cereal?”
She swatted my hand away and mumbled. Like father, like daughter. I wasn’t always a morning person, but as I let her be and headed into the kitchen, I knew I hadn’t faced a morning feeling so exhilarated in a long time.
I grabbed the coffee grounds and added them to the coffeemaker, thinking about meeting Callie in the hot tub later. There were so many things I wanted to do with her there. I’d had fantasy after fantasy about it, after the first night we shared there, and there was never a time when the fantasy ended that I believed it could really happen. I never thought she’d want me the way I wanted her.
“Fine,” Delilah said, entering the kitchen. “Cheerios.”
“You got it,” I replied, gathering a bowl.
I got her all settled, sitting with her as she ate while showing me some of the new stickers in her sticker book. Callie had taken her to this sticker store, which had hundreds of varieties to choose from. This was something I’d never thought of doing, but Callie did. The way she was with Delilah, the bond that was growing between them, made things make sense in a way I couldn’t have comprehended even a day ago.
“Morning,” she said, breezing into the kitchen. “Daddy got you all set, Delilah?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she said.
Callie walked past me, leaving the scent of her shampoo and body lotion in the air. I’d soaked in her smell last night, honey and orange, but fresh from her shower it was overwhelming me.
She walked to the cabinet where the coffee mugs were and stepped up on her toes to reach one down. She was still pushing a few aside to get to hers when Delilah got up and ran out of the kitchen. Perfect timing and a perfect opportunity was all I needed to reach over and grab her tight ass.
She spun around, almost dropping her coffee mug. “Stop it,” she hissed and gave me a slap on the arm.
“Ow,” I replied, laughing and rubbing my arm. “She ran out to go watch TV.”
“I could’ve dropped my mug. This,” she said, holding her Tinker Bell mug out to me, “is my favorite. Evelyn brought it back for me from Disney World.”
“What would you rather? My hand on your ass or that mug?”
She leaned against the counter. “Let me think,” she said, tapping her chin. She set her mug down and wrapped her arms around my waist. “To be honest, I’d rather shatter the mug into a million pieces and eat it off Wedgwood than never have your hands on my body again.”
I had to remind myself there was a little girl in the room next to us, otherwise I would’ve picked Callie up and fucked her in my kitchen for driving me so completely crazy.
The doorbell rang, and with a knowing wink, I left the kitchen to get the door. Delilah skipped behind me, and when I opened the door, I knew I was in trouble.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Chapter Fifteen
CALLIE—
What are you doing here?” I heard Aaron say.
“Good morning to you, too.”
Abel? Why was he here?
Was he coming by to evaluate the situation between Aaron and me? Did he regret everything we talked about and was planning to come clean to his brother? Or maybe something to do with their parents? Were they okay? Stupidity and guilt sucker punched me, and I realized what an asshole I was. Everything wasn’t always about me.
“Abel needs to see you.” Aaron said, walking back into the kitchen.
Never mind. It’s all about me.
“What’s up?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know.”
I picked up my coffee mug and walked into the living room where Abel was tickling Delilah on the floor, and she screamed with laughter.
“Stop,” she shouted through her giggles.
“Say it. Say it, and I’ll stop tickling,” Abel said.
“Uncle Abel is the best uncle…ever and is more funnier than Daddy.” As soon as she managed to get all the words out, he released her.
“I gotta go potty,” Delilah said, running out the room.
I shook my head at him. “If she had peed on the carpet, I’d have made you clean it up.”
“No way,” Abel replied, standing up. “You’re the nanny. You clean up all the bodily fluids.”
“What do you want?”
“You left this lipstick on the table last night,” he said, handing me a shiny plastic tube.
I opened the top and twisted to see the color. “Thanks, but this isn’t mine.”
“Is isn’t? Are you sure?”
I flipped it over to look at the name on the bottom. “Oh, I’m sure,” I said, putting the top back on and handing it back to him. “Floozy Fuchsia isn’t really my color.”
“Huh,” he said, tucking it into his pocket. “My new friend must’ve left it after our drink.”
“The server?”
“No, she was my friend later,” he said winking at me.
“Jesus, Abel.”
“So,” he said, rocking back and forth on his heels. “How are things?”
“Fine. Everything’s fine.”
“Fine as in fine. Or fine as in lots of other words besides fine.”
“Just knock it off and say whatever it is you’re thinking.”
“Well. Since you asked…”
Raised voices in the other room put a stop to our conversation, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. Abel and I walked to the kitchen and stopped in the doorway to take in what was happening.
“I said no, Delilah,” Aaron said firmly.
“But I want to go to Uncle Abel’s and Nana-Papa’s. They’re more funnier than you.”
Abel lived in the same building as their parents, and if Delilah was going to see one of them, she got to see all of them.
Aaron sighed. “Delilah,” he warned.
“Callieeeeee,” Delilah whined. “Daddy’s being mean.”
I’d made it a rule that when Delilah tried to get me to side with her in disagreements between her and Aaron, I wouldn’t say a word. I raised my eyebrows at Aaron, letting him know I wasn’t touching the topic with a ten-foot pole.
“What’s the big deal?” Abel asked.
“The last time I let you spend the day with my daughter she had nightmares for a week.”
Abel rolled his eyes. “That’s only because she begged me to take her to Rainforest Cafe, and she got all freaked out over the talking gorilla.”
“Please, Daddy,” Delilah begged.
“Yeah, please, Daddy?” Abel said.
“All right,” Aaron said.
“Yes!” Delilah said.
“In fact,” Abel said, reaching into his pocket for his phone. “Mom asked if she could spend the night there.”
“No, she didn’t,” Aaron said.
“Yes, she did. Call her if you want,” he said, holding his phone out to him. “She knows how hard you’ve been working and thought you might want a night to yourself to do…who…whatever.”
Aaron looked at me, and I shrugged. There was no way Abel could’ve been any more transparent. He might as well have been encased in plastic wrap.
Aaron stepped close to Abel and whispered in his ear. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but saw Abel nodding his head.
“Can I please have a sleepover, Daddy? Please,” Delilah asked.
“Yes.”
Aaron
looked at me out of the corner of his eye and winked.
“I’ll go get a bag ready for Delilah,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Aaron said. “My parents have two of everything of hers there. Clothes, toothbrush…you name it.”
“Come on, squirt,” Abel said, leaning down and throwing her over his shoulder.
“Bye, Callie,” she said waving at me.
“Bye. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Aaron said, following them down the hallway.
And with that, the deal was sealed, and I could barely wrap my brain around what Delilah gone for the night meant.
Aaron and I.
Alone.
My mind ran wild. Places, situations, and positions all filtered through my consciousness and I considered how many of those we could get to in one night.
“An entire day and night to ourselves,” he said, coming back down the hallway. “What should we do with all that time?”
I knew what I wanted to do, but there were things I had to do. As I silently contemplated, Aaron approached me, brushing his hand against my lower back.
“Is it that…hard…to figure out, Calliope,” he whispered in my ear. “I could help you if you want.”
My knees went weak as his lips brushed against my earlobe. “I, um, school and finals this…um, this week,” I mumbled.
“Then that is what you’re doing today,” he said, placing a kiss on my neck. “I will busy myself with things, and you study. That’s the most important.”
I began to pout, but a mischievous smile from him stopped me. He was right.
“See you later?” I asked.
“I’ll pick you up at nine right in this same spot,” he said with a wink before walking around me toward the stairs.
“Huh?”
“I’m taking you out tonight. I’ll pick you up at nine.”
“We are? Where are we going?”
“Surprise,” he said over his shoulder.
“Tease.”
While I had a productive day (there was only so much I could get done knowing that Aaron was downstairs and I could be having sex instead of studying), I was eager to start getting ready for the evening.
I remembered working all those Saturday nights at Venom, and while it was the biggest money night of the week for me, I couldn’t help but think it sucked that I was on that side of the bar. Week after week, couples came in on their Saturday date nights and ordered their cocktails. They would snuggle into one of the many love seats strategically placed around the perimeter of the enormous space. I would catch them making out in the hallways or in one of the offices. And while there were many one-night hookups that occurred there, I developed a keen eye for detecting the lovers from the one-night standers. Now it was my turn, a night out with a lover, and I was ready. I’d waited and I was ready.
As I dressed for our evening out, I settled on a formfitting sweater dress, which hit right above the knee and boots, I applied simple makeup, and let my hair lay natural down my back. While the night before my intent was to make Aaron seethe with jealousy about how I looked, tonight my intention was to make him happy.
I walked downstairs promptly at nine, and there he was. All smiles and waiting for me at the other end in the hallway.
He was dressed in charcoal twill pants and a V-neck sweater. As he greeted me with a hug, his incredible scent embraced me as well, all Ivory soap, aftershave, and him.
“You look incredible,” he said.
His large, muscular arms held me tight for a moment before he leaned down and firmly pressed his lips to mine. Our bodies relaxed into each other, the comfort we were developing helping to pave the way. The tip of his tongue taunted my bottom lip while his hands began to roam across my back and settled on my ass.
Feeling restless and eager, I parted my lips to allow my tongue to slide into his mouth. The moment our tongues met, I groaned against his mouth, his hands sliding up the back of my dress.
All too soon, he pulled away. “Keep that up, and we’ll never get out of here.”
“Is that so wrong?” I pouted.
His hands returned to my waist while still keeping me close. “It’s not wrong at all, but let’s go have a cocktail, relax, and then I’ll bring you back here. And tonight, we won’t have to worry about being quiet.”
One more quick kiss and I surrendered. The man wanted to take me out for drinks, and although I was eager to get naked, it was endearing that he would attempt to treat me like a lady with a date before bringing me home and nailing me.
And take me for drinks, he did. He took me to Wild Honey, Chicago’s newest, private nightclub. It also happened to be one of his nightclubs. We bypassed the line, which was waiting along the side of the building, and were ushered right in.
Dimly lit and intimate, Wild Honey was nothing like Venom. No loud music and drunken frat boys. It was couples and small groups gathered around U-shaped leather upholstery. Etched glass ran the width behind the bar with the crystal drinking glasses reflecting off the candlelight.
People stood straighter, smiled, and greeted us with the upmost respect. Basically, there was a lot of kissing ass to the Boss Man. It was a complete pleasure, one which I wasn’t prepared for. He was the boss and everyone there knew it.
It was so damn sexy.
“Mr. Matthews,” said a stunning leggy blond approaching us. “What a pleasure.”
He smiled and took her hand. “Nice to see you again, Monica. And it’s Aaron, remember? How are things here?”
“Very well,” she said. “I think you’ll be pleased when you see the numbers at our meeting next week.”
“I’m sure I will.”
I stood next to him, awkwardly looking around the room, realizing he couldn’t introduce me. He knew he couldn’t say, “Oh! This is Callie. She’s my daughter’s nanny and I’m banging her on the side.” The connotation left so much room for interpretation that I wasn’t even bothered by it.
What I was bothered by was the way Monica was throwing glances and subtle innuendo at Aaron. She was probably used to getting any guy she wanted. She was that gorgeous. Aaron continued to grin as they chatted, their conversation now only noise to me.
It wasn’t insecurity. Maybe it was a little, but it was more curiosity. He worked around sophisticated, smart women every day. He was smart and sophisticated. I wondered what he saw in me.
“Callie?” he asked, brushing his fingers against mine. “Did you hear me?”
Monica was gone, and Aaron was looking at me confused. “I’m sorry, what?”
He smiled, a different smirk than the one he was only moments ago giving Monica. “Ready? Are you okay?”
His eyes shifted across my face as his smile disappeared, and I knew I had to get myself in check.
“Ready and better than okay,” I said.
Once we were nestled in a private corner and ordered our drinks, we settled into conversation. It was oddly comfortable considering the dynamics between us. Whether it was the dirty martini I sipped or the realization that this thing between Aaron and me had finally come to fruition, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time.
Happy.
“You know,” I said, taking a sip from my cocktail and placing it back down. “It blows my mind that this is yours.”
He leaned against the back of the booth, his hands resting behind his head. “I like blowing your mind, Calliope,” he said.
I knew we were only one drink in, but I didn’t want to waste any more time. Such a short window was available to us, and I wanted, I needed, it to be only us.
If I wanted to get him out of there soon, I was going to have to pull out the big guns. Fortunately for me, I’d witnessed more mating rituals working as a bartender than a National Geographic photographer.
“I don’t think I mentioned it,” I said, placing my hand on his knee. “But you look really hot tonight.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Why thank you. I’m glad you app
rove.”
“I more than approve.”
He leaned forward, and when I thought he was going to kiss me, he tilted his head and placed the kiss on my neck, right below my ear.
“And I more than approve of what you’re wearing or not wearing,” he whispered in my ear.
Still wanting to play it cool and not let him know how turned on I was, I rubbed my hand over his leg before dragging my fingers across his pants and resting it on them.
“Speaking of not wearing,” I said. “I may or may not be wearing underwear.”
His eyes immediately widened, and he drew in a sharp breath. “I fucking knew it.”
“You did, did you? How do you figure that out?”
“Earlier. When my hands were all over your ass, I thought either she’s wearing a very tiny thong or nothing. I decided to go with the tiny thong theory.”
“Why?”
“Because if I let myself believe I was taking you out wearing nothing under that dress, we never would have left.”
And it’s time to go in for the kill.
“Well, now that you know,” I said, inching my hand up his thigh, “how do you feel?”
“How do I feel?” he repeated in a low voice.
“Mmm-hmm.”
He stood up, surprising me with his abruptness. “I feel like I need to get you out of here, immediately, and go home so we can fuck our brains out.”
He grabbed my hand and took off toward the front of the bar, stopping only briefly to say good-bye to his employees. We got our coats from coat check and rushed to the door. When we got outside, there was no line for the valet, and his car was quickly retrieved. We hurried in, and when Aaron pounded the gas pedal, his tires squealed as he peeled out.
His hand rested on my leg as we drove home, which wasn’t far from Wild Honey. While neither of us would condone driving recklessly, I was pleased we were getting there fast.
The car had barely stopped and been put into park before we both jumped out and raced to the front door. My need for him was so overwhelming I couldn’t stand not having his lips on mine another moment longer. I snaked my hands into his hair and grabbed a fistful; I yanked him forward. Our lips met, and that same intense energy I still was not used to lit my insides afire.
So Twisted Page 13
