Vehn (Exotic Ink Book 1)

by LS Anders

  “Oh my God, Avie! Where the hell did you get that? I can’t even afford to look at it.”

  “Well, Evana said it was a category 5 outfit emergency,” she commented, shrugging innocently. “Besides, a friend of a friend owed me a favor. So, voila, a designer dress for Callie, with shoes and evening bag to match.”

  She handed Evana the dress and opened the shopping bag, pulling out a small silk clutch purse with the designer’s initials adorning the clasp and five-inch stilettoes to match.

  “Avie, how did you manage to get a designer dress in my size at the last minute, not to mention the accessories?” Callie’s eyes were huge as she took in the miraculous find.

  “Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Get dressed or you’re gonna be late. You don't want Vehn showing up at your door while you’re wearing that robe, do you?” Avie chided.

  “No, I don’t, but we are going to talk later, and you're letting me pay you back.”

  “Who said I paid for it? You needed it. It's yours. End of.”

  “Avie—”

  “Gift horse, Callie! Go get dressed so we can leave before he gets here.”

  Callie allowed herself to be led to her bedroom where the girls helped her into the designer dress. She couldn’t help but marvel at how perfect the fit was. Usually, she had to have her garments taken in at the waist because of her boob-waist-hip ratio being of the hourglass variety, but this thing seemed like it had been made specifically for her.

  Primped, coifed, dressed, shoed, and accessorized, she was as ready as she ever was going to be.

  Callie hugged her friends one last time before they rushed out the door. Stopping to take another look in her full-length mirror, Callie smoothed the front of the dress still not believing how amazing everything had turned out and how fabulous her friends were. She needed to think of something really special to do for those two to say thanks.

  Glancing at the clock, she saw it was just about time for Vehn to arrive. She made her way to the living room, and her butt barely kissed the sofa before she was up and on the move again.

  Maybe she should just check herself in the mirror once more to be sure she looked okay.

  When Callie buzzed him up, her palms were already sweating, and when she answered the door, seeing him again was like getting hit in the gut with a bolt of electricity. If she thought she was nervous before, she was definitely feeling weak in the knees now.

  He had shown up with a huge bouquet of red roses, his signature panty-melting smile, and looking like he had just stepped off the cover of a men's fashion magazine in a classic black designer suit. The thing looked like it had been made just for him, and the crisp whiteness of his shirt only magnified the intensity of the sea-glass green of his eyes. She couldn’t have not returned his infectious grin even if she’d had a gun pointed at her head.

  The girls had just left, and she wouldn’t be surprised if they had passed each other coming and going. She was grateful he had shown up so quickly after they had gone, because that hadn't left her with much time to pace and fret. Calmly sitting and waiting on the couch had lasted all of two seconds.

  After taking care of the flowers, they made their way down to the car, chatting and stealing glimpses of each other in the elevator. Despite the air of confidence he exuded, there was an underlying shyness about Vehn that was so endearing. Every time she caught him staring, he would duck his head, the top of his cheeks staining pink. He looked so freaking adorable, it was everything she could do not to squeal and bite him!

  Once the driver had them settled into the back seat of the luxury sedan, she turned towards him so their thighs were touching. Sitting so close, she could feel the heat radiating off his body, making her want to cuddle closer, but she stayed were she was. No need to get a backseat make-out session started. She wanted him alone along with some privacy for when that happened again, not with a chauffeur peeking in the rearview mirror.

  Sheesh, what was with drivers unable to mind their own business?

  Every time she stole a glance, her heart would do a funny little quiver, and a blast of heat would wash over her. Would she ever get used to seeing him? He was almost too beautiful to look directly at for any length of time, but that didn’t stop her from watching, fascinated, every single time that chocolate-kissed luxurious mane of his brushed across his broad shoulders with every turn of his head. It was everything she could do not to reach out and cop a feel of the stuff. Or better yet, straddle him while she buried her face in it and got a lungful of that tantalizing scent that was uniquely his.

  Squeezing her thighs tightly together, she wiggled in her seat from the spear of lust that shot through her at the thought. Great! Now her panties were wet, and the rest of her insides had most likely been liquefied with all the nervous quivering going on. But her brain was what was really driving her crazy. It kept screaming, I'm on a freaking date with Vehn Mathieu!

  Despite attempting to ground herself with the story Tegan had told her, it was still so hard to believe that that had happened to the man she was now seated next to. Even though the story was sad and made her mad as hell, it was helping a little to make him more relatable and less mega-star-ish.

  She just needed to keep reminding herself that this was Lee. This was the guy she had crushed so hard on at the Halloween party and through late night texts.

  Vehn shifted next to her. Turning her head, she smiled shyly at him. She rubbed her hand over the butter-soft leather, hoping some of her nervousness would be absorbed by the delicious smelling upholstery. If luxury had a scent, it would be of this leather; the scent hung lightly in the atmosphere of the vehicle.

  Growing up in a single income family in the not so good area of Chicago, Callie had never in her life been in a car with real leather seats. This palace on wheels had to have cost more than her freaking condo! Overwhelmed didn't even come close to how she was feeling. The unfamiliarity of this excessive opulence was almost too much to deal with.

  She had yet to get over the surprise of being greeted by a tuxedo-clad chauffer, but what totally blew her away was when the car pulled up and stopped in front of one the most exclusive French restaurants in Manhattan. She supposed this was what dating a rich person was like. It was daunting to say the least, nothing like she was used to. Not even the fancy places she had gone to with Ryder when he was rewarding her for being a “good girl” were close to being this extravagant.

  The driver opened the door for her with a flourish. She had a moment of hesitation before sliding out of the backseat, relinquishing her anonymity to the curious bystanders that had turned their heads in the direction of the sleek black sedan. They looked deflated when they didn't recognize her as someone special, but she knew that would all change the instant her name became associated with the mega-star that was about to exit behind her.

  Sure enough, as soon as Vehn got out of the car, the camera flashes lit off. She didn't seem to notice as he came to stand beside her, she was so taken aback with the fancy awning that led to the front door. She had heard of this place, but never thought in a million years she would be having dinner here, and especially not with Vehn Mathieu!

  “Are you ok? You look scared to death.”

  “Oh, no, I'm fine. It's just, you know... a lot to take in with the car, you, and now this.” She pulled the silken labels together on her coat. Thank fuck she had kept her mother’s vintage dress coat. The garment went really well with the dress Avie had miraculously pulled out of her ass at the last minute.

  Vehn chewed his lower lip, suggesting, “We can do something else. Or go someplace else. I just wanted to take you someplace special for our first date.”

  She didn’t think it would be possible to feel like a bigger asshole than she did right then. Here was this gorgeous man, literally the man of her dreams, going to a great deal of trouble to impress her, and she was acting like a total ungrateful freak!

  “Absolutely not! You're just so amazing. I mean, at first I thought you were just a re
gular guy, and then I find out you’re, well, you, and now I'm being chauffeured around in a… whatever that car is… and about to walk into a hoity-toity restaurant that I can’t even pronounce the name of and that’s only reserved for the rich and famous, and I'm not either of those things. But I guess you are or you wouldn't have been able to get a table, now, would you?” She laughed nervously.

  Most women could only dream of going out on a date like this. She had had quite a few dreams of her own, as a matter of fact, and with this very man. But now that this was her realty and not her fantasy? She just didn’t know what to do or what to say or how to act. Now that she was doing this in real life, she felt keenly as if she didn't belong. Everything inside her wanted to bolt and hide inside her comfort zone. She guessed chauffeurs and white-glove service weren't really her thing, but her fantasy self always wore the right clothes, always said the right things, always knew exactly how to act.

  “I guess I feel like I really don’t belong.” A camera flashed in her periphery causing her to duck her head away. And to think she had envied Regina’s fortune of being photographed with him. Now that it was actually happening to her, she didn’t feel quite so jealous over the experience.

  “Callie, look at me,” Vehn said, ignoring the onlooker, and he tilted her chin up, cupping it gently in his large warm palm. “Stop your worrying. You belong anywhere you want to be. Hey, I’ve got an idea. We could window shop a little before we go in. There are some nice stores on this street.”

  She somehow knew he could feel her distress, which only intensified her feelings for him. She was in serious danger of falling in love with him, and she knew, if he ever broke her heart, he would do permanent damage. As in never to beat again. Broken forever kind of damage.

  “I think I would, but we would be late for our reservation.” Callie tried to avoid another unwanted camera flash.

  “We have plenty of time. No worries, and just ignore the cameras.”

  “Does this happen to you all the time?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. I know you’re not used to this, but don't let them intimidate you,” he said, gathering her hand up in his.

  His sincere smile eased her anxiety only for a moment, when it was replaced by another as they began to stroll past the shop windows. She couldn’t even afford to look at anything in the window displays, much less buy anything in these stores.

  A good example would be the very dress she was wearing. Talk about a poser! She really needed to talk to him soon and come clean about the dress. She needed to stop pretending to be something she wasn’t. This was just too reminiscent of Ryder, having to become someone else in order to please a man. She wasn’t about to go on another journey to discover who she wasn’t and live again behind a false mask. She just wanted to be her and not try to be someone else.

  Tegan’s words played through her mind, “He doesn’t want to be up on a pedestal. He doesn’t want to have to try and meet such high expectations everyone has set for him”. Well, she didn’t either, so she guessed they had one more thing in common.

  Using the cold outside air to solidify her spine, she took a deep breath, determined not to be so overwhelmed. Finding just enough courage to turn her head and glance at the windows they strolled past, she still wasn't registering what was being displayed, her focus now on the people that were turning around as they passed. She smiled up at him when he squeezed her hand in a comforting gesture.

  “So, how much stroll time do we have? Are we super early?”

  “No. I reserved the entire place for tonight, so we can go in anytime we want.”

  She stumbled at his words. He was there with a strong arm around her waist, making sure she didn't go splat on the sidewalk.

  “The entire restaurant is ours? For the night?” she asked, turning towards him. Suddenly, there wasn’t enough breathable oxygen on the planet.

  “Yep. I didn't want anyone bothering us on our first date. Sorry, I guess I overdid it again, huh?”

  The onlookers forgotten, she smoothed his hair back from his face when his gaze dropped to his shoes. Damn, the man had some really soft, amazing-smelling hair. Maybe later she could get some hair tips from him.

  She shook her head, refocusing. “No, you didn't. You are the sweetest man I've ever met. It's not every day a girl gets treated like a queen. Well, not for me, anyway. I love that you went to all this trouble, and I'm sorry for being so weird about it.”

  “That’s me. Sweet,” he said, kissing her lightly on the lips. Not a deep frantic kiss, but just as scorching.

  A little moan escaped her, which Vehn took as a sign to pull her closer. His lips lightly brushed her skin, tracing her jaw to her ear. She heard him wet his lips next to her ear before saying, “Callie, if we keep this up, I'm gonna throw you in the backseat of that damn car and have my way with you.”

  A tidal wave of desire turned her insides to liquid, drenching her already wet panties as the visual of his words, of the two of them going at each other hard and heavy, slammed into her brain.

  She had promised herself she wasn't going to have sex with him on their first date, but damn, he had a fine idea, and the backseat was looking pretty good right about now. She was seriously reevaluating her decision.

  Her hands had settled low on his hips. Without even realizing it, she took a step closer, moving her thigh up to the inside of his leg and getting dangerously close to caressing his crotch.

  He broke the kiss as another camera flashed up close and personal, but she ignored it, lost to his hypnotizing gaze as he drew languid circles with his thumb over her jaw. His head was still tilted slightly to the side from their kiss, as if he were silently waiting for her to give him permission to toss her into the backseat.

  Her eyes roamed from his slightly parted lips to his heavily-lidded green gaze. The man had some serious bedroom eyes. She wondered what he looked like when he came. She pondered if he would be intense or have a look of utter relaxation. Mmmmmm, maybe a little of both. She wondered if he would bite those sensual lips of his or if they would be parted. She hadn't had the opportunity to see his face the one time they had been together. She really wanted to know. She really wanted to watch him cum.

  But for now, she really hoped some of the blood that had settled in her pussy made its way back up to her brain so she didn’t pass out. Although, she wouldn’t mind being scooped up in those strong arms of his again.

  He gave her a quick kiss and took a step back, putting some distance between them. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he ran them down the length of her arms before taking her hands in his and placing a kiss on the back of each one.

  “Come on, sexy Callie. Let’s go have dinner,” he said, tugging her back toward the restaurant.

  To hell with her weak knees! After those words and that smile, she practically floated along with him.

  As they stepped inside the elegant restaurant devoid of any other patrons, thanks to Vehn, she couldn’t help but squeal on the inside. It was romantic but in an oddly vacant kind of way. Candles and linens adorned all the tables as if it were any other night. It was like they were the only two people left in the world, except, of course, for the wait staff. Which was fine by her after all the unwanted attention on the sidewalk.

  I'm on a date with Vehn Mathieu! she shrieked inside her head.

  She quickly leashed and muzzled her inner fangirl as she replayed Tegan’s words over again inside her head, “Now he wants off that ride and to go back to being as normal as he can possibly get. So treat him like you would anybody else”.

  It was imperative that she bring him down off that damn pedestal she'd placed him upon and stop with the star-struck psycho routine before she fucked up the best thing that had ever happened to her.

  If this relationship was going to even stand a chance of succeeding, the only way to proceed was to remember that he was Lee, the same man she had fallen for during those few days of flirty texts and phone calls. She was going to have to look past his celeb
rity persona and see him from the inside out.

  She had logged so many fantasies starring Vehn that she had given him a personality of her own design based on facts and tidbits she had read about in various publications. As it turned out, the real life Vehn was way better than any fantasy she could have ever dreamed up. He was nothing like she imagined. He was rather shy, had a great sense of humor, and didn’t take himself too seriously. He was just the opposite of the extremely confident, slightly arrogant man she thought him to be.

  The press did have one thing correct. He was a “good guy”. He just wasn't as comfortable in his own skin as he appeared to be in photos.

  Actually, these were all her issues, and she needed to shelf them fast before she screwed this up.

  “What table would you like? Ladies' choice.”

  She looked at Vehn, and then studied the expanse of the empty restaurant before answering, “How about one next to a window so we can people watch? Turnabout's fair play.”

  “Excellent choice, madam. Right this way.” The maître d’ bowed slightly, his extended arm leading the way.

  After all the hoopla with the white-glove service was over and they were settled in at the table Callie had chosen, they were finally, blessedly, alone. Well, except for a couple of the wait staff standing sentry near the entrance to the kitchen, looking like they were on guard duty, waiting patiently to be summoned to perform a task.

  Vehn loved that she was trying to make light of her first uncomfortable encounter with the attention his celebrity always generated by requesting a table next to the window so they could people watch. But looking through the one-way glass of the restaurant at people who were oblivious to your stares was nothing at all like what they had just experienced on the sidewalk.

  He knew how unnerving it was to have a camera jammed in your face the moment you stepped outside when all you wanted to do was walk down the freaking street like everybody else without it being viewed as a major event.