by Stacy Gail
“Don’t worry about that guy anymore, you hear me? He doesn’t deserve another second of your time.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It might not be an answer, but it’s the truth.” The arm supporting my upper body pulled me against his chest in an unmistakable hug, and I fell in love with him all over again. “No one’s ever going to get close enough to even look at you again, all right? You’re safe.”
When he held me like this, safe was exactly how I felt. But he had to know this wasn’t just a vague insult I could shrug off. “Polo, my father taught me to deal with problems immediately, before they got big enough to deal with me. He taught you the same thing, didn’t he?”
“Fearless—”
“I need to know where this guy came from, and I’ve never been the type to sit idly by and hope it doesn’t happen again. Vitalievs don’t wait for trouble to find them.”
“No one knows that better than me.” With a short sigh, Polo nodded a farewell to Luke before he turned and headed down the hall, with me still cradled securely in his arms. “Let’s get you settled in first, all right? Then we’ll talk.”
Chapter Four
“Why are we here…wherever here is?” I couldn’t help but ask as Polo carried me across a half-filled parking lot at the back of what appeared to be an old planetarium on the North Shore. It had to have been a planetarium, because I wasn’t aware of any other building that came with an observation dome, as well as four ivy-covered observation towers that surrounded it. The structure itself was on a spit of oak and pine-studded land that jutted out into Lake Michigan, so the sound of water lapping the shore blended with the whisper of early morning birdsong. “I thought the Adler Planetarium was the only observatory in Chicago, but this sure as hell isn’t the Adler. We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“Nowhere is exactly where I need to keep you until you’re mobile.”
Since that didn’t answer my question, I glanced back toward the parking lot, then at my watch. It was barely six. “There sure are a lot of cars here for this time of morning. Do they have some sort of special club to watch the sunrise or something?”
“Not that I know of.”
Polo sounded distinctly uncomfortable, so I turned my attention to him as he headed toward a nondescript door under a fire escape at the rear of the building. “When you said you were taking me back to your place, I wasn’t expecting Paradis Nouveau, obviously. But I wasn’t expecting a planetarium, either.”
“It hasn’t been a planetarium for about ninety years, give or take.”
The overgrown ivy had given it away as an older building, but that still didn’t answer my question. “What is it now?”
A low sigh escaped him before he stopped by the door and gently set me down on my good foot. “Back when I was first being trained by your father, he brought me out here to, ah…”
“To what?”
“Shit, I didn’t expect this to be so damn awkward.” He sighed again, swiped a card in a slot by the door and punched in a code on the keypad. A small beep and green light triggered, and the door opened. “All right, I’m just going to say it. This place used to be one of your dad’s brothels. It’s not anymore,” he added on a rush, even as my breath caught painfully. “It hasn’t been a brothel for years. The only reason I even know about this out-of-the-way place is because your dad brought me out here to… well, whatever.”
“Whatever?”
“Yeah. Whatever.”
“Hm.” Now that I was over the initial shock, I searched his face with interest. When it came to my father and his life, I wasn’t a sheltered flower, so I had a pretty good idea what Polo was trying very hard not to tell me. “So, you’re saying my papa brought you out here to… oh, how to put this. Get your cherry popped?”
He looked heavenward. “Jesus.”
“Sorry, is that not accurate enough? How about, getting your ashes hauled? Doing the nasty? Making a man out of you?”
“You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“True, but my guess is you enjoyed it more.”
“We’re going to stop talking about this now.”
“Absolutely. Except for one question.”
“God help me.”
“Was this before or after we’d met?”
His eyes narrowed as he yanked open the door and hauled me back up into his arms. “What the hell does that matter?”
“Just curious. I’ve tried to imagine what it would have been like if I’d lost my virginity to you instead some guy I can’t even remember because you’ve given me amnesia. I was just trying to picture it.” As the door closed to shut us in a small, deserted hallway bathed in reddish light, another thought occurred to me. “Wait, is this where you learned your amnesia technique? Because you should know that I approve.”
“This is where I learned I couldn’t fuck a woman unless I pretended she was you.” Again he stopped, but this time he didn’t put me down. Instead he simply turned his head and looked into my eyes as if there was nothing else on the planet that he wanted to see more than me. “You’re the only one I want. You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted. Then. Now. Always.”
“I can’t tell you how much that deflates my ego, darlin’.”
I was so moved by his words—words that made my heart ache at what a hard-to-believe miracle it was that I had him back—that I completely missed we were no longer alone. I jumped at the teasing voice emanating from the end of the hall, but Polo merely glanced up, unsurprised.
“Jubilee. I didn’t set off any alarms, did I?”
“Not at all, darlin’. I just wanted to get a quick peek-a-boo at the wounded bird you were carrying into my humble abode. Usually people leave looking like they have to be carried, not when they enter. This is such a unique event I didn’t want to miss it.”
“Jubilee Lafitte, This is Dasha. Dash, Jubilee. Dash had some trouble earlier, so she’s going to be staying in my rooms until she can move around on her own.”
“I see.” To my surprise, the woman came right up to where we stood, and as she moved closer I tried to keep my jaw from dropping. If Dolly Parton had a slightly taller twin sister especially in the bust department, Jubilee Lafitte was truly, seriously it. In the red light of the hallway it was impossible to determine her age, especially since her ultra-bright hair—again, impossible to tell what shade of blonde it was in the mood lighting—was done up like Brigitte Bardot and her cinched-in corset-style top made those unbelievable boobs appear to defy the laws of gravity. “Well, my goodness, aren’t you a sight. You’re just a broken little bird, aren’t you?”
For some reason, that description rubbed me the wrong way. “Just scraped up. I promise I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”
“Oh, you won’t be in anyone’s way, little bird, and I’ve got a feeling Polo’s going to want you to stay put for as long as possible. I’m sure we can think of something for you to do around here to keep you occupied while you recover. Welcome to Celestial Bodies, the highest-rated private swingers’ club in all of Chicagoland according to Yelp, the Travel Far Channel, and all the local papers.”
This time there was no stopping my jaw-drop. “Oh, uh…really? Congratulations.” Until that moment, I’d had no idea swingers’ clubs were the kind of thing that wound up on Yelp.
Who said learning wasn’t fun?
I felt more than heard Polo laugh before he moved with Jubilee down the hallway. “For the next twenty-four hours Dash is going to be very busy doing nothing more than sleeping, eating and being with me. I don’t suppose the kitchen’s open yet? I know it’s early.”
“You know how it is here—it’s actually late for our remaining guests. We had a Sexy Superheroes mixer last night,” Jubilee explained confidentially, looking at me with magnificently made up eyes. “Masks help the newer club members come out of their shells. Things are so much easier when you’re behind a mask, and easier still when you’re wearing a sparkly cape. It’s hard to take yourself a
nd all your hang-ups so darned seriously when there are sequins involved.”
“I’m…sure that’s true.” Honestly, I didn’t know what else to say.
This time Polo’s huff of laughter was unmistakable as he stopped at a closed door, carefully lowered me down onto my good foot and again produced his card key. “As soon as I get Dash settled in, I’ll see what I can find in the kitchen for her.”
“It’s okay, Polo, I’m not hungry.” And the thought of him leaving my side, even for a minute, was suddenly more than I could take.
He paused in opening the door to scowl at me. “Fair warning right now, Fearless. I’m not putting up with any of that shit.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Luke told me you need to go slow and easy for the next few days eating-wise. Fine. I get that. And I understand that after the night you’ve had, sitting down to a meal is probably the last thing on your mind. But you are going to eat, even if I have to hand-feed you every single bite, got that? I’m not fucking around with this.”
“You know, I’ve got just the thing when it comes to rocky tummies.” Looking as delighted as if she’d been given an unexpected gift, Jubilee clapped wildly manicured hands together. “Don’t worry about getting anything from the kitchen, Polo, I’ll make her a tray and deliver it myself in just a few minutes. You go ahead and get into bed, little bird, and no backtalk. Believe it or not, you’ve landed in the perfect nest.”
“There she goes again,” Polo muttered as I watched the extraordinary being that was Jubilee Lafitte strut away on platform stilettos like they were nothing more than cross-trainers. “You’re done for now. You’ve been adopted.”
My eyes widened as he pushed open the door and swung me back up into his arms. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’re now her baby bird, and everything in your life that has ever happened, or potentially will ever happen, is now Jubilee’s business. You can try to fight it, but believe me when I say that’ll be an exercise in futility. She’s as inevitable as the dawn and relentless as time.”
“Oh.” Since I wasn’t too sure how I felt about that, I focused on the rooms he carried me into. It was clearly a masculine, sumptuous setting, with rich brown walls, pewter drapes and matching pewter light sconces and pendant lights. The small sitting area served as both a living and dining room, while ornate Romanesque columns delineated the space that was the bedroom dominated by a massive king-sized bed. Immediately off to the right was a small kitchenette area with a fridge, toaster and microwave. It had the air of a luxurious hotel room, and considering I had thought Polo had been dead for two months, I could imagine worse places to hole up in.
“These are your rooms?” I asked, looking around in bewilderment. “Like… your rooms?”
“This is just one of four suites onsite, for long-term guests.” He did a slow pivot so I could drink it all in. “So…you think you’ll be okay with being here at Celestial Bodies?”
“Of course.” I turned my attention back to him, trying to read his expression. “I’m more interested in Jubilee. It sounds like you know her well. Really well.”
“You could say that.”
“I’m definitely saying that.”
His eyes slid to mine before he loosed a short breath. “Okay, full disclosure. I met her back when this place was a brothel and Jubilee was one of the working girls here. I was seventeen and she had to take about half an hour to talk me out of my pants, I was so freaked. Jubilee was the woman your father chose for me back in the day,” he added as I stiffened in his arms. I was sure he felt my reaction, since his hold tightened on me as he headed for the bed covered in a rich, satiny brown quilted spread that matched the tufted, floor-to-ceiling brown headboard. “I don’t want this to be a problem between us, Dash. What I said is true. In my mind, every woman I’ve ever fucked has been you. But when I was a teenager, I never imagined I’d be able to have you.”
Did he honestly believe I thought he should have saved himself for me? “Polo—”
“Look,” he went on, carefully letting me down by the bed, “I know it fucking sucks, being face-to-face with someone I’ve banged, and if our roles were reversed I’d be pissed as hell about it. But as a dead man, my options were limited when it came to where I could hide out while still staying in the city. I swear to God I haven’t touched that woman since I was a stupid teenager who had no clue what to do with his dick.”
“Polo, please—”
“She’s just a friend, I swear. When Jubilee bought the property from your dad a few years back, Borysko instructed me to make sure Celestial Bodies had the best security around. Since no one knows I had that tie to this place, that anonymity gives it an added layer of security for me. That’s exactly what I need for you. I only had two choices in hiding places for you—here, where I’ve been staying for the past couple months. Or a concrete bunker at PSI with no windows, and a door that you can’t open by yourself.”
Yikes. “Sounds fun.”
“It’s not about fun. It’s about keeping you alive no matter what. That’s what I’m going to do even if it means making you uncomfortable in Jubilee’s presence, or having you hate my guts for being a callous peckerhead for bringing you here. So just keep all that shit in mind before you start hating on me, yeah? I swear to God, everything I do—every move I’ve made—has been all about keeping you safe.”
I waited a beat, standing like an awkward flamingo on one foot while holding onto his forearms for balance. “Are you done?”
He nodded, face grim.
Clearly awaiting punishment.
“I know we’ve kind of been busy since we were reunited, what with the knife-wielding asshole tackling me in the middle of a road and trying to slit my throat. But is there any reason why you haven’t kissed me yet?”
Surprise momentarily crossed his face before it was replaced with a dazzling warmth that melted the ice that had entombed my heart for two months.
Without a word, his head lowered.
Finally.
I flowed into him, and as he closed his arms around me every cell in my body sighed as if coming home. His mouth was fierce, demanding, yet soft enough to meld against mine just like I remembered. But the texture of it was excitingly unfamiliar too, thanks to his sexy new beard, and I couldn’t help but moan in delight at the new sensation. Thrilled, I slid my fingers into his unbound hair, cradling the back of his head to increase the pressure of his kiss while his arms crushed me to him.
Yes.
He felt like joy, tasted like heaven and filled me with completion. He’d been taken away from me, an act that had put me through a kind of living death, and I wouldn’t forgive that. Whoever was responsible for that vile act would pay, but first…
There was this.
The leg I already held suspended lifted to caress his outer thigh. That single move tilted the cleft of my thighs deeper into him, pressing against the hardening bulge behind his zipper. One of his hands slid down my back to boldly squeeze my ass, grinding me fiercely against his hardening cock until it was his turn to moan. And all the while his tongue dueled with mine, plundering my mouth as if starved for my taste.
I understood. I couldn’t get enough of his flavor either, or the feel of his rock-hard, unashamedly masculine body pressed urgently against mine.
The numbing deep-freeze I’d been cocooned in vanished thanks to the friction our bodies produced. It was spectacular, like coming back to life. Blindly I jerked at the tail of his untucked shirt, and obligingly he put up his arms, reluctantly breaking our kiss to get out of the way of the material as I pulled the shirt up and over his head.
As soon as it was gone, he slammed his mouth back to mine in a kind of gentle violence. I loved it. He pulled at the front of my blouse, and the abrupt giving way of the buttons down the blouse’s front excited me so much I whimpered when a hint of slick heat bloomed between my legs.
That one sound seemed to snap some internal leash Polo had on himself. Wi
th a growl, he bent and lifted me off the ground as I threw my shirt aside, his hard fingers digging into my butt while my legs curled hungrily around his hips. He took a step toward the bed, and I held onto his wide, granite-hard shoulders in anticipation of being lowered onto the inviting expanse of satin-covered mattress.
“All right, I’ve got some piping hot spiced-apple oatmeal here that’s sure to fix anything that ails you.” Without a knock, Jubilee pushed through the door, bearing a tray with a small bowl and a glass of milk. My mouth tore from Polo’s on a gasp. Since I was dressed now only in a bra and blood-spattered and badly ripped jeans, I huddled against his bare chest while the older woman strolled deeper into the room like she was oblivious to catching us in a private moment. “I didn’t go too heavy on the cinnamon, and I upped the ginger just a bit, since ginger is good for an upset tummy. Are you a milk drinker? Because you’re going to drink every drop in this glass.”
“Jubilee,” Polo said, his voice so tight it seemed in danger of snapping. “We’re kinda busy right now.”
“You kids can get busy later. Right now the cereal’s hot, and your girl needs to keep her strength up so that you can keep on getting busy. Carry that sweet thing over here so she can have some breakfast, darlin’, and let’s see if we can’t put some meat on those little bird bones of hers. Come on now, don’t dawdle.”
Polo stared daggers at her for a long moment before he slid me a resigned glance. “See? Relentless.”
“Uh-huh.” It was the best I could do. Considering I was without a top and unable to move on my own—and therefore just about the most vulnerable I’d ever been in my adult life—I was proud that I didn’t drop an F-bomb.
Jubilee beamed at me as Polo carried me over to a small round table and chairs near the kitchenette area. “You do your best to clean the bowl, all right? Some good nutrition and lots of rest will help you heal right up. Now, do you need some ice for your face or foot?”
Polo growled. “I’ve got ice, Jubilee.”
“Well, so do I, silly.”
