The Neighborhood (Twin Estates #2)

by Stylo Fantome

  “I'm sure we do. What's the dress code?” she asked. Wulf was a 3-Michelin-stars kind of restaurant goer when it came to dinner dates.

  “A dress,” he informed her, and then his gaze wandered over her shoulder. She had some clothes laying around on the floor, littered about on the bed. She was gearing up to do laundry. “If you'd like to try on some options, I'd be more than happy to sit and help.”

  Katya laughed and slid her hands up either side of the door frame. Wulf followed the motion with his eyes, which grew wide when she leaned towards him.

  “Mmmm, that would be fun, wouldn't it?” she chuckled.

  “Possibly.”

  “And it's been a very long time since you've been in my bedroom,” she reminded him. He nodded.

  “It has.”

  “And we never got to have any real fun in here, did we?” she sighed, glancing back at her bed.

  “No. No, we did not.”

  “It must make you wonder, though,” she said, dropping her hands and stepping back into the room.

  “Wonder what?”

  “What kind of fun Liam and I used to have in here.”

  There was a split second where she got to see equal parts anger and shock ripple across his features.

  Then she slammed the door in his face.

  11

  Had she ever taken the time to think about it, Katya would've assumed she'd make a piss poor evil mastermind. She wasn't malicious by nature, and had a tendency to think the best of most everyone she met.

  Yet she was finding it surprisingly easy to slip into the role of evil genius, and even more shocking, she enjoyed it. It was a weird sensation, sort of like waiting to open presents on Christmas, or organizing a surprise party.

  No amount of huffing and puffing from Wulf had blown her door down, so eventually he'd stormed off – after telling her the name of the restaurant she would be meeting him at, of course.

  As soon as he was gone, she finished doing her laundry. Then made a couple phone calls – she wasn't a complete liar, she did go over some design issues with a client. Then she scoured her closet for the perfect outfit. One of her prized possessions, a dress she had bought a month ago and been waiting for the perfect moment to wear for Wulf, before shit had hit the fan.

  It was a Herve Leger dress. Usually Katya favored light materials and loose fits. Wispy designs with a fairy-like quality. But something about this dress had called to her. Even in the store, its fit had been amazing, and she'd since had it tailored to fit perfectly. It was done in patches of black and beige fabric, all molding to her body from her bust to over her hips before it flared out in a short skirt. There were no straps, which just accented how well the garment presented her breasts.

  She felt like an adult in the dress. Very powerful, and very sexy. She matched it with a pair of sky high stilettos, then worked some magic on her thick hair, coaxing it into an artfully mussy pony tail. A couple accessories and a lot of makeup later, she finally headed downstairs.

  She smiled as she walked across the lobby. Liam was standing by the exit, doing something on his phone and not paying attention. He was wearing an untucked dress shirt and a clean pair of fitted jeans – dressed up for him.

  “Hi! C'mon, I'm running late,” she said, walking right past him and out the door.

  “Sorry, I didn't think you'd want me coming up there and grabbing you, so I … holy shit, what are you wearing?” he asked as he chased after her.

  “This old thing?” she asked, holding out her arms and looking down at herself.

  “Yeah, that,” he said, unabashedly checking her out. “Jesus, I'm a little under dressed. Where are we going for dinner?”

  After Wulf had stomped away and she'd come up with her evil little plan, she'd called Liam and had a brief chat with him. Asked him what he was doing that evening, and when he'd said nothing, she'd told him to dress nice and that dinner would be on her. Of course, he'd accepted the invite without question.

  Which was very, very good for her.

  “It's a surprise,” she said, then winked at him and stepped off the curb, heading to the cab she'd ordered.

  They made idle chit chat in the car. It was awkward at first – weeks without speaking to each other had done its damage. He would reach out to touch her, rest a hand on her thigh, brush her arm, then pull away abruptly. Obviously remembering that it wasn't allowed anymore, regardless of how she'd behaved at the wedding.

  Not that her actions had gone unnoticed, though.

  “So the wedding. What was all that about, anyway?” he asked, paying the taxi driver while she climbed out of the car. Not an easy feat in the kind of dress she was wearing.

  “I was just … I wanted to have fun, you know?” she offered, watching him as he got out behind her.

  “Fun?”

  “Yeah. I'm tired of being mad at you, it's exhausting. I was dancing with you, and we were having fun, and I wanted to have more fun, and frankly, I also knew it would piss Wulf off,” she explained, standing still so he could hold open the door to the restaurant for her.

  “Huh. So kissing him, was that to piss him off, too?” he grunted, glancing down at her. She smiled.

  “Did that bother you?” she asked.

  “It sure as shit didn't make me feel good.”

  “Oh, that's too bad. Then you're really not gonna like tonight.”

  “What? Why? Oh god, what do you have planned?”

  But she didn't need to answer. She'd been striding through the restaurant, ignoring a hostess' plea to help her. Wulf wasn't hard to find, he'd stood up as soon as she came within sight of his table. Liam recognized him at the same time Wulf recognized who was following his would-be dinner date.

  “You know,” Wulf started, not bothering to look at her, only leveling a glare on Liam. “I'd figured you were gonna try to pull something, Tocci, but I have to admit, I'm impressed. I did not see this coming.”

  “Liam,” she said in a prim voice, holding up a hand in front of him. “This is Wulfric Stone, we used to live next door to each other and recently ended a very strange relationship. Wulf, this is Liam Edenhoff – we currently live next door to each other and recently ended a very strange friendship.”

  “You're not funny,” Liam said, glancing down at her.

  “Really? Cause I'm having a hard time keeping from laughing,” she replied.

  Everyone stared at each other for a few long seconds. Then, when Katya went to pull out a chair, both men were jolted into action. Liam was closer, so he was able to help her get seated, but that also meant Wulf was given the chance to change seats. They were at a four top, and he'd been sitting opposite her chair. He switched it up, sitting in the chair to her right, no place setting laid out in front of him. Liam went to go take the empty chair to her left, but a waiter was walking by right then, and Wulf snapped his fingers.

  “Yes, Mr. Stone?” the young man responded instantly.

  “We won't be needing the fourth chair.”

  And just like that, Liam's chair was yanked away and was being carried off through the restaurant. He had no choice but to take Wulf's old seat – across the table. He glared as he sat down, then grabbed Wulf's left-behind wine glass and drained the contents.

  “Now then,” Wulf said as he adjusted his suit jacket. “What's the plan here? Are Eden and I supposed to fight? Challenge each other to a duel? Write you love poems?”

  “Uh, that wasn't my plan, but now that you've said it, I would die to see the kind of love poem you'd write,” Katya replied. He gave her a tight smile.

  “You can go ahead and hold your breath while I write one.”

  “I'm sorry, angel cake, but I'm siding with Wulf on this one. What is your plan here? Because I don't feel like sitting through three courses with this asshole,” Liam added his two cents. Wulf didn't even flinch at the insult.

  “I thought,” she took a deep breath. “This would be a good time to lay some ground rules.”

  There was a long silenc
e.

  “Ground rules?” Wulf finally asked.

  “Yes.”

  “For what?” Liam asked.

  “This.”

  “This what?” Liam glanced between her and Wulf.

  “Us,” she continued.

  “Us … what?” Liam tried some more.

  “What's going on,” she said. Liam went to ask another question, but Wulf finally leaned forward.

  “More bullshit. I told you before I wasn't going to come here just to waste my time,” he snapped. “I don't have time for your games.”

  “Really?” she asked, turning in her seat to face him. “You had plenty of time two months ago. Days and days and weeks of playing games. But now you can't spare an hour? I guess it's not so fun when the other team gets to make the rules.”

  “Truce!” Liam called out before Wulf could snap back. “Alright, we're assholes, and we deserve any kind of torture you want to subject us to. But the sooner you can tell us what our punishment is, the sooner we can get to it.”

  “Okay then,” she said, sitting back in her chair. “Wulf invited me to dinner. I assumed he meant as a date.”

  “You assumed correct,” he said.

  “And Liam, you've been trying to get me to go out with you ever since the big fight,” she said, glancing across the table at the other man.

  “Yes.”

  “You know, it's funny. You both worked out this whole big secret. All these lies and pretenses, when it was all unnecessary. Was it the thrill of lying that made you do it? It had to be, because I was completely open and honest about being with both of you. You could've admitted from the beginning that you knew and worked with each other, and it probably wouldn't have changed anything. I still would have gone out with you,” she said, staring pointedly at Wulf for a second before turning her gaze to Liam. “And I still would have slept with you. So. Now I'm going to give you two the opportunity you never gave me.”

  Both men glanced at each other briefly.

  “I'm not sleeping with him,” Liam said loudly. Wulf rolled his eyes.

  “You should be so lucky.”

  Katya laughed.

  “No. If you two want to see me, then you're both going to be fully aware of it. Both active participants,” she explained.

  “What, like … a threesome?” Liam asked.

  “You wish,” Katya snorted. “You two had so much fun playing around with me, think of how much better it will be this time around. You won't have to meet in secret to talk about our dates, we can have conference calls together, if you want.”

  “You want to date both of us,” Wulf stated. She shrugged.

  “Sounds like both of you want to date me, and clearly you won't leave me alone until I agree to it.”

  “So ...” Liam attempted to guess at her whole plan again. “This is like a real life 'The Bachelor' episode? Is one of us going to get a red rose at the end?”

  “This is three people, having fun, but also being open and honest and fair about it. If I go out with Wulf, Liam will know, and vice versa,” she said. “Basically, the same arrangement you had before, only this time, I'll get to be involved in the conversations.”

  “You don't think this is kinda weird?” Liam asked.

  “Oh, it's totally weird. But also kind of exciting, and definitely sexy. Two men fighting over me?” she teased, pretending to fan herself. Wulf glared at her.

  “Don't get ahead of yourself – nobody's fought, yet,” he pointed out.

  “That reminds me, though. No sex,” she said.

  “I'm sorry, what?” Liam looked like he'd short circuited for a moment.

  “I won't be sleeping with either of you. I mean, geez, that would be gross, wouldn't it?” she laughed.

  “Then what's the point?” Wulf asked. She pulled her clutch off the table and held it in her lap.

  “If you honestly mean that, then I guess there's nothing else to talk about,” she replied, staring right at him.

  He looked angry. Beyond angry. Completely and totally pissed off. For a moment, she thought he was going to call it. Get up and walk away. But this was Wulfric Stone. He didn't take no for an answer, and he certainly never lost, and especially not to a man like Liam Edenhoff. He glanced at Liam, then went back to looking at her.

  “Alright. You want to play games with us, then fine. We can play games. But I'm warning you – I'm much better at this than you,” he told her. She nodded and slowly moved to stand up.

  “True, but on the other hand – I learned from you, which is like learning from the best,” she pointed out.

  “Wait, wait, wait – what did we all just agree to here? What the fuck is going on?” Liam demanded.

  “Little miss Tocci here wants to be part of the action. Thinks she can play in our big boy games, thinks she can teach us a lesson,” Wulf explained. Katya glared at him, then placed her hands flat on the table, leaning low over it. Both men flicked their eyes to her chest, which caused her to smirk.

  “We'll see how long you can last,” she said in a soft voice, then glanced at Liam. “Both of you. You say all these great words. Make these big promises. But what happens when it's not so easy? When your prey isn't so weak and stupid and ignorant?”

  “Katya, we never -” Liam tried to argue.

  “You say you want to be with me,” she interrupted him. “That I'm perfect for you.” She turned back to Wulf. “That I'm all these things to you. Is that still true?”

  Both men were silent.

  “What about when it's hard? Easy to say those things when everything is rosy and you're getting fucked regularly. What about when I'm a raging bitch and won't let you touch me?” she questioned. Again, both men were silent. “What about when I wear an outfit like this, and I remind you of how good that time in the shower was, or how incredible you were in the pool. Remind you of how long it's been since either of you saw me naked. What happens when it gets really, really hard, and I just walk away?”

  She'd been dropping her voice while she spoke, and ended in a husky whisper. Her double meaning was not lost on anyone. Wulf was breathing slowly and heavily, not showing any emotion. Liam was staring at her with hooded eyes, looking like he was ready for dessert. She let the moment hang for a moment, then she sprang upright, grabbing her purse off the table.

  “So you two can just think about all that and if you still want to see where things go between us, give me a call,” she said in a cheery voice as she took a compact out of her clutch and checked herself in the tiny mirror.

  “Where the fuck do you think you're going?” Wulf demanded. She laughed and put the mirror away.

  “You didn't think I dressed up for you, did you?” she asked, then laughed harder when his glare turned homicidal and Liam looked like he wanted to strangle himself. “Oh no. No, no, no. I have a date tonight, remember? So while I'm off doing that, you two can just sit here and think about all the things I said, and the way I looked, and the fact that I'm not wearing one piece of underwear under this dress.”

  She wanted to witness their reactions. See Liam's jaw drop and Wulf's nostrils flare. Wanted to watch their heart rates increase. See if she could get at least one of them to beg her for sex by the end of the night. It was a real possibility with Liam, she knew. Wulf would be a much, much harder egg to crack. Begging was a long way off and would require a lot of effort.

  Which is why when she turned around, she didn't look over her shoulder to see if they were watching her.

  Besides, she knew they were.

  12

  Wulf watched Katya walk away and resisted the urge to chase her down. To tackle her and hold her down and possibly choke her to death. Or kiss her. Have sex with her right there in the middle of the restaurant.

  Goddamn she looks good. Has she ever worn that dress before?

  “Is she really going on a date?” Liam asked. Wulf had almost forgotten the other man was still at the table.

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know?”


  “I was there when he asked her out. She told me she was going to cancel.”

  “She lied.”

  “Obviously.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  Liam's voice came out as a heavy sigh, and when Wulf glanced over at him, it was to see that the other man had his head in his hands.

  “Do you want her dating some random stranger?” Wulf asked. Liam jerked his head up.

  “Of course not. I mean, you're bad enough, but at least I know what I'm dealing with,” he replied.

  “Exactly. I'm not happy about this, but if it's the only way she's willing to deal with me, then I have no other choice,” Wulf said.

  “Deal with us,” Liam corrected him.

  “You're just an obstacle,” Wulf replied.

  “Fuck you.”

  “Do you think she was serious about the no sex?” Wulf ignored the insult.

  “Yes. She's a lot stronger willed than you think, Wulf. I've been on the receiving end of her frigidity. She can hold out through some, uh, tough persuasion,” Liam assured him.

  Wulf took a deep breath and counted to ten. It had all seemed like a game, in the beginning. Him and Liam laughing about their sexual conquest. But then they'd stopped talking about it, because it had stopped being a game. It was easy to forget that the whole time – beginning to end – Wulf had been seeing Katya, Liam had been there, too. Had been chirping in her ear, planting ideas in her head, worming his way into her heart, and apparently trying to seduce her via “tough persuasion”.

  “I think I might actually be ill,” Wulf admitted out loud.

  “Too late for me. Do you think she'll sleep with this guy?”

  “For his sake, I hope not.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I'd kill him.”

  He stood up after that, pulling out his wallet and taking out a hundred, throwing it on the table. He had to leave. Get out of there. Do something. He was getting that itching feeling under his skin. Like he wanted to crawl outside of himself. He had to run, or swim, or scream, or punch someone in the face.

  “I just want you to know,” Liam caught up with him once they were outside the restaurant.