Sweet Seduction s-3 Read online

  "Not that I don't love watching you get your ass kicked by a girl, but Pop wants you on the phone," Micah called from the door. Amusement was heavy in his voice.

  "Get out!" he and Faith said at the same time.

  Micah threw up his hands. "Okay, okay. Just don't call me to clean up the mess later." He backed out of the office at high speed.

  Nathan turned back to Faith. "What do you mean, I've ignored her for weeks? Do you know how impossible it is to ignore that woman? I'd have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to notice."

  It was Faiths turn for her mouth to gape open. Then to his utter shock, she reached across and smacked him upside the head.

  He yanked back, staring at her in shock. "What the hell was that for?"

  "Dumbass. Complete and utter moron. If all men were as stupid as you, the world would have a population crisis."

  "You can quit with the insults any time."

  "Don't stop now. Its just getting interesting," Connor Malone said from the door.

  "Out!" Faith screeched at her brother.

  Nathan didn't say anything, but he pinned Connor with a glare. Connors shoulders shook with laughter, but he turned and sauntered back out.

  "Office is a damn revolving door today," Nathan muttered.

  "It's a revolving door every day," Faith said pointedly. "You just never get the hint. Just like you're too thick to figure out that you could have had Julie at any time. You've lost your chance, and moreover, you don't deserve her."

  Heat simmered in Nathan's veins. Lost my chance, my ass. Just because women had to be so fucking complicated didn't mean that he was the dumbass for not figuring out the mystic woman's code for I want you. There wasn't a man in the world who knew how the fuck women thought, and if he said he did, he was a goddamn liar.

  "So, you're on her side," Nathan huffed.

  She rolled her eyes. "Men are such babies."

  "Would you quit with the name-calling? Jesus, Faith, what's crawled up your ass?"

  "Why are you here, Nathan?" she asked impatiently.

  He gaped at her. His blood pressure was going through the roof. He'd be lucky if he didn't stroke out in her office. He reached for his hair but then remembered he didn't have any.

  "Why the hell do you think I'm here?" he roared.

  She looked unfazed by the fact he was losing his mind.

  "I'm here because that hellcat seduced me and then ran the fuck away. She's avoiding me, and when I went in for my massage, another fucking woman showed up to give me one. And you think I'm a chickenshit?"

  "No, you're a dumbass," she pointed out in a bored tone.

  He threw up his hands and slumped down in the chair behind him. "Okay, Faith, I'm a dumbass. Now tell me why I'm such a dumbass, because obviously I'm too much of a dumbass to see!"

  She sat down in her chair with a smirk. "Nice sarcasm, Nathan. And I thought that was Micah's job."

  "I heard that," Micah called from the hall.

  "Not to mention eavesdropping," Nathan growled. "Micah, I'm going to kick your fucking ass if you don't get the hell away from Faith's door."

  He got up and stalked over to look down the hall. To his supreme irritation, Micah stood there with Connor and Gray Montgomery and they all wore shit-eating grins that told him they'd overheard every word of his argument with Faith.

  "Assholes," Nathan swore. "The lot of you.".

  "You raise your voice to Faith again and I’ll kick your ass," Gray said mildly.

  "Oh, like I’d do anything to her even if I'm tempted to strangle her," Nathan said in irritation. "She's being a royal pain in my ass."

  "I heard that," Faith called.

  Nathan threw up his hands. "Get lost, okay guys? If I wanted the greater Houston area to know what I was talking about, I'd take out an ad."

  "That's not a bad idea," Connor said thoughtfully. "We could rent a billboard. Tm sorry, Julie. I'm a blind, deaf and dumb moron who doesn't know what to do with his dick,'" he mimicked.

  Nathan sucked in a deep breath, walked back into Faith's office and slammed the door as hard as he could.

  "You break my door and you're going to fix it," Faith said.

  "Faith, look at me," Nathan said as he walked back to her desk. He leaned over until their faces were a few inches apart. "Cut the crap for a minute and help me, okay?"

  Her expression softened. "I can't help you, Nathan. You fucked this up. I'd tell you to fix it but it's really too late. Julie . . . she's hard. Girl holds a grudge forever. She's decided to give up on you and move on. Once she's decided on something, getting her to change her mind is like getting a pit bull to give up a prime steak."

  "So her giving me the best blow job of my life during a massage was her kissing me good-bye?" Nathan asked dryly.

  Faith's cheeks turned pink, and he felt bad for speaking so bluntly in front of her.

  "Sorry," he mumbled.

  Faith sighed. "I think that was supposed to be showing you what you're missing out on and what you've given up by not noticing her before."

  Nathan's eyes narrowed. "So you knew what she was going to do?"

  Faith raised one eyebrow. "I knew she was planning something. Just not what, exactly."

  "Vengeful heifer," Nathan muttered.

  Faith grinned. "That she is."

  "Well screw that," Nathan said as he shoved away from her desk again. "She can't just take those kinds of liberties with my body and walk away."

  Faith burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that tears rolled down her cheeks. "You sound like an outraged maiden," she gasped.

  He grinned. "Who says I'm not? I was innocent before she corrupted me. If she thinks she can use me and then discard me, she's mistaken."

  Faith wiped at her tears and laughed harder. "Innocent, my ass. Dear Lord, I was feeling sorry for you, but now I think my sympathies have shifted to Julie. I'm not entirely sure she realizes what she's gotten herself into."

  "No," Nathan said silkily. "She has no clue what she's started. But she will. Very soon."

  Chapter 3

  Julie hopped out of her sporty two-seater and walked up to Damon Roche's front door. He and Serena were both at home, according to Serena anyway, and supposedly Serena had warmed him up for Julie's request.

  Of course Serena might still be mad over Julie and Faith kidnapping her a while back, so Julie couldn't be totally sure that Damon would have a clue why she was here.

  She knocked on the door and blinked when a large man wearing shades answered. She squinted for a few seconds as she stared at him.

  "Dude, you look straight out of the Mafia," Julie blurted. "I tried to tell Serena that Damon was probably a drug dealer."

  To her surprise, Big Dude broke into a grin. "You must be Miss Stanford. Miss James is expecting you."

  "And not Mr. Roche?" Damn Serena.

  "Mr. Roche is expecting you as well," he returned smoothly. "They're in the living room."

  She followed him inside the gorgeously furnished house. No wonder Serena had agreed to move in. Compared to Serena's tiny apartment, this was a freaking palace.

  They walked into the living room, where Julie was surprised to see a fire burning in the hearth. Damon sat on the couch and Serena was beside him, her head in his lap as he stroked her hair.

  "Miss Stanford is here."

  Damon turned, and Serena scrambled up, her long black hair falling over her shoulders in disarray.

  "Thank you, Sam," Damon said. "Would you have Carol bring refreshment for our guest? Julie, would you care for some wine?"

  She grimaced. "Beer, if you have it."

  Damon smiled. "Of course. Sam, have Carol bring Julie a beer. Serena and I will take wine."

  Serena got up and hurried over to Julie. Julie found herself in a hug as Serena squeezed fiercely.

  "You have to tell me how it went with Nathan," Serena murmured.

  Julie grinned. "Just like I planned. And now I'm here for part two of the plan."

  Serena rolled her
eyes as she backed away.

  "You did tell Damon why I wanted to see him, right?" Julie asked anxiously.

  "She did," Damon said with amusement. "Sort of. She said she'd leave the actual details for you to explain but that you were interested in using my facilities for a little fantasy fulfillment."

  "Yeah," Julie said wistfully. "I'm totally down for some great sex."

  Damon laughed, and that's why Julie liked him. He didn't have an uptight, judgmental bone in his body. Plus, he loved Serena to pieces, and what woman wouldn't want that kind of guy for her friend?

  "Come sit, Julie. You can fill me in on these fantasies of yours while we wait for your beer."

  "Hell, I might need a few beers before I can tell you about them," she muttered.

  Serena snorted and took Julie's arm to guide her toward the couch. "Like you've ever been shy. Come sit down and tell Damon what it is you want. As long as it doesn't involve him personally, I'm cool with it."

  Julie sent Serena a sly glance as the two settled onto the couch. "You're sounding possessive, girlfriend. Dare I ask whether or not Damon has persuaded you to accept his proposal yet?"

  "Julie, shut up," Serena hissed.

  "Not yet," Damon said calmly. "But I will." He winked at Julie, and she smiled back.

  "I don't know why you don't just put the guy out of his misery," Julie muttered under her breath to Serena. "It's obvious he's over the moon mad about you."

  Julie liked to give Serena shit when it came to Damon, but she was hugely relieved that Serena was taking her time deciding, even if Julie did think Damon was pretty terrific. Julie liked him a lot, but she wasn't convinced he was right for Serena long term, or maybe that Serena wasn't right for him long term.

  "You're here to talk about you," Serena said sweetly. "Don't make me throw you out of my house before you get to plead your case."

  Julie threw back her head and laughed. "Alrighty then." She looked over at Damon. "Faith told me she came to you when she wanted some help in the fantasy fulfillment area."

  Damon sat down in the armchair catty-corner to the sofa and propped one long leg over his knee. "Not exactly. Faith wasn't looking for a fantasy. She was looking for something very real." He smiled and looked over at Serena. "Serena was the one looking for a fantasy."

  "They both ended up with the real deal. Yeah, I know," Julie said impatiently. "I'm not after reality here. I don't want a permanent fixture. I want hot sex with two gorgeous specimens, and I want it.. . anonymously."

  She held her breath while she waited for Damon to react. Serena was quicker. While Damon didn't look overly disturbed by her announcement, Serena turned sharply.

  "Have you lost your mind, Julie? Anonymous? And you thought I was the crazy one."

  "No, I've got it all figured out," Julie said patiently. "I don't want messy entanglements. Been there, done that, can certainly live without it. I wanted hot sex with Nathan, and clearly that didn't work out. So I'm thinking the best way to go about this is to set up a situation where I have no idea who my hot guys are. We all get great sex out of it and go our merry way afterward."

  "How anonymous are you wanting, exactly?" Damon asked.

  She looked at him gratefully, relieved that he was at least taking her request seriously. "So anonymous that I don't know who they are or what they look like ... at any part of it," she said cheerfully.

  Serena groaned. "Good God, Julie, what do you want? For them to blindfold you?"

  "Yes. Exactly."

  "Talk some sense into her, Damon," Serena pleaded.

  "Can't do that, love," he said fondly. "What if she'd been able to talk you out of your crazy idea of wanting to be my sex slave?"

  "For the love of God," Serena muttered.

  Julie grinned. "He's right, you know. You could very well be standing in the way of my future happiness."

  "You don't believe that load of horse manure anymore than I do," Serena said.

  Laughter escaped Julie, and she shoved playfully at Serena. "No, I don't, you heifer, but you could at least give me my own rope to hang myself with. I may have thought you were nuts, but I didn't tie your ass to a chair to prevent you from signing up for slavery."

  "Very true," Serena said with a sigh. "But can I at least talk you out of the blindfolds? It seems so . . . scary."

  "It's part of the appeal," Damon said evenly. "Think about it, Serena mine. Total darkness. Having to rely on all your other senses. Touch. Taste. Smell. The feel of strange hands on your body, awakening all those senses."

  A warm flush stole over Julie. Damn but the man was good.

  "I don't want any emotional attachment," Julie said. "I just want two men concentrating on me and my pleasure. No slave shit, please. Unless they want to be mine," she added with a grin. "Minions to do my bidding would be great too."

  "You're incorrigible," Serena said as she chuckled.

  "No, just desperate and horny."

  Damon broke into laughter, and Serena closed her eyes and touched her forehead with her hand.

  "Surely there are men at your pleasure palace who wouldn't mind fucking a woman's brains out," she said to Damon.

  "Pleasure palace? That sounds so . . . cheesy." He actually looked affronted.

  "Sorry," she mumbled. "House of loooove then?"

  He cracked a grin. "You don't want love, remember?"

  "Damn straight. Thanks for that reminder."

  "But yes, I'm sure there are any number of men who would be more than willing to take you on," he said as he fought another smile. "We'll do the usual background checks, medical histories, et cetera. Give me a week or so to get everything together and I'll do my best to give you your fantasy."

  "If it's not asking too much, I'd like to schedule two nights. Now, ahead of time. I don't want to deal with the awkwardness of doing another after the first night, and if it's already set up, then I don't have to stress about it."

  "Of course," Damon agreed. "But if you decide it's not to your liking or if there's anything you want me to change, let me know."

  Julie put her hands together in front of her and grinned in delight. "Thanks, Damon. You're the best."

  He shrugged. "It's the least I can do to repay you for kidnapping Serena for me."

  Serena glowered at both of them, but Julie didn't miss the flash of emotion in Serena's eyes as she looked at Damon.

  "I need more details as well," Damon continued. "If you aren't comfortable giving them now, you can e-mail me later, but I need specifics. Boundaries. The do-not-cross lines."

  Julie cocked her head and thought for a moment. "I don't have a problem telling you now. I'm not into bondage shit. No way I want to be tied down with strange men, even if I asked for strange men."

  Serena laughed and shook her head.

  "A blindfold is all I really require because I don't want to know. Don't want to see them, although I'm counting on you not to give me anyone hideous," Julie said.

  "Now why the hell should you care if they're hideous if you're blindfolded?" Serena asked in exasperation.

  "It's the principle," Julie said. She looked back at Damon. "And no small dicks. If I'm going for the gusto, I want to be treated right."

  Damon's shoulders shook as he tried valiantly to keep his composure. "No small dicks. Got it. Anything else?"

  "Just give me someone who knows what to do with a big dick," Julie said. "I don't want to have to coach the guy. I want a man who knows what to do with a woman."

  "I think I can handle that," he said. "Blindfolds and big dicks. Shouldn't be too difficult."

  Then he lost it and started to laugh. Julie grinned before she started chuckling along with him. Serena shook her head but burst into laughter as well.

  "I always swore Damon wasn't a pimp, but now I'm not so sure," Serena said ruefully.

  "Hey," he said in protest. "Can I help it if desperate women keep throwing themselves at me and begging me to help?"

  "He's got you there," Julie said as she dug her elb
ow into Serena's side. "Between you, me and Faith, the man's got enough experience to run a whorehouse."

  "Oh, I'm sure he had plenty of experience before we came along," Serena said dryly.

  "Maybe we can retire him after he hooks me up," Julie said mischievously.

  "Now I sound like a stud horse," Damon muttered. "Serena better damn well not retire me out to pasture."

  Serena smiled that silly, goopy smile she got whenever she looked at Damon, the one that made Julie slightly nauseous. Julie cleared her throat before both of them dissolved into slimy little puddles.

  "Okay then, if everything's set, I'm gonna skate on out of here and leave you two to do your slave thing."

  "For God's sake, Julie," Serena groaned. "Do you ever just shut up?"

  Julie blew her a kiss as she got up. "No, but you love me anyway."

  "I do but damned if I know why," Serena said wearily as she got up from the couch.

  "I'll be in touch, Julie," Damon said as he rose.

  "Thanks, Damon. I really appreciate this." She turned to Serena. "I'll see you later this week for your massage, right?"

  "You aren't afraid that Nathan will barge in?" Serena asked.

  Julie snorted. "I'll just lock up. You and Faith are my only appointments. Besides, he hasn't been around in a few days. Stung pride and all that. He'll get over it and move on. I know I have."

  "Just how hung up are you on Julie Stanford?" Micah asked Nathan as they sat down at Cattleman's to eat lunch.

  "What the fuck kind of question is that?" Nathan demanded.

  It was bad enough that Julie had completely messed with his mind, but now he was fielding comments from the guys about how fucked up he was over the woman.

  "Its a simple question," Micah said calmly. "Either you are or you aren't."

  "Nothing is simple when you ask it," Nathan grumbled.

  "So?"

  "So fucking what?" Nathan snarled. "Give it a rest, man. You know what happened. If a gorgeous woman came on to you, sucked you dry and then off, what the fuck would you do?"