Club Saturday: Contemporary Menage Romance (Sarasota Sin Series Book 2) (13 page)

“Only one item on that list. He once had fantastic taste in women.”

“His loss our gain, giving up Vania will go down as Dr. Lambert’s worst mistake.”

“I’ll add another item to his Cons,” Julian said dryly. “The doctor must be quick on the draw. Miles said he left work at eleven, and then there’s driving time to consider.”

“Hmmm, her shoulders are all tense,” murmured Drake as he studied Matt’s lover, “clearly dissatisfied. Guess you’re right.”

Evan tapped his knee with restless fingers. “Fast shot kept us from sitting here for hours, though.”

Drake spotted a bloody patch across Evan’s knuckles. “You said you didn’t hit Matt.”

“I didn’t.” Evan flexed his hand. “This was courtesy of Oscar.”

“Who’s Oscar?” Julian asked.

Drake watched Matt get in his car.
 
The bastard then hightailed it from the parking lot before his lover even opened her car door.
 

“Oscar,” Drake explained, “is of the four-legged variety, complete with orange fur.
 
His favorite past times are sharpening his claws on hand-sewn draperies imported from France and chewing hand-knotted Aubusson rugs, preferring the ones threaded with real gold. Don’t ask me where he shits, because you wouldn’t believe me.”

Evan’s fist came down on the dashboard. “Is Matt’s lover
her
?”
 

Drake squinted, seeing a shocking resemblance to the Black Widow who’d given him that lackluster fuck. “Even from here, the similarities are uncanny.”

“She’s temptingly gorgeous,” Julian said, “but there’s something about her that shrivels my balls. Do either of you remember her name?”

The woman drove in the opposite way of Matt’s car.
 

“I don’t know.” Drake shifted into drive and veered from the curb. Thankfully, Matt was heading in the direction of his house, which would make what they were about to do easier.

“You fucked a woman and didn’t get her name?”

“Coming from someone who names his Subs Lovelys,” he snapped because Julian hit home. Drake was nearly thirty and still having anonymous sex, or at least he was until a month ago. “I know,” he said eventually when Evan and Julian stayed quiet. “That’s an ugly side of me I’ve recently buried.”
 

“Don’t beat yourself up.” Evan placed a hand on Drake’s shoulder. “Her first name is Gayle. That’s all I know.”

Julian said, “Whoever she is, you should thank her for breaking up Matt and Vania. Otherwise, you both might have been attending Vania’s wedding in a few months instead of tasting her body.”

Drake took a left. “I intend to do more than taste. It’s hard holding back from her, especially after last night. I want to fast-forward our relationship.”

“We’re aggressive by nature.” Evan nodded. “But if this afternoon was any indication, Vania’s coming around to the idea of us. We’ll take it slow.”

Julian disagreed, “I say overwhelm her right into your arms. From what I just saw, Vania was deprived both sexually and emotionally. If you really want to bond with her, and I don’t blame you one bit, claim her quickly and completely.”

“We’ll scare her.”

Julian sighed. “At first, lure her with only your bodies and careful, expert touch, and then work your way from there.”

Coming from a man who played a woman’s body beautifully, Julian might be right.
 
Drake wondered if he and Evan should second-guess their strategy.
 
But still…
 
“Sounds kind of devious.”

“You wouldn’t force Vania in anything,” Julian argued, “so how is it devious to ply her with your body or bodies, in this case? She could always say no.
 
If that occurs, and I doubt it will, then back off for a while and let her breathe.”

“I’m all over that plan,” Evan agreed. “Matt has done a number on her self-esteem.” He ran his hand over his face, scrubbing at his whiskers. “Earlier, she didn’t want me to smell her until she showered.”

“You’re kidding.”
 

Julian shook his head. “That bastard probably insulted her body to keep her under his thumb, which is typical of cheaters, abusers, and narcissists. I hear it daily from women inside Level 69.”
 

“It’s a good thing we’re here to counsel Dr. Matt.” Drake took the last street, hanging back as Matt’s garage door lowered. They parked the borrowed sedan in the driveway of a vacant, foreclosed home.
 

Julian opened his door. “I still think we should’ve asked our private security to handle this.”
 

Drake locked the car after Evan stepped out. “What if Vania were one of your Lovelys, Julian?
 
Would you accept an ex-lover bruising her?”

“She’s bruised?”

Evan and Drake nodded grimly.

Julian looked over at Matt’s house, his eyes narrowing to slits. “We’re wasting time talking.”

Chapter 15
 

After deciding to walk to work this morning, Vania tossed her heels in a shopping bag and laced up sneakers. “Yes, Oscar.” She petted his furry head. “I have a spring in my step.” She laughed at his answering mewl. “Wonder why that is, huh? Well, you’re too young to know.”
 

She locked the front door and descended the stairs. When Vania hit the bottom step, she sucked in a sharp breath. “What happened to you?”
 

“What does it look like?”

She took in Matt’s bruised face, his split and swollen lip, and wondered why it took Dr. Murphy so long to lose his shit. “At least, your hands aren’t broken.”
 

“Thankfully not, I’ve six surgeries scheduled for today.” He shrugged and winced in pain. Apparently, his face wasn’t the only place damaged on him. “But I’ll have a hard time explaining to my staff and patients what happened. Do you think they’ll believe I fell down the stairs?”

“No.” She motioned for him to step away from the parking lot, where a few of the tenants were leaving for work. “Why are you here?”

“I needed to see that you were okay.”
 

Matt took a seat on a concrete bench facing the ugliest sculpture imaginable and sighed as Vania stayed standing. In his current condition, she may not find him much of a threat, but she wasn’t cozying up next to him on a damn bench.
 

She gestured to herself. “As you can see, I’m fine. Leave.”

“I want to know why you are doing this, breaking us apart.”

“I’ve already told you.” She checked her watch. “I have fifteen minutes to get to work.”

“Are you going to live here from now on?”

She’d loved him for years, yet his question seemed unsettling, almost creepy. “I’m managing the firehouse only until Avery gets back.”

His eyes moved up and down her body. “I see you’ve got your clothes back. I would’ve brought them, you know.”

“I didn’t send for them, if that’s what you’re asking. But I doubt you would’ve given them back.”

Discreetly, two members of the Eastons private staff delivered Vania’s clothes, personal items, and a piping hot breakfast of smoked salmon Eggs Benedict topped with Key Lime hollandaise this morning.

Vania was grateful she had her belongings, but she’d have a word with Drake and Evan.
 
Their sudden highhandedness in her life couldn’t continue. Neither had asked her permission beforehand, which didn’t sit well with her.

Vania lifted arms covered with a black pullover she’d paired with a pink tulip skirt. “You bruised me, Matt.”

“I bruised you?” A line formed on his brow. “I thought they were lying.”

“You know how much pressure it takes to bruise a body, Doctor.” She curled her lip when recalling how uncomfortable she’d been last night. No matter how comfortable the bed had been, she’d rolled this way and that to avoid putting pressure on her upper arms. Luckily, she’d found some pain reliever and bath salts in the bathroom to ease her arms. “You intended to hurt me.”
 

“That’s not true.” He looked at the ground. “I’m so sorry, Vania. I was hoping they were lying about the bruises.”

“If you
ever
touch me again, I will press charges.”
 

“I would deserve no less.”

At least they agreed on something. But a question sat on the tip of her tongue.
 
Vania wondered why Matt was furious at her for leaving when he had another woman. Now wasn’t the time to ask.
 

Then something he’d said hit her. “Who did you hope was lying?”

“The Eastons.” Matt rolled his eyes, one of them swollen halfway shut. “Who else would’ve done this?”

“Not them.”

“I can’t believe you wrapped yourself up with Evan Easton, Van. He’s notorious for womanizing.”

Only shock kept her from laughing at his hypocrisy. “The Eastons really did this to you?”

“Yeah, Evan and two more, one with black hair and one was blonde. I’m going to look them up on the internet later, match the faces to the names.”

“So all three beat you?”

“Well, the blonde packed your clothes while the other two beat me.” Matt grimaced. “The blonde only made them stop in the middle of punches when he needed to ask a question about your stuff.”

Vania wondered if Matt would press charges but stopped short of asking.
 

“Don’t worry, Van.” Matt knew her well, knew what she was thinking. “I can’t make any complaints to the police. When the Eastons were finished with me, they explained their cousin Miles and their Aunt Gilda were throwing a private dinner party at Hytel Plume, where all three were currently in attendance — that they had at least a hundred and fifty witnesses the police could verify if I decided to press charges.”

Vania bit back a gasp.

“I’m not stupid enough to go against them. Especially after I was told my hands would be crushed if I dialed the cops.” He lifted them. “I wouldn’t be much of a surgeon without tools of the trade.”

With her head reeling, Vania said a dismal goodbye to Matt, a
final
goodbye she hoped. Since she’d spent all of her walking time talking to him, she decided to drive. By the time she reached the top floor of The Easton Hotel, Vania dove headfirst into work, needing a distraction,
anything
to lower her blood from boiling to simmering.
 

Luckily, Avery’s corner of the office was busier than usual. It appeared he’d fallen in love with a European property he must have for one of The Easton Company’s 2016 projects. Vania had to stop everything planned and focus on making this sale happen at the right price.
 

With patience, she finally made the last connection, placing foreign brokers with Avery’s personal real estate attorney. She couldn’t imagine having a real estate attorney, particularly one who worked exclusively for her. Then again, Vania couldn’t imagine lording over billions.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Cora asked again.

“Stop asking me, I’m fine. You had no clue that Matt and I broke up so let it go.”

“You’re acting different though.” She pouted. But Vania thought the gesture might be for Julian’s benefit, since he was passing through to Drake’s office. “Because you’re mad at me.”

“Just stop.”
 

Vania’s hand felt lighter without her engagement ring. She’d hidden it in the loft’s freezer, beneath the icemaker since there wasn’t any food. Whenever she decided to hock it, she’d start her future house fund with the proceeds.
 

Cora sighed. “How about if I —"

“Stop!” Vania was tense enough about this afternoon’s appointment, without listening to Cora whine. Discussing her ex fiancé with the gynecologist wouldn’t be easy, but she needed prompt blood work to check for STDs. “Just stop, Cora.”
 

“That’s not nice,” Evan said from behind her.

Her shoulders hitched. She hadn’t seen either Drake or Evan since she’d arrived, except in passing. “I wasn’t talking to you.” She didn’t turn around. “Cora thinks I’m mad at her for directing Matt to the firehouse.”

“I vote we don’t talk about Matt at all.”

Drake appeared with a stack of files in his hands. “I second that vote.” He nodded at Cora. “Type a memo and add it to security’s briefing from yesterday.”

Cora’s mouth dropped open. “Are you…”
 

“Yes, Miss Bellamy, I’m serious. Matthew Lambert is not allowed in this hotel, nor should anyone speak to him on the phone about Vania.” Cora’s face crumbled, but Drake kept going. “While we’re on the subject, Vania shouldn’t be reminded of him at work.”
 

Drake turned, giving everyone his back, and started walking down the hallway that led to Julian’s office.

Vania flattened her hand over her heart, sensing a deep shaking in her chest.
 

“Did you just growl?” Cora’s eyebrows popped.

“Can you get Avery’s calls for a minute?” she asked through clenched teeth.

Cora nodded.
 

Vania stood up so fast that she grew dizzy, but she kept going, chasing after Drake. She could sense Evan’s heat behind her, could hear his frustrated breaths.