Genetic Attraction (12 page)

Jake looked miserable, which he should. “I"ll bet she doesn"t love me after the way I treated her last night.”

“Maybe she doesn"t, and it would serve you right.”

Jake looked up at Roan, startled, because they were seldom harsh with each other. “I was bad, huh?”

“Shit yeah, you were. You had no business going to that party to begin with.”

“But I wanted to see her.”

“Dammit, Jake, you see her every day at work. You wanted to spy on her.”

“But you should have seen her simpering over that fucking history professor…”

“Jake! We may hate that guy, but he"s her age, and he"s eligible, and he doesn"t happen to have any extra baggage like a
gay lover
. If she wants to be with him, she will. And you treating her the way you did, fucking her, and then yelling at her and accusing her… Shit, I may not know much about women, but I sure as hell know that"s not the way to win her.”

His lover looked defeated and crumpled onto the bed. “I know, baby. Jesus, I"m so sorry. I know I blew it, but I"m just not altogether rational about that woman.”

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He sat beside Jake and pulled him against his shoulder. “Tell me something I don"t know. Your feelings are all tied up with your love for her and your work and your admiration of her accomplishment. But you gotta quit, baby. You can"t make having her a source of validation. Em"s gotta be about love, and you know how to tell if something you love belongs to you?”

The man sighed. “Yeah, yeah, let it go.”

“Right.” Okay, he had to ask. “Jake, if she doesn"t choose us…”

“You think she will, don"t you?” He sounded desperate.

“Yeah. I think we"ll work it out somehow. But what if we don"t—I mean, if she doesn"t come around…”
Just spit it out
. “Will it be okay? I mean, will I be enough?

Can it be just you and me again?”

Jake stared at him and he felt his heart dropping into his stomach.

Then he was falling against the mattress as the big blond tackled him, covering his face with kisses. “Baby, baby, what the fuck are you talking about? You and me, we"re a given. That"s decided; that"s life, baby. Yes, I want Em. But if you don"t, we walk away now. Just tell me.”

Okay, that felt better. “No, I want her too, Jake. I guess I was just feeling kind of…”

“Left out by your idiot, selfish lover?”

He grinned. “Yeah. Exactly.”

“I"m so sorry, baby. I get obsessive. You know that. But you"re telling the truth? You really do want her?”

“Yeah. I really do.”

Jake looked at him suspiciously. “Why? Bottom line, you like guys.”

“Bottom line, I love you, baby.”

Jake got up restlessly. “I don"t want you doing this for me.” He turned, and Roan saw the depth of emotion in the blue eyes. “I love you, Roan. I never knew love could be this way. Don"t let me screw it up.”

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Tara Lain

“Oh, baby.” Roan leaped off the bed and grabbed his golden boy in a huge kiss.

He pulled back.

“I"m really not doing this just for you, Jake.” As he said it, he knew it was true.

“I love how smart and funny and earthy she is. She makes me think about things in new ways, including myself. She"s a little like a guy, but with some fun new parts I enjoy playing with. I could never be with just a woman; I found that out with Alexandra. But having you both really appeals to me. I think she can make us even better. She fits.”

Jake looked at him mischievously. “And you"re gonna fuck the hell out of her tomorrow, right?”

“Oh yeah. If she"ll let me.”

“You think she won"t?”

Roan laughed. “No, I think she will.” He grabbed Jake around the waist and pushed him onto the bed, flipping him onto his stomach and landing on top. “But I"m going to fuck you first, baby. Wouldn"t want you forgetting about me while I"m buried inside Em.”

Jake reached up and licked his lips. “You"re going to stick that monster cock in my ass and push it in and out real slow?”

“Yeah, that"s the plan.”

“And you"re gonna pump my dick until I scream?”

“Yeah, baby.”

“And you"re gonna make me come so hard I can"t remember my name?”

“For sure.”

“Oh baby, I"ll never forget you.”

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Chapter Fifteen

She searched for the street address, dodging vendors and the usual swarm of New York pedestrians. The last twenty-four hours had been interminable, and no amount of gene sequencing could make it speed up. Far from focused and absorbed, yesterday she"d been a clock-watcher, noting each eternal minute. Even the train into the city had seemed slower than usual today. Finally she was here. Going to see Roan. She took a deep breath.

He"d said “I love you,” so she didn"t think he would greet her with hurt and anger like Jake. But this was a test. She loved Jake pretty damned unbearably, but what he"d done wasn"t okay with her. If Roan defended Jake or in any way repeated the performance from that bathroom, she"d decided she"d walk away from both of them. She needed Jake in the lab, but she didn"t care. If they couldn"t work together amicably, what was the point? Of course the fact that her stomach fluttered and her nipples hardened at the idea of just seeing Roan made a little applesauce of her resolve.

The address was on a midrise glass building, and she opened the door right on the street and entered a small, cool reception room, dark compared to the bright light outside. Big fashion photos, black-and-white and color, decorated the walls.

There was a smallish reception desk that at the moment was unoccupied. Not sure what to do—there was no bell to ring—she just began looking at the photos. They were fantastic. Inventive, artistic, but they still managed to show the high-fashion clothing to good advantage.

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Tara Lain

She turned as the click of high heels on the polished concrete floor announced the missing receptionist. Inky, spiked, black hair nestled against black-framed glasses that barely gave room to see her eyes.

In a slight Brooklyn twang, she asked politely, “Can I help you?”

Em smiled. “I"d like to see Roan Black.”

An explosive giggle set Em back a step. “You and the whole world, lady.”

“Let me rephrase that.” Em tried to not sound annoyed. “I"m Emmaline Silvay.

Roan asked me to meet him here today.”

“Oh shit!” The girl slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

“No problem. One of my personal favorite expressions.”

“I mean, come with me, please. They"re shooting right now, but I"m sure he"d want you to come in.”

Em was pretty sure the “he” in question was Roan, not the photographer.

Obviously, Roan got what he wanted here.

She followed the girl into a huge, cavernous studio. A number of people stood around, all focused on a central area surrounded by a big curved backdrop that was lit to look like the solar system. In the middle of that stagelike cove, brilliantly lit with color spotlights, were four amazing beings that were hard to identify as human. Three were women, tall, impossibly thin, swathed in acres of silk, tulle, beading, and gemstones, all clearly of the latest fashion in evening wear. This finery was in dramatic contrast to the models" faces, which were painted in black, white, and gray. The three women reclined on large round orbs of varying heights while busy assistants in jeans and bare feet scurried to adjust their skirts for the proper drape and add the tiniest bit more fluff to their white-powdered hair.

But none of the onlookers were watching the women, because suspended from a sort of trapeze structure in the middle of the huge cove was Roan, wearing a G-string and body paint. The metallic silver that coated him was only a tiny bit more radiant than his own skin. Even his trademark tattoo was covered. His lean, Genetic Attraction

93

dramatically muscled body arched across the trapeze, and he held on to a guide rope that she suspected would be pulled away when they started shooting. Chiseled cheekbones, carved pecs, cobbled abs, and long, muscular legs—he was a work of art.

Em"s companion was as mesmerized as she was. The girl sort of shook herself and then gestured to Em. “Come on up here. I"ll get you a chair and introduce you to the photographer.”

“I don"t want to be in the way.”

“Oh, don"t worry. Roan doesn"t ask for much around here. You"d never believe that walking dream would be sweet and kind and not-temperamental would you?”

“Actually, I would.”

The girl gave her a glance. “Oh yeah, I guess you would. But it"s sure more than I can say for some people.” She glanced pointedly toward the female models.

“Anyway, Roan asked us to make you comfortable, and that"s what we"re going to do.”

Em followed her loquacious hostess up to a chair set beside one of several cameras. A midheight, stocky, bearded man of about fifty gave directions to assistants who were still adjusting lights.

“Hey, Bill. This is Roan"s friend, Miss Silvay. This is Bill Davolo.”

The bearlike man turned to her and flashed big white teeth. “Actually, Sylvia, I think this is
Doctor
Silvay, am I right?”

Em extended her hand. “Just a PhD, not a physician.”

“Yeah,
just
the person who"s going to find a cure for cancer, as I hear it.” His big paw swallowed her hand.

“Roan is more than a little biased in his opinion.”

The dark eyes narrowed. “He sure thinks highly of you, Doctor.”

“Em! Em!”

She looked up to see Roan pulling himself up on his trapeze and waving.

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Tara Lain

She waved back. Davolo gestured with his chin. “Take off your shoes so you don"t rip the seamless, and go say hi to him, otherwise I"ll never get his attention.”

The last was said affectionately.

She padded over to Roan barefoot, dodging cables and wires that lay on the ground. She looked up, up into the green eyes that were circled with shining green makeup. He beamed. “Hi, beautiful.” Her heart swelled.

“Back at"cha. What are you up there, dear, an alien?”

“Yeah, somebody"s dream of outer space I"m told.”

“Wet dream, I"d say.”

He leaned down, bringing his face closer to her, and that sultry voice lowered.

“You would, would you?”

Her breath stuck in her throat. “Oh yeah.”

“This is our last shot. I can"t wait to be with you.”

Oh, God, she hoped he meant what she had in mind. Jesus, she wanted him as badly as she wanted Jake, little pervert that she was.

As she carefully made her way back to the chair, her body was covered with goose bumps—and it had nothing to do with the temperature.

Davolo shouted for attention, and the assistants all left the big cove as the female models began to adjust themselves on the orbs. Roan arched back, his face toward the camera—and Em. His eyes still glistened with the promise of things to come.

Davolo murmured under his breath. “Shit.” She looked up at him, and he leaned toward her and winked. “You certainly perked our boy up, Doctor, but maybe a little too much. When that kid gets a hard-on, the planets have to realign.”

She looked up and sure enough, the tiny G-string was barely containing Roan"s erection—and it was only at half-mast. She blushed. “Sorry.”

He chuckled. “No worries. Funny, I always assumed the kid was gay. Anything that beautiful, y"know?”

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Feeling a need to rise to the defense of his bisexuality she answered, “I can personally testify to his excellent use of that planet-realigning cock.”

Davolo exploded a laugh. “Well, good for him. The kid"s got good taste.”

Shifting his attention back to Roan, whose condition was now slightly less obvious, Davolo yelled, “Bend your left leg a bit more, Roan. Good, baby, perfect.”

The offending appendage hidden, Davolo began to shoot.

An hour later, Davolo had all the shots he needed, Roan was in showering off the body paint, and Em was wishing she was with him. Wow, watching him move that exquisite body around like some kind of otherworldly serpent had left her breathless and wildly horny. That might be inappropriate considering her situation with Roan and Jake, but it was still a fact.

Two people whom Davolo had earlier described to her as “the clients”—she guessed meaning the fashion magazine in which the photos would appear—were now consulting with the photographer about the shots he"d captured and delivery dates on the final product. Apparently, there would still be some digital manipulation of the images. That was gilding the lily as far as she was concerned.

She looked up as the “lily” in question emerged from the dressing room wearing a slim-cut navy suit that she was sure represented the cost of many a first mortgage. This haute couture was complemented by a white T-shirt with some kind of rock group splashed across it, two glistening gold earrings, and a nose ring.

Clearly, her pretty boy had been downplaying his image for the benefit of Connecticut locals. The almost-black hair was idly tousled and spiked around his face.

He winked at her and went straight to the clients to shake hands and make his good-byes. Even those clearly hardened fashionistas had to work at not gushing at the gorgeous model. With a wave to them, he crossed to Em, wrapped an arm around her waist, and leaned down for a short kiss. “God, I thought this shoot would never end.”

“I"m glad I got to see it.”

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Tara Lain

“Hungry? I know it"s early for dinner, but I haven"t had a lot of food today.

With that much skin showing, I try to keep the stomach concave.”

“As if it ever isn"t. Come on, beautiful, feed me.” Although she had to admit there were other things she"d rather do, there were things they needed to work out.