Inked (Tattoos and Leather) (9 page)

Drew looked up from her coffee that swirled as she stirred it. A sly smile curved her lips as she studied Megan. “So you had a good time,” Drew stated.

Megan braced her hands on her hips and glared at her best friend. Megan’s coat fell open to reveal Nick’s dress shirt that she was wearing, which was cinched at her waist with Sean’s or Nick’s belt. She quickly wrapped the coat around her again, folded her arms, and narrowed her gaze at Drew.

“You helped set me up.” Megan tightened her folded arms. “How could you do that to me?”

A flicker of concern crossed Drew’s features. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“What?” Megan felt momentarily off balance. “No. I mean…well, not physically.”

Drew leaned her hip against the counter, steam rising from the coffee mug she held in both hands. “What happened?”

“What didn’t happen?” Megan muttered. “I freaking lost my mind.”

Drew brought the mug to her lips and blew on the coffee. “I think it sounds like you had a good time.”

“I’m going to take a shower.” Megan started toward her bedroom in the small two-bedroom apartment. “And put on some clean clothes.”

“Where’s the demo suitcase?” Drew called out. “And what about the body stocking?”

Megan glanced over her shoulder. “Take it out of my half of the rent we didn’t have to pay.” She marched into her bedroom, tossed her purse on the bed, and grabbed a pair of jeans and a cowl neck sweater.

The muffled sound of the mobile phone ringing in her purse caught her attention. Butterflies tickled her belly and she mentally stomped on them as she withdrew the phone and she saw a number she didn’t recognize. It was probably Nick or Sean. She sent the call to voicemail and tossed the phone onto the bed beside her purse. She didn’t have anything to say to either of the two men.

She kicked off her ankle boots then unbuckled the belt and dropped it onto the floor before she stripped out of the tux shirt. She tossed it onto the belt and glared at them. The shirt and belt together probably cost more than she’d made in a month at DII.

After she showered and dressed in the bathroom she shared with Drew, she wandered barefoot into the living room with her iPad. Drew was curled up on the loveseat with her own tablet in one hand, a mug of coffee in the other, and her feet tucked under her. She looked deep in thought as she stared at the tablet.

Megan plopped on the couch and sat sideways with her knees bent to her chest, her bare feet on the cushions. She pulled up the Internet on her iPad and started going through job ads via the online sites. The more she looked, the more she frowned and the more discouraged she got. She was under-qualified for the higher paying jobs and other positions she was overqualified for and they didn’t pay enough. As she mulled over possibilities in her mind, she thought about Faith and the job at Spirits.

Part of Megan didn’t want to go near the bar in case the twins came back. A greater part of her knew that she needed the money to tide her over until she found a new job that paid enough. She’d make tips right away, so that would give her cash to get by for now. After her experience with doing a Sweet Sensations party, she didn’t want to try demonstrating sex toys as away to earn money again.

Never.

So could she really work in a tits and ass place?

If she could wear a body stocking and do a Sweet Sensations demonstration in front of two gorgeous men before going down on them, she could certainly work at Spirits.

A rush of air left her as she felt the walls of debt closing in on her.

Drew looked up from her tablet. “Everything okay?”

“I can’t find a damn thing.” Megan pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger and closed her eyes. She thought about the twins’ offer of a job and money and mentally shook her head. She’d never sell herself like that. Her grandmother wouldn’t be proud of a girl who couldn’t make her own way. She’d be prouder of Megan going and getting a job at Spirits rather than mooching off a couple of rich men.

Megan raised her head and opened her eyes. “I told you I ran into Faith yesterday afternoon.”

“I didn’t get a chance to ask how she’s doing.” Drew set her tablet aside on an end table. “I haven’t seen her for a while.”

“She looks like she’s doing well and she’s still going out with Joey.” Megan let out a sigh. “She told me she could get me a job at Spirits.”

“I’ve heard the money is good.” Drew sat up straighter in her seat. “But I thought you hated the idea of doing something like that.”

“I do.” Megan shifted on the sofa. She put her elbow on the armrest and her chin in her hand. “But Faith said I could start right away and we need the money.”

“I think that sounds like a great idea, if being a Sweet Sensations consultant is out.” Drew smiled at Megan. “You’ve been a server in a bar before.”

“About a hundred years ago.” Megan groaned. “I was in college and I didn’t have to wear a getup that made me look like I belonged in a stripper club.” With a shake of her head, she added. “I also need the job because I’ve got to pay you back for that demo kit, too.”

“Don’t worry about that for now.” Drew sat cross-legged on the loveseat. “Besides, maybe you can get it all back. The body stocking, too.”

“I don’t want to go near those guys.” Megan gave a vehement shake of her head. “I’d rather pay for the demo kit and the body stocking.” She wasn’t about to mention that the lace and bows outfit was ruined thanks to two sexy men who looked like Greek gods.

“That bad, huh?” Drew frowned. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.” Megan pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I don’t even want to think about it.” Which was exactly what she’d been doing ever since she’d left their penthouse. Images kept flashing through her mind of being at the mercy of the two men…about going down on them…about them bringing her to orgasm so hard she’d blacked out.

Nope. Not going to think about it anymore.

Drew’s frown deepened. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“No.” Megan shook her head. “No, they didn’t hurt me. Not at all. It’s just…well, like I said, I just don’t want to talk about it.”

Drew looked a little relieved. “As long as they didn’t hurt you. I’d have to kill them if they had.”

“Thank you for caring so much.” Megan gave Drew a little smile before she straightened. “I’m going to call Faith.” Megan shored up her resolve and got up from the couch. If she could bare her tits and ass to Sean and Nick, two men she hadn’t even known, then she could wear one of those stupid little costumes.

Right?

Sure.

“You go, girl,” Drew said and Megan groaned.

She headed toward her bedroom and her phone started ringing. When she reached her purse, she picked the phone up off of the bed and saw the unknown number again. It had to be one of the twins. Well, she was
not
going to talk to them and that was all there was to it.

She sent the call to voice mail then pulled up her address book on the phone. She let out her breath and called Faith.

* * * * *

Sean frowned as he slipped his mobile phone back into his pocket. “Megan isn’t answering.”

Nick scowled and gripped a glass of orange juice so tightly his knuckles whitened. Sean wondered if the glass might explode in his brother’s hand. “How the hell did she manage to leave without either of us waking?” Nick said.

Sean pushed his hand through his hair. “Hell if I know.”

“Why did she leave?” Nick said aloud, but Sean knew he didn’t expect an answer. Nick’s eyes met Sean’s. “She’s the one,” Nick stated.

Sean gave a slow nod. “She is the one we’ve been searching for.”

“She has everything.” Nick set his orange juice glass on a nearby table. “Heart, fire, intelligence, beauty, and something deep inside her that craves what we do… That needs what we need…”

“Soul mates,” Sean said quietly. “We felt it the moment we first touched her in the lobby. The three of us were meant for each other.”

Nick blew out his breath and faced the floor-to-ceiling windows of their penthouse. “We need to go get her.”

With a shake of his head, Sean moved to stand beside Nick. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to push her so soon,” Sean said.

Nick turned his narrowed gaze on Sean. “Why the hell not?”

“I think you know why.” Sean eyed Nick steadily. “We need to give her time to get used to the idea.”

Nick looked back out the window. “We offered to pay her rent, a cash bonus, and a job.”

“Maybe that was our mistake.” Sean shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “I don’t think she can be bought.”

With a slow nod, Nick slid his hands into his slacks’ pockets in an unconscious mimic of Sean as they stood side-by-side. “If the shoe was on the other foot,” Nick started.

“We would have been pissed,” Sean finished. “Even if we were penniless.”

“Then we make her see reason.” Nick’s expression was hard but determined.

“We should take another tack,” Sean said. “Wine and dine her.”

Nick looked at Sean. “I’ve come to the same conclusion.”

Sean wasn’t surprised. With their connection it was only natural for them to come to a similar conclusion before the words were even spoken.

For a moment, Sean thought about texting Megan since she wouldn’t answer her phone. Instead he drew his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll call Susan. She’ll take care of it the arrangements.”

Tension seemed to leave Nick’s features, as if he was certain Megan would come around. “She’s perfect for us,” he said.

“We won’t let her slip away.” Sean pressed speed dial for Susan.

From Nick’s expression, it was easy to see that he believed Sean’s statement was a foregone conclusion. “No, she won’t slip away.”

Megan stared at her reflection and groaned. The red and green elf outfit she was to wear tonight at Spirits was almost as bad as that lace and bows body stocking. The red bustier plumped her breasts up almost to her chin and the skirt barely fit over her ass.

She’d called Faith only hours ago and her friend had said they needed someone tonight. Faith had swung by with two different sizes of the outfit for Megan to try on, and this one fit. Sort of.

“Hey, special delivery for you.” Drew’s voice came from the living room.

“For me?” Her mind still on the skimpy outfit, Megan walked out of her bedroom to see what Drew was talking about.

“Wow.” Drew whistled when she saw Megan. “The tips will be flowing tonight.”

Megan rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “You said something about a special delivery?”

“Oh.” Drew held out a long, two-foot long slender white box. “This was just delivered.”

Surprised, Megan took the box from Drew. “What in the world?”

Drew looked intrigued. “Open it.”

Megan raised the lid. Inside the box was a single long-stemmed red rose on a bed of baby's-breath. She’d never seen a more perfect rose. A cream-colored envelope rested on the center of the rose stem.

“Oooh.” Drew’s eyes went wide. “Read the card.”

Megan set down the box with the rose, picked up the envelope, and slid the card out. The card was monogrammed with a D. She’d known who it was from even before she drew the card out of the envelope. When she opened the card, the script was neat and tidy.

Megan,

Like this rose, you are one of a kind. We will pick you up for dinner tonight at 7:00 pm.

N & S

Heat flushed over Megan. “Talk about arrogant jerks.” She scooped up the box with the rose and marched to the kitchen garbage can. She dropped the box, rose and all, into the garbage, and tossed the card and envelope onto the box.

“Boy, they must have really pissed you off,” Drew said as Megan strode toward the bedroom.

Megan called over her shoulder, “You have no idea.”

They’d also given her the most incredible orgasm of her life. She’d passed out, for goodness’ sake.

Shaking her head she stood in front of the mirror again and stared at her half-naked reflection. From body stocking to bustier—she wasn’t sure which was worse. Okay, maybe the body stocking had been worse.

She thought again of how disappointed her grandmother would have been with her.

Or would she have? Megan remembered finding old pictures in the attic of a young woman dressed like a Bettie Page pinup girl—or rather barely dressed. Some of the pictures had what Megan now realized had been a BDSM theme. She’d been too young to understand that was what it was until now.

Megan had suspected the woman had been her grandmother, but had been too embarrassed to ask. That had been when Megan was very young, and she hadn’t thought about it again until now.

Could her grandmother have had the same wants and desires that Megan had? That was crazy thinking…wasn’t it?

She shook her head. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that possibility.

Twenty minutes later, Megan was trudging back to Spirits. Once again she was in her coat and ankle boots, this time wearing the skimpy elf suit beneath the coat. At least this time she was going to be serving drinks and bar food…and not showing off dildos and butt plugs, followed by going down on two men.

She clenched her hands into fists. She had to get her thoughts off of Nick and Sean and what had happened last night.

It was with some satisfaction that she knew the men would be expecting her to be waiting for them and she wasn’t going to be home. The nerve, as if she was theirs to control and answer to their every demand.

Like she had last night.

She bit the inside of her cheek, hard, drawing her attention back to reality and away from erotic memories. At least for a moment.

When she reached the door to Spirits, she noticed this time that the door was nicer than it had been before the remodel. When she walked into the entryway, it wasn’t dark like before. Soft lighting caressed the cream walls and wood paneling.

A woman in an elf suit sat at an elegant table to check IDs. She had a list beside her and Megan wondered if this place was exclusive to a specific clientele now that it had been remodeled. She wouldn’t be surprised.