Teased (The VIP Room, #1) (15 page)

“
No, thanks. I think I’ll just go to
the apartment and fix dinner,” Vida laughingly declined. “See you
tomorrow.”

Colton turned out the lights as Vida grabbed
her backpack. Holding the door open, his eyes lowered, watching her
walk toward him. Vida felt self-conscious as she walked to the
motorcycle with him following, his gaze on her back. Putting on the
helmet, she waited for him to get on before climbing on behind
him.

Vida was surprised they were headed in the
opposite direction of the apartment, wondering where he was headed.
The sky darkened as Colton drove through town, eventually pulling
into the driveway of a small house. Several lights were on, and a
woman came out when she heard the bike’s motor.

“
Colton!” The woman threw herself into
his arms. Colton laughed, picking the woman up and twirling her
around in a circle before placing her back on her feet.

They drew apart and Vida was struck by the
woman’s resemblance to Colton. He placed a casual arm across her
shoulder as he introduced her to the smiling woman.

“
Vida, this is my sister, Brenley.
Brenley, this is Vida.”

“
Hello, I can tell by your face that
Colton didn’t tell you he had a sister. He likes to surprise
everyone that he actually has a family.” Brenley made a face at her
brother.

“
I try to keep her hidden away.
Everybody feels sorry for me that my sister’s so ugly.”

Brenley punched Colton in the stomach at his
joke. Vida smiled as the two began to push and shove each other.
She was amazed at this side of Colton.

“
My big, ex-con brother is an
embarrassment to me, too.” She could dish it right back to her
brother.

“
Ouch, that’s no fair. That’s hitting
below the belt.”

“
If I could have got to you before you
made such a stupid move, I would have busted your balls,” Brenley
replied grimly.

“
Well, it’s over now and I’m home.
What’s for dinner? I’m starved.” Colton changed the
subject.

“
I made your favorite; meatloaf.” Vida
saw Colton turn pale and Brenley snickered at him before leading
the way into the house.

The aroma of fried chicken hit her nostrils
as soon as she walked into the doorway.

“
You witch. I’m not doing the dishes
because you lied to me.”

“
You’ll do the dishes or I won’t cook
for you anymore,” Brenley threatened right back at her
brother.

Colton made a face. “That’s blackmail, but
what can I do? I’m held hostage because you won’t share mom’s
recipe book.”

“
If I gave you the recipes, I would
never see you.” Brenley’s tone became more serious. “You two have a
seat. Dinner’s ready.” The table was set for three people; Brenley
had known that Colton was bringing her for dinner. Vida tried not
to let warmth invade her at Colton introducing her to his
sister.

“
Can I help?” Vida offered.

“
You and Colton can do clean up.”
Brenley smiled, setting down a platter of fried chicken before
going into the kitchen and returning with potatoes and
biscuits.”

“
I have died and gone to Heaven,” Vida
said, looking at the delicious food. Her mouth was watering from
the aroma alone. Brenley laughed, placing a pitcher of tea on the
table.

The talking stopped as they each filled
their plates with the food that ended up tasting as good as it
looked. Vida cleaned her plate, debating seconds, not wanting to
make a pig of herself in front of Brenley. Colton demolished his
food then had seconds. He seemed determined to eat everything on
the table except the dishes.

“
Slow down, Colton. I have plenty for
you to take home for later,” Brenley promised.

“
It’s been a long time since I ate
food that tasted so good,” Colton said when he finally
finished.

Brenley smiled at her brother’s compliment
before getting up from the table and going into the kitchen with a
wink in Vida’s direction. She came back carrying a huge chocolate
cake.

“
Now, I have died and gone to Heaven,”
Colton sighed. Brenley cut each of them a big slice of the rich
dessert. Even Colton couldn’t manage a second slice.

After dinner, Vida and Colton both cleaned
the table and did the dishes while Brenley stood nearby, chatting
with Colton and occasionally asking Vida a question.

Vida liked the woman, and finding out that
she owned a small local business doing graphic designs only
increased her admiration. Vida liked She also enjoyed that her home
was cozy and nicely decorated without being too girly. It was
exactly what Vida dreamed one day of owning herself.

Deciding to watch a movie, they went into
the living room. Brenley sat down in the only chair, leaving the
couch for Vida and Colton.

Vida sat down on the end of the couch,
however Colton eyed her before tugging her closer to his side.
Embarrassed, she tried to scoot away a few inches.

Vida noticed Brenley’s amused gaze on the
silent struggle. Deciding it wasn’t worth embarrassing herself, she
stilled, relaxing into the sofa.

Colton leaned back, putting his boots onto
the coffee table. Vida was about to take him to task when Brenley
shook her head with a grin. Vida came to the conclusion that both
brother and sister were used to getting their own way.

The movie was a comedy that had them all
laughing. Vida wished it lasted longer when it went off and Colton
pulled her to her feet.

“
We’d better be going, Brenley. We
have to work in the morning,” Colton told his sister.

Brenley rose from the chair. “Let me get
your leftovers.” With a grin, she went into the kitchen.

“
I like your sister,” Vida remarked
with envy in her voice.

Colton smiled. “She’s pretty cool for a
sister, but she can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”

“
I heard that. If you’re not careful,
I’ll take that half of a chocolate cake out of the bag,” she
threatened.

“
You’re the best sister ever,” Colton
said soulfully. Vida laughed at his little boy act while Brenley
handed him a plastic zip up bag that would make it easier to handle
on the bike ride back.

“
That’s more like it,” Brenley said
before turning to Vida and giving her a quick hug. “It was really
nice meeting you. Stop by sometime for a visit and I’ll tell you
all of Colton’s secrets.”

Vida couldn’t help herself. “If it involves
women, I think I’m finding that out for myself.”

“
I think the right woman could get
Colton under control.”

Colton took Vida’s hand, leading her to the
door. “Bye, sis.”

“
Bye, Colton. See you next
week.”

Colton tugged Vida out the door, hastily
leading her to the bike.

“
What’s the hurry?” Vida asked,
watching him strap down the food bag on the back of the
bike.

“
I didn’t want my sister giving you
more ammunition against me.”

“
I already know what kind of man you
are, Colton.”

“
Do you? Or have you simply made
judgments based on how I acted when I didn’t care what you
thought?”

Vida began to feel uncomfortable. She didn’t
want Colton’s attitude to change towards her. She was comfortable
with the way things were with them except for this morning, which
she had every intention of forgetting about.

Without answering his question, she waited
for him to get on the bike before getting on herself.

It had rained while they were inside, but
the motorcycle drove effortlessly on the wet pavement. Colton was
able to even control the bike when a car pulled out recklessly in
front of them. Vida felt safe, not frightened in the least when she
felt the bike’s wheels slide slightly before Colton expertly
maneuvered the bike to a slow stop. Expecting him to rant at the
stupid driver, he surprised her by slowly regaining his speed until
they were once more traveling through the night traffic.

She was becoming tired by the time Colton
pulled up in front of his apartment.

“
Mind if I take the shower first?”
Vida asked once they were inside.

“
No, you go ahead.”

Vida didn’t take long, wanting to go to
sleep. Putting on her pajamas and brushing her hair before braiding
it, she went out to the living room to see that Colton had made the
couch for her.

Coming to a stop, she appreciated his
thoughtfulness. She really didn’t know how to handle this side of
him. He had never been mean to her, merely treating her as a
stranger in his home. Which she was. Now, with his change in
attitude and how he treated her with consideration, almost like a
girlfriend, she was beginning to be scared of the feelings it was
bringing to the surface.

“
Thanks, Colton.” Vida stepped around
him, moving towards the couch.

“
No problem. I can see you’re
tired.”

Vida lay down on the couch, already half
asleep. Colton turned the light out when he saw she was settled.
She was about to roll on her side when she felt him standing by her
side.

“
Colton…”

“
I’m going to let you get used to the
idea of us while I wait for my divorce.” Sinking to the floor
beside her, he reached out to cup her cheek. “When my divorce is
final, Vida, you’re going to be in my bed,” he said
firmly.

Vida was determined to shut him down before
things could go any further. She was about to let him have it for
his mistaken assumptions when his mouth closed over hers, his
tongue driving all thoughts of denial away until he lifted his
head, taking his mouth away from her and rising to his feet.

“
Now you can go to sleep, if you can.”
Colton’s thick voice had her wanting to drag him back.

Vida rolled onto her side, her body in
turmoil and sleep no longer close by. It took time for her body and
mind to calm. Her body wanting his and her mind telling her to jump
up and escape. Weariness finally overrode both, providing her with
the sleep she needed.

Chapter 13

Vida took a long time getting ready for work
the next day, which provided her with the perfect excuse to ignore
Colton. The morning ride to the tattoo shop had been full of
nervous tension for her. Colton, on the other hand, was laid back
as if he actually believed all he had to do was wait and she would
fall in with his plans of having sex.

Vida didn’t try to straighten his
misconceptions out. She had plans of her own that didn’t include an
overconfident horn dog with the scruples of an alley cat. Vida’s
lips twisted at her comparisons, but they were the truth. Every
woman that came into his shop was given the same gorgeous,
seductive smile; they didn’t stand a chance against his sexual
chemistry that seemed to put them under his spell. Vida was going
to be the exception, the one that could respite his fuck me smile.
She took it as her personal mission to help these women fight back
against his sexual allure, whether they appreciated it or not.

The shop was busy enough that with the extra
part-time tattoo artist Colton had hired she could pick and choose
which artist was given clients. It was easier to do with the
appointments scheduled on the phone, but she learned a system of
penciling in clients then erasing them and going over it in ink for
the clients that came in the shop with nonscheduled
appointments.

It took a couple a days before Colton became
suspicious. By the fourth day, there was no doubt left in his eyes
when he escorted his last client, a trucker who wanted a tattoo
that would take at least a couple of hours. Vida gave him an
innocent smile, but couldn’t prevent the smile of satisfaction from
her lips as Tessa’s next client, who looked like a lingerie model
and wanted a bunny tattoo, looked longingly at Colton as he left
the room.

Later that evening, Vida powered down her
computer, packing it away in her backpack, as she waited for Colton
to clean his room so it would be ready for the morning. Colton
drove everyone crazy on his habits of cleanliness, but Vida
respected his concern for his clients.

“
Did you lock the door?” Colton asked,
coming in the room.

“
Yes. Ready?” Vida stood up about to
reach for her backpack.

“
In a minute. Come back to my room. We
need to have a talk.”

“
Can’t it wait until we’re back at the
apartment?” Vida didn’t like the grim expression on his
face.

“
No, it can’t.” Turning, he left the
room while Vida followed reluctantly.

Entering the room, she saw he had his tray
set out. She thought he would have put it away for the night.

“
Have a seat.”

Vida sat in the chair he used to tattoo his
clients.

“
Ever wanted to get a
tattoo?”

Vida, expecting him to take her to task for
the clients he had been given, was surprised into giving an honest
answer.

“
Yes.”

“
Why haven’t you gotten
one?”

“
I really don’t know. I couldn’t make
up my mind which one to get or exactly where I wanted
one.”

“
Trust me?”

“
Yes.” Vida had seen his work since
she had started at his shop and it was really good.

“
Then, you’re getting your first
tattoo.”

“
My first? I only want one,” Vida
objected.