Authors: Natasha Rostova
The Naked Truth (7 page)
‘Good. Because I have to hire Sam Houston to find my wife.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Are you sure they didn’t pierce your brain along with your eyebrow?’ Logan asked derisively. ‘It seems that Callie has disappeared without a trace.’
‘Wow, you mean, like, kidnapped? Did you call the police?’
‘No. Callie left of her own accord, which is why I need a detective. The police won’t be of any help.’ Logan grabbed his suit jacket and slipped it on. ‘I have an errand to run. Find me the records of Houston’s cases. I want them on my desk by the time I’m back.’
Logan grabbed his car keys and strode outside to the car park. The heat lay like a wet blanket over the city. Logan drove to Gloria’s house on Taylor Street and pulled into the driveway. If Callie were anywhere near her sister, he would find out about it.
He rapped hard on the door, forcing away a wave of frustration when no one responded. He turned the doorknob, found it unlocked, and let himself in. The muffled sounds of music emerged from the study.
Logan paused in the doorway, his gaze going to his sister-in-law. She lay sprawled on the leather couch, wearing a silk robe with a feathery boa that was fully open to reveal her tits. Her head was flung back in ecstasy, her fingers working frantically between her legs as the sounds of
For Your Eyes Only
jangled from the stereo speakers.
For Your Eyes Only
jangled from the stereo speakers.
‘Yes . . .’ Gloria moaned, reaching up to twist her nipple between her pink, lacquered fingernails. ‘Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me.’
Logan strode into the room and switched off the stereo before turning to face Gloria. She looked up in surprise, her eyes widening at the sight of him.
‘Oh, shit,’ she muttered.
‘Sorry to interrupt.’
‘Sure you are.’ Gloria didn’t bother pulling her robe closed. Instead, she ran a hand slowly down her body. She had a totally different figure than her slender, small-breasted sister. She was all rounded flesh and large tits, her thighs full and creamy.
Logan couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to fuck her. He winced as his prick hardened.
‘I came to find Callie,’ he said. ‘Where is she?’
‘How many times do I have to tell you? She’s not here.’ Gloria rubbed her fingers over her belly. Her skin was flushed with exertion and interrupted satisfaction. ‘You don’t mind if I finish myself off, do you?’
‘You’re a whore, Gloria,’ Logan said in disgust. ‘What did you say to Callie to make her leave?’
Gloria shrugged and spread her legs farther apart, giving him full view of her wet cunt. ‘Not a thing, sugar. I told you, I was furious with her. Still am, but there’s not much I can do.’
Logan headed towards the staircase as tension gripped his neck. ‘I’m looking upstairs.’
‘Really, Logan, I wouldn’t be frigging myself in plain sight if my sister were upstairs,’ Gloria said dryly. She pulled herself off the couch in a languid movement and approached him, her breasts swinging like large pillows. ‘Maybe she left because you didn’t fuck her often enough. Or hard enough.’
Logan’s teeth clenched as the scent of Gloria’s arousal billowed up around him. ‘She told you that?’
‘Not in so many words.’
‘Then how?’
Gloria reached up to tug lightly at the knot of Logan’s tie, her fingers still glistening with her own juices. ‘Callie needs to be satisfied, darling. If you didn’t do that, then maybe she’s looking elsewhere.’
‘You’re telling me she’s having an affair?’
‘Heavens, no. I don’t think she’s wired for that.’ Gloria sauntered over to the drinks cabinet and began mixing herself a vodka martini. ‘Would you like a drink?’
‘No. I would like to find my wife.’
‘Give it up, sugar. She’ll come back to you when she’s ready.’ She sipped her drink and looked at him with a glint in her blue eyes. ‘My heavens. I’ve never seen you this worked up, Logan. It’s quite attractive.’
Logan’s hands tightened into fists as he turned and stalked out of the room. He went upstairs and threw open the doors of the bedrooms, certain he would find some evidence of Callie. But no, the guest bedrooms were pristine and perfect, and the library looked as if it hadn’t been occupied for weeks. Logan slammed the door so hard it vibrated on its hinges.
‘I told you.’ Gloria’s robe still hung open to reveal her abundant flesh when Logan stormed back into the study. ‘You seem to be hard of hearing. Are you as hard in other ways, darling?’
‘Don’t call me darling, you lush – and would you cover yourself up?’ Logan snapped. ‘Jesus, you’re indecent.’
Gloria gave a throaty laugh. ‘And you’re repressed.’ She approached him, her breasts brushing suggestively against his arm. ‘You know, I can help loosen you up.’
‘For God’s sake, Gloria, I’m your sister’s husband.’ Irritation grated his nerves, but he forced himself to keep his voice even. ‘Have some respect for that, would you?’
Gloria blinked. ‘I have the utmost respect for that. However, I know that you and my sister don’t exactly appreciate each other.’
‘And that means I should fuck you?’
‘Why not?’ Gloria shrugged. ‘Sometimes a fuck is just a fuck.’
With a mutter of exasperation, Logan turned and went back out to his car. It never ceased to surprise him how different Callie and Gloria were. For Gloria, fucking her sister’s husband wouldn’t even count as a betrayal, but simply an adventurous activity, like a weekend camping trip in the mountains. He had made a point of resisting her relentless advances up to this point but, now with his anger at Callie simmering like hot water in his blood, the idea of screwing Gloria suddenly seemed a just, if inefficient, revenge.
He got behind the wheel of his car and slammed the door. Now he was furious not only about Callie’s leaving, but also over the fact that his cock was as hard as a piece of granite.
Callie pulled open the door of Nebula Arcana as the jingle of the bell heralded her entrance. The sweet scent of incense floated towards her, mingled with the light crispness of candle wax. The shop was filled with shelves of stones and crystals, home-made candles, New Age books, cotton and hemp clothing, and silver jewellery. An upstairs loft displayed Indian sheets and bedspreads, as well as a number of wall decorations. Callie loved the place. She took great pleasure in the quirky yet comforting atmosphere and found the clientele to be easy-going and honest, if a bit odd.
‘Hey, Callie.’
‘Hi, Tess.’ Callie approached the young woman who stood behind the jewellery counter, arranging items in the glass case. ‘Well, I did it.’
‘Yeah? Good for you. How do you feel?’ Tess flipped a lock of green-streaked hair out of her eyes and looked at Callie. Her silver nose ring glinted in the light, and she was wearing a new shade of sparkly purple eyeshadow.
Callie had always envied Tess her go-to-hell style of fashion. Dozens of silver bracelets and rings decorated Tess’ arms and fingers, and she wore her traditional attire of torn, black jeans, a mesh shirt and leather vest.
‘I feel OK,’ she said. ‘I thought I would be more relieved, but I’m not really. I guess I’m even a little sad.’
‘At least you had the guts to do it,’ Tess said. ‘To leave him, I mean. Most women wouldn’t.’
Callie nodded. ‘Thanks for letting me stay upstairs. I hope I can pay you rent soon.’
Tess grinned and snapped her gum. ‘Just open the shop at nine on weekends,’ she said. ‘Letting me sleep till eleven is plenty of compensation for me.’
‘Speaking of which, how was your show last night?’ Callie asked.
Tess sighed and shook her head. ‘There were all of six people in the audience, and two of them walked out. I swear, no one appreciates art anymore.’
‘Especially performance art,’ Callie agreed sympathetically. ‘What performance did you do?’
‘It’s a performance called
Paint
,’ Tess explained. ‘I’m trying to show how closely connected art is to the body, but it’s just not daring enough. I need to revive a series called
Sexology
. I did it in LA and got a huge audience. Besides, I want to shake Savannah up a little.’
Paint
,’ Tess explained. ‘I’m trying to show how closely connected art is to the body, but it’s just not daring enough. I need to revive a series called
Sexology
. I did it in LA and got a huge audience. Besides, I want to shake Savannah up a little.’
‘That sounds provocative.’
Tess grinned. ‘It is. And fun, too.’
‘Let me know how I can help,’ Callie said. ‘I’ll be right back. I just want to go and unpack.’
She went to the back of the shop and pulled open a door next to a shelf of home-made soaps. A narrow staircase led up to the small, one-room flat above Nebula Arcana. It wasn’t much, simply a room with a kitchenette, a small table and a double bed, but it was more than enough for Callie. She would spruce it up with some things from the shop and make it her new home. She unpacked her suitcase and hung her clothes in the wardrobe, then removed her vibrator from the bottom of the case.
She’d made frequent use of the toy during her three years with Logan, for no other reason than the fact that Logan couldn’t give her the same intensity of orgasm. Hell, sometimes it had been more of a companion than he had been. And at least it didn’t try to quieten her when she spoke her mind. With a rueful chuckle, Callie put the vibrator in the bedside-table drawer before going into the adjoining bathroom to freshen up.
When Callie returned to the shop, Tess was busy helping a woman pick out the right meditation cassette. Callie began working on her current project of categorising all the books and putting their details into the new computer system. As the morning passed, the tension began to seep from her neck and shoulders. She had left Logan. She had really done it. She had walked out of his closed, confined life and into a space that would finally allow her, after three long years, to take a deep breath.
‘You want lunch, Cal?’ Tess asked. ‘I’m feeling the urge for a veggie burger.’
Callie placed
Mystical Memories
on her ‘Done’ pile. ‘No, I’m not really hungry, thanks.’
Mystical Memories
on her ‘Done’ pile. ‘No, I’m not really hungry, thanks.’
Tess continued looking at her, arching a thick, black eyebrow. ‘Are you going to keep dressing like that?’
Callie glanced down at her silk blouse and pressed trousers. ‘Like what?’
‘You look like a society matron on her way to a tea party,’ Tess replied, then added, ‘You know, one of those types with a large stick up her arse.’
Callie laughed. ‘Tess, if society matrons have large sticks up their arses, then they are most assuredly not en route to a tea party.’
‘Well, you really should loosen up a little,’ Tess said. ‘I mean, that’s a nice outfit and all, but geez, do you ever look repressed.’
‘I am not repressed,’ Callie retorted, mildly offended. ‘Just because my husband touched me as if I were a china doll doesn’t make
me
the repressed one.’
me
the repressed one.’
‘I didn’t say you were repressed,’ Tess replied. ‘I said you look repressed.’ She waved her hand towards the wall of loose, cotton clothing. ‘Why don’t you wear some of our clothes?’
‘Tess, I can’t afford to buy new clothes right now.’
‘You don’t have to buy them yet,’ Tess said. ‘It’ll be good advertising for us, anyway, if we both wear the clothes. You’ll pay me when you have the money.’
‘I’ll think about it,’ Callie promised.
‘I’m telling you, you don’t know what you’re missing. That hemp clothing is unbelievably soft. It’s like wearing a second skin. Or nothing at all.’ Tess leant her shoulder against the bookshelf and surveyed Callie. ‘So, Logan was a lousy lay, huh?’
Callie picked up another book to enter into the computer. ‘No, he wasn’t. He just acted like the whole thing was so mechanical. A task rather than an act of love. Or even lust.’
Tess snorted. ‘Sounds pretty lousy to me.’
‘No, it wasn’t, not really,’ Callie insisted, somehow annoyed by the thought of anyone degrading Logan’s sexuality. ‘It was pleasant.’
‘Pleasant? Ouch.’
‘Yeah.’ Callie sighed. ‘Pleasant.’
‘Did you ever try to be adventurous with him?’ Tess asked.
‘Adventurous with Logan?’ Callie almost laughed. ‘I could barely talk to the man, let alone be adventurous with him.’
‘Hmm. Sounds to me like he was the one who had the intimate relationship with a stick.’
Callie couldn’t help chuckling, even though something inside her was saddened by the thought that Tess was right. ‘Yes, well, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.’
‘You did the right thing, as far as I’m concerned. And it might do you good to go out somewhere other than tea parties and formal dinners. Listen, I’m going to get my veggie burger. Sure you don’t want anything?’
‘No, I’ll get something later. Thanks.’ Callie watched Tess saunter out of the shop, her slim hips swaying in an unconscious rhythm. She wondered what it would be like to feel so comfortable with her body, to feel as if she actually fit inside her skin, to be confident of every movement.
Callie thought well of herself, but she had never been able to cultivate Tess’s brazenness. Even if she had tried harder to adopt such an attitude, she suspected that Logan wouldn’t have let her get away with it. Her mild flirting games had been more than enough. And heaven knew that he would allow nothing to crack the perfect globe of his world. Especially not his wife.
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