Time to Pretend (23 page)

He wants what you have. I represent a domestic ideal he thinks will make him happy. I’m the dress rehearsal. He’ll play house with me for a little while then he’ll move on when he meets someone who better represents what he wants for a permanent partner.” Sophia’s mouth dropped open. She came closer to Alaina and placed her hands on either side of Alaina’s face. The sympathy pouring from Sophia took Alaina by surprise. “You poor, delusional thing. I don’t think you quite understood me when I said Daniel has never acted this way before.”

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Slipping from Sophia’s grasp, Alaina snatched her dress from the hanger. “I did understand you. I think there is no point to discussing this further. We both see the issue very differently.” That knowing smile never melted from Sophia’s face. “I’ll leave you to get dressed.”

If there was one skill at which Alaina excelled, it was in forgetting unpleasant encounters. Growing up, she’d had so many with her father that she stopped trying to remember her childhood.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, the three women they were scheduled to meet had already ordered appetizers. Alaina recognized Ginny from Sensual Secrets. The attractive blonde in whose lap Ginny was nearly seated had to be Lara, Ginny’s wife. She wasn’t at all what Alaina had pictured.

During the drive, Sophia had described Lara as average in height, athletic in build, and aloof—a classy, cool blonde.

The woman Alaina saw was tall. A glance at Sophia reminded Alaina of the perception difference. Lara and Sophia appeared to be around the same height. Alaina had pictured Lara’s “athletic” build as a euphemism for chunky, but Sophia had actually meant athletic. Lara looked like she worked out regularly. With her sun-kissed skin and hair, Lara could have stepped from the pages of a television ad for feminine hygiene products.

The last woman was a brunette. Straight brown hair fell to her shoulders, and a wide grin split her face, giving her an unexpected brilliance. When she stood to greet Sophia with a hug, Alaina saw that the women were around the same height.

Alaina was relieved to see someone there who wasn’t young and stick-thin. This woman was real. She had curves, and she projected the same air of confidence that Sophia often affected.

She extended a hand to Alaina, her eyes sweeping up and down in quick assessment. “You must be Alaina. I’ve heard so much about you. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to meet the woman who brought Daniel DiMarco to his knees.”
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Sophia smacked the woman on the arm. “You make him sound like some kind of ogre.”

The woman winked at Alaina. “He’s too hot to be an ogre. I’m Ellen, by the way.” She swept an arm toward the seated couple.

“You’ve met Ginny. This is Lara.”

Ginny smiled. “Ignore Ellen. She’s always like this.” Ellen struck Alaina as a bluffer. Somewhere under that tough exterior, the woman was probably a marshmallow. Alaina raised a brow and gave in to the impish urge to exacerbate the situation. “Like what?”

Ginny groped for a word.

Sophia sat down and watched, her big brown eyes sparkling with amusement.

“She wants to call me a bitch, but she knows her sister will kill her for it when she finds out.” Ellen didn’t bother to hold back her laugh.

Ginny glanced to Lara, who smiled and said, “Opinionated.”

“Nosy,” Sophia added. “Bossy, tactless, offensive…”

“Hey,” Ellen warned, a mock frown pursing her mouth.

With no rescue in sight, Alaina sat down and did her level best to be polite. In general, the conversation was relaxed. Dinner was good, and the chef came from the kitchen to kiss Ginny’s cheeks and make sure she found the dinner to her liking.

Alaina found out their group was missing three members, all of whom were on vacation. When they reconvened next month, an event for which it was assumed Alaina would attend, they would have a full crowd.

“You’ll like Sabrina,” Ellen said. “You have a lot in common.” Ellen, whose demeanor vacillated dangerously from genuine glee to barely concealed callousness, seemed to have plenty in common with Alaina. That kind of toughness found frequent use when trying to have a conversation with a junkie who just wanted his next fix or an alcoholic who thought one more drink would make everything better.

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Afterward, they went to a dance club that was new to Alaina.

From the way they were greeted, she gathered that Ellen and Sophia were regulars. She followed the four women to the VIP lounge.

Security guards, bulging with muscles and attitude, parted to let the women through.

“Ellen owns the club,” Sophia whispered to Alaina. “The second we entered the front door, somebody started clearing customers away from Ellen’s table, if they let them sit there at all. I don’t know that she always tells them we’re coming.” Alaina considered this. “A dominant personality like Ellen’s wouldn’t warn her employees consistently. I imagine she’s a difficult boss because she is demanding. Those employees who respect that probably work for her for a long time. Those who don’t wouldn’t last more than a few weeks.”

Sophia laughed, and Alaina wanted to take back everything she said.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Alaina blushed. “Sorry. I promised I wouldn’t do that.”

Sophia rested a hand on Alaina’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.

That’s who you are. Plus, you’re right about Ellen. She’s definitely a dominating presence.”

“I do like her.” Alaina scrambled to assure Sophia of this fact.

Sophia’s bond with Ellen ran deep.

Sophia waggled her head as she considered this. “She isn’t done with you, Lainie. You might end up not liking her. Don’t be afraid to argue.”

Alaina stiffened at Sophia’s casual use of the name that only Daniel had ever used. With effort, she shook off the uneasy feeling that she had once again assumed things about Daniel that weren’t true. Why couldn’t she get an accurate read on him?

Not long after they settled in and ordered drinks, Ginny and Lara drifted to the dance floor.

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Ellen watched them go. When her head turned to Alaina, it seemed to zero in on her with digital accuracy. “I want to hear how you landed Daniel.”

Alaina laughed. She hadn’t done much, and Evan occupied just as many of her thoughts. “He’s not a fish or a spaceship.”

“Daniel is slippery,” Ellen said, setting her virgin daiquiri to the side and leaning closer. “I’ve watched him dodge some pretty attractive nets.”

“Ellen,” Sophia said.

Ellen ignored the warning. “Come on. I want the details. How did you two hook up?”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Sophia whispered in Alaina’s ear.

Alaina would give anything to have Camilla here. All she needed was one good friend to bolster her courage. Camilla would laugh at Ellen and shake her head at Alaina’s predicament.

Ellen swatted the air in front of Sophia’s face. “She doesn’t need a lawyer.”

“It’s fine,” Alaina assured Sophia. Though she wasn’t too keen on recounting events in a way that excluded Evan, Alaina wasn’t quite ready to admit to these acquaintances that she was involved sexually with two men. She focused on Monday. “I don’t know how it happened. I came home from work Monday to find him on my roof.” Sophia’s brows shot up. “What was he doing on your roof?

“He was under the impression I didn’t know it needed to be replaced. I set him straight. We argued.” Now Alaina frowned. She had been much more invested in the emotionality of the fight than he had been. “I argued.”

Sophia laughed. “That’s why Dad wanted him to be a lawyer.

Daniel is really tough to beat in an argument.”

“He didn’t argue so much as point things out. It was infuriating.”
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Ellen tsked. “It’s impossible to win an argument if you don’t keep a level head. Daniel is good at the level-headed thing. That’s why it was so surprising to see him in a snit Wednesday night.”

“He wasn’t in a snit.” Sophia rolled her eyes.

“He told me to keep Ryan on a shorter leash. He never makes references to bondage if he can avoid it.” Alaina was losing the conversation. What the hell were they talking about now?

Ellen tapped the table impatiently. “You were infuriated. Go on.”

“I—Well, I kissed him. I wasn’t very nice about it.” Ellen nodded knowingly, something Alaina was beginning to recognize as a meaningless gesture. The implied familiarity would necessarily make her listener think she knew more than she did, thereby tricking them into revealing sensitive information.

Alaina said nothing. She could play these games with a fair amount of expertise.

Sophia wrinkled her nose. “You are way off, Elle. Danny isn’t into that.”

Alaina looked to Sophia. “Into what?”

“Bondage. Domination. He didn’t even use the handcuffs correctly.” Shifting her gaze to Ellen, a short laugh bubbled out.

“After we left you guys on Wednesday, he handcuffed her to him.” Ellen did the same thing Ginny had done when she saw what Daniel had done. Her face took on that faraway look as she openly imagined things in her head. When she returned to the conversation, she frowned at Alaina. “Why would he do that?”

“He didn’t want me to leave.”

A server replaced Ellen’s drink. She sniffed it before taking a sip.

“Then what?”

Several things clicked into place for Alaina. Ellen’s domineering personality, combined with snippets of things she’d heard Sophia say from time to time, came together. Ellen was a dominatrix. She
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expected that either Daniel or Alaina would assume that role in their relationship.

Alaina dashed Ellen’s hopes. “Then we went to sleep.”

“Sleep?” Ellen’s dark eyebrows rose and fell independently of one another as she took it all in. “Just sleep?” Alaina smiled. She ran her fingertip over the rim of her drink, enjoying the smooth coolness of the glass. “Just sleep.” She snorted. “I’m so disappointed in that boy. Sophia, what the hell is wrong with your brother?”

Sophia shrugged. “I didn’t think he was that drunk.” Alaina’s smug smile had everything to do with the details she kept to herself.

Sophia read it accurately. “You had sex before he handcuffed himself to you.”

Her smile grew. “I did say he didn’t want me to leave.” Ellen laughed infectiously. “I like you.”

* * * *

Daniel used his key to let himself into Evan’s condo. Fuzzball, the black and tan striped cat that had wandered up to Evan’s one afternoon and never left, greeted him at the door with a loud, demanding cry. Having watched over Fuzzball whenever Evan was out of town, Daniel knew the sound meant Evan wasn’t home and the sleek male cat wanted food and fresh water, preferably from the bathtub faucet.

“Hello, cat. Did Evan happen to mention what time he’d be home tonight?”

The cat yowled again, arched its back, and brushed against Daniel’s leg.

“I didn’t think so.” He headed to the kitchen and threw some dry food in the bowl. Fuzzball sniffed it briefly before lifting his head to stare balefully at Daniel.

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With a sigh, he headed into the bathroom and turned the tap to let just the right amount of water flow. He sat on the edge of the tub and watched the cat lap at the steady stream. Evan should be home soon.

The bastard hadn’t called or texted since Daniel had introduced him to Alaina. Was Evan mad at him, or had he flipped for Alaina the same way Daniel had? Did that mean he no longer wanted to continue with the sexual aspect of their friendship?

The slamming of the front door roused Dan from the worry that gripped him. The cat had abandoned him while he wasn’t paying attention. He turned off the tap and headed down the stairs to confront Evan.

Even if Evan had decided to focus on Alaina and change the nature of his relationship with Daniel, he owed Dan an explanation.

After everything was said and done, Daniel could live without having sex with Evan, but he couldn’t imagine living without his friendship.

He found Evan in the laundry room. The sweat-soaked, dirty shirt he had worn that day lay in a heap of similarly grimy clothing. Evan hooked one hand under his arm and gripped his shoulder, stretching the arm and back muscles there.

Daniel took a moment to admire Evan’s chiseled muscles and the way his jeans curved over an iron-hard ass, and he ignored the way his heart pounded with fear and anticipation. Evan looked different now than he had the first time they had slept together. Back then, they had been teenagers. Neither of them had finished filling out. Daniel really liked the man Evan had become, and he knew Evan had a similar opinion of him.

When he found the courage to speak, Daniel attempted levity.

“You don’t call. You don’t text. Was it something I said?” Evan whirled, surprise widening his eyes and parting his lips.

“Daniel. I didn’t see your truck outside.”

“I parked the same place I always do.” Daniel pressed his lips together. “You just weren’t looking.”
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The surprise left his eyes, but his mouth didn’t quite close. “I guess not. I’m beat. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” Daniel looked at Evan closely. Shadows smudged the thin skin beneath Evan’s eyes, but tension lined the muscles cording his shoulders and torso, making it difficult to see the fatigue there.

Evan brushed past him, exiting the laundry room. “I’m gonna grab a shower. Why don’t you throw some dinner together?” Then he was gone. This wasn’t much different from their normal interaction. Daniel had skill in the kitchen that Evan did not possess.

Dan couldn’t count the number of times he had made dinner while Evan showered away the evidence of a day’s work. For someone with a physical, dirty job, Evan sure hated to be unclean.

Daniel didn’t care. He thought the sweaty, disheveled look suited Evan just fine. He also liked the look on Alaina, though he’d only seen her that way after sex. The earthy look turned him on, especially when someone he loved wore it.