Twisted Lies 2 (11 page)

He held his hands up in front of him in fake
surrender. “Whoa.” He laughed. “I’m not a fighter. I’m a
lover.”

I was done with his stupid ass. “Why are you
stalking me, Kyle?”

“Seeing you stirred up old memories”—he
licked his lips and studied me—“like memories of how good we were
together in bed.”

I scoffed. “First, you’re married. Second,
you’re fucking married,” I said with a sneer.

“My wife and I have an understanding. I’m
free to see and sleep with whomever I want.”

“What you’re suggesting is—”

His lips twitched into a mockery of a smile.
“A no-strings, no-promises night of hot, sweaty sex.” His voice
held a cocky confidence.

I scrunched up my nose. He was truly a
worthless piece of shit.

I pasted a smile on my face and delivered my
next line in a saccharine tone. “I wouldn’t fuck you even if you
had a thousand-dollar bill stuck to your limp cock.”

His smile slipped. “Liar,” he accused. “I
saw the way you were staring at me.”

The dude was fucking delusional. I couldn’t
believe I’d let him steal my chances for a normal relationship with
every single guy I met after him. Well, no more. He wasn’t worth
it.

I balled up my fist, stepping toward him.
“That was a gaze of disgust. Get a damn clue, Kyle.”

“Are you seeing someone?”

I scrutinized him as if he’d lost his
mind.

“You didn’t answer, so that means no.” He
grinned like he’d won the fucking lottery.

My nostrils flared. “I didn’t answer because
it’s none of your fucking business, Kyle.”

I wasn’t about to divulge that I hadn’t had
someone in my life for years. Yes, I’d occasionally had sex with a
man when I missed the sensual touch of a lover, but I hadn’t formed
any relationships. I was too emotionally detached for that.

“We can make this work, Sinthia.”

“Fuck off.” I smiled icily.

Rage twisted Kyle’s face, but just for an
instant. Turning on my heel, I walked away.

“This is far from over, Sinthia. I’ll be
seeing you.” His dark tone rang with deadly promise.

“Not if I see you first, idiot,” I said in a
singsong voice, swaying with a grin. There was nothing better than
closing the book on an asshole ex.

I veered off to the left, only to see two
hulking men leaning on each side of the entryway to the rooftop. I
watched Bigsby as he exited the rooftop, storming past the men
guarding it.

Shit. He’s heading my way.

I’d avoided the prick all night. I wasn’t
about to have a boring long conversation that involved him leering
at me like some sex object. I dipped into the empty ladies’
restroom and waited for him to walk past it. I could hear his
footsteps approaching the restroom. Then they stopped and walked
away.

Taking an extra precaution, I waited a beat
before stepping out. I breathed a sigh of relief that Bigsby was
gone, but the two men were still standing guard by the entrance.
Biting my bottom lip, I debated whether I wanted to mess with the
two MMA-looking men or just go back downstairs to the gala. Without
a doubt, I knew either Bigsby or Kyle would be waiting to pounce as
soon as I stepped into the gala. I sighed. That left only one
choice—onward toward the rooftop. I swayed down the hallway,
stopping before the two men leaning up against the wall with their
thick arms crossed. Each one was built like a fucking tank and just
shy of six feet tall.

I smiled winningly at them. “Is the
president of the United States out there on the rooftop?”

They didn’t crack a smile.

Wow. Tough crowd.

“As gorgeous”—I winked at them—“and
intimidating as you two obviously are, I’m going to have to ask you
both to get the fuck out of my way. I need fresh air and lots of
it. So if the president isn’t out there, having some kind of
clandestine meeting about saving the world, then I’m going to the
rooftop.”

I stepped forward, and they swiftly closed
ranks. Irritated, I tried to push them out of the way, but it was
like pushing a brick wall.

“Whoa. Now hang on a minute, sweet cheeks,”
said the one with sandy hair, holding his palms out to ward me
off.

I impishly swayed back and forth. “Come on
now. Are you really going to make me kick your ass in my pretty
dress?”

They both grinned before the one with sandy
hair, looking strong as an ox, said, “Sorry. Not going to be able
to let you on the rooftop, sugar.”

I surged forward again. “Bullshit. I’m not
just going to stand here.”

The one with sandy hair widened his
stance.

“Move out of my way.”

The other man with a blond buzz cut and a
maniacal glint in his eyes said, “It’s reserved, but come back
later and I’ll arrange something real private.”

He gave me an adorable rakish grin and his
eyes flirtatiously flicked to mine. I bit back a smile. He was hot,
but I wasn’t interested.

“Private? With you?” I pursed my lips. “Not
going to happen.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Move,” I huffed
impatiently.

A deep voice rumbled from the rooftop. “Let
her through.”

They cleared the entrance, allowing me to
walk to the lighted rooftop with its medieval architecture and
vines hugging the bricks.

I skidded to a stop when one of them said,
“Wicked tattoos, sugar.”

I turned around to find them both staring at
me with sly grins.

The one with a buzz cut winked at me.

“I give him two weeks,” the one with sandy
hair said to the other one.

They stepped back to flank the entrance.

Two weeks for what?

I turned around to find Core McKay staring
at me with no smile. He was standing under the bright moonlight,
looking delicious, dangerous, and just plain fucking gorgeous.

“Making trouble everywhere you go,” he
drawled in that ridiculously gruff tone.

My cunt clenched like it recognized its
master’s voice.

“What can I say? I’m a very bad girl.” I
batted my eyelashes almost comically before sashaying toward
him.

Stopping before him, I tilted my head, and
my eyes traveled up his well-built tall body. He had discarded the
tuxedo jacket he wore earlier. Muscles bunched against his crisp
tailored white shirt, and his rolled-up sleeves displayed the
tattoos on his forearms. His collar was unbuttoned, and all I could
focus on was the all-seeing eye tattoo on his neck.

Damn.
This didn’t bode well for me. I
was a sucker for men with tattoos.

He crossed his muscular arms. “Hmm… that
happens to be my favorite type of woman.”

He was sexy—well, hot and scary. His dark
hair was cut short on the sides, but it was stylishly longer on
top. His searing steel-gray eyes made me visualize seriously
wicked, naughty things.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Sin, focus.

As the cool air whirled around us, I
sauntered past him to take in the beautiful views of both downtown
and uptown Manhattan as well as the Hudson River.

Feeling his intense gaze, I sighed before
turning and leaning a hip against the ornate railing. I glared
coolly at him. Nothing about him was pretty-boy like or classically
handsome. He was just very attractive in a rugged and dangerous
way.

He regarded me for a long time before
smoothing a hand across his blunt-cut midnight-black hair. And just
like that, he smiled an actual bad-boy smirk that made my pulse
race and sex clench as I imagined all the sexy, kinky
possibilities.

McKay was lethal. I shook my head, feeling
possessed by his presence. With one look, the man could turn my
brain into mush every single time.

“So I heard Kyle Fillion is following you
around like a lost puppy. Are you two fucking?” McKay asked
boldly.

“Not even close.” I sighed heavily. “We
dated in high school. He was a fuck-repeat-and-fuck-again
fling.”

His eyes flashed as he arched his eyebrow at
me. “High school?” His lips twitched into a mockery of a smile.
“He’s chasing you around like you two fucked yesterday. That shit
is pathetic.”

I tilted my head, kind of enjoying the
sarcastic ruthlessness of McKay’s demeanor. “What can I say?
Obviously, what’s between my legs is really memorable.”

McKay laughed, and it was a full-on sexy
sound, which sent a zing to my cunt.

“Apparently.” He silently eyed me.

I squared my shoulders and took a deep
breath. “Why are you gawking at me like that?”

He shrugged one massive shoulder. “Just
trying to figure you out.”

I knew he was toying with me, but I was in
no mood for games.

“There’s no riddle to me, McKay.”

“I beg to differ.” His lips tilted into a
brief small smile.

I pasted a smile on my face and delivered my
next line in a saccharine tone. “So are you going to continue to
eye-fuck me?”

“Maybe.”

He smirked, and my heart skipped a beat.

I started to fidget, and then I forced
myself to stand still. This man was fucking unnerving.

McKay reached up to run his fingers over my
hair.

My jaw dropped. “McKay.”

Ignoring me, he expertly pulled my hair from
the updo, sending it cascading around my shoulders. “You should
always wear your hair down,” he said simply.

In seconds, I’d gone from wanting to claw
his eyes out to full-blown lust.
Damn.
I wanted to let him
touch and screw me in ways I’d let no other man before.

He reached out, grazing the side of my cheek
with the back of his hand. “It makes you look… sinful.”

My clit pulsed and my knees nearly buckled
from the sultriness of his voice.

I cleared my throat. “Well, this has been…
interesting.”
And fucking scary.
“Nice seeing you, McKay,” I
mumbled, stepping forward to make a hasty exit.

McKay placed a possessive hand on my hip,
and my body froze.

“I didn’t dismiss you,” he said with a hard
voice.

My lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t
need permission, McKay.” I pointedly looked down at his hand. “You
want that?”

He spread his fingers across my hip, firmly
guiding me to him. His eyes lingered on my lips. “Yes. More than I
should.”

I swallowed hard. Everything that had come
out of his mouth was a hot side of dirty sex.

“I’m still not interested.”

He bent down close. “Liar,” he breathed
huskily in my ear, his mouth skirting around the lobe.

“I don’t mix sex and business.” I pursed my
lips. “And more importantly, I don’t like you.”

He slightly edged forward, squeezing my hip.
“Another lie.” He pulled away from my ear and winked at me.
“Besides, what does liking me have to do with us fucking?” He
actually smirked as if he found me mildly amusing. “Angry sex is
the best type of fucking, sweetness.”

I swatted his hand. “Behave, McKay.”

His muscular arm encircled my waist,
bringing our upper bodies together. His hand threaded through my
long hair. “I don’t know shit about behaving.”

I struggled to break his embrace. “Don’t,” I
said shakily.

He held my face while intently staring at
me. “Why are you afraid of me?”

“Let go of me,” I snapped.

He released his hold—not because I’d asked
him to, but because he wanted to. Gathering my composure, I walked
away, and then I stopped, turning to stare at him. I knew I should
have kept going, but it wasn’t in my nature to tuck my tail and
run, even when it was in my best interest.

“Just for the record, I’m not afraid of you,
McKay.”

His confident smile called me a liar.

I was done with the cloak-and-dagger routine
and decided to lay my cards on the table. “I’m cautious about your
motivation. Nothing about you is straightforward. Everything is
smoke and mirrors.” With my heart pumping, I was raring for a
fight. “Yes, I’m attracted to you, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to
rip off my panties and yell, ‘Come and get it.’ You’re going to
have to work fucking hard for that shit to happen.”

McKay leveled his gaze on me.

I resumed. “You’re an arrogant prick. I get
it. You’re a sexier-than-thou chick magnet, but it doesn’t mean you
have to be so cold about our business quagmire either.”

He arched a brow. “Meaning?”

“One, you hung up on me yesterday, all
rude-like. Two, you keep flexing your muscles as though I’m your
prison yard bitch.”

The vein along his jaw pulsed. “Exactly what
do you want from me, Sinthia?”

My fists tightened. “I want out of our
contract.”

His eyes were blazing and his lips pressed
into a thin line. It was a look of fury I’d never seen on his face
before.

“Try again,” he said.

I refused to let him intimidate me. With my
chin tilted at a stubborn angle, I held my ground. “Everything is
negotiable, so let’s negotiate.”

Raising a black brow, he stated, “You have
nothing to negotiate with.”

I sensed his anger simmering just below the
surface.

“I’m the talent and the designer, so I have
plenty to negotiate with. If I walk, you’re left with nothing.”

“I call bullshit on that threat. You’d never
walk.”

Damn, he called me on my bluff.

I turned my head, unable to meet his
taunting gray gaze.

He continued. “And if you do, I won’t even
think twice about destroying your ass and taking everything you
have, including your name. Next.”

Fucking asshole.

I forced myself to look at him again. “Next,
what?”

“What else are you willing to negotiate
with?” He sensually looked me up and down.

My breath caught in my throat as I blinked
hard. “Not going to happen. I’m not a whore.”

“Never said you were.”

I tightly closed my eyes to block the sight
of his hateful presence. “You didn’t have to say shit. That crazy
wild look in your eyes says it all, McKay.”