A Little Harmless Lie 4 (4 page)

“How’s it going tonight, Dee?”

From the moment she’d met him several months earlier, she’d liked May’s big brother. He was average height, but most people didn’t notice it. He was big everywhere else, especially his muscles. The man worked on the docks and it showed in his sculpted arms as he leaned on the bar. He had a wealth of tattoos, mainly Hawaiian symbols. And she knew from the few times she’d seen him on the beach, he sported a nipple ring to match his earring. In fact, rumor was that he had more interesting piercings.

“Same as usual. Busy, but then it’s a Saturday night. Surprised to see you here.”

He rolled his eyes. “My soon- to- be brother- in- law has been after me to come in.”

She laughed. “Somehow I don’t see you hanging out some place like this.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Now why would you say that?”

She leaned forward over the bar. “For one, you’ve never been in here before, even though I know Evan would’ve let you in for free, being family.”

“And?”

He leaned forward, his face just inches from her, his gaze on her lips. Oh, crap. Men often took her genial manner with them as flirting. She’d always been more comfortable with them than with women. Truthfully, Kai was the sort of man she should be interested in. He was a caretaker. She could feel it to her bones. But even with him this close, with the scent of sea on his skin and his gorgeous body, he didn’t interest her in the least.

She shrugged and moved away, as casually as possible. “I just think if you were really interested, you would’ve shown up before now.”

He didn’t say anything for a few moments, and she looked up from pulling a beer.

“Might be I don’t like to be someplace where I might see my sister naked.”

A laugh bubbled up at the pained expression on his face. “Brothers are always squeamish about their sisters.”

The moment she said it, she regretted it. His gaze caught hers and she saw the interest, the speculation. She had been so careful not to reveal any information about her family.

“Brothers?”

She nodded.

“How many?” She hesitated and he shook his head. “Never mind.”

She sighed. “I just don’t like talking about my family. I had a... disagreement with them years ago. We don’t talk.”

“It’s odd for me to even imagine that with my crazy family.”

Keisha came up and smiled at Kai. “Hey, Kai. What have you been up to, bra?”

Dee took Keisha’s order and listened to the two of them chat. It was easy to forget just how well everyone knew each other on Oahu. It was like one big little town.

“Don’t be a stranger,” she said, as she hefted her tray and walked away. Kai watched, his gaze zeroing on her ass.

He must have felt Dee’s attention because he glanced over at her and had the decency to flush.

“Talking me up and then watching another woman.” She tsked. “I’d hate to see what May would make of this.”

Kai smiled. “My sister knows I’m like that. If I thought I had a chance with you, I wouldn’t look at another woman, but I don’t think I do.”

She said nothing, just crossed her arms beneath her breasts.

“And secondly, Keisha and I go way back.”

She arched an eyebrow. “How far?”

He pursed his lips. “Eleventh grade, prom.”

She leaned against her bar and watched his gaze go back to Keisha. The relationship her friend had been in had been... well, bad. The guy hadn’t been too happy when she’d ended it, which had resulted in Dee having to threaten the asshole when he’d had the stupidity to show up at her place looking for Keisha. Those self- defense moves had come in handy, and he had left with a broken nose and talking in a higher octave.

Keisha needed an easy relationship with no complications. Kai was a good guy. He slept around a bit, but she didn’t know a lot of men who didn’t. A girl who had two brothers knew what men were about. But unlike a lot of other guys, Kai was decent. He never hurt a woman. In fact, he was still friendly with most of his exes from what she could tell. Knowing Keisha needed someone to make her happy, if even for one night, Dee made her decision.

“I’ll let you in on a secret.”

He tore his gaze from her friend. “What?”

“Her and that loser, Ruben, broke it off. She kicked him out.”

Kai pursed his lips as his attention returned to Keisha. “Really? Well, maybe I should stick around.”

She laughed. “Yeah, she might need someone to help her mend that broken heart.”

Kai offered her a smile and a wink. “I’m just the man to do it.”

She watched him as he eased his way through the crowd to follow Keisha. Kai was just the type of guy she should get involved with, if she was wanting to get involved with anyone. He was easygoing, so laidback he never let anything ruffle his demeanor. Not like a certain someone with long silky hair and a hard- on for ordering her around.

Jesus, when was she going to get that man out of her head? It had been two days since the kissing incident. She swore she could still taste him there, lingering on her lips. This wasn’t like her at all. She did not get hung up on men. Sure, they were fun, but getting involved was complicated, especially with her life.

“Was Kai Aiona bothering you?”

She jumped when she heard Micah’s voice behind her. Damn, he was sneaky. Granted, the music was loud, but she usually could sense a person coming up behind her. Micah’s ability to sneak up on her was another worry.

She drew in a deep breath and turned to face him. He was behind the bar again, a place that he’d never ventured in the two years she’d been working for him. Not until this week.

“No. Kai is just hanging out. I have a feeling Keisha and him might be rekindling some of their high school romance.”

His gaze didn’t leave her as she pulled a beer for a customer and then took the man’s money.

“I just wanted to be sure.”

She drew in another breath. The man was dangerous to her psyche, to her body, to her very life. He made her want to be stupid, to just jump his body and take what he wanted to offer. A man like Micah Ross might not want attachments, but going to bed would be complicated. And damn, it would be good. Really good.

She pushed that thought aside as she wiped down the bar.

“Ross, I can take care of myself.”

He shook his head and opened his mouth, but apparently thought better of it. “I need to talk to you after your shift tonight.”

She frowned. It wasn’t that odd, except she couldn’t think of anything they needed to discuss. She nodded. He hesitated, then turned and walked away. People moved out his path without probably knowing what they were doing. He projected just what he was, top alpha in a club filled with them.

God, she wanted to know what he was like in bed. It was a hunger that had been simmering for months. Now that he seemed to be completely and absolutely focused on her, it was hard to keep it off her mind. It was consuming her daytime thoughts and still invading her dreams. Something had to give.

She shoved thoughts of Micah Ross to the back of her head as another waitress came up to the bar for an order.

What the fuck was he doing?

Micah asked himself that over and over as he watched Rex let the last of the workers leave. It was just the two of them and one more employee left. She was wiping down the bar, finishing up her work. He could tell she was taking her time. Hell, she had avoided him for the past two days and he could understand that. He felt like an ass for his behavior in the gym. Anyone could have walked in on them. Kissing her definitely would have caused a commotion in the club. Worse, it might have diminished her authority, and that was something he could not allow. Almost everyone who worked there looked up to her. Especially the bouncers.

Apparently finished with her work, she walked toward the stairs to his office. His palms were sweating, his heart thundering. Damn, he was acting like a fifteen- year- old.

He wasn’t even going to touch her. Other than apologizing, he had no plans to do anything in that quarter. But then things never went as planned with Dee.

She knocked on the door twice before opening it.

“What did you need to talk to me about?”

She was straightforward as usual. He stayed seated behind his desk. Normally he would have risen as a show of respect, but he didn’t really want to embarrass himself. He was already half- aroused. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. She hesitated, her hand still on the door knob. Then she released her breath and stepped forward.

Once she was seated, she stared at him expectantly. What the hell had he called her in here for? Damn, when she focused all that attention on him with her luminous eyes, he couldn’t think. Before meeting her, he had never seen that shade of blue. They were so deep, dark, they were almost violet. The dark lashes that framed them were natural.

“Micah?”

He shook his head. “Sorry. Long night. First, I want to apologize for the other day.”

She shrugged, acting as if it wasn’t a big deal. And it shouldn’t be. Hell, it was a tame kiss compared to what he was used to. But he could still remember the way she tasted, the way her breath caught just before he pressed his mouth against hers.

He shifted in his seat, trying to ease his pain. Unfortunately, the fabric of his pants rubbed over his erection, further frustrating him. Damn, he needed to start wearing underwear.

“Is that all?”

He shook his head. “No. I want to take a few days off and wondered if you would be okay with handling all the ordering for the bar while I’m gone.”

“Sure. I do most of the ordering right now.”

He looked at her. “I thought Eddy did it.”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her ankle over her knee. “I come up with the list. Eddy tends to wait until the last minute. I like a well- stocked bar. Why wouldn’t he be doing it if you’re gone?”

“I’m asking him to take over while I’m gone.”

Another eye roll.

“You don’t agree.”

She sighed. “I like Eddy. He’s a great guy. But he’s too much of a pushover when it comes to the women here.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s great at keeping things hopping, taking care of the customers, don’t get me wrong. But when one of the waitresses wants to go home and you aren’t here, they go to Eddy, even if Sylvia is here. They know that she won’t let them go home early if there is work to be done. They just have to bat their eyes at Eddy and he lets them do what they want.”

“He’s not screwing around with any of them is he?”

She laughed. “Lord, no. He loves that crazy woman he’s married to. But he’s a pushover when it comes to women. If you haven’t talked to Eddy, I would put Sylvia in charge. She’s the Domme out of the two of them.”

He studied her for a long moment. “You talk like you know the life, when I know you don’t practice.”

She snorted. “I’ve been working here for two years. I’d have to be dead to not know the life.”

He smiled. “You definitely aren’t that.”

Her smile faded and she looked away.

“Is that all you wanted?”

“No. But I can’t have what I really want.”

Just like that, the air in the room grew hot and his pulse doubled. He shouldn’t have said it. Even now he wanted to kick his own ass for it, but he couldn’t keep his mouth from saying it. No way. He’d wanted her for months, probably since the moment he’d hired her. He wasn’t a man who was used to denying his needs. Damn, the woman didn’t know just what she was doing to him. He hadn’t had a woman in weeks. Hadn’t wanted one. He wanted her, in his bed, submitting to him. He could imagine just how she would look strapped to his mattress—

“I thought we decided it would be best to ignore that.”

“No,
you
decided.”

“You know as well as I do, I’m not in the life. That’s what you want.”

“That’s what I need.” He corrected her. “Have you ever tried it?”

She shook her head but still didn’t look at him. It was starting to piss him off. She was the type of person who met your gaze head- on, toe to toe. Refusing to meet his gaze was like she was dismissing him, as if he didn’t matter.

“I have a feeling you would like it.”

She looked at him then, her eyes wide with surprise. “Well, if I did, I would probably be a Domme, so what would that have to do with you?”

He didn’t say anything for several seconds, letting the silence grow around them. She didn’t look away this time, but she shifted in her seat. He hid a smile, but it was hard. Dee only fidgeted when she was nervous.

“Why do you think you would be a Domme?”

She did look away then, but it didn’t bother him this time. He could see her pulse beating in her throat through her fair flesh.

“I like being in charge.”

Again, he said nothing, allowing the silence to stretch out.

“That’s not what makes someone the Dominant.”

She glanced at him through her lashes and he bit back a groan. The look was so coquettish, so not like Dee, it sent a shaft of heat to his dick.

“I would think the need for control would suggest that you need to be the dominant in the relationship.”

He shook his head. “You might have worked here for two years, but there is a difference between the need to control... and to be controlled. Many subs are people who have a large amount of control in their professional and personal lives. They need to relinquish it to feel complete.”

“Hmm. Well, if that’s all?”

She said it hopefully, but for some reason he couldn’t let it go. He wanted her to understand that while she might not practice the life and actually avoided talking about it despite working at the club, she was a submissive. A bottom.

He rose, now not even trying to hide the fact he was aroused. He settled on the top of his desk in front of her.

“Dee.”

She hesitated and he fought down a growl. He didn’t have the right to expect her immediate compliance. But he wanted it. The need to be the one who gave her orders, who gave her pleasure, who saw her eyes go blurry with bliss, burned in his gut.

She raised her gaze to his. Her breathing was shallow, rapid.

“What do you like in the bedroom?”