Neighbors (Twin Estates #1) (14 page)

Katya spent her first day off with Tori, avoiding both the new men in her life. Not that she got a chance to ignore Wulf – he didn't call or text. After she remembered that he didn't have her number, she checked at the bakery to see if he'd called there, and she told them to let him have her number if he asked.

He never did.

Liam texted often. Her lack of responses didn't seem to deter him whatsoever. She got pictures of food, dogs he met on the street, and even a naughty one of a couple at his club. Tori tried to steal the phone so she could send a response, but Katya managed to wrestle it away from her. She needed some downtime. One day without men and without sex wouldn't kill her. She'd gone eight months without it, she could certainly go twenty-four hours.

The next day, she had the apartment to herself. She called her mother and checked in with the family. She was an only child, and though she was now realizing that her parents were prim-and-proper to the extreme. She and her mother were particularly close. After an hour long talk, they made loose plans for her to visit them. Her baking schedule didn't usually allow for a lot of traveling, but she'd purposefully scheduled some vacation time for herself.

She also went back to the strip-aerobics class. She went to an earlier one, it started around eleven o'clock. She had to admit it, she liked Candi-with-an-i. They got along surprisingly well. Not a lot of people showed up, so the two of them chatted for a while, before and after the class. By the time Katya left, she'd made a date with the other woman to go shopping. She felt like Candi would know a thing or two about spicing up a wardrobe.

Katya was feeling so good about herself that when she got a text from Liam during her bus ride home, she decided to get off at the next stop and she caught a bus to his work. He'd sent some rambling message about needing tacos to survive, so she stopped in at the first Mexican restaurant she came across and ordered several different kinds. She was still carrying her gym bag and she lumbered along with that and the tacos for the next several blocks, trying to remember exactly where his club was; her memory of that night was blurry at best. She finally found her way into the alley and the same big bouncer was in front of the same door with the same neon sign. The Garden.

“Hey! Good to see you again!” the bouncer called out jovially. She was surprised at the reaction, since they'd been face to face for maybe five whole seconds.

“Hi, uuhhh ...” she struggled to remember his name.

“Jan,” he said, and she barely stopped herself from laughing. A mountain of a man, and his name was Jan. “You don't remember, do you?”

Oh god.

“Um, no, I'm sorry. Remember what?” she asked.

“You were pretty lit, little girl. Your taxi took a while to show up that night – you helped me check IDs, showed me what I'm doing wrong with my lemon meringue pies. We danced right over there, you're good at two-stepping,” he said, gesturing down the alley. Katya couldn't help it, she had to laugh at herself.

“Well, at least I'm a fun drunk.”

“You sure are. And you made boss man smile – a
real
smile – which don't happen too often. You're always welcome here, as far as I'm concerned.”

“Thanks, Jan.”

“You're welcome.”

He held the door open for her, and she surprised him and herself by standing on her toes and kissing his cheek. Then she wondered how she'd find Liam's office – her hands were full and her cellphone was now buried in her gym bag. But the bartender recognized her right away, even gave her a hug, thanking her for the big tip she'd left him.

Please, please, let him be talking about money.

Tim led her downstairs, chattering the whole way down. The upstairs bar opened at noon, but downstairs was still closed. There were people moving around, cleaning and setting up for the coming evening. Tim showed her down the long hallway with all the doors, then gestured to an offshoot, telling her it was the last door.

As Katya walked down the hallway, she became aware of voices and she stopped moving. Liam's, loud and laughing, as usual. Then another voice – someone was in his office with him. A man, by the sounds of it, but speaking so low she couldn't make out the words. Hmmm, she didn't want to interrupt him if he was busy, but she did have her hands full of tacos. Liam lived and breathed for tacos. Figuring he couldn't get mad at free food, she started for the door again, deciding to just drop off the goods and offer to meet up with him later. She knocked on the slightly ajar door.

“Yeah?” Liam called out.

“Hiya, it's me – I brought you lunch, just wanted to drop it off,” she called back. There was an odd pause. No one was talking, but it sounded like Liam was trying very hard not to laugh.

“Through there, yeah. It's fine,” his voice was low, obviously talking to his guest. Then he cleared his throat. “What are you doing? If you've got food, woman, then by all means, get in here!”

Katya toed open the door and glanced around. Liam was sitting behind a big desk, smiling up at her, his hands linked together behind his head. There were some liquor boxes stacked against one wall, and a life-sized cardboard cut out of a beer wench, but no other human beings.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, looking around again. “I thought you had someone in here with you.”

“Oh yeah, my business partner.”

“I don't want to interrupt anything.”

“Trust me, you're not. He's supposed to be a
silent
partner, but he's been busting my balls lately,” Liam explained. There was a loud coughing noise from behind a door in the far corner, then a toilet flushed.

“I didn't know you had a partner,” she said, finally dropping the bags of food onto his desk top.

“Yeah. When I wanted to buy the club, I didn't really know what I was doing. Never owned a business before, any of that stuff. Didn't know how to get the capital for it. Needed some investors. He backed me on the whole thing, so he gets his name on the license, on the lease,” Liam said, leaning forward to grab a card out of a holder. He held it out to her and she turned it over in her hands after she took it.

“Richard Mason?” she said his name out loud.

“Yeah.
Riiiicky
, as he hates to be called,” Liam stretched out the name. “He's a good guy, means well. Just gets under my skin.”

“Well, I'll leave you two alone so you can commence with the skin irritation,” she said, re-shouldering her gym bag and backing up towards the door.

“Wanna meet him? I'm sure he'll be done in a second,” Liam offered.

“Like this? No, thank you,” she laughed, gesturing to her crazy hair and her gym clothes. “Tell him I said sorry, though, and that I hope he likes tacos.”

“I think you look great,” Liam said.

“You would, you have horrible taste.”

“Roof top tonight?”

“We'll see.”

“Okay, meet you there at two.”

“I am not going to the roof at two in the morning.”

“Good point, it'll probably be closer to three when I get out of here.”

“I'm not meeting you up there.”

Katya left his bar with every intention of going home and taking shower and going over her budget, then catching a movie with Tori and going to bed early.

She managed everything but the bed part. Of course she found herself on the roof at two-thirty, throwing back beers and laughing at Liam's stupid jokes. He'd made good on his word and a well-worn loveseat had been brought up for them, as well as an old corduroy couch. Katya fell asleep on the couch, and woke up in the middle of Liam attempting to carry her downstairs and almost dropping her as he got off the elevator.

Good times.

The rest of the week was a blur. She made good on her promise to herself to hold off on sex – it was one thing to get adventurous and a little loose with her morals. It was quite another to become a raging sex fiend. She wouldn't allow Liam to come to any more of the strip-aerobics classes, even though he begged.

“
What did you do before you met me? Did you have a life?
”

“
Angel cake, I still have a life. I just worry that you might spontaneously combust if I told you about it.
”

Wulf even made an appearance, on Thursday. Right after she'd gotten home from work, she'd been setting up her nail kit in her room when there'd been a knock at her front door. Assuming it was the Chinese food she'd ordered, she'd opened the door with money in her hand. Then she'd gaped as Wulf had stared down at her.

He'd gotten off work a little early, and had decided he wanted to see what she was up to – he hadn't expected her to be in pajamas at only five-thirty at night. She'd pointed out that normal human beings called before just showing up at other peoples' houses. Would he like it if she showed up at his apartment?

“
If you took off the pajamas first, yes.
”

He stuck around, ate Chinese food with her. Scared Tori a little, with his quiet demeanor and very direct stare. Then he'd followed Katya into her room and after watching her do her nails for a while, he'd taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, then told her it had been ages since he'd had a manicure.

It was silly, but while it was happening, Katya could feel something. It was a moment. A memory in the making. Something she would hold onto long after Wulf was gone. Them together in her room, surrounded by her feminine décor, sitting on her bed, both fully clothed. Him watching her carefully while she looked at his hands intently.

I can
feel
his stare. Like hands on my body. He's touching me.

While she pushed back cuticles and filed nails, they talked. He asked a lot of questions about her time in school, about learning to bake. He seemed particularly curious as to how she'd known it was her passion. How could she be so sure baking was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life? Didn't she worry the bottom might fall out of the market?

She'd just laughed at him and told him what she'd always told herself – if it's her dream, who cares what else happens? As long as she's healthy, happy, and not hurting anyone, then she would continue to pursue her dream, regardless of whether or not it brought her fame or fortune.

“
The bottom can't fall out of a dream, Wulf. There's no market for them. Sorry, but it's one thing even you can't buy and sell – my dream is all my own, purchased, paid for, no returns, exchanges, or refunds.
”

He never said it, but she got the very distinct feeling that real estate wasn't exactly his dream. She wanted to ask him about his dreams. About swimming. But she didn't want to ruin the evening. He was being so soft and open – she was seeing a side of him that she was positive not many people got to see. She wanted to cherish the moment, show him thanks for it. Show him that he could trust her with moments like that; that he could always feel safe to build memories with her.

That's it – his tough as stone act. It's because he doesn't feel safe letting go, doesn't feel safe just being himself. He's just like me.

The thought made her feel closer to him. Almost uncomfortably so. He clearly enjoyed her company, and was obviously attracted to her – it hadn't been said, but she knew sex was an option any time she felt like throwing her nail stuff out of the way. But he'd never once said anything in regards to how he felt about her as a person. Far as she could tell, he was having fun. She got the impression it was almost like a game to him, the ever popular “
How Uncomfortable Can I Make Katya
” game. It wasn't right, she didn't want to feel close to him if his feelings were that she was only good for a laugh. Good for a lay.

Once again, she fell asleep early. Ridiculous. It was only nine o'clock, and the sexiest man alive was in her bed. But she was Katya Tocci, she specialized in ridiculous. She was vaguely aware of being moved around on her bed, of a sheet being pulled over her body. When he got off the mattress, she woke up all the way, but didn't open her eyes. He hadn't moved away. She could tell he was standing beside her, not moving. Watching her. She held her breath, wondering what he was going to do. What he was thinking.

In the end, he simply grabbed his jacket and left her room, shutting the door sharply behind him.

What's wrong with me? Liam is so sweet to me. Sweet, and caring, and nice. He tried to carry me to bed. He makes me feel good about myself. Yet I'd rather wish for making memories with a man who never smiles and rarely talks, and quite possibly thinks of me as little more than a vacation.

She went to sleep thinking about dreams – lost ones and new ones.

By the time the weekend rolled around, Katya was more confused than ever. She'd gone back to Liam's club one night – there was a BDSM convention in town, and a group had rented one of the big rooms. He walked her through the set up, even strapped her onto what he called a St. Andrew's Cross. There had been a moment, when he'd reached to loosen her wrist bindings. He'd stared at her for a long time, his fingers hot on her skin. She'd stared right back, wondering what new trick she was going to learn that night. But then he'd let her down, only spanking her playfully on the ass. They spent the rest of the night in his office, laughing at cat videos and eating Chinese food with their fingers.

Later on, she'd had a lunch date with Wulf – her bakery wasn't too far from his office building, and he'd informed her that she'd be meeting him at a food cart between them. It had been windy out and he'd lost his burrito. She'd laughed as it rolled away, but then yelled at him when he simply ate hers. Before she could complain too much, though, he was kissing her. A
real
kiss, so hot, she'd forgotten they were sitting outside. He'd worked one hand into her hair and yanked, holding her head at an angle. He liked to pin her into place, she realized. Position her how he wanted, then would
do
whatever he wanted.
She loved it
. It was him who stopped them, finally dragging his lips from hers when she tried to undo his tie. He'd laughed at her, kissed her once more, then pulled the tie over his head before slipping it around hers. His next kiss was slower, sweeter, and before she could even open her eyes, he was walking away without a second glance.

The rest of the day, she felt like she was glowing. Her co-workers noticed it. Tori noticed it. Hell, she was pretty sure strangers on the street could notice it. And even better, she didn't care. She wasn't embarrassed. If anything, she was wondering why she'd been such a prude for so long. Is this what dating two men at once felt like!? God, why hadn't she been doing it all along? Why wasn't everyone doing it?

And what's going to happen when it ends and you have to make a choice?

A sobering thought, had just before she turned in for the night. Liam had texted her, offering to meet her on the roof. Wulf had messaged her, something vaguely inviting and definitely sexual. She ignored them both and stared at her ceiling, consumed with her new thought.

How is this going to end?

*

“What's going on with you, angel cake?”

Katya frowned and concentrated harder, sticking the tip of her tongue between her teeth and biting down. She didn't know why that helped, but it did.

“Nothing, I'm getting the hang of it.”

“I'm not talking about the game.”

They were playing Need for Speed. She liked it well enough, but she preferred playing Call of Duty with him. She was in the mood to shoot things.

“What do you mean?” she asked, focusing on taking a turn and not wiping out.

“You're all quiet. Introverted.”

“Uh, that's kind of how I am,” she laughed, then let out a shout as she almost lost control of her car.

“No. Not with me, you're not,” he pointed out. She finally glanced at him, and it cost her. Her car slammed into a wall, rolled back, then surged forward again when she fumbled with the control.

Game over. Would you like to play again?

“Just been thinking about a lot of stuff lately,” she said. It was his turn to laugh.

“Oh sweet jesus, that can't be good. Your brain has a way of ruining every good thing that happens to you,” he teased.

“That's not true.”

“It's truer than you like to admit. So what have you been thinking about?”

“Ummm ...”

Katya chewed on her lip. She'd never felt comfortable with this part of her little situation. Wulf never ever asked about the other man in her life, and Katya never talked about him, but Liam was a curious little bunny. He wanted to know all sorts of things – what she and her “New Guy” talked about, what kind of sex they had, why had they only had it once!? Was New Guy frigid? Bad in bed? Tiny penis?

“Are you thinking about New Guy's tiny penis?”

She picked up a pillow and threw it at him.

“He does not have a tiny penis!” she shouted.

“Whoa, defensive! That small, huh? We talking micro? It's okay, you can tell me,” he said. She picked up his dirty laundry from off his floor and began launching things at him.

“If you must know,” she was laughing as well, ducking when he started throwing clothing back. “It's amazing. The perfect size, thick in all the right ways, and makes me see god. Happy!?”

“Wow, that is amazing. God, huh? What did you see when I fucked you?”

“I didn't see anything – I blacked out. What does that say about
you?
”

He tackled her then, diving with all his weight. She grunted as she was crushed into his white leather couch – the same one she'd woken up on after their first night together.

“Alright, that's it! The infidel must be punished,” he growled as he began tickling her.

“ACK! Stop!
STOP!
I'm sorry,
I'm sorry,
” she gasped for air, kicking and pushing at him.

He kept it up for another minute, but then they were both laughing too hard to keep fighting. He pressed his face into her chest and she could feel his laugh against her skin. She panted underneath him.

“You have to admit that I made you see
something,
” he finally mumbled. She chuckled.

“What is this, jealousy? C'mon, you're the one always telling me, '
it's not a competition
', remember?” she pointed out.

“Yeah, I know. I'm just curious, I guess. You're so … different. From any other woman I've been with – it's like you unfold for me. I just wonder if he brings that out of you, too,” he finally explained.

“Wow, Liam. That's actually kinda sweet.”

“Shhhh, don't say it too loud, people might hear you.”

They both laughed again, then he propped himself up so he could look down at her. He was still smiling, but his eyes were serious as he looked over her face. She swallowed thickly and stared back at him. Took in his boyish good looks and messy hair.

You should really, really fall for this man.

“Liam,” she whispered. He lifted his hand and played with a strand of her hair.

“Hmmm?”

“You created this monster. Before you, I never knew I could even be this girl. Never knew it was something I wanted. And that's amazing, and I'll never be able to thank you for it.”

“But ...”

Katya shook her head.

“No buts. The things he brings out in me are different. It's like … you make me expand. You open my eyes and widen my boundaries. He makes me contract. My eyes only see him and he's my only boundary. You're both just so … different. Completely different, in what you do for me, and how you make me feel,” she tried her best to explain.

“
Hmmm.
”

He wasn't looking her in the eyes. Was just staring down at her shoulder, where he was playing with the hair. She'd worn her hair down – for him, because he'd said he liked it down. She suddenly got very scared that a shift had happened, that she'd said too much. She didn't want to lose him.

“Liam, maybe we shouldn't -” she started to say, but then he dropped down on top of her. So abruptly, she actually shrieked. His mouth hovered barely a millimeter above her own.

“You know what I've been thinking about?” he whispered, so close she could feel the brush of his lips.

“What?” she whispered back, then gasped when he moved again. His nose was against her neck, his lips against her pulse.

“That aerobics class. How good you were. How much better you probably are now,” he hissed, then she felt his teeth clamp down on her skin. She arched against him.

“I'm not stripping for you,” she said.

“Sounds good. Want me to put on some music?”

“Liam, I just said I wouldn't.”

“I heard '
yes, my sweet and gentle lover, I will slowly strip for you and then allow you to fuck any orifice you please
', isn't that weird?”

“There is nothing sweet and gentle about you, and I will not let you fuck any orifice you please.”

“But you've already given me access to two very important ones.”

Katya took a deep breath.

“I'm not stripping,” she said again.

“Ah, you've already weakened on one stance. Let's just cut out the begging and get to the stripping.”

He kept kissing her shoulder. Eventually, his lips moved to her chest, which meant her sweater would have to go. But as his fingers curled around the hem, he hesitated. He always hesitated, and in that moment, she thought to herself “
Wulf never hesitates – he sees what he wants and he goes for it. He wants me.”
– fucked up, man. She knew Liam wanted her, she could feel his erection. Knew he cared about her, they were very good friends. But his lips were on her skin and his weight was on her body, and all she could think about was another man.

This isn't right. For the first time ever, this really isn't right.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered as his hands moved away from her sweater.

“Never apologize, angel cake. Rain check?” he asked, his breath hot on her shoulder. She struggled to breathe.

“Yeah. Thank you, Liam,” she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Thank
you.
”

His arms wiggled their way around her waist and finally, he was hugging her back.

“If I ever become a successful stripper,” Katya started, desperate to lighten the mood. “I will be sure to let everyone know they have you to thank.”

“Damn straight you will. And don't be expecting any tips from me. I only make it rain for strippers I don't know.”

“How chivalrous of you.”

“I know, right?”

*

Beyond not feeling right about having sex with him, Katya hadn't wanted to strip for Liam because the thought had made her feel nervous and a little embarrassed. What if she messed up? What if she wasn't as good as he'd remembered?

But the woman he'd described had been sexy and uninhibited, and not scared of anything. Katya
wanted
to be that woman. Liam made her feel like she
could
be that woman. Wulf was going to
experience
that woman.

“
I've never been to your apartment
.”

Wulf didn't believe in setting up dates, that much she'd figured out. He'd called her just as she was getting off work and told her to come to his office. He wanted to take her to dinner, he explained, but a meeting was running late. She could wait for him, he'd probably be done once she got there.

Only, he wasn't – his meeting ran
very
late. After thirty minutes had gone by, he'd texted her. Gave her directions to his private office, where she could wait more comfortably.

It didn't seem to occur to him that maybe she'd rather just go home.

But of course, Katya didn't suggest it, either. He still had that strange hold on her. If Wulf said it, then so shall it be. She walked down several hallways, passed a bunch of cubicles, and was met by the same assistant who'd come into the bakery on that fateful day, already so long ago.

Wherever Wulf was, his assistant was sure to be close behind – Ayumi Nakada moved around him like a shadow, and was barely more visible than one. She was tiny, a hair's width over five foot, and usually very quiet. When she did speak, though, it was in the same tone of voice Wulf used. Brisk, no nonsense, authoritative. She'd always come off a little bitchy to Katya. Cold. Like she thought she was above other people.

Probably comes from years of working with someone like Wulf.

Ayumi showed Katya to a set of huge double doors, opening one for her and gesturing for her to enter. The door was closed behind her, and then she was alone. In Wulf's private domain.

There wasn't anything personal about the office. He had a huge oak desk that sat in front of floor to ceiling windows. A wall to her right held a floating shelf, which was covered in awards and trophies and certificates. His desk top was perfectly clean, everything in order, even the pens and pencils lined up, and for the first time, she wondered if he had a light case of OCD.

When she sat in his chair, she actually shivered. He was such a powerful man, sometimes it was easy to forget it wasn't just for her benefit. He controlled a lot of peoples' lives, in a way. Their fortunes, their futures. All from that chair. She took a deep breath through her nose, could smell his cologne. She rubbed her legs together and sighed, wondering if there was at least a lonely little magazine she could use to distract herself.

While searching his desk, it hit her. The lack of personalization. No photos of his family, which really wasn't too much of a shock. But no photos of him with impressive clients, or business partners. No art work. Everything was very standard, clearly picked based on appearance and not personal preference.