Their Twisted Love (The Twisted Mosaic - Book 2) (12 page)

But Talia would come to me when Alex screwed up again. I was
her security. She couldn't let me go for long.

He'd follow me into the conference room. He had to or I'd go
back out there and kill him. Alex walked in and closed the door while I booted
up my laptop and waited for him to make a move. Would he grab my hair? Bite off
a kiss? Shove me down on the table and pull my skirt up?

"Let's go out for dinner."

Okay, didn't see that coming.
"Oh that's nice.
Just walk in here and give me orders. No apology, no 'Hi Talia, I've missed
you'. Just 'dinner, now.'" I grunted at him like a caveman.

He looked at me, his eyebrows raised and pinched together as
if he didn't know whether to laugh or strangle me. "All right. I'm sorry,
Talia. I've missed you like crazy. Would you like to go out to dinner with
me?"

I stepped behind a chair and crossed my arms. "Do you
even know what you're apologizing for?"

"For all the thousands of ways I've wronged you, and a
hundred more I'll never know about."

Vague but sweet and
so close
to sincere. "And
for the dozen or so yet to come."

He cracked a smile and shook his head. "I love your
faith in me."

"Nice, isn't it?" I sat down and pretended to
work.

"Yeah. So, dinner?"

I flipped through a file, not looking at him. "You have
plans with Will tonight."

"Tomorrow then. I'll take you downtown."

I blinked at him. "Is that a euphemism?"

He scrubbed his hand over his face. "No. It's a real
date. Reservations, valet parking, jacket and tie required."

"I don't look good in a tie."

He clenched his jaw and sputtered through his teeth.
"Will you stop...? Just listen to me for once."

God, I love annoying him.
I crossed my arms over my
chest and tapped my foot.

"That's better." His shoulders loosened and he let
out a huge breath.  "I'll pick you up at your hotel. Six-thirty. Don't
keep me waiting."

Thinks he can give me instructions?
I stood and
flattened my hands on the table, leaning toward him until I got right in his
face. "Oh you'll wait. You'll wait
for
me, you'll wait
on
me. And you'll treat me like a Goddamn queen."

That familiar dirty grin reappeared. "Until we get to
bed."

"Think you're gonna get laid tomorrow?"

"Duh. I'm going out with
you
."

My fingers twitched, itching to slap him. Instead, I tapped
the table. "I don't put out on the first date."

"That's not what I heard."

I pushed back and tripped over the chair. He reached out to
catch me, but I jerked away from his grasp and planted my feet, jabbing my
finger into his chest. "We don't have to go out
at all
. You
will
treat me with respect. No more of this 'Talia is a horny slut' bullshit."

Until we get to bed.

His rattlesnake smile flickered a warning. "I like it
when you boss me around." He grabbed my arm and pulled me into his body,
breathing hard and close as if he intended to kiss me. But his gaze burned into
mine and only a hot breath touched my lips. "Don't get used to it."

He let go and walked out the door, leaving me wondering if I
could get away with rubbing out a quick orgasm.
Maybe if I pull the chair close
to the table and slip a hand under my skirt.... Ahh....

"Talia is a horny slut."

***

Alex knocked on my door at six twenty-nine. I probably
should've put my dress on before I opened it, but since I'd spent most of my
paycheck on a black lace bra and panties with a matching garter, I wanted to
make sure he got a good look at me in them.

"You...." His voice trailed off as his gaze
travelled over my uplifted breasts to my silk-encased legs. "Look
good." His hand went to his crotch and he adjusted himself. "Real
good. Um... hi."

"Hi yourself." Words weren't exactly my strong
suit at the moment because he looked as hot as I felt.

He always wore a suit to work, but most of the time his tie
hung loose, and his shirt skewed off-center. I'd had to help him find his
jacket on more than one occasion. Usually he'd tossed it over the back of his
chair and wrinkled it when he sat down, or it had slipped to the floor and
gotten rolled over.

But tonight he wore a tailored charcoal suit that fit
perfectly across his broad shoulders, and his tie and collar framed his
sculpted face like a Renaissance masterpiece.

"Where's your dress?" He didn't bother looking for
it. His gaze was glued to my ass.

"In the closet. I'll be right back." I opened the
louvered doors and grabbed the hanger.

"Need some help?" He stepped behind me as I
slipped the red satin garment over my head.

I tugged the tight halter-top into place while he zipped me
up, sliding his fingers over my skin. A deep V dove down both front and back.
"Thank you."

"My pleasure." He stroked my shoulder, brushing my
hair back as he turned us toward the mirror. "You are beautiful. We look
perfect together."

If only we could be perfect together.
I turned in his
arms and stepped back as he moved to kiss me.

His brow wrinkled. "What?"

"No kissing until after—"

"Seriously? Are you trying to re-virginize or
something? Because I'm telling you, that's not gonna happen."

I slapped his shoulder. "Just play nice. It'll be
fun." I slipped on a bracelet and earrings, but tossed the matching
necklace aside.
I can't stand having anything wrapped around my neck...
except Alex's hands.

"If you say so." He grunted and offered his arm.
He escorted me to the lobby, behaving like a perfect gentleman.

This will be fun, right?

A valet pulled up in a sporty little Audi and handed the
keys to Alex.

"New car?" I ran my fingers over the fine finish
as he opened my door.

He laughed. "I rented it. Valets don't like my beat-up
old truck."

"But it's a classic. You'd think they'd love to get
behind the wheel."

"They think I can't afford a good tip."

"Ah." My skirt slid up my thighs as I climbed in.
Oops,
butt first.
I backed into the leather seat and crossed my ankles as I
pulled my legs in.

Alex cleared his throat. "Nice tease." He jogged
around to the other side. When we arrived at a high-class steakhouse downtown,
a valet ran to meet us, smiling as Alex tossed him the keys.

The lovely hostess walked us to our table. Candlelight
flickered off sparkling crystal and shining china. A string quartet played in
the corner, and both patrons and servers spoke in hushed tones.

The hostess handed me a menu and gave the wine list to Alex.
He ordered a bottle of my favorite chardonnay while I scanned the entrees.
Something
with mushrooms....

"Making any progress finding that payment?"

"We're not talking about work tonight."

He smiled, knowing I was avoiding the question.
"Okay."

We waited for our server. Alex played with the silverware
while I fought off the urge to bite my polished fingernails.
Oh God, I
haven't done that since junior high.

I pretended to debate over my dinner choices.
Do we have
anything to talk about?

"How did you get into forensic accounting?"

His out-of-the-blue question startled me, and the menu
slipped from my hand. I laid it beside my plate and looked at him. He leaned
back in his chair and loosened his tie just enough to let him breathe easier.
My perfect gentleman date disappeared, and the predatory attorney took his
place. He'd asked an open-ended question, something that would allow him to ask
follow-up questions. And most likely lead me into a trap. But I'd played this
game with him before.

I thanked the wine server and waited for him to disappear
before submitting to Alex's interrogation. "I've always been good with
numbers and computers."

"I know that. Give me something interesting."

"After I turned in Holland Spencer, the DA's office
asked me to help them track down all his accounts. I found a mountain of
evidence against him before they went to trial. He pled guilty."

"Nice job. That old bastard deserves to rot. Did you go
to work for the DA?"

"No." I took a long sip of my chardonnay.

He realized his mistake and rephrased the question.
"How did that lead you to forensic work?"

"I thought I'd solved that case so easily because I
knew Holland, but the DA asked for my help on another case, and I discovered my
gift for uncovering virtual evidence."

"Is Wes Abernathy still the DA?"

I nodded. Wes rivaled Alex in good looks and charm. But he
had ethics Alex lacked, or maybe Wes cared to cover his tracks.

"Did you sleep with him?"

"Wes? What does that have to do with my job?"

"Not a damn thing, but you're avoiding my
question."

"No. I didn't sleep with him."

The waiter appeared to take our order and that ended our
conversation.
What do we talk about now?

I grabbed my napkin and draped it across my lap. "Did
you have a good time with Will last night?"

He grinned. "Yes." He picked up his wine glass and
downed half of it in one long swallow.

Damn it.
"Where did you go?"

"To a bar near my office." He loved fucking with
me as much as I loved annoying him.

"What did you guys do?"

His eyes narrowed, and he set the glass down hard. "Why
do you want to talk about Will?"

Oh shit.
"I just wondered how you two are
getting along." I rearranged my napkin.

He sighed and unbuttoned his collar. "We're fine. We
had a few beers. Talked for a while."

"About me?"

"Yes."

"Good things?"

"Bad things, too." His eyes glittered.

"I'm sure you boys enjoyed that."

A deviant smile twitched his lips before he pounced.
"Why'd you sleep with him last weekend?"

The napkin slipped off my skirt, and I threw it on my plate.
"Does it matter?"

He shrugged. "Why'd you sleep with him after I left
Chicago?"

"How did you know about that? Did he tell you?"

"No." Alex laughed, shaking his head. "I can't
believe you fell for that. I thought I taught you better."

Jesus.
"Stop the cross-examination. I can't win
your game."

"No kidding."

This isn't going to work.
No 'real date' I'd ever
been on made me want to rip a man's throat out. But no other man had ever pissed
me off and turned me on the way Alex did.
I want this to work.
"We
need to lay down some rules."

"Why?"

"I need the protection. First, if we're going to really
date, you can't sleep with anyone else."

He picked up his fork and pointed it at me. "Neither
can you."

"I was just going to say that."

"Do I get to fuck your ass?"

"Where the hell that did come from? No."

He tossed the fork on the table. "So now that we're
dating, you're turning prude on me?"

"No. I'm not ready to let you to go there."

"You let Will."

We stared at each other, his gazed locked with mine as if he
dared me to answer. "That's different."
Lame.

"How?"

"Rule number two, no digging up the past."

"Dodging the issue. Okay. Three, no cheating."

"We already covered that with rule one
and
two."

"Right...."

The waiter appeared with our dinner, glancing between the
two of us as he set our plates down. He stiffened as if the tension had gotten
to him, too. "Enjoy your meal," he mumbled as he scurried away from
the table.

I snatched my fork and stabbed at the juicy roasted
mushrooms which were smothered in an amazing sauce that should've made my mouth
water. "This isn't going to be easy."

Alex reached across the table and touched my hand.
"Never said it would be."

The fork thumped on the tablecloth as I dropped it to
squeeze his fingers. "It is worth the trouble?"

He smiled and scooted his chair next to me. "baby,
you've been nothing but trouble since... forever. And I've loved every minute
of it." He slid his hand down the V on my back, pulling me close and
kissing me.

Just when I was ready to give up on him, he had to go and
turn all sweet. I grabbed his tie and parted my lips under his. His thigh
brushed mine and we slid closer together, kissing and touching until some idiot
cleared his throat.

Alex pressed a last tempting kiss on my lips. "We'd
better get out of here before we get thrown out."

"Not before I devour these mushrooms." I grabbed
my forgotten fork and stuffed a fat bite in my mouth. "Good God. These are
wonderful."

His genuine laugh made my toes tingle. He pulled his plate
over, staying close to me while we ate. Talking about work turned out to be the
safest topic. He bragged about his achievements since leaving Chicago, and then
he congratulated me as I told him about all the cases I'd helped win. We
skipped dessert and ran a few yellow-turned-red lights on the way back to my
hotel.

We scurried to the crowded elevator. If we'd been alone, we
would've been all over each other, but even with people surrounding us, Alex
snuck his hand up the back of my skirt and fondled my lacy ass.

When the elevator beeped for our floor, he snatched my hand
and whisked me out the door. We practically ran down the hall to my door.
"Where is my damn key?" I rummaged through my clutch, but the coded
card eluded me.

"Need some help?" He wrapped his arms around me,
slipping one hand into my top while the other gathered my hem up.

I brushed his wandering fingers off my skirt. "Didn't I
tell you I don't fuck on the first date?"