Melt Into You

“I should get you to take pictures of me.”

“Huh?” Evan’s eyebrows knitted.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Callie waved her off. “I’m serious. I’ve been trying to come up with something to get Brandon for his birthday, and I bet he would totally be into some sexy boudoir-style pics. We haven’t, ya know, done the deed yet, so maybe that would get the ball rolling. He’s that gentlemanly type and his slow approach is kind of driving me crazy.”

Evan frowned. “Maybe slow isn’t a bad thing.”

“Pfft! I’m not getting any younger. No use burning daylight. So do you think you could make me look as sexy as that cherry pie?”

Evan pinched the bridge of her nose, Callie’s question only bringing the past farther to the front of her mind—the haunted eyes of the women who’d posed before her camera. The sick feeling that came along with knowing you were sacrificing someone else’s dignity to save your own ass. “I don’t really do that style of picture, Cal.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be a prude.”

She sighed. “It’s not about that. It’s just, are you really going to trust a guy you just started dating with half-naked pictures of yourself? What happens when—”

She held up a finger. “Nope. Don’t finish that sentence. I’m doing that whole putting positive energy into the universe thing. I’m not even considering that this guy isn’t going to work out. Now will you take photos for me or not?”

“Cal, I—”

Callie’s phone dinged and she checked the screen. Her smile turned florescent. “Oh, he’s so sweet.”

Evan hated that Callie already had that smitten-beyond-repair look. Even if this Brandon was a nice guy, giving your heart to anyone that easily had disaster written all over it. Evan had firsthand experience on that one.

“He’s waiting outside. Sorry to stop by and then run off,” Callie said. “But I only have a little while for lunch. We’re shorthanded so Jessica will probably go on strike if I’m not back by one to help her.”

“No problem,” Evan said, ready to get back to her own work anyway. “We’ll catch up next week.”

Callie pointed a finger at her and arched an eyebrow. “And you are so doing those photos for me. I’ll withhold petit fours otherwise.”

“Hateful bitch.”

She laughed. “Ta for now. Don’t work too hard.”

Yeah, right. That was exactly what Evan planned to do. Work so hard that she had no space left in her mind, her bed, or her heart for anything else.

FIVE

Jace straightened the display of erotic novels as his best friend, Reid, selected one of the paddles from the rack on the other side. Reid flipped it around in his hand, testing the weight and feel of it. He held it up to Jace. “Really?”

Jace shrugged, the sight of his suit-clad friend holding up a paddle with the words “bad girl” scrawled in pink a comical picture. “The newbies like that kind of thing. Makes ’em feel scandalous. It’s got great thud, though.”

Reid smacked it against his own thigh. Frowned. “Brynn needs more bite than that. Plus, she may laugh herself right out of the scene if she sees what’s on it.”

Jace grabbed a utilitarian black paddle with holes in it from the shelf. “Try this one. The holes lessen air resistance and give you more impact.”

Reid took it from him to examine it. He sliced it through the air, the whooshing sound making Jace’s skin itch. God, he loved that sound. Even better was the noise the sub made when it smacked against her bare skin.

“Mmm, better,” Reid agreed.

“So how is that beautiful blonde of yours? You haven’t brought her by in a while. Still afraid she’s going to realize the error of her ways and come sub for me instead?”

Reid shot him a deadly look. “Don’t make me test this paddle on your skull, smartass.”

Jace laughed. A more tactful friend probably wouldn’t make a point to remind Reid on a regular basis that Jace had shared Reid’s soon-to-be-wife with him one night. But Jace had never claimed to have tact. Plus, he’d never been able to resist getting his oh-so-calm friend ruffled.

“You don’t need to be worrying about my woman,” Reid said, tucking the paddle under his arm and moving on to the vibrator section of Jace’s store. “Worry about your own women. I ran into your mother the other day at the grocery store, and she said you never come when she invites you to family dinners. That ain’t right, man. I ended up agreeing to stop by for one because she looked so damn sad about it.”

Jace sighed. “Family dinners involve having conversation with my dad. And by conversation, I mean me listening to him talk about what a failure and a fuckup I am. They’ll probably appreciate your company more.”

“Look, your dad’s a dick, but you need to tough one out for your mom. She’s looking worn down with all this. Maybe having you there will give her a boost.”

Jace grimaced. He loved his mom and felt like a dirtbag for contributing at all to her being upset, but he hadn’t made it through a family meal since he opened up Wicked without having a knock-down, drag-out fight with his father. Seeing that wouldn’t do his mother any good. “I’ll try to make it over there for one.”

Reid nodded and turned down the next aisle. “So how’s business looking?”

Jace shrugged. “It’s been better. It’d help if I could get Diana to stop drawing alimony.”

“I petitioned the court to relieve you of that obligation. Diana’s still maintaining an apartment address, but I had that PI I know follow her for a couple of weeks. She’s living with Greg full time like you suspected.” Reid grabbed a few more items off the shelf. “It’s still a long shot.”

“Un-fucking-believable.” He’d already given her half of everything when they divorced and had paid a monthly stipend for two years. It’d been more than she deserved since she’d been the one to walk out on him. But he’d been so numb after she’d left that he’d just agreed to whatever instead of going through a nasty court battle.

Reid grabbed a G-spot stimulator and a pack of nipple clamps then handed all of the items to Jace. “I know, man. I’m doing the best I can. But it might be worth it to try and talk with her. Nicely. Appeal to her reasonable side.”

Jace scoffed as he walked to the front of the store and dumped Reid’s selections on the counter so his cashier could ring them up. “Diana doesn’t have a reasonable side.”

Reid tossed his credit card on the counter. “You better find one. Otherwise, she’s got a decent shot of syphoning more money from you.”

“Dammit. Isn’t there a point where I stop getting fucked over? You’ve barely lost a case in your life. Can’t we win?”

Reid frowned as he took his bag from the cashier. “Look, I’m going to do everything I can, but it hurts that you didn’t take her to task during the initial divorce. She doesn’t look like the bad guy in the court records.” He laid a hand on his shoulder. “Talk to her, Jace. And I’ll do what I can on my end.”

Jace walked Reid out then stalked into his office ready to breathe fire. Fucking Diana. Just what he needed. Hadn’t it been enough that she’d ripped his heart out and made him look like a goddamned fool? Now she wanted to suck his bank account dry, too?

Jace stared out the second-floor window and the darkened shops across the street. Wicked was one of the few stores open this late on a Thursday night. He’d landed a prime piece of real estate tucked between high-end clothing stores, a gourmet chocolate shop, and a salon. It was the perfect shopping spot for women and couples who may not feel comfortable venturing into the seedy part of town and going to a windowless dive with an Adult Videos sign flashing above.

But the tradeoff for having such a swank spot was that he also didn’t get the cheap and easy business—the guys just coming in to grab a porno or some skin mags. He didn’t sell either. Well, unless you counted some of the how-to videos they had in stock. So he had to count on the customers who weren’t afraid to spend decent money on quality products. And with the economy the way it was, those customers were getting fewer and farther between.

The money he hoped to get through the deal with Dr. Dan would allow him to beef up his stock and Internet presence and offer more variety in price point. But if Diana kept milking him for alimony, he was going to run out of capital before the Dr. Dan thing even bore fruit.

He flipped the blinds closed just as his office door opened. Andre stepped in and leaned against the doorjamb, looking every bit the pissed-off cop. “She’s a leech. Have I mentioned that?”

Jace snorted. “Guess you saw Reid.”

“What’s her deal? She’s had years to get on her feet. Feet that I’m sure get a weekly pedicure and massage using your money.”

Jace sank into his desk chair and rubbed a hand over his face. “This is the last thing I need. I’ve been crunching numbers all night. If it weren’t for my contract with The Ranch, I’d be in some serious shit right now. I was counting on freeing up the money I was paying her each month to put toward the website and building stock. Now I’ve gotta go play nice and hope she grants me mercy when all I really want to do is ring her neck. And Greg’s. What kind of asshole stands by and lets some other dude support the mother of his kid?”

Andre’s shoulder radio squawked, and he pressed the button to respond. He looked up when he was done. “Don’t go see her or Greg yet. You need to take a break and get away from that desk and those P&L statements. You go see them while you’re like this, and I’ll be arresting you for bodily assault.”

Jace grunted. He’d never lay a hand on a woman without her consent, but Greg was a whole different story. Bodily assault was starting to sound real tempting. Or maybe just massive intimidation and threats to relocate the guy’s nuts. Could he get arrested for that?

Andre’s frown deepened. “See, I can already see you contemplating maiming and dismembering.”

“Killjoy.”

Andre pushed off the doorframe. “Look, we both need to blow off steam. I’ve been busting my ass to get that promotion. They have me shadowing the detectives on this huge case and still covering my regular beat. I’ve switched from days to nights so many times these last two weeks, I don’t even know what time it is. Plus, you’ve been a miserable fuck since we got back from South Padre.”

“You know your lease is up this month, so you’re more than welcome to move somewhere else.”

Andre flipped him off. “All I’m saying is that we should go have some fun this weekend. Recharge.”

Jace perked up. A fun weekend?

Andre was right—that was exactly what he needed. Since they’d returned to Dallas, Jace had felt off, like he couldn’t quite get back into the groove. And it had nothing to do with Wicked’s bank account. The moment that had passed between him and Evan had replayed in his mind one too many times. And getting hard night after night thinking about a girl who was off limits was getting him nowhere. He knew just the kind of weekend he needed.

“Andre, I think that’s a genius plan.”

He grinned. “Of course it is. That’s the only kind of plan I come up with.”

Jace smirked. “I’ll deal with Diana next week. There’s no way I’m letting her earn any more money off my back. And I’ll figure out this mess with Wicked. I have some new radio and print ads going live this weekend, so maybe that will drum up some new business.”

“You could always ask your parents to release the rest of your trust fund. The money’s supposed to be yours.”

“I’d rather live in a box than give in and ask them for a penny of that damn money. That shit is so laced with strings, I might as well sign up to be a marionette.”

“Well, if they ever want to send any of it over my way, I’ll happily join the family financial business and toe the line. I’d at least get to sleep sometimes.”

Jace chucked a pen at Andre, who deftly ducked out of the way.

“Kidding.” Andre checked his watch, his break probably over. “I’ll set things up for the weekend. Any requests?”

Yes. A dark-haired beauty with ice blue eyes and a mouth that begged to be tasted. A woman who clearly had never been under a master’s hand, but whose body had responded the instant her hands were tied—in front of a live audience no less. He shoved Evan’s image from his head. “See if there are any new members.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You want a newbie?”

“Yes.” Anything to make him forget an oldie.

SIX

This was not how Evan had anticipated spending her birthday. She folded her hands in her lap and tried to keep an interested look on her face as one of the reporters asked Daniel another question about the planned television show.

She thought she’d have some time to get her head wrapped around the idea that they—well, Daniel—was going to have his own TV show. But two weeks after signing the deal the word was out, and the Dallas papers wanted to know all the details. The glare of the spotlight was already dangerously close to making her break out in hives. She much preferred being the one behind the flashbulb.

“Ms. Kennedy, are you going to be part of the show?” the female reporter asked, turning her head toward Evan.

She sat up a little straighter on the couch. “I plan to stay in more of a behind-the-scenes role.”

Daniel put a hand on Evan’s knee. “Evan’s going to be in the audience most days, and I plan to call upon her when we need a woman’s perspective. Hopefully, we can get her over her stage fright so she can become a bigger part of the show.”

Evan tensed beneath his grip. What the hell was he talking about? They had never discussed her stepping into that kind of role. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from blurting out the question for him. She gave the handful of reporters a tight smile.

After a few more questions were lobbed at Daniel and more photos were taken of the both of them, the group finally filed out of the house. Evan barely waited for the front door to click shut behind them before whirling around and pinning Daniel with a deadly glare. “Have you been drinking? Hit in the head with a blunt object?”

His eyebrows knitted. “What’s the matter?”

She put her hands out to her sides. “Get over stage fright? Since when am I supposed to be on camera? That’s not part of the deal. You know I don’t want that.”

He gave a put-upon sigh and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Calm down, sweets. It’s just something the producers mentioned would be a good idea. You’re beautiful and smart. They think you’ll add to the brand better if you’re not hiding in the background.”

She groaned. “I’m not hiding, Daniel. I’m working my ass off with all the detailed stuff you don’t like to deal with. The limelight is your dream, not mine. And how am I supposed to be at all the show tapings and still get my new studio off the ground?”

He frowned. “Evan, you don’t have to worry about turning a profit with your photography. The money from this deal will be more than enough to support all of us.”

She stared at him in disbelief, then wriggled from beneath his grasp. So her photography business was expendable—a little hobby that didn’t bring in enough cash to count for anything. She stormed past him before she said everything that wanted to spill out of her mouth. “Whatever, Daniel.”

* * *

Evan ignored the soft knock on her door as she finished putting on her eyeliner. An hour of alone time had eased her down from her boiling point, but she was still at a steady simmer. She had half a mind to go to her birthday dinner alone.

“Evan, it’s Marcus. Can I come in? I have mail for you.”

She blew out a breath and capped the eyeliner. “It’s not locked. And you could’ve come up with a better excuse than that.”

He cracked open the door and stuck his head in tentatively, like he was afraid she was going to chuck a shoe at him or something. It would’ve been tempting had it been Daniel. “You doing all right in here?”

“Peachy,” she said with a saccharine smile.

He opened the door the rest of the way and stepped in, frown lines marring his smooth complexion. “Don’t mind Daniel. His mouth is just moving too fast for his brain. He’s so excited about finally reaching his dream that he hasn’t slowed down to really consider how everyone else might feel about it.”

She sighed and clicked off the light on her makeup mirror. “Look, no one is happier for him than I am. You know that. I know where he came from and how big of a deal this is. I just need him to understand that it’s not my dream. I’m dedicated to making this work for all of us, but my financial interest is so that I can run my studio, not have to stress about money, and be able to . . . take care of a few things. The fame part is not my deal.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Fame might not be that bad, you know.”

Fame. Her stomach did a flip. She’d spent a lot of time honing this new life—changing her name, refining her look, sloughing off her old life—not just to get a fresh start but to escape the demons lurking in her past. Having her picture splashed across the papers or television wasn’t exactly lying low.

“I’m not going to be on camera, Marcus. Get that through Daniel’s head and we’ll all be square.”

He stepped behind her and set the stack of mail on the vanity table before giving her shoulders a little squeeze. “He won’t make you do anything you don’t want to, okay?”

She nodded. “I know.”

“Now, why don’t we drop this whole thing for now and focus on going out and celebrating your birthday?” He waggled his eyebrows at her in the mirror. “We have a gift I promise will put a smile on your face.”

“Oh, Lord. Now you have me nervous.”

He laughed. “Come on, hot stuff. We don’t want to miss our reservation.”

* * *

By the time dinner wrapped up, Evan found herself without the energy to hold her grudge. Sulking was hard to maintain when so much fabulous food and wine were being consumed.

“If your evil plan was to stuff me with buttered scallops and cheesecake so that I wouldn’t be mad at you anymore, it’s working,” Evan said, licking a bit of strawberry sauce off her fork.

Daniel laughed. “I would never stoop so low as to prey upon your food-whore tendencies.”

She tossed her cloth napkin at him. “Liar.”

Marcus stole the last bite of their shared dessert and pointed his fork at Daniel. “Tell her what’s next while she’s still on her sugar and champagne buzz.”

She eyed the two men, a little twinge of anxiety going through her. “What are you two up to?”

Daniel grasped her hand across the table. “Sweets, I know we haven’t brought it up since our little discussion in South Padre, but Marcus and I have noticed you’ve been on edge for months.”

“Oh, come on, not this again,” she complained. “I told you I’m fine, Doctor. Totally stable.”

He shook his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Chill out. I’m not psychoanalyzing you. You’ve just been a tad bit . . .”

“Bitchy?” Marcus offered before sipping his drink.

“Hey,” she said, shooting him an offended look.

“I was going to say tense,” Daniel said, bumping Marcus with his shoulder. “I really do think it’s this whole celibacy thing getting to you.”

She blinked in surprise, the subject catching her off guard. Now they were discussing her lack of a sex life at dinner? Her earlier hint of nerves ratcheted up to dread. “Wait a second, what does that have to do with what’s happening next?”

“Well, we thought for your birthday we’d help you with that little issue,” Marcus said, obviously fighting a smile.

“My issue?” Her mind took a moment to fully process the words. “Wait, with my celibacy issue?”

Daniel grinned. “Exactly.”

She pulled her hand from Daniel’s and stared at the two of them in disbelief. How in the hell could two gay men help her with her celibacy issue? They surely weren’t going to volunteer to go bi or straight for the night. She almost laughed at the notion, but then a disgusting thought hit her, making her choke. “Oh, no. No way.”

“What?” Daniel asked in a tone worthy of a halo and wings.

“I swear to God if you paid for some escort or something, I’m seriously going to kill you two right here at the table.”

Daniel leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee with a casual elegance that had Evan ready to throw something more damaging at him than her napkin. He set down his cup. “Evan, we would never do that to you. You deserve better than that.”

“Definitely,” Marcus said, sliding an envelope onto the table. “Like a membership to The Ranch. Three months fully paid.”

She stared down at the little white envelope and the red R emblazoned on its wax seal. The thing looked innocuous enough, but she had a feeling the gift inside was far from innocent. She raised her gaze, hoping she was wrong. “Is that some sort of spa or something?”

Daniel’s lips curled into a mischievous smile. “Not exactly.”

“Jesus, Daniel, tell me it’s not a brothel.” She had no idea if they even had brothels with dude prostitutes, but she wasn’t putting anything past her two friends. They were kinky bastards.

Marcus rolled his eyes. “Stop messing with her, D. You’re freaking her out.”

“Oh, neither of you are any fun,” Daniel said, motioning to the waiter for a coffee refill, then looking back to Evan. “It’s not a brothel, for God’s sake. It’s a resort where people go to live out their fantasies, explore their . . . inclinations with each other.”

“Inclinations?” she repeated. “Like figuring out if they’re gay or straight? ’Cause, no offense, but I don’t have any doubts there.”

His eyebrow arched. “I’m sure some go there for that. But this is more about venturing into things you may not have access to in your day-to-day life. Fantasies. Role-playing. Multiple partners. Bondage. In your case, maybe just a confidential sexual partner.”

Her hands turned sweaty against the booth’s leather seat as she replayed his list in her head. Role-playing. Bondage. She parted her lips, but the words stuck to her tongue.

Marcus pushed the envelope closer to her. “I’ve been a member for a while. The place is top notch—safe, exclusive, uber private—and has very strict membership requirements.”

Her brain began to spin. A sex club? They wanted her to go to a sex club? The boys were out of their freaking minds.

“It’s all very confidential,” Daniel added. “I don’t want you to reveal our situation, but members will know you’re engaged and that your fiancé approves of you being there. People there won’t blink an eye at that. They’re used to unique situations.”

She looked back and forth between the two of them as her ability to form sentences returned in a rush. “You seriously expect me to just go there and have sex with strangers? Are you nuts?”

Marcus gave her a sympathetic look. “You can do whatever you feel comfortable with. No one’s going to make you participate. But don’t shut yourself off to the possibility until you see the place. You may be surprised how things change in that kind of environment—how your mind opens up. They specialize in BDSM, but I’m sure they can accommodate whatever situation or fantasy is most enticing to you.”

Her mind automatically rewound to the day in the seminar room—Jace tying her hands and being in control, touching her. She’d accessed that scene in her head countless times over the last two weeks, had touched herself as she filled in the blanks of what could’ve happened if they’d been alone and had no past to contend with.

And still, despite the constant fantasy rerun, the effect hadn’t worn off. Even now, heat built low in her belly at the mere thought. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, a champagne headache starting. “Guys, really, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I don’t need this. I’m fine.”

“We’ve already packed your bag, and there’s a car waiting for you outside,” Daniel said, causing her head to snap up. “Grant Waters, the owner of the place, has set up a tour for you tonight so you can see it before people start arriving for the weekend retreat tomorrow. We’ve also reserved you a private cabin.”