Her sister stared at her salad, pouting, and it reminded me of the car ride home with my parents. No amount of effort was going to make Erin understand, because deep down, she didn’t want to.
Tara asked the waiter to bring the bill, and when he headed off, Erin leveled a gaze at her younger sister. “I guess I’ll get the check.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You work in sales.”
Fire burned in Tara’s eyes. It was so hot, it was a miracle it didn’t burn her sister to ash. “You’re unbelievable. You think I don’t have money? I guarantee I make more in one night than you do in a whole month.”
Erin paused. “One night?”
Tara stood abruptly and dug her wallet out of her purse. “What was the reason for this dinner?”
“What do you mean?”
She shot her sister a plain look. “Why did you want to get together? What’s happened that you needed to tell me about?”
Erin’s gaze darted away, caught. “Lucas asked me to marry him.”
As I rose from the table, my gaze dropped down to the diamond ring on Erin’s hand. It barely fazed Tara. She dropped several twenties on the table. “Great. Congratulations.” Her gaze lifted to me, and her expression was loud. It screamed, “Let’s get out of here.”
“Nice meeting you,” I said, but it was a hollow, throwaway comment. I took Tara’s hand in mine as we headed for the exit.
When we made it out the door and onto the sidewalk, she pulled me aside, tucking us up against the building, her face serious. “I work at a private club. It’s very exclusive, with a high member fee, and on Friday and Saturday nights we do tastings. That’s what I meant when I said I make more than her in a single night.”
“Oh,” I said, playing along. She hadn’t really lied, she’d only omitted the larger truth. “It’s Saturday. Do you have to work tonight?”
“No. I had a client who got a little too friendly with me, so my boss and I thought it was best if I took the next two weeks off.”
Alarm prickled across my skin. “Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“If this guy made you uncomfortable, why are you the one being punished?”
She reached up and cupped the side of my face, her thumb just outside the scrape in the corner of my mouth I’d gotten in my match. “I’m not. It’s a paid vacation. I needed a break anyway so I can focus on the audition. My boss is in a tough spot. He doesn’t want to lose the guy because he’s a good customer—it’s just the guy only liked dealing with me.”
I didn’t like it, but I could understand. I wanted Tara all to myself too.
Was that true? It was more in the emotional aspect. The idea of her fucking other people strangely didn’t turn me off. It made my heart beat faster. Made me break out into a sweat. It got my cock hard. Last night I’d thought she was working at the club, and the part that bothered me the most was that I wasn’t there. I wasn’t included.
Her doms had forbid us from fucking, and she’d said the same applied to them . . . but what if it didn’t? The idea of her with a woman was exciting, so that wasn’t a problem. And the idea of watching her with another man was hot, but could I actually handle it? I was so damn curious.
“I just want you to be safe,” I said, stepping closer and sliding a hand onto her hip. “I like you, and you told your sister in there that we’re together.”
Pink tinted across her cheeks. “Was that okay?”
“Are you fucking kidding?” I slid my hand down until it was on her ass and squeezed. “Yes.”
She looked thrilled, but I saw deep in her eyes, there was guilt too. Was she thinking about what was unsaid between us? I didn’t want her to. Hopefully, after the audition, she’d be ready to tell me. She’d trust me enough to not think I was using her to get a story.
I bent my head, bringing our lips together. The kiss was slow and sensual, totally different than one we’d shared before. It came from passion and intimacy, rather than pure lust.
When we parted, her eyes were unfocused and dazed, but she blinked it away. Her voice was sultry. “You want to come over?”
Every part of me said yes, some places more enthusiastic than others. But there was something I needed. “Can I meet you over there? I have to go get something first.” I’d let her assume I meant I was stopping by my place to pick it up.
“What is it?”