“Soph, there are thirty-eight unheard messages waiting for me to deal with,” Simon responds. “I have no idea. Who's Julian Kincaid?”
Ben is staring at me through the screen, his eyes narrow. I avoid his gaze. “He's a friend of mine,” I reply. “He lives in that big house on Hill Street.”
“Kincaid,” Simon says thoughtfully. “Hang on, are you talking about Kincaid Castle?” He sits up. “That place is beautiful.”
“It’s also falling apart,” I tell him. “Anyway, he's looking for a contractor to help him fix up the place.”
My brother’s eyes sparkle with interest. “Really? I should give him a call. I'd love to work on a place like that.”
Ben calls me after dinner.“Julian's not exactly a common name,” he says without preamble. “Any chance this is one of the guys you had a threesome with before they got you fired?”
My head jerks up. “How did you know about that?”
“You told me,” he replies. “Papa paid for you to fly home for Christmas that year, remember? The two of us went to a bar. You got very, very drunk, and then you told me the entire story. I’ve tried very hard to block out that conversation. After all, you're my baby sister.”
“Don't be such a prude. When it comes to sex, my life looks positively tame in comparison to yours.”
Ben laughs uncomfortably. “Let's not talk about our sex lives,” he suggests. “So, is it the same guy?”
I’m not going to lie to him. “Yes,” I admit. “I'm seeing them again. Both of them.”
He’s quiet for a long moment. “Okay,” he says finally.
“That's it? That's all you're going to say?”
“What do you want me to say?” he counters. “Do you want me to warn you to be careful? I can do that. When you talked about them, it was obvious they were important to you, and you really liked them. Be careful, Soph. Don’t get your heart broken again.”
Don’t get your heart broken again. I don't remember anything about that Christmas. I don't even remember having this conversation with Ben.
“I’m glad you’re seeing them,” he adds. “I always thought you gave up on them too easily.”
“What? They got me fired.”
“That’s what you’ve always said, but did they?” His voice is skeptical. “You certainly jumped to that conclusion. You never tried to figure out what really happened. I get it, Soph. I do the same thing. I give up on things too soon. You know it’s because of Denise, right? If you don't get attached, then you can't get your heart broken.”
I don't know what to say to that.
“We’re pretty similar, you and me. We’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Ben’s voice softens. “But it doesn't have to be this way. Whatever happened when we were children, it's over. Denise has no power over us anymore. We’re all grown up, and she can't take away our happiness. Only we can do that.”
Tuesday afternoon,just after lunch, I’m struggling to focus on a spreadsheet when Julian calls me. As soon as I see his number flash across my display, my heart leaps. Stupid heart. “Julian,” I say, doing my best to keep my voice casual. “How is the renovation going, or shouldn't I ask?”
He groans. “Don't ask,” he says. “Listen, about tomorrow. Any idea what you want to do?”
“I haven't thought about it,” I answer honestly. Relive our night together in excruciating detail? Check. Use my new memories as prime spank bank material? Also, check. But I refused to let myself think about the future, and that includes tomorrow night’s date.
“You seemed to enjoy being tied up on Saturday,” he says. “If you wanted to kick it up a notch, I thought we could go to Club M.”
“Club M?” My pulse starts to race. “Is it even open on a Wednesday?”
“No, and we’re not members either. But this is where it helps to know Xavier. Occasionally, people use the club when it's officially closed. Politicians, celebrities, and people who can’t take the risk of being seen in a sex club. The monitors will still be there, but there won’t be any other guests.” He hesitates. “After what happened the last time around, Damien wasn’t sure if you would be up for it.”
“What do you think?”
“We both enjoy domination, and you seem to like stretching your limits. I think that you might be nervous about the idea, but you’re also a little turned on.” His voice lowers intimately. “Am I wrong, Sophia?”
I squirm in my seat. Is it wrong that I’m getting aroused at work? Yes. Bad Sophia. Thank heavens my office door is closed. “No,” I whisper. “You’re not wrong. About either of those things.”
Do I want to go to the club? Yes.