Hooked on a Feelin' [Clandestine Affairs 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  The server interrupted to clear their plates.

  “You didn’t answer my question about your guilt tendencies,” Vasco reminded her when they were alone again. “Or rather, you skilfully avoided it.”

  “Right now my thoughts are on the dessert menu, and that’s enough to make me feel riddled with guilt.” She grinned. “The desserts here are to die for, and I’ll die before my time if I keep stuffing myself with empty calories.”

  “Seems to me this is an emergency, so the normal rules don’t apply.” Ty signaled to the server. “One large portion of triple layer chocolate cake, please, and three forks.”

  “Don’t!” Sorrel groaned, closing her eyes for an expressive minute, fanning her cheeks with thick, curling lashes. “That’s my very favorite, but you guys are obviously fitness fanatics and ought to be setting a good example.”

  “We’ll help you with it, darlin’,” Vasco said. “But in return, you need to be completely honest with us.”

  “Deal,” she said, grinning.

  Chapter Four

  “What do you need to know?” Sorrel asked.

  “Tell us about your family,” Ty replied. “They seem to play a big part in your life.”

  Sorrel took a moment to assimilate her thoughts, reminding herself to breathe, and at the same time wanting to pinch herself. That she was here with these two fine specimens of male physicality, and holding their attention, was surreal. They were drop-dead gorgeous and had every female head in the establishment swiveling in their direction so frequently she’d be surprised if the restaurant didn’t get sued for multiple cases of whiplash. And they weren’t just playing nice. They really seemed to want to help her. They actually cared. No one had cared about her, really cared, since her dad had passed. Even then, he was abroad so often with his unit that she hadn’t liked to bother him with her problems when he was at home.

  “My mom and dad divorced several years before Dad died,” she said, making an effort to keep her emotions in check. “Dad was devastated, but she’s high maintenance and didn’t like being left at home all the time while he was off risking his life for his country.”

  “It happens more than you might think,” Vasco said, sympathy in his tone.

  “Well, I tried to convince Dad he was better off without her, and I think he started to see things that way when it came to divorce time and she showed her true colors. Anyway, I also have an older brother, who works as a bartender, and the sister with two kids who’s divorced and works at being a pain in the neck.” Sorrel sighed. “Not that she has to work too hard at that. She’s got it down to a fine art already.”

  “I get that you were close to your dad, but not so much the rest of your family.”

  She grinned at Vasco, who had made the comment. “Nothing gets past you.”

  The dessert arrived, and it was all Sorrel could do not to drool at the sight of it. Vasco grinned, took a forkful and held it to her lips.

  “Eat!” he commanded.

  “So bossy,” she muttered, but she swallowed the forkful of cake, closed her eyes and savored the sweet taste on her tongue, holding it there before slowly chewing and letting it slide down her throat. “Orgasmic! Better than sex.”

  The two guys laughed. “Honey, if that’s what you think, you’ve been doing it all wrong,” Ty said.

  “Or doing it with the wrong person,” Vasco added.

  “That, too.”

  “Don’t interrupt me while I’m salivating,” Sorrel said, still with her eyes closed.

  “Here you go, babe.”

  It was Ty this time who offered her a forkful of cake, and she was powerless to resist. She would definitely get back onto her eating plan tomorrow, she promised herself, but it would take more willpower than she would ever possess to resist this divine cake. She opened her eyes again and licked chocolate cream from her lips with the tip of her tongue. She noticed the guys share a look. It seemed liked they were in pain and she wondered what she’d done wrong. They were probably disgusted with her greed, she thought, blushing and hastily picking up her napkin to wipe her mouth.

  Before she knew it the plate was empty and, to her mortification, she suspected she was responsible for that situation. Once she got started, she couldn’t seem to stop, and she hadn’t noticed the guys eat any of it.

  “Better?” Vasco asked, grinning at her.

  “Now I really feel guilty.”

  “Then stick to sex, honey,” Ty said, winking at her. “Presumably that doesn’t make you feel guilty.”

  Perhaps not, but the thoughts running through her head at that precise moment sure as hell did. Not guilt, but regret. She regretted not having the physical attributes to make an impression upon either of them. Such thoughts didn’t normally creep up on her but, hey, she was only human.

  She eyed the two guys who had answered her cry for help, still figuring her overactive imagination was playing tricks on her, hating that she was wasting their time over nothing. Vasco was all of six two. He had thick dirty-blond hair that fell across his eyes whenever he moved his head. The compulsion to reach forward and push it aside was…well, compelling. His rugged features were so artistically angled, so complimentary of one another, there really ought to be a law against it. He had a day’s worth of stubble on his chin that only added to the draw she felt toward him. The compassion, the kindness, in his silver-gray eyes would make it easy to confide in him. His looks, his build, ought to make him self-centered, maybe even arrogant. Instead, he appeared to be a genuinely nice person. Go figure.

  Even so, she reminded herself to be on her guard. She was no longer the naïve little girl who saw nothing but kindness and good in the world. She knew people were lining up to exploit her, with her family at the head of the queue. Part of her wondered if that’s why these two were still here. They didn’t seem to think she had a problem worthy of their talents, so what did she have that they did want? She dismissed the idea as unworthy. She might no longer be naïve, but she hadn’t developed a cynical edge quite yet, had she?

  Ty was Vasco’s polar opposite in that his hair was shorter, darker, his eyes a deep chocolate brown. They were both muscle-bound hunks, disturbingly poised and yet at ease with themselves and the world in general. Unless anyone ticked them off. If that happened Sorrel guessed they would make intimidating adversaries. Hard, taut bodies flowing with masculine power, handsome faces, and lazy persuasive charm vied with an overall impression of raw power and sexual magnetism. Sorrel’s body woke up from its sex-free extravaganza and took a keen interest in her dinner companions, even though she wasn’t stupid enough to imagine her interest could ever be reciprocated.

  “Okay, so you don’t get on with your family, and I get the impression from listening to you on the phone that they resent you in some way.” Vasco fixed her with an intense gaze that made her feel naked, but in a good way. “Am I right?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “And your ex?” Ty added. “I’m guessing he’s the Jordi you mentioned. Where does he figure in your recent problems?”

  She sighed, knowing she would have to tell them, trust them, if they were to help her. “Okay, you might as well know that Dad left me well provided for. His family had money that he inherited and passed on to me.”

  “He didn’t include your brother and sister?” Ty asked.

  “They kept going to him before he died. He gave them a shedload of cash, all of which they blew on stupid schemes that didn’t pay. He also gave Mom a generous settlement when they divorced, way more than she deserved, but she’s gone through that already. He promised he’d make it up to me when he died, and he did.”

  “But your siblings and mother think that’s not fair.”

  Sorrel blew air through her lips. “That’s about the size of it. Maggie keeps banging on about her kids, saying how it isn’t right no provision was made for them, when she could have done something for them herself when Dad funded her last doomed enterprise. Now she wants to start a beauty parlor and
expects me to finance it.” Sorrel sighed. “Dad backed her previous effort, which tanked, and yet she still thinks she can make her mark as a businesswoman.”

  “A lot of people think that way, until they discover the realities,” Ty said.

  Sorrel sent him a curious glance, wondering if he was speaking from experience. “Anyway, don’t get me started on my mom. Her latest wheeze is to try and get us to go on a cruise together, presumably because it’s a good hunting ground for single males.” She grinned. “Short of jumping overboard, they have no escape. But honestly, guys, can you see me on a cruise ship?”

  “You couldn’t pay me to get on one of those floating gin palaces,” Vasco said, scowling.

  “Me neither. Mom and Maggie are tall and slim and attractive, and love being the center of attention. In other words, they’re all the things I’m not and never will be.”

  “Stop putting yourself down, sweetheart,” Ty said softly. “Do you hear Vasco and me complaining about being seen with you?”

  “You have no choice. You offered to help and I’m paying you.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh God, sorry! That came out all wrong. I am so not good at taking compliments. No practice, you see.”

  “We’ll have to do something about that,” Vasco said, his eyes burning with an unfathomable emotion that made her blush.

  “We’ve never had much in common before, Mom, Maggie and me, that is,” Sorrel continued hastily, hoping she wasn’t blushing quite as furiously as she thought she was. “But now they won’t leave me alone.” She closed her eyes for an expressive moment. “I know what they’re doing to me, and why, and I know I shouldn’t let it get to me. But, well, I’m not like them, and it does affect me. Now Maggie wants me to finance her kids’ trip to Disneyworld.”

  “If you’re even considering it, you ought to make them earn it,” Ty said. “Tell them if they come top of their respective classes for a whole semester you will reward them with the trip.”

  She sent Ty a beaming smile. “Thanks, I just might. Why didn’t I think of that? They’ll never do it.”

  “That’s what I figured.” Ty briefly touched her hand. “What about your brother?”

  “He’s the worst of the lot. He blew the fortune Dad gave him trying to run his own bar. Now my ex, who is a chef at Dynasty, has joined forces with him.”

  Both men seemed impressed. They probably dined there all the time.

  “A celebrity chef,” Ty said. “Never set foot in the place myself, but there’s always write-ups in the papers about it, celebrities behaving badly, stuff like that.”

  “Jordi was an assistant chef at another joint when we were together. He got headhunted and finished up at Dynasty.”

  “How long did you date?” Ty asked.

  “Two years too long.” She wrinkled her nose. “He changed when he finished up at Dynasty. You’re right. The celebrity status rubbed off on him, which is when he started criticizing me.”

  “Chefs in these fancy places get a lot of attention from women. Probably went to his head,” Vasco remarked.

  “Perhaps. Anyway, I hadn’t heard from him for ages, which was fine by me, but now he’s back on the scene because he wants something.”

  “You’re dating again?” Ty asked, scowling.

  “Hell no, he appeared on my doorstep today to tell me he’s decided to open his own restaurant. Pete is going to run the bar and Jordi seems to think he can waltz back into my life and I’ll back the scheme financially.” She shook her head. “Astonishing. But the worrying thing is that if Jordi and I had stayed together, I would still be the trusting, believing little soul I once was, and most likely would have gone along with him.”

  “People think having money is the cure for all evils,” Vasco said softly. “But often it causes more problems than it solves.”

  “Tell me about it.” Sorrel rolled her eyes. “I know I shouldn’t let my family make me feel bad, but they know all the right buttons to push and do it pretty damned well.”

  “They make you feel in the wrong for not supporting their ventures?” Vasco asked.

  “Right.”

  “And they’ve probably convinced themselves that’s the truth,” Ty said. “If they resent you so much then I’m guessing it’s definitely one of them selling off your ideas.”

  “You’re probably right.” Sorrel felt emotionally drained. “I think I’ve always known that but wasn’t ready to face the truth. I talk quite openly about what slogans I’m pitching for in front of them, and they know what channels I go through to get the pitches accepted. They could do it easily enough, but I’m not prepared to accuse any of them without definitive proof.”

  “Well, that’s easily arranged.” Vasco said.

  “How?”

  Vasco signaled for the check. “Come on. It’ll be easier to show you.”

  “Let me get this,” she said, reaching for her purse.

  “Nope. It’s on us.”

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “For the meal?” Ty raised a brow. “You only had a salad.”

  “Thanks for the meal and for not mentioning the death by chocolate.” She grinned. “But that’s not all I was thanking you for.”

  “Then what?” Vasco asked, in the process of handing over his credit card.

  “For not asking how much I inherited. It’s the first thing most people want to know.”

  “None of our damned business.” Vasco stood and helped her from her chair. Marley jumped up at his legs and Vasco laughed, bending to tickle his ears. “This little guy is keen to go.”

  “We’ll follow you back to your place.”

  Ty took her elbow and helped her down the front steps. She was perfectly capable of managing without his help but it was nice to be in the presence of a gentleman. Besides, the touch of his hand on her arm felt kind of good. Marley pulled them towards the parking lot, straining on the end of his leash. Vasco laughed and took the leash from her, extending his long legs to keep up with the dog’s antics. When they reached her car he lifted Marley onto the back seat and waited for her to fasten her seat belt before the two of them headed for a truck parked in the next row.

  Sorrel drove back, deep in thought. It had been damned hard to do any in-depth thinking when inundated by so much masculinity and being bombarded with bucket loads of mercurial charm. Her body had sprung enthusiastically to life, like a flower being watered after a long drought. She justified her reaction by reminding herself she would have had to be dead not to react to their animal vitality, or the manner in which they gave her their complete and absolute attention, apparently blind to the many women in the bar keen to attract their attention.

  They ran a gym, so she supposed they were used to scantily clad women parading themselves in front of them. They weren’t looking upon her as a woman, just a paying client. Presumably they threw in the charisma for free. Stop being such a cynic. Whoa, that made her sound like she was paying for sex, and she wasn’t quite that desperate yet. Her pussy might feel a little damp right now, her nipples had definitely hardened and were rubbing abrasively against the fabric of her bra as thoughts of having sex with either of them took root in her brain. Sensation was spiraling through her gut, pooling between her legs, no question about that. But that was her guilty secret. They’d laugh themselves silly if they knew. Geez, they must get that reaction all the time.

  She held on to the thought that she did need their help, and felt better already because they were willing to resolve a problem she was too cowardly to tackle head on.

  She wondered why they needed the money she would pay them if they owned a successful gym. Then again, they were acting in their capacity as Raoul’s agents. Presumably it was a military thing. She was well aware the military took care of their own.

  She quit overanalyzing as she turned onto her street. Things were the way they were. She had set the ball rolling, and would see the thing through to wherever it led, however uncomfortable she was with the outcome. They seemed to thin
k they had a quick fix for her problems. Damn, couldn’t they drag it out, just a little? They were pretty sure they would expose a member of her family as the culprit, and she had to agree. Sorrel wasn’t sure if she was ready to handle that right now, but knew she had little choice.

  She was through with being a doormat. It was time to make a stand.

  She pulled into the lot behind her apartment block, indicating to Ty, behind the wheel of their truck, to take one of the visitors’ spots. Long jean-clad legs spilled from both sides of the truck and they ambled over to join her.

  “Which is yours?” Vasco asked.

  “That one,” she replied, pointing to a first floor unit with its own small yard.

  “Hmm, easy enough to get in, being on the first floor.”

  Marley ran ahead as Sorrel fished her keys from her purse and opened the front door. She had switched her phone back on while in the car, and it had already rung twice, her brother and then Jordi. She ignored them both.

  “Come on in,” she said, sighing when it rang for a third time. Pete again.

  Vasco and Ty paused on the threshold to examine the lock.

  “No sign of forced entry,” Ty said.

  Sorrel wondered how they could know that. Marley ran into the main room, with its open kitchen to one side, and jumped up onto his favorite chair. The guys examined the space and Sorrel felt nervous as she watched their gazes roving slowly over everything, computing it all. She knew this apartment wasn’t anything much, and she could afford much better now. But she had lived here a long time and hadn’t even thought about upgrading. She had made it comfortable and homely. There was more than enough space for her, it was in a convenient part of town, and it was easy to keep clean. The furniture was good quality, but minimal, with bright throw cushions scattered about, scented candles ready to light when darkness fell, shelves full of books, and some decent pictures on the wall.