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“No clue,” I answered, kind of pleased that Reed had talked about me, but worried about the context in which he’d mentioned me.

  The woman came back out front. “He’ll be finished in about ten minutes. Want to wait in his office?”

  “That would be great. Thanks.”

  “Yup,” she answered, taking us down a long hallway. She opened one of the doors. “Want anything? Coffee? Water?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Suit yourself.” She closed the door most of the way and left me and Garrett there.

  “Wow,” he said, turning around to take in all of the artwork on the walls. “Colorful guy.”

  “I think he’s pretty talented.” I sat down in one of the chairs clustered around a coffee table, picking up a photo book of tattoos Reed had done.

  “Yeah, I’d say he’s pretty talented. I like his choice of model,” Garrett said, leafing through a sketchbook that had been on the corner of the desk. He held the book up, and I could see a sketch of a partly clothed woman who looked exactly like me.

  “Nice manners. You should ask before you start going through people’s private papers.” Reed’s deep voice startled me as he walked into the room and took the book from Garrett’s hand. He closed it and looked Garrett up and down. “You are?”

  I stood up. “Reed, this is…”

  He cut me off with a raised hand. “I didn’t ask you, Tatum.”

  “I’m Garrett.” He held out his hand. “Tatum’s gay roommate.”

  Reed studied him for nearly a full minute before he took his hand. He laughed. “Well, Garrett, I’m surprised to say it’s nice to meet you. I kinda feel like an idiot.”

  Garrett laughed. “No problem, man. I’ve seen some of your work, and it’s nice to put a face with the ink. You worked on a friend of mine a few months ago.”

  “Who’s your friend?”

  “Brandon Tulley. You remember him?”

  Reed snorted. “Yeah. I don’t do that many rainbow unicorns. Hey, when you see Brandon, remind him he promised me Cirque du Soleil tickets.”

  “Good luck with that, man. He promises those things to everyone. Never delivers.”

  Reed reached out and shook Garrett’s hand again. “Again, nice to meet you. You mind giving me and Tatum a few minutes?”

  “Absolutely, man. Nice to meet you, too. From what Tatum says, you’re a good guy. I look forward to getting to know you.” Garrett closed the door behind him as he left.

  “Reed, I couldn’t tell you. It wasn’t my secret to tell.” I felt this flood of words threatening to spill out, all of the explanations I’d been wanting to make in the days that Reed wouldn’t return my calls.

  He stopped me with a kiss.

  When he finally pulled away, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. My head was spinning, my knees were weak, and I thought about fucking him right there in the office.

  “Tatum, I’ve been an idiot. I’m sorry I didn’t return your calls or texts.”

  “No, it was my fault. I should have just explained and trusted you to keep Garrett’s secret.”

  “I wish I had longer, but I really do need to get back to my client. Will you have dinner with me and explain why the hell he doesn’t just come out, and can we talk about when we can pick up where we left off at my house?”

  I laughed at the torrent of words. “Yes. Absolutely.”

  He kissed me again, taking my hand as he led me back out into the hallway. “I hate to rush you out, but the quicker I wrap up for the day, the sooner I get to see you.”

  “I understand. I’m just glad I didn’t have to throw a temper tantrum to get you to see me.”

  He shook his head, laughing. “Oh, I don’t think Marla would have tolerated a tantrum. She can be a hardass when she needs to be.”

  I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him one more time. “I can’t wait to see you.”

  I collected Garrett from the waiting area, thanked Marla, and we hit the road.

  “So you have a call scheduled with the firm you interviewed with?”

  “Yup,” I beamed, mood buoyed by the fact that I’d made up with Reed. “I’m hoping it’s an offer, but I guess it could be a third round of interviews.”

  “I hope it’s an offer, too. You spent all weekend moping around the house, and I’m tired of it.”

  “Moping’s over, baby. I’m having dinner with Reed tonight.”

  “Where’s he taking you?”

  “No idea. I don’t even care where we eat. I just hope he takes me back to his place again.”

  “Slut.”

  “Fag.”

  ***

  By the time Reed pulled up to the curb, I’d worked myself up into quite a frenzy of excitement. His flirtatious texts throughout the day had made me horny as hell, and the fact that the senior partners at the law firm wanted to meet with me on Thursday to make me an offer had me on cloud nine.

  “Nobu?” Garrett had asked when I’d told him where we were going. “In Caesar’s?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “Boy has some bucks. That’s a very good sign.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize it was expensive. It’s been so long since I’ve had a meal out on the town here.”

  “You should know better, having grown up here. Everything’s expensive, at least on the Strip. Nobu’s gorgeous, though.”

  “Is what I’m wearing okay, or do I need to dress up more?”

  “Shut up. You look gorgeous, and you know it. You’re perfect.”

  I’d really gone all out. I’d curled my hair and pinned it up into a sexy, low, messy sidebun. Smoky eye makeup, mile-high stilettos, perfectly faded jeans, and a fitted, one-shoulder top completed the look. I looked about as sexed-up as I could manage. I hoped Reed liked it.

  I wanted to run out and meet him, but I forced myself to wait until he knocked on the door.

  “Wow,” he said when I opened it. “Goddamn, you look good.”

  I pulled him inside, threw my arms around him, and kissed him, thrilled to feel his arms around my waist.

  He pulled away. “Tatum. Either we leave now for dinner, or you have no shot. You look good enough to eat, but you probably need some real food. You’re not getting any sleep tonight, by the way.”

  “Food first, then. Your place afterwards?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He drove faster than he had before, as if he were in a hurry to eat. He tossed the valet the keys when we arrived at Caesar’s, and we went right inside. Nobu was a zoo. A surprisingly calm maître d’ managed an irate older gentleman who was loudly complaining about having waited for nearly an hour for a table, and I looked at Reed.

  “Did you make a reservation?”

  “Marla took care of it. Her sister’s the sommelier here, and she promised Marla she’d find us a perfect table.”

  “Wonder if we swiped his.” I nodded to the angry man.

  “He’s being an asshole. He doesn’t deserve it. You, on the other hand, do.”

  Reed squeezed my hand and let go as he made his way to the maître d’. A large group of women were seated near the entrance, and I watched as every single one of them checked out my date. He didn’t even seem to notice. He was probably used to it.

  After talking to the maître d’ for a moment, Reed looked up and waved me over. “All set.”

  I ignored the dirty looks from the group of women and the exasperated sigh of the man who would probably still be waiting for his table when we finished our dinner. The restaurant was simply stunning. Large, unusual light fixtures brightened the high ceilings, and dance music that somehow managed to be tasteful added a funky, hip vibe. The man led us to a table near the center of the room, which ordinarily wouldn’t have been my pick, but it was clearly one of the best spots in the place. The round table was surrounded by funky, freeform dark bamboo screens. It was the perfect amount of privacy in a see-and-be-seen sort of place.

  Reed tipped the man as I took my seat. “Here okay?” he asked, a smirk on his face
, given that we had the best table in a jam-packed restaurant.

  “It’ll do,” I answered.

  As we perused the menu, I could hardly believe I was out on a date with Reed Randolph—finally! I’d already slept with him, sure, but I’d dreamed about sitting down to dinner with him—just the two of us—for practically my whole life.

  “You look like you’re somewhere else, Tatum. You okay?”

  I smiled at him across the table. “I’m better than okay. And I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be right now.” I paused. “Except maybe someplace with fewer people and less clothes.”

  “Patience, young lady. We’ll get there soon enough.”

  We ordered and devoured some of the best sushi I’d ever eaten, and I got to meet Marla’s sister. When she walked away after having poured us each a glass of wine on the house, I looked over at Reed.

  “So has Marla worked for you very long? Seems like the two of you must be pretty close if you know her sister, too.” I swear I wasn’t jealous.

  “She lived in one of the apartment complexes Mom and I lived in when I was in middle school.”

  “I didn’t know her, though.”

  “No. She went to Catholic school, not that you’d know it to look at her now.”

  “No, tattooed cleavage wouldn’t really have matched the uniform, I suppose.” I thought for a second. “Did you do any of her work?”

  “Of course. She’s one of my favorite people in the world.”

  “Did you do her boobs?”

  A smile slowly appeared on Reed’s face. “Are you jealous, Tatum?”

  “Of course not. I was just curious.”

  “Hm. Well, the answer’s yes. I finished her chest about a year ago. And just so you know, her husband was in the room when I did it.”

  “I told you I’m not jealous,” I protested, secretly relieved.

  “Her husband’s my best friend,” Reed said. “And he and Marla are expecting their first kid in June.”

  I felt even more relieved. “That’s exciting. I can’t imagine being a parent yet. I plan to wait until I’m thirty or so. I’m nowhere near ready to be a mother, and I want to get my career started properly before I even think about it.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know if I want kids at all.”

  I was surprised. “Really?”

  “Yeah. I just don’t know if I’m cut out to be a father. I mean my own father didn’t even want me. What makes me think I’d be any different?”

  “We never got to finish our conversation about your father, did we?”

  “No, if I remember correctly, you attacked me. I got a little distracted.”

  “So, have you contacted him?”

  He hesitated. “No.”

  I could tell that he was genuinely troubled by the situation. “Are you going to?”

  “I think so. It’s complicated, though.”

  “Complicated how?”

  “Well, for one thing, he’s in London. For another, it’s gonna piss my mom off if I start a relationship with him.”

  “London? How’d you find that out?”

  Reed looked uncomfortable. “Just a little Google research. Turns out his wife’s a Brit, and they live there with their son part of the time.”

  “So you could just email him and introduce yourself, right?”

  “Well, that’s part of the complicated part. I can’t find a personal email address for him. It looks like everything goes through his office there.”

  “His office? What does he do?”

  “Look, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to do this by email. I want to look him in the eye when he explains why he didn’t want anything to do with me. I can’t exactly explain why, but I want to talk to him face to face.”

  “I guess that makes sense. So you’re going to go to London?”

  “I am. I thought about it over the weekend, and I’ve actually already bought a ticket. I leave on Wednesday morning.”

  I was stunned. “Wednesday? As in the day after tomorrow?”

  “No reason to wait. I moved my important appointments, and I want to do it before I leave for Tahoe. I feel like this situation is kinda like a weight around my neck. I want to handle it. I’ve let it go too long already, and I … I don’t know. I just feel like it’s something I have to do.”

  “Wow. When you make up your mind, you just go for it, don’t you?”

  He looked at me—his eyes slowly traveling over my body. “I do. And I’ve made up my mind about you, too, Tatum. I’m going for it, and I hope you’re okay with that.”

  I polished off my saketini. “I’m more than okay with that. What do you say we get the hell out of here?”

  “Gorgeous and brilliant. That’s a lethal combination in a woman, Tatum.”

  The rumble of his deep voice, low and sexy so that only I could hear him, made me want him even more.

  He paid the check, kissed Marla’s sister on the cheek, gave an irreverent thumbs-up to the irate man who was just then being seated at the lousiest table in the place, and took me home.

  “Drink?” he asked as we walked through the door.

  “No,” I said, turning to face him. “Just you.”

  He didn’t say another word. He pulled me toward him and bent to kiss me, hard and passionate, right from the start. His hands were everywhere, as if he couldn’t get enough, and I slid my hands beneath the sleeves of his shirt, feeling the ripples of his arms, aching to see and feel and explore all of him. This time would be different. No vodka dulling my senses, no guilt over a one-night stand. It was just the two of us and the whole night.

  I tugged his shirt to untuck it from his jeans, pulling it over his head in a single motion. I traced the lines of the tattoos on his chest, and I walked around behind him to kiss the lines across his broad shoulders.

  “Tatum, your turn,” he said, turning to face me and pulling my stretchy black shirt over my head, tossing it onto the sofa.

  I’d carefully selected my underwear for the evening, and I could tell by the expression on Reed’s face that he appreciated the effort.

  “My God, you’re gorgeous.” He put his arms around me and picked me up. I wrapped my legs around him and he carried me into the bedroom, just as we’d started to do a few days before.

  I knew this evening would be much more satisfying.

  10 -- Reed

  I put Tatum down next to the bed, and I turned on the light on the nightstand. “I want to see you while I make love to you.”

  The light on her skin was golden perfection. The black bra she wore was just the barest whisper of lace and sheer mesh. I could see her hard nipples through the fabric, and I couldn’t wait to have handfuls—and mouthfuls—of her.

  “Where do you want me?” she asked, eyes wide, as if she were innocent and had no idea of what I planned to do with her and to her.

  “Anywhere you want, baby.”

  She turned around and bent over to pull back the covers, and I couldn’t help but reach for her perfect ass, all curves and toned muscle. I pressed my hips into her ass, knowing that she’d feel my hard-on. She bent down further, rested her hands on the bed, and turned to look at me, her sexy pose nearly driving me to distraction.

  I reached around and unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, sliding them down to expose her ass, completely bare, with just a thin string of black lacy thong visible. “That is the most perfect ass I’ve ever seen. I want to bite it,” I said, savoring the sound of Tatum’s laughter.

  “Didn’t you get enough to eat at dinner?”

  “Nowhere near. You’re dessert, and baby, I have a sweet tooth.”

  She dissolved into laughter. “That has to be the cheesiest thing anyone’s ever said to me, Reed.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh with her, as I realized she was right. “So, less talk?”

  She turned to face me, stepped out of her jeans, and reached out to unbutton mine. “More action.” Being careful to unzip my jeans slowly, she reached inside and wrapped h
er hand around my cock, rendering me speechless, anyway.

  My jeans fell to the floor next to hers, and I leaned into her, pressing her back toward the bed. She lay back, stretching her arms out to the sides, giving me the perfect view of her dressed in nothing but her bra and thong. As much as I wanted to take things slow, I wasn’t sure I could wait much longer to be inside her.

  I ran my hands over her legs, starting at her ankles and stopping to trace the edges of her underwear. I could hear her breathing speed up as I pushed her thong aside to look at her—all pink, glistening perfection.

  “You’re wet,” I observed, sliding one finger inside her, watching her face as she closed her eyes and enjoyed my touch. I removed my finger. “Take off your bra,” I said, settling on the bed next to her, watching my own private show.

  She sat up, reached behind her, and unhooked it, slipping out of the lingerie and tossing it aside. She covered her breasts with her hands, as if she were shy—something I definitely knew wasn’t the case.

  I leaned down and kissed her until she wound her arms around my neck and pulled me down closer. I bent and moved my mouth to her tits, licking, sucking, and biting until she writhed on the bed.

  “Reed, goddamn, I want you. I want you inside me.”

  I couldn’t wait much longer. I pulled her underwear off and slid two fingers inside her soaking wet pussy. Sucking on her nipples, fingering her, I could feel my hard-on pressing into her thigh. I stood up, grabbing a condom from the nightstand and rolling it on. While I stood at the edge of the bed, she spread her legs even wider, giving me a full view while she rubbed her clit with one finger, her other hand squeezing one nipple.

  “Tatum, I’m going to make love to you later, but right now, I need to fuck you.”

  She smiled and nodded and lifted her hips off the bed, putting her pussy practically in my face. “Fuck me, Reed. Fuck me hard and make me come.”

  I reached down for her hand. “Come here.” I pulled her to her feet. “Turn around and bend over.”

  She leaned forward and kissed me before she did what I told her, taking hold of my cock and rubbing it, careful to leave the condom where it was. I filled both hands with her tits while she stroked me until I couldn’t take it any more.