DISCOVERY (Esquire Black Duet Book 1) Page 8

  Something ugly slithers through me as I take the space in a second time. This bathroom was definitely designed with a woman in mind.

  It makes me wonder if Lucas bought it this way for a specific woman? There has to be a reason he’s the asshole that he is, they’re usually not born, but instead—created.

  I haven’t really been able to get much of a read on him so far. Other than the fact that he’s bossy and an asshole.

  I have a feeling there is much more beneath the hardened, playboy exterior of Mr. Lucas Black.

  Reluctantly, I turn the shower water off and reach for a fluffy white towel. Drying my body off, I’m unable to hold back the moan as the extremely soft towel runs over my skin.

  Yes, I could fall in love with him just for this bathroom alone.

  Combing my wet hair, I bring it into a high ponytail on top of my head. Quickly, I slip on my black bra and panties before I step into my black and white striped romper. I wrap the matching belt around my waist and tug on my gold sandals.

  I apply a light layer of makeup, not wanting to do too much, but feeling the need to make myself presentable.

  Mentally, I tick off a list of the few things I need to get done today like I do every Saturday, which includes the dreaded grocery store.

  I’m still feeling nervous about everything that happened last night, but I’ve decided that I can’t let this creep stop my life.

  I’m a strong woman, and there’s no way I can let a couple bouquets of flowers and one phone call totally stop me from living my life, no matter how scary it is.

  Slipping a gold bracelet on my wrist, I look at the words that are engraved there—she believed she could, so she did. It was a gift from Lillie last Christmas and I wear it as often as I can.

  Today, it brings a certain strength back that I felt I’d lost since that phone call.

  I’m strong.

  I believe.

  Therefore, I will be okay.

  Opening the bathroom door, I flip the light off before I find my way downstairs toward the smell of breakfast.

  The house is huge. Much bigger than I’d initially thought, only cementing the fact that I really just do not belong here.

  Last night, I didn’t pay attention to anything around me. I was in a complete fog.

  Now that I’ve rested and my mind is clearer, I’m taking in my surroundings—which make up Lucas’ massive home.

  The living room is large, and the furniture is black leather and extremely masculine.

  The dark chestnut flooring is a reoccurring theme throughout the entire home, and I like the look of it. Rich and yet comfortable.

  There isn’t a coffee table, or even end tables, but the sofa looks like a place you could spend a lazy Sunday afternoon reading, watching television, or just looking out at the extensive back yard. Though his house is minimally decorated, it’s still comfortable.

  I slowly walk toward the kitchen with one eye on the swimming pool. My community has a pool, but it’s not even half as nice as Lucas’. His looks like a natural oasis, with rocks built up around the back, plants, trees, and even a rock waterfall.

  I love to be near the water, bathing in the sun, and then dipping into the cool refreshing liquid. I could spend all day every day at the beach or by a pool, and Lucas’ would no doubt be fabulous, I can already tell.

  “If you didn’t bring your suit, we could always skinny dip,” his deep voice calls out, though there’s a lightness to his tone.

  Turning to face him, my cheeks tint pink at the thought of skinny dipping with him. He’s standing at the entrance to his kitchen, his hip resting against the arched opening.

  He’s no longer wearing just his black boxer briefs. He’s added black athletic shorts. They rest low on his hips, and he’s still shirtless.

  He has muscles that I didn’t see when he was hovering over the top of me. He’s built as hell, another tip on the completely out of my league scale.

  “Hungry?” he asks, breaking me out of my ogling.

  He’s got his smirk in place, and I want to roll my eyes as he turns and walks back into the kitchen, I don’t.

  I follow behind him, curious as to what he’s got cooking. It smells amazing, but I can’t quite place it.

  Walking into the kitchen, I look on the counter and tilt my head to the side when I see a plate of what looks like little cups on it.

  “Ham, egg, spinach, and cheese cups,” Lucas murmurs. Turning my head, I look up at him in sheer surprise. “Take it to the table, kitten.”

  My body jerks slightly, and I do exactly as he’s instructed—like my body can do nothing but follow his damn directions. I don’t understand it.

  Once I reach his table, I set the plate down and I turn around to find him standing behind me with a bowl of fruit. I reach out for it and place it on the table.

  Instead of him turning around to gather something else, he crowds me so that my ass presses against the edge of the table and his chest is against my own.

  Lucas’ hand wraps around my waist, and his lips gently brush mine. “Relax, beautiful,” he whispers.

  “I should go home,” I breathe. He straightens slightly but stays plastered against me.

  His eyebrows knit together as he barks, “Why in the fuck would you do that?”

  “I don’t want to impose, and I’m not sure what’s happening here, but I’m pretty sure nothing good could come from it,” I ramble.

  His body starts to shake, and he attempts, but fails, to hold in his laughter. My eyes narrow as he tries to control himself.

  “You aren’t going anywhere, Brooklyn. Not anytime soon, at least,” he mutters, his green eyes dancing—dancing in delight.

  I open my mouth to protest when the hand on my waist tugs me forward then slips down to cup my ass. He squeezes.

  “I liked what we did this morning, Brooklyn. A hell of a lot. I want to find out what else I’d like between us,” he murmurs.

  “You’re an asshole,” I blurt.

  His eyes widen and he grins. “Yeah, kitten, I know. But I’ve got you here, and I’m not just letting you waltz your gorgeous ass out of my house before I know what you taste like, what your pussy feels like wrapped around my cock, or what your lips feel like.”

  I’m completely shocked by his frankness. Holy shit. I open my mouth to speak, but he doesn’t allow it. His mouth touches mine, and his tongue fills me.

  I moan as he fucks me with his tongue. Lifting one of my hands to wrap around the back of his neck. Holding him to me when I should be pushing him away, I whimper against him.

  What could it hurt to allow a physical relationship with him? Nothing but my heart, if I allow him anywhere inside of me.

  Which, to be honest, with the nicknames he’s given me, and the way he makes me feel safe and desired, it could easily happen.

  Not to mention the way I feel when his mouth is on mine.

  This entire situation spells nothing but trouble. I only wish I was smart enough to push him away and run as fast as I can.

  “You’ll stay right here with me until it’s safe for you to return home,” he murmurs.

  I also bark out a harsh laugh. “I’ll stay here until tomorrow, then I have to return to my real life and job.”

  His eyes search mine and he nods. “Yeah, kitten,” he grunts. “Okay.” Though his words sound as if he’s just trying to appease me, and he doesn’t actually mean them.

  We sit down to breakfast and begin to eat. The ham and egg cups Lucas made are out of this world, amazing.

  It takes everything inside of me not to make moaning noises as I shove them into my mouth, along with the fresh fruit.

  Then the orange juice, it’s all wonderful. I’m making a complete pig of myself, I’m sure, but I can’t stop. It’s just that good.

  Lucas watches me from across the table as I finish off the juice, a smile tipping his lips. He jumps slightly when his cell rings. After pulling it from the pocket of his shorts, he frowns.

  “
I have to take this,” he says, standing to his feet.

  I nod, watching him as he walks away from me. I try not to be offended that he’s not taking it in front of me.

  It was probably personal, private, and no matter how I feel, I am not really part of his life, not like that.

  Deciding to clean up while he’s gone, I fill his dishwasher with the plates, silverware, and glasses once I’ve rinsed them all off. I then hand wash the bowls, knives, and muffin tin.

  I’m just finishing drying the last knife when he comes walking back into the kitchen, a frown still very much on his face.

  “I have to go, and I won’t be back until Sunday evening.”

  My eyes widen in initial shock of his proclamation before disappointment washes over me.

  “Oh, well, can you drop me off at my place on your way?” I murmur.

  I’m confused with not only his sudden need to leave but also his vagueness about where he’s going. I don’t have the right to ask, even though I really want to.

  Something has changed between breakfast and that phone call. It’s better this way, it really is. Lucas is dangerous for me. He’s too handsome, too powerful, too confident. I need someone more my speed, someone less enigmatic.

  He nods. “Yeah, I just—fucking shit timing,” he murmurs as he closes the distance between us. “We aren’t finished with any of this,” he states as his lips brush mine gently.

  I jerk my head in a short nod, not quite believing him. Lucas lifts his hand and cups my cheek, his thumb running along my bottom lip as his green eyes stare into mine. It’s unnerving and makes my belly do a flip.

  “You’ll call Detective Anderson if anything happens.”

  I nod in agreement, but he doesn’t move. It’s as though he’s frozen in his spot, just watching me. Then the softness in his eyes is gone and his hand drops from my face.

  Without speaking, he turns and walks toward his staircase. I watch him, shocked by his sudden change in demeanor.

  Lucas’ behavior doesn’t change at all once he’s dressed and comes down with my bag, along with a small bag of his own.

  He doesn’t say a word to me as he drives me back to my condo. He does help me to my front door and also does a check of my place again before he meets me at my entryway.

  “I’ll see you soon, Brooklyn,” he murmurs.

  His lips gently press against mine before he turns and jogs toward his fancy Ferrari.

  Trying not to, but failing, I watch his car speed off, wondering just what in the fuck happened over the course of yesterday to now.

  I’m not sure, but one thing is apparent. I need to stay the hell away from Lucas Black.

  Far, far away.

  Chapter Eight

  BROOKLYN

  It’s been ten days, ten, since I’ve seen or heard from Lucas. I should not be on edge as much as I am. His disappearing act should be a relief, not constantly on my mind. His promises were all, lies—empty.

  I thought I would be happy if he stopped contacting me, especially the way he just took off after our morning spent in bed. I thought this was what I wanted, but maybe I didn’t, maybe I wanted him to be different.

  The day he dropped me back at home, I’d checked my phone notifications and received an overly giddy message from Lillie.

  She’s met someone.

  She’s sleeping with her head chef, her instructor. She knows it’s wrong, but says that she doesn’t care, he’s worth every wrong moment.

  I understand her, more than she could ever realize. Being with Lucas, even the minimal amount that I was, it was wrong, but it felt so right.

  I’d hoped that Lucas would make an appearance later that night. That everything would end up being perfect between us so that I could call her like a giddy happy fool myself.

  None of that has happened, and I’ve been avoiding returning her call. Being a bitch, I sent her a text message in lieu of a call. I told her how excited I was for her, and that I couldn’t wait to hear all about it.

  The lie was typed out easily enough. However, I know if Lillie heard my voice, she’d know the truth, so I refused to call.

  Plus, if I talk to her, I’ll tell her about the phone calls and flowers, the police, and Lucas.

  As if I don’t feel foolish enough for thinking him safe, for beginning to have feelings for him, I don’t need anybody else to witness my patheticness. Seeing my own reflection in the mirror is enough.

  Shit.

  I don’t want her to worry about me here by myself. I also don’t want to hear what she thinks about Lucas—about his continued silence.

  I love Lillie, but when it comes to men and me, she’s overly optimistic.

  Like the time I dated the teacher’s aide for one of my classes. Lillie was convinced we would live happily ever after with sweet little babies to shortly follow.

  That wasn’t the case.

  He used me, considering he had a thing for students, and I wasn’t the only law student he was fucking. Definitely not baby daddy material. When he got what he wanted, he dropped me so fast, I didn’t know what was happening.

  There hasn’t been anybody else since discovering the teacher aide’s betrayal. He killed my self-confidence.

  Now that I’ve had ten days of radio silence to think about this thing with Lucas, I wonder if I just have a type of man that I attract—a manwhore asshole.

  Lucas certainly fits the bill to a T. He and the teacher’s aide could be brothers.

  My desk phone rings. I pick it up quickly, thankful that it takes me out of my own head.

  “You’re sexy when you do yoga,” the voice rasps.

  My hand moves before my brain has registered what’s happened, I slam the phone down, as though the person can actually touch me from the other side of the line. My heart starts to race, and I find it hard to breathe.

  Kay watches me from her side of the office, she begins to stand, but I wave her off as though I’m perfectly fine.

  With sweat beading on my forehead, I stand and hurry toward the restroom. I need to breathe.

  Once I’m inside, I grip the sink, my hands slipping on the slick porcelain as I lift my eyes to the mirror.

  I look just as freaked out as I feel. “Calm down, Brooklyn,” I whisper. “They’re just trying to scare you,” I continue.

  After splashing cold water on my face, I make my way back to my desk. I need to finish conducting my investigation on Curtis Dunning. He’s another thorn in my side.

  As if I don’t have enough happening in my life, I’ve been continuing investigating this case. It has been absolutely heartbreaking. I don’t understand why people bring children into this kind of dysfunction.

  My inbox sounds with an alert and I quickly open the email. I’ve just received a message from one of Curtis’ known associates. He agrees to meet me today at his office at eleven.

  I only have an hour before I need to conduct the interview, so I quickly go about gathering my notes and things. Attempting to calm myself in the process. My office phone rings again, and I take a deep breath before I pick it up.

  “Brooklyn Myers,” I say softly into the receiver.

  Even I can hear the fear in my voice.

  “Yes, Miss Myers, this is Sang Nguyen,” he says. His voice is soft and calming. My heart begins to slow, and the panic leaves my body, draining from me slowly.

  Clearing my throat, I speak. “Yes, thank you for returning my call, Mr. Nguyen. I was actually wondering if I could set up a meeting with you sometime this week, regarding your associate, Mr. Curtis Dunning?”

  The line stays silent for a moment, then two, and then three before Mr. Nguyen finally speaks. His voice changes, becoming almost harsh.

  “What’s this about?”

  “Oh, yes, sorry. I’m a child advocacy attorney for Ventura County, and I’m conducting interviews with known contacts for Mr. Dunning in a child custody case,” I explain, trying not to give away too much detail.

  He’s silent again, and then he
tells me that he’ll have time tomorrow for lunch if I’m available. I don’t want to go to lunch with him, but sometimes it’s necessary, especially with busy businessmen.

  I agree, and he tells me where and what time to meet him. I quickly scribble it down before I end the call and hurry to my meeting with another associate of Mr. Dunning’s.

  “Brooklyn, are you leaving?” Aaron calls out as my hand is wrapped around the handle of the door. I want to give him a smart assed reply, but I don’t.

  “Oh, I have a meeting with a contact for the Dunning case,” I explain as I turn around and flash him a fake smile.

  Aaron frowns slightly. “I wanted to catch up with you about that case over lunch,” he pauses before he breaks out in a huge smile. “But no bother, you can catch me up during dinner.”

  I open my mouth to decline, but he doesn’t give me an opportunity. “I’ll meet you at Café Zack around seven. I’ll make reservations,” he announces before he turns and walks away.

  Without focusing on his retreating form, I pull the door open and continue on my way out of the office.

  With a frown, I hurry toward my car. I’m going to be late, and I don’t want to think about my creepy as shit boss.

  As if I didn’t feel shitty enough in general, now I have to deal with Aaron tonight. This day, this month, keeps getting worse.

  I already know that he’ll try something on me. Last time he took me out to dinner he grabbed my ass, then tried to blame it on imbibing too much.

  Heading toward my first witness interview, I let out a sigh. This case might just be the hardest one I’ve been involved in, investigation-wise. Maybe it’s the added pressure of the weird calls, and flowers, and Lucas.

  Fucking Lucas.

  Once I arrive for the interview, I park, turn off my engine, and take a deep breath. I have to be one hundred percent professional.

  I have to get to the bottom of Mr. Curtis Dunning and what exactly he’s into.

  Gambling occasionally doesn’t make you an unfit parent. So far, he’s much more capable of providing a stable environment than his soon-to-be ex-wife.