Original Match [Ménage.com 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (5 page)

Ian was impressed with how she totally bypassed answering either one of them, although Gray had not really posed it as a question. He found that he didn’t like to see her that uncomfortable, so he decided to switch to business. Once they had that taken care of, Ian would find a way to convince her to have dinner with them. It would be then that he and Grayson could concentrate on more personal matters.

The minute he started to ask her questions on how she viewed the site in her head, her body relaxed and she finally rested her hands on the table in front of her. Ian was good at his job and made the process as smooth as he could. They spent the next two hours discussing the best way to navigate the type of site that could cater to three people. He found that she was very intelligent, as well as beautiful, and by the time noon rolled around, her sense of humor had shone through numerous times. She even had Gray chuckling at some comments some of her readers had left on her site.

At one point, Gray had Shea laughing when he mentioned how Lucy had brought him coffee with sugar and cream, when he had specifically told her not to leave the front desk. On top of that, he drank his coffee black. Gray went on to explain that their original administrator had taken a leave of absence to help her ailing father, and that the place hadn’t been the same without her. The three other programmers on their payroll had threatened to quit if Beth didn’t come back soon. Shea even managed to share a secret smile with Ian, which made him realize that she knew he was the one to set up the entire coffee fiasco.

Unfortunately, no matter what he or Grayson said, Shea wouldn’t budge on having dinner with them. She had informed them she had a ninety-mile drive ahead of her and she wanted to make sure she was out of the city before the evening traffic became too congested to navigate. The more he and Grayson pushed, her anxiety seemed to recover, and the last thing he wanted was to scare her away. She immediately had sat back in her chair, her fingers twisting her ring. Knowing that he had her information and that they would be speaking frequently about the program, Ian gave a look over at Gray to indicate they needed to back off.

Not one to miss an opportunity though, Ian offered to walk her to her car. He managed to get the suggestion in before Gray, who was now shooting daggers at him as he made his way out of the office. He placed his hand on her lower spine where he liked how it curved in. He’d love to kiss her there to see if she had any sweet spots that made her writhe underneath his mouth. Making sure Shea didn’t see, Ian lifted his left hand in the air, making sure his middle finger was in plain sight for Gray to see as they walked out of the door. He loved to be able to one-up his brother.

“Were you able to park in the garage? I know that sometimes it fills up rather quickly, especially with what time our appointment was scheduled for.” They had arrived at the elevator, and Ian pressed the down button, all the while keeping his focus on Shea. The more he got to know her, the more intrigued he became. He had yet to lose his hard-on. Simply her scent seemed to keep him in a semi-aroused state.

“Yes, although I had to park on the top level,” Shea answered. Ian knew what she was going to say before she said it and made sure he was prepared to cut off any arguments. “The elevator is far enough. Please don’t feel you have to walk me to my car. I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

The doors slid open, and Ian gestured with his hand for her to precede him. As she stepped into the elevator, he was glad to see that no one else was inside. Stepping in behind her, Ian turned and pressed the button for the first floor.

“I wouldn’t be the gentlemen my mother raised if I didn’t see you to your car. And trust me, the last thing I need is my mother ringing the office and Lucy telling her you left without a proper escort. She’d be here in five seconds flat, the palm of her hand connecting with the back of my head.”

Shea laughed as he intended, erasing some of the nervousness she seemed to have around him. She had a lovely laugh, and he found he wanted to say something else that would tickle her funny bone. Although, what he really wanted to know was if she was interested in the lifestyle personally. She had never fessed up the answer that he and Gray so desperately wanted.

Gray was right in a way—for her to be so descriptive in her books, she had to have personal experience, right? Her words captured exactly what it was like to physically be in a three-way relationship. As for the emotional aspect, every emotion she was bringing out in him was right on par with the beginnings of her stories.

“Do your parents live in the city?” Shea asked. Ian looked down to find her twirling her ring.

“My mother, yes. She’s very much the debutant. She loves art and music, fine dining, and the theatre. But trust me, she ruled us with an iron fist. Our father passed away of a heart attack around two years ago. Are you close with your parents?”

“Yes,” Shea answered. “Right now, they are touring Europe like they always dreamed they would when my father retired. They check in once a week and are not due back for a few months. I’m sorry to hear about your father.”

“We miss him every day, as does my mother. Although, lately, she has had a string of suitors a mile long and seems to be enjoying herself. It’s nice to see her so happy. Do your parents know what you write?”

The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival on the first floor. Ian waited until she stepped off first and then followed behind her. They maneuvered around the oncoming people who had been waiting for them to exit, and then made their way across the tile to where the revolving doors were located.

“Yes. They are very supportive, although my father declines to read them. My mother, on the other hand, likes to edit them before we send our stories off to our publisher.”

They both stepped inside the quarter area of the revolving door, and Ian used the opportunity to breathe in her scent. It took him a minute to place it, but by the time they were on the sidewalk, Ian made the connection to lilacs. He wondered if she smelled like that everywhere, and while his mind drifted, he almost ran into a courier who was rushing toward them.

“You never did answer our question back at the office. Are you in the lifestyle?”

Shea seemed to have hurried her step as they walked into the parking garage. She reached the button for the elevator before he did, pressing it quite a few times. It seemed that when she realized it wasn’t going to open quickly, she resigned herself to the conversation.

“No, I’m not.” Shea looked up and seemed content to watch the numbers light up. Her hands resumed the position, giving her easy access to that ring. It made him wonder what her soft fingers would feel like on his cock. “I do my research…online.”

Ian didn’t know quite what to say to that. Few people had ever left him speechless, but this was one of those times. The elevator doors slid open, and Shea walked in, turning immediately and punching the button for the roof. She kept her stare straight ahead while Ian walked inside and stood beside her. Her answer could be taken a couple different ways, and he needed some time to think about it.

Did that mean she was against being involved with two men? Or did that mean she hadn’t met two men she would be interested in yet and she had to resort to researching sexual acts on the Internet?

The elevator brought them to her parking level faster than he would have liked. Since she was parked on the upper level, the sun shone down, warming the pavement. It was still rather chilly as spring had not truly sprung, but the sun did make the fifty-five-degree day seem slightly warmer. Ian let her lead, since he wasn’t sure where her vehicle was located. He didn’t want to let the conversation end like that.

“Your stories certainly portray as if you had personal experience. You are a very talented writer.”

“Thank you,” Shea murmured, looking for her keys in her purse. He figured it was a better way for her not to have to look at him.

Ian’s cell phone rang at the same time that Shea let out a horrified gasp. He looked over at her, wanting to know what caused her reaction, and saw that she had lost all color in her face. Turning his head to see what she was staring at, he saw a white compact car sitting in a parking place against the inside railing. In red, splotchy lettering, two words were written across the entire passenger side.

YOU’RE MINE

“Oh my God. Who would do this?”

Shea heard Ian’s phone ringing, but it wasn’t as loud as the rushing noise in her ears. Her body felt like it was in shock, having gone from drooling over two men to feeling violated by a stranger. Who would do something like this? She tried to bring her thoughts into focus, as they had scattered the minute she had seen her car. She tried to relax her fingers around her keys, but couldn’t seem to manage that. They were digging into her hard enough that pain was starting to slowly register.

Think about this, she told herself, think! Maybe someone had made a mistake and whoever it was had vandalized the wrong car. Or it could be a horrible practical joke by some thug who got off on scaring people.

“Shea, we need to get you back to the office and then call the police. Do you know who might have done this?”

She felt Ian’s hand grab her upper arm, stopping her from getting any closer to her vehicle. It was a foreign feeling, but the strength of his fingers gave her a sense of security. She really didn’t know him though, and this was definitely not his problem. She always dealt with issues by herself, and that wasn’t likely to change. Pulling away, Shea shook her head in answer to his question.

“I think it’s a mistake,” Shea said, desperately wanting to believe what she just said. “Whoever did this mistook my car for someone else’s.”

She finally tore her gaze away from the chilling sight in front of her and looked at Ian. His brown eyes were full of worry and anger, and he reached inside the front of his jeans pocket, pulling out his phone. Hitting one button and placing the phone to his ear, she noticed that he kept looking around the area. A chill went down her spine as she figured out he thought the person responsible might still be lurking around.

She, too, started to scan the area. They were the only two people on this level that she could tell. Shea also started to scan the other vehicles, seeing if someone was sitting inside of them. They seemed empty to her, but all of a sudden, her skin prickled as if someone was staring at them. She used her hands to rub her arms through her jacket.

“Look around here, Shea. Your car is the only white one up here. There was no mistake, and if you think we are letting you drive home today, think again. Gray—it’s me. We have a problem,” Ian said, directing his words to his phone. “Call Brad and tell him to meet us at the office as soon as he can.”

“It could just be a horrible joke,” Shea suggested, trying to make herself believe it. “Maybe there are other cars on the other levels that have the same thing done to them.”

“Her car was vandalized.” Ian pulled the bottom of his phone under his chin to address her. “The police will look into it. We have a friend on the force, and I trust him. Until then, you can stay with us.”

“Stay with you?” Shea was shaking her head, although he didn’t pay any attention to her as he went on to describe what was written on her car to Gray and to say that they were back on their way to the office. “I will speak with the police, but I really think this was a mistake. Once a report is filed, I’m heading home.”

“I agree with you, Gray. We’ll figure it out when we get back and speak with Brad. See you in a few.”

“Maybe we should wait here for the police,” Shea offered, watching Ian put his phone back into his pocket. Taking a quick peek over at the car, her stomach did a somersault. “That is paint, right?”

“I’m relatively sure it’s red paint, but I’m not comfortable with you out here in the open.” Taking her arm again, Ian tried to get her to turn back toward the elevator. “Have you ever dealt with a stalker before?”

“Stalker?” Shea almost shouted. This couldn’t be happening. The thought had crossed her mind, but for only a brief moment. Having Ian say it so bluntly stole the breath right out of her. She wasn’t the type to hyperventilate, but there was always a first time. She hoped her voice hadn’t squeaked too much, but really, a stalker? Now that sounded like a plot from one of their books.

“Right now, it’s safer for us to assume that by what is written across your car, someone thinks you are theirs. That isn’t the type of secret admirer a girl usually hopes for.”

Shea couldn’t help but glance one more time at the words, cringing at the vivid meaning behind them. What if Ian was right, and because of what she wrote, she’d attracted a stalker? She had never considered herself to be a shrinking violet, and wasn’t about to be one now. Shea straightened her spine and felt a twinge of anger start to settle in her bones. She could deal with anger, but not fear. Shea was a strong woman and could stand on her own two feet. And if Ian and Gray thought that she wasn’t going back to her life after meeting with the police, they had another think coming.

* * * *

Gray was pacing his office in order to refrain from running out of the building to where Shea’s vehicle was parked. He knew she was safe with Ian, but the thought that someone would vandalize her car with threatening words made him want to wrap her in his arms and protect her himself. Having already placed the call to Brad, Gray waited for Ian to bring Shea back into the safety of the building.