Their Twisted Love (The Twisted Mosaic - Book 2) (21 page)

"Great. Talia loved the mushroom Alfredo, and the
chicken Marsala I ordered was pretty good too."

"That's not what I meant."

I sat on the edge of her desk. "Then ask the right
question. Remember what I taught you."

"Are you two back together?"

"Make it an open-ended question, not yes or no."

She huffed and drummed her fingers on the polished oak.
"If you answered yes or no, I could ask a follow-up."

"Good plan. Okay, yes, we're back together. Next question?"

"So tell me all about it!"

And have the details of our hot reunion spread all over
the office?
"Overruled."

"You're such a...." She scowled. "Please tell
me all about it?"

"What do you want to know? Ask me that."

"Are you happy?"

I wanted to chide her for asking another yes or no question,
but she looked as if she'd tear my eyes out with those pretty pink nails if I
stalled again. "Yes. I'm happy."

"Yay!" Her cell phone buzzed and she picked it up.
"Excuse me." She read the message and smiled as she typed a reply.
"Sorry. You're happy. She's happy too?"

I grinned. "She's as giddy as schoolgirl reading a love
note from her crush."

She slapped my hand. "You troublemaker."

"It's what I do." I'd debauched that woman in all
sorts of ways. She'd loved it, demanded more of it. "And she said... she
said I was worth it... worthy? My brain was still doing cartwheels at the time."

My all-knowing assistant grinned. "Do you need more
proof?"

"Proof?"

"That you deserve to be happy?"

That verdict was still in deliberation, and my opposing vote
kept the jury hanging. "Hell yeah, after all the shit I put her through, I
earned a life sentence making it up to her. Maybe I should spend more time on
my knees."

"Nothing wrong with that." She blushed and
pretended to get busy typing.

The door behind me opened and Talia scurried in. "Sorry
I'm late. My alarm didn't go off."

I nodded toward my smug assistant. "She knows."

Talia blushed and clutched her laptop case to her chest.
"Oh, then...."

"Don't worry." Claire put her finger to her lips.
"I know how to keep a secret."

"Okay. I should get to work."

I followed Talia into the conference room and closed the
door. "Hi."

She smiled as I slipped my arms around her. "Hey."
Her lips touched mine and I squeezed her until she gasped for breath.

"Thank you for last night... and this morning." I
nuzzled her neck.

"Yeah, I enjoyed it too."

I captured her mouth again, letting her breathe this time,
but owning her tongue.

She tried to pull me down on the table. "Got time for a
quickie?"

"I have to be in court in..." I looked at my
watch. "Oh shit, ten minutes, but I'll be done by noon. Do you want to go
to lunch with me?"

"Hmm... I'll have to check with my boss." She
smiled as her hand slid below my belt.

"He says yes." I intended to give her a quick
little peck, but it turned into a lingering mating of lips that melted my
heart. "Gotta go."

I darted out the door, grabbed my briefcase and nearly
skipped to the elevator. Some idiot hassled me for humming, but instead of
ripping him a new one, I belted out the lyrics playing in my head. He looked at
me like I was the idiot.
Probably am, but damn it—I'm happy. And no one is
going to fuck with that.

For the first time in my life, I wanted to spoil someone
other than me.

"Damn it! Still no answer." I shut down my laptop
and stuffed it into its case. I'd spent the whole day following up a promising
lead, but now there was nothing to do but wait for someone to reply to my email
inquiries.

I checked my cell phone and found a text message from Wes
Abernathy, the Chicago D.A. He had another case for me. I typed that I'd be
back next week, but hesitated before hitting the send button.
When I finish
Alex's job, I'll have to go home, right?
I decided not to worry about that
just yet and sent the message.

Alex's text with Jay's number popped up. I'd planned on
calling him last night, but Alex had kept me completely distracted.

Claire had gone home a few minutes ago, and Alex had someone
in his office, so I closed the conference room door and called Jay.

He answered after the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hi Jay, this is Talia... Alex's girlfriend."
Oh
that sounded weird.

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm good, thanks."
Damn, how do I offer to pay
a man for sleeping with me?
"Alex told me we never paid you for... the
last time."

"You two are still speaking to each other? I never
thought that would last."

"What?"

"You're completely selfish and manipulative. I'd have
walked out on you for good."

He had. But he'd come back.
Why?
I choked back the
bile in my throat. "Well, I feel bad for not paying you so...."

"Keep your money."

"At least let me apologize for...."
The ugly
scene, not letting him finish
. The whole problem had been my fault.
Shit.
"My behavior the other night. I never should've lied to you... and
Alex." I made a mental note to tell him that, too.

He sighed. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have ripped
into you like that. You don't deserve it."

"I don't?"

"No. There's some shit going on in my life right now,
and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"I understand. Thanks for.... I gotta go." I hung
up and tossed my phone in my purse.
Selfish? Manipulative? Who the hell does
he think he is to judge me?
The events of that evening flashed back to me
in a dizzying blur. Alex had walked out on me—and not for the first time.
Probably not the last time.

Why did he come back? Why does he want a self-centered,
conniving woman like me?
A tear splashed on the table, and I wiped my eyes
as the door popped open.

"I'm done for the day." Alex walked in.
"Let's pick up some Chinese on the way home."

I turned my back to him and sniffled. "Okay."

"Hey." He touched my shoulder and turned me
around. Fear filled his eyes as more tears streamed down my cheeks.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" He pulled me close, and I wiped my face
on his shirt, smearing mascara all over the clean white cotton.

"Am I selfish and self-centered?"

"Hell yeah."

I slugged his shoulder. "Then why are you with
me?"

"Because no one else could handle you."

"I'm going to hit you again."

He laughed and wrapped his big warm hands around my fist.
"I love a challenge, babe, and when I'm with you, there's never a dull
moment. You're not perfect, but neither am I."

"But I never consider your feelings."  Or Will's.
Oh
my God.
I'd treated Will the same way, but he'd always stood by me. Not
one, but two men refused to give up on me. "What have I done to deserve
your...?"
Love?
Couldn't be. Will maybe, but not Alex.

He shrugged. "It's not what you do, it's who you
are."

"Who am I?"

"My friend."

That's the last thing I expected to hear.

"We've been through a lot together, and when shit gets
real, I know I can count on you to wallow around in it with me."

Does Will feel the same?
"I definitely know how
to wallow in shit."

"So we're perfect for each other... in our own twisted
way."

I wanted to tell him I loved him, but the words caught in my
throat so I hugged him hard, mashing my heart against his and hoping he'd get
the message.

He grunted, gasping for breath. When I let him loose, he
smiled and curled his finger under my chin. "I'll always be with you, you
know that, right?"

I nodded and wiped tears from my cheeks. "Stop being so
nice to me."

"Okay." He grabbed my ponytail and yanked my head
back, forcing me to stare into his evil blue eyes.

Fear rippled down my spine, chased by an urgent need to
surrender to his wicked intentions. "Much better."

"Let's go get dinner, bitch. I'm hungry."

***

The rich, nutty scent of sesame flooded Alex's truck.
Cartons of Chow-Mein noodles and fortune cookies bounced on the floor between
my feet as we drove home.

He reached for my hand and nibbled my fingers. "Do you
still want to play submissive tonight?"

"I'd like to. How do you feel about it?"
How do
you feel about it?
Such a simple question, but in asking, I'd let him know
this wasn't all about me.

"I feel... like we need a nasty romp." He winked
at me. "Do you still want to use red as a safeword?"

"Yeah, that works." I gathered our food as he
pulled into his driveway and turned off the truck.

We walked into the dining room and unloaded our dinner. "How
far are we going to take this... experiment? Should I call you Master or
something?"

A big cocky grin twisted his lips and his eyes practically
glowed. "Yes."

I picked up a set of chopsticks and waved them in his face.
"No way in hell."

"Why not?"

"I am slave to no one." I jammed the chopsticks
into the rice.

He moved closer and pulled me against his body. "You're
not a slave. Is that how you feel?"

"No, but... the whole point of trying this is for you
to provide me with boundaries so I can push them. You keep me safe when I want
to be wild." I quivered against him. "That's kinda hot. Maybe I
should call you Master."

"See? I know what's best for you." He kissed me
and pulled a chair out.

I sat down and dug in to the Chow-Mein. "What are you
going to call me?"

"You don't like slave. Baby?"

"No, too common."

He dumped the rice on his plate. "Baby girl? Too
childish. Girl?"

"Woman?"

Alex shook his head. "Woman is too strong. You're in
the submissive position. Pet?"

"Mmm... no. Slut?"

"But I always call you slut."

"And I love it. I can play that role with one hand tied
behind my back... or my ankles tied behind my head."

A slow grin spread across his face. "What should we try
tonight?"

"I liked the punishment and reward we flirted with this
morning. Maybe a variation on that idea."

He chased a clump of rice around his place with the
chopsticks. "So I'll make up a rule and you have to obey it or face the
consequences. What do you think?"

"Mmm... that's got potential." I laughed, but a
bitter memory soured my mood. "I think I need rules... no, I never obey.
Maybe if I'd had a punishment to avoid, I wouldn't have lied to you and
Jay."

He nodded. "All right, the rule for tonight is this, I
can have whatever I want, but you have to ask my permission for
everything." Alex laid his chopsticks on the table and picked up his beer.

"When we get to bed?"

"Starting now. You need to obey me without
question."

"Why?"

"That's a question."

"I know." I giggled and reached for an open
carton, but he moved it away from me.

"If you want more Mandarin Chicken, you need to ask me
for it."

"May I have more chicken, Master?"

"Very good, slut." He handed me the carton.

"All right, I agree. What are the consequences for
breaking it?"

"Would you like a spanking?"

"Yes, I would. You're just daring me to break that
rule."

Alex laughed. "Good point. Hm... if you forget to ask
permission, you get a swat on the ass, but if you deliberately defy me, I'll
take away something you want."

"Can you be more specific?"

"Not yet. I'll let the circumstances dictate your
punishment."

I wanted to argue the unfairness of that, but not knowing
what he might do if I disobeyed held a certain amount of appeal. A wild thrill
shot from my nipples to my clit at the thought of breaking his rule and facing
the consequences. "Should we get the rope?"

He grinned and leaned toward me, stroking my leg under the
table. "I can control you without a rope."

My breath caught as his fingers slipped under my skirt.
"That's right. Mind-fucking me is your favorite kink."

His eyes glittered like black diamonds, mysterious and
tempting. "Exactly."

I leaned close to him, but when he pulled back, I remembered
my place. "May I kiss you, Master?"

"Yes, you may."

I tugged on his shirt.
Is that too bold a move?
I
pressed my hand flat on his chest and touched my lips to his.

"Don't hold back."

"I'm sorry. I don't know how to be obedient."

"That's why I like you." He caressed my hair and
captured my mouth.

I slipped my tongue between his parted lips. He wrapped his
arms around me and held me close, returning my kiss as he pushed our dinner
aside and hoisted me up on the table. My legs parted and he stepped between
them, rubbing his erection against my damp panties as he lowered me to the hard
surface.
Oh hell, if this is how I'm supposed to behave, I can definitely...
misbehave.

Our bodies disconnected as he stood up and grabbed his empty
plate. "Let's do the dishes and have dessert."

"Screw the dishes. Let's have dessert now."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oops."

"Hike up your skirt, slut. Bend over."

I did as I was told and braced my hands on the table.

Alex pulled my lace panties down to my ankles, stroking my
legs as he did so. When he got to my bare bottom I clenched, waiting for a
stinging slap, but instead, he caressed my ass. The tension melted as my skin
warmed, and I didn't realize he'd pulled his hand back until a hot tingle
bounced off my butt.

"Oh!"

"Oh, what?" He breathed on my neck as his hand
circled and soothed my skin.