Page 94 of Indecent Obsession
“How was your work today?” Dante asks again.
“Good. I managed to finish at least one client before having to shift focus to another.” Breathing in the grass, I smile. I love being in the parks in the city. It doesn’t quite smell the same as the country or the ocean, but it’s reminiscent of them. The sun is warm on my skin.
“Everything else going well? Do we need to go back to your townhouse to grab something for Saturday’s event?”
Yeah, I’m trying not to think about that night. All the eyes watching me, waiting for me to trip up. “I’ll just go to the store and get something new.”
“You and Drew?” He cocks his eyebrow. I release my breath. Might as well ask.
“You and… who’s your date, Dante?” I shade my eyes so I can look up at him.
He grimaces and that makes me feel significantly better. “Nancy Anderson.”
“Nancy?” I do some mental gymnastics to figure out who this woman is. But then I step back. “Anderson? As in Anderson Financial Group, Anderson?”
Dante nods. “My uncle wanted to get in good with their family. Why not pimp out his sister’s son to do it?”
My eyes widen. “Dante…”
“It’s not a big deal, pip.” He brings Peabody back toward us with the leash. “It’s how things are done. You want to get in good with a family, you do something for them. Nancy is a sweet, shy woman, but she doesn’t get invited out to things like this. I’ll take her out, show her a good time, and bring her home safe and sound. Meanwhile, my uncle brokers a multimillion-dollar contract with her father.”
I reach down and pick up Peabody. I know how this goes. How many times was I taken out by someone who wanted an in with Tom or my father’s business? It’s hard to know what someone actually wants from you in our social circles.
“I’m sure you’ll make sure she has fun.” I give him a smile.
We walk back toward the apartment building. It’s still crazy busy with black cars pausing to let people out or pick up new riders. We wait at the stoplight. And when it turns, I go to step forward.
“I’ll do my duty.” Dante puts his hand on my arm to stop me. A black car passes in front of us even though we have the walk signal. My gaze follows it as it doesn’t even slow down. “But I’m also going to make sure you’re safe.”
“I’ll have Drew.” I swallow. And only Drew until later. I can’t wait for later. If anyone can make that fantasy happen, it’s Drew.
“Do you trust him?” Dante guides me across the street with his hand on the small of my back.
“Shouldn’t I?” I shrug. “I trust him enough to sleep with him. He may not tell me everything, but we’re still getting to know each other. I’m still a little more guarded around him than with you guys, who basically know my whole life story already. But that’s who we are. We have to be careful, cautious.”
Dante opens the door, and before I know it, we’re back in the elevator. But this time, people get on with us. I sigh. My alone in the elevator with Dante fantasy never would have worked with Peabody here, but some other time. I kiss Peabody’s head and he turns to lick my chin.
I giggle. It’s amazing to me that, for now, I’m in a good place. We have the names of the companies Tom was working for to look into. Maybe Tom just overinflated whatever was happening.
Maybe I wasn’t in any real danger.
But then who tossed our rooms? Fuck. The guy in black smoking a cigarette I could easily write off, but not the breaking in and destruction of only Tom’s and my bedrooms. I lean into Dante’s side and he puts his arm around my shoulder.
The other people on the elevator don’t even notice as they step off at their floor and never look back at us.
“You okay?” Dante tips my chin up. His light blue eyes search mine.
“Yeah, just thinking about Tom.” I hate that he’s become this thing that makes me sad to think about. Tom is a lot of things, but he’s not a Debbie Downer. He’s the life of the party. The catalyst for adventures. My big brother.
Dante squeezes my shoulder. “Tom’s good at this part. We’ve never been able to find him when he hides.”
That’s true. He always loved to jump out at me from whatever hiding spot he found. But no one ever found him. And the few times he’s taken off in the past, we never did figure out where he went.
“What do you want for dinner?” Dante asks as we step off the elevator onto our floor… their floor.
Fuck it. This is where I’m living right now. It’s my apartment and my bedroom. Tom made sure of it, so he can come back and live in my bedroom.
“Are we ordering in or cooking?” I drag my hand across his abs as he holds the door open for me. Peabody wiggles in my arms. I squat to put him down and unhook the leash. When I stand, Dante grabs my hips and pulls me back against him.
