Exposed (6 page)

“He’s good.” But it was an image of Dominic that drifted through Tamia’s mind. Four days later, she still couldn’t believe the way their encounter had ended. He’d let her go without laying a finger on her. She didn’t know what to make of his
odd behavior. Didn’t know whether to be relieved or more apprehensive than ever.

What kind of game is he playing?
She’d speculated a thousand times since that night. But the answer eluded her.

“Has he made partner yet?” Fiona asked, breaking into Tamia’s thoughts.

It took a moment for her to remember who they were dis-cussing.“Not yet. But he’s working on it.”

Fiona smiled broadly.“I can’t wait to meet Brandon. You’ve told me so much about him, I feel like I already know him.”

“I’m sure.” Guilt gnawed at Tamia’s conscience. She’d never told Brandon that her sister was incarcerated. Even if he’d accepted the truth without passing judgment, she knew his parents never would. So she’d told him that Fiona was away at college. Fiona’s release from prison at the end of May coincided perfectly with the time most college students returned home for summer break.

Fiona gave her a knowing look.“Are you any closer to getting some bling on your finger?”

“I sure hope so.” Tamia hesitated.“But Brandon and I have been going out for seven months, and he
still
hasn’t mentioned introducing me to his parents.”

“So what? That doesn’t mean anything.”

Tamia frowned. “I might have agreed with you if he and his parents weren’t so close. But they are. He confides in them and really values their opinion. If he’s reluctant to let me meet them, there must be a reason.”

“Maybe he just wants to take his time to make sure you’re the one,” Fiona suggested.“Nothing wrong with that.”

Tamia sighed. “You’re right. I need to stop worrying so much.”

“It’s understandable. Brandon sounds like a good catch. You want to stake your claim before anyone else does.”

“Damn straight.”

The two sisters traded conspiratorial grins.

Tamia enjoyed being able to confide in Fiona. Their mother’s untimely death had brought them even closer together, forging a bond between them that could withstand any adversity. Tamia knew she could trust Fiona with her deepest secrets. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to talk about Dominic and the scandalous pact she’d made with him.

Some secrets were too shameful to share.

That evening, Tamia and Brandon shared a cozy table for two at Vic and Anthony’s. The upscale steak house was luxuriously appointed with exotic woods, polished stone, and crystal chandeliers built into the high ceilings. The walls were adorned with old black-and-white photos that documented the history of downtown Houston, and Sinatra crooned softly in the background.

Basking in the romantic ambience, Tamia reached across the table and laced her fingers through Brandon’s.“I’m so glad you didn’t have to go out of town this weekend,” she said.

“Me, too.” He smiled, gently rubbing his thumb across her knuckle.“Although it wouldn’t have hurt to get some personal face time with one of the partners, I’d much rather spend an evening with you than stodgy old Peter.”

Tamia smiled with pleasure. It was the closest he’d ever come to telling her that she meant more to him than his precious partnership, and she seized it with both hands. “You know what we should do?”

“Besides order dessert?” Brandon teased, reaching for the small menu.

Tamia chuckled.“Yes, besides that. We should go on a trip together. Someplace romantic and tropical.”

“Mmm, that’d be nice.”

“We could go somewhere in the Caribbean,”Tamia suggested, encouraged by his response. “Maybe August or September?”

Brandon made a face. “That might be too soon. The Quasar Diagnostics trial starts in June and might go well into the fall. So I’d rather not make any vacation plans that I’d end up having to cancel. Besides, with both of us trying to land promotions, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to disappear from our jobs for an extended period of time.”

“What about a weekend getaway?”Tamia proposed, not to be deterred. “Just imagine us spending a couple of days at a cozy bed-and-breakfast. We could have romantic candlelight dinners, take walks along the beach. Make love by a crackling fire.”

Brandon grinned, a suggestive gleam filling his eyes.“Now
that
definitely sounds doable.”

Tamia gave him a sultry smile. “You know what else is doable? Me.”

Brandon’s grin widened, and he set aside the dessert menu. “I think I’ll just ask for the check.”

She laughed.“You do that. We’ll have each other for des—”

“Miss Luke?” interrupted a deep, accented voice.

Tamia whipped her head around. When she saw who stood at her table, the blood drained from her head.

“It’s good to see you again,” Dominic said with a warm, relaxed smile. The suave businessman was back, this time decked out in a charcoal Armani suit that made him look like a million bucks.

“Mr. Archer,” Tamia croaked, breaking out into a cold sweat.“What a … nice surprise.”

“It certainly is.” His eyes gleamed. “My companion and I were just leaving when I happened to glance over and see you. I thought I’d stop by your table and say hello.”

“Of course.” Tamia forced a smile as she turned to Brandon
, who was eyeing Dominic curiously. “Baby, this is Dominic Archer, one of my newest clients. Mr. Archer, this is my boyfriend, Brandon Chambers.”

As the two men exchanged handshakes and friendly greetings, Tamia did everything in her power not to faint on the spot.

“Chambers,” Dominic repeated, pretending to mull over the name as he considered Brandon.“Any relation to our lieutenant governor and the bigwig federal judge?”

“They’re my parents,” Brandon admitted sheepishly.

“Your parents?” Dominic whistled, low and long. “Wow, man. You’re practically royalty.”

Brandon flashed a wry grin.“No pressure, right?”

Dominic laughed sympathetically.

The filet mignon Tamia had consumed over dinner curdled in her stomach. She plastered on a fake smile.“Well, it was nice seeing you, Mr. Archer. But I don’t want to keep your companion wait—”

“What kind of work do you do?”Brandon interrupted her to ask Dominic.

“I’m about to open my own restaurant,” Dominic replied. “Miss Luke’s going to help me create a memorable advertising campaign.”

Brandon nodded approvingly. “You’re in good hands. Tamia’s the absolute best at what she does.”

“I’m not surprised to hear that.” Dominic met and held Tamia’s gaze. “Although we’ve only just begun working together, I can already tell she’s a pro.”

Tamia’s face flamed at the veiled innuendo. Her heart was pounding so hard she had trouble breathing.

Brandon gave her a quizzical look.“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly.

“Are you sure? Your face looks kinda flushed.”

She swallowed hard.“I, uh,
do
feel a bit queasy.” More like
a lot
queasy! “Maybe I shouldn’t have ordered my filet mignon
medium-rare. Or maybe I had one too many glasses of Bordeaux.”

“Isn’t it sad how too much of a good thing can be bad for you?” Dominic lamented.

Tamia didn’t respond.

Mercifully, the waiter appeared at that moment to ask if they were interested in dessert. Brandon declined, requesting the check instead.

“Well, I won’t hold you two up any longer,” Dominic said. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Brandon.”

“Likewise. Good luck with your restaurant.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate that.” Dominic smiled, tipping his head to Tamia.“I’ll be in touch, Miss Luke.”

“Great,” she said brightly.

After he’d sauntered away, Brandon remarked, “He seems like a cool brotha. I’m trying to place his accent. I know it’s not from Trinidad or Jamaica.”

“St. Croix,” Tamia supplied weakly.

“St. Croix? I wouldn’t have guessed that.” Brandon smiled, pulling out his platinum card. “Maybe
that’s
where we should go on our vacation later this year. It’s one of the few Caribbean islands I haven’t visited, and you can ask dude to give us the scoop on the best hotels, restaurants, et cetera.”

“Sure,” Tamia agreed with a distracted nod. She was so out of it that it didn’t even register that Brandon was making long-term plans with her.“I need to use the ladies’ room before we leave.” She excused herself, abruptly rising from the table.

Just as she reached the hallway that led to the restrooms, someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her into a dark, narrow corner. Although she was startled, she didn’t make a sound. Somehow she’d known that he would be waiting for her.

“Did you enjoy your romantic dinner?” Dominic whispered in her ear.

She nodded jerkily, shivering from the heat of his body pressed against her backside.

“Good. Consider the date over.”

Dread swept through her.“W-what do you mean?”

“Loverboy had his turn. Now it’s mine.”

“Tonight?”

“Tonight.”

“But I have plans with Brandon!” she protested, panicking. “I’m supposed to go back to his place. He might get suspicious if I suddenly change my mind.”

“Then I guess you’d better make your excuse sound damn convincing.” Dominic rolled his hips, grinding the hard bulge of his dick against her butt. She hated the way her nipples tightened and her pussy throbbed in response.

“I can’t, Dominic,” she whispered pleadingly.“Not tonight.”

“Then you must want me to walk back to your table and tell Brandon the truth about everything,” Dominic threatened in a low voice.

“No!”

“I didn’t think so.” He suckled her earlobe while his hand stroked her ass. “One hour, Tamia. You have one hour to say good night to Loverboy and get your fine self over to my place. Don’t keep me waiting.”

And then he was gone, disappearing as stealthily as he’d materialized.

Tamia
hated
lying to Brandon. Hated having to bail on him for the second time in less than a week. But she had no other choice. If Dominic was bold enough to approach her while she was dining with her boyfriend, there was no doubt in her mind now that he’d make good on his threat to expose her secret.

When she returned to the table, Brandon was conversing with the waiter, whose roommate had apparently run into trouble with the law. As Brandon graciously dispensed legal advice, Tamia fidgeted in her chair, nursed the dregs of wine in her glass, and nervously checked her watch.

By the time she and Brandon finally left the restaurant, twenty minutes had passed. On the ride to his Uptown condo, she complained about not feeling well and speculated whether she really
did
have food poisoning. Brandon was so concerned that he offered to drive her to the emergency room—an idea she quickly shot down, telling him she’d rather just go home and crawl into bed.

After what seemed an eternity they reached his building, where she’d parked her car earlier so they could ride to the restaurant together. She gave Brandon a quick kiss on the lips,
apologized profusely for ruining their evening, then hopped into her Accord and took off.

She arrived at Dominic’s penthouse with only five minutes to spare.

This time he met her at the front door and pulled her inside. Without a word he grabbed her face between his hands and crushed his mouth to hers. His lips were soft and warm, and so damn juicy she had to suck them. His hands slid down her back and palmed her butt cheeks, holding her tightly against his thick erection. She moaned and gyrated her hips, trying to press even closer to him.

He reached under her silk sheath dress, grasped the waistband of her panties, and ripped them off her legs. She cried out as he fingered her clit, then plunged into her hungry pussy. Her thighs shook uncontrollably as he stroked her, working his fingers in and out of her dripping wetness. Her knees were about to buckle when suddenly he hoisted her off the floor and set her down firmly on the console table. Her strappy high heels dangled off her feet.

He pushed her legs apart, spreading them wide as he knelt between them. And then his mouth was on her, hot and wet, devouring her pussy like it was coated with honey and myrrh. She screamed with pleasure and he groaned, the first sound he’d made since she arrived.

Like a man possessed, he feasted on her, sucking the swollen folds of her sex … licking her clit and pulling it between his teeth … dipping his tongue into her hot, fleshy canal. Her juices flowed like rain and he swallowed every last drop.

Panting, moaning, she threw back her head and closed her eyes, shaking from the top of her head down to her curling toes. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be enjoying this, had sworn on her mother’s grave that she wouldn’t. But she couldn’t help herself, couldn’t control the primal lust that had over-
taken her body, enslaving her. No man had ever eaten her out this way, and she’d been with bona fide porn stars. Brandon gave excellent head, but what Dominic was doing to her could quickly become an addiction.

When his lapping tongue went from her pussy to her asshole, her hips bucked off the table and her legs locked around his head. Seconds later she came with a hoarse scream.

Gasping, trembling, her eyes locked onto Dominic’s for several stunned moments. His lips glistened from her nectar and he licked them slowly, savoring her taste.

“Mmmm.” His voice was a husky rumble in his throat as he glided to his feet.“Damn, just as I always thought. Your pussy
is
sublime.”

Tamia couldn’t even speak. She felt like a dope fiend coming off a high and already craving another. Dominic lifted her from the table and set her down on the floor. When her knees wobbled, he caught her around the waist, steadying her.

His mouth twitched.“You good?”

She nodded, then watched as he knelt and slid her panties back on for her, as if she were a helpless child. As his hands ran up her legs, the heat of his skin penetrated her silk thigh-high stockings and made her shiver.

After straightening her dress, he stood again.“I’ll call down to the valet and have your car brought around for you.”