Lies in Love (7 page)

“What
are you doing here?” Camey bit off the end of each word. “We’re
not paying you anymore so you can just leave.”

“I’m
not here for more money.” Landon looked toward the top of the
stairs, but Talia had already disappeared somewhere in the balcony.

“What
are you here for? Do you have another job lined up?” Camey
seethed.

Landon
couldn’t look at Camey. If he was being honest with himself, he
wasn’t even sure why he was there. “I just wanted to see
her one more time.”

Camey
placed herself in Landon’s line of vision and spat, “Oh
no, hell no. I’m not allowing you to go anywhere near her. Do
you know how bad things have gotten since she met you? I didn’t
think it was possible but you actually made things worse.”

“Why
are you so certain it’s because of me?”

“Who
else could have caused it? She wasn’t this bitter before you
entered the picture.”

“Have
you considered the thought that maybe she became privy to your little
scheme and
that
is what has her on edge?” He hoped it wasn’t the case,
but he couldn’t accept the fact that her worsening mood was due
to him.

“Seriously?”
Camey threw her hands in the air and walked away, joining her friends
on the dance floor.

Landon
ordered another beer and a vodka martini for Talia and took them to
the balcony above in search of her. He found her at the same table,
giving the same defiant look, sitting alone. Her focus was mostly on
the dance floor below, but when he was only a table away she turned
her face up at him with a sneer that bordered on a smile.

“Hi.”
Landon immediately chided himself. He was hoping for something
wittier than a simple hi.

“What
are you doing here?”

He
couldn’t get a read on her. On one hand, she had the eternally
pissed-off look plastered on her face, but on the other, he could
swear there was a twinkle in her eye that he didn’t notice
before. Was it possible that she was actually glad to see him? “I
heard this is the best place in town for a good drink.”

Talia
immediately rolled her eyes. “You really are a glutton for
punishment, aren’t you?”

Landon
was relieved to see a smile form on her face. It was more beautiful
than he’d
imagined.

“Well,
are you going to sit down?”

“Is
that an invitation?”

“The
closest thing to an invitation you’ll get out of me. Besides, I
figured you’d just sit down anyway.”

Landon
chuckled and took the seat across from her. “Very good point.”
He set the martini he’d been carrying in front of her. “For
you.”

“Thanks.”
She didn’t sound angry, but Landon wasn’t quite sure she
was pleased.

“How
was your week, Petal?”

“Again
with the name?” Talia sipped at her drink while staring into
his eyes.

“I
don’t know, it seems like it suits you. Besides, you never gave
me your real name.” Landon held his beer in his hand,
occasionally taking a swig during their conversation.

“And
I don’t plan to.” Talia finished her martini and pushed
away from the table. “Thanks for the drink, but I think I’ll
be joining my friends now.”

Landon
turned in his chair and watched her walk away. He was staggered.
What
am I supposed to do now?
He
looked down to the dance floor below and saw Talia’s friends
gyrating with lascivious men gathered around. Moments later they were
joined by Talia, and the shock showed on all of their faces.
“Screw it.” He downed the rest of his beer and stomped
down the stairs, shoving past countless sweaty bodies until he was
one of the many men gathered around Talia’s crew.

She
danced fluidly with her friends, sometimes turning in circles. When
Landon was right next to her, she turned to see him and promptly
moved to the other side of the group, attempting to evade him. In his
suave way, he easily moved around the floor, first dancing with Camey
then slowly placing himself at Talia’s back. He moved closer
and placed a hand on her hip, planning to move against her, but she
slapped his hand away and ran out of the club.

Camey
spun on Landon as Talia ran out. “What the hell, man?”

Landon
held up his hands in defeat. “Just let me try to make it
better.” Camey’s lips flattened as he tried pleading with
his eyes. He knew it wasn’t worth attempting to discuss among
all the noise.

“Go.”

When
Camey turned back to her friends, Landon took off after Talia. He
didn’t know what he would say, but his intentions weren’t
to scare her away. He needed to make things right with her, if only
for his conscience’s sake.

When
he raced out of the club, the cold air stung his cheeks. He looked up
the sidewalk for Talia, but didn’t see her. When he looked the
other direction, he found a group of shady men lighting up and Talia
accepting a cigarette from the shortest in the group. He marched to
her and slapped the cigarette from her hand.

“What
the fuck?” Talia scowled at him and walked away from the men in
the opposite direction of the club.

Landon
followed her, but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t let
her continue to walk in this direction alone. She was downtown after
hours and all sorts of unsavory people were known to linger about.

At
the next corner, Talia turned and Landon followed, completely taken
by surprise that she was now heading in the direction of his
apartment building. “Where are you going?”

“Leave
me alone.” She kept walking on, gradually picking up speed.

“Are
you crazy? I’m not leaving you alone out here. Do you know what
kind of weirdos lurk in alleys and dark corners at this time of
night?”

“Yeah,
ones named Landon. Now leave me alone.”

“No.
I’m not going to leave you alone just so that I can see your
dead body on the morning news tomorrow. As long as you insist on
walking these streets, I’m going to stay right behind you and
make sure you’re safe.”

“Damn
it.” Talia stopped, leaning against the nearby ecru brick, the
brick of Landon’s apartment building. She clasped her hands
behind her neck and asked, “What do you want from me?”

Landon
stood frozen, briefly staring up at his bedroom window and rubbing
his hand over the stubble on his chin. He couldn’t tell her
what he really wanted: to simply get her under him and get her out of
his system. She had no idea who he was so he would have to go about
this a little more delicately. Finally putting thoughts in motion, he
answered, “A date.”

Talia
hooted, “A date? You’re kidding, right?”

“Not
at all. I would like a date with you,” he smiled, “tomorrow
night.”

“No.”
She stepped away from the wall and began pacing. “No way.”

“It’s
either that, or I keep ruining every Friday evening for you.”
Knowing it was habit for Talia and her friends to go to
Satin
on Fridays was to his advantage.

“Who
says I can’t stop going to
Satin
?
You can’t blackmail me into going on a date with you.”

“Wouldn’t
your friends wonder why they couldn’t go back to the club they
seem to love so much? Would you really spoil their fun just to avoid
one person?” Landon was playing dirty, but he had to pull out
all the stops.

“Ugh.
I can’t believe this,” she muttered to herself and Landon
had to stifle a chuckle before he stopped her from what he knew came
next. “If I agree to
one
date will you leave me alone?”

A
smirk of victory pooled across his face. “If you never want to
see me again, I’ll leave you alone.”

Chewing
her lip, Talia looked up into his eyes. “One date. Tomorrow
night.” She paused to watch a small throaty
sports car drive by. “At Sergio’s on the east side. Do
you know where that is?”

Landon
nodded, his shit eating grin nearly cracking his face. “Yeah.
Eight o’clock okay?”

“Fine.”
Talia began walking back toward the club, not waiting for Landon to
follow.

“Thank
you,” he spoke softly, sweetly. Now that he had her in
submission he couldn’t be cocky and push her away. They walked
in silence back to the club where Camey, Sara, and Reina were waiting
on the curb. “Looks like you’re safe. I guess I’ll
head home.”

“That’s
it?”

He
smiled. “For now.” He kissed her cheek and, lingering
close to her, said, “See you tomorrow, Petal.”

Sirens
blared on the busy Dallas streets below Landon’s bedroom
window. Even four floors up, he could hear the hustle and bustle of
the morning traffic below. He had been lying in bed for almost an
hour just staring at the ceiling recalling his walk with Talia. What
evil fate had her stopping at his front door? It was like destiny was
playing a sick joke on him. If she’d known he was an escort,
Landon wasn’t sure he would have hesitated to drag her up to
his apartment and take advantage of a very coincidental situation. He
had never shared
his
bed with a woman, nor fantasized about a woman
in
his bed, but his mind was captive there now. The things he longed to
do to her body; to kiss every inch of those delectable legs, to taste
that sweet little sassy mouth of hers, to bury himself deep inside of
her and just get lost; the way he was lost now. Brent was right.
Taking this job was a very bad idea. He was consumed by her, likely
because she didn’t succumb to his charm or fall at his feet.
She had no idea of the things he could do to her. It was the only
reasonable explanation he could come up with for his fascination.

He
threw his arm over his eyes, remembering that he would see her again
tonight and on a date, no less. He hadn’t been on a date since
high school. He had no idea how a real date played out anymore. His
usual “date” paid
him
,
not
him
fronting money to take her out. He wasn’t even sure she would
talk to him. She still hadn’t told him her name, not that it
mattered. He knew who she was. He knew more about her than she would
most likely find reasonable. Calling her Petal, though, that was a
ballsy move. He hadn’t heard that name since his childhood when
his grandfather used it as a term of endearment for his grandmother.
He wasn’t even sure why
that
was the
name her called her. He just knew that somehow it fit. He considered
getting out of bed when Brent came pounding on the door.

“Get
up, man. You’ve got a call.”

Landon
pulled on his lounge pants and plodded to the living room, running
his hand through his hair as he went. He grabbed the cordless phone
from the kitchen bar and answered, “Hello?”

“Where
you been, kid? You didn’t check in after your last job. I was
beginning to think maybe you’d run off with her” A
full-body laugh rang over the line.

Quincy,
shit.
Landon
imagined Quincy reclining in his dinner jacket, checking in on all of
his escorts. He was nearing fifty and out of the game for some time
now, serving as more of a father figure to Landon than anyone since
his father checked out. He owed a lot to Quincy for inviting him into
his company. “Hey, man. I’m sorry. I’ve been
working through some personal shit.” Like the fact that he
wasn’t sure he could go through another job like the one with
Lady Vanna.

“I
get it man. I just worry. It’s not like you to not check in.”

“I
know, man, I’m sorry.” Landon cleared his throat,
building up courage to ask for something he never thought he’d
want. “Quincy, I was wondering if I could take a few days. I
need some time to think, to clear my head.”

Quincy’s
gravelly voice was gentler than usual. “Sure, Landon. You know
if you need anything, you call me.”

“I
will, Quincy. Thanks.” Landon hung up the phone and started
back to his room when Brent stopped him.

“What’d
Quincy want?” His tone was judgmental.

“The
usual. Just checking up on me. Wanted to know why I hadn’t
checked in.” Landon took another step toward his bedroom when
Brent’s gruff voice stopped him again.

“You’ve
been thinking about that girl, haven’t you? I told you not to
go on that date.” Brent rounded the couch and approached
Landon. “She turned you down, didn’t she? She turned you
down and now you can’t get her out of your head. You won’t
until you fuck her. And then what?”

“You
don’t know what you’re talking about. I just needed a few
personal days.” Landon didn’t want to even look at Brent,
always the critical one. He had an answer for everything and right
now it was just too much.

“I
know how this works, man. There’s a reason we do things the way
we do. You aren’t supposed to get attached. No emotion,
remember?”

No
emotion. Is that really how they were expecting to live? Was Lady
Vanna right? Brent may have been slightly shorter, but Landon could
feel him standing over him at the moment trying to play the
all-knowing friend. He’d had enough of his over-protective
brother act. He could take care of himself. “Look, I’m
fine. I’m just taking a few days. Now get out of my face.”

“Whatever,
man. Don’t come crying to me when she’s got your balls in
a vice grip and you’re dying to get out.”

Landon
knew he wouldn’t win. His only resolution was to walk away,
hide in the solace of his bedroom a few more hours until he could see
Talia again.
Damn
it.
He was
screwed.