In a Bind(Plaything #3)(6)

My face flashed her direction, and a few of the guys in front of me turned back to check out the sucker in the back row. Seemingly pleased that she'd again earned a point, she sat down next to me. Then climbed up on her knees on the large cushiony chair and faced me. I stared straight ahead at the screen.

She shoved the popcorn bag in front of my face. "Want some?"

I shook my head and continued to watch the movie with feigned interest.

"I don't mind the shower scene, but I hate the screechy music that goes with it." She mimicked the infamous scene and added in sound effects. Someone up front shushed her, but she ignored it.

I leaned my head closer to talk quietly, only to find myself temporarily stunned by the fragrance of her hair. It took me a second to stop thinking about pressing my face into her hair as I fucked her from behind. "Do you always talk in a theater?"

"Only ones where my date is more interesting than the movie." She attempted to whisper, which was an altogether cute and sexy sound. Of course.

She sat forward with her bag of popcorn and stretched her suntanned legs out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles.

I leaned my head her direction again. "I'm not your date. You sat here, remember?"

"Do you want me to move?"

"You're free to sit anywhere you want." The truth was, I wanted her to stay right there next to me, even if she was going to talk through the whole movie. Which, apparently, she planned to do.

She leaned her arm on the rest between us. "So when do you think you'll give me a proper kiss."

I looked over at her. After lobbing that zinger my direction, she pretended to suddenly be interested in the movie. "First of all, there is nothing proper about my kisses, and secondly, who said I had any plans to kiss you?"

She rocked her thin shoulders up and down. "Just a hunch since you're always looking at me when we're in the same room. In fact, I think I know why you keep watching me."

I had no idea where this was leading. She was playing games again, and I needed to get ahead of her next move.

"I'm watching you and thinking is she really twenty-two? She seems more like sixteen or seventeen." I knew my words had stung, but I waited for her response with my guard up.

"Nope." She moved her mouth right next to my ear, and as her warm breath brushed over my skin, my cock stirred to life. That was all it took from her, I thought with annoyance. A breath. Fragrant hair shampoo. Fuck.

"I can see those dirty thought bubbles over your head when you're looking at me," she whispered. "You're thinking, I wonder if she likes it gentle and slow, or fast and furious, or if she just likes to be fucked six ways to Sunday, in every way and every place imaginable."

She sat back and let me absorb the impact of her statement for a minute. The she leaned her head toward mine. "By the way—it's the last one."

The door to the theater opened as she leaned back again. I tried to regain my composure and erase the raging erection she'd just summoned with her words. Raini hopped up suddenly. "Mindy, take this seat. I'm just on my way out." Her sister looked more than a little irritated when she saw who was sitting next to Raini, but she was happy to take her sister's place.

It took all my willpower not to watch Raini walk out.





Chapter Nine





Raini





Crisp suits and neckties weren't normally my thing but the man cleaned up spectacularly. Even his long copper hair didn't take away from the sharp, all-business look he was sporting for the birthday dinner. Something else that wasn't normally my thing was wasting any time on getting ready or dressing for a party. But for this occasion, I had spent a silly amount of time picking out just the right dress, my skin tight, bright blue cocktail dress that was somehow much shorter than I remembered. I'd even taken the time to pin back strands of my hair with glittering rhinestone clips and plaster on an inordinate amount of pink lipstick. Two fussy things I never bothered to do. But my extra effort in getting ready had nothing to do with looking right for the dinner. In fact, I was certain the length of my dress or lack thereof would earn the usual eye roll from Dad and Mindy. My unusual ministrations to my appearance were performed with one goal in mind—drive Zane nuts. And with the way his gaze had whipped my direction the second I walked into the dining room, I was sure my goal had been reached.

Now if I could just untangle my true motives for wanting to make the man squirm.

Mindy had arranged the name cards and made sure to sit Zane at her side. She stuck me on the opposite side of the table, between our Uncle Jack, a man who always smelled so strong of pipe tobacco it made my eyes water and Betty, a woman who had worked for my dad's family for years and had to be closing in on a hundred years old. Well played, sis.

One nice thing about my placement was that I was almost directly across from Zane. So catching his gaze was easy, especially when he was working so hard to avoid looking over the table at me. It was a shame Dad's formal dining room table was too wide to play footsies with the guest sitting across the way.

As the soup was delivered, I noticed the server on my quadrant of the table was carrying a notepad and pen in his pocket. I tugged on the man's sleeve as he lowered the bowl in front of me. His nametag said, Ronald.

"Ronald, would it be possible for me to write a quick note using your pen and paper? This table is so big and I want to ask someone a question without yelling."

The nice server readily handed me his tiny notepad and pen. I placed the notepad on my lap, out of Uncle Jack's view, and hastily scribbled my message. "Did you manage to take care of that hard-on after I left the theater?" I folded the paper several times and handed Ronald back his supplies and the note. "No rush, but when you have time could you deliver this to the man across the way with the long red hair? The one sitting next to Miss Bonneville. Oh, and he might need the pen for a return message."

Ronald finished up with the soup delivery. I sipped mine and waited while he delivered my note to Zane. Zane worked extra hard at not letting on to Mindy that he'd just received a note. He worked equally hard not to look my direction. I peered up at him as I blew on my soup and waited for his reaction. He read the note and then folded it back up and shoved it into his coat pocket. When Ronald offered his pen for a response, he waved his hand no. Then Zane went back to his meal and his dinner conversation with my sister.

I dropped my spoon into the bowl and sat back in disappointment.





Chapter Ten





Zane





Ignoring her. I'd finally found a tactic that had thrown Raini off her game. It wasn't as much fun as fighting back with biting sarcasm and shocking retorts, but it sure deflated her enthusiasm for the game. She had spent the remainder of the dinner pretending I was invisible, not even casting a flirty glance or smile my direction. I'd won the dinner round, only I was feeling anything but a winner. I realized I didn't like to see Raini pout. I much preferred the twinkly eyed brat who had been baiting me since we met in her Dad's sitting room. I'd thought a lot about what Trey had mentioned about how Carter didn't think any man would ever be able to tame his daughter while at the same time letting her wild spirit remain free. That statement had somehow become a challenge to me. I wanted to be that person. I just had no fucking clue how to do it.

After dinner, I had gone with Trey, Georgie and Aidan to the patio bar to get a drink before we were herded into the bottom floor sitting room to watch a sixty-year-old man open birthday gifts like a ten-year-old kid. Finding just the right gift for the man who has everything and who can buy anything he doesn't have was close to impossible. At Plaything, we'd decided to buy him a bottle of his favorite scotch and Cuban cigars, which was exactly what half of the other party attendees brought too.

Trey, Georgie and I were hovering near the doorway, deciding it would be easier to get back to the patio bar if we were near an exit. Aidan was sitting on the arm of the couch with Carolyn, the woman he'd been hanging out with during dinner. I assumed Carolyn was the woman who’d been in bed with him when I walked into the cottage, but you never knew with Aidan. He might have already moved on to an entirely new interest. All I knew was that he was having a way better time than me this weekend.

The rest of the guests had pulled up chairs or found spots on the luxurious carpet to get a better view of the gift opening. Mindy was playing birthday elf, bringing her dad the gifts and keeping control of the wrapping paper.

I'd told myself that I wasn't the least bit interested in seeing Raini until she walked in wearing that blue dress that should have had the words "totally fuckable" printed across her ass because that was what the dress screamed. Especially on her pert and curvy little body. She slipped past us and with a small, flat package under her arm. She took the time to brush my arm with her free hand as she walked by. She added in a quick glimpse my direction before walking across the room to her dad.

Carter was in too jovial of a mood to look askance at her short dress, but Mindy made her disapproval clear with a glower. That didn't affect Raini in the least. In fact, I was pretty sure she considered a disapproving glower from her older sister a small victory.

I could feel Trey staring at the side of my face. I tried to ignore him. He cleared his throat to get my attention.

"What?" I asked curtly because I knew what was coming next.