“The Lexus would be lovely. Thank you,” she said, smiling at Braden to show her appreciation.
“Anything you need, day or night, you call me and I’ll come running.” He returned a smile which typically would cause flutters between her thighs, but today—nada. Her nether regions were apparently under the misguided belief they belonged to the man sitting next to her. Ryan only had to flex his pinky and she practically had a mini-orgasm.
“Portia mentioned you’re a singer,” Ryan said to Viola, a slight scowl on his face.
What was his problem?
Braden squeezed her sister’s shoulder. “Viola sings here five nights a week with her band, Wicked Muse.”
“I’d love to hear you sing.” Ryan threw his arm around Portia’s shoulders and tugged her in closer, confusing the heck out of her. “Maybe Portia and I will come back to hear you one night.”
She and her sister seemed to be caught in the middle of some kind of pissing match between the two bro-friends, and she was not pleased about it. The slick flesh between her legs, on the other hand, was having a party in response to his touch. She clenched her thighs together and dug her nails into her palm. “I don’t know. Viola doesn’t even start her first set until ten and we have that curfew. Plus we have a lot to do.”
Braden winked at her. “I’m sure Lola could accommodate the schedule for her sister and her cousin. Friday night we offer an earlier show at eight. Advertise it as the early bird special. Early enough that the old geezers can stay awake for it. Lola does have a thing for the old folks.”
Her sister’s jaw tensed and her eyes blazed with fury. Portia felt as though she’d stumbled into a foreign land where everyone spoke the language but her.
Viola shoved Braden out of the booth. Visibly irritated, she slapped down money for dinner at the same time she got to her feet. Portia hadn’t seen her this angry since one of kids in the shelters stole her harmonica. “It was nice to meet you, Ryan. Braden, as always, I would have preferred to get my teeth drilled without Novocain. Portia, I’m really glad to have you back. Since Ryan’s here, can he give you a ride home? I’m going to join my band members at their table and see if we can have a short meeting before our set.”
She would have rather gotten the chance to talk with her sister about what was going on between her and Braden, but she didn’t want to inconvenience her.
Ryan nodded. “No problem. It was nice meeting you too, Lola.”
Her sister leaned down and gave Portia a quick hug before running off to her friends.
Braden watched her walk away then returned his attention to the table. “Well, I should check on the kitchen. You can come by tomorrow and pick up the car. Ryan, I’ll leave the keys on the table in the entryway. Portia, it was a pleasure meeting you.” He trekked away with a smile of satisfaction on his face and once again, she felt as though she was missing something.
Ryan’s arm slid off her shoulder, leaving her feeling surprisingly cold and bereft. “Are you ready for our first night together?”
She gulped, tamping down the buzzing excitement those words fueled inside her. No matter what, she couldn’t forget at the end of the day, Ryan and she wanted very different things. She’d do almost anything to convince him to keep the house. But how far was she willing to go? She had a feeling, she’d soon find out.
Chapter 6
What if my house be troubled with a rat,
And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducats
To have it baned?
William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice, act 4, scene 1
Ryan wanted to kill Braden. Wrap his hands around his neck and squeeze the narcissistic life out of him. He’d grilled Ryan about the house and Portia and then actually dared to flirt with her in front of his face. Not that it should surprise him. He flirted with anyone who had breasts over the age of twenty-one. But Braden knew the situation between Ryan and Portia was . . . complicated.
In fact, not ten minutes before they’d sat down with the Dubrovsky sisters, Braden had advised Ryan to use the sexual attraction between him and Portia to his advantage, suggesting he should spend their three months together in his bed, gaining her trust then convincing her to sell. Then Braden had gone and flirted with her, and even worse, she’d flirted back.
The whole time he he’d been forced to sit next to Portia in the restaurant with the heat permeating from her body, her vanilla scent tantalizing his senses, his dick had ached. He’d wanted to growl at Braden and mark his territory so everyone would know she belonged to him. But what did he do? A big fat nothing. He’d smiled and played casual, keeping his hands to himself, making polite conversation with her sister.