My eyes bug out. "That would have been pretty nasty, Sean Ferro. Rich people have some pretty crappy manners. It's deplorable. What would your mother think?"
He smirks. "My mother taught me how to survive, and I'm going to teach you the same thing. But instead of being three steps ahead of you and leaving you in the dark, I'll take you with me. Every step. Every second."
Oh my God, he's serious. Is this it? This is the moment I've been waiting for?
His jaw isn't locked and his touch is light. I can see the conflict burning in his eyes, but he's already decided.
I don't know if I should die or dance. I'm still leery though, so much has happened. I still don't trust him, not fully. The problem is that I want to. Coyly, I ask, "So what's three steps from now?"
A wicked smile spreads across his lips. "You, naked, tied to the Tantra chair."
"Dibs."
"Dibs?" A curious expression slips across his face. "What is this, middle school? What are you calling dibs on?"
Grinning widely, I walk toward him. "Apparently our plans for the evening are going in the same direction, but on step three I planned on having you tied up on that chair. Dibs." I move my mouth slowly, letting my lips hug the word. "I call dibs on the sex chair."
Sean offers a crooked smirk and takes my hand, pulling me ahead, into another room. "Spray Start Car Girl, I knew you'd be awesome." I follow him, laughing.
CHAPTER 6
I'm about to make some witty comeback when every word in my head is suddenly gone. "Holy shit!" We enter a side room, and from how dark it was inside I thought it was a pass-through or a closet, but it's not. It's Sean's shower, bath, and bat cave all in one. The walls are black glass tile with accents of dark blue here and there. Black marble basins sit in front of an ornate antique mirror that has Tiffany lamps fixed to the mirrors.
Pointing, I jabber, "Are those real?"
Sean laughs. "Never ask a man if it's real."
"Uh, you're never supposed to ask a girl if they are real."
Sean smirks and then says, "Everything in here is real."
"So you put multimillion dollar lamps in your bathroom. Okay." I shrug like that's normal. He has rubies in his book case, so what the hell do I know?
Sean ignores my snark and takes my wrist, pulling me around a curved wall. As soon as I see it, I gasp. A copper soaking tub sits alone in front of a wall, which is covered in tiny tiles of blue, gold, and purple. Water trickles down the tiles from a decorative scupper, flowing all the way down behind the tub. Gold and silver handles sit on a pedestal with a sprayer. On the side walls there are two iron sconces that are at least six feet tall, complete with candles and flickering flames.
Eyes wide, I gasp, "Oh my God. It's girl porn!"
Sean laughs as I ditch him to run over and look at the tub more carefully. His deep voice booms behind me. "So, at least I know where I stand in the scheme of things." He folds his arms over his toned chest.
Touching the cool copper tub, I look back at him. "Why do you have this? It's as if you planned on using it every night of your life … because let's face it, twenty year old Sean wasn't into mind fucks and boxes. Was he?" I glance around, looking for a stack of crates.
Sean smirks, revealing that lickable dimple, and takes my face in his hands. "I made this thinking that I'd want to share it with someone special one day. I was the heir, this house would have been mine, so my suites were all over the top lavish." Sean tips his head to the side, watching my reaction, drinking in my movements.
"Did you ever use it?" I'm tracing my fingers along the edge of the tub and staring at the waterwall, too afraid to look at him. I'm sure he used it. He had to use it.
"Yes, frequently."
My stomach sinks and I turn slowly to look at him. He's trying not to smile. I stand and walk over to him as the corner of my mouth tugs up and my stomach sinks. "So, were these bathing interludes solo?" Stupid question, but one can hope.
His smile stretches further. "Perhaps." He looks down at me with those solid arms still pressed against his body.
My gaze flicks between his muscles and his eyes. "What's it going to take to get details?"
"Tit for tat, Stanz. Tell me about your previous lovers and I'll tell you about mine." Sean leans against the wall and unfolds his arms revealing his sculpted bare chest. He seems amused, like this idea could be fun.
Blinking repetitively, I blurt out, "You just wanted to say tit." I wink at him and then stand up and walk over to the waterwall, looking at each piece of cut glass. "Besides, I told you, you're my first."
Sean shakes his head. "But I wasn't your only. I caught that one night when you were ranting. There was a rich guy and … ?" His voice trails off, waiting for me to answer and fill in all the things that I don't really want to say.
I glance back at Sean and decide to just tell him. "And that guy liked my tits, too. His family thought I was a gold digger and broke us up on the night of our prom." I say it stoically, even though it still burns.
"They didn't bother to tell me though, so I got dressed and waited. He never came. Well, he probably did come, but it wasn't with me. We had plans to spend the weekend together at his family's summer home out east. They had a house in South Hampton. After that whole episode I turned into a lesbian and swore off men forever." I smile over my shoulder. Sean's lips are parted like he believes the last part. I pick up a bar of soap and chuck it at him. It hits his shoulder and falls to the floor.
He blinks and grins. "Sorry, tits and lesbian in the same conversation. I knew it was too good to be true."
I laugh. "You were mentally ordering bigger boxes for a three-way. Admit it."
Sean shakes his head and steps toward me. "No three-ways. Ever. Not my thing. No women in this tub. The truth is that Amanda didn't like being in the mansion. She thought my mother had cameras everywhere."
"She probably does. Connie's a creeper." I glance around, looking for little black orbs with hidden cameras.
"There aren't any, not unless I installed them." Sean smiles wickedly and tugs at my shirt. "This is in the way."
I stop him from taking it off. "No, no. Wait a second. This was the ex-lover talk. I had one, that I never actually had sex with, and then didn't date again. The humiliation from something like that doesn't disappear in a day or two. Then I had to watch out for myself and getting knocked up wasn't something that I could deal with. That explains my incredibly low dating record. But you, there were others besides Amanda. Who was your first?" This is a question I've been dying to ask. Sean's face flushes which shocks me. "Oh God, you're blushing. Please tell me that you didn't nail your cousin?"
Sean's jaw drops, shocked. "No! Why would you even say that? Do you see this?" He points to his perfectly defined abs and smooth skin. "I had to turn down women all the time." He reaches past me and turns on the water, letting the tub fill. When he straightens, he wraps his arms around my waist and tugs me to him. "My first was in high school."
"Uber private prep boy nails socialite's daughter to the wall?"
Sean runs a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes. "Something like that. Anyway, I knew guys had conquests-they'd talk about getting into some girl's panties, nail her, and then choose a new target. I was a little naïve and didn't realize that women did it, too." He's still smiling, but it's sad, like he wishes the story were different.
"Oh my God. She notched you on her belt and walked away?"
He corrects, "She made love to me and walked away, then quickly told all of her friends at school all the details, like how big it is, how long I lasted, lots of things about length, size, and stamina. All things that a high school boy might find horrifying."
I laugh a little because it's terrible. "So that's why you fuck? No lovemaking?"
"Fucking is intense, but I can keep my guard up."
Okay, affirmative then. "What about your wife? Did you let her in, or should I not ask things like that?" Crap. I shouldn't have asked. I feel horrible, but his lips part as he starts to answer me. I am too shocked to stop him.
His face becomes pale and those dark lashes lower. "If I did lower my guard, it wasn't often. That's why I couldn't tell. That's why-"
Stepping forward, I press my finger to his lips. "I shouldn't have asked."
He takes my hand and kisses the back gently, closing his eyes and feeling my skin against his cheek. "We both have ghosts, past lives. They'll come out periodically. They can present themselves as shadows or banshees. If we know about each other, we'll be better prepared to deal with them."
"I agree. Just don't promise to take me to prom and then not show up." I smile at him and pull Sean into my arms. "And for the record, I like fucking you. Making love sounds weird."
He pulls away and shakes his head. He arches a brow at me. "You're not getting out of it, Miss Smith. Anything and everything is mine and I'm not in a fucking kind of mood right now. Maybe later, but not now."
My lips part as my skin covers in goose bumps, and I take a step back. My heel hits the edge of the tub and I stumble. Sean catches me just as I fall into the water, which pulls him in and makes him land on top of me.