It’d been a productive visit and one that had made her feel like a real part of that team for the first time ever. That was all she’d needed to reinvigorate her. She’d left with a stack of financial documents, determined to learn everything she could about the business she’d started. But now her head was hurting and her eyes were blurring. She’d taken accounting classes over the past year and knew the basics of a P and L statement, but there were things that didn’t add up in these. And for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what she was doing wrong. Gibson had suggested she talk to someone in accounting if she wanted any help, and it looked like she may have to do that because the numbers were not making sense. Based on the donations, Bluebonnet shouldn’t be struggling so much to stay afloat. But clearly, she was missing something or reading it wrong.
Tessa’s office phone rang, startling her from the notes she was making. She grabbed the phone and pressed the wrong button at first.
“Tess?” Kade’s voice boomed through her small office.
“Hold on, you’re on speaker.” Her fingers hovered above the keypad, as she tried to figure out what to press. These phones had so many buttons, she was afraid she might launch a missile or something if she pressed the wrong one.
“It’s the blue one,” Kade offered.
“Right.” She hit the button and put the receiver to her ear. “Sorry. I’m still figuring out things here.”
“No worries, you’ll get the hang of it,” Kade said, his good nature so vastly different from the bosses she’d worked with lately. “Did you get my package?”
She glanced down at the manila envelope that had arrived an hour ago. The words Confidential, Hold for Mr. Vandergriff scrawled across it. “Yes.”
“Did you open it?”
“No, I’ve been really buried this afternoon. Plus, it said Confidential.”
“Good girl.” She could hear the pleased smile in his voice. “I like that you follow instructions. It’s going to serve you well with what we’re doing.”
She wet her lips and glanced toward her open door, knowing anyone could be listening. “Yes, sir.”
“I’m taking you out tonight. I have a friend who’s performing at a little bar in Fort Worth and a few people I know are going. I’m not usually into country music, but he’s pretty good. Should be fun.”
A little flutter of panic went through her, and she lowered her voice. “We had agreed to keep things private.”
“I need you to trust that I’m not going to break that promise. These are close friends of mine who will have no trouble being discreet. They’re a safe group for us to be around. And the bar is off the beaten path.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, but I thought this was all about fantasy. This sounds like a date.”
“Appearances can be deceiving. When you can, lock your door and open the envelope. I want you to wear what’s in there for me tonight. Understand?”
Her eyes moved back to the ominous package. “Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up at your place. Be ready.”
Ha. Ready. As if she could ever truly be ready for Kade. But after the day she’d had, he could be the perfect remedy. Fantasy. Sex. And Kade. She was starting to get addicted to the combination. A dangerous cocktail, that. One she should probably put aside for something less potent. But like any good drink, she always wanted one more sip.
“I’ll be there.”
SIXTEEN
When Tessa walked out her front door for their night together, it took Kade everything he had not to walk her right back inside and strip off that little black wrap dress she was wearing. The way she shivered in the breeze when she stepped onto the porch told him she’d followed his instructions, and it was killing him knowing what she was wearing underneath but not being able to see everything in its full glory. She gave him a nervous smile. “Hey.”
“You look beautiful, Tess,” he said, letting his gaze trace over her. Her nipples hardened beneath the material of her dress as his attention moved over them.
She glanced downward. “God, I feel like I’m naked, like everyone’s going to know.”
He ran his knuckles gently over one of the peaks, and her breath caught. The quarter cup bra he’d given her only offered support beneath to keep her breasts lifted, to give the illusion of a bra, but there was nothing covering her nipples and the tops of her breasts. The soft material of her dress would constantly be rubbing and teasing her sensitive skin. And anytime he brushed against her, he’d be stimulating her. “No one will know but me.”
“I’m going to be blushing my face off.”
He chuckled and pulled her against him, running his hand along her backside. “The bar will be dark. Are you wearing the panties, too?”
“Yes,” she said, a little breathless. “Though I’m not sure of the point when there’s a slit right down the center of them. I could’ve just gone without.”
He smiled, his body heating at the image of those lacy crotchless panties beneath her dress. “I like how you think, but you’ll see. That lace is going to rub up against you and the wetter you get, the more it’s going to drive you crazy.”
“You’re an evil man, Kade Vandergriff.”
“You’re just figuring this out?” he teased. “Now, get in the car. I don’t want to be late for the show.”
Especially when Tessa was going to be a part of it.
Though, his lovely date didn’t know it yet.
The bar looked innocuous enough. A typical honky-tonk in the older part of Fort Worth. The crowd appeared to be a good mix—couples, women on girl’s night out, and a few good ol’ boys looking for two-step partners. It wasn’t anywhere she’d expect Kade to take her. When they’d been in high school, he’d been the anti-cowboy, preferring loud rock music and black clothes. He’d teased her endlessly about the posters of hot country singers she had pinned to her wall. But she had to admit that even though she could tell his dark jeans, plaid shirt, and boots were one hundred percent designer, he was pulling off the look pretty damn well tonight.
She bumped her hip against his as they were waiting to get in. “You forgot your hat, hoss.”
He glanced down at her and smirked. “I’m trying to blend in and be discreet for you. But let’s not get crazy now.”
She laughed. Blend in? That was a joke. She wasn’t sure Kade could blend in anywhere these days. He was that kind of guy who walked into a room and pulled attention to him like a magnetic force. But she appreciated the effort.
Kade paid the cover charge and guided her into the darkened bar. A woman was already on the stage, singing, but the music wasn’t so loud that they wouldn’t be able to hear each other. Kade kept a possessive hand splayed along her lower back as he craned his neck to look over the crowd—not that he had to do much craning at his height. Soon he smiled and lifted his other hand in a wave. “There they are. Come on.”
They made their way through the crowd to a table where a pretty brunette was sitting between two unfairly handsome guys and laughing at something. One of the guys, a tall Hispanic man, grinned and stood when he saw her and Kade standing there. “Hey there, stranger.”
Kade shook the guy’s hand and clapped him on the back in that half-hug thing men do. “Hey, Andre.” Kade nodded at the blond man and the woman he had his arm around. “Jace. Evan. Good to see y’all.”
The girl, Evan, smiled, and Jace stuck out his hand to shake Kade’s as well. “Vandergriff.”
Kade pulled out one of the empty chairs for Tessa. “Everyone, this is my friend, Tessa.”
Greetings were exchanged all around and Tessa carefully took her seat, all too aware of the barely there panties moving against her. Tessa didn’t know what fantasy they were supposed to be fulfilling tonight, but if it was trying to keep your composure while your body slowly burned into a heap of ash
es from barely there stimulation, Kade was nailing it.
Kade ordered both their drinks and laid his arm across the back of her chair. “Thanks for holding seats for us.”
“Not a problem,” Jace said, a mirror of Kade’s pose. “Did those items you needed work out?”
Kade gave a ghost of a smile. “Perfectly. Thanks for sending them over. Though Tess hasn’t let me see them yet, so I’ll have to give you a final report later.”
Tessa straightened like she’d been pinched when she realized what they were talking about. “Kade.”
He smirked. “It’s all right, gorgeous. Jace owns Wicked, a boutique for lingerie and erotic toys. I ordered everything from there. We’re not going to shock him.”
She had to be ten shades of crimson by the time it sunk in that the stranger across the table knew exactly what she was wearing beneath her dress.
Evan frowned at Jace then gave Kade a matching look. “Stop. You two are embarrassing her.”
“Hey,” Jace said, giving her an unapologetic half-smile. “I was trying to be discreet. Yell at Vandergriff.”
Kade simply smiled. And Tessa realized he was doing this on purpose. He was pushing her boundaries, exposing her in a public way to see how she reacted.
Evan rolled her eyes and muttered something about boys and their mindfucks. But then she sent Tessa a kind smile. “You really don’t need to be embarrassed. If it makes you feel better, these guys have me in chained nipple clamps beneath this outfit, and Jace has Andre locked into something called the seven gates of hell. Feel free to use your imagination on that one.”
Andre lifted his beer in salute and smirked. “Lucky me. Evil bastard.”
Tessa’s lips parted, completely at a loss on what to say to that.
Kade chuckled and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Tess, meet my kinky friends. I could try to explain their relationship, but let’s just leave it at they’re shit-faced in love with each other and have unlimited access to a sex shop. So like I said, we’re not going to shock them.”
She glanced at Kade then back to their company. Evan was leaning into Jace, and Jace’s arm was stretched over the back of Andre’s chair, his fingers touching Andre’s shoulder. They were all together? That was a lot to wrap her mind around, especially when Evan looked like a perfectly normal woman. Tessa would’ve never looked at her on the street and thought, kinky chick who’d wear nipple clamps and be in a relationship with two men. And she definitely would’ve never guessed Andre and Jace were anything but one hundred percent straight. They reeked that man’s man alpha vibe.
But maybe that’s exactly why Kade had chosen to introduce her to these friends. He was trying to show her that her preconceived notions about what was good or bad or proper or not were just that—preconceived and not based on the real world.
She took a long sip from her glass of wine. “Thanks, Evan. I guess I’m not quite used to being so open about these things.”
She grinned. “Believe me, I understand. I had to get over that quick with these two. You look up exhibitionist on Google, and I’m sure it will have their photos. But I know it can feel really awkward at first. Just know that no one here is judging anybody.”
Evan’s warmth was like balm to her nerves. “Thanks for that.” She sent Andre a sympathetic look. “And at least I’m not wearing something with the word hell in the title.”
Jace grinned wide and glanced at Andre with a flash of dark intention in his green eyes. “Don’t worry, I promise I always make the torture worth it for these two.”
Tessa shivered at the sexy threat in Jace’s voice, even though it wasn’t directed at her, and watched as Jace leaned in to kiss Evan with unashamed sensuality. Even though it was probably rude, she stared at the display. She couldn’t help letting her mind drift down that path of what it must be like for Evan to be in the center of the storm with these two. Tessa had a feeling the woman wanted for nothing in all the ways that counted.
In her peripheral vision, she caught Kade looking down at her, studying her intently instead of watching his friends. She dragged her gaze away from their companions, and peeked up at him. “What?”
His tone was knowing as he leaned close to her ear. “Just watching your thoughts cross your face and seeing your body go hot in the process. You like watching them, don’t you? Are you imagining what they look like in bed with each other?”
“Kade,” she pleaded, hoping to God his friends couldn’t hear what he was whispering to her. She closed her eyes, the back of her neck burning.
“I’ve seen them, you know,” he said, his voice like a caress. “They don’t mind being watched.”
Oh, God. She couldn’t respond. Her teeth pressed so hard against each other her jaw hurt.
Kade smiled against her neck and kissed her there. “Show’s about to start, gorgeous.”
She had no idea if there was double meaning in that, but the lights went down and the next singer was announced. She took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. Everyone turned their chairs to face the stage. An impossibly broad-shouldered man sauntered onto the stage with a guitar strapped across his massive chest. He ran a hand through his wavy, dark hair before he stepped up to the mic and gave the audience an aw shucks grin when they whooped and hollered for him.
“Well, thank ya,” he said, a deep Houston twang lacing his words. “I’m Colby Wilkes, and I appreciate y’all coming out tonight. I hope y’all enjoy the show.”
He sat down on the stool set up in front of the mic stand, and Tessa found herself wondering how the thing was going to hold up the linebacker of a guy. She leaned over to Kade. “Is that your friend?”
“Yep. One of my best friends. The only guy who can get me to listen to country music.”
She smirked. “Music snob.”
He nodded toward the stage as Colby began to strum his guitar and sing a number with a smooth, soulful beat. “He kind of looks like one of the dudes you used to have pinned to your wall.”
She peered back toward the stage at Colby. He really was nice to look at. Big and brawny but with kind eyes and a voice that was deep enough to make her chest vibrate when he hit the low notes. He was the type she’d have been drawn to in high school—the athlete, the cowboy, the rugged guy. But now, though she could still appreciate a good-looking guy no matter what the type, she found herself far more attracted to the tall, Nordic refinement Kade had grown into. A man who could wear a suit so well she wanted to fall to her knees and thank God for whoever decided men needed to wear those to the office.
“He does,” she said simply.
Kade seemed pleased with her response and draped his arm around her to settle in and watch the show. Jace, Evan, and Andre did the same, but she didn’t miss the not so casual touches among them. The hand sliding over a knee, the whispered words to each other. At one point, Andre pulled Evan into his lap and Evan’s pale complexion went decidedly more pink. When Tessa surreptitiously leaned forward, too curious not to look, she could see Andre pinching the fabric of Evan’s dress right above her belly. It took Tessa a second to realize what was happening, but then she remembered what Evan had on beneath. Andre had to be tugging the chain that was hooked to whatever was attached to her nipples. When Andre gave a harder pull and Evan’s head lolled back, her lips parted. Tessa felt an answering twinge in her own breasts. Her nipples beaded against the fabric of her dress. Kade glanced over at her.
Had she made a noise? Some indication of how fast her heart was beating. His gaze drifted downward, and she followed his line of sight when he smiled. Her nipples were prominently pebbled against her dress, their state obvious since there was no bra holding them in check. He squared his body to block her from the main part of the bar and ran the back of his hand along the front of her dress. Her sex clenched when he grazed her breasts.
She closed her eyes. “You’re
going to kill me.”
Amusement lit his eyes and he pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. His fingers circled her wrist, and he moved her hand beneath the table to his lap. The hard length of him filled her palm. “Does it help to know I’m equally tortured?”
“A little.” He leaned back from the kiss and she lifted her wine glass with her free hand, trying to look nonchalant as she breathed through the rush of need. Kade placed her hand back in her own lap and gave her thigh a squeeze. Not yet, his movements whispered. But soon.
She forced herself to refocus her attention to Colby and the music. She had no idea what Kade planned for tonight but was determined not to ruin things worrying over the possibilities.
Trust. In order for this to work, she had to trust him.
She could always use her safe word if it was too much.
But by the time the show ended, with the combination of her barely there undergarments; Kade’s caresses; Jace, Andre, and Evan’s interactions; and Colby’s deep, sexy voice drifting around them, she knew she would have a hard time saying no to anything. Her body was begging for more than the soft brush of cotton against it, and her panties were so wet, she was afraid to stand up for fear of having a telltale spot on her dress.
Colby left the stage and Tessa took a long pull off her second glass of wine. Kade sent her a wicked smile and trailed his fingers along the back of her neck. “Enjoying yourself?”
“I’m thinking really not nice words about you right now.”
He laughed. “Good, I’d hate for you to be thinking polite ones.”