Tempting Tricks (Tempting Nights #2)

Chapter Nine

~Annabelle~

M y ass falls back onto my desk, darkness clouding the edges of my mind, making me dizzy as I try to keep myself from hyperventilating. I expel long, slow breaths from my lips, a thousand thoughts at once screaming in my head. He knows. How does he know? I was in costume. I didn’t even recognize myself when I looked at my reflection last night. Was it my voice? Did he see the application I filled out? Is that why he asked what my first name is?

No longer feeling like I’m going to fall over, I fumble behind me until my hand lands on my phone. After typing in the passcode, my fingers sweep to my contacts and press on Holly’s name. Glancing at the clock, I know it’s early for her. She generally doesn’t go into the salon until early afternoon on Fridays, and after last night, I have no idea what time she went to bed.

“Belle?” A groggy voice carries over the line .

“Can I come over? Are you alone?” I rush out.

“What time is it?” A yawning sound. “Aren’t you at work?”

“I’m taking the rest of the day off. Holly… he knows,” I state. “He just left my office.”

“Holy crap on a cracker.” Covers whoosh as I hear her stand. “Get your ass over here.”

Twenty minutes later, after calling my service to request they cancel the remainder of my appointments for the day and hailing the first taxi I could, I’m standing in line at Starbucks a block from Holly’s apartment. There’s no way I’m going in without caffeine, especially after waking her up early. She’s like a bear coming out of hibernation if she doesn’t get enough sleep.

“Can I get two grande mocha lattes, one sugar each, skim milk please? Can you make those double shots as well?” I pull a twenty out of my wallet and hand it to the cashier.

“Name?” she asks, politely giving me my change.

“What?” I look up from my wallet, startled. What’s with that damn question today? And then I remember; they write your name on the cup. Before I can even reply, a deep voice carries over my shoulder, directed at the clerk.

“Belle.”

My heart lurches in my chest, my stomach churning as I slowly twist my head to look over my shoulder. You have to be kidding me. The rest of my body turns, my pulse thundering through my veins as I seethe. “Are you following me?”

He cocks his head, chuckling as he scratches at the stubble on his chin. “I could ask you the same question.” He leans in close and speaks low. “Miss me already? ”

I take a deep breath. Big mistake. Jesus, why does he have to smell so damn good? I blow it back out, determined not to let him get the better of me, and force my lips into a smile. “I’m visiting a friend. She lives near here.”

“Me too.”

“You’re visiting a friend?” One brow shoots high as I gaze up at him. “Isn’t that convenient,” I deadpan.

He rolls his eyes. “No, I live near here.”

“Oh.” I obviously know where he lives. I delivered his jacket the other day. I just never made the connection to how close it is to Holly’s place.

“Miss, um, Belle is it?” the clerk calls meekly. “You can pick your order up down there.” Her polite way of asking me to move along so she can take care of the next customer. I wave at the clerk that I’ve heard her and scurry across the length of the room, as far away from him as I can get. Of course, it takes him only a minute to place his order, and naturally, he swaggers in my direction.

He stops a foot beside me, clasping his hands behind his back, his stance wide and his back straight. I work with a lot of military personnel, and it occurs to me as I watch him how ingrained certain behaviors are to them. I swing my gaze up to meet his, which is, of course, trained on me. A shiver runs down my spine at the intensity in which his green irises are staring back at me. I wonder again, for the hundredth time in the last half hour, how did he know it was me? “Did you think I didn’t know?”

I frown. Did I say that out loud? No, I know I didn’t. My face heats and I shift my eyes to my feet, embarrassed that I seem so transparent. Curiosity gets the better of me though, and I brave looking up at him again to ask softly, “How did you know?”

His eyes travel down the length of my body then slowly climb back up until they lock with mine again. He opens his mouth to speak, and I step closer, needing to know this.

“Belle! Two lattes,” the barista calls from behind the counter.

Patrick’s attention swivels to the barista, interrupting whatever he was about to tell me, then back at me. “Coffee’s up.” He points to the counter. “Better get it while it’s hot.”

“You’re not going to tell me.” Disappointment and then anger surge through me.

He gives me a lopsided grin, walking up to the counter to grab the coffee the other barista just called out for Trick, “Gotta run.”

“I hate you,” I spit out.

He stops short next to me, bending down ‘til his face is inches from mine, amusement painting his features. “No, you don’t.” He grins wickedly. “And when you realize that, you know where to find me.” Then he straightens, places one foot in front of the other, and strolls past me to the exit.

I stare dumbfounded after him, speechless. “Belle! Second call for Belle.” I twist my head back to the counter, confusion swirling in my brain. I move forward on autopilot to grab both cups then exit the shop, walking in a daze until I get to Holly’s. I press the buzzer to her apartment, and a second later the door lock releases.

I climb up the two flights to her floor, the door to her apartment swinging wide as I approach. “You got Starbucks,” she moans out gratefully. “Give me.” She wiggles her fingers at me when I reach her, and I hand one over. See, ravenous bear like behavior.

“You aren’t even going to believe this.” I stride by her and walk straight to her couch, plunking down on it.

She follows behind, taking a loud sip of the latte and humming in approval before lowering herself a foot away from me. “Tell me everything.”

“The costume didn’t work.” I throw a hand up in the air, my lips forming a grimace as I shake my head. “He knows it was me last night.”

One side of her pursed mouth shoots up as she looks at me skeptically. “Not possible. I wouldn’t even have known it was you if I didn’t know it was you.” She frowns at her comment and shrugs. “You know what I mean.”

“Well, he knew.” I take a sip of my coffee then place it on the table in front of me so I can pull my jacket off. I’m about to continue when the buzzer for the door sounds. I glance at Holly as she rises off the couch.

“I called reinforcements.” She glides over to the buzzer and pushes it. There’s only one other person in our little circle, so I know she means Krystal. “I figured you could use the extra support.”

“She’s not in class today?” Krystal is Holly’s younger sister, in her final year at NYU getting her Master’s.

“Nope. It’s spring break week.” She opens the door, and a second later, Krystal breezes in, concern etched on her face as she heads straight to me.

“Are you okay, Belle?” She sits right next to me and gives me a one-armed hug, then stops. “You got Starbucks?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming.” I grab my cup and hand it to her. “Take it. Seriously, my stomach is in knots.”

She happily accepts my offering and doesn’t hesitate bringing the cup to her mouth to take a large sip. When she’s done, she focuses on me. Holly is now sitting in a chair across from us. “Okay, tell me all about the spanker.”

My eyes fly to Holly. “You told her about the spanking?”

“Well, yeah.” She lifts her shoulders then drops them. “I had to catch her up on what happened.”

My hand comes up to cover my face as I try and hide my mortification. “Please, tell me you didn’t tell anyone else, Holly,” I mumble through my fingers.

“Of course not! You know this stays between us.”

I lower my hand when I feel like my face isn’t a glowing ember any longer, and face my friends. I tell them about my meeting with Patrick that morning, how I ‘fired’ him as a client, and how at the end of our meeting, he revealed he knew it was me at the club last night with his little name drop. I finish the story up with my surprise run-in with him at Starbucks.

“I guess what you need to figure out, Belle, is if you want to see him again,” Krystal starts. “You’re clearly attracted to each other, and since he’s no longer a client, you aren’t breaking any ethical boundaries anymore.”

“I agree,” Holly chimes in.

“I don’t think you guys understand.” I stand and begin pacing. “He likes to be beaten. ‘Til he bleeds. He has major issues that we never even dealt with. This isn’t a man I’m compatible with.”

Holly holds a hand up to stop me. “Didn’t you tell me last night that you liked getting spanked. That it turned you on more than anything ever has before?”

I glare at her. “Don’t throw my words back at me, Holly.” I continue pacing. “There is no way I’m letting myself get mixed up with him. I know too much about him. I just need to put this behind me and forget any of it ever happened.”

“If you’re sure that’s what you want,” Krystal adds.

“I am.” I nod my head once in confirmation. “Patrick Connors is nothing but trouble, and that’s the last thing I need in my life.”

“Okay,” Holly accepts. “You’re the boss.”

“Besides, I have the annual medical ball next week.” I stare at both of them. “You guys can help me go shopping for a dress, and Holly, you can make me extra beautiful. The room will be full of eligible bachelors.”

Krystal’s eyes light up. “Yes, rich, bachelor doctors!”

I’m relieved when the topic finally moves away from Patrick and onto the topic of dresses and shoes. They’re things I honestly couldn’t care less about, but it’s a distraction I know I need if I want to try to forget the way I felt when I stepped into that room with Trick the night before.