Neighbors (Twin Estates #1) Read online

  “Nine o'clock,” she blurted out.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I'll need more time,” she explained. “I can meet you down here at nine o'clock.”

  “C'mon now, this isn't like truth or dare. No points for trying, it's okay. We can just pretend this didn't happen, go back to avoiding eye contact when we pass each other on the sidewalk,” he suggested.

  “Awww, see? You're such a good little girl, trying to look out for me,” she spoke to him in a baby-voice. His smile finally reappeared and she had to will away the blush she felt creeping up her neck.

  “Alright, angel cake. Let's see how far you'll take this cute little act. Nine o'clock,” he said, then he finally let her go. She nodded her head.

  “I'll be down here,” she assured him, then she started for the elevator.

  “Oh! And a suggestion,” he shouted after her. She turned as she stepped onto the lift and saw that his grin was stretching from ear to ear.

  “Yes?”

  “Don't change your clothing. What you're wearing is perfect.”

  *

  Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.

  “What!?” Tori practically yelled, following Katya around the apartment as she paced.

  Shit, was I saying all that out loud!?

  “Quick – is what I'm wearing sexy?” she asked, holding out her arms.

  “Huh?”

  “Sexy! Do I look sexy!?”

  “What is going on!?” Tori demanded. “Calm down and explain to me why you're acting so strange!”

  “I promise, I will. Just … is this outfit sexy? Be honest, tell me the truth,” Katya said.

  Tori looked like she wanted to argue, but she finally huffed out a sigh and took a step back. Looked over her friend's outfit, then motioned for her to turn in a circle. When Katya faced forward again, Tori was frowning.

  “Matronly,” she stated.

  “Pardon me?”

  “Your outfit is matronly. Did you get that shirt from a maternity shop?”

  “This is Donna Karan!”

  “Okay. Then … comfortable. You look very comfortable,” Tori amended her word choice.

  Katya groaned and looked down at herself. She was wearing a loose fitting blouse, tan in color, with an oversized floppy bow that hung down at the neckline. The sleeves were wide, coming in tight at the wrists with long cuffs. Her slacks were also loose, in a shade of brown she thought had complimented the blouse, and she'd paired them with an ecru colored belt. But now looking at herself, she realized she was dressed entirely in colors belonging to the beige family.

  Beige. Synonymous with boring.

  “That stupid profile,” Katya growled through clenched teeth before stomping through to their kitchen.

  “Oh, yeah. I jazzed it up a bit after you left,” Tori said, following along and grabbing them both wine glasses.

  “I know, I frickin' read it. Hell, everyone's read it. My phone has been blowing up, and then ...” Katya's voice trailed off as she replayed the incident in the lobby. What had come over her!?

  “And then what? I honestly thought it would be funny,” Tori said, pouring healthy amounts of vino tinto into both glasses before sitting down at the table. Katya sat, as well.

  “This guy asked me out,” she mumbled, fiddling with the stem of her glass.

  “Oh. That's a good thing, right?”

  “Right ...”

  “Uh oh.”

  “He lives next door,” Katya spoke slowly after taking a big drink. “He saw the profile and recognized me, decided to come over and introduce himself.”

  “Scandalous! Who is he? Do we know him?” Tori asked.

  “I didn't. I mean, I kinda recognized him just from seeing him around. Liam … something or other. Edelweiss?” Katya tried to remember his last name. “He's tall, tan, bushy brown hair. Big smile.”

  “Ooohhh, great smile?”

  “Sure.”

  “Yeah, I know the guy! He asked you out!? You owe me one, he is hot!” Tori sounded excited.

  “Yeah, super duper hot. Except the only reason he wanted to ask me out was because that stupid profile made me seem like some sort of kinky sex goddess. After about two seconds of talking to me, he realized that wasn't the case and he tried to back out,” Katya said.

  “I'm sorry, honey. I honestly didn't mean any harm, but hey, no harm, no foul. At least you didn't have to wait till after the date to find out he's a misogynistic prick,” Tori said, rubbing her friend's arm. Katya polished off the rest of her wine, then poured some more.

  “Oh, we're going out,” she said, deciding to chug the last of the wine straight from the bottle.

  “What?”

  “It was like … invasion of the body snatchers. He was looking at me like I was some Girl Scout. He said I looked like a Sunday school teacher. Something came over me, I got so pissed. Like what, because I like to dress nice means I don't know how to have a good time? So I started, like, acting like that stupid profile. Saying things I figured that type of girl would say. God, Tori, I was so rude to him, and weirder, he seemed to go for it. I'm meeting him downstairs at nine,” Katya said, cupping her glass between both her hands.

  “That's amazing, Kat! I've been saying this whole time that you need to get out of your little comfort zone! Good for you! And don't worry about this guy – think of him like a spring board. Test out the new you on him, see if you like it, and if not, just never talk to him again,” Tori suggested.

  “Right. The new me.”

  “This is so fun! Is that why you were asking about the outfit? You should definitely change. Where is he taking you?”

  Katya felt flames racing across her face. Surely, it had all been a joke. He couldn't really be taking her to a sex club. That he owned. And operated.

  Her forehead hit the table with a thunk.

  3

  It was no joke.

  Liam had been waiting in the lobby for her at nine o'clock, sharp. Liam Edenhoff – “but everyone calls me Eden” – he'd introduced himself again to her before guiding her out to a taxi he'd had waiting.

  She felt a little nauseous. She'd chugged down the only other alcohol they'd had in the apartment – crème de menthe – before heading downstairs to meet him. She'd almost talked herself out of going, but she'd made the mistake of telling Tori about the whole “sex club” bit and her roommate had almost died. Apparently, Katya owed it to women everywhere (and Tori in particular) to explore this opportunity to its fullest. Her roommate had all but shoved her out the door, telling her to check in and reminding her of the rape whistle in her purse. Then the door had been shut and she'd heard the chain lock being fit into place.

  “Nervous?” Liam Eden-whatever-his-name-was asked her as the cab slowed to a crawl.

  “Nope,” Katya's voice sounded overly loud.

  “Liar. Tonight is gonna be an interesting night, angel cake.”

  “Stop calling me that.”

  “What's your last name?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Okay then – when the gang bang starts, I'll tell them to call you Katya X.”

  She couldn't stop the blush from happening that time and he burst out laughing, then soothed the sting by grabbing her hand.

  Even when they got out of the cab, he didn't let go of her. Normally, she would've been uncomfortable with a stranger assuming such a familiarity, but this time she was thankful for it. She held onto him tightly as they walked down a crowded street. Then they turned into an alley, and his gang bang joke didn't seem so funny. He led her to a plain door above which a simple, small neon sign spelled out “The Garden”. Outside several small groups of people stood, chatting and smoking. Several folks called out greetings to him, all of them using his nickname, but a large and scary looking bouncer addressed him very properly.

  “Hey, Mr. Edenhoff, wasn't expecting you in tonight. Any problems?”

  “Nope, just bringing a friend to show her the place, let her see what I do for a l
iving.”

  All the blood was quickly rushing from Katya's limbs, pooling somewhere in her stomach. None of this was a joke. He really did own the place, that much was obvious. She was actually going into a sex club, with a complete stranger.

  Oh my god, I'm actually, really, seriously doing this. Me. Katya Tocci. I'm going into a real live sex club. Holy shit, that is so BAD. ASS.

  As Liam led her through the door, Katya felt a new surge of confidence. She was still nervous, still more than a little scared, but she was okay with it. Liam seemed like a nice guy, he wasn't going to take her into some dark room and insert foreign objects into her orifices. She could leave whenever she wanted to, whenever it got too uncomfortable. Everything was fine, and for once, she was doing something exciting. She'd finally have something interesting to talk about at work.

  “How long have you owned this place?” Katya asked, almost stumbling as she moved behind him. They were walking down a long, narrow hallway that was dimly lit. He squeezed her hand tighter, pulling her close to keep her from falling.

  “Only three years, but I've worked here for almost six. I was hired on as a general manager, the old owners had no clue what they were doing. I finally bought them out, changed a lot of stuff,” he told her.

  They finally came out of the hallway, and while she'd mentally prepared herself for some crazy orgy, it just looked like a normal bar. Huge padded booths curved along one wall, cocktail tables sat on the open floor, people were laughing and mingling while they drank. Jazzy music was blanketing everything, and while the vibe was definitely sexy, there was no actual sex taking place.

  Maybe it had all been a weird joke. Weirder still, Katya realized she was a little disappointed. Sure, she hadn't intended on participating in anything, but still. How cool would it have been to say she went to a sex club?

  “That's nice,” she finally spoke again as they walked up to the bar. “I'd love to own my own bakery. I'm head baker at where I work now, and they give me a lot of freedom, but it's not the same.”

  “No, it's definitely not. Tim! Timmy!” Liam shouted, pounding on the bar top. A handsome young man finally made his way down to them.

  “Hey, boss man! What can I get for you?”

  “I'll take a Jack and coke, and for the lady, let me guess,” Liam made a big show of looking her over. “I'm thinking … Cosmo. Definitely. You're a Cosmo girl.” Katya glared at him for a second, then turned to Tim.

  “Patrón, double shot.”

  Liam chuckled at her bravado, then full on laughed when she almost gagged on the tequila. She managed to get it down without coughing or spitting it everywhere, though it all nearly came back up when she felt his hand slide around her hip.

  “This isn't a 'who's cooler' competition, you know,” he whispered in her ear. “And if it was, you showed up. You came here. You win.” She took a deep breath.

  “And you need to stop pretending like you know me.”

  “Touché. C'mon, lots more to see.”

  Tim had made her a Cosmo anyway, and Katya mouthed a “thank you” at him before picking up the drink. She struggled to take sips as she followed behind Liam. They walked up to a massive door that was covered in the same vinyl material as the booths. There was an antique looking doorbell on the wall and Liam pressed it, holding his thumb on the button for a while. When the door finally creaked open, he winked at her and grabbed her free hand.

  They were facing a wide set of stairs that curved along a wall before disappearing around a bend. Katya shuddered at the idea of trying to navigate them while drunk. Several people were standing about on the steps, and all of them said hi to Liam as they passed. A couple women even reached out to him, running their fingers and hands along his shoulders, his arms, his back.

  “Eden, it's been forever, where have you been?”

  “Eden, you owe me a drink.”

  “Eden, you never called me back.”

  Katya didn't know him well enough to be jealous, but she didn't find the experience enjoyable, either. By the time they reached the bottom of the steps, she'd downed her drink and was praying there was another bar. She was excited as one came into sight, but then frowned when she realized the back-bar was entirely stocked with fancy looking brands of water. No liquor? How did people engage in public indecency without a healthy amount of alcohol in their system!?

  “Why do they call you Eden?” she asked, glancing around the space. It looked like it was entirely carved out of stone. The stairs, the walls, even the bar and bar back. Sconces and recessed lighting gave the entire place a soft glow, as if they were in a cave and lit only by firelight.

  “Because of my last name,” he answered simply as he moved behind the bar. He had a brief exchange with the man who had been doling out the expensive looking water, then Liam dipped out of sight. When he popped back up, he had a fancy clay bottle in his hand.

  “Roofies?” she asked, and he barked out a laugh.

  “No, tequila. From Guadalajara.”

  “Why do you hide it?”

  “Because, we don't serve alcohol down here,” he explained.

  “Why not!?”

  “When sex is involved, you want people thinking with a clear conscience, and acting with good intentions. People can carry a single drink down from the bar above, but they can't go back for more, and none is kept here.”

  “Except that bottle.”

  “Except this bottle, which is my personal bottle that no one else touches. To new friends - cheers.”

  She grabbed a full shot glass from him and watched as he came back out from around the bar. She stared him right in the eye while she downed the fiery liquid. Before he could finish his shot, though, another woman slithered her arm around his waist.

  “Eden, so good to see you. Make sure you come say hi before you leave,” she breathed, then leaned up and placed a wet kiss on his cheek. His eyes never left Katya's, not even when the other woman walked off in a huff.

  “I don't think they call you that because of your name,” Katya said in a soft voice. He smiled and leaned down close to her, resting his hands on her waist.

  “They call me that because of what I've given them,” he said, his voice low. She couldn't help the shiver that ran over her body.

  “And what's that?” she whispered. He chuckled, that sound she was growing to adore, and slowly forced her to turn around, to face the wall that had been at her back the whole time.

  “The garden of earthly delights.”

  She could see in most of the booths, though some had semi-sheer curtains drawn in front of them. In the open ones people were clearly visible. Some were sitting and drinking. One couple was kissing. In another booth, there was a man sitting alone. Or at least, that's what Katya thought at first. When she took a second glance, she realized there was a woman on her knees under the table.

  “Oh my god.”

  “I warned you, angel cake. Just let me know when you're ready to go home.”

  She felt her back teeth grind together. Hadn't she come out with him? Hadn't she walked around his stupid club? Yet there he was, still assuming things about her. Sure, she was surprised, but she wasn't running away. What did it take to get a little credit?

  “You'll know when I'm ready.”

  She was halfway across the room before Katya even knew she was moving. She took deep lungfuls of air in, almost hyperventilating. But she didn't stop walking. She kept going until she was in front of an emergency exit that was positioned between two of the booths. The booth to her left was empty, thankfully. The one on the right had two women and a man who were either practicing a really interesting form of yoga, or were having exhausting looking sex.

  When was the last time I had exhausting sex? Never?

  “Hey,” she said in a loud voice. There was a young guy standing near the door, nodding his head to the beat of the music. He looked up when she spoke, then smiled as he took in her body and outfit.

  “Hey, how's it going?” he asked, turning to
give her his full attention.

  “Okay. A little bored,” she sighed, glancing around them.

  “Sounds like a problem I could help you with – what's your name?”

  “Katya.”

  “Mike,” he gestured to himself. “So what brings a good girl like you to a place like this?”

  “Obviously if I found my way here, I'm not a very good girl,” she pointed out.

  “Baby, I've been hanging out here for a while, and you look about as good as they come,” he chuckled, his eyes wandering over her clothing. She sighed and put her hands on her hips.

  “You should never judge a book by its cover because under this frumpy brown exterior, I'm wearing a leather bustier and crotchless panties,” she prattled off.

  Did I just say crotchless panties!?

  “Whoa, my mistake, baby. How about we sit down and we can talk more about bad covers on good books,” Mike suggested.

  “Sounds good. I ...” Katya's voice trailed off as she felt warmth at her back. Almost pressing against her. Mike glanced over her shoulder, then did a double take before standing up noticeably straighter.

  “Hey, Eden, nice night,” he said.

  “It is. Leave.”

  Her new friend scampered off, and before he'd even passed by her, Katya felt a warm hand on her hip. Smoothing along the side of it, then gliding across her stomach. She held perfectly still. Even held her breath. Liam's large hand was warm against her body, and he splayed his fingers, his thumb brushing against the center of her bra. She finally remembered how to breathe and stepped away from him.

  “I thought you said tonight would be interesting,” she said as she turned to face him. “So far all that's happened is you've judged me and been unexciting.”

  “You still think this is a competition,” he sighed. She shook her head.

  “No, I'm just … tired of people acting like they know me simply because I talk or act or dress a certain way. If I were to judge you based on your clothing, I'd assume you were some out of work college drop out,” she said, gesturing to his well worn polo shirt and loose jeans. He gave her a big smile.

  “Fair play. Alright, no more judgement. You want to play at being bad for the night, then it's no concern of mine. I just have one thing I'd like to double check,” Liam said.