14. Oakley
FOURTEEN
OAKLEY
Driving back to New Onyx, I grind my hand into my dick to calm it down before I have to see my client. I can’t stop remembering Lowen’s vulnerable gaze as he followed my commands. Since the first time he let me touch him, I’ve suspected that what he really craves is a man strong enough to let him be soft and keep him safe while doing it. I’m that man, and he’s slowly accepting it. If he thinks for one second that I’m letting him go once the week of events is over, he’s so wrong.
I plotted all morning to walk into Moby’s and ask for his panties and damn, it was so worth it. Now I have to make it to midnight before I can get my hands on him again. At least Yves Orpheus is so intense he commands all my attention. That’ll keep me distracted until I head home again.
Pulling into the parking lot of the derelict building that will become a new vision for the city, I notice there are several cars. Yves and his man, Damiano, are leaning against the hood of a black SUV while another man with long hair is pacing in front of the doors to the building. Standing nearby is a group of several men, five or six that I can see from here. Did something happen?
I choose a spot, shut off my truck, and climb out, striding over to Yves. He glances up, his face relaxing when he sees me.
“Oakley,” he says in his deep, indiscernibly accented voice. Damiano nods in greeting, but his jaw is set. Tense.
“What’s going on?”
“Got it!” The long-haired man near the front of the building pushes past glass doors barely attached to the hinges and disappears inside.
“Thorn, wait!” another man shouts, this one also with long, dark hair but a much more sinister demeanor. He’s followed by a man so beautiful he should be the dark counterpart to my kitten.
Yves clicks his teeth and shakes his head. “Apologies. Thorn is overzealous at times.”
“It’s likely sufficiently zealous this time,” Damiano says, his tone softening when speaking to his man.
Yves nods. “Fair. Syn and Bowie will assist. Eros and Midnight are checking around back and Raphael is on the roof.”
“Was there a break-in?”
Yves nods. “Something like that. I’m not sure if you know, but the city does have a slight problem with organized crime.”
“I’ve heard stories, yeah.”
“Apparently, they aren’t interested in redeveloping this area as it’s a prime breeding ground for their… business ventures.” He turns his nose up slightly at that last part. “They’re attempting to intimidate us. There was a small explosion earlier.”
Damiano chuckles darkly. “Intimidate us? Amusing.”
“Yes, well, they clearly don’t know who they’re dealing with, but they will in a few days. Speaking of, we’re doing a press conference and would like to announce our collaboration. If you’d like to come, we’d welcome you.”
“Uh yeah, that could work. I’ll be in the city every day next week for a special event.” My eyes catch movement on the roof, but it’s so quick, I wonder if I imagined it. “My…” Smiling, I decide to run with the lie. “My fiancé is being honored, so we’ll be around.”
“For?” Yves asks.
A loud crashing noise comes from inside the building, like furniture being tossed around. Neither Yves nor Damiano react, so I try to focus on them.
“He’s an interior designer. He’s a big deal in Europe.”
“The Parisian Institute Award?” Damiano asks.
“Yes.”
“And you know one of the designers that are part of the Institute?”
“I’m engaged to him. His name is Lowen.”
Damiano’s eyes light up, and I mean they actually look lit, but he blinks and I realize the sun must’ve caught them. “Lowen Ainsley lives in New Onyx?”
“Willow Bay. You know him?”
“Not at all, but I’ve been researching the event. Why do you have a talented designer in your grip and choose not to share that with us?”
“Oh, uh, well, I’ve thought about it, but he does pretty fancy stuff and I’m not sure if he’s doing anything commercial at the moment.”
“He wouldn’t be interested in improving the city and being part of a philanthropic venture?” Yves asks.
“He could be. I can ask.”
“Please do,” Damiano says. “We can pay handsomely if he’d be willing to at least provide an estimate.”
“Of course.”
“In fact, why don’t we have a drink next week?” Yves suggests. “We can share the vision with him and see what he thinks. As I’m sure you know, we can be very persuasive.”
My body tingles and I sway slightly before clearing my throat. “I’ll arrange it.”
“Perfect.” He squeezes my shoulder, turning to the building, then suddenly directs my attention away from it. “Did you file the permits needed to get started?”
“I did. I’m waiting for one of them still but it’s already being reviewed, so I’d expect it no later than Monday. My team is ready to start.”
He looks over his shoulder, and I turn my head, but he startles me by grabbing my chin and fixing my attention on his face. He smiles, and for just a second, I wonder how all these exceptionally attractive men found each other. Their looks are almost unreal, and I can imagine how perfect Lowen would look among them.
“Clear,” Damiano says softly, and Yves releases his grip on me.
“How about another walk-through so we can discuss the changes we talked about last time?” Yves is already walking toward the building.
The men he refers to as his brothers are standing out front again, as if the last fifteen minutes didn’t even happen, except the one he called Thorn. But before we even make it across the parking lot, he appears from the alleyway, dragging a hand through his unruly hair with a maniacal grin on his face.
“Handled,” he says, winking at me and wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb.
“Just the one?” Yves asks.
“Yeah. We’ll add the building to our nightly rotation.”
“I expected you would.” Yves turns to me. “We operate a security company of sorts.”
“Security?”
“More people than buildings, but our skills are useful when protecting our own projects.”
“Cool.” A shiver of foreboding runs down my spine, but I don’t feel unsafe with him. I’m pretty sure other people should though.
He puts his hand on the small of my back—a move I would normally bristle at—but it feels comforting, like a dad guiding his son, even though he looks younger than me. “Don’t worry, Oakley. You’re safer than you’ve ever been when you’re in our presence and we like you.”
“I wasn’t worried about my safety.”
He hums a laugh. “Nor are we part of the organized crime infiltrating the city. It’s my express desire to rid New Onyx of such trash.”
I nod. “It’s none of my business.”
“But it is. We’re partners now. If you ask around, you’ll find that I have a flawless reputation.”
“Again, I’m not worried. Thanks, though.”
“My pleasure. Onward,” he says, gesturing toward the building.
Four long-ass hours later, after meeting with Yves and picking up some supplies from the hardware store, I drive back to Willow Bay, ready to have a hot shower and watch the clock until I can get back to Lowen.
I dig into my front pocket and pull out his panties, taking another sniff. They smell like his signature scent and just a hint of sex. Have I ever done anything even remotely like this before? Uh, no. I’ve never dated a guy who wore panties, and I damn sure haven’t demanded that he hand them over to me and then sniff them all day like some kind of horny animal. Lowen is special though. I knew that the moment I first laid eyes on him, and he’s only proven me right ever since. He makes me step up my work game and he inspires me to be the best version of myself. I can only hope I have the same positive effect on him.
With this traffic it’ll take me at least an hour to get home. Then I’ll only have five hours until I can see my spicy kitten again and let him use me to get off. My cock swells within the tight confines of my jeans and I have to shift to relieve some of the pressure. I can’t wait to get my hands on him again.
I do wonder how far I can take us both though. Lowen craves the bliss of submitting to me, but he’s obviously still trying to fight it. As for me, I’m making this shit up as I go, but it sure is fun.
By the time I exit the freeway for Willow Bay, my stomach is growling and I’m in a pretty foul mood from the heavy traffic. I drive down Main Street, trying to decide whether I want to make a quick sandwich at home and call it dinner or if it would be too stalkery to swing by Moby’s. It’s not entirely unusual for me to eat there twice in a day, and I can get a read on how Lowen is feeling after our lunch interaction.
Changing lanes, I make my decision. Moby’s it is. I could go for some of Wren’s hot wings right now.
I pull into a spot, noting how busy it is, and I smile. I knew the minute I heard about it that it would be a success, and I’m thrilled I was right. We didn’t have any decent food in town until they showed up, always having to trek into the city for dates or anything outside of diners and fast food.
But they always find me a place to sit, even if it’s just at the bar. Entering the building, I look around for an empty table, but it looks pretty packed. Stewart waves as he comes back to the host stand.
“Hey, Oakley. Here for dinner?”
“Yeah, unless it’s too full.”
“We’ll find you a spot. Give me a minute.”
“Thanks.”
I slide my hands into my front pockets, smiling when I feel the silk between my fingers, but then I feel a strange set of hands on my shoulders from behind. I turn to see Sam standing behind me.
“Hey. What are you doing here?”
Sam smiles, but it’s one of his forced ones. “My friends insisted we come to Willow Bay and try out this ‘amazing gay place.’” He makes quote marks with his fingers. “I mean, it is a vibe and all, but I’m not sure it was worth the hour drive. What are you doing here?”
“Getting dinner. The food here is fantastic. Rivals any place in the city.”
“Hmm. Remains to be seen. We’ve only had drinks so far. They do score high for eye candy though. Everyone here is gor-geous.”
“True.”
“Speaking of.” Sam loops his arm through mine, and I tense. “Who are you meeting, handsome?”
“Uh, eating alone, but—” I feel him before I see him, and when I turn my head to my right, Lowen is there, his expression tight and possessive, sending a zing of heat straight through me. “Hey, kitten.”
The glare goes to my face briefly before his laser focus shifts to where Sam is touching my arm. Sam, obviously not a fool, removes his arm.
“Hello,” Sam says sweetly.
Lowen nods, but it’s curt, and if looks could kill…
“Lowen, babe, this is Sam, the friend I told you about.”
That apparently was not the right answer. Lowen looks downright vicious as a dazzling but dangerous smile appears on his pretty face.
“Oh? What brings you to Moby’s? Oakley?”
Sam folds his arms across his chest, not even remotely intimidated by my kitten’s claws. “No. Just a coincidence. Nice to meet you, Lowen. Oakley talked nonstop about you during our shopping trip.” He nudges my arm. “You were right. He is prettier than me.”
I see the flash of surprise on Lowen’s face, but it’s gone quickly.
Sam reaches out and grabs Lowen’s wrist, pulling him closer. “Could you give us a minute, Oakley? Us girls need a quick chat.”
He tugs Lowen away before he can resist, and I watch helplessly as the two of them speak quietly together near the bar. Lowen glances at me once, his features much softer now, then he nods, but flinches as Sam throws his arms around him in a big hug. Lowen reluctantly returns the hug, then nods as Sam flounces over to his friends, waving at me.
Lowen walks back to me, his cheeks flushing pink with each step. “You must think I’m ridiculous,” he says when he reaches me.
“Not at all.”
“Jealousy is a form of insecurity, you know. I learned that in therapy. I’m not sure why I’m acting like this lately, but I imagine it’s knowing that I have to face Alain soon.”
I was hoping he’d admit that he has more than a passing thing for me, but I can work with this.
“Totally understandable. Want to tell me what Sam said to you?”
“No.” He pats my chest. “Found you a spot at the bar if that’s okay.”
“It is. Thanks.”
Lowen shifts so he’s fully facing me, blocking my path to the bar. He runs his fingers over my chest, his blue eyes bright behind his thick lashes.
“I’ve been thinking about what you did earlier all day.”
“Yeah? How do you feel about it?”
“I… liked it. I feel like I have a dirty secret walking around bare under my jeans.”
“I have a dirty secret too.” Leaning in, I brush my lips across his cheek, smiling as his breath catches. “I took them out of my pocket several times today. They smell like you.”
“Jesus,” he whispers. “You’re still coming over tonight, right?”
“Absolutely.” Looping my arm around his waist, I tug him close and he digs his fingers into my pecs. “I can’t wait to feel your cock in my mouth.”
“Oh god.”
I kiss his neck and release him before I give in to the urge to drag him to the bathroom for a quickie. He runs his hands down his t-shirt and clears his throat. I’m very aware of the fact that he hasn’t shied away from the public show I just put on, and yeah, that turns me on.
“Come on, big bear.”
Lowen takes my hand and leads me to the bar, lingering as I sit on the stool. When he moves between my legs, I tighten them around his hips, holding him in place. A sultry smile appears on his pretty mouth and my cock swells at the sight.
“What are you hungry for?” he asks.
“You know the answer to that.”
“Something the kitchen can get you.”
“Hmm. I was craving wings earlier.”
“Anything else?”
“The fries.”
“Want a beer?”
“Yeah, a beer sound good.” He tries to move back, but I hold him in place. “I want to kiss you so bad.”
“Save it for me.”
“Oh, I will.”
I loosen my legs and he steps back, but then he suddenly shifts forward, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to my lips. It would be almost chaste if it wasn’t filled with promises of how filthy we’re gonna be later.
Lowen winks and walks to the kitchen, leaving me panting for him. Midnight can’t come soon enough.