Page 6 of Wanted

The place was still a mess, but slowly everything was taking shape. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves he and Cale helped build filled every wall except for the one with the gorgeous blue granite fireplace, which luckily they hadn’t had to install. Marcia’s brother Adam and his friends had handled that aspect of the design, though now Tony and Cale had been commissioned to build free-floating shelves above it. Since those shelves would hold the pieces designed by local artists that Kelly and Spencer were planning on featuring, they’d have to start the shelves pretty high to make sure there was no heat damage. Cale had come up with some pretty good ideas, ideas he now wanted to replicate in his apartment. As soon as Tony was done here, he’d be heading over there to get some more work done.

After that his evening would take a definite turn south.

“Yeah, well, sweet’s my middle name.” Tony drew the toe of his sneaker through the trail of sawdust on the floor.

“You know, I guessed that about you.” She leaned down to wave a hand in front of his face. “All right, spill it. What’s the problem?”

As if he would discuss his sex life with Marcia’s brother’s girlfriend. “No problem.”

“Sure.” She snorted and jumped off the desk, her ponytail and giant gold hoop earrings swinging. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“Ever heard of Kink?” he blurted when she turned away.

Her shoulders stiffened. Slowly she turned back and cocked her head. “Why?”

Recognizing a defensive stance when he saw and heard one, he scratched his chin. If he didn’t shave soon, Marsh would start complaining about stubble burn. “Just wondering. You obviously have.”

“Yeah.” She came back to the desk but she didn’t climb up again. Instead she leaned against it and lowered her voice, though they were alone until Spencer and Adam returned from the hardware store. “Actually, I’m kind of a regular.”

If Tony hadn’t been sitting, he would’ve needed to. “What?You?You look so—” He stopped, his gaze traveling from Kelly’s bouncy ponytail to her sneakers. Her cheeks glowed with health and she wore no makeup whatsoever. When he pictured her, she had a book in one hand and a clipboard in the other. She definitely wasn’t parading around nude in front of avid crowds of people.

“Innocent?”

“I would’ve picked wholesome, but yeah. Okay.” Tony rested his elbows on his knees. “For real?”

“For real.”

“But I thought you and Spencer—”

“What?”

“That you were exclusive.”

“We are.” A smug smile tipped up her mouth. “As exclusive as it gets.”

“But if you’re hitting up a sex club…oh.” Realization dawned painfully. “Wow. Guess I’m the last one on board this train.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “There’s nothing wrong with not being into it. Not everyone is. It took some getting used to, I admit. I didn’t walk in the door and get naked first thing.”

Tony loosely clasped his hands in front of him. He didn’t particularly relish having this conversation with Kelly but he’d rather be embarrassed and have some clue of what awaited him tonight than walk into Kink blind. “So people really get naked. All the way naked,” he added, not wanting any ambiguity.

“Some do.” She tugged on the end of her ponytail as she studied him. “Some don’t. There’s a whole section of the club that caters to people with tamer inclinations. Meaning they just come there to dance and drink. Others like things a little wilder.”

“Which are you?”

She smiled slyly. “Let’s just say I have other places to dance. When I go to Kink, I want something else.”

“And so does Spencer.” Again Tony tried to reconcile the man he knew—an awesome, fair-minded boss who tolerated no crap and seemed as if he’d been born in a suit and tie—as a regular patron of a sex club. Simply did not compute.

“Listen, Tony, I don’t mind answering your questions. But I don’t like answering for someone who’s not here. You know?”

“You can trust me. I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You forget what happened a year ago? How you cracked jokes about me and my PDA at a company staff meeting?”

“That’s not what happened. Exactly.” He let out a breath, knowing it was closer to the truth than not. “A lot can change in a year, Kel. I’ve grown up.”

At least he’d learned his lesson eventually. No matter what, he’d never again make someone the butt of a joke, even a so-called harmless one.

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