Claimed (Club Sin 1)

Now she expected the call, since he’d called last night, and disappointment coursed through her. Turning away to face the wall, she snuggled into her pillow. The only time her phone had made any noise tonight was when Steven had called twice, which she flatly ignored, then his text minutes later.

Last chance, Presley. Call me!

She’d spent a good hour afterward amused that Steven thought his threat held any sort of weight. Dang, it pleased her when he finally gave up. About damn time. She suspected the only reason he hadn’t shown up at Cora’s was because he knew a death sentence awaited him if he did.

More than annoyed with the night’s events or lack thereof, she exhaled to command sleep, shut off her mind, and her body settled into relaxation when, suddenly, the phone rang. On a gasp, she jumped up and grabbed the phone, pressing it to her ear. “Hello?” She immediately wanted to smack herself for not checking to see if it was Steven. But as Dmitri’s low seductive voice drifted through the line and melted across her, her concern settled. “Did I wake you, doll?”

“No,” she muttered, rubbing at her eyes again. “Why are you calling so late?”

“Had a hell of a day at work and just got out of my last meeting. I’m sorry I didn’t call until now, but I couldn’t get to a phone.”

At the sound of frustration in his voice, Presley glanced at the clock, realizing she had lied to Dmitri. It was eleven o’clock; she must’ve fallen asleep without knowing it. “Gosh, it is late. Does that happen often?”

The hum of an engine sounded through the line, as well as a honk off in the distance. “Not usually, but sometimes matters can’t wait.”

“It’s all sorted out now?”

“It better be,” Dmitri muttered. “It’s nothing to worry about, boring casino business.”

Presley leaned her head against the pillow and was actually glad she had a less responsible job. At least she didn’t have the stress of Dmitri’s job, and if she messed up, it wouldn’t put an entire casino out of business. “You’re going home now, then?”

“On my way.” The engine revved to a higher speed. “All right, doll, I wanted to check in and let you know I hadn’t forgotten about you, but it’s late, and you need to sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

The way he followed through with everything comforted her, and she felt the wave of trust embrace her. He hadn’t broken a single promise to her, or wavered on his word, not even once. She probably wouldn’t have called him, because she would have been worried about waking him up, but he’d said he would call, and he did. Within that conviction came a feeling she lost herself in. “Okay. Good night.”

“’Night, love.”

* * *

Dmitri stared up at the ceiling in his bedroom. Tuesday had come and gone, which he was glad for, because he had waited for this call all damn day. The light on the end table next to him was the only glow in the dark room at ten o’clock. It surprised him that he’d talked to Presley for two hours now about her life growing up in Apple Valley.

His arm was folded behind his head on the pillow while his other hand held the phone against his ear. “Was Steven your only boyfriend?”

“Well . . .” Presley’s voice sounded rough, and he suspected she wanted off the subject, which was exactly why he dug. “I had a couple of boyfriends before him, but they weren’t anything serious.”

He’d figured as much, and he liked that Presley hadn’t had many men touch her. In fact, he fucking loved it. “You broke up a few months ago, right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

While he’d already learned this from Cora, it pleased him that Presley was honest, since it was pretty clear that she hated the current conversation. He had to wonder if Cora had misread her. Her avoidance of the topic might mean her heart still reached for this ex-boyfriend. “Do you miss him?”

“Hell, no.” She gasped an absolutely horrified sound into the phone. “Why would you ask that?”

Now, that reaction he approved of, and clearly, Cora had it right, but why hadn’t Presley spoken of Steven and told Dmitri about his affair? Why hadn’t she called the asshole out for the prick he was? And why did she protect someone who undoubtedly broke her heart? Perhaps she was over Steven and didn’t feel the need to dwell. He hoped that was the reason. “Curious question is all, and I do believe it’s a valid one. You didn’t break up all that long ago.”

“No.” She exhaled, and it crackled through the phone line. “I don’t miss anything about Steven. The relationship didn’t end well, and I’m perfectly happy he’s out of my life.”

“Glad to hear it, doll.” He’d enjoyed this conversation too much to ruin it by talking about ex-lovers, so he changed the subject to lighten the mood. “All right, tell me this, do you honestly enjoy cleaning people’s teeth?”

“Of course I do.” She laughed. “If I didn’t, I’d have a problem, considering my parents spent a lot of money for me to go to school for it.”

He preferred her this way, happy, and he tried to imagine himself in her position. He failed to see the interest. “It’s an odd job.”

“Hey!” she bit off.

“Sorry, love, but putting my hand in a stranger’s mouth to clean dirty teeth is not for me.”

She chuckled softly, and maybe she tried to picture him doing the job, too. “It’s really not so bad. I love how clean the teeth are afterward. It’s very rewarding. I’m never left with the feeling of not having done a good job.”