Belinda watched the men chatting casually as they approached. Surely, the newcomer wouldn’t recognize that many of the residents were Little. She crossed her fingers and breathed a sigh of relief that she was still in her professional clothes.
“Belinda, I’m glad you dragged yourself away from your desk,” Knox greeted her with a smile before sitting down next to Sharon. He casually took her hand and rested it on one of his massive thighs. When their gaze met, Belinda could feel heat emanating from the couple.
“I found a good place to put everything on pause and came for pizza night. I couldn’t miss that,” Belinda answered with a smile. “Sit down, Pedro. Join the fun.”
“Thanks.” He sat down just a hair’s breadth away from Belinda. “It’s been a busy day.”
“Where are you coming from?” Belinda asked, making small talk.
“The upper east coast. Nothing like this campus. Easton has created an incredible sense of community here. Like this.” Pedro gestured around the room. “I’m picking up that the people here are from departments all over the company, just from their outfits.”
Belinda followed his gaze. She’d never thought of it that way. Littles came in all shapes and sizes with a variety of talents and skills. “Living in the apartments jumbles us all up. I love having friends to run into all over the Edgewater campus. Alan’s in maintenance. He’s always glad to come fix a table or a squeaky door for me. Cynthia’s food is remarkable. I thought Knox used to live in the lobby when I first moved in. He was always at that desk. Now, he has Sharon…” Belinda’s voice trailed off. Was she revealing a secret? She looked quickly at Sharon to make sure she hadn’t let the cat out of the bag.
“It’s okay, Belinda. Pedro knows that Knox and I are together,” Sharon told her. “Someone has a picture on his desk of me.”
“Only observant people notice, and it’s a beautiful photo of my favorite girl,” Knox said.
Belinda couldn’t help but smile at the perfectly matched couple. She knew some of their story. Maybe someday, I’ll find a love that strong.
“Pizza’s here!” Alan announced, interrupting the conversations around the room. Pete and another security guard walked in with stacks of the fragrant treat.
Everyone jumped to their feet to go nab a hot slice. Belinda waited for a few minutes to let the crowd disperse. When most people had retaken their seats, Knox stood and tugged Sharon to her feet.
“Let’s go, Roni. I’m betting you missed lunch today.”
“You’d lose that bet. I took Pedro to the cafeteria for lunch,” Sharon corrected him with a wrinkle of her nose.
“I’m starving.” Pedro stood as well. “I think we talked to more people during lunch than either of us had bites of the delicious soup Sharon steered me toward.”
“Aha,” Knox observed, hearing the other man’s clue that perhaps Sharon had skipped most of lunch.
“Fine, feed me,” Sharon said, throwing up her arms in mock exasperation.
Knox took her hand and escorted her toward the display of pizza delicacies.
“After you, Belinda.” Pedro swept a hand in front to usher her ahead of him.
Belinda stood, instantly regretting her choice of stylish heels instead of comfortable shoes. She hesitated a minute before taking the first step. Damn, she wished she could take them off.
“Sit down,” he requested and didn’t seem surprised when she followed his direction without intending to. Before she could say anything, he squatted athletically before her and cupped one large hand around her calf, lifting it from the floor. The warmth of his touch sent a rush of desire through her as he eased the first stiletto from her foot before repeating the process on the other side.
“What are you doing?” she asked a bit too late, taken aback by his decisive action.
“Your feet hurt this afternoon when you arrived for the meeting. Those shoes are torture devices now,” he guessed and waved a hand at the other discarded items sprinkled around the room. “I don’t think anyone will care if you’re comfortable, too.”
“Do you notice everything?” she asked. Belinda didn’t know what baffled her more—the fact that she’d just allowed him to take control so easily or that he’d noted earlier that she’d walked into the room gingerly.
“Something inside tells me to pay attention to you. I always heed those messages.” With that enigmatic explanation, Pedro extended a hand to tug her to her feet. “Let’s get some pizza.”
Switching topics, Pedro talked casually about his day and the people he had met as they crossed the short distance. He pulled her into the conversation with insightful comments and questions.
Belinda struggled to pay attention to the conversation after his dominance and her immediate allowance of his care. She didn’t understand her reaction. Why had she permitted his touch? When he placed a guiding hand on the small of her back to steer her around an employee who’d blocked their way, she found herself absolutely distracted. When they reached the display of pizza boxes, she stepped sideways away from him to give herself some breathing room. Surprised that she missed his touch instantly, Belinda struggled to regather her composure and dismiss the questions and fantasies whirling in her mind.
Grabbing the first thing she saw, Belinda tried not to blush as she handed him the hand sanitizer for him to use after touching her feet and shoes. “Would you like some of this?”
“Thanks for taking care of me, too,” he answered with a smile as they both removed the germs that had accumulated over the day before picking up a plate.
“What’s your favorite?” she asked, waving a hand toward the boxes.