Bane’s brow furrowed. I remembered I picked up something for Bane and now was the perfect time to give it to him. Grabbing my purse, I brought it to the table. As always, Bane intently watched me.
“I brought you something.”
“You did?” Surprise laced his voice.
I fished out the bright-orange bag of Cheetos and proudly handed them to him. “I figured after how crazy all this has been, you needed a hit of your favorite junk food. Cheetos a la carte.”
A deep rumbled laugh erupted as he grabbed the bag. The dinner was now complete with the orange interrupting the elegance. It was perfect. A secret knowing smile came upon his face. “This will go great with the steak.”
“I think so too.”
Taking a bite, my mouth watered at the tenderness of the steak. It was hard to suppress the moan wanting to escape. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten something as delicious as this. This month of recharging and whatever other pleasures it would bring would be nice.
Bane poured two glasses of wine and slid one across the slate table to me. It was delicious as the crispness coated my throat. Through dinner we made small talk such as the weather. Mainly I talked. There wasn’t anything revealing, but I could sense Bane relaxing around me. It had to be exhausting being on guard like he constantly was.
Maybe this month was as much a break for him as it was for me.
DINNER HAD BEEN pleasant. Maren ate with gusto, which I liked seeing. It had probably been forever since she had eaten a good steak from the way her life sounded. I was amazed at how she didn’t complain, but kept pushing forward. Maren filled the silence with meaningless talk, but at times she let the quiet linger. She was getting more relaxed around me.
My mind drifted to the e-mail from Hampton. I’d resent him my brief with more details on Discrete Encounters and their involvement in prostitution. He’d simply responded back, Thanks, Bane. I’ll get this handled. By his short-clipped response, I knew he was stressed. Normally, he’d call me and we’d hash it out.
The clanking of the fork brought my focus back to the now. Maren looked replete which helped chip away at my charred soul. At least she’d learn through this month what it felt like to be away from that asshole brother of hers. If she left him, I’d do whatever I
could to help her relocate.
Standing, I held out my hand to the woman who sat clad in a terry cloth robe. It had been hard to concentrate through dinner wondering if she was naked underneath. Without hesitation, Maren grabbed my hand as I said, “Let’s sit on the couch and finish our wine.”
“Sounds good.”
There was a surprise for Maren on the table. When I saw the desserts I knew I had to get Maren her favorite junk food. Seemed we were on the same page tonight. I hoped we were on the same page for another activity, but time would tell. Maren watched me with rapt attention as I removed the dish. A cheesecake drizzled in caramel sauce was on the plate.
She smiled and stood on her tiptoes as she gave my cheek a quick kiss. I was tempted to possess her, but maintained control. Maren was in charge on how far this went.
Seductively she spoke. “Seems we were thinking the same thing tonight.”
“So it seems.” I refused to look at this as anything more than a coincidence.
Taking the plate, Maren folded her legs under her on the couch and took an appreciative bite. “This is amazing. Thank you.”
I’d have cheesecake sent up here every night to see the look of contentment on her face. There was no telling how rough she had it. I planned on looking into it more tomorrow. Today, I’d gotten her address and located her brother. Fucking bastard, living in a hotel while his sister barely made ends meet.
We needed to get something else out of the way. I knew Maren wasn’t going to like it, but hopefully my logic was persuasive enough. “What time do you have to be at work tomorrow?”
“Eight. There’s a bus leaving at six thirty that connects with two other buses. I’ll get there in time.”
Here was to hoping this happened smoothly. “How far away is your work by car?”
She thought for a moment. “Probably like thirty minutes with the morning traffic.”
“I’d like to have a car take you. You could leave around seven-twenty.” Maren protested, so I quickly continued on. “You’ll get a lot more time to sleep. It’s not a handout. It’s simply a nice gesture. Just think about it.”
She nodded while she ate. I wasn’t able to tell what she thought. As she took the last bite, she laid the plate on the coffee table. “I’ll take the car. Thank you.”
As Maren sat back on the sofa, her robe became loose, leaving a direct line of sight to her tits. It had been hard as hell not taking her the moment I saw her on the sidewalk outside the hotel.
Glancing down, Maren saw where I stared. Not moving to close the robe, she grabbed my hand. “I want this, Bane. But, I don’t want to feel cheap.”
That was my cue.