Diane (The Town of Pearl 6)

Both Drake and Lucas stood up and kissed her hello.

“Wow, I love that dress on you,” Drake told her.

“Me, too,” Lucas said as he kissed her hello before she took the seat between him and Mark. Drake sat directly across from her.

“How did you get this table?” Diane asked as she looked around and waved over at Sage and Abigail. Both women were smiling wide.

The place was crowded, which Lucas didn’t like. But at least word would spread that Diane belonged to them now.

“Are you okay?” Diane asked as she covered Lucas’s hand with her own. He stared into her eyes, so green and inviting.

“Fine, why?”

She leaned closer. “You seem angry or maybe uncomfortable.”

“I don’t like crowds,” he told her.

She squeezed his hand and winked. “I’ll protect you,” she teased. He raised one eyebrow up at her and she did the same thing back. He moved his hand over her thigh under the table.

“Be careful, sweetness. Drake got this private corner table for a lot of good reasons.”

She leaned closer. “Like what?” She licked her lower lip. He stared at her mouth wanting nothing more than to taste her.

“Like this,” he said and leaned closer to kiss her fully on the mouth as he pressed his hand between her legs. She moaned into his mouth.

“Uhm, unless you two want to put on a show for the entire restaurant, may I suggest we eat dinner first and then head out of here?” Mark suggested as Lucas released her lips.

“I was just setting Diane straight on something.” He winked and smiled. She lowered her eyes and looked down at her lap. Drake chuckled.

They placed their orders and then Mark looked at Diane as she took a sip of white wine.

“So, what’s this about a trip to New York?”

She sat back, took a deep breath, and released it. Lucas felt his chest tighten again. He didn’t want to think about it. He knew if they made love to her tonight, it was going to be even harder to let her leave them.

* * * *

Diane started to explain about her decision and how she felt about her life up until last weekend. She could sense Lucas and Drake’s upset with her decision. They didn’t want her to go, and Mark, well he seemed as though he wasn’t as effected.

“Well, I’m not crazy about the idea. I don’t want to think about my woman posing in magazines in lingerie and having a bunch of strange men look at you.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. Lucas grunted and Drake made a mumbling sound. She turned to look at them and then back to Mark.

“It’s one catalogue shoot. I need to do this. I’ve been hiding in a bubble for years. I had a bit of a rough childhood. Some things happened that made me feel exposed in a way that I guess scared me. Enough that I closed myself off to emotions and taking a chance at getting close to anyone. Melissa is my sister and I felt like she was all I’d ever need in my life.”

“Why is that? What happened in your life to make you feel so insecure?” Mark asked her.

She told them about her parents dying and living with her aunt.

“She made you work for room and board?” Lucas asked, seeming angry.

“Among other things.” She pulled her hands onto her lap. Mark reached under the table and covered her hands with his own. “Like what?”

She told them about the dancing and the dirty old men.

“That’s terrible. They could have taken advantage of you. Thank God Melissa stepped in,” Drake stated.

“She’s been the one to take care of me until she left and headed here.”

“You mean you didn’t leave with her years ago?” Lucas asked.