Dana was in hell.

It was a glorious, sensual hell, but hell, nonetheless.

Every time Vee took a bite, she let loose a little moan or sigh of pleasure. Dana was aching, burning to be tasted, sampled, and savored like that. He had to stop feeding the siren beside him. He was enjoying it too much to continue in public. The temptation to touch those bee-stung lips, shining with a light gloss was too much.

Dana knew if he touched, he'd have to kiss, and he didn't know if he could stop. He always tried to project a calm and poised face. Vee tore all that to shreds. Desire was a living breathing thing that was quickly bleeding to pure lust.

Vee had no idea what she was doing to Dana, just sitting there eating, wrapped in glorious colors that set her dark skin off flawlessly.

Dana claimed a shrimp and chased it with a sip of rose'. Vee's brief suspicion about the oysters was unbearably cute. Dana ordered them every time he came in, and their anecdotal properties never once occurred to him.

"Well, you said you like salmon," Vee shrugged.

"I do but the portions are generous enough to share."

"I don't think I've ever had either here."

"Do you like lobster?"

"Oh yes," Vee nodded, chewing another oyster. "I don't have it often, though. Usually from Sam's or Central Market."

"They have a nice grilled lobster tail and the whole live lobster. Would you like to try it?"

Those golden eyes widened then narrowed.

Vee was worried about the cost. Dana hid a sigh. He wondered if it would settle her mind to know he could very well afford it. Hell, he could buy out the entire place for the night and it wouldn't put a dent in his account, let alone the revenue from his business or investments.

He even owned shares in his sisters' various businesses and Dane's practice. It was what they did, pooling resources to help and support each other.

"Please don't worry about the cost, ever. I make good money, and I rarely splurge. Let me treat you, mooi."

Dana watched her and breathed easier when she nodded.

"Okay. Okay. Yeah, I'll try some. Just the tail, though. I don't think I could eat a whole one."

As if summoned, the waiter appeared with their food.

"We'll have a grilled lobster tail and a bowl of shrimp etouffee with dirty rice, please."

The waiter refilled their water and wine and hurried away.

"Do you know Red Lobster, off I-20 on Hulen?" Vee asked, sipping her wine.

Dana smiled. "I do. I haven't been there for a while, but it is one of our favorite places."

"That's the last place I had a lobster tail. For my birthday two years ago."

"Would you like to go there for dinner?"

Vee sipped her wine. "Not right away. I mean, that's if you want more than two dates."

Dana's heart leaped. "I would love more than two dates, verruklik."

"And what does that mean?"

"Lovely," Dana whispered, watching the siren sip her wine. "Delightful."

Unadorned lashes swept low, hiding those golden eyes. Her cheeks darkened. "Oh," she murmured. "Thank you."

"It's the truth," Dana breathed.

He needed a much stronger drink. And a cold shower.

Icy.

"How did you find this place?" Vee asked, nibbling the last shrimp.

"Dane, Rik, and I came here on our senior Homecoming with our dates. Our parents sat in the bar, and we sat on the patio. It was a good night, great memories. We came back during breaks in college. This and Chili's are two of our favorite places."

"It's a little pricier than Chili's," Vee remarked.

Dana shrugged. "We could afford it if we pooled our money, which we still do, quite often. Though now it is for more than a side of fries."

"Oh yeah?" Vee poked at the salmon with her fork and flaked off a bit.

Vee added some of the scallops and dirty rice and tasted it. Lord, she was moaning again. Dana took a fortifying breath.

"Yes," he answered, focused on his breathing and heart rate. "We just bought a distressed property in North Side. We are going to have our sisters, Velvet and Violet renovate it into a quadplex."

"Wait, you have sisters who are contractors?"

"It was our father's business, originally. He was a construction worker when they move here from Italy."

"I thought you were South African?"

"We are." Dana took a bite of trout. "My father is Zulu; my mother is descended from Dutch colonials. They met in the late 60s."

Vee's eyes grew round. "Um, wasn't that the heyday of apartheid?"

"It was," Dana nodded. "My father worked for my mother's family on their plantation. My mother's Ouma, her grandmother, helped them escape when Mamma realized she was pregnant. She sent them to Egypt, to a home she owned there."

"Damn," Vee whispered, with a bite of trout, shrimp, and spinach forgotten on her fork. "Did they chase them?"

Dana leaned forward and playfully stole the food from the fork.

"Once they got to Egypt, they were free, for the most part. They only stayed long enough for Mamma to take ownership of Ouma's property, then crossed the Mediterranean to Italy. Ouma had another house there and friends that helped Pappa find work and got them both into university."

"Wow. So, they went back to Egypt?'

"After two more pregnancies, yes. Mamma was studying African civilizations."

"Did they go back to South Africa, ever?"

"I believe even after Mandela was released, my father simply would not risk it. There was a warrant for his arrest when they ran for their lives and their love, and apartheid is only recently ended. Pappa believes his tribe would never forgive him for loving a white woman."

"Well, at least they got away and got to be together."

Dana blinked in surprise when Vee offered him salmon on her fork.

Smiling, he accepted, chewing slowly.

"Thank you."

His heart stuttered when Vee parted those pouty lips. Dana took his fork and speared both trout and salmon. Slowly, he lifted the fork and eased the food into Vee's waiting mouth.

Dana stifled a groan when she licked those lips with a smile.

Fuck.

Ruined.

For life.

***

Vee realized that whether she was trying to or not, she turned Dana on by eating.

It gave her a heady feeling of power. She didn't usually get that with women, but Dana made her feel sensual even in her thrown-together ensemble.

Vee found herself getting warm, watching Dana watch her. They went through the bottle of rose' and Dana ordered another despite her protests.

She was feeling loose and pleasantly buzzed while they shared the lobster and etouffee. It was delicious, just like everything else.

"Now, what will you have for dessert?"

"God no," Vee laughed. "I could not possibly eat another bite."

"Take it with you," Dana insisted. "I'll call you when I get home tonight, and you can eat it on video for me."

Vee gave her a side-eye. "Watching me eat is not that special."

"I beg to differ, mooi. Please, indulge me."

The purred request made Vee's nipples tighten up. She was going to squeak when she walked out of there.

This was the sexiest meal she ever had.

Vee cleared her throat. "I don't have a webcam on my laptop. It's attached to my PC."

"Neither do I, but I have been considering it."

"You shouldn't buy one just to video call me." Although, how sweet-slash-slightly-creepy would that be?

"You do have a laptop, though?" Dana laughed.

"Yeah. But Big Brother might listen in."

"What's to hear? You'll be eating," Dana challenged. "Nothing special."

"Ha!" Vee laughed. "Bullshit."

Dana laughed with her. "Do you have Skype on your laptop?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "I only ever use it for work, though."

"So," Dana leaned close, tracing her lips with the lightest touch of a fingertip. "Let me watch you eat dessert."

Breathless, Vee nodded slowly, mesmerized by the gold flecks in Dana's emerald eyes. "Okay."

Dana settled their bill with a metallic black card that the waiter whisked away in a narrow leather folder. The wine was wrapped and sealed in a tall and shiny blue bag. Vee's dessert was packed into a discreet paper bag with handles.

She didn't even know what it was. Dana ordered it in a whisper to the waiter when he came to pack up their food.

Dana refused to take any of the leftovers, insisting Vee could have it.

Vee took a deep breath of the humid late summer air outside, amazed that only two hours had passed while they ate lunch.

"You won't get in trouble at work, will you?"

Dana smiled with warmth in her eyes. "No, mooi, don't worry about it. Here is your car."

Dana insisted on calling a private car for her. Vee gave her address without thinking when Dana asked. The smile was more than enough reward. It was a small trust, but she knew the other woman held it precious.

She opened the door to the slick black Denali and held Vee's hand while she settled within the cushy interior.

"Text me when you get home, mooi," Dana requested quietly, placing the bag of leftovers on the floor at her feet. "And I'll call you tonight for dessert."

Vee blushed while Dana gallantly kissed the back of her hand. She gently closed the door and stepped back so they could drive away.

Vee watched Dana until she couldn't see her anymore, then sat back in the seat. She took a deep breath and quietly squealed in delight.

What a date! What a woman!

"Had a good time?"

The driver's blue eyes smiled at her through the rearview mirror.

She nodded. "The best time," she breathed. "And that was just lunch!"

It was hands down the best date Vee ever had. No competition.

"He's into you, that's for sure."

Vee blinked but didn't bother to correct the man since she thought Dana was male at first glance. She had so many masculine-ish mannerisms that it was easy to be ambiguous about her gender.

Vee could dig it though. At this point, she didn't care what equipment Dana had, and that had nothing to do with her bisexual nature.

Dana was just attractive as a person. Vee wanted to be in her orbit and was not ashamed to admit it.

"The feeling is mutual," she said instead.

"Good," the driver laughed. "It's good to see young people in love."

Yeah.

Hold up...

"It was our second date."

The driver shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. "Love at first sight happens." He lifted his left hand to show off a gold band on his third finger. "I proposed within a week of meeting my wife. We're going on twenty years now."

Hm.

"Hm."

The rest of the ride was quiet while Vee tried to parse out her feelings. She was smitten, certainly. Intrigued, surely. Aroused? Hell, yes.

In love?

Hm.

The driver waited for her to wave from the door of the small house in Como before he pulled away.

Before she was through the door, Sheri confronted her.

"Bitch I was 'bout to call out the dogs on your ass. Where the fuck you been?"

"Lunch." Vee held up the big bag of leftovers. "I was late, OMG over an hour but Dana waited. She paid for my ride home and bought me a bottle of wine."

Two but she wasn't telling Sheri that. She was suspicious enough.

Sheri grabbed the food and the wine with narrowed eyes. "What's that?" she nodded to the smaller bag.

"Dessert."

"What is it?"

"I dunno. Dana wants me to eat it later when she calls."

Sheri snorted, reaching for the bag. Without thinking, Vee pulled it behind her back with a frown.

Surprised, Sheri froze. "She got that much control on you already?"

"It's mine," Vee said. "She bought it for me, and I want to eat it."

"Vivienne."

"Sheridan."

"Shit," Sheri let it go, stomping into the kitchen. "Is this etouffee?"

Vee went into her room and carefully wedged the bag into her minifridge. She had to evict a bag of bagels to make room, but since she would be eating it tonight, it should be fine to leave them out for a bit.

***

I'm home

Dana smiled at the short text, followed by a heart emoticon.

Good...Put ur dessert away 4 l8r

I did...My cousin don't trust it

Dana frowned.

I don't know how to take that...

Don't worry abt her... Vee sent back. She's a martial artist, & overprotective...I can't wait to talk 2u 2night

Pleasure swept over Dana so strongly that he had to lean back in his chair.

"How was lunch?"

Dana smiled at Dane strolling into his office. He wore a dark gray suit without a tie and the top buttons of his shirt were undone.

"Oh, that good?" He laughed, and Dana grinned. Dane pulled up a chair to sit beside him behind the desk.

"We went to Pappadeaux."

"Excellent choice. When's dinner?"

"We didn't decide. I'm calling her tonight."

"Groovy."

"What brings you around?" Dane's schedule was as fluid as Dana's, but it was rare for them to see each other around lunch unless they planned it.

"Mr. Klein."

Dana arched a brow. "Spit it out."

"He's got some dark skeletons in his closet."

"Are you violating patient privilege?"

"No, but I know a guy who knows a guy who says Klein is certified, like on file and shit. Spoiler alert: his stones are bloody as fuck."

Dana sat back, steepling his fingers. "I'm Skyping with him in twenty minutes."

"If he won't let you inspect his mines, fuck him."

"That's my policy," Dana pointed out.

"Yeah, but cut all and any ties, I mean. Don't let him entertain any hope of future business, even if he does allow inspection."

Dana leaned close to him. "How dark are these skeletons?"

"Pitch," Dane pronounced. "Emperor Palpatine ate the Joker and shat Sith killer clowns dark."

Dana nodded, and Dane stood. "You'll be home for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, but I will be on Skype with Vivienne."

"I'll save a plate for you. Looking good Harri!" Dane called out when the assistant passed him on his way out.

"Flirt," Harri winked, making him laugh.

"Klein is calling in early," Harri reported.

Dana didn't miss a beat. "I have fifteen minutes. He can hold."

"Heard."

***

Vee had to lose herself in her work. Otherwise, she would be counting the hours until Dana called, stalking her phone for any hint of messages in the meantime.

She never got this into anybody, male or female, and certainly never this fast.

Was it even twenty-four hours yet?

Sheri nudged her office door open, munching on leftover dirty rice. "This is good shit."

"Yeah."

"She didn't skimp on lunch, huh?"

"Nope."

"That rose' is dope as fuck too."

"Did you leave me any?"

"You know I don't drink when I'm training."

Vee stopped typing and peered at Sheri over her glasses.

"I had one glass," Sheri confessed. Vee was very good at the Really, bitch? look.

"Bring me the bottle."

"Bitch," Sheri muttered, turning back to the kitchen.

"Ho," Vee called after her.

"Slut." Sheri thumped the bottle on the desk with a smile.

"Am I just 'spose'ta drink from the bottle like a wine-o??" Vee snapped merrily.

With an eye roll and exaggerated stomps, Sheri went back to the kitchen.

"Now you fancy, huh? Eatin' lobster and drinkin' rose' with lunch." Sheri sniffed, sliding one of only two wine glasses they owned onto the desk.

"That's right, bitch, Fancy is my new name."

They burst into laughter.

Damn, she loved her cousins. When the three of them got together, it was always a wild night. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the cork and splashed the pink wine into the glass.

"Here's to possibilities." She handed Sheri the glass and grabbed the bottle

"Cheers, bitch." Sheri toasted her and they slammed the smooth, expensive wine.

"Ahh, so good," Vee sighed, leaving the bottle on the corner of the desk. "Now scoot, bitch. I got work to do."

"Yes ma'am." Sheri sauntered away, pulling the door shut behind her.

***

Usually, Dana didn't mind working late. He had no actual schedule. Some days he was at his desk before dawn, others, he cruised in after two in the afternoon. Most of his real work was done in the workroom attached to his office.

Tonight, he was chomping at the bit. Max Klein was as slimy as Harri said, and then some.

His thinning hair was slicked back and stiff. The thin, paltry mustache that struggled to span his narrow top lip needed serious grooming. Watery, unfocused blue eyes blinked far too rapidly to belong to a sober man.

"You have to accept that my mines are far too dangerous for untrained inspectors," he insisted.

"Mr. Klein," Dana said in a level tone. "I do not accept any such thing, My team of inspectors includes highly skilled geologists and gemstone specialists as well as miners, and environmental impact specialists. I never buy from a dealer without inspecting their mines and their processes. I appreciate your interest, but there is no reason whatsoever for us to continue this conversation.

"Ever."

Angry red blotches brought color to his sallow skin. "You need rocks," he snapped. "I got the market cornered on 'em."

"Good evening, Mr. Klein,"

Dana ended the call and released a hard breath. He felt soiled just talking to the man on video.

He scribbled a note for Harri, asking her to schedule inspections. Once they reported in, if everything was within their standards, they would draw up contracts for Jamison Mines.

Dana shut down the computer and sent a message to the concierge to bring the car around.

Sometimes, he stayed in the loft above the office. Rik was home, though, and when their world-wandering sister was in town, they made a point of having dinner together.

Dana slid into the back seat of the town car and pulled out his phone.

"I'd like to use the limo tomorrow night for a dinner date, Walter," he told the driver.

"I'll make sure it's detailed," Walter answered. "I hope your date goes well."

Dana smiled, scrolling through their text messages from earlier in the day. "All signs point to positive."

He hit the button to call his Siren.

"Dana."

Oh, the music of her voice.

"Good evening, pragtige."

"Did you have a good day?"

"Better now."

"Your boss didn't yell at you for being late back from lunch, did they?"

"No, mooi. I never get yelled at by my boss."

"Oh good." Her concern was so sweet. "Are you home already?"

"Not yet, pragtige, just on my way."

"Oh, you had to work late?"

"It's not unusual, but our sister is in town, so Dane and I are having dinner with her tonight."

"Which sister is this?"

"Our triplet, Yurika."

"She's not at home all the time?"

"Rik chose her name because she loves to travel and she is ridiculously good at finding things," Dana explained. "She's a geologist and sources quite a few mines for my company. She has a knack for finding the most unique stones and purest veins. I'd be far behind in producing my designs if not for her."

"So, she works with you?"

"More of a consulting/contracting arrangement. She travels for pleasure, but her work makes it possible to travel, so it is a perfect situation for her."

"Your life is so interesting," Vee sounded very small. "I have no idea why you'd be interested in me."

Fear clawed at Dana's throat. "Vivienne, ma cheri," he whispered, "You are an untamed goddess walking this land. You have not yet explored your true power, and I find you utterly enchanting.

"Please believe me when I tell you my life was not nearly as interesting two days ago as it is tonight."

Vee sniffed. "You're so fucking sweet."

Dana swallowed. "Darling, it's you that makes me this way."

Vee took a deep breath. "Okay, sorry for the waterworks. I just...I've never had anybody treat me like this. I don't know how to act."

"I hope that you get used to it, pragtige. To me treating you like the queen you are."

"God," nervous laughter trickled through the phone. "That's what I'm talking about. Nobody's ever called me a queen."

"Then they were not ready to be your Royal Consort, mooi."

"And you're ready?"

"Able and so very willing," Dana purred and smiled at the shuddering breath Vee sucked in. "I'm pulling in, now, mooi. I'll call you back when I'm settled."

"Okay."

The whisper spiked lust through Dana's body like crystal shards. He hung up and took a few deep breaths.

"Sounds serious," Walter remarked drily from the front seat.

"I believe it is," Dana winked.