Beneath the Suit: Metal & Desire

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The first time I met Callum, he was all dark hair, black clothes, and thick black-rimmed glasses. He looked utterly ascetic and rigid, radiating a freezing, unapproachable aura. It wasn't until we spent some time together that I realized how dead wrong I was.

In the dead of night, this seemingly cold, untouchable man would strip off those glasses. With the heavy metal of his lip and tongue piercings glinting in the dark, he would press in close, his voice dropping into a thick, ragged murmur against my skin. "Don't shake, baby."

Chapter 1

Before this blind date, my mom showed me a picture of Callum. It was a standard ID photo with a stark white background. The guy in the picture had sharp, cleanly trimmed dark hair. He wore a crisp white button-down with a perfectly knotted tie.

His jawline was sharp enough to cut glass, staring dead-on into the camera with absolute zero expression. I couldn't exactly call him conventionally hot, but there was something about him that pulled my gaze in.

I had teased her. "So this is the elite guy you were talking about? The one with Ivy League professor parents, who snagged a full ride for his double PhDs, and is now the lead researcher at a top-tier private biotech lab?"

My mom nodded eagerly. She went on a full-blown PR campaign for Callum. He was gorgeous, he had a perfect temper, he had never caused his parents a single ounce of stress.

I raised an eyebrow. "If he's such a catch, why is he on a blind date? There's gotta be a huge red flag somewhere."

That shut her up for a second. But then she resorted to straight-up bribery and threats, demanding I meet him this weekend. She forced me to get his number and text him to test the waters first. I rolled my eyes and did what she asked.

He accepted the request instantly. A single message popped up:

[Hello, this is Callum.]

Stiff and formal. I mirrored his energy.

[Hi, I'm Maeve.]

I tapped into his social media profile. Blank. Nothing but a default layout. I couldn't tell if he just never posted, or if he'd already restricted my access.

He didn't even reply to my greeting. It wasn't until 7 PM that my screen lit up with a location pin for a coffee shop and a table number.

Setting up the weekend meet. Short. Professional. Utterly cold.

When the weekend arrived, I walked into the coffee shop right on the dot. My eyes landed instantly on Callum sitting by the window. He looked exactly like his picture. Dark hair, styled sharp.

The buttons of his crisp white shirt were fastened all the way to the very top, sitting flush against the prominent jut of his Adam's apple. I hadn't noticed it in the photo. Seeing him in the flesh, I caught sight of a tiny, dark mole just to the left of his throat. It shifted slightly as he swallowed.

A strange rush of heat flared in my stomach.

"Maeve?" Callum's low, gravelly voice hit my ears.

I snapped my gaze up, a flush creeping up my neck. "Huh? What did you say?"

I'd been so busy staring at his throat, I hadn't processed a single word. I flashed him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I spaced out for a second."

Callum didn't miss a beat. He murmured that it was fine and repeated, "Maeve, what would you like to drink?"

"Anything's fine. I'll have whatever you're having."

The second he looked down at his phone to order, I whipped out mine and frantically texted my best friend.

[Babe! This blind date is intensely hot!]

[The guy with the glasses who dresses like a boring Wall Street actuary? How hot? Send a pic ASAP, let me see!]

I clicked my tongue. Last time I showed her his ID photo, she dragged him for looking like an actuary. My thumbs flew across the screen.

[Forget it. I don't want to get caught taking a creepy sneak peek. He'll think I'm thirsty for him.]

[Well, are you?]

That was the million-dollar question. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, my thoughts stalling out. I peeked up over the edge of my phone to check on Callum. I didn't even realize he had finished ordering.

He was leaning back in his chair, his long legs crossed casually, fixing me with a highly aggressive, unapologetic stare straight through those lenses.

My breath stalled in my throat. I slammed my screen off. "Sorry, just replying to a friend."

The words were out before I could stop them, and I instantly wanted to bite my tongue. Why the hell was I explaining myself to him? On past blind dates, I'd sat there mindlessly scrolling through TikTok right in their faces without feeling a single ounce of guilt!

Chapter 2

Callum gave a barely-there nod. "It's fine. There's no need to be nervous."

A sudden, inexplicable prickle of warning shot down my spine. The gaze tracking me from behind those thick lenses felt entirely too dangerous.

"Is this your first blind date too, Maeve?"

"No, third."

He let out a soft sound and nodded slowly. I had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

The air between us stalled out. Thankfully, a server materialized and dropped off our two coffees. Callum meticulously wiped down his fingers with a sanitizing wipe before finally picking up his cup and taking a sip. I glanced up.

His hands were incredibly distracting. Broad palms, fingers that were decidedly masculine but not overly spindly. A faint flush of pink dusted his knuckles and fingertips. As he gripped the mug, thick blue veins ridged sharply across the back of his hand.

First impression: Callum was a germaphobe and a totally rigid, wooden guy. Even though he was undeniably gorgeous. But my gut told me he definitely wasn't my type. So, halfway through my latte, I laid my cards on the table.

"Callum, I'm only here on this date to get my family off my back. I'm assuming you are too."

He lifted his gaze, pinning me to my seat. "No. I came willingly."

I froze. What the hell did that mean? From the second we exchanged numbers until now, we hadn't spoken more than ten sentences total. There was no way he was actually into me, right?

I cleared my throat, shifting into a serious tone.

"Here's the thing, Callum. Personally, I have zero plans to get married anytime soon."

He nodded. "That's fine. I'm not in a rush to get married either."

The guy was clearly missing the point. I doubled down. "Let me just be blunt. I don't go for the safe, boring types."

"No offense to you, obviously, it's just a matter of preference. A guy as hot as you could absolutely rack up endless right swipes on Tinder!"

Callum pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his expression deadpan. "You make a fair point, Maeve."

I exhaled a quiet breath of relief. Okay, so he was reasonable. I opened my mouth to say we could just call it a day and delete each other's numbers when I got home.

His tone shifted, dropping half an octave. "But calling me boring without even trying me first. That hardly seems fair."

Excuse me?

When we left the coffee shop, Callum offered to drive me home. I waved him off. He didn't push the issue.

"I'll see you next time, Maeve."

I nodded, a heavy haze settling over my thoughts. I stood there and watched him turn and walk away. Even after I got home, my brain was still spinning. How the hell did I end up agreeing to "try him out"?

Tessa FaceTimed me the second I walked through the door. "Spill! How was it?"

I slapped on a neutral face. "It was okay. He's a pretty straight-laced guy."

Tessa didn't buy it for a second. "He didn't try to sneak a peek? Yeah, right." Her eyes dropped pointedly to my chest.

Heat flared at the tips of my ears. Callum hadn't snuck a single peek. I was the one doing the creeping. And I'd been caught red-handed more than once.

Every time I looked up, his posture was so damn righteous it made me feel like a total degenerate. I cleared my throat.

"He's super conservative. It's boiling outside and he was in a full suit, buttoned up to his chin."

"Ooh, so were talking total repressed energy," Tessa purred. "How's the body? Is he tall?"

I replayed the moment we stood outside the cafe doors. The top of my head barely cleared his chin. As for his body When he walked away, I had definitely checked out his retreating figure.

That narrow waist cinched by a leather belt, those ridiculously long legs showcased by tailored slacks. Damn. He was packing some serious heat.

Chapter 3

Tessa shrieked through the speaker. "You guys have the ultimate height difference! The ultimate age gap! An older woman and a younger guy!"

"That is literally my favorite trope! Please tell me you're bringing me as a third wheel on your next date!"

I ignored her absolute meltdown, chewing on the inside of my cheek before finally voicing the detail that had been driving me crazy. "Tess, I don't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but right below the right corner of his mouth there's a tiny indentation. It looks exactly like the scar from a lip ring."

She lost her mind. "What? A lip ring?! Holy shit, that is so hot."

I stared blankly at the screen. Forget it. There was no reasoning with a total degenerate.

Callum had said he wanted to try this out, but then he dropped off the face of the earth for two solid days. Our text thread was stuck on the exchange from right after the coffee shop. He asked if I got home safe. I said yes.

He sent a thumbs-up. Radio silence ever since. I couldn't help but wonder if he was just messing with my head.

I hadn't dated in years. I stuck strictly to reading smutty romance novels because real-life dating was far too mentally exhausting. You could never figure out what the hell the other person was actually thinking. Unlike the Alpha male leads in my books.

Top-tier faces, top-tier bodies, top-tier dominance. I could just buy the paperback and get a guaranteed emotional payoff. So much easier.

On the third day, my mom cornered me again, demanding updates on how things were going with Callum. She shouldn't have asked. A sudden, vicious wave of irritation flared in my chest. I let out a dry scoff.

"I wasn't feeling it. We deleted each other's numbers."

My mom looked at me in absolute disbelief. "That's impossible! Your Aunt Fang said his side was incredibly satisfied with you! Did you give him an attitude?"

I couldn't stop the eye roll. "Mom, we met exactly one time. He says he's 'satisfied' and you just buy it? Besides, the whole thing lasted twenty minutes."

"We barely spoke ten words to each other. What attitude could I possibly give him?"

She muttered something under her breath and stormed out to the balcony to make a phone call. I sat on the couch, the irritation bubbling hotter the longer I thought about it. I pulled up my phone and actually deleted his contact. Then I fired off a text to Tessa, demanding she meet me for drinks tonight.

The second the plans were locked in, my phone buzzed in my hand. An unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Maeve, it's Callum."

Callum's low voice came through the speaker. He claimed work had been insane lately and he hadn't been able to find the right time to ask me out to dinner. He was getting off early tonight and wanted to know if I was free.

Pure spite flooded my veins. "I'm busy," I snapped, my voice freezing cold.

He caught the shift in my tone instantly. Silence hung on the line for a few seconds before his voice dropped lower. "I'm sorry, Maeve. You agreed to give this a try, and I failed to reach out."

"That's entirely on me. Can we see each other? I want to apologize in person."

I wanted to tell him to go to hell. I'd had plenty of guys chase me over the years. I just couldn't be bothered to entertain them. But Callum had some nerve.

He gives me some line about being 'satisfied' with me, asks for a chance to date, and then ghosts me for three days. And now he crawls back to apologize? Ha. Did he think I was that easy to placate?

I let out a sharp, cynical laugh.

"I've got dinner plans tonight. Show up if you want."

He didn't hesitate for a single second. "Alright. What time? I'll come pick you up."

I hung up the phone. I sent him the location pin for a smoky BBQ joint. Then I texted Tessa to let her know Callum was crashing our night.

She rapid-fired a dozen unhinged memes into the chat.

[I need to see exactly how hot this Wall Street actuary really is!]

[Got our gorgeous Maeve completely losing her mind! You've been so distracted you lost every single hand of cards at the weekend party!]

I gritted my teeth, my thumbs slamming against the glass.

[Tessa! That is enough out of you! You're paying for drinks tonight!]

Chapter 4

8:00 PM. Callum arrived downstairs exactly on the dot.

My mom spent half the night scrounging around the apartment just to put together a tiny bag of trash, claiming she needed to walk down with me. I knew exactly what she was playing at. I snatched the trash bag right out of her hand.

"Stop causing chaos! It's not even a sure thing yet! Why are you so desperate to see him?"

Before she could chase after me, I slammed the elevator door shut.

Under the dim glow of the streetlamp, Callum stood by the car door, his head tipped down, watching the shadows of the leaves cast across the pavement. He wasn't in a full suit tonight. He had on a dark jacket instead. The zipper was still pulled all the way to the top.

Hiding his sharp jawline beneath the collar.

I twitched the corner of my mouth. I had no idea why this guy always insisted on wrapping himself up so tight. The first time I met Callum, I had actually put on some light makeup and dressed somewhat professionally. Tonight, I just threw my hair into a messy ponytail and shoved my feet into a pair of Crocs before heading down.

Callum lifted his head. When he saw me walking over, a barely visible smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Maeve."

His voice was low. He always addressed me with this polite, calculated distance. Civil, but entirely out of reach. I didn't look at him, just letting out a flat, "Yeah."

I yanked open the back door.

And immediately froze.

Sitting on the spacious backseat was a massive, sprawling bouquet of blush-pink and white roses. The buds were just starting to open, still clinging to fresh droplets of water.

Callum's low, smooth voice rumbled from right behind me. "An apology."

Callum pulled open the passenger side door and just stood there, watching me quietly. A ripple of surprising softness bled into his usually cold gaze.

I forced the corners of my mouth down. And fired back stubbornly. "I wasn't even mad. What are you apologizing for?"

The corner of Callum's mouth hooked up. "I didn't bring flowers the first time we met. Just making up for it."

Tessa beat me to the BBQ place. The second she saw me, her eyes lit up like fireworks. Wait, no. They lit up looking at Callum walking in right behind me.

Tessa pasted on this ridiculously composed face and purred.

"Maeve, I already ordered for us. Ask your boyfriend what he wants to eat and add it to the tab."

I immediately opened my mouth to shut that down. What boyfriend? We weren't even remotely close to that! But Callum beat me to the punch.

"I don't have any dietary restrictions. Anything is fine."

Tessa grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the beer coolers. She lowered her voice, buzzing with adrenaline. "Hot, hot, hot! He is definitely the real deal!"

I couldn't take it anymore. "If you like him so much, you take him!"

"No, no, no, back off! If Victor found out, my life would literally be over!"

Tessa and Victor were college alumni. Now, they were tangled up in some taboo office romance. Victor was the company's domineering CEO, aggressively controllingthe absolute definition of an insanely possessive Alpha male. The guy literally got jealous just from Tessa and me hugging.

Aside from having a decent face, I had zero idea what the appeal was.

By the time we headed back to the table with a six-pack, Callum was still sitting there with absolute perfect posture. It was like the man was physically incapable of slouching. Or crossing his legs. His entire cold, detached vibe aggressively clashed with the loud, chaotic energy of the BBQ joint.

I shoved a glass toward him, asking out of pure politeness. "Do you want some?"

Callum waved a hand. "I'm driving later. You two go ahead." As he said it, he took the beer bottle right out of my hand and popped the cap off for me.

While we waited for the food, Tessa and I got lost in our conversation. From the limited-edition designer bags we managed to snag this week, to the massive grand slam she won playing Texas Hold'em at the party last night. Tessa got more and more fired up the longer she talked. Because she was the one having all the damn luck.

Callum sat on the side in silence, just listening. I'll admit it. I was freezing him out on purpose.

Chapter 5

But he didn't show a single ounce of annoyance. He just slid a plate of freshly peeled crawfish right in front of me. Then, without a word, he popped the cap off another beer for us.

The second he got up to use the restroom, Tessa elbowed me in the ribs. "Maeve, he's such a good boy. Just try him out. If the vibe is off, you can always just toss him and swipe right on the next one."

I gave a noncommittal hum, dodging a direct answer. She knew damn well I was a sucker for actions over words. If Callum had shown up tonight and dumped a mountain of excuses on me for ghosting, I probably would have snapped and told him to get lost. But he didn't say a word.

He just crashed our girls' night. Even with me freezing him out, he sat there with perfect patience, peeling my food and pouring my drinks. That total, quiet submission Mmm I was kind of eating it up.

By the time we killed the six-pack, Tessa realized she had a major business meeting first thing in the morning. I walked with her to the bar to close our tab, only for the bartender to tell us it was already paid for. I whipped my head around.

Callum was already on his feet, closing the distance between us. "Ready to head back? I'll drive you."

Tessa instantly waved him off. "No, no, no. My boyfriend is picking me up. You just make sure Maeve gets home safe."

Callum shifted his gaze to me. Just standing there, waiting for my permission.

On the drive back, Callum kept the speed agonizingly slow. I was a lightweight. Halfway through my second beer, a heavy buzz had already settled over me. Now, sunk deep into the leather passenger seat, my brain was buzzing with adrenaline.

My eyes darted between the massive bouquet of roses in the back and the man behind the wheel.

Callum's side profile was somehow even more dangerous than looking at him straight on. The sharp bridge of his nose, the impossibly long lashes. His lips were pressed into a tight, flat line. And right there, that tiny indentation next to the corner of his mouth was completely visible.

The alcohol hijacked my brain, and the words tumbled right out. "Callum is that a piercing scar on your lip?"

"Yeah." He answered without a single ounce of hesitation. It completely threw me off.

"When did you get it?"

"High school."

My expression flatlined. Didn't my mom say he was the ultimate golden boy who never gave his parents a lick of trouble? What kind of perfect golden boy gets a lip ring in high school? I narrowed my eyes, dragging my gaze up and down his body.

Callum caught the movement and glanced over. "What?"

I leveled him with a dead-serious look. "Callum, I'm highly suspicious right now. It is boiling out, and you're zipped up to your chin. Are you hiding full tattoo sleeves under that jacket?"

For a split second, genuine shock actually cracked through Callum's stoic mask. He hooked the corner of his mouth into a helpless, low chuckle. "I promise, I'm not. I got the piercing because the expectations from my family during private high school were entirely too heavy."

"I needed the thrill of breaking a rule. I'm not as bad as you think."

As he said it, his dark eyes slid sideways, pinning me to the seat.

I propped my chin on my hand, staring right back at him. Callum's upper lip was slightly thinner, the bottom one full and plush. He usually kept his mouth pressed into that severe, flat line. But watching him talk, I realized the corners actually tilted up just a fraction.

Thick, flushed, and looking incredibly kissable.

A sudden, wild thought slammed into my head. I desperately wanted to see what this ridiculously rigid man would look like with cold metal shoved through his lip. The contrast would be lethal. I lifted a finger and pointed at the corner of my own mouth.

"Callum, do you ever wear it now?"

He shook his head. "No. Only once in a while, just to keep the hole from closing."

The logic in my head stalled, letting the next question slip right past my lips. "Callum, if you wore it would it get in the way of kissing?"

Callum physically froze. His hands gripped the steering wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles stark white. He slowly pulled the car over to the curb and killed the engine. The air in the cabin instantly turned thick, suffocating.

He shifted his body, caging me in with his gaze. His dark pupils were blown out, heavy and dangerous.

Then, he asked, his tone devastatingly polite:

Chapter 6

"I don't know. Do you want to try it out?"

After Callum dropped that question, he didn't make a single move. He just sat there, watching me quietly. Inside the enclosed cabin of the car, the air grew increasingly heavy, burning hotter by the second under the weight of his dark gaze