Vicious Cycle

by Katie Ashley

  Instead, I strutted down that stage to the pole, swaying my hips provocatively from side to side. It gave the men the smallest peek at my thighs and what else might be under my duster. Staring out into the crowd, I slowly and deliberately undid my belt, making a production out of it. When I whipped open the duster and then stripped it off, I was rewarded with bellowing approval from the men.

  I slunk over to the pole, my hands gripping the metal for dear life. Because of my ballet training, I was somewhat of a natural when it came to pole dancing. I swirled and bent and twisted my body, giving them a real show.

  As I was arched over on my back, straddling the pole, the one line I had been waiting for came up. At “Just like Jesse James,” I rose, and then with my free hand, pointed a trigger straight at Deacon. The amused look on his face faded. Realization suddenly dawned on him of exactly who I was.

  He was out of his chair in a flash.

  Thankfully, I had prepared for that.

  As I sat in the cheap leather chair waiting for the strippers to come out, I felt something I hadn’t ever experienced before at the Lounge. Guilt. Yeah, I’ll admit I felt pretty fucking guilty coming tonight after my fight with Alex. Our first real fight as a couple, and it was over strippers.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Bishop asked as he flopped down beside me.

  “Nothing,” I grumbled. On my other side, Rev snorted. Turning in my seat, I glared at him. “You got something to say?”

  “Just that you’re an idiot.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yeah, it is. You have someone as wonderful and amazing as Alex at home, and you come down here?”

  “Oh, come on, Rev. D’s just watching. It’s not like he’s going in the back for a lap dance like he used to.” Bishop smacked me on the back. “You aren’t, are you?” he asked in a low voice.

  “No, I’m not,” I growled.

  “See? No harm there.”

  Rev leaned forward in his seat so he could see us both. “I think there’s a lot of harm in what he’s doing … or what he’s done.”

  After swallowing the rest of my beer, I cocked my brows at Rev. “Sounds like you’ve been talking to Alex.”

  Rev shook his head. “Actually, it was Case. He came up to the roadhouse saying that Alex was bawling her eyes out at his house before eight this morning.”

  I grimaced. I knew she had disappeared with Kim, and instead of going after her, I’d thought the best thing to do was to let her calm down. Then she hadn’t come home the rest of the day or answered my calls or texts. I knew she was all right, though, because she was with Kim.

  “Yeah, well, she’s got a lot to learn when it comes to me and my business.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “So I heard this morning.”

  Bishop snickered at my comment while Rev shot me a death glare. “Somebody should beat some sense into you.”

  “Is that right? Are you the man to do it, brother?”

  “If it means keeping you from hurting Alex, I’d sure as hell do it!”

  Bishop rose out of his chair to stand in front of us. “Easy, now. I don’t think we’ve ever had brothers thrown out before a show even started.”

  “Whatever,” I grumbled.

  Rev didn’t respond. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest. “It wasn’t like I meant to hurt her feelings,” I finally said to fill the silence.

  “She deserves better,” came Rev’s soft reply.

  “Guys—” Bishop started in warning.

  I shook my head. “No, Rev’s right. She does deserve better than me.” I knew that I had no place being at the Lounge. I should have been trying to find Alexandra to make things right. I started to rise out of my seat to leave when Case pushed me back down.

  “You need to stay and enjoy the show.”

  It took me a moment to speak, considering how shocked I was to see him. He never went to the Lounge. “I need to make things right with my old lady.”

  “See a little tits and ass first to get you fired up to go talk to her.”

  “I don’t wanna see any tits or ass besides hers, which unless I make it right with her, I’ll never see again.” With Case practically trapping me in my seat, I sighed. “Whatever.”

  The music blared over the loudspeakers. It was an unusual choice. When the curtain opened and I got a look at the girl, my surprise grew even more. She wasn’t like the usual girls we auditioned. This chick looked almost classy, like she had come out of the highest-paid clubs in Atlanta. I couldn’t imagine what the hell she was doing here.

  As she started down the stage, my dick stirred in my pants. I hated myself for having a reaction to anyone besides Alex. After she whipped open her duster and tossed it off the stage, I couldn’t look away. It was like she had some magnetic pull. She had fabulous, natural tits that were barely covered by her skimpy bikini top. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders. The color made me think of Alex’s.

  If I was truthful, there was so much about this girl that reminded me of Alex. With half of her face covered with the glittering mask, I couldn’t tell just how much she looked like her. But her body was a dead ringer for her, too.

  And then it was like a bucket of cold water doused my head. With a teasing smile, the girl pointed a trigger finger at me as the song said, “Just like Jesse James.” And then I knew it was Alex shaking her half-naked ass on the stage at me. I barely had time to process my emotions before I lunged out of my chair. Alex merely watched me as I hoisted myself onto the stage. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I demanded as I stomped over to her.

  She didn’t reply. Instead, she nodded at someone over my shoulder. Before I could glance back, both Rev and Case came up onstage. A pair of handcuffs appeared out of Case’s pockets. Once again, I questioned, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  Case and Rev gave shit-eating grins before launching themselves at me. I didn’t have time to dodge out of their way before they tackled me. As I thrashed against them, I felt my arms being raised above my head. The snap of the cuffs seemed to echo over the music. When I tugged my arms, they didn’t move. They had bound my hands as tight as they could to the pole. I was completely at their mercy. Or I guess I should say Alex’s.

  “Have fun,” Case said to Alex as he headed off the stage.

  “Alexandra Evans, you let me out of these cuffs right. Fucking. Now!”

  She slowly shook her head back and forth. “Tonight you’re going to understand that you’re mine, Jesse James. More than that—I’m going to show your brothers that you and your dick are mine.”

  Her words, coupled with her attire, caused my cock to pound against my zipper—the fucking traitor. Whistles came from down below us. “Get him, Alex!” Crazy Ace roared.

  “Make him beg!” Boone chimed in.

  Glancing over her shoulder at the men, Alex gave them a sweet smile before turning back to me. “How long do you think it’ll take you to blow your load in front of the guys?”

  Narrowing my eyes as her, I sneered, “I’m not coming in my pants like a teenager.”

  She cocked her head. “Are you so sure about that?”

  Bending over, she braced her hands on the floor while her ass began to work me over my jeans. I groaned at both the sensation and the image of her practically bare ass as it ground against my dick. With each upward thrust of her hips, she rubbed a different part of my cock. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she was getting wet from the precum that was probably seeping through my jeans.

  She rose and turned to face me. She leaned in to lick her tongue along my lips before sucking my bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling it slightly. Lifting one of her legs, she brought it around my hip. My eyes rolled back in my head at the feel of her scorching pussy through my jeans. Her hands came to my neck, and she began to ride me just like if we were horizontal. Her eyes locked with mine as tiny pants of exertion came from her lips. I’d had lap dances before, but being fucked on a p
ole was a whole new ball game.

  I grunted and flexed my hips against her, desperately trying to find more friction. Alex began working herself harder and harder against me. Biting down on my lip, I willed myself not to give in. Grabbing strands of my hair, Alex jerked my head up to where I could meet her gaze. As the song echoed “Come on baby” around us, Alex commanded, “Come for me, Deacon. Come for me and me alone.”

  I couldn’t fight it anymore. Throwing my head back against the pole, I let myself go. “Alex!” I yelled in a hoarse voice.

  When I started coming back to myself, Alex was unlocking the handcuffs. My arms dropped down, and I winced. Ignoring the cheers and catcalls of my brothers, I shook my head at her. “You’re going to get it.”

  “Am I?”

  “Oh yeah.” Grabbing her by the waist, I hoisted her over my shoulder. She brought out the fucking caveman in me. As I stomped backstage with her, Alex never protested. She merely let me carry her. “Get the fuck out of here,” I growled to a bouncer who was waiting in front of the private rooms. I knew that later some of the guys had planned to audition the girls here. For now I was going to use it to take Alexandra.

  Once the bouncer left us, I tossed Alex onto the couch. “You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”

  “I was just proving a point.”

  “That I’m yours?” I demanded as I tore off my shirt.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think any man in there doubted that before tonight?”

  “No. But I don’t want any of the women who hang around here, especially Cheyenne, having any doubts that you belong to me and they should keep their hands off!” Fuck. She was worried about me and Cheyenne. Just as I was about to tell her that Cheyenne meant nothing to me, she pursed her lips at me. “Of course, it didn’t hurt for you to get brought down a notch in front of your brothers.”

  Again, all other coherent thought left my mind except the animalistic urge to fuck the beautiful woman in front of me. I jerked off my jeans and crumpled them into a ball. I had started to use them to wipe up the mess along my thighs and hips when Alex reached out to stop me. Leaning forward on the couch, she brought her tongue to lick the cum off of me. She’d swallowed me before, but there was something so fucking sexy about what she was doing that I couldn’t help shuddering.

  Not wanting her to have the upper hand again, I wound some of the strands of her hair around my hand and jerked hard. She gasped in both pain and pleasure. “You deserve to be punished,” I growled.

  “Then punish me. Just like you were mine to do with what I wanted out there, I’m yours in here.”

  My cock started coming back to life. Visions of bending her over one of the chairs while I spanked her ass got me up and running. But then I really wanted to turn the tables. Just like she had claimed me outside, I wanted to claim something of hers. “Take everything off.”

  Obediently, Alex rose to her feet. As she undid her bra, I went over to the cabinet in the corner. Inside was everything you might imagine, from condoms to sex toys. While there was no sex for hire here, it was inevitable that it happened, and the club ensured you were prepared. I took out an unopened bottle of lube. When I turned around, Alex stood naked before me, except for the stripper heels, which she had left on.

  For a moment, I could only stare at her. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

  Even in the dimly lit room, I saw her cheeks redden. “Thank you.”

  As I crossed the room to her, I said, “I don’t know how you could ever think I would want someone else when I have you.” Tipping her chin up, I forced her to look at me. “You’re a beautiful face with a slamming-hot body, but more than that, you’ve got a fucking heart of gold, babe.”

  Her arms encircled my neck, and she drew herself against me. “It’s not just you I’m worried about. Women can be very persuasive. You’re a god around these parts, and every single woman wants a piece of you. Especially the women you’ve been with before.” I winced because I knew she was talking about Cheyenne. Alex leaned her forehead against mine. “I don’t know how to deal with that. I love you so much that I don’t want to ever have to imagine you leaving me.”

  For a moment, I could only stare in disbelief at Alex. How in the hell was it possible that she was the one who was afraid of me leaving? Standing in my shoes, I saw it the other way around. I was worried that eventually my world and all my bullshit baggage would be too much for her. Surely Alex would see through me one day and decide that I wasn’t worth sticking around for. Rev was right—she deserved someone better than me. But more than anything, she needed to know just how fucking much she meant to me.

  “Babe, besides my mother, I’ve told one woman I loved her, and she left me. I don’t throw that word around lightly.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” While her eyes looked serious and I thought she believed me, I needed to knock her fear of Cheyenne out completely. But I wasn’t going to mention her by name.

  “No other woman means anything to me, Alex. No. Other. Woman.” She looked up at me, and I saw the moment she knew who I was talking about. She seemed to get it. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and a small smile graced her beautiful lips.

  “Okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  Here we were being so fucking open and vulnerable with each other when we were buck naked in the back of a strip club. Reaching between us, Alex took the lube from my hands. Her brows arched in surprise. “Is this what you had in mind for us tonight?”

  “I had thought so, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “Why?”

  Glancing around, I said, “I’m not sure this is the right place to take your ass for the first time.”

  She giggled. “I didn’t realize there was ass-taking protocol.”

  I leaned down and nipped her lips with my teeth. “You and that smart mouth of yours.”

  “You love it as much as you love me.”

  Brushing the hair from her face, I smiled. “Yeah, I do.”

  Slowly, she started backing away from me. Then she twisted open the bottle. Pouring some into her palm, she reached out to take my cock in her hand. She worked the lube over it, coating it like a second skin. “Is that all we need?” she asked softly.

  “Well, I might be prepped, but we need to work on getting you there.”

  “We do?”

  Dropping down onto my knees in front of her, I said, “Yeah, we do.” I dipped my head to where I could lick and suck her pussy. Alex gasped. As I worked her with my tongue, I nudged her legs farther apart. I continued my assault on her pussy and bought one finger up to tease along her puckered hole. I thought she might tense up or jerk away, but she kept rocking her hips to ride my tongue. I slid my finger through her wetness, then gently pressed the finger back to her hole before sliding it inside. She sucked in a harsh breath, her hips momentarily freezing. “Is that okay?” I asked.

  “Mmm, yeah.”

  “Good.” I worked my finger in and out of her while grazing her clit with my teeth. She jerked as the start of an orgasm began.

  “Deacon!” she cried, throwing her head back. I had to steady her hips with one of my hands. As she started to come down, I slowly removed my finger. Taking her by the hand, I led her over to the couch.

  When I sat down, she gave me a funny look. “We’re going to start out this way so you can take what you can and set the pace.” I pulled her down to straddle my lap. I worked my cock through her slickness to add a little extra lube. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” she replied with a shy smile.

  Lifting her by her hips, I positioned myself at her entrance. “Okay, baby. It’s up to you.”

  While keeping her gaze locked on mine, Alex bit her lip as she slowly eased down a little on me. She brought her arms up to grip my shoulders. I closed my eyes at how amazing she felt and willed myself not to thrust into her. She inched along at what felt like a snail’s pace for me, but I knew for her it was a whole different ball
game. I reached around to stroke her clit, hoping that would loosen up her a bit.

  And it did. She finally sank all the way down on me. “How’s that feel?”

  “Full. Tight. But good.”

  I grinned. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  She winced as she started to move slowly on me. “That’s good.” Gradually, she began to speed up the pace. I also sped up the pace of the fingers I slid inside her. The closer she got to coming, the faster she began to bounce on me. When she cried out, I raised her hips and eased out of her.

  Gently, I pushed her forward onto her hands and then I brought her legs up so she was on her knees. I stood up and then eased myself back inside her ass. She took me so much easier this time. I began to pump in and out of her. She was so fucking tight that it didn’t take long for my balls to tighten and me to start to come. “Oh, Alex! Fuck yes!” I grunted. I pulled out of her to come on her lower back, branding her in yet another way as mine.

  When I had finished, I pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her. She tried to wiggle away. “I need a shower.”

  “I like you just the way you are—covered in me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a caveman.”

  “When it comes to you, I sure as hell am.”

  “Well, you’ve taken me in every way possible now,” she said with a grin.

  “I sure have. Now I just gotta give you my name, and you really will be all mine.”

  Alexandra’s dark eyes widened. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

  I chuckled. “Babe, I promise you that wasn’t a proposal. So you don’t have to worry how you’ll come up with a better story than you got proposed to naked and covered in cum.”

  She shoved me away. “Ugh, you’re disgusting. Sometimes I wonder what I see in you.”

  “The man who gives you screaming orgasms and who loves you with all his blackened heart.”

  “That only redeems you a little.”

  I grinned at her outrage. “Come on, little hellcat. Let’s go get you a shower. Then I want you to find your clothes. You’re sure as hell not going back out there like you were tonight.”