Ethan (Face-Off Book 5)

by Jillian Quinn

  “No, because there wasn’t anything for me to hide. To date, you’re the longest relationship I’ve ever had, and we’re not even together.”

  “If you say so.” She looks away from me but not for long. As soon as a cocktail waitress wearing nothing but a gold thong strolls over to our table, Mia turns to look at me and her cheeks redden.

  I give the pretty brunette our drink order, ignoring all of her advances. She only wants the money, so I drop a twenty on her tray. The girl rewards me with a smile that reaches up to her green eyes and shakes her fake tits.

  A few minutes later, another girl with smaller breasts and reddish-brown hair comes up from behind Mia. She touches her on the shoulder as she locks eyes with me. Mia jumps up from her chair as if struck by lightning. Her reaction causes both the stripper and me to laugh. Strippers love giving attention to women, and unlike other girls who come here with men, Mia wants nothing to do with it. She came here for business and nothing more.

  Once Mia settles back into her chair, the girl says something to her that I have trouble hearing over the loud music. Mia shakes her head a few times before she smiles, a real one this time. A few minutes pass, where they have a private conversation, whispering shit to each other. What the hell could Mia possibly have to say to a stripper?

  The drink girl places a bottle of Heineken in front of me and hands Mia an apple martini. Mia takes it from her and sucks down half the liquid in one gulp, and then holds her index finger up to indicate she would like another drink.

  I hand the waitress my credit card. “Start a tab for us.” I tilt my head to Mia, who’s still engaged in conversation with the redheaded stripper. “And another martini for my girl.”

  She smiles and walks away with my credit card, and I’m left wondering why I called Mia my girl. I guess she will be after she accepts my offer. If she still wants to give me a chance after acting like an asshole.

  “Hey, E.” Mia props her elbow on the table and looks over at me. “Roxie is going to show me how to give a lap dance. Want to be my test subject?”

  I almost laugh. Instead, the corner of my mouth curls up into a smirk. “Yeah, actually, I do. Not out here, though.”

  “Duh, silly.”

  I look up at the redhead. “Just us, okay?”

  “That will cost you,” she says.

  “Money’s not a problem.”

  She grins. “Good. I have just the place for us. What’s your name, cutie?”

  At least she doesn’t recognize me.

  “Ethan,” I tell her.

  “Well, Ethan, I’m Roxie. I’m gonna take good care of your girl, and she’s gonna take real good care of you.” She says the last part with a wink.

  “I’m counting on it.”

  My cock gets hard thinking about Mia grinding on it. Fuck, yes, I want to be her subject. I’d pay any amount of money for this experience. Seeing Mia out of her shell and her comfort zone is worth every penny, no matter the cost.

  After we order another round of drinks, Mia spills some of the martini on her hand. Taking her hand in mine, I help her up from the chair and lick the sweet juice from her skin. She tastes like apple and vodka mixed with the scent of her body wash.

  What was I thinking?

  What if Will saw me do that?

  Idiot.

  I try to convince myself that I don’t care anymore and that I don’t need Will’s approval. But I do. Having his consent with Mia is important to me. So, why do I keep fucking things up? Instead of confessing my feelings for her, I intentionally hurt her and lied right to his face. I still haven’t told Mia the truth. I’m so afraid of getting close to her that I offer her a bullshit relationship instead of what I really want. With Mia, I want it all. But I need to man-up first.

  Mia’s body trembles from my touch, my effect on her instantaneous. She responds so well to me, and I love it. My little lamb is about to dance for me, something I never thought I would see. I wonder if this has anything to do with her work assignment.

  We follow behind Roxie to the opposite side of the bar. She leads us down a long hallway and into a private room mirrored from ceiling to floor. Luckily, Will and Clarke are off by themselves. Mia wouldn’t have agreed to do this otherwise.

  Roxie slides her fingers down to Mia’s forearm. “Do you want to watch me first or get right to it?”

  Mia smiles, refocusing her gaze on me. “What do you want, E?”

  “You,” I growl.

  Mia’s eyes flicker with acknowledgment. She sticks out her tongue to glide it along her bottom lip.

  “Okay, then.” Roxie moves behind Mia and places her hands on her narrow hips. She helps Mia sway to the beat, the rock music pumping through the speakers. “A good lap dance is all about the tease. By the time you’re through, he should be begging you to sit on his face.”

  Mia blushes at Roxie’s words but keeps moving to the tempo.

  My cock grows harder with each seductive stare and gentle sway of Mia’s hips. I get lost in the dance, trying to forget about Will and the fact he’s somewhere down the hall from us. But I don’t care, not even a little bit. Not right now. Not when Mia has me under her fucking spell.

  I lift my hand from my thigh and beckon Mia with my index finger. She does as I instruct, with Roxie still holding onto her from behind and her breasts pressed into Mia’s back. This is a side of Mia I never thought I’d see, and it makes me want her even more. My innocent little lamb is a woman now, all grown up and giving me the worst case of blue balls.

  With some instruction from Roxie, Mia leans forward to place her palms on my thighs, with her ass up in the air and her eyes pointed at me. She continues to dance for me, following each of Roxie’s orders. Mia moves as if she’s done this a thousand times. I salivate with each thrust, the sight of her letting go so intoxicating.

  After torturing me for far too long, Roxie orders Mia to get on the long leather bench with me. She straddles me, slowly moving her hands up my chest and to my shoulders. Roxie sits next to us, with her hand on Mia’s back and the other on her ass, coaching the movements from her body. I can’t believe Mia is going along with this. Will would fucking murder me if he had any idea I was paying a stripper to teach Mia the art of giving a lap dance.

  In my defense, it wasn’t my idea.

  Rocking her hips, Mia stares into my eyes. She wets her lips and teases me, making me want to flip her over and fuck her right here on this bench.

  I reach into my pocket, pull out a few hundred dollar bills, and hand them to Roxie. “Can you give us a minute?”

  She takes the money with a bright smile. “Yeah, I think I can do that. I’ll be back in thirty.” Her gaze falls to Mia, and she moves closer to her. “Think you can handle him without me?”

  Mia laughs. “Yeah, I think so. Thanks, Roxie.”

  She smiles in answer, and then exits the room, closing the door behind her.

  I slide my hands up the backs of Mia’s thighs and make my way up to her firm ass to give it a good squeeze. She yelps and falls forward, this time threading her arms around my neck. With our lips almost touching, she lets out a deep breath, the scent of her apple martini filling my nostrils.

  Mia sits back until we’re staring into each other’s eyes and moves her hands lower. I pull down her bottom lip with my index finger, and she licks my skin. Red-hot heat buzzes between us, the electricity from our contact setting my skin on fire.

  I grab my rock hard cock over my jeans, and she glances down for a second. When our eyes meet again, Mia grabs my wrist, pushes my finger into her mouth, and sucks hard.

  “Fuck, Mia.” I tilt my head back against the top of the bench and suck in a deep breath. “I wish that was my cock you were sucking.”

  She releases her grip on me, my hand dropping to her waist. “You would like that, huh? I’m still waiting for that apology you owe me.” A smirk touches her lips.

  “I fucked up. I shouldn’t have left without saying anything to you. You should know by now tha
t I’m an asshole. Relationships are not my thing, but fuck if I don’t want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life.”

  Keeping her palms on my thighs, she leans forward, swaying her hips to jiggle her tits that are practically falling out from the low-cut top. “Sorry, I’m not feeling it.” She chuckles. “I need to feel how sorry you are for being a dick.”

  Gripping her hips, I dig my fingers into her skin and lift her on top of me. She attempts to wiggle free from my strong grip, but instead of fighting me, she pins my legs between hers and gives in to me.

  “Fight me all you want, little lamb,” I whisper against her lips. “It turns me on.”

  She frowns. “I’m still mad at you.”

  I hold her arms tighter and pull them above her head to pin them together. “Then why did you want to learn how to give me a lap dance?”

  “So I could fuck with you.”

  I laugh. “And how is that plan working out for you?”

  She glances up at her bound arms, knowing she can’t get away from me if she tried. That’s not what she wants. We both know it.

  “You’re mine tonight.”

  “Yours?” She says it as though it’s a question.

  The corner of my mouth curls up into a crooked grin. “Mine. You were always mine, Mia.”

  “I thought you were supposed to protect me from the wolves, and here I am with the biggest wolf in this place. I should stay away from you.”

  “If you were smart, you would’ve kept your distance from me. Now, it’s too late.” I move her hands in front of her, with my fingers still burrowed into her wrists. “Give me your mouth.”

  She looks at me as if she’s confused until she catches on. Mia leans forward to gently tug at my lip with her teeth, knowing full well how I like it. I growl, a ripple of pleasure shooting through my body. Dipping her tongue into my mouth, she rocks her hips to rub her pussy against my erection.

  Still clutching her wrists, I release one so that I can pull down her top. She’s not wearing a bra. The black spandex shirt is molded to her curves and now bunched around her middle.

  Taking her nipple between my teeth, I tug hard, peeking up so I can watch her. She closes her eyes, a moan escaping her lips. Her body tenses for a second before it relaxes.

  “E,” she whispers. “Mmm…”

  I slide my hand down her stomach and slip beneath her skirt, not wanting to waste a second of the time we have left. As I switch between sucking and biting her nipples, I peel back her thin, silky panties. Her skin is smooth to the touch and waxed to perfection.

  When I slide my finger along her slick folds, she hisses as if in physical pain. She will be later. “So wet for me.” I slowly inch my way inside her, and she squeezes my finger. “And so fucking tight.”

  She grinds against me, more impatient than ever.

  I withdraw my finger and lick her juices from my skin. “Patience, little lamb.”

  She blows a strand of hair away from in front of her eyes. “I hate you.”

  “Good.” I tuck the loose strand behind her ear, grazing my thumb along her jaw in the process. “It’s better if you hate me.”

  “For who? You? Your conscience?”

  “I’m not good for you, Mia.”

  Mia uses my shoulders to stabilize herself, her body still trembling from the loss of my touch. “Are you still staying at the Ritz?”

  “Why?” I cock an eyebrow at her. “You wanna come home with me?”

  She bobs her head.

  “Pretend you’re staying the night with Clarke.”

  Mia opens her eyes and grinds her teeth together. “Will likes her. She likes him, too.”

  “Maybe he’ll go home with her. Let’s see what happens and go from there.”

  She smiles. “I still want an orgasm, but I should get back to work. I came here for a reason.”

  “And what does this work entail?”

  She hops off my lap and fixes her skirt over her toned legs. “It’s top secret. I’ll tell you one thing… it has nothing to do with strippers.”

  Now, she has me worried. A sweet girl like Mia has no business hunting down gangsters and known criminals. I’ve had enough dealings with them in my teens, and that glimpse of the dark side was enough to make me see that hockey was where I needed to focus my attention. But it took leaving Mia, Will, and everything I loved behind to see that. Whether Mia realizes it or not, our time apart ten years ago was for the better. For both of us.

  “You know who owns this club, don’t you?”

  “Everyone knows it’s a Mafia front,” she whispers, though I wonder if this room has microphones hidden somewhere. “I’m not as naïve as you think.”

  “I’m coming with you.” She opens her mouth to argue with me until I yank the hem of her shirt to pull her closer to me, cutting her off. “It’s not up for debate.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Fine. Don’t get in my way.”

  “What are you planning to do?”

  “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.” She chuckles. “Honestly, I have no idea. I overheard something at work today, and I thought I’d peek around and see if anything looks out of the ordinary. So, keep your eyes open.”

  I pull Mia onto my knee and hook my arm around her back as I plant a kiss on her lips. “You scare me more than anyone I’ve ever met.”

  She narrows her eyes. “And why is that?”

  “Because you’re too curious, too interested in things that don’t concern you. That curiosity could get you killed. I don’t like it.”

  “We’re only testing this out,” she reminds me. “Just sex, maybe more, which means you have no say in my life or how I run it.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I know you’re up to no good, and now I’m not letting you out of my sight. Got it?”

  For once, she doesn’t challenge me. She simply nods.

  Victorious, I smile. “Good girl. Let’s get this over with, so I can take you back to my hotel and fuck you until morning.”

  She sticks her tongue out to wet her lips.

  No answer is needed. We can communicate later in moans and grunts.

  Chapter Twenty

  Mia

  The conversation I’d overheard at Old City Records was another bust. Nothing was out of the ordinary at Scores. I still can’t believe I allowed a stripper to talk me into learning how to give a lap dance. Ethan assured me it was a trick to get him to fork over more money. Well, it worked.

  After my brother told me he was going home with Clarke, which wasn’t much of a surprise, I left the club with Ethan. Tonight is the night. Finally. The wait is over.

  Ethan guides me off the elevator with his hand on my back. We walk down a lavish hallway and stop at the last door on the right.

  He sticks the keycard into the tiny slot on the door and winks. “Don’t be nervous.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “I’m not.”

  “Stop biting your cheek. It’s a dead giveaway. For as long as I’ve known you, that’s always been your tell.”

  “Well, the last time I checked, I’m not a poker player, and you’re not a mind reader.”

  “Okay, smartass.” He opens the door for me and ushers me inside. “Let’s go. Get your sexy ass on my bed.”

  Without another argument, I step inside the massive suite, staring in awe of my surroundings. Ethan grew up rich. He still has a trust fund from his grandparents, and now he has millions coming in from the Flyers. A hotel room like this is nothing out of the ordinary for him. But to me, this is as close as I’ll ever come to feeling like a princess. The open concept living room alone is bigger than my entire shithole apartment.

  Ethan steers me through a set of open double doors that lead to the bedroom. I sit on the edge of the massive bed. He stands between my legs and pushes on my shoulder. I peek up at him, my elbows digging into the soft mattress.

  I have a feeling Ethan will be rough with me. My first sexual encounter with him was different from past men. N
o one has ever bit me or held my hands so I couldn’t escape. I liked it. A lot. And I want him to do it again.

  Ethan bends down in front of me, his expression intense. “I promise to take it easy on you the first time. You can relax.”

  I laugh. “I’m relaxed.”

  A smirk turns up the right corner of his mouth. “You’re about to make every fantasy I’ve ever had come true.” He runs his fingers along my arm, leaving a trail of bumps along my hot skin. “My cock needs to be inside you, so fucking deep you feel me everywhere.”

  I gasp at his words. This side of Ethan is so exciting my skin pricks with heat. Nervous energy dances along my skin, causing the anxiety to creep up from the back of my throat. I hadn’t expected to be this on edge, but everything needs to be perfect for my first time with my first crush. My first and only love.

  My nipples harden to stiff points when Ethan dips his hand between my legs. He moves my thong to the side to roll his thumb over my clit.

  “You like that?” His voice is deep, husky.

  “Yes,” I moan, leaning my elbows back on the mattress.

  Ethan drags his finger along my slick folds. I’m so wet my juices slide down my inner thigh. Ethan commits every feature to memory as he rakes over my breasts with a greedy look in his eyes. Licking his lips, he picks up the pace as his fingers slide deeper inside me.

  He bends down to taste me, and our kiss only lasts for a few seconds before he pulls away, leaving me panting and wanting more. Ethan spreads me wider, his fingers so deep inside me I can feel him everywhere. So close to finding my release, my entire body trembles to the point Ethan has to grip my shoulder to hold me in place.

  My skin grows warmer, the heat radiating off me in waves. “Yes,” I moan, so close to reaching the finish line.

  “That’s it, baby.” Ethan licks my neck. “Come for me.” His words are a whisper on his lips.

  He grazes his teeth along my skin, igniting every pleasure point in my body at once. I ride the wave, each orgasm hitting me harder than the last.

  Ethan buries his face in the crook of my neck. “You smell so fucking good. Like sex and apples.” He slides his fingers out of me, so damn slow a chill runs down my spine, causing me to shiver.