Allure (Forbidden #1)

by Michelle Betham

  ‘It’s what’s coming in it later that I’m looking forward to.’ I throw him a wink and quickly kiss his cheek.

  ‘You’re a filthy bitch.’

  ‘Being a filthy bitch is earning me a lot of money.’

  ‘Not if you start giving it away for free.’

  I do get that he’s only looking out for me, but he doesn’t understand. He wasn’t there. He didn’t feel that crazy attraction – a connection so powerful it shocked the hell out of me.

  ‘I’m not doing this, Joey. Just give me these few days, OK? Let me do something normal, feel something normal…’

  ‘You don’t do normal, Kira. You haven’t done normal for over a decade.’

  ‘So let me do it now.’

  ‘Because I’ll be here to pick up the pieces, right? When he walks away, and you come to your fucking senses and realise what a stupid, dangerous thing it was you did, I’ll be here to put your fucked-up life back together. Again. Is that it?’

  ‘I’m that much of a problem, huh?’

  ‘Jesus, Kira, that isn’t what I meant.’

  ‘Forget the coffee. I’ll grab one on my way into town.’

  ‘Kira! Don’t you dare walk away from me, lady!’

  I stop, throw back my head and turn around to face him.

  ‘I will be here, Kira. I’ll always be here… And I want to see that pretty arse of yours in Bam-Bams tonight, do you hear me? Before you go fuck Mr Blue-Eyes’ brains out. For free.’

  ‘Joey…’

  He holds his hands up, but I know he isn’t sorry.

  ‘You got a show tonight?’

  ‘That’s why I want you there, angel. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, before I go on. You’re my lucky charm, God help me.’

  ‘I hate you, you old drama queen.’

  ‘Get out of my sight, you washed-up slut.’

  We both smile, and this part of my life shifts back on to its comfortable, if not slightly dysfunctional axis. As for the other part, I have no idea where that’s going. All I know is I have a job to do. Even if I’m not really in the mood anymore.

  Neal

  I’ve spent the entire morning driving around this beautiful part of the country, meeting the most warm, friendly, and incredibly interesting people, as well as checking out some pretty spectacular pieces. I’ve already managed to acquire a few things for Lee, and this afternoon we’re meeting at her gallery so she can see what I’ve come up with so far. She specifically asked me for some local pieces, and I’m still trying to understand why she wanted an American dealer to hunt this stuff out for her when there are some very well-respected dealers here in her own hometown. I’ve met with quite a few of them already since I got here. But, hey, who am I to question a client’s requirements? Besides, I have a number of clients all over the world who’d rather use me than a local dealer. I’m that good.

  I smile as I head across the hotel lobby, stopping at reception to see if there are any messages.

  ‘Afternoon, Mr Cannon. Are you having a good day so far?’

  I throw Tracy, the receptionist, one of my smiles and watch as she suddenly goes all coy on me. I’m being a bit cruel, really, because I know she’s got a little crush on me. Derek, the concierge, told me as much the other day, but she’s way too young for me. No harm in being friendly, though.

  ‘I’m having a great day, thank you, Tracy. Are there any messages for me?’

  ‘No, Mr Cannon. No messages. Are you going up to your suite now?’

  ‘No. I think I’m gonna head into the bar for a quick drink before my afternoon appointments. You take care now, honey, OK?’

  I throw her a wink and another smile before I make my way into the bar. It’s quite busy in there this afternoon, but I guess we’re at the beginning of a new working week. I’m not the only businessman in town.

  ‘Just a black coffee, please, Tony.’

  I’m on first name terms with a lot of the hotel staff now. I’m beginning to realise what an incredibly friendly part of the world this is, and even though I’ve only been here a couple of days I’m extremely comfortable in my temporary home.

  ‘Working this afternoon, Mr Cannon?’ Tony asks, placing my coffee down on the counter as I slide up on to a stool.

  I nod, taking a sip of the strong black liquid. ‘Got a meeting at The Gifford Gallery.’

  ‘Any plans for this evening?’

  Oh, yeah, I got plans for this evening. But none I’m gonna divulge to anyone else. ‘Not sure yet. Gonna see how the day goes.’ I smile, and he heads off to serve another customer.

  I take another sip of coffee and look around the room. I like to people watch sometimes. I find it kinda relaxing. But as I continue to scan the room I see someone I really wasn’t expecting to see. I see her – Kira. She’s here, in the hotel, and seeing her, it throws me slightly. She looks beautiful in a figure-hugging dark dress and killer heels, her dark-blonde hair piled high on top of her head, all business-like and freaking hot-as-hell. But I know the kind of business she’s really here to do. She’s just good at making it look like another generic working lunch.

  I want to look away, but I can’t. She told me, despite our own personal arrangement, that she was going to carry on working, and even though I was OK with putting that to the back of my mind and pretending it wasn’t happening, seeing it going on right there in front of me – man, it’s a killer. But I can’t look away.

  She stands up, and the man beside her places a hand in the small of her back as he leans in to say something to her that makes her laugh, and I feel like someone’s just grabbed my heart and squeezed it hard. I don’t want to be feeling this shit, but I am, and it fucking hurts.

  He’s older than her, this man she’s more than likely going upstairs to fuck, and the thought of him with his dick inside her cuts me in two. The thought she might enjoy it rips me even further apart.

  I finally turn away, but I can’t resist one more look as they head out of the bar. He’s taken his hand off her, which is something, but that’s only because he’ll know this is supposed to look like an ordinary business meeting. But it isn’t. It’s so far from that.

  ‘Everything OK, Mr Cannon?’

  I turn back to face Tony. ‘Stick a shot of whiskey in that coffee, will you?’ Fuck it. I need a drink. My head’s now swimming with images of Kira naked and wet, being fucked by a stranger, and I have no idea how to deal with this. No fucking idea.

  Tonight can’t come quickly enough.

  But I’ve yet to get through the rest of the day.

  Kira

  He probably thinks I didn’t see him, but I did. I just wish I hadn’t. It’s knocked me slightly, and I’m glad my client wanted a shower before we got down to anything physical. It gives me a few more minutes to get my head together. I can’t be distracted, it isn’t fair on this man who’s paying for my company. Neal gets that regardless now.

  He’s a nice man, my new client. A very polite and friendly older gentleman who’s up in the North East for some kind of IT convention, which he did tell me about over a more than pleasant lunch. I just wasn’t really taking it all in. I can look as though I’m interested, I’m so good at that it’s scary, but even before I’d seen Neal at the bar my head wasn’t really in the right place.

  I walk over to the window and cross my arms against myself as I look out. This room is at the front of the hotel, facing out over the River Tyne, and as I look down I see Neal leaving. He stops to talk to George, the doorman, and I can’t take my eyes off him. Even from up here he stands out from the crowd. His hair blows slightly in the breeze as he stands with his hands in the pockets of his dark pants, his white shirt sleeves rolled up over his forearms. And then he throws his head back and laughs and I break inside.

  In a few minutes I’m going to have to ride cowgirl on this man I’ve agreed to spend the afternoon with, and pretend I’m loving every second of it, when I know now that I’ll be closing my eyes and imagining it’s Neal. That’s the only way
I’m going to get through this now. Close my eyes and imagine it’s Neal.

  ‘I’m ready, Kira.’

  I slowly turn around, and ignore the dull ache in the pit of my stomach. My client, the kind, polite older gentleman, is standing there in the bathroom doorway, naked and waiting for me to do my thing. And I have to force a smile as I slip out of my dress, giving him a look at what he’s booked for the next hour.

  And all I can think about is tonight.

  Nine

  Neal

  I’m taking her out. I want to show her off. I want us to feel like some element of whatever it is we have right now is even verging on normal.

  Looking in the mirror I adjust my shirt collar and fasten my belt and then wonder why the hell I’m bothering. The second she steps through the door I’m gonna want her. Yeah, we’re going out but before we go anywhere I want to – I want to make love to her. I can’t even think of it in terms of fucking now. Fucking seems like such a cold, seedy word to describe what I want to do to her.

  I check my watch. She’ll be here any minute, and I’m still getting used to the way my stomach flips when I think about her. And then I remember this afternoon – seeing her with another man; another client. And my stomach lurches in an altogether different kind of way.

  I close my eyes for a second or two and try to rid my mind of the images of her with somebody else, but it’s like they’re engrained into my brain now. And all of that just confuses me more. These feelings I’m experiencing, I kinda wish they’d go away. Leave me alone. But on the other hand I want to embrace them because they’re making me feel fucking alive. And I haven’t felt that in so long. For years now my life has been nothing but work and travelling and endless days on endless flights from one city to the next. And sex was always meaningless. Necessary, but meaningless. And then came Kira Blu.

  The knock on the door sends me crashing back to reality, or what passes for that at the minute, and I head over to answer it, hoping it’s her.

  It is. And she is heartbreakingly beautiful tonight in skin-tight jeans and a strapless top and skyscraper-heeled boots that make her legs look impossibly long. Her hair hangs loose around her bare shoulders and her eyes are bright and shining. And I am lost, man. I’m fucking lost.

  She smiles, and it floors me. I actually can’t do anything but smile back as I pull her inside and close the door behind her before kissing her long and slow. I’ve dreamed about doing this all day, and now it’s happening I’m relieved I don’t have to let her go in a couple of hours. She’s mine, for the rest of the night, and I could cry with freaking happiness.

  ‘Hey, you,’ I say quietly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as I pull her closer to me.

  ‘Hey back.’

  She smiles again, and I don’t think it’s possible to feel any more crazy or fucked-up than I do right now, and yet, I never want to feel anything other than this.

  ‘So, what do you want to do first, Mr Cannon?’

  ‘We going all role-play, Ms Blu?’

  She slides a hand around the back of my neck, her fingers lightly stroking my skin and it sends a shiver right through me. ‘Well, now you mention it, I’ve got my dress-up bag in the car downstairs.’

  ‘I just want you here, Kira. I don’t care what we do.’

  That’s kinda true. But I do want her naked, underneath me, over me, any fucking way she comes I want her naked.

  ‘I’ll be two minutes,’ she whispers, leaning in so her mouth lingers over mine, touching it only briefly before she smiles once more and pulls back, sashaying into the bathroom. I know what she’s going to do, and I head over to the mini bar to pour myself a shot of whiskey, knocking it back in one just as she appears in the living room doorway, naked – bar for her boots. Naked and hot and mine for the night. All fucking mine.

  I don’t have to say anything, she comes over to me anyway, slides her hand back around my neck and buries her fingers in my hair as she kisses me so down and dirty my cock doesn’t even have time to think about what’s happening.

  She claws at my zipper, and I love her desperation; I’m feeding off it, Jesus, I crave this woman like a bad fucking drug!

  Picking her up I slam her back against the wall, and her legs wrap around me as I dive into her, taking her deep as my fingers dig into her warm, naked flesh. So much for making love; it’s all about the fucking now. And I don’t care that some other man probably had his dick inside her just a few hours ago. I don’t care, because I’m here now, and she wants me. I want her. She doesn’t want my money.

  ‘Baby, baby, baby…’ I murmur as I feel my body get ready to face the inevitable climax, and when it hits her cries mingle with mine as we come together, and the whole world can fuck off now because I’m right where I want to be. ‘Jesus, Kira…’ I can barely catch my breath, so I stop talking and just look at her instead. Her eyes are still shining, her face all flushed with a post-sex glow that makes her look twice as stunning as she did before.

  I put her down and pull her against me, kissing her slowly, holding her close, and she falls into my arms like the broken rag doll she is. And I’m her broken man. For the next few days, anyway.

  ‘That was good,’ she whispers lazily as her mouth rests against mine, and I smile. She makes me want to smile. She makes me want to do a lot of things.

  I stroke her back – long, slow strokes and she moans quietly, closing her eyes, and I feel another piece of me start to come alive. This wild, wrong woman is reawakening parts of me that have lain dormant for too many years because I’ve been too scared to bring them back to life. She’s started that process. But I don’t know if we have time for her to finish it.

  ‘We should get ready,’ I murmur, in between quick kisses.

  My hand rests lightly on her ass; she has the tightest, firmest ass I have ever felt, and I kinda want to fuck it. Before I leave. And I try to remember if she’s OK with that; if it was mentioned on her profile as something she did or didn’t do.

  ‘Yeah. I guess we should. I promised Joey we’d be there to see his show.’

  I frown. She did mention a Joey but I can’t for the life of me remember who he is to her. He can’t be a boyfriend, surely.

  She looks at me, throwing me a slightly frustrated half-smile as she pulls away because she can tell I have no idea who Joey is.

  ‘Joey’s my best friend. My gay best friend.’

  I find myself breathing an inner, and hopefully inaudible sigh of relief. He’s her best friend, and he’s gay. No competition there, then.

  ‘I said we’d go see his drag act, remember?’

  Yeah, I remember – now. She did tell me, over the phone, when I spoke to her an hour or so ago. I guess I was still a touch distracted by the thought of her fucking someone else to take it all in properly.

  ‘We’re going to a gay joint, right?’

  She smiles a more convincing smile this time, and I love that she’s so comfortable naked because she should never have to put clothes on that body. Ever. ‘It’s a drag club, but not exclusively a gay club. Lots of different people frequent Bam-Bams.’

  ‘Bam-Bams?’ I raise an eyebrow, and she laughs, and my eyes go straight to her tits. And now my cock’s all ready to go again but its gonna have to wait.

  ‘It’s a fabulous place. Believe me. It’s a bit like my second home, if I’m honest. And Joey is the star attraction, of course. I mean, it’s his club, has been for over ten years now, so, who else is going to take the top slot? But when he’s done with his finale the music keeps going and the dancing and partying doesn’t stop until the early hours, even on a Monday, so…’ She walks back over to me and leans in for a kiss, playing with my shirt collar as she grinds her naked body against me, ‘you might want to make sure you’re ready for a long night, Mr Cannon.’

  I groan and slide an arm back around her waist – any excuse to touch her. Her skin is like velvet beneath my fingertips and part of me doesn’t want to go anywhere now. But I’m not sure it’s
healthy to stay hidden away in this suite for hours on end anymore. Like I said, I’m trying to make some element of this feel normal. As normal as it can be, anyway. ‘I got enough stamina to last all night, baby.’

  ‘Good.’ She leans in for another, longer kiss, her tongue touching mine and I pull her closer. ‘Because the night isn’t over when the partying’s done. I’ve got plans for you.’ She reaches down to touch my reawakened cock. ‘And this.’

  I breathe out slowly as she pulls away and heads back towards the bathroom, and I can’t take my eyes off her ass. Yeah. I need to fuck that. So bad.

  I lean back against the wall and push a hand through my hair, letting out another deep breath. I don’t know what this is, and I don’t care. I don’t. Whatever it is I’m gonna run with it until our time together is up. And I’m gonna make the most of every fucking second.

  Ten

  Kira

  I cling on to his hand as we walk into the club. The music is loud and the atmosphere is, as always, fun and vibrant and friendly. I love Bam-Bams. When I told Neal it was like my second home, I wasn’t lying. I’m here a lot. It’s like a little corner of a fantasy world where I come to escape the crap outside and spend time with people who know who they are; people who are happy in their own skin. I used to think I was one of those people. And then Neal Cannon appeared. And now I’m not so sure.

  ‘You OK?’ he asks, letting go of my hand and sliding an arm around my shoulders and I lean into him, because he makes me feel safe and protected and normal. This feels normal. I’m out with a man and there’s no money talk, no cash changing hands. I’m not used to it, because I haven’t done this in years. For too long I’ve only ever been out with men who needed to pay for a companion for the evening, someone to take out for drinks or to dinner; someone to stave off the loneliness they’re feeling because they’re away from home for a few days and they’re missing their wives. Those jobs don’t usually end in sex. Yeah, believe it or not my job doesn’t just involve sex. Because I’m older, with a glowing reputation, I’m often called upon to accompany men to dinner dances or drinks receptions and act like the glamorous girlfriend or fake fiancée they need me to be in order to impress clients. I’m just a beautiful tool they need on their arm in order to win a contract or get that foot on the ladder of a much-dreamed-about promotion. Sex is only part of my work. And it doesn’t have to be the greater part. Not if I don’t want it to be.