Desire: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by R. R. Banks

  The chauffeur opened the door and leaned down to look in at me.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked.

  I wondered if he was going to ask the same question at the beginning of all of my dates, but right then, it felt highly applicable. The screaming was only getting louder and I still had no idea why. I finally drew in a breath and reached for the hand that the chauffeur offered. He helped me out of the car and I straightened the hem of my shirt, looking over the crowd as they continued to scream. I could see a door on the building through the crowd and looked at the chauffer.

  “I think that’s where you’re going,” he said.

  “Any tips?” I asked.

  “Act like you’re supposed to be here and walk.”

  I turned back to the door and straightened my shoulders, lifting my chin to try to exude as much confidence as I could. The crowd was louder now, but the screams no longer seemed excited. Instead, they were shouting questions, demanding the presence of the band on my shirt. I felt nervous, suddenly unsure of myself, but I refused to step back. I took a step forward. I almost immediately ran into a person’s back, but I didn’t give up my space.

  “Excuse me,” I said, raising my voice up loud enough that she would be able to hear me above the chaos.

  She looked over her shoulder and saw me. To my surprise, she stepped out of the way. I continued this way, forcing my way through with declarations that I was expected, and by the time that I reached the building the crowd had parted ways and allowed me through easily. I knocked on the door and it opened a few inches.

  “Snow?” a man I couldn’t see said.

  “Yes.”

  The door opened just enough for me to step inside and then the man slammed the door, nearly catching the arm of someone leaning from outside.

  “What in the living hell is that all about?” I demanded.

  The man who had let me in, a massive man that reminded me of a stone wall, expressed absolutely no emotion.

  “They’re here to see the band.”

  “The band?” I looked down at my chest and saw the name on my shirt again. “Oh. The band. I’m not really familiar with them.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  I wasn’t sure what the man who I could only assume was a bodyguard meant, but I knew that I didn’t like the way that he had said it. There was a long silence and I didn’t know if I should say anything about the date. The secrecy that seemed to hang over The Enchanted Woods made it seem that I should probably not mention it, but at the same time I didn’t want to think that this man might be my date and all that he had planned for us was listening to the muffled screams of apparently frantic fans while watching over a band that played a type of music I would never voluntarily listen to. I had prepared myself to come up with a creative way of asking when another door opened from across the room.

  “Did she get here yet?”

  The bodyguard gestured toward me without saying anything. I looked at the man who had spoken and smiled.

  “I’m Snow,” I said.

  “Sam,” he said. “I’m glad you got through the crowd alright. I would have met you at the car, but I would probably still be out there signing autographs.”

  He had started walking toward the door that he had come out of and I fell into step behind him.

  “What exactly is it that’s going on out there?” I asked.

  “Somehow the location of our practice space got leaked online,” he said. “Those are some of our more rabid fans. They’ve been camped out there all day waiting to see us.”

  “How did you get in without getting mobbed by them?” I asked as I stepped through the door and into a listening booth.

  “There’s a secret entrance,” he told me. “It’s all very secret agent.”

  He leaned toward me conspiratorially and I felt an immediate attraction to him. He wore a pair of form-fitting dark jeans and a white button-up shirt untucked over them, the first three buttons unbuttoned. Several woven thread bracelets encircled his wrist. It was something that I never would have said that I thought was attractive, but I was oddly drawn to him, as if the fact that he was something so different was what made him interesting.

  “I promise I won’t tell,” I said, mirroring his lean.

  We laughed for a second and then he straightened, gesturing at the large glass panel in between the listening booth and the rehearsal space beyond.

  “These are the guys,” he said by way of introduction. “We’re rehearsing for a show tonight. Want to sit down and have a listen?”

  “Sure,” I said, even though I was less than excited about listening to his music.

  Sam guided me to one of the stools near the listening booth counter and handed me a pair of headphones. I was genuinely surprised to find that the music was more enjoyable than I thought it would be and even found myself dancing slightly throughout the last song. When it ended, Sam came back through the door into the listening booth and looked at me expectantly.

  “So?” he asked.

  “I liked it,” I said.

  “Good,” he said. “I hoped you would. Does that mean that you would be interested in accompanying me to my show tonight?”

  I considered it for a second and then nodded.

  “Absolutely.”

  Sam wrapped his arm around my waist and yanked me up against him, crushing his mouth against mine in an almost startling kiss.

  “I’m sorry,” he said as he pulled back from the kiss. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “It’s alright,” I told him, my mind spinning a little from the kiss.

  He had said it as if he thought that he was going to break me, that I was delicate in some intangible way. I appreciated the apparent respect, but his hesitation was too close a reminder to who I was before I agreed to all this and I wasn’t interested in letting that continue if I had anything to say about it.

  “Should I go back to the retreat and change clothes?” I asked, trying to exude the same confidence that I had to get through the crowd.

  “Yes,” Sam said, taking both of my hands in his. “The driver will bring you to the venue and make sure that you get in safely. I’ll meet you inside.”

  I nodded and turned to the door of the listening booth, walking out and back toward the door where the bodyguard was stationed. I couldn’t hear the screaming on the other side anymore and I looked at him questioningly.

  “Police,” he said.

  I nodded.

  “Thank you for the elaboration.”

  I felt a hint of disappointment when I stepped out of the building and the crowd was gone. There was a thrill to being linked to someone who created such a fervor in so many people and I found myself looking forward to being seen with Sam at the show. It was a drastically different experience than the complete solitude of my date with Lee, and I was curious about what discoveries there were to be made with him there to show me his corner of the world.

  As soon as I got back to the cottage, I rushed into my room and opened the box again. I pulled out the second outfit and felt a touch of nerves return to my belly. This was something that I would never wear, even when I first starting dating my ex. It was completely out of my comfort zone and I questioned whether me wearing it would have the intended effect. The door to my room opened and Noah stepped inside carrying a glass of wine. His eyes settled onto the dress I was holding.

  “Is that for your date?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “Yes,” I said. “I’m going to a concert. The man is a musician.”

  Noah nodded as I took the glass from him.

  “You’ll look incredible in that,” he said while walking toward the door. “He’s a lucky man.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Snow

  An hour later I walked down the stairs of an elaborate concert venue that had been crafted out of an abandoned vintage theater dressed in a short black dress, spike heels that buckled around my ankles, and a heavy application of m
akeup. My hair was curled and teased, creating a look that was a far more over-the-top than I was accustomed to, but after Noah’s comment I had made the decision that I wanted each of my date experiences with these men to be completely different than the others, and I was committed.

  I spotted Sam across the room talking to a group of guys that looked like the quintessential image of roadies. As if he could feel me looking at him, he glanced up and caught sight of me. His eyes stopped, his expression changing, and his attention completely taken from the conversation. I appreciated the slightly startled look in his eyes, but then the confident, smoldering look returned and I felt nervousness roll through me. Sam was more intense than Lee, his personality almost volatile in its energy, and I couldn’t fathom what he might be thinking. I kept looking at him as I started down the stairs again.

  By the time I reached the bottom step, Sam had left the men he was talking to and was waiting for me. He reached out to wrap one hand around my wrist and pulled me close so that I pressed against his chest and he could place his mouth close to my ear.

  "Either dance with me or let me bring you to my VIP lounge right now. Your choice."

  My breath caught in my throat and I could feel him smile. I reminded myself of the purpose of this retreat and some of my confidence returned. I didn’t want to give Sam the satisfaction of feeling like he was totally in control and I pulled back slightly so that I could look into his face.

  "I guess that means that we’re going to dance."

  He released my wrist and turned his hand to take mine so he could lead me toward the dancefloor where people had filtered from the tables surrounding it and started dancing to the music of the warmup band. Sam stopped in the middle but continued to lead me so that I walked around him as if he was showing me off to the people who had gathered around us. Suddenly he pulled me into his arms, crushing my body against his, and caught my eyes. There was a look of unfettered desire and unashamed intention there. It was less playful than Lee, but no less entrancing. I felt like I was at the beginning of a game of chess, jockeying for position and power while also aware of simmering desire that was building in my belly and making me eager to find out what was his next move.

  Sam seemed to feel the same simmer as he placed his hands lightly on my waist and began to dance. He moved slowly and subtly, rolling his hips against mine as if guiding me again until I began to respond with movements of my own. I watched as the tip of his tongue slipped out to slick across his bottom lip and he tightened his grip on my waist. He leaned his head forward to tuck it close to my ear again.

  "You don't look as inexperienced as Fawn told me that you are."

  I tilted my head to look up at him. I was stung by the unrestrained honesty of the statement and the confirmation of what I had thought when we were in his practice space, but I quickly recovered, reminding myself that that was exactly what she was supposed to do – find the men who would be right to help me overcome my limitations and discover myself.

  "I don’t?" I asked coyly, the music, heat of the bodies around them, and lust in Sam's voice making my arousal start to creep higher.

  "No. You look like pure sex and if all of these people weren't here right now I would make sure that you understood exactly what I mean by that.”

  "If all of these people weren't here, I wouldn’t be either, and I definitely wouldn’t be wearing this."

  "Exactly. That dress would be on the floor and I would be showing you that this body was made for much more than what you’ve been using it for."

  "Oh really?" I asked, made almost breathless by his powerful, dominant stance.

  He made an affirming sound and I felt him slide his hands up my body. His hands slipped over the curve of my waist and the sides of my breasts to lift my arms up and drape them around his neck.

  "What is it that you would show me?" I asked in a heated whisper, still wanting to maintain the soft coyness in my voice but feeling more wanton with each word.

  I felt a suggestive twitch against my hip and his dancing seemed to become more intense.

  "I would teach you like I know that Fawn had you teach yourself in the cottage.”

  My mouth fell open slightly. I knew that Noah had been in the cottage, but I didn’t know that anyone else was going to know about what happened there. For a moment I felt embarrassed, but then I realized that I was holding the power in my hand again.

  “There something else for me to learn?”

  Sam slipped his leg between mine and pulled me further up so that I rode his thigh. The dress of the skirt was short enough that it bunched nearly to my hips, causing me to straddle his thigh with nothing but my panties between me and his leg. The friction created by his pants against the lace of my panties built a strong pressure deep in my belly and I relaxed into the flow of the music.

  "There is so much more,” Sam told me. “I would teach you to touch me. I would wrap your little hand around my cock and show you how to stroke me."

  I whimpered at the thought and Sam nudged my forehead with his so that I arched backwards. He touched his lips to the swell of my cleavage above the neckline of my dress and moved up, trailing kisses to the soft dip at the base of my neck before guiding me back up to standing.

  "Then when I had taught you how to get me good and hard, I would tuck it right into your pretty mouth and teach you to suck me."

  He leaned down again to lick the side of my neck, the feeling of his tongue across my skin making me shiver. I knew that by now he would have to be able to feel the wet heat on his thigh where I danced and I could feel a strong erection straining against his pants. I rocked against his thigh, wanting him to feel more of it.

  "Then I would lick you until you couldn't take any more, until I had you right on the edge of your control.”

  "And then?" I breathed.

  Suddenly Sam's mouth crushed down on mine, claiming my lips and drawing my tongue hard against his own so they tangled. I moaned into the kiss and Sam pulled his mouth away, meeting my eyes with a melting chocolate-colored stare.

  "And then I would fuck you so well you will remember me for the rest of your life."

  I was starting to say something back to him when he stepped back and I noticed one of the men he had been talking to when I first arrived standing close behind him, tapping on his shoulder.

  “What?” he snapped.

  “Some of the sound guys need to talk to you.”

  Sam looked back at me.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve got to handle this.”

  Before I could say anything else, he started away with the man. In that moment, I had no interest in sitting around listening to his band play. I had already heard the rehearsal and I didn’t have any interest in being by myself throughout the rest of the concert.

  I paced around the empty lounge, my mind racing. My thighs were damp and I could still feel Sam's hard cock pressing against my hip as we danced. I had never danced like that and it made my body feel alive. His touch made me keenly aware of every inch of my body and curious about what else there was to discover with this man.

  Sam's words seemed to swell louder and louder in my mind and I felt my stomach tighten as I replayed them. He spoke to me with such intensity and yet such incredible control that I wanted to give myself over to him, yet it also made me want to find the power that I held within myself and see what I could accomplish when I tried to control him.

  His attention had been taken away from me so quickly, though, and I felt the sinking sense of disappointment as I thought about him turning away from me to talk with the guy. I knew that he was here to perform and that he had to handle what had come up, this was still a date and I craved more attention from him. The music was pounding loudly enough that I could feel the vibrations coming through the floor beneath my feet. That suggestive sensation brought me further into my desire, and I thought back to the way I had learned to touch myself in the cottage, and the passionate experience I’d had with Lee. The plans that Sam had
whispered to me fell into place with these and I knew that I couldn’t just remain unsatisfied for the night.

  Slipping my dress off over my head, I tossed it aside and stood in front of the full-length mirror hanging on the wall to watch myself slowly peel my damp black lace panties off of my hips. I bent over slowly to guide them down my thighs so that I could feel the sensation of the warm fabric grazing down my skin. The cut of the dress hadn’t allowed me to wear a bra so I was left in nothing but the strappy black heels. They were unlike anything that I had ever worn before, but they spoke to the sexy, uninhibited feeling that I had gotten from that evening’s experience. Leaving them on, I walked across the room to the light switch and flicked it down.

  I settled onto the large couch on one side of the room and leaned back so I reclined against the pillows piled into one corner. I rested one hand to my stomach and paused for a moment to feel it rising and falling with my deep, somewhat ragged breaths. I parted my legs and slid my hand down between my thighs to discover my luscious swollen pearl again. I gasped, my head arching back and my eyes closing at the feeling. I explored with my fingertip, gradually moving lower and gathering my silky fluid to allow it to slip more freely across my body as I visualized Sam and the things he said that he wanted to do with me. I bent my legs, pulling my thighs further apart and opening me more to my own touch.

  Suddenly I heard the sound of the doorknob turning and saw a splash of light as the door opened part of the way. I saw the silhouette of someone standing in the doorway and from the broadness of the shoulders and the slope of the hips I knew it was Sam. My voice whimpered from my throat as the sight of him caused the sensations to spiral and my arousal to reach a new level of intensity.