by Evelyn Vox
I let out a little squeak of excitement. If I had to choose between dinner at the Incata or spending the night with Derek for my birthday…Well, I was glad I didn’t have to be making that choice. Because I doubted Brian would appreciate my standing him up for dinner.
DEREK
“Everything is ready for tonight at ten.”
“Great. I think we’ll be done with dinner by then,” Brian’s reedy voice spilled into my ear.
“You think?” I asked, my voice flat, dangerous.
“We have reservations at The Incata at seven, so I imagine it will work out.”
“Make sure it does.”
“See you later!”
I grumbled into the phone, not bothering to say good-bye before I ended the call. I did not like the idea of them being late to my half of the birthday festivities. It had been way-too-fucking-long since I’d been able to sink my teeth into my Goddess. I was impatient. The beast was in uproar.
The distance from her made me short, tightly wound. I was a living hell to be around at work. Jon was sure to tell me every day. I didn’t trust myself not to lose my shit if they were late tonight. I was counting the minutes until I saw her again. If they made me wait any longer than I needed to…I flinched as the beast gnashed its teeth at the thought.
I’d worked my ass off this week, taken more than one twelve-hour day to make sure we finished this renovation. It had been grueling, but I savored the distraction. And it paid off. We were done on time. My weekends were my own again.
He ‘imagines it will work out’. I sniffed. Like hell it wouldn’t. I lifted my phone to make the call. It rang twice before a pleasant female voice answered.
“The Incata Restaurant, how may I help you?”
“Yes, I have a reservation for this evening: Hale, seven o’clock.”
“I see you’ve got a reservation for two, Mr. Hale. Do you need to make any changes?”
“Yes,” I said, smiling, “make it a reservation for three.”
Chapter Nineteen
LEXIE
I felt extremely glamorous as I walked through the doors of The Incata. I was fortunate to have such a loving and attentive husband, someone who doted on me so. It meant the world to me that Brian took the time to set up dinner. At The Inacata, no less. I could have run up the gleaming marble steps, I was so excited.
The bellboy in the elevator nodded politely as I asked him to take me to the restaurant. I stared at my distorted reflection in the bronze elevator doors. Even if it was a size four, I thought the dress I’d picked looked great on me. Black, sleek, and sexy, it caressed my extra curves in all the right places. I especially loved the long slit that went right up to the top of my thigh.
I just knew Derek would love it, too.
I’d swept my hair back into a messy french twist, with long tendrils of loose hair curling around my face. I’d gone with a bold brick-red lip and a smokey black eye. I looked like an early 90s movie vixen, and I was more than okay with that.
My heart leapt when the door chimed open. Immediately, I saw Brian waiting in the lobby. His stood tall and handsome in his navy-blue tuxedo. His smile was bright as he pulled me in for a kiss.
“Happy Birthday,” he said, stepping back. “You look…shapely.”
“Excuse me?”
Brian laughed. “Nothing, sorry. Just your new dress is very vampy. You ready?”
I scowled lightly at him, just to make him sweat.
“You look gorgeous, baby.”
“Thank you,” I said, letting myself grin. “I’m so ready.”
He turned towards the hostess behind the podium.
“Reservation for Hale.”
“Ah, yes, Mr.Hale. Please, follow me.”
She gathered menus in her arm and took us through the dimly lit restaurant. I was so taken by the crystal chandeliers and the red and gold color-scheme, that I hardly heard what she said next.
“The third member of your party is already waiting.”
“Third member?” Brian said, “The reservation should be for two.”
The hostess didn’t skip a beat as she continued to lead us, weaving through tables.
“Sir, you called to add a third member today.”
“I haven’t the faintest—,” Brian stopped short when we go to our table.
My eyes roved over that huge, hulking presence as he pushed back his chair and stood to his full, impressive height. My stomach flipped somersaults and my heart raced. I hadn’t been expecting him. Not at all.
“Derek,” I breathed, unable to hide the desire in my voice.
Those gray eyes sparked at me. He gave me a once-over, from head to toe. Blatant and sexual appreciation was plastered on his chiseled face. That blistering gaze had heat immediately pooling between my thighs
“Alexandra,” he said, the deep, authoritative rumble of his voice cutting through all the background clatter. “Happy Birthday.”
There were three chairs and three place-settings on the small, round table. He stepped aside to pull out the middle chair for me.
“After you, Princess.”
“Thank you, Sir,” I said, knowing how much that word would set him off.
I was rewarded with a passing growl in my ear as I sat. I shivered, grinning from ear to ear. This was a wonderful birthday surprise. Beaming, I turned to Brian, who was silent.
He sighed before nodding to the hostess. “Yes, a reservation for three. Thank you.”
Brian sat down to my left, Derek to my right. I turned towards my husband and gave him a playful pinch on the knee.
“You didn’t tell me Derek was going to be here!”
“Well, no, I didn’t,” he said, leveling a hard look at Derek. “But I know how much you love surprises.”
“And wasn’t it a great surprise?” Derek chimed in with a smirk so naughty it shouldn’t have been allowed in public.
Was it just me, or was something up with these two? I could almost feel the tension rippling between them. The bad kind of tension. Sitting in the middle, I was caught right in its crosshairs.
“Is everything okay?” I ventured, eyes darting between my two lovers.
“Everything is fine, Alexandra,” Derek said, his voice tight. “Isn’t that right, Brian?”
“Perfectly fine,” Brian agreed, unfolding his napkin on his lap. “Now, what shall we get for dinner?”
I opened the thick, leather-bound menu, and gasped when I felt Derek’s touch on my bare leg. He didn’t look at me. Just read his menu, holding it with one hand, while the other rubbed my thigh. Grinning, I inched closer to him. I ever so subtly opened my legs wider to give him better access. Goosebumps shivered across my skin as his hand went farther up my leg.
Who knew a dress with a long leg slit would have such perks?
When the waiter came by and delivered our steaming food, I was beginning to wish I’d worn pants. Because Derek’s hand has been on my thigh all night. He kept inching it up and up, threatening to brush against the throbbing heat between my legs. And every time, right when I thought he’d touch me where I needed it the most, his thumb would retreat to rub slow, sensual circles on my inner thigh.
By the time the meal was over, I was still starving.
And not for food.
My clit pounded, my panties were drenched, and all the while, Derek acted like everything was perfectly normal. We’d carried on entire conversations as though nothing was happening. I wasn’t sure if Brian knew. I didn’t think he could see it from his view. Which, of course, made it all the more illicit and sexy.
“That was delicious,” Brian told the waiter as he cleared our plates.
“Dessert?” the waiter asked.
“Yes, puh-oh-please,” I said, my voice rising an octave as Derek’s thumb grazed the lining of my underwear.
My face burned as the waiter gave me a curious look. “I’ll be right back with the dessert tray.”
I cast my furious gaze on Derek, who only chuckled darkly.
Derek made a choking sound, his wicked fingers still moving towards the apex of my thighs.
“No, I’m fine,” I ground out, struggling to keep my voice even.
The waiter returned quickly. He balanced a tray laden with desserts. All of them looked delicious and mouthwatering. Derek’s fingers delved beneath my panties, and I gripped the tablecloth, stifling my own choking sounds. All eyes were on me to make my order first, but I couldn’t speak. Those fingers dipped into my folds and I fought to keep my moan from bubbling out. I failed.
“I can’t deciiiide,” I said, turning my moan into a whine of frustration.
“So many options, Alexandra,” Derek said, staring at me like a cat would a mouse. “Don’t you want something extra sweet?”
The pads of his fingers slid up towards my clit. “Mmm, yes.”
“And decadent?”
He pressed one finger against my pulsing bud. My knuckles were as white as the tablecloth. I sucked in a breath.
“Yes.”
I tried to contain myself, but that was impossible. I let out a shaky breath and made my face a picture of concentration, like choosing dessert was the hardest puzzle in the world to solve. The waiter and Brian gave me quizzical looks.
“It’s so hard to choose just one, isn’t it?” Derek said, his voice dripping with sin.
I bit my lip, fending off the moans as he began to slowly rub my clit. The long tablecloth hid his actions from everyone’s view. I’m sure it looked like he was merely resting a hand against my leg.
“I can’t,” I gasped, “choose just one.”
“Two desserts, Lexie? Do you really think you should eat two?” Brian gaped at me.
I stiffened at his tone. It was judgmental and incredulous. My mind reeled back to what he said when he saw me in my new dress. Shapely. For a moment, shame cut through the lust that heated my blood. Derek’s keen eyes didn’t miss a thing. His fingers stilled long enough for him to snarl.
“Whatever makes her happy, right, Brian?”
My husband sputtered for a moment before he nodded. Gratitude bloomed in my chest. I was glad Derek had stood up for me. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted two desserts or if it was just the heat of the moment, but I held my chin high as I ordered.
“Creme Brulée and the Triple Dark Chocolate cake, please.”
Those fingers stared moving again. I didn’t even hear what Brian and Derek ordered. I closed my eyes, fingers tight on the table, as I opened myself up to the feel of him. Fuck me, this man knew how to work me inside and out.
“Oh,” Brian gasped, as he finally realized what was happening.
I opened one eye and saw his face, both disapproving and turned on all at once. It was a look I knew all too well. Derek was especially good at inciting that specific mixture of feelings within a person. The waiter came back and put our dishes down on the table. His eyes moved from me, to Brian, to Derek. Derek’s body was angled towards mine now and Brian stared at us with unmasked desire on his face.
“Enjoy,” the waiter said, clearing his throat and getting out of there as fast as possible.
Throwing all caution to the wind, Derek moved faster. I bit my lip. I was about to have my When Harry Met Sally moment at The Incata. Except there was nothing fake about this climax.
Derek Drake, you devil.
My body trembled as I tried to fight it. I tugged the tablecloth towards me, silverware clattering. The pleasure raked over me. Fuck. Fuck. Derek’s dark, wicked laugh was my undoing. And I knew the moment the orgasm hit me, that I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. The scream was on my lips, ready to fall out and reveal my shame to the entire restaurant.
The second my mouth opened, a forkful of rich, heavenly chocolate cake filled it. My eyes popped open. Brian held the fork to my mouth. I shuddered around Derek’s hand as the chocolate washed over me. I moaned into the dessert. I chewed it. Once. Twice.
By the time I swallowed, the orgasm had passed. I leaned back against the chair, chest heaving, and licked my lips.
“That was one delicious bite of cake.”
Derek and Brian grinned like Cheshire Cats.
“The night’s just beginning, Princess.”
Chapter Twenty
LEXIE
We’d taken separate cars to Club Midnight. Brian was strangely quiet on the ride over. A raised partition hid us from the driver of the town-car. I snuggled up to him and thanked him for surprising me with Derek’s arrival. He just sighed, and said there were more surprises yet to come.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
He turned to look at me from where he was watching the city pass through the window. He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Of course, baby.”
“You’d tell me if you weren’t happy, right?”
He nodded, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. I wasn’t all that convinced, but I wouldn’t push it. When he was ready to talk, he’d talk.
Derek was waiting in the lobby by the elevators. His foot tapped the polished floors, arms crossed over his chest. He scowled when he saw my hand in Brian’s. Reflexively, I pulled it back, grinning at the way Derek’s eyes devoured me as I walked towards him. Without preamble, he pushed the call button, and the elevator pinged its arrival.
“We’ll meet you there in forty-five minutes,” Derek told Brian before he grabbed my arm and tugged me into the elevator.
Giggling, I let him push me inside. The doors hadn’t fully closed before Derek’s arms wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me back against his chest. I melted against him. His touch was divine. Moaning, I arched my back as he grabbed my breasts with both hands. He trailed those hands down my ribs, my waist, and over my hips before he ground his cock against my ass.
“I don’t know what it is about you, Princess,” he groaned against my neck, “but your curves are more luscious than ever.”
I bit back my laugh.
“That’s what a few weeks without a personal trainer will do.”
“Fire him. Immediately,” Derek growled.
Grinning, I managed to spin in his arms and wrapped my hands around his neck. I kissed him boldly, passionately, my body pressed so hard against his, he staggered back to lean against the elevator wall, pressing several buttons. I didn’t stop.
“You don’t think I’m too shapely?” I asked, the question innocent, yet loaded.
Derek scoffed, letting his hands trail up the peaks and valleys along the sides of my body.
“Who the fuck would be stupid enough to think that?”
“I love that you like my curves,” I purred at last, unable to take my eyes off his.
They were dark and glazed. He looked like he was on drugs.
“I wouldn’t care if you weighed ninety pounds or three hundred,” he breathed. “I’d still want you.”
Oh god, help me, because Derek made my heart skip every beat. His mouth moved on mine. We kissed until the elevator, having stopped at all those extra floors, finally opened to the Club. The darkness beckoned us, and Derek led the way.
“Our room’s down here,” he said, pulling me along the now-familiar hallway, passing those doors with beds engraved on them.
“What’s on all the floors below the Club?” I asked.
“Residential,” he said. “A lot of the Club staff live below. Vanessa gives them a good deal on rent. It’s part of their contracts.”
“Huh. Neat.”
“Hurry,” Derek said, “we don’t have much time.”
I wanted to ask what he was talking about, but he was rushed me down the hallway until we finally stopped at the last door. He opened it, turned on the lights, and pushed me inside. This room was similar to the one we’d had the first night. Except the bed was bigger, the colors darker and more visceral, with pops of violet and burgundy.
“What don’t we have time for?” I asked as he paced in the room.
“He’s not meeting us in here?”
“No,” Derek said. “He’s meeting us…out there.”
He huffed like a bull before walking towards the closet. Inside he keyed in the code to a safe. When he turned around, he held a flat, black velvet box. A jewelry box. He eyed me nervously before he closed the distance between us. He fell to his knees in front of me and offered me the box.
“Happy Birthday, Alexandra,” he said. “I hope you like it.”
My heart hammered as I lifted my hands to take it. I gasped when I saw what was inside.
“Derek,” I breathed, unsure what to say.
It was breathtaking.
“Do you like it?” His voice was full of anxiety.
“No,” I said, peeling my eyes from it. The look of anguish on his face was enough to make me smirk before I added, “I love it.”
Those dark brows narrowed in a way that let me know I’d pay for that.
“Will you wear it tonight?”
“Of course,” I said.
Derek’s smile was wide. It lit up his whole face. He pushed me back on the bed, and kissed me again. He’d gotten me a new collar. But it wasn’t just any collar. It was a choker, with alternating strings of black pearls and black diamonds. In the center was a rose gold lock, shaped like a heart.
It was gorgeous.
He pulled back to fish something out of his pocket. Dangling from a black ribbon was a small key.
“Would you like to do the honors?”
I nodded, taking the key from him and inserting it into the heart-shaped lock. It opened with a small click. Gently, Derek lifted the strands. Three rows of pearls, two of diamonds, for five total, and draped them about my neck. It was surprisingly heavy.
He looped the lock through the clasp. Taking the key from my hand, he closed the lock again. Derek stepped back to admire me, eyes on fire.
“Absolutely stunning, Alexandra.”
He pocketed the key. Then pulled something else out after it.
“There’s one more present,” he said, “though it’s not nearly as grand.”
