by Ella James
Liz nods at Hunter, who expounds. “The nurse said that he was fine, but being prepped for surgery.”
“Another surgery?” My stomach clenches. “Then we need to go.” I look around the hall as my mind shifts from nimble hands and warm lips to white hospital halls. “Let’s go to El Paso now. I have my plane.”
“Hunter’s is already on the runway,” Lizzy says. “I wanted us to be there when he woke up.”
“Good idea.”
She nods. “Your bags should already be on it.”
Lizzy lightens the mood by telling ridiculous knock-knock jokes as we ride a shuttle from the back of the casino, past the palm-shaded golf course, toward the Wynn’s VIP airport. I glimpse hangars as our path takes us over a small hill, and I’m amazed at how little I remember from when I landed…two hours ago?
“Suri.”
“Hmm?”
“You’re supposed to say, ‘Boo who?’”
“Oh. Right.” I shift my gaze from a W-shaped shrub to Lizzy’s face. “Boo who?”
“Open the fucking door.”
“What?”
Lizzy laughs. “’Who’s there?’ ‘Boo.’ You said, ‘Boo who?’ and I say, ‘Open the fucking door.’ It’s funny. Remember humor?”
“I’m just so worried.”
“Suri, he’s okay. A nurse told Hunter he’s okay. Nurses don’t lie.”
“I thought nurses couldn’t reveal a person’s medical condition.”
“That’s doctors.”
“Oh.”
The shuttle drops us off near the fence dividing the golf course from the airport—a fence I really don’t remember going through at all—and I try to keep myself centered as I think about my mystery bathroom guy, and Cross, and my bathroom guy, and Cross, and how it’ll be between us now, post-embarrassment. I guess he’ll probably be normal. Maybe extra nice. It’s me who’s going to be awkward.
That low, deep voice rolls through my mind: “There’s nothing to feel bad about, okay?”
He might have been a brawler and a bathroom slut, but my mystery guy was nice. I could tell.
I think of Adam at his book signing and feel a burst of anger. Adam sucks. Because he didn’t really love me. Or rather, we weren’t really in love. It took a dramatic act to help me figure that out. Is it because I wanted a happily ever after so badly I just overlooked all the signs?
Yes. And with Cross, I saw signs that weren’t there.
We’re approaching the twinkling landing strips, dotted with light-bathed control towers and those sleek, glass-looking hangers, when my mind starts playing tricks on me. Standing beside one of the planes, I think I see the guy from the bathroom.
I squint at him, because surely it’s not the same guy, but as we get closer, I grow more certain.
My feet stop moving; Lizzy and Hunter take a few steps forward without noticing I’ve stopped. Lizzy is the first to turn around.
“Sur—you coming?”
“Who is that?” I whisper.
“Who, Marchant?” She jerks her thumb his way. “Radcliffe. I’ve talked about him before.”
But I don’t. I…can’t. He can’t— “He can’t be Marchant.”
My head spins and I grab onto Lizzy’s forearm for support. I shake my head and look at him—the scoundrel’s handsome face and scruffy beard. This can’t be Marchant Radcliffe. Womanizing asshole. Pimp.
I just let him give me an orgasm.
4
SURI
Marchant. Marchant Radcliffe. I keep blinking at him, because I can’t believe my sexy bathroom guy is him: Marchant Radcliffe—the pimp.
We’re close enough now that he lifts his head, and his gaze laps up and down my body in a manner I assume he must use with his harem. I feel heat rush into my face, followed by the sting of tears in my eyes, because he didn’t understand me—back there when I was having my little freak-out. We didn’t have a real moment. He’s just good at this stuff. He’s good at…well, at womanizing. He’s a professional.
Lizzy grabs my hand, because my feet don’t seem to want to take me to the plane, and we drop back as Hunter strides forward to greet Marchant.
“You okay?” she asks.
I nod—a little too frantically—and try to keep my wandering eyes off Marchant Radcliffe’s bulky shoulders. We’re less than twenty feet from the plane now, and as we get closer to the fold-out stairs, I can feel my body reacting—my skin warming, my heart rate speeding up—for a pimp, and it makes me feel like a fool.
I remind myself the attraction wasn’t one-sided. The wet-spot still visible on his pants attests to that. I did nothing wrong. There’s no reason I can’t look him in the eye and act like an adult about this.
But what if he says something in front of Lizzy and Hunter? Then they’ll know.
So what if they know?
It would change the way they think of me—that’s what.
I’m Suri Dalton. Suri Dalton of the random-hook-ups-are-just-weird policy. I’m the one who discouraged Lizzy from selling her V-card at a brothel, because having sex is supposed to be meaningful.
Except it wasn’t, was it? Having sex with Adam turned out not to feel so meaningful at all—at least in retrospect. So maybe I was wrong about what sex should be, but that doesn’t mean I want Hunter and Lizzy to know about The Bathroom Incident. I had a personal moment, during which I felt like doing something outside my usual norm, and I’d like to keep that to myself.
Because you screwed around with a pimp.
I quiet the judging voice inside my head by insisting that it could have been any guy. Mr. Love Inc. was simply at the right place at the right time. It isn’t as if I’m attracted to him in particular.
The guys are at the top of the stairs by the time Lizzy and I reach the bottom. By the time we step into the plane, they are, thankfully, out of sight. Hunter’s flight attendant waves us past a curtain separating the cockpit from the cabin, and we step into a mod space done in black and gray and cream—the kind of space that screams ‘I had this specially designed but didn’t give the interior designer much creative leeway or any instructions.’ There’s not much of it, either: just a couch, a recliner, and a table, along with eight plush leather seats arranged in two rows of four along the right side of the plane. The rows face each other, like the benches of a restaurant booth.
When I don’t see Hunter or Marchant at first glance, I allow myself to hope that maybe they’ve closed themselves into the plane’s office. Then I realize that, unlike several of my dad’s planes—the Boeing 767 and Gulfstream—this one doesn’t look big enough to have an office.
Damn.
My hopes come crashing down when I spot them seated across from each other in the rearmost cluster of seats. Hunter’s in a window seat, facing the front of the plane, with Marchant across from him in the seat beside the window seat. I divert my eyes from the back of that red-brown-blond head and am trying to decide if I can invent a reason to go into the plane’s bedroom when Lizzy takes my elbow.
“C’mon, Suri. Let’s sit down.”
It’s clear from Lizzy’s distracted, slightly tired-seeming expression that she has no idea I’m tied in knots. If I run off now, she’ll know for sure, and—my cheeks heat up—Marchant Radcliffe might tell them what happened.
Would he do that?
Of course he would! He’s a pimp. Bragging about his sexual conquests is probably as natural to him as breathing air.
I gulp a big breath back, then paste a neutral expression on my face and smooth my blouse. I can do this. I can act natural. I need to get into that seat beside him and set a tone of normalcy. Strict normalcy.
As for his part, he’s probably already forgotten me. Hoping that’s true (and hoping it’s not), I follow Lizzy with my head held high and my shoulders loose.
When we come into their space, Hunter’s eyes sweep Liz like he wants to take her to the bedroom. In the moment they’re eye-screwing each other, I brave my first glance at Marchant Radcliffe. He lo
oks…different. And also the same. Now that I know who he is, I can see details I hadn’t noticed before: like how he’s wearing a flashy, platinum watch I’m pretty sure is IWC—the kind of timepiece that would be deemed totally excessive by a man like dad, but suits a brothel owner perfectly. His tux, originally nothing but a blood-spattered barrier to the body below, is in fact Brioni—the brand favored by James Bond. His light beard is impeccably trimmed, his mane of blond-brown-red hair impeccably cut, impeccably styled. Even his shoes look flawless—and that’s after kicking someone’s ass.
The boy-girl gods must be looking out for me, because while I ogle the pimp, he’s looking down into a drink he’s clutching. Something with orange juice—possibly a screwdriver?
I blink at him, waiting for him to look up. Waiting to set the tone between us. A jab of humiliated panic stings my chest, but I ignore it. When did I become so concerned about what other people think of me?
Lizzy takes a seat beside Hunter, and that’s when Marchant snaps out of his daze. His eyes slide over me, and then he does a double take, his eyebrows shooting up into his hair.
“It’s you,” he says, in that soft, deep, sexy voice. My body reacts with goose bumps and a roller-coaster feeling in my stomach.
I give a little wave that is only slightly awkward and force my legs to lower me into the seat.
Lizzy’s sharp blue eyes inspect the space between us. I can feel the curiosity oozing out her pores. She can tell that something’s up. She’s probably desperate to pounce on me, but she won’t do it in front of Hunter and Marchant. Instead she presses her lips together and looks from me to Marchant, like a school teacher awaiting a pupil’s answer.
I turn to Marchant— No, to Marchant Radcliffe. That’s how I need to think of him. With some distance. I give him a smile I hope is generic. In doing so, I’m forced to look at his face. Kaa-pow! It’s like bumping an electric fence. He’s just so…handsome. The kind of handsome that’s sturdy and square-jawed. Rugged. Like a cowboy. It’s strange. He’s supposed to be a pimp. Someone on the fringe of society. Someone weird. Perverse. Instead, he makes me think of Superbowls and sports cars. And sex.
I jerk my gaze away like he’s a flame and I’m a wax girl. Edgy energy rips through me, making my fingertips shake; making my stomach feel empty. Just ignore it. I cross my legs at the ankle and set my purse on the floor beside my chair. By the time I’m looking up again, Lizzy’s gone full-fledged detective. She’s sitting up straighter in her seat and leaning forward, looking from me to Marchant like a bloodhound on a scent.
“I thought I knew the answer to this question, but…do you guys know each other?”
I open my mouth, but Marchant beats me to it. He grins at me. “I hit on her earlier, in the casino.”
He gives me an exaggerated wink, and Hunter groans. “Leave her alone, man. Suri’s not your kind of girl.”
Except I am. Obviously I am his kind of girl. I just made out with him in the bathroom. More than made out. What is it we did? Second base? Third? I’m so out of practice, I don’t even know.
I slide a glance at Marchant and find him swallowing back some of his screwdriver, wiggling his eyebrows conspiratorially. Like something happened. Damn.
I’m racking my mind for a change of subject when the intercom spits out static, and a deep, drawling voice lets us know we’re preparing for takeoff.
“The flight to El Paso will take approximately one hour and forty-three minutes, guys and gals. Please fasten your seatbelts and leave ‘em on until we are in the air and the fasten seatbelt light goes off.”
I feel grateful that the intercom has helped the subject of Marchant Radcliffe and my acquaintance pass. Then he looks over at me and runs the tip of his tongue along his lower lip. His totally bitable lower lip.
My face heats up. My throat constricts. My eyes even water just a little.
This is nuts.
I glance first at Lizzy and Hunter to see if they notice my bout of temporary insanity. Both of them are looking at me. Looking at me like they know, or looking at me like I’m sitting right in front of them? I can’t tell. I take a deep breath and look down at my feet.
Even from this angle, I’m tempted by the man whore next to me. His pants leg doesn’t quite reach his slouching black sock, so I can see the barest swatch of thick, hair-dusted shin. Ridiculously, it heats me up.
Maybe that test was wrong. Maybe I am ovulating today. Clearly, my hormones are insane.
This guy owns a brothel, Suri. Where women—and men!—sell their bodies. Do you approve of that?
I actually shake my head as I argue with myself.
I think prostitution is disgusting. Damaging. And I think that whoever runs those sorts of shows is taking advantage of vulnerable women—and men.
An inconvenient memory flits through my mind: me, with my head thrown back and Marchant Radcliffe’s hand down my pants. Me, wanting to mess around with a dangerous stranger because I thought it might give me a feeling of control. Me, making the choice to give myself away for free.
I could blame it on him. On his sex appeal. On that tux. I could say he tugged me into his orbit, because sex is his profession—but that would be a lie.
As the plane begins to taxi down the runway, I’m hyper aware of how much space he takes up in the seat beside me. His shoulders spill into my space, and I have to take a deep, measured breath to keep myself cool and collected.
The plane’s wheels bounce off the runway for the final time, and we’re airborne—just barely. Marchant sprawls his legs out in front of him, as if he’s stretching. His left leg touches my right one. Heat spills through me. I dare not look down.
I blink straight ahead as Hunter pulls out an iPad and Lizzy pulls out a Kindle, and they lean their heads together, talking about how bright the screens are—or aren’t. I catch a WTF widening of Lizzy’s eyes at me, and I divert my eyes—to Marchant’s leg, now pressed against mine.
I feel empty and achy in between my legs. I feel all tingly and weak. Sexed up…
Oh, God.
Using his Super Pimp powers, Marchant Radcliffe senses my moment of lust and goes in for the kill. He throws his arm around my shoulders, pulls me nearer to him, and rests his head on top of mine, inhaling. I can feel his hard, warm chest puff out. Can feel his face stroke my hair.
“Mmmm. You smell fucking good.”
I’m frozen. A mouse being batted between a cat’s paws.
He loosens his grip, and I can feel him looking down at me. “You’re Trent Dalton’s daughter.”
I give a half nod without meeting his ridiculously pretty brown eyes, which he has pointed at me in some kind of Super Pimp seduction stare. “That’s me.”
“No one told me how fucking hot you are.”
I force myself to look up at him, to meet his eyes. To keep breathing, even as my gaze retreats down to my lap.
I haven’t been called “hot” since, I don’t know, freshman year of college? But I’m blushing, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be if this was anyone but Marchant Radcliffe.
I swallow hard and flick my gaze to him. “No one told me you had such bad language.”
He laughs and gulps back some of his drink. When he moves the glass away from his face, I’m struck again by his sheer male radiance. “You don’t use ‘swear’ words?” He makes air marks around swear, and says it in a meek, little old woman type of voice.
“I use them when they’re warranted,” I say, trying not to laugh at his voice.
“You are fucking hot. It’s warranted.”
I take a deep breath. “You come on strong,” I say, and I’m proud of how dry my voice sounds—like I don’t care one bit.
“That’s what they tell me.” He’s proud. I’m sure coming on strong has gotten him into a million pairs of blue jeans. But I don’t like guys who come on strong—do I?
With one arm still around me, Marchant Radcliffe reaches into the magazine rack, pulling out a smallish bottle of Grey Goose I guess he
had hidden, and adds a few inches to his drink. Then he offers it to me.
“You look like you could use a little liquid R&R.”
As he says it, he presses his leg against mine again.
Butterflies shoot through my stomach. I move my leg. Shake my head.
“I’m fine. Maybe a little tired.” Because I already got smashed once today, I think as I direct my gaze to the curved ceiling. Because I’m losing my damn mind.
He takes another long swig of his drink, and just when I’ve almost managed to peg him as a stereotype—rollicking frat boy/man whore in grown-up clothes—he grabs my hand and shuts his eyes.
“I know you’re gonna pull it away, but could you just give me a minute? Kinda helps…ground me.”
My hand twitches around his and I find myself staring at his eyelids. “You don’t like to fly?”
“That’s the short version,” he mumbles.
“I assumed you’d be in the jet set.”
He flips his eyes open, and they look dark. Just…weirdly dark. “I don’t want my own plane.”
I get an odd feeling in my chest, like he’s telling me something more personal than he doesn’t like to fly. I flip through my mental list of celebrities, politicians, and business people who’ve been in plane crashes or near-crashes, but I don’t remember Marchant Radcliffe being among them. And then I remember: his parents died in a plane crash.
I stare at my knees, because I’m not sure how to respond to him, and I’m surprised to feel his hand stroke down my neck. It feels good. Tickles. He leans in closer, brushing my fingers with his and resting his head on my shoulder.
It’s easy to pretend that this is the kind of passion I’ve been looking for. Then I peek my eyes open and notice Lizzy and Hunter have looked up from Hunter’s iPad and are staring.
I tug my leg away from his, attempt to shrink away from him even though his arm is still around me. “I’m not your type, remember?”
“I know that.” He’s nuzzling my neck.
Lizzy and Hunter get up abruptly, heading toward the bedroom just a bit too quickly, and Marchant and I are left alone. His arm is still around me, and I’m forced to face the fact that I like it.
