by M. S. Parker
Collide Vol. II (Club Prive)
Alpha Billionaire Romance
M. S. Parker
Belmonte Publishing, LLC
Contents
Copyright
M.S. Parker’s Club Privé
1. Dax
2. Bryne
3. Dax
4. Bryne
5. Dax
6. Bryne
7. Dax
8. Bryne
9. Bryne
10. Dax
11. Bryne
12. Dax
13. Bryne
Also by M. S. Parker
About the Author
Acknowledgments
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Belmonte Publishing LLC
Published by Belmonte Publishing LLC
M.S. Parker’s Club Privé
Check out the five other new stories in M. S. Parker’s Club Privé Kindle Worlds. Available now!
M.S. Parker’s Club Privé Kindle Worlds
Chapter One
Dax
I'd gotten pretty good at lying, especially these last few years. My mom would've said I was a little too good if she'd known just how often I did it, but half the time, I did it to protect her. I tried not to lie too much to her face, but lying to myself was a different story. I told myself all sorts of shit so I'd do what needed to be done. I was pretty sure that wasn't one of my lies. It had only been me and Mom my whole life, and since she got hurt, it'd been my job to take care of her.
Okay, so maybe I used that as an excuse not to get involved with anyone, but the truth was, once I fucked a woman, I really didn't have any further use for her. I was sure some people considered me an asshole for having that attitude, but I always made sure the woman I was with knew that going in. I made sure she got off, and I never treated her like trash, which was more than some guys, but she knew the whole time it was only sex.
Bryne Dawkins hadn't been any different. She wasn't any different.
Dammit.
As I looked down at her, some small part of me called me out for lying. The lighting in the hotel room was dim, but I didn't need bright light to be able to see her perfectly. Her bronze curls were soft against my skin, and it was all I could do not to run my fingers through them. Her eyes were closed, but I knew their exact shade of green. They’d haunted me from the moment I first saw them, the day she walked into DeMarco's & Sons.
I told myself then that I just wanted to get hold of those soft curves, see what was hiding under those winter clothes. The moment I slid inside her though, I'd known once wouldn't be enough. I tried to deny it, tried to tell myself that she was out of my league. Hell, I'd known that from the second she walked into the shop, but it hadn't stopped me from wanting her. And getting her.
And she'd been nothing but trouble ever since.
Georgie, my buddy, had been pissed when I told him to back off, so when she turned up again, I'd behaved like an ass to drive her away. Then her aunt had fired me from Club Privé, which meant I lost the better half of my income. Confronting Bryne hadn't done anything but confirm what I'd been trying to deny for days.
I still wanted her.
My stomach clenched as she shifted in her sleep, her naked body rubbing against mine. Fuck. Even after having her again, I wanted nothing more than to bury my face between her legs until she woke up calling out my name, then see how many more times I could make her come on my cock.
Except that would be a bad idea, and no amount of lying to myself would change the truth of that.
Bryne wasn't naive, but she was definitely innocent. Hell, I could almost taste it on her. This city could chew up and spit out girls like her, and it would happen even faster if she was near me.
I forced myself from the bed, careful not to wake Bryne as I did. I wouldn't be able to leave if she woke up. One look from her, and I'd have a condom on and be inside her before either of us could think about why it was a bad idea.
Grabbing up my clothes, I crept out into the living room to dress. I should've left as soon as I wasn't bare-ass naked, but even as I took a step toward the door, I remembered what it had been like to walk out that first time, the way my heart had twisted at the expression on Bryne's face when I'd given her those flippant lines.
I couldn't do that to her again. No matter how many lies I told myself about what I wanted or didn't want, that was one thing I couldn't lie about. Hurting her hurt me.
And I knew if I ever wanted to see her again, I couldn't just go. I had to let her know I wasn't blowing her off.
My eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness that I was able to make my way over to the hotel desk. I found a piece of paper and pen easily enough. Before I could second guess myself, I jotted down a quick invitation to dinner and hoped she would take it.
I could've left the note anywhere, but I made myself walk back into the bedroom and put it on the side of the bed where I'd been sleeping so she wouldn't miss it. I didn't want her waking up and thinking I'd left her without a second thought. Hell, she was in all my thoughts pretty much all the time. I'd been a walking hard-on since I met her and fucking her hadn't helped. I was already half-hard by the time I got on the elevator.
I ignored the surprised look the desk clerk sent my way as I walked through the lobby. I didn't need some condescending prick to tell me I didn't look like I belonged there. A shiver went through me as I stepped outside, and I hunched my shoulders, trying to bury myself deeper in my coat. I hadn't paid much attention last night to where I was, so it took me a moment to catch my bearings before deciding that I could make it to the subway without freezing my ass off. I tried to avoid spending money on taxis, but sometimes it was just too damn cold to do it any other way.
I blew on my hands as I jogged down the steps, then fished my metro card out of my wallet. My mom insisted on me having one, and I used it often enough to keep her from suspecting how many times I hopped a turnstile rather than pay.
A pang of guilt went through me at the thought of my mom. I hadn't meant to fall asleep with Bryne, but the lack of sleep I'd had every night since meeting her was taking its toll. Add that into the fact that I'd basically been working two jobs non-stop for the last year, and it wasn't really surprising that I'd fallen asleep.
I doubted Mom would even be annoyed that I hadn't called. I'd be home before she woke up anyway. And she was always good about not pushing to know what I was out doing. She just wanted me to take care of myself.
I frowned as I took a seat. I was twenty-four years old. My mother didn't need to be thinking about how to take care of me, especially not after the year she'd gone through. She'd raised me all by herself, and I was the first to admit that I hadn't made it easy on her. I'd tried to stay away from the worst of things, despite how much pressure I'd gotten from Georgie and the guys to take part in the less-than-legal things that went on in the shop, but I couldn't say that I'd been a good kid. Not by a long-shot.
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. Not for the first time, I wondered how different things would've been if my father had stuck around. Then again, for all I knew, things would've been worse. He could've been a complete asshole. Abusive. Alcoholic. A whole other list of things that was worse than absent.
I'd given up asking about him a long time ago. My birth certificate simply said unknown, but Mom always insisted she knew who he was. When I'd nagged he
r about it as a child, she'd only said that circumstances had prevented him from being a part of my life. Sometimes, I thought she meant that he died, but most of the time, I just figured he was married.
Or he simply hadn't wanted me.
I glowered at a punk teenager who tripped over my foot and swore at me. The kid flipped me off but hurried away before I could get up and teach him some respect.
I pushed myself to my feet as the first of my two changes came up. Mom and I lived in Hell's Kitchen, not too far from DeMarco's & Sons, and not too far from Club Privé either, but the hotel Bryne and I had gone to was on the opposite side of Manhattan. Still, I wouldn’t complain. Sex with Bryne was worth every minute, and more. I didn't know how much experience she had, but she was definitely one of the best lays I'd ever had under me.
My stomach twisted with some unfamiliar sensation, and it took me a moment to realize that it was jealousy. I didn't like thinking about how Bryne had gotten so good in bed.
Shit.
I needed to get myself under control. I couldn't be jealous because we weren't in a relationship. We could be friends. Maybe have sex when we felt like it. But nothing else. I couldn't do it.
Besides, she deserved better than me.
Chapter Two
Bryne
My head was spinning as I started making my way through Central Park again. It wasn't much farther to Tavern on the Green, or at least that's what my befuddled brain was trying to remember from the brief look I'd taken at the directions on my phone before I left the hotel.
When I woke up this morning to find Dax gone, I feared I'd made a horrible mistake by sleeping with him again. Then I'd seen his note asking me to meet him for dinner. Well, asking might not have been the right word. It was more like a strong suggestion. I hadn't known Dax long, but I'd already gotten the impression that he didn't do much in the way of making requests.
But it wasn't Dax I was thinking about as I hurried toward the restaurant. Not him directly anyway. He'd been on my mind when I first set off, but that had changed a few minutes ago when a strange woman approached me. And strange wasn't only because I'd never seen her before. Probably only a couple years older than me, she had multiple piercings and the angriest expression I'd seen in a long time.
Her appearance wasn't what had me freaking out though. No, it was because she'd told me, in no uncertain terms, to stay away from Dax.
I'd been in New York City for about a week, and I'd already snuck into a sex club, lost my virginity, got the lead in my first off-Broadway play, and been threatened over a guy.
I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know what came next.
When I stepped into Tavern on the Green, Todd Emery was already waiting. Strawberry blond hair, smokey gray eyes, and absolutely gorgeous, he had almost every woman in the restaurant looking at him. A good portion of men were too. The best thing about him, however, was that he had a perfect balance of confidence and humility. He knew he was attractive but didn't let it go to his head.
He frowned as he looked at me, then opened his arms. I stepped into them without hesitating. Todd was the romantic lead opposite me in the play Collide, but I didn't have to worry about him taking any of this the wrong way. He was completely committed to his boyfriend, Hiram, which allowed me to accept the comfort without any awkwardness attached.
After a moment, I stepped back. Todd let me go, but his hand settled on the small of my back as he led the way to a table near the back. He waited until I took off my coat, and we both were settled into our seats before speaking.
“Are you okay?”
I let out a shaky laugh. “Honestly, I'm not entirely sure.”
I quickly filled him in on everything that had happened since I'd last seen him, which, strangely enough, had only been last night. I'd been with him at Club Privé before Dax had shown up. It felt like it'd been years though. When I finished, silence fell for several long seconds before he let out a breath.
“Wow. That's...a lot.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered.
We paused in our discussion to place our orders, and I wondered if Todd was going to move off to another subject when we were done. Most of the kids I'd spent time around growing up would've shown interest for a moment, then tried to make it about them. I didn't have a problem giving a listening ear or offering advice to someone else, but my brain was so scrambled at the moment, I wasn't sure I could manage any genuine concern or interest in anything else. Especially since I didn't know what the hell I was going to do about the warning I'd received.
Not for the first time, however, Todd surprised me. One of the ways my mother had tried to discourage me from moving to New York had been to tell me that the people in the Big Apple were rude...and then added a few other less-than-complimentary descriptions. Todd had completely disproved all of that. Granted, there was a good chance he was the exception rather than the rule, but since he was my closest non-relative friend, I was happy enough with it.
“So, what do you want to do?” he asked.
“Do?” I echoed the word like I'd never heard it before. “About the hot guy I had sex with, or the scary chick who told me to stay away from him?”
“Seems to me that they're pretty linked,” he said. “Question is, are you more scared of the woman who threatened you, or do you like him enough not to care?”
I sighed and leaned back in my seat. “I'm not supposed to like him.”
“Who says?” Todd grabbed a fry from my plate before the waiter could even set it down.
“Him.” I breathed out a long exhale. “And me too, I guess.”
“Elaborate.”
I took a bite of the wild mushroom risotto, and then quickly explained the whole “no relationship” conversation during mine and Dax's original encounter. While Dax had said he still wanted me, and he apparently wanted to meet for dinner tonight, neither one of us had brought up whether or not this changed things.
“Do you want things to change?” Todd asked.
I thought about the way Dax kissed me, fierce and possessive, like he was claiming me. How his hands felt on my body. The way we moved together. Physically, my body responded to him, there was no doubt about that whatsoever. But did I want something more?
“I don't know,” I answered honestly. “So much in my life has changed in the past couple weeks. I don't know if adding a relationship on top of everything else is a good idea.”
He smothered his salad with pepper. “That's one way to look at it.”
“What's another way?” I asked.
His expression grew thoughtful, and he turned his attention to his food. I didn't interrupt though. He'd answer me when he decided how he wanted to say it. Until then, I'd enjoy the rest of my risotto. The silence between us was comfortable, more so than I'd ever experienced with anyone else.
“Back in DC, what were your relationships like?” Half of his Cobb salad was gone by the time he spoke.
I stared down at my food and hoped the blush I could feel creeping up my cheeks wasn't as obvious as it felt. “I didn't really have any.”
“Are you kidding me?” The surprise in his voice showed on his face. “Were all the guys you knew gay or blind? I mean, hell, I'm gay and I'm pretty sure I'd have asked you out in high school.”
I shook my head, eyes narrowing as I glared at him. “Pretty much every guy I came into contact with in DC were entitled assholes.”
Curiosity flashed across Todd's face. “You never mentioned what your parents do.”
“Before he died, my dad was a boxer.” I hedged my answer. “My mom did some part-time work.”
“Doesn't sound like you traveled in the circles of 'entitled assholes.'”
I had a feeling that if I didn't tell him what he wanted to know, he'd keep at me until I finally did. At least I was pretty sure he wouldn't treat me weird once he found out.
“My mom's family has money,” I said finally. “Plus, Nana and Papa had been active in politics for years, so when Mom
and I moved in with them, we got involved too.”
“They were your grandparents?”
I shook my head. “My great-grandparents, actually. Remember how I told you about how Gavin and my mom have the same father? Well, the whole thing caused a huge rift between my grandmother and her parents.”
Todd looked like he wanted to ask more, but turned the subject back to me and Dax. “So all the guys you were around in DC were jerks, which meant you didn't have a serious boyfriend?”
I could see the other question coming, so I answered it before he could ask. “Dax was my first.”
Todd let out a low whistle.
“It's not a big deal,” I snapped and stabbed a piece of broccoli with my folk.
He grinned and raised an eyebrow. “It wasn't...big?”
“Bite me.”
He laughed, then sobered as he asked, “Does Dax know?”
“No.” I pointed my fork at my friend. “And that's neither here nor there?”
“Okay, I might not be the best expert in female virginity, Bryne, but if you waited until you were nineteen to have sex, I don't think you can write-off feeling more than the warm fuzzies for the guy you finally gave it to.”
“First,” I emphasized the word by stealing a forkful of Todd's salad. “I never said I had warm fuzzies for Dax. And second, you're definitely not an expert in female virginity, so butt out.”
In what I was learning was true Todd fashion, he gave me a little smirk. “I think I hit a nerve.”
“Fine, Todd,” I said with a huff of air that wasn’t Four Season etiquette. “If you're so smart, what do you think I should do about Dax and my mystery threatener?”
The pleased look on his face told me that I'd asked exactly what he wanted. “Follow your heart.”
I waited to hear the rest, but when several seconds passed without him saying anything else, I realized he was done.
