by Mia Knight
“Carmen?”
She cleared her throat. “There’s nothing wrong with waiting for the right guy.”
Alice looked surprised. “Really? I thought you said—”
“Forget what I said. I don’t know anything.”
“Are you okay?”
Before she could answer, two hands gripped her waist and lifted her. She aimed her heels down to impale the buffoon holding her aloft, but her irritation disappeared when she recognized him.
“Connie!” she squealed.
“Jesus, woman.” Cormac, aka The Heat, didn’t look pleased. “Don’t be saying that pansy ass name so loud. It’s Mac or The Heat.” He bobbed his brows. “Or the man who’s gonna make your dreams come true.” He set her down and then tucked her under one arm. “I caught a glimpse of your ass and told The Punisher it was mine until I realized it was you. Gavin would have my hide, wouldn’t he?”
“He would,” she agreed and smiled at The Punisher, aka Walter, who she hadn’t seen since Incognito’s opening night. “What are you assholes doing here?”
“My buddy’s having a get-together in the penthouse, and we’re bringing the party.”
Behind Cormac and Walter was an entourage of men who had the bodies of Chippendale dancers. Alice stared at Cormac as if he was the devil incarnate. Carmen had to admit that Cormac looked outlandish in a ridiculous white fur coat, baby blue sunglasses, thick gold chain and red Mohawk. He wore jeans and no shirt beneath the fur coat. His abs and beautiful tattoos were on full display. Cormac was brash, uncouth, flashy, and a shit talker of the highest order, which was justified since he was the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion. She met Cormac years ago and watched him get his ass whooped more times than she cared to remember. But Cormac was a stubborn bastard and kept getting in the ring. Now, he was a millionaire and a champion determined to suck life dry. She could relate to that. A night with Cormac was just what she needed.
“And who’s this?” Cormac asked, following her gaze to Alice.
“This is my friend, Alice. She works for Gavin.”
Cormac raised his ridiculous sunglasses to examine Alice with dark eyes. “What do you do for Pyre, honey?”
Alice opened and closed her mouth without uttering a word.
“She’s the community outreach coordinator for the Pyre Foundation. You know, Connie,” Carmen said, stroking his bare chest absently, “you could really help Alice out. We always need huge celebs to up the ante for press at her events.”
“No problem,” Cormac said and flexed his pecs.
Alice looked like she might faint.
“Of course,” Carmen drawled, “you’d have to be a gentleman and not cause a ruckus.”
“I thought you wanted press,” he said with a wink and focused on Alice. “You want to come with us, sweetheart?”
“Uh, no, I have—” Alice began.
“Great.” Cormac yanked her under his other arm and propelled them through the casino.
“Uh, I have stuff to do,” Alice stammered.
Cormac held up her bare left hand. “No ring, no claim.”
“Claim?”
“No man, so you have no reason not to come with us.” Cormac surveyed her and gave her a broad smile. “You have potential, sweetheart.”
“Potential?” Alice echoed.
Carmen was about to intervene but decided to let it play out when she noticed that Alice no longer looked nervous but offended.
“You dress like you’re forty, but you can’t be older twenty-five. Why are you hiding your body under these ugly ass clothes?”
Alice dug her heels in. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Cormac released Carmen, so he could pick up Alice who let out a piercing squeal. “Wanna bet?”
Carmen laughed and fell into step beside Walter. “Cormac hasn’t changed. He’s more arrogant and obnoxious than ever.”
“That’s part of his charm,” Walter said and tossed an arm over her shoulders. “By the way, you are looking fine.”
As they passed Partition, a popular Pyre nightclub, the people in line spotted Cormac, Walter, and the other fighters. Several women jumped over the gold ropes and rushed them, screaming and begging to take selfies. Cormac smiled broadly and let a woman suck his nipple while she took a picture. Alice struggled madly to get away, but Cormac held her despite being fawned over by admirers. In less than a minute, the crowd that headed for the elevators swelled to over fifty people. Cormac led the way with Alice clamped to his side. They jammed into three elevators while the rest had to wait for the next set.
What looked like two NFL players with earpieces guarded the penthouse. They opened double doors into complete mayhem. Carmen was familiar with this particular penthouse. It was three stories of chrome and glass with five master suites, two pools, three bars (one for each floor), a bowling alley, billiard table, around-the-clock butler service, and more. At the moment, every square inch of the penthouse was filled with people. The energy saturating the room urged her to throw herself headlong into trouble.
“The party’s arrived!” Cormac crowed, and everyone converged on him.
Carmen lost her grip on Walter in the scuffle. She looked over the railing at the first story below. The pool that took up most of the floor was filled with people dancing, laughing, and drinking. She heard the crack of balls from a billiard game while strippers danced on tables. Servers dressed in lingerie with body jewelry strutted. The heavy bass made the floor vibrate beneath her heels.
Alice appeared at her side, looking panicked. “We have to get out of here! This is out of control!” She focused on a fighter getting a lap dance and flushed. “They’re heathens!”
“Let’s get you a drink,” Carmen suggested and started toward the bar, which she could barely make out since so many people were in front of it.
“I’m going to get fired! I’m leaving.”
“You’re off duty,” Carmen pointed out. “And Cormac will be disappointed.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s disgusting,” Alice snapped.
Carmen grinned appreciatively. Seeing Alice riled was a pastime of hers that she hadn’t indulged in enough lately. “He’s really sweet once you get to know him.”
Alice shot her a disbelieving glance. “I doubt it. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“I’m going to stay.”
Alice shook her head. “He’s no good for you, Carmen.”
She had no intention of fucking Cormac. She just wasn’t ready to go home and lay in her empty bed. No, she wanted to join in the chaos and forget about tomorrow. Alice could go home to her peaceful apartment and relax. She would indulge in excess until the fire in her gut was gone.
“Carmen?” Alice tugged on her hand. “I can help you.”
That warmed her. She hugged her friend and gave her a small push toward the exit. “If I need someone to post bond, I’ll give you a call.”
Her eyes bugged. “Post bond? Why—?”
“I’m kidding. I’ve only been arrested three times, and I’m not planning to get into that kind of trouble tonight.”
“What kind of trouble are you planning to get into?” Alice asked, hands on her hips like a disapproving parent.
“That’s not for your innocent ears. Scat, babe.”
Alice sighed. “I’ll keep my phone on just in case.”
“You’re the best.”
Alice gave her a worried look before she dodged through the crowd to make her getaway. Carmen snatched two glasses of champagne from the half-naked server and downed it. She welcomed the flush of heat and gave the empty glass to the server before she made her way through the crowd with her second glass in the air, so it wouldn’t spill. She received many admiring glances and ignored the catcalls as she made her way to the pool. She was debating whether she wanted to strip out of her dress and get in when a muscled arm wrapped around her waist and drew her back against a hard body.
“I thought you left,” Cormac said.
&nbs
p; “Me, miss a party? Not a chance.”
“Where’d Alice go?”
“She slipped away. She has to work tomorrow, and you scared the crap out of her.” She glanced back at him and smiled. “She called you a heathen.”
Cormac grinned. “I like that.” He cupped her face. “I heard about Vinny. Did Gavin get the fucker?”
“Yeah.”
Cormac searched her eyes. “You good?”
“I’m getting there,” she said and drained the rest of her glass.
He tossed his fur coat on a couch covered in people dry humping and pulled her flush against him.
“Time to live, babe,” he said before he began to move.
Like everything else about him, he danced outrageously. His athleticism showed as he switched from Latin to break dancing. He kept her laughing and entertained and sipping champagne. She was having a great time until they were interrupted by a woman in a swimsuit who gripped his arm.
“I want to suck you off,” the woman said loud enough for those around them to hear.
Cormac tapped Carmen’s ass. “I’ll be back,” he said and followed the woman through the crowd.
Those around them catcalled and hooted. She felt a twinge of envy. How many times had she dragged Vinny off during a party to have sex? Vinny. Fuck.
She snatched a shot from a passing server and downed it. Patrón. Not a favorite of hers, but it made her pleasantly cloudy, and that was all that mattered. Thick arms wrapped around her. She didn’t look to see who it was because it didn’t matter. Men had always come easy to her. Finding one wasn’t the problem. It was finding a man who didn’t bore her to tears and could give her what she needed that was the problem. She leaned back against a massive chest. She felt small and feminine but not safe. Witnessing the shit she had, size meant nothing. What really mattered was how accurate you were with a gun and what you were willing to do to survive. Now she knew how far she’d go. She’d kill.
A sharp blast made her jump. She was about to go apeshit until she spotted the lingerie-clad servers opening more champagne bottles. She huddled against the mountain behind her, who pulled her even closer. Her need for human contact was pathetic, but at the moment, she didn’t care. Whatever she needed to do to keep her demons at bay, she would do.
The man behind her smelled of whiskey and cigars. It wasn’t unpleasant. His hands smoothed over her hips and gripped. His hands were huge, which made her mind shift gears. She rotated her ass against his groin to cop a feel and felt the hard length press between her cheeks. Okay, if he was a moose, he had a big dick to compensate. Despite how eager he was, he hadn’t done anything sleazy or perverted. Maybe he was the unicorn she’d been looking for—the mute gigolo with a massive penis.
Lips touched her ear. Her eyes flared when he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. Okay, that was hawt—
“Do you work at Subway?” he murmured.
The beginning pangs of lust dimmed. “What?”
“Because you gave me a foot long.”
She whirled and glared at the man who could have been the perfect man for her and Janice. He was over six feet and had an open dress shirt that revealed a body that rivaled Cormac’s. He was a gorgeous black man with a beard, perfect teeth, and hazel eyes. Gah!
She put her hands on her hips. “Really?”
He grinned and looked down at the bulge in his pants. “Well, it’s true.”
“Seriously?”
“Are you a mirror?”
She took a step back. He was smoking hot but off his rocker. “What?”
“Because I can see myself inside you,” he said with a boyish grin. When she stared at him, he asked, “No?”
“No!”
He held up both hands. “Fine. We can play Titanic. I’ll be the iceberg, and you can go down.”
Her mouth dropped open. She would have if he hadn’t opened his mouth. “You did not just say that!”
He grabbed his junk and bobbed his brows. “Come on, baby.”
When he opened his mouth again, she clapped her hand over it and leaned in close.
“Let me tell you something that will get you more pussy in future, okay? Women don’t like pickup lines, especially sleazy ones. When a woman wants to have sex, don’t joke with her, just give her what she wants. I could have made your eyes roll from what I can do between the sheets.” Her hand tightened on his face, pruning up his skin. “I would have let you do me rough and dirty, and you had to fucking ruin it. No more pickup lines unless you want to fuck blow up dolls. Got it?”
He stared at her for a moment before he nodded. She dropped her hand and turned away.
“Wait, that’s it?” he called.
She stopped and turned back. “Were you born on a highway?”
“What?”
“Because that’s where most accidents happen.” She snatched another glass of champagne and made her way through the crowd. God, men always had to open their mouths and ruin everything. If he’d just kept silent, she might have screwed his brains out, and they’d both be feeling like a million dollars right now, but nooooo. Some men were ridiculously clueless.
She passed a half-naked poker game in progress, strippers giving private shows, and people having sex in shadowed corners. She watched a couple going at it, but the fact that they were spit swapping a pill turned her off.
Dissatisfaction ate at her soul. Yesterday, she felt shiny and new, and already, she was beginning to tarnish. The high that carried her through partying with Shonda and the gang and then dance class with her mother this morning was waning. She finished her champagne and wandered. The same desperate craving that hit her the night Lyla was in Hell was back. She was sliding into destruct mode.
A stripper abandoned her pole when a man flashed a one-hundred-dollar bill. Carmen set her glass down, climbed onto the round platform, and gripped the shiny silver pole. No one paid her any mind as she reached high over her head, lifted her legs, and slowly rotated around the pole. An R&B song with a heavy, sultry beat filled the room. She closed her eyes and tried to lose herself in the moment. She climbed the pole and used her momentum to do a lazy spiral to the platform where she came to a graceful landing. She closed her eyes and focused on the music as she used the pole to pull herself up and let her body take over. The middle panel and high slits of her dress weren’t a hindrance as she danced. Her skirt floated dreamily around her as she spun. Her mind quieted as every fiber of her being focused on the physicality of what she was doing. She definitely had to get back to pole workouts. They kept her fit, strong, and tuned in to her sexuality. Her muscles protested as she held her position at the top of the pole, but she embraced the burn. She had taken ballet classes when she was younger, but when she heard hip-hop music pouring from another studio, she ditched the tutu and never looked back. She moved sinuously from one pose to another, allowing the beat to mold her. Her skin was slick with sweat, and her body began to tremble as her muscles begged for a break, but she kept moving.
The last song she and Vinny made love to boomed from the speakers, and she froze. She rested her forehead against the pole. Fuck. She would never be able to forget him. Bittersweet memories threatened to kill her buzz.
She raised her head and found that a crowd had gathered around her. Apparently, she hadn’t lost her skill on the pole. A stripper glared up at her and tapped her clear heel, clearly annoyed that she stole the show. Well, she would finish her fucking performance. She forced herself to move to the beat even though her heart wasn’t in it. Her hands shook as she slid down the pole. Men crowded close, but no one dared touch. For the moment, she was still a fantasy, but when she stopped moving, she was up for grabs.
She surveyed her options as she leaned back against the pole and continued to move. The heat coming off the stripper made her smile. Her gaze moved over the men, but no one stood out. They were all the same. One man made his way forward, capturing her attention. His easy, unhurried stride was unthreatening enough that the other men let him pass. M
arcus stopped in front of her and held out a hand. Even though he wasn’t wearing a smile and looked unusually grim, her inner hellion was intrigued. He might be wearing a light gray suit and matching tie, but she knew for a fact that he was more dominant than the men standing around him in basketball jerseys or swim trunks.
Carmen took his hand and heard the grumble of the others as they dispersed to find action elsewhere. Dirty thoughts traipsed through her mind as she met Marcus’s hooded green gaze.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey, yourself. I wasn’t expecting to find you dancing on a pole.”
“I’m full of surprises,” she purred and wrapped her arms around him. “What are you doing here?”
“I bumped into Alice.”
That explained his appearance. “Lucky me.”
This was her opportunity to question him about his weird connection to Gavin, but right now, she didn’t give a shit. She was feeling restless and needy, and Marcus offered himself as sacrifice, and she would take advantage. She was a bit shaky from dancing, so she leaned into him. He took her weight and moved them to an empty space against the wall.
“Are you all right?”
“Uh-huh.” His silk suit felt great beneath her tingling palms. She burrowed against him and felt him stiffen a moment before she discovered his bulge. She looked up and found him staring at her intently. She couldn’t stop the delighted grin that broke across her face.
“How long were you watching me?” she murmured as she ran her hands over his back.
He shifted against her. “Long enough.”
He was so fucking cute. She nuzzled his neck and licked. His hands bit into her hips. “Do you have a stripper fantasy, Marcus?”
A hand skated over her ass cheek. “Now I do.”
“It’s your lucky night, Marcus,” she panted against his ear and felt him shudder. “The stripper’s easy.”
