by Angela Blake
Archer began to breathe hard against her. “Damn it, Claudia. You’re going to make me lose control very fast, if you keep doing that.”
“Who says that’s a bad thing?” she said throatily as she twisted her hips just a little. She felt Archer’s moan vibrate against her body as he ground against her.
Suddenly, Claudia’s phone rang. They both grew very still as she stared at her purse on the other side of the room and contemplated whether or not she should get it. Archer’s gaze met hers, and he gave her a slow smirk.
Her phone stopped ringing a while later, and they both breathed deeply before Archer crashed his lips against hers. He began rubbing her once more until she had to wrench her lips away from his just to be able to breathe.
Her phone rang again, so they pulled apart, and Archer shot it a dirty look across the room. Claudia huffed as she sat up. “I should probably get that.”
She gently pushed him off as she walked over to the other side of the room and answered the phone. Reality came crashing back as she heard Chastity’s voice on the other end asking her where she was.
“I’m sorry, Chas. I got caught up with um -” She eyed Archer who was sitting on the couch on the other side of the room, devouring her with his eyes. “Work,” she finished lamely.
“Well, come on. Don’t take too long. We’re waiting for you.”
“I’ll be there soon.” She hung up and stood there for a second, allowing the air to enter her lungs as she ran her hands through her hair. Self-consciously she brought her hands up to her breasts and covered them. “I should probably go.”
She heard a shifting on the couch. “Should or want to go?”
Her eyes snapped up to meet Archer’s. “It’s probably best if I do go.”
Archer strolled towards her lazily. “Why is that?”
“Archer,” She laughed nervously as she shook her hair out. “You know why. Don’t make me say it. We got caught up back there, and it was great, but—“
“Don’t do that.” Archer shook his head as he stood in front of her.
Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Do what?”
“Attempt to write it off as another sexcapade just like that.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “I wasn’t trying to, but I wasn’t under any illusions, Archer.”
“Neither was I,” he said casually, his gaze smoldering as he began casually strolling towards her. Claudia wanted to take a step backward, or maybe she wanted to take a step forward. She couldn’t even tell. There was even a part of her that was telling her to run. As if Archer was some kind of predator, and she was a prey.
Except she was the willing kind, and that not only made it so much harder for her, but it also made it so much easier for him. It wasn’t typical at all, but it was what was happening.
She thought about sidestepping around him, but she realized she couldn’t. He was a big man, and rather burly, so there was that to take into account. But it was also the fact that even if she ran away from how she felt about him, she wouldn’t have anywhere to go. This was place was her home.
“You need to move,” she said firmly.
Archer raised an eyebrow and crossed his arm over his chest. “Why should I?”
Claudia let her eyes meet his, defiantly. “Archer, you’re only making this harder on yourself. You need to move because as I said repeatedly, nothing can happen between us. Also, my friends are waiting for me, so I should be going.”
“Something did happen between us.” He pointed as he uncrossed his arms, his muscles flexing in the process causing Claudia to momentarily stare and forget why she was arguing against this in the first place.
“I’m not denying that it did. I’m simply saying that it can’t happen again.”
“Are you going to spew forth that crap about how you can’t be near anyone again?”
Claudia’s eyes flashed dangerously. “It’s not crap. Just because you don’t believe it doesn’t make it any less true. It’s my truth, my beliefs, and you don’t get to invalidate that.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not trying to invalidate it. I’m trying to make you see reason.”
They stood in front of each other, breathing heavily, the tension in the room was so thick, and you could cut through it with a butter knife. They were both in the middle of a staring match, neither one willing to be the first one to break.
Finally, Archer turned his gaze away, the frustration rippling off of him in waves as his mouth pressed into a thin line. “This isn’t over, Claudia, and you know it. You will be the one to ask me to kiss you next time, you’ll see.”
Claudia crossed her arms over her chest. “I doubt it.”
She knew that he was probably right though. Her heart was already hammering in her chest at the mere thought of it, and she didn’t if she’d be able to handle being around him now that she’d gotten a taste of him, but she knew that she had to at least try.
Archer bent over the couch and began to slip on his shirt. He picked up her shirt and bra and tossed it to her from across the room without even looking at her. Claudia’s hand snapped up and caught them mid-air, and she began to put them back on, all the while wondering if she’d made a big mistake.
Besides her belief that she lost everyone she cared about, she really had no convincing reason not to do this. Realistically, he wasn’t asking her to care about him nor him her. He was just asking her to give in to her carnal desires and enjoy it, so he could enjoy her too. In retrospect, it didn’t sound like such a bad idea especially if it meant she could break the loop she was stuck in.
Before she had any chance to consider it further, Archer had turned his back on her and walked straight out without even saying bye. She flinched as she heard the door slam shut behind him, the sound resonating throughout that empty hall. She sighed as she ran her hands through her hair, picked up her purse and headed out the door.
Chapter Two
Claudia’s nose crinkled in distaste as the smells of the pub hit her nostrils. It was packed tonight. They usually liked to come here because it wasn’t. Given the nature of their work, they tried to avoid clubs because they actually wanted some privacy for a change while they were out. But O’Malley’s had a larger than usual crowd.
Claudia’s eyes scanned the room as she looked for her friends. She finally spotted Chastity waving her arms about furiously to get her attention. She smiled at her as she weaved in and out of the throngs of people.
“You made it,” Chastity said, a little too loudly.
Claudia smirked as she realized that she probably had quite a bit to drink by then. “I see someone’s already started the fun.”
Chastity waggled her fingers at her. “Why not? Life’s too short, Clo. I wanted to wait for you to get here, but you took way too long.”
Claudia shrugged off her coat as she slipped into the booth next to them. “Yeah, I had some unfinished business that I had to attend to.”
Chastity eyed her curiously. “Everything okay?”
“Just peachy.” She signaled to the waiter who came over to take her order. She ordered a rum and coke and settled back in her booth. “Where’s everyone else?”
Chastity pointed behind her. “They’re over there.”
Claudia leaned over and spotted the girls huddled in one corner, drinking and dancing. She shook her head at their antics especially as she realized that a group of men in the corner were watching them. She decided to keep a close eye on them in case they needed any help as the waiter brought over her drink.
She curled her hands around it and brought it up to her lips for a sip. The liquid burned its way down her throat, and she smiled in satisfaction. Chastity brought up her drink for a toast. “To bad decisions.”
Archer’s eyes flashed through her mind as she clinked her glass against Chastity’s. “To bad decisions,” she echoed.
***
A pleasant buzz coursed through Claudia�
�s veins as she smiled at Chastity who was regaling her with crazy antics about patrons. She was half listening as she kept her eye on the group corner who so far seemed safe from the group of men who just kept getting louder and louder.
“Wait, what?” Claudia shook her head as she grinned. “He actually proposed to you?”
Chastity’s body shook with laughter. “Exactly. Right in the middle of me trying to seduce him.”
“Were you that good?”
Chastity gave her a playful wink. “Honey, you have no idea.”
Claudia laughed. “Was he old?”
Chastity took a gulp of her drink and grimaced. “No, that’s the thing. He wasn’t. He was quite young compared to our usual patrons. That’s why I was surprised. I think he’s one of those noveau riche type. Probably made his money off of tech or something. That’s usually the type to say stuff like that.”
Claudia nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, I always feel bad for them. They’re practically kids. They’re not even in this because they like it. They’re in because they think they should be as part of some unspoken agreement that when you’re that rich, you have to be a part of this particular group.”
Chastity sighed. “That is too true, Clo. I wanted to tell him to get out of it while he still could. I did, in fact, but he started blundering and talking about how he really was into all the BDSM stuff. I could totally tell that he was lying though.”
“You never know somebody’s reasons for doing something,” Claudia responded as she downed her drink, and signaled the waiter for a second one.
“That’s true.” Chastity grew silent, no doubt contemplating something of importance as she mulled over what Claudia said.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped to Claudia’s, and they glanced at her neck. For a minute, Claudia was confused then she realized that she had taken off the scarf she used to hide the bite on her neck, and it was probably very visible by now.
“What’s that on your neck?” Chastity’s tone was both playful and shocked. They had known each other for a while now, and Claudia was sure that Chastity knew what it was.
“I’m not sure. I must’ve hurt myself somehow.” Claudia shrugged as she felt the blush rise to her cheeks.
“On the neck? In the form of a bite mark?” Chastity sounded dubious.
“It doesn’t look like a bit mark, Chas. You’re just imagining things.”
Chastity raised an eyebrow as she sat back in her seat and ran her fingers over her top to smooth it out as she eyed Claudia with a decided interest. She was quiet for a moment. “Nope. I’m not buying it. That’s not an accident. That’s a hickey.”
Claudia’s face burned. “It is not a hickey. How would I get one anyways? You know that I don’t want to be with a guy.”
Chastity gave her a look. “Just because you won’t sleep with a guy doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in other ways. Come on, Claudia. I’ve seen enough of those and covered enough of them to know what they are.”
Claudia lifted her chin up. “Not debating that, but still, come on. The mere idea is preposterous.”
Chastity titled her head to the side. “Perhaps, but the fact that you’re blushing just now tells me that I’m closer to the truth than you want me to be. It’s that guy, isn’t it? What’s his name? The one we were talking about before the big show, with a name like a bow or something.”
“Archer Paisley.” Claudia mumbled.
Chastity grinned. “That’s the one. It’s him, isn’t it? Is that why you warned the girls to be careful?”
Claudia’s face morphed into shock. “What? No, that wasn’t why at all. It’s just that I know his type, and I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“Yet, you’re okay with getting hurt yourself?”
“I won’t get hurt,” Claudia responded stubbornly.
“It sounds like you just might. Clo, I thought you didn’t like him.”
“I didn’t. I mean, I don’t.” Claudia shut her eyes and opened them again. “I don’t know, Chas. He’s arrogant sometimes and kind of annoying, but there’s something about him.”
“Is it the money, the prestige, the power?”
“I don’t know.” Claudia sighed as she began to massage her temples. “I don’t think it is, to be honest. I’ve been pursued by attractive rich guys before. This is just the first time I actually wanted to say yes.”
“What about that vow you made to yourself?” Chastity asked, sympathy coloring her voice.
“I don’t know how that’ll come into play, but I said I’d never get close enough to hurt anyone again. This could be different. Sex doesn’t mean you’re close to someone.”
Chastity snorted. “Come on, Clo. You and I both know that emotions get involved in a lot of the cases, and that’s when things get messy.”
Claudia made a sweeping hand gesture. “I’ll simply keep them from getting involved. Anyway, I didn’t say anything. He expects me to be the one to ask him to kiss me. Like that’s ever going to happen.”
Chapter Five
“Clo, Madame Sauri is looking for you.”
Claudia was busy adjusting the hem of one of the dresses for tonight’s show, so she glanced up at Chastity with her mouth full of pins. She took one of them out. “Did she say why?”
Chastity shrugged. “She just said it was important.”
Claudia sighed as she gazed at the dress. “I sure hope it is. Because I was almost finished, and I was looking forward to some down time before the show.”
Claudia smoothed out her shirt and shoved her hands in her pockets as she made her way to Madame Sauri’s office. She had offered Claudia one, but Claudia graciously turned it down seeing no need considering she didn’t want anything to do with the business side of things.
Madame Sauri looked deep in thought when Claudia walked in and plopped herself onto the chair in front of her. “What’s up?”
“Americans and their strange sayings,” she mumbled as she shook her head to clear away whatever lingering thoughts she still had. “Mr. Paisley approach me again yesterday.”
Claudia forced herself to remain calm. “Oh? You’d think he’d have given up by now given how many times I’ve said no.”
“Apparently not.” Madame Sauri was watching her carefully. “He said he was sure this time was different, and he said you’d know why.”
Claudia’s heart picked up inside her chest, and she wondered if he told Madame Sauri anything. Her face seemed impassive. “I have no idea what he’s talking about.”
Madame Sauri made a noise in the back of her throat. “Well, you foolish for not saying yes to this man. He want you bad enough, he willing to pay way more than what we ask. Is very generous offer. You be set for life. No more work.”
Claudia shrugged. “I don’t want it, Sauri. We’ve talked about this before. I only perform as a favor to you and because I enjoy dancing, but the intention was never to be bought.”
Madame Sauri pinched the bridge of her nose with thumb and index finger. “I was afraid you say that. I need to show you something.”
She rummaged around in her drawer before she pulled out what looked like a letter, and she handed it to Claudia quietly.
With trembling hands, Claudia reached for the letter and opened it. She quietly scanned the contents of the paper, and looked up at Sauri’s face.
“I don’t know what letter says, but I know is from your sister. Time to make peace with the past, and see if you can help, yes?”
Claudia was quiet for so long, Madame Sauri was sure she’d turn down the offer again, but then she quietly said. “Okay.”
Madame Sauri looked surprised. “Okay? You sure?”
A muscle ticked in Claudia’s jaw as she kept a death grip on the paper. She should’ve known the past would come back to haunt her. She had turned her back on it, now it was time to pay the price. No way around that now. She would have to accept Archer’s offer simply because she needed the money.
/> “I’ll accept his offer, but he has to wire half of the money first.”
***
As she walked out of Madame Sauri’s office after arranging for things to be taken care of, Claudia felt like she was a different person than the one who had walked in. This morning, all she could think was that she wanted to finish hemming that dress before the show, so she could get some reading time in.
Now, she knew that in just a few short hours, Archer Paisley would be here, and she would have to ask him to kiss her, and then accept his offer to be his for 3 months. She hated that would have to break the only rule she had, but she had no choice. Her sister needed her.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Chastity commented, worry tinging her tone as she eyed Claudia up and down.
Her face looked ashen as she sat down on the chair and began to massage her temples. “Not seen a ghost, but rather heard from one. You can’t always outrun the past, I guess.”
Chastity met her gaze in the mirror, and she gave her a sympathetic smile. “No, sometimes, you can’t.”
Claudia stood up, squared her shoulders and headed towards the dressing room where she proceeded to pick out her own outfit for the day. She donned a black, knee length dress with thigh high boots. Given her routine for the night, it might have been wiser to go with something more comfy, but it might be her last night on the stage, so she wanted to remember it.
She put on her dress, they had her hair pinned up in an elegant chignon, and they put on a minimal amount of make-up. She watched the girls from behind the curtains, a small smile playing on the corner of her lips as she felt a burst of pride swell within her. She would definitely miss those girls. The music came on to announce Chastity, and she waved at her and called out ‘Good luck’ as Chastity winked at her.
Men practically drooled at Chastity’s feet, and she enjoyed it. She knew exactly how to work the stage, and she had just enough confidence, grace, and sass to pull it off seamlessly. Claudia had no idea how she did it, but she had always admired her for it. Once she was done, she winked and waved at the crowd before she walked off. She gave Claudia a quick hug, and Claudia stood there for a moment, hesitating as she wondered whether she was making the right choice.
