by L. P. Dover
“I believe so too,” I agree. “I think it’s time to celebrate.” I meet Rachel’s gaze and wink. I’m hoping my mood will shift once I get a few drinks in me.
Charles pulls me in for a hug and chuckles. “Don’t have too much fun now. Will I see you sometime next week?”
“Definitely. I’ll call you as soon as I’ve caught up at the office.”
“Sounds good.” A lady walks through the door and he smiles at me before making a beeline straight for her.
“I need to run to the restroom before we leave,” Rachel whispers.
“Okay, hurry up. I need to get some drinks in me STAT.” Watching her rush across the floor, I pull my necklace out and slip it on. I’ve never worn something worth this much money before. There has to be over three carats of diamonds in it.
I turn to go thank the caterer before heading out for the night, and run straight into someone. Gasping, I grab the lady’s arm to steady her. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Clumsiness runs in my family.”
The woman chuckles and waves me off. “No worries, I’m fine. It’s probably my punishment for showing up late. Hopefully, Charles can forgive me.”
“He’s a sweet man. I doubt you’ll have a problem.” She looks about his age, maybe a few years younger, with really short, dark blonde hair.
Her attention lands on my necklace and she gasps. “You’re Xena?”
I burst out laughing. “Xena? Um, no. But I wish I were the warrior princess.”
She points at my necklace. “I’m the one who made that necklace, my dear. And my client said it was for a girl named Xena. I’m assuming that means you.”
My heart races and I don’t know what to say. I look down at her monogrammed bracelet, recognizing her initials immediately. “You’re Lucy Grant,” I state.
She nods, but I can see the confusion in her gaze. She’s not the only one trying to grasp what just happened. Parker’s the one who told me about her; her designs are amazing.
Parker.
His name echoes in my mind. Everything around me spins and my palms begin to sweat. The thoughts running through my brain make no sense at all. The coincidence is uncanny. Surely, there’s no way . . .
“My name’s actually Mia Hudson. Xena is my nickname. It’s an inside joke.”
Her face brightens, the look of confusion gone. “So you’re the famous Mia Hudson I hear everyone talking about. Charles has been talking nonstop about you.”
“Thank you, it’s been pretty overwhelming. And I would love to chat,” I smile apologetically, “but it’s been a busy evening, and I really need to use the little girls’ room.” I need some air.
“Lucy,” Charles calls out, saving the day. “I’m over here, my dear.”
Lucy waves at him back, grinning wide. “Mia, it was a pleasure meeting you. I’m sure I’ll see you again.”
All I can do is nod and plaster a fake smile on my face. “Enjoy your night.” I sure as hell know I’m not going to enjoy mine. Not until I get some answers.
“Mia, this is insane. There’s no way in hell Parker would have anything to do with Society X. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an elite club, but I know him. It’s not his cup of tea,” Rachel argues.
“I guess you’re right, but I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about this.”
We head toward the door of Society X and she rolls her eyes. “I’m sure you do, but it would have to be one massive coincidence for it to be Parker. Just think of all the chips that would have to line up! The chances of that are slim to none.”
“But Parker always gets his jewelry made by her.” I’m at my breaking point, and sound desperate. Hell, I am desperate. I need to know if it’s Parker or not. There are signs that point to him, but I still can’t fathom the thought he’d even join a place like Society X.
We flash our necklaces and our membership cards and they let us right on in. Rachel links her arm with mine, shaking her head incredulously. “Parker isn’t the only one who gets custom made jewelry, Mia. You’re being silly. Now let’s go have some fun.”
I’ve only been in the main club once, for Stacey’s bachelorette party. The escort walks us to our table and pulls out our seats. “Would you like anything to drink?”
Rachel raises her hand. “I’ll have a Bloody Mary, please.”
He nods and looks at me. “And I’ll take a Tequila sunrise.”
“Coming right up, ladies.”
Rachel shakes her shoulders to the beat and claps when one of the male dancers comes up on stage. He’s a good-looking guy with a chiseled body and a package that would make any woman tremble. He struts around the stage and the women drool over him.
“I wonder if he enjoys doing that?” I ask.
Rachel shrugs. “Enjoyment or not, I’m sure he makes a lot of money. Speaking of which,” she says, face beaming, “why don’t we get a lap dance? I’ve never had one before.”
I shake my head and laugh. “You can get one. I’m happy where I’m at.”
The guy who showed us our seats comes back and sets our drinks down. “Is there anything else I can get you ladies?”
Rachel takes a long pull on her drink and smiles wide. “Actually, I would love for my friend here to get a lap dance. She deserves it after the night she’s had.” I kick her leg under the table and her smile spreads even wider, rejoicing in my ire.
“I’ll get it taken care of,” he says, winking at us both. When he walks away, I kick Rachel again.
“Ow, that one hurt.” She laughs.
“It should, after what you just did. I don’t want a lap dance.”
She waves me off. “Sure you do. It’ll be fun.” Her eyes light up when she sees something across the room. “There’s Jared.”
I turn my head and that’s when he notices us. “Ladies, how are you? I saw you had checked in with us. I wanted to come out and say hi.”
“I just requested a lap dance for Mia,” Rachel blurts out, waggling her brows.
He chuckles. “I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.” He then turns to me. “I’m glad you’re here because I was just about to call you.”
“Oh yeah? What for?” I ask.
Taking the seat beside me, he leans in close. “Your partner has requested another visit to the dark room. Are you available tomorrow night?”
My heart speeds up and I stare at him. This is exactly what I need to get my answers. “Yes, I’m free. Put me down.”
“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gets up and pushes in his chair. “Have a good rest of the night.”
As soon as he walks off, I suck in a much needed breath. “This is it, Rachel. Coincidence or not, I’m going to find out who this guy is.”
“And when you do?” she asks.
I toss back the rest of my drink and sigh. “I haven’t figured that part out yet.”
My hands grip my hair, nearly pulling it from my scalp. The nightstand mocks me as I pace in front of it, the red digital display of my clock ticking off the minutes until sunrise. I’ve been at this for hours, ever since I arrived home from the gala.
The proof I need is hiding in the drawer. That’s where I’ve kept the red panties my partner left behind in the dark room all those nights ago. It would be so easy to walk over, pull the drawer open and look at the label, except I already have it committed to memory and I know it matches the one I saw tonight.
I know what it looks like and how the embroidered H feels because I’ve rubbed my thumb over it while jacking off. I’m such a sick bastard.
The other part of me refuses to believe that the woman I’ve been having sex with knows Mia . . . or is Mia. The thought of it being Rachel unnerves me. The way I feel in the dark room with my partner, it’s like we belong together. That’s how I feel when I look at Mia. My heart longs to be with her. Yet, she is the worst kind of off-limits known to man. She is my best friend’s sister and one of my employees. Everything about this situation screams for us to be on Dr. Phil, having our fucked up sexual activities analyzed.
My blood boils at the thought of Mia being in the room with someone else, anyone else but me. The idea of another man touching her, moving inside of her, has my hands clenching into fists. Why the hell is she even going to a place like Society X? Her parents raised her better than that.
What the hell am I doing in a place like Society X?
“I don’t even know if it is Mia,” I tell myself as my hand rests on the knob to the drawer. I pull on it, opening the drawer slowly. The red fabric is like a beacon to my groin, remembering the night I took them off her legs before burying my face between her luscious lips. I rub my thumb and index finger over the lace, comparing the label to the one I burnt to memory at the event. It’s a perfect match.
I close my eyes and let the images from the dark room replay in my mind, putting Mia’s face on the woman writhing underneath me. My skin tingles as my fingers remember holding onto her hair, my lips nipping at her succulent neck.
“Mother fuck,” I yell, ripping the panties into pieces and letting the fabric fall to the floor. My hands return to my hair, pulling it as I try to find a way to curb the rage and excitement I’m feeling. I’ve been with Mia.
Moving toward my bedroom window, I look out over the nightlife below. I should be down there, socializing with the single women of Portland, finding one or two of them to bring back here so I can fuck their brains out. Except, all I can see is Mia and the dark room. I want to feel her under me one more time, before the truth comes out; before I have to tell her what I know, and who I am.
The club is hopping when I pull into the parking lot. Men and women are lined up to get in, celebrating who knows what. I keep a low profile as I enter, flashing my members only card and being ushered behind a closed door to meet Christy. It’s only a few minutes before I’m standing alone in the dressing room.
I quickly undress and try to psych myself up. As much as I want to burst in there, yelling her name, I need to do this right for the both of us. We need this closure.
Stepping into the dark room, with a condom in hand, I make my way to the bed. It hasn’t escaped my memory that I’ve already felt her around my bare cock, but it won’t be like that tonight. She should never have done that. It was risky and as much as I want to chastise her for being careless, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
I didn’t set any specific requirements or demands, so I can only hope she’s undressed and on the bed. I take a deep breath and a sense of calm and frenzy come over me.
I want this.
I want her.
I need her.
My steps are solid, following around the bed until my fingertips graze her skin. She jumps slightly, bringing a wicked grin to my face. My hand grips her ankle, as I split her legs apart and kneel on the bed. The small intake of air coming from her surprises me, but doesn’t stop me from trailing my tongue up her leg.
I settle between her thighs and bury my face in her pussy. Her sweet juices coat my tongue as my thumb massages her clit. Her moans are deep, and the tightening of her legs against my head spur me on. I slowly push two fingers into her, pumping slowly until they’re coated. She’s so fucking wet, so responsive. The thought of being buried to the hilt has my dick throbbing for attention. I’m so turned on that I rub myself against the bed for friction.
Having enough, I sit back on my haunches, rip open the condom wrapper, and quickly sheath myself. Standing up, I spit on my hand and rub it on the tip of my cock. Falling forward, I land on top of her, my mouth meeting hers, our tongues fucking with desperation.
With one quick movement, I’m basking in the glory of her tight pussy squeezing my dick; her hips rocking, creating the motion we need. I cup her face and run my thumb over her lips, feeling her tongue snake out to lick me.
Each thrust is slow and calculated, as I drive home the notion that her and I belong together, but can never be. I want her to remember this night and compare me to every lover she has afterward. I know no one will ever come close to making me feel the way she does.
As her nails dig into my back, my head rears back and her heels push into my ass, begging me to pick up the speed. Thing is, I don’t want to. I want to go slow. I want this to last. Tonight, she won’t be rolling out from under me until we’re both sated. She pushes on me harder.
“Let me make love to you, Mia. Please,” I beg, only to realize my mistake.
She freezes, and then gasps. Using her legs, she tries to push me off of her. I roll to the side, but refuse to let her go. She tries to wiggle out of my grip, but I tighten my hands, trying to hold her in place. When she stops moving, I relax the tension, and she breaks free, pushing her light before I can catch her.
“Don’t go,” I call out, only to have the door open and close.
I roll over on my back and scrub my hands over my face. Well, that was a monumental fuck up.
Heart racing, I lean against the door, struggling to take in a breath. I was right. I had been right all along. It’s him, and even worse, he knows it’s me. How long has he known? Has he been playing with me this whole time?
My phone rings and I rush over to it, only for my stomach to drop when I see it’s Parker. I send him straight to voicemail, and he calls again. Hands shaking, I turn off the phone and shove it into my purse. I have to get out of here before he does.
As fast as I can, I throw on my clothes and rush out the door, only to run right into Jared. My gaze darts around the hall, wondering if Parker’s going to show up.
“Are you okay? I was just about to check on you. When I heard you hit the button so fast, I got concerned,” he says, brows furrowed.
I plaster on a fake smile. “I’m fine.”
“You sure? Did something happen in there? You can tell me, I’ll take care of it.”
“Nope. I just need to go is all.”
He purses his lips, clearly not believing me, but he escorts me to the back door anyway. “Have a good rest of the night. Call me if you want to schedule another time,” Jared mentions cautiously.
I look up at him and nod, but what I really want to do is run as far and as fast away from that place as I can. “Thanks. I’ll talk to you soon.” It’s a complete lie because I have no intention of ever going back there.
I speed out of the parking lot. I don’t even look back. Either I’m in shock, or my mind can’t seem to fathom that I’ve been sleeping with Parker the entire time and didn’t know it. The necklace weighs heavy around my neck and it makes me sick. There’s no telling how many women he’s fucked in the dark room. He’s already sleeping with Tonya, and whoever the hell else as well.
Let me make love to you, Mia. Please. I can still hear his voice in my mind. What a fucking joke! He doesn’t even know what making love is. I can smell him all around me and it just fuels the fire. How am I ever going to get him out of my mind now? What am I going to do about work? There are so many questions that I don’t have the answers to.
Digging in my purse, I find my phone and turn it back on. It beeps with missed messages, including a few texts I’m too afraid to read. I refuse to look at them. I speed dial Rachel’s number, chewing my cheek the entire time I wait on her to answer.
“Hey, girl.”
“I was right,” I blurt out.
She gasps. “Wait, what? Get the fuck out of here. You’ve been fucking Parker?”
My eyes burn, but I refuse to cry. “He said my name, Rach. I don’t know what to do now.”
“Holy shit, this is insane. Where are you at now?” she asks impatiently.
“On my way home. I had to get away from there as fast as I could.”
“All right, I’ll meet you at your house. You have to tell me everything.” She hangs up and
as soon as I set my phone down, Parker calls again. What if he shows up at my house? I can’t go there. I call Rachel back.
She laughs when she picks up. “I was just about to call you. You’re probably going to want to come to my house.”
“Exactly. Parker keeps calling and I know he’ll show up at my house.”
“What if he comes here looking for you?” she asks.
Blowing out a sigh, I shake my head. “I don’t know, but at least it’ll give me some time to think. I’ll be there in a minute.”
When I get to her house, she has the door open for me. I walk inside and she’s standing there with a cup of hot cocoa in her hands, dressed in a pair of pink footie pajamas. The smell of brownies wafts from the kitchen.
“I thought you could use this,” she says, passing me the steaming cup.
“And I love you for it.” I toss my purse on the table and take a huge gulp of the chocolatey goodness. I just wish it’d make the aching in my chest go away.
Rachel sits on the couch and pats the cushion beside her. “Tell me all about it.”
Sighing, I sit down. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t wrap my head around this information. If my life wasn’t complicated before, it sure as hell is now.”
“How did you find out it was him?” she asks.
His voice echoes in my mind and my skin breaks out in chills. I need to forget the way he makes me feel. “He let my name slip while we were in the dark room.”
She gasps. “Oh my God, he knew it was you?”
I nod. “I don’t know how either. I was waiting for my chance to figure out if it was him, when all of a sudden, he says my name while we were . . .”
Eyes wide, her mouth gapes. “Were you in the middle of having sex?”
I close my eyes and I can still feel him inside me. How am I ever going to forget him? “Yes,” I answer softly. “It wasn’t my intention to let it go that far tonight, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to believe it wasn’t him. Yet, I wanted it to be him despite the fact.” Groaning, I set the cocoa down and cover my face. “Just imagine all of the women he’s slept with there. Not to mention, he’s screwing around with Tonya. He’s such a player, and a hypocrite.”
