Crave: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Roma James

  I chuckled. “Yeah, a little bit. But it’s fine, we get newcomers all the time. This scene isn’t for everyone.” I took her hand and gently placed my ID and phone in it. “Just let me get you home safe and sound and we can call it a night.”

  She took a minute, looked down at my ID, and then nodded slowly. “Okay, yeah. Let’s do that.”

  I smiled at her. “Great, let’s go…” I was about to say her name when I realized she hadn’t given it to me. “Sorry, what’s your name?”

  “Harlow. Harlow Grey,” she responded.

  “Well, nice to meet you, Harlow. Let’s get you home.”

  I led her to the elevator and down to the first floor. I wasn’t surprised to see that things were getting going downstairs, it was a lot more crowded than it was earlier. That was usually what happened on weekend nights, though. As the night went on, more people showed up.

  We walked by the dance floor which was now full, and Harlow stopped me.

  “Wait,” she yelled over the loud music. “I need to say goodbye to my friend. I came with her and she’s going to be super confused when she can’t find me later.”

  “Sure, of course,” I yelled back to her. “Where is she?”

  I watched as she looked around the dance floor tentatively. I looked for her friend’s red hair too but couldn’t see anything. She was likely buried in all the bodies by now.

  “You know… I don’t see her,” Harlow answered me. “I guess I’ll just have to text her.”

  I can tell she didn’t want to go searching through the crowd. I wondered if it was because she was feeling apprehensive about nearly being drugged, or if it was simply because she wasn’t one for crowds. Maybe it was a bit of both.

  “Good idea,” I told her as we continued to move to the door.

  It was dark out by now, nothing but the twinkling of the stars and the harsh light of the street lamps above us.

  “This way,” I told her, as I walked over to the side of Crave where the parking lot was.

  I was parked up front in one of the VIP spaces, of course. That was where my brother and Ryker always parked too. I’d never park anywhere else because I couldn’t stand the idea of some drunken clubgoer coming out here for a cigarette and scratching my baby.

  Yeah, I was one of those people. I loved the hell out of my car.

  “Alright, this is it.” I clicked my key fob, and the lights of my Maserati flashed.

  Harlow’s jaw dropped and she stumbled a bit when she realized what kind of car it was. I had to laugh.

  “Yeah, that’s usually the reaction I get,” I told her.

  “This is seriously yours?” She gasped. “Man, I need to own a sex club.”

  I laughed again. Not only was this girl cute, she was pretty damn funny.

  I was actually stunned by how she captivated my attention. But now I was honestly a little disappointed, since I obviously couldn’t hit on her at this point. Not after the hellish night she’d been through. It would have been wildly inappropriate for me to make a move right as I was taking her home when I promised she’d be safe with me.

  More than inappropriate, in fact. It would have been downright predatory.

  I wanted a girl who was wildly into me—that was the only way sex was fun. She wasn’t going to be interested in me after some freak tried to drug and take advantage of her.

  Still, in the back of my mind, I hoped she’d come back to the club one day. That maybe if we met on another night—one where she was actually having fun—I’d get the chance to approach her on an even playing field.

  I walked over and opened her door for her. She looked even more surprised.

  “Uh, thank you,” she said softly.

  “Not a problem,” I said as I shut it behind her.

  I decided to probe a little, find out if maybe she actually would be coming back to Crave sometime.

  “So, your first night at the club, right?” I asked as I slid into the driver’s seat.

  “Yep,” she answered as she buckled her seatbelt.

  “What brought you in tonight?”

  She rolled her eyes. Not a good sign for me.

  “My friend, Liza, really wanted me to go out. She used this excuse that it would be good research for this new romance book I’m writing… which was really just an excuse for us to do some drinking together. But I came out for her.”

  “You’re a writer?” I asked, suddenly even more intrigued. The sexy librarian vibe hadn’t been far off the mark.

  “I am, yeah.” She smiled, and her whole face seemed to light up. “It’s kind of my passion.”

  “Very cool,” I said, and I truly thought it was. “So, I take it you’d never normally end up in a place like Crave?”

  “No,” she snorted. “I mean, no offense or anything… I just, um…”

  “Hey, no worries,” I said, grinning. I appreciated her refreshing honesty. “This type of club isn’t for everyone.”

  “Yeah, it’s… a lot.” Her brows furrowed for a moment. “Definitely a little outside my comfort zone. But for what it’s worth, I got a great impression of your club tonight.”

  “Yeah?” I asked, pausing for a moment as we pulled out of the parking lot. “Even after everything that happened?”

  “Totally. Ryker was such a professional, which for some reason I wasn’t expecting. And you’re, um… really sweet.” She smiled again, making it hard as hell to concentrate on the road in front of us.

  “Good. I’m glad we could make this night a little better for you.” I risked another quick glance over at her.

  Jesus, she was beautiful.

  No.

  Nope.

  I couldn’t let myself go there. Not right now.

  Not tonight.

  I needed to end this conversation for the rest of the drive. I could tell that I was dangerously attracted to this woman, and I did not want to cross any lines.

  Probably better not to get any more details about her or her life. I needed to make a clean break from this one.

  Chapter 5 - Harlow

  I was blown away by how sweet this Axel guy was. Here I thought Ryker had been nice—and he was, though in a more professional and stoic way.

  But Axel had him beat.

  And I was surprised at how much more casual he was than Ryker. I assumed that all the owners kept up that uber-professional vibe that Ryker had going. That didn’t seem to be the case. Axel was definitely more easygoing, more fun. He had done just as much as Ryker to put me at ease during this whole crazy situation.

  It was very yin and yang finding a genuinely nice-seeming guy somewhere like a sex club. Hey, maybe he could be inspiration for my next romance book. Although I’m not so sure being nearly drugged is ideal for a meet-cute…

  Eh, well, it’s tweakable.

  I had been keeping my eyes out my own window mostly because I felt like I kept stealing glances at Axel on the drive home and I didn’t want things to become awkward. But I had this overwhelming desire to look at him… I had to yawn and I stretched as I did, quickly stealing another glance.

  Man, he really was a good-looking guy. He had these perfect blue eyes, bulging muscles, and he kept running his hands through his blond hair. He was pale but artfully dressed, though it was really difficult to focus on anything aside from the way his muscles flexed under that tailored shirt. He was the picture of perfection.

  Hell, forget writing about him for my next book… he could just as easily be the cover model.

  I couldn’t help but smile to myself at the irony of the situation. To think, he was the one that owned a sex club but was a perfect gentleman. I, on the other hand, the judger of sex clubs, was getting all hot and heavy for him as I sat in his Maserati.

  I could honestly say I had never felt this way before. I mean, yes, I’d been turned on before… but not like this.

  Not by just being near a hot guy.

  But he wasn’t just hot. He was like a damn Greek god.

  It was taking everyt
hing I had to steel myself, to keep myself from leaning over in my seat and reaching out to touch him.

  Hopefully he couldn’t tell how much it was affecting me to be this close to him. I clasped my hands together in my lap and reminded myself to stop looking over at him.

  Keep yourself together, Harlow.

  You cannot flirt with this guy. You hardly know him.

  That’s not a thing you do. You didn’t even want to come to this club tonight because it was a hook-up spot.

  Now you’re fantasizing about hooking up with one of the owners?

  Get.

  A.

  Grip.

  Too bad getting a grip was so much easier said than done.

  I leaned back in my seat and tried to keep my focus on my breathing. That was all I had to do—keep taking deep breaths. I could get through the drive.

  Right?

  Yes, I could. I could.

  I had to.

  “Left turn here, right?” He broke through my thoughts with that deep, warm voice and award-winning smile.

  “Yes,” I nodded hurriedly, then cleared my throat. Be calm. Collected. “Um, yeah, that’s right.”

  We were almost home. Hopefully he didn’t have many more questions about directions because my breath seemed to hitch every time he spoke.

  The next few minutes stretched out like an absolute eternity, but we thankfully pulled up in front of my house without any incidents. With his expensive clothes and flashy car, Axel probably thought my house looked awfully plain with its light blue siding and white trim.

  Cute, for sure, but no doubt very quaint compared to what he was used to.

  “Okay, thank you.” I nodded quickly as I began to push the door open, stumbling over my words as I tried to move and unfasten my seatbelt all at the same time. “I, um, really appreciate it.”

  “Wait, I’ll walk you up,” he said, already out of the car and walking over to my side.

  My heartbeat quickened and I felt my face heat up as he took my hand and helped me out of the seat. “Okay, sure.”

  If I had been thinking clearly, I would have told him I was fine, that I could make it to the door on my own. I would have thanked him and sent him on his way.

  But I wasn’t thinking clearly, and the feel of his hand as it rested on the small of my back sent a jolt through my body that made saying goodnight the last thing I wanted to do.

  He stayed right there with me all the way up to the front door, only moving his hand away when I fished around in my purse for my keys.

  Belatedly realizing I still had his phone and license, I handed them over with a quick smile, trying and failing not to meet his gaze. “I guess I had better give these back,” I said. God, why did it feel like he could see right through me? “You’ll probably need them later.”

  “Thank you,” he said, flashing me another easy smile. “I appreciate you indulging me and letting me give you a ride. I only hope you haven’t been scared away from the club for good after tonight. It really can be a lot of fun, even without… well, you know.”

  My cheeks were on fire, and I looked away for a split-second before finding myself drawn to his gaze again. “Even without the… sex?”

  I couldn’t believe the words had fallen out of my mouth, and I wanted more than anything to just run inside my house and lock the door behind me, but I didn’t.

  I didn’t run. I didn’t move. I didn’t even breathe until he laughed and nodded.

  “Even without any of that,” he said, taking my hand again. “Seriously, if you ever do want to come back, you’d be my guest. I’d make sure you were taken care of.”

  I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to speak, to thank him, to say something… but nothing came out. I closed it again with an audible snap as he slowly let my hand slip from his grasp.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable. I know you’ve been through a lot this evening.”

  “N-no,” I said, shaking my head. My voice was barely above a whisper, so I cleared my throat and tried to sound more confident than I felt. “I’m not uncomfortable. Meeting you—you and Ryker, I mean—has been the best part of the night, by far.”

  “Okay, good. That’s good to hear.” He looked clearly relieved at my words. “I—we just want to make sure you’re taken care of.”

  Holy hell, why did he have to be so nice? I was melting with every word.

  “Thank you,” I said, still not turning to open the door. Still not moving, still not resisting as he took a half-step closer. “I just… I don’t… I’m not…”

  Oh, God. What was happening? Why couldn’t I think? I was a writer, for God’s sake. Why couldn’t I seem to string more than two words together at a time?

  He was staring at me, waiting. Those piercing, ice-blue eyes looking right into my soul.

  Think of something to say, Harlow.

  Anything.

  But I couldn’t. So, instead of speaking, I closed my eyes. I leaned in just a few more inches and tilted my head up until I felt his lips brush against mine.

  I had no idea how he was going to react. Lord, I had no idea how I was going to react, or why I had let myself go in the first place. But he didn’t move away, and neither did I.

  He didn’t stop me, and God knows I couldn’t stop myself.

  Instead, he leaned in and kissed me back.

  My knees threatened to buckle as a million butterflies fluttered to life in my stomach. Thankfully, he was there, his strong hand at my waist, holding me there, keeping me on my feet.

  I pulled away just enough to look into those intense blue eyes again. “Would you like to come in?” I asked him, trying to sound calm and confident even though the heat and the nerves that were surging through my body made it difficult to do anything but kiss him again.

  He looked hesitant. “Look, you’re an absolutely stunning woman,” he began to say, “but I don’t want you to think that’s the reason I wanted to bring you home. I promise I’m not that kind of guy. I don’t want to take advantage of the situation.”

  Oh, damn. He thought he was the one taking advantage of me?

  After I had basically thrown myself at him?

  How was it possible that I had met the only gentleman in town at a sex club?

  “No, that’s not… I mean… you’re not. I, um, I’d like it if you came inside.” I gave him what I hoped was a convincing smile. “Honestly, I’ve had a few drinks, but I feel like for the most part, they’ve worn off. I promise you, you’re not taking advantage of me. I’m in control of all my faculties. I know that I want… this. I want you.”

  For a moment I thought he might still say no. I thought he might turn me down and leave me standing there on my front porch, horny and confused and so damn weak in the knees that I really could have fallen over at any moment if he had let go.

  But he didn’t let go. He didn’t leave.

  “You’re absolutely sure?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow in a way that made him look even sexier, if that was possible.

  I nodded slowly. “I’m positive. This is what I want.”

  I didn’t even wait for his answer. I put my key in the door, pushed the door open, and hoped he’d follow me in.

  Thank God he did.

  I sat down on the couch and he took the lead, which was good, since it had taken every ounce of my courage and resolve just to get the words out that had brought us this far.

  He climbed on top of me and slowly pushed me downward into a lying position as his tongue met mine, and I loved the taste of him. He was minty fresh, exactly like you’d expect a man as sexy as him to taste.

  This honestly felt like a dream. Never had I kissed—or even been this close to—anyone who looked like him before. It wasn’t a dream, though, and I was reminded of that fact when I felt his fingertips brush through my hair.

  No, this was very, very real.

  I felt his hand slide down from my hair to the back of my shoulders. He inched it in between my shou
lder blades so that his hand was between my body and the couch, his fingers finding the zipper on the back of my dress as I belatedly realized that he wanted to get me naked.

  Naked.

  With him.

  Now.

  I felt a tingle go down my spine as he slowly pulled on the zipper and his hand slid down my back. It couldn’t have been an easy move with the entire weight of my body on top of his hand, but he seemed to do it effortlessly. His strength amazed me.

  Once the zipper was entirely down and he reached right to the top of my ass, he pulled his mouth away from mine. He straddled me, his eyes glued to my body. He was looking at me like I was a piece of candy as he carefully put both hands on the top of my dress sleeves and began to peel it off of me.

  I made no move to stop him. I didn’t want to stop him. I normally would have been at least a little bit shy about showing my body to someone I barely even knew—well, no.

  I normally would have been very shy about doing something like that. For starters, I didn’t get naked with people I didn’t know. That just didn’t happen in my world.

  Not since my college days, at least.

  But it didn’t feel weird with him. It didn’t feel awkward or strange at all, even though I realistically should have been feeling all of those things.

  The way he looked at me, though… it was enough to take my breath away, to make me forget about all of my own insecurities as I got lost in his eyes. He was looking at me like he wanted this every bit as much as I did, like he was turned on just by the idea of seeing me naked.

  And that realization?

  Yeah, that was hot.

  Really hot.

  And damn, so was he. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped a little bit as he peeled the dress off my breasts. I hadn’t been able to wear a bra with my tight black dress, and the look on his face as my breasts came into view made me happy about wearing that uncomfortably tight dress for the first time that night.

  I lifted my hips off the couch, allowing him to slide it down and expose the black lacy thong I’d been wearing underneath. After I was wearing nothing but my panties, he immediately made a move for the breasts he’d been unable to take his eyes off of.