This view is a fantastic start. We ride the private elevator just for club patrons, and once I step off, the first thing I notice is the three-hundred-sixty-degree view of New York City. It’s breathtaking. The club has an open floor plan. Smart idea. I feel as though I’m hanging out in the middle of the sky. There are several bars. One in each corner and two on longer parallel sides of the club that I guess you’d consider the main ones. The DJ is set up between them. There’s something oddly familiar about him, but I can’t place the guy. There are two staircases on opposite ends of the room leading up to the second floor VIP area. The second floor seems to have the same open vibe as downstairs does, except that its balconies overlook the entire first floor. We find two more bars up there, but the VIP area is nearly empty at the moment, so Quinn and I head downstairs to check out some of the featured martinis.
"This place is seriously amazing,” Quinn shouts over the music.
"I know," I yell back. We take our drinks and head to the dance floor. It’s time to have some fun. Just another part of the job that’s fantastic. I love that part of my work is to go out and have a good time and then write about it for the rest of the city to read. I get a night with my best friend, preferential treatment, and a whipped cream martini. Life is pretty good.
"Come on Ash. You can do better than that," Quinn says, obviously unimpressed with my dancing. When she pulls my arm, I wind up in front of her, and she starts grinding up against me. I do love that my bestie has no shame and couldn’t care less what anyone thinks. I wish some of that attitude would rub off on me.
I start shaking my ass and let the world fall away. Over the din, I hear someone speaking to Quinn but can’t make out the words. After a moment, I feel her pull away and a much larger person takes her place. I see her sneak away, flashing me a thumbs up as she grabs a guy to dance with a few feet away. I decide to go with it. It can’t hurt to let loose for one night. The songs all blend together, one after the other, and I’m actually relaxed and having a good time. Maybe Quinn’s been right and I just need to let loose a little more. My body sways with the mystery man’s in perfect time to the music. I feel the warmth of his hands radiating from my hips through my body, setting it ablaze. He has a soft but firm touch. Innocent but deliberate. The way my body has been mesmerized by the combination of his touch and the beat of the music is unreal but masterful. I feel at home, which is slightly unsettling, but I don’t want to put a stop to this moment.
"Maybe we should have had the interview in a club. You seem much more relaxed and in your element,” a husky voice I recognize whispers in my ear. I stop mid-movement and look toward Quinn with wide eyes only to see a shit-eating grin on her face. That bitch. She could have told me who it was. In that spilt second, my body’s reactions over the last half hour all make sense. I pick up the beat again so that our bodies move in unison again, this time to Chris Porter’s The Water Dance.
"Mr. Garrison, what a pleasure to see to you again. To what do I owe this honor?" I ask, still facing forward, my ass still pressed against him. I love this song and know the lyrics well. I time my moves to correlate perfectly. First she dips down low, then she dips down deeper. I drop down low and make sure my ass hits all the right spots as I drag it up his legs on my way back up.
"Damn, Ashley. And please call me Tanner. We can save the ‘Mr. Garrison’ for private if you like that. You owe this honor to being the hottest girl here tonight. I noticed you from upstairs, and I needed to come down and find out who the beauty dancing her ass off was. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find out it was you. What do you say to grabbing another drink with me?"
Holy shit. So many thoughts swirl through my head. Did he really just say that I’m hottest woman here? What in the hell does he mean by saying we could save Mr. Garrison for private? How has it only taken a few words about being in private to make my panties wet? Don’t go there, Ash. It’s the wrong time to be getting all hot and bothered by the same man who’s been making appearances in my late night fantasies. I’m supposed to be checking out the club, not thinking about leaving it early to get bent over by a hot quarterback.
"Stop thinking so hard, Ashley. How about I grab us another round and meet you upstairs. How about it? What are you drinking, baby?" he asks as his hands continue to caress my hips while we move to the rhythm. His fingers apply the perfect amount of pressure to my hips, making them undulate to the tempo the way he wants. I’m lost in the sensation of his hands on me, his lips on my ear as he whispers into it and the fact the just called me baby. I’m complete putty in his hands, his to mold as he pleases.
"I’m sampling the martini menu. Surprise me. I’ve already had the whipped cream one." I grind my ass against his cock one more time before turning around and whispering, "See you upstairs."
I saunter off toward the staircase, feeling extremely pleased with myself and my exit, when I walk smack into my past.
"Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention," I say as I look up to see Jason with a scowl on his face. "Oh, Jason." I’d thought I’d recognized the DJ earlier, but I hadn’t been able to place him. Seeing Jason’s face makes it click. He’s one of his friends. Jason and I had gone to a few clubs that he’d DJ’ed at over the last two years.
"Well, hello, Ashley. Looking pretty slut-tastic this evening. How many free drinks have you gotten tonight with that ass-grinding move you just pulled on the tool headed to the bar?" he asks, giving Tanner’s back the evil eye. Why he’s giving Tanner the dirty look is beyond me.
"Fuck you, Jason. Where’s your Bimbo Barbie? Shouldn’t you be dick-deep in the STD pool by this time of night?" I spit back.
"Nice one. Still doesn’t change the fact that you’re out tonight flaunting that body at every poor schmuck in here. Maybe I should go tell the guy getting you a drink that the pretty wrapping won’t mean anything once he has you flat on your back. I should save him the awkwardness of fucking you because I’m sure he can find someone else worth the money he's going to spend keeping you drunk."
What the fuck is Jason's problem? Hasn’t he already hurt me enough? I’m over his shit. I’ve had enough to last a lifetime. I don’t think I could have stopped my hand from tossing the rest of my drink in his direction if I’d wanted too. I’ve definitely had enough of this conversation, so now that my martini is dripping from his face, he’s going to get a piece of my mind.
"Go fuck yourself! You act like I wronged you. You racked up my credit cards with your whores and then fucked one of them in our bed. If anyone should be throwing insults around, it’s me, you piece of shit. And for the record, if you were a real man and a decent lay maybe I would have been able to actually get into fucking you. Not my fault you couldn’t do it for me." I’m so livid that I barely notice Tanner has returned, looking pretty pissed himself.
"You're nothing but a cunt, Ash," Jason yells, wiping the drink from his face.
"Everything alright here, Ashley?" Tanner asks, handing me my new drink. "Try not to throw this one on anyone, baby." He lays a hand possessively behind my neck, but I’m too rattled to enjoy his touch. I wonder how long he’s been standing there and just how much he’s heard. "Any particular reason you're standing here insulting my girl?" Tanner asks. He looks murderous, and I don’t want him anywhere near Jason. I need to defuse this situation fast.
"Holy shit! You're Tanner Garrison," Jason says in awe, seeming to forget he’s dripping vodka everywhere.
"Yes, he is, and you're a good-for-nothing douchebag who was just leaving. Have a nice life, Jason, and stay the fuck away from me.” I turn to face Tanner. “Don’t bother giving him the time of day, Tanner. Just a few minutes ago, he said you were a tool who was wasting his time on me." I smile as I rat out Jason’s previous insults to Tanner.
"You could never be a waste of time, Ashley. Don’t worry about that. But even if you were, I'd rather be the tool wasting his time on you than the loser covered in vodka who let you get away." Tanner smiles at Jason as he kisses the top of my head.
I grab his hand, heading toward the stairs, and hope he doesn’t ask me any questions about Jason. I’m on emotional overload, and my adrenaline is fading fast.
"Wanna tell me what that was about? I can’t leave you alone for two minutes, can I?" Tanner chuckles.
"Just a bitter ex, and no I don’t want to talk about it. Let's go back to having a good time." I hope that’s enough information to keep him happy.
"That sounds like a perfect idea." We walk up the stairs, his arm around my waist and his hand resting on my hip, letting everyone know that I’m with him. The party has picked up on the second floor. He steers me toward a group of guys all hanging out together, and I notice Quinn is already in the midst of the group. Tanner tips his head toward the group as we walk over.
"Well, well, well, who do we have here, Tag?" one of the guys asks.
I take a quick look around at all of them. Good lord, they all look as though they’ve walked out of GQ. This is way too much hotness for one area.
"Tag?" I look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Just a nickname the guys call me."
"Cute." I smirk at him.
"This is Ashley Mitchell," he tells the blond one who’s just spoken. "Ashley, this is my friend, Alex Conway."
"Hello there, Alex. Pleased to meet you." I stick my hand out for him to shake, but instead I’m pulled in for a very friendly hug.
"The pleasure is all mine, gorgeous." Alex flashes a smile before bending over to kiss my hand, all while looking directly at Tanner.
"Watch it, Conway!" Tanner practically growls, snatching my hand from Alex’s.
"Okay, boys, easy! Quinn, my love, wanna come with me to the ladies’ room?" I need to tell her about my run in with Jason. My bravado from earlier is fading fast, and I need a Quinn pep talk.
"Why on Earth do ladies always need a friend to piss with them? I’ve never understood why you can’t go alone," Alex asks after chugging half his beer.
"Because we can’t talk about who we think has the bigger dick in front of you guys. Wouldn’t want any bruised egos," Quinn quips back.
"No need to go all the way to the bathroom to discuss that. We can whip out our dicks and show you right now. No need to waste your time debating. I win, hands down. Sorry Tag, but I got this one. Wanna swing your fine ass over this way now, Ashley? No need to spend any more time on Little Dick here."
Damn. I think Quinn may have met her match in that one.
"If you need to announce that you have the bigger dick, then that means you don’t. Probably barely six inches. Guys with big dicks never need to advertise. They let their cocks speak for themselves." Quinn smirks at him.
"Ooohhh! Burn!" one of the other guys says.
"Ouch!" another yells.
"Will you marry me?" comes from the back of the crowd.
Tanner and I chuckle as Quinn and Alex stare each other down. I wonder who will break first.
Alex laughs. "Damn, woman. I think I just fell in love. Don’t you worry. I will definitely be proving to you that my cock can speak for himself, and he is absolutely bigger than six inches."
"Yup, sure, that’s what they all say, Sugar. Let’s go, Ash." She grabs my hand and turns to Tanner. "We'll be back, Superstar.”
After we’re out of their sight and earshot, I start talking, "Quinn, holy fucking shit! I just ran into Jason downstairs. He was in full asshole mode, like he was the one who came home and found me banging someone else in our bed. Talking all this shit, telling me how I look slutty tonight, saying that I was trying to score free drinks and whatnot. I can’t go there tonight. I can’t have a walk down memory lane. I can’t! I won’t let him make me feel like shit." I know I’m only rambling because I’m getting worked up thinking about the effect those assholes from college still have on me.
"Whoa! Chill the fuck out and stay the hell away from that area of the past. Those guys were a bunch of sorry ass losers, just like Jason. Right now, I’m having fun and you’re having fun and neither of us need to deal with the emotional fallout of you bringing up the past. Let’s get our drink on and forget about the dickless wonder. I mean, honestly, he isn’t worth the amount of energy that you’re spending on his dumb ass! You have a seriously fuckable Superstar back there who’s only looking at you. Why are we even talking about Jason?" This is why I need Quinn. She puts everything into perspective for me.
"You're correct again, my lovely. He is pretty damn sexy. Let’s go get wasted. For the record, I’m not fucking Tanner tonight. I’m not ready for that. I’m just going to have a great time and see where it goes, but it won’t be going in my vagina," I laugh at my own wordplay, and we head back to the group.
Chapter 9
TANNER
I notice the minute that she comes back into view. It’s almost impossible to not notice her. She’s downright perfection tonight. The way that dress hugs every magnificent curve of her body, I’m having a real hard time keeping my dick in check. All he wants to do is get closer to her. I can’t say I disagree with him, but it’s really uncomfortable walking around with a raging hard on.
So far, the night has been really good, although Alex hasn’t shut the fuck up about Ashley or her friend for the last ten minutes. He’s captivated by Quinn, and it’s fun to watch. I haven’t seen anyone ever get to Alex like this. The bastard better stick to trying to get with Quinn though, because if he touches Ashley again, I can’t be held responsible for my actions. I’d really wanted to lay out the douchebag downstairs earlier. I’m almost positive that Ashley doesn’t know how much of their little spat I heard from the way that she shut down our conversation when I asked about it. I really want to know what that scene was all about. She looked pretty affected. I couldn’t have been happier when she threw her drink on him, but I’d have preferred it if she’d thrown a fist in his face—my fist—instead. She stood up for herself, and that’s enough for me. I’d have been happy to put that asshole in his place, but Ashley had it handled. Plus, I didn’t want to charge into the situation not knowing what was really going on. It seems as though Ashley’s the type to be guarded, and I think she probably would have closed herself off if she’d known how much I’d really heard. I don’t want to push her farther into herself. I want to break her out. It’s a compulsion that I have no control over.
I’d heard that guy say something about fucking not being worth my time. He must have some serious brain damage. Ashley is by far the most beautiful woman in the club tonight. It wouldn’t be a hardship at all to sleep with her. Actually, it would be the highlight of my month. She isn’t trying to catch my attention like so many of the girls here tonight. They all think they’re slick with their side glances and winks. So not sexy. Desperation is such a turn off, and these women are throwing it out in spades.
"Hello, beautiful." I smile at her as she approaches.
The smile that lights up her face is bright enough to illuminate the whole floor. God, she’s absolutely stunning, and I know she has no clue just how stunning she is, which makes her even more attractive.
"Hey there, handsome. What’re you guys up to?" she asks. "I hope we aren’t cramping your style tonight. I know you didn’t plan on hanging out with us." Her insecurity is cute only because of how oblivious she is to the way every guy is looking at her.
"The minute I spotted you, I had no intention of being with anyone else for the rest of the night. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we had dinner, but everything has been so hectic. That article of yours has done wonders for my image, but not for my spare time.” I laugh. “So what were your plans for the evening, baby?" I notice her shiver each time I call her ‘baby.’ I don’t think she’s aware that she does it, so she clearly isn’t aware of how hard my cock gets when she shudders like that. I can’t remember having this problem before. No one has ever affected me this way. I’ve never called anyone ‘baby’ either, but with Ashley, it rolls off my tongue like second nature. I hadn’t been kidding when I’d said I haven’t been abl
e to get her off my mind. I’ve been checking out her other articles over the last few weeks, and she’s been making nightly visits to my fantasies. It’s as though she’s inside my mind, taking control of me the instant I’m alone. I wonder what she’s doing, if she’s happy, how her day has been… Not to mention all the sexual positions I’ve pictured fucking her in.
She draws me back from thoughts of her ass, perched up in the air in the middle of my king size bed, to the present. "I'm checking this place out for my next review. So my job here is to get drunk on their fine martini selection and have a good time. I’m behind schedule, though. I need another drink," she says, holding up her now empty glass.
"Yes," Quinn adds. "You’re nowhere near drunk enough. And nowhere near fulfilling my own requirements of you this evening!"
Oh man, if looks could kill right now, Quinn might be on her death bed from the glare Ashley is shooting her way.
"And what were your requirements for this evening, Quinn? Maybe I can help Ashley here fulfill them," I offer. I’m curious as to Ashley’s reason for glaring daggers at her friend.
"Nothing you need to worry about, Tanner," Ashley answers before Quinn has the chance to respond.
"Umm, yes, he should worry. He can help you with them," Quinn says before turning her attention to me. "I told my Ash here that she needs to loosen up, have fun, and find a hot man to help her with her plumbing problem. Mission ‘Get Laid’ is in full force. I still need to find my own bed-warmer for the night."
"Look no further, Angel! I’m right here. I’m already in love with you, so it only makes sense that you take me home,” Alex chimes in. “Let me show you how amazing and large my cock really is."
Inhibitions Page 7
