by Nora Flite
“No?” he asked, chuckling.
“You said I could ask questions, but you dodged the first one.”
“I said you could ask. I never said I'd answer.”
“So you won't tell me anything?”
“Try again, let's see.”
Drumming my fingers on my hips, I glanced side to side. “This club, Jessop said it was one of your favorites. Do you own it? Is that how you...” Make your money. I bit my tongue. I didn't want to sound like I cared about money; I didn't. But I was curious, and I couldn't deny wondering how he'd paid for everything he'd sent me, including a hired limo.
“The Red and Ripe doesn't belong to me.” Smiling, he eyed the room we sat in. “But it's a very interesting place.”
Interesting? No, you're what's interesting.
Something nudged me under the table. I realized what it had to be.
His shoe.
He glided the shiny tip along my bare ankle. When I glanced back up, ready to let fly another question or two, I simply froze.
Silver was watching me, yet all the humor was gone. His tight lips said he was holding something back, and the heat in his eyes screamed lust. Raw, honest lust.
I said, “Um, so, if you don't own this club, then...”
“You said you hadn't been here before, right?” He didn't let me answer, he pushed his chair back and stood. “Let me show you around. You can see what I like so much about it.”
Every question I have, he keeps dodging. I still knew nothing about this man. I was ready to feel furious. Amazingly, I obeyed him and stood. More amazingly, when he reached out to place his palm on my shoulder, I let him.
There was a moment where I trembled, languishing in the electric jolt that arose from our contact. I think he must have felt it, too, because he glanced down at me and hesitated.
We hovered there, the only sound between us was our own breathing. In the red glow, his eyes absorbed all light. They became black, richly dark like a fine coffee. I could drown in those eyes.
He flared his nostrils, filling his broad chest. On my shoulder, his fingers dug in. The fierceness turned my lower belly into whipped cream.
“You're dangerous,” he whispered.
“Me?” I smiled dubiously. “How am I—”
“Trust me, Pet. The things you're making me resist doing to you right now...” He breathed out. “I didn't think holding back would be so hard.”
My cheeks bloomed, my heart ticking in a circle. This man wasn't scared to tell me that he wanted me.
Breaking eye contact, he pushed me gently through the curtain. Instantly the thrum of music hit; I'd forgotten the rest of the world existed. His presence was constant, beating out the cloying sweat and drumbeat of the other club-goers.
Easily, he forced us through the bodies. I tried to pay attention, but my senses were working against me. My nerves itched to focus on him. His palm on my shoulder, his rough breathing by my ear... Silver was exactly what I thought he'd be.
The fraying rope that kept me from gripping his shoulders and begging him to put out the damn ache he'd been creating in me for weeks was near snapping. This was nothing like me—I didn't spend my time thinking about sex!
And now it's all I can think about with him.
“There,” he hushed, stopping us on the outskirts of the room. “Look.”
Following his lead, I stared across at the walls. I noticed the indents—much like the one we'd been inside, except there were no curtains on these.
In one of the concave rooms, I saw shapes writhing. My brain was slow, or I was denying what I was seeing. Either way, it didn't click immediately that these were people. Sweat glinted off of naked skin, the couple wrapped up in their own world.
They didn't care who watched.
The man was on his back, the woman riding him fiercer than a bull in a rodeo. Her breasts were being mauled in his palms, skin redder than the lights could have made them.
I... what...
Not once did either of them look at the crowd. She arched her spine, gripping his shoulders and moaning in sinful delight. In each of the rooms, a couple—or more—was doing the same thing.
They were all wantonly fucking in public.
Clutching at my dress, I pushed the wave of emotions down. Was this fear in my guts, or was I getting turned on?
A hand brushed my wrist. “Are you alright?” Silver asked in my ear. “You're breathing heavily.”
“Fine. I'm fine.” Stepping back, I bumped into him; I'd forgotten how close we were.
Tucking his arm around my waist, he pressed his palm against my forehead. I could see the tiny crease in the middle of his bottom lip. “You're burning the fuck up.”
Of course I am, I thought sluggishly. I'm watching a bunch of strangers screwing in a corner. I could still hear them panting.
“Are you getting excited?” he asked me, his words burrowing into my ear. “Are you imaging doing that, fucking where everyone can watch you shake and shiver and come?”
My legs became noodles. He was being too crass, my mind resisting as my pussy threatened to ruin my panties. His form leaned into me, and I swore I felt the growing shape of his hard-on.
This was too much.
What the hell was I doing in this place?
From the corner of my eye, I spotted the neon-cherry exit sign. “I need to get some air,” I stammered. If I stayed, I didn't know what would happen. Did he want us to do that? Just go wild where everyone could see? Was he an exhibitionist, a voyeur, something else?
“Air? Of course, I'll walk with you—”
“Sorry, I can't—I'm sorry.” Unable to explain how the surging desire was overwhelming me, I pushed away from him. His fingers drifted down my arm, threatening to snatch me back before I could run.
Then we were apart, and I was stumbling for the door.
Shoving around the crowd, I rushed out into the cool night. Gasping, I threw my head back. Around me, the pulse of music and bodies faded, the heavy door clanking shut.
Why am I here?
The question swam up abruptly. I couldn't bury it. This place was a perverted sex club—Silver had taken me to an actual sex club!
A month ago, if I'd been asked to predict my future, I would never have guessed this was coming. None of it. Fuck, a million guesses and I'd still have been wrong.
Me, Alexis Willow—notoriously quiet and lame—meeting up with some smartly-dressed, power-oozing man who kept calling me Pet? Gifts were one thing, this escalation went beyond my limits.
I'm an idiot, I reprimanded myself. Pushing my hand to my forehead, I swiped my hair back and laughed. “What's wrong with me?” I asked the night sky. The scent of garbage was rank in my nose, but I breathed deeper, filling my lungs with it. “Did I think I could really mesh with a guy like him?”
Years ago, I would have fit in better... but... No. That was a pointless thought. I wasn't the same girl. My life was different, I was different.
Ever since that single day.
The grip that came down on my arm yanked me from my pitiful thoughts. It was firm, steel and iron.
Silver, I thought on reflex. He came outside to find me.
But something was wrong. Why hadn't I heard the door open? In fact, it should have hit me, I was still right up on it.
Fear snaked into my heart. In my ear, the breathing of the other person was raspy and labored. That was when I knew. Even before I turned, looking into those yellow and red-veined eyes, I knew.
The hand on my shoulder didn't belong to Silver.
- Chapter Seven -
Alexis
He spun me around, clutching for my wrists. It was an older man, his face hard, his smile too soft. Inside his eyes, hard-packed black ash focused on me.
“Hey there,” he purred. “You looked lonely out here. Thought I'd say hi.”
It's happening again.
“Let go of me!” Wrenching my shoulder, I worked to get free, but he only squeezed harder.
&
nbsp; Chuckling, he spun me from the wall, forcing me down the empty alley. Trash slid under my heels, and I regretted wearing them. In sneakers, I could have run faster—fought back harder.
I'm not going to give up!
Gritting my teeth, I swung my body backwards. “Help!” I screamed, echoing off the wet bricks. “Someone please, help me! Help me!”
Scowling, my attacker rounded on me, strangling my wrists. My skin was numb; I didn't care. “Shut up!” he snarled, pushing me against the rough alley wall. The hard texture was cool under my exposed spine. “You make another sound and I'll smash that pretty mouth right in!”
Breathing through clenched teeth, I leveled my glare on his. Fight! I begged my body. On impulse, I jammed my head forward, hoping I'd crush his nose with my skull. He managed to lean away, but the surprise in his wide eyes gave me strength. “Let me go!” I shouted, throat going hoarse.
The world needed to hear me. Surely someone would realize I was in danger. Did no one care?
Curling his lips back, almost feral, my attacker laughed. “You fucking bitch, you tried to break my nose! You think that's funny? Huh?” He shook me violently. Everything in my skull banged together, mushing into paste.
No one is coming.
The cold realization was sobering.
If I don't fight back, I'm dead.
I'm gone.
But I was too dazed, my feet couldn't get a grip on the slimy earth. It didn't matter how much I ached to hurt this man, he was winning.
Abruptly my attacker released me, stumbling to the side like he'd been hit by a car.
“What the fuck do you think you're doing to her?”
Silver had a voice hotter than the lava swirling in the Earth's core. The same vibrant anger reflected in his glare.
Lifting my head, I gawked at him. Had he heard my cries through the brick walls and come searching for me? “Help,” I croaked, slumping to my knees.
He spared me a look, but his attention was laser focused on the other man.
My attacker was rubbing his jaw, blood staining his teeth. Wild-eyed, he glanced between us both. Rabid dogs don't use logic, and this man was close to foaming at the mouth. “You want that girly for yourself, that it, big man?”
Silver laughed, the sound echoing through the alley. He might as well have blown a trumpet, it would have shocked us both just as much. “Do I want her? She's already mine.”
That admission sang into my ears and remained. I didn't try to deny his claim, that was how firmly it clung to my heart. Getting attacked must have shook something loose in my brain. That had to be it.
Spitting on the ground, the wretched man eyeballed Silver, then me. Spreading his fingers, he threw up his hands. I tensed, expecting him to launch forward and attack again. “Whatever, fuck you both! I'm gone.”
Just like that, the man who had tried to drag me off became a coward. He slunk away, a shadow that faded into nothing around the alley's bend. If it weren't for the marks on my arms where he'd gripped me, I could have been waking from a nightmare.
“Are you alright?” Silver asked, taking my face in his palms.
Alright?
Was I alright?
It took me a moment, but I narrowed in on his amber eyes, his thick lashes, the gentle curve of his lips. “Yes,” I whispered. The pain in my wrists faded into a dull throb. Mentioning it was pointless. “I'm fine, really.”
He saved me.
Silver smiled, his skin warm and welcome on my cheeks. Never had I been held so tenderly, and never by a stranger.
Was someone who I had grown to know over the past month, even if through letters only, really a stranger? He'd made me gasp, made me burn, made me ache and long to finally be in his presence.
And now I was.
Every doubt that had chased me out of the club and into the cold alley became a wisp of meaningless smoke. In the flickering light of the single bulb above the club's backdoor, his skin danced—white to tan and back again. The syrup in his half-cocked grin lured me closer by the second.
I never meant to kiss him.
Magnetic explosions slid between us, my lashes fluttering with the raw energy. This man had rescued me, and call me a cliche, but what was more intoxicating than that?
When I pressed my mouth to his, we locked together. His hands curled around, capturing my hair and using it to get a grip. I still had the brick wall at my back, so with him in front of me, I was pinned. He crushed me further, the pressure of his body along my torso bringing out a low gasp.
“Fuck,” he hissed, gliding his tongue along my upper lip. Whistles went off in my brain. “You taste so damn good, Pet. I want more... no, I need more.”
Before I could reply, he kissed me again, making my lungs strain as the last of my air became stale. I needed to breathe, but the rest of me was too busy flourishing in the touch of a man who was pure sex and lust.
His knee slid between mine, forcing them apart. Warning sparks went off at the base of my skull, but I ignored them. The way he ground his leg along my panties was delicious.
Silver was all mouth, nibbling along my throat, my ear, everything. I was purring, lost in a range of desires. Fire clawed at my belly, dipping down until my pussy was melting.
This is happening, I thought in my haze. This is really...
Fingers brushed the front of my dress, nuzzling the hard shape of one nipple. The bolt of sexual need he lifted inside of me was stunning. It hit so hard that it shook away some of my sluggish lust.
We were standing in a filthy alley.
An alley outside of a sex club.
“Wait,” I stammered, my hands pushing at his chest. “Not like this, I can't.” The way my control had vanished from my body was terrifying. I was scared I wouldn't have enough left for even a hint of push-back from him.
“Alright,” he breathed out tensely. “We can stop.”
I froze. “What?”
His grin went wide. “It's fine. Did you think I was going to force you?” Chuckling, he leaned away and straightened out his jacket. How did he have all of his composure back when seconds ago he'd been growling in my ear?
Warily, I tilted my head and side-eyed him. I'd expected him to be mad, or to fight harder. His response threw me off balance. “You're really okay with us stopping?”
“Of course. But I won't lie...” Reaching down, he rubbed his palm over his massive erection, adjusting himself with a wince. “I'm hard as hell, I'd love to bend you over and finally bury myself deep between your thighs.” My whole body went hot and red. “But if you want to stop, we'll stop. A lot has happened tonight. Taking you home might be best.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it. “Alright. Yeah.” Taking me home. I can't predict this guy at all.
Nodding, he dug for his keys. “Walk with me. I parked close by.”
He doesn't want to leave me alone. I was grateful. I didn't want a repeat of earlier. “Should you let Jessop know he doesn't need to pick me up?”
Waving me to his side, Silver led us to the main street. “He knows not to come back unless I call for him. I don't use him very often, he has other clients keeping him busy. I assume there's no issue letting me be your chauffeur?”
“It's not a problem.” A gust of air buffered me. Hugging myself, I tried to bite back a shiver.
Wordlessly, he slid his jacket from his shoulders. His exposed arms flexed, the dark red and rich black ink on his skin drawing my attention. In a second he'd placed the heavy, soft jacket around me. I breathed in to my limit, nuzzling my nose on the edge of the fabric.
Strolling through the night like this, we looked like a normal pair out on a date. I embraced that image, enjoying how our feet clicked in unison along the pavement.
As he'd said, the walk was short. The parking garage we entered was large, eternally quiet. When he slowed in front of a bright silver Mustang, I bit back a squeak.
Luxurious, cool, and silver. It could be his spirit animal.
He reached over
, tugging the passenger side open for me. “Thanks,” I said, ducking inside. The seats were warm, like they lived in a different world than the chilly evening.
“Comfortable?” he asked, clicking his seat belt in.
“Very. Your car is really cool.” The second I said it, I started to blush.
Grinning, he let the engine rumble, turning us out of the garage. “I'm glad you like it.”
We rode in silence, my bare knees crossing again and again. I couldn't get comfortable—I didn't know how to act. Only minutes ago, I'd kissed this man. Kissed him, after meeting him in person for the first time.
Watching my toes, I thought about the shoes I had on, how he knew my size. How he knew... far too much about me and my daily life.
And he doesn't want to tell me how.
Unable to hold back, I whispered into the quietness. “Are you a stalker?”
I knew it was a risk to ask him that if I was hoping to not ruin this evening any further. But I wasn't stupid, this man was playing a game with me, and as hot... as incredibly tempting as he was... I could end up hurt.
Stalkers were no joke.
They could be deadly.
He didn't glance at me, but I felt him shift. “What do you think?”
“I don't know what to think. You refuse to tell me anything about who you are, or why you contacted me at all.” Why me? The eternal question.
Guiding his car down my street, he sighed. “You're too curious about things that don't matter.”
“Of course they matter!”
He startled, staring at me and making me cover my mouth. Had I shouted? “All that matters is the end result.”
Stiffening, I asked, “And what's that?”
“You.” The engine died; he parked outside my house, his lights illuminating a raccoon as it fled my trash. “You're the end result. That's all I care about, Pet. The rest is just history.”
The centers of his eyes widened. Before I could move, he clutched the nape of my neck and pulled me close. Our lips met, sealing together so he could race his tongue across mine. The kiss left me hazy, and then it was over.
“I want to see you again,” he said flatly. “Tonight wasn't enough.”
I was breathing heavy, unable to blink. “I—okay.”
