She was probably right. Lord knew he was full of bad ideas. But his curiosity over Diane’s Bad Girl To-Do list had morphed into full-blown obsession. If Diane was up for it, if she understood the rules to this little game they were playing, then there was nothing that could tear him away now.
Diane slid onto the barstool and reached for her whiskey, but she betrayed her nerves when her hand shook as she lifted the glass, sloshing a tiny bit of liquid over the rim.
His eyes raked over her, taking in the tumble of waves that slid down over her chest, the way her neck pulsed as she brought the glass to her lips. Why the hell hadn’t he been attracted to her before? Yeah, she might have seemed a bit on the dull side, but the woman was all-around stunning.
“I didn’t think you were going to show,” he said.
Her lips quirked upward. “I wasn’t so sure, either.”
Her honesty was as surprising as it was refreshing. Since she was being so truthful, he figured he’d just lay it all out there.
“Why did you decide to call me?”
Diane’s face flushed and she lifted the glass back to her lips, taking a healthy swallow. Though she made a face afterward, to her credit, she didn’t sputter at the slow burn that was no doubt working its way down to her stomach.
When her eyes landed on him again, she gave a dainty shrug. “I don’t know. I suppose I figured if I were going to go bad, I might as well do it all the way.”
“Yeah?” Sam grinned at her. He liked the sound of that.
When her hand fluttered up to absently stroke her collarbone, a flash of desire hit him like a shot to the gut.
Yup, there was no mistaking it. The Diane he thought he knew might have been boring and repressed, but his body responded to this one all too well.
“You ever have whiskey before?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “No.”
Apparently, there was a lot she hadn’t tried. He had to admit that something deep inside him twisted in pleasure at the thought he might be the first to indoctrinate her into some of the deeper forms of pleasure.
He rose off his stool so he could scoot it closer to hers, then sat back on it and leaned in close. It put his face mere inches from hers, and if the hitch of her breath was any indication, she was responding to their proximity just the way he was.
“You wanted to talk,” he said. “So let’s talk.”
Color rose in Diane’s face again, but she didn’t back down. “As you know, I…I want to experience some things.”
“You want to be naughty,” he teased.
Her shoulders tightened and her lids fluttered down, but then she said, “Yes.”
Something about her admission made his body go rock-hard. Maybe it was knowing that she wanted more out of life. Or maybe it was just because she was so fucking hot. He was a simple guy, so probably the latter.
“I think we need to set some terms, then.” When her startled gaze rose back to his, he said, “To make sure we’re on the same page.”
She hesitated for a beat, then nodded. “That sounds reasonable.”
Okay, then. Time to be blunt, and hope it didn’t scare her away.
“I’m not looking for a relationship.”
Diane’s face took on a disgruntled expression. “I’m not either.”
“Good.” That was what he’d wanted. What he’d hoped she’d say.
Why did it bother him that she looked so disgusted at the thought, then?
“No feelings. No emotions,” he added. “Just two people exploring. Having fun.”
Her hand tightened on her glass and she took another long sip before nodding. “That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”
He held out his hand. “Let me see your list.”
Her body went stiff. “Why?”
“I want to take another look at what we’re working with.”
Even though she looked suspicious, she slid her glass onto the countertop and dug in her coat pocket for her cell phone. After swiping through it, she handed it to him, somehow managing to look mortified and collected at the same time.
Sam read through the list again, as if he didn’t remember what it said. Truth was, the contents were seared into his brain. He just wanted to get a feel for where she was at. To gauge whether she had the guts to go through with it.
Play slave to his master.
The words made his pulse race and lust shoot painfully to his groin. She hadn’t erased them once she’d sobered up, so she must have been serious about it. The thought made him harder than he could’ve imagined.
Everyone else in the bar faded away. Right now there was nothing but her and him, and the promise of the ecstasy they could bring each other.
“You know,” he murmured, “some of the things on this list require your strict obedience.”
A flush crept up her neck and to her face. “It’s just a fantasy.”
Oh, he knew. It was a fantasy he could all too easily get on board with.
His hand reached for hers, his palm sliding beneath her hand. Awareness sizzled where their bare flesh touched. There was no denying it. They had chemistry. And he was suddenly all too anxious to see how quickly they could burn together.
He slid the phone back into her hand, pressing it into her palm.
“Just so you know that there are consequences for disobedience,” he murmured, dark promise in his voice.
She sucked in a breath and snatched her hand back, busying herself with sticking her phone back in her coat pocket. He knew better, though. She was purposely averting her gaze. Trying to process what he’d just insinuated. Probably wondering whether she’d gotten in over her head.
Part of him wondered the same thing. If she decided to back down now, he wasn’t quite sure he could recover. As it stood, he suffered the very real possibility of having a killer case of blue balls.
Time to test this thing between them.
His body took control, the thick desire flowing through his veins prompting him to rise and grab her hand once more. “Come on.”
Confusion twisted her features as she rose. “Where are we going?”
“To start working on that list of yours.”
She let out a gasp, and when he turned to lead them through the thickening crowd, she dug in her heels. “Wait, my coat.”
Of all things, she was worried about her coat?
“Leave it. We’ll come back.”
A multitude of expressions settled on her face, but in the end she simply nodded.
Sam’s heart pummeled his rib cage as he led Diane toward the hallway containing the stockroom. Zoey had recently made a trip there, so she wouldn’t need to go back anytime soon. And since it was an employee only area, he wouldn’t have to worry about them being interrupted. He knew from prior experience that it made a good spot for a hookup.
When he turned back toward the bar, catching Zoey’s eye and nodding toward the hallway, she rolled her eyes and shook her head in disgust.
Whatever. She couldn’t judge. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t used the spot once or twice before for a random hookup.
He focused on his destination, on what would happen once he and Diane got there. One thing was for sure, they weren’t about to leave without him testing her resolve to go bad.
If he had his way, she was about to be one very naughty girl.
***
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
This is crazy.
What am I thinking?
Diane’s mind raced as she wordlessly followed Sam through the crowd toward a darkened hallway that had an Employees Only sign prominently placed on a cord. That she’d even talked herself into coming tonight was astonishing.
After she’d left her lunch date with Angela, Diane had determined to forget all about Sam and his surprising offer. She’d confided in her friend and gotten it off her chest. Actually doing what he’d suggested was too crazy to even contemplate.
But in the few days that had passed, she hadn’t been able to help repla
ying Angela’s words over and over in her mind: He’s carefree and fun and impulsive. Maybe that’s exactly what you need right now.
Thoughts of him had bombarded every dream, and her horniness level had skyrocketed. She’d even thought of him while pleasuring herself. More than once.
Finally, she’d started to rationalize it in her head. Maybe it wasn’t that bad of an idea. He was a known playboy. If she wanted to be a little naughty, why not someone like him to help her do it?
Sure, he was the brother of the guy she’d most recently dated, but she and Andrew hadn’t even slept together. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
The whole thing had become an itch she couldn’t scratch, making her more and more agitated until finally she’d picked up the phone earlier today and dialed Sam’s number. When he’d told her to meet him at Beringer’s at eight o’clock, it had suddenly become far too real.
The rest of the day she’d battled between showing up or not. At seven-thirty she’d decided to blow him off, but when the clock struck eight, she’d realized she couldn’t do it. Didn’t want to.
Whether she went through with it or not was one thing, but she owed it to herself to at least show up.
So she’d raced to her closet and thrown on her sexiest outfit, then hopped into a cab before she could change her mind again.
And now here she was, heading to the back of a crowded pub to do god knows what with a guy she barely knew.
Well, you wanted to be bad, right?
This certainly qualified.
Her heart raced with fear and excitement as Sam pulled back the hook on the cord closing the hallway off and led them through. He set the cord back into place and then led them down a long, dark corridor. His hand remained locked in hers, and she couldn’t help but notice how good it felt. Ribbons of awareness threaded through her body, letting her know that, unlike with Andrew, she and Sam didn’t lack for chemistry.
Swallowing hard, she managed to murmur, “Are we going to get in trouble for being back here?”
Sam chuckled. “Naw. Zoey’s cool.”
They passed a closed door and he continued on until they hit a brick wall with emergency exit doors set into it. The space was so dark that she could barely see his face. Only a few tendrils of light wafted in from the corridor leading back to the main part of the bar, and the loud, pulsing music that played up front drifted over in soft waves.
“What are we doing back here?” she whispered.
He turned and leaned back against the brick wall, then grinned down at her. “What do you think, good girl? Being bad.”
Her body flushed with heat at his words. Taking advantage of the cover that the darkened space provided, she studied his figure. His face was scruffy from a few days’ growth, but somehow, it only made him sexier. He wore a casual knit sweater and worn jeans that somehow managed to showcase the masculine width of his thighs and that intriguing bulge at the fly.
She realized with a start that her gaze had gotten caught at that particular spot, and her eyes flew back to his. From the glint in his eyes and the way his mouth curved, he hadn’t failed to notice.
His hands reached out and slid down along her silk-clad arms. He pulled her in closer, so their bodies were inches apart. “Like what you see?”
The husky note in his voice turned her on even as his words made her flush. “I…”
His palm cupped the back of her right hand and he slid it to his stomach. Her fingers grazed the hard lines of his abdomen, feeling the heat of his body that seeped out through his sweater.
“What do you think?” he prompted, his voice soft and silky.
“I…”
Hell, she didn’t know. With her hand on his body, she couldn’t even think.
The muscles in his stomach contracted as he tightened his grip on her hand, urging it further down. She sucked in a harsh breath when he slid it down to cover his groin, squeezing so that her hand cupped his arousal.
He was bigger and harder than she could have imagined. It shocked her into paralysis, yet her body softened and grew moist with desire.
Oh dear god.
She was beginning to suspect she was in way over her head.
The sudden urge to flee had her snatching her hand back and taking a few shaky steps in reverse. “I don’t…I think I might have made a mista—”
“Hey, relax.” He frowned and caught her before she could further retreat, sliding his hands over her arms and rubbing them in a calming motion. Something soft flashed in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I went too fast.”
Shock rooted her in place as she stared up at him. Of all the things she’d expected him to do or say, trying to comfort her wasn’t one of them. This bad boy might be a little dangerous, but there was some goodness in there, too.
The knowledge of that made most of her fears dissipate.
“Do you want to stop?” he murmured.
Taking a deep breath, she thought about his question. Really thought about it.
Why the heck was she freaking out? This was what she wanted, right? What she’d dreamt about for the past several days. Being bad with someone who wouldn’t judge her for it, who would push her to her limits.
Sure, she was nervous, but if there was ever a moment for her to seize the day, this was it. Now or never. She had the opportunity to live out the fantasies she’d only ever dreamed of…
And she was going to take it.
Summoning her courage, she edged closer to Sam. “No. I don’t want to stop.”
Chapter Four
Diane’s heart pounded frantically in her chest as she looked up at Sam. She watched the way his face changed when she told him she didn’t want to stop—almost as if he didn’t believe what he’d heard. She could hardly blame him. No doubt she was giving off more mixed signals than a broken stoplight.
Well, if she was going to do this, she might as well go all in.
Swallowing hard to dissipate the anxious lump that had formed in her throat, she brought her hand back to Sam’s crotch. He sucked in a breath when her fingers slid along his fly and she cupped him. His thick cock pulsed beneath her hand, and the muscles in her thighs gave an answering twinge.
Dear god, she was turned on beyond belief right now. Maybe more than she’d ever been. There was something so deliciously naughty about breaking all her old rules. In the past, she’d never even allowed a kiss before the second date, never gone to second base before a month. This?
She’s just skipped the equivalent of two months’ worth of fancy restaurants and awkward getting-to-know-you conversations. And boy did that make her wet.
Dark, wild hunger flashed in Sam’s eyes, visible even in the miniscule amount of light that filtered in from the front part of the bar. He let his breath out in a shaky rush, then slowly lifted one finger to her collarbone. That single digit trailed down her clavicle and to her décolletage. When it slid its way between the swell of her breasts, stopping right above the low “V” of her fitted silk jacket, a soft moan of anticipation escaped her. Her hand tightened on his package, and his cock twitched in her palm.
“You know,” he murmured, his voice low and husky, “I wasn’t so sure about this outfit at first, but it’s really growing on me.”
“Really?” Her voice came out a gasp.
“Mm-hm.”
His finger moved down to trace the first button on her jacket. She sucked in a breath when he continued a trail down to her stomach, but then he moved back up, his thumb and forefinger working to deftly slide the button from its hole.
Blood roared in Diane’s ears, blinding her to all but the thumping of her heart and the feel of his fingers along the swell of her breast. Was he seriously going to—?
His fingers moved to the second button, undoing that one as well, and effectively answering her question before she could even finish thinking it.
Oh my goodness… She couldn’t believe this was happening.
The cut of the jacket was so low that she couldn’t wear a bra ben
eath it. Which meant that only two silk-clad buttons remained between her bare breasts and his hungry gaze. The part of her that wondered how far he was willing to take this got a response when he undid the remaining two buttons.
Her fingers tingled with the instinctive urge to stop him. She instead clenched them into fists at her sides. She was partially freaking out at the thought of what he was about to do, yet at the same time, she wanted him to do it. And more.
If she chickened out now, she might never know what it felt like to abandon herself to desire.
His other hand rose to join the first, fingers sliding beneath the fabric of her jacket. The unrefined lust in his eyes threatened to steal all her breath.
“I’ve always wondered what your tits would look like,” he rumbled.
Before she could even think up a reply, he tugged the fabric back. Slowly, reverently, as if unveiling a priceless piece of art.
Cool air kissed her breasts, tightening her nipples into hard little beads. She moaned at the sensation, her body going haywire at the knowledge of what he’d revealed to his view.
He looked just as affected as her, thank god. A rough groan tumbled from his lips as he stared down at her breasts, looking at them with worship in his eyes before bringing his palms up to cup the heavy globes.
“Wow,” he whispered. “You have a Class A set. Better than I’d ever imagined.”
Heat coiled low in her stomach. Objectively speaking, she was aware she’d been blessed in the rack department. The few men that had seen them had always seemed childishly obsessed. But there was nothing juvenile about the way Sam looked at them now. Or the way her body responded to his gaze.
His hands slid beneath her breasts and he squeezed them up and together. “Wow…”
Fascinated, she watched the play of emotions on his face, until he gruffly ordered, “Look at your tits.”
Startled by his coarse command, she did just that. She was surprised to find that the sight of them turned her on even more. The way he pushed them together made them seem even larger than their normal “D” size, and the shell-pink tips were tightly pebbled.
Sam’s mouth curved into an amused grin. “I’ll bet you normally put guys through the ringer before you let them see these, right?”
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