Dark Temptations Volume I: A Collection of short stories

by K. A Knight

  “Blake,” I snap, exasperated as he arches a brow at me, daring me to question him. “Sorry, we are fine. Thank you,” I call out to the nurse Blake collared, but she shakes her head and comes into the room anyway, paperwork clutched to her chest as if she is going to use it to beat the boys away.

  “That’s alright Gabby, he just wants to make sure you’re safe. You’re lucky you have such a nice boyfriend and group of friends to look out for you.” She smiles as she looks around the room, her eyes coming to a stop on Damon’s hand, which is on my thigh, while Blake watches her every move like a hawk. I know there has been some question about who was my boyfriend, since only family and a partner are allowed in the room. Kingston had apparently charmed the nurse into permitting them all in, saying they were my family.

  “Right, here is your discharge paperwork and medications. You understand how to take them, the doctor went through it with you, right?” I nod to her questions, eager to get home. “Good, then you can leave when you are ready. Take care, Gabby.”

  “Thank you! Sorry about my boyfriend—” I stutter to a stop, nearly saying boyfriends. “These guys are just a bit protective of me.” I try to cover my slip up, but I don’t think the nurse is convinced if her teasing smile is anything to go by.

  Yes, boyfriends, plural. I still can’t believe my luck that they want me, all of them. The moment I woke up from the fire and they asked me to be theirs still makes a smile come to my face. Well, all of them except Emmett, but he is more like a brother to me and I could never imagine being with him in any romantic kind of way. I scrunch up my nose as I try to imagine it. Ew. Just no. It’s not that he isn’t handsome, he is, but we just don’t connect on that level. Speaking of Emmett, I haven’t seen him in awhile.

  “Has anyone seen Emmett?” Their eyes all move to me as I speak, and I don’t miss the little winces they try to hide at my husky voice.

  “I think he was talking with the police, wanted to see if they had any leads on who caused the fire,” Damon answers, his face darkening at the mention of the fire. I don’t blame him, my stomach always drops at the thought that someone tried to kill me. The police believe that the fire was started on purpose, and I was the target. My skin breaks out in a cold flush as the hairs on my arm stand on end. Who hates me enough to try and kill me? And not just me, but to put other people at risk too!

  “Gabby,” Liam calls, snapping me out of my thoughts as I look into his worried eyes. Frowning, I try to work out why, and realise they are all watching me, and I’m shaking. Taking a deep breath, I push away from the bed, stand up, and turn to face them all.

  “Guys, I’m okay.” Blake opens his mouth to protest, but I put up a hand to stop him. “Fine, I’m not okay, but I will be. I’m hurt and a little scared, but it could have been much worse,” I tell them, needing them to stop treating me like a fragile piece of china. A wave of dizziness rushes through me, completely undermining my words as I brace my hands against the hospital bed. Looking up from behind my hair, which has fallen across my face, I’m sure I look a right mess, but I throw the guys a pleading look.

  “Can we go home, please?”

  I’m not quite sure when the guys’ huge house became home. I mean, I’ve been here before, but not when we have been involved, especially not as their girlfriend, and this feels a lot more permanent than just staying for a few nights. Being the guys’ manager and their girlfriend is going to be difficult, but I push that thought aside for now. I will deal with those challenges at a later date. The guys told me this morning that they have postponed their upcoming show dates so they can ‘look after’ me, but I’m determined to get them back on the road as soon as possible.

  I’ve been here for three days and Blake is already driving me crazy with his mother hen act. Curled up on the sofa with Kingston, my feet rest in his lap as he reads a new book, this one about witches, I think? Honestly, I lose track, he gets through so many books, not to mention his bookshelves are full to bursting. I might get him an e-reader for his birthday. Pulling out my iPad, I start looking online at different e-readers as Blake walks into the room with a tray containing a cup of tea and a sandwich. He has been acting like my nursemaid and driving me up the wall. I can just imagine him in a little apron as he bustles into the room, a stern look on his face as he sees me on my iPad, and I can’t stop the laugh that escapes me.

  “Are you working? Why is she laughing like that? Is she high on pain meds?” The barrage of questions only makes me laugh more, which in turn makes me cough. The racking coughs make me gasp for breath, tears coming to my eyes as a horrible wheezing noise leaves my throat. Swinging my legs from their place in Kingston’s lap, I lean forward, trying to catch my breath as I feel a hand rubbing gentle, soothing circles on my back. Liam walks out of the kitchen with a glass of water, his signature smile in place, but I can see the concern in his eyes. In fact, as I look up I see the others gathering in the room, their gazes trained on me, watching, waiting.

  “Guys, I’m fine, don’t look so worried.” This would have sounded much better, however, if my voice wasn’t so raspy and my eyes weren’t watering from my coughing fit.

  “Don’t bullshit us, Gabby. You’re not fine,” Blake snaps, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed as he squares off with me.

  “For fuck’s sake Blake! I was trapped in a fire, it’s going to take time, but you can’t keep hovering over me because you are starting to make me feel homicidal.” I lift my hand to point at him, narrowing my eyes. “And you will be the first to go.”

  The guys chuckle at our exchange and I turn my head to glare at them. “Oh, you think I’m joking,” I warn, but can’t fight the smile that’s pulling at my lips. It’s good to see them laughing again, there hasn’t been much of that since the fire.

  My work phone starts vibrating on the low coffee table and I lean forward to pick it up, but Liam jumps forward and slaps away my hand gently.

  “No working,” he scolds with a smile, before he picks up the phone, pressing it to his ear as he walks out of the room. “Gabriella’s phone, Liam speaking.”

  Pushing up from the sofa, I start to follow after Liam but an arm around my waist stops my progress, causing me to let out a startled croak as I’m pulled back onto someone’s lap. Throwing a glance over my shoulder, I see a smiling Damon, who just shrugs, completely unashamed, as he pulls me farther into his lap.

  The guys try to keep me distracted while Liam talks to whoever called in the other room, but I can hear his voice raising while he’s on the phone and I start to get a bad feeling. For Liam to get mad it can’t be good, what now? I try to struggle from Damon’s lap, but he holds me tighter, and Blain drops to my side and lays a hand on my thigh, stilling my movement.

  “No, sit still,” he orders with a narrow-eyed look, just before I hear Liam slam something into a wall before storming into the room, his expression like thunder and my phone clutched tightly in one fist.

  “That bad?” I tease, leaning back into Damon. I joke, but really my stomach is churning.

  “That was the board,” he seethes, and the others sit up at attention.

  “What did they want?” Emmett asks, a frown marring his features as he pushes away from the wall he’s leaning against.

  “They have given Gabby two weeks to recover, and then we start up the tour again,” Liam explains, and he continues to squeeze the poor phone in his hand as the room explodes with angry voices.

  “What?”

  “Fuck that!”

  “They are taking the piss!”

  “They insist that we are back for the Valentine’s show. If we aren’t ready by then we can kiss the tour goodbye,” Liam adds, anger shimmering in his eyes. He doesn’t say what’s on all our minds. The boys could go on without me, they didn’t have to cancel their shows this last week, since the board offered them an interim manager while I recovered, but the guys refused. The board has obviously had enough of waiting for their best sellers playing nursemaid to me.

  Le
aning forwards, I try to push up from Damon’s lap once again. “Guys, it’s okay—”

  “No, Gabs, it’s not okay. I’m going to speak with the lawyer.” Blake pushes me gently into Damon and stands up, pulling his phone from his back pocket.

  “Blake, please. If I stay here for too much longer, I’m going to go mad. I enjoy working, plus, you guys will be there to keep an eye on me. I’ll be ready for Valentine’s Day and so will you. That’s an order, now someone get me a new clipboard, this time with no bedazzled penises on it.” I throw Liam a glare as he laughs, remembering when he gave it to me in the hospital and I almost had a heart attack. “It’s time to go back on tour, boys.”

  ONE NIGHT ONLY

  Chapter 1

  The V-Day Show

  “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have a special treat for you. Not only do you get to watch ‘The Wild Boys,’ but it’s the famous Valentine’s Day show! So sit back, relax, and let the boys make all your wildest and wettest dreams come true. Who needs dates when you can have six of them? Welcome to The Wild Boys.” My voice is sultry as I drop the mic from my mouth while the crowd of horny women goes mad, screaming, cheering, and stomping their feet. All searching for a hint of the male strippers they paid to see...my boyfriends. Trust me, I don’t know how it happened either, it’s been a whirlwind year, but I can’t deny that I officially have not one, not two, but five boyfriends who just happen to take their clothes off for a living. Hey, what can I say? The view is great.

  “Gabriella?” comes a voice across the mic in my ear, and I quickly relay the countdown for the show.

  The crowd gets even louder as the lights drop, leaving the stage barely visible through the smoke. The excitement in the room builds, the almost tangible desperation and horniness from women here on Valentine’s night makes the atmosphere wild. The guys will love it. I nod at the guy on the other side of the stage and show him three fingers. He nods back, his head torch turning to shine on the light control panel. It’s a good job the crowd can’t see back here, or it would ruin the mystery. The lights start to slowly rise, red spotlights lighting the stage and blending with the fog. The crowd squeals with joy as arms wrap around me from behind, making me jump.

  “You ready for your Valentine’s Day present, baby girl?” says a deep, husky voice from behind me—the voice he knows makes me wild.

  Grinning, I watch as more lights hit the stage.

  “It’s your cue,” I comment idly, not bothering to move out of his arms. Blake will do what Blake wants, I learned that the hard way. As ringleader of the troupe, no one can make him do anything, and trying to do so only ends up causing trouble.

  “I’d much rather be back here,” he whispers into my ear, stirring my short blonde bob, his words making me clench my thighs together as desire rushes through me. I tuck some of my hair behind my ear, and he drops a kiss on my sensitive neck, making my pulse jump and my heart pound just like the first time I saw him. Turning in his arms, I look at him. His face is covered in a balaclava, and he’s wearing tight ripped jeans and a loose white vest. His first outfit, one I know just how easy it is to get out of.

  “How about you do the show like I’m the only one watching?” I reply, my voice turning husky as my hand drops to his crotch over his jeans. I can only see his full lips and deep brown eyes, but they sparkle with lust and determination, while a smile flirts at his lips.

  “I always do.” He drops a swift, scorching hot kiss on my lips and then he’s gone.

  It’s not always easy being the manager of a strip show and dating five of the stars. Emmett is the only one of the six who I’m not dating, and that’s because he’s more like my best friend. It gets messy sometimes.

  Turning back to the stage, I don’t even need to look to know Blake has walked across, the noise from the crowd so loud it makes me wince, but I watch anyway. No matter how many shows I see, I’m still caught in their web like a spider, and they know it. I know every cue, every dance move, every word to all the songs, yet every time they dance, it’s like my first time seeing them—breathtaking.

  Blake pretends to steal a gem before looking around and running off the stage as the sound of sirens blare over the speakers.

  I watch as my men line up on the other side of the stage in their sexy as hell police officer uniforms. I definitely make them wear those outside of performing, and the sailor costume… maybe even the builder one. Oh, who am I kidding? I get them to wear them all. That’s the benefit of dating strippers.

  They file onto the stage, the confidence easy to see as they face the crowd. Playing it up. Their sunglasses reflect the lights and when they throw them off and into the crowd, I roll my eyes, always so dramatic.

  Plus, it costs me a fortune in props, with the ladies always smuggling out the goods, hoping to keep something that had touched the men before them.

  I get called away halfway through the show and only manage to catch glimpses of them. They are killing it tonight. Jealousy prickles at me as they grind and caress the women they bring up on stage, but I know it’s just an act. They have told me so many times. Can’t say it’s fun to watch though, even if I can appreciate the raw sexuality in their movements. It oozes from them, as easy as breathing. Liam catches my eye as he jumps in the air and lands on all fours above the woman they selected. She is loving it, her eyes dizzy with excitement, cheeks flushed as she eagerly tries to get a handful of the man writhing above her. Still watching me, he crawls until he is hovering above her and starts to grind and dance, his hips and body moving like liquid. Like always, there is something about watching him dance that shows he’s a natural. Every move he makes looks sexual, and you can’t seem to look away. He is the leanest of my men, also one of the tallest, but what he lacks in muscle he makes up for in the charm he oozes. He makes you feel like he’s your best friend, making you laugh before he strips you bare and fucks you hard. His tawny skin glows under the light, and his fuzzy hair is tamed and slicked up for once. He’s only slightly lighter than my golden skin, and he always says we look sexy as hell together. Like he knows what I’m thinking, he winks before focusing back on the woman.

  I look away as Mark, the tour engineer and my dear friend, approaches me with a clipboard in his hand and his head torch lighting the way.

  “Hey, sweetness, I need you to sign off on the new lighting for next week,” he says, not bothering to look up as the stagehands mill around, getting each set ready. It’s a quick business, you have seconds, sometimes less, to change the set and pass over the costumes, and each one they waste impacts the show.

  “Sure thing, pass it here, Pops.” I grin as he grunts, rolling his eyes even while he smiles at me. Handing over the clipboard, I arch my eyebrow as the crowd goes wild. I’m betting they just got a glimpse of Kingston in all his glory. The first time I saw him, my eyes had widened and I actually stumbled back a step. His skin is like the darkest onyx and he’s huge, we are talking in muscle and height… and everywhere else. After all, he isn’t nicknamed ‘The Stallion’ for nothing. The thought of him has me crossing my legs and licking my lips. It’s been far too long since I’ve had him. The last couple of weeks have been crazy organising this last minute show, but it will be so worth it for the paycheck and the advertising impact. I hear gasps, and Mark and I grin at each other. I know without looking he’s doing the sheet trick, something that had me gobsmacked when I first saw it. It didn’t help I was at the side of the stage, and I saw what the crowd sure as hell didn’t see. Holy hotness, it was worth every teasing comment I received.

  “It’s packed out there, reckon an hour will be enough for the meet and greet?” Mark questions, shouting to be heard over the music and crowd.

  “I’ve left two hours, I’m hoping to be on the road in one and a half though, to reach the hotel before midnight.” I pass the clipboard back over and turn to watch the finale.

  They all run on stage in various forms of undress and execute the dance to perfection. When the song finishes and they stan
d, grinning, covered in baby oil and sweat, the crowd starts chanting.

  “Take it off, take it off.” It picks up in volume and they play up to it, teasingly pulling down their pants before wagging their fingers.

  Rolling my eyes, I grab my mic and make my way on stage.

  “Ladies, give it up for The Wild Boys!” I shout, making my way to stand in the middle.

  They instantly converge on me, dancing around me and rubbing against me as they run to the edge of the stage, all still in performer mode. They get baby oil all over my silk blouse, you would have thought I’d get the picture and stop wearing them, but I can’t resist. Besides, Blake has a fondness for silk, which I discovered early on.

  “Do you want more?” I ask, playing to the crowd.

  “I can’t hear you!” I shout as the crowd stands and starts screaming.

  Turning to my men, I wink. “What do you think, boys, have they been good?”

  Emmett grabs the mic, dropping a cheeky kiss on my forehead on the way. “Ladies, who do you want to see? Me, am I right?” He bends over, and Liam runs over and spanks him before they both start twerking together.

  Grabbing the mic, Leo runs his hand down his gorgeous chest, his eight-pack ripples with his movements. Out of my men, he has the most muscle, he’s also the smallest but he’s packed as hell. Rope after rope of corded muscle on display for all the greedy eyes. Even his ass is tight as hell. His bald head shines with sweat under the light, only half covered by his red bandana.

  I manage to wrangle the mic back.

  “Well, ladies, you are in for a treat. Make sure to grab your exclusive Valentine’s Day calendars from reception, and head to the meet and greet! That’s right, you can meet the amazing men of The Wild Boys tonight, but only if you have a calendar. They will sign it for you, and you can take as many pictures as you want, and ladies, trust me, you are going to want these photos.” I wink at the crowd as Liam runs and jumps into the first row, before straddling a random woman’s lap and starting to dance on her. I spot Kingston jumping from someone’s knee before he hops back up on stage, his fireman’s trousers almost falling off.