“I never really followed any celebrity news,” he told her. “Although I would have definitely remembered you. So you liked to party. That isn’t so bad. What kid doesn’t?”
“Partying doesn’t really cut it. There was the wild partying, the paparazzi obsession, the upskirt photos, more partying, the drunk driving arrest—which was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done—rehab, repentance, boredom. More partying, the shoplifting charge, another arrest, mugshot, more partying and rehab again.” She regarded the champagne flute in her hand. “I guess it didn’t really stick. Meanwhile, dear old Mom stuck by me—in nightclubs and courtroom appearances, posing for photographers, thrilled that her pictures were finally front page–center again. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?”
His hand stilled, but he didn’t remove it from her thigh. She wondered if she had driven him away. Turned him off by telling him how messed up she actually was. “That’s quite a résumé. What happened then?”
“My dad bailed me out.” She shrugged. “He used to send checks every month, and presents for my birthday and Christmas, but that’s all I ever heard from him. I hadn’t seen him in years. But he convinced me to smarten up, and he gave me the chance to turn my life around. He offered to pay for my college and law school, if I got in, as long as I kept my grades up. I knew it was my only chance to get away from Hollywood’s—and my mother’s—influence. And I did well, so he offered me a position at the firm. It gave me the opportunity to be close to one of my parents, at least. Maybe I can prove to him that I’m not the same teenage screwup I always was.”
“I think he knows that, otherwise he wouldn’t have hired you.”
Ellie wasn’t so sure, but she knew that she didn’t want to talk about her father anymore. “So, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Any stories of embarrassing teenage indiscretions you want to share?”
He laughed. “No.”
“Come on, your stories can’t be any worse than mine.”
“That’s just the thing—I don’t have any. I was telling you the truth when I told you that on Friday.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty boring. I’ve always just studied, worked, followed the rules, kept to myself. My parents were strict. Like your father, very conservative, formal, cold. That’s how I grew up. I didn’t have a lot of leeway for wild times.”
Ellie watched Gabe for a moment. “I find that hard to believe. You might look reserved, but there’s some real passion bubbling beneath your surface.” She leaned in, pressing her breasts against him. His eyes drifted downward, and she shifted in her seat a little to alleviate the pressure of need, but it just made her nipples bead as they brushed against the inside of her bra as she moved. “I know,” she whispered. “because I’ve seen it. You can let loose when you want to.”
“I do know how to cut loose. But with the exception of last weekend, I do so in a controlled environment.”
“You like control.”
He nodded.
“And we aren’t just talking about sex, are we?”
“No,” he said, with a brief shake of his head.
A silence fell over them and Ellie looked around the club. She could see the things going on around them. Among the other patrons, inhibitions were low, and the soft, golden lighting, the music, the champagne all had an effect on Ellie. She didn’t care that sex with Gabe was inappropriate because of their working relationship. “Interesting place you asked me to meet.”
“You’ve never been here before?”
“No. What is this place? It’s not a normal club.”
“No, it isn’t.”
She crossed her legs, and the tight fabric of her dress rode up and revealed some of her thigh. She caught the downward shift of his eyes, checking out her legs. When he looked up, he saw that she was watching him, but he wasn’t embarrassed at being caught. He smiled. It seemed to encourage him.
“You know,” he started. “If I was a smart man, I would stand up, call you a car, say good-night, and go home and jerk off in my shower.” He paused. “This isn’t a good idea for a lot of reasons. Because of work, because of who your father is, because of what he means to my career.” He pushed his fingertips through her hair, brushing it behind her shoulder. He smoothed two of his fingertips down the line of her jaw and down her throat.
Ellie closed her eyes and swallowed hard, luxuriating in his touch, as he drew his fingers across her shoulders. “Why don’t you go then?”
Gabe paused, and Ellie hoped against hope that he wouldn’t follow through. But instead, he reached for his champagne flute and drained it. “Because I’m not a smart man,” he said, before moving in and laying his lips over hers. She parted hers immediately and snaked her tongue out to trace his. She could feel his shudder, hear his moan, as his mouth covered hers.
In the booth, she kissed him like her life depended on it, as his fingers smoothed over and gripped her thighs.
Ellie was certain that Gabe could feel the shiver that traveled through her body at his touch. With the fire that just his fingertips lit within her, the desire he inspired, she closed her eyes and remembered the other talents the man possessed.
The annulment papers forgotten, he leaned closer, and put his lips to her ear. She heard him inhale, felt his intake of breath. She could smell his cologne. It was deep, rich, masculine, and immediately she was transported back to memories of the weekend before, flashes of skin, hard, lean muscles, lips, tongues, hands ran through her mind. “What do you do here?” she asked. His fingers crawled up her thigh. She had to bite back the sigh that formed in her throat. Gabe’s touch was more potent than anything she’d ever felt.
Using his fingernail, he lightly grazed her inner thigh, and she unconsciously uncrossed and parted her legs to grant him easy access. “Depends on how adventurous I’m feeling,” he told her. “There are a few options,” he said with his breath brushing her cheek. “How adventurous do you want to be?”
Gabe had tried to give her the impression that he was boring, but she knew that was a lie. There was nothing cold or reserved about the man next to her, the one whose fingers elicited such an intense reaction from her.
Ellie drew her lip between her teeth. She saw Gabe’s gaze drop to her mouth. It had been a long time since she’d done anything close to what could be characterized as adventurous. Until the night she’d spent with Gabe, that is. The man brought out the wild in her, that’s for sure. As she looked into Gabe’s emerald green eyes—they held such promise, and such mischief—all she wanted was to indulge her long-buried, not-so-forgotten uninhibited side again.
“Ellie?” he asked brushing her lower lip with the pad of his thumb. She closed her teeth, and gave the flesh a playful nibble. He laughed. “What do you say?”
“Show me adventurous,” she whispered.
CHAPTER SEVEN
GABE COULD HEAR his heart pounding in his chest. He’d meant what he’d said to her. None of this was smart—inviting her to Di Terrestres, ordering champagne, touching her leg, kissing her again—he was in too far, way over his head. He was fucked, he decided as he led her across the floor of the club.
“This is the main floor,” he said, through a fist-sized lump in his throat, gesturing to the large room they were in. He tried to keep his voice steady as he gave her a tour like one he would give a regular guest. But Ellie wasn’t a regular guest.
“This is generally where the evening begins. Our guests come here, have a few drinks, loosen up. There’s also entertainment—stage shows, erotic demos, all sorts of things.” The crowd had certainly grown more amorous as the evening had worn on. They touched, caressed, stroked. Some were even in the beginning stages of being undressed.
“It looks like things are getting a little wild in here.”
“It happens.”
“I’ll be
t it does.”
They crossed the floor, until they stopped at the host’s stand in front of a large staircase. A set of stairs went up to the private rooms, and Gabe wouldn’t have minded taking Ellie up there, but she’d asked for adventurous.
Andre, the host on duty, greeted them. “Mr. Foster. How can I help you tonight?”
“I believe we’re going to head downstairs, Andre,” Gabe told him. “Is that right, Ellie?”
“What’s down there?” she asked almost cautiously.
“We have some rooms and suites upstairs,” he told her. “Where we can be alone. But downstairs are some exhibition and demo rooms if you’re feeling a little bolder.”
“Define bold.”
Gabe smiled at her interest. “We cater to polyamorous groups, BDSM enthusiasts, fetishists, exhibitionists and voyeurs. Anything an adult could want in a safe, consensual environment can be found within this building. Up or down? It’s your call.”
Ellie didn’t say anything. The red lights that led downstairs cast a rosy glow on her fair skin. Gabe knew how disorienting Di Terrestres could be on a person’s first visit, but he wanted her answer. She looked around them. He wanted her attention. And he got it when he turned on her and pushed her against the wall. He pushed his fingers underneath her skirt and cupped her sweet heat, satisfied when he felt how wet her panties were as he stroked her. Ellie spread her legs, opening herself up to him, while still standing. “Make a decision,” he commanded, moving her panties to the side. He easily slid a finger inside of her, before withdrawing and plunging inside again. She moaned. “Gabe, everyone—”
“They don’t matter. Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to keep touching me.”
“And I will.” He took her hand, and led her downstairs.
* * *
Gabe watched Ellie as his eyes adjusted to the large, darkened room. The lights were always kept low downstairs, with strategically placed wall sconces that mimicked candlelight.
“What the...?” Ellie whispered.
“This is our playroom,” Gabe offered. “People can meet up and get down however they like.”
“Like what?”
His voice turned serious, as it did whenever he discussed the club’s features and offerings. “As long as everyone is safe and consenting, the possibilities are endless,” he finished with a wink.
Ellie let go of his hand, walked away from him and drifted toward a scene where a woman, who Gabe recognized as one of the city’s most powerful CEOs, was on all fours on a cushioned platform in the center of a circle of men. He came up behind Ellie as she watched for a while. He put his hands on her shoulders, sliding them down her smooth arms, and she leaned against him.
Soon she moved away, and he knew that as it was her first time in the playroom, she was trying to see everything. They walked to another scene across the room, where eight people cavorted in a small orgy. One woman held out her hand to Ellie; he could see the interest in her smile as she approached. The woman kissed her, and Gabe watched with growing interest as Ellie kissed her back. Gabe wanted Ellie to himself, but if he had to share her with this woman, then hell, that was a sacrifice he would gladly make. But Ellie backed away from the woman. “Thanks for the invitation,” Gabe heard her say. “But I should go.”
“Come back anytime, and bring the guy,” the woman replied, blowing kisses at them both. They looked around, and watched a few scenes. Gabe was already rock hard, and felt as tightly wound as a spring. He enjoyed showing Ellie what Di Terrestres had to offer, but if he didn’t have her soon, he might burst.
“What’s behind that door?” she asked, pointing to a heavy wooden door.
“The dungeon,” he responded.
She raised an eyebrow in question, but said nothing.
“It’s not really my scene, but it’s where the BDSM enthusiasts hang out. Do you want to see?”
She nodded.
Gabe took her hand, and pulled open the door. It was a typical night. A man was shackled to an X-shaped St. Andrew’s cross, as a woman struck him with a wooden cane. Against another wall, a woman was bent over, and a man paddled, then soothed her reddened ass. It wasn’t his thing, but the dungeon was one of their most popular features, and who was he to put down another person’s kink?
“Wow,” Ellie said in a whisper.
“This is what Di Terrestres is all about,” he told her, as they ended up in the main room. “People can come here, and enjoy whatever gets them off.” He walked her to a leather chaise.
“And what gets you off, Gabe?”
* * *
Ellie knew when she asked the question that there was no way she was leaving Di Terrestres without having Gabe again. “I think you like control.”
He took her hand, and laid it on his dick. She squeezed him and she felt the vibration of his body run through him. “Turn around,” he told her, his voice low. She didn’t move for several beats, not used to being told what to do. But she decided that she should let Gabe boss her around for a while. She dropped her purse to the floor, and did as he’d instructed her. “Bend over and grab the back of the couch.”
Maybe she wasn’t comfortable with him taking complete control. “Gabe, wait,” she said.
That got his attention, and he righted and took a step back. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I guess I’m not used to being such a passive participant.”
“You won’t be passive. But if you don’t want to do this, we can just leave, and go our separate ways, and only connect at work.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere.”
“Are you sure? Do you want to be here?”
“I do.”
“And you’re okay?”
“Yes,” she vowed.
He put his lips to her ear. His breath tickled her. “Then bend over, grab the fucking couch and don’t let go.”
She would have done literally anything Gabe said at that moment. So she did what he told her. She bent at the waist, and gripped the leather couch. The movement pushed her ass against Gabe’s cock. He stood behind her for several moments. Completely still, silent but for his jagged breath as he inhaled. He dropped to his knees behind her, pushed his hands under her dress, and hooked his fingers underneath her panties and lowered them to the floor. With his fingers on her inner thighs, he spread her legs and leaned close. “Fuck, you’re soaked,” he murmured against her skin. She could feel his breath on her bare lips as he breathed over her. She gasped when she felt his tongue drag across her seam. With his mouth still on her, he moaned appreciatively, and the hum pulsed through her.
As Gabe feasted on her, Ellie righted herself, standing straight, turning to watch him, forgetting his instructions, and everything else but the way he made her feel. But he soon corrected her when his palm smacked heavily against her ass. The crack reverberated throughout the room, over the noise of the other occupants.
“Grab it,” he told her. His demand sent another shiver down her spine, and she obliged him. He wrapped his large hands against the tops of her thighs, pulling her to him, and holding her in place, as he went back to work. Ellie could barely breathe as his tongue, lips and teeth worked in tandem, driving her crazy. Soon Ellie was panting, shamelessly pushing against his face as his greedy mouth ate from her, his moans of satisfaction somehow matching her own of desperation.
Ellie turned her head, and saw their reflection in the large mirror on the nearby wall. She was bent at an angle, her dress around her waist, with Gabe on his knees, behind her, his face almost completely obscured by her thighs and ass. In all of her days, including her wild past, it was the single most erotic sight she’d ever seen. Her heart thudded against her rib cage, and she gripped the couch tighter, her fingers clenching the leather, hoping it wouldn’t rip under her grasp. Her breaths became shallow, and her toes curled as he plucked at the strings of pleasure t
hat ran throughout her body. She felt her muscles become taut, and as he pulled her closer, his lips closing over the bud of her clit, she became uncoiled as her orgasm tore through her.
When the room stopped spinning, she felt him take a standing position behind her. “How was that?” he whispered, his voice husky and darkened by desire. He grasped her jaw, turned her face toward him and kissed her roughly. She could smell and taste herself on his lips. He took his hands from her. “Stay right there.” She heard the clang of his belt buckle. His hands worked behind her, and when she caught his reflection in the mirror, she watched him pump his fist over his cock several times before he rolled a condom over himself.
Turning her head over her shoulder, she saw that he was still fully dressed, down to his button-down shirt and suit jacket, his pants resting on his muscular thighs. As she looked at them in the mirror, he was lining himself up with her from behind, and was inside of her with one solid thrust.
“Gabe!”
While he stood, grabbing her hips, he pushed in and out of her. His thrusts were quick, powerful. He was rough, and she knew he would probably leave bruises on her. But she didn’t care about that. It was hard, dirty, everything she wanted. She was on the brink of her second orgasm, and from Gabe’s frenzied movements, she knew he was close. She moved her hand between them, found where they were connected and touched both of them simultaneously. Her eyes snapped to his in the mirror, and for a moment, there was something else to their connection. Something potent that went beyond biological urges.
Keeping her eyes locked with his, she rolled the pad of her finger around her clit. The sensation was enough, and she came again, and felt herself clamp around Gabe’s length. He yelled out, stilled and leaned over her, covering her body with his. He groaned roughly into the crook of her neck as he spasmed inside of her, filling the condom.
She felt the quake in his strong legs as he removed the condom and tossed it in a nearby trash can. Ellie looked up, and she saw that they’d gained an audience. Now that the show was over, the crowd dispersed.
Forbidden Sins Page 8
