Chapter 9 Round Two #2
“Cici said that beauty rushes for no one,” Eli says as he returns to the kitchen, where we’ve been sipping the drinks he made us.
“Apparently. It’s not like she didn’t know what time I was coming. What’s taking so long? She doesn’t need to do anything to look better.”
“Is that so?” Eli asks with a raised brow.
“Cici’s probably done her up so much that she’s not herself, which would be a shame, is all.” I shake my head and take a sip.
“So what I hear you saying is that you’re into her. Which means I’ll be running interference between you and Cici if it blows up in your face.”
“Don’t worry, it’s—” I pause mid-sentence when a bombshell in a tight red dress comes gliding into the room.
Holy fucking shit. My dick concurs with the sentiment as blood instantly rushes to it.
Fuck. Reaching down to adjust myself, I stay behind the bar, staring at Poppy, eyes roaming from head to toe, while all the filthy things I want come to mind.
It’s not until Cici’s smirk appears in the periphery that I snap out of it.
“Took you long enough. Ready to go?” I choose anger over lust to diffuse any suspicion.
Eli snickers beside me. “That’s not what I would’ve started with.”
I turn, glowering in his direction. His comment is aggravating. However, he made his point.
Turning back to Poppy, I try to save face. “You look great, by the way.”
“Thank you.” The reluctance in her voice is evident, making me feel like a jerk for not having said that to begin with, because she truly is a siren.
Her red hair is a blaze against the burgundy red dress that accentuates her figure.
She may not have the largest tits in the world, but they’re beautiful and damn—that ass.
It’s… fucking perfect, and I know exactly how it feels in the palm of my hand.
Before my thoughts get too out of control, I move toward the door.
“Let’s get going. Eli, thanks for the drink.” I nod in his direction.
“Anytime. Don’t be a stranger.” Eli responds, winding his arm around Cici as they walk us out.
“Take care of Poppy tonight, will you?” Cici asks as I step outside, surprising me. That sounded like an innuendo, which tracks with the glare Poppy’s giving her.
“I plan on it,” I state bluntly as I place my hand on Poppy’s back and lead her away.
“I can take care of myself,” she says defensively.
“I’m sure you can, sugar, but not nearly as well as I can, and you know it.”
Blake, the Dubree’s full-time driver, stands at the back of their town car holding the door open.
“Thank you, Blake.” I nod in greeting.
“My pleasure, Mr. Butcher, Miss Whitaker.”
Poppy smiles as she ducks into the back seat.
“Would you mind raising the partition, Blake?” I ask quietly.
“Already done, sir.” He winks knowingly.
“Thank you,” I say, then join Poppy, sitting beside her. It won’t be a long ride, but it’s plenty of time to remind her how badly she wants me.
“You ready to have some fun tonight?” I ask to kick things off noncombatively. Because God knows it doesn’t take much to provoke my little mouse.
“I’m excited to see the club. We don’t have places like that back home.”
“I’m glad I suggested it, then. You’re in for a treat.”
“I guess a thank you is in order. But I hope you’re not expecting anything in return.” She’s stubborn, but her conviction is lacking.
“Enlighten me, what is it that I’d be expecting, Little Mouse?”
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean. You have a one-track mind, and I’m sure you didn’t offer to take me out on the town from the goodness of your heart.”
“The club is full of ready and willing women to choose from. I certainly don’t need to put all my eggs in one basket. Don’t worry, Mouse. If you’re determined to fight your attraction to me, I’ll take my attention elsewhere.”
“Good, you should do that.” She sticks her nose in the air and turns her head to look out the window.
I stealthily move in close and grab her upper thigh, causing her to gasp.
In a low voice, I growl into her ear. “I expect nothing from you other than honesty. And I highly doubt you can honestly tell me you haven’t repeatedly thought of how good I make you feel.
” My hand begins to slide up, as her breath begins to quicken. “How hard I make you come.”
She shoves me away and glares in my direction. “That might be all you think about, but I have better things to do with my time.”
She says it with such conviction that she almost has me convinced. Almost.
Justin and Lucy are already upstairs when we arrive. It’s fun to witness the awe written on Poppy’s face from the moment we enter, all the way through the club, to the table we end up at.
I reach out to shake Justin’s hand. “Hey, man, thanks for coming. Lucy, it’s good to see you.”
Justin returns the handshake. “Glad you asked. It’s been a while.”
“I’m so glad we’re hanging out,” Lucy says to Poppy, going in for a girl hug.
“Me too. I’m glad you’re here. Hi, Justin,” Poppy says, then takes a seat in an empty chair.
When we sit down, the waitress comes to take our drink orders. As one of the hottest clubs in the city, they don’t have high turnover, which means Crystal and I are familiar and have used a few of the hidden alcoves.
She immediately steps around the table and embraces me in a hug. To avoid being a jerk, I return the gesture as casually as possible while Poppy watches the encounter with interest.
“Hey, Braden. It’s been a while. Where’ve you been?”
“Work’s been busy, so I’m not out as much.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. You want your regular?”
I cringe internally. That could mean a couple of different things if Poppy wasn’t sitting next to me.
“Please. Poppy, what would you like to drink? It’s on the house.” I make a point of asking her, so Crystal takes the hint.
“I’ll have a lemon drop.”
That fits her perfectly.
“Are you guys still good?” Crystal asks Justin and Lucy.
“All good, thanks,” Justin replies.
“Great. I’ll have your drinks right up,” Crystal says, tossing me a wink and walking away.
“Wow…” comes from Poppy when the coast is clear.
“Wow, what?” I ask her.
“Does every waitress here know you so well?”
“I’m here quite a bit, so if they work the VIP section, I’d say it’s likely. Why? Are you jealous?” I jab, while Justin and Lucy sit back, amused.
“Uh, negative, just an observation.”
I raise my eyebrows in her direction, calling bullshit, but don’t have a chance to argue as Warren appears.
“Hey, buddy, glad you made it,” I say in greeting, accompanied by a bro-shake.
“Yeah, me too.” Warren goes to Justin next, a familiar face at the table. “Hey, Justin, good to see you out of the office for once.”
Justin shakes his outstretched hand. “No shit. Lucy, this is Warren. He works with Braden. Warren, this is my girlfriend, Lucy.”
When they’re done exchanging pleasantries, I take the opportunity to introduce Poppy—the reason Warren showed up tonight.
“Warren, come meet Poppy.” Then I tell Poppy, “Warren is my right-hand man in the office.” Calling him my assistant never feels adequate to explain his position.
“Ah, so you’re the guy who has to put up with Braden’s crap every day. I’m sorry,” Poppy says right out of the gate.
Warren laughs. “Well, aren’t you a firecracker. I like you already. Braden’s been feeding me lies about you.”
“What did he say?” she asks accusingly.
“That you’re on the shy side, but I think he’s been holding out. I’m glad I came to see for myself. I figured you must be something special since he hasn’t shut up about you.” Warren, the smooth talker, needs to shut the fuck up.
“Hey, asshole. Go order your drink and give the girl a minute to breathe.” I shove Warren’s shoulder and note Poppy’s blush. He’s working his magic all right.
Warren goes to the bar to chat with the bartender when our drinks arrive, giving the girls time to talk while Justin and I discuss a few cases he’s helping with. The second Lucy suggests they hit the dance floor, Justin’s up and out of his seat in a heartbeat, and I’m following suit.
Poppy stops when I rise, turning to face me. “You don’t have to come.”
“Yes, I do.”
“We’ll meet you out there, Poppy,” Lucy says before Justin leads her away.
“Okay, thanks,” Poppy responds to Lucy, then turns back. “What about our drinks?”
“We’ll order fresh ones. Come on.” I place my arm over her shoulder and try walking us forward, but she digs her heels in and crawls out from under me.
She starts toward the dance floor, calling back, “I don’t need you to watch over me. Especially since I want to dance with someone else.”
Having had enough of that, I step alongside her, wrap an arm around her waist, then lean down and growl, “Listen, Little Mouse, only one person is putting their hands on you tonight, unless I decide to share, so you’re sticking with me or sitting back down. Your choice.”
She tries to break free, but I tighten my grip and propel us forward until we reach the dance floor. She’s scowling as I turn her toward me and stiff as we start to move.
Then Lucy yells from the side of her. “Hey, you made it.”
Poppy grins back at Lucy and relaxes a little. For the sake of Lucy or because she gives up, I’m not sure, but I’m glad she’s done fighting me for the moment. While Lucy and Justin do their thing, Poppy and I begin to dance in sync.
I can’t resist grabbing her hips and pulling her closer as we sway to the music. The feel of her body on mine causes my dick to respond, and it’s not long before the bulge in my pants is unapologetically grinding against her stomach. It feels fucking fantastic, but it isn’t near enough.
I snake a hand to her ass and squeeze, holding her tight when she raises her lustful gaze to mine, prompting me to grip her neck and lean in for a kiss. Damn. My memory is instantly validated the moment our lips meet.
Moments in, she jerks her head back as someone comes in from behind, sandwiching her between us, and I look over her shoulder at Warren. I tighten my grip, instinctively moving my hand up as he grabs her hips and matches our rhythm.
Her eyes go wide in shock, causing me to smile. “It’s okay, Mouse, it’s only Warren.”
She’s still unsure, so I distract her by picking up where we left off. It’s not long before our kiss turns frantic, but when Warren starts working her neck, she stiffens. I double the assault on her lips, and within seconds, she melts once more, moaning in desire.
So far, so good, but it’s time to take it up a notch.