28. Shaw
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
SHAW
Ishi waited for me on the other side of the door to escort me downstairs.
Halfway to the exit, I patted my empty pocket. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong, sir?”
“Sorry, I forgot my phone in the room. Can I go grab it?”
She gave me a kind smile. “Sure. I’ll wait for you here.”
I hurried back and knocked before entering the suite.
Dante stood in the center of the room with my phone, a towel slung low on his hips. Water droplets traced paths down his torso, drawing my attention to the angry red indentations where the steel bones of the corset had pressed into his skin.
Without the breastplate, his chest was hard planes and muscle. My fingers itched to touch him again, chasing the memory of his soft curves.
He still wore the long wig tied up in a messy bun. Dark strands escaped to frame his face, softening his sharp jawline. His beautiful makeup created a stark visual contrast with his flat chest.
“Forget something?” He rotated my phone in his hand, his thumb caressing the screen. “Or did you want another look at me before you left?”
I tracked a water droplet sliding down his ribs. “Sorry, it must have fallen out when my pants hit the floor. Thanks for finding it.”
“Looks like I’m not the only one who wants you tonight.” He held up the phone, showing four missed calls from Jace. “Your friend seems more desperate for your attention than normal.”
“What are you talking about? He doesn’t want me like that.” Dante’s smirk fed the tension churning in my gut.
“No? Then why is he blowing up your phone while you’re fucking me?” Dante stepped closer, holding my cell out of reach. “Maybe he suspects you’re with me.”
I extended my hand. “Please give it back.”
“Make me.”
He raised it above his head, well out of my reach. Even without the six-inch heels he’d worn earlier, I couldn’t grab it. The movement caused his towel to slip lower, revealing the sharp cut of his hip bones.
“Real mature,” I muttered, trying not to stare at the trail of dark hair disappearing beneath white terry cloth.
“All you have to do is take it.” Dante’s challenge hung heavy between us.
I jumped for it, knowing I’d fail. He caught me around the waist with his free arm, pulling me against his damp chest.
“Let go,” I said, pressing against him. His towel did little to hide his growing interest.
“You sure that’s what you want? Because your actions are telling me something different.” His fingers slipped beneath my shirt, tracing the same path he had explored earlier. “Maybe you should stay. We could give your friend something to complain about.”
“Knock it off,” I snapped.
“As you wish.” He walked me backward until I hit the wall, his hand slipping my phone into my back pocket before gripping my hip. “What would Jace say if he could see you now? His precious friend, ready to beg for the man he hates.”
My protest died as Dante crashed his lips against mine, swallowing my words. He traced the seam of my mouth, then pushed inside.
I shoved against his chest. “Stop, I need to go, or they’ll charge me.”
“Let them charge,” Dante murmured. His teeth caught my bottom lip, the sharp sting melting into pleasure as his tongue soothed the bite. “You can afford it.”
The reminder of paying for him sent a conflicting wave of shame and arousal through me, yet I couldn’t make myself pull away.
“Clock’s ticking,” he taunted. “Every minute costs you. Is this worth it?”
“Fuck you.” My words were defiant, but my body arched closer to him.
“Again?” Dante laughed against my throat, teeth scraping over my pulse. “That’ll be extra.”
I reached up, tucking a stray dark strand behind Dante’s ear before gripping the back of his neck and tugging him down.
The risk of getting caught and being charged thousands more drove the kiss deeper. Each punishing kiss pushed me closer to saying to hell with the consequences.
“Next time,” he whispered, “I won’t let you leave at all. And that will cost you everything.”
His hand slipped under my shirt to press flat against my lower back, pulling me closer. He traced circles against my vertebrae, making me shiver.
Before he could say more, another knock interrupted.
We broke apart. Dante’s eyes held mine, challenging and amused. I had to leave, but I surged forward and captured his mouth one last time before pulling away.
I opened the door. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” I apologized.
But instead of Ishi, Jace stood in the corridor with a woman I didn’t recognize beside him. His face contorted with rage. “I fucking knew it!”
I tried to slam the door, but he wedged his foot in the gap. He shoved against it as I blocked the doorway with my body.
“Where’s Ishi?” I demanded.
“She was called away,” the woman answered, looking confused. “Sir, you’re not supposed to still be here.”
“He isn’t supposed to be here at all,” I protested.
Jace glared over my shoulder at Dante with pure hatred. I couldn’t understand how he had accessed the penthouse floor when he couldn’t afford his rates. Had Jace won another hand of poker against his dad’s friend Hugh the VIP?
The elevator doors opened with a soft chime. Ishi stepped out, her polite mask gone. “What’s going on here?”
“I paid, and he won’t leave,” Jace explained, jabbing a finger at me.
Ishi addressed Jace. “Sir, there’s been a mistake. You shouldn’t be up here.”
“Ma’am, there seems to be a misunderstanding,” the other woman interrupted in a small voice.
“No, the misunderstanding is that you brought an unauthorized guest to President Dragon’s private quarters without clearance. You will escort this guest back downstairs while I handle this situation. Understood?”
The woman paled. “But my orders are from Master. He said to make this exception since Mr. Yardley is an associate of Mr. Carter, a VIP we wouldn’t want to disappoint.”
“Regardless, you will take him to the lounge until President Dragon has prepared himself for his next client,” Ishi instructed.
“Master said that was an unnecessary waste of time.”
“That does not mean he strictly prohibited it.” She tilted her head, listening to someone through her earpiece. Her jaw tightened with displeasure. “He is not to enter until I return, understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As soon as Ishi left, Jace’s turned on me. “So you’re a fucking faggot now? All this time, you’ve been lying to us?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not? It’s what you are, isn’t it?” His eyes raked over me with disgust. “We’ve shared a locker room. Were you getting hard while I changed? Pretending to be my friend while thinking about how to get me drunk enough to let you suck my dick?”
“You think I want you?” I laughed bitterly. “You’re not even close to my type.”
“You’ve been lying to my face for years,” Jace continued, ignoring my response. “Making me trust you while you were waiting for a chance to turn me gay. What kind of sick fuck does that?”
“Is that what this is about? You think I’ve been secretly lusting after you this whole time?” I gripped the door hard enough to turn my knuckles white. “Are you mad because I want Dante instead of you? Is that it, Jace? Are you jealous?”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” he snarled.
“Or what? You’ll hit me for suggesting you might like dick, too?” I was playing with fire, but I couldn’t stop. “Maybe that’s why you hate Dante so much. You want him, and you can’t stand it.”
Jace’s hand shot out to grab me, but I dodged it. “Say that again. I fucking dare you.”
“Uh-oh, it seems I hit a nerve,” I taunted, his ugliness drawing it out of me.
Jace’s face flushed dark red. “Have you always been gay, or did you randomly decide to start taking it up the ass for fun? Or does he make you do the fucking? Is that how it works with you two?”
“You don’t get to ask me those questions,” I snapped.
“Why not? We’re supposed to be friends.” He laughed, the sound ugly and harsh. “But I guess you’d rather be on your knees for Dante fucking Gennaro than be honest with the people who have stood by your side loyally for years.”
I fought to keep my hands from shaking. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“So, which is it? Do you silence him with your dick, or does he make you beg for his like all his other clients?”
“Shut your damn mouth.”
“I could almost forgive you for being gay,” he spat in disgust. “But of all the guys you could’ve picked, you chose him? That disgusting, diseased piece of shit?”
“Don’t talk about him like that.”
Jace threw his arms up in anger. “Why are you protecting him?”
“Why are you even here?”
He tried to force his way inside, but I planted my feet, angling my body to block the gap. Behind me, Dante hadn’t said a word. It killed me the four missed calls from earlier would look damning under the circumstances.
“Because you won’t stop seeing him, even after I warned you not to betray me.”
I bristled. “Since when do I need your permission? I can do whatever I want, Jace.”
“And whoever the hell you want, apparently.”
“It’s none of your damn business. You need to leave. Now.”
He crowded the doorway. “Or else?”
“I will never forgive you.”
Jace’s lip curled. “I’m not the one who needs forgiven. Does he make you pay top dollar like everyone else, or does he give you a discount for being such an eager little bitch?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Jace’s laugh was hollow. “What’s wrong with me? You fucking betrayed all of us, Shaw. For what? A piece of ass that half of Manhattan has probably fucked?”
“You’re the only bigot with a problem,” I spat back. “This is your sick obsession.”
“Obsession?” Jace’s eyes narrowed. “You think I’m obsessed with that worthless whore?”
If it wouldn’t leave Dante exposed, I would have thrown myself at Jace, consequences be damned. “Don’t call him that.”
“I suppose he makes enough money here that he’s not worthless to them. But even you can’t deny that he’s merchandise with a high price tag.”
“Touch him and I’ll kill you.”
“I’m going to do a lot more than touch him,” Jace snarled. “And you can’t do a fucking thing about it.”
“Sir,” the female employee interjected, “as this guest has already paid, you cannot extend your time with President Dragon. However, if you would prefer to wait, I can escort you to the lounge.”
I shot her a look that silenced her. Turning to Jace, I searched desperately for a way out of my worst nightmare, but words failed me.
He scoffed. “What are you getting so pissed about? He gets fucked for money. That makes him a whore by definition.” His eyes met mine, something almost pleading beneath the hatred. “Is that really what you want? Someone who spreads his legs for anyone with enough cash?”
I stared at him, sickened by finally seeing the ugliness of someone I’d once called a friend.