Chapter 3 #2
He nodded slowly and took a deep breath. “From there I simply took what I wanted.”
“And that worked?”
“Every. Single. Time.” He stepped off, taking my hand and pulling me free from the doors.
When he entangled our fingers together, the moment of realization hit me.
Yes, I was doing this. I was letting go if only for one night.
His smile was as if he was reading my mind, capturing the moment we’d gone from flirting to the acceptance of a salacious invitation.
“Which is why you’re going to have a drink with me and I will not take no for an answer. ”
“Then what?” I dared to whisper.
His eyes became hooded as he drew me in as close as two people could be. The rush of adrenaline and flow of desire was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. He was so handsome, so powerful.
“Then you’re coming with me for one entire night.”
His answer was definitive.
So masculine.
And I’d never wanted anyone the way I did him.
No names.
No lights.
No method of identification.
Nothing but time spent together behind closed doors.
Two adults. Two primal needs.
The masks would stay on until we were safely tucked away in darkness. The other rules had been laid out over a dirty martini and a dark, commanding conversation at the bar. He was in charge. Of the time and of my body. I was to obey his every need.
The moment seemed as if I’d fallen into a dream except he’d already obtained a room at the five-star hotel.
As he approached with a keycard in hand, there was no doubt about what he was thinking.
He would devour me.
“Champagne is waiting in our suite along with some other treats.” His voice was almost unrecognizable.
So deep. So full of lust. “Shall we?” He didn’t hold out his arm.
He simply nodded toward the corridor leading to the bank of elevators.
The moment I took my first step toward fulfilling my wildest dream, he placed his hand on the small of my back.
The gesture was as electrifying as it was subtle, proof positive of the man’s need for control in every aspect of his life.
We moved forward together and it seemed to me as if everyone who passed stopped and turned, watching the power couple head toward destiny. How silly of me, but it was almost exciting. More so than I’d experienced in my entire life.
I’d adored a boy once, but he’d been too old for me, a selection my father would never have approved of. Maybe that’s why the darkness and mysteriousness of a stranger was so attractive.
“What are you thinking?” he asked seconds later.
“I’m wondering who you are because everyone does exactly as you ask without question.”
“Mmm… Yes, they do.” He pressed the button on the elevator and slipped the keycard into a slot. This was a private elevator. To a suite. Wow. I could only imagine the cost and for mere hours of enjoyment.
“And why is that?”
He waited until we were safely tucked inside before answering. “Because they know the consequences if they don’t.”
This time, an entirely different shiver coursed down my spine. The man was dangerous.
But not to me.
Only to those who crossed him.
The repeat of our earlier elevator ride was a total aphrodisiac. I was lightheaded, so hungry for the man that when he turned to face me, I was unable to stop my actions, grabbing a fistful of his shirt.
He slowly lowered his head, the deep, dark chuckle another thrill. “You will need to remember your place. I can see I’ll need to remind you.”
His commanding words only added to the moment of need, the hunger increasing with every passing second. I couldn’t worry or be frustrated over his words.
He gripped my face, his fingers digging into my skin.
The possessiveness in the tall, dark, and handsome stranger kept me on an exciting precipice.
He wasn’t interested in wasting any additional time before taking what he wanted.
With his hold on my chin firm, he lowered his head.
“Tonight I will show you passion unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. ”
He had no idea how much I hoped that was true.
After another subtle but even more powerful growl, he kissed me. Not just any kiss, but deep, raw, rough, and ripped with extreme hunger. His lips were soft, but his actions were hard, as needy as mine and the taste of him was spectacular. Bourbon and peppermint.
Sin and shame.
All wrapped up into exploding passion.
Whether I was allowed or not, I clung to him, arching my back as he swept his tongue back and forth in the darkest reaches of my mouth. The electric tingles were breathtaking, leaving my entire body aching, humming from his touch.
As before, I was lightheaded, yet colorful stars floated in front of my periphery of vision. Even with my eyes closed, I could still see the clear definition of his jaw and high cheekbones, the aristocratic nose that didn’t suit his dangerous persona.
With my hand dangerously close to his heart, the thrill of his ragged heartbeat was a defining moment. He was as interested in what I could do for him as I was with him.
As with what I’d experienced before in all time stopping, the world around us ceased to exist.
At least until the elevator shuddered to a halt, the doors opening and this time unwanted people interrupting our special moment.
“Oh,” a woman said, her male companion chuckling.
My handsome stranger pulled away, taking a deep and aggravated breath. He was obviously used to not being interrupted. Who was this man?
No. I didn’t need to find out. That would lead to complications that I didn’t need.
He gripped my hand, half dragging me from the elevator down the hall. His silence was somehow as sexy as everything else about him.
Neither the lock nor the door was of any hindrance. Within seconds, he’d flung it open, ushering me inside.
My breath was caught in my throat the moment he closed and locked the door. The darkness in the room should be foreboding. Instead, the shimmer of light from the buildings on Bourbon Street coming through the massive layout of windows only added to the once in a lifetime event.
There’d been a lot of firsts the last few days, but I had a feeling this one would linger in the darkest, most provocative reaches of my mind.
Even in the shadows, I could see how large the suite was, the views of the city through the crystal-clear windows stunning.
He tossed the keycard on a small table seconds later, ripping at his bowtie immediately afterwards. I noticed a cart off to the side, the outline of a champagne bottle another indication everyone followed his orders.
Every step he took was predatory, a jaguar stalking its prey. He moved in front of me, taking several deep breaths. I’d never felt so small, so vulnerable yet also so safe. How was that even possible?
I hadn’t realized I’d been clutching my bag until he very gently, very slowly pulled my fingers free.
He held onto my hand even as he lowered the bag to the floor.
When he pulled my curled fingers to his lips, I shuddered audibly.
The way he rolled his lips across my knuckles was certainly one of the more passionate acts I’d ever witnessed let alone experienced.
“Do you believe in magic, Aphrodite?” His question caught me off guard.
“Only black magic.”
My answer brought a stark laugh from his lips. “Love is a strange dark magic. Whereas death cannot destroy it, the softest kiss in the wrong direction could steal it away forever.”
I was more taken aback by the quote than anything so far during the evening. “Atticus. Right?”
“Very good, luscious goddess. The quote is quite fitting.”
I wanted him to tell me how and why, but at this point, I knew better than to ask. The mystery around him continued, which only heightened the excitement.
And the lust.
“Do you believe in the art of black magic?” With the stealth of a lion, he moved toward a console several feet away. Within seconds, the soft sounds of classical music filled the space coming from unseen speakers.
His questions were meant to challenge me. And they did. “Isn’t New Orleans the city of all things dark and dangerous?” In my mind they indicated he preferred a woman with a vast sense of sexual experience. That wasn’t me. A heavy worry about his disappointment almost had me backing out.
I swallowed hard, doing everything I could to shove aside my apprehensions. He turned his head toward me and even in the shadows, I sensed he was once again undressing me with his eyes.
Every time he laughed, an explosion of sensations tore through me. “Very much so.”
“Then does that mean you’re going to put a spell on me?” Why did it suddenly feel as if this man had utter control of my very soul? And certainly every inch of my body. And why were there a dozen or more warning signs that my initial assessment of him was accurate?
He was a dangerous predator. Even with the admittance of knowing what he could do, the excitement only increased.
“Answer me this.” As he turned to face me, the swell of neon lights highlighting every sculpted angle in his face, I resisted moaning, a dead giveaway of my blatant desires. “Do I need to?”
“No.” The answer popped from my lips without thinking.
And I meant it.
While I remained where I was, he took the time to yank off his jacket, tossing it over the back of a chair. His cufflinks were next, which he deposited alongside the keycard. As I’d done before with him, I held my breath, enjoying studying his silhouette.
As he unbuttoned his shirt, unfastening several until the material was open halfway down his chest, the wetness between my legs intensified.
Everything about him was calculated, more controlling yet also more easygoing than any man I’d ever known including my father.
Only when the sleeves of his tuxedo shirt had been rolled past his elbows did he head toward the cart, grabbing the bottle of champagne.
I knew instinctively to remain where I was.
“When was the last time a man pleased you?” His voice seemed darker than before. He wasn’t looking in my direction, grabbing a towel as he peeled away the foil on the bottle of bubbly.
“A long time.”
He stopped moving altogether. This man wasn’t going to allow me to get away with half answers or lies.
“Um. Three years. No, three and a half.”
My honest answer brought a slight tip of his head in my direction. “Then whoever you were with was a hapless idiot.”
His comment brought a smile to my face. “Yes, he was.”
The slight pop as he pulled the cork sent an even more powerful wave of tingles through me. My body was wired to the point my skin was itching, the electricity increasing substantially. With the two flutes in his hand, he moved toward a chair positioned directly in front of the banks of windows.
One glass was placed on the table next to the overstuffed chair while he sat down with the other in his hand. Several feet separated us but I could easily tell he was capable of looking right through me, not only undressing me with his eyes but also discovering all my inhibitions.
Which he had every intention of smashing.
“Undress and come to me.”
I stood defiantly, the heat between us radiating all the way across the expansive room. “And if I don’t?”
He took his time pulling the crystal flute to his lips and with his body backlit by the cityscape, I found myself completely mesmerized by him. The sip he enjoyed. That was obvious by the way he held the glass into the light.
With every move deliberate with the man, I had a feeling he was presenting the bubbles for me to see.
“Then, my sweet Aphrodite, there will be consequences for your disobedience.”