Chapter Twenty-Six
The Fire
Juliet
“ Y OU’RE COMING TO Star with me now.”
I jumped at Maximo’s voice as I stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. I hadn’t expected him to be home, let alone in our room.
I’d had one glorious weekend with him at Moonlight and the Strip before Maximo’s schedule had gone insane again.
For almost three weeks, he’d been slammed preparing for a huge poker tournament.
Most days, I only saw him when he woke me with his tongue, fingers, or cock, but there were nights he hadn’t even done that.
It sucked, and I missed him.
And apparently that was mutual.
Excitement shot through me. We’d already planned for me to go for the start of the tournament, but spending the whole day was even better. “Okay.”
“Vera will pack your bag, we’ll spend the weekend.”
“Okay,” I repeated.
He stalked over to me, all graceful predator to my eager prey. “That easy?” Not giving me the chance to answer, he cupped my head and tilted it. Lust and something else blazed in his gaze as he murmured, “Always that easy.”
Being called easy could be an insult, but since he said it with the same praising tone he used when he called me his good girl, I took it as a compliment.
Maximo’s eyes dropped to my mouth. “Want those lips around my cock.”
“Okay,” I said instantly because I really was always easy for him.
“Don’t have time,” he continued, though he made no move to step away.
Taking advantage of his closeness, I worked to undo his belt and slacks. “Just for a minute.”
The fire in him grew to a raging inferno as he watched me drop to my knees. His voice was raw and rough when he relented. “A minute.”
I freed his already hard cock and licked the length before taking him as deep as I could.
It lasted longer than a minute.
Maximo didn’t complain.
_______________
Star was smaller than Moonlight, but just as beautiful.
Actually, it may have been more beautiful, with its swirling black and blue tile and shimmery-silver details.
And much like Moonlight, it had a theme and it stuck to it. The lobby was filled with starflowers. Projected shooting stars zipped across the black ceiling. Dots and swipes of silver were on everything from the walls to the gaming room chairs.
There was a giant blue and purple mural of a beautiful woman made entirely of stars.
“Who’s that?” I asked, mesmerized by it. It reminded me of an optical illusion, and the longer I looked, the more it came together.
“Asteria, goddess of the stars.”
I should’ve guessed.
As we walked the already crowded main floor, my eyes darted to take everything in. They landed on Maximo to find him watching me.
“What?” I asked, my face flushing.
He stopped suddenly and pulled me to him, not caring we were in public. PDA was never a problem for him. “I like seeing your reaction. Ash said I missed out at Moonlight.” He studied me as if he could read my every thought and secret. “Glad I didn’t miss it this time.”
My heart squeezed, all his intensity aimed at me both overwhelming and exhilarating.
A ringing cut through the thickness.
“Shit, I have to take this.” Maximo dropped his hand to pull his cell out. “Black.” He was silent for a minute before biting out, “No, I want the one I chose.” Another few beats went by as he rubbed a tattooed hand across his clenched jaw.
It was inappropriate to check him out while he was pissed, but I did it anyway.
So hot.
“Email it over.” He hung up and gave me his attention. “You can’t look at me like that when I’m on the phone. Christ, only you could make me hard while I’m dealing with bullshit.”
God, his obscenely sweet words really are so good for my ego but so dangerous for my heart.
Keeping that thought locked away tight, I asked, “Everything okay?”
“Same shit, different day,” he dismissed. “I’ve got to go to my office and deal with it. Did you or Vera pack your iPad?”
I nodded. “It’s in my bag.”
“I’ll have Marco bring it to my office.” His thumbs flew across his cell screen before he pocketed it and wrapped an arm around me. He steered me to a hallway with a black and silver Black Resorts sign over it. There was a row of elevators and then one with the thumbprint thing.
“Can you add my thumbprint?” I asked as the door slid open and we entered. I’d never gotten around to asking him at Moonlight—mostly because any time we were in the elevator, my mouth was otherwise occupied.
His lips tipped as he pressed a button. “Later.”
“Yay.”
“Christ, you’re cute.”
I liked when he called me little dove best and brat second. Calling me cute in his tender, amused tone was a close third.
The doors slid open a moment later, and we stepped off into a ritzy waiting room with glass and wrought iron. Empty chairs lined the wall opposite the row of elevators. A chrome and iron bar held a coffeemaker and supplies I was looking forward to utilizing.
Maximo gripped my hand and walked, pointing out things as he went. “Bathroom. Cole’s office. Ash’s—not that either use them for more than playing Madden. Conference room.” He unlocked and opened the last door.
Huge, intimidating, and looks effortlessly expensive and infinitely powerful?
Yup, definitely Maximo’s office.
Along with the typical desk with chairs in front of it, there was a couch and coffee table, a boardroom table lined with chairs, a bar that matched the one in the lobby—though his was stocked with alcohol, not coffee—and a wall of monitors like at home.
The wide window behind his desk flaunted the beautiful view.
I could picture him leaning back in his chair, clutching a tumbler of whiskey as he stared broodily into the distance.
A king overseeing his kingdom.
I glanced around again before something occurred to me. “You don’t have a receptionist?”
“Multiple.”
I leaned out and looked pointedly at the empty waiting area. Lowering my voice with dramatic concern, I asked, “Can you see them right now? Do they talk to you?”
“Brat.” Backtracking from the office, he hooked me around the waist, bringing me with him. We got onto the elevator, and he pressed a button for four floors down.
When the doors slid open, it revealed another expansive lobby. A long reception desk took up the entirety of the opposite wall, and at least five people sat behind it—though there may have been more I couldn’t see. A massive version of the black and silver Black Resorts sign hung on the wall.
Eyes turned to us and lingered when they saw Maximo.
They became fixated when they saw he wasn’t alone.
But he didn’t acknowledge anyone as he took my hand and stepped out.
He gestured to the desk. “Receptionists.” He turned us toward a long hallway.
“Offices and conference rooms.” Reopening the elevator, we stepped in and he pointed up.
“Three more floors of receptionists, offices, and conference rooms.”
Whoa.
Logically, I knew even Maximo couldn’t singlehandedly run an entire resort, but it was surprising how extensive the business side was.
“Why don’t you have any on your floor?” I asked.
“I like my privacy.”
Knowing even a tiny bit about some of his business dealings, that made sense.
He unlocked his office again, moving aside for me to enter. My iPad was on the coffee table, along with a paper bag and a large disposable cup I was praying was filled to the brim with coffee.
Before I could investigate, Maximo turned me to face him. “If you get bored, you can go walk with Marco or hang out in our room upstairs.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Who could be bored when they have coffee and a good book?
Moving behind his desk, he shook off his suit jacket and slipped it on a hanger. He rolled his sleeves to display his tattooed forearms before sitting at his desk.
Let me revise that.
Who could be bored when they have coffee, a good book, and an incredibly sexy man to stare at?
_______________
I was bored.
Reading in the office had been fun.
Though it felt a little stalkery, people watching on the wall of monitors had also been fun.
Fooling around frequently had been super fun.
But watching people play poker was not fun.
I didn’t get the appeal.
I definitely didn’t understand why they’d go bankrupt, get in deep with loan sharks, or lose their homes for it.
Clearly the fun was in playing, but it still seemed tedious. At least roulette had the big wheel. Craps had dice. Slots had blinking lights, loud noises, and bonus games. Those seemed more entertaining than staring at cards.
Standing to one side of the long room, Maximo talked with Georgie, the woman who ran the tournaments. I tried to see if anything interesting was happening at the tables.
Surprisingly, they didn’t hurt to look at anymore. Guilt wasn’t drowning me. I didn’t feel anything.
Except the aforementioned boredom, of course.
I thought I was doing a good job hiding it, but Maximo wrapped his arm around me and curled me into him, my front pressed to his side. “Just another few minutes then we’ll go eat.”
“Take your time, I’m good,” I half-fibbed because I’d been ready to leave five minutes after we’d arrived.
His eyes narrowed and his hand dropped to my ass. As he turned his attention back to Georgie, he tightened his hold on my cheek so hard, I had to choke down a yelp.
After another ten minutes, Georgie went to do her walkthrough and Maximo turned to me. “Let’s go.”
“Hold on, it just got exciting,” I said, watching the table where two people had pushed their hefty stacks of chips all-in.
They flipped over their cards, but I couldn’t see what they had. After the dealer added the turn to the row of cards, it was obvious one of the men lost by his curses and glower. He’d had more chips than his opponent, so he wasn’t out, though his stack was significantly diminished.
Anticlimactic.
“I think I preferred when you were locked away at home,” Maximo said, pulling me tighter against him.
“Why?”
“I’m greedy. I like having you all to myself. For only me to see.”
Sure, he was a caveman level of possessive. And, yes, he was over the top. Insane. Straight up dysfunctional.
But I loved it.
“If anyone is looking at me,” I put my hand to his chest, “it probably has something to do with you palming my ass like a basketball.”
“No, they’re looking because seeing you in that damn skirt makes a man wish he could pick you up and slam into that sweet pussy.” As if his own words pissed him off, his eyes grew cold as he scanned the room.
The antipathy in his dark gaze should’ve scared me.
And it did, but in a good way. I liked the thrill. The power. The danger.
The fire.
So I played with it.
Stretching my leg out, I inched my skirt up a little. “This isn’t even as short as the one I packed for tomorrow.”
“Juliet,” he warned.
“I’m not even sure that one covers the bottom of my ass.”
“That ass is gonna be burning hot and red if you keep this up.”
I tilted my head like I was thinking, but it was just to give him a clear view of the love bite he’d left on my neck and to draw attention to my ponytail—two things that drove him wild. “And now that I’m thinking about it, it might be too tight to wear panties.”
“I hope you’re having fun, Juliet, because now I’m replacing all your clothes with my sweats and tees so no one sees what’s mine.”
I was having fun. An immense amount of it.
Leaning into him, I whispered, “You know you’re the only one who’s ever seen me, Daddy.”
His hold on my ass tightened, and there was no holding back my whimper. “And I’m the only fucking one who’s ever going to see you.” His voice was low and harsh. “That’s my ass. My sweet pussy. My little dove.”
Danger, danger, danger.
I couldn’t take it when he said stuff like that.
Ignoring the way my heart swelled at his words, I gave him an innocent smile. “Anyway, the skirt still covers more than the swimsuit I brought. That thing is basically strings with tiny scraps of fabric.”
That was the last straw.
Gripping my hand, Maximo stormed from the room. I had to practically jog to keep up with his long strides. I couldn’t see his expression, but based on his pace and the rigid set of his muscular body, he wasn’t happy.
Which meant I was about to get punished.
Yay.
Not slowing until we reached the elevator, the doors barely closed behind us when he had me up against the wall.
I love the fire.