She braces her shoulders back and walks right over to where he’s standing. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“You could ask me the same thing?” Is he kidding her right now? She feels enough like shit that he’s seeing her here, but now he has the balls to judge her? She shakes her head and starts to walk away, but turns around and asks, “How do I owe you any kind of explanation? This is my job and I don’t even know you. We had a hot hookup on the airplane and that’s it.”
He opens his mouth like he wants to say more but thinks better of it. Instead, he says, “Remember my friends' wedding? This is the bachelor party.”
She should have guessed that. Why didn’t she even think of that when he told her he was in town for a wedding? Charles has made sure that this is one of the best clubs in Vegas and bachelor parties tend to be their specialty. They tend to fill up the room. She slowly nods her head and says, “I guess I should have figured that much.”
“Why did you lie to me?” He asks as he runs his hand through his hair and pulls on the back of his neck. He dips his head and his cheeks redden.
“I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t tell you what I did for a living, but you also never asked. And it’s not like it’s exactly a respectable career choice. Besides, did you really think we would see each other again?”
“Yeah, I guess you’ve got a point. Fuck. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m being a dick, I’m sorry. It’s just－”
“It’s just what?”
He steps up toward her. So uncomfortably close that their bodies are almost touching. “I’ve never been so pissed as I was watching you while you were up there.” Maria opens her mouth and he puts his hand up stopping her from speaking so he can continue his thought. “I wasn’t mad at you, but every other guy in this room. I wanted to beat the shit out of all of them for looking at you, my friends included. I don’t even know what that fucking means, but I felt like an animal standing there. I refused to look at anything but the table in front of me. I didn’t want that to be the way I see you for the first time or be the way I remember you.”
Her heart warms up and the butterflies start back up again. Rhett is making all of these proclamations, but they don’t mean anything. Realistically she knows he’s not here to rescue her and take her away from this horrible life. This isn’t Pretty Woman for fuck's sake. But damn if she didn’t wish that was her reality.
Chapter Ten
Rhett
Maria’s eyes go wide, and she takes a hesitant step toward Rhett. He doesn’t know if anything has changed or if everything is still the same for her, but he hopes that she doesn’t shut him down twice in the same day.
“Do you really mean that?
The uncertainty is written all over her face and Rhett can’t understand where her insecurities are coming from. He can’t wrap his head around the fact that this gorgeous woman standing in front of him questions the way he feels about her. He doesn’t even want to know what’s happened to her in life to get to the place where she’s at. If anything, he feels lucky she’s willing to give him the time of day.
Unable to control his own feelings he walks toward her and places his hand on the side of her face guiding her focus from the floor to him. She leans into his touch and he wants nothing more than to prove to her here and now how badly he wants to put his claim on her body. “I meant every damn word. I didn’t want to leave things the way we did today. I only walked away because it was what you wanted. If we weren’t standing in the dressing room of a strip club I would show you every single way I plan on owning your body. I’ve got you now and I’m not letting you get away easily again.”
Her entire face reddens but she takes a bold step toward him licking her bottom lip at the same time. The hunger in her eyes cause him to release a grown and he leans down to devour her lips with his own. He can already feel his jeans tightening where she’s rubbing her own body up against him. She reaches her hand down and slides it across the front of his jeans cupping him from the outside. His resolve is wearing thin and he’s tempted to rip what little clothes she’s currently wearing off and toss her down on the couch in the corner of the room.
Before he has the chance to make any kind of decision a voice calls out from down the hallway.
“Hey Angel, you need to get your ass back out on the floor.” The ugly bald bouncer from the door comes into view and to say he’s livid at what he finds is an understatement. “What the fuck? You know the rules Angel no boyfriends backstage or in the club ever. Get him out of here and get back out on that floor and shake your ass for the paying customers. No free fucks in the dressing room.”
Rhett knows where they’re at right now, but he can’t believe the shit he’s hearing. He moves Maria behind himself and takes a step toward the bouncer. “You want to watch the way you’re talking to the lady?”
“Good one buddy. Get the fuck out and come back later when it’s pick up time for the bitches.”
This guy is on thin ice right now and the more he keeps running his mouth the more Rhett is nearing losing his temper. He tries to be the good guy and not start fights but the line is getting harder and harder not to cross.
“I’d watch your mouth if I were. I mean it.”
Maria places her hand on Rhett’s arm and attempts to turn him around to face her. He stands his ground and squares off against the guy on the opposite side of the room but she still attempts to talk some sense into him. “C’mon Rhett, stop. It’s not worth it.”
“Yeah, Rhett shut up like the cunt says.”
That’s all it takes and Rhett is seeing red. Never in his life has he been able to stand by while a man disrespects a woman. He’s always had a slight temper and he beat the shit out of one of his classmates in the third grade for making fun of his mama. But to use that kind of disgusting language in the presence of a female let alone toward her? That’s not something he can stand for. Before he even has time to process what he’s doing, Rhett turns around and runs full force toward the very large bouncer.
Before he can get all the way to him Maria puts her body in between the two of them and pushes her hands against his chest. “What the hell Maria? I could have seriously hurt you.”
Her face is red, and her hair is wild as she puts all of her weight into pushing on Rhett backward. “I don’t care how angry you are Cowboy. I told you this idiot is not worth it. If you lay one hand on him, I guarantee you Charles will press charges and have you arrested. Now I’m going to get my shit together and we’re going to leave this club and spend the night together. I can’t exactly do that if your ass winds up in jail tonight, now can I?”
She’s right. He knows she is, but it doesn’t change the fact that he would much rather rearrange this guy’s face than let him continue talking to any woman this way.
The bouncer walks further into the room and pulls on the side of his blazer revealing a holstered 9MM under his arm. Rhett’s not dumb enough to walk into a gun fight, let alone one unarmed so he raises his hands in the air and takes a step back toward Maria. She’s quickly gathering her things behind them and haphazardly shoving them into her bag. Her face is flustered, and Rhett places a hand on the small of her back and starts guiding her out of the room.
They get past the bouncer and into the hallway when he says, “Don’t for one second think you’re in the clear Angel. Charles will be hearing about this.”
Maria nods her head and pulls on Rhett’s arm to keep him walking out of the club. This is her life he’s screwing with and he’s not going to make the situation any worse than it already is, but he also is going to work really hard on convincing her to come back to Texas with him. He doesn’t know what kind of shit she’s involved in, but Maria didn’t seem all that surprised to see the gun on the man. If that’s common practice here, he wants her as far away from this place as he can get her. But the problem is, will she be willing to blindly trust him and follow?
Chapter
Eleven
Maria
Maria's entire body trembles as they walk further and further away from the club. She knows what kind of shit goes down behind the scenes, but she's never been on that side of things before. Charles keeps his thugs there at all times to keep the girls in line, but none of them have ever caused any problems. She pushes all thoughts of what could have happened to the back of her mind and refuses to give it a second thought.
They only have the one night together and Maria wanted to make the most of it. After contemplating for a whole five seconds, she grabbed Rhett by the hand and dragged him into the casino they had stopped in front of. Sure, they could have gone to one of the many restaurants inside and stuck with their plan for dinner, but that was the last thing on her mind and she could tell it was the same for Rhett. After they argued for a good five minutes about who was paying for the room, Rhett, of course, won that argument, they came upstairs, and all of Maria's confidence went flying out the window.
They're standing across the room from each other and her hands play with the hem of her shorts. "Before we start anything, I just want you to know I don't normally do this kind of thing."
Rhett tilts his head to the side in confusion and adds, "I don't either."
"No, I'm serious. I know my profession would lead you to believe otherwise, but it ends there for me. I never leave the club with a guy and I would never think of taking money for sex."
His gaze darkens as he looks her body up and down. He's partly pissed off that she would think he would ever pay for sex, but mostly he's angry because he can't understand the kind of life she's had to have lived to warn him ahead of time that she's not going to accept money for sex. Make him wonder how many scumbags have offered that. "That's good because I wasn't offering."
Her cheeks redden, and she suddenly feels embarrassed. He never mentioned it but she's been working this job for too long to not think it. She's lost count of how many guys have tried to offer her money to follow them home. But that has never been her style.
"It's okay, you don't have to be nervous. We're two consenting adults that are extremely attracted to each other and that's all this is. Let's take everything outside of this room and forget about it. Just be right here and right now."
"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm thinking way too hard about this."
She starts to open her mouth again, but he presses his lips down to hers. And she stops thinking about anything at all. She moans into his mouth as the familiarity of their make-out session on the plane comes full force back to the front of her mind. She can feel his erection against her stomach as he presses up against her and burst of desire shoots straight to her core. Bringing his hand down, he runs his hand over her thin t-shirt and lazily thumbs her nipple. She throws her head back as he spends extra attention to what he's doing as he discovers what she had hidden underneath.
He lightly pulls the barbell which mixes a slight pain with pleasure causing her to scream out. Her shirt quickly comes off falling to the floor and his tongue immediately starts playing with her piece of jewelry. She tugs on the ends of his hair holding him to her as he sucks kisses the shit out of her. She crosses her legs together in an attempt to relieve the pressure building, but it does nothing to help.
With a pop he releases her and with a sinister look he says, "That's the fucking sexiest thing I've ever seen."
Her head is swimming and it all suddenly feels too much, and she needs a minute to clear everything and get her thoughts together. "Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?"
He growls as he takes her hand and places it on the front of his jeans. She can't help but rub his impressive length and feel excited even more. His voice comes out harsh and breathless as he says, "I'll be waiting, but don't take too long or I'm coming in there after you."
Maria's hands shake at her side as she crosses the room to the bathroom. With a click, she pushes the door open and finally breathes a sigh of relief as she closes it behind her. Leaning against the door all of her focus is on the rapid beat of her heart. With each boom, boom, boom, she feels like it'll pound its way right out of her chest. Never has she felt this way before.
She takes a small hesitant step away from the door toward the mirror and she's shocked with the person staring back at her. Only hours before she found herself in a similar position looking at her own reflection and not liking what she saw staring back at her. She picks up a tissue from the box on the counter and slowly wipes away the layers caked onto her face and she's pleasantly surprised with the person she finds underneath. Just little bit of being in Rhett's presence has brought the old her back again. She's still not one hundred percent sure and comfortable about herself, but she feels better already. With a small sigh she quickly removes every item of clothing and holds her head up high.
When she walks back out into the room, Rhett is sitting at the foot of the bed waiting for her. His eyes darken with hunger as he traces them over every inch of her body. Every night she shuts off her emotions as she strips down to nothing in front of strangers. But tonight, in front of Rhett as she allows herself to feel everything, she's never felt more naked in her entire life. The rawness and trust she's putting into him right now feels nothing short of exhilarating.
He stands up from the bed and stalks toward her like she's his prey and the darkness in his eyes sets a bolt of electricity through her body. She has no idea what to expect, but she's fully prepared to give herself over to him completely. He unbuttons his shirt achingly slow with each step he takes toward her, and the deliberateness of his movements almost cause her to combust on the spot. She's never been so turned on her life and he hasn't even removed an article of clothing.
His shirt comes off and slides to the floor and she almost laughs at the perfection of his upper body. All of those years working on the ranch have done him well. Her fingers are itching to run along each muscle and explore him but any movement she plans stops as his hands go to his waistband of his jeans and starts working the zipper down. It isn't until now that she notices he already removed his hat and boots while she was locked away in the bathroom.
Maria's feet are permanently planted in their spot and she leans up against the wall behind her. She runs her tongue along her bottom lip as he slides both his jeans and boxer briefs down his body at the same time. When he springs free from the confines of his pants she craves nothing more than to slide down on the floor and front of him, so she can completely devour him. The tip of his erection glistens with a drop of precum and he wraps his hand around himself sliding it around.
Watching as he a gently works himself over has Maria moving her hand down her own body. She's never touched herself in front of someone else before, but the entire thing feels completely erotic. Just as she's about to slide her finger down over her clit, Rhett's rough voice washes over her. "Don't you dare think about it."
The harshness of his tone suddenly stops her and her eyes quickly meet his. Her head leans back against the wall with the closeness of his body. She didn't realize he had made it all the way across the room.
Without a word to her, he pushes one finger and then another inside of her and she screams out instantly in pleasure. Her bud is dying for one touch or flick and he spends his time ignoring it completely. She groans out in frustration as he continues finger fucking her but refuses to touch her where she needs it the most.
Rhett pulls his fingers out and her juices glisten on his fingers. He brings them up to her mouth and slides them along her lips until her mouth pops open of its own accord. She greedily sucks on his fingers and becomes strangely aroused tasting herself on his skin.
"Wrap your legs around my waist," he tells her as he slides his hands underneath her ass and pushes her body up.
When he gets her right into place he pushes forward in one smooth motion and slams right into her. He groans and she releases a sigh at the same time. It's been way too long and he stretches her to complete fullness. She throws her head back against the wall as his movements
become intense as he pounds into her over and over again. Maria's body turns to mush as everything he's giving her builds up inside of her. She turns her body over to him and stops focusing on anything at all.
Maria's back slams against the wall repeatedly each time he re-enters her and she relishes the pain it brings.
"Touch yourself. I want to see your face as you come and feel that tight pussy squeeze me."
Her hand slides down her body and he doesn't have to tell her twice. She keeps her eyes locked on his as her finger quickly finds her clit and she can't help the intensity of her yells at the little bit of attention she's been craving. The greed takes over and she rapidly rubs her finger against it chasing that release that is so close.
"Fuck." Rhett slams into her again and his breathing is working overtime now as he asks, "Are you close?"
She doesn't have the chance to respond as her orgasm rips through her body and she roughly throws her head back against the wall. Wave after wave attacks her body and she rides each one as it comes to her. She's faintly aware of her moving body, but it isn't until she starts coming back down that realizes what happened.
Opening her eyes, she finds her head resting on to of Rhett on the bed. He must have walked them over here as her body was otherwise occupied.
She starts kissing her way up his chest slowly making her way toward his mouth. Her body feels stretched in all of the right places in the best way possible. Normally she's a one and done kind of girl, but her body is instantly craving more. She doesn't foresee ever being able to have enough of him, she's already addicted and the hot cowboy lying underneath her is the only one who can give her the fix she so desperately needs.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Rescuing Maria (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 5