I don’t know if I would be this comfortable if it was anyone else. I don’t even know why I’m this comfortable with Bram. I shouldn’t be, but all the old feelings are coming to the surface with more ferocity than I had when I was younger. He may have never had a taste for me when I was underage, but the years have crossed the border where it can be wrong and right at the same time.
I think so, at least. I don’t know what he’s thinking. I just see the excitement he’s fighting.
“How long is this song?” Bram’s words get caught in his throat when I press my body against him and begin my dismount.
“Long enough…” I push his hands away and move mine to my hips.
My panties are the only thing left for me to remove. I actually got carried away and didn’t time it right. Max will probably forgive me since it’s my first time, but I should have danced a little more before I got to this point. It just means Bram is going to get my naked body on full display for a little longer than he should.
“Do you have to take those off?” Bram leans forward.
“Yes.” I smile. “Max prides himself on offering the full experience—on the stage and behind the curtain.”
I wiggle my hips as I slide my panties down my thighs. The instant the fabric rubs against my pussy, I realize I’m wet. That definitely isn’t part of the deal. Max won’t notice from the security room, but Bram will. It’s too late to turn back. I do my best to hide the wet spot by folding them as they move down my hips.
Bram shifts uncomfortably in his seat. My eyes are drawn to the front of his pants where a noticeable bulge is present. That isn’t unexpected behind the curtain; Rhonda told me it’s pretty common. Seeing that reaction from Bram still surprises me.
“Do you really want to do this for guys every night?” Bram seems to snap back to his senses, and there is some venom in his words. “Let people you don’t even know touch you?”
“We’ve discussed this already…” I move into his lap to begin the final sequence of my routine. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”
“It does matter.” Bram grits his teeth as I rub against him, feeling a hard cock for the first time in my life.
“After this song ends, you can go. Just forget all about me, okay? I’m doing what I have to for my family.” I keep moving the way I should, even though we seem to be descending into an argument. Max won’t know the difference from his vantage point.
“I’m not going to forget all about you…” His tone loses some of the venom.
I doubt I’ll forget him either. I certainly won’t forget that he is the first guy I’ve ever danced for, the first guy I’ve ever been even slightly intimate with. It doesn’t feel like something I want to do with strangers every night. Underneath it all, I like doing it for Bram, and the thought of bringing other guys behind the curtain is starting to lose all of the luster it had when I asked Max if I could.
“Touch me…” I move on his lap and lift my ass so that my pussy is almost in his face. “This is the part where you should…”
That is true. Every dance I watched, the guys had their hands all over the girls in the final minute of the routine, and Max just nodded in agreement with what was going on. Rhonda told me that as long as they don’t pull out their cock, try to use their tongue, or actually penetrate you, it’s fair game behind the curtain.
“Fuck.” Max exhales sharply, and then I feel his hands on my ass.
He moves his hands slow, cupping both sides of my ass and squeezing before sliding a finger against the tender skin on the side of my pussy. I’m getting wetter—close to actually dripping. He obviously sees that. I run my hands down his legs, up his thighs, and stop short of touching his cock. That isn’t allowed, unless I’m grinding against him during the dance.
I’m trapped in a moment I never expected to be in, but I like it. Bram’s hands feel so good on my skin that it’s almost natural. My body is reacting to him the way it did when I was alone in my bed so long ago. That buried desire never truly left; it was just hidden below the surface because I stopped seeing him on a regular basis.
I’ve always wanted Bram. I still do. But it is as impossible now as it was back then. There are more complications now, even if my age isn’t one of them.
“The music is about to end…” I hear the final beat and lower myself into his lap for one final grind—one final grind that is followed by a gasp and a light spasm when my clit presses against his cock.
Then I come…
Chapter Eight
Bram
“Oh god.” Kiana trembles when she sinks into my lap—I feel her body shake the moment her clit touches my cock.
I’m in shock for a moment. She’s been wet since her panties hit the floor. I figured it was because she hadn’t been behind the curtain before. I didn’t expect her to orgasm during my lap dance. But she does.
Her pussy quivers against my cock. It makes my entire body shudder, and my cock throbs in response. That seems to send another wave of pleasure through her. I pull my hands away in an instant.
“I’m sorry!” Kiana slides off my lap and starts gathering her clothes.
“It’s…” I reach out for her wrist. “It’s okay.”
“I don’t think my boss is going to feel that way!” She pulls away from me and disappears through the curtain that leads to the back part of the club.
I want to make sure she’s okay. I adjust my pants as I get up and find a wet spot where her pussy touched me. I take a step through the curtains, and it’s so dark that it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. Kiana is nowhere in sight, but one of the bouncers is. He’s at the end of the hallway and notices me immediately.
“Sir, you can’t come back here.” He starts walking my way.
Fight a bouncer? No. That’s not a good idea at all. Not if I want to be able to get into this club again. Kiana was obviously overcome with emotions and embarrassed by what happened. She probably doesn’t want to see me anyway.
“I think I got turned around.” I play it off and walk back through the curtains.
He doesn’t follow me. That’s the best outcome for both of us. I take another moment to let some of the excitement die down and for my erection to recede before I walk back out into the club.
The guys I bid against stare at me for a brief second before their attention returns to the dancer on the stage. I need a fucking drink.
“Can I get a whiskey, neat?” I motion to the bartender.
I don’t plan on staying long. I just need to down a glass of whiskey for the road. The bartender puts it down in front of me and gives me a nod. I pay him and guzzle it. I could use another, but I don’t really want to have it here.
“Quite a dance you got back there, huh?” Someone walks up behind me and pats my back. I tense up and turn to see that it’s Max.
“Yeah.” I narrow my eyes. I want to punch him in the face, but once again, I maintain my composure because I’m rather motivated not to get thrown out. “Best lap dance I’ve ever had.”
Only lap dance I’ve ever had.
“I might have to keep charging a little more Lavender Rose.” He laughs and shakes his head. “Damn, I got turned on just watching her move.”
He doesn’t even hide the fact he watches his customers. Maybe the rest of them don’t mind a voyeur, but it doesn’t sit well with me. I imagine how many different ways I could hurt him, to satisfy the desire to see him bleed, but I don’t let those thoughts manifest outside of my head.
“Probably a good idea,” I growl under my breath.
The best idea is never letting her go behind that curtain with anyone again, but I can’t say that. It’ll make him suspicious. Kiana is still at his mercy right now.
Until I do something about it.
“Hope to see you around here again some time.” Max pats my back one more time before he walks away.
He only cares about my money. That’s fine. Men like him are easy to understand, but he’s not the one I’m after. He’s
just an ordinary scumbag. Someone else is pulling the strings. If it was Max, she would’ve been worried about more than losing her job if he didn’t like her performance behind the curtain.
I need to figure out who it is and see what I can do about it. But before I can do that, I need to make sure Kiana is okay.
“Thanks for the drink.” I put my empty glass on the bar along with a generous tip and walk to the door.
I’m not leaving, not yet. I just don’t like the atmosphere. I go to my car and wait for things to die down at the club. Kiana will have to leave eventually. That’s the best chance I have of talking to her.
It’s a couple of hours before the patrons start leaving in numbers that aren’t quickly replaced. A few girls head out as well, and a bouncer escorts them to their cars. That could complicate things, but I’ll manage.
Being alone in my car gives me time to think about what happened behind the curtain. I’m ashamed to admit that I enjoyed the lap dance. Kiana is beautiful, fucking gorgeous; definitely not the girl I remember. We always shared an emotional connection just because she was Lawson’s kid, and talking to her was the polite thing to do; especially when she initiated the conversation. I never had the kind of thoughts I had tonight, though; not back then.
Now it’s all I can think about. Those beautiful curves, that look in her eyes, the way her body reacted when she was against me. I can still feel her delicate skin on the tips of my fingers and smell her perfume on my clothes, along with other things. The evidence of her desire is still wet on my pants. Thinking about it makes my cock begin to throb again. I certainly wanted more. I couldn’t deny that if I tried.
I’ve been in my car long enough to need another stiff drink before I finally see Kiana appear. She looks like she did when she came to my office—all hints of Lavender Rose are gone. The bouncer watches but doesn’t escort her, and she doesn’t walk to the parking lot. I glance in the direction she’s walking and realize she’s going to the bus stop. Perfect. I drive behind her until we’re out of the bouncer’s line of sight before I accelerate and roll down my window.
“Hey…” I lean toward the passenger side of the car.
“Bram?” She looks surprised to see me. “What are you doing here?”
“Let me drive you home.” I lean further and open the door for her.
“I’m okay. I’ll catch the bus.” She motions to one that is approaching.
“I just want to talk.” I sigh. It’s the truth.
There is hesitation in Kiana’s beautiful blue-green eyes, but she finally takes a step toward my car. I wait for her to sit down and pull the door closed before I pull away from the curb. She clutches the seat nervously when we pass the bus stop, almost like she’s expecting to see someone there. A sigh of relief follows when it’s behind us. I get the impression she didn’t want to get in my car; there’s a reason she chose it over the bus, and it isn’t because she wants to talk.
“Are you okay?” I look over at her.
“I don’t know what I am right now.” She looks down. “I’m just glad Max was happy enough with what he saw not to fire me.”
“Then tell me about this problem your brother has. Who does he owe money to, and why are you the one who has to fix it?” I narrow my eyes and shift my attention back to the road.
“I shouldn’t have said anything.” Kiana’s hand trembles, and she tries to steady it. Whoever it is, they terrify her.
“Well, you did,” I growl under my breath. “I’m not going to let you out of this car until I know everything.”
“You’ll run out of gas eventually.” She glances at the gauge. I just filled up, so it doesn’t offer the reassurance she’s hoping for.
“Then the car will stop, and we’ll keep talking.” I shrug. “You still aren’t going anywhere until you tell me.”
“Why do you care?” There is irritation in her voice. “You haven’t talked to my father in years…”
“What happened between the two of us doesn’t have a damn thing to do with this.” I exhale sharply. “You’re the one I’m concerned about.”
“Why? Because you used to humor me when I was a kid? I’m not a little girl anymore, and you stopped talking to me the day you stopped talking to him.” She shifts in her seat and stares out the window. “You’re not even going in the right direction; my apartment is that way.” She points.
“Kiana, I’ve always cared about you.” I shake my head. “Yes, things got a little complicated with your father, and maybe I could’ve done more on my end, but again—that doesn’t have a damn thing to do with this.”
“Easy to say now.” She glances back at me. “There were a lot of times when I could have used someone to talk to. I never realized how much I enjoyed those conversations, even if you were just humoring me, until you weren’t coming around anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, and a sigh passes across my lips. “You trusted me back then, right? Trust me now.”
We’re silent for a moment. I can tell she’s contemplating what I said. I never knew how much those random talks meant to her. They meant something to me too, and I wasn’t really humoring her; she was important to me, although we had different motivations back then. Now we just need to find common ground. Honesty. I don’t know if I can fix her problem, but I want that chance.
“My brother.” Kiana looks away. “Hudson has been gambling for several years, but he’s really bad at it, apparently. Our father was covering the debts until he couldn’t anymore…”
“Couldn’t?” I blink in surprise. “He’s broke?”
“That’s why he sold his part of the company.” Kiana nods. “My brother got in bad with some guys who were going to hurt him. Since then, they’ve both been making some really bad decisions—enabling each other, I guess you could say. It’s my mom’s fault too. Every time Hudson gets in trouble, she turns on the waterworks until my father makes the problem go away.”
“Fuck.” I exhale sharply.
“Now, the problem is so big there isn’t enough money to fix it. There’s a new loan shark in the city named Mr. Diaz. He gave Hudson a line of credit because my father always paid it off. Now my parents are just sitting at home waiting on the phone call they don’t want to get.” Kiana’s eyes fill with tears. “I’m doing everything I can to make sure their phone doesn’t ring.”
“That isn’t your burden! Fuck!” I shake my head angrily.
“Someone has to carry it…” Kiana looks down, and the tears begin to stream down her face.
I can’t stand to watch a woman cry, but I understand Kiana’s tears. She’s been put in the shittiest of situations. Lawson, he always loved his family, but damn if he didn’t make some bad decisions if he let his son bankrupt him over gambling debts. I don’t know what I would do if the role was reversed, but I sure as fuck wouldn’t put all of that on Kiana.
“You really do need to take the next turn; otherwise, you’re going to have to hit the interstate to turn around.” Kiana wipes her eyes and points.
I would. If that’s where I was going. Kiana is a mess, and there’s no way I’m just going to drop her off at her apartment.
“I’m not taking you home. You don’t need to be alone right now.” I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. “You’re going to spend the night at my place.”
She doesn’t argue.
I doubt she wants to be alone right now either.
Chapter Nine
Kiana
I’ve never been good at keeping things bottled up when someone pushes me. It’s part of the reason I opened up to Bram in the first place when I was younger—when I got called a disappointment by my mom because I brought home a grade she wasn’t happy with. That word always stung, and once they realized it could do damage, they used it as often as possible to keep me in line.
But I wasn’t the real disappointment at my house. My brother was the one who should’ve gotten scolded, but he never cared if they were mad at him. It rolled off of him like water, no matt
er what they said, so I got the brunt of it since I didn’t know how to make myself invincible.
It was essentially what created a rift in my household. After my father sold his part of the company to Bram to pay my brother’s first real gambling debt, the rift widened until I didn’t even know my own family anymore.
That was when I needed Bram most. But he wasn’t there.
I can forgive that now because I think I need him a lot more than I did back then, even if he can’t fix everything.
“I’ll be okay if you want to just take me home.” I look over at him once I finally regain my composure.
“I don’t.” He shakes his head.
Good. I really don’t want to be alone right now. Admitting everything to him has brought all of those memories back. The ones I wanted to forget. The ones that were so damn hard to bury in my thoughts to begin with.
“My place is at the end of the street.” Bram turns on a road I don’t recognize and points in the distance.
I haven’t really looked at my surroundings much. We’re not in the city anymore. The houses around here are nice, much nicer than the one I grew up in. There was a time when my family could have afforded one like it, before my father began to squander everything we had to keep my brother’s head attached to his neck.
Now I just squander my dignity. One night at a time.
“This is your house?” I blink in surprise when he turns down the driveway and hits a button to open the garage.
“Yeah.” He nods. “I bought it not long after we started turning a profit at the company. Thankfully I paid it off before things started going in the opposite direction.”
I stare in disbelief until the car rolls into the garage, and he lowers the door. It’s hard to believe he has so much space and doesn’t share it with anyone. I was just happy to have my own bedroom, but it looks like Bram has plenty to spare.
He leads me inside, and I’m not surprised to see a medieval theme, complete with a suit of armor and his family crest. I remember the discussion we had about how medieval life was really like when I was studying it in school. He knew more than my teacher and could have written the textbook himself if given the opportunity.
Daddy's Possessive Friend (Once Upon a Daddy Book 12) Page 5