by Lisa Childs
As the metallic teeth hissed, a breath hissed out between his clenched teeth. She freed his cock and closed her hand around it, stroking her palm up and down the length of his erection. Desire overwhelmed him, and he had to lock his knees to keep them from folding beneath him as she dropped to her knees in front of him.
“And if I hadn’t gotten off the phone with Michelle, I wouldn’t be doing this,” she said just before she closed her lips around the tip of his penis.
He groaned as she sucked on him with her mouth while she stroked him with her hand. She drove him crazy as no one else ever had. His pulse raced, his heart hammered away in his chest, and his every muscle tensed with the need for release.
“Taylor, you’re going to kill me...” he murmured just as madness claimed him and he came in her mouth. And his murmur became a shout of exultation. The woman brought him a level of pleasure he’d never experience before. She was amazing.
She licked him from her lips, and his cock began to harden again. Her lips curved into a smile, and she reached for him. But he lifted her from the floor and into his arms and carried her to the bed. When he dropped her onto the mattress, she giggled and squealed, “Dominic!”
He loved the sound of his name when she uttered it. But he preferred it more when she moaned it or screamed it. So he followed her down onto the bed, covering her body with his. He kissed her deeply, passionately, until they were both panting for breath. Their lips clung, their tongues mated. And from that kiss alone, the tension began to wind tightly inside him again – needing release.
But he took his time with her, peeling off her clothes so that he could kiss and caress every inch of her sexy body. He teased her nipples with his tongue and lightly nipped with his teeth – until she cried out in pleasure and writhed beneath him – seeking release. He gave her that – with his fingers and with his tongue. But it wasn’t enough. She was just as greedy as he was for more.
She pushed him down onto the mattress and rolled a condom on his cock before she straddled and took him inside her. Then she rode him like she was possessed, her legs locked around him as she bucked up and down and rocked back and forth.
Just as wild as she was, he thrust and arched his hips. And his hands cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples until her body convulsed. And she screamed his name...
But he didn’t stop then. He didn’t stop until she screamed it again and again and again...
He took so much time with her that they were late for the bachelor and bachelorette parties.
***
Taylor rushed down the hallway toward Room #816 at St. Bart’s Inn. She was short of breath from hurrying and from making love with Dominic and from guilt. It gripped her heart and lungs, making it difficult for her to draw a deep breath.
She should have stayed with him – in bed – if not making love – because how could they manage again – at least cuddling with him in the afterglow. Of course, the afterglow for them always burned so hot that they wound up making love again.
And again...
Her heart pounded fast just thinking about it – thinking about how much pleasure he’d given her. So much that she was probably walking funny. She certainly ached in places she never had before. And she ached for him...even though she’d just left him.
Would he go to the bachelor party? He’d been so reluctant to go. She really shouldn’t have insisted that they leave Room #601. And that was why she felt so guilty.
Because the only reason she’d insisted – the only reason she’d left his arms – was for her damn story. But now she was beginning to wonder if the story was worth it. Were some photos of a drunk bride and her superficial friends worth giving up even a minute spent with Dominic?
He hadn’t thought so. He’d been reluctant to release her. But she’d insisted he needed to attend his brother’s party. “Why?” he’d asked.
“To keep him out of trouble,” she’d suggested.
He’d laughed and teased. “What about me? Who will keep me out of trouble?”
“You get in trouble?” she’d scoffed.
But his smile had disappeared again and he’d stared intently at her as he’d admitted, “I think I’m already in trouble – with you.”
She’d shaken her head and slipped away with him with a smile. But as she’d closed the door to Room #601, her knees had been weak. She was in trouble, too – with him.
Now she lifted her hand and knocked on the door to Room #816. This was the bridal suite. For some reason the bride and groom had agreed to have separate suites before their wedding. Taylor figured that was so they could sleep with other people right until the moment they said I do. But even after they married, Taylor doubted Roderick would stop sleeping around. He’d stolen Courtney from Dominic while he’d been married to someone else. No. Vows and rings didn’t stop people like them from going after whatever they wanted.
And Taylor couldn’t let guilt stop her. She unzipped her purse and pulled out her compact. She also made sure the lipstick was turned on; like the compact, it was more than a lipstick. It was a recorder.
The door drew open and Courtney stared up at Taylor like she was a spider on the wall – her already pinched face contorting into a grimace of distaste and almost of fear. Why would she be afraid of her – unless she had some idea what Taylor was really up to?
“You came,” Courtney said, her words slightly slurred but the disappointment quite apparent.
If Taylor was as mean a girl as cranky Courtney seemed to be, she could have bragged about how much she had just come – thanks to Dominic. Instead she refrained from being vulgar and just smiled as she softly reminded her, “You invited me.”
“Roderick gave me no choice,” Courtney ungraciously said.
Taylor smiled wider and turned away from the door. “That’s fine with me. I’ll just stop by the bachelor party and see how the brothers are getting along.”
Courtney snagged her arm and snapped her back around. “Oh, no, you don’t. Roderick probably already has enough hookers up there.”
“What did you just call me?” Taylor asked, pitching her voice low with anger even as fear whispered through her. How the hell could Courtney know that she was posing as an escort?
But she wasn’t really one.
Courtney chuckled. “I was just kidding. Geez, relax. Come in and have a drink.” She stumbled back from the door and led the way toward a bar in the corner of the room.
Courtney must not have had many friends of her own because, as Taylor glanced around the room, she saw only the girlfriends or wives of the men in Roderick’s wedding party. They gave her welcoming smiles.
“You tore yourself away from Dominic?” one of them teased.
“I wouldn’t have,” another chimed in. “He is by far the better looking twin.” When Courtney whirled back toward her, she stammered, “Uh, sorry...”
Taylor fought the urge to laugh. She suspected Courtney was on the verge of throwing her out anyway.
“I’ve never seen him so happy,” the first woman said. “Glad he found you...”
And that pang of guilt struck Taylor again so hard that she gasped with Courtney. He hadn’t found her. She’d found him – to use him. And he would never forgive her when he learned the truth.
He couldn’t learn the truth.
But Courtney was studying her now, and her eyes, although a little glassy, held quite a bit of shrewdness. “He didn’t find her,” she murmured. “She tracked him down...”
“Just like you did,” Taylor added. And probably for the same reason, to use him. She felt sick that she was anything like this woman.
“Really?” one of the women asked Courtney. “You had Dominic and gave him up for Roderick?” She sounded as appalled as Taylor was.
Courtney’s face flushed a deep shade of red. “I – I don’t see what you all see in him. Sure, he’s good looking. And sexy. But he’s boring.”
Taylor’s breath hissed out between her teeth as if the insult had been mean
t for her. She should have been relieved that Courtney apparently didn’t want him back. But she couldn’t help but be offended and outraged on his behalf. “Boring?” she repeated. “Boring?”
“He’s nothing like Roderick,” Courtney said.
“Lucky for you,” the first woman said to Taylor, as she touched her arm. “You won’t need to neuter him to make sure he stays faithful.”
“He’s not a dog,” Courtney said.
And all the women laughed. One even began to howl.
And that same woman who’d touched Taylor’s arm touched Courtney’s and softly murmured, “Yes, he is, honey, and you know it.”
Tears pooled in Courtney’s eyes, but she blinked them away. Then she shook her head. “This isn’t a roast, you know,” she said, “it’s supposed to be a party.”
“Where are the strippers then?” the woman who’d howled called out, and she began to howl again.
“Ask her,” Courtney said with a disparaging sniff as she pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Taylor.
Taylor shrugged. “Why me?”
“Because you are one,” she accused her.
“Wh – what?” Taylor sputtered at the accusation, which was so ridiculous she laughed. “Me – a stripper?” Michelle had tried talking her into attending a pole dancing fitness class with her, but Taylor, knowing she’d probably fall flat on her face, had refused. She could not dance.
Courtney dug into the pocket of her hotel robe and pulled out a card. “I found this in Dominic’s wallet today.”
Taylor recognized the gold embossed business card for FANTASY ENTERTAINMENT but she betrayed no sign of recognition. Instead she shook her head. “There’s no way you got your hands on Dominic’s wallet.”
Not that she hadn’t tried, Taylor bet, but that would have been before today – when she’d been dating him.
The howling woman picked up the card. “An escort service? You must’ve gotten this from Roderick’s wallet.”
Taylor bit her bottom lip in feigned sympathy and nodded. “I’m sure that you must have...”
Courtney shook her head. “No, Dominic left his wallet in the duffel bag you two brought down with your tennis clothes. And I...”
“Helped yourself to it,” one of the woman finished for her and turned toward Taylor with a speculative glance.
She shook her head and lied her ass off. “Roderick had the duffel bag. Dominic and I changed in our room. She’s mistaken...”
“No, I’m not,” Courtney insisted.
But Taylor had the room. They believed her – probably because it was so much more believable that Roderick would have hired an escort over Dominic.
Dominic hadn’t hired her, though. He had no idea she was just an undercover escort.
“You’re lying!” Courtney insisted, and she launched herself at Taylor.
Having spent time in a boarding school with a bunch of spoiled rich bitches – with the exceptions of her amazing friends – Taylor had been in her share of cat fights. She’d never lost one before, and she wasn’t about to lose this one either...
Chapter Eight
May 16
Night
Something bad is happening. I just know it. I got a call this afternoon – after Taylor and Dominic’s. It was from St. Bart’s Inn, so I assumed it was one of them. But no one spoke when I answered. Fortunately I answered with my usual spiel instead of Taylor or Dominic’s name. Or maybe that was unfortunate. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that. And even more unfortunate is the fact that Taylor and Dominic did not answer when I tried calling them back. Her FANTASY ENTERTAINMENT cell went directly to voicemail and Dominic had told the front desk not to disturb him. That call disturbed me. Who was it? Why wouldn’t he or she say anything?
I have a very bad feeling about all of this. But what’s the worst that could happen? Even if someone found the FANTASY ENTERTAINMENT business card, it doesn’t prove the business is real. No solicitation has actually taken place. Dominic didn’t hire an escort. Taylor isn’t a real escort. So nobody can get arrested. Nobody can get hurt. And certainly nobody will wind up dead...
This time...
Michelle wanted to believe what she’d just written. But she hadn’t thought anyone would wind up dead last time either. Yet once someone else had gotten a hold of the FANTASY ENTERTAINTMENT business card, someone had died. And it seemed, from her mysterious phone call, that someone had gotten a hold of the gold-embossed card again.
But this situation was entirely different from that one. Nobody was embezzling money from anyone. But the Meisner Enterprises accountant hadn’t died because he was an embezzler. He’d died because his wife had thought he was cheating. It had been a crime of passion.
And where was there more passion than a wedding party weekend?
Michelle’s stomach knotted with apprehension. Like Detective Sam Butler, she had a very bad feeling now. She reached for her cell phone. Calling Taylor or Dominic or even the hotel was no use. They weren’t answering.
Should she call Sam?
No. That would be crazy. What would she say?
She couldn’t tell him the truth. He wouldn’t believe her. And then she would only get Taylor and Dominic in trouble when they were probably just fine.
Maybe the maid had gotten a hold of her card and had called out of curiosity. It was probably something as simple as that. But Michelle wasn’t able to expel the breath trapped in her lungs. She wasn’t able to ease that knot of apprehension. No matter what excuse she used to convince herself that everything was fine, she knew it was not.
She could only hope that if someone had gotten hurt – it wasn’t Taylor or Dominic. She would never forgive herself for meddling if something had happened to one of them.
***
What had happened to Taylor?
Dominic had expected her to be back before now. She had nothing in common with Courtney. He was surprised she’d even wanted to attend the party. But then she’d thought he was going to the bachelor party. He’d left the room right after she had. While she’d taken the elevator up, he’d taken the stairs down to the groom’s suite in Room #204. He’d made it to the door, which had been left ajar.
And what he’d seen and heard inside and made him turn around and head back up the stairs. There had been smoke and loud music and skin...
No matter what he’d promised Courtney, Roderick had strippers. And for some reason, Dominic had no desire to see any woman naked but Taylor now. He knew no other woman could compare to her beauty or her sexiness.
Panic constricted his heart. He was in trouble. Serious trouble. He was falling for his escort. What the hell was wrong with him? Maybe he should go back to the party. Not for the strippers but for the alcohol. Maybe he could drink himself sober because he was already drunk on Taylor.
Just as he headed for the door, someone knocked.
Damn. He’d forgotten to get Taylor a room card of her own. It was good that he hadn’t left, or she wouldn’t have been able to return to him.
She’d returned to him. His heart pounding in anticipation, he jerked the door open, and the smile on his face froze. His beautiful escort wasn’t who had knocked. A man stood before him – a man he’d never seen before. He wasn’t a member of the wedding party. And he didn’t look like hotel staff either. While he wore a suit, it wasn’t the same black one worn by St. Bart’s Inn personnel. His was a dark gray, and it wasn’t tailored that well because his arms appeared to be straining the sleeves.
With a nose that must have been broken at least once, the dark haired man looked more like a boxer than a concierge. Maybe he was a bouncer for one of the lounges.
Dominic sighed. “What trouble is Roderick in?” And why had the staff come to him instead of the man’s fiancée?
Oh, shit. Maybe Roderick wasn’t the one in trouble. Maybe it was Taylor, who hadn’t returned yet. Why hadn’t she returned?
“You are Dominic Rowe,” the man said. It wasn’t a question. Anyone who knew who Roder
ick was would automatically know that Dominic was his twin.
He nodded anyway and asked, “Who are you?”
The man reached into his pocket, and as his jacket moved, Dominic saw the holster and gun he wore beneath it. He pulled out and showed him a badge. “I am Detective Sam Butler.”
And Dominic’s heart began to pound erratically. What the hell had happened? “How – how can I help you, Detective?” he asked.
“I need you to come down to the morgue with me,” the detective replied.
And Dominic’s heart executed a flip of fear. “Morgue? What – why? Who’s died?”
“A female who attended one of the parties that took place in the hotel tonight.”