by Mia Knight
“Potential?”
She was about to intervene but decided to let it play out when she noticed that Alice no longer looked nervous but offended.
“You dress like you’re forty, but you can’t be older twenty-five. Why are you hiding your body under these ugly ass clothes?”
Alice dug her heels in. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Cormac released Carmen, so he could pick up Alice who let out a piercing squeal. “Wanna bet?”
She laughed and fell into step beside Walter. “Cormac hasn’t changed. He’s more arrogant and obnoxious than ever.”
“That’s part of his charm,” Walter said and tossed an arm over her shoulders. “By the way, you are looking fine.”
As they passed Partition, a popular Pyre nightclub, the people in line spotted Cormac, Walter, and the other fighters. Several women jumped over the gold ropes and rushed them, screaming and begging to take selfies. Cormac smiled broadly and let a woman suck his nipple while she took a picture. Alice struggled madly to get away, but Cormac held onto her despite being fawned over by admirers. In less than a minute, the crowd that headed for the elevators swelled to over fifty people. Cormac led the way with Alice clamped to his side. They jammed into three elevators while the rest had to wait for the next set.
Two men who could play for the NFL guarded the penthouse and opened doors that led into complete mayhem. She was familiar with this particular penthouse. It was three stories of chrome and glass with five master suites, two pools, three bars (one for each floor), a bowling alley, billiard table, around-the-clock butler service, and more. At the moment, every square inch of the penthouse was filled with people. The energy saturating the room urged her to throw herself headlong into trouble.
“The party’s arrived!” Cormac crowed, and everyone converged on him.
She looked over the railing at the first story below. The pool that took up most of the floor was filled with people dancing, laughing, and drinking. She heard the crack of balls from a billiard game while strippers danced on tables. Servers dressed in lingerie with body jewelry strutted. The heavy bass made the floor vibrate beneath her heels.
Alice appeared at her side, looking panicked. “We have to get out of here! This is out of control!” She focused on a fighter getting a lap dance and flushed. “They’re heathens!”
“Let’s get you a drink,” she suggested and started toward the bar, which she could barely make out with so many people crowded around it.
“I’m going to get fired! I’m leaving.”
“You’re off duty and Cormac will be disappointed.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s disgusting,” Alice snapped.
She grinned. Watching Alice get riled was a pastime of hers that she hadn’t indulged in enough lately. “He’s really sweet once you get to know him.”
Alice shot her a disbelieving glance. “I doubt it. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“I’m going to stay.”
Alice shook her head. “He’s no good for you, Carmen.”
She had no intention of fucking Cormac. She just wasn’t ready to go home and lay in her empty bed. No, she wanted to join in the chaos and forget about tomorrow. Alice could go home to her peaceful apartment and relax. She would indulge in excess until the fire in her gut was gone.
“Carmen?” Alice tugged on her hand. “I can help you.”
That warmed her. She hugged her friend and gave her a small push toward the exit. “If I need someone to post bond, I’ll give you a call.”
Her eyes bugged. “Post bond? Why—?”
“I’m kidding. I’ve only been arrested three times, and I’m not planning to get into that kind of trouble tonight.”
“What kind of trouble are you planning to get into?” Alice asked, hands on her hips like a disapproving parent.
“That’s not for your innocent ears. Scat, babe.”
Alice sighed. “I’ll keep my phone on just in case.”
“You’re the best.”
Alice gave her a worried look before she made her getaway. Carmen snatched two glasses of champagne from the half-naked server and downed it. She welcomed the flush of heat and grabbed a second glass, which she held above her head as she made her way through the crowd, so it wouldn’t spill. She received many admiring glances and ignored the catcalls as she made her way to the pool. She was debating whether she wanted to strip off her dress and get in when a muscled arm wrapped around her waist and drew her back against a hard body.
“I thought you left,” Cormac said.
“Me, miss a party? Not a chance.”
“Where’d Alice go?”
“She slipped away. She has to work tomorrow, and you scared the crap out of her.” She glanced back at him with a smile. “She called you a heathen.”
Cormac grinned. “I like that.” He cupped her face. “I heard about Vinny. Did Gavin get the fucker?”
“Yeah.”
He searched her eyes. “You good?”
“I’m getting there,” she said and drained the rest of her glass.
He tossed his fur coat on a couch, which was occupied by people dry humping and pulled her flush against him.
“Time to live, babe,” he said before he began to move.
Like everything else about him, he danced outrageously. His athleticism showed as he switched from Latin to break dancing. He kept her laughing and entertained while sipping champagne. She was having a great time until they were interrupted by a woman in a swimsuit who gripped his arm.
“I want to suck you off,” the woman said loud enough for those around them to hear.
Cormac tapped Carmen’s ass. “I’ll be back,” he said and followed the woman through the crowd.
Those around them catcalled and hooted. She felt a twinge of envy. How many times had she dragged Vinny off during a party to have sex? Vinny. Fuck.
She snatched a shot from a passing server and downed it. Patrón. Not a favorite of hers, but it made her pleasantly cloudy, and that was all that mattered. A set of arms wrapped around her. She didn’t look to see who it was because it didn’t matter. Men had always come easy to her. Finding one wasn’t the problem. It was finding a man who didn’t bore her to tears and could give her what she needed that was the problem. She leaned back against a massive chest. She felt small and feminine but not safe. After witnessing the shit she had, she knew size meant nothing. What really mattered was how accurate you were with a gun and what you were willing to do to survive. Now she knew how far she’d go. She’d kill.
A sharp blast made her jump. She was about to go apeshit until she spotted the lingerie-clad servers opening more champagne bottles. She huddled against the mountain behind her, who pulled her even closer. Her need for human contact was pathetic, but at the moment, she didn’t care. Whatever she needed to do to keep her demons at bay, she would do.
The man behind her smelled of whiskey and cigars. It wasn’t unpleasant. His hands smoothed over her hips and gripped. His hands were huge, which made her mind shift gears. She rotated her ass against his groin to cop a feel and felt the hard length press between her cheeks. Okay, if he was a moose, he had a big dick to compensate. Despite how eager he was, he hadn’t done anything sleazy or perverted. Maybe he was the unicorn she’d been looking for—the mute gigolo with a massive penis.
Lips touched her ear. Her eyes flared when he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. Okay, that was hawt—
“Do you work at Subway?” he murmured.
The beginning pangs of lust dimmed. “What?”
“Because you gave me a foot long.”
She whirled and glared at the man who could have been the perfect for her and Janice. He was over six feet and had an open dress shirt that revealed a body that rivaled Cormac’s. He was a gorgeous black man with a beard, perfect teeth, and hazel eyes.
She put her hands on her hips. “Really?”
He grinned and looked down at the bulge in his pants. “Well, it’s true.�
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“Seriously?”
“Are you a mirror?”
She took a step back. He was smoking hot but off his rocker. “What?”
“Because I can see myself inside you,” he said with a boyish grin. When she stared at him, he asked, “No?”
“No!”
He held up both hands. “Fine. We can play Titanic. I’ll be the iceberg, and you can go down.”
She would have if he hadn’t opened his mouth. “You did not just say that!”
He grabbed his junk and bobbed his brows. “Come on, baby.”
When he opened his mouth again, she clapped her hand over it and leaned in close.
“Let me tell you something that will get you more pussy in future, okay? Women don’t like pickup lines, especially sleazy ones. When a woman wants to have sex, don’t joke with her, just give her what she wants. I could have made your eyes roll from what I can do between the sheets.” Her hand tightened on his face, pruning up his skin. “I would have let you do me rough and dirty, and you had to fucking ruin it. No more pickup lines unless you want to fuck blow up dolls. Got it?”
He stared at her for a moment before he nodded. She dropped her hand and turned away.
“Wait, that’s it?” he called.
She turned back. “Were you born on a highway?”
“What?”
“Because that’s where most accidents happen.” She snatched another glass of champagne as she made her exit. God, men always had to open their mouths and ruin everything. If he’d just kept silent, she might have screwed his brains out, and they’d both be feeling like a million dollars right now, but nooooo. Some men were ridiculously clueless.
She passed a half-naked poker game in progress, strippers giving private shows, and people having sex in shadowed corners. She watched a couple going at it, but the fact that they were spit swapping a pill turned her off.
Dissatisfaction ate at her soul. Yesterday, she felt shiny and new, and already, she was beginning to tarnish. The high that carried her through partying with Shonda and the gang and then dance class with her mother this morning was waning fast. The same desperate craving that hit her the night Lyla was in Hell was back. She was sliding into destruct mode.
A stripper abandoned her spot when a man flashed a one-hundred-dollar bill. Carmen climbed onto the round platform and gripped the shiny silver pole. No one paid her any mind as she reached high over her head, lifted her legs, and slowly rotated around the pole. An R&B song with a heavy, sultry beat filled the room. She climbed the pole and used her momentum to do a lazy spiral to the platform where she came to a graceful landing. She closed her eyes, focused on the music, and let her body take over. The middle panel and high slits of her dress weren’t a hindrance. Her skirt floated dreamily around her as she spun. Her mind quieted as every fiber of her being focused on the physicality of what she was doing. She definitely had to get back to pole workouts. They kept her fit, strong, and tuned in to her sexuality. Her muscles protested as she held her position at the top of the pole, but she embraced the burn. She had taken ballet classes when she was younger, but when she heard hip-hop music pouring from another studio, she ditched the tutu and never looked back. She moved sinuously from one pose to another, allowing the beat to mold her. Her body began to tremble as her muscles begged for a break, but she kept moving.
The last song she and Vinny made love to boomed from the speakers, and she froze. She rested her forehead against the pole. Fuck. She would never be able to forget him. Bittersweet memories threatened to kill her buzz.
She raised her head and found that a crowd had gathered around her. Apparently, she hadn’t lost her touch. A stripper glared at her and tapped her clear heel, clearly annoyed that she stole the show. Well, she would finish her fucking performance. She forced herself to move to the beat even though her heart wasn’t in it. Her hands shook as she slid down the pole. Men crowded close, but no one dared touch. For the moment, she was still a fantasy, but when she stopped moving, she was up for grabs.
She surveyed her options as she leaned back against the pole and continued to move. Her gaze moved over the men, but no one stood out. One man captured her attention as he came forward. His easy, unhurried stride was unthreatening enough that the other men let him pass. Marcus stopped in front of her and held out a hand. Even though he wasn’t wearing a smile and looked unusually grim, her inner hellion was intrigued. He might be wearing a light gray suit and matching tie, but she knew for a fact that he was more dominant than the muscled men standing around him in basketball jerseys or swim trunks.
She took his hand and heard the grumble of the others as they dispersed to find action elsewhere. Dirty thoughts traipsed through her mind as she met Marcus’s hooded green gaze.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey, yourself. I wasn’t expecting to find you dancing on a pole.”
“I’m full of surprises,” she purred and wrapped her arms around him. “What are you doing here?”
“I bumped into Alice.”
That explained his appearance. “Lucky me.”
This was her opportunity to question him about his weird connection to Gavin, but right now, she didn’t give a shit. She was feeling restless and needy and Marcus offered himself as a sacrifice. She was a bit shaky from dancing, so she leaned into him. He took her weight and moved them to an empty space against the wall.
“Are you all right?”
“Uh-huh.” His silk suit felt great beneath her tingling palms. She burrowed against him and felt him stiffen a moment before she discovered his bulge. She looked up and found him staring at her intently. She couldn’t stop the delighted grin that broke across her face.
“How long were you watching me?” she murmured as she ran her hands over his back.
He shifted against her. “Long enough.”
He was so fucking cute. She nuzzled his neck and licked. His hands bit into her hips. “Do you have a stripper fantasy, Marcus?”
A hand skated over her ass cheek. “Now I do.”
“It’s your lucky night,” she panted against his ear and felt him shudder. “The stripper’s easy.”
“How drunk are you?” he growled.
“Why don’t you find out,” she whispered and kissed him. She swept her tongue into his mouth and dug her nails into his back as the dark taste of him combined with a hint of lime hit her starved senses. She moaned into his mouth and drank deep—classy sin. She didn’t care about the crowd. Her whole focus was on making Marcus feel a modicum of the desperation that consumed her. She wanted him as he’d been the other night—stripped of all civilization and unwilling to take no for an answer.
He pulled back. “Carmen.”
She kissed his cheek. “You woke me up, Marcus, and now I need. How much do you want me?”
When she tried to kiss him again, he tried to avoid her mouth as his eyes moved around the room. She surveyed her prim businessman with giddy anticipation. Marcus liked control. That much was obvious. His image was very important to him, which made him the perfect challenge. Like any man, she didn’t care for anything that came easy. She liked the chase, and she respected a man who didn’t bend easily to her will. The other night, she got a taste of what lay beneath his smooth professionalism, and she wanted more. She wanted to bait the beast he kept under such rigid control. This was the perfect setting for her seduction.
She kissed the curve of his jaw as she loosened his tie and undid the top buttons of his shirt so she could reach his neck.
“Carmen, let’s get out of here. I have a suite...” He trailed off as she sucked on his pulse.
“Watch the stripper, Marcus,” she breathed against his pulse.
“You should give her lessons. She can’t hold a candle to you.”
She smiled and nipped his neck. He jumped and gripped her hip.
“What are you doing?” he growled.
She leaned back to survey her hickey. “I’m having fun.”
“We can ha
ve fun elsewhere.”
She leaned against him to keep him in place and slipped her hand into his jacket. He stiffened when she rubbed his nipple. She kissed the corner of his mouth. “Let me, Marcus.” The muscle in his jaw flexed, and she laved it with her tongue.
“Let you what?” he growled.
“Let me pay you back for the other night.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
Her hand moved from his chest, down his rock-hard abs to his dick. He tensed, but he didn’t push her away. She traced his length and enjoyed the shudder he tried to suppress. She teased him through the material and was pleased to see that he was now one hundred percent focused on what she was doing to him.
“I’ve always had a thing for a man who knows how to dress,” she said as her hand left his dick and traveled along his zipper. Her fingers trailed up and down, up and down. A muscle twitched near his eye. “I like the way you dress, the way you smell, the way you taste…”
When she leaned toward him, he did the same, but her aim was his neck. She worked on her hickey. She would make it big as fuck. He’d be wearing her mark for a couple of days. He shifted, rubbing his erection against her. When her hand went back to his junk, she gripped him more firmly this time. He dropped his face into her hair and let out a heartfelt groan.
She moved from his neck to his ear and nipped. “How’d you know doggy’s my favorite position?” She cupped his face and brushed teasing kisses over his smooth skin. “Can you give me what I need?”
He pierced her with lusty green eyes. “What do you want?”
She leaned close, so their lips brushed as she said, “I want you mindless.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Why?”
“I want the real you.”
“This is the real me.”
“There’s more.” She was sure of it. “How much do you want me?”
He didn’t answer. She was ready for him, but he still had a modicum of control. It was time to break him. She placed her hands on his chest and ran them slowly down his body as she dropped to her knees. His eyes bulged. He glanced around, but when she ran her hands along the inside of his thighs, his eyes came back to her.