by Rosanna Leo
“Everyone’s looking at me.”
“There’s a reason for that. You outshine them all.”
“I don’t know about that. It’s just this dress. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination.” She grabbed her sparkling water and drank deeply.
“That’s not true. It’s not the dress. It’s you. You’re stunning.”
“You’re flattering me.” Despite her scepticism, she stood taller.
“This isn’t flattery. Dana, if you snapped your fingers right now, you could have anyone in this room.”
“Oh, yeah? Even your fancy movie star friends?”
“I see at least five of them drooling over you right now.”
“Drool. You’re funny.”
“I could call them over and ask them.”
“I don’t want them, Alex. I want you.”
“That’s good to know. I don’t share well.”
“Oh no?” She nibbled on her lower lip.
“No.” Alex reached for her hand and kissed it, brushing his lips over each knuckle. “Your orgasms are mine.”
“Possessive?”
“You have no idea.” He gestured to their nook. “Would you like to sit?”
As they walked over to their nook, everyone turned to look at Dana. The way she moved in that dress was hypnotic. She was all legs and heat and perfume.
He held back the loose curtain so she could enter the nook. He let it fall back into place and was about to let loose the other side of the curtains to give them privacy but she stopped him with a word.
“Don’t.”
“You don’t want privacy?”
“Not yet.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Leaving one panel tied back, he joined her on the couch. They had a view of one corner of the VIP suite and of the guests gathered there. From the couch, they could see one end of the bar as well.
When Dana crossed her legs, making that slit dance, he was tempted to banish everyone from the suite. Her legs looked so smooth. It took all his strength not to ease her back onto the sectional and slide between them.
But he’d promised her she was in charge of their evening and he aimed to keep his promise. “Dana, if at any point you become uncomfortable, I want you to tell me.”
“I’m not uncomfortable. Maybe it’s the gown, giving me visions of grandeur. I feel powerful. I haven’t felt that way in a long time.”
Alex’s heart hammered in his chest.
She ran a finger along the slit of her dress. Even that simple movement had his stomach in knots of anticipation. All her gestures and actions intrigued him, even the most banal ones. The way she moved her hair off her face had him spellbound. Every time she crossed and uncrossed her long legs, he had fantasies of wrapping them about his waist or his shoulders.
Although there wasn’t a dance floor in the VIP suite, it wasn’t unusual for VIP guests to dance there. The music from the main part of the club was easily heard from this vantage point. As the DJ launched into a popular dance song, a number of the VIP guests started swaying. The beat was slow and sensual, rather than the usual amped up rhythms.
It wasn’t long before some of the guests started grinding up against each other, exploring their own boundaries. Couples bumped hips. Hands gripped waists. There were a few long, deep kisses.
“I love this song.” Dana closed her eyes for a moment, humming a few bars. “Dance with me.”
His throat tight, Alex stood and held out his hand, helping her to her feet. He pulled her into his arms. Her breasts crushed against his chest and her arms went around his neck. Gripping her hips, he held her close.
The fabric of her gown was so delicate, he could almost feel the softness of her skin through it. He kneaded her hips in time to the music and she swayed in his arms. When she dropped her head to his shoulder, he felt a shift, a yearning.
She yielded.
It seemed stupid. They were just two people dancing in a nightclub but suddenly, they were the only two people in the world.
She trusted him and he wouldn’t abuse that trust for anything.
Lost in their dance, they moved, their bodies touching. His left hand rested so close to the top of the gown’s slit. He longer to inch his fingers toward the exposed skin but bided his time. Instead, he lifted it to her hair and toyed with her curls. Kissing the length of her neck, he buried his fingers in her thick hair. With a light touch, he tugged and made her look at him. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to touch me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Their first kiss of the evening hadn’t exactly been tentative. The second one was even less so. When her lips met his this time, she closed her eyes and moaned. Alex trailed his fingers down her arms and back down to her hips. They were so lush and round. He could die touching those hips and he’d die a happy man.
Dana ran a hand up her exposed thigh, her fingers moving in a slow, circling dance of their own.
Alex’s breath seized. He turned her so her back was toward the opening of the nook.
Anyone who looked in at them would only think they were dancing.
“Touch me.” Her voice cracked with need.
He teased his finger under the fabric at her hip. Her skin there was so soft and he ached to drop to his knees and make the same journey with his lips. She sighed, relaxing into his touch. Giving in to temptation, he kissed the soft skin of her neck. She smelled so good, tasted so good. His cock was a painful rod between their bodies and she knew it. She wriggled her body against his, making him want to curse and shout.
The music pulsed long after the radio version of the song had ended. The DJ had chosen to spin an extended version of the sultry hit. It seemed the entire VIP suite throbbed with each beat.
Alex slipped his hand between Dana’s legs. She was wet. Pure silk.
Her knees buckled but he held her in his other arm, guiding their dance.
“I’ve got you.”
Dana rocked against his hand, transported. She moved aside the front of her dress to give him better access. Alex looked down and choked back a groan. She had the prettiest pussy, decorated by a tantalizing landing strip. He ran his finger along it, tugging on the tiny hairs, hoping she would be stimulated by the sting of mild pain.
“Yes,” she said on a breath.
“You’re so beautiful.”
Alex caressed her over and over, basking in the sweet sound of Dana’s moans. As she writhed, he eased his finger inside her body. She was tight and welcoming. She uttered a curse and he withdrew his finger, circling her clit. It was so swollen, so ripe, and her body seemed ready to go off. She was coming apart in his hands and he’d never felt so strong and virile.
She made him feel like a fucking god.
His cock throbbed. It ached for communion.
She was close. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her breathing was shallow. Determined to prolong her pleasure, her removed his fingers from her pussy.
“Oh, God.” She frowned in annoyance.
He would have her orgasm, but not until he’d wrung every last shudder out of her.
“Tell me what you want, Dana. I’ll do anything you want.”
She opened her eyes. “Please. Make me come, Alex.”
Alex circled his middle finger around her bud, giving it a long, luxurious sweep. He then captured her clit between two fingers, sliding his hand up and down her length. “Just like this?”
“Yes, yes.”
Furious pleasure shot through his body just as she began to shake.
As Dana gave herself over to him, trusting him in ways she’d never trusted another, something changed in him. All the doubt and guilt he’d carried around since Shannon’s death seemed to ease. Old pains spiraled and churned inside him, seeking an outlet, an exit.
He’d never believed he could let those feelings go, but as he touched Dana, he began to wonder if he might be allowed some happiness after all.
Dana let out a cry.
&
nbsp; “That’s it, baby. Let it out.”
No one would hear her. The DJ’s song had long-since changed to a rowdier dance number.
She rocked and rocked against him as he fingered her. And as much as Alex claimed her body, she gave it willingly to him.
Even though a vicious orgasm laid waste to her body, he was the one shaken to the core.
“You’re the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Ride my hand, sweetheart. Take it.”
Just like that, she tightened. Her moans softened as she bit her bottom lip. She was biting so hard, he feared she might draw blood, but it still gave him deep satisfaction. He’d made her come in a way no one had ever done before. Pride and possessiveness made his chest swell.
Stroking her with a reverent finger, he helped her body calm. Everything grew still around them. He couldn’t even hear the music from the club anymore.
All he heard was her heartbeat and the way she whispered his name.
Testing her, he continued to tickle the area between her thighs. How much could she take? He suspected his beautiful Dana could take a great deal. Although he lightened his touch, she pushed against him.
She burrowed her face against his neck. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I agree.” He adjusted her gown. With her cheeks flushed, she was fucking radiant. Alex grabbed her hand. “Where would you like to go?”
“Your place.” Dana stood up straight and wiped at the bead of perspiration on her brow. “Now.”
***
Gordon Dean hovered in the darkest corner of Covet, waiting.
On his last trip to Vice, he’d noticed there seemed to be several new security people. Markov had called in reinforcements. He wouldn’t have been surprised to discover some of them were undercover cops.
They’d be looking for him.
To be safe, he’d shaved his chin scruff and his head. With his shiny new pate, no one seemed to notice him. Feeling confident, he’d put on some nice duds and had tried his luck getting into Covet. Because he’d shown up nice and early, before the club kids dared to set foot in the place, he’d managed to get in.
He had been biding his time, nursing a drink no working man could afford. Fifteen bucks for some fruity cocktail that would probably just give him gas later. Each sip burned his throat because he knew his money would end up in Markov’s pocket. Still, he tried not to glower. For tonight at least, he had to fit in so he could keep an eye on the man who was the closest thing he would ever have to a brother-in-law.
All around him, pretty people gyrated and laughed on the dance floor. However, it became clear early on in his evening not all the club patrons ended up in the same place. A select few had bypassed it completely, heading toward the back of the club.
He’d seen Markov go that way as well, and he hadn’t come out yet.
Little by little, Gordon meandered toward the darkened hallway at the back. No offices, no johns. Just a shadowed corridor, leading to several locked doors.
He tried the final door. It opened to reveal a big guy. He had to be a bouncer, with those muscles and that face made of stone.
“Can I help you?”
“I was just curious about what was behind the door.”
“Nothing for you, friend.” The bouncer started to close the door.
Gordon put a hand on it. “Wait. What is this place?”
“VIP suite. No one gets in without an invitation.”
“So how do I get an invitation?”
“Good night, sir. Watch your hand.” He shut the door.
That was about an hour ago. He’d been sucking back ice cubes ever since. The bartender kept looking at him funny because he refused to buy another drink.
All he wanted was to confront Markov.
It was time.
Gordon had amused himself for a while by sending the anonymous letter to Markov and by his late-night paint job in the washroom, but he no longer found the pranks amusing.
They needed to talk. He had a lot of questions.
As if in answer to his prayers, Markov walked out of the back hallway, accompanied by a Black woman in a fancy red dress.
Shit. What he had to say to Markov needed to be said in private. He needed to get him alone.
Gordon retreated into the shadows. He didn’t want Markov to see him yet, not with this woman on his arm.
When she turned to bat her eyes at the Russian, Gordon got a proper glimpse. She was damn sexy, especially with that hip-high slit in her dress. Distracted by the sight of her long legs, he almost missed what Markov said to her as they walked past.
“Let’s go, baby.”
Baby.
And little Shannon had barely been in the ground for a year.
The fucker.
They left Covet together. Gordon followed at a distance. Holding hands, they headed toward reception, stopping to kiss along the way. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. At one point, Markov pulled her into a quiet corner and tickled the exposed skin of her thigh.
If Gordon didn’t hate the man so much, he might actually have gotten a stiffie from watching him paw her bare leg.
They quickly pulled apart, clearly trying to be on their best behavior. From there, they headed toward the admin area and the elevator that led to Markov’s office.
Gordon grabbed a hotel map from reception and acted like a lost tourist. He continued to trail Markov. From around a corner, he watched as Shannon’s ex swiped a card, giving him access to the elevator. Markov and his new girlfriend entered and disappeared from view.
So Alex Markov had a new woman in his life. That made things interesting.
Very interesting.
A couple of security guards stood about fifty feet away. One of them nodded in Gordon’s direction. They headed over. “Anything we can help you with, sir?”
“Just looking for the nearest bar. This place sure is a maze.”
The man peered at him and then pointed toward the rear end of the lobby. “The lobby bar is just over in that direction and there’s another bar right by the casino.”
“Ah. You mean the one I walked past?” He chuckled. “Clearly, I need that drink. Thanks for the help, guys. Have a good night.”
Every hair on his body standing on end, Gordon walked away and out the nearest exit.
***
“Would you like to see any of those bracelets, sir?”
Bill Patterson gaped at the jewelry saleslady over the counter. “Come again?”
“I noticed you admiring the peridot charm bracelet. It’s one of our bestsellers. I can take it out of the case if you’d like to see it up close.”
Bill had only chosen that spot because it afforded a good view of the lobby. The small jewelry store stood at one end of the Vice lobby, not far from the administrative hallway. Pretending to appraise the various items, he’d seen Markov as he headed toward the elevator.
With his mystery woman.
“Are you shopping for a gift?”
Geez. Was the saleslady still babbling? “No. Just window shopping today. Thanks.”
Bill exited the shop and wandered toward the admin hallway. He dared not enter the hallway for fear of being discovered. However, when a couple of security dudes stopped a bald guy to give him directions, Bill hurried past them toward the elevator.
He quickly pushed a button but the elevator wouldn’t open. Only then did he realize this was Markov’s private elevator. He’d heard the man lived on site and must have taken up in Liam Doyle’s old digs.
Down the hall, the security guards finished talking to the bald man. One of them glanced in Bill’s direction. “Sir! This area is restricted.”
He waved at them. “Oh, right. On my way.”
Bill looked over his shoulder and spotted an exit door just beyond the elevator. It led into an alleyway.
The guards headed in his direction.
Bill raced to the door and pushed. Thank Christ it wasn’t locked from the inside.
The security guar
ds broke into a sprint.
Bill wasted no time and disappeared into the dark alley.
Chapter Ten
As the elevator door closed, Alex moved Dana against the back wall and kissed her hard. He kneaded her breast over her bodice and bra, pinching her nipple. Shards of sweet energy shot into all her limbs.
Grunting, Alex reached over to the control panel with his other hand and hit a button. The elevator came to a stop but the door didn’t open.
“Is it stopped?”
“Yeah, but I can start it again at any time.” He grinned.
“You should be careful, unleashing that Zeus smile. I might disintegrate.”
“I think you’re overestimating my power.”
“Trust me. I know.”
Alex caressed her cheek. “You have the same power over me. Do you want me to start up the elevator?”
“No. I’m in no rush.”
Something ticked in his jaw. “Touch me, Dana.”
She trailed a finger up and down his erection. When it hardened even further, she massaged him there. Alex groaned and removed her hand. He ground his pelvis against her, letting her feel his sex at her core. His fingers dug into her ass and he nibbled her neck.
Everything in her was hot and wet and spiralling out of control.
Again.
It wasn’t possible. Her body had never had such a reaction. She’d had some generous lovers in her time, had even enjoyed the odd multiple orgasm, but no man had ever stimulated her with such ease. One smile from Alex, one crook of his eyebrow, and she was pliable. She could indulge in a session of heavy petting with a Calvin Klein underwear model and she doubted she’d be as excited.
Every tick of her nervous system was because of Alex.
Granted, what they’d done back at Covet was unlike anything she’d ever done before.
It was more than titillation, though. He had put her in control. No one had ever given her that option. Every man she’d ever slept with liked to be in charge. Sometimes that felt good too, but Alex seemed to understand she needed to get some of her power back.