Show Me, Baby

by Davenport, Fiona

  Show Me, Baby

  Fiona Davenport

  Copyright © 2020 by Fiona Davenport

  Cover designed by Elle Christensen

  Edited by Editing4Indies

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Show Me, Baby

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Show Me, Baby

  The moment magician Julian Storm saw Anna Chapel standing at the back of the theater during one of his rehearsals, he knew she was meant to be his. After spending a long month trying to hunt her down while she ran in the opposite direction, Julian resorted to kidnapping her off his stage during a disappearing act.

  Anna had zero interest in celebrities…until she met Julian. The sexy magician refused to let her ignore the chemistry between them, and he was determined to show her that fame meant nothing compared to her love.

  1

  Julian

  As an illusionist, magician, escape artist—or whatever people chose to call me—I often used the audience in my act. For this reason, the lights shining on the stage were carefully positioned so that they would not be blinding. Which meant I had a pretty clear view of the people filling the seats.

  When my eyes swept over the crowd, they stopped on a woman seated on the left aisle of the orchestra section about twenty rows back from the stage. I would know her anywhere. Long and wavy brown hair, a curvy body with fantastic tits that I just knew would more than fill my hands, plump lips that begged for me to nibble them, a cute dimple in her chin, and though I couldn’t see them from this distance, I knew she possessed beautiful emerald green eyes. Anna Chapel.

  I’d been drooling over Anna since she was hired as the assistant marketing director for the Lennox Hotel and Casino a month ago. Ever since I saw her standing with the owner, Drew, and his wife, Autumn, at the back of the theater during a rehearsal, one thought had been pinging around in my brain and thundering in my chest with every beat of my heart.

  She was mine.

  I couldn’t seem to hide my feelings whenever I was near her, and perhaps that was the reason she tried so hard to avoid me. Getting her alone so that I could convince her she was made for me was proving more difficult than I’d expected. Now, she was sitting in the audience at my show, and something inside me was whispering that this was my chance.

  Suddenly, the man in the seat next to her leaned over and said something that made them both smile. Jealousy raged inside me, and it took everything I had in me not to rush down there and wipe that grin off his face. Anna’s smiles belonged to me. Not some douchebag with a five-dollar haircut and a cheap suit.

  The professional in me kept me in check...just barely. I returned my focus to the show and the last part of the act. The plan was to perform an illusion where I was lowered into a tank of water, and after a few minutes of struggling, I would calmly walk through the glass sopping wet. Then I’d have my assistant bang on the glass with a sledgehammer to prove it was an intact piece of bulletproof glass. Finally, the glass would be lifted and the water would rush out, covering both of us, but after being hit with the wall of liquid, I was suddenly completely dry, and my assistant was drenched.

  However, when my eyes strayed over to Anna once more, an idea sprang to life. It was perfect. I walked to the edge of the stage and swept my gaze over the crowd, drawing them in, something I’d always had a talent for. “As you probably know”—I smirked at the audience—“I have a reputation for my creativity and intricate shows.” I held up my hands in a surrender pose and winked at the audience. “Not being cocky, I swear. It’s the truth.” The audience snickered, and I gave them a bow with a dramatic flourish. “However, my love for magic started very young, with the basics, and sometimes, I wonder why nobody does the old tricks anymore.” I took a few steps backward as I spoke and signaled to one of my assistants, Amy, who was standing in the wings just off stage right. She trotted out, and I muted my mic while I explained what I wanted. Her brows rose, but she spun around and hurried off to fulfil my request. Giving the audience my attention once more, I said, “These tricks are simple but no less magical, and I think you guys are an audience who would appreciate them. Am I right?”

  They clapped and whistled with enthusiasm. “How about a good, old-fashioned disappearing act?” I asked as Amy returned, pushing a tall, red, wooden box with two doors onto the stage. Since I was permanently based at the Lennox and had a long contract, I was able to accumulate all kinds of props and tricks, allowing me to have variety without worrying how I would lug it all to the next venue. I had been telling the truth about my love for the magic throughout history, and the disappearing box was actually an antique I’d acquired from the grandson of a long-retired magician.

  Once the box was set in place, I opened the doors, spun it around, and then climbed in and went out the back, so they could see that it was empty. Then I wandered downstage and grinned at the audience. “Now, I need a volunteer…” At least half of the hands in the crowd shot up, and the rest of the audience laughed and clapped. I pretended to scan through each section with interest, supposedly considering everyone. After a thorough sweep, I allowed my eyes to land on Anna.

  The douchebag sitting beside her leaned in again, this time touching her arm, and I struggled to stay in performance mode. All I wanted was to rip that prick limb from limb while warning him to stay the fuck away from my woman. However, I was a professional, and years of training kept my expression engaging and my showmanship firmly in place. Although, I may have stomped down the steps and up the aisle a little harder than necessary.

  Stopping in front of Anna, I held out my hand. She looked like a deer in headlights for a moment, before looking around frantically as though trying to find a means of escape. I didn’t fight the wicked grin that stole over my face when she realized I had her cornered. Her choices were to take my hand or be a spoilsport and deny my request. I knew she wouldn’t do that because it wouldn’t look good for the hotel if an employee refused to participate. Reluctantly, she placed her hand in mine, and I nearly sighed at the feeling of rightness that traveled up my arm and warmed my chest. I helped her to her feet but didn’t move back so she was almost plastered up against my body.

  I contemplated taking advantage of our position to steal a kiss but then decided I didn’t want our first kiss to be in front of an audience. Not only because there was a very real chance she might slap me, but because I was fairly certain that if she responded with a fraction of the desire I felt for her, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop.

  Just being near her had my cock swelling, and her gold wrap dress—which clung to her fantastic rack and made her legs look endless—was only making it worse. Luckily, I wore loose pants on stage so that I had a free range of motion. Hopefully, it would hide the state of my arousal from the seven hundred or so eyes glued to me.

  I led her back to the steps and up onto the stage. “Are you ready?” I asked, and she glared at me before smiling at the audience and nodding. “Step right in here,” I instructed before helping her into the box. Before shutting the door, I muted my mic and whispered instructions to Anna. Once she was secured inside, I rotated the box a few times and moved it around to show there wa
s no trap door. Finally, I grinned mischievously and shouted, “Abracadabra!” The audience chuckled. “I figured I might as well go totally old-school,” I joked.

  I opened the front door to show them an empty box, then stepped inside and pushed open the back one. The audience applauded, and I bowed before shrugging and giving them a wink. “See? Simple or not, it’s all magic, right?” I shut the rear door and winked at Anna who’d gone through the center section, similar to a people-sized doggy door. She’d stood on nails that acted as footholds and when the door had swung open, she’d been hidden by the front one. Then I went around to the front and shut it as well. Normally, I would reopen the doors and show that she had returned, having crawled back through the smaller door. However, this time, I latched the front door, walked around to the back, and secured that one as well. Including the small escape door. As I sauntered around and headed downstage, I lifted my chin to Amy, and she jogged over to me. I whispered for her to take the box to my dressing room, and she gave me an odd look but did as she was told and wheeled it off stage.

  “Okay, okay, back to the fancy stuff,” I announced with a crooked grin. “Thanks for indulging my nostalgia.”

  I proceeded to end the show with a finale that proved why I was considered one of the best in my field. The audience went wild, and I took a final bow before jogging off stage. Ignoring everyone who called out to me and stepping around anyone who got in my way, I was filled with a single-minded purpose. When I reached my dressing room, I put my hand on the knob but stopped before twisting it. Drawing in a deep breath, I attempted to calm down so my control wouldn’t snap. The action calmed my heart rate somewhat, but it didn’t do anything for the steel rod fighting a battle with my zipper.

  Finally, I opened the door and stepped into the room. The shouting and banging coming from the large, red container drew a chuckle from my lips. Quickly, I flipped the lock on my door, then stalked over to where my woman was waiting for me. I licked my lips in anticipation as I lifted the latch and set my tigress free. She tumbled out and right into my arms. I couldn’t have planned it any better. Anna opened her mouth, probably to continue yelling, but I didn’t give her the chance before slamming my mouth down over hers.

  2

  Anna

  When I fell out of the pitch-black box I’d been locked inside for the past twenty or so minutes, I was angrier than I could ever remember being. It was rare for me to lose my temper, but the sexy magician riled me up unlike any other. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was about him that rubbed me the wrong way except the fact that I couldn’t get sex out of my head any time I looked at him. Which was a big shock, considering how I felt about celebrities.

  He hadn’t even done anything to annoy me...until now. It had felt like forever in that small, dark space, but I held on by reminding myself over and over again that Julian only had one more trick to go before he ended the show, so I wouldn’t be stuck in the box forever. The last thing I’d expected when I regained my freedom was to find myself in Julian’s spacious dressing room. I’d been doing my best to avoid him ever since I started working at the Lennox, and I’d been smart not to trust my reaction to him. Because here I was, letting him kiss me senseless after the stunt he’d just pulled.

  I allowed myself to enjoy the feel of his lips against mine as our tongues tangled together for another minute before I pulled away and hissed, “What in the world were you thinking by pulling me out of the audience like that and leaving me trapped in a box all by myself without any way to get out?”

  He ran his hand through his dark hair, dropping his head low to stare at the floor while he got himself under control. When his gaze met mine again, the passion in his green eyes was tempered by guilt and concern. “I’m sorry. My mind was so focused on being able to stop you from running in the opposite direction before I could get close that I didn’t stop to think about how you might react to being boxed in until I could get back to you. Are you okay?”

  I was tempted to teach him a lesson by telling him I was claustrophobic or something, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not when I still had the taste of his kiss in my mouth and felt the slight burn his dark scruff had left behind. “I’ll be fine, but you can’t go around kidnapping me just because you want to talk to me.”

  “That wasn’t the only reason,” he growled.

  I threw my hands up in the air. “You’re not making any sense. What else could have made you do it?”

  He yanked me close, and I pressed my hands against his rock-hard chest to regain my balance. “That asshat who was sitting next to you.”

  Asshat?

  What asshat?

  “Oh, do you mean Mike?” I rolled my eyes. “He’s just the co-worker who got stuck with the assignment of taking me to see your performance.”

  He shook his head, his eyes narrowing. “Trust me, Anna. The asshat didn’t feel the least bit stuck when he was sitting next to you in the audience.”

  I pushed against his chest, and my heart raced when his hold on me tightened before he dropped his arms and took a step back. “You’re being ridiculous. You don’t even know Mike.”

  “I don’t need to know the man to recognize he wants you.” Julian’s fists clenched so tight at his sides that his knuckles whitened. “I saw how he looked at you, the way he tried to get close.”

  “I...you...I…” I sputtered, trying to wrap my head around the possibility that he’d been jealous enough of a co-worker I barely knew to have me hauled off the stage in a locked box. When it felt as though my brain might actually explode, I demanded, “I’m leaving. You’re not going to follow me. And you’re never ever going to lock me in a box again. Got it?”

  “I’ll let you go...for now.” He stalked over to the door and flipped the lock. Before he opened it, he murmured, “In the future, there’s no need for anyone to accompany you to one of my shows. You’ll watch from my private box, sweetheart.”

  I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I kept my lips pressed together as I squeezed past him to get through the door. The sound of his masculine laughter rang in my ears as I stormed off. I kept replaying what had just happened in my head and was furious again by the time I reached the security office. I stomped my foot in frustration when Knox Dawson’s secretary informed me that he wasn’t back from his wife’s concert yet.

  She kept her eye on me as I paced back and forth while muttering under my breath and gesturing with my hands. A few minutes later, she made a call and told me it would only be another fifteen minutes before Knox returned. I practically wore a hole in the carpet in front of Knox’s desk waiting for him. I was beyond worked up again when Knox finally walked into his office.

  Spotting Addilyn, his wife, with him, I realized what had taken him so long. The blues singer was glowing with happiness, and I had a feeling from her puffy lips and mussed hair that it wasn’t just because she was eight months pregnant. I wasn’t surprised since I’d learned early on in the friendship we’d been building since I’d started working at the Lennox that her husband couldn’t keep his hands off her.

  Offering her a small smile in greeting, I not-so-patiently waited while Knox got her settled on the couch across from his desk. After sitting down in his chair, he asked, “What’s the problem, Anna?”

  “Julian Storm!” I paused in front of his desk and planted my hands against my hips as I glared at Knox. “You need to do something about that, that…jerk face!”

  “Calm down, Anna,” Knox said patiently. “What did he do that has you so worked up?”

  I started pacing again, the frustration bubbling up again. “I’m not worked up,” I insisted, feeling my cheeks heat as I thought about how I’d reacted to Julian’s kiss. “He doesn’t have any effect on me.”

  “Okay,” Knox agreed. “What did he do to upset you?”

  The tone he was using irritated me even more. It made me feel as though he was placating me when he should be hunting Julian down after the stunt he pulled. “He kidnapped me! He was suppose
d to make me disappear for the show, but then the box was moving, and when it opened up, I was locked with him in his dressing room!”

  My blush intensified as I thought about how much further Julian could’ve taken our encounter. My cheeks felt as though they were on fire, so I fanned my face with one hand.

  “While I can understand why you’re upset, I’m afraid this isn’t a security issue,” he drawled as he leaned back in his chair and tapped the fingers of one hand on his desk. “Therefore, not my problem.”

  I couldn’t believe he just said that. Stomping my foot on the ground, I argued, “Of course, it’s a security issue! He can’t just go kidnapping women from the audience. Someone is going to call the police…and…and…” I knew there were a ton of reasons what he’d done was wrong, but I was having a difficult time coming up with them. “It’s a publicity nightmare!”

  Addilyn snorted, and I swung my head in her direction. “I disagree,” she chirped happily. “I think it’s marketing gold.”

  The pregnancy hormones must’ve gotten to her brain because she wasn’t making any sense. “Pardon?”

  She nodded and grinned. “If word got out that the incredibly sexy and talented Julian Storm was kidnapping women and locking them in with himself, the audience would be sold out every freaking night.”

  I should’ve been jotting down notes because improving attendance at the Lennox’s shows was my job, but I was too busy being horrified by the idea of Julian kidnapping someone else.

  “What?” Addilyn gave her husband an innocent look after he growled. “Seriously, he’s gorgeous, and women fall all over him. We should capitalize on that.”