by Watts, Janna
She stepped toward him. “I won’t send you back to South Carolina.” She licked her lips. Just one kiss. Her body willed him forward, but he didn’t move.
“I just… I can’t lose this, Avery. I’ve worked too damn hard to bring myself back to this level. I can’t… I can’t lose it all again. I can’t lose you. Not for a great lay.”
Her breath caught.
“South Carolina. I escaped after the mess with Isobel, and no one would return my calls. All I was doing was playing ballet recitals and teaching stupid kids about music theory. This gig, this chance with you, it’s everything. I can’t risk it.”
Her heart skipped and cracked. “I wish you would,” she whispered.
The air crackled between them. Her breathing grew shallow. Because he might be worth it. The risk of feeling the way she did about Dan might be worth it.
He moved forward and grabbed her. The air whooshed from her lungs and he slanted his mouth over hers. His tongue dove into the depths of her mouth and her arms circled around him, drawing his body closer. It was a better kiss than she’d even imagined. Slow at first, then hungry and demanding, but with enough hesitation to allow her to explore him back. She whimpered and rubbed her pussy along his hardened length.
The door to the bathroom swung open and Dan pulled away from her. Three women walked in, eyeing them speculatively.
“Are we interrupting?” one asked with a smile.
Dan took Avery’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Nope. Nothing to see here. Carry on.”
“I need to go,” he said as soon as they exited the bathroom. He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Nelli’s waiting for me. Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow’s a big night.”
Avery leaned against the wall and watched his gorgeously tight ass make its way out of the club. God, she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.
-9-
“How’s my favorite singer?” Rich asked, walking into her dressing room with a giant bouquet of obnoxious flowers.
She smiled. “Carnations. The flowers of death. Rich, you always know just what to get me.”
Brandon trailed in behind him. “I told him not to get you flowers on the side of the road.”
Rich squished the flowers in the vase full of roses on Avery’s vanity table. “Yeah, but I knew she’d buy herself roses and I can’t compete with that, especially on a bouncer’s salary.”
Avery bought herself roses for every show. It staved off the disappointment of not getting them from anyone else. She also bought herself an enormous box of chocolate on Valentine’s Day.
“Don’t put those stinky flowers in with my roses,” she said with a grin. “Go bring them to Danny Piano. I’m sure no one got him flowers.”
“Why don’t you give them to him?”
Avery opened her mouth. “I’m going slow. He’s got a bit of baggage to contend with. I’m not sure crappy funeral flowers are really going to win him over.”
She stood, walked behind the screen, and pulled her bodysuit on.
“Thanks for coming tonight,” she said, turning her back to Rich so he could fasten the tiny snaps.
“Ricardo gave us all sorts of crap, but then Brandon and I threatened to go work at Crazy Horse and he shut up.”
“You don’t want to work at Crazy Horse. They sell booze there. You’ll end up in too many fights.”
Rich finished fastening her and squeezed her shoulder. “Thanks for the concern, sis.”
She smiled at him. “I’m just saying, Scarlet’s is all nude, but at least you don’t have a bunch of drunken assholes to deal with.”
Brandon chimed in, “We’re not leaving Scarlet’s. The 401k is matching. We just like to keep Ricardo on his toes.”
Rich spun her around. “You look beautiful. Are you nervous?”
Avery nodded. “Of course. The New York Times reviewer is here. I’ve been waiting for this one for a long time.”
Like since she first started performing.
Rich massaged the kinks from her shoulder. “Of course you have, sweetie. But remember, it’s just one review. You’ve been reviewed all your life. You can’t let that guide your course.”
Avery nodded. “It’s a little different when it’s the New York Times.”
Brandon walked up and offered her a hug. “We’ll still love you all the same. Now get out of your head and go seduce that audience.”
She smiled at them both. “I’ll see you after? To help me with my costume?”
Rich looked at Brandon quickly and then focused on her. “Of course.”
***
The room was perfectly lit to bring out Avery’s beauty. Dim golden lights, intimate cabaret tables, there was a coziness to the Carmichael that made it New York’s most favorite cabaret venue. And exactly as he expected, every eye in the room was on Avery the minute she walked on the low stage with her long, snug pants, tipped hat, and too high heels. When she smiled and welcomed the people in the audience, he could have sworn he heard a collective sigh from the men in the room. Dan had never seen anything like it. Not even Isabel could hypnotize an audience the way Avery could. She was electric, part flirt, part ingénue… She held everyone captive. Including him. Without the hours of practice being distracted by her, he’d have never gotten through the show.
She was shameless as she peeled layer after layer of clothing from her body, poking fun at the entertainment industry, seducing everyone, and then pulling back and slamming them all with her raw talent.
The eerie silence from the audience as she sang the last note of Is That All There Is was followed by thunderous applause. Avery glowed. She pulled Dan into a heart-stopping hug and then offered a saucy bow to the audience.
Fifteen minutes after the show, he tapped on her dressing room door.
“That was amazing.”
She beamed. “It was. I’ve never performed like that. Not with Scott. Not with anyone. You’ve brought so much to this show.”
Dan shook his head. “That was all you tonight, sweetheart.”
She turned to the flowers on her vanity table and inhaled deeply. He watched her in her mirror, and his gut tightened. Who the fuck gave her flowers? Deep, red roses.
“From one of your admirers?” he asked.
She grinned. “Sort of.”
“Please don’t tell me they’re from Nick.”
She laughed. “No. I don’t think we’ll be hearing from Nick again. I think I might have hurt his feelings.”
“He should have known better.” He eyed her. “So who got you the flowers?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I did.”
He laughed as relief poured through him. “Really?”
“Yeah. What’s so funny?”
He crossed his arms and stared at her. “Kind of sad that a beautiful woman has to buy herself flowers on her opening night.”
She lifted her chin. “Better than only getting them from your brother or not getting them at all.”
“Is that what hooks you, Avery?” He took a step forward, unable to control his need to be closer to her. “Flowers?”
“Well, I don’t know a woman who would say no to flowers. But no, that’s not a deal maker for me.”
He licked his lips and her eyes focused on his mouth. “What is a deal maker for you then?”
“Brains. Talent. Desire. Integrity.” She ran her finger over the edge of a petal, not meeting his gaze in the mirror. “It doesn’t hurt if he can fuck like a champion.”
The air in the room pressed against Dan. “Why are you still in your costume?”
“I’m waiting for my brother. He said he’d come back and help me.”
The paleness of her skin tempted everything in him. “I’ll help you,” he murmured.
Her eyes met his in the mirror. She bit her bottom lip and it went straight to his cock.
“Are you sure?”
He stepped behind her and unfastened the first snap. “I’m sure.” He fisted his hands for a second to keep them from trembli
ng. “Not much left now anyway.”
Her breath caught as he traced his finger down her spine. “I won’t let you out of this,” she whispered.
He moved his mouth to her neck. “God, I hope not.”
His fingers unsnapped her quickly. He pulled the body suit off and she gasped as soon as his hands brushed over her breasts. He spun her around and plunged his tongue into her mouth. She tasted delicious. Strawberries and mint and a hint of sparkling wine. She whimpered and his hands dropped to her waist. He lifted her onto the edge of the vanity table and wrapped her legs around him. His aching cock pressed against her core.
***
Avery was dizzy and breathless. Dan’s kisses assaulted all her senses and her body was on fire.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” she whispered, kicking her heels off her bare feet and hooking him closer. She pulled at his belt and he chuckled.
“I hope your brother doesn’t come in,” he said, loosening his pants as she worked the buttons on his shirt.
She peeled the shirt from his shoulders and ran her hands over his toned chest. Tanned and lean and smooth and delicious. “Somehow I think he forgot about my costume on purpose.”
Dan laughed. “Good man.” He pushed his pants down and she gaped at his hard cock. She hadn’t gotten a complete view of it when she was with Nick. She licked her lips and he groaned. “Stop doing that or I’ll come before I’m even inside of you.”
“You better not,” she whispered, wrapping her hand around his thick shaft. “I have plans for you.”
He cursed as she worked her hand up and down the length of him. His fingers fumbled with her underwear until he ripped the things off.
“Excuse me. You owe me a new thong. Those are expensive.” She tried to give him a look of disapproval, but it was too hard to focus with his fingers sliding into her folds.
“Okay. I’ll buy you a new one. But don’t wear underwear next time and we won’t have this problem.”
Avery opened her mouth to answer, but was rendered mute by two of his fingers plunging into her as his thumb swirled around her clit. She opened her thighs further and arched into his hand, still working his cock.
“God, your fingers,” she breathed.
He grinned and nipped at the spot just below her ear. “Piano player, remember?”
“Hmm…”
She rocked against him, mewling as he whispered in her ear. “I can’t wait to feel you come. Your body is amazing. It’s on fire. So wet and beautiful. Tell me what you want.”
She pushed him back, her gaze focusing on his dark nipples as she lifted her legs to the sides and rested her hands behind her on the vanity. Her hips tilted upward. “Lick me.” His lids dropped. “Please.”
She was demanding in bed. She always had been. For most guys, it was an excuse to try to dominate her or even worse, her commands made their cocks instantly deflate. Dan grinned at her, his hardened shaft seeming to get even bigger, and dropped to his knees.
“I’ve wanted to taste you from the minute I saw you,” he whispered against her clit.
She wanted to respond, but she couldn’t speak. His tongue plundered the folds of her labia, probing inside of her before his mouth found the bundle of nerves surrounding her clit and he sucked so hard, she screamed out.
Her hips arched further into him and he continued to tease her with his tongue.
“Fingers,” she whimpered. “Fingers.”
He nipped her clit one last time. “No, sweetheart,” he said, lifting himself off the ground. “Not right now. My fingers need a rest.”
She whined, but couldn’t take her eyes from him as he bent over to fumble in his wallet. He pulled a foil pack out and she grabbed it and slid the condom down him to the sound of his laughter.
Her body ached to be filled. “Fuck me. Please.”
He impaled her in one swift move and she whimpered again. His hips thrust forward and she met him, hooking her legs behind him, drawing his perfection closer. He continued to pound his hardness into her until they both cried out. Her body tensed around him and she felt him release, causing her to spasm. Yes. Danny Piano had definitely been a good idea.
-10-
Avery was insatiable. She could barely keep her hands off him in the cab and it was only the pervy look of the cab driver that kept Dan from dropping his pants and letting her suck him off right there. He loved her voracious appetite for sex. She was like every guy’s wet dream in a care package of dominance and innocence.
The minute they stumbled into her apartment, she was on her knees, jerking his pants to his knees.
“God, you’re so hot like that,” he said as she sucked his cock into the back of her throat.
He fell against the wall as she sucked again.
She backed off of him and looked up with wide eyes. “Does it bother you?”
He laughed, grasped her hands and pulled her to standing. “No. Why would it?”
She licked her lips and frowned. Her mouth was a thing of beauty. “It bothers a lot of guys. I’m kind of demanding. And I like sex. And sometimes guys think that means I’m a whore and they need to break me. Or sometimes it means they can’t handle me.”
He cupped her cheeks and drew her into a deep kiss. “Their loss then.”
She grinned up at him and pushed him back against the wall, taking him into her mouth again. His hips thrust into her and she moaned, lapping and sucking and nipping until he couldn’t take it anymore and he released into her. She slurped him up like a slushee and he pulled her into his arms.
He lifted her and carried her to her bed.
“What are you doing?”
He grabbed a nipple between his teeth and she sighed. “I think it’s time I tested out some of these toys you have.”
Her mouth dropped open and he chuckled. “You know about those?” she asked, breathless.
He laughed harder. “Avery. You’re on YouPorn. I’d be shocked if you didn’t have an extensive arsenal.”
She bit her lip. “I’ve never used toys with anyone before.”
He tweaked her nipple. “Good, I’ll be your first.”
He opened her side drawer and chuckled at the large box of condoms. “Good to know where these are. Now where are your toys?”
She hid her face beneath her hands and squeaked, “Under the bed.”
She was so adorable, he started to get hard again. This was that innocence mixed with sex that pulled him in from the beginning. Christ, she was addictive. He slid out a plastic box and flipped the top open. He eyed the glass dildo, but set it aside for later when he was a little more up for the task. The image of him plunging into her ass while she rode the dildo was almost too much for him. He plucked a pink rubber vibrator out of the box.
He flipped the thing over in his hands. “Is this a USB attachment?”
She grinned. “Yes. It charges at my computer. Sort of perfect for YouPorn.”
He released a belly laugh. “Christ Avery, you are delightful.”
She giggled. “It’s my favorite.”
He grabbed the vibe and nudged her legs open. “Let’s see this thing in action.”
The inside of her legs were wet, from both their juices, but Avery moaned the minute Dan pressed the buzzing wand against her thighs.
“Maybe I should show you how?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Maybe you should let me figure it out.” He pressed the button on the side of the vibe so it switched to a pulsing buzz. “Huh. Two speeds.”
“Four,” she whispered, spreading her legs further. Dan wanted to taste her again, but he resisted, playing with her first, manipulating the speeds on the vibrator until she whimpered and pleaded, “I need you inside me.”
Dan grinned. “Thank Christ for that. Flip over.” He placed the vibrator to the side and grabbed a condom. Avery grabbed the vibe and lifted herself onto all fours.
She wiggled her ass in the air and spread her knees further apart. “Okay, don’t freak out. I want to t
ry something.” She flipped the vibrator on its lowest speed and looked back at him. “Fuck me. Now.”
He plunged into her and groaned as he felt the vibrator working against her clit. Her pussy pulsed around him and he slammed into her further, feeling the buzzing through to his tight sac. “Jesus. That’s unbelievable.”
She looked at him over her shoulder. “Do you feel it?”
“Uh.”
She smiled and flipped the speed higher. He couldn’t take it anymore. He gripped her hips and rode her hard, pounding into her as she whimpered from the overwhelming sensation. Her tight pussy gripped him even harder and her breathing grew ragged.
“Now. Please,” she begged. He gripped her tighter and shattered at the same time she did. Her pussy milked him and he couldn’t pull himself out of her. He collapsed beside her, cradling her into his chest, still not wanting to pull away.
***
Avery had been fucked every way possible. Dan’s appetite rivaled her own. But he never tried to dominate her. He took all she brought and wanted more. He wasn’t a wimp in bed, but he knew when to push and when to let her take the lead. She’d come more times with him than she had in a month on her own. Every muscle in her body was stretched to its limits. Finally, at dawn, the two of them fell into an exhausted sleep.
When she woke up, Dan was gone.
Familiar panic squeezed at her heart. She’d lost him. She’d gone all in and he’d bailed. God damn him. Her eyes filled with angry tears. Both for him and for herself for being so stupid. She kicked at the sheets and glanced around for her phone, ready to rip Rich a new asshole for convincing her that this one might be different.
Then she heard the door to her apartment click.
Dan walked in with two coffees and the paper tucked under his arm.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” he said with a smile.
Her heart thunked. “I thought you left,” she whispered.
He offered a crooked smile and she melted. His puppy dog expression did her in every time. “I did. Thought you could use some coffee.”