His fingers flexed on her hips and a thin bolt of indignation burst through his controlled shell. “And what is it that these men expect from you?”
“Everything and anything.”
“As a princess—”
“Do not even think of taking that tone with me, General. This isn’t Skandavia. The old rules no longer apply.”
“Be that as it may, but in some cases I will insist that they be. Princess, you are in danger.”
“Unless it is from boredom, that is highly unlikely.”
“Listen to me.” He squeezed her tight, drawing her gaze to the intensity blazing in his dark-green eyes. “Hamerkind has the throne, but not the people. If you were to return, he would lose his control. He has sent an assassin to make sure you, my brother and myself do not return. I will not let him succeed.”
Amaryllis melted at the command in his tone. The show of strength pushed all of the submissive buttons she tried to deny possessing. She licked her dry lips and shoved aside the desire to kneel at his feet and await his instruction. “That’s ridiculous. As if I have any intention of returning. How can this man even think the people will accept my leadership after the way they treated me like an abomination?” She snapped her teeth together and squashed the anger that flared at the reminder of her past. “I will tell this assassin that his services are unnecessary and he will go.”
Lucian’s bark of laughter was so loud, it startled them both. “Now who is being ridiculous? Bale is a cold-blooded killer. He will not let you live long enough to draw a breath, let alone form an argument.”
“I do not know this Bale.”
“I do. And he’s dangerous. You need to come with me. I will protect you.”
“And why should I trust you? You’ve completely ignored me.”
“That is not true. I told you I’ve kept track of you. I’ve even dined in your restaurant a time or two.”
“A time or two?” Now that was surprising. Why monitor her whereabouts without letting her know? “Then why haven’t you spoken to me?”
“Because I couldn’t—” He paused, his throat working hard as he swallowed. “I…didn’t want to intrude on your new life. You’ve done quite well for yourself, Your Highness.”
“Despite all the odds?”
“Yes.”
“Yet you don’t approve of all my endeavors.”
He glanced around the club again and at the mass of undulating bodies crowding ever so closer. His lips pressed into a firm line and he drew her into the curve of his body as if to shield her from their touch. “Not all of them. You let others take too many liberties where you are concerned.”
“Liberties?” She laughed and rubbed her cheek against his slightly stubbled jaw. The scrape sent tiny chills across her skin. “You make it sound so pedestrian. I like liberties. Come on, General. Haven’t you ever done anything just for the pleasure, for the pure excitement of feeling your blood race?”
He opened his mouth to argue but paused when she raised a brow. “Maybe. In my youth. But never as a mature member of society.”
“Poor Lucian. What is the human saying? All work and no play makes a man limp and feeble?”
His nostrils flared. “I am neither.”
“One dance, Lucian.” She barely contained her smile. “You promised me one dance. Don’t do anything but feel the energy around us.”
Amaryllis drew his enticing scent of pine and musk into her lungs then released a sigh of possibility. Lucian was so uptight, so formal. What a magnificent sight he would make if he unleashed the primal male she sensed lurking beneath the layer of responsibility.
The deep throb of bass pounded behind her chest as she let the music take her over. Lucian easily supported her weight, swaying and rolling with her movements and the driving primal beat. His steps were smooth, graceful and in perfect tempo. Liar, he did know how to dance.
He was so warm, his body generated enough heat to make a fine layer of sweat gather in her cleavage. A drop of perspiration slipped under the silk of her dress and tickled her skin as it slid down her belly. With each bob and weave their bodies fused together, surging in a gentle cadence. She stifled a moan when his thigh slipped between her legs and pressed against the ache growing in her core.
Oh if only they were naked. She snorted with repressed laughter, if only they weren’t who they presently were.
Closing her eyes, she pictured another version of Amaryllis and Lucian. One where he was cuffed to the wall, unable to prevent her from touching him anywhere and everywhere she desired. Or perhaps she would allow him to take the lead, letting him wield his authority to drive her to absolute mindlessness.
The thought of allowing another to overpower her frightened her as much as it had her near orgasm. She ground her pussy against the firm muscles of his thigh, her breath grew faster as her stomach clenched tighter and tighter. His fingers dug into her flesh before he slid his hands lower, cupping her buttocks as he curled around her.
On the edge of the dance floor, a couple caught her attention. The woman was fair and light while her male companion was as dark as cocoa. He had her back pressed to his front, his broad hand a stark contrast to the creamy skin of the breast he pulled from the bodice of her dress and massaged with long fingers. Her skirt was hiked to her waist and with each thrust of his hips, her mouth fell open on a cry. By the strain thinning his lips, Amaryllis knew the woman was getting a delicious fucking.
Would Lucian ever take a woman so publicly? Say “fuck decorum” and sate his hungers because he could not wait one more second to have her howling beneath him?
With that thought her temperature rose as the heat and lusts of the pressing crowd fed her arousal. The lips of her sex grew slick and her nipples tightened where they were pressed flush against his hard chest. Along her thigh his erection lengthened, making her mouth water at the thought of how he’d feel sliding into her mouth. Gods did she want to taste him. Savor his flavor and suckle his cock until he lost that tightly leashed control.
The brush of his lips against her neck made her shiver and her head tip back, ready to accept the kiss she could already feel bruising her lips.
“Lucian,” she sighed and gazed up into his drowsy green eyes.
Awareness dilated his pupils as he drew a sharp breath.
“No.” He wrenched her away from him so hard, she stumbled in her heels. His eyes blazed and his features turned to granite. “No. You cannot think of me that way.”
Shame exploded in her chest, stealing the rest of her breath as flames of embarrassment scorched her cheeks. That’s right. He was the well-respected head of the royal guard and she was the improper princess who couldn’t control her emotions. She wasn’t allowed to feel anything.
With as much self-respect as she could muster, she threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin. “You message has been delivered, General. You are dismissed.”
Pity filled his eyes as he lifted a hand in supplication. “Amaryllis.”
The sound of her given name on his lips battered her defenses. “Go, Lucianllanos. I command you.”
His lips tightened and an argument gathered in his eyes, but he bent at the hips and turned, disappearing into the crowd.
The general may have left without protest, but he would not be gone for long. He truly believed there was a threat to her safety, and he was Llanos. His honor dictated he protect her. No matter how she might wish otherwise.
She looked neither to the left nor right as she made her way to the staircase sweeping up to her private room. No need to see the condoling expressions on whoever witnessed her humiliation.
Her knees were still weak from Lucian’s embrace, which only angered her all the more. Despite his protest, he had not been immune to her closeness. The impression of the solid erection he pressed along her thigh made it clear he was very interested in blurring the line between servant and master. What bothered her now was the question of whether he was the stronger one to put an immediate end to an affa
ir probably destined to end in a flaming blaze of disaster, or was he a coward for not being willing to take a chance on the potential of something special.
Didn’t matter now, she rationalized. Lucian was never going to allow her to get that close to him again, and she refused to waste energy on bending the unbendable.
With each step toward her convictions, her feet dragged as if weighted in concrete and not her strappy Louboutins. She had forgotten how exhausting it was to continually lock down her emotions. What she loved most about this new world was the freedom to feel what she wanted when she wanted. Lucian’s rejection was a clear reminder of everything she hated about her former life, and his reaction stung like a cut from a knife dipped in acid.
The bouncer at the foot of the stairs moved the velvet rope for her as she approached.
“Do not let anyone unfamiliar up these stairs,” she murmured to her man. “Use whatever means necessary. That goes for every area of the club. Spread the word, please.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Just because she was angry at Lucian didn’t mean she was stupid. The threat was real and she’d take the appropriate precautions.
As she entered the skyloft, the pounding music of the dance floor faded and was replaced with the rhythmic sound of flesh meeting flesh, punctuated by a guttural moan.
Amaryllis wove through the various couplings to her throne of buttery white leather and velvet pillows. The loveseat was so deep, she could easily lie flat on her back if she so wished.
In front of her a woman was laid facedown over an ottoman. Dressed only in the studded cuffs that bound her wrists and ankles, she made a stunning picture framed by the blond drilling his cock into her mouth and the brunet who took her pussy with hard, quick thrusts that matched his partner’s.
Normally this type of tableau would be exactly what she craved. Now the euphoria permeating the air depressed her. How she admired the woman’s ability to let go and not care what people thought about her, not care that her flanks rippled and breasts bounced. She was in the moment, and Amaryllis envied her like no other.
The couch bounced as another body flopped down next to her.
“What’s wrong?” her new companion asked.
Ah Jorges. She should have known her best friend would seek her out at her weakest moment.
“Nothing.” She jumped up, only to pause as her head swam. Absorbing all the intense emotions swirling around the loft was like a smoker taking a hit and not exhaling. Without the blessed relief of release, she was ready to snap, and she didn’t need an audience to witness another humiliation. Since a princess never hurried, she sashayed toward the balcony.
As she expected, Jorges followed on her heels. “Bullshit and I think it has something to do with that massive hunk of beefcake I saw you dancing with earlier. Who is he?”
“Just someone I know. No one special.”
“Puh-leaze. We treat you like a princess because you’re the best and we love you, but he treated you like royalty. I think I actually saw him bow. And that dance. You two were ablaze and it spread like wildfire. I’m surprised more people aren’t fucking on the dance floor.”
The fact that Jorges noticed the heat Lucian denied did not make her feel better.
She crossed to the floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed her to see out, but kept others from seeing in, and looked to the floor below as if through Lucian’s eyes.
A clash of humanity. Dark. Sin spilling from the shadows. A cave of debauchery and vice where responsibility was dumped at the door and rules touched with a match to burn to ashes. It was a wonder he bothered to step across the threshold at all.
She looked to her friend and wondered. Jorges was a handsome man, vibrant and healthy with wheat-colored hair tipped with gold and laughing blue eyes. He had a lean, swimmer’s physique and tawny skin. An intricate scrollwork tattoo, which she knew ran down the length of his torso to curl around the base of his cock, peeked above the collar of his white t-shirt. It was a design she’d traced with her tongue many times.
Was that wrong? Was it a bad thing to take pleasure from another with no expectation of forging a lasting commitment? To engage in an activity for the pure pleasure of feeling and nothing more? Did that make her an awful person? An hour before the answer would have been fuck no, but now…
“What have we become, Jorges?” she whispered. “Is all that we are only about sex?”
“You’re scaring me, Amaryllis. What are you talking about? You love sex. Shit, you’ve built this entire place in glory of it.” He looked at her in horror. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m not.” She swiped the tears from her eyes. He had spoken the truth, mostly. “Was this wrong? Am I a bad person because I encourage people to explore their sexuality and am not using my money to solve a greater social issue?”
“Come here, honey.” He pulled her into a hug. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you’re talking crazy. And believe me, there is no bigger social issue than people dealing with their sexuality. When you asked me to design this club, the one thing you insisted on was that anyone who walked through that door was welcome and should immediately feel at home. Has it become the number-one sex destination in the northwest? Yes, but that’s because you’ve done what you set out to do. Make people feel comfortable in their own skin. Explore the side of their personality they’re too afraid to explore in their normal environment. That is a gift, Amaryllis. You used to be proud of that.”
She tightened her arms around his waist. “You’re right. I was. I am. I guess I was looking too hard at my life through my eyes and not my heart. Thank you for being a good friend.”
“I love you.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re my hero. It makes me sad to see you question your successes. Why do I get the feeling this bout of self-doubt has something to do with your mystery man? Tell me, who was that guy?”
Jorges deserved the truth. Or at least what little she could offer. Under his sinful exterior beat a compassionate heart, which was one of the many things she loved about him. If he were to be injured by someone trying to get to her, she’d be devastated.
“That man is from my homeland and once worked for my father. He brought me news that my father has been killed and his enemies may be after me.”
“Holy shit. Are you serious?”
Chills ran up her arms as she considered the possibilities. “It is conceivable.”
He grasped her hand and placed a kiss into her palm. “I thought you left Sweden to get away from the dangers of your father’s job. Hey, was that guy in the mob too?”
She hid a smile at his mention of her cover story. “No, he guarded my father after he went into witness protection. Please, don’t worry. I’m sure there isn’t any real danger, but all the same, I want you to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious.”
Jorges slid his arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Maybe you should leave town, lie low for a while.”
“I’m not going to live my life in hiding, Jorges.”
“But you’ll be safe. And…by the frown on your face I have a feeling you just had this same argument.”
“Intuitive you are.”
“Promise that you’ll leave town at the first sign of trouble.”
“I promise.”
“Good. I’ll hold you to it.” He stroked his hand down her back, digging his thumbs into the tense muscles. “No wonder you’ve been out of sorts. What you need is a night of pampering and orgasms. Let’s go to your place.”
An hour earlier she would have said yes and dragged him back to her apartment by his cock. Now the idea left her ice cold. “That sounds lovely, but perhaps another night.”
“There must be something I can do to make you happy.”
Jorges was so sincere in his desire to please, she refused to let her sour mood trample his need. “Do you really want to make me happy?”
“Always.”
She pointed at a spot on the other side of the gla
ss. “Do you see that woman sitting alone at the bar?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to dance with her.”
His brow creased with confusion. “Why?”
“Because she needs to.”
“And you know this how?”
Amaryllis smiled. She had noticed the woman earlier in the evening. Two empty martini glasses sat in front of her as she nursed a third. Every once in a while she would tug at the new blouse that exposed a fair amount of cleavage and glance longingly at the couples on the dance floor. There was an air of fragility about her that screamed she had been hurt before. It was her courage of coming to a place that obviously evoked a fear of the unknown that drew Amaryllis’ attention and admiration.
“Let’s say it’s one woman sympathizing with another. Dance with her.”
Jorges leaned forward for another look. “She’s pretty enough, I guess. A little plain.”
“Don’t look with only your eyes.” She twisted his nipple through his shirt in reprimand. “She wants to shine but is afraid. See how her hand trembles? Can you not feel her desire to join? I want you to dance with her. That would make me happy.”
An amused smile curled his lips. “How does that please you?”
“Because every woman deserves to feel as if she is the most beautiful thing in existence, to feel wanted. Something tells me she has not had that experience. I want you to make her not regret coming to my club. You make her happy, then I will be happy.”
He glanced back at the woman with a new respect lighting his features. “I will give her a night she will never forget.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thank you, my friend.”
Amaryllis waited by the window until she saw Jorges approach Ms. Lonely Heart. At first the woman looked ready to bolt when he attempted to strike up a conversation, but he turned up the charm and soon she released a smile so brilliant, she outshone the brightest star.
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