Conflicted (Secrets and Lies)

by Koenig, M. M.

  "So...uh...how long have you guys been here?"

  "Not too long. We saw you dancing and were about to join you when those chicks sat down. I'm going to go get us some more drinks," Shane declared.

  He rose from the table to head to the bar on this floor. I looked over to the hallway for Bri and Trey but it was empty.

  "They probably went into the bathroom for a quickie," Jackson said with a devious grin.

  "Christ, you can be an ass sometimes."

  Jackson smirked. "I'm just saying. She's going to have to do something to calm him down. Trey was livid watching you two dancing out there."

  I ran my hands over my face. The whole ordeal had me more than confused. "I've danced a lot sluttier and so has she so I don't understand why he's that pissed off. It's not like she was making out with someone else in front of him," I rebutted.

  Shane returned with a plate of shots and drinks. I downed the first shot and took a quick sip of beer before slamming the other one. Jackson arched an eyebrow as I set down the empty shot glass.

  "I'm a little more at ease with two of my best boys," I admitted with a shrug.

  Shane gave me a huge grin as he finished his shots. Jackson chuckled before taking down his. By the time we finished the second round of drinks, Bri and Trey were on their way back to the table. They had very satisfied smiles upon their faces. I shook my head as Jackson burst out laughing. I smacked him making him laugh even more.

  "I only tell it like it is Mia. They fuck like bunnies so throw in a little alcohol and jealousy and what did you think was going to happen when they left this table together."

  They slid into the booth next to the rest of us. I raised an eyebrow at Bri.

  "You said I only had to tell you if it was a random stranger," she said with a smirk.

  I rolled my eyes. They picked up their waiting drinks and snuggled into each other. They were becoming nauseating. I grabbed Jackson's hand and started to slide out of the booth.

  "The music is tight. Let's go dance. With you, I don't have to worry about being groped."

  "I'm just a piece of meat that you use when you use fit," Jackson joked.

  "Oh shut up and dance with me," I requested.

  He shook his head to rid his eyes of the hair that started to cover them. Shane got up to join us too. I suspected he wanted no part in being the third wheel with Trey and Bri. They had already become shameless as they stuck their tongues down each other's throats.

  Jackson grinned. "Fine but you better make me look amazingly sexy."

  "I'll do my best," I promised.

  Once downstairs, Shane veered off after a blonde. Jackson and I hit the dance floor falling into the rhythmic beat of the music. Dancing with him was easy and not just because I didn't have to worry about him taking advantage of me. He had moves that made dancing with him fun. The music transitioned to a slower song and I clasped my hands on his shoulders. Jackson pulled me closer as we swayed to the slow beat.

  "Have you found anyone that you're going to chase tonight?"

  Jackson gave me a thoughtful look before gazing around the dance floor. "There are plenty of girls in here tonight. I'll find someone to go home with by closing time. Right now, I'm having fun dancing with my best girl."

  I tilted my head back. "Best girl?"

  Jackson beamed. "Yes, my best girl. You're my best friend Mia. You wanted to dance so I'm out here dancing with you."

  A small smile crossed my lips. Jackson considered me his best friend. I rested my head on his chest. It was a nice reminder that I really did have people that cared about me regardless of show shitty I treated them at times. I held on to that thought until the song ended.

  "I'm going to go find Bri. This is a girl's night after all."

  Jackson slid his arms down my sides giving me a wide smile. He took off further into the dance floor and I couldn't help but laugh watching him go after his latest conquest. When I was on my way back upstairs, I froze from the hand that slipped over my waist. It had my stomach scorching underneath its hold. Only one person could do that to me.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I slowly turned to face Ethan. He was drop dead gorgeous. He had on a pair of snug dark indigo jeans that had parts faded throughout them. His chest rose as he stared at me with a fierce hunger in his eyes. I saw the lines of his abs through his fitted button down steel shirt. He left several of the top buttons unbuttoned so glimpses of his tattoos popped out. The look in his eyes sparked every nerve ending in my body. I'd always known being around him with alcohol in my system would be a bad scenario. I never imagined it would make feel like I was on fire. He was looking at me with a combination of heady desire and unexplainable irritation.

  "What the hell are you doing here? Are you stalking me now?" I snapped.

  I attempted to remove his hand but the effort behind it was marginal. Everything within me relished his hands all over me. My knees became weak with the heavy want coursing between my legs. My upper body constricted with my wayward needs. Ethan tightened his grip as he whirled me around so that my back was on his front. The music shifted to a slow, deliberate song that was fitting for my predicament. I cursed Usher underneath my breath for coming out with this song. Ethan had buried me into his body so it was impossible not to notice his hardness. He ran his hands down the front of my thighs until he hit bare skin.

  "It's hard to stalk someone when they're in the club that you own," he shot back.

  "You own this place," I stammered.

  "I have a vested interest so I come in on occasion. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered you were here," he remarked.

  My concentration was dwindling with every stroke he made upon my body. Ethan continued running his hands up and down my thighs causing my heart to beat out of my chest. I bit my lip to keep from moaning from the pleasure when his fingers lingered towards the inside. My hands took on a mind of their own sliding down his waist and thighs. He leaned into my neck letting his breaths trickle across my neck. It heightened the erotic dance south of me. I was in the danger zone with him. I fought to find my rational side to avoid undressing for him right then and there. My mind grasped at the few functioning brain cells within me to keep him talking. It was the last line of defense I had to keep him from kissing me.

  "Why are you so upset?"

  "I'm angry because you keep denying me when it's clear that you want me. To top it off, you come to my club and dance with countless men right in front of me," Ethan growled.

  He ran his nose down my neck before licking away a bead of sweat. I gasped. The hand that he had moved to my waist slipped underneath my top. He caressed my belly before running his fingers further down making every ounce of me come to a dull ache. Against my will, my body moved in ways to encourage him to travel further south to take full advantage of me. Ethan settled along my waistline lazily trailing his fingers along it. My mind screamed one last time that this was not an option for me. In a last ditch attempt, I paused his hands so he wouldn't go any further. Ethan whipped me around to face him. The passion in his eyes was unmistakable.

  "I'm trying to do the right thing," I moaned.

  His hands drifted underneath my shirt and up my sides on their way north this time. As he progressed along my rib cage to the lower line of my bra, he moved us off the dance floor. Ethan pushed me up against a pillar at the far end of the dance floor. He brought his body right into mine. He tossed in an occasional thrust of the hips as he pinned me just to remind me how very well he knew my body. Ethan cupped my breast with tender strokes of his hand before pressing his lips beneath a spot underneath my ear lobe. It was enough to melt every part of me. I was throbbing all over for him.

  "You want me and I want you. I don't care what is right or wrong," Ethan hissed.

  I tilted my neck as he trailed deep kisses down my collarbone and exposed shoulder. I wanted him so much that it was close to making me burst. I moaned even louder when his teeth grazed the crook of my shoulder. He sucked along my
neck with eagerness making no effort to hold back his want for me. I slanted my head to bring my lips vigorously down on his. My mouth forced his open to take what was mine. My tongue drifted across the top of his mouth before his met mine where they danced to the beat with music around us. My hands moved down to his hips as he pumped against me with his body. I slid them even further down to his ass. Ethan responded by grinding harder and grabbing one of my legs to raise it around his hip.

  Our bodies melded together in an erotic dance as our mouths devoured each other. I lost myself in the music, in his lips, in his body, in his hands, and in the desires that he brought out in me. His hands ran up and down my body while his lips and hips brought me to a dead ache for him. I didn't care who was watching us. I couldn't lie to myself any longer and I was over trying to pretend. My lips lingered on his until I had his gaze locked with mine.

  "I want you but not here," I panted.

  "Are you fucking serious? What game are you trying to play now?" Ethan bellowed.

  He moved his lips down to my neck causing me to groan as he sucked hard along my collarbone and shoulder. My body was beyond hypersensitive as I pulled away.

  "I'm not playing a game. I'm not having sex with you for the first time in a public. Do you have any respect for me?"

  Ethan stepped back as he processed my point. I took a minute to catch my breath. My heart thumped with the song playing while the rest of me clenched together in its need for him.

  "I have to tell my friends that I'm leaving with you," I breathed heavily.

  "Fine, I'm coming with you," he said, running his lips softly across mine.

  I exhaled shakily at his gentleness but refrained from letting it go any further. We would be right back to where we were five minutes ago. It wasn't any closer to where I wanted to be with him. I lowered my hand to his locking our fingers together. We made our way through the dance floor and hit the stairs at a fast pace. We approached the table to find Bri and Trey absorbed in each other's lips. It was torture to watch them play out what I wanted to be doing.

  "Ah, guys, I'm going to head out for the night," I said quickly.

  Bri swayed back from Trey. She let out a frustrated huff before sliding to the edge of the booth. She looked at our entwined hands and shook her head in disapproval.

  "Mia, a quick minute," she requested, pointing to the bathrooms.

  If I had a dollar for every time I heard a variation of that phrase.

  I nodded and began untangling my fingers. As Ethan let go of my hand, his face fell with uncertainty. I brought my lips to his for a soft kiss. I let my eyes linger on his fantasizing about every ounce of passion that was waiting for us tonight. He kept his forehead pressed upon mine and his desire radiated from every part of his body. Bri yanked me away from his thrall and marched us towards the hallway. She pushed the bathroom door open with force.

  "What are you doing?"

  "I'm leaving with Ethan."

  I gazed at her with a nonchalant attitude. It was obvious what was about to happen so why she asked was beyond me. Bri shook her head in frustration as her eyes flew to the ceiling. She muttered a few choice words before giving me her attention again. I stared at her unaffected by the ever-changing mood swings she displayed throughout this evening.

  "Are you sure you're ready for what you're about to do?"

  "What do you mean? I'm not the one that's already had sex tonight."

  "Oh don't fucking go there. We were watching you two. You practically had sex with him on the dance floor. We're talking semantics at this point. What the hell are you doing?" Bri shrieked.

  My face flushed with her boldness. She arched an eyebrow to goad me even further.

  "I can't deny it anymore. I've wanted him from the second I met him. Maybe if I get it out of the way it will make everything else clear," I shot back.

  She huffed. "You're an idiot."

  "I didn't come in here for your approval Bri."

  "Remember, I warned you."

  "If memory serves, you told me that I was going to end up sleeping with him. Now, it's about to happen and you're acting like you never mentioned it at all," I retorted.

  We glared at each while remaining resolved in our arguments. Bri took a deep breath to maintain her temper. I did the same to keep from shouting if this went on for much longer.

  "Mia, just because I said it doesn't mean that I wanted it to happen. I was hoping that you heard everything else that we discussed and got yourself out of that company. If you had listened to me from day one, we wouldn't be standing in here having this conversation. Here's a final piece of advice. You might want to keep him from marking you," Bri snapped, gesturing to my shoulder.

  I gasped at the deep purple marks that lined my collarbone and shoulder. I hadn't had a hickey since high school.

  How did I miss him doing this to me?

  "Bri, you've been telling me all along that I need to make a choice. That's what I'm doing tonight. I'm following my heart and it's telling me that I want this with him. I can't handle trying to contain everything that happens inside of me whenever he's around any longer. I'm going to explode soon and it's not going to be pretty if I do."

  She sighed. "I want you to be happy but I need to ask something of you in exchange."

  I raised my hands to the sides in a dramatic fashion. "What do you want from me?"

  "I want you to make a real choice. If you're going to have a relationship with Ethan, you aren't going to be able to work with him and dig around for damaging information on his company. It will destroy you. Harrison's offer dictates that you find out as much as possible so that he can print his piece. You can't have both. I want you to pick one and let go of the other within the next week," Bri demanded with a hard look in her eyes.

  My hormones had stopped being in a negotiating mood a while ago. I nodded and opened the door. She started to follow me with her hands to her hips.

  "I mean it Mia. You need to pursue a relationship with Ethan or continue with what you signed up for with Harrison. Either way, I want you to pick one and be done with it."

  "I will make a choice," I promised.

  Leaving the hallway and Bri behind me, I weaved my way back to the table to grab Ethan. The need for him grew stronger by the minute. On my approach to the booth, I sensed a bit of tension between Trey and Ethan. Each man had their arms across their chests as they stared at each other in a heated standoff. I pressed in close to Ethan and ran my fingers down his rigid arm until he loosened his stance. I took his hand once it was free and rose to my tiptoes.

  "Let's go," I whispered heatedly.

  His breath increased as my lips lingered at his earlobe. Ethan broke his focus from Trey to look at me. The burn behind his eyes matched the want that had settled into one large knot within me. I tugged at his hand urging him to follow me. He obliged as Bri slid into the table next Trey. She noticed the tension too and let out a gush of air.

  "Mia, what are you going to do about your car?" Bri questioned.

  "I'll make sure she gets it," Ethan answered for me.

  It was a challenge to get to the exit. Every several steps had us in a heated embrace. We paused several times to run our mouths across one another while our hands journeyed lower with more brashness each time. After we made it through the club doors, we staggered at a pace that matched the erratic beats of my heart. His mouth licked along my neck as my lips sucked along his throat before wandering to his shoulder. We ping ponged our way throughout the parking lot taking advantage of steady surfaces when our bodies hit them.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck as my fingers glided into his messy hair. Ethan started to kiss me with such a want that my fingers unbeknownst to me pulled his hair with so much force that he hissed loudly. He yanked his mouth away from mine. I softly ran my lips across his in apology. Ethan deepened the kiss as he started walking again. My hands went down his abdomen and underneath his shirt where they appreciated every carved line upon his body.

  Ev
erything south of me was on fire with how much I needed him inside of me. I brought my hands to the buttons of his shirt and started unbuttoning each one. Ethan had his hands along my waistline where he flitted with button on my skirt. He changed directions and coasted his hands up my stomach where he tugged at the straps of my bra.

  Ethan pressed me against what I assumed was his car. He moved away but kept his scorching eyes on me. He rested his forehead against mine as his hand tucked an errant piece of hair behind my ear. My heart started to melt at how gentle he had become with me. He switched gears physically the same way he did mentally making it difficult for me to keep up. His heated pants had me drowning in need for him. He brought his lips to my earlobe and gave it a soft bite.

  "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are to me?"

  Unable to speak, I shook my head. I let out a low moan as he continued nibbling at my ear. His lips licked down my neck before settling into the crook of my shoulder. I grabbed his jaw bringing his mouth back to mine. I trailed my fingers along his waistline before digging into his pockets. As sweet as he was being, I needed so much more. It didn't help that need one bit when my fingers grazed along his hard length as I tried locating his keys.

  Ethan laughed against my lips. He brought his hand down to his pocket fetching out his keys as well as my hand. He picked me up as he unlocked the door. He pulled me inside with him and shut his door to the outside world. I remained on top of him as he settled into his seat. My lips went to his neck making their way down to his exposed chest. I tore his shirt down to his elbows where he finished the job for me. He tossed his shirt behind us then brought his hands to mine gently removing my top.

  I groaned as his lips went from one side of my collarbone to the other before he dropped them to my breasts. After he shoved the straps of my bra aside, his tongue caressed each nipple until they stood on end. It intensified my want for him. Every shred of my sanity went out the window as I worked to satisfy my need for Ethan. I tilted my head back and drove my hips into him with force. My clear-cut implication of what I wanted from him brought his lips back to mine. Ethan kissed me as if he was satisfying his own cravings for me. I rocked into him again with no shame. He groaned with pleasure. His hips met mine with every push I exerted.