by S. K. Ervin
"Look at me." He beckoned, tilting her chin up with two fingers. "I've been wanting to do this since the moment I knocked you over on the jogging trail."
His fervent whisper sent delicious chills down her body, as she gazed into his eyes. She was lost. And he definitely knew it. But, there was no gloating in his eyes, just a dark sensuous promise. A promise that he would feast on her; devour her, inch by delicious inch.
"Say it." He growled low in his throat, his lips a bare whisper away from hers.
Looking into his eyes, Alexis said what he craved to hear and what she desperately ached to cry out in passion.
"Noah."
With a growl of pure need, Noah claimed her mouth with his, in an incinerating kiss that made Alexis’s knees quake. Her warm lips parted, allowing him access into the sweet cavern of her mouth. And he took all that she offered. Noah ravaged her mouth, as he pressed closer to her. His hands stroked her neck, caressed her arms and back, ending as he captured her ass in his palms; crushing her into him as he rotated his hips, sending her pulse splintering in delicious fragments. For Alexis, the world tipped as she succumbed to his passionate expertise, moaning in his mouth. Noah kept up the pleasurable torture, devouring every inch of her he possibly could, until he felt his control about to snap. He abruptly ended the kiss, his breath shuddered and his heart hammered inside of his chest, as he fought to control the cravings of his body. He needed to get out of there, before he took advantage and pinned her down on the massage table, like the beast inside urged him to do. He felt drugged, the very taste of her intoxicating. Stumbling to his clothes, he dressed quickly, ignoring his trembling fingers, while he regarded her through shuttered eyes. She hadn’t moved from where he left her, her eyes were closed, her face flushed and her breathe came out in a soft pant. Noah wondered what she was thinking. What she was feeling. He hoped she wasn’t mad at him for taking advantage of her.
Fuck! I hadn’t planned on doing that.
He knew it was a bad idea, this massage thing. He shouldn’t have put himself in this predicament. It was dangerous. For both of them. He never mixed business with pleasure. It never ended well. Never.
It doesn’t matter, what’s done is done Kane. He said to himself.
Noah walked back toward her and leaned down.
“I’m s…” he began, until she opened her eyes.
She looked up at him with as much desire and lust as he felt.
God help him! He wanted to strip her clothes off right then, right there. Fuck the consequences! And that last thought spurred him into leaving. He didn't do consequences. Nasty little things, they could be. He knew it firsthand. No, he should leave…would leave.
“Have a great night, Ms. Monroe. I shall see you tomorrow,” Noah breathed into the delicate shell of her ear.
And then he left.
Chapter Five
It was almost 10pm when Alexis got home. Her 'session' with Noah ended at 9:20 with a fervent promise that he would see her tomorrow.
Sighing as she remembered his kisses, Alexis opened the door to her condo and found her best friend waiting for her in a sexy red cocktail dress.
"Uh...what’s going on?" Alexis questioned Cadence.
"What do you think? I've been invited out!" Cadence clapped with glee. Her long black hair brushed to one side, the ends spilling over one shoulder.
"That's great, Cade! I'm glad, you deserve to get out and party a little. I know I've been a party pooper lately, but, that will end soon, I promise."
"Uh uhn, Ms. CEO. This ticket’s for two. You’re coming, so go find something to wear or I'll drag you out with what you have on. Come on, I don't want to miss the party!" Cadence chirped authoritatively.
Alexis rolled her eyes and grabbed the ticket Cadence was waving around.
"Eden? What’s this exactly? Who invited you out?"
The ticket was sketchy. She’d never seen anything like it to get into a club.
"It was on my doorstep with this..." Cadence raved, lifting a red rose to her nose. "It’s addressed to me and says bring a friend."
Alexis read over it again, "I don't know about this Cade. It's weird. And doesn’t sound safe...at all."
"Stop being so uppity, I checked it out and it's a legit club, but, it’s private owned and you can only get in through an invitation."
"Right. Who's the owner?" Alexis questioned, somewhat intrigued, yet, still sure it was a bad idea.
"No one knows. Isn't that exciting! Oh and check this out, everyone must wear a mask! Wild, right?!"
"MmHmm. Let me google this place." She wanted to make sure they weren't going to some non-existent trap that captured and sold women to the highest bidder. What? They truly exist. It’s called human trafficking. And she was not about to be a part of that scheme. Opening her laptop, Alexis typed the name in the search engine. Nothing came up. She looked at Cadence with an ‘I told you so’ look and her friend frowned.
"Now that’s weird." Cadence looked at her ticket. "There’s a number on here, wanna call?"
Alexis nodded, "Definitely." She picked up her phone and dialed the number. On the second ring, a woman answered.
"Club Eden, Giselle speaking, how may I help you sir or ma’am?" A feminine voice came through the phone.
"Hello Giselle, I was just checking to see if this was really a nightclub. I got an invite, but, couldn't find anything about this club."
"Oh no problem. And yes, this nightclub is for exclusive members only. And only certain people are invited. We hope you decide to join us. Do you have any other questions?" Giselle asked.
"Um..who’s the owner?"
Giselle giggled, "Not even I know. He wears a mask along with everyone else, but, everyone knows he’s the owner. He will be here tonight, so you will get to meet him in person. All of the new guests meet him so he can introduce them to the rules."
Rules?
"Okay, thank you Giselle." Alexis hung up.
"Well..." Cadence questioned, anxiously.
"Well...it's legit, as far as I can tell. But, she didn't know the owner either. She told me that we’ll get to meet him tonight."
"Hm. So go get dressed! We will find out who sent this invite. And I will figure out who this owner is, even if I have to rip his mask off myself!" Cadence vowed.
Alexis laughed. If anyone could find out anything, it would be Cadence. Her bubbly, take charge bestie was a force to be reckoned with.
Looking inside her closet, Alexis looked at her favorite choices. A short blue cocktail dress, a red knee-length skirt with cream corset or her black dress.
"Wear the new black one!" Cadence yelled, bursting into her room.
Rolling her eyes, Alexis picked out the dress and frowned.
It was very revealing; too much for her taste. She shouldn't have let Cadence talk her into buying it.
"Come on, live a little, Ms. CEO." Cadence grinned.
"Fine." She relented and pulled out her brand new, black and white Gianni Bini’s, which would go perfect with her dress.
"That's right. You are going to look absolutely stunning tonight! No man will stand a chance." Cadence predicted.
Alexis showered quickly and slid into her new dress. The entire back was almost all lace, ending at the very crack of her ass. And the front plunged in a deep V, showing the swells of her breast and small waist. She pulled her dark curls up at the top of her head, leaving a few strands to frame her face and slid her dangling, fake diamond earrings into her ears. To complete the look, she added a touch of dark red lipstick to her lips and slid into her heels. Alexis looked at herself in the mirror and was satisfied with her look. She would definitely stun someone with so much damned skin showing. Sighing, she once again wondered why she let Cadence talk her into wearing this dress. But it was too late, they had to leave.
It didn't take them long to reach Eden; it was on a secluded street downtown. The club was a large 3-story building with little to no windows. But it was magnificent. It reminded her of an
ancient medieval castle, built of stone with a large wooden door and a huge metal knocker.
Cadence got the ticket out, along with their feathered black masks they’d picked up along the way, and slid them over their faces. The bouncer, a very tall and muscular man, looked at their ticket and bowed to them, allowing them entrance. Cadence squealed with delight as they entered. Both of their mouths dropped open at the furnishings of Eden. It was fit for royalty. All silver and black with a splash of red here and there. Couches, loveseats, lounges and chairs were placed intricately throughout. Each one of them were occupied with multiple...couples… Alexis blinked...yup, they were half naked, and cavorting in plain sight!
"Welcome to Eden." A sexy, dark-skinned man smiled at them. "I'm Edge. Are you ladies meeting someone here?"
Cadence grinned, "Yes. Well, I think so. Did you happen to invite me?"
Edge smirked, "I wish I had, but, sadly I did not. I can escort you around if you like...until this mystery guy shows up?"
Cadence nodded, enthusiastically taking Edge's arm. Alexis took his other and he ushered them passed swarms of people and occupied rooms. They passed men in black or white domino masks and women in half masks of peacock feathers, silk, jewels or sequins. One woman went as far as covering her entire face with a vixen red mask of glitter and long, fake eyelashes. Don’t ask!
Sensual music filled the inside, beckoning it’s listeners to lose their inhibitions and join in the erotic temptations all around them.
And God help her, Alexis was intrigued. Sinfully so. Her body felt as if she was plunged into the throes of an erotic dream, as she stared at the couples and groups of 4 and 5, devouring each other. But, she couldn’t have dreamed of this. Not in a million years. Her body flamed to life.
"To the left sits the foam room and to the right, the exotic dancers run the show," Edge informed them.
Alexis and Cadence both looked to the right at the same time. There were no doors, so they could see right in. And man did they get an eyeful, a delicious eyeful.
Edge chuckled, "We have male and female entertainers to please all of our guests. They are the best from all around the world. The next male review doesn't start for another 30 minutes. I can give you the rest of the tour if you'd like to continue."
Cadence was already agreeing, when someone came up behind them.
"That won't be necessary, Edge. I got it from here." The deep voice behind the mask stated.
Alexis turned and looked up. He was tall! And toned.
And...that voice seemed so familiar! She knew it, had been conversing with it. Her mind raced to figure out who the man was.
Edge grinned in acceptance, shaking the man’s hand and turned to smile at them, "Nice meeting you ladies. Enjoy yourselves, you're in good hands." And then he left.
Cadence turned to the familiar voice, a perfectly arched eyebrow raised.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation. Did you enjoy the flowers?" the man asked.
Cadence smiled, "Yes, thank you. Do...I know you? You seem familiar."
The lips showing through his mask turned up in a devastating grin. "You do. And so does Ms. Monroe."
"I know you." Alexis murmured, her mind raking across to find some resemblance of who this man was. Nothing was coming to mind. But to be fair, she was rather exhausted, so her mind wasn't thinking clearly.
The man bent to whisper in her ear, "Of course you do...Sexy Lexi."
Oh!!!!
She turned, eyes wide, to look up at him. YUP! It was him alright. It was Harper Kane!
He grinned when he saw recognition light her eyes.
“I almost didn’t recognize you! You clean up very well.”
"Well it seems the both of you know each other. Please enlighten me." An exasperated Cadence pouted.
He turned startling hazel eyes, which looked somewhat black in the low light, on Cadence. "Ms. Parker, we met briefly at Ms. Monroe's opening earlier. I'm Harper." He reached for her hand and brushed his lips across the inside of her wrist.
"Oh. I do remember you." Cadence breathed, clearly affected by his charm.
"And I you."
Alexis suggested the two of them mingle a little, while she took a look around. As soon as they left, the back of her neck tingled. Turning, she found the source; an elegantly dressed man with dark good looks. He could've been Lucifer himself, he was so damned beautiful. He blinded her with a seductive grin that should've scorched her dress right off of her. It was like looking at the sun for too long, knowing it was going to damage your eyes; but, you do it anyway because you can’t help it. Alexis ripped her gaze away from him, to look at the women surrounding him and the other three men at their table. Two had their backs to her so she couldn't see their faces, but the other one next to the 'dark angel' resembled Harper, just a bit more muscular. They had the same hazel eyes and dark brown hair. He must've been related to Harper. He spoke to the dark angel, who was still staring at her and frowned when her dark angel didn't respond back. Then, the Harper look-alike also turned to look at her and grinned. Yup, definitely related to Harper. The ladies who were seductively draped around the back of their lounge area, stared at her too. The two men who had their backs turned and glanced backwards at her.
And her world shifted.
Noah Kane! She'd know those lips and eyes anywhere.
Her face immediately flushed, remembering his searing kisses in the massage room. Oh boy, here he comes!
His eyes never left hers, as he stalked toward her like a panther in the night, cornering its prey.
He reached her and gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek, causing her breath to hitch in her throat and her heart to hammer.
"Alexis Monroe." He whispered in her ear. "What a pleasure it is."
Before she had a chance to respond, Mr. Dark Angel appeared beside Noah. He was just as tall as Noah. "Please introduce me to this lovely young woman." His voice deep and silky with an accent.
She wondered where he was from. His jet black hair and expressive brown eyes could incinerate the iceberg that sank the titanic, with one look.
My goodness, the men I’ve met recently. She mentally waved a hand in front of her face.
"Alexis, meet Mateo Bellini, my best bud. Mateo this is Alexis Monroe."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Bellini." Alexis smiled, blushing when he took her hand in his and kissed her fingers, while staring deeply into her eyes.
"The pleasure’s all mine." He smoldered, before letting her hand slide back down to her side.
Oh, definitely Lucifer. He was deadly beautiful. She glanced up at Noah to gauge his reaction.
She couldn't fully see his face under the mask, but, the way his eyes narrowed and his lips were pressed together, she could tell he was scowling...at her!
"What…" she started.
"And who might this be?" The man who’d sat next to Noah asked, coming to join the group. The other one who had chatted with Mateo and grinned at her, was standing next to him. He looked like Harper too, but had vivid blue eyes, like Noah’s, instead of hazel like Harper’s.
"If you all must know. Her name’s Alexis Monroe, the young lady Harper and I did business with recently." Noah ground out, testily.
His mood was changing drastically. His face was now a full on scowl. "Alexis, these two are Gabriel and Elijah, Harper's younger brothers and my cousins."
"Nice to meet all of you." She told them, wondering what was wrong with Noah. Did he not want her there?
"Nice to meet you, as well." The brothers stated in unison.
"How are you liking Eden, so far?" The one named Gabriel asked.
Alexis grinned, "It's different, but in a good way…I think. I didn't get to see much though."
"Then allow me to show you." Noah stepped in, pulled her hand around his arm and dragged her away. "Gentlemen."
Alexis looked back and waved at the men who all smirked at Noah and then nodded to her, before returning to their seats.
"A lovely family you
have Mr. Kane. But, I don’t unders…"
He stopped abruptly and turned to her, "If you call me Mr. Kane one more time, I will rip this piece of nothing off of you and spank you in front of everyone." He flicked the thin cloth of her dress and glared at her, beckoning her to challenge him.
Oh she wanted to, but knew he would do exactly what he threatened to do. Her ass would be bared in front of the whole nightclub. And they would probably enjoy it.
She decided to test him anyway, he didn’t scare her, "You wouldn't dare."
"Oh, I would dare." He growled in that way that never failed to sear her blood.
"I don't think the owner would appreciate his guests being handled in that way." She breathed, looking around for Cadence. But, her friend was nowhere in sight. Everyone else was. Almost all eyes were on them. The ladies were staring at her with envy and the gentlemen were staring at her with intrigue.
"The owner wouldn't mind one bit. In fact, he approves." Noah drawled, as he grinned at her.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because Ms. Monroe...I am the owner." He whispered, his grin much more devilish now.
Alexis gaped at him. Of course he is! And he didn't allow anyone to know. "Secretive much?"
"My secrets are well kept, under lock and key, Alexis."
She got the feeling that this wasn’t the only secret he kept under lock and key.
"Do your cousins know?" She asked perplexed.
His eyes caressed her from head to toe before answering, "Of course, each of us own a portion, including Mateo."
"Oh. Where’s Mateo from? He has an accent." She asked when they continued walking toward the back of the club.
"His father’s Italian and his mother’s American. Mateo came here from Italy with his parents when he was fifteen. I met him our first year in high-school, we had almost every class together. I helped him out with his English and he brought in the hot girls. It was a win-win situation for the both of us."