Skin Deep

by Alicia White

  He had wanted things to progress normally, to wine and dine her, to show her that they were similar. When he opened his mouth, though, it seemed that the wrong words always came out. When they finally started asking each other personal questions, he didn’t tell her the whole truth. When their flirting turned into something more physical, he had hid his darker side, wondering what kind of lover she craved. He hadn’t wanted to push her away, so he had let her take the lead, that is, until today.

  He had been watching her for a long time. He didn’t just see her on his appointment dates like she probably assumed. He didn’t just work in the area as he told her. He owned the hotel and a lot of the surrounding property, including Skin Deep. He knew about her past. He had hired someone to dig up everything. He knew about her interesting relationship with her stepbrother and hired him as security for that reason. He knew more than any normal man should know. He felt like a stalker.

  Nicholas Elias was the type of man that people watched with envy. He always knew what to say and do except when it came to Selene. He was a mess when it came to her, always second-guessing himself. Could he really have the relationship he always dreamed of having? He stood up straighter and made sure he looked like he had when he walked into the shop. He didn’t want any of the other employees or customers to think that anything physical had happened between him and Selene.

  Nicholas grabbed his jacket and walked out of the private room. He smiled and nodded as he walked toward the front counter. People rarely acknowledged who he was and only the owner of the shop actually knew he was a customer as well as the property owner.

  “See you next time. The owner will send you a bill.” Lexi, the office assistant waved at him as he walked past the front desk. He smiled and waved back, wanting to get to his office, needing to be in his own space for a while. He headed straight for his personal elevator. Once the doors closed, he took a deep breath and shook his head. Did she think this was a onetime deal? Did she really believe that he only wanted a quick fuck once a month? Would he be able to convince her otherwise? He had some serious planning to do.

  When the elevator doors opened, he walked down the quiet hallway and straight into his office. One wall was covered with TV screens, live feed from the multiple cameras set up in and around the casino and hotel. He scanned them, hoping to catch a glimpse of Selene. He looked at the cameras set up in the tattoo shop first, searching for her. Finally, after a few minutes and almost losing what little patience he had, he saw her walking back into the shop. She smiled but didn’t stop as she headed back toward the private rooms.

  There weren’t any cameras set up in the rooms, but there were a couple facing different angles so he watched her progression as she went back to the room he had just left. She leaned against the doorframe and stared into the room, unmoving. What was she thinking? Was she hoping that he was still there waiting for her to return? Did she still want him? Those questions plagued him until finally he turned away from the large TV screens and went to sit at his desk.

  A quick knock at the door got his attention, and he jerked his head up. “Come in.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Elias. I was wondering if I could pick up those art gallery tickets.” Damon walked straight into his office without stopping and came directly in front of his desk. The man was probably the perfect partner for Selene. He was strong and loyal, and he always seemed to have the right words. Nicholas doubted that he fumbled around the way he did with her.

  “Sure. No problem. Do you have a date?” He already knew the answer, but he couldn’t help but ask the question.

  “Yeah. She’s going to love the show, too. Steampunk, vintage, pinup, she loves it all.” When Damon smiled, he felt a pang in his chest. Damon knew her so well, and he was envious. He wanted to have that kind of relationship with her, too.

  “That’s great. I’m thinking about attending the show as well.” He usually didn’t attend the functions, but he couldn’t seem to help himself, he wanted to see them together instead of on camera.

  Damon grabbed the tickets out of his hand and nodded at him. “Great. I’ll see you there.” He turned and left the office without a backward glance. Nicholas leaned back in his chair and stared at the closed door. He wanted to look back over at the TV screens to see Selene again, but he stopped himself. He had too much work to do to get lost staring at her again.

  Chapter 3

  Selene stood up and stretched. The day seemed to drag by especially after Nicholas had left so suddenly. She couldn’t blame him, though, after the mind-blowing orgasm, she had needed a few minutes to think. She had needed something he couldn’t provide her with, and that feeling caused her chest to hurt. She had needed Damon. The realization that she might always need him made her realize that she might not ever be able to have a normal relationship. Although what did normal mean anyway?

  She could still smell him on her, sweat mixed with cum. She liked the way she smelt and hated that soon she would have to shower and wash him from her body. The way he had commanded her body both thrilled and scared her. She had been willing to do anything he said. She looked at the clock and realized that soon Damon would be walking through the door, and she needed to be ready to deal with him. Right now, she felt a little weak, and to be around him she needed to be strong, she needed to rebuff his advances. She didn’t know how much longer that would last, though, and honestly she was sick of pushing him away when she really wanted to do the opposite.

  They had been playing this particular game for years, and she knew that one day soon she was going to have to make a decision. She needed either to accept him and move forward or possibly end their relationship forever. This whole thing was slowly driving her crazy though, and she felt guilty for even considering bringing Nicholas into the mix. What had she been thinking? She had allowed the flirting to turn into stolen kisses that turned into him eating her, and now they had fucked. In the back room no less.

  “Hey, are you ready?” Damon’s deep voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked over her shoulder and stared at him. He was so darkly beautiful, and she hated that their parents were together. That was the only reason she was holding out. She didn’t want to tell her mom and his dad that they were a couple.

  “Yeah. Where’s the show?” She walked toward the back room and unlocked her locker, grabbing her purse. She knew that he had followed her. His loud boots hit the ground almost at the same pace she was walking.

  “It’s here in one of the banquet halls.”

  “Sounds good. Is there a bar?” She needed a drink, something strong. No beer tonight—she was going for the hard stuff.

  “Of course.” He winked at her, and she brushed past him on her way out of the back room. She felt stomach muscles against her arm and really wanted to stop for a better feel, but she didn’t. She kept walking. When she was out of the shop, she waited for him to catch up, and then they walked together through the casino. They always walked so close to each other, and she realized that she liked to feel him next to her. It made her feel safe and secure.

  His arm brushed against hers, and Selene shivered, enjoying the contact. When he moved his fingers up her forearm, she looked up at him. He smiled and brushed his fingertips along the inside of her wrist, touching her fingers. The feeling sent a jolt of pleasure through her body, and it took a minute to catch her breath. Just that small touch and her knees were weak. It was always this way, would probably always be this way with him. Every touch was special, every kiss amazing, every moment together a dream for so much more.

  She felt her eyes burn and knew that if she kept thinking about him, she would probably cry. That was the problem, she always thought about him, even when she was trying to push him away. She concentrated on walking across the casino, even though she felt her nerve endings heighten with excitement over the way he touched her. She didn’t stop him or pull away, just took a deep breath and walked toward the line of people outside one of the large banquet hall.

  As soon as
they walked into the door, she headed toward the bar. She needed a drink to calm her nerves so that she could get through the next few hours.

  “What can I get you?” the bartender asked her, and she glanced to the side to see what Damon might want, and he gave her a wink and she decided to order for him. She knew what he liked.

  “Whiskey, straight up.” She threw some cash on the bar and grabbed the two rocks glasses. Selene handed one glass to Damon and took a sip of the dark-amber liquid. Her throat burned a little, but she enjoyed it, needing to think and clear her mind. She downed the rest of it and moved back to the bar, placing the glass on the counter.

  “Do you want another one? On me?” Damon whispered the words in her ear, his warm breath tickled her neck, and she tried to pull away, needing some space. He didn’t let her go that easily, though. Instead, he wrapped one large arm around her waist and pulled her back into his chest. She felt his teeth scrape her neck and moaned.

  “You’re so beautiful.” Another nibble on her earlobe and Selene felt her knees weaken a little more. “I’ll get you another drink and then we can look around.” He slowly let go of her, and she missed his body right away. She stood still, not ready to move, and looked around. The hall was large, and there were different multimedia pieces throughout the place. Music pulsed, and Selene watched as people admired the artwork, bobbing their heads to the beat of the music. She didn’t have to wait for Damon long. He moved in front of her holding a glass full of liquid courage. She took a deep breath, made eye contact, and grabbed the glass.

  In one large gulp, she downed the liquid and enjoyed the feeling of it making its way down her throat. She moved then, grabbed the neck of his T-shirt and pulled him down to her. She played the aggressor, and he let her take the lead. She felt powerful in that moment. She ate his mouth, loving his taste, whiskey…spicy and sweet at the same time. She pushed her tongue in his mouth, and he didn’t disappoint her. He grabbed her ass and pulled her farther into his body, rubbing his cock against her stomach.

  This kiss was so much more than the others were. She put her whole heart into it, loving every minute of his mouth and his touch. The voices around them got louder, and Selene pulled away, trying to catch her breath. She looked up into Damon’s eyes, and he leaned in for one more kiss, this time just a brush of his soft lips against hers. He let go of her then and grabbed her hand, and they started walking around the room. She licked her lips and grinned. She could still taste him.

  She looked down at their interlaced fingers and was glad that she was here with him. She would always love Damon. Regardless of what happened, he would always mean more to her than anyone else. That realization was a little scary, but instead of allowing fear to take over, she focused on the moment.

  * * * *

  Damon walked with Selene around the room, looking at the different art pieces. He loved looking at her face as she looked around, her passion so obvious. He knew she would love this show, and he was glad that his boss had given him the tickets. He didn’t care about the art. He didn’t even look at it. He watched her the whole time.

  The kiss had thrown him off a little. He loved having her respond so strongly, and he hoped that this was just the beginning of what could be between them. It was just the two of them. He didn’t need his father’s approval, didn’t care if they stayed in Vegas far away from their family. Since the very first time they were together, he knew that she was the one for him. Damon had been staring at Selene so long that he didn’t realize someone was standing next to him until he was tapped on the shoulder.

  Damon immediately turned around and saw his boss, Nicholas Elias, standing next to them. He was staring at Selene, and Damon felt protective and slightly possessive.

  “Good evening, Damon, Selene.” Selene stiffened next to him, and Damon looked back and forth between them, wondering how he knew her.

  “Mr. Elias. Having fun?” he asked, trying to figure out what was going on without actually asking.

  “Mr. Elias?” Selene looked up at him with a questioning look on her face, and he realized that maybe she didn’t know him after all, but how did his boss know her? That was the question of the night.

  “Yes. Nicholas Elias. He’s my boss. I’m not sure if you’ve met him.” His gut told him that they had met, but that maybe she didn’t know his name. He watched as his boss stared at her, eyes blazing, and Damon wondered why that was.

  “You’re Nicholas Elias?” Selene stared at him, and Damon felt left out of their secret conversation. They didn’t actually speak, just stared at each other intently.

  “Yes.” That was the only word Nicholas spoke, and Damon wondered when and where they had met. He felt a suspicious tingle on the back of his neck, but he didn’t want to overthink the situation. He didn’t want to think that maybe they had been together. He didn’t want to get jealous, especially since they had just shared the most amazing kiss. It had been years since they had shared something so amazing, and he didn’t want the moment to be ruined by Nicholas, standing in front of them in his suave-looking suit.

  “Fuck. I need a drink.” Selene pulled away from him, and he wanted to punch Nicholas, he wanted to take out his anger over the fact that she was pulling away from him. She walked away from them, and he let her go, blocking Nicholas in the process so that he couldn’t follow her. He needed answers, and he was going to get them. Now.

  “You know Selene?” Damon wasn’t a talking man. He was more of the action type. Looking at Nicholas now, he realized that he was a talking man, someone that could soothe people with words. He hated him more with every second that passed.

  “Yeah. I’m sorry, Damon. I’ve been seeing Selene for about a year now.” Those words ripped through him, and he wanted to yell.

  “What the fuck does that mean? When do you supposedly see her? She didn’t even know your last name. It can’t be that serious.” He was grinding his teeth, holding himself back from creating a scene when what he really wanted to do was make the man standing in front of him bloody.

  “I’ve never told her the complete truth about myself. I wanted her to be with me, the man, not the owner of the Olympus. I see her once a month for a regular tattoo session.” Damon shook his head. Did this man believe that he had some sort of relationship with Selene because she tattooed him? Then he realized who he was, Lexi had said Selene had an appointment with Mr. Sexy. Of course, the suit-and-tie guy would be Mr. Sexy.

  “I hate to break it to you, but you aren’t in a relationship with Selene. She has regular appointments with lots of people. That doesn’t mean she likes you. It’s her job.” He felt his temper fading away. The more information he got, the better he felt. He knew Selene. She would never lie to him. He felt a small hand on his back and turned around to see Selene’s beautiful face peering up at him. Her eyes looked sad, and he couldn’t figure out why she would let this other man affect her so much.

  “I want to be. She means a lot to me. Our relationship wasn’t just casual.” Nicholas’s words hit him. He didn’t turn around, instead he stared into Selene’s eyes looking for the truth. What was happening? He had been so happy with her just moments ago, and now his boss, the owner, Nicholas Elias, was ruining his moment. She only shook her head, and he realized that they shouldn’t have this particular conversation here.

  He only nodded his head once, for her benefit only, and took her hand once more. He didn’t want to be at the gallery any longer. “Let’s go home.” His words came out strained, and he realized that they were no longer smiling, no longer happy. She held his hand tighter and just like that he felt a little better.

  “Have a good night, Mr. Elias.” He didn’t look over his shoulder. He didn’t want to see the man’s face. He walked to the exit, never once looking back.

  * * * *

  Nicholas watched Damon take Selene’s hand and walk out the door leading back into the casino. The whole conversation hadn’t gone as planned. It was obvious that the two of them had a close relationship. He
realized that there probably wasn’t a place for him after all. He just didn’t have the right words.

  He had walked into the large banquet hall just in time to see Selene pull Damon in for a deep kiss. He hadn’t felt jealousy. Instead, he wanted to pull her into his arms, to feel her lips against his. He had walked over with the intention of talking to them both, and he had hoped that he would be able to talk to Selene. He wanted to tell her that he had feelings for her, that after a year of talking, touching, and finally making love that he really wanted more.

  He headed out the door and went to his suite in the hotel. There wasn’t any reason to hang out in the makeshift gallery or to try to follow them. It was pretty obvious that he wasn’t going to get the opportunity to really be a part of her life. Maybe he could settle for their monthly appointments. Maybe he would try to talk to her when Damon wasn’t around. On the other hand, maybe he could just talk to Damon directly. Would Damon hear him out, though, and give him a chance? The elevator doors dinged, and he walked in, smiling at his reflection.

  Most of Nicholas’s friends were involved in ménage relationships alongside either their brothers, cousins, or other friends. He had been a member of a private club that was exclusive for many years. Even though he wasn’t currently in the relationship he wanted, he still went to the functions and played occasionally. There always seemed to be women around who wanted to experience a ménage, but none of them kept his interest for long. Nicholas was an only child. He wasn’t close to any other men in his family, and he didn’t want to settle on a woman just for the opportunity to share.

  When he saw Selene, even before he met her, he knew that she was the one he wanted to have. She carried herself with such strength and confidence. Her eyes sparkled, and he knew that she was full of passion that could easily match his own. The amazing sex in the private room had confirmed everything, and he felt that he could finally approach her and be himself without her running away.