by Kacey Mark
That damn Kimmy.
She offered what she hoped was a modest shrug. “I’m a quick learner.”
His rich, golden laughter bubbled through the room. “That’s wonderful.” He moved in close. The slight weight of his hand rested on her waist. Tingles rushed over her skin from the warmth of his palm and swarmed through her body.
Caught somewhere between that delicious feeling and the violation from her own body, Shauna’s chest heaved with what she hoped was an undetected gasp.
It wasn’t.
Onyx’s tone fell serious. Almost sensual. “I love the eager beavers. Tell me, who brought such a delightful present to our doorstep tonight?” His attention raked to the deep V-shape that framed her cleavage. “Or better yet…” The man planted a soft kiss on his fingertip and turned it toward Shauna. His path headed straight for the deepest part of her neckline. “Who befell the great misfortune of leaving you alone?”
Shauna’s voice sounded shaky and uncertain, even to her own ears. “I wouldn’t say he left so much as fell behind—” Her words cut off when Onyx’s fingertip made contact. Long, slender fingers—like Adrian’s—that could slide into her so easily. They could bathe in her moisture and massage away the unbearable ache from deep within.
A surge of fear busted Shauna free from the shiver that wracked her body. “He’ll be along shortly.”
Onyx’s arm fell to his side. His bottom lip lowered in a sympathetic pout. “Oh, I scared you. I’m sorry if it seems I’m grilling you. Forgive me. I’m just intrigued. Never have I met such a perfect treasure. The more answers I get, the more you delight me.”
“Thanks for that—I guess.”
Onyx shook his head. “There you go again, thanking me.”
“But like I said,” Shauna continued. “My—my little button nose should be along shortly.” There. She’d said it. The safe word was out, and now she would be left alone.
The man paused. His brows lifted in surprise. “Button—” he laughed. “Eager on so many levels, aren’t we?”
Shauna shifted from one foot to the other, not sure how to respond. Had she said that right? Had the word changed to something else? The questions dropped from her mind. Not that it mattered. Her mouth stopped functioning anyway. The moment Shauna glanced to the entrance, her entire body seized in a steel grip of deep do-do.
Adrian’s silhouette framed the entrance. He hadn’t moved yet. Watching or searching, she wasn’t sure which, but he was there. And Shauna’s can was about to be kicked.
The look of dread must have registered somewhere on her face because Onyx seemed to recognize it and followed her line of sight.
“Ahhhhh, playing a little cat and mouse, are we?” He craned his neck to scan the far corner of the room. Onyx paused. “Wait. Adrian? You top…with Adrian?” His chest bounced in a delicate snort. “Never took him for a bottom sort of guy.”
“He’s, uh…” He’s getting closer that’s what he is. “He’s both, actually.” Shauna blurted. She pivoted in front of Onyx, hoping to block Adrian’s view.
“Ha—Ha.” He shook an impish finger at Shauna. “Now I know why you like to watch so much.” He gestured to the trio. “I’ll bet that Adrian’s quite the spectacle to take in.”
Shauna tried to stammer a response, but Onyx was faster. “Come, let’s get you a drink, little mouse. And that button you’ve asked for.”
Shauna picked a stool on the far end that backed against a pillar. The polite conversation between the bartender and Onyx clouded from Shauna’s ears. Too busy tracking Adrian’s movements from the corner of her eye.
He’d spotted her, all right, passing one booth after another without a glance in either direction. One woman stood with her chest puffed up, bare breasts exposed, and her partner—ahem—partners long forgotten. She stood on her tippy-toes and wiggled her fingertips in an attempt to gain his attention. One man shouted from across the room, “Adriaaaan!”
He ignored them all.
“And the lady’s name?” the bartender asked, tugging Shauna’s attention back to the bar.
“I don’t know. Big-boobed-ho-bag sounds pretty appropriate.”
Shauna paused at the sudden halt in conversation. “Oh, me. Shauna.” She shook her head. “It’s Shauna.”
He slid a stack of papers over the clean surface. The first few pages were folded over to allow clear view of the dotted line. “Sign here.”
She scribbled a hasty line that vaguely resembled her initials, then tossed the pen and made a hurried, shooing motion.
“This is your consent,” the bartender assured. “Wouldn’t you like to read through it?”
“No.” No time for that. Just hand over the damn button before Adrian sees it. She didn’t want him to know that mere seconds after entering, she’d already chickened out.
“All right,” the bartender sighed.
“You know how to use it?” He traded the paper for a large, clear button about the size of Shauna’s palm.
He extended the button, then retracted it again, back and forth as he spoke. “This is an all-inclusive pass—”
“Yes.”
He continued, unrushed. “That means no restrictions.”
Shauna half-nodded. For some reason her brain couldn’t keep up. Everything played in dreamy afterthought.
“Your partner for the evening will be chosen at random and frequency according to the Grand Master’s discretion. Protection and safe words do apply, but must be worked out prior to engagement.”
Wait. What?
Chapter Nine
The bartender set the button down with a clink. “Entry’s back there. Enjoy.” He angled his head deep to the left, to a giant birdcage of chrome and green, behind the pole dancers.
Shauna thought the cage had been nothing more than a stage prop. But from this angle, she could just detect a thin metal railing that corkscrewed into a lower level of some kind.
She held a staying finger out to the bartender. “On second thought, could I get a copy of that?”
“But first, a drink,” Onyx offered.
She nodded. “Something strong.” Preferably cement and a swizzle straw. She had time to kill.
The bartender slowed as he set a blank contract on the counter. “Sorry lady, we don’t serve alcohol here.”
She glanced from the bartender to Onyx who held the same curious expression.
“Oh, no. I just meant caffeine,” she rushed to explain. “Like a monster. With extra teeth.”
The bartender—if you could call him that—frowned. “Extra-caffeinated caffeine?”
Onyx shrugged. “She’s from Seattle.”
“No drinks,” Adrian barked. His palm slammed onto the bar, covering the button before Shauna could swipe it away. It scraped along the surface in what sounded like broken shards, as Adrian retracted it. He tucked it into his pocket.
“Well, that was rude.” Shauna pivoted on her bar stool, ready for battle. “And very out of character.” The stormy blue depths of Adrian’s glare stunned her. She didn’t even manage a warning shot.
The party, the drink, that same look of furious intent from years ago all came rushing back with hurricane force.
“Do you really think I’m going to chase you through this room all night?” Adrian demanded. He straddled the bar stool next to her, blocking Onyx off, and her in.
She looked to Onyx, and then lifted her chin. “It’s hard to chase me if I’m not running. Do you see me running?” She tucked the folded contract deep into her bra for safekeeping.
“You are breathing a little hard. And you look a little warm.”
She gave him a smarmy grin and offered a look around with her uplifted palm. “What’s your point of reference for that?” She leaned to one side. “Onyx, could you get me another button?”
“Sure thing.”
“Why are you here?” Adrian asked.
“Pretty quick change of subject.” In fact, Shauna could use one of those too. She hooked one of the many
clear saucers of liquid that lined the bar and slid it between them. The blue, mint-scented substance rolled around the saucer in a sluggish, half-set Jell-O consistency. “Maybe you’re the one who needs a drink.”
“That’s massage oil.” He meant that coaxing tone to annoy her. She being the wayward puppy and him tugging the leash. She moved for another one.
“Lube,” he replied.
She elevated the brown one and angled the warm saucer like a tiny pie on a catapult. “Okay, how about a mud mask then.”
“That’s wax.” He set it aside. “And it’s hot.”
Shauna let him take it. She’d need about six feet of it to get rid of him anyway. She breathed a sigh of frustration.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet? You’re out of your element. I don’t care how you got in or what you actually planned to accomplish here, but I’m taking you home.”
“Taking me home, huh? Unless that means what I hope it means, I just got here. I’m staying.” She twisted in her seat for a clear path to escape. “Stop trying to be such a gentleman. Let a girl have some fun.”
Adrian pivoted as well. His foot stomped down on the bottom rung of her stool. Blocked again. “This isn’t the place for you.”
Wasn’t her place? Where the hell did he get off? “Unless your name is Grigori, I didn’t see it on the door.” She waited for a response.
Stone-cold Adrian wasn’t offering one.
The little disk meant something completely different than what her roommate let on. Whatever it was, Kimmy wanted her down there. Above all, Adrian didn’t want her to have it. Do the math. That button meant power and a bundle of trouble. Shauna wanted it all.
Heat and excitement shot through her nerves when she covered his knee with her damp palm. “I have just as much right to this place—and that button—as you do.”
Adrian had come here tonight to get some. No denying that. The very thought of Adrian turned-on turned her knees to jelly. His erect penis, dusky and swollen with feral need, would be sliding into someone tonight. The heat of their bodies would permeate the room, beads of sweat forming as their bodies worked together, both fighting for release.
“How many of those chocolates did you eat?”
“What?” She looked up from his button fly. She started again, fingers walking toward his thigh. Her own body reacted in a rush of heat between her legs. “The night’s pretty young. I have endless possibilities. Besides, what’s it to you?”
“Let’s just say I know the crowd.”
“You don’t know me. Not anymore.”
Adrian leaned in. The curve of his nose nearly brushed hers. “I beg to differ.” The challenge came with a hot breath of power and possession.
“You want to prove it?” The words caught tight in her rib cage. “If you’re not going to help me, or even bother to hear me out, I’m entitled to console myself over your rejection by whatever means I choose. You have no right to deprive me.” She slipped off her barstool and leaned in close. Her hand slid to the crevice of his thigh. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”
Shauna silkened her tone. “Have you ever wondered what would have happened all those nights ago? If I had taken you up on your offer?”
Adrian snatched her wrist in an enough-child’s-play grip and forced her palm to center mass, the hard ridge of his erection. A soundless gasp of awareness spilled from Shauna’s parted lips.
White teeth flashed in a split-second grin before it was gone. With a firm, one-armed grip, Adrian pulled Shauna in tight until his moist breath fanned her upper lip. The movement of his mouth played against hers with every word. “I’ll tell you what would’ve happened. You would have been safe.” He rocked forward against her hand, pressing his erection into her palm. “And warm—” He rocked again and slid her hand down the full length of him. “—and sleeping on my couch.”
Flames of anger licked up her veins. Lie. That was a lie. She pushed away from his chest, and this time, he permitted her escape.
“Your button, Ms. Mouse,” Onyx called from her left. His voice lifted with giddy delight.
Shauna ignored him and swiped the new button from the counter. “I’m not taking ‘the couch’ for an answer either.” She took a step back toward the pit, then another.
Adrian shook his head in warning. “You don’t want to go down there.”
Shauna lifted her arms. “It’s your choice, really. You or the pit.” She blinked. “Your help. Or the pit.”
“Dungeon,” Onyx corrected.
Shauna’s tone lightened with feigned interest. “Oh, it’s a dungeon? How fun is that?” She started walking. “This I gotta see.”
Adrian’s voice hardened. “Grow up, Shauna. You know that’s not what you want. They’ll have you on your back, all right. That might sound good now, but I’m warning you, they’ll put you in positions you never thought imaginable.”
“Sounds great. I love twister,” she shouted over her shoulder. The forceful turn of her head caused her to side step before continuing on course. Hopefully he didn’t see that.
“Run little mouse, run!” Onyx clapped his hands with glee.
Halfway to the pit, Shauna’s heart kicked up as Adrian’s voice rumbled behind her. Close. Too close and too quick, as though he hadn’t moved but suddenly appeared there. His words fired around her like whizzing bullets as she marched ahead. “You’re pissed because I turned you down. You want to get even. I’m sure your blatant lack of sexual adventure is pretty damn frustrating.”
“Oh, shut up.”
A firm grip caught her arm. “Look. If you want to get off, that’s fine. That’s reasonable, but do it in the comfort of your own bedroom. Not here. You’re in no condition to manage what goes on down there. Above all, you have no clue what you’re doing.”
Really. She stopped. Out of shock or confusion she wasn’t sure. The last several years of her sexual history hadn’t crossed the threshold of her own bedroom door. Don’t say he could detect that too.
“I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” He continued. The scent of hot cinnamon and camphor radiated from somewhere behind her. “You ever heard of love potion number nine?”
“Doesn’t really sound like your fragrance.”
He lowered his voice, and released her arm. The firm press of his body consumed her from hip to shoulder. Her head grew heavy and tipped back on its own accord to rest on his shoulder. If her bones could reach a melting point, she’d be a puddle at his feet.
“Those chocolates?” he murmured. The stubble on his chin grated the soft shell of her ear. “The ones you took? That would be lust potion number two. Though, I’m thinking I should probably rename it cock-tease number one.”
Shauna jerked her head upright. “You’re serious. That’s your excuse?”
“How else do you explain your current state of arousal?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just messing around—”
His tone dropped. “You’re wet, shortcake. Soaking.”
Shauna’s mouth unhinged in horror; she moved to escape him.
Thick arms closed around her, holding her in place. Not squeezing, just holding. “It’s a perfectly normal hormonal reaction, but it’s royally screwing with your logic right now. You make this decision, you’ll regret it.”
So that’s what this was all about? He didn’t want to be held responsible later? That was it?
“Isn’t that what this place is for? Making bad decisions?” she countered.
His arms lifted. His touch, gone. “That’s what you want?” His voice grew tender and something in its depths tinged with regret. “Your first time? This is really how you want it?”
The shell of her heart crusted over. Shows what you know. She hadn’t been a virgin since high school. Any chance at normalcy had been stolen the moment she stepped into that frat house. The doctor classified it as an “attempted sexual assault” because although she had been bruised and swollen, her perpetrator hadn’t mana
ged to “seal the deal” before the flames took him.
But he had stolen her life. Her chance to be normal.
Shauna tried to mask the anger boiling at her surface. She’d fight to get normal back by any tactic necessary. She pulled in a tight breath and forced it down. Look dumb, flaunt the package. It’s not that hard.
But in a blink, the anger won and overtook her mouth.
“I want more than that. I want you.” She lifted the button between them. She stuck out her bottom lip in what she hoped was a porn-star worthy pout. “If you can’t help me, I’m afraid I just won’t be able to help myself.”
Shauna marched for the railing. A heavy sigh of what must have been annoyance rushed from his lungs.
“You’re not settling. I’m going with you.”
Well, that’s just great.
Shauna’s pride-filled chest deflated a bit. Adrian knew the crowd enough to let her into his playground. Now he had the upper hand, the knowledge, and the new kid parading in front of him down the stairs. All of the fun seemed to be deflating from her naughtiness balloon. She clomped down the spiral staircase, feeling more gangly and awkward with every step.
Shauna’s attention fell to the barrel-chested brunette woman who perched on a bench at the bottom of the stairs. The woman’s critical gaze drew lines of age near her eyes and red-painted lips. And not just any gaze, this was the kind that snared and sunk its teeth in. Whether eyeing Shauna up for battle or breakfast she wasn’t sure.
When Shauna handed over her button, the woman’s attention finally broke and lunged for Adrian. The verge-of-liver-failure hue that bronzed her cheeks pinkened. Her lips pulled back to reveal a wry, smoker’s smile. “Surprise, surprise. It’s my ole pal, Adrian.”
“Evening, Darla,” Adrian muttered, a reply that seemed more chore than friendly salutation.
The bottom floor opened to a ten-by-ten stone room. For the number of people crowding in, it seemed pretty quiet.
Shauna expected to find a carnival of outrageous sexual activity by now. Whip-cracking, chain-rattling, swinging-from-the-chandelier type stuff. She paused, still gripping the railing. Apart from the man-eating button collector continuing to stare Adrian down, there wasn’t any of that sideshow business.