Sweet as Sin

by J. Margot Critch

  But apparently she wanted all of him.

  His breathing increased, and his movements stiffened; she knew he was close. He put his fingers on her cheeks, trying to push her away. “I’m coming, Maria.”

  She hummed, urging him to finish, and she increased her pace.

  “Oh fuck!” he shouted, as he pumped his hips, filling her mouth with his seed. She took every drop, then crawled over his body and settled next to him in his arms.

  He kissed her forehead, and she smiled and snuggled closer. She felt happy, content and safe in his arms. He reached out and turned off the lamp, blanketing the room in near-darkness. “Thank you,” he whispered in the silence.

  “For what? The stellar BJ?”

  He laughed. “For everything. For letting me vent, for coming to get me at the bar. For not putting up with my bullshit. And the stellar BJ.”

  “It’s all my pleasure,” she told him. “Thank you for sharing your past with me. And I will listen to you vent and put up with your bullshit whenever you need it, okay?”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER, Alex and Maria were squeezed together on her much smaller bed. Even though Alex’s penthouse was luxurious and held every comfort, she loved being with Alex in her space. In her tiny room, on her tiny bed, where his feet hung off the edge. But he didn’t complain. He just held her tighter. Wrapped in his arms, she drew circles in the chest hair that covered his hard pecs. When she got to his nipple, she grazed her nail over the tip. He hissed.

  Maria’s mind drifted back to driving him in his car. She remembered what he’d said in the car. Just because I love you... And even if he didn’t remember saying it, she couldn’t ignore the full feeling in her heart when she’d heard the words. Her chest tightened with emotion, and she felt light. She was in love with Alex Fischer.

  “I love you, Alex,” she whispered in the dark. When he didn’t respond, she continued, not wanting to look at his face, afraid she would see the rejection or fear etched on it. “I don’t need you to say it back or anything,” she finished quickly. “I just want you to know where I stand. I love you.”

  He didn’t say anything for a long, drawn-out moment. And when she mustered the courage to look up at him, he was looking down at her. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”

  He told her that he’d never been in a relationship before. But his response still surprised her. “I know you’ve never been in love. But a woman has never told you that she loves you before?”

  He shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, nobody has ever said it to me.”

  Her heart split in two for him. She pushed up so that she lay on his chest. “Nobody? Alex, oh my God. I love you.”

  He pushed his fingers through her hair. “Maria, you’re too good for me. I don’t deserve your love.”

  She felt the tears pool in the corners of her eyes. “Alex, you deserve love. You deserve happiness. You’re worthy of love. And if you can’t say it back, that’s okay. I understand.” She took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her.

  He smiled down at her. “I’m not sure if I know how to love. I’ve spent so long keeping people away figuring that maybe if I showed them the real me, they wouldn’t like it.”

  “You’ve shown me what you are. And I’m not going anywhere. There’s nothing to loving, you know. It’s just about letting yourself feel what’s in your heart.” She placed her palm over his chest. She could feel his heartbeat. “Love is for sharing, not hiding. Don’t be afraid of it.”

  “Maria.” He sighed and pushed her hair over her shoulder, caressing her skin. “You told me that I didn’t have to say it, but I will. I love you.”

  She couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her lips. It wasn’t just Alex’s declaration of love for her, but the fact that she’d broken through his tough, hard exterior. She pulled in closer to him, and his arms tightened around her again. Maria closed her eyes, inhaling his scent, and realized that she could still taste him on her tongue. She heard his breath grow heavy and even. She looked up at him and saw that his eyes were closed and he was asleep. Maria smiled, content, never wanting things to change. Completely surrounded by him, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  FROM THEIR USUAL table perched high above the rest of the club, the five original members of The Brotherhood, along with Rebecca and Jessica, watched the people below as they mixed and mingled, touching and flirting, as waitresses in short gold dresses passed throughout the room with trays of drinks.

  The place was near capacity, and Alex knew that hundreds more wanted memberships, wanted to be part of the experience that they provided. But more often than not, Di Terrestres was full, and the suites and demo rooms had waiting lists. The Brotherhood had to get to work on Hedo. Every day that their hotel wasn’t open was costing them thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

  “We really need to stop dicking around and get Hedo off the ground.”

  “And we will,” Alana assured him. “With the permits in line, and everything going our way, we’ve got crews working around the clock. It’s a priority right now. We’ll get there. And it’ll be soon.”

  “I know, but the issues and delays we had were frustrating. It’ll be good to be finished.” He turned to the rest of the group. “And it’s going to be amazing. Alana’s designs are awesome!”

  Alana blushed. Alex was glad that she’d had the chance to use her creativity to design the hotel. Even though she was the manager of their restaurants and club, she was an incredibly talented interior designer, and she didn’t often get to display those skills. “Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit. It really was a collaboration, though.”

  “It’s going to be one hell of a venture. Las Vegas has nothing else like it,” Gabe added.

  “You got that right.”

  “And guys, thanks for giving Maria a job working with you,” Rafael said. “Although I had dinner with her the other night, and she was exhausted. You must be working her to the bone.”

  Alex coughed into his glass in surprise, nearly choking on his drink.

  “Yeah, you’re really rubbing off on her,” Alana added casually, lifting an eyebrow at him. She was the only one at the table who knew Alex’s secret, and she was having fun with him. But thankfully, the subtext was lost on Rafael, who was already on his phone, his thumbs moving rapidly over the screen.

  “Your birthday is coming up,” Brett said. “What do you want to do?”

  Alex had been so busy that he’d almost forgotten that his thirty-third birthday was coming up later in the week. “I don’t want a fuss or anything. It’s just a birthday.” But in an instant, he pictured himself having a private celebration with Maria, naked in his bed. But his friends clearly had other plans.

  “We could have a party here,” Alana said. “I can talk to one of the event coordinators. Get some performers. Invite your nearest and dearest.”

  Alex’s “nearest and dearest” were the people sitting with him. Minus one: Maria. “Nah, guys. We can do something quieter. Let’s get dinner somewhere or something, if you insist on celebrating. We’d have to shut down for the night. We’ll have to make it up to our clients. Think of the lost revenue.”

  “Dude, not everything is about money,” Brett said.

  “Come on, it’ll be fun,” Alana implored.

  Alex looked around the table and saw that all of his friends looked excited, and he realized that it would also be a fun break for his friends...his birthday gave them the perfect excuse to cut loose. He could tell that they all needed it as much as, if not more than, he did. “Okay, sure.” He threw up his hands. “Let’s party.”

  The tabled cheered, and Alana started talking about things they could do for the party, but Alex’s attention shifted to his phone. Maria had sent him a photo of herself. Nothing dirt
y or salacious, just a picture of her in her apartment. The accompanying message read, Miss you.

  He missed her, too. He looked up at Brett and Raf, sitting with the women they loved. Touching, kissing, whispering to each other. He wished that Maria was sitting next to him. He wanted to take her out, show her off, be able to kiss and touch her whenever he wanted. It was time to tell the truth. He wanted to announce it to the table, to Rafael, but not without talking to her first. It was time for him and Maria to have a serious conversation.

  * * *

  “So what type of outfit are you looking for?” Beth asked as they both riffled through nearby racks.

  “I want something that will absolutely destroy Alex’s life,” Maria told her. The night before, Alex had come over, and he’d told her that he would be having a birthday party at Di Terrestres.

  “I can’t believe that you don’t have anything to wear,” Beth said.

  “Well, I don’t. I pored over my closet this morning, and sure, I have lots of club clothes, but I don’t really have anything that says ‘birthday party at my secret boyfriend’s sex club.’” She wanted something sexy, but also something that would blow Alex’s mind.

  Beth laughed, still flicking through hangers. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t care if you showed up in a paper sack.”

  “That doesn’t mean I have to,” Maria said with a giggle.

  Beth gasped. “I think I’ve found it,” she said, pulling a silky rose-gold dress from the rack.

  Maria looked it up and down and took the garment from her friend. “Wow.” She looked at the price tag. “Wowww.” It was more than she’d ever spent on an article of clothing. “I don’t think I can.”

  “Just try it on,” Beth urged. “You want something that will drive him crazy? This will. Just treat yourself, and him.”

  Maria sighed, drawing her fingers over the silk. It felt incredible, more decadent than anything she’d ever felt. “All right. I’ll try it on.”

  She walked into the changing room, and Beth followed, as was their custom. They didn’t think it strange undressing in front of each other. Maria quickly stripped off her T-shirt and jeans and pulled the dress over her head. The garment was small, the silk thin and extremely low-cut, and she wouldn’t be able to wear a bra, or anything else underneath it. But the silk was smooth and cool, and tickled her skin, causing her nipples to bud. Ignoring Beth’s low whistle, Maria looked in the mirror. The dress was positively scandalous. Thin spaghetti straps held it on her shoulders and the silk wrapped around her, forming a low, plunging neckline between her breasts and an almost indecently high slit on one thigh, but asymmetrical, making it hang slightly longer in the back.

  When Maria turned back around to face Beth, her friend’s mouth hung open. “Oh my God, that is stunning.”

  She turned and checked herself out in the mirror. The expensive silk felt like a dream against her skin. Beth was right, it was stunning.

  “That dress will one hundred percent make him drool.”

  “As long as he doesn’t do it on the dress.” She fingered the equally scandalous price tag. “But, God, the price, though.”

  Beth waved it off. “Come on, splurge a little. What’s the good of having that fancy job if you can’t treat yourself from time to time?”

  “It is his birthday,” she reasoned, looking at her friend in the mirror.

  “And it’s at that club of his. If you can’t be a sex goddess at an erotic club, I don’t know where you can be.”

  “True.” She knew that Di Terrestres had a more formal dress code, but she wasn’t sure how it would go for his private party, although Alana had told her that she could expect it to be sexy.

  “My brother is going to be there, though. I know he’s going to freak when he sees this. He might throw a blanket over me.”

  “Maybe he’ll finally get it through his thick head that you’re a gorgeous, vivacious woman, and not just his little sister anymore.”

  “I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one,” she said with a laugh, and she gave one final twirl in the mirror. “You’re still coming with me, right?”

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t miss it. I like Alex, and I really want to get a look at the club.”

  Maria turned and checked out her butt in the dress. Just as good a view from the back. She was satisfied by it, but she frowned.

  Beth didn’t miss it. “What’s wrong, hon?”

  “I was just thinking how great Alex and I would look together. Me wearing this, and him wearing whatever he’s wearing. But we can’t. We won’t even be able to kiss or touch each other.” She shrugged. “I just wish were like a regular couple.”

  “So, is Alex afraid of Rafael, or something?”

  Maria shook his head. “He’s not afraid, even though he knows he’s due an ass-kicking from my brother. But he’s trying not to distract Rafa from the campaign trail. He wants to keep him focused. I know he’s right. But it’s frustrating sometimes.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “Yeah, it kind of does. I love him. But it’s a tricky time to come clean with Rafa. And I don’t want to push Alex to do anything he doesn’t want to do. So that’s why we’re still keeping it a secret.”

  “Have you told him that?”

  “No.”

  “Why don’t you tell him that you want to come out as a couple?”

  “Because part of me is enjoying the secrecy. Sneaking off together, all the private glances and touches. But I don’t know how long that will be enough. And I don’t want to add anything else to his plate, either. He’s got so much going on with the new hotel that I don’t want to add any stress.”

  “If it’s a big secret, doesn’t that make it hotter?”

  She smiled. “It really does. And maybe that’s enough for now.” She brightened, looking at herself in the mirror. The silk dress was sexier than anything else she’d ever owned. She knew that Alex would love it, whether he could show it in public or not. She turned back to face Beth. “Anyway, I’d better buy this dress before I change my mind.”

  Maria paid for the dress, cringing slightly as she swiped her credit card, and she and Beth left the upscale shop and walked out into the pedestrian mall, doing their best to dodge the crowds of tourists sightseeing, gawking at the designer labels, doing their best to leave their casino winnings within the Vegas city limits. Like most locals, Maria normally avoided all things the Strip, but she always enjoyed people watching, and Las Vegas Boulevard was the place to do it.

  They strolled around the promenade, catching up, stopping at shops. Maria had already spent more on one item than she ever had in her life, but when they stopped in front of Agent Provocateur, Maria knew she had to go inside.

  She and Beth giggled as they looked through the racks, holding sheer lingerie against their torsos. She picked up a low-cut lace bodysuit. “Think this will work under my new dress?”

  “Girl, I’m not even sure you could wear underwear under that dress at all.”

  “Not that Alex will complain,” Maria murmured, and turned back to return the garment to its place. But instead of seeing Beth, she saw Rafael and Jessica.

  “Maria,” he said, not letting on whether or not he’d heard what she’d just said, and she wasn’t sure if his strained expression was from the fact that he’d just heard Maria admit that she was sleeping with his best friend or because he’d caught his sister in a lingerie store. Maria could feel the color drain from her face. “Doing some shopping?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I needed to pick up a new dress. For Alex’s party,” she said, testing him to see if he’d heard her say his name earlier.

  Jessica eyed her shopping bag. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  “Anyway—” Rafael nodded at the items Jessica had bundled in her arms “—we should be leaving.”

  “In a hurry to get that lingerie home, Rafa
el?” Beth teased, coming up behind Maria.

  “Is he ever,” Jessica said with a laugh. Rafael rolled his eyes. “We just got a pole installed at his place.” She winked. “I’m looking forward to trying it out.” Until recently, Jessica had made a career out of stripping. She’d even won awards for her pole-dancing skills.

  “You mean our place,” he told her. Maria smiled as she saw the love that her brother had for Jessica. It was reminiscent of the way Alex looked at her. Again, Maria faltered, and she felt a sad smile form on her face, not being able to be publicly affectionate with the man she loved.

  “Anyway, we’re leaving,” Rafael confirmed, taking Jessica’s arm and gently leading her to the cash register, obviously eager to get his fiancée back home.

  “So are we,” Maria said, turning in the other direction. She’d already spent so much money on her silk dress that there was no way she could justify spending hundreds more on lingerie. “We’ll see you tomorrow at the party.”

  Once they were outside, Beth turned to her. “Oh my God, do you think he heard you talking about Alex?”

  “I don’t know,” Maria said. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Rafael watching them.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ALEX PULLED HIS shirt over his shoulders and started buttoning. He grinned at the scratch marks that Maria left etched on his chest. God, he loved that bad side of her. He heard her throat clear behind him and turned to see her step from his bathroom. She was wearing a silk dress, if she could call it a dress. The rosy cream-colored material, which contrasted beautifully with her dark skin, barely restrained her delicious curves. It was obvious to him that she wasn’t wearing a bra. On her feet, she wore precarious strappy gold stilettos that buckled at her ankle, and he immediately imagined her wearing those shoes, her legs wrapped around him, digging the heels into his ass as he thrust into her. He’d have to make sure she kept them on when they got home. He let out a low whistle. “You’re stunning.”