Bad Boys After Dark: Dylan (Bad Billionaires After Dark Book 2)

by Melissa Foster

  “I never did,” she admitted. “But I want to now. With you. Tonight.”

  He smiled and shook his head. “Summers, what am I going to do with you?”

  “Tell me I’m a workaholic and that you can’t handle it?” Her chest constricted with the thought.

  “Not a chance,” he said without a moment’s hesitation.

  The pressure in her chest eased. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted this, how much losing Dylan would hurt, until she’d allowed herself that moment to peek beyond her walls. And what she’d seen on the other side had been nagging at her ever since.

  “But what do you think about that baby step idea? How about we turn your phone off until after the first part of our date? Then we’ll take a break and you can take care of your work, and after that we’ll move on to the second part of our date.”

  “You really are ridiculously accommodating. You know what? I am turning this off.” She powered down her phone. “I’m going to wrap myself around you on that crazy machine and do exactly what you suggested.”

  “You sure?” His brows lifted with surprise.

  “Yes. Definitely.” She held her phone out to him, then pulled it back. “Do they serve drinks where we’re going? I might need one. Or five.”

  He laughed and pulled her into a hug. “No drinks, but I promise you’ll be too sidetracked to think about your phone.”

  She handed over the phone, feeling like she was giving him her left arm. “You said no sex, but you told me to wear clothes I could get sweaty in. That leaves way too many possibilities for my active imagination. Where are you taking me?”

  As he helped her put on the helmet, he said, “Someplace I’ve never taken another woman.” He patted the seat. “Climb on, Summers. You’re about to see how fun life can be.”

  THE COOL EVENING air moved over Dylan’s skin as they drove out of the city. He’d always loved the sense of freedom riding his motorcycle brought. He felt closer to nature, and tonight he felt closer to Tiffany, too. He loved the feel of her wrapped around him, trusting him enough to keep her safe. Her inner thighs pressed against his hips, her breasts against his back, and her arms wrapped tightly around him. At first she’d clung so tight she’d pinched skin beneath her fingers, but the longer they rode, the more comfortable she became. They drove through the tunnel crossing the East River, and by the time they reached his friend’s warehouse, her hands were splayed over his abs, not fisted in fear.

  He parked behind the building and helped Tiffany take off her helmet and climb off the bike. Her eyes danced with excitement, but it was her wide smile that brightened all her gorgeous features.

  “That was awesome!” She threw her arms around his neck, so uninhibited it made him laugh.

  “You liked the ride?”

  “Are you kidding?” She ran her hand over the leather seat. “Plastered against you with the vibrations and the cold wind whipping through my clothes? It was exhilarating. I thought I’d hate it, because let’s face it. There’s no control on the back of the bike. If you crashed, well, we all know what would happen.” She was talking as fast as she had last night, but while then she’d been upset, tonight she was humming with excitement.

  “I want to ride it every night. I had all this stress in my head before we climbed on. And if I’m being honest, for the first part of the ride I was petrified. But then it was like I couldn’t hold on to the stress, or my fear of being on the back of it. I was mesmerized by everything. Things I never noticed while I was in cabs. Like how pretty the inside of the tunnel is. The lights reflect from above and below. I never noticed that before. I just…rode, checking my phone, or talking on it, or reading contracts. I was completely oblivious to everything around me. And the air? Oh my gosh, Dylan. The air inside the tunnel feels like it’s electrified, but you don’t feel that when you’re in a car. You don’t really feel anything but annoyed at traffic.” She ran her fingers through her hair, sending golden strands floating along her shoulders. She looked like she’d just discovered life for the first time.

  Dylan filled with happiness, and he wanted to see that awestruck, sexy look every single day. He laced his fingers with hers and hoped he’d find ways to do just that. “I’ll add ‘nightly bike ride’ to our to-do list.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “See? You’re too accommodating. We both have to work. We can’t do that.”

  “You severely underestimate the power of choice.” He leaned down and stole a kiss. “Come on. Let’s get going.”

  “Where are we?” Her eyes moved over the enormous warehouse.

  “My friend’s place.” He led her around the side of the building and her eyes widened when the wide creek came into view, along with several small sailboats.

  “Wow. This makes the whole warehouse scene feel different. It’s so unexpected.”

  “Gigi’s father left the business and building to his daughters when he retired. The blue boat is theirs.”

  “Gigi?”

  “She’s Phoebe’s sister. I’ve known them since I was a kid.”

  “So you grew up here? In New York?”

  “Yes, just outside the city.”

  They walked along the dock for a few minutes hand in hand and made their way around to the front of the building.

  “Entertainment Warehouse?” She pointed at the sign above the door. “Is this some kind of seedy strip club?”

  “You might wish it was after you see what’s inside.”

  She stopped cold, squeezing his hand. “Okay, so here’s the part of me you haven’t figured out yet. It took everything I had to put my phone away and climb on that bike.”

  She was so adorable. Didn’t she know he knew that about her by now?

  “I mean, that was like a year’s worth of giving up control. Maybe two. But going into a warehouse without knowing what’s inside? Not happening.”

  “Seriously? This is where you draw the line?” He chuckled and stepped closer, bringing their bodies together. “Not at a one-night stand? Not at phone sex? Not at letting me come all over your gorgeous breasts?”

  Crimson colored her cheeks. He cupped her face and brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “What are you worried about?”

  “Let’s see. Whips, chains, other freaky, kinky stuff with strangers.”

  He couldn’t resist nuzzling against her neck and teasing her. “Am I a stranger?”

  “No, but…”

  He kissed his way up to her lips. “I’m not into whips, chains, or other freaky stuff with strangers, but I might be into silk ties with you.”

  “Dylan,” she said in a heated whisper.

  “Oh, my girl might be into that? Things just got even more interesting.” He slanted his mouth over hers and she was right there with him, kissing him hard and rough, and then suddenly she jerked away.

  “Wait. No. I’m not going to a sex club!” She stepped backward.

  “A sex club?” He realized there must be something dark driving that strong of a reaction—and assumption—and his gut clenched tight with the possibilities.

  “Babe, what’s going on?” He reached for her, anger and worry intertwining into a ball of fury.

  She turned away, and his heart was pulled in too many directions. He went to her, despite her efforts to resist. “Talk to me.”

  She pressed her mouth into a hard line.

  “Summers, whatever it is, you can tell me. I won’t judge you, but I might beat the hell out of someone if they hurt you.” Her gaze hit the ground, and it took his heart with it. He gathered her against him. She was breathing hard, and beneath his skin, anger slithered like snakes at whoever hurt her.

  “Nothing happened to me. Not really,” she said, pushing gently from his shoulder, but not from his arms. Anger brimmed in her eyes. “I was almost engaged, briefly.”

  “Almost engaged?” he said, trying to process this new information.

  “Yes. We were in college. We’d dated for a year and we were going to get married after gra
duation. I thought I knew everything there was to know about him.” Her shoulders slumped, like the admission came with pain. “But it turned out that I didn’t know him at all. I found out sex clubs were his thing. And I didn’t find out because he took me to one. I found out after I walked in on him in bed with my best friend. I found out a lot of things after that. And I thanked God every day that we’d always used condoms because he was into some freaky shit.”

  “Christ, babe. That must have been horrible.” He ground his teeth together, fighting the urge to ask who the asshole was so he could track him down and pound the shit out of him. “I would never take you to a sex club. I was kidding.”

  She let out a relieved breath. “Thank God.” Drawing back, she searched his eyes, and he wondered what she needed, what she was searching for. “But I’m not against silk ties in the privacy of our bedrooms. I never did that with him, but…”

  Her confession was so unexpected it threw him for a loop. He touched his forehead to hers and smiled. “You are the most complicated woman I’ve ever met. I promise, we’ll explore that another time. When I’m not fighting the urge to kill some asshole.”

  He kissed her then, long and reassuringly thorough. She was so brave, such a mix of so many things, he was a little awestruck. He would imagine most women who had been through what she had would probably never want to have anything to do with silk ties. Or one-night stands. Or what she’d let him do the other night. He gazed into her eyes, seeing who she was more clearly. She’d taken what happened to her and owned it. She’d turned the tables. She’d become a woman who refused to be a victim, and that was a hell of a far cry from the type of woman he once thought he was attracted to. He’d been wrong. So very wrong it was almost pathetic, because he’d never been more attracted to a woman than he was to Tiffany.

  “This place is not a sex club. And just for the record, I would never share you or put you in a situation where anyone else knew we were being intimate. What we do is between us. I don’t get off on other people watching, got it?”

  “Got it,” she said confidently.

  “I like you a lot, Summers. I’d never do anything to hurt you. Not in private, or public.” He framed her face with his hands and stared deeply into her eyes, wanting her to hear the truth in his words. “You can trust me.”

  “I might regret it later, but I do trust you.”

  “You won’t regret it. I’m a good guy.” He kissed her again. “I probably should have asked you this earlier. You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”

  She laughed. “I’m not afraid of much of anything, except…”

  He raised his brows in question.

  “Well, you probably already figured it out.”

  “Relationships?”

  She nodded.

  “Who isn’t?”

  Her eyes filled with disbelief.

  “Everyone’s got baggage and fears. You’re in good company.”

  “You are not afraid of relationships,” she insisted. “You jump in with two feet.”

  “Everyone is afraid of relationships. We just handle our fears differently.” He didn’t want to get into another deep discussion before the fun part of their date, so he took her hand and headed for the entrance. “Come on. Let’s make good use of our non-phone time.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  TIFFANY COULD NOT believe her eyes. Trampolines, human-sized hamster balls, rock walls, and a handful of other odd sports paraphernalia filled the enormous warehouse. There were a multitude of cables strewn across the unfinished ceilings and hanging down to various contraptions. Dylan led her across the concrete floor to a huge net stretched beneath trapeze bars. A door in the back of the warehouse opened and a tall brunette threw her arms up in the air and squealed.

  “Dylan!” She ran—ran—across the concrete floor and launched herself into his arms.

  Dylan laughed and spun her around. “Good to see you, Gigi.” He kissed her cheek, and when he set her down on her feet, she planted one hand on her hip and ran an assessing gaze up and down his body.

  Jealousy clawed at Tiffany.

  “Tiffany looks good on you.” Gigi turned her attention to Tiffany and gave her an equally warm hug, without the overzealous launch, and kissed her cheek with a loud mwah! “A hundred years I’ve known this guy, and never has he brought a woman in to play until now. You, my sweet blond goddess, must be someone very special.”

  “Genevieve, you promised not to embarrass her.” Dylan mouthed, Sorry.

  He needn’t have worried. The minute she said, Tiffany looks good on you, Gigi had jumped from enemy to comrade. It was obvious how close the two of them were. They reminded Tiffany of her relationship with her brothers. They teased each other every time they were together.

  Gigi waved a dismissive hand and draped an arm over Tiffany’s shoulder. “We are going to have so much fun! Yoga pants are the bomb, aren’t they? Not only do they show off our incredible figures, but you can move in them like a snake in the grass.”

  Tiffany looked over her shoulder at Dylan, who was right behind them.

  “I should have warned you,” he said with a laugh. “She rarely uses a filter.”

  “Oh, please.” Gigi rolled her eyes and began messing with a few of the cables that were hanging from the ceiling. “The owner of a gentleman’s club cannot have a filter. There’s no room for it.”

  “A gentleman’s club?” Tiffany glanced at Dylan.

  He must have read her mind because he gave her a don’t-even-go-there look and said, “No. I have never frequented it, and I didn’t mention it outside because this is not a sex club.”

  “Dylan, frequent my club?” Gigi laughed. “My girls wish he would!”

  Dylan sidled up to Tiffany, speaking directly into her ear. “One day you’ll see I really am a good guy.”

  She gazed up at him. The thrill rushing through her momentarily transported her back to a time when she’d been carefree. Pre-asshole Rob. And it felt fantastic. She wanted to stay right there in a magic bubble of the moment, blissfully happy.

  “I think I know that by now.” She went up on her toes and kissed him.

  “Okay, guys,” Gigi said, strapping a harness-type contraption around Tiffany’s waist. “This is not make-out time. This is all about fun.” She set a serious gaze on Tiffany.

  “Fun?” Tiffany’s heart raced. “I assume you think I’m going up there?” She pointed at the trapeze bars.

  “Yup,” Gigi said with a radiant smile. “It’ll be fun, just as soon as you get over the suffocating fear.”

  “Ohmygod.” She glared at Dylan. “You could have warned me.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” He gave her a chaste kiss.

  Gigi moved around her, hooking and checking cables. Tiffany felt like a marionette. A freaking petrified marionette.

  Dylan placed his hands on her shoulders and locked his gorgeous eyes on her. “I know you like to be firmly grounded.”

  “Yes.” I’m going to pass out.

  “And in control.”

  “Yes.” Please don’t make me do this.

  “And you don’t like to look weak.”

  “Ever! What’s your point?” Her hands were trembling. She realized Gigi was no longer messing with her rigging and spotted her climbing a tall ladder up to a platform.

  “I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do, but I’d never make you do this alone. I’m going up, too.” He toed off his shoes.

  “How does that help me, exactly?”

  “Moral support.” He knelt down and untied her sneakers, took them off, and set them beside her. Running his hands along the outside of her legs, he rose to his feet, bringing a rise in her temperature as well. “Trust, Summers. That’s what this is all about. Trusting yourself, as much as trusting me.”

  She looked up at the platform, where Gigi stood holding a trapeze bar and waving. Tiffany lifted her hand in a half wave.

  “If you’re too scared,” he taunted, arching a brow. �
��You can just watch.”

  She scowled at him. “You have actually done this before?”

  “For many years. And I will do it until the day I’m too old to climb the ladder.” Something in his eyes told her there was more to this than a challenge.

  “Why?”

  “You want all my secrets?” His jaw tightened. “You’ll have to share one with me.”

  Hands on hips, she said, “I already did. Outside.”

  His expression turned serious. “Fair enough. My sister loved the trapeze.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek, and another taunt sparked in his eyes. “I’m going up, and I promise not to call you a sissy if you don’t.”

  By the time she realized he said loved and not loves, he was halfway up the ladder. She felt like her heart was clawing its way out of her chest in an effort to catch up to him. Loved. You lost a sister?

  “Coming up, Tiff?”

  Gigi’s voice pulled her back to the moment. This place, this event, and his friendship with Gigi, were important to Dylan, and he’d chosen to bring her there. A hundred years I’ve known this guy, and never has he brought a woman in to play until now.

  She wasn’t about to let him down.

  Five minutes later Tiffany stood on shaky legs with her toes peeking over the edge of the way-too-high platform, gripping the trapeze bar so tightly her knuckles blanched, and watching Dylan swing like a monkey in freaking paradise over the net.

  “Come on, Summers! You can do this,” he called out to her as he maneuvered his big body so he was hanging by his legs. He made it look so easy!

  And she was petrified.

  Sure she’d die.

  Fall right through the holes in that netting and splat on the concrete floor.

  “It didn’t look so high from down there,” she said to Gigi, who had given her a quick how-to on the art of trapeze swinging, falling, and jumping. She was pretty sure she’d master the falling part, no problem. The rest? Not so much.

  “I know. It’s crazy how scary it feels. Just remember, all you have to do is let go and land on your butt. Pull your legs up into an L-shape and it’ll be just like when you were little and jumped on a trampoline.”