What The Luck - The Complete Box Set

by Winters, KB

  Dylan laughed and the deep, rolling sound filled the room.

  “Here, let me put it on for you,” he said. I held back my hair as he fixed the clasp around my neck. I started to turn back around to face him, but he caught me by the hips and pulled me against him, my ass feeling his stiffening cock as he pressed closer into me. “There’s one more thing.”

  Chapter Three — Ellie

  Before I could loosen my tongue, he reached around my body and produced another jewelry box. It matched the one that contained the necklace, but was smaller. With a flick of his thumb, he popped it open, to reveal two matching diamond earrings.

  “Oh, Dylan, they’re beautiful. Here, let me take these out,” I said, starting to undo the pearl studs in my ears.

  He chuckled a little, but it was lower and softer than his laugh. His eyes were wicked green and sparking at me like he was in on a joke that I wasn’t aware of.

  “What?” I asked, feeling a rush of embarrassment, although I wasn’t sure why.

  “They aren’t for your ears,” he growled against my cheek.

  My entire body flushed as my mind filled with possibilities. “What…uhm, what do you mean?”

  Without a word, his hands wandered from my hips, up to my breasts where he toyed with the lacy edge of my dress. I laid my head back against his shoulder, letting him claim me, surrendering the fight and silencing the voices of protest in the back of my mind as he stroked my nipples through the lace fabric that covered them.

  He pushed the thin straps of my dress off each shoulder, one by one, his fingertips moving purposefully slow. My entire body was tight with a coil of anticipation building inside, fantasizing of where the night might lead.

  Once my shoulders were bared, he pressed his lips to my hot flesh and made a trail from one shoulder blade, across my exposed back to the other. The whisper of his lips on the back of my neck made me shudder and my knees buckled slightly. I braced myself against him as he continued his exploration from behind me. His hands were on the move again. This time, he pushed the dress down and my nipples puckered even tighter at the air conditioned room as they were released from the dress. He palmed and teased my breasts, and I was starting to wonder if it was possible to come from just nipple play.

  If any man was capable of making me do that…it would be Dylan.

  My eyes were shut, letting the sensations dance along my skin, when a sharp pinch caught me by surprise. I gasped at the new flurry of sensations as a slight pain ebbed to a delicious new pleasure. I looked down and watched as Dylan fastened the diamond rings around my nipples.

  So that’s what he’d meant. Definitely not earrings. They fastened with a thinner ring, pinching into my skin, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, just a slight tug of pressure whenever I moved.

  “Now, when you move, you’ll be thinking of me all night,” Dylan whispered into my ear.

  As if I had plans to think about anyone or anything else. Dylan wasn’t the kind of man who left any room in your dreams for other thoughts.

  I looked over to the mirror and appraised my new accessories. I turned and posed, noting how each move sent a fresh ripple through me. It would be torture, wearing them all night and not being able to find relief until after the party.

  What was happening to me? I wondered, staring at the reflection and not recognizing the woman looking back at me.

  Whoever she was, I was starting to like her. Especially, with Dylan’s handsome face coming into view next to hers.

  Without another word, he rearranged my dress, leaving the nipple rings fastened. Once the bodice was pulled up, I could barely see the outline of them, but with each move, my breast swayed and I was reminded of their presence.

  “Ready?” Dylan asked, offering me his arm just as he had done the night before.

  He was such an enigma. I wanted to unwrap each layer, suck on it, label it, and move on. Whatever it took to figure him out. As we strolled down the hall towards the banquet area where the gala was to be held, I forced myself to focus on the fact that this was just a fantasy. In three more days, the lux vacation would be over, and I would be back in the cramped apartment Dixie and I shared.

  And Dylan would be…well, wherever he lived.

  That question opened up a whole new box of questions in my mind, but I wasn’t sure where to start. I was new to the whole casual sex thing. What kinds of details were important? Which questions would be considered crossing the line? Was there really such a thing as too personal when your bodies had already explored the most intimate of acts?

  I didn’t know, and all my rambling thoughts and the tug of the nipple rings were making me dizzy.

  My new plan was to get to the bar as soon as possible and get just enough alcohol in my system to flush out all the questions lingering in my mind.

  “How was your day?” I asked, figuring that was a safe enough topic to tread. The silence between us, though pulsing with intense heat, was also too quiet. I had to say something.

  “Good, although I’m on day four of no work and having slight withdrawals. You?”

  “You’re that hooked into work?” I asked.

  Dylan smiled, and despite myself, I knew I was getting pulled into him again. Our brief exchange back in the room had shown me that no matter what had happened last night, my body was still very interested in him and all the things he could do to it. Even if my mind was protesting the sanity of that plan.

  “I’m a workaholic,” Dylan said, still smiling.

  I nodded. “I guess in some ways I miss school, but it’s nice to have time off, too. You should enjoy your break.”

  “Oh, I am. Now that you’re here. But today I was left to entertain myself,” he said, flashing me another heart-stopping smile.

  My palms were starting to sweat, and with each step my pussy was becoming more and more aware of the nipple rings clamped to me. It was like they were connected. If my body was on fire like this now, I’d be lucky to get through dinner. Dylan smelled like heaven and all I wanted to do was rip my dress off and let him explore every inch of me.

  We arrived at the banquet room and as I took in the scene, my mind finally let go of the erotic images it was playing on repeat.

  The Seaside Gala was apparently quite a popular event. We were hardly able to take ten steps into the room before I started feeling a little claustrophobic. The room was decked out in different shades of blues and greens to give a coastal feel, without being too gaudy. The wall of glass windows turned out to be doors and they were all open to the attached deck, which was outfitted with tables, chairs, and a bar.

  Dylan had released my arm, but was still guiding me with a slight touch at the base of my spine. Not on my ass, but close enough to get my heart rocketing around in my chest.

  I scanned the room for Dixie, hoping to find her before she found a new plaything.

  However, she was nowhere in sight.

  We’d finally arrived at the bar, and Dylan ordered us two glasses of champagne. He handed me the first flute and I smiled in thanks. “What’s the grand occasion?”

  “You have to have a reason to drink champagne?” he asked, looking puzzled.

  I took a swig. “I’ve only had champagne on three occasions. Once, on my prom night. My date bought a cheap bottle and snuck it in to spike our punch. The second was when I graduated and went on a weekend beach trip with some girlfriends. And third...” The story died on my lips and I paused to take another sip of the bubbly drink.

  “The third?” Dylan prompted.

  I waved a hand, brushing away the memory. “It was nothing, just a fancy dinner with someone I used to date.”

  “Well, tonight it’s just for you,” Dylan said, raising his glass to mine.

  “To diamonds!” I said, shooting him a meaningful look before lifting my glass and toasting him.

  Dylan quickly got me a refill and pressed a new glass into one hand as he expertly stole the empty one away.

  I smiled at him and wondered how he had le
arned to be so suave. “Now, don’t go getting me too many or I’ll pass out on you, and then all this fabulous new jewelry would go to waste.”

  He laughed at that and the tension between us seemed to finally begin to thaw.

  “Seriously, you did not have to get me anything, much less a diamond necklace and…” My voice trailed off but my eyes looked down at my cleavage.

  “You’re beautiful, Ellie. You deserve a little pampering.”

  My cheeks warmed at his sweet words and I ran my finger along the diamond necklace, wondering what it all meant. If I was just a fling, why would he spend hundreds…maybe even thousands…on jewelry for me? It just didn’t make sense. I’d known he was rich, just by the clothes he wore and the way he carried himself. Seeing that hotel suite only confirmed what I’d suspected from the first time we met.

  “Well, thank you. No one has ever done anything like that before. It feels like a fairytale or something,” I gushed.

  Damn the champagne. I swear the bubbles did something to my head.

  Dylan gave me a wicked smile and leaned in close, letting his hand sink lower until he was cupping my ass cheek. “Trust me, I have some very un-Prince Charmingly things I want to do to you tonight.”

  Fuck.

  Me.

  Fire scorched through my body, both at his words and the mental images they conjured up. Dylan had already proved to be light years ahead of me in the sex department and I was all too eager to see what my next lesson would be.

  “Is that Dixie?” He nodded in the direction of the bar inside the banquet room.

  Sure enough, there was Dixie, barefoot and dancing like no one was watching. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yep! That’s my girl. She has absolutely no rhythm.”

  Dylan smiled. “Those guys don’t seem to mind.”

  I followed his eyes and saw a pack of men sitting at one of the tables, all glued to her ass and tata’s as she gyrated—sort of in time—with the music. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I didn’t like the way they were looking at her. I knew Dixie could take care of herself, but I also knew she’d been in a few tight spots before and I didn’t want her to get in trouble.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said. I got up and crossed the room to retrieve her.

  “Dix, honey, how much have you had to drink?” I asked, keeping my voice low as I took her arm and started to lead her off the floor.

  “Juuuuuuust a little,” she slurred. Her breath smelled like a bathtub full of jungle juice.

  Heaven help me.

  “Did that guy really give you a necklace diamond?”

  “Yes, but let’s talk about that later. For right now, I think it would be best to get you back to the room,” I said, trying to usher her along, but it was clear her feet had stopped functioning a while ago.

  “Hey, where are you taking her? Dixie and I were just getting started,” a man in a dark gray suit announced as he approached us with a drink in each hand.

  Chapter Four — Ellie

  “Excuse me, but she’s done,” I said, trying to push past the man in the gray suit.

  “Oh, wait, hey! I know this guy,” Dixie said, her eyes lighting up as she tried to lean forward to swipe the drink from his hand. ”Ripley? Right?”

  “Roger,” he corrected. He flashed a congenial smile, but there was an edge of irritation that was apparent to those of us not completely hammered. It was painfully obvious that his game was to get Dixie drunk as fast as humanly possible so he could get in, get off, and get on with his night.

  “Listen, Roger, thanks, but no thanks,” I shoved the drink back before Dixie could get a grip on it.

  “Who are you?” He glared at me with disgusting-looking eyes and my blood thundered in my ears. The rest of the party faded to black and all I could see was him as I narrowed my eyes at him, fitting him between my cross hairs.

  “Who I am is none of your fucking business. Now, back off before I scream. I’m pretty sure you don’t want all these lovely people to know you’re some kind of date rape pig.”

  He reached forward and gripped my wrist like a cobra snapping at prey.

  That’s when everything went to hell.

  Before I could say another word, Dylan flew in out of nowhere and delivered a blow to the jaw of the perverted ass-hat who had tried to assault me. I heard myself shriek at the sound of the collision and then grabbed Dixie by the arm and hustled her away from the fray that broke out as the two men brawled on the floor.

  When I was sure we were far enough away, I turned back—all the while keeping a firm grip on Drunk Debbie—and watched in horror as Dylan pummeled the guy repeatedly in the face.

  After what seemed like ages, but was probably only just a few minutes, the hotel’s security busted up the fight and separated the two men. Dylan zeroed in on me immediately and stormed over, wrapping his arms around both Dixie and I and hauling us out of the banquet room.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked for the third time as soon as we arrived back at my room and got Dixie into bed after feeding her some aspirin. He stared down at me and ran his thumb across the place where the jerk from the gala had grabbed me. It didn’t hurt, but no matter how much I reassured Dylan, he kept stroking it anyways.

  “I’m all right. I’m just glad I went to get Dixie when I did. God, he probably would have had her halfway back to his hotel room if I hadn’t stepped in.” I shuddered at the thought and Dylan wrapped his arms around me.

  “She’s safe now. She just needs to sleep it off.” He pulled out of the embrace and let out a long breath. “I need some fresh air.” I followed him out of the room, double-checking that I had both my room key and my cell in case Dixie woke up and wondered where I was. I knew she was a grown woman and that she could take care of herself, but I still hated leaving her after the events of the evening.

  Although, if I knew Dixie, in the morning when I reminded her, she’d laugh it off and tell me how overprotective I was.

  Dylan and I left the hotel and started walking down to the beach. The sounds of the ocean and the night sky reminded me of our first conversation, outside the bar on the night we met.

  “So, what’s your story? I don’t even know where you live or what you do. It seems silly after everything that has happened to not know anything about you,” I said.

  “There’s not much to tell. Like I said earlier, the consensus is that I’m a crazy workaholic. I live in New York and I own a very large import/export business. I spend all day making deals and negotiating with suppliers and buyers and I love it. It’s a rush. But it takes over my life and doesn’t leave a lot of room for anything else. When I started my business, I said I wanted to work hard, play hard. But, it’s been all work hard and not a lot of play,” Dylan said.

  “So, is that why you’re here? To play hard?” I asked, not able to hold back the flirtatious smile that formed naturally on my lips.

  Dylan laughed. “I’m actually here because of my mom.”

  His answer caught me off guard and I let out an awkward laugh. “Your mom?”

  “Yeah. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday this year. I offered her anything, a cruise, jewelry, a new house or car.”

  I tried not to let my eyes bug out of my head as he listed off possible gift options.

  “Anyway, she told me what she really wanted was for me to take a vacation and get some rest, have some fun. So, here I am.”

  “That’s really sweet,” I said. This new piece of information was not at all what I’d expected, and it warmed my heart and my feelings for Dylan took root a little more, now that he was showing me his human side and not his power suit and nearly robotic perfectionism.

  “She’s the only person I can’t say no to,” he said with a smile. “I offered to bring her with me, but she said no.”

  I laughed. “Well, that would have made the scene on your patio a little more interesting.”

  Dylan let out a deep belly laugh at my joke.

  We laughed
together as we kept walking. We weren’t touching, but I still felt a connection to him and was enjoying the relaxed camaraderie between us.

  He led the way, and after we’d walked for a while, he pressed a hand to my lower back and directed me up a stone pathway. His hand was warm and the heat easily seeped through my lace dress and radiated all over my body. I was still wearing the diamond rings, clasped around each nipple, which gave me a hyper-awareness to my every move that only became sharper with his hand on my body.

  I knew we were heading back towards the hotel. We hadn’t walked that far and in less than fifteen minutes, we would be back and heading to his hotel suite. The anticipation kicked in and for the first time since getting dressed for the gala, nervous butterflies swarmed my stomach. I stole a glance up at Dylan, letting my eyes feast on his cut jaw that was covered by just the right amount of scruff. I wanted to feel him nuzzling against my neck and shoulders as he had earlier. The sensations shivered down my spine just at the memory.

  He turned to look at me and our eyes locked. It was dark outside but his eyes were like little beacons gleaming in the night, and seeming to see something I couldn’t yet see, every time he looked at me.

  “Are you cold?”

  The day had been hot, but now that night had fallen, there was a slight coolness to the air. However, that hadn’t been the reason for my shiver. Not that I was about to tell him that.

  Instead, I nodded and gave him a shy smile.

  He immediately stopped, shrugged out of his suit jacket and gently wrapped it around my shoulders. It was warm from his body heat and the fabric was covered in his scent. The combination, along with the way he was staring down at me, was fogging up my brain again.

  I supposed I should’ve been used to it by now—he seemed to have that effect on me whenever we got within a few inches of each other.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “It looks like I should take you back to my room so we can warm you up,” he growled, leaning close enough that the vibrations of his voice rolled through me.

  All I could do was smile and try to keep myself from panting as my body reacted to his words and the promise they held. I had no doubt that he would pick things up where we’d left off, which would require tying my wrists back to the bed. After that…it was his game and I didn’t quite know the rules, yet.