Loving Liv

by Stacey Kennedy

  He followed her with his gaze as she closed in on him, catching that citrusy cologne that she once thought was the best smell in the whole world. He gave her a full once-over. “You’re looking good.” He smiled.

  At that, she smiled back. “Yeah, six days of wild, hot sex can do that to someone.”

  The shocked look on his face was decidedly her greatest revenge. She left a laughing Allie behind and stepped into an exciting future.

  Back in Vegas, late in the night, Miles headed down the strip, past the Bellagio fountains. The dancing water lit up and entertained the crowd gathered there, but Miles kept his focus on the glowing sign ahead: Club Sin. Bouncers contained the lineup of customers waiting to dance the night away in the nightclub, unbeknownst to them that there was an exclusive BDSM dungeon hidden in the back of the building.

  “Miles,” the bouncer, Jeremy, said as Miles reached the door. “Nice to have you back.”

  “Good to be back,” Miles said, passing by to enter the club.

  The nightclub was both classy and elegant. The flashing lights, the hundreds of people dancing; Miles was going to miss this place. But with or without Liv, change had to happen. Even as he walked through the doors, it felt like the wrong place to be. A place that would hold him back, instead of pushing him forward.

  Chandeliers hung over the bar. Black leather couches were off to the side, and against the back wall behind the huge black glass bar was a glowing bright red sign: Club Sin. The place was busting at its seams, and Miles took pride in that. He’d only had full control of the nightclub for a year, and he’d succeeded in turning the bar into the best hotspot in the city, beating out many of the casino bars. And yet, being back in this space only reminded him that the fulfillment he craved when he sold his construction company was never found within these walls. He found that in Liv. And without her with him, nothing seemed right. He missed her.

  He skipped the bar, moving quickly up the stairs to a roped-off VIP area. Another bouncer there gave Miles a nod and then opened the rope to allow him through. All the tables were full of partygoers enjoying bottle service. Miles headed past them, moving to the back door. He typed in a code and the door clicked open, giving him access to a dimly lit long hallway, until he stopped at a security guard.

  Miles nodded at the guard. “Matthew.”

  “Good evening, Master Miles,” Matthew replied, wearing the all black Club Sin uniform. He gestured to the little box near his keyboard. “Fingerprint, please.”

  Security was tight and strict, and even Miles wasn’t exempt from being identified. Logs were kept, nothing missed. He pressed his finger against the scanner. It beeped once.

  Matthew studied the screen and then gave a firm nod. “Enjoy your night, sir.”

  “Thank you.” The moment Miles cleared the next doorway, heat brushed across his flesh as energy hummed in the space. He scanned the large rectangular room, finding all the BDSM stations in use, and while the men were dressed in casual wear, the women wore classy lingerie.

  Miles strode through the club, nodding at members who offered him a greeting or a smile. But soon, he found what he was looking for.

  His friends. His family. And as odd as it was, it felt like someone was missing. Liv, she should be there too. At his side.

  His close friends all sat in their usual spot in the center of the room, the best spot in the dungeon. Any station could be viewed from this spot, and all eyes were currently on the newest Dominant, Master Dylan, who had moved to Vegas recently from Salt Lake City. He had the submissive, Kelly, hogtied in suspension bondage. She was currently being near tormented with the vibrator Master Dylan controlled.

  Home sweet home. And yet, as his friends caught sight of him, their frowns mirrored what Miles felt inside.

  “While your tan is amazing and you look refreshed, you’re also not supposed to be here alone,” Cora said. “Where’s Liv? And what the hell happened?”

  “She went home,” Miles said, taking a seat next to Cora, while she sat beside her husband, Aidan.

  “Is there a reason for that?” Aidan asked.

  Miles leaned back in his seat, crossing an ankle across his knee, taking in the sounds of pleasure filling the space. He glanced at Presley and Dmitri. “She overheard our conversation. Guilt of my leaving you all and Vegas had her fears rising and sent her running.”

  “Oh no,” Presley said, covering her bulging breasts in her push up bra. “Was it something I said? I feel terrible. I didn’t mean that I wasn’t happy for you, just that I was really going to miss you. You know how I am, I get so emotional. Should I call her and explain?”

  Miles shook his head, shutting that thought down immediately. “First, it’s not something I did, or she did or anyone else did, but it’s the nature of a wounded heart. She kept looking for a way out. She found one and took it.”

  Kyler reached out to stroke his wife Ella’s, neck, as she sat on the armrest of his chair. “Is there nothing you can do?”

  While Kelly’s orgasmic scream filled the silence, Miles ran his hands over his face, admitting to his friends, “I did what I could do, but I failed at convincing her we’re worth the risk. It is a wild thought. We’ve known each other for a week in total. What else can I do but offer to move to where she is?”

  Porter frowned, and glanced at his wife, Kenzie, who said, “Well, if she’s too stupid to see how amazing you are, then she doesn’t deserve you anyway.”

  Always the outspoken one, Miles gave Kenzie a frown. “It is what it is,” he said. “And she’s not stupid, she’s scared.”

  A long moment of silence passed. Master Dylan began untying a very satisfied Kelly, who was both panting and laughing simultaneously.

  “All right, so what are you planning to do now?” Presley asked, drawing Miles’ gaze again. “Does that mean you’re going to stick around here with us?”

  Miles leaned back in his seat and glanced out at Club Sin again. He took in the sounds of pleasure filling the space. The happiness there. The freedom this space gave to others, making them feel alive and sensual. “When I took over Club Sin,” he said, addressing the whole group, “I was thrilled to not be working fourteen-hour days at a construction company. I thought I’d find something new that excited me and fulfilled me in between these walls.”

  “And did you find that?” Ella asked.

  “I found all of you,” he told them honestly. “I found close friends that have become a family I never knew even existed. I found that love can be healthy and good and real. I found that there is more to life than success and money.” He glanced at Dmitri and admitted, “I learned that a love I didn’t know existed is possible for me…and I finally found it.”

  “With her,” Presley whispered.

  Miles nodded. “With her.”

  Cora nibbled her lip. “Well, I think this is all very simple. You need to be your Dominant self and not take no for answer. So, how exactly are you going to do that?”

  Miles gave the most honest answer of his life, and the most non-Dominant answer he had in him. “I have absolutely no fucking idea.” And he didn’t. He glanced out around him, knowing he could work any woman’s body in this club until she was writhing in pleasure. But Liv’s heart, he didn’t know what to do with that. “Got any ideas?”

  “Call her,” Ella said.

  “Fuck that,” Kyler added. “Go to her. Fight for her.”

  “But where would that get him?” Cora asked. “In the same circle of her pain. You need to give her time. She’ll come around.”

  Aidan agreed with a nod. “You’ve done the groundwork. If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”

  Miles slowly shook his head and glanced at Presley. She shrugged. “I’ve already made a mess. I’m not saying anything more.”

  Dmitri cupped her chin, drawing her gaze to his. “You’ve done nothing wrong, doll. You just shared your feelings.” He dropped a kiss on her lips then looked to Miles. “I suspect you’re right. She was waiting for a reason to
run and found it.”

  Kenzie chuckled. “I have no idea why she’d be scared. You’re not intimidating at all.”

  Soft laughter filled the space around Miles. “Liv never met the Dominant. She had nothing to be intimated by.”

  Cora cocked her head. “But is that a good thing? Did she even get to know you?”

  Miles considered that and rubbed his hands over his face again, feeling edgy. He wasn’t even sure if he knew himself right now. And he didn’t fucking like it. “Probably not.” But somehow, he felt like she knew the parts that mattered. The parts that no one, except Miles’s friends, knew.

  Silence sank heavy between them. Until Porter broke it. “If you want something else to think about, I found out the building where that email was sent from.”

  At that, Miles’s back went ramrod straight. “Tell me.”

  “Oh, now this is going to be fun,” Kenzie said, bouncing in her seat. “Things are about to get really interesting.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Two weeks had flown by. Each day seeming a bit longer than the one before it. Liv felt as winded on this foggy night as she had the day she stepped on the cruise and saw Miles sitting there, and thought he was a figment of her imagination. She missed him terribly. Which only had her questioning her decision to leave him. Maybe she’d gotten this all wrong. All she wanted was some wine, a bath, and possibly a therapy session. But tonight, the glitz and the glam of San Francisco’s elite surrounded her as she headed down the long hallway, wearing a gorgeous, black sparkly evening gown she’d borrowed from Allie’s closet. Micah and Allie brought her to introduce her into Micah’s very lucrative business world. “Maybe this was a mistake,” Liv said to Allie, feeling out of her element as they entered the grand ballroom.

  Allie rolled her eyes, linking her arm with Liv’s. “Please. This is your night to network and meet people in Micah’s world. You need an in, and this is your way to get it.”

  Of course, Allie was right. Liv had been playing it safe. She couldn’t do that anymore. And that was one takeaway from Miles. She wanted to live like him. Going after her dreams, not hiding from them. Fears made her run. And that didn’t make her feel good. Not one bit. She felt like a coward.

  Determined to not waste this chance, Liv lifted her chin and strode into an unknown world where her dreams existed.

  Three hours later, her cheeks hurt from smiling and her throat was dry from all the talking. With Micah and Allie chatting her up and introducing her to everyone, she had three job interviews lined up, with two of the agencies willing to pay for her to get her real estate license. Everything she ever hoped and wished for was happening. All her years with Allie had given her hands-on experience. And yet…and yet, the one person who encouraged her to make her dreams a reality wasn’t here.

  Miles.

  He should be here.

  Needing air and a minute to breathe, she made her way outside to the patio where people smoked cigarettes and cigars. She went on the other side of the balcony, staring out at the glowing lights on the Golden Gate Bridge, wondering if Miles was doing the same thing, staring out at the Vegas strip.

  “Everything all right?”

  She glanced over her shoulder, finding Micah. He looked like he strode out of GQ magazine in his tux and styled dark hair.

  He offered her a glass of wine. “Thought you might need this,” he said.

  “Thanks.” She smiled. “And yes, everything is perfect. I cannot thank you enough for helping me. You and Allie, you’re both so special to me. I appreciate it all so much.”

  Micah slid his arms against the railing on the balcony, holding a glass of scotch between his hands. “Allie’s business is successful, not only because of her, but because of you. We both know that, Liv. You deserve to thrive in the type of work you enjoy.” At her answering smile, he added, “Which is why, even though you’ve got a few interviews lined up, I really hope you consider letting Holt interview you too.”

  She straightened up. “You want to interview me?”

  “Of course, I’d love to have you on my team,” he said, then leaned in closer and grinned. “But we’d only interview you for appearances and legality reasons. If you’d consider working for Holt, you’ve got the job. We’ll get you in for your license next week and get that all squared away.”

  She waited for a man to pass by as he puffed on his cigar before addressing Micah again. “Why didn’t you just ask before bringing me here tonight and helping me network?”

  He took a long sip of his scotch, the ice clanging against the glass. “Why would I refuse you the right to choose? Now you’ve got my offer and you can see you’ve got options out there. But I hope you choose wisely and choose me.” He laughed.

  Liv nudged her shoulder into his, not sure what she did to deserve the friends she had, but she was glad for them. “You’re too good to me, Micah. Both you and Allie.”

  “You’re not giving yourself enough credit,” he said, a softness in his voice she hadn’t heard before. “You’re a good friend to Allie, and you’re a good person. You deserve to be happy, Liv.” He glanced out at the twinkling lights, the side of his mouth curving. “Speaking of your happiness, did you ever find out who sent Miles that email?”

  “Sadly, no.” But now, instead of throttling them, she almost wanted to thank them. Her life had changed. And while her heart hurt, and she felt more confused than ever, the result of that email woke her up in more ways than one.

  Micah took another sip of his drink and then he turned to her, leveling her with that steady gaze. “Must’ve been someone who cares about you very much and thought Miles would make you very happy.”

  The lightness of his gaze had her turning to him fully then. Did he…could he have noticed Liv’s strong feelings for Miles?

  Micah stared out at the city lights. “You know, from what I’ve learned in life, fate has a hand in most things, but not everything. Sometimes it takes an idea and a little push. And sometimes all you’ve got to do is take a leap of faith, no matter how scary it might be.”

  Emotion made her throat tighten as she glanced down to the dark water below the bridge. A thousand thoughts crossed her mind, but one held steady. “You’re right—whoever sent Miles that email had to be someone who cares about me. Had to have known that I did feel something for him that was magical. And if he lived here, he would have made me very happy. But that certainly proves my point that none of this is simply about taking a leap of faith.”

  Micah slowly cocked his head. “Then what is it about?”

  She turned to him and sighed. “To have him, he’d have to give up everything. How is that fair?”

  Micah polished off his scotch and shook his head. “Your fear has you thinking in absolutes. In black and white. There is a middle ground there. Miles is wealthy. That company of his, he sold that for millions, which I’m sure he never said because that’s just not who Miles is as a man. Who’s to say you can’t go to Vegas once a month to visit his friends? Or travel there for weeks at a time for your vacations? Or have them come here? Or go on vacations somewhere with them? That’s what love is. Sacrifice. You do whatever you’ve got to do to make it work, but you both have to work at it. As far as I can tell, Miles has done his part. Have you?”

  The question was like a punch to the gut. Had she?

  No. She’d been terrified. She’d put up roadblock after roadblock and Miles had expertly knocked down every one. She had kept waiting, looking for that thing that would crush her. The way Gavin had crushed her. And yet, Miles only helped her, not hurt her. If anything, she’d come out of their time together stronger, searching for her dreams to come true. But she hadn’t been strong enough to do the one thing Miles deserved. Stay.

  Suddenly, she knew. Miles wasn’t Gavin. He’d never do what Gavin had done to her, and she believed that bone deep. “Shit,” she gasped. “I made a big mistake, didn’t I?”

  Micah gave a firm nod. “Huge.”

  The world spun around h
er. Whatever hold Gavin still had, and all the damage he caused, finally broke away. “I shouldn’t have left him.”

  “Nope,” Micah agreed.

  Her body flushed; her legs begged to run. To him. “How do I fix this?”

  “An apology is a good start.”

  “Would an apology be enough?”

  Micah gave a sly smile. “You’re a smart woman, Liv. I’ve got no doubt in that clever mind of yours you can think up a pretty damn good apology that would make Miles unable to do anything but forgive you.”

  The answer hit her like a brick to the face. “Can you…would you…”

  Micah grinned, and obviously, reading her mind, added, “I can. And yes, I will.”

  Life would change after tonight. Change in ways that Miles knew would last forever. The last couple weeks had made him unravel. Something had to give. He’d tampered his dominating ways with Liv, controlled the side of him that liked to take control, both in the bedroom and out of it. That side made him successful, set him up financially to now be able to take time to figure out this new life he wanted. But the time to control that pulsating side of power stopped tonight. No, tonight Miles took all the things he wanted, all the things he needed. But first, in Club Sin’s VIP area, Miles grabbed his phone and dialed the one person he’d waited to call until he cooled off.

  Micah answered on the third ring. “I’ve been wondering when you were going to call me. My security indicated someone tried to get through our firewall. I’m guessing that was Porter.”

  “Indeed,” Miles said, leaning back against the wall, staring out at the nightclub that would soon be packed full. “I knew my group here in Vegas would never cross those lines.” The trust between them was too tight, but Miles only knew Micah through Dmitri. “Tell me why you sent the email and interfered with my life.”

  A pause. Then when Micah spoke again, emotion filled his voice. “For her.”

  “Because you love her?”

  “Because she loves my wife and my wife loves her. Because she’s a good woman, and a good friend to me. Because she never deserved the pain handed to her. Because when she met you at the wedding, there was something in her eyes I’d never seen before.”