by Harlow James
With a cocktail in my hand, I survey the crowd around me, waiting for the Bat Signal to illuminate between my legs as I watch men stride past our booth, some more blatantly lingering in my direction than others.
Nope, too short.
Ugh. That’s a brown paper bag situation right there.
Attractive, but no.
He looks nice, but nice isn’t getting my engines revving.
Suddenly the booth beneath me jolts, sending me lifting off the leather. “Jesus, Shayla! Warn a person!” I spin to see my best friend with glazed-over eyes and a shit eating grin on her face. Looks like someone’s three sheets to the wind.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you dancing with Waverly and me?” Her voice is whiny and child-like, which only compliments the pout of her lips.
“My vagina is angry, Shayla.”
“What? Why?” She smooths her hair away from her face before reaching for a glass of water and chugging it eagerly.
“Because there is no man lighting up my clit tonight, and there hasn’t been since Thursday.” I huff and take another sip of my drink.
Shayla licks her lips and then grins. “You’re still thinking about Silas, aren’t you?” After Shayla sensed my disappointment when Silas never appeared the other night at Omnia, she drilled me for more information about what was going through my mind. It didn’t take much after several drinks to confess that I obviously found the man attractive, given my reaction at the restaurant. But now I can’t seem to move past the lingering thoughts about him, and that is quite abnormal for me.
“He broke me, Shayla. The man has cast a hex on my vagina and now no other man is doing it for me.”
Shayla snorts. “Your vagina is not broken, Chloe. You just… found a man attractive and can’t seem to shake him. It happens to us all at some point. Hell, look at me with Wes.” She shrugs while swaying slightly in her spot.
I point a finger at my chest. “But I don’t do that, Shayla. I don’t fixate on one man long enough to care. You know that. There are plenty of dicks in the sea. They got the saying wrong. It’s not fish, it’s dick, and there are plenty everywhere and I could have any one I wanted because I’m a woman and that’s my prerogative. Yet I can’t seem to get past the one I haven’t even seen yet!”
Shayla’s eyes widen as she glances over my shoulder. “Oh my God.”
“What?” I spin around to see what she’s staring at and the pitter patter of my heart has me bending on my knees in silent prayer.
As if God was listening to my rant and heard my cries, he made Silas De Luca magically appear just on the other side of our private booth. His casual stance and pearly white grin has my clit activating and preparing for takeoff.
The clit is lit. I repeat, the clit is lit. Commence the mission.
“Son of a bitch, my prayers have been answered,” I mumble as Shayla smacks me on the arm, pulling my attention back to her.
“Talk about serendipity. Now, refill your drink and get your flirt on so I don’t have to listen to you belly ache anymore,” she reprimands while stumbling as she stands.
“You act like you don’t love me and my belly aching.”
“You put up with mine, so I put up with yours. It’s our love language,” she retorts before walking toward Wes, who’s standing next to Silas.
“Damn right,” I shout after her before tossing back the rest of my drink and then standing, preparing to walk over and clench my sweet victory for the night. Silas may have escaped me two nights ago, but he won’t this time. That hot hunky Italian is all mine.
With a fluff of my natural curls and a boob adjustment, I stride across the space with my eyes focused on the prize, and I don’t miss the glimmer in his eyes when he sees me, followed up by the slow rise of the corners of his mouth.
“Hello, Silas,” I say in a velvety purr that even has my own libido stirring.
“Chloe. You look beautiful tonight.” His eyes dance up and down my body encased in a burgundy dress that hugs my curves and displays a tasteful amount of cleavage. I know I look good tonight and it seems Silas agrees.
“You look good enough to eat,” I fire back, eliciting a full bodied laugh from Wes and a soft chuckle from Silas.
“Are you having a good time?” he says, sidestepping my comment.
“It just got a hell of a lot better now that you’re here.”
He studies me, contemplating his next move. But I’m determined to make this night end the way I want it to, so I don’t give him much time to come up with a response.
“Care to dance?” I offer him my hand and watch his eyes lower to where my arm is outstretched.
“I’m not much of a dancer,” he counters, shifting slightly on his feet.
“The hell you aren’t, man,” Wes chimes in and then playfully shoves Silas toward me. His hand envelops mine as he catches his footing and then throws a glare over his shoulder at Wes, who’s gleaming from ear to ear as Shayla giggles in his arms. “Now go dance with Chloe before she really gets worked up.”
I smirk at Silas as he focuses back on me, tossing my head in the direction of the dance floor. “Come on. I’ll even do all the work.” I wink at him and then he’s close on my heels, his hand still in mine as we make our way through sweaty bodies moving to heavy dance beats.
When I find a spot I like, I twirl to face him and then drape my arms over his shoulders, shimmying my hips to the music as his hands grip me there and his body moves in time with mine.
“So how is Vegas treating you? Did you enjoy your dinner the other night at my restaurant?” He breaks the silence while penetrating me with his gaze. The feel of his hands on me, the heat of him coming through his shirt that my fingers are grazing is enough to spark the electricity burning between us even more.
“I’d give it an eight out of ten so far.”
“Only an eight?”
“Yeah. I mean, the food was top notch, and the wine suggested by the owner was one of the best I’ve ever tasted—but then the owner disappeared and I never got to finish that conversation.”
“Well, it’s a good thing he showed up tonight, isn’t it?” He narrows his eyes at me while the song changes and our bodies adjust to the new rhythm.
“Wes was right, you can dance.” My entire body hums with energy as Silas begins to control our movements. And I’m not usually one to submit. I’m more of the dominant in almost all aspects of my life because my life has groomed me to be that way—but allowing him to take control in this moment has my mind and body thrilled with this slight lack of control.
“He’s right about a lot. Always has been.”
“That’s right. You three have known each other for a long time, huh?” I remember Wes and Hayes filling in Shayla and me the other night about their connection to Silas.
“Since high school for me. Hayes and Wes grew up together from a much younger age. But once I came along, they couldn’t resist letting me into their bromance.”
“I find it hard to believe anyone could resist you, Silas De Luca.” I let his name roll off my tongue, which has Silas fixating on my mouth for a brief moment.
“So who are you, Chloe …?”
“Pierce,” I finish for him, assuming he wanted my last name.
“Chloe Pierce,” he repeats, spinning me around with a twirl of his arm and then returning me to the same position as before. And that spin—well, it knocked my body and my mind even more off-balance than I already was.
“Not much to say. I’ve known Shayla since we were kids as well. She is my best friend and I would take a bullet for her, even though I honestly hope I never have to cash in that best friend card. We actually live together in Santa Barbara where I run my own dog walking business.”
“Dog walking?” he asks, surprisingly.
“Yes. Dog walking. Don’t balk at it, or I’ll march off this dance floor right now, mister.”
He smirks and then tightens his grip on my waist. “I wasn’t balking. Tell me more, please.”
“Well, Santa Barbara is a very pet-friendly town, full of older people in retirement. A lot of people who live there also travel or work so much that they need someone to come in and check on their pets, take them for walks, etc. That’s where I come in. I’ve built quite the clientele actually,” I state proudly, surprising even myself with how much I want to impress him.
And I never care what anyone thinks of me.
“It takes drive to build something like that. It’s impressive, Chloe.”
“So are your restaurants, Silas,” I reply smoothly, lifting my fingers to drag my nails down the back of his neck, loving how tense and then melty he gets from my touch. “How did you manage to build a brand of that magnitude at such a young age?”
His lips purse as he studies me once again. “I’m not that young, Chloe, but the chain started with my grandfather and then expanded when my dad and he began working together. Things almost fell apart when …” His eyes flick off to the side of the room as his body tenses.
“When what?” I press before realizing that we’re having an extremely normal conversation in the middle of a dance floor in a club in Vegas.
Silas shakes his head and then stops moving all at once. “Never mind. I think I’m done dancing for tonight.”
“But the night has just begun!” I say a little too enthusiastically.
He sighs and then leads me off of the dance floor to a secluded corner, keeping his hand gently clasped around my upper arm. “Look, you seem like a nice woman, Chloe—a little crass, but beautiful and fiercely independent. However, I don’t do relationships …”
“Who said anything about a relationship?” I cut him off dramatically, my words oozing with desperation that doesn’t necessarily paint me in the best light, but I’m determined to get what I want. “I just want your dick for the night.” I size him up once again appreciatively. “And based on the size of you, I’d imagine your dick matches the massive parts I’m able to see.”
His mouth falls open in amused shock. “Well, I guess I can’t be offended by your honesty, but one-night-stands aren’t really my thing either.”
“Silas,” I say, running my hand up and over the planes of his chest, tensing as I feel the mountains of muscles concealed by the pressed white cotton. “When I tell you I’m not like other women, I’m speaking the truth. I won’t beg you to call me, you won’t get mysterious messages from me on your social media to just casually say hello, and I promise you, I will give you a night you won’t soon forget, sir.” I rise on my toes and lean in just enough to press my lips to the corner of his mouth, moving down to his jaw, and then dragging my tongue slowly along his stubble and the tan skin of his neck.
A groan escapes Silas’s lips as I feel his hand squeeze my hip. He’s losing the battle, the fight between following his rules or giving in and having a little fun. And my body is yearning for him to choose the Devil on his shoulder, the bad influence that convinces him to see what kind of promises I can deliver on.
“Chloe,” he groans before releasing his grip on me and stepping two steps back. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to have to respectfully decline.”
My jaw drops slightly, but I recover quickly, hiding my shock and disappointment before he notices. “You’re sure?”
“Yes, unfortunately. It was… lovely to speak with you again, and thank you for the dance.” With a nod of his head, he turns around and leaves me alone in a dark corner of the club to contemplate what just transpired.
He… he shot me down. Silas De Luca had a clear offer for sex—with me—and he denied it.
What the fuck just happened? And why does it feel like my clit is crying now?
Chapter 2
Silas
Eight Months Later
“Erica, I can’t talk right now.”
“I know. But the supplier needs a decision by five, and with the time difference …”
I pinch the bridge of my nose as I pace on the sidewalk just outside the hotel suite. “Just tell them yes, and I’ll deal with the details later.”
“You sure?”
“No. But I don’t have time for this. My best friend is getting married in ten minutes.”
She sighs and in that moment, I know she wouldn’t be calling me right now if she didn’t have to. “I’m sorry, Silas. I know you didn’t want to be bothered, but …”
“You were just doing your job, Erica. It’s okay. I’m the boss…we don’t get real vacations. It’s part of wearing the hat.” My shoulders drop just as Hayes pokes his head out of the door, shooting me a look that says it’s time to wrap up this conversation. I hold up a finger to him, signaling my need for just one more minute.
He nods with understanding, and then goes back inside.
“Enjoy the rest of your trip. I will honestly try not to bother you.”
“Thanks.” I end the call and then let out a heavy breath. Fuck. I knew something like this would happen when I boarded the plane, but the stress of running a billion-dollar business never ceases to surprise me at times.
“You ready?” Hayes asks as I step back into the room where he, Wes, and I are getting ready for the wedding.
“Yeah, just a small detail that needed to be ironed out. You know how that is.”
“Yup. But make sure you silence your phone now so it’s not going off during the ceremony, Silas, or Shayla may castrate you on the beach.” The nice thing about having best friends who are also wealthy in their own right and run their own businesses is that they understand exactly what my life can be like sometimes.
I can’t help but laugh, especially as the anxiety of turning my phone off registers. “Already done. I cherish my balls too much to let that happen.”
Hayes holds his hand over his crotch. “Same here, man.”
“You two ready?” Wes steps out from the bathroom, straightening the light grey jacket of his tux and adjusting his tie.
“Aw, Wes. You look so sexy. I might have to steal you away from Shayla,” Hayes teases as Wes narrows his eyes at him.
“I know you love me, but you scare me sometimes when you say shit like that.”
“It’s all out of love, man.”
“Silas doesn’t say that shit,” Wes counters.
“Well, he doesn’t love you like I do,” Hayes fires back.
I hold my hands up in the air. “Hey, I’m not involved in this conversation. There is way too much affection going around between you and your women. I am staying firmly planted six feet away from all of that. According to the CDC, that is a safe distance so that I don’t catch anything contagious.”
Wes and Hayes stand next to each other and smirk in my direction. “You sure you’re not jealous, Silas?” Hayes asks. “Your two best friends are in love and found women to cuddle with all night. That also means we get to have sex on a regular basis.” Hayes holds one finger up and then points it at me. “When’s the last time you got your dick wet?”
Before I can answer, Wes chimes in. “First of all, what did I tell you about reminding me that you and my sister have sex?”
Hayes and Waverly got drunkenly married in Vegas on New Year’s Eve, but have fallen in love with each other over the last six months, and are now giving their marriage a real shot.
“Sorry, but not sorry, my friend.” Hayes smiles, clearly pleased that his relationship with Wes’s sister makes him uncomfortable.
“Secondly, why are you so obsessed with the two of us getting our dicks wet?” He throws up quotations with his fingers while mocking Hayes with an impression of him. “You were the same way when I went to Santa Barbara. Leave the man alone.”
“Hey, sexual health is important and as men, we need to look out for each other.” Dear lord. “And did you or did you not happen to meet Shayla after I put that little bit of pressure on you?”
Wes arches a brow and crosses his arms over his chest. “I suppose… but I didn’t necessarily pursue her because of what you said.”
Hayes shrugs. “D
oesn’t matter. It helped. And maybe our good friend Silas needs the same nudge.” He pats Wes on the shoulder and then focuses back on me. “So, Silas?”
“I am not discussing my sex life with you. We have a wedding to get to.” I shove my hands in my pockets so I’m not tempted to reach out and punch my friend. Hayes and Wes know how I feel about relationships with women, and now is not the time to get into this conversation again.
“Oh, I get it. You’re eager to see Chloe.” Hayes chuckles and then steps around me as Wes follows him to the door.
“No,” I lie as my heart rate starts to increase and I deny to them and myself that I haven’t thought about Chloe once or twice since I met her back in November.
I’d never met a woman like her—confident, frank, and stunning in a natural way. She ignited something inside of me, a feeling I avoid because that curiosity can slowly develop into need, and I don’t need that distraction in my life.
It’s why I turned her down that night when she blatantly offered me no-strings-attached sex, even though it killed me to do so.
But I’m too cautious about one-night-stands, and friends-with-benefits situations always seem to work out better for me. Both of us going into the arrangement knowing exactly what the expectations are. However, it has been a while since I’ve had sex, but that’s the last thing I’ll admit to Hayes.
The reality is I’ve been swamped with work and my family. I have my grandmother and sisters to watch over, as well as running my restaurants, and that is all the responsibility I will allow myself to take on in the form of another person or business at the moment.
Do I have unresolved issues that prevent me from taking on commitments? Yeah, that’s what a therapist would say. But when you lose your parents in a car accident at the age of sixteen, and very abruptly feel obligated to step up and be the man of family, it forces you to build walls to protect yourself from further tragedy.
“I heard she’s excited to see you though.” Hayes peers at me over his shoulder with a mischievous glint in his eye. And I hate that his statement has me feeling anxious to see her too.