“I need to tell you something,” I said, hesitating. “I’m seeing someone else, but we’re not exclusive.”
“What does that mean?” It was like someone pressed pause on him. “You date other people?”
“I can, if I want to.”
He considered it for an agonizingly long moment, before his expression firmed up. “Then, have dinner with me.”
Breath halted in my lungs. His response was unexpected and exciting. “I already said yes,” I whispered.
He licked his lips as his eyes went heavy, and he moved in for the kill.
I’d expected the soft, tame kiss of the musician, but got the power and intensity of the rugby player instead. His mouth crushed onto mine, and the force pressed me back into the door, where my bare skin kissed the cold wood. The palm from his other hand was warm on my hip, and he brushed his thumb across the line of skin above the top edge of my shorts.
The sensation sizzled. It forced me to swallow a breath.
Grant’s lips moved against mine, his tongue asking for access, and I gave it willingly to him. My heart was beating just as fast as it had been the last time he’d had his hands on me, only now it wasn’t from adrenaline.
It was from desire.
He shifted his stance, dragging his hand down the door with a quiet squeal, and put his weight into me, letting me feel the powerful length of his body against mine. I sighed into his open mouth, slipping further down into my submission. The more he took, the more I was eager to give.
His tongue caressed mine with a slow, lush slide. It was sensual and passionate, and heated the marrow of my bones. I fucking wanted him. I wanted him so badly, the ache flared from head to toe, strongest between my thighs.
We were secluded under the stairs, and the hallway was silent, so it must have made him bold. Or maybe he was like me and didn’t mind if someone came in and became an audience. As his kiss grew more consuming, his palm eased up the length of my stomach until he settled on my chest.
I had on a sports bra, flattening my breasts to my body, but still—I felt every stroke of his fingers as he kneaded and sought out the hard tip of my nipple beneath the layers of fabric. I moaned when he found it and teased with a gentle pinch.
His kiss went off center, brushing against my cheek as he whispered, “Should I send the taxi away?”
Yes.
But, wait, no.
I had an appointment with Mr. Gold tonight, and if I missed it, there would be consequences. He was the wealthiest client at the club and could always take up with a new girl, though I doubted it. He’d been my regular for more than a year and was rather attached. He’d made several offers to both Julius and me to buy my exclusivity, but I’d had to remind the billionaire not everything was for sale. Definitely not my will.
Also, variety was the spice of life, and all that shit.
The consequences I feared were the ones that came from the hard side of a paddle, the sharp bite of a cane. I’d had to cancel on him once when I’d gotten sick, and he’d made me regret it. It was the only time I’d ever reached the limit of what I could take. That night, I’d questioned if his money was worth it.
Every night I got on the table, it was my choice. The moment it stopped being enjoyable, I knew I was done. I honestly hadn’t expected to last as long as I had.
I wasn’t ready to risk everything for one night of fun with Grant, no matter how good he looked, or felt pressed against me, or how his kiss tasted. Tomorrow I’d tell him everything and see where we stood.
“I can’t,” I said softly.
“Okay.” He dropped a final kiss on my lips, lingering there. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“Maybe,” I echoed back. It all depended on how he handled the situation.
I arrived early to the club, hoping to talk to Regan, but when I entered the lounge, she wasn’t there.
Julius must have noticed I was looking for her. “Regan called in. She’s got a migraine.”
“Oh, no,” I said. She’d been doing so well and hadn’t had one in months.
“Yeah,” he said. “But I got Nina to cover for her tonight.”
I kept my face plain, disguising my jealousy. It wasn’t that I disliked Nina. She was nice, and beautiful, and everyone loved her. It was just that I was a girl, and it was simply impossible for a group of women not to have some bullshit drama. At least having Julius in charge kept the cattiness in check.