Claimed (Club Sin 1)

“Why?”

The side of his mouth curved. “Pushy tonight, aren’t you?”

Now that she had him talking, she didn’t want him to stop. All week he’d been careful to discuss anything too personal about himself, but she wanted to know more about him and about his past. Most important, she wanted to understand what made Dmitri tick and fill in the little gaps she didn’t know about his life. “Well, we’ve only talked about me on the phone, and if I drilled you like this in the dungeon, you’d get all growly.”

He chuckled. “Well said.” He sat back in his seat then folded his arms. “Before Katherine, I made the decision not to date vanilla women, because it simply didn’t work out. After Katherine, I gave up on the idea that I could mesh the two worlds. From then on, the submissives I met in the lifestyle, I kept casual. I found contentment in acting as their Dom and nothing more.”

While his rationale made sense in a very cold and distant way, it seemed too firm. After she pondered, she realized it made no sense at all. “So, you just told yourself you weren’t going to date anymore because of what had happened with Katherine?” At his nod, she snorted. “Seems like a silly thing to do.”

His look was stern, but his eyes twinkled. “You think my logic was absurd?”

“God, no,” she snapped, but reconsidered and followed up with: “Well, maybe a little. Why own a dungeon, bring everyone else happiness in their lives, if you don’t allow yourself to find it, too?”

He stared at her for a long few seconds, then he tore his gaze away to pick up a fry. “So, you’re a burger-and-football gal, hmm?”

Presley wondered why he’d shifted the conversation, but she decided to leave it alone. He clearly didn’t want to discuss it, and she didn’t want to ruin their night. “My father’s a football nut, so it stuck in my blood, and coming to these types of places in Vegas reminds me of home.”

He smiled, though tension rested in the corners of his eyes. “My type of woman, so I’m glad you do.” He studied her in his intense “I’m looking right though you” way. “Do you miss your family?”

“Sometimes.”

Another round of cheers erupted in the pub as Dmitri ate another fry and his focus stayed fixated on her. When the noise quieted, he said, “We’ll have to go for a visit sometime. I’d enjoy meeting your parents.”

She laughed softly, imagining her mother with Dmitri. “I’m sure they’d be quite impressed by you.” She picked up a fry, dipped it in ketchup, and nibbled the end. “How about your family? Do they live in Vegas?”

He shook his head. “Both my parents died when I was in my late teens. My mother in a car accident. My father a year later of a heart attack. My extended family all lives abroad, we’re not close, and I have no siblings.”

“Gosh, Dmitri, I’m sorry.” As she took his hand, the icy distance in his voice stunned her. “That’s horrible.”

He gave his tender smile and ran his thumb over the back of her hand. “Thank you, doll. It’s a shame, but it happened a long time ago. Besides, I was busy in college when they passed, and I had my career to keep me focused.”

Something tingled in the back of her mind at that. No doubt, the death of Dmitri’s parents had driven his motivation through college to succeed, and his promise to look after Charles’s family had increased his desire for wealth so he’d have the means to do it. “That’s why you’re so successful at a young age. I wondered about that.”

He gave a firm nod. “If you submerse yourself in your work, you can get to the top a lot faster.”

“True.” She glanced at their held hands, considering his life. The awareness told her that there was something more to his admission; after a moment of thought, her mind cleared of any confusion. Her throat tightened as sadness gripped her. For all he’d done for her, given to her and shown her, understanding more of the man behind Dmitri wrenched her guts.

He’d told her the other night that her need to please made her a submissive, but now she realized that his need to take care of others dominated him in the same way. What bothered her most was she doubted many knew that everything he did and all his success weren’t for his own needs but for others.

A firm finger came under her jaw and lifted her head to Dmitri’s troubled eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Trapped in his powerful stare, her heart clenched, and for once in her life, she told him exactly what was on her mind when maybe she wouldn’t have before. “I can’t help think you live a busy life, surrounded by so many people, but it’s lonely.”

Apparently, she had stunned him. He froze and didn’t blink, so she hurried along. “You carry all this responsibility and always look out for everyone else. Doing everything and anything to ensure that those around you have what they need in their life. But when does someone get to take care of you, Dmitri?”

Raw pain and some other heady emotions seeped into his expression, stealing her breath. He trailed his knuckles over her cheek, and his lips parted, then another voice said, “So, this is your new boyfriend?”

Presley’s heart leaped up into her throat at that voice, and all her compassion for Dmitri was replaced by sheer worry. Even if it pained her to do so, she slowly glanced up and discovered Steven, who glared daggers at Dmitri.

She couldn’t understand what Steven was doing here. He never came to Mickey’s. He was always at Scores. She’d picked this place for that exact reason. Now she realized what Steven had meant with his text message on Monday. He didn’t plan to stop calling her. He intended to make it more personal if she continued to ignore him. Why was he being so damn persistent? As much as that annoyed her, since she’d already gone over all this with him, an icy horror drifted over her as she realized what Steven had said. Confirming her worst fears, Dmitri’s eyebrow arched as he muttered, “Boyfriend?”

Presley cringed as her lie was exposed, and her cheeks flamed so hot. Even if they were dating now, they hadn’t been when she’d told Steven that. “Er . . . well . . . I . . .” She groaned, reining in her rambling. “Dmitri, I’d like to introduce you to Steven.”

Dmitri’s eyes narrowed on her, a fire burned within their depths, and he oh-so-leisurely looked at Steven. “Introduce me, huh?”

“Hey, man,” Steven replied in a light voice.

Dmitri, as always, remained calm. However, behind his coolness was well-restrained rage. Presley sank down into her chair, and in the same voice that rolled with tension, he asked, “Do you have something to say to him, love?”