He hefts me up to stand and slaps my ass hard. “You’ve been pretending since we left the elevator. Or maybe since you agreed to marry Emmanuelle?”
I grind my jaw and turn my back, heading to the place at the bar again.
The tall, too thin woman on the other side of the brunette speaks as I approach. “Oooh, trouble in paradise already? Why don’t one of us give it a try? See if we can make him happy.”
I belly up to the bar, leaning my elbows on it. “You could try, but his penis is so small, it might not be worth the effort.”
The brunette snickers, and the bleached blonde scowls at me. “You’re lying. I can always tell when a man is packing, and that one is definitely packing.”
I shrug and motion for a shot. If I have to stay here with the three stooges, I might as well get something out of it. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to keep my mind off the fact that I know there is nothing small about Michail.
“You’re not telling us, are you?” Blondie asks. “You’re just keeping him for yourself and depriving us of a chance.”
I turn to look at him over my shoulder. He narrows his eyes. “You can have him, honey. His brand of crazy isn’t worth the effort.”
A slight buzz is setting in, which is why I don’t see the blonde’s claws heading for my face.
She doesn’t reach me as Michail smoothly steps between us, catching her hand and roughly shoving her away. “Don’t touch what belongs to me.”
He scoops me in tight, making me fumble my next shot, losing it on the bar as he drags me through the VIP section to the back.
15
MICHAIL
I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but the moment that bastard laid claim to her, I haven’t been able to flip the switch in my head, the switch that makes it so simple to don the mask and pretend I couldn’t care less.
I drag her beside me until I find an empty room. The door bounces against the frame from the force of my push.
Selena stumbles into the dark while I take a moment to close and lock the door properly.
I flip the light switch and blink against the glaring overhead light. Each movement slow, calculated, drawing out time so I can calm the fuck down. She’s hugging herself and glaring at the same time, like she can repel me with just the look she’s giving me.
“What are you—?”
I cut her off. “Shut up.”
Her glare shifts from icy to nuclear. “You don’t—”
This time I cut her off with my mouth, my lips mashed against hers in the most artless kiss imaginable. Which I rectify when I spear my fingers into her hair and hold her face to mine. Her hands come up and cup my elbows, and she digs her nails into my suit jacket as if it can keep her grounded.
Fuck. She tastes like sin and whiskey and everything I know I can’t have. I delve deeper into her mouth, forcing her lips apart to get a better taste. Her moan slices my control to shreds, and I walk her back to the empty desk behind her. When she stops at the piece of furniture, I pick her up, our lips still locked together, and sit her on the edge.
She pulls away from me with a gasp, but fuck that, I haven’t had enough of her yet. If I’m going down in flames, I’m going to light my own damn match. Things end when I say they do.
I capture her head more firmly this time, cradling her cheek in one hand, cupping the back of her neck with the other. This time I kiss her properly, teasing her tongue with mine, starting out slow until she’s whimpering and straining to touch me.
When her hands curl around my lapels, I release her head and cover them. I pry her grip loose and pull both my mouth and my body away. My dick is so hard, I think I’ve lost circulation from the fit of my slacks, and right now, I’m two seconds from ripping that barely there dress off her body and fucking her until the desk breaks.
She blinks heavily and gulps. “What the hell was that?”
I shake my head and try to get a hold of myself. When we came in here, I meant to teach her a lesson. Demonstrate what I meant by paying up front for my protection. Then her damn mouth distracted me.
I adjust my suit jacket and square my shoulders. It takes a second to force the words past the boulder in my throat. “We should get back out there. We still have work to do here.”
Her jaw tenses, and she hops off the desk to glare at me. “Fine, I’m not the one who dragged you in here.”