Stanton Box Set

“Do you want to taste me? Do it here, right now on this lounge.” I choke on my drink in shock.

“Excuse me.” We look around to see a bouncer standing over us. “She needs to stop that behaviour or she needs to leave,” he says flatly.

I nod. “Tash, get off me.”

She stands and glares at the bouncer. “Party pooper.” She sticks out her tongue at him and we all laugh at her ridiculousness.

She grabs my hand. “Come and dance and then take me home, baby.” She kisses the back of my hand.

Why does she have to be such a beautiful deceiver? I’d give anything to go with her. How am I supposed to resist this?

I shake my head. “No.”

She stands back and glares at me. “No,” she repeats as she puts her hand on her hip.

“That’s what I said,” I repeat.

“Fine, I will find someone who will then, you can come and watch if you like. It’s going to be a g

reat show tonight.”

I hear Cameron and Adrian snicker at each other.

“Is that a threat?” I snap.

She smiles sweetly. “No, that’s a promise.” She raises her eyebrows, blows me a kiss and then walks off sexily through the crowd. Her guard turns and follows her.

“Joshua, you had better go with her. She’s not joking,” Bridget snaps.

I screw my face up at her.

“I’m just saying, she hasn’t had sex since you and she is seriously good to go.” She widens her eyes at me to accentuate her point.

Cameron puts his hands over his eyes. “Oh my fucking god, she still hasn’t had sex. It’s been six months. Are you stupid? Get your ass down there.”

“No.” I sit back in my seat in defiance.

Two hours later I am in a near silent panic. I haven’t seen Tash since she told me she was going to sleep with someone else. The girls haven’t been back either. What in the hell is going on downstairs? It’s unusual, usually they come back every half hour or so for drinks between dancing. Not tonight.

Adrian is talking to some ugly guy at the bar and two girls are sitting so close to Cam they are almost on his lap. Ben is against the wall with the other security guards. He’s too neurotic to drink at the moment. He blames himself for the attack three weeks ago at my office when he had the week off. I sit next to them, detached from their conversation. The side of my pointer slides back and forth across my lips as I think.

She still hasn’t slept with anyone … why?

It can’t have anything to do with me. She didn’t love me when we were together, so she definitely doesn’t love me now. Why hasn’t she slept with anyone? She’s obviously gagging for it. I’ve never been with a women who is so sexually raw and untamed. My mind goes back to her body yesterday in the stairwell and a wave of arousal sweeps over me, and I harden. I scrub my hand over my face in frustration and lean back in my seat. Oh the irony. I have a hot naked stripper rubbing herself all over me last night and nothing and yet just the thought of Natasha and her beautiful tight body sends my hormones into overdrive. Why am I so physically attracted to the ultimate deceiver? I need to break free from this stupid obsession. Cam’s right—why can’t I be attracted to one of the beautiful women from home? Am I ever going to feel something? I make myself sick. I need to go home. Now.

Cameron returns with drinks. I hadn’t even realized he had left. “Here.” He places them in front of me.

“Thanks,” I murmur, distracted.

“Hello Joshua.” A voice from behind me sneers.

It’s that blonde prostitute. I don’t even know her name. I make eye contact with Ben and slightly nod, he nods in reply and walks slowly over to us.

“Let’s get out of here.” She signals to the stairs.

I roll my eyes. “Let’s not,” I reply flatly. “Go away, I’m not interested.”

She puts her hand on her hip. “That’s very rude.”