Chasing Love (Dark Love 1)

He’s just a friend, and friends can hold hands.

But you’re not even friends.

Okay, shut up now.

The VIP area has a quiet ambiance to it, not like downstairs. There’s another bar, less crowded with gold leather bar stools in a row. Lex directs us to a secluded circle-shaped booth like the one downstairs but with sheer golden curtains surrounding it and a full view of the entire club.

I sit down in the booth, willing the dizziness to stop. Lex slides in beside me, sitting as close as possible—the heat of his body pressing against mine. I try desperately to distract myself, but the butterflies are working overtime, fluttering inside my stomach working back-to-back double shifts.

“You own this club?” I blurt out, willing my mind to focus on anything else.

“Yes, this and another one. Perhaps if you took the time to talk to me, you would know what I do with my spare time,” he answers sarcastically.

Asshole.

Eric asks more questions about the club while my thoughts remaining silent. Throughout the conversation, Lex manages to drape his arm over my shoulder, twirling his fingers around a lock of my hair like he had done so many times before.

I pretend not to notice, though every twirl is like fireworks exploding inside of me. It’s the tequila—hard liquor makes you desire forbidden things. This isn’t you, Charlie. It’s tequila.

“Let’s dance, Em,” Eric says, eyeing me with a mischievous smirk.

Eric and Emma, along with her male friend, disappear, leaving me alone with the hungry wolf. I want to scream at them to come back, traitors for telling me they had my back when, in fact, they have left me to be chewed up and eaten to pieces.

The bartender, Dylan, arrives and begins lining up the shots in front of us. Without even thinking, despite my earlier blame of the bottle, I down the shot, letting out a rasp as my tongue burns once again. Within seconds, a calm wave washes over me, the anxiety fading away as I relax into the booth.

Lex hasn’t touched his yet. Instead, he grabs my arm and twists it, so my wrist is facing him. He pours the salt on it, slowly sliding his tongue up my arm, his eyes never leaving mine.

My body begins to tremble, my legs parting slightly as he drinks the tequila then sucks the piece of lemon, slowly swirling his tongue around it. There’s a delayed reaction as my head is trying to push the desire away, but the force is so strong it causes my skin to flush. Just for a moment, I imagine his tongue between my legs, my nipples hardening under the silk fabric I’m wearing. I desperately want to reach out and assault his beautiful mouth. Like a moth to a flame, I’m drawn but scared, and I fly away.

“Another shot?”

He knows what I’m like when I get drunk. Hell, I know what I’m like when I get drunk, but for some reason, it doesn’t stop me. I’ve lost all sense of reason, allowing my desire to guide me rather than my morals.

“Are you trying to get me drunk, Mr. Edwards?”

Oh fuck, my tone sounds too flirty.

The tequila is in full-on assault mode, and Lex is so close, my body is in overdrive. It doesn’t help that I’m barely wearing anything under my dress. I squirm beneath the table, his expression amused. Yes, I want to tell him I’m fucking soaked, and I’m sure your mouth on my pussy will scratch the itch, but instead, my face remains poker-straight.

“The last time I recall you drinking this much, it ended up being a very interesting night, indeed,” he teases.

Breathe, Charlie.

Know your boundaries, you’re a strong, independent woman who knows a player when you see one. He just wants to get laid, nothing more.

I make the mistake of lowering my gaze toward the crotch of his pants, undoubtedly the hard fixture is impossible to ignore. My eyes widen, watching him squirm just like I did. Two can play at this game. I’m just about to say something when my clutch begins to vibrate. Welcoming the distraction, I pull out my phone, the caller ID—Batman.

Lex leans over and sees the phone lighting up. His face is furious, and with his jaw clenched tight, he yanks the phone off me and hits the reject button on the screen.

“Why would you do that?” I berate him.

Fuming, I grab the phone from his hands. Not once have I said to Lex we are back on. Just because I kissed him, it doesn’t give him the right to go all caveman on me. In fact, I told him to leave me alone, something he’s chosen to ignore.

The phone vibrates again, but this time a message appears on the screen.

Julian: Hey, gorgeous, just wanted to make sure you got home ok. Sorry I had to leave. Can I make it up to you tomorrow night? Dinner at my place. I’ll make sure Alfred has the night off.