Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“That’s called trust, sweetheart.” His hand moved to my hair so he could turn my face toward his. “And it means the world to me.” His eyes were so bright in their intensity. With a hard expression, he stared me down, and his big thumb moved to the corner of my mouth as he cradled my face. Then he leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips, far gentler than he’d ever been.
I felt like I could float away on a cloud.
He pulled away, his eyes disappointed. “I should go.”
“You don’t want to sleep over?”
“No, I do,” he said quickly. “But I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because your father’s men are watching this building, and if I spend the night, it’s not going to look like we broke up. I’ve got to storm out of here like you just ripped my heart out of my chest.” He pulled his hand away from my face and let me go.
“How are we going to do this?” If I were being watched, how would we ever be together?
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’ll handle it.”
“Are you going to jump off a helicopter and land on top of my building?”
He grinned. “That’d be pretty sexy, wouldn’t it?”
“I think the tire thing is sexier.”
His arms wrapped around me and tugged me to his chest. “I can’t wait to watch you touch yourself.” He dipped his head and kissed my shoulder.
“But really, how are we going to do this?”
“I can escape my apartment without being seen. And I can smuggle you out of here.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“No, it’ll be fun.” He kissed me again before he left the bed and put on the clothes he’d shed.
I put on something from my dresser then walked him to the door.
Both of his hands dug into my hair, and he kissed me like he’d just gotten there, kissed me with more passion than any other man had ever shown me. “Goodnight, baby.”
“Goodnight.” I watched him go and shut the door.
Then I missed him.
9
AXEL
I sat in the armchair, the room stuffy with cigar smoke, the music so loud that every word of conversation had to be shouted. I spotted Theo when he made his entrance, two guys following from a short distance away. When he found me, he took a seat, the small round table between our chairs.
The girls danced on the stage in front of us, bills sticking out of their panties, their tits out.
Once he sat down, the topless waitress walked over and took his drink order.
He pulled a cigar from the inside of his jacket and lit up. “What happened to your girl?”
“We’re still together.”
“Really?” He watched a girl bend over right in front of him, spread her cheeks on the way up. Then she strut back to the pole to do a fabulous spin. “You fooled me.”
“I’ve got to keep up a pretense now.”
“Why?”
“Long story.” I nodded toward the rear. “Let’s head to the back.” We headed to the private area, where the high spenders came to play. It came with a monthly membership for the most loyal patrons. That’s why the hottest dancers were back here.
We took a seat, the music at a more manageable level, the women in heels that looked like glass. They spun around the poles and flipped their bodies upside down, doing it all effortlessly, their arms toned from the physical demand.
Two girls came over to give us lap dances.
“No thanks.” I shooed them away. “We’re here for business.”
They moved on to the next client.
“Just because you’re pussy-whipped doesn’t mean I can’t get a lap dance.” He set the cigar between his lips and looked at the brunette who’d walked away.
“Come on, you know they’re lame.”
“A woman grinding on your dick is not lame.”
“When you’re in a crowded strip club, it is. Besides, I prefer free lap dances.”
“Money tight?” he teased.
“I prefer the kind of sex you don’t have to pay for.”
“Then you aren’t paying the right price…or the right woman.” He relaxed his arms on the armrests with the cigar between his fingers. “What pretense?”
“Dante’s having me followed.”
“Why?”
“He knows I’m—” I hesitated before I continued, making sure I used the right words to describe it. “He knows I’m seeing Scarlett.”
“If he knew, wouldn’t your head be off your shoulders right now?”
“He still needs me, so he can’t fuck things up. He acts like his daughter is everything to him, but she’s taken a back seat to his money.” I drew the smoke into my mouth and let the scent settle on my tongue. “As long as he still needs me, I’m untouchable. But that will change.”
“So what pretense are you trying to maintain hanging out at a strip club?”
“I want him to think we stopped seeing each other. Back to my bachelor ways.”
“Why do you care if he knows?”
“He told Scarlett about my prison stint,” I said sourly. “So he’ll do something else to turn her against me. If he doesn’t know about us, then we can continue our relationship without interference. I don’t want anything to ruin this for me…”