The Pleasure of Sin (9 page)

“He’s watching you,” the stranger observed.

Her gaze lifted to find the other man beyond the glass staring at her, his gaze moving hungrily over her naked body as he moved in and out of the woman before him. He yanked on the leash around the other woman’s neck, his hand coming down on her bare buttocks hard enough to leave a mark. Still, his eyes never left Jade’s, and the desire she saw there only served to arouse her more.

Jade felt the man behind her reach down, his hand curling around the curve of her leg. He lifted it to the side, letting the other man see her completely. His cock jerked inside her as he held her firm. Her eyes met the other man’s. Here she was spread before him, naked, as another man drove into her body. She should have felt repulsed by the act, but instead she felt the first waves of climax slice through her body. She had to fight against the urge to drop her hands from the glass as the second wave hit her. Her eyes closed, her mind completely focused on the movements of the man inside of her. He released her leg, reaching around her to place lazy circles on her clit with his finger.

That was all it took.

She cried out at the intensity of the climax only seconds before she felt him convulse inside of her.

Leaning heavily against the glass, she tried to steady her erratic breathing. A quick glance inside the room let her know that the couple behind the glass had already left. A sound behind her caught her attention, and she saw the length of his arm as he closed the door. She quickly grabbed her clothes, pulling them over her naked body before running out into the hall. Scanning the corridor, her eyes searched for the elusive stranger who had so thoroughly possessed her only moments before.

But he was gone.

Chapter 12

“Stop asking questions or you’ll end up just like your sister.”

The threat from the garbled voice robbed the air from her lungs.

“Who is this?” Jade asked, pressing the phone tightly to her ear.

Silence filled the line.

“Who is this?” she demanded, her heart beating so fast she thought it would soon burst out of her chest.

The line went dead.

She lowered the phone as she tried to still her erratic breathing. When she placed it back on the receiver, she practically fell onto the couch. Obviously, someone thought she was getting too close. Fear raced up her spine at the thought that she had been watched, that she was being watched even now.

You’ll end up just like your sister.

The words echoed through her head. She jumped to her feet, grabbing the keys from the bar. It was time that she found out just what it was she was getting close to—before it killed her.

Several blocks later, she barged into Davis MacLean’s office. He looked up, a doughnut held firmly in his hand. “Ms. Monroe? I wasn’t expecting you.”

“It’s been days, Mr. MacLean. What have you found out?” she asked without preamble as she took a seat in front of him.

The look he gave her was one of a boy with his fingers caught in the cookie jar—except that this was a very large boy, and the cookie jar was her bank account. “Well, not much, yet. But I’m sure that something will turn up soon,” he reassured softly.

She scowled at him, shaking her head in disgust. For days he had been sitting on his ass taking her money, and she would bet that he had never even questioned one person. He was a joke. And, despite her phone calls this morning, he was still the only private investigator in town who would take her case.

“Somehow, I doubt that very much,” she replied.

Color crept into his cheeks at her insinuation as he shifted uneasily in his chair. “Well, Ms. Monroe, you have to understand that people aren’t just going to tell me all of their secrets instantly,” he reasoned.

“Especially if you never leave your office.” She grabbed her purse, walking over to the door. When she reached it, she turned to face him. “Look, Mr. MacLean, I understand that this is not a large firm. I also understand that you might not have as much experience as the other firms in this town. But I believe in you. I know that you can help me find my sister’s killer. I’m counting on it.”

The look on his face let her know that her aim had hit its target dead on. She would suspect that it had been a long time since anyone believed in Davis MacLean. She just hoped that it meant enough for him to do his job, because she had no other options. If he didn’t help her, then she was truly on her own.

And that was a thought that scared her more than she was ready to admit.

* * * *

The next night she agreed to have dinner with Clay. When he suggested that she meet him at his apartment, she hesitated. Still, maybe his apartment would provide clues that he was unwilling to give. As she walked to his apartment, she began to reconsider the wisdom of her decision.

Being with Clay was dangerous enough, but being alone with him, surrounded by him, could prove to be lethal.

She entered the lobby of the building, its marble floors reflecting her every move. She took a deep breath as she stepped into the elevator.

This was a dangerous gamble.

Even if he wasn’t the killer, the uncontrollable hunger they had for each other made it perilous. When she stood in front of the door, she mentally prepared herself for the mission she was about to carry out.

One way or another, she was going to find out what Clay was hiding—no matter what it cost her.

At her knock, he pulled the door open. Jade felt arousal punch her in the stomach. His scent, a mixture of sandalwood and musk, assaulted her nostrils. His jeans hung low on his hips; his blue polo shirt matched the color of his eyes. An apron hung around his neck that said,
don’t forget to kiss the cook
. The boyish grin he gave her made her insides flutter. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was all some master plot to lower her defenses.

“Am I too early?” she croaked, her voice coming out husky.

His eyes traveled the length of her black dress. “No, I’m just finishing up.” Heat crept into her cheeks at the intense feeling of his eyes on her body. He backed up to allow her into the room.

She glanced around, her eyes surveying his apartment. The loft was spacious, open. Its brick walls were decorated with oil paintings in vivid, lush colors. A maroon suede couch held its place in the middle of the room with a big screen television in front of it.

She felt his hands on her shoulders and her body hummed in anticipation. He slid the silk shawl from her arms, walking away to hang it up. Her heels clicked on the hardwood floors as she crossed the room to stand by the kitchen while he finished. She watched as he bent over to remove a thick pan from the oven. His forearms flexed as he pulled it out to sit it on top of the stove. She told herself that she had to stay focused, that she couldn’t forget her goal here tonight. But seeing him in such a domestic setting was creating an unwelcome stir.

“I hope you like lasagna,” he prodded with a shy smile.

She returned his grin. “Love it. Do you need any help?”

“If you could just grab the glasses out of that cabinet right there,” he instructed, pointing to the cabinet behind him.

She moved into the kitchen, opening the door to produce two wineglasses. She tried not to notice the way her buttocks grazed his as they stood together.

“You can just sit them on the table,” he explained from behind.

Walking over to the table, she set the glasses down. Once they were both seated, her eyebrows arched. “I have to say that I’m impressed,” she admitted.

He tilted his head to the side, one side of his mouth quirking up. “What? That I can cook?” he challenged.

A blush crept into her cheeks. “Well…yes,” she confessed.

He leaned across the table, his eyes meeting hers. “You might be surprised at what I can do.”

I’ll just bet!

She could imagine all sorts of things he could do.

All sorts of things he could do to
her
.

And the worst part was that she wanted him to.

Luckily, she was able to change the conversation so swiftly that he had no choice but to follow her lead. After dinner, she sat back in her chair, a wide smile covering her face. “That was good!”

His shy grin was almost her undoing as he responded. “I try.”

She took a deep breath as she tried to stop herself from staring at the fullness of his lips. “You succeeded,” she agreed, her voice low.

“I’m glad I could make you happy,” he said, his voice husky.

Her gaze fell to her lap, where her hands were twisting the linen napkin he had provided. If only he could make her happy, she thought. If only that was a possibility… But it wasn’t.

And it never would be.

“It’s always going to be between us, isn’t it?”

His question stunned her. She lifted her head, her eyes meeting his. “What?”

He shook his head, his mouth forming a grim line. “I should have never brought her here. Maybe if I hadn’t, this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe then you would be able to look me in the eye.”

Her eyebrows furrowed together. “What are you talking about? What do you mean you shouldn’t have brought her here?”

He leaned back in his chair, an impatient hand raking through his hair. “Ruby,” he confessed. “For weeks, she kept badgering me when she found out that they were considering me for the job.” He stopped for a minute, as if lost in a memory, before continuing. “I wasn’t going to bring her here. I was going to tell her that it wouldn’t work out. But, after the party…”

He trailed off, but she knew what he was going to say. After the party where they had made the biggest mistake of their lives, he hadn’t been able to turn her away. Shock coursed through her at the thought that their careless actions that night had sealed their fate.

Ruby’s fate.

“Oh my God,” she murmured, her mouth falling open. She looked away, unable to think about what happened and why.

“I shouldn’t have brought her with me. If I hadn’t, this wouldn’t have happened. Then, maybe we would have had a chance.”

His heartfelt words pierced through her. She got to her feet, needing to put some distance between them, needing to run away from the honesty he was finally giving her. Gone was her grand plan to get information. Right now the only thing she was concerned about was getting out of here before she made an even bigger mistake.

“I should go,” she muttered as she walked toward the door.

She grabbed her shawl from the coat rack, but she felt him move behind her.

“Don’t go,” he pleaded.

She felt his body against hers. His hands slid around her waist, his mouth at her shoulder. She felt the length of his erection press into her buttocks. Her nipples tightened in anticipation as his hands slid around to her abdomen. When his hand ventured higher to cover her breast, she couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her lips. His mouth covered her shoulder, his tongue snaking out to taste her. Despite the inner voice that warned her to run, she leaned back against him, letting him take control of her body. He tweaked her nipples through the fabric of her dress, making her heart beat double time.

All her resistance seemed to leave her when she needed it most. She wanted him. For weeks, they had been playing this cat and mouse game, and now it was time to pay. She couldn’t deny the feelings raging through her any more than she could deny her body the pleasure it sought. She felt her dress lift slowly up her thighs. His hand drifted lower. When his hand slipped into her panties, she thought she would die of pleasure. His finger slid inside her, drawing out the moisture.

“God, your pussy is so wet,” he whispered against her shoulder.

Jade tensed as she felt a tingle of awareness, an edge of familiarity.

No!

It couldn’t be.

But it was. And she knew it with every breath left in her body.

She pushed him away, her eyes widening as she turned to face him.

“It was you,” she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

Clay’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “What?” he asked, his eyes still clouded with hunger.

Jade’s hand came up to cover her mouth as she took a steadying breath. Tears welled up in her eyes, but anger refused to let them fall.

“At the club. It was you.”

Chapter 13

She could tell by the look on his face that he was waging an internal battle against himself on whether he should tell her the truth or not. She set her jaw to let him know that she wasn’t going anywhere without the one thing that he had denied her.

“Jade…” he began, but stopped.

Confusion set in before he could respond any further, demanding more answers. “But how did you even get in? You’re not a member,” she reasoned more to herself than to him.

His next words were more damning than any evidence she could have found.

“I am a member.”

Jade felt the room spin violently as realization set in, smacking her in the face with the brutal truth that he had been lying to her from the beginning. Her face contorted in humiliation as she remembered how passionately she had given herself to him in the club. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, but she would not let them fall.

She wouldn’t give him that.

He had already taken too much.

* * * *

Clay stared into her dark, stormy eyes. He could only imagine what she was thinking right now, and none of it painted him in a very good light. The worst part of it was that the truth would only be that much worse for her to stomach. He’d acted like a selfish ass. Hell, he knew that. But remembering the way she felt naked and writhing in his arms, he couldn’t even say that he was sorry. He’d wanted her from the beginning and the second he had the chance to have her, he had taken it.

He wasn’t sorry for it.

He would do it again.

But looking into her eyes, he couldn’t deny the guilt that drove into his side at what his admission had cost her. Answering her questions wasn’t going to make things any better. In fact, it would probably make things a lot worse, but it was too late for caution now. He had personally assassinated it the day she walked back into his life.