Three Hard Lessons (33 page)

“You okay?” Tara asked.

No. Not at all. I was still angry and hurt, but the excitement that Dominic was on the same continent as me trumped that. “Yeah, I’m okay,” I lied.

She gave me a skeptical look, but her focus returned to the monitors. My brain refused to acknowledge what was happening on the screen with the two writhing bodies on it. My attention was painted on the front entry camera.

I’d barely been able to breathe while waiting, but fifteen minutes later when Dominic stepped inside, my lungs quit working altogether. Even on the grainy black and white screen, I could see every detail. He looked exhausted, but it was masked with anger and pain.

“Oh, hell no,” Marquis snapped immediately. “You on the blacklist.”

“Wait!” I all but screamed it into the comm. “Marquis, wait a minute.”

“Payton McCreary,” Dominic said, his voice filtering through the speaker. “I’m going to see her right fucking now.”

Marquis smiled and it was disturbing. Dominic wasn’t small – he was cut and lean, but Marquis was a mountain of muscle and aggression. He liked to fight, and he looked thrilled that this white-boy might challenge him.

“Don’t know no one by that name,” Marquis lied.

Dominic’s hands balled into fists. “Paige.”

“She ain’t seeing clients no more.”

“She’ll see me.”

Marquis turned and looked up at the camera, like he was looking directly at me. “What you want me to do about this?”

My voice was breathy. “Put him in holding room B.”

I glanced at the other monitors. Only Claudia was still on. Rosso wasn’t going to be a safety issue, but Tara was still watching just in case.

“Julius, where are you?” I said, pushing back from the desk and standing.

“Just left the payment room.”

“Meet me at Room Six in one minute.” My focus locked on Tara, and her gaze followed me as I gestured to the screen. “Can you give me updates on this?”

Her eyes went wide as she realized what was happening. “Holy shit, you’re going to take the blacklist walk-in?” She peered closer to the monitor. “Wow, he’s fucking hot. I can do him.”

Like I needed to add jealousy to the list of emotions swirling inside me. “I know he’s hot. That’s my boyfriend.”

I heard her surprised gasp as I hurried across the hall to the changing room, stripping off my clothes. My hands clawed at fabric, flinging my bra and underwear into a heap, and I yanked on one of the silk robes, repositioning the earpiece and comm pack. I thought only about this task, about getting down the stairs and into the room, and not how it was going to play out once that happened.

“What’s going on?” Julius asked me as I rushed to the door of Room Six. His gaze passed over my robe.

“I need your help.” I tugged at his arm, pushed at the door, and turned on the light.

He froze. “Not supposed to go into the rooms.”

“Tonight you can. I’m the boss.”

He followed me inside but looked at the room like he was sure it was going to explode at any second. “What do you need help with?”

I scrambled to pull out the blindfold and the straps from the cabinets beneath the table. Julius was so cautious, I knew I couldn’t ask or he’d tell me no. I undid the sash on my robe and slipped it off, casting it onto the white chair.

“What–?” His eyes went as large as bowling balls. His gaze flitted down over my naked body and settled at my feet.

I moved as quickly as possible, pulling the blindfold on, and tucking the comm pack in one fist so I could push the
talk
button if needed. My back slammed against the cushion-top. “Strap me down.”

There were no footsteps closer, and I imagined him staring at that same spot on the ground.

“Please. I can’t ask Tara, and I sure as shit won’t ask Marquis.”

Still nothing.

“I’ll give you two hundred dollars, but you gotta do it right now.”

There you go.
A smile tweaked on my lips as he moved closer. His hand closed on my wrist, wrapping the Velcro closed.

“Are you looking?” I teased.

“Nah.” He moved and did my other wrist. “But if I was, I’d say, damn, girl. You fucking sexy.”

“Thanks,” I grinned, and then sobered a little. “Send the man in holding room B in here.”

His heavy footfalls got quieter and I heard the door swing shut, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts. Why hadn’t Dominic told me he was in Chicago, and how long had he been here? Deep down, part of me was thrilled he’d come. For me.

My pulse raced when the door creaked open and someone entered. The door slammed shut and I jumped at the boom.

“Fuck,” Dominic said. “Tell me I’m the only man who’s been in this room.”

Technically Julius . . . “You’re the only client who’s been in here. I had them put you in the holding room so I could give you what you wanted.”

“What I wanted?”

The longer he remained motionless, the angrier I got. “Yeah, a whore. You think that’s what I am, right? That I would fuck someone else, like you mean nothing to me. When the hell did you get to Chicago?”

“My flight landed at ten, and I went straight to your place.”

My thoughts scrambled. “Why?”

“For you. You’re here, and I want to be with you.” Finally, it sounded like he took one step forward. Then, another, and the rough voice grew louder. “But I don’t understand why you’re
here
.”

I gasped. “Because I’m managing the club tonight. Five minutes ago I was upstairs, dressed and sitting behind a computer.” It was then I realized what a stupid plan this had been. I was blindfolded and restrained when I wanted desperately to see him. “Take off my blindfold.”

There was hesitation. “You were managing? Why?”

“Because Joseph asked me to.” I didn’t want to lie. No more unspoken things between us. “Because I wanted enough money to buy a plane ticket to Tokyo.”

It sounded like he stopped breathing. “What?”

“I was under the impression you couldn’t leave, you know. But here you are. Can you undo my straps?”

There was no noise so I didn’t think he was moving. “I told Chase I had an emergency, and they gave me off until Wednesday.” His voice wavered. “The plan is I go back if you want me gone. But if you want me to stay . . . I’ll stay.”

“What about your job?”

“Fuck it. You’re all I care about.” His words were like warmth, wrapping all around me. It was annoying I couldn’t see his face or those aqua eyes. “So . . . the question is, why were you coming back to Tokyo?”

Because I loved him, but once again, the nervous flutter in my stomach crept into my throat and made the words difficult. “Come on,” I stalled, “surely you know the answer to that.”

“I’d like to hear it. And don’t call me Shirley.”

My pulse raced. I squirmed against the straps. “Get these off me first.”

“No, no, no. Things are going to go differently than the last time we were here.”

Uh oh. The determined timbre of his voice was sexy as fuck. Suddenly those straps weren’t quite as binding.

“There’s no list.” His words were low and seductive. “How am I supposed to know what you’re offering?”

I bit down on my bottom lip, attempted to keep my breathing steady and to sound confident. “Maybe . . . I’m offering everything.”

His hurried breathing said he was standing right over me. “Everything? What does
everything
run these days?”

“I don’t know. A hundred grand.”

His hot breath washed over my skin. He was hovering what seemed to be only an inch from my lips. “Will you take a check?”

“I’d prefer it in yen. But I don’t want your money.” My pulse raced a million miles an hour. “Just you.”

The coarse skin of his palm heated my cheek and that thumb slid over my lips. “I love you.”

As that thumb brushed away, it brushed all my unease away with it. I wasn’t scared or nervous or shy.

“I love you, Dominic.”

I melted beneath his kiss that was a thousand times better than any orgasm, more passionate than any time we’d been together. His kiss dripped with love, commitment, and the promise of more. I trembled beneath his lips, in his hands.
Dear god, don’t let this kiss stop.
The straps cracked and went taut against my attempt to seize Dominic’s head when his lips left mine.

Last time I’d worried he might kiss me a second time, and now I was worried he might not.

“Where are you going?” I cried. And . . . what the hell was he doing? His hand was on mine. “I’m not interested in your sexy hand-holding right now.”

His kiss had left me disoriented, and it took a full five seconds to comprehend what was happening. I couldn’t stop him with the straps. My left hand stayed immobile while the ring descended onto my finger.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

“You said you were offering everything.” His lips brushed over mine. “Go ahead and tell me you don’t do marriage.”

Holy. Shit.

That gaudy, fake ring rested comfortably there on my finger. I trembled, but not in fear. It was with excitement and something else, something new. And it intensified when I considered giving him a real answer. Was this feeling . . . was this happiness?

I’d always been adventurous, up for whatever. And marrying Dominic would be the ultimate adventure.

“I don’t do marriage.” I could barely hear myself over the heartbeat pounding in my ears. “I don’t do talking, or sleeping, or love,” I whispered. “Not with anyone . . . but you.”

The mattress shifted as he climbed on top of the table, on top of me. I didn’t know how long we made out. It was the most innocent thing I’d ever done here at the club and easily the hottest. His slow, sensual mouth met mine, teasing me with his tongue and teeth. I whimpered as he mouthed kisses down the side of my neck, to the hollow at the base of my throat.

“Payton,” Tara’s voice said in my earpiece, “Mr. Red just finished.”

I pressed the
talk
button. “Julius to Room Four.”

“What was that?” Dominic’s voice rumbled.

“Nothing, work stuff.” I sighed as his hands closed on my breasts. I arched into his caress, but his fingers danced lightly, like he was staying just out of reach. “You fucking proposed with a fake ring, don’t tease me, too.”

He chuckled. “I took that fake one to the jeweler for sizing. I don’t know what he did with it.”

My brain blanked. The ring I was wearing, “It’s real?”

“Yes. Real.”

“Is it big?”

His hips moved, pressing his hard-on against me. “It’s huge.”

I giggled at his silly innuendo. “I know that’s huge. Take off my blindfold.”

“I told you, things are going to go differently this time. You don’t get to be in charge. I learned that lesson the hard way.”

His mouth skimmed over my nipple and I moaned. “Please?”

“Do you want me to, uh, turn the cameras off?” Tara asked, her voice breathless.

The corner of my mouth curled in a smile. Tara was one dirty girl. Similar to me, she liked both men and women, but unlike me, I think she liked women more. She loved to watch, too. Of course I didn’t have any problem with her watching. Hell, she could come down and get a front row.

The blindfold slipped up and away. I smiled up at him, almost shy. Like I was looking at him with new eyes now that everything was out in the open.

“Hi,” I whispered.

“Hi. If you don’t like it,” his gaze went up to my hand, “we can go back and pick something else out.”

“Holy fuck, Dominic.”

The ring was huge. The size other women would say, “that’s too much for me” but you’d wonder if secretly they were jealous. An enormous round solitaire ringed with smaller diamonds that descended down the band.

“It’s beautiful.”

He gave me a sly grin. “You’re going to take it off as soon as I undo the straps, aren’t you?”

Was he fucking crazy? I shook my head. “The only way it’s coming off is if you pry it from my cold, dead hand.”

His mouth covered mine as his fingers walked over my skin, traveling lower toward the juncture of my thighs.

“Are we going to fuck on this table?” I asked.

His fingers slipped down to touch me, slow and hot. “Do you want to?”

“Undo my straps.”

“Not a chance.” His touch set me on fire. “We’re going to do this slow this time.”

I stared at the aqua eyes and grinned. He thought he was in control just because he had me strapped down to the table? I punched the
talk
button.

“Tara to Room Six.”

chapter

TWENTY-NINE

Dominic was oblivious to the door opening because he was going down on me. His tongue grazed my clit and then his mouth seized on it, sucking. I moaned and watched him through half-closed eyes. Fuck, that felt good.