"Well trained." I smirk.
He grabs hold of a napkin from the side table, wipes himself then tucks himself inside of his pants.
"Bet they didn’t pose much of a challenge to you, hmm?" I ask.
"Is that what you are looking for?" He tosses the cloth aside, then fixes himself and stands to his feet.
Is it? I raise my shoulders. "I’m cool, ol' chap. Easy come, easy go."
"That’s what Sinner used to say." He mutters, "Then look what happened to him…"
"Sinner’s a fucking fool, letting his emotions getting entangled with a woman. Not that I have anything against Summer."
He chuckles, "Of course, not." He rises to his feet.
"I am not going to make the same mistake." I crack my neck.
"You trying to convince me or yourself?" He asks.
"Neither." I shuffle my feet. "Mind you, of all us, Jace and Sinner are the happiest right now."
"No doubt ensconced with their women." He shudders.
"Tying themselves to one woman for the rest of their lives." A hot feeling stabs at my chest. Whoa. I’m not jealous. I’m not. Burying myself in the same pussy every night, waking up with the scent of her in my nostrils, her moans echoing in my ears, the thrum of her cunt vibrating at my fingertips… Nah. My groin hardens; blood drains to my cock. Clearly, I need a diversion. I did the right thing, turning her down. I am never going to give in to the temptation her body affords me. Nope.
Shouts reach me from the theatre below. Turning, I prowl over to the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the stage.
Weston joins me.
I gaze down at where a woman hangs in a graceful split from the pole in the center. The shouting dies down. She stays motionless, a long statue of grace. Her leg muscles are coiled, her calves seem to be carved out of stone. Surely, her ankles are too delicate to bear the weight of her body? Then the strains of a familiar song crash over the space. Is it The Beatles?
Who the fuck strip teases to a song by the bloody Beatles?
She arches her arm at a right angle to her body. A ripple runs through the crowd. I freeze.
Victoria does, and damn, does she give the song a whole new meaning.
She leans into the move, her hip jutting out…the silvery strip of nothing digging into the crease between her legs, stretching to outline what would be pink, juicy, pussy lips. A shimmer of lust crawls up my spine. The hair on the back of my nape rises. The music pumps up…
I stare as she twirls around once, then again. Bends one leg, thrusts out the other, then lets go, to stay poised on one arm for a second—the crowd gasps—then she wraps her am up and around her leg, thrusts out her breasts. Her nipples are outlined against the shimmery top…that hugs every curve of her body, baring her creamy shoulders. The arch of her neck, the sweat that beads that beautiful skin, clings to the regal arch of her brow, slides down her temples, across that soft curve of her cheek. She throws her head back, lips parted, spine arched in the simulation of the first throes of an orgasm.
The lyrics crescendo. She’s dancing to Come Together by The Beatles. Jesus H Christ. Come together, indeed.
Her eyelids snap open. Familiar green eyes, stare up at me. Her eyes. I glare. Under the harsh spotlights, her skin glows—white, transparent, so fragile. All mine. A growl rips from me.
"How dare she?"
10
Victoria
His pale, blue eyes glitter, and even from across the space that separates us, they resemble chips of ice. Hard. Mean. His nostrils flare. Is he angry?
His jaw tics; his shoulders seem to grow in size.
No, he's not angry; he's livid. I gulp and all of my nerve-endings seem to flare. His chest heaves and the shirt stretches across the planes, outlining every single ripped muscle. Omigod, no one should look that gorgeous, that lethal. My belly clenches.
I unfurl my body, coil my legs around the pole, twirl—once, twice, thrice—flatten out my body parallel to the floor in a flat line… Stay… Stay… My biceps flex, my triceps stretch, all of my muscles coil, then I lower my legs until I’m parallel again, this time to the pole, lower my legs, until my toes touch the pole. Let go of the pole, to drop down to a crouch, then spring up, arch my back, my neck, snap out my head, search the window above. It’s empty.
What the hell—?
My stomach bottoms out. My arms and legs tremble.
The lyrics of my preferred song to dance to thump against my breast bone. So close, I had been so close. I could have sworn I’d caught his attention… I should have known better.
Just because he is interested in me—Oh, I’d caught the flicker of curiosity in his gaze from the moment he’d laid eyes on me—so what? He met many men and women, a billionaire like him who has the freakin’ world at his feet. What does he know about being helpless, at the mercy of those who could change your life in an instant?
If I don’t manage to intrigue him, I'll never be able to break Nina free of the Mafia's clutches.
Goddam him. I grab the pole with my arms, pull myself in, then scissor my legs wide apart, in a 'V' swirl, once, twice… It's thanks to Nina that I'd taken classes in pole dancing. She'd enjoyed it and had nagged me until I'd gone along with her. She thought it would help me gain confidence in myself, and help me come out of my shell. And truth is, I'd found it liberating.
On the pole I can let go of all of my inhibitions, forget I am a nerd who doesn't fit in anywhere. I can let the music get to me, allow the lyrics to twist my insides, slam against my temples, my chest, between my legs. I
