Relationships deepen and shift on and off the dance floor
Natalie looked good in a burnt yellow two-piece.
She’d always been stacked, but this outfit made her into a piece of art. The top of her bikini consisted of two pieces of yellow fabric that covered most of her breasts, but the straps crossed her chest before wrapping around her neck. It meant that her breasts were lifted and cinched, giving her cleavage a depth it usually lacked when left unrestrained. A blood-orange skirt wrapped around her waist, obscuring the other piece of the suit, but left a slit up the side, showing off a beautiful amount of thigh and hip. A few bangles dangled from one wrist and matched the gold hoops she wore in her ears.
Erin escorted Natalie to me, both of them looking my way occasionally as they talked to each other. Natalie laughed at something Erin said, which was a green flag. Considering Erin was one of the most important people in my life, having Natalie like her meant a lot to me.
“Hey, boss!” Erin said as they approached me. “Guess who I found hanging out inside!?”
“Glad you could make it!” I said, grinning at her as I gave her a once-over.
Fuck. She was gorgeous. It always astounded me how Natalie never seemed tempted to follow in the footsteps of so many other women with above-average looks. She could have easily had as many followers as Venus or one of the other girls. She possessed a unique blend of African and Native American heritage that made her beauty truly exotic. Her almond-shaped eyes could destroy me with a look, and I wanted to drown in eyes so dark that you could barely distinguish irises from pupils. Her lips were gorgeous and perfect for so many illicit things.
Her long hair was piled on top of her head, leaving her graceful neck bare. I wanted to chase its gentle slope with my tongue.
I tried not to be too obvious as I stared back at her, but there was no doubt that both ladies noticed me eyeing Natalie like I was a starving man confronted with a seven-course meal. No one could blame me… especially after that dream.
Only… now, I had the real thing standing in front of me.
“Thanks for inviting me,” she said, glancing at the ground before cutting her eyes up at me. It made her look bashful, which was so strange considering how long we’d known each other.
Erin placed her hand on the small of Natalie’s back and gave her a little nudge. My old friend’s eyes grew wide in surprise as she stumbled forward a step or two before putting a steadying hand on my chest.
“Sorry,” Erin said. “You two are hopeless, so I thought I’d give you a little help.”
Natalie blushed and looked up at me… her lips dangerously close to mine. “You gonna let her get away with that?”
“It’s part of her job,” I said, glancing back at Erin. She was staring at Natalie’s ass, and her eyes traveled up the woman’s bare back until she caught me watching her. She grinned and mouthed, “If you don’t get between those legs soon, I will!” Then she promptly went back to staring at Natalie’s ass, biting her lip.
I snorted.
“It’s part of her job to shove women at you?” Natalie asked
“Only the ones I like.” I let another few heartbeats pass between us before stepping back to give us a little more space but still held onto her hand. “So, what do you think?”
“Of the place?” Natalie said, looking around. “I’ve been here before.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to you last time.”
Natalie winced. “Yeah. I remember that. Sorry if I came off a little bitchy to… what was her name?”
“Danni.” I recalled the way those two had been at each other—nothing overt… just a handful of comments and looks that resembled two alley cats circling each other.
“Ah, yeah,” she said. The way she looked at me with a mixture of apology and playful coyness created a lump in my throat. “She was pretty. Whatever happened to her?”
I could feel it. This was one of those small moments that could contribute to shaping our relationship.
I could take the easy way—gloss over what happened with Danni and make Natalie feel more important. It’s something I would have done a month ago.
Or, I could be honest and give her the real story.
“She wanted something I couldn’t give her,” I admitted, opting for honesty.
“What was that?” Natalie asked.
“My undivided attention,” I sighed. I tried to give her my best lopsided, roguish grin, but I could feel the regret in it. I didn’t want to break Danni’s heart. I didn’t want to break Natalie’s either. I just wasn’t sure I could commit to an exclusive relationship the way Danni had wanted, which was something that Natalie was used to.
She stared back at me, the playful look in her eyes fading a little as she worked through my meaning.
Then she said something that surprised the hell out of me.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but if she wanted things you couldn’t give her, then maybe she just wasn't meant to be.” She fixed me with a meaningful look and said, “There’s someone out there better.”
And with that, the groundwork had been laid. Without saying it outright, I’d let Natalie know that there wasn’t an exclusive relationship in my future, and she’d just let me know that she was interested despite that.
We spent the next ten minutes catching up over cocktails. She told me a little more about what she’d been doing since I left for Europe, and I gave her a bit more insight into my adventures. As she began to discuss the fallout from her relationship with my brother, I noticed some of the laughter fading from her eyes with each passing moment, replaced by a haunted look.
“Let’s not talk about him right now,” I said. “We have plenty of time to cover that later.”
Our wandering had brought us close to the dance floor, which had become more lively, thanks to Natashya and my sister. Both of them moved with fluid grace and seductive precision. Natashya was currently rubbing her crotch against her girlfriend as her hands lightly brushed down Emily’s sides. Em had her arms lifted high, her curvy frame silhouetted against the last remnants of the day. Her hair tossed from side to side, and she kept throwing glances at her partner as she ground her ass against her.
I’d never known my sister to be that much of a dancer; being around Natashya must have rubbed off on her. Not only did she look like she was enjoying herself, but she was good!
“That’s your sister, right?” Natalie asked, leaning in close and pointing at the pair.
“Yeah,” I said, watching as Jonah and Honey joined them on the dance floor. Jonah wasn’t that great, but Honey more than made up for it. She had more curves than just about anyone else at this party, but she moved with Rose and Natashya’s deftness, and the look on Jonah’s face made it clear that he was aware that he’d scored a girl out of his league.
“That’s Emily,” I continued. “The woman she’s dancing with is her girlfriend!”
“Girlfriend?” Natalie said. “I didn’t know she was a lesbian!”
“Bi,” I corrected. “It’s a recent thing, but they’ve been dating for over a month, and they seem good together.”
By now, Venus had joined the dance floor, along with Kwan and a few others. Venus immediately made her way over to Honey, who was now sandwiched between her boyfriend and the internet influencer. They writhed against the curvy blonde, treating her like royalty, every grind… every look a tribute.
“How do you know all these people?” Natalie asked.
“Ah…”
Once again, I found myself hesitant to answer. It would mean revealing more than I was comfortable with and risking that she’d see me as just another misogynistic pig… especially after Tyler. My knee-jerk instinct was to obfuscate.
But if I wanted to give this a shot—if I wanted Natalie to see the real shape of my life—I needed to lead with radical, unapologetic honesty.
“Well, you know Jonah,” I said. Natalie nodded. She’d met the guys a few times. “I met Venus at my last party. I think she’s starting to get serious with one of my lawyers. Honey and Natashya…”
I glanced at Natalie to see her staring up at me curiously while slurping on the straw in her drink, and I took a moment to appreciate how starkly beautiful she could be even when she wasn’t trying, sometimes hovering between classically gorgeous and girl-next-door good looks.
“I had a bad Friday,” I continued, “so Erin took me to a high-end strip club. I met Honey and Natashya there… and ended up spending the weekend with them.”
Natalie blinked and spit out the straw. “You spent the entire weekend with two strippers?”
“Three,” I corrected. “Rose is around here somewhere. And Erin… and Danni.”
“You spent the weekend with three strippers, your assistant, and the girl you were dating!?”
Radical honesty.
“Yeah,” I said as unapologetically as I could.
“Jesus, Marcus. You’re cute, but I didn’t know you had that kind of game!”
“Oh,” I said, “trust me. I don’t. It’s the money… and Erin. They made it all happen.”
She gave me a long side-eye. “Hm,” she said, her mouth twisting in thought.
“Is it a problem?” I asked.
“No!” She said quickly. “Why would it be?”
“No reason,” I said, eyeing her closely. I couldn’t tell whether she was trying to hide jealousy and judgment or if she was genuinely accepting of what she was hearing. This whole thing felt a little like some kind of dance, and I didn’t fully understand the rules.
Honey and Venus had started getting into it—to the point where Jonah was looking a little like a third wheel. He bowed out with grace, letting the two flirt and writhe with each other as he made his way over to Natalie and me, wiping his glistening forehead with his sleeve.
“Looks like you’ve got competition,” I said, jutting my chin at Venus.
“I mean,” Jonah said, glancing over his shoulder, “can you blame her?”
Natalie and I both checked her out. Venus was stunning—more curves than Rose or Natashya, but nowhere near as stacked as Honey. She moved with feline grace as she danced around her partner. Her dark brown hair and slightly Greek features made her particularly striking, likely contributing to the nearly one million people who followed her.
“Yeah,” I said. “You might have lost her, buddy.”
“Shame,” Jonah said good-naturedly. “I’m not great at it, but I love a good dance.” He looked back at me. “What about you? Gonna get out there?”
“Maybe in a minute,” I said, holding my drink up—it had about a third left. “If I can find a partner.”
I glanced at Natalie, who grinned at me. “Are you asking me to dance?” Her smile felt genuine—pleased.
“If you’re up for it.”
Natalie put her hand to her chest like a debutant at a ball. “I’d be honored!”
“You mind if I warm her up for you?” Jonah asked.
“If she’s ready, go for it!” I said.
She handed me her empty cup and offered her hand to Jonah. As he led her out onto the dance floor, she looked back at me, all smiles. “Don’t take too long!”
I worked on finishing my drink as I watched Natalie and Jonah slip out onto the dance floor, stopping next to Honey and Venus so Jonah could show off his new partner to his girlfriend. Throwing back the last of my drink, I set both glasses on some nearby surface, my eyes locked on the sway of her hips.
I stared at Natalie, hunger squirming in my gut as I watched her sway to the music. Her generous hips snapped with every beat before sensuously rolling back, her crotch thrusting slow and deliberate, her torso writhing with the same skill and finesse as Rose or Natashya.
Natalie could move!
She raised her arms, hair cascading back as her body leaned into Jonah’s. Her dark gaze flashed from beneath hooded lids, her smile dripping with dark promises.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Come on!” Helen’s voice cut in as she swept past, grabbing my hand and dragging me into the heat. She landed beside Natalie and Jonah, spun, and pressed her toned ass into me. Her head tipped back onto my shoulder, and when I met her icy blue eyes, they were anything but cold.
Sliding my hand around Helen’s waist and across her toned abs, I pulled her more firmly against me. She whipped her head around, her blonde hair trailing in an arc to land behind me as she rested against my other shoulder. She tilted her head back a little more so her lips hovered near my ear.
“Still chasing her, Master?” Her nose nuzzled against my earlobe, and I felt her arm wrap around the back of my neck.
Fingernails grazed through my hair as a small moan escaped her lips as her firm ass ground against my cock.
My immediate reaction was to glance at Natalie, but she was so distracted by Honey and Venus, who had included her and Jonah in their private dance party. Natalie was currently sandwiched between Honey and Jonah, while Venus was back-to-back with the buxom blonde.
“Can you blame me?” I said into Helen’s ear.
Helen whirled in my arms, pressing her chest against mine as she wrapped both arms around my neck. She gave me a warm smile—something very few received from the cold blonde—and shook her head. We were so close that her nose nuzzled mine.
“Hardly,” Helen said. Helen was tall enough to brush her lips against mine as we moved to the beat. “Be careful, though… you’ve got a lot of hungry mouths to feed.”
She punctuated her words with a roll of her hips against my crotch.
Goddamn, she was right—Helen, Erin, Rose, Bobbi, Shea, Jessica… and now Natalie.
Not to mention that I’d promised to give it to Charity at some point soon. My house was getting very full of promiscuous women with needs, and I was only one man.
Maybe I was getting too greedy.
But the dance floor at my party was hardly the place to start worrying about that. They were here, and I’d worry about little things like dehydration and recovery after the fact.
And while I appreciated Helen’s concern, it wasn’t necessarily her job, and I managed to catch myself just in time from making a horrible mistake—forgetting who wore the collar and who held the leash.
On the dance floor as we ground against each other, I reached for Helen’s choker and hooked my fingers through it, using it to keep her face close to mine.
Her reaction was immediate—jaw tightened… eyes flashed brilliant blue. It wasn’t anger. There was only pure, unadulterated lust staring back at me.
“What are you suggesting, baby girl? That I can’t handle some extra pussy?”
I could feel her throat work against my fingers as she swallowed. Her jaw jutted in a mixture of sultry and subversive heat, and I could feel her hot breath roll over my face.
“No, Sir,” she said. Her body still swayed to the beat despite my keeping her anchored against me. I felt her fingernails dig into my back as she clung tighter to me.
“Who owns you?” I growled low, my lips hovering millimeters from hers.
“You do,” she said in a whisper I could barely hear.
“And if every single woman here is waiting their turn to sit on my cock, what will you do?”
She licked her lips. “I’ll keep them warm and ready for you.”
I smiled, savoring the image of Helen’s mouth as little more than a tool to keep others warm until it was their turn.
“That’s what Bobbi’s for. You?” I pulled her tighter against me. “You’re there to help me fuck them.”
“Uggggh…”
I released the collar and dropped a hand around Helen’s waist, picking the dance back up where we left off. A beat later, my beautiful blonde recovered and pressed her face into my shoulder. I felt her teeth sink into my shoulder as her hands slid up my back to grab fistfuls of my shirt as she clung to me.
For a second, I thought she might have climaxed.
“Fuck me, Marcus,” she hissed, her lips dripping with desire as she raised her head from my shoulder and rested her chin on me. “You can’t do that to me out here on the dance floor… in front of everyone.”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want with you,” I whispered, holding her close.
As I said the words, my gaze was locked on Natalie, dancing between Venus and Jonah as she stared at me. Her eyes were massive, and for a moment, I thought she was angry. Part of me cared. Regret twisted in my gut… sure I’d just blown it with her.
Another part of me—a darker part—dared Natalie to get mad at me. I still wanted her, but I was also growing tired of tiptoeing around her sensibilities.
It was like slow motion as we watched each other—her dark, unreadable eyes traveled from Helen back to me, and we locked gazes for what felt like hours. Then she pulled her plush bottom lip between her teeth and chewed on it, smiling at me before looking back at Venus and losing herself in her dance partners once more.
“That was hot!” Honey said. A soft pair of breasts pressed into my back as Honey began dancing behind me.
“Glad you liked the show!” I called out from over my shoulder. “Not good enough to pull you away from that party, though!” I indicated to Natalie and the others.
Honey shrugged prettily and batted her eyes at me. “Jonah’s dancing with your girl. I assumed I could dance with Natalie’s man!”
Despite not actually dating Natalie, I couldn’t help but smile at Honey’s words.
The next few minutes were a blur—I was sandwiched between Helen and Honey, grinding on one and then the other. Natalie noticed what was happening and followed suit, her moves becoming more exaggerated as she leaned back against Jonah, who looked like a deer in headlights. Then she leaned forward and loosely embraced Venus. Natalie’s cleavage overwhelmed the other woman’s as they danced.
Helen took the escalation as a challenge and leaned in to kiss me. Honey hovered over my shoulder, tugged on Helen’s hair, and stole her lips, giving me a very up-close view of the two blondes as they fully made out.
Cheers erupted from some of the crowd. Kwan stopped dancing with a redhead to cheer with her near the edge of the dance floor.
Honey grabbed my hand, and I turned to face her, fearing for a second that she might try to initiate some kind of make-out session with me. We’d fucked before, but that was before she met Jonah, and I wasn’t about to make a move on one of my best friends’ girlfriends.
Instead, we danced.
Up to this point, most of what I’d referred to as dancing had been little more than glorified dry humping. That wasn’t what Honey and I did. We held hands and stepped across the floor to the beat. Not having much experience, I followed her lead and was pleased to learn that she was fantastic! I was able to pick up on her cues perfectly, spinning her around, pulling her against me, and pushing her out into a twirl at precisely the right time.
She was all smiles and laughter as she twirled around, dropping in and out of my orbit as we moved across the floor. The deep dimples in her round cheeks worked in tandem with her golden hair to give her a youthful and vibrant appearance. I’d never seen Honey so radiant… she’d always seemed cool and distant.
There was no mistaking… she was fine as hell, in that cute/hot way, but now that she was less standoffish, I could see what Jonah saw in the girl.
I had just turned to press my back against hers, enjoying the movement, when my gaze found Natashya and Emily. They were a sweaty mess as they continued to move across the floor. Natashya was watching me, her hands on her knees, pressing her ass into her partner’s crotch. Her hair had fallen out of its messy bun and was draped around her shoulder, partially obscuring her face. She grinned up at me, those mahogany eyes watching me hungrily. The tip of her tongue slid across her top lip, reminding me of a tigress staring at her next meal.
And I felt a hunger for her stir—something I hadn’t contemplated in weeks. I remembered the way she felt in my lap… the way my cock felt buried so deep inside her. I felt a sudden aching need for Emily’s girlfriend that had been reduced to a dull roar all this time.
I broke eye contact with her before giving that fire any more fuel…
Only to find myself face-to-face with Natalie.
While I’d been distracted by Natashya, she’d switched with Honey, who I noticed was dancing with Jonah and openly making out with him.
Natalie put her fingers on my jaw and guided my gaze back to her. She wore a little smirk as she said, “A girl could take it personally if her partner’s not paying her enough attention.”
“You’re right,” I said. “Let me make it up to you.”
And we danced. Natalie was my sole focus for the next few minutes as we bumped, ground, twirled, and stepped our way back and forth. At some point, she lost her skirt and was left in just her bikini, while my shirt had also become unbuttoned.
I couldn’t keep my hands off her—my palms roamed down her silky thighs, ran up that tight curve of her hip… her soft, feminine belly. Our noses brushed each other. Lips almost touched. Breath rolled over faces as fingers glided and teased.
By the time the next song ended, Natalie’s back was pressed against me, writhing her ass against my hard-on while my hand was pressed to her lower abdomen—dangerously close to the hem of her tiny bikini bottom. She was staring at me over her shoulder with a look that threatened to burn me from the inside out.
Our lips were so close as we ground against each other to the beat, and I nuzzled into her cheek, my mouth touching the corner of hers, and I swear I could hear a stuttering breath as I felt her lips part. Her hand covered mine—the one on her stomach—and she squeezed it as she put microscopic pressure on it, a mere hint that she wanted my hand to go lower.
And then the music ended. More cheers erupted, and the DJ announced that he would be taking a ten-minute break.
Natalie slowly eased herself out of my grasp and turned, giving me a coy smile that I reciprocated. The mood wasn’t shattered as much as it was tamped down… like a campfire reduced to burning coals.
“I think we earned some drinks,” I said, panting. Her chest rose and fell tantalizingly with every breath.
“Come on, I’ll buy you one,” I said, earning a shy smile from her.
Jonah clapped me on the shoulder as he walked past, holding Honey’s hand. “Man, I didn’t think you had those kinds of moves!”
“I didn’t either,” I said, grabbing Natalie’s hand, pleased when I felt her fingers curl around mine as I followed the other couple off the floor.
“I haven’t danced like that in a while,” Honey said, looking pleased. “I never have a partner when I dance.” She glanced at Jonah. “We’re taking lessons… soon as I can find a place.”
“No complaints from me,” he said with a wink at me as they headed toward the bar.
I led Natalie in a different direction—toward Emily and Natashya, who were talking to Erin and Tara.
Natashya and Tara were laughing about something while Emily and Erin had their heads together, watching as Natalie and I approached. I stopped cold. Erin was watching me, and I couldn’t read her at all.
Unlike Helen or Chloe, I was able to read Erin’s moods at a glance. She rarely obscured her emotions—it had become something of a sanctuary for me to look at her and know exactly what she was feeling. Not being able to read her hit me harder than I thought it would.
Fuck. Was she mad? The idea of disappointing Erin hit much harder than Natalie’s displeasure.
“Hey guys,” I said, letting go of Natalie’s hand, trying to hide the sudden sensation of discomfort.
“You guys looked amazing out there!” Emily crowed as she closed the distance and slid her arms around me. Her damp hair felt cool to the touch as she nuzzled into my shoulder.
“Oh! Thanks!” I said, a little surprised by the amount of affection my sister was showing me. We’d always been physical in private. But here, in public, it felt… different.
For a second, a pang of worry shot through me. There was a lot of alcohol around, and while Emily never developed a taste for alcohol, I was concerned that she might find it an acceptable replacement for some of the other drugs she no longer enjoyed.
However, as I pulled back a little and looked her in the eyes, I couldn’t see any of the signs of drinking or smell alcohol on her breath. Her pale eyes were bright and clear and…
Was she just horny?
I could feel my core boil at that thought. Jesus, the sexual tension on this rooftop…
“Em,” I said, diverting attention away from me. “This is Natalie.”
“Natalie,” I said, looking at my date, “This is my sister, Emily.”
“Emily!” Natalie said. “Oh my god, I’ve heard so much about you!”
“Natalie!” Emily let go of me to step in and hug the other woman. “I’ve heard absolutely nothing about you!”
“Oh! I worked with Marcus at his old job while…”
“You guys keep talking. I’m going to get a couple of drinks.”
Natalie dismissed me with a nod, and I left the group to head to the bar. I wanted Natalie to get to know Emily a little, considering that she was one of the few women I hadn’t slept with on this rooftop. After all the bumping, grinding, and sexual heat, I wanted something a little more wholesome that would allow her to cool down a little. I wanted her—tonight, if possible, but I didn’t want it to be a heat-of-the-moment sort of thing.
Not with Natalie.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
Still distracted by thoughts of Natalie and Emily bonding, I gave a cursory glance to the person who fell in beside me and had to do a double-take. I’d seen her from a distance, but up close, Emiko was stunning in a slate-gray wrap dress made of high-quality silk. It was form-skimming instead of clingy, suggesting a tapered waist and a decent bust without revealing too much. It was conservative when compared to all the bikinis and one-pieces out here.
She wore black suede heels that added an inch of height, and her chocolate-brown hair was pulled back in a loose chignon bun. Her makeup was understated, with subtle, warm tones and no lipstick—just a faint gloss. She looked stunning in a simple sort of way.
“Yeah!” I said as I approached the bar. “I am. You put together one hell of a party!”
She seemed pleased by my response, clasping her hands in front of her as she smiled and bowed her head. “Thank you. I can’t take all the credit. Erin and Charity did their parts, and I couldn’t have done it without their expertise.”
“Erin threw the last one,” I said, “but she pitched a fit the entire time. I know she’s grateful to have you here to spearhead the entire thing.”
“You’re too kind.”
“Are you enjoying yourself?” I asked as we reached the bar.
“It’s not my place to enjoy myself, but I am,” she said, “It has been a privilege to get to know some of your friends. Your sister is a delight.”
“She wasn’t always,” I said. “Don’t let her fool you.”
She chuckled. “I’ll do my best to keep an eye out for her deception.”
“Thanks!” I said and turned to the bartender to order a couple of drinks.
“I’ll leave you to your evening,” Emiko said. “Just let me know if there is anything you need.”
“Actually,” I said, placing my hand on her wrist as she started to turn away. “Real quick… did you send Jess to wake me up?”
Emiko glanced at the hand on her wrist, but more out of curiosity than any sort of offense. “Yes,” she said, looking up at me. “Should I have not sent her?”
The look of open curiosity on her face gave me the impression that she hadn’t sent Jessica to my room to give me a wake-up blowjob, and that made sense. That sort of thing didn’t seem like Emiko’s style.
“No,” I said, deciding not to get Emiko involved… at least, not yet. “It’s fine. I was just curious.”
My domestic manager’s gaze lingered a bit longer than I felt it needed, and just when I was about to insist that there was nothing to worry about, she gave me a pleasant smile and said, “Very well. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”
“Thank you, Emiko!” I called after her as she turned and began to glide away. I took a moment to admire the slender curve of her neck, exposed by the way her hair was styled and wondered what exactly she looked like under that dress. Then I turned around—
“Jeez!” I jumped.
Bobbi stood there just inside my personal bubble, all five feet and two inches, looking up at me like Wednesday Adams.
“What the fuck, Bobbi?”
“Can I go now?”
“What?”
“I want to go to my room.”
“No,” I said and started to turn back to the bar.
She grabbed my arm, and I glanced down at it, then to her, unimpressed.
“Please…”
Bobbi’s eyes were begging more than her words.
“Why?”
“I don’t want to be around these people,” she growled.
“That’s not a good enough reason,” I said, shaking her grip off my arm. “You literally have one j—”
“Fuck! Fine! I want a drink, okay!?”
Ah, fuck… I sometimes forgot that Emily wasn’t the only addict in my life. Bobbi had suffered a similar substance abuse, but unlike Emily, she didn’t hate alcohol. I hadn’t thought about that.
I looked back at her, taking a moment for my eyes to roam over her body. Her skin glistened in the incandescent lights surrounding us, illuminating the darkening sky. She practically glowed like some kind of supernatural being.
Her red and white two-piece flattered what curves she had—tight, subtle. She had a slender torso and legs, giving her the appearance of being taller than she really was. Her breasts were beautiful, and the bikini top did a fantastic job of holding them in place and maximizing their cleavage. She wore minimal makeup and just enough eyeliner to make her big eyes pop. To put it simply, she was a fun-sized temptation—one I wanted to devour and make her forget all about the party and the alcohol.
And the thing was… by this point, she would have welcomed it. She no longer resisted every attempt I made to be intimate with her. The attitude was still there, but she was always soaking between her legs, and I suspected the attitude was just a means to get me to leave hand prints on her ass.
She might have been done with the party, but I wasn’t done with her.
“Fine,” I said. “But you can’t go to your room.”
“Why?”
“Because I fucking said so,” I snapped. I hooked my finger in her collar, bearing the name ‘kitten’ on it—none of the teasing I’d given Helen. This was something else. “What have I said about asking questions, kitten?”
Her chin lifted, and she stared up at me with a mixture of arousal, resignation, and defiance.
“Where, then?” she asked.
“The dungeon,” I said. “Go sit on the Sybian until someone comes for you.”
“What—”
I pressed my thumb to her lips hard, cutting her off. “I don’t care what settings you use. Just go sit on it and make sure it’s on.”
I pressed harder, my thumb slipping between her lips—I felt her tongue loll around the invading digit, the wet appendage coating it in her saliva.
“Go on,” I said, slipping the finger from her lips and stroking her with the back of my hand. “We won’t forget you. Promise.”
She nodded, and I released her, letting her walk away from me a little unsteadily.
I watched her leave, wondering exactly how I would fit Bobbi into my busy schedule. After all, I’d promised Rose some action, still owed Charity a fuck, and I still wanted Natalie.
“Goddamn,” Erin said. I turned to see her leaning against the bar, holding my drink. Judging by the level, she’d taken a couple of sips. “Almost makes a girl want to sell her freedom for one of those collars.”
I eyed her, trying to decide whether banter was safe.
One moment, I was barking orders. The next, I was wringing my hands like a boy afraid of pissing off the wrong girl. If I kept this up, I was going to give myself whiplash.
“You’ve seen it all firsthand,” I said. “Still interested?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she gave me that unreadable expression again—the one she had given me a few minutes ago as Natalie and I approached her, and I couldn’t tell if she was angry, amused, or just calculating.
Fuuuuuuck.
Where was this sudden change in behavior coming from?
“You two looked good out there,” she deflected, handing me the rest of my drink.
“Thanks.” I took my drink from her, still trying to get a read on what she was thinking.
Erin turned and leaned back against the bar, propping her elbows on it, her breasts pulled high. All I could see was her… naked, pinned beneath me, arms stretched overhead—my favorite view of Erin.
“I think you have a real shot with Natalie this time,” she said, watching the subject of our discussion as she chatted animatedly with the three other girls.
“Yeah… I think you’re right.” I leaned on the bar beside her, eyes on Natalie with the others. We stood in silence for a few beats.
“It’s what you want, right?”
I glanced down at her, wondering if this was a test.
If anyone deserved radical honesty more than Natalie, it was Erin. She’d been with me for months. She had become my co-conspirator… the one who orchestrated so many of my sexual and decadent exploits. If I said I wanted coffee, she bought me the whole damn coffee shop.
“I don’t know,” I said, and to my surprise, it felt like the truth.
Erin’s eyebrows climbed. “You don’t know?”
I shrugged and looked back at Natalie. She had a standard hourglass frame, but with her larger-than-average chest, she almost looked slender. The way she felt against me with those pillowy breasts on my chest and those lips pressed to mine… fuck, she was a good kisser.
Erin continued, “This whole time we’ve been together, you’ve been pining for this girl. Now that she’s a caramel puddle at your feet, you’re getting second thoughts?”
“It’s not the girl,” I said. “It’s the expectations. She’s a bit more traditional than you… or me. I’m afraid she’s too much like Danielle.”
Erin just watched me, not responding.
“I’ve changed, Erin,” I said. “I don’t think I could go back to that kind of relationship, and if I could, I don’t know that I would want to.”
“So, no girlfriend for you?” Erin asked.
“I don’t know about that,” I said, looking back at the girls. “I still think it would be nice to have that one special relationship. That ride-or-die… you know.” I looked back at her to see her still watching me, “that one person that, even if I lost everything and everyone else, would still be with me.”
“And you don’t think that’s Natalie?” Erin asked.
“Oh,” I said. “I know that’s Natalie. I just don’t think she can handle an open relationship.”
“You mean a one-sided open relationship.”
Fuck. I hated this point. I didn’t like sharing the women closest to me.
Jessica… it didn’t bother me all that much. I was on the fence with Bobbi. The thought of anyone touching Helen or Erin, though… it made me want to throw that imaginary man off a roof. Now that I thought about it, that included Natalie.
I hated Tyler.
“What is this?” I asked Erin, unable to hide my annoyance. “That month of ‘pining’ as you call it, and you guys spend it telling me that I should be careful about pursuing a relationship with her. You and Helen said that I'm throwing away one hell of a life for a chance to be with one girl. I'm starting to realize that, and you’re giving me shit for it now?”
I never got annoyed at Erin because she never gave me a reason.
And yet, she didn’t even flinch at my tone.
“I’m just doing what I’ve always done, boss—making sure you consider both sides. You wanted her more than anything else for a long time. Now that you’re so close to getting her, you’re telling me that you like the way things are. You’re talking about having your cake and eating it too, and it might seem unreasonable to a girl like Natalie.”
“Fair enough,” I said, grateful for what she was trying to do. I was starting to realize that she might not be mad at all. She was just being cautious.
“Sorry I snapped,” I said. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
“You’re welcome, sir,” Erin said primly.
“Priorities change,” I said. “I was in love with Natalie. Maybe I still am… but I've come to realize that she might not be the only person I’m in love with anymore. She’s definitely not the only person I want.”
Erin held my gaze for a long moment and then looked back toward Natalie.
“What about you?” I asked.
Her eyes snapped back toward me, and I could see a sharpness in them. “What about me?”
I suddenly felt like I was walking through a minefield. Maybe all the looks weren’t just caution after all.
I’d been about to ask about us but suddenly thought that was a bad idea and decided to change tack. “If you were Natalie, could you accept that kind of relationship?”
She didn’t immediately respond, and I had the feeling she was wrestling with something. I felt myself growing impatient with this new dynamic that had surfaced between us, and I wanted to push her. We’d always been open and honest… where was this coming from?
But if Chloe had taught me anything, it was not to force anything; otherwise, I could end up losing her.
“I’m not Natalie,” she said.
“I kn—”
“You want a one-sided, open relationship,” she continued. “You want to be emotionally as well as physically involved with multiple women. That’s not too much of a problem for me because I know how to share, I know how to love more than one person at a time, and I’m aggressively bisexual. An arrangement like that doesn’t seem too much of a stretch to me.”
I stared at her and wondered if she was suggesting that she would be open to more between us than just a business arrangement.
Would I?
Fuck… on the one hand, our dynamic worked. I loved the way things were, and I hated the idea of that changing. If something were to happen and things didn’t work out with us, it would devastate me. I could literally find someone to fill her position tomorrow, but there would never be another Erin Malik.
On the other hand, a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Erin? Waking up to her every morning as my girlfriend. Having her as a partner and not as a woman who stood just behind me, propping me up…
That sounded nothing short of spectacular.
“But like I said,” Erin continued, “I’m not Natalie. If you want an answer, you’ll have to talk to her.” Erin nodded toward the group.
As always, she was right. Natalie and I had already admitted mutual interest in each other. She obviously knew I was playing around with other people, and she’d hinted at the idea of being okay with that, but that was right now. Would she be okay with it a year from now?
I needed all the cards on the table.
“You’re right,” I said.
“If she’s what you want, though, I wish you all the luck in the world,” Erin said. “She’s one hell of a catch. I certainly wouldn’t kick her out of bed.” She looked back at me, and there was that familiar heat in her eyes. “Like I said, you were both amazing on the dance floor.”
“Thanks,” I said, entertaining an image of both of them in bed together. Naked.
Jesus. All these tempting women.
“Are you going to get out there?” I asked.
“If the right partner comes along,” she said, giving me a pointed look.
“So, you’re telling me to keep a space open on my dance card,” I said.
She shrugged. “You or Tara.”
“How’s that going?”
Erin broke out into an enigmatic grin. “Marcus, she’s got it bad.”
“Well, tell me something I don’t know.” It was true. Every single person who had been with us on the European excursion could see it. Tara had spent an inordinate amount of time ogling my little assistant. Shea and she had been intimate on several occasions, and she had confided in Erin that any mention of her drove Tara insane.
“I told her that we spotted her watching us this morning,” Erin said, referring to our tryst earlier after my workout. Tara had left to grab a shower and had come back for her bag, only to find us having sex.
I glanced at Tara and finally noticed that her attention was split between me and Erin. The Australian knockout met my gaze and quickly looked away. “What did she say?”
“She apologized and decided to go for broke,” Erin said, picking up the drink she had just ordered. “She asked if you and I were actually a thing or if we were just fucking.”
“What did you tell her?”
Erin leveled her gaze at me. “The truth. That we aren’t a thing.”
Something about the way she said that hung in the air so thick I could almost smell it. “And what did she say?”
“She hit on me,” Erin said, glancing back in Tara’s direction. I did the same and caught her looking at us once more. “She asked if we could go out on a date.”
I took the opportunity to study Erin as she watched the others.
I’d never felt territorial toward Erin because she never gave me a reason, but something told me I was at a crossroads, and not just because of Tara. Erin and I had spent a lot of time together in Europe… more than we had in New York. We’d gotten close, and there were several moments along the way where things felt intimate in a way that went beyond just… casual.
“Well?” I asked, wanting to know Erin’s answer.
Erin’s dark eyes settled on me. “I told her that anyone wanting access to me has to go through you. Just like we discussed.”
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