Page 32 of Saving Helena

Examining my fingernails, the dainty little rainbows I’d painted yesterday, I thought about homes and husbands. Once upon a time, a husband was all I’d thought about, but the club had always been my home. There’d never been a time when I could picture anything else or anything I’d want other than the club. Or Maddox Bishop.

Helena

The rest of my day passed in a haze of party clean-up that always followed events. Thankfully, Jillian, Amber, and I stuck to the kitchen and the bar while the prospects were stuck with the club area. The last thing I wanted to worry about were the tables and the floor.

“Some of those Cobras were pretty hot,” I probed as Jillian scoured the last pots. We’d been hard at work, and it would be about lunchtime soon, so the crew would be coming in any minute now. We needed to get a wiggle on. Jillian was a hoot and a holler of a clean-up partner. She was funny and a hard worker. I could see why she had been picked up as a club bunny. The interesting part was I’d not seen her with anyone yet. She’d not been on stage dancing either, but that was her story, and I didn’t want to pry.

“There were a few.” Her eyes slid over to me. “But if I hooked up with any Cobra, there would have been hell to pay. You know that.” She dug into the pot with a little extra force. “Not that I was interested in doing that, mind you,” she added, then glanced over. “Pike was something, though.”

“Hey, I’m not judging. Pike is something,” I marked air quotes around the words, looking at her suspiciously.

“Never mind about that. I see you, Helena Marsh, deflecting,” her eyes narrowed at me. Today, she was makeup-free, her translucent skin beautiful in the light from the kitchen windows. She had soft black hair and moss-green eyes that she typically highlighted with eyeshadow.

Ironically, she accused me of deflecting because I was genuinely curious about her, but I knew what it was like now to have a few secrets. The whole business with Makarovich was sitting on my chest like a weight.

“Me, deflect?” I injected my voice with a smile. “What do you mean?”

“Tell me some good stuff. I saw you and the good ole’ prez last night canoodling.” Jillian made exaggerated kissy noises at me.

She was ridiculous right now but pretty funny. Throwing a dish rag at her in exasperation, I gave up. “Fine, last night was epic. It’s better than epic. He rocked my world more than once. Maddox is everything that I ever dreamed of. A sex god.”

Her eyes had gone round, her mouth a comic ‘O’ shape.

“He’s behind me, isn’t he?” There was no justice, I decided.

“A sex god.” His growly voice mulled the words from the counter behind me as if he were considering his new title in life.

“Kill me now,” I groaned in mortification. “You could have warned me.” I aimed an accusatory look at Jillian, who looked sheepish.

“He just popped up there. I was distracted.” At least she was apologetic, I thought to myself consolingly.

“Princess, can I talk to you for a minute?” Maddox asked.

Resigning myself, I handed off the dish rag and tried to salvage my dignity. There was no reason to be embarrassed after all. He was a sex god — that was the truth. Following Maddox off to the hallway, I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but I was starting to lean into it.

“How’s your morning?” I asked.

“Not bad, baby.” We cast ourselves against opposite sides of the narrow hallway. “The Duck called and said you’d have a shift tonight if you wanted.”

I was trying to read his expression, but if I wasn’t wrong, it seemed like … need.

“Yeah? That’d be awesome.” He didn’t look too excited about it, though. Cocking my head at him in question, I gave it another try. “Your day ok?”

“It’s fine,” he said. “But now that I’ve discovered you’ll be missing from my bed tonight, my day isn’t quite as fantastic.”

Oh, my smile spread. That should teach him to leave me hot and needy in the morning. He should have had me while we had the chance. “That’s too bad, I guess. Girl’s got to work when she can.” Shrugging a shoulder, I pushed off the wall, heading back towards the kitchen, but he whipped out a hand and stopped me.

“Not so fast, baby.” Pushing me face-first against the wall, he pressed into me, his breath hot in my ear. “I’m going to be waiting for you, sex god that I am. I have a new title to live up to.” Running a tongue up the curve of my ear. “Should I make you come right now? So you have something to think about later? Hmm?” He rubbed himself against me, but I couldn’t seem to care. “You make me crazy,” he groaned, sliding his fingers down my jeans, dipping into my pussy.

“So wet for me. Naughty.”

Moaning as his fingers dipped down into my panties as he leaned over me.“Ass out baby. No screaming, or we’re going to have an audience.”

Driving his fingers into me, he had me coming in no time, panting against the wall, limp.

“Take one of the club trucks so you aren’t walking,” he murmured, kissing me gently on the neck. “I’ll have some of the guys stop by to make sure you’re alright.

“I will.” My words were quiet as I shimmied from under him and back to Jillian and the kitchen, where I felt I had more control. It didn’t keep me from feeling good about knowing that his eyes were burning into my back as I went.

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