Page 16 of Indiscreet

CHAPTER FOUR

“Where are you taking me?” Excitement coursed through my body as Dane maintained his possession of me.

“To talk,” he said calmly as he led me through the back of his house. I didn’t understand what he wanted from me now. My idea of leaving the mixer early would have given him and all that had happened the distance and discretion it needed.

Even though he had me, I knew I could leave if I wanted to go. He wasn’t pulling or dragging me, though going along with him had ended my chance at a quick escape from what I had done with him and his friend. Doing something so public was risky. Could I risk my reputation and the future of Perfetto with my recklessness? I tried to put it out of my mind.

Dane opened the door and turned on the lights. I could see it was a studio with a few drafting tables, design boards, and workstations. It also appeared to be a mini apartment with a kitchen, brown leather couches, and throws. He motioned for me to take a seat then poured us drinks, handing me a glass of wine before sitting in the chair across from me.

He took a sip from his glass of dark liquor before meeting my eyes, and when he did, something pulled my attention to him. I wasn’t sure if it was the unabashed weight of his gaze when he looked at me or the sexual magnetism emanating from him that made his stare unnerving, but the silence bothered me. I cleared my throat and stated the obvious, though it came out more abrupt than I meant it to. “Are we just going to sit here staring at each other?”

“I thought you needed a minute to collect yourself,” he said, his full lips spreading into an amused grin. “I know you want to escape now, but that doesn’t work for me or the other guests who were in the green mixer and put their trust in me as their host.”

I hunched my shoulders and lowered my eyelids. “I’m sorry for going in there. I was just curious…”

“Curious is looking in,” he said with a smirk. “You were more than curious.”

My face warmed. “Fine. I was more than curious. I didn’t mean to upset you or your guest. I didn’t recognize anyone, and I won’t tell anyone about it.”

He shrugged and smiled. “You, like all my guests, signed an ironclad non-disclosure agreement. Your answers in your interview and questionnaire placed you with those that have the same interests. The closed mixer is for those ready to explore those interests. It wasn’t for you right now, and you weren’t meant to go in there. It is a part of the matchmaking, but for those who want partners that are sexually compatible. What I want to talk to you about is you running away after you participated. As host and part of your experience, I’d like to try to ease some of your concerns.”

I stared down at my hands on my lap and sighed. I’d just had the most incredible sexual experience of my life, and it was just a mere blip in his evening. In fact, he was only talking to me as part of his hosting duties, not because he was interested.

“You look upset now,” he said, calling me back from my thoughts. “What are you thinking?”

I licked my lips. There was no way I would share how disappointed I was by his response. I was still wounded from being cheated on; the last thing I needed was more rejection. Since he was waiting, I quickly came up with something to say that I thought was safe to ask him about, something Elliott had taunted me with. “What is a tourist?”

“That’s not what you were thinking, but I will answer the question.” His jaw tightened.

“A tourist is a woman or man who wants to experiment with their fantasies and then shun or run away from the reality of their experience.”

I scoffed and let my hair fall forward, covering my face. “Sounds like me.”

“Pull your hair back so I can see your beautiful face.” His words were commanding though his tone was casual.

I smiled and moved my hair back behind my ears. Dane was a charmer, unassuming in his approach. Still, I wanted to explain my behavior lest he get the wrong idea about me. “What happened between us, the three of us…it wasn’t like me.”

“Is it not like you to regret something? Or for you to let two men make you come?” My cheeks burned hot at his question. I didn’t know how to respond. “I didn’t say that to embarrass you. We can be open and honest about what happened,” he added.

I licked my lips. “All right. Regret, I have plenty of, but the two of you touching me…intimately in a public room isn’t me. I’m not usually so…” I paused to search for the right word as to not offend. “Permissive.”

What the three of us had done was mind-boggling, crazy, uninhibited, something I didn’t imagine happening even in my wildest sexual fantasies, especially with a man like Dane whom, in other circumstances, I’d have a genuine interest in dating. Deep down I knew that was what was really bothering me—Dane’s opinion of me.

“I can’t imagine what you think.”

“What I think of you—is that what you’re really asking?” he mused, and he was right. I did want to know.

I sucked in air. “Yes.”

He leaned forward, closer to me, and my pulse increased. “I enjoyed watching Elliott touch your pussy when I arrived, and even more when you let both of us make you come. If I had my way, I’d take you in a room with him and we’d fuck you all night.” His answer was bold, audacious, and my body clenched in desire in response to everything he mentioned. It had been so long since someone had fucked me. I craved sex, but was this the way to go about it—a night with two strangers? It all seemed incredibly titillating in books, but would I feel even more regret than I already did?

“What are you thinking now?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“I’m thinking how good it must be to have such a carefree life. I would want the person I’m with to care about me, not just get off.” My reply was contemptuous, and he sat back in his chair, frowning.

“Who says I—or, for that matter, Elliott, doesn’t care? Or that having sex would hold no meaning?” he said. “Personally, I choose those I allow in my bed with care.”

I blinked at him. “You say you choose with care, but you’re willing to have me as your bed partner with your friend?”

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