Page 34 of Sinful Desires

Lucian caught my attention when he placed his empty glass on the table, rolling his eyes as he did. “What he means is… our mothers can’t wait to get a look at you.”

“Here comes something I would like to get a look at.” Evan wore a charming grin that all but melted the panties off our server, who took a few moments to eye fuck him before looking around the rest of the group.

I could understand what they meant about having more women to go around now that two of their members were spoken for. The girl attempted to get Noah’s attention, yet he only offered a brief, friendly grin then checked his phone. What would that be like, meeting the single woman with the power to make all other women disappear? I’d never imagined it possible.The sort of fairy tale people enjoyed telling themselves—true love and all that bullshit.

I followed Noah’s lead, looking at my phone and ignoring a handful of emails from associates. Even I couldn’t bring myself to care about HR issues and staffing questions at half past ten on a Friday night. There were limits. Boundaries.

“Where are the girls tonight?” Evan asked.

“Oh, they stopped off at that new club in the meatpacking district. The one Valentina was promoting.” Colton checked the time. “They’ll be out for a while still.”

I hadn’t crossed paths with Aria this evening. Why was that so strange? Something felt off. Unfinished. Spending the past two nights together, we’d made a private joke of the termfilm discussion, always using that as our excuse to escape to one bedroom or the other. It already had me craving her beyond all reason. Soon, there would be no choice but to forget her, but an entire week stretched between then and now.

A smart man would have set his sights on another woman—any woman. They surrounded us, orbiting our table like satellites, hoping to be pulled in by one of us, and doubtful it mattered which. I had my pick of every height, weight, hair color, and skin color. A veritable smorgasbord awaited me.

Yet I felt empty. Flat. Uninspired. Rather than take advantage of a willing stranger, I pulled up our text thread and shot Aria a message.

Me:What are you wearing?

Risky? Perhaps. There was always a chance someone might see. Pretend all she might, we both knew she got off on a bit of excitement. The thrill of knowing she was a bad girl. Something told me she hadn’t gotten much experience being bad before we met. How fortunate I was to open her up and broaden her horizons.

She didn’t keep me waiting. While fresh drinks were served, her text came through.

Aria:Clothes. The same as I always do.

“What’s so interesting?” Evan noticed my grin and craned his neck, attempting to peer at my phone.

“Your mom was reminding me of how good she is at tonguing my balls,” I retorted, shoving him away with a laugh. “Obviously.”

Noah coughed hard enough to raise a few worried looks from passersby. “Oh, fuck,” he choked out, laughing again. “Warn a guy next time.”

“That was good,” Colton agreed. To his credit, Evan laughed it off. There was something almost unnerving about that. How willing they were to accept me as part of their group. There had been no trial period or point where I was expected to prove myself worthy of their esteem. They had simply given it to me. Granted, my flashy toys may have helped a bit, but they could only take a person so far.

Returning to my phone, I tapped out another message. Now that I’d caught her attention, there was no resisting the urge to play a little.

Me:How about sending me a pic? For visual aid purposes.

She must have been as keen to screw around as I was since she replied almost instantly.

Aria:How about waiting until I see you later?

Me:Since when have I been that patient?

Aria:I’m convinced you’re the devil. You know that, right?

It took biting my tongue to suppress a laugh. She only thought she knew. Rather than reply, I laid the phone face down on my lap, certain she wouldn’t disappoint.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Evan spoke, staring across the crowded bar. Clearly, he’d found his diversion for the evening.I caught a glimpse of a leggy blonde staring at him before my phone buzzed with a new text.

“Fuck,” I breathed out, nearly dropping the phone once I’d opened the photo she sent. My eyes darted left, then right, then I dared steal another glance of Aria’s shaved pussy. Either she’d gone out without underwear, or she’d taken them down for me. The result was the same, regardless. A potentially painful erection began to stir.

Tucking my phone away rather than risk exposing her more than she’d exposed herself, I cleared my throat. “What do you think about checking out that new club?” I suggested. No way was I waiting to see her at the penthouse after she’d thrown down the gauntlet. Her little stunt deserved to be matched.

Noah shrugged, looking around. “I wouldn’t mind catching up with Sienna.”

“More like whoever is trying to hit on her,” Evan predicted with a smirk as he approached his muse for the evening.

Looking my way, Noah grunted. “You’re the one who fights in bars. Kick his ass for me, would you?” Yet my suggestion had done the trick, the others standing and checking their pockets as Colton settled the tab.

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