Page 63 of Awakened by Sin

“Seriously?”

“Are you a mirror?”

She took a step back. He was smoking hot but off his rocker. “What?”

“Because I can see myself inside you,” he said with a boyish grin. When she stared at him, he asked, “No?”

“No!”

He held up both hands. “Fine. We can playTitanic. I’ll be the iceberg, and you can go down.”

Her mouth dropped open. She would have if he hadn’t opened his mouth. “You did not just say that!”

He grabbed his junk and bobbed his brows. “Come on, baby.”

When he opened his mouth again, she clapped her hand over it and leaned in close.

“Let me tell you something that will get you more pussy in future, okay? Women don’t like pickup lines, especially sleazy ones. When a woman wants to have sex, don’t joke with her, just give her what she wants. I could have made your eyes roll from what I can do between the sheets.” Her hand tightened on his face, pruning up his skin. “I would have let you do me rough and dirty, and you had to fucking ruin it. No more pickup lines unless you want to fuck blow up dolls. Got it?”

He stared at her for a moment before he nodded. She dropped her hand and turned away.

“Wait, that’s it?” he called.

She stopped and turned back. “Were you born on a highway?”

“What?”

“Because that’s where most accidents happen.” She snatched another glass of champagne and made her way through the crowd. God, men always had to open their mouths and ruin everything. If he’d just kept silent, she might have screwed his brains out, and they’d both be feeling like a million dollars right now, but nooooo. Some men were ridiculously clueless.

She passed a half-naked poker game in progress, strippers giving private shows, and people having sex in shadowed corners. She watched a couple going at it, but the fact that they were spit swapping a pill turned her off.

Dissatisfaction ate at her soul. Yesterday, she felt shiny and new, and already, she was beginning to tarnish. The high that carried her through partying with Shonda and the gang and then dance class with her mother this morning was waning. She finished her champagne and wandered. The same desperate craving that hit her the night Lyla was in Hell was back. She was sliding into destruct mode.

A stripper abandoned her pole when a man flashed a one-hundred-dollar bill. Carmen set her glass down, climbed onto the round platform, and gripped the shiny silver pole. No one paid her any mind as she reached high over her head, lifted her legs, and slowly rotated around the pole. An R&B song with a heavy, sultry beat filled the room. She closed her eyes and tried to lose herself in the moment. She climbed the pole and used her momentum to do a lazy spiral to the platform where she came to a graceful landing. She closed her eyes and focused on the music as she used the pole to pull herself up and let her body take over. The middle panel and high slits of her dress weren’t a hindrance as she danced. Her skirt floated dreamily around her as she spun. Her mind quieted as every fiber of her being focused on the physicality of what she was doing. She definitely had to get back to pole workouts. They kept her fit, strong, and tuned in to her sexuality. Her muscles protested as she held her position at the top of the pole, but she embraced the burn. She had taken ballet classes when she was younger, but when she heard hip-hop music pouring from another studio, she ditched the tutu and never looked back. She moved sinuously from one pose to another, allowing the beat to mold her. Her skin was slick with sweat, and her body began to tremble as her muscles begged for a break, but she kept moving.

The last song she and Vinny made love to boomed from the speakers, and she froze. She rested her forehead against the pole. Fuck. She would never be able to forget him. Bittersweet memories threatened to kill her buzz.

She raised her head and found that a crowd had gathered around her. Apparently, she hadn’t lost her skill on the pole. A stripper glared up at her and tapped her clear heel, clearly annoyed that she stole the show. Well, she would finish her fucking performance. She forced herself to move to the beat even though her heart wasn’t in it. Her hands shook as she slid down the pole. Men crowded close, but no one dared touch. For the moment, she was still a fantasy, but when she stopped moving, she was up for grabs.

She surveyed her options as she leaned back against the pole and continued to move. The heat coming off the stripper made her smile. Her gaze moved over the men, but no one stood out. They were all the same. One man made his way forward, capturing her attention. His easy, unhurried stride was unthreatening enough that the other men let him pass. Marcus stopped in front of her and held out a hand. Even though he wasn’t wearing a smile and looked unusually grim, her inner hellion was intrigued. He might be wearing a light gray suit and matching tie, but she knew for a fact that he was more dominant than the men standing around him in basketball jerseys or swim trunks.

Carmen took his hand and heard the grumble of the others as they dispersed to find action elsewhere. Dirty thoughts traipsed through her mind as she met Marcus’s hooded green gaze.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey, yourself. I wasn’t expecting to find you dancing on a pole.”

“I’m full of surprises,” she purred and wrapped her arms around him. “What are you doing here?”

“I bumped into Alice.”

That explained his appearance. “Lucky me.”

This was her opportunity to question him about his weird connection to Gavin, but right now, she didn’t give a shit. She was feeling restless and needy, and Marcus offered himself as sacrifice, and she would take advantage. She was a bit shaky from dancing, so she leaned into him. He took her weight and moved them to an empty space against the wall.

“Are you all right?”

“Uh-huh.” His silk suit felt great beneath her tingling palms. She burrowed against him and felt him stiffen a moment before she discovered his bulge. She looked up and found him staring at her intently. She couldn’t stop the delighted grin that broke across her face.

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