Page 18 of My Sweetest Temptation

“Hey! You can’t cut in line!” a woman with a piercing voice yelled. Despite the abrupt disruption, Tabi remained focused on the bouncer in front of us. “We were?—”

“I heard you the first time,” he grunted. The bouncer looked me up and down. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

“Names,” he demanded.

“It will be under Tabi Allinder and a guest.”

“Winter.”

“Tabi.”

The bouncer raised his fingers to the small earpiece in his ear. After a few seconds of murmured conversation, the bouncer pulled open the heavy door. “Follow Miguel.”

We came face to face with a tall, sexy-as-hell man. He was so good looking it was hard to look away from him. He possessed a strong jawline, striking bright blue eyes, and a chiseled physique that filled out the tight fabric of his black shirt, which emphasized his bulging muscles.

“Follow me.” Tilting his chin toward the door, he gestured for us to enter the club. Despite the numerous piercing gazes fixed on me, I remained composed as I made my way inside.

I steadied my nerves with a deep breath. Inside, the dim atmosphere was filled with techno music as people swayed their hips and grinded against each other on the crowded dance floor.

I took a moment to look around and noticed the club was divided into two levels. The lower level had a long black tabletop bar that stretched like an endless runway. Beyond the bar was a large dance floor, pulsing with energy and movement. And that was when I noticed the DJ stationed in the middle of the dance floor and half-naked women dancing in golden bird cages hanging from the ceiling; two were on a gold swing, and...

Tabi gazed at me with wide eyes and asked, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

Left speechless, I nodded in agreement. Only pasties covered the women’s breasts. They wore red lacey thongs with garters and platform heels and swung on gold poles.

“What the fuck?” Tabi laughed over the loud music. “Do you think this is a sex club?”

I lifted my shoulders and watched the people while they danced in their own world as if nothing else mattered, almost as if they were being pulled by a magnetic force. Honestly, if it was a sex club, I wouldn’t be shocked to walk in and find people doing more than dancing and wearing less to nothing. Seeing it sent a jolt of excitement through me. There was something thrilling about it.

I wish I had the confidence to experience the forbidden things. So many times, it felt like I was stretching for the stars, their light calling out to me, drawing me in a while remaining just beyond my grasp.

“Seriously,” Tabi pressed, her eyes darting around the room. “This place is freaking wild!”

Yeah, it sure is.

As we weave through the pulsating crowd on the dance floor, the bass thumping in our chests, and finally reached the bar. Tabi leaned over the bar and turned to me. “So, what do you want to drink?”

I shrugged, glancing at the colorful array of bottles behind the bar. “Honestly, I’m not really sure,” I admitted. I wasn’t exactly a regular when it came to the nightlife.

Before I moved here, while every other college student was out partying, I was buried in textbooks and cramming for exams. I was more worried about keeping up with my grades then getting laid. Well, except for those nights when Kara convinced me to go out.

How ironic that I was now the show of the party at work.

“Come on. I’ll get you a cranberry and vodka.” She shot me a cheeky wink.

Tabi leaned over and waved to the bartender to get his attention. While she ordered our drinks, I felt an eerie presence, like someone was watching me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and goosebumps formed on my arms. I glanced around the room and couldn’t see who it could be, but the sensation lingered, causing me to look up at the second level.

Four gorgeous guys sat behind the transparent glass in the enclosed VIP section, surrounded by women who looked like goddesses. The men had an aura of maturity and danger that seemed to warn others not to cross their path.Their gazes surveyed the crowd, but one of the men stared at me. He leaned back against the red leather couch, one leg over the other while holding a drink. A gorgeous redhead snuggled up beside him, his arm draped over her shoulders.

Although he appeared at ease, there was an undeniable intensity about him. He was dangerously beautiful, like a dark prince. His short, black hair was styled in a sleek pompadour. Different tattoos peeked out from the top of his neck down to his hands. The ebony dress shirt was half-open, revealing a glimpse of the intricate tattoo etched onto his chiseled chest. The fabric clung to the rippling muscles around his biceps and abdomen. There was a tingling sensation between my legs, and a dampness against my panties.

Well, this was new.

I felt like I was under some spell and my body was a slave to him.

Just then, a nasally voice broke the trance. “It’s about fucking time!” A tall woman approached us with a huge grin on her face. She wore a hunter-green bodycon dress that hit above her knees and gold heels. Her long, wavy dark hair fell down her shoulders, and the strands shimmered with glitter.

She pulled Tabi into a hug, and my friend returned it.

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