Page 9 of Reckless King

“We were just about to have another drink,” Anna jumps in. “Would you like to join us?”

Ugh, she’s much better at this than me. I’m completely out of practice with flirting. The man in the devil mask diverts his intense focus from me to her, and I’m instantly hit by an unfamiliar pang of jealousy. Which is ridiculous. I don’t know this guy, and he’d be beyond lucky to spend time with my best friend.

“Only if you’ll let me buy,” he says.

The smile Anna flashes has that little niggling worm of jealousy burrowing deeper. I turn toward the bar and force the emotion down. She’s not trying to claim his attention. She’s just being her friendly self. But she’s so pretty. What man wouldn’t be won over by her smile? There are plenty of other men here though. If I want to flirt—or do more—I’m sure I can find someone.

I’m pulled from that thought when a hand brushes my lower back, and then he’s standing next to me. He bends his head and speaks into my ear, his warm breath on my neck making goose bumps erupt all over my body. “What can I get you?”

Can he tell how my body is reacting to his proximity? Somehow the thought that he can leaves me feeling strangely exposed. “I’d like a Cosmopolitan, thank you.”

With a nod, he turns to the bartender that’s materialized in front of us.

Anna presses close on my other side. “Oh my god,” she whispers. “This guy is so hot. You have to go for it. If you don’t at least kiss him, I’m going to cry.”

“If you like him, you could?—”

The sharp shake of her head stops me in my tracks. “Even if I wanted to, it wouldn’t matter. The guy’s been laser focused on you from the moment he walked up.”

My stomach twists into a knot. A man like this, a member of this club, probably expects a woman who’s happy to throw caution to the wind and get down and dirty in one of the back rooms. And as hot as this guy is, I’m not sure I’m up for that.

When a large hand appears in front of me holding my Cosmo, I take it and smile my thanks at him. He passes a Manhattan down the bar to Anna, then picks up his own glass of what looks like expensive whiskey.

While he takes a sip and studies me over the rim, I frantically search my mind for an interesting topic to discuss. Being anonymous makes it way more difficult to have a conversation. No asking names, no talking about what we do for work. What the helldowe talk about?

He doesn’t seem to have the same concern, leaning his elbow on the bar and looking down at me with a hint of a smile on his face. “What brought you here tonight? If it’s your first time, then something must have prompted you to come.”

“Um, well, Ann—uh, my friend’s membership is about to expire, and she asked if I wanted to come with her for her last visit.”

His smile grows slowly. “So you’re just doing your friend a favor?”

“No. I mean, that’s not the whole reason.”

“What are your other reasons, then? Because you don’t strike me as the type of woman who spontaneously decides to visit a club like Onyx just because a friend needs company.”

My shoulders stiffen. What type of woman does he think I am? A stick-in-the-mud who spends all her time working at a coffee shop and worrying about malfunctioning espresso machines? Of course, that’s accurate, but that’s not who I wantto be tonight. I raise my chin and stare him straight in the eye. “I’m crossing it off my bucket list.”

The mask hides most of his expression, but the way he rolls his lips together makes me think I’ve amused him. “What exactly was on your list? Just a visit? Or to actually partake?” His mouth twitches, his amusement clearer now.

Irritated by his reaction, I’m forced to respond. “I was going to see how I felt when I got here. Check out some of the, uh…” My mind spins until I remember what Phantom and his friend mentioned. “The demonstrations.” I shrug, going for casual. “See if something takes my fancy.”

A muffled noise comes from beside me. I’ve been so absorbed in this guy I almost forgot the two of us weren’t alone. But when I turn to Anna, she doesn’t seem annoyed at all. In fact, from the cheesy grin she’s wearing and the way her eyes bounce from me to the man at my side and back again, it looks like she wishes she had a bowl of popcorn. I wrinkle my nose at her, and although I doubt she can see it under my mask, she gives me a wink in return.

“Really?” the man says. The disbelief in his tone makes it clear he knows I’m talking shit. “You were interested in seeing the shibari demonstration, then? What about it appeals to you?”

I should admit that I have no clue what shibari is, and that I’m not planning to leave the relatively safe space of this open area, but his cocky attitude is needling me. I’m not normally easily riled up, but this man who doesn’t even know me has figured out how to press buttons that haven’t been pressed in years. I can’t help but rise to the challenge. So I force my shoulders to relax and smile. “No, shibari doesn’t interest me. I want to see what else might be available here.”

His hand, which has been resting casually on the bar next to my shoulder, moves, his forefinger brushing feather-lightagainst my skin, making my breath hitch. “You’re not into rope play?”

Rope play? That’s what shibari is? Rope play as in being tied down or something else? I may have had a fantasy or two in my life about being tied down and taken. But then, who hasn’t? I shake my head, deciding not to display my ignorance by probing for more information. “Rope play’s a little tame for my tastes.”

This time, Anna chokes, and the two of us turn to her. She bangs her fist on her chest. “Sorry, swallowed my drink the wrong way.”

I glare at her, but she just grins at me.

“So, something a little wilder than shibari,” the man muses, rubbing his jaw. “Let me guess, then, and you can tell me if I’m right or wrong. Okay?”

I swallow back the nerves rising inside me and nod. I’m pretty sure I’m getting in way over my head with this conversation, but I won’t back down now.

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