Page 40 of Choosing the right Man

At the curb outside, a black sedan waits. Audrey planned our night well. Neither of us has to drive. Downtown Portland is never fun to navigate, but it sucks even more to be a designated driver when you’re trying to let go of the week and have a good time.

We find the club, which is one neither of us has been to before. It’s far more upscale than most of the places we’ve attended, with low lighting, crystal chandeliers, and soulful music instead of the constant pounding of club mixes. I instantly feel better about our night.

The clientele is a bit older. Certainly, no one needs walkers to get around, but it isn’t a bunch of college kids looking to make as many mistakes as humanly possible. It’s a place I wouldn’t mind returning to, though I bet it isn’t easy to score tickets if you aren’t a part of the millionaire’s club.

Audrey and I share a few drinks, and she fills me in on her love life. The music switches back and forth from fun dance mixes that aren’t so loud our eardrums will burst, to slow, sexy tunes that have people falling into each other’s arms.

After half an hour of watching, we’re ready to dance. We leave our purses at a valet station and move to the floor. It doesn’t take long for a couple of men to approach. Audrey clings to one, giving him her most sultry smile, and he looks as if he’s just won the lottery.

The other guy appears nice enough, and there’s no harm in dancing. I try to stay close to Audrey, but quickly get lost on the dance floor, moving to the music and enjoying myself. It’s warm, but not so overwhelming that I’m going to melt.

A slow song comes on, and I freeze. The man I was appropriately dancing with gets a gleam in his eyes that I absolutely don’t like. He moves in closer and tries to put an arm around me. I don’t want him to. I also don’t want to make a scene.

Before he can pull me against him, he stumbles back, and I turn, my body freezing. Mason is standing here, easily towering over the man I was dancing with. Mason’s dressed in dark slacks molded to his thighs and a casual button-down blue shirt that looks devastating on him. I can’t help but notice how handsome he is, or how I react to him. Time freezes as we gaze at each other. The other man is instantly forgotten. Everyone else is gone from my mind.

“This dance is taken,” Mason says.

The other man, whose name I never learned, looks as if he’s going to protest. But Mason stares at him, and the man immediately backs off. I’m grateful.

Mason pulls me into his arms, his hands resting on my lower back. I don’t hesitate to fall into his embrace. I don’t feel guilt... only pleasure. It feels good to be pressed against him.

I sway with him as he dances for a few wonderful moments. My eyes close as I lean my face against his hard chest. There’s so much about this man that’s irresistible. I want to get lost in him and that’s exactly what I do as his hands slowly move along my back. But then a thought pops into my head, and I lean back.

“Are you following me?” I ask. I’m not exactly sure how I’ll feel if he is.

He laughs. It’s such a strange sound coming from him. I realize I’ve never heard joy in his tone before. It seems foreign. I wait for his reply.

“I wouldn’t be against trailing you,” he says. My eyes narrow. He chuckles again, the sound better than the music. “My friend owns this place, and he finally talked me into stopping by for a visit. I haven’t seen him in a long time. We were sitting upstairs when I noticed your red dress — your incrediblysexyred dress. I figure fate is my friend tonight.”

The gleam in his eyes is dark and sultry and nearly impossible to resist. I don’t want to keep resisting. I can’t speak as he looksdown at me, his eyes consuming me. My body aches. I need to be wanted.

“Chloe...” he says in a low, sexy whisper. My heart thumps. My fingers tighten on the back of his neck.

He pushes against my lower back, and I feel his hardness pressing against me. He’s turned on and not afraid for me to know it. I’m just as worked up as he is. All it takes is one sight of him, one simple touch of his hands, one look, and he breaks down my defenses. I become his.

He moves his head. He’s going to kiss me. I meet him halfway. I don’t want to stop it this time. Ineedto taste him. His tongue slips into my mouth, and our flavors mix. Mint and fire. It’s perfect. My arms tighten around him. I forget where we are. I don’t care if anyone notices us.

“Let’s go somewhere,” he says after a few minutes. One of his hands slips down my butt and lower to the hem of my short dress. His fingers slip up the back of my thigh, and I feel like I’m going to burst.

His mouth trails down my jaw and over my neck; his wicked tongue dances on my skin. I can’t breathe. I don’t stop him. Audrey is close, but I have no idea if she’s watching, if she even notices me. She’s been pretty enamored by the guy she’s dancing with.

“Come home with me, Chloe. Let’s stop torturing ourselves,” he says, his mouth circling my ear, his tongue tracing the edges. I want to say yes. I want to quit fighting my feelings. I want him. I don’t care how wrong it is.

His hand slides higher, and his fingers trace the edges of my thong. I tremble in his arms as I press my face against his shoulder. My head turns, and I inhale. I can’t resist tasting him. My mouth opens, and I lick his neck.

His moan is better than the music I’ve been listening to. I melt as I cave into my desire. If we stay this way another fewseconds I’ll allow him to pull me into a dark corner and take me right here in his friend’s club — damn the consequences.

Someone bumps into us on the crowded floor. It’s dark, a place meant to hide secrets. But the jostling is exactly what I need to come out of the fog Mason has me in. I pull back, mesmerized by the dark desire burning in his eyes.

He gazes at my face; his expression changes from desire to resignation. His hand leaves my backside and trails up my body then cups my face.

“I don’t do relationships, but I’m obsessed with you,” he says, the words filled with awe. “I’m beginning to think there’s nothing I won’t do for you.”

His words aren’t what take my breath away, it’s the shock in his tone, the utter awe. I have never felt so wanted, so needed.

“Mason...” I breathe his name like a plea, about to ask him to take me home —

“Time to go.”

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