Page 10 of Playing By His Rules

Rick noticed her the moment she arrived at The Penthouse. Not the buxom blonde in the head-turning red dress, but the woman who walked in by her side in her more subdued black attire. The difference between the two of them was discernable. The blonde emanated sexual confidence and unmistakable experience as an escort, while the darker haired woman was noticeably nervous and tentative . . . even more so when an older gentleman claimed blondie as his own, leaving her alone and on her own.

From across the room, while trying to pay attention to the woman currently flirting with him, Rick watched the new arrival move further into the large room. She ordered a flute of champagne, which she sipped as she attempted to mingle for the next hour, her body posture stiff and her smile forced. She looked like a skittish lamb in a den of wolves, and if he had to guess based on how uncomfortable she appeared, he’d say that tonight was her first night on the job.

A lot of men looked her way with clear interest which quickly diminished when they caught sight of the pink bracelet on her wrist. With no takers, there was no mistaking the defeated look on her face as the evening wore on.

As for Rick, he found himself surprisingly intrigued by her and gradually realized why. The fact that shewasn’tan experienced escort was what attracted him. He’d grown tired of that same exact thing at The Players Club—women who were too easy and predictable and thesame old thing. Outwardly, she seemed reserved and demure as she attempted to work the room, and all he could think about was coaxing that uninhibited, sensual side out to play. Taking all those uncertainties and naivete and turning it into the kind of heat and desire that would have her melting for him. Begging for him.

He’d come to The Penthouse for the sole purpose of finding a woman he could mindlessly fuck for the night toget his groove back, as Mac had stated. Clearly, this little lamb wasn’t offering sex, and considering how dirty he liked to fuck he had no business even thinking about her in those terms when she seemed so guileless. Yet, as he continued to watch her, he couldn’t stop fantasizing about her being stripped naked and tied to the bed in the playroom attached to his hotel’s bedroom, while he did filthy, pleasurable things to her body and watched her orgasm at least three times before he slaked his own lust.

His dick twitched at the indecent images in his head, which he tried to shake from his mind. Sex with her wasn’t an option. He was a man who respected that pink bracelet, so those lascivious thoughts were off the table. Too bad the woman standing in front of him who wore a red bracelet and had already made it clear she wasveryopen-minded about whatever he wanted sexually, just wasn’t doing anything for him or his libido. He’d already conversed with half a dozen various beautiful, experienced escorts, waiting to feel that stir of sexual interest to take things further, and . . . nothing.

Fucking great. Maybe his dickwasbroken. With an internal curse, he tossed back the last of his Macallan and excused himself from his current companion who pouted her overly plump lips at his brush off. He wasn’t worried about hurting her feelings. There were plenty of other men in the room who’d undoubtedly pay for an evening with her before the night was over. It just wasn’t going to be him.

As he headed toward the entrance to leave, he cast one last glance over at the other woman he’d been eyeing for most of the evening for one last look. He came to an abrupt stop when he saw her talking to another man who was skimming his fingers along her cheek before he leaned in close to say something to her.

The sudden knot in Rick’s gut prompted him to watch the two of them for a few minutes—not because another man was interested in her, but more for the fact that the guy wasn’t taking her physical cues that she clearly felt uncomfortable with his touches and how near he stood to her.

Whatever conversation they were having, Rick recognized the signs of unease the woman was putting off, even though her posture remained strong-willed as the terse discussion continued. The man’s face darkened with anger, his lips curling with a malicious snarl just as she glanced around to alert security, her distress evident.

Rick’s protective instincts kicked in, and without hesitating he headed in her direction, watching as the man said one last thing to her then stalked off like the spoiled rich boy he probably was, who hadn’t gotten his way. She stood there for a moment, visibly shaken by the confrontation. Just as Rick reached her, she quickly turned around and ran right into him, stumbling from the unexpected impact of their bodies colliding. With a soft, startled gasp, she grabbed onto his shirt and he gently caught her arms so she didn’t lose her balance and end up hitting the floor.

She glanced up at him with a bit of fright, as if she’d expected him to be the other man who’d verbally assaulted her. As soon as she realized that he wasn’t the threat she’d been expecting, her fear subsided. He saw a flash of awareness in her pretty blue eyes before chagrin transformed her lovely features and she immediately released her hold on his shirt.

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention or watching where I was going–”

“It’s fine,” he said, trying not to notice how silky her bare skin felt beneath the pads of his fingers, or how her soft, floral scent was such a welcome contrast to the heavy perfume the other women in the room wore. “You didn’t do any damage, I promise.”

His teasing tone had her relaxing a bit. Once he felt the tension ease from her body, he addressed his concern. “Are you okay?” he asked, reluctantly dropping his hands from her arms because there was no good reason for him to keep holding her. “Did that guy do or say something to upset you?”

“I’m fine,” she tried to reassure him, a wavering smile on her soft, pink lips. “I was just leaving.”

Now that he’d talked to her, touched her, and seen the flicker of attraction in her gaze that was still there andverymutual, the thought of her leaving and him possibly not having another chance to see her again prompted him to be more reckless than normal.

“Don’t go,” he blurted out, trying not to wince at how desperate he might have sounded. “Stay and talk with me.”

She stared at him for a long moment, seemingly torn by his request. She was definitely interested, but also skeptical.

“I’m only offering companionship,” she said after a long moment passed. “Nothing sexual.”

Judging by the guarded look in her eyes, she expected him to retract his offer. While Rick couldn’t deny that he desired her, for the first time in a long while what he wanted from a woman went above and beyond just fucking her and walking away. He wanted to get to know this woman because from the moment she’d walked into The Penthouse he’d been drawn to her. She was a beautiful mystery he wanted to unravel, and if their mutual attraction turned into something more physical along the way . . . well, he wasn’t opposed to that, either, if the feeling was reciprocated. But it wasn’t a requirement to spending more time with her.

He allowed an amused smile to tip the corner of his mouth. “Perfect. I could use the company tonight.” It wasn’t a lie. The thought of being alone in his hotel room for the rest of the evening when he could be with her was a no-brainer.

Her brows furrowed into a doubtful frown. “You can have any woman in this room. Most of whom are willing to provide more than conversation. I’m sure I’m not what you want or need tonight.”

She wasverywrong about that. “Tell you what, why don’t we find a private place to sit down, have a drink, and you letmedecide what I want or need tonight?”

A long breath escaped her on a deep sigh, and when she glanced around the room, he knew exactly who she was searching for.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “That asshole already moved on to someone else and there’s no way in hell I’ll let him near you again without doing bodily harm to his person.”

Surprise lit her eyes. “How do you even know that something adverse happened between us?”

“Body language. His and yours.” He shrugged. Reading someone’s moods and emotions was a trait that came from years of working in security. “Both of you were pretty easy to read, even from across the room. He looked increasingly pissed, and you appeared anxious and unnerved, though you clearly handled him just fine.”

Something in her eyes softened as she looked at him, leading Rick to believe that she trusted him—that she felt safe with him, which he liked. Then, her gaze slowly drifted down to his lips, almost longingly, and it took extreme effort not to lean forward and kiss her right then and there and answer the question etched across her features. . .how would his lips feel against mine?

Instead, he smiled and folded her hand into his arm. “Come on, let’s go and have that drink and talk.”

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