Page 81 of Ruined Vows

Marcus all but spits out the sip of Dr. Pepper he just took. “Did you say your new client? The woman you’re working security for? Holy shit.”

I glare back at him. “It just happened, okay? And she’s hung around the club enough to want to try some things.”

“Lemme guess. You don’t trust anyone else to take her there?”

I nod, hating that I’m so painfully transparent.

“How’s the sex?”

“I didn’t say we were having sex,” I bite out.

“But you are. How is it? C’mon man. Lemme live vicariously through you.”

“Please. You fuck subs here all the time.”

He shrugs. “It’s not the same. I know I’m a manwhore right now. But I miss going home to the same woman every night.” Then he grimaces. “Too bad the last woman I tried that with turned out to be a raving, psychotic bitch.”

Marcus isn’t one of those guys who calls every ex a crazy bitch. His ex just actually is a crazy bitch. Even the courts agreed after some of the shit she pulled and gave Marcus full custody of their daughter.

I breathe out hard. “The sex is good. Amazing actually. She’s… not like other women.”

I look up to find Marcus grinning at me. “So she’s special, is what you’re saying? Damn, man, never thought I’d see the day when a woman finally turned your head. Congrats.” He slaps me on the back as he comes around the desk. “No one deserves it more than you.”

I shake him off. “It’s not like that.” I explain the situation and how she’s getting married soon. “I’m her last hurrah before she’s shackled. Like an extended bachelorette party. So I wanna make it count.”

“Okaaaay,” Marcus says, drawing out the word, now perched on the desk’s edge. “Is that whatyouwant?”

I look at him blankly like I don’t know what he means and shrug. “No-strings-attached pussy. What’s the problem? It’s my M.O.”

“Sure, buddy,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “If you say so.”

I do fuckin’ say so. Nothing’s changed. Yeah, I’ve been breaking my own rules by even fucking her, but it can never be anything more than that. Obviously. For a thousand reasons. My business. The fact that I don’t do long-term. Her father. The fact thatshe’snot looking for it. Not to mention she’s a princess and I’m from the wrong side of I-35. I shake my head for even being dumb enough to start listing out all the reasons.

“Come on. The party’s getting started and I didn’t wear all these layers for nothing.” Marcus swings a scarf around his neck. “It’s time to start taking it off. Taking italloff.” He winks at me.

“Jesus.” I roll my eyes and head for the door.

Time for Kira and me to make a quick exit.

Except by the time Marcus and I stride into the central club room, it’s to find Kira in her bra, underwear, and a beret, facing down a table of mostly still-dressed folks. The only ones more naked than her are Caleb, who’s in his boxers, and Anna, who’s already completely naked and lounging on Domhn’s lap again.

“I fuckin’ swear,” I mutter as I stride to Kira’s side. “I leave you alone for twenty minutes and look what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

Kira glances up at me, cards held close to her chest. “Feel free to take a seat. They’ll deal you in the next round.”

“Wouldn’t be fair,” I say. “I’d have you stripped naked in a couple rounds.”

She arches a sexy little eyebrow at me. “How much you wanna bet?”

* * *

I have to admit,Kira’s better than I expected. But that just shows what an idiot I am, underestimating her at anything.

Forty-five minutes later, it’s just her and me at our table playing heads-up. Everyone else either watches or drifts off with the people from other tables who ended up naked to seek more enjoyable activities. Pleasured noises come from around the club, along with the rhythmicthwack thwack thwackof a flogger off to my right. I try not to let it mess with my concentration.

I need to decide whether or not to go all in on this hand and wipe Kira completely off the table. As if the other noises around the room aren’t distracting enough, Kira wearing nothing but those little panties in public is doing a number on my focus. She definitely has me at a disadvantage, considering half my blood is in my cock that’s rock-hard and all but busting out of the jeans I’ve still got on.

Lucky for me, I was right about Kira and her poker face. She has a giant tell when she bluffs. She bites down on her bottom lip for just a second before she tells a whopper.

---