Page 84 of Don't Lie To Me

6. If you break any of my rules, you must accept my punishments.

I can feel him watching me as I read the last one. “If you can’t follow my rules at all, I won’t touch you again, and whatever we have started will be done. Is that what you want?”

My eyes rise to meet his. We both know it’s not. I have waited so long to have him, I can’t walk away now just when it’s heating up between us. But I don’t want him to have all the damn control here either. “Are you done with your damn list?” I roll my eyes, trying to give myself time and space to work this out.

“Don’t test my limits unless you really want to see the real me, Sloane,” he warns, a darkness flashing in his eyes that should scare me.

My lips twitch up at the sides because maybe this is what I want. All this time he’s been hiding himself away from me. Lurking in the shadows, only showing me glimpses of who he really is, but I’m desperate to have something real with him, I don’t care how bad it gets. “I want to see the real you, Onyx,” I throw back at him, just waiting to see what he makes of it.

A growl escapes his lips, and I think he’s going to stop what he’s doing and put me down, but instead, he shoves me into the wall, his lips crashing with mine in a brutal kiss, his tongue forcing its way inside my mouth. His hand moves between my legs, and his fingers shoving aside my panties, he enters me in one quick move. “I’ll take that as you agreeing.”

He moves his face back from me just slightly so he can see my reaction. Leisurely he pumps his fingers in and out of me while he waits for me to catch up with him.

“If I get this side of you, then yes. But I have one condition. You tell my brothers; I’m not sneaking around.”

“Done,” he says way faster than I was expecting him to. I thought that might be the deal breaker. “I have one more condition of my own. Don’t fall in love with me.”

I burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly.”

“I have no intention of falling in love with anyone, big dude. God, you should know me better than that,” I huff out, laughter still punctuating my words.

“Good.”

But as his eyes lock with mine hungrily, my heart does a stupid little backflip, and I know it’s already too late. I’m so screwed when it comes to him.

Chapter 32

WhenOnyxandIarrived at the club, I had a quick catch-up with Sally about everything I have missed and a rundown on where we are up to with our VIP event for tomorrow. Then I disappeared into my office. Of course Onyx had to do a full sweep of the place to make sure it was safe, even though we have full security in operation with four of Alex’s guys already adding to our team. Once he was satisfied, he left me alone to get some work done, but I have been staring at the photo wall of women for a good half an hour instead. The constant thought of how different my life could have been if Orlando Moretti got his hands on me the night he came for me. My mother must have known. I stand and move toward her photo. She was so damn beautiful.

“Why did you die to protect me? I wasn’t even yours,” I whisper through the pain lodged in my chest.

I wish I knew. Wish I could understand why I’m even here. Onyx said she was protecting me, but why did I end up here in this club with these people? I should have been some politician’s daughter, and I can’t help but wonder what I would have turned out like. Not some messed-up sex club owner, that’s for sure. But do I think I would have been any happier? Probably not. I ended up here for a reason, and I know I have made a difference to so many women’s lives already. I wouldn’t take any of that back, even if I had to live through all the shit to get here all over again.

I hear the click of the door handle and turn to see Romeo entering my office. “Is now a good time to go over the details for tomorrow’s event?”

I nod and move over to my velvet sofa, crossing one leg over the other. “You haven’t learned to knock.”

“I have a key, why would I?” He joins me on the sofa.

I roll my eyes as I lean back, trying to get comfortable, even though my body is so damn tense it feels as though I’m sitting on a rock instead of my plush sofa.

His eyes roam over me slowly. “Come for a walk with me.”

Reluctantly I stand. “What did you need to go over, Romeo? I’m busy.”

His lips twist up at the sides as he slides one hand to my lower back and opens the door with the other. Onyx scans the two of us but lets us leave alone. “Security has been sorted. The twenty VIPs have had extensive background checks done, and Sally assures me the women are all prepped, dresses and masks sorted, along with whatever else it is they need. They have been assigned rooms and time slots. We also have five new signups. But I’m sure they have come across your desk already.” He scans us through to the dance section of the club, and I wonder where he’s taking me.

“I looked them over, yes,” I agree, but my steps falter as I see the dance room has been rearranged. Though the stages remain in their original positions, the rearranged tables and chairs now define separate zones, each with its own unique atmosphere. “What is this?”

“I talked to the girls who work in the space last week, and they explained the areas didn’t quite work for the VIP events. They gave me a few suggestions on how we can improve it. Just so you know, it doesn’t have to stay this way if you don’t approve, but Iwanted to show you what we were imagining.” His hand hasn’t left my back, and he moves me further into the space.

I want to fight him on it, but I think he might be right, there is more room in here.

“For people who want to watch, they can congregate by the bar and around the stage, but for those who want a little more intimacy, this space at the back provides an escape.”

High paneling has been introduced between the booths, giving them three walls of privacy, and the tables have been taken out so the space is just the leather booth seat all the way around. He holds out a hand for me to join him. “What do you think?”

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