Page 3 of Desperately Delicate Viper

My ears ring with the sudden silence as we step out onto the street, the doors swinging closed behind us to lock the humidity of body heat and the thump of the bass away where they belong. The bouncer, Rabbit, nods to me as we pass, arching one eyebrow the way he always does when I leave with a client. When I first started coming here, I thought he was judging me, but now, as crazy as it seems, I think he’s checking that I’m okay leaving with whoever I’m with. What would he do if I wasn’t? The thought is fucking laughable. Not a big, beefcake bouncer coming to my rescue, although that’s funny in its own way, but the idea that my opinion of any of the men I leave with matters even a little bit.

I give Rabbit a flickering smile of reassurance and let Luca lead me down the street, away from the club. As the neon glowof the sign fades behind us, I glance over at him in the darkness. He’s an objectively attractive man, with a classic Roman nose and full, soft looking lips. I’ve always been a sucker for dark eyes and olive skin, too. It’s been fucking ages since I’ve bothered to give any consideration to my own preferences, but if it mattered at all, Luca is exactly the kind of man who would catch my eye all on his own. At least I think he is.

“Where are we going?” I ask when we reach the end of the block.

“Would you object to a short drive? I know there are a couple of motels within walking distance, but I’m not sure my tetanus shots are up to date.” His lips twitch at his own joke.

I don’t bother to answer, assuming it’s a rhetorical question. He paid, so if he wants me to get in his car then it’s not worth arguing about it, especially not out here in the dark, in the part of town where no one would bat an eye if he were to get violent with me for refusing him. My heart beats faster at the thought and my jaw ticks with a flicker of the defiance in my soul that the numbness hasn’t managed to snuff out yet.

“Anders?” He says my name softly.

“What?”

“Is a short drive okay?” he repeats.

I frown, opening and closing my mouth a couple of times in surprise before giving a sharp nod. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

A slow smile spreads over his lips. Even more shocking than the fact that he was actually asking my permission for something is the fact that the smile is strangely… sweet. Fucking hell, twenty days might not be soon enough if I’m starting to lose my grip on reality like this.

The crosswalk light changes and I follow Luca across the street.

I want to ask why he parked so far away from Wonderland, but most men who pick me up aren’t really that big on smalltalk, so I bite my tongue and enjoy the stroll. At least it’s a nice night, the distinct smell of spring dancing on the air just under the scents of exhaust and garbage that are present no matter what part of the city you’re in. Between one block and the next, cracked sidewalks are replaced with even ones, brick buildings covered in graffiti turning into sleek high-rises with large windows that peer into expensive lobbies.

Luca slows to a stop and the lights flash on a sleek silver BMW parked near the curb. I bite my lip and that same mix of desperation and guilt tugs at my insides again. Wherever Luca got his money, it’s obvious he has plenty of it. No one thinks Robin Hood is the villain of the story for robbing from the rich to give to the poor, so why should I be? Just becauseI’m“the poor,” does that make it any less of a worthy cause?

He strides over and opens the passenger door for me. I slip inside and set my bag between my feet on the floor.

LUCA

Anders gives me a flicker of a polite smile as I close the car door, and discontent squirms in my chest. What do I have to do to see that spark of defiance in his eyes again? How can I bring back the glint of almost disdainful confidence that drew me to him like a moth to a flame at Wonderland? He’s breathtakingly beautiful either way, but sweet and polite aren’t what I’m looking for.

“Put on whatever you like,” I say, nodding towards the XM radio display that lights up as soon as I start the car.

“I don’t really care.” Anders shrugs, his voice sounding hollow as he settles back in his seat, his face turned towards the passenger window.

My fingers twitch around the smooth leather of the steering wheel and my jaw ticks with irritation. After a minute, when Ihaven’t pulled out of the parking spot, he turns his attention back to me with a curious frown marring his full, pouty lips.

“I’ve changed my mind,” I bite out the words, not sure if I’m coming across as more of a dickhead or a petulant child, and not caring much either way. Anders isn’t what I thought he was. Maybe it was a trick of the lights at Wonderland or a desperate fantasy I projected onto him in the few seconds it took me to decide I wanted him.

“What?” His eyebrows pull together. “You changed your mind?”

I nod sharply. “Keep the money.” I wave a hand dismissively, pressing the button to make sure his door is unlocked.

Anders doesn’t move. For a few seconds I don’t think he even breathes, and then it’s back, that fire in his eyes, the mutinous set of his jaw, venom dripping from every inch of his gaze.

My cock jerks to attention all over again and the heat under my skin rekindles.

“Fuck you. I’m not some fucking charity case,” he spits, every bit the coiled viper I first pegged him for. “What? Are you just now realizing you’re too good for trash like me? Now that you’ve seen me contrasted against the pretentious backdrop of your overpriced car, you can’t bring yourself to stoop as low as fucking me?” He twists in his seat to face me, leaning over the center console to poke me in the chest. “You don’t even know me. Maybe I’m the one who’s too damn good for you. A pretty face and an expensive watch don’t make you better than me, Luca, and fuck you for thinking they do.”

His chest heaves as he rants and my heart thunders with excitement.

“There it is,” I murmur, lunging for him. I grab a fistful of his tank top and yank him towards me, smashing my lips to his.

His tirade dies on a gasp against my mouth, but that doesn’t mean his anger is gone. His lips soften just long enough for meto slip my tongue between them, and then he’s all fury and bite, nipping roughly at my tongue and controlling the kiss, setting a brutal, punishing pace. My cock throbs and I happily give myself over to his rage, letting it batter me like a hurricane. Our tongues tangle and my lips sting with every beautifully placed bite. The little jolts of not-quite-pain stroke my cock one by one until I’m trembling under his touch and leaking a steady stream of precum down my own thigh.

Anders breaks the kiss with a forceful shove to my chest. His eyes are wild, and his lips are damp and swollen. I groan and reach down to adjust myself.

“Fucked up head games get you hard, Luca?” he asks with a hoarse edge to his voice, settling himself back into his seat with a hint of uncertainty shining in his eyes.

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