Page 74 of The Obvious Check

“Sav—”

She doesn’t let me finish. Her hands wrap around my wrists in a firm, almost desperate grip, and before I can react, she forces them down, pinning them against the chair’s armrests.

My jaw tightens as I watch her.

She’s trying to take control. Trying to make it look like she’s the one running this show. Like I’m just another customer she’s dancing for.

But she’s trembling. Her fingers dig into my skin as though she’s holding on to me just as much as she’s holding me down.

As she leans forward, her lips brush against my ear and she whispers, “Please play along. Luke’s got a camera in here. He’s watching me, and if I don’t do this, I’m going to get in trouble.”

My jaw flexes as I exhale through my nose, forcing down the rage curling in my chest. “What’s he expecting you to do?” I ask, my voice dark, my hands clenching even though I don’t attempt to move them.

Her eyes flicker with something—fear, embarrassment, maybe.

“I have to dance for you,” she murmurs. “If I don’t, he’ll…”

I swallow hard, forcing my hands to relax when all I want to do is hold on to her.

“Dance for me? That’s it?” I ask, needing to hear it from her. To confirm for myself that Luke hasn’t demanded anything worse.

She doesn’t answer right away. Her throat bobs as she swallows, and then, without looking at me, she whispers, “Unless you want more.”

More.

Rage simmers beneath my skin, threatening to boil over. My jaw locks, and my entire body tenses. Luke put her in here, fully expecting me to take advantage of her. He’s watching and waiting for her to be used. This is just another way to break her down further and make her feel like she has no way out.

Over my dead, fucking body.

“Let’s go out there and talk to him, then.”

“No. Let me do this. Please,” she whispers, her voice tight with desperation.

I can feel it. The unsteady way her fingers grip me, the way her body shakes ever so slightly as she fights to keep herself together. She needs to do this. Whether it’s for herself or to survive another night under Luke’s watchful eye, I don’t know, but I can’t take this from her.

Even though everything in me is screaming to put an end to it, I exhale slowly and nod.

“Fine, but you’re going to let me help you.”

She lets out a bitter laugh, one drenched in disbelief. “You can’t help me. No one can.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Pretty Girl. You’re my life plan.”

And fuck, if this is going to be the first time I get a lap dance from my future wife, then I’m going to make sure she damn well enjoys doing it. It doesn’t mean I can’t make her feel this and convince her that this moment, this heat, this connection between us, is real.

She closes her eyes, her body moving with less hesitation now, and I wonder if it’s because she can feel exactly how hard I am for her.

“You look so fucking good like this, Pretty Girl,” I rasp, pushing my hips up, just enough to let her feel what she’s doing to me. “All in white. If this is a preview of our wedding night, then I’m one lucky motherfucker.”

She shudders, a shaky breath escaping against my ear, and fuck, I feel that all the way down to my dick. My control is slipping as she presses down a little more, testing the friction, making my entire body tense with restraint.

“Fuck,” I breathe, my voice nothing but a desperate exhale. If she’s trying to make me blow my load in my pants, she’s doing a hell of a job. My head drops back against the chair, a groan rumbling from deep in my chest as I fight the urge to grip her hips and show her exactly how I want her moving against me.

Her hips move faster and she lets out a little squeak of something, which only serves to perk me up.

Oh, she’s fucking feeling it now, and I’m going to use it to my advantage.

“You feel so fucking good, Sav,” I groan, my voice thick with need. If I keep telling her what I’m feeling, what I want, maybe it’ll ground her and help her realize how perfect we are for each other. She pushes; I pull.

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