Page 28 of Scarlett Thief (Criminal Underground 2)

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Scarlett

Mare and I approached one of the nicer private alcoves, surrounded by couches and cushions and velvet drapes, far enough away from the main crowds for me to understand exactly why it'd been chosen. Despite the stages that littered the club floor and the sounds of moans and whips being flicked against naked flesh, this was as far from curious ears as possible.

"Baby…" A tall man lounged in the middle of the couch against the wall, a man on either side of him. His eyes glittered in the low light and as he spoke, his chin tilted up and back. "You look beautiful."

Mare left my side and went right up to the big man, folding her body into his lap as she cuddled against him. What had she said about puppy play? Well, this girl didn't seem like a puppy at all, but more like a contented kitten as she snuggled into the man's chest. His hand landed on her head, fingers sifting through her hair as he gripped it and pulled her head back for his descending mouth.

I stood there, watching curiously as he took her mouth in a consuming way. I'd fucked many men—and women—but none had ever touched me with the same amount of unfiltered desire that he displayed. This must have been one of her husbands, and if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the two watching from either side were her other husbands.

"Scar?" I jerked my head up at the sound of my name.

Wolf arched a brow from where he was seated to the side of the lounge. The second my eyes lit on him, my mouth went dry. I'd known he would be ripped beneath all of his T-shirts and jeans, but holy fuck. Cut abs peeked out from beneath a leather vest. A dark happy trail led from his belly button into a matching set of leather pants and on either side of it were two deep lines forming a V that pointed the way straight to his dick.

He looked wicked—like pure fucking sin. For the first time in my life, I felt the roles reversed. I was so used to being the center of a man's attention—the one they gawked and drooled at—and yes, there had been a few men who'd captured my attention. Who I'd had just for the sake of it. But there had been no one like this. No one like Wolf.

Wolf's hands grasped the arms of the chair he was in and he pushed up to his full height, towering over me. I felt even more naked, now, without heels. The corner of his mouth quirked up as his gaze slowly trailed from the tops of my painted toenails, up my calves and thighs, over my belly and breasts—where he paused briefly and inhaled—until they finally reached my face.

"I've never been happier to be your friend in my whole fucking life, Archer," Hadrian commented from behind him. "Your way of life, my friend, is my way of life. Looking good there, Scar."

I pressed my lips together and sucked in a breath through my nose as I crossed my arms over my chest. "You could've left the harness off," I deadpanned.

Wolf's previously relaxed face grew dark. "Excuse me?" he growled. My chest clenched as he took a step toward me, looming over me in that dominating way of his. "You wanna run that by me again?"

"Told you," Mare's soft chuckle reached my ears, letting me know she'd broken the kiss just to see the big, bad Wolf in his Dom form bearing down on me. "That bratty mouth is gonna get you in such trouble."

There was a sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh and then Mare moaned as her husband spoke. "That's the pot calling the kettle black, baby," he said.

I leaned around Wolf to see Mare grin at the big guy as she reached back and smoothed a hand over her now red thigh. "You like me bratty, Ian."

"But I don't like it when my sub is," Wolf said, his voice commanding my attention once more.

My eyes shot to his. "I wasn't intending to be."

"Lie." I shot Hadrian a look and he shrugged. "You're always a brat," he said.

"You don't want to start tonight out with a punishment, Scarlett." Wolf stepped closer, close enough that I could smell the masculine hint of something spicy on him. Whiskey? Had he already had a drink? It smelled good. It smelled expensive. It had me leaning toward him, wanting and ready.

"I'm not your sub," I replied distractedly. "We're just here for information. It's not real." Even as I said the words, I knew that I wanted it to be. I couldn't help it; I was curious. What would it feel like to have Wolf dominate me the way I'd read in my research? Giving myself over to someone had always been so dangerous—too dangerous. He and I were stuck in this arrangement, however. He couldn't kill me or betray me because the second he did, whatever he was hiding, whatever weakness Mr. Black and Gaven had found would be exploited. Even if I couldn't trust him, I could trust that he wouldn't hurt me. At least, not so long as we were on this job.

Wolf's hand moved up and cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking warmly over my skin. "It's real when we're here," he said quietly. "So, when you speak to me, you'll speak to me with respect. Is that understood?"

My inner bitch raged. She wanted me to tell him to fuck off. She wanted me to turn around and strut away—showing him that no one could control me, not for any reason. Yet, even as she screamed at me inside my mind, I felt my body swaying toward his. I was tired of being the bitch. Of being the tough chick, the con artist—always in control, leading men bymyleash.

As Wolf's hand left my face, trailing down my neck and to my shoulder, he began to talk. "You signed a contract, Scarlett," he said. "You agreed that while you were under this roof, you would be mine. Mine to protect. Mine to control." I shivered as his hand grew closer to my breast. "Mine to do with whatever I pleased—is that still true?"

I was on the verge of panting, and only by the grace of all my years playing the criminal game did I manage to reply without a moan. "Yes," I whispered.

As soon as the word slipped out of my mouth, his hand moved to my breast—rounding it, cupping it in his palm, right before he pinched my nipple and twisted.Hard. I yelped, jerking back, my eyes—which I hadn't even realized had begun to close—shot open.

"That's yes, Sir," he ordered.

"Yes, Sir," I replied automatically.

"Good girl."

Fuck.My eyes widened and then narrowed, but before I could say anything, Wolf reached for my arm and tugged me alongside him until he was seated back on the big comfy chair and I was settled on his lap the same way Mare was on her husband’s—the same way I'd seen many women and men on their lovers' laps on the way here.

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