Page 10 of Dance for Me

She almost smiled despite herself, then ducked her head shyly as though she couldn’t possibly bear the intimacy of sharing her amusement with him. But she was temptation and Braun couldn’t stop himself from nudging her chin up with a fingertip.

That mouth of hers was utterly kissable, especially with the corners so sweetly curved. He could spend a great deal of time memorizing every inch of her stunning features with his lips, working his way down the slender column of her throat to her shoulders, and down...down the long length of her body to discover all the secrets she possessed and kept hidden.

If he couldn’t persuade her to explore her submissive side, he wondered if she would be amenable to spending a few nights in his bed...no kink attached.

He released her shoulders and cupped her face instead, stroking his thumbs over the arch of her cheekbones with little more than a featherlight touch. The way her eyes fluttered closed for a few seconds, and she leaned into his left palm informed him she was desperate for the comfort of human contact. Such a shame she was too stubborn—or too afraid—to ask for it.

“Take the money in the spirit with which it was given,” he murmured as she almost purred. Her head was heavy in his hands as she stopped fighting for a few moments and put her trust in him. “The job offer still stands if you want to change your mind, little one, but neither Liam nor I will stand by and watch you starve with no roof over your head.”

Bodie made a soft noise of protest, then jerked away from him. Two hasty steps back put her out of his reach, and the tenuous bond between them stretched. “I can’t dance in front of a crowd of people whipping each other and having sex. I just can’t.”

Braun hummed softly. “Well, the whipping section is over in the second barn, darlin’, so that wouldn’t cause you any distress. You’d be dancing in here. Granted, there’s usually some bondage and a lot of sex happening, but this section of the club is what you might call the social area. You wouldn’t be required to take part unless you made the choice to explore your own sexuality. Even then, it would be at your pace. Nothing happens in my club without consent.”

She flinched when he said the word sexuality. Had she had a bad experience her first time? Or had she indulged her needs with someone Liam didn’t know about? Perhaps the altercation with her mother and the chain fence was the cause of her distress. Whatever the reason, she’d need handling with care so he didn’t scare her off if curiosity got the better of her.

“I’m not going to lecture you on the benefits of BDSM, Boadicea, not now. There’s nothing wrong with vanilla if kink doesn’t do anything for you, but I want you to know you’re safe here at all times. Between the monitors who enforce my rules in every section and the people who abide by them, there’s little room for bad apples to take root.”

A shaky hand lifted to her hair, and she pulled her long black ponytail over her shoulder to worry the sleek locks. Her eyes darted to the money, back to Braun. Indecision was an open book on her features.

Braun leaned forward and snagged the roll off the bar, holding it out to her. “Take it, pay your rent, do whatever you need to with it. That’s what I’ll pay you every weekend you work; if you want to earn what’s here,” he said casually, “that’s fine by me. Do an hour tonight on stage, see if it suits you. If you’re too uncomfortable to make it a regular thing, I’ll honor your decision. Sound fair?”

Those big blue eyes were so conflicted, it took all his self-control not to yank her onto his lap and cuddle the anxiety out of her. He imagined she’d try to rip his throat out if he overstepped her boundaries.

Her sigh was heavy and full of surrender. “You’re persistent, aren’t you?”

“I prefer tenacious,” he retorted. “When I see something I want, I’ll go to any lengths to get it. When it comes to hiring people, I make sure we’re both satisfied with the arrangement. If you need something, little one, just tell me. I’ll do my best to see you right.”

Tentatively, moving cautiously like an animal wary of a trap, Bodie reached out and plucked the money from his outstretched hand. “I could manage an hour tonight, I guess.”

Braun eased back into his seat and took a long drink of soda. He really wished it was something stronger now, but oh well. “That’s a clever girl. I have the other barns to check before we open tonight so I’ll leave you in William’s capable hands, little one. The doors open at eight, so you’re welcome to stay here until then. If not, I’ll see you this evening.”

The stricken look on her face was adorable. “You’re leaving?”

Obviously, she didn’t know which was the lesser of two evils, Braun thought. Him or Liam. But he was the devil she wasn’t fighting with, the one who hadn’t ripped her heart out with thoughtlessly spoken words. She might prefer to dance with the devil, but she needed to sort out this mess with Liam before it was too late to mend the bridge.

“Running a sex club requires time and a discerning eye, Bodie. Equipment won’t inspect itself and as I said before, the safety of my members is paramount.” He tapped his hand on the gleaming oak and rose, frowning when she stepped further away. “Liam will feed you while you talk. One good thing about this lifestyle is that communication is the foundation of every relationship. Communicate, Boadicea. Let him know how you feel but allow him to do the same.”

Giving her a smile and tipping his head to Liam to hand over the reins, Braun strode toward the back of the barn where the doors leading to the covered walkway and the next section of Avalon were located.

Hopefully there’d be no blood spilled upon his return.

*

Bodie’s system was still jittering as Mr. Mysterious—as she’d come to think of him—walked away with all the grace and control of a tiger sauntering through the jungle. She fervently hoped he hadn’t noticed how she quailed in his presence, particularly when he’d cupped her face and she just...melted into his hands.

Bad, bad Boadicea.

She was exhausted from the internal emotion gauge inside her swinging from fearful to bitchy and back again. One minute she was ready to stand her ground and spit at him, the next she wanted to roll over and expose her throat like the good girl he said she was.

Fuck, when he said good girl in that dark voice, with that hint of Ireland spicing things up...her body reacted in ways she hadn’t thought possible. Her panties were damp, making her feel uncomfortably needy, and her breasts were heavy, aching. She was pretty sure her face had lit up with a stop sign blush more than once.

Her fingers tightened around the money in her hand and she thanked all the gods watching over her. She hadn’t lost as much pride as she’d thought by taking the job. Somehow it seemed easier saying yes to the stranger—no, to Braun Fitzpatrick, even though he hadn’t bothered to introduce himself to her properly, nor she him—than it had to Liam.

Liam.

Her best friend was an arm’s length away and yet so much further than that. The chasm between them seemed endless, a yawning pit of pain waiting to swallow her whole if she ventured near.

Oh, she was still angry with him. So very angry with him for what he’d said. But the loss of him ate at her heart, buried into her soul. The strangest of grief, mourning the demise of someone who still lived and breathed. Every day that passed without speaking to him, sharing a joke or her daily adventures, stretched into eternity.

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