His hand snakes out to lift the black chip in front of me. With his thumb, he sets the chip spinning. “Well, if I were to place a bet on a night of fun, what would you do?”
I pretend to think for a second, though my mind is already made up. “Depends. How big is the pot?”
He bites his inner cheek, stopping his face from smiling. The motion makes a dimple pop out, making him even more devastatingly handsome. “What do you think?” The confidence in his voice tells me all I need to know.
“I guess I’m calling then.” The corner of his lip twitches as he gets up from his seat and puts out his elbow. It takes me a second to realize it’s for me. “Wait. I should pay.” I turn around, but he presses a hand to the small of my back.
“It’s already taken care of,” he whispers into my ear, making my skin prickle with goosebumps. He starts toward the exit, and I follow, my mind too blurry to question it.
As soon as we exit the main floor through the sliding glass door, he presses me to the wall, caging me in with his hands. His eyes search mine in a silent question, and I nod my consent.
I don’t know which part of him reaches me first. His lips or his hands that drop to my waist, pulling me flush to him. His body is hard, but his lips are soft as they battle mine. My arms wrap around his neck, holding on for dear life while his mouth devours mine. He grinds his pelvis to mine, and the outline of his stiff cock rubs over my clit, eliciting a small moan out of me. He doesn’t waste a second before slipping his tongue inside my mouth. His five o’clock shadow rubs over my face.Fuck, it would feel good between my legs.My clit pulses with the need to be touched, but he draws back, his hair mussed and mouth covered with my lipstick. He runs the back of his hand over his mouth, and somehow, even that feels like foreplay.
“What? Over already?” I tease, my voice shaky.
“Keep the sass up, and I’ll be forced to punish you,” he rasps.
I say nothing else, not because I don’t want to, but because my mouth is stunned shut, my body tingling from his words while he leads us outside.
The crisp night air touches my skin as soon as we leave the building. He immediately takes his jacket off and places it on my shoulders. The jacket is comically large on me, but it offers protection from the cold. The valet brings him his car keys, and I don’t question the fact that he never asked for his car to be brought up. It’s a sleek, black G wagon. I guess he won’t be mourning the money he lost tonight anytime soon.
He opens the door for me, and my heels click on the pavement as I make my way to the car. This is a stupid decision. Getting into a car with a man I don’t know. I clutch my purse, feeling for the traces of my gun and my trusted crystal to bring me comfort. Even though the gun is a plastic, 3D-printed one, it was a bitch to bring into the casino. The bullets would set off the metal detectors at the entrance, so I had to stuff them into my bra and load the gun after entering to go undetected. Still, I have it on me at all times. My heart races, yet as soon as I drop into my seat, he tips my chin up with his fingers.
“I can take you home if you’d prefer.” I shoot him a puzzled look. “To your house. Alone. There’s no pressure.”
“Oh.” His words unravel the knot in my belly, relaxing any doubts I had. “No, thank you.”
He still watches me as if searching for something. “How much did you have to drink?”
“Just one cranberry vodka and the filth you ordered.”
“Good. I need you to be sober for this.”
I’m left stunned while he circles the car to the driver’s side. The engine rumbles as he starts it, and we ride in silence to his place. Of course, his place is in one of the most expensive neighborhoods, with top-notch security and an underground garage. We enter an elevator that looks like something out of a five-star hotel. The wooden siding with molding, the golden chandelier on the ceiling and the mosaic floor all make it seem like a tiny ballroom, rather than a metal box that takes you up and down. I keep my breath steady, and my nerves ramp up again; the ride stretches for what feels like an eternity. Finally, we step into the hallway, and he leads me to one of the mahogany doors.
Pressing his thumb to the lock, he turns to me. “You should wait here just for a second.”
“Wh…” I say, but he’s already inside. My mind races with possible scenarios. Is he so messy that he needs to tidy up? Are some illegal things going on? A sharp bark snaps me out of my thoughts.
A dog.
I release a relieved breath and follow him inside. He’s squatting, a massive rottweiler licking his face and wagging its tail like crazy. The image makes my ovaries flip. As soon as he spots me, the dog freezes in place. The man grabs the collar and pulls him back.
“Sorry,” he says. “Persephone is not really friendly to newcomers.”
Persephone.
I take a step forward, careful not to intrude on her territory. But as soon as I spot the waggle of her tail, I crouch down to give her doggy cuddles.
Persephone drops to the floor, turning to her back. I lift my dress slightly, so it doesn’t tear, and scratch the dog’s belly, my face twisting into a wide smile.
The guy whose dog I’m petting clears his throat. “Want a drink?”
Funny. I know his dog’s name, but I don’t know his. An urge to ask him crashes into me, but I stuff it down. Asking for his name would mean sharing mine, and it’s something I prefer not to do. “Sure. Water works,” I respond.
Persephone whimpers under my touch, and I use the time to look around his place. A massive open space surrounded by a wall of windows overlooking the city’s skyline. Dark hardwood floors. A large royal blue sectional. Top of the art kitchen. The place is a designer’s dream.
A thought pokes through the lust-induced haze of my mind.I should have taken more of his money.
