Den of Desire (2 page)

She drew in a deep breath in an attempt to reign in her temper. “So, you didn't like them?”

“I didn't say that. I just mean that it was obvious that you haven't experimented much.”

She let out a huff of aggravation. “I'm not exactly a virgin, Mr. Gates,” she replied, her lips pursed.

His eyes traveled over her body in blatant interest. “Not exactly,” he agreed.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a lot of nerve?” she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

His mischievous grin made her want to slap him. “I got the memo.”

“For your information, I've been with a lot of guys,” she offered.

In reality, all of three, but he didn't have to know that.

“Really? Then I am sorry.”

She nodded. The man's arrogance was astounding.

“I'm sorry that none of them could take you the way you want to be taken.”

“They took me just fine,” she countered defensively.

One eyebrow arched. “Not enough. And not the way you wanted them to,” he explained.

“Why do you think you've suddenly become such an expert on me and what I want?” she challenged.

His smug grin nearly did her in. “I read your books.”

She sighed heavily. He took a step closer, his hand coming up to curl around her nape. His thumb trailed along the line of her jaw. Her mouth parted of its own volition as he leaned in.

“You want to be taken, Mara,” he said, his breath wafting over her lips. “You want to be taken so deeply that you only exist for pleasure.”

All rational thought seemed to disappear with his nearness. As much as he irritated her, she couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to have his lips against hers, his tongue seeking out every hidden part of her mouth.

“I...” she stuttered.

“I could show you. But not while the club is closed.”

She told herself to back away, to tell him to go to hell, but her feet stayed rooted to the floor. She couldn't deny that she was intrigued. The smoky depth of his voice teased her with something she had fantasized about for years but never admitted out loud. True, she had been with other lovers, but none of them had been able to take her to the heights she had heard Lexi muse about. Maybe deep down she had begun to believe that she would never reach them.

But as Joe's body pressed into hers, she wondered...

“I don't...” she began.

His finger came up to cover her lips, effectively silencing her. “Don't you want to know? Don't you want to feel what your characters feel?” he taunted.

Oh, God.

She did.

More than she could ever admit.

To herself. And to a stranger.

“Because until you do, you're cheating yourself and you're cheating them.”

She forced herself to look away from the smoldering heat in his gaze, and he dropped his hand.

“I appreciate the offer, Mr. Gates. But I'm just not into...” She trailed off, unable to describe the events that took place here.

His answering smile mocked her cowardice. “Yes, you are. You wouldn't write about it if you weren't curious.”

He took her hand, leading her over to a large picture window. Inside, a rectangular table covered in black leather was the only furniture. Straps lined the sides.

“Imagine what it would be like. Blindfolded. Strapped down. Completely bare. All you can do is feel.”

His words made her body cry out to be filled. She could feel his erection against her buttocks, and despite the warning in her head, she wanted more.

“Have you ever been taken like that? Given your body so completely to another?”

No.

She hadn't.

She had never thought she could or wanted to. But standing before him, feeling him against her as she listened to the husky sound of his voice, she realized that she did.

“Come to the club tonight.”

His breath teased the sensitive skin of her ear. It made her want to agree to anything he asked.

“I...”

He turned her to face him. “I'm not asking you to participate, Mara. Not yet, anyway. I just want you to see it. I want you to see what people experience when they come here.”

She bit the inside of her lip. “Just to watch?”

He smiled, his gaze feeling as intimate as any touch she had ever experienced. “Nothing will happen that you don't want to happen,” he assured her.

That, she was afraid, was the problem.

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Chapter 2

She still couldn't believe she had come here tonight.

Lexi stood next to her, her red dress slit up the side. The plunging neckline revealed her perfectly rounded breasts. Her auburn hair was piled high on her head. Mara had chosen a simple black form-fitting dress with spaghetti straps. Looking at how provocative Lexi's dress was made her wonder if she would fit in. She tried to tell herself that it didn't matter.

She was only here to watch.

But the thought of standing out made her feel even more self-conscious than she already was. Maybe it was because of the things that Joe Gates said to her earlier. When she stood before him, she felt like he could see into her soul. He made her feel like she wore her inexperience like a badge for everyone to see.

That bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

“You okay?” Lexi inquired.

“What?” she asked, completely lost in thought. “Oh, yeah. I'm fine.”

Lexi's eyes narrowed. “You know, you don't have to do this. It's cool if you want to go home.”

“Why would you think I want to go home?” she challenged.

Lexi laughed. “I don't know. Maybe it's because you look like a scared rabbit?”

Mara let out a huff of irritation. “I do not!”

Lexi's smile deepened. “No, you look completely at ease standing outside a known sex club,” she chided.

She turned to stare at the door in front of her, her unease growing. If Lexi could see how nervous she was, everyone else might, too.

At her silence, Lexi slipped an arm around her shoulder. She leaned in to whisper. “Look, he said that you didn't have to participate, right?”

Mara sighed heavily. “Right,” she replied, her gaze never leaving the door.

“So, what are you worried about?”

At Lexi's reassurance, the tension in her shoulders eased. “You're right,” she said. “Lexi, you and Joe haven't...”

“What? Slept together?” she quickly supplied.

Leave it to Lexi to dive right to the heart of the matter.

“Yeah,” Mara managed.

She shook her head. “No. Joe doesn't do that.”

“Do what?”

“Joe doesn't mix business with pleasure. He has a no-members rule. And believe me, it's not like I haven't tried to change his mind.”

Before Mara could reply, the door swung open. She wasn't sure why Lexi's answer made her feel better, but it did. Once inside, they stood by the door for a minute. Mara stared down the hallway, the flickering light at the end a definite tease.

A large bald man with several piercings, or Sasquatch as she like to think of him, came over to stand before her. “Miss Templeton, Mr. Gates will be with you momentarily,” he relayed, his voice as harsh as he looked.

When he walked away, Mara turned to face Lexi. “How did he know who I am?” she asked.

Lexi's eyebrows rose as she leaned in. “They know everything here,” she whispered.

That's the truth.

Despite Lexi's constant prodding on the way over, Mara hadn't told her everything about her conversation with Joe. It wasn't that she was trying to hide things from Lexi. The truth was she was embarrassed. Joe had seen through her carefully perfected exterior and called her out for the novice that she truly was.

He had seen too much.

More than she ever let anyone see.

And she couldn't help but wonder why.

A young man with dark hair came in, his eyes straying to Lexi. As he walked past, Lexi's gaze ate him up like good chocolate.

“Well, girlfriend, it looks like that's my cue to get out of here,” she explained. She turned back to face Mara, her eyebrows arched. “You gonna be okay?”

“Of course,” Mara replied a little too quickly.

When Lexi looked like she would argue, Mara rallied. “You better catch him quick,” she prodded with a wink.

Lexi pulled her into a quick hug before disappearing around the corner. Mara glanced around, realizing that Sasquatch was staring at her. His eyes drifted over her body, his interest clear. Her stomach rolled.

Suddenly, she felt an arm curl around her waist. She jumped, spinning around to see Joe standing in a hidden doorway.

“Are you ready, Mara?” he asked, his voice sinfully low.

She hadn't thought it was possible for him to look more delicious, but somehow he'd found a way. She thought about his question. Was she ready to follow a man she didn't know into a doorway that didn't exist to see things she had only written about?

She wasn't sure.

But she was about to find out.

Joe held out a hand to her, helping her into the darkened corridor. As she stepped around him, she could see that the wall was lit up with private rooms. She heard the door snap shut behind her and jumped. She had to get a grip fast before she made an even bigger fool of herself than she had earlier. She would have to be a much better actress unless she wanted him to think she was a complete idiot.

He walked around her to lead her further into the darkened hall. As she walked by a room, her eyes widened. A woman lay on a round bed, her body naked. Her wrists and ankles were cuffed to the sides, leaving her completely spread open for all to see. As Mara looked closer, she could see people milling about in front of the window on the other side.

“Can they see us?” she asked, her voice husky.

Joe came up to stand beside her, the heat from his body making her arm tingle. “No,” he replied, his gaze firmly set on the woman in front of them. “I had it designed so that the participants and the members can't see anything in the corridor.”

She turned to stare at him. “Why?”

His eyes met hers. “I wanted to be able to observe without being intrusive.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “So, you watch ... often?” she inquired.

The side of his mouth quirked up as he tilted his head to the side. “I observe, Mara. I want to make sure that nothing is happening that isn't wanted. It's a precautionary measure.”

She pulled her lip beneath her teeth. “You never watch for other reasons?” she dared.

For a moment, she thought he wouldn't answer.

“Sometimes,” he admitted.

Her gaze returned to the woman in the room. Suddenly, a man entered from a side door, his chest bare. His legs were clad in black leather pants that were so tight they left little to the imagination. He walked across the room, his gaze never leaving the woman on the bed. She could tell that he was speaking to her, but she couldn't make out the words.

He eased onto the bed between the woman's legs, and Mara felt her clit swell. His hands caressed her breasts, sliding lower to cover her stomach. They slid close to her bare pussy but swept past it to tease the outside of her thighs. She watched the woman's head thrash back and forth on the bed as she begged for more. His fingers returned to pinch her nipples, and Mara felt her own nipples tighten.

She watched the man mold the woman's breasts, returning every now and then to tweak her nipples. Mara's nipples strained painfully against the dress she wore, begging for attention. When his hands slid lower on the girl, her pussy flooded with arousal. He teased her for a moment before sinking one long finger into her wet warmth. He reached around to pull something out from the side of the bed. When he brought it out, Mara barely contained her gasp.

The man held the large dildo up in front of the woman. She wished that she could hear what he was saying. He rubbed it over the woman's clit, wetting it with her juices before sliding it lower. Reaching out to squeeze her nipple, he drove the dildo inside of her. Mara felt her pussy quake. She longed to be filled, longed to be taken so completely. She watched the woman writhe on the bed, her body enflamed. Her hips rose to meet each stroke, her body eager. Just as the woman was about to come, he removed the toy, laying it on the side of the bed.

Mara couldn't take her eyes off of the pair as he rose on his knees. The man reached for the zipper on his pants and started to ease it down.

“Ready to move on?” Joe asked, watching her intently.

She turned, her face flushed. The look in his eyes made her all too aware that he knew how aroused she was. She fought the urge to look at the couple again as she met his gaze.

“Sure,” she replied, her voice sounding breathless.

Joe led her around the corner to several more rooms. He stopped in front of a barren room with chains suspended from the ceiling. She turned to see a brunette standing, her arms stretched high above her head. The only thing she wore was a red thong. A man stood in front of her, his body hidden by the woman's. He reached out to grab her breasts roughly, his mouth pressing against her ear. Instead of crying out in pain, the woman threw back her head in ecstasy.

Mara bit the inside of her lip to keep from moaning. It had been so long since she had been with a man, so long since she was touched. She tried to look away, but her gaze seemed glued to the couple in front of her. When his hands lowered to her mound, she whimpered.

As if answering her unspoken request, Joe moved to stand behind her. His hands came up to grasp her hips as he leaned in, his breath teasing the sensitive skin of her ear. When she started to turn to face him, he stopped her.

“Watch her,” he commanded.

She felt his hands move over her body. She knew she should stop him, but it felt too good.

“Look at her face.”

His hands moved to the underside of her breasts, and she let out the breath she had been holding. His lips blazed a trail of fire up her neck to her ear. His tongue came out to tease the lobe as his fingers found her nipples.

“That is what coming to the club is about, Mara,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The man in the room grabbed the woman's hips, pulling her against him. He drove into her, causing her to cry out. Mara moved back against Joe, her buttocks moving against his erection. She felt him slide her skirt over her hips.