Hold 'Em: Vegas Top Guns, Book 3 (37 page)

She’d been right. The man wanted to play.

“Your room-service order is waiting for you in the bedroom,” she said, pitching her voice toward conciliatory. “As you requested.”

“Oh?” He lifted his brows. “I’m curious if you managed to get that right, at least.”

She ushered him into the bedroom where a rolling silver-tone cart was topped with a plate of fresh fruit and a bottle of champagne on ice. She’d ordered the items no matter the sticker shock, figuring they’d sort out paying for it later. Tonight was about living a fantasy.

Ryan strolled to the cart. His expression verged on haughty as he surveyed the assortment. “Good enough.”

“I’m pleased,
Monsieur
Haverty.”

“It’s Major Haverty, actually.”

“Major?”

“Yes. And you are?”

“Cassandra,” she said, briefly shaking hands. That same electric zap they’d shared from the first moment reappeared, only stronger. She almost dropped character. Ryan’s teasing grin made a brief reappearance, as if he too was tempted to laugh.

Then it was gone. He was Major Haverty again.

“Where are you from, Cassandra?”

“Montparnasse, in Paris.”

Dear Lord, he was unbelievably handsome in that uniform. She wondered again where he’d picked it up. Had he returned to the sex shop? Or someplace else? He stood with his shoulders back, his posture firm and solid. The thought turned her on in funny, unpredictable ways. The roleplaying was easy to indulge when he fit the part so perfectly.

“What do you do in the military? Is it the Air Force?”

“That’s right,” he said. “I fly fighter jets. F-16s.”

Cass’s jaw dropped. He could do that all day, adding facts to his character that would’ve seriously jeopardized the absorbency of her panties—had she been wearing any.

No matter how fabulous Ryan looked, her hands were restless for wanting to see him stripped. Something about his expression, however, told her he’d be the one giving orders.

Yes, sir.

“Well, I should finish up my duties.” So breathless now, she heard her accent slipping.

She turned to leave the bedroom, but he called out, “Miss? Could you help me first?”

“My pleasure,
monsie
—I mean, Major.”

He seemed to stifle a private smile. “This coat.” He began undoing the buttons. “It’s too hot in here for it. I won’t be able to get comfortable.”

“I should think not.” She crossed the floor, her knees shaky. “Here, let me help.”

He dropped his arms to his sides as she undid the remaining buttons. Her breath was coming in fitful gulps, but she forced herself to concentrate.

Calm down.

By the looks of how they were playing this hand, they would take their time. She needed to get herself under control or she’d wind up begging for a quickie down on the carpet to cut the tension. What she loved about their game was what would rip her up inside. The waiting. The deliberate buildup.

She pressed her hands flat against his body, right above his ribs. Slowly, slowly, she smoothed them up the inside of his coat, making love to his chest with her palms and her fingertips. His shoulders were tense. Corded ropes of muscles bunched and relaxed beneath her touch. She eased the dress coat over his shoulders then down his brawny arms.

Through it all he held his tense stance, chin thrust out. She liked to think she had all of him at attention, but she didn’t dare go for his crotch. Not yet.

The coat dropped to the floor behind him. “Thank you,” he said curtly. “You can hang that up now.”

Cass hid her smile. She angled her backside in such a way that he would get the choicest view as she bent at the waist. She took her time, first retrieving the coat, then strolling to the closet where she found a hanger. Every action felt bathed in molasses, so achingly slow. In that hotel room, time had ceased.

A
pop
sound yanked her heart into her throat. She turned to find Ryan pouring champagne. The pale blue dress shirt did even better things for his tan than the dark coat. Muscles pulled and shifted with every movement. Her mouth watered at the prospect of seeing him fully nude. They’d shared so much so quickly, but damn did they have a long way to go.

“Come,” he said.

“So soon?”

His gaze jumped to hers. His expression told her she was naughty to risk ruining their charade. “Cut the impertinence, miss. Come here.”

She toyed with the lace edge of her skirt as she approached. His eyes jumped and danced, as if trying to take in everything.

He handed her a full champagne flute before downing a big gulp from his. Maybe he wasn’t as controlled as he managed to appear. “Now, drink.”

Cass dove in for a healthy sip. The bubbles went straight to her oxygen-starved brain. Ryan made her half-drunk already. The alcohol didn’t stand a chance when compared to his blatant sex appeal.

“I want you to do something for me,” he said, his voice tight and low.

“Anything. Anything you need.”

“Go sit on that loveseat.”

Cass willed her feet to move. She crossed away from the serving cart and sat primly on the edge of the loveseat’s stiff cushion.

The window behind her allowed the lights of the Strip to shine in, bathing his face and his crisp, pale blue shirt in color. She just waited, perched there, loving the way he touched her everywhere with his hot gaze.

“Cassandra,” he said softly.

“
Oui
?”

“I’m going to go down on you.”

What begins as a quest for submission becomes an unrelenting need for love.

A Little Harmless Obsession

© 2010 Melissa Schroeder

May Aiona’s crush on sexy Evan Chambers is a bad habit that should be easy to break. It’s not like he’s ever noticed her. Looking for a safe place to release the reins of control and explore her curiosity about BDSM, May takes a friend up on an invitation to visit an exclusive bondage club—all she has to agree to is a public submission.

Evan can’t help but notice the exotically beautiful May. But despite his success, the dirty secrets of his past whisper that he’ll never be good enough for her. When Evan sees her standing in his club ready to submit to his best friend, he gives in to the thing he wants most—May as his sub. After their session, he knows one night will never be enough. But loving May isn’t easy for a man always ready to take charge. She might like to submit in the bedroom, but she doesn’t like anyone telling her what to do outside of it.

When May insists she’s not in any danger from the person seemingly obsessed with her, she ends up in the sights of a deranged stalker—with Evan possibly too far away to help.

Warning: This book contains sexy Hawaiian settings, crazy relatives, and a submission scene that leaves the heroine breathless and the hero frustrated. There are toys, bondage, and love scenes so hot, you’ll need ice water and a towel. Remember, it’s a Harmless story, so you know there’s nothing harmless about it.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
A Little Harmless Obsession:

May closed her eyes and allowed the techno beat of the club’s music to pulse through her blood. Excitement skittered over her flesh as she tried her best to contain it. It might be her first time here, but she wanted to try her best not to look like a rookie.

“You know, you might enjoy the atmosphere a bit more if you open your eyes.”

She did and slanted a look at her best friend. Cynthia’s guileless blue eyes and innocent smile hid a very wicked mind and sometimes an even more wicked tongue.

Leaning over so she could shout in her ear, May said, “If I didn’t owe you for getting me in here, I’d smack you upside the head, sistah.”

Cynthia laughed and took a sip of her lava flow before answering. “You have to be nice to me. I won’t take credit for the offer, since I think Micah came up with that.” She shook her head. “Still, without me, you’d still be trying to figure out a way to come up with the five thousand dollar joining fee.”

That much was true. Rough ’n Ready was Honolulu’s premier BDSM club and it did have a hefty price tag to ensure the patrons were serious about their lifestyle. May wasn’t poor. Chris paid her a good price to manage Dupree’s, but she also didn’t have money like that to throw around.

“That much we can agree on.” She looked around and noticed they’d lost Chris somewhere along the way. “What happened to your better half?”

“He’s talking to Micah. I still can’t believe you agreed to a public submission.”

“You’re the one who talked me into it.”

Cynthia laughed. “I know, but I am still surprised.”

May glanced toward the area where many of the people where gathered. She hadn’t seen it up close, but she knew there were glass squares that allowed patrons a front-row seat to the D/s play going on in the rooms below. The participants choose whether or not to allow the audience to see the session.

She shivered thinking of all those people watching her. She hadn’t completely come to terms with what she needed and she’d agreed to her first true session in front of a flipping audience. Crazy, or as her grandfather would say,
pupule
. She couldn’t contain the dueling emotions as they flooded her. Fear with a healthy dose of arousal and excitement fought for control and she was amazed she hadn’t gone completely
pupule
from the battle beneath the surface.

The desire to know more about herself, what she needed, was the only thing keeping her in the club. It wasn’t until she started talking to Cynthia a few months earlier that May realized why she might be bored in the bedroom. She hadn’t slept with a lot of men, but she’d had enough lovers to know she was missing something. With a little research, she’d come to understand why she found most of her sexual partners lacking.

She shook herself out of her thoughts and studied the customers. There were a few faces she recognized, including one of the former line cooks from Dupree’s. It was crowded as she assumed it was every Saturday night, but she understood it was busy every night of the week. Most clubs like it were little more than meat markets. They played at being BDSM clubs, but they weren’t serious. They didn’t have the strict security guidelines Micah insisted on or the hefty joiner’s fee. Rough ’n Ready required a thorough background check for security. That made the other clubs not only subpar, but also potentially dangerous.

She glanced at her friend. “I didn’t have much choice. It was that or pay the five thousand. I just can’t spare that amount of money.”

Cynthia nodded. “I know, but…when I was starting out in this world, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to do it, not in a public forum. Of course, I don’t have your fantasy of exhibitionism.”

“Really?” May faced Cynthia. “I’d never guess you had any second thoughts.”

“I did. And third, fourth… You get the idea.” She shrugged. “Thank God for Chris, because I was really out of my depth. And seriously, I probably would have never made that leap if it hadn’t been for him.”

Something caught Cynthia’s attention over May’s shoulder. A second later, her whole face lit up with a smile and May knew who she’d seen. She couldn’t fight the little twinge of envy that curled in her gut. Twisting around, she watched Chris make his way through the crowd. He kept getting interrupted along the way, and being the ultimate businessman, he stopped, smiled and chatted.

It gave her time to study the man with him, who she assumed was Micah. Taller than Chris by an inch or two, he probably outweighed him by fifty pounds—all muscle. Long, silky black hair spilled over his shoulders, a testament to his Native American background, as were the high cheekbones and strong jaw.

“He’s pretty, isn’t he?” Cynthia asked.

Without taking her attention away from Micah, she nodded. His lips where full, sensuous, and even looking as irritated as he did now, he was gorgeous. The light was dim, but she could see the reddish gold tone to his skin. He stood out from the mostly leather-clad patrons due to his stature and his clothing. A dark blue dress shirt fit snugly over his impressive chest and the casual dress slacks hugged his lean hips. It wasn’t what May expected the owner of a BDSM club to wear, especially at work.

“I hate to say it, because it probably sounds bad, but all I can think of when I see him is a conquering warrior,” Cynthia said.

Again, May didn’t take her gaze away from the man who was now impatiently looking around the club. She wished she could see the shade of his eyes. They weren’t black, or even brown, but something lighter.

When his eagle gaze zeroed in on her, she froze. The frown wrinkling his brow cleared, and one side of his mouth quirked. Touching two fingers to his forehead, he gave her a salute. Heat ping-ponged through her belly and her heart skipped a beat.

May licked her lips. “Oh, that is one dangerous man, sistah.”

Cynthia laughed. “Yeah and you just agreed to submit to him to get in his club.”

“Holy Lord, what was I thinking?” She barely whispered the words, so not even Cynthia could hear her. Before she could come to terms with Micah and just what she’d agreed to, another man, one who used to make her knees go weak and her body vibrate with lust, stepped into view beside the club owner.