Wicked Intentions (4 page)

“We wanted to finish up tonight so Teddy and his boys can work on the floors tomorrow,” Ayanna, the foreman, informed Nathan. Extracting her hand from the pocket of her blue coveralls, the brawny blonde checked her watch, “It might just take us another hour or two.”

“All right! I’m heading out in a couple,” Nathan said. “I’ll ask Kasey to lock up when you’re done and to organize for the overtime.”

“Thanks, boss.”

After giving his assistant instructions on how to deal with the workmen, Nathan exited the building. Driving through Manhattan at night was distinctly different from driving in LA where he’d been living for the last five years or so.

Nathan had resisted starting a branch in New York for the better part of two years. In fact, if it wasn’t for his partners’ insistence that the fashion capital needed an
Extreme Expressions
he wouldn’t have been caught dead here. This city brought up too many painful memories. Once he had
104
running, he was getting the hell out of here.

It took a while to get to
Dirty Hypnotiq
and when he did, all he saw was the long line that started at the entrance and rounded off at the corner before going into God knows where. Nathan was half afraid that he’d have to line up too. His brand of celebrity wasn’t often recognized because he specialized in making other people more famous rather than always being in the limelight. Luckily as soon as he got to the red-rope, security recognized him and let him in.

Dance. Now everybody move

Get your hands in the air

Let the music burn you

Burn, burn, burn, burn

The words bounced deafeningly from the copious speakers held above the club by a circular railing reinforced with steel and pierced the ear. Purple, green and blue strobe-lights swooped and streaked over and between the mass of grinding bodies, agitating an already hyped up atmosphere. Nathan could barely make out the faces of the people jostling and stumbling against him as he made his way deeper into the club.

With this wild crowd and the shadowy ambience, there was no possible way Nathan was going to find Shakira without getting creative. He made his way towards the DJs booth. The booth sat slightly raised above the main club floor, cordoned off from the dancing masses by a semi-circular wall of speakers each vibrating with music.

There were four people standing next to the man on the turntables. All four recognized Nathan – probably because in the last few weeks each of them had dropped off their mix-tapes at
Extreme Expressions
for consideration as the house DJ. One of them exited the booth. Because of the loud music, Nathan had to shout his instructions but a few seconds later, the guy gave him the thumbs up.

Mission completed, Nathan headed to one of the tables close to the bar and waited.

Minutes later, the DJ announced over the muted music, “Shakira Dalton. Shakira Dalton. Beautiful name right there. Mm mm mm. Baby girl, you need to get to the bar cause we hear that there’s a surprise for you there.”

Nathan couldn’t help the thrilled anticipation that crawled in his blood each time the DJ repeated the message. What would she do when she saw him? Would she run? Would she stay? If she stayed he would start his seduction. If she ran, he would chase her – then start his seduction.

Shakira was screwed no matter what she did.

He almost missed her. If he hadn’t been watching the bar so intently he’d have missed the woman who leaned over the counter to talk to the bartender. There was something about her that niggled at his memory. He had a clear view of only her back and what a back it was. Long dark hair fluffed out in tight springy curls fell almost to the middle of her back brushing against the fabric of her peach dress.

The fabric of the dress molded over her tiny waist flaring out into curvy hips that cradled the most delicious ass before tapering off to end at her upper thighs. Where the dress ended, impossibly long legs continued, flaunting silky smooth chocolate skin that begged to be touched.

Nathan had to swallow as he imagined having those long wrapped around his flunks and him cradling that pert ass as he fucked the mystery woman. It was only when she turned to scan the club that Nathan recognized her.

Damn!

Shakira?

In one day she’d transformed herself from desirable ex-con to seductive siren. The curled hairstyle softened the angular features of her face discernibly. Her sexy little dress dipped provocatively between her breasts and molded lovingly to her well-toned body. Nathan almost groaned when she licked her glossy lips as she searched the club for whoever had called for her.

Emerging from his hideout behind one of the club’s pillars, he headed towards her, a smile already forming on his lips. Something – or rather his fast burgeoning cock - told him that he was going to enjoy teaching Shakira a lesson of who not to play with.

CHAPTER 5

“Are you sure no one asked for me?” Shakira yelled out over the loud music pulsing around her.

“Sorry!” The bartender shook his head as he tipped two bottles filled with clear spirits over a shot glass.

Then how the hell did the DJ know my name?
She started again, “Are you-”

Her words came to a screeching halt when she felt a large hand rest on the base of her spine. Shakira whipped around to give the stranger, daring enough to touch her, a setting down. The harsh words died on her lips when her gaze clashed with Nathan’s.

His lips quirked in a wicked smile as he leant closer and said into her ear, “Hey.”

Hey
. She mimed the word rather than said it.

The pounding music in the club receded into a muted buzzing in the back of her mind as she took him in. On any other man, the black hoodie and dark jeans would’ve looked casual and safe. Nathan was a different animal. He looked powerful – even dangerous. The dark clothes clung to him drawing attention to his well-built body. In the shadowy ambience of the club, his eyes were steeped in darkness enhancing their intensity. They narrowed as he too gave her an up and down once over.

His gaze skimmed the length of her body. It slid over the length of her neck, lingered over her breasts, licked her taut tummy and kissed her hips before swooping back up to meet hers. The hand he still had on her waist burned an imprint on her skin despite the fabric muting his touch. Her senses pulsed in excited anticipation for something indefinable.

In her four inch heels she was almost the same height as he was and she only had to rise slightly so she could speak into his ear. He cocked his head as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

He turned his head and returned, “What are
you
doing here?” He pulled back to watch her.

“I was…” Her words tapered off into silence as she realized how inappropriate it must look for her to be partying it up when she hadn’t even paid him his money.

“Having a little fun?” he mimed.

This is awkward.

Nathan’s grip on her waist tightened as she rose up on tiptoes again. “Um…you know a few friends wanted to come here and…”

Shakira’s brain cells scrambled for a viable excuse but couldn’t come up with one. A gentleman would’ve tried to save her from herself. Nathan didn’t. He simply watched her with a cocked his eyebrow in question, waiting for her to dig herself either out or deeper into the hole she’d crawled into.

She lowered herself back to the floor, a sheepish expression crossing her face. He leaned forward towards her ear. “You look beautiful.”His words were accompanied by a slight brush of his lips against her ear that immediately set her pulse pounding.

When he straightened up and looked down at her, Shakira mimed through dry lips, “Thank you.” His response was another smile that had her nerves purring. As if he knew, the hand on her waist stroked her slightly.

She rose on her toes, “Are you the one who called me here?”

He shook his head.

Then who had? Forcing Nathan intoxicating presence to the back burner, she turned her gaze back to the club. He drew her attention by saying in her ear, “Can I buy you a drink while you wait?”

She shook her head as she mimed, “I don’t drink.”

His eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. Yes, she knew it was strange. However while on ‘tour’ with Eve, Shakira had seen too many people – including her mother – do stupid things because of alcohol. It’d cured her of any need to experiment.

“Water then?” Nathan asked. She nodded.

The both turned back towards the bar while Nathan sidled beside her. Shakira was intensely aware of his possessive hold still around her waist and the brush of his body against hers. It was innocent enough but her body wasn’t acting in the least bit innocent.

Heat zipped its way up and down her body pooling at the base of her stomach, the fabric of her dress pricked against her aroused nipples and her pussy contracted hungrily each time his fingers grazed her back.

Shakira would’ve liked to say that her reaction was because of her prolonged and forced abstinence. But that would be lying. She and London had come in here with London’s four male band-mates and none of them had inspired any sort of sexual awareness – and it wasn’t for lack of trying. In fact when the DJ had called her name she’d been relieved at the respite from the onslaught of salacious offers.

This was all Nathan.

There was just something about the man that had her body humming and aching for a long and erotic toss between the sheets.

When the bartender handed her the water, Shakira turned back towards the club to watch for whoever it was who’d called her here determined to ignore Nathan and her body’s reaction to him. She didn’t succeed. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her, watching and measuring as he accepted a shot from the bartender.

She snuck a glance at him just as he tipped the shot to his mouth. His lips were mesmerizing as was the pulsing movement of his throat as he swallowed the drink. The moment he caught her looking, she shifted her eyes away just in time to see London closely trailed by Enzo pushing her way past the crowd.

The black thigh-length dress that clung to London’s petite frame should’ve been sedate but when had her friend ever been sedate? She’d cut a narrow oval into the fabric that started between her breasts and stopped just above the v of her thighs. She’d complimented the dress with striking purple heels to match the multicolored highlights in her hair. It was no wonder men’s eyes – and some women’s- followed the pint-sized femme fatale. Enzo kept a possessive arm around her shoulder and threw them ‘keep off’ looks.

Enzo dwarfed London by almost a foot. With his wiry beanpole build, shock of midnight hair, pale features and penchant for black clothes, Shakira wasn’t surprised that he’d auditioned for Edward’s part in the Broadway version of Twilight – and almost made it. It was too bad he had a mega-crush on London because London was no Bella and thought of him as only a friend.

London’s eyes widened the closer she got, swinging between Shakira and Nathan. She sidled closer to Shakira with a smile as she commented, “I see you found him.”

“No.” Shakira shook her head. “He’s not the one who called me.”

London bumped her shoulder and motioned with her eyes towards Nathan. The message was clear.
Introduce me
. Shakira leant closer to Nathan as she introduced him to London and Enzo.

While Nathan ordered drinks for the new comers, London’s gaze dropped to Nathan’s hand on Shakira’s waist. Her eyes lit up with mischief as her mouth widened into an ‘oh’. Shakira rolled her eyes. She probably should’ve chucked Nathan’s hand away, but she didn’t want to. Her body was enjoying the slight touch too much.

After a couple of minutes later, the group gave up on the wait for whoever had called Shakira. To Shakira’s surprise, Nathan followed them as they made their way back to the rest of their company. She thought for sure he’d be uncomfortable – what with him being a celebrity and London’s band-mates being unabashed Goths – but strangely he fit right in.

At first wariness oozed off the other four men at the table, but when Nathan mentioned that he’d heard them play at a local bar and loved their music, the hostility melted like ice on a warm summer day. Soon they were even pushing their mixes on him and trying to get him to include them in his
Extreme Expressions
roster. Shakira tried to subtly nudge London to stop the pimping but her friend was in her groove and Nathan’s little kiss on her ear and whispered ‘it’s okay’ was enough to replace her embarrassment with tingles of awareness.

“He’s cool,” London announced when they went to the ladies’ room to freshen up.

“He is, isn’t he?”Shakira agreed as she stroked her eyelashes with her mascara brush.

“And he liiiiiikes you.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

London cut her eyes at her through the mirror. “Did you see how he couldn’t keep his eyes – or his hands – off you? The man has fallen. This is your chance.”

“Chance for what?”

“To break your prison virginity.” London resumed combing her hair and patting it. “I saw his dick. One night with that weapon and you’ll be back to fighting shape.”

Shakira paused in her action, holding the mascara brush slightly away from her eye, as she asked, “You were checking out his dick.”

“I always check out dicks,” London returned evenly. “He’s the perfect guy to sweep your cobwebs.”

“I can’t have a…” Shakira’s words trailed off when she heard the flush of the loo behind them. She waited for the tall blonde who exited it to leave the room before she finished her sentence. “I can’t have a relationship. I just left one.”

“Who said anything about a relationship?” London asked. “I’m talking one night of sweaty, sweaty bang-bang and then it’s adios amigos.”

“A one night stand?”Shakira tested the phrase on her tongue just to see if she understood what London was suggesting.

“Why not?”London shrugged. “You like him too.” Shakira opened her mouth to protest but London stopped her before she could. “I know you.”

“I don’t do one-night stands.”

“I know being a good girl has always been your thing,” London said as she turned to face Shakira completely. “But you just spent all this time in jail despite the fact that you were good – in fact tonight you could’ve been in prison. Why don’t you try being a little bad for just one night and see how it works?”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It will when you think about it later,” London assured her.

As soon as they got back to the table, Enzo dragged London off to the dance-floor. Nathan shifted closer to Shakira, “Would you like to dance?”

Why not?

Shakira accepted the hand he offered her and rose to her feet. He guided her to the middle of the floor then stood opposite her. It was only when he started dancing that Shakira realized her error in judgment. The guy was a choreographer while she was the quintessential ‘black-girl-that-can’t-dance’. The only moves she knew were a few side to side sway of her hips that she wasn’t even sure were in rhythm with the reggae tunes blasting above and around them.

Fortunately Nathan wasn’t a show-off and kept his sways smooth and mimicking hers. He smiled at her silently assuring her that she was doing okay. Shakira couldn’t help returning the smile. A sudden jostle behind her, sent her stumbling towards him. Nathan caught her adeptly just as her breasts met the hard planes of his chest. The muscles of his upper arms bunched up under her fingers sensuously. Flames that’d petered out into a low fire in the bottom of her belly flared up and licked against her nerves.

Shakira should’ve pulled away from him – especially when the band of his arms around her waist tightened – but she didn’t. She liked the feel of his body against hers and wanted to stay in his arms just a moment longer.

Why not?

His eyebrows arched in question when she shifted closer, slid her fingers up his arms and wound her arms around his neck. She shyly tucked her head against his shoulder. Her nose flared as she absorbed the masculine scent that clung to him. They were close enough that each sinuous shift of his chest and thighs against hers were like electric sparks agitating her body.

Did he feel it too?

The slight arousal building with every smooth sway?

She was too nervous to look into his eyes and find out for herself. He answered her question himself. His hand lowered from its position high up on her back to the base of her spine then he pressed her closer to him. She took in a sharp breath when she felt the unmistakable evidence of his arousal press into her stomach. Unbidden, her gaze dashed up to meet his.

Hooded eyes stared back at her. He didn’t say anything, but it was all in the heated look he gave her and the erect cock still pushing against her tummy. She knew what was coming when he tipped her chin up and then started to lower his head.

Why not?

“Shakira.” His breath whispered against her lips before his mouth claimed hers.