Page 5

“The top performer.” His lips brushed against her wildly pulsing throat.“That’s what they promised me.”
“You’ve got her,” she said. She always delivered a credible performance, but not once had an encounter made her feel what she felt now.As if this were real.
“Good. You’re going to do exactly what I want.”
Oh, God. What was he into? A thread of something wound down through her, but it was not exactly fear.
Where was he going with this? This play was his to stage, and he had made it clear he didn’t want her to initiate, but not doing anything to him was really starting to unsettle her.
He waited a beat.“I want your consent.”
She almost laughed. Consent was already covered in the contract.
“What for?” Her raspy voice sounded alien to her own ears.
His large hand tightened around her wrist.
“For everything I need and anything I want to take tonight.” His lips brushed her earlobe, his low voice pouring over her like warm honey.“And no more licking me unless I ask you for it.”
The memory of his Adam’s apple on her tongue made her shudder. Her chest rose and fell with the struggle to draw breath. Unfamiliar tingling fluttered in places she’d never felt before, and she was lightheaded.
“OK,” she finally said.
He let go of her wrists.“OK,” he echoed, satisfaction in his tone.
He rolled off her and to his side, leaving her cold with the sudden absence of his warmth and weight. She wanted to grab him and drag him back on top of her but didn’t dare move her hands from where he’d placed them above her head. Her fingers curled, nails digging into her palms.
Waiting.
This waiting was impossibly hard. The absence of light made it much worse.
She licked her lips.“You’re going to keep the lights off?”
He propped himself up on his elbow, ever so lightly tracing his thumb along her cheek.
“Maybe.”
“Why?”
Thumb and index finger now stroked on either side of her jaw, his other three fingers skimming along her pulse point. Lord, but the man was into stroking. Only it was she who was supposed to be doing it tohim.
She wanted so badly to touch him, to take back a sliver of control.
“Because that’s how I want them.”
Gently, he grasped her chin and lifted. Fingers splaying, he ran his palm over her throat. His hand was so big that it encircled her completely. She should be panicking in this vulnerable state. If he squeezed harder…
But he didn’t. His hand slid to her shoulder, and she felt him lower his head. His hot breath fanned her cheek.
Panic immediately made her heart leap.
No, no. She never kissed clients on the mouth. Ever. It was a line that wasn’t to be crossed, and it was clearly stated in the contract.
The next second, his tongue was pressing hard on her Adam’s apple. The relief was so intense that a bubble of laughter escaped her. He chuckled softly in response.
He blew on her moist neck. She shivered. Promptly, his mouth was back on her, this time his lips skating along her collarbone, softly, barely touching. He licked there too.
His palm moved closer to her breast, but to her surprise, it slid around her chest to flatten over her belly. Using the fabric to caress her, he fisted the silk, pulling her dress up above her waist.