A Table for Three (New York 1) (2 page)

The table was under the second floor balcony, away from the dance area with a wall behind them. The shield came up from the floor in a semicircle sealing them against the wall. As soon as it reached the ceiling, the hollow glass filled with a smoky, swirling mist. It never completely filled. The smoke allowed shifting glimpses in as well as out. It was a favorite with the voyeurs as well as the exhibitionists.

Riley’s whispered, “Wow,” made him smile, and he shifted his gaze to her. She looked like she had just seen a magic trick, and her delight was unmistakable.

“Riley,” he said, “my name’s Cade. I don’t think you realize the type of club you’ve stumbled into. I’m going to make myself perfectly clear.” He never broke eye contact as he spoke, picked up her martini, and brought it to her lips to drink. She was staring at him with wide eyes. He had a hard time keeping the smile off his face when she wrinkled her nose at the first sniff of the drink he had ordered her. Her hands fluttered when she tried to take the drink form him and realized he intended to hold it for her while she sipped from his hand. This was supposed to be a serious moment, and she was making him smile.

“Tell me something. What do you hate most? Something so bad you can’t stand it.”

“Spinach,” Riley answered quickly. “What about you?” she asked.

“No. No questions now. Just listen.”

Spinach? Cade chuckled and shook his head. He had asked dozens of girls that question and heard everything from spiders and snakes to pap smears. This was the first time anyone had picked a food. Damn, it looked like he was going to be going without some of his favorite dishes for the foreseeable future. He liked spinach.

“Okay, spinach,” he continued. “That’s your word. That’s your safety net. From this moment forward, that word is your way out. If something hurts, if something is too much, if in any way this is more than you want or think you can handle, that one word is your way to stop everything. Think about that. Never use that word lightly. Never say it unless you want to walk away and never look back. No matter what is happening or what we’re doing that word is your assurance that you have the control.”

She slowly stopped sipping as his words went on, and he could see by the look in her eyes she was starting to get an idea of the direction this night was going to go. He didn’t see fear, only a serious contemplation of what she was hearing.

“Riley, I want you to understand that will be the only control you have when you are with me.” She gulped loud enough for him to hear and squirmed in her seat again. No, she wasn’t afraid, she was curious and turned on.

“Take another sip.” He hadn’t taken the glass from in front of her, but she had stopped drinking. He waited to say anything else until the drink was half gone. Then he heard her mumble with another wrinkle of her nose that she probably should have said alcohol instead. He set the drink down and took her delicate chin in his hand as if he needed to assure that she didn’t miss what he had to say next.

“It starts now. Right here, right now. If you do not want to get bent over this table and fucked in this booth, I suggest you say spinach. I’ll let you go with the warning to never come back here again unless you’re ready for it.”