Club Prive (6 page)

“Looks like I’m making quite the habit of saving you.” Gavin grinned down at me.

That was enough to spark the leftover bit of my temper. I wasn’t actually angry, but it was enough to make me snap back. “I was doing just fine on my own.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow, but didn’t respond to my statement. Instead, he said, “How about I get us a drink and a table while you clean up that amazing dress you’re wearing?”

I nodded mutely, the idea of drinks with Gavin overriding everything else. Well, everything but him calling the dress amazing. I made a mental note to thank Krissy and then headed to the bathroom.

With the music muffled and the air decidedly cooler, it was much easier to think. I cleaned the dress as best I could and hoped that the material wouldn’t be ruined. I’d pay for the dry cleaning, of course, but now that Gavin was here, I wasn’t sure I wanted to use staining the dress as an excuse to leave early. I splashed some water on my face, grateful for my waterproof makeup, and then did a quick touch-up. I stared at myself in the mirror, trying to see whatever it was that fascinated Gavin. I didn’t get it. Guys that looked like him could have any woman he wanted. Why was he pursuing me?

I closed my eyes and his image floated up behind my eyelids. I hadn’t consciously registered anything but his face and eyes, but now my subconscious brought the full image forward and demanded that I pay the attention it was due. He was wearing jeans again, dark gray ones, and they hugged all of the right places. His shirt was a fitted tee, the color making his eyes pop, the style showing off every curve of his muscles. He’d left his hair wild and wavy, making me wonder if that’s how it looked when he first woke up.

That thought brought a slew of new ideas with it and they bombarded me, one after the other in bright, hot flashes.

Gavin slowly stripping off his clothes, revealing golden skin over a defined torso, then moving to his jeans, teasing me before finally revealing what I want to see.

His mouth and hands running over every inch of my body, leaving me burning.

Taking him in my hand, my fingers exploring his velvet soft skin even as I lower my head to taste him for the first time.

His body above mine as he enters me.

My back arching as he fills me, stretching me.

I forced my eyes open.
God, it really has been too long…

Those were all very nice thoughts, but I had to go back out there and be able to hold a polite conversation with the man. I couldn’t do that if I kept going. I was already wet, my entire body throbbing with desire. I needed to get my mind under control or I was going to embarrass myself. I took several deep breaths and started thinking of random things, anything that would dull the arousal coursing through me.

Work. Piles and piles of papers to read.

No, work just made me think of Howard Weiss’s case, which brought me back to Gavin.

School. The paper I had due.

Yes, that was better.

I began to run through the case law I was citing, bringing up each specific point that would support my thesis. When I finally felt like my libido’d had enough of a cooling-down period, I pushed work aside and headed back out to join Gavin for a drink.

I paused by the bar to scan the tables for Gavin. He must’ve been looking for me too because our eyes met and he jerked his head, motioning for me to join him. I was halfway to the table when I saw that he wasn’t alone. Krissy and her friend, Jeff, were sitting there as well. Fortunately, I also spotted the magnum bottle of Bollinger champagne in the center of the table. That was good. I had a feeling I was going to need more than my half a Lemon Drop to get through this night.

“Carrie!” Krissy beamed at me as I slid into the seat Gavin pulled out for me. Her face was glowing, though I suspected it wasn’t all from her exertions on the dance floor. I recognized the gleam in her eye as she pointedly looked from me to Gavin and back again.

“Did you have fun dancing?” I asked before she could say anything else.

“Your friend here is an amazing dancer,” Jeff said. “I could barely keep up.”

“You did just fine,” Krissy said, running her hand over Jeff’s upper arm.

“What about you, Carrie?” Gavin asked. “Can you dance?”

I shrugged. “I’m not bad.”

“Not bad?” Krissy echoed my words. She snorted a laugh. “She can dance circles around me. When she’s loose enough to do it, that is.”

“Really?” Gavin poured the champagne into glasses all around. “Then I guess I’m going to have to get you to loosen up, because I’d really like to see you dance.”

“Not gonna happen.” I shook my head as I reached for my glass. I gulped down a quarter of it at once, sighing as I felt it go through me. That was what I’d needed.

“We’ll see about that.” Gavin grinned at me and I felt it going through me like a punch to the gut.

It should’ve been illegal for someone who was already that good-looking to have that kind of smile.

“So, Gavin, I’m guessing Carrie didn’t call you to tell you to meet her here.” Krissy turned her attention from Jeff, though her body positioning suggested she had her hand on his leg beneath the table.

I knew that move. It was how she reassured the guy she was with while she talked to another one. At least with this one, I knew she wasn’t interested in Gavin. She was far more interested in getting me into bed with him. Not that I could say I wasn’t thinking about the exact same thing.

“No,” he said with another charming smile, this one directed at Krissy. It lacked the edge of the one I’d gotten and that made my insides squirm pleasurably. “Your friend here seems to like playing hard to get.”

Krissy leaned forward and spoke in a conspiratorially loud whisper, “She might be a little easier to get tonight.” She winked at Gavin, then smirked at me.

I drained my glass and instantly felt the alcohol fuzz my brain, the feeling pleasant and welcome. I was still in control, but I could feel the hard lines that kept me in check starting to soften and blur.

“You know what?” I announced. “Maybe I do want to dance.” My stomach knotted, but the nerves weren’t as powerful as my desire to do something a little crazy. I’d come here to let loose, and it was probably better to do this now than after I’d had a few more drinks and lost my coordination.

Gavin held out a hand and I took it, my skin tingling as our palms slid across each other’s. Krissy took Jeff’s hand and the four of us headed for the dance floor. I had an idea forming in my mind, but wasn’t sure I had the guts to pull it off without another drink. Then I saw how the other women were looking at him, and glaring at me, as we danced. I hadn’t done this since sophomore year of college when Krissy had dragged me to another frat party, but I knew she’d be game. After all, she was the one who usually encouraged me to get a little wild.

I turned so that my back was to Gavin, my body lightly brushed against his in time to the pulsing music. I caught Krissy’s eye and crooked my finger at her. She looked puzzled for only a split second before her eyes lit up. She knew what I wanted to do. She mimicked my position, slowly drawing herself and Jeff closer until she and I were facing each other.

“Seriously?”

I saw her say the word, but couldn’t hear it. I nodded. I could feel anxiety wanting to take over, but I was still buzzed enough to keep it at bay. I reached out and she did the same. We began to dance together, our bodies moving in sync even though it had been years since we’d done this. A quick glance over her shoulder told me that Jeff was definitely enjoying the show. I just hoped Gavin was too. Krissy and I swayed and twisted, our fingers skimming over each other’s arms, twining together before moving back down. Although most men would probably think otherwise, there’d never been any sort of sexual attraction between the two of us, but when we danced, there was an energy to it that electrified the air around us.

We danced through two songs before we broke apart. The applause startled us both. Apparently Gavin and Jeff hadn’t been the only ones watching. A small crowd of guys had gathered and were now whistling and shouting compliments as the next song began. My cheeks began to burn, but my nerves had vanished.

Krissy and Jeff headed back to the table and I started to follow. Gavin caught my hand and spun me around so I was facing him. He held my gaze for several seconds, and I was sure he was going to kiss me. Instead, he took a step back, his eyes smoldering. Without a word, he led me back to the table where Krissy and Jeff were waiting. They’d already poured us all refills.

I lost count of how many glasses I drank after we started on the second bottle, but I knew it was more than I had consumed in a long time because I was feeling my usual inhibitions slipping away. That wasn’t really a bad thing, I reasoned. I’d come here to have a great time. Work-focused Carrie had a brain that worked overtime, analyzing and over-thinking everything. I’d be worrying about school and work and whether or not I should go home with someone. Now, I was just thinking about how charismatic and funny Gavin was, how I could listen to his deep, sensual voice and never get bored.

I imagined that he’d be able to make anything sound sexy. He had one of those voices. I wondered what it would be like to hear him say my name under different circumstances. Would his voice get deeper, rougher, when filled with passion? Just the thought of it sent a bolt of arousal through me. What would his moan be like? Did he just make noises or was he a talker? What kind of things would he say? Would it be sweet, maybe just a hint of dirt, or would he be one of those men who would whisper all sorts of delicious filth into my ear, telling me all of the things he wanted to do to me?

I shivered. Did he want to do the same things to me that I wanted to do to him? What would he do, I wondered, if I started to undress him right here in the club? Tear his shirt off, leaving it hanging in two halves while I licked every inch of his torso. Reach for his pants and unzip them slowly, run my tongue over my lips so there’d be no doubt in his mind what I was going to do once I had him.

Before my fantasy could go any further, Krissy’s voice cut into my thoughts. “Hey, Carrie, I’m gonna take off with Jeff. Are you going to be all right getting home by yourself?”

I blinked at her, her words taking a moment to register. “Sure. I’ll be fine.” The words slurred a bit. Maybe I was drunker than I’d thought. “Go on,” I insisted. “Get out of here, you two lovebirds.”

Krissy didn’t look convinced. I reached for the glass of water that I hadn’t seen before. When I gulped down half of it, she looked a little more relaxed, but still not like she felt entirely comfortable leaving me here.

“Don’t worry, Krissy,” Gavin said. “I’ll take the party girl home.”

Krissy looked at me and I nodded. I might’ve been tipsy, but I still had the presence of mind to know what I wanted, and I wanted to be left alone with Gavin. She nodded, then turned a stern gaze to Gavin.

“Anything happens to her, I’m holding you responsible,” she said. “And, trust me, you don’t want to piss me off.”

Gavin held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I believe you.”

She still waited another thirty seconds before finally letting Jeff lead her away, his arm around her waist, his hand resting on her hip. Oh, yeah, she was definitely getting some tonight. I almost giggled, but caught myself. I tended to get a bit silly when I drank too much and I didn’t want that to ruin the mood. If things didn’t go my way tonight, I was going to explode.

As soon as Krissy and Jeff disappeared from sight, I turned towards Gavin. He was watching me, his expression saying he was trying to figure out just how drunk I was. He needed to know that it was okay to move forward. I leaned close to him and put my lips against his left ear. “You know, ever since I saw you in the bar that afternoon, I’ve been fantasizing about doing something.”

“Doing what?” His voice was soft.

“This.” I moved so that we were face to face. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and then I was leaning forward so that our mouths touched for the first time.

It was like an electric jolt going through my entire body, waking me up from a spell I hadn’t known I’d been under. I could still feel the effects of the alcohol, but all that was dimmer now. The rest of the world was gray. Gavin and I were sharp, clear. I parted my lips, darting my tongue out to trace his bottom lip, then pulled back. I needed to gauge his reaction.

His eyes had darkened to the color of a summer night’s sky, that almost-purple shade right before the stars came out. His lips curved up into a wicked smile that made things in my stomach tighten. “What a coincidence. I’ve been thinking the exact same thing.” He lowered his head, then paused with his lips just centimeters from mine. His voice was serious as he asked, “I need to know how—”