Game's Over: A BWWM Romance (Game of Chance Book 3) (5 page)

Then why was he standing up to follow?

Vivica was already on stage when Grant managed to catch up with her. Once again, Grant had no idea what happened in her brain when she walked on stage, because if he hadn’t been talking to her a moment ago, he would’ve sworn that her evil twin was taking the stage right then and there.

Vivica ripped her shirt off with no ceremony, twirling it around in a makeshift rope to hook around the pole as she swayed. The metal studs in her nipples were slightly bigger, shaped like small arrows, and gleamed under a shower of glitter. Grant swallowed. Fuck. He was well and truly fucked. At least metaphorically speaking. Vivica looked straight at him as she lowered herself on her knees, the pole in between her legs. Her eyes bore into Grant’s as she gripped the pole with both hands, stroking it as she would a huge cock while she dragged herself up again, her tits and pussy pressing hotly against the thick rod.

“Fuck.” Grant’s throat was too dry for proper speech.

Vivica tossed the shirt to the floor, one delicate hand skimming across her torso, glittery black nail polish that Grant hadn’t noticed up until that moment making the trip of her fingers easy to follow even with the pulsing lights. Her fingertips stopped an instant to tease her nipple before undoing the buckle of her belt

I’m bringing sexy back.

Vivica mouthed seductively to the words of the song, no longer looking at Grant as he slid the studded belt out of her denim shorts with one rapid move, using it to anchor herself to the pole as she did a full turn of the stage.

Shit. Grant was starting to suspect that Vivica had some disassociative disorder or other. There were no other explanations in sight. Still, the mystery that was her hot/cold game kept him on his toes, kept him wanting.

Grant wondered if that was what it was all about. Just a game to see how long Grant would wait, if he would take the time to figure her out. Unless she was one of those stuck up women who thought she was too good for anyone.

A crazy thought flitted through his mind. Maybe he could ask Zenobia whether she knew Vivica at all, but he didn’t fancy his chances to get anywhere near Zenobia without Wes using his ass to wipe the floor. Wes hadn’t looked like he appreciated Grant’s presence at his club—and there was also the problem that he didn’t think they were working that night.

Still, short of asking Tasha—and to be honest, she sort of frightened him; she looked like she could eat him alive—Grant was running out of options.

On stage, Vivica spun around to face the crowd, her thigh wrapped around the pole as she danced. The fabric dipped just a touch, low enough for Grant to see a hint of the shadowy crease of her ass. Then, still wrapped around the bar, Vivica leaned back, bending almost double until she could place her hands on the stage beneath her. Vivica’s fingers brushed the floor, then, holding herself with her knees, she reached up and slipped a hand into the waistband of her shorts.

Grant groaned and instinctively reached underneath his robe to fondle his hardening cock through the fabric of his G-string. In a distant corner of his mind, he could see Vivica spread out on a bed, laying on her back, naked, eyes tightly shut as he cupped his balls and rolled them in his palm, the skin hot, pulled tight over his sac.

Grant kept his eyes half closed as he watched her on stage, one hand down the open V of his pants, his cock grinding against the pole, and pictured how she would look as she touched herself in the middle of his bed, her head to the side, mouthing at her own shoulder, nail-polished fingers rubbing the piercing of her nipples until they were sore, hard enough to hurt, flicking them as she fingered her own pussy.

Fuck. Grant’s hand slipped under his G-string to find his stiff dick. He fondled the head, then went lower to press against his balls, biting back a moan, even though, no one could hear him with the tumultuous cheers from the crowd and the thumping of the music.

Fuck, but Vivica was sinful.

Grant watched through heavy lidded eyes as Vivica turned around to face the crowd, both hands on each side of the pole as though in prayer, legs spread wide, shorts undone. She threw her head back and let her hands shift down the pole until she could grab the waistband of her shorts, eyes closed as she swayed and slowly peeled her shorts down her ass and to her thighs, revealing her perfect, round ass in her black G-string.

Grant’s dick jumped up from his hand, and he squeezed hard at the base, biting the back of his palm as he began to stroke himself, picturing those long, sexy legs hiked back against her naked breasts, until the knees pushed against the piercings on her nipples. Grant would keep her spread wide, his leaking cock rubbing against her wet slit; he’d tease her, give her back a taste of her own medicine, make her beg until her voice was raw and spent and used. Grant groaned out loud, gripping the back of the stage for support as he stroked himself faster, his eyes trailing up Vivica’s body as she rubbed her back against the pole, riding it with her perfect, bare ass.

Grant fought to keep his eyes open, rocking into his hand and imagining how it would feel if he had Vivica spread out underneath him, bucking and rocking against him as Grant held her down, fingers kneading into the curve of her hips. The music came to a crescendo as Vivica let her thumbs slip tantalizingly inside the front of her thong, and fuck, Grant was done for. He spilled into his hand, inside his G-string, his breath quick and short, his knuckles whitening as he clutched at the back of the stage for support.

When he finally managed to catch his breath, he looked up to find an empty stage, the lights back up and the usual DJ music pumping from the speakers. Grant’s heart raced in his ears, and he swallowed, discreetly wiping his hand on the inside of his robe before retreating back to the changing room to pick up his clothes.

While talking to Zenobia wouldn’t be his preferred course of action, he knew he was way too far into this game to back down now. He had to figure Vivica out or he’d go mad. He told himself it had nothing to do with feelings. He could have no feelings for someone that so obviously despised him. And most importantly, Grant didn’t do feelings. So when Zenobia asked him what this was all about, he really had no answer ready.

“I just need to know.” Grant knew it was lame, but it was the best he could come up with

“You’ve got to give me a bit more than that.” Zenobia crossed her arms over her chest, looking over her shoulder and giving Wes a little wave as though to say it was all good.

“Do you even know her?”

“Does it matter?”

Grant sighed. “I just… She seems to hate me. And I never met her before. I can’t figure out what’s up with her.”

Zenobia tilted her head to the side. “Why do you care at all, though? I mean…you didn’t strike me as a one-woman guy.”

Grant rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Well. I’m not.”

“Then why do you care? Let Vivica be and just… enjoy the contest.”

“It’s not that easy.”

Zenobia smiled. “So you do care.”

“No.”

“Well, then tell me why you are asking.”

Grant threw his hands up in frustration. “Whatever, never mind. I knew it was stupid to come to you.”

He made to leave, but Zenobia quickly grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.

“Wait. Look. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just don’t think that it’s my place to say anything.”

“Do you know her then?”

“I used to. Not much now, though. She’s been away for awhile.” Zenobia paused. Grant was bursting to ask her more, but he was afraid that if he started saying something, he’d interrupt Zenobia’s flow. “I’m just saying… don’t get too hung up on her. Unless there’s something, you’re not telling me.”

“But why?”

“She’s not your ordinary girl.”

Well, duh.

“She hasn’t been with anyone in a very, very long time.”

“But why then go to a contest like the Casa Blanca's Summer Bombshell!”

That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it? Grant had walked in on at least five other contestants getting it on backstage. It seemed like everyone who was making it through the rounds had the same goal in their minds.

“Maybe she wants something else.”

“But what?”

Zenobia laughed softly. “I don’t know, Grant. You should ask her that, though. You can say whatever you want, but this is really bugging you, and I think it might be worth it to try to talk to Vivica, rather than put on your speed-dating charm.”

They both shared a chuckle and it was like a curtain of tension between them had dissipated.

“Okay. Um. Can I go get a drink, or is your boyfriend going to lay the smackdown on me?”

Zenobia laughed and looked over at where Wes was pretending really hard he wasn’t listening. “I think you’ll be all right.”

Chapter 6

The week had gone by smoothly. Grant had made it through each and every round, and so had Vivica. Instead of doing what Zenobia had suggested he should, though, he had backed away from her completely.

It wasn’t done at random. He had a plan. A cunning plan at that. Now, whether or not he could pull it off was entirely up to chance, but Grant was nothing if not self-confident. He had run his plan by Domino, his pet Labrador, and general consent was that his plan was good. And tonight was the contest finale. It was his last—and only—chance.

Vivica didn’t seem too suspicious of the sudden cold shoulder Grant was presenting. She had given him a few diffident glares, much like a cat that doesn’t trust you not to prowl on their turf, but Grant had doggedly refused to step within ten feet of her. Considering how small the changing room was, that was no easy feat.

Zenobia had said something—maybe there were other reasons for the contest than getting laid, and Grant was trying to figure them out. If he couldn’t… well, then it was pointless for him to even try approaching Vivica again. It was something new for Grant, who never waited for anything in his life, but he figured giving it a shot couldn’t hurt.

As he stripped out of his outfit night after night for the cheering crowd, he found that the thrill didn’t come from knowing how many of them wanted him. There was only one person that he cared about and he was putting on his best show for her.

Vivica was suspicious, but that was okay. Grant still had some time to prove himself to her. And he would. As the contest progressed, he realized he enjoyed dancing and enjoyed entertaining people more than fucking cheap tricks against the bathroom door. The rest of the contestants faded in the background as Grant found himself in front of his mirror at home, rehearsing the number he was going to do for his final number. He had the perfect song for closing night. It was from the same artist Vivica had chosen the first night, and Grant thought it put into words what he was feeling more than he could.

He was backstage drinking something with a pink umbrella sticking out of the glass when he felt a hand on his back and found himself staring face to face to one of the few who had made it through to the finale with him and Vivica. Grant was shocked to realize he didn’t know who else was in the running for the title.

“Hey,” the man said, smiling seductively at him. “How’s it going, gorgeous?”

Grant cringed. Wow. He didn’t know what he felt more uneasy about, that someone would use something so cliché to hit on him, or that he had used the very same line on Vivica.

“Hey you.” Grant smiled, subtly stepping away from him and taking a sip of his drink.

“Been watching you perform,” she said, her tone sultry, taking half a step forward again.

“Can’t return the compliment, sadly.” Grant felt a bit bad, because she was indeed gorgeous. Perfect features, like most Miami women, but she was too slim with too much make up. She wasn’t Vivica. Period. “I’m not interested.”

The woman’s sultry looks disappeared and disdain replaced it. Grant had to chuckle. Now that was familiar. The woman walked off, and that’s when Grant saw her. It was the first time Vivica and Grant had even crossed glances in the past week, and her deep brown eyes looked inscrutable. It made Grant a bit uneasy, but he still gave him a small smile and a wave and made himself turn away first, even though he was aware of her eyes on his back. He couldn’t back down now. If his stupidly cunning plan was going to work, he needed to keep his cool.

Thankfully, it was almost time for Vivica to walk on stage. This round, Tasha had pulled their names out of an empty cocktail glass, and Grant was going to go last. Which suited him, because he didn’t think his nerves could have coped otherwise. It was one thing was to have his cunning plan fail, an entirely different thing to have it fail in front of every single patron Casa Blanca ever held.