Her Gentle Giant, Part 2: Remember to Dance (24 page)

“No, the question you need to ask yourselves,” Charity replied, “is what
you’re
going to do when the women get out of the limo and smell like other men’s cologne? You call it even and
let it go
.” She typed on her cell phone keyboard. “Because they’re asking themselves the same question
right now.
Pointing at the phone, she said, “See? I just saved you a relationship dilemma. Now let’s go dance. I need to
shake
it, baby.”

Chapter Forty-seven

Eli climbed out of the vehicle and waited with the others on the sidewalk as the ladies’ limo pulled up. The limousines arrived within a few minutes of each other at The Dancing Pony. He reached for one of the door handles and opened the door, holding his hand out to assist the women.

Eli smiled to see them all bubbly and cheerful from their fun evening. Rachel waited and exited the vehicle last as all the couples were all reunited. Eli wrapped his long arms around Rachel’s curvy, leather-clad body and kissed her hard. When he released her, she grinned and swiped a gentle finger on his cheek and held it up.

“Body glitter is a new look for you,” she said with a sexy chuckle.

“You, too,” he replied, wiping a smudge from her bare shoulder. “Aren’t you cold?”

“A little, now that I’m out of the car.” She gestured to her arms and shoulders. “I noticed when we left that I have it all over my arms. I wanted to clean up in the ladies’ room first, so I don’t get it inside my new jacket. If my jacket is going to smell like cologne, I want it to be yours only.”

“Do you feel like staying and dancing?” he asked as the other couples talked.

“Yeah, I do. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Let me know when you’re ready to leave and we’re out of here.”

Peter, Renata, Elijah, and Kelly all said their goodnights, and the others went inside to dance and hang out together a while longer. As Eli and Rachel strode in, Eli felt the caveman reassert some territoriality in his psyche as he saw how many men stared at Rachel in her corset and miniskirt.

* * * *

Rachel saw Eli watching her as she returned from cleaning up in the ladies’ room. She recognized the intense look in his eyes and smiled while she slowly sauntered across the club toward him. Dressed in her leather outfit, she felt like a siren calling out to his body to respond, and respond it
definitely
did. A suggestive smile spread slowly across Rachel’s face as she went into his arms and felt the large, hard bulge pressed against her belly. He pulled her onto the dance floor as a classic, romantic song began to play. Keith Whitley crooned the lyrics to “When You Say Nothing At All” as she stroked his back through the black silkiness of his long hair and rested her cheek against his chest, utterly happy.

“I want to tell you something, Rachel. But I don’t want for you to think I expect that you had a similar experience, okay? I know you’re only human, just like me.”

Her confusion must have shown on her face because he forged on immediately. “There were beautiful women everywhere we looked, who were good at their jobs, but not one of them aroused me the way you do. Sure, a well-executed move or a particularly teasing view might have rendered a tingle or two, but I only got truly rock-hard one time tonight. You know when that was?” he asked as she smiled softly up at him and shook her head. “It was when I heard your soft, sexy voice on Charity’s cell phone when you called.”

He laughed softly. “Cami had on little white high heels just like that pair of shiny black heels you wear with the strap over the top, and even
that
didn’t do it for me. All you have to do is walk into a room with those on, fully clothed, and my cock is ready for action.”

She felt her cheeks flush and giggled. “Really? And she was topless, wasn’t she?”

“Totally. They were both terrific, but they didn’t do it for me. Now, here we are dancing and talking, and I’m hard and ready to take you right now. It’s like my cock missed you and wasn’t considering any substitutes.”

She smiled. “A hard man is good to find,” she said in her best sexy vamp voice. He threw his head back and laughed with her.

“I’ll bet you and Cami would be great friends, given the chance.”

“Speaking of Cami, her boyfriend, Brandon, was one of the dancers Adam hired to entertain me for the evening. He pointed her out in the picture Charity sent Adam. He and I had an interesting, if cryptic, conversation.”

“Really?”

Rachel nodded, happy to share the exchange with him. “He saw and understood my tag. He knew to look at the back. He made a point of asking me to tell you that he was honored to be one of the ones chosen to entertain me. They were both awesome and never said or did anything to raise Adam’s eyebrows. I had fun but never had to worry that they would get too…overt.

“I want
you
to know something else, too. That place was wall-to-wall muscled, sexy bodies, and not a one of them held a candle to the man I love. Their oiled pecs and abs were nothing compared to my man’s. It was all fun, and I had a fantastic time, never doubt it. But it was a little like vacationing on the Texas Gulf Coast if I lived in the Caribbean. Probably a lot of fun, but I couldn’t wait to get back home. You’re my home, Eli,” she said, sighing happily when he gathered her to him and lifted her off her feet and kissed her tenderly.

“You’re good at putting your feelings into words, angel. You are home to me, as well. And I love
coming
home.” He growled, nuzzling her throat. “You’re hot, angel. Do you want to take off this heavy jacket?” he asked, peeling her jacket from one shoulder. The cool air felt good against her hot flesh.

She’d been a little warm but had decided that she probably should leave the jacket on for his benefit. When they’d re-entered the club earlier, she’d gotten a lot of looks. She nodded. “But only if it’s all right with you, Eli. I know there’s a lot of
me
showing tonight.”

He growled again. “Mmm, there sure is. I love every inch of it. But you’re not leaving my side for the rest of the evening, so I don’t mind.” He helped her out of it and held it over his arm as they continued dancing. “You are absolutely incredible tonight, Rachel. When I set eyes on you earlier…You
are
my queen. Do you understand that? You give yourself to me completely, but ultimately it is
me
who is
your
slave.”

“You see? That’s why no man could ever compete with you. I have the same feelings for you. I’m your slave, to do with as you will.”

He leaned toward her and kissed her, then said in his deep, rumbling sexy voice, “Well, my slave girl, I want you to dance for me. Were you and the girls planning on dancing for us tonight?”

“Mmm, would you like that, baby?” she replied, radiant with happiness.

As the song ended, they returned to the table where the others sat. He placed her jacket over her chair back and pulled Ethan aside, speaking quietly to him. Ethan grinned and nodded then turned to speak to Grace and excused himself from the table as the others talked.

Grace leaned over to her and said, “Ethan is arranging a good dance song for us. I wasn’t sure how Eli would feel about you dancing tonight in your leathers, but Ethan says
Eli
wants a dance song for us. He’s asking the DJ to play it next.”

“Good, because I’m certainly in the mood.” She rubbed up against Eli, smiling when he growled softly. She looked up and caught him ogling her cleavage. “See something you like, handsome?” she asked and bit her lip suggestively.

 “I see something I
need
.” The deep, wanting way he said it made her pussy begin to warm and throb, desire for him flaring inside her. Desire to be away from this crowd.

She turned to him, looking into his sensual gray gaze. “After I dance for you, I want to go home.” She pulled him to her and spoke softly, “I want to go home, and I want you to make love to me. I
need
you
.” Her voice felt shaky.

He straightened and looked in her eyes with promise in his own. He helped her into her chair and casually put his hands on her knees. Anyone looking would have at first assumed he was caressing her legs, showing her affection. But his fingers flicked the tabs on the zippers at the hem of her leather skirt open. He leaned into her and kissed her tenderly, and her heart pounded as she felt the vibration of the heavy metal teeth unzipping a little at a time until they were locked back in place where she had them earlier.

Oh, boy.

 “You’re with me now,” he said as his fingers gently slid into the slits the zippers created and caressed her inner thighs above her fishnet stockings. Oh, hell yeah she was right with him,
right now
. “Be ready to leave when the song is done, angel,” he murmured.

Ethan returned to the table so he could have a front row seat for the show. Grace went to Ethan to kiss him and thank him and whispered in Jack and Adam’s ears before kissing them, as well.

Rachel grinned at Grace when they both recognized the song Ethan had chosen for them. Jason Aldean’s “My Kinda Party” began to pound over the sound system, and Rachel and Grace moved away from their men onto the dance floor, joined there by Kathleen, Charity, Corina, and Rosemary.

Rachel smiled when Angel non-verbally affirmed Teresa’s choice to sit and watch, drawing her closer to him and kissing the top of her head. He didn’t look disappointed in the least. Rachel thought the two of them together were brilliant. Angel did not need another Patricia in his life. He needed someone whose waters ran deep and was quiet and stable. Sane sure helped, too.

Rachel turned, rolling and grinding her hips as Eli stood at the edge of the dance floor. She gradually moved closer to him as she rocked and swayed. Rachel slid the backs of her fingertips up her waist, over the sides of her breasts and her collarbones, then into her hair, lifting it off her neck. Her palms slid back down and traced over the leather covering her ass and hips then down her thighs as she ground down as low as she dared before she came back up, turning her back to Eli. Thrusting out her ass in a risqué move, she slapped it, hard. His eyebrows shot up in his only perceivable reaction.

Rachel dipped and swung her hips, grinding in a circle right in front of him, brushing her breasts against the thin knit of his T-shirt. Even through the leather of her corset she sensed his body heat, and her nipples hardened into stinging little points. The beat of the song pounded through Rachel’s body and she timed each sinuous movement with its rhythm. Smiling up at him, she winked and shimmied for him as he smiled back at her. Rachel could see the tension in his posture and caught him glancing around the room briefly but didn’t spare a thought for who else watched. She didn’t give a rat’s ass who looked as long as they didn’t touch.

Looping her fingers around the front of his belt to stabilize herself, she slowly ground down in front of him one more time, nice and slow, then just as slowly rose in a circling grind, brushing lightly against his front with her breasts, as the song ended. He looked down at her admiringly as she stood against him, her hands clutching his biceps.

The deep timbre of his sexy voice sent a quiver straight to the part of her that was currently very damp and hot. “You’re hotter than hell, all on your own, Rachel Lopez.
How
are you going to dance for me after you’ve had lessons?”

“Oh, I’ll be smoother and sexier,” she replied, feeling like a goddess as he kissed her. He knew all the right things to say.

“Damn, woman. You could write books on smooth and sexy. Hell,
you
could give lessons. Half the men in here were watching you with their mouths hanging open.”

 “Nuh-uh, really?” She chuckled as he held out her jacket so she could slip her arms into it. She embraced Charity and thanked her for running interference for her.

“Oh, no problem. I want to go back again and take you and Grace with us. I’m glad you had a good time and that you weren’t too upset with us for not clearing it with you ahead of time.”

“I would never have agreed.”

“I know. Sometimes it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.”

“Well, you’re right. It was a blast. But we are
so
out of here now,” Rachel said, laughing.

Charity snickered. “I notice you seem in a bit of a hurry.” Eli hugged her, too, after thanking Adam for taking care of Rachel and seeing to her entertainment, as well.

Rachel said goodnight to Grace last. “I can never thank you enough for all you have done for me, and for us,” she said, hugging her.

“Seriously, I feel the same way about having you as my friend, Rachel. I’m so glad tonight turned out all right for you, at least I’m assuming it did by the smiles on both your faces and the fact you’re in such an
all-fired
hurry to get out of here all of a sudden.” She giggled as Eli hugged her, too.

“Smokin’ hot, Rachel,” Mike said as Eli shook hands with him and Rogelio. Rachel hugged them both, and then they hurried out the door to Eli’s truck.

The radio played softly in the truck as he drove them home. A sweet, deep current of desire flowed like a river between them as Eli held her hand on his thigh, stroking her palm gently.

“Rachel, I was jealous as hell when all those men watched you while you danced, but I was also proud that you’re mine. I wanted them to see it was me you danced for, me you held on to and brushed up against. The caveman wanted me to throw you over my shoulder and walk out the moment the song ended. Anyone who didn’t know you would believe you were a professional dancer.”

“Thank you, Eli. Something comes over me when I dance for you. I get this feeling…and I see the appreciation in your eyes. It spurs me on.”

“I love watching the way you move.” He shifted in his seat beneath her hand.

When they got in the house and Eli locked the door behind him, he led her back to the bedroom, turning off all the lights as they went. Rachel lit a few candles as he turned on the shower and came back to the bedroom. They both undressed, and she watched with open admiration as his proud, naked body was revealed. He undid the catch on the back of her skirt, unzipped it, allowed it to slip to the floor, then knelt in front of her and helped her step out of it. He looked up at her with adoration as she stood in her fishnets, boots, G-string, and, of course, the corset and collar.

“I need to
look
at you for a minute, Rachel. Just take in the sight of you like this.” His cock stood completely rigid, firm and stiff against his abdomen. Her hands itched to reach out and touch him, to draw him close to her, but Naughty Rachel tapped her shoulder and told her to
pose
for him.

Keeping eye contact as long as she could, she turned slowly and tilted her ass to him, making eye contact again. She pulled at the bows on the front of her corset and slowly slid her fingers through the laces, undoing them, until it slipped to the floor.

The silver tag reflected the candlelight as she stood before him in a wide, confident stance. He slid a warm hand over the ankle of one of her boots, then up her calf and knee. As he reached her thigh and the fishnet stockings, his movement was slow and unhurried. His warm palm rode all the way up to her hip, where the ties of one side of her G-string were dangling, begging to be tugged free. He plucked gently at one, and the bow came undone.