High Stakes (10 page)

A wave of uncertainty falls over me as the waiter brings the check. Now what? I accidentally glance over and my face burns when I notice that our meal cost him over five hundred dollars.

Jesus.

“Vince, you didn’t have to.”

He raises his eyebrow. “I know I didn’t. I wanted to.”

I’m speechless. It’s such a huge gesture for a first date.

“Thanks so much for dinner. It was amazing.”

He scribbles in the tip and signs the check. “It was my pleasure.” Vincent stands up, shrugging on his jacket.

Grasping the table, I stand up and immediately clutch his arm. My mind swims as I lean against him, but he curls an arm around my waist. I’m hot all over, and I don’t want the night to end. I walk as slowly as possible as he takes me back to his car. He waits until we’re alone before he turns around, eyes blazing.

“Come home with me.”

I must have heard wrong. “W—what?”

He pulls me into his chest and kisses the dent just below my ear. “Come home with me.” His hands clutch my hips as they move around me, just barely stroking my ass.

I know what awaits me if I go home with him. I know it’s way too fast, but I’m in the mood to do something reckless, to break free from my mundane routine.

“Okay, then.”

The silence in the car is deafening as we drive to his house, my head pounding unpleasantly with the wine muddling my thoughts. Maybe this is a mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking. I shouldn’t go home alone with a man like him, of all people. The only reason I did was because I drank so much. I’m a fucking moron and I’m going to get killed.

Vincent watches me out of the corner of my eyes. His hand takes mine in my lap and squeezes. “Relax, Adriana.”

I can’t relax, even with lounge music playing in the background.

He massages my hand with his thumb and it feels good. Sparks of electricity shoot up my spine. He parks the car and then I don’t even have the music anymore. The silence suffocates me in that brief moment when Vincent gets out of the car. All I hear is pounding behind my ribs.

My buzz is gone, leaving me insecure and shaky as I enter the biggest apartment I’ve ever seen in Manhattan. It’s all very masculine: dark wood, stainless steel, walls that make you think of blue metal, smoky brown accent walls. The city blinks underneath us. His living room has a fantastic view of the park and downtown.

I sit down on a salt and pepper grey couch as Vincent mixes something in the kitchen, and I try to wonder how the hell I got here. A few weeks ago, I was just a run of the mill Columbia student with no idea what to do. Now, I’m in an apartment that costs a least a couple million, going on dates with a prominent New York City mobster, and probably having sex with him, too.

My face heats up like a lamp. I hear ice clinking into glass and liquid. His leather shoes clip over the tiles as he steps into the living room, handing me a glass. He sits down across from me; jacket discarded, and gives his drink a thoughtful look before taking a sip. He looks like his mind is somewhere else.

“It’s a rum and coke.”

“Thanks.” I wrap my hands around the cold drink, hoping that my body will absorb some of the coolness and calm the fuck down. “This place is incredible.”

“Thanks. It’s pretty new.” He takes a gulp of his drink, and I can see the alcohol hit him like a punch.

I take a sip. Wow, it’s strong. The rum burns down my throat. “I’m a bit nervous,” I admit.

A bit?

“I noticed,” he says, smiling. “That’s okay, though. A lot of people are nervous around me.”

He does that a lot. He throws out dark hints and suggestions without noticing, leaving me reeling in shock.

“Are you nervous, too? Is that why you have a drink?”

Finally he makes eye contact with me, giving me smoldering look that makes me drink more.

“I don’t get nervous.”

Right.

He laughs to himself and stands up, regarding the view for a moment before stepping around the table to sit down next to me. His thigh presses right against mine and his heavy arm slides on my shoulders, pulling me into his chest.

Oh, God.

My legs slide over his thighs, the dress riding up as my heels drop off to the floor. I nestle into his chest as my heart pounds. A strange tingling sensation covers my skin. It’s an incredibly sweet moment, wrapped around his arms.

I shiver from his fingers stroking my arm. I can’t see him, but I can feel his heart thumping against my head, slow and steady.

“You don’t need to be so scared. I won’t hurt you. Not yet, at least.” His lips find my head and he kisses it. “Go on. Take a breath.”

He’s a lot gentler than I thought he would be. A shaky exhale leaves my mouth and his chest shakes with a chuckle.

“Well, that’s a start.”

“It’s not just you. I’m like this around most guys.”

“You weren’t like this at the games,” he says with a lilt. “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to.”

The heat in my voice makes him chuckle. His other hand tilts my head back and his mouth descends on mine. It’s electricity. My attraction to him flares like a firework, bursting into colorful sparks. I feel it in the marrow of my bones. The surge of energy leaves me dizzy as I kiss him back hungrily, and then he pulls back with a curious look on his face.

He sighs into my hair. “I bring lots of girls here, Adriana. And it’s always the same. I fuck them the way they expect me to fuck them, and then I drive them back home, but I don’t get what I want.”

Wide-eyed, I listen to his voice booming through my back. There’s something terrifying about having it all out in the open like that. I have no idea where this is going.

“What is it that you want?”

“Complete control…” the fingers stroking my arm squeeze. “Over you.”

I’m absolutely terrified, but there’s something irresistible about him. The fear and everything that comes along with him is intoxicating. I’m reckless. I want to lose myself in him.

“You can have it.”

“Don’t say that unless you mean it.”

I inhale, my breath shaky as his eyes cut through me. “I do mean it.”

At least, I think I do.

“You have two choices, Adriana.” He bends his head closer and kisses me softly again, making my heart flutter. “We can have it sweet and vanilla, and I can drive you home, or you can stay the night with me. The
real
me. I told you I wasn’t a good man and you said you didn’t care. Is that still true?”

Everything inside me screams for me to leave. Go home. Do it now. Whatever he’s suggesting sounds scary—sounds dangerous. The darkness in his eyes is real. The monster that bides its time is out to play.

“Will you hurt me?”

He grins at my fear. Maybe he really is a monster.

“I’ll take it easy on you.”

Why would he want to hurt me? Excitement leaps inside my chest instead of horror. I think of all the times I had sex. They’re no more memorable than the positions we used. They never made me feel anything real.

I don’t want the electricity to stop.

I wipe my palms on my thighs and suddenly his blazing hand wraps around my thigh, and my core clenches together from his touch. His hand boldly inches a path up my leg, the heat between my legs almost searing hot.

“Okay.”

He closes his eyes and smiles. “Yellow means slow down. Red means stop. Use them only if you mean it, Adriana.” He opens his eyes and strokes my neck softly until he sees me nod.

Vincent stands up, holding me against him. He has to bend slightly to grab the hem of my dress and pull it up and over my head. Then I’m standing in my black panties and bra, but there is no time to feel embarrassed. He wraps his arms around my back as if in an embrace, unhooking the bra while he plants hot kisses on my neck. Then he pulls back, yanking down the bra as my nipples contract from the cold. They fall to the floor with a muffled sigh.

“
Fuck
me.”

Hearing him swear like that makes me want to kiss him, makes me want to grab the hardness stiffening in his pants. His hands envelop my breasts, squeezing slightly as they curve around, exploring every inch of my exposed flesh. It feels so fucking good.

Bending down, he kisses a trail starting from between my breasts, down my stomach, which twitches, all the way to the edge of my panties. His fingernails scrape my skin as he pulls them down, all the way down, and then he straightens.

I’m naked and he’s still completely clothed. The slight tease of coarse fabric rubs against my skin. It’s vulnerable as hell and I feel self-conscious about the various imperfections of my body, but Vince stands back, admiring every curve. He can’t seem to keep his hands off me.

My breasts flatten against the rough fabric of his suit as he pulls me in and kisses me, his tongue forcing through and playing with my mouth. I can feel his other hand stroking my back, dipping down to slide over my ass to squeeze hard. Then he rotates it around my bony hip and curves over my mound, his middle finger dipping into me slightly. I moan when I feel him teasing me.

He chuckles against my lips, sending white-hot electricity down my spine.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous it’s taking everything in me not to fuck you right now.” His lips are ruthless against mine. “I don’t understand why you hide a body like that.”

A thin, high gasp leaves my throat when his fingers slide into me roughly. It hurts a bit at first, but then wetness quickly seeps around his fingers and I dig my fingers into his chest.

In and out.

Vincent’s voice is amused, condescending. “You like that?”

“Yes.”

His fingers stop periodically to rub my clit, making me moan and move my hips against him. Then he slides them in again, knowing exactly where he needs to finger me. “You want more? Want my cock inside you?”

I’ve never had a guy talk to me like that. It makes my whole face heat up. “Yes,” I whisper.

He chuckles again. I’m so close, so fucking close to exploding. I’m unbuttoning his shirt, kissing the exposed flesh, and then he pulls out.

He pulls
out
.

“Don’t stop—”

His hand curves around my head and grabs a fistful of my hair. It’s painful and his expression isn’t kind anymore. All I see is rage.

I’m yanked down to my knees as Vince stands up, holding me in place as he looks down at me.

“Suck my fucking cock.”

His groin is right in front of my lips, his cock pressing against the soft fabric. I’m so turned on that I’ll do anything to get him inside me. I reach up, heart racing, undoing his belt and unzipping his slacks.

“Faster,” he growls. His other hand slaps my face. Not hard, but enough to make my blood boil. I glance up at him, his face lit with excitement.

“I’ll do it again, sweetheart.”

Deep down, another surge of energy.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’m a feminist. I don’t let men talk to me like that, but I know that this is just a game. It’s a game I’ve never played before. His singsong voice makes me snap back to his slacks, which I pull down his gorgeous legs. His hardness strains against his black briefs. I kiss him through the fabric before I pull the briefs down. I don’t even look; I feel him throbbing against my lips and take him.

Vince sighs as his length slowly pushes into my mouth. He’s so big that I can feel my lips straining to keep him in. My tongue plays underneath, stroking his underside. I hold him tightly, the other hand playing with the dark sac as my lips suck hard. Then his hands dig into my hair as his hips buck forward. He bends his knees slightly and my hands drop away, gripping his thighs as he fucks my mouth, making me gag. He slips his thumb in my mouth, easing himself in, gradually adding more of himself. Finally, he holds me still as he sinks down my throat, all the way down to the hilt. I gag and he removes himself, slapping my face again. Hands clutch my jaw as my lips wrap around him once again. He pushes forward slowly and I’m widening my mouth to accommodate him. He stops when he’s completely buried in my mouth. His hands loosen their grip on my hair and they stroke the side of my face as he groans.

The sound strikes me all the way to my core.

Holy fuck.

I’ve never done anything like this. It’s so degrading. I’m kneeling in front of a man I hardly know, naked, while he fucks my mouth. He’s using my mouth like a blow-up doll, and I actually like it.

Suddenly, he pops out of my mouth and he bends down, grabbing my arms to yank me upright. I’m wondering if I did something wrong, but then his lips descend upon me and he’s kissing me like he’s in a fever dream. His cock is flattened against my stomach and a sharp ache twinges below my belly. Then his arms wrap around my legs and shoulder and he lifts me into the air. I marvel at his strength as he holds me in his arms and carries me somewhere.

He kicks open a door and I have a view of solid gray walls before he drops me down on his bed. Vincent looks at me like I’m prey; a wide smile stretches across his face as he unbuttons his shirt. He tosses it aside and finally, he’s just as naked as I am. His body is just as I imagined—lean and cut. Then he bends down and picks something off the floor. It whistles through the air.

A belt.

“Remember your safe words.”

My body freezes as I watch him coil it in his hands, and then he advances towards the bed. Suddenly, he lunges with his arm and grabs my ankle. I shriek as he pulls me down the bed, close to him. There’s a steely look in his eyes that makes ‘yellow’ curl on the tip of my tongue.

“I’ve been thinking about all the times you talked back to me, and I decided that you need to be punished.”

Oh, God. I flinch as he leans forward and his soft mouth falls upon mine, giving me a kiss that is completely at odds with his words. Then the tender moment ends and he pulls back, his face darkened.

“I hope you enjoyed that, because that’s the last fucking kiss you’ll get from me.”

He grabs my shoulder in a bruising grip and turns me around so that my back is facing him.

“On your knees.”

Trembling, my hands and feet shift positions so that I’m on all fours, my backside facing him. He places a palm on my thigh and moves up and around my flesh, squeezing.