kitchen.
* * * *
Mara's gaze scanned the interior of the house. She wasn't sure what she had expected when he'd invited her home, but this was definitely not it.
Maybe a sleek loft or an expensive condo filled with black lacquer furniture?
But, as she looked around the rooms, she realized that Joe Gates was a mass of contradictions. She would never have imagined that the man who ran an underground sex club would have a quaint Victorian house filled with antiques. A large crystal chandelier hung overhead, illuminating the small area. A mahogany staircase stood in front of her, the wood gleaming in the light.
She heard Joe talking to someone in the other room, but she couldn't see who it was. She bit the inside of her lip as nervousness welled up inside of her. A woman came out of the kitchen. Her auburn hair had highlights that glinted in the light from overhead. Mara twisted the strap of her purse as she stared at the other woman. Unease crept up her spine. Instantly, she realized how foolish she had been to come here. After all, she knew nothing about Joe Gates.
Were his sexual games limited to the club?
Or did they extend further than that?
The woman walked toward the door, pulling a jacket over her shoulders. Joe appeared from around the corner. His gaze pinned to Mara even as he spoke to the other woman.
“Thanks, Ellen.”
She cast a quick glance over her shoulder as she replied, “No problem. Tell him I'll see him tomorrow.”
With that, the other woman disappeared out the door. After a moment of silence, Mara couldn't take it anymore.
“Who was that?”
He took a step closer to her. “Ellen's a friend,” he answered, his steps bringing him face to face with her.
She tilted her head to the side, her jealousy bubbling up to the surface. “How good of a friend?” she prodded.
His lips slid into a grin. “She helps me out from time to time,” he hedged.
His hand slipped around her waist as he pulled her against him. All the breath in her lungs escaped at the feeling of his hard body pressed against hers. His mouth drifted across the sensitive skin of her neck, making her heart skip a beat. She allowed herself to savor the feeling for a moment before returning to the matter at hand.
She eased back in his arms to look into his eyes. “Helps you with what, exactly?”
He smiled. “Nothing that you're helping me with, if that's what you're wondering,” he explained.
“Oh,” she said, wishing that she had kept her big mouth shut.
She hated sounding like the jealous female who was obviously taking this relationship much more seriously than he was. Unfortunately, right now, she couldn't sound like anything else, because that was exactly what she was.
And from the look on Joe's face, he knew it too.
Color crept into her cheeks as his hands gripped her waist to pull her closer. Her nipples tightened under her dress at the feel of his chest pressed against hers.
“Mara, don't think. Just feel,” he instructed her, before his mouth covered hers, his tongue demanding entrance.
They fed off each other, each as hungry for the taste and feel of the other's body. Then he moved away, his hand leading her. She followed him up the staircase. He led her to a room at the end of the hall. A four-poster king-sized bed dominated the room. A marble fireplace that was dormant sat in front of the bed, and an antique dresser flanked the wall.
She glanced around, looking for clues about his life, clues about who he was, but the room did not divulge any secrets. No pictures, no mementos. The room was bare of emotion despite the fact that it was equipped for comfort. But when he turned to face her, his hands roaming over her body, all thoughts vanished.
Their clothes seemed to dissolve around them as their passion took over. When she lay beneath him, her hands traveling over the hard length of him, she felt her heart swell. His cock pressed against her moist folds, teasing her. His eyes met hers as their bodies
* * * *
Mara's gaze scanned the interior of the house. She wasn't sure what she had expected when he'd invited her home, but this was definitely not it.
Maybe a sleek loft or an expensive condo filled with black lacquer furniture?
But, as she looked around the rooms, she realized that Joe Gates was a mass of contradictions. She would never have imagined that the man who ran an underground sex club would have a quaint Victorian house filled with antiques. A large crystal chandelier hung overhead, illuminating the small area. A mahogany staircase stood in front of her, the wood gleaming in the light.
She heard Joe talking to someone in the other room, but she couldn't see who it was. She bit the inside of her lip as nervousness welled up inside of her. A woman came out of the kitchen. Her auburn hair had highlights that glinted in the light from overhead. Mara twisted the strap of her purse as she stared at the other woman. Unease crept up her spine. Instantly, she realized how foolish she had been to come here. After all, she knew nothing about Joe Gates.
Were his sexual games limited to the club?
Or did they extend further than that?
The woman walked toward the door, pulling a jacket over her shoulders. Joe appeared from around the corner. His gaze pinned to Mara even as he spoke to the other woman.
“Thanks, Ellen.”
She cast a quick glance over her shoulder as she replied, “No problem. Tell him I'll see him tomorrow.”
With that, the other woman disappeared out the door. After a moment of silence, Mara couldn't take it anymore.
“Who was that?”
He took a step closer to her. “Ellen's a friend,” he answered, his steps bringing him face to face with her.
She tilted her head to the side, her jealousy bubbling up to the surface. “How good of a friend?” she prodded.
His lips slid into a grin. “She helps me out from time to time,” he hedged.
His hand slipped around her waist as he pulled her against him. All the breath in her lungs escaped at the feeling of his hard body pressed against hers. His mouth drifted across the sensitive skin of her neck, making her heart skip a beat. She allowed herself to savor the feeling for a moment before returning to the matter at hand.
She eased back in his arms to look into his eyes. “Helps you with what, exactly?”
He smiled. “Nothing that you're helping me with, if that's what you're wondering,” he explained.
“Oh,” she said, wishing that she had kept her big mouth shut.
She hated sounding like the jealous female who was obviously taking this relationship much more seriously than he was. Unfortunately, right now, she couldn't sound like anything else, because that was exactly what she was.
And from the look on Joe's face, he knew it too.
Color crept into her cheeks as his hands gripped her waist to pull her closer. Her nipples tightened under her dress at the feel of his chest pressed against hers.
“Mara, don't think. Just feel,” he instructed her, before his mouth covered hers, his tongue demanding entrance.
They fed off each other, each as hungry for the taste and feel of the other's body. Then he moved away, his hand leading her. She followed him up the staircase. He led her to a room at the end of the hall. A four-poster king-sized bed dominated the room. A marble fireplace that was dormant sat in front of the bed, and an antique dresser flanked the wall.
She glanced around, looking for clues about his life, clues about who he was, but the room did not divulge any secrets. No pictures, no mementos. The room was bare of emotion despite the fact that it was equipped for comfort. But when he turned to face her, his hands roaming over her body, all thoughts vanished.
Their clothes seemed to dissolve around them as their passion took over. When she lay beneath him, her hands traveling over the hard length of him, she felt her heart swell. His cock pressed against her moist folds, teasing her. His eyes met hers as their bodies
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