Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 86510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
“I’m not going to do that tonight, Blossom. I want to get to know you outside of the club.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
If I ask her to do a scene with me tonight, she would refuse. Not because she’s not attracted to me. I feel the chemistry between us—it’s hot, thick, and palpable. I see how she’s been checking me out.
Something is bothering her, though. She’s a seasoned submissive. Of that I’m sure. But she’s clearly not looking for a scene tonight.
Neither am I.
I was before. That’s what I came here for. But now that I’ve met Blossom, I’m not.
A scene takes my mind elsewhere—to that place where I wield instruments to bring pleasure to myself and my partner.
But…
The timing isn’t right.
Not for me.
And not for Blossom.
I will be a Dominant again. It’s how I’m wired, and I won’t give that up.
I was forced to end things with my submissive recently, and when this business opportunity to merge one of my enterprises with one of Braden Black’s landed in my lap, I jumped at the chance to leave Glasgow. To come back to America, which I also consider my home.
I needed a break.
New scenery.
And the scenery I’m looking at now? The beauty of Blossom before me?
Perhaps I’ve found what I’m looking for.
She has a past I know nothing about, just as I have one she knows nothing about.
I’ve been in this lifestyle long enough to know how to read a situation. I’m attracted to her. She’s attracted to me.
But neither of us is ready for a scene right now. And neither of us wants to part ways, not yet.
We’ll just have to see where else the night takes us.
Chapter Four
Mary
“Would you like to get out of here?” Ronan asks me.
Is he serious?
I gape at him. And not just because he’s the most gorgeous hunk of male flesh I’ve ever seen.
But because he’s asking me to leave the club. I know nothing about him other than how my body is reacting, which both frightens and arouses me. After months of not wanting to play, not wanting to even be here at the club…now I’m actually considering leaving this safe space with a complete stranger.
“What does that face mean?” he asks.
I blink. “What face?”
His mouth morphs slowly into what I thought might turn out to be a smile but is more of a simper. “Your eyes are round as saucers, and your mouth is dropped open.”
“It’s just… No one has asked me that before.” I glance around the club—at the few couples dancing, the few talking at tables, Brenda still at the bar. “I mean, not here, anyway.”
“Why?”
“Well. Usually someone asks me if I want to play. Then maybe we do and maybe we don’t, but no one’s ever asked me to leave the club with him.”
“So I suppose you’re wondering why I’m asking.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “Yes, the question has crossed my mind.”
“Because you don’t want to play tonight.” His tone is direct, and his assumption is spot-on.
I gape at him once more.
His blue eyes smolder. “There you go again.”
“I… I mean, I came here to… How did you know?” I glance again at Brenda at the bar. “Did Lotus tell you?”
“No. All she told me was that you were her friend—her best friend—and that you’re a submissive.”
My cheeks and the top of my chest warm. “All of that is accurate.”
“You’re not acting like you’re looking for a scene, Blossom. In fact, you’re acting like you’d rather be anywhere but here.”
“That’s not…” I blow out a breath. “Okay, you’re right.” We just met, and he’s already reading me like a book. No sense in denying it. “I’m not interested in playing with anyone tonight, and that’s not anything against you personally. I mean… You’re…”
Fuck, it’s hot in here. I reach for my water glass but realize it’s empty.
“If you don’t want to be here,” Ronan says, “why did you come?”
Myriad phrases barrel into my mind.
Because Lotus asked me to.
Because I need to get back in the game.
Because I can’t let one bad scene rule my life.
But I don’t utter any of it. I smile, and different words emerge before I have a chance to think about them. “To meet you?”
He narrows his gaze, and his blue eyes burn. My God, if he doesn’t look away soon, I may erupt into flames just from his stare.
“I think maybe I came to meet you,” he says.
“That’s not true.” I let out a nervous laugh that sounds more like a croak. “I saw you saunter in here. You came for a scene.”
“Originally, yes. You’re right. But then I saw you.” He rakes his gaze over me, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he burned my dress right off me. “And because I saw you and couldn’t look away, I ended up making a complete fool of myself.” He chuckles. “Do I want to play with you? Absolutely. But not tonight.”