Page 72 of Sinful Bargains
“I am,” he replied, his gaze steady on me. Heat crept into my cheeks as I turned my attention back to the performance.
I hadn’t taken the time to appreciate the beauty of New York City when I first arrived that night. I was too consumed by fear, too broken to notice much. But tonight, I saw it all—Times Square in all its glitz and glamour. I noticed how people stepped aside as we walked hand in hand. Men tipped their hats to him, and women glanced our way.
In this world, Joey was someone—powerful, untouchable.
But in that moment, with my arm wrapped around his, I felt more powerful than I’d ever felt before.
“Thank you. Tonight has been incredible,” I said, turning to face him as we strolled down the sidewalk. He gave me a soft smile before he stopped in front of a sparkling sign that read,21 Club.
One of Manhattan’s finest restaurants.
The doorman opened the door for us, and the waitress guided us to our seats without so much as a second glance. He didn’t need to say a word—they knew who he was. And I knew it, too. Joey pulled out my chair for me, and I settled into the plush seat, catching a faint whiff of his aftershave as he leaned close. It made me dizzy. Hungry.
The way the waiter treated him, with such admiration and respect, would’ve made even the Queen of England jealous.
Oh, Joey was a charmer. He could charm the pants off a snake, and I had no doubt that tonight, I’d be his next victim.
“You know if you’re going to pull out all the stops on the first date, you’re setting the bar very high for yourself,” I told him.
He chuckled, his grin widening. “Sweetheart, this is the first date. Not the last.”
I smirked, arching a brow. “Confident, are we?”
Joey leaned in slightly, his fingertips brushing my leg. “Juststating the facts.” His touch burned through the fabric of my dress, lingering and making me lightheaded.
Joey knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. I searched for signs of the danger I had learned to expect in powerful men, but they didn’t exist in Joey.
At least, not this version of Joey. The one he only revealed to me.
JOEY
Iwalked Adriana up to her front door, every step I took came with a silent prayer for an invite inside. She turned the key and stepped inside, leaving me lingering on the front steps like a hopeful fool. She looked back at me over her shoulder, a teasing smile curving her lips, her dark eyes smoldering with desire.
I knew that look—it was the one I’d been silently praying for since we pulled into the driveway.
I didn’t waste time. I didn’t hesitate. I stepped inside and slammed the door shut behind me. The small amount of restraint I had was now gone, shredded to pieces by the look she’d given me. I grabbed her face, my fingers threading with the hairs at her nape, tilting her head back. My lips hovered inches from hers, torn between tasting the sweetness of her mouth and desperate to taste every other part of her.
Conflicted. Desperate. Needy. Things I was not used to feeling were the only feelings consuming me. I clung to the last shred of control I had left in me. Slow and soft, or hard and rough—I couldn’t decide.
Adriana’s breath hitched as she stared up at me, her lipsparted, and that was all the confirmation I needed. My chest heaved, my hands tightening in her hair as I forced myself to speak instead of letting instinct take over completely.
“Sweetheart,” Her name rolled off my tongue like a prayer, “tell me to stop.”
But she didn’t. Instead, she closed the distance between us, her mouth finding mine in a kiss so consuming it knocked what little control I had straight out of me. Her hands gripped the lapels of my jacket, pulling me so close I could feel the world tilt on its axis. My lips trailed from her mouth to her jaw, then down her neck. I didn’t just want to feel her body.
I wanted her soul.
The weight of that realization slowed me, making me pull back just a bit. My forehead resting against hers as we both caught our breath. I stared into her eyes, needing her to steady me.
“Are you sure?” My voice was rough, almost desperate. If she had any second thoughts, now was the time. Because there would be no going back after this.
“I’m sure.”
“Turn around,” I said. Before the words had a chance to sink in, I took matters into my own hands, gripping her hips and spinning her to face away from me. I swept her hair to one side, exposing the smooth curve of her neck. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched goosebumps appear across her skin.
I unclasped the pearl necklace, placing it on the kitchen counter beside us. My fingers traced the line of her collarbone, drawing a shiver from her before I leaned in to press a tender kiss there. She sighed softly, her hand rising to cup the side of my face. My fingers moved to her zipper, sliding it down slowly. I stepped back, needing to see this moment unfold in real time. The dress slipped from her frame, pooling around her ankles.
And what a fucking sight.
