With complete disregard to Eden, he handed Liam over to Jenna. “If you will excuse us for a few minutes.” His dismissal was said with the cool confidence of a man who was used to getting his way, and against her will, Jenna found herself ready to do his bidding.
“Jen…” Eden called hurrying after the other woman, but Dominic’s immediate snatch of her wrist prevented her from going too far. “Jenna!”
Jenna turned. “We’ll be right outside, Ede.” With that she made her exit, the door closing quietly behind her retreating back.
Whirling on him, Eden wrenched her hand from his grasp and shoved at his chest for good measure, but assault did very little in budging him. “Damn you, Dominic, damn you to hell!” she screeched, so consumed with anger that she was shaking from it. Tears of frustration stung her eyes and made her heart race. She cursed him again, cursed him to the deepest, darkest part of hell and hoped that he burned.
“You’re trembling,” he noted quietly, advancing on her, closing the space between them in one long swift stride that imprisoned Eden between his all-consuming body and one of the pillars behind her. And in a move that was at contrast with his typical cool, he cupped her face in his hands and took possession of her lips in a kiss that split through Eden like a bolt of lightning. She fought, honestly she fought against it, fought him to release her, fought not to succumb, but failure was imminent in the face of his expertise. Balled fists, unfurled to flatten against his hard chest, only to clench again, holding on to his shirt as he pried her lips open with a tongue eager to delve deeper. God, the man could kiss.
Her heart felt like a battering ram in her chest, while blood rushed to her head, making Eden lightheaded, so she held on even tighter, knowing she should push him away but failing in doing so as she surrendered to him. Recognizing her submission, a ragged groan of intense need rumbled through him as he wrapped a possessive arm around her waist to pull her inexorably close to his straining erection. He threaded his fingers through her hair before fisting and anchoring his hand in the warmth. Eden whimpered at that marked assault of dominance. He awakened her, made Eden painstakingly aware of the pleasure that pooled between her thighs and dampened her panties. He was waging an all-out war against her, one that her body was ready to surrender to if the prize was his ravishment. But Eden wasn’t ready, she wasn’t mentally ready for this and as she found herself moving painstakingly slow against the thigh he’d thrust between her parted legs, she was completely appalled at herself.
“St…stop…” she managed unevenly, looking down to avoid his gaze and to calm her beating heart. An unbelievable wave of shame washed over her, putting color high on her cheeks. “Let me go.”
“Look at me,” he ordered from above her, not at all rattled like she obviously was.
“No,” she replied petulantly, childish to even her own ears. But she couldn’t possibly look at him knowing how close she’d come to betraying herself. She felt like the world’s biggest hypocrite in that instant and fleeing would’ve been her best option had he not been blocking her path.
Slipping his thumb beneath her chin so that she had little choice but to look up, Eden caught her breath at the rapacious gleam she saw in his hunter green eyes. “I hate you,” she declared wretchedly in the vibrating, lust filled air.
He leaned in close, lips barely touching hers as he nudged at her cheek with his nose, his warm breath a seduction of its own until he was at her ear, “No, sweet pet, you hate that you want me,” he imparted huskily. “Do you feel that?” Her kiss bruised mouth parted in a soft gasp, her golden eyes widening as she felt his fingers dancing just beyond the damp barrier of her panties. “How wet you are? That’s your pussy salivating for my cock.” The words crackled through her like electricity. It didn’t take him much at all to nudge that delicate barrier aside to gain access to her volcanic center. Eden’s eyes clenched shut as she bit hard on her bottom lip to keep the moan from tearing through her. “Say it,” he demanded raggedly, barely restraining himself in the process of his seduction. “Tell me how much you want it.” He laid an open mouth kiss on her cheek and sensually ran his tongue down the side of her neck.
“N…no…” It wasn’t at all convincing, but all the same, Eden was proud of herself for having said it. She expected him to continue his overwhelming seduction, so it came as an utter shock when he relinquished his hold and stepped away from her. Trembling, breathless and utterly unhinged she blinked, looking up to find him at a distance, a look of pure male satisfaction painted on his arrestingly handsome features.
“I have a proposal for you,” he revealed, his narrowed green gaze intent upon her impending reaction. “I am prepared to give you that one thing you want so badly.”
“What?”
He angled a mocking brow at her. “Your freedom, of course. My signature on those divorce papers.”
She had every right to be skeptical. “What’s the catch?” There was always a catch, always a price to pay.
The devil was in the curve of his smile. “Have dinner with me tonight, and I will be more than happy to discuss the details.”
“I won’t play games with you, Dominic,” she pronounced stiffly.
“I assure you, Eden, I am completely serious in this,” he said with flourish, convinced that she would readily agree to the offer once he’d spelled out the details. She had much to gain, and he was putting a lot at stake, but Dominic was sure the final outcome would be in his favor.
On her way to Carver’s later that evening, Eden remained uneasy at having agreed to the dinner with him. She didn’t know what to expect, but given Dominic’s track record, Eden knew to anticipate theworst, but surely it was worth going if it meant that she would be free of him? After the horrifying episode this morning and her desperate reaction to him, Eden was not ashamed to say that she had avoided him until he’d left some time in the afternoon. God, she’d practically thrown herself at him, and all it’d taken was a kiss. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel him, still feel the impression of his mouth on her lips, still feel his index and middle finger gliding down the center of her clit.
“Damn it.” She raked her hand through her hair in frustration and thanked the lord she’d finally arrived at her destination. Stepping out of the car, Eden peered down at her watch. She had nearly two hours until she was to meet Dominic for their scheduled dinner. But for now, Eden shoved him to the back of her mind as she stepped inside Carver’s. It was busy, loud, with the scent of alcohol and grilled food permeating the air. Eden made a beeline for the bar, knowing it was her best bet to finding Lena again. She bypassed waitresses who balanced several plates on each arm with a deftness that awed her. The bar was crowded, women and men alike vying to get their drink orders in to the bartender. Eden made an attempt to get through the crowd, elbowing and shoving, but unfortunately there was no getting her diminutive frame on the other side. She took a resigned step back and nearly collided with a waitress who skillfully managed to jump out of the way.
“Watch it!” she snapped, tossing a glare over her shoulder at a flustered Eden.
“I’m sorry!” she called but knew her apology was neither heard nor wanted. Standing in the middle of the crowd feeling overwhelmed and slightly out of her element, Eden contemplated bolting, but reminded of what awaited she bolstered her spirits and continued her search for the elusive Lena.
“Eden, over here!” Eden whirled at the sound of her name grateful that Lena had found her instead she doubled back and walked to meet the other woman. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“No, I just got here.”
“Let’s head to the backroom where it’s a little quieter.” With Lena in the lead, Eden followed her through the double doors marked “Employees Only” that was just to the right of the bar. They walked through the bustling kitchen and further back through another set of doors that led to a surprisingly quiet and pleasant sitting room with black micro suede couches. There were three in total positioned in a semicircle with a glass coffee table at the center. Lena invited Eden to take a seat and after offering some beverages to which Eden politely declined, they got to work. It was straightforward paperwork, her application mostly and her identifications. Once that was done, Lena handed her an employee handbook. She advised Eden to read it but essentially summarized it for her.
“We’re about five things here at Carver’s: tits, ass, food, service, and entertainment. The majority of our customers are men. We get them all—frat boys from the surrounding colleges, businessmen fromdowntown and the regulars, who work a nine to five—and they only want to come here, unwind with a pitcher of beer, and stare at our girls. The harder they stare, the more tips you make.”
“What if they get out of control?”
“We have Vin and Randy to keep them in line. Most of our patrons know our rules, and they’re typically harmless when it comes to the girls. Like I said yesterday, if you’re shy you’re either going to have to get over it very quickly or tell me now so I can look for someone else.”
“I’ll be fine,” Eden affirmed. “I used to be a stripper.”
