My Prerogative Read online

  He turned his body toward me with a polite frown. “Do I know you?”

  I arched a brow and licked the corner of my mouth teasingly. “Does it matter?”

  Realization dawned in his eyes and he smiled, his perfect teeth gleaming. “No, not at all. What would you like?”

  I ordered a vodka martini. “Are you having a good night?” I asked the guy next to me.

  “It’s getting better.” He held out his hand. “I’m Sam, by the way.”

  “Hi, Sam,” I replied and glanced over my shoulder to see Harlan watching me closely. “Would you like to tell me your favorite sexual fantasy?”

  “Um.” I’d stumped him.

  The bartender set my drink in front of me and took Sam’s money. When he left, Sam had regained control of his motor skills. He leaned forward and spoke in a doubtful voice. “Are you offering to make it come true?”

  “Maybe.” I sucked the olive off the little sword and gave him a slow smile. “If it matches one of mine.”

  Sam was not a dumb man. He glanced around the room, looked me over, and then he spoke again. “One of my favorite fantasies is sex with a beautiful stranger in a public bathroom. How about you?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “The bathroom would be too obvious.” And Harlan wouldn’t be able to watch.

  But like I said, Sam wasn’t a dumb man, and now that I’d planted the idea in his head, he was eager. “The parking lot? My car?”

  “Why don’t we move to a booth? So we can talk about this some more?”

  Sam’s eyes widened, then he nodded. “Of course.”

  20

  There was an empty booth about five feet from where Harlan sat near the back, so I chose it. I slid in first, and then Sam slid in next to me. “Why don’t you come a little closer, Sam?”

  When he was settled I dropped a hand under the table and put it on his thigh. Excitement raced through me at the thought of what I was about to do to a perfect stranger.

  “I’m not going to let you fuck me, Sam,” I said softly. “But I would really like to stroke you off. Does that appeal to you?”

  “Here?” he croaked.

  “Here.” I moved my hand up his thigh until I was cupping his erection through his pants. “And now.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed as he glanced around the bar. We were fairly secluded, but it wouldn’t be hard to get caught.

  “Sam?” I toyed with his zipper.

  “Yes,” he said and pressed up against my hand. “Do it. Please.”

  Triumph roared through me as I unzipped his pants and freed his cock. Hot and hard, it wasn’t huge, but it was a handful.

  I smoothed my thumb over the tip, spreading the liquid that was already leaking out. Sam’s hands twitched by his side and I bit back a laugh. “Just put them on the table, Sam. Then lean back and relax. Let me do all the work. I just want to feel you throb and grow in my hand. I love the feel of a man growing beneath my touch.”

  Wrapping my fingers around him, I watched him as I began to stroke. Up, down, squeeze at the base and twist a bit on the upward pull. Neither of us spoke as I worked on him. Sam’s breathing picked up and my pulse matched the throbbing in my hand. It was so exciting, misbehaving in such a way. I almost wanted to get caught.

  Sam tensed beside me and I looked up to see him looking straight ahead; panic and arousal clear as he saw a body moving toward our booth.

  “S-s-s-top,” he stuttered. “Someone’s coming.”

  “Shhh, it’s okay.” I tightened my grip and pumped faster as I saw the six-foot-something of solid muscle that was approaching. “He’s a friend. He likes to watch.”

  Harlan slid into the booth, all dark hair, dark skin, and bright blue eyes that were full of appreciation, and something else, as they roved over my face before dropping to my hand. “Hey, naughty girl. Having fun?”

  “Definitely.”

  A choking sound came from Sam and his cock swelled within my grasp. Harlan slid closer to me, so close that the heat of his thigh pressed against mine and I shivered. The image of my other hand dropping beneath the table and stroking Harlan’s cock at the same time flashed in my head and my inner muscles clenched. Oh yes, this was so bad, and so good at the same time.

  “Reach beneath the table, Sam,” I whispered. “Slide your hand under my skirt and feel how hot you’ve made me.”

  Sam’s eyes closed, his hands clenched, and his body stiffened as he came, soaking my hand. My own arousal spiked and I moaned, rolling my hips and pressing my thighs together until a hot hand touched my bare leg and slid smoothly under my skirt.

  My eyes snapped to Harlan.

  Our gazes locked and I spread my thighs, opening for him eagerly. My pulse raced and a small moan escaped when his finger slid beneath the elastic of my thong and rubbed along my slit. He played for a second, spreading the wetness and watching me fight for control, which I almost lost completely when he found my clit.

  My back arched and my thighs snapped shut, trapping his hand as his finger flicked my button back and forth. “Yes. Yes!” I cried from between clenched teeth.

  I wasn’t even aware of Sam leaving the booth. When my body stopped shuddering I only had eyes for my watcher.

  After handing Kelsey a napkin to clean her hand off, Harlan leaned back against the padded booth and took a deep breath.

  Part of him was angry, and part of him was so fucking turned-on he couldn’t see straight.

  Just when he thought he was on the right path with Kelsey, she took a left turn.

  He twisted toward her, stretching an arm along the back of the booth to keep from touching her again as he watched her carefully. Where to start?

  “Can I buy you a drink?”

  Her lips twitched and she batted her eyelashes. “Is that your way of asking if I’ll stroke you off next?”

  “Nooo,” he said slowly. “It’s my way of asking if you’d like a drink, and some conversation. After all, it is what I came here for.”

  Surprise skittered across her face and was gone so quick he wondered if he imagined it.

  Kelsey straightened and flashed him a sassy smile. “Sure, I’m always up for a drink. What would you like to talk about?”

  He waved the waitress over and they ordered their drinks. A martini for her, and a soda and lime for him.

  “You don’t drink?” Kelsey asked as soon as the waitress stepped away.

  It was a common reaction and he couldn’t resist. “What do you think I’m going to do with the soda?”

  “Drink it.” She rolled her eyes. “But I meant alcohol.”

  “No, I don’t drink alcohol.”

  Curiosity sparked in her gaze but she didn’t dig further. Instead, she put her arms on the table and leaned forward, plumping up her cleavage and tilting her head toward him. “Did you enjoy the show?”

  “I always enjoy watching you,” he said, keeping his tone neutral.

  “You don’t sound very convincing.”

  “Does it matter to you if I enjoyed it or not?”

  “That’s a strange thing to say.”

  Instead of watching the way she postured or twirled a lock of her hair with her finger, he watched her eyes. They sparked lively, but she kept a tight rein on herself. “And you didn’t answer the question.”

  The waitress arrived with their order and Kelsey sat back in the booth. When they were alone again, she smiled, and spoke confidently. “I enjoy having you watch.”

  An invisible bubble settled over them, enclosing them in their very own space. “Did you know him?”

  She met his gaze. “No.”

  “Is that the thrill for you?”

  “That’s part of it.” She grinned, and shifted closer. “But it’s more than just the fantasy of a stranger, or even of a public place. I’ve thought about doing this exact thing plenty of times, I’ve even come in here and had a drink with the intention of doing it. But I’ve never had the nerve to follow through.”

  “Tonight you did.”
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  “Yes.”

  “Because I was here?”

  “Definitely,” she said and leaned close, putting her hand on his thigh. “I know I should’ve been freaked out when I found out you were watching me, but I wasn’t. Do you think that’s strange? That this thing between us is strange?”

  “If I say it is?”

  She laughed and his heart kicked in his chest. She really was something.

  “If it is, it is.” She pointed a finger at him and grinned. “But remember, you’re the one who started it all.”

  “Yes,” he said. “Yes, I did.”

  Their gazes locked and neither spoke for a moment. Neither needed to speak, something was happening between them, and they both knew it.

  “Are you mad?” she asked finally.

  “No.”

  “Disgusted? Turned off?”

  He took her hand and guided it from the table to the hard-on pressing against his zipper. “Does it feel like I’m disgusted or turned off?”

  Color blossomed on her cheeks and her lips parted, her tongue peeking out. “It feels like you’re angry.”

  He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Really?”

  She shook her head, her fingers moving, cupping and measuring him through his pants. “Not this. This feels delicious. But . . . I feel like you’re mad at me for doing what I did with that guy.”

  Breath rasping in his throat he moved her hand off him. He’d told her he didn’t want to be jerked off under the table and it had been the truth. “I’m not mad. Disappointed, yes. Mad, no.”

  “Disappointed,” she said. She pursed her lips and looked away, and Harlan felt like he was on the verge of losing her. “I’m a thirty-four-year-old woman at the height of my sexual peak, Harlan. I have fantasies to experience, some of which include things I’m only comfortable doing with strangers.”

  “Look at me, Kelsey.” He hooked a finger under her jaw and pulled her face back around. “I’m not disappointed because of what you did. I’m not that man. I’m confident in myself and not threatened by watching a woman I find attractive with another man. What I am disappointed in is the fact that you’d rather play games than get to know each other.”

  Confusion swirled in her beautiful green eyes for just a moment, and then she pulled back. “You had the chance to get to know me better last night, and you said no.”

  Surprise ran through him. She’d felt rejected when he’d asked her out instead of inviting her over for a fuck!

  He shook his head. Women. Really, every time he thought he had a clue, they proved him wrong.

  Following instinct, he moved his hand from the back of the booth, cupped her head, and pulled her close so that they were only a breath apart. “Do not think I don’t want to fuck you. You and I are going to end up in bed together again soon, and I promise you, the next time you won’t get any sleep. But first, I just want to share a drink, talk, and get to know you. Do you think we can do that?”

  A slow, sensual smile spread across her lips and her eyes sparkled. She leaned in and pressed her soft lips to his, stealing his breath.

  “So, what do you do for work, Harlan?”

  “I’m an artist,” he answered automatically, fighting the urge to pull her onto his lap and give the whole bar a show. “That’s why I have a very lenient schedule, which is good for getting to know women with wacky schedules like yours.”

  “An artist?” she said. She ignored his comment about schedules, but her cheeks flushed and he took that as a good sign. “That’s so cool. What’s your medium?”

  Excitement colored her voice and he wondered at it. “I play with charcoal but my passion is oils. Are you an art fan, Kelsey?”

  “Anything creative really.” She shrugged, and glanced away. “I envy anyone who can write, paint, sculpt, or even take a decent photograph. It must be awesome to be able to create something out of nothing like that.”

  “Did you ever want to be an artist?”

  “I’ve dabbled with sketching and painting a bit, but I wouldn’t consider what I did art. It was just a hobby for a while.” She looked like she wanted to say more, but then she blinked real slowly, and when she looked at him again her eyes were shuttered and her lips curved in a saucy smile. “I think posing for an artist would be more fun. Would you like me to pose for you?”

  “Who’s to say you haven’t posed for me already?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  Kelsey laughed and flirted outrageously with him for the next hour as they talked, and Harlan fell hard.

  She’d fascinated him from afar, but up close and personal she was bewitching. As she regaled him with stories of crazy happenings at the nightclub he just watched her perform. She smiled, she winked, she tossed her hair and laughed in all the right places.

  Kelsey Howard appeared to be completely open, but as time went by he realized it was all on the surface. She was a shadow of the vibrant and raw being he’d seen when he was watching her on her own. She thought she’d put on a show for him with that stranger, but he knew the real show was when they were alone, and not talking about sex.

  He saw it then. His way past her emotional shields was to play on her physical ones. They say the way to get to a man was through his stomach, and right then Harlan realized that the way to get close to Kelsey was to use her open sexuality.

  She finished her drink and he slid out of the booth, holding his hand out to her. “Can I walk you to your car?”

  They exited Bart’s and he reached for her hand, entwining their fingers. It was a small thing, but it felt right.

  They got to her car and she looked around the near empty parking lot. “I can’t see you driving a smart car, a VW Bug, or a bright red Corvette. Where’s your car?”

  “I walked.”

  She leaned in to him and put a warm little hand on his chest. “Too bad I have to go to work or I’d offer you a ride.”

  His dick jumped in his pants at the promise in her gaze. A ride in her car wasn’t the ride she was referring to.

  Pulling her close he bent down and kissed her on the cheek. Her skin was so soft and the sweet scent of peaches filled his head, making him want to nibble on her. Hell, he really wanted to do more than nibble; he wanted to drag her inside and eat her up whole.

  Ahh, fuck it.

  His arms went around her and he lowered his head laying his mouth over hers. He didn’t bother being gentle. One hand cupped the back of her head and he thrust his tongue between her lips and tasted every inch of her mouth. It was a carnal kiss full of heat and desire and the need to get closer. He breathed in her scent, tasted her flavor, and thrilled at the way she melted against him.

  Strong little fingers dug into his shoulders and her tongue fenced with his. Heaven, she tasted like heaven, and he wanted to never stop. No other woman had ever affected him the way she did. One simple kiss and he was ready to make her his.

  Taking a deep breath, he fought for control and pulled back slowly, pleased with the dazed look in her eyes. “Thank you,” he said.

  She licked her lips and hummed, still leaning into him. “You’re welcome. Again.”

  He had to get out of there, fast. If he didn’t leave soon, he’d lose it and jump her there and then. The little witch would probably love a semipublic fuck. Something to think about. Later, he told himself.

  Instead of pushing things further, he clamped down on his desire and pressed a quick hard kiss to her swollen lips. “Have a good night, Kelsey. I’ll call you.”

  He squeezed her hand before letting it go and turning on his heel.

  Prepping the bar was way too easy and I floated through it with my brain constantly wandering back to my date with Harlan and the things he’d said.

  Images of him buck naked between my thighs filled my head. Him over me, under me, behind me. Fuck, the images were so hot that my hands were trembling and I was actually starting to sweat.

  He hadn’t been pissed at me for making another man come right in front of him. Shit, he’d
been excited by it. Sure, he’d wanted to have a better date with me, but he hadn’t walked away when he’d seen what I was doing.

  Excitement that I might’ve found a man who’d finally accept me in all my raw glory ripped through me.

  For the first time in a long time, hope lifted my heart.

  21

  Once last call was done and the nightclub was empty the staff members came to get their “staff drink” as I finished wiping down my bar. The dancers, the bouncers, and DJ Rob were the first up, their job ended when the customers were gone. When Callie finished wiping tables she did a quick cash-out, and with a superior grin, handed over her envelope in exchange for a Zombie.

  Earlier in the night we’d run out of Heineken and instead of sending the porter I’d gone to the cooler to grab a case myself, and caught Callie fucking one of the bouncers. I’d given them both a verbal warning; break or no break, they couldn’t do that shit in the beer cooler.

  Callie had taken the warning with a barely hidden grin and had proceeded to bounce around like a bunny rabbit on steroids, full of smugness because she’d finally experienced out-of-this-world sex. I was the last person to judge, but part of me had been disappointed in Callie, preacher of love.

  I ignored the staff table and finished wiping my bar down. Grabbing my own cash drawer, I headed upstairs to the office.

  “Hey, Kelsey.” John, the bartender who normally worked the bar downstairs with me, had worked the VIP bar that night. He held out his cash drawer for me as I approached. “Take this in for me, would ya?”

  I stacked his cash drawer and cash-out envelope on top of mine and he waved at the doorman at the front entrance and shouted, “Hold the door, Steve.”

  “Not sticking around for a drink?” I asked. John was one of my favorite coworkers. He had a bachelor of science degree, but he preferred bartending to working in a lab or teaching.

  “Not tonight.” His grin said it all.

  “Got a girl waiting?”

  He grinned. “She’s in the car. You know sex trumps drinks every time.”