My Prerogative Read online

  As long as it’s not in the beer cooler. “Have a good night,” I said and made my way to Val’s office.

  “Aside from Callie and Chris in the cooler, it was a good night,” I said and set everything on Val’s desk.

  “Sales?” he asked without taking his gaze away from his computer screen, which was full of motorcycles.

  I recited the night’s totals and he smiled. Val had almost lost Risqué once, and he’d sold everything to hang on to it. Including his dearly beloved Harley Davidson motorcycle. With the end of summer nearing, bikes would be going on sale soon. “You find the one you want?”

  He glanced at me, eyes bright. “Oh, yeah. And I should be able to bring her home next month.” He closed the browser on his computer and pulled the cash drawers in front of him.

  “How does Samair feel about you riding around on a death machine?”

  His harsh features softened at the mention of his girlfriend and he chuckled softly. “She’s fine with it. She calls it ‘the biggest vibrator ever.’ ”

  I laughed. “Maybe I should get one myself.”

  “Don’t you dare!” He cringed. “You’d get yourself killed inside of a week.”

  “What! You think a woman can’t handle a machine like that?”

  “Some women, sure. You? No. You’re too much of a speed freak, adrenaline junkie.”

  “I am not.”

  He cocked an eyebrow at me. “How many speeding tickets have you gotten in the last month?”

  “Only one.”

  He shook his head. “How many times have you been stopped, only to flirt your way out of a ticket this month?”

  Damn. “Three.”

  “I rest my case.”

  “Fine.” I pouted. “I’ll just ask Karl to take me for a ride next time I see him.”

  Karl Dawson was Val’s best friend. He was big, blond, and dangerously sexy. Not necessarily good-looking, but sexy. As in, pussy clenching, ask me to do anything and I’ll do it sexy. And being a sexual Dominant in the local BDSM community, he had plenty of women who would do anything for him, and say please at the same time.

  “Lara might have something to say about that.”

  Oh, yeah. He also had a girlfriend now. She seemed nice enough, and I might’ve even liked her, if Karl wasn’t so obviously in love with her.

  I crossed my arms and thrust out a hip. “Ruin my fantasy, why don’t you.”

  Val laughed and waved his hand at me. “We both know you and Karl would never be a match. Now, get out and go home. Relax and find your own vibrator.”

  I bowed at the waist. “Yes, sir. That’s an order I can follow.”

  He balled up a piece of paper from his desk and threw it at my retreating back.

  That night, as I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed, my phone rang. Knowing it could only be Harlan, I grabbed it and went to sit on the balcony.

  “How was your night?” he asked.

  I thought about it all.

  “Long, but good.” A sigh pushed out of me. “Y’know, I love my job. I really do, but sometimes I get so tired of being a babysitter to the young and intoxicated—and that’s just the staff.”

  He chuckled and my blood warmed. He’d set a chair near his window and I could see him sitting there, his feet propped up on the windowsill as we talked. We didn’t talk about anything special—just jokes, favorite movies and authors, living in Vancouver.

  Talking was nice, and very relaxed. We watched the sky turn pink and the sun rise, and then said good night. I crawled into bed as the birds outside were chirping their greetings to the new day and fell into a dreamless sleep with a smile on my face.

  It was supposed to be my Friday off, but John called early in the afternoon and begged me to cover his shift so he could go to a concert. Always a sucker for a begging man, I agreed to work it for him.

  However, that didn’t mean I could cancel all my other plans for the day and I had an appointment with the caterer for Ariel’s party.

  Lacey Morgan greeted me with a big smile and an enthusiastic wave when I got to the little coffee shop where we were meeting. “Kelsey! I’m so glad you called me for this. I know we can come up with something perfect for your sister.”

  I sat down with my iced mocha and grinned at the woman across the table. She oozed positive energy and I was completely comfortable. “I’m sorry this is such short notice, Lacey, but I just sort of took over handling the party for my sister’s maid of honor. Lena’s helping Ariel with other wedding stuff, and I love coming up with sexy ideas and shit, so here I am.”

  “No problem. The gig that really launched Ambrosia for me was a bachelor party—with no strippers allowed—so this sort of thing holds a special place in my heart.”

  I’d though about hiring one of the male cage dancers to work the room, but Ariel was a lot more conservative than me, so I wasn’t exactly sure how that would go over. She had a naughty sense of humor, but a bumping and grinding hottie might be pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone. “How did you do it?”

  “A naked woman on a table with sushi . . . and a few extras for dessert.” Lacey winked and wagged her eyebrows.

  “Sounds erotic, but not something my sister and her friends would go for. Even if it was a naked man instead.”

  Lacey leaned forward. “You have to understand something, Kelsey. I’m a caterer, I love food in all its many forms . . . but party planning is not my forte. However, when you’re starting a business and a big client wants the whole package, you find ways to give it to them, which was the case with that bachelor party. I honestly think my lack of traditional training or knowledge with party planning helped. I didn’t need to think outside the box because I had no idea what was in the box! So, food themes I’m good with, and I’m very open-minded and have a lot of contacts for all things sensual and erotic, but the actual planning and detail stuff, I’m not good with.”

  “No problem, I’ve got plenty of experience planning events at the bar.” I chuckled and shook my head. “Val told me you were mainly a caterer, but that you were also ambitious and sensually creative.”

  Her lips tilted up at one corner. “I like that.”

  I laughed. “It is a great description.”

  Our gazes locked and in that moment I felt a connection snap into place. I’d met Lacey briefly when she was working Samair’s party at the club, but right then, sitting across from her in that little café, we became friends. Instinct and years of sizing people up quickly told me that Lacey had experience with things not always of the norm—in her personal life and her professional. She gave off an erotic vibe that had my radar humming.

  Lacey Morgan was a woman who definitely had a sexual nature that at least flirted with the more adventurous side of things. I could feel it. I also got the impression that if I wanted to step into her playground, she’d welcome me. But, as much as part of me wanted to know more, an even bigger part wasn’t ready. There was hunger to get closer to the edge with my sex games, but deep down, I didn’t want to do it alone. I wanted someone to take that journey with me—a man who would accept that wicked dirty part of me, and revel in it.

  Giving my head a shake I focused on the project at hand. “I think I have an idea, for the party.”

  I sucked some of the iced mocha up through the straw and waited for Lacey’s reaction.

  “Great.” She smiled. Even though we’d never said a word about anything other than the party, she knew I was changing the subject. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Lena already hired a psychic to come in and give readings. Y’know ... who your true love will be and all that sort of thing, and that made me think of an erotic carnival type thing.”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, my mom will be there, and my sister’s not as . . . adventurous as some, even though she likes to think she is. So, instead of rides at the carnival, we can set up games, that sort of thing. Maybe hang curtains or use screens or something and separate the room into three or four ar
eas. A general area for mingling and food and drinks and maybe a spanking booth, a toy chest booth or game of some sort with sex toys as prizes, and I can probably get one of the cage dancers from Risqué to give dancing lessons or striptease lessons or something like that.”

  “What a fucking fantastic idea!” Lacey cried.

  The breath I hadn’t even known I was holding rushed out and I grinned. “Really? You like it? You can work with it?”

  “For sure!” Excited color flushed Lacey’s cheeks and she waved her hands about as she threw out more ideas. “We can do cupcakes decorated to look like body parts, and erotic chocolates and something with monster hot dogs.” She waggled her brows.

  I loved her! We brainstormed a complete range of ideas from raw and raunchy to sensual and sexy. Lacey Morgan was a kindred soul, completely open and full of adventurous ideas. Soon we had more ideas than we knew what to do with, and Lacey sent me home with a list to consider, and narrow down.

  That night, before my shift, I’d called Dee to see if she’d be into helping plan Ariel’s party. If she didn’t want to, that was fine; I’d still love to have her there with me at the party for a good time. It had been way too long since we’d been out dancing. I went into Risqué a little early and found Val and Samair half-dressed and cavorting in his office, which made recruiting them to help me plan the logistics of the party very easy.

  The good mood I’d been in since my visit to Bart’s with Harlan was gone by the time I got home from work that night. There were hundreds of people who’d had a great time at Risqué, but I was not one of them.

  Too many drunk idiots with stupid pick-up lines. Too many young kids who thought the world revolved around them. Staff members with petty arguments and silly dramas made me feel like I was back in high school again, only this time I was the teacher.

  I hated that. It made me feel old. And that made me feel lonely.

  Maybe it was the way the stars were aligned, maybe it was the lack of sex. I had no clue what my real problem was, but I was in a bad fucking mood when I got home.

  The drinks I’d had while working the bar didn’t even come close to hitting the spot, so the first thing I did when I walked in the door was pull the Stoli out of the fridge and pour myself a drink.

  After kicking off my boots I carried the bottle and the glass out to the balcony and slumped into my lounge chair, still in the loose-fitting tank dress I’d worn to work. The bottle by my side and glass in my hand, I sat there in the dark and stared up at the stars, trying to make sense of the noise ripping around in my head.

  It was silly to let things get to me, especially when I didn’t really know what it was that was making me so pissy. But that was the nature of the darkness inside me. Sometimes I could feel it creep up and find ways to cut it off before it hit, and other times it blindsided me. I was in a good mood for the past few days, but right then all I could do was hope there was enough vodka in the bottle to make me pass out.

  I downed what was still in my glass and refilled it.

  Dee hadn’t called back. I’d also tried to get ahold of Randy earlier, hoping to get him for the night, but he’d been at a gig out of town again. The thought of picking a random guy from the crowd and getting him to bend me over in the back alley had been there too, but my heart wasn’t in it. I needed a bigger release than what I’d get like that.

  A stranger would just be another Dave, and my need was beyond the itch he’d barely scratched.

  Deep down I knew that I used sex to cover up how alone I felt, and when that didn’t work, I buried everything I felt with alcohol. It always worked, at least for a while.

  I went to take a drink and realized my glass was empty, again. The phone rang as I poured myself another drink, and I didn’t even flinch.

  The only person calling me at four in the morning would be Harlan. I closed my eyes and let it ring, knowing that he might be able to see me out there on the balcony, but not caring. I wasn’t in the mood to talk. He’d want to know what was wrong, and I wouldn’t be able to explain it to him.

  The phone stopped ringing, and I wondered if maybe I should’ve answered it. No, it was good that I hadn’t. Harlan felt like the start of something, and answering it when I was in this mood would’ve just ended that something before it could really start.

  Before I could second-guess myself anymore, the buzzer for the building’s front door screeched through my apartment. My eyes snapped open and I stood quickly, leaning over the balcony rail to see Harlan standing at the front door.

  22

  He was an idiot.

  If she’d wanted his company she would’ve answered the phone. His brain knew that, yet Harlan had been unable to not head over to Kelsey’s place when he’d seen her sitting on her balcony looking so alone with only her bottle for company.

  She’d worn that lost look before and he’d wanted to go to her then, but he hadn’t. He’d been a stranger watching her in a private moment. But he knew her now, and he wasn’t going to sit by and watch while she was hurting. Not when he could help her.

  Impatient, he pushed the buzzer for her apartment again, eyeing the security lock on the main door and wondering if he could pick it. The door finally clicked, unlocking loudly in the silence of the early morning. He jerked it open and took the stairs two at a time to the second floor where Kelsey waited just inside her open door. He didn’t say anything, just passed by her and entered the apartment.

  They stood there in the entrance hallway, silently looking at each other for a moment as the tension built. She looked beautiful. Long silky hair, curvy body made to cushion a man, and an untamed wildness in her hunter green eyes that knocked the breath right out of him.

  Breaking their gaze, she drained the last of her drink and finally spoke. “What?”

  “Bad night?”

  She shrugged, still trying to hide from him, and probably herself too. “Would you like a drink?”

  “No,” he said, catching her wrist as she tried to get past. “And I don’t think you need another one either.”

  She glared up at him, her lips twisting in a near sneer. “Yeah? What do you think I need?”

  She’d asked him that once before, and he’d answered from the heart. This time words weren’t going to do it.

  “You need me,” he said, then lowered his head and covered her mouth with his.

  She tried to pull back, but he was having none of it. Stepping forward, he pinned her to the wall with his body and thrust his tongue between her lips roughly—claiming her as his, showing her he could give her what she needed.

  Kelsey was a deeply sexual creature and she used it not only to hide behind when she felt vulnerable, but as a release when needed. He’d seen it. He could also see she needed a big release right then, and gentle coddling wasn’t going to give it to her.

  The empty glass fell from her hand as she tried to wiggle away, but he grabbed her other wrist and pinned them both to the wall above her head. Her gasp sent heat ripping through him and he shoved a leg between her thighs, giving her something to squirm against.

  She nipped at him with sharp little teeth and he scraped his across her jawline in return. Breathy moans filled his ears as he nibbled down the bare skin of her neck to bite the muscle just above her shoulder. She moaned and her hips jerked.

  One of her legs lifted and wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer as she tugged at his grip on her wrists.

  She needed more.

  Covering her mouth once again, he trapped both of her wrists in one hand and used the other to pull her dress up. Shoving her panties aside he thrust a finger into her wetness and started to fuck her.

  She thrashed against him, twisting her head away and moaning as her hips rocked in time with his movements. Her moans turned to whimpers, not quite words, but almost pleading.

  “What was that?” he asked. “Tell me what you need, Kelsey.”

  She moaned and kicked her heels against the back of his legs, but her hips only thrust
harder against his hand.

  “C’mon, Kelsey. Tell me, baby. Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you. Anything.”

  “More,” she growled. “Give me more, damn it!”

  He added another finger and bit the curve of her breast through her dress. Blood pounded through him, heating everything inside to the point where his own control was threatened. But he wouldn’t lose it. She needed him, she needed this. She needed to feel safe losing control with him.

  He thrust his fingers in deeper, rougher, the heel of his hand rubbing her jewelry against her clit. “Let go, Kelsey,” he growled into her ear. “Let go and trust me.”

  She pulled and tugged at her wrists and he let go, pinning her to the wall with the weight of his body as she pushed at his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his hips at the same time. She pulled him closer then pushed against him as her cunt clenched around his fingers and she came.

  Kelsey continued to move against him restlessly, ducking her head and avoiding his gaze. He pulled his hand from under her dress and lifted it to cup her chin.

  “No,” she whispered.

  “Yes,” he said. He forced her head back until he could see her face. But her eyes were closed. “Open your eyes, Kelsey. See me, the way I see you.”

  Chest tight, he waited for her.

  Slowly, her lids lifted until they were staring at each other. Seeing each other. “That’s my girl,” he murmured. “I don’t like it when you hide from me.”

  Her lips parted, and she breathed deeply, but she remained silent. Harlan could still see the wildness in her, and he could see she was fighting it.

  Releasing her chin he tamped down his own desire and took a step back. He trailed his fingers over her parted lips, knowing she’d smell herself on him. When her tongue snuck out and licked at the digit, heat shot to his dick and he groaned.

  “Don’t ever be scared of me, Kelsey. And don’t be shy. I can see all of you and I welcome every dark, dirty, and greedy part.” He smiled. “And I can match them.”