Instead of watching Opposites on their nine-week anniversary, they were going to a nightclub. Trick had tried to say no when Tate and Green had suggested they go clubbing to celebrate. But Lyla was feeling buzzed after her surprise appearance on a live Boys Night show earlier that week, making it two that she’d been on now, and had railroaded her husband into saying yes.
Lyla was super excited, until the cab reached their destination block and then she started to get nervous. But it was a kind of excited anxiety that made her stomach flip-flop.
Turning her smile on Trick, she didn’t expect to see him looking so concerned. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
He hadn’t let go of her hand since he took it to lead her out of their apartment. Twisting toward him, she laid her opposite hand on his chest. “Nothing, baby. I’m good,” he said and picked up their joined hands to kiss the back of hers.
“I promise to do my best not to embarrass you,” she said. “I’ve never done shots, but I can—”
“No,” he said, his attention flying to hers. “Just… pace yourself, ok? I’m gonna look after you.” His grip tightened as his gaze drifted to the side window. “I’m gonna look after you.”
Was that what was worrying him? He felt responsible for her at the best of times, now they were going into an uncertain and volatile situation where people were going to expect him to lose control.
“It’s ok for you to get drunk, you know,” she said. “And to flirt.”
“I’m not going to get drunk,” he said, letting go of her hand to put his arm around her. “And I plan to flirt, constantly.” Swallowing, Lyla hoped she’d be able to handle that without retreating into herself. Trick pushed his mouth into her hair. “With you.”
“With me?” she asked.
Before she could tip her head back to tell him she’d never been hit on in a nightclub, the car stopped and Trick was leaning forward to pay the driver then ushering her out into the street.
Those in the roped-off line called out when they saw Trick and as he tossed a casual arm around her shoulders, he waved at the group and walked straight toward the door across a red carpet. The security guard stepped aside, letting them head to the entrance without hindrance.
Trick exchanged a fancy handshake with the guy who was just inside the door and they laughed at whatever was said. Lyla focused on the double doors at the end of the lit space behind them. There were security guys here and a few clubbers. But no one else stopped them after Trick was done talking, though he did slap a few hands.
Lyla could feel the music before they even got to the door. It was so loud and the bass seemed to slam into her chest. She couldn’t tell where the thumping came from, whether it was her heart on the inside or the external music.
Infused with adrenaline, she kept herself close to Trick when he moved her body in front of his and reached for the door over her shoulder. “Ready?” he said into her hair and she nodded.
Lyla couldn’t wait. A brand-new experience was waiting for her right on the other side of that door and she didn’t even have to be nervous because she had the most experienced guide she could hope for.
Trick pushed the door open and she gasped at the intensity of the noise. She struggled to hear her own thoughts. Quelling an impulse to put her fingers in her ears, she figured if everyone else was ok with it, then the volume couldn’t be doing any serious damage to her hearing.
The vast space was dark, but regular colored lights flashed and there were recessed blue lights around a central bar area. Right at the back of the room was a huge space that was almost completely black. Even the colored lights didn’t really help her pick out details, all she knew was that there was a mass of bodies, maybe hundreds of them all moving up and down, dancing to the music.
After giving her a few seconds to absorb the scene, Trick wrapped an arm around her shoulders from behind and guided her down the half-dozen stairs into an area filled with booths. But they didn’t sit at any of these. He pointed over her shoulder to an area on the right-hand wall and guided her through the clubbers, many of whom stopped to exchange high-fives with him or fist bumps.
At least the volume meant it was virtually impossible to have a conversation, so they didn’t need to stop. The crush got worse, but Trick tightened his arm around her shoulder, pinning her back to his body as he curled himself around her and kept moving forward.
When they got to another set of stairs, they went up and a security guard opened a roped-off area to let them inside. Exhaling shock and excitement, Lyla looked up to see a booth in front of them. Large and circular with white leather seats, Tate and Green were there already with Samantha, and Sadie, and a few other people she recognized from the network.
Trick guided her toward the booth and urged her to sit down first before he leaned over the table to exchange handshakes and kisses with everyone who was here. When all the hellos were done, he slid in beside her and wrapped an arm around her neck to pull her close to him.
“You ok?” he shouted into her ear and she nodded, grinning as she turned around to make eye contact.
She’d meant just to assure him that she was actually ok, but her excitement overtook her and she pushed forward to kiss him. The table cheered, but Trick tightened his arm around her neck, pulling her closer still and deepening the kiss.
If they kept this up, they were going to have a short night. Patting his chest, she eased him back and puffed out some of her adrenaline as he swept her hair away from her neck and bowed to kiss behind her ear.
“Usually takes a couple of hours in a club before I get a kiss like that,” he said into her ear.
The feeling of his breath tickling her neck made her shiver, but she turned herself against him into the cocoon of his body, keeping her back pressed to his ribs beneath his arm. Being here was a new experience and she’d expected to learn something about the thrill of clubbing, Lyla hadn’t expected to learn something new about her relationship with Trick, but she had.
Belonging to him, in this room full of people, was a powerful sensation. Lyla felt a need to keep herself against him, to get as close as she could, to maintain contact as the rhythm of the music overtook her.
A tray of drinks was brought and the tray was circled with shot glasses that were duly handed out. One was put in front of her and she glanced at Trick who narrowed his eyes and shook his head once before he leaned in again.
It was so loud that any time he wanted to talk to her he had to scream in her ear. “You don’t have to.”
Stroking her hand over his thigh, she gave him a reassuring body nudge and lifted her glass in time with everyone else. Tossing back the shot, Lyla inhaled as soon as the liquor hit her throat and coughed once. Trick turned her face to him and immediately closed his mouth on hers, giving her cover for the response to the drink that had hit her harder than she’d thought it would.
Lyla had drunk alcohol, did on a regular basis, but she’d never been one for binge drinking, so shots had never featured. “Want to dance?” he asked, rubbing his cheek on hers as he found her ear after their kiss.
She hadn’t really done any dancing in public. But they were at a nightclub, so she pushed aside her initial urge to say no and took his hand. If they were going to do this, she was going to do everything.
Time didn’t even have a meaning in this building.
Without any windows and only artificial light they could’ve been here for an hour or a week and she’d have no way to know. They’d danced, they’d drank; she’d even done another couple of shots. Everyone was laughing and flirting or hooking up as they all sank into drunkenness.
Under Trick’s arm, seated at the booth, Lyla was bouncing along to the music and sipping from her straw. It was amazing to see how all these normally civilized people suddenly became party animals as soon as a little music and some alcohol was introduced. She’d never got it. Never understood the thrill. Until tonight.
Trick’s lips touched the side of her neck, then rose to the back of her ear, but he didn’t speak to her, just blew gently and kissed his way back down. He had a high tolerance for alcohol, but she hadn’t really been keeping track of what he’d been drinking, so she didn’t know where his inhibition level was, not that he usually suffered from having high inhibitions like she did.
Grabbing his wrist, she put down her drink and twisted toward him, pulling his arm tight around her so she was pressed into him.
Pushing up, she sought his ear and he ducked to offer it. “Can we make out?” she asked.
Leaning back, his eyes stayed heavy though his brows rose. Lowering, he pressed his lips to hers, in a quick but sensual peck. Was he teasing her? He tipped his head the other way and did the same thing again. Yes, this was a tease, but it was a nice one. The adrenaline fused with her endorphins, the alcohol surged through her and she felt her body loosen.
Kissing Trick made her feel alive while it deadened her ability to control her own body, or even hold herself upright. Scooping a hand through her hair, he cupped the back of her head and pulled her mouth up to meet his.
Yes.
This was what she wanted. His tongue, exploring her mouth, hot, wet, wild. Here they were, in public, surrounded by their friends and colleagues, enjoying each other and she wasn’t even thinking about the camera crew that was somewhere loitering around. She wasn’t thinking about the future, or the past, she was thinking about now.
This minute.
This man.
Man, he was hot and he was hers. Undoing a couple of his shirt buttons, she slid her hand inside without even thinking about whether it was appropriate. Lyla wanted to feel good and Trick was taking her to ecstasy.
Letting go of her hair, he moved onto her neck when her head fell back. But he crouched a little and hooked an arm under her legs to pull them up over his. If she was allowed to stroke his chest like this then he was allowed to caress her legs.
Lyla didn’t even realize she’d parted them until his finger pushed into her. Opening her mouth in a gasp that may have been silent, or a thousand decibels, it was impossible to tell since it was drowned out by the music, she broke their kiss, but stayed close enough that they could share oxygen.
With her wide eyes on his, she curled her fingers into the edge of his shirt as he withdrew his finger and then pumped it back into her. This had to be breaking some kind of rule, but when his other finger began to massage her clit, Lyla didn’t care about rules anymore.
Releasing a breath of bliss, her head fell back again. But Trick’s supporting arm curled to catch her head and he tucked it in against his neck, concealing the look on her face against his skin as he kissed her face then her mouth as he manipulated her position.
His hand kept working between her thighs as his mouth teased hers. Lyla wasn’t even sure she was breathing, he might have been doing that for her too because he was certainly the guy in control here.
It was only as she whimpered and tensed that his tongue stopped teasing her mouth. Keeping their lips together, he took her to orgasm, covering the curse word that slipped from her mouth with another kiss.
When she was gasping and shaking from the force of what he’d just done to her, he slid his hand from her panties and reached for her drink to put it in her hands. Usually they were having sex not long after he did that to her.
But as she regained her equilibrium, or at least tried to, Lyla figured that couldn’t happen here in this public place. Those around the table were carrying on their conversations, or engaged in their own make-out sessions, and she wondered what else might be going on beneath the table.
Taking a long drink, she let her eyes wander to Trick. He was peering at her, and damn he looked proud of himself. She wanted to ask him if they could leave because she desperately wanted to feel him inside her.
But… this was her first clubbing experience and could be her last for all she knew. The last thing she wanted to do was be the party pooper who cut the night short.
Shoving her glass to the table, she boosted up to sit in his lap. But as she tipped her chin up toward him, she heard his groan of satisfaction like he liked this position and from the lump in his jeans under her ass, she’d guess he was having thoughts of his own.
Except he wasn’t asking to go home to be with her, so she’d just have to accept this desire as part of the night, and it would lead to an explosive union… if they could have one. With the cameras in the bedroom, they’d been avoiding having sex in there. Their usual kissing and cuddling wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her tonight if she didn’t calm herself down and they might be too drunk to do it in the shower.
Curling an arm around to the back of his head, she pulled him, and felt his hands close around her breasts at the same time. Given what he’d just done for her, Lyla wasn’t going to object to his hands going anywhere. Apparently, this place had the same rules as Boys Night: anything goes!
But instead of kissing him, she sought his ear. “I’m going to the restroom.”
There were bathrooms on this private level, and she’d gone with Sadie already, but her friend was currently on the other side of the booth wrapped around some guy she’d met at the bar.
Trick nodded and put his lips to her ear. “Want me to come with you?”
She didn’t need an escort; the restrooms were just in the back corner, accessed from a square hall that was down a couple of stairs. She couldn’t get lost and because they were in the roped-off VIP area, their particular bathrooms were quiet, so no one would be able to hurt her.
Pushing his hips up, Trick gave her a hint of what was in his mind.
But, wait, he wasn’t suggesting… Was that allowed?
Twisting further, she made eye contact and from the mischief in his eyes, she’d guess that maybe… really? Was he thinking what she was thinking?
No. No way. Surely, they couldn’t…
But Trick took her hand as he slid to the end of the booth and because she was on his lap, when he stood up, she was forced to. He didn’t let her body part from his, but he probably didn’t want the whole club to see the erection in his jeans and it was still there as he led her away from the booth and down the stairs to the bathroom.
There were people outside, but no one said anything when Trick pushed into the ladies room. Oh God, they could get into serious trouble for this. Except when they went inside, there was no one in the main part of the bathroom. Some of the stall doors were closed, but no one actually witnessed Trick leading her to the end stall and guiding her inside.
Pushing her to the wall as soon as the door was locked, he stole her mouth. “Can we do this here?” she whispered, but he was already opening his jeans and hiking up her skirt. “Oh my God, Trick.”
But it was a laugh that accompanied her words, not any kind of horror.
Picking her up, he hooked her legs over his hips and kissed her as he slid himself into her. “Oh, God, Trick,” she said again, but this time it was a long moan of pleasure that flavored her words.
“This isn’t romantic,” he said, kissing her neck.
“It’s hot,” she said, moving in time with his increasing pace. “Oh, Trick!”
“Shh,” he said, laughing as he captured her mouth.
Yes, ok, they were doing this, but it probably was against the official rules. To keep herself quiet, Lyla did her best to kiss him as hard as she could. But as he groaned and slammed into her, Lyla couldn’t concentrate on kissing anymore.
God, he hadn’t even taken her panties off, he’d just slid them aside. Lyla had never had sex like this, never been so bad. But it felt amazing.
Now she didn’t have to worry about them not being intimate when they got back to the apartment. Squeezing around him, she struggled to control her panting. Sealing her lips, Lyla tried to trap her moan, but it ended up just sounding pained and high-pitched.
Arching forward, her mouth burst open as she hit climax and slammed her hand against the stall door beside them. “Trick, fuck!”
Hissing through his teeth, he pushed hard, slamming her hips against the wall again as he came inside her. Slumping on him, Lyla couldn’t lift her head from his shoulder, couldn’t even bend her own arms.
“Oh, baby,” he grumbled and the mist of his breath moistened her hair.
“You’re… you’re… I don’t even know what you are, Trick,” she whispered only now becoming aware of what she’d done at climax. Shock made her head dart up. “Oh, I…”
“Screamed my name? Yes, you did, baby,” he said, rubbing his nose on hers to tempt another kiss. “I love you.”
Redundant as it was now, she whispered. “You said to be quiet.”
He shrugged and kissed her again. “As long as we both finished, it doesn’t matter. Getting thrown out during, that’s a bitch, after, I’m ok with.”
A smile helped her to relax and she kissed him again. But as they sank into the pleasure of their make-out session, Lyla began to wriggle and Trick lifted his head.
“I’m sorry it had to be fast and dirty, baby,” he said, putting her on her feet.
Pushing down her skirt, Lyla watched him tuck himself away as she rested on the wall. This wasn’t like at home when they could kiss and enjoy each other for as long as they wanted to afterward.
“I loved it,” she said, rising to kiss him again. “I love you… Thank you for tonight. I’ve had so much fun… all because of you.”
Bowing, he put his head to hers and murmured. “It’s not over yet, gorgeous… Let’s get back out there.”
Stroking his face, she smiled. “Give me a minute, I’ll follow you.”
“You’re not going to hide in here all night, are you? Trust me, everyone’s been impressed with you tonight. No one’s going to—”
“No, I just need to…” Rolling her eyes downward, she shrugged. “Clean up.”
“Ok,” he said, grinning and stealing another kiss. “I’ll get you another drink.”
“I love you,” she mouthed.
He opened the lock and curved himself around the door to slip out. He winked at her before he ducked out and pulled the door closed. “Ladies,” Lyla heard him say on the other side of the door and as those in the bathroom giggled, she smiled and rolled her eyes. That was her man and she’d never been so proud of him.
When she came out of the bathroom, Lyla was already missing her husband and in need of another drink. The last person she expected to find standing outside the restroom was her friend, Curtis.
“Curtis,” she said and he turned toward her.
“Lyla,” he said and the two of them embraced. “What are you doing here?”
“Trick brought me,” she said because the last place he’d probably ever expected to find her was in a club like this. But when he made a face, she returned it. “Yes, my husband, and don’t even start.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, driving a hand through his hair.
Concern made her look at him closer. “Curt… are you ok?”
“Yeah, I…”
A group came down the stairs into the small hallway, crowding them. He took her hand, and looked around before pulling her toward a door at the edge of the space.
Lyla didn’t really register the handle on the door, but when he pulled her through it, she was shocked to be hit by cold air. The door closed with a click behind them and he pulled her across the alley into a shadow.
“Curt?” she asked.
Her friend wasn’t usually frazzled like this and he didn’t look drunk, just frantic as he put one hand to his hip and rubbed the back of his neck with the other. “I… I think I screwed up.”
“How?” she asked, moving nearer to him.
“I… I had a big fight with Bunyan.”
“At the studio?” she asked, having not expected that because she didn’t even know the men knew each other. “Why? What happened?”
“I laid into him, told him how it wasn’t right how they’d portrayed you in this show. I was so pissed. I saw him and I… I just took the chance to say my piece, you know? But he’s not the most understanding guy and…” Curt took her arms to pull her closer. “I think he might fire me… I can’t lose my job, Lyla. What will I do if he fires me?”
“Ok,” she said, putting her hands to his shoulders to reassure him. “It’s ok.”
Part of her was pissed off; she didn’t need Curtis defending her. Yeah, the show had painted her in a kind of negative light, but she and Trick had decided weeks ago to let the show do whatever the show was going to do. They weren’t going to get themselves upset about it. Unfortunately, Curtis hadn’t been included in that decision and might have just risked his career to stand up for her.
“No,” he said, holding her face. “It’s not ok. If I lose this job… Bunyan knows everyone in this industry… I’ll never get hired again. I’ll lose my apartment, my life! Lyla, what the hell was I thinking?”
“It’s ok,” she said again and smiled as she pulled him into a hug.
What the hell was she going to do? She couldn’t leave him out here like this. But they were outside, would she be allowed back into the club without Trick? The alcohol in her system wasn’t reacting well to the cool night air and her head began to spin.
“Are you ok?” Curtis asked, probably feeling her waver on her feet.
“Yes,” she said, trying her best to smile, but keeping her arm around him as he supported her and they walked to the end of the alley. “Let me get Trick and we’ll go home and talk about this.”
Curtis slowed and scowled at her. “He hates me. He doesn’t give a damn if I lose my job. He’ll probably tell Bunyan to fire me just ‘cause they’re buddies and he can.”
Boy, was that a misconception. It was easier to smile after hearing that assertion. “They’re not buddies,” she said, pulling him forward to keep moving. “And Trick will care; he’ll appreciate you sticking up for me.”
Even if he didn’t, she would hope that her husband wouldn’t tell her to turn her back on her friend. They carried on around to the front of the club, but she was shocked to see the doors were all closed up. “They don’t let people in this late,” he said. “I think security let people out the back when they want to leave.”
Ok, well he could’ve told her that before they walked around to the front. But she’d only taken a single step when Paul came around the corner of the building.
As soon as he saw her, he lifted his arms. “Where the hell did you go?” Paul asked.
She’d think that was pretty obvious given that she was standing right here. “We need to get Trick,” she said. “He’s inside—”
“I’ll get him,” Paul said. “What’s the problem?”
“Nothing,” she said because she knew Paul did have a relationship with Bunyan, so it would probably be best that he didn’t know about Curtis’ fight with the man, at least before he had to.
“I asked Lyla back to mine,” Curtis said. “I’m only a few blocks over.”
“You did?” she asked. Curtis made a face at her that suggested she should go with it. “Ok, but I need to get Trick and—”
“Ok,” Paul said and put an arm around him. “They won’t let us back in this late. I’ll radio our sound guy; he’ll get Trick and meet you over there.”
“Meet me over there?” she asked because she hadn’t noticed that Curtis had gone ahead to stop a cab.
“Sure, we won’t all fit in one car anyway,” Paul said, smiling as he urged her forward. “We’ll be five minutes behind you.”
Yeah, because he’d want to make sure that everything was filmed. That could cause problems for Curtis. Anything the show got on film could be seen by Bunyan and that wouldn’t be good for her friend if he said anything negative.
“Ok,” she said, ducking into the cab after Curtis. “Tell Trick to meet me there.”
“Yep,” Paul said, urging her into the car.
Something felt off. She couldn’t tell what it was, but she was thinking about it as the cab pulled away from the curb. When Curtis picked up her hand in his, she looked at his profile. Why was he holding her hand? For comfort? Did he need the physical connection to make him feel better?
Curtis was her friend, he’d been her only friend for a long time, she trusted him… didn’t she?