CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The lithe, pretzel-like redhead swung upside down on the gauzy, cherry red swath of fabric that hung from the ceiling of Edge. Her hair spilled below her, like a sheet of fire, as she held on with only one ankle twisted round the cloth.

As lush music pulsed, she twirled in gorgeous split-second circles, along with three other girls. They were silvery and shimmery in their costumes, and captivating with their contortionist-esque skills.

Shannon zoomed in on the foursome with her phone camera, capturing the finale of the dress rehearsal. She choreographed custom shows for every venue, even though she knew that the crowds didn’t come to Edge specifically to watch the dance. People came to the club for drinks, to meet lovers, to party with friends, to let loose and spend a night on the town. The dance show was staged to blend into the background most of the time, like beautiful art on the walls, like sensual music that thrummed through you. The dancers were part of the ambience of the club along with the smoky violet lights, the sleek decor, and the pulsing music.

But every now and then during the evening, the dancers would take on a larger role, moving from the background pedestals that framed the club, to the dance floor itself, becoming the focal point for those few minutes in time, the eye of the hurricane on a night of pleasure.

The redhead named Cassidy spun in crazy-eight circles, curving her entire body into impossible shapes. Then, along with the trio of other dancers, they slid in a wild rush upside-down to the floor. Shannon stopped recording, and clapped proudly. So did the sound engineer who was running the boards, and the nightclub manager from behind the bar. Shannon acknowledged them all, and nodded a thanks. Cassidy flashed Shannon the bright, magnetic smile of an entertainer who’d nailed it.

“You were amazing,” Shannon told her. “Absolute perfection. No changes.”

“Thank you, Shay. I’m so happy you liked it,” the girl said, beaming as she and the other dancers took off for the dressing room.

“Wow. That was a hell of a show.”

Shannon turned around to see Travis, Brent’s firefighter friend, standing beside her. She hadn’t realized he’d been watching. She had met him earlier in the day. He’d come by as a favor to conduct a preliminary fire inspection, given the additional lighting and needs of the production.

“You enjoyed it?”

“I’m just trying to figure out how a human being gets her body into that upside-down pretzel shape,” he said, parking his hands on his hips as he stared admiringly at the scene of the finished show, and the thick ribbons of fabric that dangled from the ceiling. “That is out of this world.”

“They’re amazing, aren’t they?” Shannon said, proud of her dancers, and her production.

“Incredible,” Travis said with a big nod. He had dark hair and a sturdy fireman’s build that could probably grace a calendar somewhere. She imagined he would make a lot of women with fireman fantasies quite happy indeed.

Though she could appreciate his smoldering looks, she only had eyes for one man, and she’d been ticking off the hours until Brent arrived. They had a few short hours in San Francisco, then they’d both return to Vegas late that night for meetings early in the morning back home.

“Think Edge will pass the additional inspection next week before the show rolls out?” Shannon asked Travis.

“Definitely,” he said, hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his pants. “I just spent an hour going through everything, and it all looks good. I’ll let Brent know for sure and then everything should be all set for the official inspection from the city. I’ll be hanging around for a bit, since a buddy of mine is having a bachelor party here tonight.”

“Oh, how fun. And I really appreciate that you took time out of your schedule to make sure everything is all set for Brent.”

Travis waved his hand to signal it was no big deal. “We go way back. Happy to do him a solid. He’s a good guy.”

A light bulb went off in her brain. She lifted her phone again, and tapped the screen. “Any chance I could have you say that on camera?”

Travis furrowed his brow. “Sure. But why?”

She quickly explained her idea, and his eyes lit up. “Like I’d say no to that. Love that man like a brother.”

She hit record, and asked Travis some questions about Brent and the club. After she finished, she wrote out her plan on her phone. She made a list of everything she’d need to do.

Then she looked at her watch. He would be there in about an hour, giving her plenty of time to change. She retreated to the dressing room where her dancers had been, changed into a new outfit, freshened up, and returned to the bar. In thirty minutes, Edge would open for the first trickle of early evening crowds. For now, the establishment operated at a low hum as bartenders and waitresses set up for service and the sound guys tested equipment.

Shannon knocked back an iced water as she remained glued to her phone and to Brent’s text messages, savoring every single one. He told her he’d landed, then that he was on his way. Somehow, the seemingly impossible thirty-six hours had compressed into thirty, twenty, ten and now mere minutes.

A message dinged on her phone.

You better be naked or close to it. I’m walking in.

* * *

“Why would you say you aren’t giving?” Brent said as he shut the door to his office on the second floor. The sound of it clicking made his dick even harder. It was the sound that signaled the start of what he’d been waiting for all day, all week, ever since he’d laid eyes on her at the Mandarin.

But his desire dug deeper than the past few weeks.

It unspooled over years.

It had grown roots into the last decade.

There was no way out of this. The only way was through it. He was finally going to have her. To take what was his—this woman he adored to the ends of the earth and back.

He locked the door without looking away from her beauty. He had never seen her dressed like this. She wore a black pencil skirt that hugged her luscious hips, a white, silky button-down blouse, and black sheer stockings that made him think only one thing—how far up did they go?

Then, there were those shoes. Those black leather pumps that he was going to have wrapped around his back so damn soon.

“Why would I say I’m not giving?” she asked, as he backed her up against the wall. His hands were already on her. He ran a fingertip over the top button of her blouse, watching goosebumps rise on her skin as he touched her.

“Because this,” he said, raking his eyes over her, “is the best gift I’ve had all year. You. In my office. Dressed like this.” He brushed his fingers along the buttons, and she trembled. That telltale sign of her lust that scorched his blood. “Like the businesswoman I intend to fuck.”

She licked her lips. “That’s who I am right now. For you.”

He leaned into her neck, kissing her, inhaling her honey scent. He bit down gently on her flesh. “All day,” he growled. “All day I’ve thought about this. Nothing but you. Touching you. Tasting you.” He buzzed a path along the column of her throat. She made the sexiest little whimpers and sighs, her noises making his cock try to fight its way out of his pants. He pressed his body against hers, his hard-on hitting her belly.

She moaned in response.

“That’s how much I want you. I’ve been hard for you all day long. I flew across the country like this. With my dick at attention the whole time because all I can think about is having you again,” he said as he began working the buttons on her blouse.

She grabbed his tie, tugged him close. Her eyes were on his, hazy and full of heat. “You think it’s different for me? You’re all I think about, too. I changed my panties twice already today. I get turned on beyond any and all reason just thinking about what you’re going to do to me.”

He hissed. His blood was on fire. He dragged his fingers up the sheer fabric of her stockings, groaning when he reached the lacy top, hitting the soft flesh of her thighs. He didn’t stop though. He was in hot pursuit of her pussy. “Let me test that for sure,” he said, then slid his fingers against the panel of her panties. She was soaked all the way through. He dived in, gliding his fingers inside the black lace, sliding them across her sweet flesh that felt like heaven to his touch. He brought his fingers to his lips, and sucked her off. “You are so fucking ready for me.”

Her lips parted on a sexy sigh. She looped her arms around his neck, and arched her hips against him. “Please,” she said, echoing their conversation from the other night on the phone. “Please take me now. I can’t wait anymore.”

He scooped her up in his arms and stalked over to his desk, pushing the papers off with his elbow. He set her down, her petite frame barely taking up any space on the big oak desk. Her shirt was open, her bra still on.

She reached for him and began unbuttoning his shirt, her gaze pinned on him as she spoke in a sexy purr. “You’ve fucked me as a dancer and as a college girl, but never as a woman who runs her own business. So I dressed like one. Because that’s who I am now,” she said, working her way down the buttons as he undid his tie and tossed it to the floor.

“That’s who I want,” he said.

She grasped his collar. “And I’ve fucked a comedian, and a big man on campus, but never this gorgeous man in a suit. So fuck me here on your desk as the man you are now.”

And he’d thought he couldn’t want her any more than he already did. She’d just proved him wrong. He wanted her even more.