Club Prive Read online

  Krissy leaned forward and spoke in a conspiratorially loud whisper, “She might be a little easier to get tonight.” She winked at Gavin, then smirked at me.

  I drained my glass and instantly felt the alcohol fuzz my brain, the feeling pleasant and welcome. I was still in control, but I could feel the hard lines that kept me in check starting to soften and blur.

  “You know what?” I announced. “Maybe I do want to dance.” My stomach knotted, but the nerves weren’t as powerful as my desire to do something a little crazy. I’d come here to let loose, and it was probably better to do this now than after I’d had a few more drinks and lost my coordination.

  Gavin held out a hand and I took it, my skin tingling as our palms slid across each other’s. Krissy took Jeff’s hand and the four of us headed for the dance floor. I had an idea forming in my mind, but wasn’t sure I had the guts to pull it off without another drink. Then I saw how the other women were looking at him, and glaring at me, as we danced. I hadn’t done this since sophomore year of college when Krissy had dragged me to another frat party, but I knew she’d be game. After all, she was the one who usually encouraged me to get a little wild.

  I turned so that my back was to Gavin, my body lightly brushed against his in time to the pulsing music. I caught Krissy’s eye and crooked my finger at her. She looked puzzled for only a split second before her eyes lit up. She knew what I wanted to do. She mimicked my position, slowly drawing herself and Jeff closer until she and I were facing each other.

  “Seriously?”

  I saw her say the word, but couldn’t hear it. I nodded. I could feel anxiety wanting to take over, but I was still buzzed enough to keep it at bay. I reached out and she did the same. We began to dance together, our bodies moving in sync even though it had been years since we’d done this. A quick glance over her shoulder told me that Jeff was definitely enjoying the show. I just hoped Gavin was too. Krissy and I swayed and twisted, our fingers skimming over each other’s arms, twining together before moving back down. Although most men would probably think otherwise, there’d never been any sort of sexual attraction between the two of us, but when we danced, there was an energy to it that electrified the air around us.

  We danced through two songs before we broke apart. The applause startled us both. Apparently Gavin and Jeff hadn’t been the only ones watching. A small crowd of guys had gathered and were now whistling and shouting compliments as the next song began. My cheeks began to burn, but my nerves had vanished.

  Krissy and Jeff headed back to the table and I started to follow. Gavin caught my hand and spun me around so I was facing him. He held my gaze for several seconds, and I was sure he was going to kiss me. Instead, he took a step back, his eyes smoldering. Without a word, he led me back to the table where Krissy and Jeff were waiting. They’d already poured us all refills.

  I lost count of how many glasses I drank after we started on the second bottle, but I knew it was more than I had consumed in a long time because I was feeling my usual inhibitions slipping away. That wasn’t really a bad thing, I reasoned. I’d come here to have a great time. Work-focused Carrie had a brain that worked overtime, analyzing and over-thinking everything. I’d be worrying about school and work and whether or not I should go home with someone. Now, I was just thinking about how charismatic and funny Gavin was, how I could listen to his deep, sensual voice and never get bored.

  I imagined that he’d be able to make anything sound sexy. He had one of those voices. I wondered what it would be like to hear him say my name under different circumstances. Would his voice get deeper, rougher, when filled with passion? Just the thought of it sent a bolt of arousal through me. What would his moan be like? Did he just make noises or was he a talker? What kind of things would he say? Would it be sweet, maybe just a hint of dirt, or would he be one of those men who would whisper all sorts of delicious filth into my ear, telling me all of the things he wanted to do to me?

  I shivered. Did he want to do the same things to me that I wanted to do to him? What would he do, I wondered, if I started to undress him right here in the club? Tear his shirt off, leaving it hanging in two halves while I licked every inch of his torso. Reach for his pants and unzip them slowly, run my tongue over my lips so there’d be no doubt in his mind what I was going to do once I had him.

  Before my fantasy could go any further, Krissy’s voice cut into my thoughts. “Hey, Carrie, I’m gonna take off with Jeff. Are you going to be all right getting home by yourself?”

  I blinked at her, her words taking a moment to register. “Sure. I’ll be fine.” The words slurred a bit. Maybe I was drunker than I’d thought. “Go on,” I insisted. “Get out of here, you two lovebirds.”

  Krissy didn’t look convinced. I reached for the glass of water that I hadn’t seen before. When I gulped down half of it, she looked a little more relaxed, but still not like she felt entirely comfortable leaving me here.

  “Don’t worry, Krissy,” Gavin said. “I’ll take the party girl home.”

  Krissy looked at me and I nodded. I might’ve been tipsy, but I still had the presence of mind to know what I wanted, and I wanted to be left alone with Gavin. She nodded, then turned a stern gaze to Gavin.

  “Anything happens to her, I’m holding you responsible,” she said. “And, trust me, you don’t want to piss me off.”

  Gavin held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I believe you.”

  She still waited another thirty seconds before finally letting Jeff lead her away, his arm around her waist, his hand resting on her hip. Oh, yeah, she was definitely getting some tonight. I almost giggled, but caught myself. I tended to get a bit silly when I drank too much and I didn’t want that to ruin the mood. If things didn’t go my way tonight, I was going to explode.

  As soon as Krissy and Jeff disappeared from sight, I turned towards Gavin. He was watching me, his expression saying he was trying to figure out just how drunk I was. He needed to know that it was okay to move forward. I leaned close to him and put my lips against his left ear. “You know, ever since I saw you in the bar that afternoon, I’ve been fantasizing about doing something.”

  “Doing what?” His voice was soft.

  “This.” I moved so that we were face to face. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and then I was leaning forward so that our mouths touched for the first time.

  It was like an electric jolt going through my entire body, waking me up from a spell I hadn’t known I’d been under. I could still feel the effects of the alcohol, but all that was dimmer now. The rest of the world was gray. Gavin and I were sharp, clear. I parted my lips, darting my tongue out to trace his bottom lip, then pulled back. I needed to gauge his reaction.

  His eyes had darkened to the color of a summer night’s sky, that almost-purple shade right before the stars came out. His lips curved up into a wicked smile that made things in my stomach tighten. “What a coincidence. I’ve been thinking the exact same thing.” He lowered his head, then paused with his lips just centimeters from mine. His voice was serious as he asked, “I need to know how—”

  “Drunk I am?” I finished his sentence. “Enough to know that driving’s not a good idea, but that this definitely is.”

  The words were barely out of my mouth before he was closing the gap between us. His arms went around my waist, his hand sliding up my back to the bare place between my shoulderblades. I wrapped my arms around his neck, bending them so that I could get a hand in the hair at the base of his neck. It was just as soft as I’d imagined it would be. I tilted my head, parting my lips to grant his tongue access. He pulled me closer until our chests were pressed together and I was on the edge of my seat, in danger of falling. As his tongue explored my mouth, his hands shifted, one moving to the base of my skull, cupping the back of my head as if he needed to hold me in place. The other dropped lower, coming to rest at the spot where the small of my back met the very top of my ass.

  I wanted more. I ran my hands over his back, feeling his muscles ben
eath the thin material of his shirt. I wanted to see them, feel his skin against mine. I pressed my thighs together as the very center of me throbbed in anticipation.

  Gavin tore his mouth away, resting his forehead against mine. “Maybe I better take you home now.”

  I could hear the reluctance in his voice, his ragged breathing telling me exactly what he wanted. He wanted this, but his offer to take me home was my out. I could go and invite him up, or just go up alone. Whatever happened, it would be my choice. There was just one little problem with that idea.

  “That sounds like a good plan,” I said, my voice just as breathless as his. I slid my hand between us and placed it on his chest. His heart thudded against my palm. “Only, I’m not sure I can wait that long.”

  Gavin caught his breath, moving back so that he could meet my eyes. He kept his gaze on my face as the hand on my head moved down, sliding slowly around my side. I couldn’t hold back the moan as his thumb brushed against the side of my breast. Heat seared across my skin, following his hand as it trailed over my stomach and down to my thigh. He stopped there, fingers splayed across the upper part of my leg so that they were right at the crease of my hip and, if I hadn’t been wearing a skirt, his thumb would’ve been dangerously close to something very intimate.

  My lips were parted, breath puffing in and out in time with my racing heart. I wanted him to touch me so badly. I’d never fully understood the word craved until that very moment. It was like every cell in my body ached and I knew that there was only one thing that could relieve me.

  “You know,” he said. “They do have a private room upstairs.”

  “What kind of room?” The question came out before I’d realized I was going to ask it.

  His fingers flexed on my leg and my already damp panties grew wetter when he said, “The kind of room that has a lock on the door. I could give you a tour.”

  Hell yes. I practically jumped to my feet. “I’d like that tour right now, please.” I grabbed his hand as he stood. “Show me the way.”

  He bent his head so that his lips brushed against the shell of my ear. “My pleasure,” he practically purred the words.

  He led me towards the back of the platform and around a corner, where I saw an elevator. I could barely stand still, anticipation flooding through me. What little patience I’d had was slowly vanishing. We stepped inside and, as soon as the doors closed behind us, Gavin was hitting the stop button and spinning me so that my back was against the wall and his body was pressed against mine. Apparently I wasn’t the only one with impatience issues.

  I couldn’t breathe as his mouth and hands ravaged my body, feeling every inch of me over my clothes. His lips and teeth worried at the skin at the base of my neck where throat met shoulder and I tilted my head, wanting him to mark me, to give me some proof tomorrow that this whole thing wasn’t just some drunken hallucination. His hands cupped my breasts and I moaned. If it felt this good with a layer of fabric between us, how much better would it feel bare? I ran my hands down his back, hesitating at the base of his spine. When his hands moved from my breasts to my hips, then around to my ass, I dropped my hands lower, finally getting them to the muscular cheeks that I’d been fantasizing about.

  Gavin pulled the lower half of my body against his, grinding his pelvis against me so that I could feel him, hard and hot.

  “Oh shit,” I groaned the word, imagining just what was under those tight jeans. I flexed my hands and he made a sound that was an awful lot like a growl, then pulled away.

  He slapped the button that started the elevator and then looked back at me, his pupils so wide that only a sliver of blue could be seen around them. “We need to get to the room or I’m going to take you right here.”

  The ache between my legs didn’t think that sounded like such a bad idea, but my head, fuzzy as it was, had the idea that it would be better to get to a room. We’d be able to take our time. Even though the thought of quick and hard satisfaction was appealing, I knew that when I looked back on this, I’d be grateful I savored every moment.

  Gavin took my hand when the doors opened and led me down the hallway. I saw two other doors in the short corridor, both marked “Office/Employees Only” and then a door at the very end. It didn’t have any signs on it, just a place for a key card.

  “Are you sure this is okay?” I glanced behind me at the other two doors. This looked more like a place for management, not two horny patrons.

  Gavin pulled a key card from his pocket and held it up between two fingers. “Membership has its privileges.”

  Oh. He was a member. That was interesting.

  He slid the card through the slot and, a moment later, the lock clicked and he opened the door.

  Chapter 6

  I followed him into the dark room, then blinked as he switched on a light. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden change, and then I stared. As lavish as the downstairs of the club was, I hadn’t been expecting something equally as luxurious here. When he’d said a room, I’d honestly just thought it’d be a bed with, hopefully, clean sheets, some place for a quick fuck.

  This was definitely not like I’d imagined at all. It was so much better.

  First off, the room was huge. I mean like almost as big as my apartment huge. It was a suite with a small kitchenette to my right; a glass-encased shower and what I assumed was a private toilet—the only private area in the whole room. The back wall had a series of chests and wardrobes, which, judging by the wood and intricate carving, had each cost more than my car. Against the other wall was a couch flanked by two plush armchairs, all facing the most prominent piece of furniture in the room, the one that I’d saved for last.

  It was the biggest bed I’d ever seen. Orgy-sized. The word popped into my head and I had to stifle a nervous giggle. Yeah, that seemed like it was more accurate. I had a feeling that mattress could hold probably five or six people comfortably. It wasn’t a canopy bed exactly, but the posts did curve inward to meet above the center of the bed. All anyone would have to do would be to drape material over it and the entire bed would be hidden from sight.

  “What do you think?” Gavin asked, his voice low, almost uncertain.

  I looked over at him and desire twisted my stomach. I wouldn’t have cared if it was just a single bed shoved into a tiny room. Between how long it had been and the appeal of the man next to me, I was ready to explode. Still, the room deserved admiration.

  “It’s gorgeous,” I said with a smile.

  Gavin grinned and kicked off his shoes. “Glad you like it.”

  I followed his example and took off my heels. My feet sighed in appreciation as they sank into the plush, crimson carpet. I didn’t take off my stockings. I wanted Gavin to do that.

  “Watch this.” Gavin reached behind him and pushed a button.

  The regular overhead light switched off and the room was filled with what looked like the effects of a disco ball. I raised an eyebrow.

  “Oops,” he said, a sheepish expression on his face. “Wrong one.” He pushed another button and cheesy porn-sounding music started playing.

  I put my hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle. Gavin frowned and began pushing more buttons, resulting in the music switching from R&B to country to something I could’ve sworn I’d heard on some science fiction show, before finally stopping on a soft, delicate instrumental. He then attempted to get rid of the disco light, only to run through a strobe light, black light—which revealed the room to be spotless, to my relief—and eventually, a dim, warm glow that almost felt like the light from a fire.

  I would’ve thought the laughter would kill the mood, but it didn’t; it just shifted it from something so intense that it almost scared me, to something more like what I’d been looking for. Something casual and fun. That’s all this was supposed to be.

  “I’m going to assume this means you haven’t spent much time in this room.” I tried to keep my tone joking so he didn’t hear how grateful I was for that. I didn’t like the idea th
at he’d brought other women up here. Granted, the club had just opened, but that didn’t mean the members hadn’t “tested” the room before.

  “Nope.” He held out his hand to me and I took it, our fingers lightly touching as we walked towards the bed. “You’re the only one.”

  I liked that he hadn’t said I was the first. First implied there would be others. I reminded myself again that I wasn’t looking for a relationship, just a good lay.

  “First things first,” Gavin said as he stood in front of me. His expression was serious. He reached for me and I caught my breath, wondering what he was going to do.

  To my surprise, he reached behind my head and pulled out the two pins that had been holding my hair in place. My curls tumbled over my shoulders, brushing across my bare back as they fell to almost my waist.

  “Much better,” he breathed. “From the moment I saw you, I’ve been dreaming about seeing your hair spread out across my pillow.” Before I could respond, his hands cupped my face and he bent his head to capture my mouth in a fierce kiss. This wasn’t like before, downstairs when it had been the heat and fire of newness, or even in the elevator. This was need and hunger, and a promise of good things to come.