Indulgence (Taking Chances #1) (9 page)

Luke returned his attention to me.  The anger in his eyes diminished as his bright smile returned, lighting the room to an amazing glow.  “He’s my boss.  I would hope I know him.”

“Wow,” I breathed in admiration.  “I’m jealous.”

“He’s just a man,” Luke noted, his expression abruptly serious.

“An amazing man,” I sighed, my ultimate fan-girlness now showing.  Luke grabbed a towel and started to wipe down the bar in front of me.  His shoulders slumped a little, and the thought occurred to me that he probably gets sick of listening to people talk about Sebastian.  Annoying him was the last thing I wanted to do.  I liked Luke, after all, and wished that we’d met under different circumstances.  I figured my being at an erotic masquerade screamed sex addict, and that wasn’t the type of person he’d be interested in.    

“Question,” I queried, figuring the best way to divert attention from my silliness was a slight change of subject.

“Answer,” Luke resounded back.

I had to laugh at his response.  It was exactly how I would’ve reacted.  I waved him off with a flirtatious gesture and continued, “What did Goldie mean when she said you shouldn’t be talking to me?”

“Goldie?”

“Yeah, the blonde bimbo.”

“Goldie,” he chuckled, “was talking about one of the bylaws of my employment.  Those who are employed by Mr. Hawk have rules to follow just like you do.  We’re not supposed to get involved with his guests.  We’re only here to serve.  That’s why you will never find an
Indulgence
employee partaking in the events that occur here tonight.”

“Hawk and his damn rules,” I muttered.

Luke eyed me in askance.  “I take it you don’t approve of his rules?”

“No.  Rules are important, I just think he might be a bit of a control freak.”

Luke cocked his head to the side, leaning against the bar with the towel linked between his fingers.  “And you want to meet him?”

I shrugged, realizing that in my comfort, I’d allowed my boobs to weasel their way out from behind my arms.  I quickly moved back to hide my achingly hard nipples.  “I live in a world of control freaks.  They don’t bother me.”

Luke raised an eyebrow.  “Is that so?  So why make such a big deal out of his rules then?  They’re only here to protect his guests.”

Again, I shrugged.  Any movement exposed me.  A shrug was the best Luke was going to get.  “For the same reason.  I live in a world of control freaks.  Something like this,” I lost myself and gestured to the room behind me, “is supposed to be spontaneous.  It’s hard to be spontaneous if I’m told I have to write down every partner and then turn in my list like a report card at the end of the night.”

This time it was Luke’s turn to laugh.  He reached for my partner card and flicked it with his index finger.  “This is for protection as well.  Think about it.  If medical issues arise, you know who you were involved with.”

“Why does he have to keep them then?  Shouldn’t
I
be in charge of who I sleep with?”

“He keeps them to prevent people from going out and talking shit about what goes on here.  Would you really want your name to be publicized as a member of
Indulgence
?”

I hadn’t considered that aspect.  So many people wanted in this party.  The media salivated over it.  One partner card released to the public could open Sebastian up to so much shit, not to mention the people whose names were on that card.

“Everything Mr. Hawk does is to protect you.  I promise.”

For a moment, I pondered everything Luke had said.  A light bulb went off in my head.  “So, going back to that whole bit about how you’re not supposed to partake in
Indulgence
.”

“Yes.”

“Is the rumor true that Sebastian never partakes either?”

Luke shook his head and tossed the towel across the bar.  He waved two fingers in the air.  Another bartender, dressed just like the first one I’d seen, appeared.  “Take over for me here,” Luke instructed.  He stepped out from behind the bar and walked around to me.  “Let’s take a walk, shall we?”  Luke extended his hand in offering.  

I lifted mine ready to accept his.  Fire crackled between us.  The way he looked at me, as if he wanted nothing more than to know me, made me feel alive.  It was almost as if he saw me, not a naked body in front of him.  Not that I hadn’t caught him checking out my rack a time or two, but still, it wasn’t the same way Fabio had checked me out.  He was discrete and sweet.  My hand almost touching his, I snapped it back.  “I won’t get you in trouble, will I?”

Luke grabbed my hand, not allowing me a chance to move away again.  

Independence Day.  Christmas.  Valentine’s Day.  New Year’s Eve.  Every holiday a girl loves because it makes fireworks go off inside her, well that’s how I felt at the touch of his hand.

“I’m not going to get in trouble.  I promise you.  I am, however, about to introduce to you this world you’ve entered tonight.  You came here looking for something, Red, and I want to help you find it.”

Luke tucked my arm in the crook of his and linked his fingers between mine.  They fit together like a perfect glove.  Being next to him felt amazing, and even though I felt exposed to the world in my nakedness, his being clothed seemed to make me feel a little more protected.  

“Okay,” I agreed, following him wherever he intended to lead me.

My grip on Luke’s arm tightened as we entered the first room at top of the stairs.  I had no idea what to expect.  Everywhere I looked, eyes were filled with desire.  The aroma of sex saturated the atmosphere.  Lust dripped from the seductive laughter that floated through the air.  A crescendo of ecstasy penetrated the room. Bodies—tight, hard, and wanton—pressed together in a mesh of sex and longing.

I leaned in closer to Luke, holding firm to him.  “Where are we?” I whispered, almost afraid to speak.  

“For our first stop, I thought it might be nice for you to get a taste of what’s in store.”  Luke extended his hand out toward the center of the room.  “This is where those who wish to watch or be watched come to indulge.”

A series of chaise lounges, of all different shapes, colors, and sizes, were scattered throughout the room.  Spotlights hovered over each chair while the rest of the room remained dimly lit.  Men and women, some coupled, some alone, occupied the units, surrounded by people watching as they reached their climax.

I covered my mouth, recognizing the scene.  This was something I’d read about in one of Sebastian’s books.  It had intrigued me that there were such people bold enough to allow their intimacy to be placed on display for other people’s pleasure.  Watching porn was one thing.  That was done in privacy, but this was out in the open for everyone to see and be seen.  “Voyeurism,” I breathed.  

Luke nodded.  “What do you see, Red?”

My eyes scanned the room, moving from chair to chair.  On one sat a somewhat handsome fellow, stroking his long, hard shaft for a group of men and women to see.  Each one appeared lost in the sheer movement of his body.  Their breaths hitched and their bodies became rigid with anticipation.  The man never took his eyes off of his observers.  I couldn’t help but feel as if he needed them watching him as much as they needed his climax.  

“I see want,” I answered.

“What else do you see?” Luke coaxed.

I continued to monitor the room until my focus finally landed on a couple toward the back.  The woman was stunning.  Her ebony skin glistened with sweat and her curly hair bounced to the rhythm of her body.  Beneath her was a halfway decent looking guy.  His brown hair was slick with sweat, and his dark green eyes worshiped the woman who was riding him for everything he was worth.  She leaned forward and kissed him long and deep.  Their tongues slithered together, mimicking the way his cock filled her tight hole.

His hands gripped her waist, lifting her up to where we could see the full length of his dick.  He wasn’t porn star large by any means, but I figured by the look on her face he felt good nonetheless.  A deep, guttural growl exploded from her as he slammed her back down.  I could hear their skin slapping together as she made contact with his hips.  I gasped with her at the sheer force of which he’d impaled her on his cock.

“Pleasure,” I finally responded, barely able to breathe.  

Men and women were packed in around us, watching these two.  No one made a sound.  They were completely focused on this beautiful woman and her conquest.

“Yes,” Luke agreed.  “Now, watch them.  It’s pure magic the way her body moves in perfect harmony with his.  To them, there is nothing more exciting or fulfilling than what they are doing in this exact moment.  They don’t need to share words because their bodies tell them everything they need to know.  This is primal.  Our very carnal nature on display through them.”

As he spoke, the man lifted the woman again, but this time, she stopped him from slamming her back down.  A coy smile appeared on his face as he watched her turn around to face their audience.  She didn’t react as if there were onlookers watching her every move.  Instead, she rubbed her slit along the tip of his cock before sliding back down his full length.  She leaned back, spreading her legs further open and began rubbing her cherry hard and fast as she continued to rock against him.  

My mouth salivated with an overwhelming sense of arousal.  The mere atmosphere affected me.  My stomach quaked with anticipation, and wetness coated my thighs.  I squeezed my legs together, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure building.  

I had no idea if these two knew each other outside of
Indulgence
, but I knew I envied them.  To be lost in sex like this had to be amazing.  To simply feel and be felt, without worry or concern, I couldn’t imagine anything more liberating.

The woman moved her hand down, leaving her clit to massage his balls instead.  The man sat up, pressing his chest into her back.  His hand moved around to her tits.  He tugged her nipples, rolling them between his fingertips.  A sweet gasp escaped the couple when he pinched both of her nipples at the same time she squeezed his testicles.  

Slowly, the man started kissing the woman’s shoulder, and my body exploded with need at the sight.  Every man I’d ever been with had treated me so delicately compared to how this man was handling this woman.  I wanted this.  I wanted to feel this kind of passion coursing through my veins.  The look on their faces, I needed that.  My hand clenched tight around Luke’s.  

“Breathe,” he purred in my ear.  At first I didn’t hear him.  I was lost in the way the man was now pushing back her dark curls and sucking her skin between his teeth.  

Luke released my hand and cupped the side of my face.  “Breathe,” he repeated, calm but commanding.  I looked up into his big, blue eyes, guarded by the mask he wore, and exhaled.  I’d not even realized I’d been holding my breath.  All I knew was that I was horny as fuck and needed a release of my own.

A smile teased Luke’s adorable mouth.  “That’s a good girl.  Now, relax.”

I rolled my shoulders and shook my hands out, attempting to do as requested.  That didn’t work.  The way that man held the woman’s stomach as he lifted her and impaled her over and over again on his cock had hypnotized me.  My body was a ball of nerves and sexual tension.  Watching this couple lose themselves in each other was probably the most erotic thing I’d ever experienced.  The smells and sounds of their sex intoxicated me.  I could almost taste their passion on my tongue.

“You need to relax.”

“I can’t,” I hissed, flustered and aggravated.  How was I supposed to relax when I wanted nothing more than to shove that woman off of that man and ride him for everything I was worth?  Better yet, I wanted to turn around to Luke, rip his blessed clothes off, and have my way with him.

“Addison,” my name fell off Luke’s tongue as if it were a sweet prayer.  I shivered with excitement at the sound.  His fingers slowly trailed down my arm to cover my hand.  I gasped as he took my hand and moved it to my pelvis.  He was careful not to touch anything more than my hand, but that was enough to flood me with desire.  “Touch yourself.”

“What?” I gasped.

Luke’s tongue darted out over his lips and that cocky grin I was growing quite fond of appeared.  “I said, relieve the pressure by touching yourself.”

I tried to pull my hand away.  It was one thing to get off by myself in the privacy of my own home, but it was something entirely different to do it here.  Hell, I wouldn’t even masturbate in my living room.  Poor Peppy never left the confines of my bedroom.  Luke was crazy if he thought I could touch myself here.  There were a good ten to fifteen people in this room.  I didn’t want them watching me like this couple was being watched.

“No one is watching you,” he reassured me, as if he’d read my mind.  “They’re lost in the beauty of this moment.  Listen.  Watch.  Smell.  Taste.  Feel.  Let them consume you, Red.  Get lost in the way your body feels as you take in their ecstasy.”

When I stood, unmoving, Luke leaned in closer, lightly brushing his lips against the shell of my ear as he murmured, “Close your eyes.”

Who was I to deny his request?  I closed my eyes and exhaled yet another held breath.  Damn, I was going to die of asphyxiation at this rate.

“Very good,” he purred in my ear.  “Now, slowly move your hand between your legs.”  I tensed up, but his hand moved over mine again, guiding me.  “Listen to her.  She’s shaking, losing herself in the moment.  You can feel that, too.  Just do as I say.”

Guided by his voice, I listened to the couple further.  I could hear her body convulse, quaking against the man.  The sound of her wetness pouring over him, their skin meeting, and their breathing was an erotic symphony being conducted for me.

My fingers started to circle my clit.  Slow at first, but then they began to increase in the speed and pressure.  I moved my middle finger along my slit, gathering my need and rubbing it all over my ache.  More and more, I caressed my clit until my own legs began to tremble with the rush of eroticism.  

“That’s it.  Let this consume you,” Luke breathed, his hand cupped over mine.  

As he spoke, the woman screamed in her release.  A rush of awe filled the room, but Luke was unrelenting.  His mouth moved against my ear as he softly commanded, “You’re nearly there. Such a beautiful sight.”

Hearing him call me beautiful sent a flood of want through my body.  I needed more.  Rubbing my clit wasn’t enough for me now.  I needed to be filled completely.  Soon, my fingers were thrusting hard and fast into my very depths.

“Luke,” I whimpered, aching for more.  

“That’s it, Red,” he encouraged.  

Just when I thought I could find my climax, I started to realize how close he really was.  I could feel his breath on my neck.  His hand had remained over mine the entire time, but never once did he slip.  He cupped my hand, guiding me, but never touched me further than that.  Instead of finding my release, I started to feel anger.  

I wanted his fingers inside me, not my own.  His long, masculine fingers were exactly what I needed to meet my release.  I tried to shake off the frustration that was now overwhelming me by refocusing on what I was doing.

My touch simply wasn’t enough.  I wanted, no, I
needed
more.

“Don’t stop.  You’re almost there.”

I squeezed my eyes closed and continued pushing my fingers in and out.  

What the fuck was happening!  I gritted my teeth and tried going back to rubbing my clit, but it was no use.  Not only had I lost the feeling, but I was going dry.  This wasn’t fair.  I needed this, yet I couldn’t reach a stupid orgasm.  Not for a lack of trying.  I let out an exasperated breath and moved my hand from my crotch.  

“What’s wrong?  Why’d you stop?”

My shoulders dropped and I covered my face with my hands.  The smell of my sex filled my nostrils, and all I could think of was how good my scent would smell on Luke.  “I can’t.”

“You can.  You were almost there.”

“No,” I persisted.  “Not like this.”

I opened my eyes to find Luke looking at me.  His face was full of conflicting emotions.  He licked his lips and tucked his hands in his pockets.  Moments passed without a word spoken between us.  There was no malice in his eyes, only concern and maybe a little intrigue.

“When you’re ready.” He finally broke the silence, brushing my hair back from my shoulder.

“Thank you,” I sighed.

Luke twirled a strand of my hair around his finger.  “C’mon.  We still have lots more to see.”

I nodded.  “Where to next?”

He lightly tugged my hair before releasing it.  “You know, I was thinking, your friend was wrong about you.  I think vanilla, as she put it, wouldn’t be any fun for you.  After all, you read Sebastian’s books, and there’s nothing vanilla about those.”

My laughter filled the room.  I covered my mouth, embarrassed by my outburst, but realized no one even turned to look at me.  They were all too captivated by their own sexual experiences to even pay attention to me.  I dropped my chin and lowered my voice.  “That’s quite true. Lead the way.”

Luke once again took my hand in his and led me out the door, back into the hallway.  If what he had in store for me was as exciting as what I’d just experience, I was certain that I would spontaneously combust.