I smiled at her, wondering if I was just imagining the innuendo in Vincent's words. “Pleased to meet you, Felice.”
Her dark eyes looked over me as she smiled and I had the distinct feeling that I was being mentally undressed. Something told me I was going to have to watch out for this one. She looked like the kind of woman who was used to getting what she wanted, and if she wanted me, I'd have my hands full.
“Pleasure,” she said. “I look forward to know you.”
“Likewise,” I said.
“She doesn't speak much English,” Vincent said. “But she knows all of the important words, don't you?”
“Yes,” she said, not protesting when Vincent's hand rested on the back of her neck for a moment.
“And this,” he turned to the other woman, “is Marguerite. She's Felice's best friend slash entourage slash assistant. They go everywhere together.” He brushed back some auburn hair from Marguerite's face. “And they do everything together. Isn't that right, girls?”
And there was that innuendo again.
“Yes, we do,” Marguerite said. Her eyes flicked to me and she gave a polite smile, but I didn't see any of the admiration in them that I saw with Felice. Until her gaze turned to the other woman. Unless I was mistaken, Marguerite had a crush on her friend. Maybe more.
“I'm Felice's manager,” Vincent explained. “And once the club opens, Felice and performers like her will be the entertainment.”
“In more ways than one,” Felice added in her thickly accented English.
I caught a flash of annoyance on Marguerite's eyes and then it disappeared.
“She's quite the entertainer,” Vincent said before he called over a waiter.
I wasn't sure which was worse, listening to Vincent imply that he'd had sex with both women or that neither woman protested his comments. I hoped we'd get down to business soon as I had no desire to hear anything about Vincent's sex life, but as the brunch progressed, it became obvious that Vincent was the kind of guy who preferred to lead with pleasure and business came last.
I focused on eating my bouillabaisse and hoped he didn't notice I was being rather quiet. Neither of the women talked very much either, but I felt Felice's eyes on me the entire time and whenever I'd look up, she'd be staring. Before Carrie and I had gotten together, I would've enjoyed the attention. Hell, Felice was the kind of woman I might have taken for a ride around the block a couple times. But things were different now and I found myself wishing that she'd turn her attention back to Vincent.
It was a relief when she and Marguerite excused themselves to the restroom. At least I'd have a few minutes of being left alone with Vincent.
“What do you think?” Vincent asked as soon as the women were out of earshot. “Aren't they a hot pair of asses?”
I gave him a tight smile.
“Everyone knows Marguerite has a thing for Felice,” he said, confirming my suspicions. He winked at me. “Makes it that much easier to get them both in bed. Marguerite will do anything for the chance to eat that pussy.”
I stared at him.
“What do you say?” Vincent asked. “When we're done eating, let's head back to my hotel. You and I can watch the girls go at it and then take turns with them. I don't mind sharing.”
Making sure my voice didn’t sound judgmental, I said, “No thanks. I'm just here for business.”
Vincent scowled. “Business is boring. Why do you think I want to start a sex club? That's exciting. Today should be about fun.”
“It is fun, I’m enjoying getting to know you better.” I tried for an easy smile and a change of subject. “I want to hear more about your vision for the club. When can we see the building so I can get started on some ideas.”
Vincent leaned back in his seat, his expression clearly stating that he didn't like that I wasn't going to join him in a foursome. I wondered if he even remembered Carrie had come with me or if he thought a pretty face and hot body would be all I needed to cheat. Maybe he thought because we ran a sex club, we were in an open relationship. I made a mental note to be careful with Carrie around Vincent. I wasn't sure I'd be able to control my temper if he propositioned her.
“We're scheduled to see the site tomorrow,” he said, then looked around. “Now, I hope this isn't too much mixing business with pleasure for you, but there's a big music conference in town this week. That's why it's so crowded.”
I felt Felice's hand trail along my shoulder as she passed by on the way to her seat. I stiffened, but didn't shrug her off. I didn't want to offend her, not if she was going to be performing at the club.
“Tonight's the biggest party of the week,” Vincent continued. “I want you to come. It's a huge hip-hop artist throwing it and it'll be a great time to mingle with the celebrities. Make connections.”
He was right, I knew. Making connections was important in this business. “Sounds great,” I said. “I'll be there.” Besides, Carrie liked music. She would enjoy it.
“You come?” Felice asked.
“Sure,” I said. “And I hope to see you there.” I smiled at Marguerite to include her as well. “It'll be nice to get to know you better.”
Vincent looked pleased at that and I breathed a sigh of relief that I'd salvaged the brunch. The last thing I needed right now was for things to go south on this deal.
Chapter 12
Gavin
By the time I got back to the hotel, I was more than ready for an afternoon of just me and Carrie. It had been too long since we'd had any real alone time. We'd need to be back at the hotel before six to make sure we were ready for the party at seven, but when most of our time together had been measured by just an hour or two, nearly six hours seemed like a luxury.
“How'd the meeting go?” Carrie asked as soon as I entered our room.
“Let's not talk business,” I said as I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around her. The meeting had left me with a bad taste in my mouth and all I wanted to do was be with her. I'd work with Vincent, but it didn't mean I had to like him. Maybe it was better that way. Howard had pretended to be my friend and I'd let that blind me for longer than I cared to remember.
“Okay,” she said. “So what do you want to talk about?” She put her arms around my neck and looked up at me.
“How about how amazing you look in that dress?” I captured her mouth before she could say anything. Her fingers twisted in the hair at the base of my neck as I nibbled at her lips, forcing myself to be gentle when what I really wanted to do was make her cry out. Bite down, then soothe the bruised flesh with my tongue, suck it into my mouth... I pulled back and smiled down at her. “Now, what do you say we go shopping?”
She returned the smile. “You're probably one of the few straight men in the world to ever utter that line.”
I laughed and released her. She went to get her purse and I watched her go. I really did love that dress. The color was perfect on her and it was just right for walking around Cannes, but I wanted to get her into something sexy. The memory of her in various outfits she'd worn at the beginning of our relationship flipped through my mind. I never wanted her to feel like I didn't love who she was, but I sometimes thought she didn't give herself enough credit, especially when it came to how amazing she looked in designer clothes.
“Lead the way,” she said as she hooked her arm through mine.
If I had to describe a perfect afternoon, this would've been it. The sun was shining and the temperature hovered around sixty degrees. A light breeze came in off the ocean, just enough to keep the sun from being too hot. People were out and about, but the sidewalks weren't even close to as crowded as they normally were back home.
“Where are we going?” she asked after a few minutes.
“La Croisette,” I answered. “It'll take us right along the waterfront and we can see the yachts while we shop. There's also places where celebrities have put their handprints in the cement.”
She wrapped her other arm around mine and leaned her head on my shoulde
r. My heart gave a skip. I loved this woman so much that it hurt sometimes, especially when I thought about how far apart we'd drifted. It was foolish to think that a day of shopping could fix everything, but maybe it could at least make things better.
I lost track of time as we walked, letting myself enjoy the weather and the company. Palm trees, clear blue sky...all the things I needed to forget about the busy lives we'd left behind.
“Hey, babe, is that...?” Carrie's voice was low. I followed where she was looking and saw a familiar face. Even if she hadn't been sporting blue hair once more, the entourage would've clued anyone in that this was a celebrity out and about.
“She must be in town for the music festival.”
“There's a music festival?” Carried glanced up at me.
I nodded. “Vincent told me earlier. He thinks it'd be a good idea for us to go to a party tonight. I forgot about it.” I kissed the top of her head. “You distracted me.”
She titled her head up for a quick kiss. “That sounds great, but I'm definitely going to need a new dress then. If I'm representing the club in front of all those celebrities, I can't go dressed like this.”
“You'd be gorgeous in a potato sack,” I insisted. “But I'd definitely love to see you in something with some slink.”
“Then let's head up there.” She gestured toward a plaza with a large metal sculpture in the center. “I'll bet those are some pricey shops.” She winked at me and then grinned.
I decided right then that I didn't care how much whatever dress she wanted cost. Price wasn't going to be an object this week. If the business deal flopped and we had to discuss a change to finances at some point, fine, but for right now, there would be no limit.
A rush of cool air hit us as we walked in and a pair of finely dressed sales women immediately greeted us. Carrie glanced at me and I smiled.
“Surprise me,” I said.
As the sales women began their pitches, I headed toward the couch in the center of the store. Another husband or boyfriend was already sitting there. We exchanged the nods of men who had resigned themselves to spending as much time as necessary waiting for the women in our lives to find the perfect dress.
I checked my phone while I waited, but there weren't any messages from Vincent. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I'd gotten the impression that he'd been a little annoyed at me for not wanting to play this morning, and that made me a bit nervous about our deal since we hadn't officially signed anything. I just hoped, in his case, no news was good news.
I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the other man's wife had come out in two different dresses before Carrie emerged. Taking her time had paid off. It was perfect. A deep crimson – my favorite color on her – it complemented her skin tone perfectly. The neckline was plunging, far more daring than anything I would've imagined her choosing for herself. My mouth went dry as my eyes followed it down between her firm breasts until it ended at the base of her ribcage. The simple tie top kept her shoulders bare and, as she turned, her back as well. That part of the dress exposed everything down to the base of her spine, confirming that she wasn't wearing a bra. I shifted in my seat and tried to will away the beginnings of an erection. Unfortunately, the hemline barely covering her ass and the fabric clinging to her body didn't help. Then there were the six-inch matching heels.
Fuck me.
“I believe he approves.” One of the sales women smiled at Carrie.
I nodded. “He most definitely does.” My voice was hoarse. I stood and hoped I wasn't as hard as I felt. I reached into my pocket and withdrew my credit card.
As we left the shop, Carrie was beaming.
“Did you really like it?” she asked.
I gave her an incredulous look. “Are you kidding me? It was all I could do not to take you on the couch right there.”
She reached over and took my hand. Her arm bumped against mine as she moved closer. “I know we have this party to go to, but do you think we have some time?”
I raised an eyebrow, hoping she meant what I thought.
Color rose in her cheeks. “Do we have time for a quickie?”
I squeezed her hand as blood rushed south. “Hell yes,” I answered immediately. As I realized what time it was, however, I had to add, “But I think it'll have to be in the shower. We're cutting it close.”
“Then we better hurry,” Carrie said as she quickened her pace. “We don't want a repeat of the airplane.”
No, I silently agreed with her. I most certainly didn't want that.
Chapter 13
Carrie
From the moment I'd seen the look in Gavin's eyes when he saw me in that dress, I knew there was no way I was going to go to some party without fucking him first. The insatiable appetite I'd once had for him had come back with a vengeance, and I was going to feed it.
As soon as we got back to our room, I put my purchases – including some new panties he hadn't seen yet – in the bedroom while Gavin went to warm up the shower. I then immediately stripped and headed into the bathroom. My stomach was twisting into knots as I went. One of the things I'd had turning over in my head all afternoon was how to approach this whole change in our sex lives. It had been when I'd suggested the quickie that I'd decided the best way to do it. And I wasn't going to wait.
Gavin pushed open the sliding glass door and held out his hand. As he backed into the shower, taking me with him, I let my gaze wander. No matter how many times I saw him naked, he still took my breath away. His body was like a work of art, a sculpture of male perfection. His chest and abs were defined, not from being too thin or because he was bulky. His waist and hips were proportioned to the rest of him and those deep v-grooves pointed to the most exquisite piece of flesh I'd ever known.
He was only half-hard and already bigger than average. I swallowed hard and knew exactly how to begin. The warm spray beat down on me, soaking my hair and caressing my body. Gavin's eyes darkened as they traveled over me, then widened as I went down on my knees. The tile was hard and still cool against my skin. I looked up at him as I put my hands behind my back. The position pushed my breasts out, but I knew that wasn't the only reason he'd caught his breath.
“Carrie?” He breathed my name as a question.
I reached out and took his hand, guiding it to the back of my head. Once it was there, I clasped my hands behind my back again. I watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed and then my eyes flicked down to his cock. It was fully erect now, meaning he didn't really need my mouth on him to get us where we needed to go, but I wanted him to do it anyway.
He moved forward, pulling my head toward him at the same time. The tip of his cock brushed against my lips and I opened my mouth. My tongue darted out, swirling around the tip. We didn't have time to make this last, but I wanted a taste. Then he was pushing his cock forward, sending the thick shaft sliding across my tongue until he almost reached the back of my throat.
I looked up at him from under my lashes and found that he was staring at me. The intensity in his gaze made me shiver despite the heat of the shower. His fingers tightened in my hair, sending little pinpricks of pain through my scalp. I moaned and my pussy throbbed. I'd forgotten how good that felt.
Too soon, he was pulling back. When I didn't stand, he pulled me to my feet. His eyes met mine and I could see there was a question he wasn't sure how to ask. I kept our gazes locked and backed up until I was against the wall. Then, without a word, I held out my hands, my wrists crossed over each other. When he wrapped his hand around them, I nodded.
He groaned as he pinned my hands above my head and pressed his body against mine. His free hand moved under my thigh, lifting my leg around his hip. My heel rested against his ass, allowing me to feel the flex of muscle as he drove into me.
I keened, my entire body shaking with the sudden force of the intrusion. The second stroke was just as intense and I cried out again, this time, forcing it into a single word so he would know not to stop.
?
??Yes!”
Again and again he thrust into me, making me feel every inch of him. My fingers curled and flexed, wanting to touch him, needing to find some sort of outlet for the sensations coursing through me. But he held me tight, refusing to give me that respite. He swiveled his hips, grinding the base of his cock against my clit.
“Gavin!” I writhed against him, desperate for something I couldn't put into words. All I knew was that I was going to explode, that this pressure inside me was going to be too much very soon.
“Come for me,” he panted. “Come for me, baby.”
I whimpered. I wanted to do as he said. I needed it. But I couldn't quite get there. And then his mouth was on my breast, his teeth and lips worrying at the soft flesh until I knew I'd have a mark. A mark that would be visible in my new dress. A mark that would show everyone that I belonged to him.
He gently pulled on my nipple with his teeth and I came. His arms moved to wrap around my waist, holding me tight as he thrust up into me twice more, then stilled, buried deep inside me. He pressed his face against the side of my neck and I felt the heat of every shuddering breath as he came. His muscles trembled under my hands as I ran them down his back.
After a minute, he pulled back, a reluctant expression on his face. “We need to clean up and get dressed. Besides, I have another surprise for later.”
“A surprise, huh?”
He looked down at me, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. “Yes, and I hope you’ll like it.” He swatter my ass. “But for now, we better hurry.”
As much as I wanted to explore what had just happened, I knew we didn't have the time. We washed in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I didn't know what had Gavin so preoccupied, but I was thinking about how much I'd enjoyed what we'd done. I'd liked giving him that control. The feel of his fingers circling my wrists, restraining me, had twisted something inside me that hadn't made itself known since the beginning of our relationship. And judging by his reaction, he'd liked what we'd done too. We may not have had the time now, but I was more resolved than ever to have a discussion with him about why he didn't do those things anymore.