Samair dashed across the small apartment, dripping water and cursing as she dove for the ringing phone on the bed. She was in the shower when it started ringing, and normally she’d leave it, but she’d actually started to get some calls in response to the cards all the dancers were handing out and she wasn’t taking a chance on missing an order.
“Samair speaking,” she said breathlessly.
The first time a call came in from a client there’d been a misunderstanding when Samair had just answered with hello. After saying it was the wrong number, they hung up and called back, then asking if this was Trouble Designs. But answering the phone by saying Trouble also hadn’t gone over so well when her mother had called.
“Samair, it’s Val.”
Warmth swept through her at his deep voice. “Hi, Val. How are you doing today?”
“Good. Listen, I have a proposition for you. Can I drop by your office in a couple of hours?”
Her office? She looked around the small apartment, her sewing machine was set up on the kitchen table, the half dressed sewing dummy was blocking the television, and bolts of fabric were stacked up along the far wall. “Uhmm, sure. I work out of the apartment right now, so you can come by anytime.”
She gave him the address and they hung up. Flopping over on the bed she wondered what to wear for his visit. The idea of him having a proposition for her that wasn’t covered in the casual lover arrangement they’d made had her very intrigued.
By the time the buzzer rang for the security door downstairs a couple of hours later, Samair had dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a knit T-shirt and cleaned up the apartment. It was still small and crowded, but there was really no way around that. She buzzed him up and concentrated on some deep breathing. Just knowing she was going to see him had her body readying itself for a good time.
She swung open the door and tried not to drool at the sight coming up the stairs.
Black leather covered him from head to toe. A straight-fit jacket hung open from his broad shoulders to his trim waist, and heavy chaps covered him from the waist to ankle. Heavy boots completed the look.
She’d never found boots so sexy before.
“You look hungry, little girl,” said the big bad wolf when he was directly in front of her.
She tilted her head back and met his heated gaze. “Oh yeah.”
Humor and heat combined to make his eyes swirl like melted chocolate. His mouth lifted at one corner and he brushed against her slowly as he stepped into the apartment.
Oh Lord. She eyed the way the leather of the chaps framed his perfect denim-covered ass and swallowed a moan. She was in trouble.
Setting the little skull cap he carried down on the island counter that separated the kitchen from the rest of the unit, he turned and looked back at her. “Are you coming in?”
She gave her head a shake and grinned at him before shutting the door. “Sorry. I had to take a minute to drool over your ass.”
His laugh filled the room as he shook his head. “You’re something else, you know?”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment.” She sauntered past him and perched on a kitchen stool.
“It was meant as one.”
She reached out, slipped her fingers under his leather belt and tugged him closer. Only he resisted.
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his belt. “I have a proposition for you.”
“I have one for you, too.” She winked and reached for him again.
“Not that kind of proposition.” He stepped out of her reach and deeper into the living room.
When did she develop a leather fetish? All she could think about while Val checked out the space was how hot he would look with no jacket, no shirt, his hair down and those yummy leather chaps. They might be perfect for riding a Harley, but they really made her want to stretch out flat eagle on any surface and scream “Ride me!”
All he’d have to do was unzip his pants.
Her insides heated and her nipples hardened to the point of pain while she imagined the feel of that worn leather rubbing against her inner thighs, her hands smoothing over it to get to his perfect ass and clutching him to her while he pumped away.
“It’s about your designing.”
Her spine snapped straight. Huh? “What about my designing?”
He’d stopped in front of the sewing dummy and was fingering the stretch lace teddy she’d been pinning together. He gave her a look that said he knew where her mind had been before continuing. “Did you get any bites from when you were handing out cards at the club last week?”
“A couple.”
“Would you be interested in doing a show of your work at the club?”
“Like a fashion show?”
He planted his hands on his hips and gazed at her steadily. “Yeah.”
A fashion show at Risqué? What a freaking fabulous idea!
“I’d love to!” She jumped off the stool and rushed at him, talking a mile a minute. “I have some great ideas for more dancer’s outfits, and even some Goth style—”
“Not a clothing show,” he said quickly, cutting her off. “A lingerie one. In particular—fetish wear. Sort of like the PVC outfit you wore to my place the other day. You could have some of the softer stuff, but mainly, the kinkier the better.”
Something wasn’t right. It just seemed too easy to have the opportunity to showcase her brand new business at one of the hottest clubs in town. “Why are you doing this?”
“Your outfit inspired me the other day. You made it, right?” She nodded and he took off his jacket off before dropping onto the loveseat. Lounging back against the corner he looked up at her with an unreadable expression. “I think you’re good at what you do, and this could be a good thing for us both.”
“Exactly how is it good for you? There’s something you’re not telling me and I need you to be honest with me.”
“Sit.” He patted the cushion next to him.
She settled onto the loveseat and waited. When he leaned forward the scent of man and leather tickled her nose and she tried desperately to not think about having the bad boy biker tie her up and lick her all over.
Val’s gut clenched. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t tell Samair what she wanted to hear. He’d opened up to a woman once before, and that was what had gotten him into this predicament in the first place.
He looked into her soft baby blues and steeled himself. “It’s a business proposition, that’s all. I’ll provide the place and the promotions, you provide the product and the models, and we both make some money.”
The wheels were turning in her head, he could almost see them. She was smart. She knew there was more to it than what he’s said, but she was also thinking about how good it would be for her. He liked that.
“When will the show be?”
“Next weekend. That’s ten days to get it all set up, plenty of time.”
“Ten days! I need longer than that to design a whole line of lingerie. Especially a specialized line like you mentioned.” Her cheeks pinkened. “I don’t know anything about fetish wear really.”
Blood rushed south and his cock swelled. Her blush made him want to do dirty things to her. “I have to work tonight, but if you meet me at Risqué around midnight, I can take you to one of the underground clubs for a bit. You can see what sort of outfits people in the lifestyle wear and what they like. As for knowing the stuff, I want your take on it, not anyone else’s. Like the bra and shorts you wore the other day. Very simple for fetish wear, but damn hot, and not like the stuff I’ve seen before. It has to be unique to sell for the prices we’re going to set.”
Her eyes brightened. “The stuff you’ve seen before?”
He chuckled. His little wild child was getting hot. “I’ve been to the club before. Although it’s really not my thing, I’m sure you’ll see some things that will…inspire you.”
A naughty smile lifted her lips as she crawled across the small space between them and straddled his lap. “I see something that inspires me right now.”
She lowered her head and slanted her mouth across his. Her little tongue probed and he parted his lips, letting her invade. The scent of pure woman tickled his nose and Samair’s unique flavor had him clutching her hips and pulling her closer.
One hand cupped her ass while the other slid up her rib cage and found soft plump breast topped with a cherry hard nipple.
He moaned, tearing his mouth away from hers to bury it in her neck. He nibbled and licked at the taut skin of her exposed neck and reached for the hem of her T-shirt.
“Can I join in?”
Samair tensed in his arms and his movements stalled.
“Hey, Joey,” Samair said huskily, looking over his shoulder with heavy lidded eyes before gazing at him closely.
He couldn’t see the newcomer, but he could feel her presence close behind him, and the look in Samair’s eyes wasn’t telling him anything. Was she into threesomes? Shit, was she into women? He’d seen the two girls dance together, but women teased and taunted on the dance floor all the time so he’d thought nothing of it.
There was a rustling noise behind him. Joey.
“Val?” Samair said softly.
He gave a small shake of his head and smacked her on the ass. “This was supposed to be a business stop only. If I’m going to take you to the Dungeon tonight I have to go do some work now. Maybe another time.”
She slid off his lap and he stood to leave. He’d had a couple of threesomes before, and they weren’t that great. Sure, it was hot to watch two women make out, but when naked, he preferred one woman, focused completely on him.
Samair watched Val say good-bye to Joey and saunter out the door. The minute the door closed Joey turned to her with a giggle. “Who’d have thought an offer for a threesome would scare that man away?”
Samair waved her hand. She didn’t think the idea of a threesome scared Val. She didn’t think the idea of anything scared Val. He’d come by with a business proposition, and that was what had happened.
“Oh, oh! Guess why he was here?”
Joey wiped the corner of her mouth with a fingertip. “Sorry, gotta wipe the drool off. You two were so fucking hot I’m on fire just watching you.”
Samair fought a blush, which was silly because it wasn’t like Joey had never seen her have sex before. A threesome in college was what had started their own short-lived affair. She waved the thoughts of sex away. “He asked me to put on a lingerie show at Risqué!”
Joey’s jaw dropped.
Samair grabbed her by the arms and started jumping up and down. She couldn’t contain herself any longer.
“A show, Joey. In the club. He said it’ll be a private event, like an auction. He’ll do all the promotions and bring in the buyers, all I have to do is supply the lingerie and the models.” She stopped dead. “You’ll model for me right? You and Tara and Kelly? Will Jason and Rob be into it too? I might need a couple more, too, the five of you might not be enough. I have to get busy. I need more outfits.”
Her brain was zipping along a mile a minute. So much to think about, so much to do.
“Of course we’ll model for you. This is gonna be awesome. Trouble will rock the club!”
Samair spun around on her heel. “I need to raid your closet. Have you ever heard of the Dungeon? I’m supposed to go there tonight with Val.”
“The Dungeon?” Joey followed her into the bed area. “Sammie honey, that’s a sex club.”
Clothing thoughts fled and images of couples in all sorts of positions filled her head. Her tummy clenched and her sex throbbed. “Really?”
“Yeah. I never knew you were so into kink. Although that certainly explains the dangerous air around Valentine. And why there’s never any gossip about him and women around the club.” She tilted her head a little, her eyes wide with laughter and intrigue. “Why didn’t you tell me he was a fetish freak? What’s your fetish? Sammie, you have changed.”
Samair smacked her in the arm and laughed. “I don’t have any fetishes. Shit, I barely even know what fetishes are.” Panic hit. “Joey. Talk to me. I don’t want to look like a complete innocent tonight.”
“Honey, a complete innocent doesn’t bend over and let a guy she barely knows fuck her in the back room of a nightclub.”
She wouldn’t blindfold him and search out all his erogenous zones, either. She’d been living by the seat of her pants for almost two weeks, and she’d never been so happy. Things were going good. She just needed to keep moving forward.
No fear.