Temptation (Club X #1)(43)
Author: K.M. Scott

She gave me my out. I should have taken it. I knew that. I also knew I hadn’t met a woman like her before, and I liked how she made me feel when I let her in.

“I can’t promise forever, Olivia. I will promise to only be with you as long as we’re together.”

Pursing her lips, she considered what I’d said and finally nodded her head. “I guess for someone like you that’s pretty big. It’s a deal.”

I lowered her to the floor and cradled her face in my hands. “Not really. I haven’t been with anyone else for a while. There’s something about you I can’t seem to shake, Olivia. Makes being with other women hard.”

She flashed me one of her stunning smiles and traced her finger across the tattoo on my chest. “Then I guess it’s my job to make that impossible.”

* * *

I stood in Olivia’s office doorway waiting for her as the club behind me began to fill up. A typical Friday night at Club X, it was anything but a typical night for me. Tonight would be the first time Olivia and I appeared in public as a couple after our breakthrough just six days before. As I ran through every reason why this was another in a long line of my bad ideas concerning her, she emerged from the conference room dressed in a short black dress that hugged every beautiful curve and four inch heels that made her legs look like they went on for miles.

“Wow…you look stunning.”

She walked toward me on shaky legs and looked down at her feet as she stopped in front of me. “They’re a little higher than I usually go for. I don’t think I’ll be dancing tonight.”

Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled her toward me and kissed her on the lips. “I hadn’t planned on us dancing anyway. I had something else in mind.”

“Something else? Like what?”

“Another visit to the top floor.”

Her expression turned skeptical. “Really? I thought I was too good for that.”

I gently gripped her chin between my thumb and forefinger and lifted it to look into her eyes. “You’re too good to simply fuck in a fantasy room. You’re perfect to spend some time alone with there, though. I thought it might be fun. Maybe see some more of the dancers.”

Flashing me another of her gorgeous smiles, she ran her hands over my shoulders. “By the way, you look incredible. I don’t know how you do it, but you have a way of making a black dress shirt look so hot.”

Pressing my lips to hers, I slid my tongue inside her mouth, loving the feel of her in my arms. That conference room just a few feet away looked like a much better idea than spending time out in the bar, but Olivia pulled away just as I’d decided to go for another round on the mahogany table.

“Time to go. Our first public appearance awaits.”

Even though we’d talked about this for days, suddenly the idea of dealing with Stefan and his questions or worse, his comments about my personal life, seemed like the worst idea I’d had in a long time. I’d worked hard to keep my personal life private, but now I was about to upend all that work to show Olivia how much I wanted to be with her.

The rhythm of the music pounded through the club, matching our steps as Olivia and I walked toward the bar, my hand pressed lightly on the small of her back to guide her. The room teemed with people, but the crowd fell away to make room for us to pass. I spied Stefan do a double-take when he saw us, and instinctively I tightened my arm around Olivia’s waist.

She looked more stunning than every other woman in the place when she turned to look at me confused about my sudden possessiveness, her big brown eyes staring up at me as if to ask, “Is something wrong?”

Stefan beat a path to us, pushing past people on his way to where we stood. Pulling me toward the end of the bar, he said in my ear, “How long have you been with Olivia?”

I simply stared at him, amazed he thought he should ask anything about my personal life even now. He saw he wasn’t going to get any information from me, so he turned on the charm and leaned down to say in Olivia’s ear, “I see you let yourself get comfortable here. Good for you!”

Unaware of my past with my brother, she beamed a smile up at him. “Thanks!”

“So what are you two planning tonight?” he asked over the music. Before we could escape, his buddy Jake sidled up next to him with a look that screamed he couldn’t believe his eyes. For a friend of Olivia’s, he didn’t look too friendly.

“What’s up, Liv? I didn’t think this was your type of scene.”

“Hi Jake! Long time, no see,” Olivia chirped sweetly at the jackass.

He hadn’t said twenty words and already I hated Jake Richfield. His gelled dirty blond hair and cheap ass watch and clothes made me want to knock him flat on his ass. My hold on Olivia tightened even further until she was pressed right to my body. Prying his stare off my date, he looked me dead in the eyes as if we were close friends and asked, “What’s up, Cassian?”

Olivia looked up at me, and I gave her a tiny smile. “See you later, Stefan. Have a good night. Looks like the crowd is great tonight.”

I didn’t give him or his asshole friend a chance to answer or continue the conversation. Taking Olivia’s hand in mine, I led her to the stairs and we made our way up to the fantasy rooms. Kane stood guard at his usual place at the end of the hall with one of his rare smiles on his face.

Leaning down, I whispered low in Olivia’s ear, “Wait for me in room ten. I’ll be there in a minute.”

As I watched her walk down the hallway, I heard Kane say behind me, “So that’s why you reserved a room. I wondered what was up.”

Olivia entered room ten and closed the door. I turned to face Kane, hoping he’d be a little more mature than Stefan. I needed a brother who could act like an adult now. “Thanks for not saying anything to Stefan. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Olivia’s a sweet girl. She’s good for you, and since she’s obviously okay with the whole Rachel thing, I have to give her credit.”

I looked away to avoid Kane’s stare. “She doesn’t know about Rachel.”

And in just those few words was the very problem that haunted every minute I spent with Olivia. Until that moment, I hadn’t said them out loud, only allowing them to exist in my mind and torment me. I knew it was wrong not to tell her, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to explain that part of my past.

“That’s not good, Cash. Women don’t like finding out the man they’re falling for still has a wife.”