Entwined With You

the bar and waited for an opening to ask for Pellegrino and the phone. I dialed Gideon’s cell number, since it was the one I had memorized. I figured it was safe since I was calling from a public place he owned.
    “Cross,” he answered briskly.
    “Hi, ace.” I leaned into the bar and covered my other ear with my hand. “I’m drunk-dialing you.”
    “I can tell.” His voice changed for me, slowed and grew warm. It captivated me even over the music. “Are you having a good time?”
    “Yes, but I miss you. Did you take your vitamins?”
    He had a smile in his voice when he asked, “Are you horny, angel?”
    “It’s your fault! This club is like Viagra. I’m hot and sweaty and dripping in pheromones. And I’ve been a bad girl, you know. Dancing like I’m single.”
    “Bad girls get punished.”
    “Maybe I should be really bad, then. Make the punishment worth it.”
    He growled. “Come home and be bad with me.”
    The thought of him at home, ready for me, made me even more eager for him. “I’m stuck here ’til the girls are done, which looks to be a while.”
    “I can come to you. Within twenty minutes, you could have my cock inside you. Do you want that?”
    I glanced around the club, my entire body vibrating with the hard-driving music. Imagining him here, fucking me in this no-holds-barred place, made me squirm with anticipation. “Yes. I want that.”
    “Do you see the skywalk?”
    Turning around, I looked up and saw the suspended walkway hugging the walls. Dancers dry-fucked to the music from twenty feet above the dance floor. “Yes.”
    “There’s a section where it wraps around a mirrored corner. I’ll meet you there. Be ready, Eva,” he ordered. “I want your cunt naked and wet when I find you.”
    I shivered at the familiar command, knowing it meant he’d be rough and impatient.
Just what I wanted.
“I’m wearing a—”
    “Angel, a crowd of millions couldn’t hide you from me. I found you once. I’ll always find you.”
    Longing seared my veins. “Hurry.”
    Reaching over to replace the receiver on the business side of the bar, I grabbed my mineral water and drank until the bottle was empty. Then I headed to the bathroom, where I waited in line forever in order to get ready for Gideon. I was giddy with booze and excitement, so thrilled that my boyfriend—arguably one of the busiest men in the world—would drop everything to … service me.
    I licked my lips, shifting on my feet.
    I hurried through the ladies’ room to a stall, ditching my panties before hitting the sink and mirror to freshen up with a damp napkin. Most of my makeup had melted off, leaving me with smudged eyes and cheeks reddened by heat and exertion. My hair was a mess, both wildly mussed and wet around my face.
    Oddly, I didn’t look half bad. I looked sexual and ready.
    Lacey was in line and I stopped by her as I inched my way through the crowded bathroom threshold.
    “Having fun?” I asked her.
    “Yeah!” She grinned. “Thanks for introducing me to your cousin.”
    I didn’t bother to correct her. “You’re welcome. Can I ask you something? About Michael?”
    Shrugging, she said, “Go for it.”
    “You went out with him first. What didn’t you like about him?”
    “No chemistry. Good-looking guy. Successful. Sadly, I didn’t want to fuck him.”
    “Toss him back,” the girl next in line interjected.
    “I did.”
    “Okay.” I could totally respect not progressing with a relationship lacking sexual heat, but I was still bothered by the situation. I didn’tlike seeing Megumi so bummed. “I’m going to go grind against some hot guy.”
    “Hit it, girl,” Lacey said with a nod.
    I took off in search of the stairs to the skywalk. I found them guarded by a bouncer policing the number of bodies allowed to venture up. There was a line and I eyed it with dismay.
    As I debated how much of a delay I was facing, the bouncer unfolded his powerful arms from across his chest and pressed his earpiece deeper into his ear with one hand, clearly focusing on whatever was being relayed through his receiver. He could have been Samoan or Maori, with dark caramel skin, a shaved head, and massive barrel chest and biceps. He had a baby face and was downright adorable when his fierce scowl was replaced by a wide grin.
    His hand dropped away from his ear and he crooked a finger at me. “You Eva?”
    I nodded.
    He reached behind him and unhooked the velvet rope blocking the stairway. “Head on up.”
    A