Khalid laughed.
“You are such a bad girl. ” He kept his voice low. “I might have heard, in passing, that Matthew has to leave in about forty minutes to pick up another member at the airport. I suppose I could slip out and unlock that pesky door he’s taken to securing while he’s gone. ”
Excitement filled her veins.
“The minute he leaves, give me a call. I’m certain he’ll check my whereabouts before he dares to depart. ” She snorted. “He’s worse than Father’s guard dogs. ”
Khalid chuckled knowingly.
“I’ll be certain to let you know,” he promised. “Dress pretty for us though, it’s not often we’re blessed with such lovely company. And it may well come in handy when Ian finds you here. He’s partial, I believe, to the sight of that little belly ring. ”
Evidently, he wasn’t the only one.
“I’ll be certain to dress appropriately. ”
She disconnected the phone before rushing up the stairs, determined to make the best of this opportunity that had fallen her way. Ian had kept the Club completely out of bounds to her since he had taken her to his bed. Come to think of it, he had kept any sort of temptation into the darker side of his passions far out of her reach.
That darker side was what had drawn her to him as she matured. The infatuation of childhood had grown, strengthened, as had her assurance that Ian could meet the darker side of her own hungers. The ones that tormented her in the dead of night, even as she slept in his arms.
She loved him, regardless of his attempt to hold back. If she had thought for a moment he was doing so because that need wasn’t a part of their relationship then she would have let it go from the beginning. But she could feel it. She always had. As though a part of her soul was connected to his, binding them, fueling the sexuality and the hunger. And those darker urges were a part of it.
“Some men and women are born with deeper hungers, with a need to explore all facets of their sexuality,” her mother had explained when Courtney had gone to her, questioning the needs that tormented her, despite her innocence. “When the time is right, when you’ve found the man you can trust with that intimacy, Courtney, then the pleasure and that sharing is something that has no shame, no limits, and no second thoughts. But only if it’s right for you, and for him…”
There was no shame, no limits, no second thoughts. She would be more than willing to allow Ian to guide her through the learning process, to help her navigate the needs that tormented her.
And she knew he would relish the job. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in his touch. He grew more aroused with the thought of it, and each time he used the toys to play out the fantasies that tormented them both, the tension went higher as he grew more aroused.
After slamming the bedroom door behind her, she strode quickly to the closet and pulled out the outfit she had bought with this night in mind. The skirt was incredibly short, snug and indecent fiery-red. Red looked good on her.
The top was a button-up, vest-type that left her belly button bare and would allow the emerald to wink suggestively as the light hit the emerald that dangled from its tiny gold ring.
She stripped to bare skin as she rushed to the shower. She lathered, shaved, rinsed, dried and lotioned every part of her body until it shimmered with life. Her hair was pulled to the side and braided loosely, the nearly black strands a stark contrast for the red outfit.
Then she dressed.
Matching thong, no bra. She pulled on the skirt, adjusting the snug material at her hips and again just below her ass. The vest ended way above her belly button, flashing an indecent amount of flesh between the two, then she pushed her feet into matching spiked heels seconds before her cell phone beeped demandingly.
Checking the incoming number, she flipped the receiver open before bringing it to her ear.
“Your timing is perfect. ” She smiled as Khalid’s light chuckle came through the line.
“I’ll be waiting you at the doors, dearest,” he informed her smoothly. “My best guess is, we have perhaps an hour before Ian returns home and finds out where you are. Are you certain you’re prepared for the consequences?”
She rolled her eyes. That wasn’t even worth answering.
She disconnected, tossed the phone to the bed and moved quickly for her door once again. If she could have skipped in the slender heels, she would have. This was it. She could feel it burning through her body. Ian was already strung as tightly as her father’s guitar strings, all it would take was a nudge to push him over.
She knew she should feel guilty for manipulating him so. That she should fear the repercussions, and in many ways, she did. But she knew Ian. To the very bottom of her soul she knew him. If she allowed him to continue as he was, he would only convince himself further that she couldn’t possibly know what love was, and that there was no chance she could handle his appetites.
He was so stubborn. So certain that she needed to be protected. It wasn’t his protection she needed, it was his love. His acceptance.
Shaking her head, she slipped along the foyer until she came to the inner door that led to The Club. Opening it carefully, she moved into the dimly lit hall and made her way to the door that Ian had ordered be kept securely locked against her.
She turned the doorknob carefully, excitement surging through her as she opened the door.
“Ian will no doubt punish you terribly for this,” Khalid drawled from where he was leaning against the wall beside the doorway. “I can only hope he allows me to help. ” His gaze became brooding. “I’m going to enjoy paddling your ass, Courtney. ”
She flashed him a brilliant smile, her hand lifting to play with the braid that fell over her shoulder, affecting an innocent expression despite the sexual intensity thrumming through her.