Ça y est!he thought.That’s enough!
Grasping her by the upper arm, he led her away from the dance floor, to a round of ironic cheers from their audience. Sienna gave Naisha the thumbs-up as she turned to head back upstairs to meet the others.
William discovered he was grinding his teeth. There were too many people in here. Too many pairs of eyes. He spotted a man in a black suit and tie who wore a name tag clipped to his lapel.
“You the manager?” he demanded.
“Assistant man—”
“I need to book a private room.”
Naisha stared at him, her beautiful brown eyes wide. He silenced her with a look.
“Of course, sir. What size? Is it for a banquet or a small party?”
“I don’t give a crap.”
The guy looked flustered. “If you want to step into my office, we can fill out the forms—”
William’s money clip came out, and he extracted several hundred-pound notes from it, shoving the handful of them at the man. “I’d say we were booked.”
The man clenched the fistful of notes to his chest and pointed down the hallway with his chin. “I’d say you are.”
Not relinquishing his grip on Naisha’s arm, William shoved open the door and in they went.
“What the hell!” she exploded as he gave the door a vicious kick to shut it and then rammed the lock into place.
He rounded on her. “What the hell, me? What the hell, you! Why are you walking around in,” he gestured at the slip of a dress she was wearing, “inthat, and dancing the way you were on the floor? All those men were watching.”
She shot back. “Men watch me all the time.”
He groaned in frustration, knowing that he was still painfully aroused, and there she was, face aflame with outrage, lips pouting, dark eyes accusing. “The way you moved out there, Naisha!”
Her lips curved. “I thought you liked the way I was moving. Given how hard you were when you were pressed against me.”
So, he thought, she was well aware of his discomfort. “I don’t like it. Those men, staring at you.J’aime pas.”
She stared at him in astonishment. “You don’t like it when men look at me, but you’re fine when two skanks with cheap extensions and press-on nails rub their scrawny little bodies all over you?” She gestured towards his chest. “You still have body glitter on your shirt, William! So don’t stand there and tell me—”
A kiss shut her up, and he was glad about it. It was a ferocious kiss, nothing like the sweet, gentle comfort of the last time their lips pressed against each other’s. She writhed angrily, but he tightened his grasp.
He could taste the cherry gloss on her lips, and beneath that, a layer that was all her. Her mouth was hot, fresh, and as he plundered it, he felt mounting triumph. He felt like an astronaut planting a flag on the moon, like a carpetbagger staking a claim on fertile prairie land.
Mine, mine, mine.
Then, he felt her lips part and her mouth open for him. Triumphant, he kissed her deeper, harder, backing her against the wall.
She pulled away, sucking in air. “What did you say?”
His blurred brain was confused. Had he said something?
“I am not yours, William Dubois!”
Goddammit. He’d spoken those words out loud!
“You may be as rich as Croesus for all I care. You can buy whatever you want, whenever you want it, but I can’t be yours.”
“I’d like to make you mine, right here, right now,” he countered. His hands had not left her hips, and now, they were the only thing keeping her from storming off. They slipped under the hem of her dress, up her thighs, where he discovered to his delight that she was dripping with moisture. He brought his fingers out from under her skirt and pressed them to his lips so he could taste her.Sweet. The elixir to his damaged soul.“You say you don’t want me, but this tells me different,” he taunted.