“All very good things,” he replied. He slid his arm around the small of my back, drawing me in against him expertly, and I found the rhythm of my steps synchronizing to his gait without even meaning to. “Mikhail thought that maybe you’d like to meet him in the penthouse. A private meeting, over drinks.” One blond eyebrow arched as he looked down at me, and I could read the invitation in between the lines.
My heart fluttered again. “How private are we talking?” I asked, finding myself a little breathless at the idea of a private meeting with Mikhail. He had a reputation among the women here, and that reputation was impeccable when it came to his prowess and his hunger. Everyone who worked for the Sokolovs was good at keeping a secret when it came to business, but when it came to sex,everyonewas guilty of a little gossip here and there.
“Oh,” Andrei began, inclining his head playfully in thought. “I don’t know, maybe we can talk about how privateyouwant it to be.”
“Me?”
“Oh yes,” Andrei replied, and I felt him squeeze just a little tighter for a moment, an excuse to slide his fingers a little further around my waist and towards my obliques. “Perhaps you’d like someone to accompany you. My cousin can be… Oh, what’s the word. Intimidating.”
I spoke through a flirty laugh. “I assure you, no one intimidates me.”
“I’m sure that’s the case,” he replied. “But perhaps a softer touch could balance the night out for you. A little of Column A, a little of Column B.” And before I knew it, he slid behind me, and reached forward to swipe a card for the private elevator. His lips were close to my ear, and his hot breath ran pleasantly down my neck. “Or maybe a lot of both. They’re your columns to do as you please.”
The elevator doors were mirrored, and I stared at our reflection for what felt like forever. I was small in front of him, and his graceful hands were resting on my hips.
It’s not like I don’tdeserveit, I thought. I pressed my body back against his, the curve of my ass fitting perfectly against his toned body.
It paid off. I watched his eyes darken pleasantly in the reflection before the doors slid open and he ushered me inside.
The elevator came smoothly to life at the touch of a button, and I watched the ground of Las Vegas fall away as we ascended the full height of the Shining Star. Between the view through the glass capsule elevator and Andrei behind me with his hands on my hips, I felt like I was truly flying.
Andrei’s hands wandered further. There was nothing tentative about his movements, and I knew he was intentionally teasing me. But his touch was soft through my clothes, and the feel of his fingers sliding around to my belly sent dark curls of desire through me. I sighed softly and reached behind me. My hands found his powerful thighs, and I took a small handful of the expensive fabric of his pants, tugging him closer against me.
“Is this too much for a windowed elevator?” I asked. I meant it to be light, teasing, like this happened for me every day. Andrei could probably see right through me.
He chuckled into the warmth of my throat and brushed his lips against my skin. “It’s mirrored on the outside. No one can see anything we do in here.” One of his hands slid down over the smooth satin of my blouse, slow enough that I had plenty of time to stop him if I wanted to. I didn’t. I leaned into his touch, letting his fingers skim my body until they teased at the waist of my slacks, back and forth, hinting at all the things they could do if I let him continue. “Assuming, of course, there’s anything you might want to do in here. Or, perhaps, something you’d like to have done to you.”
I swallowed hard, heart racing with mingled desire and disbelief. It was one thing to fantasize about having both Sokolov princes at the same time — another, entirely, to have one of them with his clever fingers inches away from my pussy.
“Look at us,” Andrei said.
“What?” I laughed. “It’s mirrored on the outside, what are you—”
The hand that wasn’t toying with the waistband of my panties slid up to my neck, big palm over my throat and cupping my jaw, gently forcing my head to look up. I stared into my own eyes, reflected in the mirror that covered the ceiling.
“Notjustthe outside,” Andrei purred. “Some of us in the penthouse like towatch. Don’t we look good together?” He paused. “Your expression, though. It’s not quite…right.”The hand that had been playing with my lingerie elastic slid smoothly down to cup me inside my pants.
My eyes went wide in shock; my head was whirling and my body throbbing with desire, with need. This was happening so fast; in what felt like a split second I’d gone from fantasizing about this man and his cousin to actually having his touch on my body.
Andrei began to stroke me, back and forth, warming me up at a torturously slow pace. He curled one finger into me, and I gasped at the hot jolt of pleasure such a small touch sent through me. “You’re so fucking wet already.” He chuckled. “How much slicker can I get you?” Andrei’s hand shifted, another finger joining the first and curving deep inside. I whimpered as his fingertips brushed that perfect spot inside me, and Andrei growled in satisfaction. “What do you think, can I make you cum so hard that you soak your slacks? That’d be something, going into a meeting with the big, bad boss looking that wrecked. Making it obvious how desperately you need to be fucked, by him, by me, by both of us.” He nipped at my ear as his pace increased. “And you’re going to get fucked, Talia,” he growled. “I promise.”
Every motion of his fingers sent electric waves of sensation along my nerve endings; every filthy,sexyword he said made me moan. He was right, I was desperate. My hands clung to the cloth of his slacks, trying to gather my wits, but it was a lost cause from the beginning. I liked to think of myself as able to handle a lot of charm thrown my way; it was important as a dealer not to let a pretty face or words turn your head from the cards. But Andrei Sokolov? I had been doomed from the beginning.
All I could do was face the fact that I was utterly helpless and give in, turn myself over to him. Let myself rocket up and up and up until ecstasy exploded through me like midnight fireworks in the desert night. I cried out, my face in the mirror looking every bit as gone as I felt.
Andrei’s fingers slowed, slowed, and finally stilled. He withdrew from me gently, making me hiss with my own post-climax sensitivity. “This is going to be a night you’ll never forget, Talia,” he purred in my ear. He patted my ass once, then stepped away.
My heart was practically in my throat as the doors slid open to reveal the penthouse, an expanse of luxury. The decor was immaculate, and the furniture looked both elegant and deeply comfortable — something I hoped to experiment with tonight, the way things were going with Andrei.
The lighting was low toward the far end of the living room, but I could make out a single club chair and the shape of someone sitting comfortably in it. It was Mikhail, no doubt, and although I couldn’t see his face, I could see that his posture was open, and the buttons on his shirt were undone. The lighting was clearer the lower my eyes glided, and I could see the definition of his abs above his beltline.
“Mr. Sokolov,” I said, suddenly feeling a little more intimidated. It was one thing to see him on the floor, making the rounds, putting in appearances. It was another to see him sit like a king on his throne, hidden in the dark, beckoning all the same.
“Please,” he said, his voice a low rumble from the darkness. “Mikhail.”
Andrei crossed the distance of the living room and pulled another club chair over. He positioned it directly in front of Mikhail, a few feet away, facing him.
Mikhail’s voice was commanding. “Come,” he said, and I responded immediately. There was barely enough time to be self-conscious about the fact that I was here in my work clothes. I looked incredible, of course, but if there had been time to throw on a slinky dress, something short and fun, I might have felt a little more powerful in this situation. But I obeyed him immediately, without a thought of ignoring or turning him down. He had a reputation for being intense and calculating, but I had never seen it quite so up close and personal before. I stepped closer, closer, until I was directly in front of him. It was dark in this space, intimate and somehow electric. Even looming over him, I knew he had the power.