Beyond the Velvet Rope (29 page)

Elliot had no idea why he even cared. He was disgusted with Warren for getting involved with Sophia in the first place. He’d tried to forewarn him; but the asshole could only see the pretty face and alluring body. Only Warren could be held responsible for his actions. So why did Elliot keep catching himself pondering Warren’s situation, considering how he could best help?

Elliot was so distracted, he hardly recalled the details of the management meeting he’d just sat through. Not that it had been significant by any stretch of the imagination. Today’s meeting had been a short one, and he was glad it was over.

Elliot checked his cell phone as the men filed out. Just as the last straggler left his office, Nico strolled through the door. Making himself at home, he flung himself into one of the chairs facing Elliot’s desk. “Why is everyone hovering around the stage?” he asked lazily.

Not bothering to look up from his phone, Elliot said, “An exotic dance troupe is performing tonight.”

“Really?” Nico’s grin brightened. “In that case, let’s not drag our feet.” He sprang from his seat with the animation of a cartoon. “After you.”

Elliot had little interest in watching the show, but it was time for him to make his rounds. Better he do it now, than later. Coming to his feet, Elliot straightened his tie and headed for the door. Nico followed closely behind.

Together, the two descended the stairs leading from Elliot’s office. The crowd was particularly dense tonight. With a glance, he could see the male populace rivaled the females, which was unusual.

Before long, the house lights dimmed and scantily clad dancers advanced on the stage. The sight of half naked women and the positioning of stripper poles, caused the males in the room to begin pressing forward for a better look. After a dramatic introduction from the DJ, the music began and dancers commenced to swaying their hips provocatively.

Elliot scanned the room as he and Nico moved through the crowd. Suddenly, Nico nudged him roughly and pointed toward the stage. “Is that—?”

Nico never got a chance to finish his sentence. Elliot was already shoving his way through the crowd.

* * *

Thandie could hardly believe she could remember the steps. Under the protection of the makeup, she felt as though she was another person. She moved in sync with the other dancers, albeit not as seamlessly, but doing her best to blend in. Shaking her bottom, she crawled along the catwalk wantonly. A guy from the crowd slapped her ass as she passed by, and surprising even herself, Thandie stayed in character.

Finally making her way to her pole, she swung around it, just as she’d been instructed. From the corner of her eye, she was impressed to see that the other girls were climbing to the tops of their poles, contorting themselves into provocative positions, before slowly sliding downward. It was done with acrobatic precision, and easily won the audience’s attention.

Wisely, Thandie was positioned to the far right-hand side of the stage. Celeste had taught her a few pole tricks, but for the most part her role was to simply even out the routine formation, stay in sync with the others, and try not to fall down. So far she was holding her own. The more complicated steps were not until the end of the performance. Thandie prayed she could last that long.

Just as they’d practiced, Thandie wrapped her leg around her pole, and began to grind her body suggestively against it. The audience was cheering her on. The vodka was giving Thandie courage she might not have had on her own. She swayed to the music, dancing with shameless abandonment. Because of the bright stage lights, she could hardly make out faces in the crowd. This made her more daring. Details became hazy as she gave herself over to the rhythm of the music. So fuzzy were her thoughts, she didn’t immediately react when one the rowdy spectators managed to propel himself over the edge of the stage and push his face into her crotch.

He was gone, disappearing back into the sea of shadowy faces, before Thandie registered what had happened. The sound of ruckus laughter and catcalls from the crowd seemed to roar in her head. Thandie hesitated for only a second, and then threw her head back and laughed as she eased herself away from the edge of the catwalk.

Somewhere in the shadowy crowd, she could make out bulky figures approaching the stage. Without recognizing them, she somehow knew they were club bouncers coming to settle the mob.

Celeste was suddenly dancing behind her, her hands on Thandie’s shoulders. Her head fell back against Celeste’s shoulder. She felt hands rubbing her thighs, and lips on her. And, for a moment, she had no idea what was going on.

Somehow, Celeste lay her on her back and was now hovering above Thandie. Hands reached out to touch her. Celeste attempted to shield Thandie with her body, but the frenzy of the crowd got to be too much for her to handle.

She pulled Thandie to her feet to prevent further groping, but the crush around them continued to press forward. Thandie felt even more hands on her, sweaty palms reaching to fondle the flesh of her thighs. She flinched away from their touch, but not before someone got a good hold on her and actually pulled her off the stage. Celeste tried to reach for her, but couldn’t grab her in time.

Thandie screamed as she went down.

The horde of people surrounding the stage seemed to melt away from her abductor. Thandie didn’t know what was happening until she looked up into Elliot’s eyes. He was furious. His silver gaze flashed like lightening.

She tried to push him away, but he effortlessly tossed her over his shoulder and crossed the dance floor. She looked around for help, but saw that there was none. There was only a barrier of big bouncers guarding Elliot’s way through the crowd, ensuring no horny men were able to touch her.

“What are you doing?” a voice called out. Nico appeared at Elliot’s side. His voice sounded strained, although his features were relaxed. It was clear, however, he did not like what was happening. “Have you completely lost it?”

Elliot brushed past Nico, ignoring him completely.

“Elliot,” he said more sternly, “drop the girl and come to the bar with me. You need to cool off before you do something stupid.”

Elliot whirled around on him. “Get the hell out of my way before I put my fist in your face.”

Nico’s concern instantly turned into anger. “Put her down,” he demanded, his lazy drawl replaced with a dangerously quiet one.

Blinded by his own anger and completely unfazed by Nico’s threat, Elliot turned away from his friend. Nico lunged for Elliot and, to Thandie’s horror, Tiny placed a beefy hand on his chest and held him back. Furious, Nico slapped his hand away and glared at the giant.

Fearful of a brawl, Thandie fought harder to get out Elliot’s hold. She soon discovered it was no use. His grip on her was iron-strong. A crowd soon gathered around Nico and Tiny, hiding them from her sight.

She could see Elliot was taking her to his office, and that was the last place she wanted to go. She begged him to let her down, but he wouldn’t answer her.

As he headed up the stairs to his office, Michelle gave her a worried look. She tried to reach his hand for help, but she couldn’t quite make it. He looked as if he was on the brink of helping her, but Elliot swung around and yelled for him to close the door. Michelle hesitated only for a second before closing the door.

Stalking across the room, Elliot threw her onto the couch as if she was a bag of laundry. She could see the enraged look in his eyes.

“What the hell did you think you were doing out there?” he asked in a terrifyingly low voice.

Thandie flinched. She would have preferred he’d shouted at her. That way she could have responded in kind. But this, she had no idea how to handle. Again, she licked her lips. “I—”

“Did you enjoy flaunting that lovely body of yours to a club full of drunk men?” he asked. “If I hadn’t intervened when I did, you might have gotten raped out there. Is that even registering with you?” The look in his eyes was that of disgust and something...unknown.

“I can explain—”

He didn’t respond to her, just picked up his phone and pushed in a number.

“This is Elliot. I’ll be leaving shortly. Have my car ready.

“We’re going home,” he said. “You’re sleeping with me tonight.” Carefully, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into a private bathroom she had never known existed. As with all things concerning Elliot, it was nicely decorated, equipped with a shower stall, armoire and open shelves stocked with fluffy wide towels. He gently lowered her to her feet and turned the shower faucet. Within minutes thick curls of steam began to fill the air. Elliot turned to her and wordlessly pulled the wig off her head before tossing it into the wastebasket. “I hate this, your makeup, this whole outfit”

He ripped off the skimpy material and threw it into the wastebasket with the wig.

“It was meant to hide my identity.”

He lifted his brow. “It didn’t do a very good job.” He stood closer to her, piercing her with his intense gray eyes. “Don’t do it again.”

Thandie wasn’t given an opportunity to respond before he reached out and pulled clean towels from the shelf. “I’ll give you some privacy. There are supplies in the armoire. Help yourself to anything you need.” And then he was gone, closing the door softly behind him.

Relieved to have a moment to herself, Thandie released a heavy sigh. When she turned to look at her reflection in the foggy mirror, she gasped. She looked a fright. The heavy stage makeup Celeste had labored over was ruined with smudges.

Thandie made quick work of cleaning herself up. After a thorough, but brief, shower, she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in one of the fluffy white towels and the sexy thigh high boots she’d worn. Elliot was leaning against the edge of his desk, waiting for her. He looked impeccably put together, not a hair out of place. One would never guess from the look of him what had gone on earlier.

She tugged at the towel. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

For a moment he just stared at her bare legs. His face was impassive, making it impossible to know what he was thinking. Finally, he pushed himself away from his desk and stepped into the bathroom. He opened the armoire doors to reveal several suit jackets, slacks and dress shirts. He curled his finger at her. “Come here.”

Thandie stepped into the bathroom behind him. Without appearing to be selective, Elliot reached for the nearest shirt and handed it to her. Thandie accepted it and, out of habit, glanced at the label. Since he’d already seen everything there was to possibly see of her body, she did not protest when he took hold of her towel and pulled it free. Under his watchful stare, she slipped her arms through the shirt sleeves. As she fastened the buttons, she couldn’t help but wonder how often he dressed women in his Prada shirts.

When she was done, she looked up at him. Something flashed across his face. In that instant she could tell he was still livid with her. She half expected him to start an argument, but instead he quietly shrugged out of his jacket and offered it to her for extra covering.

Thandie was surprised to learn Elliot had his own private exit. He guided her through a series of short corridors and down a stairwell until they arrived in a well-lit parking garage. A valet had Elliot’s Range Rover running and ready. He discreetly disappeared as soon as he saw Elliot approach.

Elliot helped Thandie into her seat before climbing into his own seat. He appeared to be in deep thought as he buckled his seatbelt. His hands braced the stirring wheel tightly. “What happened tonight will never happen again, Thandie.” He stared straight ahead, refusing to look at her. “I won’t allow you to parade yourself in front of my staff or any other man. Understood?”

Thandie nodded. She’d hoped her quick agreement would ease his anger, but as he sat there unmoving, it was becoming clear that his anger was far beyond her. The man was struggling to calm himself. She feared if she didn’t do something, he would explode.

Pulling her knees into her seat, she crawled across the console. Her bottom was lifted in the air as she reached for the fly of his pants. She looked nervously at him as she worked to release his cock. His silver eyes sliced into her. Hesitantly, she leaned forward to kiss his mouth. The passion he possessed consumed her. At the touch of his lips, she could feel herself being pulled into him.

His wonderful, hot tongue no longer teased her. He was focused on the pressure of his mouth against hers. She wanted to melt into him, let him take control of her. Finally, she freed his cock. His hot flesh, stood magnificently erect. She pulled her lips away from Elliot’s to stare at the long, thick flesh. Its velvety head glistened with a pearl of moisture. Its beauty made her mouth water. She wrapped her hands around him, stroking his shaft, enjoying the weight of him in her hands. Her excitement grew as he nibbled on her neck; the sound of his soft groans vibrated his chest.

She lowered her head to run her tongue along the underside of his cock. His balls tightened at her touch. If possible, she could feel him grow larger. Her tongue and hands caressed him, taking pleasure in the taste of him. She looked up at him as she sank her lips over the head of his cock. They held an intense stare as she worked her mouth up and down his shaft, her tongue making slow swirls over the sensitive hole at the tip.

Unable to resist the hunger for him, she closed her eyes and sank her mouth over him, taking as much of him as she possibly could. The taste of him was so deliciously male. Her moans of pleasure joined his as she quickened her motions.

She groaned roughly when she felt his hand caress her lower back, then ease lower until a finger slid inside her. Her back arched, throwing her ass higher in the air. She wiggled her bottom as he explored her, then lowered her mouth deeper over him, savoring the feel of him. He groaned loudly.

She could feel him coming, but he didn’t plan to go alone. He inserted another finger into her and began to carass her vigorously. She struggled to catch her breath. Her rising orgasm would push her over the edge. He was touching places that a cock could never explore. Her inner walls pressed against him, desperate for his touch.