Dirty Aristocrat: British Billionaire Bad Boy Romance (18 page)

I smiled with the memory.

‘She sounds sweet,’ he said.

‘She was. Every Saturday evening she used to lay me on the kitchen counter and wash my hair in the sink. Then she’d put rollers in at night, and then next morning just before we left the house she’d blow a whole can of hair spray on it so I could go to Sunday church looking like a poodle.’

He laughed softly.

‘But she became sick and then it was horrible. I couldn’t bear to see her suffering. We didn’t have insurance and there was nothing I could do for her. After she died I lived in her car for a few weeks.’

He looked at me horrified. ‘What did you after that?’

I looked down at my pie. I couldn’t remember the last time I opened up to someone like that. I couldn’t even blame the alcohol. I only had a few sips of my beer.

‘I came to England. I met Robert and the rest is history.’

He looked at me curiously. ‘So how on earth did you meet Robert?’

I shook my head. ‘I’d rather not talk about it.

For a second his eyes narrowed suspiciously. I stared at him steadily.

He looked at his watch. ‘You still up for The Dirty Aristocrat?’

I nodded. ‘Yeah. What actually goes on in there?’

‘It’s an anything goes kind of place.’

I leaned forward. ‘Why do you go there?’

He looks at me expressionlessly. ‘Usually for an anonymous fuck.’

I looked at him long and hard. ‘Why?’

‘Because I like it.’ A smile spread across his face. ‘Because I get bored easily.’

‘Don’t you ever want to be in a relationship with someone?’

‘I don’t know. I’ve never met a woman yet who has stopped me from wanting other women, so what’s the point of pretending to her or me that we’re in a relationship when I’m not truly committed?’

‘Fair enough.’ I said, fixing my eyes on him, not liking what I was hearing. Chloe was right. He was a womanizer. An unapologetic, unabashed, unrepentant manwhore. Yet I could not stop wanting him.

He raised his eyebrow at a passing waiter and signaled for the bill.

CHAPTER 21

Tawny Maxwell

T
he foyer of The Dirty Aristocrat was claustrophobic, small and dark and hot.  We went down some red steps and into a place with red lights and purple velvet curtains everywhere. A queen size bed with purple sheets and red cushions had been roped off. Presumably it was meant to evoke the sensation of entering a brothel, or a courtesan’s boudoir.

I could feel the heat from Ivan’s hand around my waist as we moved deeper into the club. It was heaving and the music was very commercial. They were playing
Gangnam Style
as we made for the bar. Somehow it seemed perfect in such sleazy surroundings. A gay couple sat on top of a massive speaker kissing passionately, and the dance floor was jam-packed with writhing, half-naked bodies.

Ivan led me to the bar. There was one empty stool. He curled his hands around my waist and, picking me up, popped me on the seat. I squealed with surprise.

‘Why did you do that?’ I asked, a little bit embarrassed and a little impressed with the show of brute strength.

‘You wanted to be here. Remember? Anything goes,’ he replied with a glint in his eye.

‘Oh yeah?’ I challenged daringly.

He gave me a look that made
something
happen between my legs. Jesus! Such a thing had never happened to me before.

‘What’re you drinking sexy lady?’ he asked staring into my eyes.

For a moment my mind was a complete blank. Then I said the first thing that came into my head. ‘Tequila with salt and lemon.’

He smiled. ‘A fire drink. Excellent choice.’

He didn’t even have to order the drinks. A switched on barman had not only heard the order, but had already fulfilled it. Two glasses came sliding across the bar towards us and stopped dead in front of us.

‘Impressive,’ I said.

The barman smiled, put down a saucer with lemon wedges and a salt shaker, and went on to another customer.

I looked at Ivan. ‘Don’t you have to pay for this?’

‘I have a bar tab running. The bill is settled monthly.’

Wow! A regular haunt then. We did the salt, alcohol and lemon thing.

‘Whoa,’ I said, my face scrunched up with the sour taste of the lemon. I had never had tequila before.

‘Another?’ he asked.

‘OK,’ I agreed immediately.

We did it all again.

‘Whoa,’ I said, trying not to cough.

‘Another?’ he asked with a devilish grin.

‘OK, but this is the last one,’ I said firmly. ‘I already feel ten times merrier for no good reason.’

‘This time let’s do it the Mexican way.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Warm without the salt and lemon.’

I raised my eyebrow. ‘Surely that would take all the fun out of it.’

The corners of his eyes crinkled. ‘On the contrary.’

He spoke to the barman and two shots came sliding towards us.

He clinked his glass to mine, his eyes telling their own story. ‘Anything goes.’

‘Anything goes,’ I agreed, and let the drink slip down my throat. Without the salt I could actually taste the peppery taste of the drink.

‘Like it?’ he asked.

I nodded. ‘I do actually.’

PSY’s
Daddy
came on and it could have been the Tequila or the feeling of being so damn close to him, but my foot started tapping.

‘Wanna dance?’ he asked.

‘Thought you’d never ask.’

He laughed and pulled me off the stool. The palm of my free hand somehow ended up on the wall of his chest. Heat radiated out of him into my skin.

‘Damn, you’re solid,’ I whispered, my knees all of a sudden quite wobbly.

His hand tensed around me. He was just keeping me upright, I guess.

We got to the floor and suddenly all those people trying to be so sexy seemed funny so I started clowning around doing all the totally unsexy moves from PSY’s video. I flicked my hair back from my face and, pointing my forefinger at him, screamed the words, ‘Hey, where’d you get that body from?’

He was good for it. He copied my earlier goofy dance moves and shouted back, ‘I got it from my Daddy.’

I laughed.

He fell to his knees and to my surprise executed some unexpectedly cool moves while on them. The tequila started buzzing in my head and we carried on like two fools until the song ended and I smiled sunnily up at him.

The next track was Galantis’s
Peanut Butter Jelly
.

‘Spread it like,’ he prompted, miming the action of combing his hair.

‘Peanut butter jelly,’ I bellowed, and turning wriggled my butt provocatively at him. He slapped it and I whirled around with exaggerated surprise and showed him my middle finger. Laughing he spread the fingers of both his hands and made circles with them.

He looked so ridiculous I had to laugh.

It was the most fun I’d had since the hogs ate grandma and I was giving it all I got, widening my eyes, and making silly faces, when he suddenly grabbed me, pulled me towards him, and kissed me. The laughter died in my throat. His cologne flooded my senses. Delicious. Everything around us melted away.

Oh my God! It was like our mouths were made of chocolate. They melded into each other. We were just a hot mess of lips, tongues, saliva and desire. I became lost in him.

Spread it like. Spread it like. Spread it like.

I felt the effects of his kiss down to the tips of my toes. When he raised his head I could only stare at him dumbfounded.

‘Oh wow!’ I said, my lips tingling.

Reaching my hands around his neck, I pulled his head back down and carried on kissing him. I was like a hungry animal that had been kept in a cage and not fed for days, while it could see the food just outside its reach. I could have stayed like that forever, just drowning in the sensation of that mind-blowing kiss if he had not pulled me off him.

‘Hey,’ I protested, frowning up at him.

‘This club is not wild enough for what I want to do to you,’ he muttered thickly and dragged me off the dance floor.

We were standing facing each other at the coat counter, waiting for my coat, when I saw a woman behind Ivan approaching us. She was slim with shiny, dark-chocolate hair and her skin was smooth and olive toned. She was staring at me intently. Not taking her eyes off me she tapped Ivan on the back. I watched him turn and look down at her.

‘Isla is having a party,’ she told him. ‘You can come. There will be girls there for you.’ She let her eyes slide toward me. ‘I can take care of her while you are busy.’

Hot bling
was blasting in the background. The expression on Ivan’s face did not change in the slightest, except for the sudden tightening of his fingers on my hand.

‘Maybe next time,’ he told her flatly.

‘Shame,’ she said looking at me. ‘I really like your little friend.’

‘Have a great time at your party,’ Ivan said and turned his back on her. I looked up at Ivan. His face was a frozen mask.

The girl who had taken our ticket emerged from the back room with my coat. She put it on the counter and he took it and helped me into it. 

We walked out into the cold air and Ivan took hold of my elbow. I looked into his eyes.

‘Did you want to go to that party?’ I asked.

He shook his head. ‘No, I can go to parties like that any day of the week.’

‘Good,’ I said.

He hardly spoke in the car. I stole a few glances at him, but he seemed to be in his own thoughts. He parked in the underground car park. I turned to look at him.

‘Thank you for a lovely evening.’

He smiled. Slow and sexy. Oh! I’m so screwed.

‘It’s not over yet,’ he said softly.

‘No?’ There were butterflies in my tummy.

‘Come on, I’ll walk you to your door.’

‘Makes sense,’ I joked, but my voice sounded nervous.

He came around and helped me out. We walked without touching, but the air between us was throbbing. I did not look at him in the lift. When we got inside the apartment he closed the door behind him and I turned to look at him. His eyes were veiled. I stared at him nervously. It had been fun in the nightclub, but now that we were at the point where it all got serious, I felt incredibly nervous. Whatever buzz from the alcohol seemed to have completely exited my system.

‘Should we have a drink first?’ I asked.

He shook his head slowly and began to advance. Sensuality dripped from him. ‘Shit, Tawny. I’m going to make you scream so hard tonight,’ he promised.

I opened my mouth. There must be something clever to say to that. My mind was a blank. Oh sweet Jesus. Then my legs began to move. Backwards. I was retreating. Damn. Who’d have ever thought I was such a coward? My mouth started making words.

‘Hang on a minute. Can you just give me one minute to … ah … get into something more comfortable? Erm … something easier for you … to … um … take off,’ I babbled nervously.

He stopped advancing. ‘You have exactly one minute,’ he said silkily.

‘Perfect,’ I said, and almost ran to my room.

I closed the door, leaned against it and took a deep breath. My heart was racing like a mad thing.
Take stock, Tawny. You definitely do want to sleep with him, right?
Oh boy, did I want a lick of Ivan. OK, just nerves then. Perfectly normal. I can do nerves.

I rushed to my lingerie drawer and pulled out my new baby doll. I hurried out of my dress and into the lacy bit of material. I dashed into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror.

Wow! I sure looked different. My cheeks were flushed and my eyes were glittering with excitement. In my haste I had snapped one of the delicate white ribbons on my baby doll. If I switched off the main light he would never notice. I fluffed my hair frantically and gargled with mouthwash. I walked into my bedroom and froze.

Ivan was standing at the door. He had taken off his jacket and three of his buttons were already undone. Smooth tanned skin gleamed through the V.

‘Is it already one minute?’ I heard myself asking.

‘Sorry,’ he said not sounding sorry at all. ‘Couldn’t wait another second.’

‘Oh.’

‘My barefoot beauty,’ he said staring at me. No one had ever looked at me like that. With such naked hunger.

‘Bare feet go with every outfit,’ I babbled.

Reaching out a hand I quickly snapped off the switch for the main light. Illuminated only by the bedside lamps, the room was a little less intimidating.

He smiled slowly, confidently. There was something almost devilish about that smile. I was so anxious my heart was fluttering like a trapped bird, but I wouldn’t be outdone for bravado.

‘I bit my lower lip and said in the sexiest voice I could muster, ‘What’re you waiting for? Come and get it, babe.’

It was like a red flag to a bull. What happened next was a total shock to me.

In the blink of an eye, I found myself pinned face down on the mattress. A large, powerful hand landed between my shoulder blades to hold me in place while his other hand unclasped my bra.

I was too shocked to even think. Adrenalin surged through my blood and my body felt as if it was about to ignite. I could no longer keep my breathing calm. He twisted his fingers into my hair and jerked my head back until my ear was next to his mouth. I was so hyped up I felt no pain.

‘Is this what you want?’ he growled softly, his voice grating with lust.  ‘You want me to take you? To fuck you? To make you scream?’

The blood roared in my ears. I was shaking with a strange excitement.

‘Everyone thinks you’re such a nice, sweet girl, but I know the truth. I know how bad and naughty you truly want to be …’

‘Yes,’ I whispered.

‘I didn’t hear you,’ he said arrogantly, his breath hot on my neck.

‘Yes,’ I said, my voice louder.

‘Yes what?’

For God’s sake. ‘Yes, I want you to take me?’ I admitted through gritted teeth.

‘The word I was actually looking for was, Sir.’

‘Yes, Sir,’ I squeaked.

‘Good,’ he said with satisfaction.

He released my hair and my head flopped forward. He flipped the hem of my baby doll upwards. I felt the soft material land on my head. I knew my entire back and panties were completely exposed.