Hard to Serve: A Hard Ink Novella (12 page)

“That’s some bullshit right there, Kyler. But tell yourself whatever you need to sleep at night, I guess.” Quinton turned toward Griffin. “Gimme a bottle of water, Griffin?”

“You know what, Quinton? When I need a life coach, I’ll fucking hire one.” Kyler emptied his glass and slammed it down on the bar.

“Yeah? By the time you do, one of the best things you ever had will be long gone. But suit yourself.” Quinton grabbed the water and saluted Griffin with the bottle. “Thanks, G.” He walked away.

“Damnit,” Kyler said, feeling like an asshole. He was batting zero tonight, wasn’t he? He looked up to find Griffin staring at him. “What?”

Griffin scratched at his jaw. “Saw that scene you did with her. The one where you took her while watching my demo. And I’ve seen you play with other submissives, too. Mia? You and her are like two sides of a coin. Perfectly fucking matched. She’s the one you keep, Kyler. She’s the one you
collar
. Take it from someone who let the right one get away.” He stayed for just another moment, his whole expression darkening, and then he moved down the bar to take someone else’s order.

Christ, if he wanted to be hassled, he could take an extra shift riding his desk waiting for Breslin or that IA prick to rain some shit down on him. But that was the problem with having a bunch of Doms for your best friends—none of them could resist telling you what to do. For fuck’s sake.

Worse? His heart said they were right, while his gut said his heart was being selfish.

But, damnit, he’d let her go, and she’d been upset.

That cut through him like a jagged knife. He’d failed Mia tonight, as both a man and a Dom.

And maybe that was the best reason of all just to let her go.

Chapter 9

The bar had Mia’s favorite mojito, made with real crushed strawberries and sweet, crumbly sugar all around the edge of the glass. She was on her third and feeling fine. Well, as fine as she could feel four days after she realized she’d fallen for a man, a Dom, who didn’t want her back.

“Finish that and let’s dance,” Dani yelled, the volume necessary despite the fact that they were sitting right next to each other. Located down by the Inner Harbor, the bar was one of those awesome joints that went from a cool, relaxed vibe at happy hour to a hip, happening after-hours party at night. Music thumped out a beat that made you want to move, and the lyrics begged to be sung at the top of her lungs. Mia’s bestie had come up from Washington for the weekend on a lift-Mia’s-spirits campaign after hearing what’d happened with Kyler. Or, rather,
not
happened. Friday night, Dani had allowed them to stay in and devour large quantities of ice cream while watching chick flicks. But tonight, she’d insisted they get dressed up to the nines and go out on the town.

The campaign was working.

Mia was having fun and not thinking about Kyler. Mostly.

Oh, who was she kidding? But she
was
having fun.

Mia took a big swallow, emptying her glass. “Okay, chica. Let’s do it.”

“Woohoo!” Dani shouted, slipping off the chair and grabbing Mia’s hand. They wound their way through the crowd, Dani already dancing as she guided them, until they found a spot in the center of the floor.

Mia let the music wrap around her and move her body, colored lights flashing over her in the darkness, a strobe making the room feel like it was spinning. Her skirt was short but full, and it swished around her thighs, another layer of dizzying sensation. It was awesome. Just what she needed. Freeing and exhilarating.

A man came up behind Dani and leaned his face toward her ear. He was good-looking, with light brown skin and dark, wavy hair that looked like he’d been running his hands through it. Tall, too. Dani nodded to him and gave Mia an
Oh, my God
look. Mia laughed and nodded.

One song morphed into another, the beat grinding, sensual, sex set to music. Dani and her new Latin friend were getting into it, enough that Mia was thinking about using the bathroom as an excuse to give them some alone time. And then someone pressed up close behind her.

Mia glanced over her shoulder into the smiling, interested eyes of a man just a little taller than her. He was attractive enough, though she didn’t find him hot, but he had a great smile and could seriously dance. Throwing caution to the wind, she turned toward him and followed his lead. Soon, she found herself grinning and really having fun as his antics, moves, and purposely funny expressions made her throw her head back and laugh.

She knocked into someone as she moved, and then hands settled on her waist. Her gaze whipped to the side, anger at the stranger’s presumptuousness on the tip of her tongue.

“You want him, Mia?”

She recognized the voice in her ear before she laid eyes on the speaker.

Master Kyler.

“Do you?” he asked, dark eyes absolutely blazing, his hands gripping her more firmly, his body moving behind hers.

She couldn’t pull away despite the chaos erupting in her brain—over the fact that he was here, over the feelings of relief, rightness, and heat rushing through her blood, over the fact that she didn’t want to feel anything at all, not if he didn’t want her back. “What if I do?” she called over the music.

“You
don’t
,” he gritted out, tugging her against him to find his cock hard against her lower back. His hands slid upward, inch by slow inch, until they were right beneath her breasts and she ached for him to grab her there. Their bodies moved together, falling into a shared rhythm.

The music changed, the song erupting into an arousing, driving beat that conjured up images of sweaty bodies and twisted sheets. The dance floor went wild. The man with the nice smile and nicer moves offered her a little bow, his gaze flashing to Kyler behind her, before fading away into the press of bodies.

She whirled in Master Kyler’s embrace. “You don’t get to tell me what I do or don’t want, Kyler.” Her belly flipped to say his name that way. But he wasn’t her Master, was he?

His arms banded around her and his hands moved over her back, holding her close, staking a claim. At least, that’s how it felt. But she didn’t trust it.

“Maybe I don’t,” he said, hauling her into him, his thigh pushing between hers, forcing her flowy skirt up to bare more of her legs. The way he moved—the way he moved her—had her brain thinking about all the other times he’d been between her legs, thrusting, grinding, penetrating. Her core clenched at the frustratingly light friction, wanting more,
needing
more. Of him. “But what if I’d like to have a say?”

What the hell did that mean? She pushed at his chest. His closeness made it too hard to think. But he wouldn’t let her go. “Mast—” She shook her head, exasperated and overwhelmed. “Kyler, what are you even doing here?”

Blue eyes blazing, his expression was full of that intensity she loved. He leaned his mouth to her ear. “Bachelor party. Was on the way out when I saw you. The others just left. I told them I’d catch up.”

She frowned. “Why…why did you do that?”

He got right in her face, their hips grinding together as he guided them, his erection obvious against her. “Because the woman I can’t stop thinking about is here.”

Mia’s heartbeat kicked up inside her chest.
Don’t get sucked in
. “Really.”

His hand on her back pressed her closer, so close that her breasts crushed against his chest. “Really. She’s here and she looks fucking gorgeous and she dances like a goddess intent on bringing me to my knees.”

A shiver ran over her skin. At the grit in his voice. At the mental image of him kneeling before her. But Mia didn’t know what to say, because she didn’t want to read anything into the coincidence of them running into one another. That’s all it was. “I’m with a friend.”

His face fell into a scowl. “That guy?”

“My girlfriend,” she said, nodding over his shoulder.

Kyler followed her gaze to where Dani was still obviously into the same man who’d started dancing with her several songs before. “It looks like she’ll be entertained for a little while,” he said.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you from
your
friends,” she said, trying to remain detached despite the fact that he’d made her wet. Damn him.

His hand slid into her long, loose hair, and lightly fisted at the nap of her neck. “Fuck them. I want to be with you.”

Oh, God, she was on the verge of climbing him, she really was. And that made her mad. Why did he have to have such power over her body? “Well, what if I don’t want to be with you? You were kind of an asshole, you know.”

He gave a rueful grin, and that was sexy, too. “Not kind of, Mia. Total. I was a total asshole. And every day since, I’ve regretted our last conversation. I fucked it up.”

Her belly flipped in surprise. Suddenly, a popular dance song came on that had everyone singing and calling out the words. More bodies pressed into the tight space. It was deafening and a little suffocating.

“Would you go upstairs with me? Little easier to talk,” Kyler said, pressing his face to hers.

Mia debated. But who was she kidding? He was here, he was interested, and he’d apologized. She should at least hear him out. So she nodded. And tried to ignore the thrill that shot through her body from the way that Kyler held her hand. Finding Dani in the crowd, Mia gestured toward upstairs. Dani winked and grinned obnoxiously. Mia rolled her eyes and mentally prepared for the grilling sure to happen later.

Keeping her body close to his, Kyler guided Mia to the steps leading upstairs. In the front of the bar, a balcony of seating ran all the way around the dance floor, overlooking it. Further back, black curtains hung from the ceiling creating seating areas, some with bigger groups of chairs and couches and some with more intimate spaces comprised of only a love seat and a table. Waiters moved between the groupings.

Kyler took them to the back, where they found an empty love seat. The music wasn’t as intrusive here, and the small couch’s position created a bit of privacy. He drew her into the space, and Mia had the chance to really drink him in for the first time. He wore a fine black dress shirt that conformed to his muscles, his strong arms, his broad shoulders, his taut chest. She’d never seen him in slacks before, but he looked fucking hot, polished and refined. A look he wore well.

“Sit,” he said. “Please.” Mia sank into the soft leather, and Kyler sat close beside her, his body turned toward her.

Nervous anticipation jangled through her. “So…about you being an asshole…”

Chuckling, Kyler took her hand and winked. “Yes, about that. I’m sorry because I’d like to see you again.”

The room spun around her, despite the fact that she was sitting perfectly still. But then she shook her head. “I can’t afford it.” She’d received the offer of full membership just yesterday, but between the cost and how she and Master Kyler had left things, she hadn’t even given it a second thought.

“I’m not talking about Blasphemy, Mia. Well, not just Blasphemy. I’m talking about me and you.” He traced his finger over her thigh, close to her knee.

She shivered, as much from the touch as from the words. “Me and you,” she repeated.

“Sounds even better when you say it,” he said, leaning in and nuzzling her face. He kissed her temple, her cheek, the corner of her mouth. “I just need you to know, I don’t do this, Mia. Any of this. Because I’ve never before met anyone who made me want to do it. And I’m not even sure I’ll be any good at it. But the last few days have been fucking miserable, and I—”

She kissed him. Planted her hands in his hair and kissed him so damn hard. Because she’d heard enough. Enough to know what she wanted.

The growl he unleashed sounded like pure victory, especially when he quickly took over, plundering her mouth with his tongue, hauling her onto his lap so that she straddled him. He tugged her hair, rubbed hard hands over her body, pressed his erection up against her wet panties.

“Oh, God,” she rasped around the edge of the kiss.

“Fucking missed you,” he said, his hands finally touching her breasts, kneading and squeezing through the thin cotton of the little bronze-colored dress. “Fucking
need
you.”

“I need you, too,” she rasped, grinding against his erection. Her blood was molten, and a sheen of sweat broke out over her body. She was already so close.

“Don’t come,” he ordered. His big palm slipped under the flowy pleats of her dress and gripped her ass. Hard. “You do
not
have permission to come.”

She whimpered because the command shoved her in that direction, just like he must’ve known it would. The sexy bastard. “Please, Sir. Please.”

He nailed her with a stare, his eyes dark blue fire. “You want to come, Mia?”

A fast nod. “Yes, Sir.”

“You want to come, you do it on my cock.”

For a second, Mia couldn’t breathe, because she wasn’t sure she’d ever been so turned on in her whole life. “Here? Now?”

Kyler just looked at her, one eyebrow arched in a challenge, a dare. She gave a single nod.

In a flash of movement, Kyler shifted to retrieve his wallet, and then a condom from within. “Your hands will be on my shoulders or in my hair. You will not make a sound. If someone approaches us, you will sit still and act natural.” He smirked at her as he shifted again to unzip his slacks and remove his long, hard length. She watched as he sheathed himself. “Your skirt will cover us. Only you and I will know that your pussy is impaled on my cock. Understood?”

“Yes. God, yes.” She couldn’t believe they were doing this, but she didn’t want to resist. Not for a second. She needed him in her so damn bad it felt more important than her next breath.

“Then put my cock inside of you.” He tugged her panties to the side.

Releasing a shaky breath, she took him in hand and lifted so that she could sink down on his length. A moan spilled out from her throat when he bottomed out inside her. She felt deliciously full. It was perfection.

Growling, Kyler pinched her clit. Hard. “No sounds.”

She swallowed a threatening shriek as he fixed her skirt. Remembering the rules, she put her hands on his shoulders.