Secret Mercy (2 page)

Alan wrapped his arm around the juncture of her neck and shoulder and pulled. Paige hissed in a breath as she slid across the hard wood and crashed hard against his hip. It had been five years since anyone but Zach had laid hands on her, and she had forgotten how strong a man could be when he wanted. Effortlessly, he lifted her up and resettled her between his thighs.

“You want to stay right here. You want me to touch you while you watch.”

It was true, though Paige couldn’t imagine admitting it.

He wrapped one arm around her, holding her fast to him. So close that the coarse stubble of his cheeks scratched against the back of her neck. He dipped his other hand down over the curve of her breast, making a little moan of approval. The sound went straight to the core of her. No one had ever made such a primal sound because of her. Never. Zach had barely paid attention to her body at all. Only now did she realize that his indifference had led to her to believe that she was unworthy of attention.

Paige started as he squeezed the small mound of her breast. A brief flash of pain raced through her. She bit into her lower lip, fighting the urge to ask for more.

He let go of her breast. Paige’s breath sped as his hand moved with deliberate slowness from her belly down to her hip. The anticipation was thrilling, like nothing she had ever felt before.

“But he’s watching.” Paige inclined her head toward the Nordic-looking giant he’d called Raine.

“Of course he is. He wants to watch you as much as you want to watch him. It wouldn’t be nice to let him down.” She tried to twist her body around and out of view, but Alan held her in place. He might not be half as brawny as his friend, but his body was lean, fast—a coiled strength instead of a brutish one. “Isn’t that what you called me?
Nice
? I would hate to make a liar out of you.”

He was taunting her, but instead of being upset, her pussy reacted with a surge of wetness as he caressed her thigh. He pulled up the hem of her skirt, slow inch by slow inch, giving her all the time in the world to think about what she was about to let him do. What she wanted him to do. In front of a total stranger.

Across the room, Raine’s eyes flashed brighter. The energy pouring off Alan began to build. Deep within her core, Paige could feel her own spark rekindle.

Paige hissed in a breath as he slid his hand under the elastic of her panties. She felt a shock of shame at how much his commanding ways thrilled her. His strong finger caressed the outer lips of her pussy for a moment.

His breath took on a primal rhythm against her ear. “You’re so wet.”

She shook her head, denying what was so obviously true.

“Your cunt tells a different story.”

His finger delved inside. Paige bit down on her lip so hard it stung. Her lungs were near bursting. She didn't dare breathe, frightened of what sound might come out of her when she did. He moved his finger in slow circles over her clit. Pulses of electricity shot through her with every revolution.

Paige clenched her eyes shut, torn between sensation and shame. But even the darkness provided no shelter. She could feel their eyes on her. Strange, glowing eyes. Two men—two strangers—wanted to watch her come.

“Open your eyes, Paige,” Alan commanded. “You want this.”

Dear God, she did. But fear stopped her. She wasn’t this kind of person. She couldn’t be. Opening her eyes, seeing her lust reflected in someone else’s eyes would change everything that she believed about herself.

He tightened his grip on her, crushing her body against his. The long ridge of his erection pressed against her back. Tension built inside her. She was so damn close to something that she hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe it was the thrill of the taboo, or maybe it was the skill of the man behind her. Usually it took her a long time to come, longer than Zach had been able to last, but now she found herself at the gates of orgasm in mere minutes.

Alan increased the pressure, and sped up his movements. Paige tasted blood as she bit her lip, trying for silence as her body trembled uncontrollably. It was a futile effort. A single cry escaped as bright, white pleasure coursed through every pathway in her body, every vein, every nerve. She floated down only as his hand slowed between her thighs.

Paige stilled, and leaned back against the hard plane of Alan’s body, until she rallied enough courage to open her eyes. Every head was turned her way; every gaze was on her. They’d all seen her. They’d all heard her.

Everything inside of her seized up as the thrill of moments before disappeared. Mortification quickly took its place.

“I’m so sorry.” She muttered the scattershot apology before pulling away from Alan in earnest. He let her go. She didn’t look back at him. She didn’t dare.

It didn’t matter what he thought of her. All that mattered was getting away from the stares of strangers before she was crippled by humiliation.

She ran, throwing open the door of the lounge and rushing into the lobby. The bright lights reflecting off the marble blinded her, and she lifted an arm to shield her eyes. She started for the entrance, but stopped after a few steps. She couldn’t go out there like this. Her dress was still hitched up. She’d left her shoes back in the lounge, and she couldn’t go rushing out barefoot into the street, no matter how much she wanted to. She needed to get a hold of herself.

She saw a women’s restroom sign and headed for it.

The door swung closed behind her. She went to the sink and turned the cold knob. She rested her elbows on the hard surface and listened to the rush of the water. Her head slumped down.

What had she done? Not even half an hour in Mercy Club and she had been splayed out in front of an audience.

And she’d liked it. A part of her did, at any rate. The part that she’d tried to silence for so long. That little voice inside her that she always hushed when she was tempted to cry out for more. More adventure. More sensation. More of everything.

The door swung open. Paige quickly straightened and pretended to wash her shaking hands. She kept her head down and focused on her breath, hoping to slow her pounding heart. The last thing she needed right now was someone asking her if she was all right. Not when she wasn’t sure about the answer.

The click of a deadbolt being slid home echoed off the bathroom walls. Paige shot up. Alan stood there, his back resting against the door, watching her.

Paige backed up until she hit the wall. She spread her arms out to her side, and splayed her fingers across the cold, white tile. She stared at him. He didn't make a move. He didn't have to. Where was she going to go? There was one way out and he controlled it.

“You shouldn't be in here,” she said, her voice too high, lacking conviction.

He laughed. “So says the woman who came to my club without an invitation.”

“Your club? You own Mercy Club?” Paige didn’t need him to answer. It made sense. He walked around like he owned the place—because he did.

“Along with eight others.”

“Maybe it would be better if I left now.”

He shook his head slowly, deliberately.

“I don’t want you to leave, Paige. And you don’t want to either.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“Because if that’s what you wanted nothing would have stopped you. You’d already be out there. But you’re not. You’re in here, waiting for me.” He stepped toward her. She saw her opportunity and ran for the door. His arm snaked out, just as she tried to pass. “You came here for more than a diddle in the lounge.”

His fingers were as tight as shackles around her arm, and just as unyielding. She pulled and twisted. With that same amused smile he patiently waited for her to quit her vain attempt to run.

Paige wasn’t even sure who she was trying to run from anymore, him or herself.

He pulled her closer. She molded against his body. He slid his hand over her head, smoothing her hair. Halfway down he grasped the mass of curls and yanked down hard. The gesture lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

“Didn’t you?”

Fighting had gotten her nowhere. Maybe the truth would.

Paige nodded.

His smile was devastating, at total odds with the force of his domination. His eyes stayed locked with hers as he hooked his arm under her knee and easily lifted her up. Paige wrapped her legs around his waist on instinct. He carried her to the line of sinks. She hissed in a breath at the feel of the cold porcelain against her exposed skin.

He was more forceful this time when he slid his hand up her leg. His fingers bit into the tender flesh of her thighs. He grasped the thin fabric crotch of her panties and wrenched them down. The slip of lace and silk tangled around her ankles, and she tried to kick them off. Keeping his hold on her hair, Alan undid the button of his jeans.

“This is what you wanted, Paige,” he said. “Isn’t it?”

She braced her hands on his shoulders, uncertain whether to push him away or pull him closer, wishing that he would make the decision for her. The thick tip of his cock pushed against the wet folds of her pussy.

She trembled against the stiff material of his jeans, wanting to feel the friction against her bare legs. But he stayed as still as she was. His grip on her hair tightened, and she swallowed a cry as her scalp began to sting.

“Wasn’t it?” he repeated.

“Yes.” Her voice sounded foreign, breathy and heavy.

The light behind his eyes flickered to life once more. “Then take it.”

He slowly pushed into her, giving Paige all the time in the world to think about what she was doing. He was so much bigger than she was used to. The walls of her pussy stretched tight around him. He pushed in as far as he could, but even as wet as she was, she was unaccustomed to his size.

He didn’t give her even a second to adjust. He pulled out and thrust again and again. He increased his tempo with every stroke, until her body surrendered to the onslaught and accepted every inch. She cried out at the nearly unbearable pleasure building inside her.

Paige had to pull one arm away from his shoulders and prop it behind her to keep from falling on the hard floor. She wrapped her legs tighter around him, pushing him deeper.

The door rattled. Someone was out there. Maybe more than one person. They had to have heard her, and now they wanted to watch. Paige closed her eyes and imagined them, a faceless crowd getting off on her rapture.

Her pussy tightened around him. The friction between them grew.

“But this isn’t all that you want, is it?” There was laughter in his voice. Real laughter. Paige looked at him with wide eyes. He couldn't be serious. “You want me to unlock it and let them all come in. You want them to watch you.”

Paige shook her head violently.

“Don’t lie to me, Paige. I can see every one of those beautiful secrets locked inside your head.”

The door shook hard this time. She glanced nervously toward it. Alan pulled out completely. Paige teetered on the edge of the sink.

“Tell me that you want me to let them in, and I’ll do it,” he said. “Tell me no, and we’ll stop right now.”

Would he really walk away? Of course he would. With him there were no limits, no boundaries.

Paige trembled, desperate to keep her perch as she tried to wrangle control of her thoughts.

Alan shook his head. “Don’t think this time. Just feel.”

His words struck deep. Right now, she didn’t care how he knew what she wanted. He was in tune with her somehow. Choosing to stop would be choosing to go back to life as it was. It would be choosing fear and seclusion.

“What’s your answer, Paige? Shall I open it?”

“Yes. Please.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was enough.

Alan smiled.

He walked to the door, and with a flick of his wrist, unlocked the bolt. He held on to the metal handle, pulling the door open as he came back to her. He didn’t look behind him.

But Paige did.

The crowd she had envisioned was there. A few faces she’d seen in the lounge looked in at her. Raine was in front, taking up almost all of the open space. There was no judgment in anyone’s gaze, just the reflection of her own desires.

They all moved in, half a dozen of them, creating a semicircle around the sink.

“Good choice,” Alan said before he leaned forward and kissed her. His mouth was hot and reassuring. Strange after having his cock deep inside her that the force of his kiss would be a thousand times more intimate.

Paige looked him in the eyes. The intensity in his gaze held her fast. Even though only her most important parts were exposed, she had never felt more naked than when he looked at her. He really did see everything inside of her, even all the things she’d tried so hard to hide.

But she’d been the one doing the hiding, Paige realized. No one had ever forced her. She’d done it on her own. She’d never even given anyone a chance to know that this part of her existed.

None of this had anything to do with Zach. Not her self-imposed isolation. Not her visit to Mercy Club tonight. And certainly not what she was doing right now.

Alan had ripped through her weak defenses and exposed them all, even the ones that she hadn’t been strong enough to admit to herself. He saw them all, and he liked what he saw. He wanted more.