Temptation (Club Destiny) (10 page)

If the rumors were true, then there might be something more going on between the two men than met the eye, but deep down, Sierra got the feeling that they weren’t looking to be exclusive. The club was all about threesomes, and though she had never experienced one of her own, she definitely wasn’t opposed to the idea. Especially not one that involved men like Luke and Cole.

“Are you a member?” She asked as they descended the outdoor escalator that would take them to the sidewalk on Las Vegas Blvd.

“I am.”

“Does that mean you’re active in the lifestyle?” Sierra knew the answer to the question before he answered, but she was trying to make small talk.

Cole glanced over at her, one golden eyebrow lifted as though trying to read her. “Yes.” He said solemnly, followed immediately by, “Does that bother you?”

Sierra hadn’t had a chance to talk to Cole much throughout the day, having seen him only briefly, but she already felt comfortable with him. She could read his hesitancy; feel the way his arm tensed briefly as he anticipated her answer.

“Not at all.” She stopped walking so that she could look up at him. “I’m not aware of the dynamic between you and Luke, but I want to get to know you better. If I overstep my boundaries, feel free to let me know.”

When Cole stepped closer, placing his hands on her hips, Sierra struggled to maintain her composure, her hands instinctively going to his chest.

“I’d like that more than you know.” He whispered.

When his eyes moved to her mouth, Sierra fought the urge to reach up and kiss him. And where the hell had that come from? How could she even consider kissing Cole after what she had done with Luke earlier that morning? There was just something… something familiar about him that made her want to get closer.

Cole was a stocky man, muscular and tall, intense, but he didn’t emit the illusion of danger that she felt from Luke. Cole made her feel safe somehow, and standing so intimately close to him now, wanting to feel his lips on hers, was a little disconcerting… all things considered.

“I’m not sure what’s happening here.” Sierra whispered softly.

“I’m not either, but whatever it is, I like where this is going.” Cole slid one finger down the side of her cheek in a gesture so tender, Sierra felt tears prick behind her eyelids.

Had a man ever touched her so sweetly, while still making her feel desired?

When he lowered his hand, he took hers and twined their fingers together before turning toward their hotel.

“Hungry?” He asked as they stepped inside their hotel’s casino, the bright lights, the sounds of slot machines, and the overpowering smell of cigarette smoke assaulting her senses all at once.

“Starving. Have you ever been to this restaurant before?” Sierra asked as they walked down the aisles that intersected the casino floor, the bright red carpet and gold accents giving it an elegant, upscale feel.

“No. Vegas isn’t my thing. I’ve come out a couple of times, but I don’t frequent it enough to have tried many of the restaurants. How about you?”

“Once. I wasn’t disappointed, I know that much. My friends and I made it a goal to try a different restaurant each time we came. Needless to say, we’ve had both good and bad.”

Cole approached the hostess desk and offered his name. The girl glanced down at a book in front of her and then beamed a smile back at them. “Right this way.”

With Cole’s hand on her back, Sierra followed the woman through the dimly lit restaurant to a table in the back. Before she could do it herself, Cole pulled out her chair and waited for her to take her seat. Once he was seated, and their drink orders were taken, Sierra gave him her full attention.

“Tell me what you do for a living.” Sierra started the conversation, hoping she could get him to share some information about himself.

He didn’t seem to be any more forthcoming with information than Luke was, but Sierra figured there was a time and place for everything. With nothing else to do, hopefully Cole would find talking easier than staring blankly at one another.

“It’s complicated.” Cole said.

Sierra got the sense that Cole had some hidden insecurities, though based on what she had heard throughout the day, he was exceptionally sharp and communicated easily with the type of people they had been in contact with.

“I’m intelligent. I think I can handle an explanation.” Sierra grinned, then sat back in her chair as a waiter placed two wine glasses on their table, then filled them.

“Technically, I’m self-employed.” Cole took a sip of the wine, then nodded at the waiter with his approval. “Give us a few minutes.” He instructed the man hovering over them.

“What is it that you do?” Sierra asked when they were alone again.

“I contract out my services.”

Sierra’s eyes went wide.
Was he saying…?

Cole laughed, a deep, thunderous rumble that went straight to her core, lighting up all of her nerve endings along the way. Unlike Luke, this man had a laugh that came out easily.

“Not those services, naughty girl.” He clarified. “Lets order and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

Glancing down at the menu in front of her, Sierra tried to focus on the words. She smiled despite herself. The way he called her naughty, thrilled her.

“You like steak?” He asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“I do.”

“My kind of woman.” And with that, they were silent for a few minutes while they both scanned the menu, placing their orders when the waiter returned.

“Back to what you do, you know, the services you contract out.”

“Aside from living off of my trust fund,” Cole began, watching her for her reaction, “I do various odd jobs. Sort of like a handyman might contract his services, I do the same, although not manual labor. For example, this conference, I’m filling in for Alex McDermott, the owner of CISS. I’ve got a head for business, and I enjoy the political aspect.”

“A public relation’s front man?” She asked.

“Exactly. I go in, learn what I need to know about a company, and then attend various events in their place.”

Sierra didn’t question Cole about his trust fund, though the way he had gauged her reaction told her that he expected her to. She wasn’t interested in the man’s money. She was interested in the man and Cole’s profession stimulated the intellectual side of her brain.

Sierra got the impression that Cole wasn’t much on offering personal information, appearing to be just as private as Luke. How the two of them managed to engage in the types of relationships they did, namely threesomes, was beyond her. Those seemed a bit personal in her opinion, but what did she know.

“Are you from Dallas originally?” She asked, resting her arms on the table, her fingers twined around the stem of her wine glass as she gave Cole her attention.

“No, I was born and raised in Oklahoma.” He responded to her question, and she saw the glint of shyness shining in his beautiful eyes.

“What made you move to Dallas?” Sierra detected the hesitance in Cole’s eyes, and she wondered if she was asking too many personal questions.

“I needed a change. I earned a degree from OU and then moved south, not sure what I was looking for. Somehow I ended up in Dallas, and I’ve built my business from there. It wasn’t until about seven years ago that I became involved with the club. Although seven years ago, it was named Destined Hearts, and it wasn’t nearly what it is today.”

“Destined Hearts?” Sierra laughed. “That sounds more like a singles website.”

“That’s what Luke thought, so he changed the name to Club Destiny when he and Logan bought it five years ago, figuring he wasn’t changing it entirely, just giving it a facelift per se.”

“Well, I’m not sure I would have named it Club Destiny, but it’s a definite improvement. And you said you met Luke at the club?”

“I did.” The hesitation in Cole’s answer was evident.

“I’d like to know more about the lifestyle. Luke mentioned the club isn’t exclusive to married couples, so I’m assuming you aren’t married.”

“Not married. Never have been.” Cole stated, watching her carefully. “And no, Club Destiny isn’t limited to married couples. I’ve been a member of Luke’s club since inception. And as for my lifestyle… What is it that you want to know?”

Sierra grinned, realizing she was definitely treading on personal territory and based on Cole’s reaction, he wasn’t all that happy about it.

Thankfully the waiter chose that moment to interrupt them, bringing their food and refilling their wine. Allowing Cole a temporary reprieve, Sierra focused on eating, doing her best to leave Cole be for a few minutes. As much as she wanted to believe that Cole was just shy, and a little startled by her questions, Sierra got the impression that he didn’t want to talk about himself.
To her
.

“Cole.” She said, placing her fork and her knife down on the table beside her plate. When he looked up, holding his fork in front of him, halting midway to his mouth, Sierra continued. “I want to know everything there is to know about you.”

Watching the internal struggle Cole waged with himself had her wanting desperately to reach out and touch him. For such a strong, masculine man, Sierra felt there was something much deeper, which explained whatever was going on between him and Luke.

“Tell me.” She encouraged him, then picked up her fork and tried to continue eating. Truthfully, she wasn’t all that hungry, but she didn’t want their time together to end.

Right now, right here, with Cole, she felt at ease. He knew who she was, at least superficially, and he knew about her interest in Luke. He also knew of her interest in him, based on the way he looked at her.

Apparently he didn’t have a problem with her wanting another man. She wished she could be just as comfortable with the situation. This was the part of her that she had never been able to explain, the part of her she always felt was abnormal. Daydreaming about being that woman in her romance novels, the one who was showered with love and attention from two men, was a frequent fantasy.

When it came to sex, Sierra was open, wanting to express her deepest, most intimate desires, and if she wanted to be with two men, then the rest of the world be damned. She’d just never thought of it as more than just a dream. As long as everyone was on the same page, what did she have to worry about?

The only question was whether Luke and Cole were thinking the same thing she was.

“Let’s just say I’m very open.”

Of course he wouldn’t go into detail. Sierra smiled, wanting to laugh at his inability to tell her more. “Ok, we’ll leave it at that. But, you have to tell me one thing.”

He shot her a skeptical look but didn’t turn away.

“Are you bisexual?”

Cole hesitated, but then he nodded his head. “Yes.”

Well, that answered most of her questions all in itself. It explained his relationship with Luke and being that he was a member of the club it told her that he wasn’t discriminatory when it came to gender. Club Destiny was a swingers club after all.

“You think that answers all of your questions?” There was a hint of suspicion in Cole’s tone.

Had she actually spoken out loud?

She hoped she hadn’t, but the way he looked at her as if she’d grown two heads said maybe she had.

“It tells me enough.” She paused momentarily. “I don’t judge, Cole. I’m not interested in picking apart your life or determining whether it’s right or wrong. I just want to get to know you.”

Seemingly satisfied with her response, Cole clarified. “I engage mostly in ménages with married couples. Which makes me the third.”

He was letting her know who he was so she could make up her own mind.

“Now, tell me more about
you
.” Cole stated, turning the conversation to something much safer for him, but not so much for her.

With a deep, fortifying breath and a long swallow of wine, Sierra proceeded to tell him the details of her life. If he trusted her enough to share, she might as well divulge everything.

~~  **  ~~  **  ~~  **  ~~

Cole charged dinner to his room, although they insisted that Luke had already instructed them to do no such thing. Taking the waiter aside momentarily, when Sierra had slipped away to go to the ladies room, Cole told him in no uncertain terms that he didn’t give a shit what Luke had instructed. That had changed the waiter’s perspective and resolved their issue entirely.

When Sierra returned, Cole was waiting, and the two of them wandered through the casino until they came upon an empty blackjack table. Insisting that he play, he found himself unable to tell her no. There was something so compelling about the woman that Cole wondered if he would
ever
be able to tell her no.

He didn’t bother to tell her that he had no idea how to play the game, so when he started losing she turned to him in wide eyed wonder.

“Have you played before?”

“Nope.” He admitted, grinning. “Can you tell?”

When Sierra laughed, Cole’s insides tumbled repeatedly. Her laugh was the sexiest sound he had ever heard. Her carefree attitude and always there smile was refreshing, and Cole found that he would do whatever it was she wanted, lose as much money as necessary if he could only keep her smiling.