Three Dirty Secrets (Blindfold Club #4) (2 page)

“Damn,” I whispered, my eyes fluttering open to catch his intrigued gaze on me. “Imagine what that voice sounds like when you make her come.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as I assumed he did exactly as told.
Good
. A potential buyer visualizing was a great step toward a sale. The client shifted in his suit, as if twitchy. Shy, but excited.

My lips drew back in a deep smile. “Would you like me to take your suitcoat? You must be hot. I guess the city didn’t realize the sun went down a few hours ago because it’s still a thousand degrees outside.”

Talking about weather was my signal to Nina that the man in the room was of average looks. I’d discuss sports if he was attractive, and make small talk about traffic if he was ugly. Since the woman on the table was the one who accepted or rejected the offers, it was important she know as much as possible. The attractive men didn’t like to pay as much. They were used to getting sex for free, and so they came for the experience or to try something their wives wouldn’t let them do.

“I’m fine.” His voice was tight, and he glanced over to the willing list that hung on the back wall. Nina’s menu of sexual acts and fetishes she was comfortable with. I wondered if there was something in particular he was interested in, but didn’t ask. He was skittish, and right now I wanted him to feel comfortable.

“How’d you learn about this place? A friend?” It was not like the blindfold club advertised.

He nodded slowly, his gaze shifting back to Nina. She lay still and quiet, not speaking unless requested, as this was a house rule. There was a flare in his expression, one I was so familiar with. Lust. I only saw it here at the club. Matt hadn’t looked at me like that in forever, and for a moment I was struck with envy. How stupid was I, to be jealous of the way this stranger looked at Nina? The hunger in his eyes said he’d do almost
anything
to have her.

“My brother-in-law,” the man said. “Told me this was a good idea.”

His brother-in-law? Well, that was a new one. The guy took one slight step closer, and it gave me a clearer focus on his situation. I always checked for a wedding ring first, as the cheating scum coughed up more money, but this man didn’t wear a wedding ring. The indentation on his ring finger said he used to.

Newly divorced?

The man looked embarrassed and sad. “My wife was the only woman I’ve ever been with.”

Was.
The pain in his voice was unmistakable. I drew in a slow breath through my nose and blew it out through my lips. A widower. My ice queen persona cracked and melted a little at his confession.

“That sounds like it was really special.” The words tumbled out, but I readjusted to stay on point. “Natalie can give you a new kind of special. Would you like a taste?”

“A taste?” It caught most clients off-guard, and kept power in my corner.

I smiled seductively, but inside I felt nothing. The first time I’d done this, I’d been shaking, but if you did something long enough, it became normal. Like watching people fuck on monitors, which was commonplace for me now.

Nina drew in a breath through parted lips when my fingers coursed down the valley of her breasts, and skated over her taut belly. Further along I went, down . . . She shifted, spreading her knees subtly, welcoming the touch between her legs.

“Uh . . .” the man said, his eyes so wide they practically bulged out of his head. The girl-on-girl action wasn’t playing fair with the johns, and often had them foaming at the mouth, but this game wasn’t about being fair. When it came to sex, men played to win, and in these rooms? So did I.

My fingers delved into her pussy, stirring her clit. Nina moaned in gratitude, then whimpered when my touch was gone. I held out my hand to the client, my fingers wet from where they’d just been.

Again his Adam’s apple dipped in his throat. He stared at me, waiting for permission.

“Your taste, sir.”

But he was frozen in place, not even blinking.

“No?” I asked casually.

When he didn’t respond, I went in for the kill. I slipped the fingers in my mouth, and sucked them clean.

“Mmm,” I said. “She tastes so, so good.”

A sound came from him, as if my actions had been too hot for him to stay quiet. It was like I’d punched all the air clean from his lungs.

“I’d say she tastes like,” I continued, “eight thousand dollars.”

It was a low opening bid. I knew I should have started at ten, but my weakness for his situation got to me. I didn’t want to take more than five from him. It was a steal for Nina, but I knew she was thinking the same thing, if not that I’d already started too high. She was such a sweetheart.

Hell, he’d probably only make it a few thrusts. Five grand for ten minutes of work, and she could talk one of the other sales assistants into a second round if she wanted to take another client and make more money.

The man’s face fell. “Is that, um, negotiable?”

I bit down on my tongue to keep my face from changing. No one had told him that? I did my best to sound reluctant. “It can be.”

Please, dear God, low ball. I’ll help you as much as I can, but give me something to work with, guy.

“Eight is a lot of money,” he said. His eyebrows pulled together and he looked deep in thought. “Would you take four?”

“It’s up to Natalie here,” I patted my hand on her knee, “on whether or not to accept the offer.” My touch was intentional and specific. Since Nina couldn’t see, where on her body I touched her was a signal. The closer I got to her head, the closer I thought we were to reaching his maximum.

“I accept,” she said almost instantly.

I turned and leaned over, whispering in her ear, “I knew it, you big softie.”

“Get the fuck out of here,” she whispered back. “Go home and feel better.”

I smiled, not that she could see. My head pounded as I righted myself. “Congratulations, sir. I’ll leave you two to get to know each other better.”

As I pulled the door closed behind me, I heard Nina’s husky voice. “No need to be shy. I’m all yours, sir.”

The hallway was empty, and as I made my way toward the stairs, I pressed the communications button. “Room Three was four grand.”

“You serious?” Julius sounded annoyed.

“Take it up with Nina, but cut her some slack. She’ll have fun with him.”

Money was great, but knowing she was going to rock his world was a nice ego boost, too. It’s not like four grand was peanuts, either.

“You still okay with me taking off?” I asked, massaging my forehead. I needed to get home before the migraine went to the next level and the nausea hit me.

“Yeah, girl, I got you. See you next week.”

“Thanks.”

Normally I’d take the CTA home, but I couldn’t deal with the train sounds or smells, so once I’d dropped off my transmitter and retrieved my phone, I flagged down a cab. I rode with my eyes closed, pinching the bridge of my nose to distract from the pain. Matt was on night rotation, so I wouldn’t see him until morning. At least the apartment would be dark and quiet, and I liked suffering alone. No one to hover over me and worry.

I unlocked the atrium door and plodded up the steps to the apartment on the second floor, ignoring the smell of Indian food the downstairs neighbors seemed addicted to ordering. I couldn’t get the key in the deadbolt fast enough. Just a few more steps and I could fling myself face-down on the bed—

Why were the lights on?

The keys slipped from my fingers and clattered onto the hardwood floor. I stared at Matt, unable to find words.

“What are you doing home?” he demanded as he scrambled off the couch.

His tone was angry, masking his guilt. He had some nerve. He was the one I’d just caught fucking some girl on our couch.

Chapter

TWO

Matt and the girl were naked blurs as they fumbled for clothes on the floor.

“You don’t need to stop on my account,” I snapped.

“Andrea,” he said to me, yanking on a leg of his jeans. “Shit, I’m sorry.” His dark hair was askew, no doubt from the skank who had been beneath him, her hands threaded through his hair.

The girl, a blonde, was younger than me, and pretty. A side effect from working at the club, I was sure, but I evaluated her clinically. Small tits, but a nice ass as she hustled into her shorts and bra. I said nothing as she put her shirt on inside-out. If I had to guess, she was from the new crop of residents at Stroger Hospital. Young and perky, and she’d probably fawned all over the older, distinguished chief resident who was my boyfriend.

When Matt took a step my direction, I shifted into a defensive stance. “Don’t even think about it.”

His hands went up in surrender. “Fuck, I’m sorry. It just . . . happened.”

“What just happened? All your clothes fell off and your dick jumped inside her?”

“Please, baby.” His voice was soaked in regret.

“Shut your asshole mouth.”

The girl stood beside him, cowering and studying the pattern on the rug beneath our coffee table.

Matt looked distraught. Pathetic. I felt nothing, except for the ache behind my eyes and the overwhelming desire to lie down. I was angry, sure, but most of it was at myself. I should have fucking known. How had I missed it? And I should have talked to him so he wouldn’t have felt the need to sneak around. Obviously our relationship had been over for a while.

“Look at me,” he asked softly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Not that I owed him a goddamn thing, but I did as he asked and glared at him. He stood shirtless, one hand on his hip and the other raking through his hair.

“Jesus, I don’t even know what to say,” he muttered.

“Is this the first time?” I don’t know why I asked. He’d lied and told me he was working tonight. He hadn’t expected me home for hours—there were some nights at the blindfold club when I didn’t leave until three, and then took the train home, which made at least a dozen stops. Fucking her on the couch wasn’t an accident; this had been planned.

“It’s the first time,” he said.

I choked out a bitter laugh. “I’m offended you think I’m stupid enough to believe that.”

Matt didn’t deny he’d just lied to me,
again
. Maybe he thought lying further was pointless. I tore my gaze away from him and stared at the sliding patio door, only it was pitch black outside, so I could see our reflections in the glass.

“You two make a cute couple.” My voice was hollow, just like I felt inside. I was actually a little concerned at how
not
heartbroken I was. My statement was true, though. The two seconds I’d seen of them together seemed far more passionate than what Matt and I had.

“Jesus, Andrea—”

“Go back to the fucking, I don’t really care.” I tugged off my heels and dropped them with a loud thud, and made my way toward the bedroom.

Matt was behind me in a flash, his hand on my shoulder trying to get me to turn. “You don’t mean that.”

I shrugged off his hold. “I kinda do.”

“Stop acting like this,” he demanded, and that got my attention. “You have every right to be pissed.”

I whirled to face him, fire burning in between the pulsing throbs of my headache. “You don’t get to tell me what to do or how to feel.”

“Of course not.” His voice was harsh. “You said it yourself, you haven’t felt anything since Nevada.”

Holy shit. Matt looked almost as shocked as I felt about what he’d just said. What a fucking douche.

“What I meant was,” he backtracked, “after you told me what you’d been through, I knew you needed time. I’d hoped you’d talk to me and you’d stop being so . . .”

“So . . . what?” He clearly didn’t want to say it. “Go on and tell me, Matt.”

“Detached,” he said, his voice dropping low. “You don’t need me.”

Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Really
? Was this his excuse?

“What the fuck is your deal?” I screamed it at him and had to latch a hand onto the bedroom doorframe when my vision blurred.
Oh, hello, nausea. Welcome to the party.
“You’re going to blame me for your inability to keep your dick in your pants?”

“No—”

“Get out.” When he didn’t move immediately, I added, “Get the fuck out.”

“Don’t do this. I screwed up, but don’t go back to hiding behind your gun and your badge—” Matt’s mouth snapped shut.

“Shit,” the girl said, “you didn’t say your girlfriend was a cop.”

My voice was dark. “I’m not.”

Perhaps if I wasn’t clinging to the doorframe and trying to stay above the pain, I might have read him the riot act for almost revealing I was FBI. But the pain distracted and kept me calm.

“Not your girlfriend either,” I clarified, my gaze locked on Matt. “You can come by tomorrow to get your stuff when I’m not here. Drop your key in the mailbox when you’re done.”