Until You're Mine (22 page)

Standing in the center of the empire I’d built from the ground up, I sucked in a deep breath. It would be hard as hell to let it all go.

“Well look who finally made it, damn good to see ya son.” Nate took my hand pulling me in for a quick hug.

“Nate,” I slapped his back once before he released me.

“Where’s your girl?”

“I’m bringin’ her tonight. Make sure #13 is set up by 9.”

“I got Sugar on it now. Let’s sit. I want to hear about your girl.”

We took a seat at one of the nearby tables. “What do you wanna know?”

Nate unbuttoned his suit coat, relaxing back in the chair. He narrowed his eyes as he pulled a cigar from the inside of his coat pocket. “First off, I can see it written all over your face, this girl is special. Second, any woman who can get your stubborn ass to let go of the past, not only gets my respect, but my full fucking attention. Start talking,”

Leaning forward, I rested my forearms on my knees and hung my head. The black floor beneath my feet shined like Nate’s shoes and I tried to find a spot to focus on. “I love her.”

“That is obvious,”

Lifting my eyes, I met his. “I’m afraid.”

Nate focused on lighting his cigar while his eyes stayed with mine. Smoke billowed up into the air around him and the smell infiltrated my nose. “Pop’s brand,” I nodded.

“Yeah, I smoke these every now and then. Brings back a lot of memories,” He twisted the cigar between his fingers before bringing it back to his mouth. “Why are you afraid?”

“What if she’s just like everyone else in my life who’s fucked me over?”

“Do you trust her?”

“Yeah, I trusted Megan too, remember?”

Nate nodded in agreement. “True, but this is different isn’t it?”

“Yes,”

“You don’t want to spend your life with regret son. That’s a heavy cross to bear. Trust me…I carry it every goddamn day.”

Shifting in my seat, I relaxed a little. It felt good to talk to someone about this shit. He understood what I’d been through with Megan. He’d been through something similar. But unlike my situation, it was him who never loved his wife. “When will you ever tell me about the one that got away?”

“When the time is right, I promise I’ll tell you that story, but not today.” He leaned forward again, his eyes never leaving mine. “Don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t let the woman you love slip through your fingers because of fear. Love is all about taking risks, is she worth it?”

“Fuck yes…a hundred times over she’s worth it. That’s how I know I’m making the right decision. You’ll have the papers for me to sign tonight right?”

“Yes,” he assured with a smile.

“Good,”

“That you sweet pea?” Sugar Prescott was easily pushing 40, but damn you couldn’t tell it. She was a tiny little thing, but oh, she was mighty.  Sugar had been with me going on eight years now. She was in charge of the girls, VIP accommodations, and was pretty much the face of Red Door. She choreographed each song and dance perfectly to ensure that every customer experienced a superior level of adult entertainment.

“Good to see ya, boss.” she greeted, wrapping her small arms around my waist.

Sugar was a hugger. “How’s my best girl?”

“Great! Just getting you all set up for later handsome. I can’t wait to meet her.” Sugar took a step back and sniffed, grimacing down at Nate. “What the hell have I told you about smoking those disgusting things in here?”

“Last time I checked, I own half this motherfucker, so quit bitching.” Nate pulled in another long drag, blowing the smoke from his mouth. 

“Just because you own it doesn’t mean you can break the rules.”

Nate smirked up at her, completely unfazed by her rule rant, puffing away while she swatted the air around her.

“I’ll see tonight, sweet pea.” Sugar gave me another hug and smacked Nate on the shoulder as she passed. “Asshole,” she muttered.

“It runs in the family, sweetheart,” he tossed over his shoulder, winking up at me.

“You better be nice to her. She’s gonna make you a shit load of money,” I warned.

“Yeah, I know. She tells me that shit daily,”

Shaking my head, I headed towards the door. “I’ll see you later tonight,” I shouted. “9 o’clock,” I reminded.

“Until then,”

After making a few quick stops, I arrived back at the hotel. My heart raced as I fumbled to unlock the door. I couldn’t get to her fast enough. I was nervous, excited. A fucking pussy… that’s what I was, and I didn’t give a flying fuck. I hid the bundle of flowers behind my back, but I couldn’t quite hide my lovesick smile. “Katherine,” I called out.

“In here,” I rushed to the door of the master suite, twisting the knob.

I pressed my ear to the door, my heart beating wildly in my chest. “It’s locked,”

“I know,”

Desperation hung thick in my voice. “Open the door baby, please. I need to see you,”

“I can’t,” Her soft voice and the suspense were killing me.

Pretty soon my dick would be knocking down the damn door. “Why the fuck not?”

“Because if I open this door, you’ll maul me and I just spent the last four hours gettin’ ready. I want to leave this room in one piece.”

Shaking my head, I laughed. I could only imagine what she looked like right now. Probably like some fuckable goddess. 

My fucking goddess
.

Dropping my forehead to the door, I released a heavy sigh.

“I put your stuff in the other room.”

“You kicked me out?” I teased, smiling down at the flowers in my hand.

She laughed. “You know better than that.”

“You’re killin’ me. You know that don’t you?”

“I’ll be waiting.” she promised and that put my feet in motion.

Dressed in my black suit and black shirt, I fastened my watch onto my wrist, shoving my wallet into the pocket of my coat. I clutched the bouquet of flowers in my fist as I made my way down the hall.

The moment I laid eyes on her there came an irresistible need to kiss every bare inch of her exposed skin. Damn if the woman didn’t know what she was talking about. How the fuck would we get out of this room without me fucking her against every surface available? With her hands pressed to the window, I took a moment to memorize everything. The black dress she wore hit just above the knee, and was completely backless with the exception of two small silk ribbons that hung in the center, courtesy of the bow tied at the base of her neck. Working my way down, I licked my lips at the sight of her smooth legs. Then the pair of spiked, black fuck-me shoes with a red bottom.

“Fuck me, baby,” I breathed.

Spinning in place, she gifted me with the rest of her, robbing me of air. I quickly closed the space between us, stopping only a few feet away as I sucked harder on the nearly depleted peppermint in my mouth, breaking it into little tiny pieces. I adjusted my hard on. “The things I want to do to you right now…”

She sucked in a solid breath and smiled. “Thank you for the flowers,”

Shit, I forgot all about the damn things. She took them from my outreached hand, bringing them to her nose. “Shall we?”

“Such a gentleman,” Katherine slid her small hand into the crook of my arm.

Throwing my head back, I released a wicked laugh. “Baby, I can assure you that the things I wanna do to you right now are nowhere near gentleman like. Matter of fact, they’re downright depraved.”

Pink flush colored her cheeks. “I’ll keep the gentleman for now, and save the depraved for later. Deal?”

“Deal,”

“So, where’re we going?”

“Dinner, then another surprise,”

Katherine beamed up at me. “I love surprises.”

“I know.” I whispered, kissing her cheek. 

I would lay the world at her feet just to keep that smile on her beautiful face.

A mind that is stretched by a new experience

can never go back to its old dimensions.

~Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr.

The night could not have been more perfect. The entire day had been magical really. I’d been pampered and groomed and fussed over like a princess getting ready for a ball. Now I was on the arm of...I had no idea what we were technically, but there was no doubt about it, we were in love. And for now, that was enough. Archer took my hand, leading me to the table. The restaurant was small and quaint, but tastefully trendy. The soft lighting offered a romantic atmosphere, the smells and sights of gourmet food covering the tables as we passed made my stomach rumble. We were seated in a secluded half-moon booth near the back.

Archer stretched his arm, signaling for me to slide in first. “Your waiter, Neil, will be right with you Mr. Brooks. Enjoy your evening.”

Bringing his lips to kiss the skin along my jaw, his voice dropped low and deep. “Are you as hungry as I am,”

I crossed my legs, squeezing them together in sweet agony. “I forgot to eat in all the excitement.” I breathed, his hot kiss replacing the hunger in my belly with heavy desire.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since we left the room. On the ride over, he’d teased me insistently, enjoying every moment of my tortured bliss. Memories of his soft deliberate touches paired with that charmingly crude mouth had me teetering on the edge of insanity. He leaned over again, draping his arm protectively around the back of the seat.

His warm, minty breath caressed the side of my face while his middle finger brushed the skin along the back of my neck. “I’m only hungry for one thing…
you
.” Archer kissed my shoulder tenderly before he scraped his teeth across the exposed skin.

The waiter cleared his throat and Archer released a growl.

“Can I get you something to drink sir?”

“Seven and seven and two shots of Fireball,”

“Absolutely sir. Would you like to start with an appetizer?”

Archer looked at me, licking his lips once before turning back to the waiter. “No appetizer.” He ordered steak and shrimp for the both of us before the waiter collected our menus and walked away.

“What if I didn’t want steak?” I said to the side of his face.

He was more relaxed than I’d ever seen him, and there was a permanent grin that he just couldn’t contain.