Page 6 of Love In The Shadows

I nodded and swept the room, overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and smells. The lighting in the room was filtered with some kind of red filament that made me feel like I was in a photographic darkroom.

Black furniture, leather from the look of it, filled the room. In the center, two long couches faced each other, a glass coffee table in between, littered with bottles and glasses. I spotted a few power players in the Sanderson group. They were easily identified, though I’d never met any of them. They didn’t know me from Adam. But I had the upper hand, knowing their background as well as their connection to Richie.

Three men were in the room, wise guys, and each of them was entertaining a pair of females. Most of whom were topless or damn near. One of the men, Johnny Sanderson, was being straddled by a woman, and I was fairly sure they were fucking right there on the couch.

Richie grinned at me. “All you hoped it would be?”

I feigned a smile, not sure exactly how I felt about any of it. “Definitely.”

Before I could find a way to get back on the topic of business, Richie continued into the room. A blonde wearing nothing but a pair of sparkling panties and a silver pastie on each nipple approached us. She flashed a winning smile at Richie and then turned it on me. Her eyes traveled up and down my frame, a glow of delight reflected back at me.

“Who’s your friend, Richie?”

Richie chuckled. “Eric, this is Cinnamin. Cinnamin, Eric.”

She gave a slight shake of her hips, sending her tits bouncing, and smirked up at me as I watched the mini-show. “You come here to play, Eric?”

I cut a glance at Richie. He inclined his head. “We’ll talk business later. Cinnamin, can I get a fresh bourbon? You know what I like.”

She nodded. “Of course, Mr. Dalton. And for you, Eric? What can I get for you?” Her sultry tone implied there was more than just expensive booze on the menu.

“Same.”

She spun on her spiked heels and sashayed off, her bare ass swinging gently with each step.

“Damn,” I groaned, unable to stop myself. I felt like a diabetic in a candy store. I wanted a little bit of everything but knew it was a bad idea and would only lead to trouble.

Richie clapped me on the shoulder again. “I’ll see that Cinnamin sets you up. Jake is watching the door. So relax.”

I nearly pointed out that Jake wasn’t exactly top-notch but left it alone. Richie wanted to party a little. We’ll talk shop later. There was no point in pressuring a man like him. He wanted to be in control—to take charge. And I had to follow his lead until I could get some leverage and call a few shots of my own.

Cinnamin appeared with a tray and handed a glass to Richie and me. As soon as she set the tray aside, she returned to Richie, knelt down in front of him, and unzipped his slacks with a skilled hand. My mouth went dry as her hand went under his shorts and started stroking him. When she took him out and wrapped her lips around his cock, I made a quick exit, Richie’s chuckle following me as I skittered off to admire the art along the walls.

Shit. What the hell was that? I hadn’t seen that coming.

Hell, I didn’t want to see that coming.

“Are you Eric?” a velvet voice purred over my shoulder.

I spun around and found myself staring down into a pair of beautiful green eyes that belonged to an equally beautiful woman. She was dressed a little more conservatively than her friend, Cinnamin. However, there wasn’t a whole helluva lot left to my imagination under her short, skin-tight green dress. Her long brown hair flowed down her back in soft waves, and her eyes were lined with thick black liner.

“That’s me,” I answered before casually taking another sip off the top of my bourbon.

The woman smiled. “I’m Elise. Cinnamin told me you were looking for some company.”

How much was this gonna cost me? Of course, I was loaded, so I didn’t have a problem with call girls, escorts, hookers—whatever the hell was politically correct these days. But I kinda figured, why pay for something when you can get it for free?

“If you want to be alone, we can go to a private room.”

Elise was a stunner. She had an hourglass figure that made my blood run hot just thinking about holding onto those hips and fucking her from behind. Grabbing onto a handful of that thick, glossy hair and the sound of my name on her full, devil-red lips. It’d be sweet, for sure, but I wasn’t at the club for sex or experimentation. I was here on business.

I cut a glance across the room, and Richie was still…occupied.

Elise followed my eyes. “Mr. Dalton would want you to have a good time.” Something about how she said it made me wonder how much she knew about him and his business. It almost felt like she was giving me some kind of subtle hint.

“You think so?” I asked, making sure.

She nodded and then licked her lips slowly with the tip of her tongue. “Yeah. And I would too.”