Corrupted Angel

Chapter 6 Episode 6

Maybe, considering the night I’ve had, this is the smart choice. I don’t have to do anything. I can justhave a drink with this smoking-hot stranger and go home. Would that be so bad? He intrigues me, andif I’m being honest, I’m flattered by his attention. He is a god, and as a mere mortal, don’t I have aduty to oblige?

The man leads me up to a booth in the VIP area. There is a long padded bench on either side of thetable, with a balcony at the far end overlooking the club below. Deep aquamarine lights line thebooth’s roof, giving the interior an otherworldly glow. The walls on either side help block out someof the noise, though as I sit, the bass thrums up my thighs.

The man slides in close next to me. Electricity sizzles up the side of my body where his side justbrushes mine.

“What’s your name?” he asks. Now that I can hear him better, I note that his voice is deep and throaty,almost like a lion’s purr.

“Alexis.” I sip my drink. “And yours?”

“Gabe.”

Gabe. It’s such a plain, pedestrian name. It doesn’t really suit him. I can’t help but smirk.

“Something funny?” he asks, tilting one brow.

Somehow, I don’t think he will like it if he finds out I’m laughing at his name. I look past him andpoint down to the dance floor, where a heavily muscled guy in a white tank top and matching whitetrack pants is trying to grind on a girl who clearly has zero interest. His frosted tips glow in the blacklights.

“I didn’t realize that Backstreet was back,” I comment.

Gabe doesn’t laugh, but his amused smile is reward enough. His left cheek dimples when he smiles.Just the left, like a little secret.

“You’re funny,” he says.

It doesn’t come across as a compliment, more an observation.

“Sometimes,” I reply.

He waves at a passing waitress. He doesn’t say anything to her, but she nods and dashes off, as if hehas delivered a command with his mind.

Gabe leans in a little closer, resting his hand on the table and turning his body, caging me in. He is notsmiling now, and the intensity of his expression makes my heart jump up my throat.

“People are funny when they’re covering up pain,” he says. “Are you in pain, Alexis?”

I clear my throat as a vision of my mother’s sallow face swims into my mind. I shove it down,keeping my expression neutral. I get the feeling that Gabe likes his cruel games. He fancies himself acat and me the injured bird.

“Dr. Phil has nothing on you,” I state blithely. “Do you get paid to make comments like that or is theshock on people’s faces compensation enough?”

His mouth curves wickedly. My heart flutters.

“I look forward to stripping away that armor,” he says.

His words evoke that image of black silk again and I take another sip of my drink. At that moment, thewaitress arrives back at our booth with a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice and two glasses. Shesets them down in front of us.

“Thank you,” Gabe says, sliding her a crisp one hundred dollar bill.

She nods in a way that looks a little like a bow and leaves. She clearly knows Gabe but doesn’t talkto him. I can’t figure out if that’s weird or not.

“You said one drink.” I hold my half-finished vodka cranberry up.

Gabe takes the bottle from the bucket and begins to pull away the foil from the cork. I can’t help butnotice his hands are nimble for how massive they are.

“I did say one drink,” he replies, popping the cork. “But I never said what of.”

“That’s cheating.”

“You must live a charmed life if you think that’s cheating.” He pours out a glass of champagne andsets it in front of me.

“You’re one to talk about charmed lives,” I remark. “Everything about you screams money. I betyou’ve never known what it is to struggle.”

He chuckles. “If only you knew.”

“Cryptic.”

“Unapologetically so.” He clinks his glass against mine and takes a drink.

I narrow my eyes and sip my drink. It is, without a doubt, the best champagne I’ve ever had. It’s likenectar. I shudder to think how much this bottle must have cost.

I tilt my glass up again and drain it back. This earns me an amused tilt of the lips from Gabe, but notquite a smile. I get the feeling he dispatches those sparingly.

“Looks like my drink is done,” I say. “Whoops.”

Gabe refills the glass and raises his eyebrow, as if to say, Your move.

I push the glass away. “Listen, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree here.” I gesture out to thecrowd. “There are any number of brainless bimbos waiting for you to pluck them out of obscurity sothey can massage your ego and bend to your will. Why don’t we go find you one of those?”

“I don’t want a brainless bimbo,” he replies huskily, leaning closer. His eyes skewer mine. “I wantyou. You needn’t massage my ego, but I think you’ll find you will bend to my will.”

My mouth goes dry. That’s a checkmate if I’ve ever heard one. I take a breath, scouring my brain for awitty retort but finding nothing.

This man, this beast of a man, has turned my brain to goo.

I don’t want to give him what he wants, but the problem is that what he wants is what I suddenly,desperately need. The hot promise of those words is enough to drive every thought from my brainexcept fervent desire. An ache grows between my thighs. I squeeze them together.

His lip curls. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Just planning an escape route.”

He shakes his head slowly, smirking. “No, you’re not.”

I take a breath. “No, I’m not,” I murmur.

I have never wanted someone as much as I want Gabe. His eyes carve a fiery path down my body, andwhen they return to my face, I am blushing. My better sense warns that this is a bad idea, but I can’tfigure out why. I’m not looking for another man who will break my heart, so isn’t this perfect? I’ve

had a shitty couple of days, and now it would seem fate has thrown me a bone by offering up agorgeous man to take my mind off everything, if only for a little while.

Hell, I’ve earned this.

Gabe leans closer and my breath catches in my throat. He reaches out, and I gasp as he yanks a thickblack curtain across the opening of the booth, blocking out the rest of the VIP section. He leans backand draws the curtain over the balcony as well.

Just like that, we’re completely alone in a building packed with people.

Gabe guides me to my feet, and I don’t understand why until he walks me to the side of the table andlifts me up by my hips, setting me on top. He runs his fingers down my cheek, over my neck, betweenmy breasts, and that barest of touches is enough to set me on fire. His hands come to my thighs,spreading them just enough for him to wedge his hips between.

He hasn’t even kissed me yet and this is already the most erotic thing I’ve ever experienced. Histhumb brushes over my bottom lip. His expression is serious, almost contemplative, like he is takingme in. I quiver in anticipation.

Without warning, he presses me down to the table and his mouth latches onto my neck. I moan insurprise. I can feel his stiff c**k through his pants and it rubs against the bundle of nerves between mylegs; the sudden contact after so much anticipation is like fireworks. My hands cling to his jacket indesperation.

He hikes up my dress and cups my ass with one hand while the other squeezes my breast. His lipscarve a fiery path down my neck, over my collarbone, and between my breasts, where he shoves thefabric of the dress and my bra aside and frees my n*****s. His mouth ravages me. I can do nothing butmoan as he sucks and nips on my sensitive buds. Stars shoot behind my eyelids. He continues to grindhis erection against me, and I swear I’m going to come right there and then.

Gabe straightens, shrugging out of his jacket. I watch, gasping for breath, as he calmly rolls thesleeves of his shirt up to his elbows.

No, I need him. I need more—and I need it now.

I sit up and grasp the front of his shirt, trying to pull him down to kiss me

His hand comes around my throat and he pushes me back down, holding me in place. Gabe tsks,smirking. “Not so fast.” He squeezes just enough for me to know who is in charge, but not enough tohurt. “I want to hear you say it.”

I glare at him, core quaking with need. “Say what?”

He smiles darkly, leaning in, and it is the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life. “Say that you’llbend to my will.”