Night with Sole Regret

TOUCH ME VI

She slipped from her chair and stood on the spindly high heels she’d purchased at the club’s basement shop. They were white patent leather and made her pretty white negligée seem a little less innocent. She’d chosen the piece of lace lingerie because they wouldn’t let her in the club wearing her tweed and denim and it was the least trashy of the items they offered. Plus, the short teddy came with a thigh-length gauzy robe which, though transparent, gave her the illusion that she wasn’t showing so much bare skin to strangers. She wondered why the one man she wanted to see naked had been allowed to bypass the no-street-clothes rule. Owen was dressed all in black, except he was barefoot. Every other person in the room was at least partially undressed, and a few were entirely naked.

Clutching her transparent robe at the waist, she took a hesitant step. While she didn’t wear heels in the lab, she wore them in the boardroom, but she’d never worn a pair four inches high until tonight. She was so busy concentrating on not breaking her neck that she didn’t realize Owen had stopped until his hand touched her arm. She froze in midstep and looked at him in question. What had she done wrong this time? She was so not used to this scene.

Owen’s eyes raked down her body. “Mmm. You must realize I asked you to stand so I could get a better look at you,” he said.

Anywhere else in the world, she’d have been pissed by his blatant come-on and told him to go f**k himself, but here, she was expecting it. In a strange way, hoping for it. She was going to let this happen tonight. Tonight, but probably never again.

“And?”

“Even better than I’d fantasized. Stunning. Now walk that way so I can check out your ass without you noticing.” He winked at her, and she burst out laughing.

“You’re bad,” she said.

“You have no idea.” The devilish grin left his face and his expression warmed, leaving him looking sweet and gentle. “I can be good, if that turns you on. What turns you on, Caitlyn?”

“You,” she blurted, and heat rose up her cheeks. She couldn’t believe she’d actually said that, even if it was true.

“Then I’ll improvise,” he said.

He placed a hand on the small of her back to urge her toward the booth where his homely friend was waiting to make his move after Mr. Smooth Operator took his leave. Caitlyn focused on keeping her ankles from twisting as she stalked in that direction. It was impossible for her to walk in heels without taking confident steps. She forced herself not to look behind her to see if Owen really was checking out her ass. She hoped he enjoyed the view. The white thong she wore couldn’t be hidden, even with the gauzy robe in place.

She paused at the table, eyes going wide when Owen’s presumably ugly friend looked up from his beer. Kellen was on par with his gorgeous friend, even though they looked nothing alike. Where Owen had blue eyes, dirty-blond hair, and even features, Kellen was rugged and dark. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark mood. He was shirtless, which allowed her to scan the tattoos that decorated the hard muscles of his broad chest. His black hair was straight and just long enough to brush his collarbones. He looked untamed, like a Plains warrior. She could easily picture him astride a Paint Horse, hair flying out behind him as he aimed his bow at some animal he hunted. This guy was ruthless and hard. At least that was her impression until he smiled and his features softened. Her heart thudded so hard, she thought it might explode in her chest. Okay, if these two planned a bait and switch, she wouldn’t mind at all. Her goal to have s*x with a hot, young stranger would be fulfilled by either of them.

“Is Owen making an ass out of himself again?” Kellen asked as his gaze shifted above her shoulder to his friend.

“Can’t help it,” Owen said. “I had to corral her before some other jerk found enough confidence to approach her.”

He moved close behind her, and she was promptly engulfed by his warmth. An instant later she caught the scent of his clean-smelling aftershave. Her eyelids fluttered.

“Would you like to sit?” Kellen asked her.

Yeah, on Owen’s naked lap. Or yours. Yours would work. Because now she didn’t feel the need to screw every man in the club to help her get over her ex. Just one. Or maybe two.

“You’d better do it soon,” Owen whispered close to her ear, “or I’m going to bend you over that table and break the club’s no-penetration-in-the-lounge rule.”

She gasped, her nether regions clenching with a surge of lust. So those parts were still functional. She had been starting to worry.

Kellen chuckled and shook his head. “Easy, stud. Do you even know her name?”

“Caitlyn,” Owen said.

“Sit, Caitlyn,” Kellen said, “before he whips out his d**k and gets himself kicked out of here.”

Caitlyn sat and crossed her legs. She wriggled slightly to give the unbearably swollen and achy flesh between her thighs some relief. No good. She’d never had anyone say such things to her in her life. She wasn’t sure why it was such a turn-on. Thanks to Owen’s outlandish behavior and her response to it, she had no doubt that she could have s*x with a stranger. She might regret it in the morning, but she wouldn’t tonight. Tonight she was tossing propriety aside and giving herself permission to get as dirty as she wanted.

Owen sat beside her and she scooted around the semi-circular, fairly private booth to give him more room. He moved closer so that their hips touched, and she scooted a bit more. He placed a hand on her knee and moved up against her again. That’s when she realized he wanted to be touching her. She smiled and relaxed as much as she could. It was a challenge to remain calm with the profusion of butterflies fluttering about in her belly.

“So, Caitlyn,” Kellen said, “what brings you to a place like this?”

“Curiosity.”

“You’re sure it wasn’t horniness?” Owen asked. “Because I was really hoping for horniness.”

She laughed. “Well, a little,” she admitted.

Owen’s fingers slid along the side of her knee, and her p***y gave an attention-shattering throb of need. Okay, so he was making horniness her prime focus.

“Do you guys do this often?” Caitlyn asked.

“This is our first time here,” Owen said.

Kellen chuckled. “I guess that’s true, but yeah, we do this often. Tony has clubs like this all across the U.S. We’ve been to most of them. How do you know Tony? Entry into his clubs is by invitation only. Keeps him out of jail.”

“I don’t know him personally,” Caitlyn said. “My best friend’s husband knows him.”

“I see. So is it what you expected? Are you enjoying yourself?” Kellen asked.

“Truth be told, I’m terrified,” she admitted.

“Of me?” Owen asked, giving her a sad little smile that made her laugh.

“No, but I probably should be.”

“He’s harmless,” Kellen said. “Mostly.”

“How long have you two been friends?” Caitlyn asked.

“A long time,” Kellen said.

“No personal questions,” Owen said.

Caitlyn turned her head to look at him in surprise. “None?”

“That’s how anonymous s*x works; it’s anonymous. That’s what you had in mind, isn’t it? Hot, dirty, walk-bowlegged-for-the-next-two-days, anonymous s*x?”

“Of course.” She didn’t point out that by exchanging names this wouldn’t be entirely anonymous. Unless Owen wasn’t his real name. Should she have used a fake name? She probably should have. Crap! She really was a novice at this.

Owen’s arm moved to rest behind her. His fingers brushed her cover-up from her shoulder and toyed with the satin strap of her negligee. In response to Owen’s gentle touch, Caitlyn’s n*****s hardened. She wasn’t the only one who noticed. Eyes riveted to her chest, Kellen sucked in a sharp breath. Caitlyn squirmed at the sight of Kellen biting his lip as if in pain. Owen stroked her arm with the back of his hand, drawing the sleeve of her robe lower and bringing goose bumps to the surface of her skin.

“Don’t you miss this, Kelly?” Owen’s nose brushed against her ear, and his warm breath bathed the side of her neck. “Touching a woman.”

Caitlyn shivered.