He waved his hand in the air. “I don't sell toys. I design an interaction. An encounter. I want to make sure whoever uses them remembers the experience that I gave them.”
His eyes focused on me, catching fire as the chandelier glinted off of them.
I swallowed and mumbled, “That's kind of arrogant.”
His face fell, and I realized what I'd said. I winced, but he cut off my explanation with a loud laugh. Holding his forehead, he peeked at me through his fingers. His smile was raw, real. “That's more like it. I love that kind of honesty.”
Fidgeting, I finished my drink and willed another to appear from thin air. “What I meant was—”
“Don't apologize.” He lowered his voice. “It is arrogant. That's who I am. I know what I want, and usually... I can figure out what other people want.” His fingers crossed over, brushing mine. “Did you come while thinking about me?”
My brain sizzled, white hot energy stealing my thoughts.
“That good?” he asked. “Wait until you play with the real thing.”
I rocked on my chair, enjoying the pressure that came from scissoring my thighs. I was still buzzing from his sensual massage, but more than that, he was getting into my head.
Just like with his very first letter.
“Who are you?” I whispered.
He gripped my wrist, his sinful aura covering me. “I'm the man who's going to fuck you until you see stars. When I take you, it won't be with just my mouth. Or my hands. Or my cock. I'm going to make you mine down to your very soul. And then I'm going to go even deeper.”
It was a wonder that I could keep from gasping out loud. My nipples were tingling from how solid they were, rubbing at the gown's material. I felt like one big, pulsing vein, everything was connected to the shaking muscles in my lower belly.
I said, “I meant what kind of man are you. Who sends packages to a stranger, who takes someone to a sex club? This money, this attention... I don't understand you.”
“Of course you do.” His fingers trailed down my arm, but they never left. “You understand who I am because you're the same as me.”
That made my spine go stiff. “I'm nothing like you,” I laughed bitterly. “I'm plain, I'm boring. The most exciting part of my day used to be when a new show I could marathon dropped on Netflix.”
Silver breathed out, managing to bring his face ever closer to mine. I could see nothing but him. “You're exactly like me, Pet, otherwise you wouldn't be here. But if you doubt this side of you... the brave and curious part that would go to a sex club, or fantasize about someone while grinding on a vibrator he's sent her...”
Fuck, could I be any redder?
He said, “If you're confused, then maybe we should help you find out how far you're willing to go.” His teeth flashed, and I imagined them on my jaw. “Let me help you understand who you are.”
My voice sounded like a breeze through a corn field. “What do you mean?”
“You could have backed out of everything... if you really wanted to. But you didn't. I want to see where your desires truly lie, what darkness lives deep in your bones, what wickedness sleeps in your core.”
Silver wanted to prove to me that I was like him.
Was he right?
“Well?” he asked softly, his voice searing me. “Do you want to test your tastes in public or private?”
From the corner of my eye, I saw the waiter approaching. I had the uneasy sense that if he reached us, this moment would be gone. Not just gone, but erased from my memory—from my potential future. If I didn't answer now, I'd go back to my boring world.
I forced my voice to remain steady. “Private.”
He smiled, dropping a wad of cash onto the table.
The waiter froze, pulling up short. “Sir,” he asked, “Aren't you going to order dinner?”
“No,” Silver said, taking my hand and leading me to my shaking feet. “I've been saving my appetite for something else.”
I wondered if this man might actually eat me alive.
And if I would even stop him.
- Chapter Eleven -
Alexis
The building we pulled up to was like a slab of golden granite in the middle of the city. It jutted up and away into the night's void. So much of it was glass that I wondered if anyone living here could have any privacy.
Silver parked his car out front, guiding me towards the entrance where a doorman waited in a black cap and gloves. The man didn't do much beyond glancing at us, then he waved us inside with a deep nod to Silver.
"You must be important," I said.
"Maybe." He tapped the elevator, sliding into the too-small pocket with me. In that space, I held my breath and waited.
What was I waiting for?
For him to touch me.
To kiss me.
To make good on his promise that he'd show me what it'd feel like to come for him, and not just his sex-toy-gift.
But Silver did nothing, he just leaned on the reflective walls and watched me as if he could read my mind. I didn't even see him blink.
Was he holding his breath like me?