TONIGHT IS OPENING night and I’m ready. We’re ready. The staff is on point, security tight, and my girl went dress shopping this week. All week I’ve tried to get her to stay with me, or me with her, but she continues to shut me down. Tonight, however, she’s coming home with me. I need her in my bed. Not to fuck her, but to hold her and wake up with her. She robbed me of that the first night, and I will get it back. Tonight, I’m not taking no for an answer. I’ve tried to not push her for fear that I’m too much. Mom called me Sunday night and lectured me about letting her get there, so that’s what I’ve been doing, but I’ve reached my limit.
She’s mine, after all.
I park my truck in her drive and stare at her front door. I insisted that she ride with me tonight. She didn’t give me much of a fight, but then again, I’ve been here every day this week to drive in together.
I knock on the door and it swings open. “Hey, Crew,” Maggie greets me. “Come on in. Berklee’s almost ready.”
“Thanks. You going to make it to the club tonight?”
“Definitely. I’m so excited to see it after hearing so much about it.”
“You could have stopped by.”
“Nah, this is Berklee’s thing. It’s better that she gets to see our reaction to the final product.”
“Sorry,” Berklee says, walking into the room, and my mouth drops open. Her hair is in curls down her back, her nails and lips red. She’s wearing a short black dress, made of some kind of lace, I think. She looks at Maggie. “I have a slip on underneath but you can still see,” she whines.
“You look hot. Tell her, Crew.”
Two steps. That’s how long it takes me to get to her. My hands settle on her waist and I pull her to me. “You’re fucking beautiful, and I’m trying really damn hard not to insist you go change right now. How about a compromise? It’s not too revealing, but every guy in the place is going to want to see what’s mine, so you don’t leave my side tonight. I want you stuck to me like glue.”
She giggles. “How is that different than any other day this week?”
Okay, so I might have been up her ass this week. When she was in her office doing paperwork, I brought mine in and sat on the opposite side of her desk. During the final day of bartending training, I tagged along and yeah, so I sat right beside her. When it was Berklee’s turn to create the new drink, I went behind the bar with her. It’s not something I can control—not that I want to. She’s magnetic and beautiful and, finally, all mine.
“It’s not.” I lean in and gently press my lips to hers.
“Come on, you. I want to be there when the staff starts arriving. You know, pregame pep talk and all that.” She pats my chest.
I step to the side and wrap my arm around her waist. No way am I letting go of her. I can’t take my eyes off her as she says goodbye to Maggie.
“Crew,” she says, waving her hand in front of my face. “You ready?”
I nod, mouth suddenly too dry to speak. I do manage a wave to Maggie as I usher her out the door. We reach my truck and I open the door for her. Her heels are high and dress tight. She’s looking at the seat, trying to figure out how to climb inside and not flash the neighborhood.
“Turn around,” I say, my hands already on her hips and turning her to face me. “On three.” I lean in and kiss her softly. “One.” Kiss. “Two.” Kiss. “Three.” I lift her by the hips and set her on the seat. She scoots to the middle and stops.
Once I’m settled behind the wheel, I place my hand on her bare thigh. “You’re gorgeous.”
She blushes. I love that I have that effect on her. “Thank you. You clean up pretty nice too.”
Not hardly. I have on dark jeans and a black button-down with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. That’s about as dressed up as I’m going to get.
I park behind the building and help Berklee out of the truck. We’re hours early, but we need to be here for everything to make sure it goes off without a hitch.
Inside, I keep the lights turned off and lead her upstairs to my office, closing the door behind us. “Come here.” I unbutton my shirt, slide it off and toss it over the chair.
She turns to look at me. “No way, mister. I worked hard on this look. I am not letting you mess me all up before we even open the damn doors.”
I walk to the couch and sit down. “Come sit with me, then.”
She comes toward me and I capture her hips, pulling her onto my lap. “Feel that?” The little minx wiggles her tight ass against my already-hard cock. “How am I supposed to wait when you look like this?”
“What do you want?” she murmurs.
“I want you to crave me the way I crave you.”
“I do.” She stands and slowly pulls her dress over her head, then straddles my hips. She’s wearing a black sheer slip and my cock grows even harder. Leaning down, she kisses me. “You have to go slow. I don’t want to wear a freshly fucked look for opening night.”
The word “fuck” on her lips? So hot. “Whatever you need.”
I have one hand on her ass and the other on her back, not willing to let her get away. On her knees, she braces her hands on my chest and rests her forehead against mine. “I just want you,” she whispers.
They say when the moment comes, you’ll just know. This is that moment for me. I know without a doubt that she owns me—heart, body, soul. I’m in love with her. I think I’ve always been there, teetering on the fence since the minute I laid eyes on her, but that simple confession pushes me over the edge. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her before I make love to her when there’s a loud knock on my office door.
“Crew, man, you in there? I saw your truck parked outside,” Zane’s muffled voice carries through the door.
“Fuck,” I growl.
Berklee laughs.
“Shh. Just be quiet and he’ll go away.”
“I heard that,” Zane says, way too damn chipper to be breaking up the action. “Come on, love birds, the DJ is here and the staff is starting to arrive.”
“I’m going to strip this sexy little number off you tonight. Then I’m sliding inside you and I’m going to stay there for hours. All week, I’ve thought of nothing else. Be ready, baby.”
Her blue eyes heat with desire. “Always for you,” she says before kissing me way too quickly and climbing off my lap.
I help her back into her dress, although there’s groping involved so it takes longer than it should. I then pull my shirt back on and reluctantly open the door. Zane is sitting in the lounge area scrolling through his phone.
“That was fast. B, you ever want a—”
“Don’t you fucking finish that statement,” I warn him.
He throws his head back in laughter. “You’re too easy to fuck with. I can’t help myself.”