Page 10 of Beautiful Scars

She smirks and shrugs her shoulders. “Ask me again in an hour.”

I shake my head, and her silver eyes practically sparkle. “Why drag out the inevitable? We both know how this ends.”

Putting her drink down on the table, she crosses her legs. Her tight sequined skirt rides high up her thigh, baring even more of her smooth, strong leg. “Yeah? And how’s that?”

“Come here and I’ll whisper it in your ear.” I nod my head down toward my spread legs, and she lets out a huff of a laugh, as if she can’t believe she’s entertaining the notion.

But after a beat, she does it anyway, crossing the space between us like a reluctant little pixie.

She perches her small frame on my knee and I feel a bit like Father Christmas, except instead of bringing presents I’m about to steal them.

A big ol’ Grinch bastard.

I curve my hand around her tiny waist and pull her in closer to me. She shivers as my breath hits her exposed neck, and lets out the smallest of sighs.

I don’t actually hate this.

If she wasn’t who she was, I’d never have approached her. I wouldn’t be sitting here right now with her on my lap, barely keeping a hard-on under control like I’m one of the pretty-boy-posse.

And yet here we are.

My hand slides around her neck for the second—third?—time tonight and I feel her pulse under my fingers. I hold her there for a minute, not hard enough to hurt her, but firm enough to show her that I could if I wanted to. “Have you ever been with a man before?”

“Hell, you don’t waste any time, do you?” she says. She shifts as if she wants to get up, but I tighten my grip to keep her seated.

Her eyes widen, but she still doesn’t look me in the eyes.

“I asked you a question.”

I give her enough slack to shake or nod her head, and she nods it.

Interesting.

“Good,” I tell her. “I don’t have the patience for virgins.”

I feel her fingers grip onto my thigh. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“That one’s better shown than explained.”

She opens her mouth, perhaps to protest, but closes it again when I dig my fingers into her slim neck.

“I’m going to break you apart, again and again. And then I’m going to try to fit the pieces of you back together exactly as I want them.”

This time, I give her enough slack to turn her head. She does.

She looks right into my eyes, and even I stop breathing for a second.

None of what I said was a lie, but she probably just thinks it was some peculiar brand of dirty talk. No doubt new and exciting for her.

If only she knew the truth.

The muscles in her throat contract as she swallows, and her tongue peeks out between her lips.

“Boss?”

No fucking way. She was about to say yes, I could practically smell it.

I turn my head around to see Derek standing just behind the cordon. Now, I like Derek, but the man has an uncanny knack for interruption and this time he takes the gold medal.