“Yes, ma’am,” said the second.
After pulling on her silk robe, she retrieved the black leather mask Ashton had dropped and hurried upstairs to catch him. The sex high had been replaced with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Had she known he was coming home ahead of schedule, she would have canceled the party or asked her roommate to host it without her.
When she’d seen him lying in the hospital bed, she’d confided the innermost secret of her heart. She loved him with her entire being. But that secret paled in comparison to this kinky one.
Ashton wasn’t in the kitchen and she didn’t spot him in the living room, either.
“Hey,” said her roommate. “One of your friends stopped by. Did I do the wrong thing by letting him in?”
Tabitha was an acquaintance “in the scene” who needed a place to stay short-term after relocating to the area for grad school. Carly had offered her the spare bedroom.
“Of course not,” Carly said, forcing a smile. It wasn’t her roommate’s fault. “I checked the kitchen, but he’s not there. Where is he?”
“He blew out of here five minutes after he went downstairs to find you.” Tabitha’s eyes widened. “Oh, crap. Did he see something he wasn’t supposed to?”
Carly nodded. “Something like that.”
“That would explain his surprise at putting on the mask and why he looked pissed when he left. I take it he’s not a player.”
Oh, God. Carly’s stomach roiled. “I don’t know. We don’t talk about sex. We’re rooted in the friend zone. Have been for decades.”
“Too bad. He’s so handsome. Sexy, too. Maybe you should uproot him.”
“Maybe I should,” Carly said.
But she had no intention of doing any such thing. In fact, the only thing she wanted to do was damage control.
6
U NI NH I B I T E D
M averick bypassed the long line of scantily-clad women and men dressed in their best duds. Everyone waited to gain access into the warehouse-looking structure located at the end of a dark street in Georgetown. He slipped a hand into his pocket while the bulky bouncer examined the ID cards of three women. Normally, Maverick would engage the women in small talk, but his mind was still reeling from what he’d seen moments earlier.
While the Uninhibited employee checked their names against his electronic list, the three women eyed Maverick.
“Hi,” said one of them. “Wanna join us?” She slicked her lower lip with her tongue.
“Thank you, doll.” He glanced at her chest, but only because her breasts were on full display. His raging hard-on had calmed on the way to Sinclair’s kink club, but if he so much as thought of what those two men were doing to Carly, his dick would shoot straight to the moon.
The second woman tilted her head upward until her gaze locked on his face. “Ooooieee. My God, I could climb you, that’s for sure.”
The third woman wrapped her fingers around his biceps. “He’s got enough for all three of us. Like a share toy.”
He grinned. Damn, it’s good to be back. For the first time in a long time, pain wasn’t hogging the spotlight. “Ladies, where can I find you?”
“At the bar, waiting impatiently for you,” said the first.
Maverick winked. “Be good until then.”
Big D opened the fire door. After waves and more giggles, the women scooted inside.
“Welcome back, Maverick.” The chocolate-skinned man grinned. “Great to see you. How you feelin’?”
Maverick extended his hand and the bouncer clasped it. “Good to see you, Big D. What have I missed?”
“Hey, buddy,” said a guy standing in line. “The line starts here. You need to wait in it like the rest of us.”
Big D strolled over to the man, dwarfing him in stature. “Sir, this is Mr. Sin’s brother. Mr. Sinclair Develin, the owner of Uninhibited. I’m a pussycat when compared to him. He’ll rip out your heart and then tell you to get the hell out of his club. Take it down a few.”
