“All night,” he replied.
“I’m sorry if this is uncomfortable for you, but I have to ask. What did you do?”
“I gave him a massage,” Providence said, “then, we had sex. We were in the room for—” she glanced at Dakota and he returned her gaze—“three, maybe four hours. I lost track of time.” Though her voice was steady, her heart was pounding out of her chest and her fingers trembled as she clutched the glass. Providence didn’t discuss sex with her own mom, and she was a trained sex therapist. But, she had little choice, so she tossed back another mouthful and let the sharp bite burn a bitter trail to her roiling stomach.
“Understood,” Warren replied.
She appreciated his professionalism. He didn’t smirk, he didn’t make an inappropriate comment. He handled these facts like any other, despite their sensitive nature.
“Where were you when the police arrived?” Warren asked.
“Down here, having breakfast.” Dakota sipped the Macallan.
“Talk to me about the surveillance system.”
“Before the club closed, I turned off the internal cameras, but not the exterior,” Providence said.
“Great.” Warren resumed his note taking. “So, there’s evidence you didn’t leave the building.”
“Not exactly,” Providence said as she and Dakota exchanged glances again. “There’s no camera over the back door.”
“That’s not going to help us at all.” As Warren discussed the case from a legal standpoint, Dakota dropped his hand below the table and placed it on her thigh. The heat from his hand seeped through her pants, and she wanted to thread her fingers through his and hold on tight. But she didn’t.
Everything private was being made public in a stark, factual way. The sensuality, the intimacy, and the privacy had been stripped away leaving the raw, naked facts.
“All right.” Warren closed the tablet case. “Why don’t we take a brief tour?”
They escorted Warren upstairs to the Lust room and the Greed room, then to Providence’s office, and finally to the back stairs that led out of the building. The tour finished at the front door.
“I’ll be in touch,” Warren said. “If the police swing by to question you again, don’t answer their questions and contact me right away.”
“Thanks for your help,” Providence replied.
“I’ll walk you out,” Dakota said, before eyeing Providence. “Back in two. Lock the door. I have a key.”
After Dakota and Warren left, she locked the front door. Her chest was so damn tight from anxiety and she massaged her muscles as she returned to the bar. There, she poured herself another finger of Macallan and took a swig.
A moment later, Dakota returned. Like every other time, the intensity in his eyes sent a jolt of energy through her.Damn him. Damn this man.
He slid onto the stool beside her. “Must’ve been one helluva day to be drinking alone.”
She raised her glass and downed the alcohol. “You have no idea.”
“Tell me about it.”
Her heart fell. She couldn’t. He would never speak to her again, and with good reason. She wanted to live the lie just a little longer.
Dakota placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this.”
Their eyes met, he leaned forward to kiss her, but he didn’t. The air turned electric and her pulse picked up speed. He was waiting for her to kiss him. As she stared into his eyes, she knew what she was going to do. She was going to kiss him.
They crashed into each other, the explosive kiss filled with so much passion. It was as if they’d been waiting all day for this moment. This wild, sensual moment that seemed so right.
She pushed off the stool and wedged between his thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he snaked his around her waist. Hard-stroked kisses and kneading fingers made her panties damp and her nipples hard.
Then, he stopped. Breathing hard, he said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“What?” she gasped.
