Page 26 of Hard Bargain

The boy still carried the aftermath of the day in every line of his body. Most men went numb after what Knox had witnessed. Not Knox. If anything, he looked brighter for it. Like adrenaline had gotten into his bloodstream and refused to leave. He’d seen it before in men who discovered they liked danger more than they should.

The door opened with a gentle click. Missy stepped inside first, composed as ever, and the three women followed behind her. Each one was beautiful and striking in her own way. One was tall and elegant, wine-red silk clinging to her body. Another wore her confidence louder, tattoos blooming across honeyed skin. The third was petite and blonde, all bright laughter and wicked eyes.

Missy met Dominic’s gaze, silently confirming that everything was as it should be. He gave the smallest nod. Her smile changed. “All yours, gentlemen,” she said smoothly. “Treat them right.” Then she was gone, the music deepening as the door shut behind her.

He watched each woman choose for herself. That was always the thing Dominic appreciated about professionals. No awkward uncertainty. No waiting to be directed. The one in silk crossed to Dominic, trailing her fingers over his shoulder before settling gracefully into his lap with a knowing smile. The tattooed dancer claimed Cassian, laughing softly at whatever outrageous thing he whispered into her ear. The blonde chose Knox. She straddled his lap, careful but confident, one hand braced on the back of the couch, the other sliding across Knox’s chest.

Knox inhaled sharply but didn’t pull away. His hands hovered in obvious uncertainty before she took them herself and guided them to her hips.

Dominic watched all of it.

He should have focused elsewhere. The woman in his lap was beautiful, warm, entirely willing, moving against him with practiced precision. Her perfume curled in the air between them as her mouth brushed his jaw.

Any other night, that would have been enough. Pleasure had never required thought. It had always been uncomplicated, a distraction he could sink into without effort. But his attention kept drifting back to the boy.

Knox was trying hard to appear unaffected as the blonde coaxed him further into the moment. There was something disturbingly captivating about watching his control slowly give way.

Dominic forced himself to focus on the woman in his arms as she continued her tease. But tonight, everything felt profoundly off. No matter how hard he tried to anchor himself in the moment, Knox kept pulling him in.

This is all wrong.

He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had pulled at his concentration like this, let alone a man. What was it about Knox? Why was he so fascinating to him? It was almost embarrassing, the urge to catch every nuance, to know what he would do next. Every glance at Knox seemed to reward the weakness, feeding the strange pull instead of dulling it.

The woman in Dominic’s lap pressed closer, fingers slipping beneath his shirt, her mouth brushing the line of his neck in invitation. He responded automatically, hands moving over warm skin because instinct took over where concentration failed, but the reactions felt disconnected, almost mechanical.

And then Knox looked up.

Their eyes met and the connection snapped tight. For a split second, Dominic forgot where he was. He should have looked away. Instead, he held it. The realization unsettled him more than he cared to admit. This wasn’t normal curiosity; it was something he didn’t have a name for, and he didn’t particularly want one.

He refocused on the feeling of warm hands gliding over his stomach, a hot tongue against his skin. Yet every few seconds, his gaze drifted back across the room.

The pull was magnetic. Impossible to break for long.

Sometimes their gazes collided and both would look away, as if they’d been caught doing something wrong. Other times they held, neither blinking.

Knox’s cheeks were flushed and his mouth pink as the dancer moved over him. He saw the way Knox’s teeth worried his bottom lip, lust etched into his face. Every time Knox’s tongue flicked out to wet his lips, it sent a jolt through Dominic—stronger than anything the dancer could provoke.

What the fuck is happening?

The music slowed, making the dancers shift gears without a word. They understood the arrangement behind this door today, and they’d be paid generously for it.

His dancer slid off his lap in one graceful motion, sinking between his knees. Her hands found his waistband, unbuttoning his pants with deft fingers, looking up for a last confirmation.

He gave a slight nod.

Across the room, the other dancers had followed suit. Knox tensed before letting himself sink back, biting that fucking lip again as the blonde’s mouth closed over him.

Dominic exhaled slowly through his nose. It should have been easy to give in. The sensation was there. Heat. Pressure. The familiar escalation. But his concentration fractured every time he looked up. And he kept looking up, because Knox kept meeting his gaze. There was less caution in it now. Something raw had taken its place.

Suddenly, it was impossible not to watch.

The room was thick with desire, music, and the wet, desperate sounds of three women working them over. Dominic’s last bit of self-control started to fray, making him clench his jaw and bury his hands in the dancer’s hair. She took him deeper, her fingers pressing into his hips.

Across from him, Knox was still watching, pupils blown wide.

This is stupid.

Dangerous.