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“I’m going to take that as a compliment.” I pat him on the knee. “Come on, let’s get going. We’re already late for the party.”
Chapter 18
Tip #18: Other men can look, but only I can touch.
HUNTER
Young Ms. Spencer is getting bold.
I like it. A lot.
But what Idon’tlike is feeling on edge. Everything she does leaves me unbalanced, grasping at straws to keep some semblance of my sanity. I’m nowhere near old enough to be at risk of a heart attack, but seeing her walk into the living room in her sexy emerald-green dress nearly knocked me out flat. And then her little stunt in the car…
I can’t have her walking all over me. I refuse to be strung around on her leash, wrapped around her finger. She can’t get away with this relentless teasing without facing the consequences.Myconsequences. Someone needs to teach the girl a lesson, and I fully intend on that person being me.
Tonight, I’m going to enjoy playing with her.
When we arrive at the mansion, the doorman requests that we leave our cell phones with him. I’ve done this song and dance many times. It’s not actually a request so much as a thinly veiled demand.
“Why do you need our phones?” Eden asks, understandably confused.
“It’s a matter of privacy, miss,” the doorman explains. “Don’t worry. All items will be returned to their rightful owners upon check out.”
“But what if someone tries to get a hold of Mr. Stride? I have to stay on top of his messages somehow.”
I chuckle, placing a hand on the small of her back. Her backless dress gives me direct access to her soft skin, so warm and smooth it feels like a dream. “We’re about to step into hallowed ground, Eden.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’ll see in a moment. Trust me.”
The reasoning behind the no-phone policy immediately becomes clear. It’s a beautiful kind of chaos inside.
Strippers are performing on poles to our right, their bare tits covered in glitter while hundred-dollar bills are stuffed under their thin G-strings. A handful of people are out enjoying the pool out back, all completely naked. The music’s loud and bumping, the alcohol pours freely, and strobe lights flash on and off as people dance to the rhythm of the night.
“Oh,” Eden breathes. “It’s apartyparty.”
“Try not to stare, it’s a dead giveaway. Act like you belong.”
“You rich folks really are in a league of your own, huh?” She swallows as she looks around. “Nobody’s going to force me to do drugs or anything, right? I mean, I’m not judging, but that’s too… intense for me.”
“No, sweet girl. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“I’m not going to lie, I have no sweet clue what I’m supposed to do.”
I dip down and cup her cheeks in my palm. “You’re a real goody two shoes sometimes, you know that? Makes me wanna…”Corrupt you.Without another word, I close the distance between us and press my lips to hers.
Eden pulls back with a gasp, startled. “W-what are you doing? What if someone sees?”
“Take a look around, Eden. What do you see?”
She glances over her shoulder, worry knitting her delicate brows together. Her concern melts away slowly once she realizes nobody’s paying us a lick of attention. That’s the thing about parties hosted by the Hollywood elite. Between the drugs, the hard liquor, and the naked exotic dancers all over the place, nobody’s going to bat an eyelash if I choose to kiss her out in the open.
“We’re free to do what we want here,” I assure her. “We can be ourselves without fear of judgment.”
“What if someone starts spreading rumors? What if they publish a blind about us?”
“Let them. Without any phones to take pictures as proof, who’s going to believe some coked-up asshole or wasted dumbass? There’s a reason blinds are blinds; they’re usually never credible.”
