Straightening slightly, she looked over her shoulder and felt a riot of butterflies break loose in her stomach. A man—no, a giant with brunette hair pulled back and some strands framing his shadowed jaw—towered behind her. He stood so close that she could feel the heat rolling off him, warming her right through the skin-tight dress she wore.

The man was obviously trying to get to the bar.

She raised an eyebrow at him, her insecurities vanishing like a puff of smoke. “Sorry, but you need a password for bar access.” She turned her back on him and waited.

She didn’t so much hear him as feel his body rumble with a silent laugh, which made Soraya smile as she took another sip of her nectar.

“Honey shortcakes?” Soraya nearly jumped at the timbre of his voice right next to her ear. She managed to swallow her drink before she spat it out in surprise. Once she composed herself, she replied in a business-like tone, “Not even close.”

He hummed, making her nipples tighten. Before she could fully process what the effect of his humming in her was doing to her body, he placed a scorching hand on her lower back and put his mouth even closer to her ear to whisper, “Are you going to make me beg for a drink, my lady?” His hand moved slowly up her spine until he gripped the back of her neck. “I absolutely would—right in front of everyone here. Is that what you want?”

A shiver racked through her body, making certain parts of her turn liquid. She swallowed. Hard. The audacity of this handsome man!

Trying to keep her composure, as if she didn’t almost come at the dark promise and even darker touch, she hooded her eyes and turned, bringing her lips a breath away from his. Peering into his golden amber eyes, she noticed a spark of thrill light up within them as she gave him a measured look. “You can if you want, but I’m afraid that wouldn’t be the answer either.” She shrugged, sweeping her gaze over his body. “I guess you really don’t want a drink after all. Maybe you should go somewhere else to…satisfy your needs.”

Smirking, she pulled her neck free from his grip and smoothly took a sip from her drink. He didn’t move an inch but purred, “What a cruel woman you are.”

She glanced at him, enjoying the way he looked at her—as if he were going to devour her on the spot, which she wouldn’t mind. “Me? Wicked?” She feigned outrage. “What are you going to do about it, babe?

He slowly straightened, and Soraya’s stomach tightened, hoping against hope that he wasn’t scared off by her confidence. Perhaps that’s why she felt an absolute rush of pleasure when he reached out a hand to her. “If you come with me, I can show you.”

Her eyes flicked to his, and it was his turn to smirk. “Babe,” he shot back at her, the way he said it both a challenge and a taunt, a wicked tug of his lips. He toyed with her as if he expected her to reject his offer.

Before giving it a second thought, she took his hand. A wicked smile was his only answer before he turned without another word to spirit her away.

She glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Ahvi’s shocked face, but she didn’t stop. Jesmine was too busy necking with the two men she had been talking to earlier to care where Soraya was off to. What was even more curious as she turned away from the bar were the equally shocked faces of the other patrons.

Soraya brushed it off. He was easily the hottest man in the place, and she couldn’t believe he was now taking her back to…well…she didn’t know where, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment by asking. There was no way this man was a murderer. Right?

He led her not to the stairs but deeper into the third floor, where Soraya had overlooked a curtained-off doorway.

Wait a minute.

Soraya’s cheeks heated. Was he…taking her to the restroom? Images of herself bent over and gripping the stall door as he pounded into her from behind flashed through her mind, and the thought did not, in any way, turn her on. Being taken in a restroom? No, no way. It wasn’t sanitary. She would stop him. She would.

But who was she kidding? She had been desperate for some action, to the point that she had been running her poor vibrator ragged for the past two weeks. Both Jesmine and Ahvi had been giving her shit for it non-stop since the walls were practically made out of paper. If a quickie in a bathroom stall gave her some relief…, would she take it?

She examined his broad back, noting how the black suit tapered in all the right places. Her gaze dropped lower, landing on his tight ass. No man should have an ass like that. It wasn’t fair to all the women who had to go without.

Sighing internally, Soraya realized she would indeed take it. But only this once.

Stepping through the curtain, she was surprised to find a long hallway dimly lit by sconces mounted high on the walls.

She wasn’t sure where they were headed as they walked down the carpet. The thumping music grew quieter and quieter with each passing step. Abruptly, he turned into another hallway she hadn’t noticed was there until she followed him around the corner.

Immediately, she was hit with a wave of vertigo. She was glad he was holding her hand, guiding her as she tried to grapple with her mind.

Blinking away the dizziness, she spotted a green double door at the end. But as they got closer…the door itself seemed to be getting further and further away.

Her mind felt foggy, and she could feel this pressure building in her skull. Building and building, the pain turned sound fuzzy until the only thing she could hear was her heartbeat pulsating against her eardrums.

She only had one drink.

Looking over her shoulder, she wondered if they had truly taken that many steps or if she was imagining things. She couldn’t see the entrance to the hall; she didn’t understand what she was seeing as the walls around her faded into nothingness.

There—in the distance and darkness—Soraya saw five short hallways. All led to different color doors.

There was red and blue, white and yellow…and there was purple. They all looked identical, with a single light fixture hanging over their doorframes…except for purple. Its light had been snuffed out, and big, thick silver chains crossed over its surface. It barred anything entering or exiting. Why was that?

Fighting logic, she turned her head back around, and it was like she was on a merry-go-round underwater. Her mind whirled away from her, as did her feet. For a moment, she felt weightless, right before her face was stopped by a solid, warm mass.

“Are you okay?” A distant timbre of a voice asked.

Looking up from the soft fabric she had her nose buried in, she saw a god looking back at her. Her mind couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing. There was gold and green and such beauty it hurt something deep inside her.

A warm, calloused hand cupped her face, and she leaned into the oh-so-gentle touch as if she had never felt one like it before. Her heart strained to remember such care. Such gentleness. She needed to tell him that. She needed to tell him. Tell him.

Him.

Amber and sticky sweet blossoms.

Her mind was melting.

“Look at me.”

The unyielding command blasted the doors to her consciousness wide open. Blinking rapidly, she felt air rushing back into her lungs. Her mind whirled, then stopped all at once. When she blinked again, she was staring into golden amber eyes.

The way he looked at her…with his hand cradling half her face, concern etched into his thick dark eyebrows, and something else—made her feel naked and vulnerable under his focused gaze.

Soraya had no clue how they got into this position. One moment, they were walking down the hall, and the next…

She turned her head, and he dropped his hand, making her miss his warmth. They were standing in front of the green double doors. When had they arrived? She looked back the way they came. All she saw were white walls and the corridor they had just been in, a single warm sconce twinkling in the dimness.

“Are you okay, my lady?”

Turning to look up at him once more, Soraya didn’t know how she felt. Empty? It was as if she had finally grasped all the answers in the world, only to have them snatched away, leaving nothing in their wake. “I’m fine.”

She had been all her life.

But…for a moment, she felt more than fine, even if there was pain. Especially when he had touched her, she wanted him to touch her more, and as if he had read her mind, he did exactly that. With the back of his knuckles, he ran them softly down her cheek, all the while peering deeply into her eyes.

“Well, doe-eyes, I can’t bring myself to leave you just yet, so I will believe your lie for now.” She dipped her chin in agreement, and he made a pleased sound in his chest. “Come, the night is still young.” He stepped back and offered his arm. She tucked into him without hesitation. Soraya watched as he lifted a large hand to grasp the golden handle, pushing it open to lead her through.

There was a ringing in her ears and heat seeping into the palms of her hands. Blinking down, she saw her fingers wrapped around a steaming mug. It had a delightful aroma to it, some sort of milk and honey combination with a hint of cinnamon.

Soraya’s jumbled thoughts managed to form one complete sentence in her mind. Where am I?

She peered into her tea and willed the answer to come to her. When had she gotten tea?

A warm hand on her back made her whole body jerk. Smoothly, the man from the bar who was now sitting next to her—Tariq—took the cup from her hands and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. When he faced her, the surprise she felt evaporated like a puff of smoke, replaced with a sense of calm.

She focused on his strong brow and the way his hair was mussed back as if he had been running his hands through it.

“Do you feel better now?” The sound of his voice sent a shiver down her back.

She opened her mouth and was happy when words actually came out. “Yes. What was in that tea?”

“I can write down the recipe for you,” he said, amusement coloring his words.

Why the hell was she asking about tea? There was something more important she needed to ask, but every time her mind tried to form the sentence, it slipped away. Mind blank, she gave up on chasing the thought in favor of looking around the room. It was quite spacious, with a high domed ceiling.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

That’s right, she was in his hotel room. How had she forgotten that? But…how long had she been there? Her thoughts shifted from the questions back to the room.

The dominant color of the floor, walls, and ceiling was a lovely shade of jade. It almost looked like the whole room was made of pure jadeite crystal, but she knew that was impossible. Beige, green, light pink, and pale violet décor were scattered throughout the room in the forms of art, tapestries, and furniture. The low settee couch they were sitting on was light pink and soft to the touch. But what really caught her attention were the floor-to-ceiling peaked windows to her left. They had an intricate wooden lattice cover over them, with leaves and dark green foliage curling through the holes in places.

In the room's silence, she could hear running water, the song of melancholy birds echoing beyond the windows, and a ticking clock. Her eyes shifted to a small wooden clock set on the mantel resting above the fireplace before her.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The timepiece was a beautiful work of art; the wood itself was bent and twisted in ways she had never seen before.

Dragging her eyes away from the ticking hands, she looked over her shoulder at a very large bed. An ornate wooden headboard rested against the wall with two nightstands on either side. At least, that’s all she could see through the gossamer fabric hanging down from a disc structure over the bed. It looked…luscious. Inviting.

She wanted to ask where they were exactly because she had never been to or seen a place like this in downtown Los Angeles. But her mind diverted to a more pressing thought. When she turned to look at Tariq, she found him already staring at her.

Fuck. He was devastatingly handsome. Casually leaning back into the corner of the couch, one arm dangling off the back and the other propped on his sharp jawline, he looked as if he were carved out of stone and sin. He had removed his dress jacket, and the top buttons of his dark green silk shirt were undone. Her eyes were drawn to the warm, tawny skin on display. His pectoral muscles were so well-defined they looked like they could cut glass. Did the rest of him look like that? She had to know.

She fidgeted in her seat, and that was when she realized just how wet she was. The warmth pooling in her thong was shocking, but even more surprising was the realization that the fabric was completely soaked through. Had she been dripping for him this entire time? With that thought came the sudden, paralyzing desire she had been struggling with for the past month. Yet, it was so much worse now.

She pressed her thighs together to try and stave off the ache building between her legs. The need Soraya felt for him knocked the very breath out of her.

With the heightened awareness of her wants and needs came a riot of nerves deep in her chest. She was here, with him, somehow…so how did she go about asking for sex? How did it happen without it being awkward? It had been too long, and, in the moment, her courage faltered.

She began to spiral, letting her nerves get the best of her when he spoke. “Nervous?”

Soraya released a shaky breath. “What gave me away?”

He shrugged. “If you are, that’s alright. I can take you home if you would like.”

“No.” Her answer was immediate. Then she blushed at the forcefulness of her tone, but before her bravado faded, she continued, “I…” She stalled before going for the truth, “—it’s been a while for me. I’m a little lost.” The last part came out as a whisper.

He smiled at her, causing butterflies to break loose in her stomach. “Come here, then.” It wasn’t a command but an invitation for something more. Willing her legs to cooperate, she stood and took a few steps toward him. Before she could decide where to sit, he grabbed her by the hips and guided her down onto his lap—facing him. She had to spread her legs wide on either side of his thighs, causing her dress to ride up precariously close to her center.

Up close, she realized just how bright his amber-colored eyes were. They practically glowed, as if molten gold churned within them.

“I like the way you look at me, doe-eyes,” he whispered.

“I like the way you look,” Soraya said unabashedly. And oh, how she loved the way his eyes brightened when he smiled. Her gaze dropped to his thick lips.

“What do you want?” She watched his mouth form each word.

She swallowed her tingling nerves. “Kiss me?” Her heart started to beat a mile a minute when he slid a hand into the back of her hair. He paused, waiting for her to object, but when she didn’t, he pulled her down to him.

As she felt his breath on her lips, her nerves got the better of her, and she placed a hand on his chest to stop him. “Wait…it’s—”

“Been a while?” He teased. Tugging her head back down, he whispered against her lips, “We’ll go slow. Okay?”

Heart fluttering, she nodded as she closed her eyes, and he closed the distance between them. The first brush of his lips was tentative and soft, like the wings of a butterfly. Her lips parted slightly at the ticklish sensation, leading him to deepen the kiss. He teased her like that for a while, brushing his lips against hers before deepening the kiss once more. With each passing second, she slowly relaxed in his embrace.

Winding his other arm around her hips, he slowly applied gentle pressure, and she sank into him further until her hips were flush against his. Her cheeks ignited with heat as she felt his hardness through his slacks. Without thinking, she began to lightly pulse her hips down against his. His next breath hitched, and finally finding her rhythm, she kissed him back.

His fingers tightened slightly on the back of her head. Without warning, he nipped her bottom lip, causing her to gasp. Seizing the moment, his tongue swept into her mouth for a quick exploration before retreating. Her hand twisted into his shirt, and she tried to pull him back to do it again. Chuckling under his breath, he didn’t make her wait long.

He claimed her mouth, their tongues meeting before he swept in this time to conquer. Instinctively, she sucked his tongue deeper, and his hips bucked up, hitting her center just right, making her gasp.

Abruptly, he stood them both up and hooked his fingers into the hem of her dress, which had ridden up to expose her wet thong completely. With one swift movement, he slid the dress up and over her head, leaving her in nothing but her lingerie. When he reached for her again, she placed a hand on his chest. He stopped immediately, eyes searching hers to see if he had gone too far.

“It’s not fair you get to keep your shirt on,” she said, somewhat out of breath.

Breathing just as raggedly, he didn’t break eye contact with her as he began to unbutton the rest of his shirt. Soraya couldn’t help herself; her eyes jumped right to the newly exposed skin. He started to shrug off his shirt, but her hand was already pushing the fabric off the rest of the way.

Laying her palms flat on his chest, she ran them down every hard muscle of his body. When she reached his stomach, his muscles flexed underneath her ticklish touch. Done with her exploration, he bent down and swept her up his body, her legs wrapping around his middle as their mouths connected once again. The kiss grew more and more urgent as he began to move. Soraya didn’t really care where he was taking her as long as his mouth never left hers.

She felt fabric drag across her shoulder and arms, making her shiver. It was the gossamer fabric…he took her to bed.

With unnatural grace, he laid her down on top of the extremely soft duvet cover. He gave her mouth one last thorough sweep of his tongue before breaking apart.

Opening her eyes, she realized she was indeed lying on the massive bed, the gossamer curtain swaying closed behind his silhouette. He watched her as she watched him.

Panting, her eyes snagged on the movement of his hands as they reached for his belt buckle. With expert precision, she watched as he undid himself and slid the leather free. Flicking open the top button of his slacks, he pushed them and his underwear down his corded thighs. When his cock sprang free, Soraya’s mouth went dry as she sized him up. She had never been with a man so well-endowed.

“Your turn.” She snapped her eyes to his face just in time to see his smirk.

Leaning up, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. Ever so slowly, she slid one strap and then the other down her arms, keeping the lace close to her chest. He watched intently as she peeled it away, exposing her breasts for him to see. He took a deep, steadying breath as his gaze roamed from her peaked nipples down the curve of her stomach. When he reached her legs, she slid them wide open for him, the thin piece of fabric the only shield against his burning gaze.

Eyes pinned to the fabric, he took a long, deep inhale. His eyes fluttered. She cocked her head as she hooked her thumbs into the strings of her thong. With his eyes still locked on her, she closed her legs and lifted her hips, sliding the thong down completely before tossing it aside.

Completely naked, she took a moment to appreciate the softness of the mint green duvet against her skin. She hoped they wouldn’t ruin it. Then, after taking a steadying breath, she summoned her courage and slowly inched her knees apart.

His golden eyes darkened as they latched onto her dripping wet center. She watched as he struggled to pull his gaze back to her hooded ones.

Like a predator, he placed one knee on the bed and then slowly dropped to all fours, prowling over her bare body. She allowed him to slide her back down until his body settled in the cradle of her thighs, never once breaking eye contact.

He completely covered her. His gaze ignited a burning sensation in her stomach, spreading like wildfire throughout her entire body. Her pussy clenched on nothing, and the familiar paralyzing desire crept into her veins, causing her breathing to deepen with each inhale. He cocked his head, no doubt enjoying the view of her coming undone without even touching her yet. She wanted to feel embarrassed about the way her wetness seeped out of her and down the skin of her ass, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care as she practically begged in a hoarse whisper, “Please.” Please, just fuck her.

His eyes sparked, and before she realized it, he hooked one of her legs over his shoulder, spreading her neglected pussy even wider. When she felt his thick fingers at her entrance, a moan escaped her lips, making him chuckle. “I haven’t even begun touching you yet,” he teased in a low, deep voice, causing her inner walls to clench in response.

“What’s stopping you?” She quivered beneath him. He hummed in the back of his throat, a wicked smile gracing his lips. Just as she was about to beg again, he leaned down to capture her lips in a brutal kiss while sliding a single, thick digit into her.

Her entire focus narrowed down to that single finger. He moved slowly, inching his finger in and out of her, pushing deeper and deeper with each pass. Not that he needed to, considering how slick she was from her arousal.

He grunted his approval as her hips began to follow his finger. Then, a second thick finger entered her, and she moaned, long and low. Struggling to keep up with his mouth, he pressed open-mouthed kisses down her neck as he pumped into her. “That’s it,” he whispered, watching her mouth fall open as he slid a third finger inside. He waited until she sucked in a gasp to begin a steady, pulsating rhythm in and out of her. His movements grew rougher as her pussy relaxed around his ministrations. The sound of her wetness and his panting filled the otherwise silent room.

The orgasm hit her out of nowhere; her body shuddered with the sudden impact. She didn’t get to enjoy it, not really; it happened too quickly, too soon. A pained sound crawled up her throat. “Shh, I’m not going anywhere, doe-eyes,” he murmured in a low, husky voice. Bringing her leg down from his shoulder, he kissed the side of her neck before repositioning himself over her, the head of his cock slotting up against her entrance. “Ready?”

Biting her lip, she nodded, hoping against hope that he would give her true relief. Before she could so much as blink, he slid his cock into her in one swift, powerful movement. A gasp caught in her throat as she threw her head back against the bed, momentarily frozen by the overwhelming pressure invading her senses.

He grunted as her tight walls squeezed around the head of his cock, but he didn’t stop; he wasn’t fully inside of her yet.

Shifting his hips, he pulled out before pushing back in. Her inner walls quivered, giving way to his languid, precise thrusts. With her mouth open and breathless, Tariq gripped her neck and grunted, “Breathe, doe-eyes.”

Forcing a breath down her throat, she was about to take another much-needed breath when he punched his hips into the cradle of her legs, pushing his thick girth all the way inside her. Soraya’s breath was knocked out of her once more—that bastard.

He stayed still for her, allowing her to adjust to the feeling of his cock stretching her wide open. He dropped his head into the crook of her neck, his warm breath hitting her sensitive skin as they both waited for her to acclimate to his size. As she started to feel lightheaded, she managed to inhale, but his sticky, sweet cologne only made her head spin even further.

Slowly, her body relaxed, her muscles loosening around his thick cock. Bending down, he sucked on the side of her neck and began to pump. Closing her eyes, she moaned, wrapping her legs around his hips as he picked up speed, pounding into her mercilessly. The gentleness from before was replaced by a wild man. Her whole body was being pounded into the bed, and all she could think and feel was this overwhelming sense of fullness. Rightness.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Their lips met briefly, and she moaned into his mouth when he suddenly jerked up, his hips stilled, cock fully seated inside her throbbing pussy. Confused, she opened her eyes to look up at him. A wild expression flickered in his gaze as he swept his eyes over her face.

Sex-drunk, she swallowed dryly and panted in a hoarse whisper, “What’s wrong?” Did she do something to turn him off? Had she given him the ick? Her cheeks flushed from embarrassment the longer he stared at her, his mouth parted—he looked like he was in shock.

Before she could sink deeper into her embarrassment, he blinked a few times, as if shaking himself out of a daze. He pumped his hips, and her eyes fluttered shut at the sensation. “Look at me, doe-eyes,” he breathed against her lips.

He slammed into her on his next thrust, causing her eyes to fly open with a gasp. “Just like that, Soraya.”

Her gaze locked onto his as he slowed his thrusts, sliding all the way out before snapping his hips into the softest part of her, jolting her entire body in the process. He dropped his weight onto her, pinning her more securely to the bed, and cradled her head with his arms as he fucked her more intimately, which sent shivers down her spine.

Soraya couldn’t think of anything else but taking what he gave her. In the back of her mind, she recognized that the way he was fucking her felt too intimate—too…passionate. For all he knew, she was a complete slut, and truth be told, she thought he would fuck her like one and send her on her way. But the way he was looking at her—

The very movements of his body focused on what her own body was responding to, drawing out her pleasure as he slid his cock in and out of her. She didn’t understand it, but she didn’t need to. She felt safe. Even cared for…and before she knew it, a powerful orgasm overtook her, his steady thrusts continuing to draw out her pleasure until she lay limp in his arms.

Panting into the side of her head, he hoarsely whispered one confusing word before her body and mind shut down, and she fell into a deep sleep—

“Mate.”