That surprised Lucas. He’d figured Greg for the biggest horn dog in the bunch and probably the one who would push their boundaries the most.
“He told me to imagine you touching me and licking me, and…well, it worked.”
Score one for the persuasive chump. Maybe he’d thank him the next time he saw him, if ever.
Violet wrapped her warm hand around his. “I know the feast is still going on, but I wonder if we could have some time alone…upstairs?”
She batted her lashes in a perfectly innocent, beguiling way, and the rest of the group, the ballroom, and the mansion itself was forgotten as Josh lifted her in his arms and Lucas followed in his wake. Being alone with her was just what they needed.
* * * *
Josh threaded his way through the ballroom, skirting the groupings carefully to avoid interrupting any of them. Some of the attendees were caught up in quiet conversations, eating and enjoying the atmosphere while pursuing sensual pleasures. Other groups were going at it as if Rome was burning and there was only so much fucking they could fit in before the building collapsed on them.
As they left the ballroom and headed toward the stairs, Violet said, “I can walk, Josh. Put me down.”
Josh grinned at her, wanting to nibble on those swollen pink lips and said, “No.”
Violet opened her mouth to speak and then squeaked as he hefted her and held her tightly. “I’ve got you, baby girl. It’s our turn to take care of you.”
She made a disgruntled sound, but they were both distracted by a conversation echoing in the stairwell. He looked up and spotted Joseph conversing with Miss Carrigan on the stairs.
“I told you we weren’t finished earlier,” Joseph said, his tone and his body language implacable as he pressed her against the railing. “You’re not leaving yet.”
She didn’t allow Joseph the physical advantage of his height for long and chuckled as she pushed him back and continued on her way down the stairs, Joseph’s footfalls following in hot pursuit. Josh and Lucas backed up to the alcove beneath the stairs, but there was nowhere to go, to avoid eavesdropping.
“I need to educate you about something, Joseph. Oh, wait. I guess I’m supposed to call you Mr. Hazelle, or Sir, or Master.” She scoffed as she took the last step and turned to look up at him, obviously not caring that he towered over her.
“Unless you’re…” She held up one finger. “Feeding me…” She grinned as she ticked the second finger. “Financing me…” she added as she ticked off her middle finger. “Or fucking me, I don’t have to listen to anything you say. I’m my own boss for a reason. I don’t do submission. You’ll get your bill in the mail. Have a pleasant evening.”
“Bunny, stop.”
Josh stifled a chuckle when even Violet quivered at Joseph’s dominating tone.
“Kiss my lily white ass.” With that, she marched away, every step punctuated by the sassy swing of her hips before she came to a complete stop and scowled back at him. “Which is the way out of this place?”
Joseph had evidently pointed because she turned to her left and growled, “thank you,” as she stomped out of sight.
Violet’s lips rounded into an “o,” and her eyes got big as Joseph let loose with a low, juicy curse and then trudged up the stairs, none the wiser he’d had an audience to his dressing down.
“I really like her,” Violet whispered as they listened to Joseph’s footsteps recede down the hall.
They left the alcove and climbed the stairs. Her body was a warm, solid weight in his arms as they walked down the corridor leading to their wing.
“Are we all right?” Violet asked as she looked up at him. “What happened downstairs was unexpected…unplanned. I never would’ve thought I’d do something like that, especially not with the two of you sitting there watching. Are we okay?”
Josh nodded. “Remember what we talked about? This weekend was about fantasy fulfillment. Some fantasies might rattle around in your brain for months or years while others might present themselves in real life within moments of being imagined. I didn’t anticipate the four of them would play such big a role in making your fantasy come true, but I see it’s just as much about the tension in the scene as it is about the setting and participants.”
“They definitely added to the tension,” she whispered as they came to their door. “I worried somehow I’d wandered into someone else’s fantasy and it was getting out of hand. It wasn’t until I saw you that I wasn’t absolutely terrified.”
“You knew we’d keep you safe?” Lucas asked as he used the key and let them into the room.