But her demeanor screamed straitlaced. She glanced back to the valet, as if tempted to make a run for it. Instead of bolting, though, she looked back at Kurt-the Pleasure Greeter currently on duty.
Unable to draw his gaze away, he glanced her over again almost analytically.
She really was incredibly sexy, with a voluptuous body that reminded him of the playmates from eras long ago. Her shiny, chestnut hair fell in a straight curtain down her back. And her breasts were milky and white, and seemed ready to pop out of her revealing corset.
What color would her nipples be? Were they large or small?
With sudden dismay, he realized his cock was stirring. And just from looking her, he mused. Now that was something that hadn't happened in a while.
The woman bit her lip and folded her arms under her breasts, which just plumped them up higher in the corset. Again, she glanced at the valet.
The idea of letting her leave the premises sent displeasure through him for more than one reason.
Moving away from the monitor, he turned and left the room. It was time to relieve Kurt of his duties for a while.
Chapter Two
"Your rose, ma'am?"
Fingers trembling, Renee thrust the rose at the bouncer, almost hoping he would realize it was a fake.
She must be out of her mind to think that an antique brooch was reason enough to go through that door.
"This isn't authentic."
Renee's stomach dropped. Okay, so getting what she wished for was overrated. She had to get into the house, failure wasn't an option. Finding that brooch was her last hope.
"You must be mistaken." She lifted her chin and gave the bouncer her most haughty look. Hopefully it didn't look as ridiculous as it felt. "I insist you let me pass. Mr. Murray is expecting me."
The man's expression didn't change, nor did he move aside. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, ma'am, or I'll have you arrested for trespassing."
"Is there a problem, Kurt?"
Both Renee and the bouncer looked up as another man appeared in the doorway. Like Kurt, this man also wore a tux. But somehow this man-with his dark hair and eyes-seemed more imposing. He wasn't as tall as the first bouncer, but just as broad in the shoulders and with a more solid build.
"Nothing I can't handle." Kurt glanced at the other man. "This woman is trying to gain entrance with a counterfeit rose."
"It isn't counterfeit." The lie sounded feeble on her lips. "As I said before, Mr. Murray is expecting me and he'll be furious if you don't let me pass."
"I believe you are due for a break, Kurt." The man turned to face the bouncer with a brief smile. "I will relieve you."
The other man looked taken aback. "But-"
"Thank you, Kurt." Their gazes locked and something passed silently between the two men.
"Of course." Kurt gave a slow nod, handed him Renee's rose, and then retreated inside the house.
Renee turned to face the replacement bouncer and swallowed hard.
The man stared down at her in the way a cat might watch a cornered mouse. The look in his eyes was blatantly sexual as his gaze moved over her body. Finally his mouth curved into a smile, but he didn't look amused. He glanced down at the rose in his hand and spun it in a slow circle.
"It might be a little bent," she said cautiously. "It was in my car."
"The rose is fine." He took a step toward her. "Kurt misjudged. I think he's been on shift for too long today."
The sudden proximity of his body to hers made her knees threaten to give out.
"Please, come inside for your preparation."
His hand settled low on her back as he guided her under the archway and through the massive door. She trembled at the slight contact. He wasn't a conventionally handsome man. A scar marred his left cheek and his nose looked like it had probably been broken at some time during his life. Still, her body reacted to him as if he were some kind of sex God.
The foyer of the house was dark, with only a few candles burning in the entryway. She glanced down the hall, noting they were completely alone in the cold silence.
"Please stand against the wall, facing away from me." His command resonated in the foyer, deep and abrasive, sending chills of forewarning down her spine.
You can do this. You have to do this. Renee finally convinced her feet to move forward and take the few steps to the stone wall.
She sensed his hard body before he touched her. His breath fell warm and intimate on the back of her neck. Then his hands settled firmly on her waist. Her pulse jumped to double time, and she could barely draw in a breath.
"What is your name?"
Her eyes fluttered shut.
"Renee." She should have lied, but her mind was all fuzzy and she could only focus on the strong hands sliding inward over her stomach.
"Renee," he said, so close to her neck she felt his lips brush against her sensitized skin. She shivered. "Have you attended one of Devon Murray's parties before?"
Even through the fabric of the corset, Renee responded to the fingers inching their way up towards her breasts.
Fake it. She bit her lip before giving a surprisingly calm reply. "I've been to a few. You must have been off those nights."
His laugh, low and seductive, echoed throughout the foyer. What had she said that was so amusing?
Suddenly he pushed her closer to the wall and she turned her face to the side to avoid the hard and rough surface.
"So you know what to expect then." With no more preliminaries, his hand had reached her breast and closed over it through the corset.
"Y-yes." Well, if getting groped was the answer.
"Wonderful."
He delved one hand into the bodice of her corset and cupped her breast, his thumb stroking firmly over her nipple.
Oh, God! Her knees buckled, but his body pressing against hers kept her from falling.
A second later he pulled her breast up and over the edge of the fabric. Cool air rushed over her exposed skin and her nipples grew tight.
"You have amazing breasts, Renee." His breath tickled her ear as he pulled her other breast free from its restraints.
He plucked both of her nipples in quick, rhythmic strokes, shocking her with almost frightening pleasure. His touch was so knowing. Almost clinical. It was embarrassing how easily she responded to it. How liquid heat gathered low in her belly now.
"Do you like this?" His question was calm. Just as detached as his touch.
Renee exhaled a long, shuddering breath, intensely aware of the bulge of his sex pressing hard against her waist.
He tugged on her hair, pulling her head back, forcing her breast more firmly into his hand and making her more vulnerable to him.
"Tell me you like it, Renee."
"I...I like it," she whispered, hating herself a little because it was true.
This wasn't her. She wasn't like this shameless hussy. What the hell was happening here?
"Good, girl. Your preparation is almost complete," he said. "Now for verification."
She whimpered as one of his hands abandoned her breast and slid back down her stomach. A moment passed as he worked his fingers beneath the waistband of her skirt.
"Spread your legs."
Renee blinked, hesitating.
"Spread your legs," he repeated, pulling her hair again and tilting her head back further.
Renee didn't hesitate this time and moved her right foot a few inches away from her left. The man's fingers immediately slid into her panties.
"Christ, you're wet," he muttered against her neck, not sounding as unaffected as before. For some reason that pleased her.
She couldn't even breathe as he tugged on her curls and then moved downward to play within the folds of her sex. When he thrust a long, thick finger inside her she couldn't stop a ragged gasp from escaping.
"Very nice." His lips covered the skin between her neck and shoulder, and his mouth closed over the skin, sucking hard enough to leave a mark.
She groaned as he slid his finger out of her and up and over her clitoris, making her body hum. "You're ready."
He released her so suddenly that she fell fully against the wall.
"I will arrange an escort to see you inside."
Renee jerked away from the wall, pushing her breasts back into the corset and smoothing her skirt with unsteady hands.
"What's your name?"
Oh crap, had she seriously just asked that? She had to be crazy for officially lusting after a bouncer who was only doing his job. A very bizarre and erotic job, but a job nonetheless.
"My name is irrelevant." His gaze was hooded as he slid another glance over her. He turned to another man who'd entered the foyer. "Victor, please escort Renee into the party. She is prepared."
As another bulky blond man grasped her arm and steered her from the entrance, she glanced one last time at the man who had brought her so close to the edge so fast.
She couldn't read anything in his expression as he continued to watch her. And because of what she'd just felt with him, it unnerved her to no end.
Renee turned away.