The woman opened her mouth to answer, but Micah thrust ruthlessly inside her sex first, cutting off all speech. Instead, she gasped, then groaned. Before she recovered, Micah plowed into her again. And again. Once more…

  “Come,” her master commanded.

  She gasped as she orgasmed in a spectacular tensing of limbs and jolting of muscles. Micah gritted his teeth, looking like a man hanging by a thread.

  “Beautiful. Micah will continue to fuck you while you suck my cock. You do not come again until I do.”

  “Yes…Master,” she said in a breathy, high gasp just before she turned her head and took Master deep in her mouth.

  Beside him, Alejandro noticed Shanna squirming in her seat. Around him, the scent of her arousal wafted. She might pretend to be scandalized, but her body told him exactly how much she loved what was happening before her eyes. How much she liked watching it. He knew from dancing with her that she ached to be watched herself. No doubt in his mind, fucking her in front of a faceless audience would completely arouse Shanna. She couldn’t possibly hang onto her ice-bitch persona then.

  It didn’t take long before Master’s buttocks were clenching. He shoved his hand into his slut’s red hair and thrust deep in her mouth. Micah had apparently gotten his urge to come under control and now pounded her like a man possessed, beads of sweat dripping down his face, his sides. The woman’s skin was a gorgeous shade of aroused rose as she writhed between the two men, giving and receiving pleasure.

  Soon, Master tensed, shouted, then erupted into the woman’s mouth.

  “Come,” he told them through clenched teeth.

  They did. Loudly, bucking and rocking and clearly enjoying the hell out of themselves.

  Moments later, Micah withdrew from the woman’s body and disposed of his condom. Master reached out and gave him a brotherly handshake.

  “She’s one hell of a fuck,” Micah commented. “You’re lucky, man.”

  Master nodded and smiled, then Micah disappeared through the door from which he’d emerged. When Master turned his profile to the audience, Ali had no trouble spotting the fact he was hard again. Shanna’s gasp told him she’d seen it, too.

  Without a word to his woman, Master released her ankles and flipped her onto her belly. As her arms crossed above her head, he urged her to curl her knees under her body, then smacked her ass a half dozen times in harsh, regulated swats. The woman tensed, moaned, bucked.

  Then Master reached for the table on the far side of the bed. Moments later, he had lube on his erection and was sliding it inside his woman’s rosy ass.

  She moaned and writhed when he penetrated her, and he reached around to toy with her clit.

  “You’re a good girl. Watching you get fucked turns me on, but fucking you myself is heaven. You accept my cock wherever I put it, don’t you?”

  “Yes! Master, yes!”

  Shanna crossed her legs and squirmed again. “Is he…having anal sex with her?”

  Alejandro nodded. “It is another show of her submission to him.”

  She drew in a sharp breath. Even in this light, he could see her hard nipples go even harder. Oh, another something on his long list of things to do to her body once he got the chance. Alejandro managed to keep his smile to himself—barely.

  “Seen enough?”

  “What?” Shanna tore her eyes away from the couple reluctantly. “O-oh, yes.”

  He rose and helped her to her feet, then guided her out the door, back into the well-lit hallway. Flushed cheeks, very hard nipples, rapid breaths, pulse beating at her neck. If she owned a vibrator, he’d bet it would get a strenuous workout this afternoon. First time he could ever remember being jealous of plastic and batteries. He’d offer his own flesh, but if he pushed her too hard, too fast, she would run in the other direction.

  “So, the scene… How does tomorrow night sound for catching a blackmailer? I will make sure the room is free then.”

  Shanna took a deep breath. “I haven’t made up my mind.”

  “Whatever you wish. You are the one with a competition in a few days and a blackmailer with an ax to grind.”

  She sighed in annoyance, clearly not appreciating his reminder that her options were limited. “All right. Tomorrow night.”

  “Be here by nine.” Ali tamped down his smile of triumph with effort. “What sort of scene should I set up? Something for you to do alone?”

  Shanna paled a bit more, then mustered her bravado and lifted her chin. “Maybe…you should participate, too. But don’t get the wrong idea.”

  “Wrong idea?”

  She sent him a suspicious glare. “I’m serious. This is business. I need to find out who’s trying to sabotage me. You need to know who’s jeopardizing your club. I’m not interested in you personally.”

  “Of course not.”

  “And I’m not sleeping with you.”

  Who said anything about sleeping? Ali thought.

  “Whatever you want, that is what we’ll do. Nothing more.” And absolutely nothing less.

  4

  “You sure about this, man?” Del asked him at eight-thirty the following night as they headed downstairs.

  “Yes.” Alejandro led the way down the hall, to the second door on the left and pushed it open.

  Del closed it behind him. “You want guests in here? They will flip. You’re the brains of this place. You almost never play in public. You know the curiosity. There will be a crowd.”

  Ali shrugged. Generally, he watched rather than put on a show, but this was about Shanna tonight, about making her hot. And she adored being watched. He knew that all the way down to the soles of his feet. Now he just needed to let her feel it firsthand and prove it to her.

  “Good. I want anyone who attended in the last week, especially if they watched in this room, here tonight. I sent you a list of members who fit that description.”

  “I got that.”

  Ali nodded. “Security is looking the names over as well. If Shanna is videoed, we should be able to narrow our list of suspects. I’ve e-mailed the members who watched last week and hinted at something tantalizing happening in this room tonight. That way, our friend with the video camera is more likely to show up. But wait until nine-fifteen to unlock the door. I want Shanna comfortable. It will be easier for her to let go the first time if the only one watching when we get started is you.”

  “Even if we only allow the people who’ve observed in this room recently, others will follow. There will still be a crowd.”

  Alejandro shrugged. Likely so, but he would deal with it. And with Shanna…

  She would be very nervous when she first arrived, but Ali didn’t think that would last, especially when she didn’t see a gathering crowd right away. And God, he couldn’t wait to feel her melt against him, her body opening to accept him deep, her pussy clasping him hard as she came. By then, she’d be desperate for the crowd to see her come undone.

  “I need to finish readying the room.” Alejandro turned away, eager for the night to begin.

  “Wait.” When Ali turned back, Del went on, “You’re going pretty far to catch this blackmailer.”

  “The club is important. We both have over a million dollars tied up in it. We cannot afford to allow anyone who would film players without their knowledge to continue as a member here.”

  “Yeah. Absolutely. It’s just…normally you would let security handle it. Or bring in help, if you needed it. This time, you seem to be taking a very personal interest.”

  “Stop sidestepping your point. What are you saying?”

  Del crossed his arms over his wide chest, looking way too pleased. “You like this girl.”

  “She is very sexy. Why should I not like her?”

  Disbelief peppered Del’s expression. “There are sexy women here every night more than willing to fuck you. You haven’t played with or for the membership in over a year. So there’s more to your decision to get on that stage with Shanna than her sexiness.”

  Mierda. Why couldn’t Del leave it alone?

  Alejandro sighed. “Yes. I confess, even I am not entirely sure why I am pursuing Shanna so hard. She has rebuffed, left, and insulted me.”

  “But…?”

  Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Ali sorted through the tangle of his thoughts and feelings. It was damn uncomfortable. He was a gut-instinct sort of guy. If it felt right, he did it. That philosophy had never served him wrong. But even he had to admit that his logic where Shanna was concerned…

  There wasn’t any.

  “Under her brittle façade, she has this lost quality. I don’t want to save her, exactly. Or change her. But I cannot resist wanting to hold her. Touch her. And, of course, pleasure her. She looks at me and her expression is like a siren’s song. A glance, and I’m hard as hell. A snap from that icy voice I know is hiding a wealth of heat and I’m dying to lay her out, get deep, and melt her into a puddle.”

  Del laughed. “You’re screwed.”

  “How so?”

  “You’re falling for this girl.”

  Was it that obvious?

  “And you haven’t really touched her yet.” Del laughed. “This is going to be fun to watch for more than one reason.”

  “I’m so happy you’re amused. You may fuck off now.”

  “Ten-four.” Del clapped him on the back. “I’ll finish making the arrangements with the other employees. The room should be ready. All you need to do is meet Shanna at the door.”

  No, what he needed to do was please her, not just by lighting her senses and firing her fantasies, but endearing himself to her. Great, but how to do that? Because his gut was telling him that he should not let Shanna out of his life.

  With a shaking hand, Shanna shoved the door open and entered the cool, air-conditioned space of Sneak Peek. At night, the club still had that golden shimmer. But instead of the homey warmth it conveyed during the day, a shimmering glow now illuminated the club. It sparkled and glittered like old Hollywood, except this classic glamour provided the backdrop for today’s beautiful people to have dazzling sex.

  Del and Alejandro had created a perfect ambiance.

  Just past the club’s front door, wall-to-wall bodies gyrated to a suggestive techno beat. Couples grinded, intimating sex vertically. In fact, one couple against the wall, shielded by the man’s long leather duster, probably was having sex. No one seemed to notice or care.

  The bar beyond was crowded with people drinking their liquid fortification. Several men crowded around a woman downing shots as if they were waiting for her to give one—or several—of them a sign that she was ready for more personal action.

  The whole place oozed sex.

  She so didn’t belong here. Sex had never been her thing. She’d had it, of course. A college boyfriend had been her first, but he hadn’t had much experience. Nor had he understood her dancing. They’d spent the relationship fighting because he assumed she was sleeping with her partner at the time, which she hadn’t been.

  A few years later, she’d had a one-night stand after a wedding. Stupid—and awful. Downright bad sex.

  Jonathan…utter disaster—right on the dance floor they’d practiced on for years. She’d clung to him out of desperation. He’d taken her body as if exorcising some demon. The whole episode had lasted less than ten minutes. And created twelve months of pure havoc.

  By tonight’s end, if she wasn’t careful, she would be adding Alejandro to her short list. She’d said she wouldn’t have sex with him. But she wondered… Would failing to let loose in a club like this rouse her blackmailer’s suspicion? Shanna couldn’t let this opportunity slip past her without making the most of it. She had to ferret out this jerk before the California Dance Star.

  But that wasn’t the only reason she contemplated surrendering to Alejandro. He tripped her trigger in a way she’d never experienced. Maybe she could enjoy herself—just this once.

  Then again, did she really have the strength to resist such a sinfully sexy man, especially when he lured her with an offer to fulfill her secret exhibitionism fantasy? He made her feel sexual, made her believe that he understood her. Admitting that fact was uncomfortable, but even when Ali annoyed her, he turned her on. Maybe the chemistry between them was worth exploring.

  And maybe she was out of her mind.

  Crossing the room, Shanna was conscious of male eyes following her. God, why had Alejandro sent her this sheer halter top, held in place by nothing more than two little bows, along with a matching wrap-around skirt? Why had he insisted she wear a skimpy outfit in shades of soft creamy-gold that blended in with her skin?

  “Hi,” a voice whispered in her ear. She turned to find a guy with dimples and incredible blue eyes visually eating her up. “Dance?”

  Okay, he was attractive. Who was she kidding? He was gorgeous. The way he looked at her made her burn. But to dance with him? Touch him? Hmm. The thought of getting physical with this guy—with most any guy—wasn’t quite as tempting. For her, it was always that way.

  Except with Alejandro.

  “I—I…”

  “She’s spoken for tonight.”

  Alejandro. She recognized that deep, slightly accented voice caressing the back of her neck. And the tingle that shimmied up her spine when he wrapped his arm around her bare midriff in a gesture designed to lay his claim.

  Dimples shot her a brief look of regret. “Sure, Mr. Diaz.”

  “She’ll be around later, in the chrome room.”

  That information perked Dimples up. He raked her with a lingering glance. “Sweet. I’ll definitely be watching.”

  Before Shanna could protest, Alejandro urged her forward, to an employees-only entrance, and shut the door behind them. The decibel level went down about a thousand percent.

  She whirled to face him “You invited him to watch us?”

  Shanna was glad she’d managed to parlay her shock into actual words quickly. Because once she saw his casual black shirt unbuttoned all the way down the front, exposing a healthy glimpse of hard-steel pecs and smooth bronze skin, she lost her train of thought.

  “Yes, I did. He is one of the newer regulars and he was here last week. Think of him as a potential suspect.”

  His voice brought her gaze back up to his face, where a hint of a smile played. The bastard knew she’d been staring at his chest.

  She needed dispassion, not lust. Focus. “He had no idea who I was. No concept that I’m Kristoff’s partner.”

  “Not that he let on. But if he was guilty, why would he tip his hand?”

  Good question. One for which she had no answer.

  “You are not required to play this scene. Do you want to change your mind?”

  He was wrong; she was absolutely required to play this scene, at least if she wanted to win the competition and hold that trophy in her hand after sixteen years of hard work. But that wasn’t the only reason. If she wanted to find out if Alejandro had been right about her desire to exhibit, she had to go through with this. And if she wanted to know if she could actually feel pleasure in this man’s arms… Well, then she couldn’t chicken out.

  “Just lead the way.”

  With a slow nod, Ali grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, then led her down the hall. Despite her nerves, Shanna had a hard time ripping her gaze from his tight ass, displayed so mouth-wateringly in black slacks. The view alone made her want to jump him. That had to stop. This sexual hunger wasn’t like her. Being too into him wasn’t a good idea, either. She wasn’t into flings, and a guy who co-owned a club like Sneak Peek probably wasn’t into relationships.

  Tearing her gaze away and focusing on her surroundings, she noticed they filed past some open doors containing offices brimming with computers manned by staff members. A wall clock said it was ten `til nine.

  The butterflies in her stomach were head-banging and had set up a rave. She wondered if she was going to throw up before she and Alejandro got started.

  He stopped in front of a door. “Relax. You will be fine. We’re going to handle this together.”

  “Why are you being nice about this?”

  He cocked a brow, the strong angles of his face dusted by shadow and stubble. The frankly sexual stare he sent her made Shanna suck in her breath.

  “Certainly, it has not escaped your notice that I want you.”

  How could it when the thought thrilled her so much? She shook her head.

  “Good. I also want to catch the scum taking advantage of our members. You want to catch him, too, so Kristoff’s video doesn’t fall into the judges’ hands. It is a win-win for us both.”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  He shook his head. “I suspect you’re not the untouchable bitch you wish me—and everyone else—to believe you are.” He shot her a wolfish grin. “But I intend to find out tonight for sure. Personally, I think we will be very hot together.”

  Before she could protest and slap up the armor he’d verbally stripped away, he thrust the door open and walked through.

  They entered the room she had observed the Master and Slut use yesterday. Only things had changed. The chrome bed had been pushed to one corner, at the edge of the stage. The rest of the furniture had been moved out, leaving a large amount of the painted concrete floor well lit and totally empty. The bedding had changed as well. Luxurious white and silvery linens with fluffy pillows dotted with beads and tassels decorated the bed, looking sumptuous on top of the downy blanket. A far cry from yesterday’s stark black sheets.

  “What’s this?”

  “I thought you would be more comfortable if we changed the room up to something softer. Something more…you.”

  Normally, she would protest his judgment that she was soft. But he was right; the look of the room did reflect her more. She wondered how much of her he already saw.

  Against her better judgment, she was touched. “Thank you.”

  “You are very welcome. Come with me.” Alejandro tugged her to the edge of the stage. Deep in gray shadows, she saw a lone, imposing figure.

  “Hi, Shanna.”