Nicole Edwards - Temptation

Now, two days later, she was on her way to meet the man, though she got the impression that he had no idea he was being set up.

“You said we were going to a club?” Sierra asked, interrupting the loving couple holding hands in the front seat. “Isn’t it a little early in the day?”

“It’s a club, but it isn’t what you’re thinking.” Sam offered. “Well, at least not entirely.”

Sierra noticed the subtle way Logan squeezed his wife’s hand.

What other kind of clubs were there? Besides the ones that offered drinks to people who congregated to laugh, drink and have a good time?

Oh!

Her mind struggled with the possibility before shrugging off the comment. Glancing at her watch, Sierra added, “I didn’t realize clubs were open this early.”

Eleven thirty on a Tuesday and Sierra was on her way to meet a mystery man who, despite the fact that they didn’t know each other at all, would likely accompany her to a four day business conference to be held in Las Vegas.

The Entertainment Capital of the World.

Sin City.

And one of Sierra’s favorite vacation destinations.

She could certainly get down with going to Las Vegas, no matter who she was going with. She was quite fond of the city, having gone numerous times for girl’s only getaways. Never once had she come back disappointed. Going for business, now that would be a first, but no more so than going with a man. Any man.

What would they do if they didn’t get along? How was she supposed to suffer through four long days in the party capital of the world with someone she had nothing in common with?

Granted, she was jumping ahead of herself. She hadn’t even met him yet. The one upside to it all, if he looked anything like Logan McCoy, at least she was in for a visual treat.

Logan maneuvered the car into an underground parking garage, and Sierra felt the butterflies take flight in her stomach.

Glancing down, she noticed that she was wringing her hands in her lap, a sheer sign of the tension coursing through her veins. She chalked it up to the fact that she suspected Luke had no idea she was coming or anything else that was in store for him, in the coming days. She’d gathered that from the conversation she’d overhead – ok, more like eavesdropped on – earlier between Logan and Sam. When Logan mentioned that Luke didn’t seem to be in the best of moods, she’d momentarily questioned her sanity.

Not that she really cared what kind of mood he was in, as long as he could manage to be polite and courteous for four days, only a few hours at a time while they were in Vegas.

Moments later, Sierra was climbing out of the back seat, coming to join Samantha standing at the side of the car.

“Brace yourself.” Sam smiled brightly, looking almost playful.

“Is there something I should know before we go in?” Sierra asked, for the second time questioning what she was walking into.

“Not specifically. Let’s just say that Logan’s brother is the darker twin.”

“Darker?” Confusion set in, and Sierra tried to comprehend what Sam was saying.

“You know, mysterious. Ominous.” Sam laughed as she took Logan’s hand.

Great. Just what Sierra needed. Her mind immediately conjured up a version of Logan McCoy; only this one had a permanent scowl, making him look sinister. She smiled to herself.

With a deep breath, she stood up straighter, adjusted her short skirt, and steeled herself for whatever was to come.

How bad could it be?

“You find it?” Kane asked, looking both weary and determined as Luke approached.

“Of course I fucking found it.” Luke growled, slamming the invoice on the bar top. “Right on my desk. Now you want to tell me how we lost eight cases of our best vodka?” Luke knew he was being an asshole, and he knew that Kane was working his ass off trying to figure out what the hell had happened during the week that the other man had also been on vacation, but Luke didn’t need theories, he wanted fucking answers.

Three thousand dollars’ worth of vodka didn’t just up and walk away, yet no one seemed to know a damn thing.

“Shit, Luke. I don’t have any idea.” Kane answered, running his fingers through his shaggy, brown hair, a clear sign the man was at a loss.

Sucking in a ragged breath, Luke glanced around the near empty main floor of the club – the equivalent of counting to ten – in an attempt to hold on to the anger that was begging to break free. He only hoped there weren’t any customers getting a firsthand glimpse of his tirade.

Since all other areas were limited to their exclusive members by design, he should have thought to have his mental breakdown behind the big double doors that separated the two divisions of the club. However, since Club Destiny saw a large portion of its overall revenue from the public club and bar, Luke spent a lot of his time right in that very spot.

Staring at the empty area now, Luke acknowledged the dim lights above weren’t nearly as attractive as the neon glow of blue and red that outlined the walls and the bar when the club was open. The usual mass of bodies that filled Club Destiny from wall to wall was nowhere to be found, nor was the noise that came with so many people occupying one place. To be honest, Luke wasn’t sure which way he preferred most.

As he tried to gain his composure, not wanting to beat up on Kane too much, Luke inhaled deeply, took one more look around until his eyes landed on the man sitting at a table near the back.

Shit.

Luke wasn’t feeling overly social, and Cole Ackerley was the last person he wanted to talk to. Thankfully, it didn’t look like Cole was up for talking either. Instead, Cole sat at an empty table, drinking what appeared to be a soda, rather than the shot of whiskey he normally favored.

For all intents and purposes, Cole looked like he didn’t give a damn that Luke was staring his way, but Luke felt the heat of Cole’s midnight blue eyes burning a hole into him. They certainly had some things they needed to talk about, but like usual, Luke would put that disaster waiting to happen off for a little while.

Since Cole was one of the main reasons Luke had gone MIA for the last two months, there wasn’t much he could say, even if he wanted to. After everything that had happened between them that night…

Not going there.

Those damned demons he’d managed to bury temporarily were not going to show up now. If he wasn’t careful, Luke would manage to brew up a shit storm of issues he hadn’t been able to figure out during those few weeks he’d disappeared. Since he hadn’t been able to get to the bottom of them then, he knew for damn sure it wouldn’t be happening now.

He didn’t give a damn what that said about him, or how much of an asshole that made him look like. Luke was not ready to address that little clusterfuck.

At least not right now.

He’d wallow in the denial for a little while longer, thank you very much.

His reaction to Cole that night had been pulled from deep down inside of him, and Luke knew that was a part of him that he couldn’t contain. A part of him that set him apart from the rest. Did it bother him? No, not usually. Until now. He’d always been open to sexual experiences that bordered on the taboo.

When his eyes met Cole’s, Luke felt the other man’s confusion and for a moment, he thought about confronting him. Clearing the air. Instead, he turned his back, trying to focus on the stack of papers lying on the bar. Despite the fact that Luke had managed to run off for some much needed time alone, he had also heard that Cole opted to keep a low profile for the last few weeks, as well. He wondered if the solitude had helped Cole because it sure as hell hadn’t done a damn bit of good for Luke.

A moment later Ava Prescott’s sultry voice fluttered through the otherwise quiet club, but Luke didn’t turn around. Ava wasn’t there to see him. She was obviously there to see Cole, which wasn’t at all surprising. Cole’s membership with the club was a longstanding one, and his involvement as a third in the relationship with the Prescott’s wasn’t a secret. Nor was the fact that Cole was open about his sexuality, enjoyed his freedom as a single man, and he would not, no matter what, disclose any information about what went on between him and other members of the club.

Cole was one of the most respected members at Club Destiny, and despite the fact that the man was approached often by other couples, he was downright particular about those he spent his time with.

Luke remembered the first time he and Cole had found themselves in a situation they hadn’t expected. The one night when the two of them ended up alone with the very sexy, extremely flirtatious, Susie Mackendrick. That night had been memorable, and so had the few other nights he and Cole had shared Susie’s bed. And her kitchen table. And her shower.

Luke found himself smiling for the first time that day. Those memories of Susie still sent a spark of desire bursting through his blood stream.

Maybe that was the key to getting him out of the funk he was in. Calling Susie or better yet, just showing up at her house would definitely distract his overstimulated brain for at least a few hours.

The woman was incredibly creative when it came to sex. She was also a self-proclaimed submissive, which worked well with Luke’s darker urges. Although there were times when those dark, dangerous urges to dominate made him realize that Susie probably couldn’t handle some of the things he wanted to do to her.

Which led him back to Cole…

Fuck!

He was not going to go down this road again. Not here. Not now.

With an irritated sigh, Luke turned back to the bar, ignoring Ava Prescott’s sensual purr of as she greeted Cole. Luke flipped through the pages in front of him though he could have been reading instructions in Chinese for all that he was seeing.

It wasn’t that he cared who Cole was with.

He honestly didn’t.

Ok, maybe that was a lie. He cared just a little.

Those damn lingering memories of that one night still haunted him, still had him jolting out of a dead sleep, confused and yet… aching.

He tried to tell himself that it was just lust. What he and Cole had done wasn’t wrong. At least not in relative terms. When it came to Luke’s sex life, there were boundaries he crossed every damn day.

Yet he had never – never – crossed that line. He had never thought he was interested. But that night, Cole had managed to give Luke the one thing he’d been longing for. The resistance that had lit Cole’s indigo blue gaze still haunted him. Luke had been boiling with a longing so deep, so dark, that he hadn’t known how to satisfy it. At least not until he had instructed Cole to go to his knees…

Fuck!

Readjusting himself, Luke couldn’t deny the fact that the memories still stoked a fire that he couldn’t extinguish. His jeans were past the point of uncomfortable, and he had no choice but to stand there and stare at the damn papers in front of him. No way in hell was he turning around to see Cole sauntering off with the Prescott’s.

Pushing the papers aside, Luke planted his hands on the bar top, pressing his head down between his shoulders in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension churning inside of him. Every time he began to think about that night, or Cole, or hell, even Samantha, Luke’s brain got more and more fucked up. What had he learned in the two months since that one fateful night?

Too much, and yet not nearly enough.

The one thing he had come to terms with by the time he decided enough was enough and hiding out wasn’t the answer was that he wanted Cole. He didn’t want emotional bullshit, or strings of any sort, but he damn sure had never met a man who made his body throb the way that Cole did.

Yet here he was. Keeping his back turned, and his expression guarded as Cole prepared himself to be the filling in the Prescott’s sex sandwich. The thought had his balls tightening and his dick throbbing. Remembering that night and the way Cole had given himself over to the moment had Luke gritting his teeth. When the man agreed to something, he gave everything he was.

Granted, Luke was discriminatory with his partners, but he had been drawn to Cole from almost the moment he had met him. At the time, it hadn’t been in any way related to attraction, just simple admiration. Cole was an admitted bisexual, open to almost anything, trustworthy, honest and beyond discreet. Everything his members looked for in a partner or a third.