New Game in Town (6 page)

Not deigning to reply to his arrogant ultimatum, she simply said, “Good night, Connor,” and carefully pressed the speakerphone button on her desk phone, effectively ending their conversation.

* * * * *

Hours later, stretching out in her bed, Gina’s fingers lightly skimmed over her tender breasts. The ache between her legs satisfied for now, she luxuriated in the aftermath of her climax. It had been more pleasing and satisfying than she had anticipated earlier during dinner with her date.

The beep of her cell phone brought her back to reality.

Are you home
?

Before she could reply, another message popped up on her screen.

Did you let him come inside when he brought you home? Is he there with you?

Her thumbs began rapidly striking keys on her phone.

First) Yes. Second) Mind your own business!

In the midst of contemplating turning her phone off, another message was delivered.

Hmm—evasion. That answers my question. Call me ANYTIME you need me tonight. Sweet dreams, Gina.

Groaning, Gina stared at her phone. The ego of that man was staggering.

She had felt bad cutting her dinner date short, but during the pleasant meal, all she could think about was Connor and the amazing orgasm he had given her over the phone and from hundreds of miles away. It was all she could do not to rush back to her place to pull out her vibrator to help ease what was becoming a continuous ache.

It had become clear that there wasn’t even a glimmer of a spark between her and the man she was having dinner with. Returning alone to her cold apartment, she had warmed herself with her handy-dandy vibrator and thoughts of Connor.

Tangling up the sheets in a failed attempt to fall asleep, Gina lay staring blankly up at her ceiling.

Sighing at her own lack of control where that man was concerned, an hour later she dialed his number and waited for him to answer.

Two could play at this game, she thought with a smirk as she got ready to be the one to turn up the heat.

Clearing her throat, she mentally began making a list of all the ways she was going to make him burn over the phone.

“Hello?” came the feminine voice on the other end.

Gina quickly looked down at her screen. Had she called someone else by accident? No, the name Connor Waters appeared on her mobile screen. Disconnecting the call without a word, Gina looked down at her quivering hands. Her bitterness at her own naivety was a tough pill to swallow.

What had she expected? He was always with a different woman—she just happened to be the one he was pursuing earlier today.

Chapter Six

The melodic music coming from the hotel piano bar did little to sooth her tangled nerves. Staring out the window overlooking the Toronto skyline with the millions of windows twinkling with lights in the night sky, Gina waged an internal war.

Should she go? If not now, when? And wouldn’t it be better to try this in a different city, where no one knew her? But what if it was just too much and it blew up in her face? The last thing she needed was getting caught up in something that she couldn’t handle.

She ran a red-tipped fingernail along the black embossed business card sitting on the table in front of her, the edges frayed by her nervous ministrations. She had only ever read about clubs like the one discretely advertised on the card. The club didn’t even have a name, just a phone number, address and the words “Guest Pass” elegantly scrolled across it.

When Gina had asked her server where she could go for a little extra fun, the woman had paused and merely considered Gina’s question quizzically before answering.

“There’s a great trendy lounge across the street from the hotel,” the server announced slowly.

Gina had heard about the new place from many of the players. They had mentioned that they would be there after tonight’s away game and a couple of them had even invited her to come along.

Not wanting to risk running into Connor, she had made her excuses and declined.

He had texted her when he had returned to Vancouver from his last road trip, but she had ignored it. When he had sent an email asking if she was free for dinner, she had politely refused, citing work as an excuse.

Coming to Toronto for a meeting at the same time as the team was playing here had just been bad timing on her part, but unavoidable. It hadn’t been easy, but she had managed to steer clear of Connor entirely.

No, tonight she was going to jump out of her metaphorical airplane and dive into number four on her list and maybe even number five, if she managed to muster up enough courage. Just how she was going to accomplish this still remained to be seen.

Which was why she had impulsively posed her question to her server.

Gina had stared up at the woman, noting how the server took in her appearance.

She had dressed with the idiom that less was more. Not that her dress was skimpy. No, instead Gina had chosen a severe black-lace dress that covered her from her neck to her knees, the long sleeves running all the way down to enfold her wrists. On a hanger it had looked like something her grandmother would wear. Black, basic and boring. But the sales clerk had convinced her to try it on. And wow, had she been blown away by the image that had stared back at her in the dressing room mirror.

Once on, the dress screamed sex appeal. Although it covered most of her body, leaving only the bottom half of her legs bare, Gina was astonished at how something so simple could be so sinful. It lovingly hugged her in all the right places and the nude underlay made it look as though Gina was completely naked under the elegant lace.

The clerk had grinned knowingly when Gina had opened the door to show her. Holding out a pair of deep burgundy stilettos in her size, the clerk had winked in conspiracy and simply whispered, “See what I mean?”

Gina had slowly shaken her head at her server when she had mentioned the new place across the street, “No—I was thinking of some place
special
. A place where I can explore while I am out of town,” Gina had met the woman’s raised eyebrow and intent gaze head-on.

“I’ll get you another glass of wine and see what I can come up with.” She had turned away to serve another customer.

When she had returned with the promised glass of chardonnay, the waitress had discreetly placed the black business card underneath the wineglass. Now here Gina still sat, contemplating the opportunity.

Opportunity
…the word repeated in her head. When was she going to have the opportunity to do something like this again? What was she waiting for?

Gina had spent untold hours and money on reinventing herself, but a small part of her core still feared taking a risk of this magnitude. It was one thing to change your wardrobe and go through a complete life makeover, it was another to enter a world that she had literally only read about.

It was this fear of stepping out of her self-imposed box that had immobilized her in the past and had made her blind to what was really happening around her. The catastrophes of her failed engagements were a testimony to this.

Anger began to burn in her core at the memory of the humiliation she had suffered at the hands of Andrew and then Steven. The fury was self-directed. She had allowed those men to strip her of her sense of self and her dignity. They couldn’t have accomplished that without her active participation. The old Gina had buried her own wants, desires and opinions to cater to the whims of the men in her life.

It was time to stop hiding. Laying out some cash on the table, Gina clasped the black business card in her palm and made her way to the front doors of the hotel in search of a taxi.

* * * * *

“Please keep this green band on your wrist at all times, it denotes your status as a guest in the club. The first and second floors are open to guests and members, while the third floor is for members only. If you require anything at all, our staff are available throughout the club,” the demure hostess said as she smiled politely. “Do enjoy your evening with us.” She indicated the large ornate wooden doors to her left.

Gina was unsure of what she had expected, but the sedate lobby she had entered only moments before had her wondering if the server at the hotel bar had misunderstood her request. Tranquil music danced with the trickling waterfall in the lobby, the light airy decor making her feel as though she was checking into a high-end spa.

If the lobby personified calm and serenity, then the huge room on the other side of the large doors was its antithesis. Down a winding hallway with diffused lighting, Gina rounded a corner to find a dark interior streaming with flashing lights and the rapid beat of the music vibrating around the wall-to-wall people. Some dancing, others mingling and yet more clustered around small tables laden with drinks.

Slightly self-conscious, Gina made her way around the fringes of the crowd to find an empty table at the edge of the room. Strategically maneuvering onto the tall barstool to take in the crowd, she ordered a martini from a passing waitress.

At first, the place looked like a regular nightclub, nothing out of the ordinary until you peered beneath the surface and looked a little deeper. The energy was suffused with latent desire. The glances being passed were more penetrating, the dancing more seductive and the touches lingering. Nothing outwardly blatant—just
more
.

The green band around her wrist seemed to be attracting attention. Most of the other patrons had on red wrist bands, probably denoting their status as members, Gina guessed. She hesitantly made eye contact with those around her. Most smiled, others went a little further and stared back in interest as if trying to get a read on her.

Feeling a little conspicuous being on her own, she ordered another martini and sipped it a little faster than was prudent.

“Careful with that martini,” came a friendly suggestion from beside her, “looks harmless, but take one down too fast and most of us would need to be scraped off the floor.”

Gina turned to see a young woman with long silky black hair standing at her table. The woman was stunning. There wasn’t another word to describe her. The thousands of tiny silver sequins making up the little dress she wore were moving seductively with her every movement. And she was moving. She stood beside Gina, swaying her hips in time to the beat, her blue eyes full of delight.

“Would you like to join me on the dance floor?”

“Ah…”

Gina couldn’t help but wonder if the woman was just being friendly or if she was hitting on her. How in the world was she going to deal with this
if
this was indeed a come-on?

Reading her mind, the woman threw her head back and laughed, “Honey, I saw you sitting here on your own, and with your green band, I’m going to guess this is your first time here, right?”

At Gina’s affirmative nod, she continued, “I’m not into you in
that
way, I just know how overwhelming it can be your first time here. Maybe you could use a friend to show you around? I’m Leah.” She held out a slim hand in introduction.

Feeling a little foolish, she extended her own hand with a self-castigating smile. “Gina.”

“Let’s dance, Gina.” Not waiting for an answer, Leah pulled her into the throng on the packed dance floor.

Maybe it was the martinis or Leah’s infectious personality, regardless, Gina closed her eyes and moved to the music, feeling it deep in her core. She couldn’t remember the last time she had danced with such abandon. High school? No, not even then. She had been too shy as a teenager, unsure of her body’s rhythm.

Andrew had always said he had two left feet and had avoided dancing with her. Funny, he hadn’t had a problem dancing at his wedding, Gina thought sarcastically. And Steven, well, he had been too busy
working
to take her out to anything more than a quick meal close to his office.

Letting all of her frustration and disappointments of the past flow out of her, Gina surrendered herself to the pulsing beat and the sensual draw of the energy encircling her. She could feel the irresistible pull of the need to let go of her inhibitions, of moving her hips enticingly and raising her arms in abandon over her head. She was barely aware of hands flirting with her body, a touch on her back, another on her cheek, yet another lightly grazing over her ass.

She slowly opened her eyes at the feel of Leah’s hand on her shoulder. “Girl, I think you’re ready to check out the second floor. Let’s go!”

With Leah pulling her to the elevator through the crowd of dancing bodies, Gina was hard-pressed to ignore the looks of frank interest she and Leah garnered. Riding on her euphoric high, she followed Leah out of the elevator and onto the openly spacious second floor.

Here a clever mix of pop and house music was set at a slightly lower level, making conversation possible. White brick pillars up-lit with blue lighting broke up the heart of the room, giving her glimpses of large purple settees. The entire room was encircled by opaque glass walls, which were only broken up by thick purple velvet curtains acting as doors for what lay beyond. Hundreds of flickering candles in their clear crystal holders occupied every flat surface all across the room, their flames giving an added touch of shimmering brilliance to the already decadent room.

Many individuals were clustered around the settees, socializing. The sound of their laughter mingled with the music and conversations throughout the room. Leah pulled her deeper through the fray, leading her to the far edge of the room, where behind the glass walls lay sectioned rooms. There were heavy curtains at the entrance to each, some were drawn shut, others wide open.

As they walked along the periphery, gazing through open doorways, Gina swore she could hear the blood pumping through her heart. She felt a prickling sensation on her neck, her spider senses tingling with a sense of awareness. Darting quick glances over the room, she was conscious of a few looks of interest. In particular, her gaze collided with a man openly staring at her. His frank look of appraisal lingered over her, his slight smile and raised eyebrow an invitation.

What was the etiquette in a place like this, did she wait for him to approach her?

Unsure of how to respond, Gina’s stride faltered and she turned away from him in a panic.

“Relax, you’re in control here,” Leah said soothingly. “You can take part to any degree that you are comfortable with or you can sit back and observe. It’s your choice.”

She was finally here, the fourth goal on her wish list! When she had added visiting a sex club, she had been half joking. She had left it on the list more to make herself feel adventurous. Gina hadn’t been entirely sure she would ever go through with it.

Visiting a sex club was getting her foot in the door, but did she have the courage to actually indulge in the only remaining secret fantasy left on her list? Two birds with one stone—and her fantasy wish list would be completed!

One room in particular had Gina’s burgundy stilettos rooted to the spot, barely able to take in a ragged breath into her tight chest.

A woman lay naked on a large round divan, her arms tied above her head with what appeared to be strips of red silk, while her ankles were shackled with more of the same and looped around the shoulders of a man wearing nothing but dark jeans. He knelt before her, his face buried in the apex of her lavish thighs.

Another man, fully clothed, knelt near her head. He was slowly working the woman’s small, pert breasts in his hands, plucking at her dark nipples. “Tell me what you need, sweetheart. More of this?” He leaned over her and raked his teeth along the tops of her breasts, then he moved away, laughing when the woman arched off of the bed, pulling at her restraints.

“Please—more, please don’t stop!” Her continued pleading ricocheted off the walls as the men took turns touching her, pleasing her, but not allowing her to reach completion. There was a light sheen of sweat glazing her skin, as much from their skilful ministrations as from her struggles against the bonds that made her incapable of asserting herself and demanding that they satisfy her.