Velvet Steel (2 page)

All week Kitty had been waiting for this night. A chance to forget all her problems and stress. A chance to have fun like most women her age. At Taboo no questions were asked, and everyone had smiles on their faces. It was an intoxicating alternative to her regimented life. Here, Kitty could shed her good-girl image and let her hair down. What happened at Taboo stayed at Taboo. No one would ever speak of Clint Velvet’s daughter dancing on tables or drinking one too many appletinis. Here, she was safe to be herself.

As Kitty made her way through the crowd, she mentally shook off her guilt and insecurities. It was officially the weekend, and she was going to have fun if it killed her.

When she reached her table, she slapped her purse down and slid into the familiar booth. Tonight wasn’t about feeling sorry for herself. It was about finding an able-bodied male who could make her feel like a queen for an hour or two. Kitty placed her martini order and scanned the crowd.

“Hello there, lass.”

She turned and focused on the auburn-haired Adonis. “Hello.”

“May I have a seat?”

Kitty waved her hand in the air. “Please.” She studied him as he slid next to her. He was large, and Kitty guessed he might have been a football player in a former life. Broad shoulders tapered to a small waist, forming the perfect triangle of a
GQ
cover model. Green eyes peered at her from beneath a tangle of wavy hair, giving him a youthful appearance despite the hard lines around the eyes and mouth. A small hoop earring hung from his left ear. Kitty found her gaze drawn to it as she considered whether this man could live up to her expectations. There was something rugged and mysterious about him that spoke to Kitty’s libido.

He nodded toward the dance floor. “It’s starting to get crowded out there.”

“This is nothing. Give this place another hour and you won’t be able to walk around.”

“Guess I should stay here, then.” His dimpled smile stirred something in Kitty’s lower abdomen. He was handsome, very handsome. She wondered if he was into one-night stands. He looked like the perfect man to help her forget her troubles.

“Funny, I haven’t seen you around these parts.” And yet there was something vaguely familiar about him. Had she seen him somewhere before? She touched his forearm and was pleased to find it hard and muscular—just as a man’s arm should be. Nice.

The stranger covered her hand with his “I—”

“What do we have here, Shane?” A tall man, much thinner than his friend, slipped into the booth on the other side of Kitty. “Don’t tell me you were going to keep this little one all to yourself.” He smiled as he took her hand and pressed it to her lips. “I’m Noah.” He nodded to the auburn-haired man. “And this is my friend, Shane.”

“Noah.” She turned to Shane friend, focusing on his deep green eyes. “And Shane. Nice names.”

“And you are?” Shane slid his hand under the table and placed it on her thigh. Her breath caught as desire sprang from his touch and darted between her legs.

“Kitty.” She shifted in her seat to relieve some of the pressure building in her core. It didn’t help. The movement only pushed Shane’s hand underneath her short skirt. He curled his fingers around the edge of her thigh-high stocking and ran his fingernails over her skin. Kitty flushed under his gaze.

“Kitty.” Shane repeated her name, testing it with his sexy Irish brogue. Kitty found she liked the way it rolled off his tongue. She had always appreciated foreign accents, and this one was no exception.

“Such a lovely name.” Noah’s accent was softer, more cultured. She guessed it had been smoothed out by city living, whereas his friend’s retained its country roughness.

“Thank you.” She wanted to turn and acknowledge Noah but found she couldn’t quite tear herself away from the Irish god before her.

“Well, Ms. Kitty, would you like to dance?” Shane asked.

“Don’t be silly, Shane, of course the lady would like to dance.” Noah stood, blocking her view of the dance floor. “She wouldn’t be here otherwise, would she?”

Kitty agreed. “You want me to dance with both of you?”

“Would you prefer only one of us?” Shane’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

“I—” She shifted her gaze between the men. While Shane was broad and rugged, Noah was long and lean. Black hair, cut on the short side, curled around his ears and gave him a scholarly appearance. There was nothing scholarly about his body, however. Hard and chiseled, Noah looked like one of those international soccer players she liked to watch during the World Cup.

“I’ve heard dancing with two men can be more…stimulating.” Noah’s voice trickled over her like a caress. “Isn’t that right, Shane?”

Kitty noticed how Noah’s voice hardened on his friend’s name and stifled a wince. How could she be such an idiot? She had probably offended them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

Shane glanced at his friend and frowned. “No, we are the ones who are sorry.” He removed his fingers from her thigh and smiled. “A beautiful lass like you probably has a man waiting for her.”

“No, no man.”

“Good.” Shane’s features softened as he brushed her cheek with his knuckle. “Then you have no excuse not to dance”—he flicked his gaze to Noah—“with both of us.” He returned his attention to her. “Come on.” He stood and held out his hand.

This was so sudden. Kitty had a ritual. First she’d have her martini and evaluate the crowd; then she’d pick out someone who seemed nonthreatening. Then she’d approach him and offer to buy him a drink.

“Come on.” Shane winked and tugged her to her feet. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

Kitty stared at Shane’s back as the men led her away from the table. This whole thing seemed surreal. Taboo was infamous for its sexually charged atmosphere. Stepping on the dance floor was like taking part in an orgy without actually having sex. No, sex was saved for the reserved areas and VIP rooms upstairs. The dance floor was for displaying a person’s sexual prowess and for capturing a lover for the evening.

Soon she would be joining the erotic fray—with two dance partners. The thought of the three of them pressed close together caused her skin to tingle with anticipation. It would be different. Exciting. Just what she needed to forget about her father and Velvet Steel.

Shane dropped her hand and started to move. Kitty stood, stunned at the large man’s gracefulness. Shane seemed like he had been born on the dance floor.

Noah stepped up from behind and touched her shoulder. “Go on, don’t be shy.”

Kitty closed her eyes and concentrated on the techno beat, letting it infuse her body. Gradually the weight of the world fell away, and she became light-headed. She tilted her head back and lifted her arms in silent salutation to the strobe lights above.

First she swayed her hips. When she found the rhythm, she swished her arms in time to the music. It was divine. She let the music lift her spirit up into the rafters and blank her mind to all but the steady thrum of the beat.

Shane snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She could tell it was Shane because his broad chest surrounded her in heat and sexual energy. Noah’s thinner frame could never pull off such a feat. She felt good in Shane’s arms. Safe. Her position as the CEO’s daughter had forced her to have a tough-as-nails attitude, but now, with these men close to her, Kitty felt herself letting go, becoming more malleable, submissive. She wanted to lean into all that hard muscle and cocoon herself away from the world, if only for a little while. Kitty molded her body against his and let herself become lost in the music.

Shane’s grip tightened. “You smell like cherries.” He slipped his knee between her legs.

“My shampoo.” What made her say that? It didn’t matter. She pressed her breasts harder against his chest. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest. It felt so intimate. Their hips began to move as one. Heat poured through her body as she rubbed her thighs against the rough fabric of his jeans. She imagined herself, legs spread, his hard cock thrusting deep inside her body. Would he be gentle like the man she’d found the last time she was in the club? She hoped not. All week Kitty had had to make tough decisions for work. Tonight she wanted to be controlled and dominated. She didn’t want to have to think.

Shane leaned forward and traced the rim of her earlobe with his tongue. “You taste good enough to eat.”

Another hard body pressed against her back. “Let me try, Shane.” Noah kissed the base of her neck. Kitty moaned as liquid heat shot through her center and settled between her thighs. How did these men know just what she wanted? Kitty’s skin tingled as every inch came into contact with hard, male muscle. She felt as if she were drowning in testosterone, and God help her, she loved it.

“You’re right. She
is
sweet.” Noah repeated the kiss, this time letting his tongue linger on her skin. “She purrs just like a kitten too.”

Kitty’s lower abdomen clenched, and her thighs became damp with need. She closed her eyes and bit back a groan as Noah’s lips once again brushed her skin.

“How interesting.” Shane inched his hand down until it rested on her hip. “I wonder if you can make her purr louder so I can hear it better over the music.”

“It would be my pleasure.” Noah wrapped his hand around her middle and slid his fingers under her top.

Kitty opened her eyes in surprise. His touch felt warm, much warmer than she’d expected in the air-conditioned club. She held her breath as Noah eased his hand under her bra.

“Oh, Shane, you need to feel this,” he said.

Shane arched his brow and leaned back to study her face. “Too much for you, lass?”

Kitty slowly shook her head. It wasn’t too much to have these two men surrounding her. In fact, it felt just right.

Shane smiled. “Good, because Noah and I are just beginning.” He trailed his fingers down her back and slipped them between Noah’s hips and her ass. There he squeezed her cheek, as if testing its size in his hand. “Nice.” He loosened his grip and then moved to her other cheek. “Very nice.”

Kitty opened her mouth to speak, but Noah cupped her breast. Desire shot through her core and stole her breath. She moistened her lips and concentrated on the erotic sensations ricocheting throughout her body.

Shane shifted his fingers just under the hem of her skirt. “I think this little kitten wants to be petted, Noah.”

Do I ever
. Kitty tightened her thighs around Shane’s leg in approval.

“I think you’re right.” Noah slipped her collar farther away from her neck and pressed his lips against her sensitive skin. At the same time, he tugged her nipple, then rolled it between his fingers. Kitty gasped and arched her back, pushing her breast deeper into his hand. Shane bent over her body and claimed her lips with his own. Kitty wrapped her arms around the Irishman’s neck and held on as the men tightened their grips around her. Back and forth they swayed as desire twisted its way through her system.

Then something in the air shifted. It became more heated, more electric. The kiss changed from playful to possessive. Noah’s sweet touch became more commanding, his teasing nips rougher. A small spark of pain jolted through her body as Noah pinched her nipple hard. Pleasure quickly chased it, and she sank lower into his able hands.

Shane reached up and drove his fingers into her hair. Their kiss deepened, and need spiraled through Kitty’s muscles, tying them into knots. Shane cradled her head as he ravaged her mouth. Kitty had never felt so vulnerable and exposed. The men played her body like a musical instrument, touching all the right keys to make her heart sing. She didn’t have to tell them what she wanted; they just knew. It was refreshing. This was what she had been looking for when she’d walked into the club. It was as if they had been plucked from her erotic fantasies and given to her as a gift. Excitement rippled through her as she imagined their tangled bodies between silken sheets.

Noah continued to stroke and tease her nipple with one hand as he slipped the other one down her thigh. Fire burned wherever he touched. The effect was powerful. The world around her faded away as her senses focused on his hands and where they were on her body. His touch was gentle, almost reverent. When he finally slipped his fingers between her legs, Kitty shuddered with anticipation. She held her breath as he slid his hand up farther under her skirt, over the clasp of her thigh-highs and garters. Kitty spread her legs wider, giving him better access.

“Ah, thank you, kitten.” Noah reached up and brushed his fingers over her skin, then froze. “Fuck, Shane, she isn’t wearing panties.”

Shane tore away from the kiss. “What?”

“She’s a woman after our own hearts.” Noah pulled his hand from underneath her skirt and held it up to his friend. Kitty’s desire glistened from the tips of his fingers. “No fuckin’ panties.”

“Brilliant.” Shane shifted his attention to Kitty, and his hungry gaze shot right to her core. He leaned in close until his lips hovered just above her ear. “Tell me, lass. Have you ever had an orgasm on a dance floor?”

Kitty shivered as excitement and anticipation tingled over her skin. She shook her head slowly from side to side.

“Would you like to?” Shane’s deep brogue sounded warm and full of promise.

Hell yeah. But…
Kitty glanced at the crowd around her. Each dancer was lost in his or her own world, and none of them were paying any attention to what was going on around them. How long would that last? Would people talk? She would be in serious trouble if any of this got back to her father. He was rather old-fashioned and believed the public perception of them as individuals reflected on the company as a whole. Appearances were important to him. He’d be upset if he learned his daughter had been seen half-clothed and intimate with two men in the middle of some nightclub dance floor.

Noah leaned forward and nibbled on her opposite ear. “I can tell the idea excites you.” He pinched her nipple for emphasis.

Kitty closed her eyes as pain and pleasure formed an intoxicating web over her torso. “What if someone saw us?”

“It would only add to the excitement, don’t you think?”

Noah lowered his hand and slid his fingers along her inner thigh. “This club is named Taboo, after all.”