Not bothering to push his hand away, she met his gaze with a steady one of her own. “There’s nothing you could throw my way that I can’t handle.”
“Careful, pussycat, I might take that as a challenge.” His gaze dropped to her lips. “That lovely mouth of yours is about to get you into a world of trouble.”
“I doubt that—oh!”
A strange hand landed on Thandie’s thigh. She followed the hand to its owner; a bare-chested man with glassy eyes. He squeezed her leg affectionately and said, “Come over here and join us, sweetheart.”
Elliot clasped his hand around the man’s wrist and pushed it aside. “She’s with me, Steinberg.”
The man focused his blurred vision on him. “Elliot, is that you? I didn’t know she was with you, man. My mistake. You better start fucking her before someone decides to take her away from you. She’s a nice piece of ass.”
Elliot nodded. “Thanks for the warning. Take it easy.”
Thandie watched the man feel his way through the darkened room before looking back up at Elliot. “Would someone really try to take me by force?” Her voice quivered. She was nervous.
Elliot tightened his hold on her. “People come here to have sex. It’s understood that if you’re here, you want to have sex, too. So in answer to your question, yes, I suppose that could happen.”
Thandie scooted closer to him. “Well, what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to improvise.” Without warning, he pulled her onto his lap. The hem of her dress inched dangerously up her thighs. Elliot gripped her by her forearms before she could leap off him. He pulled her forward until their lips were inches apart. “Kiss me,” he breathed.
“No,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Kiss me, or I’ll leave you to fend for yourself. Believe me, there is a room full of horny men that would love to rip that flimsy dress right off your body.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, yes, I would. You have no idea what I’m capable of. I’m your key to getting out of here in one piece, Thandie, so you had better pay me a little more respect.”
“Fuck you,” she hissed.
He grinned. “That could be arranged. We could do it right here if you prefer.”
“Let go of me.”
“If I do, you’re on your own, puss.”
“I said fuck off.”
“Have it your way.” He lifted her up, tossed her roughly aside and stood to cross the room.
Thandie couldn’t believe he was actually leaving her, though she had told him to. She panicked and reached out to pull his arm. “I’m sorry. Don’t leave.”
Elliot turned around to look down at her. His dark brow lifted with playfull mischief. “Are you ready to play nice?”
Thandie licked her lips nervously and looked over at the elevator shaft; the red light was still lit. In a room full of drunk, drugged-out mating couples, Elliot was her only ally. She would prefer the devil himself over him, but by her own doing, she was stuck with him. She could not say she hadn’t been warned.
Elliot slid his hands into his pockets. His eyes focused on her thighs. “Are we in agreement?”
She nodded.
He leaned down until his lips were only a breath away from her own. She expected him to kiss her, but he surprised her by placing his hands on either side of her on the sofa and lowering himself to the floor. Kneeling before her, he hooked his hands under her knees and pulled her to the edge of the seat so that her thighs were on either side of him. The hem of her dress effortlessly hiked up to her waist. If not for the black lace of her panties, she would be fully exposed to him.
Elliot’s silver eyes flashed in the murkiness, hypnotizing her with their predatory power. His lips came crashing down on hers. He made her escape impossible by cupping the back of her head in his palm. His lips were cool to the touch, but his tongue was scorching hot. He swept every curve of her mouth with masterful skill. It was not long before she stopped pushing against him and leaned into his hold, her hands resting on the sides of his ribcage.
Keeping her mouth pinned beneath him, Elliot grabbed handfuls of her flesh and squeezed with the selfishness of a gluttonous man. He pulled her open legs closer to him until his groin was nestled against the crotch of her panties. He groaned. Her eyes sprang open, and she pushed hard against his chest.
Not easily detoured, Elliot dragged wet kisses along her neck. “Damn, you feel good, honey. I’m going to eat you.”
“No,” she gasped, warning bells going off in her head, but unable to react quickly enough. “I need to get out of here.”
“Shh,” he cooed softly in her ear. “You’ll love it. Lie back.” He slid his hand from her bottom to her inner thigh. “Relax.” He kissed the sensitive spot just below her earlobe as he pushed aside the fabric of her panties. Thandie gasped when he brushed his fingers over the sensitive bud of her clit as he made a slow trail southward. He groaned when the tips of his fingers became slick with her desire. “You’re already wet for me,” he whispered against her ear. “Tell me you want me.”
“No.” She could hardly breathe, let alone sound certain of herself.
Elliot lifted his head to look into her face. Her eyes were practically glowing with lust. “Tell me what I want to hear,” he demanded in the husky voice. “Tell me you want this.” He slipped his finger inside her again. Her folds closed around him greedily. “You don’t want me to stop.” He moved his fingers in and out of her with agonizing slowness. “I’m more talented with my tongue.” He leaned forward and flicked his tongue against her earlobe. He chuckled when a fresh wave of her cream saturated his fingers.
It took all of Thandie’s power to muster up the strength to grab his wrist. “Stop, Elliot.” Her brown eyes were now shining. “Let go of me now.”
He stilled his hand. She meant what she said. “As you wish.” He pulled his hand away from her and held his wet fingers up between them before licking them clean. “The offer is always open.”
Just then, the elevator chimed, and the doors opened. A laughing couple tumbled out, both frantically ripping the remainder of their clothes off. Thandie pushed Elliot away and headed for the elevator car, catching the doors just before they closed. She didn’t dare look back at him. He represented every weakness known to women.
* * *
An hour later, Thandie fell across the bed in Warren’s guest room. Her hasty retreat from Babylon had not been very graceful. She’d stumbled out of the elevator, looking disheveled and glancing over her shoulder like a frightened animal. Thankfully, there was no on around to see her.
Righting her clothes, she quickly weaved her way through the dancing crowd. It was pure luck she spotted Len and Raja standing near the bar.
Stalking up to them, Thandie announced they were leaving. Wisely, neither girl objected. They followed her, and managed to keep their babbling to a minimum while waiting for the valet to deliver their car.
On the drive home, Thandie informed the girls they were not allowed to go the Tower under any circumstances. When Len asked what was in the Tower, Thandie replied, “Unemployment.”
It was not until they arrived at Warren’s home, that she remembered her feet hurt. But who the hell cared? She had bigger problems now. As soon as they entered the house, Thandie retreated to the privacy of her room. She shut the door shut behind her and tossed her limp body on the bed.
Thandie buried her face into her pillow. Replaying it in her mind, she could almost feel his fingers inside her now. She groaned.