Chapter 3

I stand frozen,feeling a little uncomfortable. I'm not used to so much male attention. It makes me feel sexy but unsure at the same time. Something inside me tells me that I'm not theirs to look at, nor should I really even look at them. Suddenly I feel really protective of myself and I don't knowwhy.

"I take it all back," Reba says next to me. "Your outfit is perfect. You have the place salivating." I hear the smile in her voice. She's more excited about this than I am. "Come on, let's get you a drink to calm your nerves." She grabs my hand, pulling me towards thebar.

I look away from the room and the people staring at me, but I can still feel their eyes. I'm not sure I really like it. Their looks might be hot and needy, but they feel cold at the sametime.

"Cosmo," Reba says to the bartender pointing at me. "You know what I'll have." She winks at the man behind the bar. He gives her a smile and goes about making our drinks.

"Maybe I should just have a glass of wine?" I don't normally drink hard liquor. Not since my first college party. It was the one and only time. After that night and a two-day hangover I always stuck with wine, normally two glasses at the most, but I'm good togo.

"You need this." She pushes it toward me and I bite my lip. "Besides, one drink isn't going to get you drunk. It will just help you relax a little. Make the tension leave yourbody."

"Going to introduce us?" the bartender says to Reba. He's got a smile on his face and I see a dimple showing in one of his cheeks. He looks sweet with his blond hair and blueeyes.

"She's not into pain, so backup."

My eyes go round. The smile he wears drops away, and I see a glint in his eyes. There's a trace of what Reba said. What do they call it? I have to think for a moment. Sadist. The word sends a chill down my spine. I break eye contact with the bartender and take a gulp of my alcohol, making Reba and the bartender laugh.

"I don't bite." He pauses for a second. "Unless you want meto."

I shake my head. Nope, I definitely don't want to be bitten by him. I notice my mind didn't rule it out completely, just with him. The idea of a man leaving a mark on my skin holds appeal, but it feels like it should be done by someone you belong to. A man leaving a mark on you is some kind of claim, not some one-night romp. Somehow it's more personal.

"Leave her alone. We don't want to scare her off on her first night," Reba tellshim.

He holds his hands up, the easy smile coming back to his lips. I relax and glance over my shoulder. A few people are still looking at me, but most are hanging out and talking. If I didn't know any better I'd think we were just in some upscale neighborhoodbar.

"Not what I thought it would be," I say, more to myself. I thought there would be naked people everywhere. Women on their knees giving blowjobs or draped over chairs taking it from behind.

Reba follows my line of sight. "It's early," she sighs. "Besides, the main event is over there." She points to two double doors that are closed. "Sometimes it can get a bit wild in here later. More so when people start exiting the mainroom."

I focus on the double doors she pointed toward, waiting for someone to enter orexit.

"Don't worry, I'm going to take you over there in a second. When you finish your drink," Rebaadds.

She mistakes my concentration on the doors. It's not that I'm excited to go through them, I simply want to see who's going in and coming out. I want to get an idea of what's happening.

I pull my eyes away from them and back to Reba, who is staring at me. She picks up her glass that I'm guessing contains whiskey and takes a drink. I do the same and take another big gulp. I feel myself start to relax a little as the alcohol warmsme.

"Nothing to worry about," Reba says easily.

Yeah, maybe for her, but I still feel people staring at me. It makes me feel naked. I decide to go for it and finish my drink in one finalgo.

"Someone's in a hurry," she laughs.

I don't know. I can feel the drink calming my nerves, but I kind of want to get on with this. I want to pull the Band-Aid off and see what's behind those doors. I don't want to drag it out and work myself up more than I needto.

She finishes off her drink, then stands. "See you later." She winks at the bartender.

"Only if I'm lucky," he says, winkingback.

I slip off the bar stool. Reba grabs my hands and starts walking toward the double doors. I feel my heart pound as she pushes through them. The doors open, then close softly behind us. Before I can take anything in, my eyes go straight to a man who's leaning up against the wall on the far side of the room. How could they not? He's hard tomiss.

He might be the biggest man I've ever seen in my life. He has to be over a foot taller than me. He's built like a truck and I wonder if he's some kind of bouncer or security. He's so close to what might be an exit door. He's in a suit, but everything about this place is nice, so I could see security wearing suitshere.

The sounds of the room fade away and everything goes quiet in my head as his dark green eyes lock on mine. His face is unreadable, though, as the hard lines there show no trace of emotion. I'm caught in his stare and I can't pull my eyes away. My feet are rooted to the ground, but the pull I feel toward him is unlike anything I've everfelt.

"I'd call him fresh meat, but he doesn't look like prey," Reba says loudly.

I blink, and the connection I had with the stranger breaks.

"Hmm?" I ask, unsure what she means.

"He must be here with someone. I've never seen him before."

A hard rock sits in my stomach at Reba's words. I wonder who the lucky girl is because he's…. I can't even find the words for it. Beautiful isn't the right one, maybe powerful? God, he seems unreal. Whatever it is, it made me feel something I've never felt in my life. He's different.

"Come on." She snaps my attention away from the man who just crushed a little bit of something insideme.

Suddenly I really want to leave. Not because I'm nervous about tonight, but because for some reason I know it will hurt if I see him with whoever it is he came with. I don't want to watch him touch anyone. I feel possessive and overwhelmed with emotions. What is wrong withme?

Reba leads me toward two chairs that run along the wall. I sit down, putting my hands in my lap. My eyes stay downcast. I don't have the nerve to look around yet. My mind is still on the man by thedoor.

"He's staring at you," Reba says in my ear. It takes everything in me to not look over at him. Instead, I focus onReba.

"Really?" I feel my cheeksheat.

"I take that back," she says, and just for a second my heart sinks. "He's not staring at you. He's fucking you with his eyes. Jesus. He looks like he's getting off on it. Damn, that's hot. I didn't know a look could be that intense."

My heart picks up again, racing in my chest. I take a deep breath, trying to get myself under control. Finally the sounds of the room start to fill my ears. Moans and heavy breathing fill the air and my body is getting hot with all ofit.

I glance over Reba's shoulder and see two naked women on top of a man. He dressed, but they are completely naked. They're kissing and rubbing all over him. He's got his hands behind his head, enjoying what they're doing tohim.

I think about having to watch the man I saw when I came in doingthat.

"Maybe I should go," I mumble, standingup.

"You haven't even looked around," Reba complains.

Panic and indecision rise within me. I turn to have a look around, but my sight is blocked by a wide chest that's covered in a very nicesuit.

"Eyes on me." His low timber rolls across my skin and causes a warm chill to hit me right between my legs. "Only me. You don't look at othermen."

"Holy shit," I hear Rebagasp.

Big hands cup my face, drawing my eyes up tohis.

"If you came here to play tonight, I'll be the only one you play with," the man says, staking his claim on me. "I'm Shephard. Now tell me yourname."

"Ivy," I whisper, proud of myself for being able to rememberit.

"Of course you are," he says, brushing his thumb along my jaw. "And just like the vine, you're going to cover me until there's nothing left. Aren'tyou?"

"Yes," I answer, barely audible over the noise of theroom.

I don't know what I'm agreeing to, but he likes what he hears.

"Goodgirl."