Page 1 of Dark Promises

Prologue

Cole sauntered intoPluck the Cherry, his hands in his pockets hiding his nervous fingers tugging and flirting with his keychain. He scanned the room full of men wearing suits, and eyed a gorgeous man with a surly look wearing different attire, a black running suit as he talked to another man who appeared to have someone hiding behind him.

On his black sweatshirt, there was a logo in gold with a red cherry sitting inside a cocktail glass. Cole couldn’t make out what the logo said, because of his distance from the handsome dude in the dim-lit room.The guy could be thirty or maybe thirty-five, but not a day more,he thought.

When he sat on the bar stool, he felt his jeans slip down and he tugged at his tee shirt to cover the tramp stamp he’d gotten tattooed on his backside. He’d always been self-conscience of that design because he didn’t want people to get the wrong impression of him, even though he’d been attracted to men who were aggressive and straightforward in their desires, because he couldn’t or hadn’t learned how to be the aggressor in dating.

In truth, Cole never had the time.

He ordered a Heineken beer because that was all he enjoyed drinking, and one was all he could afford now. He knew once he’d taken his tests to get his law degree, he’d have the opportunity to be in the company of some serious players in this building, and this club.

When the barmaid brought back his cold beer with a heated smile, her ample breasts accompanying and holding them firmly in a low-cut blouse, a few buttons unhooked strategically offering a peek at what Cole could get whether he gave a good tip or not. Cole offered her a closed smile and paid cash for his drink, and a tip which said,“No thanks, I can’t afford you and you’re not what I’m looking for.”He turned to face the back of the man in the black sweatsuit, and what he saw was impressive. Long legs, wide shoulders, and a hard ass.

Now that was a man he could give himself to. If only the dude would turn and see him.Be careful what you wish for.It was as if Cole had willed that man to see him and when he turned, he locked eyes with Cole, and a shiver of intense heat invaded Cole, which hit him like a lightning strike, and blew him away.

The music was soft, and the jazz was piped in. For some reason Cole had never been a fan, but it relaxed him, and he felt the strain of going through all those years to get to the point where he would become a lawyer dissolve.

He wished he could sit here and enjoy his drink without feeling like an imposter. He felt he didn’t belong to this clientele of suits with their expensive watches and equally expensive suits and ties... not to mention their shoes.

Cole’s eyes surveyed the bar with its expensive leather furniture and lights. He’d never been in this building, but he knew if he’d gotten the position he wanted after passing the bar, this would be the place high-powered men would haunt, and maybe one day he’d be one of them. But for now, the only man who enticed and had his cock hungry was the tall stranger dressed in black with a gold logo.

Of all the time to check out a bar was tonight, because he should have been studying so he could pass his bar exam, but he wanted to do something different besides sleep with his books, and pull an all-nighter with his friend who’d kept talking about Pluck the Cherry and the kind of men they’d meet once ‘all this was over and a thing of the past.’ Tonight, would be the only time he would have done something unpredictable, exciting, and surprising even to himself, and he’d prove something to that friend of his who thought he was afraid to go out alone.

So, here he was on a Friday night, sitting and enjoying his beer, relaxed, willing and able to connect with one of these handsome successful men for a one-night stand. He didn’t want to attract just any man. He had specific wants and desires that dated back since he was a teenager full of lust and unusual sexual desires. When he turned, the man who had caught his eye when he first ambled into this elegant bar, stood in front of him.

~*~

When the barmaid showedup and leaned over, displaying her cleavage, to ask if he needed another drink, itwasn’tthe soft voice of the barmaid that turned him on and had his jeans tightening, making him shift nervously around to meet a pair of intense eyes. It was the low rumble of a deep voice. “I’ll take it from here. I think the two dudes at the end of the bar need drinks.”

The barmaid turned on the balls of her feet, because now she knew she was wasting her time.

The two men locked eyes, and Cole’s cock came to attention and his jeans soaked up the pre-cum that his jock-briefs failed to. That serious look on the stranger’s face turned into a soft pleasant handsome smooth face, and the stranger’s stare pinned him to that stool, where Cole’s breathing became intense as he tried to conceal it.

When the stranger swiped his long tongue over his full lips, slanted his head and winked and smiled, Cole blinked. “I’m Daniel, and I own this joint.” It didn’t look like a joint to Cole.

“Cole. My name is Cole,” he stuttered.

When Daniel moved closer to Cole, Cole wanted to move away, not because he didn’t want to be that close to him, but because he’d never been approached by a man in his thirties and one who he’d been attracted to. Daniel not only captivated Cole’s attention by his physical closeness, but he’d also been held spellbound by his senses. Daniel smelled of liquor, and expensive cologne, a mixture of flowers and musk.

“Would you like to dance?” Cole glanced around and saw no one was paying any attention to them, and Cole felt relieved. Not even the barmaid, who knew her boss had pulled him out of the herd for whatever reason. “Or talk. I don’t care which one. You fascinate me and I’d like to know you better.”

Cole stepped down from the stool, where Daniel proved to be taller and very impressive and when he held out his hand, Cole, mesmerized by the handsome man, placed his hand inside of Daniel’s.

When Cole thought he was being led to the dance floor, Daniel took a quick right and directed him through a corridor, past the restrooms, and down a long hallway, then opened a door and they stepped inside.

With Daniel’s hungry eyes following him and his mouth forming into a sexy smirk, Cole backed against the wall as Daniel stared at him, and the silence hovered between the two until the low easy music found its way through to Daniel’s office. Cole’s gaze softened along with Daniel’s who appeared to be amused and curious as to why Cole had followed him into his office unless it was what both wanted at the time—a one and done.

Cole’s face reddened with lust and a willingness to explore whatever the night had in store with this handsome intense-looking man. “Would you like another beer? I don’t like drinking alone,” Daniel said in a soft gravelly tone, then he sauntered to his fridge and pulled out a beer, guzzled it down and strolled closer to Cole, who seemed to be a fixture on the wall near the door. He should have taken a seat in the comfortable sofa, but for some reason Cole didn’t. Maybe he thought if something went wrong, he could get the locked door open and get the hell out of there, or scream for help.

Although he knew if he had to call for help it would be useless. To cover up his nervousness, Cole said, “I’ll have another beer.”

Daniel’s gaze paused for a second, taking in Cole’s expression and body which was smaller than his. So far Cole had shown Daniel his need for a strong commanding man, and desire to be possessed, in which case he’d come to the right place, because he was who Daniel was looking for, and his facial expression sent the signal to Cole that there was a dark promise he could fulfill.

Daniel’s eyes wavered and perused Cole, and appeared to be stuck on Cole’s nervous biting of his bottom lip. Daniel’s intense glance caused Cole to become anxious. He’d come this far and he was ready to explore the notion of being in a stranger’s office when he just locked the doors, which made Cole shudder with desire. Daniel planted his firm body against Cole’s slim firm muscular frame.

To Cole’s surprise ,and perhaps because of his wanton desire to be fucked by a stranger, he thought it was his body that leaned forward to answer Daniel that they were both after the same thing—a one-night stand that wouldn’t soon be forgotten by either men.

“I thought you were going to get me a drink?” Cole said, more relaxed.

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