Page 4 of Desperately Delicate Viper

I shake my head slowly and reach up to drag my fingers over my tingling lips before finally putting my own seat belt on.

“Not head games, no.” I check for traffic, then pull out of the space. “I wasn’t jerking you around, I just didn’t want to waste either of our time if I’d read you wrong before.”

He scoffs, and out of the corner of my eye, I notice him palming the hard outline of his cock through his shorts.

“And what exactly do you think you read? Enlighten me, Luca, who do you think I am?”

“I think you’re a venomous snake waiting to sink your fangs into anyone who dares to tangle with you. I think you’ve learned to fake the role of helpless little lamb, but deep down, you’re the predator biding your time until you’re ready to strike. I think there’s fire in you, and I didn’t pay to blow it out, I paid so you’d let me stand close enough to get burned.”

Anders’s breath catches, and I glance over to see him staring right back at me with wide eyes full of rage and terror and shock.

“Did I get you all wrong, my delicate viper?” I ask, daring to watch him for another moment before returning my attention to the road ahead of me.

“No,” he answers in a whisper that sounds like a shout in the stillness of the car. “You didn’t get me wrong.”

“Good.”

I take the next turn and pull into the circular driveway of an upscale hotel. I drag my tongue over my bottom lip, tasting a slight tang of blood there along with the lingering flavor of Anders’s mouth. I’ve barely had a taste of him and I’m already sure one night won’t be enough, but at least it’s a start.

Chapter 3

ANDERS

Ileanagainstamarble pillar in the lobby of the hotel, my face a careful mask of indifference while Luca chats with the woman at the front desk, clearly laying on the charm to get a last-minute overnight reservation. She twists her lips in an apologetic smile and shakes her head, and I glance at the gold trimmed revolving door a few feet away, wondering if I should just fucking bolt.

My lips are tingling from whatever the fuck that was back in Luca’s car, and my heart refuses to stop thundering. I’m not even going to talk about my cock. The little blue pills I keep tucked into the front pocket of my messenger bag probably won’t be needed tonight though, and that’s a first. I was actually starting to wonder if there was something wrong with me. I’ve never had trouble getting hard on my own, with fantasies playing in my mind and my hand around my cock. Being pawed at by strangers, even attractive ones, has been more of a challenge in the last few years though.

Why didn’t I take Luca up on his offer to take the money and call it a night? That’s basically a dream scenario—a night of freedom to do whatever I want and money to transfer into my dad’s account to keep him happy.

I look back at Luca, brushing his dark hair off his forehead with one hand while he slides some kind of card across the desk with the other. A credit card? A business card? Who knows. Whatever it is, the woman instantly straightens in her seat, her eyes going wide and her cheeks flushing.

Interesting.

Apparently, whatever he handed her was enough to change her opinion about whether or not there’s a room available for the night on such short notice. While she taps away at her keyboard, I study Luca. In the harsh light of the hotel lobby, I’m able to actuallyseehim. Some guys look half-decent under the club lights and turn out to look like the Crypt-Keeper’s uglier brother once some real light shines on them, but Luca actually looksmoreattractive. With his sleeves rolled up, I can see the veins in his forearms and plenty of dark hair. His fingers are thick, and his hands look clean and unblemished, like he hasn’t spent much of his life on any kind of hard labor. The way he’s leaning over the desk, completing the booking, gives me the perfect view of the way his round ass cheeks test the absolute limits of his fitted pants.

I lick my lips. The way he melted under the roughness of my kiss a few minutes ago makes it easy to imagine him bent over the bed, begging for my cock as I spread his cheeks apart and tongue his hole until he cries. My cock throbs at the idea, but my brain throws on the brakes so fast I can practically smell burning rubber. I shake my head and bite down on the inside of my cheek.

If I weren’t so careful about my drinks, I’d wonder if someone had slipped me something. I don’t know Luca any more than I’veknown any of the men who have bought me for a night. Maybe in a different version of my life, we might have met at Wonderland tonight and had chemistry. I might have let him buy me a drink and then spent the night dancing and grinding with him, working ourselves up into a horny fervor of genuine wanting before ending up right here anyway. No money exchanged, nothing but lust and chemistry.

I roll my eyes at myself and tighten both hands around the strap of my bag, just for something to do with them. There’s no point thinking about alternate versions of my life. They’re nothing but fantasy. My life is my life, and there’s only one way to change a damn thing about it.

“Ready?” Luca asks, stopping in front of me and holding up the room key.

I give a jerky nod, pushing off the pillar and gesturing for him to lead the way to the elevators. He eyes me for a second with a frown.

“Don’t tell me you’re already back to trying to pretend you’re all pliant and submissive.” He arches an eyebrow and I snort.

“Nope.” I set my jaw and let every ounce of fire and defiance inside of me shine through my eyes as I meet his. “You want me with a little bite, and I aim to please.” I flash him a toothy smirk.

His eyes flicker with heat. “Promises, promises,” he murmurs.

A surprising thrill of electricity crackles through my veins too, unsettling me and exciting me at the same time. One thing’s for sure, this is going to be an interesting night.

We get into the elevator, and another couple is right behind us. Luca scowls momentarily, and for a second I almost expect him to order the other passengers out. I fight back the urge to laugh and pin him with a stern look. Shockingly, he looks a little sheepish, pulling himself together to stand politely against the back wall. Another zing of excitement and heat rushes throughme, making my cock jerk in my too-tight shorts. I reposition my messenger bag to make sure it’s covering my unexpected erection.

We reach our floor first, and Luca gives the couple a polite nod as he eases around them to step out. I’m right behind him, fighting the urge to call him a good boy for behaving himself. Maybe I shouldn’t bother to resist it though. Maybe that’s exactly what he’s looking for. I ponder it while he unlocks the room and then holds the door open, gesturing for me to go inside.

I saunter past him, unlooping my bag from around my neck as I take in the room. If there was any question that Luca has money, this room alone would settle it. There’s a living room, for fuck’s sake. I didn’t even know hotel rooms could be anything other than a single room with a bed and a grungy-ass bathroom attached. The temptation to linger and check out the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows, maybe test out whether the couch is as comfortable as it looks, is strong. But I’m not here to play pretend celebrity for the night, so I beeline for what I assume is the bedroom.

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