Page 20 of Allure
“You’re an artist.” He leaned down, getting closer to her. His warm hand gripped hers, and he brought it up in the space between them. “Artists are expressive,” he messaged her hand, making her fight back a groan. “We find ways to show the world how and what we’re feeling.” His soft chuckle made her stomach tighten. “And if I were a betting man, I’d say your curious mind wants to know how well I fuck.”
“Syra,” Delilah’s fingers snapped in front of Syra’s face, pulling her out of one of the last interactions she had with Asli. She could feel her face flush as her friends stared at her with wide smiles on their faces.
“Like we said,” Katrina laughed, “this invite was more for Syra than it was for us.”
“It’s not like that,” Syra mumbled under breath, unsure if she believed that to be true or not. “The invite to Orchard Trees Forbidden Fruit party was just so we could see what else Sirens could offer on a monthly basis and to network.” Her voice held steady, though the taste of bitterness lingered on her tongue as if she was lying. “We’re not there to play and have sex with strangers…or people we know.” Delilah snorted but Syra continued. “This party is simply research for Sirens.” Her heart drummed wildly in her chest, and her palms began to sweat when it fully hit her that she’d be at a sex party with Asli and Marco.
“The three of you have knowledge of sex clubs.” Raven couldn’t keep the amusement out of her voice. “Even knowledge on the business aspect to run one. There really is no need to go to Orchard Tree for anything other than pleasure.”
Syra let out a sigh even as her stomach tightened at the word pleasure. “There’s plenty of reasons to go to Orchard that don’t involve pleasure. Lockwood and Ivywood are two different geographical locations. What’s hot in Ivywood by you, doesn’t mean it’ll be hot and in demand here. This outing is strictly for business.”
“The lady doth protest too much?” Delilah laughed.
“This is also coming from the woman who okayed to work with someone she not only had a relationship with but also fucked six months ago while his best friend and business partner watched.” Raven smiled as Syra scowled, wondering why she told any of them anything. “You need to call a spade a spade, Syra. From what you’ve told us, you’ll be mixing business with pleasure soon enough.” Raven continued on when Syra tried to verbally deny it.
Her friends knew the rules she put in place with Marco. They knew Syra and Marco would stay on their respective sides, and from the plans Asli had shown them earlier in the week, it would be easy enough to keep her distance from both Asli and Marco. Construction on Sirens had already started. They had to knock down a few walls and reinforce some things to bring the building up to code. Once that was taken care of, they could start working on Delilah and Kat’s vision for how Sirens should be set up. Katrina was an interior designer and needed to be on hand to make sure there were no hiccups.
Delilah and Syra were in charge of getting supplies and had to put together a questionnaire for interviews for staff and future clientele. Syra had the artwork—if her muse ever decided to make a reappearance—those things didn’t require them to be at Sirens. It made it all too easy for her and Marco’s paths not to cross often. This was her new start, and it would have nothing to do with either of the men in her life—Marco or Joel.
Syra hid her wince at the thought of her ex. She still had that envelope sitting in her bag, which she refused to read along with the array of messages he left her. Syra had already left a message with her lawyer to call her back and set up an appointment to talk. Once they figured out how to handle the situation, she’d either be burning the letter and blocking him completely or handing everything over to law enforcement.
“If you do find yourself straddling the line with Marco, and Asli for that matter, don’t be afraid to take that jump.” Raven’s voice pulled Syra’s attention back to the present. She had a wistful look on her face, no doubt remembering her own path to the two men in her life.
“I remember how vibrant you were when you were with Marco. How powerful your art was, and I also remember how you were with your ex-husband. It’s okay to embrace the fire sometimes. Wouldn’t you rather chance getting burned than spend a lifetime wondering what if? Besides, getting your back blown out on the regular can spark your creativity.” Raven winked and her friends applauded her sage wisdom.
The doorbell rang, saving Syra from having to respond to the things Raven said. The woman was miles away but still had an uncanny ability to read people and situations.
Syra told Kat to stay on the kitchen stool while she scurried around everyone to get away from the intense turn in conversation. She didn’t want to think about Marco because it brought up too many what ifs, and it forced her to see how dull and crappy her life had turned out when she walked away from him.
Marco wasn’t the end all be all—she didn’t want to put that weight on him—but things had been different for her when she was with him, different in a way that excited her and helped breathe life into her artwork. When she went back to Joel in some misguided attempt to work things out with the man who had her heart first, she wilted and withered like a forgotten flower. She traded the fresh outdoors and all its elements for the safety of inside, and it nearly killed something inside of her.
Syra opened the door without checking to see who it was—that was her first mistake of the night. If she had seen who was standing on the other side, it would have helped her school her features and maybe lessen the impact of seeing Asli in a dark suit that made her mouth water. The material clung to him—outlining his broad shoulders—and gave him an extra layer of confidence and charm Syra didn’t think he needed. Asli was good-looking on his own; the suit made him downright dangerous to her senses.
Asli’s smile was warm and inviting. Where Marco seemed to take up the air in a room in a way that made Syra only want to breathe him in, Asli was a light breeze wrapping around her body. His brown eyes took their time traveling the length of her, making her bones turn to liquid. She had to tighten her grip on the door to keep herself upright because all her body wanted to do was melt into a puddle at his feet.
The attraction to Asli was instant—a strike of lightning shocking her senses. She couldn’t put her finger on what exactly drew her in, but she felt her body going willingly to him as it did to Marco.
Look at how you fit around us, Syra. Look at how pretty you look with the taste of our cum on your tongue.
Syra chewed the inside of her cheek—her late-night fantasies of the two of them made the night air thick, stealing her breath. Asli’s smile went from warm and inviting to dark and tantalizing as if he heard the whispered fantasy in her mind, as if he had the same one.
“Sweet little star, you look good enough to eat,” Asli murmured as he grabbed her right hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Such the temptation.” His warm breath fanned over her hand before he closed the distance between them, and she let out a tiny gasp that sounded a little too close to a breathless moan.
If Marco was the match to her desires, Asli was the accelerant—both men conquered and commanded her body with ease. While Marco had the added benefit of emotions wrapped around the sexual attraction that made her forget her need to stay away from him, Asli was a cocktail that enticed her to let her hair down and dive into his sinful delights.
Both men were two separate tornadoes spinning toward her. She had enough time to run and find cover, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but stare at their beauty and brace for their impact.
“Marco’s going to be so disappointed he missed this, Syra.” Asli reached for her hair, and she trembled at the way he said her name. The way his tongue rolled over the‘r’made her body hum, and she wondered how her name would feel when he whispered it against her soaked lips.
“Marco isn’t coming tonight?” she asked breathlessly.
“Would that upset you, little star?” Asli murmured. “Did you put on this dress tonight in hopes that he would see it and fall to his knees before he tore it off your delectable body?” Syra sucked in a sharp breath, trying to get her bearings, but Asli wouldn’t let her. He was everywhere at once, and yet hadn’t really begun to truly touch her.
“You know, I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to see these beautiful dark locks draping down your naked body that night, little star.” She felt his hand wrap around her hair, and her eyes widened in surprise. “It would have been such a sight to see while I watched you ride that dildo wishing it was me you were riding while Marco fed you his cock.”
“Oh God,” Syra whimpered as images of that night assaulted her. Her body swayed—she no longer had the strength to keep herself upright. Asli was there, wrapping his big hand around her waist to pull her closer to him. She had an insane urge to push her lower body into his—to rub herself on him like a cat in heat.
Asli’s dark chuckle made her nipples hard, and she felt herself grow wetter. The cool air hit her overheated skin and coupled with the press of his body against her made her bite back a groan.
