Page 4 of Allure
Marco ignored the telling voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Asli and focused on the woman sitting across from him as well as the papers he had in his hands. The business venture was legit. He saw the plans the three women had laid out for him and Asli, and it was a great idea. Marco was curious to see how these women handled opening a pleasure club in a male-dominated industry, both in business and sex, especially in Lockwood. While there hadn’t really been a place for people to go, there were still those who rented out their homes—mini mansions—to host parties for those with different sexual appetites. It would be interesting to see how those people reacted to a place that was all-inclusive.
“Garrison Inc,” Marco started, but Syra’s abrupt laughter cut him off.
“We heard what you want to do.” Her gaze shot to Asli. “How long have you known who I am to him?” Her tone was harsh, and it made Marco’s cock throb.
Asli kept quiet as Syra pinned him with her glare. Asli had known the plan the minute Ms. Santiago emailed their receptionist about the building in question. As soon as all three names came across the paperwork, Marco had concocted an idea and Asli had been too intrigued to stop it.
Syra sat up straighter, her fingers tapping against the folder in front of her. “Do you plan on speaking, or are you always content to sit back and watch?” Syra snapped, and Marco couldn’t stop his smirk at her choice words.
Asli shrugged. “That all depends on the parties involved, Ms. Gutierrez. You seem like you have a lot to say, so I don’t mind sitting back and watching you command the room.” He winked. “Excuse me, I mean, I don’t mind listening to what you have to say.”
Tension filled the air, and the sick bastard that Marco was wished he could dismiss everyone except Syra. The need to make her body melt under his touch had him shifting in his seat, mirroring Syra’s movements. He resisted the urge to rearrange his hard on, knowing the second he put his hands under the table everyone would know what he was doing. He wouldn’t put it past Ms. Santiago to call him out on it and have them storm out of the meeting before Marco was done with Syra.
“Ms. Gutierrez,” Marco started, and when Syra’s eyes flashed to his, he felt the temperature in the room scorch his skin. She was all fire and venom as she stared daggers at him and Asli. He could taste her anger, and he wanted to see it fully unleashed on him. If this was his reaction to seeing her like this now, how the hell was he going to keep his sanity when they agreed to his business plan?
And they would agree to it, he didn’t doubt it.
“Mr. Garrison,” she all but growled the name. “To be frank, this new plan of yours defeats the purpose of what we’re trying to do. An all female-owned pleasure club can’t be all female-owned with you two—your company in on it, unless….”
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence, estrellita.” Marco cut her off, his smile growing wider. “Unless you need another demonstration, which I’d be all too happy to oblige.” He winked at her, causing her to scoff, and he hated to admit how much pleasure he was getting at riling her up.
“I understand what you ladies want to do, and I think we have the capital and connections to get Sirens up and running in a timely manner. We don’t have to put our name on the paperwork. This takes a lot of work, and as I can see from the business plan, you ladies thought of everything down to the smallest detail. All we want to do is be the money backers. We can use our own construction company to remodel and make sure you have top-of-the-line everything to make the grand opening perfect. You’ll still be the face of the club.” Marco sat back, waiting for them to take the bait he offered.
Marco might have been an asshole for setting this up to get to Syra, but he truly did believe these women could succeed with or without Garrison Inc backing them. There wasn’t anything that raised questions or concerns for him or Asli to make them cautious. He wanted in on this for three reasons, two of those reasons being the woman who sat across from him with anger in her eyes blanketed by desire, and the other reason was because Lockwood could use a safe space for people wanting to explore. The closest spot they had was two towns over, and the parties weren’t as frequent as they used to be.
The tension in the room built—a rubber band being pulled past the point of where it could be stretched to, and it was only a matter of time before it snapped. Marco couldn’t imagine them walking away from what he was proposing. Call it his arrogance, but this was a business opportunity that made sense—one even he would have jumped on were he in their shoes. Garrison Inc wasn’t just big because of its hand in Lockwood real estate; they had hands in almost everything else—construction, design, and networking with rich names who wouldn’t hesitate to pay a fee to play.
“Do we need to answer right now?” Ms. Lopez broke the silence, and Marco had to physically force his gaze away from Syra. “As you can imagine, we came to this meeting for either a yes or no on the building, not an amendment to our business plan. We’ll need time to see if this is something we all agree on.” Ms. Lopez’s gaze flicked to Syra before she looked back at Marco. “You do understand, right?”
Marco gritted his teeth, wanting to demand they give him an answer now, but this wasn’t his usual business meeting. While he could bulldoze his way through everyone to get what he wanted, he knew dealing with Syra and her friends required a certain finesse. “That’s fine. How about we reschedule for some time later this week?”
“That’s fair.” Ms. Lopez stood and everyone followed suit.
Marco grabbed the folders in front of him to cover his erection as he stood. “Evelyn will get you on the calendar for a follow up.” Marco nodded toward Evelyn who was already halfway out the door.
Marco and Asli shook Ms. Santiago’s and Ms. Lopez’s hands before they headed toward the door. Marco and Asli were left standing in front of Syra.
“Ms. Gutierrez,” Marco’s voice dipped as he reached out for her hand and brought it to his lips. “It’s been a pleasure, as always.” He kissed her skin, wishing he was kissing other parts of her. He still had the taste of her on his tongue from that night six months ago; she had been his favorite flavor once. Her breath hitched slightly, and the sound brought him right back to that night—her cries of pleasure, a soundtrack in his mind that made his blood heat as he felt the phantom touches of her walls tightening around him as she climaxed.
Syra was dangerous for him, and yet he continued to ignore the caution whispered in his mind. He had zero problems diving head first into her, thinking this time would be different. There would be no repeats of past mistakes because this was just a purging to get rid of the hold Syra had on him.
And if you keep telling yourself that, maybe you’ll believe it.
“Did you know about this that night at the club?” Syra whispered as Marco dropped his hold on her.
“Is that the question you really want to ask, estrellita, especially when you already know the answer?” Marco watched as her eyes narrowed before she turned toward Asli.
Asli took her hand in his and repeated the motion Marco had made and kissed her skin. “It’s been a pleasure, as always, Ms. Gutierrez.” Asli’s voice was like silk, and Marco watched as it had the desired effect of Syra.
Her eyes widened and her lips slightly parted. Her gaze bounced between both of them, and Marco wondered what she’d do if he locked the door and pushed her back on the conference room table. The images of fucking her with Asli flashed in his mind, and it made him almost ask her to meet him back at his penthouse.
“Syra, you coming?” Ms. Santiago popped her head back into the room. Her gaze was still angry when she looked at Asli and Marco before she glanced back at Syra.
“Um, yea…yes.” Syra cleared her throat. She walked in between them to get to the door, but before she left, she glanced over her shoulder. “Maybe next time you should participate, Asli. You shouldn’t let Marco have all the fun.”
Marco chuckled, and Asli shook his head as they both watched her practically run from the conference room.
“She’s got a spark to her,” Asli murmured, “a little blaze that hides behind the bashful demeanor.” He glanced in Marco’s direction. “This should be interesting. You think they’re going to decline your offer?”
