Page 1 of Hardcore Vanilla
Prologue
“Happy New Year!”
Everyone in the club cheered, raised their glasses, and turned to the person they were standing next to for the first kiss of the new year.
Slightly wobbly in her heels, Sharon turned to look at the man byherside. Tall, dark, and a pain in her ass. She was also a pain in his; something she often reveled in, if she was being honest. Jake Standish. Her friend Lexie’s older brother, former military and the only other single person in their group of friends. Nota Dom although he often hung out at Stronghold, the BDSM club with her and the rest of her friends and sometimes he kind of acted like one.
Tonight they weren’t at Stronghold though, they were at the grand opening of its sister club, Marquis. The new club was a joint venture between Stronghold’s owner and two investors, all three of whom were friends with Jake and Sharon.
The two of them had ended up spending most of the night together by default.
Which had been interesting.
They didn’t exactly get along most of the time. In her opinion he was uptight, judgmental, and kind of prudish. She was a hot mess and attention whore in his. Neither of them had exactly been quiet about their opinions either. They got along like fire and oil. Put them together andwhoosh. Everything was burning.
Unfortunately, she was also pretty attracted to him and when she was drunk he started looking better and better… Especially because he loosened up a lot ashekept drinking. They had started to have fun once they’d gotten onto the dance floor, but he wasn’t who she’d intended to end up standing next to at midnight.
Then again, she hadn’thadanyone in mind. A sad state of affairs, really.
“So,” she said, raising her eyebrow as she looked up at him with a hint of challenge. His blue eyes turned down towards her, the color always somewhat shocking against his full, black eyelashes, which were thick and long enough to make just about every woman who saw him envious. With his short-cropped black hair, broad shoulders, and muscular body he was a fine piece of eye candy. “Are we ringing in the new year or what?”
She said it just to goad him, because that was what she did, and because she didn’t have any expectation of him meeting the challenge. Actually, she figured he’d go running, in which case she could maybe still find someone to pair up with for the rest of the night. There were other singles here at the party, celebrating both the new year and the opening of Stronghold’s sister club, Marquis. Sharon was horny as hell after watching the hot scenes in the theater room upstairs and then dancing with Jake.
He was kind of clam-jamming her though. She’d been having such a good time grinding up against him on the dance floor and teasing him that she hadn’t kept track of the time. Then, suddenly, plastic champagne flutes were being passed around and the countdown had begun.
But he didn’t run.
Instead, he did the verylastthing she would have ever expected.
She sucked in a shocked breath as one strong arm curved around her waist and he hauled her up against him. Even in heels he was quite a bit taller than her and she found herself up on her tiptoes, her body pressed up against hard male muscle, with a very specific hardness nestled into her stomach, and then she was being kissed.
Very, very thoroughly.
He tasted like champagne and chocolate, and Sharon moaned into his mouth as his free hand curved over her ass, squeezing the soft flesh and sending ripples of sensation through her.
Holy fucking shit.
If she’d thought she’d been horny before, that was nothing compared to right now. Her nipples swelled, pressing against his chest like they were trying to drill through her clothes, and her pussy clenched as his tongue swept against hers, deepening the kiss.
Right in the middle of the main room of Marquis.
Where everyone could see them.
Arousal flashed, but so did a little warning sign in her head. She pushed at his chest and he pulled away, both of them panting slightly. His black pupils nearly obscured the electric blue of his eyes, and he kept his hold on the rest of her body even though he’d relinquished her lips.
“We can’t do this here,” she said, her head snapping back and forth to see if anyone was looking at them.
The last thing she wanted was their nosy group of friends trying to hook them up. Talk about a disaster in the making. She might be drunk, but she knew she and Jake would be a freaking awful match. There was no way she wanted her friends trying to push her together with Captain Grumpy. Other than animal attraction, there was nothing else between them.
They didn’t even like each other.
******
“You’re right.” Jake twisted, pulling her with him. “Let’s get out of here.”
For a second he thought she would argue with him - which would be typical Sharon - but instead she came along willingly. Eagerly. Her short legs easily kept up with his longer stride, even in her heels.
Being taller, Jake cast a quick look around the room. Everyone was pretty much occupied, and he didn’t spot any of their friends. Possibly retired to the private theme rooms upstairs? Good… That was good.
