Bound Temptations: Stories of Temptation and Submission Read Online Free Page A

to
ask."
    She gaped at him. "Why not?
Don't you realize how important this is?"
    "No. Because you can get
another designer."
    "I don't want another one."
Flags of color rode high on her cheeks, her hands closing into
tight fists. "Damn it, Cole, I can't believe how difficult you're
being."
    "Am I? Hmm. Maybe. Too bad,"
Cole muttered, lifting his wine glass and knocking back the merlot
like it was whiskey. Wishing it was. He could use some whiskey.
Desperately.
    The music abruptly changed
cadence, and both he and Mara looked up, as did everyone around
them. He hadn't noticed the spiral staircase when he'd been here
before. He noticed it now, though. Noticed it...and the very nice
pair of legs descending...long, shapely legs that would close
perfectly around a man's hips, he thought. Oh, hell. He damn near
swallowed his tongue as Rocki came down the stairs, one hand
trailing along the banister.
    She paused halfway down,
smiling out at the crowd. Smiling...and letting everybody get one
damn good look.
    Again, he found himself
thinking...Lush.
    It was a word that described
her perfectly.
    A lot of the women in the
crowd were wearing a hell of lot less clothing than she was. Mara
was wearing less. But Rocki managed to cast them all in shadow.
Looking at her made his hands sweat. The swells of her breasts rose
above the corset she wore, all but begging for the touch of a man's
hands, her ivory skin glowing against the deep, rich, red silk. He
wasn't sure which would be softer to touch. Her waist looked
impossibly small just before her hips flared out into another lush,
ripe curve. The skirt was somehow hitched up, revealing those long
legs encased in dark, smooth stockings.
    A wet dream come to life,
Cole thought, staring at her. Shit. He gripped his wine glass
tightly and tore his gaze away from her. Mara was still staring at
her, her lips pursed. "She's making such a spectacle of herself,
dressed like that."
    "A spectacle?" he echoed.
"She looks lovely."
    Mara rolled her eyes. "She's
too fat to dress that way."
    Cole almost choked on his
wine. Fat? Damn it, what in the world was wrong with her? But
instead of replying, he just turned away. Mara only saw what Mara
wanted to see. He was tired of it. So tired of it. And it was
something he wasn't going to deal with much longer.
    "I wonder if she ever tries
to put herself up in the auction," Mara mused.
    "She's married," Cole
said.
    "Oh. Yeah. And even if she
wasn't..." She broke off, laughing. "It's a laughable
thought."
    "Damn it, would you shut
up?" he snapped, slamming his glass down and turning his head to
glare at her.
    She stared at him. "What is
your problem?"
    He clenched his jaw shut,
determined not to say anything, not to do this here.
    "Cole." Mara's eyes
narrowed.
    He went to brush past
her.
    She shot out an arm, her
nails digging into his wrist like claws. He paused, staring down at
her. Somewhere inside, he ached, because he could remember a time
when he'd loved her. A lot. But that was before she'd changed. When
had all of this happened? And had she changed so drastically, or
was it him?
    "We'll talk about this
later, Mara," he said quietly.
    "No. We'll talk about it
now."
    He glanced around, spied the
back door he'd seen the first time they'd visited the store. It was
marked "private," but everybody was too focused on Rocki to even
notice them. Fine. Mara wanted to have it out tonight, they'd have
it out tonight.
    With his hand at the small
of her back, he guided her toward the door. It led them to a
private dressing area, a long narrow hall with a series of doors,
all done in ivory and gold. Feminine and soft, Like Rocki, he
mused.
    Shutting the door, he leaned
back against it. "We should talk about this at home," he said
again.
    "You're being a
bastard...we'll talk about it here."
    "You're being a bitch," he
pointed out. "I paid a grand to get us into a party we weren't even
invited to..."
    "Well, they don't care. They
just asked for the donation," she replied.