The Sculptor's Seduction (The Gentlemen's Guild Book 2) Read online

  “Ok, then I would have to say that – based on my five-minute introduction to this issue that I can’t believe has been kept from me all these years – I think we should go with Morgan’s plan. We have no better leads and I think we all can at least agree on the irreparable damage that would happen if this information was leaked out, even as a preliminary investigation. If we start working with her now, then it can look like she’s hired art experts to help flush out the truth in the claims.”

  “Fucking hell,” Pierce groaned, dropping back into his chair, his head falling into his hands.

  “Morgan and Sloane are right,” Tristan agreed, sternly. His voice asserting the executive decision-making power that he still held over the group. “Pierce, this looks like our best shot at getting that damn painting back where it belongs with the least risk to the Guild. We have to give it a shot, unless you can come up with some Hail Mary.” He turned to Morgan when he got no response. “I think this means you have the go-ahead to talk to your sister and let her in on our little group secret.”

  “Good. Thank you,” Morgan replied.

  “Pierce,” Tristan addressed the devilish despondent. “Just look on the bright side. Hopefully this will get the painting off of your shoulders for good and then we’ll have another outlet for our talent – one that sounds right up your alley; catching criminals sounds like a fun game for you to play.”

  Pierce just snorted in disgust, seeing that he’d been overruled, and stood to leave the room.

  “Where are you going?” Morgan asked after him as they all watched him storm from the room.

  “Just let him go,” Tristan said softly, knowing how much losing that painting because of his lust had humbled him – not that he would say it. “He just needs time to get over himself.”

  “Alright, well Ana left this morning to follow a lead out in the Hamptons, but she should be back on Monday. I’ll talk to her then,” Morgan said as the rest of the group stood.

  “Keep us posted. Also, once you get her in the loop, I think it’s going to be best if she works directly with Pierce, which is unfortunate, but out of all of us, he’s the one who knows the most about what happened that night and what has happened with the painting since. So, ahh… just warn her about him,” Tristan concluded.

  Sloane watched Morgan nod as he followed the two of them out of the conference room.

  He knew he should be more concerned about this thief and the potential havoc she could wreak on the Guild, but as soon as he stepped over the threshold of the room, all he could think about the temptress who was wreaking havoc on his heart.

  Chapter 12

  It was Tuesday and Cyn hadn’t heard from Sloane since his note that morning and she hadn’t seen him all weekend.

  She was going insane.

  Thankfully, Tash was due home any minute and damn, did she need to talk to her. She poured herself a cup of tea and sat down on their couch waiting for her roommate’s arrival.

  Her mind drifted back to her sculptor, wondering why she hadn’t heard from him; it was the same train of thought that held her hostage every spare minute that she’d had over the past few days. The Paradise had a private event Saturday night for a bachelor party and one of the groomsmen was friends with another dancer there, so Cyn had actually had the night off which had been a relief.

  First, because she’d been evading Terri’s incessant messages about what had happened there on Friday – which was easy to do over text, but not so easy to do in person; and she wasn’t ready to have to explain it to Terri at the moment.

  Cyn also knew that as soon as she went back out on that pole to dance, all she would see was Sloane’s face after she was done, as she stood there naked in front of all those other men; she didn’t want it to dampen her other memories of that night.

  Those memories…

  She moaned; they were what had gotten her through these past few days of the silent treatment. The memory of Sloane’s tongue and her vibrator had soothed her to sleep each night.

  Strangely, the biggest reason she felt relief for not having to go into work was because she knew how much it had bothered Sloane to see her stripping for other men; not that he would be there this time, but she saw how it tortured him and she didn’t want to be responsible for that again.

  A dangerous and daring part of her wanted to just be his.

  At one point, she’d almost contemplated calling Ellie again to meet for lunch except she had no more information on Sloane than the last time that they had met – except for how incredibly skilled his tongue was. And, let’s face it, she wasn’t able to get him off her mind which meant any attempt at a different topic of conversation between her and Ellie was going to be futile at this moment.

  “I’m homeee!” Tash sang as she came in through the door.

  “Thank God,” Cyn mumbled, standing to greet her friend. “How was it?”

  Her face shuddered for a moment as she dropped her bags on the floor. “Mostly good.” And then her friend forced a smile to her face.

  That didn’t sound like Tash.

  Tash had gone out to the Hamptons with one of her regular, long-time clients, Julian Sanchez; he had a house and a boat out there that Tash had invited her to multiple times. Of course, she declined. As much as she loved being on a boat, she had a feeling that the soothing hum of the ocean would not be enough to diminish the very loud and enthusiastic sounds that Tash and Julian would be making below deck.

  “What do you mean mostly good?”

  Tash broke her gaze, looking down at her feet for a second – another indication that something not quite right had happened. “Oh, nothing.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Just saw another side to Julian that I ahh… didn’t know existed.” Realizing that she’d revealed more than she wanted to, she continued, “Oh my gosh, Cyn, do I look tanner? I’m pretty sure I spent all weekend laying out on the boat naked. Well, some of it I spent laying inside the boat…” She winked at her.

  Now that sounded like Tash – only it seemed a little forced.

  “Yeah, you look super dark,” Cyn agreed with a smile.

  “How was your weekend?”

  “It was… umm… good.”

  “Just good? Ok, your turn. Spill it. What happened?” Tash put her hand on her hip, waiting for the explanation.

  “No. Ok, it was more than good.” Cyn felt a blush rising to her very pale cheeks.

  “Oh my God – was it with the quiet one? Tell me it was! Crap, I forget his name again.”

  Cyn bit her lip. “Yeah, it was with Sloane.”

  “I. FREAKING. KNEW. IT.” Tash did a little ‘I-told-you-so’ dance before grabbing her hand and pulling her over to the couch. “Ok. Tell me, tell me, tell me.”

  Cyn laughed. “I mean it was really good… but it was also a shit show.”

  “Oh shit. Do I need alcohol before hearing this?”

  “No.” Cyn shook her head with a smile. “Well, it started off really bad… Pierce owns a production company, did you know that?” She didn’t wait for Tash’s answer. “Anyway, I get to work on Friday and Terri tells me that we are filming for a new video advertisement for the club and I’m going to be dancing for Sebastian. So, I go out there and do my thing. The lights come up, I turn around, and there is Pierce with that smile of his – you know – and Sloane, staring bloody murder at me.”

  “After you danced? Was he watching? I can’t imagine that murder would be the first thing on his mind…”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t tell him I was a stripper so he came with Pierce having no idea that the performance he was about to see was going to be me.”

  “Well, so what? It’s the twenty-first century and you are a modern woman. Plus, this is the guy who wants you but doesn’t want you, right? Like, what the hell? He definitely has no right to be mad.”

  Cyn rolled her eyes. “Right. So, Pierce says something to him and Sloane turns and practically chokes him to death. I think Terri almost had a heart attack at that moment. Then
, Sloane storms out and Pierce cancels the rest of the shoot.”

  “Holy shit. What the hell did he say?”

  “Pierce called me a high-class hooker.” Cyn watched as her friend’s mouth dropped open. “Which I only know because I walked right up to him and asked him. And when he answered me, I slapped him.”

  “Holy shit, Cyn!” Tash burst out laughing. “I mean, it’s not funny what he said, but I can’t believe you slapped him. That’s amazing. What did he do? I can’t even imagine his reaction…”

  Cyn chuckled. “I don’t know. He was already in shock from Sloane almost choking him out that by the time I slapped him, he actually told me he deserved it—”

  “Well, of course he did – that was a dick thing to say. Ok, now tell me what happened with Sloane? I mean you had to have seen him again.”

  Cyn nodded. “Well, I was supposed to go over to his place after work anyway, so I just changed and went early. He was… well, we were both on edge. He wanted to know why I didn’t tell him… I wanted to know why it mattered… Finally, I was so emotional that I broke down and told him that this is what I do – I get naked for money – and it’s exactly why he hired me. I told him there was no difference between what I do for him and what I do at the club; I told him that if that wasn’t what he wanted, then he should have never called my name at the Roof.”

  “Holy… shit… you go girl.” Tash just stared at her, wide-eyed as the story continued.

  “He told me it wasn’t the same because when he asked me to take off my clothes it was just for him and not for everyone to see; he told me that he wanted to be the only one who ever saw me like that.” Cyn stopped her story, letting the weight of those words sink in in her friend’s eyes.

  “Well that’s a problem.” Tash scowled. “What happened then?”

  Cyn groaned. “Then he kissed me.”

  “Now, we get to the good stuff.”

  “He kissed me and then he told me that he wasn’t paying me anything for the night; that if I was going to stay there it was because I wanted him and not the money.” Cyn bit her lip. “And then he told me that if I stayed, he was going to make me forget any other man who’d been between my thighs.”

  “Jesus Christ, Cyn. I feel like I’m about to come just hearing this story.” Cyn rolled her eyes, knowing that her friend was exaggerating. But there was some truth to her statement. Fire pooled in her stomach every time she thought about those words. “Well, did he? Shit, I’m on the edge here, Cyn; you can’t leave me hanging.”

  “You have no idea…”

  “Wow… I hate to admit it, but judging from the look on your face, I think your Sloane might have been worth the wait. Even after that incredible night with Pierce, I know my face didn’t look like that afterward.”

  “Well, let’s just call it a tie. I’d rather not know anything like that about Pierce.”

  “Works for me. Alright, so keep going, how big was he? How many times did you come?”

  “Ahh… ok. Well, that’s the other part. We didn’t actually end up having sex. All he did was eat me out… and I couldn’t even tell you how many times because I lost count and next thing I know, I’m waking up the next morning wondering if I’d dreamt the whole thing.”

  “Oh my God, Cyn.” Tash just stared at her. “Dammit… your weekend sounds so much better than mine now!”

  Cyn burst out laughing.

  “Ugh, this is such a downer.” Tash smiled. “Seriously, though. I’m so happy he finally caved and that you finally got some. God, I thought I was going to have to hire a male stripper or something to try to get you back in the groove… hasn’t it been like months, right? Since you’ve had a guy down there?”

  Cyn just nodded, refusing to elaborate on just how many.

  “Well, what a freakin’ way to come out of a dry spell. So, his tongue was good then?”

  “I literally can’t remember anything about anyone else who ever had their mouth on me… so, there’s that.”

  Tash clapped her hands together in excitement.

  “But, wait a second, what did you tell me he said before that? Sorry, I was too on edge waiting to hear about the sex.”

  Cyn rolled her eyes. “I said that he told me he wanted to be the only one to see me naked…”

  All the lightheartedness of their conversation fell from her friend’s face.

  “There are so many things I want to say, but I think what I need to say is this: are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  Well, she hadn’t been expecting that question so soon into the conversation.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Cyn, the man told you that he didn’t want anyone else to see you naked. I don’t know if all those oral orgasms exploded some of your brain cells, but you are still a stripper; that is still your job.”

  Cyn sighed and fell back along the couch. “I know.” She stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, you know I’ve been thinking about leaving the club for a while now; maybe this is a sign that it’s time.” Tash sighed and looked away. “What? What is it?”

  “I know you’ve been thinking about it, but I don’t want you to make such a big decision based on a guy that you’ve only known a few weeks just because he went down on you.”

  “I know… I just… I don’t know how to describe it – how I feel when I’m with him.”

  “Hun, you don’t have to describe it to me. It’s your life, you need to do what makes you happy. As your friend, I just want to make sure that you know what you are doing before I find you heartbroken and wasted in some club because you let how you feel about a guy blindside every aspect of your life.” Tash held up her hand as Cyn tried to interject and say that Sloane was nothing like Marcus. “I know what you’re thinking, I do. But the fact is that you can seduce him, you can screw him, and you can enjoy him – all without it infringing on the rest of your life. I know you want to leave the club and start your school, but you need to do that when the time is right for you and not because some gorgeous guy with a big dick and a dangerous mouth wants you to.”

  “Tash! I know!” Her words came out more like a yell than a statement and she immediately regretted their intensity, seeing the flash of hurt across her friend’s face. “I’m sorry. I know and I will carefully think about it, I promise. I just know that it was for him that I danced ballet for the first time in three years without the movement making me want to vomit in disgust with myself. I just know that when he looks at me, he doesn’t just see a body that would be great for dancing or great for fucking. I don’t want to disappoint you, but I can’t help it if I can’t resist wanting to do everything possible to not lose that.”

  Tash just nodded, unable to hide her concern as she stood and walked back over to collect her bags to go unpack them. Cyn didn’t know what else to say. As much as she appreciated all that Tash had done for her, her friend’s outlook on life would always be different; it would always be on that one track – a track that had helped Cyn through a point in her life that could have crippled her. But, life was all about change and adaptation… and what had worked well three years ago to help her grow from what Marcus had done wasn’t what was going to help her move forward with her goals for her life.

  Whether those goals included Sloane in the long run remained to be seen, but for now, he’d managed to break through the wall that had been holding her back.

  Her phone buzzed on the coffee table.

  Speak of the devil.

  Anticipation vibrated through her as she waited for her phone to open up his text, anxious to see what he had to say.

  - You’re not going to work this weekend. Come to the studio Friday at five.

  Excitement and desire shot through her like a rocket, overwhelming the annoyance she felt at being told what to do. Tash’s words reverberated in her mind; if this wasn’t controlling she didn’t know what was.

  ~ I’ll have to see. Kind of last minute to ask off both nights…

  - I�
��ll make it worth it…

  And… she needed to change her underwear… again. She got up from the couch, trying to fight the exhilaration that strummed through her veins. On the one hand, she wanted to heed Tash’s warning, but on the other… she was already opening up a text to Terri to tell him that she was requesting off.

  ~ I’ll hold you to that, she texted back, not realizing the giddy smile on her face until she looked up from her phone to see Tash staring at her.

  “Mr. Quiet?”

  Cyn sighed and nodded. “I’ll be careful, Tash. I promise.” She enveloped her concerned friend in a giant hug, not wanting this to come between them.

  “Infamous last words…” was Tash’s subdued murmur into her ear.

  Chapter 13

  After a week of fighting back and forth with himself, Sloane had finally come to a compromise between his rational side and the side of him that wanted to chain Cyn to the bed and have his every fucking way with her; as long as he could take the torture, he couldn’t find any reason to not at least let himself enjoy pleasuring her. He was definitely not hurting her by doing that and even though it made his life slightly more torturous – and his right hand slightly more occupied – he couldn’t keep his hands off of her, so at least this way he could satisfy himself somewhat by seeing her pleasure. Those memories were then his to return to later when he was alone.

  It hadn’t taken him a week; it had taken him until Tuesday because the approaching weekend had him on edge. He wanted to see her. He wanted her to not dance at the club. This compromise was the most efficient way to make those two things happen as soon as possible.

  Sloane looked around the studio. He’d thought about buying some candles, but quickly decided against it as it had seemed too much – like whatever this was between them was leading to more than it ever should. So, he let the setting sun do the trick and ordered in from his favorite Italian restaurant, picking up a bottle of red and white wine on his way over since he didn’t know what she would like.