“Of course. It is your fantasy. I admit that it’s a rather exciting scenario for me as well.”

She frowned for a moment even as she leaned further into his touch.

“So this is your fantasy too?”

His expression became more serious. “No,” he said distantly. “This isn’t my fantasy.”

“Then why . . . ?”

She let the question trail off as she looked intently into his eyes.

He continued to stroke her face, touching each part of her skin with inquisitive fingers as he stared back at her.

“Perhaps I’m tired of waiting for something I may never find.”

“And what is it that you want?” she asked softly.

A faraway look entered his eyes and they turned almost wistful. “What you want as fantasy, I want as reality. A woman who will surrender to me, who will trust me to take care of her, provide for her, and who doesn’t mind relinquishing control in all aspects of our relationship.”

“And you haven’t been able to find a woman who meets those requirements?”

She couldn’t help the surprise that bled into her question.

“No, I haven’t,” he said quietly.

She laid her head back on his lap, and he resumed stroking her hair. “Then why are you agreeing to this?”

He stopped for a moment, her hair tangled around his fingers. “Because I’m tired of waiting, and so for a little while, I’d like to experience my own fantasy.”

She nodded. That much she could understand. Fantasies were safe. It was a break from reality. A chance to act on desires for a short period of time.

“Now about the auction. You seem open to being nude in front of a room full of men, of even having them touch you, watch you and want you.”

She squeezed her eyes shut but nodded wordlessly against his leg.

“And you want me to fuck your mouth in front of these men.”

Again she raised her head to look at him and tried not to cringe over his bluntness. “Does that bother you?”

He smiled. “Does it bother me that a beautiful woman wants to pleasure me while every other man in the room is eaten up with jealousy?”

She let out a small laugh. “Stupid question, I guess.”

“I was more worried that it would bother you,” he said gently.

She tried to look down, but he wouldn’t let her. He nudged her chin up with his fingers, forcing her to look directly at him.

“It’s fantasy,” she said. “I want, for a while, to do things that I wouldn’t normally do, to be a person I’m not. I know this isn’t me but I still crave it. Just a taste. When it’s all over, I can look back without shame because . . . it’s not real.”

“You seem so sure this isn’t you,” he said. “And yet you articulate your desires so well. You know precisely what it is you want.”

She shook her head. “No, this isn’t me. I’m stronger than this. I don’t want to be weak. I just want . . . an adventure.”

His eyes flickered and became shielded. “Then that’s what you’ll have. If you trust me to make the arrangements, I’ll set up a night for your fantasy to begin at my establishment. I’ll enlist the aid of some of the club members, but I believe the fantasy will be more powerful for you if you don’t know every single detail.”

“And after?” She asked the question uppermost on her mind. What happened after Damon claimed her?

He tilted her chin even further upward as his eyes bore into hers. There was latent power simmering in his gaze. A tightly held current just begging to be unleashed.

“After the auction, you are mine.”

“Julie, you’re killing me,” Serena said through gritted teeth. “This is supposed to be a massage, not a lesson in dough kneading.”

Julie eased off and muttered an apology.

“What’s wrong with you, Julie?” Faith asked from the next table. “Not like you to be so . . . grumpy.”

Serena raised her head. “She hasn’t gotten to you yet. Feel fortunate. I’m going to have bruises.”

“Nathan stood me up,” Julie said.

“Stood you up? You had a date?” Faith asked in an excited voice.

“Not exactly,” Julie mumbled.

She continued massaging Serena’s back, much gentler now, though Serena could still feel the tension in her fingers.

“What do you mean by ‘not exactly’?” Serena asked as she relaxed on the table.

Julie sighed. “He rescheduled his massage after I sort of plotted to begin my grand seduction scheme. Well, he hasn’t exactly rescheduled yet. He just cancelled.”

“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good,” Serena offered.

“Faith, is Nathan seeing anyone?” Julie asked.

“Not that I know of, but I don’t keep up with his love life. Why do you ask?”

“I want to hear about this seduction plan,” Serena spoke up.

“I wore a shirt that my tatas were damn near about to spill out of.”

“Oh my,” Faith said in amusement. “That had to be a glorious sight to behold. You have such, um, impressive tatas.”

Serena sat up, and Julie’s hands fell away from her back.

“I’m not finished, hon,” Julie protested.

“Oh yes, you are. I want to hear all about this, and I hate having a conversation lying down unless it involves a gorgeous man.”

Faith laughed. “You know we’re getting to you next, Serena. Just so you know.”

Serena rolled her eyes. “As if I thought I could escape you two.” She turned to look at Julie. “So? You displayed the tatas, then what?”

“Nothing. That’s what I’ve been trying to say. I’m here plumping my cleavage, planning how to plant it in Nathan’s face, when he calls to cancel his appointment.”

“Ah, gee, I’m sorry,” Faith said, sympathy shadowing her pretty features.

“It gets worse,” Julie said darkly. “Some bimbo in the background was informing him that he didn’t need to pay for a massage because she’d be more than happy to give him one. Then when I asked him when he wanted to reschedule, he said he’d call me.”

“Oh, ouch,” Serena murmured. “The I’ll call you line.”

“Yeah,” Julie grumbled. “Shot down before I ever got off the ground. Clearly I need to focus my attention elsewhere. I mean, I’m not a complete dog, right? I’ve never had a man want to put a paper bag over my head during sex or anything.”

Serena and Faith both burst out laughing.

“I’m so sorry, Julie,” Faith said as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. “I have no idea what Nathan’s problem is. You’re gorgeous!”

Julie rolled her eyes. “Spoken like a loyal friend talking to an ugly woman.”

Serena snickered. “Well, you’re not as pretty as I am, but you’re definitely not paper-bag ugly.”

Julie shoved at Serena’s shoulder. “Gee, thanks, what a pal.”

“Why don’t you just ask him out?” Serena asked. “Stop with the hinting around—the plan to jump him while giving a massage, though that wasn’t a bad idea at all—and just come out and ask him on a date. If he refuses then wipe his existence from your memory banks and go ask Micah or Connor out. They’re both hot.”

“I can’t go out with someone who’s slept with one of my friends,” Julie muttered. “So thanks, Faith, for ruining Micah for me.”

Faith chuckled. “If you knew how good he was in bed, you wouldn’t be all holier than thou about going out with him.”

Julie groaned. “For the love of God. Stop already. You’re killing me. What I wouldn’t give for a threesome with two hot guys. Hell, right now I’d take one hot guy. Or even a not-so-hot one. I just want to get laid, damn it.”

“Toys not working for you?” Serena asked innocently.

“Fuck you,” Julie said darkly. “So speaks the woman who is assured of some killer sex now that she’s signing on to be someone’s sex slave.”

“Which brings us nicely to the next topic of our conversation,” Faith said. “Did Damon find someone for you yet?”

Serena bit her lip and looked between her two friends, wondering if she should tell them everything.

“He has, hasn’t he?” Julie pounced. “Dish, Serena. We want details.”