him flat-out ignore people a lot more pathetic than Miss Cunningham. Whatever was driving him to tolerate Noelle probably had more to do with Lex than his compassion. "Yes, sir."
Dallas strode away, stopping to say something to Rachel and Noelle. Noelle looked at the stage and transferred her tray to Rachel's more competent hands.
Then she turned and wove a path through the tables, heading directly for Jasper.
He pulled out a chair and nodded to it. "Taking a break?"
She slipped into the seat, and for a moment he thought the halter was going to lose its grip on her breasts. "Dallas told me I should watch the show with you."
"I'm sure he did."
Her cheeks colored. "You don't want me to?"
"He's testing you," Jasper explained. Testing them both was more like it, but she didn't need to know that. "He wants to see if watching makes you run and hide."
"It might make me squirm and blush," she admitted, eyeing the stage. "But if I was prone to running and hiding from sex, I wouldn't be here."
"If all sexual encounters were equally shocking, you'd be set," he murmured. "But there's shit that goes on up there that I never saw before I joined up."
"Really?" Her eyes widened, their blue faded to smoky gray in the dim lights. "Like what?"
"Depends on the night. This? It's just a little dancing, some making out for show." He stretched his arm across the back of her chair and motioned to the curtain behind the front half of the stage. "There's a raised section back there they use for the real action. Most nights, it's two or three of the girls getting it on."
"Oh." Still wide-eyed, but she didn't look appalled. She leaned back, and her curly, unbound hair tickled across his arm. "It's kind of hot," she whispered, watching the current dancer swivel her hips. "That's what I used to dream about. Being that free. Not having to hide."
Or maybe her fantasies were simply that. "If you want to see what that freedom's like, you'll have the perfect chance tonight. Dallas is having a party after hours."
She tore her gaze from the dancer and studied him. "The parties are like that?"
He'd have to lay it out for her. "Some people are paired off, but they're not hard to spot. They have the collars, you know, or ink. Everyone else just wants to get off. You can join in or you can watch, but that's pretty much all it is. Wall-to-wall fucking."
Her top was so slinky he saw her nipples stiffen under the fabric. "That's the sort of party we were trying to have when I got arrested. None of us were very good at it. People who are good at it don't last long in Eden."
"Yeah? Well, remember—it's optional."
She slid her hand onto his thigh, awkward instead of smooth. Her fingers dug in, and her expression was more earnest than sultry. "Are you going to be there?"
"I'd planned on it." But that wasn't what she was really asking—and it wasn't what he wanted to say, either. "You want to go with me, Noelle?"
Shivering, she swayed toward him. "Do you think I'm a harlot?"
She could not be serious. "No. I think maybe you're a lady who likes to fuck."
Noelle's lips twitched. A laugh bubbled up, and she jerked her hand from his leg to cover her mouth. "You say it so easily, like it's not the same thing at all."
"Because it's not. No one here is going to think you're a bad person." Seeing her mouth covered was a travesty, so he pried her fingers away and rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. "I'll show you tonight, and you'll see."
She wet her lower lip, her tongue flicking over the tip of his thumb. "I've only done it once," she admitted in a husky whisper. "They caught us the other night before I made it to the actual fornicating."
Practically the virgin everyone would assume she was, and the big guy was right. The other men would be fighting to get balls-deep in her by the end of the night. "Tonight, you can watch," he said evenly, a fucking miracle when she was already licking him.
"With you?"
Her chest heaved with every breath, and Jasper
Dallas strode away, stopping to say something to Rachel and Noelle. Noelle looked at the stage and transferred her tray to Rachel's more competent hands.
Then she turned and wove a path through the tables, heading directly for Jasper.
He pulled out a chair and nodded to it. "Taking a break?"
She slipped into the seat, and for a moment he thought the halter was going to lose its grip on her breasts. "Dallas told me I should watch the show with you."
"I'm sure he did."
Her cheeks colored. "You don't want me to?"
"He's testing you," Jasper explained. Testing them both was more like it, but she didn't need to know that. "He wants to see if watching makes you run and hide."
"It might make me squirm and blush," she admitted, eyeing the stage. "But if I was prone to running and hiding from sex, I wouldn't be here."
"If all sexual encounters were equally shocking, you'd be set," he murmured. "But there's shit that goes on up there that I never saw before I joined up."
"Really?" Her eyes widened, their blue faded to smoky gray in the dim lights. "Like what?"
"Depends on the night. This? It's just a little dancing, some making out for show." He stretched his arm across the back of her chair and motioned to the curtain behind the front half of the stage. "There's a raised section back there they use for the real action. Most nights, it's two or three of the girls getting it on."
"Oh." Still wide-eyed, but she didn't look appalled. She leaned back, and her curly, unbound hair tickled across his arm. "It's kind of hot," she whispered, watching the current dancer swivel her hips. "That's what I used to dream about. Being that free. Not having to hide."
Or maybe her fantasies were simply that. "If you want to see what that freedom's like, you'll have the perfect chance tonight. Dallas is having a party after hours."
She tore her gaze from the dancer and studied him. "The parties are like that?"
He'd have to lay it out for her. "Some people are paired off, but they're not hard to spot. They have the collars, you know, or ink. Everyone else just wants to get off. You can join in or you can watch, but that's pretty much all it is. Wall-to-wall fucking."
Her top was so slinky he saw her nipples stiffen under the fabric. "That's the sort of party we were trying to have when I got arrested. None of us were very good at it. People who are good at it don't last long in Eden."
"Yeah? Well, remember—it's optional."
She slid her hand onto his thigh, awkward instead of smooth. Her fingers dug in, and her expression was more earnest than sultry. "Are you going to be there?"
"I'd planned on it." But that wasn't what she was really asking—and it wasn't what he wanted to say, either. "You want to go with me, Noelle?"
Shivering, she swayed toward him. "Do you think I'm a harlot?"
She could not be serious. "No. I think maybe you're a lady who likes to fuck."
Noelle's lips twitched. A laugh bubbled up, and she jerked her hand from his leg to cover her mouth. "You say it so easily, like it's not the same thing at all."
"Because it's not. No one here is going to think you're a bad person." Seeing her mouth covered was a travesty, so he pried her fingers away and rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. "I'll show you tonight, and you'll see."
She wet her lower lip, her tongue flicking over the tip of his thumb. "I've only done it once," she admitted in a husky whisper. "They caught us the other night before I made it to the actual fornicating."
Practically the virgin everyone would assume she was, and the big guy was right. The other men would be fighting to get balls-deep in her by the end of the night. "Tonight, you can watch," he said evenly, a fucking miracle when she was already licking him.
"With you?"
Her chest heaved with every breath, and Jasper
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