Duke Read online

  “We can go to the bedroom, if there’s a bed, and turn off the light.”

  He shook his head. “We’ll go to the bedroom, but the light stays on. I get to see everything.”

  “Don’t be unreasonable.”

  He pulled her panties down and paused again. “It’s unreasonable if I can’t watch as I spread your lips and eat you.”

  She rubbed the goose bumps on her arms and squeezed her legs together. Duke reached around behind her and stroked her ass. A slow grin spread over his face.

  “Now I see how it works,” he said.

  “How what works?” Her pussy was practically weeping with come.

  “Your beautiful ass. I couldn’t seem to get it out of my head the first time I met you. It’s perfect for hanging onto while I do this.”

  She was about to protest, but the words died on her lips. Duke drove her forward and pushed his tongue between her legs. Her cry echoed in the room, and she hoped the walls of the apartment were thick. She had a feeling she would scream them down before the night ended.

  Takiyah fell forward and caught herself on Duke’s shoulders. He squeezed her ass and dragged her closer to stick his tongue inside her. His moan sent vibrations to her core, and her inner muscles coiled tight. She tried to resist what he was doing to her, but it felt too damn good. Pumping slowly against his mouth, she raised a foot to the couch cushions. Duke’s hand skimmed her thigh and jerked her to him.

  She gasped. “You’re going to make me fall.”

  He gave her another lick and raised his head. “I’ll catch you. Trust me.”

  Trust him, he said, but she couldn’t. He could be with her tonight and someone else tomorrow. That didn’t stop me from coming though. Coming, she ached to do just that right then. Duke was driving her to the edge, and she couldn’t hold on much longer. She arched her hips and held the back of his head. When he moved to her clit, she was gone. Sucking it between his lips, he moaned and sent vibrations through her pussy. Her orgasm rolled through her core, and she cried out his name.

  Duke gave her pussy a last kiss and stood. “Come on. I have to get into you.”

  She stumbled over her pants when he took her hand and pulled her along the hall. Duke’s long strides ate up the space between the living room and bedroom, and as he charged along the hall, he undid his pants. She had the feeling he was about to burst he was so desperate.

  In the room, he whipped her around toward the bed and pushed against her hips. She went down fast, falling on the mattress. He towered above her, jerking his clothes off. She stared, taking in the massive shoulders and chest, the flat abs, the tanned skin. When he uncovered his cock, her breath caught in her throat. He was hung, that was for sure. Stiff and hard, his dick stretched toward her.

  She started to ask him about a condom, but he pulled one out of his jeans pocket and ripped into the packaging with vengeance.

  “Want some help?” she offered, and he waved her off.

  “You lay down and wait for me.”

  Takiyah scooted back on the bed while he rolled on the condom. When he was done, her stomach clenched in nervousness. She wasn’t a virgin, and yet, all the men she had been with were smaller. Not to mention it had been a while since her last lover. Duke wasn’t the most sensitive man either.

  He paused halfway up the bed and narrowed his eyes at her. “You look like a frightened rabbit.”

  “I beg your pardon.”

  He grinned. “Don’t worry, little bunny. I won’t hurt you.”

  She started to roll to the other side of the bed, but he caught her arm and tugged her back. He landed on top of her but didn’t crush her with his weight. Takiyah struggled to get out from under him. Duke took both her hands and raised them above her head. He used his knee to spread her legs, and she had time to draw in a breath before his shaft parted her nether lips.

  As he sank inside her heat, he shut his eyes and groaned. Takiyah pulled against his hold, and Duke held on tighter. He stroked a thumb over her wrist and arched his hips deeper. She drew her knees up, whimpering. His cock stretched her pussy walls and felt so good she never wanted it to end. She raised her hips off the bed to meet his thrust and curled her feet around his legs.

  “You feel amazing, Kiyah,” he said in a raspy tone. “I can’t… So damn tight…”

  He began pumping harder, in and out, and she bit her lip to keep from begging him not to stop. His deep thrusts grew erratic, and she knew he was going to come soon. Moving faster, meeting his rhythm, she felt her body start to get hotter. His shaft brushed some sensitive spot inside her that was doing things to her ability to put two thoughts together. She shook from head to toe and gasped for breath. Another orgasm rocked her, and she screamed. Seconds after she climaxed, he went stiff and grunted her name.

  After some time, Duke looked down at her. A bit of her hair had fallen onto her forehead, and he brushed it away as he studied her face. “Hmm.”

  She frowned. “Hmm, what?”

  He pulled out of her and sat up then removed the used condom. She leaned up on an elbow, all of a sudden feeling insecure. Her ex-husband was white, but Duke had apparently never been with a black woman. Was that sound just now about his disappointment? Why should I care? This is a one-time thing.

  They hadn’t discussed becoming lovers for as long as the interest lasted. Tonight was all she committed to and all he had offered. The fact that she had accepted and come to a house with him that wasn’t his was outside her comfort zone and her plan. She never slept with men she worked with.

  Something rattled, and she peeked over Duke’s shoulder. He was opening another condom. “What are you doing?”

  He held the condom in one hand while he stroked his cock. For some reason, watching him do it turned her on. Her pussy pulsed, and she couldn’t take her eyes away. He had softened after he came, but it looked like he was going to work himself up to getting hard again.

  “Once has never been enough.” He glanced over his shoulder and let his gaze slide along her body. “And after that, I’m definitely going to need the condoms I brought.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Condoms plural? Are you kidding?”

  He grinned and pointed at her with his chin. “Take off that blouse, baby. Let me see your breasts. I know I’ll get hard faster with them.”

  She clutched her shirtfront. “What if I’m done?”

  “You’re not saying I didn’t please you, are you? Because that sounds like a challenge.”

  “Can you get any more sure of yourself? Must be a Marquette thing.”

  “Probably.” He pointed again. “The shirt. I’m willing to tear it off, but I figure you want to go home dressed.”

  “You don’t have a romantic bone in your body, do you?”

  “Romance? Is that what you’re looking for?”

  “Hell, no. Not from you.” She mentally kicked herself for bringing it up. “I don’t normally meet a man for sex. This place feels like a hotel, and…never mind.”

  He stopped stroking himself and tossed the condom in the trash. She gasped when he started getting dressed, figuring he was mad. Well, she was just being honest. After rolling to the other side of the bed, she found the bathroom and cleaned up. When she came out, Duke held her pants and her panties. She slid into them quickly, but he left the bedroom the second he handed them over.

  She found him in the living room leaning against a wall and drinking a beer. “Ready?”

  “Yeah.” Her stomach sank in disappointment. After one round of great sex, he was ready for more. She had blown even that much pleasure by running her mouth, but she refused to apologize. On the other hand, Duke never said he cared about her, and she hadn’t made any stupid confessions either. That didn’t change the fact that her feelings were hurt.

  At her house, she opened the car door to get out, but he stopped her. “I’ll get my own place by end of week. I can’t guarantee any more than a bed being inside it. Is that acceptable?”

  She blinked. “Wh
at? You want to do it again?”

  His strong fingers caressed her cheek. “I told you once has never been enough, and your body makes me want it a lot more.”

  She swallowed and glanced down. The front of his pants was tented. He was still horny, but he denied himself for her. Duke wasn’t all bad, but that didn’t mean he was right either. She hesitated.

  “I’m not sure if I should—I mean want—to see you again. I’m sorry I kind of threw a bucket of cold water over everything.”

  He leaned over and nuzzled her lips then leaned back grinning. “You can make it up to me by being at my mercy for an entire night.”

  “You’re impossible to deal with.”

  “That’s a part of my charm.” He reached past her to open the door. “Go in. It’s late. Next time, you’ll arrange to stay with me all night.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and stepped out of the car. “Good night!”

  Duke peeled off down the road. The man was so infuriating, self-centered, bossy, arrogant, a whole host of irritating qualities that she hated. None it changed the fact that the hurt feelings she’d felt thinking he had dismissed her had evaporated. Now she had the nerve to be hopeful and was anticipating when she could see him again.

  “The idiot will be at Marquette’s tomorrow. That’s soon enough.” She walked up the steps to her tiny house and let herself inside. With Duke’s coarse personality, there was no reason to think she would ever fall for him, so maybe she could have sex with him one more time. She would play it by ear and see how things went.

  Chapter Seven

  Duke stepped through the doorway, which was more a wooden frame that shaped the space for a door. Debris was everywhere, and men hammered, sawed, and nailed all over the place. He scanned the interior of the room and spotted his cousin.

  “Stefan,” Duke called.

  Stefan looked around and flushed. Duke read the guilt all over his face. His cousin took his time standing and waited until Duke reached him before speaking. “How did you know about this place?”

  Duke snorted. “Are you kidding? You haven’t been as secretive as you think.”

  “Does Creed know?”

  “Not yet.”

  Stefan spread his hands. “Come on, Duke. You understand what I’m doing, right?”

  “For your wife.”

  “Not just for Talicia.” He sighed. “I love to perform. Marquette’s is fantastic, but the kind of music I performed at the club, that was my heart and soul. I want to start again with Talicia. Creed doesn’t get it.”

  “I guess he doesn’t.” Duke ran a hand over the back of his head as he took in the surroundings again. “At least it’s not over where you were before. This neighborhood’s pretty decent. Are you sure you’ll get the clientele you want?”

  “We’ll draw them in. My better half is an incredible businesswoman.”

  Duke pretended to gag and fanned the air. “All the love coming off you dudes is making it hard to breathe.”

  Stefan smiled that genuine grin that always spread straight to his eyes, and he slapped Duke on the shoulder. “You’ll fall in love before you know it, and you’ll see what it’s like to want to lay down your life for her.”

  Duke looked at the stain of white powder Stefan left on his shoulder. As far as he knew, Stefan didn’t have any renovation skills, but he had heard the brothers put in a lot of elbow grease at Marquette’s before it opened. Duke shook off the hand, but ignored the powder.

  “Don’t lose sleep over me finding love, bud. I’m happy going from woman to woman. Marquette’s is like a smorgasbord, and I can’t get enough.” For some reason, his words reminded him of Takiyah and how much he had enjoyed her body the other day. He had to get a place of his own because he was far from done with her. She might think she would resist him, but he saw how she responded to his touch. He would get her under him again no matter what it took. “Listen, Stefan. How busy are you here?”

  Stefan’s eyebrows rose. “I was planning to help out for another hour or two. Why?”

  “I wanted to see if I can interest you in a nineteen forty Indian Chief.”

  “Your motorcycle? The vintage one?”

  “Is there any other?”

  “Dude, you can’t be serious. It’s in mint condition. You’ve practically had a love affair with it for years.”

  “Yeah, well I kind of need the cash.” Duke rubbed his neck, hoping Stefan wouldn’t push. He had no problem lying though, but he’d like to keep things simple. “If I sell it to you, when I get things in order, maybe you’ll let me buy it back.”

  Stefan shook his head in amusement. “If you need money, I’d be happy to—”

  “No. I earn my keep. Just a sale.”

  “I thought Creed was taking care of you all these years.”

  “You thought wrong.” Duke kept his voice even. For the first time, he cared about the wrong impression, and he didn’t like it. “He bailed me out a ton, but that’s all.”

  “Why did you keep getting arrested?”

  “Bad luck.”

  Stefan chuckled. “You’re not going to tell me, huh? I assume my big brother knows?”

  “He wouldn’t bail me out if he didn’t get the details. You know what a hard ass he is.”

  Stefan made a sound of agreement. “Okay, you can pawn it to me. We have a warehouse down on Tchoupitoulas Street. I’ll house it there. Before you say anything, don’t worry. I have a private section under lock and key, and Creed doesn’t bug me about what’s in there.”

  “I have a feeling you’ve got stuff for your club stored in it.”

  “Talicia is on a buying spree. I might have to rein her in.”

  Duke snorted. “As if you could. So are you leaving Marquette’s?”

  Stefan went silent. They stood there for a few minutes, neither saying anything. Duke knew what it meant. Marquette’s had come back after the fire, hard and strong, but the golden boy was leaving them. He was surprised to find he didn’t like it, but he understood. Duke had always lived exactly the way he wanted no matter what anyone thought. Stefan was the one most like him—impulsive and in constant need of excitement.

  Duke held out his hand. “Good luck, bud. I mean it.”

  Stefan shook his hand. “I’m not leaving the family or New Orleans.”

  “Yeah, well something tells me Creed’s going to give birth to a cow either way. Stick to your guns and enjoy it. I know I will.”

  Stefan laughed. “You would.”

  Duke started to walk out of the building when Stefan called to him back. He waited while his cousin caught up to him, and they strode to the parking lot together.

  “Listen,” Stefan said, “I have a different idea I want to run by you.”

  Duke raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What’s that?”

  “What if you keep the motorcycle and come work for me?”

  “Now you’re sabotaging Marquette’s?” Duke was only half joking. “I’m not the best waiter, but I figure I give a little presence to the place, being a genuine Marquette.”

  Stefan shook his head. “No, I don’t mean instead of at Marquette’s. I would never do anything to interfere with the success of the restaurant. I’m still one of the owners after all. Our club hours run later than the restaurant’s. You can do both and make the money you need. With your background, you can work as my head of security.”

  “Whoa.” Duke had to admit the idea had a certain ring to it. Obviously, he would be over other guys. He hadn’t played a leadership role since the army. “What about your bodyguard, Jerome? Surely, he’s got the skills for the job.”

  “He does, but his job is to protect me personally. Dividing his attention between the patrons in the club and me won’t work.”

  “True, well you know me, cuz. I’m an easygoing guy.” Duke ran a hand over his jaw. Stubble grazed his fingertips. He’d shaved that morning, but the hair was growing out again. What did Takiyah feel about a beard, he wondered.

  Stefan interru
pted his thoughts. “If you take the job, I can give you an incentive for doing me such a huge favor. After what happened at the other club, I need to step up the security in our new club. I don’t want to take any chances on Talicia getting hurt. Not that I’ll allow her to work without me being there.”

  “I get you.”

  “So is it a deal?”

  “I’m not the type to take on too much of a heavy burden.”

  Stefan smirked. “Think about it.”

  “Will do, partner.” Duke joked around with his cousin a little longer and then bid him good-bye. He pretended he wasn’t all that enthusiastic about the job offer. The signing bonus plus the fact that he could keep his bike sounded fantastic. Then to handle security at the club, it was a win-win. He knew Stefan’s skills when it came to promotions and marketing. The place would probably be buzzing with activity the first night.

  Duke was almost at the restaurant before he gave in to the spark of excitement in his gut. He stopped at a traffic light and pulled out his cell phone to text Stefan. Within moments, even without a signed contract of employment, his cousin had dropped a load of cash into his bank account. Duke shook his head in disbelief and dialed again. Takiyah answered the phone on the fourth ring.

  “Hello, sexy lady,” Duke said in a deep, rumbling tone.

  He thought he heard a sharp intake of breath and grinned, imagining her squeezing those thick soft thighs together. “What do you want, Duke?”

  “Come with me to buy a house.”

  “Huh?” She gasped out loud this time. “Are you serious?”

  “Very serious. You needed me to have my own place, didn’t you? So help me choose.”

  “I don’t have any house-buying skills. My place is rented, and I don’t know you like that.”

  The light changed, and he peeled off down the road. “You wanted to feel like we weren’t fucking for the hell of it. I can’t say house shopping is romantic, but you can get to know me a little better. Afterward, I’ll even buy you lunch.”

  “So generous. Are you getting something near your cousins?”