I try my best to do him the same favor back, but I’m wiped out. The massage has made me relaxed and complacent.
When we’re done he dries me off and wraps me up in a thick, white robe, then does the same for himself, but only wraps a towel around his waist.
I study him. We study each other. He’s fucking hot. His shoulders are what I like best. Both sides, back and front. I didn’t get a good look at Bric’s shoulders yet. But I know it will be my favorite part of him.
“There’s people waiting for you out there,” Jordan says, nodding his head at the closed door.
“Who?” I ask, my heart skipping a beat.
“They’ll do your make-up and hair. And we’ve left you clothes. So don’t take too long. We’ll meet you in the second-floor bar for dinner when you’re done.”
I study his back at he walks out, closing the door behind him. Yes, I definitely like his shoulders.
There’s a little seat tucked under the vanity. I pull it out and sit. I cannot believe how wiped out I am. Tired, but not really tired. Relaxed, I realize. This is what it feels like to be relaxed.
I wonder if they’ve got something planned at dinner. Something that will make me uncomfortable and unhappy?
Can this night really just be about making me happy?
I find it hard to believe. I pissed Bric off last night. He definitely has something else planned.
“Well, Nadia,” I say to my reflection in the mirror. “He won this round no matter what.” There was no arguing. No battle of the wills. I did nothing but obey him tonight. So yes. “I lost,” I tell the girl in the mirror.
Elias Bricman made me submit to him.
And I loved every second of it.
Chapter Eleven -Bric
“Why are you so nervous?” I ask Jordan. We’re sitting in Smith’s bar. The table is elaborately set for a nice dinner, our glasses are full of expensive alcohol, and our cocks are happy. Why does he look like shit is about to hit the fan? “She had a good time,” I say, sipping my brandy.
“Yeah,” Jordan says. His eyes are glued to the elevator doors, just waiting for her to come downstairs. “But it was sneaky, ya know?”
“What was sneaky about it?”
He shoots me a look that says, Come on.
“She gave in, Jordan. We didn’t make her do anything.”
“Right.” He sighs. “But you’re what, just pretending we didn’t have that conversation this morning? You know, the one where you said, ‘I’m gonna fuck with her head so bad, she’ll spin like The Exorcist?’”
“It was a joke.” I laugh. “All we did was make her feel good tonight. She loved every fucking minute of it. Even when I choked her with my cock. She couldn’t get enough.”
“That’s because she was drunk on your dick at the time, Bric. But that feeling is gonna wear off and she’s gonna run the entire night through her head, and then—”
“Then she’s gonna realize we know what the fuck we’re doing. That’s all.”
“No,” he says. “She’s gonna realize you’re just playing with her emotions. Like you do with every fucking woman you’ve ever been with.”
“So?”
“So then she’s gonna up her game, Bric. And this is gonna turn into a mind-fuck shit-fest. I like her,” he says. “Maybe more than like her, OK? I don’t want her thinking I’m like you.”
“You are like me,” I say, getting pissed off. Why the fuck is he sharing her with me if he likes her so much?
But I don’t ask that question.
Because I like her too. Just not in the same way.
“See,” Jordan says.
“See what?” I ask
“That fucking evil grin you’ve got on your face. I know you well enough, Bricman. Well enough to see the Machiavellian wheels turning inside your head. Do not play with her emotions.”
“Why?” I ask, my temper rising. “Is she some kind of fragile flower?”
But then I realize this intrigues me.
“Stop it,” Jordan says. “She’s not a puzzle, OK?”
“Then why are we even playing?”
He huffs out some air. Runs his fingers through his still-wet hair. “Because she’s not…” He trails off.
“She’s not what?” I ask. What the fuck is wrong with him tonight?
“She’s not my type.”
“OK,” I say, not really understanding.
“I mean I’m not really her type.”
“Hmm,” I say. “Do you love her?”
“No,” he says. “Definitely not. But I like her. I could see myself playing with her for a long time. And if you fuck it up, that won’t happen. You, of all people, understand how fucking hard it is to get a girl you can trust in this game. One who just gets you, ya know? We get each other, Bric. I realize it’s only been a few weeks, but we know each other. I just like her. And we have an understanding. I get to boss her around and be a dick, but she knows I’m not a dick, right? She knows I’ll show up the next day and treat her nice and give her a gift. She knows I’m just playing. We’re playing.”
“It’s a game. Same as this,” I say.
“Dude, come on,” he says, almost fully exasperated now. “You are a sick motherfucker, OK? You know this, right?”
“Then why am I even here?”
“Because we’re good together, ya know. Not great. Yet,” he adds. “Not what you had with Smith and Quin, obviously. But we understand each other. We work well as a team. She liked that up there.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“The problem is you’re in a weird place right now and I’m afraid you’re gonna take it out on Nadia. Don’t do that, OK?” He stares at me. “Just be…”
“Just be your back-up?” I ask, huffing out a laugh.
He shrugs. But that’s it. That’s what he wants. Don’t overpower him. Don’t take her away from him. Don’t make her rethink her strategy. Just help him keep her.
It takes me a minute to decide if I’m angry or not.
I decide I’m not. I don’t give two fucks about this Nadia girl. And my goal really was to break her. So I shrug. “Fine,” I say. “You want a wingman. Fine. I’ll help you out, Jordan. But when I need a favor, I’ll expect the same in return.”
His shoulders relax with relief. His whole body, actually. “Thank you. And yes, for sure. If you need anything, just ask.”
I like Jordan. More these days than I did last month. And it’s not because I just lost my two best friends—although I’m way too analytical not to realize that has something to do with it. It’s because he’s a good friend. He was there on Christmas when I was down. He gave me his girl to make me feel better. He cared.
“You want me to leave?” I ask. “I can, you know.”
“No,” Jordan says. He sucks in a breath of air and then lets it out slowly. “No, dude. I want you to stay, OK? It’s going really well tonight. We’ve got her. And if we keep doing this… ya know?” He gestures with his hands to indicate this is what we’re doing tonight. “Making her happy. Making us happy. Everyone is happy. Then we’re golden. We’re set. We’ve got a long-term player.”
“But if I play mind games she’ll walk out?”
“Yes,” Jordan says. “She’s fucking sensitive to the control shit. I know this now. I know what she needs. I know how to keep her going. I understand her limits. I don’t want her to walk out and if you challenge her too much, she will, OK?”
“I really don’t see what’s so special about this girl. She’s young, she’s arrogant, and she’s playing with fire. But whatever. I can do you this favor. I’ll be nice. But we still have a plan, Jordan. And we stick to it until it plays out, understand me?”
The elevator doors ding before he can say anything else and Nadia Wolfe steps out looking… radiant. But a little confused. There’s a big crowd of people down in the lobby of the Club and they laugh loudly in this same moment, making her take a step back. Like she’s afraid they might be laughing at her.