10

Harlow stared down at the outfit on her bed, wondering what the hell she was getting herself into.

Or better yet, what Lucien was getting her into. Clearly he had some deep seated urge to show her off wherever they were going.

Was he planning to flaunt her around like his prized toy?

And did she mind? A part of her did, immediately rejecting the idea of being viewed as someone's plaything. But a stronger part was intrigued at how far he was willing to take this game growing between them.

They'd already discussed her role here, and the dress was just one more piece of being the object he wanted to dangle over people's heads to keep them in line.

Fingering the silver metallic fabric, Harlow sighed, picking it up. A halter dress, which wasn't bad in and of itself. But it was backless and the slits on each side of the skirt went all the way to the hip.

It was quick work to change into the dress, and as she predicted, this was something clearly made to grab attention. Her hips flared out from the sides, showing off her curves and her cleavage looked fantastic.

It was colder and heavier than she'd thought it would be, but maybe it would keep her from getting turned on when she was near Lucien tonight. She needed to keep her wits about her, especially because she was so affected by him.

Even last night when she'd sucked him off, she'd been so close to begging him to take her. To just pluck her up, carry her into her room and do whatever he wanted to her. She'd been so wet, and hearing her name bellowed from his lips as he came in her mouth had been possibly the hottest thing she'd ever experienced.

Luckily for her, he'd left as soon as they got to her door otherwise the deal they made would have been over within an hour. And wouldn't that have been pathetic?

If she was going to try and make him beg for her, she needed to up her game.

A pair of strappy silver heels were on the floor, so she slid them on, not even bothering to wonder how Lucien knew her sizes. Underwear was a no-go because it would be clearly noticeable if she wore them, and Harlow wasn't about to ruin the effect Lucien was going for.

Entering the large bathroom to fix her hair, she couldn't help but marvel at the fact that she looked like a disco ball.

A sexy disco ball, but nonetheless. If someone shined a light right at her she might just twirl for effect.

It was quick work to tease her hair into delicate waves around her face, so she moved onto the next task to get ready.

Harlow was applying a tiny bit of lipstick that she'd had with her from the night before when she noticed a presence in the bathroom mirror, someone lurking almost out of sight in the doorway.

"If you wanted to watch me dress, you could have asked," she teased.

"What if I want to watch you undress?"

Harlow stiffened at the unfamiliar voice, turning from the mirror and narrowing her eyes on Lucien's friend. Her hands planted on her hips as he stepped forward.

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

"I wanted to introduce myself."

Harlow quirked a brow. "In my bedroom?"

He smirked, eyeing her up and down suggestively. "I assume I'll find myself here at some point, especially if you keep dressing like that."

Her face flushed, and she wasn't sure if it was from irritation or the huskiness in his voice. He noticed her discomfort and grinned, showing off pearly white teeth.

"That's presumptuous of you. What would Lucien think of that?"

He shrugged, taking a step into the room. "We've shared women numerous times before, and from what he explained to me, you're his to use however he wants. I doubt he'd mind sharing you."

Sharing her?

Indecision churned in her gut and her hands dropped to fist at her sides. For some idiotic reason, the thought of Lucien just passing her around like she meant nothing kind of hurt her feelings.

Why? She had no idea. That was exactly how he'd acquired her, but Harlow didn't want to delve beneath the surface of those new emotions at all.

"I don't even know you."

"I'm Zade, and you are...?"

"Harlow," she answered with a small bite in her voice. "Though I'm sure you already knew that."

"I might have." Zade leaned against a wall, his gaze heating her skin as it swept leisurely over her once more.

"Am I interrupting something?" Lucien asked, stepping into the already crowded bathroom.

"Not at all." Zade kept his eyes fixed on Harlow.

"Your friend was just talking about how you were planning onsharing me."

Lucien's expression was blank as he prowled toward her. Each step in her direction caused a fluttering low in her belly and when he moved behind her, pressing his front into her back, she couldn't help but shiver.

His hand locked around her throat, pulling her back into his body as his breath tickled her ear.

"Is that something you want, princess?" Lucien's voice was sensual as it wrapped around her, but Harlow couldn't help but detect the underlying steel in his tone. He tilted her head until she was staring at Zade, who was still leaning against the wall, watching them both with interest. "Answer me."

Harlow forced herself to relax in his hold, unsure of how to respond. Would it be hot as hell? Probably. Zade was sexy, tall and looked like he'd be rough if she wanted him to be.

And if Lucien didn't care about who fucked her while she was in his home, then why should she care either?

It's just a game, she reminded herself.

"I don't know," she answered honestly, hating that she couldn't lie to Lucien. But how would he act if she smothered Zade with attention? If she let Zade touch her how he had? She wanted Lucien Thorne on his knees.

Maybe this was how to do it.

Zade smirked. "That isn't a no, Thorne. I'd say she wants it."

Lucien's fingers tightened just a fraction, and then he released her, stepping back until the warmth of him was just a brief memory.

"We're going to be late," he said abruptly before walking from the room, leaving Zade and her alone.

Zade turned to watch Lucien go, and Harlow caught the quizzical expression on his face in the mirror before he turned back to her.

"Time to go."

The car ride was fairly quick, though Harlow felt the tension between the three of them as Stefan pulled into an underground parking garage.

Lucien hadn't said a word, and Harlow didn't know how to diffuse whatever the hell was going on between them, so she remained silent as the men began to file out of the vehicle.

He held open the door for her, taking her hand and escorting her from the SUV. Her other hand went to the metallic fabric of her dress, keeping the bottom from riding up and flashing anyone nearby.

The car door had just shut behind her when she found herself pinned between it and Lucien's hard body. His cologne wafted around her, and she inhaled on instinct, wanting to drag as much of him into her lungs as possible.

His nose brushed hers and he looked down, pushing her into the metal of the door. His hands found her bare hips beneath the slits in her dress, fingers biting into her skin.

"You look exquisite." Lucien's lips brushed hers. It was a faint touch that stole her breath, and in that moment she didn't give a damn about anything but him kissing her, owning her mouth like he had last night.

Her lips parted softly in invitation.

And then Lucien pulled away from her like she'd burned him, turning and walking toward a small crowd of people waiting outside of a closed door.

Zade came to stand beside her, gently steering her to follow Lucien until they caught up to him.

The bouncer guarding the door smiled politely.

"Mr. Thorne, your box is waiting for you, sir. Do you need an escort inside?"

"No."

The bouncer nodded, opening the door for the three of them.

Curiosity was a living, breathing entity inside of her as she followed Lucien closely, tempted to reach out and clutch the back of his suit jacket as he led her into a dark hallway.

He probably wouldn't like it if she wrinkled his clothing, so she snagged the bottom of his jacket with her fingers, ignoring Zade's dark presence behind her.

If Lucien felt her holding onto him, he didn't act like it, but she noticed how his steps slowed infinitesimally.

Faint noise came from somewhere in front of them, swelling in size the further they walked.

Was that cheering?

Another man was waiting for them at the end of the corridor, greeting Lucien as he opened a door to the right.

Noise exploded into the hall, nearly deafening in its intensity.

Lucien turned then, reaching for her and dragging her forward until his hand was around her waist and she was tucked into his side protectively.

It was probably just to show her off, to let people see that she was so easily taken and kept in his control.

Wasn't that what he'd told her in the car last night? But as his fingers flexed, Harlow couldn't help but feel like his actions were more possessive than anything else.

Her thoughts shifted to her surroundings as more cheers sounded along with the slapping of flesh. Her brows rose in surprise as she was led into some sort of cage fighting arena.

There were hundreds of people present, and there was a haze of cigarette smoke that filtered through the air. The people nearest the cage in the center of the room were dressed casually, drinking from plastic cups and shouting obscenities at the men circling each other in the center of the metal cage.

They were bloody, wearing nothing but loose shorts and tape over their hands and knuckles.

Her head tilted as she caught sight of one man's bruised and bleeding face, her lips parting in shock.

"I thought you'd want to see your friend," Lucien whispered in her ear, all but confirming that Raider was an active participant in the fight.

That was when she noticed several members of the MC, their leather cuts hard to miss now that she was looking for them. They were drinking by the ring, shouting Raider's name as he slammed his fist into his opponent's face.

"You thought I'd want to see him like this?" Bloody and fucked up?

Lucien's lips pressed into her ear. "Maybe I wanted to see him like this."

Harlow didn't know quite how to respond to that, but Lucien was already leading her up some stairs and into a private room toward the top of the makeshift arena.

The floor was carpeted, but the walls surrounding them were all glass, showcasing a perfect view of the fight down below as well as all of the people around them.

The people on either side of their own booth were well dressed, just like Lucien and Zade, and most had beautiful young women on their arms while topless waitresses brought by flutes of champagne.

Lucien dropped down on a leather sofa nearest to the glass, pulling Harlow onto his lap. They had a perfect view of the arena from here, but Lucien wasn't focused on the world below them.

His hands found her legs, tossing each one over his knees. And then he spread his own legs, stretching her until she was completely exposed to the arena below.

"Are you ready, princess?"