Nicole Edwards - Temptation

“Exactly. I go in, learn what I need to know about a company, and then attend various events in their place.”

Sierra didn’t question Cole about his trust fund, though the way he had gauged her reaction told her that he expected her to. She wasn’t interested in the man’s money. She was interested in the man and Cole’s profession stimulated the intellectual side of her brain.

Sierra got the impression that Cole wasn’t much on offering personal information, appearing to be just as private as Luke. How the two of them managed to engage in the types of relationships they did, namely threesomes, was beyond her. Those seemed a bit personal in her opinion, but what did she know.

“Are you from Dallas originally?” She asked, resting her arms on the table, her fingers twined around the stem of her wine glass as she gave Cole her attention.

“No, I was born and raised in Oklahoma.” He responded to her question, and she saw the glint of shyness shining in his beautiful eyes.

“What made you move to Dallas?” Sierra detected the hesitance in Cole’s eyes, and she wondered if she was asking too many personal questions.

“I needed a change. I earned a degree from OU and then moved south, not sure what I was looking for. Somehow I ended up in Dallas, and I’ve built my business from there. It wasn’t until about seven years ago that I became involved with the club. Although seven years ago, it was named Destined Hearts, and it wasn’t nearly what it is today.”

“Destined Hearts?” Sierra laughed. “That sounds more like a singles website.”

“That’s what Luke thought, so he changed the name to Club Destiny when he and Logan bought it five years ago, figuring he wasn’t changing it entirely, just giving it a facelift per se.”

“Well, I’m not sure I would have named it Club Destiny, but it’s a definite improvement. And you said you met Luke at the club?”

“I did.” The hesitation in Cole’s answer was evident.

“I’d like to know more about the lifestyle. Luke mentioned the club isn’t exclusive to married couples, so I’m assuming you aren’t married.”

“Not married. Never have been.” Cole stated, watching her carefully. “And no, Club Destiny isn’t limited to married couples. I’ve been a member of Luke’s club since inception. And as for my lifestyle… What is it that you want to know?”

Sierra grinned, realizing she was definitely treading on personal territory and based on Cole’s reaction, he wasn’t all that happy about it.

Thankfully the waiter chose that moment to interrupt them, bringing their food and refilling their wine. Allowing Cole a temporary reprieve, Sierra focused on eating, doing her best to leave Cole be for a few minutes. As much as she wanted to believe that Cole was just shy, and a little startled by her questions, Sierra got the impression that he didn’t want to talk about himself. To her.

“Cole.” She said, placing her fork and her knife down on the table beside her plate. When he looked up, holding his fork in front of him, halting midway to his mouth, Sierra continued. “I want to know everything there is to know about you.”

Watching the internal struggle Cole waged with himself had her wanting desperately to reach out and touch him. For such a strong, masculine man, Sierra felt there was something much deeper, which explained whatever was going on between him and Luke.

“Tell me.” She encouraged him, then picked up her fork and tried to continue eating. Truthfully, she wasn’t all that hungry, but she didn’t want their time together to end.

Right now, right here, with Cole, she felt at ease. He knew who she was, at least superficially, and he knew about her interest in Luke. He also knew of her interest in him, based on the way he looked at her.

Apparently he didn’t have a problem with her wanting another man. She wished she could be just as comfortable with the situation. This was the part of her that she had never been able to explain, the part of her she always felt was abnormal. Daydreaming about being that woman in her romance novels, the one who was showered with love and attention from two men, was a frequent fantasy.

When it came to sex, Sierra was open, wanting to express her deepest, most intimate desires, and if she wanted to be with two men, then the rest of the world be damned. She’d just never thought of it as more than just a dream. As long as everyone was on the same page, what did she have to worry about?

The only question was whether Luke and Cole were thinking the same thing she was.

“Let’s just say I’m very open.”

Of course he wouldn’t go into detail. Sierra smiled, wanting to laugh at his inability to tell her more. “Ok, we’ll leave it at that. But, you have to tell me one thing.”

He shot her a skeptical look but didn’t turn away.

“Are you bisexual?”

Cole hesitated, but then he nodded his head. “Yes.”

Well, that answered most of her questions all in itself. It explained his relationship with Luke and being that he was a member of the club it told her that he wasn’t discriminatory when it came to gender. Club Destiny was a swingers club after all.

“You think that answers all of your questions?” There was a hint of suspicion in Cole’s tone.

Had she actually spoken out loud?

She hoped she hadn’t, but the way he looked at her as if she’d grown two heads said maybe she had.

“It tells me enough.” She paused momentarily. “I don’t judge, Cole. I’m not interested in picking apart your life or determining whether it’s right or wrong. I just want to get to know you.”

Seemingly satisfied with her response, Cole clarified. “I engage mostly in ménages with married couples. Which makes me the third.”

He was letting her know who he was so she could make up her own mind.

“Now, tell me more about you.” Cole stated, turning the conversation to something much safer for him, but not so much for her.

With a deep, fortifying breath and a long swallow of wine, Sierra proceeded to tell him the details of her life. If he trusted her enough to share, she might as well divulge everything.

Cole charged dinner to his room, although they insisted that Luke had already instructed them to do no such thing. Taking the waiter aside momentarily, when Sierra had slipped away to go to the ladies room, Cole told him in no uncertain terms that he didn’t give a shit what Luke had instructed. That had changed the waiter’s perspective and resolved their issue entirely.

When Sierra returned, Cole was waiting, and the two of them wandered through the casino until they came upon an empty blackjack table. Insisting that he play, he found himself unable to tell her no. There was something so compelling about the woman that Cole wondered if he would ever be able to tell her no.

He didn’t bother to tell her that he had no idea how to play the game, so when he started losing she turned to him in wide eyed wonder.

“Have you played before?”

“Nope.” He admitted, grinning. “Can you tell?”

When Sierra laughed, Cole’s insides tumbled repeatedly. Her laugh was the sexiest sound he had ever heard. Her carefree attitude and always there smile was refreshing, and Cole found that he would do whatever it was she wanted, lose as much money as necessary if he could only keep her smiling.

His admission apparently didn’t sit well with her, so she ordered two beers from a passing waitress and insisted on teaching him how to play. He was doing relatively decent until a couple joined the table, but at that point, he didn’t give a damn how much money he won or lost, he just wanted to sit beside Sierra and watch the beautiful way her face lit up when she would win a hand.

The dealer turned her attention on Cole, and he glanced down at his cards. Two aces. What the hell was he supposed to do with that? “Hit me?”

“Wait.” Sierra pleaded. “Split them.” She urged, and Cole had no idea what she was talking about. “He wants to split them.” She told the dealer who then looked at him for confirmation.

“Whatever she says.”

Sierra told him what to do with his money, adding more to the table that he was likely going to lose, but what the hell did he care. Then the dealer proceeded to deal out more cards, and Sierra squealed in delight.

“Blackjack! Twice!”

Cole wasn’t sure what that meant to him, other than he had won, but when Sierra threw her arms around his neck, wrapping him in her sweet, spicy scent, Cole no longer cared. When she buried her nose into the crook of his neck and her warm breath whispered across his skin, he damn near came up off the chair. His dick swelled and throbbed, making his jeans increasingly uncomfortable – a sensation he was becoming all too familiar with.

“You won.” She told him when she pulled back, and Cole could only stare back at her.

Did she feel the same thing when they touched as he did? That sharp tingle that started somewhere deep inside and radiated outward. When their eyes met, and held, he knew instantly that there was definitely something going on between the two of them.

Throughout dinner, Cole had continued to answer Sierra’s questions, although he admittedly was trying to determine her motive. Yes, his insecurities had led him to believe Sierra was grilling him only to find out more about Luke. He’d been there before. On more than one occasion and he had to say, it wasn’t his favorite pastime. So when she seemed to be genuinely interested in him, Cole had let down his guard a little.

He’d tested her with his admission about his trust fund, and her reaction, or lack thereof, surprised him. Yes, Cole had money. Boatloads of it. More than he could spend in a lifetime thanks to his grandparents and his parents.