Part of me was disappointed—the other part was wondering what the fuck was wrong with me.

Holy shit, that just happened.

Okay, this was good.

Adam took the bait.

I could do this.

I had until tomorrow at six to get my head on straight.

I was getting closer, I could feel it.

Maybe Adam was the key to unlocking Club Joi.

7

“You want to talk about it yet?” Cole asked.

No, I didn’t want to talk. I swallowed the last of my beer and set the empty bottle on the deck next to my feet, but kept my eyes aimed at the surf.

I was a motherfucking scumbag.

No two ways about it.

I spent the drive back to the beach alternating between being pissed as all-fuck at Sloane for opening her damn door and stepping inside, and at myself for being a weak douchebag. Thank fuck Wilson called when he did to tell me he was in town.

It was only by some sort of divine strength of will I’d managed to keep a minuscule hold on my control, but when I got my hand in those ridiculous panties and I felt how fucking wet Sloane was, that control I’d been holding onto nearly snapped. When she came apart my determination to not take it beyond where we’d gone only held because I couldn’t stop hearing her call me Adam. Me fingering her to orgasm might’ve been an asshole thing to do, but at least I’d kept my dick in check.

Which meant tomorrow was going to be tricky.

I figured she’d cave, especially when I declared Club Joi off-limits to her, agreed not to sexually participate, but alluded to still watching. Sloane had never struck me as the type of woman who would allow herself to be disrespected. And it was only disrespect because it was blindingly clear she didn’t get off on any of the club’s offerings. I saw her anger flare but she hadn’t called me out on it. Which shocked the hell out of me and disappointed me in equal measure. I’d fully expected her to at the very least call me out and make watching a hard limit for her. But she didn’t, she fucking agreed.

She’d started the game and now she was going to play it out to the bitter end even if that meant having sex with me.

What in the hell would drive a woman who was as self-possessed as Sloane to fuck a man who was into a kink she found objectionable?

She was as attracted to me as I was to her, no doubt. But attraction only goes so far when the object of your attraction is an asshole.

Sloane Ellis would not put up with an asshole.

“We’re missing something,” I told Cole. “This shit with Sloane tonight was not right.”

“You didn’t take advantage of her,” he carefully stated. “You said you were clear about what was going to happen.”

I could swear I felt a filling in my molar pop free with the amount of pressure I was using to clench my jaw.