Darker The Forbidden Berry

Finally, Finn stood up straight and patted her hip knowingly. She watched him walk to the other side of the table and offer her a coy look. Her heart leaped at it and her mouth went dry. This motherfu*ker knew exactly what he was doing. A smile tugged at her lips, but she said nothing. She spent the rest of the afternoon, positioning herself in front of him so that when she bent over to hit the ball, Finn got a glorious view of her round bottom. Aja could feel his eyes burning into her backside, and if she was being honest, she liked the attention.

The rest of the day went like this. The two of them were locked in a battle of teasing one another. Finn would let his fingers dance across her shoulders and arms and she would move in ways that told him exactly what she wanted. To say that the two of them were flirting would be an understatement.

They spent the day wandering through the city and eating all of the delicious food a big city had to offer. Aja was particularly fond of all the Middle Eastern flavors Detroit was well known for. They even ended up in the casino and won a bit of spending money, though that did not matter. Finn was picking up the bill for everything and he did not have to budget.

It was dark now, and a chilly wind was blowing through the city. They were on their way to their next destination (Finn wouldn’t tell her where) and Aja had her arm wrapped around his, Finn’s coat wrapped around her shoulders to shield her from the chill.

“Seriously. I gotta know,” Aja started, patting his hand. “How rich is your family?”

“Well… Between the businesses and the assets, our estate is worth about five billion,” he said, pulling Aja into a bright red door.

“You’re a billionaire!”

“What? You’ve never worked for a billionaire before?”

Aja shook her head. She could not even fathom that kind of money.

“I’ve worked for a few millionaires, but billionaires are hard to find.”

“Sounds like you need to snap them up when you find them then, hmm?” The playful smile on his lips told Aja everything she needed to know.

The inside of the building they’d just entered was almost pitch black with the exception of a small desk lamp at the coat check. A pretty brown-skinned woman with large brown doe eyes and a ribbon around her neck greeted them.

“Long time no see, Finn!” She sang, waving at him and taking his coat. She glanced at Aja and smiled. “You must be a new friend of Finn’s. I’ve never seen you before!”

Aja smiled pleasantly and shook the woman’s well-manicured hand.

“This is all very new to me! What is this place?”

“Oh! This is Hush! We’re a pretty exclusive club. We keep the invite list short so we can keep it classy.”

That phrase made Aja a bit nervous. When people said things in Detroit were exclusive, they usually meant ‘no black people’. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be the case. The woman took their coats and walked out from behind the tall desk, revealing her tall heels, tight pencil skirt and glorious legs. She led them through a long hallway to a door surrounded by what looked like Christmas lights and then pushed the door open.

“Enjoy!”

They stepped through the archway of lights and into a well-sized room with an illuminated bar and dance floor. Leather lounges were scattered around the room, each with a small candle in the middle that offered a bit more light. The room was filled with a diverse crowd and Aja felt the tension leave her body. Sometimes rich white men had a tendency to prefer the company of other rich white people.

“What the hell is this?” She breathed, looking up at the string lights hanging from the ceiling. All of the different light sources made this place feel magical.

“It’s just a bar.”

“Just a bar?!” She gasped. “This place is amazing!”

“Let’s enjoy it then.”

Finn pulled her over to the bar and tapped on the counter. A thin man with platinum hair and a nose ring walked over, a pleasant smile on his lips.

“Welcome back Finn. I see you brought a new friend,” he nodded at Aja, his hands still occupied by a glass and a rag.

“We’re just getting to know each other,” Finn explained. “Can I have whatever is on tap tonight?”

The blonde man nodded and then turned his calm, pleasant smile towards Aja. “And you?”

“A fuzzy navel?” Aja did not really go out to bars because of the price, but if Finn was going to be kind enough to pick up the bill she did not see the harm in trying something new.

He took a moment to skillfully make their drinks before sliding them over. Finn picked his up and tipped it towards the bartender, a pleasant smile on his lips. Stiff conversation faded into easy small talk. They asked about each other’s favorite colors, vacation spots and animals. Aja had worried this whole night would be awkward. After all, she was living up to that professional co*k blocker title. She had been ready for Finn to be annoyed by her, though she was happy it was working out.

They had both finished their first drinks and Aja’s head was spinning in the most delightful way. She was aware of herself, but she felt a little more relaxed and ready to roll with whatever the evening brought. Finn took her hand as he pushed away his glass.

“Do you dance?”

“Not often,” Aja said, standing up and smoothing out her skirt. “But I’m always up for it.”

Finn grinned and took her hand, pulling her away from the bar and towards the floor. It turned red just as they stepped onto it and the low light cast shadows over Finn’s face, taking away his boyish softness. In this light, he looked like someone who might throw her against a wall and kissed her until her lips bruised.

Aja was catapulted from her fantasy when Finn put his arm around her waist and tugged her closer. Her dark brown eyes snapped up to meet his and she all but melted into his arms. The bass of the slow jams playing from enormous speakers on a stage rumbled through her, making her toes curl just slightly. This little trip to the city somehow turned into something almost erotic.

“You look really nice,” Aja breathed, not sure what else she should say.

He chuckled and stroked his fingers along her high cheekbones.

“So do you,” he hummed, his fingers dancing across the tight fabric clinging to her shoulders.

He squeezed her waist gently and Aja swallowed hard. She was lost in his stormy gaze, her heart in her throat. There was something so mesmerizing about him, and she could not quite place it. No one had ever made her feel like this before. He could make her feel like she was the only girl in the room.

Her mind was screaming at her, telling her this was a bad idea. She pushed that voice aside and put her hand over his, glancing down and then back up. She stood on her toes and turned to plant a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth. He was so magnetic and charming. She wanted to be closer to him.

Finn turned her whisper in her ear, his hand resting on the back of her head.

“Was that an accident?”

“No.”

“Do you regret doing it?”

“No,” she breathed, her heart racing in her chest.

She pulled away and looked up at him, just in time to see him smirk.

“You want to get out of here?”

“Yes.”