Zoe blinked at the shape of my full erection through my tight briefs. Maybe she was the one daring me, but I didn't care. I needed her to react. That was what fueled me.

Grinding my hips with a chuckle, I inched her palm over my leg, then brought it close to my bulge. There, finally; pink as cotton-candy, Zoe's whole face glowed. I was rewarded with her trying to yank away. I held on tight, enough to show her I knew and she knew that I was in control of this dance.

Fuck, the way she chewed her lower lip had my cock throbbing.

“Here,” Eliza said, appearing at our side. The screams of the others nearly drowned her out. “It's her birthday, go give her a private dance.” A lovely devil, she hooked her arms under Zoe's and forced the surprised woman to her feet.

“Oh, no no,” Zoe laughed. Twisting away from her roommate, she bumped right into me. The scent of her body heat hit me, wafting from her red hair and her elegant throat. Inhaling sharply, my eyes fluttered. She heard the noise, startling and gaping up at the wall that was my mostly naked body.

She was saying she didn't want to be alone with me?

What a liar.

Kicking my pants and shoes away, I looped my arm around her waist, spun her like a dancer. “Don't insult the host,” I said, shooting a quick look at Eliza. The wicked light in her eyes said she hadn't changed one bit. Still such a ball-buster. “It's your birthday, being too scared to enjoy that would be a shame.”

Zoe followed at my side, everyone clapping behind us. She was dazed, her words stilted and angry. “I'm—I'm not too scared to enjoy it!”

“Good.” Pushing the bedroom door open, I let go of her. Dipping my head, I motioned inside. “Then let me do my job. I already promised to be gentle.”

This was her moment to choose. If she walked away, I wouldn't chase her down or coerce her. Perhaps I could change her mind as the night went on, but I was ready right now. If Zoe didn't go for it, I'd burn my energy out on that Janet girl. She'd been eye-fucking me the whole party.

Lifting her chin, Zoe gave me a sideways smile. “It's my birthday, what if I don't want gentle?”

Breathing through my nose, I pushed the middle of her back. Okay. Never mind this 'choice' bullshit. Even if it was just a dance—for now—I was getting a piece of this woman.

She didn't fight me. Zoe walked into the room with her head held high. It wasn't until I'd shut the door, cutting off the music and setting us in our private bubble that her coy smile crumbled. “This is just a lap-dance,” she said, though it was verging on a question.

Dressed in just my clinging briefs, still sporting a solid hard-on, I moved towards her. The twinkle of nerves in Zoe's blue eyes had my heart thumping. Leaning past her, listening to her tiny gasp, I chuckled. She'd expected me to touch her. Instead, I clicked the play button on the radio I'd brought. Soft, trance-style music began to flow.

This was intimate, different than the display I'd put on for the crowd. I wanted her to know that before we even began. It'd been some time since I'd done a strip-tease for a party, but private moments like this? Just me and a woman and nothing in between?

Those were as familiar as breakfast.

“Hey,” she said, her voice going razor-thin. “Answer me. Just a dance, okay?”

Running my fingers through my thick hair, I shrugged. “Unless you ask for more, sure.”

“I won't ask for more.”

Narrowing my eyes, I showed her my teeth. “Don't go making promises you can't keep.”

Zoe's chest flared, filling with surprised—excited—air. I could tell she liked my challenge, it was written on her parted lips.

I was used to girls reacting this way, it wasn't new. What was new was the odd resistance coating her every move. This girl was into me, so why did she keep wavering around it? Where was her wall coming from?

Putting my hand on her shoulder, I pushed her down onto the bed. She sat heavily on the edge, the springs squeaking in place of her own voice. She'd gone stone-silent.

In the light of the single lamp on Eliza's desk, her vanity mirror showed the two of us. Zoe was stiff-backed, eyes popping to their limit while she gazed expectantly upwards. Still fully dressed, she should of had the advantage. It didn't work that way.

When I rolled my stomach, my reflection mimicked me. The plethora of tattoos rippled, black and red and even green. I loved ink, swelled proudly at how the designs accentuated the sharp dip of my hip bones.

Zoe was entranced. Clearly, she loved the effect, too.

Lifting her eyes, she realized by my smirk that I'd caught her eating me up. Her mini scowl said, I'm flustered, okay, so what?

If she thought this was flustered, she had a harsh lesson coming her way.

My fingers clamped onto her knees. Her jump was instant, amusing. Pushing her legs apart, I slid between. My bare chest came close to her, stroking the fabric of her dress, a butterfly's kiss.

Lifting her hands, she slid her nails along my upper back, like she was testing to see if I was real. A curl of her hair tickled my nose. “Is this your first lap-dance?” I whispered.

A row of goosebumps sprouted along her neck. She answered me in her cracking voice. “Would it shock you if I said no?”

It did shock me. Pulling back, I stared at her curiously, looked for some hint of what this girl was made of. Zoe was still blushing, but her eyes were a smile all their own. “In that case,” I said, trapping her wrists tight. “You know the rules. No touching.”

She showed me her tiny scowl. “You let me touch you earlier.”

My grin split wider. “If I put your hands on me, it's fine. I didn't this time. Rules are rules.” Letting go, I pulled her down the bed until her toes were on the floor. This shoved my cock against the soft spot between her thighs.

Zoe's dress slid high, revealing the pink fabric that did what it could to create a barrier between her sweet cunt and my eager hard-on. The sound she made was all squawks. “Whoa whoa! Hey! What are you doing?”

Licking my lips, I dug my hands into her smooth flesh. Purposefully, I rocked against her pussy, rubbing along the fabric. There was a growl in the back of my throat. It wasn't fake or exaggerated, I was fucking turned on. Her shock was just adding to it. “Thought you'd had lap-dances before?”

“Not like this!”

“Well,” I purred, grinding my cloth-covered dick firmly against her, “That makes sense. I do them my way. I do them fucking right.”

Zoe was gawking, but the bit of fire I'd spotted in her before was shining in her face. She kept her hands on the bed, mauling the blanket. She could have shoved—or tried to shove—me away. She hadn't.

For a moment I waited. My palms traced to her knee, hips holding still and creating a wave of aching need in me. Shit, I was excited. Her scent was burrowing into my nose. My lust was made worse when she arched into me experimentally. “Yeah?” I breathed out.

Darting her eyes to the side, then back to me, she chuckled. “I'd be a pretty poor birthday girl if I didn't let Eliza get her monies worth. She paid for all of this.” Those pretty irises were deep and dark. “Go ahead. Show me what a proper lap-dance is—what did you say your name was?”

I didn't muffle my laugh. “Huxton. Just call me Huck.” She'd forgotten my name? What a little tease. I wouldn't let her forget me, no way. Patiently, I gyrated my throbbing erection against her panties. I knew how to move, where to press. Zoe's moan was... encouraging.

Hoisting her by her round ass, I pushed her up the bed. Doing so put me close to her, a wave of her sweet, intoxicating musk dampening my brain. The scent of her excited cunt was driving me towards the edge. I needed to stay in control.

With her back against the headboard so she was forced to sit up, I straddled her body. Something brushed my spine—her hands, again. Knotting my brow, I clicked my tongue. Zoe got the message, dropping her arms to her sides. She might as well have rolled her eyes. “You can touch me, but I can't touch you?”