Poles Apart Read online

  you another one.”

  I sighed dreamily. Sometimes he was almost too sweet and adorable for my sanity. “You are so damn sweet, baby,” I whispered as I pulled his mouth down to mine.

  He kissed me back hungrily. His soft lips moving against mine made everything seem right in the world. It didn’t matter that I had to work so hard to pay the rent, or that I was stuck in a job I hated, working my way through Uni on about four hours sleep a night. It didn’t matter how hard my life was as a single mother. When Carson kissed me, I felt like I could do anything and be anyone.

  My whole body was burning for more. I was so turned on it was almost painful. I felt like some desperate horny junkie who needed a fix. My body was on high alert, jittery and needy. His tongue traced along my bottom lip, asking for entrance, so I pulled away, putting my forehead to his.

  “Carson, I want you to do something for me,” I breathed, looking into his eyes, which reminded me so much of his daughter.

  “Sure, what?” he asked, kissing me again. I kissed him back but when he nibbled on my bottom lip, I pulled away again, making him groan.

  I smiled teasingly. “I want you to walk away from me,” I stated, watching as shock crossed his face.

  “What, why?”

  I gripped the front of his shirt, rubbing my nose against his lightly, like he always did to me. “I want you to go away and then come back and pretend like you don’t know me. I want you to hit on me with your best pick-up line ever. Then I’m going to drag you to the bathrooms and have hot, nasty, stranger sex with you,” I said seductively. As I spoke, the shock was slowly fading from his face, to be replaced by lust and longing.

  “Are you sure this isn’t my birthday?” he growled, slipping his hand down to my bum, squeezing gently.

  I giggled. “Oh, no, baby, it’s definitely mine,” I confirmed, tracing my finger along the edge of his collar, feeling his soft skin.

  He smirked at me. “And this is a little fantasy of yours, is it? Picking up a stranger in a bar for hot, nasty, bathroom sex?” he asked, his voice husky and thick with lust.

  I closed my eyes and nodded. It wasn’t exactly the ‘picking up a stranger’ thing I wanted. It was meeting him for the first time as a normal girl, in normal clothes. I wanted to feel like one of the girls he picked up in the clubs. I wanted to feel special and wanted, even if it was just for one night. I wanted him, and for once he wouldn’t feel the need to offer me money; he would just be with me because he wanted to be. I wanted the full Carson Matthews experience all those other girls got.

  He laughed and kissed my lips softly before pulling away from me and disappearing through the crowd. I bit my lip, giggling and blushing like crazy as I headed back to where Lucie was still propping up the bar. Thankfully, Joe and Logan were gone, off dancing and flirting with a group of girls by the look of it.

  Lucie glanced over my shoulder and frowned as I walked back on my own. “Where’s lover boy?”

  “We’re playing a game,” I replied, shrugging.

  She laughed and rolled her eyes. “You must be pleased with his reaction to the Joe thing,” she said, nodding enthusiastically.

  “Huh?” I questioned, confused as to what she was going on about.

  She sighed dramatically, flicking her long, raven hair over her shoulder. “Oh, come on, possessive much? He was so damn jealous it was almost embarrassing!” she explained. Jealous? Carson? Why would he be jealous, though? He got what he wanted from me all the time, so why would he feel the need to get jealous? I looked at Lucie like she was crazy and she just laughed. “For a smart girl, you really are an idiot sometimes.”

  I shook my head, still confused, but before I could say anything, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around, wondering who it would be… and there stood Carson. A goofy grin slipped onto my face. I’d completely forgotten we were playing this little game.

  I took in his whole form in a matter of seconds: the way the dim lights made his hair look a darker shade of brown than normal, how his light-blue shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, and how the smile tugged at the corners of his full lips, making them look inviting and luscious.

  Without speaking he raised his hand, holding something out to me. I frowned, confused, and opened my hand, watching as he dropped a little silver screw into my palm. What the hell? Where did he get that from? I flicked my eyes up to his face in time to see him smirk at me.

  “Wanna screw?” he asked, raising one eyebrow curiously. Lucie and I both burst out laughing as his prop suddenly clicked into place. Carson grinned and held out his other hand to me. “So, anyway, I just wanted to come and introduce myself. My name’s Carson, and you are the hottest damn thing I’ve ever seen in my life. If I was to Google the definition of natural beauty, I’d see a picture of your face,” he said, his eyes locked on mine.

  My heart was racing, my stomach doing little flips as my whole body grew hotter. Oh, yeah, I love this game! I bit my lip and shook his hand. “Emma,” I replied, trying not to giggle.

  He pulled me closer to him. “Want to go somewhere quiet and have some hot, nasty, stranger sex, Emma?” he purred, causing my whole body to tremble with excitement.

  I nodded eagerly and winked at Lucie before weaving through the crowd, dragging Carson along behind me, holding his hand tightly.

  As we approached the ladies toilet you could easily see the queue, so Carson tugged me toward the gents’ instead. I grinned and kissed him forcefully, pushing him against the door. It swung open and we both stumbled in, slamming against the wall, still not breaking the kiss. I giggled as he kissed down my neck, letting his hands roam my body. His hand slid under the bottom of my dress as my fingers went to his belt buckle. I was in no mood for going slow right now; all I could think about was his body and nothing else.

  He pushed me against the wall, gripping his hands on my bum and lifting me off my feet easily. I wrapped my legs around his waist and practically ripped open his jeans, shoving my hand down there eagerly. My stomach fluttered when my fingers brushed against the hardness I could feel through the material of his boxer shorts. The anticipation was killing me slowly. As his tongue tangled with mine, I moaned into his mouth at the sheer luxury of having his undivided attention.

  That was when someone cleared their throat dramatically. I squealed from shock and Carson swore quietly, pushing me tighter against the wall, obviously trying to shield me with his body as he tugged my dress down quickly to stop the guy who was washing his hands from getting an eyeful.

  I cringed and buried my flaming face into the side of Carson’s neck, giggling as he spoke to the guy. “Sorry, man. I didn’t realise there was anyone in here,” he laughed.

  The guy laughed, too. “No worries. Maybe you should lock the door,” he replied as he walked out of the toilets.

  Carson chuckled and flicked the lock on the door before looking back to me with lust written clearly across his face. “Now then, Emma. Just how nasty are we talking here?” he asked, grinning mischievously.

  I bit my lip and squeezed myself to him tighter. “Oh, as nasty as you want… sorry, I forgot your name,” I teased.

  He grinned and stepped to the side, sitting me on the counter next to the sinks and pressing his whole body to mine. I could actually feel his heartbeat against my chest; he was so close. “It’s Carson. Now, don’t forget again because I want you to scream it.” He kissed me again, pushing my dress up around my waist as he gripped my thong with both hands. I heard a tearing sound and I gasped from shock as the material was literally ripped off my body.

  Well, you did tell him nasty…

  He grinned and started kissing down my body, guiding me to lie back on the little counter. It wasn’t actually very comfortable, but the situation was so hot I just didn’t want to move. He grabbed my calves roughly and pulled my body to the edge of the counter before he bent to bite the inside of my thigh. I gasped and wriggled, flicking my eyes around the bathroom until I spotted a full-length mirro
r on the opposite wall. I had the perfect view of Carson on his knees, me lying back on the counter, my feet resting on his shoulders while he kissed and bit around the inside of my thighs, heading higher with each kiss. My breathing was coming out in pants; all I wanted was to scream at him to hurry because I felt like I was close to bursting point.

  Holy fuck, this is sizzling hot!

  Just as his tongue got to where I needed it, a toilet flushed off to our left. My mouth popped open in shock as my head snapped in that direction just in time to see the door to the last stall open and a guy in his early twenties walk out. Carson jumped up, yanking my dress down and looking over his shoulder at the guy who had totally caught us in the act.

  I squirmed on the spot, blushing furiously as I fingered the bottom of my dress, making sure I was covered. Neither Carson nor I spoke; we just watched him with open mouths. The guy was clearly unfazed by us getting it on while he was using the toilet. He smiled and washed his hands, taking his time as if this happened to him every day.

  Suddenly, his eyes widened. “Holy shit! You’re Carson Matthews!” he cried excitedly. “I’m your biggest fan. Oh, my God, I can’t believe I’m meeting you! Wow, seriously, wow. You’re a driving god. I swear, you’re my idol!” he gushed, still not fazed by the fact Carson had his jeans undone and was standing between my legs. The newcomer didn’t even seem bothered that my ripped thong was wrapped around Carson’s hand he was in the process of trying to take hold of so he could shake it in greeting.

  Could he have not noticed what we were doing?

  Carson frowned and nodded, quickly moving my underwear to his other hand before shaking the intruder’s offered one. “Yeah, thanks, dude… er…” He flicked his eyes to me, looking a little confused.

  The guy gasped suddenly, his eyes popping open as if he’d only just noticed the situation. “Oh, shit. Sorry, I’m interrupting! Go ahead, get your freak on! Can I get your autograph though?” he asked hopefully.

  Carson patted his pocket as he swallowed awkwardly. “Umm… I don’t have a pen. You have one?” he asked, his voice amused as I giggled and pressed my face into his arm, trying to disappear.

  The guy groaned. “No. I’ll go get one, though,” he replied as he ran toward the door. “I’ll wait outside until you’re done so I won’t interrupt you again. Have fun and don’t worry, I won’t let anyone back in here. I’ll stand guard on the door for you,” he vowed, nodding enthusiastically. He flicked the lock on the door and practically ran out. I could hear him saying Carson’s name excitedly to himself.

  Carson laughed awkwardly. “Well, that ruined the moment.”

  I burst out laughing and pulled his mouth back to mine, kissing him softly. It was a nice idea, but maybe I wasn’t supposed to get sex for my birthday; maybe I was being punished or something. He kissed me back passionately, but both of us knew it wasn’t going any further. Carson was right, that guy was a total passion-killer.

  He pulled away and brushed one finger down the side of my face, rubbing his nose on the side of mine. “I’ll do this little fantasy of yours another time, I promise,” he whispered.

  I smiled and gripped my hand in his hair. “I’ll hold you to that, baby.”

  Taking hold of my hips, he gently set me on the floor again. Raising his hand, he showed me my ripped underwear and winced apologetically. “Sorry, I got a little carried away.”

  I giggled and went up on tiptoes, pressing my lips to his softly. “I hope it’s not windy when I leave tonight,” I teased.

  He chuckled and took my hand, tossing my underwear into the bin before we walked out of the bathrooms together. As promised, the guy was standing outside the door, his arms folded across his chest, stopping a line of guys who were obviously waiting to use the bathroom. They all cheered and whistled as we walked out. My already-burning cheeks blazed harder as I pressed my face between Carson’s shoulder blades.

  The waiting crowd recognised him and all immediately surged around him, asking for autographs and photos. While he was busy, I snuck off back to Lucie, leaving him with the quickly growing crowd.

  Lucie looked at me with an ‘I know what you were doing’ expression, and I couldn’t help but giggle guiltily. “That was seriously fast. Maybe he’s not as good as you say he is,” she teased.

  I bit my lip and shook my head. “Some guy walked out of the toilet and caught him going down on me on the counter. Man, it was so freaking embarrassing!” I muttered, picking up my drink from the bar and topping it up with the last of the cocktail from the pitcher.

  Lucie laughed and held up her glass, knocking it against mine. “Well, here’s to not being interrupted next time,” she toasted, smiling over my shoulder.

  An arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back into a hard chest. I squealed, giggling because I already knew it was Carson. “You’re not supposed to run off and leave me, you know. You should have made some excuse for me and dragged me off, saving me from the crowd,” he whispered in my ear, nibbling on my earlobe gently.

  I smiled and sighed contentedly. Why did it always feel so right being in his arms? Why couldn’t I just get over him already so I wouldn’t feel the heartache when I remembered he wasn’t actually mine to keep? “Sorry, baby,” I said, leaning my head back against his shoulder and closing my eyes.

  “Just remember that for next time, huh?” He stroked the side of my head. “Are you tired? I can drive you both home if you want,” he offered, looking from me to Lucie.

  I pulled back to look at him as horror built in my chest. “There is no way I’m getting on that bloody bike with you again,” I stated, shaking my head fiercely.

  He laughed and rolled his eyes. “I do own a car, you know. Why would I offer two drunks a lift home on a bike?” he teased, rubbing his nose against mine lightly.

  Oh, yeah, I didn’t think about that.

  Lucie cleared her throat. “I’m actually gonna stay out a little longer with the girls. But you take Emma home,” she insisted.

  “I’m not leaving you here on your own,” I rejected.

  Angie wrapped her arm around Lucie’s shoulder. “She’s not on her own, silly. We’ll all share a taxi. Don’t worry, we know about safety in numbers, Emma,” she scolded playfully.

  I looked at Lucie to make sure she was okay with this and wasn’t just doing it because she thought I wanted alone time with Carson. Jenny turned around and passed her a fresh drink she’d just bought.

  “You’re really staying?” I asked Lucie. She nodded and sipped her drink. “Okay, well you all stay together. No wandering off and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow. Thanks for a great night, girls,” I said, hugging them all one by one.

  Once I’d said my goodbyes to everyone, Carson took my hand and led us through the crowd to the front door of the bar. As we stepped out, I was almost blinded by the flash of a camera. The light was so bright I had to put my hand up to shield my eyes. Beside me, Carson groaned loudly and then his arm wound around my waist protectively. The click and flash of a camera continued to go off furiously in front of me.

  “Emma, where’s your necklace Carson bought you?” someone shouted.

  I squinted and looked around, confused, until I saw someone I recognised. The guy from the club last night, the one who was asking me loads of questions about Carson. He was holding out a little black rectangle thing towards me as the photographer he was with continued to snap shot after shot.

  “I didn’t want to wear it in case it got lost,” I said weakly, not really understanding what was going on.

  “Did you have a nice night?” the guy asked.

  I looked at Carson, unsure as to what I should do. Was I allowed to answer his questions? What was the protocol for being papped outside a bar, whilst drunk? I didn’t want to say anything and cause him any more trouble.

  Carson smiled and nodded, leading me off in the other direction. “We had a great night,” he confirmed.

  I kept pace with him, clinging to him tightly as they walked in fro
nt of us, still taking pictures while walking backward, holding the little black thing out to me again.

  What the heck is that? I studied it, suddenly realising it was a little tape recorder.

  “So, you two met at a strip club?” the guy asked.

  I gulped at that question. This was going to look really bad for Carson.

  “Guys, seriously, come on, don’t ruin the night for her. It’s her birthday. Can’t you give me a break for one night?” Carson said dejectedly.

  The guy ignored him. “What does your management think about you dating a stripper, Carson? Your family? What about your friends?”

  Carson frowned. “She’s not a stripper!” he snapped.

  “She works part-time in a strip club, lap dances a couple of times a week,” the guy replied, smirking.

  I groaned. I shouldn’t have let Carson drive me home. I should have stayed inside with Lucie. Now he was going to be getting negative press and they were going to be talking rubbish about me in the papers. I could see it now: ‘Carson’s bit of rough’, ‘Scraping the barrel with a stripper’. Rory was going to go crazy when he read that. He didn’t know what my job entailed; I didn’t ever want him to know.

  “Just back off!” Carson ordered while putting his hand over the camera lens, his other arm tightening on me. Tears welled in my eyes; I felt dirty, cheap and nasty all over again. Carson grabbed his keys from his pocket. A car beeped and unlocked two cars away, and I didn’t even have time to see what type or colour it was before he opened the door and pushed me in, slamming the door behind me.

  My heart sank. Would he stop coming to the club now? Once he was slaughtered in the papers for going to strip clubs and fraternising with lap dancers, would I ever see him again? His management would probably make him stay away for his ‘image’. I would be lost without him. He climbed in the other side of the car, starting the engine as they took more pictures of us in the car together, banging on the windows, and still shouting their questions.

  “DON’T CRY, EM. WHAT’S WRONG?” Carson whispered as we sped down the road. He took my hand, glancing at me worriedly.