Gold, Fire & Refinement

Chapter Forty-One

"Deception is one of the quickest ways to gain little things, and lose big things." ~Thomas Sowell

That night, right on time, Zarah entered the motel room acting like the "pro" she knew Thurgood was expecting. The note he gave her that morning told her to bring the same music she used when she danced on the video with Carter, and to wear the same outfit. She didn't have the outfit anymore, but bought a new one that day that was similar. She was wearing it underneath her clothing. A black strapless one-piece bathing suit called a "monokini," it had see-through lace revealing her torso and abdomen, and a very low-cut back and front that came too close to exposing too much.

It was eight o'clock on the dot when she let herself into room 234 of the Paradise Inn. Without allowing Thurgood to say even one word, she went straight to work doing a striptease. After turning the music on, she started slipping out of her form-fitting black leather jacket, revealing the top of her monokini. Next, she kicked off her shoes, then started wiggling out of a pair of skin-tight jeans she knew she looked poured into. 

Guzzling champagne, Thurgood's eyes were glued to her every move. He looked like a hungry dog watching everything greedily as, finally, she shimmied out her pants and kicked them off, leaving on just her bathing suit. Wishing she could speed up time while pretending she wanted him, she stared into his eyes, then licked her lips and let her ponytail loose before stepping back into her red stiletto slingback sandals. 

Feeling sick to her stomach knowing what they were going to do to her audience, she knew he had given them no other choice. Once the night was over, his threat had to be over, and Harvey and Carter were adamant the trick they were pulling was the best way to be sure.

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Zarah's moves and her bewitching perfume were scorching his brain, and Thurgood didn't know if he was more intoxicated by lust or by the wins of his day. THN had gained a record number of new advertisers and there was no end in sight for obtaining more. He started drinking early—celebrating his company's success while anticipating yet another victory tonight. He couldn't believe his last-resort threat had worked and that she had no idea he was bluffing. He believed he only made her accept something he saw as inevitable for the two of them. He believed she wanted him as much as he wanted her. 

His cousin's sexy wife-to-be, with her perfect body, was giving him a performance he'd never forget. She was an amazing beauty with skin that looked like silk, and he couldn't wait to feel her smoothness underneath his fingertips. He wanted to reach out and touch her ... only it was against the rules. He stopped drinking champagne though, so he could drink her in: beautiful face—big gray eyes and full sexy lips, an appetizing prelude to round, full breasts with protruding nipples that pointed at him as she moved. Her tiny waist, tight abdomen, curvaceous hips, show-stopping, long dancer's legs, and a round, voluptuous hot bottom. She was spectacular. Naked underneath his bathrobe, he grabbed a pillow and placed it on his lap.

Winding up her performance, she reached out and took his hands in hers. "T," she said. "This is the part where I turn off the lights. In the dark, I'll take my clothes off. After that? I'll slip into bed with you." She nodded toward the lamp next to him. "I'll tell you when to turn on that lamp. When the light comes on? That's when I'll be wearing only lip gloss and my red stilettos. Just like in the video. I'll be waiting for you to make the next move. Once you do, I promise. I'll give you a night you'll never forget. Ready?"

He swallowed hard before whispering, "Yeah." When she let go of his hands, he swallowed again and his heart started beating faster than ever. Watching her dance her way to the room's light switch, all he could think about was how he was on the verge of collecting on a very old debt, and his body was telling him his moment of victory, surely, was going to feel like an earthquake.