Chapter 10

AN: Thanks so much for the reviews. Now here comes the first thought...

As Derek watched Penelope, a wicked little grin curving those full lips he wanted to taste, he knew he was in serious trouble. He didn't let her know that he knew—oh, hell, no, he wasn't stupid—but he could tell. Whatever was cooking in that devilish mind of hers didn't bode well for him, but he wasn't going to let that be a deterrent. He was there to win her heart, win her over, and win her love. And he was going to win. No matter what.

For a moment, when she started spouting that crap about him never being her lover, he was damned pissed. It took everything in his power not to say, "Ya think, huh?" and drag her gorgeous, red clad ass into the nearest dark corner to prove her wrong.

However, then he thought about what he'd said to Rossi, about what he needed to do. He was going to win, change her mind, and make her fall in love with him, too. He needed to woo her, support her like usual, show her that their regular relationship would work—and then make her choose him over any of the other thrills in Las Vegas.

He smiled to himself. That would be the easy part. He could guarantee her: he was far more thrilling than anything out there on that Strip!

So whatever punishment she had rolling around in her mind, he'd take it with a grain and a smile, and be her Hot Stuff—or her "Morgan," since she didn't want nicknames—and her best friend. When the dust settled and she'd made her choice, she'd come to him.

He was sure of it.

Penelope didn't like the little grin that was on Derek's mouth right now, like he was plotting something himself. She wondered what he was thinking. Cursing herself for being paranoid, she decided she wasn't going to worry about it. She was going to win, and in the end, he was going to leave her alone so she could frolic with sexy men who actually wanted her.

She was sure of it.

The waiter brought dessert and made it table side for them. She almost clapped when he flambeed the fruit in a technicolor display of fire. It was very dramatic, something she didn't see in any of the restaurants she frequented.

After he served her the dessert, she took a bite of the bananas foster that was on her plate and closed her eyes at the explosion of flavors. Sweet banana, spicy rum, earthy cinnamon, so exotic, along with the creamy familiarity of vanilla ice cream.

"Oh, my God, D...wow," she said, licking her lips. "That is incredible."

She opened her eyes to find him staring at her with the darkest, hottest expression he'd ever had. Most women would probably melt faster than the ice cream at such a look from him, but not her. This was really nothing new; Derek had flirted with her and got turned on by a stiff wind some days. He was very...virile.

He gave her a lazy, bedroom smile, and then took a bite of the decadent treat himself. "Mmm hmm...Very good."

"That's all?" she mused. "Too bad...You didn't enjoy that nearly as much as me."

"How good was it for you?" he asked, his voice stroking her like velvet.

She teased back. "It was nearly orgasmic."

Something about his expression told her if he truly wanted to find complete satisfaction...and if she did, too...then it would have nothing to do with dessert anymore.

Something else told her not to doubt him...

She shook her head. It was going to be hard not to let him get to her. He was a master seducer; his player reputation was well earned. She wasn't immune.

She also wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to sleep with her now any more than he did back home. She was not going to be in Vegas, land of hedonistic thrills and hot sex, and go to bed frustrated every night after flirting with Derek.

She could've stayed in Quantico for that!

She finished her dessert, and then tossed her napkin aside. "Ready to go?"

"Where you want to go, sweethear—" He paused dramatically. "I mean, Penelope."

She glanced at her cell phone for the time. "Well, it's after two. Time to go to Drai's."

"Nightclub, huh?" he asked with a grin, before standing and pulling out her chair. "That's my stomping grounds."

"Remember...no getting in the way," she admonished as she stood up.

"Whatever you say."

She frowned. "I'm serious, D."

Flashing his white teeth at her, he opened his arms wide, and then gestured to himself. "Baby, I'm yours to command."

Rolling her eyes, she reached for her purse and headed towards the door, hearing his soft chuckle behind her.

After a rather sizable wait in line, Derek and Penelope entered the darkened atmosphere of Drai's After Hours club. There were intimate booths, lots of rich mahogany wood, separate rooms with fireplaces and couches, and a definite packed dance floor filled with beautiful people and a hip hop beat.

The world speed record for getting hit on was beat the moment Derek made it to the dance floor. One second, Penelope was standing by him, admiring and discussing the scenery over the loud music; the next, three horny bachelorettes had him by his lapels, bumping and grinding against him.

He shot her a mock helpless look, tossing his hands up for effect, as one scantily clad girl shimmied her booty down his thigh.

"Care to dance?"

Penelope turned to see a big, good looking man smile at her. He wasn't quite "Derek good looking," but he was mighty fine. He also had a thick, Arabic-sounding accent, which was mysteriously sexy and held a lot of appeal. It reminded her about Arabian nights, being carried away on a horse by a sheik across a moonlight desert.

In the back of her mind, she was highly pleased, too, that she didn't have to wait very long to dance with someone. That would've been terrible: Derek dancing, and her a wallflower.

"Sure," she said, as she made her way out on the dance floor.

"Ouch!" bachelorette number one exclaimed as he stepped her foot. "Please be careful, handsome."

"Sorry," he mumbled. He wasn't watching what he was doing; he was too busy keeping an eye on Penelope.

Derek watched as Penelope slipped onto the dance floor, the hulking man behind her standing far too close for his liking. They started dancing face to face, but all too soon, he turned her around in his arms and put his hands on her hips.

A moment later, he slid those big mitts up and onto her ribcage, near her breasts. Derek felt pure rage rise in him. The need to deck the bastard with the wandering hands on his Baby Girl came to the forefront of his mind.

At that moment, Penelope looked over and smiled at him from around her partner's arm.

He smiled and nodded back, as he chewed the inside of his cheek to keep from dragging her from that motherfu—

He interrupted himself to keep his cool and looked around the dance floor. Everyone in the club was dancing like that, grinding, bumping...like any club he'd ever been to. He needed to get his temper in check before he made a fool of himself. If he lost it here, Penelope would send him packing.

That probably was her intent all along—to make him lose it.

"Gorgeous, are you okay?" bachelorette number three asked.

He grinned down at her and swooped her into his embrace, dipping her in a much practiced dance move. "Oh, yeah, I'm good."

"Penelope," her dance partner murmured, his voice thick and dark and mysterious...and kind of hard to understand, if she were being honest with herself. "Can I buy you a drink?"

She was facing the man again, dancing with him. He was a bit frisky with his hands on the dance floor, but so was everyone else there. Derek's women practically had him undressed, they were so all over him.

She shook her head. She was thinking about Derek again, when she was trying to ignore him. She took a look as he dipped one of the easy girls he was dancing with. At this rate, he'd be in bed with all three of them in a few hours, and then he'd be too tired to watch over her tomorrow.

Somehow, that didn't make her feel any better.

She smiled up at Abdul. They'd been dancing a long time now, and she was tired and thirsty. "I'd love a drink."

Placing his arm around her waist, he lead her to the bar, where he ordered two drinks, and then they headed to one of the rooms with the couches and fireplaces.

After taking a seat, she took a sip of her very strong drink—she had no clue what it was—and forced it down. "Thank you."

He took a seat next to her, taking a solid drink of his at the same time. He made a face and coughed slightly. "My pleasure."

They chatted for a long time, nearly an hour, and Penelope got to know a lot more about her new friend. In the more intense light near the fireplace, she noticed how handsome Abdul really was, too. He had dark, mocha skin, a shade darker than Derek's, chiseled features, and piercing black eyes.

Not only that, but he was charming. Conversation with him was light and easy going. She was beginning to like him quite a bit.

They were laughing about something silly, when Abdul reached for her hand. She watched as he brought it up to his lips and gave it a warm kiss with his full lips. He was staring at her with those intense eyes, thickly fringed with dark lashes.

"Penelope," he began, "I have to head back to my country soon, and I cannot offer you more than one night...but I would like to make that offer."

Her eyes widened. Holy cow. This was her first opportunity to do this, to have an affair and be a wild child. With a really good looking guy. In Vegas, where no one would know what she'd done...besides Derek, of course.

And instead of being thrilled by the prospect, she was scared shitless.

"Abdul—"

"Here," he murmured, leaning even closer as she instinctively recoiled back into the seat. "One kiss, my darling, to show the passion that we could have together..."

With that, he covered her lips with his full, soft ones and began to kiss her. She closed her eyes, trying to experience it, giving it a fair shot.

It was a nice kiss, pleasant, and he had minty, nice breath, but it didn't rouse any supreme passion within her. She didn't want to run off to his casbah with him, that was for sure.

When he tried to put his tongue in her mouth, she broke her mouth away from his and pushed at his chest.

Gratefully, he took the hint and sat back down.

"Nothing, right?" he said, with far less of an accent than he'd had earlier.

She shook her head, even more grateful she didn't hook up with this character, although she really did think he was harmless. She gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Abdul."

"Penelope."

She looked up to see Derek in the doorway. As he walked closer to the couch, she noticed the lipstick prints on his neck and jaw, a kaleidoscope of colors.

Those bachelorettes had obviously been busy with her Hot Stuff.

He arched a brow at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but I am ready to go," she said, and then smiled wistfully at Abdul. She leaned over, extending her hand, and then gave him a soft kiss. "Goodbye."

"Farewell, Penelope," he said, his thick accent back again, before kissing her hand. He reluctantly released it, letting Penelope go to walk out of the room.