Come As You Are (8 page)

That would never work though. She planned to seduce him tonight, but it would take careful planning. If she was thinking about it when he came into the room he would know exactly what was about to happen.

That’s why she thought it best if she employed a little trick that she’d read about in a book. She’d set up a chessboard on a table and was concentrating on the moves, playing herself while she waited for him to come in. It was close to
midnight
and she knew he was downstairs, helping with the business as the restaurant closed its doors and the bar filled up.

He wouldn’t stay downstairs for long, though. Since she’d been there, he’d taken to coming home just after midnight, and she could tell from the way his staff reacted that it wasn’t a normal thing for him to do. That was just fine with her, though. The more time they could spend together the better things were.

She checked the chess board one last time, then went into the other bedroom to make sure Culo and Pero were settled in for the evening, or at least as settled as cats were at night. They would sleep until around one, and then they would get up and roam around their new surroundings. She was impressed with the way they had adjusted, including the way they now came into the bedroom and work her and Franco up every morning. A high point of that was that her new lover seemed to enjoy the feline attention. That made him aces in her book.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs caught her attention. She hurried back to her position at the table and studied the chessboard, hoping that he’d fall for the bait. When he came in, he brought the smell of the kitchen with him, spicy Cajun food that almost made her stomach growl with need. Until she remembered her main objective.

Sex.

“Hey darlin’,” he said, sitting down opposite her and toeing off his boots. “Who’s winning?”

“I am.”
Hopefully, for both our sakes.

He glanced at the board, his gaze seeming to drift over each piece. “Looks to me like white’s going to lose in about two more moves. You need to learn to play more defensively.”

Yeah, that’s the plan.

“We can start over and you can play me, if you like.”
Or you can play with me. No! Don’t say things like that. You don’t want him to hear them. Chess. Chess. Chess.

His gaze lifted to hers and he licked his lips. “Do you want to play the game in progress, or start a new one?”

“Oh, definitely a new one.” She picked up the black queen. “Are you up for it?”

“Darlin’ I’d love to be up for you. But I need to take a little cap nap first. Is that all right with you?”

Oh yes, he was definitely following his usual routine. “No, go ahead and lay down. I’ll just study the board.” She put the queen back in her place and kept her attention focused on the board as he walked toward the bed. He undid his jeans and slid out of them, then pulled his shirt over his head, leaving only his boxers.

He had the most gorgeous body she’d ever seen. Even though they hadn’t had actual “sex” she’d seen him every night, felt him curled up next to her as he’d held her close. She couldn’t wait to get him inside her.

Maybe she should give him a few more minutes to rest before she jumped him. Or maybe she should go and change her own clothes, put on something sexy, even though her choices were limited. Quinn had packed her bags and she hadn’t included any sexy nightgowns.

Still, she had a nice bra and panty set in the bag. She could go and put that one, see how it liked it.

From the bed came a low, throaty growl. “Forget it, babe girl. Just come as you are right now, cause that’s the way I really like ya. I’ve been listening to you plan this scene for the last hour and my cock is so damn hard right now I don’t know if I can wait much longer.”

“Oh!” She pushed back from the table and ran to the bed, jumping up and straddling him. “You creep!”

The closest thing to hand was a pillow, so she picked it up and began to hit him with it, his laughter filling the room. It was contagious and she laughed along with him, almost forgetting at the last minute the most important part of her plan.

She dropped the pillow and grabbed one of his wrists, pulling it above his head and attaching it to the handcuffs she’d found in his bedside table. He gazed up and watched with interest as she fastened the other one. The cuffs were attached to the bed by a short chain that she’d run through the slots, giving him room to move his hands if he wanted to.

“You know, Tempest, this is the first time these have ever been used on me. Usually it’s the other way around.”

“Is that a complaint?”

“Just an observation.” He darted his tongue out to wet the top of his mouth. “Kiss me.”

“No. I’m running this show. If you’d been listening to me you would have known that.” She ran her hands down his chest. “You’ve been an awfully good boy, waiting to have sex with me because you thought I was traumatized.”

“Weren’t you?” He bent his legs so that she could lean back against his thighs.

“A little.” Tempest ran her hands over her breasts, savoring the sound of his obvious pleasure at the movement. “But not anymore. I want to fuck you. I want to feel you inside me. Behaving these last few nights has been hard, and it’s time for the storm to be unleashed.”

She stood up, making sure their gazes held as she looked down on him. Then she began to strip, slowly, gathering her shirt in her hands and inching it up her body. The hitch in his breath made her feel bold, but instead of speeding up, she slowed the process, letting the shirt drop down just a little. She lifted the skirt enough to show him she wasn’t wearing any panties.

His growled “Oh hell baby” made her laugh.

“Something wrong?”

“Not a thing. I’m just enjoying the show.” He licked his lips again and she imagined that mouth wrapped around one her nipples, pulling on it every so sweetly.

Then she grinned down at him and wiggled her eyebrows. “Hot damn, it worked.” She hopped off the bed and grabbed the key to the handcuffs, placing it on the pillow where he’d barely be able to reach it.

“I’m going for a walk. Coming with me?”

“A walk? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

She headed for the doorway, pausing to grab a bag.

“Tempest Adriana Gandy, get back here this instant.”

She hurried down the stairs, laughing, stopping at the bottom as she listened to his “Damn it,” which accompanied the rattle of the chain.

When his feet hit the floorboard, she went down all the way into the bar, sliding out the front door and turning right toward the Mississippi River. She’d just made the corner when she heard him call her name again.

She quickened her pace. She didn’t want him to catch her, but she didn’t want him to lose her, either. She wanted him to follow her to the place she’d picked out for their little rendezvous. Her plan had worked, right down to thinking about changing her clothing. He had no idea she’d planned to leave the building. He thought she was going to jump him right there.

At the Bourbon Street crosswalk, she wound through the throngs of people, ignoring the calls of “Show us your tits.”

A glance back showed that Franco was still behind her, and gaining ground. How could that be? He’d had to put on his clothing, from his shirt to his shoes. Sure, his legs were longer than hers, but they weren’t that long.

She crossed Royal and Chartres, coming up on the back of the St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square. She snaked to the left, laughing when her name again reached her ears.

Jackson Square was still full of people, even though it was after midnight. There were a few artists left, willing to do drawings of you and your loved ones for a nominal fee. Fortunetellers hollered at her to stop and partake of their services. One of the things she loved about her hometown was the fact that it never closed down. The Café Du Monde, located just across Decatur Street, was open twenty-four hours a day, and she’d tucked money into her shoe earlier in the evening so that, after their love making, they could stop and get themselves a treat on the way back to Franco’s place.

On the other side of Decatur, she stopped and looked back. He was almost to the traffic signal, and in the moonlight mixed with the lights from the street lamps and artists’ tables, she could see that he was grinning.

Oh yes, she was sure he got it now. Even if he lost her in the crowd, which would thin out once she was on top of the pavilion and heading down toward Riverside, he knew where she was going.

She climbed the steps next to the Café, then went down them on the other side. The sight of the Mississippi bathed in moonlight made her smile. It was definitely a gorgeous night for this.

A few more jaunts and she was near the river, in an area that would not have very many visitors this time of night. She found the bench she’d picked out very easily, sitting down under a tree that blocked the streetlights and basically left the bench in darkness.

Within seconds, Franco was behind her. “You are in major trouble, young lady. Do you realize this isn’t the best area of town to be in after dark?”

“Pshaw,” she said, flapping her hand at him. “Besides, I’ve got a big, strong protector, don’t I? One that I managed to fool. You thought I was going to tie you to the bed and have my way with you. Instead I brought you here, to make you mine under the moonlight.”

“What makes you think I’m not already yours? I told you when we made love that it would be because you wanted me, not because you were under the influence of the incubus.”

“I’ve been gone from my house for three days, and that demon has absolutely no hold over me right now. What, or I guess I should say who, does have a hold over me is you. It started before you gave me that fantastic orgasm with your wickedly wonderful tongue.”

When he didn’t respond, she frowned. “Are you seeing something inside my mind? Something buried deep that he…put there?”

“No, there’s nothing.” He undid the top button of his jeans and Tempest’s nipples tightened. She could feel wetness gathering in her pussy and the idea of taking him inside her made her shiver with want.

“Please.”

“So you’re a little exhibitionist, huh?” He stepped right in front of her and undid his jeans, freeing his cock. When she went to reach for it, he grabbed her hands. “Not yet. Naughty girls need punishment for leading their lovers on chases.”

His cock bobbed in front of her face and she stuck out her tongue, moving her head just enough to run it down the ridge. Excitement threatened to boil over as he thrust his hips at her.

“Suck me.”

Tempest slid her mouth over him, her tongue toying with the slit of his cock. His groans emboldened her and she sucked him in deeper, loving the taste of salty male that filled her mouth. Franco was right; he was definitely wider than most men.

She lifted back to tell him so, but he put his hand on the back of her head, applying just enough pressure to keep her in place. “We’ll measure later. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

That’s right,
she thought as she put her hand inside his jeans and lightly traced his balls.
I don’t have to say it. This is one man who knows what I want, and how I want it.

He pushed his jeans down to his ankles and stepped closer to her. Tempest put her hand around the width of him. She moved her mouth up and down on his cock, meeting her fists, which worked the bottom of his shaft that she couldn’t fit into her mouth.

“Tell me the nastiest thing you want me to do to you.” When she went to lift her mouth from his cock, he held her steady. “No need for that, remember?”

She slowed her movements and part of her thought that was his intent. She could tell from the movement of his hips that, if she kept up at her current speed, he would come much sooner than either of them wanted.

“That’s right, baby. Just keep thinking. Let’s discuss bondage. I know you like that.”

Her lips tightened around his length and he stroked her hair.

“Yeah, you like that, too. Think about…” He pulled away and dropped to his knees. “My Queen, how may I serve you?”

Oh yes, his gift could definitely come in handy. Tempest spread her legs and ran her hands up her thighs. “Pleasure me, slave.”

He caressed her thighs, then bent his head toward her legs. His tongue traced over her ankles, sending sweet shivers of bliss through her. He took his time moving up each leg, moving to mimic tongue movements on the other before kissing her exposed skin.

Tempest laid her head back and looked at the stars. Her body tingled as he kissed and explored her, the feelings strong and sensual. She’d fantasized about having sex in public for years, and though she’d probably chickened out by doing it at night, where no one was around, it was still thrilling to her.

He was at her pussy now, parting her lips, gently stroking his tongue up and down the soft insides of her. He flicked around her clit, and need spread through her as her orgasm approached.

Her body tightened as the sensations threatened to burst. If only…

Suddenly he stopped and stood, pulling up his jeans. “I heard that, you know.”

“What?” She glanced at him, her mouth opened in shock. “Are you just going to leave me here?”