Elle's Seduction (5 page)

Elle leaned forward and frowned. “This is going to be a long, slow process.”

Seconds passed as some of the people put the vegetables in their farms and others just stared at the glass, unable to comprehend what they were to say or do. Maxwell felt sick. How on earth could Fred think that anyone would want to sit and watch insects and worms eat refuse?

And they had to look at that through their dinner. Maxwell cursed under his breath as he met Darren’s eyes. He wasn’t sitting here through this. Fred had overstepped his authority and was about to take Z Toyz and his brother Zackary’s name with it. He couldn’t allow that.

Lost in thought, he almost missed Elle’s voice across the table.

“Oh. My. God. No.” Elle sat staring at the farm in front of them, her face white.

They’re just ants and worms,” Maxwell stated, disgust making him impatient and rude.

“No, it’s not that,” Elle replied pointing at the side of the frame. “If I’m not mistaken, they’re escaping!”

Up and down the table, chairs toppled and women and men lurched away.

The ants continued to scurry in their little farms as, one by one, they escaped their chamber. Elle didn’t think twice, she burrowed into her purse and pulled her mace. She might not get all of them but she’d keep them from escaping.

Maxwell pushed his chair out and flipped his phone open. He waved at their ant farm and her mace. “Good thinking. Thank God someone has a lick of sense around here.”

“Excellent idea,” Luke said beside her. “I’ll get trash bags. Just try to contain them.”

“Bloody hell!” Darren threw down his napkin and flung himself out of his chair. “Fred!”

Careful not to spray directly across but down, Elle began going up and down the now empty table, spraying the edges of each of the farms. Ants curled on their sides and stilled at the onslaught even as she realized she couldn’t get all of them. The owner arrived to the chaos and spoke in rapid-fire Japanese to Fred who was blustering about trying to calm the man down.

As Luke came out with trash bags, Maxwell took charge. “Darren, you speak Japanese. Go talk to the man and tell him we’ll take care of it. Fred, get over here and help Elle and Luke clean this mess up.”

Seconds ticked by as the room evacuated and things quieted. Darren had managed to quiet the owner and several of the staff were pulling plates and mopping up behind Elle and Luke’s cleanup efforts. Within moments, the floor was mopped and every available surface was washed down.

Zackary Stranton arrived in grand style, his coat fluttering out behind him. At 6’2 his resemblance to Maxwell was startling. Those normally kind brown eyes that she remembered from the couple of meetings she’d seen him in, were hard and tight.

“Fred. What the hell were you thinking?”

Elle strung up the last trash bag and edged her way toward the door. A frigid voice behind her stopped her in her tracks. “Leaving, Elle?”

Maxwell stood, fresh and cool in his pressed black slacks and Egyptian cotton shirt, the epitome of wealth and elegance. His brother’s entrance had just reiterated to her how far removed she was from the Stranton family. She needed to remember that —she was Blue Grass and country while he was linen elegance and classical music. No matter what the friction was between them, there was a world of difference between her life and his. And the anger in his eyes told her that he wasn’t a man to fool with tonight.

“Just taking the last of the bags to the trash.”

“Don’t you want to see what happens to Fred and your little pet project?”

Elle opened and closed her mouth. “Our project?”

“Surely, you knew his plans.” Maxwell nudged her toward the door and privacy, passing the bag off to Luke as he scurried by.

Alone, Elle tried to hold back her racing heart. She had to swallow to speak past the rapid pounding of her pulse. “What are you talking about?”

Maxwell backed her into a wall and smiled though his lips were tight and vengeful. “I’m talking about this game you’re playing. One minute, sweet and innocent, the next practically leading Fred around by a leash.”

“I don’t—”

***

Maxwell shushed her with one strong finger. “I don’t like games so let me ask you straight: Did you or did you not know about tonight’s surprise?”

Overwhelmed by the heat of him so close, Elle had to concentrate very hard on his question. Licking her lips, she tried to regain her footing only to be shocked when his eyes followed her. A groan escaped him as his fingers traced her lips.

Mesmerized by the power that one sound gave her, she couldn’t help but flick her tongue out over the questing finger. Before she knew what she was doing, she’d sucked his finger in her mouth, showing him exactly what she imagined he’d really like.

“Elle...”

Becoming bolder, she nipped his finger and soothed it with her mouth, imitating the intimacy of other acts. Forbidden acts. He was the boss’s brother. She was walking a thin line. Finally she released his finger, surprised to find herself nearly panting in achy need. She didn’t like games either. “Mr. Stranton, you’re probably the sexiest man I’ve ever met. But I don’t play games.”

Maxwell jerked his hard gray eyes up and met hers. “Answer me then. Did you know about this? About the money spent on this little venture of Fred’s?”

Elle didn’t waste any time. She was probably a passing fancy of his. No reason to get her hopes up and expect more. He just wanted the truth out of her and was probably using her attraction to him to get it. “I didn’t know about Fred’s worm farm or the expenditures. Fred is my boss—that’s it. And there’s no doubt he’s the one in charge. I’m just good at presentations.”

“You looked very comfortable being in charge,” he murmured, a perplexed look creasing his brow.

“I’ve had lots of practice.”

Maxwell stepped closer, pushing back a curl from her face. “So all that attitude and the PowerPoint presentation...”

“It wasn’t an act. Fred gets overwhelmed and he sometimes just needs some help. It makes sense and with the promotion on the line…”

A fierce concentration transformed his face as he put his arms on either side of her, using his height and size to push her flat against the wall. Her heart skittered and jerked into hyper drive as that look sent a thrill straight to her. In a swift move, he pulled her against him and tangled his hands in her hair, bending her back and pressing her into his hard body.

The sensation of those hard thighs and the tingling of her scalp made her gasp. “Maxwell?”

Frissons of pain sliced through her, making spikes of pleasure shoot through her nipples and straight to her core at the power and slight pulling of his fingers in her hair. She was aching, her breasts full from the feel of her body against his. If he could do that with all their clothes on, she was in trouble.

Before she could protest, his mouth swooped in to take hers, tongue plunging forcefully in delicious hints of power. Shocked by the rawness and the overwhelming needs of her body, she lost all thought to give into her need.

Teeth nibbled at her lips and sucked them into his mouth as one of his hands grasped her and pulled her closer.

She couldn’t get enough. She wanted to crawl up and slide right over him.

A loud bark of command from the other room broke him from the kiss. Their breathing was loud in the small space as Elle tried to overcome her body’s insistent cries.

Max’s voice was thick and gravelly, seductive. “What’s Fred to you?”

Elle shook her head as she tried to think straight. “Huh?”

Another shout from behind Maxwell had him setting her down. “Better let you get back to your job. Wouldn’t want
Fred
to be lost without you.”

Elle blinked, the passion ebbing.

The cruel twist of his mouth killed the last of her interest. “What—”

“Oh, don’t play coy with me. We can pick this discussion up Monday morning when we meet with you and Fred again.”

Elle stepped back, burned by the harshness of his voice.

Maxwell turned, leaving her standing shocked, before she could reply. The pleasure and passion that had raced through her blood curiously churning in her stomach in a mass of tension. For the first time in a long time she was alive, every nerve tingling. Monday couldn’t come fast enough. She just wasn’t sure if she’d throttle him or kiss him when she saw him next.

She definitely thought a nice right hook to that scrumptious jaw might not be out of place.

For Maxwell, The Den was heaven. Dark corners and nearly naked bodies combined like an aphrodisiac to his Dom sensibilities. Here, he was king. He could bring a woman to her knees and raise her up to the highest peaks.

Like a modern warrior with whips and chains instead of knives and swords, he conquered sub missive’s fears and helped them find an inner strength and passion that they didn’t know had existed. Before, a new conquest had always given him a special thrill. A new face — some young, some not so young—but all of them shaking with the need to experience the forbidden and ready to please a master.

At the bar, he settled his leather clad butt in a stool and tried to pull his attention to the moment. He itched to find relief for the twitchiness he’d experienced since laying eyes on Elle Norton. Last night, he’d only just managed not to attack the poor girl. While she may have enjoyed the kiss, he didn’t think she was ready for where that kiss would have taken them.

No, that little innocent Bo Peep wasn’t ready for this Big Bad Wolf.

Besides she was in too tight with Fred. Even if she wasn’t involved with the man, Fred certainly had his eye on her. Anyone with half a brain would have realized that when they watched the two of them together. He didn’t need office politics ruining his weekend, or the cork-screw curls and plump lips of one Elle Norton invading his every waking moment.

Bright lights strobe the dance floor as Maxwell yelled for Kevin to load him up.

Darren slid into the barstool beside him just as Kevin put a foaming beer in front of him. “Watcher, Maxwell?”

Maxwell nodded his head and let the silence speak for itself. Darren knew what the elephant in the room was and looked determined to interfere.

“You just need something to take your mind off things, mate.” Darren whistled down the bar and a spry little red head hollered back.

Within a few moments, a beautiful and well stacked woman with a small waist accentuating her beautiful curves in all the right ways approached him with a huge smile. Her fairy hair glowed from the small light at the bar.

She showed promise. He could feel that itchy need settling and moving from his stomach to his groin just watching her. This was what he needed.

Maxwell assessed the girl and shook his head. Darren was incorrigible. “Where’s she come from?”

Darren, his eyes twinkling, whistled a second time. This time another red head came out of the crowd. Maxwell groaned. Leave it to Darren to recreate one of his finest fantasies. “Thought you shouldn’t sit here feeling lonely when I knew of two girls who were just itching to meet us. Identical twins you know.”

Maxwell studied them. They stood giggling, their nimble bodies nearly bore in matching black jersey dresses hitting mid-thigh. Strobe lights highlighted their sexy curves through the thin material, sending a spark of interest right through him. Bra-less and very fit.

He had no doubt that Darren had vetted them and they would submit beautifully. While untrained, their bodies were primed and ready, their eyes steady and sure.

Fuck. He wanted this. He was made for this. How many times in the past had he craved the excitement and power and the delectable calm of having someone under his hand, responsive to his every wish? These two, a matching pair, would be any dominants prized possession.

The quieter of the two was intense, those blue eyes studying him, eating him up. The other only had eyes for Darren.

Seconds ticked by as both girls became restless and the beat of the music called to them.

Darren didn’t wait for him. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get to know one another.” With a knowing smile, Darren left him with the other one dragging the first out to the dance floor.

The quieter one stepped up and smiled. “Would you like to dance?”

Maxwell smiled. “Is that what you really want, Red?”

“The name’s Stephanie.” She closed the distance. This close he could smell the sweet scent of fuchsia. Her pulse beat wildly at her neck, her breath a pant through her open lips. “And what I really want is you.”

Power hummed under his skin as she stood there. All he had to do was take her. Once he lost himself in the thrill of a conquest, he’d forget about that prissy southern belle with the dimples and sexy-as-hell ass.

This was exactly what he needed.

“Tell me, Stephanie, do you like pain?”

She shut her eyes and lowered her head, mumbling.

He wouldn’t have that. “Speak up.”

Stephanie looked around, her eyes wide and startled. He found her shyness exciting—this would be one that would put a bit of a fight to protect herself. When he was done, she’d not only be absolutely confident, but that shyness could be used as an aphrodisiac for her capturing the eye of a new master, someone more permanent when he left for L.A.

“Stephanie, everyone knows why you’re talking to me. Shyness won’t get you anywhere here.”

The flush on her cheeks made him smile. He could see the struggle as she fought to come to grips with herself, her pupils wide as saucers. She liked the excitement with just that hint of fear. Finally, she spoke in a soft voice just loud enough to be heard. “I like pain, a lot.” She trembled as she stood there.