Entwine (Billionaire Series) (13 page)

I
sat back to ponder the drawback of this idea. Of course, reaching the fire escape
without anyone noticing me might be a challenge, as would climbing up to the 30
^th
floor. There was also the possibility that I would be noticed once I was on
Mathis’ floor, before I had a chance to get to his office. It was risky, not to
mention potentially dangerous, especially at that height. Even so, it was a
plan, and it was pretty much the best idea I could think of, barring complete
fantasy.

I
was determined to try it. My uncle had always taught me that if I wanted
something, I had to work for it. Well, I wanted to talk to Mathis – and I was
willing to do whatever it took to be able to do just that!

As
an afterthought, I decided I was incredibly glad that I wasn’t afraid of
heights.

When she climbed
into bed nearly forty minutes later, she was warmer, but no closer to an answer
than she had been when she'd first gotten into the tub. Part of the problem was
that Brad's proposal was only half of her complicated love equation.

The other half
involved her equally as confusing feelings regarding Philip Haas, her
physically attractive and emotionally distant boss. Over the short time she'd
known Philip, they'd engaged in hot, intense sex several times, and she'd been
kicked out of the room on more than one occasion.

All of it had come
to a head earlier that day when she'd finally told him that she wasn't going to
take his rude treatment any longer and she'd walked away from the job she'd
always wanted. She was still trying to figure out how to tell Rachel that she'd
quit her job without giving away the details as to why. While Jennifer knew
that her roommate wouldn't judge, she couldn't bear the thought of how
disappointed Rachel would be with her for sleeping with her boss.

***

Jennifer had just
slipped under the cool cotton sheets when her phone rang. She had a brief
moment of déjà vú as she saw Philip's name, but she seriously doubted that
phone sex was on his mind after the way she'd left things. Then again, she
never did know what to expect when it came to the way his mind worked. She,
however, wasn't going to play this time. No matter what he said, sex was off
the table. But, despite her resolve, she couldn't quite blow him off
completely.

“Philip.” She was
proud of herself for keeping her voice coolly polite, though she wondered how
long she could keep it up.

She was shocked to
hear that Philip's tone wasn't so even. “Jennifer.”

“Is there something
you needed?” Her voice sounded much composed than she felt. There was still
something about Philip that got her in knots, no matter what else had
transpired between them.

“Were you serious about quitting?” Philip didn't bother with small talk.

“I think so,”
Jennifer said slowly. “I can't keep working with you so hot and cold. I need to
know that you respect me and what I do.” She could hardly believe what she was
saying. Confronting Philip earlier today seemed to have unlocked something
inside her, something that she'd thought her years with Brad had broken.

“What if...” Philip
began. He paused and Jennifer waited for him to continue. “Look, I screwed up.
I know I did. I can't guarantee it won't happen again, but I can promise that
I'll try to do better.”

Jennifer could hear
an undercurrent of something in his words and it twisted her heart in a way she
wasn't quite sure she wanted to analyze. “You want me to come back?”

“Yes.” The word
held no uncertainty. “I want you to come back and work for me. Work with me.”

All thoughts of
Brad's proposal had been pushed to the back of Jennifer's mind, making room for
this new question to answer. The invitation was two-fold, she knew. If she
agreed to go back to work, she'd also be agreeing to continue this relationship
– or whatever it was – with Philip. Was she really ready to do that? Her eyes
darted over to the ring on the table next to her bed.

Brad had slid it
onto her finger even though she'd told him she needed time. She'd taken it off
as soon as she'd left the restaurant and slid it into her pocket. No matter how
pretty it was, the cool metal was heavier than it should have been and she
couldn't quite make herself put it on, not until she made a decision. Hearing
Philip's voice just made it that much harder to decide, even if she'd told
herself that it shouldn't.

As if sensing the
reason behind her hesitation, Philip added, “Just give me a chance to show you
that I can do better at work. Nothing else until I've proven myself, I
promise.”

“Okay,” Jennifer
gave the answer her heart wanted before her head could protest. She could hear
in Philip's voice how much he meant the words and no matter how much she was
still trying to figure out how she felt about Brad, she couldn't pass up the
chance to find out where things could go with Philip, both personally and
professionally.

“You'll come back?”

Jennifer's heart
skipped a beat. For the first time since she'd met him, she truly felt as if
Philip cared about her for something more than sex. “Yes. I'll be in tomorrow
at the usual time.”

“Great!” His tone
immediately lightened, but it quickly changed to a more professional tone when
he continued. “I'll see you then,” he added before hanging up.

As she set her
phone back onto her bedside table, she couldn't help but smile, a pleasant,
warm feeling in her stomach.

Philip wanted her.

Maybe he really had
to lose her first before being able to admit that he needed to change the way
he was treating her. Still, she cautioned herself. Just because he said things
would be different didn't always mean that they would. While Philip had never
not
kept his word, she'd had enough past experiences to know not to count the
metaphorical chickens before they hatched. Despite her self-warning, her mind
continued to play through all of the great ways tomorrow could go until sleep
finally claimed her.

***

The bedroom was
like something out of a fairy tale. A kinky, X-rated fairy tale, but a fairy
tale nonetheless. The walls were hidden in shadows despite the large French
doors that opened out onto a balcony. Though she couldn't see from her position
on the bed, she knew they were near the ocean because she could smell the salt
on the gentle night breeze and hear the crashing of the waves. It was the pale
moonlight that told her the time as there was nothing in the room to indicate
otherwise.

 In fact, other
than the bed and its accessories, the only other things present were the white,
wafting curtains over the open doorway, the thick white carpet and the deep red
rose petals covering the floor as well as the black silk sheets. The flowers were
the same color as the plush pillows against which she was reclining. The bed
itself was magnificent. Four posts of dark cherry rose up high enough that she
couldn't see their tops. It was larger than a king-sized bed, bigger than any
bed she'd ever seen. The light that shone down out of nowhere barely
illuminated a foot around the edges, leaving the rest of the room hidden.

Then he stepped
out of the shadows and she didn't care about the room or the bed anymore. His
dirty blond hair was tousled as if he'd just come in from the wind, and his
green eyes were glowing as they looked at her. She'd never seen anything so
beautiful. He didn't speak though, merely took her hand and stretched it out.
As he tied her wrist to one of the posts, Jennifer became aware of three
things: the pillows were gone and both she and Philip were naked. When he
produced another piece of silk to bind her other wrist, she wondered where it
had come from before deciding that it didn't matter. Two more strips of black
silk magically appeared to allow him to tie her legs and then he stood at the
foot of the bed between her feet.

“Don't cum until
I say you can.” His voice was low and firm as he climbed onto the bed. “Close
your eyes.”

Jennifer did as
she was told. Something light and feathery ghosted over her ankle. She shivered
as it moved up one leg and then switched to repeat the procedure on the other.
When it passed over her stomach, she squirmed, earning a chuckle from Philip.
The gentle touch continued up her ribcage and then over her breasts. Her breath
caught in her throat as the object passed over her nipples. They hardened
instantly and she arched her back, wanting more. Philip laughed again, the
sound making things low inside her tighten and burn.

“Aren't you
greedy tonight?”

Jennifer didn't
respond, too busy tugging at her restraints, though she wasn't sure if she was
trying to get nearer to or further from the almost too-light touch. As it
danced between her breasts and down to her bellybutton, she made a strangled
sound, knowing where it was going next. It passed over her lower lips and her
legs twitched, wanting to close but not able to. When she felt his fingers, a
surge of relief ran through her, but it was short-lived as he merely held open
her lips with one hand and used the other to tease her clit with those wispy
touches.

“Please.” She
writhed, desperate for more or for less; she couldn't decide.

“Open your
eyes,” he instructed.

Jennifer forced
her eyes open and looked down her body to see the source of her torment. Even
as she watched, Philip used the fluffy white feather to send another ripple of
sensation across her nerves.

“Please,” she
began to beg. “Please.”

“Don't cum,” he
warned her again.

She wanted to
tell him that she couldn't cum like this until he shoved two fingers into her
pussy. The shock of the different sensations jolted her body, sending her
crashing up and over the edge before she'd even realized she was close.
Philip's fingers thrust in and out of her at a rapid pace, curling up to press
against that spot inside her that sent sparks shooting through every cell,
building and growing until everything went white.

The next thing
she knew, she was face-down, still tied, and Philip was kneeling beside her.
She turned her face towards him, desperately hoping he wasn't holding another
feather. He wasn't, but the expression on his face said that he had something
else in mind.

“You came.”

Shit.

Jennifer
swallowed hard. She'd completely forgotten his command. In her defense, it was
difficult to think while trying to absorb a feather tickling her clit and being
finger-fucked into oblivion.

“I think that
warrants a punishment, don't you?”

She knew it was
a rhetorical question and kept her mouth shut.

Philip didn't
wait for an answer as he ran his hand over her back and down to her ass.
Jennifer shivered, immediately knowing what was coming. The first crack didn't
really hurt, just a sting and then a spread of heat, but as Philip continued to
rain down slap after slap, they built on each other until the sharp sting
became something more. Jennifer's limbs reflexively tugged at the scarves,
straining as her ass began to burn. She bit down on her lips, swallowing the
pleas for him to stop. Unless she was willing to give him their safe word, it
wouldn't end and she didn't want to end the game just yet, no matter how much
her ass protested the abuse. Only when it was nearly too much did he finally
stop and Jennifer let out a half-sob of relief.

“You did so
well,” he murmured as his fingertips ran over the hot, tender skin. She
flinched automatically, but didn't try to pull away. “You took your punishment
so well. I think you deserve a reward.”

Jennifer felt
the bed shift beneath her as Philip moved.

“You can cum as
much as you want.” His hands caressed her thighs. “But you're not allowed to be
quiet about it.”

She wasn't sure
why that was important until he continued.

“The doors are
open, and I want anyone who happens to be passing by to know what we're doing,
to know that you're enjoying yourself.”

Jennifer flushed
but nodded. The moment his tongue touched her clit, a shudder ran through her
and a moan fell from her lips. Philip held her open as he licked her, his
tongue moving from circling her clit to darting into her pussy. It moved inside
her and Jennifer felt the beginnings of a climax stirring. She raised her ass
and Philip dug his fingers into her hips as he held her where he wanted her.

“More,” she
begged, the word muffled as she pressed her face against the silk sheets.