Exposing the Bad Boy (11 page)

“No,” I agreed, my voice gritty. “But you still can.”

The centers of her eyes turned to pinpricks. Shooting an uneasy glance at Becky, Ellie motioned for me to follow her. “Uh, right. Let me show you my office.”

“Wait!” Becky called out, a pout firm on her mouth. She waved her phone at me. “Number exchange, remember?”

The muscles on Ellie's elegant neck went taut.

Smiling casually, I gave her a little nudge down the hall we were facing. “It'll have to be another time, Becky. Relax. I'm a prisoner for six years.”

She said nothing, just made a disgruntled noise as Ellie and I rounded the corner.

The new area looked much like the rest, except there were elevators here. Ellie pressed the button on one, the bell chime resounding over the marble. The way her hands were clenched by her hips, I knew what was happening.

Stepping into the open elevator, I leaned on the interior and watched Ellie. Once she'd picked a floor, locking us inside, I spoke. “You don't need to be jealous.”

She spun to face me, hands going up like I'd been on the attack. “I—excuse me?”

“Your receptionist back there. She was trying to give me her number.”

Ellie lifted an eyebrow. “So?”

“So, I said no.”

Her eyes crinkled at the edges. “You said 'later.'”

Grinning ear to ear, I took a step closer. “I'm right, you're jealous.”

“I'm not!” she blurted, laughing rather crazed. “Why would I be?”

Reaching into my pocket, I slid out my cellphone. “No clue. I already have
your
number. That fact should sooth you.”

“Should it?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“Well, it's a start.”

She stared me down, and for a while, the only noise was the gentle 'ding' of each passing floor. Finally, Ellie broke into a grin. “You're ridiculous.”

“Guilty, Warden. Are you adding that to my record?”

Chewing her bottom lip, she faced the doors. “I don't like you acting like you're in prison here. We're a good company.”

The doors spread; I followed her out. “Maybe. But your boss showed me the punishment for ending my contract early.”

Peering at me, Ellie walked faster down the hallway. “You'd be looking at
actual
prison time if you didn't sign with us, Pike. Remember?”

My steps faltered for a split second. She was right, of course. “That's true. Plus,” I said, keeping pace beside her, “I wouldn't be getting shipped off to Dubai on Tuesday if this was an actual arrest.”

Blinking, she stopped in front of a new door. “Your first commercial. Right. Are you excited?”

“I'm not sure yet. I don't even know what I'll be doing.”

Delight bloomed in her eyes. “Come inside, I'll show you.” Opening the door, Ellie led us into an office far smaller than Corbin's. It lacked the windows and sunshine, but somehow, with all the flowers around the place, it felt... warmer.

The walls were a soothing grey, yellow highlighting them in spots. A single desk rested on one side, a laptop open and humming away. I noticed that, in spite of the decorations, I didn't spot a single photo anywhere.

My place was grimy, but even I had pictures.

“Here,” she said, waving me towards a chair. She dropped into the one on the opposite side of the desk, clicking at her laptop.

I knew she wanted me to sit across from her. I had other plans.

In my chair, I rolled it around, bumping into her. She sat up, gasping. “What are you doing?”

“I want to see the screen, is that a problem?”

“You can see it over there,” she pointed.

“Maybe. But the view is better here,” I said, smiling crookedly.

Her pink cheeks were glorious. “Fine, whatever.” Those deft fingers darted over her keyboard. Unlike Becky, Ellie kept her nails plain, free of any bright colors.

Tapping the screen, she said, “Here we are, Bur Al Arab. Our home for the next week.”

The visuals on display were stunning. There was a building that was a giant curve; a white leaf against a jeweled background. Yellow tinged the sunset, the blues richer than midnight velvet. The place was so magnificent, I'd almost missed what she'd said. “Wait. 'Our' home?”

Shifting in her chair, Ellie was subtle in how she rolled an inch away from me. “Sure. Corbin asked me to come along to make sure you were attended to. He really wants you to feel comfortable on your first commercial, I guess he figured I'd help.”

My mind flashed with the conversation from earlier.
Other skills.
He'd suspected we'd been sleeping together, and clearly planned for Ellie to come along to keep the status quo. I'd cleared that up with Corbin already, but it didn't matter; he'd arranged in advance for Ellie to come along on this trip.

Not that I minded. Thinking about the two of us traveling, enjoying the rare sights... it was plenty tempting. “You ever been to Dubai?” I asked.

She shook her head, loose hair flipping like flowers in a breeze. “Nope. It'll be great, though. Bur Al Arab is supposed to be the only seven star hotel in the entire world.”

My nod was thoughtful. “Nice. So where am I jumping from for this commercial or whatever?”

Ellie covered her mouth, giggling politely.

“What? What is it?”

“This
is
the place.” Poking the image on the laptop, she started to scroll through some emails. They detailed the plans for the trip; things I'd need to know for my first shoot. “We've paid for you to leap from the top of this. One thousand and ninety feet. It'll be amazing!”

I'd never jumped from anything so high before. The tempo in my heart began, pulsing as rapid as a drum line.

Inhaling as my senses woke, I caught Ellie's scent. That intoxicating mist of spice and cinnamon had me heady. “Amazing. Yeah.”
Holy shit.

Tearing my eyes from the screen, I fixated on her; wandered over the dark edges of her concerned eyes, the indents in the corners of her thick lips. There was a deep urge growing in me, eager to knock our chairs to the floor and take us both down with them.

Rolling forward, I bumped my knee on the outside of her thigh. Her throat rippled in response, lips parting. “Are you okay, Pike?”

My mouth was painfully dry. Quenching it on Ellie was the only solution. In my lap, my fingers flexed. I was burning through her with my stare; scalding a path from her perfect mouth, to her collar bone, and down to the front of her shirt.

As if beckoned by my gaze, her nipples stood at attention. Dear god, I wanted to feel their firmness under my palms. I'd heard Ellie moan before, that made everything so much harder to resist. I was a man who'd drunk from the cup of sin, and I was ready for more than another sip.

Yet as I sat there, ready to end the itch and scratch it deep, I thought about
him.

Other skills.

That fucker. He'd soured this whole experience for me.

For us.

If I acted on my desires, right here, there was too much of a chance that Corbin would find out. I didn't care what he thought about me, but the idea that he would assume the worst of Ellie—shit, it rubbed me wrong.

“Pike?”

Standing suddenly, I turned away to hide my massive erection. It was close to ripping free and making the choice for me. “It's getting late. I need to go take care of some stuff if we're leaving in a few days.”

“Uh, right.” She stood, and I could tell she was struggling, too. There was a visible weakness in her stance; hands making fists, then releasing again. Ellie was as excited as I was. I could
smell
it in the air, the primal lust begging us both to stop dancing around the obvious.

For an instant, I almost gave up. One of my shoes moved her way, causing Ellie to breathe faster. Her chest swelled, the green in her eyes rich and wild. Redness filled her cheeks, but it wasn't from embarrassment.

Desire painted us both the same shade.

“Fuck it,” I hissed.

“Pike—”

My name died on her lips. Instead she gasped, thudding against the wall where I slammed her. In one motion I tore her shirt upwards, buttons snapping with my fury. Beneath, in the gold light of the ceiling bulbs, her bra glimmered like treasure to me.

Inside, I knew there were hidden jewels.

She returned my kiss, rougher than me; uncaring about the marks we'd both leave. Ellie was boiling with passion, and here I was, the man to let that pressure free.

Her hands curled in my hair, tugging me from her lips. “Wait.”

“No, I'm done waiting.” My tongue rolled over the roof of her mouth. She shivered under me, hips rocking against the bulge in my jeans.

Again, she tugged me away. “It's not about waiting. I'm not stopping this.” Reaching down, she peeled my shirt over my ribs. “I just—I want to see more of you.”

Her request made me laugh, but it didn't break the mood. I loved her honesty. “You're right, Miss Cutter. I forgot you didn't get to see this yesterday.”

Her eyes became slits, she breathed faster as she stared over my body. “I thought I was Ellie, now.”

“Ellie, Miss Cutter, Warden,” I teased, discarding my shirt onto her desk. “It doesn't matter what I call you. Right now, there's only one name I'll be hearing over and over.”

She couldn't look away from my stomach, transfixed by my ink. Ellie's hand was halfway up, hovering but not making contact. “What name is that?”

Taking her wrist, I slid her palm to my chest. Then, I forced those elegant fingers down to my furious erection. “Mine,” I whispered. “And you'll be screaming it over and over.”

Her lashes fluttered, a low groan slipping free. “Fucking hell, Pike.”

“That's a start,” I chuckled, grinding myself into her hand. The pressure made my eyes roll in my head. “Go on,” I demanded. “Slide inside my jeans, feel how hard you've gotten me.”

Ellie paused, nails digging into my belt.

“Don't stop there,” I whispered. Leaning forward, I rolled my hand up her sternum, grazing between her breasts. Her heart slammed through her skin into me. “You'll kill me if you stop. Just feel me, Ellie. Fuck, I need you to feel me.”

“I—it's just...”

Bending down, I nuzzled her cheek, then nipped her bottom lip. “What, you want to torture me? I thought this wasn't prison, hmn?”

Hissing through her teeth, she met my stare. “I've never given a handjob before.”

My eyebrows crawled up. “Wait, you're not...?”

“No! No, I'm not a virgin or anything,” she said, giggling nervously. Eyeballing my torso, she seemed lost in thought. When she spoke again, her tone was soft as satin. “I guess I went straight to—well, blowjobs. I could do that for you... they're better anyway, right?”

It took a lot to not shake my head in amazement. Unhooking my belt, I enjoyed the way she breathed in at the rattling noise. “I like a good BJ, sure, but there are benefits to a handjob. Let me show you.”

Cupping her lower back, I pulled her against me. Kissing along the side of her neck, thrilling at how she whimpered, I took her hand again. Leading her towards my zipper, I made it clear what I expected.

Ellie maneuvered the button open, then slid my jeans low. I felt her nails exploring, tugging the band of my boxers. Gently, she ran a fingertip down the front of my erection. The sensation made me even stiffer.

“Just grab me,” I purred into her ear. The tiny hairs on her temple rose sharply. “Hold tight, stroke me, imagine that thick cock sliding deep inside of you.”

Panting, she dipped her fingers past my boxers. For the first time, I enjoyed her warm palm as it circled my engorged length. Gingerly, she started to pump me. Rolling against her, I encouraged her with my thrusts.

Once she had the basic motion down, I tilted her chin to me. Our kiss was slow, matching the pace she was setting. I knew I couldn't be patient for long, but for now, I reveled in it.

My mouth tingled, and the rest of me followed suit. Sliding my hands down, my agile touch dispatched the button on her shorts. Ellie froze for a moment, squeezing my cock harder. In response I grunted, leaning my forehead on hers.

In one motion, I threaded my fingers into her shorts, gliding over her tights. Through the thin material, I discovered her soaked pussy. She wasn't wearing panties.

Smirking around our kiss, I said quietly,  “Miss Cutter, how bold of you. Skydiving has turned you into a new person.”

She shut me up briefly by jerking my dick harder. “You don't know if I ever wore them around you. What if this
isn't
new?”

“Then,” I said, petting the nub of her swollen clit, “I like you even more.”

She lost it, slumping on the wall and letting her hand go slack on me. “Pike, my god, that's...”

“I know.” Dipping my tongue deep into her ear, I moved to tangle our lips. My hearing was muffled by the sound of my own blood thumping in my skull. After a moment, my brain begged me for air. But who needed oxygen when they had Ellie to fill their lungs?

The phone on her desk rang so loudly it stunned me. As if had been a lucid dream, her touch vanished from my rock-hard cock.

Ellie jumped free, torn between straightening her clothes or answering the phone. Wild-eyed, she gawked at me. “I—shit, I have to get this. It's Corbin.”

Of course it was.

Like I'd been slapped, the moment faded away. It couldn't vanish, not completely, but I rolled with it. The call was a reminder of what we'd been about to do. Being interrupted... maybe it was for the best.

You don't believe that for a second,
I scolded myself.

Tucking my still firm dick away, I zipped my jeans up. “Answer it, it's fine. I should really go.”

“What?” She stared at me, one hand on the phone, ready to lift it. “Pike, wait, don't just leave. What about—I mean—”

“Rain check,” I said, pulling my shirt on. Strolling to the door with a mild smirk, I gave her one more glance. “We'll have plenty of time to catch up in Dubai. Say hi to Corbin for me.”

Knowing she was still watching, I opened the door and didn't look back. As the gap closed between us, the door settling into place, I caught her voice one final time. It was strained to the point of shattering.

“It's Ellie, how can I help you?”