Fresh Temptation: Barboza Brothers, Book One (13 page)

Cara swallowed hard and
repeated herself. “No. I shouldn’t drink before seeing a client. I
don’t hold my liquor well. I would hate to make a bad
impression.”

“Ah.” A corner of Victor’s
mouth turned up. “Well, the flight will take another two hours, and
our meeting is another hour after that. You have plenty of time to
rest and get back to normal before then. You can even take a nap,
if you want.”

Although she had been
assured the pilot could not hear them, paranoia caused Cara to
quiet her voice. “Oh really? Is that your thing? Get me to pass out
and then you’ll do whatever you want to me?”

Victor’s amused eyes
narrowed. “I’d rather have you awake.”

“Are you serious?” Cara
sat up straight, trying to appear indifferent to his advances. “You
really just brought me here to hit on me? I’m good at my job and
I’d love a chance to prove that.”

“I know you’re good at
your job. I wouldn’t have hired you otherwise.” Victor placed his
glass on the table and took a seat beside Cara, carefully sliding
an arm behind her back. “I tire of games very quickly,
querida
.”

Instinctively, Cara turned
to face him. She held his gaze for only a moment before the want in
his eyes became too much to bear. When she felt his fingers
stroking her face, she shut her eyes tight, determined to keep the
promise she had made to herself the night before.

Just. Let. Go.

Maybe Victor’s intentions
didn’t matter as much as she originally thought. How many times in
her life would something like this ever happen to her? Why should
she try to fight it when her body was already shouting
yes
?

Cara’s heartbeat quickened
when she felt his hot breath against her forehead. His fingers
traced a line under her jaw then down to her collarbone. They had
almost reached the top of her breasts when they turned back,
running up to the nape of her neck.

Victor tilted Cara’s face
up to his and kissed her.

Her deep moan was
squelched in his kiss. His mouth was bolder than their previous
encounter. In the light of day with no one around to distract her,
she sensed his desire. His lips were sneaky and possessive,
matching her every move. His tongue slowly crept between her lips
as he unbuttoned her jacket and slid it off one shoulder, exposing
the camisole she wore underneath.

Cara’s hand was on
Victor’s back, her fingers digging against his shirt to feel his
sleek muscles. There was nothing stopping her now. She had
forgotten how wonderful it felt to give in to a man. To be absorbed
in his smell, his taste, his strength.
Why
was I fighting this?
She relaxed her jaw
to let his tongue plunge inside as deep as he wanted.

His hands moved all over,
from her hair to her breasts to her thighs. She shuddered when he
parted her knees, as if she was surprised. He changed course and
went back up to her breasts, cupping one of them as he pulled her
closer with his other arm.

They continued to kiss as
Victor undid her top button, then the next, giving his hand enough
space to move into her blouse.

“Oh!” She gasped when she
felt his fingers graze her hard nipple.

He broke the kiss. His
lips went to her ear. “I’m sorry if I’m moving too fast. I can’t
help it. You drive me crazy.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered
in a breath.

“Good.” Victor’s mouth met
hers again for a brief moment, then moved to her neck.

Cara’s head fell backwards
to give him room. His lips lingered there until she moaned, “Yes.”
He kissed her collarbone, then kissed further down until his mouth
replaced his hand on her breast.

“Oh!” She didn’t realize
he had maneuvered her nipple out of her bra until she felt his soft
lips against her skin, followed by the gentlest bite as he took her
hard peak in between his teeth. “Oh my God!”

Inside, Victor smiled at
her cry of pleasure. His longing mouth savored her plump breast as
he undid another button.

Cara did her best to
stifle the pleas that wanted to leave her throat. Victor had
awakened feelings she forgot her body was capable of. Suddenly she
wanted him everywhere. On top of her, inside of her. It no longer
mattered if someone might hear.

And then, his hand slid
across the slippery material covering her stomach.

“Oh no.” She gritted her
teeth.

Victor’s mouth let go of
her breast. He chuckled. “What the hell’s this thing? A
girdle?”

“I prefer the term ‘body
shaper.’”

He groaned. “I swear, you
women. You don’t need this thing, Cara.”

She let out a tiny whine.
“Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t.” He lifted
his head to look in her eyes. “And to think, you wore this, knowing
I was going to get you naked today?”

She gulped. Her voice was
soft. “Well…I didn’t…
know
…exactly…”

He sighed. “Is it okay if
I peel you out of it?”

Cara stammered, suddenly
feeling very much on display. “Um…I don’t know…”

Victor grinned. “It’s
okay. It’ll be my bedtime project. Releasing you from this horribly
constrictive device.” With his eyes fixed on hers, he moved his
hand down to her knee and quickly made his way up her skirt to cup
her heat.

“Ooh!” Cara bit her lip
and closed her eyes, now remembering how good it felt to have a man
touch her there.

“Relax,
querida
,” he whispered.
He pulled a latch on the side of her chair, slowly leaning her
backward until she was lying down.

Cara opened her eyes and
stared straight up at the ceiling as he pushed her skirt all the
way up to her waist and pried her knees apart, wide. Her eyes
stayed on the ceiling. She was afraid if she looked at him, she
would wake up and realize it had all been a daydream.

His fingers went back and
forth across the fabric between her legs. “How does this thing
work? Are these snaps?”

She winced with
embarrassment. “Yes.”

He chuckled. “Well, this
should give me some easy access then, shouldn’t it?”

In seconds he unfastened
the three snaps that secured her undergarment, then pried them
apart. “Mmm,” he said. “I’m glad you’re wearing nothing underneath.
I was afraid there might be another barricade.”

When she felt his gentle
finger trail through her wetness, she let out a moan and spread her
legs further, welcoming the man who was more of a stranger than a
boss. For so long, she had every reason to resist any man who
wanted her like this. And now, all she could think about was
letting him inhabit every part of her. “Please, take
me…”

Victor’s fingers were soft
at first but then grew urgent as he obeyed her breathy
response.

“More, yes.
More.”

The words were quiet,
barely escaping her mouth like she had no power to stop them. The
more she moaned, the faster his fingers went. It had not been his
intention to be so intimate so quickly, but he couldn’t help
himself. Not after feeling the need pooling between her thighs, and
the way her hips moved against his hand as he rubbed her
faster.

Victor fought the urge to
use his tongue, choosing instead to save that for later tonight at
the hotel. For now he was more than happy to watch the passion on
her lovely face as his fingers moved faster and harder to please
her.

When he sensed she was
nearing climax, he dipped his fingers inside her.

“Yes!” she
shouted.

He kept his fingers there
and used his other hand to rub her tiny nub.

“Oh yes!” Cara bit her lip
to try to keep herself from screaming, but her attempt was
unsuccessful. She was no match for those skilled hands of his. Her
sounds filled the tiny plane as her climax overtook her.

He reached inside his
pocket for his wallet and quickly retrieved a condom.

She tilted her head up
just enough to watch him unzip his pants, then unroll the condom
down his shaft. Smiling, she let her head fall back into place
against the padded seat.

Victor cradled a hand
under each of her thighs to position himself perfectly.

“Is it okay if I do this?”
His firm head was at her opening, begging for entrance.

As soon as she said,
“Yes,” he plunged inside and stayed there, still, until she opened
her eyes to look at him.

“Cara,” he said, “I didn’t
expect us to move so quickly, I swear.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled.
“I want this.”

He nodded and whispered,
“I want
you
.”

Victor cradled her thighs
as he moved between her legs, meeting her soft flesh over and over
until his release many minutes later.

When he finished, he
reached for her arms and said, “Sit up,
querida
.”

She sat up. He was still
perched between her legs on his knees.

He put his arms around her
and kissed her, his hands roaming her back and her hair.

She met his kiss with
passion, now completely unashamed that she was half naked and still
wearing her body shaper. She tightened her knees against his hips
as her hands roamed his back.

When he pulled away, he
whispered in her ear, “You’re so beautiful.”

Breathing heavily, she
whispered, “Thank you.” She stopped herself before telling him she
now realized just how much she needed what he had given
her.

Several minutes later,
after collecting themselves, Victor sat beside her and draped an
arm around her shoulders. “So, let me guess what you’re thinking.”
He cocked a brow. “You can’t believe you just did that with your
boss.”

“Wow. You’re a real mind
reader.” She smirked, then chuckled softly.

He sighed. “If it helps, I
can’t believe I just did that with an employee.” He rubbed her
shoulder. “But I don’t regret it. Not for a second.”

“Good.” She nestled
against his chest. “Neither do I. At least, not yet…”

“What’s that supposed to
mean?”

Cara took a deep breath
and sat up straight, slightly away from him. “I still don’t
understand what’s going on here. And maybe I never
will.”

“Don’t question it. Just
let yourself enjoy it.”

“That’s exactly what I’m
trying to do.” She hesitated for a moment, then added, “But, for
the record, I want you to know that I don’t exactly enjoy being a
pawn in anyone’s game.”

Victor’s face scrunched up
in a bewildered expression. “Wait a minute. Who said you’re a
pawn?” He put one finger under her chin and turned her face to his,
looking deeply into her eyes. “I already told you, I don’t play
games.”

“Then what am I supposed
to think about all this? I know we’ve already had this conversation
but after what just happened, I think maybe it bears
repeating—”

He placed two fingers
against her lips. “No. When I want something, I’m not shy about it.
And I want you, Cara.”

She waited until he took
his hand away. “Just tell me once and for all. Is this because of
Alexis?”

He let out an exasperated
groan. “Please don’t mention her name to me again. Besides, how
does me sleeping with you have anything to do with her?” He
shrugged and glanced randomly around the plane. “Is she here,
hiding somewhere, listening to us? Do you think I’m going to call
her and tell her what we did? Do you think there’s a hidden camera
and she’s watching from somewhere on the ground?”

“Oh God, I hope
not.”

He laughed heartily for a
long moment. “No, there’s none of that. How would any of this
affect her? If I were trying to make her jealous I could do that
without taking advantage of you on a private plane.” Under his
breath he muttered, “I already know she’s jealous. She saw us at
lunch last week. Gary told me she called the office.”

“Should I be scared of
her?”

He blew a scoffing breath
out of the side of his mouth. “No. Absolutely not. If she ever
contacts you, let me know. She has nothing to do with Monarch
Enterprises and there should never be a reason for her to even come
inside the office, unless it’s another attempt to torment me like
she did at the dinner.”

“The dinner?”

“Yes, the charity dinner.
Where I met you.”

“Oh.”

“I told you, I wasn’t
there with her. She planned that all by herself.” He shook his
head. “I was so pissed off about it that night. She just wanted
everyone to talk about us and think we were back
together.”

“Why did you break up? It
wasn’t that long ago, was it?”

Victor sighed. “I’d rather
not go into detail. Suffice it to say, I’m glad it’s over. We were
never right for each other.”

“Then why were you with
her, at all?”

He shrugged. “I don’t
know. It seemed perfect when we got together. And on paper, it
truly
was
perfect. I’d spent so much of my youth working hard, busy
trying to make something of myself. I guess I was afraid life would
pass me by and I’d forget to settle down and have a family. Getting
married was always on my list of things to do before I turned
thirty, and I’m thirty-one now.”