Let it Ride (Casino Nights #1) (5 page)

“I do, Remy, I do.” She lifted her
hips as she gripped the sheets tightly. Her body was on fire and it felt like
her nerves were extra sensitive, magnifying every brush of their bodies.

He added another finger and made
scissoring motions to stretch her muscles. “You’re so tight.” He continued
moving inside of her.

“It’s been a long time.” Fuck, why
was she telling him that no man wanted her?

“The men out there must be stupid
and blind.” He let out a low chuckle. “I’ve wanted you since the day I first saw
you.”

Wow.
Holy fucking
wow
.
He knew what she needed, what she
was thinking. It felt amazing to be in tune with him like this.

He moved quickly, digging under the
pillow beside her head. She glanced that way as his hand came away with a foil
packet. “Condom.”

“Good, I’m on the pill but I don’t
do bareback with…”
What did she call
him
?
A
fuck, a one night
stand
?
She let her words hang.
“Anyone,” she finished in a mumble.

“I’m clean Frankie. It’s been years
since I’ve not used one.” He rolled the latex down his length and then pumped
his cock in his fisted hand once, then twice.

She felt her mouth water. He grabbed
his cock with so much strength, way more than she would ever think to apply.
She couldn’t take her eyes off Remy’s hand on his cock.

Remy leaned over her, making her
legs widen to give him more room. “Francesca, put me in.”

Her gaze moved to his. “What?” She’d
been thinking about how it thrilled her to hear him say her name. It was like
he wanted her to know that she meant something to him.

“I want your hands on me.” He held
himself still. She could feel the tip of his cock at her opening.

She nodded and grasped him; he was
thick and warm. She tilted her hips a little more and guided him into her body.

He slid into her slowly and
smoothly. When he was fully seated, he paused.

She could feel her muscles
stretching around him. When she couldn’t take it any longer she begged,
“Please, Remy. Please give me more.”

He smiled down at her and started to
pull back.

Then he was moving his cock inside
of her, touching all the good places. She ran her hands along his back,
enjoying the feel of his muscles bunching. He added a little extra twist as he
started to pull back. She wrapped her legs around his thighs to change the
angle.

Remy increased his speed and she
knew he was getting closer. He felt good inside of her, but she wasn’t there
yet. It was going to take some time with a new partner. She didn’t want to
disappoint him or make him think she was a freak so she started making noises
and tightening her hold on his shoulders.

He continued pumping, so she added a
moan of “Oh…God…Remy.”

He slowed and held himself still
inside of her.

Her gaze flew to his and she
flinched at what she saw. His eyes were filled with disappointment.

“No, Francesca. No faking, not
between us.” That was a firm directive.

Fuck, he could tell. She wanted to
die. She started to push at his chest, trying to get away from him by dropping
her legs and then shifting her hips from side to side. This was too
embarrassing.

He gripped her shoulders, pinning
her down. “No. Stop it, Frankie.”

She stilled her fight. She slowly
raised her eyes to his, fearing what she would see this time.

“Babe, I’ll get you there. No faking
with me, no faking between us.” His eyes were so intense, yet she didn’t sense
any anger. “Do you hear me?”

Her throat was dry. She couldn’t
speak, so she nodded her head quickly.

He watched her for a few beats;
slowly his face relaxed. “Trust me Frankie, I’ll take care of you.” He began to
stroke into her slowly as he gently kissed her cheek.

She focused on the feeling of his
cock moving in and out of her, the slide that ignited her most sensitive places
and something inside of her relaxed and she started to respond in a good way.
She moved with him, matching his rhythm effortlessly. She swore that her blood
started to hum as it moved through her veins. She stopped thinking and her
brain switched to feeling.

She spread her hands across his wide
back. God, he was so big, so in control of his body, so in control of hers.
Surrendering had never felt so good.

She felt her need elevate another
notch. Now their bodies joined with more speed and power. She was matching him
stroke for stroke.

He shifted, wedging a hand between
their bodies, his finger finding her clit effortlessly. He knew a woman’s body,
her body.

“Oh, God, Remy.” This felt so good.
The heat started low in her belly. She loved that feeling as it spread. Noises
burst from deep in her throat as it felt like flames were licking at her skin.

Remy pounded in and out of her. He
wasn’t being gentle, he was taking and Christ, she was giving it to him.

“Remy.” She felt his name as it was
ripped from her body, and she burned with pleasure from the inside. She
wouldn’t have been surprised if she breathed flames like a dragon.

He threw his head back and pumped,
once, twice, and a third time into her. His entire body seized and a sound was
torn from him. He stayed suspended above her body for a second, and then he
relaxed, sinking into her.

****

He fought to catch his breath. His
brain slowly rebooted as he checked on Francesca. She had a dazed look on her
face and her eyes were unfocused, but they were on his.

He loved the feeling of pride,
knowing he had put that look on her face. He started to shift away from her.

She made a noise and grasped his shoulders
tighter.

“
Shh
, just
a minute. Let me get rid of the condom.” Her hands relaxed. He hated this part,
moving away from her warmth. He took care of the condom and returned to the
bed, rolling in next to her.

She snuggled into his body. He
wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. When she tilted her
head up to look at him, he kissed her lips.

“Wow.” She still looked a little out
of it.

“Yeah, that about says it all.” He
knew he had a dopey smile on his face. He swept his hands over her body,
wanting to touch her soft skin.

 
“I’m sorry that I…” she whispered into
his chest.

“No worries Frankie.” He nuzzled her
head. “Just remember, I’ll take care of you.”

“I don’t always come. Sometimes, it
takes me a long time.” She tensed as she shared her secret.

He stroked her body as he thought
about what to say. Obviously, he took too long.

“It pisses some guys off.” She
burrowed deeper against his body. Something told him that it was in order to
hide from his nonresponse.

He looped his hand in her hair and
pulled her head back so that he could see her face. “I got you there, didn’t
I?” When she didn’t answer he tugged again with authority. He gave her a slow
smile.

“Yes, you did.” Her eyes searched
his.

“I’m glad you shared that with me.
That you can trust me with information.”

She nodded again and her gaze never
left his face.

“If you don’t come the next time or
the time after, it’s on me. I’ll just have to take some extra time to
learn
your body, so no faking. We’ll work this out.”

“OK.” She didn’t sound too sure, but
he could live with it, they were still getting to know one another.

He let go of her hair and moved his
hand to her upper arm so he could brush his knuckles against the side of her
breast. He was giving her time to regroup.

“It was my ex-husband.” She dropped
her head to his chest. “Fuck, I shouldn’t bring him up now, like this.”

He chuckled. “No, it might not be
the best time, but I’m curious. Where are you going with that thought?”

She skimmed her hand down his abs.
He didn’t have a six pack, but he didn’t carry a spare tire there, either. She
stroked her fingers over his sensitive skin.

“I got to a place where I couldn’t
orgasm with him. He…well, he got ugly about it.”

“He hurt you.” It wasn’t a question,
it was a statement.

“No. He never hit me.” She started
to pull away.

He held tight. “I think his words
hurt you.”

He watched her wrestle with his
statement. She finally settled in closer. “Yes, his words did hurt me. Our
marriage ended years ago, but his words, they come back to me at really
inopportune times, like tonight.”

“Babe, don’t let that jackass spoil
something good for us.”

“You’re right.” Francesca’s hands
started to move again. This time they travelled lower on his body.

His cock began to stir.

“Remember your promise. This time
it’s my way.” He could hear the teasing in her voice.

“Oh yeah, I remember.” He pulled her
face to his and kissed her hungrily.

****

Francesca felt the sun on her
exposed back before she opened her eyes. She was on her side with one of Remy’s
arms under her pillow and the other draped over her waist. He was a
full-contact sleeper. His embrace invited cuddling, rather than the thought to
escape, but she had little choice. She opened her eyes and contemplated how she
could disentangle her body from his without waking him. She desperately needed
to pee.

He was sound asleep; she could feel
his breathing, deep and rhythmic. Poor guy had to be exhausted; they’d enjoyed
themselves three times in the night. She smiled to herself. She had not been,
nor had wanted to be that active in years. The last time, she’d ridden him
reverse cowgirl style. He had sat against the headboard, holding her close to
his chest, playing with her breasts and kissing her neck.

She’d started out slowly, lifting
until just the head of his cock was in her body. She loved the feel of his cock
as it slid along her sensitive tissue. When he started biting the tendon along
her neck she increased the speed. His hands on her breasts tightened and then
he pulled on her nipples, sending bolts of lightning straight to her pussy.

He’d told her what to do, what he
wanted. God, his commanding tone caused her toes to curl.

She had learned that during sex,
Remy liked to take charge.

Despite the delicious memories, her
bladder told her that she had to make a move. She gently moved his arm from
around her waist and grabbed the edge of the bed, sliding her body away from
his warmth.

“What are you doing, Frankie?” His
voice was low and a little growly.

She froze. “Bathroom. Go back to
sleep.” She waited a few moments and when he didn’t say anything else, she got
up.

After taking care of the most
necessary of needs, she used the complimentary mouthwash on the vanity and then
checked the mirror. She ran warm water and cleaned up her eye make-up. For all
her exertions last night, she looked pretty good. Her eyes were shining and her
hair wasn’t too crazy.

She threw on one of the hotel robes
hanging on the back of the door and walked out of the bathroom, telling herself
to ignore the twinges between her legs. She wasn’t sore, but she could tell
that she had been busy.

“Give me a second Frankie and we can
order breakfast.” Remy sat up.

She glanced at the bed. He looked so
good. The sheet dropped to his hips, but she could see that he was hard. She
tried not to look at his delectable chest, either. Another round would be one
too many for her body this morning. She locked onto his gaze. “You can go back
to sleep. It’s early.”

He pushed back the sheet, threw his
legs over the side of bed and stood. She couldn’t help but watch his body as he
stretched. She contemplated dropping the robe and jumping on him.

“I’m sorry, my internal clock’s
fucked up,” she told him as he walked past.

“If we didn’t have the panel today,
I would still be in bed with you, under me or on top.” He grinned and closed
the bathroom door.

The group assembled in Remy’s suite
fifteen minutes earlier than the designated time. Remy had spent the last three
hours trouble-shooting with Security and the IT people who were in charge of
setting up the microphones. He checked his clipboard and was happy to see that
everything had been marked off as completed.

Francesca walked to his side and
handed him a bottle of water. “Here, you’re going to get dry mouth under the
lights and the water that’s on the table will be terrible. It always tastes
like metal and dust.”

He unscrewed the cap and took
several deep pulls. She was right, he was dry. God, he liked her, really liked
her. He kept replaying last night over in his head. At dinner, she had been
funny and warm to the others in their group. She managed to put everyone at
ease and by the end of the night, he felt like he had been out with friends
he’d known for ages. Then in bed, Jesus she was amazing. She was generous when
in control and at ease when giving it over to him. Her trust that he would make
things good overwhelmed him.

Since entering his suite a few
minutes ago, she hadn’t acted stilted or uncomfortable with him. He whispered
softly in her ear, “So tonight,
wanna
have dinner
with me?”

She looked into his eyes and smiled.
“Yeah, I do.”

It was so easy with her and natural.
“I can’t promise that we will be alone. I want to be but…”

She gave one hard shake of her head.
“Tonight we move your career along, I get it.”

Christ, was he the luckiest son of a
bitch in Chicago? “Later, it will be just you and me. Promise.”

“Good to know about later. The other
stuff, I got your back. No worries.” She gave him another smile; this one warmed
her eyes and she walked back to the table.

He watched her ass as she moved
away. Her purple dress wasn’t short and her tits weren’t out, but God she
looked so sexy. The silky material crisscrossed her chest and tied on the side.
She wore pumps that had straps that wrapped around her ankle. He wanted to run
his hand up her smooth leg, starting at the leather strap until he felt her
heat.
 

He sensed eyes on him and glanced
around to find Emma, who pursed her lips as her gaze swept between Francesca
and him. She’d tried to stir his interest, but he’d never given her a moment’s
thought. If she was unhappy about Francesca then it was her problem.

“OK people, I’m so glad to see that
you all showed. Now, let’s go give them one hell of a panel.” He continued.
“Any last minute questions or concerns?”

He saw the ladies shake their heads
and Able spoke a firm, “No.”

Emma blushed and then confided, “I’m
so nervous. I hope I don’t mess things up.”

Francesca gave the blonde a
reassuring smile. “Emma, you’ll be wonderful. If you hit a rough spot, one of
us will jump in. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging.”

Emma looked around the group.
“Promise?”

Christ, she looked like she was
going to start crying. “Emma, just do it like we rehearsed. You were great.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you,
Remy.” Then he swore she gave Francesca a haughty grin.

God deliver him from scheming, fake
women.

Francesca met his eyes and rolled
hers. She wasn’t threatened in the least.

The alarm on his phone sounded. “OK
kids, let’s roll.”

“Let’s go make some magic,” Able
teased in an overly dramatic
voice.They
left his
suite laughing at their most serious member’s antics.

****

Francesca glanced at their audience.
Dear God, it was hot under the lights. Auditorium type seating filled the
massive ballroom while the panel sat at a table on an elevated stage area. The
place was packed. She was thrilled for Remy. He’d shared over breakfast that he
wanted a seat on the board and had been working hard behind the scenes. If this
panel was a success, then he was another step closer to his goal.

Able was concluding his portion and
then it was onto the roundtable discussion. She was excited for this part; she
loved sharing ideas with others, building on those thoughts, watching it turn
into a great idea or insight. This segment had been her suggestion.

She ran her hand through her hair,
trying to brush the hairline by her cheek, where she was certain a bead of
sweat was forming. Why the hell hadn’t she set her phone on the table so she
could check the stopwatch? Instead it was buried in her bag.

She continued to follow the
discussion. “Able, I have to disagree with a part of that statement,” she
interjected.

He smiled at her.

“I think that we all know that there
will be investigations into our background. It’s now common for most companies
to check into their middle managers’ lives. It’s the nature of the beast. Some
states are more interested in financials and others delve into your personal
history.”
 

Remy took over and explained his
theory from the regulator’s point of view.

She listened and then took a sip
from her bottle.

Remy stood and spoke to the
audience. “We are willing to take your questions. There are microphones set up
in the middle of the two aisles. Please wait until you are recognized before
speaking. And everyone, remember we are all professionals, please be patient
and respectful.” The house lights rose and the stage lights dimmed.

Francesca shifted in her seat. She
could just make out the movement of people heading toward the
mics
.

Several questions were focused on
Remy and Emma’s specialties and she listened as they answered. During a
momentary lull between questions, a chill ran down her spine. She searched the
stage and then swept her gaze across the audience.

 
Steven Blake stood at one of the
microphones. Fuck, this wasn’t going to be good. He had an evil grin on his
face and he was looking right at her.

He paused before speaking, as if he
wanted to make sure all eyes were on him. “Mr. Cooper, I found your choice of
words to be quite interesting, in particular, the professional part. Ms.
Luchetti
, was he referring to your mother’s profession as a
prostitute?”

Was this man serious? She spoke up
quickly. “Mr. Blake, my family’s not a subject of this panel.”

“Why not? Everyone in this room
wonders the same thing that I do…why is it that nobody does anything about
Jimmy
O’Haire’s
ties to the mob? How much does he pay
for that kind of protection? That is what I, for one, would like to know.”

She made sure that she kept her
expression blank and pretended that she was considering the answer. “Mr. Blake,
again, this panel is not about my family.” She could feel that he was going to
go off, so she continued. “However, I will answer your question. For years,
parties have attempted to tie Jimmy
O’Haire
and Rose
Holdings to nefarious groups. Every time they have come up with no proof.
None.
It doesn’t exist, Mr. Blake.” Her
legs were shaking from the adrenaline rushing through her body.

“Listen, you little bitch, you
screwed me out of millions and ruined my life. Jimmy
O’Haire
fucked me and so did you. I’m going to get you. You’re going to pay.”

Remy pushed himself back from the
table and bellowed, “Security.” He stalked to the edge of the stage to point
out the offender.

Able stood quickly and moved closer
to Francesca’s back.

Blake continued yelling into the
mic
as the security men surrounded him. “You’d better watch
out, bitch. You’ll be sorry.”

Christ, the guy was nuts. He’d just
had a meltdown in front of his contemporaries. She watched security escort him
from the room. It was like she was watching a movie.

Remy stalked back to the table and
grabbed his
mic.
“Thank you all for coming.” He then
dropped the
mic
back onto the table and strode to
her.

“Let’s go, Frankie.” His large hand
was around her bicep.

“I’m OK.” She started to push her
chair back and reach for her bag.

“Francesca, I said let’s go.” He
pulled her onto her feet and hurried her across the stage to the side door
exit.

They continued down the hallway; she
could hear her heels making a tap, tap sound on the tile. “Remy, slow down.”

At the door to the hallway he
stopped. “I’m not
gonna
let that fucker threaten you.
Not here right under my nose.” The vicious look on his face matched his tone.

She took a deep breath and gently
disengaged her arm from his grip. “He’s lost it.”

“Francesca, he just threatened you
in a room full of people.” His eyes were filled with rage.

“I know.” She was trying to
rationalize what just happened and take in Remy’s reaction.

“Nowhere, Frankie. You will go
nowhere without me. We’ll deal when your security team gets here, but you are
with me from this point forward. Agreed?”

She didn’t like it. Not one bit. She
was going to have to call the office and Rico would send a team. Remy was right
though, a public threat was concerning. Blake was unpredictable, and now,
reckless.

“Frankie, are you with me?” His tone
had an edge. “You’re going to call for a team, right?”

“I heard you, and yes, I’ll make
that call.” A rush of tears formed behind her eyes. She looked down for a beat
and tried to gain control. “I hate it. I hate having a team around me.”

He pulled her into his arms. “Babe,
nothing can happen to you. Whatever it takes to keep you safe, we do it.” His
arms tightened around her.

She rested her forehead against his
chest. Remy cared and she liked it that he did, maybe too much. She heard more
footsteps approaching.

Emma’s voice broke them apart. “Are
you OK? That man, he threatened you.” Her eyes were huge. She pulled Francesca
into her arms for a hug. She appeared genuinely shaken.

“I’m fine. Thank you.” She said, but
nobody missed the tremor in her voice.

“Did you call your people? Jimmy
won’t like this at all.” Able dropped an arm around her shoulders. “You need to
call him before he hears it from someone else.”

“I’m going to call them as soon as I
get to a quiet place. Thank you all for your concern. Mr. Blake’s words were
troubling.” She wanted to appear calm and in control of her emotions.

Remy took her hand in his. “Let’s go
to my suite so you can make those calls.”