Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set (61 page)

“So he had no idea when he died about the debt?”

“Nah. He thought the bar was bringing in plenty to cover it all. It probably would have if I hadn’t also had a pile of legal bills in the custody battle for Audra”

“I didn’t realize you’d had to fight for your sister. I thought you said something about her going to live with her mother. Did she stay with you a lot in the summers or holidays?”

“No,” Drew said. “I only saw her a few times after she went to live with her mom. I was busy working my ass off, trying to keep the bar and pay things off.”

But why hadn’t he seen his sister? And what about his plans to play pool professionally?

And why was she so disappointed?

Bad boys didn’t stay bad forever, after all.

Needing to change the subject, Natasha looked around.

“It’s hot in here,” she murmured, lifting her water bottle. “Do you want a sip?”

Drew nodded, but didn’t look at the bottle she offered. Instead he moved around so he was kneeling between her legs. Natasha shifted her legs wide in welcome and relished the feel of his smooth torso against the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs. Before she could tug her towel aside, he anchored his hands against the wall on either side of her shoulders and trapped her arms to her sides.

“I thought you wanted a drink,” she said softly before she touched her tongue to her bottom lip.

“Oh, I do.”

He leaned close, first nuzzling his face into her neck to breathe in her scent, rich in the foggy steam. Then she felt the sensual slide of his tongue as he trailed it down her throat. When he reached her collarbone, Drew shifted so he was only leaning on one hand, leaving the other free to trace a pattern over her slick flesh. As light as the droplets of perspiration slipping down her body, his fingers traced a design over her shoulder, down her arm, then back up to the edge of her towel. Still nibbling at her collarbone, he gave the fabric a light nudge and it dropped away to land in her lap.

Drew pulled back to feast his eyes on her body. With a wicked grin, he took the water bottle from her lax fingers and twisted off the cap. Then while she watched in languorous curiosity, he tilted it so the water poured over her breast.

Before she could do more than gasp at the contrast of the chilly water against her heated and very aroused flesh, Drew took her turgid nipple into the warmth of his mouth. Teeth and tongue equally tormented and soothed while his other hand slid a slippery caress over her other aching breast.

Natasha wove one hand through the soft thickness of his hair, holding tight so he couldn’t stop the delicious torture. With her other hand, she gave herself over to exploring the delicious breadth of his shoulders. His skin was warm and damp beneath her fingers, the muscles bunching in reaction to the light scrap of her nails. He felt like wet satin over solid steel. Silky soft and sleek on the outside, hard and powerful underneath. Natasha had never realized how turned on she’d get by the feel of a man’s rippling muscles under her fingers. She wanted to feel another muscle ripple, to let her questing fingers find the hard length of his dick.

Natasha moaned when he shifted slightly. Then he cupped her breasts in both his hands and her moan turned to a purr of pleasure. Pressing the sensitive flesh together, Drew traced a line between her nipples, nibbling, licking and teasing until she was panting. Desire, rich and wet, swirled through her. Natasha tried to press her aching center against him for some measure of relief but Drew shifted away.

She grabbed both his shoulders and scooted, careful not to interrupt the exquisite pleasure his mouth was providing, and tried to squirm close to his body.

“More,” she demanded in a husky whisper. “I need more.”

“Nope.” Drew pulled back to give her a naughty grin, his palm now soothing the aching tips of her breast. “You signed us up for the Tantra lessons, didn’t you?”

Natasha slowly nodded, although she could barely think over her body’s demands for satisfaction. Her breath shuddered as she tried to regain control.

“I thought Tantra was just a way to have better sex,” she murmured. She slowly became aware of her position, naked and sprawled out for Drew’s inspection as he played with her body at his leisure. Part of her protested, screamed for the modesty of the towel, while another reckless part of her reveled in the decadence of it all.

“Tantra is supposed to lead to better sex,” Drew admitted. The red light came on over the door, and he reluctantly pulled Natasha’s towel modestly over her himself. “The kicker with Tantra is that you can’t orgasm.”

Natasha’s gasp was drowned out by the opening door. The attendant stood there with a disinterested look on her face.

“Ready to move onto the sensual stage of the evening?” she asked cheerily. “Next is the mud bath, then the whirlpool, followed by an oil massage. Of course, since you signed up for the Tantra option, you’ll be massaging each other. There’s nothing better to make a strong connection.”

A connection that didn’t allow sex?

Natasha groaned.

* * *

Who knew mud baths could be a new form of torture?

“Drew, aren’t we supposed to be avoiding lovemaking?” Natasha protested. But she didn’t pull away from his hands and the incredible sensation of them cupping her tush through the warm, oddly sensual clay-like mud.

“Babe, we’re supposed to connect, to explore each other’s bodies. Tantra is the art of lovemaking without orgasm, remember?” Natasha felt him trace an abstract design over her hip.

“Although I’m not quite sure about the setting,” he said with a grimace. “Tell me again why we’re doing this in the mud?”

“I think the woman said something about the mud pulling the impurities out of our bodies.” Natasha moaned when he squeezed her cheek and a jagged spear of desire shot through her, settling in her covered-by-odd-paper-panties center.

She reached deep beneath the muddy surface to find Drew’s straining erection beneath his paper shorts and pressed her hand against the evidence their teasing was having on him.

“Besides—,” she said as she moved closer to slide onto his lap. She wrapped her legs around his torso and her arms around his neck. Gently, ever so softly, she brushed kisses over his face at the same time she rubbed her aching nipples against his chest. The slick surface added a whole other dimension to her delight. “—I guess the mud keeps us from actually having intercourse. Because I promise you, you aren’t getting in these panties.”

* * *

“God, Tasha, you have to stop,” Drew said with a moan. He gently lifted her head from his lap and gave a shuddering sigh of regret. “Babe, I can’t take much more.”

A wicked grin of triumph curved her swollen lips. But Natasha released her grip on his thighs and floated back in the whirlpool to make room for Drew to slide from the edge where he’d been sitting to join her in the hot, swirling water.

She couldn’t wait for the three hours to be up, because this was promising to be the orgasm of her life.

* * *

Natasha groaned as Drew rubbed the warm, vanilla scented oil into her fingers. She’d been a little disappointed when their attendant had explained that the massage was supposed to encompass only the traditionally non-erogenous zones. But suddenly, every zone was on high alert.

“Drew,” she whispered. “I feel more alive, more energized, than I think I’ve ever been.”

“Me too, babe,” he answered. But she could tell most of his attention was on his fingers and how they felt on her body. She knew, since she’d massaged him first, that it was unbearably erotic to have your lover’s body laid out before you, but not be able to touch the parts you craved. It made every part of the body that much more sensitive.

“I don’t know if I’m going to last,” she moaned, desire coiled tight in her belly.

“You’ll last,” he promised. “Because when you come, it’ll be the most incredible thing either of us has ever felt. It’ll be worth it. I promise.”

That, Natasha realized in a sensual fog, was the first promise Drew Walker had ever made to her.

* * *

Tingling from both the massage and what felt like a million pinpoints of desire surging through her system, Natasha sauntered into the lobby at Drew’s side. There, looking equally satisfied in totally different ways, were Audra and Ruf.

“Have a good time?” Ruf asked with a dirty look in his eye. Drew’s shoulders grew rigid, but Natasha wasn’t even offended. After all, she’d had a good time. And it was only going to get better.

“Ruf, I want to thank you. This is a fabulous place. It’s completely inspired me.”

Audra snickered. “I’ll just bet it did.”

Natasha didn’t even spare her a glance. She smiled her thanks at Ruf, who held the door open for them all to exit and made her way to the waiting limo.

She waited until they were all seated inside before giving Drew a wink, then focused her full attention on Ruf.

“Ruf, I’ve been wondering if you’re any closer to making a decision on the account? While I’d like to think you’d consider offering an account to both
Sensual Supports
and
Twisted Knickers
, we both know that’s not realistic.”

From the shift of energy in the car, Natasha guessed everyone was a bit taken aback at her ballsy question. But after two hours of foreplay, she was screaming for satisfaction. And, she realized, this weird game they were playing was making her feel the same way. She kept working it, hoping she was doing the right thing, but satisfaction loomed out of reach. She was tired of it. So she was grabbing what little control she could and jumping in with both feet. The same thing she planned to do with Drew when they got back to her hotel room.

“I’d have to say awarding the account at this point would be premature,” Ruf said cautiously. The man looked like a mustachioed mouse caught between two cats. She shot a brief glance at Audra’s tense face. Maybe he was.

“I suppose it would,” Natasha agreed. “Especially since I’ve so many new ideas I’d like you to consider before you make that decision.”

“For instance?” he asked.

She could tell from the indulgent look on his face, he didn’t expect Natasha to actually pitch here in front of her competition. But that was the point she’d come to while trying to keep her mind occupied with something other than orgasm. What she had to offer was one of a kind. She didn’t have to feel she was in competition with anyone.

“Ruf,
Sensual Supports
’ bra design... well, I designed it myself. Actually, it’s one of a kind. I realize that means little to you, as your business focus is more targeted at parties. And we both know, if you’ve read the prospectus I offered you, that the cost of manufacturing this particular design is unquestionably higher than some.”

Apparently that last part was news to Audra, from the teetering-on-triumphant smirk on her face. But Ruf, whose face was the one that counted, simply looked intrigued.

“The manufacturing is on the high side,” Ruf agreed. “Of course, that bra is only one segment of what
Sensual Supports
is offering, isn’t it?”

“You’re right, it is. We could easily take that particular bra design off the table, so to speak.” She waited for him to nod before tilting her head to the side and tapping a finger on her chin. “Or... we could make it all about that design.”

“What’s the point in that?” Audra challenged. “If it’s cost prohibitive to make the bra, why make more? Maybe you should go on back to that spa and see if you left your brains there, ‘cause you ain’t making much sense.”

“Maybe you should shut your mouth and see if you can learn something,” Drew muttered with a warning look at his sister.

Natasha ignored them both. Her focus was on business.

“Let’s be honest, hmm? The lingerie industry is glutted with sexy designs. There is something here for everyone. In most cases, so many something’s that the consumer isn’t really going to care where they get their lingerie. It’s all the same.”

“Ya just have to know how to market it, Sweet Thing. It’s all in the sales.”

“Exactly,” Natasha agreed. “You’ve built your business by focusing on a marketing hook, and a good one. Party’s offer the consumer the guise of personalized service, all while entertaining.”

Ruf preened at that, clearly pleased to see his brilliance acknowledged. Natasha almost hated to burst his bubble.

“You probably already know this, but I counted at least thirty lingerie party vendors at just this convention alone. You’ve got a great head start on that marketing tool, Ruf. But you don’t have the market cornered.”

She watched the older man’s expression carefully. She needed to be careful. She wanted to show him his vulnerability, but, as with dealing with any man, she couldn’t damage his delicate ego. Still, even though his brow was furrowed in a frown, he didn’t look crushed.

“Your advantage, in my opinion, is your distribution. You’ve got both domestic and overseas markets. You have a solid manufacturing center at your disposal and can easily absorb the costs to offer higher value merchandise.”