More Than One Night (21 page)
“You weren’t giving up on me, were you?”
“Never. I couldn’t stand my apartment because you were in every room. Then when I got the check and I realized you were in my heart and I didn’t want you to leave.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No more apologies. We’re together and that’s all that matters.”
“Yes, it is.” She snuggled close to him and thanked her lucky stars for bringing Jake into her life. And then she silently thanked her friends, who knew that a man could make her feel so completed, so loved. And she was loved, that was all that mattered.
About the Author
Marie Tuhart can’t remember a time when she didn’t have a book in her hands. She began writing at nineteen, and after several years decided to get serious about publishing. Marie loves to spend time in bookstores and traveling. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest.
Visit Marie at
www.marietuhart.com
To chat with Marie Tuhart and other Wild Rose Press authors of erotic romance, join us at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thewilderroses.
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Also Available
His For The Weekend
By Marie Tuhart
Cassandra Adams has a problem and its name is Marcus DeLuca. The man is quite determined to have her—on his terms. Cassie has had enough of domineering men in her life, yet she’s drawn to strong, virile Marcus. Tempted to get that man out of her system once and for all, she agrees that she will be his for a weekend only—but then he must leave her alone forever.
Marcus will do anything to get sexy, non-committal Cassie into his arms, into his bed—failure is not an option. He wants nothing more than to keep Cassie in his life, but he senses a secret that keeps her from being able from committing—from submitting—to any man. Will Marcus’s special brand of domination free her to be his for more than a weekend?
Turn the page to read an excerpt.
Chapter One
Cassie Adams marched into Marcus DeLuca’s office, her light purple shirt buttoned to the top and tucked into her black slacks. Her blue eyes flashed with displeasure, her golden brown hair now pulled back from her face in an uncomfortable-looking clip. And that was telling. Her hair had been down earlier and the first two buttons of her shirt undone. Now she was building up her defenses.
Satisfaction washed through Marcus. His gift had the desired effect—her in his office. She’d waited until almost everyone was gone to lunch to confront him. Admit it or not, she was attracted to him or she’d want witnesses. “Good afternoon, Cassie.” He kept his tone even.
“Don’t ‘good afternoon’ me, Marcus DeLuca. I’ve had enough. This has got to stop and stop now.”
She stood before his desk, vibrating with anger. Or was it unfulfilled desire? More than likely, it was both.
He’d picked his latest gifts to make sure she confronted him face-to-face. Leaning back in his executive leather chair to ease the pressure in his groin, he asked, “What’s got to stop?”
A storm kicked up in those baby blues of hers and it took all his control not leap out of his chair and drag her into his arms. She did that to him—made him lose control—and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“Don’t play games with me. The flowers, the notes, and the gifts. It stops now.” She all but stomped her foot in anger.
The time for teasing was over. “I made my intentions clear two months ago. I told you then the gloves were coming off and I was going to pursue you until you gave in to our attraction.” But it was more than attraction, at least on his side. Inside, he wanted to get to know her better, to find out what made her tick, and to make her his.
And if she told him eye-to-eye she wasn’t interested and to leave her alone, he’d respect her wishes, but so far, she hadn’t done that. And he didn’t think she would now. No, there was more between them. Sexual chemistry arched between them every time they were together and he wanted her like no other woman. She called to him on an elemental level.
“Yes, but…” Her gaze dropped to her feet, a delicate flush covering her cheeks.
Tenderness welled up in him, along with the need to take her into his arms and comfort her, but at the same time, the need to kiss her senseless until neither one of them had a single breath left.
“I can’t take this anymore.” Her voice was whisper soft, but he heard the words as clear as if she had shouted them.
His heart leaped—now he could prove to her there was more to him than a co-worker and give their relationship a chance. “What are you willing to give me?”
Her head snapped up and she gnawed on her lip. “Twenty-four hours.”
“Not enough. A hundred and twenty.”
Her mouth opened then closed. Her gaze darted left, then right, before settling back on his face. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. A good sign—she was willing to be his.
“Too long. Forty-eight.”
He stood and crossed over to her. He needed to be close to her as they negotiated. “Still not enough Ninety-six uninterrupted hours with you.”
Her nose scrunched up and her lashes swept down, cutting off the view of her expressive eyes. “Sixty—six tonight until six Monday morning.”
He noted the stubborn set to her chin. It wasn’t ideal, but he could do it. He would not fail in winning her over. Leaning close, he whispered, “I’ll take it.”
She exhaled, lashes rising until she stared at him. “What are the ground rules?”
“There are none.”
Her eyes widened. Oh, yes, he had her now and he wasn’t letting go.
“No barriers. No rules.”
Her shoulders dipped, then straightened. She acted like she was preparing for a battle, but it would be a battle of sex. “All right, but when the sixty hours are done, we’re finished. I mean it. No flowers, no gifts, no mention of this weekend. Ever.”
Without another word, she spun on her heels to walk out of his office.
He was quick to cross the room. He captured her by the shoulders, bringing her to a halt. His lips brushed her ear and a shiver shook her. “Remember what I said at the party?”
She didn’t answer him, but her swift intake of breath was the only answer he needed.
“You belong to me.”
“I belong to no man.”
He slid his hands down her arms, past her clenched fists and encircled her waist, bringing her back flush against his chest, her breathing shallow.
She didn’t struggle, not even when he tilted his hips, letting her know how much she aroused him.
“You will belong to me. I promise.”
She trembled in his hold. “For sixty hours only.” She wrenched herself from his embrace and turned her head to stare at him. “That’s all you’ll get, Marcus. That’s all it can be.”
“Don’t bet on it.”
“There is the sexual harassment law of twenty-twenty. You have to abide by it.”
“If you file.”
“I will, if you make one move toward me after our weekend.” Pivoting, she marched out of his office.
****
What in God’s name had she done? Made a deal with the devil, that’s what. Cassie couldn’t stop shaking. Her pussy pulsed, her breasts tingled and her breathing was too shallow. And it wasn’t from fear. Only Marcus could make her this aroused without even trying.
She’d confronted Marcus to get him to back off, not to agree to a no-holds-barred weekend. How did she let him talk her into it? Maybe talk wasn’t the right word. Negotiated was better. But darn it, she was the head of customer service, negotiation was her specialty. Yet she’d been outwitted on this one.
Even now, her heart continued to pound and her pussy pulsed with unfulfilled excitement. But Marcus’ last words also sent a chill through her.
She wouldn’t be his. She was not submissive like her mother—she was her own woman. The weekend would get him out of her system and that’s all she would allow. While it would put her in a vulnerable position with Marcus having control, she would still be on her guard. She wouldn’t leave herself open to whatever Marcus wanted to do to her, no matter how painful. No way—her mother was like that, but she wouldn’t give control to a man. Ever.
He’d been a thorn in her side from day one, but over the last year the pain from the thorn had turned into unchecked desire and need. Not only did he keep her on her toes professionally, but mentally as well.
Was it because her last relationship crashed right before Marcus started flirting with her? Or was it because she had engaged in the services within the company, Fantasies Inc.? Had Josh, the lead manager in the department, talked to Marcus about her fantasy? No, he wouldn’t do that—client confidentially was critical to their business.
Damn, why was she spending so much time analyzing the whys? The whys didn’t matter. Not when her emotions were all over the place and she was having trouble regaining control.
She strode into her office without even realizing how she got there. Settling back into her chair, she looked down at her desk.
If there was one thing she loved, it was her job. Fantasies Incorporated was a company that specialized in making sexual fantasies come true, by any legal means. People paid handsomely for their indulgences.
Since the Sexual Freedom Act, sex companies were no longer taboo. Fantasies Inc. paid well to have the best people working for them. And she was the best as far as customer service was concerned.
And Marcus was the superman of Research and Development from everything she saw during departmental meetings. And Josh…the master of ménage from all the customer recommendations she’d received about his group.
Her phone rang and she jumped. Her hand hitting the white box still sitting on her desk, she scowled at it as she picked up the receiver. “Cassie Adams, how may I help you?” she answered automatically.
“Now there’s a loaded question.” Marcus’ whiskey smooth voice shimmered through her blood stream.
She fought against the boneless feeling invading her being at the sound of his voice. “What do you want, Marcus.”
“All business. I wanted to remind you to bring the present with you tonight.”
Her gaze sought out the box still sitting on her desk, mocking her. Why hadn’t she taken it up to his office and given it back to him?
“Umm, sure.” What else was she going to say? She was the one who’d agreed to the weekend.
“Good. I can’t wait to try those nipple rings on you.”
Before she could answer, he hung up. No. No. No. She wasn’t going to wear them. The teddy, yes. The rings, no way.
But her nipples tightened in anticipation anyway. She wasn’t adverse to sexual play, but memories flooded her.
A time when she was a teenager and exploring her own sexuality, she’d found a set of nipple rings in the bathroom. Since her parents were very open about sex…Her lashes drifted shut.
Keep breathing. In and out. In and out.
The memory of the pain flooded her. She hadn’t known they would hurt so much when she clipped them on. Fighting against the memory, Cassie breathed deeply until she regained control.
She would keep her control this weekend, even if it killed her.
****
By four in the afternoon, Cassie was holding on to her control by a thread.
Since Marcus’ call, all she could think about was him and those damn nipple rings.
Her gaze slid to the box still sitting on the corner of her desk. Unable to help herself, she opened the pristine white lid. Pushing the midnight blue teddy aside, she pulled out the smaller velvet box and opened it.
She stared at the two gold nipple rings before pulling them out. Holding them in her palm, she admired the smooth feel of the metal and their light weight.
These looked nothing like the ones she remembered from her teenage years. Those had been round but made of steel and they had little spikes on the inside. These were round and would easily slip on to her sensitive nipples, making them even harder than they were now. How would the gold feel against her skin? Her pussy tightened as moisture gathered. She could picture Marcus standing before her, his fingers playing with her breasts before he slipped the gold rings over her taunt nipples. Her breath caught in her throat.
Stop this!
Before she could put the rings back in their box, a click of the door captured her attention. Marcus stood with his back against the wood, an ultra-satisfied grin on his face.
“How…” She cleared her throat. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.” He pushed away from the door and stalked toward her desk.
Dropping the rings into their box, she shoved them back into the bigger box. “Is there something I can help you with?” She cursed silently the second the words left her mouth.
Yep, his green eyes lit up at her words, taking them as an invitation.
“Yes, there is something you can help me with.” He rounded her desk.
Her pulse kicked up a notch. “Marcus.” She rose to her feet.
“Put them on, Cassie.” His voice was low and firm, sending shivers up her spine.
“Later.” Much later. Maybe never.
His green eyes darkened. “Now.” This time there was steel in the command.
Her hand hovered above the box, but the second she realized what was happening, she dropped her arm. She wasn’t like her mother—she wasn’t going to mindlessly obey a man. That wasn’t who she was.
“Our time hasn’t begun yet.”
Strong masculine hands closed over hers. His skin wasn’t soft, but rough enough to send shivers along her nerves and to remind her he was all man.
“Put them on.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper that stroked her nerves like velvet fingers. “You know you want to. Think about how they will feel against your skin. How they will cause your nipples to harden and rub against your bra, making your breasts more sensitive. So when I take them into my mouth and suckle them, you’ll cry out with pleasure.”
Cassie pried her hands from beneath his to grab the edge of her desk before her knees gave out. The images his words invoked caused her pussy to spasm and her nipples to tighten into hard buds. If he could do that to her now, how was she going to survive the weekend? Without saying a word, she watched Marcus lift the lid on the box.