Pretty Wicked (6 page)

‘
I… I should go soon,’ I
stammered.

‘
What’s the
rush?’

‘
It’s late.’

‘
You’ve got two hours
before everything turns to pumpkin, rats and rags.’

‘
I’m not really sure what
you want from me.’

‘
Forgive me,’ he mocked,
‘if I have not been clear enough. I want to take you to bed,
Lexi.’

I wanted him to take me to bed too.
‘Miko.’

‘
Lexi?’ he teased, his
eyebrows raised innocently, sensuality shimmering in the black
wells of his eyes.

I stared at the pink swirls in the carpet
and drew in a deep, cleansing breath. This was turning out to be a
total disaster. The plan had been to seduce him and then leave him
high and dry. How on earth had I imagined I could seduce a man like
him? It had been a particularly ill-conceived idea of mine.
Actually, make that the most moronic idea I had ever come with.
This must have been the worst seduction scene in history.

I rose up suddenly. ‘I think it’s time I was
going.’

He moved so fast I let out a yelp when his
hand closed on my wrist and yanked me in his direction. I blinked
up at him, as I lay sprawled across his length. His jaw looked as
if it was carved from granite. I had a vision of running kisses
along its symmetrical beauty.

My gaze travelled along the cut cheekbones,
angled high almost like a woman’s but too harsh to be feminine, to
meet his boldly assessing eyes. I brought my hands up and putting
them on his chest pushed, but what happened was nothing. His chest
was like a stone slab and the hands that trapped me were like steel
manacles.

‘
Running scared,
Lexi?’

My heart was a caged bird in my chest. ‘I’m
not scared. I’m not sure we want the same things.’

‘
What do you
want?’

‘
Right now? I want you to
let me go,’ I muttered, with as much dignity as I could.

‘
I don’t believe in
playing around. If I want something I take it. Unless you show me
you don’t want me I’m going to take you.’

‘
Very confident, aren’t
you?’

‘
Very,’ he murmured, and
pulled me along his body so I was lying directly on top of his hot,
thick erection. I gasped, liquid fire rushing through my body. God,
I seriously wanted this man. I actually longed, no ached to strip
his clothes off and have him surge hard and fast inside me. At that
moment nothing seemed more important than the burning desire that
had been lit inside me when I ran into his chest that morning in
the coffee shop.

I opened my mouth to say something, no doubt
something stupid, so it was a good thing that the man moved forward
and covered my mouth with a soul-searing kiss. It was so raw with
need that I just about managed to cling to his hard shoulders.
Vaguely I heard the sound of a zip. My tongue was caught, stroked,
pulled into the warm cave of his mouth and sucked.

Vaguely, I noted my dress coming off me. The
dress was so tight there had been no need for a bra and my breasts
sprang loose. They felt swollen and heavy. His eyes blazed
possessively at the sight of my body nude, but for a red scrap of
lace and silk.

He cupped a breast, felt its weight in his
hand, then expertly rolled a hard nipple back and forth between his
smooth fingers. My body arched. He groaned low—the sound was
erotic—and sucked my lower lip. Hard. I shivered helplessly and
moaned.

‘
You taste like a slice of
heaven,’ he murmured.

Strong large hands were spreading my thighs
apart so my clit was rubbing against his clothed shaft. I began to
move my hips, desperate and seeking. I pushed my aching centre down
hard and it felt so damn good I writhed and whimpered like an
animal.

‘
Mmm…’ Was that me? God
yes.

‘
Ahhhh.’ That was me
too.

I had never felt this way before. Lost to
everything except Miko. My fingers slipped into his unbuttoned
shirt and, underneath, Miko was satin smooth and warm. My
sensitized body felt hot and wild, and strangely out of control.
Every nerve, every cell screamed out for him to take me.

I felt his fingers slip into my panties and
I growled. Juices flowed over his fingers. The heat and hunger I
felt were so strong I felt as if I was in the sea being carried
away by powerful currents and the only thing that kept me from
being lost was Miko. Nothing else mattered but him. My only
reality.

I tore at his handmade shirt, the buttons
pinging. He looked surprised. His chest and abs were magnificent.
They were how I had dreamed them. I spread my palms over the broad,
strong chest. My fingers looked very pale nestled in his chest
hair. The sight of it did something to me. A gust of daring blew
through me: I abandoned myself to it. Bending my head, I bit his
nipple. He drew in his breath sharply but he did not stop me.

‘
Oh yes, Lexi. Oh yes,’ he
encouraged instead.

I flicked it with my tongue and followed the
line of hair. As I curled my body I felt his finger thrust into me.
I sucked in a startled breath. I began to unbutton his belt. My
fingers were frantic. Later, I would be shocked. At that moment I
just wanted him deep inside me. All I could think of was the lust I
felt for him. I felt as if I was only half and I needed him to fill
me. I knew he could give me something no other man could. I knew
the satisfaction I would get from him would put every other
experience I had had into the shade. His fingers moved in and out
of me, maddening me. I unzipped his trousers.

He had a beautiful cock: satin smooth skin,
large, thick, rock hard. Simply majestic. I couldn’t wait to have
it inside me. I gripped him by the base. A groan rumbled in his
chest.

‘
God! You’re so
beautiful,’ he whispered.

The effect of his words was like a bucket of
cold water in my heated face. I froze as if he had whipped me,

‘
What’s the matter?’ he
asked, frowning.

‘
Nothing,’ I croaked, and
because his hold and his attention were distracted I jumped off him
and, covering the nakedness of my breasts as if I was some sort of
terrified virgin, I picked my dress off the floor and clutched it
against my body.

‘
What the fuck?’ I heard
him swear. ‘What are you doing, Lexi?’

‘
I’m sorry,’ I said and
heard him draw a harsh breath.

He looked at me incredulously as I walked
backward and away from him. There was no way I was exposing my bum
to his narrowed gaze. When I got to the door I slipped out of sight
behind the wall, ran to the bathroom and locked myself in it. I was
breathing hard. I got back into my crumpled dress and zipped it up
quickly. My face was flushed, my mouth in the mirror was full and
swollen with the intensity of his kisses, and my eyes were a smoky
shade of green. And yet, I looked not wanton, but…sad.

What a mess I had made of
it. To have even imagined that I of all people could seduce him
then leave him high and dry as punishment? If it weren’t so
pathetic it would be laughable.
It would
have worked if you were not in love with him.
I stopped suddenly.
I’m not in love
with him
. I turned away from the mirror
and ran my fingers through my hair, smoothed it into some sort of
order, splashed my face with cold water and then I exited the
bathroom.

As soon as I came out of the bathroom I saw
him standing by the sideboard clenching a glass of some amber
liquid in his hand. He was holding it so hard his knuckles were
white. He smiled, but it was empty. His pants were done up but his
shirt was unbuttoned making the glistening power-packed muscles on
his chest stand out even more.

I swallowed hard. Even at a time like this I
could not help but notice that the man had a body to die for. He
took a swig from his glass and stared at me. His eyes were
purposely blank. If he was frustrated he was taking great pains not
to show it.

‘
I should go,’ I said
awkwardly.

‘
What’s up, Lexi?’ His
voice was level and deliberately neutral. There was nothing in it
to suggest anger or even a trace of the earlier passion.

I shook my head miserably. ‘Nothing.’

‘
Nothing? Why do you keep
blowing hot and cold?’

‘
I’m really
sorry.’

‘
For what?’ he asked
sharply.

My hands floated up. ‘For allowing things to
get as far as they did.’

‘
I thought you were
enjoying yourself.’

I bit my lower lip and felt the heat racing
up into my cheeks. No point lying. ‘I was.’

‘
So why did you stop?’ he
asked softly.

I shrugged. ‘It was all too fast. Too
soon.’

He gave a pained frown. ‘I see.’

‘
I’m really
sorry.’

‘
Are you?’

‘
Yes.’ I felt a clenching
in my chest as I acknowledged the truth: I was truly sorry I had
ever started on this revenge trip. It was obvious now that the only
person who was going to get hurt was me. He just wanted to have sex
with me. Even now that I had thwarted him he was behaving
impeccably. A man like this would never fall in love with me. I was
the one who was in danger of falling for him.

‘
All right. Prove it,’ he
challenged.

‘
What?’

‘
Prove that you’re really
sorry?’

I glared at him suspiciously. ‘What do you
mean?’

‘
Join me tomorrow
evening.’

I frown. ‘What for?’

‘
There is a party I have
to be at.’

‘
Why me? There must be
hundreds of women who would be only too happy to go with
you.’

‘
I want to go with you.’
There was no sarcasm in his eyes or his voice. He said it so
sincerely that I stared at him in a daze.

‘
Even if we don’t end up
in bed?’

He sighed. ‘Even if.’

I took a deep breath. I did not understand
him and maybe I did not even understand me. ‘All right,’ I agreed
stiltedly.

‘
Thank you.’ He smiled
rather sadly. ‘This suite comes with a chauffeur. I’ve arranged for
your ride home.’

‘
Thank you,’ I murmured.
I’d had visions of standing outside in my crumpled dress waiting
for a taxi.

‘
I’ll walk you down,’ he
said, buttoning his shirt.

And so we went down to the foyer, both of us
never touching each other, and yet intensely aware of the
other.

‘
I’ll pick you up tomorrow
at eight.’

‘
See you tomorrow
then.’

‘
Goodnight,
Lexi.’

~~~~~

I
dressed in my fail-safe—a black dress with a demure neckline
and a good cut. It was no Jessica Rabbit but I was done with trying
to seduce him. I pulled my hair into a chignon at the base of my
neck and dressed it with a tortoiseshell comb. I felt strangely
calm. The way the air is before a storm. I wore my most expensive
underwear. I guess I knew what I was really up to.

Miko rang the bell at five to eight. I
opened the door with my purse already in my hand. My eyes widened.
In casual clothes he looked very fit and masculine. He was wearing
a black shirt with silver buttons and hip-hugging black jeans. The
wind had ruffled his hair and the desire to run my fingers through
it was immediate. What was it about this man? His magnetic pull on
me began from the moment he appeared in my presence.

‘
Hello,’ he greeted
evenly, but his eyes were devouring me. Whatever it was I felt it
was the same with him.

‘
Hi,’ I said
softly.

‘
I guess you’re ready to
go.’

I nodded and we walked to the lift. He was
different today. That rakish charm was gone. Instead there was
caution and a deliberate distance. As if he did not know how far he
could go. Once when helping me into his hired open-topped car his
hand touched mine, and he retracted it with the same speed that I
did. I flushed a sharp shade of red, but he ignored it. Even our
conversation was stilted.

‘
Up or down?’ he
asked.

I thought of my hair. ‘Up please.’

He drove us to Twickenham. In all my years
of living in England I had never left London and I gazed at the
suburbs curiously. The car came to a stop outside a large detached
house with wisteria growing over the front of it.

Miko rang the bell and a tiny,
olive-skinned, middle-aged woman opened the door.

‘
Ah, Miko,’ she exclaimed
happily, and with flying limbs, flung herself at him.

He wrapped her inside his arms with genuine
affection. With one arm still around her he introduced me to
her.

‘
Mysha, meet Lexi. Lexi,
meet Mysha.’

Mysha had eyes that were as black and
inscrutable as Miko’s. They looked at me shrewdly. ‘Hello, Lexi,’
she said, and nodded approvingly. ‘It’s about time Miko found
himself a wife that bore him some babies.’

My eyes collided with Miko’s. His lips had
tightened.

As if catching the tension in the air, Mysha
extricated herself from Miko and said, ‘Come in, come in. Everyone
is waiting for you.’

She took us each by the hand and with a
merry laugh sailed down a narrow corridor decorated in the most
sumptuous manner possible. It kind of reminded me of the Egyptian
room in Harrods. There were paintings of women draped in
transparent veils hung on walls covered with rich velvet patterned
azure wallpaper. The wall lights were made of cherubs in gilded
metal holding red candles.