Sinful Suspense Box Set (81 page)

Chapter
10

It was a good forty-five minutes into my dinner slash business date, and I hadn’t seen my date yet. An extremely attentive driver named Max, a broadly built man with a heavy accent, picked me up, and an extremely attentive waiter named John, a short, thin middle-aged man with a ramrod straight posture, made sure that my glass was filled with expensive French wine. I’d also emptied the bread basket completely on my own. My rational was that the bread would soak up the wine and I’d still be sober enough to talk business with the man if he ever arrived.

I glanced around for John, figuring one more basket of bread wouldn’t hurt, when I saw Robert walking toward the table. “I’m sorry I’m late.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek, and it dawned on me that I didn’t care for the smell of his cologne. The second he sat, his fingers were snapping in the air and John hurried over.

“Bring us two of your smoked salmon and shrimp salads and two red pepper scallops.”

I loathed a man who ordered for me at a restaurant. My face must have shown my annoyance.

“You’ll love the dishes I ordered,” he said dismissively.

“It’s just that I had shrimp for lunch. But that’s fine.” Truthfully I was so filled up on bread and wine that I really didn’t have much appetite.

He took a deep breath as if he’d been hurrying around all day and had finally taken a second to relax. His eyes gleamed in the candlelight. “You look gorgeous, Jayden.”

“Thank you, so do you.”

He smiled.

“Well, you know what I mean.” I took another sip of wine.

“Do you like the wine I picked?” he asked. “It’s one of their best.”

“Yes, it’s delicious.” I hated to tell him that since I knew very little about wine I would have been just as impressed with a box wine from the liquor store. Although, I had to admit that this particular wine provided a nice little buzz. “So have you given any thought to the house we looked at?”

He shook his head and waved down John again. “Why is there no bread on this table?” Poor, flustered John rushed off to get more another basket.

“It’s my fault there’s no bread on the table,” I said feeling guilty that John just took the blame for my piggishness. “I was hungry and the bread was so good.”

His eyes widened. “That’s a lot of bread for one, small girl.”

Now I was embarrassed. “Yes, I’m not proud of it. I’m just confessing so that you know it wasn’t John’s fault.”  John returned immediately with a basket of steaming bread that I decided not to touch for fear that I might be scolded. “So have you given any thought to the house?” I decided to cut right to it because now I wanted this evening to end.

“We’ll talk about that later.” He buttered himself a piece of bread. “Tell me about yourself, Jayden. How long have you been in real estate?”

First question I had not prepared for. “Uh, not long. I was in advertising and marketing before I joined Regent Realty.”

“I see. Why did you leave advertising?” As I opened my mouth to answer, his attention was diverted when John made the mistake of walking past with another table’s food. Robert snapped his fingers again. The tray of food on John’s arm had to weigh more than the man himself, but he stopped at our table.

“There are water spots on my glass, John. Bring me another.” Then he looked back at me, and fortunately, he’d forgotten the question he’d asked me before his arrogant snap of the fingers.

“So are you seeing someone here on the island?” he asked.

I was now missing his previous line of questioning.

“I’ve only just arrived in Tahiti,” I said.

John brought a new wine glass and our salads. I liked shrimp but I definitely didn’t love it enough to eat it twice in one day. And my appetite was completely gone.

Robert picked up his fork but then scowled down at his salad. “This won’t do,” he said. I’d never felt so much pity for a waiter in all my life. John rushed over. “There is not enough shrimp in this salad. Please return it to the chef.” Robert glanced at my plate.

“Mine has more than enough, John, thank you.”

It was as if an entirely different man showed up for dinner than the man I’d shown the house to. He was contemptible and I couldn’t wait for the night to end, but I wasn’t willing to completely give up on the commission yet. I stirred my salad around with my fork, like a kid trying to avoid eating broccoli, hoping that if played with it long enough it would disappear.

“You have beautiful breasts,” Robert said suddenly.

I blinked up at him, but I really had no response. Nick had been right all along about this date, and I’d been naïve enough to think that he was interested in the damn house. Back home, a date like this would have sent me rushing into the ladies’ room to call Rita. Ten minutes later, she’d be interrupting the disastrous dinner with an urgent phone call so I could have an excuse to leave. But I had no cell phone, and no Rita, and I was stuck with the jerk.

An hour later, after watching the creep run John ragged, complain about everything from the temperature of the food to the amount of candlelight, and stare openly at my boobs, I wanted to chew off my own head.

I’d suffered enough that I decided I owed it to myself to bring up the house one more time.

“I’ve had my assistant do some price comparisons,” he said finally, “and the asking price is too high. They’ll need to come down half a million before I’ll consider it.”

So he was a cheap, rich bastard on top of everything else.

“I’ll call the listing agent and find out how firm the price is.” I could not keep the profound disappointment out of my voice. “I’m sorry but all that wine seems to have given me a headache,” I said. “I hope you don’t mind if we cut this evening short.”

He scowled at me. “Not at all. In fact, I’ll page Max to come pick you up. He can drive you home from here. I have another engagement.”

I wondered if he had some other unsuspecting female lined up at another restaurant filling herself on bread and wine. I didn’t give a crap at this point. I just wanted away from the jerk.

I could not have been more relieved to get home. It was barely eleven o’clock, but the house was dark. Taylor and Nick seemed to be asleep. None of us had adjusted completely to the time change yet.

My head felt heavy on my shoulders as I changed into my oversized sleeping t-shirt. That’s when I realized that after an evening of swirling expensive French cuisine around my plate, I was hungry. I tiptoed back out to the fridge for some yoghurt, and as I brushed past the arm of the couch a foot grazed my thigh. I startled and so did the person sleeping on the couch. Nick squinted into the dark room. A white sheet was draped loosely over his hips. “Flash, is that you?”

“Yep. Sorry to wake you but I was hungry.”

“Didn’t you just come from your dinner date?”

“Please do not remind me of the evening. What a lecherous pig.”

He sat up abruptly and the couch creaked beneath his weight. “Did that sonavabitch—”

“Nothing happened. Including any real estate deal.” Nick had warned me not to get my hopes up, but I’d ignored him. I really was disappointed.

“Sorry about that, Jayden.” It would have been a perfect opportunity for him to say I told you so but he didn’t, and he sounded truly sympathetic to boot.

“I’ll handle that client from now on.” He lay back down.

My eyes had adjusted to the darkness. My gaze drifted over his smooth muscular chest and followed the line of dark hair that trailed over his taut abdomen, disappearing beneath the sheet. In my entire life, I’d never seen anything as sensual as Nick Regent lying naked on the couch beneath a thin sheet. It took me a moment to find my tongue. “Why are you on the couch?” I asked.

“Francesca is in my bed.” He turned on his side and attempted to fit his extremely long body on the short couch.

“I see.” That was an interesting development. I walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and fished out a blueberry yoghurt. I slid open the drawer with the spoons just as a large arm slid around my waist.

Nick held me against his hard chest, and he pressed his erection against my bottom. The heat of his naked body penetrated my t-shirt, warming my skin. His free hand reached up and brushed the hair from my face, and his mouth caressed my ear and neck. The yoghurt dropped to the floor and splattered.

“God, Jayden,” he said between breaths, “I want every inch of you.” His hand slid from my waist up to my breast and through the thin cotton fabric his finger traced a circle around my erect nipple. He spun me around to face him. Gazing at me from beneath heavy lids, he dragged his thumb across my bottom lip before lifting my chin. His hungry mouth came down over mine, and instantly his tongue ran along the inside of my lips. I opened my lips wider and his tongue probed deeper. I moaned softly into his mouth, feeling completely frail and vulnerable in his thick arms.

“Tell me to stop, Jayden,” he breathed the words against my lips. “It will kill me, but tell me to stop if you don’t—”

My hands reached into his long, dark hair, and I pulled his face closer to mine. His kisses were punishing, and I could not get enough of his mouth. My head felt so light, I barely noticed as he lifted me into his arms. My foot pushed open the door to my bedroom. He kicked shut the door and lowered my feet to the ground. My fingers grasped at his arm for fear that I might sink into a weak-kneed puddle.

I gasped as his fingers grabbed the fabric of my shirt. He lifted it over my head and dropped it on the floor. I stood in front of his hungry gaze wearing only a flimsy pair of thong underwear.  A warm, salty breeze wafted through the open window, tickling my naked skin pushing my already erect nipples tighter still.

The insatiable look in his pale green eyes sent a shiver through me. Then he reached for my hands. He faced me towards the wall of my room and lifted my hands above my head. He held my wrists as my palms pressed against the cool plaster of the wall.

His chest pressed against my bare back as his mouth lowered to my ear. “Spread your legs.” His knee pressed between my thighs, coaxing my legs apart. “Don’t move.” He released his hold on me and immediately my hands dropped, but he raised them up above my head again and pressed them against the wall. His mouth and tongue started a long, tantalizing journey over my shoulders down my back to my ass. Slowly his tongue and mouth caressed every inch of my bottom as his fingers slid my panties to the floor. Instinctively I pushed against his probing tongue.

I pressed my mouth against my arm to smother the moans of pleasure that spilled from my lips. There was no place on the smooth walls for my fingers to grip, and I was certain I would collapse. “Nick,” I said breathlessly, “I can’t— my knees—”

He swept me into his arms again. I was dizzy and helpless as he carried me to the bed and lowered me on to the blanket. His gaze stroked every inch of my flesh. “Hell, Flash, you are fucking incredible.”

“Speaking of incredible,” I whispered as I reached for his thick shaft. He seemed to hold his breath as my thumb ran over the moist tip of it.

“Jayden,” his voice was thick and hoarse as he took hold of my hand. He lowered himself down over me and the sheer size and weight of him was both terrifying and thrilling. His hand slid beneath the small of my back and down to my ass, and he pushed me higher to meet him. I ached for him, and I lifted my hips even higher. The silky tip of his erection teased my swollen clitoris until I nearly screamed with need. I clutched at the sheets of my bed to keep my fingers from grabbing hold of him.

“Oh my God, Nick, please, I’m begging—”

And then he thrust himself deep inside of me, and my legs wrapped around his waist to deepen his penetration. He kissed me hard as our bodies moved in perfect rhythm, our movements becoming faster and more frantic. My hips lifted to meet his thrusts as I came apart into a million glorious pieces of ecstasy. My fingers dug into his shoulders as he continued to fill me and waves of shuddering pleasure pulsed through me. He rocked against me harder and faster until the muscles of his arms tightened beneath my fingers and a deep groan rolled from his mouth.

Heat radiated from every inch of him as he lowered himself down and kissed me gently. His lips trailed over my lips, chin, and nose. The bed creaked as he rolled down next to me and pulled me into his arms. The orange chiffon curtain over the window danced with the warm tropical air that floated in from the ocean. The cooling breeze tickled my naked skin as I nestled against Nick. He kissed my forehead. I had no idea how this was going to play out, and impulsiveness seemed to be something I was getting really good at. I only hoped it wasn’t going to backfire on me later.

Chapter
11

I’d fallen asleep with my face pressed securely against Nick’s rock hard chest, but by the time I’d woken he was already in his own room taking a shower. It seemed to take me forever to get dressed for work as mind was now in a major muddle. After the Darren disaster, I’d convinced myself that sleeping with a coworker was wrong. Of course, this time it really wasn’t a coworker. But I was fairly certain bosses fell under an entirely different category of wrong.

The ever-unpopular Frankie stood in the tiny kitchen wearing a strapless, lime green bandage dress and sipping coffee. She wrinkled her nose in distaste as she drank it.

Taylor scowled at her across the counter as he poured more milk into his cereal bowl. “If you don’t like it, there’s a coffee shop around the corner,” he sneered.

Francesca noticed me for the first time and chuckled. “I don’t understand why Nick thought he needed this bumpkin to help run his shitty little office.”

Now I was a bumpkin. Very nice. But I held my tongue. I’d just spent the night tucked in the most awesome pair of arms on the planet. She could call me anything she wanted. She was alone in bed and I was with Nick.

Taylor decided not to stand for the insult and bravely came to my rescue. “She’s a college graduate, and you think anyone born on the American continent is a bumpkin.” He looked pointedly at the coffee pot. “And we don’t know how to make coffee that is so goddamn thick it looks like fucking car oil. Why don’t you just take some of the coffee granules and shoot them into your veins. Maybe that would be easier.” The man obviously did not take well to having his coffee criticized.

I finished my cereal on the patio because I could not stand to be in the same room with Francesca’s bitchy frown. Minutes later, Nick’s smooth deep voice drifted though the screen door. The sound of his voice sent an instant flutter through my stomach, which was probably not a good thing. A man like Nick Regent would never be looking for a serious romance, and if I was getting flutters it meant I was falling for him. I only fluttered for guys I really liked, and so far Nick was only the third flutter inducer. Plus, the first one didn’t really count because it happened in high school, and that was mostly because Jason was the lead singer in a band. Lead singers are always flutter worthy, even when they are still suffering from teen acne. The second was my college lover, Justin, who I was crazy about, but unfortunately he turned out to be crazy about someone else— namely my roommate. I skipped their wedding.

I’d finished my cereal, and if I didn’t want to walk to work, I would have to go back inside. There was another heated discussion happening when I walked in, but I was sure I saw Nick’s gaze flicker my direction for a second. The flutter morphed into a butterfly herd or flock or whatever they call a large group of butterflies.

I was not directly involved in the conversation nor did I want to be, but the gods were apparently both with and against me this particular morning. First of all, it became obvious through snippets of conversation that Pierre’s absence from breakfast had been due the fact that he and Francesca had gotten into a huge, ugly argument while I was out at dinner. From what I gathered, our unwanted houseguest would be leaving Tahiti in the late afternoon, but in the meantime, she was staying at the office. Good times.

Pierre had left Taylor with the car. I followed him, assuming Francesca, who was wearing a dress that was most assuredly not for riding a motorcycle, would be dragging along with us. I was wrong. It was amazing how fast the woman could scurry on five inch heels but she managed. She slid the bandage dress up to the tops of her thighs and threw a leg over the seat of the bike. Her long arms wrapped around Nick’s waist. He looked apologetically my way, but I decided to ignore the entire scene. It was less painful.

Taylor started the car and screeched out of the driveway.  “That woman is a spawn from the underworld.”

I laughed.

“No, really.” Now he laughed. “You missed a round of classic Pierre last night. He told Nick that he would not return until the “witch had left town or had a bucket of water thrown on her. Hey, how did the
business
date go?”

“Let’s just say, I think Mr. Jacobson came from the exact same underworld
spawn
shop.”

“What is it with people? If I’d been born a masterpiece of beauty like Francesca or with the extreme fortune of a guy like Jacobson, I’d spend my day being nice to everyone. I mean, it would be so fucking awesome what reason would I possibly have to be nasty to people.”

I placed my hand on his shoulder. “You know something, Taylor? You are one of the coolest people I’ve ever met.”

His face reddened some, and he held back a grin. “You’re not too bad yourself, Jayden. And I’ll share a little secret— I think the boss has a thing for you.”

Now it was my turn for a red face. “I don’t know about that, Taylor.” God, but I sure as hell hoped so.

Francesca spent much of the morning in Nick’s office, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it since the alternative meant she’d be in the front office with me. I definitely didn’t want that. Not much could have happened since Nick’s door was always open, and Taylor went back and forth between the two rooms all morning. Poor Taylor had an eleven o-clock showing and he was given the horrendous task of dropping Francesca off at the Papeete Market.

Taylor growled angrily as he waited for Francesca to finish brushing her hair in the bathroom. He looked down at me. “I’m trying to decide if I should actually stop in front of the market or just roll past, open the door, and shove her out.”

A laugh burst from my lips just as she came out of the bathroom, and the way and Taylor and I zipped our mouths shut made it obvious that we’d been laughing about her. She scowled at both of us. Nick stepped into his doorway.

“Miss Clark,” he said sharply, “I need a word with you.” He sounded angry and I quickly tried to figure out what I’d done. The tone of his voice returned an excited gleam to Francesca’s eyes. I stood and scooted past her.

“Unsophisticated idiot,” she said to me in a whisper.

Normally I would have clenched my fists in a rage, but I was too concerned about what I’d done to upset Nick.

“Goodbye Francesca,” Nick said curtly. He shut the door rather forcefully behind me. Then he walked over and sat on the edge of his desk. His green gaze skewered me.

I fidgeted nervously from foot to foot. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Yes.” He motioned me toward him, and when I was near enough he grabbed my hand and pulled me between his thighs. “This blouse is totally inappropriate.”

I smiled with relief. “And why is that, Sir?”

He started unbuttoning it. “Because it is driving your boss fucking nuts.” His hands pushed the blouse off my shoulders, and it dangled halfway down my arm. “And this pink, lacy bra,” his words were smothered as his mouth pressed against the swell of my breasts, “I may have to write you up.” He tugged down the top of my bra and his tongue slid over my hardened nipple. The moist heat between my legs grew more intense with each stroke of his tongue. I moved closer to him, and his erection pressed against my abdomen. The familiar squeak of the front door startled both of us.

“Hey, where is everyone?” Pierre’s voice echoed in the empty office.

Nick’s forehead dropped onto my shoulder. “Pierre and his damn timing.”

I’d just finished buttoning my blouse as Pierre opened the back office door.

“Thought you weren’t coming back until Frankie left,” Nick said.

Pierre’s gaze flashed around the office almost fearfully. “Is she here?”

“Out shopping.”

Pierre’s shoulders relaxed. “We’ve got to talk Nick.” He grinned at me suspiciously.

“Well, I’ll make those calls right away,” I said, but I was certain the flush of my skin was a dead giveaway. It took me a good hour to cool off my erogenous zones, and I was finally able to concentrate on some work when Francesca came back in.

She made a point of stopping in front of my desk and dropping her small shopping bag on it. She reached in the chic silver bag and pulled out a sexy piece of expensive lingerie. I definitely did not remember a lingerie kiosk in the Papeete Market when Pierre and I had walked through it.

“Do you think Nick will like this?” she asked. Suddenly the woman wanted the opinion of an unsophisticated idiot bumpkin. She laughed before I could answer. Not that I had any intention of answering. “Of course I hardly need it. I’m already exhausted after our night together.” She tossed it over her shoulder and headed to Nick’s office. “I guess I’ll ask him what he thinks.”

Taylor walked back in as well. He apparently noticed the expression on my face and looked at his watch. “It’s time for me to take her to the airport.”

“Thank God,” I said.

Pierre dashed out of Nick’s office as if a monster had chased him. He flopped into the extra chair and shot daggers in the direction of the office. “Horrid woman.”

“Time to go to the airport,” Taylor called cheerily to the back. “Well, I had a couple of promising meetings with clients. One retired couple has put their Minnesota house up for sale and they’ve decided to relocate here. They said they were tired of subzero temperatures.”

I shivered just thinking about it. “Subzero, jeez, I can’t even imagine what that feels like. Back home I bundle up in sweaters and thick socks when it drops to sixty degrees.”

Francesca walked out looking pissed and Nick followed. She stopped in front of my desk again and held the piece of lingerie up in front of her. “On second thought this is far too big.” She threw it at my face. “It might fit you.”

Then she turned on her heels and headed to the door.

Final straw. I hurled the lingerie to the floor. “Just a minute, Miss Silicone.”

Francesca looked back at me with a bored, unaffected glance. The men looked on with interest.

My jaw nearly froze with anger, but I managed to blurt out my thoughts. “First of all, I would never wear anything that tacky. Secondly, I’m not a bumpkin or an idiot. I graduated at the top of my high school class, had a near perfect score on the SATs, and graduated in the top five percent of my class at UCLA. And thirdly, I know for a fact that you are not exhausted from making love to Nick all night because he wasn’t in your bed— he was in mine.” Francesca’s blue eyes nearly bulged from her head. Taylor and Pierre’s mouths hung open, and the entire office fell into stunned silence. “In retrospect, I probably should have left that third thing off but— have a good flight.” I raced to the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

I stayed in the bathroom for what seemed an eternity. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t even glance at my own reflection. My stomach knotted as I convinced myself that I would be following Francesca out on the next flight home. And this time it wasn’t the job I was worried about losing. A knock jolted me out of my dreary thoughts.

“Flash, why are you hiding in there?”

I opened the door and peeked out. He smiled at me and ran his finger down my nose. “Come out. Taylor took Frankie to the airport, and Pierre went to meet a lady friend on the beach. We’re all alone.”

I stepped out. “I’m sorry I let that slip. I—”

His big arm reached out and he pulled me against his rock hard chest. “Why would I care if the guys know about us? And I’m sorry you had to be subjected to Francesca’s poison these last twenty-four hours. Last night, after Pierre stormed out, I told her she had to get the hell out of my life for good. I don’t know if she will, but at least she got on the first plane out of here.”

He dropped his arms, took hold of my hand, and led me into his office. “I already locked the front door. I think we need to continue our earlier discussion.” He sat down in his chair and the hungry look in his light green eyes sent a rush of heat through me. “Now, where were we?”

His fingers tugged at the hem of my blouse. I glanced down and began to fumble with the buttons. He slid the blouse over my shoulders and it dropped to the floor. He slid my bra straps down and my nipples stood erect in front of his heavy-lidded gaze. But he didn’t stop there. His quick, deft fingers undid my shorts, and they pooled at my feet along with my panties. My breath came in quick spurts as I swayed slightly on my feet. He leaned forward, wrapped his massive hands around my hips, and pulled me toward him.

“Not enough praise can be given for a Brazilian wax,” he said as he ran his tongue over every inch of my skin. I braced my hands on his shoulder for support, and my head lulled back as if it might float away from my shoulders. His tongue probed deeper until it met the swollen bud, and I pressed harder against his mouth. I writhed against his wet mouth, feeling drunk with pleasure until I could stand it no longer. I reached frantically for the button on his pants and pulled them open, releasing his thick erection from its denim trap.

“Please, Nick, I need you inside of me, please.” I straddled his legs and impaled myself on the hot, slick shaft. My hands went around his head, and I pressed his face into my breasts as I moved up and down, taking in every inch of him with each plunge. My movements grew faster. His hands seized my hips he pushed me down hard over him. My fingers tangled in his long hair, and I cried out as his hard shaft filled me again and again until wild spasms of ecstasy overwhelmed me. I trembled uncontrollably against his thrusts. He held my hips with bruising force as he drove inside of me. I was dizzy with the intensity of it. His fingers dug into my skin as a sensual groan rolled up from his throat. I collapsed against him. As our breathing returned to normal, we held each other for a long time just listening to the cars and voices on the street.

Finally, I sat up and he peered up at me through those incredible lashes. “You know Jayden, I really like you. I’m not just using you. I don’t want you to think that.”

I brushed the hair off his face and tucked it behind his ears. “Too bad.” I bent down and kissed his lips lightly. “Because I’m totally using you for sex.”

He smiled. “I feel so cheap.”

“I just noticed something.” I ran my fingers over the chair top behind his head. “You have a way better computer chair than me.”

“Well, I am the boss.” He kissed my nipple. It hardened instantly against his mouth. “But I’ll see what I can do about getting you a better chair.” He glanced down at the seat where my knees were pressed. “This one seems to be just the right size.”