The Billion Dollar Bad Boy (4 page)

“As a negotiating technique, would you say it worked?” That glint was back in his eyes. The one that made her breath catch and her heart beat fast.

She knew he was playing with her like the player he was. But that didn’t mean she had to enter the game. “Does discussing blow jobs ever work as a seduction method, Mr. Morrow?”

“So you think I’m trying to seduce you?” He tilted his head, stretching his arms out along the back of the seat, the material of his snowy white dress shirt pulling tight across his chest. So arrogant. So sure of himself.

So sexy …

God, she had to stop thinking that. She was engaged. To James. Who was in Paris admittedly, but still. He was her fiancé.

But you have a get-out-of-jail-free card …

Victoria stopped that particular thought dead in its tracks. “What I think is that you’re a player, Mr. Morrow, and for some reason you’ve decided you’re going to play with me.” She met his gaze head-on. “So, let me tell you how this is going to go. You’re going to stop with the seduction games. Stop with the innuendo. And when we get to the party, we’re going to discuss this deal like adults. Like businesspeople.”

Donovan smiled that insufferably sexy smile. “No innuendo? Damn. Okay then, I’ll be plain. I don’t want to go to the party and discuss this deal like adults. What I want is for you to get down on your knees and suck my cock.”

Shock arrowed down her spine, along with a flash of intense heat that should not have been there.
On your knees in front of him, his hands in your hair, guiding you …

There was no way in hell that should have been sexy. But for some reason she felt it all the way down low inside of her, in places she should not have felt it.

He was studying her as if gauging her reaction.

Right, so he was pushing the boundaries. Another head game.

Victoria smiled back. Cool and calm, letting none of her shock and certainly none of that disconcerting heat show. “I’m curious. Do you say these things to the men you do business with, too?”

He didn’t look offended, that warm, genuine amusement in his eyes. “Good question. I guess it depends on the man.” He shifted in his seat and this time when his calf brushed hers it stayed there, pressing against her. “But I have to confess I don’t swing that way usually so no, probably not.”

“So I was right. You are a sexist asshole then.”

“Not necessarily. Perhaps I only say these things to you.”

She couldn’t concentrate. The heat from that one touch seemed to have stolen her breath. She clutched onto the briefcase. “Lucky me.”

He said nothing for a long moment, studying her. And she gave nothing back, determined not to reveal anything to him.

“Admitting it is difficult, isn’t it, Victoria?” he said quietly.

“Admitting what?”

“You’ve always been such a good girl,” he went on. “Always worked hard, did exactly what your daddy told you.” The watchful look in his eyes intensified. “You’ve always had to be tough to make it, to be taken seriously. To get the job done. To never show weakness.”

She stared at him, a weird vulnerable feeling creeping up on her. Like he’d seen right inside her. Seen something she hadn’t even known was there. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He didn’t look away. “Don’t you? Don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to be bad? To know what it would feel like to let go? To not care so much about what other people thought? Just once?”

She swallowed. “No. Of course I haven’t—”

“Yes, you have. Just like you’re thinking about sucking my cock right now. Wondering what I’d taste like. Whether you’d like it.”

Her heart raced. She couldn’t breathe. Damn him. Damn him to hell. “That’s … It’s not … I haven’t …” The words sounded husky. Not like her at all.

Slowly, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze pinning her to the spot. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “It’s okay to want it. It’s okay to be turned on. It’s not a weakness, Victoria. In fact, you don’t even have to make the decision if you don’t want to. You can let me be bad for you. Let me take all the blame. Just do what I say. That’s all you have to do.”

“Mr. Morrow—”

“Just get on your knees.” His eyes glittered impossibly green. “And do it right now.”

Victoria didn’t move, but her gray eyes had gone silver with anger. Yeah, she was definitely pissed. And he’d bet all the Morrow billions on the fact it was because he was right and she didn’t want to admit it.

He was bad to be playing her like this but shit, he had to get the control back somehow. Up in that boardroom, in the elevator, out by the limo, she’d surprised him, put him at a disadvantage and he didn’t like it.

He’d never liked it. It reminded him too much of when he’d been at his father’s beck and call all those years ago, sleeping with certain people to get corporate secrets and please the old man. Because he didn’t have anything else. He wasn’t the oldest son, like Jax. Or the tough one like his younger half-brother, Sean.

He’d been the good boy, the intellectual. The one his mother loved. The one his father despised because he didn’t have the hard edge of a true Morrow. . So he’d done what he had to do in order to be one, and in the end had discovered it hadn’t made the slightest bit of difference.

His father still hadn’t given a shit about him.

Ever since then he’d decided he didn’t need anything from Patrick Morrow, most certainly not love. He didn’t need love from anyone. Not when he was the one who did the playing. Who made the rules. Who was in charge. Who didn’t give a shit.

And if Victoria de Winter thought she could take that from him, she was sadly mistaken.

Not that he actually expected her to do what he’d said of course. But that didn’t stop him from saying it or enjoying the hell out of her reaction to it.

She stared at him and he braced himself, expecting a flood of angry, shocked words.

But all she said was, “You think I won’t do it, don’t you?”

“Do what? Get on your knees?” Donovan said carelessly. “Of course you won’t do it. You’re the de Winter ice princess, and ice princesses don’t usually give head on command. Though …” He gave her a smile. “There’s a first time for everything.”

His conscious imitation of her earlier words seemed to have no effect on her apart from the slight crease between her brows and a narrowing of her eyes. .

“You really are quite an arrogant bastard, aren’t you?”

“It’s one of my best character flaws, admittedly.”

“And is no doubt hiding some hidden pain. Some dark secret you can’t tell the world.” Her voice was almost meditative. “Perhaps your father didn’t love you enough and you spent years desperate for his approval and when he didn’t give it to you, you decided you didn’t care anymore. Sinking yourself into wine and women and song. YouTube sex tapes and threesomes and cock sucking in your limo. Desperate to keep the distance between you and a world that doesn’t care about you.”

Donovan held himself very still. Giving nothing whatsoever away of the shock that slid through him. How close to the bone she’d so nearly cut. He never shared anything about himself to anyone and yet, in a couple of sentences she’d flayed him wide open.

Shocked? Really? You knew who you were playing with here. You can’t expect not to have some kind of payback.

Victoria, looking far too comfortable in her seat, raised a brow. “How am I doing so far?”

“That sound you hear? It’s the sound of my balls not only cracking, but shattering completely.”

She didn’t smile. If anything the fleeting expression that crossed her face was one of hurt. Which couldn’t be right. At all. She turned her head away. “Can we leave your balls out of this for one moment, Mr. Morrow?”

“What? You don’t like the thought of besting me, Ms. de Winter? I thought that was the whole intention of this little power play?”

“This isn’t a game.”

“I’m trying to get the better of you while you try to get the better of me. Of course it’s a game. And one you’re enjoying playing as much as I am.”

And he was. It had been a long time since he’d matched wits with a woman like this. A woman who gave back as good as she got. Most of the time they were too busy responding to his seduction techniques to argue with him.

Don’t go too far down this road, dickhead. Don’t forget who she is.

Yeah, yeah. Business and crap. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep playing with her, did it? Push the boundaries a little more? He’d meant what he said when he’d told her he was enjoying himself and he was pretty damn sure she wasn’t entirely uninterested, either.

At least she didn’t deny it this time.

He shifted in his seat again, stretching his legs out, sliding his calf against hers, the faint brush enough to send a line of delicious electricity directly to his cock.

Again, she didn’t move away, that level gaze of hers peeling him open like a knife steadily cutting through an orange rind.

“So,” he said into the thick silence. “Now that we’ve got our daddy issues out of the way, perhaps we can get onto more important subjects.”

The expression on her features could only be termed as long suffering. “You’re going to talk about your genitals again, aren’t you?”

He grinned. “Of course I’m going to. As we’ve already established, men are simple creatures. And I’m one of the simplest there is.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

“Though I do prefer the word
cock.
Genitals
is so … cold.”

“Mr. Morrow, the deal—”

“Uh-uh.” Donovan lifted a finger and wagged it. “We’re not at the party yet, Ms. de Winter. And as I recall, I had given you a dare.”

Victoria pursed her lips. “Which you then established I wasn’t going to take up since … how did you put it again? Oh, that’s right. ‘Ice princesses don’t give head on command.’”

He wanted to smile at the bored way she said his own words back to him, as if she said things like that all the time, despite the faint wash of color on her pale cheeks that said, in fact, she didn’t. “Of course they don’t. But hey, I’m easy. I could go down on you if you’d prefer. I’m an equal opportunity kind of guy.”

“I think you must hate women, Mr. Morrow,” she said after a small silence. . “We’re ball-busting ice princesses if we don’t get on our knees for you, and if we do then we’re cheerful sex objects you can manipulate into doing anything you want. How little you must think of us.”

Fleeting anger threatened.

He’d never treated women with contempt. Yes, he was a playboy, and yes, he got around. But the women he took to his bed always wanted to be there, always knew what they were getting into, and wanted as little as he did from the experience. Sexual pleasure, nothing more.

He’d never manipulated anyone in his life and he certainly didn’t view anyone with contempt.

Haven’t you? Not even the ones you seduced because Dad wanted something from them? Something he couldn’t get legally?

He forced that thought away. Kept that easy, charming smile on his face. “You’ve got me all wrong, Ms. de Winter. I love women. I’m women’s greatest fan.”

“Oh, sure you are. That’s why the first subject you brought up when we got in the car is me getting on my knees.”

“You really can’t let that go, can you?”

“Of course I can let it go.” Her fingers finally slid off her briefcase handle as she held them up in the air. “See? Nowhere near your groin.”

The anger twisted again, unraveling this time and quite against his will. Clever woman.

Goddamned sexy woman.

Unable to help himself, he moved his leg in another slow slide against her calf, watching more color wash through her face and seeing the white blouse she wore pull tight across her full breasts as she sucked in a breath.

Oh, yeah, she might deny it all she liked but she wanted him. Like he wanted her.

Nothing is supposed to get in the way of this deal, remember? Especially sexy, smart redheads who have nothing but contempt for you.

Christ, why did he keep forgetting that? What was it about this woman that got him all hot under the collar within an hour of meeting her?

Was it the thrill of the unexpected chase getting to him? Or was it because he was enjoying matching wits with her. Enjoying the power games they were playing.

Shit, it was probably the power games.

Victoria stared determinedly at him, keeping her leg exactly where it was. Refusing to give him an inch. Refusing to back down no matter the tension burning between them.

Her cheeks were pink, however, and she’d lowered her hands to absently smooth that little gray skirt of hers over her knees. A nervous motion.

It made his own fingers itch. To push that skirt up. Way, way up.

Her legs would be pale, her skin soft. Her panties would be white. Lacy. A nest of red curls visible. He’d push her back against the seat, spread her thighs, pull aside those lacy white panties …

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, her cool voice cutting through his heated fantasy.

“Apparently nothing.”

“No you’re not. You’re looking at me like—” She stopped abruptly.

Donovan had no such qualms. “Like I want to push your skirt up, spread your legs, and eat you alive? Yes, guilty I’m afraid.” He had his smile ready. “But don’t worry, like my dick-sucking fantasies, I know that’s not actually going to happen.”

“Why?”

The blunt question took him by surprise. “Why what? Why won’t they happen?”

“No. I meant, why me? Or is it me merely because I’m the nearest convenient female?”

He laughed. “I’d hardly say you were convenient, Ms. de Winter.”

Her mouth twitched, again as if she wanted to smile but couldn’t let herself. “You understand my point though. It must be somewhat inconvenient for you that the only woman around to sexually harass is me, the ball-busting de Winter ice princess.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he murmured. “It has its upsides. I’ve certainly never had a discussion about Tolstoy where blow jobs were mentioned. Or been accused of hating women. Or had the prospect of a perfectly good party ruined because some smart, sexy redheaded businesswoman wants to talk deals instead of getting drunk.”