S is for Second Chance

by Annie J. Rose

  I opened the door, expecting to find her wearing something red, tight, and skimpy.

  I was mistaken.

  My eyes skimmed over the flowy light blue dress. Instead of the sultry siren I knew her to be, she looked like an angel. The latter was harder for me to resist than the first.

  “I’m here,” she said flatly, but I could see in her eyes she wasn’t as put off as she made out to be.

  I smiled and opened the door wider. “I can see that. Please, come in.”

  I reached for the collar of the light jacket she was wearing. She shrugged out of it, allowing me to hang it in the coat closet. “I’ve got dinner ready in the dining room.”

  “Dinner?” she asked with obvious surprise.

  “Yes, I do eat. I’m assuming you don’t only subsist on the blood of your victims.”

  She laughed, a light sound that echoed around the high ceilings and stark walls. “Cute.”

  I grinned. “I try. The dining room is to the left.”

  She walked through the elegant square entry that led into the formal dining room. The long table that could easily sit twelve dominated the space. The typical sideboard was against one wall with another serving station and my favorite, the wet bar.

  “Wow,” she said with genuine surprise. Obviously, she had been under the impression I would be clubbing her over the head and dragging her upstairs like a caveman. While the idea did have some merit, that was not the plan. I was going to put her at ease, be the perfect gentleman, and make her want me. By the time I wined and dined her, she would be putty in my hands.

  Then I would toss her out. “Wine?” I asked.

  “Please.”

  “Have a seat,” I directed while I poured two glasses. I was doing my best to keep cool. Inside, I was dying to touch her. My cock throbbed. Being close to her was risky. I had to remind myself repeatedly that it wasn’t going to happen. She was there only to serve as a means to an end. She and I were not going to fuck.

  “It smells great,” she commented as she took the offered glass of wine.

  “I didn’t cook it,” I said, making it clear I didn’t go to that much effort for her.

  “I didn’t think you did,” she quipped.

  I took my seat across from her. It was a little strange to sit down to dinner with my enemy. I did consider her my enemy. I had to. I lifted the silver dome from the main course before removing the lids from the side of buttered rolls and the salad.

  “Please, help yourself,” I told her.

  She offered a small smile. “Thank you.”

  The tension in the room was thick. I knew we weren’t going to have sex, but she didn’t. She was going through the motions, trying to make something that was very abnormal, normal. I took a bite of the roast beef and waited. We both ate in silence for five minutes, only increasing the tension.

  My eyes drank in the sight of her. Her hair was left loose and unstyled. It seemed to be a new thing with her. Before, she’d always had it styled in some way, either up or down, but she always looked like she had just stepped out of a salon. There was a change in her, like she wasn’t quite as worried about her appearance. Like she had more important things to worry about than wearing designer clothes and keeping up with the latest trends.

  She looked up and caught me staring. I didn’t look away. It was part of the game. I wanted her to think I was sizing her up, preparing for a wild night together. It wasn’t hard to look at her with lust in my eyes. I did want her. I wanted her more than I wanted the food on my plate or the wine in my glass. I would have loved to take her right on the table.

  I was kicking myself for not putting on some music to drown out the silence. The dinner was not going as I had planned. I was supposed to be putting her at ease, getting her to let her guard down. That was the only way my revenge plan would work. She needed to believe I was going to have sex with her. That I would use her body and then never see her again.

  “This is very good,” she commented. “Your chef is amazing.”

  “I’ll let him know,” I replied. We fell back into the same uncomfortable silence. I had to do something and fast before she backed out. “So, what have you been doing with yourself these past three years?” I asked, trying to keep things casual.

  She picked up her napkin and dabbed at her mouth. “I moved to LA. I’ve become a California girl.”

  I chuckled. It explained the lighter hair color and the even tan over her skin. “Really? What have you been doing there?”

  She looked a little uncomfortable with the question. “I work for a venture capitalist.”

  “If you were going to stay in the investment field, why would you give up your position in your father’s company and start over? LA is a long way from home.”

  Her eyes dropped to the food on her plate. She pushed the roast around with a fork, stalling for time. “I needed a change. It was time to see new places, meet new people, and just be me apart from my father’s name and company.”

  “I see,” I said, but I felt like she wasn’t giving me the whole story. I wondered if there was trouble between her and her father. “I’ve often thought about doing that same thing. Just packing a bag and leaving it all.”

  “It isn’t quite that easy, but I’m glad I did it. I like California. I like the weather, and I like the people. It’s a very different vibe there. People are more laid-back, and it has been a good change for me. The air feels cleaner, and things are just, I don’t know, better. Easier. More fulfilling.”

  “Did you completely start over, or is this venture capital firm run by someone you know?” I asked. I couldn’t understand why she would give up her position in the Savage company. She would run the thing one day—would have. Ron had damn near destroyed it, and by the time I was finished with him, there would be nothing left to run, but she didn’t know that. She had given up her family’s empire to be a grunt in someone else’s company. Something didn’t feel right.

  “No. All new. No ties to my dad or New York. It was a fresh start. I’m learning new things and gaining a lot of experience.”

  “I see,” I said, not really seeing at all. It didn’t make sense to me.

  She was hiding something. Maybe it was her own guilt. She’d fled New York because she knew what she had done had been wrong. I wanted to believe that was the case, but deep down, I doubted it. She had known exactly what she was doing when she walked into my office that very first day under the guise of being an intern. Her seduction from that point on had been calculated and purposeful; there was no other reasoning behind it.

  “What about you?” she asked.

  “What about me?”

  She shrugged. “You’re in the same office, but has anything changed?”

  I smiled, unable to keep myself from bragging a little. “The company is more profitable than it has ever been. We are doing very well under my leadership.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. It’s been a lot of work, but I like staying busy.”

  “I can definitely understand that sentiment.”

  I dropped my fork on my plate. I had made myself eat despite my lack of appetite—appetite for food, that was. I had a voracious appetite for something else, but that was not on the menu. “If you like LA and are thriving, why are you back in New York?” I asked.

  My question made her uneasy. She squirmed a little, clearly not comfortable with truthfully answering the question. “My dad needed me,” she said, her voice so low I almost didn’t hear her.

  “You gave up everything you’ve been working for over there to come back here and help out your dad?”

  “It’s a temporary situation,” she said, her eyes meeting mine. That same defiance I had seen in my office was back.

  I couldn’t help but grin. “Ah, I see. He needed you to deal with me.”

  “It isn’t like that at all,” she snapped.

  I saw the flash of red in her cheeks and couldn’t help but smile. I had hit a nerve. Good. It was on
ly the beginning. I planned on hitting a lot more nerves as the evening continued. I wanted her raw.

  Chapter 10

  Elly

  What the hell was I doing? The whole thing was ridiculous. We were sitting down to a nice dinner like we were friends, lovers getting together to share a meal. We weren’t friends. I had to constantly remind myself that he hadn’t invited me over for dinner because he liked me. He hated me. He was trying to get closer to find my weakness.

  I had fucked him over, and he wanted revenge. And that was even without knowing I was keeping his child a secret from him. Simply using my body wasn’t going to be enough for him. He wanted to hurt me. He was going to try and get inside my head and then launch an attack. I knew it. I could feel it coming. Every sense was heightened.

  I had to choose my words carefully. I couldn’t accidentally say why or give any hints about what had really driven me to flee the East Coast. I felt like I was being interrogated. I wasn’t sure how much he already knew about my life. I was relatively sure he had to have looked me up a time or two, especially in the weeks and months after what I had done to him came to light.

  I would have if the roles were reversed. I would have stalked him and haunted him until I was satisfied I had gotten some kind of revenge.

  “Your father has no problem making you his sacrificial lamb,” he commented.

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “You just said you had made a nice little life for yourself in California, but you left it all behind to help out your father—again. You are putting yourself in my path because your father can’t deal with me himself.”

  I wasn’t going to let him goad me into saying something I didn’t want him to know. “My father wasn’t aware you were involved in this current situation when he called on me.”

  He smirked. “But he doesn’t mind you seducing me again? I suppose if it gets him what he wants, he wouldn’t care.”

  “I’m not seducing you.”

  “Aren’t you?” he asked. “What does your father think about the deal you made with me to get him what he desperately needs?”

  I looked away. “It doesn’t matter.”

  His deep laughter made me want to throw a roll at him. “He doesn’t know! You didn’t tell him you were offering your body to me in order to get him the deal.”

  “It’s none of his business. It’s nobody’s business. I told you part of the deal was no one could know. Do you really want everyone to know what kind of man you are?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “What kind of man I am? Don’t you mean what kind of woman you are?”

  “This is between us,” I hissed. “No one needs to know.”

  He scowled at me. “How exactly do you plan on explaining why I walked away from the deal? I won’t have you making a fool out of me again.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I will make sure your reputation is intact.”

  He scoffed. “I doubt that.”

  “You worry about holding up your end of the deal. I’m here. I’ll do what needs to be done. That is my end. Once this is over, it’s done. For good.”

  He glared at me, his hazel eyes flashing with anger. He jumped to his feet, throwing his napkin on the table as he glowered down at me. “There is no deal. You might be willing to trade on your body for a business deal, but I’m not. I will not touch you. My deal will move forward. I will close on it, and your father will be ruined, your family’s legacy tarnished forever. Ron Savage will be the man that ran a multimillion-dollar corporation that he inherited from his own hardworking father into the ground. And you, you will be right there alongside him.”

  It was my turn to be pissed. I jumped out of my chair, and instead of throwing my napkin on the table, I threw it at him. It was a silly attempt to inflict harm. “You’re toying with me!”

  His slow, satisfied smile made me want to vomit. “I am.”

  “Why?” I shouted.

  “You toyed with me, remember? Remember when you came into my office pretending to be a wide-eyed intern looking for experience? Don’t tell me you forgot about your little time playing spy.”

  I was sick to my stomach. Furious with him and myself. I should have known it was a game to him. “You’re a despicable man.”

  “That’s rich coming from you,” he spat.

  “Whatever. This is over.”

  I turned on my heel and headed out of the dining room. I had to get away from him. I couldn’t stand to look at him. My heels clicked against the marble tile as I made a beeline for the door. I would get a cab once I was down the block. My first and only thought was to get as far from Devin as possible. To think he’d gotten me over to his house just to point his finger and laugh at me was infuriating.

  I reached for the door when I heard his footsteps behind me. “Elly,” he called.

  I refused to look at him. “What?”

  “Don’t forget your coat,” he said, laughter in his voice.

  I spun around, my eyes shooting fire at him. At least I wished they would shoot fire. Instead, I had to settle for a good solid glare. He walked toward me, that shit-eating grin on his face. I folded my arms over my chest and tapped my foot. He was taking his sweet time. I watched as he opened the closet and pulled it out.

  He turned to look at me, my coat in his hand. I reached for it, but he snatched it back. “This is over. I will not be played with any longer. You and your father need to leave me the fuck alone.”

  “Whatever,” I growled, reaching for my coat again.

  He held it back. “I’m serious. I don’t want any of your dirty tricks. Quit trying to seduce me. Stop making promises to sleep with me to get what you want. I’m done with all of it—you, your father, and his company.”

  I stared at him. There was so much anger boiling in my veins I worried I would erupt like a volcano sitting dormant for a thousand years. “You’re done? No, asshole! I’m done! I wouldn’t touch you if it meant I could secure a thousand start-ups. You can go straight to hell!”

  I reached for my coat. My legs and hands were shaking with the fury flowing through me. He couldn’t yank it back fast enough. I snatched it and jerked hard on the fabric. He released it at the exact wrong time. I went flying backward, my heels and shaking legs putting me off balance. My arms flailed as I tried to catch myself from falling on my ass.

  It was his strong arms around me that kept me from hitting the hard floor. He pulled me forward, propelling my body against his chest. Time stood still for one very long second. Both of us, snarling beasts a moment earlier, stared into one another’s eyes. It was a flashback to the first and last time we had kissed.

  Neither of us made a move. His arms were around me, tight as a vice. My coat was in one hand, and my other hand was suspended in the air.

  Then he kissed me ferociously. His mouth covered mine, hungrily devouring my lips with his. I opened my mouth, my own desire making me ravenous. The hand that had been suspended in the air moved into his hair. My fingers intertwined with the dark strands, none too gently. I dropped the coat and used my other hand to go to the small of his back and pull him closer to me. I was a hot mess of contradicting emotions.

  I pulled him away by his hair and pulled him closer with my other hand. He seemed to be having the same problem. One of his hands rested on my ass, holding my hips in place as his body melded with mine. His other hand had tangled in my hair, gently pulling my head back and angling my face toward his.

  The passion that had been on a back burner for years exploded into life. There was no stopping it, what was happening between us was visceral and completely uncontrollable. I began to tug at his suit jacket. I needed it off. I wanted to feel his skin against mine. In a flurry of jerking movements from both of us, we stripped each other down to nothing.

  My heart was pounding so damn hard in my chest I felt like I was on the edge of some kind of medical emergency. I didn’t care. My immediate concern was the throbbing in my pussy that was demanding attention.

  He stop
ped moving, both of us panting as our arms hung at our sides. We were both naked, minus the socks he was still wearing. I barely remembered my clothes coming off. I stared at his body. It was just as I remembered. The broad chest, the hair over his pecs and navel, and the perfect V of his waist. My eyes moved lower. I sucked in a breath, staring at the jutting cock in the dim light of the foyer.

  When I looked back at him, his eyes were filled with hunger. There was no stopping either of us. He lunged for me, pulling my naked body against his as his mouth slammed into mine once again. I turned feral, clawing at him, trying to climb his body.

  His arms slid under my ass, lifting me up like I weighed nothing. One hand slid up my back, the other squeezing my ass. I wiggled, trying to find the right spot. I needed no readying. My pussy was slick with need for him. He slid his hand between us, guiding the tip of his swollen cock to my opening. Once I had my target, I was ready to move. I slid down his body and froze. There was a pinch of pain, my body not used to such encounters in the past few years. I pushed through the discomfort, letting his thick cock stretch me as he worked his way inside my body.

  It only took a few seconds for my body to eagerly respond to the intimate invasion. I groaned with satisfaction. My body opened to him like a flower bud opening to the sunshine. I felt the tension leave his body as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me lower onto him. For one brief, beautiful moment, we stayed as we were.

  Our bodies throbbed inside and around one another as our hearts banged against our chests. Once the moment passed, it became all about need. Lust pulled me out of that sweet moment and had me raking my nails down his back as I bounced on his cock. He grunted with frustration, neither of us getting what we needed to reach fulfillment.

  “Fuck this,” he growled, pulling out and dropping me to my feet.

  I reached for him, desperate to have him inside me again. He hooked one leg around mine and took me to the floor in a soft tumble with his arm over my back to keep me from smashing against the hard marble. Before I had time to think, he was over me, driving himself into me. One thrust and I was sliding across the smooth floor.