by Nana Malone
With her eyes on his, Selena parted her legs, allowing him access and Nick swallowed hard. God, she was so pretty. “So damn beautiful,” he murmured.
He shifted down her body, kissing as he went. Ribs, belly, hipbone. When he settled between her thighs she went stiff. “Selena, do you trust that I won’t hurt you?”
She nodded.
“Good.” He kissed her inner thigh. “Because I won’t.” He leaned forward and flicked gently with the pad of his tongue and she bucked. He shoved his hands under her ass and held her still as he lapped at her. His tongue was becoming well acquainted with her taste. “You taste amazing,” he panted. He continued lapping at her, making her slick, wet, ready. As he held her ass, the tip of his finger grazed the tight pucker of her ass.
Immediately, she bucked in his arms. “Oh my God, Nick, I…”
She broke apart in his arms with his tongue on her, making her crazy. Shivers wracked her body as the orgasm took hold. Her sweet center tried to hold onto his tongue with pulsing grabs.
Nick kissed up her body, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, before standing to rid himself of his boxers. But not before grabbing a condom. His bloody hands shook. Fuck. When was the last time he was nervous?
He rolled on the condom quickly before joining her back on the bed. As he kissed her again, he gently rocked into her inch by inch, marking her as his. She clutched at his shoulders, whisper-chanting his name over and over again as he sank into her.
Eventually, he turned them over so he lay on his back with her riding him. He was too close, and he needed her to come again. She needed more than one turn, as far as he was concerned. And besides, as she rode him, he could see those spectacular breasts better. She gently rocked over him and he reached between their joined bodies to find the bundle of nerves that would send her soaring. With gentle circles of his thumb, he pressed against her.
In seconds, Selena’s inner walls squeezed and pulsed around his cock. Oh shit. Oh fuck. As she tossed her head back he said “God, you’re so damn beautiful.” When his body jerked, the orgasm imminent, he gazed up at her and knew he would never forget how she tasted. How she felt like home.
30
Selena stirred, yawning and stretching beneath the sheets. Her mind struggled to clear from the sex-induced haze. Every time she blinked, all she saw was Nick, and her body ached in places she didn’t even know she had muscles. Hell, that was a better workout than she ever had with Gus.
What the hell were you thinking? She hadn’t been thinking. That had sort of been the point. He’d been so angry when she’d told the story of her scar. The last thing on earth she’d expected was for him to kiss her. Or for anything else that had happened to happen.
She was exhausted. Sleep hadn’t really been on the agenda last night. Heat flushed her body as memories of Nick hovering over her played through her mind. She reached out and patted the bed behind her but it was empty. Peeling her eyes open, she checked for signs of him. She hadn’t heard him leave. Had he been in that much of a hurry? Or maybe he’d understood what they were meant to be doing in Paris, even if she forgot for the night. She spotted a note on her bedside table and unfolded it, blinking several times to adjust her eyes.
It’s 4am. I’m going back to my room, otherwise neither of us will get any sleep. You’re too damn tempting lying there naked. Besides, I figured it would be safer for you if no one saw me doing the walk of shame tomorrow morning. Selena smiled as a hot flush burned her cheeks. Let’s get back to our business after today’s official business. See you at breakfast. X
Selena lay back and sighed. Sex with Nick was like waking up on Christmas morning. Just the thought of it had her soft and ready again, but this was stupid. The biggest meeting of her career was happening in a few hours and her head was foggy with lust. But it was more than just the sex, last night was the first night in a long time that she’d truly just relaxed and had fun. She hadn’t cared about anything except stuffing her face with croissant and enjoying the city…with him.
Get a grip. Get your head out of your knickers and into business mode. Don’t let a man, even one as sexy as Nick, derail your work.
She looked at the clock and groaned. Damn. It was later than she hoped.
Half an hour later, she was back in boss mode, at least what she hoped was boss mode and not freshly fucked mode. Her chic grey dress clung to her curves and her honey hair was piled up in a neat bun as always. Should she brave it and go down to the hotel breakfast room where chances were she’d have to watch Nick eat? The thought of seeing his tongue lick a crumb off his lips was too much. She knew what those lips tasted like. She picked up the phone and dialed.
Later she’d get it together. Right now, she needed a few more minutes to gather herself and get her mind in the game.
“Can I please have room service breakfast? Just a selection of fruit and a croissant would be great, thanks.”
After the porter brought her a silver tray, she sat at the small table and chair by the large windows and ate while admiring the Parisian shuttered windows across the street. Paris. It’s chic. It oozes style, but in an understated way. They are going to love our eye shadow pallets. We’ve got this in the bag.
She finished up, pulled on her navy Gucci Mack, fastened by a gold buckle, which pinched the coat in perfectly at her waist, and made her way down to the hotel’s main entrance. You are in charge. You are in control. You will own this meeting. All part of her standard girl-power mantra. Too bad an errant And don’t look at Nick also intruded.
Her stomach was knotted with nerves for fear she would give away the sexy secret as soon as she was face-to-face with him. Don’t make eye contact. But that was impossible. Don’t get caught up in a silly fling. He probably does this all the time. But it was too late for that wasn’t it? She’d already let that genie into the bed. And the problem was, she didn’t want to kick it out again.
There he was, chatting with Nancy by the elaborate entrance, sunlight eclipsing around his muscular frame. Their black Mercedes was ready and waiting to take the trio to Mada’s headquarters downtown.
“Morning Miss Day,” Nick said with a quirk of his lips.
Avoiding his eyes, Selena murmured, “Morning. You don’t have to call me that.” She shook her head. This was awkward. Exactly why you shouldn’t have shagged your intern. But was it bloody worth it? Hell yes. Even if neither of them ever spoke of this again, at least for a night, she’d felt beautiful, desired.
Nancy reached out and straightened Selena’s collar, like a mother hen. “You look nervous,” Nancy commented. “That’s not like you. What’s wrong? Didn’t you get enough sleep? I told you to take a sleeping pill. But you never listen.”
Selena swallowed, her mouth dry, aware of Nick’s gaze on her. He was the whole reason she hadn’t gotten any sleep. “I suppose I am nervous,” she admitted. “It’s a big day for us. It has to go well.”
She shot Nick a brief glance and licked her lips, remembering his taste.
The short car ride was narrated by Nancy discussing her delicious breakfast eggs and what a peaceful sleep she had that night. Can this car go any faster? Selena wondered. Five minutes later, they pulled up at the huge office building where they were met by Pierre’s assistant and shown up in an immaculately polished elevator.
Selena flinched when Nick gently took her elbow as they exited the elevator. She met his gaze and he whispered, “You’re going to nail this. Stop worrying.”
A warm wave of calm washed over her and the tension in her shoulders eased. He was right. She was going to nail this. There was a reason her father had left everything to her. She was more than ready for this.
Selena bent over the desk, handing samples to Pierre Berest. Nick couldn’t take his eyes off her ass. In his defence, it was in his line of sight as he sat in a chair to her left. He couldn’t help it. The fabric gripped her seductively, causing tingles down the back of his neck at the memory of his hands on her naked flesh the night before. He shook
his head. Focus.
Selena oozed confidence, explaining each concept and flicking through marketing images on an iPad, turning it to allow Monsieur Berest to view them clearly.
“I’ll leave a memory stick with all of this for you,” Selena said, smiling. “This is just a taster.”
The older man nodded and smiled, rubbing his chin. “It’s good.”
Nick’s mind wandered as Selena and Monsieur Berest discussed the ins and outs of a deal. He watched her lips curl and dance in conversation, not hearing the words, just remembering the electric shocks of pleasure her warm lips had given him on his chest, his neck, his cock. The damn thing twitched as if begging to see her again. Not now. This is her big meeting. Keep it together.
Nick knew there was no going back after last night. They had opened the gates to some fantasyland of hedonistic bliss—except it wasn’t fantasy, it was real. And he was desperate to go back there. He wanted her body under his again. Or over it, whatever. He wanted it all.
The shit with Simon was fucked, and it was over. That’s not who he was. Selena or no Selena, Simon was going to have to find someone else. He was worried for Chris. Fuck that. He was terrified for his brother. But Nick wasn’t going to make a bad situation worse. They’d find another way to help Chris. Hell, Nick would pack him out and put him on the plane himself.
Nick dragged his attention back to the meeting. What the hell was wrong with him? He could be learning a lot. This was what he’d always wanted. Where he’d always wanted to be, and his head was in the fucking clouds. He was distracted when he had a job to do. Would that be Simon’s job or Selena’s? That question alone twisted his gut.
“You have yourself a deal, Miss Day,” Monsieur Berest said as he rose to shake Selena’s hand.
Selena shot Nick a smile that was bursting with pride. The smile went straight to his heart and squeezed it like a vice. She was getting to him. And he was playing a dangerous game. He needed to figure a way out and quick. He wasn’t going to do this. He preferred his life when shit was out in the open.
As soon as he got a moment alone, he dialed Simon’s number. “Look, I’m done. I’m not doing this.”
“I don’t think so, mate,” Simon replied.
There was a pause. Nick’s blood heated and anger surged. “I told you, I’m not fucking doing it. Don’t contact me again. This is over.”
“Don’t get your cock in a twist, Nick,” Simon said. “You WILL give me all her details, or you won’t like what I’ve got up my sleeve.”
Simon hung up, leaving Nick to glare at his phone. He would sort this mess he’d made. He had to.
31
What to wear? Selena stood in her walk-in-wardrobe sighing and stroking her forehead. Grey just wasn’t doing it for her today. Something felt different. Sex, it’s the sex, she thought. No, no, no, it can’t be the sex. It must be a confidence boost from the success of the Paris pitch. We rocked it. I’m on a high about that, that’s all. Who was she kidding? It was totally the sex. Had she ever felt this good?
She pulled out a compromise—a grey dress with a fitted pencil skirt shape, but cerise pink edging and a matching pink peplum jutting out from the waist. It was understated but showed a hint of her new confidence. Perfect.
Later, sitting at her desk, she was scribbling notes all over printouts of advertising campaign ideas for the new products. She would be showing these to Tamara’s people later in the week. It had to be sexy but relaxed. She closed her eyes and pictured the young couple on the moped in Paris. The passenger. That’s who this is aimed at, she thought, tapping her pen repeatedly on the paper while she thought. The girl had been gorgeous and carefree.
Women wanted to be her. They wanted the understated coolness. They want a hot guy driving a moped. She sighed as she imagined Nick’s body in front of hers as she clung to him through the streets of Paris. Her stomach danced and lurched as the automatic hunger tugged at her. Back to work, Selena. Over the last few days she’d been too distracted by thoughts of him. She’d been so busy she’d barely seen him after Paris. There was so much to put in play. And if she was being honest, she was sort of avoiding him. For all kinds of reasons. The primary one being she was afraid he wouldn’t want a repeat. And also, what if he did?
And this is why you don’t sleep with interns.
There was a knock on the door which caused Selena to drop her pen and sit bolt upright. “Come in,” she called, smoothing at her hair.
The door swung open and Selena’s breath caught when Nick strode in, all sexy confidence. It was in his walk, his smile, his eyes. He was cocky. Maybe sure of himself was the better description. “Hi, is this a good time?” he asked.
“A good time for what?” she asked, frowning.
“I have some contracts for you to sign,” he replied, stepping forward briskly. “And papers from the labs. They’ve got projections on how quickly everything can be produced.”
“Fab, thank you, I’ve been waiting for those,” Selena said, standing up and walking around to the front of her desk to take them, keeping her eyes on the paper.
He stood waiting, and she could feel his heat even from a few feet away.
“Is that everything?” she asked with a stiff smile, finally glancing up to meet his eyes. A stab of regret tugged at her insides as his eyes burrowed into her. Why did I look right at him?
“There was something else,” he said, taking a step closer to her, his mouth tight. “I need to speak to you about something.” His eyes dropped to her lips, sending a pulse of nerves through her.
“You can speak to me now,” she replied, licking her lips.
“I mean properly. Not here.”
She sighed. “There’s too much going on right now, it’s not a good idea,” she responded, rubbing her forehead and looking away. She looked back at his face as he dipped his head lower. When they were eye to eye, her heart quickened. Had he gotten even hotter than the last time she saw him? How was that possible?
“Are you avoiding me?” he asked softly, his breath warm on her face.
Yes. Also, she was wet. “No, you know I’m just up to my eyeballs in work,” she insisted, almost whispering as a shiver snaked down her back.
“All work and no play. Never a good idea. Come out with me tonight,” he said, flicking an eyebrow up, looking every bit the cocky troublemaker.
“No, Nick,” she said, stiffening.
“What’s the problem? You can’t deny Paris was pretty amazing. Unless I’m losing my touch, of course. Which given the number of orgasms you had, I doubt.”
Paris. Just the word sent tingles to Selena’s core. She swallowed.
“Or was that just a bit of extra assistance from your intern?” he asked, his gaze challenging. “I didn’t think that was your style.”
“No, Nick, I’m not like that,” Selena insisted.
“Then what’s it like? I want to take you out, properly this time. A meal, conversation. We worked a bit backwards in Paris, jumping in.” he said, edging ever closer, their faces just centimeters apart, his chest making contact with her breasts through her dress, causing her nipples to harden like plump raisins. “There’s no rule against a boss and her employee having mind-blowing sex is there?” His voice lowered and deepened, the husky timbre making her shiver.
Selena laughed, her heart pounding and a wave of lust crashing inside her. “Uh, no.”
“If there was, we’d have already broken it,” he continued, his voice so low the vibration sent tingles down Selena’s spine. “Meet me,” he insisted. “Anywhere you want. It’s hard not to touch you or look at you.”
After a moment of hesitation, as she let Nick’s smile melt her resolve, she said, “Fine. Breakfast. Tomorrow. At Soho House.”
“Breakfast? I’d rather eat breakfast off of you.” Nick said, with a chuckle. “But fine. You drive a hard bargain, Miss Day, but I’ll take it. It’s a start.”
His lips were so close to hers. She could smell the sandalwood on his skin, b
ringing back memories of his hot tongue. Bring them closer, Nick. Let me taste you. She looked up into his eyes, holding her breath as he pulled away and turned for the door. He flashed her a grin and left.
He really was trouble. Cocky trouble. She couldn’t keep pretending he had no effect on her.
Selena exhaled a long breath and rolled her shoulders to relax. How would she get anything done after that close encounter? Her mind was reeling with images of licking, thrusting and grabbing. No man had ever made her feel that way, she thought, as she grabbed hold of the chair beside her for support.
Her eyes suddenly caught sight of a framed picture of her father on the wall. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back and his grin was so dazzling he could have done a thousand teeth whitening commercials. She breathed a long sigh. Oh Daddy. I won’t let you down. I’m serious about this business. I won’t stuff things up. Even for the hottest sex on this planet. She cringed. Sorry, Dad, I hope you can’t read my thoughts if you’re keeping a watchful eye from up there.
Nick returned to his desk and couldn’t stop smiling. His phone buzzed and the screen showed it was Simon. All joy melted and his skin bristled as his hair stood on end. He glanced around the office, and noticing it was relatively empty, he answered the call.
“Meet me on floor five. Just past the elevators. Now.”
Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath before rising and doing as he was told. He reached the meeting point and immediately tensed to find no Simon. Something was up.
Suddenly, a chunky, rough hand smothered his nose and mouth as a thick arm circled his waist and dragged him into an empty office. There were two of them—big and hard as iron, eyeing him from beneath wrinkled foreheads like two massive bulldogs.
“Who the fuck are you?” he asked, catching his breath.
“We’re the ones you never want to see again,” one of the men grumbled, reaching a hand forward to grab Nick’s throat. He lunged down and escaped the grubby fingers, this time gaining the advantage and twisting the thick arm up behind its owner’s back, causing him to groan in agony. The second heavy lunged at Nick at the perfect angle to get Nick’s middle knuckle right in the eye socket. Years of self-defense practice came in handy. He was rusty, but he could put up one hell of a fight. Both guys loomed over him, tackling him to the ground. “Do what Simon asks or your life will be hell,” one of them sneered.