by Mel Blue
He shrugged under her intense gaze. “What?”
She refused to look away. “After hearing your stories, I feel like I’ve never done much in my life.”
Embarrassment made his skin flush. “Because you’re a romantic.”
“Me?” she said in a more indignant tone than she’d intended.
His mouth twitched like he was fighting a laugh. “You spend a good portion of your life…staging love.”
Because he was teasing her, she took the quip in stride. “You know what? I’m now more insulted by the staging comment. It’s more like a scientific process.” She sighed when he took another sip of her drink. “You’re really going to sit there and steal my Mimosa?”
“Yup.” Not an ounce of shame filled his voice. “Scientific process?”
She took her glass, drank some, and handed it back to him. “Similarities are key. Opposites attract is a nice notion, and it sometimes works, but I sit down with my clients, talk to them to get a feel for who they really are. People are blindsided as to who they think they are and what they think they want. So I sit down with the questionnaires and put the couples together like a puzzle. Have you ever met someone you just clicked with, then you get to talking and find out they went to school with a friend, and that sparks a conversation? That’s science.”
He shook his head. “That’s chemistry. And I’m not talking the scientific kind. The indefinable connection two people have.”
Sometimes she believed in that ephemeral of attraction, but so often her job was about creating it. “There’s a way to make it so it’s more likely to happen.”
He scoffed. “A romantic at heart. Science and questionnaires don’t change how you play cupid.” He frowned at her but took another sip. “This drink needs an umbrella.”
To her dismay, it was almost gone. “Maybe it would stop you from guzzling it.”
He grinned. “Whatever, Cupid.”
She swallowed the laugh. “I help people become their best self, so they can find a life partner.”
Dwayne made a noncommittal noise. “And that’s what you’re doing with me?”
She’d lost focus with him. His effortless humor, his warm smiles and his hot touch made it easy. “What do you want in a partner?”
He put the drink within her reach. “Smart, funny, isn’t afraid of flying.”
That could easily describe her, if she wanted to be dumb and feel something more for him. “The last is important to you?”
“How else am I supposed to impress her?” His tawny-brown eyes glinted.
Her heart squeezed with need and longing, but she ignored the twinge. “There are other ways, but that’s a good start.”
She moved her hand up his thigh and felt his erection. He exhaled before he reached for the glass and drank deeply. They both knew that was a test and he was passing it with flying colors. She started to speak, but the waiter stopped by their table and presented their food. His stare didn’t linger on her hand. No telling what any of the staff saw. She asked for another cocktail, since hers was extremely low. The waiter came and went without another word.
Amelia picked up the conversation where they left off. “You’re getting better already. The first time I touched you like that, you came.”
His laugh damn near seduced her. “Talking shit now?”
Of course she was. She knew he could keep up. “I’m hungry, and I know you like to eat, too.”
Dwayne ran a hand through his hair, looking both amused and shy. “Amelia, I didn’t spend all this time under a rock, you know?”
Interested, she glanced at him. “No?”
He cut into his steak, his movements sure and steady. “After we’re done, I’ll just have you sit on the plate.” He nodded his head in approval and then looked her dead in the eye. “I have a soft spot for dessert.”
Her heart skipped. “That just proves you have a dirty mouth.”
“Blushing,” he murmured.
She was. He made her feel like the virgin. Sex and sex talk was something not yet explored and she wanted to know all the things she could do and say. With him. He kept surprising her, and she was enjoying that off-kilter feeling more and more. And his education didn’t even have a foundation yet. Every man should have foreplay down and a signature move that made a woman come her brains out. And many, many other little things that made a man a good lover. The perfect plan clicked into place at that thought.
Amelia made small talk with him until they finished eating. He picked up the tab without her having to ask. It was something she’d have told her male clients to do. She urged them to respect a woman’s independence—more often than not, she could damn well take care of herself—but a good partner thought of her needs and took care of them before she could voice them. Chivalry still went a long way to make a woman feel cherished.
Dwayne did this thoughtlessly. He had the right moves, the right words and attitude to be a great catch. He was the dream client. Except he wasn’t a client. He didn’t need her. Despite the unease, the ache in her heart…she had to remind herself she didn’t need him, either.
CHAPTER SIX
They’d decided to walk through the garden after brunch. Somehow, their fingers ended up entwined as they walked the concrete paths that wove through the oaks. Rose bushes and hanging ivy decorated the outer walkway. It smelled like heaven, and whoever kept up the grounds must have had one hell of a green thumb. Amelia knew The Beaudelaire sat on acres, and she still wanted to walk every inch to discover all of the hotel’s secrets.
Suddenly, Dwayne stopped at one of the structures that was made of hanging oak trees. He tilted his head, taking in the makeshift gates and trellis.
“That’s strange.” He squinted back the way they’d come.
“What is?”
He dropped her hand. “This is an opening.”
The thick wall of ivy appeared solid to her until he went over and disappeared through the foliage. She didn’t hesitate to follow. When they broke through to the other side, the air seemed to lose its thick moisture. The light was dimmer in this secret sanctuary. What promised to be a stark heat was barred from entering here. A white French-styled bench sat right in the middle and welcomed them to sit for a spell.
“How could you tell this was here?” she asked.
“It looked like a gap to me.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, inspecting the walled fauna. “They really aren’t playing about this fantasy stuff. Damn.”
“I’ve been to this hotel a million times, and I never noticed. Then again, I’ve never been to this kind of event. Definitely changes your perception of the place.”
He flicked his gaze to hers, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You should get out more.”
She brushed her thumb over his lips. “That smart mouth of yours…”
He grabbed her hand. “You keep doing that.”
“But now we’re alone.” Exactly what she wanted. “Hmm.” She shook off his hold.
His eyes lit with the naughty implications. “You’re a tease?”
“No.” Her voice was unsteady. “Foreplay is more than licking. It’s really about building up the anticipation. Driving your partner wild until you give each other the ultimate pleasure.” She circled him and flicked a button open on his shirt. “Sometimes a woman can want fast and hard. Or slow and sweet.”
His nostrils flared. “How will I know?”
“You can ask.”
He captured her and stepped forward until their bodies pressed together. “Fast or slow, Amelia?”
A thrill ran up her spine. He was firm and ready. She shook her head. “I want you to sit down.”
There was a question in his gaze as he settled onto the wooden bench and spread his arms along the back. He focused intently on her although he appeared relaxed. She had no doubt he’d chase her and tackle her to the ground if that’s what he wanted. Shit. He might even growl when he did it. She’d been playing with fire since the moment they met. She’
d missed the cues, too sure that she’d knock the virgin’s socks off and walk away unscathed. How in the hell was she supposed to untangle her emotions when she hadn’t mentally prepared to be charmed, challenged and…wanted?
Teach him.
“That’s strange.” His lids lowered as tension leaked from his frame.
She arched her brow. “What?”
“Something’s different about you.”
She moved between his legs. Her fingers held a slight tremble as she unbuttoned his shirt. Since he wasn’t watching her hands, she ignored his statement. “If you don’t know what she wants, you could ask her, or you could have the kind of intimacy that lowers the guesswork.”
She spread his shirt open. Outside of his forearm, he had no scars. Just beautiful, tanned skin. She ran her hands over his chest, his nipples.
His jaw twitched. “Pinch or lick?”
Shock stilled her hands. She wondered if his question was testing their intimacy or if it was a challenge. He was coming into his own, sexually. Two years from now…well, she, whoever he ended up with, was going to be one lucky woman. For right now, Amelia had a job to do, so she bent down and gave his right nipple a long, slow lick while pinching the other.
His laugh was rough. “Cheater.”
“No,” she said and pulled at his shirt. “That’s being creative. A skill everyone should have in the bedroom.” She went to work on his pants.
He slid his finger along the edge of her dress, right at the swell of her breasts. “What else?”
What he was doing distracted her for a second. “Tips in general?”
She released his erection from his boxers. His entire hand disappeared down her dress. She bit back a moan as his nails gently scraped her skin. Tips. She was supposed to give him pointers. “Always make sure she’s wet or use some other means of lubrication. Condoms should never be stored in your wallet or opened with your teeth.”
She clasped her hand around his shaft and squeezed. Pre-come dampened her palm. Desire pumped in her veins. “Unless discussed beforehand, let her know when you’re about to come if she’s sucking you.”
“Come,” he told her as a warning like before when he was close to having an orgasm.
She kept stroking him. “In case you’re wondering, this is your challenge.”
He sucked in a long breath and moved lightning fast. Before she could blink, he’d pulled down the top of her dress. It stretched but not that much. Her arms were pinned to her side. He didn’t stop there. He lifted her until she was astride his lap.
“Oh, really?” she asked, breathless.
He laughed and nipped her chin. “I was listening to what you weren’t saying. You want it rough and hard.”
The position had hiked her dress up to her waist. He kept one hand on the front of the material so she wouldn’t fall, and used his other to draw a line with his fingers down her back. She shivered.
“I like that,” he murmured and pulled her panties to the side.
There was no way for her to take back control or to be in any position of authority. And that’s what she’d needed with him. That became clear at brunch. He would, if she let him, charm her until she convinced herself giving him the reins was a good idea. Screw self-preservation, sanity and rational-thinking. And she would enjoy every minute of it.
But how did he know he could take command and that she secretly wanted it to feel the thrill at the loss? He shouldn’t have. They’d just met.
His fingers feathered over her sex. “Teasing me made you very wet.”
She wiggled and then laughed when he closed his fist on her dress. “This can be defined as bondage. You needed my permission.”
He shifted lower, aligning his cock so he’d be one hip thrust away from being inside her. “Can I have you like this?”
Dwayne had her permission. They both knew that so the question surprised her. The truth? No was right there on the tip of her tongue. She was vulnerable enough. Six months before he wouldn’t have breached a single safeguard. She was off her game. No.
But this was sex. Just sex. What did she have to lose? She ignored the whispered answer, because he was right there. Her dress was already ruined. Since all she had left were rationalizations and fear, she scooted down.
“Let me help you with that.” He used the hold on her dress as leverage and lowered her onto him.
She hadn’t stopped fighting or had changed her mind, but that first stroke seemed to penetrate through her. Her skin, her scalp tingled and left behind a heat that muddled her brain. She could only follow his movements, the bench biting into her knees every time she sank down. His rhythm became hers. A nice steady tap that teased her clit at the same time. An orgasm built right at her core.
Just as euphoria threatened to wash over her, he lifted her completely off his dick. She whimpered at the sudden loss. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and breathed deeply. She blinked, confused, and tried to understand why he’d stopped. His cock rested against the inside of her thigh. She squirmed and his hold turned into a vise to keep her still.
Slowly his reason for wresting the control from her punched through the haze of lust. He wasn’t done learning all the ways to seduce women, but he was done with her as his teacher. They were sexual partners, lovers, equals. He would take as much pleasure as he gave. And he wouldn’t come until she was satisfied. It didn’t feel like a consideration of a new lover or a man trying to prove himself. It was Dwayne’s conscious effort to make sure she didn’t go without anything she needed. Why did he have to do this now, when she was already teetering on the edge?
He nipped at the sensitive cord on her neck. She hissed. “You’re getting too good at this.”
“Just wait,” Dwayne teased.
He dragged her back down onto his dick and dictated how she rode him. This was an exchange of power, a tug--of-war they’d been playing since meeting in the ballroom. She couldn’t be scared, not when her legs started to tremble. What could she be worried about when an orgasm promised to leave her weak?
He groaned against her skin and then licked his way down to her breasts. Her skin felt like it was on fire. The riptide of sensations pulsating through her left her breathless. Just when Amelia thought she couldn’t take a moment more, she broke apart. Her sob-like moans filled the quiet sanctuary. His heavy breathing echoed in her ear, but he didn’t come. A selfish part of her didn’t ever want him to if sex with him could always feel like this.
Seconds later, he pressed his back to the bench and raised himself a fraction. “Let me know if it’s good.”
He grabbed her ass in one hand as a guide while he pounded into her. Any argument or reassurance she would have given dried on her lips. She didn’t mind the loss of control much at that point, because the finish line was in sight, again, so soon. And, yup, the steady thrust of his dick was good.
After her third orgasm, she just rested her head on his shoulder, boneless and not able to do much else. “My knees hurt,” she murmured. “And my arms are numb.”
He chuckled. “Sorry.”
He tugged at her dress until it was over her shoulders again. Only a small part of her mourned how the material hung looser, but her arms felt better almost immediately. She hadn’t noticed the tingles until they’d stopped. She shook out her arms to get sensation back into them. The sweat on her skin cooled in the air, but he was warm. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders to steal his heat. His groan sounded pained. The significance wasn’t lost on her. He was still inside her. Very, very erect. She squeezed him. He cursed and gripped her ass.
She tried to swallow a laugh. “You didn’t finish, and this requires no movement.”
“Fuck,” he said on a laugh. “Don’t stop.”
She kissed him before his smile faded. His lips were pressed together, but a groan slipped through anyway. She continued the slow, sensual torture and lifted only a fraction to add friction to what she was doing. He held his breath, jerking his hips up and down. Dwayne
turned his face into her hair and cursed softly. His thrust turned wild as she felt him tremble in her arms. In the next moment, he stilled, not able to catch his breath. When he littered the garden with a string of curses, she couldn’t hold back her laugh anymore.
She tutted at him. “I had to help you to the finish line. It was only fair.”
His laugh was bleary around the edges. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m probably going to have bench ass for at least an hour.”
She pressed her lips to his again to shut him up, but it was difficult, because she was laughing, too. “You’re a goof.”
“Let me see the damage.” He helped her up and pulled her into his lap. He hissed when he saw the lines criss-crossed over her knees. He kissed them both. “I’m sorry. I would have made you come faster if I’d known.”
She shook her head. “Don’t be that guy.”
“What guy?” His expression told her he knew exactly what she meant.
“The cocky after-sex guy.”
He smirked. “Then don’t be that woman.”
She frowned. “What woman?”
“Cocky before-sex woman.”
She thought about the accusation. Egging him on had definitely worked in her favor. “Okay. Fine. You can be that guy.”
He trailed his fingers over the indentations of her knees. “What’s next?”
The fear and worry slid right back in and squeezed her heart. Of course, her mind filled with what they could do that had nothing to do with sex. She wanted to stay there in the secret garden as he caressed her knees. She wanted to walk out of there, holding his hand and pretending this would last. Absolutely none of that had anything to do with teaching him how to seduce a woman.
So she answered honestly, “I don’t know. Let me think about it.”
***
Seraphina’s office door was closed and locked. The long hallway leading up to the door was empty, but plenty of people moved to and fro along the grand stairway thirty feet away. Here, more than anywhere else on the property, the hotel looked liked an antebellum plantation. By no means was she an expert on historical homes. She’d just seen enough high-end homes to know quality and history. It’s why the hotel had been a haven for her on more than one occasion. She wished she could draw comfort from that.