by B. L. Wilde
“If I had been given some of the assignments you were given, I wouldn’t have needed the money!” Now I was getting the truth.
“You need to watch that greed. It will consume you and be your downfall one day,” I stated. “You earn more than enough. All Seductors do!”
“I don’t need to sit and listen to this shit,” she snarled, standing up to storm off.
“Oh, Alicia,” I suddenly remembered. “Are you going to send Sonia a progress report? Or do you want me to?” I grinned sarcastically.
“Fuck you, Jade,” she spat, slamming the door behind her. Okay, I guess I have to do it.
Once I’d written the report and sent it over, my phone rang. I wasn’t shocked that Sonia called me.
“Is now a good time to talk?” she asked when I answered after the second ring.
“Yes, I’m alone.” I stretched, standing to walk around the large suite.
“I knew you’d do it, Jade. It took you no time at all.”
“Now that I have this mission, will you be drawing up a written agreement about your deal?”
“That’s what I’m calling for. Your agreement is being drawn up as we speak. I’ll send you over a copy once it’s done. You can sign next month when you come back to headquarters for your six month training.”
“You make it sound so easy. How would I even explain a three year disappearance? He might not even wait for me.”
“I’ve already thought about that. We’ll add in a kidnap situation.” What? “You’ll be taken along with the power core, if it exists.” That was crazy talk! “You’ll be released after three years, when we let Oliver track you.”
“Sonia, that’s insane!”
“Do you have a better suggestion?” Dammit! I really didn’t. I wanted something with as little drama as possible for Oliver, but how would that work? I was going to be gone for three years. “We have time, Jade. It was just an idea.”
“What’s going to happen to Alicia now that I’ve taken control of this mission?” I wanted her on a plane as soon as possible.
“We’re keeping you both in play until you’ve discovered which scientist Mr. Kirkham is working with on the core. We may fake an illness for a few months if Alicia is needed on another mission, but she might be put to good use if it’s a male.” Now I was pissed! I didn’t want Alicia on this mission.
“Is that really necessary? You know I can handle both.”
“I’m aware of that, Jade, but this mission is too important to take any risks. You’ll have to put up with her a little longer.”
“Great,” I sighed. “She’s going to try and sabotage my mission, Sonia. She’s already made a few attempts. Can you at least fake an illness sooner rather than later? I need time to gain Oliver’s trust back, and Alicia being here won’t help that. You can bring her back in on the case when I have more information,” I pleaded. Sonia was quiet on the other end of the line. “Please?” I whispered.
“Oh, okay,” she huffed. “I’ll try and get her assigned to a few smaller missions as soon as I can.”
“Away from New York?” I added.
“Yes,” Sonia chuckled. “Now, you get to work. I want a new progress report by the end of the week.” With that, she hung up.
I was still checking over my dresses when Oliver finally got back an hour later.
“How was your morning, Dear?” I grinned, turning around to look at him.
“Busy,” he sighed, loosening his tie away and collar. “How was your morning?”
“Lonely,” I pouted, falling into his waiting arms. “Your PA stopped by to visit me.”
“Why?” he frowned, leaning down to plant a soft, chaste kiss on my lips.
“I think she was just trying to weigh up the competition.” I giggled as his hands glided down my back.
“There is no competition,” he murmured, grazing his lips against my mouth. My body was already convulsing with need for him.
“What time do we need to leave for the charity event?” I asked innocently, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“In about three hours.” His eyes became hungry as he captured my lips with a deep kiss. His hands moved down my back until they were gripping my ass. “How did I manage to last without you for six months?” he groaned, kissing his way down my neck, licking and sucking as he went. “Fuck, Jade, now that you’re here, I want you all the time.”
“You have me, Oliver. I want you as much as you want me,” I panted as he pushed me against the wall. Wall sex with Oliver! Yes, I remember that!
“I’ve been daydreaming about fucking you all morning. I was sitting in my meeting, thinking about your naked body under mine,” he cooed into my ear, undoing the buttons on my jeans. “It certainly made my meeting go quicker.” He smirked, slipping his hands into my panties. I was at his mercy, lost in the feel of his fingers rubbing my clit softly. “Oh, Beautiful, I love how your body reacts to my touch.”
“Oliver, please,” I pleaded, needing more. Before I could blink, my sweater was being pulled over my head and he was attacking my breasts with his mouth, pulling the cups of my bra down as he greedily suckled each one in turn.
“I hope you’re ready for this,” he winked, looking up at me as he pulled my panties down. He then undid his slacks, freeing his leaking cock. I was always ready!
He slammed into me hard, so much that my head hit the wall. It was only a little bump, and I was too lost in the pleasure to give a shit about the slight pain anyway.
Both his hands were holding my legs up as he rolled his hips and began to really fuck me. His pace was frantic. My legs wrapped around his waist, drawing him even closer. I’d forgotten how much I loved being fucked this way. I wasn’t shocked when I began to build, my orgasm rising to the surface.
“Wait for me, Beautiful,” he panted. “I’m almost there.” I tried, I really did, but like everything that involved Oliver, I couldn’t control myself. I cried out his name as I came hard, drowning in pure bliss. He followed moments later.
“Sorry,” I gasped immediately. “I couldn’t hold on.”
“That’s okay, we have lots of time to practice,” he grinned, running his hand through my hair before looking at his watch. “In fact, we still have time now.” Without warning, I was thrown over his shoulder as he carried me to the bedroom.
I loved this side of Oliver so much. Oh, who was I kidding? I loved everything about him. The problem was, did I let him know that yet?
Chapter Eleven
“You look stunning, Jade,” Oliver gasped when I entered the living room in my black cocktail dress. Oh. My. God! Oliver in a tux. There were no words to describe how good he looked. I stood there gawking at him. I must have looked like I was catching flies. Fighting the real me that wanted to jump his fine bones, I composed myself.
“You look rather dashing yourself.” I smiled shyly, playing with my purse. Avoiding eye contact was a good idea while I reigned in wild Jade.
“I love what you’ve done with your hair,” he whispered from right in front of me. Closeness wasn’t the best thing right then, but I managed as best I could. I’d curled my hair in soft ringlets, and put one side up using a deep red rose clip.
“Thank you.” I gazed up at him. Desire pulsed through my veins as his hooded eyes met with mine. How could two people have this level of sexual need for each other? We’d only finished our last love making session an hour ago. It was there, though. Oliver wanted me again.
“We better get moving,” he coughed, trying to break our connection. “Duncan will be waiting for us.” I nodded, allowing him to help me into my coat before leading me out into the hallway.
“So, what is this charity event for?” I asked once we were in the limo.
“Cancer Research. I work quite closely with some of the biggest contributors. What those scientists could achieve with the right tools is astonishing.”
“You are amazing,” I sighed, overcome by his statement. “Have you always been so generous?”
“To causes that matter, yes. My father always said that with wealth comes great responsibility. You have to put it back in the right places. Okay, I make money out of selling nuclear machines and weapons, but I put it back into the charities that matter—the ones that affect the whole world.” He was so open with me, and it hurt that I couldn’t return the favor. I wanted Oliver to love the real me, too!
“Will you be giving a speech tonight?”
“Only a small one. I’ll probably have to draw a few times for the raffle and hand out some prizes, though.”
“You take everything in your stride, don’t you?”
“Why do you say that?” he questioned, his eyes roaming down my leg. Oliver and I in the back of a limo often ended one way. I couldn’t afford for that to happen right now, though—not after I’d spent so long getting ready.
“I couldn’t get up in front of hundreds of strangers like you can.”
“It’s all about practice. I’ve been doing public speaking since I was a boy. It was something my father insisted on.”
“You father sounds like he was very strict when you were a child.”
“He was, but loving, too. I knew he only wanted the best for me.”
“My dad wasn’t strict at all.” I put my hand over my mouth as soon as the words slipped out. Shit! Did I really just say that out loud? I never spoke about my family to anyone.
“It’s okay, Jade. You don’t have to say anything else if you don’t want to,” Oliver whispered, stroking my hair before twisting one of my curls around his finger. “It’s enough for now that you even mentioned him to me.”
“He doesn’t care about me anymore. Can we just leave it at that for now?”
“Of course we can.” He smiled sadly, leaning down to kiss my lips. I could feel his unspoken words in that simple gesture. It was soft yet passionate. He was trying to tell me I didn’t need to worry about my family. That he cared for me and that was all that mattered. If he knew the truth about my past, though, I’m not so sure he would still think that way.
We had pulled up outside the Moscow Grand Hotel when we finally broke from our kiss. “Are you ready for this?” he winked as Duncan opened the door for us.
“I can’t wait.” He took my hand to help me out of the car.
Watching Oliver work a crowd could never bore me. He was a well-educated man—I knew that—but he had the gift of conversation. There wasn’t a single topic he couldn’t talk about. He could switch from nuclear warfare to the best live bands he’s seen, all in a matter of seconds.
“Have you really seen that many live concerts?” I asked as we stood at the bar.
“I went through a phase of watching as many live bands as I could.”
“Do you go through phases a lot?” I teased. “Are you one of those people who buy exercise machines and never use them?”
“I own a gym in New York, Jade. I use it almost everyday, remember?” Hot, sweaty Oliver. How could I have forgotten that?
“Oliver!” a male voice called. I turned to see a tall, elegant, fair-haired man standing behind me. “I told you I’d make it.”
“It’s good to see you, Dylan,” Oliver grinned, shaking his hand. “It’s so good of you to come. I know how busy you are.”
“You’re the boss. If you tell me to take a break, I take a break,” he chuckled, turning his eyes to me. “And who is this lovely lady?”
“This is Jade Gibbs,” Oliver introduced. “Jade, this is a friend of mine, Dr. Dylan Reynolds.” I instantly recognized the name from the list of possible scientists working on the power core.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Reynolds.” I smiled shyly as he took my hand and kissed my knuckles.
“Call me Dylan,” he smirked, looking toward Oliver. “You finally found her again then?”
“Jade found me, actually,” Oliver chuckled, pulling me gently into him.
“I’m happy for you both. Macy will be thrilled, too. She was so worried about you, Oliver.”
“Is Macy here?” he stressed, his hands dropping from my waist. Macy? Who the hell was that?
“Yeah, she wanted to come,” Dylan frowned. “Is that a problem?” Before Oliver could respond, a female appeared behind Dylan. She had a thin, agile body, deep black hair, and big brown eyes.
“Oliver Kirkham,” she sighed with her hands on her hips. “You look so much better. Have you finally gotten over that idiot of a woman that left you?” She flung her arms around him while I, the ‘idiot of a woman,’ stood watching them. “You look good, Handsome. Really good,” she mused, stroking his jacket. Okay, now she needed to let him go! I still had a damn stun gun in my purse!
“Macy,” Oliver laughed nervously, turning to me with an apologetic look as he pulled away from her. “I’d like you to meet Jade.” Realization hit her face as she looked at me.
“Jade?” she questioned. “As in the Jade?”
“Yep, I’m the idiot of a woman that left him. It’s nice to meet you, Macy,” I glowered, holding my hand out to her.
“Holy crap! I’m so sorry, Jade,” she gasped as Oliver and Dylan began to laugh. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, really.”
“I’m sure,” I muttered, relaxing when I felt Oliver’s arms around me again.
“It’s my fault. Macy is a very old friend of mine. I hadn’t had the chance to tell her that I’d found you again.”
“You could have picked up the phone, Oliver,” Macy scolded. “I know you’re a busy CEO, but it was one damn call!”
“Macy is an amazing scientist like Dylan,” Oliver responded, ignoring her comment. “They work in Kirkham Industries’ Fusion Department near Macon.” He seemed to really ponder his next choice of words. “She and I went to high school together.” Judging by the uncomfortable tone in his voice, I knew what was coming next. “We dated for a while, too.”
“A while,” Macy snorted. “It was all of High School, Oliver. We even lasted almost a year in college.” I tried to fight the jealousy. Macy had dated Oliver a long time ago—it was all in the past—but why was she working for him? Looking at her, she was totally the opposite of me. She shared his interests and wasn’t lying about who she really was. Macy was everything that Oliver needed. That didn’t mean that I would ever give him up, though. I was too selfish for that.
“Oh, so you two were childhood sweethearts?” I mumbled, downing the rest of my wine. The room suddenly felt stifling. Oliver nodded, looking down at me.
“Excuse me. I need a little air. This wine is going to my head,” I muttered, starting to move away. Oliver grabbed my arm gently, stopping me in my tracks.
“Do you want me to escort you outside?” he asked worriedly.
“I won’t be long. You stay with your friends,” I breathed, walking away as he let me go.
I braced myself against the wall outside the hotel, breathing in the fresh air. What the hell was happening to me? I was overcome with emotion because I’d met someone Oliver had dated in high school. It was ridiculous.
I had no reason to be worried. He wanted me—he’d already proven that—but what would happen when I left again? Would he turn to Macy for comfort? When my contract with the Seductors was over, would I find out that Macy had already taken my place? Why was I even worrying about that now? I was nowhere near completing my mission yet.
“Jade,” Oliver’s concerned voice broke me from my thoughts. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” I smiled weakly. “I’m sorry. I drank my wine too quickly. It made me a little dizzy.”
“Why don’t you take a seat? I’ll sit with you for a while,” he suggested, motioning to the table and chairs behind us.
“No, you have a charity event to attend. You can’t stay out here with me,” I complained, letting him guide me over to the comfortable, cushioned chairs.
“You know there is no place I’d rather be than right here with you,” he whispered, taking my hands in his once we both sat down. “Macy means nothing to me, Jade.”
“I know I don’t have to explain myself,” he interrupted. “But I want to. Macy may have been my perfect match mentally in my early years, but it was never enough. I needed more.”
“More of what?” I was acting dumb; I knew exactly what he meant.
“This,” he sighed, running his fingertips down the inside of my arms before gripping my wrists gently. My body began to shudder at his simple touch and an ache was building between my legs. “The connection I have with you, Jade…I can’t even put it into words. You give me everything I’ve been searching for—you give me a home. My life with you means everything.” He always had a way to render me speechless. “Am I getting too heavy? Tell me and I’ll back off.” The fear in his eyes tore me in two. I’d made Oliver doubt having strong feelings for me when I walked out on him. How I wished I could put the Seductors behind me and move on into this new life with him, but that was impossible. I had to salvage this situation as best as I could. Somehow, I had to make this work so we could have a future one day.
“You’re not pushing too much,” I whispered, moving to slide onto his lap. His arms automatically wrapped around me. “I can feel the connection, too.” I leaned down, capturing his lips with mine. We both groaned at the taste of each other as our tongues began to dance at a slow, sensual pace. I gripped the back of his chair, crashing my body against his strong chest as his hands began to run up legs.
“Beautiful, we need to stop before I fuck you right here,” he panted. His lips were moving hungrily down my neck.
“Okay,” I giggled as I tried to pull away, but he held me close.
“You have no idea what it means to me to have you here. Thank you.”
“I wanted to be here,” I smiled, pecking his lips when he released his arms from around me. “Now, let’s go back to talk to your high school crush,” I winked, holding my hand out to help him up. Oliver snorted, shaking his head at me before taking my hand. With his arm tightly around me, he escorted me back into the hotel.
“Aren’t we going back to talk with Macy and Dylan?” I frowned at Oliver as we headed in the opposite direction from them.