The Revenge Game (The Player's Pact)

by Alice Gaines

  She removed her hand from his crotch and then gently pushed his away. Before he could object, she knelt in front of him and eased his legs apart.

  He chuckled. “I’m in trouble now.”

  “You started this game. See if you can finish it.” Holding his shaft, she wrapped her lips around the tip of him. Because of its size, she couldn’t take a lot more into her mouth, but she did her best and sucked the way he’d always most enjoyed. When that won her a low groan from him, she pumped him with her fist while she whirled her tongue around the ridge and then flicked it at the underside of the head.

  “You’re going to kill me,” he said.

  He’d die, all right, but he’d be inside her when he did. But first, she’d get him so hot he’d never think of any other woman during oral sex. Their bodies knew each other…every inch, inside and out. No other woman would ever do this for him without him imagining Nicole with her mouth on him. It didn’t matter that she’d have the same problem. She’d crossed that line ten years ago. Now it was his turn.

  She continued, alternating sucking and licking him like a lollipop. With each passing moment, his flesh turned a darker red, indicating his rising excitement. He stroked her face as his breathing became labored. How she loved doing this for him, loved every part of sex with this man.

  He sucked in a breath and then groaned. “You’d better climb aboard.”

  “And end the fun?”

  “The half hour must be up.”

  She laughed. Sexual arousal could screw up your sense of time. It couldn’t be thirty minutes yet. “You’re just saying that so I’ll do what you want.”

  “I’d say anything right about now to get inside you,” he said.

  Enough. Time had come for him to fill her while his fingers resumed their play on her clitoris. So she got the condom from the table and rolled it onto him. Then, as he scooted forward in his seat, she turned and straddled him, facing away. For one last time, she grasped his shaft to guide the tip to her sex and slid down onto him.

  Bliss. Complete and total. As he began to thrust, she raised and lowered herself to create more friction. As she’d known he would, he reached around to fondle her as they moved. While his hardness stretched her, his fingers stirred tension deep in her body, creating the coiling certainty of orgasm. She could only close her eyes and let him continue while his sighs and soft moans told her he, too, was approaching the point where their bodies would take over and all hell would break loose.

  If the cockpit door was to open now, neither of them could stop this glorious lovemaking. If an engine fell off, they’d have to continue to the end. Nothing in the world mattered more than them coming together. In just a moment…another few seconds…oh, hell, now…every bit of energy in her coalesced in her sex and then burst into a supernova that spread throughout her. She bit down to keep from shouting, but muffled cries escaped her as her inner walls tightened around him and then exploded in spasms. He slammed into her a few more times and buried his face in her neck to keep from bellowing as he climaxed, too. It was amazing. Exhilarating. Sublime.

  Then it ended, and she went limp as he closed his arms around her. His breath heated her cheek as he worked to get air into his lungs. In a moment, they’d move. She’d grab her panties and dash into the bathroom to freshen up. He’d tuck his sex into his pants and do up his fly, and they’d become two normal passengers again. Maybe they could recline their seats and sleep for a while. They still had a long way to go to New York.

  …

  Ten years earlier

  He was leaving. Two days before he was supposed to. Nicole stood in Adam’s room over the garage and watched him pack. No matter what she said to him, no matter what she said to her father, Adam would be gone today. They’d stolen her last two days of happiness from her.

  “I won’t see you again,” she said. This was it. He was leaving her, just like everyone else did.

  He stopped folding the shirt in his hand, dropped it into the suitcase, and came to her, holding her face between his palms. “I’ll come back for you, baby. I promise.”

  “When?” Darn it, that came out with a sob.

  His blue gaze bore into her face. “I don’t know. I have to get settled, first. Find a place to live.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “I don’t know. I only know I love you.” He kissed her—the last taste of sweetness she’d ever have from him.

  “I love you, too, Adam. We should have two more days together.”

  “Your father found out about us. He’s going to call the police on me if I don’t leave.”

  “For what?”

  “Trespassing, I guess. He fired me and told me to get lost.”

  “It isn’t fair.” Her vision blurred. She was really crying now, damn it. “Stay in town. I’ll sneak out and come to you.”

  “No, baby. I’m going to go to school and make something of myself so you can be proud of me.”

  “I’m proud already.” Why was this happening? The world couldn’t be this cruel. She’d lost everyone but her father, and now her father was sending Adam away. She’d never love anyone else, not like she loved Adam. She’d be alone for the rest of her life.

  “Now, listen,” he said, still staring into her face. “I love you, Nicole. I always will. I’ll come back for you. Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.” No. He’d forget about her. He’d find someone else. He wasn’t coming back.

  “Will you wait for me?”

  “Of course I will. I’ll never love anyone else.” That part was 100 percent true.

  “What are you still doing here?” her father’s voice boomed from the doorway.

  Adam straightened and moved away from Nicole. “Still packing.”

  “Finish quickly. If you’re still here in ten minutes, I’ll call the authorities,” her father said.

  She turned toward her father. “Why? He’s supposed to stay two more days.”

  “He defiled you, didn’t he?” her father said.

  “It wasn’t like that.” It had been beautiful. She’d loved every minute and everything they’d done.

  “Get out!” her father shouted.

  Adam zipped his suitcase shut and bent toward her one last time. “I’ll come back.”

  “Now,” her father said.

  Adam brushed past her father in the doorway and was gone. Just gone.

  “Give me your phone,” her father said.

  “Why?”

  “I’ll get you a new one with a new number. I won’t have him contacting you again.” He held out his hand. “It’s done. Do you understand?

  She got her phone out of her pocket and handed it to her father. She’d find Adam again. It was easy enough to do that online. Maybe her father didn’t know that.

  “Good,” he said. “Now, go to your room.”

  “In a minute.”

  He stood and stared at her.

  “I said I would in a minute,” she repeated.

  Her father huffed and left. Nicole sank down onto the bed. The one Adam had slept in the night before. He was gone. He might try to come back, but she knew he wouldn’t. No one ever did once they’d left her.

  …

  Present day

  It didn’t take long for his two friends to show up. They didn’t bother waiting for their Tuesday date on the courts at the gym but appeared in Adam’s office on Monday afternoon, just about the time Adam had promised himself he’d text Nicole just to see if she’d answer. Both of Adam’s friends were grinning like idiots when they stepped into the room and closed the door behind them.

  “Don’t you two have anything better to do with your time?” he asked.

  “It’s the off-season,” Grant answered.

  “And I had a hole in my schedule,” Ryan said.

  He’d probably made the hole when Grant had invited him to this little party. “Well, sit down before you wear out the carpet.”

  They did, taking the chairs in front of his desk. Beh
ind him, the floor-to-ceiling windows let in the afternoon sun. Spring was in full bloom outside. He could be walking in Central Park, maybe with Nicole alongside him. That is, if he got up the courage—or the stupidity—to call her.

  “So, how was it?” Ryan started.

  “The resort is amazing. Nicole’s going to need a lot of luck and a lot of the right publicity, but if she handles things correctly, she could have a huge success on her hands.”

  “Now isn’t that funny?” Grant said to Ryan. “I thought you asked him how things had gone between the two of them, and he thought it was a question about the resort.”

  “I knew what he was asking about,” Adam said.

  “And he’s not talking,” Ryan said.

  He rested back in his chair and studied his two friends. If there was anyone in the world he could spill his guts to, it was these two guys. They shared their toughest challenges and heartaches with each other, and not a word went anywhere. As CEO of a large company, he was more or less a public figure, but these two were famous and on television regularly. If Grant had trusted him with his divorce and Ryan with the breakup that had shaken him a couple of years back, Adam could speak openly about Nicole. Lord knew he could use someone to talk to.

  “The sex was incredible,” he said after a moment. “Like my hottest memories of her, but it was all real.”

  “You went at it,” Grant said.

  “Morning, noon, and night,” Adam said. “Each time seemed to get better.”

  “Sex like that will scramble a guy’s brain,” Ryan said.

  “Yeah, and now I’m doing without.”

  Grant laughed. “What’s it been? Two days?”

  “Three, but who’s counting?” He got up, circled the desk, and sat against the edge so he was between his two friends. “I think I have a problem.”

  “I’m sorry we got you into this, Adam,” Ryan said.

  “I figured an ex was an ex,” Grant added. “I’ve been there. There’s too much bad blood to let her close again.”

  “You didn’t count on honeymoon sex,” Adam said.

  Grant’s cheeks turned pink. Who would have guessed an NFL pro could blush? You never saw anything but a stone face from him on the field. But under the clowning around, Grant was a sensitive guy. “Sorry, man.”

  “I don’t know that it’s a disaster—at least, not yet. I just don’t know how to deal with these…feelings.” The last time he’d let his emotions get involved had been ten years ago, with the same woman. What a colossal mess that had been. And now?

  No one said anything for a while. What could they say? Adam was on the verge of breaking their rule of no emotional involvement. And on top of that, the woman was the same one who’d betrayed him all those years ago. She had some power to get to him, and it hadn’t diminished over the years.

  “I call a meeting of the Players,” Ryan said. “Good Scotch and prime beef can cure anything.”

  “The Tap Room,” Grant said. “Tonight at seven.”

  “I’ll be there,” Adam said. “Thanks, guys.”

  Both men rose, and Grant clapped his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “We’ll get you through this.”

  “I have to get going,” Ryan said. “Want to share a cab, Grant?”

  “I’m coming,” Grant said.

  Ryan left, and Grant went to follow. He stopped at the door and turned back as if to tell Adam something. He didn’t speak but got a wistful expression on his face. Then he shook his head and left.

  Adam went to the window and looked out over Manhattan. At least he had something to do this evening and wouldn’t spend it wondering where Nicole was and if she missed him.

  He hadn’t contacted her. Her goodbye at the airport had been cordial but professional. He’d seen nothing to suggest they’d enjoyed each other’s bodies hours before. Maybe she’d only planned a brief affair to convince him to leave Westmore Hotels alone. In reality, ruining her father’s company had lost all appeal for him. Maurice Westmore was dead, and Nicole had made a good case for Adam’s part in their breakup. Why fight battles if you couldn’t win anything from them?

  They’d called a truce, and maybe he should leave things that way. But he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something had happened their last evening on the island. The sex had been so intense it had literally knocked him out. And then, he’d come out to help her with dinner and found her…well, pleasant. Cordial. That word kept popping into his head. Nice enough but nothing more.

  An idea had struck while he’d lain in his bed pretending to sleep. It hadn’t disappeared when the sun came up, so maybe he’d give it a try. It was a gesture she couldn’t miss, but if she wanted him to keep away, she could simply ignore it. Yeah, he’d do it.

  The door to his office opened, and when he turned around to greet his new visitor, his stomach clenched. Vivian St. James breezed in, followed by a cloud of very expensive perfume.

  “There you are, darling,” she said. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Vivian…um…you’re not supposed to be here,” he said.

  “Oh, pooh.” She went to him and reached up to kiss the air next to his cheek. “I haven’t seen you for ages. Where have you been?”

  He eased her away from him. “I’m afraid that’s private.”

  “You’re keeping secrets. I don’t like that.”

  Adam went back to his desk and sat down. Crossing her arms over her chest, Vivian stood where she was and studied him.

  She was not only a beautiful woman but a striking one, with high cheekbones and full lips. Some of that might have been artificially created, but it was done so well it looked natural. Of course, she wore clothing tailored for her, and her auburn hair framed her face. If she hadn’t had such a toxic personality, he might have acted on the clues she sent that told him she’d like to get into his pants.

  Luckily, that aspect of her had shown through early enough to keep him at arm’s length. He’d figured he’d keep her as a silent partner in business and nothing more. Only that had turned out more difficult than he’d imagined.

  “We agreed to keep our partnership secret,” he said. “That won’t work if you show up at my office.”

  “Can’t I visit a friend at work?”

  “Not constantly.”

  “I don’t do it constantly,” she said. “And if you’d agreed to meet somewhere else, I wouldn’t be doing it now.”

  “We will. I’m just busy.”

  She took the seat Grant had just vacated and plopped her purse onto his desk. “Not too busy to disappear for days and days.”

  “I’m back now. What did you want?”

  She got a glint in her eye—the sort of gleam that said she’d come up with a new plan that had her very excited. Heaven help her enemy when she wore that look. “I have a new strategy for Operation Westmore.”

  Great. Just when he’d decided to give up trying to sink Nicole’s company, Vivian was thinking of new and creative ways of accomplishing just that. He’d have to break the news to her now that she had to stop. Operation Westmore had ended.

  “The item in Investments Insider?” he said.

  A slow smile crossed her face. “A bit of genius, no?”

  Evil genius, yes.

  “There’s more. I’ve been talking to Westmore’s shareholders,” she continued. “I’ve convinced some of the most important ones that the company can’t survive.”

  He tipped his chair back. “Go on.”

  “So, a trade of stock—their Westmore Hotels in exchange for some in Morrow Properties,” she said. “We accumulate a lot of stock, then when their stockholders’ meeting comes around, we vote ‘no confidence’ in the current management. Nicole loses. In the resulting chaos, we take over.”

  “And then I shut down Westmore Hotels,” he said. Their original plan had been a hostile takeover of Maurice Westmore’s business and then to strip the name of Westmore from each facility they left open. They’d obliterate everything, including his memory. Only now,
he’d be doing it to Nicole. He could even close Savvy or rename it and take control of it. He could break Nicole’s heart, if he wanted. Vote “no confidence” in her? Good God Almighty. Months ago, that might have sounded perfect. Now it sounded impossible.

  Vivian raised one eyebrow. “Well, what do you think?”

  “To tell you the truth, I’ve been having second thoughts about our plan,” he said. “Do we really want to acquire a white elephant like Westmore Hotels? They’re money pits.”

  Her eyes widened. “What are you saying?”

  “Neither of us can get any satisfaction by sinking Maurice Westmore’s hotels when the man is dead.”

  “If I couldn’t get it when he was alive, I’ll do it now,” she answered. “Besides, his brat is still running the company.”

  “Why do you hate Nicole so much?”

  Vivian smiled, but the expression was anything but comforting. “You call her Nicole?”

  “I was in love with her once.” And maybe he was again, damn it all.

  “Maurice Westmore married women much younger than him, promised them the world, and then left them in an empty mansion with his brat of a daughter,” Vivian said. “I wanted his love, and all I got was her. She hated me, and I hated her right back.”

  This could be his opportunity to solve something that had been puzzling him about his last night at the resort with Nicole. That is, if he could get an honest answer from Vivian. He leaned forward, resting his hands on his desk. “Have you been in touch with her?”

  She stared at him as if he’d started speaking a foreign language. “Why in hell would I do that?”

  That evening, while he’d been in a sex-induced coma, Vivian had called him twice, but she’d only left one message. His phone had been in the kitchen. Nicole might have heard it ring. The look on Vivian’s face—utter astonishment—told him she was telling the truth. Maybe she had called, hung up when he didn’t answer, and called back to leave a message. Surely Nicole would have said something to him if she’d spoken to Vivian. Or would she?