He shrugged. “It’s an add-on since you tried to change the original terms.”
“What are you getting out of all of this? I’m going to disrupt your privacy, take your money, and you get nothing?” She gaped at him, baffled by the whole arrangement.
“I don’t want your money. Can’t you just take the help without questioning my motives? I want to help,” he balked in an uneasy voice, finishing the last of his coffee, slamming the cup back to the table with an impatient whack.
“I want to do something, give you something for your trouble. I’ve always paid my own way.” Agitated, she stood and collected the cups. She took them to the sink and rinsed them before putting them in the dishwasher. Honestly, she should be kissing his feet in gratitude, but being in his debt somehow bothered her. She wasn’t used to taking. From anyone! She was a survivor, doing what she needed to do just to stay one step ahead of poverty. This was so foreign, so freaking confusing.
Kara turned around and slammed into Simon’s powerful body, a force that easily kept her body from advancing. The man was like concrete, fixed and immobile. She put her hands on his solid, muscular biceps to steady herself. “Sorry,” she mumbled, but he didn’t move away.
“There’s only one thing I want from you, Kara.” His voice was low and husky and he bent down and inhaled, as though he were breathing in her scent. He slapped a hand on each side of the counter, pinning her.
The man was like a seething kettle of testosterone, and every female hormone in her body was rising to happily meet the masculine lure. He surrounded her, holding her body in thrall, making her want to surrender to his dominance. Something inside her melted, wanting to sway into his powerful arms. “W-What?” What could he possibly want from her?
She shivered as he crowded her, feeling the heat radiating from his body. Kara was five foot eight barefoot, but Simon towered over her in height, strength, and power. He leaned his head down, his lips nuzzling her ear. “You. In my bed. One night. Anything I want, anything I need.” His sultry, low whisper sent fire careening through her entire body.
“Me?” She squeaked as his hungry lips trailed down the side of her neck, making her core clench tightly with need and her pussy moist.
“You. One night,” he repeated as his hands moved to her hips and stroked against the silk robe, exploring her body greedily.
Her head dropped to one side, giving him free access to let him explore the sensitive skin at the side of her neck. Oh Lord, he felt good, smelled good. She couldn’t think as his mouth descended on hers.
Simon didn’t ask; he demanded. His tongue pushed against the seam of her lips insistently and she gave way, letting him take her, his tongue owning her mouth with demanding strokes. She released an involuntary moan into his kiss, feeling ravished and overwhelmed, her response automatic and wanting. Pushing back, she entwined his tongue with hers, exploring him, tasting him.
Without releasing her from his impassioned embrace, his hands came up to spread her robe, running possessive fingers over the responsive flesh, the hardened nipples. He alternately pinched and stroked, heightening her desire until she was out of control. A strong, jean-clad thigh thrust between her legs and she pushed against it, desperate for the friction. Her hands plowed into his coarse dark hair, fisting as she rode a wave of erotic pleasure.
He pulled his mouth from hers, panting as though he had run a marathon. “God, you are so hot, Kara. So responsive.” Her body was pulsating as his hand moved over her stomach. “I want one night.”
She jerked as his fingers reached her saturated pussy, stimulating the pink, ripe flesh, moving his thigh back to explore her more thoroughly.
“So wet, so ready,” he husked as he circled her clit. “I can smell your arousal and it’s making me crazy. I want to taste you.”
“Oh, God. Please.” Kara was caught up in sensation, heat sizzling over every nerve ending in her body. Her hands went to his shoulders, needing the support to keep standing.
“So sweet,” he murmured in her ear before his tongue trailed over the side of her neck, flicking in a rhythm that mimicked what he wanted to do elsewhere, overwhelming her with white-hot desire to feel it there, making her want that velvet tongue between her thighs.
Her hips flexed, needing more contact, more of those talented, teasing fingers. “Simon, I need-”
“I know what you need. The same thing that I need! But for now, I can give you this.” His fingers zeroed in on her needy bud, slipping through her moist folds, finding where she needed to be touched.
She moaned as he increased the pace, the intensity. She was mindless with raw need and a whimper escaped from her lips as one hand continued his erotic torture of her breasts, while the other kept up a relentless assault on her inflamed clit. “Yes. Oh, yes.” Kara knew the passionate, hot voice was her own, but she barely recognized it. It was high-pitched, keening, begging for relief.
His mouth swallowed her moan, as though he wanted every bit of her pleasure. She responded, nipping at his lip, opening for his possession, surrendering completely.
Her channel clenched and she could feel the impending climax all the way to her toes. Ripping her mouth from his, she threw her head back and let out a long groan as a powerful orgasm took her over, making her ride on waves of pleasure that she had never experienced before.
Her head dropped against his shoulder as ripples continued to make her body shudder. “Oh, God. What in the hell was that?” She panted as Simon closed her robe and pulled her sagging body against his.
“Pleasure. Just a taste of what we could have in bed,” he replied quietly, his large body rocking her slightly as she recovered. “I’d like one night, Kara. Not because you have to, but because you want it, too. I’ll help you regardless. It’s your choice whether or not to give me what I want. But be warned…I like control.”
Still shattered, her mind in chaos, she asked haltingly, “What does that mean exactly?”
“Total surrender,” he answered in a low, hoarse voice that vibrated with barely-controlled passion. “Think about it. Say the word and I’ll give you every ounce of pleasure that I’m capable of giving.”
“I’m not really that experienced. I-I…you’d be disappointed.” She hadn’t had sex in more than five years and even then, only with one boyfriend. It had been her only sexual relationship, one that had lasted five years and ended badly.
“I don’t want sexual expertise. I just want you,” he replied abruptly as he moved back, giving her space.
Kara noticed the tense look on his face, the grooves around his mouth. Eyes dropping to his groin, she could see his large shaft straining against the denim.
He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. “Decide later. You’ve been through a lot today and you need to get over your illness. Rest. Eat. Relax. I’ll be in my computer lab upstairs if you need anything. Nina will be here soon with your clothes. Feel free to keep the robe. It looks good on you. But just so you know…I’ll have a raging erection every time you wear it. I’ll remember every sweet sound, every delicious response from you while you were coming in my arms.”
Kara grasped the counter behind her, her knuckles white from the strength of her grip as he turned and sauntered away, muscles rippling in his perfectly formed ass and back as he casually left the kitchen.
“Did that really just happen?” she whispered in an astounded voice, hoping that this whole day was just a bad dream and she would wake up in her own bed, in her own tiny apartment.
Simon Hudson was a danger to her sanity, and she needed to stay as far away from him as possible.
Four months. Could she do it? She straightened her spine and wrapped the robe tighter around her body. She was a survivor; she would survive. Simon had mentioned that sleeping with him wasn’t a requirement. It didn’t have to happen.
Kara took a deep breath, trying to relax her body. She’d do whatever she could to help Simon except sleep with him. She could cook, clean, help him out with whatever h
e needed to have done. Not having a job was going to leave her restless. There had to be other things she could do to repay him.
You want to. You know you want him.
She shook her head, trying to silence her wayward thoughts. Getting involved with Simon Hudson was not a good idea. The billionaire genius was the type who would leave her devastated after one night of passion. He had just proved it by rocking her world, and she hadn’t even had sex with him.
But now you know it would be a one incredible night that you’d never forget.
And it would. That was her fear. It would be much too memorable.
Shaking her head, she suddenly remembered the clinic. She should have been there this morning.
Oh, shit. I have to call Maddie. How could I have forgotten?
Kara spent every Saturday morning volunteering at the free children’s clinic with Dr. Madeline Reynolds. It was something Kara had been doing every Saturday morning for the last year and although she wasn’t yet licensed as a nurse, she helped out by taking on every task she was capable of so that Maddie could see as many children as possible on clinic day.
Kara snatched up a cordless phone from the kitchen counter and hastily dialed the clinic number, explaining to Maddie what had happened and that she was sorry she didn’t make it.
“It’s not like you’re a paid employee, Kara, even though I appreciate the fact that you keep showing up to help. I’m fine for today. Are you okay? Do you need a place to stay?” Maddie’s voice was concerned and Kara’s heart lifted. Maddie was so generous, so caring…but she couldn’t impose on her friend. Kara knew that Maddie put every extra penny she had into the free clinic and she was fairly fresh out of medical school. Kara had heard Maddie say jokingly, more than once, that she would still be paying back student loans when she retired.
“Nope. I’m good. I have a…friend helping me out,” she replied, hoping her voice sounded normal.
There was a pause before Maddie told her sternly, “You call me if you need help, Kara. You will, won’t you?”
“I will. I promise. I’ll see you next Saturday.”
“Stay safe. If you ever find that bitch of an ex-roommate, feel free to call me. I’ll beat the shit out of her,” Maddie said, her voice indignant.
Kara laughed. “You’ll have to get in line. I’m pissed enough to do it myself.”
With a few more assurances to Maddie that she would be fine, Kara hung up with a sigh and headed through the condo, wanting to see what was left of her belongings.
You’ll make it. You’ve made it this far. Four months will be easy. Someday, you can replace whatever was taken.
A tingle went down her spine as she searched for the guest room that housed her meager belongings, sensing that the next four months would be more challenging than anything she’d ever faced before.
Poverty!
Loneliness!
Rejection!
Insecurity!
Fear!
They all looked like a piece of cake compared to several months with Simon Hudson.
Temptation was going to be a real bitch.
Chapter Five
Over the next six days, Kara discovered that living with Simon was easy…as long as he got his way. She caught herself grumbling, more than once, about his overbearing attitude and take-charge tactics. Without question, the man was generous and she had already had several conniption fits over how much money he spent on her. Clothes, laptop, iPhone, iPod, iPad-Simon loved gadgets that began with an i-and anything he thought was essential to her well-being. She had tried to patiently explain that she had lived well enough without those things before, but Simon simply grunted and soon gave her another so-called essential item, all of which were definitely not necessities.
The only fight that she had actually won was the argument about him buying her a car. Kara had put her foot down and refused, telling him that she preferred to take the bus. Honestly, she hadn’t really won that argument either. The only reason he had relented was because he had his driver, a delightful man named James, take her to school every day and pick her up again after class or clinicals. James seemed to be at Simon’s beck and call, even though Simon drove himself to the office every morning in a Bugatti Veyron. Kara had almost choked the first time she saw the outrageously expensive sleek automobile, a car that she actually had only seen previously in photos. Simon shrugged, telling her that Sam had one too, only Sam’s was newer, a fact that seemed to irritate Simon whenever his precious vehicle was mentioned. Kara had rolled her eyes at him and walked away. Honestly, he was just like a boy…only richer-a lot richer-and his toys a hell of a lot more expensive.
Nina, Simon’s personal assistant and another employee to whom she’d taken an instant liking, delivered Kara’s new clothes early the previous Saturday morning. And she hadn’t come alone. It had taken a string of strong, able-bodied men to trail in with a whole new wardrobe that definitely hadn’t come from Walmart or a normal discount store. Kara now had a huge walk-in closet filled with expensive designer clothing, most of which she would probably never wear. For God’s sake, even the jeans were designer and expensive. Every item fit perfectly. Simon had checked the soiled clothes in her backpack to get her size. The clothing incident had been the first experience of many that was teaching Kara that Simon never did anything in a small way.
She had really balked when she saw how much money he had deposited into her checking account. How in the hell had the man found out her checking account number? He had just raised his shoulders again and told her to let him know when she needed additional funds and he would take care of it. Additional funds? He had transferred one hundred thousand dollars to her account, a fact that had nearly sent her into heart failure when she had checked her balance. An account that usually sat in the single digits had suddenly become an endless source of cash. How could anyone spend that much money in a few months? Kara had tried to get him to take most of it back. Having that much money in her account was actually a bit daunting and her needs were simple. She already had everything she needed and more, thanks to Santa Simon. Simon had just mumbled a curse and some statement about her being a stubborn woman and ignored her request. She had finally thrown her hands in the air and stomped away, muttering something about inflexible, arrogant men. A quiet chuckle had followed her out of the room and she had forced herself not to look back to see if Simon was smiling.
Actually, she was happy that she could provide him with some amusement, because she couldn’t seem to find anything else to do to help him. She felt swamped by guilt most of the time for taking advantage of his generous nature.
He had laundry and cleaning staff who came in once a week, so it left little for Kara to do except cook, and she had plenty of extra time to do that. Baking and cooking were about the only useful things she could do to help, but Simon seemed to think it was some monumental task akin to saving his life when she fixed a meal. It seemed that Simon didn’t cook and existed mostly on sandwiches when he was at home because he had never really wanted to employ a full-time chef. Of course, his personal assistant bought his groceries, a task that Kara had taken over from a grateful Nina. Simon’s assistant said that she was tired of seeing Simon live on the microwave dinners and the sandwich fixings that he requested every week. The tiny, well-kept woman, probably somewhere in her sixties, had just uttered an emphatic, “Hallelujah, he’ll finally eat,” and handed Kara his usual grocery list quite joyfully.
Kara closed her nursing book, her studying complete, and stretched out on her back, rolling on the huge king-sized bed in the guest room until she was staring at the ceiling.
She should ask Simon what he wanted for dinner, although she already knew how he would reply.
Anything that I don’t have to cook!
He usually spent the morning in his office and the afternoon and evening in his computer lab upstairs. The condo was enormous, and Kara wondered if she would ever find her way around without making a few wrong turns.
Hopping off the bed, she walked through the gorgeous living room, admiring the view from a large picture window. Simon lived in the penthouse, the largest condo in the building, and every twinkling light of Tampa was spread out in front of her in breathtaking splendor. How incredible to have this splendid view every single night. She wished Simon would take a moment to enjoy it. He seemed to be obsessed with a project right now and only came down for a brief time for dinner before returning to his lab.
Kara wondered if he was avoiding her and felt guilty that he might be hiding in his own home. They had never spoken about what had occurred in the kitchen six days ago. They circled around each other politely, making superficial conversation at dinner.
As she turned and mounted the black spiral staircase, she admitted to herself that she actually wanted his company. Working and going to school had kept her busy and her loneliness at bay. Now, she had too much time with nothing to do in the evenings except watch Simon’s enormous television or read after she had finished studying. Solitude was all well and good, but it got lonesome night after night. At least when she was working, she had the company of customers and the other employees.
Disgusted with herself, she turned left after she reached the top of the staircase, making her way to Simon’s lab. What did she have to complain about? She had every luxury, every convenience. She lived in a home most people only dreamed about and never had to worry about funds. Still, she wanted a little more of Simon’s company when she should just be damned glad she had a roof over her head and an endless amount of food to eat.
Stopping outside the door to his lab, she tapped lightly.
“Come in.” The abrupt, distracted reply made her smile. He was definitely consumed with some sort of project.
Usually she just poked her head in, but curious about Simon’s lab, she entered and closed the door behind her. Computers were everywhere and Simon had a chair on rollers that slid from one computer to the other, making it easy due to the plastic that covered the floor under the circle of computers. She padded across the plush carpet until her feet met the smooth plastic and peeked at the computer screens. Gaping, she realized she recognized the picture on the largest screen.
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