No Greater Loyalty

by S. K. Hardy

  Placing his razor on the marble countertop, he bent down from the waist and splashed water over his face to rinse off the residual spots of shaving cream, then reached for a towel. Straightening, he wiped his face, glancing in the mirror to make sure he’d gotten it all. Just as he was getting ready to toss the towel down, the bathroom door opened, and seconds later the reflection of a gorgeous woman came into view as she walked in.

  Lorenzo smiled. "Morning."

  Their eyes met as she sent him a hint of a smile before walking over to the glass encased shower stall. Renzo's gaze tracked and followed her in the mirror, slowly skimming over her voluptuous curves in the short silk robe.

  Cecila Mills, or Cece as everyone called her, glanced over her shoulder and caught him staring. He’d looked at her that way last night at dinner, too, as if she was a tantalizing dessert he wanted to overindulge in. No matter how much she’d tried to ignore him, he’d made no effort to hide the fact that he wanted her. Even her boss, Roni Winston, had noticed and commented on it later. Cece had been embarrassed by his attention, but Roni told her that she needed to let go of the tight control she always kept over her emotions and have some fun for a change. Live a little.

  Looking at Lorenzo Pattel now, Cece could say with definite certainty, mission accomplished.

  "So now you want to tell me good morning." A teasing light entered her eyes, reminding him that he'd taken her without so much as a word when he woke up an hour ago.

  Renzo grinned. "I thought you’d still be sleeping right about now. I kept you up pretty late last night. Then of course there was this morning."

  His silver eyes darkened when he thought about the intense sex sessions they'd had in the last twelve hours. Lorenzo had barely allowed her to grab any rest in between.

  She gave a small shrug. "I'm up now. Did you want to join me in the shower?" Her expression was beguilingly innocent.

  Renzo bit back a grin, and shook his head at her. "I've already taken my shower."

  The smile stayed on Cece’s mouth as she shrugged again, wordlessly lifting her arms to pile her hair up on top of her head in a loose knot.

  The amusement left Renzo's face, instinctively knowing what she wanted. His eyes travelled over her again, his hunger for her clearly evident. Mentally, calculating how much time he had in order to get to his meeting this morning, he regretfully put his desire on hold. Punctuality was one of his pet peeves. He hated to be late for anything, especially when it had to do with business, and this morning's meeting was a very important one.

  "Mind if I take a rain check?" His deep voice floated across the distance to reach out and wrap around her like a warm hug.

  "Of course. I know you have a long day planned. I have to meet with Roni in a couple of hours myself, so it’s not a problem."

  Cece untied her robe using slow deliberate movements. She tried to contain the excitement she felt when her lover's attention remained fixated on her hands as if waiting for her to unveil a piece of art he'd been waiting to see.

  Her lover. That’s what Renzo Pattel was now; at least for a little while. She still couldn’t believe she’d done something so decadent as sleeping with a man she’d just met. Things like this, meeting gorgeous men like Lorenzo Pattel, happened to other women, not her.

  Next to her ex-supermodel boss, Cece felt as if she practically faded into the background. Every man in the restaurant last night had stared at Roni with admiring eyes as she’d passed them.

  Cece had expected Lorenzo Pattel to fall into the same category of besotted male admirers when he came over to introduce himself, but surprisingly, he’d been respectfully cordial. Lorenzo explained that his company had just purchased Rona’s clubs. After a few minutes of chatting, Roni had invited him to join them for dinner. The moment he sat down, he turned on the charm and made it clear that he found Cece extremely attractive.

  Cece was gently pulled out of her reverie when Lorenzo cleared his throat and gestured for her to finish undressing. Feeling emboldened after last night, she let the robe slither from her shoulders and arms to land at her feet in a silky confection of flimsy material.

  "I don't want to distract you," she said in a soft voice.

  Her eyes dropped down to the front of his briefs. She caught her breath when she saw the outline of his monstrous erection.

  Wow, she thought. She’d done that. Her.

  Renzo's eyes glinted steadfast and unwavering as indecision cracked the hard shell of his resolve but crossing his arms, he leaned back against the counter and shook his head in a great show of reluctance. "Behave yourself. I cannot be late."

  His cousins, King and Hawk, were flying in and coming directly from the airport to attend a business meeting with several investors. It was ingrained in all of the Pattels that tardiness was never acceptable for any reason. They’d been taught that if they were on time, they were late.

  The corners of Cece’s lips turned down in a tiny pout. "Okay. I understand."

  Lorenzo’s mouth quirked upwards at the corners when he saw her disappointment. “I’ll take a kiss, though.”

  Naked, with skin that gleamed a rich shade of bronze, courtesy of the Caribbean sun, she sauntered over to him with a sexy walk that made him harden even more. Her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips when her eyes dropped to the front of his underwear. Slipping her arms around his waist, Cece stood on tiptoe to kiss him. Her hips rolled forward so that her feminine mound brushed against the thick, piece of rigid wood that pulsated in his briefs. Smiling when she heard him groan, she pulled back and went to take her shower.

  Renzo watched her stroll away, her heart shaped ass swinging enticingly behind her and capturing his unwavering attention. Maybe…just maybe he could squeeze out a little time for some quick loving before he left.

  Cece sent him one last provocative glance before stepping into the shower. "Tick-tock. You'd better hurry."

  Closing the shower door, she turned her back to him and proceeded to adjust the water until she got it to just the temperature she wanted.

  Renzo followed every move she made, watching the sponge glide over her flat stomach and continue down to caress the sweet spot that beckoned him to come over and take the sponge's place.

  God, she was a sexy woman. He watched as she bent down to wash her shapely legs, reminiscing about how good the sex had been last night.

  Renzo had immediately spotted her the moment he saw her in the restaurant; he’d been watching Cecelia Mills for days. Veronica Winston was only a means to make contact with Cecelia. He’d already known that if he approached her on his own, he would’ve had a harder time breaking through her defenses, but as Roni’s assistant, she’d had no choice but to interact with him and politely answer his questions.

  Once he got close to her, he had to admit that the photo he was in possession of didn’t do her justice. Lorenzo still didn’t think she was his type, though. However, that wasn’t important. This went way deeper than whether or not he found her attractive. The Pattels needed a way to control her father who was the new District Attorney. They would do it through Cece.

  Watching her in the shower now, he hesitated a couple of moments longer before finally giving in to the inner struggle he'd been having with himself. Pushing away from the bathroom counter, Lorenzo hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his underwear and made short work of pushing them down his muscular thighs and kicking them off. His steps were slow and purposeful as he moved towards the shower. His cousins would just have to be mad. Getting lost inside of Cece Mills again would more than make up for the shit he’d have to hear about being late. Renzo told himself it was part of his plan, cementing her attachment to him. He wasn’t sure if he bought that excuse or not.

  When the shower closed behind him, Cece looked over her shoulder with a victorious smile she didn’t try to hide. The expression on his handsome face told her he was getting ready to make her pay for deliberately using his desire for her against him. Her teeth nibbled on her lip in anticipation
.

  Without warning, Renzo pushed her back against the wall and covered her mouth with his. At the same time, his fingers found the clip she'd used to pin her hair up and pulled it out so that the glossy strands tumbled to her shoulders, quickly became soaking wet from the running water.

  "You knew once you came in here I was gonna want this, didn't you?" he growled against her lips.

  Without waiting for an answer, his hands went to the back of her thighs, easily lifting her and sliding her up against the slabs of granite tiles. Cece wrapped her legs around his waist. As soon as she did, Renzo thrust inside of her until he was completely embedded in her addictive treasure.

  Cece’s fingernails dug into his back, holding on tight to his hard, bunched muscles. They both moaned at the same time.

  "I swear if I could stay up in this all morning, I would," he breathed out in a raspy voice, growling deep when she tightened around him.

  Cece tried to speak but couldn’t get enough air in her lungs to get the words out. The only sounds she managed to make were hoarse moans of ecstasy. She opened her eyes and looked directly into the heat of his stare. Lorenzo Pattel was easily the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

  His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her ass as he pumped into her furiously, tunneling into her tight crevice, bringing them closer to fulfillment.

  Slices of pleasure slashed through her body, causing her to shudder under his masterful direction. How he knew her body so well after only one night was something she couldn’t understand.

  "Yes, yes, yes," Cece chanted as he swerved to the left and worked the spot he’d quickly discovered. Eyes closed, Cece’s head fell back against the wall of the shower.

  "Open your eyes," he demanded.

  Once her lashes fluttered open, he slipped a hand between them and caressed the sensitive knot of her clit. It was tight and swollen from sexual tension.

  "I told you, I like you to look at me when you cum. I want you fully aware, fully cognizant of how good this dick is and who's giving it to you." His eyes burned with a passionate intensity that almost hypnotized her. "Keep your eyes open."

  No one had ever talked so raw to Cece before, and she certainly never used language like that. However, hearing it from Lorenzo brought her even closer to the brink of release. Gasping for breath, she kept her eyes fixed intently on his, fascinated by the way the color was now slightly darker from arousal and passion.

  "R-Renzo..."

  "That's right, baby, say my fuckin’ name. Scream it out loud until they hear you in the next room."

  Cece did just that, spiraling closer and closer to the overpowering emotion of absolute bliss until she tumbled over. Her nails scratched at his back until she broke the skin. Even when she felt as if she couldn't stand the intensity of the orgasm, Renzo never let up. He withdrew to the tip before plunging back inside of her, making sure the stiff bone of his shaft grazed her sensitive clit. Renewed sparks of pleasure continued to stoke the flames he'd built up in her very core as he finally let go of his control and fell over the edge to join her.

  They slowly descended from the high Renzo had taken them to, kissing languidly and reveling in the aftershocks still shooting through their bodies.

  Raising his head, he looked down at her. "This time, I really have to go," he mumbled in a sexy voice.

  Kissing her one last time, he was getting ready to slip out of her and rinse off when she tightened her inner muscles.

  Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed. Letting out a sudden string of impatient curses, he gave in to what they both still wanted. Hell, he’d just have to deal with his cousins later.

  CHAPTER 24

  The morning of Dominick's birthday found him and his assistant, Carter Andrews, in his office going over paperwork that needed his attention before he left for the rest of the day. Dom had promised Keisha that he was only going to stay for a couple of hours, then he would be hers for the rest of the day and night at the lavish hotel she’d made reservations at.

  Carter made notes as Dom gave him last minute instructions on what he wanted done with several projects by the end of the day. Carter was in his mid-twenties and had interned at Dom's company for two years before he graduated from college.

  Raised in a high crime neighborhood, he’d been a part of the mentoring program Dominick, Marcus, and Darrell were all involved in to help keep at risk youths stay out of trouble. They’d made a deal with Carter that if he kept his grades up in college, he’d have a job waiting on him after graduation, along with a company car and generous salary. That had been almost three years ago. Dominick was more than pleased with his work and had never regretted the decision to hire him.

  Standing by Dom's chair now, Carter placed a hand on the desk and pointed out a particular clause in one of the contracts that had been messengered over. Dominick nodded and was marking what changes he wanted made when his private line rang. Tearing his eyes away long enough to see Keisha's name on the display screen, he hit the speaker button to connect the call.

  "Hey, babe."

  She let out a long sigh. "Hi."

  Dominick glanced towards the phone and chuckled. "Come on, don't be like that, I'm almost finished. I'll be home in about an hour, then we can head out."

  "A whole hour?" she mumbled softly in a disappointed voice.

  Dom smiled and shook his head. It was his birthday, but his baby was pouting like he'd left her all alone on hers.

  "Did you at least get a chance to–"

  "Excuse me, sweetie," Dom cut in as he looked at Carter. "Before I forget, make sure you call the building contractor for the BELCO project and find out what the hell the hold up is. I want an answer by the end of the day. Email me."

  Carter nodded, adding that to the list of things he already had typed into his tablet to take care of.

  Turning the page on the contract, Dom addressed Keisha, "Sorry, baby. What were you asking me?"

  Dead silence met him for a good ten seconds before Keisha spoke. This time there was an edge in her tone. "Honey. Sweetheart. I was trying to ask you if you had a chance to look at the email I sent you."

  "Nah, baby, I haven't." Dom was clearly distracted.

  "Do you think you could look at it really quickly? I just need some help in trying to decide what to wear tonight."

  Dom frowned, trying to keep his voice from showing his own impatience. He glanced up at Carter who returned the look with the sympathy of one male to another. He'd told Dominick many times that he never planned on getting married. Listening to Keisha right now only reiterated that decision.

  "Keisha, baby, whatever you decide to wear is cool with me. You always look beautiful no matter what you have on."

  "Can you please spare one minute? I know you're busy, but as soon as you give me your opinion, I promise I'll let you get back to work."

  "Okay, uh, one second." Swallowing the resigned sigh, Dom turned to his laptop to pull up his emails. Seeing Keisha's name, he clicked on it then went back to signing his signature on the documents.

  "Carter, I want you to reschedule that managers’ meeting for Monday morning instead of Wednesday," he said as he shuffled through the papers. "If anyone has plans, tell ‘em to change them. Understood?"

  Dominick scribbled his name at the bottom of the next page. "Gimme one more second, baby," he said to Keisha. "Then I'll..."

  A sudden strangled choking noise came from Carter as if he couldn't get enough air in his lungs. Dominick looked up with a frown that deepened when he saw the younger man's bottom lip hanging so low it almost touched the floor.

  "What the hell is wrong with you?" Dom followed Carter’s widely stretched eyes to his laptop, and when he saw the images staring back at him, he immediately understood the other man's reaction.

  The email he'd opened was a series of pictures set up in PowerPoint showing Keisha in the "outfits" she wanted his opinion on. However, instead of the dresses he'd inspected to see, she was modeling several different sets of sexy lingerie.
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br />   Dom looked up at Carter again, noticing the young man’s glazed eyes still fixed on the screen. He closed the laptop and directed an unwavering stare at him "Hey. Go get started on that list. I'll buzz you in a minute."

  "Huh?" Carter struggled to focus and when he did, he suddenly realized he was standing in his boss's office unabashedly ogling half naked pictures of his boss's wife. "I...I mean, yes sir! I, ah..." He held the tablet up and started walking backwards. "I'll get right on her...I mean it. I'll get right on it. The list. Not your…uh…"

  Dom thinly slitted eyes warned him he'd said quite enough. Carter got the message. Giving Dom a nod, he swung around and hurried out the door without saying another word that would get him in even deeper shit.

  Shaking his head, Dom twisted his lips and sat back in the chair. Hearing the soft snicker on the phone, he picked up the receiver and brought it to his ear. It wasn't Carter's fault that he'd become flustered at the sight of the pictures. Hell, any red-blooded man would. His wife was fine as fuck, so Carter got a pass for this one because Dom knew exactly whose beautiful feet to lay the blame at.

  "Thought that was cute, didn't you?"

  "Hm? I thought what was cute?"

  "Don't even try it. You knew Carter was in my office and would see these pictures when I opened your email."

  "Oops."

  "Oops my ass. Or should I say yours, because I'm definitely gonna spank it good for this little stunt."

  Keisha's voice became soft and seductive. "You promise?"

  Dom chuckled under his breath, but when one photo in particular flashed on the screen, his laughter slowly died away. He clicked to pause the sequence of photos. There was no need to contemplate which outfit he wanted her to wear for him tonight. This was it, hands down.

  "The black one."

  "Now how did I know that's the one you'd choose?"

  "Because you know what I like. Actually, all of them are hot, but the black one...yeah, that's the one, baby."

  The black outfit was simple, but sexy as hell; the entire damn visual turned him on. The black cut off t-shirt molded itself to Keisha's breasts like a second skin, leaving her taut stomach bare. On the front of it scripted in fancy white letters were the words, 'Dom's birthday gift'.