It would have been easier, faster to have just stayed in the city for what was left of the night. But I drove back out to the cabin anyway. I never should have fucking left there in the first place. Tiny glowing embers still burned in the banked fire. I climbed the stairs, leaving a trail of clothing behind me. By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I was naked and aching with the need for release. My rigid cock swayed against my belly as I leaned in to turn on the shower. It was maddeningly insistent, both excruciating and exquisite all at once. When the pulsing water hit rigid, sensitive flesh, I had to clench my teeth to stop from groaning out loud. I’d spent the last five hours wanting to bury everything I had between Emily’s sweet little good-girl thighs. And I’d held myself back.
But not now… not now… I gripped ten long inches of hot, hard flesh in one big hand and gave in.
I gave in to the fantasy of reaching under the tiny fluff of her skirt and using my fingers to tear away the center of those barely-there stockings she’d had on. I imagined the white lace panties that would be as wet and sweet as she was. But I didn’t want her from behind, at least not the first time… I wanted to see her face when I touched her… when I filled her all the way up.
I jerked my cock hard and felt the head swell. It had always been large, now it was immense… and dark with its pent-up desire.
If I’d unzipped at the party and just lifted her up with my hands… I could have dropped her down slowly onto my shaft and watched her eyes as she took me. One of the waist-high hedges would have concealed us… I could have turned turn my back to the party and my body would have shielded hers from view. Her arms around my neck… my hands supporting her delicate weight, I could have kissed those full, sweet lips while I rocked her on the end of my cock… letting my thick, fucking head work her clit to a hard, slippery pearl…
My thighs clenched tight and I felt the searing shock of liquid heat surge up. Another hard jerk with my fist and I came, gushing seed into the water that beat down on me. Thick, hot streams shot in powerful bursts as I strained to imagine the expression on her face… the look in her eyes… my passion flowing down the insides of her tender thighs. How would she feel, knowing we were inches away from being seen… seconds away from getting caught…?
In my mind, I saw her sweet, satisfied smile as she threw her head back
and surrendered.
10
Emily
Seven thousand dollars.
Not the five he owed me… but seven thousand dollars. I hadn’t taken the time to count it the night before. But this morning I sat at the dinette in the kitchen and just stared, stunned at the piles of bills. Chase had overpaid me by thousands. And I had to give it back.
Reese knocked gently on the wooden trim of the doorway and smiled when I looked up. “Cash?” she asked, looking at the stacks. “Seriously… they paid us in cash?”
“No kidding. Not only that, but it’s too much. I think they got their wires crossed somewhere, in how much they still owed us.” I blinked up at her as she poured herself a cup of coffee and plunked down in the metal chair opposite me. “Did I get my wires crossed too?,” I asked. “Today’s Sunday… right?”
She took a sip and made a face. “Remind me never to let you make the coffee for our customers,” she muttered. “Yeah, it’s our day off. But I came over to give you this…,” she handed me a slip of paper. The handwriting was large and elegant. Amelia’s name and number… plus Chris’s as well…
“She gave me this right before she left last night,” Reese went on, stirring another spoonful of sugar into her mug. “She said you should give her a call about the bridal shower. That if you have trouble reaching her, you can always call her brother…”
“You could have called me with the numbers…”
“And miss a chance to pump you for information? Hell no, I wasn’t gonna call… Now give. I saw how he was looking at you last night. When a man looks at a woman like that, he wants more than to thank her for a job well done.” Her brown eyes sparkled. “Depending on the kind of job…,” she added teasingly. “I saw him lead you off during the fireworks…”
I felt the blush burn its way from my cheeks to my toes, knowing my chance to pretend innocence was hopelessly lost. I took her hand and gripped it tight, grateful to have someone I could tell.
“It wasn’t like that,” I said dismissively. “Not between the two of us, anyway. It was something I’d seen earlier between… well… between another couple…” I blushed again and lowered my voice. “He… this man was having sex with a girl, right where anybody could have seen them…”
“And Chase wanted to make sure you wouldn’t go spreading stories about the wild parties he and his colleagues throw.” She nodded. “We’ve all heard a tale or two about the relationship between privilege and decadence.” She looked at the pile of cash on the table and aimed her dark brown eyes straight into mine. “So what happens on the job, stays on the job… right?”
“Right,” I said coolly. “We just do what we’re hired to do. The rest is none of our business.” I gathered the money and the slip with the phone numbers. “Do you think that’s wrong, Reese? God knows, I can’t talk to my grandmother about this… hell, I already know what she’d say.”
“Well, I say you can’t hold a host responsible for the behavior of his guests. And besides… what happens between consenting adults is their own business. And we’ve already got offers for more work than we’ve had in the last six months. Who knows how much more could come our way.” Reese gave me a sidelong look. “And I still say that Christopher Chase had more than just business on his mind when he was looking at you, Em.” She smiled thoughtfully. “He’s rich and drop-dead gorgeous, you know… A girl could do a lot worse…”
I felt that slow, delicious heat course through my body again at the thought of him. He was so… so… overwhelming in every way. Tall and dark and intriguing as hell. Just standing near him had seemed to heighten all my senses. His eyes on mine made me feel like anything might happen. The whole evening had set a hundred different fantasies loose in my head, about what those huge hands could do to my naked flesh, just given the chance.
“It’s not just that,” I answered slowly, looking up to meet her eyes. “Not just who he is… or how he looks at me…” I swallowed, trying to force down the bad, bad girl inside me who wanted what she couldn’t have, or didn’t dare have…
“He’s rich, gorgeous, hot… every girl’s dream… But it isn’t just that. He was kind to me too, and respectful,” I said, more calmly than I felt. “Whatever else might go on in his kind of social circles,
Christopher Chase, at least, is a gentleman.”
“So, we’re all set for the fifteenth?”
Amelia’s voice tinkled like a silvery bell over the phone. I’d spent an hour pacing the floor after Reese had left, trying to work up the courage to call Chris. I’d settled for his sister instead.
“Sunday, the fifteenth at five o’clock, “ I repeated, putting the date on my calendar as I spoke. “I’ve made notes for the cake and the goody bags.” I scrolled through some of the photographs she’d sent as inspiration. “I think I’ve got a good sense of what you’re looking for…”
“And if you’ve got questions, just give me a ring. I swear, Becca’s been planning this wedding since we were six years old… Now, you’re sure you don’t mind doing a light buffet, too?” Amelia asked kindly. “I know I kinda sprung the idea on you last minute…”
“I couldn’t be more excited,” I reassured her. “This whole job is like a dream come true for me. I like baking, but real cooking’s always been my first love. I can promise you, I won’t let you or Becca down.”
“I know you won’t,” she said confidently. “And you’ll get some great exposure. Some of her friends will be planning their own weddings soon. Bring a thick stack of business cards along.”
“Thank you, Amelia,” I breathed. “I will…”
We said our goodbyes and I sta
rted dialing again before I had a chance to think… or to lose my nerve. He answered on the second ring, catching me between breaths and speechless for a second, at the intimate sound of his voice in my ear.
“Hello?” he repeated, “Who’s there?”
“Emily,” I said, stopping to clear my throat. “I’m the caterer from the…”
“I remember,” he cut me off, his voice low… deep… “It’s interesting you chose to call just now… I was thinking about you.” He cleared his throat too. “What is it I can do for you?”
I tried to ignore the effect of his words on the pace of my heart. “I’m afraid I was too… well… I didn’t catch the mistake until this morning,” I stammered awkwardly. “I’m afraid you overpaid me last night, quite a considerable amount.”
“Did I?” he asked softly.
“I didn’t know how you’d prefer me to return it to you…” My heart was pounding at the thought I might get to see him again…
“Have dinner with me,” he said abruptly. It wasn’t a question.
“I… I’m sorry…?”
“We left something unfinished last night. And I need to see you.
I’ll be in the city this evening. I’ll pick you up at six.”
11
Chase
I slipped my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and took hold of the axe handle again. Bracing the log with one heavy boot, I rocked the blade back and forth until it came loose and lifted it up for the next swing. It cut straight through, splitting the wood cleanly in two, and I tossed the pieces onto the growing pile. I sat another log on the stump and swung again. Hard.
I could have told her the money was no accident, told her to simply keep it. It’s what I would be telling her in person tonight anyway.
I could have warned her off Sutton as well… suggesting she might do better to avoid the smaller, more scandalous parties he tended to host. It would hardly be a problem to make sure her schedule was filled with enough work elsewhere. I could have told her everything over the phone. She would have listened to me and I knew it. Persuasion was one of my strengths…
I set up another swing, and the sharp crack of wood filled the silence around me. I’d struck far harder than necessary, sinking the blade deep into the stump and sending chips flying in all directions. I stopped and wiped a sleeve across my sweating forehead. Cool as the day was, especially up in the mountains, my shirt was plastered to my back and only added to my growing irritation.
I peeled it off and chopped the remaining wood without the pleasure it usually gave. I stacked the last of it neatly enough, and headed inside for a shower. The ice cold water did little to cool the heat inside me. My cock responded to the pounding of the water the same as if I’d been driving it into sweet, tender flesh.
That undeniable need was the only reason I’d be taking Emily to dinner tonight and I knew it deep down… where the demon inside me lived. That dark part of me wanted to take her a hundred different ways… in a hundred different places… giving pleasure neither of us could even imagine. But it would drive me to use her and leave her too, all in search of the next challenge… the next fucking conquest. And that was something I could never allow…
I gripped my flesh and punished it hard, driving toward a climax that would leave me spent enough to keep my hands off her soft, sweet curves. Not for her sake, I knew, but for mine. I threw my head back, hungry for release and imagined her lush breasts, wet and heaving against my chest. I jerked harder, comforted that at least my selfishness was buying her freedom… from my world, from my secrets. She was too innocent to see the darkness inside me, and I knew I could never do what I ached inside to do…
But nothing would keep me from seeing her again tonight, and wanting what I couldn’t have. I would settle for the look in her eyes and the intoxicating smell of her skin… I just couldn’t touch…
I wouldn’t dare touch…
“Miss Parrish.” I kept my hands carefully behind my back as she opened the door. She was dressed in a thin pink sweater dress and sable brown boots that stopped somewhere up beneath her hemline. I groaned inwardly at the image and the needs that it produced. So fucking much for good intentions and jerking off ahead of time…
“I’d invite you in, but my grandmother isn’t well,” she said, blushing an invitingly attractive shade of pink, and pulling the door shut behind her. “She’s sleeping… and I’d rather not risk waking her. My friend Tammy is staying with her…”
“Then choose a restaurant, and we’ll take our conversation there,” I replied, opening the door to the silver Bugatti and watching as she climbed in. Her dress slipped up her thighs, but still… I couldn’t see where her boots stopped. I felt a shudder of sheer wickedness run deep through my core…
I climbed in beside her and started the engine. “What’s your pleasure…?” I asked her, enjoying the feel of the words on my lips. “Are you craving anything in particular, this evening? I’m more than happy to provide anything you wish…”
I pulled the car smoothly onto the road and enjoyed the pregnant pause between us. Somewhere inside, she understood the tone of my voice, but she lacked the experience… the sophistication to acknowledge it outright. Her innocence was surprisingly refreshing. I felt my heartbeat in my cock and smiled in the fading light. “How about Le Prix?” I suggested, easing into traffic and heading for the coast before she even replied. It was quiet and elegant and overlooked the ocean…
“I’ve wanted to go there my whole life,” she said, her hands clutching at the top of her worn leather bag. “But it’s so exclusive. And I’m not really dressed for it… I’ve heard it takes six months just to get a reservation…”
“You look perfect,” I said, taking her nervous hands in mine, just to calm them. “Don’t believe everything you hear…”
My knuckles grazed her thigh and my body tensed in hard, hot response. Her fucking boots stopped, not below… but just above the bend of her knee.
Fucking hell… was what I thought…
“Just trust me,” is what I said.
12
Emily
Le Prix was more perfect than I’d ever even dreamed.
The entire dining room was a study in understated elegance. The walls, the floor, the crystal chandeliers… everything was the soft, creamy color of candlelight. But the room simply set the stage for the view of the ocean. We were set up on a cliff and the glass windows formed a floor to ceiling wall. Transom windows along the very top opened to allow the sound of the crashing waves inside. On the other side of the glass was a narrow balcony where diners could sip their drinks and take the fresh, salty air. I felt almost as if we were dining at the top of a lighthouse, at the very edge of the earth…
We were seated in a quiet corner, near the windows, champagne and caviar cold and already waiting for us. The waiter seemed to move invisibly around us. The perfect meal appeared as if by magic, with little more than a nod and a bow. Every moment was as orchestrated as a symphony, but as effortless and comfortable as a cozy evening at home. The chef inside me was busy taking mental notes… The woman inside me responded only to the man across the table.
“You shouldn’t have done this,” I said, putting down my fork after the last exquisite bite of crab souffle. “But I’m so glad you did.” I sighed, content. “Tonight has confirmed what I’ve always suspected..”
“And what is that?” he shot me a dark, tantalizing look.
“That heaven really does exist,” I grinned back, feeling foolish and a little lightheaded from the richness of the meal. “For a price, anyway… And speaking of that…,” I opened my purse to take out the envelope of cash…
“No, Emily,” he said, stilling my hands with his. It was large and warm and slightly roughened. I felt a tiny muscle pulse between my thighs and I crossed my legs unconsciously… tightening my thighs and heightening the sensation.
“There was no mistake in payment,” he went on, keeping his hand where it was. “Five more wasn
’t enough… I simply paid what you earned.” He squeezed my hands and finally let go. He gave a subtle nod to the waiter who disappeared. “But the money wasn’t the reason I asked you here tonight… I wanted to speak to you about Boothe…
I owe you an apology for his behavior at the party,” he went on, watching me carefully as he spoke. “Sutton is a man who likes his pleasures… and tends to overindulge on occasion.” He swallowed without breaking his gaze. “It happens… we say no more about it, and we move on.”
“I promised discretion, Mr. Chase,” I replied in a low voice. “And I meant it…”
“Chase… please,” he smiled, and I felt that slow pulse building faster inside. “I trust you,” he continued. “It’s Sutton I’m not so certain about. Amelia mentioned he was thinking of using your services again.” His eyes flickered, briefly and for the first time. “He can lean toward… extremes… when he hosts some of his own affairs. It didn’t seem right not to tell you, before he officially hired you again…”
I reached across the table and put my hand on his. The pulsing sensation reached up higher in my belly, stopping my breath. “I can take care of myself,” I answered, trying to focus my attention away from the throb. I inhaled sharply. “Maybe you underestimate me, Chase… Maybe I’m not quite as easy to shock as you think…”
Except that I was shocking myself. My voice had been too low, my words a little too seductive. I’d only had one glass of wine… I could hardly blame my behavior on that.
It’s the way that he looks at you, my desire whispered in my ear. Like he wants to taste you from head to toe… like he wants to strip you of every secret, tease you into giving up to the pleasure of his hands… and his mouth and his…
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