INDISPENSABLE: Part 2

by Maryann Barnett

Sarah almost spat out her wine. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I’m not.”

  “And I’m not taking these home. What am I going to do with them? I’ll never wear them again.”

  “I’m sure we could find a time.”

  “No. This is a one-time deal, then it’s back to business as usual. I have work to do. I can’t just be jaunting all over the place.”

  “We have business here. In several countries actually, so it can be justified. There may even be times you need to travel alone.”

  “I still won’t need this lavish outfit. We must return it.”

  “Pierre won’t hear of it. This is now your dress. He won’t let anyone else wear it.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “You are messing with my romance zen.”

  “Fine. But we’ll discuss this tomorrow.”

  “As you wish. Now let’s order. I’m starving.”

  Sarah looked at the menu. It was in French and she had no clue. “I would if I could read it.”

  “I’ll read it for you, or just order for you.”

  “Read it out, and do not try and feed me frog or snail. Your life won’t be worth living.”

  “You’ve discovered my dastardly plan.”

  “Funny.”

  “What don’t you like, apart from the country’s delicacies?”

  “I’m not really fussy. I don’t want anything I haven’t had before because the last thing I need tonight is an upset stomach.”

  “Yes, a green complexion doesn’t quite fit with the outfit I guess. How about quail?”

  “I love quail.”

  “And fish?”

  Sarah nodded.

  “Let’s leave dessert until later. When we get home.”

  “Home?”

  “I have a place here.”

  “Of course you do.”

  “You’ll like it. It’s…humble, cozy, and the dogs are there.” Brock’s smile lit up his face.

  “You like it there, too.”

  “I do. But it will be even better to share it with someone I like. And…you’ll be impressed…no staff. I do it all for myself.”

  “A man of many talents.”

  “I hope you can cook,” Brock said.

  “I’ll manage.”

  “You will? A home cooked meal? That would be the best.”

  “I’ll do my best. Tomorrow night, we’ll eat in.”

  “What else will we do?”

  “If you play your cards right, I’ll let you do the dishes.”

  “Let’s eat, all this dirty talk has me wanting to soil up that pretty gown of yours.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  Brock had the dangerous glint in his eye. The one that sent shivers to her core. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I’d signed your agreement, it would’ve already happened.”

  “You’d better hurry up and order because I have plans for dessert that you won’t want to miss.”

  He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. Sarah turned hers over and held his hand.

  “You are beautiful. Thank you for joining me in my grand gestures.”

  “Thanks for wanting to make it a dream come true. It really is.”

  “You, Sarah, are a dream come true.” He stood up and leaned in to kiss her lips so softly she shivered.

  Sarah wanted that kiss to deepen. She needed to be close to him right now. The waiter came over, and Brock sat back down and gave him their order in French. Now that was sexy. The music was slow and lovely. Sarah swayed in time and sipped her drink.

  Brock stood up again and held out his hand. “Mademoiselle. Would you do me the honor of this dance?”

  “I’m game if you are.” Sarah place her hand in his and stood up.

  “That dress is too fantastic to hide under the table all night.”

  “That’s true. Lucky the music is slow, so I shouldn’t kill myself in these stiletto heels.”

  “I’ll be sure to catch you.”

  Sarah drew in a long breath. This was what she’d wanted, all those years ago as a young girl. She’d imagined it to be like this…with the man she loved, the man she would marry. The ideals of that child had long since shattered. But inside some of the shards remained lodged deep in her heart. That hopeless belief that love was real and that love was out there for everyone who looked for it.

  Brock led her to the dance floor and took her in his arms. They swayed together. Holding each other close. Sarah wished it could be Brock. She wished in that moment that this was real life. It wasn’t. But it was real for this moment, and this moment, this whole night, was hers.

  She slid both her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his shoulder. Brock kissed her forehead and put both arms around her, drawing her in. Neither spoke of anything. Sarah didn’t need words to communicate how she was feeling to Brock.

  He got it, too. She could tell. He’d opened his feelings to her. Opened them for her. Pierre had said Brock always had secrets, but she hoped whatever they were Brock would share them with her one day. Perhaps she would share all of hers, too. The dark days under the cloud of addiction.

  Nothing could be further from where she was now. Even her wildest imagination back then wouldn’t have put her here, dripping with diamonds in the arms of a billionaire bachelor. The seedy streets were full of terrible things, desperate things, things she wasn’t going to think about right now.

  Here was Brock, and he held her so close. She refused to ruin that with nightmares of a past she couldn’t change. She wasn’t that person anymore.

  The waiter appeared with their entrées. “If I wasn’t so hungry, I’d stay right here,” Brock said.

  Sarah’s stomach growled on cue. “I’m sorry. Excuse me.”

  “Say no more, my princess. Let’s eat. I just hope my white shirt survives the sauce.”

  “Drip it on your chest. I’ll lick it off later.” Sarah smiled.

  Brock pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth. Not gentle. Demanding, punishing, a kiss of ownership. She answered that kiss with a desperation of her own. Their tongues met and danced in passion. His hands pulled her roughly against his body.

  Sarah reached into the hair behind his head and pulled him deeper into the kiss.

  He pushed her away, suddenly. The danger flashed through his eyes. His hoarse whisper filled her ears. “Be careful. I’m a heartbeat away from taking you on the table in full view of the staff here.”

  “Pity this is my time then. That might’ve been quite enjoyable. But I guess we’ll never know.” As she walked off, she let her hand drift across the front of his suit pants, and his erection jumped at the contact.

  Sarah went and sat at the table. “This looks delicious. I can’t wait.”

  Brock sat down again and glared at her. “When I get you home…”

  “When you get me home, you’ll be damn well doing what I say. And a big part of that will be making me come. Now eat. You’ll need your strength.”

  Brock picked up his entrée cutlery and smiled across at her. “Bon appetite.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  What an evening. The whole world had indeed drifted away. Sarah had laughed with Brock, and flirted. As unreal as that situation was, it honestly felt like a real date. Two people being playful, not talking about anything too deep and dark, but being honest and respecting each other by just not going there with the questions.

  Sarah talked a lot about life before her parents hit the rails, and a lot about her baby brother growing up being five years her junior and the wonderful times they’d had together. She spoke of a lot of the fun times she’d had with Bella, and her friend’s crazy, outspoken antics.

  Brock, too, had shared many childhood memories of happy times shared with his parents at a young age. Sarah had giggled at his stories and related to many a crazy teenage idea. She’d really laughed at his retold attempts at cooking, and how he’d worked young to enable himself to buy precooked food so he didn’
t starve to death.

  She was on cloud nine when they finally took the hour’s drive out of Paris to Brock’s cottage in a small village in the country. The driver pulled into the driveway and stepped out to collect their bags that had been spirited from the plane—along with clothing bought for her and Romeo and Juliet.

  It was almost midnight, and Sarah yawned.

  “Lucky I got Cinderella home before the clock struck twelve.”

  “I’d have changed back into my old favorite clothes by magic.” Which to her right now was a great idea. The whole gown thing was wonderfully romantic, and it made her feel more feminine that she ever had, but the whole holding in the tummy, walking up straight, making sure every hair was in place to do justice to the outfit had lost its shine.

  “I’d prefer the bra and knickers.”

  “No arguments from me. Dressing like a princess is overrated.”

  “You don’t mean that.” Brock put on his pretend dejected face.

  “I don’t mean that, no. The evening was the most beautiful I’ve ever had. But I couldn’t do it every weekend. It’s very high maintenance. Thank you, Brock, for thinking of me. When I said romance, I was meaning the interaction between you and I—not flying to Paris for dinner and you spoiling me rotten.”

  “I’ve no doubt we’ll both make up for it when we get back home. But all is going well there. They can do without us for a day or two more.”

  Brock got out of the car and came around to open her door. He offered a hand to help her step out. Sarah accepted and gathered her gown around her with the other hand. It was chilly out here now, and she felt a few spots of rain hit her shoulders.

  The place was shrouded in darkness, but what lighting was on the outside showed a very traditional brick building with dark roofing. Two large windows faced out with the bright door in the middle. It almost looked normal and not over-the-top lavish.

  “Hurry. I think it’s going to…”—the sky opened up and the rain smashed down on them—“…downpour.” Brock laughed and scooped her up into his arms, running for the front door. “Too late.”

  Sarah laughed as the cool rain hit her body. Brock was being all perfect again, and as they burst through the front door, two wagging tails and lolling tongues greeted them in excitement.

  Brock kissed Sarah on the cheek and set her down on the floor, then he knelt down in his tuxedo and gave his two dogs a good rollicking greeting. Sarah managed to get a pat in on their heads and went further into the cottage to find a bathroom. She needed to shower and dress into normal clothes for a while. She could also do with a coffee. As she went further into the wonderful cottage, she saw how far from ordinary it was.

  Expensive French artworks adorned the walls and cupboards. All the soft furnishings were expensive brocades and velvets. The curtains were intricate but heavy, cream-colored lace backed by brighter colors. A large leather chesterfield lounge suite filled the sitting room, and a fire was already burning in the grate.

  Sarah took a guess and headed for a door. She opened it and looked in. No, that was an expansive kitchen. She walked to the next one and popped her head through the open door. A marbled bathroom with a shower and large bath greeted her.

  She could still hear Brock playing with the dogs so she went in and closed the door. Fluffy white robes hung behind it. Perfect. She could pop one on and find her clothes later.

  Then, she began to remove her jewelry and placed it carefully in a ceramic bowl on the countertop where the hand basins were. She let her hair down, and it covered her shoulders again. It was rare to wear it up in such a fashion, but she was glad she did because Brock placed many a soft kiss and teasing nibble on her neck over the course of the evening.

  Sarah had certainly proved a point to herself. Life did go on—even if she wasn’t punishing herself with twelve-hour days in the office. She had the job she’d been striving so hard for. The unattainable was in her pocket, and she just didn’t know how that really made her feel. On the one hand, yay! But on the other, what was left to work towards except getting a billionaire out of trouble and making him more money.

  So was it the position she’d really wanted, or the impossible? She reached her hand around to find the top hook of her dress to lower the hidden zipper. Then, she tried with her elbows up and hands reaching down behind her. Finally, she unclipped the hook from the tiny eyelet. Brock came in behind her, his jacket and shirt already gone.

  Sarah gasped at the perfectness of his tanned and strong body. She’d never get used to seeing him unclothed. How could she not admire the beauty of him. Supremely male.

  “Here, let me get that for you.” He moved in behind her and drew down her zipper. His skin touched her skin all the way down to finish just below her tail bone where he drew a light circle with his fingertip. Sarah shuddered and slipped her dress off the front of her body. Brock held it at the sides and lowered it enough for her to step out of it.

  She turned to him in her bustier that held her breasts high and firm and showed a lot more than the dress had. It cinched in with pink silk and lace at the waist and flared to her hip and thighs with frilly lace. The shade of pink was lighter than her dress.

  The tiny panties hadn’t given her nay trouble slipping down or riding up, and the suspender belt was still in place holding the lace-topped silk stockings in place. Her diamond-encrusted stilettos topped it all off.

  She stood before Brock feeling more naked than when she’d been naked. This outfit was made to entice. Designed with making a sexual connection burst into flame. He eyed her up and down like a hungry raptor and placed each of his large hands on the countertop on either side of her. He leaned in closer with his head.

  Sarah took a deep breath and her heart hammered. She felt like her agreement was about to get thrown out into the rain. She was like trapped prey being toyed with by the carnivore.

  “Sarah. I never thought you could look more beautiful than you did in that dress. But you look positively edible out of it.”

  Sarah swallowed and put on a brave face. Somehow she knew this was touch and go for Brock as far as control went. “Now you know how I feel every time I see you out of clothes.” She swallowed and met his gaze.

  “If I wasn’t covered in dog slobber right now. You would be in a lot of trouble, agreement or no agreement.”

  “In that case I’m keeping the underwear, and we shall revisit the outfit one day. Right now, let’s shower and go snuggle in that gorgeous four-poster bed you have in there.”

  “I’ve never slept in there before. It’s brand new, and I usually just have the smaller room.”

  “I like the thought of that, Brock. Thanks for telling me.”

  He stood up and took off his suit pants, letting them drop to the floor. Then, he stripped his underwear off and opened the shower door. The showerhead was large and round, and the water would fall down on them like rain, and she noticed a few side jets as well, presumably to massage with sharper streams of water.

  “Not fair. I didn’t get to see you in your underwear for long.”

  “You’d better get undressed, or I’ll have you in here wearing them.”

  “That’s your job.”

  “What?”

  “Undressing me. I like it when you undress me. Slowly.”

  His dark, hooded eyes studied her. “You do like living dangerously, don’t you?”

  “You don’t want me getting bored do you?”

  “I swear, the second the clock ticks over on that twenty-four hour agreement, I will have you my way and you will beg me to stop making you come so hard.” He unclipped her bustier from behind and punctuate each clip with his words. “I’m going to slide my tongue inside your incredible, hot pussy and taste how aroused you’ll be. I’ll bind you in silken ropes, with your legs open, and I will take my time bringing you so close to orgasm you’ll want to attack me.”

  He unclipped more and more and her breasts, now heavy with need for his touch, heaved with each breath. “Your nippl
es will welcome the tight clips to punish them for being so needy, and your cunt will contract so tight, it will take me all night to get my hard cock inside you. But I will. I will get it inside you, and fuck you. And you won’t be able to touch me.”

  The bustier fell to the floor after Brock had unclipped it from the stocking tops carefully. Then, Brock hooked his fingers in the panties and pushed them down. They fell to the floor.

  He turned her to face him and pushed her back so her ass cheeks hit the cold marble. She gasped, but he just gave her a predatory smile. He raised one of her legs and unclipped her shoe. He was very gentle about it.

  Then, he touched up near the stocking top and his burning fingers felt like they’d left a mark in her tender flesh. He rolled the stocking off her leg but instead of letting her leg lower to the floor, he pushed it back. She bent her knee, and he pushed her leg out a little. He knelt between her thighs and drew in the scent with his nose.

  Sarah trembled with excitement. He knew how to play her.

  “You smell so sweet, Sarah. Sweet and tasty.” He placed a kiss onto her pussy lips. She shuddered.

  He let her leg down, and her foot rested on the floor again. Without standing up he removed her other shoe and rolled the other stocking down and off. “There. Now you are ready for a hot shower.”

  He turned on the water and the steam rose in the air. Brock stepped under the falling water and held his hand out to her. Sarah stepped in with him. There was a lot more room than in the jet, but less time.

  “We need to get clean and get into that bed.”

  “You’re eager.”

  “I’m afraid jetlag will hit me before I get a chance to make love to you and then my time will be up.”

  “Good plan. I’m all for that.”

  “Are you really, Brock? Are you ready to make love to me, emotions and all?”

  “Yes. You’ve shown me the life I’ve been missing holding all of this inside all of the time. I’m ready.” He washed her hair and put in conditioner.

  “I’m the same. I know this isn’t a miracle cure for all my issues with life and the world, but for a little longer I can pretend I have another life. The life I dreamed of as a little girl. I understand that it’s not all the answers to happiness, but it’s a start.”