by Lauren Wood
A knowing smile played on his lips as he recognized the game she was playing. No discussion of the past. No discussion of their relationship. A simple, clean-cut interview.
“I certainly don’t want my clients to see me as simple, Ms. Silva.” Although his tone was mocking, her name rolled off his tongue easily, like he’d been practicing.
“Of course not. You became a billionaire in just a matter of a few years. You don’t do that by being simple,” she said lightly. He stood aside, and she walked into his office.
There were no personal mementos. If he was dating anyone long term, her mother and Richard never said. Instead, there was a slew of framed letters. She immediately crossed the office to study them. “Feedback,” she muttered as she read them.
“I ask each company to write me a personal letter discussing what did and didn’t work for them. They are able to do so without any backlash from me as I only want to hear the truth. The best and the worst letter go up on my wall to remind me of what I’m capable of.”
Pleasure and heartbreak. That was what he was capable of. Immediately she pushed the thought out of her head. She would never get through this interview if she didn’t keep it impersonal. She jotted a few things dong in her notebook until she felt his hand on her shoulder.
“If you could leave that part out, I would appreciate it,” he said softly. “This is my personal wall, and I would hate to think that people weren’t giving me honest feedback because they want to be put on display.”
She stiffened under his touch and moved away. “What made you want to help others? Most people with your talent in business want to partner up with products and services. They want to leave a physical mark in the world, and yet you simply work behind the scenes to make other people successful.”
Erin could feel his eyes following her as she moved around the room. “Do you want to sit down?” he asked as he pointed to the chair.
“Walking around and standing keeps the juices flowing,” she said absently as she stared out the window. “Plus, I get to see more of the environment that you work in.”
“You’ve never been here before.” It was more of an accusation that a question. She ignored it.
“You didn’t answer the question.”
He ran his hands through his hair. It was a move that she knew well. He was frustrated. “Erin, can we please just…”
“Stop.” She held her hand up. “Let’s get a few things straight. I know you orchestrated this. I don’t know why. Maybe you think my own career is spiraling downhill, and maybe you’re right, but the point is that I know I’m here for a reason. And I hope to hell that reason isn’t so that you think I’ll owe you for this.”
His mouth dropped open. “Christ, Erin I would never…”
“I’m not done,” she snapped. “It’s been years, Cade. And somewhere in that time, I might have forgiven you for taking my virginity and breaking my heart, but it wasn’t just that, was it? You managed to orchestrate your life and shut me out of it. I could not have felt lower or dirtier when every holiday went by with you making an excuse to not visit until I was out of the house. I had to start lying to your dad and telling him that we occasionally have lunch so he didn’t suspect anything. Do you have any idea how devastating that is? To not only know that I was only good enough to be your fuck buddy for a week but that you were so ashamed of it that you couldn’t face me?”
His gaze remained steady on hers. “I thought you didn’t want to see me,” he said softly. “I was just trying to make it easier on you.”
“Were you really? Or were you just too cowardly to face me?” She rolled her eyes at his stunned silence. “We’re done here, Cade. I’ll email you a list of questions. Please respond by tomorrow evening. If I have anything else, I’ll call you.”
She swept past him. Tears threatened to escape, and she was surprised by her own intensity to seeing him again.
It was embarrassing to see the affect he still had on her, and she was so focused on her own thoughts that she didn’t even see the man waiting just outside the door of the office.
* * *
She twisted in his arms and gasped as he continued to lick her. Earlier that day, they’d been frantic with urgency, and he’d taken her on the kitchen table in full light of the window. Not that anyone would have seen them with the snow still coming down. But tonight, under the cover of darkness, he was slow and easy. She’d practically begged him to enter her, and he’d simply slithered down her body and kissed her most sensitive place.
“Cade,” she whimpered as she gripped the sheets. Her body was covered in sweat, but the hot desire was only growing inside her. She needed to be ravished, but he was savoring her. As his silky tongue slid over her, she arched her back and moaned. He was driving her crazy.
“You like that?” His voice was husky as he lifted his head and slowly slid a finger inside her. She could only cry out softly when he curled the finger up to touch that sensitive spot inside her.
“I asked you a question,” he said with a wicked smile as he slid another finger insider her.
She nodded her head and lifted her hips. “Yes. God, yes.”
Cade chuckled and leaned down to press his lips against her once again. This time, he was more urgent. The tension built inside her as his tongue moved faster in tiny circles, and when she didn’t think she could take anymore, his teeth raked over her. The dam broke, and she lifted her hips and screamed as the orgasm rocked her body.
He didn’t even give her a chance to recover as he slid up her body, hook a hand around her knee to lift it up, and entered her in one swift move.
“Is this a bad time?”
The thick Irish accent abruptly tore Cade from his thoughts. He’d been standing at the window, watching Erin march angrily down the street. For a brief moment, he thought he saw tears in her eyes.
Had he really fucked up that badly? He honestly thought he was doing her a favor by avoiding her, but maybe she was right. Maybe he was just too cowardly to face the woman whose heart he’d crushed.
“Yes,” Cade said as he turned to the Irish mobster. He studied O’Toole with mild interest. The man was large and physically intimidating. And where that failed, his money did the rest. But what O’Toole asked of him was beyond ridiculous. Not only did it put his reputation at risk, but also it was morally wrong. It could crush thousands of people.
“I haven’t heard from you since our meeting.”
“The deadline isn’t up yet.”
He smiled dangerously. “Yes. Deadline. You should consider it a gesture of friendship that I’ve given you some time to think the matter over.”
“Gesture of friendship?” Cade’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “O’Toole, you threw money at me and never really said anything after that. Our relationship has always been strictly business, so I doubt friendship has anything to do with this.”
“Careful, Marquis. I’ve given a choice, and I hope you’re aware that it is only an illusion. Instead of looking at your conscience, perhaps you should be devising a plan.” His eyes flitted to the elevator. “She’s pretty. A friend of yours?”
Cade stiffened, but he tried to mask his thoughts. No matter what, Erin would not be a factor in this. “She’s interviewing me for high profile story in The New Yorker Monthly,” he said casually.
O’Toole made a face. “I was never one for writers, myself. Too nosy. Anyways, I’m sure you won’t let me down. Have a good evening, Marquis.”
Cade didn’t even bother to say the same as the man walked away. He closed his eyes and rolled his head along his shoulders. It was indeed a mess that he’d gotten himself into.
Chapter 3
“I like this,” she said as she traced the tattoo on his shoulder with her fingers. Despite the warm shower water that covered them in steam, he still shivered.
“I can think of a few places we could tattoo you,” he teased as he slid his hands down her body.
“I don’t mean the tattoo, although
I like that as well. Everything about you is sexy as hell, Cade Marquis.” She moved her lips over his chest and lightly raked her nails down his back. His body was already straining to attention.
“Then what did you mean?” he asked as he gritted his teeth. She was already slowly lowering herself to her knees. Bowing his head, he swept the water out of his eyes so he could watch her. She looked like a goddess as her wet hair was plastered to her back. She leaned out teasingly and flicked her tongue out over the head of his cock.
“I mean that I liked this. All of this. Being with you. Cooking with you. Eating with you. Showering with you,” she teased. She reached up and wrapped a fist around him, and he immediately thrust his hips. “It has been the best Christmas ever.”
He couldn’t agree more, but he couldn’t help but feel a dark shadow lingering in his mind. This couldn’t last. For one thing, his father would probably murder him for seducing Susan’s little girl. And for another, she was too young to know what she wanted. He’d be a complete asshole if he led her on to believe that this was anything other than a fling.
But everything about her felt like perfection. In all the women that he’d had, no one came close to feeling like Erin did. Her body accepted him like no other, but it was more than that. Cade liked the way that she looked in his arms. He liked watching her sleep. He liked cooking for her.
He loved her.
And that was why he was going to have to let her go.
But as the dark thought entered his mind, she wrapped her lips around him, and all logic fled. As he wrapped his fists around her hair and pumped his hips gently, he could only think about the hot and smooth tongue that glided over him.
“Fuck, Erin,” he grunted as he used his other hand to brace himself against the wall. She made a little sound of pleasure deep in her throat, and it vibrated around his cock.
Tonight. He’d give her absolutely everything he had tonight, and tomorrow, he would say goodbye.
Erin banged angrily on the door. She ignored the fact that his mansion was absolutely stunning with its bright white siding and dark red trim. She ignored the beautiful landscaping and the small pond that stretched along the side of the house. She was focused only one thing.
“Hello, Erin.”
“You piece of shit!” she hissed as she stormed into the house.
He closed the door. “It’s nice to see you as well. Did you not like my answers? I put quite a bit of thought into it.”
“You called my mom? What am, I? Ten? Have you lost your goddamn mind?” she riled.
He chuckled. “No. You are certainly not ten. And it doesn’t really matter whether I lost my mind or not because you’re here, aren’t you?”
Erin closed her eyes. She was so angry at him that she really didn’t know what to say. Her mother had called to demand to know why Erin hadn’t told her that was interviewing Cade.
And why she was emailing questions rather than having dinner with him. Was something going on? Did she need to get his father involved?
“I’m sorry, Erin,” he said softly. “I needed to see you, and I didn’t know how else to do it.”
“Why? Your answers were fine. I’ll write you a glowing profile article. You don’t have to worry about anything,” she snapped. God, the man was beyond frustrating.
He startled her by reaching down to grab her hands. She tried to pull away, but he drew her in closer. “Cade,” she said warningly. When he was this close, her defenses began to crumble.
“Please.” His voice was low and begging. “Please just listen to me.”
She’d never heard him talk like that. When he was this close, she could only stare at his chest. If she looked up, if she saw the way he was looking at her, she might lose every last ounce of strength she had. So she closed her eyes and waited silently.
“You’ve affected me from the moment I met you. You were always so beautiful, so smart, so confident. You were too young. You were family. And then suddenly you weren’t too young, and it was easier for me to realize that while you were family, you weren’t my blood. I knew what would happen if I stayed. I should have walked away, and I can’t say that I regret that week. It was the best week of my life.”
She tried desperately to ignore the open honesty she heard in his voice. “Why did you walk away?”
“I saw two paths in front of you, and I made the choice that I thought would suit you best. I was in no position to be your boyfriend. Our parents would have hit the roof. And you had your whole life in front of you. I didn’t just want you for a week or even a year. I wanted you for forever.”
“Fuck, Cade,” she said as she leaned over and rested her forehead on his chest.
He abruptly stepped back. “So now you know the truth. I did orchestrate this whole meeting, and it had nothing to do with your career. You are going places whether it’s with me or not. But the more that time passes, the more I see my opportunity slipping away.” He smiled. “I’m going to let you go tonight. Think it over, my love.”
Cade leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. It was just the lightest of motions, and then he was gone.
She watched him walk down the hallway, her heart beating in her chest.
Erin stared at him as he finished packing his bag. “You’re leaving?”
He shrugged. “Christmas is over. Dad and Susan will be here tomorrow, and the snow is letting up. So, yeah. I’m leaving.” He turned his back to avoid looking at the pain that filled her eyes.
“Right. Back to the real world. So, um, maybe we could have dinner sometime?”
He shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, Dad’s birthday is in April, so we’ll have dinner then.”
“April?” she asked incredulously. “You don’t intend to see me before April?”
He forced himself to glance callously over his shoulder. “Erin, I never see you between Christmas and April. What’s the big deal?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I thought that maybe things would be different now,” she said softly.
For a moment, he wanted to reach over and hug her. He’d been thinking about how this moment would go, and he realized that he had two choices. He could do what he really wanted to do and take her to dinner, but where would that leave them? She should have been focusing on her classes and building the rest of her life, not stuck with him when he was working sixty hour weeks. So he did what he knew was going to be in her best interest. After all, she was young. One of these days, they would look back at this moment and laugh.
“You thought it be different that we had sex? That’s cute,” he said disdainfully. “The real world doesn’t work like that. We were both attracted to each other. We satisfied our curiosities. Now we can move on.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Just like that? You bastard. I gave you my virginity, and you’re throwing me away like garbage!”
Her virginity? He knew she seemed hesitant, but there was no barrier. He swept his hand through his hair as he struggled with this news. “Virginity? At nineteen? I didn’t feel a hymen.”
“I was an active teenager,” she snapped. “Horseback riding, bicycling. I haven’t had a hymen in years. You know what, forget about it. You’re just like all the other fucking asshole that I dated. Actually, I take that back. You were worse than them. At least they had the decency to take me on a date before trying to get into my pants.”
“I bought you Chinese food,” he muttered, but she was already stomping up the stairs. He winced when he heard the door slam shut.
Her virginity. Why the hell didn’t she say something? He thought he was just the next guy in a long line of lovers. Christ, a woman with that kind of body didn’t usually hold out for so long.
He should have known things were different. She’d casually make references about their future, and he’d nod sleepily, enjoying the idea about their future together.
But then his father had called this morning to inform them that they would be home soon. And he knew that it would never work. She was nineteen w
ith her whole life ahead of her. He was twenty-three and focused on his business. What kind of boyfriend would he be?
Her virginity made all the difference. He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out the door. She’d given him a precious gift, and he’d tossed it back into her face. She’d never forgive him.
Cade stared at her from the kitchen. He could see the desire in her eyes, but her hesitation halted her movements. “You should go home,” he said gently. More than anything, he wanted her to stay, but he wanted to make sure there were no regrets in the morning.
“Tell me that it’s not just a game that you’re playing. You are disgustingly rich and devastatingly handsome…”
“Devastatingly?” he echoed with a smile.
“You can play with any woman that want. I don’t want to be a game piece with you.”
He swallowed hard. It seemed like every woman that he’d ever been with was little more than a notch in his bedpost, but it had never been that way with Erin. “You were so young,” he said softly. “You had no idea what you wanted to do with your life, and I wasn’t in the position to do anything for you. You needed to focus on college.”
“So you made the choice for me?” she said bitterly. “Did it ever occur to you that I was willing to do both? I would have focused on college, and I could have waited for you to get your feet back on the ground. But you didn’t think I was capable of handling that. You didn’t think I was capable to deciding how I wanted to spend my life,” she said bitterly. She put the palm of her hand on his chest and pushed him away.
Cade reached up and circled her wrists with her hands. “Communication is not my strong point,” he said roughly. “Maybe I made a mistake, but goddamn it Erin, that was years and years ago. I have never stopped thinking about you, so quit focusing on the past and tell me what you want right now.”
“Cade,” she said as she tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“I’m not making any decisions for you. I’ve told you what I wanted. Now tell me what you want.”