by Zara Cox
She sighed. “Okay. Just dinner. Your place at eight?”
He inclined his head in a way that made him look almost regal. “I’ll come and collect you.”
“No, Philip, my very able bodyguard who I met so very briefly before you commandeered my attention, will escort me.”
His eyes gleamed a hint of displeasure, but he nodded. “I’m going to enjoy making you turn all these nos into yeses.”
She summoned a smile from somewhere, despite the fact that looking into those eyes of his made her head spin. “Good luck with that.”
He stepped closer, lowered his head as if to kiss her.
Bethany’s lungs seized, her whole body poised for the contact but at the last moment, he froze and stepped back.
In silence, he escorted her back to her suite. She passed Tracy, her hostess, who smiled at them, but Bethany read the questions in her wide-eyed look.
At her door, he leaned against the doorjamb as she entered her code and opened her door. “Right, see you later.”
He straightened then slowly brushed his fingers over her cheek, a caress that stroked every single nerve in her body. Against her better judgment, she started to sway towards him. But again, he froze and jammed his hands into his back pockets the way he had before. “See you at eight. Don’t be late.”
“I’m never late,” she threw back.
His husky laugh as he walked away resonated through her for a very long time.
***
She chose a mid-thigh, black leather China-doll dress coupled with black patterned tights and platform pumps for dinner.
Catching her hair up in a loose knot, she completed the look with silver chandelier earring and her favorite scarlet lipstick.
Philip, a burly, towering giant of a man from Papua New Guinea, knocked on her door at five to eight sharp.
He returned her smile with a bow. “Good evening, Miss Green.” He stepped back and waited until she’d shut her door.
To her surprise, he led her toward the back of the plane to a hitherto unseen private elevator.
“This will take you straight to Mr. Savage’s suite. Enjoy your evening.”
She maintained her poker smile until the elevator doors shut, then she breathed out and glanced around at the chrome and jet-polished interior. Even the small space screamed unimaginable wealth.
When it opened several seconds later, Zachary Savage stood in the doorway, dressed in a white shirt and black slacks that hugged lean hips and powerful thighs and did unspeakable things to her system.
To take her mind off it, she blurted. “You have your own elevator?”
One brow quirked as did his smile. “I have my own everything, Bethany. You’ll soon discover that I’m a man who intensely dislikes sharing.”
He stood to one side and ushered her in.
His suite was smaller than hers, which surprised her. But the space was nevertheless as divine as the rest of the plane.
He poured a glass of Chianti and passed it to her. Then he settled his tall, mouth-watering frame next to her on the sofa.
The moment he turned his attention on her, her breath caught in her lungs.
Jesus, everything this guy did was lethal, including just sitting and staring.
“Dinner will be served in a few minutes. That gives me just enough time to put my proposition to you.”
Bethany sipped her wine to buy herself more time. Because everything inside her was poised to scream yes to whatever he said. Which scared the living shit out of her.
“I’m listening.”
“I want to be your guide in Shanghai. We’ll condense the two days into one day, but I’ll make sure you see all the important sights. Then I want you to ditch the Indigo Lounge experience and come to Marrakech with me.”
***
Zach watched her stunning face go through a myriad of expressions. He held his breath, forcing himself to remain still as his question ricocheted through her mind.
Jesus, he’d never wanted a woman as much as he wanted her. The fact that he couldn’t have her immediately, that his integrity demanded he set things right elsewhere, ate at him like a damned disease.
That dress she was wearing, the leather that came up to mid-thigh— Christ, it was a miracle he could remain conscious while all his blood was rushing south. As for those ridiculous bow patterns on her tights, he would gladly have torn them to shreds with his teeth to get to her soft, endlessly arousing flesh.
Instead, he sipped his drink and waited for her to answer.
“What’s in Marrakech?”
He exhaled in relief. It wasn’t a definite yes…but she wasn’t saying no. And damned if he was prepared to give her the chance to say no.
“One of my homes. It’s at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains with the desert oasis right at your fingertips.”
She jerked and her eyes went wide. “An oasis as in, there’s a body of water there?” she whispered, her face growing a little pale.
Zach frowned, hating the expression in her eyes. “You don’t like the water?”
She pursed bee-stung lips—lips he was dying to kiss—and shook her head. “I’m not a big fan of any body of water.”
Shit. That could be a problem. But not one he intended to let stand in the way of his goals. Because having Bethany Green had become his number one mission. She drew him like a moth to a flame. He wanted to burn in her heat, die in her fire.
He had no idea what was happening, what had started happening when he’d first laid eyes on her, but hell if he was going to slow down to find out. He was well and truly captivated. The episode in his office had nearly blown his mind clean away. He’d never done anything like that before. In some circumstances, it could be grounds for some serious questions about his work practices, but at the time he hadn’t given a damn. Hell, he’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Seeing her and claiming her had been a natural progression that he hadn’t questioned for a single moment. He intended that progression to advance all the way to his bedroom.
“There will be other things to explore besides the water. Many, many other things.”
Exquisite blue eyes set within an even more exquisite face stared at him. A flush heated her cheeks at his blatant answer. She took another sip of wine and licked a drop off her lower lip.
His low groan made her eyes widened even further.
“How long do we have to stay in Shanghai?”
“The I.L. stops there for two days. We can do a twelve-hour abbreviated tour.”
“So Marrakech means I’ll miss the rest of the tour?”
“Yes.”
Her plump lower lip pouted. “I was quite looking forward to Bora Bora.”
“I will give you Bora Bora. I have a place there too. But before we do that, I have business to take care of in Paris, then in Morocco. Then I’m free to be with you. I don’t want to leave you. Say yes, Bethany.”
She sucked in a breath. One that pressed her generous breasts against the leather, displaying her tight, hard nipples. When she uncrossed her long legs and re-crossed them, Zach felt the pulse hammer at his temples. He wanted those legs splayed wide for him as he tongued her plump clit and watched her come, over and over. Then he wanted them high around his shoulders as he drove his cock into her.
His dick hardened so fast and so painfully that he nearly dropped his hand to ease the intense discomfort.
As if sensing his agitation, her gaze locked on his then dropped to his crotch. She couldn’t miss her effect on him and he didn’t bother to hide it. He wanted her to see how much hot he was for her. How much he desired her.
Slowly, she licked her lips. Her breath came out in soft, hot pants. Then her lids lifted and she murmured the word he wanted to hear.
“Yes.”
Chapter Six
Shanghai was hot, and humid and glorious.
Her emperor suite at the Indigo Mandarin Shanghai—she’d discovered that all the Indigo Lounge destinations were linked to businesses o
wned by Zachary Savage—had made her want to weep with joy, but it was the thought of being escorted round the amazing Chinese city that made Bethany’s blood thrum with excitement.
Of course, her escort also had a lot to do with it.
A full twelve hours after the fact, she found it hard to believe she’d readily agreed to abandon the trip of a lifetime and said yes to Zach. A part of her remained suspended in disbelief at what she was contemplating. The rest of her felt compelled to seize the moment, give in to the incredible chemistry that sizzled between them every time he looked at her with those intense grey eyes.
She felt him behind her and turned from examining the enormous jade Buddha and ancient carvings on the walls of the Jing’an Temple, their fourth and final tour stop.
“Are you ready to leave?” he asked in that low, growly voice that made her heart race that little bit faster.
His hands were once again shoved into the back of his jeans, a familiar stance she was beginning to recognize every time he came within touching distance.
The blue shirt he’d worn with his jeans stretched over his wide chest and from the open collar she glimpsed vibrant, golden-brown skin that made her whole body tingle.
“Yes.” Her voice emerged strained and she shoved down the spurt of irritation that rose out of nowhere.
For some reason, Zachary Savage, having made it very plain that he wanted to get into her panties in the very near future, was now going out of his way not to touch her. She knew it wasn’t because he wanted to maintain a sense of propriety in front of his employees. For parts of their tour, he’d instructed Tracy, her personal guide, and Philip, her bodyguard, to give them privacy as he’d shown her around the exquisite Yuyuan Gardens.
But even when they were alone, although he stayed close, he was very careful not to touch her. The urge to ask him why hovered on the tip of her tongue but she swallowed it down and curbed her own desire to step closer, slide her hands over that ripped, mouthwatering chest.
“Are you okay?”
She looked up and found him staring at her, eyes narrowed and probing in a way that made her fear he could read her thoughts.
Quickly, she nodded. “I’m fine, just a little worn out from trekking all over the city.”
The boots she’d won with her own jeans and white lacy top were beginning to pinch hard and her feet ached from the pace he’d set since they left the hotel at nine that morning, but her senses were on fire with the whole experience.
“You should’ve told me to slow down.”
“What, and miss all the amazing places you’ve taken me today?”
He merely smiled, a devastating smile that sent heat through her stomach and made her clit pulsate.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He stepped back and indicated the limo idling on the curb outside the steps to the temple.
They drove through Pudong District and entered the heartland of cosmopolitan Shanghai, with skyscrapers and iconic towers that stretched into the sky.
“Thank you for showing me around,” she said as the car drove them back to the hotel.
Bethany tried not to devour him with her eyes as he lounged next to her in the back seat. Of course, he had no such compunction. Every time she moved, his gaze followed. He tracked her with the focus of a jungle predator, and even though his stance remained graceful and relaxed, there remained a coiled energy about him that her hyperaware senses couldn’t ignore.
“My pleasure,” he said simply. One arm lifted to slide over the back of the seat, within a whisper of where the messy bun of her hair touched the headrest. Perhaps he even caught a strand between his fingers. She was much too overwhelmed with what his proximity did to her to find out.
Silence thrummed between them. One he didn’t feel inclined to break. No, Zachary was content to just lounge like a predator in the sun and watch her. And she…she was getting worked up over the whole staring-but-not-touching crap going on. She turned her head as the Nanpu River came into view, but it didn’t alleviate the awareness crawling over her skin.
She turned back to him. “So how many languages do you speak, besides Mandarin and English?”
“Five. Seven if you count slightly less salubrious words in two other languages,” he replied.
“You mean swear words?”
His mouth curved in one of those wicked smiles. Her sex clenched hard and her nipples tightened into needy points.
“No, I mean fuck words, Bethany. I’m fluent in Greek and Armenian. If you like, I can describe your every move, your every sound and how your sweet cunt feels around my cock when we fuck. Do you like dirty talk during sex, Bethany?”
Fire engulfed her. Her hands clenched in her lap as she watched him lean closer, his gaze running feverishly over her face.
“Why is that important?” she managed to squeeze out.
“I want you to educate me in what pleases you; what turns you on. Just as I intend to teach you how to satisfy me.” He leaned even closer, brought that heady smell of potent masculinity and expensive, exclusive aftershave with him.
Her senses reeled, as they’d been reeling since she walked into the private hangar yesterday.
“You want to know what pleases me?”
He nodded once.
“Finding out a little bit about the man I’m intending to abandon my trip for would be nice.”
His gaze cooled and he relaxed back in his seat. Turning that mesmerizing gaze from her, he glanced out the window.
“You know who I am in all the ways that count.”
“I beg to differ. I know your name and some of the businesses you’re involved in. How do I know underneath those expensive clothes you’re not really a seventy-year-old man addicted to plastic surgery and steroids?”
He laughed, a warm, rough sound that curled her toes.
“The plastic surgery is easy to prove. As is the steroid allegation.”
More heat flooded her. She’d seen him aroused last night in his suite. His hard-on had been unmistakable beneath the soft material of his slacks. The size of it had made her throat dry and her sex tighten hungrily. No long-term steroid use there.
“Be that as it may. I need a little bit more. If it helps, I’ll go first. I’m twenty-four, I turn twenty-five in two weeks. I moved to New York two years ago. Before that I lived at home in Westchester with my parents—both university professors—and I graduated summa cum laude from Cornell.”
The smile he gave her was cryptic. “I know all of that.”
Bethany felt a jolt of shock. “You do?”
He nodded. “Half of the information was in the forms you filled out.”
“And the other half?”
His lips pursed for split second. “Every Indigo Lounge guest is vetted thoroughly before they’re approved for the experience. I was reading your papers when you arrived.”
Her shock faded and she nodded. “That makes sense. So you know everything about me—”
“Not quite everything, but I intend to find out.” The dark promise sent a mingled pulse of alarm and excitement through her.
“Will you afford me the same courtesy, then?”
He shrugged. “You know my name. I’m thirty-one. I’m heterosexual and I own several businesses across the globe. I like airplanes and baseball but don’t get to watch or attend many games.” His gaze re-fixed on her, that intensity claiming her with its forcefulness then dropped to linger on her breasts before coming back to her face. “And right now I can’t think beyond the moment I get to fuck you.”
He was giving her the glossy exterior, the fluff piece that anyone with internet access could find, then burying his reluctance to reveal anything himself with talk of sex. She fought against the desire that dragged through her belly and tried to focus.
“What about family? Do you have any?”
An icy chill froze his face and darkened his eyes. She watched, stunned as his jaw clenched tight and the man who’d been gazing hungrily at her a moment before completely dis
appeared.
“None that I want to talk about.”
***
As definitive answers went, it was as stark and as blunt as it could get.
His arm dropped from the back of the bench seat, his hands curling into fists on his thighs as he turned to stare out the window.
Bethany watched his profile, struck anew by the sheer gorgeousness of Zachary Savage. Even with an icy scowl stamped across his face, the man was beyond-description-hot.
It was clear she’d broached a sensitive subject. She wanted to take back the question, but she bit her tongue.
Getting to know the man you intended to sleep with wasn’t a crime. Hell, in this day and age of creeps at every corner, it was mandatory.
All the same, she held her breath when he sighed and turned to her.
“You probably have a few boxes you’re dying to tick before you’re reassured that what’s going to happen between us is okay. Trust me, Bethany, it couldn’t be more right. Would you be more reassured if I told you I’ve never done anything like this before?”
“You mean pick up a woman from one of your planes and make plans to sleep with her?”
One corner of his mouth lifted, but his face remained deadly serious. “I haven’t flown on an Indigo Lounge flight since the maiden flight six years ago. And I’ve certainly never acted on the spur-of-the-moment to go on one.”
Again, she experienced a bolt of shock, then she remembered his instructions at the airport. “Your crew were surprised you were changing your plans,” she murmured.
“That’s because I only stopped in Newark to refuel my jet. They were nearly done when you arrived. Another half hour and I would’ve been gone.”
He let that last piece of information linger, let them both absorb the serendipity of their meeting. When his eyes met hers again, the cold was gone. And the desire was back full force and pounding into her, relentless and unyielding.
And yet, dammit, he made no move to touch her. Or to come any closer.
It was almost as if Zachary Savage was intent on seducing her with his words alone.
And what a bang up job he was doing. Bethany shifted as she felt her panties dampen from the hungry look in his eyes. The tingle between her legs had taken on full throbbing status and her breasts felt so heavy and full that she wanted to clamp her palms over them, squeeze them to alleviate their aching.