He’d tried to pry information out of her, even asking if Todd was treating her well. It was only at the mention of Todd’s name that Betty’s face had cleared somewhat. She’d said that Todd was a gentle soul who wouldn’t hurt a fly.
When he was leaving, Betty had followed him to his car and whispered that the contract must stay in place, and for Rick not to raise it anymore because it would just make things more difficult. Then she’d hurried back to the house. Even this morning, she’d refused to talk to him about it.
It niggled him that Betty had seemed afraid.
With Shelley living with her, he had to make sure Betty wasn’t in any trouble. Frankly, he wouldn’t be surprised if she did get herself into some kind of mess. With her kind of attitude, it was easy to make enemies.
That was why he’d decided to see his cousin Greg Carmichael today. Due to their stature as one of the wealthiest families in Australia and the public interest in their lives, his cousins employed some trusted personnel who could investigate matters with utmost secrecy. And Greg was one who’d had some experience in dealing with a stalker issue regarding his then-girlfriend, now wife.
Greg, as he had expected, blasted him for even signing the contract in the first place. He’d taken it on the chin. He already knew what a stupid decision that had been. What he needed was for Greg to loan him one of their security people to help him investigate his suspicions. The first step was to find out what, or who, had spooked Betty.
“Rick,” Lexie said softly, touching his arm. “What’s wrong?”
He smiled at her, keeping his hands in his pockets. They were still out in public. “Nothing, babe. Just a problem at work.”
Lexie rubbed his arm in a gesture of comfort. “You can tell me about it when we get to our room.”
“Well, here we are,” he said as they entered the hotel. “I’ll text you with the room number.”
Lexie nodded and went to sit in one of the lounges in the hotel foyer while he went to the reception to get a room. He didn’t need to book for multiple days anymore because Erin was in on their secret. He and Lexie were free to stay at either her place or his.
But even when they stayed at one of their homes, they still needed to be careful. After his relationship with Aileen had been found out despite their caution, he was paranoid enough to believe that Betty would always go out of her way to catch him breaking the rules.
The hotel was full and only a suite was available. He booked it without hesitation. He was on edge, and he needed to be alone with Lexie so he could relax.
Texting her the room number, he proceeded to the elevators. They never went up at the same time—just another layer of “protection” in case someone saw them together. It was laughable, really. And incredibly frustrating, too. He could understand why Lexie was starting to hate staying with him in a hotel room. Their sneaking around was worse than if they were having an affair while married to other people.
He’d just finished ordering some food when Lexie knocked. He opened the door and enveloped her in a tight hug.
“Why are we in this suite today when we’ll only be here for an hour?” she asked.
“Because the hotel’s full and only these suites are left,” he answered, leading her to the sofa and pulling her to his lap.
“This is so expensive,” she muttered.
“I can afford it,” he answered.
“That’s not the point!”
“I know, honey,” he said, kissing her lips. “Maybe we can stay here tonight so we don’t waste it.”
A smile appeared on Lexie’s face. “That’s an idea,” she said before giving him a mock frown. “That doesn’t mean I want to go back into staying at hotels for sex sessions again. I much prefer staying at your place or mine.”
“Me too. But you know we can’t go home in the middle of the day. We’d run out of time,” he said, staring at her captivating face.
“This problem at work, is it bad?” Lexie asked softly, caressing his jaw.
“Yeah. And I don’t really want to think about it right now.”
Lexie took off his tie and undid the three buttons of his shirt. Then she got up and walked to the back of the couch so she was standing behind him. “Let me relax you while we wait for the food,” she said as she started massaging his shoulders.
“I’d rather you relax me with sex,” he said teasingly, although he was being serious.
Lexie chuckled. “Room service will be knocking soon. We don’t want to be interrupted.”
He sighed and closed his eyes, letting her loosen the tight muscles on his shoulders. His tension fast melted from her ministrations. Heck, just her presence could do that.
Soon, Lexie’s fingers stopped kneading to explore his chest.
“That’s more like it,” he said with a grin.
“You’re too tempting,” she whispered against his ear, letting her hands slide further down. But she couldn’t quite reach his crotch from where she was standing.
“Come back around here,” he said gruffly, kissing her arm.
Lexie did so. Then she hitched her skirt and straddled him. He instantly hardened.
“You should take your clothes off before they get wrinkled,” he said as he kissed her neck. “You have to get back to work.”
“Yes, I should,” she breathed, pushing him so he was leaning on the back rest.
Slowly, she undid her shirt buttons, running her fingers sensually on the creamy skin of her chest with every pop.
“I love your boobs,” he said, openly ogling her.
She laughed. “I’d be worried if you didn’t.”
He helped her out of her top, then carefully laid it on the arm of the sofa. “There. It will still be nice and crisp when you wear it again.”
“You’re so sweet, honey,” Lexie said as she took off her bra.
He sighed at the sight of her shirtless and buried his face between her peaks. He explored the soft, smooth skin of her back before bringing his hands to her front to cup her heavy breasts. Then he took a nipple in his mouth.
Lexie gasped, raking his hair. “I’m glad I bumped into you today.”
“Me too,” he said in between flicks of his tongue. He licked and sucked her hardened bud before going to its twin, paying it as much attention as he did to the other. Ah, he needed her. No other woman could make him burn as swiftly as his Lexie.
Lexie moved her hips against his, bracing herself to bring her mound right against his erection.
“Babe,” he moaned. “We should take off all our clothes first or I might end up with a wet patch at the front.”
Lexie chuckled, her hips undulating seductively. “Then you can work from here for the rest of the afternoon, naked. Maybe you can ask concierge to get you some fresh clothes since you’re such a VIP here.”
“Fine,” he said, clasping her legs and shifting them so she was lying on her back. “I’ll mess up your skirt too so you’ll have no choice but to keep me company.” He grabbed her hands and kept them trapped above her head, then nuzzled her neck while he rubbed his groin against her.
“No!” Lexie said, giggling. “Okay, okay. All clothes off.”
“Good call, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear, unzipping her skirt.
There was a knock on the door.
“Argh. That’ll be the food,” he said with annoyance. “Do we have to eat?”
“No, we can go straight to the intercourse. You know I’m wet already,” Lexie said with a wickedly sexy grin.
His cock jerked at her innuendo. “You...make me... so fucking... horny...” he said between kisses to her face.
The knock came again. Louder this time.
“You better get that,” Lexie said with a sigh, pushing at his chest.
“You go to the bedroom. It could be the same guy who delivers our food ninety percent of the time. I don’t like the way he looks at you.” He wouldn’t let any other man get a glimpse of Lexie naked and aroused. He’d poke their eyes out.
“No,” he said, following her with hungry eyes.
“Don’t forget to answer the door,” she said with a grin before disappearing into the bedroom.
With a shake of his head, he went to let the server in. Once the hotel staff had gone, he hurried to her.
But she wasn’t in the bedroom. She was standing outside the balcony with a robe on, staring at the busy waters of Sydney Harbour.
“Who said you could cover yourself up?” he asked, coming up behind her and snaking his arms around her waist.
Lexie grinned. “I heard a ferry toot its horn. I thought there was something going on.”
“And?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. It’s such a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“Mm,” he agreed, lifting her robe and sneaking a hand underneath, letting it travel to the apex between her legs.
“Rick,” Lexie said breathlessly, grabbing the handrail as she leaned against him.
He looked around, assessing if they had privacy up here. The balcony’s clear glass safety fencing had them exposed. But they were high enough that as long as Lexie’s robe didn’t open at the front, they should be fine.
He tightened an arm around her as he nudged her legs wider with his knee.
“Honey, what are you doing?” Lexie asked even as she angled her head so he could place kisses on her neck. “People might see.”
“No one from down there would be looking up here for no reason,” he assured her.
“You never know,” Lexie said, but twisted a little to give him a sensual kiss.
“Just don’t scream, or even moan out loud,” he said against her lips as he dipped a finger in her wetness, then pulled it out to stroke her nub with tight circles.
Lexie gasped, her breathing getting heavier. He alternated pushing his finger inside her and playing with her clit, all the while pretending to the world below that they were just a couple in an embrace.
Lexie reached behind to grab his hips and pull him closer.
“You want me now?” he murmured.
“Yes.”
“Here?” he grunted, continuing to rub her nub while he fumbled with his belt and fly with his other hand.
“Yes.”
He was grateful Lexie had gone on birth control. He didn’t have to worry about fiddling with a condom at a time like this.
He pulled her back a tad so she could bend forward a little. Then he lifted her robe and probed her wet entrance with his erection. Bracing himself with both hands over hers on the railing, he entered her, feeling his hardness get encased in her welcoming heat. He moaned.
“I thought moaning’s not allowed,” Lexie said with a breathless giggle.
“No loud moaning,” he grunted, pushing in until his whole cock had disappeared inside her. Then, slowly, he moved out, then in, over and over, his pelvis gently rocking against hers.
“Rick... so good...” Lexie gasped.
He nuzzled her cheeks as they both tried to rein in their lusty cries. She was so beautiful, so incredibly hot that he couldn’t help but drive into her just a little faster... just a little harder.
Lexie made a soft mewling sound that never failed to turn him on even more. There was nothing that gave him more pleasure than knowing Lexie was enjoying herself as much as he was. Well... nothing except bringing her to climax.
He reached under her robe again and found what he was looking for. He stroked her swollen nub as he increased the tempo of his thrusts.
Lexie’s moans got louder and he knew it was just a matter of time before the two of them lost all control. Someone with good eyesight from the street below, or from the boats on the harbour, could look up and see two people having sex on the hotel balcony. Reluctantly, he pulled out of her.
“Rick,” Lexie said in a complaining tone.
He soothed her with a kiss and led her back into the bedroom.
“Now we can make all the noise we want in here,” he said. “Lie on the bed, baby.”
Lexie did so, but he pulled her legs so her butt was at the edge of the mattress. He started kissing one leg as he kneeled in front of her.
“Rick, I want you back inside,” Lexie cried.
“I know, baby.” But he was close and he didn’t want this to end yet. His mouth travelled to the top of her thigh and teased around her most sensitive parts.
Lexie called his name, but he took his time. Doing the most intimate of things to Lexie thrilled him. He could lose himself making love to her for hours, pleasuring her, hearing her cry his name, knowing it was Lexie.
It was different with her. With other women it had been important to take care of them in bed, but only because he wasn’t selfish. He wanted to make sure they’d enjoyed themselves with him before he sought his own release.
But with Lexie, every touch, every kiss, every taste not only made his body burn with desire, but also made his chest so expanded that sometimes he couldn’t breathe from the sheer wonder of it all.
He stuck out his tongue and tasted her honey. Then he licked her nub like he knew she liked, revelling in her obvious pleasure.
He still couldn’t comprehend how trite sex had been for him before Lexie. And he couldn’t imagine doing this to anyone else and feeling the same way again.
Dazed from the intense emotions swirling inside him, he stood up and kissed her lips.
Lexie cupped his face, smiling and looking into his eyes.
With heart—and cock—close to bursting, he positioned himself on top of her and filled her again. He was hard as steel for her. Only for her.
This time they didn’t hold back. Their pleasure sounds echoed in the room as he drove into her tirelessly. He watched Lexie’s face as she writhed beneath him, gasping and moaning with his every move. Ah, he was so close. He reached between their bodies and stroked her clit as he continued to thrust, his breathing strained as he neared the peak.
Lexie tensed, her mouth opening soundlessly before she cried out loud, her body convulsing with the force of her release.
He toppled over the edge. With ecstatic relief, he groaned out loud, emptying himself inside her.
*
“You’re incredible, baby,” he whispered as they lay in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms.
But as he came back down to earth, one thought forced its way into his consciousness, threatening to mar his bliss.
He had to know what—or who—was making Betty so afraid. He couldn’t get it out of his head that this situation was the one thing that could stop him and Lexie from having a future together.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“I have to go back to work,” Lexie said with a sad pout as she leaned against Rick.
These midday dates had always been bittersweet for her. After an hour of lovemaking and eating lunch together, having to go back to pretending they were only friends was a buzzkill.
“So we’re staying here tonight, right?” Rick asked.
She nodded, smiling at him. “I want to go home first, though. Pack an overnight bag.”
“Okay, I’ll pick you up from home,” Rick said, taking a strand of her hair and twirling it around his finger.
The faraway look Rick had earlier was back and a pang of guilt hit her. She’d promised to listen to his problem at work, but she’d completely forgotten about it. Now they’d run out of time.
“We’ll talk about what’s bothering you tonight, okay?” she said. “I need to have a shower now and run back to the office.”
Rick nodded, giving her a swift kiss.
She sighed as she trudged to the bathroom, her joy from the last hour chased away by nerves she couldn’t explain. She shook her head to push it away. All she wanted right now was to cocoon herself with the bliss of being with him.
*****
Lexie settled in her seat, pan
ting hard from power walking from the hotel. She was fifteen minutes late coming back so she’d have to make up for it later. Not that she was required to. She’d already clocked more than enough extra time in the past without seeking overtime pay. But she was constantly mindful of the impression that might be created if her co-workers thought she was taking advantage of her friendship with Lucas and Jade.
“You’re late.”
Lexie glanced up to find Minda smirking. “Yes. My lunch meeting with Rick went overtime,” she said blandly.
Minda snickered and strutted to her office.
Lexie frowned. What was that look for? Ugh. She really couldn’t stand the woman.
Her office phone rang. To her surprise, it was Thomas Bilton, the big boss. Now why would he want to talk to her? In all her five years at Bilton Machineries, the CEO had never called her direct line.
“Hello, Mr. Bilton. This is Alexia.”
“Hello, Alexia. May I see you in my office, please?”
“Of course, sir. I’ll be right there.”
Hm. Now she was nervous. The only reason she knew why employees were called to the big boss’s office was when they were in trouble—big trouble.
She took the lift up to the top floor, searching her brain for possible explanations for this unexpected summons. She passed by Jade’s desk, but Jade wasn’t there, so she continued on and knocked on Thomas’s door.
To her surprise, Lucas opened it. What was more, Jade was in there, too, sitting on a leather sofa near the glass window overlooking the city skyline. Jade looked apprehensive, heightening Lexie’s nerves.
“Join us over here, Alexia,” Thomas said, walking to the sofa and motioning for her to take a seat.
“So what’s this about, Dad?” Lucas asked, sitting next to Jade.
“A very troubling accusation was made by an employee a few minutes ago,” Thomas said gravely.
Lexie’s heart hammered in her chest. Why was Thomas looking directly at her?
“This particular staff member thinks that certain people are being favoured and are getting away with unprofessional conduct because of close friendship with my son and my PA.”
Lexie gasped.
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