by Cara Summers
“Sweet?”
The slightly disgruntled, slightly shocked look on his face made her smile. “It’ll be our little secret. I won’t tell a soul.”
“Just tell me. What’s wrong, Doc.”
She shrugged. “I needed to come out here and think.”
“Ah,” he murmured, his forehead clearing. “Getting all your ducks lined up in a row?”
“Fear clears my mind. I know that might sound…” The rest of her sentence trailed off when he lifted her hand to his lips. He kissed the palm of her hand, then the veins at her wrist. For a moment, she couldn’t say a thing. She was too busy absorbing the little waves of fire and ice that radiated up her arm. “You’re trying to seduce me.”
“You got me, Doc. I’m busted.” He began to kiss her fingers one by one as if they were a delicacy he’d been waiting all day to sample. “I want to make up to you for what happened at the cabin.”
She blinked and stared at him. “Why? I mean we both … I enjoyed it, really. It was my fault that I lost control.”
“I lost control too, and I want to make it up to you.”
“Wait.” She pulled her hand away. “It’s not necessary for you to make anything up. I don’t think I’ve explained the essentials of my plan quite clearly enough. It’s my job to seduce you.”
He had her hand again, and she could feel a pull that went beyond the pressure of his fingers on hers.
“I’m not going to be able to create any fantasies if you keep distracting me,” she continued weakly.
“What if I told you that I don’t have any fantasies?” His eyes never left hers as he drew her fingers to his mouth. “I gave them up when I was a kid because I thought they were a waste of time. I much prefer reality. What I really want to do is to keep you in this suite and make love with you nonstop for the next three days.”
The images that his statement conjured up nearly melted her knees again. And it didn’t help one bit that he was touching her again, drawing one finger along her jawline, then down her neck to the hollow of her throat. She had to clear it to speak. “Sophie was right on the button when she bragged about your negotiating skills. You’re trying to make me an offer I can’t refuse.”
His laugh erupted then, quick and infectious. The sound of it only added to the ribbons of heat spreading downward and upward from her center.
“I can never predict what you’re going to say next. Maybe that’s why you fascinate me, Doc.”
She fascinated him? She’d never fascinated anyone in her life. It had to be the proposal she’d made him. Either that or he’d liked the island-girl fantasy. “I have some fantasies in mind that may fascinate you even more.”
“I’d much rather spend some time with you, Doc. I’ve been wanting to touch you, really touch you, since you got off that plane yesterday morning. I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”
She felt her heart stutter.
“Why don’t you come inside and let me show you?”
She was halfway to the door when she finally found the strength to dig in her heels. “Wait. Do you hear the way we’re talking?”
“I know I’d like to stop talking.”
“Just think about it. I said, ‘I have some fantasies in mind for you.’ You said, ‘I want to touch you… Let me show you.’ You see what that means, don’t you?”
“We want each other?”
“More than that, we each want to be in charge. We’re both control freaks, so to speak. Admit it. Don’t you want to be in control when you’re in a business deal?”
“You bet.”
“And I am always in control in the lab. I have to be.”
Lucas considered her for a minute. “What exactly are you saying, Doc?”
“We have a problem, and there’s only one solution.” She turned it over in her mind a few times, then said, “We’ll have to take turns.”
“Take turns?”
“Being in charge, calling the shots, whatever you want to call it. The first time we make love, I get to call the shots, create a fantasy, whatever I want. The next time, you’re in charge. You can do whatever you want.”
Lucas considered the idea for a moment. “How do you get to go first?”
She lifted her chin. “This whole thing was my idea. I flew all the way down here with the original proposition. And I just came up with a compromise so that two control freaks can work together. Clearly, I get to go first.”
“How about we flip?” he asked, pulling a coin out of his pocket. Before she could agree or protest, the coin was spinning upward into the sunshine.
“Heads,” she called as he snatched it out of the air. Holding her breath, she watched his fingers slowly open.
“Heads it is,” Lucas said.
Mac beamed a triumphant smile at him. “I’m going to freshen up. I’ll meet you down in the lounge in thirty minutes.”
“The lounge?” His face looked as incredulous as when she’d called him sweet. “Why do we have to go to the lounge when we have a perfectly good suite?”
“My call. And the fantasy I have in mind requires a different setting.”
*
She was driving him crazy. That much he knew. But now Lucas was beginning to suspect she was doing it on purpose. A glance at his watch told him that thirty minutes had lengthened into forty-five. No, forty-six.
Had he actually begun to count the minutes? He glanced around the spacious but crowded lounge. Three TV sets hung from the ceiling over the bar, each one offering a muted version of a different sporting event. Other than that, the decor was rain forest, with moss dangling from the walls and ceiling, and exotic-looking plants bursting out of clay pots. Water dribbled steadily over rocks behind his booth and shot up in bright, colorful spouts from a pool twenty feet to the left of his table.
Directly ahead, beyond a wall of glass, the dimness gave way to light. Though the midday sun beat down mercilessly on the water, a few swimmers still sought relief from the heat in the coolness of the lagoon. Most guests were inside, enjoying the benefits of air-conditioning.
There was no sign of Mac anywhere. He lifted his beer, drained it, and thought of the perfectly good champagne he’d abandoned in the suite… And of what they could be doing right now. After what had happened at the cabin – he still couldn’t figure it out. He’d never before desired a woman with that kind of intensity. And he’d never made love to a woman with less finesse.
He wanted to give Mac romance. There was a definite air of innocence about her that made him want to seduce her slowly – with champagne, soft music. When the bellhop had given them that whirlwind tour of the suite, he’d pictured undressing her and making love with her on that large, smooth bed. Then he would have carried her to the Jacuzzi where they would have finished the rest of the champagne and then made love again. Very slowly.
But she’d decided he was a control freak. No one else he’d dated had ever complained.
But then Mac was unlike anyone else he’d ever wanted to make love to.
He tapped his fingers on the table. Maybe it had been a mistake to bring her here. If they’d stayed at the cabin, he wouldn’t be sitting alone in a bar, nursing a beer. They could be lying right now on that narrow bed.
Leaning against the back of the booth, he allowed the image to slip into his mind – those smooth legs wrapping around him, drawing him closer, trapping him. Right now he could be pushing into her heat, withdrawing and pushing in again. Deeper. He could almost feel her wet, silk heat closing around him.
“If you’re not waiting for someone…
Lucas’s eyes shot open at the voice. It was Mac’s. Perhaps a little huskier. But the blonde standing a few feet away from his table had to be a stranger: Still half caught up in the fantasy he’d fashioned in his mind, he blinked and tried to focus.
She wore a bright red skirt, barely the length of a dinner napkin. It fit her like a second skin and seemed to stop where her legs began. His throat went dry as his gaze moved down the
length of them, then back up to where the skirt rode high on her thighs. Was she wearing anything beneath it?
“That outfit…” he began.
When she whirled in front of him, the skirt inched even higher.
“You like it?”
“Mac?” He dragged his gaze from the miraculous legs up her body to her… He could see her nipples through the stretchy fabric of the tank top – perfect little buds. With great effort he managed to focus on her face. Her blond hair looked mussed, as if some man had just run his hands through it several times. And her eyes – they were huge, heavy-lidded … and there was no mistaking that golden-brown color.
“Mac, what in hell are you doing?”
In a flash she had slid in beside him in the back of the booth. “Shh.” She gave him a slow wink. “You’re mistaken. I’m not Mac. I’m Sally. And you’re…” She paused to slip a finger beneath the button of his polo shirt and flick it free of its hole. “You’re John.”
“John?”
“My first of the day.” Leaning closer, she lowered her voice. “We’re complete strangers. We’ve never met before. You saw me on the beach when you were docking your boat, and you’ve just invited me to join you in your very fancy hotel for a drink. I’ve never been in a place quite like this before.”
Pausing, she glanced around, then dipped her finger into the water that ran over the rocks behind them. Slowly, she ran her damp finger along his jaw, then down his throat until she could unfasten the next button of his shirt.
“Mac—”
She leaned closer. “It’s Sally. The fantasy will be more enjoyable if you let yourself get into it. Since you didn’t want to fill out the questionnaire, I chose one of the most popular ones – sex with a perfect stranger.”
She freed another button on his shirt.
“I’m hoping you’ll like it. This too.”
She set a package on the table. “I stopped in the gift shop and got you a surprise. Take a look and tell me what you think.”
He was finding it difficult to think at all while he could feel the hard pebbles of her breasts brushing against his arm. But he found his gaze wandering to the bag. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had bought him a surprise. It had been sweet of Mac to think of it – except that it might not have been Mac but Sally who’d bought him the gift.
Her fingernail traced a line down the center of his chest, sending little ribbons of heat outward and downward. Then her fingers were on his belt, pulling it free. He clamped his fingers around her wrist. “Stop.”
“You don’t really want me to.” Her free hand dropped to his thigh.
“We’re in a public place.” The ribbons of heat had burst into flames where her hand was resting. “Let’s go.”
“You’re embarrassed. That’s so cute.”
“Cute?” He stared at her for a minute. All he could see was a mixture of amusement and excitement in her eyes. “You’re enjoying this.”
She leaned closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. “Because I’m Sally. Getting into these clothes really helped. I think you’d enjoy it too if you could get into the fantasy. In one survey, fifty-three percent of the men fantasized about having sex with a stranger they picked up in a bar. Thirty-five percent of those wanted the stranger to be a hooker. Have you ever had either of those fantasies?”
“No. I told you I don’t have them.”
“Never paid for sex?”
“No.”
“A first-time John. My favorite,” she said. He didn’t think it was possible but she suddenly seemed closer.
“Think about what I’d promised you we’d do when I persuaded you to invite me here.” Her fingers traced a delicate pattern on his inner thigh as they moved higher.
“Doc, you can’t.” The words erupted on a moan. “Want me to tell you what I promised to do?” The words were just a breath in his ear.
“Mr. Wainright, sir…”
Lucas turned to face a tall man wearing a conservatively cut suit with an insignia that marked him as a member of the hotel’s staff.
“Is this lady bothering you?”
Immediately Lucas slipped an arm around Mac. “Not at all. This lady is my wife.”
The man’s glance slipped to Mac, then back to Lucas. “Your … I’m sorry, sir. I just thought…”
“You thought wrong.”
“My apologies, Mr. Wainright. I … I’m sorry to have disturbed you. I hope you’ll let me know what the staff can do to make your stay more pleasant.” With a brief nod, the man turned and walked away.
The moment he was out of earshot, Mac spoke on a bubble of laughter. “‘This lady is my wife!’ How did you manage to say that with a straight face? I don’t think he believed you.”
“No, he didn’t.” Lucas kept his eyes on the man’s retreating back until he was out of sight. “He was trying to do his job.”
“He was going to throw me out, and you saved me. It was just like in Pretty Woman when Richard Gere brings Julia Roberts into that swanky Beverly Hills hotel. He doesn’t let them throw her out either. Instead, he hires her for the whole week. Now there’s a fantasy. How about it? Would you like to hire me for a week?”
Her hand was burning its way up his thigh again. Lucas covered it with his own, and when he turned to face her, he found that she was very close. It wasn’t just her hair that was different. Her mouth was too – slicked with red the color of wild raspberries. It took all his willpower not to sample. “What I’d like to do can’t be done here—” he tore his gaze from her lips “—unless you want to get us both thrown out. Let’s take this to the room.”
She smiled at him. “I’m not done yet.”
Before he could prevent it, her hand slipped from beneath his to cover his erection.
“Ever fantasize about having sex in a public place?”
“Doc…” The word was barely audible. He couldn’t breathe, didn’t dare to move.
“I’m Sally, remember?”
Beneath the table, he grabbed her wrist and removed her hand very carefully. “This fantasy is over. We’re getting out of here.”
“Not until you kiss me. I’ve been dying for you to kiss me. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Lucas gazed into her eyes. The teasing light was gone. In its place was something hot and needy. Was it Mac talking? Or Sally? And just who had brought him nearly to completion with her touch? At the moment that his mouth covered hers, he wasn’t sure he cared.
*
Chapter 7
«^»
Kiss me. The words had slipped out before she could prevent them. She hadn’t meant to say them. But touching him, feeling the strength of his desire fill her hand had changed the fantasy into a desire so sharp she couldn’t resist.
She hadn’t even had time to blink before his mouth had crushed down on hers. The memory of their last kiss shattered as new sensations streamed through her. She welcomed the heat, the urgent demand, and wanted more.
The feelings racing through her were as exciting as the first time one of her theories had proven to be true in the lab. There was that breathless rush of pleasure, then the exhilaration that came with knowing that the results were just the beginning. That they could be taken to the next step and the next.
Touch me, she wanted to cry out. Please touch me.
And then he did. His hands were hard – and rough. One had clamped like a vise on the back of her neck. The other was running down her in a smooth, possessive stroke until it reached the top of her thigh. When he scraped his teeth over her bottom lip, a bolt of pleasure shot through her. She could feel everything – the soft give of the cushioned leather at her back, the hard line of his body pressing against her, and the beating of her own heart – so fast, so hard, she was sure it was going to pound its way right out of her chest.
And all the while, something inside her was beginning to boil like hot molten rock at the earth’s center.
More. She arched toward him, and suddenly his hand
was just where she wanted it to be. Right at the center of her heat.
“Excuse me.”
The two words didn’t register at first. All she was aware of was Lucas’s abrupt withdrawal. First, he pulled his mouth from hers and then his hand. But he kept one arm around her as he turned.
“What is it?” Lucas’s voice sounded like a snarl, and the perky little waitress took a quick step back from the table. At least he could talk. Mac’s lips felt as if they were vibrating. She wondered if she could ever use them for forming words again.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said with a faltering attempt at a smile. “But my manager sent me over. There’s a call for you at the main desk. He thought it might be important.”
Mac could almost feel Lucas put a clamp on his anger. His voice was much milder when be said, “We’ll take the bill.”
“Thanks.” She beamed a smile at him, then waited until he signed it and handed it back to her.
Mac didn’t look at Lucas until the waitress left. He was studying her, and there was nothing on his face that gave away what he was thinking.
“You’re trouble,” he said.
She could have said the same about him and meant it. She didn’t kid herself for one minute that she’d been successful at sustaining her fantasy for even a second after Lucas had begun to kiss her. One taste and Sally might just as well have been vaporized. She was the one who’d been kissing Lucas, wanting Lucas. And she hadn’t wanted to stop.
He slid out of the booth and held out his hand. “We’re getting out of here before we’re arrested.”
“I think I’m glad I’m with the owner of the hotel,” Mac said as she grabbed the bag that contained his present, then tucked her free hand in his.
Lucas’s lips twitched. “I’m glad I am the owner of the hotel.”
They were both laughing as they walked out of the lounge.
*
The lobby was crowded. Some people were clustered in groups, others wove their way toward the bank of elevators or up a curving sweep of stairs to the second level. The sun streamed down on them from a skylight as they circled a fountain in the open atrium.