I grip his fingers and begin a slow, gentle rocking motion in my seat. I don’t know why this man has seductive powers over me. The things I have done with him so far are things I would never have done back home. I can’t say I’m a prude, but my world has been greatly enlarged.
“Oh,” I breathe the word. “I can feel it.” The hard nose of the cock brushes against the spot.
Gage squeezes my hand. “There you go, Emma,” he says softly. “No one is watching you. Rock your sweet pink pussy back and forth on that cock in your panties. Let that hard plastic nub tease at your clit. There you go, baby. Tip your pelvis so that the cock hits your G-spot.”
I keep my gaze connected with his, and bring my right hand up to my face, I hope shielding it a little from others.
He continues. “You should be hot and ready. Your pussy is engorged, your clit swollen. You came so hard earlier, Emma, but I don’t think you finished. I think you have another orgasm in there that you are going to give to me right now.”
“I want to touch myself,” I say quietly.
“No,” he says. “No, you can’t. Let the panties and your body do the work. Let my voice guide you.”
My eyes close. “I want to rock harder.” The tension in my pelvis is taut, like a spring that needs to be sprung.
“Be gentle, Emma. You don’t want to call attention. You know I can’t wait to get you into bed tonight. I want to leave every light on and the drapes open in my bedroom and strip you naked on my bed. I want to tie your hands and feet to the four posters and let the city see you lying there, spread eagle, and then I will eat your pretty pink pussy until you beg me to stop.”
I’m panting and pushing hard into the chair.
“But I won’t stop, Emma. I want everyone to see me eating you out. I want them to see me pushing my big long fingers deep inside you, stroking in and out, and sucking your clit, forcing you to come until you scream.”
“Oh…”
“It’s okay. Come, Emma.”
My body shudders a little.
“Look into my eyes, Emma.”
“I want…”
“Come. Let it go. Give it over to me, my Emma.”
“Hhuh…pphhtt…”
Gage grasps my hand harder. “Your cheeks are pink. You can flutter your eyes now. Then come.”
“Oh. Oh.” I softly huff out.
The waves roll through me. I press my face into my hand, holding my head up, and squeeze my eyes shut while I try very hard not slide out of my seat into a puddle on the floor.
He gives me a moment and we sit in silence.
“Good girl, Emma.” Gage pulls his hand away breaking the spell. “I am so pleased.”
I sit up, breathing heavily. “I’m certainly not used to this.” The words swish through my teeth.
“Hot dish. Careful, please.”
I’m in a haze but watch the server place the rellenos dish and two plates on the table. After the young girl leaves, I look at Gage. “I would like to make a quick trip to the ladies room, if you don’t mind.”
Gage agrees, his expression stark and serious. “All right. Make sure you come back with the panties on, and not in your purse.”
“Of course, Sir.”
Blowing out a breath, I walk across the restaurant on shaking legs looking for the restroom sign. I spot it and head off in that direction. After pushing through the wooden doors, I turn the corner and see the room is empty. I step to the mirror to look at my face, wondering if my cheeks are still pink like Gage said.
They are. And so is my neck. My eyes are misty and dreamy looking. And my whole face looks…well, the words radiant and energized come to mind.
I lean in, pull my lip-gloss out of my purse, and touch up my lips. “Sex looks good on me.” I smile.
“I bet.”
I turn to see a tall blonde rounding the corner. I think she’s a few years older than me, and pretty, in a hard way. Dressed in jeans, a tight Harley Davidson T-shirt, and black boots, she takes another few steps forward and crosses her arms across her chest. I see a tattoo peeking out from underneath her T-shirt sleeve.
“Excuse me?”
She nudges me aside and turns to look into the mirror too, smoothing out her black eye-liner under her eye. Our gazes connect. “Nothing,” she says.
“Okay.”
I head into a stall and listen. I don’t hear her boots move on the tile floor. I take care of business, the damn cock in my panties getting in the way a bit, and then adjust everything, flush, and head back to the sink.
She’s still standing there, fluffing her big blond hair, her gaze fixed on me.
I wash my hands, trying to ignore her, then dry them and head for the door. I think I hear her mumble something as I go out the door. I don’t want to know.
My inner alarm system tells me she’s trouble of some sort.
Shaken a little, I join Gage at the table but say nothing about my encounter in the ladies’ room. I smile and share half of his chili rellenos, liking the way he is looking back at me, almost with affection, and telling me how pretty I look.
Chapter Twenty
When Gage returned to his office, the first thing he noticed was a folder lying front and center on his desk. Emma’s name was written across the front with the word, Confidential, underneath. With Emma in and out of his office so much lately, he wondered if he should say something to Chad about leaving things like this on his desk. Normally, with no one else having access to his office, confidential materials were not an issue. Of course, not even Emma entered his office without Chad checking her in, or if she was with Gage. She didn’t know the code for the lock, so he likely had no need to worry.
Still.
Hesitantly, he opened the folder and perused the documents, a feeling of dread nicking at his subconscious. There were two reports, one concerning the prom date, the other about the college boyfriend. Lifting his eyes, he looked out the window at the mountains. He was prying into Emma’s personal business here. Should he? And why did he really care?
Emma was his employee and his temporary lover. He didn’t like to get into the personal lives and backstory of either. Women often came with baggage he didn’t want to consider. All he normally wanted to know was that they were of sound mind and healthy, for the time he would spend with them.
Why did he want to know about Emma’s former lovers? To give him insight into where she was sexually right now? Perhaps. Or more, to where he might take her in the future?
The future. They didn’t have a future. All they had was now.
Gage headed for a chair by the window. He sat, crossed his legs, and began reading the contents of the first report, flipping through page after page. He read the report on the asshole college boyfriend first, learning he’d cheated on Emma frequently, which was why she had cut the relationship off right before graduation. Smart girl, although she should have done it sooner.
The boyfriend evidently made a spectacle of himself at a graduation party, and Emma tossed a drink at him and left. What ensued afterward involved his drunken arrest, trying to break into Emma’s apartment. Emma had tried to get a restraining order after that, and it had been denied.
Chad had dug deep, digging up news clippings and arrest records. The boy needs a raise, he thought.
Gage wondered if those incidents might have been a reason why Emma was interested in leaving Charlotte. The bastard. He had it coming, treating Emma as he had—leading her to believe she was unsatisfying sexually.
He had to chuckle at that. Emma was nothing if not sexually satisfying. At least with him. Of course, he knew what Emma needed, and he knew it from the first moment they spoke.
Oddly, she might know what he needed, too.
But after Gage had finished reading the second report, he wasn’t laughing. The pages fell to his lap and he stared out the windows. Anger slammed into his chest as he’d read the words, and he had to concentrate to breathe through it, or he was going to hit something.
; Conflicting emotions shot through his brain, his heart, and his gut as he tried to process what he’d read. He was angry, yes, and that anger was rolled up inside of him like a fireball that wanted to burst forth, strike, and obliterate. But there was more—something else pricking at him from the inside out—compassion?
Caring? Hurt. For Emma and what had happened to her.
Yes, his gut hurt for her.
He rose and silently walked to his desk, pulled out a side drawer and stuffed the folder inside. He paced back and forth, from the windows to the wall, raking his fingers through his hair while he contemplated what to do with the information he had just learned.
He was concerned for Emma. Even though years had passed since the incident, his heart ached for her pain and mourned her loss. The feelings eking out from inside him were foreign and difficult to manage.
He kicked at a chair leg and sent the piece of furniture scooting a few feet. Dammit.
Why her? Why Emma?
Why do I care? It’s ancient history.
Because now that I know, it’s a game changer.
A game changer.
How could he do the things he wanted to do to Emma next weekend—restrain her, fuck her, force her orgasms until she was weak and helpless, and then fuck her some more—now that he knew she had been beaten and raped?
How could he take a flogger to her, even if he lightly brushed and teased the soft leather strings over her nipples, her ass, working to arouse her before he fucked her, knowing someone had once intentionally hurt and bruised her, in order to take away her virginity?
He’d barely been able to look at the pictures and read the newspaper articles about the trial. Emma was made out to be anything but a victim. Hell, she’d gotten fucked twice—once during the rape and second by the judge. The little bastard had gotten off scot-free.
He flinched when his desk phone rang indicating a call from Chad. Stepping to the desk, he pressed the speaker button. “Yes.”
“The full staff meeting is in five minutes, Mr. Parker.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Gage stared blankly at the top of his desk. Emma would be leading this meeting, sharing the new security system with all staff. Earlier in the day, he’d planned to test her again to see how she handled his sexual commands in a crowd.
Not now. He straightened and headed toward the door, leaving his cell phone and the vibrator app behind.
****
He was too antsy to sit. Gage slipped into the larger conference room and leaned against the back wall. Emma was in the front of the room shifting papers and organizing things. She and Chad were making quite the little team. He was running around, fetching things for her, and Emma was smiling and greeting people as they came in the door.
This was her show. He was glad he had decided not to intercept.
Chad called for everyone to have a seat and then introduced Emma. She smiled and looked at the staff, telling them a little about herself. Gage found himself smiling as she made a joke about being an awkward southern belle transplant in the wild Wild West.
They laughed.
His heart warmed as she continued to charm the staff. He watched their faces as they engaged with her. They laughed again when Chad fumbled some key cards, and they spilled over onto the floor. Chad straightened up the mess while Emma kept on talking.
She explained the new system, the codes, and the key cards. She shared the newly drafted protocol, saying it was subject to change as they all became more comfortable with the system. Chad delivered the key cards to each staff member, and Emma asked for questions.
She was a natural at conducting a meeting. She could be an incredible asset to the company. She was personable, smart, and funny. And she had the entire staff wrapped around her little finger.
She was winning their hearts. She may have already won his.
****
Hours later, after an expensive dinner at Enzo, Gage tucked Emma’s arm in his and escorted her through the condo to his bedroom, where they undressed and showered. Afterward, Gage brought out a shimmering white barely there negligee.
He’d known Emma would look amazing in it, and when she came out of the bathroom dressed in the filmy fabric, his thoughts were confirmed.
“You are beautiful, my Emma,” he whispered, folding her into his arms and kissing her lips. She tasted like honey, sweet and a little wild. That contradiction was what turned him on so damn much. Sweet and wild. He could hardly wait to peel the flimsy pieces of lace and silk away from her body.
Slowly.
Stepping back, he said, “Lie on the bed. In the center, on your back.”
Emma followed his direction, and he watched her position herself. He went to the windows, her gaze following him, and slowly pulled the cord until the drapes were flat against the wall on both sides, and the shimmering lights of Billings blinked off the stark black night through the glass.
Gage studied her, lying in wait for him. His brain spun with everything he wanted to do to her. He wanted to restrain her, just like he’d said earlier this afternoon, and fuck her until they were both silly. But he wasn’t sure if he could do it, or if he wanted to do it, tonight. He wanted all the world to see she was his, and his alone, and he could treat her like she should be treated.
Not like the others.
He knew Emma. He knew what she needed.
“Are you going to tie me to the four posters of this bed?”
Gage went to her, putting one knee and then the other on the bed, leaning over her. Her eyes trailed him, watching his every move. Looking at her lying there, for the first time in his life, all he wanted to do was make love. Just lie on top of her and push himself deep inside and let her hold him in the cradle of her thighs.
That thought messed with this head.
“No, Emma. Not tonight.” There, he’d made the decision.
She pouted. Her lower lip stuck out and she frowned a little. “Why not?”
What could he say? I’m not going to tie you up because I learned today your high school prom date raped you? That was ridiculous. “It’s been a long day, Emma. I’m sure you are tired.”
She gave him a smirk and turned onto her side. Then she reached out and stroked her index finger over the length of his cock from base to tip. “I’m disappointed,” she said. “Not tired.”
Gage tremored at her light touch. “Disappointed?”
She propped her head up on one arm and batted her big blue eyes up at him. “I was looking forward to being tied up in your bed, while you were eating my pretty pink pussy until I begged you to stop, showing all of Billings that I belong to you.”
“What?” She was goddamned messing with this head.
She sat up. “You know, a gentleman just doesn’t promise things like that to a lady and then not deliver. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it all day long.” Her wild and sweet honey voice was driving him crazy, but no more than the way she continued to stroke the head of his cock with her thumb and forefinger.
She held his gaze. “Gage Parker, I know you are the Dom and the Master and all that, but right now I’m telling you what I want, for once. I want you to deliver on your promise, and I want it now.”
Gage pushed her back on the bed and flattened her body with his. “Are you sure, Emma?”
“Yes.”
Gage made his way down her body, bunching up the silky fabric in his hands until his mouth reached her pussy. Before he got up to find his ropes, he wanted to slide his tongue in her slit.
“Just a quick taste, Emma,” he said as he spread her legs apart and gently pulled back her labia to reveal the thing that he sought. “There it is,” he breathed.
“My pretty pink pussy?” she asked.
Gage slipped the tip of his tongue between her folds at her hole and licked upward until he met with the hard and swollen pearl of her clit. “Yes. Your pretty pink pussy.” He breathed deep of her essence and flicked up and down.
Emma moaned and j
erked, and he wrapped his arms around her thighs and burrowed in. When he’d had his fill, and after Emma had come twice on his face, he moved to the dresser and pulled out four silk ropes. “Now it’s time to get down to business,” he told Emma, “and show you some of my rope skills.”
Emma grinned. “Yeehaw, cowboy.”
Chapter Twenty-One
I wake on Saturday morning with the delicious feeling of happiness and fulfillment radiating all over my body. I’m lying on my side of the bed facing the window, the early morning sun streaking through the glass, with Gage’s big, warm body draped over me from behind.
Protective. Maybe even a little possessive. I don’t mind. Never before have I felt so safe with a man.
It’s been a long week and it is good to sleep in, but when Gage turns and rolls to his other side, I decide to get up and move a little. My body has enjoyed a number of great workouts this past week—in different ways than usual, of course—but I get a little stiff if I lie in bed too long. I head to the bathroom and clean up a little, brush my teeth, and decide to get some fresh air. I’ve not explored the condominium building much—except for the inside of Gage’s apartment—or the surrounding area.
I head into the living area and look out the window. There is a park across the street, and I wonder if I can get in a quick run. Normally, I’m not much of a runner, but occasionally I like a brisk jog on an early weekend morning to perk me up. I never have time to run in the mornings before work.
My only dilemma is whether to tell Gage I am leaving. I don’t want to wake him, he is resting so well. And I don’t have a key card to get back into the building. Everything here is secure. The elevator we take to get to Gage’s penthouse level apartment requires a key swipe and a punch code. I don’t have either. I’m not even sure if I could get back into the building if I left.
Damn. Am I trapped here?
I pace, glancing into the bedroom. I contemplate calling down to the building concierge to see if we can work something out. Should I? Will Gage be upset?
I love how Gage is possessive, but a girl does need a little freedom. To not be able to leave here without him is a little unnerving.
Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set Page 224