She decided to let him answer that. Ask him questions that would start him to thinking, and then he would realize just what he was saying, what he was asking of her. In this life we don’t always get what we want. Unfortunately for both of them, this would be one of those times.
She moved past the lump in her throat to ask, “Are you saying that you’re in love with me, D’marcus?” “No.”
His response, quick and easy, had cleared that up fast. “Then, are you saying you want to marry me?”
“No.”
“All right then, what are you saying?”
He didn’t reply at first and then he slowly leaned forward in his chair. “First of all, I want you to understand that love and marriage are not in my future. The possibility of both were destroyed the day Tonya drowned. The only thing I can offer you or any woman is an affair they won’t forget or regret.”
Her heart actually ached at his words. “For how long?” she asked. “How long will the affair last?”
“For as long as it’s mutually acceptable. All either of us has to say is that we want out and things will end.”
“Without any drama?”
“Yes, without any drama.”
Opal thought on his words and then wondered out loud, “But I’m your administrative assistant. You employ over eight hundred people at the Detroit office. What do you think their reaction will be? They’ll think I’m sleeping my way to the top.”
“Our affair would be private. In the office, things between us would remain the same. But afterhours—”
“So you want us to sneak around?”
“No, that’s not what I want, but I’ll do whatever you need me to do to uphold your reputation. I don’t want you to be hurt in any way, Opal.”
But didn’t he see that she would be hurt? When he finally got enough of her and moved on, was she supposed to be able to pick up the pieces to her life and just move on without looking back?
“I know I’m asking a lot of you,” he said softly. “And you probably think I’m nothing but a selfish bastard for doing so. But, if things had been different and if I had met you any other way, I would still want to have an affair with you. You working for me did not make me attracted to you. I would have been attracted to you if we would have met on different terms. You are a very beautiful and desirable woman, Opal. And your makeover has nothing to do with it. I wanted you long before then.”
She averted her gaze and absently studied one of the paintings he had on the wall. He was making it hard. “I need to think about this,” she finally said.
“I understand, and I want you to think about it. You know what I want, but I will respect what you want. However, a part of me remembers our kiss of earlier today and I have a feeling that, deep down, you want me, too. If you do, Opal, we can make this work. What we do is nobody’s business but ours. We’re adults who don’t have to answer to anyone.”
A smile touched her lips. In his circles it might not be anyone’s business but theirs, but he didn’t have three nosy sisters and two cousins who felt it their God-given right to know what was going on with them.
She sighed as she stood up. Today had been quite a day, physically and emotionally. “I’m going to bed now,” she said. “I’m going to sleep on it and let you know tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
She turned to leave but stopped at the door and looked back. He had stood and was staring at her. Deep, hard, unwavering. She swallowed, actually feeling the intensity of his desire for her. It touched her in a way it should not have. It had every bone in her body aching. She came close to crossing the room back to him to take the both of them out of their misery. But she couldn’t. As she’d told him, she had to think things through because she knew that, whatever decision she made, there was no going back.
Inhaling a deep breath, she turned around and walked out of his office, closing the door behind her.
Opal glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost two in the morning and she couldn’t sleep. Nor had she been able to think rationally. Every time she closed her eyes, she envisioned D’marcus, as handsome as he could be, ready for her, letting her know the depth of his desire for her.
A part of her ached to tell him she craved what he wanted and that she didn’t care about their working relationship, nor what others would think. But she held back because she did care.
She got out of bed and walked over to the window and looked out at the ocean. Now would be the perfect time to walk beside it. Alone. Maybe out there she would find answers she couldn’t find in this bedroom, especially knowing that D’marcus was sleeping just one room away. And that he wanted her.
Pulling off her nightgown, she slipped into a pair of jogging pants and matching top. She had discovered that, at night, the temperature near the Bay area seemed to drop, producing cool nights.
Leaving her room, she quietly made her way down the stairs, opened the French doors and slipped out onto the patio. The night breeze touched her face and the scent of the sea teased her nostrils. It was a beautiful night and she felt lucky to be out in it.
Opal found a nice boulder and sat down and looked out at the ocean. In the light from the stars and moon, it seemed she could see for miles. She thought about D’marcus and how much she loved him. But he had made things clear in his office today. He didn’t want love and he had no intention ever to marry. The love she felt was one-sided. Their relationship would strictly be for sex. Could she handle such a relationship, one in which they shared only their bodies and not their emotions? And, if she couldn’t, could she find the strength to walk away and not look back?
She heard a sound behind her and turned to stare into familiar dark eyes. D’marcus evidently hadn’t been able to sleep, either, and, like her, had decided to walk on the beach.
He didn’t say anything. He stood leaning against a tree staring at her with such a penetrating gaze, it made her breath catch. In a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, he looked handsome, muscular and virile. Only one thought kept racing through her mind: This magnificent specimen of a man wanted her.
That was when she knew she was fighting a losing battle.
As she looked at him, love swelled her heart. She felt incapable of doing anything but loving this man, sharing love with him in any way that she could. She thought about the questions she had asked herself earlier. Yes, somehow she would handle a relationship with D’marcus and, when the time came for them to part, she would somehow find the strength to walk away. It would be better to share something special with him than not to share it at all. And, yes, she was willing to accept whatever consequences resulted. She could no longer be satisfied by dreaming about how it would be in his arms. She needed to find out for herself. There was this thing flowing between them, something that was so volatile, so explosive that even now she felt it—combustible energy, sexual awareness, blatant desire.
She tipped her chin when she saw him move and begin walking toward her slowly. She heard his heavy breathing and wondered if he heard hers. She didn’t want to think about all the sensations he was able to evoke within her. It was enough for her to feel them in her most intimate places.
He came to a stop in front of her and she continued to gaze into his dark eyes. Even with the coolness of the night, she felt his heat.
“Earlier you said you wanted me. Show me how much,” she said in a whispered tone.
She watched his eyes darken even more and watched his sensuous lips move when he spoke. “Please, don’t ask me to do anything you don’t mean,” he warned quietly while at the same time shifting his stance to bring his lips, as well as his body, close to hers.
“I’m not asking for anything I don’t mean, D’marcus. I accept your terms.” Then repeating his earlier words, she said, “I want you with a desperation that is almost killing me.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than he captured that same mouth in one sensual onslaught that rattled every sense Opal possessed. Somehow he locked her mouth tightly
to his while his tongue did all kinds of erotic things. Desire was rushing rampant all through her and she knew in her heart that her decision wasn’t a mistake. She would have this for as long as it lasted.
She would have him.
And then she felt herself being swept into his arms without him breaking the kiss. He finally released her mouth when he turned on his heels and carried her back toward his house. Opal knew that, once they were inside, their relationship would never be the same.
Chapter 12
D’marcus lowered Opal onto her feet by his bed and stared down at her. The look he saw in her eyes let him know she wanted him as much as he wanted her and that knowledge, that reassurance, sent his pulse escalating. He had to kiss her again, something he would never get tired of doing.
He lowered his mouth to hers, pleased when she lifted hers up to meet his. He captured her lips at the same time his hands wrapped around her waist, bringing her body closer to the fit of him, showing her just what she was doing to him, how she was making him feel and how much he desired her.
The moment his tongue entered her mouth and he deepened the kiss, he felt the shiver that touched her body, heard the moan that rumbled in her throat and felt her arms wrap around his neck. He wasn’t a novice when it came to kissing women, but something about Opal’s taste had him wanting to come back time and time again.
Her nipples hardened, pressing against his T-shirt, making his heart pound more furiously in his chest. She was robbing him of control, driving his desire to a level it had never reached before and sending all kinds of sensations ripping through him.
Unable to take any more, he pulled his mouth free when she pressed her curvaceous body more intimately against him, setting off a groan that came from deep within his throat.
He had to undress her because he wanted her now. He couldn’t wait a moment longer. First, he took off her top and then, after removing her walking shoes, he took off her jogging pants. In between the removal of each piece, he leaned over and kissed her deeply. When she stood before him wearing only a bra and panties, he straightened and let his eyes rake over her from top to bottom. The sight of her nakedness nearly made him lose it, but he was determined to remain in control. He wanted to make this moment as special for her as it was for him.
“I’ll finish undressing you later. Now I want you to undress me,” he whispered in her ear.
He pulled back and stared into her face. The expression he saw there was exquisite, totally priceless. He knew immediately that she had never undressed a man before. For some reason, that knowledge sent heat escalating through every part of him.
She looked into his eyes and he could see a nervous glitter in their dark depths. “What if I don’t do it right?” she whispered back.
He smiled. “Trust me. There is no wrong way. Do it your way. Any way you like.”
For a moment, she seemed to consider what he said, then she reached out and gently pulled his T-shirt from the waistband of his jeans. She lifted the shirt over his head and threw it atop her clothes on the floor. When he stood before her, bare-chested, he saw her studying the contours of his muscular frame. The breath she drew was ragged.
And then her trembling fingers undid the snap at his waist and slowly eased down his zipper. He didn’t have the heart to encourage her to hurry, but her touch was killing him. To survive the torture, he summoned more strength and willpower. It seemed she was having a hard time pulling the jeans from his body so he asked, “Need my help?”
She lifted her eyes to his. “Yes, please.”
He smiled as he reached down to remove his shoes, something she hadn’t thought of doing. His smile widened at the embarrassment that immediately shone on her face when she realized that fact.
“I guess you can tell I’m not good at this,” she whispered after he kicked off his shoes and began easing his jeans down his thighs.
“You’re doing just fine,” he assured her. In nothing but a pair of black briefs, he sat down on the side of the bed. “Come here, sweetheart.”
She came to him and he pulled her down into his lap and cradled her close. “Why are you so nervous, Opal? You do trust me, don’t you?”
She gazed at him and nodded. “Yes.”
“Are you having doubts?”
She quickly shook her head. “No, I’m not having doubts.”
“Then, what is it?”
Opal knew now was the time to tell him she had never done anything like this before. In fact, she’d never come close. He had a right to know that, if he was expecting an experienced woman to share his bed, he would be sadly disappointed.
“I—I should tell you something,” she said, breaking eye contact with him and looking down at her trembling fingers.
“Tell me what?” he asked gently.
When she didn’t answer right away he reached out and touched his finger to her chin, lifting her face so their eyes could meet. “Tell me what, Opal?”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat before saying, “I’ve never made love to a man before.”
He stared down at her as the full impact of her admission hit him. She had just admitted to being a virgin. A twenty-seven-year-old virgin, at that.
“D’marcus, does that make a difference?”
He heard her question and, deep down, he knew that, yes, it did make a difference. He would be her first and now more than anything he wanted it to be special for her. As special as he knew it would be for him. That had been his intent all along but now it was doubly so. She deserved that and more.
“If you’re asking if knowing you’re a virgin makes me want you less, the answer is no. It makes me want you more because I’m the one who will introduce you to pleasure so profound just thinking about it takes my breath away. I just hope I’m worthy of what you’re about to let me do.”
She smiled up at him. “You are. I wouldn’t be here in this room with you if you weren’t.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to him the way he was holding on to her. For a moment, they just sat on the edge of the bed that way, needing this time to be in each other’s arms.
Moments later, he glanced down when he felt the tip of her fingers tracing a line down his chest. She smiled at him. “You have a beautiful chest.”
His breath caught when she leaned forward and placed a kiss on it, just beneath his heart. At that moment, something touched him, deep. The woman in his arms, whom he desired with a passion, totally fascinated him in an innocent sort of way. Everything she did was born not of experience but of desire. He suddenly wanted to teach her everything he knew about pleasure, the kind a man and woman shared.
He leaned down and shifted her body in his arms so he could kiss her again. And then he stood and brought her to her feet, as well.
“I need to make love to you, Opal. I can’t hold out any longer,” he said in a tormented voice, reaching out and undoing her bra. He slid the thin straps off her shoulders, down her arms to remove the garment from her body, tossing it on the pile to join their other pieces of clothing. His breath caught when he gazed at her bare breasts. They were just the right size, the perfect shape and the dark nipples were erect like hard tips.
He couldn’t resist reaching out and touching them, hearing her sharp intake of breath when his fingertips caressed them gently. Lowering his head, he took one between his lips. Her taste delighted him, filled him with pure enjoyment, and, when he shifted his attention to her other breast, she was moaning out his name. It sounded just as it had in his jet when she had been asleep and dreaming.
He pulled back, getting his own breathing under control, and then he got on his knees to pull her panties down her legs. Up close, he saw just what gorgeous legs she had. Her hips were curvy, her thighs firm, her stomach flat. She was beautifully built. As he eased her undies down her legs, his breath caught when he gazed at the area it had hidden.
He wanted to lean forward and taste her, but he didn’t want to shock her. He would introduce her to other things first
, but he would keep that in the back of his mind as something he definitely had to do later.
He leaned back on his haunches and his gaze raked over her naked body. Thrilled by what he saw, he felt his own body harden. “Now you can finish up on me,” he said as he stood.
She only had his briefs to remove and, like him, she got on her knees and began pulling them down his legs. Her breath caught when his shaft was exposed, hard and erect, fully aroused.
D’marcus drew in a deep breath when, in a surprising move, she reached out and took his shaft into her hands, letting her fingers caress its firmness. “Opal,” he said through clenched teeth. Reaching out, he pulled her up off her knees and held her close to him, letting her feel the heat of him against her stomach.
He then picked her up and placed her on the huge bed, right in the center, and she gazed at him intently, her eyes glued to the mass of dark curls surrounding the instrument that would bring her pleasure.
He reached into a nightstand and pulled out a condom packet. The condoms had been there awhile and he had never used them; Opal was the first woman he had invited to this house to share his bed. He knew she watched curiously as he tore into the packet and put one on.
With that done, he eased onto the bed to join her there. But, instead of placing his body over hers, he wanted to introduce her to foreplay of the most erotic kind. When he entered her body, he wanted her totally ready for him.
He kissed her, more desperately than he had the other times, and he could feel her responding, actually melting in his arms. Her breasts were pressed against his bare chest, making him crave her that much more.
The tempo of his kiss changed and his mouth and hands began traveling everywhere over her. She shuddered uncontrollably beneath his lips and fingertips, so much so that, by the time he slipped his hands between her legs, her feminine core felt like wet heat, and she released a deep, startling moan.
In Bed With Her Boss (Kimani Romance) Page 10