The Auction Box Set

by Jaymie Holland

  He rested his hand at the small of her back and guided her toward the ballroom doors.

  She looked up at him. “Where are we going? There’s still dessert and the dance. Drawings will be afterward if you want to win the car they’re raffling off for the charity.”

  “I’d rather go someplace private.” He moved his hand over the base of her spine, sending shivers through her. “I’d really like to spend some time with you and not have to share you with anyone.”

  That sounded good to her, being alone with Zach.

  “Okay,” she said. “I’m all for that.”

  When they reached the lobby, they stopped at the bell desk. She gave him her coat check receipt and he turned it and his own over to the bellboy. While the bellboy was retrieving the items, Zach gave his ticket to the valet to bring around his car.

  The clerk returned with a man’s coat along with her own as well as her purse. Zach tipped the bellboy then helped her into her coat before putting on his own.

  He guided her out into the crisp D.C. night and she stuck her hands in her pockets to keep them warm.

  “Is this yours?” she asked as a gorgeous silver Jaguar drove up to the curb. The valet stepped out and gave a slight bow to Zach.

  “Do you think I borrowed it for the night?” Zach asked in a teasing voice.

  The valet went to the passenger side and held the door open for Christy. Zach helped her into the low-slung car and the valet shut the door behind her.

  After he tipped the valet, Zach climbed into the Jag.

  It was then that the enormity of it all hit her. Zach had just bid on her and won. Earlier in the evening she had spilled out how much she wanted to be the woman in the pictures Zach had. What did she get herself into?

  She swallowed. “Where are we going?”

  “I thought we’d cap off the evening with a drink.” He pulled the car away from the curb. “Have you been to Milonas before?”

  “I run a successful business.” She shook her head. “But not successful enough to even be able to afford to step over the threshold of that nightclub.”

  “Milonas it is.” He glanced at her. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”

  She nodded. “I have no doubt that I will.”

  As he drove she studied his profile, the way light and shadows played on his features as they drove through the city. He had long fingers and he wore a heavy gold ring on his right hand. She was very happy to see no ring on his left.

  The leather of her seat was buttery soft beneath her palm as she looked at the sleek interior of the Jag. The perfection of his suit, the amount he had bid at the auction, the beautiful car, and the fact they were going to an exclusive nightclub that only the elite could afford, told her that he had done very well for himself since they were last together, eight years ago.

  As she looked at him, it was hard not to think of the times they had made love. He was always so strong and controlling and rough when they did. She had loved it. She hadn’t known about his kinky side for a while but later, some time after she broke up with him, she realized that questions he had asked her had been designed to test the waters. It wasn’t until she found the pictures and learned what he liked that she ran.

  She tried really hard not to dwell on those days, but it was hard not to imagine him naked. He’d had an amazing body then…to look at him it had to be even more incredible now.

  “When we dated, you were studying business.” She tilted her head to the side. “What did you end up going into?”

  He glanced at her before returning his gaze to the road. “The restaurant business.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” She smiled at memories that came back to her of going to his home where his mother served up plate after plate of Greek food. “You always did like to eat.” She looked him over. “Although you couldn’t begin to tell by looking at you.”

  The corner of his mouth quirked. “Seems to me that you enjoyed my mother’s cooking.”

  “Loved it.” She smiled. “How are your parents?”

  “Mitera,” he said using the Greek name for mother, “as always thinks I’m too thin and not old enough to be on my own.”

  Christy laughed. “And what are you now, thirty-three?”

  “Thirty-six.” He shook his head. “She has never stopped being overprotective.”

  “That’s right, you’re five years older than me,” Christy said. “What about your father?”

  “Patri won’t retire,” Zach said. “He’s still chief editor at their hometown paper.” He glanced at her. “How is your grandmother?”

  “She’s a hundred and one now.” Christy smiled. “Nothing can stop her.”

  The distance between the hotel and Milonas wasn’t far, and within ten minutes Zach was pulling the car up in front of the nightclub. Immediately a valet opened Christy’s door and helped her step out of the car. She held her dress and her coat down with one hand as she stood. The black coat was the length of her dress, and her dress was so short she was concerned about flashing her black panties at anyone who might be standing nearby.

  “Mr. Nikas.” The valet stood at attention, showing extreme respect to Zach as he walked around the car and handed the valet his keys. “Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?”

  “This will be fine.” Zach slipped a tip into the young man’s hand.

  “Thank you, Mr. Nikas.” The valet jogged around the car and climbed in.

  Zach placed his palm at the base of Christy’s spine and even through the coat she shivered at the contact. The moment they entered the club, the hostess approached them and showed pleasure at seeing Zach and was polite to Christy. The blonde hostess helped them out of their coats and took them before she escorted them to a corner table with a view of the harbor.

  The interior of the nightclub was elegant and rich in design and furnishings. Crystal lights winked from the ceiling at different levels, looking like stars across a black velvet sky. The lighting was low, the atmosphere romantic.

  When Zach had pushed in her chair he took his own seat and settled back in it, watching Christy. She felt warm beneath his gaze and tried not to show how much he unsettled her... And how much he turned her on.

  She wanted him to kiss her like he used to. Taste him and drink in his masculine scent.

  He was even sexier than she remembered. She wanted to slide her hands over his chest, shoulders, and biceps like she used to and feel his hard muscles as they flexed beneath her palms. His short black hair needed to be mussed and she knew just how she would like to do it.

  She would massage his back the way he liked, and rake her nails down his spine. He had taught her many things that he loved, with the exception of what had come between them. But he had pleasured her more than any man had since.

  No one could ever measure up to Zach Nikas.

  A server showed up at the table, knocking Christy out of her fantasies. The elegant woman had skin as fine as brown silk and eyes almost as dark as Zach’s. She had a lovely smile as she looked at Zach.

  “What may I get for you, Mr. Nikas?”

  “We’ll have a bottle of the Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay,” Zach said.

  The server nodded and smiled again. “Right away, Mr. Nikas.”

  “Thank you, Brandi,” he said and then she gave a little bow and left.

  Zach turned his attention fully to Christy. His gaze locked with hers. “I’ve thought about you a lot over the years.” He said it like he meant every word of it.

  “Well, I told you already, I’ve thought a lot about you, too.” Christy smiled. “It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years.”

  “So tell me, Christy.” He leaned back. “What did you learn from your research?”

  “I learned that it isn’t so freaky, just kinky.” She thought back to what she liked about the things she’d seen and read. “Losing control is appealing. Not to just anyone. To someone who is like you are, Zach. Strong, outgoing, accomplished, passionate about what you do and li
ke.”

  He studied her as if examining every word she said and filing it away.

  “Do you do it much?” She squirmed a little in her seat as she asked the question. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

  “I have played with a lot of women,” he said. “It’s a part of the date for me, if I feel a connection with the person. It doesn’t happen with everyone.”

  “Mr. Playboy, eh? Do you think you’ll ever settle down?” she asked.

  “I have no problem settling down.” His eyes met hers and they were full of meaning. “When I find the right woman, I will.”

  She bit the inside of her lip before she spoke. “When I saw what you had—gags, blindfolds, cuffs, and so many other things…I didn’t know what to think. And then the pictures of the bound women…and some of the equipment you used…”

  “I’ve added a lot of play toys since then,” he said. “It might frighten you off again… But it is a passion for me.”

  She swallowed. “Control is a passion for you, too, isn’t it,” she stated.

  “Yes it is, Christy.” He gaze was dark, intense. “Control my way.”

  “I am not into the master slave thing though,” she said.

  “Don’t worry about that. It is not my thing either.”

  “I think I can handle whatever you’ve got.” What was she saying?

  His lips twitched as if he was holding back a smile.

  At that moment, the server brought over the bottle of wine, showed it to Zach and poured just enough for him to taste. When he accepted it, the waitress poured them each a glass and left the bottle.

  “To the auction.” Zach said with his sexy smile as they toasted.

  From the first sip of the wine, Christy knew it was an expensive one. It was an amazing wine with an incredible flavor.

  “When I saw that you were being auctioned tonight, I had to come.”

  Christy’s eyes widened. “You knew?”

  “I had every intention of winning you tonight.” Zach raised his glass to his lips. “That Henry Hawthorne never stood a chance.”

  Chapter 4

  Christy’s lips parted and she stared at him with complete and total surprise. “You planned this whole night?”

  “Right down to having you sitting here with me and having a drink.” He swirled the wine in his glass, holding her gaze with his own. “When I opened the program to your picture…let’s just say that I had to see you. I had to have you.”

  She bit the inside of her lip before she spoke. “You always did like to control the outcome of everything that came your way.”

  “And I still do.” He took a drink of his wine before setting down his wine glass. “Does that bother you?”

  “Strangely, no.” Christy studied him, remembering what it had been like when they had dated. “With you…I liked how you always took charge. I always felt safe and secure, and loved by you.”

  “Yes, I loved you.” His expression grew serious and her stomach pitched as he echoed her statement in the past tense. “You tore my heart apart when you left.”

  “It was hard for me, too.” She started to reach for her hair, automatically wanting to twirl it around her finger, but put her hand back in her lap.

  “You still do that.” He reached across the table and grasped a lock of her hair and let it slide through his fingers. “It’s still spiraled from you doing that earlier tonight.”

  “You watched me?” she asked.

  The corner of his mouth quirked. “From the moment you walked in with the blonde and the redhead. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”

  “Is there anything else I should know?” she shook her head. “I don’t suppose you watched me shower, too.”

  “As a matter of fact I did.” He gave a sexy grin.

  She pretended to act indignant, but she knew he could tell she hadn’t seriously considered him actually doing just that.

  “Mr. Nikas, is there anything else I can get for you?” the server asked as she stopped at their table.

  “That will be all for tonight, Brandi.”

  She gave him a brilliant smile, bowed, and left.

  “You must come here a lot.” Christy followed Brandi with her gaze. “Everyone here seems to know you.”

  “They’d better know me.” Zach gave an amused smile. “I own the place.”

  As many times as she had been surprised tonight, she may as well have left her mouth hanging open. “You own Milonas?”

  He gave a slight nod. “And Passero’s, downtown.”

  “I love Passero’s. It’s a great restaurant.” Christy leaned back in her chair. “When you said you were in the restaurant business, I had no idea.”

  “Unless you would like some dessert or more wine,” he said, “why don’t we go to my place for a nightcap?”

  Thoughts of being alone with Zach, totally and completely alone, sent tingles down her spine.

  “I’d like that.” She set her wine glass on the table and her fingers ached as she uncurled them. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding it as tightly as she was.

  “Good,” he said. “We have a little catching up to do.”

  His home was so close to his nightclub that they could have walked. He lived in a house in a nearby exclusive community, which meant he was doing quite well. The fact that he owned Milonas and Passero’s made that perfectly clear.

  It would have made her uncomfortable if it weren’t for the fact that it was Zach, someone she had known well and had loved.

  He took her coat when they entered his home and closed the door behind them. He set the coat aside then took off his own, as well as his suit jacket.

  Low lighting greeted them and she took in his home as they passed through the spacious foyer. To her left a staircase swept up to the second floor and just past that was a formal dining room. To her right was a formal sitting room.

  They walked through an archway and into a large common room. It was casual and relaxed looking, with overstuffed leather furniture and a built-in entertainment unit with a huge flat-screen TV. This room was more like the Zach she knew.

  Through a doorway on the right she could see the sleek lines of a modern kitchen. A hallway led away from the common room, probably to guest rooms or a home office.

  He laid the coats and jacket over the back of the chair as if impatient to rid himself of them, and then he brought her into his arms.

  The move surprised her, yet at the same time it didn’t. She had wanted him to kiss her all night. The way he’d looked at her at the nightclub, she had the impression he’d been thinking the same thing.

  Being in his arms was better than she remembered and when he brought his mouth to hers, his kiss was more amazing than the countless kisses she had imagined.

  His kiss was searching, as if he was remembering her taste and the feel of their mouths together. She felt like she’d been transported back to the time when everything between them was amazing and fresh and new.

  As he drew away, he cupped her face in his hands and studied her. Her lips were moist from his kisses and she almost begged him to kiss her again.

  He slowly rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “It almost doesn’t seem real having you here with me.”

  “It feels like a dream.” She put her palms on his chest, feeling his heat through his shirt as she moved her palms up to his shoulders. “I’ve imagined this, imagined being with you again.”

  He continued caressing her cheek with his thumb as his dark eyes looked into hers. “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t think about you when I was with another woman.”

  She looked at him with surprise. “Do you mean that?”

  “There have been a lot of women in my life, Christy.” He brought his face closer to hers. “None of them were you.”

  The thrills that went through her belly caused a spiral straight to that place between her thighs. Even after all of these years, she knew him well enough that she didn’t have to question what he just said
. Zach Nikas didn’t say anything he didn’t mean.

  “I guess we aren’t waiting for the weekend at the resort,” she said softly.

  “This will make that weekend all the more exciting.” He grasped her hair in his hand and pulled her hair back, causing her to gasp. “Are you sure you want to be here with me tonight, Christy? Last chance.”

  “I want to stay.” She winced at the harshness of how hard he had pulled her hair. Yet at the same time it had a good sting to it.

  And the mastery in the movement… He was already taking control of her and it turned her on so that her skin felt on fire.

  He brought her to him for a hard kiss, nothing like the gentle reunion of moments before. This was harsh, forceful. He pinched her nipples hard through her dress and bit her lower lip, causing tears to sting her eyes.

  She loved it.

  The kiss was wild, hungry. He reached behind her and drew down the zipper of her dress. It fell in a silken caress down her body and around her feet, leaving her in her black bra and matching panties along with thigh-high silk stockings and her high heels.

  He grabbed her by her ass and brought their bodies flush together. His cock was hard against her belly and knowing that he was as turned on as she was, sent an ache between her thighs. She held onto his biceps, digging her fingers in as if to hold on for safety from a coming storm. He moved his hand to the clasp of her bra and unfastened it.

  Heat warmed her as he stepped away and took her bra with him and then he tossed it on the couch. He cupped her breasts and she sucked in her breath as he pinched her nipples again, harder this time, and she bit her lower lip to hold back a cry.

  “Take off your heels.” He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Now, Christy.”

  He looked serious and she knew she had better do what he told her to. She hurried to remove her heels. When she straightened, he said, “Take off your panties.” She slipped them off and stepped out of them, leaving her in only stockings. “Now your stockings. Hand them to me.”

  A heady thrill caused her to shiver as he watched her with his dark eyes. They told her nothing, but the intensity of his expression made her obey.