by Sami Lee
“You’re so incredible lying beneath me, making your hot demands.” David slowed his pace enough that he could lean on one elbow and trace his fingers over the top edge of her stockings. He fitted his hand behind her knee, using the grip to part her wider and hold her completely open for his thrusts. “You dress like an expensive whore, Lady Harrington. Like a woman begging for a man’s cock.”
Sarah was surprised to find the description exciting. Not to mention apt. Tonight, she had dressed with sex in mind, like a woman who badly needed it and would use any means at her disposal to get it. She’d used her money to get sex while David used his body to get money. Were they really any different? “Yes, I need it. Fuck me like a man fucks a whore. Make me take everything you have.”
The pace of David’s thrusting accelerated once more, telegraphing his tenuous grip on control. It was delicious, the knowledge she could make him unravel with a few bawdy words.
Biting her ear, David growled into it, “You’re a beautiful, dirty, amazing woman. Scream for me, Sarah Harrington. I want to feel you come around me.”
The demand called to her body, and Sarah rose swiftly toward the pinnacle. She dug her fingernails into David’s chest, holding on for dear life as he rode her higher, faster, pushing her to the limit.
“Oh God. Please come for me.”
His desperate tone said he was about to go over the edge and the knowledge nudged Sarah the last distance. She screamed when her inner muscles flexed around his thundering cock, afraid she shouted his name when she ought to have chosen something less personal. David grasped her thigh tight and shuddered inside her, spilling himself as she continued to spasm around him.
His face gave everything away, the agony and ecstasy of it all. David hid nothing, while this whole experience had been an exercise in subterfuge on Sarah’s part—most especially the last few minutes. She’d acted as if all she wanted was a detached, rough screw, that all she needed for satisfaction was sex. Her attempts to prove that to herself and to David only highlighted the deeper truth she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. Sex for its own sake would never be enough for her. What Sarah wanted most was love.
And she was never going to find it in the arms of a man whose attentions she had to buy.
The self-recrimination and sadness swept over her like a wave as she lay beneath David, clinging to him as though he might save her from drowning. Tears bit at her, a harsh sting. Her distress only worsened when David’s concerned voice rumbled against her throat. “Are you all right?”
Sarah didn’t trust the power of her voice, could only nod. Sensing her equivocation, David lifted his head. When he spotted the glisten of tears, he paled. “Hey there, lady, don’t cry.” He wiped at the edges of her eyes with his thumbs. His tender tone turned steely. “I was too rough. I don’t usually do that but I thought it was what you wanted.”
“It was.” Sarah’s voice quavered. “You did everything I asked.”
Exactly as a good employee would. Bile burned her esophagus and Sarah had to urge David off her, afraid she was going to regurgitate the champagne. She rolled on her side and breathed deeply until the urge passed. The pillow beneath her head smelled of David, and the tears she’d done her best to stem flowed right into its softness even as she didn’t make a sound to betray herself.
Behind her, the warmth of David’s body remained. She’d half expected him to leave but instead he pressed against her back, his chest a comforting blanket against the chill that had enveloped her. He didn’t say a word, simply held her without speaking. Without leaving.
And Sarah couldn’t bring herself to ask him to go.
Chapter Five
Sarah fell into a gentle sleep while David lay awake, full of bitter regrets.
I had a business proposition to discuss, but I’ve decided I’d rather get to know you. Will you consider having a drink with me?
That’s what he could have said back in the elevator, or in the living room, before Sarah had kissed him and his synapses had fried beyond all usefulness. He should have taken business off the table the second his hormones started driving for him. But he hadn’t and now Sarah thought the only reason he’d slept with her was to save his winery.
It wasn’t so. For two years, Windy Valley had been about the only thing occupying his mind, but tonight the stress of trying to keep the place his uncle left him productive had slipped away entirely in the face of his drive, his need, to be with Sarah. It had been all-encompassing, searing in its intensity. It had made him forget everything he was supposed to be trying to achieve. Now the idea of striking a deal with Sarah and her company was defunct.
No way could he live with the possibility he’d exchanged sex for a leg up in business. And while that may have been Sarah’s original intention, her emotional distress didn’t gel with it. She wasn’t as aloof as she pretended to be. There was a sweetness to her, a vulnerability that called to David’s natural protective instincts even as the supple lines of her body fired his libido. Sarah Harrington was a puzzle of intriguing contradictions David would love to devote a serious block of time to figuring out.
But he doubted Sarah would let him get that close. He’d had sex with her barely half an hour after meeting her. She thought him an opportunist and a cad. He supposed she expected him to slink out while she slept.
David considered it but in the end couldn’t leave her. His conscience wouldn’t allow it after she’d cried herself to sleep in his arms, trying in vain to conceal her tears from him. He stared at the entrancing lines of her neck and shoulder, gilded by the scant illumination of the bedside lamp. The fine gold strands of her hair surrounded her like a halo that blurred in David’s vision as he drifted off to sleep.
Sometime later, he awoke with a killer erection that pressed itself into the curve of Sarah’s lower back. Sarah wiggled her ass, fully aware of his condition. She reached behind him to grab his buttock, urging him closer.
David’s heart pounded against her shoulder blade so hard she had to be able to feel it. He lightly tongued the shell of her ear. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she replied, grinding her butt against David’s taut cock until it extended to its full size.
Helpless, David slid his hand up her body until it cupped her small, supple breast. The light flick he gave the flowering tip made it blossom against his fingers. Damn, but she was perfect. Every inch of her flawless, ethereally beautiful and earthily sexy at the same time. What in hell had made her think she had to manipulate any man into bed? She must have a queue of them begging for a scrap of her company. David was a breath away from begging now and all she’d done was shift against him.
She lifted her hand from his ass to his head, twining her fingers through his hair and urging him to face her. “How is it you make me feel so good?”
Her eyes glittered with acute sorrow in the low light. David would have done anything to erase it, but he couldn’t explain the spell that had wound around them any better than she could. He only knew he’d never had sex this absorbing or this damn good, not this soon after meeting someone. Perhaps never, not even with Melissa.
“Sarah, you make me lose myself completely,” he confessed. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
She smiled in understanding. “Sex isn’t enough, is it? The only reason two people should go to bed together is to make love.”
David’s heart sank and he only wished his happy-go-lucky dick would do the same. “I know.” With a sigh, he rested his forehead against her temple. “I think so too but…”
“Yes, but…” she mimicked, pressing her ass back against his aching erection once more.
David’s hand flexed, tightening its grip on her breast. “Sarah, if you want me to leave, tell me.”
It killed him to say the words. He hoped to God she didn’t take him up on the offer.
She tightened her hold on his hair and tilted her face, offering her lips. “Don’t go. Let’s pretend, David. For a little longer.”
With a groan of surrender, David
took her mouth in a savage invasion. Pretend he was in love with Sarah? No problem. He was already enamored with everything about her. Love would be the easiest fall in the world if she was there with him.
His wild kiss provoked a whimper from Sarah and a firming of the sweet crest he still cupped in his hand. David took it between thumb and forefinger, lightly pinching the flesh until it grew pointy and tight. Earlier, he’d loved Sarah telling him how to suck her nipples, but this time he needed no instruction. He flipped her onto her back, lowering his head to take the abused peak into his mouth. Sarah arched, encouraging him with her mewling noises of pleasure while David licked and sucked both her turgid nipples, lavishing them with attention until Sarah was once again gripping his hair, lifting him off her and up onto her waiting, ravenous mouth.
Her kiss had seduced him from the first electric touch of her warm lips. Its effect on him was stronger now, engulfing him in heat and a need edgier than any he’d ever known. David reached for the stash of condoms and hastened through the process of donning one. He had to be inside her heavenly body again. He had to.
Sarah opened to him immediately, tilting her hips to invite his swift entry. Gasping, she clung to him, her nails digging into his ass as he rocked into her. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, how much this meant to him. But he stifled the confessions, afraid she wouldn’t believe him after the way this night had started out. Instead, David showed her with actions, the slow plunge of his body in and out of hers. He gave her complete access to his swirling emotions as he stared deep into her eyes and drove her steadily toward bliss.
When the first gasp burst from her mouth, David gripped her hair, holding her head against the pillow. “Look at me. I need to see your eyes when you come.”
Doing as he bid, Sarah held his gaze, the blue clouding over with the force of her long, undulating orgasm. Her thighs clamped around his waist, her body thrashing against his as she pulsed around his cock, performing a torturous clutch and release that almost made him lose it. By sheer obstinacy, this time David made certain she was replete, that every last drop of ecstasy had been eked from her body before he let himself go. Just as he’d done, Sarah held David’s face in her hands and compelled him to stare at her while he shot powerful jets of cum from his dick, while he gave all of himself.
When his body finally sagged, Sarah whispered, “David,” his name a sigh of wistful exhaustion that gripped his heart tight, as tight as her body still gripped his. It was so good, so right to be inside her, surrounded by her smooth skin and her heady, feminine scent. As if he’d found something he hadn’t even known he’d been searching his whole life for.
He was going to have to let her go, in every way, the second she was done with him. Maybe in the morning. Perhaps long before dawn broke.
But he had no idea how he was going to manage it.
* * * * *
Mornings could be truly horrible, Sarah reflected as she watched the gray light of dawn creep into the opulent hotel room. This one could be one of the most horrendous she’d faced in a long time—or the best, depending on how things went.
She’d slipped out of bed while it was still dark and ordered up coffee with a tray of Danishes. Not her usual healthy fare of muesli and yogurt but she wanted to get something David might like too. They’d both worked up quite an appetite over the past ten hours.
The memory made her grin like a schoolgirl, despite her anxiety over how this morning-after scene was going to play out. Sarah couldn’t remember ever being that insatiable with a man. Nor could she recall any of her previous lovers satisfying her as thoroughly, over and over, as David had last night. Every time she’d reached for him he’d been there with her, hard and ready, full of passion and gentle laughter and sweet, sweet words. She’d climaxed so many times she’d lost count.
Giving all that up after only one night was too horrible to contemplate.
Sarah’s gaze strayed to the open bedroom door. David lay sleeping peacefully, his arms flung over his head so her view of that magnificent chest was unobstructed. The white sheet was twisted at his waist but Sarah knew what it concealed. Her groin stirred with warmth, her inner walls convulsing with needs that should have been well quenched but weren’t. Not yet.
Her decision solidified in her mind. She had to go through with it—she’d be crazy not to. She’d offer David a deal. She’d gladly pay double—heck, triple—what she’d outlaid for last night to have it all again, whenever he was available.
Sarah pushed aside the niggle of unease that tried to knock down her perfectly pragmatic solution to the problem of her fast-developed David addiction. She’d heard of other women who kept lovers with the promise of money or gifts. She’d always blanched at the idea of becoming one of those people, viewing it as a sad relinquishing of the dream she was loath to let go of—the dream of true love. A man who appreciated her for herself, not for her money. A partner in life, not a boy toy.
Now she had to eat crow at the judgmental thoughts she’d had in regard to others’ choices. Her options were clear. She either made David a kept man or she let him go forever, perhaps never knowing again the kind of all-consuming satisfaction she’d found in his arms.
The second option was the least palatable. In fact it filled her with dread and a deep sense of loneliness she didn’t want to face or examine. Better to take what she needed—or purchase it, as the case may be. Whatever it took to stave off the bitter sense of isolation.
She thought of waking David to make the offer but realized it might need to go through the agent she’d spoken to earlier in the week. Mentally donning her business cap, Sarah found her cell phone and switched it on. She’d powered it down last night, not wanting her evening to be interrupted by an ill-timed call from work.
There were two messages on her phone. Sarah was surprised to find they were both from Kendra, David’s…
Face it, Sarah, she’s his pimp.
The first was a harried explanation about an accident and a promise of more detail to come. The second provided that detail.
My deepest apologies, Miss Harris. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that David can’t make his appointment, but he’s going to need surgery on his leg. Too bad he isn’t a better skier, yes? I will make full reparations of course. I have several fine choices who can make themselves available from tomorrow onwards, or I can arrange a full refund. Call me to let me know what you’d like to do.
Sarah sat on the couch, the phone pressed to her ear long after the message had ended. Her heart started a sickening gallop and a bitter taste filled her mouth. Kendra had been certain David wasn’t going to make his date with her. Of course he hadn’t made it—he was in surgery.
Ice infused her bloodstream as reality set in. If her escort hadn’t shown up last night…
Who the hell was the man in her bed?
Chapter Six
“David Genero.”
The wintery tone of Sarah’s voice roused David from the kind of dream he hated to be dragged away from. He was at home at Windy Valley. It was a cold night but the fire was warm, the room bathed in its orange glow. Sarah was with him, naked beneath a blanket. Her smile was a thing of beauty, her laugh a melodious sound that wrapped around him as he kissed her neck. Her laughter turned to sighs as he began to move lower…
“David Genero,” Sarah repeated, her voice like a glacier, yanking him from the warmth of the fantasy he’d created. Something made a thwack as it landed on the pillow beside him. David opened one eye to see his wallet lying open, his driver’s license showing. “Owner of Windy Valley Winery.”
David rose to put his weight on his elbows and stare blearily at her. Her posture was rigid, her expression holding none of the engaging amusement or sexy teasing it had last night. She wore a pale silk robe that outlined the clearly naked curves beneath it. David’s body responded even as her obvious anger perplexed him. “Sarah?”
“Oh, you know who I am, that much isn’t in question. What mystifies me is wh
y you didn’t admit who you were or what you really wanted from me.”
Sitting up, David pressed the heel of his hand to one eyelid. He usually rose more aware at first light but Sarah’s accusatory tone had thrown him for a loop. “I thought I made you well aware of what I wanted last night. What’s this about?”
“Business, apparently.” Bitterness laced the retort. “Your winery. I googled you, found your picture on your website. When I first realized you weren’t who I thought you were, I figured it was a case of mistaken identity. But you owned a winery, it was too much of a coincidence. The two of us meeting by accident just doesn’t make sense.”
A lot of what happened in the preceding hours made little sense, but in a good way. This development probably wasn’t headed in that direction. “I never said I met you by accident. I came here to see you—you know that.”
“No. David Genero the wine producer I was not expecting. I thought you were somebody else and you know it. How did you know that I’d…”
He jumped in when she hesitated. “You’d what?”
“Arranged a date. That a man was to meet me here at the hotel.”
“Sarah, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You pretended to be him—my date. All so you could… What are you planning to do? Blackmail me?”
“Hang on one damn minute. Blackmail? What kind of crazy soap opera plot do you think this is?”
Dropping his feet over the side of the mattress, David shot out of bed. The way Sarah’s gaze flashed over his body reminded him he was nude, his cock semirigid from the dream she’d interrupted. He’d rather not get dressed. Continuing the activities they’d devoted half the night to would be the preferable outcome, but it was pretty obvious that wasn’t going to happen. David found his boxers on the floor and slipped them on.
“Sarah, give me a break. I just woke up and I have no idea why you’re being like this.”
“It’s a mystery why I’m annoyed that you pretended to be someone you weren’t?”