by Geneva Lee
Copyright © 2015 by Geneva Lee.
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Geneva Lee/Westminster Press
www.genevalee.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
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Formatting by Caitlin Greer
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Crave Me/ Geneva Lee. -- 1st ed.
ISBN 978-0-9964398-5-5
ALSO BY GENEVA LEE
Command Me
Conquer Me
Crown Me
Crave Me
Two Week Turnaround
It finally happened. After weeks of tireless searching, I was here. I hadn’t expected much from outside the building, but inside I’d discovered more than four walls and some windows. The studio was airy, and despite the chill that had crept through London as autumn moved ever closer to winter, a warm light flooded through the room highlighting all the space had to offer. I had found my own little corner of London, tucked snugly in Chelsea. This was where I would take the next step in my life.
Of course, everything from the walls to the shelves lining them needed a fresh coat of white paint. Maybe ivory. I also had a fair bit of furniture to obtain, given the space was entirely empty. But none of that bothered me. It had potential–and the right price tag.
“What do you think?” Julian, my inhumanly patient realtor, asked. I’d been a challenge for a man who normally sold business fronts to multi-billion dollar corporations. But he had been a saint, showing me half of the available commercial properties in Central London, and his persistence had paid off.
“It’s perfect,” I murmured, my mind already imagining where office tables and garment racks would fit.
“The owner will want a twelve month term,” he began to rattle off the particulars but none of it mattered. This was where the next phase of my life started. My fledgling idea was quickly becoming a real business: Bless. In a few months I’d have the space packed with desks and dresses. It all felt like a surreal dream.
An incoming call startled me from my fantasy, the familiar ringtone a reminder that I already had more than most women would dream of. I shot Julian an apologetic smile as I dug it out, but he waved it, having grown use to these interruptions in the last week.
“Hey, beautiful.” Smith’s gravelly voice sent goosebumps rippling over my skin. If any man could bring me to orgasm with words alone, it was this man. Thank god, I’d never told him that or he’d call me on the hour.
It was bad enough that just hearing him resulted in soaked panties. Then again that might have been the result of a week without physical contact. After he’d fired me as his personal assistant, we hadn’t risked seeing each other more than a few times a week at first. It had been seven days—our longest successful streak at keeping our hands off each other—as of this morning. Judging from my body’s reaction, it was time to break that record.
“I found it,” I whispered into the phone. I didn’t need to say more than that. Despite the distance we’d kept with one another for the past few weeks, I had no doubt he’d been keeping tabs on me. Still I couldn’t tell him more. There was no reason to believe my new private line had been compromised, but there was also no reason to assume it hadn’t. “Bless has a home.”
“We should celebrate.” The suggestiveness in his tone was far from subtle, and I hooked my one leg behind the other to soothe the ache growing rapidly between my thighs.
“Oh yeah?” As usual, he’d reduced me to simple sentences. When it came to Smith Price, I preferred to let him make the plans for both of us because his plans usually resulted in hours of agonizing, glorious, wild sex. I had a million things to worry about at the moment, but pleasure wasn’t one of them. Not tonight, at least.
“Somewhere private—just the two of us. I’ll text you the address.”
“Yes, Sir,” I breathed, not caring that Julian could overhear the conversation. My words were as much a promise of what tonight would bring as his invitation had been.
The line went dead and I was brought back to earth. Turning, I caught a knowing smirk on Julian’s face as he checked his mobile.
“Whoever your mystery man is, I want to meet him.” Julian slid the phone back in his breast pocket.
I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. “Why? So you can steal him?”
“Maybe we can share,” he suggested in a teasing tone.
“This is one toy I definitely don’t share.” It came out more defensive than I’d intended, but I couldn’t be blamed for my reaction. Smith was mine, and coping with our precarious situation had only made me more possessive of him.
Julian waved a pedicured hand. “As long as he feels the same way. “
Of that, I had no doubt.
“Let’s go back to the office and start the paperwork,” he said, switching topics.
Now that was something I could be talked into.
The address Smith had sent me gave me no idea what to expect but when I arrived on a cozy, quiet street in Holland Park, I was a bit surprised. I’d anticipated a hotel not something so residential. A quick peek at my phone revealed that I was definitely in the right place. Grabbing my bag from the passenger seat, I slid out of the Mercedes, locking it twice despite the quaint neighborhood. The car, an overly lavish gift from my boyfriend, had become a second home over the last few weeks. I loved it almost as much as I loved the man who gave it to me.
I froze in my tracks, overwhelmed by the peculiar sensation that overcame me as I considered the fact that I loved him. Our relationship had endured its fair share of bumps in its short history already, and I couldn’t quite be certain that love wasn’t going to be a major road block. Neither of us had said it. It had been implied, and perhaps I was being stubborn but I wasn’t going to be the first one to pop the l-word. Maybe I was simply scared. Smith was still a mystery to me in so many ways, and the last man I’d thought I’d loved had proven my judgment wasn’t the best when it came to men.
But Smith Price wasn’t any man. He was something more—something primal and commanding. He stole my breath away and decided when I could have it back.
Get a handle on yourself! Shouldering my purse, I shook off my apprehension, writing it off as cold feet. It had been nearly two weeks since I’d seen him. That was enough to make any woman doubt herself, but I wasn’t that girl. Not anymore.
Still I gripped the railing a little too tightly as I climbed the steps to the house. The night air brushed across my naked sex, reminding me exactly why I was here. My panties, per Smith’s preference, had come off in the car and been shoved into my bag. I felt exposed and powerful at the same time. Things might be strained between us but I had exactly what he wanted.
Before I reached the top step, the door swung open, revealing exactly what I wanted. My knees buckled slightly at I drank in Smith in his charcoal, grey three piece suit. It was unjustifiable that the sight of any human being
could have such an effect of me. I’d be lucky to make it inside before I was on my knees in front of him.
Smith’s handsome face was blank as he welcomed me in, but I spotted the amused glint in his green eyes and the slight twitch of his lips that proved he was holding back a smile. I’d fallen for that cocky smirk as hard as I’d fallen for him. It had been my undoing when we met. Now knowing it was there, hiding behind his calculated stare, made me wet.
“Hello, beautiful.” He took my bag and threw it on the ground, not waiting for my greeting before he’d scooped me up and carried me past the foyer. My arms coiled around his neck, inviting his lips to find mine. But he had more self-control than I did. His mouth pressed to my forehead before he deposited me on a leather sofa.
“Like it?” he asked.
I blinked, momentarily dazzled by his presence, and forced myself to look around the cozy room. Paintings that clearly fell into the priceless category hung along the walls and a fire crackled in the ornate fireplace. It looked much more like his law office than his own home, and I shot him a questioning look as I replied, “I do.”
“One of my investments,” he explained as he unbuttoned his jacket. He didn’t take it off, which pleased me. I had plans for him tonight that included that suit.
I was so absorbed in my own fantasies that it took me a minute to realize he’d said something else. “Sorry?”
Smith’s head cocked to the side, and he sighed as he ran a hand over his head, ruffling his dark blond hair. “I can see that you need a little pleasure before business.”
“Yes, Sir.”
The simple statement ignited a fire in his eyes that burned so fiercely that I bit down on my lip to keep from moaning. I’d given him the nickname in a moment of petulance. It had stuck when I discovered how demanding he was behind closed doors—and how eager I was to please him.
Smith leaned down, placing his palms on the arm of the sofa as he shook his head. “We play by my rules. Do you need a reminder?”
That sounded very much like a threat and a promise all rolled into one. He’d been known to dish out a playful spanking when I teased him or played coy, but I’d yet to bear the full brunt of what I knew he was capable of delivering. The thought might have scared me before, but as the days passed without his hands on my body, I found myself desperate for his touch.
“You want it that bad, huh?” he said, employing his uncanny knack for guessing exactly what was on my mind. “Don’t try to force my hand, Belle, or I’ll make you wait for a punishment even longer than I’ll make you wait for an orgasm.”
I glowered back at him, unwilling to show that his warning had deflated me. Instead I pushed myself up and crossed my legs, taking care that he got a glimpse of what I wasn’t wearing under my skirt. “So you bought this place?”
“A few years ago.” He made no sign that he’d noticed my lack of underwear. Disappointing. “I meant to sell it.”
“Didn’t get around to it?” I asked dryly. Only Smith was capable of sitting on a prime piece of London real estate for so long without making a move. Another symptom of his maddening self-control. His bank account allowed for it, while the rest of us were stuck sharing flats.
“I have other ideas now.” But he didn’t elaborate further. His eyes cooled as his thoughts went elsewhere.
I took a deep breath and waited for him to return to me. When he didn’t, I took a chance. “I missed you.”
It was a simple statement, but emotion colored my voice. Instantly, I wished I could take it back. I’d promised him I could be strong when he’d revealed the precarious nature of our situation. Melancholy sentiments had no place in our arrangement. For the most part, I’d been too busy focusing on my sudden entrepreneurial reality to worry about our relationship. At least in the waking hours. It was harder when I finally dragged myself to my bed—alone. Now that he was in front of me, the ache that had occupied those restless nights was swiftly overtaking my resolution.
But instead of reprimanding me, he sank down beside me and pulled me onto his lap. “Beautiful.”
His pet name for me calmed the longing that had suddenly swept through my body. Although it didn’t entirely soothe me.
“I spent all afternoon planning what I am going to do to you,” he murmured as his index finger tipped my chin up to meet his gaze.
“And?” I prompted hopefully.
His mouth twisted as he winked. “I think you’ll approve. But I thought we could talk for a bit. I’m told normal couples discuss their day before they get naked.”
Couple. It seemed like too casual a term for the bond he and I had already formed. And normal? That definitely didn’t apply to us. Still, there was a certain appeal to the concept.
“Normal couples don’t have to sneak around,” I reminded him. So much for trying things his way.
“Normal couples,” he responded tightly, “don’t have homicidal bosses.”
There was that. Our separation hadn’t been by choice, a fact that I wished I could forget. Smith’s ties to his employer were far from average. He was caught in a tangled web of treachery that I’d only narrowly avoided being trapped in myself. Thanks to him, there had been no sign that Hammond, the man pulling the strings that kept Smith tethered to the past, had any further interest in me. That would change if he knew things weren’t over between the two of us.
“Tell me about Bless,” he commanded, obviously ready for a change in topic.
There was so much to tell him, even though so little had actually been accomplished. “I found a studio in Chelsea within my budget.”
“Budget shouldn’t be in your vocabulary.” His forehead creased as he spoke, but I cut him off before he could force me to take more money.
“I’m starting a business. Of course, I need to consider my finances, and besides that, it’s exactly what I was looking for. If it had been too much I would have told you,” I lied. I had absolutely no intention of taking any more of his funds without actually needing them.
“What’s mine is yours.”
“Is that so?” I asked playfully, toying with his belt buckle. It was increasingly clear to me that we both needed to loosen up, and I had a pretty good idea of how we could to that.
My response earned me my first genuine smile. “Are we calling it quits on the small talk?”
“We could chat about the weather, but honestly, you aren’t the only one with plans tonight.”
“Think you’re going to top me, beautiful?” He ran a finger across my lower lip and my mouth opened instinctively.
Now that would be impossible, especially given how much I craved his authority. I pressed my thighs tightly together, afraid to leave a damp spot on his wool trousers. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good girl.” I felt his fingers close over my skirt. Pulling it down, he wrenched the garment off and tossed it away. “I was going to suggest we have a bite to eat, but there’s only one thing I want for dinner.”
So much for protecting his suit pants. I bit my lower lip, spreading my legs in welcome.
“I want to see the whole menu first,” he whispered into my ear as he unbuttoned my blouse with the slow attention to detail that drove me crazy. His fingertips grazed slowly over each section of newly exposed skin. Then they skimmed across the lace cups of my bra before he unhooked it. It fell away, and in one fluid motion, he lifted me into his arms and stood. “I think you’ll find the upper floor much more interesting.”
He nibbled at my neck as we ascended the staircase. By the time we reached the bedroom, I was breathless with anticipation. Smith deposited me onto the bed and took a step back, surveying his prize as he began to undress. He took his time with this as well. Smith was the type of man who might push a woman against a wall, shove her panties aside, and fuck her, fully clothed. But when he took a woman to bed—when he took me to bed—that urgency was replaced by a deliberation that sent shivers across my skin.
Shrugging off his jacket, he folded it in half and la
id it over a chair in the corner. He repeated the action with his tie, then his shirt. Each garment given the utmost care. It was the world’s slowest—and sexiest—striptease. Because Smith didn’t reserve that treatment for his expensive suits alone. Every inch of my body would be shown the same attention.
Besides, when his shorts dropped to the floor I got my first glimpse of what was on my menu, and god, I wanted a taste. Scrambling onto my hands and knees, I crawled to the foot of the bed, mouth open. Smith prowled forward, the curves and ridges of his muscular body haloed in moonlight. He stopped a foot short of me, giving me a closer look at what I wanted while keeping it out of reach.
“Ask.”
My whole body was asking, but that wasn’t what he meant. At first I’d found Smith’s dominant nature intimidating. Now I found it liberating, and after the week I’d had, I wanted nothing more than to lose myself entirely to his domination. “Please, Sir.”
“Roll over,” he instructed as he came closer.
I turned onto my back, instinctively hanging my head over the edge of the bed so that he could guide the crown of his cock to my lips.
“Have you been touching yourself?”
I did my best to shake my head ‘no’ but I was way too focused on wrapping my mouth around his luscious organ.
“But you wanted to,” he guessed. He paused to groan as I swallowed his shaft. “I know how hungry your pussy is. It’s almost as insatiable as your greedy little mouth. It must have been hard to deny your needs, beautiful. You may touch yourself now.”
Reaching back, I gripped his root for leverage, my free hand delving willingly between my folds. Nothing got me hotter than being on display for him, except maybe being splayed out under his possessive eyes with his dick in my mouth. My body trembled when my fingertip found my swollen clit. I circled it, rolling my hips against the welcome pressure. Truthfully, I had no desire to touch myself when I was apart from him, knowing it could never satisfy my craving. Only he could do that.