He thought the whole incident had been completely blown out of proportion. Sage had become perturbed when he’d indicated that he’d been in the business longer than she’d been alive. She’d slammed her notebook shut, stared him dead in the eye, leaned across the conference table and let Mr. Hoffman know in no uncertain terms that she would not take that behavior. Bruce must have got the message because he leaned back in the chair and cooperated.
Sage learned he’d been in the L.A. office for seven years since Ian stationed him there. He’d called Ian a pretty boy who’d sent him to Cali because he was a thorn in Ian’s side. Bruce hadn’t been happy when Ian sent Lucas Johnson, his whipping boy, to look over his shoulder. Bruce had been a part of L.E. since the early days with Myles, Ian’s father, and felt he was viewed as the figurehead in L.A. by the movie studio honchos and didn’t appreciate Lucas trying to take over.
Bruce admitted to Sage that he and Lucas had a heated exchange in which racial epithets may have been used. Sage realized there was validity to Mr. Johnson’s claim that Bruce created a hostile work environment.
“Lawrence needs to settle this with Johnson,” Bruce had said on his way out. “If he gives him a few million, he’ll go away like a good little boy.”
Sage had stared back at Hoffman in disbelief. Here was a shareholder of the company advocating settling a lawsuit. Why was that? Sage couldn’t put her finger on why Bruce had suddenly become prejudiced. It was almost as if he’d done it on purpose. Something seemed wrong and Sage intended to find out.
She was mulling over her next move when Ian stuck his head in. Why did he have to look so darn handsome? Sage rubbed her neck in frustration. He looked very powerful and commanding in his Italian suit which accentuated his yard-wide shoulders and broad chest. And the face, well, it was a face Sage couldn’t forget—dark eyes that framed a handsome face, generous mouth and square jaw. She had to suck in a deep breath at the animal magnetism that emanated out of his every pore.
“I just met Bruce Hoffman.”
“He’s a real character, isn’t he?”
“He’s completely belligerent,” Sage returned. The way he’d talked to her at the outset was deplorable. Sage could only imagine what he’d said to Lucas. “So what’s on tap for tonight?” Ian grinned. So she expected to spend her evenings with him? He was definitely getting to her. “I’m afraid an unexpected meeting has come up that I have to attend.”
Sage tried to mask her disappointment. It was clear her presence wasn’t required for this particular meeting. “That’s fine.” She turned and closed her briefcase. “I’ll just head back to the hotel or maybe I’ll go shopping.”
“I can have my driver take you wherever you want to go.”
“No, thank you.” Sage grabbed her briefcase and headed toward the door.
“Sage?” She turned back around at the regret in Ian’s voice. “I’m sorry about dinner.”
“Don’t be,” she replied on her way out. “We are just attorney and client after all.”
Ian was annoyed by Sage’s comment. He was more than just her client and she damn well knew it. He didn’t know how much longer he could go on pretending.
While Ian was off doing God knew what and with whom, Sage did a Julia Roberts and went on a shopping spree on Rodeo Drive. She returned to the hotel several hours later with a lighter wallet and several bags filled with a new outfit from Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo and Fendi shoes and a new Marc Jacobs purse.
Exhausted, Sage threw her bags down in the guest bedroom of the penthouse suite. It was well after nine and the suite was empty, which meant Ian was still out. It burned her to know that he could be with another woman after trying to get her into bed. She knew she didn’t have any right to be jealous, but she was.
Kicking off her heels, Sage scooted to the top of the bed and ordered herself room service. In the midst of her shopping frenzy she’d forgotten to eat and now she was too tired to go back out. Before she knew it, her eyes drifted shut.
Ian sighed when he finally slid in the access card to the penthouse. He’d just shut the door, discarded his jacket and loosened his tie when he heard a knock at the door.
Who could it be at this hour? Ian was surprised to see a hotel staff on the other side with a room service tray in his arms. “I didn’t order anything.”
The deliverer seemed confused and looked at his ticket. “A Sage Anderson ordered dinner.”
“Of course.” Ian motioned him in. Sage hadn’t eaten all this time? Had she waited for him? His heart leaped in his chest.
While the deliverer set down the tray, Ian reached into his breast pocket for his wallet and procured several bills as a tip.
“Thank you, sir,” the deliverer said on his way out.
Ian walked over to the guest room and knocked. He knocked several more times and when Sage didn’t answer, he entered. He found her sound asleep in the clothes she’d had on earlier. Several shopping bags were strewn across the floor. Poor dear must have exhausted herself shopping. She looked so beautiful spread across the four-poster bed that Ian couldn’t resist stroking her hair.
It had been a long time, if ever, since he’d ever felt such a pull, such a longing for one woman. The desire between the two of them had been building for weeks and he couldn’t take it anymore.
Ian bent down on his knees until he was face-to-face with Sage. She was lying on her side and just within his reach. Her lips were full and inviting and he just had to have a taste. Leaning over, he softly brushed his lips across hers and when he did, her eyes sprang open. He did it again and when she didn’t resist him, Ian kissed her again, but this time, he rose off the floor and joined her on the bed.
“Ian,” she whispered through sleep-laden eyes, but he put his fingertips against her lips.
“Don’t say no, Sage,” he said huskily from above her as he stroked her hair. “I know you want me as much as I want you.” And before Sage could utter another word, his lips swept over hers, passionately coaxing a response from her. He kissed her long and hard and deep.
Sage couldn’t help moaning as the kiss electrified her, so much so that all thought of the risks to her and her career went out the window. Daringly, her hand laced around his neck and she kissed him back, pushing her tongue forward. Ian’s lips parted and he slanted his mouth over hers possessively.
He encircled his arm around her waist and lifted her upright. In one fluid motion, Ian was ripping open her silk blouse to reveal her satin demi-cup bra. Ian quickly reached behind her to unlatch her bra and it fell away revealing the beautiful B-cup rounded mounds he’d once tasted.
Ian drew an unsteady breath. “You are so beautiful,” he said before his mouth came down on them, hot and heavy. He took one nipple in between his lips and sucked it, causing Sage to throw her head back in abandon. Then he drew circles around the sensitive bud with his wet tongue. He loved each of her breasts, drawing them into his mouth again and again like a hungry baby, that Sage clasped his head to her breasts. How could she have denied herself such heavenly torment?
Her heart was beating so fast and furious that she didn’t realize Ian was unfastening her skirt until he was laying her back on the bed. Sage raised her hips so that he could remove her skirt and satisfy the aching need in her loins. He paused when his groping hands came into contact with her thong. He pressed his hand over her mound and felt her pulse quicken underneath his touch.
“Please, Ian,” she begged. She wanted him and could wait no longer.
He answered by swiftly sliding the thong down her shapely legs and sinking his finger inside her. He found her wet and warm.
“Ian,” Sage moaned when he began rubbing his thumb back and forth across her womanhood.
Ian watched as Sage squirmed and her teeth caught her bottom lip. “Tell me you want this. That you want me.”
Sage nodded. “I do, I do. I want you inside me.”
Ian didn’t need any further invitation; he replaced his fingertips with his mouth and tongued the petals of
her femininity with greediness.
“God, you taste good.” He gripped her waist tighter.
Sage gave herself over to the short teasing flicks of his tongue and arched off the bed, raking her nails across his back as tremor after tremor engulfed her.
Once the convulsions were over, Sage realized she was hungry for more, so hungry that she reached for his tie. Ian bent his head and she pulled it over his head and flung it across the room. Then she was on her knees, yanking open the buttons of his shirt. He eagerly tossed away the garment and unzipped his trousers. Quickly, he slid off the bed and stepped out of his pants and briefs before rejoining her on the bed.
The curved muscles of his chest pressed against the pillows of her breasts and caused everything soft in her to yearn for his hardness. Her hands skimmed the flat panel of his stomach, going farther until she found the swell of his erection. Sage’s hand clasped around the bulging shaft and teasingly stroked it.
She was about to lower her head, when Ian said, “Later.” He separated himself long enough to find the condom in his wallet and protected them both. Unable to wait another second, he situated himself firmly between her thighs and glided into her silken heat in one fluid thrust.
Sage instantly felt filled and fulfilled. How could she feel this way when Ian was offering her nothing more than casual sex? But she couldn’t help it; she felt satisfied. And when Ian grasped her hands and intertwined their fingers together as he thrust in and out, Sage couldn’t think about the pain and disaster this would potentially lead to. She just squeezed her eyes shut and focused on the grinding, rocking motion of their bodies unified as one until Ian said, “Look at me.”
The raw need in his eyes swept Sage away. He’d drawn her in deep and fast and she felt utterly powerless. He withdrew until Sage could only feel the tip of him and then he glided in again and the friction was nearly unbearable. He was slow and easy one minute and then thrusting harder and faster the next. It was an exquisite agony that Sage didn’t want to end.
“Ian!” she called out his name as her body quickly built toward completion. He answered her silent plea with one final thrust and she burst into a million tiny pieces.
“Yes.” Ian gave a shout as he, too, fell over the edge and the aftershocks rippled through his system. His lips brushed over hers before he rolled over to his side and glanced down at Sage. Her breathing was as rapid and shallow as his.
“That was incredible,” he whispered in her ear. The way she’d cried out his name had made him come within seconds.
“Yes, it was pretty mind-blowing,” Sage concurred. She had never been made love to with such frenzy and passion. Her sexual encounters with James, although sweet, had been wanting. And the few men since him had left her feeling unsatisfied.
“You sound surprised,” Ian replied, brushing back her damp hair with his fingertips.
“I’ve just never…” Sage’s voice trailed off.
“Climaxed,” Ian offered.
Sage nodded. “Yes, at least not during intercourse. I always thought it was me…that something had to be wrong with me because I couldn’t let go.”
“Baby—” Ian gathered her in his arms “—there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are an incredibly passionate woman. The men you were with obviously weren’t doing something right. They should have tried harder to please you.”
Sage smiled. He knew exactly what to say to boost her ego. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I mean it,” Ian said and when she tried to move away, he stopped her. “Look at me.” He hooked his finger under her chin and forced her to look at him. The passion in those depths was undeniable and it reminded him exactly why he had to have her. “I don’t ever want you to fake an orgasm with me, Sage. If ever you’re not satisfied, tell me and I will make sure you are.”
“Okay.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“Good.” He kissed her lips. “Because I look forward to discovering your body again.” He reached for her once more.
Chapter 9
Sage rolled over onto her stomach to avoid the sunlight that was streaming in from the window. She was stretching out her arms when she came in contact with a hard male body.
Distressed, Sage turned over and sat straight up as remembrance of the night before came roaring back: Ian stripping her of all her clothes, Ian making mad passionate love to her, Ian making her come. Sometime during the morning, he’d carried her to his king-size bed and taken her and she’d come all over again. The lower half of her body throbbed and could attest to what an incredible lover he was.
Her movements must have disturbed Ian because he opened his eyes and smiled up at her. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Morning.” Sage pulled the sheet over her naked breasts.
“What are you doing that for?” Ian said, lowering the sheet. He reached out and playfully pinched one of her nipples. “I told you last night I wanted to discover your body.”
“Stop that.” Sage pushed his hand away and scooted to the far side of the bed.
“What’s wrong?” Ian rubbed his eyes as he sat up. He didn’t like the look of regret he saw in her eyes.
“Last night should never have happened. I’ve completely screwed up everything.” Sage shook her head. How could she have allowed this to happen? She should have resisted the attraction, but, oh, how good it had felt to give in!
“I disagree. Last night was great,” Ian returned, grabbing her arm until she faced him. “Better than great.” They’d come together harmoniously like two halves of the same whole. “Why beat yourself up? It was something we both wanted. Something we both enjoyed.” Ian tried to pull Sage back toward him, but she resisted. “Life is too short for regrets, Sage. Why can’t you allow yourself to enjoy this?”
“Because you’re my client, what we did is wrong.”
“What’s done is done and we can’t go back,” Ian replied matter-of-factly, not that he would if he could. He’d wanted Sage and now that he had her, he wanted her even more and there was no way he was going to let any amount of ethics get in the way of that.
“True, but I can change the future.” Sage threw back the covers to flee, but Ian jumped up and blocked her from leaving. He looked so magnificent standing naked before her that despite her protests, desire coursed through her veins. The same as the first time she’d seen him in the penthouse.
“No way am I letting you run away from me.” Ian held her by her forearms. He could see her inner struggle; feel how skittish she was. She wanted to ignore what had transpired between them. “Look at me, Sage.” He crooked his index finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. “Can’t we just enjoy each other for however long it lasts?”
“Until you’re bored?”
Ian grinned. “I imagine it would take a very long time for me to become bored with you, Sage. Anyway, you didn’t strike me as someone afraid of a challenge.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Then stay with me,” Ian replied. “And not just this morning, but for the rest of the trip and after if you want.”
“If I want,” Sage responded, stepping backward. “Ian, an affair between us is rife with conflict. You must realize that.”
“What I realize—” Ian lifted Sage in his arms and carried her back to bed “—is that I’m tired of all these words. There’s no other woman in the world I want right now but you.” And when he lowered his head and kissed her, Sage believed him.
Hours later after his hands and lips had explored every inch of her, they’d sunk into a silky warm bubble bath in the large tub and then slept curled in each other’s arms.
When Sage finally awoke, it was nearly noon and she jumped up. Ian was already dressed in khaki pants and a polo shirt and smiling down at her. How had he managed that? Hadn’t she exhausted him enough? Apparently not, because the man had a voracious appetite.
“Hungry?”
Sage nodded.
“
I took the liberty of ordering up some lunch.” Ian inclined his head in the direction of a cart with several plates. “I thought we should eat before heading on the road.”
“On the road?” Sage asked.
“Yes, we’re going to my home in Malibu. My car will be dropped off any minute.”
“I don’t recall agreeing to go to your home.”
“You didn’t,” Ian replied, walking over to the cart and throwing a couple of grapes into his mouth. “But you’ll love the drive up the coast, with the wind blowing through your hair, and the view of the ocean is nothing short of spectacular.”
“Ian…”
“I already know what you’re going to say, Sage, and I don’t want to hear the reasons why this won’t work. We have another few days here in beautiful sunny California before returning to New York. And I for one would like to enjoy them without you fighting me every instant.”
Sage sighed. She would love some downtime; she rarely had time off working sixty- to seventy-hour workweeks at the firm.
“Just say that you’ll enjoy this time with me, no questions asked.”
He was asking the impossible of Sage to forget how dangerous this was and enjoy the moment. Could she? She paused. “All right,” she said finally. “I’ll go with you.”
“Go shower.”
While Sage dressed, Ian contacted Jeffrey to make sure the house was in order.
“Everything is just as you requested,” Jeffrey said from the other end of the line. “Housekeeping tidied up and restocked the fridge with everything you could possible need and probably a whole lot you don’t.”
“Great!”
“So I take everything went as you planned.”
“Everything is fine,” Ian returned. They were actually better than fine, but if he admitted that to Jeffrey, then he’d have to admit that he was developing feelings for Sage and he wasn’t prepared to do that.
With his silence, Jeffrey surmised it had. “All right. Well, I guess I will expect you back at the beginning of the week?”
“You can. And, Jeffrey,” Ian added before he hanging up, “I’m MIA for the rest of the week. Don’t contact me unless it’s an emergency.”
If You So Desire Page 9