The cat of nine tails was in her purse. There weren’t many occasions where she had a chance to use it. A woman of questionable morals came to mind. She was weak one night on the road and didn’t want to turn to Nicholas to give him the wrong idea. This was a different kind of sexual perversion and one that she had not shared with anyone.
“I trust you. Being burned too many times can make you jaded. I’ve always believed love was meant for those who deluded themselves into thinking that they could have something special with the same person every day and night for the rest of their lives.” He recognized the shade of gray in his personality and it was a dark time in his history when he found himself falling for the wrong woman.
“I would cry a lot, but I will never shed a tear for any man again. I have the same mentality when it comes to relationships. It’s the reason why I think this won’t work between us.” She was trying to take the band aid off quickly, but she inadvertently started a chain reaction.
He grabbed her wrists and pinned them over her head in a vulnerable position. Touching her with the tip of his tongue was just the start of her downward spiral into those feeling she never thought she would ever have.
“I never want to see any woman cry, unless the orgasm I give them is so intense they have no choice. But, that doesn’t happen too often.” He heard the rustling of the papers in her hands and they weren’t exactly going to be in pristine condition.
She ducked out from underneath him, finding a way to unclench his fist from around her wrists. It was quite easy. She knew the trick of not struggling and pulling straight down.
Running from disgruntled older men had become commonplace for her. They sometimes sent an emissary or more precisely muscle to make her pay for her misdeeds. A black eye or bruised ribs were something she would heal from. It could’ve been worse.
Claire never carried a gun, but it didn’t mean she was defenseless. She had the ability to use her environment making anything a weapon. Taking classes gave her the power to take the fight to anyone. They would underestimate her.
“You should really have your people go over the documents with a fine tooth comb. Trusting someone shouldn’t come easy when the world is full of people who want what you have.” She couldn’t believe she was saying these words and there was this feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“I don’t normally trust anyone unconditionally and not even my wife knows me the way you do. She only sees what I want her to see. I can lower my guard and be more myself with you. Tell me what brought on this change of heart.” Eric was watching her closely and this time the blinders were coming off. His heart had the ability to lead him astray, but his instincts were honed to a razor’s edge.
Claire was pacing and trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for stopping this transaction before the money exchanged hands. Nicholas would be livid. He would believe she had lost a step and he probably would be right.
“I’ve got to know you over these last couple of days and I don’t want you to regret your decision. You’re making a mistake by letting your emotions dictate what you’re going to do. There hasn’t been an offer on this place in quite some time. The owners are very stubborn and are looking for a specific number to let this property out of their hands.” Claire felt like a fool with her hands clammy and her heart making the mistake of getting personal.
“I’ve never been more serious in my life. This place has always been on the back of my mind,” he said. “It's the one place which helped me to figure out where I was going to go in life. The constant badgering by my father was muted when I was lying in the sand dreamily looking at the stars.” He saw she was fidgeting and trying not to make eye contact. These were always good indicators of someone not being completely honest.
“That’s precisely the reason why you should take some time to think about it. You haven’t even considered doing an in-depth inspection of the property. I would be remiss as your real estate agent if I didn’t stress the importance of an examination of the property.” It sounded plausible in her head, but Claire was making the cardinal mistake of backpedaling like her life depended on it.
She recognized the look of suspicion in his eye and she had to downplay the importance of taking the necessary time to assess the situation with an unbiased eye.
“I don’t know where this is coming from. Wait…are you worried that once this is finished we will never see each other again? I can assure you, wild horses couldn’t keep me away from you. My main concern is if you can accept that my wife is going to be in the picture for the conceivable future.” He wasn’t in love with his wife, but he thought after some time they would begin to show some sort of affection.
“In some small way, I’m worried that I’m going to hurt you by making you choose between her and I. You say that you’re not in love with her, but I wonder the reason why you are together in the first place.” She was learning from her mistakes and turning the subject around to include something dear to his heart was the easiest way to deflect.
“I know I mentioned this already, but the reason for us to get together was that our family’s deemed it so. We are stronger together than we are apart. I don’t even remember the last time we shared a bed together. We have separate rooms down the hall. I’ve taken other women to my room and she has been with other men with my blessing.” He was telling tales out of school and felt it was important for Claire to know all the facts before moving forward.
“I want to believe you, but will I get the same story if I were to confront your wife face to face?” She was never concerned about how her actions could be perceived by others.
This was the first time she had a hard time figuring things out without the money making her see those she had crossed as just another victim. Life was hard and she was there when somebody was picking up the pieces. Selfishly, she was only interested in those that could benefit her in some way.
“I swear on my grandmother’s grave, everything I’ve said to you is the god honest truth. I don’t mind postponing the sale to show you how I feel about you,” Eric said. “I don’t think that I could live with the knowledge I hurt you in any way. Since this is very personal to me, I want to make it abundantly clear that I have first right to sign on the dotted line. I hope this isn’t a ploy to get more money or have another buyer on the side ready to swoop in at the last second.” He was still dealing with the merger with the adult movie company.
“I hate to put you into any position where you don’t feel comfortable. It goes without saying this property is yours when you’re ready to finalize,” Claire said. “Take your time and you never know what you might be finding underneath where you can’t see. Sometimes you need to look past an emotional attachment.” She was going to have to appease Nicholas and the best way to accomplish that was to give him hope for more money.
Nicholas was all about the dollar signs in his eyes and the greed was written on his face with bold indelible ink.
“Giving it some thought, I believe that slowing things down before I hand over a fairly large sum of money is a good idea. Any reason to see your beautiful face and have your body wrapped around my waist is only going to put a smile on my face.” He wasn’t just piling it on. He wanted her to see how being with her had changed him.
“We might have rushed into this in more ways than one. Standing here in front of you makes me want to rip off your shirt with my teeth,” Claire said. “I know that’s not ladylike or shows me in any professional standing. I couldn’t care less as long as I get my hands on you. I want to conduct an experiment.” She could see the perplexed look on his face and was waiting for the inevitable question to be posed.
“I don’t think I’m going to regret asking this, but what kind of experiment do you have in mind?” He was willing to do anything. The idea of blindfolding him and letting her have her way with him was definitely going outside his comfort zone.
“We know this place makes us hungry for each other and I would like to find out if we c
an duplicate those feelings someplace else. I’m sure you have a hotel that you have used in the past when you wanted to get down and dirty with someone. I’m no one to judge and what I’m expecting from you is some transparency.” She was still lying and it was getting easier with each one told.
“I have no problem making some reservations on our behalf. There’s no reason to tell you something to make you feel better. Being with other women was my way of feeling something. Looking for my princess was like finding a needle in a haystack.” He remembered the frank conversation he had with his wife about fleeting moments of pleasure.
She tried to be supportive, but he could tell sleeping with another man was the only thing getting her up in the morning. They were all about discretion and the hotel they frequented catered to those who needed their privacy to be of the utmost importance. There was no threat of blackmail and each room was constantly checked for listening devices and any kind of surveillance. The windows were tinted and made those with prying eyes unable to see what they were doing behind closed doors.
“I can be very amenable and not very many things shock me. Take what I have said here today with a grain of salt. At your peril, bring me something to the table that you could never voice in public or to your wife. The blindfold is a great way to start, but I doubt that your fantasy ends there.” She was feeling this anxious energy in the air and was looking forward to seeing him cast aside any misconceptions when he thought about what was normal.
They embraced and kissed with wild passion until they finally separated with longing stares of desire.
Chapter Nine
“I know the reason why you didn’t come here in person to say this to my face. It’s lucky that you mentioned how you want to fleece him for more money. This sounds more like you and not some woman carrying emotional baggage.” Nicholas had heard the words coming out of her mouth, but the inflection of her tone was causing him to wonder.
“I just picked up some very racy lingerie and I’m on my way over to meet him at the hotel. This guy has no idea that I have him wrapped around my little finger. It’s a matter of showing grace under pressure and you know I always work my best when I’m under the gun.” She was a little upset with how easily she was able to make it appear that everything was planned.
“I have to question the reason why you didn’t come here. Being a study of human nature gives me the unique ability to see things clearly without emotions getting in the way,” Nicholas said. “God knows I have my vices and the worst of them all is gambling. There is no better rush than when something big is on the table.” His hands were literally shaking with withdrawals.
The only way to get the monkey off his back for even a short amount of time was to place a bet with one of his bookies. Losing didn’t even enter into his vocabulary. He thought that he was invincible and the money Claire had mentioned was helping him to justify his actions.
“Nothing seems to please you. I can’t do anything right without you constantly bickering with me. It might be time for us to reevaluate this partnership. This money is going to give us the time apart we need.” She was better off alone and knew having a partner came with its own restrictions.
“Do you really think I enjoy putting everything you say under the microscope? I’m getting tired of all of your bullshit. I never know when you’re telling me the truth or just stringing me along,” he said. “I want you to further investigate this merger. It might be more lucrative than the property without all the risk of getting caught.” He felt in his bones there was something there they could capitalize on.
“He hasn’t said much, but you know what they say about pillow talk. When they are vulnerable, breathless and drained of every drop is when they open up. I do believe I might be able to pursue this avenue of investigation.” She was fighting the natural urge to be with Eric and keep Nicholas from becoming too suspicious about her motives.
“I don’t know what it is about you, but you seem to have men wrapped around your little finger from the moment you look at them. I’m no stranger to your seduction techniques. I thought I was good at making women my puppets, but you take it to a different level. Don’t forget the reason why we are here.” He disconnected and stood there staring at the phone before dialing the number with a horse’s name on his lips.
Claire was at the elevator wearing her professional attire and makeup. Underneath was a guilty secret which she would reveal when the time was right. It would knock his socks off and have his tongue dragging on the floor.
She had already been with him two times and each time was a little bit better. There was always a certain monotony when she was playing fast and loose with her morals.
The staff didn’t even pay attention to her as she made her way down the hallway. She kept looking back to make sure that what she was about to do wasn’t going to be caught for posterity on somebody’s phone.
Knocking on the door, she waited and there didn’t seem to be anyone inside to welcome her. Turning the knob, she found it open and was biting her lip with the anticipation of what this might mean.
It was in the middle of the afternoon and yet the room was bathed in darkness. The smell of vanilla was intoxicating and led her across the room until she was standing right in front of the bed.
There was a scattering of rose petals. She was never much for romance, but this really did make her think that she had been missing out on something special.
“I don’t want you to look at me.” Eric stood waiting completely naked his cock ramrod stiff and ready to make her scream his name.
“You scared me almost half to death. What game are you playing? Don’t worry; I’m at your mercy.” Her chest was heaving and the feeling of him behind her lightly touching her shoulders was causing her to swallow with the nervous energy in the air.
“I thought about what I said and I believe that we can tweak it a little bit. Instead of me wearing the blindfold, I think it would be more enticing for you to be in the dark.” He produced the blindfold he had bought from a sex shop down the street.
“That wasn’t part of the deal, but I’m not complaining.” Any thought of the merger or the money she almost had in her hands was nothing more than a memory.
“Deals are meant to change and sometimes concessions have to be made.” He turned out the lights and left her completely willing to submit.
He took her hand and led her over to the bed where he made her gasp by pushing her into a sitting position. The hand he had control of was trembling. Her fingers came in contact with his naked skin.
She could feel the contour of his muscles, strong and resilient and it was making her anxious to touch him in a different way. Working further down, she grazed his nipples and continued on a downward course.
He was guiding hers until she was gripping the overwhelming need inside him. Stroking slowly was making her vividly aware of how many inches he possessed. Feeling him was a tease for more to come. This was going to leave her breathless and possibly with a nasty psychological scar.
She could show him some amazing things and had barely scratched the surface. She was well aware that she was a nightmare dressed to impress like his ultimate dream.
“I need to see you.” He ripped open her blouse, finding himself mesmerized by a black see through bra she was wearing.
He could only hope there was a matching pair of panties to go along with the ensemble she was wearing. It felt damn good to have her hands on him. During his absence in the last couple of hours, he had acquired the services of a private investigator to look into her life a little more deeply.
“I hope you know you owe me a new blouse. It’s a good thing I came prepared. I brought a change of clothes in case you were a little bit too anxious.” She felt it being pulled from over her shoulders. She was lying prone with his hands skimming down the length of her legs.
She couldn’t see a thing, but she understood where this was going with how hot his breath felt against her panties. They were removed slowly unt
il she once again could hear him inhale the fragrance of her aroma. The feel of his tongue making contact with the moistness of her crotch was making her even wetter.
“I can’t help myself. When I’m with you I become a wild animal. Sex like this doesn’t come around often. I’m going to take advantage of it for as long as I have it within my reach.” He touched her and ran his finger in a snail like pace down her wetness. Penetrating with just the tip of his finger confirmed how his cock was going to feel.
“I’ve never had the privilege to be with a man who wants to take their time. I thought you were lying when you said that you were a class above the rest. I thought you were telling me whatever I needed to hear to get into my pants. The time I spend with you is contagious.” They were both looking for someone to save them, but breaking the chains of convention wasn’t easy.
“I can say the same thing about you. You can bend my heart, but it won’t break. I’ve needed something for a long time and I didn’t know what I was missing. I’m reminded of a fable of the siren of the sea. I know the things that I can do without and you’re not one of them.” He pulled her legs apart.
His finger had separated the slippery lips and the first insertion of his agile tongue was met with her body rising to greet him. Holding her tightly, he could feel her soft skin and dug in with his fingernails to make sure she wasn’t going anywhere.
“I’ve never been this comfortable with anyone to let them put me in this position of vulnerability. That tongue should be registered as a lethal weapon,” she said. “I want you to know this is the first and only time I’ve ever been satisfied by a man. A woman, on the other hand, is another story altogether.” As he predicted, the very thought of her being with a woman struck a match to his libido.
The tongue was gentle at the beginning, but was fueled by a ravenous desire to consume every part of her. Her hands were pushing against the mattress with her head thrown back in the throes of an orgasm. She paint brushed his lips with her hole several times over.
Unwrapped by The Billionaire Page 68