“On auction nights, I outsource them from the same firm I’ve worked with for years.”
She unlocked the door to her office, switched on the light and marched in. He shadowed her, and she turned to close the door, then realized they were the only ones in the building. Apprehension expanded in her veins, and her office seemed smaller than she remembered.
Shaking her head, she sat on her chair, flicking on her computer screen and typing her password. “We don’t have cameras around the building in order to keep the clients’ identities private.” The last thing she needed was a waitress or a security person filming the attendees to blackmail them later.
“That’s not smart.”
“Thanks for your business advice.” She rolled her eyes, then focused on her computer screen. She typed his sister’s name in the database of auctionees. Then, she printed out the information she had on Pamela and gave it to him.
When she handed him the paper, her fingers brushed his, and a spark shot up her arm. Swiftly, she withdrew, rubbing her hands together like she’d been shocked and needed to recover. “This is what I have on file about your sister.”
He plopped on the seat in front of her, holding the sheets. Concern washed over his face, and she shifted in her chair. What would her life be like if she’d had a sibling? Would they have been thick as thieves, sharing fears and ambitions? Or would life have torn them apart?
Silly idea. She’d never wish for a sibling to grow up with her mother and her choices for men. No one deserved that. Not even me.
“Alexa.” Brooks’s deep baritone pulled her from her musing.
She blinked. “Yeah? Found anything interesting?”
He pointed at the piece of paper, waving it to her. “She put down an address and phone number here.”
“Didn’t you know where she lived?”
“Not lately. We had a fallout a couple of years ago. An argument when she’d been drunk and I was too stubborn. I hurt her feelings.” He thrust his fingers into his hair.
No wonder he was so adamant on finding out about his sister. She leaned closer, grateful for the desk in between them. “It wasn’t your fault,” she said, her voice soft, despite her internal alarms warning her to toughen up. When he’d explained his betrayal of her in Texas, she’d wanted to kill him—and now, a small part of her wanted to reach out and hug him.
He rubbed his stubbled chin, glancing at the paper, perhaps looking for more than just what led to Pamela’s death. “She asked for help, and though she came about it the wrong way, I didn’t give her what she needed. I told her to stop blaming my father for everything, even though I do the same.”
“She mirrored your behavior, and you didn’t like what you saw.”
“Exactly.” He folded the pages and sat them aside.
Her pulse fluttered, and she had to mentally restrain herself to keep from stretching out her hand to him. Sure, she didn’t trust him and a part of her loathed him for what he’d done to her. But damn, he’d cared about his sister enough to find out the truth. That had been more than anyone, family or friend, had done for her. That truth was like an invisible blade, slowly twisting its way into her flesh.
“I’ll need a list of who was working that day.”
“My assistant Jackie will be here in the morning. She’s the one who schedules employees and keeps up with that kind of stuff.” She toyed with the idea of calling Jackie and summoning her to come over, but decided not to. She didn’t want to worry Jackie about Brooks’s motives, and she certainly wouldn’t want Brooks to believe she was eager to help him. “You can talk to her then.”
“Can I take a look around? How many entrances do you have?”
She stood, and soon she showed him out of the office, striding down the halls. “Three. The main entrance, an emergency door and a food and beverage delivery entrance out back.”
“I got her on camera coming in the main entrance, but she never came out,” he said.
She led him to the emergency exit first, and he studied it, looking at the passcode pad next to the threshold. “This is part of our alarm system in case someone breaks in.”
“Is it possible to deactivate the emergency door so it won’t beep if someone takes off?”
“Maybe, but that’s not how we proceed.”
“I need to see what this leads to.”
“Knock yourself out.” She gestured with her hand, and he opened the door, the annoying sound filling the space. She followed him out, and besides a recycle container and a dumpster, didn’t find much.
He glanced around, scratching his chin. “Let me see the other way out.”
“Okay. Come on, cowboy,” she said, chastising herself immediately for using a playful pet name for him. Why had such a word moved past her lips? She increased her pace, wanting nothing more than Brooks gone. Heat stirred in her stomach as he easily caught up with her stride, and the image of his strong and muscly legs upped her internal temperature a notch.
Damn it.
Having sex with him had been a mistake. Still being attracted to him could destroy her.
When she showed him the last exit, two reinforced steel doors that led outside, he sighed. “Do these have heavy traffic during auctions?”
“Some, but not much. Catered food and the waiters arrive much earlier than the guests, and so does security. Jackie goes over everything with them.”
“Do clients ever leave through these doors?”
Why would they? She frowned. “No.”
“Do you ever have rowdy guests who bully the pretty waitresses or act like assholes?”
“Not very often, but sometimes. There’s an incident report somewhere,” she said, adding to the list of things Jackie would have to provide. “You insisted on coming with me, fine. I told you all this information wouldn’t be available at the drop of a hat.”
Light rain fell from the sky, but he didn’t move an inch. “Maybe I wanted to be close to you, Madam,” he said, in that deep, rich, Texan accent that had first gotten her in trouble.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t pretend you’re not here only because of your planet-sized guilt and compulsion to play Sherlock Holmes.”
“I’m not keeping anything from you, Alexa,” he said, leaning closer. She stepped back, bumping into the concrete wall. Drips of water kept sliding down the roof, dampening her hair. Another part of her was damp, too, shamelessly so. “Not anymore. I’m sorry I hurt you.”
She cleared her throat, telling herself to behave.
Flecks of gold flickered in his rich brown eyes, and a close-lipped, apologetic smile formed on his handsome face. “I’m here to find out what really happened to my sister. But this chemistry between us makes it hard for me to think.”
She inhaled, her chest rising and falling with each gulp. His gaze slid down her neck, and her nipples tightened in a silent invitation for some action. If she could fire her erogenous zones, she would. She parted her lips, but no sound came out.
He lifted his hand to her neck, without touching her, but hovering within a breath of her skin. Warmth passed between them, the air around them suddenly humid and thick. “If you’re honest with me, and with yourself, you’ll agree. You want me, too.”
She shifted her attention to his hand, how nice it’d feel buried between her legs, parting her folds, teasing her clit to exhilaration. The image stirred her up inside. “Sexual desires don’t dictate how I live my life,” she said with a weak voice, the type of tone she’d never used until Brooks stormed into her life.
“No. But denying them can make your life hell.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’m trying to keep from touching you, and all I can think about is how I miss your luscious legs around me. Fucking you deep and hard. Making you come again and again.”
She moaned. Her blood thrummed in her ve
ins with the urgency of a mayday alert. Instead of giving her what she craved, he took her hand and placed it on his heart. A haze of lust fogged her vision, sending her on a dizzy spell, but he circled one hand around her waist. She gasped, feeling his heart pound under her touch. Splaying her fingers around his chest, she lifted her gaze to his, finding flecks of brown gold. “Brooks,” she pleaded.
He lowered his hand to her neck, the main vein jumping at his caress. “I want you, Alexa, more than I’ve ever wanted any woman,” he said under his breath, agony lacing his voice.
She chewed her inner cheek, barely able to rationalize. She wished she could say no, because would she forgive herself if she said yes? A lump formed in her throat. She willed her body to move, to fight the attraction, but she couldn’t jerk herself away from him, couldn’t stop regarding him. His eyes…
His gaze spoke of lust and raw desire, but there was a soulful spark reminding her of all he’d done for his sister. Yes, he’d lied to her, but to protect a sibling. He’d lied because he’d cared for someone enough.
“No more lies, I promise,” he said. Maybe he’d seen her conundrum on her face. “I need to be inside you more than the air I breathe right now. But if you don’t feel the same, I’ll stop. Tell me what you want.”
Damn. If I have sex right now, I’m responsible. I can’t blame it on him seducing me anymore. Fuck, she couldn’t hate him for being loyal to his sister. Besides, he did things to her body no one had ever done before. She took a deep breath. It’s my choice. And that choice was almost as dangerous as what she was about to say.
…
Brooks withdrew his hand from her, even if his heart skipped a beat. He could have swept her off to Pleasureland, but he needed her to be sure she wanted to have sex with him. With him, Brooks Taylor, the bastard who had betrayed her—unworthy of making love to her, but unable to stop trying.
Her pupils dilated, darkening her eyes to a rich cobalt. She lifted her chin, angling her head so close to his, he could dip and kiss her. “Tell me,” he whispered. His cock throbbed, the pounding of blood racing through his veins so powerful, he had to will himself to keep upright and in control.
In control? A voice inside him laughed. Who am I kidding?
He caressed her cheek, tracing a path down her jaw. “Tell me,” he repeated, ashamed of the desperation in his voice. What if she said no? The idea slammed another punch into his gut, this time harder.
“Yes,” she said, her sexy voice thick with desire. “I want you.”
Her confession released the knot from his heart, which slammed against his rib cage. He captured her lips in his, unable to wait another second. She readily welcomed him, parting her mouth for his invasion, and he crushed her against the wall.
Drops of rain kept falling, sliding down his hair and gliding into his clothes, but he didn’t care. He’d have her now even if the place caught on fucking fire.
She squeezed his shoulders, showing him she was as ready as he was.
He conquered her mouth, his tongue stroking hers in an almost violent pursuit, which she met without hesitation. Aroused, he lifted her on the wall, the cue for her to wrap her legs around him. Currents of raw lust rushed to his cock, engorging it until it ached for release.
Impatient, he glided his hand into her skirt, slipping his fingers under her G-string. She bucked her pussy into his hand, kissing him harder, scratching the back of his neck with her long, dark red nails.
Didn’t take him long to find her drenching wet folds, and he tugged at them, pulling a bit until she wrenched her mouth from him and gasped. She touched his cock over his pants, and his hot rod hardened even more at the caress, struggling against the confines of his boxers. A throb filled his balls, weighting them with anticipation.
“Brooks. Now,” she pleaded, clenching his dick.
He lowered her a bit, enough for him to pull down his pants and boxers with trembling hands. When she crushed his lips with hers, pulling him into her arms, desire roared inside him, and he merely pulled her G-string aside, too turned on to care about finesse.
She nipped his lower lip, sending thrills of excitement through him. His frustration with himself, the guilt, the arousal, all blended into an enormous bubble of need. Heat curled into his stomach, every part of him uber aware of the woman giving herself to him.
He slammed his cock inside her, and they both moaned in tandem. Her greedy walls clenched every inch of his rod, the pressure airtight. He licked her lips with his tongue, and when she went to kiss him again, he withdrew his mouth, teasing her. He swayed his hips, moving his length inside her pussy, and she moaned again. This time, he took advantage and captured her lips with his, kissing her with the passionate ardor consuming him.
He pulled out his cock then drove himself into her again, repeating the motion several times, each one harder, stronger, all the way to his hilt. He fucked her like an animal, and she reacted in kind, both hands on his collar, pulling him so tightly, the fabric bit harshly into his skin. The raindrops fell thicker on them, with thunder roaring far behind.
“Don’t stop,” she hissed.
“I’ll never stop,” he said, in the heat of the moment. I’ll never stop fucking you. The idea added another notch of sexual despair, and he slipped his hand under her skirt again, pulling the scrap of underwear to the side a bit more, and he played with her clit.
“So good,” she breathed out in between kisses, her face glistening with sweat and raindrops. “You fuck me so good.”
She let out a sexy, raw, squirmy sound that reverberated through him, sending him so close to the edge, he could see fireworks at the corner of his eyes. Growling, he flicked her clit aggressively, each flick matching a powerful thrust into her naughty pussy. A pussy that belonged to him, and him only. A pussy he could no longer go without.
She moaned, and her eyes shimmered, pupils dilated. A shade of pink stained her cheeks, flushing down her neck. He withdrew his cock one more time, already half gone from the lurking climax, and when he rammed into her, she caught his shirt in her hands, clasping it, creasing the fabric. She clenched her inner walls, contracting her body against his, then a vibration washed over her and passed into him. He groaned, driving deep into her as his hot load filled her.
His heart took its time to slow down. Aftershocks of pleasure traveled up and down his spine, and he had to face the obvious. Sex with Alexa wasn’t sex as he knew it—it was stronger and more powerful than he’d ever imagined. He carefully disentangled from her, helping her get on her feet. She wobbled a bit and leaned into him, unbalanced, but he grasped her waist and kept her upright.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
He wiped raindrops from her face, wishing for a hot towel to wrap her in. “It’s getting worse,” he said, after more thunder shattered the air with loud claps, closer to them. “Come inside.”
“These storms come and go,” she said, closing the door behind him. “Let me see what I can find in the props closet.”
“The props closet?”
She marched across the empty space and into the hall, until she reached a door across from her office. “Every time we have an auction, we match the virgin’s personality to the decor of the stage. And here’s where we keep some of the stuff.” She opened the door and he glanced at several shelves, crowded with party crap. Everything from cheesy boas to colorful wigs, high-end shoes, and more. Two large racks contained different costumes, some with a paper clip and a post-it note attached.
She headed to the back of the room and returned with a couple of orange beach towels. Smiling, she threw one at him, and he grabbed it, dabbing his shoulders and hair. “I forgot we still had these.”
His stomach contracted. What decor had they picked for Pamela? The intrusive thought broke the romantic spell and sent him back to reality. A weight sat on his shoulders, stiffening his muscles. He shouldn’t know—and he shouldn’
t ask. The theme chosen to sell his dead sister’s virginity didn’t make a difference. He tasted bile at the back of his throat. It reminds me of why I’m here.
Alexa walked up to him, drying her hair with the towel. Awareness flickered far back in her baby blues, sobering her expression. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
He shook his head, looking away. “It’s okay. We needed towels.”
“Yes. Tomorrow, I’ll get Jackie up to speed and you can come in the morning and ask her whatever you need.”
“Thank you.”
She shrugged. “You should probably go now.”
He glanced at her, disappointment cooling his internal temperature. “I was hoping you’d go with me. Maybe take a hot shower to make sure you don’t catch a cold,” he said, telling himself staying close to her would make sure she just didn’t disappear the next day. A lie he himself didn’t believe. Damn it. He wanted to be with her, even if temporarily—to explore this scorching pull to each other until they were both sated.
She upped an eyebrow, staring at him. “It’s okay. I’ll take my chances.”
“All right. I’m just saying, I haven’t checked in a hotel yet and—”
“And I’m sure you can find a presidential suite in the best one in town,” she said, leaving no room for discussion.
Chapter Nine
“Do you have any questions?” Alexa asked, after she filled Jackie in. She reached for her coffee, the second cup this morning. She hadn’t been able to sleep, thinking about how good Brooks had felt inside her, fucking her, filling her until she came and her entire being vibrated for him. How bad she’d felt when she’d refused to spend the night with him.
It had taken every fiber of her to deny his offer to sleep at her place, but she had to lift those protective emotional walls. Obviously, avoiding sexual relations with him was no longer on the table. But taking it to the next level would be beyond dangerous.
She didn’t need him to create any memories on her turf, not when he’d probably run the minute he got what he needed. He’d lied to her once, what would keep him from doing it again? And why wasn’t his betrayal enough of a deterrent? She’d fired people or cut them from her life for much less.
The Billionaire's Betrayal (Highest Bidder Book 3) Page 8