by Stacey Lynn
“Emma.” That one word spoken with such lust and need moved me into action. I took him further in my mouth, until I swallowed all of him, the tip of his cock hitting the back of my throat. I moaned and hallowed my cheeks in order to relax so I could take all of him more comfortably. My hand went around and cupped his balls, squeezing them firmly and I relished the feel of his hand trembling slightly as it rested on my head. More quickly, I moved back and forth, sucking and licking him, loving the feel of his fullness in me.
“I can’t hold on….” Knowing Jack was closer, I pulled him in further, and harder than I had before just as he thrust his hips into me. He tightened right before his come spurt into my mouth. I kept sucking while Jack moaned and until I had licked every drop from him. It tasted of him; sexy and masculine with a mixture of salt. I couldn’t wait to do it again.
Slowly, he pulled out of me and with his hand that was on the back of my head, guided me up so I was standing again; pressed against the door. His hands gently clasped my hips, pulling me toward him before he rested his head right next to my temple.
“That was fucking awesome, Emma.” Jack’s ragged breath turned me on and I wanted more. “My turn now.”
He immediately dropped to his knees. My hands went to his hair when he kissed the inside of both my thighs, slowly blowing a hot breath against my clit as he passed by. With one hand, he moved one leg so my knee rested on his shoulder, opening me further.
“Put the palms of your hands on the wall,” he said, looking at me through half-hooded lashes. I couldn’t. I needed the grip on his head to keep me standing. I shook my head no. With one hand, he inserted one finger into me, turning it in circles as he pressed in and pulled it out.
One side of his lips twitched up. “Put your hands on the wall, Emma. Or I stop right now.” Before I was able to move them, he thrust a second finger into me, causing me to gasp.
He quirked an eyebrow and stilled his fingers, waiting for me to listen.
I did. I didn’t want him to stop.
Unfortunately, his phone rang, signaling we had company. I mewled in frustration.
He chuckled softly and kissed my thigh. “Later. I’ll take care of you later.”
“Jack, please.” I begged and I know I sounded whiny, grinding myself against his fingers needing him to finish what he had started. He didn’t move and he didn’t speak. He did nothing at all as I shamelessly bucked against his fingers, but it wasn’t enough. I could see the finish line, my orgasm looming in the distance, growing closer and bubbling more powerfully with every thrust of my hips but still he didn’t move his fingers or make any movement to help me.
“I have company downstairs.” He smiled wickedly and slowly began to withdraw his fingers. I squeezed them back into me, fighting it.
“Please, Jack. So close…” I was begging and pleading. My face hot with want and my nerves on fire. “…please, finish.”
He chuckled once and shook his head. I moved against his fingers again, me watching him, him watching the apex of my thighs and his fingers sliding in and out of me.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I took one of my hands off the door and began rubbing my clit. I bucked against his fingers harder right as the tip of my middle finger hit my sweet spot. Jack growled almost instantly.
“It’s mine.”
I glared at him. “Then finish it.” My breath was barely audible, my tongue dry and my throat swollen as I panted for him. Desperately.
His lips twitched into a small smile and his thumb flicked my clit. I moaned, loudly. So close, but so far away. And then my back arched against the wall, as his wet tongue finally….finally began licking me. He sucked and flicked me, while his fingers moved inside me. It was amazing. My entire stomach tightened and my hips moved, and bucked and shifted against his hand and his mouth until I couldn’t take it anymore.
I moaned loudly, not caring about the caterers or businessmen downstairs. I didn’t care if the entire city of Chicago heard me. Jack pulled his fingers out right as my orgasm hit and grasped both of my thighs, holding me tightly against his mouth as he licked and sucked every drop out of me.
My head dropped against the back of the door and my entire body shook with pleasure.
“Thank you,” I sighed.
“For?” He smiled, amused. God, had I really just thanked him for that?
I blushed and then kissed him once he was standing in front of me. “Taking care of me, of course.”
His expression grew serious. A slight tightening of the eyes his only tell. “Always.”
He nodded once and then reached for his dress shirt. By the time I had my skirt fastened and my sandals back on, Jack was fully dressed and looking more sexy than ever.
How is that possible? When he had his way with me, I looked completely wrecked with swollen lips, flushed skin and matted hair. Jack looked as beautiful as ever.
“I’ll go downstairs and let everyone in,” I said after I glanced at the clock and saw that it was six o’clock. Time for his dinner party to begin and after I escorted all of his attendees in, I was leaving for a night out with Macy. Although all I wanted to do now was stay in Jack’s room and wait for his dinner to be over so he could make good on his promises.
Jack smiled as if he knew what I was thinking. The blush on my cheeks and the lust in my eyes probably gave me away completely.
“Do you have plans for tonight?” he asked me, as he reached for my hand and led me down the hallway.
“Logan’s with Penny tonight since I was working late. Macy, Tate and I are going out to see a band we loved in college down in Lincoln Park.” It was a gorgeous night out and I loved watching live music. This band, The Nadas, was having a street party. Cheep beer, street dancing, and hotdogs. It sounded like the perfect night when Macy and I made the plans, but now I was so sexually charged I didn’t know if I’d be able to enjoy myself.
Jack must have had the same thought because he groaned in frustration and pulled me towards his chest. “I don’t want to let you go. I feel like handcuffing you to my bed and not letting you leave until I have my way with you.”
My eyes widened in shock and arousal. Please do. Or not.
It creeped me out just thinking about being restrained on his bed….and yet, not. My head spun in a spiral vortex thinking about it. I shook my head to clear my mind. Jack must have thought I was saying no.
Jack chuckled softly. “Maybe another night, then.”
I said nothing because I didn’t trust myself to speak.
“Go enjoy your night with Macy. We’ll just pick up where we left off later. I’ll come see you when I’m done here.”
I nodded and smiled at the head caterer as we reached the bottom of the stairs. He gave us a knowing smile, as if he knew exactly what Jack was doing with his personal assistant upstairs in his bedroom while they were down there working. I felt my body blush in embarrassment, but Jack simply squeezed my hand in a comforting gesture. In a split second, he squared his shoulders and turned on his professional mask with the grace of a gazelle. God he was sexy.
“Mr. McMillan, a few of your guests arrived while you were busy so I ushered them into your living room and prepared them a drink.”
Jack nodded his head in approval. I was thankful the caterer had the wherewithal not to disturb us. “Thank you, Jacob.”
Jacob simply nodded his head and returned to the kitchen.
“I’ll go make sure everything is okay while you go speak to your guests.” I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which was outside my rules considering any of his business partners could have seen me, but I couldn’t resist.
Jack held me tightly for just a second longer than professionally acceptable before letting me go. I smiled as he walked away, looking as polished as ever.
I took a step towards the kitchen when I heard a knock on the door. Instead of checking on the catering, I turned around to welcome one of Jack’s guests.
I opened the door and immediately wished I wouldn’
t have.
Fuck, me.
ELEVEN
I felt the color drain immediately from my face.
What in the hell was he doing here? And then I remembered Jack’s words from last Friday and I knew. Shit. Marcus was the new attorney.
Of course he was. I never should have brushed the thought so quickly out of my mind. Marcus Whitmore the Third was standing in front of me – his face as pale as the white carpet in Jack’s penthouse.
His face showed an equal amount of shock at my presence. I had hoped, every day for the last five and a half years that I would never run into this man again. And here he was, standing at the entrance to Jack’s condo.
I covered my arms across my stomach instantly. I wanted to hide my secret from him. The only thing it did was bring attention to the one place I never wanted him to look again. His green eyes dropped immediately to my stomach, almost searing into me. I felt like just by looking at me he knew what I had done.
His hands clenched into fists at his side; full of tension.
We stood there, Marcus still in the doorway, me frozen in the same spot, staring at each other, our silence speaking volumes in and of itself. I don’t know how long we stood there, the tension between us flaring so much I thought the space between us might burst into flames.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” My voice sounded scratchy to my own ears and I felt my fingers ball tightly into fists at my side. There was no way to hide the amount of shock I was experiencing.
“Emma.” I wanted to run as soon as my name escaped his lips. I wanted to flee as fast as possible. Pick up Logan and run to some place obscure like Bora Bora and start our lives all over. Unfortunately, my feet became deeply rooted into Jack’s perfectly shined wood entryway floor and I couldn’t move a single inch. I wasn’t even sure I was still breathing.
This couldn’t be happening.
He reached for my hand, but I flinched and he stopped himself.
“It’s good to see you.” His quiet words and recovered look of shock didn’t startle me. Marcus was always perfect at playing the role of a smooth player. It’s undoubtedly how I got sucked into his vast web of lies to begin with.
“I can’t say the same.” I eyed him with disgust and pain. His blond hair mirrored Logan’s and a small part of me wanted to reach out and mess it up just like I did to his son’s. I gasped at my own thought. Marcus was here, looking like a grown-up replica of the boy I gave birth to almost five years ago and he had no idea his son existed.
I watched his eyes flicker back to my abdomen and back to mine.
“You two know each other?” Jack’s deeply tense voice finally released my feet from their frozen prison. I jumped and looked to him. Both Marcus and I did. He stood in the entryway, just a few steps behind me, looking every bit the professional CEO he was, but I knew by the tick of his jaw that he was on alert. He felt the tension between us and was clearly confused. And concerned.
I tried to smile when he looked to me, but it was an absolute pathetic attempt at best. I felt like throwing up and knew it showed.
I wanted Jack to comfort me. I needed to feel his arms around me, protecting me from the hell that had just landed in my lap. He must have sensed it because he finally moved closer and wrapped an arm around my waist before turning to Marcus, extending his other hand.
“Come on in.” I watched the men shake hands. My self-professed broken man next to me, shaking hands with the man who broke me. I felt bile rise in my throat at the fact that Marcus now worked for Jack and I would be seeing much more of him. I cleared my throat to force the vile taste back down.
Jack’s expression was completely professional. Anyone who knew him only on a professional level wouldn’t see past the mask of indifference he wore. I saw it. I saw the tension around the outer edges of his eyes and felt it from the hand wrapped firmly around me. His hand pressed tightly into my back. I didn’t know how to explain what was happening. Marcus didn’t either. But he didn’t know the half of it.
Finally, I found my voice. I looked to Marcus and then Jack. “Marcus and I went to school together, Jack.”
I tried as hard as I could to look pleasant. To hide the fear and anger that was bubbling just beneath the surface. I was always amazed at how quickly people could shut down their emotions and move on as if nothing bothered them. Jack and Marcus clearly had that gift because they quickly looked to me and then back to each other, looking completely composed and professional.
Marcus looked between us, now inside the condo I spent so much time in and I wanted to kick him out but knew I couldn’t.
“Are you two…?” He looked almost sheepish as he started the question, as if his new boss’s personal life was any of his business.
Jack’s grip tightened around me fractionally. I felt safe instantly. He wouldn’t let Marcus hurt me. Then I realized how stupid the thought was. Marcus had the power to hurt me more than anyone in the entire world, he just didn’t know it yet.
“She’s mine.” I finally managed a sincere smile at Jack’s possessive tone. Over the last two weeks, it had either driven me to frustration or driven me wild; right now, it was exactly what I needed. It calmed me. Every tightly spun nerve in me began to release and I felt myself leaning into Jack’s shoulder, relaxing.
Those few seconds gave me the courage to gather my nerves. I didn’t want to screw anything up with Jack and his company. He said that Marcus was important to him, and even though I hated the man in front of me, personally, I knew his connections were invaluable to Jack. I couldn’t screw this up.
So I took a deep breath and smiled, pretending that my life wasn’t falling apart right in front of me.
“Do you want a drink?” I asked Marcus as politely as possible. At his nod, I moved out of Jack’s reach. He scowled at me but I nodded my head towards the kitchen, hoping he’d understand to meet me there.
Marcus followed me to the wet bar where I poured him two fingers of scotch.
“How are you?”
I ignored the question. I refused to look at him afraid I might spit in his face or dump his scotch down the front of him.
Marcus cleared his throat again and I ground my teeth together knowing another question was coming. I could do this. Five minutes and I was out of there and somehow I’d make sure I never came across Marcus again.
“How long have you and Jack been together?”
I snorted and finally looked at Marcus. I resisted the urge to flinch when I saw the left side of lips twitch. It was his one tell that gave away his stress. It was also the exact same thing Logan did when he concentrated on his drawings or building the perfect Lego tower. I hated their similarities. I hated that Logan had anything to do with this man in front of me.
“It’s none of your business Marcus.” Without giving him the chance to say anything else, I led him into the living room where the other board members congregated. After making sure everyone in the room knew each other, I excused myself.
“Jack will be with you all in just a few minutes.”
I turned and left the men without another word and went to the kitchen. Jack was standing hunched over the sink. Even through his suit, I knew that every muscle was tightened as he gripped the counter so hard his knuckles were white. I could practically envision the veins on his forearms sticking out.
“Who is he to you?” He hissed angrily at me. I knew he wasn’t angry at me. Most likely he was jealous, but I also knew his lid would flip when I told him.
“He’s nothing to me anymore.” Except a thorn in my side that was gouging my abdomen and spilling my blood all over the place.
Jack turned to me, inspecting me. He doubted me and I hated it.
I walked toward him until there were only inches between us and placed my hands gently on his biceps. They twitched beneath my hands but slowly relaxed a little bit.
“This is a big night for you and I won’t screw it up. Can we please talk about Marcus tomorrow?”
He shook his head
adamantly and I knew he was going crazy just imagining my past relationship with Marcus. He hated the very thought of me with another guy before him, and I was about to make him face it head on.
“You need to get out there and have your dinner. Please. I’ll tell you tomorrow. It’s just….” I turned from him for a second; trying to think of something that could explain it and get us out of this mess and found the right words. The exact words he told me when he refused to talk about his brother. “I don’t talk about him. Ever.”
He knew what I meant and I hated using it against him, but I was desperate to get out of there. If I told Jack now how I really knew Marcus, I had no doubt he would beat the shit out of him, and that would be the worst thing for both of us. He rubbed the back of his neck and then let out a quiet, frustrated growl before roughly grabbing my hip.
He kissed me roughly, plunging into my mouth without allowing me to catch my breath. Nevertheless, I took it. I threw my arms around him and pulled him closer; taking everything he gave me, letting him mark me as his, even if no one else was watching. He needed the assurance and I gave it willingly.
“You promised me honesty.” His eyes flashed in anger and I swallowed slowly, knowing that I did.
“I will Jack. Just not right now.” He sighed reluctantly.
“Tomorrow.” He growled against my mouth when he finally pulled away, both of us panting desperately.
I nodded. “Tomorrow. And behave tonight.”
He walked me to the door, a hand lightly on the small of my back, just as Martin finally arrived.
“Late as always, huh old man?” Martin smiled a wide smile that reached from cheek to cheek as the two men embraced in a typical man-hug; one hand clasped around the other’s forearm and two quick pats on the back. I couldn’t help but smile at Jack’s casual nature around him. It was something rarely seen and I knew he loved the older gentleman in front of us, dressed immaculately in a perfectly tailored suit and a full head of salt and peppered hair.