His flat tone should not have made her heart squeeze. It was the truth, but hearing it from his lips was pure pain. “What exactly do you want?” She tried not to snarl.
“I want what I’ve wanted since the day my lips claimed yours. I want to know what it’s like to take you to my bed.” His voice was low and deep.
“You d-did not just ask me to…” Her cheeks burned. What he asked made more sense than a marriage proposal, because she wasn’t in the same league or even the ballpark with the likes of Claudia LeMure, and that female prize had struck out with Joel. If Claudia couldn’t win a wedding ring, what hope would a regular girl like Ava have?
“I want to take you to my private island and make love to you until your muscles liquefy.”
She swallowed and took a second to remember how to speak. “The last time you kissed me, you broke your cardinal rule of no drinking and cleaned out your office bar. Did you do that again?”
He shook his head. “No. But I can’t get you out of my mind, because we never reached completion.”
She grabbed her drink and drained half of it, glad for the potency of the wine. Praying the depressant would relax her shaking body, she replied, “No.”
“It makes sense why it’s so hard for us to find the right spouses. We have unfinished business between us.”
“What makes sense is that you need a doctor-prescribed vacation. A vacation alone. Or with Claudia in your bed, not me.” She finished the rest of her wine and smiled as the waitress refilled her glass. The dear woman must know what it was like to be offered a dream for exactly the wrong reasons.
“I don’t want Claudia. She’s no longer my fiancée. I want you.”
She should tell him “No way in hell,” but his arrogance would never accept it, and she wasn’t much of a liar anyway. “I should be finding a husband not wasting time in your bed—”
“If you spent even a minute in my bed, I promise, it wouldn’t be a waste of your time. You’d be more satisfied than you’ve ever been.”
His eyes held as much dark sexual promise as his deep penetrating voice and made the butterflies implode in her stomach. “No. It’s not a good idea.” Her voice became breathy.
“Why not? Tell me you haven’t wondered what we’d be like together. When you’re dating, are you sizing up the men, comparing them to me? Wondering if they will be able to please you the way I can? Don’t you wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t stopped the kiss that night? If I would have, instead, carried you to my desk, slid your silky teal skirt up your long legs and—”
“Stop!” she shrieked.
Wait! He remembered the exact color of skirt she’d been wearing that night? But that was seven months ago. She’d thought the kiss had been an accident, one he’d never thought of again. But she’d been wrong. She had affected him.
“This time we finish. Come with me. Let me make love to you. Because you need closure as much as I do.”
He rubbed his sensual lips, making her shiver. What would his whiskers feel like as they rasped against her sensitive skin?
Was he doing it on purpose? Making her want him?
Closure. He just wanted a brief affair, so he could go on with his life and then marry his perfect Claudia-like woman with Ava forever out of his mind. She should tell him to get in his red Ferrari and drive straight through the gates of hell.
But she’d been on six dates this week, thanks to her sister Bethany, the Matchmaker of Manhattan. Apart from Grant, each man had been handsome, successful, honest, and looking for a permanent relationship. None of them had been wrong for her, yet she’d allowed none of those men to claim her lips the way she’d allowed Joel. Even though he was so wrong for her, a man with secrets, like her father.
What if she did go away with Joel and let him make love to her? Would she then be free of his sexual spell? It wasn’t like she had a ton of experience.
Yet if she allowed Joel to take her to his bed, afterward she’d be free to explore a meaningful relationship with a man who was right for her.
“You expect me to believe you can’t marry Claudia until you’ve had me? What’s so special about me? I’ve been working for you for a year, and you haven’t been interested, apart from one drunken kiss.” She swung her index finger in his direction.
His black eyes drank her in like she was the finest after-dinner liqueur, one he wanted to savor. Her nerve endings stood at attention. Did he look at Claudia that way? Because she’d just bet the woman flew at him, tearing her clothes off, begging him to take her.
“Oh, I’ve been interested all right. But you were my employee, and I don’t seduce my employees.”
Since she’d told him she wasn’t going back to work for him, that made her just a woman he wanted. She shivered again.
“I’m not going away with you.” She reached down to grab her purse and clunked her forehead on the edge of the table. Son-of… Just what she needed—a purple bruise. That should attract a lot of dating prospects.
He held up a hand. “Listen. Then I’ll let you leave.”
“Let me leave? You don’t own me. You’re not even my boss now.”
“Let me finish. If you don’t, I’ll have my PI find you at each and every date, and I’ll come ruin them for you.”
She gasped in horror. “You’re saying if I don’t go on this sexual trip of yours, you’re going to ruin all my future dates?”
“Haven’t I already? You compare me to every man you meet,” he said.
The gorgeous bastard had a point. “Do you even hear yourself? You are the most arrogant man on the planet.”
“Tell me I don’t speak the truth.” He lifted his brows in challenge.
“You don’t speak the truth.” But she couldn’t meet his dark chocolate eyes.
“Let me finish my argument.”
She sighed and held her purse, signaling this was the end of their discussion, no matter what insanity plagued him. “Fine, but make it quick. I’m late for a Tylenol. Mr. Superbroker gave me a throbbing headache.”
He nodded. In his cold, calculating win-everything voice, he said, “I propose we fly to my private island and spend one week together, exploring each other, so when the trip is finished, this minor fascination will burn out.”
She sighed. “You sure do know how to romance a girl. Good thing you have looks and money, because your silver tongue is completely tarnished.”
He smiled. “Think about it. I want to know what you’re like. You want to know what I’m like. So much so that we aren’t able to untangle ourselves from the attraction to find the right mates. We’re both obsessed with what’s been left undone.”
“You think this so-called obsession we have will go away after one week?”
“I guarantee it. At the end of the week, any naive fantasies we have about each other will die in the light of day. We’ll be free.”
“Free. Why do you want to get married, Joel? Do you want to pass on your empire? Do you want children?” She hugged her purse closer for protection. She wasn’t going to let Joel make love to her. Shut up hormones.
“No. I don’t want children.” He flexed his jaw.
For a second, she’d swear she read a flicker of pain deep in his eyes. But then he blinked it away, and she wasn’t so certain.
“I want good sex and good companionship, nothing more.” His tone was frozen, business-like.
“Sex, not love? Don’t you think sex would be better in the company of love?”
“No, I don’t. Once a man falls in love, he changes. He becomes controlled by emotion, and that leaves him open to making mistakes.”
Because of what she’d seen with her father, she believed the opposite. Before he’d died, her father had never allowed his family to control his emotions. Or any part of his life. Her father had abandoned her frazzled mother to raise three kids on her own, while he’d done exactly what he’d wanted when he wanted.
Just like Joel.
So if she knew Joel was just like her
father, why was she obsessed with him? What if she did let him make love to her? Would that kill her need for him? Was his sexual allure just a fantasy propelled by unfinished business?
“We’re leaving in three days. At nine a.m., on Friday. Be on time.” He motioned for the waitress and slid her his credit card, paying for Ava’s entire bill.
If the waitress hadn’t been there, batting her eyes as she took the card, Ava would have tossed her purse at Joel’s perfect Roman nose. How dare he order her to be on time to the airport when she hadn’t even agreed to go in the first place.
“You’re attracted to me, therefore, you will come,” he said as if he could read her mind. Maybe her indignant thoughts were plastered on her face.
“You need help with your over inflated ego,” Ava snapped.
“I need help with one thing, and you’re the only woman I want to help me.”
Before she could find a suitable insult, the waitress returned with his credit card, and he towered to his feet.
As he left the restaurant, Ava’s gaze moved from his dark head, to his broad back, down to his perfect male butt. He was a gorgeous man, who wanted her to be his vacation fantasy.
The glass door closed behind him, and Ava was left alone at the table, her mind spinning. What the hell was she going to do? It wouldn’t be smart to go away with Joel. He only wanted to use her.
Unfortunately, for the first time in her life, she wanted to be used.
If she went and she started to care about him, he’d cut her heart to pieces. But only if she fell in love with him.
No, she wasn’t that stupid. He wasn’t a man who wanted any type of emotion, let alone love. He didn’t want children. And worst of all, he was a man like her father, with heart-stabbing secrets.
But even though she listed all the logical reasons to avoid him, her body craved Joel Stanfield. Did she really want to say no? Surely one week on an island with Joel wouldn’t do much to change her life-long plans.
Should she go?
No. No matter what her sizzling body thought. She would stop thinking about Joel. She just needed more time. Then she’d be able to find the right husband.
****
Ava’s sister opened her condo door on the first knock. Ava followed her into the dining room then fell into her favorite floral chair. Before her sister even finished pouring the coffee, Bethany asked, “What did Joel do this time? It must be good since you couldn’t wait until lunch to complain.”
Ava looked into Bethany’s condescending eyes and sighed. She was only a year-and-half older than Ava, but she acted like she was light years ahead of her. So did Ava’s older brother, but even though Bethany was a pain at times, Ava knew she only nagged and commanded because she wanted the best for her little sister. And she gave great advice.
“He wants to take me to his private island.” Ava said in a can-you-believe-it tone.
“Hallelujah! So why are you here? A clothing emergency? My guess is you won’t be wearing much.”
“I expected more of a lecture from you. You’re the one who was so concerned about what would happen if Joel came after me.”
“I was worried that you would hurt one of my clients. But you don’t date them long enough for that to happen.” Bethany grinned.
“This is serious. I’m tempted to go, but I can’t. You have to help me find the strength to resist him. Tell me you have a more suitable match for me. I need a shot of reality and will power.”
“Are you kidding me?” Bethany laughed. “You want your boss so much you ignore every perfect man I set you up with. I think going away with Joel is a great idea.”
Ava leaned back as far as the chair allowed and stared at her crazed sister. She started to speak, but her sister’s cook ambled in with a platter of warm croissants and breakfast meats, then disappeared, leaving only the scent of bread and crispy bacon.
Ava rubbed her jaw. “What if I fell in love?”
“With Joel?” Bethany shook head. “Not going to happen. You’re smarter than that. He’s exactly what you don’t want in a man—a cold workaholic who wouldn’t know feeling if it bit him in his butt. He’d never lose his heart, so yours is safe.”
Ava scrunched her nose. “He’s exactly like Dad. Why can’t I get him out of my mind?”
“Because you’re making sex with him a bigger deal than it is.” Bethany licked croissant crumbs from her lips. “Maybe if you’d never been with Jason, you’d be more sexually adventurous, and you’d know what I’m saying is true.”
Ava cringed. She’d only had a couple of lovers, back when she’d thought she’d fallen in love. Both times had been mistakes, especially being in Jason’s bed. “No. I just—”
“Go to Joel’s private island. A man like Joel, a playboy billionaire, should be used for what he’s best at—thrilling you in bed. Afterward, you’ll be able to let him go. Trust me on this one.”
Chapter Four
By the time Ava arrived at the private airstrip, she was a mass of quivering nerves and clammy palms. She was so late she wondered if Joel had already left without her.
But there it was. Joel’s shiny private jet, which meant he had waited. Her heart jump-started.
All night, all morning, she’d thought about whether to come or not. She’d weighed the risks. Even though Bethany had assured her she was too smart to fall in love, it still didn’t stall her fear that she would. That being in Joel’s bed would lead her to loving him.
How could she be sure? She’d never allowed a man she didn’t love into her bed. And being with Joel wasn’t part of the plan.
But her whole life had been planned out. Go to school, find a good career, work for a while, then marry a man and have his babies. Then when the babies were big enough, go back to a promising career. But she’d never met a man like Joel before. One she wanted more than her plan.
She shouldn’t be here, Ava thought, as she gave her keys to one of Joel’s staff to park her car. She should be dating Bethany’s next prospect and making love to her future fiancé.
But she didn’t want to. She wanted Joel, and she wanted to be free of her obsession.
As Ava clicked up the plane’s steps, Joel moved to meet her halfway. On the middle step, he grabbed her hand and threaded his long fingers through hers. His palm was dry, strong, and warm. Zaps of electric sensation fired over her senses, making her breath catch.
Joel stopped and motioned for her to sit in a leather captain’s chair next to his, by the window. Then he leaned over to buckle her in, and she inhaled the intoxicating scent of his cologne. When he gazed down at her and smiled a carnal smile, butterflies bombarded her stomach.
Oh god!
She was going to do it. She was going to escape into Joel’s world, be his woman for one delicious week. What had she been thinking?
The jet’s engine roared to life and she started to shake. Was it too late to yell stop?
Yes, it was, and she’d made her decision. And after being in Joel’s bed, she would be able to get on with her life and her plans. One week would be enough. It was all she would allow herself, all he was going to allow her too.
“Just how secluded is this island?” Ava asked as his plane pulled away from the tarmac.
“Private enough that we won’t be disturbed unless we want to be.”
His deep sensual voice slid over her like a hot shower. Again she wondered if coming on this jet was such a good idea. A man like Joel Stanfield had the best of everything—that included the best lovers, the most sophisticated ones. Ones so out of her skill-set, they made her feel like a child wearing her mother’s high heels.
Was she on her way to embarrassing herself? Was Joel expecting a seductress who knew how to pleasure him?
Probably. Most women were more experienced by the age of twenty-seven. Of course he’d expect her to know her way around the bedroom. When she didn’t, he’d be disappointed, like Jason had been. Maybe Joel would even forgo the rest of the week and send her packing after the f
irst night. Her hands turned to ice.
“Are you okay? You look pale.”
“I haven’t eaten yet.” That much was true. She hadn’t been able to eat since breakfast with her sister yesterday morning. All because her stomach had been jumping while she’d been deciding whether or not to come meet Joel.
Joel immediately instructed his flight staff to make her a gourmet breakfast and freshly squeezed juice.
In spite of everything, Ava managed to eat a little, only because it tasted divine. Her favorite, Belgian waffles with warm, maple syrup.
To Ava’s relief, Joel flipped open his laptop and started to work the minute they reached cruising altitude. With Joel working, it allowed her to relax and feel normal, to quit worrying if he was going to start their sexual vacation in the plane’s bedroom, in the back.
It also allowed her to pretend Joel was still her boss, and that they weren’t on their way to his island.
****
After they landed, Joel unbuckled Ava and helped her as she wobbled down the stairs of his plane. Her leg muscles had cramped, and her feet were numb from the long journey and lack of movement.
When she reached the ground, her eyes scanned the dark horizon. The full moon Joel had mentioned on the plane was swallowed by a cloud, so she couldn’t make out the landscape. But the extreme quiet told her they were light years from city crowds, from parties, from ringing cell phones. A 180 degree turn from her life. A shiver crept up her spine.
Her body should just relax. It should understand. She was in control, she’d made this decision, and she was happy with it. She wanted Joel and this time to explore sensuality with him. And maybe she’d even come out of this experience more sexually confident.
This trip had become part of her new plan, and it made sense.
The jitters would go away once he kissed her. She hadn’t felt nervous when he’d kissed her seven months ago. In his arms, she hadn’t been able to do anything but feel and moan for more. It would be the same, making love to him.
No, it would be better. Joel wasn’t some fumbling college boy, like Jason had been. She had no doubt Joel Stanfield knew how to please a woman.
A Weekend Temptation Page 3