by Faye Avalon
He all but pulled her from the seat and had to resist dragging her along the pavement. While he wasn’t sure his caveman tendency would exactly displease her, he didn’t want to draw any more attention than he had to.
In the foyer of the hotel, they walked to where a uniformed receptionist stood guard. “We’d like a double for one night,” he told the woman, hoping the request was preferable to “a double for a quickie.” Although from her questioning gaze, she already knew and didn’t seem in the least phased about it. The woman took his card details and some other information, then gave him a key and details about the dining room and breakfast.
He nodded politely, then caught Gina’s hand and made for the elevator. Once the doors shut behind them, Gina burst out laughing. “Oh God, that was so hilarious.”
“What was?”
“You, trying to be all nonchalant when you’ve got a hard-on the size of Africa. She would have seen it a mile off.”
“Funny.” He backed her up against the rear elevator wall and cupped her ass. “Let’s see if you’re so amusing sixty seconds from now.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “What’s happening in sixty seconds?”
“My cock will be inside you and you’ll be needing to hang on to whatever’s handy because there’s not going to be much finesse involved.”
Her eyes went wide as she gyrated against him. “Bring it on.”
He didn’t stop to check out the room, but pushed her down on the bed and started yanking her top over her head.
“You weren’t joking about the sixty second thing.”
“Don’t have time to joke. This is a quickie, remember? I promised to get you back in time for your meeting.”
As Mitch dozed, Gina slipped out of bed and grabbed her bag. As she dug in to find her cell, she couldn’t resist another glance down at his sleeping form. He was pretty magnificent. All long, leanly muscled with his hair mussed and one muscular arm flung over his head, the back of his hand resting on his brow. She let her gaze roam over him for a few more seconds, wishing to heaven she didn’t have to do this. Truth was, she was enjoying spending time with him, and that was just another mistake in the whole catalogue of them she’d made lately. She should have fixed her attention on what she had to do, while keeping the reason for it uppermost in her mind. It was fine to enjoy the sex, but no way should she have allowed herself to take pleasure in his company and be pulled into conversations with him.
The thing was, she liked their conversations. She liked being with him. And, okay, she absolutely loved the sex. Three good reasons to be with a man, but not in her case. Maybe it was the intransigent nature of their relationship that made it seem all the more compelling. One of those forbidden fruit kind of things.
It was no use thinking about that now, so she dug in her bag, pushed aside the paraphernalia she always carried in her tote and swore that one of these days she was going to get more organized.
With another quick glance at Mitch, who was thankfully still out of it, she continued to dig for her cell. Bad enough that she only had about twenty minutes to get showered, dressed and back to the studio for the meeting with her accountant, let alone being unable to locate her stupid cell phone.
She slipped into the bathroom and locked the door quietly so as not to disturb Mitch, then dumped the contents of her tote onto the floor.
Her phone wasn’t there.
The cold tile against her bare behind as she sat, added to the shiver that ran through her. Another lost opportunity. How could she be so stupid? While deliberating, she remembered that she’d forgotten to pick up her phone from her desk after she’d finished taking her last class.
Damn and double damn.
When Mitch called her name, she shoved the contents back into her bag. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it tightly around herself—neither of them had time for another bout of hot quickie sex—and opened the door.
Mitch stood in the doorway, all big and muscular. “Looks like we’re both going to be late for our meetings.” He pulled her up against him. “Feel like playing hooky?”
“I’d like nothing better, but I really have to get back. And so do you. Or have you suddenly turned into Mr. Reckless?”
“Maybe I’ve always been Mr. Reckless and you just didn’t notice.”
“Please. You wrote the book on being a conformist. You can’t have changed that much.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’m the one who wants to play hooky.”
“Safe in the knowledge that I’ll refuse because you know I have to get back.”
He yanked her up closer and she felt his erection push against her. “You’re saying I play it safe?”
“Let’s say I think you tend to err on the side of caution.”
“Stay. I’ll show you just how far from safe I can push things.”
Because he’d got a certain look in his eye—one she hadn’t seen before and found incredibly sexy—she eased back and skipped around him.
He caught her wrist. “You’re not taking that shower before you leave?”
“We’ll end up screwing again.” And, she told herself, since her cell wasn’t to hand, there was really no point. “I’ll grab a shower later at the studio. But you go ahead.”
She knew he watched her as she pulled on her sweat pants and workout tank. Knew that his gaze swept over her and that if she glanced in his direction, he’d be at full attention again. It was hard to deny that it pleased her to know how easily she could turn him on. Also hard to deny the pleasure it gave her to watch the way his eyes darkened with lust whenever he looked at her. If only she could be spared from discovering anything else she enjoyed about him.
When she’d finished dressing, she turned to face him, knowing he hadn’t moved from the doorway. “You’re going to be late.”
She couldn’t imagine him ignoring his responsibilities, business or personal, and knew it would cost him to be late for anything, but he didn’t seem in the least bit hurried to get moving.
It gave her pause to consider that he would be prepared to miss a meeting to be with her. And all she was doing was using him as a means to an end.
She looked at him, standing big and shatteringly handsome in the doorway, and her heart stumbled a little. Natural enough that she’d feel like this. He was a decent man. One who really didn’t deserve to be betrayed by someone intent on satisfying their own needs.
What she’d been forced to do was so beyond her comfort zone. She’d hate what she was doing even if it were to someone other than Mitch. But it wasn’t, and she had no option but to see it through.
He strolled over and drew her into his arms. “I’ll call for you at nine.” He kissed her, very thoroughly. “Don’t plan on going home tonight.”
Her head swam as he released her and turned her by the shoulders until she was facing the door. He opened the door, gave her backside a healthy pat and sent her on her way.
In the hallway, she turned and saw him lounging against the door frame in all his naked glory. “You should go inside before you scare any old ladies.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “What makes you think I’d scare them?”
Deliberately, she looked down to where his prick stood thick and proud of his taut abdomen. “Take a wild guess.”
She turned down the hallway and made for the elevator, his low, sexy laugh accompanying her. She grinned. There was something to be said for clandestine lunchtime liaisons, and even more to be said for the promise of repeating the activities they’d shared at nine o’clock tonight.
She couldn’t wait.
But this time she’d remember to take her bloody phone.
Mitch watched her go, still considering whether he did indeed tend to play it safe and—as she’d accused—err on the side of caution. Maybe he was prudent, careful even, but that wasn’t an entirely bad thing. At least no
t in his line of work.
But in the bedroom? While having sex? He hadn’t given it much thought. His previous lovers didn’t seem to have any complaints. But Gina was different. She needed excitement, the thrill of danger, of adventure. Maybe it was one of the reasons he’d suggested lunchtime sex in a hotel. Okay, maybe he’d suggested that because he found it impossible to keep his fucking hands off her, and hadn’t been sure he’d get through the afternoon without being inside her again. But still.
He knew he had to keep things edgy where sex was concerned. Push her hard, mix it up. She wouldn’t stay with him long if he didn’t continually keep her on her toes and show her just how far beyond cautious he could go.
Back in the room, he headed for the shower, an idea forming in his head. If he was intent on pumping things up, he couldn’t do better than what he had in mind. While he was partial to some light bondage play in his relationships, if the woman was willing, he’d never had the inclination to take things further.
While he showered, he played it through some more. He had no doubt Gina would be up for it. If nothing else, it would put to bed any assumption on her part that he was a man who played it safe.
He draped a towel around his waist, picked up his cell and called Jake Malone.
Chapter Nine
It was ridiculous to be disappointed, but Gina couldn’t shake the feeling that drew over her like a cloud as she finished the call from Mitch.
He’d cancelled dinner. Apparently, there’d been a crisis with one of his clients and he was on his way by Eurostar to Paris to sort things out. He hadn’t been too pleased himself, saying he’d had plans for her—for them both—which would now have to go on the backburner until after his trip.
Sinking back in her chair, she toyed with a stress ball on her desk and chastised herself for being disappointed about not seeing him. She should be focusing on her rapidly diminishing timescale for getting the photo. Costas knew about their lunchtime liaison at the hotel, she had no doubt of that. What surprised her was that he hadn’t called to check up on her. But as she’d told him about seeing Mitch that night, maybe he was holding off until tomorrow to make contact.
Now there was the small problem of his “source” informing Costas when she didn’t meet up with Mitch later, and had in fact gone home to her apartment alone.
Costas would call her. Maybe he’d even turn up at her place.
Hell. She would have to think on that. Nausea churned in her stomach at the very thought.
Having discarded the stress ball, she picked up her phone and switched it off. She then went in search of Lucy.
Her friend was at the reception desk, sticking flyers in envelopes. “We already have enough clients to fill the classes Pauline’s running on the charity day. I had a quick word and she said she’s happy to take another one in the afternoon and Grimley’s has offered us their ballroom to use for the session.”
“That’s really great.” Not for the first time, Gina thanked her lucky stars that Lucy had turned up when she’d been interviewing for a receptionist/admin assistant. She often thought of things even before Gina did, such as with the charity event they’d been planning for months, now less than two weeks away. “What would I do without you?”
“You couldn’t handle things without me,” Lucy said with a grin. When she saw Gina’s face, her expression turned concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“I was wondering if I could stay at your place tonight?”
“Of course. You don’t need to ask.” She stopped shoving flyers into envelopes. “Is it him? Has he been pestering you?”
Gina didn’t need to ask Lucy who she was referring to—it was evident from the tone of her voice. Since she’d told Lucy that she and Costas had split, her friend had taken every opportunity to assure Gina she’d done the right thing, and had also tried to shield her if Costas called the studio.
“If I stay at my place, I think he might.”
“Does he know about Mitchell?”
Gina turned her steady gaze on Lucy. “There’s not really anything to know.”
“Come on. The man strips you naked every time he looks at you. You’re not too immune where he’s concerned either.”
“And you’ve based that on what? One meeting?”
“I see what I see.” Her forehead creased with concern. “You should tell Mitchell that Costas is giving you grief.”
“He’s not,” she lied. “But I don’t want to have to speak to him if he calls round.”
“Then we’ll have a girlie night. I’ll grab a bottle of wine on the way home and order a pizza. You get the dessert.”
Grateful, Gina felt herself relax a little. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“Just make sure you get something with chocolate in it,” Lucy said. “That’s all the appreciation I’ll need.”
The next morning, Gina felt the effects of wine, pizza and chocolate bombe as she changed into her workout gear at the studio. She had a full morning of classes, but her afternoon was relatively clear.
Since Mitch hadn’t said when he was getting back, Gina wondered if he might call her that morning. Unable to risk missing him, she pulled out her phone and switched it on. There were two missed calls from Mitch and more than a dozen from Costas.
Upon checking her mailbox, she saw that Mitch had left two texts. The first one was to say he’d arrived and apologized again for missing their dinner date. The second one was a request for her to call him as soon as she was able.
There were also two voicemail messages, and she smiled as she listened to Mitch telling her that he hoped she’d been having an early night because when he got back, he intended to put into effect those plans he had and they would require all her energy.
Her smile turned to stone when Costas’s dulcet tones filled the next message. His message was less pleasurable than Mitch’s. He reprimanded her for turning off her phone, and reminded her that time was running out.
She ignored the shaky feeling in her stomach as she sat at her desk and dialed Mitch’s number.
He answered after a couple of rings and she could hear the murmur of voices in the background.
“Is this not a good time?”
“Always a good time for you.”
She smiled down the phone. He had such an amazing voice, deep and masterful and so deadly sexy. “Sorry I didn’t get back to you last night. I stayed at Lucy’s and we had a girls’ night in.”
“I’m pleased to hear it. I wondered if you were out on the town.” Although his tone was light, she caught an undertone. “Hang on a minute.”
He excused himself from what was obviously a full blown meeting and, moments later, she heard a door close and the murmur of voices fade away. “How’s your morning?”
“Good. Yours?”
“It’ll be better if you agree to what I’m about to ask you.”
“I’m intrigued.”
“I want you to come to Paris. Join me for the weekend.”
“I can’t,” she said automatically, although the thrill of spending a weekend in Paris with Mitch was almost too delicious to resist. “I can’t leave the studio.”
“Lucy seems capable enough to me. Promote her to manager for the weekend.”
Gina laughed. “If I did that, she’d tell me in no uncertain terms that she’s already manager. That she basically runs the place anyway.”
“Then problem solved. She can run it for the weekend.”
Gina wanted to refuse again, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to utter the words. Would Lucy be willing to take on the responsibility? Gina didn’t doubt for a moment that she was more than capable of doing so, and Lucy herself certainly wouldn’t balk at the extra responsibility. And Gina could throw in a nice healthy bonus for her. The last few months had been really good, so there were enough funds in the kitty to cover it. But Lucy
had been working flat out for weeks now and deserved her weekend off. Gina couldn’t ask her to cover. It wasn’t fair.
“She’s scheduled to have the weekend off,” she confirmed to Mitch. “She’s probably got plans. I can’t—”
“Ask.” His tone was firm, but there was humor in it. “Find out what sort of bribe she’d take and I’ll arrange for it.”
She laughed, while her stomach positively lurched with excitement. Paris. Mitch. The two together made for a perfect combination. “Okay. I’ll ask.”
As she ended the call, she was grinning to herself, and her heart had joined in the excitement. She’d never visited Paris before. She’d always meant to, but somehow she’d never gotten around to it. Now she couldn’t imagine turning down the chance to see it for the first time with someone like Mitch. She took a deep breath. It was madness, of course. It wasn’t fair to ask Lucy to break any plans she had just so she and Mitch could have a dirty weekend in the capital city of romance.
But as she got up from her desk, mulling over that bribe Mitch had mentioned, and working out how much bonus she could offer Lucy as an appropriate incentive, the door swung open.
Costas waltzed into the room as if he owned the place. Behind him, a frazzled Lucy threw up her hands. “He just barged in. I told him you were busy, but—”
“It’s okay.” Gina said as she folded her arms.
With a look that managed to be both apologetic and concerned, Lucy turned and left.
Costas glared at the door Lucy had deliberately left open. He reached out and slammed it shut, then turned back to Gina. “Where’s my fucking photograph?”
“I don’t have it. Mitchell cancelled our meeting last night.”
“Yeah, well I guessed that much, seeing as you spent the night at the home of one of your staff.”
“There are laws against stalking.”
“Don’t push your luck. You’re forgetting I hold all the cards here.”
“How can I forget, seeing as you ram it down my throat every chance you get?” She started walking back around her desk, needing the barrier between them, but Costas grabbed her wrist and yanked it behind her back. “Let go of me, you bastard.”