Dirty Devil

by Jackie Ashenden

  Whatever her story was, there was an air of vulnerability to her. The thieves I’d come into contact with in my previous life were generally tough and harder than bulletproof glass. But she looked neither tough nor hard, not with her lashes lying all silky and black on the fragile curve of her cheekbone.

  I hadn’t thought I’d be into vulnerable, but right now I wanted to run my fingers along that curve, feel the fine grain of her skin.

  Curiosity shifted inside me. Letting her leave wasn’t an option, not now she knew the layout of my place and how to get into my office, not to mention how to bypass Everett’s security measures. No, I had to keep her here, find out more about her before I did anything else.

  Sure you do. You just want to fuck her.

  That was true also, though that could wait. I needed a few answers first.

  ‘I suppose there’s no point in telling you I couldn’t find the bathroom?’ Her voice was cool and guarded.

  ‘Like you couldn’t find the kitchen?’ I didn’t move from where I sat, my hands resting on the desktop on either side of her hips, ready to grab her if she ran, because she sure as hell wasn’t going anywhere, not now. ‘No, we’ve been through that, and I didn’t believe you the first time around. And a blow job, no matter how good it is, isn’t going to make me change my mind.’

  She gave an irritated sigh.

  I pushed myself up out of the chair and reached forward, putting one finger beneath her pointed chin and tipping her head back, making her meet my gaze. ‘I want answers.’ I let a hint of authority edge my voice to show her I meant business. ‘And I want them now.’

  The look in her eyes was impossible to read. Normally I had no problems figuring someone out; the years spent in boardrooms across the globe had only sharpened those skills. But I couldn’t get a bead on her, not one.

  And that made me want to get beneath that dark, watchful gaze, see what lay beneath the surface.

  ‘And if I don’t give them to you?’ Her tone was level and she sounded only mildly interested, not at all concerned.

  Well, shit. Normally people fell over themselves to give me what I wanted. They certainly didn’t argue or ask what would happen if they didn’t, and I didn’t like punishing people. Sure, I was firm when I had to be, I had no problems with that, but making threats to a pretty little thief? A vulnerable pretty little thief?

  Yeah, I was reluctant. I preferred to make women feel good, not frighten them.

  So I did what I always did when faced with a potential conflict of interest: I smiled my usual smile, the one that made both men and women blush and fall at my feet, ready to do my bidding. ‘Let’s just say I have ways of making you talk.’ I released her chin and let my fingers trail lightly down her neck, enjoying the way her pupils dilated as I did so and noting the goose bumps that scattered all over her skin.

  She swallowed and for a second I thought I had her. Then her straight dark brows lowered and I caught a glimpse of something steely and stubborn in the depths of her eyes. ‘I don’t have to tell you a thing. You’ll get rid of me either way.’

  Damn it.

  She shouldn’t push me, not when she had no idea what I was capable of when I was pushed.

  I took my hand away then put both palms flat on the desk top and leaned forward, my face inches from hers. She didn’t flinch, not even a flicker, staring back at me as if daring me to do something.

  Beautiful little witch.

  Clearly the ball was in my court.

  ‘What’s your fee?’ I asked casually. ‘For the necklace.’

  ‘You’re assuming a lot.’

  ‘I have to when I have a thief in my office, sitting on my desk, not giving me a straight answer.’

  She only stared and didn’t say a word.

  Heat began to gather in my gut, along with a healthy dose of adrenaline, making my cock even harder, and my heart beat like a fucking drum. It was my hunter’s instincts kicking in again.

  Except this time it wasn’t a jewel I wanted to hunt.

  It was a woman.

  ‘What?’ I raised a brow. ‘Got nothing to say?’

  She didn’t even blink. ‘If you’re going to call the police, then do it. Don’t keep me waiting, hotshot.’

  Ah, so she was going to go down the full-on challenge route. Excellent. My dick fucking loved that and so did I.

  ‘Who said anything about the police?’ I searched her face, looking deep into her dark eyes, trying to see what was going on behind them.

  And just for a second I saw surprise flicker through them.

  So, she’d expected me to call the cops on her, which was a fair enough assumption. That was what most people catching an intruder in their house would do.

  Not me, though. I hadn’t finished with her yet.

  The surprise had vanished as if it had never been, her gaze as reflective as it had been before. Then she suddenly leaned forward, closing the small gap between us, her fingers threading into my hair and her mouth pressed against mine.

  Now it was my turn to be surprised. So much so that for a second I couldn’t move. Her tongue touched my lower lip and pushed gently, demanding entry, and I didn’t even think about denying her, opening my mouth and allowing her to explore. She did so, hesitantly at first then with more confidence. She tasted sweet, as if she’d been eating strawberries, and I bet she could taste herself on me because she gave a little shudder, a soft moan escaping with it.

  There was desperation in the sound, her fingers tightening in my hair, and I was rock-hard. My hands were on her thighs, sliding beneath the hem of her uniform, stroking her silky skin, the kiss getting deeper, hotter.

  I knew this was another of her distraction techniques, but I didn’t care. If this was the kind of distraction she was offering, then fuck, I’d take it. I needed another challenge anyway, and she was providing it.

  But if she thought sex was going to make me forget what she was doing here she’d picked the wrong man.

  My bedroom wasn’t very far away. I could take her there, stretch her out over my bed, bury myself inside her, take us both to heaven and back and then... Well, there was no rush for answers. I could take my time, spend the night undoing her. By morning, I’d have her secrets, that was for certain.

  She’d eased closer to me, sitting on the edge of the desk with her thighs slightly wide to allow me to stand between them. I could feel the heat of her pussy through my trousers and it was making me breathless.

  Christ, how long had it been since a woman had made me breathless like this? With only a kiss?

  I slid my fingers over the curves of her butt and gripped her, pulling her more firmly against me, her hot sex pressing against my aching dick. ‘Your distraction techniques are getting predictable,’ I murmured against her mouth. ‘Are you sure this is the game you want to play?’

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered back, her voice thick, her hips pressing against mine in blatant invitation. ‘If you can’t handle it, then let me go.’

  I didn’t laugh, even though I wanted to. Handle her? She clearly had no idea with whom she was dealing.

  ‘My bedroom,’ I said. ‘Now.’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Thea

  HIS HANDS SLID under my butt and he picked me up as though I weighed nothing. I wrapped my legs around his lean waist, pressing my throbbing clit against the hard ridge of his cock. The friction sent glittering sparks of pleasure scattering through me, making me shiver.

  His mouth was hot and insistent on mine as he carried me to the door, his tongue exploring me unhurriedly, as if he had all the time in the world.

  I couldn’t believe how desperate I was for him yet again.

  I’d only kissed him to shut him up, so he wouldn’t keep asking me questions. Because I’d run out of answers to give him.

  He’d guessed why I was here, which had sho
cked me more than it should have. I suppose I hadn’t thought he’d be interested enough to think about why I’d been in his office and what I was doing, but it seemed I was wrong.

  He’d also said he wasn’t going to call the police, and that had surprised me too, though I’d decided not to question it too closely, going in for a kiss instead.

  I’d still been intent on seducing the hell out of him, and maybe escaping once he’d fallen asleep, but the way he was kissing me now, it was clear I was the one being seduced.

  His mouth on mine was hot, his kiss rich and dark, decadent as chocolate cake. And it was difficult to process anything while I was plastered against his rock-hard body, the heat of it burning me alive in the most delicious way.

  He didn’t break the kiss, not even to lock the office door behind us as he stepped out into the hallway.

  The beat of the music was loud out here and I heard someone shout his name. He ignored it, kissing me deeper, nipping on my bottom lip as he strode down the hall with me.

  I wound my arms around his neck, arching against him, everything fading away under the heat of his mouth and the feel of his hands beneath me, his spicy masculine scent and the hard body I was wrapped around.

  The hard body I wanted to run my fingers all over, kiss and lick, rub myself against.

  I’d never wanted to touch a man before. Now I literally couldn’t think of wanting to do anything else.

  He came to a door and opened it, kicking it shut behind him.

  Another large room, the sound of the party falling away as the door closed. I didn’t pay any attention, too busy kissing him back as he strode over to the massive bed situated beneath huge windows that looked out over the cityscape. He put me down on the edge of the mattress and stepped back. That big, muscular body was inches away, the black cotton of his shirt giving a hint of the hard musculature beneath it. He’d left the top couple of buttons undone, giving me a close-up glimpse of those tattoos, the colours bright.

  I lifted my hands, desperate to touch him, but he gently circled my wrists with long, strong fingers, holding me away.

  ‘Uh-huh,’ he murmured. ‘I need to lay a few ground rules first.’

  ‘Ground rules?’ I echoed blankly. ‘What ground rules?’

  His eyes glinted in the darkness. ‘Like I told you before, I’m not into misunderstandings, and I’m not into reading a woman’s mind. You tell me what you want, what you like, and you tell me straight.’

  I flushed. I wasn’t used to frank discussions about anything, let alone sex. And that wasn’t even going into the fact that I had no idea what I liked and what I didn’t.

  Couldn’t he just screw me like a normal man?

  I pulled against his hold. ‘Do we really have to have this discussion right now?’

  His fingers tightened, keeping me still, but he smiled, warm and intimate. ‘Yeah, we really do.’

  ‘Why? It’s none of your business.’

  ‘Sure it’s my business.’ His mouth quirked and I found myself watching it. God, it really was the most perfect I’d ever seen. Full lower lip, beautifully carved top lip. And the way it curved at the ends... ‘If you have a crappy time, it screws with my reputation, and I can’t have that.’

  Damn it. I had been hoping for less conversation, not more, because I didn’t want to make myself memorable to him in any way, and I’d bet that the presence of my virginity might end up doing just that. He probably didn’t encounter many virgins at his parties and that would make me stand out.

  He’s going to guess. He’s not stupid.

  Pity. And, even worse, he was observant too; while that felt good, it also presented a difficulty I hadn’t anticipated. Because it meant he could read me. Most people ignored me, but not him.

  I forced down my irritation. Perhaps a few half-truths would be enough. ‘Well, we can’t have your reputation being screwed with, can we?’ I said, trying and failing to hide my sarcasm.

  His eyes narrowed and he let go one of my wrists, his warm hand cupping my jaw instead, his fingers hot against my skin. ‘This isn’t a joke, Sugar. I’m serious. When I fuck a woman, I want her to enjoy it, and if she doesn’t enjoy it then I don’t either, understand me? I don’t waste my time on crappy sex.’

  ‘You didn’t seem to want to have a conversation before.’ I tried not to lean into the warmth of his hand.

  ‘Yeah, but you had your mouth wrapped around my dick.’ Wickedness glinted in his eyes. ‘So I was thinking of other things.’

  I put my hand on his chest, feeling the solid strength and heat of him. ‘Well, I liked everything you did back in your office.’

  He watched me, trying to read me. ‘You ever fuck a man you didn’t know before?’

  A flush crept up my neck, making my cheeks burn. Clearly nothing was going to happen until we’d discussed his ‘ground rules’.

  ‘No,’ I said, attempting not to sound sulky.

  ‘Didn’t think so.’ His thumb found the line of my jaw, stroking gently. ‘Which makes talking about it even more important. Because you don’t know me, and I don’t know you.’

  What he was saying made sense. Good sense. But I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to have to tell him a single thing if I didn’t have to and, now I’d got a sense for this physical chemistry between us, I was starting to think that I didn’t have to. Not if I played this right.

  I turned my head, nuzzling into his palm, brushing my mouth over it. He stilled, so I kept going, kissing his wrist, his strong, steady pulse against my lips. And then I leaned forward until I’d closed the distance, pressing my mouth to his.

  His fingers tangled in my hair, gripping me and pulling me back. ‘Sugar—’

  ‘I’d like it if you took off your clothes,’ I interrupted breathlessly, hoping that would shut him up.

  For a second I thought it wasn’t going to work, danger glittering in his eyes as he studied me. Then abruptly the sharp glitter faded, a slow-burning smile curving his mouth. ‘There, that wasn’t hard, was it?’ He let me go and stood back, shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it over a nearby armchair, before taking off his shoes too. Then he began to undo the buttons of his black shirt.

  My breath caught, relief mixing with my building hunger, unable to take my eyes off him.

  He took it slow, as though this was a strip show he was putting on just for me, undoing each button, the fabric of his shirt parting little by little to reveal skin and ink in a gradual tease.

  My mouth went dry and I had to curl my fingers into my palms to stop myself from reaching for him.

  By the time he got to the last few buttons, I could hardly contain myself.

  And then there were no more buttons and he was shrugging off the shirt, leaving him in only the suit trousers that sat low on his lean hips.

  Light from the city outside painted his skin, drawing attention to the chiselled lines of his pecs and abs, and the Japanese-style tattoo that covered his chest, left shoulder and crawled down his left arm. Against a background of ornate fish scales in beautifully shaded blacks and greys, a brilliantly coloured dragon coiled amongst delicate flowers. The piece was as glorious as he was.

  He dropped a hand to the waistband of his trousers, flicking open the button and then easing down the zip. Then he was shoving the fabric down along with his boxers, getting rid of them so he was finally, gloriously naked.

  I shivered, my gaze falling to his lean hips and powerful thighs, to the proud jut of his long, thick cock.

  He was so very beautiful I couldn’t stand it.

  Desperate to touch, I moved to the end of the bed, kneeling upright on the mattress, reaching out to brush my fingertips over his chest, feeling the hardness of his muscles and the burning heat of his skin. He didn’t move, letting me explore, letting me brush one of his nipples with my fingertip.

  Him being naked while I wa
s dressed should have made me feel more in control, but it didn’t. His nakedness only highlighted his raw sexuality, sheer physical strength and power and the mega-watt burn of his charisma. And how much all those things made me his slave.

  ‘Don’t think I’m going to forget that you didn’t answer me properly.’ His voice was a low purr as I stroked him with a shaking finger, liquid honey and black velvet all rolled into one. ‘Which means you have two choices. One, you let me take charge. Two, you have to ask me for everything you want.’

  I didn’t want to have to ask him. I didn’t want to have to give anything away. Which left me with only one choice.

  ‘The...first one,’ I murmured, tracing the head of the dragon over his pec, not wanting to look at him.

  But he pressed my palm flat to his chest while his other hand slid along my jaw, his fingers in my hair as he tugged my head back until I met his tarnished-silver gaze.

  ‘Say it,’ he ordered softly. ‘I want the words so we both know what’s happening here.’

  I swallowed. ‘I want you to be in charge.’

  The expression on his beautiful face didn’t change. ‘You know what that means, don’t you? That you’re going to have to trust me.’

  Something inside me yawned wide. Trust? Seriously? How could I do that? The only person I’d ever trusted in my life was Mr Chen and he was dead.

  But he must have seen my uncertainty, because he added, ‘Just with your body and your pleasure. That’s all.’

  Oh. Well. That I could do. He’d given me so much pleasure already, it was an easy choice to make. ‘Yes, I trust you,’ I said thickly.

  ‘Okay, then.’ The tension around his beautiful mouth eased and one corner of it curled wickedly. ‘Time for you to get naked.’

  He released me and reached for my uniform before I could move, pulling it up and over my head, leaving me kneeling on the mattress in nothing but my underwear. Then he slid one hand behind me and flicked open the catch of my bra in an easy, practised movement. I caught my breath as the fabric fell away, and then again as he crouched in front of me, his hands going to my hips to ease my knickers off. The fabric slid down and I moved so he could pull it off me, and then he stepped back, leaving me naked on the bed.