Bad Behavior

by Kristin Hardy

“Get this off,” she muttered, dragging his coat down his arms, slipping off his tie.

  Dom shucked his jacket hurriedly, kneeling on the floor, his lips still fused to hers even as he lowered her along the bench seat that ran up the side of the limo. The yellow glare of street-lights strobed across the windows. With a breath of pure pleasure, Delaney pulled him down to her to feel his weight on her body.

  When he moved away, her eyes opened. “What are you doing?”

  “Roll over,” he said.

  “Roll over?”

  He leaned in to lick her lips. “I want to see your back.”

  Half dazed, she obeyed.

  “This is one very sneaky dress,” he said, trailing his fingers down her sides. “You see it up front and it seems very discreet. But then there’s this back thing.”

  She sensed the breath of cool as he parted the sides of the gap.

  “Yeah, there’s this back part that does some sort of peekaboo thing.”

  And she gasped as she felt the warm, wet heat of his tongue in the groove of her spine.

  “All night, I’ve had these secret glimpses of you. Made me wonder just how you’d taste.”

  The air-conditioning hissed; a Norah Jones tune played on the stereo. Delaney’s entire body was focused on that burning spot where he touched her, on the brush of his breath moving over her back. She gave a little sigh of pleasure as he licked his way down lower.

  And lower still.

  “However, the problem is that the slit only goes down so far. Then a guy’s got to get creative.” Dom ran his hands over her hips and down along her thighs to slip under the edge of the fabric. And then pushed it back up over her buttocks, baring them. “I love thongs,” he murmured, leaning down to press a kiss on first one round, firm globe, then the other.

  Delaney moved against him as she felt the heat of his mouth, the quick nip of his teeth. The warm wet of his tongue. She caught a breath of delight when he parted her legs. “Then again, thongs aren’t perfect. They do have one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “They’re there.” And hooking his fingers in the sides of the silky garment, he dragged it down her legs.

  When he bent to her again, there was nothing in the way. His tongue flicked at her from a delightful new angle, touching hidden places, making her squirm and gasp at the teasing temptation. Then his hands were urging her onto her back, his teeth nipping her inner thighs as she turned.

  But she moved farther, slipping down onto the floor next to him. “I have a better idea.”

  “Such as?”

  “Forget about the words.” She pressed him onto his back with one hand on his chest. “Think numbers,” she whispered and swung around nimbly into place atop him, dragging a groan from him as she slid him into her mouth.

  And, oh, it was almost too much for her to take in, the wet flick of his tongue, the slide of his stiff cock against her lips. He was smooth, but rock hard, growing thicker and thicker in her mouth, in her hand. And he was driving her nuts with the way he was slicking his tongue tip over her clit, tracing patterns that had her shivering and bucking against him because it felt so damned good, because he was touching her just right, because she felt all that good tension building, all the desire coalescing down to that one point, that single point that was about to explode—

  There was a pinging noise. It rang once, then again.

  The driver. Cursing, Delaney scanned the buttons and reached over to switch on the two-way intercom. “Yes?”

  “Um, excuse me, I’m very sorry to disturb you, but we’re at LAX. What airline are you flying again?”

  “Don’t stop yet,” Dom said hoarsely, even as Delaney stroked him with her hand. “Just keep circling the airport until we tell you to stop.”

  “Keep circling.”

  His voice was strained. “Uh-huh.”

  “You got it, sir.”

  Delaney turned off the intercom and bent to him again, focusing intently on his pleasure. There was no more teasing but a steady stroke of lip and tongue. She felt him getting thicker and harder against her lips even as her own orgasm peaked, tightening with every liquid caress of his tongue. There was too much sensation. Too much.

  And then without warning he plunged his tongue deep inside her, even as he stroked her clit with his fingers. She felt the orgasm begin, like an avalanche of sensation tumbling through her. She shuddered and cried out and bucked atop him as the pleasure burst through her.

  Even as the first peak faded, she was back working him, and it only took another stroke, then two before she was rewarded with his own groan of release.

  Moments later, she found herself boneless and weak, lying on the carpet beside him, waiting for her breathing to level.

  The car’s engine purred. Norah sang.

  Delaney managed a chuckle and sat up. “Okay, are you ready to go to the terminal now?”

  “Go to the terminal?” Dom repeated raggedly. “I already landed.”

  11

  “A PEDICURE!” KELLY crowed, pulling the gift certificate out of the card she held. “You’re brilliant.”

  Delaney gave a modest shrug. “I knew you’d be getting lots of baby stuff and I figured it had probably been a while since you’d seen your toes.”

  The Supper Club occupied the front room of theVenice town-house Sabrina shared with her husband Stef. Buff-colored walls rose around the central atrium. Cast-off wrapping paper and ribbons littered the sage-green rug. Through the sliding glass door at the back, fairy lights twinkled along the canal beyond.

  Kelly surveyed the array of gifts on the couch beside her. “No wonder I love you all so much. My family and my work friends gave me baby clothes. You guys give me a maternity negligee, motion lotion, a facial.” She raised her martini glass of pomegranate juice. “Here’s to you, today, tomorrow and always.”

  “To all of us,” Delaney corrected.

  “To us,” the rest of them echoed, clinking glasses.

  “What I don’t get is how you managed to surprise me,” Kelly continued. “It must be all those hormones making me gullible.”

  Sabrina glanced up, eyes sparkling. “Come on, you had to figure we were going to do something.”

  “Well, yeah, but not tonight. I really thought I was coming to see your new couch. I figured you’d spring the party thing on me at a Supper Club meeting.”

  “This is a Supper Club meeting,” Thea reminded her.

  “It’s not a Supper Club meeting until someone talks about sex and so far no one’s said a word. Come on, guys, I need to live vicariously. I haven’t done the real thing in weeks.” Kelly glanced around at the sudden silence. “What, none of you has had sex lately?” she demanded. “That’s pathetic. I’ve got a reason to suffer—you don’t. Talk to me.”

  “Hey, I’d better check on dessert.” Sabrina bounced up.

  “I’ll help,” Paige volunteered quickly.

  Cilla looked studiously out the window. Trish began picking up discarded wrapping paper.

  “Oh, come on, you don’t kiss and tell now that you’re married or whatever? Delaney, save me,” Kelly begged. “Tell me you’re at least dating.”

  “Well, I don’t know. Does sex in the back of a limo count as dating?”

  “Mmmm, careful with that,” Cilla said. “Those seats can be slippery. I wound up on the floor one time when the driver took a turn too fast.”

  “Talk about the withdrawal method of birth control,” Thea cracked.

  Cilla grinned. “Cooled things off pretty quickly. That and the rug burns. I shudder to tell you where.”

  “My advice is start on the floor,” Delaney said. “Makes it safer being in motion while in motion, if you know what I mean.”

  “In motion where?” Paige walked back in with a tray of strawberries dipped in chocolate.

  “Delaney’s having limo adventures,” Kelly explained.

  Paige gave Delaney an arch look. “Anyone I know? Señorita?”

  Delane
y glowered at her. “You know I hate it when you’re right.”

  “That’s because it happens so often,” Paige said sunnily.

  “Wait, catch us up,” Kelly demanded. “Who is it?”

  Delaney took a swallow of her drink. “Remember the guy I met in Mexico?”

  “The ex-boyfriend? Dom? I thought you were done after Playa del Carmen,” Cilla said. “What happened?”

  “Wait a minute, did I hear that right?” Sabrina demanded as she carried in a plate of mini cheesecakes. “Walk Away Sue went in reverse? Stop the presses. That’s a first.”

  “I couldn’t help it,” Delaney protested. “He just kept coming around and he’s got those hands and that mouth and I’m only human.” She cast her gaze heavenward. “So I decided I could tolerate being around him for a few more orgasms.”

  “Kind of her,” Cilla said.

  Paige picked out a strawberry. “Generous, even.”

  “Romantic.” Trish took a bite of a cheesecake square. “She goes to Mexico and runs into her old sweetheart and now they’re an item.” She sighed. “God, that’s good.”

  “No romantic sighs,” Delaney ordered. “We’re not an item. We’re only having sex.”

  “I was sighing over the cheesecake,” Trish informed her. “But it is romantic.”

  “Trust me, fooling around in the back of a limo circling the airport is not about romance.”

  “Ooh, do tell,” Kelly begged. “I can’t remember the last time I had real sex.”

  “You’ll have sex again, pumpkin.” Delaney grabbed two pieces of cheesecake. “How else are you going to give little Dinsdale a baby sister?”

  Kelly’s brows lowered. “We are not calling him Dinsdale.”

  Delaney settled back and put up her feet. “If you won’t do your job and pick a name, you’ll have to take what we give you.”

  “You really have to do it soon,” Paige reminded Kelly. “I mean, you’re due in, what, six weeks? Make Kev help you.”

  “Seven weeks,” Kelly corrected. “And you know how stubborn he is. He’s doing the girl’s name. The boy’s name is my job and he’s not budging.”

  “You could do something radical like ask the doctor to tell you the sex,” Paige pointed out. “They do have the technology, you know. Then if it’s a girl, you can kick back and leave all the hassle of naming to Kev.”

  “We’ve come this far without figuring it out,” Kelly picked up a strawberry. “We’re staying the course.”

  “Then do your job and pick the boy name,” Paige scolded. “How will you feel if you wind up going into early labor and they have to call him Boy Cooper?”

  “It is listed in the baby name book.” Trish glanced up from the tome Kelly had brought.

  “So are Thor and Six,” Cilla said drily. “I don’t think being included is much of a recommendation.”

  “Stop pressuring me. If Kev would help, I’d be fine.”

  “He’s already done his job. What did he pick for the girl’s name again?” Thea asked. “Sophie? That’s nice.”

  Kelly coughed. “He’s trying out other ideas now. He wants something more unusual.”

  “Such as?”

  “Well, he likes Daisy a lot but he’s thinking seriously about Toronto.”

  Sabrina stared at her. “Toronto?”

  “Stef’s film getting the Jury Prize at the film festival made a strong impression on him.”

  “Kelly, with all due respect, your husband’s nuts,” Paige declared.

  “Who’s calling me nuts?” a male voice demanded in time with the sound of an opening door.

  And they all snapped their heads around to stare at the two guys walking into the room. The speaker was a medium-sized blonde in a gray T-shirt and jeans; his hair appeared to have been cropped by lawn shears. Next to him stood a tall, black-haired man with the carved face of some Greek statue and eyes so dark they looked like midnight.

  “Speak of the devil,” Delaney began impishly.

  “And the devil appears,” Sabrina finished, springing up off the couch to run over and press a kiss on her dark-haired husband, Stef.

  “What’s all this devil stuff?” Kev complained as he leaned down to kiss Kelly.

  “You’re seriously talking about naming your child Toronto?” Sabrina demanded, glancing over at him.

  Cilla shook her head. “You’ve got to be able to do better than that. Stick with Sophie.”

  “It’s a perfect name,” Thea agreed.

  “Just imagine if she ever moves to the city,” Paige said.

  Kev stared at Stef imploringly.

  “Don’t look at me,” Stef said mildly. “I told you it was a bad idea.”

  “I like the sound of it,” Kev defended. “We can use Sophie for her middle name.”

  “Toronto Sophie Cooper?” Delaney repeated incredulously. “It sounds like the name of a roller derby queen.”

  Sabrina and Kelly guffawed.

  One corner of Stef’s mouth twitched and Kev shot him a reproachful glance. “Can you find your camera so that we can get out of here?”

  “Face it, you’re outnumbered,” Stef told him. “You might as well give in.”

  “It’s not like we want to pick,” Sabrina assured him. “It’s that, as aunties we feel a certain responsibility to be sure that she has a good name.”

  “What’s Kelly come up with?” Kev demanded. “It could be a he, you know.”

  Delaney fought a smile. “I think Dinsdale is the latest, but Spiny Norman is coming up on the outside.”

  “And Thor,” Cilla put in.

  Kev shook his head. “You’re all sick.”

  “AND THAT, GENTLEMEN, IS G.A.C. in a nutshell,” Dom said to the half dozen males scattered around the gleaming mahogany table in the Bourke Investments conference room. “Thank you for your attention.” With a quiet sigh of relief, he sank down into his seat and picked up his bottle of water. Outside of losing his concentration once in the middle, he’d done okay.

  It wasn’t just a matter of getting hot for the stock. More than anything, he felt as if he was selling himself. Sure, the investors cared about G.A.C.’s track record and its prospects, but to a degree he hadn’t quite expected, they’d cared about him. It wasn’t enough to convince them the company had potential. He had to convince them that he had the chops to do the job.

  Elliot Sanborn, the leader of the Bourke Investments group, steepled his fingers. Bourke had the resources to take a major position in G.A.C. Getting their interest was crucial. “The numbers all look good, but you’re still geographically localized,” Sanborn said, glancing up. “You need national reach to succeed as a public company.”

  And until they went public, they were going to have a hard time going national. The chicken and egg, Dom thought wearily. “It’s in the plan, as I discussed. There are further details in Appendix A of the prospectus.”

  “I’d feel better if you were making a move on it now.”

  “We’re looking into some options,” Eric offered.

  “Nothing concrete,” Dom interjected quickly.

  Sanborn’s gaze sharpened. “Options? Like acquisitions?”

  Dom shook his head. “Right now, we’re putting all our energy into the IPO.”

  “What regions are you considering for expansion?” Sanborn persisted.

  Fishing, Dom thought. “It’s all in the prospectus,” he said. “Plan, timeline, milestones. I think you’ll find sufficient detail to allay your concerns.” And to allay his concerns, he needed to get them out the door, pronto. Unobtrusively, Dom checked his watch. “I’m sorry to say we need to be moving along. Are there any other questions?”

  Sanborn looked from Dom to Eric and shook his head reluctantly. “Not that I can think of offhand.”

  “If you come up with any, feel free to call me.” Dom began packing away his computer, his sole objective to be gone as soon as possible.

  Before Sanborn could trap them into any more admissions.

  The ha
ndshakes and farewells took place with predictable ceremony. Finally, though, Dom and Eric were back on the ground floor and stepping out of the building.

  And Dom stopped abruptly to stare at Eric. “Are you, nuts?” he demanded. “Do you want to get the IPO stalled?”

  “For what?”

  “Violating the quiet period regs.”

  “I didn’t violate the quiet period.”

  “No, but you were heading damned close. You know the drill. The SEC wants an even playing field for everyone. You don’t say anything—anything—that’s not in the prospectus. You don’t tell them we’re in acquisition talks. You don’t even hint at it.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Not in so many words, maybe. That’s not enough. Take this seriously, Eric, this isn’t one of those things where you can get off on a technicality.”

  “I know that,” Eric said. “I’m a lawyer, remember?”

  “I reviewed some case studies when I was doing my MBA. The SEC plays hardball.”

  “I’ve got it.”

  Definite impatience, this time.

  Relax, Dom reminded himself. It was their second week on travel, their second week of three or four meetings a day. Tempers were getting frayed on all sides. He blew out a breath and began walking down the sidewalk again. “Look, I’m not trying to be a hardass. I know you get it. It’s that I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

  “It won’t go wrong. You’re doing a hell of a job.”

  “We’re a hell of a team. But it’s not done until it’s done. We have to get the buzz going, make the underwriters happy so they can sell the stock. Speaking of which, are we close enough to walk to the next meeting or do we need a cab?”

  “We should be able to walk it. We’re actually early thanks to you herding us out of there so quickly.” Eric nodded to a coffee joint they were passing. “I could use a stop here, how about you?”

  “Are you kidding? From running through the slides for the fourth time today? A triple depth charge might, and I’m only saying might, get me through it.”

  “Yeah, you kind of looked like you were running out of steam those last few slides when you were spacing out.” Eric opened the door.

  Dom pulled out his BlackBerry. “I’ll meet you inside. I want to check my messages first.”