by Carter Blake
“Not yet, but I was about to dive into a plate of strawberries.”
“Save those for later.”
He knows I hate being told what to do. But nevertheless, I keep listening.
“How would you like to come to dinner with me?”
“Where would we be eating?”
“At one of the best restaurants in the city,” Janus says smoothly, as though that’s an acceptable answer.
I pause and think about it. I’m not a fan of surprises, but after what we just went through, I think I can extend a liberty and trust him—this once.
“What should I wear?”
“Something stunning. Our car will be here in half an hour.”
The phone goes dead, and I turn to my wardrobe with a coy smile curling on my lips.
Well, it beats drinking alone.
Chapter 18
Danielle
True to his word, a car arrives for me outside the hotel half an hour later.
I hadn’t taken off my makeup after the ‘auction,’ so it wasn’t as though I had a lot to do in order to get ready to go out again. The biggest problem came from deciding what to wear.
“Something stunning” wasn’t exactly the clearest dress code that I could follow. After all, I’m stunning in sweatpants.
But in the end, I opted for a light blue Prada dress that I initially bought to wear to a rooftop party back home for all the members of the New York Times and some honored guests.
If I remember correctly, I had a recently divorced A-list celebrity staring at my breasts all night. Clearly, he was a fan of more than just the last article I had written.
If it was good enough for Hollywood, it’s good enough for Janus O’Connell.
I wait for my file to send before locking up my laptop and the data we had found in the safe.
The bottle of champagne and strawberries should be good in the mini-fridge for when I return.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping to go in Janus’ room instead of mine tonight.
When I think about how well we work together, my mind doesn’t stop when it reaches the end of our business contract.
I’ve never met a man who knows how to make me come as hard or as often as Janus did in South Sudan. He understands women—he understands me and my body.
He knows how to make me come undone.
I’m ready for it to happen again.
When I step out of the hotel, I see a car waiting for me and a nearly uniformed chauffeur holding a piece of paper with the word “Dani” written on it in familiar handwriting. I approach him, and the driver the silently opens the rear passenger side door.
He says nothing to me on the car journey, and instead, remains hidden behind the tinted partition. I look out the window instead, trying to mentally picture where we are on the map.
Then I realize I’m sucking the fun out of my surprise, and I stop.
We’re not driving for long, anyway. The restaurant could only have been a couple of blocks away from my hotel. But we pull up outside a relatively small and what looks to be a family owned restaurant—and yet everything is empty.
My spidey senses begin to tingle as the driver opens the door so I can exit. True, this place is off the beaten path and therefore wouldn’t be a tourist hot spot, but I’d expect it to be crawling with locals.
But there’s no one.
As my white sandal heels click onto the curb, that’s when Janus appears.
He’s changed out of his clothes from earlier, too. Now he wears a clean dress shirt with a subtle floral pattern, the first two buttons undone. His hair is elegantly disheveled—no longer slicked back; rather, it looks like he’s run his hands through it a few times.
The lazy smile on his face and the light in his eyes could’ve tricked me into thinking that he was just a rich tourist. He looks like a man on holiday. But after the massive victory we’ve just had, I don’t blame him for wanting to have a little bit of a vacation.
He pushes open the glass doors and stands in the entrance. I feel his eyes rake over my body, traveling up my legs until they reach the hem of my dress.
Then I watch those baby blues linger on my breasts, and I know that this dress has worked its magic.
“Stunning.” Janus says, smiling. “Not that I expected anything less from Danielle Robinson.”
If he thinks flattery is going to silence my questions, then Janus knows me less than he thought.
“So, where’s everyone?”
“We have the place to ourselves tonight.”
“What?”
I look past him into the restaurant. A young female hostess and a small team of waiters are waiting patiently for us to walk into the restaurant so that they can have something to do.
“I thought after the day we’ve just had, you might want a little bit of time alone. Or, well, alone with me.” Janus winks and then steps to one side so that he can usher me inside.
As I pass him, I place my hand gently on his chest and enjoy feeling his muscles clench beneath the fabric at my touch.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me before I agree to sit down with you?”
“Oh, please, Dani, you’re going to want to sit down with me.”
“And what makes you so sure?”
“Wait till you see the view. It’ll knock you off your feet.”
Janus leads me through the restaurant with two waiters in tow. We climb up an iron spiral stair case in the back, which makes me glad I’m wearing a chunky heel and not a stiletto, before he pushes open a door to the roof.
The roof area is wreathed in fairy lights, twinkling like fireflies around the entire rooftop. One lone table sits in the middle of the space. A single red rose sits in a vase, and there’s a small collection of tea lights that illuminate the space further.
It’s certainly romantic, but hardly as inspiring as he made it out to be.
Then I lift my head and look up past the scene that Janus has constructed in front of me, and that’s when my jaw really drops.
It’s the whole Parthenon, lit up and glowing in the early evening sky.
“How did you even find this place?”
“I’ve been here once or twice when I was in the area. The owners know me quite well, and they’re good people.”
“So, why are we really alone?” I ask as we sit down at the table.
It’s hard to focus on Janus’ face with the beautiful backdrop, but I manage—somehow.
“Because I thought you wouldn’t want to be overheard.” Janus says calmly as a waiter approaches us.
We’re speaking in English, and it’s obvious that none of the wait staff really understand a word we’re saying to each other.
In Greek, I order stuffed grape leaves for starters, and then moussaka. Janus orders a selection of tzatziki and fava dip with souvlaki for his starter. We order our drinks, and the waiter quickly brings me a glass of Merlot and places an ice-cold beer in front of Janus.
“What do you think is our next move, then?” I ask once we’re alone again.
“We’ve found evidence that there is a trafficking ring, but there’s still no names to put to the faces we saw. Don’t you want to find out who’s really behind all this, Dani?”
“I do, of course I do.” I say, leaning forward slightly over the table.
Janus’ eyes dip down to my breasts again as I push them towards him accidentally.
“If we can find out exactly who’s at the top of this ring, we can shut it down for good.”
There’s so much passion in Janus’ voice as he’s talking about shutting down the trafficking ring. That kind of energy is sexy in a man.
“Now you’re speaking my language.”
I lean across the table and steal a strip of his pita breads. I dip it in the tzatziki and maintain eye contact as I slide the whole thing into my mouth. Janus stares for a moment then, and I know that I’m turning his thoughts towards skipping desert.
“So, how are we going to find tho
se in charge, Janus?”
“I’m gonna reach out to a couple of friends of mine later and see what they can dig up after showing them what we’ve found.”
“I like a man who’s prepared.”
“Oh, Dani, you’re going to love me.”
The rest of the meal passes almost torturously slowly. After a while, we stop talking about work and just chat about what else we’d do in Greece if we were here on pleasure rather than business.
Halfway through the main course, I begin to stroke my foot up the inside of Janus’ calf, inching as high as I dare whilst he eats and tries not to choke on his beer.
By the time we’re finished, the tension in the air is palpable. Janus’ hand has gently brushed over my thigh two or three times, inching my dress up higher and higher each time.
The promise of what is to come hangs heavily in the air, and I can feel myself beginning to stir with arousal.
We’re standing on the curb, waiting for Janus’ chauffeur to arrive, when the tension breaks.
Suddenly, Janus grabs me. He takes me by the waist and by the cheek, pulling me into a deep kiss.
I feel his lips crash hungrily against mine, and I lift my hands to his face, holding him tight against me. I pull at his shirt, desperate to take it off—despite the fact we’re in public.
As Janus’ tongue starts to explore my mouth, the car pulls up to the pavement.
We collapse into the backseat, and I wonder if we’ll make it to the hotel in time.
Chapter 19
Janus
God, I should win an award for getting all the way to the hotel room before ripping off this woman’s dress.
I know, I’m meant to find it embarrassing to be saved by a beautiful intelligent woman, but to be honest, it was just hot as fuck.
And then, watching her mouth all the while during dinner...I swear she’s the only person who can make eating squid look hot—that pointy little tongue licking oil off her lips, and the way she sucked at it. The way she leaned back in her chair and sighed after the first sip of wine.
I can think of a lot more interesting things that mouth could be doing. And I’ve waited three years for them. Like what she’s doing right now, for instance.
Running those wet, hot lips up my neck. And when she takes my earlobe into her mouth, and bites lightly—all bets are off.
I can’t keep my hands off her.
I can feel myself growing hotter, harder.
She is pressing her body against mine, and I’m pulling her closer.
That dress. God, watching it move against her body all dinner was some form of exquisite torture.
And that ass. She has me pushed against the door, and I am cupping her ass cheeks, running my hands along her thighs, hitching up the silk of her short dress.
The best way to take off a woman’s dress is by running your hands slowly all the way up her body.
She moans, and bites harder on my ear as my hands run over her hips, stomach, and tits.
In an instant, she’s wonderfully undressed before me, and I’m smiling like a daft little idiot.
Her smile is as big as mine, but still she laughs at me.
“You look like it’s Christmas,” she teases.
“Oh,” I say, running a finger along the top of her panties to tease her. “This is much better than Christmas.”
Her exhale is heavy with desire.
Despite her strong arms and hot little abs, she’s light as a feather when I pick her up to carry her to the bed, and sexy as hell when she wraps her legs around my waist.
My cock is twitching and straining against her.
I lay her on the bed, and myself on top of her.
My fingers stroke her panties as she lets out pleading moans.
Just when I think she’s putty in my hands, she flips me over. Fuck me, this girl is full of surprises. Straddling me, she undoes my shirt painfully slowly and kisses the place below each button.
I am stroking her back, trying to regain some of the power in this situation, but this girl has always been nothing if not focused.
Once she gets to the bottom of my shirt, she starts licking along my belt line—it’s like some kind of tempting torture devised by the devil.
Why did I wait so long to kiss her? We should have done this on the first night.
And then that perfect mouth is right over my twitching cock, licking and biting through my pants.
I can’t help myself now, I’m thrusting against her mouth, running my hands along her scalp and pulling at those soft, dark curls. I summon all my willpower and turn us both over.
She laughs in delight, and reaches for my belt buckle, never breaking eye contact as she slides her fingers across the top of my trousers, teasing me in the same manner that I was teasing her moments before.
“You are something else.”
“So, they tell me,” she whispers, her breath in my ear making every part of me shiver.
I slip my fingers into those lace panties, and feel how wet she is.
I can feel her clit swell under my fingers.
She still hasn’t broken eye contact, but I’ve wiped that hot little smirk off her face. Instead, she’s staring up at me with a hunger that is almost terrifying in its ferocity.
I rub little circles around her clit, and watch as her eyes widen.
“Jackal?” She gasps out.
“Dani?”
“Fuck me,” she still gives commands like a pro. And I will happily comply, but not quite yet.
“You’re too impatient,” I tell her, before biting her lip.
Slowly, I push my fingers into her, and feel her melt completely against me. I use my other hand to unclasp her bra and free her tits so that I can eagerly lick her nipples.
She enjoys the sensation of my tongue flicking against her pert nipples so much that her breath gets caught up in her throat, and I can feel her muscles tense around my fingers.
I thoroughly enjoy seeing her like this, completely undone and happy with it.
I lick between her breaths, rock my fingers into her and feel her getting wetter and tighter—all the while begging for me to fuck her.
I had forgotten how amazing it is when she clenches me and trembles in ecstatic waves when she finally comes—and how I feel deep satisfaction in hearing her sigh.
But I’m hard as hell now, and somehow still wearing my pants.
Luckily, Dani has never been a woman to be outdone.
She has barely caught her breath before she pushes me onto my back, pulling my pants off, and smiling like the cat that got the cream.
I didn’t know it was possible for me to get harder.
But now, I’m positively straining against her hands as she runs them under my balls, along my length; all the while kissing my collarbone and smiling a satisfied little smile at the jerks and spasms she’s getting out of me.
If she doesn’t stop soon, it will be my turn to beg.
She sits on top of me, and her pussy is still slippery and dripping. It’s tantalizing against my cock. I grab my hips and pull myself into her.
There is a slow second as I fill her up completely, and her pussy stretches to accommodate me.
We both gasp at the same time, and it sends a gentle shiver up my spine.
She tries to grind against me, but I have other ideas. In one deft move, I roll us over so that she is laying back against the bed and my feet are now planted firmly on the floor. Dani looks up at me with lustful curiosity as I nearly pull myself all the way out of her.
I hold myself there as she catches her breath and looks at me imploringly. And then I slam into her, making her clutch the blankets in a silent scream, breathing raggedly.
I pull out again, slowly, holding myself teasingly in her entrance way. She’s whimpering now. It makes me grin as I take in the sight of her pleading with her eyes.
When I slam into her again, she moans enough that she could likely be heard by everyone on our floor.
I keep moving s
lowly, in and out of her, teasing us both.
I hold onto her hips with one of my hands so I can control the rhythm and continue teasing her. With the other hand, I run my fingers up her chest and start pinching her nipple.
She arches her back and groans fully.
I can’t get enough of how wild her voice is when I’m inside her. I’m having a lot of trouble controlling myself.
She reaches up and pulls me down on top of her. Dani’s fists grab my hair and kisses me fully.
I stop trying to control myself. I’m pushing into her as hard as I can, and she is pushing back with moans of wanton desire.
Her legs move up and around my waist, locking me in place as I feel her pussy start tightening madly for the second time tonight.
Dani’s breathing intensifies and her moans break in ragged breaths. Her thighs begin to shudder and shake uncontrollably against my hips. And then I feel the surge of wetness around my cock as she bites down against my shoulder in a long, muffled moan.
It’s such a great feeling that I can’t stop myself from joining her and letting go.
Dani’s legs pull me down into her just as my hips thrust hard into her one last time.
The growl that escapes my lips as I explode inside her is one that hasn’t left my lips in three years.
We collapse against the bed in a mess of hands, lips, and exhaustion.
For once, she’s quiet about plans, sources and rendezvous spots; She’s just warm, soft, exhausted, and in my arms.
There are some words on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t find them. Instead, I fill my mind with those sleepy eyes…that satisfied smile.
Words and plans can wait until tomorrow.
Chapter 20
Janus
My entire body feels warm, relaxed, and deeply satisfied.
The soft curves of Dani’s body sculpted against my side certainly have a lot to do with those feelings.
She smiles sleepily at me. If we weren’t both completely exhausted, I’d definitely pin her beneath me and start things up again in response to that smile.
Instead, I brush my lips against hers.
“I’ve wanted this for three years,” I find myself admitting.