by Delilah Hunt
Radcliffe ran a finger along his jaw and shifted his gaze toward the bar. “Listen, Shakara. It’s clear you care about my friend. I do too. You don’t need me to sugarcoat anything for you and I wouldn’t. I’m not the only man in here who recognizes you. They might not say anything, but I know for a fact a couple of them have seen you naked. Not trying to be crude. Just saying.”
“What the fuck is your point.” she snapped, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
“I don’t want Parker to lose his company. His grandfather started it. Did he tell you that? He loves you, but this is his life. He worked his ass off after his father’s death to make the company the success it is. Shit, myself included. We’ve all worked the extra hours to get where we are.”
“What does that have to do with me? I’m not following how I factor into all of this. What’s the big deal if they’ve seen me dancing? I don’t care and it’s not like I kept it a secret from Cade. He knows and it doesn’t bother him.”
“How do you think it’s going to reflect on him when word gets out about you? Parker has a lot of class. His clients respect him. They hold him to the same high standards they did his father and grandfather. You don’t think they’re going to wonder what’s gotten into him? Becoming involved with a stripper whose half his age. I don’t care if I offend you. I’m speaking the truth. If this company goes down he’ll never be the same and you’ll be to blame.”
“You’re exaggerating. It’s not like he’s the President of the United States. What does his private life have to do with his business? I don’t believe you.” She wanted to cry, to punch Radcliffe in his long face for bringing this up and making her feel guilty.
“Parker and I, we’ve discussed this...”
Her eyes widened and her heart stilled. “I’m sure he didn’t agree with you either.”
“He wasn’t sure if he should bring you.”
“You’re lying.” She folded her arms. “Who else would he take besides me?”
Radcliffe turned his head and Shakara mimicked his action. Cade stood in conversation with Donna, who was clearly flirting with him. He was going to take her?
“They’re just friends,” Radcliffe added. “It’s you he loves. That’s not the question.”
She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath, aware of Radcliffe’s voiceless demand. “You want to know if I’ll listen to your inane ranting and break up with Cade. Is that about right?”
Radcliffe clicked his tongue and cast a quick look toward the bar. Her gaze followed his, seeing that Cade was approaching them, a drink in each hand.
“That’s the idea.” Radcliffe winked at her, lengthening his stride to walk away before Cade reached the wall.
Shakara sucked in a breath, mustering up her brightest smile. Cade stepped in front of her, giving her a questioning look.
“What did he want?” He turned to glance back at Radcliffe, who was now chattering lively amid a group of women, his arm around the waist of a slender brunette.
She waved her hand and rolled her eyes. “I had no idea what he was saying. He talks too much and makes no sense at all.” She forced a small laugh, taking the glass he offered.
Cade grinned and sipped his drink. “Believe me, I know. We were roommates during our freshman year at university. The next year I almost barred him from my private room.”
“You guys are close then?” she asked, lifting her eyes to his. She needed to hear him say they weren’t, that Radcliffe knew absolutely nothing about him. The man was only spouting nonsense because he didn’t like her. So what if he sounded sincere, pretending he had Cade’s best interest at heart?
“We are. We used to play together as boys, went to the same schools, and later on we entered the architectural program together. It was pure coincidence that we both wanted to be architects. After we graduated, my father offered him a position. He’s good at what he does, but his personal life can be a wreck sometimes. Overall, I’d say he was dependable in the grand scheme of things.”
Her heart plummeted. Cade’s view of the man crumbled her doubts of his intentions and motive.
For the rest of the evening her frozen smile remained in place. She greeted his friends and acquaintances, masking her anxiety. Radcliffe hadn’t specified, but she experienced a tinge of embarrassment with each new person she encountered. The lanky redhead they’d just spoken with—had he seen her without her clothes? Or was it the short, fifty-something hotelier? Was Cade wondering the same thing? It never bothered her before, but this was different. These were people Cade associated with, did business with.
Shakara looked over at Radcliffe who had his head tilted back in laughter. How easy it was for him to tell her these things, yet continue with his flirting and smiles. Asshole. Her fist tightened and she gazed over at Cade, deep in conversation with Angus Donaldson again.
Cade meant everything to her. Radcliffe was wrong. Not just wrong. He was a miserable bastard and a hypocrite, who visited exotic clubs then dared to look down on her for providing the entertainment he paid for. Her relationship with Cade was none of his damn business and furthermore she would not affect his company.
****
By the time they reached home, it was near midnight. Her mood was considerably lighter. She followed Cade into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. She rose on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all evening,” she whispered. Her bottom lips brushed over the prickly hairs on his jaw.
“You’re not the only one.”
His fingers tugged at the back of her dress, peeling it down until it fell in a puddle of satin at her feet. She stepped out of it and kicked off her shoes. His hands guided her backward to the bed, easing her onto the mattress.
“I’m going to spread your legs so I can look at you while I undress.” He parted her knees.
Shakara lay there, watching him step away from her, his eyes fastened on her body. Cade’s fingers loosened the knot in his tie. “I believe I was promised a taste of your lovely cunt.” He climbed on the bed, bringing her knees onto his shoulder.
Her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted on a sigh. He slid his hand underneath and cupped her ass, lifting her to his face.
“Cade,” she moaned, her head thrashing from side to side. His tongue sought out the drenched folds, lapping at the tingling flesh. He fixed his eyes on her and tapped his middle finger to her pulsing clitoris. Shakara squirmed, tiny cries escaping her throat.
“Such a deliciously ripe clit you have. It’s begging for my mouth. You want me to suck it don’t you, baby girl?”
She bit her lips and made a strangled sound. He issued her a stern, pointed look, and flicked the finger again, harder. Oh God, he was spanking her clitoris.
“Do you or do you not want my attention on your sweet little bud?”
Jesus, not that voice. Her cunt throbbed and wetness flowed onto his fingers. “Yes. Mr. Parker. I want you to suck my clit. I need it so badly. Please.”
“Good girl. Next time you’ll give me an answer much sooner.” He lowered his mouth over the engorged bud.
Shakara dug her hands into the sheets, hanging on for support. He drew her between his teeth, sucking until a pained expression swept across her face and her legs threatened to buckle. Without warning, his head lifted, causing her to cry out in protest.
Hush,” Cade soothed, climbing on top of her. He gripped his cock, rubbing it between her sensitive labia. “I used to dream about this. How wet and aroused you would be for me. Needing. The way you are right now. It pleases me beyond words.”
Shakara moaned, and his eyes darkened, looking between her legs. Her hips rose and her mouth opened as the heavy tip slapped against her clitoris.
“Oh, baby girl, I can see how badly you crave this.” He gazed at her tenderly, in agonizing opposite of the roughness to his strokes. Holding her arms above her head with one arm, Cade used the other to position himself between her thighs, his thick cock
spanking her exposed cunt.
“Oh, it feels amazing.” She writhed underneath him, reveling in the decadent form of pleasure punishment. Her entire body shook and she gasped, a feeling of utter completeness washing over her as he thrust into her, seating himself to the hilt.
Cade withdrew from her, then reached forward, pinning her shoulders to the bed. “What do you need, sweet?”
“You. I need you, Cade. All the way inside me until I can’t tell where you end and I begin.”
His face hardened and he pushed inside her cunt, thrusting harder and deeper, hitting the entrance to her cervix. She arched her back, rising to meet his long, powerful strokes. This was her man, the only man she would ever love. Her heart swelled and she yearned for his orgasm, the moment he would fill her with his seed.
“Shakara,” he groaned. “My sweet, sweet girl. Always so fucking eager for my cock. You can’t know how much that means to me—owning this sexy little cunt.
“Oh my God,” she screamed, clutching his broad shoulders. Cade held her close to him and grunted his release. Within seconds he leaned forward closing his mouth over a nipple. Shakara closed her eyes, stroking his thick head of hair.
“This feels wonderful.” Her lips relaxed into a blissful smile. “I love knowing there’s a part of you inside me.”
He lifted his head and grinned, his eyes sparkling. “You can’t begin to understand how much I love you, especially when you say such things to me.”
“I can. It’s the same way I love you.” The way I’m right where I belong.
Chapter Eighteen
Cade touched the velvet-lined box, popping it open for the fifth time since he collected it from the jeweler. The emerald encrusted diamond shone back at him and he tilted his head toward the glass door, looking out at the indoor pool. Wearing an orange bikini, Shakara floated on her back, her lips moving in laughter at something his sister must have related to her.
He fingered the white gold band and felt fourteen all over again, only this time it wasn’t as simple as asking his freshman crush out on a date. He was going to ask Shakara, his baby girl, to spend the rest of her life with him. He closed the box, carefully placing it behind a row of books on the carved antique shelf.
He’d always known it would come to this, but it was his upcoming trip abroad that fueled his desire to see his ring on her finger. Traveling overseas never bothered him before; he’d done it for years, overseeing the more crucial projects. It was different now that he had Shakara. Cade no longer looked forward to spending his nights alone in a foreign hotel. If he had to be away, he needed to make sure Shakara would always be here awaiting his return.
She mentioned having a day off tomorrow which prompted him to amend his schedule. He was going to take his own day off to be with her, keeping his fingers crossed the entire day. He hoped his after dinner proposal to her would end with a resounding yes, that she wanted to be his wife.
Cade glanced out the door again and Shakara turned in the same moment catching his gaze. She waved at him, the top of her breasts visible above the water. He wanted to join her in the pool but it was impossible. Julie was swimming in the deep end, completing laps. Plus, he was waiting on a business call from Radcliffe.
He pushed the door open and stepped onto the stucco pavement. Fascinated, Cade watched Shakara climb out of the pool, the bikini clinging to her skin. Droplets of water fell from her hair, trickling over her breast and down to her flat stomach.
Swallowing hard, he snatched up a yellow towel slung over the edge a chair. He draped it across her shoulder.
“Did you finish up in there?”
“Almost. I’ll do the rest of the paperwork after you leave.”
Cade patted the towel to her damp skin and spun her around to face him, her wet hair sticking to her head.
“Will you miss me when I depart on Tuesday?”
She flattened her hands to his chest and lowered her voice. “I already miss you and you haven’t even left. I wish you didn’t have to go.”
“Trust me, baby girl, I hate leaving you, but I’m working on changing that. Next time I’ll delegate the responsibility to Radcliffe.”
“You’d trust him with such an important task, closing a deal for you?”
He chuckled at her shocked expression. “He’s not a vice president because of our friendship. I know he didn’t make such a good impression on you, but he’s extremely qualified.”
She shrugged and took the towel out of his grasp. “He’s your friend. It doesn’t matter what I think of him.”
He narrowed his eyes, wondering if the man had said something troubling to her. “It matters greatly. You don't like him do you?”
Shakara rolled her eyes, scrubbing the towel through her hair. “I never said that.” She threw the damp cloth to the ground and kissed him. “I’m going to work soon and the last thing I want is to think about anyone else except you.”
“Good answer,” he murmured against her lips.
“That’s really nasty,” Julie complained, strolling past them. “Find a room, you guys, or better yet, wait until I’m not around.”
“Sorry, Jules, forgot you were still here.” Smiling apologetically, Shakara pulled out of his touch. Her gaze shifted to his sister, lounging on a chair at the far end of the deck.
“It’s fine. I’m expecting a phone call any minute.”
She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and sank down beside Julie, the two lapsing into conversation.
****
“So, when’s my brother officially going to make you my sister?”
Laughing, Shakara answered. “I don’t know, Jules, you’d have to ask him that.” She moved to her back and stared up at the sky. “Then again, maybe you should keep it to yourself. I don’t think Cade would appreciate being ambushed about marriage.”
“Why not? He’s old enough. You know, studies show the older a man gets the lower his, um, quality becomes. So if you guys ever want to have children and all that good stuff he’d better start thinking about putting a ring on your finger.”
Shakara shook her head in amusement. “You’re sick, and I’m offended on behalf of my man.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Julie lifted her thin brows and pulled her sunglasses over her eyes.
“Shouldn’t you be studying up on how to be a decorator instead of worrying about your brother’s...stuff?”
“Do you think Cade would be pissed if I barfed on the ground?” Julie opened her mouth pretending to vomit.
Shakara stood up and turned in the direction of the door. “Not as long as you clean it up. I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to get us some drinks.”
She entered the living room, her heart secretly soaring at the thought of her and Cade married. Glancing down, she laid her palm to her stomach, imagining Cade’s child growing inside her. Her cunt tightened with the need. Oh, how she would gladly throw out her pills and take him inside her.
Shakara flushed and shook her head. What the hell was she thinking? A freaking baby? No kid in their right mind would want her for a mother. More important, the notion of Cade marrying her was ridiculous in and of itself. Marriage was so definite, final. She had too much baggage for him to make such a commitment.
Sighing, she entered the kitchen, taking a step back at the harsh sound of Cade’s voice lashing into the phone.
“Shakara has nothing to do with this.”
Her eyes widened upon hearing her name. Oh my God. Was this the call he’d been waiting on from Radcliffe?
“If he backs out that means we lose the contract from Exeter Corp too.”
She watched as he ran a hand threw his hair, pacing from the granite island to the sink and back.
Her stomach sank as she listened closer, his finals words slamming into her heart.
“What are you doing?”
Whirling, Shakara clutched her heart, glaring at her friend. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
Julie shrank back, issuing
her a peculiar look. “Calm down. I was just wondering what was taking you so long.”
“Sorry, Jules.” She needed to get some space. “Do you mind getting the drink yourself? I completely forgot that I have to show up at work an hour early today.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Julie frowned.
Forcing a smile to her lips, she ran up the stairs, realizing she hadn’t given her friend an answer.
Unseeing, Shakara grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt out of the closet, berating herself a thousand times over.
“Stupid idiot,” she muttered, shrugging into her clothes. Not just stupid, selfish. Deep inside, she’d acknowledged that Radcliffe spoke the truth. Cade had to have been aware of it too, which meant the bastard wasn’t lying when he mentioned Cade considered bringing Donna to the party.
She snatched her handbag off the dresser and headed down the stairs. She didn’t want to see him on the way out, terrified he’d read her thoughts.
Cade stood at the bottom of the staircase, his eyes troubled. “Julie says you’re leaving.”
“Yes. I promised one of the other waitresses that I’d fill in an hour for her. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know. It slipped my mind.”
Shakara shuffled her feet, guilt gnawing at her soul. Her first conscious lie to the man she loved. Straightening, she brushed a kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you tonight.” She hurried away from him toward the entrance to the garage.
“Shakara.”
She glanced backward and the sight of him leaning against the wall watching her made her breath catch in her throat.