Strictly Business

by Lisa Eugene

  “Oh. I …haven’t been home. I’m staying with a…ah…friend. I’ll be here for a few days.” She closed her eyes and prayed that that would be sufficient for her father.

  “A friend?”

  Nina could hear her mother in the background badgering her dad to hand over the phone.

  “Yeah. Just for a little while.”

  “Sally?”

  “No Dad.” Nina swallowed.

  “Which girlfriend?”

  “Not a…girlfriend exactly.”

  “Then who exactly?”

  “A ‘boy’ friend exactly.”

  “A boyfriend?”

  “No! Not a boyfriend. Just a boy…ah…man…who is a friend,” she explained with exasperation. What was she in high school? She could feel her headache returning with a vengeance.

  A muffled sound was heard on the other end as Robert relayed the situation to Beth. Nina rolled her eyes and braced herself. There was a series of shuffles and thumps on the other end causing her to wince. Were they having a physical fight over the phone?

  “Nina, dear?” Her mother’s pitchy voice rang through the phone and Nina couldn’t suppress the image of her father doubled over in pain from an upper-cut.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “What’s this about you shacking up with some guy? Do we know him? How long has this been going on?”

  “I’m just staying at a friend’s apartment for a little while. I’m fine. Gotta go. Call you later. Love you.”

  “Wait, we have to discuss your birthday plans!” Beth shouted.

  Nina groaned inwardly. She needed to end this conversation.

  “Bye, Mom,” she said as she searched frantically through a series of touch screens on Wade’s phone for the off screen. Her fingers halted when she saw two missed calls from Marie Deluse. Her mother was saying something about a theme.

  “Yeah, fine, Mom. Gotta go,” she murmured, still distracted by her recent discovery. She signed off the phone and sat nibbling her bottom lip. Her heart felt like it was caught in a giant fist that was determined to wring every ounce of anguish from her. Stupid. Stupid girl! She mentally scolded again. What did she expect? Wade was obviously still cavorting with Marie Deluse.

  What she and Wade had together was as brittle and capricious as dried leaves in the wind. She obviously meant nothing to him. She sighed, stubbornly holding back tears. She wanted to march right into the kitchen and…and…she inhaled deeply. And what? Pound on his chest? Demand that he forsake every other woman for her? Demand his love?

  She knew such actions would be ridiculous. She had no claim to Wade. He’d made no promises to her. That mumbled declaration of love made in post coital bliss had been a lie meant to keep her cooperative. Going all possessive-screaming-banshee on him now was unwarranted. She would only seem like a raving shrew if she were to confront him.

  She had to remember her resolve. Even though she was never good at separating her head from her heart she was determined to do so. She was determined to stay emotionally detached. Their living arrangement was one of necessity. While they were together she’d enjoy their relationship for what it was. She’d be stupid to expect more. A tear escaped to roll down her cheek as pain and longing washed through her. She didn’t know how she could feel so betrayed and so sensually exhilarated at the same time. He was like a drug flowing in her veins.

  “Everything okay with your parents?” he inquired moments later as he approached the couch with a tray. She had taken the time to stiffen her resolve and salve her bruised emotions.

  “They think I’m shacking up with you.”

  He smiled, placing items from the tray in front of her. “Are they upset?”

  “Are you kidding? My mom’s probably already having the banns read.”

  No sooner had her words spilled out than she wished she could retract them. She groped mentally for a change of topic, but sensing his silence she looked up. He shot her a crooked grin, the dimple in his cheek deepening.

  “I always did like your mother.” His wink was teasing, but she ignored the tumult his nonchalance created.

  “When will Joe be in touch?” she asked, biting into a sandwich.

  Wade cleared his throat, following her lead. “As soon as he finds out anything. He’s as tenacious as Ben,” he said sadly.

  Seeing his bleak expression, Nina offered genuine words of comfort. She knew the longer Ben stayed in his coma, the poorer his prognosis for recovery. This was a familiar realm for her. This she was trained to handle. She’d much rather contemplate the circumstances of others and do what she could to ease their situation than grapple with her own issues.

  Following lunch, Wade rose from the couch and offered his hand. “Come on…”

  Nina peered up at him, confusion lifting her brow. She opened her mouth to speak, but he quickly silenced her with his gentle lips. The sliding caress of his mouth caused a moan deep in her throat, igniting her need for him. He dragged her up against him and together they stumbled down the hall.

  She followed him through the door to the marble bath and offered no protest when he stripped her out of her shorts, underwear, and shirt. Cool air feathered against her naked flesh, and she shivered. He left her alone to fill the giant tub; he added an aromatic soap then returned to pull her against him and rub warmth into her arms with his big palms.

  She slipped her arms around his waist and pillowed her head on his chest, absorbing the rhythmic thumping of his heart. The heat of his body was enough to send a slow current snaking through her. Her nipples poked his chest and the juncture of her thighs grew dewy with need.

  “I figured a bubble bath might relax you,” he mumbled against the top of her head.

  She sank into the tub with a satisfied purr. The satiny warmth engulfed her, jets of soapy water swirling and ebbing along her sensitive skin. She welcomed the quiescence and purred when he moved behind the tub and started to gently massage her shoulders. She allowed him to ease the burden of her innermost thoughts.

  She wanted to forget about his case, forget about the foiled attempt on her life, and forget about Marie Deluse. Although she hadn’t allowed her fear to take root, she was anxious about her pending promotion and the fact that she was actively plotting against someone who was involved in making decisions regarding her future. She had no idea when or if he would be brought to justice.

  Wade’s long nimble fingers probed her shoulders, kneading and soothing a buttery path, effectively luring her mind from her errant thoughts. She arched her back and crooned, wishing he’d apply the same attention to her aching nipples.

  “Don’t stay in too long or you’ll turn into a prune,” he advised, rising from behind her. She could hear the diluted strain in his deep voice.

  “Stay.” Nina heard herself whisper when he turned towards the door.

  He turned around, and his gorgeous blue eyes locked with hers. She could sense his barely leashed desire and it spurred her own.

  “Nina… You’ve been through so much…” His voice trailed off as she moved to her knees in the tub, her wet heavy breasts swaying with her movements. The heat caused the confines of her ponytail to curl in spirals against her slick skin.

  His throat work convulsively as she hooked a finger into a belt loop of his jeans and dragged him closer. Her palm roamed over the large bulge in his jeans she was now eye level with, causing a moan to rumble from his throat.

  “Nina,” he croaked as her touch grew bolder. Even as he spoke his hips rocked into the cup of her hand. “You should be resting. Are—are you up to it?”

  Nina grinned and peered up at him. “The question is, Wade, are you up to it?” At those words she gripped him tightly and nibbled along the long hot ridge in his jeans. She knew the promise beneath, and the thought of it literally made her mouth water.

  Wade quirked a brow, surprised and thrilled by her boldness.

  “Ahh…God…” He struggled not to move, but the teasing nips were driving him crazy. He almost doubled over wh
en she unbuttoned his jeans and took his engorged tip into the warm cavern of her mouth. Pleasure burned along his stiff rod and took root in his groin, drawing his sack tight.

  She sucked him into her mouth, causing Wade to growl each time his mushroom head hit the back of her throat.

  Wade stared, transfixed with the carnal sight of Nina’s lips whispering over him. His cock was engorged and rampant, twitching with pleasure as she fanned flames along his thick column. His passion ignited and flamed. He had to lock his hands behind his back to resist the urge to grip her head and buck wildly into her mouth. His knees almost buckled as she fisted his wide base and lapped greedily at his balls.

  “Aaaaah, Nina! God…that’s good…so good! You’re driving me crazy!”

  Hot precum dribbled from his tip and trailed down his length. Nina tracked it with her searing tongue and consumed his shaft, moaning and twisting her head to take as much of him as she could. A lightning bolt of pleasure shot through him, tearing a low jungle cry from his larynx. He felt the sharp buzz of impending orgasm along every nerve ending and gritted his teeth to hold it back. As desperately as his body longed for release, he wanted to be inside her. With herculean effort he pulled his hips away, releasing his throbbing shaft from the suction of her lips with a loud pop.

  Nina couldn’t suppress her satisfied smile. She loved the effect she had on him. She enjoyed hearing his moans and cries of pleasure, loved knowing she was the one responsible for reducing this big powerful body to a trembling mass of lust.

  She watched as he stepped out of the jeans that had billowed around his ankles and quickly ditch his tee shirt. There was a line of faint bruising down the length of his left arm. His body was gloriously solid all over, broad sculpted shoulders, tight abs, narrow waist, and strong athletic legs that were sprinkled with dark hair. His tumid member jutted proudly from a thatch of thick dark spirals. He took a step closer to the tub, eyes trailing a meandering path down the length of her naked body as he laced their fingers and pulled her up.

  “Come on, let’s get you rinsed.”

  She laughed as a trail of suds followed her to the glass shower. She skirted him as he scooped up handfuls of foam and ineffectively tossed them at her like sticky snowballs. He slipped into the shower behind her, chuckling as he adjusted the spray of water that spewed from multiple faucets. She reveled in the steamy warmth, shivering as he trailed an unhurried path over her skin, rinsing the soap from her body.

  His fingers painted a slow intricate pattern of circles on her lower abdomen and skated through her wet curls, stirring lava into her blood. Her lids lowered, she almost groaned in frustration, wishing his route would extend lower to where she craved his touch most.

  “Think I rinsed everywhere?” he inquired teasingly.

  Nina caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Her lids rolled up and met his gaze. Slowly she shook her head, not trusting her voice to speak.

  “I thought I was so thorough…whatever could I have missed?” His heated breath dusted along her neck and chest. “Did I miss this spot?” His tongue savored one nipple, then his hot mouth closed over her breast, dragging a startled cry from her.

  She gasped and shook her head, the wet suctioning of his lips drawing the desire between her legs to an exquisite point. His fingers idled behind her, sliding through the warm water pounding at her back. A single finger delved into the crease of her ass, moving along sensitive skin; she tensed and trembled simultaneously.

  “This spot?”

  Her breath was erratic and coarse, her body a gelatinous mass of nerves and sensation. She managed to shake her head, acutely aware of his questing fingers. They dipped down between her drenched thighs and fluttered lightly over her aching nub.

  “This spot?”

  She sought purchase from his solid shoulders. Her knees went weak as sharp pleasure clawed through her. Her head fell back, and a low moan curled up from her throat. Wade dotted her feminine folds, drumming his fingers along her cleft and used the flow of her essence to slowly glide his path.

  “Did I find the spot I missed?” His deep voice found her in her sensual abyss.

  A guttural groan was all she could manage because at that moment he speared a long finger deep into her swollen aching flesh, sending her spiraling into orgasm. With a grunt he backed her quivering body up against the gray marble wall of the shower.

  He devoured her mouth, plundering its depths with his velvety tongue. Nina felt the sudden coolness of the wall against her back; her shaky thighs circled his hips as he hoisted her up. She held on to his broad shoulders, startled by the sudden change in position. Every cell in her body drummed with anticipation; her ache for him was so intense that it was almost painful. Her recent orgasm only served to prime her for a deeper fulfillment. The sound of the rushing water behind them filled her head, and a hazy mist blanketed the large shower stall.

  With a gutteral groan Wade positioned himself at her entrance and lowered her onto his straining length. Her head lolled as she experienced the delicious stretch of her flesh around him. Shards of heat jetted from her center and sizzled through her. He breathed her name again and again as if he too was locked in the rapture. He arched and buried himself to the hilt, giving them both a moment to bask at the edge of undiluted pleasure.

  Slowly the need began to crest, and Nina looked down into his eyes. The carnal lust she saw there was raw and untamed. His blue eyes deepened to a dusky violet as he braced his legs and withdrew slowly. He kept the bulging tip buried in her wetness and she clamped down, missing the entire length of him. She expelled a sudden whoosh of air as he pumped into her hard. His cock was hot and slippery, bathed by their fluids.

  Bunching his shoulders, he cupped her buttocks and pumped furiously into her slick passage. Nina’s hands clawed at his shoulders and she gasped and moaned, the delicious spasms demanding a voice. Wade’s pounding was so forceful that she slid a few inches up the steamy marble with each thrust. His tongue bathed her neck and chest with wet sultry kisses, and he issued her name through clenched teeth.

  “Yes! Yes! Yes! More…more…” Nina cried, feeling the slow build of another climax teasing her hot flesh. Her fingers entwined themselves in his thick dark hair, and she latched on.

  Wade bent his knees and jack-hammered into her, rending a long moan from deep in her chest. A rapturous fireball flew through her body, igniting everything it touched. Her inner muscles rippled and tightened around his thick shaft and she felt his body stiffen; his cock pulsed and bucked deep inside her. A hoarse endless roar was muffled against her neck as he swiveled his hips and poured his semen into her.

  She deflated against him. She knew that if he weren’t supporting her she’d melt to the floor in a gelatinous heap. Her body was still quivering from her climax and her fingers clenched deep in his hair. He eased out of her, causing them both to moan, and in one swift motion slipped an arm around her shoulders and another beneath her knees. He cradled her to him and snuggled her close to his chest as he carried her sated body to his room.

  He deposited her into his king size bed and she purred as she felt the kiss of cool sheets against her bare skin. He brushed back her damp curls from her face and skimmed his lips across her forehead and the tender bruise there. She whimpered when he moved away, and he promised a quick return, his eyes transparently adoring.

  Wade toweled them both off, tucked her under his comforter and slid in beside her. His heart stroked warmth through his chest when she turned and nestled against him. Marveling at how well they fit together, he knew this was where he wanted to be for the rest of his life.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Nina startled awake, her heart pounding furiously. She probed the darkness with her eyes, trying to scatter her disequilibrium. Her first troubled thought was that she was late for work, which for her would be a first. She spied a digital clock on a nightstand and with a sigh of relief realized she still had a few hours before the start of her shift. She was in Wade’s room and the heav
y curtains were drawn. She could hear him talking on the phone in the adjoining bathroom and wondered if Marie Deluse had finally reached him. A punch of jealously hit her and she chastised herself.

  Moments later he hurried into the room and assuaged her expanding curiosity.

  “There’ve been some new developments,” he whispered, meeting her questioning stare. His naked legs were quickly stepping into jeans as he cradled his cell phone between his ear and shoulders, raptly listening to his caller.

  She sat up, a palm bracing a sheet over her naked breasts. She watched Wade intently. His eyebrows were pleated in deep concentration as he scuttled about the room pulling on the rest of his clothes.

  “I should be there in fifteen,” he said finally and signed off.

  “Joe?”

  “No, that was Andrew, my law partner.” Wade snapped on his Rolex. His long legs brought him to the bed in a few quick strides. “We’re meeting at the office. I’m not sure exactly what information Joe has, but Andrew wants a meeting. Joel, my other partner has been talking to the State Insurance Board and he wants to fill us in too.” Wade sighed heavily, his blue eyes weary. He couldn’t wait for this damn case to wrap up, although he knew it would be months, years even before its legal finality.

  “I’ve gotta go. I should be back in a few hours. We’ll talk more then.” He bent down to kiss her goodbye.

  “I might not be here when you get back. I’ve a shift tonight.”

  “You what?” Her words sent a chill sliding down his spine.

  She ignored his incredulous expression. His mounting anger was etched in the tight lines of his face. She met his gaze calmly.

  “I have to go to work tonight. I’m a physician. There are patients who need me. I can’t not show up for work.”

  “Nina. You were attacked this morning. It’s not safe at WMH,” he spat out slowly, every word a sharp jab.

  She found his phonated speech offensive. He was speaking to her as if she were a child. She was trying to stay calm, but they’d had this discussion before and he should know where she stood. Her career meant everything to her.