Garrett wasn’t sure why she’d interrupted him, but thinking back over the conversation, he realized that she might have worried that he was going to blurt out something stupid, like I love you. She’d merely pointed out their sexual compatibility and only an idiot would jump from that to a declaration of love. For all she knew, though, he was just that kind of idiot.
Of course he was in love with her, had been for seven years. But she wouldn’t hear that from him. He’d never expected to see her again, let alone have this kind of experience. Every time he’d considered looking her up during those years he’d stalled out because of the very thing he was worried about tonight – how she’d take the news that he’d been that Spiderman guy.
Now that he was older and slightly wiser, he realized how he could have kept the incident from turning into an embarrassing chapter best left unopened. The next day he could have sent her something, maybe flowers or a stuffed animal. He could have had it delivered anonymously, or he could have been really brave and included a phone number.
She probably wouldn’t have called, but at least he would have given her the power to decide. That would have been the gallant gesture that could have saved him in this situation. But he’d been too intimidated, too green and too stupid.
That left him with two choices in the current situation. He’d nearly chosen one of them just now because her sincerity had made him feel like a jerk for not telling her. She’d stopped him, but he could rededicate himself to the honorable path and insist on telling her, no matter how many times she interrupted.
Because he’d compounded his sins by having sex with her, she’d likely be even more furious with him than she would have been prior to having sex. She’d undoubtedly order him out of her apartment and he’d never be able to hold her in his arms again. Or he could enjoy being with her for the time they had left, knowing that telling her in the morning would end any chance they had. By then he would have doubly compounded his sins by staying the night and having even more sex.
The second plan had several advantages. The biggest one, obviously, was the chance to make love to her again with more finesse and much greater staying power. He wanted that with every fiber of his being. They also might get some sleep before morning because good sex tended to help that along. A confession could leave her to toss and turn as she planned various methods of revenge.
But if he delivered his confession in the morning right before he drove away, she could channel all that fury into her performance at the BMUS offices. She wouldn’t have to act at all. She’d be ready to hang him up by his balls.
Either way their relationship was doomed, so why not choose the alternative that delivered more sex and a better outcome in the roleplaying for Pearson’s benefit? With that decision made, he walked back into her bedroom.
She’d turned off the bedside lamp and had lit candles that both perfumed the air and gave the room a seductive glow. Gloriously naked, she seemed to glow, too, as she lounged against several pillows she’d propped against the headboard. She picked up a remote from the bedside table, pointed it at her small flat screen on the dresser, and a Wagner symphony filled the room.
He’d never made love while listening to Wagner, never thought he’d find a woman who’d go for it. His damned conscience could go hang. This was worth burning in hell for. They probably played Wagner down there, anyway.
Crossing to the bed, he sat on the edge of the mattress and drank in the sight of her. “You look great in candlelight.”
“You do, too. Like the music?”
“You know I do.” He reached for her breast and slowly fondled it while he watched the sparkle in her eyes turn to hot desire.
“Classical channel.” Her breath hitched as he continued to caress her. “Who knew?”
“Thank you.” He brushed his thumb back and forth over her hard nipple. “This’ll be a first for me.” He leaned forward and nibbled on her mouth.
“Yeah.” She sighed and cupped the back of his head. “Me, too.”
He chuckled. “What, you’ve never made love to this music? I’m so surprised.”
“Be nice.” She gently bit his lower lip. “Or I won’t let you choose the next position.”
“That’s okay.” He remembered how she’d sucked on his lip during their Spiderman kiss until he’d had an erection hard enough to drive nails. “You get to pick.”
She ran her tongue over his mouth. “Then lie down.” She stopped kissing him so she could move over to make room. “I want to be on top.”
He stretched out on his back. His cock had already risen to the occasion so he fumbled for the box of condoms on the bedside table.
“Nope.” She took the box away. “I’m in charge. Just lie there quietly and listen to Wagner.”
“I can’t guarantee I’ll be quiet. How’s the soundproofing in this building?”
“Excellent.” She fished out a condom and tore open the package. “One of the reasons I rented here.”
“Because you’re noisy?” He didn’t want to picture her having loud sex with some other guy but it was the first thing he thought of.
“Because I bring work home and I don’t want to be disturbed.” She straddled his thighs and gave him a teasing smile. “I didn’t mean that about being quiet. You can make noise if you want to. Wagner might inspire you. I can even turn it up if you want, to get you more in the mood.”
“Does it look like I need that?” He gestured toward the evidence.
“Guess not.” She stroked his erect penis lovingly. “Hard spear indeed. But I’d better dress you up for the party. It’s getting late.”
He didn’t want to think of time passing. Stuffing a pillow behind his head, he watched as she studied the condom in her hand and then looked at his cock. He was getting a little desperate for her to climb aboard, but her concentration on the task was adorable. “Got a problem?”
“It’s just that I haven’t done this in awhile and I don’t want to mess it up.”
He propped himself on one elbow and held out his other hand. “Then let me.”
She gazed at his outstretched hand and shook her head. “I can do it. But I am curious about something.” She went back to her task and began slowly rolling the latex over his throbbing bad boy.
“What’s that?” He sank back against the pillow and closed his eyes. The visual combined with the tactile sensation was way too arousing, especially with Wagner supplying the background music. He was determined this would be a long and satisfying romp so he needed to chill.
“Your tattoo.”
“Oh.” He’d had it so long he often forgot about it. When he’d held out his hand just now she must have noticed it for the first time.
“What language is it?” She snapped the condom in place.
He blew out a breath of relief and opened his eyes. “Klingon.”
“Really?” She scrambled up beside him and turned his arm so she could look at it. “I thought it seemed kind of familiar but I’ve never studied Klingon. I’ve seen it in a couple of books, though. What does it say?”
“It says She who puts on condom must get down to business.”
“No, it doesn’t.” She cradled his arm and placed moist kisses along the tattoo. “I’ve never known someone with a Klingon tattoo. Tell me what it says.”
He’d never realized that his inner arm was an erogenous zone. No wonder getting the tattoo had hurt so much. Lots of nerves there and they were all reacting to her lips and tongue. “It means Brute strength is not the most important asset in a fight.”
“I love that.” She trailed kisses up his arm to his shoulder before moving over to the hollow of his throat.
As she nuzzled him, he discovered his throat was also very sensitive. Maybe she had the power to make every inch of his body a locus of pleasure. Knowing he was suited up for the next stage fueled his anticipation. That might have something to do with his plethora of erogenous zones.
“Did you use Google to find that quote?” Her
breath warmed his ear as she ran her tongue around it.
He shivered. “No. I taught myself to read and write Klingon.”
“You’re kidding.” She stopped making love to his ear and shifted so she could look into his eyes. “You learned Klingon?”
“Yeah.”
“That is so sexy.” And she kissed him with enthusiasm and a lot of tongue. When she finally pulled away they were both panting. “I want you bad, Garrett Upton, Klingon linguist.”
He dragged in air. “Then go for it.” He was stunned. She was impressed with his mastery of Klingon. He’d never dated a single woman who had been and yet she was so fascinated that she had abandoned his condom-ready cock to get the details.
Apparently intrigued by this new facet of his personality, she seemed excited by the prospect of making love to a man who knew a language only valuable to Star Trek fans. But she was part of the tribe so it made sense. He wasn’t about to argue, not when she moved back to her original position, lifted her hips and took his needy cock inside her hot body. He groaned. Pure bliss.
Anchored firmly to him, she leaned forward. “I can’t decide which I like better, your brain or your hard spear.”
“My brain’s AWOL so you might as well concentrate on the spear.” Because her breasts were within reach, he cradled one in each hand. “Come a little closer.”
“You might distract me from my mission.”
“What’s that?” He squeezed gently, loving the feel of her, wanting the privilege of touching her like this forever.
“To make you come so hard you drown out Wagner.”
“The soundproofing can’t be that good.”
“I don’t care.” Holding her breasts just out of reach, she began rhythmically pumping her hips. “Say something in Klingon.”
His breathing grew ragged. “Brain’s . . . checked out.”
“Maybe later.” She increased the pace. “Come for me, big guy.”
He gasped. “It’s too soon.”
“We’ll do this again.” Pushing herself back a little, she began to ride him in earnest. “I promise.”
Surrendering to the need pulsing through him, he grasped her hips and began thrusting, matching his rhythm to hers.
“That’s it . . .” She gulped for air. “Oh, Garrett . . . Garrett.”
Her climax surrounded him, tantalized him and finally pulled him over the edge. He bellowed in triumph and quite possibly drowned out Wagner.
She sank down and rested her cheek on his shoulder as they held each other close.
“Qam SHa,” he murmured.
Her response was faint and breathy. “What?”
“Never mind.” She wouldn’t remember it, anyway. But at least he’d told her what was in his heart. In Klingon.
He’d thought they might sleep, but she seemed to be as excited about being with him as he was about being with her. As they made love and each time was better than the last, he toyed with the idea of saying nothing and continuing to date her as if they’d had no prior connection. But the truth would come out eventually. It always did.
So he could let her experience a sense of betrayal now or later. The longer he kept up the charade, the worse the betrayal, so he had very little choice, really. He waited for dawn with the growing dread of a man facing the gallows. Of course he wouldn’t actually die in the morning but part of him would.
Because she was Jocelyn, a kind and generous woman, she offered to fix him breakfast. He refused on the grounds that he didn’t want to put her to any trouble. It was a lame excuse but once they’d left her bedroom everything was over, anyway. He couldn’t bear to stay another minute when he knew the ax was about to fall.
She’d put on a fluffy bathrobe to see him off. Standing by her front door, he looked into the face of the woman he loved, perhaps the only woman he’d ever love, and steeled himself for what was to come.
Gripping her shoulders, he looked into her eyes. “I’ve treasured every minute of our time together.”
“So have I.”
“But there’s something you need to know, something that will undoubtedly change your opinion of me.”
“Garrett, you don’t have to –”
“Yes, I do. I’ve spent the night with you and had amazing sex with you without revealing who I am. That’s so unfair, but I wanted you so much that I compromised my principles.”
“Look, we should sit down and talk about this.”
“You won’t want to once you know the truth.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh, yeah. Remember the guy who crashed your sorority’s Halloween party in the Spiderman suit? That was me.” The emotional distress reflected in her gaze tore at his heart, but he pushed on. “I recognized you when you walked into the conference room yesterday. But I’ve said nothing, and worse yet, I’ve enjoyed myself tremendously while you had no clue who you were dealing with.”
Her initial distress evaporated. She was obviously gathering herself to rip him a new one. “Garrett, I don’t –”
“I know. You don’t get it. How could I do that to you? Well, take it out on me at the meeting. You won’t have to pretend to hate me.” Turning, he descended the stairs and strode over to his SUV. Once he was in it, he tore out of the parking lot with Wagner blaring from the speakers.
Chapter Six
Jocelyn hated seeing Garrett in pain, but he’d worked himself into such a state that she hadn’t gotten a word in. She’d started after him and then changed her mind. Her side of the story would take some explaining, too. Why hadn’t she said something the minute she recognized him? Because she’d been angry enough to think he deserved some payback.
Technically he hadn’t been wrong about her initial reaction. He just didn’t realize she’d had time to get past it. His remark about not wanting to trash her reputation because he respected her so much had touched her deeply.
He was a decent guy who’d handled something poorly when he was a college student and then hadn’t known how to fix it seven years after the fact. That was forgivable. She’d been wondering how to broach such a delicate subject when he’d spilled his guts and left. She’d thought about texting him, but that wouldn’t cut it. They needed to talk … and kiss and get naked again. Then he might finally believe her.
In the meantime she had plenty to do. Yuki, her actor friend, was excited about impersonating a Japanese software company representative in order to bait a trap. She’d given him a script to follow and he’d already dreamed up a plausible name for the fake company. Knowing him, he’d design a logo and print up a few business cards.
If her confrontational meeting at BMUS went as planned, she’d text Yuki. He’d call Pearson and say that she wanted revenge because Garrett was badmouthing her all over Silicon Valley. Yuki was a good actor who should be able to lure Pearson to the meeting with talk of revenge and deep pockets. Assuming that worked, Yuki would fly in tomorrow morning and she’d bring him to the dummy office Tony had secured. The entire episode could be wrapped up before lunch.
She was fairly confident about everyone’s part in the drama with the exception of Garrett. He’d had trouble being snarky when they’d rehearsed at Charlotte’s house and she wasn’t sure if he could do it today, either. He would be feeling like crap, though, and sadly, that might help.
Maybe it was just as well that they’d have no opportunity to talk this through until later. Once she convinced him she wasn’t angry anymore and that she hoped they could pick up where they’d left off, he should be a pretty happy guy. They weren’t professional actors and their reconciliation would probably put them both in an excellent mood that might be hard to disguise. Still, her heart ached thinking of him in misery. She’d make it up to him when this was all over.
The thought of nabbing Pearson kept her going, but she’d skipped lunch because she wasn’t hungry and she’d had so many details to handle. When she walked into Tony’s office at exactly five minutes before two, she was a bundle of nerves.
&nb
sp; Tony’s eyebrows lifted, and no wonder. She’d made a quick trip to a resale shop and had found a slim black skirt with a slit up one side and a matching jacket that technically didn’t need a blouse underneath but displayed ample cleavage. She’d left her hair down and had on a pair of red stilettos that killed her feet but looked great.
He clicked his intercom button and notified everyone that Jocelyn Salisbury had arrived for the meeting. Then he stood and grinned at her. “Nice job.”
“Thanks.”
Charlotte came in first and started to giggle.
Jocelyn turned to her with a warning glance.
“Sorry.” Charlotte swallowed her laughter. “But damn, Jocelyn.”
“I know.” She took a deep breath and pictured herself as a hustler, a lawyer without scruples who used and abused anyone who got in her way. “Mind if I have a seat?”
Tony gestured toward an armchair. “By all means.”
She placed her briefcase beside it and sat down. Then she deliberately crossed her legs to expose the slit up the side of her skirt. Tony shook his head and glanced down to hide a smile. She hoped to hell he and the others would play the parts assigned to them.
“Ah, Blake.” Tony glanced toward the doorway. “Come in and meet Jocelyn. Jocelyn, this is Blake Pearson, an important member of our team.”
She got her first look at the man who’d caused all the commotion. He was blond, blue-eyed and handsome, although the way he’d perused the slit in her skirt and the suggestive gleam in his eyes cancelled out any appeal he might have had.
“Welcome to BMUS. Glad to have you with us.” He managed to load the comment with innuendo.
“I’m delighted, too.” She gave him a smile that promised all sorts of things.
The Krause brothers came in next and seemed a little startled by her appearance. Tony couldn’t have prepared them for it, but they recovered and were exceedingly polite. She pictured these two glasses-wearing guys – Rylan with his dark, unruly hair and a bushy beard, Fraser with his clean-shaven and more formal appearance – as Garrett’s buddies in college. It wasn’t hard to imagine them daring him to crash a sorority party in his Spiderman suit.
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