Provoke Me

by Cari Quinn

  “And in this bed a short while ago, before you conked out.” He trailed his fingers over her cheek.

  She grinned. “Okay, fine. I’m a little tired. Can you blame me? It was a night of new experiences.”

  ”Speaking of new experiences, I bet Nina would be up for a threesome if you ever changed your mind.”

  She leaned up on one elbow to swat his chest. In the soft light from the lamp next to the bed, his skin gleamed gold and little droplets of perspiration still clung to his muscles. His very sexy muscles.

  “You, me and your ex. Now there’s a recipe for disaster.” She wanted to clarify exactly how “ex” Nina was but now wasn’t the time. He’d said he was single, hadn’t he? Besides, she wasn’t clingy or possessive. Especially when he was naked and lying underneath her with an honest-to-god half-smile on his face. “I’ll pass.”

  “Not into girls?”

  “My interests lie elsewhere.” Demonstrating, she palmed his balls and licked the tip of his cock. Since his cock had already been very well-used, he managed only a feeble groan. She lifted her head and grinned. “Couldn’t you tell?”

  “Good thing.” He trailed his hand up her back and cupped her shoulder, warming her from neck to wrist. Of course she was already pretty damn warm from their post-club workout. Thank God for his A/C, because their workout would’ve landed them in intensive care otherwise. “I’m not up for sharing your beautiful nether regions.”

  That made her laugh. “If you aren’t into sharing, what’s your deal with Kink?”

  That shifty expression came into his eyes. Talking in anything more than grunts closed him down quick. “I like to watch,” he said finally. “Sometimes participate, but mostly just observe.”

  She propped her forearm on his rock-hard stomach and pursed her lips. “I didn’t expect to like it. But I can see how it can enhance things. Occasionally.”

  “It helps you not to think. I think way too much.”

  “No shit, Sherlock.”

  “Occupational hazard.” The heaviness in his eyes disturbed her, but she knew pushing him wouldn’t get her anywhere. He only knew one way to communicate, and it sure wasn’t verbally.

  Better to turn the spotlight back on her.

  “Not thinking does have an appeal. I definitely never thought I’d be draped open for a whole room to see like I was tonight.” She caught herself about to yawn and forced her eyes wide open, hoping he didn’t notice. She didn’t want to go home yet and she definitely didn’t want him to head down to the couch again. “I could’ve had a threesome once,” she added. “An actual threesome. Not like tonight.” What had occurred tonight she couldn’t classify. Nor would she try.

  “And?”

  “Not my thing.”

  “You didn’t like two men’s attention focused solely on you? I thought most women got off on that.”

  “It was too hard to keep up with whose hand was where. I couldn’t relax. I ended up sending both guys home before they’d even gotten their pants off.” She shrugged and fought another yawn. “Guess I’m too boringly traditional.”

  “Mmm-hmm. Nice diversionary tactic, but I saw that yawn. Both of them.” He traced a fingertip around her mouth. “Late nights for you.”

  “Yeah.” She hated that her eyelids were starting to droop. Maybe it made her sappy or stupid, but she liked being here with him. She’d even grown kind of fond of his long, thoughtful silences.

  “You’re like my brother. He’s always up with the birds. Me, if I had my way, I’d sleep ’til noon.”

  Surprised by the conversational crack he’d opened, she cocked her head. “What’s your brother like?”

  “Crazy.” He laughed and shook his head. “The guy’s off the wall. He was a jock and still thinks he’s the hottest thing going. He made a ton of money in real estate down in the Keys with my parents so now he’s semiretired. His current occupation is sleeping his way through the female population of Florida.”

  “Semiretired? How old is he?”

  “Thirty-one.” Spencer’s lips twisted wryly. “As nuts as he is, he invests like a fiend. Guy’s set forever. So he’s wasting his life sailing around on his sailboat and partying like he’s still in college.”

  “You’re close,” she said and he nodded.

  “Yeah. We are. Complete opposites in a lot of ways, but Adam makes me laugh. Christ, he could make anyone laugh. It’s impossible to stay in a bad mood around him.”

  “Is he single?” Kelly asked, grinning when he tugged on her hair. “Just checking.”

  “Funny.”

  “And your parents? What are they like?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Writing a book?”

  “No. I’m trying something new. It’s called getting to know you. Ever heard of it?”

  “Touché.” He swirled his fingertip down the coiled wires in her ear. “You’re easy to talk to.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, noting his pained expression.

  He surprised her by smiling. Again. It was almost getting to be a habit. “My parents are great people. Really decent, salt of the earth types. They preferred we choose more successful pursuits, like most parents, but they supported us regardless. Luckily none of us turned out to be bums.”

  “I hear a ‘but’ in there.”

  “But I was the typical middle child. Never sure of my niche. My older sister was my father’s princess. The sun rose and set on her, no matter if she brought home a C in calculus or got caught TP’ing our neighbor’s car. Adam was my mom’s precious baby boy. Her precocious little angel who charmed all the girls and excelled at every sport. Didn’t leave much room for me to stand out.”

  “So what were you?”

  He shrugged. “I swam, not spectacularly, but all right. I did okay in school. I had girlfriends, here and there. I wasn’t a standout in any way. Nothing really grabbed me like books. For a while, I toyed with becoming a writer.”

  “Yeah?”

  “It wasn’t for me. I can’t string sentences together to save my life. Too impatient, I guess. I settled on my major in college because I liked the outdoors and didn’t know what the hell else I’d do. Then I walked into The Nook. Even then it took me a couple years to figure out for certain what I was meant for.”

  “To rule with an iron fist and a sexy swagger,” she said, batting her lashes until the wrinkle between his brows eased.

  “I’ve never managed to rule you.”

  “You’ve sure tried.” She nipped his chin. “I’m just hard to contain.”

  “No kidding. Why do you think I’ve had a hard-on for you for three years?”

  “You have not.”

  He pretended to think it over. “Okay. I haven’t.”

  Disappointment surged through her until she saw the uncharacteristic gleam in his dark eyes. “Liar. You have. Really?” She tried not to blush but she knew she was when his mouth softened. “I thought you didn’t like me.”

  “Didn’t stop you from molesting me in my car,” he teased.

  She sidled up to kiss him full on the mouth. “Persistence is a bad habit of mine. I don’t give up.”

  “So you damn both of us,” he murmured.

  “Are we damned?”

  “You tell me. You could change your shift,” he added as she tried to stifle another yawn.

  “To accommodate my trips to the sex club?” She snorted and rolled onto her back. That was the smart thing to do, because distancing her body from his made it that much easier to get up and leave. Theoretically.

  “Managers have their pick,” was all he said as he shifted on top of her and settled between her thighs.

  She slitted her eyes as his fingers strummed up and down her pussy. “You’re the one who said I may not be management material.” Nope, that didn’t burn. Not at all.

  “Maybe I underestimated you.”

  “Maybe?” She reached down and gripped his cock. “What do I have to do to convince you?”

  He cupped her breasts and thumbed
her nipples in that hard, almost brusque manner she’d come to crave. “I’m not that kind of boss.”

  She started to explain herself and then decided to have some fun. “Sure about that? You like young girls, obviously.” She moved her shoulders, bouncing her breasts. “I can so see you taking advantage of a poor innocent employee like myself who only wants to get ahead. I mean, just because I asked for extra overtime doesn’t mean I expected all this.”

  His face hardened and his fingers stroked her breasts roughly enough to bruise. For a moment, she thought she’d gone too far. Fear skated up her spine but she didn’t back down when his hot gaze clashed with hers.

  “You’re not innocent.” Spencer’s voice sounded darker, more dangerous. “And you’re not a young girl.”

  “Younger than you. How old are you anyway?” She scraped her nails over his erection. Clearly he was enjoying this conversation as much as she was. “Forty? Forty-five?”

  “You know exactly how old I am. And if you don’t, it didn’t stop you from wanting me. I saw your list, remember?”

  Playing with him was addictive. She never knew what angle he’d come at her next. “True, on both counts. But there were nine other guys on that list, which means you aren’t the only man I’ve had my eye on. So if you think taking me to sex clubs and offering me favors will influence me to do your bidding—”

  “I didn’t take you to Kink. You took yourself. And what favors have I offered you?”

  “None yet.” She licked her lips as she slid her palms up his chest. “Maybe I haven’t made it clear enough how eager and willing I am to get ahead.”

  “You think I’m that easily influenced?”

  She smiled, intrigued and excited by the intensity of his expression. He was good at this playacting thing. “Believe me, easy will have nothing to do with it, boss.” She raised her hips, shifting so her wetness brushed his cock. His forehead creased as if he was holding himself back, trying to resist taking what she yearned to give. “Fuck me, Spencer.”

  He grabbed a condom from the depleted supply on the nightstand and ripped open the foil. Before she could blink, he’d rolled on the latex and the head of his cock nudged her entrance. But he didn’t slide all the way inside. He inched in and out, tormenting her with shallow thrusts. Juice dripped from her pussy, slickening his movements. She heard her own gasps as if she’d drifted outside her body to watch him decimate her, noted her quick acquiescence when he shook off her greedy hands.

  “Put them behind your head,” he said as she reached for him yet again.

  Already panting, she obeyed his wishes. Anything to get him to give her what she needed. She laced her fingers behind her neck, clamping down when he chose that moment to lever her hips upward and plunge. This was the Spencer she was coming to know, the one who drove into her hard and fast and counted on her to keep up if she didn’t want to be left behind.

  She tightened her legs around his waist as he drove her into the mattress with his violent plunges. He didn’t give her clit or her breasts any attention, leaving both areas exposed and throbbing. She wanted his fingers on her, relieving the ache, but he wouldn’t offer that much. Her pleasure was under his control, just the way he liked it.

  Kelly squeezed her inner muscles as he pumped into her again, making him bite off an oath. His chest expanded with the force of his breaths. Rotating her hips, she kept up the pressure, clenching her sheath around him until a vein pulsed under his jaw, a visible warning of the effect her teasing had caused.

  She dug welts on her own neck as she drew him so deep they cried out in unison. He started moving faster, his shoulders bunched from the effort of holding her still. Gone was the methodical man who’d planned to fuck her the way he wanted without her having any say in the matter. In his place was the man she yearned for, the uninhibited, wild Spencer she only ever saw during sex.

  And that Spencer she would have.

  The air thickened, steaming between them as their damp bodies slapped against each other in a race to the finish. She bore down each time he tried to withdraw his cock, tearing groan after groan from him, but he wasn’t about to give in without making her pay. He changed the angle of the strokes, battering her pussy until even whimpering was beyond her. Her only salvation was that eventually he needed to catch his breath.

  “You’re going to come first,” she panted.

  Denial flared in his eyes. He looked like a valiant warrior—resolute, determined to be victorious in the battle royale of the ultimate orgasm. Coming first was both a win and a loss, and he wouldn’t go down easily.

  So she would have to battle hard. And dirty.

  He wrapped his hand around the base of his cock as he slid home again and again, his length filling her completely. The friction almost felt too good, because how was she supposed to make him come first if her body wouldn’t listen? She moaned, caught between ecstasy and frustration. Dammit. She wanted to watch him come but she was so close. She arched and accepted him to the hilt, clasping him so hard she thought her back would break.

  His hips jerked, his rapid puffs of breath the only sign he’d reached the peak. God, she loved watching him go over. Long jets of his cum pulsed into the condom, triggering more waves inside her pussy. Her skin flashed hot and she gasped as his uneven thrusts ground his pubic bone against her clit.

  Just a little more…

  Mindlessly she followed him, riding the crest of delirious pleasure saturating her body. In the midst of it, he grabbed her hair and crushed his lips onto hers, stealing both her moans and her breath.

  When the blissful sensations started to ebb, she dropped back into the pillows. Dimly she registered the mattress shifting and assumed Spencer had sprawled out beside her. But when she glanced up, he was pulling on his boxers.

  “Where you going?” She couldn’t help the drowsy satisfaction in her voice any more than she could stop the fear that raised its pointy little head when he turned flat, cold eyes her way.

  “I have some work to do downstairs.” That he was still a little breathless wasn’t much consolation.

  She looked at the clock and then back at him. His expression hadn’t unfrozen. What the hell? “At two-fifteen in the morning?”

  “I’m behind.”

  “Sure. Right. Guess that’s my cue to leave.”

  For some reason she couldn’t imagine staying in his bedroom alone as she’d done the night before. Mistakenly or not, she’d felt as if he was opening up to her a little. So much for what she knew.

  “I’ll drive you home.”

  She rolled out of bed and knelt to pick up her crumpled underwear. “Afraid I’ll steal your car again?” She’d said it to be funny but he didn’t laugh. He didn’t even give her one of those half-smiles she loved.

  “It’s late,” he said before crossing the room to the master bath and shutting the door.

  She fastened her bra and sat on the edge of the mattress. Her damn thighs were still trembling. If she touched herself, she’d smell him all over her fingers.

  Moisture dampened her eyes but she blinked until it was gone. She didn’t cry over men.Ever. Maybe she’d gone too far with the boss jokes, but she’d thought he understood. Stupid. What made her think she knew him? They’d had sex a handful of times. That didn’t make her an expert on the man.

  If she were honest, though she’d come every time, he’d kept their encounters as impersonal as could be. Forget emotions. Anything beyond straight sex and public play at Kink didn’t seem to interest him. He hadn’t gone down on her, though she’d given him a blowjob on the way home from the club. Hell, he hadn’t even sucked her nipples. Delegating those particular tasks to others seemed much more his style.

  True, they’d only become lovers last night. But she had a suspicion more sex wouldn’t lead to anything but more of the same. Yet she was still sitting here, sniffling.

  She wasn’t some bimbo. At first she’d thought Spencer’s distant demeanor was a challenge. Sometimes it pissed her off,
but she’d liked the idea of breaking down his walls.

  But what he’d just done—roll off her then look at her as if she were no more important than the spitball on the bottom of his shoe—was not acceptable. Maybe his other screwees tolerated this sort of behavior, but she had some pride.

  Not a lot at the moment, but some.

  Anger took root where a moment ago there had been only that quivering feeling in her belly. Thank God. If she’d suddenly developed an attraction to unattainable, emotionally unavailable men, she’d damn well get over it. She’d check him off her list—which he still had, the jerk—and move on.

  She got to her feet and yanked on her thong. The door opened just as she pulled her tube dress over her head. Though he watched her shimmy it into place, he said nothing.

  “I want my property back,” she said in the coolest tone she could muster.

  He picked up the trousers he’d folded over the arm of the chair she’d slept in last night and stepped into them, pulling up the zipper as slowly as if he had all the time in the world. His shirt was next. He did up the buttons from the bottom to the top, his hooded dark eyes watching her all the while.

  “Well?” she demanded.

  “No.” He reached for his belt and slipped it through the loops of his pants. Once he’d notched the leather, he shot his cuffs and faced her again. “Ready?”

  “No?” Her voice rose. “You’re not keeping my PDA. I paid a lot of money for it.”

  “When? Five years ago?” He gave her a dismissive glance before he picked up his wallet. “The thing’s virtually obsolete.”

  “Then why do you want it?”

  As the silence dragged, she fisted her hands on her hips. This couldn’t be about her list. He didn’t care about her, so why should he care who she wanted to fuck?

  “I’ll go to the police and tell them you stole it.”

  “Go for it.”

  “I’m not bluffing.”

  “Fine. You want what we’ve been doing made public, go right ahead.”

  “What we’ve been doing? Fucking, you mean? Well, guess what, sweetheart. I don’t have a problem with telling everyone in the goddamned world. You’re the one who’s buttoned up so damn tight I’m surprised you can even come.” She knew she sounded like an irate child and she didn’t give two hoots. “Of course it’s so quick you probably don’t have time to really get into it. Ever heard the phrase one-minute man? That’s you.”