by MK Meredith
The twin thumps of her shoes hitting the floor sounded, and Seven slid her tongue along his lower lip and sucked it into her mouth.
His knees buckled, and he pressed into her more fully to gain some stability. “Fuck.”
“I’m trying.” She smiled against his mouth, then trailed her lips along his neck to his earlobe, biting with a gentle tug, sending shivers down his spine.
Not the wall. Not the wall.
She tugged on his earlobe again and he went blind. What the hell was this woman doing to him? He needed to get it together—this wasn’t his first Vegas trip. Pulling in air, he tightened his grip on her ass and stepped back from the wall. In two steps he was by the bed, her body sliding down the length of his. He grabbed the hem of her dress and dragged it up her body as she went.
Her lacy nude bra teased him with a peekaboo effect that made his mouth water.
Placing her hands on his shoulders, she moved backward up onto the bed, bending at the knees, and ran her lips down his chest until her mouth closed around his nipple. Every muscle in his body tightened in hot need. That was exactly what he wanted to do to her. “Whoa, slow down.”
She nipped at his chest with her teeth. “Why, can’t keep up?”
He slapped her round butt cheek, but grinned at the top of her head. “Don’t be an ass.”
She fell back on the bed, lifting her hands to him. “Salesmen talk too much.”
Blinking against the sight of her lush body, Blake shucked his pants and boxer briefs. Placing one knee on the bed between her ankles, he rolled on a condom. Her large chocolate eyes watched his hands and made him grow to gargantuan proportions, pushing his control beyond reason.
He resisted the urge to just push her panties aside and dive in, but he needed to get the rest of her clothes off—now. Her waist was impossibly small and flared out into the juiciest ass he’d ever seen, and his mouth watered. She was a damn hustler for wearing that sack of a dress when they’d first met.
He ran his palms up her legs and over her hips, and uncrossed the hands she’d wrapped around her stomach; she was the last woman who needed to ever cover herself. Her cheeks flushed, and he would have laughed at the idea of her shyness if his body weren’t so painfully aware of how much he wanted to sink into her beautiful heat. Frankly, if she chose to go the rest of the weekend naked, he’d be all for it.
Seven helped as he removed her bra and panties, pulling him on top of her in a frenzy of limbs and lips and tongue. Her breasts pressed back against his chest, her stiff little nipples rubbing against him as he moved. He felt the hard nubs all the way to the end of his dick. Bracing his weight on his forearm, he leaned back just enough to palm her breast in his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and then brushing his fingertips back and forth over her nipple, tightening it even more.
She whimpered into his mouth and sucked at his lower lip, then slid her tongue against his. He’d die before he finished if she kept that up. Positioning himself between her thighs, he ran himself up and down her center. She was slick and hot and ready.
Grabbing at his ass, she pulled him to her. “Now.”
He didn’t have to be told twice, and with control he never would have believed he possessed, pushed between her folds, an inch at a time until he was fully inside her. His arms shook, he struggled for air, and his body demanded he move—now. With slow, purposeful strokes, he pulled out and then pushed back in, and with each slow slide, she pulled her knees closer to her shoulders. For fuck’s sake, she was hot.
They mirrored the action of their bodies with their tongues, and Blake swallowed every moan and whimper and demand she uttered.
An urgency built at the base of his dick as he thrust into her again and again until he couldn’t hold back any longer. Surrounded by her sweet scent, her soft skin, and her sexy voice, he’d gladly die right then and there.
Reaching his hand between their bodies, he pressed his thumb in a gentle rhythm against her, the feel of her silky skin under him, the sweetest drug. Insistent whimpers and her tightening muscles warned him she was getting close. She arched into him, tight as a strung bow. Deepening their kiss, he tightened his grip with one arm, holding her body in place, pushing her to ride out her pleasure. She clamped around him, yanking him with her, contraction after contraction, and he groaned into the pillow. As he rocked forward, plunging deeper into her, his sight went white, and he felt the sweet burn of his release throughout his whole body.
He stayed poised above her, buried to the hilt, her legs around his back, and the sound of them both struggling for air the only noise he could hear beyond the ringing in his head. Her legs slid down his back and settled in the bend of his knees, and he lowered fully on top of her, still inside, burying his nose in her hair. His arms shook with the effort to keep all of his weight from her, and he slid to her side, half on her, half off, unable to hold himself up any longer.
He shook his head and blinked. What. The fuck. Was that?
Resting his head on her chest, he breathed in her sweet scent, resisting the urge to glide his fingers around the dip of her navel and over her hip.
His usual MO was passing out after sex, but this time his eyes were wide open. He’d underestimated Seven Michaels.
Shock and awe wouldn’t be far from the truth if someone had asked Seven right then and there what she was feeling. She licked her lips and tried to swallow. Lying on her back with her arms thrown above her head, she swore she was nothing but a sack of skin and bones. Her muscles felt nonexistent, like she couldn’t move if she tried. The sweetest fatigue pulsed through her from end to end, and she didn’t want it to stop.
Blake’s warm body enveloped her in the haze of his masculine scent, warm and woody with a hint of something spicy. Dark hair tickled her skin where he rested against her, and his large, thickly muscled shoulder all but occluded her vision like a mountain peak.
His quiet breathing lulled her into a cozy cocoon, but truth be told, she was freaking out. She glanced down at the top of his head on her chest. It would be nice to be a man and have no thoughts at all, just doze off without a care in the world.
When he’d answered the door, she thought she was in for a female set of blue balls. Well, he’d surprised her.
She’d been panting after her editor for so long, she’d forgotten how it felt to be desired. That must be why she felt so different. Why sex with Blake had been so different.
She liked being wanted, and damn it, she was going to get as much of it as she could in the next twenty-four hours. Blowing out a breath of relief, she relaxed next to him.
Her rules were working quite nicely after all. She should have thought of this a long time ago. Those rules hadn’t created false constructs; they were all about selflessness and investing in the other person. They helped create something real.
Maybe things would have turned out differently with any number of her relationships if she’d gone about them this way. Well, she could always give it a second try once she got home. A cold chill swept over her.
Blake shifted against her side, his hand sliding across her stomach and over her hip, triggering a low thrum between her legs. Whoa. She was a one-and-done kind of girl, but this man’s touch made her greedy, and if the tightening of her nipples was any indication, ready to play—again. That must be what happened when a single lady went too long without a little fun.
She moved against him, stretching her legs long and arching her body up a bit, thrusting her breasts high. Blake gave a low growl and nipped at her side. She’d had a hint of shyness when she’d first lain down on the bed, but the look in his eyes wiped that nonsense away in a flash. And the growl he just gave obliterated it.
With a firm hand, he rubbed up her side and wrapped his fingers around her breast. She filled his hand, a perfect fit, and his flexing fingers reached her chest, sending goose bumps down her sides. Her breasts weren’t huge—the universe saved that for her ass—but they were perky and sensitive, and the quickest way to get her goin
g was a little breast play. Damn if he wasn’t good at it, too. What a nice surprise.
Blake ran his lips along the underside of her breast, his hard ridge rubbing against her thigh, and all her body wanted to do was dive back into round two, but she had work, and so did he. She’d never do anything to hurt his chances with his promotion.
Besides, there was no reason to stop her seduction. She had a feeling her rules would be useful for years to come.
Back to rule number seven—always leave him wanting more.
She turned to him, running her fingers down his chest, and using all the newly found boldness within her, wrapped them around his ready and willing length. Giving him a gentle squeeze, she then slid her hand up and over the broad head of him. “As much as I’d love to use this, we have to go.”
She bounded up from the bed, her hair falling forward over her shoulders, tickling her nipples and making her want to throw herself right back on top of him.
He lunged after her, arm outstretched and his eyes wide. “What? Get back here.”
Giggling, she shook her head and sauntered over to his bathroom. “Can’t. Just like you, I have work to do.”
“Work can wait.”
She sent him a pout, and he flopped back against the bed.
“You have an interview,” she said. Turning back toward the bathroom, she smacked the side of her head against the corner of the door. She gasped, “Motherfucker,” and grabbed her temple with one hand, throwing her other hand out to stop him from getting up. “No, you stay right there.” Pulling in a breath, she willed the pain to subside and ignored his sympathetic whistle.
“You okay?” His question was full of concern even with the chuckle.
She peeked back to find him turned on his side, facing her, his cock so hard it jutted straight out at her, oblivious to gravity. Her stomach fluttered. Good Lord, they needed to go, and quick, before she changed her mind. “Nice to know my pain turns you on.”
“Apparently as long as you’re still naked.”
She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled and turned back—carefully this time. She was never the most graceful person. God only knew how many times her parents and sister had teased her, but seriously? In front of Blake? She held back a groan of mortification. There’d be no more seduction if she kept that up. Only an emergency room visit.
Blake paced the corridor, waiting to go into his interview, and thought of the seven rules mentioned in Seven’s book. Where the hell was rule number eight: fuck the brains out of the guy you’re playing with? He had not expected that. He’d been playing the field for years; apparently there was a first time for everything. He’d underestimated Seven in more ways than one. That wasn’t like him, either. Facts were facts: either he was losing his touch, or she had a talent for mind control.
She filled his head and his senses with the memory of her soft skin and sweet scent. He’d lose his six-pack if he indulged every time he’d wanted dessert since meeting her. Forcing the temptation of her from his mind, he pulled in a steadying breath.
Again, he listed the rules from her book in his head. He’d never admit in a million years to using them, but he was pulling out every trick he had during this interview. When he saw the value in something, he put it to work.
Stepping into the conference room, he took in the setting. It was meant to intimidate, with three corporate head seats along one side of the long table and one lone chair on the other. It fueled his determination. He should be tired from staying up most of the night reading Seven’s damn book and an afternoon bout of mind-blowing sex, but the adrenaline rush made him feel as though he’d sucked down a quad venti latte from Starbucks. Whether it was from the interview or being with Seven, he wasn’t sure. Which was a problem.
The hero in her book had had the same damn problem. Fuck me. He gripped his hands into tighter fists. The characters from the story never trailed far from his brain, but Seven was worse. She sat smack-dab in the center of his attention. He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to give a shit.
Shaking out his hands, he cleared his throat, and the three gentlemen talking at the window turned as he strode across the room with his shoulders back and head high. A smile that could be interpreted as nothing but genuine pulled the corners of his mouth. The men paused, all three in different stages of hair loss, the status quo black suit, white shirt, and some shade of the red power tie. Two had round bellies probably kept there by too much fried food and alcohol, and the third looked as if he could use a little extra. They watched him walk over, then one by one, returned hesitant smiles of their own. Her rules had reminded him of what was so easy to forget—this time, he wasn’t selling a luxury product to a bored, wealthy client. He was selling himself. He smiled at his customers all the time, but most often the serious atmosphere of interviews snuffed out the desire to. Today he was determined to set the tone. And so far, so good.
I’ll be damned. “Gentlemen, good afternoon.” He stretched out his hand going down the line, giving each his usual firm handshake and direct eye contact.
The men lost the chips on their shoulders and settled into their seats with good humor and easy manners. The smile worked like a charm, and giving them a solid handshake every time would replace the rule for the kiss. Boom. He’d been reminded in the past twenty-four hours how powerful a strong first greeting could be, and when the same effort was put forth each time, it left a succinct impact on the receiver. He should know—Seven had taken him off guard with every smile and every kiss.
He wore his best suit, mirroring his interviewers. He preferred a little color, a little style, but in this case, emulating the three of them would help more than his individuality. Throughout the interview he’d give a little information, pause, and wait for them to ask for more, and damn if they didn’t every time. Instead of caresses, he applied casual business compliments at strategically placed moments, and by the time the interview came to an end, Blake had them eating out of his hand.
More than once his thoughts turned to the challenging twinkle in Seven’s eyes or the swing of her luscious hips. He shifted in his seat and pulled his focus back to the not-nearly-as-interesting gentlemen in front of him. A little more than annoyed that she’d intruded upon one of the most important meetings of his life, he reined in his wandering thoughts.
He should be salivating at the opportunity. The interview was going well. Seven would be so excited for him, and he couldn’t wait to tell her. He could see the look of fascination in her eyes and the genuine interest in the smile that spread across her face.
Wait a fuck’s second. Why was he wanting to run to Seven? For shit’s sake, after tomorrow, she’d be nothing but a nice Vegas memory.
Who the hell was he kidding? Nice memory?
She’d warned him that they’d already begun to build something together. He’d laughed off the comment then, but now he wasn’t finding any of it funny. Simply saying good-bye wasn’t funny at all.
As the interview concluded, Blake stood and once again offered the men a genuine smile and strong handshake.
“Well, Blake, we like what we’ve been seeing from you. You are a definite player, but the competition is fierce. You’re going up against men who’ve been in the industry twenty years. That’s experience we can’t ignore.”
Blake held their gazes, shifting from one to the other. “Yes, but think about this. Why? Why are they going after the VP position now?”
The CEO of the company looked at his colleagues and then back to Blake. “Because they’re ready, son.”
Blake stepped forward and clapped the gentleman on the shoulder. “Exactly. The very same reason I’m here today as well. I’m ready. I know it, but what’s more, you know it, too. And—”
All three laughed at his cojones. “There’s more?” one of them asked.
Blake braced his feet in a wide stance and held his ground, Seven’s voice echoing in his mind. The position is yours, you don’t take no for an answer, and you lead with competence an
d confidence. “And not only do I know what has worked in the past, I am fully immersed in what works now, and I have studied what is going to work in the future. The industry is constantly changing, gentlemen, and the one thing I guarantee I have over every other candidate is the flexibility to not only flow with that change, but jump ahead of it. I won’t give you what works now, but push us ahead to what’ll work six months from now, a year from now.”
The three men stared at him as he paused to let his words sink in. Business was all about what was coming rather than what was happening, and too many people got blinded by the current state of their bank accounts to worry about future growth. Big mistake.
His interviewers slowly nodded their heads, checking in with one another as if to confirm they’d heard him right.
He’d made a bold statement, but he wasn’t backing down.
“Okay, Mr. Turner, we’ll get back to you soon with our decision.”
After the interview, Blake took a detour to the men’s room, his heart slamming in his chest. Pushing through the door, he performed a tight fist pump and slid to a stop in front of the mirror, grinning at himself like a fool. He wanted to call Seven and tell her all about the interview. He wanted to pick her up and swing her about for helping him nail it. He wanted to— Fuck. He pulled up short. Son of a bitch, he needed to get his head out of his ass.
No way in hell would he tell Seven about his modifications to her rules of seduction—she couldn’t find out he’d been reading her book. And no way in hell he’d present it to his colleagues. They’d think he’d lost his mind, and no matter how well the interview had gone, giving them her book would guarantee his position would be filled—with someone else. This business was all about escapism, fantasy fulfillment, and status. Certainly not a women’s world, nor one with any tolerance for something as soft and flimsy as romance.
But with that said, after the time he’d spent with Seven, he could at least admit he sold his own version of happy ever after. But he’d also keep that to himself.