by Jenny Penn
Only the hard, uneven pattern of books’ spines cutting into her back jolted Kathy back to reality. Jack had walked her right into a trap. He caged her there, pinning her against the bookcase at the end of the aisle by simply lifting both his arms to rest on the shelves behind her.
God help her if Sherri showed up now. Kathy didn’t want to imagine the gossip that would cause. Not that Jack looked like he cared about what this little scene might cause her…or him. One thing for sure, Mr. DEA Agent didn’t look concerned.
He didn’t look overwhelmed with lust either. Like a cascade of ice water, that realization helped chill the fire burning in her veins, a little too late given her pussy had already soaked her panties in a silent cry for attention. Kathy could feel the blush racing across her cheeks as the smell of feminine arousal mixed with Jack’s own soap-fresh scent.
Thankfully, Jack didn’t appear to notice. In fact, when Kathy dared a direct look into his icy blue gaze she found him focused on her with such intensity she forgot every other damn thing in the world. She even forgot to breathe when his head dipped. With her breath held, his washed over her upturned face in a low growl.
“About my truck?”
“It was an accident.” That lie popped out without any thought, an instinctive response based on the primal need to placate the very large, pissed-off man snarling down at her. It might have worked better if her barely-there whisper hadn’t cracked in clear strain. Instead the small show of submission had Jack leaning in harder against her as his own voice deepened with the husky note of desire.
“And you’re going to pay for it.”
“I don’t have the money.” The bald truth slipped out as easily as the lie had, but with panic replacing the fear.
“I’m certain you have something to barter with.”
Kathy’s eyes widened over the low-toned assurance of his arrogance. If she had any doubt of what he thought she should offer as payment, the heated feel of his palm pressing into her thigh answered it. The soft fabric of her skirt protected her skin from the rough scrape of his palm, but it wouldn’t last.
Inch by inch, his fingers drew the cotton hem up higher and higher along her legs. Some rational part of Kathy’s brain knew she should stop him, that it was completely indecent. Worse, Sherri was still about.
The words, though, couldn’t surface without breath, and Kathy didn’t have the strength to take one. Then it was too late.
“Jack—” Her voice broke over his name as his hand slipped under the hem and slid boldly up to cup the sodden crotch of her panties.
“Are you wearing pink lace again?”
“Lavender.”
“I want to see,” Jack growled, tickling her neck with the heated rumble.
Kathy could only answer with a soft, complacent moan, too drugged by the sultry feel of those magical fingers tracing heated patterns over her panties. It wasn’t enough. She needed to feel the rough glide of those calluses grinding over her swollen flesh, not be teased by the silky slide of her own underwear.
“And you’re going to show me.” This time when she didn’t answer, Jack nipped her neck with his teeth. The small sting sent a frisson of awareness streaking through the passion fogging her mind, enough that she could follow his prompt. “Isn’t that right, Miss Coben?”
“Yes.” Kathy didn’t know what the question was, but was certain of the right answer. He’d taught her that much last night. “No” could be a very dangerous word to use against Jack.
“Yes,” though, had him rewarding her instantly, smoothing over the small assault with a soft brush of his lips. Arching her neck to offer her tender flesh up for something more than a toying caress, Kathy offered a similar silent plea for more than a teasing massage with the lift of her hips.
“In fact, you’re going to do everything I tell you to.”
“Yes.” Kathy sighed the word out when his fingers pressed down harder, splitting open her slit with their wide width to finally discover the swollen clit throbbing with desperation to be petted.
“You’re going to give me seventy-two hours.”
That didn’t make any sense, but Kathy didn’t care. All she cared about were the fingers grinding too slowly over her clit to make her body sing, but using enough pressure to make it cry out in need. Jack didn’t need to make sense right then. He only needed to be satisfied.
“Yes.”
“At my beck and call.”
“Whatever you want.”
That complete submission should have brought nothing but delight. Instead of being rewarded for her obedience, Kathy felt punished the second he stopped all motion. Nothing could have been more cruel or painful. The agony that suddenly gripped her had Kathy’s drooping lashes lifting, looking toward Jack in confusion.
“What I want is you.” He’d been waiting to capture her gaze. Still intent, his eyes were no longer cold. “I want you naked and on your knees by my chair waiting for my command. I might order you to crawl up on my lap, straddle me, and lift that pussy up for my tasting. Or I might decide to have you drape those curvy thighs over the arms of a chair and spread that pussy wide so I can watch as you play with yourself. It doesn’t matter what I ask. You will obey.”
She knew he wasn’t kidding. The hunger in his gaze couldn’t be faked. Kathy swallowed as the very idea pumped more fuel into the already-overwhelming need consuming her. She should tell him to go to hell, just as she should have last night, but some primitive part of her craved his domination. He hadn’t even fucked her, and yet Jack had taken her to new heights that Kathy knew she’d spend the rest of her life dreaming of.
“Seventy-two hours.” She’d have given him twice that and then some, but Kathy wouldn’t give him her pride no matter what he demanded. “And I’m going to save up the money and pay you for the damages to the truck.”
That brought back a wisp of a smile to Jack’s features. Small as the gesture was, it still lightened his features until he almost looked relaxed. “I wouldn’t expect anything less, Miss Coben.”
Kathy opened her mouth to respond, but Jack cut her off in a sudden rush of motion. The world whipped away from her as fast as his fingers ripped through her panties. Part of her had been hoping he’d go around the elastic band, but Kathy had never expected to suddenly find the cool air caressing her hot folds. Then, with the pump of two thick fingers deep into her cunt, it didn’t matter.
Nothing mattered anymore but the glorious sensation of feeling the hard press of his thumb twirling over her swollen bud while he fucked her hard and fast. Kathy panted out little whimpers as wave after wave of molten heat washed over her body. Growing stronger with each stroke of his fingers, they built into a constant roar of pleasure.
“Please.” Swamped with a mindless need to feel that final spark that would ignite the last, all-consuming explosion of ecstasy through her, Kathy could only manage that one-word plea.
“Come for me, Miss Coben. Come for me now.” Buried against her neck, Jack’s lips lifted to whisper out his very first command. It was one she had no problem obeying when he shifted his fingers, rubbed them up against the sweetest spot, hidden deep inside her pussy. Instantly her body jerked under the racing lash of rapture.
Kathy couldn’t stop the shriek that escaped any more than she could control the sudden spasming convulsions that engulfed her body. The book she’d been clutching so tightly a second ago slipped free and went crashing down in the gap it had created. She barely noticed until Jack cursed and jerked back, leaving Kathy shuddering against the shelves.
“Is everything all right here?”
Trapped between the orgasm still rocketing through her body and the sudden commotion of the book crashing to the ground, Kathy didn’t comprehend the situation until Sherri’s smug voice sent a sheet of ice water raining over the fires burning through Kathy’s body. Then in a flash, the reality that she was at the library, at work, and had allowed Jack to—Oh, God. She wasn’t wearing any panties.
“Everything’s fine. Miss Coben j
ust had a moment.” That amused comment had Kathy’s frantic gaze lifting from its search for her lost underwear to focus on Jack’s.
Still hungry, there was a gratified confidence that reminded her of the biggest mistake she’d made. Seventy-two hours—there was no way Kathy would walk away unchanged. It would be the price she paid for messing with Jack, but then and there, Kathy swore a vow that Jack would pay, too.
That’s exactly why she stiffened up, plastering herself even harder against the shelf digging into her back as he bent to retrieve the book. She couldn’t breathe knowing his mouth was mere inches from where her pussy still throbbed with pleasure. Pleased but not satisfied, her cunt began to ache anew at the very thought that terrified her mind.
“I believe you dropped this.” Jack straightened to hold out the bait Kathy began to suspect he’d used to lure her into this corner.
“I believe that’s the book you were looking for, Mr. Daniels.” The reply would have come out a lot smoother if her voice had any strength to it. Instead of sounding like the accusation Kathy wanted, the breathless words made the statement come out way too suggestive.
Jack smirked, forcing her to take the thing. “I think I’ll finish reading it later.”
As much as Kathy might have wanted to respond, she got stuck watching him saunter away. Damn, but the man looked good going.
“I think that’s the book I intended to read.”
Sherri’s sharp comment had Kathy’s gaze jerking in her direction to find the woman had sidled up alongside her. There was no way that the other woman could miss Kathy’s condition or fail to guess at the cause. That didn’t mean Kathy had to stand here and be humiliated.
“Help yourself.” Pushing off the bookcase, she shoved the book at Sherri, pausing only a second before following Jack’s example and walking away. “It’s a little short for my taste.”
Chapter 5
What the hell had he just done? Jack asked himself as he stormed back across the parking lot. He’d come here to threaten and intimidate that woman into telling him just why she’d manipulated him last night into a drunken interrogation. More than that, he’d come to find out what the hell he’d told her. Unfortunately none of those memories had been jarred loose when Kathy had rounded the corner and slammed all those luscious curves flat against him.
Jack swore she did that on purpose as he swung himself up into his battered truck, another thing she owed him an explanation for. No woman rubbed against a man like that and didn’t know what she was about. She’d done it to him again, and apparently she’d done a really good job last night. Unless, of course, he’d hallucinated all the memories that had flashed through his mind in a lewd torrent. They made Jack hard in an instant—hard and more than willing to go for another round.
This time, though, he’d be in charge. That thought put a smile on Jack’s face as he considered what it would take to make Kathy talk. Hopefully she wouldn’t give in too soon, because Jack really wanted to watch all those luscious curves swinging as he spanked that ass. Once those soft globes were tanned red, he’d mount that sassy vixen and ride her until she told him every one of her dirty little secrets.
Jack grunted, shifting in his seat as he glared at the library. The sun reflected off the mirrored glass, blinding him, but Jack didn’t care. All he could see was the visions dancing through his mind of Kathy, stripped naked and spread out for his pleasure. Something deep inside Jack’s gut told him that Kathy liked getting spanked—that it made her cry out and spread her legs wider in blatant invitation for a more intimate caress.
Jack’s fingers curled as he remembered how wet and tight her pussy was when it clamped down in release. Something told him he’d known that before Kathy’s hot, little cunt had spasmed all around his fingers while he had her pressed up against a bookcase. It might be wishful thinking, but he had a faint memory of ordering Kathy to ride his fingers while he watched her come apart. Why he hadn’t ordered her to ride his dick instead when it ached so badly, Jack didn’t know. That was something he intended to correct.
It would have to be later, though. Jack shook his head, trying to shake every lewd thought and idea from it. There would be no seventy-two hours of mindless sex if he didn’t close this case. In order to do that, somebody had to sit Kathy’s ass down and get some answers out of her. He couldn’t do it. Jack couldn’t even think about talking to the damn woman without her turning his head in the wrong direction. It might pain Jack to admit it, but he needed help, and he obviously couldn’t take his concerns to his team. That only left one option.
Locking his gaze on Collin’s black Jeep, Jack realized he might just be able to solve two problems with one solution in more ways than one. Not only could Collin keep Kathy distracted, but he could start training the little miss. That way when Jack’s seventy-two hours came up, he wouldn’t have to waste his time teaching her to obey on command. Perking up at that happy thought, Jack relaxed for the first time that day.
* * * *
“Well, I guess Mr. Daniels did find you,” Sarah Anne murmured suggestively as Kathy passed her. She turned with Kathy as they both retreated behind the front counter. “Nice hickey.”
There would be no point in responding to that. Anything she said would only encourage Sarah Anne to ask questions or make more jokes. Instead, Kathy let her expression be her answer. Slapping her purse back down on her desk, she pointedly waited for Sarah Anne to get it all out of her system.
“I guess it’s not going to help your day to hear that Sherri just went flying out of here. She was on her cell, and I could swear I heard her say, ‘You’re not going to believe what I just saw.’”
“I don’t think my day can be helped,” Kathy muttered miserably, falling into her seat. If Jack had wanted revenge, he’d gotten it. Kathy’s reputation had probably just turned from wild child to loose skirt, a rank Kathy had worked hard to stay above all these years. So much for that effort.
“Oh, come on,” Sarah Anne cajoled, sidling up next to Kathy’s desk. “It isn’t that bad. Every woman in this town might put you down, but you and I both know they’ll all be wishing it had been them.”
“No,” Kathy sighed. “They won’t. God, I feel sick.”
“That’s strange.” Sarah Anne tilted her head to give Kathy a quick perusal. “Because you kind of look like you’re glowing.”
“I need to take an early lunch.” What Kathy needed was a shower and a fresh pair of panties, but she couldn’t be that blunt with Sarah Anne.
“Oh, honey.” Sarah Anne dropped a comforting hand on Kathy’s shoulder, giving her a quick squeeze. “I think, maybe, you need to take the rest of the day off.”
“No.” Kathy shook her head. As nice as that sounded, she wouldn’t abandon Sarah Anne. “I couldn’t leave you here alone.”
Sarah Anne snorted. “Like you’re going to be any help around here today. Given the way Sherri rushed out of here, I’m expecting there to be an avalanche of gossip hounds flooding in within the next half hour.”
“Thanks,” Kathy bit out, hoping Sarah Anne took the hint.
“We don’t need to have the cops come out.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary.” At least, Kathy hoped not.
“Oh, I don’t know. There could be quite a mob, and you know how these ladies get. It could be—”
“I think I will take the rest of the day.” Kathy gave in, not wanting to imagine whatever horrid fate Sarah Anne could envision for her. Still she hesitated before reaching for her purse. “Maybe you want to go get lunch before I leave?”
“Danny’s bring it,” Sarah Anne assured her. “Probably coming to see if the rumors are true, too.”
“Great.” The last thing Kathy needed was Sarah Anne’s lovesick cousin hanging all over her while she tried to fend off all the gossips. “You know, you could have warned me.”
“Warned?” Sarah Anne blinked innocently. “You mean like he’ll be here in five minutes?”
“Shit.” Sn
atching her purse up from its hiding place under the counter, she paused only long enough to give Sarah Anne a hard look. “I owe you.”
“Yes,” Sarah Anne agreed instantly. “And you can pay me back by going and finding that man and living up to everybody’s wicked expectations.”
Go find Jack and live it up? Kathy would have laughed if she hadn’t feared it would come out sounding hysterical. So she kept her response to a smile and escaped out the back door and to the little alleyway where the employees parked.
Rushing home, she tried not to make any eye contact with anybody she passed on the street. It went against her grain to ignore people, but right then she felt somewhat like a hunted criminal. Locking herself away in her house, Kathy acted like one, making sure all the blinds were closed and the phone off. In the moment, it felt like the right thing to do, but an hour later, freshly bathed and calmed, Kathy started to feel a little foolish.
It was just sex, after all. Not even consummation—not technically. Kathy expected that would change in the near future. She’d promised Jack seventy-two hours, and she wouldn’t back down from that pledge. Actually, given how good he was, Kathy was kind of worried he’d be the one to renege. She could already hear the excuses. He had his case to solve. Then once it was over he’d probably have to be debriefed or some shit, which would take him away, never to return.
If she really wanted him, Kathy would have to make the most out of her next opportunity to take advantage of Jack. She assured herself there would be opportunity because she didn’t plan to back off in pursuit of the missing money. No doubt, Jack wouldn’t take her involvement well. He’d probably feel the need to show up again and personally put her in her place.
Well, maybe Kathy would surprise him and be the one to put him in his place. Even as that thought formed, an idea took shape that brought a smile to Kathy’s lips.
* * * *
Collin stretched back in his seat and tilted his head so he could study Kathy Coben’s little house from a different angle. It didn’t look any better no matter how he tilted his head. In the harsh light of day, the old stone box looked bleak and depressing. Of course, it didn’t help any that Kathy had crunched her front step with Jack’s truck.