Perfectly Seduced

by Lacey Silks

  “Holy crap.” I stood there, completely useless, repeating those words over and over again. The sweat stain on Sean’s back spread with each trip.

  Just as he closed the trunk, a blue BMW with darkened windows turned the corner. We both looked its way, and the driver pressed the gas pedal, speeding toward us.

  Shit!

  “Get in! Now!” Sean roared.

  I jumped into the car and barely had time to fasten my seatbelt when Sean pressed the gas pedal. The forward momentum glued me to my seat. I held onto the door, praying the guy wouldn’t figure out we had just taken fifty million dollars out of a locker. But who was I kidding? I was beginning to feel like I was living inside a James Bond movie.

  I turned around to look through the back window. A cloud of dust swirled behind us, and the blue BMW followed, emerging from the thick smog.

  “Faster, faster,” I screamed.

  Sean’s grip on the wheel tightened, and a thick vein pulsed at the side of his neck. He swerved between the boxed storage compartments, trying to shake the other car. As soon as the gravel underneath the wheels turned to asphalt, the tires left a mark. The sound of honking behind us got louder.

  “Don’t stop.” I wished my voice were stronger.

  “I wasn’t planning to.”

  And then ricocheting gunshots shattered the back window. The next bullet hit the front windshield, and I screamed.

  “Lie down!”

  With one hand on the steering wheel he grasped the back of my neck and forced my body forward and down. I shut my eyes and clasped my hands around my head, holding it on my knees while pressing my hands to my ears at the same time.

  Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!

  God, please let us live. Please let us give this money to the stupid assholes Simon was indebted to and live happily ever after. Please don’t let my son lose his mother as well.

  The chase continued through winding roads for another fifteen minutes. My body flew right, then left, and right again. We must have gone into an underground garage at one point, because it got dark and then light again a few minutes later. I just wanted this to be over, and when I felt the car slow down I looked to the side at Sean. He was still checking the mirrors every few seconds.

  “I lost him.”

  Wearily I sat up and looked behind us onto the empty street. Broken glass was scattered on the back seat and the floor, and I swept a few chips off Sean’s shoulders. He had a cut on his neck, but it wasn’t deep. I dabbed the spot with a tissue, grateful that no bullets had hit him. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I lost him. My locked breath was slowly released and the first of my beads of sweat found the nerve to roll down my forehead. We might have lost him for now, but I had a gut feeling it wouldn’t be the last time we saw the man I suspected killed my dead husband’s mistress, Chelsea Conway.

  Chapter 21

  Sean

  I parked the ruined car in the garage of the rented house in the mountains, locked it, and then walked around to the passenger’s side. I opened the door and physically removed April from the car. She was shaking like a maraca in someone’s tight grip.

  “We stole fifty million dollars,” she kept repeating.

  “We didn’t steal it. It belonged to you. It was in your name.”

  “We stole fifty million dollars. Chelsea is dead.”

  I took her chin into my fingers, “April, look at me. The money is yours. And there was nothing we could have done for Chelsea.”

  “It’s not mine. You have to give it to your boss. Now.”

  The urgency in her eyes reminded me of a swimmer who’d spotted an approaching fin.

  “I will. But you need to relax. You’re safe now. Come.” I took her inside the house.

  “We have to get rid of it. Now.” She was beginning to sound like a broken record. Yes, fifty million in cash was a lot and could potentially paint a bull’s-eye on our back. But beside the man who’d chased us, no one knew we had the money. I’d removed the license plate before our little trip, and now I’d get rid of this car and send a full car payment to the rental company. It wasn’t like I’d rented it under my name, anyway. There was no way we could be traced.

  I was certain that our pursuer and no one except the bank even knew that we’d gone to the branch. Before leaving Chelsea’s, I’d quickly searched through the house and there was no mention of April’s name in any of the documents. If Chelsea was pretending to be someone else, she must have hidden that identity. According to authorities, April had nothing to do with Chelsea Conway. They were not connected. And April had gotten in the car quickly enough that the guy chasing us couldn’t have seen her face from that distance.

  I sat April in a chair and went to the kitchen to get her some water. She rocked back and forth, her hands firmly clasped. I stirred in the white powder into her glass and brought it to her lips.

  “Drink.”

  She took the glass and gulped it down. For the next three minutes I watched her eyes get heavy. When she yawned, I told her she needed rest; I wasn’t sure whether she even heard me. As soon as her body went limp, I lifted her into my arms and carried her to the bedroom. I removed her clothes, leaving her in her panties, and put on one of my t-shirts. It was much easier getting her into my clothes than her tiny ones. Seeing her naked and in my bed could never get old. If I could only convince her to live with me, I’d be the happiest man alive. This woman might not have known it, but I’d die for her. She grasped her pillow tightly. I kissed her cheek, and her grip loosened.

  “Sweet dreams, beautiful. Hopefully you’ll feel better when you wake up.”

  For me, it was time to get to work. I dialed Gord’s number, and as soon as he answered, said, “I have the money. You can make the transfer from my account into Dex’s and take your cut.”

  “You sure you want to do that before the cash is in? You’re risking your own money.”

  Though that account wasn’t the only one I had. Even if the cash burned in a plane crash over the ocean, I’d barely feel the loss. I wasn’t about to take that chance, but it would be a few days before the fifty million was safely in my offshore account.

  “Yes, I need Dex off my back. I can’t risk the time it takes for the deposit to clear. I need April’s safety guaranteed.”

  “Give me two minutes.”

  I listened to the quick keystrokes resonating through the receiver. Dex was my current employer and the guy to whom Simon owed the money. Once he had what he’d been promised, I was sure he’d call off anyone else he might have hired to go after April. If he didn’t, I’d make him regret it. He knew that if he crossed me he would become a job for me, just as anyone else would. As for Chelsea’s murderer, I’d gotten his license plate, so he’d be hearing from the authorities soon enough.

  I waited in silence until Gord confirmed that the transfer was done.

  “I also need a feasible way to deposit and transfer fifty million back to the States. No questions and no papertrail.”

  “Just tell me when and where to make the pick-up.”

  “I’ll have it in a marked vehicle at the airport parking lot. I’ll text you when it’s there. The keys will be in the usual spot. I’m also texting you the license plate of that BMW. I need as much info about the owner as possible. And if it’s a rental, then get me the asshole’s details and make sure the police give him a visit. He killed Chelsea Conway. I emailed her file to you before leaving.”

  “Yes, April’s double. I got it. Stay safe.”

  “Will do, friend. Will do.”

  Next was a call to Dex, who picked up after the second ring.

  “A job well done, Sean. And pretty fast.”

  “You can call off your tourist now.”

  “Was he that obvious?”

  “I fucking told you I’d get it done, didn’t I? There was no need to send a spy.”

  “Okay, I got it. I know you came highly recommended, but I had to check who I’m betting on. You proved yourself and earned trust
in my book. So, what are you going to do with the rest of the money?”

  “None of your fucking business.”

  “Forty million is not enough to retire on.”

  For all I cared, he could use that money to wipe his ass, so long as April was left alone.

  “To some. Goodbye, Dex.”

  “Hold on, champ.”

  My teeth ground at the adolescent nickname.

  “What?”

  “I have it on good authority that you’re not the only one who was after that money. And it’s not one of my employees.”

  I felt my brows scrunch. No one beside Dex knew that we had it.

  “Do you know who?”

  “I have my suspicions. But I don’t want to mislead you. I’ll call you when I’m sure.”

  “Fine. Otherwise, it’d be best if you forgot my number for a while.”

  “Will do, champ.”

  I hung up before he had a chance to utter another word. If there was a slight chance we were still a target, it would be better if April agreed to stay at my house for a while longer. But convincing her to do so would be more difficult than peeing straight while drunk.

  If the guy who’d chased us was smart, he would connect Chelsea to April, but given his amateur driving skills, I doubted it. Making that connection was the equivalent of explaining Planck’s quantum theory in one sentence. Hopefully I’d clean our trail before he found it, and if he so much as set one foot on our side of the world, I’d ensure he had a personal concierge at the morgue.

  I poured myself a glass of whiskey, removed my shoes, and sat in the chair watching April sleep, fighting the need to lie down next to her. If I did, I wasn’t sure I could resist her. The brave woman had gone through so much since I’d met her that I hoped there would be no permanent damage. I texted Mom we’d be returning in two days; but the next forty-eight hours belonged to us.

  Setting the drink aside, I leaned back against the chair and I closed my eyes. It was only supposed to be for a minute, but when April stirred, I realized I’d passed out.

  She opened her confused eyes and rubbed them profusely, still yawning. “What happened?”

  “You went to sleep.”

  “I don’t remember.”

  “I gave you a sedative.”

  “You drugged me?”

  “No, I helped you relax. You were in shock, April. And tired.”

  “If you want me out of your way, at least tell me next time.”

  “Out of my way? Why would you say that?”

  “Well, I figured you’ve got the money—”

  “—don’t you dare finish that sentence,” I growled.

  But of course she would disregard my warning.

  “—so I’m useless now.”

  “What did I just say?” I crawled up on the bed. She stirred, partly confused and partly excited, which got the blood pumping through my veins. I slowly took one of her hands and raised it above her head, then the other, pinning it with my other hand.

  “Tell me you’re useless again,” I taunted.

  The side of her mouth lifted, and her next words took me aback. “I want you.”

  “What?”

  “Not only while you do your job and protect me; I want you now, and hopefully for a while longer.”

  “Well, then, I’m glad we’re in synch. Because I wasn’t planning on leaving you.”

  And then I was done. Her delicate skin, soft honey-like lips, and smell of desire were my weakness. She was my weakness. The spice of her excitement, musky and sweet, made my mouth water. I reached to the side for the scarf she’d worn earlier that day and tied her wrists to the bed rails behind her. She writhed with impatience, which made me want to take my sweet time seducing her.

  “You’re gorgeous.” I kissed her shoulder and pulled my lips along her velvety skin as far as I could reach underneath the short sleeve of her shirt. Feeling its texture intensified the pressure in my cock. I bunched the fabric at the collar into my fists and with one pull it ripped down the middle, revealing her.

  “I want to touch you,” she said.

  “You can’t.”

  “I need to. Please.”

  As much as I wanted her bound and yielding to me, I couldn’t say no to this woman. She could have asked me to walk through fire for her, and I would.

  I reached for her wrists and untied the scarf. Her hands flew to my neck and she pulled me down to her mouth, kissing me so hard I thought our lips would bruise from the force. When she pulled away, she could hardly breathe.

  “I’ve never met anyone like you,” she said.

  “Ditto, princess.”

  “Please tell me this isn’t the end. I mean, your job is done, and I… I just can’t imagine not seeing you again.”

  “This isn’t the end. This is the beginning.”

  She gave me that irresistible smile that erased my willpower to nothing, and I knew I had to have her. Now.

  I pushed her knees apart and lowered my hips between her legs. My fingers slid underneath her panties to feel her wet pussy. My dick must have gotten jealous because he responded by slipping out of the top band of my boxer-briefs. I tore her panties through the middle and lowered my underwear, freeing myself. There was no time to waste removing them. I had to feel her around me, and it had to be now.

  “Please,” she begged.

  I loved it when she begged. April succumbed to me on her own, without needing to be tied down or cuffed. She lowered her hand to her bare pussy, rubbing her swollen mound with two fingers, lowering them to steal some of the moisture I was counting on and pulling it up to her clit. That drove me insane. She looked so hot underneath me, I couldn’t take it, and with one thrust I was finally inside her.

  Her body flew up the bed and her beautiful eyes opened wide. Those perfect lips formed an oval and I lowered my mouth to hers to cover them, taste them, lick them, bite them, and seduce them with my tongue as our hips joined and circled together.

  She moaned into my mouth and I jutted forward again, making her body slide underneath mine. She wrapped her legs around my waist and gripped my cock harder, and I swore under my breath. She’d make me come much sooner than I wanted to. She smiled at my response like a vixen, and I pulled away. Bracing my body on my arms, I watched her from above as I moved in and out of her – her eyes fluttering, mouth opening and closing, breasts swaying up and down to my rhythm. Sexy wasn’t enough to describe her. She was like a goddess. The sweat on her body sparkled in the faint night light. Her hair was beginning to clump, making her look hot and wild.

  “More,” she whispered. “Harder.”

  While I wanted this to last longer, I could see that she was close. She arched her back and her pubic bone grazed against me each time I dove inside her causing her tits to bounce as her body writhed and her eyes rolled back in pleasure. I tightened my ass and sped up, and was rewarded with an, “Oh God!” My cock ached to explode. I pushed twice more then spilled inside her as her body shook underneath me. I lowered my hand between us, and with a few more circles, pulled out the rest of her orgasm before slowly retreating and falling to the bed beside her.

  After a few moments, she sighed. “Please tell me this will never get old.”

  “I promise it won’t.”

  “Good.”

  “Good.”

  She shifted her body to her side then rested her head on my chest. Her fingers raked through my hair while her lips kissed my skin.

  “I love feeling you inside me,” she sighed.

  Yup, my cock was awakening.

  But April closed her eyes, and moments later she was sound asleep.

  I was falling for her, and falling hard. She made me feel wanted, and my life was beginning to take on a new meaning. Maybe I could have a family after all. The only question that remained was whether she’d reciprocate my feelings and finally help me move on.

  Chapter 22

  April

  We arrived at Sean’s house late in the evening. Parker and
Charlie were sitting at the kitchen counter eating ice cream. My heart jumped into my throat when I saw my son.

  “Mom!” He ran over and rammed into me, almost knocking me over. I squeezed him and kissed the top of his head. It felt like I hadn’t seen him for years.

  “Hi. How was your week?” I asked.

  “I love it here.”

  Me too.

  When we left, I told Parker we had adult business to take care of, which I was sure flew right over his head, as all he cared about was spending the time at the indoor pool and playing arcade games with Charlie.

  “We need to get back home.”

  “Ahh, I don’t want to.”

  “You’ve been spoiled,” I laughed. “I promise we’ll come back to visit.”

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Sean hugging Charlie and kissing his mother, and my heart melted. This family felt more like a family than my own when Simon was still alive. It would have been so much easier to pretend we were an actual family. What scared me even more were those new deep feelings I had for Sean. I didn’t want to leave him. I wanted to stay here, forever, with Sean, Charlie, and Lily.

  But that was stupid, wasn’t it? I’d known Sean for just over a month. While I wanted to jump into this new relationship with both feet, the responsible thing to do was to take it slow. Once Sean was done with Charlie, he gave Parker a high-five and applauded him for being the man of the house. At that comment, my son looked like he grew a few inches with pride, and it made me wish for a father figure in his life.

  “Can I have a word with you?” Sean asked.

  I followed him to the green room, out of sight from the kitchen. He took me by my hips and brought me to him, my front colliding against his, the heat of our bodies blending into one. This felt so right, I didn’t think I could ever get enough. Leaving tonight would be close to impossible. It would break my heart. This home was beginning to feel more like my own than the one in Pinehurst.

  “Why don’t you stay?” he whispered cupping my face and gently touching my lips. “It’s almost supper time, and it’s the weekend.”