Naughty Christmas Nights

by Tawny Weber

  He growled.

  As soon as he shifted, she did, too, wrapping her leg around him again, this time closer to his waist.

  Taking a hint—bless him for being so perceptive—he released her breast, his hand speeding down her body to cup the hot curls between her thighs.

  Welcome back, she thought.

  Right at home, his fingers slid along her clitoris in teasing little pinches before plunging into her core.

  Hailey exploded.

  The power of her orgasm made her whimper at first, then as it built, she cried out, both hands fisted in his hair.

  “More,” she demanded, greedy and needy.

  “Oh, yeah.” His words were somewhere between a pant and a growl against her breast.

  For just a second, Gage let her go, moved away. Before she could ask, she heard the rip of foil, felt him move away just enough to sheathe himself.

  She wanted to help, but by the time she pried her eyes open, he was back in position, his hands on her hips.

  Using his support, she lifted one leg up to anchor her foot behind his back. Then the other. There was something wildly erotic about trusting him so much, in believing that he’d keep her from landing on her ass.

  His mouth took hers in a voracious, biting kiss.

  Hailey’s body started the tight spiral toward climax once again with just the touch of his tongue.

  He plunged.

  She shattered in another miniorgasm.

  Her back slammed against the wall at the impact.

  Hailey wrapped her legs tighter, no longer worrying that the sharp heel of her stiletto might be cutting into his body.

  She needed him to move harder.

  Deeper.

  And he did.

  Plunging.

  In and out.

  Hard and fast.

  Her breath came in gasps.

  Her mind swirled in a rainbow of desire, thoughts decimated beneath the power of their passion.

  His moves grew jerky. Short. He plunged hard. Paused. Plunged again.

  She reached low, gripping the small of his back in her hands, her feet tight against his butt, as she tried to pull him in tighter.

  “Baby,” he growled, plunging again.

  “Do it,” she demanded.

  As if he’d been waiting for permission, Gage exploded. His jerky thrust sent Hailey spiraling yet again, her body splintering into a million tiny pieces of heaven.

  She thought she heard him cry out. She wasn’t sure, though, because her mind shut down with the power of her orgasm.

  It might have been five minutes, it might have been fifty, before she settled back into her body.

  It was still trembling, held against the wall by the hard power of Gage’s. Tiny orgasmic quakes still trembled through her.

  His breath still came, fast and furious, against her throat.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  “I think you took advantage of me,” he finally said, his words still breathless.

  Her head cuddled against his chest now, Hailey smiled.

  “Ooh, poor big, tough guy,” she teased, her fingers swirling through the hairs on his chest. Finally, she pulled her head back to gaze up at him. “Should I apologize?”

  He looked as though he was contemplating that. Then he shook his head.

  “Nah. I’ll take advantage of you now. Then we’ll be even.”

  Her giggle was cut off to a squeak when he swept her into his arms. Grinning, Hailey wrapped her hands around his neck and crossed her feet at the ankle, loving the view of her stockings and sexy shoes from up here in his arms.

  “Bedroom?”

  “Down the hall and to the left.”

  In swift, sure strides, he went that way.

  She loved a man who knew how to follow directions.

  Now to see what other instructions he might like to follow.

  * * *

  HAILEY WOKE SLOWLY, her body a melting pot of sensations. It was morning, wasn’t it? From the patches of light dancing over her closed eyes, it must be. She wanted to stretch, but at the same time didn’t want to move because everything felt so good.

  But what might feel better was a hot, tasty breakfast of French toast and fruit. A quick mental inventory assured her that she had the ingredients to make Gage a delicious morning-after treat. Then they could come back to bed and enjoy another sort of treat. The naked sort.

  And then, riding on a wave of passion and delight, they’d be able to amiably settle this whole silly competition thing. They were two intelligent, clever adults. She was sure they could figure out a way to keep that contract from being an issue. Or, more important, from keeping them off each other’s naked bodies.

  Finally, more to feed the desperate need to see Gage’s face than anything else, she forced her eyes open. A soft, dreamy smile on her lips, she turned her head to the pillow next to her.

  Ready to ask him if he liked whipped cream with his French toast, or his other treats, the question froze on her lips.

  The pillow was empty.

  She shifted to one elbow, looking past the tumbled waterfall of blankets tangled with her clothing from the night before.

  His clothes, though, were all gone.

  And so was he.

  10

  THIS FEELING-LIKE-a-complete-prick thing was new to Gage. He sat quietly in the corner of the meeting room, resisting the urge to hunch his shoulders, and tried to shake it off. This was a business meeting.

  With a man he’d watched leave the pussycat club in the arms of two women fifty years his junior because he knew sex would hook the guy’s vote.

  And a woman who refused to look at him. One who was presently pretending he didn’t exist, even though she’d blown his mind, among other things, the previous night, who’d provided hour upon hour of the best sex of his life, and whom he’d left without a word that morning. Why? Because he’d got a text from his brother, letting him know their father had called yet another emergency meeting.

  So instead of letting Hailey know he was leaving, he’d sneaked out with his shoes in his hands.

  Yeah, he was a real prince of a prick, all right.

  “As you both know, Cherry’s schedule has been somewhat in conflict with this little project. She’d hoped to make it here this morning, but had an unexpected doctor appointment.”

  “Not that this hasn’t been fun,” Gage said, shaking off his odd hesitation and leaning forward to give Rudy a direct look. “But how long is this going to drag out? A decision was supposed to be made by today. I don’t know about Hailey, but I do know that I have a lot of other things on my schedule that need attention.”

  Clearly not a fan of being pushed, even when it was to keep his own word, Rudy bristled.

  “If you’d like to step out of the game, feel free. That’d make this entire decision much easier.”

  Gage was tempted.

  Dancing to the tune of an eccentric businessman with more power and money than manners was getting old.

  And if he stepped off, Hailey would win the contract. Something that obviously meant a lot to her.

  But he flashed back to that morning’s meeting. Just him, his brother, the old man and the board of directors. All fourteen of them. All wanting to take the New Year in a different direction. None of which Gage gave a damn about, and even more, none of which had required his input. He was marketing. But the old man wanted him there as another token Milano. A show of force. A pawn.

  That was another game he’d like to step out of.

  And he would. Just as soon as he could do it without giving up his shares in the company or his place at the family table. Although he was willing to negotiate the latter.

  “I’m not stepping o
ut,” Gage said, reluctantly giving way to the always-present nagging pressure of family obligations. “I’m simply suggesting we finalize this as quickly as possible.”

  Rudy’s glower faded a little and he slowly nodded.

  “I agree. But my arrangement with Cherry guarantees her final say in the designs she wears. If I back out, she very well might, too.”

  Something Rudy looked to be very concerned about. Given that the woman had barely been present so far, he probably had reason to worry.

  “As happy as I am to hear that Milano is still in the competition,” Hailey said in a tone that said the complete opposite, “I’d like to make sure you’re judging each of the lines fairly. After all, last night wasn’t a true test, seeing as you weren’t able to experience my presentation.”

  For the first time since she’d walked in, Gage looked Hailey full in the face. Granted, he was staring in shock at her temerity.

  But damn she looked good. Her dress was green, almost as vivid as her eyes. It wrapped around her curves like a lover, sweeping from shoulder to knee with deceptive modesty. He wanted to follow the flow of the fabric, to skim his fingers along the hem, then up under that skirt to touch her soft, warm flesh.

  Of course, he’d probably get his hand chopped off if he tried. But that didn’t ease the need.

  “What you’d have seen if you’d been present at either of our events, Mr. Rudolph, was a sharp contrast between messaging. Romance, which is all about love and happiness, promises not only fabulous sex, but of having it over and over again. That means a variety of lingerie options for each romantic fantasy.” She swept her hand through the air, as if waving to a dozen invisible fantasies dancing around their heads.

  Gage frowned as Rudy’s eyes blurred, obviously taken in by her spiel and focusing on all his own happy fantasies.

  “In comparison to the message of sex. Which, let’s face it, is impersonal and can be performed just as easily in the nude as in a six-hundred-dollar leather bustier.” She gave a tiny shrug, as if saying it wasn’t the cost that was a drawback, but the image. “Sex is a physical sensation. Love is an emotion. And while people might be satisfied with sex—they might even crave it—it’s the idea of romance and having someone worship them in a physical way that will sell you the most lingerie.”

  She didn’t look Gage’s way as she finished, but instead, Hailey gave a sharp nod, all but clapping her hands together. Her smile oozed satisfaction. As it should. Gage was ready to toss aside the leather and go for lace himself.

  Then he remembered what was at stake.

  “Are you saying romance equals love? You’re not really using that as your selling point, are you? Because we, and Rudolph’s audience, are savvier than that.”

  Gage wasn’t proud of bashing her argument that way. But dammit, he had to get loose of Milano. He was so sick of playing his father’s puppet. He needed that year of freedom, and his chances of getting it were quickly slipping away.

  Clearly as impressed with him as he was with himself, Hailey made a show of rolling her eyes.

  “I’m saying romance makes people feel good. When they feel that good, they are much more willing to spend money—a lot of money—on keeping the feeling.”

  She shifted her gaze to Rudy and tilted her head to one side. “Isn’t that the point? To not only present a strong visual that will create a trend, but to get people into your store to spend money?”

  “Or is it to build an air of exclusivity, something that women will aspire toward and envy?”

  Gage didn’t go as far as to claim that people—women especially—would pay more for the exclusive designer aura than for the feel-good romantic image.

  Because from Hailey’s glare, and Rudy’s nod, he didn’t have to.

  “The real question is, which line will better suit Cherry Bella’s image and enhance the message Rudolph department stores is trying to send?” Hailey put in quickly.

  Rudy heaved a sigh, then watched his fingers tap the desk for a few seconds before he offered them both a grimace.

  “Okay, I’m going to be honest with you both. I’m inclined to go with Milano, simply because I think the look is more cutting edge, high-fashion oriented.”

  Yes! Other than a slight relaxing of his shoulders and tiny twitch of his lips, Gage managed to keep his triumph to himself. But in his mind, he was already packing his bags and heading for Tahoe.

  His gaze slid to Hailey, wondering if she might be in the mood for a little snow for the holidays. He frowned. Her face was like porcelain. White, stiff and brittle-looking. Did she hate losing that much? How long would she hold a grudge? Maybe he should send a car for her next week instead.

  “But,” Rudy continued, drawing out the word in a way that grated up and down Gage’s spine. “The decision isn’t mine alone.”

  What? No. He was already on the highway, heading up the mountain. No buts, dammit.

  “Of course it’s your decision,” Gage said quickly, adding a man-to-man smile. “Not that Cherry’s input isn’t important. But, let’s face it, she hasn’t been in attendance for much of these meetings. Her priorities are clearly elsewhere.”

  The old guy pursed his lips. Gage knew that look. It was the screw-everyone, I-want-to-get-my-way-and-be-done-with-this look. He’d seen it on his father’s face a million times. Usually right before he waved away every reasonable, well-thought-out and time-intensively researched argument Gage waged.

  Kinda like Rudy was about to do to Hailey.

  Gage glanced over at her again. Her chin was high, her smile in place. But he could see the hurt and frustration in her eyes.

  Crap.

  Before Rudy could say anything, and before he could talk himself out of playing hero, Gage gestured to the six-foot mock-up of Cherry surrounded by items from the various lines already chosen.

  “But you’ve put so much time and effort into building a launch around Cherry Bella, you don’t want to rock the boat,” he said quickly. “She said it herself—the lingerie line is her breaking point. Can’t ride roughshod over a woman’s choices. You know how that’ll come out if you do.”

  Rudy’s grimace made it clear he’d paid the price for doing that a few times in his life. Big surprise.

  “Okay, fine,” the older man finally said with a huff. “But no more of these clever scenarios. No more romance versus sex. The two of you put together a fashion show, pitch your best spring look. I guarantee, Cherry and I will both attend and the decision will be made within an hour. We need to get on with this.”

  “When?” Hailey cleared her throat, then started over. “When will we need to do the show? What are the parameters? I mean, how many pieces will you want to see? The designs I pitched were exclusive, intended for your spring debut. I don’t have them on hand.”

  Good point. Gage pulled a face. He was sure that Milano was in the same boat, although he had a hunch Devon had probably already started producing the designs, figuring if Rudolph didn’t take them, someone else would.

  “I have to get this nailed down,” Rudy said, his usually friendly face folding into a scowl. “I can wait a week, maximum. If we can’t settle this by then, I’ll simply run my spring show without lingerie.”

  “A week it is,” Gage said, his tone quick and hearty. That was six days longer than he wanted, and probably a dozen less than Hailey preferred.

  “Fine. The two of you hammer out the details and email me by the end of the day. I’ll green-light it then get hold of Cherry and see you in a week.”

  With that, a clap of his hands and a nod goodbye, Rudy rose and strode from the room.

  Gage waited for the man’s size sevens to cross the threshold before turning to offer Hailey a smile.

  But purse in hand and black wool coat buttoned, she was already halfway to the door herself.

  What the
hell?

  Wasn’t she going to thank him? He’d just given her another chance. Hell, he’d even gift wrapped it.

  “Hailey?”

  She didn’t slow down.

  She didn’t look back.

  And she definitely didn’t offer a thank-you.

  Seriously?

  “Hailey, wait.” Gage had to run to catch up with her since she wasn’t slowing one bit. How the hell did she move so fast in heels that high?

  “Hold up,” he said, catching her arm halfway down the hallway. “I thought we’d go out, get something to eat. You know, nail down those details Rudy wants by the end of business.”

  His charming smile and teasing tone earned him a chilly stare. Damn. He’d known she was one of those women who needed hand holding on the pillow the next morning.

  “I’ve plans for the rest of the afternoon,” she said, pulling her arm out of his grasp. “We’ll have to settle the details separately.”

  Awww, she was so cute.

  “C’mon,” he said, leaning close with his most persuasive smile. “You’re just upset that I left when it was three to one in the taking-advantage department and you wanted another shot at me to even it out.”

  Her eyes went wide, then narrowed in glass-green slivers of fury. Then, in a sweep of those lush lashes, her expression cleared to frosty disinterest.

  “You think you were that good?” she asked, giving him an up-and-down look that indicated she was trying to see what he was so proud of.

  Burying his irritation, telling himself she deserved to get in a couple of digs since she was hurt, he plastered on his most charming smile.

  “Baby, I think we were that good.”

  Her laugh put his charm in the fail column.

  “Actually, it has nothing to do with missing out on the various delights you seem to think you are so good at,” she said. Her arch look was like a rock, pounding that dagger into his ego just a little deeper. “It has to do with basic manners. If you’re a guest at a party, do you walk out or do you take the time to find your host and say thank you for the good time?”