Mesmerized

by Sahara Kelly

  The show slowly wound down. Bryan approached him, a smile on his face, but his eyes seemed to express something else. Concern, maybe? “We’re surpassing our sales expectations, Mark. Elaine’s done a damn fine job.” His voice lowered as he stepped closer, his gaze piercing. “Elaine’s an amazing woman, Mark. She deserves these accolades. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  Mark met Bryan’s eyes, ready to deny everything, but he couldn’t. Elaine had said Bryan was the one man she could trust. He was also apparently her appointed watcher. And he didn’t deserve to be lied to.

  Mark stared at Elaine, who was sitting at a table with Larry, going over some paperwork. “I don’t want to see her hurt either, Bryan.”

  Bryan nodded and walked away. Immediately, Jack approached. Mark sighed. Not again. The man was determined to ruin Mark’s good mood with his constant bitching about every little thing at the show. Mark listened with only half an ear as he watched Bryan and Tom shutting down the computers. Then his gaze strayed to Elaine and Larry. Elaine’s face had grown pale and she was worrying her bottom lip between her front teeth. What the hell had happened?

  He turned back to Jack. “Just write me up a report or send me an email and I’ll go over it when we get back to Los Angeles.” Jack seemed surprisingly content with Mark’s offer and strolled away.

  When Mark turned back, Elaine was nowhere to be seen. Larry was sitting at the table alone, going over the paperwork.

  Mark’s concern grew. “Larry, where’d Elaine go?”

  Larry just shrugged his shoulders, but a glint in his eye told Mark that Larry wasn’t telling him everything.

  Mark sat down next to him and pulled his chair close. “Larry, what the hell happened to Elaine?”

  Larry’s eyes widened. “Look, I was just teasing her okay. I don’t know why she took it all personal like. Damn women. They always take things personally.”

  Mark held back from grabbing Larry by his sweat-stained collar and shaking the shit out of him. “What did you say to her?”

  “I was just telling her that she seemed extra flustered today and that maybe Bill’s suggestion from the other night was still affecting her.” Sweat glistened on his brow.

  “What suggestion? What are you talking about?”

  “You know. Bill’s last suggestion. Sexual insatiability. I told the girl she was probably horny from that suggestion and she took off outta here like a rocket.”

  Mark stood up so quickly the chair fell to the floor. “You four close up tonight. Make sure everything’s locked up.” He didn’t even look behind him as he left.

  Shit! He had to get to Elaine, had to make her understand that what he felt for her went far beyond any hypnotic suggestion. Mark went directly to her room and knocked on the door. He had to set the record straight.

  But there was no answer. Either she wasn’t there, or she didn’t want to talk to him. He leaned against her door, raw emotion filling him. Why had he let it go so far without telling her what she really meant to him? And why had he let her talk him into only a weekend when they deserved so much more together?

  To hell with that. She couldn’t stay away from him forever…and there was no way he would let her go that easily.

  * * * * *

  Elaine’s heart beat frantically as she raced toward the Starlight Lounge. What Larry had said couldn’t be true. How could her feelings for Mark be because of the damn hypnosis? A part of her seemed to remember a vague notion from Bill Brentwood, something about being sexually insatiable. And that was exactly what had happened between her and Mark. She couldn’t ignore the possibility, even though the possibility hurt.

  Outside the Starlight Lounge she saw a familiar face, one of the dancers from Bill’s show. Elaine made a beeline for him before he could get through the backstage entrance.

  Elaine tapped on his shoulder and he turned around, a performer’s smile bright across his face. “Hey, do you remember me from the show the other night?”

  His eyes flashed recognition and he nodded. “Yeah, I sure do. What’s up?”

  Elaine realized she was probably going to sound like a desperate fan. At least the desperate part was accurate. “I was wondering if I could talk to Bill. I have some real important questions to ask him about hypnotism. Can you get me back there to him? My whole life has changed and I really need to talk to him about it.” She felt like she was begging, but she was also at the point where begging wasn’t beneath her.

  He eyed her up and down, assessing her, then gave her a real grin. “Sure, sweetheart. You’re my girlfriend until we get through the door, okay?” He winked. They both knew he was as gay as they came. He wrapped an arm around her as they passed the guard.

  She squeezed his arm tight and smiled up at the kind soul. “Thank you so much. I owe you one.”

  “Don’t mention it. Hypnotism changed my life as well. Go talk to Bill, he’s in the far dressing room on the left.” He waved as he sauntered into a dressing room down the hall.

  Elaine froze for a moment, staring at the door. Here it was, the moment of truth. She couldn’t go on with her life not knowing if what she had with Mark was real or just some mumbo-jumbo brought on by hypnotism. She knocked just below the star and sign that read “Bill Brentwood” on the door. It hadn’t been closed all the way and opened a bit.

  “Oh. I’m so sorry.” Elaine stepped back. “I didn’t know it was open.”

  “It’s always open.” Bill greeted her with a reflected smile through his mirror. “Hello. Elaine, isn’t it? What brings you here?” He turned away from the mirror and walked over to the couch near the wardrobe rack. “Have a seat.” He gestured to the empty side of the couch.

  She took a deep breath and sat down. “Bill, I need you to undo whatever you did to me and Mark. It’s really causing problems.” There it was, out in the open although she somehow felt ridiculous for saying it.

  Bill raised an eyebrow. “What suggestion are you talking about? The effects of the show leave you once you walk off the stage. I always give a few parting suggestions, but those wear off by the time you wake up the next morning.” Bill traced his jaw line as though lost in thought.

  “What parting suggestions?”

  Bill smiled at her, the look in his eyes comforting. “Well, first off, you already know that you can’t be hypnotized to do something you don’t want to do, right?” Elaine nodded. “So, then I take it you don’t remember those final suggestions. You were sleeping deeply enough. Good for you.”

  Elaine sighed and forced a smile. “I have a vague memory, more of a feeling. I need you to tell me, Bill…what were those last suggestions?”

  “I always give a parting gift to the people who make my show happen. When you wake up the following morning, you’ll be relaxed, but energized, ready to face the challenges of your new day. And if you find yourself in bed with a very special partner, you will have unlimited sexual energy. Just for that night, though.”

  Elaine quickly hugged Bill, then stood up, the need to find Mark almost desperate. “I don’t think Mark and I needed that suggestion, but thanks.” Bill gave her a puzzled smile as she turned around and left the room.

  Elaine hurried out of the lounge. She and Mark had been sexually energized long before they’d hit the bed after Bill’s show. And even from the first time they met, Elaine had felt something stronger than just sexual attraction. She couldn’t blame her feelings for Mark on hypnosis. She’d done the one thing she knew she couldn’t.

  Elaine had fallen completely in love with her boss.

  * * * * *

  Elaine knocked on Mark’s door, hoping he was there, not knowing what she would do if he wasn’t. There was so much she needed to tell him, so much she wanted to know. The complexity of their relationship scared her, but being without Mark scared her even more.

  When the door opened, Elaine couldn’t remember what she’d wanted to say. Mark’s normal, all-together look had vanished. His suit jacket and tie were gone, his dress shirt unbutt
oned and untucked, the sleeves haphazardly pushed up. His slacks were wrinkled, his feet bare, one hand clasping an almost empty bottle of beer. The dark shadow of stubble covered his tightly clenched jaw. She’d never seen him looking so rough around the edges.

  But it was his eyes, the desperate, heart-wrenching need she saw within them that made everything clear again.

  Elaine stepped through the doorway and up against Mark, wrapping her arms around him, rubbing her face against the patch of hair on his chest that his shirt couldn’t hide. The door shut and the beer bottle clunked to the floor as Mark’s arms surrounded her, holding her tight.

  God, she loved this man. Loved the way he smelled, the way he moved, the way he talked. She loved everything about him.

  How the hell could they make this work?

  Everything inside of her screamed for him, needing him, but it was impossible to just throw away what she’d learned in her miserable relationship with Hanson. Yes, Elaine knew that Mark was a better man than Hanson—there was no doubt in her mind about that—but there was no way to know if in six months, or hell, even six weeks, things wouldn’t change between them. And although she’d be stupid not to realize that Mark felt something for her, could she bet her future on them lasting forever?

  The whole damn situation was impossible.

  Elaine lifted her head and met his burning stare. Her mouth went dry and she shivered. All she could do was live for the present, and right now she needed to love him. She took a deep breath. “Mark…let me make love to you tonight.”

  Something flickered in the depths of Mark’s eyes, and he slowly shook his head. A hard, painful knot formed in the pit of her stomach. She lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze anymore. Was this it? Had he made the decision for her?

  His hands cupped her cheeks, forcing her to meet his stare. The rough pad of one thumb ran over her lips. “Elaine, baby, I can’t let you make love to me tonight. Because I need to make love to you, too. This is about both of us.”

  Elaine pressed her face more deeply into his hand. “And the future—“

  “I think we both know what we want.”

  Mark lowered his head, placing his lips softly over hers.

  Warmth flooded through Elaine, starting at her lips, her face, everywhere Mark touched her. And the heat wasn’t just sexual. It was more than that, filling her soul—a deep, all encompassing exhilarant unlike anything she’d ever felt before. It was as if nothing else mattered in her life from this point on…as if being with Mark was the only thing she needed to stay alive.

  They kissed slowly, learning each other’s lips…mouths. Taking the time they never had before. As they kissed, their hands and fingers removed clothing, offering light caresses, slight touches.

  With their bodies bared to each other, Mark’s nearness awakened Elaine to the very depths of her being. Completely elevating every last one of her senses and practically taking her breath away with such beauty and heart’s wonder. Tonight wasn’t about arousal or sex. The experience permeated much deeper—the need to join their bodies not only for pleasure, but because it made them whole.

  Mark kept maximum contact with her body as he gently lowered her down. She hadn’t realized they’d moved to the bed until she felt the sheets cool against her back. He kissed and caressed and loved Elaine as he eased himself inside her cunt, filling her with slow, smooth, rhythmic strokes. Every part of her came alive. Wanting Mark. Needing Mark.

  His hands found hers and moved them above her head, locking their fingers together. Their gazes met and held, completing the circle between them. And at that point they were one.

  Elaine knew she was coming, felt the tidal wave rushing through her. But it didn’t end. Her body kept going higher, the orgasm growing rather than receding. She grasped Mark’s hands tighter, holding on. But she needed more, needed to tell him…

  “I love you, Mark.”

  The words she’d never before spoken to any man broke down her final barrier and she hit the cusp of her climax just as Mark came inside of her. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed, as their bodies soared together.

  “I love you, too, Elaine. Don’t ask me to let you go. I need you with me…”

  Elaine didn’t respond. There was nothing left to say.

  Chapter Four

  Sunday

  Mark unlocked the central room and went inside, the memories of last night still deeply etched in his mind. They’d made love all night, greeting sunrise with moans and sighs of pleasure. Then they’d fallen into a brief but necessary sleep.

  He’d awakened alone. In a way, he understood. What had happened was so intense and it had already been confirmed that once the show was over, so was their relationship. Elaine had never agreed to more. He’d thought last night would change her mind, but even though she’d shown her love, it obviously wasn’t enough.

  That was a thought he tried to force to the back of his mind. It hurt too much to think he’d have to let all of his feelings go.

  Back to the task at hand—to the things in his life he could control. He pressed the power switch on the server and while the screen came up, the cursor in the upper left corner remained constant. Giving it a second chance to start working, he pushed the power button again, hoping the damn computer was just having as shitty of a morning as he was.

  No luck. The power came on again, but the machine wouldn’t boot up. It didn’t ask for the password. Nothing.

  Anger hit him like a heavy fist to the gut. This was his fault. He’d known that someone was out to get them, had even planned on staying late last night to put a new password on the system, to make it more difficult for anyone to take them down.

  But he’d forgotten everything else in his haste to find Elaine. He flinched at the memory. He’d practically sprinted out of the booth after her, completely forgetting to do his job, to take care of his company, all in the need to be with Elaine.

  Being with her clouded his mind, made everything else less important. If Greenlight couldn’t get back on its feet today, there would be no one else to blame but himself.

  “Un-fucking-believable.”

  “What? Good morning to you, too.”

  Mark glanced up as Elaine stepped into the room. She gave him an almost shy smile, then her eyes drifted over to the table—the very table they’d sated their lust on just yesterday. His cock—which out of sheer physical overuse and exhaustion should have been hiding—shot to attention, always ready for Elaine. Mark forced his recalcitrant thoughts back to the problem at hand before he took her on the table again…and again…and again. He needed distance between them to survive today.

  “Go turn on the towers. We might have a very serious problem, Elaine. I think whoever deleted the browsers yesterday has struck again. Just please tell me that the workstations are okay. Please.”

  Elaine paused in the doorway, nervously tapping the fingers of one hand on her upper thigh. She looked like she desperately wanted to say something, but then she abruptly turned and left the room.

  Mark sighed as he turned back to the computer and typed in a few more commands. The server did the same thing…nothing. He gave all the connections a quick once-over—everything was fine.

  In disgust, Mark left the central room and met Elaine at one of the workstations. Just the scent of her drove him mad.

  Shit! Something had to give. Work was fucked up, Elaine was pulling away from him. There was no way in hell he could handle working in the same office with her and not have her whenever he wanted her. He wasn’t a saint and he couldn’t deny his desperate need for her. They couldn’t be co-workers and lovers, but he’d be damned before he let her go.

  He took a deep breath to avoid shouting out his frustrations. His voice still came out sharper than he intended. “Are the stations coming up all right?”

  Elaine shot him a surprised look. “Yeah, but they can’t find the network.” She brushed against his chest seemingly unintentionally as she turned away and he gritted his teeth in ab
ject frustration. It was everything he could do not to slide his hands over her possessively.

  “The server is completely down and out. We’re going to need a plan B and fast.”

  “All right. So who do we think is the asshole?”

  Hanson. He transferred me into the arms of a beautiful woman I can’t have. “No clue. But it doesn’t matter right now. We’ve got to get up and running first. We’ll worry about who screwed us over later.” He turned away from Elaine’s steady gaze. He had to come up with an answer to their problem, even though the only problem he really cared about was standing behind him.

  Heat rushed to his groin as she moved to his side and slid her hand down his arm. Their gazes met and her sleepy eyes widened. There was an uncomfortable silence between them as she slowly removed her hand from his arm. She cleared her throat. “Wait a minute. You have the back-up site and everything else on your laptop, right?”

  “Yeah, but I have a meeting with Ambient Medium at ten—and I need the laptop. They’re too important for me to go in and wing it without a live demonstration. They’d laugh me right out of the meeting.”

  Elaine raised her eyebrows. “C’mon, Mark. Work with me here. Can we clone your hard drive before you leave? That way the server will have whatever’s on your laptop. Do you have any cloning software?”

  Unable to forego temptation any longer, Mark trailed the back of his fingers down Elaine’s face. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, letting out a soft sigh. His voice came out little more than a whisper. “I want to do more than work with you. That’s the problem.”

  Elaine’s eyes fluttered open and she peered up at him, her eyes full of the same need he felt inside. “Mark—“

  “What’s going on?” Bryan walked up with Jack just a few feet behind him.

  Mark quickly stepped away from Elaine and looked around the booth. Larry and Tom had just arrived as well. It was time to solve problem number one. He looked at Elaine. He’d work on problem number two for as long as it took to get the outcome he desired.