Deception, Dominance, Desire (Siren Publishing LoveEdge)

by Kalissa Alexander

She laughed, feeling suddenly relaxed. Kevin really wasn’t a bad guy.

  “How old are you, Rose?”

  “I’m twenty-one. And you?”

  “I’m twenty-six. A few months older than Joshua.”

  “You look younger.”

  “Do I? Must be the free and easy life I lead. I dropped out of college in my junior year and I’ve been doing whatever pleases me since. Luckily my parents haven’t pulled the purse strings yet.”

  “You’re lucky.”

  “I am. However, good old Dad has been hounding me to start managing some of his retail stores. I think my carefree days are numbered.”

  “Don’t you want to work?”

  “I guess. I’m just not sure selling men’s clothing is my lifelong dream. But it’s lucrative and it would please my parents.”

  “What is your dream?”

  “I don’t have one. I’m like Peter Pan. I never want to grow up.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she said, looking at him seriously, her eyes never leaving his. “There has to be something you want to do, besides hanging out at the racetrack.”

  He was silent for a few minutes. She could see the struggle in his eyes as he decided whether or not to confide in her. She waited, hoping, for some reason, that he would trust her.

  His silence stretched uncomfortably until she said, “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “No. It’s okay. Working with the pit crew on the cars is fun and my Dad sees it as macho or something. I think that’s why he’s let me get away with it for so long.”

  “Being macho is important to men, more than I would have ever thought.”

  “Why? Wasn’t your Dad a macho kind of guy?”

  Rose took a breath before she met Kevin’s eyes. “I don’t know. I never knew him.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kevin said, immediately contrite. “I didn’t know.”

  “Of course you didn’t. But, I did have a loving uncle who although he worked construction, changed diapers, read bedtime stories, and took me to dance lessons. It never occurred to me to question whether he was macho or not.”

  “He sounds great. A man who's comfortable with himself. That’s pretty rare.”

  “I’m beginning to see that.”

  “Where’s your family? Why didn’t you stay with them for the summer?”

  “Things can change very quickly in your life. What you think you know isn’t always the truth. I love my family, but we’re estranged and it’s not something I can talk about.”

  “Didn’t they agree with your hopes and dreams? What did you do, run away?”

  “Kevin,” she sighed. “I said I didn’t want to talk about it.”

  She wanted him to leave. She had told him more than she had planned already and he wanted to know more. At least he thought he did.

  “Okay,” he held up his hands. “You can stop looking at me like you can’t wait for me to leave. I’ll drop it. But, I’ll tell you something about me and if you want, you can tell me something about you. But if I tell you, you have to promise to keep it to yourself.”

  “I can keep a secret, believe me. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you anything that I haven’t already.”

  “Okay, not that I like the odds, but I’ll risk it.” He took a breath, “I write music and I sing. But only for myself. I’ve never performed in public. My parents discouraged it from an early age. To them it was frivolous and a waste of time. Once they knew I was serious, they even stopped my piano lessons.”

  “Would you sing for me?” she asked. She really wanted to hear him sing. It might help give her some insight into who he really was besides the flirt she had come to know.

  “I told you. I only sing for myself.”

  “Right. I understand,” she said and sighed. “I guess you really don’t want to know more about me after all.” She knew she was using his desire to know more about her to get what she wanted, but this was fun. She could concentrate on someone other than herself and Joshua. It felt liberating.

  “Jesus, Rose, don’t look at me like that. I don’t think you’re playing fair.

  “Maybe I’m not, but the ball, so to speak, is in your court.”

  “You’re playing hardball.” He groaned. “Well, if you want me to sing, you’re going to have to come into the other room with me so I can play the piano. It may not be tuned. Joshua plays, but not well.” He laughed. “I’ll play for you if you promise not to laugh.”

  “I won’t laugh,” she said softly. “Play me something you wrote, okay?

  She let him lead her into the living room and sat down cross-legged next to the piano. He opened the lid and sat down on the bench and looked at the keys. She watched as he ran his fingers over them lovingly, before he looked down at her. She sat quietly and waited for him to begin.

  The melody he chose was sad, but the words held so much promise. At first his voice quavered slightly. She knew he was nervous. But it didn’t take long and he seemed to forget she was there. His deep voice was somewhat gritty as she let it wash over her. He was good, really good. When he had sung the last word of the chorus, his fingers stopped playing, but remained on the keyboard. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her.

  “Oh, Kevin,” she said lifting herself from where she sat. She hugged him. “That was so beautiful. Your voice is amazing. You made me cry.”

  “You really like it?” he asked incredulously, bringing his arms up to encircle her waist.

  “I loved it. I really loved it. You have to pursue your music. You’re so talented. It would be a shame to waste it. Whatever you have to do to make it happen…make it happen, please.”

  “You’re the first person I’ve ever sang for. I don’t know that I’ll ever do more than sing in the shower, but I’ll never forget this moment. Thank you for that.”

  “You don’t have to thank me for telling the truth. I meant every word.”

  “On that note,” he said gruffly, pushing away from her and the piano, “I should go. I have some things to do. I hadn’t meant to stay this long.”

  “Do you really have to go now? I was hoping you’d sing another one of your songs. It’s lonely here alone and I’m in total awe of your talent.” She really did want him to stay.

  “Maybe another day,” he said over his shoulder, not stopping his beeline for the front door.

  “Kevin?” she asked hopefully, following him to the door.

  He turned slowly. “What is it?”

  “You have better things to do than spend the day with me. I understand that. But don’t run away because of what just happened. You need to face who you are.”

  He stood for a few seconds looking at her, before he closed his eyes. “Isn’t that what you did?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You ran away from your family. I know you did or you would be with them now. What was it you couldn’t face?”

  “You don’t know anything about me. My situation and yours are worlds apart. I just think you should stay. Besides I haven’t told you anything about me yet. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  I can’t stay, Rose. Joshua’s my friend and although I know you only want friendship from me, I’m afraid I want more.”

  “Oh,” she said, taking a step back. How could she be so stupid and so insensitive? Of course he wanted more. He had told her in enough ways. But listening to him sing had lulled her into a false sense of reality. He had made her forget who she really was and it had felt so good, even if it was only for a few minutes, to be the girl she had been before Mistress Adams had come into her life.

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. You should go.”

  “Joshua’s a lucky man. I hope he knows it.”

  What he knows is who I really am, and if you knew, you wouldn’t have just sung for me. You wouldn’t want anything to do with me, unless of course, you were buying my services.

  Tears formed in her eyes as a sob caught in her throat. Even when her debt was paid off, she wonde
red if she could ever really go back to the girl she had been.

  Chapter Eleven

  Joshua threw his jacket down on the bed and loosened his tie. It had been a tough day. He had interviewed several employees and managers. He wasn’t any closer to finding out the reason for the missing product than he had been this morning. He did know that it wasn’t the man he had initially thought might be his target, Brent Jacobs. He had come through the interview with flying colors and had actually been more than forthcoming with all his reports. He, too, suspected something was amiss and had been looking into the discrepancies. He hadn’t said anything in hopes he could find the problem and report that it was under control.

  Usually a pretty good judge of character, his gut had told him that Brent was telling the truth. One part of him was glad, the other part wished it had been Brent. At least his time here would be done and he could get back home to Rose. He missed her already. He wasn’t used to missing a woman. He felt edgy and out of sorts.

  Taking his laptop out of its case, he set it up on the desk in the large suite and sat down. He couldn’t be with her, but he could see her. She had no idea that his entire place was wired with hidden cameras. Hell, no one knew except him and the security company that had installed them. Before he went to Europe, he had decided that it would be a good idea to have the place under surveillance. The security was good in the building, but crooks were smart as he was finding out at the plant.

  He clicked on the app for his home and rewound the tape for the day right back to when he left to go to Dallas. He was glad he had turned the system on before he left. He watched as he walked out the door and Rose stood watching him leave. He could see her face and how forlorn she looked. His heart constricted. Maybe she really did miss him. She was so damn beautiful. He wanted to fuck her right now.

  He watched for a few more minutes and then skipped ahead. He stopped when he saw her on the kitchen floor crying. What the hell! Could she possibly miss him that much? He’d like to think so, but those sobs that shook her body went a lot deeper than him leaving. He had felt sadness in her but had never imagined how deep it went. Something was very wrong and when he got back, he was going to find out what it was. He continued to watch her, knowing there was nothing he could do to help her. She finally calmed and he realized she must have fallen asleep.

  He forwarded the tape again, and stopped when he saw Kevin let himself in the apartment and head for the kitchen. When he saw Rose, he knelt down and the look on his face made Joshua catch his breath. He had never seen Kevin look at a woman with such a mixture of concern and lust.

  He watched mesmerized as Rose woke, startled to see his friend leaning over her. He knew he should be glad Kevin was there, but instead jealousy overcame in. His eyes remained glued to the screen as Kevin helped Rose up and then Kevin went to the refrigerator and to his astonishment began to make lunch. It wasn’t like he had never seen Kevin cook before, but it wasn’t what he expected.

  Joshua put the tape on hold. He walked over to the bar and poured himself a whiskey and water. When he sat back down again, he continued to watch the scene in front of him. Kevin’s eyes never left Rose for more than a few seconds. He had known Kevin was attracted to her. What man wouldn’t be? Rose to her credit, seemed oblivious to it. She ate her grilled cheese and he could tell she was grateful to Kevin. He didn’t want her to be grateful to anyone but him. Anger filled him. What the fuck had he been thinking, asking Kevin to keep an eye on her? He wasn’t normally jealous of a woman, but he had known Kevin was attracted to her and he hadn’t liked it. He didn’t like himself sometimes and this was one of those times. He knew why he asked Kevin to see Rose. He had set them up to see if they could be trusted.

  However, when Kevin led her into the living room his anger turned to shock. He watched as Kevin went to the piano and Rose sat down beside him on the floor. He knew his friend had taken piano lessons for a while when he was a child, but had stopped suddenly. He had no idea he could still play. Kevin wasn’t only playing, he was singing. Although he couldn’t hear him, he could see his lips and by the look on Rose’s face she was a rapt audience even clapping when Kevin’s fingers stilled.

  Why had he never known about this? Not once had Kevin ever mentioned he sang. Kevin seemed to be in a trance until he abruptly slid off the seat and practically ran to the front door with Rose following after him. How he wished he had thought to turn on the audio. It had simply slipped his mind. But now, he could kick himself. What were they saying?

  Kevin left and Rose went to her room. He watched as she undressed and stepped into the shower closing the door behind her. He cock was rock hard now. He needed relief. He continued to watch her. She opened the door and walked out, her hair hanging long and freshly washed. Her body was shining wet. He unzipped his pants and pleasured himself as she toweled off and then walked naked into her bedroom. He groaned. He had never done this, not even with porn. Women had always come so easy for him and when he had pleasured himself alone, it wasn’t like he needed visual stimulation, it was something he just did.

  He cleaned himself and turned off the app. He needed a shower and some dinner. He called room service before he stripped and let the hot water pelt his body. If he could, he would have had his private plane take him home tonight. Damn his father for taking him away from Rose. And damn Kevin for being there instead of him. What was it about Rose that brought out the best and worst in him? Turning off the shower, he toweled himself and walked into the bedroom.

  He tugged on a pair of sweat pants and a T-Shirt. He heard the knock at the door and went to let in the waiter with his dinner. Once he was alone again, he picked up his cell phone to call Rose. He couldn’t go another minute, hungry or not, before he heard her voice. She answered on the first ring.

  “Joshua! You called. How are you? How are things in Dallas?”

  “Fine,” he said, loving the sound of her voice and how excited she seemed to be to hear his.

  “Just fine? Did you find the problem?”

  “Not yet. But I’m working on it. I’ll be here for at least a couple more days.”

  “I was hoping you would be coming home sooner.”

  “Really? You miss me?”

  “Yes. I miss you. It’s lonely here.”

  Was she lying? Maybe, but he didn’t care.

  “You miss fucking me and I miss fucking you.”

  He could hear her intake of breath. Had he shocked her?

  “Do you want to come?” he asked, his voice betraying his own need.

  He walked into the bedroom and clicked on the app. In seconds he saw her. She was in the living room on the sofa watching television.

  “Are you talking about phone sex?” she asked, her voice raspy.

  “At the moment I would say our choices are limited. So the answer is yes. What are you wearing?”

  He knew exactly what she was wearing, but he listened as she described her cloth shorts and oversized T-shirt.

  He had never thought of himself as a voyeur, but he was enjoying this a lot.

  “Take them off now,” he commanded and watched as she put her phone down on the end table and did what she was told.

  “I took them off.”

  “Put your phone on speaker.”

  “Yes, Joshua,” she said and clicked it as she now sat naked on the sofa. Her nipples were hard and he would bet that her delicious pink pussy was wet.

  “Now, I want you to spread your legs wide and pull on your nipples. Are you sitting down?” He liked this game.

  “Yes, Joshua,” she said, arching her back and spreading her legs as she touched herself.

  “Now twist them harder,” he ordered.

  “I wish you were here.” She breathed.

  “Me, too, but for now this will have to do.” He chuckled. Her eyes were closed as she twisted her hard nubs.

  “Take one hand and run your fingers between your labia. Stroke yourself the way I would if I were there.”

  “I’m so
wet,” she told him.

  “Good. Just the way I like you,” he said seductively. “Put your fingers in your mouth and taste your need, Rose. Taste how much you want me to fuck you.”

  He heard her moan as her fingers slid into her mouth.

  “Now do it again but this time I want two fingers inside you. They’re my fingers fucking you. Your pussy belongs to me.”

  “Yes,” she cried out. “My pussy belongs to you.”

  He began to stroke himself as she fucked herself, lifting her hips and writhing on the sofa. She was magnificent and she belonged to him. She was his and he’d be damned if he were going to share her with anyone.

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Rose. You make me hard even long distance. My cock is swollen and so hard. If I were there, I would fuck you over and over until you came and then I would turn you over and fuck that beautiful ass of yours. And before the night was over, those lips would be wrapped around my cock, sucking out every last bit of my cum.”

  He could see how his words enflamed her as she fucked herself faster. He stroked himself harder. He was so ready and he knew she was, too.

  “Come for me, Rose.”

  He watched as his four words were her undoing. She bucked against her fingers and with a wail that ended in his name she shivered and shook as her orgasm swept through her body. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as his cock spurted his cum into his hand.

  He groaned. “Oh, baby, do you have any idea how hot you are? How much I love fucking you?”

  “Yes, oh yes. I’m yours.”

  “You’re damn right you are,” he said gruffly. “And only mine. Not Kevin’s, not anyone’s but mine.”

  He saw her eyes fly open. Was that guilt in her eyes? He couldn’t tell, but he felt the anger take hold him.

  “Did you hear me, Rose? Mine. Only mine.”

  “Yes. Only yours,” she said.

  “Now suck your fingers.”

  “Yes, Joshua.”

  “Good girl. You are not to bathe tonight and you are not to get dressed. I want you to sleep naked with the smell of that beautiful pussy on your fingers. Understood?”