by Emily Bishop
“Told you,” Nancie called out from somewhere behind us. As always, as soon as Barrett had his arms around me, he was all I could focus on.
Barrett released me, but kept me close to his side as his eyes narrowed on Nancie. “Told her what?”
“Nothing,” Nancie said quickly, flashing me a please don’t bust me look.
“It’s just girl talk.” I shrugged, pursing my lips, even as they tilted into a half smile at Barrett’s sassy niece.
He didn’t look like he was buying what we were selling. Suspicious eyes flicked between Nancie and me before he sighed, obviously letting it go. “Come on, you wicked women. I’ll get it out of you yet.”
“Nah,” I said, my skin tingling when he took my hand and held it tight. “Women are vaults when it comes to girl talk.”
“I bet I can find a way to persuade you,” Barrett said against my ear. There was no way Nancie could’ve heard what he said, but she was smart enough to make what were fairly accurate deductions, and her laughter followed us inside.
I was no longer focused on her, though. In fact, I’d all but forgotten she was there as my sex clenched and heat pooled between my legs from his words.
“Yeah? Let’s skip dinner and get right to the persuasion part of the evening.”
Barrett smirked, pulling me against his chest as we reached his kitchen. His masculine scent mixed with the aroma of spiced lamb. It was delicious. It was all I could do not to jump him right there on the island, despite the fact that Nancie was still somewhere behind us.
He lowered his head, nipping at my bottom lip with a low, sexy growl. “Wish we could, gorgeous. Trust me, I’m looking forward to that part more than I can express in words but Nancie might actually kill us in our sleep if I don’t at least pretend to play nice with her boyfriend for a while.”
I sighed, smiled seductively up at him, and leaned in closer, relishing the low groan that rumbled in his chest when I pressed my body to his. “I’ll make it worth your while if you actually do play nice with the poor guy.”
A sinful smile played on his lips, inches away from mine as his eyes grew darker. “Can I get that in writing?”
“Can we settle for sealing it with a kiss?” I asked him, my breathing becoming faster in anticipation of having his lips on mine again.
Instead of answering, he closed the distance between our mouths and kissed me. His soft lips moved with mine in a passionate kiss, filled with lust and the promise of what the night held. His fingers dug into my hips, and his hardening cock pressed into my stomach.
We broke apart when the doorbell rang out, both of us breathing heavily and unable to break eye contact, still standing so close together that I could see his pulse pounding at the base of his throat.
“Scott’s here,” Nancie called out, peeking into the kitchen on her way to get the door. She smiled as she took in our disheveled state. “Well, well, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?”
“Absolutely not,” Barrett told her, his voice firm and insistent. “Let’s go get this over with.”
Chapter 17
Barrett
Goddamnit. This Scott kid had just unknowingly moved himself up to the number one spot on my shit list. I hated being cock-blocked, just like any guy, but I detested it when the prick who was cock-blocking me was the one trying to get into my niece’s pants. Or bank account. Probably both.
Nancie waited impatiently for Demi and me to extricate ourselves from one another. Then, to my eternal gratitude, Demi led Nancie from the room, giving me the opportunity to adjust my aching dick and take a few deep breaths to collect my thoughts.
“Here goes nothing,” I muttered under my breath as I met them by the front doors, gritting my teeth as they swung open to reveal the cock-blocking bastard himself. Scott stood there with a smarmy smile pasted on his face and day-old flowers in his hands.
“Scott!” Nancie exclaimed, so excitedly that I would’ve thought he’d come to surprise her if I didn’t know any better. She launched herself into his arms, and I had to actively stop myself from pulling her off of him, slamming the door in his face, and locking Nancie in her room until her fiftieth birthday.
“I’m so glad you made it,” Nancie told him, releasing a startled-looking Scott and tugging him into the house, her hand in one of his grubby paws as he held out the flowers to her.
“I’m Demi,” she said, holding out her hand to his free one once he’d passed the flowers to Nancie. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I started rolling my eyes, but Demi gave me a look. Her promise of making it worth my while if I actually tried to play nice was the only thing that made me stick out my hand in turn, though I might have squeezed his hand just a touch too hard. “Barrett Hart, it’s nice to officially meet you.”
“It’s nice to officially meet you, too, sir,” Scott mumbled, his face having gone slightly red from the strength of my grip. He cradled his hand against his chest when I released it.
I would never admit it out loud, but I was seriously proud of myself for exerting that small show of dominance over the kid, and that I’d managed it without either of the women picking up on it. It would be interesting to see if he ratted me out to Nancie later.
She looked between the two of us, sharp eyes surveying both of our expressions carefully before she broke out in a smile. “Okay, let’s go to the dining room, shall we?”
“Let’s,” Demi agreed, giving me a wry smile and tugging at my hand to let them go ahead. “Don’t think I don’t know what you did there, Hart. I saw that poor kid’s hand almost pop.”
Damn. “I let him into my house, didn’t I?”
“Only just, though, right?” Her eyes, bright as sapphires in the light of the chandelier in the entrance hall, seemed to pierce all the way to my soul. My heart did that unfamiliar thing again.
“I plead the fifth,” I told her, giving her hand a soft squeeze. “He’s alive and well, and in my house, I’m chalking it up as a win for my self-control.”
Demi’s lips twitched up in amusement as she locked those eyes to mine. “Just remember the stakes. I’ll be watching you closely. If you keep yourself under control with him, you can lose it all you want with me later.”
Fuck. I was practically panting as I followed her down the hallway to the dining room, instantly hard as the tiles under our feet again. “Did you really have to add that just before we sit down for dinner with two teenagers?”
She flashed me a sexy smile, pulling us up short right outside of the dining room and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of my lips. “Just reminding you to play nice.”
As much I didn’t like the little prick, he was about to get the royal treatment if that was what it took to get Demi naked underneath me, completely under my control.
Well, he would have gotten the royal treatment if he had actually known which place setting to use. He didn’t. A fact which became clear as soon as we sat down and tucked right into the first course.
Try as I might to hold it back, a soft snicker escaped as I watched Scott get flustered when he noticed that he had chosen the wrong fork. Demi gave me a swift kick under the table, a scathing look on her beautiful features.
She cleared her throat and smiled at Scott, making me want to rip his head off even more than before. “So, Scott, you’re a senior, right? Got any plans for after graduation yet?”
Scott looked surprised that anyone was actually talking to him. “I… uh… Yeah. I have early admission to Princeton.”
Whoa. Okay, so the kid was obviously smart. But it didn’t mean he was any less of a potential asshole.
“That’s impressive,” Demi said, an encouraging grin on her face. “What are you planning on studying?”
“I’m in the pre-law program. The plan is to become an intellectual property lawyer when I finish my degree.” Scott kept his eyes rooted to his plate as he talked.
“Your grades must be really good to have gotten early admission there,” Demi said, ke
eping the conversation going.
“They are,” Scott told Demi, risking a quick glance at me. “School has been my first priority since forever. I’m also the captain of the debate club. It’s a good way to get their attention, and I’ve learned a lot that will help me with my future.”
“The debate club are in the finals for the national competition this year,” Nancie added proudly.
By the time we got through the main course, I was starting to realize that Scott might not be the asshole I was sure he was. He seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. All things considered, Nancie could’ve done a lot worse.
Though that realization may have had a lot to do with the fact that Demi kept holding my hand under the table, which did wonders to keep me calm and actually listening to the kid.
“I heard you two met at an arcade,” I said, finally joining in the conversation. Demi smiled at me sweetly. “Is that a hobby of yours?”
Scott swallowed, flushing under my gaze, but he answered evenly. “Once a month, I go down there to blow off some steam. It’s how I reward myself for missing out on all the parties and stuff other kids in my class go to.”
He rewarded himself with an arcade? He was definitely a better kid than I was at his age.
Scott smiled at us politely. “How did you two meet?”
Demi and I exchanged a glance, and she squeezed my hand under the table. A grin spread slowly on my lips as I relayed our story. “I was on the run from the paparazzi after a shoot one day, and I ducked into the first diner I spotted. I just so happened to pull the most beautiful waitress in the place onto my lap to help me escape from the cameras.”
Nancie and Demi both giggled, before Demi added her own two cents. “He told me it was the new thing of the summer. I thought it was cute and charming, little did I know...”
She squeezed my hand again as Nancie’s jaw dropped. “Charming, yeah. Barrett’s never been cute a day in his life.”
My free hand flew to my chest, clutching at my heart jokingly. “I can be cute, clearly. Demi just said so.”
“I also followed it by saying little did I know,” she teased.
I raised both brows at her, waiting for her to explain. “Little did you know what?”
Under the table, Demi’s hand released mine to rest on my thigh. “That you were using me as a human shield. That’s hardly cute.”
“How’d you wind up working for him then?” Nancie asked.
I forgot that she didn’t actually know the story. There was a curious look on her face as she waited for us to explain.
“I’m determined when I want something,” I told her, then watched as both women rolled their eyes and Scott laughed softly.
“In this instance, I have to agree with him,” Demi said, a small smile on her lips as she replayed the memory. “He didn’t take no for an answer.”
An hour later, I told Scott he could come back for dinner sometime, watching both him and Nancie perk up. Thinking we were walking only Scott to the door, I said my goodbyes, surprised when Nancie reached for her bag.
“We’re off to a late movie now,” Nancie informed me matter-of-factly. If I wasn’t so desperate to be alone with Demi, and if I didn’t have at least a little faith in Scott after dinner, I would’ve refused.
Instead, I reached for my wallet and handed over my credit card. “Get an Uber, and be back before curfew.”
Nancie agreed, hugged Demi and me goodbye, and headed out of the door with Scott in tow. We watched them walk hand in hand down the street, Nancie’s phone in her palm as she hailed their Uber to meet them at the front gates of the estate.
It was strangely domestic, standing in the doorway with Demi, watching Nancie go on her first Barrett-approved date. I was surprised to find that I liked it. The domesticity, not the thought that Nancie was dating.
“Thanks for being here for me tonight,” I told her, hugging her to me as I let the doors swing shut.
Demi shrugged, giving me a smile that turned sultry when I reached up to brush her hair back from her forehead. Our earlier deal jumped to the forefront of my mind. My eyes fell to the electric blue dress that I could easily imagine tugging off to reveal her delectable tits. She’d worn her hair up, revealing her long, slender neck.
When I first laid eyes on her earlier, for the first time in my life, I became the cliché that I didn’t think existed. My palms got sweaty, my mouth went dry, and I was actually rendered speechless for a second. She drove me crazy.
And I finally had her alone.
My arms went around her waist, and she gasped as I pressed myself against her, slanting my mouth over hers in a kiss that had my blood running hot. Breaking the kiss, I grabbed her hand and dragged her up the steps to my bedroom.
“You don’t want to have a drink or something first, then?” Demi’s eyes danced as she lengthened her strides to keep up with me.
“Nope, we’ve had enough to drink,” I told her, reaching for the knob of my bedroom door. “I’m not waiting any longer.”
“You hot for me, Hart?” she teased, but I didn’t miss the breathy note in her voice.
“Volcanic, mercurial. Take your pick. Now get in there.”
Chapter 18
Demi
As amused as I was by Barrett’s very sudden shift in demeanor as soon as he realized that we were alone, I had to admit that it also turned me all the way on that there was such an urgency in his voice and his movements.
He smacked my ass as I strode past him into his bedroom. Once we were inside, I barely had time to take in my surroundings before he kicked the door shut and backed me up against the wall.
“Oh, wow, Barrett,” I gasped as he pressed himself against me and lowered his lips to my neck, sucking and nuzzling the sensitive skin there. “Someone’s horny all of a sudden.”
“Yeah.” He bit down on my earlobe, then sucked it lightly. “Only it’s not sudden. It’s all on you and your smart mouth and this dress.”
Barrett’s fingers ran along the neckline of the dress, a thrill running through me to know how much he wanted me in it. It was absolutely, one hundred percent, worth the splurge for this reaction.
“Besides,” he murmured, kissing a path from my ear to my neck. “You know you’re dying for me to be inside you as much as I want to be there.”
“And I’m the one with the smart mouth?” I asked, groaning as his hands fell to the hem of the dress, moving excruciatingly slowly up my thighs.
“I’m glad you agree,” he said huskily from the crook of my neck. Barrett’s hands finally reached my panties, tucking his thumbs into the elastic of the waistband and pulling them off. Then his hand moved over me, groaning when he found me drenched and swollen. “Christ, you’re always so wet and ready.”
“Only for you,” I promised. I didn’t know what it was, but something in me, that part that seemed to be connected to a part of him, told me that he needed to hear the words.
“Oh, yeah,” he groaned, sliding his fingers inside me and lowering his mouth to mine as my hands went to grip his shoulders.
My fingernails dug into his shirt from the sensations rolling through me as he withdrew his fingers, tracing my seam and then sliding them back into me. His hand moved at a steady, maddening tempo, stroking me just right like he knew exactly what my body needed.
The tension had been building between us all night, from the moment he looked at me in my new dress. Even during dinner, with our attention on the kids, we couldn’t break physical contact with one another for too long. It was like it was painful to be apart from him. Like he was a piece of me now.
And I hadn’t missed the fact that he’d called me his “date” earlier. After all the doubts and jumbled thoughts on the ride over here, it was profoundly reassuring that Barrett was thinking of me in the same way I was thinking of him. Who knew that subtle signs of emotional commitment were a turn on for me?
All of these thoughts faded away as his hand worked me into a frenzy. His thick finger plung
ed into me while his slick thumb traced lazy spirals over my clit.
“God, Barrett,” I moaned, desperate for him.
“That’s it, let me hear you, baby. Fuck, you’re so hot,” he murmured against my lips, grabbing my ass suddenly and pressing himself hard against me.
“What’s gotten into you tonight?” I moaned.
He brought a hand to my breast and easily tugged the dress away. I wasn’t wearing a bra underneath. My nipples were hard and completely at attention, ready and impatiently waiting for his touch.
“Are you complaining?” he asked, his voice raspy as he bent to suck a nipple into his wet mouth.
“Never,” I told him. “I just want to know what it was so I can do it again.”
He nuzzled my breast, breathing deeply against my skin. “You. You’re what’s gotten into me. I’ve been thinking about you for days, watching you prance around the set. Then you show up here, looking like that and teasing the shit out of me when you knew we’d have to wait for hours.”
“Remind me to make you wait more often,” I gasped as his fingers slid into me again.
“Don’t you dare,” he growled, biting down on one of my nipples. Pleasure mixed with pain before he gently sucked the sting away. It sent an electric thrill directly between my legs, making the fire already burning there blaze even hotter.
Then he stepped back, leaving me feeling strangely empty and ready to scream if he didn’t get his hands back onto me immediately. He must have seen the frustration in my expression. Barrett laced his fingers through mine and led me to his bathroom, the same one where I’d left him before. “What are you doing?”
“You. In the shower, like I wanted to before you ran out on me last time.” He grunted, opening the cubicle door and turning on the hot water. His hands went around me, reaching for my zipper. Our eyes locked as he slowly started unzipping me, finally letting the dress fall in a pool at my feet.
I should’ve cared that the most expensive item of clothing that I owned was lying on the floor, that I was now, once again, completely exposed to him, flushed, wet, and panting. But I couldn’t bring myself to care about any of it. Not when he stepped back and ran his eyes over me like I was the answer to every question he’d ever had.