by Lindsey Hart
They had to be true because he was pretty enough to lick in his shirt and black slacks that practically oozed money. The grey also brought out the blue in his eyes.
And the throb between her legs, pounding like a second pulse point.
Damn it.
Colette swallowed hard. She felt her neck and throat bob with the movement. The simple act of swallowing had never been so hard in her life. It felt like she’d just stuffed her own fist in there. Or her foot. That was probably far more apt.
“You- you have a reputation. I thought…”
He crossed his arms again and there were all sorts of rippling going on under his shirt as the fabric strained to accommodate his ripped chest and bulging arms.
“You thought that because people say that I like to have a good time and enjoy the finer company of a woman that you could just walk in here and command that I take your v-card.”
“I- er…”
“Without even wining and dining me first. I must say, Office Baby, you have a lot to learn about charm. No wonder you’re still a virgin if that’s how you proposition people. Tell me, do most guys run screaming down the street when you come at them like that?”
His droll tone filled up the office and Colette cringed. Yeah. Okay. She deserved that.
“I- I’m…”
“Sorry? No. Don’t say you’re sorry. Because we both know you’re truly not.” Blaze’s lips thinned into a hard line and his eyes glowed absolutely predatory. “I never said I wouldn’t help you out. I don’t want it to get out that I’m anything less than a gentleman.”
“You’re- you’re toying with me now.”
His grin revealed a line of perfectly even, white teeth, but the gleam in his eyes made Colette shiver. He was staring at her like he wanted to devour her.
“Always, Office Baby.”
Drawing on whatever dignity she had left, she sucked in a breath. “Can you not call me that? I find it offensive and humiliating. It’s like constantly pointing out that I’m the youngest one here and that’s all that matters, that you see me as a child, no matter my skill set and the asset I’ve been to this place over the past two years.”
Annoyingly enough, he just shrugged. “If that’s how you choose to see it…”
“It’s not how I choose to see anything. It’s degrading. I want it to stop.”
“Alright.”
“Alright?”
“Yes, alright. You could have simply asked me before. I wasn’t aware that it was degrading in any form.”
“It singles me out.”
“As you think you should be, based on what you’ve just said that you bring to the table.”
“Stop twisting my words.”
Blaze held out his hands in front of him in a gesture of mock innocence. It was hardly believable, given that his eyes gleamed pure evil. “I’m not twisting anything. Just ceding to your wishes.”
“And what about my other request? Are you going to cede to that too?” Since she’d already put it out there, she might as well see her heinous request through to the end, even though regret was already creeping up, strangling the life out of her.
Why did Blaze Hanson have to be so hot and so purely wickedly, evil? Crimes against humanity. Against all womankind. That was pretty much him in a nutshell, with that devastatingly handsome face, that ripped, god-like body, and those cold blue eyes. Underneath that gorgeous surface, she was pretty sure there lurked a monster.
One she’d just offered herself up to on a silver platter.
“Before I agree to anything, I want to lay down a few ground rules. First, you will sign a contract stating that this is in no way sexual harassment. You will indemnify me against any and all charges that may arise from a scenario like this, and I in turn, promise not to hurt you in any way that you don’t ask for.”
Colette’s mouth fell open. “That I don’t ask for?” she echoed.
“That’s right.”
She rolled her eyes on cue. “I didn’t realize you were such a gentleman.”
“Yes, well, now you know. My second condition is that this can’t just happen cold turkey. It’s not at all appropriate for you to offer yourself up like a piece of meat. I’d much rather break you in slowly. Take you out for dinner, get you warmed up to me. So that we’re not strangers.”
“Why are you even considering my request?”
He pointedly ignored her question and continued like she hadn’t even spoken. “Third, I have a reputation for a reason. Most women would give an ovary to spend a night with me.”
“Wow.”
“No, not wow. Yes, wow. But not how you just said it. After a night with me, you’ll pretty much be ruined for all other men, and seeing as it would be your first, I’m giving you a chance to rethink that, as it’s hardly fair to you.”
“You have a really inflated opinion of yourself, you know that?”
Blaze shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
CHAPTER 4
Blaze
Blaze had to wonder, briefly, because, surprise, surprise, self-doubt was second nature to most people- even the obscenely rich, if Colette would be so eager to sleep with him if she knew where he’d truly come from. It didn’t matter how much power, respect, wealth, gold watches or designer suits, a man had. Life never boiled down to the size of his mansion. Not that he had one, exactly.
It was funny, how money could change everything. How it could erase the more undesirable details of his childhood and gloss that shit over with a smooth coat of shiny paint, awe-inspiring and so distracting that no one ever asked any questions.
Money could do that.
It could also rent a very nice limo in an attempt to impress a woman who had so far been completely nonplussed and totally oblivious to him. For two goddamn years.
It didn’t matter that he could have any member of the female population.
All he wanted was her.
Blaze checked his watch for the thousandth time. He’d pulled up in front of an apartment complex that no doubt cost less than the timepiece on his wrist. It was dumpy looking, old and worn down. The neighborhood wasn’t bad, though it was mostly rentals and transitional housing, but the complex looked like it was about to cave in on itself.
He made a mental note, while inwardly freaking out about Colette deciding to ditch his ass last minute, to make a few calls to some friends who would deal with building violations and get the city on whatever slumlord owned the place to fix shit up and make it habitable.
Blaze’s cock twitched when he again checked his watch and tried to imagine what kind of retro inspired getup Colette would have picked out for their ‘date.’ His balls told him that he was a pussy for going to all the trouble to rent a damn lim, get flowers, candles, all the typical bullshit that he always scorned.
Colette wasn’t just one of his lays, though.
No. She was the woman he’d spent two years obsessing about. The woman he imagined when he was with other women. The only woman who ever had a face and a name for him. The one woman he thought he’d never have.
Until she sauntered into his office and demanded, actually fucking demanded, that he take her v-card.
He let out a groan into the silent space of the limo, glad the partition was up between him and the rental’s driver. Glad that the guy didn’t know who the hell he was and probably didn’t give two flying fucks. To the guy, he was probably just another rich, annoying, hard to please bastard in a long line of rich, annoying, hard to please bastards, that he had to deal with in his line of work.
He’d be right.
Because Blaze knew he was definitely rich. Most assuredly annoying, and incredibly hard to please.
Except where Colette was concerned. He was pretty damn sure he’d be pathetically easy to please. Just imagining stripping her out of those strange old-school clothes, caressing her petal soft skin, spreading her legs to discover his prize, had him hard and aching.
This time he coul
dn’t contain a groan and he shifted, arranging himself in his black dress pants so that it wasn’t obvious that his cock was saluting the entire idea the second she slid into the limo.
He’d purposely timed the winner of their competition for a Friday morning. While he had no idea that Colette would freaking come right out and ask him to take her virginity- he had no damn idea she was a virgin, and that alone made him want to blow his load on the spot- he’d hoped that her request would be less than innocent. Or that at least she’d have the weekend to think on it and come up with something worthy of the goddess she no doubt was.
This though… this was a surprise. He didn’t think he’d be sitting at her curb on a Saturday night, ready to whisk her away and deflower her.
His mouth nearly watered at the thought, which pretty much sealed the deal on the fact that he was a true bastard.
He didn’t have any more time to consider it, because the front door of the dumpy complex opened and there she was, looking every bit the serene, beautiful goddess.
Her hair was loose, pouring down in back in a rushing tide of dark curls. She’d picked a red dress, something straight out of the fifties, tight on the top, flaring out at the hips, and paired it with a black cardigan and a set of red pumps. He’d been hoping she’d wear a dress.
Because total bastard and all that.
Blaze scrambled out of the car so fast he nearly fell over himself, though he managed to make the moment look graceful, thanks to his natural athleticism- the only thing his parents ever gifted him with- and the fact that he worked out five times a week.
When Colette spotted him, her eyes changed. He hated that those otherworldly, steely orbs grew wary. She blinked hard though, eyelashes that were thick and impossibly long without any mascara, and it was obvious that she wasn’t backing down or changing her mind.
Thank god for that.
She might not have opted for much makeup, but her scarlet red lipstick and the slight amount of blush she’d applied to her high cheekbones only magnified the creamy flawlessness of her skin.
Her eyes flicked over his clothing, appraising him openly and unafraid, which wasn’t her usual style, as though their conversation in his office the day before had opened up a thousand different doors for them and they were now on a new, far less formal, level.
“Do you like what you see, or should I run home and change?” He grinned wickedly at her before he winked. He knew how to disarm most of the female population with a single gesture, but big surprise, Office Baby didn’t budge.
“It’s fine,” she said, tight lipped. “I hope that dinner is better.”
“Better than me? I’m wounded.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Expensive clothing isn’t exactly my jam, in case you haven’t noticed.”
Oh, he’d noticed. He also noticed how her eyes swept over him, head to toe, lingering on a few select places before they flicked away, and a tender heat flared up beneath her blush. She thought he wasn’t looking. That he wouldn’t notice her once-over, or how her unaffected air was just an act.
She was nervous.
He could scent it on her, and that scent drove him fucking wild.
“You rented a limo,” she stated flatly when she raised her head. “Why am I not surprised? I figured you’d take corniness to a new level.”
“I’m sorry. If you’d like we can ditch it and I’ll take you to dinner on my bike so that your hair is ruined and you’re hoarse from screaming.”
Despite herself, one brow arched daintily. “You don’t really have a bike.”
He didn’t, but she didn’t have to know that. “Or maybe you’d prefer one of the many sports cars I own, just so that your teeth are ground down from all the hairpin turns by the time we make it to dinner.”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “Still not impressed.”
He shot her a wicked glance under lowered eyes and literally heard the intake of breath she no doubt didn’t want him to notice. “You will be when you find out why I chose the limo. It wasn’t just to try and steal your breath or woo you. I realize that you’re too… modern and advanced for the idea of courtship to be appealing. I do have my reasons, for wanting to go hands-free.”
As impossible as it was to believe, Colette really was a virgin. She blushed at his words, but she obviously didn’t get their full meaning, which meant that not only was she a virgin, she was also incredibly naïve.
Blaze stood back and watched while Colette held her head high and walked past him like he was the gunk she’d just scraped off the bottom of her shoe. It was rich, considering she’d blatantly asked him to do this for her.
Her spirit though… it was one of the things he found most attractive about her. That and apparently, she didn’t give a damn about him. She’d never even let on that she’d noticed him other than a cursory glance in his direction at meetings, which was always professional. She always appeared unaffected, and god, if that didn’t drive him nuts.
He whipped his head around and followed just in time to see Colette bend, one hand holding her skirt down to the backs of her thighs, as she got into the limo. It didn’t matter. He still got a nice view of her beautiful ass. His cock agreed with his brain one hundred percent that she had the best ass he’d ever seen and gave her a salute from his pants before he slammed his hands in his pocket and joined her.
Once they were seated in the back, the door closed, the driver slowly steered away from the curb. He had his instructions. The restaurant he’d booked for their dinner- an expensive place that required you either know the owner or make reservations a month in advance- was located on the other side of the city, so the drive would be just long enough for what he had in mind.
It just so happened, he’d gone to college with the guy who bought the place, so reservation was a word that wasn’t in his vocabulary and he didn’t even have to grease a single palm with a few extra thousand.
It was nice, having friends in deliciously high places.
Because he was a real bastard- though that had never been up for discussion- he found the stack of carefully arranged pages on the seat beside him and passed it across to Colette. She took it with a hand she wanted to pretend wasn’t trembling, but he caught the shiver. His nostrils flared at the vanilla, honeyed scent of her in close confines, but he quickly looked away, so she wouldn’t notice him appraising her like a wild animal.
He only wanted to scare her a little at first.
Not terrify her into jumping out of the goddamn moving car.
“What’s this?” She flipped through the pages absently, reading nothing.
“The contract.”
Her brows shot up. “It’s like, two hundred pages.”
“Yes, well, harassment is a serious thing nowadays. I also took the liberty of stating that because there is an age gap between us and I’m obviously more experienced, that I’ll inform you of everything I plan to do ahead of time and if you don’t explicitly agree, I’ll find an option more to your liking. Basically, the contract states this is consensual and neither party was in any way coerced. There is also a non-disclosure agreement that you’ll have to sign, at the very end. If all of that meets your approval, flip to page two hundred and eight, it’s marked with the yellow tab there, and sign. And then the page after, sign again.”
Her lips pursed into a delicious pout that he wanted to kiss off of them. “Are you freaking crazy?”
He shrugged. “Jury’s out on that one, but I’d lean towards, absolutely. Would you like a pen?”
She finally nodded and he passed one over, an expensive, useless thing, that he’d bought just because he could, and it was a waste of money. She signed her name with a flourish on both pages, then passed back the document.
He tsked and shook his head and her eyes blazed with fury at his apparent willingness to mock her. “You shouldn’t ever sign something without reading it first.”
“If you expected me to read that, we’d be here all damn night.”
&
nbsp; “I wouldn’t have any objections.”
Her lips buttoned into a thin line. He didn’t like it, so he decided to fill her in on exactly why a limo was an excellent choice of transportation. He had to admit, he’d spent a sleepless night contemplating just what it meant, exactly, when she said she was a virgin. How virgin was she? There were a thousand different shades of virgin. Just how inexperienced was the woman he’d been lusting after for the better part of two long fucking years?
CHAPTER 5
Colette
To say the situation was uncomfortable was an understatement by far. The longer Colette sat in the back of the most luxurious limo she’d ever been in- okay, the only limo she’d ever been in- the more she felt it. The very air in the confined space seemed to be charged, like there was a short circuit in the wiring and it was sending all sorts of strange waves through the cab.
Blaze, dressed in an impeccable dark blue dress shirt and black dress pants, looking as gorgeous and as lethal as ever, leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. It was an unassuming position, more casual than she’d ever seen him before, but then again, she’d only ever really seen him leading meetings and sitting behind stuffy desks.
He was just as commanding in a more relaxed posture, if not more so. He looked every inch the hunter that she was starting to understand he was.
“You failed to see the point of a limo,” Blaze said with a smirk, shattering the velvet silence blanketing their plush surroundings.
Two black, plush leather benches faced each other, various cubbies and compartments tucked all around, stocked with things she could only dream about. The limo had a sunroof, but it was currently closed, and the partition was up, separating them from the driver she hadn’t even seen.
‘I’m going to instruct you on its finer points.” His words dripped with some kind of emotion she didn’t fully understand, but a shiver ripped up her back as they swirled around her. “Open your legs.”