Then again, probably not. He wanted to be buried deep inside of her. He wanted to feel her climax, even if it was just his fingers buried in her heat, feeling her inner muscles clench as she orgasmed.
Damn! He shifted and crossed his legs as his body hardened painfully just thinking about the things he wanted to do to her.
She opened her mouth and he pictured her lips wrapped around his erection, those dark eyes staring up at him as she…
“Will the furniture be transferred as well as the house?” she asked, interrupting the fantasy blooming in his mind.
Nasir had to jerk his thoughts away from the image, forcing himself to concentrate on her question.
“Sorry?”
He watched, fascinated, as her neck first turned pink and the blush quickly traveled higher, changing her cheeks to that lovely shade as well. Damn, she was beautiful!
She looked up from the paper, then quickly back down. He thought it was cute that she didn’t want to maintain eye contact, but it wasn’t going to eliminate the issue.
“The furniture,” she prompted, her pen making a tick mark along the edge of the contract. “Will it transfer with the home ownership?”
For the next hour, they discussed the contract and he answered her questions. She continued to impress him with her intelligence, knowledge, and the ability to anticipate possible issues. One would think that offering a gift to someone might be simple, but in this case, because it was a political offering, there were plenty of issues that might come into play. Cassandra the Lawyer understood the subtle nuances. Cassandra the Woman was trying to ignore the other, more subtle undercurrents happening between them.
When he’d answered all of her questions, she nodded. “This is a good start. Let me include this language into the transfer papers and I’ll get back to you if there are any other issues to smooth out.”
With that, she stood and, with a curt nod, gathered up her papers and walked away. He watched her, admiring the slight sway of her hips, smiling at the stiffness in her shoulders. Now that he knew her a bit better, he understood what she was doing, why she walked that way.
Oh, he didn’t know the details, but he grasped that she was a sensuous person who didn’t want the world to know that she was a sensuous person. She wanted the world to see only the lawyer, the professional.
Chapter 4
By the time his butler announced that dinner was ready, Nasir tossed his papers down and decided that they’d worked long enough. He knew Cassy wouldn’t agree, but she needed a break. She’d been working since before six o’clock London time, but he suspected she didn’t realize that because of the time change. Her internal clock was completely off after traveling through so many time zones.
Stepping into his office, he noticed that she was diligently typing on her laptop, while referencing her notes. But the moment he stepped into the office, her concentration shattered. Her fingers froze over the keys and he smiled at her wary expression.
“It is time for a break, my beauty,” he came around to the other side of the desk. “Save whatever it is you are working on and let’s have dinner.”
Cassy was already shaking her head. “No, I really can…”
“You really can take a break,” he interrupted her. Instead of waiting for her next argument, he simply took her hand and gently pulled her out of the chair.
Cassy looked down at the computer, then up at Nasir. Her senses instantly came alive with his touch and nearness, but his ability to pull her away from her task made her more determined to focus on her work. Her thoughts jumped to this afternoon’s interlude, the incredible beauty of those moments in his arms…but also the humiliation of having done something so…intimate…with a client.
This was not a good idea, she told herself. But he wouldn’t let go of her hand. “I have too much to do to take a break. I’ll just run out to a deli and grab a sandwich for a meal. I can work through….”
“First of all,” he continued pulling her along, “there aren’t any delis around here. There might be a sandwich shop along one of the shopping streets in the village, but the village isn’t nearby. So you can’t just pop over to one. Getting to any sort of restaurant here in the mountains of Switzerland is more of an excursion than you might realize. Besides,” he closed the office door, ignoring her longing looks towards her laptop as he led her down the hallway towards the dining room, “while you are here, you are my guest. My housekeeper is an excellent cook and can make anything you’d like. I believe that a casual dinner has already been prepared for us, but if you’d prefer something different, just name it.” His dark, heated eyes looked down into hers. “I will ensure that all of your desires are satisfied.”
Cassy had no idea how to deal with a man this confident, self-assured, and…overtly sexual. He was an anathema to her world. The men she usually dined with were more tentative, less assertive. They would never dare to pull her away from her work.
Then again, she was usually more assertive around the men she dated. She wouldn’t answer the phone if a man called while she was working. She admitted, this was a special circumstance. And most likely, she really should take a break. She’d been working for six, almost seven hours straight. Well, except for…!
Cassy shook her head and banished the morning’s interlude from her mind. That was just…a fluke. A stupid fluke that she would not repeat.
Besides, she was hungry. And a break would help. “Fine,” she sighed as he pulled a chair out for her. “Dinner would be nice. Thank you for asking,” she said sarcastically as she seated herself.
She spread a linen napkin over her lap as she watched him walk around to the other side of the table. “I’m almost finished with the transfer documents and I’ve included the additional clauses that you asked for. What have you been working on today?”
He nodded to the servant standing at attention by the doors. Two other servants stepped through that same door with covered plates, placing one in front of each of them.
“I have been working on a trade deal with one of my neighbors.”
She smiled, thinking that was probably fascinating stuff. But from his chagrined expression, perhaps he didn’t like the task. “Is it boring?”
He shrugged as he picked up his own fork. “I would rather be in bed with you. But it is important work that needs to be reviewed.”
She tensed, stunned into silence for a long moment. When she could breathe again, Cassy shook her head slightly, irritated with him all over again. “You can’t just…” she shook her head as her hunger evaporated, leaving frustration. “Your…” She trailed off and fumed silently for a moment before changing the subject. For the rest of the meal, they discussed the trade agreement, the contracts, and various other issues. She was fascinated by the breadth and scope of his knowledge and responsibilities. He had to deal with everything from hospitals and medical crises to border skirmishes and military preparedness. He was absolutely captivating!
When the meal was over, Cassy was about to head back to the office when he stood and took her hand. “Come. You’re going to enjoy this.”
Cassy tried to avoid him taking her hand, but his reflexes were faster than hers. Before she knew it, he had her hand neatly tucked onto his elbow and was leading her briskly down a hallway. When Nasir moved towards another door, she was only slightly wary. But at the bottom of the stairs, he turned left, then right, then used a key from his pocket to open a cabinet. Inside, there was an arsenal of weapons. She saw everything from pistols to rifles to automatic weapons and other items that she didn’t recognize.
“What in the world?” she asked, horrified and, at the same time, fascinated. “Why do you have so many weapons?”
He laughed softly as he selected two pistols, checking the magazines for bullets. He took several boxes of bullets from one of the drawers below. “It isn’t what you’re thinking.”
She stepped back when he turned around, handing her a pair of safety glasses. “I think that you have an illegal
stash of arms in your house.”
He chuckled. “Not illegal, but yes, a significant number of weapons. My security team keeps all of the weapons cleaned and ready for immediate use in case of an emergency.”
He led her down a short hallway and opened another door. That’s when Cassy realized that the man didn’t just have a weapons cabinet in his house, but also a shooting range. “You practice in here?” she asked, amazed.
“Of course,” he replied and handed her a pair of ear protection. “My whole team, including myself, practice often.”
She didn’t understand that, but then again, she didn’t need to. Cassy would only be in this house for another twenty-four hours, maybe less.
She looked at the ear protection in her hands, tilting them from one side to another. “Why did you hand me these?’ she asked, suddenly reluctant.
“Because I’m going to teach you how to fire a pistol,” he replied as if it was the most obvious answer.
“This way,” he urged and led her to one of the shooting aisles. He placed both pistols on a small counter in front of them, with the muzzle pointed towards the target end.
“First, you’re going to check the safety,” he explained, pointing to the switch at one end of the pistol grip. “Always make sure that your weapon’s safety is in place before you pick it up.”
Cassy eyed the sinister-looking black gun, her mind running in a thousand different directions. Yes, she’d always wanted to learn to shoot, but…uh…not like this! Not with a man who could probably shoot the whiskers off a dragon!
She didn’t have time to wonder if dragons actually had whiskers because he put his hands on her hips and turned her so that she was facing the target. The heat coming through the two layers of their clothing was more than a little disconcerting. Nasir shifted, moving so that her back was practically braced against his chest, his hands still resting on her hips.
“You can touch it,” he told her softly, his breath tickling her ear.
Cassy started to turn around, to tell him that this was a bad idea, but his hands on her hips stopped her. “Don’t wimp out on me now, Cassandra. Pick up the pistol. Let me see your grip.”
She faced the target and took a deep breath.
So she reached out and gingerly picked up the weapon. Actually, she pinched it with her thumb and forefinger, afraid it might…explode or go off or do something horrible if she held it too tightly.
“You need to grip it like you mean it,” he told her. She could hear his amusement. She should have anticipated his next move. His arms wrapped around her as he showed her how to grip the gun. His body was literally surrounding her, almost hugging her as he demonstrated. Even his hands were covering hers as he adjusted her grip. “Like this,” he whispered, his voice husky.
She tried to hold it firmly in her hands, but his body was pressed against hers from her shoulders all the way down to her calves. Part of her wanted to drop the pistol, turn around and demand that he do the same thing that he’d done earlier. But the smarter half of her brain, the more sensible side, was screaming to just drop the gun and run away, get as far away from him as she could.
He must have understood the conflict going through her mind because he leaned forward, pressing his body more firmly against hers. “That’s better,” he told her, his lips dangerously close to the sensitive shell of her ear. “The safety is on, so nothing will happen. Try pulling the trigger. Just get a feel for the weapon, understand the weight, the heft.”
She shook her head, exasperated. “I can’t. Not while you’re so close to me.”
“Fine,” he stepped back. “Now, feel the weight. Hold the gun steady.”
She wanted to berate him, to demand an explanation on how to hold the stupid thing steady when he was nearby. But that kind of revelation would give him too much power if he knew how much he affected her.
Then again, the man wasn’t an idiot. He had to know how intensely he could make her feel that damnable desire.
Cassy took another deep breath and focused. “Okay, I’m holding it. It’s steady. The safety is on and I’m pulling the trigger. Now what?”
He stepped forward and she stopped him. Maintaining a firm grip with one hand, she lifted her other hand. “Stop right there.” When one dark eyebrow went up in question, she sighed and carefully placed the gun on the table in front of her. “Look, I’m going to be completely honest with you.” He stepped backwards and crossed his arms over his chest. A very nice chest, she thought, before realizing her thoughts were going in the wrong direction again.
Closing her eyes, she focused again. “You’re a very attractive man. You know that. I am attracted to you and I can’t seem to stop it. When you’re close, something odd happens to me and I can’t really explain it. But,” she paused and took a deep breath before continuing, “I don’t want it to keep happening.”
He moved closer, ignoring the way she immediately stepped back. “Why are you so frightened of the attraction between us?”
She shook her head, but before she could tell him anything, he pressed a finger against her lips, stopping her argument. “Cassandra, if you don’t explain your resistance to me, then we will continue this dance all night. I would like to have you in my bed and I know that we can give each other a great deal of pleasure. But if there is some reason you are opposed to having a relationship with me, then you need to explain it to me.”
“You mean, besides the ethical issues with me having sex with my client?”
“I will release you from that role, if that will help.”
She shook her head, horrified at that suggestion. “No, please don’t do that!” She took a deep breath. “I know that you are an important client to my firm.”
“I don’t see a problem with this.”
She rubbed her forehead, trying to get him to see reason. “Look, you’re a client. I’m an employee currently working for you. For all intents and purposes, no matter what happens, if I have sex with you or not, I’ll never know for certain I’m doing a good job. Sex muddies the waters. It would cause not only me, but also my supervisors, to question a good evaluation from you.”
He watched her eyes, accepting that her explanation made sense. But there was more.
“Is that all?”
She sighed again. “No. That’s not all.”
“There’s something personal, isn’t there?” He touched her hair, pushing it behind her shoulders. “Something that is bothering you.”
Cassy was doubly impressed that he could read her so easily. That spoke volumes for his perception. And she decided to be honest with him, thinking it would help him understand her resistance.
Unable to look him in the eye, she stepped away from him, needing space in order to tell this story. “When I was a teenager,” she began, then stopped, shuddering at the wave of memories. Taking another deep breath, she tried again, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to hide her body from him. “Well, I developed early,” she explained.
He leaned back against the wall. “You have a lovely figure.”
She flushed and looked away. “Yes, well, the boys noticed that too.” She stared at the ground. “The girls did as well. And they said…things…that were painful.”
There was silence for a long time. “What did they say?” he prompted.
She shrugged and laughed. “Oh, they were creative. Saying things like how much of a slut I was, how my breasts were the leading factor in my good grades. One girl snidely pointed out that having sex with my eighth grade history teacher wouldn’t help me in the long run.”
Nasir was stunned. He knew kids were cruel, but those comments were outrageous. “You never had sex with your teachers,” he stated emphatically.
Cassy laughed and wrapped her arms more tightly around her. “The boys seemed to think that the girls’ insinuations were an open invitation for me to have sex with all of them.” She paused, crossing her arms over her chest. “One time, I was alone after school and some boys…” she paused a
nd looked down, pressing her lips together as she remembered vividly the terror of that afternoon. “A group of boys trapped me against the lockers.” She closed her eyes, fighting the fear. “If it weren’t for a teacher coming out of one of the classrooms, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“They didn’t hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No physically. Psychologically, I was terrified. Plus all of the insults and innuendos…” she sighed and shrugged as if trying to dismiss the problem. “It got to be so bad, that my father enrolled me in an all-girls, boarding school. It was his way of protecting me from the boys and their aggressive advances, as well as the horrible comments. But…there was a boys’ boarding school that…” she stopped and blinked back tears.
It took her a moment, but eventually, she was able to continue. “My friends and I didn’t even attend the first dance of the season. We were on the yearbook team. We were the poor students in the school. The scholarship students.” Cassy shook her head, laughing harshly. “We couldn’t afford the designer dresses and expensive shoes that the other girls had for the event. So instead of embarrassing ourselves with cast-off outfits, we ignored the dance and worked on the yearbook layout instead.”
She sniffed and looked away. “I found out the next day…” she took a deep breath, needing to explain. Cassy needed him to understand. “A group of boys made a bet. They each had a month to have sex with me. If they didn’t ‘score’, the boy would be on bathroom duty for the next month.” After all these years, the humiliation was still an open wound.
“I had friends at the boarding school who believed me when I claimed not to have had sex with any of them. But the boys were insistent and the other girls believed them, one in particular who was a vicious, elitist brat. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t even gone to the dance during which one boy claimed to have had sex with me. Or that my friends had been with me all night, eating pizza and working on the yearbook layout. The boys all claimed to have had sex with the ‘big busted girl’. Apparently, they didn’t even bother to find out my name.”
Unexpectedly Expecting the Sheik's Baby (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 6) Page 8