Devour Me (Master Chefs Series #1) (10 page)

“You're
being selfish,” Errol accused in a throaty voice that dripped with arousal.  He
reached up to grab her breasts, his fingers hungry, almost angry. “Don’t toy
with me. I’ve waited too long to thoroughly fuck you. I’m still not through
with you yet.”

Still
riding the ebbing ripples of her ecstasy, she looked at him and murmured, “I
don’t want to push you to do too much, too fast.”

“Never.” 
With a force and speed that surprised her, he gripped her by the waist, threw
her back on the bed and mounted her, driving deep until she let out a guttural
moan. With savage thrusts he pounded out his need, gripping her breasts, while
rotating his hips with each stroke, groaning loudly like a beast. Her head was
spinning with the unbelievable ecstasy of him filling her to the brink, only to
empty out and plunge back in, each stroke bringing her almost to the brink of
climax. With one final earth-shattering thrust, he quickly erupted inside her,
filling her, while she climaxed, shuddering all around her. He kissed her
savagely on her lips, gripping her breasts as he plucked her nipples, and said,
“Mine.”

After
a surprisingly brief amount of time, he rose. “Time to get to school.”  Without
looking back at her, he headed to the shower.

Taryn
remained in bed, letting the sensations fade away, but as they did, reality set
it. For a long moment she sat mulling over the more serious implications of
their night together.  She’d abandoned all concern for the consequences and had
allowed the pleasures of her body to take priority.  Now she faced them head
on.

“Aren’t
you going to get ready?” Errol said as he emerged from the bathroom, damp and
glistening in all his glory.

“Oh
God, Errol. We didn’t…we didn’t use precaution. What if I get pregnant?” she
asked.

“You
won’t,” he called out.

“You’ve
had so many lovers, what if I catch something from you?”

He
walked out, dressed in charcoal slacks and a white shirt. Occupied with the
knotting of his tie, he didn’t look up at her. “I won’t give you anything.”

“How
do you know?”

Making
the final adjustments on his tie, he looked at her, his eyes hooded with
boredom.  “Because I know. I’m clean. I live cleanly, and I’m tested, but I’m
not going into that now. Now get up and get dressed. You’re late.”

Unsatisfied
with his answer, she got out of bed and took a quick shower. By the time she
came out, he was gone.

Chapter 10

“
I
f you look at this plate, what do you see?” 
Errol stood at the front of the class, a cellophane covered dish on the desk in
front of him. 

Seething
as she’d gotten out of her taxi, she’d hoped to have a chance to berate him for
leaving her in such a way.  She might be innocent when it came to such games,
but she wasn’t about to let him treat her like some… some slut.  It’d taken
every French swear word she could think of to get the driver to hurry up, all
so she could run into the school breathless and slip into class in the nick of
time. 

His
gaze briefly darted to her when she entered, but he was otherwise the
professional she’d come to know in class.

“Pureed
potatoes,” one student called out.

“Shredded
chicken in a creamy sauce,” other one said.

“Those
look like overcooked carrots.”

“And
all together, what do you have?” Errol asked.

“Dinner
at my grandmother’s house,” one bold student dared.

Errol
grinned. “Right.  A plate of mush… bland mush at that.”  Clasping his hands
together he came around his desk and leaned back, crossing his long legs out in
front of him.

Taryn
tried not to imagine the heated moments they’d shared that morning and tried to
concentrate on what he said.

“Today
we’re going to look at textures, colors and even shapes as we bring a plate
together.”

Finally
able to bring her thoughts to the task at hand, Taryn took notes and managed to
be attentive throughout the class. Only when Errol, strolling among the
students, came to pass behind her and gently brush his hand along her rear end
did she falter.

She
was excited to see she still interested him, but could have slapped him for
risking such a move right there in class.

“Chef
King.” The dual supremacy of his name echoed in the air as Taryn called out to
him at the end of the lesson.   As the class emptied, she made her way to his
desk. “I hope you’ll understand how important this all is to me.”

He
sat behind his desk, clasped his hand over his belly and looked up at her.  “I
would like to think my classes are important to everyone here.”

“I
just want to make it clear.”  She set both hands on his desk and leaned
forward, hoping to get through to him.  “My scholarship here means everything
to me.”

“I’ll
keep that in mind.”

“I
would hate to put it in jeopardy because you insist on playing your silly
games.”

He
rose to face her as a wicked grin took hold of his lips.  “They didn’t seem
that silly this morning.”

A
streak of blush heated her cheeks.  At first the responsibility fell on the
flash memory of that morning, but she quickly realized it was also the
infuriating manner in which he made light of the situation she now found
herself in.

His
hand crept along the top of the desk until the tips of his fingers met hers. 
She recoiled with surprising speed.  For a moment she considered her options. 
She could threaten to move out of his apartment; that was hardly viable.  She
could threaten to report him.  Who would believe
he
was harassing
her
? 
In anything, they’d accuse her of stalking him. 

Crossing
her arms in front of her, she looked at him.  “Please, Errol,” she said softly.

A
wistful smile came to his lips and his eyes softened.  “I wouldn’t dream of
doing anything that could ruin your chances of attaining your goals.”

“I’m
glad we understand each other.  Thank you.”  Before he could say more, she
turned and left the room.

That
night, as she waited for him to arrive, she contemplated the situation she’d
gotten herself into.  Errol King was a handsome, charismatic, if not enigmatic
man who thrilled her in ways she never would have imagined.

Yet,
she felt she’d allowed herself to play in a game she couldn’t win.

Since
arriving after school, she’d changed clothes three times; out of her school
clothes and into lace panties and a semi-transparent blouse. Too obvious, she
argued.  He’ll think he’d won.  Going to the opposite spectrum, she’d pulled on
unflattering sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. Again, too obvious, she
thought.  He’d think she was deliberately trying to downplay their affair.

In
the end, she opted for her dressy pajamas.  Blue and white striped cotton, they
were legitimately relaxed enough for a cozy night at home without any hint of
sexuality. The message would be clear; their sexual liaison was over.

She
settled in on the sofa, plugged the television to a food channel and opened her
French technique book on her lap.  The moment she heard the doorknob rattle,
however, she looked down at her dowdy pajamas and wondered if this was really
the message she wanted to send him.  Did she really want it to be over?  As the
door opened, her skin tingled.  As his footsteps approached, her body heated
up.

“Nice
try,” he said.

The
sound of his voice, deep, masculine and sensual flowed over her like a velvet
hand, soothing her and making her forget the promise she’d made to herself; it
was over.

She
turned to him, her face a mask that hid the sexual tension she felt inside; at
least that’s what she hoped he’d see.

“Those
pajamas,” he went on.  “If you're trying to dissuade me from seducing you
tonight, you’ve failed miserably.”

Getting
to her feet, she was pleased and disappointed. “And if you think you’ll succeed
in sedu…”

He
took one forceful step toward her, wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck
and pulled her in to kiss her. Her resolve melted in that instant, and when his
tongue swept over hers and she tasted his hunger, all she wanted was his body
pressed against hers.

Through
the heated kiss, he yanked off the bottom of her pajamas, tore off her panties
and grabbed her legs to pull her up and wrap her legs around his waist. With a
tight hold around his neck, she held on as he carried her to the dining table.

His
kisses plundered her neck, and down to the valley of her breasts. With a savage
roar, he grabbed each panel of her top and pulled it apart, sending buttons
flying across the room. Her breasts, exposed and heaving with the need to be
touched, begged for his attention.

“Tell
me you haven’t been thinking of this very moment all day,” he challenged. His
mouth clamped onto a breast and drew an orgasmic cry out of Taryn.  “Tell me
the day wasn’t endless and tortured with wanting me.”

He
hurriedly pulled off his shirt and unfastened his pants to let them pool at his
feet.

In
a brief moment of lucidity, Taryn put her hand to his chest to stop him. “Tell
me what you would do if I were to stop you… right now.”

Amusement
played in his eyes, though they smoldered with undeniable passion. “Would you,
Taryn?” He smiled, that wicked smile that weakened her every time.

“Errol...I
can’t,” she whispered. “I want you in me too much, even if I try.”

He
leaned in close. “Then just try to stop me,” he whispered hoarsely as he buried
his erection in the soft, moist folds of flesh that awaited him. “Try to stop
me,” he repeated as he continued his plunge, deeper and fuller each time,
taking her breath away with each thrust.

All
sense of pride and propriety left her as she screamed out her pleasure and
clung to him for more.  Only when he stopped, sweaty, his hair rumpled in front
of his face, and spent, did she look soberly at him. She leaned back, her
elbows propped up on the table and felt strangely free and vulnerable at the
same time.

“I’ll
readily admit I enjoy this game, Errol.  You do things to me I never could have
imagined.  And, yes, okay, I did spend the better part of the day thinking
about this moment, but I need you to be more specific with your answer.”

“Answer
to what?” Still hooded with the remains of lust, his eyes barely focused on
her.

“You’re
not doing anything to protect me.  You're not taking any precautions.”

“What
precaution?  Protect you from what?”

She
gazed down at their joined pelvises, the sight causing her to become aroused
again. “Pregnancy.  Sexually transmit…”

“That
again?  I told you not to worry about that.”

“Easy
for you to say.  You’re not the one at risk.”

“Look,
there’s no way you can get pregnant because… well, I already took care of that,
besides it’s both of us at risk…I would not leave a woman not taken care of.”

Stunned,
she looked at him.  “But you're so young.”

He
rolled his eyes to the ceiling.  “As for the other stuff; one, I’m careful;
two, I’m tested and three, I’m not as slutty as the media sometimes makes me
out to be.” He looked hurt for a while, “I do care about the women I’m with,
Taryn. I may like it rough, but I always take care of my lovers.”

She
took a moment to take in his words.  “Okay,” she finally said. “What about my
scholarship?”

“I
told you earlier.”  He cupped her cheek and brought a sober gaze to meet her
eyes.  “I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that. Besides, you wanted this
arrangement, as much as I did. You said so yourself when I asked in the
beginning.”

Taryn
looked down. It was true…she wanted this just as much as he did.

Errol
brought a finger to her chin to lift it up so her eyes were looking into his
blue ones. “You do want this, don’t you?” His thumb played with the full flesh
of her lower lips, making her want to take in his thumb and taste him. God, his
mere touch was enough to make her want to climb all over him and ride him until
they were both sweaty and exhausted from passionate lovemaking.

Errol’s
voice was husky but soft against her ear. “You do want me, Taryn, don’t you? I
can see the desire in your eyes…you want me now.” He replaced his thumb with
his lips on her lip, and nibbled on her lower lip, sucking it until they were
swollen. Then he moved his mouth over hers, plunging his tongue in to taste her
tongue, while his fingers found her folds below, dipping in and out until she
was writhing against him.

“Yes,”
she cried. “Yes, God, yes! I want you, Errol. Now!”

He
positioned himself against her, rubbing her clit with his shaft before plunging
deep inside of her. He rocked against her back and forth, gyrating his hips,
causing her to moan with intense pleasure. Soon they were making love in every
part of the apartment, their passion for each other insatiable.

Errol
was true to his word as the weeks passed.  Taryn felt safe with him, in every
way, and even became the instigator of their sexual games in many instances. 
In class, she deliberately toyed with him, running her fingers along a stiff
rod of dough in a suggestive way, and licking cream off her fingers while she
eyed him from across the room.

On
more than one occasion she caught him heading to his desk to readjust his
arousal. Today, he discreetly brushed that arousal along her back side as he
helped her.

“You’re
being too rough with the cream,” he said as he stood behind her and rearranged
her hand on the whisk. “You have to…”

She
didn’t hear a word of what he said.  All she knew was the clear and
unmistakable pressure of his hard-on against her back, that instantly made her
wet.