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But she couldn’t look away.

He stepped to the tagine pot and raised
the lid. The smell of sizzling, smoky chicken filled the air. Twenty minutes
later, Zach served up their meal and took a seat next to hers.

Forking a mouthful of golden, herb-infused
couscous and a bite of chicken, he held it out to her. “I need a verdict.”

She opened her mouth and took the
mouthful and chewed. Rich textures exploded on her tongue and she barely
managed to stop from groaning in pleasure. Forcing herself to keep a straight
face, she shrugged.

“It’s okay, I guess.”

His eyes widened a touch before he
frowned down at his plate. “What’s wrong with it?”

“I’m not sure, exactly. Perhaps another
bite to make sure?” she suggested.

Still frowning, he heaped another
forkful and fed her. Again she sampled the exquisite dish and shook her head.
“I just don’t know, Zach. I think you’ll have to feed me the whole plate before
I can make my mind one way or the other.”

“I have to…” He caught the quiver of
laughter moving her shoulders and dropped the fork onto her plate.

“
Gotcha
,”
she crowed.

He grabbed either side of her stool and
swerved her round to face him. Leaning forward, he kissed her hard. It was
meant as punishment for teasing him, but it was a price she was more than
willing to pay.

He cut it agonizingly short and glared
at her as he raised his head.

“Eat your food, Green. You’ll need your
strength to make it up to the chef for that ego-shredding insult.”

***

The next three days passed in slow,
sultry bliss. She sunbathed in the solarium before the midday sun flared too
hot or later in the afternoon. She listened to music on her iPhone or caught up
with her emails while Zach swam, a ritual she was learning he repeated twice a
day for almost an hour each time.

After the first time she’d seen him
walk indoors, droplets of water clinging to his skin and his thick cock firmly
outlined in his trunks, she’d given up pretending not to stare.

She squirmed now as she heard him turn
on the shower after his swim. No matter how many times they’d devoured each
other that desperate need for him refused to diminish.

Her nipples peaked beneath her white
bikini top as she listened to Pink scream about being a slut.

Welcome
to my world, sister
.

She didn’t even need to be in the same
room as Zachary Savage to hit the state of wet anticipation. And when he walked
in with that sure, sexy stride and his eyes zeroed in on her as they were now,
she knew squeezing her thighs together to stem the ravenous ache building
inside her was no use.

“Good swim?” she asked, her voice
breathy in that slutty way Pink would be proud of.

“Hmm,” he murmured, heavy-lidded eyes
sliding over her scantily clad body. “But it would’ve been better with you.”

“Nah, I would just slow you down. Or
jump you mid-stroke.”

“Hmm.” Determination flared in his eyes
but he banked it a moment later.

Bethany was thankful that he wasn’t
pushing her to overcome her fear. It was something she’d lived with for so long
she wasn’t sure she would ever get over it and she was glad Zach was letting it
be for now.

As she watched, he slowly peeled off
his swimming trunks and kicked them away. “Feel free to jump me now,” he
offered magnanimously. His thickening cock rose from the silky hair that covered
his groin.

One thick vein pulsed underneath the
stiff length and her mouth watered with anticipation of sliding her tongue over
it.

Nervously, she glanced towards the open
French doors leading inside. “Aren’t…aren’t the staff around?”

“Nope, I’ve given then the day off. We
have the whole place to our selves. All day long.” He reached forward and
tugged at the bow holding her bikini bottoms together. “Come on, Peaches. Time
to work on those tan lines.”

Within seconds he had her gloriously
naked. Her favorite brand of sunscreen stood on the table next to her lounger.
He grabbed it and tipped the oil into his cupped palm. Slowly, he rubbed his
hands together, his gaze drifting heatedly over her body.

Seating himself on the edge of her
lounger, he lowered his hands to her stomach. Her sharp intake of breath
brought a smile to his lips.

Zach loved the effect he had on her, seemed
to crave it, in fact. She only needed to be within arm’s length for him to find
an excuse to put his hands on her. Not that he needed an excuse. She craved having
his hands on her as much as he did.

His hands moved sideways over her waist
and down to her hips before drifting back up to glide beneath her breasts. He
repeated the motion, over and over, each
time
sliding
close to, but avoiding, her hard nipples.

Desire tore through her and her hips
moved restlessly. A moan rose up in her throat but Bethany forced it down. She
refused to beg. She’d begged too many times since she met Zach Savage, and
although she’d had him at her mercy the day they’d arrived in Marrakech when
she’d given him the blow job, she’d soon learned that the moment would not be
repeated. Sure, she’d given several blow jobs since, but that moment of
fractured control had remained elusive.

She forced her hips to still and inhaled
deeply to regulate her soaring heart rate. Her skin continued to tingle and
arousal continued to bite deep, of course, but she intended to cling to her
control for as long as possible.

His eyes slowly narrowed as his hands
glided up her shoulders in a smooth, devastating caress. Intense eyes gauged
her reaction as he moved back down and around her breasts. When she remained motionless,
he went lower, over her stomach to the pelvic bones. He kneaded her flesh, the
warmth of his hands sending electric currents along her nerve endings.

Another moan threatened and she
swallowed it down. His hands left her body for a moment but only to drizzle
more oil into his palm before he started an even more intensive assault on her
thighs. Firm thumbs dug into her skin in erotic circles, each rotation drawing
close to her sensitive inner thigh.

He was a whisper way from grazing the
outer skin of her sex, when she jerked away.

“I’m all done on the front, I think.”

She flipped over and was rewarded with
a moment’s triumph when his breath hissed out. For several seconds, he didn’t move.
Then she heard the slow glide of his palms rubbing together. He went straight
for her ass, as she’d known he would.

Shielded from his probing, electric
gaze, she reasserted her slipping control. But even with her eyes clamped shut,
she couldn’t deny the sizzling arousal that stormed through her body. Pleasure
soared higher and higher until she hovered on the brink of bliss.

Bethany was contemplating giving in and
pleading for him to take her when his breath brushed her left ear.

“Bravo, Peaches. I think you’re ready
to visit my toy room.”

Her head snapped round and her gaze
collided with his.

Stormy grey eyes regarded her with a
mixture of admiration and speculation.

“Excuse me? You were testing me?”

He shook his head. “Not consciously. I
like your uninhibited response. But I think we can have even more fun if you’re
willing to practice a little bit more restraint.”

“And you’ll only allow me into this toy
room of yours if I don’t give in easily?”

“You’ve always had access to it. I told
you about it before we left Paris, but you’ve shown no interest in it.” He
shrugged. “You don’t have to see if you don’t want to.”

She licked dry lips, unsure of where
this conversation was going. And whether she wanted to pursue it further. But
excitement tingled along her skin, her curiosity piqued.

Fun
.
That was why she was here. Wasn’t it? Being brave enough to grasp the
adventure?

“Well, since I’ve never seen a toy room
before, I can’t tell you one way or the other.”

His eyes gleamed, darkened a touch. “So
you’d like to see it?”

She thought for a second and shrugged
casually. “Sure. Why not?”

The slow, wicked smile that spread
across his face made her self-preservation radar vibrate hard.

He stood to his full length, his
erection thick and proud.

Her stomach flipped over as a weakness
invaded her bones. She could barely lift her hand when he held out his to her.

“Come.”

Chapter Thirteen

He led her along the long hallway that
went past his suite in the west wing of the house.

The thought that she was walking
through a veritable palace, naked, added to the surreal moment.

But she didn’t have time to dwell on
it. The fingers wrapped around hers gave no room for ambivalence or chickening
out. And the excitement that was escalating through her made it impossible to
change her mind.

Zach stopped in front of a large arched
door and entered a code in the security panel set into the frame.

The mechanism clicked and he opened it.
Stepping to one side, he gently pushed her into the room.

Bethany hadn’t been sure what to expect
from a toy room. In her wildest imaginings, she’d expected a replica of the
decadent lounges on Zach’s airplanes.

She couldn’t have been more wrong. When
he’d mentioned toys, he’d really meant toys.

Gadgets, large and small had been
arranged around the room, each one more suggestive than the next.

In the middle of the room, a large
leather swing, complete with cradle and harness, stood a sturdy tripod. She’d
seen one at a bachelorette party once, but it’d been nowhere near this
sophisticated. Mesmerized by the ideas tumbling through her mind, she lifted
her hand and brushed her fingers over the sleek, cool leather.

“Are you imagining yourself strapped
in, Peaches?” Zach whispered in her ear. “Your beautiful body wide open to me
as I pound into you?”

Heat from his body caressed her back
and she shivered at the decadent sin in his voice. Her nipples peaked at the
thought of enacting that scenario and desire twisted in her pelvis. She forced
herself to breathe through it.

Restraint
.

“Hmm, maybe.”

Dropping her hand, she moved to the
next piece of equipment.

The indigo-colored, high-backed chair
looked innocuous enough until a simple press of a switch to the side had her
gasping. The dildo that rose from the middle of the seat was black, huge and
veined, and so life-like she stepped closer to touch it, only to have her hand
firmly grasped.

“You won’t be needing that.”

She laughed. “Do I detect a hint of
jealousy there, lover boy?” she teased.

“No, baby, the only time you get to use
that is if I’m too worn out from fucking you to move a single muscle. And I
guarantee you, that will never happen.”

He led her past a modified gurney
fitted with handcuffs and a glass cabinet that held everything from anal beads
and nipple clamps to bull whips and cock rings.

“Wow, and here I thought my toy drawer
was impressive.”

He grinned. “I take pleasure
seriously,” he said.

“I can tell,” she replied. She reached
another cabinet labeled “Truth or Dare” and stopped. Inside it were a pack of
cards and two items—an exquisitely crafted unisex chastity belt and a
black silk blindfold.

Zach stopped beside her and followed
her gaze. “Another thing you won’t be needing.”

“What makes you sure?”

“Because we don’t play games. We’re way
past that.”

“But games can be fun, Zach. And having
fun was the reason I came on this trip, remember?”

She wasn’t sure whether she was
reminding herself or him. Somewhere along the way, she’d begun to lose sight of
why she’d boarded The Indigo Lounge plane in the first place.

Heck, she’d never even got the chance
to experience one single lounge event. And with each day she spent in Zach
Savage’s sphere of existence, she slipped deeper into unknown territory. Territory
where the ground shook beneath her feet at the thought of this trip ending and
the thought of walking away from when it did.

Because regardless of what he’d said in
Paris, this thing between them…this fantasy had no real shelf life. The worlds
they came from were too different for any sort of relationship to work between
them.

Her life was in New York. His was not.
And if Chris had taught her anything, it was how easy it was to be fooled by
someone you loved even while living in the same city.

Zachary Savage was a sexy, dominant,
infinitely charismatic man who had women throwing themselves at him. He also
had international business interests that took him all over the globe. She
would tie herself into knots the moment he walked away from her until he
returned. Her ability to trust had been whittled down to nothing thanks to Chris.

Was that a life she wanted for herself,
even in the short term? Her breath shuddered out, and he turned sharply to face
her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, eyes
narrowed.

She quickly shook her head. “Nothing.
What’s that?” She pointed to the last, large item in the room.

It was draped with a black silk cloth
and set against the far wall of the room.

Sliding another sizzling smile at her,
he pulled her after him until they stood in front of the piece. With a firm
tug, he pulled the cloth away.

A St. Andrew’s
Cross
made of steel and leather and easily seven feet tall rested at an angle.
Stirrups for hands and feet lay undone, ready for a willing victim to step up
and splay themselves for pleasure. Double rivets lined the edges of the cross and,
closing her eyes for a second, a shocking image of herself on that cross, her
body rubbing against those rivets, flashed through her mind.

A furtive glance at Zach caught his
intent gaze on her. The small smile that crossed his lips said he’d read her mind.

“Now, this we can certainly have fun
with.”

“You mean you can. Don’t bother denying
it, Savage. I can see you salivating at the thought holding me captive and
having your way with me.”

He laughed and she was helpless to
resist that deep, rich sound reaching under her skin and seducing her. When he
curled his hand over her nape and pulled her close, she went willingly. He
rubbed his thumb back and forth over her lips before lowering his head to seal
his mouth over hers. When they came up for air several minutes later, they were
both breathing hard. “Can you blame me? Discovering varied ways of making you
come is becoming my obsession. I simply can’t get enough of you, Bethany.”

The weakness that invaded her body was
nothing new. But knowing that she was at serious risk of falling in love with
this man was.

“So, you wanna pick something out and
try it? The cross, maybe?” he murmured against her lips.

She wanted to answer yes so badly, her
body shook with the desire. It took every ounce of her control to say, “Maybe
later.”

His stunned surprise bought her the
time she needed. Whirling she rushed out of the room. She was halfway down the
corridor before he caught up with her.

“Bethany?” his voice held puzzlement.

“I just need to—”

He caught her wrist and forced her to
stop. “What the hell’s going on?” The worry in his voice was unmistakable.

She shook her head. “All this, what
we’re doing…
it’s
way out of my comfort zone.”

He frowned. “Isn’t that the whole point
of what you were doing when we met?”

“Yes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get
to freak out a little every now and then.”

His gaze flicked to the door behind
them and back to hers. “And that back there freaked you out?”

“No. Okay, maybe a little. But right
now, I just want to take a little breather.”

He inhaled sharply. “A little breather?
What exactly does that mean?”

She bit her lip. “No sex. For one day.”

“No.
Hell, no
.”

“Zach—”

“Bethany,” he growled back. His lips
were pinched and the lines bracketing his mouth had deepened. “I’ll give you
whatever you want, except that.”

“But that is what I want. I can’t think
straight when we’re like this.” She waved a hand between them.

He stepped up, closing the gap between
them. He slid both hands around her nape and tipped her head up. “I don’t want
you thinking straight. I want you as mindless with me as I am with you.”

“Zach, this is insane…”

He stared down at her for several
seconds before he sighed. “It’s not insane, but you win. No sex for the rest of
the day.”

“Really?” She wasn’t sure how to take
his capitulation.

Leaning down, he skimmed her mouth with
his. “Don’t sound so pleased. All you’re doing is torturing us both.
Unnecessarily. But I guess we can try and occupy our time some other way. Go
get dressed. I have an idea of what we can do.”

She smiled then quickly straightened
her features when he frowned at her glee.

“Umm, anything in particular I should
know?”

He shook his head, stepped back and
took her hand. “It’s a surprise. But you’ll need to dress comfortably,
preferably in pants. And you’re allowed to wear panties. Just this once.”

Intrigued, she slowly nodded. They
entered his room and he drew to a stop. “What?” she asked.

“I don’t think I should be in here. Go
shower and get ready. I’ll use another bathroom.”

Her gaze slid over his mouth-watering
body to the rampant erection that hadn’t subsided. Desire slammed into her so
hard she wondered what she was thinking when she’d asked for no sex.

“I…umm…” God, even talking was hard.

His nostrils flared and he took a step
back. “Go, Bethany.”

She turned and headed for the shower.
She didn’t need to glance back to know his eyes were riveted on her ass. The
sizzling hot sensation all over her skin was evidence enough.

***

Despite being a little pissed off at
the no sex stipulation, Zach was glad to get out of the house for a few hours.

Although she’d been the one to give
voice to it, the slippery, out-of-control feeling he’d experienced since he’d
brought Bethany to Marrakech was escalating quickly. The fact that he wanted to
carry on regardless was even more unsettling.

He hadn’t felt this unsettled, this
helpless since six years ago. Since…Farrah.

He stiffened at the realization.

Beside him at the back of his SUV,
Bethany glanced up at him. “Hey, you giving me the silent treatment?” she
teased, although her eyes held a trace of wariness.

He smiled distractedly, still unable to
process the single thought blazing across his mind.

Farrah.

The one person he didn’t want to think
about. Especially not while he was with Bethany.

And yet…he’d brought Bethany here to
the one place guaranteed to make him think about what had happened six years
ago. Of all his properties around the world, he’d chosen this one…

Christ
,
a therapist would have a field day with him.

Soft hands caressed his cheek, bringing
him back to the present. He captured Bethany’s hand and kissed her knuckles.

Her smile held a tinge of relief and he
realized he’d been mostly silent for the last half hour.

The SUV turned into a dirt road, and a
row of Bedouin tents swung into view. He flashed her a return smile.

“Ready for your surprise?”

“Umm, no. I’m not loving that look in
your eye there, Savage.”

His grin widened and the ache inside
his chest eased a little. Easing a finger down her cheek, he leaned in close.
“I won’t let anything bad happen to you, but I can’t promise that you won’t be
thrilled out of your mind.”

“Huh. That terrifies me even more.”

He laughed as they pulled up to the
largest tent. The red and gold tent stood in the middle of the encampment.
Several Bedouin natives greeted them and led them inside. Large plump cushions
lay scattered on Persian carpets and unlit Moroccan lamps had been strung up
across the highest point of the tent.

The scene looked like something out of
a movie, and Zach watched as Bethany took it in.

“Ok, I’m liking it so far, but why do I
get the feeling I’m in a holding pattern right before I get Punk’d or
something?”

He took her hand and tugged her
forward. “Have a little faith, Peaches. If I decide to punk you, you’d never
see it coming.”

He opened the flap at the other side of
the tent and her outraged curse froze on her lips.

She gaped at the mostly white camel
that stood gazing back at her
from a
half dozen feet
away. Several more camels were scattered in the enclosure but her gaze returned
to the white one.

It moved forward the same time she did.
She jerked in surprise and glanced at Zach. “Can I touch it?” she asked in an
awed whisper.

“Sure, go ahead.”

She stroked a hand down the animal’s
neck then pulled her hand back when it swung its head to glare at her.