High Stakes Seduction - Book 5 (13 page)

I buried my face between her breasts, taking a deep breath, inhaling her scent. She held my head against her chest, like a mother comforting her child, and I felt a sense of safety, a sense of rightness, that I had never felt with a woman.

I laid her back gently against the cushions, smoothing her long beautiful hair to the side, grasping its length in one hand, pulling gently. She arched her back, thrusting her breasts toward the sky. Then I pushed myself back slightly, separating her legs, moving them apart so I could stroke her mound with my hand. I turned my hand over, pressing my fingers inside, feeling her sweet, wet juices.

I raised myself over her, using one hand to position the tip of my dick over her clit. I remembered how wet she was, as my dick slid easily down her folds, and I thrust into her with one time-almost-standing-still fluid movement. Again, it was almost more than I could bear, and I held it for just the briefest moment, pulling back slightly. I looked down into her face, her eyes are closed, but there's a smile on her lips.

I thrust again, enjoying the tightness and the warmth, and the slightly strangled moan that issued from her lips.

"You liked that?" I asked softly. She moaned again and smiled.

"Oh yes," she breathed. "Very much."

"Good," I said as I thrust my full length into her again. The throbbing in my cock intensified, and I pushed into her again. And again. Faster, harder, as far as I could reach.

She squirmed beneath me, matching my thrusting movements. Her muscles clenched around my cock, and suddenly I had no conscious thought at all. I was simply a piston, a machine, on automatic pilot, building, building, each stroke intensifying. The muscles in my legs and ass tightened as I continued to thrust into her, feeling the pressure building, hearing her little moans begging me for more.

She looked up at me with naked longing as I pressed her hands into the cushions, holding her in place. I knew she was mine. Mine to do whatever I wanted.

The pleasure in my body was almost more than I could bear, when she let out a strangled squeal, clasping my hands tighter, arching her back and thrusting her hips into mine. She moaned my name over and over, as she matched my rhythm, thrusting harder and harder. Suddenly I couldn't hold back any longer, and as the almost unbearable rush of sweet release washed over me, I collapsed into nothingness, losing all sense of time and place.

When I opened my eyes. Angela was staring at me, a small grin on her lips.

"Hello," I managed.

"You were snoring," she grinned.

"Me? Snoring? Not hardly, I wasn't sleeping."

That got a laugh out of her. "Well I don't know what you've been doing for the last five minutes then, but you were breathing really loudly."

I smiled, pulling her closer. Enjoying the softness of her skin, as I lay there on the sofa with her body wrapped up in mine.

"Shouldn't we get back?" she said. "It's getting late."

"I suppose so, but I'd much rather stay here." I sat up stretching my shoulders from the cramped quarters on the sofa.

"That's sweet." She leaned over and kissed me. "But I don't want Maria to be worried. Is there some place where I can clean up?"

"Yes," I pulled her up as I stood, pointing toward a door at the back. "There's a small restroom here in the office. It doesn't offer a lot, but there's a washbasin and I think he has some hand towels." I reached over and picked up her dress, shaking it out and handing it to her as she stood up.

"I'll do what I can." She slipped away into the other room, closing the door.

I reached for my glass, finishing the last of the wine. Then I picked up my trousers, and looked around the room, making sure to straighten up anything that might've been out of place. I set the glasses and the bottle together, planning to take them back downstairs as we left.

Angela stepped back into the room. "It's all yours," she smiled as she picked up her stockings.

I walked into the room, turning on the warm water to rinse myself off, and pat myself dry with my handkerchief. I pulled on my pants, stuffing the damp handkerchief into my pocket. Then I splashed water on my face and ran my fingers through my hair, patting it into place.

I looked at my face in the mirror as I buttoned my shirt, leaving it open at the collar. Then I grinned. This was the most relaxed I'd felt in a long time. Almost as though I had no cares at all.

I stepped back into the office. Angela stood next to the desk, her face radiant and relaxed. This was the Angela I remembered from the cruise.

Taking her face in my hands, I gave her a warm kiss.

"Well, Princess," I said, taking her hand and bringing it to my lips. "Shall we go back to the party?"

Chapter Thirty-Six

MARIA

"If I’m not mistaken, there's a new star shining in this room tonight,” Thompson said, his eyes warm with respect as he smiled at me. He handed me a glass of water, seeming to know exactly what I needed.

“Thank you! I feel like a star… a thirsty one. How did you know?” I took a long sip, welcoming the cold liquid.

He shrugged a large shoulder, dismissing the question and asking instead, “How are you feeling? It’s been a long day. Ready to go home soon?”

It was getting late and the staff had begun to shoo out the remaining guests. Thompson was right, it had been an exciting and exhausting evening for me. Far more exciting than I had any right to expect.

"Soon, Thompson. I just need to gather my things." I was lucky to have someone looking out for me. Truthfully, I was pretty tired.

I looked over Thompson's shoulder, spying Angela stepping through the door. She had a happy glow around her, almost an aura, a far cry from the way she'd looked earlier that evening. She turned to say something to Antonio, who had followed her into the room. He leaned down to hear her. Then he laughed. This time his normal confidence was mixed with a relaxed, self-satisfied air.

Something was definitely different. There was an ease between the two of them that made me guess they'd been up to a lot more than just talking the last hour or so. I had my suspicions, but I'd keep them to myself until I could talk to my sister.

"Isn't it about time to get you two in bed?" Antonio said, turning to us after greeting Thompson. I saw the unmistakable look he gave Angela, as well as the grin she shot back.

"Since there's no need to keep any of this a secret anymore, let's all ride home together. Thompson, my man, lead the way." Antonio swept his hand in front of him as if he was laying a magic carpet.

"Is there anything else we need to do here tonight?" I asked him.

"The staff will handle it. Congratulations, Maria. This was an exemplary evening," Antonio said as he kissed my hand.

***

"Antonio," I said once we were inside the limo and heading home, "how can I ever thank you for everything?"

"Maria, it was my pleasure. You're a very talented artist, you did all the work. How many paintings did you sell tonight?"

"I sold four of them. But that's not all, I received commissions for two more."

"I'm not surprised," said Antonio. "But there's something else you'll like. Several people expressed interest in leasing your paintings for their offices. They'd be rotating your paintings through periodically, and paying you for the privilege of showing your art."

"Antonio, I have no idea how to do that," said Maria. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

"No problem," laughed Antonio. "Gregory would love to help you. He's set up lease programs before, and will be happy to be involved. It's nothing more than a lending library—you set folks up on a three or six month program, and they get to enjoy new paintings on a regular basis. It's a nice way for you to get a little income until the paintings sell. Gregory does it all the time."

I leaned back against the seat, yawning as I realized just how tired I was and feeling grateful that Antonio had stepped in to help manage all of this. What a night, but I would be happy to put it all behind me and crawl into bed.

I looked over at Antonio and Angela. They seemed to be in their own little world, sitting there, quiet, Angela's head resting against Antonio's shoulder. I sensed a new connection between the two of them. One that simply hadn't been there before. It was my turn to grin.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

ANGELA

Antonio walked me to the door. For once I was speechless. Tonight had turned out to be one of the most extraordinary nights of my life. I had never felt as close to him as I had tonight.

He reached for me, pulling me close, and I felt the heat begin to build again. I didn't know what it was about this man, but there was something I simply couldn't resist.

He pressed his lips to mine, sending shivers through my body. I wondered if I would always respond to him this way, but it didn't matter, because that's how he made me feel right now. His lips touched mine, and it was sweetest kiss I could ever imagine. I wanted to melt into his body, melding into his soul. In so many ways, I felt like we were the same person. There was something I couldn't quite explain. It was a calmness, and a settling, at a level that I had never understood before. I wasn't sure how he felt, but for the moment I was totally complete and nothing else mattered.

As our lips parted, and I took a deep breath, I pulled back. I heard Maria's wheelchair being rolled up the ramp. I turned to look at my sister, the smile of satisfaction on her face from the evening, but an air of fatigue in her body. She had told me not to think of her as fragile, but I knew that sitting in a wheelchair didn't give her much opportunity to build physical strength. I couldn't challenge anything about her mental strength, but I knew there were limitations to the physical.

"Thompson! I'm surprised at you." Antonio admonished with a glint of humor in his eyes. "That's no way to leave a lady at her door. I implore you, my loyal chauffeur, give the deserving lady a worthy good night kiss."

Thompson looked at Antonio for a moment, obviously confused about what to do. "Sorry, um, Boss…” He looked at Maria, then shrugged. Leaning down, he attempted to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Obviously, he did not know my sister! She reached up, grabbed his face, and pulled him forward, pressing her lips firmly against his and holding him there until he kissed her back. Only then did she let him go.

As he pulled away, slightly dazed, Marie stifled a giggle. "You're welcome," she told him, grinning up at me and winking.

"And, thank you for a wonderful night," she threw over her shoulder as she wheeled through the door.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

MARIA

"Maria, this is Dr. Quesh's office. The doctor has received the results from your preliminary tests, and we'd like to schedule you to come in for your pre-surgery orientation within the next couple weeks."

"Does that mean everything's okay?" I asked the woman on the other end of the line.

"It appears so but the doctor would like to talk with you about some specific issues. Just so you know, it’s perfectly normal, and the reason we'd like you to come in. He also wants to explain the procedure so you understand what's going to happen when you go in for surgery."

"Of course!" I told her. "How long will the appointment take?"

"You should plan for at least two hours. There are some further tests we'll do here in the office first, before your meeting with Dr. Quesh, and those will take between forty-five minutes to an hour. We have an opening on Thursday at one p.m. Will that work for you?"

"Sounds good to me. What's your number, in case anything changes?"

I hung up the phone, excited that things were starting to move forward for the surgery. It would be a couple of hours before Angela got home from work. I hoped I could wait that long.

Now that I had something concrete, I couldn’t wait to share the good news. In the meantime, I busied myself as much as I could, categorizing my paintings and putting them in order. Gregory and I had talked earlier in the day about what he would need before he could set up the painting-lease program.

My paintings would need to be insured, so that meant we needed photographs. I looked through my inventory of paintings, identifying the ones I hadn't yet photographed so they could be included in my catalog.

I was deep into it when the keys rattled in the door. I swung my wheelchair around, smiling and waiting.

"Angela! I couldn't wait for you to get home today," I sang out as she came through the front door.

"Wow, Sis, did you miss me that much?” she laughed and then looked at me, her eyes widening. “Maria, you look really excited. Does… does this mean you’ve heard something?”

"Dr. Quesh's office called back. They want to start the process to make sure I’m a good candidate for the surgery. They'll be doing a couple more tests on me in the office, and if those go okay, I could be having the surgery in the next couple of months."

"Maria, that's the best news I've heard all year." Angela hugged me, tears rolling down her face. "Do you think you can get everything in place in time?"