HIGHER (The Indigo Lounge Series) (21 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Decadence became the buzzword
from the moment she stepped out of the suite and headed upstairs with Zach.

They mingled with the great and
glorious on the sky deck of Zach’s hotel before they headed out to a private
martial arts tournament at a converted Buddhist Temple.

Watching the sleek-muscled men
who’d honed their bodies through years of perfecting their craft made her
secretly thrilled at how dedicated Zach was to his own fitness regime.

“Did you bring us here so you
could ogle other men, Peaches?” he murmured in her ears.

She turned and locked eyes with his
hot, intense eyes. “No. But I do appreciate a fine specimen when I see one,”
she replied impishly.

“You keep your eyes on me when
you say that or there will be hell to pay,” he warned.

She held his gaze for several
seconds, then she deliberately glanced over to the spot-lit platform where the
artists circled one another.

His hand curved over her nape in
a firm, domineering grip. “You want test the edge, baby?”

She shivered and glanced back at
him. Their private booth meant other guests in the small group couldn’t hear
them but he kept his voice low anyway. She liked that he reserved his hot words
for her ears alone. Words she greedily craved and could never get enough of.

Her hand slid to his thigh and
she gloried in the tension that rippled through his muscles. “I want to test
your
edge.”

His eyes gleamed and his gaze
dropped to her mouth in blatant hunger. “My edges can be rough. You sure you’re
ready?”

“I’m sure. I want it. I want
you.”

Hard fingers slid up her nape
into her hair and bunched in a sharp, painful hold. “You’ll have me. In more
ways that you can possibly imagine.” The dark anticipation in his voice heated
her blood.

Her nipples peaked and liquid fire
flared between her legs. His fingers tightened another notch and he watched
her, absorbing her tiny wince and her shallow breathing with a dark
satisfaction that only made her hotter.

His tongue rested against his
lower lip as he stared at her mouth. “I won’t be gentle tonight, baby,” he
warned.

Her nails bit into his hard thigh
muscle, and he jerked beneath her touch. “Yes,” she said simply.

His nostrils flared and he
stared, unblinking, at her for so long, color flared into her cheeks. “I adore
your blushes, Peaches. They make me want to dirty you up nice and good.
Scandalize you completely.”

Her hand moved up and she slowly
cupped his crotch. Thick and heavy, she could barely fathom where he began and
ended. Her mouth watered just thinking about all that power inside her. “I
adore
this
. Your beautiful cock. I
adore the way you take me. I adore the way you make me come for you.” Her eyes
met his boldly. “I adore you.”

His eyelids fluttered as he took
in a long, shaky breath. “Bethany.” His eyes had darkened to almost black and
the fingers in her hair trembled. “You make me…” he paused.

She leaned closer, her heart
thumping wildly. “Tell me.”

A swallow bobbed his Adam’s
apple. “All my life, I’ve felt alone. The money, the lifestyle, it doesn’t
insulate you from loneliness. Hell, sometimes it emphasises it even more. With
you…you make me see my way through the darkness. You make me feel as if…you
make me
feel
, Bethany. Period. I’m so
fucking grateful to have you in my life.” A shudder moved through him.
“Whatever happens when we get back; whatever you find out about me, please know
that I’ll never hurt you. That I’ll never wreck what we have?”

That solemn vow moved her more
than anything else Zach had ever said before. Tears prickled her eyes and
clogged her throat. “Zach, I--”

Applause broke out and the
outside world broke through their charged, intimate bubble. Zach’s jaw clenched
at the intrusion and she glance around to see the martial artists taking their
bows.

Sweat glistened off their bodies
and their solemn faces and their audience wore huge smiles.

The evening had been a success.
But she, like Zach, wanted it over. “I’m probably going to lose my job for not
sticking around until the night ends properly, but I want to return to the
hotel with you. Right now.”

His cock twitched beneath her
hand and a smouldering smile curved his sensual lips. “I’ll make sure your client
puts in a good word for you.” He leaned close and brushed his mouth against her
throat. “As long as you let him put his cock inside you in the next five
minutes.”

A delicious shiver coursed
through her body. “We won’t make it back in five minutes, Zach. Not even you
can move that fast.”

One hand dropped to where she
held him and he pressed her hand harder against him. Her fingers curled around
his solid length and his breath hissed out. “You think I can’t get us back in
five when I have your tight cunt and the pounding I intend to give it to look
forward to?”

She groaned and tried to pull
away when the guests began to rise. “I’m learning not to test your motivation,
but I think we may have missed our chance for a quick sneak out.”

He cursed under his breath when
the Indigo Lounge guests headed their way. He pressed his hand over hers one
more time before he released her. She watched his face slowly lose the erotic
promise it’d held a moment ago and settle once more into the suave, enigmatic
billionaire the world saw when they looked at Zachary Savage.

A thrill went through Bethany at
the thought that his special, private look belonged to her alone.

She turned to the guests and
smiled in response to their praise for her organisation of the evening and the show.
A tiny bubble of pride fizzed through her. She may not lose her job after all.

They drifted out into the warm
night air and Philip pulled up to a smooth halt on the kerb.

“Enjoy the rest of your evening,”
Zach said to his guests, his smile back to friendly-but-not-engaging.

“You won’t be joining us at the
club?” Olga asked sullenly, her lips pouting as her eyes devoured Zach.

Bethany had arranged it so
everyone could use their Indigo Lounge hostess for the rest of the night and
she knew the couple and a few others had opted to go to
Q-Bash
, the exclusive nightclub a few blocks away.

“Bethany’s work is done for the
day.”

She didn’t mind that Zach
answered for her. Or that he slid his hand around her waist and held her
possessively against his side. She belonged to him and she had no problem
letting the world know.

He held the limo door open and
waited for her to slide in. She expected him to pounce on her the moment they
were alone. Instead, he lounged on his side of the long seat, his eyes on her.

He watched her almost clinically,
one hand fisted on his thigh, like a predator assessing which part of her to
attack first. Her mouth received its fair share of intense focus, followed by
her breasts, her thighs and legs.

By the time they rolled beneath
the columned portico of The Indigo Bangkok Hotel, her heated core had commenced
a desperate, hungry clenching that would drive her insane until Zach assuaged
her hunger.

The trip up to their Penthouse
suite passed in a haze of heated anticipation and harsh breathing.

The door had barely shut behind
them before he hoisted her up against him. She immediately slid her hands into
his hair, luxuriated in the slide of the thick strands through her fingers.

Hungry eyes fixated on her lips.
“Give me your tongue,” he rasped.

Excitement shot through her. She
opened her mouth and slowly traced the outline of his soft, firm lips.

“More,” he ordered.

She pushed between his lips,
seeking the merciless stab of his tongue. He kept it from her, making her work
her way in. She found it, and tasted him. Slow and hot and erotic. His arms
tightened where they were banded under her ass and he moaned long and deep.

The sound sizzled like lightning
through her bloodstream, stinging her nipples and raking deliciously through
her belly to flash against her clit. Gripping his hair tighter, she gave him everything
she had.

And he took it.

She had a vague sensation of
being carried deeper into the suite. Seconds later, she found herself on the
wide, waist-high marble center isle in their dressing room.

Rough hands lowered her zipper
and cool air washed over her shoulders as her dress was lowered to her waist.
Then large hands gripped her and the kiss took a turn for bruising. He ate her
mouth like it was his favorite treat and he was intent on gorging himself sick.

Just when she thought she would
burst into flames from the scorching assault, Zach stepped back. The look in
his eyes was unapologetically carnal and voracious. He shrugged out of his
dinner jacket and kicked his shoes away. The smooth, bronzed column of his
throat and chest bared as he unbuttoned his shirt. Her mouth watered just
watching him undress.

“You look hungry, Peaches.”

Her eyes dropped to his flat
nipples and she licked her lips. “Ravenous.”

His smile was pure male
satisfaction as he made short work of getting naked.

Taking a step forward, he reached
for her dress. “Up.”

She lifted her hips. He pulled
down her dress and panties and dislodged her shoes, all in one go. She lowered
her ass to the smooth surface and waited, breath locked in her throat as he
strolled to a dresser drawer and pulled it open.

He turned, and her belly clenched
hard.

“What’s that?” she gasped.

His smile turned a lot wicked and
her heart leapt into her throat. “A little something I had specially designed
for you.”

He dropped the leather gadget and
the tube of lube next to her. Then he cupped her breasts, and slanted his mouth
over hers again. His merciless fingers teased her nipples, tugged and grazed
until wet heat bloomed between her legs.

Planting himself between her
legs, he pulled her closer. Her sex grazed the top of his pelvis. She flushed
as he looked down and noted her shameless state.

“Do you know how fucking
thrilling it is to see you so wet for me?” he growled. Long fingers drifted
down her midriff and slid through the tiny triangle of hair on her pubic bone
before his thick knuckle grazed her clit. “Open wider for me.”

Her legs parted further. Her man
wasn’t satisfied. Hooking his hands behind her knees, he raised her legs and
planted her feet on the marble top.

Bethany bit her lip. She’d been
exposed many times to Zach’s avid gaze but tonight there was something in his
eyes that set her pulse racing a little faster.

And she still didn’t know what
the gadget was he’d placed next to her--

“Oh!” Her thoughts fractured as
he plunged two rough fingers inside her. She was scrambling to deal with the
decadent invasion when he bent his head and sucked her clit into his mouth.
“God!”

Just like he’d devoured her mouth
minutes ago, he ate her without mercy. Tongue, teeth and fingers electrified
her core, sending pleasure shooting into every nerve ending. He stripped her of
every other thought except the terrifying beauty of what he was doing to her.

He finger-fucked her hard and
fast and merciless, his growls of pleasure against her swelling tissues pushing
her close to the edge of her endurance in seconds.

She came hard, screaming her
pleasure until her throat stung raw. He lapped her climax with deep strokes of
his tongue, an insatiable animal, greedy in his need for her every shiver and
shudder.

Before she’d fully come down from
her high, he gripped her waist and lowered her from the marble top.

“Turn around,” he ordered
brusquely. The gleam in his eyes was brighter, heat scouring his sculpted
cheekbones in a way that told her he was skating at the edge of his control.

She turned her head, glanced at
the gadget and shivered.

“You’ll get your present soon
enough, baby. First, turn around and grip the counter,” his voice dripped
power, sex and hunger.

He took his thick cock in his
hand and stroked himself as he waited for her to comply. The moment she did, he
stepped closer, bracing his powerful body over hers.

One hand splayed into her hair to
grip a handful and the other slid down between her legs. He spread her juices
all over her sex, then higher, caressing over her butt hole.

She jerked but he held her still.
Slowly, he turned her head towards the leather, belt-like gadget. Laying his
cheek against hers, he whispered, “You want to know what that is?” His fingers
skated over her hole once more.

Dark excitement screamed through
her. “Yes.”

“It’s a diamond-studded vibrating
butt plug made for a priceless ass.”

Chapter Thirty

Jesus.

Her legs weakened at another
invasion and her temperature shot up when his teeth grazed her throat.

Her eyelids fluttered at the raw
sensation. “You had it made especially for me?”

Why the thought blew her mind,
she had no idea.

“Your ass has been a source of
singular indecent fascination to me from the moment you went up those stairs
before me, Peaches. I get hard and excited just thinking about it.” He
continued to spread her wetness over her pussy and butt hole. His cock rested
thick and heavy against her crack and another memory triggered even more
excitement.

“Pick it up, baby,” he whispered
hotly in her ear.

Her shaky fingers reached for it.
The leather belt was solid and expensive. The
tail
hung halfway between the loop, at the end of which hung the
curved diamond-studded plug. The diamonds were smooth but cold to the touch.

She didn’t insult him by asking
if they were real. Zach Savage was too much of a
connoisseur
to settle for imitation.

“Do you like it?” His fingers
continued to send her mindless down below but their eyes were fixed on the
glinting diamonds in her trembling hands.

“I like it,” she replied.

His forefinger caressed her.
“Then say,
thank you,
Peaches.”

An impish streak shot through her
excitement. “
Thank you, Peaches.”

The smack on her ass was sharp
and unexpected. Three more followed, bringing stinging tears to her eyes.
Whimpering, she tried to raise her head.

The fingers in her hair
tightened. “Stay,” he rasped. “Take your punishment.”

He smacked her some more.
Unbelievably, she grew wetter. He pushed her forward. The tips of her breasts
grazed the cold marble and excited goosebumps rose over her skin.

He smacked her again, harder,
then groaned as he caressed her stinging flesh. “Fuck, Peaches. Watching your
ass turn pink is fast becoming one of my favorite things to do.”

The slap of his hand on her ass
was fast turning into another favorite of hers too but she withheld that
information and contented herself in rocking back against his rock hard
erection. He jerked against her ass and a drop of pre-cum dripped into her
crack.

With another groan he stepped
back. “It’s time, baby.”

“Yes.”

He grabbed the belt, secured it
around her waist and tested the snug fit. The tail had dropped between her butt
cheeks, the diamonds cold against her ass.

She turned and watched as he
parted her and brought the head of the lubed plug against her sensitive hole.

His face was taut with withheld
control and a deep, dark hunger she’d never seen before.

When his eyes met hers, the grey
depths were almost black with need. Harsh breaths rippled from his lips as his
other hand reached down and circled her pussy in slow caresses. “Relax,
Peaches,” he crooned.

She forced even breaths into her
lungs. He watched her face with keen eyes, gauging her breaths. As she breathed
out, he pressed down on the plug and shoved two fingers inside her.

“Zach!” Sensation like she’d
never known tore up her spine, shoving her onto her toes. “Oh God, I can’t--”

“Take it!” He held his thumb down,
his thighs parting her legs wider to step closer. “Take me!” He pinned her to
the hard surface and surged inside her. His voice, low and feral rolled roughly
over her. “Take me and know that I am yours.” His thickness bruised the walls
of her sex, filling her, pleasuring her fully and unapologetically. The newer
sensation of the plug made its presence known with each thrust, sending a different
sort of pleasure twining around that of being thoroughly fucked by a consummate
expert.

“Christ, you’re so tight, so
amazing.”

“Only for you.”

His breath rushed out, bathing
her neck in warmth as both hands circled her waist. “Tell me you adore me,
Bethany.” His voice was still razor rough with need, whatever edge he was
riding taking complete hold of him. He fucked himself deep, deeper, and she
felt his body tremble against her. The knowledge that he was as caught up in
the sensations riding her made her heart swell and turn over.

“I adore you, Zach. So much.”

He made a sound between a moan
and a choked cry. “Tell me you’re mine.”

“I’m yours. Inside and out.”

Knowing the next question that
was coming, knowing how incredibly close she was to giving in, she planted her
feet and deliberately slammed hard into his thrust.

“Fuck!” A full body shudder
rippled from his body to his. “I’m going to come, Bethany.”

She was already there. “Do it
with me, please.”

Another shudder. “Yes!”

She slammed back again and felt
the world tilt beneath her feet. Ecstasy roared, vicious and unstoppable through
her. Through the mind-blowing ride, she heard him roar his own release.

Hot gusts of semen filled her,
scalded her tight passage until she could take no more.

Against her neck, Zach panted,
sweat dripping from his body onto hers. His hands banded her as if he’d never
let her go. And she was beginning to think he never would.

Their breathing slowly returned
to the realms of normal. When he pulled out of her, she moaned. He turned her around
and slid her arms around his neck. He hugged her close again and buried his
face in her shoulder.

“You make me happy, Bethany. You
make me feel like I’m not alone.”

Tears welled her eyes and spilled
down her cheeks.

Words of love filled her heart
again, threatening to spill. While she guessed Zach wouldn’t reject them this
time, the swiftness with which she’d fallen for him, continued to fall deeper
for him despite all the threats that loomed in the horizon, frightened her.

“You’re not alone. I’m here,
baby. I’m here.”

His breath rushed out. Bending,
he picked her up and carried her next door into the large tiled shower. He set
her down and steadied her when her legs wobbled.

A cheeky grin curved his mouth.
“I love that I’ve fucked you so hard you can barely stand.”

She noted the tremble in the hand
that held her and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t go beating your chest just yet,
Savage. You don’t look too steady either.”

“Touché,” he conceded, although
his strength seemed to be returning by the minute. Certainly, his semi-hard
cock was hardening again as his gaze moved over her body to settle on the belt
still encompassing her waist.

God, the man was insatiable.

He turned on the shower and turned
to her. “You’re surprised that I’m getting hard again for you?” he mused.

“Do you ever get tired?”

“Stop looking this fucking
beautiful and I’ll answer you.”

She rolled her eyes and stood
still as he untied the belt and gently eased it out of her. Residual sensation
made her bite her lip. He dropped the belt on the bench and drizzled soap over
her body. He washed her thoroughly and she returned the favour before they
headed to the bedroom.

Her stomach growled loudly and he
looked over at her. “Midnight snack?”

She nodded eagerly. “Please.” She
followed him into the dressing room and watched him tug a silk lounger over his
delectable ass.

She’d thought him insatiable
minutes ago. And yet, here she was ogling him, ready to jump him again. He
straightened, raked a hand through his damp hair and her insides turned over
with desire.

God…

She looked up and caught his
grin. “When you’ve talked yourself out giving in to your dirty, dirty thoughts,
come and find me in the kitchen.”

His deep laugh as she punched his
arm resonated within her and she found herself grinning as she hunted through
his side of the dressing room for a T-shirt.

She tugged it on, breathing the
mingled scent of Zach’s masculinity, aftershave and cleanliness. A smile
tugging her lips at her stupid, swooning emotions she was about to leave the
room when the beep stopped her.

Turning in the doorway she tried
to locate the source of the familiar text alert. She recalled that Zach had
hung on to her phone earlier when she’d asked him for it.

She picked up his discarded
jacket and hunted into the pockets until she found her phone.

The text was from Keely but it
was only to alert her that she had mail. She closed the text box and activated
her email. Sure enough, Keely had sent her a message. Bethany touched on the
little envelope next to her friend’s name and the box expanded.

The message was short and
succinct.

***

Zach walked into the bedroom ten
minutes later, his frown deepening when he didn’t immediately see Bethany. He
was about to head back out when he saw movement from the corner of his eye.

He altered course toward the
dressing room and sucked in a stunned breath when he saw her crumpled on the
floor, her features ashen as she stared at her phone screen.

Rushing the last few steps, he
dropped to his knees in front of her. “Bethany, what’s wrong?”

She looked up and the pain in her
eyes sliced through his soul. “Keely sent me this.”

Tilting the phone, she showed him
the message.

A beautiful life cut short. Are you not afraid you’ll be next?

Chapter Thirty-One

Bethany walked into Zach’s San
Francisco Palisades home just after midday the next day expecting another
architectural masterpiece that bore very little signs of who Zach Savage was.
She was proved wrong immediately.

Well used surf boards lined the
wide grey hallway that led to a vast open plan living room that gave floor to
ceiling views of Bay Bridge from the exclusive corner of the world Zach truly
called home.

The furnishings were big and
comfortable and lived-in. A signed baseball glove sat on the large cedarwood
coffee tale hewn from a whole tree trunk and swim trophies covered the large
fireplace that dominated one side of the room.

The surprising insight into his
life however didn’t distract her from the man himself. His face was set in
harsh lines of fury, much the same as they had been when he’d picked her up off
the floor in their Bangkok suite and carried her to the living room.

He’d poured a brandy and stood
over her as she’d sipped the strong liquor.

Then just like he’d done with her
iPad, he’d taken her phone and handed it to a summoned Philip. It was returned
less than ten minutes later.

“Keely didn’t send you that text.
Your phone was hacked.” Zach’s voice, blade thin and lethal had frozen her
relief that her best friend hadn’t been responsible for the pain clawing
through her.

“Who did?”

“The same person who sent you the
message to your iPad.”

Frowning, she’d stared at him.
“But why send it from Keely?”

His look of guilt sent alarm bells
clanging wildly. “Because I blocked all non-essential calls on your phone the
day we left Italy.”

“
What
? What gave you right? And who were the essential people you
chose?”

“Your parents and Keely.”

“We need to have a serious
conversation about the things you feel you need to protect me from, Zach. But
first, please tell me what the hell is going on?” she’d demanded.

Fury had pulsed from him as his
jaw clenched. “Time to bring this thing to an end.”

Now, Bethany watched him pace his
living room, his cell phone glued to his ear, and her insides churned.

The whole flight home, he’d kept
her in his sights as if she would disappear the moment he looked away. The
terror in his eyes when he’d read the message would live with her forever.

It hadn’t been terror born of
guilt. It had been terror that the simple text message would drive her away
once and for all.

His eyes had tracked her as he
called his lawyer; his demands uncompromising. After he finished, they’d
dressed, packed and headed to the airport.

It was a testament to Zach’s
power and influence that he’d had a private plane fuelled and waiting by the
time Philip drove them onto the tarmac.

For a tiny moment, she feared
what he would do to the person who’d sent her texts messages.

“The meeting’s in half an hour.
Would you like something to eat? Or to take a shower?” he asked, that probing
look fixed on her.

She didn’t feel much like eating.
And she didn’t think her stomach could hold any food seeing as it performed a
triple somersault each time she thought of what lay ahead. “I could use a
bathroom.”

He nodded, came over and took her
hand, the apprehensive look still lurking in his eyes. “I’ll show you where it
is.”

The bedroom he led her to was
suspended over a shallow cliff, the view so breath-taking she froze for a
second. “Do you like it?”

Just like in Italy, his gaze
searched her as he questioned her. She nodded. “The view is amazing. And this
place…it feels like a home.”

He nodded thoughtfully and
pointed to the glass door to the side of the room.

Bethany washed quickly, dug her
toothbrush from her purse and ran it over her teeth. Then she re-knotted her
hair and adjusted the sleeve of the light blue jacket she’d worn over her
white, summer dress.

Zach was waiting outside when she
emerged feeling a little less travel-worn.

“We need to leave now.”

She nodded, her heart jumping
into her throat. She would know Zach’s deepest, darkest secret before
nightfall. Zach Savage wasn’t prone to making irrational judgments and as
Philip drove them towards the offices of Reed, Reed & Clintons she
reiterated to herself that whatever that secret was they would work through it
together.