How You Take Me (2 page)

“
The machine got everything, all our responses.
My breathing, your heart rate, our pulses, every change and reaction
in both our minds and bodies. It's all good. It is perfect. It's
done.”

She swallowed. “Done? So...are you saying
that—that your work is done? And...I—I am no longer
needed?”

“
Not needed?” Those words felt like a punch
in his gut. “Sophia, I need you. I need you and I want you,”
he said unequivocally.
I want
you to be mine,
for
always
.

He watched her blush deepen. She was really so pretty.
After a long while, Sophia said softly, “Julian, you just gave
me the most earth-shattering orgasm. I can hardly stand up right
now.”

He laughed. “I'm glad to hear that.”
And
I will make you come, again...in my bed.
Fighting to control his
surging desires, Julian grabbed her and growled, “I will give
you more and I will take you, Sophia.” His voice and
expression softened. “But not tonight. Tonight I just want
you to sleep with me. Just sleep, and feel safe with me. I just
want to hold you and have you in my bed. And wake up with you in my
arms. Tonight, and every...”

He stopped, seeing the uncertainty in her large, wide
eyes.

Inwardly, he cursed himself for withdrawing from her the
past two weeks. He had hurt her by keeping his distance from her.
He didn't want to push her away anymore. He would let her know how
he truly felt about her.

Taking a shuddering breath, he began slowly, putting
into words the feelings he had tried so hard to fight off. But he
just couldn't fight them any longer. They were too damn strong, and
too damn real. She listened in silence as he told her everything—his
feelings, his fears, his hopes, his wants. “I'm still falling,
Sophia,” he finished quietly. “I don't think I will ever
stop falling for you.”

He gazed at the top of her bent head, wondering what
was going through her mind right now. Had he pushed her too far? He
had glimpsed the hurt and deep fear that she tried so hard to hide
from everyone, including herself. Maybe he should have given her
more time.

When she jerked her head up, mischief and defiance
flashed across her face. “Tell me what you told me in my room,
when you tucked me into bed and watched me sleep. Tell me what you
said to me when you thought I was sleeping,” she demanded.
“Tell me what you could only say when you thought I couldn't
hear you.”

Her open challenge threw him off. But he couldn't help
smiling. “Oh, Sophia.” He kissed her hair. “You
heard everything.”

“
Yes I did.”

“
Okay, so—since you heard everything, tell
me,” he challenged back. “Tell me what I said.”

“
You...” she huffed and began to chew her
lip. “You said...you said that...”

“
I love you,” he whispered in her ear.

Sophia jolted at his words.

Julian took her face in both his hands. “I love
you, Sophia.” Pressing his forehead to hers, he said, “Talk
to me, about you.”

She frowned, her defenses rising instinctively. “Why?”

“
I want to know more about you. I want to know
all about you. I want to know you, Sophia,” he told her
tenderly.

Refusing to let her look away from him, he held her chin
and tilted it up. “Look at me, Sophia. Look at me. What do
you see?”

“
I see you, Julian,” she whispered at last.
“And...I see me.”

“
Let me know you, Sophia. Let me see you.”
Let me love you.

He was about to kiss her but the loud buzzing at the
door made Sophia jerk back from him. She looked shaken. “Go
see who it is, Julian. It must be an emergency. I'm okay. I'll be
in my room,” she said, backing away.

At the top of the stairs, Julian looked over his
shoulder again to see Sophia standing by the door to her room. She
gave him a small smile and retreated hurriedly into her room. Seeing
her door close, he jogged down the stairs to answer the insistent
buzzing. Who could be at his gate at this late hour?

He pressed the intercom and a voice he didn't think he
would remember came floating out of the speaker like a ghost from the
past.

“
Hello Julian. Aren't you going to open the gates
for me?”

Julian closed the door to his office and turned around
to face the curvy, blond woman who had just materialized at his gate
in the middle of the night. He had opened the gates for her and
allowed her into his house. Since he wanted to make it clear that
this visit should be of an official and not personal nature despite
the late hour, he had suggested they talk in his office. He gestured
stiffly towards the leather chairs. “Take a seat...”

“
Aleisha.” The woman arched a thin,
well-drawn eyebrow. “Are you faking it, Dr. James? You really
don't remember my name?” She let out a sharp, brittle laugh.
“After what you did to me that night...are you sure you can't
remember me?”

“
I remember you, Aleisha,” Julian replied.
And he remembered—and regretted like hell, what he did that
night. But somehow he hadn't caught her name. Either that or he
hadn't wanted to remember her name.

He stared at her. Light, blond hair, heavily made up
face with bright red lips, ample tits and butt, flashing green eyes
that narrowed as she looked around his messy office. She was an
attractive enough woman, bold, brash and bosomy. But—he didn't
feel the fierce attraction and longing that he felt for Sophia, a
deep, piercing ache that grew and ate into his heart and his soul.
Aleisha was sexy, yes, but she wasn't Sophia. So what in the world
had made him do what he did that night? That had been a fucking
mistake!

“
Aleisha...” he began.

“
So how's your work with the sex machine?”
she cut in breezily, swiveling round in the black leather chair. “Is
the machine having the sex...or are you?” She twirled a long,
red fingernail through her hair and smirked.

“
What do you want, Aleisha?”

“
What do I want?” She tilted her head at
him. “What do you think I want, Julian?”

“
I've already paid you for your work with the
machine. And...more.” The last word came out in a strangled
whisper.

“
More?” she scoffed, leaning forward. “And
you think that was enough? That I don't deserve any...more?”

Julian shook his head. “What exactly do you want,
Aleisha? You tested the sex machine for one day, as agreed, and you
were paid the agreed amount. After that...you...we...” He
stopped abruptly, sucking in a long breath.

“
Yes? After that?” she prompted. “What
happened after that? What did you do, Julian?”

Julian's eyes flew to his desk, and Aleisha smiled.
“So...you do remember. Yes, it was on this desk, Julian.”

He closed his eyes to try to block out the image, the
memory, but it was no use. It was just after she had finished
testing the sex machine. She had been the very first test subject
for his newly completed machine. He had put up a tiny online
advertisement offering to pay a few thousand dollars for someone to
test his sex machine for just a day. He'd thought no one would
respond, but she did. The machine had worked on her just fine.
Excited and ecstatic at the success of his first experiment, he had
yielded to her suggestion that they celebrate with a few drinks. He
had opened a bottle of wine, and another, and after more than a few
drinks, Aleisha had climbed onto his lap and...one thing led to
another. Files were pushed off his desk, and zips and buttons came
undone, and they'd had sex right here, in his office, on his desk.

Julian opened his eyes to see Aleisha sitting on his
desk, almost at the exact spot where she had lain.

He swallowed hard, his throat too dry and tight. “I'm
sorry,” he told her quietly. “I shouldn't have...it was
a mistake.”

“
Oh?”

“
Yes, it was my fault. I'm truly sorry. It
was...” Julian stopped abruptly. Was he insulting her more by
apologizing? The alcohol had messed with his mind and his memory,
but if he recalled correctly, she was the one who had suggested
opening yet another bottle of wine and had initiated everything. No,
he was not trying to absolve himself of blame, but she hadn't seemed
unwilling. She had started touching him, climbing all over him,
undoing his shirt, his pants...undoing him entirely. Shit! What had
he done? What could he do now? What did she want from him? Had he
wronged her? Was he hurting Sophia?

The last thought hit him like a sucker punch to the gut.
He wanted to protect Sophia, shield her from any kind of hurt and
pain. But what was done was done. He could only try to make
things...not right, just less wrong.

He had written out a check to Aleisha for more—much
more, than the agreed sum. He remembered her kissing the check and
quipping as she left, “I haven't been pleasured so much, and
paid so well, in a long, long time, Julian. Don't forget me, okay?
I certainly won't forget you.”

Julian shook his head to try to clear it. Shoving his
hands into his pockets, he asked cautiously, “What can I do for
you, Aleisha?”

She regarded him in silence for a moment. Finally, she
pushed herself off his desk and advanced towards him. “It's
not what you can do for me, Julian.” Her voice rose. “It's
what you did, to me.”

“
Wha-what did I do?”

“
You...” She jabbed a painted nail into his
chest. “You raped me.”

“
No!” Julian reeled from the accusation.
“No, I did not...”

“
You bastard,” she hissed. “You're a
fucking bastard!”

“
Aleisha, I did not, I swear! That night, you
were all over...I mean, we, we were both...”

“
You raped me, Julian. And you're going to pay.”
Her voice was cold and brittle. “Oh, right, you said it was a
mistake. It certainly is, Dr. James. It is a very costly mistake,
for you.”

“
No...” Julian gripped the back of a chair
to steady himself. “It wasn't like that. You...you were
coming on to me, and you wanted it...you did as much and you clearly
said...I did not, Aleisha, whatever I did, I didn't rape you...”

“
You are guilty, Julian. You made a huge mistake,
and you're going to have to make good the mistake. Before it blows
up in your face, and your career and reputation get blown to
smithereens.” Her tone was strangely calm and reasonable. “I
could go to the press, the police, the public...” She ticked
off the options on her pointed, manicured fingers.

Julian met her cold, calculating gaze. He read the want
in her eyes but it was not him she wanted. She had come all this way
for it and from the steely, predatory look in her eyes, he knew that
she wasn't going to leave without it.

His mind whirled as he contemplated his next step. His
shoulders slumped as a terrible, tortuous weight pressed down on
them. It would be his word against hers. And even though she had
been the one to come on to him, and had started stroking and
stripping him as she gyrated on his lap, he couldn't deny that he had
indeed fucked her. Rape or not, he had done something he shouldn't.
It was a huge mistake. One that would cost him...

He already knew what Aleisha wanted, but he decided to
let her spell it out for him. Better than to make assumptions and
make yet another mistake.

He breathed out slowly. “What do you want,
Aleisha?”

“
Half a million dollars,” was her swift
reply.

Julian jerked back. “That's a lot...”

“
Not to a man like you,” she cooed,
inspecting her nails.

“
I just can't...” he started.

“
You can't, or you won't?”

“
Aleisha, it's not that I...”

“
All right. I see.” Her eyes glinted
dangerously as she squared her shoulders. “I see that you
don't want to make the problem go away. Fine. Then the problem will
only grow bigger. Bigger and bigger, just like my belly.” She
planted both hands on her hips and swaggered towards him. “You
see, don't you, Julian...that I'm pregnant.”

“
What?”

“
That's right, Dr. Julian James. I'm pregnant
with your baby.”

I fly down the stairs and stop breathlessly in front of
the closed double doors to Julian's ground floor office. I raised my
fist to knock on the door, but my hand is shaking so badly I can
hardly keep it in the air, let alone rap firmly on the door. Trying
to slow my frenzied heartbeat and breathing, I start to pace in
small, tight circles in front of the door. What is going on? Who is
this woman who has chosen to materialize at his doorstep in the
middle of the night, just when Julian finally tells me that he loves
me? She has obviously been here before. She knows the way to his
office, and has brazenly pushed her way in without being invited.
They know each other, but how well? How close are they? Who the
hell is she?