Intimate Kiss (Bend To My Will #3) (7 page)

“Just drinks.”

“It sounds like a date to me.”

Vivienne shook her head. “It can’t be. You were the one who said that a date is arranged in advance, and is planned.” She paused. “Clearly, I didn’t
plan
.”

For a moment, Jacob just looked at her. Vivienne’s heart pounded, and she held her breath. Yet she was still annoyed that he was giving her so much trouble about a few drinks.

Then Jacob’s eyes softened. Much to Vivienne’s amazement, he stood up, came around the desk, and reached for her hand. “Where would you like to go?” Maybe dropping by hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.

*****

Vivienne opted for the Skylark, a rooftop bar with a view of Midtown Manhattan. On the upper deck, frozen cocktails were served, so Vivienne ordered a frozen blackberry margarita. And Jacob, very appropriately, ordered a signature cocktail called the Italian Stallion, vodka mixed with other exotic ingredients.

Thankfully, Jacob didn’t give her a hard time about coming by his office, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t later. His rules didn’t apply to Vivienne during the week, so maybe there was some advantage to the weekends-only plan. Besides, he couldn’t punish Vivienne, since her act had not been a playroom transgression.

Vivienne sipped her drink, and Jacob imbibed, eating nuts with pretzels, while gulping his vodka concoction. He talked with her, ignoring the impromptu nature of the
date
, and finished his Italian Stallion. Then he flagged the waiter to order refills for both of them.

Halfway through Jacob’s second cocktail, he sprang a question on Vivienne. “I’m curious…when I met you, why didn’t you have a steady boyfriend?”

“You’re still as blunt and tactless as ever,” Vivienne said, but really didn’t mind.

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Jacob said, “you’re fairly direct yourself.”

Having no defense, Vivienne considered his question. “I dated, but I didn’t meet anyone I really clicked with.”

Jacob’s blue eyes flared with something that could only be described as lust. “I can imagine.”

“I mean
besides the sex
.”

“It’s just difficult to fathom.”

Vivienne raised a brow. “What is?”

Now Jacob seemed at a loss for words, which was something new. “You are…so passionate.”

Vivienne glanced down at her drink, then back into Jacob’s eyes.

“I just have trouble understanding why no man snatched you up.” Jacob drained his second drink, and flagged the waiter for another.

“I wasn’t waiting for that.” Vivienne was insulted. “You think a woman just lurks around, until some guy
snatches her
?” She huffed. “What century are you in?”

The waiter swooped by, and Jacob ordered another refill for each of them.

“I just meant…” Jacob eyed his empty glass. “There must be a lot of idiots out there.”

Vivienne giggled. “Now that’s something we can agree on.”

Drinking her third margarita, Vivienne was very relaxed, a little tipsy, really. She’d skipped lunch, and the alcohol on an empty stomach had quite a zing to it. She talked more, laughed more, and by the time their glasses were drained, she was pretty loose.

Jacob took notice and ordered food. Vivienne wasn’t picky, so let him select several dishes they could share. Drinks or not, she wasn’t overly hungry. Although, at Jacob’s insistence, she did eat some of the food.

Even in her inebriated state, Vivienne was aware of a change in Jacob. He was less stiff, smiled more, and really seemed to enjoy the conversation. The cocktails were potent, but that didn’t account for what she observed.

Leaving half of the food, Jacob settled the bill and said he was taking her home. That could mean a lot of things, considering how many homes he had. But after a short drive, when Ian pulled up to Vivienne’s building, her heart sank.

That was until Jacob got out and went in with her. Vivienne nodded to the night doorman, and got in the elevator with Jacob by her side. He held her hand, and when she opened her apartment door, he went inside with her.

Not knowing whether Lana was sleeping or not, Vivienne took Jacob’s hand and led him to her bedroom. Only when he shut the door behind him did she wonder whether it was a good idea or not. “You haven’t been in here before,” she said.

“No…but I am now.” Jacob pulled Vivienne into his arms and dug his hands into her hair. She melted against him, and began undoing his pants.

Jacob undressed her, before shedding the rest of his clothes. Then he lowered Vivienne onto her bed and made love to her, without ropes, blindfolds, or implements of any kind. He kissed her bare skin, and stroked his fingers over her pussy.

Then Jacob slipped his swollen cock inside her, filling her with his heat. Vivienne whimpered and, in a sensual fervor, scratched her fingernails on his back. He felt so damn good, and her sex clenched hard over him.

When Vivienne stiffened, she knew it was too late to hold back. Jacob pulsed inside her, and they came together, breathing hard. On the other side of her peak, Vivienne was a bit delirious. A combination of the alcohol and Jacob making love on her bed was intoxicating.

“Jacob...”

Although he was silent, Vivienne knew that something was different for Jacob too. And that was a good thing. He stuffed a pillow under his head and pulled her next to him. She closed her eyes while he stroked her arm.

Expecting Jacob to spend the night was asking for too much. After a while, he released her and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her, reaching for his pants. The skyscrapers outside her window illuminated the bedroom, making Jacob’s scars visible. The eerie light gave them a jagged, angry appearance. Vivienne wondered what horrible cruelty had marred Jacob for life.

Jacob slipped on his pants, then reached for his shirt. Vivienne traced a raised scar across his back with her fingertips. In a whisper, she said, “What happened to you, Jacob?”

But he didn’t reply, just put on his shoes and went to the door. Jacob didn’t look back. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said. “I’m looking forward to another weekend with you, baby.” Then he left, shutting the door behind him.

Chapter 7

Without regret for what had happened, Jacob shut the door to Vivienne’s bedroom and left her apartment. Throughout the past week, he’d reached for the hard liquor again, although it did little good. The dreams were more persistent, making sleep difficult. And during the day, life seemed uncomfortably empty without Vivienne.

When she had dropped by Jacob’s office unexpectedly, he’d been glad to see her. But he certainly couldn’t encourage such behavior. Cocktails midweek? Vanilla sex in her bed? What next? He couldn’t account for his behavior, but he needed to be more cautious.

Jacob had to regain the control that had slipped from his grasp. So when the next evening finally arrived, and Ian brought Vivienne to the penthouse, Jacob took the reins. The playroom rules were enforced, and, much to his relief, there was no argument about it.

Vivienne willingly submitted, and Jacob’s confidence surged. It was only their second weekend at the penthouse, but already he’d forged new boundaries. That she allowed Jacob to initiate ever more challenging play inspired him, and he was certain their future held much more.

But Jacob hadn’t forgotten the unplanned drinks, nor had he forgotten making love to Vivienne in her bed. Both had been risks, and threatened to give Vivienne false hope. There was no question that she would accept romantic dates, if he offered such. Lest he disappoint her, Jacob needed to be more careful. But Vivienne had a way of getting to him.

*****

On Monday, Jacob put the erotic weekend with Vivienne out of his mind, or tried to. She wasn’t far from his thoughts, but he had business matters to attend to. When he arrived that morning, Jacob called Meg in to give her instructions for the day. Plus, he needed to wrap up the project from last week they’d gone over, since Friday had been so busy that they hadn’t resumed that discussion.

His assistant wore a skirt and jacket that flattered her trim form. Her deep red hair was swept into a trendy ponytail. Jacob could see why Vivienne had been jealous. He smiled to think of it. “As soon as you reach the restaurant owner, put him through,” Jacob said. “We are close to securing that deal. I’m already envisioning our wines in his establishments…worldwide.”

Meg nodded. “I will. Right away.” But she didn’t leave.

“Is there something else?”

“Not that it’s my business, but who was the gorgeous blonde that came to see you?” Meg stood in front of his desk, waiting for his reply. It was a fair question, since Jacob didn’t normally have women dropping by his office unannounced.

“You’re right,” Jacob said. “It’s not your business.” He frowned to let her know it wasn’t a subject that he preferred to discuss at length, and he wasn’t about to reveal anything about his private life to Megan. “I met her recently. Her name is Vivienne Lake. She owns Vee’s Perfumes.”

That seemed to be a sufficient answer. Meg wouldn’t know whether it was business or pleasure. “Okay, just wondering. I knew you didn’t have any appointments on the schedule late that day.”

Jacob studied a document on a stack of papers, and after a moment, Meg headed toward her desk. “I’ll get to work,” she said, not inquiring further about Vivienne. That was just as well, because it wasn’t a door he cared to open.

Jacob’s sexual lifestyle was private, and he intended to keep it that way. Not even his family knew of his preferences, nor did they need to. He was often seen at events with escorts, which was good enough. The fact that he hadn’t settled down with any one woman was attributed to the long hours he worked, and the amount of travel involved.

Yet Megan’s curiosity had stirred conflicting emotions. Jacob had kept his business separate from his pleasure, or that was how it had been. Once the weekend had ended, no matter the woman who had shared his playroom, it was over and he returned to business.

It had been easy to separate the two, and for Jacob to keep his mind clear during the week, in order to devote his attention to his company. It was frustrating that Vivienne wouldn’t stay in the part of his life where she belonged. Either she appeared unannounced, or the mere mention of her name clouded Jacob’s focus.

Enough of that
. There was a pressing issue Jacob needed to address. His frustrations with a certain woman would have to wait. He had scheduled a meeting with Stephen Walsh, hoping his investigator had insight into the distributor problem.

Normally, Jacob held meetings in the conference room, but this was different. It was better for Walsh to have access to his computer, because he had cutting-edge programs at hand. The quick access for information was advantageous, and avoided having to wait for answers.

The investigations room was busy. Importing wasn’t as simple as it sounded, not when the company had grown to the level of Rinaldi. Smooth operations depended on reliable information in many areas. Jacob walked through the room, nodding at one of the staff members who looked up.

At the back of the room, Jacob knocked on the door, then opened it. “Good morning, Walsh.”

Stephen Walsh was early thirties, and had a wealth of experience that belied his young age. His brown hair was buzzed on the sides, longer on the top, and his green eyes could be intimidating, if you didn’t know him. The man had a good build, and a strong jaw, his physical stature in line with his competence at his job.

“Good morning, Mr. Rinaldi.”

Jacob sat in the available chair. The office, including the desk, looked messy. But Walsh was sharp as a razor’s edge, and the busy appearance was just part of working at a furious pace. There was no need to ask for information, since the investigator was already fishing through a pile of papers.

Walsh handed a folder across the table. “I’ve made some headway on our dilemma,” he said. “It’s all in there. I didn’t email, despite the internal security we have.” He looked directly at Jacob. “I think it’s wise to deal in person on this.”

The implications weren’t lost on Jacob. “You think someone within the company is involved?”

“Let’s say I haven’t ruled it out,” Walsh said. “We do have active opposition, and it only makes sense to have an inside man.”

“What have you found out?”

“What’s interesting,” Walsh said, “is that the encouragement to buy direct, to bypass our company as the importer, and cut us out of the transaction…is not coming from
one source
.”

“That’s more alarming than I thought,” Jacob said. “I’d hoped to get to the man responsible, and rapidly shut the threat down.”

Walsh rocked back in his chair. “My gut tells me that it is one man, using others as a smokescreen. It makes it more difficult to finger the right guy.”

“So what next?”

“Study the information in my reports. I think I’m on track here,” Walsh said. “It’s going to take some work, but we have friends out there. The other importers will co-operate.”

“Of course,” Jacob said. “They don’t want the same thing to happen to them.”

“Which brings up another point, one I’m sure you thought of,” Walsh said. “Rinaldi is the target of this underhanded operation. Why is that?”

Jacob furrowed his brow. “I have thought about that, quite a lot.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “The thing is…I don’t know.”

“Well, that question is on my list. I intend to find out…because that may be the lead we are looking for.” Walsh leaned back in his chair, a sign that he was finished for right then.

“Okay, Walsh. I don’t need to tell you how important this is.” Jacob stood up. “Losing distributors will impact us heavily. I don’t want to see those losses mounting up.”

“Yes, sir. It’s my top priority.” Walsh swiveled his chair and went back to the computer.

There was no more information to be had, so Jacob left. The issue was in competent hands. With Walsh directing the investigation and his capable team backing him up, the investigation would get the attention it deserved. Jacob had confidence in his staff, but he planned to look into the matter on his own, too. He had contacts and friends in the industry that Walsh couldn’t reach. But whatever it took, the threat had to be handled.

Late that morning, Jacob texted his tech supervisor about brainstorming a new system, currently in the testing stages. Trace Farrington was also a good friend. They had known each other before working at Rinaldi. The man’s technical skill equaled Jacob’s, and that was saying a lot.

Trace replied: On
my way to lunch. I can meet this afternoon.

That was Trace. He was skilled in his field, and Jacob trusted him. But he wasn’t married to the job. Trace invested his talent after hours, as much as during, and had no problem attracting women to entertain him. The man wasn’t one to work through lunch, and Jacob wondered if he had a date.

But Jacob didn’t have to wonder for very long. While still holding his phone, about to answer, Trace swaggered into the office. He had his arm around Lana. Her long brown hair flowed over her shoulders, and her light brown eyes sparkled. Clearly she had fallen for Trace’s charm.

The amazing part was that Trace had been seeing her over the past several weeks. His pattern with a woman was usually to go on one or two dates, then move on. Lana was a beauty, with full lips and a lovely figure. Yet Trace only dated beautiful women, so Jacob was puzzled. Was Trace more serious about his one?

“Hey, Jacob…you remember Lana.”

Lana stepped forward with Trace still keeping his hand on her waist. She shook Jacob’s hand. “Good to see you again, Jacob.”

For a fleeting moment, Jacob wondered if Lana knew he’d been in Vivienne’s bedroom the other night. Then he brushed it aside. He wasn’t about to be intimidated by this woman. If he wanted to share Vivienne’s bed, he would. Jacob didn’t need approval.

“Hello, Lana.” Jacob looked back at Trace. “So you two are off to lunch?”

Ignoring Jacob’s question, Trace hugged Lana and said, “Did you hear? Lana is in
School of Rock
at the Kraine.”

“Congratulations, Lana.” It was all Jacob could think of to say. Clearly, Trace was infatuated, either with Lana or the fact that she’d been cast in a musical. Or maybe both.

“Did Vivienne mention it to you?” Lana said.

“Uh, she may have,” Jacob said. “I’m sure she is excited for you.”

“She is…very excited.” Lana continued to bubble with that excitement. “Vivienne will be there to see my performance. She wouldn’t miss it.”

“You’ll be there, won’t you?” Trace said, clueless as to the predicament he put Jacob in.

“What? When is it? I’m not sure…” Jacob failed to come up with a quick excuse.

Lana beamed. “It’s this Friday night. Vivienne will be there. I can’t believe she hasn’t told you. She wouldn’t want to attend with anyone but
you
.”

Jacob was backed into a corner. The idea of taking an escort was out of the question, since the only reason he entertained going to the show was because of Vivienne. And for Lana too, who would not understand his refusal. Worse, if Jacob did not arrange to go with Vivienne, she might very well find another escort. Considering how peeved Vivienne would be at what she would consider his
rudeness
, she probably
would
do that.

There was no way out of the situation. “I’ll arrange it with Vivienne. I’m sure she mentioned it. I wouldn’t miss it,” Jacob said. “It will be a special night for you, Lana.”

“Wonderful,” Lana said. “It means a lot to me that you and Vivienne will be there.”

Trace ignored the look that Jacob gave him, and took Lana’s hand. “We have reservations, and need to get going. Let’s get together later about that new system,” he said, and the couple disappeared into the hallway.

Jacob dropped his head into his hands. This wasn’t good. Another unexpected outing with Vivienne was disconcerting. It wasn’t that Jacob didn’t want to see her, but he feared he was walking on thin ice. He couldn’t account for his actions, and remained annoyed with himself that he would do something as careless as make love to Vivienne in her own apartment. How could he expect her to respect boundaries if
he didn’t
? And now he’d agreed to a weeknight event.

There was another snag. Friday evening was the start of Jacob’s weekend with Vivienne. Instead of being locked away in the playroom, Jacob would be watching a musical, and socializing with friends. That was not his preference, but the decision had been taken out of his hands. Telling Lana that he didn’t want to take Vivienne to the show had not been an option.

Yet Jacob wondered about how Vivienne had intended to work this out. She had been expected at the penthouse on Friday night, but hadn’t informed Lana that she had other plans. She was in a similar bind, unable to refuse to attend her friend’s performance. But in her case, Vivienne would really want to go to the show.

Jacob dialed the phone, and Vivienne picked up on the second ring.

“When were you going to tell me?”

“Jacob?”

“Trace just left my office with Lana on his arm. And you’ll never guess…they invited me to her performance on Friday,” Jacob said.

There was silence on the phone.

“I believe you double-booked for Friday night.” Jacob couldn’t disguise his frustration. “How did you plan to handle that, Vivienne?”