Mistress to the Beast (5 page)

When she plopped down in the seat cattycorner to him, Lila lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Okay. I’m here.”

A floral scent wafted to his nostrils making Hunter want to bury his face against neck. Her proximity was doing things to his equilibrium he didn’t think possible. His cock stirred and stiffened, straining against his pants. Goddamn. This woman had to be part witch because she’d cast a spell on him. There was only one way to grab control of the situation and that was to let her know right away who was in charge.

“Rule number one, when I say jump, you’ll say how high. Two, when I tell you to be somewhere at a designated time, I expect you to make every effort to make it happen.

Three, you will always be courteous to my staff. And last but not least, failure to obey my rules will result in punishment.”

Her lips twisted into a smirk. “Punishment? What do you plan on doing? Giving me a time out?”

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“You’ll find out when you fail to do as I ask.”

Mrs. Coates chose that moment to enter the dining room. “Mr. Jamison, are you ready for me to serve the meal?”

“Yes, thank you.”

The housekeeper turned to Lila. “Would you like a glass of wine, Miss Lila?”

“Yes, she would.”

With a nod Mrs. Coates left them alone once again.

Fire flashed from the depths of her golden eyes and if looks could kill, Hunter was sure he’d be dead on the spot. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. He couldn’t help admiring her spirit.

“I can speak for myself and I don’t particularly care for wine at the moment.”

“Do you have some objection to drinking alcohol?”

“I don’t, but I’d rather not have any now.”

“But I want you to have some. It would please me.”

Her lips quirked. “And what you say goes right?”

“You’re learning fast.” He allowed his gaze to drift to the tops of her breasts. Unable to go another second without touching her, Hunter reached over and ran his finger across her tantalizing décolletage.

Lila gasped, eyes widening. She jerked away from his hand. “Don’t.”

“It’s my prerogative to touch you. Remember our bargain… How is your father by the way?”

“You’re a beast,” she mumbled under her breath.

A chuckle escaped his lips. “So they say. And you, my dear, are a beauty and you’re mine—that is unless you’ve changed your mind?”

Through the narrowed slits of her eyes, Hunter thought he saw a suspicious gleam of moisture. He should have been ashamed for what he was in essence making her do, but he pushed that feeling away quickly. Lila was here of her own free will. It wasn’t as if he were holding a gun to her head to make her stay. So she could save her tears for someone 34

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Mistress to the Beast

who gave a shit. “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are when you’re angry?

I’m happy to see the clothes the personal shopper selected for you fit so well.”

Lila shrugged. “I don’t see why I couldn’t bring my own things.”

“Because it suits me to see you dressed in satins and silks. My women wouldn’t be caught in anything but the best. When our agreement is over, you may take them with you.”

The chin was raised once again. “I’ll walk away with what I came into this house with, if it’s all the same to you.”

He lifted his wine goblet and took a healthy sip before returning it to the table. “Suit yourself. They’re yours to do with as you wish.”

Mrs. Coates returned, wheeling a cart with their dinner on it.

Hunter leaned against the back of his chair, realizing Lila had barely looked at his face since she’d entered the dining room. Even those few times when she’d dared to catch his gaze, Lila had quickly looked away. The old insecurities hit him like a sledgehammer.

It doesn’t matter what she thinks. She’s yours for the taking.

With slow deliberation, he pushed his hair away from his face. A perverse need for her to look at him as he was took over. “Look at me, Lila.” He kept his voice low and soft, but left no room for doubt that he’d issued a command.

She raised her head with obvious reluctance and looked him square in eyes, gold fire sparking within the depths of her gaze. “Do you get off by telling me what to do?” She bit the words out, tight-lipped.

Hunter laughed. “Not from giving orders, but I plan on getting off in quite another way very soon.”

Mrs. Coates placed his plate in front of him, her movements stiff. She was too much of a professional to give away her true thoughts, but Hunter had a feeling his housekeeper didn’t approve of his arrangement. He’d brought women to the house before, but he’d never had one stay longer than a weekend. Not that it mattered what his employee thought anyway. This was his house, and he’d do what he saw fit in it.

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Once he and Lila were alone again, he took another sip of his wine, watching as she pushed the food around her plate with her fork, not attempting to eat any of it.

“Do you have anything against your dinner?”

Her head came up again, bewilderment crinkling her forehead.

“You’ve been stabbing that steak with your fork as if it’s done something to you. Is it too rare for your liking or do you not eat meat?”

She pushed her plate away. “I have no problem with eating meat. I’m not hungry.”

“Try to eat something. You’ll need your strength for later on.”

Her eyes widened, her mouth forming a perfect, “o”. “Look, Mr. Jamison—”

“Hunter. I hope you don’t intend to go all formal on me every time I annoy you.

Seeing as how we’ll be getting to know each other.” He paused to allow his gaze to rake over the length of her beckoning curves, quite intimately. “There’s no need for formalities.”

Closing her eyes briefly, she took a deep breath. “Hunter. This is my first night here.

Can’t we just get to know each other a little better before we do
that
?”

Raising a brow, he met her angry gaze. “Fuck you mean?”

Lila lowered her head but not before she shot him a glare. “You don’t have to be so graphic.”

“Should I pretty it up and give you some flowery speech?”

“All I want from you is to keep your promise.” Her voice was low with an undertone of fury.

Yes, she’d be a hellcat in bed. The very thought of it had his cock jumping to life, straining against his pants to break free. Shifting in his chair to alleviate the ache within his throbbing balls, Hunter knew he wouldn’t last much longer before taking her and burying himself inside her tight cunt.

He ran his tongue across his lips in anticipation. Would she taste as sweet as she looked? Examining her tightened lips and hands gripping the arms of her chair until her dark knuckles turned several shades lighter, Hunter realized he’d have to work at getting her hot.

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It was a challenge he looked forward to tackling.

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“As long as you keep yours,” Hunter finally answered. “Look, I’ve had plenty of lady friends before, but I’ve never been in an arrangement quite like this either, but it doesn’t mean I’m willing to permit you to set the pace.”

“But surely you can understand my dilemma. I’m not used to jumping into bed with men I hardly know. I’m only asking for a little time for us to be better acquainted before we sleep together.” Lila hoped her plea would appeal to his good nature, that was, if he had one.

Part of her wanted to run out of there and never look back, but what kept her planted in her seat, sitting across from this loathsome man, was thought of her father. After she’d told him Ramsey’s wouldn’t pursue buying his property, he’d seemed to lose all the worry clouding his eyes. He walked around with a spring in his step that had been missing for months and whistled, looking happier than he had in a long time. She wouldn’t have his decline on her conscience, but still, how would she get through this ordeal without losing every ounce of self-respect she possessed?

“I gave you three weeks to back out of our agreement. But the very fact that you’re here tells me you’re fully prepared to honor your end of the deal. No. I won’t allow you to fob me off now because you’ll keep coming up with excuses as to why we should wait.

In light of rearranging plans for the megaplex and in essence putting my business reputation on the line, you had better get used to the idea of sharing my bed, and fast.

And as for my sleeping with you, I have more productive things in mind than that.”

Lila willed herself to remain still, otherwise she knew she’d slap the bastard into next week. If that was the way he wanted things to go down, she’d make sure she conveyed in every look, motion and sound that she didn’t want to be here. She had agreed to allow him the use her of body, but he never said she had to like it. “Fine,” she delivered between clenched teeth.

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The sound of his chuckles were tormenting to her ears. He was getting off on her misery!

“I like your spirit, Lila Saunders, but if this is to be a battle of wills, I’ll have you know, I don’t intend to lose. And no worries, my dear, there’s no better way of getting to know each other than in bed. I look forward to the experience.”

She kept her head bowed, refusing to rise to the bait.

“Eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Eat!”

She jumped as his roar reverberated through the dining room. Did she dare defy him?

As appetizing as her meal appeared to be, her stomach was too tied in knots to ingest a single bite. But still, if she didn’t he’d press the issue. Lila didn’t think she had the strength to continue the argument. She picked up her fork and stabbed a string bean with its prongs before popping it into her mouth. The vegetable could have been cardboard as far as she was concerned. She tasted nothing. “There. I ate.”

Hunter watched her with those devastating green eyes, his expression giving nothing away. Would he take this as an act of disobedience? He lifted his wine glass and downed the remainder of its contents and stood up. “If you’re through, then by all means, let’s retire.”

When he held out his hand to her, panic set in. There had to be a way to buy some more time. Lila shook her head. “Just give me tonight. I promise, I’ll be ready for you tomorrow.”

Nostrils flared as he narrowed his eyes. “Lila, I don’t make a habit of repeating myself. Get up now or by God, I’ll drag you upstairs.”

“Sir, is there anything else you’ll need?” Mrs. Coates poked her head into the dining room.

“Go away!” Hunter growled.

The older woman disappeared as quickly as she appeared.

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Lila gasped. “Do you make a habit of talking to your staff that way? You are a hypocrite. How can you expect other people to be courteous to those who work for you, when you don’t know the meaning of the word?”

For his answer he grabbed her by the arm, practically yanking it out of its socket as he hauled her out of her seat and pulled her roughly against his body.

Her fighting instinct emerged. She didn’t care what kind of bargain they had, there was no way she’d let him get away with manhandling her. Lashing out, she smacked his broad chest. “Don’t ever do that to me again! You have no right—”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Lila. My house, my rules. You didn’t have to agree to the terms set before you, but you did so now you’ll have to deal with the consequences.

So far my words have had no effect on you so I think the time calls for action.”

Before she could utter another word of protest, Hunter bent over to lift and toss her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The wind whooshed out of her lungs, making it difficult for her to speak. Stunned, she hung helplessly as he strode out of the dining room, took the stairs two at a time and carried her to a bedroom she assumed was his.

Once her feet touched the floor again, her ability to talk had returned and she was pissed!

“Who the hell do you think you are? I’m not a rag doll you can lug around as you please.”

Hunter’s response was to loosen his tie and shrug out of his black dining jacket. His outward calm only served to enrage her further.

“Did you hear me?” she yelled.

He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a chest Mr. Olympus would have been proud of.

Her gaze slid along the crested hills of his torso, sprinkled liberally with dark blond hair that trailed down the center of hard rippled abs. He’d seemed huge with his clothes on, but topless, he was a hulk.

Lila gulped, taking a step back. Shaking her head as though to deny what was happening, she held her hands out in front of her. “Don’t.”

He unbuckled his belt and pulled it out of the loops of his pants. “As we’ve already established, there’s no backing out.”

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“No. You established it. I didn’t. I don’t think it was asking too much of you to give me a little time to adjust to this situation.”

“But I believe it was. Just as it was a lot for you to ask me to rearrange my plans for a multi-million dollar project, which took weeks of finagling to get the board to agree to.

I complied with your plea because I thought you to be a woman of your word. Was I wrong about you, Lila? Are you the type of woman who’ll make pretty promises until she gets what she wants and then doesn’t fulfill them?”

“No. When I say I’ll do something I will…” With a groan, she covered her mouth.

She’d basically backed herself in a corner. If she didn’t go through with this, she would look like she was reneging and, judging from the smug smirk tilting those sensually curved lips, Hunter knew it too.

Damn him.

“That’s what I thought.” Kicking out of his pants, he placed his hand on the elastic band of his black boxers.

Lila shook her head, closing her eyes at the sight of his cock tenting his silk underwear. She wrapped her arms around her body, letting her mind wander to any place other than here. Once he touched her, there would be no going back. She’d be no better than a whore.