My Wicked Valentine (Club Wicked 1) (8 page)

His nostrils flared, and he closed his eyes. “Lucia, you are
playing with fire.”

Startled, she took a step back. “I—I’m sorry.”

“I don’t mind a bit of flirting, and there is no way I can
be around you and not be attracted to you, but this is not a good idea.”

“Oh, okay.” Stung by his rejection, she crossed her arms
over her chest in a vain effort to shield her stupid heart. “No big deal. It
would be better if we remained strictly platonic while alone.”

He opened his eyes a crack. “Well, maybe we could make a
tiny exception.”

She shook her head and moved away to the blanket, spotting a
piece of chocolate that had comfort written on it. “Nope, you’re right. I never
want to be involved with a man who questions if he should be with me.”

The blanket must be filled with down feathers, because when
she lay on her back and picked a chocolate off the tray, she sank back into its
fluffy comfort. He joined her a moment later, but she ignored him and watched
the thin clouds pass by the moon. Three pieces of chocolate later, she was more
pissed at herself than at him. He was being a gentleman, trying to do the right
thing while she threw herself at him.

He sat up on his elbows and took a slug of the champagne and
looked out at the garden. “You know, Sara’s husband had these rosebushes
brought in from all around the world. One bush from each place they’d visited.
The collection of French roses are among the best anywhere.”

“That is lovely.” She sat up and grabbed the bottle from
him, not giving a crap if her stomach pouched out a bit. Curves all over meant
curves on bellies as well. Not that half the starving women at this club would
know that. She’d seen bare bellies all night taut enough to bounce a quarter
off.

Male and female.

The cool alcohol hit her tongue, and she took a long drink,
reveling in the bursting of bubbles that tickled her as only champagne could.
She broke off and examined the label of the bottle. “Jeez, Louise! We shouldn’t
be drinking this! This is for super special occasions, like weddings and
funerals.”

“Or for enjoying on a beautiful summer’s night in January.”
He seemed amused by her shock.

With a laugh she considered this and shook her head. “You’re
darn right it is.” She then took one last slug of the champagne and handed the
bottle back to him with a giggle.

He did that weird stare again, then burst out laughing. He
looked so hot when he was laughing. Then again he’d probably look hot to her
brushing his teeth in the morning. Or doing…things to her. Things she’d never
even considered but now couldn’t wait to try with the right guy.

“Look, Mr. Jaded, I’m sorry, but to those of us not living
in the top one percent, this is pretty amazing.” She picked a peach slice and
bit into it with a moan. “Have you tasted this fruit? It is unreal. I haven’t
had peaches this fresh since the last time I visited my grandma’s home down in
Mexico.”

“Pick one for me and feed it to me with your fingers.”

She paused in the act of licking peach juice from her
fingers. “Pardon me?”

“You heard me. Your rhapsodizing about the food has made me
hungry. And since it is your fault, you will alleviate the hunger you’ve
started.”

“Are you sure?”

“That I’m hungry? Yes.”

She frowned at him. “You know what I mean. Your ‘this is a
mistake’ speech earlier didn’t seem to indicate a hunger of any kind.”

He ducked his head and gave her a crooked smile. “I’m
reevaluating the rules of our partnership. They now include you feeding me. Do
you find those terms acceptable?”

“What do I get out of it?”

“Tomorrow night I’ll make you orgasm with one kiss.”

She stared at him and started to giggle. “Are you going to
slip me some Ecstasy?”

“No, and I will never touch you with my hands on your flesh.
The only skin that will touch is our lips, and I promise you that you will
orgasm like you never have before. Now, about that fruit?”

She was afraid if she pressed her thighs together, she would
come, but damn, she’d have to be a fool to pass up an opportunity like that.
Even if they were just business partners, it didn’t mean they couldn’t both be
adults about it. “Yes, sir.” She crawled over to the food and put a little
slink in her stride. With the cat mask, moving like a feline became fun. While
her butt was still in the air, she picked up a slice of peach with her teeth.

She was determined to get a kiss from him tonight to figure
out what he intended for her. Lightly sucking on the peach, she unzipped her
catsuit until her breasts were about falling out. With a slow arch, she turned
and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Isaac gripped the blanket with both
fists, and his body seemed to thrum with tension. His big cock certainly
appreciated her display. It filled out the front of his slacks, and she almost
growled with need.

Good Lord, put a cat face on her, and she turned into some
kind of kinky sex beast. She’d like to blame it on the champagne, but since the
moment she’d met the man, her body had cried out for her to take him. To be his
and to make him hers. It was irrational, stupid even, considering his repeated
statements about not wanting a relationship, but she wanted him more than she
wanted air. Somehow she should be able to keep her heart out of this, to keep
it just physical between them.

His blue eyes blazed as she neared, but he held up his hand.
“Take it out of your mouth and put it between your breasts.”

Flushing, she hesitated and removed the peach. Keeping her
eyes down, she traced the fruit along the side of her neck, the side still
tingling from his kiss, and pressed it between her breasts.

“Now, go sit on the edge of the fountain, but don’t lose the
fruit.”

She cocked her head and raised her eyebrows, but he gave her
a cool, almost impassive look. It seemed like the more they played the more focused
he got. Goodness, what would it be like to have his attention totally on her?
What would it feel like to have a man touch her who keyed in to every nuance of
her body?

Pressing her arms against the sides of her breasts kept the
fruit in place, she zipped up the top a bit more and let go of her breasts.
Isaac stood, and some trick of the light hid half his face from her in shadows.
“Lie down.”

She cleared her throat but complied, stretching out on the
wide marble shelf surrounding the fountain and enjoying the cool breeze of the
mist. As she stared at the figures from this angle, she started to sit up.
“Hey, this statue—“

Her words cut off as he slid one arm behind her back and
licked his way down the side of her neck, following the trail of the peach. Lust
flamed through her body, and she ached for him. She wanted to taste him, smell
him, be his. With a low growl he rasped his tongue over the top of the fruit,
and he slowly ate it from the valley between her breasts.

She clutched him to her, unashamed and desperate in her
need. His laughter vibrated against her skin as she tried to guide him to a
nipple.

With one deft move, he lowered her back to the fountain’s
wide ledge and pinned her hands above her head. “You don’t get to decide what I
do, Kitten.”

“Okay, seriously, if you don’t do something, I’m going to
die right here, right now, of unfulfilled lust. I’ll haunt you for the rest of
your days.”

He grinned and shook his head. “No wonder you like Chloe.
You’re both more than honest when riled.”

She closed her eyes and counted to ten. “Isaac, will you
please make me come?”

“No.”

“You suck.”

“I know, Kitten. But I want to take things slow, to savor
you. When you rush, you miss all the good stuff.” He helped her off the edge of
the fountain. “Besides, I promised you an orgasm with just one kiss, and I
intend to deliver.”

“It had better be the best damned orgasm I’ve ever had, or
your face is going to be between my legs quicker than you can blink.”

He wrapped her hair in his hand and pulled her forward, his lips
moving against her ear as he spoke. “Kitten, believe me when I say that doing
what I tell you instead of what you think you want will be far more pleasurable
than you can imagine.”

Her scalp tingled as he released her hair, and she took a
step back and sighed. “I’m tired, and I’d like to get some sleep if you aren’t
going to give me any relief.” She fluttered her lashes at him, and he laughed.

“You are oh so dangerous. Come on, Kitten. I have blankets
in the limo, and you can sleep on my shoulder on the way back.” He pulled her
into his arms and hugged her, his warmth spreading through her and turning her
bones to mush.

“I’m not tired.”

“I know.”

“Well, maybe I’m a little sleepy.” She yawned and moved out
of his arms, heading for the elevator. “FYI, I snore, but if you wake me up
fast, I wake up violent.”

He shook his head. “You are one unique woman.”

“Damn skippy.”

Isaac tried to pay attention to the droning lecture his twin
sister, Gloria, was giving him about their West Coast headquarters, but he
couldn’t focus on anything but thoughts of Lucia. The way her body looked with
that catsuit painted on it. How soft her hair felt wrapped around his fist and
how easily she gave in to his desires. But could she really handle how dark his
passions ran? Could she truly give herself to him?

That annoyed tone in Gloria’s voice broke through his
thoughts. “And that’s why I’m going to ride an elephant in South Africa for the
next two weeks.”

He laced his hands behind his head and leaned back in his
chair. “Excellent. Maybe that ride will finally dislodge the stick up your
ass.”

Her blue eyes much like his narrowed, and she stalked over
to his desk and picked up his letter opener that could be mistaken for a dagger
and pointed it at his neck. “It’s actually a monkey up my ass, thank you, and
I’ll have you know he and I are quite fond of each other.” Then she laughed and
set the letter opener back down. “So what has you so preoccupied? I know these
reports are dull, but I could have been up there giving a speech about snails
for all the attention you paid.”

“It’s nothing.” He sat up and opened the file containing the
figures for last month’s orange shipments out of California. “How are things
going with that new distributor?”

She shook her head and tapped her long pink nail on the
surface of his desk. “No, it’s more than that. I know that evasive look you get
when you’re not telling me something. Fess up, or I’ll set my spies on you.”

Isaac sighed and rested his face in his hands. She wasn’t
joking. If she felt he was hiding something important, she might try to bribe
his staff. The last thing he needed was his sister offending his workforce. The
term
boundaries
and Gloria didn’t
mix.

“I’m thinking about the Valentine’s Day party at Wicked.”

She made a face. “I don’t want to hear about your freaky sex
club.”

He snorted. “This from the woman who stood in a prostitute’s
window for an hour in her underwear in Amsterdam.”

“It was a dare! And aren’t you trying to get on their board
of members or something? I remember you prattling about it a few weeks ago.”

“Yes, and this party is key to that.”

“So? Throw a party. Big deal. It’s not like you have no idea
what to do. Hire the right people and have it done.” Something must have shown
on his face, so she leaned closer. “Ooh, there it is. The secret.”

“She’s just the event planner.” He winced at the gleam in
his sister’s eye. A sudden protective instinct raised its head, and his voice
came out a bit harsher than he intended. “She is a good, hardworking, normal person,
Gloria. Leave her alone.”

With a satisfied smirk Gloria swept her dark hair back. “You
like her.”

“Perhaps. But it doesn’t really matter. You know I’m not
into relationships, and this girl is the marrying type.”

Gloria rubbed her thumb on her wedding band. “Isaac, not
every relationship ends badly.”

“One divorce is enough for me. I don’t want to go down that
road again, ever.”

She sighed and moved around the desk to his side, ruffling
his hair. “So you had a bad first marriage. You were young, stupid, and
arrogant. In short you were a typical teenager. Let me let you in on a little
secret. When you get married at eighteen, you really don’t know shit about
shit. In this case, you got manipulated by a cheating, evil skank who wanted
your money more than you. You’ve got to let it go, honey.”

“You’d feel different if it happened to you, if Mike had an
affair.” She flinched, and he felt guilty for hurting her. “Look, I’m sorry.”
She still looked wounded, so he gave in and told her the truth. “I’m on edge because
I have a date with her tonight, and I’m a little stressed about it.”

“That is so cute!”

He stiffened and glared at her. “What?”

“You’re nervous about a date because she actually means
something to you.”

He wanted to deny it, but lying to his twin wasn’t easy.
“Maybe.” He was also unsure about his self-control around Lucia. She brought
out the beast in him without even trying. He planned on not giving in to his
desires and making it all about her pleasure. That way he would keep himself
out of it and just focus on her. Yeah, once this party was over, he’d be able
to walk away without any strings attached, leaving her with good memories and a
better understanding of herself. Some lucky Dom would snatch her up, and Isaac
would continue on with his life, alone and once again in complete control of
his life and emotions. Shit, even he had to admit that made him sound like a
cold fucking bastard.

Lucia deserved better than what he could give her.

“I just don’t want to hurt her.”

“Then don’t. Give it a chance. If something happens,
awesome. If not, well, isn’t that what you want as well? It sounds like a
win-win situation.”