Rules of Harte (Harte Series #1) (6 page)

BOOK: Rules of Harte (Harte Series #1)
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An instant message appeared. Eva’s heart raced but she embraced the moment.

Julian:
Good Evening, Evangeline. Sorry I’m late.

Eva looked at her watch. It was 8.02pm.

Eva135:
Two minutes? I would hardly call that late.

Julian:
Late is late. I’ll understand if you want to forfeit our arrangement.

             
Eva pressed the heel of her hand between her eyes. He was arrogant and insistent earlier. She’d worried about it all day. She even bought new, ridiculously expensive and very uncomfortable underwear on her way home from work, and now, for the sake of two minutes, he wanted to bail out on her.
No bloody way.
He wasn’t calling all the shots.

Eva135:
Of course not. We had an agreement.

Julian:
Good. Shall we start?

Wow, he wasn’t wasting any time. Eva looked at the bottle of Pinot Grigio resting beside her keypad. She had only poured one glass and it was still half full. She’d hoped they would chat for a while. Or at least long enough for her to knock back some dutch-courage. Eva picked up her glass and drained it before shakily pouring another.

Eva135:
Ok.

Julian:
I know you like games, Evangeline. So let’s make this a little more interesting.

No, no I don’t, Eva thought.
Damn it, why hadn’t she set him straight earlier?

Julian:
Agreed?

Eva135:
Agreed on what?

Eva was about to take her clothes off for a man she had never seen. She wondered how it could possibly be more interesting.

Julian:
Let’s wager a little bet.

Eva felt more nervous than ever.

Eva135:
What kind of bet?

Julian:
I bet you will call ‘Game Over’ before you take your bra off.

Eva’s stomach somersaulted
. He just said bra, she thought. She was more worried she would chicken out before she took her cardigan off…underwear was far from her mind.

Eva135:
And if I win?

She was impressed with her ability to pretend she was calm. That email had really done wonders.

Julian:
I will be your date for the ball free of charge. You can’t afford my time, Evangeline. Very few can.

Eva wondered how the hell much he normally charged. Hundreds, thousands maybe. He was right, she couldn’t afford him and she wouldn’t embarrass herself further by asking.

Eva135:
You said it wasn’t about the money.

Julian.
I did, and
it’s not. But I never said there was no charge. Who works for free, Evangeline?

Eva felt stupid. She should have guessed if she couldn’t pay with cash he’d want something else. She could only guess but with his line of work
, it didn’t take much imagination to decipher his possible terms.

Julian
: Do we have a bet?

Eva135:
What if I lose?

Julian:
You’ll like this game, Evangeline. If you lose, there will be consequences, of course, but I guarantee you’ll enjoy them.

Eva smiled. Maybe games weren’t so horrible after all. He said she had to take off her bra. He never said she had to show him what was underneath.

Eva135:
You’re on.

Julian:
On the count of three…One, two, three.

 

Chapter 6

 

Eva stared at Julian’s image that appeared on her screen. He was delicious, like a juicy peach waiting to be tasted. His dark, almost black hair was cut tight but not too short. His huge chocolate brown eyes hinted that they could peer into your soul and his chiselled jaw made him look tough but oh so charming. He was relaxed in his office chair with his elbow draped casually over the back. His body was turned slightly to the side emphasising the span of his broad shoulders. She could tell from the lines of his, no doubt expensive, suit that his stomach rested like a washboard behind his crisp white shirt.
Fuck, shit, fuck
, could he see her blushing? He was more amazing than she imagined. She wanted to lean forward and lick her screen.

             
‘Like I told you already, you’re beautiful.’ Julian’s voice rushed at her like a gritty hail shower. He was husky and manly and his voice matched his face.

Eva tugged the collar of her blouse away from her neck. It felt like the temperature in her room had just soared by ten degrees.
She wanted to tell him that he was gorgeous too, but she couldn’t find the words, or the confidence. She pulled her cardigan tight across her and mumbled, ‘thank you. ‘

‘Don’t be nervous, Evangeline. This will be fun, if you let it.’

Eva wanted so badly for that to be true. Julian’s image began to flicker on the screen and crackles and echoes broke up his sentences.

             
‘I can’t hear you,’ Eva said instinctively louder and slower as if that would solve the problem of dodgy internet.

More jumbled crackles followed.

‘I still can’t hear you.’

She guessed she was wasting her breath. He probably couldn’t hear her either. Her heart sank. Maybe she did like games after all, she decided.
She liked Julian’s game - a lot, and she wanted to play.

Julian:
It’s not working.

Eva135:
I’m so sorry. It’s my crappy broadband. It does this sometimes.

Eva
instantly worried that Julian would think she dropped the line on purpose. He already accused her of chickening out. It wouldn’t take much to fuel his suspicion.

Julian:
Don’t worry. This just makes it more exciting. What’s your mobile number?

             
Eva paused. Email was one thing, even Skype she could handle, but an intimate phone call seemed so much more personal. She knew she would struggle to keep conversation flowing without facial expressions to bide some time, but somehow she found her fingers typing out her digits. She had barely hit the sent button when her phone began ringing. She froze. She didn’t have enough time to think. He was rushing her too much.

             
She didn’t move, hoping the darkness of the room would hide her. The ringing stopped. Silence rang louder now than her phone. Why hadn’t she answered? She wanted to but she just couldn’t. She was a coward. She knew it, and she suspected Shelly and Mr Doe knew it; soon Julian would know it too. Eva threw her head back until her neck cracked and closed her eyes, feeling like a complete failure.

             
The ringing started again. Eva didn’t give herself time to think. She raced to her bed and picked up her mobile from her pillow…’Hello.’

‘Evangeline?’

‘Yes.’

‘What took you so long? Are you nervous?’

Eva thought about lying, but she decided not to, she wanted to be herself. She had no idea why, usually she tried very hard to be anyone but herself. Tonight, she felt different.

‘A little. Are you?’ She could have kicked herself. It was by far her most stupid question yet. Of course he wasn’t nervous. He was a professional.

And just as she thought
, he ignored the question but she heard him smirking.

             
‘Are you ready?’ his sultry voice asked.

‘Yes.’ Okay so a white-lie’s not so bad, she decided.

‘You need to relax, Evangeline. Can you do that? Can you relax for me?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good girl. Now, does your phone have a cover?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay. I want you to slip it off. ’

Eva laughed. He wanted her phone naked? Her laughing quickly turned to a sheepish giggle as she began to worry that it was a metaphor.

‘Okay, my phone is in its birthday suit.’ Eva tried to sound flirty.

It was Julian who laughed now. Eva blushed.

‘Okay, Evangeline, before we continue, I think we need some rules.’

Bloody rules again
. He was obsessed with rules, she thought.

‘Rule number one…you must do exactly as you are told.’

Eva wanted to argue that it was a stupid rule but she didn’t. ‘And the second?’

‘No questions.’

Damn. Eva wasn’t sure if that was a rule, or if he just wanted her to stop talking.

‘Rule three…’ Julian continued

So it was a rule
. She was getting the hang of this now.

‘…I can add or remove rules as I please. It is my game after all.’

‘I thought it was a bet.’ Eva’s chewed her bottom lip nervously as the last word left her mouth.

‘Rule four…no contradictions.’

Eva smiled. He had an answer for everything. Condescending as it was, she strangely liked it.

Eva’s insides fluttered like
thousands of tiny Indian’s preforming a tribal dance in her tummy.

             
‘Are you still in your bedroom?’ Julian asked.

Eva nodded.

‘I’ll take your silence as a yes. Good. Now lay back on your bed. Slowly. We don’t want to rush.’

Eva glanced towards the camera on her laptop. She couldn’t remember if she turned it off or not
. She pulled her cardigan tight across her chest, her hands shaking. ‘Can…can you see me?’

‘No.’

Eva sighed.

‘I don’t need to watch you to see you, Evangeline. We are going to explore our senses, I told you. I can hear every move you make. Your breath is racing, I know you’re nervous. Your voice is jumping; I know you are looking around your room. You won’t find me, Evangeline. I am just a voice tonight. Listen to me and your senses will thank you. Now let’s move on? We’ve had enough disruption.’

Eva nodded.

‘Good
,’ Julian said.

             
Eva did as she was told, remembering rule one.

‘I want you to put me on speaker and then place your phone on the pillow beside you. Tell me when you have it done…’

‘…Done.’

Eva could hear Julian smile. She imagined his chiselled jaw emphasised as his lips turned up in a subtle u-shape.

Eva pulled back the duvet and prepared to slide underneath.

‘No.’ Julian startled her. ‘On top of the sheets.’

              Eva couldn’t believe he had heard her. He really could hear everything she was doing. She began to concentrate on her every move. She ran her hand across the bed, smoothing out the sheets. She slowly lay back on top.

She released slow steady breaths. ‘I’m ready.’

‘Close your eyes.’

She already had them closed.

‘Can you feel me, Evangeline? I’m there. I’m leaning over you, softly kissing your neck.’

             
Eva imagined his beautiful face close to hers. She wanted his soft, moist lips against her skin. She shivered.

‘Open your mouth…I’m running the tip of my tongue across your lips. It’s warm and wet. It tingles.’

Eva kept her eyes closed. Thoughts of his incredible eyes filled her head. Every inch of her body ached.

‘You are my guide now, Evangeline. We need to explore together. Okay?’

‘Mm,’ was Eva’s only reply.

‘Take off your cardigan.’

She wriggled the sleeves free from her arms and flung it to the side.

Eva reached for the zip on the side of her black pencil skirt.

‘Slowly,’ Julian said. ‘Throw it on the floor. My hands are racing over your soft skin. Feel it.’

Eva ran her finger tips from her knee to her hip.

‘I hope you’re not too attached to that blouse,’ Julian said. ‘Because I want to rip if from your body, I want to hear the crackle of the material hang in the air.’

Eva didn’t speak. She just waited. She wanted more, she wanted more instruction.

‘Rip it, Evangeline. Rip it rough…let me hear.’

             
Eva caught the soft satin in her hands and tugged hard. The material pulled against her body as buttons tore free and her bra was exposed. Julian sighed deeply. A tiny tingle ran down Eva’s spine. She knew she was turning him on. She could sense it. Her senses really were her power, Julian was right.

             
Evangeline lay still in her matching, ivory and rose, lace underwear. Her back was arched instinctively and her only movement was the soft heave of her chest as she breathed.

‘Undo the clasp, Evangeline...undo the clasp and you win.’

              Eva’s fingers rummaged behind her back, the hooks were stubborn and she could hear Julian grow impatient. She didn’t want to disappoint him. She hurried. Finally the grip released and her bra fell from her body. Her breasts heaved in rhythm with her sighs. Her small, round nipples were hard and demanding attention. Without Julian’s instruction, Eva ran her finger across her left nipple. It tingled.

BOOK: Rules of Harte (Harte Series #1)
4.36Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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