Seduce (4 page)

“I said it was okay, and I don’t plan to kill you. What’s your name?” I asked. She didn’t answer. Instead, she silently followed me to my car. I opened the passenger side, letting her slide in before I closed the door.

“Nice car,” she commented as I buckled in my seatbelt. She glanced around, taking in the spotless leather interior, her eyes falling on my briefcase. “What do you do?”

“I work in property.” I replied.

I didn’t work in property. I
was
property. I eyed her as she shrugged, her indifference making me feel like I was five years old. “How about you, Angel? I take it you work at the diner?” I asked, my eyes wandering up her petite frame, finally resting on her eyes. She blushed.

“Angel?” she asked, her nose scrunching up in confusion.

I pointed to the silver angel pendant that hung around her neck. “Well, you wouldn’t tell me your name.” I flashed her a smile.

She laughed. “I’m…a student. The diner is just for now, until I finish college,” she replied, glancing out the window. I nodded, pretending not to notice her fidgeting hands, or the way she tugged at the hem of her dress, which fell just above her knees. I made her uncomfortable, I realized as I eyed her bare legs, wishing I could get between them. I pulled into North, letting her direct me to her house. Any minute now she would get out of my car and I would never see her again. The anxiety that thought filled me with astonished me. I barely knew this girl, yet the thought of never seeing her again made me angry.

Fuck, I
did
have feelings. Who knew?

“Just up here on the right. The white fence.” Her hand rested on the door handle, ready to jump out at the first opportunity. As I slowed the car to a stop, she jumped out, turning back quickly to close the door. “Night. Thanks for the lift,” she smiled.

“Wait,” I said quickly, wondering what the hell I was doing. “What’s the hurry? We’re outside you’re house. I think it’s a pretty safe bet I’m not going to kill you.”

She smiled, her grip on the door handle loosening. We sat in the car, neither of us speaking, a nervous energy hanging between us. I racked my brain, trying to think of something to say that wasn’t offensive, inappropriate, or sexist. I came up empty.

“If we’re just going to sit here, not speaking, then I might as well just go inside,” she said teasingly. I raised an eyebrow. That was the most engaging she’d been to me this whole time. I chuckled and pointed to the cigarettes poking out of her bag.

“Can I have one of them?” I asked.

“You smoke?” she asked, surprised, handing me the pack. I took one out and handed it back.

“Not often, only when I’m nervous,” I said. Translation: I was never nervous. Until now. I placed the butt between my lips and drew the flame. She rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Does that line actually work?” she chuckled.

“What?” I said, confused. I handed the cigarette to her, watching as she drew in a breath with those blood-red lips.

“Only when I’m nervous,” she mimicked, her shoulders dancing as she swayed. I scoffed. As if I looked like that. “Bullshit you’re nervous,” she continued. “I know your type. I’ve met guys like you before. Smooth, calm, and collected.”

“Wow. Someone’s feisty,” I murmured, raising my eyebrow. Damn. Where the hell did this come from? I was liking her even more now that she had relaxed a bit.

“Sorry,” she blushed. “I get hit on a lot at work.” She explained.

“Right,” I began, amused. “Somehow I don’t think most of the clientele at Lavine’s could be described as smooth, calm,
or
collected.”

“Okay, maybe you have a point, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m right about you,” she said as she laughed, her head tilting back against the back of the seat. I was staring, but I couldn’t look away. She glanced at me, embarrassed.

“What?” she said nervously.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. You’re just…different. I’ve never met anyone like you before.” She went to roll her eyes again. “I know that sounds like another really bad line, but I promise you, it’s not.” She had no idea how far she was from being just another girl.

She nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt, and for a moment I thought she was going to get out. Instead, she leaned over. She took the cigarette from my fingers and drew in another breath, all the while her eyes locked on mine. She moved away, and breathed out.

“I better get inside,” she said, her eyes twinkling. I didn’t answer. Instead I watched her as she stepped out of the car and shut the door. She smiled at me again through the frosted window before walking off.

“Night, Angel,” I called after her, finally breathing again. I stared down at the butt between my fingers and watched as it slowly burnt out. It was tinted with her lipstick, and her perfume hung in the air, intoxicating me. I had no idea what the hell had just happened but I knew I
had
to see her again.

Chapter Five

Shutting the door with my foot, I threw my briefcase on the hall table and my jacket on top of that. Mr. Jefferies howled around my feet as I kicked off my shoes; he was either complaining about my foot odor or begging for food…I wasn’t sure which.

“Come on then,” I said, beckoning him to follow me into the kitchen. I poured some dry food into his bowl. “There you go, boy.”

It was barely ten o’clock and I was heading to bed. That had to be a first. I unbuttoned my shirt, threading my arms through and disposing of it in the laundry along with my pants. Turning on the shower, my thoughts wandered back to Angel as my hands moved over my ripped chest. There was something so sexy and innocent about her, even in that daggy, god-awful uniform.

Stepping into the shower, I leaned against the white-tiled wall, my hand enclosed over the girth of my dick. I began to move my hand, rubbing it up and down furiously. My cock hardened against my grip as I imagined feeding it between those sexy lips.

“Fuck,” I gasped. My hand leaned so firmly against the wall that my fingers were starting to bend back. I breathed out as I released, spraying the shower screen with my jizz as my knees almost gave way. I was exhausted.

I shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, carefully avoiding contact with the door while silently apologizing to my cleaner who had to deal with that tomorrow. I left the towel in the bathroom and walked naked to my bed, glancing at my form in the mirror. My skin was naturally tanned, a blessing for someone living in London. My hair was a mess, but it worked on me, and so did the stubble that covered my jaw. My dark eyes gleamed back at me, my lips curving into a grin.

In my bedroom, I eased myself between the sheets, making myself comfortable with my pillow tucked under my head. I was a chronic stomach sleeper and I loved to toss and turn. Sometimes my king-sized bed even felt too small. I closed my eyes, for once not needing the aid of pills or alcohol to drift off to sleep.

Chapter Six

My stomach growled as I realized I’d been holed up in my office for hours. Determined to get the presentation I was working on finished, I asked Carly to grab me a sandwich from the deli down the road. Leaving the office meant losing time, and I wanted this done today even if it meant staying here all night.

My phone buzzed against the hardwood mahogany desk. I picked it up and barked hello. I didn’t have time for small talk right now. Whoever it was, it wasn’t as important as what I had going on here.

 “Hey man, don’t forget the dinner next Sunday,” Luke said easily, ignoring my tone. He was used to my mood swings—twelve years of friendship had made him immune to them.

“Yeah, I haven’t,” I replied, sitting back in my chair. I rubbed my neck, trying to crease out the knots of tension this project was causing me. If this deal didn’t go through, who knows what my father would do. Spending all of last week out every night probably hadn’t been the best move on my part, especially since most of those nights were featured in various gossip columns, all managing to include at least a picture or two of me looking very intoxicated.

My favorite picture was of me sitting at a table with my hand clearly up some blonde’s skirt, while my other hand occupied a very full glass of scotch. My memories of that night were more than a little hazy, but according to the newspaper I’d had a pretty good time.

My father had been furious, which had in turn had made me furious. What fucking business of his was it how I spent my time off? I was more than capable of getting the job done
and
enjoying my life, no matter what my father implied. This current five-billion-dollar Delenski deal would ensure our company had a hand in one of the biggest casino developments in the entire United Kingdom. There was no option for missing out on this deal, and I had it covered.

“Sure, I said I’ll be there, man.” I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice. Did I need reminding every single day? It was a damn dinner, not his fucking wedding.

“Okay, we’ll see next Sunday then,” he replied, again shaking off my tone. I hung up the phone and buried my face in my hands.

It wasn’t Luke, or even work that was getting to me—it was
her
. The mystery girl who had accepted a lift home from me two nights ago and shared a cigarette with me. The girl who, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t shake from my mind.

“Roast beef or chicken?”

I looked up to see Carly holding two sandwiches. “Beef,” I answered. She threw the package at me and smiled, sitting down opposite me.

“Do you mind if I eat with you?” she crossed her long tanned legs, her skirt riding up to her mid-thigh. Paired with her cream silk shirt that was unbuttoned at the top, giving me a glimpse of her full breasts, the sight of her was enough to arouse me. Maybe I needed a little relaxing.

“Sure,” I murmured, unwrapping my sandwich. “If you don’t have plans, I could use some help here tonight,” I added. The sparkle in her eye left me wondering if she was thinking back to the last time she had ‘worked late’ alone with me. I sure as fuck was.

“I can help,” she agreed, a hint of a smile playing on her full, glossy lips. My hard-on pressed against the constraint of my pants as I watched her devour that sandwich. Every now and then her eyes would meet mine, her expression full of suggestion and promise. That was what I loved about Carly: no mixed signals. Everything was as clear as fuck.

It was surprising how often you could misread someone’s actions when you were the boss. More importantly, it was surprising how much trouble that kind of shit could get you into. I was sure some women applied to work for me knowing they could make some easy money through a sexual harassment settlement. I wasn’t one to let minor issues like balance of power and women’s rights get in the way of what I wanted.

Carly picked up the phone as it rang again, allowing me to enjoy the rest of my sandwich.

“Falcon Property Development,” she said, smirking at me. Her eyes grew wide. “Oh certainly, Mr. Falcon. He is right here,” she purred. I rolled my eyes as I took the phone off her. The only person that people found more intimidating than myself, was my father. Carly included. I didn’t doubt for a second she’d fuck him, too, for a raise.

“Eric,” I said, stretching back on my chair, watching Carly as she left the room, or—more to the point—watching her ass leave the room. “What can I do for you?” My father only ever called when he wanted something, and it pissed him off when I called him by his name.

“Mr. Delenski is flying in next month. I need you to entertain his daughter.” The no nonsense tone in my father’s voice told me it wasn’t a question. Still, I couldn’t resist toying with him.

“Entertain his daughter?” I repeated, amused. “Whatever do you mean? I am much too busy to be out socializing, Father. I’m a hardworking man.” My words echoed his own from days earlier.

“Drop the act, Jack. Just make sure she enjoys her time in London. A happy Lisbeth Delenski will mean this deal will go much more smoothly, and I know you want that as much as I,” he sighed.

“Fine,” I agreed, “but I hope this is the last I hear of my social life getting in the way of my work.”

“Jack, you do your job and there will be no problem, okay? And so help me god you better not have her plastered over any magazine.” He hung up before I could respond with one of my trademark smart-ass comments. I placed the receiver in the cradle and tried to pretend my father didn’t get to me. It was a complete lie, of course.

Everything about my father got to me, yet I still did everything I could to try and earn his respect. I was like a fucking dog begging to be rewarded with a treat—a dog who every now and then would shit all over the living room floor just to piss off his owner.

I forced myself to focus back on the project. So Mr. Delenksi was flying over. That had to be a good sign that he was on the verge of signing with us. That is, if I managed to entertain his daughter. Somehow, I got the feeling that my father didn’t mean for me to get her drunk, naked, and fuck her. Or maybe that’s exactly what he meant. A light rap on my office door brought me back to reality.

“Jack?” Carly poked her head around the door, her blonde curls falling over her shoulder. “What did you want me to do?” she asked innocently. I bit down hard on my lip to stop myself from telling her exactly what I wanted her to do.

It involved her mouth and my cock.

“Get me all the information you have on Mr. Delenski and his daughter, Lisbeth. Thanks, Carly.” She nodded and retreated out the door. Less than ten minutes later she was back, with a folder full of information and a tall coffee.

“I thought you might need this,” she said, setting the cup down in front of me. She was so close I could smell the scent of the moisturizer on her skin. Spinning my chair slightly toward her, I smiled. Carly was fucking hot and she knew just how to please me.

“Thanks, Carly,” I murmured, rubbing my hand along her leg. She didn’t shy away. Instead, she stepped closer to me, moving her leg over the top of mine so she was straddling my knee.

“Careful, honey,” I warned her, my other hand settling on her left thigh. “You don’t want to start something you can’t finish.” Slowly, my hands rose up past her hips, taking her skirt with them. I reached behind her, unzipping her skirt—which was conveniently one of those skirts that zip all the way down.