Seduction on the Cards (7 page)

Maybe she’d get some fresh air at lunchtime? A wander down to the waterfront would be a great idea on such a glorious day. It would take her past his building, but of course she wouldn’t be calling in.

She had no control over his hurtling
out
though. 

So fast that he almost knocked her off her stilettos and she had to grab for a nearby traffic light pole to stay upright.

“Kerri—I’m so sorry!” His arm slid around her for support. He was once again far too close, smelled far too good, looked far too handsome in a really sharp suit and pale blue shirt. Her pulse shot up to an unsafe level. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Not looking for you, that’s for sure.”

“So?”

“Enjoying the day,” she insisted. “Going for a walk.”

“Can I buy you coffee? I’m getting some for Lydia and a couple of the others.”

“The boss gets sent out for coffee?”

“I’m not the boss. Just visiting for the week.”

“So you are,” she said, easing away from his arm. She mustn’t forget that. He was only here for a couple more days. The initial thrill of seeing him again receded a little.

“So—coffee? We can walk across together?” His dark blue eyes held hers and it was so hard to look away.

“Okay,” she said, shrugging and trying for casual.

The traffic lights changed, and the group of pedestrians surged onto the road and across to the area where the old wharves had been redeveloped with cafes and landscaped into harbor-side walkways.

“Everyone has the same idea as you,
cherie—
lunch by the water.”

Kerri nodded as she walked beside him. “It’s nice in summer.” 

And it’d be nicer with you.

“Have you had a good week?”

Does he really want to know? Why is he bothering?

“Working for a daily paper is always pretty frantic,” she managed. God, the politeness was killing her! She’d last seen him breathless with lust, sucking her nipples, grinding his impressively long hard cock against her groin. Now he made chit-chat while her heart pounded behind those same perky nipples—surely perky because the sea breeze was cool?  But, if that was what he wanted, she could manage chit-chat.

“How about your week?” she asked in return.

He shrugged those devastating shoulders. “So-so. Some things better than others.”

“That’s life,” she agreed, sneaking little sideways glances at his long legs, his big hands, the pale blue shirt-front that no doubt concealed a chest covered in smooth olive skin with maybe a dusting of dark hair. Her mouth watered, and it wasn’t for a latte.

They reached the coffee cart as the customer ahead of them turned aside. Alex ordered four assorted coffees. The banging and hissing of their preparation made further conversation difficult, and Kerri was pleased with the diversion. 

“Is one of those lattes for me?” she asked when the attendant handed over the holder with four cups.

Alex closed his eyes and groaned. “You take things out of my head,
cherie
. Another latte and a double-shot black please,” he requested as he sorted out more money.

She laughed at his discomfort and picked up the holder.

“I’ll take these and you bring the others when they’re done,” she said, stepping clear of other waiting customers and standing by the curb until he joined her. They crossed the road together, he in long easy strides to match her high-heeled clatter, and entered his building.

“Will you drink that here with me before your walk?”

This time it was Kerri who shrugged. “Fine,” she agreed.

“Not exactly craving my company then?”

“Why should I be? You’re not available, and I’m not interested.”

She saw him grimace. Well, tough—it was true. True that he wasn’t available anyway. She was so interested it was killing her, but she put on her best poker face to hide that little fact from his sharply perceptive blue eyes. They climbed the flight of stairs together in silence, and he took the four-pack off her and carried it into what she presumed must be the staffroom. She heard murmurs of thanks.

He escorted Kerri to his office, and last time’s sensations immediately slammed into her again. The smell of his cologne and the life-affirming thump of his pulse as he’d held her hand against his neck. The possessive press of his thighs around her knees.

She settled onto the same chair as last time, trying not to think back to their frantic kisses in the bus-shelter, and his mouth on her breasts. “I bet you didn’t expect to see me again.”

“Still making me bets, Ms Lush?” His voice was quiet and filled with delicious menace. Shivers shimmied down her spine.

“Of course not. Just passing the time.”

He set their coffees down on his desk. “I can think of better ways of passing the time.” He rolled his chair closer to hers with a bump of his knee.

“No,” she said, sending him what she hoped was a cheeky grin. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Think about what?”

“Whatever you’re thinking.”

Alex sat, tense and glowering in front of her for another seven long lustful seconds before he dragged her onto his lap and crushed his mouth down on hers.

Kerri gasped as he grabbed for her. He was big, strong, and very determined. She landed on him with a thump that caused his chair to make an alarming cracking noise and skate backwards until it hit the edge of the desk. The coffees somehow stayed upright. Or at least she heard no topple-and-splash.

“
Merde
,” he breathed before their mouths fused again in a kiss that sucked the oxygen right out of her brain. His tongue wrapped around hers in slippery spirals, stroking and teasing.

“No!” she gasped, even as she threaded her fingers into his hair and tugged him closer. It was a kiss hotter and more demanding than she’d ever experienced, and she knew she was doing at least half the demanding. She caught her breath at that, but no way was she going to fight him off.

“Yes”, she heard him insist before he re-settled his mouth over hers.

He was a born kisser. A big warm masculine miracle who smelled expensive and tasted sublime. She swiped her tongue over his again, reveling in the slippery sensation, translating it to the slide of his all-too-obvious erection into the twitching yearning wetness between her thighs.

She felt Alexandre slouch down a little in the chair, and pull her higher to ease her away from his uncomfortably hard cock. She moaned as their lips slid and dragged and nibbled; as their tongues twined, as their breathing grew desperate.

“Stop it!” she finally gasped.

“Like hell.” He dragged one of her legs up onto the desk and pushed her scarlet shoe off so it fell with a thump onto the floor.

His hand swept from her ankle to the curve of her calf, upwards to the sensitive back of her knee, and over her all-too-exposed thigh. Then his fingers stroked the lace panel on the front of her very inadequate panties.

“No...” she moaned.

“Yes,” he growled, raising his lips from hers for an instant. “Hmmm? Nice? Right there?”

Kerri jerked as his clever fingertips ran over the flimsy fabric, rubbing, caressing. Waves of incredible heat washed over her as he explored... as his big warm palm cupped her. Then one long finger returned to the lace again, settled on the swollen nub of her clitoris, and started to circle.

Her thigh muscles went weak as water. Her heart pounded behind her ribs, and the insistent beat repeated and repeated as a tiny delicious tug right under his fingertip. The summer-bright room became darker and darker as all her attention diverted to absorbing every detail of the sensory overload he created.

He gentled his kisses to match the delicate dance of his finger.

Kerri burned, licking into his mouth, dying of lust, coming apart in his arms with whimpers and muffled squeals, and helpless thrusts of her hips against his hand, embarrassed, astounded, and pulsing with unbelievable pleasure. The heat rushed through her like a shower of sparks released from a bonfire, and she gasped and fought for breath to ride the sensation up and up, and then through its inevitable slide back to reality.

Alexandre continued to kiss her—but ever more softly as he soothed her down. His arm stayed locked around her, holding her secure.

Kerri had never been aroused so fast or so thoroughly. 

Never come with such violent intensity.

Never imagined her body was capable of such extreme sensation.

“Oh God,” she groaned, at last wrenching her mouth away from his and burying her face against his crisp blue shirt. “I’m so sorry. This is awful.”

CHAPTER SIX

She heard the rumble of amusement through the wall of his chest. Heard his strong steady heart-beat. Heard him draw breath to say, “Not awful for me. And surely not awful for you? I gave you pleasure—yes?”

“In an
office
?” she squeaked, scrunching her eyes closed because she couldn’t bear to look at him with such acute embarrassment flooding through her. “With the door half-open so anyone could see or hear?”

“You worry too much,
cherie.
My next appointment is still half an hour away. It seems a shame to waste that time?” His finger stroked over the lace again, and with a startled yelp Kerri’s eyes shot open and she pushed his hand away and glared at him. His deep blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

“That’s what you get for teasing me about what I’m thinking,” he said, leaning down to kiss the tip of her nose. “I was thinking what fun it would be to give you an orgasm.”

Surely her blushing face was growing even pinker?

“Mine don’t usually seem to...happen,” she blurted, averting her eyes again and burying her face in his shirt-front.  

“Don’t seem to happen?” he murmured. “That felt to me as though it undoubtedly happened. As though you enjoyed it? Drink your coffee and we’ll do it again.”

“Again?” she croaked, scrambling off his lap and praying her wobbly knees would hold her up while she tugged her terribly creased skirt down to a decent level.

She gazed at him in panic, and clutched the desk for support. Where the hell was her shoe? “No—I couldn’t possibly do it again.”

Alexandre grinned and touched a finger to her lips—the same finger he’d pleasured her with. Kerri reared back. She could smell her own scent on his hand—mysterious and salty.

He lifted his coffee to her in an ironic toast, and she grabbed her bag and bolted from the room, wearing only one shoe.

She leaned against the wall in the corridor to steady herself enough to push her foot into the other hastily-snagged red sling-back, hitched the strap up over her heel, and groaned with embarrassment.

How had he
done
that? And worse—why had she let him?

More than just ‘let’ him—out-and-out encouraged him. 

She caught sight of the ladies’ rest-room, slunk inside, and closed the door behind her, thankful no-one else was there. She lowered the lid on one of the two toilets, latched the door locked, and sat. Her legs still trembled. Her breathing was way too fast. Her panties were uncomfortably wet. She felt more alive than she could ever remember. And she finally knew what all the fuss was about.

Alex continued to sit, silent and astounded.

What the hell had he just done? He hadn’t intended to grab her like that. Had never laid such fast hands on any other woman. But he’d simply had to pull her close. Had to brand her with that first fiery kiss. And, it seemed, had to take it through to its logical conclusion.

Conclusion for Kerri, anyway. She’d gone off like a sky-rocket—soaring so high he could only marvel at her capacity to accept pleasure, and his own to provide it.

‘In an office’, as she’d said.

What had he been thinking? Anything at all? Possibly not. Maybe pure animal instinct had taken him over.

Civilized Alex hated the thought of that. He called the shots in every facet of his present life. After a desperately unstructured childhood, his adult peace of mind came from being in control. And his wandering fingers had been way out of his conscious control. 

Wandering? Wandering sounded entirely too leisurely for the super-fast trip his hand had taken up Kerri’s silky leg. He shook his head in an attempt to dislodge the buzzing confusing mess from it and return his brain to businesslike sanity. Then another wave of appalled confusion and guilt swamped him.

What if Lydia Herbert had walked in on them? If she’d seen and heard him treating Kerri to lunchtime fully-clothed sex? All his current kudos and credibility would have hurtled down the drain in an instant.

He groaned and reached for his coffee, sipping it in a haze of self-recrimination and ever-burgeoning lust.

Kerri dropped her head into her hands and massaged her temples with savage strokes of her thumbs.

She sighed and sat up straighter, and waited for her feverish heartbeat to slow down. How was she going to escape? If anyone was stationed at the reception desk she’d stride by with a cheery wave and exit fast. But what about escaping from Alexandre?

She stood and twisted her skirt around until it sat properly again. How mortifying—it had performed at least a quarter turn, and no doubt exposed the stretch-lace tops of her stay-up stockings if he’d cared to look. Kerri felt he hadn’t been looking much—he’d been too busy kissing her. But as his long fingers had glided up her thigh toward you-know-where he would have found there were no pantyhose to impede his progress. Drat the man! She should have put up much more of a fight.

More than what? Small shudders of shame and excitement still ran up and down her spine. Had she put up any fight at all after her initial moan of ‘no’?

A gentleman should have taken no for an answer, surely? 

Especially when the woman in question was enthusiastically hauling him as close to her as possible.

Groaning, she unlocked the door, raked her hands though her hair, applied more lip-gloss, and regarded her renovated self in the mirror over the wash-basin. 

You couldn’t actually see sex on a person, could you? She’d never seen it on anyone else, but it did seem as though there were glimmers of lustful enjoyment in her eyes, streamers of joy wafting out of her hair, and an air of lazy satisfaction drifting all around her body.