Teach Me (Lessons in Seduction Book 1) (5 page)

E
va trembled
as she stepped from the taxi into the building on the Upper West Side, part of the empire that her father, brother, and Jack had built with their bare hands. She’d been there hundreds of times, and never once had she felt this vulnerable.

Though security met her with smiles and their usual courteous, “Hello, Miss Fiorini,” she wasn’t at ease. She hadn’t felt comfortable since Sunday night, hadn’t felt like herself since Jack touched her.

Her fingers shook as she pressed the button for the elevator. She stepped inside. Visions of him close to her, his fingers between her legs, rubbing her clit, invaded her mind. She backed against the wall and tried to steady herself.

For once and for all, stop it! This is the most important meeting of Jack’s career, and all you can think about is sex? What’s wrong with you?

Clenching her fists, she composed herself. The elevator dinged and the door opened. Jack stood there, conversing with other executives, and her body reacted the only way it knew how. Her chest flamed and her panties immediately grew damp between her legs.

Fantastic.

But she couldn’t help herself.

God, he was so handsome, even more so now, in his three-piece suit and expensive haircut. It was completely tailored and professional except for that shock of cinnamon hair that fell down loose upon his forehead, and the new field of stubble on his chiseled jawline. Small hints of ruggedness, of wildness, of the Jack she’d seen Sunday night. Surrounded by the usual sea of stuffy execs, he didn’t notice her right away. She had time to soak in every delicious inch of him and to delicately wipe the drool from the side of her lips before he turned her way.

When he finally did shift his gaze to hers, his face didn’t register a thing—surprise, excitement, lust – nothing, not even a ripple of emotion. “Hello, Miss Fiorini.” Jack placed a purely professional hand on her elbow as he pointed the way to the boardroom. “We’ve all been waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry if I’m late,” she mumbled, looking down at her bare wrist though she hadn’t worn a watch in years. Why bother when her cell was always close at hand? And she knew she wasn’t late. He was just so…distracting.

“Not at all, you’re right on time,” Jack said warmly, but not
too
warmly. “After you.”

The other men nodded civilly as she crossed the main lobby, and a few expressed their condolences on Antonio’s passing. She thanked them quietly and led the way into the meeting room, teeth chattering. She clamped her mouth shut hard as people settled in, discussing the weather and their golf swings as they found their seats.

But once they were all seated, the civility melted away. Jack was scarcely three minutes into his welcome spiel when he was interrupted once, twice, and then a third time. Soon it seemed nearly a dozen other voices competed with his.

Eva knew Jack’s business reputation as well as his social reputation. While he was the playboy outside the office, inside, he was the hard-nosed businessman who didn’t take shit from anyone. So she was surprised when Jack began to speak, and another executive cut him off. “I don’t think you’re in the position to lead this meeting, frankly, Jack,” an older man across the table said.

Jack didn’t waver. “And why’s that, Al?”

“Because you’re what this meeting’s about. Whether we should—or should not—continue under your leadership.”

“I understand that,” he said, “but—“

“To be honest,” a woman added. “We don’t know if you should be here at all.”

Jack sighed, a too-stormy-for-the-office expression on his face. But she could understand his frustration. The other executives didn’t speak to Jack the way they’d spoken to her father and brother—they were condescending, almost dismissive. He could barely get a sentence in without someone cutting him off. Every time he said something reasonable, someone would attack or contradict him.

He’d been right. They were gunning for him, no question about it. No wonder he’d come to her, wanting her to back him up.

What a joke this meeting is,
Eva thought, at the edge of her seat, drumming her pen on her notepad as two other shareholders took their turns interrupting Jack’s attempts to steer the meeting onto more productive ground. She had only been to a handful of Fiorini Group board meetings, but this felt more like a wrestling match.

“If I could have a word,” she interjected, surprised that her raised voice did the trick when it hadn’t seemed to work for Jack.

Every head swung in her direction, giving her their undivided attention. She could feel Jack looking at her, and her face heated.

“I know I may seem like an outsider to many of you,” she said, making eye contact with first one board member and then another. “My father and Antonio aren’t here with us anymore, but I can assure you this company was their number one priority. I know I speak for both of them when I say they would be deeply saddened to hear that anyone was considering putting their legacy up for auction.”

One of the men to her right, who’d been the most vocally critical of Jack—Christof, she thought—scoffed. “That’s all well and good, Miss Fiorini, but—”

“I’m not finished.” Eva sat up straighter, determined to remain in control until she’d said her piece. She felt a twinge of satisfaction at the man’s astonished expression. She ran her own very successful company, thank you very much, and knew how to lead a meeting. “My family built The Fiorini Group with the help of Jack Bennett. This company wouldn’t be where it is today without him. I have no doubt in my mind that my father and Antonio would want their legacy to live on, with Jack at the helm. Frankly, I can’t even believe that we’re here, having this conversation. Selling out wasn’t in my father or brother’s vocabulary. And as the last Fiorini, and someone with a good deal of interest in this company, it’s certainly not in mine.”

A small silence prevailed. Eva could sense Jack staring at her and wanted to look at him, but she couldn’t afford to flush like a schoolgirl with the fate of her family’s company on the line.

Finally, Leonard Banks, at the other end of the table, cleared his throat. He’d always been like an uncle to her and Antonio. “I agree. Miss Fiorini is the voice of reason,” he said, a touch of contrition in his tone. “I think our leader is right in front of us. Jack should guide us as we move forward with our current structure intact. Anything else would be unnatural.”

A few of the other board members nodded in agreement. Even though several men and women remained sour-faced and clearly skeptical, Eva felt a small thrill surge through her. She had helped. Now she had to hope her help would be enough to keep Jack where he belonged. Every word she’d said was true—Jack was an amazing businessman who had helped build this company. He deserved to lead The Fiorini Group into the future.

When she thought it was safe to glance in his direction, Eva tucked her hair behind her ear and peeked. He was sitting back in his chair, looking ever-so-much the captain he was destined to be, authoritative, calm, and in control.

In control of himself and all he surveyed.

She sighed inwardly.
I bet he got nothing out of our lesson. After all, he’s the teacher. He’s been with hundreds of women.

The board members went around, stating their agreement or disagreement, until finally Leonard said, “We’ve all had a chance to speak our piece. Why don’t we take the time to think this over and then put it to a vote at the next meeting?”

The motion was seconded and carried and the meeting wound to a swift close. As they all stood and began to leave, Eva’s knees wobbled. Now that the business portion of the morning was over, she could think of nothing but the fact that Jack was so close. In the same room.

She imagined him closing the boardroom door before she had a chance to leave, and conducting their next “lesson” on the giant glass table.

The thought made her ache.

She looked away from the meeting table, seeking the object of her lustful thoughts only to realize that he’d already left the room. Deflated, she packed up her briefcase and stepped outside. As she did, she felt pressure on her elbow. She glanced up and swallowed.

Jack.

So close. So incredibly sexy. Those intoxicating blue eyes boring right into hers.

“Thank you, Eva,” he said to her in a low voice. “You were incredible.”

Oh my God. It was what he’d said to her Sunday night, after…

After…

“Anything to help,” she gulped, her voice coming close to cracking. Another thought struck her—Jack, in a chair while she stood between his legs, his fingers slowly undoing the buttons of her blouse, baring her breasts to the cool air. She shivered. “I should probably get back to the office. We’re rolling out our new sunscreen line this week.”

He nodded in a disinterested way, the way real estate power players seemed to do whenever she brought up her business. When she’d started Eva’s Organics in college, her family had entertained it as her “cute little side project.” Pietro had even given her the money to create some prototypes, insisting there was no need to pay him back. He hadn’t expected her line to catch on the way it did, first among the college set and then spreading to the trendiest boutiques in the city. Still, no matter how successful her skincare company became, it was clear that it would never share equal status with The Fiorini Group with the men in her life.

“Eva, Jack,” a voice called from behind her. It was Leonard. He gave her a big bear hug and said, “How are you doing, my dear?”

She smiled, taking in the kind old man’s face as he continued to hold both her hands, squeezing them warmly. “I’m fine, Leonard. Really.”

As she spoke, tears sprang to her eyes, betraying her. That always seemed to happen whenever people asked her how she was holding up. One moment, she’d feel just fine, even powerful, like she could make it without her family. The next, she’d be a blubbering mess. Part of the blame for that, she thought, had to do with her father and brother, always treating her like the baby, but it was partly her fault, too, for letting them.

It made her wonder if Jack’s lessons would finally make her feel like a grown-up. Or would she always feel like a little kid playing dress up, no matter what Jack taught her or how successful her own company became?

Leonard patted her hand, then, face grave, motioned Jack in. Jack leaned toward them, so close that Eva could smell the spice of his aftershave. Fending off the thousands of torrid thoughts that leaked into her mind, she whispered, “What is it?”

Leonard looked around. “You know I’m with you two on this. But I get the feeling the push to sell is coming from inside the company. Nobody’s saying so, but you had to have felt it in there. Something’s in the air.”

Eva managed a look at Jack. He was listening intently, though they were close enough to touch. Though he was close enough to
…
lick.

Oh, come on,
she thought.
What’s wrong with you, Eva? He’s all business. He probably hasn’t even thought about Sunday night. Not even once. That’s the way normal adult human beings do this.

And that’s why you need a sexual education and quick.

So you can get over all the shiny new toy excitement and realize sex is just sex like the rest of the grown-ups.

Jack tapped his chin and nodded. “Who do you think, Leonard?”

Leonard shrugged. “Just keep your ear to the ground, Jack, and I’ll see what I can find out behind the scenes.” He gave Eva a benevolent smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Eva, I have some business to discuss with Jack.”

She nodded, feeling not unlike she had a billion other times when her father and Antonio went off to discuss things, leaving her alone. It wasn’t that they hadn’t wanted her in the business—Pietro had always called her his lucky charm and sworn she had a head for real estate—but she’d been on the outskirts long enough to know she had no interest in real estate investing. When her mother was alive, it had been different and she hadn’t felt so alone. But after her mother passed when she was in high school, the exclusion made her feel like a child being shielded from the adult conversation by overprotective parents. Even though she’d created a thriving business with stock holders and her own board to face down when the occasion called for it, up until the day they died, her father and brother had still seen her as a child.

Jack
still saw her that way, too. Hell, she still felt that way more often than she should, especially at times like these.

But as she walked away, she caught Jack staring at her. Though still deep in conversation with Leonard, the look on his face could only be described as hungry. It was a look that spoke volumes. It said that maybe he
had
thought about her since Sunday night. That perhaps he really had enjoyed himself and that she should be expecting Lesson Number Two
very
soon.

She thought of the way he’d put her hand on his cock, how huge it had been as it twitched beneath the fabric of his pants, and a shiver traveled from her shoulders to her toes.

Maybe Jack didn’t see her as a child or a little sister. Not anymore.

And she wasn’t about to disappoint him. As she exited the elevator a few minutes later and crossed the lobby, she pulled out her phone and thumbed in another 9-1-1 text to Georgie.
Help. I need adulting lessons, stat.

When she stepped outside, she looked up from her phone, but not quick enough to avoid colliding with a man on the street. She nearly fell but the man grabbed her by the shoulders just in time and steadied her on the pavement. “Careful now,” he said with a smile.

“I’m sorry,” she said, blood going cold as the man nodded and hurried on his way.

Careful now.
The voice was heavily accented, Italian, like her father’s, and it drew her back to something that had happened years ago.

She couldn’t be sure of the exact date, but it was when her entire family was alive and she’d desperately sought the approval of the adults in her life. She’d been a child, playing in the front foyer of their brownstone while servants went in and out the front door, preparing for another one of their famous Fiorini Christmas parties. The man who’d stopped to talk to her had been balding, round, but pleasant-faced. While most of the help had ignored her, he’d watched her playing and asked her to show him her cartwheels. She’d done several, but knocked over a vase in the foyer.