The Player's Club: Finn (18 page)

“I don’t hate you,” he said, tugging at her until she was sitting at his side. He put an arm around her shoulders. “I’m mad. I’ll admit that. But there’s a way around it. There’s a solution we’re not seeing.”

He kissed her cheek, tasting the salt of the tears that were starting to pour down her cheeks. “Hell, you’re the Hammer, aren’t you? Don’t you pull off incredible crap all the time?”

“With everything but my personal life,” she said, with a hiccupy laugh. “Jeez. I’ve cried more this month with you than I have in the past ten years.”

“I have that effect on women,” he joked. “Listen, why don’t we do something about that?”

She blinked. “You can’t possibly mean…”

His body started to heat. “Try me.”

SHE SMILED. PART OF HER, the rational part of her, knew that sex with Finn was no solution. Fortunately, the rational part of her was shouted down by her body, which was already thrilled at getting another chance to touch him, to feel him pressed against her. And her heart…well, she didn’t want to think about what her heart was feeling.

“Come on,” he said, leading her to the plane’s cozy bedroom. They could touch the opposite sides of the room with their hands if they stretched, she noticed, but they only reached for each other. Instead of a furious mating, the way they had done it every time prior, this was unspeakably gentle. He took off her blouse, stroking her shoulders, kissing the side of her breast and the curve of her throat, the hollow of her collarbone. She shivered as his fingers traced down her hip, stroking over her pubic bone, smoothing around her belly. She let him peel off her slacks, shimmying out of her panties until she was naked and her skin felt fevered compared to the cool, temperature-controlled cabin air.

She took off his shirt, then stripped him out of his jeans. She started off slowly, kissing his chest, wanting to memorize every ridge of muscle, loving the way he jumped and danced beneath her fingertips. He growled as she traced a swirling path down his torso with her tongue. Her fingers dipped lower, finding his hardness. He was large, hard, silky. His cock strained against her palm as she stroked him with a tentative hand.

She’d never wanted anyone as much as she wanted this man.

She took him into her mouth. His low, drawn-out groan of pleasure was music to her ears.

She moved slowly up and down his shaft, taking him in as deeply as she could. She could see his fists bunching into the comforter, heard his ragged breathing. She swirled her tongue around the head of his cock, tracing the tiny fissure there. She laved him lovingly, wanting to give him as much pleasure as he’d always given her.

It wasn’t long before she heard him say,
“Diana.”
And he dragged her up, kissing her, pulling her body against his. His body next to hers had her trembling, clinging to him.

“Now,” she breathed urgently. “Please. I need you inside me now.”

He reached over the side of the bed, producing a condom from his jeans. He rolled it on, then guided her above him. He teased her entrance, and she could feel him testing her, stroking her sensitive folds until she was panting with desire. She forced her way down, impaling herself on his throbbing cock. She gasped as he filled her, feeling his pulse between her thighs, deep inside her very core.

“Oh, Finn,” she murmured, arching her back, taking him in deeper. She felt him shudder, heard him groan again with pleasure as he held her still and yet encouraged her to continue.

He let her set the pace, and she did, with slow, maddening strokes, each ending with her thrusting down on him as far as possible. She whispered,
yes,
every time his cock hit that special spot.

“You’re driving me crazy,” he said, his eyes closed, his face tight with strain.

She was driving them both crazy—and she was loving every second of it.

Finally, she couldn’t take the building pressure anymore. Her measured strokes were growing more insistent. His hands gripped her thighs, his hips straining to meet her, and she drove herself downward, almost on the brink of sheer bliss. The orgasm shimmered through her, and she tossed her head back, crying out as she felt his cock jerk and shudder. She and Finn trembled together, clutching each other tightly.

When the moment had ended, they discovered their arms and legs were wound around each other. “I really care about you, Finn,” she breathed, before pressing tiny kisses on his chest. “But I owe your family so much.”

“Hush, baby. I know.”

“What am I going to do?”

He didn’t answer because he had no idea. All he knew was, she was tearing herself apart, and he had no damned solution for either of them.

FINN HAD INSISTED ON accompanying her to Thorn’s office. Since it was technically the end of the bet, Diana supposed Thorn wouldn’t see there was anything strange about Finn’s presence. In fact, he’d probably have insisted on it. He’d want to start negotiating the terms of Finn’s employment immediately. She’d already okayed the bills for Finn’s refurbished office, his letterhead, his business cards. She figured as far as Thorn was concerned, this was an uncontested triumph. For the first time, he had his son right where he wanted him.

Or so he thought.

Diana flinched, but stepped away before Finn could comfort her. She shook her head.

“Not here in the hallway,” she whispered. When his face clouded with hurt, she said, “I’ll lose it, Finn. I’ll break down, and I…”

To her horror, her voice cracked. She waited for a second, calming herself, taking several deep breaths.

“Just not here,” she repeated, and was grateful when he nodded, understanding. She wasn’t sure how this would play out. Thorn was waiting for them in his office. It was mostly floor-to-ceiling glass windows, with a glamorous view of the city and bay. A sumptuous Oriental rug covered the floor. The rest of the space was decorated with lots of modern touches. Clean, sharp, sophisticated: the room was all business. Thorn waited behind his glass desk, eyeing them as they walked in together. He was wearing a black suit and a blinding white shirt, with a blood-red silk tie. It was the power suit he wore when he was going to kick ass. Usually, it meant he was tearing apart a company, or reaming a failing organization before firing its management team.

The fact that he was wearing it now, for this occasion, both puzzled and unnerved her. His matching funereal expression only made matters worse.

“Son,” Thorn said, barely glancing at Finn.

“Hey, Dad.” Finn sounded subdued. “Listen, I wanted to—”

“A minute, Finn.” His father cut across Finn’s words as if they were some insubordinate flunky’s, causing Diana’s eyes to widen in shock. He’d sometimes been curt, often been frustrated, but this was strangely rude.

Then she saw the sheer fury in Thorn’s eyes.

What the hell’s happened since I’ve been gone?

“Some disturbing things have come to my attention while you two have been traipsing around on this Player’s Club business,” Thorn said, each word sharp enough to shred tin. “Very disturbing.”

“Dad, what are you talking about?” Finn interrupted, before she could. He sounded defensive…and a little nervous. Neither was helping any, she noted.

Thorn stared at them both, then shrugged. “Fine. We’ll do this your way. What do you have to report, then? How did your little ‘experiment’ go, Diana?”

She took a deep breath. “I…I found that the Player’s Club… I found it…”

How can I do this? How can I
not
do this?

What do I do?

“She’s ruling with you,” Finn said, and all the breath seemed to leave her body as if she’d had the wind knocked out of her. “You were right the whole way. I’ll go along with the plan.”

“Finn, no,” she said quickly, putting a hand on his arm.

His eyes revealed his determination. “Di, it’s not that bad, really. You love this job.”

“But you love the Club!”

He smiled, then shrugged. “Loves change.”

Her heart warmed, and she stared at him, stunned.

Then she heard the loud sound of hands clapping slowly. She stared at Thorn, mocking them with his drawn-out applause.

“Bravo. Did you practice all of that, or were you improvising?”

“Dad, for god’s sake, tell us what’s happened?”

“I just wanted to see how far you’d take this charade, and I have to say, I’m disgusted with the pair of you.”

“Charade?” Diana echoed, baffled. “Thorn, I can assure you, we didn’t plan any of this. We didn’t plan anything.”

“I find that very hard to believe.” He opened a manila envelope, tossed the contents on the broad surface of his desk.

Finn and Diana stepped up to examine the documents. There were pictures of them. At Disneyland. In Colorado. There they were in grainy black-and-white in the hotel in Anaheim, and their disheveled appearance was captured getting off the plane from Paris. The photos clearly showed that they were lovers, even though they weren’t graphic.

“That wasn’t planned, either,” Diana said coldly. “And it doesn’t…” She stopped to reconsider her words. “Actually, it has everything to do with why I wasn’t going to agree with you about the bet. Thorn, the Player’s Club isn’t a dangerous organization. Finn might have some thrill issues—” she smiled as she said it “—but it’s not the Club’s fault. If anything I can see how liberating some might find it.”

“I’m sure you could,” Thorn snapped, and she felt guilty. How would she feel if her employee slept with her son? She couldn’t fathom it.

“Finn, that was a nice little speech you gave, too. Very impassioned. But tell me, did you decide to bite the bullet because she’s that good in the sack? Or because she made you feel bad because she knows she’s going to get fired?”

Finn jolted and his fists clenched. “That’s out of line, Dad. My relationship with Diana has nothing to do with you. If you’re unhappy, it has to do with you, and how you do business.”

“You’re absolutely right there, my boy,” Thorn said, his tone harsh. “Oh, and I suppose you’ll make some grand gesture now, like throw away your board position, or take a vow of poverty.”

“You keep it up and I might.” Finn seemed equal parts pissed and puzzled. “
What is wrong with you?
Does my life bother you that much? Is it because Diana and I found each other during all of this? Or is it because she doesn’t want to toe your line and let you railroad me into a life I’d hate?”

“You say you’d hate it, but you were about to accept it,” Thorn shot back. “Tell me honestly. Is it because you care about her? That much?”

Finn looked at her, then nodded. “Absolutely.”

Thorn stared daggers at her. “Damn you, Diana.”

Finn stepped between them. “All right, that’s enough. You’ve gone too far.”

But his father only rounded the huge glass desk and shook his fist at her. “Did you really have a grand plan all along? Or were you going to slowly work your way up to sabotaging me? Was Finn part of it? Or have you been working with this damned Club?”

“
What
are you talking about?” Diana sputtered. She’d seen Thorn mad at times, even completely unreasonable; she’d just never seen either directed at her. “I’m sure it’s upsetting to find out we’re…involved. But this is beyond even your normal rage. What’s really bothering you?”

“Diana, you’re fired. And I’m sorry I ever agreed to take you on.”

She felt his words like knives in her chest. Finn’s protests sounded like a weak buzzing noise—the room suddenly seemed very far away, and she became light-headed. “What?”

“You can’t do this!” Finn shouted. “You can’t fire her just because we slept together! You can’t fire her because we fell in love!”

“I’m not,” his father yelled. “I could kill her for hurting you…if she got you involved in any of this…but I’m not firing her for it.”

He turned to her, his face a mask of contempt.

“I’m firing you,” he said calmly, “because you embezzled one million dollars.”

12

FINN STARED AT HIS FATHER as if he’d grown another head. “She what?”