Alluring Attraction

by Zoelle, A. F.

  Ryder approached the front desk and the three women greeted him in unison, “Good evening, sir.”

  “Uh, hi,” Ryder hesitantly replied, keeping his voice low to minimize the echo in the spacious reception area.

  All three women smiled politely at him, which only served to embarrass Ryder further. What the hell am I doing here? Ryder groaned internally, feeling incredibly foolish. Knowing it was too late to back out now, Ryder identified himself. “I’m Ryder Hardwin.”

  The Japanese woman Ryder had seen last time typed his information into her computer as she greeted him, “Welcome back, Mr. Hardwin. Are you here for another meeting with President Dragon, or would you like to schedule with someone else?”

  “President Dragon,” Ryder answered, the faintest blush coloring his cheeks.

  “How long do you expect the meeting to last?” she politely inquired.

  Not knowing the cost, Ryder replied, “An hour.” He handed over his credit card, hoping it didn’t deplete too much of his savings. Although he had a sizable trust fund after the death of his parents during an archeological dig in Egypt, he didn’t exactly feel good about dipping into it for such purposes.

  There was a rapid flurry of typing before she nodded and announced, “You’re in luck, sir. He is available immediately. As a thank you for your return patronage, we’re giving you an additional hour on the house.”

  “Oh, th-thank you,” Ryder stuttered, startled by the offer. Maybe it’s a standard deal? Ryder wondered, although he thought it was a bit strange.

  The transaction was over with a swipe of his card and the Japanese woman led the way to the elevator. Ryder quickly hurried to where she was waiting in the elevator with a pleasant smile.

  As the elevator began its rapid ascent to the top floor, Ryder’s heart was hammering frantically in his chest. This is such a bad idea, Ryder fretted, although it was too late for regrets when the doors pinged open with a pleasant noise.

  “It’s the door directly at the end of the hallway,” the woman told Ryder, pointing to the door at the opposite end of the long corridor.

  “Thanks,” he replied with a small smile, finally daring to make eye contact.

  “Sir?” she asked, tilting her head as she regarded Ryder. “Is there something else I can help you with?”

  Realizing that he had probably made her uncomfortable, Ryder shook his head with a reassuring smile and a somewhat sheepish look. “No, I’m sorry,” he apologized.

  Covering her mouth as she quietly giggled, she said, “There’s no need to be, sir. I’m always happy to do what I can to help.”

  Ryder thanked her once again before turning and walking down the long hallway. The door was a stylized traditional Japanese shōji door, but the rice paper had been replaced with frosted glass. Taking a deep breath and trying to steady his nerves, Ryder knocked before letting himself into the room, sliding the door closed behind him.

  The room was nothing like the business hotel suite that Hunter and Ryder had been in last time. Ryder had stepped into an authentic ryōkan-style room, complete with tatami straw mats and a bed roll off to the side of the room. Respectfully slipping off his shoes before stepping onto the tatami, Ryder caught his breath when Hunter slid open one of the shōji doors across from him and entered with a knowing smile.

  Ryder was utterly entranced by the sight of Hunter in a long, deep-blue robe with large kimono sleeves. It was loosely tied to show off his pale skin and the color of the robe made Hunter’s blue eyes all the more brilliant. Hunter allowed Ryder his moment of appreciation, his ego purring under the look of desire he was inspiring.

  Sauntering over to Ryder, Hunter waited until he was right next to him to murmur, “Like what you see?”

  Swallowing hard and looking up to meet amused cerulean, Ryder didn’t know how to answer. The outfit and setting made Hunter seem particularly exotic and beautiful—two words he had never really associated with his rival before. “Why are you…?” Ryder tried to ask, but it seemed that coherent thoughts had abandoned him even sooner this time.

  “Because the same thing every time would be boring,” Hunter explained with a particularly perverse smirk that sent a shiver of anticipation through Ryder despite his discomfort.

  “That makes sense,” Ryder absentmindedly commented, his embarrassment temporarily forgotten in the face of desire.

  “I’m impressed, though,” Hunter airily commented as he took another step closer. Crooking his finger under Ryder’s chin to tilt his head back, Hunter held his gaze. “I figured it would take you longer to get over your righteous morals before coming back here again.”

  Flushing a deep scarlet, Ryder mumbled, “Yeah, well…”

  “Perhaps I should reward you further,” Hunter suggested, leaning down to kiss Ryder.

  Although Ryder wanted to ask Hunter what he meant by “further,” it soon became unimportant. Once again taking Ryder by surprise, Hunter kissed him slowly and sensually, completely unhurried as he took his time exploring his claim. The languid pace filled Ryder with a desire that fed off his need for Hunter, off the countless fantasies he had imagined over the past few days.

  Pleased at the lack of resistance, Hunter wrapped an arm around Ryder’s waist and held him close, deepening the kiss in the process. Normally he didn’t waste time with such things, but it was fascinating to see how quickly he could reduce his rival to wordless needs. Besides, Ryder was fairly skilled, which made Hunter curious to know where he had gotten that experience. Surely not Derrick, Hunter mentally scoffed, lightly sucking on Ryder’s lower lip. And it definitely couldn’t be that worthless excuse for a mutt. That would be unforgivable….

  Unable to resist temptation, Ryder hesitantly rested his hands on Hunter’s chest, letting one of them drift under the robe’s opening to touch the pale expanse above his heart. Making an appreciative noise of encouragement, Hunter was pleased with Ryder’s boldness. Maybe we’ll get somewhere tonight after all, he silently mused. “Shall we move this elsewhere?” Hunter suggested when they parted, quite taken with the desire-filled emerald eyes that were staring up at him.

  “To another room?” Ryder asked in confusion, his hormones muddling his mind.

  “The bed,” Hunter corrected him, nodding his head in the general direction of the bedroll.

  Shrugging for fear that his voice would betray him, Ryder allowed himself to be led over to the white futon. Hunter gracefully lowered himself down, surprising Ryder that even on his knees, his rival was almost as tall as he was.

  As Ryder continued to look down at him with a contemplative expression, Hunter stripped him of his shirt. Running slender fingers over tan skin, Hunter leaned forward to kiss Ryder’s abdomen, chuckling at the way it made him suck in his breath in response.

  “Ticklish?” Hunter questioned as he lightly trailed his fingers down Ryder’s sides.

  “Unexpected,” Ryder clarified, unable to take his eyes off of Hunter as he continued his light teasing. He didn’t resist the urge to run his fingers through Hunter’s soft hair. Ryder had to question his own forwardness, but he didn’t pull away. “Should I not?”

  The act lent a sense of intimacy, but Hunter wouldn’t verbalize such a thing. “It’s fine,” Hunter told him, although he refused to lean into the touch like a pet. “You will find that there’s very little I will object to.”

  The comment made Ryder frown and he softly questioned, “Very little that you want to object to or very little that you’re allowed to object to?”

  “Which do you think?” Hunter replied as he started to undo the button on Ryder’s pants.

  “The latter,” Ryder answered as he stopped Hunter from proceeding.

  Hunter quietly sighed as he tried to reason, “If I told you that I don’t object to what’s about to happen, would that make a difference?”

  “How could you not?” Ryder demanded, his voice rising in the process.

  Using his height to his advantage, Hunter reached up and made Ryder bend
down for a demanding kiss. “I’m telling you that I have no complaints about you,” Hunter clarified when they parted, looking deep into Ryder’s eyes in a bid for understanding.

  “Why? Because I’m paying you?” Ryder harshly accused, his indignation flaring.

  “That has nothing to do with it,” Hunter denied, finally succeeding in undoing Ryder’s pants. Pulling them down with his briefs while Ryder was distracted, Hunter languidly ran his fingers along the semi-hard member that was mere inches from his face. “The financial transaction plays no part in what’s about to happen.”

  “I wish I could believe that,” Ryder mumbled with a heavy sigh, wondering for the umpteenth time why he thought coming back was a good idea.

  Lightly groping Ryder’s ass, Hunter continued, “So if I fucked you for free, would that make a difference?”

  “No, because you would only be doing it to prove your point, which is no better,” Ryder retorted, his eyes full of ferocity.

  Laughing out of actual amusement, Hunter lacked the normal sarcastic edge that Ryder was accustomed to. He was surprised to find that he actually found it kind of pleasant. “You’re absolutely impossible,” Hunter told Ryder, still chuckling.

  “That doesn’t change the fact that I’m right,” Ryder shot back.

  Grinning with depravity, Hunter gently tugged on Ryder’s hand, forcing them both to the bed. Ryder was startled to find himself on top of Hunter, having somehow knocked him onto his back in the process.

  Sitting up, Ryder swallowed hard at the sight of Hunter sprawled beneath him, wantonness personified into perfection. The obi tie around his waist had slid in the process, revealing more of Hunter’s chest and his long legs. Some primitive instinct urged Ryder to utterly ravish Hunter, but he struggled against it. Everything would be changed between them forever—although the persistent part of his mind argued that it already was, so what was the harm in pushing it further?

  “You’re thinking about it too long for a naked man,” Hunter finally announced before pulling Ryder down for another insistent kiss, actively trying to change his rival’s mind. His hands trailed down Ryder’s back to fondle his ass, once again filling Hunter with the urge to take the fiery man. Suppressing it as he had before, Hunter sensuously ran his fingers up the curve of his rival’s spine, who shivered in response.

  Hunter entangled his hands in Ryder’s hair before he stroked his blush-tinged cheek. “If you were really as bothered by this as you’re pretending, you wouldn’t be here right now,” Hunter pointed out to Ryder, tired of the delays that such pointless resistance was causing.

  “I’m here for answers,” Ryder told him, somewhat distracted by the almost tender way that Hunter was caressing him.

  Moving his hand away from Ryder’s cheek to his shoulder, Hunter arrogantly questioned, “About why you can’t stop thinking about me?”

  There was something utterly seductive about Hunter’s tone. It took more effort to deny “No” than Ryder cared to admit. “I want to know why you’re here.”

  “For your pleasure,” Hunter murmured as he trailed his fingers downward to start teasing Ryder’s member to full hardness.

  “That’s not what I mean,” Ryder groaned as Hunter continued working his length.

  “Regardless, that’s all I’m interested in,” Hunter replied, sounding vaguely annoyed. “If that’s the only reason that you came here tonight, you’re wasting your money and my time.”

  Once again, the feelings of shame over his alternative reason for going to Cole Corporation started to surface and Ryder looked away, unable to maintain eye contact.

  His eyes growing brighter in triumph, Hunter realized, “So you did come here for more than just an answer to that question.”

  “Try not to let it go to your head,” Ryder muttered, still incapable of actually agreeing out loud.

  Hunter knew it was the closest he was going to get to an admission of purpose from Ryder, which he was more than willing to accept as a victory. Instead of gloating about it as per usual, Hunter started to stroke Ryder in earnest as he encouraged, “Then enough words.”

  Part of Ryder wanted to continue the fight, but as he thrust into Hunter’s hand, he knew it was a lost cause. Instead of embarrassing himself any further, Ryder leaned forward to place a hesitant kiss on Hunter’s neck. Hunter tilted his head to give Ryder better access while slowing down his own ministrations. After all, it would be counterproductive to have Ryder finish before they had even gotten started.

  Ryder became bolder in his actions as he continued, sliding the kimono robe off of one of Hunter’s shoulders to expose more of him. He worshipped Hunter’s body as he had in his dreams, slowly exploring every inch of him with fingers, lips, and tongue, memorizing everything. The languid pace was almost agonizing torture for Hunter, who was used to things proceeding at a much faster rate. He arched up with a soft sound of need that he hoped would encourage Ryder to move on to other things.

  Taking the hint, Ryder undid the obi belt, pushing aside the folds of the kimono to completely reveal Hunter. Ryder immediately hardened further at the sight of Hunter in such a sensual state of repose, his emerald eyes betraying his deepest desires. The image gave Ryder all sorts of depraved ideas about what he wanted to do to Hunter, although he was still too entranced to take immediate action. Although Ryder thought it would be prudent to completely remove the kimono to toss it aside with the rest of the clothes, there was a strange urge to leave it as it was, with the oversize sleeves sliding up Hunter’s arms and the rest of it pooling beautifully beneath his body.

  Once again allowing Ryder to have his moment, Hunter was intrigued by the range of emotions that he was witnessing. It wasn’t enough to completely distract Hunter from his building need, and he was about to provide some encouragement when Ryder took the initiative.

  Continuing where he had left off, Ryder resumed his oral explorations of Hunter’s body, unaware that he was cataloging which places earned him the most reaction, as if he would need the knowledge for future visits. It still wasn’t enough and Ryder wanted more, but he was timid in his doubts and uncertain of how to proceed.

  Sensing Ryder’s indecisiveness, Hunter reached one hand behind him to search under the pillow for what he had placed there earlier. His fingers quickly found it and he presented it to Ryder, who looked completely startled by the appearance of the item. “What…?” he asked in a breathy voice, having been completely distracted by Hunter’s body.

  “Did you not pay attention in health class?” Hunter asked as he gestured for Ryder to take it. “Surely you know what a condom is.”

  “Yeah, but—” Ryder started to protest, interrupted by Hunter opening the packet.

  Instead of wasting time with more pointless conversation, Hunter discarded the empty wrapper as he rolled the condom onto Ryder’s cock. “Is it a problem?” Hunter asked, subtly wiping his fingers off on his kimono to get rid of the lubricant on his fingers.

  “Shouldn’t I like…prepare you or something?” Ryder mumbled, his cheeks once again flaming in his embarrassment. Although he had never done more than fool around with a boyfriend, Ryder at least understood enough that he didn’t want to hurt Hunter or seem unskilled.

  “Not necessary,” Hunter assured him, having taken care of it before Ryder arrived.

  Biting his lower lip in nervousness, Ryder quietly questioned, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” Hunter answered without hesitation, spreading his legs apart further to encourage Ryder. He ran his fingers over his own entrance in invitation. “Now stop stalling!”

  Growling low in his throat, Ryder inhaled sharply when he felt Hunter forcibly line him up and initiate the slightest penetration. Ryder pushed away the interfering hands as he snapped, “I can do it myself!”

  “Prove it,” Hunter challenged in a seductive purr, his blue eyes full of arrogance and excitement.

  “Do you always have to be this insufferable?” Ryder demanded as he eased his way into Hunter, hi
s voice tight with the strain of his movement.

  Hunter laughed even as Ryder gradually became fully sheathed within him. “I hardly think that’s important right now, is it?” Hunter replied as he slowly exhaled.

  “Fuck no,” Ryder denied in a rush of words, hiding his face in the crook of Hunter’s neck as he tried to calm himself. It felt so unbelievably good and Ryder found himself breathing heavier as he struggled to rein in his reaction. He would never forgive himself if he came to an embarrassingly early end.

  Gently running his fingers through Ryder’s dark hair, Hunter subtly readjusted his position. Unable to stop himself from enjoying the pleasure of Hunter’s body, Ryder gave in to his body’s demands to start moving. Hunter enjoyed the sensations that were finally beginning to pick up in pace—relieved that they were actually making progress.

  It felt great, but Ryder still wanted more. He found himself instinctively shifting position, allowing him to go deeper, with favorable results for them both. Ryder held onto Hunter’s hips for support as he began thrusting in earnest, pleased when he got a vocal reaction.

  Hunter quietly groaned from his need to be touched, but his training refused to let him ask for more than his partner was willing to give. He had already slipped, because of who Ryder was to him, but Hunter resolved to not do so again. He arched up to enhance his own pleasure, keening softly when he succeeded in having Ryder brush against that place inside of him that made it all worth it.

  Ryder faltered for a moment when he heard Hunter make such a sensuous sound, then thrust at the same angle to see if he could replicate the result. He reveled in the moans he was earning, loving the way Hunter tossed his head back in enjoyment. Ryder leaned forward to kiss Hunter’s bared throat, allowing him to feel his rival’s straining erection brush against his stomach. He had been so focused on his own pleasure that he had ignored Hunter’s for the most part.