Cortez flexed his hand slightly around her neck, the thrusts turning rapid once more. Julia shrieked her approval, urging him on with soft whispers of, “Yes, that’s it, that’s it…”
“Tell me, Juli,” he insisted.
She winced, irritated in the midst of pleasure. “Damn it, can’t you please just let this go?” she snapped.
His eyes narrowed and he played with her only a few seconds more before suddenly depriving her of his touch.
“Yeah…yeah, Juli. I can let it go,” he said, smirking as he watched her shudder and hold on to the desk for support. He collected the black satin panties from the floor and used them to wipe her moisture from his fingers.
“You know where I am when you’re ready to tell me why,” he said, and left without a backwards glance.
“This is out of the question. You guys are going too far now!”
“Calm down, Julia,” Bennett urged.
“Hell, at least lower your voice,” James proffered.
Julia raked her fingers through her short hair and took several deep breaths. “This has got to be against some sort of harassment rules or something,” she noted, turning to face him. “You can’t make me go out with this man to get him to accept a job.”
“Well, Julia, of course you don’t have to agree to this.”
Pursing her lips, Julia folded her arms across the front of her crisp, pin-striped shirt.
“Look, Julia, we simply want Cortez to see every aspect of the company,” Ben reasoned. “Attending the Haven party—”
“Orgy,” Julia corrected.
“Mixer,” Ben rephrased, “will show him that we’re a fun, laid-back group that encourages creative expression and welcomes input from all employees.”
“In short, we just think it’ll impress the hell out of him,” James said.
“Then what do you need me there for?” Julia demanded, tugging at her shirt’s stylish, quarter-length cuffed sleeves.
James went to fix himself a drink. “Because he wants you there. He told us what a great time he had at dinner last night.”
“Yeah, he said if everyone here was as fantastic as you, he might very well consider a change,” Ben added.
“Well then give him a chance to find out. Fix him up with one of the other women here,” Julia suggested, not caring whether Ben and James noticed the desperation in her voice. “They’re all dying to get to know him,” and have their panties ripped off after dinner, she thought silently.
It had been a mistake to prod and tease Cortez, she should have known that. She’d been in control until he’d asked that. The determination in his eyes told her that he wouldn’t stop until she told him, forcing her to relive the only time in her life she’d truly felt ashamed.
Still, as much as she hated his family, she didn’t want to be responsible for him hating them. He was sure to, if she told him they were the reason she put an end to their future. Worse, she could tell him and he’d wind up hating her. Well…hating her more than he did now.
“Julia? Jules, you with us?”
Snapping to, Julia offered a quick smile.
“Can we count on you?” Ben asked.
“Fine,” she said and left the office.
The soothing, heavy spray of water sleeked and beaded across Cortez’s toned, athletic frame as he stood beneath the showerhead that morning. Last night he’d helped himself to a few glasses of Jim Beam and celebrated doing what he was sure few men could’ve, or would’ve, done in a similar situation. He’d gone to bed semihard and awakened firm and erect with images of Julia Kelly flooding his dreams. Holding all that dark sensuality in his arms was tantamount to Heaven. Of course, sex was just the incredible payoff for what he was really after.
Being with her again, having her back in his life was what he wanted. But it could never be. He wouldn’t allow it. Losing her was unexpected and it had nearly shut him down. It scared the hell out of him to think about what it would do to him now. Her leaving again would be the end of him. He’d said that before, and the fact grew more credible with each day he spent in her presence.
He shut off the water and dried off, but his thoughts remained heavy. In the bedroom he saw the invite to the Haven party lying on the dresser. From conversations during the meetings he’d attended, it was clear that the event was not to be missed. He was more than a little curious about what was in store.
Julia ran across his mind again. He’d requested her as his escort at first just to wreak havoc on her emotions, but soon it was about more than just that. He’d be leaving for Detroit the day after the party, and he at least needed to know why she left, why she didn’t trust him enough to let him face it with her. Then he could move on and leave her in the past, hopefully. He swore she’d tell him if he had to use every trick he knew to get the answers he’d waited for too long to hear.
Julia spent a lazy afternoon in a bikini while relaxing by the pool. She decided to give her sister a call before heading upstairs to prepare for the Haven soiree.
“I wonder why he hasn’t told me about her?”
Monique Kelly laughed. “Well, with the way you’ve been throwing yourself at him, he probably figures on one last fling before the big day and doesn’t want to mess up a sure thing.”
Julia rolled her eyes at her older sister’s perspective. She groaned when the woman’s laughter gained volume as it fluttered through the phone receiver.
“Do you think it’s that serious?” Julia couldn’t help but ask, as a look of unease settled within her dark eyes.
From her home office in Detroit, Monique reclined in her desk chair and surveyed her view of downtown. “It seems to be, little sis,” she admitted, hearing the full silence on the other end of the line, “but you of all people know how the media can blow things out of proportion.”
The tiniest pool of hope sprang someplace deep in Julia’s heart. It evaporated at Monique’s next statement. “It is a perfect match, though. Coanchors on the same show, a town full of fans, well-wishers and all that jazz. Besides, I’m sure Cora just loves her.”
“All right, Mo, I get it. You’ve made your point,” Julia noted morosely.
“Forget him, Jukee,” Monique warned her sister.
“But I thought you always liked Cortez?”
“I did, but his family made you feel like dirt and it affected you for the worse. Being in L.A., accomplishing what you have, don’t toss it all away for something as uncertain as love,” Monique preached.
Julia couldn’t argue. She knew that her sister had a very good reason to be cynical in light of her own past experiences. “I hear you, Mo,” she said finally.
“Do you really?”
“I swear,” Julia said just as the doorbell sounded. She practically repeated Monique’s advisements word for word while strolling to the front of the house. But her affirmations trailed to silence as she opened the door to greet Cortez.
A grin brightened his handsome face, but he didn’t appear amused. Instead, it seemed as though he wasn’t surprised to find her answering the door wearing a bikini. Still, that didn’t stop him from appraising the appealing vision she cast.
His entrancing brown eyes raked over her slender dark chocolate frame encased in a white string bikini trimmed in hot pink. His gaze locked onto the small heart cut into the material of the bikini top. Slowly, she turned to speak into the phone she held and he saw an identical heart cut into the bottom, which allowed a glimpse of satiny ebony skin amidst a sea of white.
“I’ll call you back later,” Julia told Monique and clicked off the phone.
“Don’t tell me, you were talking and just lost track of the time,” Cortez guessed sarcastically.
“Exactly,” Julia replied in an airy voice and whisked out of the foyer and toward the living room. “Would you like a drink before I go up to get dressed?” she offered, her body growing warm when she felt him behind her. She was still determined to show him that he didn’t have the upper hand. Her skin riddled with goose
flesh, she turned to fix him with a bold look.
Cortez braced one hand against the long, brass bar cart behind her. The other rose to skirt her waist, his thumb brushing the tiny belly ring she sported, before fiddling with the ties that secured the bikini bottom at her hips. His intensely focused eyes searched hers for any sign of weakness.
“This is nice,” he complimented softly, tracing her skin that showed through the heart cut into the bottom. “Is it your way of telling me you want more of what you got last night?” he inquired, now cupping one breast and circling his thumb around a firming nipple.
“I should be asking if you’re trying to tell me that you want more of what you got last night,” Julia countered, willing her eyelids not to flutter in response to his pleasurable attentions.
“Not so much fun being teased, is it?” he asked, now weighing her breast and squeezing her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
A needy sound accidentally escaped her throat and triumph gleamed on his face. “Teasing makes the follow-through more exciting. Only…you didn’t follow through,” she teased back seductively.
Cortez replied with a look of phony concern. “Disappointed?”
“Tsk, tsk.” Julia gestured, her eyes narrowing as she smoothed her finger across his muscular forearm, bared by the short sleeves of the beige shirt he wore. “Again, Corky, I should be asking you that.” Satisfied by her resistance, but knowing it was wearing thin, she sauntered across the room to the stairway. Turning the screw just a notch tighter, she pulled away the bikini top as she disappeared at the top of the stairs.
Cortez dragged his hand across his face and groaned. Then he turned to the bar and half filled a glass with cognac. Every nerve ending and hormone he possessed demanded that he take what she offered, what he’d wanted since he’d arrived on her doorstep over a week earlier. She was more determined to keep her secrets about eight years ago than he’d first realized. She was playing terribly unfair, using every single seductive, overpowering ounce of feminine allure to reel him in, and he was putting up no fight at all.
But then what? Then she’d be here in L.A. and he’d be on his way back to Detroit and hooked on her all over again. Hell, man, when were you ever not hooked on her?
Cortez splashed a bit more cognac into his glass.
“She’s the only woman here who could snap her fingers and get any man in the place to drop his pants. That goes for the newest mailroom guy to the damn network president.”
Cortez chuckled at the summation by Fred Chastwick, the Haven Network’s VP of marketing and research.
“It’s no joke,” Fred assured, smoothing a hand across his bald, dark head. “She’s tops in her field, which makes her even more desired. Unfortunately, she’s also very discriminating.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Cortez inquired, slipping a hand into the side pocket of his mocha trousers.
Thomas Grant, Haven’s sales VP, spoke up. “It’s not a bad thing, but that desirability of hers makes lots of people believe she’s gotten where she is by sleeping her way to the top.”
Cortez studied the ice circling his glass. “And that’s not true?” he probed, looking up to see the executives shaking their heads.
“She’s smart,” Thomas said, “she’s determined, she’s gorgeous and she’s sexy as hell. In spite of a few jealous colleagues, she’s respected, and in this town that’s gold.”
The story remained unchanged throughout the evening. Men and women alike had the best things to say about Julia. Cortez couldn’t say he was at all surprised. He’d always known she’d go far. She should’ve made anchor long before him. She would have if she’d wanted it. But, as she often said, behind the scenes was where the real power resided. Unfortunately for him, she’d wanted that power more than she’d wanted a relationship with him. Or so he had believed. What did surprise him was the discovery that she was so unattainable. That part had him intrigued. Julia Kelly wore her sensuality on her sleeve. She had to be aware of how desired she was. Why the ice-princess routine?
After three hours, Julia was more than ready to leave the Haven mixer. She’d already walked in on several couples making out in various areas of the mansion. Of course, no one had the decency to stop when they realized their privacy had been interrupted.
The party, held at the Beverly Hills estate of Haven’s president, called for casual attire, which ranged from shorts and T-shirts to bathing suits and string bikinis. Julia opted for a lovely black one-piece suit that drew her several stares but was rather conservative for her personal tastes.
Even Gary, the chauffer, had finally decided to get over his shyness and make his move on Julia’s assistant, Lexi Smith. Walking in on the two of them enjoying one another, on the balcony outside the ballroom, was about all Julia could stomach. She had no idea where Cortez had disappeared to and felt it best that she not go looking. Instead, she decided to wait for Gary at the car. She took solace in the quiet darkness at the rear of the limo and had almost a half hour of silence before the driver’s-side door opened.
Cortez looked inside. Apparently he was searching for Gary, as well, when he caught sight of Julia in the back of the plush vehicle.
“Damn, you had me worried,” he scolded, his frown deepening.
“Worried or jealous, Cork?” she taunted, toying with the fringed hemline of the wrap skirt she wore around her swimsuit. “Clearly my hideout isn’t that good,” she sighed while he remained silent.
“I was going to ask Gary about you,” he admitted, still watching her from the driver’s side.
Julia almost broke into laughter. “Honey, Gary is in Heaven right about now.”
Cortez closed his eyes, a grin sparking the lone dimple he possessed. Needing no further clarification, he closed the door and came around to join her in the back.
“So, is all this too much for you?” he asked, once he was relaxing next to her on the long backseat.
Julia shrugged. “It always is. That’s why I never attend.”
“So why are you here tonight?”
“Because of you. They said you requested me.”
Cortez gave a quick shake of his head. “So what? From what I hear you call your own shots.”
Julia rested her head upon the black cushioned back of the seat. “They begged me to be a team player. They want you very much.”
“And what about you?” Cortez asked, the soft depth of his voice adding more potency to the words.
Julia didn’t pretend to misunderstand them. She felt her thighs weaken in response. “That depends.” She told him.
“On?”
“On whether you’re available for the wanting,” she clarified, turning to judge his reaction.
Cortez had been watching her steadily. When her eyes met his, he forgot all his warnings to stay away and pulled her across the seat to him. Julia’s nails raked his stubble-roughened jaw just as his mouth crashed down upon her own. The kiss was forceful but it was also rather coaxing, slow and sultry. His tongue thrust leisurely, drawing low moans from her throat. Julia tried to chant his name, but her voice was effectively muffled beneath his kiss. She responded instead by kissing him back just as sweetly, just as seductively.
The tenderness he showed proved to be every bit as devastating as his commanding power over her body. Cortez unfastened the straps of her bathing suit easily, his lips slowly encircling the circumference of one breast.
“Mmm…” Julia gestured weakly, arching her back to draw his focus to an aching nipple. “Cortez, plea—” her words broke when he satisfied her request and raked his teeth across the rigid bud. Julia let her hands fall from his gorgeous face, and she arched herself deeper into his mouth. Now Cortez was cupping both mounds, alternating licking and nibbling as he lost himself in her curves.
Hushed words of desire swirled within the dark confines of the car. Cortez uttered soft, tortured moans as he suckled Julia’s nipples eagerly. His fingers skirted her rib cage and abdomen before disappearing beneath the
hem of her wrap skirt. Julia tried to unfasten the buttons along the casual cotton shirt he wore. Her hands ached to caress the chiseled expanse of his broad chest. Cortez wouldn’t allow it and took her wrists in his broad grip, trapping them above her head. His touch beneath her skirt grew bolder. His sensuous lips feasted on her bosom while his fingers sought and discovered the treasure they yearned for.
Julia cried out in pleasure when she felt him enter her body. His middle finger curved inside her and slowly increased the penetration. “Cortez, please, please…I need more—”
“Tell me why you left,” he commanded suddenly, unexpectedly.
Julia shuddered as much from his incredible touch as she did from his whispered request.
“Tell me,” he spoke again, showering her breasts with brief satiny kisses before he looked up at her.
“Because I was afraid!” she admitted hotly.
Cortez frowned. “Afraid? Afraid of me?”
Julia forced herself not to look away. “Afraid that you’d start to feel about me the same way your family did if I stayed.”
“Julia—”
“I heard you talking to Correll, that night after we came back from dinner to celebrate your anchor position,” Julia confessed, weary of denying him the explanation he deserved. “He was right, Cork,” she insisted when his expression darkened. “It would’ve been too much pressure on you and your new career. People like your mother, they would’ve made it impossible for us to be together. Your career would’ve been less about your work for the station and more about your relationship with a girl from the wrong society branch and—”
“Damn it, Juli, I never cared about that!” Cortez hissed, pulling up to glare down at her.
“That’s because you couldn’t,” she told him in a sad voice. “Cortez, the crap I took from your family was one thing, but hearing them say it to you… I didn’t want you dealing with that. I didn’t want to deal with it, and it would’ve only been a matter of time before it started to affect us. You have to know that.”
As Good as the First Time Page 5
