by Anna Durand
Dane and I might have told each other in words that we're a real couple now, but our actions speak everything we don't say about the depth of our feelings for each other. We hold hands in public and in private, like in the elevator that takes us up to his suite. And my uptight Brit now loves to make out with me in all three of the suite's elevators. He shocks me, however, when he seduces me in one of them. It's so hot and fun that I beg him to do that every time we go to his hotel.
And he always gives me what I want.
We haven't used his toys yet, not even as foreplay. I insist we don't, though he keeps suggesting we should, because I'm not sure if he's over his fear of me liking his devices better than I like his body. Maybe in another week, we can play with his toys.
About ten days after we first had sex, Dane and I are in his office taking a coffee break. Yes, Dane takes breaks now. But for us, a "coffee break" means I sit on his lap in his chair and we kiss. A lot. Dane also loves to tickle me in places where I had no idea I was ticklish, like behind my left ear and in the centers of both palms. He's blowing a raspberry against my throat, making loud giggles burst out of me, when Celeste Arnaud marches into the office.
Well, we had left the door open. Noah has gotten used to our antics, and Dane even tells jokes that make Noah laugh.
Celeste stops on the other side of the desk, plants a hand on her hip, and raises her brows at us. Her lips kick up in a self-satisfied smile.
Dane peels his lips away from my throat but keeps his arms around my waist so I can't get off his lap. Not that I want to.
"Good afternoon, Celeste," he says, sounding so cheerful that it seems to knock her off kilter for a second or two, based on the way her mouth falls open a touch. "What can we do for you today?"
Her surprise melts into a delighted little smile. "I knew you two would hit it off. Am I a matchmaker or what?"
"What are you talking about? Rika and I found each other on our own."
"But I hired her to be your personal assistant. I knew she'd be an excellent match for you professionally, and I hoped she might turn out to be your perfect match in love too."
Dane's expression goes blank as he stares at Celeste. After a moment, he grins. "You do have great taste, in everything. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you picked the right woman for me even if you didn't set out to do that."
"A happy accident." Celeste winks. "Or was it?"
Did she seriously hire me because she thought Dane and I would make a good couple? No, even Celeste isn't that sneaky. We do have to give her credit, though, for bringing us into each other's lives.
Celeste sits down across the desk from us. "I'm glad to see you happy, Dane, but you need to prepare yourself for what's coming. The buildup to the re-launch kicks into high gear next week. That means public appearances---and I don't mean just having dinner with Rika at a fancy restaurant."
Dane groans and slumps in his chair, with me still on his lap.
At least Celeste and Reese took Dane's face off the packaging and changed the brand name so it no longer says "Dane's Delights" on the boxes. But I know Dane is not looking forward to press conferences or whatever it is Celeste and her marketing team have in mind.
"What do you want me to do?" Dane asks, sounding like he's about to be arrested instead of about to become filthy rich.
Celeste vowed she'd make him a billionaire, but twice he told me he's not sure he wants that.
"Haven't you checked your email?" Celeste asks. "Reese sent you an itinerary half an hour ago."
"Oh, I, uh---" Dane squirms like he's trying to sit up straighter, but my body is holding him down. "I've been...distracted."
Celeste glances at me. "I can see that."
Dane reaches around me to bring up his emails on the computer on his desk. He seems to be trying to print the one from Reese, but once again, the fact I'm on his lap is complicating the task.
I shoo his hand away from the keyboard. "Let me do that."
A few clicks later, the printer spits out the itinerary. I lean way over to grab the sheet out of the printer, then I hand it to him and loop my arms around his neck. Sure, this has become a business meeting, but I know Dane wants me to stay right where I am. He loves cuddling, especially when he's about to get news he won't like. I didn't mean to peek at the itinerary, but it was kind of inevitable. What? I had to look so I could make sure I printed out the right email.
Dane scans the list of events. He groans and shuts his eyes. "A fashion show? Why do I have to go to one of those? It's not like the models will be demonstrating my devices." His eyes fly wide. "Please tell me you're not having them do that."
Celeste laughs in her usual boisterous way. "Dane darling, you are so charmingly suspicious. No, your devices will not be featured at the fashion show. You will attend, with Rika, to show how hip and stylish you are." She eyes him with her analytical gaze. "I'd better send you over to Armani to get a decent suit. You can't show up to a fashion show wearing a suit from a discount store."
He glances down at his suit. "What's wrong this one? I got it at Marks & Spencer."
"Which is a department store in the UK." Celeste clucks her tongue while shaking her head. "Honestly, my dear, you need to dress that gorgeous body in the proper clothing. Rika will help you choose a suit. Won't you, darling?"
"Uh, sure," I say. I know nothing about designer duds, but what the heck, I'll give it a try. I think Dane looks hot in anything, so I may not be much help. In my opinion, though, he looks best in nothing at all.
We chat with Celeste for a few minutes, then she goes back to her office and Dane lets me drive the sports car he rented so I can get back to Eddie's house faster than the train can get me there. Eddie doesn't mind if I take a very long lunch once a week so I can hang out with Dane more. I make up the lost time by doing website maintenance for him on Saturday, from home. Eddie is one of the nicest people I've ever met, but Dane is my favorite person on earth.
Every weekend, we do something fun---like going to the zoo, which was Arden's suggestion, or visiting Chance and Elena in New Hampshire. Dane likes to sleep over at my apartment several times a week, and I think it's because he's used to a homey place instead of a luxury hotel suite. He grew up in a small town, after all. I'm from Chicago, but even I find that suite kind of off-putting. I mean, it's gorgeous and amazing, but it's not a home.
Our trip to the Armani store results in Dane buying three new suits and a tux. I buy a few dresses too. We both wince at the price tags---discreetly, so we won't offend the store employees---but Celeste insisted we should both have designer threads. She's paying for all of it, so we can't say no.
I have to admit Dane looks extra super yummy in an Armani suit. Am I drooling when I ogle him in that suit? Maybe. Who cares? My boyfriend is hot, hot, hot.
We survive the fashion show. I enjoy it, but Dane tolerates it. We get our picture taken by various members of the press, and the next day, we see ourselves in those ultra-chic clothes in various newspapers and magazines, plus some websites. More events follow, including a charity fundraising ball and a photo op at a store that's going to sell Dane's devices. It's a dizzying whirlwind of appearances that leaves us both exhausted.
One night, in Dane's opulent hotel suite, we reach another milestone. We've just made love, and the afterglow is pure bliss.
He turns onto his side and pulls me snug against him, our noses bumping. "I love you, Rika."
"I love you too, Dane."
A glow inside me suffuses my entire body. It's the glow of happiness, a kind I've never experienced before. I get the feeling he experiences the same thing, since his eyes have gone soft and warm, and he kisses me with a sweetness that triggers a dull but pleasant ache in my chest. Then he makes love to me again, infusing the act with all the emotions neither of us can fully express in words. I love this man, and he loves me. My crush has matured into the best thing that's ever happened to me.
The next morning, it's t
ime for the hammer to drop.
It's re-launch day.
Chapter Sixteen
Dane
I stand on a temporary stage set up in the cavernous lobby at the global headquarters of Bonsoir Beauty Incorporated with a microphone on a stand positioned in front of me. Well, not me specifically. Not yet, anyway. Celeste will make her speech, then I will be required to speak. To a large audience. Full of reporters. With flash bulbs firing off like machine guns.
Bloody hell, it's hot in here. I'm starting to sweat, but when I glance around, no one else seems disturbed by the sweltering heat. Maybe it's just me. I don't want to do this.
Celeste begins her introduction, smiling and sounding as confident as ever. She gives a brief overview of Bonsoir and its subsidiaries, then she starts to talk about my corner of the Bonsoir domain. Any minute now she'll introduce me.
I resist the impulse to scratch under my shirt collar. Why do I feel like tiny insects are crawling all over my skin?
When I scan the crowd, I don't see anyone I recognize, so I turn to look at the people standing in the wings, behind a curtain. Reese is there. He gives me the thumbs-up sign and grins. Rika stands beside him. When she notices I'm looking at her, she smiles and mouths, "I love you."
I stand up straighter, lifting my chin. She loves me, and I won't let her down by stammering like an idiot in front of the international press.
"And now," Celeste says, spreading an arm toward me in a grand gesture, "may I introduce the genius behind our new line of sexual wellness devices---the gorgeous, charming, and talented Dane Dixon."
Christ, why did she have to give me an overblown introduction?
I glance at Rika again. This time she mouths, "You can do it."
So I do it. I walk up to the microphone and start my speech. Reese wrote it for me, but thankfully, he didn't include any racy jokes. What he wrote for me sounds like me, not like my little brother. I shouldn't be surprised. I've always known that Reese is cleverer than he used to let on and that he has a way with words. It's why he was successful as an advertising copywriter and why Celeste made him her vice president of advertising.
And I'm even more thankful that he kept the speech short.
"Thank you for coming today," I say, surprising myself with how composed I sound. "I'm proud to present our new line of sexual wellness devices for women---Bonsoir Delights, designed by me and manufactured by our extraordinary teams in the US, UK, Canada, the European Union, and a dozen other locations around the world. Soon, we'll be selling these devices everywhere from Boston to Beijing, and from Norway to New Zealand." I pause for a second, but not because I'm nervous. Not anymore. I'm following Reese's instructions in the script he gave me, which tell me to pause for dramatic effect. "Now, let me walk you through the products we have."
The rest of my speech goes by in a blur. I say all the words I'm meant to say, I hold up each device while I discuss it, and I don't stammer or choke on my own tongue. Not once. Not even when I have to say the name of the most embarrassingly titled device---the Jackrabbit. No, I am not going to explain why it's called that, not to this audience or to any of my friends or family, mostly because I have no idea. Reese came up with the name. He says his wife, Arden, gave him the idea. I don't want to know how or why she did that.
It's one of the two new devices I created. The second one won't be unveiled quite yet. I'm planning a private reveal for one person, the woman who inspired it. When I told Celeste I wanted to delay the announcement, she didn't complain. She said, "Yes, Dane darling, whatever my favorite employee wants."
"Shouldn't Reese be your favorite employee?" I'd asked. "He is your grandson-in-law."
"And I adore Reese, but I adore you even more." She patted my cheek. "Let's not tell Reese that. It's our little secret."
I've wrapped up my speech, so I walk behind the curtain. Celeste assured me I wouldn't need to answer questions from the press. She'll handle that. I hear her voice, projected by the speakers, as I pull Rika into my arms and hold her tight.
"So fucking glad that's over," I groan.
Reese chuckles. "You really aren't built for the public life, are you?"
"No, I'm not." I pull back enough to see Rika's face. Her smile is bright and loving. "Can we talk alone? I want to discuss something with you."
"Sure thing."
Reese winks at me. "Yes, Dane, you drag your girlfriend into a closet or whatever and have her shag you until you can't see straight. That'll make you feel much better."
"Piss off, Reese."
I don't drag Rika into a closet, but I do drag her out to the limousine Celeste hired to take us to and from the headquarters. We kiss for the entire ride back to my hotel, and that kissing involves plenty of groping as well as Rika's hand inside my trousers. I want to get my hand under her skirt, but it's the sort that's so bloody long and narrow that I can't get any part of me under it.
Once we get inside my suite, I strip off all her clothing and mine too, then I lay her down on the bed.
"I have a surprise for you," I say as I crawl up the bed to crouch over her beautiful body.
"You said you want to talk about something." She clasps her hands above her head, smiling in that subtle, sexy way I love. "But we're naked, so I'm thinking a conversation isn't tops on your list of things to do."
"We can talk after." I pull open the drawer in the bedside table and bring out a velvet bag. "Your surprise is in here. I made something just for you, because of you, and you're the first human on earth to see it. I made the prototype myself."
"Is this a new device?"
"Yes."
She cradles my face in her hands, the desire in her expression softened by a tenderness that always sets off a pang behind my ribs. "I told you before, I don't need your devices. I want you, Dane."
"But we can play with my devices. I know you'd like that." I tug the velvet bag open, reaching inside it. "I know you want me, without any mechanical aids, and I'm not worried about that anymore. But I want to play with you, Rika."
Her smile gets bigger, and her eyes sparkle. "I'd love that."
I knew she would, and I can't wait to do that. Pulling out the item I'd kept inside the velvet bag, I slip it onto my hand.
"That's a glove," she says, her forehead crinkling along with her brows. She's so fucking adorable when she's confused and aroused. "It looks soft, and I love that, but---"
"It is soft. It's made from the finest microfiber on earth." I spread my gloved hand over her belly and squeeze a tiny button on the inside of the glove's cuff. It begins to vibrate, not as much as other devices I've made, but with a gentle vibration meant to tease her. "How does this feel?"
She stiffens for a few seconds, then her entire body relaxes, and she hums with satisfaction. "That feels soooo good."
While I glide my gloved hand over her belly, I watch her enraptured expression, and blood starts to rush down to my cock. "I thought about making the glove from silk, but that would drive up the price. I want every woman to have the opportunity to feel the way you look right now. You're gorgeous, Rika, and I want to shag you until you're half out of your mind."
"Yes, please." She writhes and moans when I cup her breast with my gloved hand. "You really are a genius, Dane."
I flick my thumb over her nipple.
She jerks and cries out. "Oh God, do that again."
"Like it, do you?" I flick my thumb again, then brush my fingers over her areola in slow circles. Her throaty moan makes my cock twitch. "Time to come for me, love."
I drag my hand down her belly, pausing over her mound only long enough to make her squirm and gasp, then I push my hand between her folds. Naturally, I made the ultra-soft material waterproof. When I whisk my finger around her clit, she goes off.
"Dane!" she shouts while her body goes rigid and her fingers clench the sheets.
Once I've made her come for as long as she can stand to, I turn off the glove and toss it onto the
table.
And I make love to her for an hour.
While we enjoy the afterglow, we talk about the future.
"This isn't the life I want," I tell her. "I thought I did, but I don't. I'm not meant for a public life."
"Yeah, I figured. You were amazing at the press conference, but I know you don't like doing that kind of thing."
"Would it, uh, disappoint you if I, um, sort of...quit my job?"
She kisses me. "I want you to be happy. Quit, if that's what you need to do."
"I'd much rather go home to England and start designing different kinds of devices. No more vibrators. Maybe I can help people with physical therapy or something. Haven't decided yet."
"Whatever you decide to do, I know you'll be a genius at it." She dances her fingertips over my chest. "And I'll go anywhere with you. England, the South Pole, wherever. Besides, England is a lot closer to where my parents live in Sweden."
God, I love her.
The next day, we break the news to Celeste. She's not upset about it. In fact, she doesn't even seem surprised---and she offers me a severance package so generous that I can take my time figuring out what the next phase of my life looks like. Our life. Rika and I will do this together, whatever "this" turns out to be.
A few days later, Chance and Elena pick us up at the airport in the jet they chartered, and we all fly to England. When we get to my parents' house, everyone is there, including Reese and Arden as well as Arden's parents, Elena's brother, and Rika's parents. I had them flown in from Sweden since I know Rika hasn't seen them in quite some time.
One of the guests has stayed at the periphery, glancing around like he's uncomfortable.
"Who's that guy?" Rika asks.
"That's my cousin, Grey. He's a bit shy around strangers, and this is the first time he's met you, Arden, and Elena."
"Couldn't his parents make it? You invited everyone else."
"I let Chance and Elena do the inviting." I slip my arm around her waist. "But Grey never knew his mother, and his father died several years ago. We're all the family he has."
