Hard Limit

by Meredith Wild

  “Well, the decision has been made, right? I’m going to send this off to the lawyer, and maybe we’ll have this executed soon.”

  She blew out a breath and shrugged. “Another reason to celebrate, I guess.”

  “Sure, we should celebrate. Drinks or something.”

  Alli’s smile grew wider. “I was going to surprise you, but the bachelorette party is this weekend.”

  I lifted my eyebrows. “Oh.”

  “So celebration will definitely be in order. We’ll have to feed you some extra shots.”

  I laughed. “Okay, we’ll see how it goes.”

  She rose and came to me. I stood up and hugged her.

  “I’m so proud of us.” Her voice was muffled in my shoulder. Suddenly tears threatened, and the emotional cliff of following through with this was fully in sight. This was shaping up to be one hell of a week.

  She left, and I sent off my last message to Alex. I sat in the office a little while longer, contemplating the heavy choice I’d made. For so long, my life had been framed by Clozpin, by the experiences that had taken me from dabbling hopeful, to near failure, to veritable success. Alex wanted the business and he wanted me. He’d seen value and taken a chance on both. A ripple of satisfaction went through me. I smiled inwardly. I was proud of us too.

  * * *

  Clay dropped me at home. The night had turned dark, and I tried not to think about everything Blake and I needed to hash out tonight. I walked toward the door.

  “Erica?” A man’s voice approached me, his frame appearing from the shadows. My heart leapt and I stepped back.

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m with Channel 5 News. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about your connections with the governor’s race and Daniel Fitzgerald.”

  “I’m sorry, this isn’t a good time.” I fumbled with my keys and tried to circle him to get to the door.

  “I’ll only take a moment of your time.”

  Before I could tell him to leave, Clay appeared, squaring off with the man.

  “The lady doesn’t want to speak with you. You need to leave now.”

  The young reporter scoffed at him. “Who are you? I’m not breaking any laws by being here.”

  “I’m security for Miss Hathaway and for this building. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.” Clay was unruffled, his voice and broad frame intimidating without trying to be. He stood imposing between the reporter and me, staring the man down.

  Unfortunately for the man, Clay could probably bench press him. He didn’t have a prayer.

  “Fine. Sorry. Is it okay to follow up with you by phone?” He glanced around Clay to me.

  I shook my head with a sigh. Jesus, these people were persistent. I turned my key in the door and thanked Clay before rushing up the stairs.

  I walked into the apartment, dropped my purse on the counter, and silently wished I could unload the suitcase of emotions I’d brought home. Blake rose from the couch while I made a plate of leftovers.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Reporter accosted me outside.”

  His brows knit tightly. “Who was it?”

  “Clay dealt with him. It’s okay.”

  The tension in his body seemed to relax a little. “Okay.”

  He circled the island to where I stood and leaned in for a kiss, but I turned from it.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “What do you think?” I muttered. He was going to make me spell it out. I couldn’t wait to hear his excuses for getting to Alex before I could.

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Why don’t you just tell me?”

  I stared up at him. “I took punishment from you last night with the promise that you’d stay away from this deal. This is my deal.”

  “You didn’t say stay away. You told me you wanted to negotiate it,” he said tonelessly.

  I let out a shocked laugh. “So you proceeded to call the person I need to negotiate with directly?”

  “I wanted to get a feel for the deal. That’s all.”

  “Really?”

  I moved to the dining area with my warmed food. After a moment, Blake took a seat at the other end of the table. Maybe we did need a bigger place. I needed at least two rooms between us right now.

  “I don’t know why you’re so upset. You’re the one he’s sending the offer to, right? All I did was ask some questions. I didn’t pretend to represent your opinions, or mine, in any other way.” He paused. “You wanted my advice, right?”

  “Yes,” I said sharply between bites.

  “Okay, well, I can’t advise you on something I don’t know all the details about. This is your first deal. There are a lot of questions to ask right off the bat to see what the basic structure is going to be. I knew Alex would have something fairly specific in mind. I wanted those details so I could point you in the right direction when the time came.”

  I shook my head. I wanted to call bullshit on all of it. “I hate you sometimes, you know that?”

  His devilish smile weakened my resolve. “I don’t believe you.”

  I looked down, pretending to be unaffected. He wasn’t getting away with this by being gorgeous. I was mad, and I was staying mad until he apologized.

  “Baby…”

  “Don’t baby me. I’m not going to reward you for meddling in my business yet again.”

  “Seriously, you’re going to nail me on a technicality?”

  “It’s not a technicality. It’s the principle of the matter. You know that. I may be short and blond and seven years younger than you, but I’m not an idiot and I don’t appreciate being treated like one.”

  He flinched as if I’d slapped him.

  “What did he say?” he asked after a few minutes.

  “Why don’t you call him and see for yourself?” I muttered, sarcasm dripping from every word.

  He hinted at a smile. “Do you want me to? Because you know I will.”

  “Fuck you,” I shot back dryly.

  He relaxed back in his seat, waiting for me to speak.

  “He offered us seven million dollars. It’s more than enough to pay you back and leave Sid, Alli, and me with plenty to make our next move.”

  He pursed his lips and nodded slowly. “That’s healthy. Are you happy with that?”

  “We all talked about it, and we are.”

  “That was quick.”

  “The offer is only good until tomorrow,” I explained.

  “Why?”

  I shrugged. “He didn’t say. He seemed kind of stressed. Not like him typically, but maybe that’s just how he negotiates. I don’t know. He seems to shift from friendly to all business pretty quickly.”

  “Seems unusual.”

  “He needs to fast-track things maybe.”

  “Not really ideal. We don’t have time to review everything properly. You should push back and ask for more time.”

  “But what if he rescinds the offer?”

  “He wants the business. He’s made that position clear. Don’t second guess his interest now.”

  “Maybe something is keeping him from being able to buy it if we don’t move on this quickly. This is a huge amount of money.”

  “You’re getting emotional about this,” he said matter-of-factly.

  I bristled at his tone. “Of course I am! This is my whole life we’re talking about here.”

  “Is that right?” Blake laughed weakly, but I could see the hurt in his eyes.

  I closed my eyes, cursing my poor choice of words. “You know what I mean.”

  Our eyes met, two stony gazes weakening under our emotions.

  “Doesn’t matter anyway,” I said finally. “We all agreed to move forward. Our legal teams finalized everything today.”

  He shook his head, a resentful smile pulling his lips tight. He pushed away from the table. “Do what you think is right, Erica,” he said flatly.

  He disappeared into the bedroom, and I stewed. My jaw locked tight as the minutes ticked by.
I wanted to throw things. I wanted to know how his employees handled his compulsively controlling nature day after day. I wanted to know how the hell I was going to be able to live with it.

  Unable to get my brain to shut up hours later, I finally gave up and joined him in the bedroom. Moonlight spilled into the room, offering just enough illumination to undress and find the bed. I crawled onto my side, careful to keep enough distance to communicate that I was still very pissed off. But Blake’s chest was moving with a slow rhythm indicative of sleep. I willed my own body to unwind. I needed to let go of today.

  I curled up beside him tentatively. He was incredibly warm when my lips glided across his shoulder. He smelled like soap. Sometimes loving him was easier when he wasn’t talking, or conscious. I wasn’t sure he could help himself. I hated when we fought, and even now, I questioned whether any of this was worth fighting over.

  This never-ending battle between us. Over what? Power. What did it even matter in the context of two people who loved each other as helplessly as we did?

  I’d given him power in our relationship, and he’d collected on that by reaching out to Alex without my permission. He could have taken it further, but he hadn’t. A small concession, a little voice reminded me. A concession nonetheless.

  The long day was taking its toll on me. Exhausted, warm, and content by his side, I let sleep overtake me. But the black of the night gave way to troubled dreams.

  Alex’s edgy voice rang out in the background. He was rattling off the details of the deal. Over and over, like a record playing on repeat. Darkness lifted, and he faded away.

  We were at my office, but it was empty. Sunlight spilled in through the big front window. The room felt bare and cold without all the people who belonged there. Where was everyone?

  I walked to my desk and Blake was there, his feet propped up, a sexy smile on his face.

  I forgot I was angry with him for a minute. “What are you doing here?”

  “I work here, remember?”

  Did he? He seemed so sure. I walked toward him, and he pulled me down onto his lap.

  “I don’t understand.” I curled my arms around his neck.

  “I’m here for you, Erica.”

  “Okay.” That seemed right, but I wasn’t sure why. I wanted him here. He filled the empty space, and I didn’t want to be alone.

  I leaned up to kiss him. The room became warm. Energy flowed between us. My body was waking up, all my thoughts turning toward the places where we touched. I skimmed my palms down his chest and forgot about where we were. His hand went between my legs, rubbing me, massaging me through my jeans. I moaned, closing my eyes.

  When I opened them, a blanket of darkness had fallen around us.

  He’d moved us so I was on my back. I didn’t know where we were, but it didn’t matter. We were alone, and he was stripping us down, slowly and patiently.

  He crawled over me, lifting my arms above me, pinning them. He stared into my eyes. The hunger there stole my breath.

  “I need this.”

  I nodded. Somehow I understood. I wanted this too.

  He kept my arms pinned while he moved over me, taunting my body in every way. Skin against skin. The dusting of hair on his chest teasing against my nipples. The slow drag of his scorching cock against my thigh.

  I trembled.

  He was in control. We’d been here before, and I’d learned not to fight it.

  I fell into the sensations, trusting Blake’s lead. But no matter what I did, how I moved, he wouldn’t move any faster. We were lost in an endless circle of unsatisfied lust.

  I whimpered his name. I begged. But nothing I could do could make him satisfy me.

  He caught my nipple in his mouth and sucked gently. Unhurried caresses swept across my skin, while a fiery ball of desire grew and grew inside me.

  “Please!” I begged, in the hazy confines of my mind, and I screamed it.

  Could he hear me?

  My eyes flew open. I blinked several times, reacquainting myself with the darkness of our bedroom. Beside me, Blake slept, his breathing markedly slower than mine. I licked my dry lips and lowered my arms. They’d been in the same position in the dream. My clit throbbed, pulsing with the rapid beating of my heart.

  What the hell?

  Eyes closed, I wanted the dream again but I wanted to be free of it too. I wanted relief.

  Blake was on his back, slumbering. I ached for him. I was awake, but lust from the dream lingered on my skin, making it all seem real. We were real, and Blake could ease this agony.

  I leaned over him, wanting to kiss him, to wake him. My earlier anger went to war with my lust. I hesitated, a glimmer of an idea sparking in my mind.

  I slid off the bed and walked around to the end. I went to my knees, opening the wide drawer at the base. Inside were Blake’s toys. Our toys. Most of the things were still in packages. Thank God. We hadn’t used a fraction of them, and I didn’t care. All I cared about was one thing. I found what I was looking for and closed the drawer. Returning to bed, I crawled naked over Blake, my bottom against his thighs.

  He stirred, humming when I settled over him. I bent over so we were chest to chest. I spread tiny kisses over his face, down his jawline, and to his neck. After a moment, his pelvis arched up and he groaned. I smiled and returned my attentions to his lips. I licked them, nibbled gently at their fullness.

  Then his arms encircled me, hugging me to him as he kissed me deeper. I reveled in it a moment, and then wriggled free to carry out my plan. Sitting up, I caught his wrists and moved them so they were above his head, pressed into the pillow.

  “What are you doing?” Blake’s hoarse voice broke the silence.

  I hushed him and fumbled for the leather cuffs I’d retrieved from the drawer. I snapped one onto his wrist, looped it around the post in the headboard and quickly snapped the other.

  “Erica.” Eyes wide and voice void of sleepiness, he seemed fully awake now.

  “I’m playing. Just relax.”

  His muscles let go a little, and I kissed him again, wanting to soothe him. I didn’t want to fight. I wanted to play.

  I was shaking loose from my dream too. I was wound up and eager for satisfaction, but my frustration with him seemed to grow with my desire. I moved down his body, loving him and wanting him to feel what I was feeling too. I sucked his skin, teasing my tongue over the soft disks of his nipples until they turned hard. I traced my teeth over the tips as he’d done to me so many times, driving me wild.

  The sound of his breathing filled the air. “Fuck. What are you doing to me?”

  “You’re mine tonight,” I murmured, sucking the skin at his neck. The salt of his skin flavored the rough kiss as I breathed him in deep.

  I drew lines down his side with my nails. He groaned, flinching. From pleasure or pain, I couldn’t be sure, but something in me wanted to mark him. To make him mine. Heat spread through me at the sight of them.

  “Take these things off. Now, Erica. I’m serious.”

  I ignored his demands. Instead, I spread hard sucking kisses over his torso. “Me too. How does it feel to have all your power taken away?” The power of my position now might have been going to my head. I felt light, intoxicated on it. I worked my way south, licking a lusty trail down his abdomen. I nipped at the soft skin of his belly.

  The bed jolted when he tested his bonds. I dipped my tongue into his navel and finally made my way to his cock, rock hard and bobbing erect on his belly. I hummed and teased the head with my fingertips. I fluttered a tiny lick at the tip, collecting the small bead of his arousal. I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to take all of him.

  I wanted to tease him more than I wanted to please him tonight. He deserved that much.

  “Erica.” My name left him with a strange sound somewhere between a reprimand and an appeal for mercy.

  “Yes?” My voice was light and playful.

  The tone that followed was decidedly not. He sucked in several breaths.


  “You have to the count of three to get me out of these things.”

  Big words for a man tied to my bed. He’d pissed me off, and I wanted him to feel it. I wanted to feel his body struggling to contain his desire the way I had countless times. Under his command, his control, his damnable talent.

  I laughed softly. “Or what?” I whispered tentatively against the blazing skin of his erection. “Maybe I don’t feel like taking orders.”

  He clenched his teeth, his eyes closing. “One.” The single word came out strong, like a quietly rendered threat.

  My desire kicked up. My breasts heavy as they brushed against his thighs. I wanted his hands on me, but no…

  He hissed when I took him in my mouth. I moaned, loving his musky taste and the way his body strained toward me. He stiffened further between my lips. A few strokes of my tongue and I let him slip from my mouth. I delayed his pleasure, pressing hot, wet kisses over his pelvis. I wanted him as needy as I was. I was wet and aching, walking an almost painful edge from it.

  “Two.” His voice wavered slightly, as my breasts brushed over his erection.

  I smiled a second before I took him into my mouth again. I let the length of him sink in, gliding over my tongue, all the way to the back.

  “Fuck, Erica.”

  I focused all my attentions on pleasuring him, teasing him with light flicks of my tongue before taking him as far as I could, swallowing and undulating over the lush head of his cock.

  “I need to touch you,” he begged.

  Desire coiled tight in my belly. I wanted him to touch me too. He had no idea how much. I hummed, the sound vibrating against him as I took him deep again and again. His hips snapped up and I released him, blowing a small puff of air over his wet, throbbing flesh. “Say please.”

  He squeezed his eyes closed. “I can’t do this.” His breathing became labored, every muscle tensed. I froze, transfixed by the reactions of his body. I was barely touching him now, and he looked like…like he was ready to explode. I grasped his erection and began stroking him steadily.