by K. M. Scott
I looked down at the imported Italian tile on the pool's deck and then back up at him. "It's gorgeous, Tristan. Your house is beautiful."
The smile I received in return for my compliment was warm and sweet. "I'm glad you like it. Are you hungry?"
"No."
"Why don't we have a drink then?"
That was an idea I liked. Spending time around him made me nervous and uneasy, so hopefully a drink would calm my nerves. "I'd love a drink. Thanks."
He flashed another warm smile and took my hand to lead me to a large sitting room. Compared to the open and airy feeling of the pool area, this room had a darker vibe. Dark cherry wood moldings and ten foot tall built-in bookcases gave the room a heavier feel. As he poured us drinks, I looked around and noticed examples of fine artwork lined the walls. He had impeccable taste. Art hundreds of years old sat beside contemporary pieces perfectly matched.
So why the test at the penthouse the night before?
This was who Tristan Stone was. Contradictions on top of unanswered questions. And the more I knew about him, the more I wanted to know the answers.
He extended his hand to offer me a seat on the extra deep sofa and handed me my drink. I took a sip from my glass and felt the warmth from the liquor course through my body. Surprised by its almost instant effect, I looked at him and murmured, "Oh. What is this?"
"Scotch."
For the first time since I'd met him in that alley way, his body relaxed as he sat next to me. Maybe it was the double Lagavulin he had in his hand or maybe it was that we were finally getting to know one another. Whatever it was, he wore relaxed well.
By the time my glass was half empty, my drink had definitely relaxed me, and my curiosity got the better of me, along with my inhibitions. I looked at him sitting there in his white dress shirt and dark suit and without thinking, I asked, "Why are you always in a suit and tie?"
His eyes grew slightly wider for just a moment, and then he was that relaxed man again. "You don't like me like this?" he asked in a teasing tone.
"Oh no, I didn't mean that," I answered, afraid that I'd offended him. "I like you very much like that."
Now his smile wasn't that warm grin I'd seen just a few minutes earlier but a mischievous, almost devilish one. He took a sip of his drink and slid his tongue across his lower lip, making it glisten.
"Maybe you're right. It wouldn't hurt for me not to wear a tie," he said as he began to unknot it. Slipping it from around his neck, he let it slide out of his hand onto the table in front of us. "And no tie means I don't need the top button done either."
He opened his shirt and with just one button undone he looked like an entirely different man. His dress shirt sat crisply and the collar framed his strong neck perfectly. I had to fight the urge to lean over and press my lips to the part that had been covered by the shirt and tie and slide my tongue up over his Adam's Apple. What would his skin taste like, I wondered? Would it taste like the soap he used or the cologne he wore or would it have a hint of salt as a man's skin often did?
Nervous and needing a distraction, I leaned forward to take the deep blue silk tie off the table. Running it through my fingers, I asked, "How do you tie a tie? I never learned."
He placed his glass on the table and slid the tie from my hands. "Come. Sit between my legs and I'll show you."
I stood and turned to see him spread his legs wider to accommodate me. Nervous but suddenly desperate to be close to him, I sat down in front of him but on the edge of the couch, unsure of myself.
"Move back."
I did as he commanded and moved back until my shoulders touched his chest. Sitting ramrod straight, I waited for him to begin, anticipating how wonderful it would feel as his hands slid around my neck.
He leaned forward and moved my hair over to one shoulder. "The first thing is to make sure all of this is out of the way."
My neck was exposed, and as he spoke, his warm breath danced across my skin. I closed my eyes and willed my body to relax, hoping he couldn't hear my heart nearly pounding through my chest.
His voice was low and husky in my ear. "Lean back against me, Nina."
I slowly let myself fall back against him, feeling his hard chest against my back. His head was next to mine, his mouth positioned next to my ear so I felt every breath he took in and let out.
"The first thing to know is that there's only one kind of knot you need to master. The Windsor knot."
"Oh. I thought there were others," my voice squeaked out.
"Maybe for boys, but men tie the Windsor knot."
The way he said the word 'men' made my stomach flutter. In truth, I'd probably dated more boys than men, but Tristan Stone was definitely a man.
His arms came over my shoulders until he rested his hands near my collarbone, each one holding an end of the tie. "Now pay attention because I'm going to want you to show me you can do it after this," he whispered in my ear.
Unfortunately, the sensual timbre of his voice combined with the feel of his hands so close to my breasts made paying attention impossible. I thought he said something about the wide end and the narrow end, and he may have said something about looping, but I was lost in the experience and couldn't have cared less about the actual tying of the tie.
"Finally, tighten and you're done."
I opened my eyes and looked down to see his hands so big resting on the tie below a perfectly done Windsor knot, his large stainless steel watch heavy against me. My lower abdomen tightened at the feel of his fingers on my body, and a delicious ache settled into between my legs.
How wonderful it would feel to have those hands gliding over my skin, those fingers touching my body.
He slid the tie from my neck and undid all his work. "Now you show me what you learned."
I attempted to take the tie from his hand, but he pulled it away and whispered, "On me. Turn around and sit toward me."
Nervous fear shot through me as I stood up, and I hoped I'd be able to turn around without my legs giving out. The dress I wore only fell to the middle of my thighs, so when I straddled him, it was likely to ride up so far my panties would show. I didn't care about that so much as him knowing that I was already dripping wet just from sitting there pressed up against him.
Taking a deep breath, I turned around and climbed on top of his lap. He stared into my eyes, unnerving me, but something held me firm in his gaze. His hard cock pressed against the front of his pants and my damp panties. There was no way he didn't know how excited he'd made me.
I took the tie from his hand and slid it around his strong neck, even as my fingers trembled at the feel of him underneath them. Trying to hide my ignorance of my task, I wrapped the wide end of the tie around the narrow end, but it was no use. I didn't know what came next.
Dropping the two ends of silk, I looked down to avoid his gaze. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to do this."
"You didn't listen when I told you how to?" he asked in a voice that was as seductive as it was stern.
Shaking my head, I continued to look down at the untied ends of the blue fabric laying against his shirt. "I couldn't. You were so close, and it was impossible to pay attention to what you were saying."
He slid his hands down my back and cupped my ass to pull me into him, grinding my soaked panties into the thin fabric separating his cock from me. Kneading my flesh through my dress, he whispered near my mouth, "I love how honest you are, Nina. It makes me want to be honest with you."
I wasn't sure how to answer, but it didn't matter. As my head swum from the sensations he'd created in me, he pressed his mouth to mine and kissed me. His lips were soft yet demanding, and I eagerly kissed him back, seeking a release of that sweet ache, but his kiss only increased the feeling, making me want more.
He nudged his hips off the couch, sliding his cock over my sensitive clit, and I couldn't stop myself from moaning into his mouth. I didn't want him to think he had this effect on me so soon, but I was powerless. I wanted him so badly at that moment, I
would have done anything to keep his hands on my body.
Unable to stop myself, I began to timidly move my hips to ride him, still fully clothed but needing so much to come. I didn't care that he wasn't inside me or even that I looked too eager. I wanted him to get me off, even if it was just rubbing against his cock through his pants.
He had other ideas, though. Pressing his palms against the tops of my thighs, he stopped me from grinding against him, and I moaned a needy sound into his mouth. God, I wanted him!
His thumbs slid under the bottom of my panties and touched my bare skin, making my thighs quiver in anticipation. Dragging the pads of his thumbs up and down over my pussy, he was careful to avoid my swollen clit, driving me mad with desire.
"Please don't tease me, Tristan," I whispered breathlessly next to the corner of his mouth.
"I want to make you feel good, Nina."
I so desperately wanted that too. Kissing his neck, I moaned my need into his warm skin, so soft beneath my lips.
"Sir, I have completed the task you assigned," a man's voice intoned from somewhere in the room.
Shocked that we weren't alone, I popped upright and looked around. "What was that?"
Leaning his head back, Tristan spoke toward the ceiling. "Rogers, thank you. That will be all for tonight." Facing me again, he smiled. "Maybe we should move this somewhere more private."
Torn out of the mood, I was disoriented. I'd thought this was private.
Tristan kissed me again and I knew instantly Rogers' interruption hadn't dampened his mood any. Lifting me off him, he stood and took my hand. "Follow me."
I did and he led me to one of the bedrooms. It was masculine, with dark woods and deep brick red decor, but I had no idea if it was the one he called his. The room appeared too perfect, as if no one had ever slept there before, but he seemed comfortable as he turned around to face me, still holding my hand.
"We won't be interrupted in here. Come."
He stood looking at me, his eyes tinged with the apprehension I'd seen earlier when he'd walked into The Last Drop. As if I'd deny him or myself the experience that was to come.
I wanted to look away, uneasy at what he might be thinking, but I couldn't. Was he unsure of his choice to bring me here? We were so different and from such different worlds. Maybe it was wrong.
Tristan slipped out of his suit jacket and slowly unbuttoned his shirt, each opening exposing more of his body. I watched wide-eyed, wanting so much to see what each button's absence would reveal. Finally, he tugged the bottom of his shirt out of his pants and released the last button. Beneath were abs so defined I had to hold back from extending my hand to run my fingertips over his skin. A sexy, thin trail of dark brown hair led from his navel and disappeared behind his pants.
"Nina, tell me what you're thinking," he commanded in a deep voice dripping in sensuality.
What I was thinking? I didn't dare tell him the thoughts in my mind at that moment. That I wanted to begin kissing him at his neck and drag my lips over his body until they gave my mind proof of the reality of those abs. That the one true urge coursing through my body at the moment was to then drop to my knees and take the hard cock that had pressed against my clit into my mouth as I looked up at him to see how my worshipping him made him feel.
My mouth was dry and my breath was heavy. I whispered hoarsely, "I can't."
He slid the shirt off his shoulders to reveal a tattoo that began just above his heart and trailed all the way down his left arm to his elbow. It was stunning and accentuated the muscular ridges of his body. My eyes were riveted to the design, two black and grey copperhead snakes that formed an inverted heart shape and blended into a tribal tattoo that covered his shoulder and ran down his arm over his powerful bicep.
Stepping toward me, he brushed a wisp of hair from my face. "Where is that honesty I love, Nina?"
The honesty he loved terrified me almost as much as he did.
His hands undressed me as he tenderly peppered my neck with kisses, sending tendrils of want throughout my body. My dress slipped down over my shoulders and hips to end up in a heap on the floor, leaving me only in my drenched panties and bra, which quickly followed the rest of my clothes.
He moaned my name as he lifted me onto the bed and slid out of his pants as he climbed up to join me. I reached out to pull him to me, but he sat back on his feet and the next thing I felt was the most exquisite sensation I'd ever experienced. I pressed my head into the pillows as his tongue danced over my tender flesh, flicking and lapping so expertly that my body wanted to surrender to him long before it should.
His lips closed around my excited clit, and he sucked gently for just a moment, but it was enough. My orgasm tore through me until it reached the very ends of my body, and I arched my back to feel all of his mouth against me as I exploded into pieces. He pushed my hips down onto the bed and held me tightly as he rode my pussy with his tongue and lips. For a moment I fought against his hold, but soon gave in to his control, begging for more as my skin grew sensitive to the touch.
He groaned my name as he slid his body up mine until he covered me. His mouth pressed against my mouth, and I tasted myself on his tongue as it slipped across my lips. His hands pushed into my hair and tugged, sending a mixture of pain and pleasure skittering over my scalp. My senses threatened overload, but I would have begged for more, if need be. He was power and control, and I loved it.
A quick lean over to the nightstand and the sound of foil tearing and he was back kissing me. Spreading my thighs wider, he settled in between them with a moan and slid the full length of his cock through my wet slit. He was thick and long, nearly making me come again with one thrust over my sensitive clit. As much as that would have been pure pleasure, I wanted to hold back until he was inside me.
I slid my hands down his back and pulled him into me, desperate to have all of him. As he devoured my mouth with kisses, he pushed into my body, inch by delicious inch until every part of our bodies joined together as one.
The feeling was unlike anything else I'd ever experienced. His rhythm met mine and I clung to his shoulders as he thrust up into me, grazing some delicious spot inside me that sent strings of pleasure rippling through my body.
Tristan lifted his head from my neck and looked into my eyes. His gaze was full of need as he retreated from my body and then drove back into me with a deep groan. He was the picture of desire.
I wanted him to feel as wonderful as he made me feel. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I tilted my hips to take him deeper into me. He exhaled heavily into the pillow near my ear, moaning, "Oh, God, Nina," and buried his cock to the hilt.
My nails scratched down his back as our bodies raced toward sweet oblivion. He moved to his knees and rolled his back, his hips thrusting faster as his muscles tightened, signaling his release. In a second, my own orgasm roared through me, and I cried out in ecstasy.
Exhausted, we laid there in each other's arms silently joined together for what seemed like hours. I stroked his hair where it touched his neck, damp from our lovemaking, as his breathing returned to normal next to my ear. Even though he was much bigger than I was, the feel of him on top of me wasn't heavy or oppressive, and I would have been happy to stay like that forever.
When he finally rolled off me, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. I laid my head on his chest and traced my fingers over his stomach, loving the feel of the taut muscles that rippled just beneath his skin. Beneath my head, his heart beat in my ear as he drew circles with his fingertip on my shoulder. It was sweeter and gentler than anything I'd imagined could happen with Tristan.
I had no idea where we'd go from here, but as I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I knew one thing for sure.
I wanted more.
Chapter Five
The morning sun streamed in through the bedroom window, forcing me to cover my eyes as I woke. In an instant, I realized I was alone in the bed and Tristan was gone. Running my hand over the sheet where he'd slept
, I replayed in my mind our time together, loving the memory and wishing he was still next to me to make love again.
Sitting up, I looked around but saw no evidence of him anywhere. The door to the en suite bathroom was open and I listened for the sound of the shower. Nothing. Scanning the room, I saw my clothes lay neatly folded on a high backed chair near the window, and on top of them was a note.
Immediately, my stomach twisted into one huge knot. A note after a night of sex was never a good sign. A thousand scenarios raced through my mind, almost all involving him saying goodbye in his own way, probably with as few words as possible.
There was no point in putting off the inevitable. Whatever he had to say in that note, I had to deal with, so I threw off the covers and walked my naked self over to where my clothes lay. As I dressed, my knotted stomach did flips and a tiny sense of sadness made me choke up. I liked Tristan and thought we had shared something special.
The paper was folded in half, and I opened it slowly to see a much longer letter than I'd expected. Maybe that was a good sign, I thought, as I began reading.
Nina,
I've enjoyed our time together more than you can ever know. I truly do love your honesty because it makes me want to be honest with you. Toward that end, I offered you a job and it's yours, if you want it. There's only one condition: if you choose to accept the offer, you must agree to be in my employ for six months. After those six months, you may choose to end our arrangement, but you will be contractually obligated to stay for those months.
