by Julia Sykes
“Sounds great,” she said brightly.
“Well,” Jonathan said to Lucas, “goodnight then, old bean.” His tone was a bit mocking as he used the antiquated British endearment.
As he steered her around Lucas and toward the exit, Shay sneaked one more peek at the dark-haired Dom, secretly hoping to glimpse some hint of jealousy in his eyes.
Her heart sank. His expression told her that the fact that she was leaving with Jonathan was of no consequence to him; he gave off an air of nothing but polite indifference. She would have almost preferred the coldness that had been there a moment before. At least that indicated he felt something toward her.
Chapter 2
The atmosphere in the underground bar The Catacomb was darkly alluring. Thick sandstone pillars carved with geometric patterns were interspersed throughout the large, dimly lit room, sprouting up from the stone floor which had been polished smooth by the repeated tread of thousands of people. Music that Shay didn’t recognize pulsed hypnotically around her, pervading her senses until her blood seemed to pump in time with it.
“What’s your poison?” Jonathan asked as she stared at the cocktail menu. Well, it was more of a cocktail book. And she was far too distracted by the warmth of his hand on the small of her back to focus on making a decision anyway.
“Um, I’ll just have a cosmopolitan,” she said, going with something familiar rather than fumbling through the menu.
Jonathan flagged down the bartender. “A dry martini and a cosmopolitan, please,” he ordered for her.
After paying for their drinks, Jonathan’s attention riveted back to Shay. “So,” he began conversationally. “How does a twenty-seven year old end up getting as far as you have in business in such a short time?”
“Um, well…” Shay wasn’t exactly sure what to say. “I guess I’m just lucky that Augustan Technologies chose my design.” In truth, she had been working her ass off since getting to UNC Chapel Hill, pouring her heart and soul into her work.
Jonathan eyed her levelly. “Don’t sell yourself short, Shay,” he said kindly. “Your work is beautiful. You deserved the contract.”
Shay blushed. She appreciated his praise but it made her slightly uncomfortable at the same time. “I could ask you the same question,” she said, trying to divert his attention from her.
He laughed, a warm, rich sound that sent tingles down her spine. “Ah, but you forget,” he said, a playful light in his eye. “I’m thirty-one. Practically an old man.”
Catching his mood, Shay smiled easily. “Yes, you’re ancient. Might as well pack it in at this point, really.”
The hand on her back suddenly dipped lower, caressing her ass. A little pleasurable tremor ran through her at the feel of it through the silky material of her dress.
“There’s life in this old man yet.” Jonathan’s voice was low and rough, and as he spoke, he pinched her hard. Shay couldn’t hold back a surprised yelp at the small, unexpected pain. He was grinning down at her as though he had just won a prize.
Instead of being intimidated by his dominant demeanor as she was by Lucas’, Shay wanted to indulge in this game, to challenge Jonathan.
Reaching around behind her, she tried to slap his hand away. “Lecher,” she mock-accused.
His fingers locked around her wrist, catching the hand that had slapped at him. And his other hand, while no longer pinching, remained on her ass.
“Careful now, young’un.” His smile had taken on a predatory edge, and he slowly squeezed her ass, reinforcing his power, his strength. “I don’t think you want to provoke me.”
“Oh, don’t I?” Shay breathed. She was pretty sure that was exactly what she wanted to do. The alcohol was making her bolder than usual.
With her free hand, she shoved against his chest, trying to push him away. But he was as immovable as one of the stone pillars that surrounded them, and his heavily muscled chest was just as hard.
His hand dropped from her ass, but his grip tightened around her wrist. “Come on,” he said, still smiling. “Let’s dance.”
He wasn’t asking.
He turned on his heel and began walking toward the dance floor, his grip on her wrist pulling her along behind him. He wove deftly through to the center of the dancing crowd, until they were surrounded in the heat of the throng. Turning into her, he jerked her sharply towards him so that she half-fell against his chest.
Her free hand curled around his upper arm, gripping as she caught her balance. She stared up at him, slightly breathless, and met his dancing blue eyes. The utter confidence, bordering on haughtiness, that she saw there made her pussy clench as she recognized the Dominant in him.
Then his strong hands were around her waist, ensuring she couldn’t pull away from him once she regained her balance. And she didn’t want to. The music was pulsing around them, and now it wasn’t only her blood pulsing in time with it. Her sex was throbbing; the combination of alcohol and Jonathan’s masterful touch was making her acutely aware of how horny she was after the prolonged evening of sexual tension. She began moving her body against him in time with the beat, wantonly rolling her hips.
This was a whole side of her that she had never known before. Had she become such a sexual creature since Lucas had awakened this burning need within her?
Don’t think about him, she ordered herself. Stay in the moment. Stay here with Jonathan.
After all, it wasn’t Lucas who was holding her tightly, who was smiling down at her playfully. It wasn’t Lucas’ hard body she was gyrating against. She felt a passing pang of guilt at that, but she quickly shook it off. Why should she feel guilty when Lucas had rejected her? The way he had frozen when she had kissed him earlier…
Don’t think about that!
Determined to drive Lucas from her mind, she acted on impulse. Raising herself up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips against Jonathan’s full ones. They parted in slight surprise.
For a moment, Shay was worried that she had crossed a line again, that he would be angry she had taken control. But then his mouth moved against hers, drawing in her lower lip, tracing the line of it with his tongue. Relieved, she sighed into him, relaxing against him as he increased the intensity of the kiss.
They were wrenched apart suddenly as Jonathan shoved her shoulders roughly. Instead of falling, the air rushed out of her as her back collided with something hard. Before she could regain her breath, Jonathan’s lips were on hers again, hot and unrelenting. Her hands were caught up in his and he pressed them back against something hard and cool; he had shoved her up against one of the stone pillars.
His lips tore from hers again, and his breath was hot on her neck as he whispered low in her ear. “Keep your hands there.”
Shay shuddered pleasurably at the order. She glanced around quickly, worried that they were making a scene. But the dancers around them were so caught up in what they were doing that they took no notice. Shay and Jonathan weren’t the only couple getting a little hot and heavy on the dance floor. Reassured, she looked up at Jonathan and nodded her compliance, pressing her palms into the stone at either side of her.
“Good girl.” He grinned wolfishly before tangling his fingers in her hair, jerking her head back sharply. He caught her surprised gasp as he lowered his mouth on hers. His teeth sank into her lower lip before his tongue delved into her mouth. There was no longer any teasing in his kiss; he fucked her mouth roughly. A small moan escaped her as she melted under his relentless assault.
When he finally pulled back from her, her knees were weak, and it was only her hands against the stone and his grip on her hair that were holding her upright. Her chest heaved as she drew in air, her head spinning as oxygen returned to her brain.
“Why don’t we go somewhere more private?” His lips brushed hers as he spoke, his voice low and seductive.
Yes! Her body was screaming at her to answer. But her mind was a bit more reluctant. She wasn’t usually the type to go home with a man that she barely knew. But then agai
But she couldn’t deny that she was burning to take Jonathan up on his offer. His playful blue eyes told her that she would thoroughly enjoy herself if she did. If she couldn’t win Lucas by flirting with Jonathan, then surely it wouldn’t hurt for her to sleep with Jonathan in order to get over him? Sure, it wasn’t the healthiest decision she had ever made, but between the alcohol and the lingering sting of Lucas’ rejection, Shay’s mind was made up.
“Okay,” she finally whispered against his lips.
Their bodies barely broke contact as they made their way to the hotel suite where Jonathan was staying. Even during the short car ride, their intense kissing continued, Shay’s fingers tangling in Jonathan’s hair as his fisted in the silky material of her dress.
Unlike with Lucas, there was no carefully controlled seduction here, no rules to follow, only raw passion. When Shay’s fingers tightened in Jonathan’s hair, his bit into her thigh; when she raked her nails across the back of his neck, he roughly grabbed her breast. It was as though they were playing a game, one they both knew he would win but both enjoying the struggle.
When they finally arrived back at The Carolinian, it was a struggle to pry themselves apart just long enough to cross the foyer to the elevator. But once the doors closed, Jonathan was on her. It was as though her earlier fantasies of what he might do to her in the elevator were coming to life.
Once he had punched the button for the penthouse suite, his hands were at her hips, shoving her back up against the cool metal wall. One hand was in her hair again, pulling her head back and holding it where he wanted it so that he could plunder her mouth. His other fisted the material of her dress at her hips, pulling it up so that her skimpy black panties were exposed.
She had worn them for Lucas…
But then Jonathan’s fingers were at her clit, and all thoughts of Lucas were driven from her mind. She gave a low moan into his mouth and thrust her hips forward, trying to increase the contact. He obliged, grinding his palm against her in a circular motion, only stoking her need for him to greater heights.
She didn’t even hear the ping of the elevator telling them that they had arrived at Jonathan’s suite, but his hand suddenly left her sex. Maintaining his grip on her hair, he pulled her roughly into his room. She let out a small cry at the sharp pain, but the sensation sent pleasurable tingles down her spine.
Then her back hit the wall, Jonathan’s hard body trapping her. His long fingers wrapped around her throat, pinning her in place. He squeezed lightly, not restricting her airflow, but slowing the flow of blood to her brain. Just as she began to feel light-headed, he released the pressure. An incredible high floated through her, lifting her up so that her whole body became weightless. The raw power with which he treated her made her knees weak and her pussy throb. She needed him, needed him to touch her again.
His hand remained at her neck, a lingering reminder of her helplessness.
“Do you want me to fuck you, sub?” His voice was low and rough, so different from the carefully controlled tone that Lucas had used with her. But Lucas wasn’t the one stoking the fire within her now, and she drove him from her mind.
“Yes!” She gasped.
“Beg me,” Jonathan ordered.
“Please,” she whispered. “Please, fuck me Jonathan. I need…”
Before she could finish, he had unzipped his pants and yanked aside her panties. He entered her in one fluid motion, his impressive length sliding easily into her wet folds. He pulled out so that just the tip was at the entrance to her sex, teasing her. She whined in need, and he thrust up into her, jarring her.
Pinning her in place with his cock, his hands curled under her thighs, pulling them upward until her toes left the floor. She obliged him by wrapping her legs around his waist, anchoring herself to him. He swiftly released her thighs and grasped her wrists, pressing them against the wall on either side of her head. The intensity of his thrusts made her bounce up and down on his cock. The head of it rubbed up against her g-spot, whipping her into a frenzy. As she neared her completion, she threw her head back. She could feel Jonathan growing harder within her, heralding his own orgasm. Just before they both peaked, his teeth came down on her exposed neck, biting hard. Shay cried out at the mixture of pain and pleasure that coursed through her, the two sensations intermingling and heightening all of her senses.
Her inner walls contracted around his cock, triggering his orgasm. They came together, Shay wantonly grinding her hips against him as she rode out the waves of bliss. When he had wrung the last pleasurable shudders from her, he withdrew from her. Utterly stated and floating on the incredible high that only came after an intense orgasm, she struggled to stand. But her weak knees could hardly support her, and she sagged against Jonathan.
He lifted her up, cradling her in his strong arms. She was momentarily reminded of how Lucas had carried her like this.
How could he possibly invade her thoughts right now, after what she had just experienced with Jonathan?
She struggled to shake him from her mind as Jonathan seated her on his large bed, pulling her dress up over her head and leaving her exposed, in nothing but her bra and panties. Usually she would have been self-conscious, but not anymore. Not after what she had experienced in the club in London…
Cut it out! She ordered herself. Her confused thoughts were ruining her high, and she was becoming angry with herself.
Jonathan pushed her down gently, laying her down on the bed and coving her with the thick duvet. The warmth of it was welcome on her suddenly cold body. He climbed in and positioned himself behind her, holding her against his hard body.
She could only hope that he interpreted her sigh of frustration as one of pleasure.
Chapter 3
Try as he might, Lucas couldn’t get the little redhead out of his mind: her lush body, her sweet submission. But almost equally as much, maybe even more so, he missed her company. She was clever, driven, talented; he couldn’t help being captivated by her. Worst of all, he couldn’t forget her look of confusion, of hurt, as he had hardened his heart toward her on that flight back from London. He had seen it again on the night he had rejected her at the party.
The way she had kissed him…
He had frozen, shocked by her actions. No one had kissed him since Sandra. And he had been angry at himself for his desire to return Shay’s kiss. But he had rashly taken out his anger on her. And he couldn’t deny that his ire also stemmed from seeing her with Jonathan.
Now he deeply regretted his harsh manner. Her pain and embarrassment had been clear on her face, and he couldn’t get that expression out of his mind. And, he admitted to himself, the way he had treated her had only driven her into Jonathan’s all-too-eager arms.
If only he could explain to her, tell her about Sandra, about why he was so closed off. But was he ready for that?
Yes, he told himself. I have to be if I have any hope of salvaging what I have with Shay.
It had taken him three days, but he had finally resolved that he had to go see her. It would be painful to open up about his past, to rip open the wounds again.
He hadn’t trusted anyone with his heart in three years. He wasn’t sure if he even knew how to do so anymore.
Time to man up, Cross, he told himself as he stepped into the car that would drive him to her office.
Shay grimaced as she wiped the perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand. Even though she had cranked up the air conditioning in her office, she was still uncomfortably warm. And it was all Jonathan’s fault, she thought with a touch of resentment.
Even though it had been three days since she had been with him, she still had to wear a scarf to cover the wicked bite mark on her neck. And wearing even a thin fashion scarf in the North Carolina May heat was miserable.
For the umpteen-millionth time, Shay tried to force her attention back to her drawings. Construction on the new Augustan Technologies headquarters was scheduled to start in two weeks, and she needed to make sure that everything was perfect before it began, down to the correct light bulb sockets.
But Jonathan and Lucas kept invading her thoughts. She had been thinking herself in circles over her feelings about what she had done, about her wanton behavior over the past week.
She felt like a bit of a floozy for acting on impulse and sleeping with Jonathan, even though the sex had been fantastic.
But she couldn’t stop thinking of Lucas. The two men could hardly be more different. Lucas was dark and serious, his manner carefully controlled and his moods mercurial; Jonathan was lighthearted and playful, his dominance coming out spontaneously. He seemed genuinely interested in Shay, and, unlike Lucas’ cold dismissal, he had called her every day since the party, leaving messages asking her to see him again.
So why was she so reluctant to do so? Why hadn’t she answered his calls?
She told herself that she was just trying to regain some modicum of professionalism, but in her heart she knew that it was deeper than that. Despite Jonathan’s obvious interest, she couldn’t let go of her feelings for Lucas. He had given her such an incredible gift in London, liberating her from her lifelong concerns about her body, and she couldn’t help recalling the tenderness he showed at times.
Even when he had disciplined her, his lust for her had been obvious, and she was coming to realize that even the punishments showed that he cared, cared about connecting with her as a submissive.
And he had been jealous of Jonathan, hadn’t he? She was so confused when it came to Lucas.
She really should force herself to move on; he had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want her anymore.
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