If You So Desire

by Yahrah St. John

“So Gia is a woman scorned?”

  “Oh, hell yes!” Ian answered vehemently. He’d seen right through Gia the moment he’d met her. She was an opportunist and when his father had passed away, he’d been the next best thing. “After her attempted seduction, I gave her a generous sum to disappear. And thank God I did, because at the time I didn’t need that kind of headache. I was fighting with the members of the board and needed all my wits about me. From what I’ve heard, she’s done well for herself in London, as I’m sure your report shows.”

  Sage jotted down notes on her legal pad. “And Lucas, what is his role in this scenario?”

  “Lucas was in love with Gia.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” Ian nodded. “He wanted to marry her and thought after my father died, he’d finally have a chance.”

  “But Gia only had eyes for you?”

  Ian nodded. “Yes. One night Gia, Lucas and I drank too much and eventually we retired to bed. I came down to the study because I couldn’t sleep and Gia came down in a nightie and threw herself at me. Lucas must have seen her leaving my study and assumed we’d been intimate. He and I had a huge blowout afterward.”

  “But you didn’t sleep with Gia?” Sage pressed.

  “No,” Ian stated emphatically. “I know everyone thinks I’m a playboy and some of the gossip may be true, but I never looked at Gia as anything more than a friend. But Lucas didn’t believe that and after she left, he never trusted me quite the same. He assumed that I had tried to take the one thing from him that he loved most in the world.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me all of this before?”

  “Because it had nothing to do with the case.” He’d dashed Gia’s hopes of becoming lady of the manor and despite the competition his father had stoked between him and Lucas, Ian had done right by Lucas or so he’d thought.

  “It gives Lucas motive for fabricating these lies against you,” Sage responded. “And if you must know, he’s been secretly seeing Gia for some time now.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  Sage shook her head. “No. I think they’ve cooked up this elaborate scheme to get back at you.”

  “I just can’t believe that it has come to this.” Ian was furious as he stood up and paced her office. “For years Lucas acted as though it was water under the bridge, that he’d gotten over what happened in the past. Sure, we’ve not been buddy-buddy since Gia left, but I never suspected that he would be planning revenge against me and that Gia would be his accomplice.”

  “It happens.” Sage shrugged.

  “I’m going to take care of this,” Ian replied and stormed toward the door. “There’s no way I’m going to let the two of them get the better of me.”

  “Absolutely not!” Sage rushed toward him. She didn’t like the fiery look in his eyes. She grabbed his chin with one hand. “Listen to me, Ian. You’re going to let me handle this. I’m your attorney. I will get to the bottom of this whole fabricated story.”

  Ian smiled and drew her to his arms. “I like it when you get all bossy on me.”

  “Good, because I don’t need you going off half-cocked and making this case any worse.”

  “And if I agree to that—” he lowered his head until he was inches away from her face “—can we get back to the way things were before we came back to New York?”

  Sage lowered her head and laid it against his chest. She wasn’t sure that was a wise idea. Ian would be under even more scrutiny now that Lucas had thrown the first punch. But Ian wasn’t thinking about that; he was nibbling at the sensitive spot on her nape, sending shivers running right through her. “Ian, now is not the right time.” She backed away.

  “You’re right.” Ian straightened. “We’ll finish this later. Can you meet me at my penthouse? The renovation is complete.”

  Sage closed her eyes. It was no use denying that she wanted to be in his arms, so she conceded. “All right.”

  “Excellent, I’ll see you tonight.”

  After Ian left, Sage contacted Patrick. “Continue to tail both Gia Smith and Lucas Johnson and let me know what you find out.”

  Sage rubbed her hands together in eager anticipation of the battle ahead. There would be no holds barred on Lucas now that she was working with a full deck of cards. She would attack him with the same gusto she’d used on her opponents in the courtroom.

  The fight was on.

  “Sage wasn’t too happy with me for being gone so long, but I intend to rectify that this evening,” Ian told Jeffrey early that evening at the corporate office of Lawrence Enterprises as they prepared to go home.

  “You know, I’m going to reiterate now that you’re back in New York that I think this is a bad idea. What if someone sees you two? This can have a negative impact on her career.”

  “Duly noted,” Ian returned. “Now can you set up to have dinner delivered to my penthouse at seven?”

  “Very well,” Jeffrey said and left the room.

  Ian was reviewing the latest circulation figures on Craze and his other magazines when his executive assistant buzzed him on the intercom. “Ian, you have a visitor.”

  “Who is it?” Ian didn’t like to be interrupted when he was working.

  “Dante Moore.”

  Ian turned away from his laptop and spoke into the intercom. “Send him in.” What was Sage’s friend doing at his office?

  Dante walked in and, from the expression on his face, Ian could see it wasn’t a social visit. “What brings you here, Dante?”

  “I’m here to tell you to back off, Lawrence. Leave Sage alone.”

  Ian was taken aback. He’d expect this of Quentin or even Malik, whom Sage had referred to as a hothead, but not Dante. Sage had described him as the most mild-mannered of the bunch.

  “I love Sage too much to see her hurt by someone like you.”

  “Someone like me?”

  “Yes,” Dante replied. “Don’t act like you don’t know. You’re welcome to do as you choose with other women, but when it comes to Sage, I have to step in.”

  “Sage is a grown woman.”

  “I, along with Quentin and Malik, have looked after Sage since she was nine years old. We, let me correct that, I will not let anyone hurt her, least of all you.”

  “I care about Sage,” Ian tried to explain. “I think she’s a wonderful woman.”

  “That’s all fine and good, but Sage wants more than an occasional roll in the hay. She may not say it, but she wants a real relationship, a commitment.”

  Ian was momentarily stunned. “Has she told you that?”

  “She doesn’t have to,” Dante replied. “I know her better than she knows herself, which is why I’m here. You need to break it off.”

  “Excuse me?” Ian wasn’t used to anyone telling him what to do. He didn’t appreciate Dante coming into his office telling him how to live his life, no matter how well intentioned.

  “You heard me right. You have to end this affair before Sage gets hurt further.”

  “I don’t want Sage hurt either,” Ian replied, reclining back in his chair. “I’ve been honest from day one and she said she was okay with the arrangement. So I see no reason to change things unless Sage tells me to do so.”

  Dante obviously didn’t like that answer and walked toward Ian. Ian thought he was about to deck him, but instead, Dante bent down and looked him straight in the eye. “I’m telling you to end this,” Dante said. “Sage deserves better. She deserves to be treated with respect. She deserves to be treated like a queen by a man who loves her.”

  “Listen, Dante.” Ian rose to his full six-foot-plus height. Usually his height intimidated most men, but Dante was not backing off. He stood prepared for battle. “I have never disrespected Sage and while she has been in my company, she has always had nothing but the best.”

  “I am sure you show all your lady friends the high life,” Dante returned. “But Sage is not average.”

  Dante was certainly right about that, Ian thought. Sage was anything but
average. She was smart, sexy and beautiful. She had all the qualities in a woman he was looking for if he was ready to settle down, which he wasn’t. Never would be. Perhaps Dante had a point. Perhaps he should consider whether continuing a relationship was detrimental to Sage’s well-being.

  “Sage doesn’t care about all the trappings of your wealth, Ian. She values hard work. We may have grown up poor, but Sage values people over material possessions. If she’d wanted wealth, she could have married her ex-fiancé James and had a big fancy house in Connecticut and a Mercedes-Benz in the driveway and never had to work a day in her life, but she wanted more.”

  “Yes, I know. She’s made that perfectly clear.”

  “Then give her what she wants, what she deserves, or let her go.”

  Dante’s words lingered with Ian long after he had gone. Was he being selfish wanting Sage for himself knowing that she wanted more? From the moment she’d sneaked her way into his hotel room unannounced, he’d wanted her. Desired her. He’d done everything in his power to have her, and now that he did, Ian wasn’t sure he could let her go.

  Sage sat at her desk and pondered whether she should go to Ian’s for dinner. Her heart wanted to go full steam ahead regardless of the consequences; but another part of her, her head, told her to exercise caution. Her heart won out.

  One taxi later, she was ringing the doorbell of Ian’s penthouse. She was shocked when he opened the door himself.

  “Hello, beautiful.” Ian slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.

  The kiss sent the pit of her stomach into a wild swirl. When he lifted his head and she caught her breath, she said, “I like the way you greet.”

  “C’mon inside,” Ian said. He gave her a short tour of his penthouse. The penthouse, like the man himself, was nothing short of stunning. The seven-thousand-square-foot apartment had five bedrooms and six and a half baths. All the outside walls were made of glass and when Sage peered out of one, she saw a wraparound terrace. She couldn’t resist walking outside. The terrace had a fabulous view of Manhattan, but the best part was a black glass mosaic infinity pool where you couldn’t even see the bottom. Sage bet nearly fifty people could fit inside.

  “We can skinny-dip later,” Ian whispered in her ear.

  “Why don’t you live out in the country?” Sage asked a short while later over dinner of roast duck with blueberry sauce, mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini that his personal chef had prepared before leaving for the evening. She figured he would have a sprawling estate on the outskirts of town.

  “I love Manhattan,” Ian said. “Always have. I love the vibrancy, the excitement that is New York. No other city in the world has it. Not London. Paris, Rome, Moscow, Tokyo. None of them measure up.” He rose from his chair and pulled Sage out of her seat. “Enough talking, I need you.”

  “Lead the way,” Sage replied huskily.

  They only made it as far as the hallway before Ian lowered his head and she stood on her tiptoes to meet his kiss. It was far from sweet; instead, it was one of mastery and possession. His lips seductively moved hers until she parted her lips and allowed his plundering tongue entry. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too,” she said, reaching for him again.

  They didn’t make it to the bedroom. Passion carried them away somewhere between the foyer and the foot of the staircase and they began frantically pulling at each other’s clothes. Neither of them seemed to care where they were. They just wanted each other right then and there.

  Sage helped relieve Ian of his shirt and trousers. When she came into contact with the bulge in his shorts, she reached inside and stroked his engorged shaft. Ian groaned and his head fell to her neck. As Sage continued her ministrations, Ian lightly nipped at her neck and her earlobe with his teeth. She whipped him into a frenzy until he was moaning her name. But Ian didn’t allow her to be in charge for long.

  He stripped her of her jacket and camisole and when he found no bra underneath, he smiled. If he’d known that during dinner, he would have ravished her on the table. Instead, he pushed her back onto the stairs and slid her skirt and bikini panties down her toned legs.

  “You are so beautiful.” Ian groaned, spreading her legs and lowering his mouth to the most intimate part of her. He hovered and Sage held her breath in eager anticipation of what was sure to follow. When she felt his hot tongue at the apex of her womanhood, Sage nearly jumped off the stairs, but Ian held her in place. He tongued her with feverish delight as she writhed and moaned aloud.

  “Oh, yes, Ian,” Sage moaned. Her arms rested against the stairs and she threw her head back and enjoyed the thrill and feel of his hot tongue and the cold marble stair underneath her bottom. “Mmm, yes, oh, yes.”

  Ian loved that she was so wet and so ready for him and eager to give her all to him. “One second, baby,” he said as he briefly stepped away from her to reach for his trousers. He pulled protection out of his wallet.

  “And you always happen to have those around?” Sage asked.

  “Hmm, if you recall, I told you anytime, anyplace,” Ian said. “So I thought I had better be prepared.” He slid the condom on his enlarged member and joined her back at the stairs.

  He grasped her buttocks and slid inside her wet haven. He made love to her mouth as his lower body thrust against her. Her inner muscles clenched around him and Ian groaned. “Sage…” She was milking every inch of him and he couldn’t get enough.

  Sage clutched his buttocks as he pumped again and again. It was both heaven and hell to have Ian inside her knowing that she enjoyed their lovemaking but not knowing how long their relationship would last. The impact of that notion hit her with such force that Sage groaned and circled her arms around Ian’s neck as the world became a blur.

  Ian shouted several seconds later as he, too, crashed into a million pieces. When his breathing had returned, Ian withdrew and turned to sit beside her on the step.

  “Wow!” Ian exclaimed as he rested his shins on the back of the stairs. “You’re one hot lady.” She’d surprised him with her spontaneity. He’d never expected to make love in such an unusual location. He had had his bedroom arranged for seduction with candles and soft music.

  “And you’re one hot guy.” That was pretty evident from the trail of clothes strewn across the hallway that they had discarded in a flurry. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  Later, they made it to his bedroom and made love again. As they lay wrapped in each other’s arms, it was then that the conversation with Dante came back to haunt Ian.

  Ian nuzzled Sage’s forehead with his nose. “You asleep?”

  “Me?” She looked up sleepily. “No.”

  He grinned. “Liar.”

  “What’s up?”

  Ian debated whether he should even bring it up after they’d shared such an incredible night, but he needed to know. He’d never want to hurt her; he cared about her too much. In a short time, the feisty attorney had become very important to him and he felt oddly protective.

  He propped himself up on his forearm and pushed back several tendrils of damp hair out of Sage’s face. “Sage, I care about you.”

  “I know.” She smiled and caressed his cheek.

  “And I would never want to do anything to hurt you,” Ian finished.

  “And?” Sage inquired, sitting up. Ian was beginning to make her feel very uncomfortable.

  “But I need to know if you’ve developed feelings for me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t play dumb, Sage. You know what I mean. Are you in love with me?”

  “Why would you need to know that?” Sage countered. “Would it change anything? Would you say you loved me back?”

  “As much as I don’t want to lose what we have, I don’t want to hurt you either.”

  “And I don’t want to be hurt,” Sage said. “So can we drop it?” She moved to turn away, but Ian halted her.

  Sage knew what he needed to hear, because the alternative was much too s
cary for him to contemplate. Or perhaps it might snap him out of his daze and make him realize that what he wanted was staring him exactly in the face. But Sage wasn’t willing to take that chance; she wasn’t willing to put herself out there, so she said the words that broke her heart. “Ian, as much as I enjoy what we share, I am not in love with you.”

  Ian breathed a huge sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath the entire time. “Good, because I don’t want to lose what we have either.” He pulled her into his arms and held her to him. He wasn’t quite sure he believed her, but he was too afraid to confront her because then he might have to face his own feelings and Ian wasn’t ready to do that.

  Sage’s eyes began to water and she willed them to stop. She didn’t want Ian to see that she was dying inside because of her horrible lie.

  Chapter 13

  “Okay, what’s the deal?” Sage asked when she walked into Dante’s for a relaxing evening meal with Quentin, Malik and Dante assembled. She so looked forward to the moments when it was just the four musketeers. It was already June and pretty soon Quentin would be a married man and they’d have less moments like this.

  “We are worried about you,” Quentin said. “Dante told us about your relationship with Ian Lawrence. So we thought we’d lend you our ears. Not to mention you missed yet another Sunday dinner. Why are you avoiding us?”

  Sage narrowed her large almond-shaped eyes at Dante. She didn’t appreciate being ambushed by her favorite men. She knew she’d been busy the past week now that Ian was back in town, but so what? They each had their own lives. Quentin had Avery. Malik had Peyton. And Dante had Dante’s and the new restaurant.

  “Don’t give me that look,” Dante replied. “I’m just looking out after you, just like I have a hundred times before.”

  “He’s right,” Malik said. “We care about you, Sage, and that’s why we’re butting in.” He gave her a devilish wink.

  “Touché.” Sage chuckled at her own comeuppance. Malik wasn’t about to let her forget how she’d stuck her nose in his and Peyton’s relationship by revealing he’d been abused by his stepfather. But if she hadn’t, who knew where they would be? “This has nothing to do with Sunday dinner and everything to do with my love life.” She focused her brown eyes on Dante’s.