“Assez! Assez! I need to come,” she begged in French, raking her nails through my flesh with one hand and fisting my hair with other. The pain only made me push my cock harder into her hot, drenched pussy, her muscles clenching each powerful thrust. Her nipples brushed against my pecs, hardening with the friction of my chest pressing against hers.
My mouth was a palm’s width away from hers, and my eyes shone fierce on her. I tugged the heart pendant she never took off. “Tell me, tiger, who do you belong to?”
“You,” she breathed out.
I wasn’t going to let her get away with one-word answers. “Say: I belong to you.”
“I belong to you,” she rasped, her voice as desperate as her need to come.
“Mine,” I growled, the possessive beast I was. “Only mine.”
“Yours,” she panted back. “Only yours.”
A satisfied smile slithered across my heated face and I moved a hand to her throbbing clit. I stroked it vigorously. Then, with a pinch of her fiery bud and another deep thrust, she shuddered all around me with a deafening roar of my name as I simultaneously detonated. My explosive climax met hers.
Oh, my tiger! I had captured her and was never going to let her go. After stilling ourselves, I carried her to the shower—where this time I fucked her the way I loved her with kisses and caresses. After the mind-blowing sex, we got dressed for the Conquest Broadcasting upfront party, taking place later tonight at the New York hot spot, Touch.
Before heading over to Touch, we had promised to meet up with Jaime and Gloria and several others in the Walden Bar for a few celebratory drinks. My tiger’s daytime block of erotica programming targeted at women had fucking blown away advertisers and affiliates alike. Calling it “brilliant, breakthrough, and ballbuster,” advertisers were clamoring to buy time in it. I was so fucking proud of her. Despite my initial doubts, she’d proven to me she was right and fought hard for what she believed in. Just before we left the suite, I told her that I’d left something behind. She shot me a puzzled look.
“Oh, it’s just a little something for Gloria to thank her for all her support.”
Jennifer’s frown morphed into a smile. “Oh, Blake, you’re so thoughtful!”
Inwardly, I smirked. Yup. That was me. Mr. Thoughtful formerly Mr. Asshole. How my little tiger had changed my life. I hurried back to the bedroom and yanked open the bottom drawer of the dresser, grabbing the bag with the little toy that was going to make her mine forever and off limits to any predator that came our way. Including any French frog.
My tiger belonged to only one man.
I was that man… that lucky man.
*
Jennifer
The champagne was flowing; our booth in the corner of the Walden Bar was a circle of raucous laughter and chatter. We were celebrating the success of the upfront. My block for a women’s erotic lineup had been received with overwhelming enthusiasm. In addition to Gloria’s Secret sponsoring the package of erotic romance telenovelas, other advertisers were eager to buy time on SIN-TV at a premium price. I had come up with a breakthrough idea that had opened the door to a whole new wave of advertisers. Blake and his father couldn’t be happier. Or prouder of me. In fact, I had been promoted to Director of Daytime Programming.
There were ten of us at our table. In addition to Blake and me, our entourage included Gloria and Jaime Zander; Gloria’s PR guy Kevin and his partner Ray, who happened to be Jaime’s art director; Libby and her brother Chaz who was in New York for a fashion show; and lastly a powerful woman I’d grown to respect and love, Vera Nichols, our Vegas affiliate manager, and her delightful husband Steve. “Roar,” a song close to my heart, was playing on the sound system.
“Let’s play a game of Truth or Dare,” insisted Chaz after popping another bottle of champagne.
The hair on the back of my neck bristled. Anything but Truth or Dare. The last time I played a game my life changed forever. Blake caught me biting down on my lip and smiled. It had changed his life forever too. I wasn’t up for this game. I didn’t want my life to change. It was perfect just the way it was.
Before I could protest, Chaz’s suggestion was met with loud claps and cheers.
A Cheshire grin spread across his face. We drew straws to determine who would go first. It was Jaime.
“Okay, what’s your favorite piece of Gloria’s lingerie?” asked Chaz.
“Darling, you can’t answer that!” Gloria quipped, tugging at Jaime’s tee. “It’s too personal.”
A cocky, dimpled smile flashed on her husband’s handsome face. “Truth. Anything I can I bite off her gorgeous body.”
Gloria gasped with embarrassment, then smashed her red-lacquered lips against Jaime’s. The sight of them so in love sent a tickle of chills down my spine.
I was up next. I wanted to slide under the table. “Please, not me!”
Chaz shot me a fiendish grin. “Yes, you. Who wants to pose a question to Jennifer?”
“I do,” said Blake, sitting cattycorner to me.
His eyes bore into mine. “Truth or Dare, Ms. McCoy? How many orgasms have you had tonight?”
I felt myself flush as pink as the Manhattan I’d ordered. I could hardly look him in the eye. There was no way I was telling in front of our friends, no matter how intimate they were.
“Dare.” I shot the word at him.
A triumphant smile curled on his lips, lighting up those heart-stopping dimples. “Okay. I dare you to say yes.”
I scrunched my brows. “Yes to what?”
“To this.”
My eyes stayed locked on Blake as he dug his hand below the table. Oh my God! Was he going to stand up with his gigantic cock fisted in his hand and ask me to suck it in front of everyone? I shuddered. I wouldn’t put him past him.
When his hand reappeared, I inwardly sighed with relief. A small glass sphere filled with water was perched on his palm. A snow globe. As I stared at it more closely, I noticed it contained a photo—the photo of the snow angel we had made together over Christmas. I stifled a gasp.
He handed me the snow globe. “Shake it, Jen. His eyes, glinting with a hint of mischief, stayed fixed on me as I did as he asked.
My heart did a somersault and my mouth dropped to the floor. I simply couldn’t believe my eyes.
Sparkly flecks of snow danced in the water. But that was not all. Drifting among the shower of shimmering particles was a magnificent diamond ring. And not just any diamond ring. It was a large, multi-faceted snowflake diamond. Breathtaking! My hand trembled; in fact, all of me was trembling as the earth shook inside me.
As I fell further into a state of shock and stupor, the sounds and faces around me disappeared into thin air. It was just Blake and me.
While I sat there shell-shocked and speechless, Blake calmly took the globe from my shaking hand and turned it upside down. He twisted off the base, and using the index finger of his other hand like a hook, he scooped out the sparkling ring and set it on the table. My eyes, wide as marbles, never strayed as he put the snow globe back together and then set it down next to the ring. Around me, I vaguely heard my mates oohing and aahing. The ring was simply dazzling.
Blake’s sexy voice brought me out of my stupor. “Well, Ms. McCoy. You haven’t taken me up on my dare.”
I couldn’t get my brain to communicate with my mouth. Words stayed jammed in my throat. “Could you please refresh my memory?” I finally managed. I teetered between awestruck and dumbstruck.
“I dared you to say yes.”
“Yes to what?” Dumbstruck was winning.
“To the ring.” Blake paused and gazed deep into my eyes. His eyes didn’t blink a wink nor did mine. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee. “Jennifer McCoy, will you marry me?”
The words whirled about in my mind like the tiny dancing snowflakes. When the latter settled to the base of the globe, reality settled in my mind. Oh my God. Blake had asked me to marry him. The tears that had been threatening began to fall freely. My
heart was roaring so loud in my chest I could barely hear myself breathe out one simple word: “Yes.”
Cheers and applause broke out, so loudly it was contagious and the whole bar joined in. Blake gently grasped my unsteady left hand and slipped on the ring. I couldn’t stop staring at it.
“Oh Blake, it’s so, so beautiful.” I choked out the words. With my other hand, I caressed the side of his face.
“Like you, tiger.” Happiness danced in Blake’s sapphire eyes. He stood up and lifted me with him. Before I could say another word (as if I could), he yanked my head back by my ponytail, and his lips crashed down on mine.
In a fierce kiss. Just like the kiss that had started it all in a game of Truth or Dare.
And as I melted like a snowflake into Blake—that man who had dared me from the beginning to be his, I thought about how different my life might have turned out had I not accepted Chaz’s outrageous dare that night six months ago. I knew at this moment life is full of truths and dares. Sometimes we have to eschew the truth to discover it. And sometimes we have to risk a dare. When life gives you dares, be daring. Be as brave as a tiger. Something rare and beautiful may reveal itself the way the moon does when a cloud uncovers it. Something that can change your life forever like…
Love. And melting as I was, our love was frozen solid. I had just dared to say yes to my new forever. And his kiss was just the beginning. That man was mine.
The End
Note from the Author
Dearest Reader~
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading the THAT MAN trilogy. I hope you enjoyed it. And if you did, will consider writing a review—even a short one!—on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or wherever you found it. Reviews mean a lot to me and help others discover my books.
Would you be interested in a story about Jennifer’s best friend Libby? Or hearing about Blake and Jennifer’s wedding?
Let me know by e-mailing me at:
[email protected]
or posting a comment on my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/NelleLamourAuthor
THAT MAN 4 and THAT MAN 5 may be coming your way soon! *Wink* In the meantime, I hope you read and enjoy my other books!
MWAH! ~ Nelle
Playlist
I wrote much of the That Man trilogy over Christmas 2013, so naturally Christmas songs, both classic and pop, influenced my writing. As some of you, dear readers, may know, I LOVE Christmas songs and could listen to them to all year round. I also saw the animated movie Frozen over Christmas with my twin daughters; the journeys of the two heroines and the hero, along with the songs, also inspired the story of Jennifer and Blake.
“That Man” / Caro Emerald
“Brave” / Sara Bareilles
“This Girl is on Fire” / Alicia Keys
“Ho Hey” / The Lumineers
“I’m So Sexy” / Right Said Fred
“Bad Romance” / Lady Gaga
“Blurred Lines” / Robin Thicke
“Roar” / Katy Perry
“Jealous Man” / Ace Moreland
“Bad Boys” / Inner Circle
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” / Frank Sinatra
“All I Want for Christmas is You” / Mariah Carey
“Drummer Boy” / Pentatonix
“Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” / Kristen Belle, Agatha Lee Monn, and Katie Lopez (from Frozen)
“Love is an Open Door” / Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana (from Frozen)
“Let it Go” / Idena Menzel (from Frozen)
“Crazy in Love” / Beyoncé
“Let Her Go” / Passenger
“Say Something” / A Great Big World
“Please Forgive Me” / Bryan Adams
“Love” / John Lennon
“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” / Roberta Flack/Céline Dion
Acknowledgements
I have so many people to thank. Trust me, it’s taken a village to write the THAT MAN trilogy.
First, I want to thank my family for letting me write. They’ve had to put up with so much, including late-night dinners and pre-made ones that come straight from the freezer case. Thank goodness for Trader Joe’s! My husband, despite his own busy schedule, has been especially helpful, picking up the mommy slack while I’ve sat, what feels like 24/7 behind a computer. One of these days, I’m going to watch TV again with everyone.
I am also grateful to my supportive beta readers who didn’t hold back and gave me insightful suggestions. They include in alphabetical order: Michele Coddington, Tracy Graver, Cindy Meyer, Kim Pinard Newsome, Jasmine Roman, Jennifer Moshe Silverstein, and Karen Silverstein. I’d also like to acknowledge three dear, early readers who hold a special place in my heart—Amber Escalera, Kellie Fox, and Sheena Reid.
A big thank-you goes to Karen Lawson for proofing my books and making me laugh with her comments, Arijana Karcic for the beautiful covers, and my formatter, Paul Salvette, who patiently put up with all my revisions. A hug belongs to my writer BFFs, Adriane Leigh and Arianne Richmonde, who kept cheering me on. What would I do without your endless e-mails?
I’ve talked about the community of book bloggers in this trilogy. Writers, especially independent ones like me, are beholden to them. They work so hard to get our books into readers’ hands. There are so many to thank, but I am especially grateful to Mary Tatar/Love Between the Sheets for organizing my blog tour. A shout-out also goes to those, who have gone out of their way with their kindness and support. In random order because I’m too tired to alphabetize: Cindy Meyer and Debra Presley/The Book Enthusiast, Jen Oreto/Winding Stairs Book Blog, Ellen Widom/The Book Bellas, Desirae Shie/Book Boyfriend Reviews, Lisa Pantaro Kane and Jennifer Skewes/Three Chicks and Their Books, Mags Pereira/SMI Book Club, Becky Barney/Fairest of All Book Reviews, Jennifer Noe/The Book Blog, Maria Barquero/ Maria’s Book Blog, and Sheeba Ellison/Bedtime Reads. Last but not least, the lovely Jennifer McCoy/Sub Club Books, who, by a strange fate, shares the same name as Blake’s tiger. Talking about karma!
Finally, I want to thank my readers. You are so special and I love hearing from you. Your kind, inspirational words always brighten my day. You make every I-want-to-pull-out-my-hair moment worth it. I write because I adore you.
Thank you, all, from the bottom of my heart for being there for me. This is never an easy journey. I feel blessed.
♥ MWAH!
About the Author
Nelle L’Amour is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Los Angeles with her Prince Charming-ish husband, twin teenage princesses, and a bevy of royal pain-in-the-butt pets. A former executive in the entertainment and toy industries with a prestigious Humanitus Award to her credit, she gave up playing with Barbies a long time ago but still enjoys playing with toys with her husband. While she writes in her PJs, she loves to get dressed up and pretend she’s Hollywood royalty.
Her books include the highly rated Seduced by the Park Avenue Billionaire Boxed Set, Undying Love, Gloria’s Secret, Gloria’s Revenge and the That Man trilogy. Gloria’s Forever, a novella, will be published in Spring 2014.
Nelle loves to hear from her readers.
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Books by Nelle L’Amour
That Man
That Man 1
That Man 2
That Man 3
Seduced by the Park Avenue Billionaire
Strangers on a Train (Part 1)
Derailed (Part 2)
Final Destination (Part 3)
Seduced by the Park Avenue Billionaire (Box Set)
An Erotic Love Story
Undying Love (Book 1)
Gloria
Gloria’s Secret (Book 1)<
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Gloria’s Revenge (Book 2)
Gloria’s Forever: Coming Spring 2014
Writing under E.L. Sarnoff
Dewitched: The Untold Story of the Evil Queen
Unhitched: The Untold Story of the Evil Queen 2
That Man 3 Page 17
