by Davis, Jo
“What I want is to please you. Again and again.”
“What if I told you I wanted you to stick around? To be a part of our bargain, see where it leads us?”
“Are you kidding? I can’t wrap my brain around ending anything after a mind-blowing experience like this. Here. With you.” He stroked her raven hair and looked helplessly into her lovely face, hardly able to comprehend the import of what he was saying.
Idiot! What the fuck are you doing? Hadn’t he taken on enough trouble to last a lifetime?
“That’s wonderful,” she said, giving him a smile. “But I want you to think about this, okay? There’s no rush.”
But as Jason followed his lover from the pool, his lonely soul won the argument over his head. Hands down.
He’d already made his decision.
And he prayed it wouldn’t be one that destroyed them all.
Four
Alone in his big corner office, Alex stared out at the city of St. Louis. Darkness had descended, peppering the landscape with a trillion lights. The Arch, a masterpiece of architecture, beautifully lit beside the river a mile or so away, dominated the striking view.
Tonight he failed to muster his usual enthusiasm. The past few days had been sheer hell. Ken’s verbal cheap shots were becoming downright nasty, and their colleagues were starting to notice. God knows he’d made a mistake in overlooking Brock, but he had to stand by his decision. As the boss, he couldn’t second-guess himself or tolerate disrespect. Ken’s behavior certainly qualified as unprofessional.
You should know, buddy.
To add to his misery, both of the women in his life had all but ignored him since Monday.
Liv had a brand-new sparkle in her eyes, a spring in her step. She was keeping a secret, and he wasn’t stupid. The truth remained unspoken between them, but it was there just the same. She’d taken a lover, and the younger man obviously made her happy.
Last night as they ate dinner together at their special private table at her restaurant, he’d tried to broach the subject, but she’d cut him off. She’d give him details when she was ready. Not one second before.
Part of his agonizing punishment.
Yeah, it was working.
Two savvy women had his cock in a vise. Who was he to complain? Most guys would give their left nut to be in his position.
Behind him, the door to his office opened, closed. The lock turned with a soft snick. He swiveled in his chair, not surprised to see one of the objects of his lustful musings saunter toward him. Rising, he rounded his desk to meet Jenna.
Cool topaz fire seared him as she twined a hand behind his neck, toyed with a lock of hair. “Most everyone on the floor is gone.”
“Is that right?”
She pulled him down, and he captured her mouth with his. He kissed her fiercely, with all the bottled-up passion of several frustrating days. He swept his tongue inside her moist heat, rasping behind her perfect teeth, the roof of her mouth. She tasted sweet, as though she’d recently eaten fruit. He longed for her to eat him instead, and to return the favor.
“God, Jenna, I’ve missed you,” he whispered, going for the buttons on her green blouse. “I need you.”
“Ooh, bad boy.” She took over, tossing her shirt and bra in the direction of his plush sofa. Her breasts, high and firm, beckoned. “What will your lovely wife have to say?”
“Not much, I suspect, with her own bad boy’s cock between her lips.”
Jenna’s gaze widened in amazement—and delight. “How juicy, and how convenient for all of us. Are you both operating on the sly?”
Reaching around her waist, he unzipped her dark skirt, peeled the material down. He shook his head. “No. We have no secrets. Olivia and I have a new arrangement. Short story, we can fuck whoever we wish.”
“An open marriage.” She stepped out of the skirt, kicked off her black heels. “Your idea?”
“Hers. She saw us together at the pool party and realized I’d been miserable for a long time.” He cupped her breasts, pinched the sweet little nipples to tight peaks. “Seeing us kissing turned her on, sweetheart. Besides, like you, she was smart enough to know I was going to cave soon. You were both right.”
“Everybody wins. Mmm, I like that.”
He wouldn’t tell Jenna about the rest of the bargain. She’d gotten what she wanted—him—so what did it matter?
Moving around behind her, he gestured to his desk. “Brace your hands on the edge and spread your legs for me.” She did, and his hard-on twitched at the sight of wild red curls tumbling down her back. “Lean over more; stick that pretty ass out. Feet farther apart. That’s it.”
He knelt between her spread thighs, parted her ass. Wetting one finger, he began to massage the tiny, puckered entrance. A low, feminine moan greeted his attentions as he circled, worked the finger into her anus, slow and easy.
“Relax, open for me. Let me make you feel good, baby.”
Angling his head, he nuzzled her damp sex. Flicked her slit with his tongue, loving that she kept the folds shaved bare, only a neat triangle at the apex of her thighs. Her luscious mound was slick and ready, the contact of his tongue on her naked pussy electric, shooting to his cock.
“Oooh, Alex!”
He plunged his finger into her hole, working her as he began to nibble and lick. Slowly, he laved her clit, circling the nub, then between the lips of her sex. Plunged his tongue into her as deeply as possible, fucking both entrances.
She spread her legs even more, arching into him, the helpless mewling noises in her throat making him chuckle darkly. His controlling, self-assured Jenna, coming undone. Fastening his mouth to her clit, he ate her. Without mercy. Deep and hard, until she writhed above his mouth, cream flowing down his throat.
“Oh, shit, Alex! Yes!”
Standing, he unzipped his pants, freed his straining cock. This wasn’t going to last long. Christ, he needed to be inside her. Placing one hand between her shoulder blades, he gave her a gentle push toward his desk. Obeying the silent order, she bent at the waist and laid her upper body atop the surface. Totally exposed and ready to receive him.
“Fuck me!” she cried.
He nudged with the head of his cock, parting her soaking pussy lips. “You want this, sweetheart?”
“Now, please!”
He slammed into Jenna so hard and fast, they gasped together. He stayed buried to the hilt for a moment, reveling in her sheath hugging his rod, locking him in her very core. Amazing. Erotic. How had he lived without this?
Gripping her slim hips, he began to shaft her. “You wanted my cock? Now you own it. Every inch, yours whenever and however you desire, baby.”
“Damned right.” She rocked back into him, meeting his thrusts.
How did he get so goddamned lucky? Liv.
Thank God for Liv. His wife and their new lovers would receive all the attention they needed. The best of both worlds for everyone. He’d make sure of it.
To know Liv was experiencing this high with her young stud gave him untold satisfaction. Made him hot as freaking hell.
He fucked Jenna faster, loving the slap of their bodies, his balls bouncing against her sex. Driving them toward the pinnacle, spinning out of control.
Alex’s body spasmed. He exploded with a hoarse shout, coming deep inside her. She screamed and her channel began to clench, warm honey flooding his cock, bathing him. She milked him dry and still he remained there, never wanting to leave.
Finally he had to, and pulled out with regret. Jenna turned into his arms and he pressed his lips to hers in a brief kiss.
“Christ, I love fucking you,” he murmured.
“Becoming addicted?”
“Oh yeah.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, tiger.” She smiled, the strange gleam back in her eyes. “Whoops, the Boardman file is at home again.”
His rampant libido drowned out whatever warning his brain might’ve latched on to. “Who are we to let our work slide?”
&nbs
p; “Let me fix myself and grab something from my office.” Quickly, she dressed, then sent him a seductive smile. “Be right back.”
Yanking up his pants, he watched her sashay from his office. Confident. Cool. She was a viper, and he knew it.
But the danger only added to the allure.
The call of the forbidden.
A ghost of a whisper chilled his skin, a sudden foreboding curling through his gut. Stabbing him with unreasonable fear.
Annoyed, he shoved the ominous feeling aside. Residual guilt, nothing more. He and Liv deserved to find themselves—and each other—again. To share in their sexual reawakening.
Tonight, he’d give his second confession.
But it was his punishment he anticipated most of all.
The watcher quickly slipped into an empty office and closed the door, crossing to the phone on the desk. His dick still throbbed from listening, imagining Alex’s big cock working Jenna the bitch until she screamed. They made an extraordinary couple, and Alex was an okay guy. It almost made him regret the call he had to make.
Almost.
At the first ring, Palmer picked up. “I’m in a bad fucking mood, so make it good. Have you found Seraph?”
He braced himself. “No, we don’t have anything new. It’s like the goddamned earth swallowed him.”
“Not what I want to hear.” His even tone belied his ruthlessness. “I don’t appreciate loose ends.”
He was glad the bastard was several states away. Not that Palmer couldn’t reach him if he wanted. His network was extensive and deadly. “We’ll find him. Soon.”
“What about Quinn? Do you finally have him by his obviously delectable cock?”
“He’s ours now. All is going according to plan . . . except for one minor problem,” he said, nervously wiping a bead of sweat from his temple. “We can’t blackmail him anymore. Not for infidelity.”
His boss’s reply was lethally quiet. “Why not?”
“Quinn and his wife now have an open marriage. I heard it with my own ears.”
“Fine, revert to plan B. Kill him.”
His blood ran cold. Sure, he was an opportunist. But murder?
“We can’t do him too quickly or everyone will suspect. Most of them figure he’s been checking his little slut’s temperature since the pool party. They might wonder—”
“Need I remind you we’re working against the clock? Quinn is a genius in the courtroom. He has to be out of the way before the trial. Make it happen.”
Pompous son of a bitch. Boardman would go to prison and Alex would die so Palmer’s hands could remain clean and he would be free to ply his evil trade.
“I understand. But it can’t happen overnight,” he said, stomach curdling in dread. “We need time to make it look like a tragic accident or suicide. He and his wife are struggling, and now that he’s strayed, open marriage or not, it shouldn’t be too hard.”
The monster chuckled, apparently pleased. “Poor bastard caves under the pressure, takes his own life. Or becomes so distraught, his car plummets into the Mississippi.” He paused, the silence heavy. Measuring. “Or perhaps his own wife has him murdered in a fit of jealous rage, and soon. No jury alive will buy her claim of condoning his affair after he’s been brutally slain. Understand?”
“Yes. The possibilities are endless,” he agreed coldly, masking the sickness assaulting him in waves.
“Excellent. You have two weeks to conclude this unpleasantness. Don’t disappoint me.”
Palmer disconnected, and the watcher replaced the phone with a trembling hand. Resolved, he steeled himself against feeling anything for their unsuspecting victim. To save their own hides, they’d do this. They had no choice.
In a few short days, Alexander Quinn would die.
Olivia paced, waiting for the sound of Alex’s Jag in the driveway. Caught in the exquisite hell of wondering what tale he’d have to tell tonight, and whether he was still as excited as she about the sharing.
What if he began to leave out details? To keep secrets? If so, this plan would fail right along with their marriage.
Don’t think like that, or you’re sunk.
Their communication and mutual pleasure would remain intact. The alternative didn’t bear considering.
Headlights cutting through the living room, the hum of the garage door ended the agonizing wait. Thank God.
She steeled herself as the door leading into the kitchen from the garage opened and clicked shut. In a moment, Alex appeared in the living room and paused, meeting her gaze. He looked beautifully disheveled, and not quite as unsure as before.
Giving her a tentative smile, he laid his tie, jacket, and briefcase on a wingback chair. “Did you . . . enjoy yourself tonight, as well?”
“These are your confessions, not mine,” she admonished softly. In truth, despite her sly teasing, she hadn’t seen Jason since their rather steamy lunch encounter, had no idea what he’d been up to. Alex didn’t know that. She saw no reason why he should.
“True,” he agreed easily, though his green eyes flashed with dangerous emotion. Desire? Jealousy?
“You’re much earlier tonight,” she remarked, waving a hand at the wall clock as she led him upstairs. “It’s barely past ten thirty.”
“I learned my lesson about excessive tardiness the first time.” Wry humor colored his voice.
“You’re more at ease with our arrangement, I see.”
“I’m not sure at ease is the right way to put it,” he mused. “Maybe less nervous, less . . . trapped. Isn’t that how I’m supposed to feel?”
Trapped. That was never a word she’d heard Alex use before, and it made her shudder. “Don’t hedge your answer. Tell me.”
In their bedroom, she turned to face him. He stood staring at her, unwavering, and she knew by his expression he was searching for the most honest response.
“For the first time in years, I’m free to be my own man. I’m someone in my own right again, outside of these four walls. Outside of us,” he said quietly.
Why did the most necessary self-realizations have to be so goddamned painful? Her expression must’ve exposed her turmoil, because he closed the distance between them, cupped her face in his hands.
“That doesn’t mean I’m excluding you now, or loving you less.” Trailing a finger down her throat, he nudged aside the silk of her robe, brushed the swell of her breast. “No, I love you more than ever. She’ll never hear confidences from my lips; that right belongs only to you. I might slide my cock deep inside her, fuck her for hours, but that’s all she’ll ever have of me.”
Her womb clenched, moisture gathering in her pussy. “I think she has a stronger hold on you than you realize, Alex.”
“You believe I’m obsessed?”
Interesting word choice. “Perhaps. Are you?” She waited, holding her breath as he struggled with his truth. Glanced away.
“She takes me somewhere I never thought I’d dare to go. Someplace dark. Dangerous.”
“And you want to go there, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he admitted, closing his eyes. “God, Liv, you’re right. It’s more than sex when I’m with her.”
“But not love?” she pressed. Anything except that.
Opening his eyes, he shook his head, expression firm. “No. It’s a game of power. Control. One I’m not sure I want to win. I’ve never allowed myself to be led astray, and I like it. I’m tired of being a fucking saint.”
“Thank goodness you don’t have to be, then. However, there is the matter of your confession,” she reminded him with a small smile.
“And punishment.” He perked up in anticipation.
She laughed at his eagerness. “That, too. All right, get naked; then let’s relax on the bed while you talk.”
“No cuffs or whips tonight?” He began to undress.
“You sound disappointed.”
“Hmm, I think I am.”
“Good. Keeps you guessing. Lie down on your back.” Slipping off her robe,
she joined Alex in bed. His head was propped on his pillows, his muscled body sprawled next to her. “You smell like sex.”
His jaw clenched, and he kept his gaze straight ahead. “I’m sorry, Mistress. I can shower before—”
“No. Hiding behind niceties would only defeat the purpose.” She studied him, pleased he was already into his role. “You may begin.”
He inhaled a deep breath. “Well, I hadn’t seen her since Monday. We’ve been busy on the Boardman defense, not to mention several other pressing cases. It’s been crazy.”
“Wait a minute.” Liv frowned. “Jenna’s working with you on Henry Boardman’s trial?” Had Alex ever told her that specifically? If so, she didn’t recall, but she didn’t think he had.
“Yes, she is. Why?” His expression was pinched, voice tight. A bit defensive.
“That’s a huge, high-profile criminal case, Alex. Not something you’d normally allow a junior partner to be involved in, especially one who’s been at Quinn and Quinn only a few months.”
Red flags tinged his cheekbones. “Jenna came highly recommended, and she’s proven herself a valuable asset to the firm in a short period of time.”
I’ll just bet she has. Wasn’t the first time the boss’s little head had done the thinking.
“And everyone is okay with this?”
“Other than Ken, who’s ready to punch my lights out?” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Sure, everyone’s peachy.”
She winced. “I guess that explains why Ken didn’t show at our pool party.”
“I’d say so.”
Well, that was understandable. Ken had been with the firm for many years, had won many important trials. Still, something about this whole thing bothered her a great deal. Unease itched under her skin, more than Alex simply being a vulnerable man who’d given in to the luscious new employee.
Shaking her head, she brushed the shadow aside.
“Never mind work for now. Go on with your confession.”
“Okay.” He sighed, made a visible effort to relax. Her questioning had obviously put him on edge. “Anyway, Jenna came to my office after most everyone was gone. I had her face my desk and spread her legs. Then I knelt behind her and ate her while I used a finger to work her little hole.”
