Not So Casual [Part 2]

by Kelly Harper

  “Mr. Drake, please…” Declan’s voice shakes. His face darkens with annoyance until Isaac finally acknowledges him again. “I simply cannot allow her to speak on behalf of BMG at this point in time.”

  Isaac folds his fingers together and gives a slight lift to his shoulders.

  “Then I’m afraid we can’t do business together.” He stands to leave without further hesitation, both of his cronies leaping to their feet to follow him.

  “No, wait,” I call out.

  Every single pair of eyes in the room whips around to look at me at the same time—even Declan’s. Every single pair of eyes, save for one. Isaac freezes in place and I can almost feel the thin smile stretching itself across his chiseled jawline.

  I move closer to Declan and whisper so that only he can hear.

  “I can handle this,” I say. He gives me a concerned look, then shakes his head.

  “Something doesn’t feel right. I don’t like it.”

  My gut twists into an even tighter knot. Declan is a sharp businessman, and he’s quick to pick up on things. He may not know exactly what doesn’t feel right about the situation, but he knows that there’s something more going on than what’s on the surface.

  I rest my hand on his forearm. I want to reassure him, but I instantly feel him tense beneath my touch.

  “Don’t worry, I can do this.” I give him a soft smile. “It’s just dinner while I answer whatever questions he has. I spent my whole life watching Daddy handle guys like him, it’ll be a walk in the park.”

  Declan studies me for a second. I can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he considers probably a million different things that I haven’t even thought of. His blue eyes are tense.

  “I still don’t like it. I don’t like the thought of someone demanding dinner with you. It isn’t right. It isn’t professional.”

  I try to hide my wince. Declan lives in such a black and white, compartmentalized world. If he knew the half of what Isaac and I had already done he’d probably fly off the handle. He could be like that when it came to me—overprotective and irrational.

  “We need this,” I said, giving him a serious look.

  The muscles in his jaw tense and flex as he grits his teeth. He considers it for another few long moments before he gives me a tight smile.

  “You’re right,” he says. His features soften a little and his mouth parts into a proud smile. “You really do have your father in you, don’t you?”

  My smile widens as my pulse races. His words mean more to me than he probably realizes.

  “So it’s settled then?” Isaac asks from across the room. His eyes narrow, locked on my hand touching Declan.

  I instantly snap it back, feeling both ashamed that he saw it and ashamed that I even feel bad about it at all. I straighten myself and lift my chin, trying to appear much larger than my tiny frame actually is.

  “We can discuss the details of the deal over dinner,” I confirm.

  That smooth, cocky smile returns as he shifts to face me squarely.

  “Dinner at eight, then? I’ll pick you up at your place.”

  I can’t help but notice Declan’s body tense next to me when Isaac mentions coming over to my place.

  “Seven,” I counter, quickly. “And we will meet at Cafe Soleil. No need for you to go out of your way.”

  It’s the first restaurant I can think of, I only hope it’s still open and that I haven’t just made a fool of myself. I want it to be clear that we’re not going on a date or anything that can be confused for one.

  Isaac’s grin widens as he studies me for a moment. Then he nods.

  “Seven it is. It’s a date.”

  “It’s dinner!” I snap.

  “Of course. That’s what I said isn’t it?”

  He gives me one more secretive smirk before he turns and leaves, both of his cronies following closely behind him.

  How is it possible for one man to be so damned infuriating?

  Chapter 16

  “So you’re going on a date with the guy?”

  Tawny fixes me with a confused look as she hefts her backpack over her shoulder. Her curly, blonde hair is cut short and pulled back into a ponytail, and her thin blue eyes give me a curious look.

  “It’s not a date!” I insist. “It’s a business dinner. A totally professional business dinner.”

  She frowns at me.

  “A totally professional business dinner with the guy you brought home from the bar and had sex with last night?”

  My face scrunches up as I let out a groan. “And once again this morning.” Her eyes widen and I feel like she’s looking straight through me. “And maybe once again in the bathroom at the office.”

  Her jaw drops open, mimicking her bulging eyes. She stares at me for a long moment before she recovers herself enough to say something intelligible.

  “Sounds like a date to me.” I let out another groan, and she giggles. “Don’t worry, though. This time I’m prepared with my headphones, just in case you and the Sexy Brit end up back here again.”

  “I’m so sorry about that. It was so unexpected.”

  She waves a hand. “Don’t sweat it. At least one of us is getting laid. I’m just happy I can live vicariously through you.”

  Tawny gives me a cheery smile that manages to ease some of the tension building in my chest. We were never best friends in high school, but we’ve maintained a connection ever since then. A few weeks ago we were talking about my impending move back to the city when she mentioned she was looking for a roommate. I didn’t hesitate to tell her to move into my new place—it was going to be too big for just little old me, anyway.

  It’s nice having a friend around, even if we hardly ever see each other because we work opposing schedules.

  “You’re a beautiful girl,” I say, honestly. “I’m sure you have no problem getting laid anytime you want.”

  She sneers at me. “Sure, if you count the creeps that always seem to show up at the hospital in the dead of night.” She lets out a groan. “These night shifts are going to be the death of me.” She considers it for another second, then adds, “But maybe I’ll meet a sexy vampire who’s super turned on by pale, nerdy chicks.”

  We share a laugh, then I rub her arm and give her a light squeeze on the shoulder.

  “When’s your next night off? Let’s go hit up some clubs and get piss drunk and flirt with the hottest guys we can find. My treat.”

  Her eyes widen with excitement as she gives me a big, cheery smile.

  “I have this weekend off,” she says. She curses as she glances at her watch. “Shit, I’m late.” She runs to the door, only stopping to give me one final look. “Have fun on your date,” she says, winking at me.

  I groan.

  “It’s not a date!” I yell, but she’s already slammed the door behind her.

  It’s really not a date.

  Right?

  Chapter 17

  Isaac’s smoldering eyes haven’t broken away from me since the moment I sat down at the table. The corner of his lip is turned up in that secretive smile of his that somehow manages to send butterflies flittering through my insides.

  “You’re beautiful,” he says. It’s not the first time he’s said it since I sat down. I intentionally didn’t change out of the dress I’d worn to work so he wouldn’t think I’d gotten all dressed up for him.

  I try to scowl at him, but only manage another smile.

  “We can’t do this,” I say. “We’re here to talk business, not to flirt.”

  “Who said anything about flirting?” He gives me an innocent look that sends illicit thoughts pouring through my head.

  “We’re not here to do any of that, either!”

  He reaches his hand across the table and places it on mine. I try to move my hand away but it doesn’t seem to want to move. His fingers gently caress their way around my own fingertips, sending a chill running up my arm.

  “You’re so tense. I would have thought after t
he last day you’ve had that you would be a little more relaxed.”

  “You mean after you practically announced to an entire office full of my coworkers that you want to fuck me? I have no idea how that could make anyone tense.”

  He cooed at me. “They only care about results. Close the deal and all is forgotten.”

  Finally I jerk my hand away from his. I’m annoyed when the tingling sensation still remains, even if it’s only a faint echo of what it used to be.

  “And closing the deal is exactly what I’ve come here to do.”

  I pull an iPad out of the oversized purse I brought with me. Declan gave me the tablet before I left the office. He also gave me a crash course on the pertinent details of the deal we were supposed to be discussing.

  I turn on the screen and place the contract in front of Isaac. He doesn’t even glance down at it.

  “What are you prepared to offer me in exchange for me signing the papers?” he asks, smoothly.

  Is he for real? Does he really think that I’m going to sleep with him just to close the deal? I mean, sure, I’d already slept with him a number of times, but those had been different.

  This is business, not personal, and my sex isn’t for sale.

  “You’ve got to be joking.”

  He gives me a reproachful look, his lips pulling together into a tiny oval.

  “When it comes to business I never joke.”

  “So let’s talk about whatever it is you wanted to discuss over dinner.”

  He gives me a wolfish grin and leans forward. His eyes sparkle as they hold my gaze.

  “I want to fuck you.”

  I scowl indignantly at his words.

  “You’re joking, right? Or is sex the only thing you can think about?”

  “It’s not the sex.” His brow draws down as he gives me a serious look. He reaches for my hand, gently taking it in his. I can’t muster the willpower to pull it away, this time. “Do you remember the bar, when you stumbled as you stood up and I caught you?”

  I nod my head, slowly. I’d been way more drunk than I’d realized at the time. If Isaac hadn’t been there I would have fallen flat on my face, for sure.

  But he’d caught me. He’d made it seem so effortless, like he was my guardian angel.

  “Since the moment I held you close to me I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. With every breath I take I smell the soft lavender scent of your hair, and every time I lick my lips I can still taste your essence. I haven’t eaten a thing today for fear that I’ll never have you on my lips again.” His eyes are a smoldering haze of sparkling gray. He leans even closer, his voice lowering. “So when I tell you that I want to fuck you, it’s because that is the only thing that makes any bit of sense to me right now. It might be the only thing that’s ever made sense in my entire life.”

  I swallow. Hard. My lips are dry, but I don’t trust myself to wet them.

  “Do you have some place we can go?”

  The words are out of my mouth before I even realize what I’m saying. But the thought of taking them back never even crosses my mind.

  Chapter 18

  “I thought you were joking about the Jag,” I say.

  I’m still in shock after having seen the valet pull the car around. It’s one of the nicest cars I’ve ever been in.

  Isaac gives me a wolfish grin as he pulls up to a red light.

  “One of these days you will learn that I will never lie to you.”

  “Yeah, like I haven’t heard that one before.” I give a slight roll of my eyes as I smile over at him. His face is stony and blank.

  “Not from me you haven’t.”

  The nervous butterflies erupt in my stomach again. The light turns green and we jet through the intersection. We don’t stop again until we pull up to the St. Regis Hotel. I gasp at the luxurious entryway. It’s a landmark hotel that I’ve always marveled at but never had the chance to visit.

  “You’re staying here?” I say, shocked.

  He gives me a snide grin.

  “I’ve seen your place. I hope you don’t think the St. Regis is the slums or anything.”

  I shake my head, my jaw still hanging open in surprise.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Wait until you see the room.”

  I grin and follow Isaac as he leads me through the magnificent foyer. We take the elevator to the top floor where he leads me to a penthouse suite. My jaw drops open when he swipes his key on the magnetic lock and pushes his way into the room.

  “You really travel in luxury, don’t you?” I say, marveling at how nice everything is. Even if we could have afforded it, my dad had always been too frugal to spend more money than was absolutely necessary.

  Isaac comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my hips, pulling me tight against his hard body. I can already feel the familiar bulge of his cock pressing into my hip. How many times have we had sex in the last twenty-four hours? I’ve lost count. But my body responds to the feeling. Heat rushes between my legs as I grind myself up against him.

  “It’s not where, but who you’re with that’s important,” he whispers into my ear.

  I feel a rumbling growl beginning in his chest as his lips nip at the side of my neck. My head tilts back against his shoulder, inviting him to take more of me.

  He doesn’t hesitate.

  His hands slide up my side, cupping both of my breasts in their gentle caress. I grind on him even harder, feeling the full extent of his cock as it rubs against my ass cheeks. He groans in delight, which only incites me, forcing me to grind even harder against him.

  “You’re such a little cock tease,” he growls in my ear.

  My hand slides behind my back until it finds the length of his enormity. I squeeze it and begin stroking it through his pants.

  “Then why don’t you do something about it?”

  Before I realize what’s happening, he scoops me into his arms and hauls me off to the bedroom. He sets me gently on the feather-soft mattress as he mashes his lips into mine.

  My fingers lace through the back of his scruffy hair, pulling his kiss even deeper into my mouth. I lap up the taste of him, only just realizing that it’s the exact thing I’ve been craving all day.

  His fingers slide down between my legs. They waste no time before they delve beneath the side of my panties. I moan into his mouth as he begins rubbing tiny circles around my already-aching clit.

  “Who’s being the tease now?” I whimper.

  He pulls back and gives me a sinister grin.

  “Then why don’t you do something about it?” he says, mocking my earlier taunt.

  Without hesitation I flip myself around in the bed and tug his belt free. My mouth is eager and waiting when I finally free his cock from within his pants. He lets out a moan and his legs quiver when I wrap my lips around the tip of his throbbing dick.

  “That wasn’t what I had expected,” he says. His fingers slide through my brown hair, pulling it behind my head.

  “Should I stop?” I ask, giving him my biggest dough-eyed look.

  “Only if you want a spanking.”

  A grin spreads across my lips.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  My tongue flicks along the entirety of his shaft, and he groans his delight. I squeeze the base of his shaft with one hand while cradling his balls in the other, gently milking him until the first drops of pre-cum ooze out of his tip. I lap them up greedily, getting my first taste of the Sexy Brit.

  “I’ve never seen something so beautiful as you with your lips wrapped around me.”

  I don’t respond.

  Instead, I take him even deeper into my mouth as my hand works the base of his enormity. I can feel the muscles in his body tensing as his hand squeezes my hair. His cock pulses and trembles as little tremors ripple through him.

  Isaac’s head falls back as he groans even louder. It won’t be long now.

  I work his shaft even harder, bobbing and spinning my head. My to
ngue dances on his tip, lapping up every drop that finds its way there.

  “Oh, fuck.” His hands clutch at the back of my head even tighter. “Oh fuck, I’m going to explode.”

  No sooner are the words out of his mouth than his cock erupts down the back of my throat. I choke a little, surprised by the immense spurts of his seed. But I swallow greedily, determined to handle everything he has to give me.

  When he’s fully spent, Isaac collapses on the bed next to me. I wipe at my chin and give him a leering smile.

  “You taste good.”

  He’s gasping for breath as he returns my smile.

  “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  I curl myself into him on the bed and slowly begin unbuttoning his white shirt.

  “I hope there’s more where that came from,” I say.

  Another low growl rumbles through his chest as I release the last button and push his shirt to the side, revealing the chiseled muscles of his chest.

  “You know there is,” he growls. “For you there’s always more.”

  Chapter 19

  When we pull up to the curb in front of my building, Isaac puts the car in park and switches off the engine.

  “Where do you think you’re going, Mister?” I say, giving him a suspicious look.

  “You don’t think I’m going to drop you at the curb, do you? What kind of barbarian do you take me for?”

  I lean over the console and press my lips into his. He pulls me into a deep kiss that lasts longer than I expect it to. When we finally break apart, I give his nose a quick nuzzle with my own.

  “You’re sweet, but if you set one foot outside of this car I will never speak to you again.” His brow draws close together as his eyes widen in a dumb, confused stare. I tap the end of his nose with my finger, giving him an amused grin. “I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself. Don’t insult me by treating me like a child.”

  His frown deepens, but finally he nods.

  “When can I see you again?” he asks.

  I shrug.

  “You already know where I live and work. I’m sure you’ll see me around.”

  He gives me an intense stare. I wonder what he could possibly be thinking right in that instant, but I’m too afraid to ask. Some things are best left unsaid, and I get the feeling that whatever is trying to claw its way across his tongue is better left for another time.