“Tell me where you want it.” His voice was thick with arousal and not as steady as normal. Damn did that voice do things to her. She didn’t want to stop long enough to give him an answer. Continuing her efforts wasn’t difficult, but as hard as she was trying to ramp him up, it seemed like it was doing double to her.
Beau pulled her up into his arms. One second her mouth had been full of his cock, and she’d been overjoyed she was getting what she wanted, and the next she was flat on her back listening to the violent ripping of paper.
“I want to be inside you when I come, and the way you were grinding against the bed tells me you need a release.”
She didn’t think she’d been with selfish lovers before, but she knew that no one in her past would have traded a blow job for satisfying her when they were so close to the finish line. Karessa had wanted to finish Beau off and leave him a love sick mess like she’d been, but when he reached over to grab a condom and expertly put it on before he sank this thick, hard cock into her wet and ready core, she bowed to his awesome observation skills.
“Damn, you feel good.” That isn’t what she’d meant to say, but she couldn’t take it back.
“You feel good too, and you are so wet,” he said as he pushed firmly into her again, and she almost sobbed. It was like he had the key to her lock and she’d been closed for so very long. She braced her feet on the bed and began meeting his thrusts. “You want more?”
“Yes.” That was all she could think to say. Gone was the self-possessed woman who could wow a boardroom full of executives into putting her merchandise upon all their shelves. With Beau, she turned into a needy, hungry woman whose desire could only be fulfilled by this one man. It was her last thought before her wound up body released in wave after wave of pleasure. The deep rhythmic pumping along with their combined harsh breathing sounded better than any symphony she’d ever heard, but he continued for a few more strokes. His loud grunts followed by his low moan of her name almost made her forget about all her plans, but it was something she had to do to keep herself from falling farther down this rabbit hole.
Afterward, they lay on their sides because Beau always thought he’d crush her. She wasn’t a small woman in any way from her personality to her body size, but he’d always made her feel fragile and petite.
“You are full of surprises,” he said with a satisfied sounding chuckle.
“Did you really think I was going to have you in bed and not take advantage of the situation?”
“I know in the past it wasn’t something you would have let go, but things are different now. I wasn’t expecting anything, but you always did know how to wake me up in a good mood.”
“I aim to please,” she said, trying to be sassy as she started to get up.
He pulled her back down, and she looked into those light green eyes that she couldn’t ever read.
“I missed you, Karessa.”
She could barely believe he’d said that. Beau was carefree, but he wasn’t free with his thoughts. She thought she knew a lot about him, but he was better with taking care of her. They would have long talks and, although he’d added to the conversation, when she thought about it later on, she didn’t know any more about him and his feelings than when she’d started.
His alarm went off, and she was a bit saddened that they had to leave their warm cocoon to be with others, but glad that she’d have something more to do than stare at him with her mouth open. Beau reached over and picked up his phone to shut it off, then turned back to her.
“Shocked you a bit, I see.” He had a chuckle in his voice as he took in her expression, and she couldn’t even fault him for it. Karessa was rarely at a loss for words, but he had a score of one to her zero for that one.
“Maybe a little,” she retorted.
“Since that has never happened to me before, I say we get up and get ready for this evening’s activities. True has this all planned out, so I know it’s going to be over the top.” He hopped up and took care of the condom. “Did you want to use the bathroom first?”
“No. You go ahead. I’ll wait.” She watched him walk away and enjoyed the view as always. It would take a few minutes for her to get herself together. She knew that he would have had to miss her. Maybe if she wouldn’t have refused to listen to him when he’d decided there was something so important he had to tell her they wouldn’t be where they were right now. She’d made it her life’s work to ignore him and it was hard to think about what would have happened if she would have found that out sooner. The truth was, by the time she was ready to start talking to Beau he’d stopped trying. She knew she could be difficult just like she knew that True was right to stop what she was planning to do to Beau. But now what?
Beau came out of the bathroom after what she guessed was the fastest shower ever.
“You’ve got about half an hour. I know how much you love to take your time.”
Beau had a way of looking like he was taking his time, even as he did things quickly. She wouldn’t mention how pleased she was that he remembered little things like that about her. Karessa wanted to say something witty and cute about him missing her and throw in how much she missed him too, but the window of opportunity seemed to have passed, and she really did need to get ready.
There would be time to revisit that later, but for now, she needed to take off her lust-filled hat and put on her creative one. This night was going to be about hot people, sexy lingerie, and making magic happen in more ways than one.
Chapter 7
Beau
Beau didn’t know if he should have mentioned that he missed Karessa back in the bedroom, but something made him feel like it was going to kill him if he didn’t get it out. He didn’t blame her for not responding, nor was he surprised that she was shocked. It had been more than once that he’d been told he didn’t share what he was feeling, and several of those times the speaker had been none other than the woman on his left who sat quietly in the passenger’s seat.
He was grateful that True’s studio was nearby, but he really wanted to find out where Karessa’s head was before they were plunged into the throng of people in this photo-session-slash-bachelor-party, but honestly, he couldn’t think of a way to say anything. What could really come out of this? He knew she had a big opening and read about the obligations they put on financially backing such an exclusive and risky venture. She had to stay in France and run the four large boutiques until she’d made back the money they’d fronted to get her started.
Two point five million Euros equals a lot of panties and bra sets, so it was safe to say she was going to have her hands full for a good long while. He’d let her go so she could live her dream, and she was doing it. Did he miss her? Hell yeah, but he’d let her go all over again and continue doing it if it meant continued success for her. So why in the hell was he doing this to her? He shouldn’t be making this harder he was supposed to be making this easier, but he knew that he wasn’t. This thing with them could last while she was there if she wanted, but he’d let her go again, whether it would send him straight to the bowels of hell like it did the last time he’d let her go, or not. She didn’t need to know about any of that, because that situation was for him to deal with—alone.
“What have you and True come up with for the lucky people who were chosen for the bridal party?” Beau thought he’d try to lighten up the mood since he decided to let his beautiful bird continue to spread her wings, because no one except him knew how much she feared being broke and dependent on another person. He couldn’t count the times she shared that fear and what she planned to do with her life to make sure that didn’t happen.
“It’s going to be a fun photo shoot, and since there are going to be drinks and food for the bachelor and bachelorette quasi-party the hour before any actual pictures are taken, everyone should be relaxed and casual. Nothing to worry about,” she said then looked over at him. “Are you worried that we won’t get your best side?”
“Yes,” he deadpanned, because
he knew she’d laugh. “That is exactly my fear.”
She threw her head back and laughed so hard he had to smile. Why that beautiful noise was stirring his cock he’d never know. He’d been well satisfied twice within the last twenty-four hours, but there was just something about Karessa. Whether it was primal, or emotional, he didn’t want to think about it. He only knew he needed to get that shit under control. Pulling into the lot by True’s warehouse, he realized that soon he’d have to strip down to his skivvies in front of everyone. This failure to keep his cock relaxed wasn’t a problem he normally had to deal with, but being around Karessa…all of her warm, fragrant awesomeness, and her sexy body was making him revert to his teen years. That almost guaranteed walking around with at least a quarter chub.
“We’re here,” she called out and pulled down the visor to check her makeup in the mirror. “You would make me laugh right when we got here. Now my face is all flushed.”
Parking the car, he turned to her to see her dabbing at the corners of her eye with a tissue and just watched her. She had always looked so well put together when she went out in public. Growing up, the people in the community all knew about her mother and how she didn’t pay much attention to her daughter, but from the moment she could do something about it, Karessa made sure she looked flawless. Seeing her without makeup, in a sweatshirt and ponytail had always been the biggest turn-on for him since he’d been one of the few who got to see her like that.
“Your face looks good like that. ‘Sexy Glow.’ You should put that in an advertisement, and I’ll only charge you a minimal fee for the tag line.”
“You’re too kind,” she replied and somehow when she looked over at him, neither of them could look away.
Didn’t he tell himself that he wasn’t going to make this harder for them? Well, there were a lot of things getting harder and would continue to if they didn’t stop this. She’d be here for a few days and then she had to go. Beau was reminded of the puppy they found when he was a kid. His grandpa had put signs up all over town looking for the owner, and it had taken everything Beau had not go behind the man to rip them all down. Eventually the owner called, but said he was going away for the weekend and would pick him up in a few days, if they didn’t mind. Knowing he’d have to give the dog back soon, Beau tried to live a lifetime in the few days he’d had with the pup, but deep in his mind, he knew that people and things that great didn’t stay long. They were all bound to move on or go away, so you should love them while they were here as much as you could. That is what he would do in this situation, and hopefully that would work out for both of them.
“Let’s go. I’m sure they are all waiting for us. True adheres to a strict timeline, when it comes to her events, which is hilarious since she can barely be on time for anything else.”
When they walked in, there were a large number of people in the room that was done up in bridal décor. True owned the whole warehouse and the doorway between two rooms seemed to change the mood between model studio, the photo room that was being used for make-up and wardrobe and party room, that was for food and dance floor. He saw his brothers, Alec and Camden, who were in white terry cloth robes talking to Gemmi and Gemmi’s cousin Rosalyn, were in pink robes. There were other, unfamiliar people standing around and adjusting lighting.
“Who are all of these people?” he whispered to Karessa since no one had looked their way yet, and he was reluctant to share her with anyone.
“Well, you met Maryse, she’s my assistant, and then the other people are with the production crew. My agent, Luc Boniface, says he wanted to come make sure the photo shoot went well, but he really wanted to meet True. He’s a fan, and I think he’s been waiting for any excuse to meet her.”
“Hmmm.” Beau wanted to steer the conversation away from Luc and where he’d seen him before. “What about all these other people?”
“I know there is a local crew coming for lighting checks, and I’m sure True has a caterer here. That woman loves to feed people.” Karessa walked him further into the room and he could see more people in the darkened party space.
Beau caught a glimpse of True running around making sure things were going as planned. Her face was alight with excitement, and Beau knew that she was really doing something that she loved.
“Did you make the robes too?” he asked, bringing his attention back to the woman whose time he wanted all to himself.
“Of course. Yours is around here somewhere. I’m not sure if True wants us all to eat first, but everyone else has on their attire so you should too. Let’s find it so I can get you with the makeup person.”
“Makeup? I hope that is only for the women. There was no talk of makeup when I signed up for this.”
She smacked his arm playfully. “It will just be a bit of powder for shine, I’m sure.” Her giggle didn’t make him think what she was saying was true.
“There you are.” True had spotted them and was on her way over. She looked amazing like always, but now that she was closer to him and he could really see her face, he saw there was some underlying tension around her mouth. He’d known her for way too long to go for the everything is awesome vibe she was sprinkling on everyone like powdered sugar.
“We made it,” Karessa said as she hugged her friend like she’d not seen her hours ago.
“Well everything is all set up, and the lighting company is on their way out the door. The food is in the next room and the bar is set up in the corner.”
True gave him the hug she normally gave him upon greeting and she looked practically the same as she usually did but for some reason she seemed out of sorts. She blew by them on her way to talk to Rosie, who was acting as the makeup person as well as a bridesmaid. In a way, this whole wedding was kick-started by Rosie. If she hadn’t slept with Gemmi’s boyfriend at their family reunion a few years ago, the heartbroken woman wouldn’t have had to find a pretend boyfriend to trick her family into thinking everything was fine with her. Little did they know, the pretense wouldn’t last long. Beau and Alec liked to call Camden the fixer of all women’s problems, and that’s what he did with Gemmi, but he got his heart caught on her and made what was supposed to be a short term engagement much longer when he claimed her as his own. It was funny how things worked out.
Beau was being summoned by his brothers to the male side of the room, but he really didn’t want to leave Karessa.
“Looks like your brothers want you,” Karessa said, looking over at them. “I have to start my magic, so I’ll talk to you later.”
She turned and walked toward Gemmi and Maryse with her head high and her walk proud. France had done well by her. She’d left a confident woman, but she’d returned even stronger.
“Took you long enough,” Alec said as he looked Beau up and down. “Why aren’t you damn near naked and wearing a robe?”
“Wow, someone’s cranky. You’d think you’d never walked around in your underwear before. I grew up with you, so I know that’s not true.” Beau thought it was funny how different his brother acted in the presence of True. He couldn’t call him on it now because that would just cause an even bigger issue, and Beau knew they all needed to stay calm for this. Speaking of which…where was the alcohol?
“You want a drink?” Camden asked his brothers. He was supposed to be the nervous one since he was getting married in the next few days, but his baby brother was the picture of self-composed confidence.
Alec looked the way Beau felt, and he didn’t know how either of them was going to get through this wedding without a few prayers and even more stiff drinks.
“I guess we should go over and see the party side of this shindig.” Beau walked to the doorway that had the music blaring from it and was surprised to see all the people there. “There is a lot of food here for just us.”
“It’s supposed to be a fairly large get together, but I think we’re doing the whole picture thing first. Karessa is paying for everything since we are modeling for her.” Camden filled his brothers in on the
ins and outs of the deal Karessa had made.
“That’s pretty generous,” Alec chimed in as they made their plates from the food on the buffet table.
“I don’t know much about it, but I think she wasn’t going to be able to come unless she could figure out how to put some work into this. Her time is filled from morning until night, by the sound of it. Her investors sound like assholes to me, but it looks like she’s making it work.” Camden appeared to let that information sink in while they found the table to sit down and enjoy their food.
The disc jockey seemed to realize it was eating time and turned on some pop music at a much lower volume.
The brothers decided they didn’t want to sit in the room without the action going on and took their plates back to the room with the big bed that brought back so many memories for Beau. The room had more decorations up that made it appear like someone’s bedroom. The candles were gone, and the soft sexy lighting had been exchanged for bright lights. The three of them found a table with little on it to put their plates down on.
“Who’s that clown?” Alec asked, watching a man in a sharp suit huddled close to True.
Beau didn’t know who he was, but he knew that he’d seen him before…the night he’d flown to Paris to surprise Karessa. This was the same guy whose face he smashed in his dreams. The one Beau had witnessed coming out of Karessa’s apartment late that night. The same guy who held the woman he’d loved in his arms as she appeared to enjoy his touch.
“Do you know?” Alec first turned to Camden then switched his intense look to Beau.
It was hard enough for Beau to keep his composure, but watching Alec trying to figure out what was going on wasn’t helping him calm down. He turned away from the man and tried to school his expression. It seemed that since Karessa had come back into town his easy to manage emotions were getting harder to keep under wraps.
Too Haught Page 7
