Risk & Reward (Bedroom Games)

by Alisha Rai

  He lifted his head, eyebrows raised in interest. “Well, now. That sounds intriguing. Don’t toss that plan completely.”

  “Mmm.”

  He sat up and pulled out of her slowly, both of them appreciating the way her body tried to keep his softening cock inside. “Is that why you were panty-less?”

  “Yes. I took them off after I landed, by the way. I wouldn’t fly commando. Kinda unsanitary.”

  “If you had taken my plane, you could have gone naked.” He grabbed tissues from the box of Kleenex on the console, taking care of the condom.

  “The whole private-jet thing is a little out of my comfort zone.” After her initial shock over the decadence of his luxurious lifestyle, Tatiana had made a conscious effort to not dwell on Wyatt’s wealth, a far cry from the blue-collar kid she’d dated in high school and college. It helped that for the most part he treated his hard-earned wealth as a tool. The fine clothes were an image enhancement, acquired with the same level of careless attention he’d once applied to purchasing jeans and T-shirts. Nothing attracts a high roller like the challenge to be the richest dick in the place, he’d cynically told her when she questioned his ordering a slew of suits, the season’s latest, after barely glancing at the catalog his assistant had provided. I have to make them want to beat me. That’s what lures these people in.

  Not that he didn’t actively seek out and enjoy some of his luxuries, particularly the toys. When they were younger, she’d often found dog-eared car magazines lying around his apartment. Sometimes he’d stopped and drooled over this or that gadget. It delighted her that he could now indulge his champagne tastes.

  Even if it did occasionally discombobulate her. The limo and the fancy penthouse, okay. Though she was conservative with her money, she could fathom someone she knew, who was roughly her age, owning those things. A private airplane? That was ludicrous.

  “One day, I’m going to drag you onboard. Fuck you ten thousand feet in the sky.”

  They’d gotten comfortable saying things like that. One day. Someday. Next time. Eventually. Nothing definite, of course, but vague indications of them being together at some point in the distant future.

  Because they were good together. The sex was awesome, no complaints there. They made each other laugh. Conversation rarely faltered, and if it did, their silences were comfortable. They’d both grown up to be fairly independent, so crowding wasn’t much of an issue.

  Yes. It was perfect. She was so happy when she was with him.

  Too happy.

  She shook her head, trying to clear it of the insidious thought. There was no such thing as too happy. “We’ll see.”

  “Fine, fine.” He casually did up his pants.

  She took a deep breath. “Listen. Is it okay if we go to dinner tonight?”

  “Dinner? Out, you mean?”

  She didn’t fault him for his surprise. When they spent a week apart, let alone three, they were desperate to spend the first night in bed.

  “I guess so. Is there someplace in particular you want to go?” Wyatt straightened his tie.

  “I thought Eduardo’s. If that’s okay.”

  He bent to gather her clothes and handed them to her. “Yes, that’s fine.”

  It didn’t matter where they went, but Eduardo’s had a great vegan selection. Tatiana sat up. “The thing is…”

  His phone beeped, and he pulled it out, frowning at the screen. “Esme. She’s stalling the people I’m supposed to be meeting.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’ll let you get out here and I’ll run. I’ll be home by six.”

  That was when she realized the car had stopped. “Are we at the hotel? When did we get here? Oh my God.” She shoved her skirt down and hurriedly put her bra on. “Sal could have opened the door.”

  “Relax. It’s barely been a minute.” Wyatt flicked a piece of lint off his shoulder. “Besides, he knows not to just fling open the door. Guy drives around some of my guests. Do you have any idea what sort of depraved things they get up to? Yeah, no one does.”

  She tried to put herself to rights. Wyatt handed over her bag, and then wrapped his hand around her neck, bringing her in for a deep kiss. “Mmm,” he murmured against her lips. “Pamper yourself for the rest of the day. But don’t touch yourself. I want you crazy for cock by the time we’re done with dinner.”

  She didn’t know if he’d be talking to her after dinner, but she gave him a weak smile. No time now to explain tonight’s surprise to him. When he came home. She’d tell him then. Completely blindsiding him wasn’t an option.

  Even if she feared losing this.

  “I may go shopping.”

  “Good.” He pulled out his wallet and casually extracted a credit card.

  She stared at the platinum piece of plastic, annoyance replacing some of her anxiety. “If you don’t want me to shove that card up your ass, you’ll put it away.”

  He made an irritated sound. “You think too much when it comes to spending your money.”

  “And you think I’ll think less if I’m spending someone else’s money?”

  “Not someone else’s, my— Damn it.” His phone beeped again, and he scowled. “I have to go.”

  “I’m going to buy something ridiculously expensive. With my money.” She settled her bag on her shoulder and reached for the door.

  “That’ll show me.”

  Tatiana threw him a scowl. “Quit being cute.”

  “Impossible, sweetheart.”

  Chapter Two

  In the short drive to his lawyer’s office, Wyatt struggled to wipe the grin off his face. The goofiness of it might alarm anyone who spied him.

  Smiling when Tatiana was around was nothing new. The past half a dozen months or so had been amazing. When they were together, he felt like…more. A better person, a better human. The sex was phenomenal. They fucked like rabbits on Viagra. She was his absolute equal in bed and out, able to handle anything he threw at her.

  There was a level of comfort that existed simply because they had known each other before they’d achieved professional success. With other women, he felt pressured to maintain a particular image. Tatiana didn’t expect him to be suave and cultured all the time. In fact, he thought she liked him more when he was crass.

  It was a certainty that he liked that part of her. Her sweet, golden appearance had always disguised a dirty, sassy soul that delighted him.

  She had changed over the past decade, of course, as had he. It intrigued him, made him feel like he was putting together a fractured puzzle, reconciling the old Tatiana with the current one. He’d always loved puzzles, and each minute he spent with her gave him something new to chew on and study.

  It had gotten to the point that when they weren’t together…

  Wyatt’s smile faded. It wasn’t just the sex he missed when they were apart. It was her. He resented the phone or computer between them. He wanted to see her when they texted or spoke. When they video chatted, he went crazy with the need to touch her.

  Wyatt didn’t want a repeat of their seven-year-long adolescent relationship. Back then, they’d started talking marriage when Tatiana was a senior in high school. Soul mates, Tatiana had called them, and he’d secretly agreed.

  That kind of thinking had made their eventual breakup that much harder. Because if you couldn’t make it work with a woman you considered the love of your life, who could you make it work with? They’d been young, he’d told himself over the intervening years, when he reflected. They hadn’t even known what love was.

  But he’d never had a relationship half as good as the one he’d had with Tatiana. Granted, that last year had been tense, filled with constant yelling and escalating stress. When Tatiana had finally, bitterly suggested they call it quits, it had been almost a relief to agree.

  Almost. He grimaced, hating that he could still remember the aching throb of losing her.

  When it had been good, though…it had been great.

  Perhaps that was why, when she�
�d walked into his office that fateful day a little over six months ago, he’d gone a little mad, proposing a one-night stand, a brief respite from both of their lives.

  He hadn’t expected that it would be an explosive night that would lead to an attempt at actually reconciling. Nor had he realized that he would want such a thing. But right now? He was about as happy—no, happier—than he’d been even in the early years of their young romance.

  Though his rash impulsivity had been rewarded, he was trying to keep a tight lid on himself as they came to know each other all over again. Neither of them had used the L word yet, and that was good. He was older, she was wiser, and he figured they had a tacit agreement in place to let this unfold however it did, no expectations.

  The long-distance thing wasn’t ideal, but he’d started delegating some of his day-to-day responsibilities so he could free up time for visits. They spent most of those visits naked, so he had an immense amount of fun. Aware that sometimes Tatiana might wish to try a non-fucking activity, he occasionally attempted to normalize their time together. Like tonight, she’d wanted to go out to dinner, so he’d mentally said sayonara to the plans he’d had to keep her tied to his bed. Thank God he’d rearranged his schedule to come fuck her on her ride home from the airport, or he’d be suffering by night time.

  Tatiana was happy, too. Each of her smiles beamed their way into his heart. She couldn’t fake that sort of pleasure.

  So, why, he wondered as he slipped his credit card back into his wallet, did he feel as though something was vaguely…off.

  Wyatt trusted his instincts. He was a poker player, after all, adept at reading his opponents and the situation. And right now, they were screaming that he and Tatiana were on the verge of some sort of impasse. Like those old Choose Your Own Adventure books, where the protagonists either lived happily ever after or died tragically.

  His resolve hardened, strengthened by fear. He would choose right, this time. Another decade with a barren personal life while he scraped and slaved to build a second or third fortune? No thanks.

  His lips quirked as the car slowed, and he tucked his wallet back into his pocket. God knew she wouldn’t take his money. She didn’t need his connections. The nostalgia factor could only go so far. All that was left was him. Adult Wyatt needed to be enough for Adult Tatiana.

  He hoped he was.

  Chapter Three

  Red was for courage.

  Tatiana leaned in close to the mirror and slicked the lipstick on over her lower lip, her mouth forming an O. When she was finished, she pressed her lips together and examined her appearance critically.

  The bright red of her lips was reflected on her nails and dress. It was too much, perhaps, especially in contrast to her fair skin and honey-colored hair, but she liked the shock and awe of it all.

  It helped overcome the nervousness that had grown with every minute of the day.

  She smoothed her hand over her stomach. Grasshoppers were ricocheting around in her belly.

  Wyatt was going to kill her. She should have told him last night, the second she’d gotten off the phone with her parents, even if it had been late. Hell, she should have told him when he’d grasped her arm at the airport today.

  What was wrong with her? He was going to be so freaking angry. And she couldn’t blame him.

  As if she’d conjured him, the front door opened and closed. Those grasshoppers did another tap dance. “Tatiana,” came Wyatt’s faint voice.

  “In here.”

  The bedroom door opened, and Wyatt stepped in. “Sorry I’m late. I won’t change, we can—” His gaze met hers in the mirror, and his words dried up. She was gratified by the insta-lust that filled his gaze as his eyes dipped down over the front of her body. “Well,” he murmured. “Don’t you look nice?”

  She smoothed a hand over the dress she’d spent a solid five hours shopping for on the strip earlier today. A futile effort at distraction from her mounting anxiety. “I spent a fortune on it. So shut up about me being cheap.”

  His eyes tracked her hand and where it settled on her hip. “Worth every penny. You know red’s my favorite color.”

  “Yeah, yeah, you shark you,” she joked, trying to stay normal. “All that blood in the water turns you on.”

  “Nah.” He walked closer until he was nestled in behind her, his hands replacing hers on her hips. His cock was semierect beneath his trousers, and he ground it against her ass. “It reminds me of you.”

  “How’s that?”

  “The color your nipples get when they’re all hard and aching. The color of your clit when you’re almost ready to come. The color of your ass when I spank it.”

  The tension in her body transferred from nervousness to a sexual need. “No wonder you like it so much,” she managed.

  “Mmm.” He slid his hands inside her bodice and massaged her breasts, watching in the mirror as he pushed them up to plump over the neckline. “God, I almost forgot what these look like.”

  “You saw them a few hours ago.” She gasped when he pinched her nipples rougher than usual.

  “I barely got to touch them.” He shoved the neckline down, and she thanked God she had splurged for an expensive label. Cheaper fabric may not have held up to his rough treatment. He pulled her breasts out and let them rest on the shelf of her bodice. “Look at how much these babies missed me.”

  She shook her head even as she tried to keep from gasping when he tweaked each nipple. “Wyatt.”

  “You know…” he licked her ear, “…if you lived closer, I could do…this…whenever I needed it. Whenever you needed it.”

  She froze. He wasn’t suggesting they move in together, was he?

  They hadn’t talked about a more permanent arrangement, not really. In her deepest heart, she couldn’t imagine anything better than waking up with Wyatt every morning and going to bed with him at night. She’d done it before. When she’d gone to college in a neighboring city, he had an apartment near her. Though they hadn’t lived together in truth—Tatiana hadn’t wanted to break her parents’ hearts—they’d spent enough time sleeping over with each other that she had a fairly good idea of what the experience would be like.

  And, she feared, she knew how it would end. With their end.

  The arguments. She couldn’t remember what each fight had been about. They all blended together in her mind, an amalgam of jealousy, anger and bitterness, the causes probably not even that important.

  They were careful this time around. They didn’t fight, not at all. What was there to fight about? Everything was smooth and hunky-dory.

  Or it had been, until tonight.

  He bit her ear and laved the spot. “What are you thinking?”

  She opened her mouth, her fears and distrust and worries dying to come spewing out. But then she glanced at her watch. Yikes. One battle at a time. “We’ll be late for dinner.”

  “So hungry? The food’s not going anywhere.” He cupped the back of her neck in a warm hand. “You know, when I had them move this table in here, all I could think about was you bent over it. All your bottles and things knocking together as I fucked you.” He exerted a familiar pressure.

  She gripped the edge of the vanity. Small and delicately carved, it was a marked contrast to the dark and heavy furniture in the rest of the room. “Is there anything you don’t imagine fucking me over?”

  He gave that consideration. “No.”

  Her smile was real. “Wyatt.”

  He paused at the finality in her voice, attuned as ever to her cues. “What? You’re serious? You’d rather go eat?”

  She turned to face him, and his hand dropped away. After adjusting her dress so her breasts were covered again, she linked her fingers together in front of her in an effort to stop them from nervously fidgeting. “We need to talk.”

  “You’re worrying me.” The words were light, but she knew the sentiment was real. “Hey. What’s up?”

  She couldn’t bear his concern. Not when she was about to royally p
iss him off. “My parents are in town.”

  She might as well have told him her father was in the bedroom with them. Wyatt backpedaled, creating a giant space between them. Not just physical space, but emotional too. A cold, remote filter descended over his face.

  She hadn’t seen that mask in a while. A part of her heart mourned its return.

  “What?” he asked, low and harsh.

  “My mom. And my dad.”

  “I understand the definition of parents. What do you mean they’re in town?”

  The cold snap in his voice was also expected. Still, it made her heart seize in dread. “They’re staying at the Wynn for a couple of days.”

  His sneer for his rival was automatic, though he remained on topic. “Oh really? How funny that they showed up today and surprised you. What a coincidence.”

  The cutting sarcasm in his tone made it very clear he didn’t believe in coincidences.

  “How long have you known they would be in town, Tatiana?”

  Her tongue snuck out to lick her lips. “My mom called me yesterday. Late. It was unplanned. My dad was invited to speak at this conference when the scheduled guy canceled, so they decided to make a trip out of it. They were going to come see me in San Fran after, but since I’m here…”

  “And you couldn’t tell me this yesterday? Or this morning…” He straightened, and Tatiana could see the gears in his brain working. “When you asked if we could go out tonight.”

  Too smart, this guy. “Wyatt…”

  “Tatiana. Are you serious right now?” His voice was deadly quiet. “Are you fucking serious? You didn’t tell me they would be here, and now you’re blindsiding me with them at dinner?”

  Be calm. He has a right to be mad. “They know we’re seeing each other again. When they found out I would be here too, visiting you, of course they invited us both.”

  Wyatt pointed his finger at her. “This is fucking manipulative, even for you.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I wasn’t trying to be manipulative.”

  “Then what do you call it?”

  “I was scared!”