Wicked Heat

by Nicola Marsh

  “Vanilla has a certain ring to it,” she said, reaching for his zip.

  “You bet” was all he could manage in return when she unzipped his shorts and slipped her hand inside.

  He gritted his teeth when she touched his cock, wrapping her fingers around the shaft and sliding toward the head with a firm stroke.

  “Commando, huh?” Her smile was pure devilry as she snapped the button on his shorts, pushed them over his hips, and watched them fall to the floor.

  Not that she was looking at the shorts for long, as her hungry gaze zeroed in on his cock jutting toward her.

  “Didn’t think it was worth getting overdressed.” He tugged on the sash holding her robe together and it fell open, revealing tempting expanses of skin. “Our duds don’t seem to stay on long when we’re around each other.”

  He pushed the robe off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor in a puddle of blue silk, leaving her gloriously naked. “You should never wear clothes. Ever.”

  “You’re good for my ego.” She grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and tugged it over his head. “And you should definitely strut around like this more often.”

  “That can be arranged.” He stepped out of his shorts and kicked them aside. “We should make a rule. While we’re inside, we go naked.”

  She screwed up her nose. “I don’t think you want to see all my bits.”

  He laughed and slid his arm around her waist, tugging her close. “Babe, I want to see all of you, all of the time.”

  He meant it as a lighthearted joke, but their gazes collided in a surprising moment of seriousness that scared the shit out of him. Seeing a woman all the time meant a commitment he had no intention of making in the near future. He had more important things to focus his energies on, like building a new company. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t indulge in a sultry island fling to take the pressure off…

  “Here I am.” She flung her arms wide, the action pushing her tits toward him. “Go for it.”

  Jett didn’t have to be asked twice, ducking his head to feast on a nipple, sucking and twirling his tongue around it until her fingers anchored in his hair bordered on pain.

  He fingered her clit again, circling it as she made soft mewling sounds that fired his libido further. Yeah, like he needed that.

  When her panting increased, he stopped, raised his head, and caught sight of something that could push her vanilla boundaries a tad.

  “Turn around and face the mirror.”

  Eyes wide and filled with curiosity, she obeyed. Their gazes collided in the mirror, hers questioning.

  He stepped in close behind and took hold of her hand, slowly guiding it around the front. “Touch yourself,” he said, hearing her gasp of shock as he pressed her hand against her clit before releasing it.

  She hesitated but didn’t lower her hand. “We can see everything.”

  “That’s the point, sweetheart.” His tongue darted out to lick her neck before he blew on it. “Watching is a huge turn-on.”

  She shivered, her hand involuntarily jerking and brushing her slickness.

  “Oooh…” Her hand moved again, her middle finger circling her clit as she gawked, her intense expression that of someone who’d never done this before.

  It empowered him, knowing he could initiate her into new pleasurable ways.

  “That’s so frigging hot,” he said, touching her arm to still her hand. “Now kneel down.” He did the same, his cock brushing her ass and making her stiffen.

  “I’ve got you.” His hands spanned her waist, supporting her. “Spread your legs.”

  Jett didn’t know whether it was the heightened awareness of seeing them naked in the mirror, or the way he was ordering her around, but Allegra squared her shoulders, tilted her chin up, and stared at him, her reflected expression bold and daring.

  When her knees widened, he slid closer and he saw the moment understanding registered on her expressive face.

  “I’m rather exposed here,” she said, as he sheathed himself and nudged between her legs, her hungry stare focused on his cock.

  He held it and slid the head toward her wet entrance, gritting his teeth against the urge to bury deep. But she was watching, and her wide-eyed wonder spurred him on to show her how good it was with a little teasing before gratification.

  He nudged her, slipping in an inch before withdrawing.

  “Exposure is the whole point.” He pressed closer to her from behind as his arm snaked around her waist. Sat back on his ankles as he zeroed in on her clit again. “This way we both get to see exactly how exciting vanilla can be.”

  Her gaze focused on his finger teasing her clit so he parted her wet folds, enjoying her harsh intake of breath.

  He sank back onto his heels. “Sit on me,” he said, guiding his cock to her with his free hand, bracing for the incredible feel of slick, tight velvet enclosing him.

  She eased down onto his cock and he groaned, the pleasure multiplied by having a prime viewing spot as he watched her every move in the mirror.

  “You feel so good,” he said, nuzzling the back of her neck while he continued to finger her, loving how fast she caught on as she raised up on her knees slightly before sinking down again.

  Nothing better than full-skin contact, and with her back plastered to his front and with his cock buried deep, he felt surrounded by her, immersed in her, consumed by her.

  “I’m so close,” she said, rising and sinking faster, and he obliged by grazing her clit repeatedly and thrusting harder.

  The pressure built in his balls and his body tightened as he nudged her forward a fraction, still giving them an unimpeded view of contact but increasing his penetration.

  “That feels…oh my God…yeah…” She tightened around him as he thrust so hard and so deep she screamed, the force of his orgasm echoing hers as he plunged one last time and almost blacked out.

  “Fuck,” he said, as they sank to the floor, his arms snug around her.

  With his head still spinning from the rush of blood lower, he held Allegra tight, wondering what it was about her that made every sexual experience that much more exciting, that much more potent.

  And wondering what the hell he’d do when they parted ways.

  …

  “You’ve had sex.” Zoe pointed an accusing finger at Allegra as she bounced into the honeymoon suite and dumped an armload of files on the table. “And good sex, judging by that annoyingly smug look on your face.”

  Allegra pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I don’t have a look.”

  Zoe raised a WTF eyebrow. “You’re lit up like a firecracker.” She tilted her head to study Allegra. “And what’s more, I’ve never seen you look so goddamn satisfied, so this mystery guy must be one helluva good lay.”

  Allegra couldn’t keep the grin off her face. Labeling Jett “a good lay” was like standing in front of a Da Vinci masterpiece and saying it was “just okay.”

  Jett was a sex god.

  The things he could do…how he could make her feel…damn, she was going to miss him.

  Zoe plopped onto a divan and folded her arms. “I refuse to do one iota of work ’til you fill me in.”

  “Unless we get this work done, you may not have a job.”

  Zoe waved away her concern. “Minor detail. Now start talking.”

  Allegra didn’t have many friends, and she thanked the Lord every day for Zoe. She could always count on her bubbly, extroverted BFF to make her feel like her life wasn’t incredibly boring. Usually, Allegra was the one listening in rapt attention to Zoe’s exploits. It was a rare day indeed when their roles reversed.

  “I met someone at LAX.” Allegra popped the top off two mineral waters and handed one to Zoe. “Nice guy.”

  “Nice guys don’t put that kind of look on your face.” Zoe’s eyes narrowed a second before she squealed. “Oh my God. You hooked up on the plane?”

  Allegra couldn’t hide her smirk behind the bottle as she took a swig.

  “This is u
nbe-freaking-lievable!” Zoe bounced up and down on the sofa like she had ants in her pants. “How hot must this guy be to get you to join the mile-high club?” Zoe rubbed the icy bottle across her brow. “And when do I get to meet him?”

  “You don’t. You’re here to work, remember?”

  “So are you, considering the company is down the wazoo, but that hasn’t stopped you.” Zoe raised the bottle in her direction. “I’m proud of you, sweetie.”

  Allegra enjoyed Zoe’s lighthearted teasing, but the moment she’d mentioned the company, her amusement faded. No way, no how would she lose AW. And that meant scoring a pitch with Kai Kaluna and nailing it.

  “I’ll tell you more later if you bring me up to date with the Kaluna file.”

  The twinkle in Zoe’s eyes faded as she set down her mineral water and unzipped the portfolio bag beside her. “It’s all in here. I’ve compiled a breakdown of each resort’s strengths and weaknesses, past advertising campaigns, and the direction other similar resorts are taking.”

  “That’s impressive, Zo-Zo, thanks.” Allegra accepted the stack of documentation Zoe dumped in her arms. “I read through the stuff you e-mailed me, too. Great work.”

  “Would be better work if we secured this pitch.” Zoe fired up her iPad, swiped her finger across the screen, and brought up a few websites. “These are the advertising firms we’re probably going up against. A compilation of the best of the best that a tycoon like Kai would go for. Pretty impressive competition.”

  “We can beat them,” Allegra said, not surprised to see Jett missing from the list. From what he’d said, he’d had a buddy pull strings and was pitching solo, not representing his company—considering it didn’t exist anymore.

  Guilt insinuated its way into her conscience again. What this would do to him if AW won the campaign… She wished there were some way they could both get what they wanted… The moment the thought popped into her head she wanted to kick herself.

  This wasn’t one of her easily fixable scenarios, when she could look after her neighbor’s cat for a week or buy several boxes of Girl Scout cookies so the kid down the road could go to camp.

  She couldn’t help Jett secure this campaign, and even if she did come up with some brilliant way to offer assistance beyond changing her pitch, she couldn’t risk sabotaging her own chance at winning.

  No, she couldn’t afford to lose sight of the bigger picture: if she didn’t land the Kaluna campaign, her business was finished and the faith Zoe had placed in her by investing in the company from the start would be shattered.

  It would irk her, losing her own money, but losing Zoe’s? Uh-uh, she’d do anything to ensure that didn’t happen, including beating the guy who physically rocked her world.

  “Did you manage to arrange a meeting with Kai?”

  Allegra nodded. “We need to get suited up and ready to go in ninety minutes.”

  Zoe’s mouth dropped open. “Do you have anything to show him besides our dazzling smiles?”

  “I ditched my earlier ideas and came up with a new concept.” She hadn’t been able to sleep last night, what with having to come up with a new pitch out of necessity, and with the secret of not telling Jett weighing heavily. She’d almost blurted out that her company was going up against him several times.

  But he’d physically distracted her and the moment had been lost. A good thing, too, because no way would she have had the night she had if she’d blabbed. Which only served to increase her guilt. Having sensational sex had temporarily clouded her brain but once the post-orgasmic haze wore off, she was back to feeling crappy for keeping the truth from him.

  They would be rivals, pitching for their respective livelihoods. Not exactly what she’d envisioned for a no-holds-barred, weeklong fling. Pillow talk should consist of sexy banter, not heavy business declarations. If she wanted to maintain a clear focus and not overly complicate matters, she needed to keep the two separate for the length of her stay.

  “Can I see?”

  “Sure.” Allegra pulled a few files up on her iPad and handed it to Zoe. “These resorts are high-end luxury all the way. Couple-focused. Intimate. So we’re going with the sexy angle.”

  “I like it.” Zoe’s eyes lit up. “They already offer romance packages and cool stuff like the Kink Kit. This takes it a step further.”

  “Thanks for that, by the way.”

  “Did you use it?” Zoe’s sly grin turned positively evil. “Is your mystery stud-muffin into a little bondage? Maybe a spanking or two?”

  “We’re more vanilla than whipped cream,” Allegra said, quite liking the idea of tying Jett up and having him at her mercy. In fact, she had every intention of peeking into that kit and seeing what she could use to push the boundaries. Being lucky enough to have a chance to explore her long-suppressed sexuality, she wanted to make it count.

  Zoe screwed up her nose. “Bor-ing.”

  “Trust me, there’s nothing remotely boring about Jett.”

  “Aha. The stud-muffin has a name.”

  Damn. Allegra hadn’t meant that to slip out.

  “So does Jett live up to his name and fire on all cylinders like a jet engine?”

  Allegra groaned. “That’s a woeful pun.”

  “Whatever.” Zoe shrugged. “But if you’re not using that kit, once we’ve secured this campaign, maybe I can put it to good use.”

  “What happened to the dildo model? And Jose, the flutist?”

  Zoe made a gagging sound. “Jose was obsessed with the flute in his pants but had no idea how to play it. Same with Dildo Dick.”

  Allegra laughed. She could never keep track of Zoe’s guys but enjoyed hearing her friend’s acerbic take on their shortcomings.

  “So you’re single again and loving it?”

  “Yep.” Zoe rubbed her hands together. “Ready to find me a real man this time, one who’s up for some hot island nights.”

  Allegra was in favor of a little hot-island-night action, too.

  But first, she had a presentation to nail.

  …

  Two hours later, Allegra and Zoe had traded their power suits for swimsuits and were lounging at the poolside bar, sipping celebratory mai tais.

  Not that Allegra was jumping ahead of herself, but securing an opportunity to pitch to Kai Kaluna for the resorts’ advertising was a major get.

  “Did you see the way he sat forward when we mentioned using the sex angle to sell the resorts?” Zoe stabbed at a floating strawberry with a cocktail stick. “We had him eating out of our hands.”

  Allegra nodded, more circumspect in her assessment of the situation. “Yeah, but he wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the prelims.”

  “That’s because we haven’t sexed them up enough.” Zoe sipped at her cocktail, her beguiling mix of innocent pixie—wide brown eyes, spiked caramel-tipped brown hair, and elfin features—and badass attitude evidenced in her skimpy gold bikini, squared shoulders, and lush, glossed mouth, drawing interested gazes from groups of guys clustered around the bar. “Men like sex. Kai Kaluna’s no different.”

  Now that Allegra had met the man, she wasn’t so sure. “For a Fortune 500 billionaire with resorts in the hot spots around the world, he seemed pretty reserved.”

  Zoe rolled her eyes. “Trust me. All guys have sex on the brain. If we make Kai’s resorts look like the place to be to indulge in a little afternoon delight, he’ll lap it up and people will flock.”

  “Hope you’re right.” Allegra raised her glass. “We have two days to make the pitch of our lives.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” Zoe clinked glasses with Allegra’s a moment before she felt the heat of someone standing too close behind her.

  “Celebrating?” Jett ducked down to place a kiss on her neck and a shiver of pleasure rippled through her. Pleasure soon tempered by a frisson of fear with the dawning realization that she hadn’t warned Zoe not to say anything about their pitch in case they ran into Jett.

  “Something like that,” Allegra said, s
hooting Zoe a warning glare as her friend held out her hand.

  “You must be Jett.”

  He shook Zoe’s hand and nodded. “Pleased to meet you…?”

  “Zoe Keaton.” Zoe held Jett’s hand a fraction too long. “And I’m very pleased to meet you.”

  Jett laughed as he extracted his hand. “So you’re the lady I need to thank for that lingerie?”

  Zoe winked. “And don’t forget the Kink Kit.”

  Allegra groaned while Jett slid an arm around her waist from behind and chuckled in her ear. “I like her.”

  “Most men do,” Allegra said, her dry response garnering a blown kiss from Zoe.

  “My friend here’s jealous because she’s such a control freak wrapped up in her work she rarely has time for fun. Whereas, me?” Zoe crooked her finger and leaned forward, like she was about to impart some grand secret. “Fun is my middle name.”

  While Allegra couldn’t see Jett’s expression, she could imagine his puzzlement as he glanced between the two of them, assessing how different they were.

  Allegra had always felt like the staid, boring counterpart to Zoe’s outgoing vivaciousness when they’d socialized in college. She’d watch the guys dote on Zoe while she faded into the background, maintaining the cool, aloof exterior she’d honed to a fine art since childhood.

  Not that she was deliberately rude or cold; she just never put herself out there like Zoe did. The few guys who approached would trade small talk and flirt a little, but she’d been so useless at flirting back they soon left her alone.

  Which was how she’d been for most of her life. Alone. Independent. In control. Just the way she liked it.

  The only time she’d remotely felt like losing control was the few times she’d dropped her guard around the guy currently snuggling into her from behind.

  “How do you two know each other?” Jett asked, and Allegra tried not to stiffen.

  Before Zoe could blab the sorry truth, Allegra rushed in. “Zoe’s my best friend and work colleague. She came out here to see if I was doing okay after the wedding fiasco.”

  Jett whistled. “Wish I had a mate watching my back. Good for you, Zoe.”