“You’re gorgeous.” Yasmin continued to sip her water.
“Thanks. You’re pretty damn hot.”
She offered him the water figuring that he might need to wet his throat. “Now what?”
He took a drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Now it’s time for me to head home.”
“Still can’t let one night happen without phone or email?”
“I’m not junior staff. I run a company. People aren’t likely to want an absent CEO.”
“That would be your father—the CEO. Not you.”
His hand tilted up her chin. “What game are you playing?”
“No game.” She held his hard gaze willing herself to stay calm.
“Don’t believe you.” He turned to get his clothes.
“Are you always this suspicious or is this reserved for me?” She sat up in the bed with the sheet loosely covering her lap.
He looked at her breasts and then up at her. “You.”
She watched him cover his body with his suit. Regretting the transformation of him back to the reclusive company man.
“You land in Monaco with your requests, although I believe you’re here with an agenda that affects Laurent Holdings.”
“Really? And what would that be?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know the full extent yet.”
“Anything further to add to my indictment?”
“I shouldn’t have stayed.” He snapped on his watch without looking at her.
“Post-coital regrets. How boring.” She summoned a yawn to prove her point and headed for the bathroom.
“In my world, I keep my appetites separate. In the morning, I expect that I’ll be conducting business with you. Beyond that, we have nothing further between us.”
Yasmin smiled and leaned against the doorway of the bathroom. “Looks like we are at the déjà vu point, where you came into my bedroom and then fucked me. I can tell that you enjoyed it. How could you not?” She stepped into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar. “Stay or go, doesn’t matter. I got you to come to me.”
“You are a spoiled brat.”
“Why? Because I know what I want and say it? When a man does the same, I doubt that you call him spoiled or a brat.”
They spoke to each other through the partially open bathroom door.
“As a matter of fact, one of my brothers is a spoiled brat.”
“What do you consider yourself? What’s your label?” Yasmin couldn’t stem her anger at the turn of this night.
He snorted. “Good night.”
“I suspect that we’ll be in each other’s arms sooner than later. Go think about that.” She couldn’t help sounding defiant.
His exit was marked by the sharp closure of her bedroom door and seconds later, her hotel door.
Yasmin turned on the shower for the second time that night. Despite her bold talk, she didn’t believe that Dane would come near her for a repeat. But damn he was good for her. And while his cool reserve did intrigue her, she couldn’t deny that his prowess in bed had overtaken any reservation to continue enjoying sex with him.
But, she’d trampled his pride and couldn’t shake his lingering suspicions. Still, she shouldn’t have sabotaged the night’s ending. She could have played nice a little bit longer.
“Damn.” Yasmin stepped into the shower.
Water pummeled her from overhead and through the three jets at her midsection. She leaned her head in the various directions to facilitate the water gushing uninhibited along her body.
She just picked up the shampoo bottle when she sensed that she wasn’t alone.
Through the clear curtain, she watched Dane take off his clothes and meticulously folded them and set them on the counter. She knew that it wasn’t that he was a neat freak, but deliberating over every move and probably searching for any valid reason to cut and run.
“Welcome, back.” She held aside the curtain.
His entry into the room was halting. He seemed stuck in limbo as his gaze hungrily stuck on her naked body.
Carefully, as if each step took a concerted effort, he entered the space with her. The water jets bathed him immediately, but the overhead stream of water was only on her head.
“I was about to shampoo my hair,” she said, handing him the bottle.
He took it from her and the back of his hand gently grazed her nipple. The bottle slipped from his hand landing on the tiled floor.
It didn’t matter.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. With her back was pressed against the marble tiles, she hooked her legs around him, trusting in his strength.
Damn. He didn’t disappoint. Hoisting her up around his hips, he somehow managed to slip on a condom tossing the wrapper next to the shampoo bottle.
He plunged in, deep, with long strokes.
Her moan escaped in a happy wail for him to continue. Harder. Fucking harder.
She sank her nails into his ass. The muscles twitched and tightened, exciting her further. He didn’t let up, pulsing his hips in a rhythm fury that drove her wild.
Her breasts brushed against the evening shadow of growth. The new spiky hair grazed and tantalized the tight peaks. When his mouth closed over one nipple, she screamed her joy for the sweet relief.
As his tongue worked at that nipple, his beats hadn’t lessened. She knew she was going to hit that highest point at any moment. Clamping down, hanging on, squeezing her thighs, she couldn’t stop the orgasm that rushed from the starting point deep within her and rushed through her body like a rogue wave taking out everything, including her ability to think straight.
“You came back,” she whispered against his shoulder.
“To tell you that whatever you’re planning, I’ll be ahead of you.”
She raised her head and considered her options in the cold blue eyes. “Then can we be enemies with benefits?”
He turned off the water.
Yasmin smoothed back her hair and wiped the water from her eyes. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. No smile appeared. No disgusted snorts. His expression was neutral as if all the emotion had been sucked deep behind a wall.
He kissed her forehead. Then he tilted her chin and kissed her mouth.
Yasmin melted under his gentle pressure. Every part of her wanted and welcomed his touch. His kiss drew a breathless sigh from her. “I’m going with my gut on this.” She pressed her fingers to her lips. The heat of the moment hadn’t lessened. Not when he was inches away from her. She struggled to stay as cool as he appeared.
“That’s if you play the short game. And somehow you don’t strike me as the type,” he taunted.
“Are we really going to have a serious discussion with your cock stroking me and my nipples jabbing at your chest? Quite the model for future international deadlock.”
“I’m adaptable.”
“You’re also stubborn. I’m not suggesting anything that you might not be thinking. You’re just not used to hearing it from a woman.”
He didn’t respond, but Yasmin struggled at least to sound sane.
He backed out of the shower stall and grabbed a fresh towel. “Knowing where all the pieces of the chessboard go work best for me. Right now, that’s not so clear.”
“Maybe you’re overthinking things.” Yasmin wrapped her towel around her body and watched him get fully dressed again. “I wear no disguises.”
He paused in the doorway and looked at her. “Hmm. But I know that brain is always whirring at high speed. It’s in your eyes. Can’t hide that from anyone.”
“That’s because I’m more than a pretty face. Get used to that.”
“I don’t plan to get used to any of this.” He saluted before disappearing into her room.
This time she followed him to the hotel door for his quiet exit. Still not wound down from his attention, Yasmin fixed herself a drink, flopped onto the cushioned couch and propped her feet on the center table.
Each sip blazed a fiery path fr
om her tongue down the back of her throat and into the pit of her belly. She pushed her way into Dane’s space. Might not have been the original plan, but it happened. And she would do it again.
She took another sip and braced for the alcohol’s punch.
Now he’d made it clear that she had ulterior motives. Good.
She had every intention of being a force to be reckoned with.
She had every intention to reclaim her father’s legacy by whatever means.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sitting outdoors in front of the yacht club, Dane needed the open air to give his mind the freedom to think and create without the constant interruption of his assistant. The better reason was Yasmin.
A week of delicious torture spent in her bed and within her arms had him unable to be effective at work. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. First his excuse to be at her side was for the move into her new condo. Then, he talked himself into hanging around for the proper customer attentiveness, per her request.
“Dane! Earth to my brother.” Damien tossed up his hands. “Look, you called this meeting. If you’re not going to talk and only sit there wearing a dopey expression, I’m calling this meeting adjourned.” He pushed back his chair and stood.
“No. Wait.” Dane signaled for him to take his seat again. “Sorry.” He tried a placating smile, but he felt his face grimace instead. He took a deep breath, hoping to clear away the memory loop of the only person taking up residence—Yasmin.
“You have me worried. What’s going on with you?” Damien scrunched his eyes and leaned into Dane’s face for the answer.
“Stop being silly.” Nevertheless, Dane leaned back in the chair just in case his brother could detect the inner turmoil and reason for his distracted state.
“Me? You’re the one looking quite odd.” Damien frowned and then his eyebrows raised. “Wait a minute. Ever since Yasmin has landed in Monaco, you’ve become obsessed with her activities or maybe it’s over her.”
“Focused on closing the deal.”
“Yeah, I bet you’re working hard on that. Dallon told me about the post-Gaston party activity, by the way. Did you head into her hotel or run away scared?”
“Shouldn’t you be sitting in on some meeting for your new car racing business?” Dane glared at Damien but should have expected nothing less than his brothers’ snitching behind his back.
“Ah…that would mean that you did head into the hotel.” Damien’s chuckle grated on his nerves.
“And while you were getting lucky, did you do your utter best to increase the Laurent bank account?” Damien continued taunting.
Dane coolly addressed him. “I did not prostitute myself.”
“Noooo. That would be cheap.” Damien’s cheesy grin irritated Dane. “I suspect that you tossed out the Laurent charm and reeled her in.”
“Did I ever tell you that you’re not a Laurent? You were switched at birth.” Dane tossed an evil grin his way.
“Just admit that you were with that woman,” Damien teased.
“Yasmin is her name,” Dane blurted caving to his frustration.
Dallon laughed heartily. “Do you call out her name like that in your sleep?”
“Keep it up and I’m canceling the meeting. Dallon isn’t here anyway.”
“Okay, I’ll behave. But you have to tell me everything.”
“You never told me about reuniting with Anna.”
Damien’s expression shifted to being thoughtful. “We—you and I—had bigger issues between us. Anna was the rock I needed in my life. Sort of right time in the right place.”
“First, tell me about the woman who has you tied up in knots. I don’t necessarily mean that literally.” Damien wiggled his brows. “But what’s going on with that business?”
“Nothing much to tell. I still think she’s got ulterior motives for hooking up with us. But I’m patient. I’ll figure her out.”
“Right after you seduce her,” Damien was too amused for Dane’s liking.
“No one is seducing anyone. We’re not teenagers.”
“If my intel is correct, she’s knocked you off your stride. Dallon thinks the same.”
“You both need to mind your business. Go irritate Anna. I’m sure you can manage that.”
Damien ignored him. “When do I meet her?”
“Never.”
“Are you issuing a challenge?” Damien grabbed his phone and typed in Dane’s code.
“You know my password?”
“You’re a bit of an old soul. You’ve been using the same one since college. The date you joined that stuck up Harvard fraternity. Thankfully you never changed it. And I may or may not have sent texts back in the day. And I may or may not have deleted missed calls from your girlfriends.”
“I should kick your ass.”
“Kick my ass, and I’m telling our mothers.”
Dane plucked his phone out of Damien’s hand. “Now I’ll have to change my password.”
“Or don’t and I can read all your sex-talk to Yasmin.”
“For the life of me, I can’t see why Anna puts up with you. Must help to have a long-distance relationship.”
Damien nodded. “Sometimes, I can’t figure out why I’m so lucky. Planning to make that long distance a shorter one. We’re engaged.”
Dane heard the hope in Damien’s statement. “Go for it, don’t look back.” He reached over and patted his brother’s shoulder. “Congratulations!”
His brother smiled, pure joy lighting his face. “I’ve got to get going soon. So why the meeting?”
“Hey, what did I miss.” Dallon burst onto the scene in full tennis gear, along with his tennis racket. “Had a lively game with John Battle, the luxury ship magnate.
“I know who he is,” Dane perked up over his eldest brother’s exuberance.
“Quite unexpected. Was actually playing with Claude, but when he tripped over his feet for the umpteenth time and couldn’t play, Battle stepped in. I almost pushed Claude off the court when he tried to insert himself into the mix.”
“Did you chat about anything worthwhile?” Dane prompted.
“At first I wasn’t going to play hard. But he knew what I was doing and got quite irritated by my well-meaning gesture. I gave him what he wanted after he called me on it—a grueling game that almost exploded our lungs. He didn’t fare much better. But he won, fair and square.”
“And then …?” Damien prompted again.
“We’ll be playing again tomorrow. Then I was invited to his house for lunch.” Dallon looked quite pleased.
“Well done,” Damien cheered.
“And here it is that I thought you were the introvert of the brotherhood,” Dane teased as he raised his water glass in salute.
“Would much rather if I played tennis and you had the lunch.” Dallon stretched his back and groaned and then his shoulders for which he grimaced.
“Not going to happen,” Dane said, motioning for him to take a seat, “before you break out into yoga poses.
Damien took the opportunity to share the news about his engagement to Anna.
“Cool, isn’t it?” Dallon addressed Dane.
Dane watched his brothers hugged. “You knew? And didn’t tell me?” Dane was more hurt than angry.
Dallon, on the other hand, looked unperturbed over his outburst.
Dane snorted his disgust more so for his sake because he knew why Dallon hadn’t rushed to share Damien’s good news. Only a few weeks ago, they were at each other’s throats over Damien’s job performance and Dane’s frustration over the matter. Although they had moved from that fracture in their brotherly bond, the damage had been done and a lot of mending was necessary.
Damien tapped his watch. “Okay, guys, let’s get back to the meeting.”
“Right. I was about to tell Damien that we need to diversify,” Dane said.
Dallon pulled out the chair and took his seat opposite Damien. They often met to kick around ideas and problem solve among themselv
es before bringing to a bigger audience with the various department heads. From their early teens, their father always brought them together to discuss various matters. Now as adults, he rarely participated allowing them free reign to be creative or solve whatever the issues may be.
Regardless of any infighting, they never crossed the line with deep or lasting discord when it came to Laurent Holdings. To stay in the upper percentile of the industry, they needed to combine brain power and efforts. The tight family bond had worked for them and Dane had no intention of ever seeing it ripped apart.
He looked at each brother sitting on either side of him. “The market is tightening. Where we could have built out, it’s now crowded. We’re building up. Sales are good. Dubai is kicking our asses, though. Not only are they building big, but also the amenities are at the level that we can’t compete. And we’re suffering a generation gap crisis.”
“What do you mean?” Damien asked.
“Monaco is a cultural and ageist minefield. Meaning the old European money doesn’t want the nouveau riche mavericks sharing in their way. Clashes occur far too often and Dubai stepped up to be the new hip place to be.”
“And your solution is …?” Damien nudged.
“We’re missing out on a niche. We have to do something that attracts a new wave of capital.”
“Go on,” Dallon prompted.
“I’m kicking around possibilities, but I don’t want to be the second or third company to jump on the bandwagon. And if I’m going to be ahead of the pack, then the costs to set up and run the operation have to be relatively low or at least stable for the first three years.”
“You’re onto something. Although it would be nice to just step into dad’s shoes and stay in line with what he developed, the reality of the business environment is harsh. Requires innovative thinking.” Damien’s excitement gave Dane the boost he didn’t know he needed until he laid out his ideas.
“I’ll need your help. Both of you.” Dane had regretted pushing his brother out the door, every day.
His brothers each contributed in ways that weren’t always tangible and specific. After Damien resigned, his departure left a crater-sized hole. Gone were the days when Dane could pass by Damien’s office and talk about the problem accounts and the solutions. His brother always managed to bring creativity to his suggested solutions. And he’d ruined the opportunity to have his brother close at hand. His ego might as well have been the big broom to sweep Damien aside and out of the family day-to-day operations.
To Tempt A Billionaire (Men of Monaco Book 2) Page 8
