He drew me down, his lips finding mine in the darkness. I opened up to him, even as my hands slid into his boxer briefs and felt the hard and ready rod that waited for me. I massaged it with my hands, grinning even in the kiss as it stiffened from my attentions.
I started to guide it in between my thighs, but Dane shook his head. "Not yet," he commanded me, standing up suddenly and dumping me back on the couch. "I'm not ready for that yet."
"Oh, you're torturing me," I groaned as he kissed his way down over my chest, running his lips over one nipple until I had to bite my tongue to keep from crying out at how good it made me feel. "This isn't fair!"
"You ran away with several million dollars," he replied, his voice a little muffled as he kept on dropping lower. Sure, my stomach wasn't flat, but he didn't care, didn't hesitate. "I think you deserve to be tortured a little."
"Oh yeah? Well, I think-"
But then, Dane's lips found their target in between my thighs, and I didn't think anything for quite a while. I just writhed and moaned, one of my hands slipping down to knot fingers in his thick hair, holding him and guiding him as he pleasured me.
When he finally, mercifully released me, Dane wore a grin on his face so big that I could see it even in the darkness. "Don't look so proud of yourself," I told him, once I managed to recover enough breath to speak. "It makes you look like an ass."
"An ass that loves you," he said, peeling off his shirt and showing off his sculpted, textured abs.
I stared at them in mingled admiration and envy. "I love you too, but you're still an ass," I said, taunting him. "What are you going to do about it?"
He shrugged, climbing on top of me. "I guess I'll just have to act like an ass," he shrugged. He settled down, drawing me to him, and I felt his thick hardness push up against me, in between my legs where his oral attentions had already left me wet and ready for his entrance.
This wasn't the first time that we'd had sex, but it somehow felt different, more intimate. Dane moved a little slower, occasionally kissing me as he filled me with his hardness, pushing down until I felt like I needed to scream, to explode everywhere. I did my best to give back as good as I got, but I felt that silvery, tingling wave rising inside of me, unable to be held back for long as it came crashing down to obliterate everything, to sweep away all remaining rational thought.
"Oh, Dane," I shuddered as that wave of silver smashed down, as every nerve in my body lit up with St. Elmo's fire and practically glowed in the darkness. "Dane, yes, yes!"
He pressed in against me, filling my nostrils with his warm, clean, manly scent as he shuddered along with me. "I love you, Ruby," he whispered to me, as I teetered on the edge of a crashing orgasm.
To my amazement, those were the words that sent me over the edge.
He really meant it. This man knew me, understood me better than literally anyone else in the world. He knew more than my good traits – he knew my flaws, understood the bad choices that I'd made, saw where my priorities lay.
And yet, even after learning all of that about me, he still loved me, for who I truly was.
I loved him back, I knew. I felt it in my chest, a fierce flame that roared higher every time he kissed me, every time he said my name. Hell, it burned a little brighter even when he just looked in my directions, and I saw it mirrored in his eyes.
He loved me, and I loved him.
I lost my last vestiges of control, collapsing back as my orgasm hit me and swept away everything but love. I threw both my arms and legs around Dane, clinging to him like a drowning sailor clings to his only lifeline in a storm. I held him, loved him, gasped out how much I loved him, that I wanted him forever.
Only seconds later, I felt him stiffen as he also reached his peak, his cock inside of me growing stiffer one last time as it flexed and finished. He slipped a little, some of his weight landing on me, and I felt his chest rising and falling rapidly against my own.
I held him there, on the couch, and we both shared our ecstasy with each other, enjoying it as it rolled over us like the ultimate high.
"Wow," I panted out, when I finally felt like I had enough bodily control back to speak once again. "That one was... different."
"In a good way," Dane said, nodding along with me. "I think I'd like to do that again."
"What, now?" I slid my finger slowly, lazily down his chest, loving how I could feel the muscles of his abs flex under my touch. "Because as flattered as I feel, sailor, it might take you a few minutes to recover..."
That didn't stop him, though. "I'd better put those minutes to good use, then, shouldn't I?" he asked.
"What did you have in mind?"
What Dane had in mind, it turned out, was a shower. Together. "Need to make sure I get this nasty girl clean before she starts living with me," he remarked, as his eyes eagerly drank in my body under the bathroom lights, as the water cascaded down over my curves.
"Really?" I put my hands on my hips, blinking to keep shampoo out of my eyes. "Because for a guy who's concerned about purity, you sure seem to be spending a lot of time soaping up this 'nasty girl's' boobs, I must admit."
"They're quite dirty," he murmured, although his hands slid lower. "As are some other parts."
"You're talking about my butt, aren't you?"
"Very dirty," he said again, sliding up against me and showing me that he also had some dirty areas that needed some cleaning attention from my hands.
By the time we finally finished in the shower (second time!), the water was on the verge of turning to freezing slush and leaving both of us as naked, blue human popsicles.
After toweling ourselves (and each other) off, we climbed into bed to warm up, sliding eagerly beneath the heavy covers. I intended to ambush Dane again, determined to drain him of every last drop of sexual energy – but as soon as my head touched the pillows, I felt an immense wave of drowsiness hit me, and a yawn broke out of my lips.
"Tired?" he asked, leaning over on one elbow to kiss me.
I nodded. "The bed at the four-star hotel was nice, but it was missing something," I murmured sleepily, feeling his warm body curl up against me. I wasn't, I decided to myself, going to mention that the thing it had been missing was Dane himself, the comforting feel of him pressed up against me, softly slumbering beside me.
God, I sound so in love that I'd probably even punch myself.
But as I drifted off to sleep beside him, I finally felt... complete. It was strange, feeling this way. For so long, as long as I could remember, I'd roamed across the country looking for adventures and seeking excitement. I'd always convinced myself that happiness, true satisfaction, would be waiting for me on the next flight, after I pulled off the next scam.
Instead, it turned out that it had been here all along, just waiting for me to come back home.
"Hey, Dane?" I murmured, turning to face him.
His eyes were shut, but his lips moved. "What?" he asked sleepily.
"I don't want to work for Karson Walker any longer," I said.
He grimaced, still keeping his eyelids firmly closed. "Funny, I don't think he's going to want to hire you back. So what do you want to do?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "If I'm not pulling scams, I'm not sure what I'll do. That always made me feel like I was really alive, you know?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something," he assured me. "And when you do, I'll support you all of the way." His hand dropped down to pat softly against my buttock, still bare beneath the sheets.
I nodded, closing my eyes. I'd come up with something, I knew. Just like he said. And I knew, for certain, that yes, Dane would be there behind me to support me and cheer me on.
I'd turned down his proposal, back in the club, but I still remembered those words. And when the time was right, I'd tell him yes.
I might want to keep on pulling scams, but I didn't need to worry about scamming love any longer. Not with Dane beside me. I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I'd found the one for me, my one and only.
DANE
*
Even before I arrived at the high-rise office building, Ruby was already blowing up my phone. I didn't look at it while driving, but I heard it buzzing in the cup holder set into the central console.
I parked in the building's connected parking garage and scrolled through the messages as I made my way over to the lobby. She really had a talent for this kind of thing, I thought to myself with a bemused shake of my head. She'd managed to somehow convince the receptionist to let her get on the computer, and downloaded a full copy of the CEO's schedule, including when he'd be out of his office.
"And check this out!" she added a minute later, sending along several numbers.
"What are those?" I asked, as I entered the lobby.
"ID numbers – for the top executives! The CEO is that one at the top. I'm pretty sure that you could cause some problems for them using that, huh?"
I grinned. "Definitely," I texted back, before turning my smile to the security guard as I arrived at his station before the elevators. He grunted back, gesturing down at the sign-in book. I scribbled down something illegible and then brushed past him to the elevators before he could ask for clarification, or to see my identification.
Stepping into the elevator, I glanced down at my suit, adjusting the lapels. I needed to make a great first impression; an important part of pulling off a scam was looking the part. If I could project an aura of belonging, of an executive moving in to take care of some unfinished and unpleasant business, I had a much better chance of breezing past receptionists and any other barriers that might stand in my way.
And if I got past those barriers, well, the whole corporation would be open and vulnerable to me, a fat jewel for my plundering.
Just as I'd expected, I found a receptionist's desk right in front of me after I stepped out of the elevator, with the woman sitting behind the desk watching me carefully. If I'd tried to sneak past her, she certainly would have interjected. Her job, just as much as it was to direct proper visitors to the right locations, was also to keep out the riffraff, the intruders who sought to compromise the security of this high-powered accounting firm.
So instead, I turned and headed directly for her, putting on my most winning smile.
"Good morning," I greeted her, stopping at her counter and resting my hands lightly on the surface. One hand still held my phone, open to Ruby's most recent texts. "I'm here to speak with Mr. Davidson, the CEO." I knew the name thanks to a quick Google search on the way over to the building.
Thanks to my smile and confident demeanor, the receptionist didn't immediately grow suspicious. After all, I looked the part – well cut suit, professional looks, not raising any red flags. Still, protocol was protocol. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked.
I shook my head, putting on a good-natured wince. "Afraid not. But if you duck into his office and tell him that this is regarding an unusual withdrawal pattern by a certain employee, I'm sure he will be willing to clear some time in his very busy schedule."
She hesitated a second longer, now unsure of whether I was important enough to warrant interrupting the CEO. As she paused, I nodded at the pad of sticky notes sitting on her desk. "Can I borrow one of those?"
"Um, okay." She handed them over, and I jotted down one of the employee ID numbers from Ruby's texts.
"Here," I said, passing it back to her. "Give Mr. Davidson this, and tell him that this employee is responsible for the unusual withdrawals. I'll just wait here until he calls for me." And, not waiting for an answer, I settled down on one of the uncomfortable low-slung armchairs in the lobby.
I carefully hid my grin as the receptionist, after another second of consideration, took the sticky note and hurried off to go present it to her boss. "Meeting's about to start," I texted Ruby.
"Great!" she replied immediately. "I'll be in his office in five minutes."
Slipping my phone back in my pocket, I stood up, just as the receptionist came bustling back. She didn't return alone. I saw the tall, distinguished, white-bearded face of a man behind her, wearing the unmistakable look of someone used to being in command in any situation. I recognized him from his pictures online; this was Boris Davidson, the CEO of the entire company, owner of the building in which I stood.
He didn't look the slightest bit happy.
"My office," Davidson burst out, glaring at me like he wanted to bore holes in my hide with his focused gaze. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you've got a lot of nerve coming in here and insinuating things about me like that-"
I held up my hands in surrender. "Just lead the way to your office," I said mildly, following after him.
In Davidson's huge, spacious office, he didn't even bother closing the door all the way before laying into me. "Listen, I don't know if you work here, but you can consider your ass fired if you do," he began, stalking behind his desk, but then spinning around to stab a finger towards me. "How the hell did you even get your hands on my employee number? And to insinuate that I'm pulling some kind of scam with my own company's money? I ought to-"
But before Davidson could continue with his diatribe, I held up my hands. I heard the clicking of approaching heels from outside his office, and stood up from my own chair in front of his desk.
"Mr. Davidson, you can relax," I told him, keeping that mild little smile on my face. "I'm not here to cause any trouble. In fact, I'm here to help you."
He didn't look happy with that answer, but Davidson at least didn't shout back at me immediately. A good sign, I decided. "My name," I went on, "is Dane Stanton, and I work for companies like yours, helping them find holes in their security."
That comment put Davidson on the defensive again. "My company doesn't have any security holes," he blustered.
I didn't say anything in return; I knew better than to argue against a CEO whose back was against the wall. Instead, I just turned halfway towards the door and smiled.
And at that moment, the door opened up, and Ruby came strolling into the office, looking cool, calm, collected, and sexy as all get-out in her pencil skirt, tightly fitting blouse, and black pumps. She smiled at us both – a professional smile for Davidson, and a sultry little one for me that promised all sorts of wonderfully inappropriate things when we were next alone together.
"Who is this?" Davidson blurted out.
I smiled back at him and Ruby both. "This, Mr. Davidson," I answered him, "is Ruby Bennis, my fiancée. She's been working for your company for the last week, and she's the one who has uncovered several considerable breaches in your security. She was the one who was able to pass me confidential information, like your personal employee ID number, that I could have used to cause considerable damage for you."
Davidson looked back and forth between the two of us. Now that it was becoming clear that we weren't actually there to rob him or his company, he was starting to calm down a little. He still didn't look totally thrilled with us, however. "So what do you want, then?"
"That's easy," I answered immediately. "A job."
He didn't say anything to that, merely raising his eyebrows as he settled down into his chair behind his desk.
Ruby stepped forward, taking over the thread of the conversation from me. "Dane and I work as penetration specialists," she elaborated. "This is what we do for a living – we go to companies and identify holes and weak points in their security. And now, we'll work with your own teams – your IT team, your security team, your office managers – to make sure that these holes in your security net are closed, so that real hackers or scammers can't take advantage of them in the future."
"I see. So all of this was just to show off your skills, is that it?" Davidson wasn't shouting at us any longer, but he still didn't appear totally convinced.
"Not showing off our skills," I interjected before Ruby could start preening from the compliment. "Showing off some of your risks – that you likely didn't even see before this. And it's not just you," I hastened to
add. "We've worked with several Fortune 500 companies, and found huge holes in their security systems. This isn't your job to fix – it's ours. If you'll hire us, that is."
I could keep talking, but I forced my mouth shut. I waited instead, letting the silence stretch out, letting Davidson think about our offer – and what it might mean for him if he refused.
Finally, he sighed, reaching up to run thick fingers through his white hair. "Feels a bit like you two have me over a barrel, which I don't appreciate," he admitted. As he finished this sentence, however, I saw a little hint of a grin dance around the corners of his lips. "Damn effective presentation, though. Much better than some of the pitches that have come through this office."
"If there's one thing we aim to avoid, it's being boring," Ruby answered him, grinning back as she dropped into the chair next to me. "We've got some standard contracts that we can send over, but for now, we just need to know if you want our help or not."
"I don't see how I can say no," Davidson answered. With Ruby talking to him, smiling at him, he didn't seem quite so bothered by the idea of working with us. "Any idea how much you're going to charge us for fixing our security?"
"No more than an arm and a leg," Ruby promised back with a little laugh. "But rest assured that the money is going to a good cause. Wouldn't you rather spend a little more now, and not have to deal with a huge security crisis in the future that might lose you everything?"
#
Outside of the huge office building, in the bright midday sunlight, Ruby stretched her arms wide – and then lunged for me, almost tackling me to the ground as she hugged me tightly. "We've got a job!" she cried out.
I swung her around, kissing her as I lowered her back down to the ground. "Of course we do," I answered, smiling back down as I looked into her upturned face. "We've always been hired when we use this trick – it's worked for the last five companies before Davidson's. Why wouldn't it work again?"
Fool Me Once: A Bad Girl Romance Page 17
