by Marie Medina
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2012 Marie Medina
ISBN: 978-1-927368-46-6
Cover Artist: LF Designs
Editor: Emma Shortt
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To Howard, who knows exactly how to push enough to make me shine
BE MY BAD BOY
Marie Medina
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Katie stood a few inches away from him talking to a man in a tuxedo. Peter considered placing his hand on her shoulder, but instead he brushed past her and walked to the other side of the university theater’s lobby. He took a deep breath as he did so, breathing her in. She smelled like jasmine, as she always did. Her Regency-era gown suited her, and her curly brown hair reflected hints of red in the light. He liked it up, liked that a few delicate curls had fallen loose around her neck. He’d been tempted to push one aside and kiss her neck as he moved past her. Somehow he had managed to resist. He’d have many chances to touch every inch of her later if he got his way.
Peter thought she looked far sexier than the dozens of women around her, many of whom were wearing far more revealing costumes. Katie didn’t like pastels and insisted she looked awful in such colors, but the soft pink gown made her look enchanting, and every glance brought him even more under her spell. He almost laughed. He’d never thought of his feelings for a woman in such a flowery way, but no other way of phrasing it seemed to have enough power to do what was happening to his heart justice.
A petite brunette in a flapper costume winked at him as he walked near her group. He smiled, but soon he averted his gaze, and she turned back to her friends. Pretty as she was, he had bigger and better plans.
He’d been unable to focus all day at work. He’d even volunteered to help clean out a storage closet in another wing of the Business and Engineering complex so he wouldn’t see Katie. His excitement built with every step he took. Would he finally make love to her tonight? He smiled as he thought of how pleasurable his success would be for both of them.
She hadn’t even turned her head as he moved around her. His mask covered most of his face, and the solid black scarf on his head concealed his short blond hair, so he didn’t fear discovery. What he did fear was that this final attempt to win the woman he’d loved for two years might fail. She’d been reluctant and skeptical when they began dating earlier in the year, and she’d refused him several times before agreeing to that first date. He’d been thrilled when she’d finally agreed to give him a chance. They’d had lots of fun together, but her feelings for him hadn’t changed. When she’d finally broken up with him for good, she’d said he wasn’t her type. He was sweet and kind, and she did want those things in a man, but she also wanted someone more daring and exciting. She wanted a bad boy, and he couldn’t persuade her that he would ever be able to give her that fantasy. They’d been broken up for several months now and didn’t see each other outside of work as often anymore, but he thought about her every single day. Today had been the first day in a very long time he hadn’t tried to find an excuse to stroll past her office so he could talk to her during the workday.
He wondered if she had glanced at him after he passed, but he made himself continue walking. A few more steps and then he would look back to see if she had noticed him.
He’d come as Westley from The Princess Bride for several reasons. She loved the film, and the all black outfit and mask fit well with her desire for a daring and exciting man. He also enjoyed the eroticism and freedom of pretending to be someone else as Westley had in the film. He didn’t want to get shoved down a steep hill for his deception, but the prospect of teasing her for a while thrilled him. He hoped his masquerade would end as happily as the one in the movie had.
Her refusal to believe he could fulfill her romantic and sexual fantasies had seemed too great of a challenge months earlier, and he’d resigned himself to only keeping her friendship then. But his love and desire for her hadn’t faded, so he’d hatched this seductive plan when he heard about the university holding a masquerade to raise funds for the drama department. She loved events like this, and he’d been sure she would attend.
Pausing to wait a few moments before looking at Katie again Peter admired the ornate candelabra that had been mounted on the walls between red and gold velvet tapestries. Guests who had never been in the theater before wouldn’t guess the walls were actually covered in severe black and white tiles. All of the stark modern art had been removed and replaced by massive fountains and lavishly spread tables. He’d never seen so much velvet and brocade in his life, but he liked the romantic effect. He felt lucky to have been given such a perfect setting for spiriting Katie away for a night of seduction.
Tonight, he would be the bad boy she wanted, a mysterious stranger who would sweep her off her feet and make her quake with desire before she even knew his name. It was his one hope for a second chance.
He finished his measured walk over to the punch bowl, picked up a glass, and turned casually to look back at her. He smiled behind his glass. Based on the level of her eyes, she had been checking out his ass. He waited for her to look up, and when she did he raised his glass to her and smiled wider. He locked his eyes with hers and made no attempt to hide what he was feeling. He let his desire to make love to her show in his eyes, and she held his gaze for several seconds. Her cheeks colored a little, and this reaction delighted him. She did not embarrass easily and rarely blushed. Her breasts had become so still that he could tell she’d been holding her breath as they looked at each other. The man she’d been talking to looked at him and then he looked back at her before saying something else. Katie turned back to him and laughed. She started talking again, probably apologizing as she gave the man an awkward smile. The man didn’t smile back at her. He’d been flirting with her, and she’d been distracted by another. Peter thought the tuxedo-clad guy was supposed to be James Bond, but he wasn’t sure. He was sure, however, that he wanted the guy to go away, and within ten seconds he did.
Katie watched James Bond go and then she turned back to look at him. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled with far more sincerity. Though she didn’t move, her gaze told him not only that she wanted him to come over but also that she didn’t care about the other man’s departure. It would be so easy to go and flirt with her. She wanted him to. She looked him over again, and he obviously met with her approval. Arching one eyebrow, her favorite gesture of both flirtation and challenge, she looked at him as if she wondered why he hadn’t come over yet.
But he had to stick to his plan. If he gave in to her silent beckoning, he might easily lose control of the situation. At the moment, she was interested; if he didn’t give in at this first sign of encouragement, she would be intrigued and he would maintain control a little longer. If he struck up a casual conversation, she could walk away or make some other move to gain the upper hand. Making her wait would secure her continued interest. He knew her so well, and soon he would show her how perfect they could be together. He couldn’t let her dictate the terms of his pursuit, not tonight. He grinned at her again and walked away. He had to fight to keep from looking over his shoulder, but he managed to do it by concentrating on every step he took.
He moved over to a group of staff and gradua
te assistants from the biology department. A couple of the men nodded, but no one said anything. Abigail, whom he talked to at least twice a week, smiled at him flirtatiously and let her gaze move up and down his body. He bowed slightly but didn’t make a move to get closer to her, instead focusing his attention on the man talking about his thesis proposal.
Abigail had never given him more than one glance before, but her behavior fit with the pattern he’d seen tonight. No woman on campus had ever flirted with him, but in a pair of tight pants and a mask he captivated them. He hoped he was having the same effect on Katie.
She would probably be puzzled that he’d walked away, but soon after that she’d be angry. The idea excited him. He was a “good” guy, as she’d always said, and he’d never once been able to make her feel an emotion as passionate as anger. He wanted her to be angry and confused, intrigued and aroused. He wanted to make her feel every emotion he’d never been able to inspire in her before. She’d always had every single bit of the power in their relationship, and now he wanted some of it.
A bad boy would want that. The alpha male of her dreams would crave it as much as he craved her. Every move he made tonight had been planned to captivate her in every way possible, so he had to resist the desires all of her actions were sure to inspire throughout the night. At least, until he had her in his arms—once that happened, he planned on giving in to every single desire he’d ever had.
So deep was he in his plotting that Peter only just noticed that Abigail had moved around her colleagues and was sidling up to him.
“Hi. I’m Abby,” she said.
“Hi.” Abby? Since when? Once again he felt how letting his true nature shine through had placed him in a completely different category as far as women were concerned.
“Do you work here on campus?”
“Yes, I do.” He naturally had a slight Southern twang, but tonight he purposely hid it under a flat Midwestern accent. In a way he was grateful for the chance to practice before talking to Katie.
“Where?”
“Business and Engineering.”
“Right across the street from me. I go over there all the time. I’m Dr. Temple’s secretary. I’ve never seen you.”
“Lots of people have never seen me.” He couldn’t resist teasing her and hoped she wouldn’t be upset if she ever found out.
“Really?” Her gaze traveled over his body again. “What do you do?”
A smile curved his lips. “It’s a secret.”
“Is it?” She giggled. “Any chance I can get it out of you?”
He took her hand and planted a chaste kiss on the back. “Not tonight.” He nodded at everyone else and moved away from her, weaving through onlookers on the edge of the dance floor.
As much as he wanted to immediately turn and find Katie, he made himself stroll casually to admire an arrangement of flowers. They were mostly carnations and he frowned. Katie’s favorite flower, how many times had he given them to her over the two months they dated? Trouble was he hadn’t given her anything else. He and Katie had never made love during the two months they had dated. He’d always stepped back and eased up his advances every time she demurred or pulled away. That had been the first of his many mistakes. She had misinterpreted his sweetness and patience for lack of passion. Her mistaken assumption had turned her off, and she’d given him cool responses to each move he made toward seduction. He knew now that she’d actually wanted him to be more aggressive and show her just how much he desired her, but because of the signals she’d sent out he hadn’t seen it that way while they dated. He’d been concerned about moving too fast or scaring her off. He had planned on waiting for her feelings to grow first because he already knew he would never love another woman.
He stood back and watched as a few more couples began dancing. His plan for Katie had seemed so perfect in his mind. Once she grew to care for him more, he would confess his true feelings and then they would make love for the first time. Learning that she had been waiting to be seduced by him the entire time he had been courting her in what she termed “such a sweet, old-fashioned way” had been a crushing blow. She had been kind, but her disappointment had been obvious, especially when she denied him a chance to prove he could be what she wanted. He could have confessed then that he was far closer to her ideal than she knew. He could have told her about his fondness for restraints and spankings, sex toys and role-playing, but she probably would have laughed right in his face. He’d initially held out little hope of convincing her they had both misread one another completely. Now, he planned on taking his second chance with the kind of confidence and strength she claimed she desired.
He ducked behind a large column so he could watch her without being seen. If he could get her alone tonight, he wouldn’t be afraid to touch her the way he’d always wanted to. He would let his own passion show her no other man would ever love and cherish her—or please her—the way he could.
He saw her across the room and let his gaze run along the curve of her ass, wishing his hand could do the same. He wanted to walk right over to her and gently smooth the silky material before popping each perfect cheek. Would she enjoy it as much as he did? The entire time they dated he had longed to bend her over the nearest piece of furniture and spank her until she couldn’t take anymore. He emerged from behind the column and walked further away from her. Perhaps tonight would be the night.
Chapter Two
Katie watched the black clad man with the nice ass move across the room, and frowned. Why hadn’t he come over to her? The look he’d sent her way had left her momentarily breathless, so she didn’t understand why he’d turned and walked away. Watching him talk to another woman had bothered her, especially when he kissed her hand, but then he’d walked away from her even though she obviously wanted to stay. His behavior puzzled her. She couldn’t have been mistaken about the look in his eyes. Hadn’t her smile been encouraging? Had he expected her to make the first move?
Katie took a glass of wine from the table against the wall and sipped it. She checked the room again for anyone she knew, but she saw no one she wanted to talk to. Fact was she wanted to talk to him. The look in the man’s eyes had said he wanted nothing more than to sweep her into his arms and kiss her until she begged him to stop. In fact, his eyes had held the promise of far more than that, and the thought of being pressed up against that hard body excited her. She liked to be pursued, and she’d been interested to see his next move.
The man she’d been talking to had been nice, but his conversation hadn’t impressed her as much as his looks, and his departure didn’t bother her. Even though she felt bad for her rudeness, she couldn’t do anything about it now. Though he was twirling around the dance floor with one of the women from the IT department, so she felt a little better—about that anyway. She couldn’t help feeling a little pissed off at the other man. He had brushed against her, and she’d even felt his breath on her neck, so she’d looked at him once he got past her. Black definitely suited him, and his tight pants left nothing to her imagination. He looked like Westley from The Princess Bride. He seemed to be her age, so the outfit couldn’t be just a random coincidence. It was perfect in every detail. For a moment there, she’d thought one of her kinkier fantasies was about to come to life. Then the disappointment and dismay came as he walked away.
After another sip of wine, she leaned against one of the pillars and tried to locate him in the crowd. He had brushed against her to get her attention. She knew he had. He’d turned back and looked right at her once he reached the punch bowl. He’d probably spotted her, decided she was attractive, and then enacted a very simple plan to get her attention. But if that were the case, where was he now? She looked down into her glass and then began to circle the dance floor. She imagined him coming up behind her, taking the glass out of her hands, and then whisking her onto the dance floor. Instead of this fantasy coming true, a woman beside her shrieked with laughter and stumbled into her. She spotted the man in black while trying to keep
herself and the woman from tumbling over. He smiled but made no move toward her. She moved away after accepting a mumbled apology from the woman and her escort.
Why hadn’t he come over since he was evidently keeping an eye on her? She watched him cross the room and walk up the stairs. He didn’t speak to anyone. When he reached the top, he turned to survey the room. He smiled at her again before walking further away from her, though he kept his head turned for a few paces so they could maintain eye contact. Did he plan on spending the entire night catching her eye and smiling at her? This game was already losing its appeal. She finished her wine and set the glass on a tray when one of the caterers passed her. The man did have an amazing body, but now she was more than just a little pissed off. Though she couldn’t be sure why, she knew he was purposely teasing her. Instead of laughing and dancing, she was being taunted and toyed with. She’d really been looking forward to this night, and the swelling music made her want to dance even more.
Katie turned as another man came up and began talking to her. He was handsome, very tall, and dressed in Elizabethan clothes. She didn’t like tights much on men, but she hoped the period garb was a sign of intelligence, as she hadn’t encountered much of that this evening. She gave him her full attention, turning the frown into a smile. If the man in the mask wanted to talk, he’d have to come to her. She would not follow him around all night, no matter how hot he was or how much she wanted to run her hands over that fabulous ass.
“Katie, right?”
