The Sheikh's Secret

by Knight, Kylie

  "Bra off," he rasped. While Erika had writhed in pleasure beneath him, driven to new heights by his tongue, he'd found satisfaction in driving her insane with pleasure. Never had she heard a man so lost to his libido as Thomas was, and the raw dominance and masculinity made her shudder in anticipation.

  Erika propped herself up just enough to undo her bra, and as soon as she slid it from her shoulders and the cups fell away, Thomas' hands rose to cup them and play. A low groan escaped his lips as he ran his thumbs across her nipples. The memory of his tongue left her pulsing with anticipation, and now that he played with her nipples, Erika found her tolerance to stay parted had run low. She needed to feel Thomas inside of her, needed to discover how his thick member would stretch her and fill her.

  "Take me," she begged him, unable to bring her voice above much more than a whisper. "I need you."

  "Another order." The words rumbled, but Thomas did not play any more games. His hands left her breasts and hitched themselves to the elastic waist of his underwear. Soon they'd hit the floor to join the rest of their clothes, and Thomas' full size was unmasked. "I guess I'll have to give you what you want."

  The way he moved was fluid. One moment he was kneeling by her legs, stripping the final piece of clothing away, and the next his knees were between her legs and his hands had pinned her wrists again. Erika spread her thighs wide for him and lifted her hips, but Thomas needed no help. The head of his thick member met her dripping entrance, and then he was inside of her.

  Another chorus left her lips, and she sang his name over and over as his hips moved to unite their bodies. In that moment it didn't matter that they were in the most beautiful place she'd ever seen — all that mattered was that it was Thomas who claimed her. They worked together to bring the other to ecstasy, and soon he'd rolled her over and pressed his firm chest to her back. The new angle of penetration broke her voice, and Thomas laughed wild and unrestrained. Begging, crying out, moving back against him, Erika needed more.

  When his strong hands gripped her hips and held her in place, Erika knew what was coming. With a grunt, Thomas pushed deep inside of her and reached his end, his hot seed spilling into her. As wonderful as it felt to know she'd worked him to orgasm, Erika wasn't satisfied yet.

  It was fortunate for her that there was still a week to explore her billionaire lover's body.

  There was very little downtime before Thomas was ready to go again, and just like before they cycled through positions. One moment she was on her stomach, ass propped in the air for him, and the next her back hit the mattress and he was over her, body bringing her carnal delights as his finger toyed with her clit. It was like that that Erika came, the end arriving all at once. She felt himself tighten around him, and then the thrill of release burst through her. The pulsing insistence of her walls brought him to his second orgasm, and she was gifted with more of Thomas' virile seed.

  "You put up a good fight," Thomas panted as he pulled away and laid back upon the bed. "But your vocals could use some strengthening."

  "Then," words swam lazily in her head as though through a bog, "your job this week as my assistant is to help me improve on them."

  Thomas turned his head to look at her, the mischievous glint back in his eyes. Erika was grinning. As exhausting as he was, she wanted more.

  "No more denying me, Thomas. It's time I get even."

  And then he laughed. There was nothing more simple or heartwarming in the world, and no amount of money would change that.

  ---

  That week was spent singing, swimming, touring the island, and making as much love as she had the strength to. Thomas was a voracious lover, and Erika did everything she could to keep up. There was no doubt he was talented, both in the bedroom and out of it. She'd never met another man as skillful or as ambitious in music or business as he was.

  "Double major and talent," he'd explained when she'd asked how he'd put together a company while maintaining a career as a guitarist. "I knew when I signed onto the band that I'd get too old to tour one day, and if things didn't work out I needed something else to fall back on. So I majored in business and music, and I hit both industries as hard as I could. I won't lie — it was a lot of luck, too."

  "Luck's something we both seem to share, at least, for right now. I've never won anything in my life."

  Thomas had laughed and shaken his head, and soon after he'd pressed her against a wall and claimed her lips, and soon enough Erika had forgotten all about the conversation.

  But the week was ending, and she knew it was time that they parted ways. As handsome and wonderful as Thomas was, they now lived in different worlds. Erika would go back to her desk job and work for his company, and he'd go back to jetting across the world, managing his empire and playing shows while on tour. A man like him had no room for a woman in his life.

  And Erika was still determined to gain the upper hand.

  She'd said her final goodbye to the island, and both of them had returned to the jet and had taken off, destined for America. An awkward silence stretched between them, uncharacteristic for loudmouthed Mr. Wilmarth. Erika noticed he kept his hand in his pocket, toying with something. She left him to his thoughts.

  When the jet had landed, Thomas showed her back to his town car and told her he'd see she was driven home. The clothes and other belongings he'd bought for her for the trip were her property now to do with as she pleased. Erika didn't know where she'd find the room for so many beautiful, expensive things.

  The car pulled up outside her downtown apartment, drawing looks. She didn't live in the best part of town, and seeing a car that elegant in that neighborhood was odd.

  "Erika," Thomas said, calling her by her name for the first time. It drew Erika's attention, and she turned her head to look at him. She'd just left the car, her hand on the door. If he hadn't spoken she would have closed it in the next second. "You have talent. Real talent. If you let me, I can make you into something big."

  From his pocket he withdrew a business card and handed it to her. The card contained his personal information inscribed next to the Dynamic Horizons logo. The gift was unexpected; she figured his private number alone would fetch thousands of dollars were she to try to sell it.

  It was every girl's dream to be told they were good enough to be famous, wasn't it? But Erika had never wanted to be famous. All she'd ever wanted in the world was to hang out with the cool kids and lead a normal life, not be excluded or elevated above the rest. To be famous meant she'd find herself on the same level of separation, isolated from the real world because of how many would know her name and face. She pursed her lips. It was a nice gesture, but she could never accept it.

  "When I was little," she told him, keeping her voice even, "you guys never let me hang out with you, and I thought you were so cool. Now it's my turn, Tommy. We had fun, but I've decided that all this time it was really me who was too cool to hang out with you." She winked at him, keeping it lighthearted. "Thanks for the vacation and the fun, but you're not on my level."

  Thomas' mouth fell open, shocked. It was the first time she'd seen him so taken aback, and Erika almost laughed.

  "You're a real brat, you know that?" he asked, grinning ear to ear. "This whole time you were playing me. Me. The master of games."

  "I learned from the best," Erika said with a shrug. "Take care for me, okay? It was really nice seeing you again after all these years."

  She tried to hand the business card back to him, but he wouldn't accept it.

  "Keep it. The offer still stands, Pipsqueak. If you're tired of being short and want to really reach for the stars, give me a call." Thomas' eyes darted up to the driver, who had returned from bringing her belongings to her apartment, then back to her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go collect the winner of the contest. Time is money, you know. It's back to work for me."

  Erika froze, hand on the door. When she did not close it, Thomas leaned over and took hold of the handle.

  "See ya, squirt,
" he said, the hint of a laugh in his voice. He yanked the door from her hand and it closed, then the car rolled away from the curb and crawled down the street.

  All this time, a whole week away with him, and Erika had never actually won the contest at all. Thomas had sought her out, lavished her with gifts, and whisked her away all of his own volition.

  It felt as though she'd made a huge mistake all in the name of winning some childish game.

  The business card sat on her kitchen table for two months, taunting her, before circumstances forced Erika to call him. Freshly arrived from the bathroom, she settled at her kitchen table and pressed the phone to her ear. When it connected, Thomas knew who it was right away.

  "Pipsqueak," he exclaimed with affection, "I've been waiting for you to find the balls to call back."

  "I found them, alright," Erika murmured. "Listen, Thomas... There's something we need to talk about. It's time for us to stop playing games with each other."

  "Erika?" Thomas asked in concern, detecting the strange somber tone she used. "I'm going to come pick you up right now, okay?"

  "I'd like that." Erika glanced down at her free hand and to the pregnancy test she clutched between two fingers. A positive reading had appeared in the window, as it had in three other tests. "... We'd like that."

  "We—" the air left the word as he spoke it as Thomas clued into the meaning. "You mean?"

  "Yeah. I think. I'm pretty sure."

  There was silence. Then, as if by magic, she thought she could hear him grin through the phone.

  "Your brother is going to kill me, you know that? Whisking his sister away to paradise, knocking her up, and then taking her in to be the gorgeous, talented mother of my children. If the old garage band wasn't dead before, it's dead now."

  And just like that he'd disarmed her, and Erika laughed deeply.

  "You're a jerk, you know that?" she asked through the laughter. There was humor in Thomas' voice when he replied.

  "But I'm the best kind of jerk — a charming jerk. Your jerk."

  "My jerk," Erika replied, aglow with the idea. "I like the sound of that."

  As much of a jerk as he was, Erika knew that Thomas was going to take care of her. She had a suspicion that he cared for her at least as much as she cared for him, and if that were the case, there was nothing to worry about at all. Everything would turn out just fine.

  The pipsqueak, the jerk, and their baby. What a trio they would make.

  THE END

  Bachelor For Hire

  “You have to ask him. Go right up to him and say, you’re absolutely gorgeous and I want to take your picture. Shirtless. It’s perfect!”

  Ava laughed at her friend’s exuberance. “Sophie you’re crazy. If I say that I’ll sound more like a horny stalker than a photographer.”

  Sophie shook her short brown curls. “That’s where you’re wrong. It’s because you’re a photographer that you can say things like that. Call it a…professional observation,” her hands flourished to make her point.

  Ava shook her head at Sophie. She could really use the help of someone like Kade Steele to get her revamped photo studio, Bow & Arrow, off the ground. She’d been open for three months and all she’d done were portrait studios for anniversaries, first birthdays, headshots and the like. Ava loved being a photographer but an actual photographer not a human tripod. Her grandmother loved studio portraits because she loved the controlled environment and documenting special occasions. She spent two years traveling the globe capturing the most spectacular images of poverty in Africa, war in the Middle East, natural disasters everywhere and all the beauty the world had to offer. Those two years revitalized her and fostered her love of photography and she was on her way to becoming a great photojournalist. Then grandma got sick and she had to return to Rainbow Springs. “I don’t think that will work Soph.”

  She shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear. “It’s worth a shot. What else are you going to do?”

  Wasn’t that the million dollar question? She had a few ideas swirling around in her head but she had to pick one and figure out how to make it work. “As soon as I figure it out, you’ll be the first to know. I promise.”

  “You better figure it out soon girlie, you can’t afford another three months without making a profit.”

  Ava groaned. That was the problem. She knew she could come up with a good idea and make it work. Eventually. She needed a great idea that would work almost immediately and only one man in Rainbow Springs could do that. Kade Steele. “I guess I better go see Mr. Steele.”

  Three days later Ava was dressed in her best outfit to meet the billionaire who could save her business. She’d worn all white because it complemented her cocoa brown skin, a fitted white tank dress with a trendy white half jacket. Her stilettos were a vibrant sexy red, the only nod to color. I look good, she thought as she twirled in the mirror to make sure she looked like a respectable businesswoman. Her brown waves were still sun kissed a dark gold color from the years spent in warm climates and she let them hang free. “Okay we’re ready to go.”

  She was nervous about her meeting with Kade. Not only was he more handsome than any man ought to be, he was as rich as an oil sheik and as ruthless as any psychopath. She’d never met anyone like him, ever. In her travels she’d come across dignitaries and celebrities but out in the field the job was to focus on those who needed you, needed resources, so they were all equal. Actresses wore ponytails and khaki pants, and slathered their skin in sunscreen, they didn’t worry about makeup and designer clothes.

  Ava needed this to work. She needed to keep some form of her grandma’s studio thriving to maintain a connection to her and to this town that had taken in a young distraught and instantly orphaned Ava and welcomed her. She couldn’t fail.

  She wouldn’t.

  “Dammit! Violet get in here, now.” When he didn’t hear the familiar shuffle of her nude colored pumps, Kade added an annoyed, “please.”

  Two seconds later the grey haired dynamo who was the keeper of his secrets, his life, his business and his schedule scurried in with an amused glint in her eye. “Yes, Mr. Steele?”

  He tried to fight it but the smile at her impertinence broke free but his smile quickly faded. “Bruce Henderson is considering selling Cakes A-shakin’ to Jax Barrington, can you believe that? All because Jax has a pretty little fiancé and they’re planning a big society wedding.” He scoffed, “There’s no society in Rainbow Springs.” He wanted to buy the chain of bakeries because they’d shown tremendous promise in the last few years, and with a growing customer base the opportunity to franchise was right there waiting.

  “One could argue having five billionaires in a town this small is high society.”

  Kade rolled his eyes at her comment. He hated those over the top, ostentatious displays of money. He wore tailored designer suits to work and his clothes were expensive but after work he wore jeans, t-shirts and board shorts. He didn’t wear a tie when he didn’t have to and he had no plans to settle down with some gold digger just to please an old fashioned dinosaur. But if he wanted Bruce to at least consider him, he needed to look like he wasn’t a playboy. Then he would sell Henderson on his skill and personality to the old man. “Do we know anyone appropriate to play the doting girlfriend?”

  Violet’s laugh was melodic as it carried on longer than it should have. “I’m sure any girl in town would love a chance to be on your arm Mr. Steele.”

  “True but my usual dates won’t satisfy Henderson. I need someone sweet and wholesome, a girlfriend who looks like the settling down type, without stars in her eyes about actually settling down with me.”

  She stood and straightened her grey wool suit, patted her bun to ensure not a hair broke free. “Maybe you ought to consider taking time to get a real relationship.”

  “Not a chance.” Women were too much work and much too complicated to make any one of them permanent. They either wanted to spend his money or take up all of his time, neither of which he was
prepared to give. So he stayed happily single, easily able to secure a date or bedmate when he needed one. Violet shook her head and walked out but he was sure she said something about seeing the show when he fell. Fat chance of that happening, he thought bitterly.

  Half an hour later Violet escorted his next appointment into the office. Ava Nelson was a 25 year old photographer in town and he had no idea why she wanted to meet with him. He didn’t recognize her and he was certain if he’d ever met this goddess with brown sugar skin he’d have remembered. She was a breathtaking beauty and he was captivated by her from the moment he set eyes on those plump pink lips and those toned legs looking endless in the sexiest pair of red heels he’d ever seen. “Ms. Nelson,” he stood and put on the smile that was guaranteed to make women melt, his hand extended to hers.

  She smiled and prayed her smile didn’t falter at the sight of his gorgeous smile at full wattage. Goodness the man looked even better up close than he did in pictures. His sandy hair was slightly tousled, his green eyes sparkled like emeralds and diamonds and those dimples said he wasn’t all bad boy. She didn’t believe that for a second. Those dimples lied. “Mr. Steele, please call me Ava.”

  “Ava,” her name rolled off his tongue.