High Stakes Seduction - Book 3

by LeCoeur, Ami

  Then, standing before him, my hips moving slowly to the beat of the music as I leaned towards him, arching my back and pushing my breasts forward. I placed my hands on his legs and gently pressed them apart so I could move in between his thighs.

  I was wearing nothing but my heels and a pair of red lace panties now. I locked my eyes on his, letting him see my desire as I brought my lips close to his. I reached out and took his hands in mine. He didn’t resist as I straightened up and drew his hands to my sides. I hooked my thumbs into the thin elastic of my panties and, with his fingers entwined in mine, I slowly began to pull them downward, then as they passed my hips, released them to fall to the floor.

  The music stopped then, and for a moment, reality threatened to break in, a niggling warning reminding me of what happened last time. I was stark naked, standing directly before him. Totally vulnerable and at his mercy. Could this be a cruel joke? What if—

  Before I could piece the thought together, his hands slipped out of mine, massaging their way back up my thighs in small gentle caresses. The quiet insistence of his fingertips pulled me forward, and I stepped closer, his lips hovering ever so close to my anxiously waiting sex.

  "Please," I heard myself whisper as his hands drew lines of fire up and down my body, his fingers caressing my buttocks, and his breath a warm tickle.

  It seemed like an eternity of this excruciatingly glorious teasing, but I didn’t want to be teased. I wanted to feel him inside me. I looked down to find Antonio Mancini staring back at me. His eyes locked on mine, that mischievous glint twinkling at me. But behind it was something more. Something darker. Something that promised me I was not going to forget this night.

  "Oh God, please!" I whispered, almost desperately.

  I saw his predatory grin as he brought one hand forward, his fingers gently brushed my tiny curls, spreading my lips slightly. His tongue flicked out to taste my wetness and my knees nearly gave way.

  My hands moved of their own volition, combing through his silken hair as his tongue moved deftly, circling the pearl of my desire and his fingers slowly, gently, eased their way inside me, twisting and turning, making me crazy.

  His mouth explored every last inch of my wetness with tantalizing nibbles and licks. Sucking gently on my outer lips, exhaling his warm breath on my wetness, working his tongue into each crevice, tasting all I had to offer.

  I ached so badly for this, ever since that first time in the taxi—I remembered how I'd thrown myself at him and how he'd pushed me over the top.

  I wanted him. I wanted him more than anything I'd ever wanted before. I needed him. Inside me.

  My hands tightened in his hair and his fingers became more insistent. His other hand caressed my thighs, moving up the curve of my butt, setting off little electric shocks.

  My knees become weak, and suddenly I was no longer in control. I clenched my vagina, wanting to pull him inside me further. My head dropped back as the first wave of ecstasy began to crest within me. He pressed harder, increasing the lapping of his tongue, gently pulling the tight nub of my clit into his mouth. The first shudder wracked my body, radiating out from the place where his lips met my flesh. I fought to remain standing, even as my legs buckled, when another wave passed through my body. My ragged breath could barely even moan as the waves overcame me. He caught me in his arms, scooping me onto his lap and holding me against his chest, arms surrounding me protectively.

  I lay there feeling safe and satiated, trying to catch my breath and regain control of my senses.

  After a while, I looked up, touching my fingers to his cheek.

  "Thank you. That was…" I began,

  "Shhhh," he said, pressing my head back against his chest. I lie there a little longer, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart.

  "I don't know if I can stand up," I told him.

  He chuckled. Then in one swift movement, he stood, lifting me at the same time. I gasped at his strength.

  He carried me into the bedroom, laying me gently on my bed, and kissing me on the forehead as he knelt beside me. I smiled into those beautiful eyes of his.

  "That was amazing, you know."

  "Cara," he said, a softness in his eyes that I had seldom seen there before.

  "But now it's your turn." I pulled him toward me, giving him a warm, inviting kiss. "Oh, Tony," I whispered, desire stirring again, "I want you inside me."

  "Angela." He moved away from me. That hooded look dropped down over his eyes again as he stood beside the bed. Within moments, the warm intimate closeness we'd enjoyed was suddenly gone. Turned off. Like a faucet.

  "What's wrong?" I asked, suddenly reminded again of the taxi ride. "Did I say something wrong?"

  He looked down at me, still lying naked on the bed. He gave me the courtesy of running his hungry eyes up and down my body appreciatively before answering.

  "It's complicated. It isn't possible for me to explain enough for you to understand. You’re beautiful, desirable and very tempting. Please understand when I say I would love to stay here and pleasure you, to hold you in my arms and make love to you all night. But right now, I can't." The muscle in his jaw twitched again.

  I looked at this confusing, mysterious man standing over me. This man who had just given me such exquisite pleasure and was now insisting there could be nothing more.

  "I don't get it. You know you want me. As much as I want you. I don't care if you have a dark past or a lurid history. Or if you want to keep secrets from me. All I care about is that you share my bed. You can't keep teasing me like this." I wanted to sound angry and confident, but I'm afraid it sounded more like hurt and begging.

  "I know, Cara, I know." The sudden weariness in his eyes made me want to cry. He leaned down to kiss me. "Be patient. There's so much you don't understand, and I'm not at liberty to explain right now. Maybe soon…. someday… soon."

  Someday? Someday I could be old and haggard. Someday I might actually be… married. What was this someday crap?

  "Why not right now?" I stared at him, bewildered.

  "Right now I have things to take care of," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I know I say that too often. I wish I could talk about it, but I can't."

  He leaned down to kiss me on the forehead and I pulled his lips to mine. I gave him my sultriest kiss, trying to use anything in my power to convince him to stay.

  He pulled away, brushing my hair back from my face. Then he turned and walked out the door. Again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  "Good evening, gentlemen," I said smoothly as I pulled up a chair beside Antonio at the poker table.

  Half an hour earlier, I'd been so frustrated, alternating between wanting to bury my head and cry into my pillow, and wanting to just throw things against the wall. But after a long moment of sitting there, my tears barely contained, I decided on a different tactic.

  I remembered the look in Antonio’s eyes. The sorrow and regret. He wanted me. Undeniably. He had said as much. Something was holding him back. I had no idea what it was, but I was determined not to let it stop me.

  If there was one thing I’d finally figured out about Antonio, it was that he responded to me the most when I garnered the attention of other men. My mind went back to a night that seemed so far away, when that handsome Frenchman, Francois, had cornered me at the gala event. It was the first time I had seen the possessive side of Antonio, and it was as if Francois had known it, mouthing the words "you’re welcome," with a smile as Antonio escorted me from the room.

  The memory of our first erotic encounter sent a thrill through me, fueling my desire and my determination. I snuck a glance at Antonio and carefully, deliberately, crossed my legs beside him, giving him a great view of my thigh, all the way up the side slit of the little black dress I’d chosen for the evening. I saw his eyes slide in my direction, then he quickly straightened, turning his attention back to the dealer, who was shuffling the deck.

  "Would you like a drink?" he asked, almost too low for me to he
ar.

  "No," I said, leaning in close so I could whisper in his ear, "I want far more than a drink, Antonio." Then I turned to the other players at the table, who were watching us curiously. "I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced," I said, smiling and stretching my hand across the table to greet the man who seemed to know "Tony the Man" so well from his good old college days. "I’m Angela."

  He rose, as did the other men at the table. "You know, you’re right, my dear," he said, taking my hand and raising it to his lips, "You’ve not been much of a gentleman, Tony, ignoring this beautiful lady at your side. You don't want to leave her on her own and bored."

  Antonio frowned, but remained seated.

  "I’m Jacob. But call me Jake," he said, giving my hand a little squeeze. He didn’t let go immediately, instead, caressing my wrist as he introduced the others at the table. Walker, Marvin. Even Hank, the man to my left who was always so intently focused on the game, had paused to greet me.

  Jake had to let go of my hand when the others sought to give me a proper greeting.

  "And … Gerard," I said, peering at the dealer’s name tag. He’d been quietly shuffling the deck, patiently waiting for us to be seated, but now he gave me a big grin, evidently pleased to be included. I gave him a wink in return. "Don’t let me interrupt. I was just feeling a little lonely tonight." I cast a pointed look at Antonio, who refused to meet my eyes.

  The men remained standing until I was seated again. I decided to move a little closer to Hank as Gerard began to deal the cards. "I still don’t understand how this game works," I said to the man on my left.

  "Oh," Hank said nervously. "Well the game itself isn’t that tricky. But you have to learn to read the other players."

  I was reading Hank pretty well right now as sweat beaded on his forehead.

  "Don’t give away all the secrets, Hank," Walker chuckled. His low voice had an almost whiny, sing-song quality that nibbled at my memory, though I couldn’t remember having seen him before.

  Hank blushed when I touched a finger to his hand, leaning toward him, "I hope I’m not too much of a distraction. I can move if you want me to."

  "No, no!" he said, a little too quickly, glancing down at my exposed cleavage.

  I managed to suppress a grin. I tapped my foot idly to the soft music playing in the room, leaning down to run a hand along my crossed leg. Antonio did his best to not look, while the other men were less abashed with their stares.

  Hank settled down a bit as the game progressed, even winning the next hand. The men seemed to take turns winning, with no one having an advantage over the others. The chatter started up again, the casual conversation of men who were comfortable with each other.

  Antonio, on the other hand, was not doing so well. He seemed focused on his hand, but a scowl covered his face. A disapproving scowl, as though he had tasted something bitter. I pretended not to notice the frustrated tension that emanated from the dark carbon eyes under his furled brow. As he continued to lose, I kept my attention on the other men, who seemed to enjoy my comments and company.

  "Another card?" asked the dealer

  I looked up to see that Gerard was gazing patiently at Antonio, whose mind was clearly no longer on the game. I decided to give him a break. "Anyone need a drink?" I asked.

  Walker looked like he was considering my offer, but Jake and Marvin just laughed.

  "Thank you, darlin'," said Jake. "You are, by far, the prettiest waitress to serve us tonight, but you don’t need to trouble yourself."

  "No trouble at all," I said with a smile, but I didn’t wait for them to reconsider as I made my way to the bar.

  The handsome bartender I’d met a few nights earlier was there. He lit up as I slid into the chair, giving me a dazzling smile. "Nice to see you again, miss. You look lovely tonight. What can I get you?"

  "Nothing," said a tight voice behind me and I turned to find Antonio standing there. "We’re leaving."

  I locked eyes with him, feeling the intensity of his gaze seep into me. The sullen, distracted look from the table was gone. This was something far more dangerous.

  But I wasn’t afraid.

  In fact, I was turned on. Very turned on.

  "Are you sure about that, miss?" asked the bartender, with the slightest note of concern in his voice.

  "Mmm, yes," I said, never taking my eyes off Antonio. His hand wrapped around my wrist in a firm grip. "I’m sure."

  Chapter Eighteen

  If I’d been the slightest bit reluctant, I'm sure he would have dragged me down the hall to our room. I liked this feeling of my own power, and his primal response told me I had finally gotten through. The look in his eyes pushed my heart into my throat. I knew what he wanted and I wanted it too.

  And this time, I wasn’t going to let him pull away.

  No regrets, I thought to myself, tamping down any guilt or trepidation I felt as he fumbled to open the door to our suite.

  We practically crashed through when he finally got it open, slamming the door behind us as he pinned me against the wall. Hot, hard muscle pressed against me as I felt my breath pushed out of my lungs. He found my throat, feasting on my skin with tongue and lips and teeth as I pulled off his jacket and threw it to the floor. Unbuttoning his shirt, I yanked it open, revealing the rippling muscles of his chest. My hands moved up around his neck, combing fingers through his hair as I kissed his neck and moaned his name. I pulled him closer, pressing my hips into his.

  "Angela," he murmured in my ear. "Oh, Angela, this is torture. I want you so badly."

  The words alone were enough to send a tremor of pleasure radiating through me like a shockwave. His hands pushed down the straps of my dress, smothering my shoulders with kisses. I managed to wiggle the bodice down, releasing my breasts to rub against his magnificent chest.

  He tugged at the hem of my dress, pulling it up to my waist as his mouth moved to my aching breasts, sucking on them gently, one after the other. I shivered. My nipples hardened under his touch and his tongue.

  My thighs trembled, warm and damp with my own juices. He ran his hands down my hips, catching the edge of my red lace panties, slowly rolling the top down, exposing my short curly hair. He ran his fingers over the curls, caressing them and pressing gently against my clit, rubbing as it hardened into a sensitive nub. Cupping the curve of my mound, he slid a finger inside me, gently probing as he continued sucking my nipple.

  I could hardly stand it. I loved what he was doing to my body, but that wasn’t good enough. Not this time. What I wanted now was well beyond anything his fingers or even his talented tongue could give me. I wanted all of him and I was not going to let him go until I had my wish.

  My hands were on his waist, desperately tugging at his button and zipper. I suppressed a gasp as his fingers slid out of me, his hands joining mine as we succeeded in pulling his pants and briefs down to his thighs. His manhood sprang free, firm and eager, just as beautiful as the rest of him. I bit my lip, admiring him, then tilted my mouth up to his in a hungry kiss.

  I felt his hands moving between us and heard a tearing sound. I looked down again to see him deftly rolling a condom over his rigid cock. A soft moan escaped my lips in anticipation as he reached around me, his hands sliding under my ass as if to raise me up.

  And then he paused. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me. The hunger was still there, but so too was a strange shadow of uncertainty in his eyes.

  "Please," I whispered, taking his face in my hands and kissing him once more as I pressed my body into his.

  He became even more rigid, his shaft pressing into my belly. Then in one swift move, he lifted me, shut his eyes as if saying a silent prayer, and lowered me onto his throbbing cock. I stiffened, throwing my head back with a moan I could barely stifle as he entered me.

  And then, it was as if time had frozen, our bodies melded together in a moment of pure desire on the cusp of ecstasy. His arms around me, strong muscles holding me up as I clung to him with arms and legs w
rapped around his waist. I gazed lovingly into his eyes, seeing desire touched with softness. Our bodies paused, perfectly still save for the steady rise and fall of our chests.

  I leaned forward, laying my lips on his. His kiss was not the ravenous, desperate kisses from just seconds earlier. They were soft and warm, gentle as his tongue tentatively explored my willing mouth. My fingers caressed his neck, holding his head to mine. He shifted slightly, pulling back to look at me as he moved us away from the wall. He turned, taking two short steps as he carried me to the bed and bent to lay me down gently.

  I gasped, a sense of profound loss, when he slipped out of me. Damn! For a second, I feared he was having doubts, but then I realized he hadn’t let go of me. His hands still held me tightly, as I held him, our eyes still lost in each other.

  Then, his hands moved up to my waist, slipping his fingers beneath the fabric of my dress and gently sliding it over my hips, dropping it next to my panties. He kept his movements slow, deliberate, watching me all the while.

  I licked my lips, raising up on my elbows to watch him strip off the rest of his clothes. Then he stood before me, my eyes raking over the smooth bronze skin and hard muscles. His broad chest, strong arms, powerful legs, his erection, still glistening from its moment deep inside me. He stood before me like the statue of a Greek champion, but with no conceit. None of the smugness I’d seen in him before. None of that business-like control.

  This was just Antonio. A man I wanted so badly it hurt. A man who wanted me just as much. And at long last, I had my wish. As he stood naked before me, there was nothing to hide and nothing to hold him back.