High Stakes Seduction - Book 3

by LeCoeur, Ami

  It was such an obvious subject change, I knew Angela saw right through it, but she didn’t press me. She’d always tried hard to get me back into painting, but since the accident, I wasn't much interested. Whenever she brought it up, I’d always backed down, afraid of—of what? There was always some niggling worry there. But right now I had no idea what I could be afraid of.

  The sound of Angela’s laughter cheered me up. It was good to see her so happy. After our last call, I’d been really worried about her, she'd been the one who seemed uncertain. But, judging by her glowing smile and twinkling eyes, things were clearly going her way now.

  "I’ll see what I can do," she said and shortly after, we said our good byes.

  Now that we were off the chat, I turned toward my table. Ange had given me an idea. One I hadn't really considered before. I thought about her suggestions, seeing Emily’s cheerful little face in my mind's eye.

  The last time we’d been together, Thompson had taken us on a picnic. Between mouthfuls of the finger sandwiches and potato salad I’d brought along, Emily had entertained us with a story about a little girl who wanted to be a dancer, but couldn’t dance because she’d hurt her legs fighting a dragon. But, she insisted, it wasn’t a mean dragon. The dragon had just been really scared because everyone treated him so badly and always tried to hurt him.

  I had listened, fascinated by her animated face and sparkling eyes as she wove her story. It had been like a movie playing in my head—the little dancer and the sad, scared dragon.

  On my table sat my paints and pads. My watercolor pad and brushes were at the far right corner of the desktop, and my sketchpads and pencils near the center. Without hesitating, I picked up my sketch pad and a No.2 pencil. My hand almost shook as a sense of doubt crept in for an instant, but I pushed it back, determined not to let it get to me.

  Then I set pencil to paper and let it go to work, sketching a poor, sad dragon with a long tail and wide wings. The young girl with broken legs who came back to visit the dragon, years after their battle. The delicate tea set she’d brought with her to share with the frightened beast. Over tea, the unlikely pair talked about their fears and their dreams. The girl told the dragon how she’d always wanted to dance among the clouds, and the dragon told her how lonely he was, and sad that no one wanted to be his friend.

  Behind me, the grandfather clock struck midnight and I blinked, looking around for a moment, wondering where I was.

  "Midnight?" I murmured. Where had the time gone? I stretched my arms, realizing suddenly I was tired. Tired, but full, and strangely satisfied.

  I looked down at my sketch pad, and then at my smudged fingertips, blackened from the graphite. My pad had been practically empty when I'd begun hours earlier, but now, on the very last page, was the image of a girl with a smile as bright as the sun, dancing among the clouds on the back of a dragon who’d finally found a friend.

  Chapter Twenty-FourANGELA

  Soft, insistent lips nuzzled my neck. "Mmm," I murmured, blinking into the early sunlight. "This is way better than an alarm clock."

  The night before still felt like a dream—probably because I’d been deeply asleep when Antonio returned from another night at the casino. Even my kisses hadn't been enough to keep him with me in the room, but he'd promised he wouldn’t stay late, telling me to wait up for him if I could.

  "Good Morning, my sleeping beauty," he murmured once he’d managed to rouse me. I had dreamt about strong arms lifting and carrying me from my bed into the other room. Now that I was awake, lying in the luxurious queen-sized bed with Antonio beside me, I knew it was no dream.

  I raised myself up on one elbow and leaned over to kiss him. He took me in his arms, pulling me closer, his lips devouring mine as his tongue pressed between my lips.

  If I wasn’t before, I was definitely fully awake now, returning his kiss eagerly as the slow burn built within me. His hand traced the curve of my waist, pausing to rest on my hips and pull me into him. Only my thin cotton nightgown stood between us as the bulge of his manhood pressed against me, turning my slow burn into a blaze. I freed myself from the inconvenience of my panties, then put a hand to his shoulder and pressed him gently but firmly until he rolled onto his back. All the while, our lips remained locked in a deep, hungry kiss until I pulled back, pushing myself up to straddle him with his cock throbbing between my thighs.

  He watched me with hooded eyes. His lips parted into a small smile as I pulled my gown up over my head, stretching out my arm to drop it over the side of the bed. His hands found my hips as I began to slide my soaking slit along his erection ever so slowly, back and forth. I watched his eyes flutter closed as a groan escaped his lips and his fingers tightened.

  It felt so good, moving against him like this, the head of his cock eliciting aches of pleasure as it rubbed against my clit. I knew I could bring myself to climax just by doing this a little while longer, and judging by the look on Antonio’s face, he probably felt the same way. But I wanted to make this last.

  I leaned forward, letting my hair fall in a silken curtain around him. I brushed my lips against his and he raised his head to meet my lips, but I moved away, slipping to the side to catch the soft lobe of his ear in my teeth.

  A soft, husky chuckle escaped his lips. His hips moved beneath me and his hands moved up my back in feathered touches that sent a current of warmth running through me.

  I bit my lip, determined to maintain control. "It’s my turn to play," I whispered in his ear before moving to nuzzle his neck, then shifting lower to nibble at his chest until I found the tender flesh of his nipple, toying the tip with my tongue. I heard his breath catch as my teeth ever so gently grazed him before I moved across to the other nipple, letting my hair caress his skin.

  Sliding lower still, I trailed kisses down his chest, admiring the hard muscles of his stomach. His cock pressed against my chest, slipping between my breasts as I moved my lips down past the soft nest of black hair to greet his cock with a kiss. Antonio moaned softly and shifted his body. I glanced up to see he’d raised himself onto his elbows to watch me with glazed eyes, his lower lip pushed out slightly.

  I gave him a wicked grin, wrapping my fingers, one at a time around the base of his shaft. His jaw tightened and the muscles in his stomach tensed. Oh how I could tease him then. Antonio Mancini at my mercy. It was a heady thought that aroused me even more.

  My tongue flicked out, tasting him. He gasped. I let my tongue play once more as I stroked him, then without warning, I took his entire length into the warmth of my mouth.

  The sound that escaped him then was somewhere between a groan and a growl, the primal nature called out to me and my body responded with a throbbing ache between my thighs. I worked my hand and mouth along his shaft, swirling my tongue around the tip and then taking him deep into my mouth again and again. I felt his hand weave into my hair and looked up to find him still watching me, his face a mask of concentrated pleasure.

  I loved the feel of him in my mouth; the sweetness of being able to bring him such pleasure. I reached down to touch myself, not at all surprised at how wet I was already. I moaned as I let my fingers play, circling my clit. The intensity became almost too much. I wanted to come so badly, but I wanted him inside me when I did.

  I managed to maintain my self-control long enough to tease him just once more. Slowly, I released his cock from my mouth, sliding my tongue along the underside before crawling back along the length of his body.

  I saw in his eyes that he was ready for this as he reached almost clumsily for the nightstand beside the bed. I spotted the condom there and leaned forward to retrieve it, letting my breasts brush his lips. I gasped as his tongue flicked out, catching a nipple as I passed. A moment later, I was carefully rolling the condom onto his rigid shaft and then guiding him inside me.

  His hands found my hips once more as I slid down, taking him inside me inch by glorious inch. Involuntarily, I threw my head back, my hands running up my breasts as I began to ride him
. His hips bucked, grinding against me and I fell forward, into a rhythm that became faster and faster until he was calling my name through gritted teeth, his fingers digging into the flesh of my thighs as he released his pleasure within me. His spasms set off a chain reaction in me and a moment later, every muscle in my body was tightening around him in my own throbbing quake of pleasure and release.

  My eyes fluttered closed as the last of the tremors shook me. Then as if in slow motion, I collapsed against his chest. His arms trembled slightly as they wrapped around me and I smiled, thrilled to know I could bring him such ecstasy.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  "We can’t stay here all day, you know," Antonio said, his words floating to my ears from a distance. I realized I’d drifted off to sleep in the comfort of his arms.

  "Can’t we just stay like this for a little while longer?" I murmured. I was only half joking. I really couldn’t think of a better place to be than in his arms.

  He chuckled, kissing the top of my head. "You can stay in bed if you wish, and I would love to stay here with you, but I have a meeting shortly. I need to have a shower."

  I groaned, pushing myself up to look at him. "Business as usual?"

  He leaned forward and kissed me on the tip of my nose, then in one swift motion, he rolled over, laying me on my back and slipping out of bed before I could stop him.

  "I’ll be back to spend some time with you in Antigua," he said, though he might as well have been talking about purple cows jumping through space for all I was paying attention to anything but the chiseled lines of his broad shoulders and taut ass as he walked away from me.

  "Uh huh," I murmured absently.

  "—are you listening to me?" he said from the bathroom door.

  I blinked up at him. "Um. Maybe?"

  He smiled, shaking his head, then stepped into the washroom and closed the door.

  I stretched languidly in bed, seriously considering staying right there for the day. But a rumble from my belly told me that wasn’t going to happen. I stood up and wandered to the bathroom door, knocking lightly. "Who did you say you were meeting with?" I asked, uncertain if he had mentioned it while I was distracted by the fluid movements of his body as he’d walked away from me.

  "Just a few of the guys from the casino," he said.

  Guys from the casino. For some reason I thought about the evening I’d finally decided enough was enough and bought the purple negligee to tease Antonio with. But that had backfired and I'd ended up trapped in my room when Antonio had shown up unexpectedly with a few of his male friends, discussing some kind of business dealings out in the living room.

  I'd managed to shut my door without anyone noticing me, but I could still overhear at least part of the conversation. I hadn't liked the tone of it—something about the District Attorney—but I didn't catch the details. Then, suddenly, I remembered the one whiny voice and realized where I’d heard it before.

  "Walker," I whispered, picturing his face among the men whom Antonio played poker with. I wasn’t sure who the other guy in our room had been, but I suspected these men had something to do with Antonio’s shadier business dealings.

  "Don’t worry," Antonio said through the door and I heard the shower switch off. "We’re only meeting for a light breakfast, so I’ll keep it quick. Get yourself ready and I’ll meet you back here at about ten, okay?"

  "All right," I replied, though probably not loud enough for him to hear me. I’d told Antonio that I didn’t care about his past or his business arrangements, but I couldn’t lie to myself. It still worried me that I had no idea what he really did. I didn’t like being in the dark.

  He stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. "What’s wrong?" he asked before I could hide my concerned frown.

  "Do you really have to go to this meeting?" I asked.

  It was his turn to frown. He put his hands on my arms, studying me. "Yes," he said softly after a moment. "I promise, I’ll explain everything to you when I can. But for now, you have nothing to worry about. Go get dressed and get something to eat," he said, his frown transforming into a bright smile that instantly wiped away my worries. "I have a surprise for you this afternoon."

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  "Oh My God, Sis! It was freaking amazing!" I knew I was gushing like a schoolgirl, but I couldn't help it. Maria smiled at me through the screen, waiting patiently for me to continue.

  "It was such a... a... an experience!" I was at a loss for words.

  "Slow down," Maria laughed at my exuberance. "Tell me everything."

  I took a deep breath. It was hard to know where to start. "Have you ever had a dream about flying? Not just floating, but actually flying through the sky?"

  She nodded. "I went parasailing once with friends, back before... It was a blast."

  "Well think about that, but much, much faster. The trees are zooming past—above, below, and right next to you—and there's only you and the cable."

  Tony had been true to his word. He'd gotten back to the room at just before noon, and we headed straight for shore. He'd surprised me by taking us on the Rainforest Canopy tour—complete with five ziplines.

  And here I thought he was just a reserved businessman who didn't know how to relax.

  "Did you get any pictures?" Maria asked her standard question.

  I giggled. "It was impossible to take any of my own, but they did take a picture of the two of us just before one of the descents. We're in full gear, so you can't really see our faces. We look like a couple of regular mountain climbers and not the rookies we actually are."

  It had been a truly amazing day. Tony had laughed at the expression on my face when I saw where we were going.

  "Okay, my little adventurous risk taker," he winked at me. "Let's see if this can satisfy your lust for adventure."

  "Tony," I said, "you know you're the one who satisfies my lust." I reached up, placing one hand on the strap along his cheek and the other on his chest.

  His eyes went dark, and I grinned, knowing all I had to do was step a little closer to cause that subtle flash I loved seeing pass through his beautiful eyes.

  He grabbed my hand, laughing as he stepped back.

  "Time enough for that later, Ange. Now pay attention to our guide. I expect to see you safe at the bottom."

  I don't know which had been more exciting—the 328 foot drop through the forest, or standing next to Tony, in among the tress, fantasizing about him Tarzan, me Jane.

  "It's probably a good thing they snapped the photo before the Screamer instead of afterwards," I shook my head, laughing at the look on Maria's face.

  "The Screamer? What the heck is the Screamer?"

  "A very aptly named drop—I swear to you, it was 328 feet of pure terror and exhilaration. It probably took me a full five minutes to get all my senses back."

  Maria laughed at me. "You should see your face, sis! You're glowing!"

  She was right, the warmth was obvious as I pressed my palm against my cheek. I grinned back.

  "So, now it's your turn—tell me what's happening at the home front."

  She looked down at her lap, smiling shyly. "Well, I thought a lot about your suggestion. It's been so long since I painted anything—and I'm not sure I'm ready to start back yet—but I really liked the idea of sketching some illustrations for Emily's stories. So I did a few. It was such fun, I asked her if it would be okay to do some more."

  "And?"

  "She was so sweet sis, and so solemn," Maria brushed away moisture from the corner of her eye. "She said the fairies look just like she saw them in her head. That was so much more precious to me than anything an art critic could have said."

  "So, now you're collaborating?"

  "Yep."

  "Maria, that's such great news! I'm so happy for you. It's about time you went back to making the world a more beautiful place."

  She laughed at me. "Oh, Ange, now you're exaggerating. But yeah, it feels good. Right now we're just doing black and white—some pen
cil sketches and a few pen and inks—but she made me promise to teach her how to paint."

  How interesting, I thought. The child teaching the adult. "When are you going to let me see your drawings?"

  "Oh soon. In fact, here's one about the fairy that lives in the garden." She held up a sheet with flowers growing everywhere. In the lower right corner was a tiny fairy peeking out of a tulip. She had a sweet smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye.

  "Sis, that's wonderful! That fairy looks mischievous, I'd guess she's up to something."

  "You'll have to wait for the rest of the story," Maria laughed, a sweet, genuine laugh that warmed my heart.

  "Will you be done by the time I get home?"

  "Maybe. You should be home in about four days, right?"

  "About."

  "Well good, maybe I'll have a surprise waiting for you."

  "Not fair!" A surprise? What kind of surprise was she cooking up?

  "I know you hate surprises, Ange, and no promises. Just the promise of a promise. And that's why I can't tell you about it."

  I shook my head. "Not fair. You can't hold out on me."

  Maria laughed. "We'll see," was all she'd say.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Feather light kisses on my shoulder roused me from a delightful dream about fairies and forests. "Good morning," I murmured, smiling into Tony’s beautiful chestnut eyes. "What’s on the agenda for today?" There were no ports to call on. Was it too much to ask that we spend the day in bed, I wondered.

  "I'm sure you're not going to like this, but I’ve got a meeting," said Tony, leaning in to kiss me.

  I sighed, turning my face away from his waiting lips.

  "I’m sorry, Ange," he sat up. "but you knew this was a business trip. I can’t help that. Perhaps you could—"

  "Come with you?"

  "No," he said, a bit too quickly.

  I sat up, crossing my arms. "What kind of business are you conducting, Antonio?" I asked abruptly.