Deanna Lee

by Barenaked Jane (lit)

  I slipped into his lap with a sigh. “There is no shortage of excitement in my life lately.”

  “Yeah, you seem to make a habit of running into arrogant, overbearing men.”

  “Don’t compare yourself to that asshole.” I ran my hand over the top of his head and down his neck. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

  “Okay, one thing.”

  “Okay.”

  “If you ever get the opportunity to kick him in the face again, you are to do it at least five or six times for me.” He ran his hand down my back and sighed. “When Mercy told me you were out there I got a little bent. I might have cursed out half of Boston leaving town to get out there.”

  “I’m sorry you were worried.” I drank deeply from my beer.

  “Worried, angry…” He pressed a soft kiss on my neck and then leaned back against the couch. “You’ve got me all twisted, Jane. It’s not fair.”

  “Not fair?” I put down my beer and concentrated on his face. “You think you don’t have me in the same condition?”

  “I do?”

  “You do.” I touched his lips with my fingertips and sighed when he caught one finger with his lips. “I wasn’t going to tell you…but I guess I should.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “I broke off things with Charlie. I won’t be going out with him on Friday or ever again.”

  “So why weren’t you going to tell me?”

  “Because, frankly, I didn’t want you thinking that I’d given in to you.”

  He was still for a few seconds and then he started to laugh.

  “What?” I frowned at him.

  “I doubt seriously I’d ever make the mistake of thinking that you gave in to me on anything.”

  “Okay, fine. It also doesn’t mean that I’m ready to start talking about exclusive arrangements or anything.”

  “I get it.” He stood from the couch, holding me tight against his chest. “But I have a plan.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “I figure if I fuck you stupid every chance I get, you won’t have much time for anything else.”

  I swung my feet a little as we entered the bedroom. “I’m digging that first part, but I can guarantee that I’m not that easy to manipulate and I’ve got lots and lots of stamina.”

  “We’ll see.” He dropped me on the bed. “Want to take a shower?”

  I stared at him pointedly and scooted to the edge of the bed. “Are you doing one of your ‘moves’ on me?”

  “No.” Mathias laughed and pulled off his shirt as he walked toward the bathroom. “I worked all day. I need the shower.”

  “I’ll be in there in a few minutes.” I watched him for a few seconds and then laid back on the bed.

  There was a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. It’d been there since I’d realized that I was face to face with Lisa’s ex-husband. I rolled over on my side and took a deep shuddering breath. She was so small and fragile compared to the man. I was angry for what she must have suffered at his hands, but moreover I was overwhelmed by my own potential for violence.

  I could have killed him. I knew it, and I think in that last second he’d known it too. I looked toward the nightstand where I kept my gun and swallowed hard. There wasn’t any part of me that could even pretend to find death foreign. I’d crossed that line long ago. Some cops are lucky enough to never have to draw their gun in the line of duty. It’s rare, of course, but it happens. I could only wish I’d been that fortunate.

  The rush of running water reached my ears and I rolled into a sitting position. Wallowing in self-pity was a poor choice.

  9

  I braced myself against the shower wall with both hands and stiffened my legs as Mathias gripped my hips. His cock pushed between my legs, thick and hard, and I shuddered at the contact. Hands left my hips, moved up my rib cage and upward to cup both breasts. Talented, gentle fingers plucked at my nipples until they were so hard I could barely feel them.

  “Stop teasing me.” I rested my forehead against the tile and tilted my ass up in brazen demand. “Put your cock in me.”

  He pushed my legs farther apart with his thigh and pressed one hand against the small of my back as he brushed the head of his cock against my dripping entrance. A soft sob broke free from my lips, and I thrust back against him in a desperate attempt to get him inside me.

  “Mathias, please.”

  He drove into me with one heavy movement and wrapped one arm around me to keep me still. His cock pressed up against the upper wall of my pussy as he carefully began to move. A shudder ran down the length of my back as he deepened his thrust. His balls slapped against my labia each time he slammed home.

  “Fuck me.” I clutched at the wall, the heady pleasure of our merging bodies washing over me again and again. “Fuck me.”

  He pulled from me abruptly and turned me around. “You make me crazy.”

  I laughed softly as he lifted me and pressed me against the wall. “I won’t tell anyone.”

  Mathias clenched his teeth as he pushed back into me. “Your pussy feels amazing.”

  I tightened my legs around his waist and clutched at his shoulders as he began to move in a steady but gentle thrust. My nipples rubbed against his chest with every move, and every single sensation was delicious.

  “Yes. Yes.”

  He pushed open the shower stall door abruptly. “Turn off the water.”

  I struggled with the faucet briefly before getting it turned off. “You look like a man with a plan.”

  Laughing softly, he stepped out of the shower and gently placed me on the bathroom counter. I gasped a little when he pulled his cock free from my body. My womb clenched around the sudden emptiness.

  “I do have a plan.”

  “Is this part of that ‘fuck me stupid’ thing?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Okay, good.” I smiled and leaned back on my hands. “What should I do?”

  “Go lay down on the bed.”

  I scooted down off the counter and went out into the bedroom. By the time I’d crawled up into the middle of the bed he was standing at the foot, watching me. His cock, still erect, thrust out from his body.

  “Spread your legs for me.”

  Following his instructions, I planted my feet flat on the bed and gasped a little at the cool air that brushed over the heated flesh of my pussy as my legs fell open almost of their own accord.

  “Grab the bars of the headboard and don’t let go until I say.”

  Raising one eyebrow, I lifted my hands above my head and wrapped both hands around the bars there. At least he wasn’t thinking to tie me up. “What are you going to do?”

  “Anything you’ll let me.”

  Christ, that certainly didn’t narrow the list. I gasped a little when he lowered his head and nuzzled my labia with his mouth. I loved having his talented mouth on me. I rocked against him until his hands clamped down on my hips.

  His tongue slid between my parted labia and thrust without pause into my pussy. I moaned against the invasion, and my hands tightened on the headboard until the square cut of the bars hurt my palms.

  He licked upward and sucked my clit into his mouth. I bucked against his hands and mouth until I came in one excited burst of energy and emotion. The orgasm rolled over me in one wave after another, and all I could do was lay there and shudder. After a few intense seconds, I tried to pull free from his mouth.

  Mathias released my clit and then went back to lick the throbbing nub just once before he crawled fully on top of me and pushed his cock into my clenching pussy. My body yielded to his invasion, and I stiffened underneath him as I came again.

  Every move he made sent shudders of pleasure through my swollen and constricting pussy until I could do nothing but hold onto the headboard, as he demanded. I was slack beneath him, taking the pounding of his body in and on mine like it was my due and loving every single second of it.

  He arched against me as he came, his orgasm making him groan, and then colla
psed against me. I welcomed the weight of his body and turned my head to kiss his cheek.

  “You could be the best sex on the planet.” He lifted his head.

  “Could be?” I asked softly, amused.

  “Yeah, I figure it’s one of us.”

  I rolled onto my back and watched silently as Mathias dressed. When he’d left the bed, I’d immediately wanted to ask him to stay. Yet I couldn’t. My stubbornness would mean that I would spend the rest of the night alone, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

  He came back to the bed and sat down on the edge while he put on his shoes. “I’m bringing some contractors into the gallery early in the morning before operating hours. I’d like to seal that special focus gallery off so my men can work on a few things today.”

  “Okay.”

  “When did you need the space back for the kids?”

  “Thursday to set up.”

  “Invitations went out some time ago, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  He sighed. “I’ll get them to work fast, but I won’t be able to release the space again until I’m sure it’s safe for the Castlemen collection.”

  “This has got you a little nervous.”

  “A little.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, beyond the fact that I don’t want to be the man to lose even a single piece of that collection…it would ruin me professionally if I couldn’t even be counted on to protect six paintings.”

  “I have total faith in you.” I sat up, letting the sheet I’d covered up in fall to my lap. “And if we have to move the kids’ show somewhere else we’ll make do.”

  “They’ll be disappointed.”

  “I’ll tell them why if it comes to it. They’re all artists, and trust me, they understand the value of someone else’s work.” I touched his face, pleased that he cared about the things that were important to me. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “I’ll need to see you around ten unless you are booked up for the morning.”

  “About what?”

  “About the security personnel I’m hiring to replace the current team.”

  “You’ll be replacing all of them?” I asked softly, concerned about some of the men that had been there for years.

  “No, not all. I’ve started working with your current head of security and he’s agreed to move to my contract. Between the two of us, we’ve weeded out those that I’m uncomfortable with. He was surprised by the level of surveillance I did on the gallery, but I find him honest about his position and what he’s willing to do to protect Holman. I trust him.”

  “Okay.”

  “Carl Wilkes has been grossly understaffed for years, and the security company he answered to ignored all of his suggestions and concerns.”

  “They ignored Mercy too.” I raised an eyebrow. “Hence, you.”

  He laughed. “Well, I don’t ever make the mistake of ignoring women. You creatures can be vicious.”

  I sighed when he leaned in and kissed me. “I’ll bring in some food; we can brunch while we meet.”

  “Yeah, sounds good.” He stood from the bed and started to walk away.

  I snagged his hand. “Hey.”

  “Yeah?” He turned my hand over and ran his fingers across my palm.

  “Take my spare key. It’s where you found it the first time.”

  Mathias paused as if he was waiting for me to say something else and then nodded. “Okay.”

  I dropped back on the bed when I heard the front door to my apartment close and the locks click into place. For a few minutes, I laid there wondering when I’d gotten so reckless. I’d just given a man I’d known only a few days a key to my apartment.

  Giving a man the key to my apartment was huge, especially since I’d never even let one spend the night until Mathias. Yet this huge thing didn’t feel overwhelming at all. It felt awesome and relieving.

  The morning passed in something of a blur. The administrative staff was in a tizzy, helping me compile a list of people to invite to the Castlemen show and alternately being grilled like spies by Mathias and his crew.

  His crew consisted of six silent, serious men who walked around the gallery like a little army. They were dressed well, but they also looked like they could take over a small country. Something would have to be done, and I honestly didn’t know what.

  My assistant, Casey, was out at her desk looking pointedly at me. I motioned her inside. I felt a little guilty; I’d had very little time for her since she was promoted and in a lot of ways had dropped her into a strange pond with little or no training. She’d landed on her feet and performed well, but it still hadn’t been very fair of me.

  She shut the door and walked to the chair in front of the desk she favored and took a seat. For a few seconds, she sat there and then sighed. “The guys with the guns are freaking out the sales staff, the whole building is bursting with rumors about the new security firm, and there is this absurd story going around about how you foiled a robbery over the weekend.”

  For a few seconds I just stared at her, and then I started to laugh. “Okay, one thing at a time. I’m going to talk to Mr. Montgomery about the guys with the weapons. They don’t freak me out, but I can see how they might be a less than wonderful addition to our work environment.”

  “Why new security?”

  “Because our collection is growing in expensive ways and something has to be done to protect it and make our artists more comfortable.”

  “So there was a robbery?” Casey’s eyes got wide and she leaned forward. “You stopped a burglar?”

  “Stopped is a strong word, and it was a staged break-in to demonstrate to Mr. Brooks how vulnerable his collection was.” I looked out toward the bull pen and then looked back toward her. “How are things going?”

  She pursed her lips and then crossed her legs at the knee. “Well, there are a few people who resent me, especially since I came up from the sales floor and into such a high position.”

  “And?”

  “I’m dealing with it. I knew it would happen. They’ll either get over it or not. I worked hard on the sales floor. I haven’t been the head of sales for a year without learning how this gallery works. I’ve earned the position of senior buyer, and everyone will just have to deal with it too.”

  “Good.” I looked over at my calendar and then sighed. “I have to meet with Mr. Montgomery in Conference Room 2 in about twenty minutes. I want you to sit in and then I’ll want you to go over to the academy and pick up the two students who’ll be starting their internships today. Make sure to keep track of your gas and mileage so that you can be reimbursed.”

  “No problem.” She stood and straightened her short jacket. “Anything else?”

  “Make sure the coffee is fresh in the conference room; since I’m going to be arguing with the man I’d like to at least offer him coffee.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll get out some bagels as well. Men always argue less when they have something to eat.”

  I doubted that would be true of Mathias, but I figured it couldn’t hurt.

  Mathias was already in the conference room when we entered. I sat down across from him and glanced briefly as she went to the refreshment table to get us both coffee.

  “Coffee?”

  He nodded, barely glancing up from the laptop he had in front of him. “Thanks.”

  I arranged my folders in front of me, placed my handheld on my left, and then waited for Casey to bring the coffee.

  Closing his laptop, he gave me his attention as Casey set a cup down just to the right of him.

  “Ms. Tilwell.” He looked briefly at Casey. “Ms. Andrews, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  Casey blushed and fiddled with the folders in front of her. “Thank you.”

  Great, if he was going to turn all of the female employees into little wet spots I couldn’t see how things were ever going to get done.

  “I have a few things.” Starting with the problems seemed to be the easiest course
.

  He met my gaze and grinned. “Yes, I imagine that you do.”

  “First, the guys with the guns are freaking everyone out and they can’t be great for our clientele’s morale either.” I folded my hands on the folder in front of me and took a deep breath. “Now, I realize that you have a job to do around here, and while I don’t want to interfere with that I can’t have a small army marching around the gallery scaring the crap out of everyone. It’s not good for our image.”