by Ravenna Tate
She finally dared to glance at the bed. It was large enough to easily hold three people, and covered in a wooden canopy that was the same design as the headboard. A smaller version of the intricate lattice work was carved into the footboard, as well as on the dresser drawers and the doors of a large armoire.
“It’s breathtaking, Ace. Truly.” The room smelled like him, and she inhaled deeply, letting the scent fill her head. There was an electric fireplace on one wall, already lit, and she caught sight of a mini bar on another wall. He’d thought of everything for this room. It was the ultimate seduction space.
She turned to face him. “Maybe we should talk about the other conditions now?”
He took her lemonade and placed the glass on a table, where Harper watched it start to leave a water ring. But he either didn’t care or didn’t notice as he put his wine glass next to it. Then he sighed once, and placed one hand on each shoulder. His touch sent tiny shivers down her spine, and she knew it would be impossible to say no to him.
No other man had ever affected her this way. She’d spent a year both despising him for that, and fantasizing about this, right here and now. Being in his bedroom, about to have sex with him. But at what price? To become another notch in his belt?
That’s not what she wanted. But Harper knew as she stared into his dark eyes, waiting for him to speak, that Ace wanted nothing more than that. Not from any woman. He’d made that perfectly clear. So if she did do this, at least she could tell herself she’d known exactly what she was getting into. If she knew his expectations, she’d have a framework for keeping her emotions in check.
“Here’s what I want from you,” he said. His voice had taken on a sultry, commanding tone that she hoped wasn’t the result of too much wine. She needed her thoughts crystal clear from this point on. “I expect you to be available to me when I ask, as often as I ask, and for as long as I want you with me. I won’t interfere with any family functions you have to attend, or with your work, but the rest of your time belongs to me.”
“I don’t have any family here.”
A quick flash of sympathy passed across his face, but it was gone so quickly she thought she’d imagined it. He didn’t know about her parents. How could he?
“Of course. All right. But if something comes up that you need to attend, let me know.”
“I will.”
He studied her face carefully for a few seconds. Too carefully, as if he were trying to choose his next words. Her body trembled with anticipation and need, and she wished he’d just come out and say it already.
“When we’re out, I expect you to wear what I ask you to wear, and I expect you to conduct yourself in a mature and professional manner.”
Wait a minute. “Are you saying I usually don’t?”
“No, not at all. But when we’re in public, what you do and say reflects on me. I’m asking you to remember that.”
“We’ll be out in public together? You mean on dates?”
His gaze softened. “I told you this wasn’t only about sex, Harper. Yes, we will go out together. And speaking of sex, when you’re here, I expect to make love to you.”
Her exhale came out in a shaky gasp as images flashed through her mind. He moved his hands down her arms, slowly, and at the same time stepped closer to her until she could feel the heat coming off his body. “I expect to make love to you in every way I choose. I expect you to be adventurous, and at least try all the things I want to do with you.”
Oh … what kinky, decadent things did he want to try?
He stepped closer still and planted a soft kiss on her left cheek. “You owe me now.” Harper couldn’t stop the moan this time as his hands brushed across her abdomen. “You have a debt to pay.” Ace moved his hands to her hips, and then around to her ass where they rested. She gasped as desire shot through her, hot and bright.
The intensity of her reaction surprised and unnerved her. She should protest this. She should tell him to go straight to hell. But she couldn’t move. She could barely take a full breath.
“I own you now, Harper. And I will decide when you’ve worked off your debt.” She tried to keep her mind clear, but when he bent his head to kiss her, she knew she was toast. She knew she’d let this man do anything he wanted to her.
Chapter Five
Harper’s experience with kissing was a bit more extensive than her experience with sex, but she’d never been kissed like this. Ace’s lips moved over hers in ways she hadn’t imagined were possible. Shivers ran up and down her spine, and loud groans she hardly recognized as her own escaped her throat.
His tongue slid inside, and she would have collapsed onto the floor in a heap if he hadn’t still been holding onto her ass. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, and he moved his hands to her face, claiming it in a strong grasp. He broke the kiss and gazed at her with so much intensity she wondered whether she should be afraid. “You’re mine. You belong to me now.”
Her shoulders rose and fell with the effort of breathing.
“I don’t have any STDs. May I assume the same of you?”
What? “Y-yes. I mean I don’t have any.” He expected her to think right now?
“I use condoms as a general rule.”
“Okay.” Whatever. Seriously, I can’t process words right now.
“Do you agree to these terms as I’ve outlined them?”
Terms? Oh, right. This was supposed to be an agreement. “What happens if I say ‘no’? Do you send me home?”
He let out a loud exhale that sounded as though all the air in his lungs had left them. “This is your decision, Harper. But if you say ‘no,’ I’ll have no choice but to call the cops tonight and HR in the morning.”
Now he had her attention. “You do know this is still blackmail, no matter how you dress it up. Right?”
He let go of her face and took a step back, then regarded her with an expression that was a cross between exasperation and indulgence. “Label it that if you must. But the consequences of your decision are the same, no matter what you call it. Agree to my terms, or lose your job and face prosecution.”
“May I use the bathroom first?” She needed a moment to catch her breath and clear her head.
“Of course.”
He pointed toward a closed door, and she tried not to trip on her high heels as her legs shook with the effort of walking. Once inside, she sat on an ornate bench and forced her breathing to slow down. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to make love to Ace. That kiss alone had sent her arousal to crazy heights. But it would be nice not to be reminded of the fact that her only other choice was to let her life be ruined.
She took care of business and afterward splashed cold water on her neck and arms. That helped a little. But then she almost laughed out loud as she realized the pattern the stream of water made as it came out of the faucet was the same lattice one as the design etched into the wood on his bedroom furniture.
Did this design hold some significance for him, or was he merely that much of a perfectionist that he’d had special faucets made to match it? She turned on the water again. The pattern really was intriguing, and she’d never seen anything like it. She couldn’t imagine how much something like this had cost. Money was obviously no object for him.
As she stared at herself in the mirror, she bit back a second laugh. If she didn’t look like a woman about to be fucked well, she’d eat the bench on which she’d just sat. “You want this,” she whispered. “You want him.” It was true. She’d wanted him for a year now. But one day he’d grow tired of her and that would be that.
Then again, what else did she have to look forward to, especially now? She was a paid hacker. One drunken mistake and she’d gone from a cushy job that she finally realized she had really loved, to being part of the secret help, trolling away on the bottom floors.
The fact that what she was doing just might help save the planet was immaterial. He was punishing her, and the sex was included in that. Claiming her body was part o
f the deal. He wasn’t doing this because he liked her. He was doing it to prove a point.
But she had no other choice that she was willing to live with. She realized that now. So she’d have to deal with this. She’d have to take what she could from this experience and be ready to move on one day.
Could she do that? She had no frame of reference for this. Was this how all people in sexual relationships behaved? Hell if she knew. Most of her friends had flings just like this one. She knew no one who was happily married with kids and a husband who never strayed. So why should she expect something different in her life?
Then why do I feel so unsure?
She should expect something different because that was what she wanted. She’d only had sex once, and she barely remembered it. That’s why. That couldn’t be all there was to it. But she needn’t worry about having the same experience with Ace. He certainly knew what he was doing. He’d make sure she enjoyed this. Of that she now had no doubt.
Harper nodded and then rose from the bench, relieved that she’d found a resolution she could live with.
****
Ace frowned as she came out of the bathroom. She looked different, like she’d reached a monumental decision while in there. But which one?
He held out a glass of wine he’d poured. “I thought you might want this to help take the edge off.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t need it. I’m ready. I agree to your terms, Ace. All of them.”
He almost dropped the glass. Grinning, he placed it in the sink and crossed the room to take her into his arms. She smelled so damn good, and he would never get enough of her mouth. Soft and yielding, her kisses stirred him in ways that hadn’t happened in a long time. She made him forget his own name.
But he had to be careful. She obviously didn’t want to talk about her past, and he didn’t want her knowing how much he already knew. She would open up about it when she was ready. Allowing her to take the lead on that issue was the least he could do for her. He understood all too well what it felt like to be alone in the world.
When he released the kiss, she gazed at him with awe and desire, and he nearly came in his pants. The passion in those beautiful blue eyes took his breath away. He had no idea of her experience level, but based on her age alone and the fact she hadn’t mentioned any specific past boyfriends, he guessed it wasn’t much. He couldn’t wait to show her how incredible and exciting sex could be.
He stepped back, eyeing her slowly, from her pretty face to her shoes, and back up again. “Take off your shoes, Harper.” She did, and then stood there holding them. He took them from her and tossed them onto the armchair next to the bed. “Now the dress. Slowly. Tease me.”
Her mouth opened but no sound came out, and uncertainty filled her eyes. Had she lied about being a virgin? Probably not. But she likely had never been asked to do something like this before. He didn’t want her to feel insecure. He wanted her to enjoy this.
“Just let go,” he said. “Forget everything you’ve heard or read, and just go with your gut. I want you to reveal your ripe body to me, inch by inch. Make me crazy with the need to see it. Torture me with anticipation, Harper.”
Her gaze went all soft, and he caught the soft gasp as she exhaled. It still astonished him that this beauty had no idea how seductive she was. She reached around and unzipped the dress, then held his gaze as she eased the straps down her shoulders, one at a time. It was killing him to watch the combination of lust and trepidation in her eyes. He had to pin his arms to his side to keep from ripping the damn thing off her. His dick was rock hard, and the room was suddenly much too warm.
She finally slid the straps off her arms, and then let the top of the dress fall to her waist. Oh my. A black lace bra that barely contained her full breasts. He exhaled loudly, shifting his weight for a steadier stance. He was going to explode any second now. “You’re stunning. Keep going.” His voice sounded like gravel, but how could he help that?
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Hadn’t any of the boys she’d fucked told her that? Who the hell had she been sleeping with for six years? The nagging thought she might have lied to him surfaced again, but he pushed it aside when she let the rest of the dress fall to the floor. Her panties matched the bra, but then she crossed her arms over her abdomen and he frowned.
“Don’t do that. Please. Step out of the dress.” She did, and he took it and tossed it onto the chair with her shoes. “Now the bra.”
“I’ve never done this before. I mean undress like this for someone.” Her voice was all dark and breathy the way it had been earlier in his office when he’d kissed her, and Ace bit back a moan.
“You’re doing great, Harper. Honestly. Keep going.”
A smile played at the corners of her mouth, and gratitude filled her face. He wasn’t used to having to build up a woman’s ego, but that was because he’d never seduced anyone like Harper before. That look in her eyes made him feel ten feet tall, but he’d never admit it.
She reached around to unhook the bra, and then let the straps fall, but held onto the cups. When she bit her lip, he nearly lost it. “Please let it fall,” he said softly. It was all he could do to hold in his lust right now.
As she did so, she closed her eyes. Holy shit. “You’re fucking beautiful, Harper. Look at me.”
She opened her eyes, and his heart gave a strange lurch at the depth of emotion in them. He suddenly understood how vitally important it was to her that he approve of the way she looked. The hell with this. He’d finish himself. She’d come this far, and that was enough for him. This beautiful girl needed reassurance or they might not get any further tonight. Ace wouldn’t be able to handle that.
Ace crossed the room and brushed his hands over her breasts. She moaned loudly, and he could barely hang on now. He slid her panties down, then had to help her step out of them. She looked ready to come herself, and he couldn’t take anymore. He had to have her. Now.
It had been so long since he’d had such a profoundly visible effect on a woman, but he’d never tell her that. It was an incredible rush to realize how turned-on Harper was at this moment. She wasn’t only doing this because he’d backed her into a corner. She actually wanted him.
He pulled her into his arms, molding her body against his, and then he kissed her again, roughly and deeply, drinking in the taste and the scent of her. She was so warm, and her soft moans sent his desire straight to the stars.
Chapter Six
Harper couldn’t even process all the sensations coursing through her body, so she stopped trying and just gave over to them. Ace released the kiss and trailed a liquid line of fire with his tongue down her neck and into the valley between her breasts. He squeezed them in his strong hands, and then he suckled each nipple, alternating, until she thought she’d go out of her mind.
She tangled her fingers in his hair, and her soft moans became a steady drone of whispered incomprehensible words and cries of pleasure. No one had ever done this to her. Should she tell him? Did it matter? He was doing it now, and it felt unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Her pussy was soaking wet, and her clit throbbed. She was going to come, and he hadn’t even touched her below the waist yet.
When he lifted her into his arms and carried her toward his bed, she gasped. “Put me down, Ace. You’ll hurt yourself.”
He frowned, and then once he’d laid her gently on the bed, he leaned over her. “Okay. Time to amend the agreement terms. You need to stop putting yourself down. I’m very serious about this, Harper. It’s crazy talk.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. “Easy for you to say. You’re gorgeous and sexy.”
“So are you,” he whispered. “Can’t you see that?”
“No.”
He wiped her eyes so tenderly that her breath hitched in her throat. “Tell me about the men you’ve had sex with. I mean how did they treat you? Did you go out with them a long time? Didn’t they ever tell you how pretty you are, or anything nice about the way you look
, or the softness of your skin? Anything like that?”
She shook her head. She’d have to tell him the truth, only so he’d understand her reactions to him. “I’ve had sex once. It was at a frat party my sophomore year, and I was drunk. I barely knew him. We had a few classes together, and the pinnacle of his conversation skills included the phrase, ‘You’re hot.’ We didn’t even take off our clothes. It hurt, and it was over in like ten seconds. Then he went back to the party, and I walked back to my dorm room, stunned and not sure what to think of the whole thing. We never really spoke again after that. I’m not even sure he remembers it, to be honest.”
“Do you?”
“Only what I just told you,” she whispered. Her humiliation was now complete.
“Seems like you do the worst things to yourself when you drink.”
“No shit.”
He brushed a hand along her face, and his touch sent shivers down her spine. “I’m sorry. That was a cruel thing for me to say. I’m not trying to make you feel worse right now, merely pointing out the obvious.”
His apology stunned her into silence.
“I’m also sorry you had such a horrible experience your first and only time.”
She swallowed hard. Why was he being so damn nice to her? It confused her. “Thank you.”
“I’d like to change that for you. I want this to be special. Everything you thought it was supposed to be. Will you help me do that?”
“You’re kidding.”
He shook his head. “No, not at all. It won’t be any fun for me if I know you’re not enjoying it, too. Tell me what you fantasized about when you imagined your first time.”
“I’m not sure I can do that.”
“Try. Please.”
She exhaled loudly. “Okay. Well, we’re both naked for one thing. And it’s not at a frat party, and I’m not drunk and neither is he.”
Ace grinned. “I’ll take off my clothes in a while. First I want to hear the rest of this.”
