He wasn’t nominated for any individual awards this year but the firm as a group was. In addition, both Travis and Eric were up for individual honors. The firm wound up losing to another group, but Travis and Eric did win, and Nathan joined in the rowdy applause coming from the tables occupied by the staff.
The evening continued after the awards presentation with dancing. The bar also remained open, and Nathan watched grimly as Todd escorted Julia there, walking right past his table without glancing at him or saying a word.
Cameron noticed them as they passed and frowned. “I didn’t realize she was here tonight.” She sniffed. “At least she brought a man of her own so she doesn’t have to pant after mine.”
He finished off his wine, having lost count of how many glasses he’d consumed. “Don’t start, okay? It’s been a nice evening so far, don’t ruin it.”
“Yeah, a nice evening where you haven’t said a word, and you’ve been pounding back the drinks all night. What has you so pissed off anyway?” she hissed.
“I’m not pissed off.”
“Fine,” she challenged. “Then dance with me. Come on.”
Nathan gave a slight groan but allowed Cameron to pull him to his feet – a bit shakily – and propel him to the dance floor. Fortunately, it was a slow dance so he didn’t have to do much more than guide her around in circles. The feel of her body pressed up closely to his wasn’t the least bit arousing, and in fact he found her clinginess tonight annoying. He was relieved when the song ended, to be replaced by a fast song currently popular on the charts.
“I’m going to sit this one out, okay?” he told her. “Maybe get some coffee.”
She looked annoyed but merely gave a shrug as she sauntered off to join in the dance with a group of other wives and girlfriends. Soon there were nearly a dozen women all gathered in a tight group shaking and shimmying to the music. Grateful to escape, Nathan started making his way to the bar, hoping they had a hot pot of coffee ready. He was really starting to feel the effects of too much alcohol, his head beginning to pound and his gait unsteady.
But then he saw Julia leaving the banquet room alone, and he changed his mind about the coffee.
Julia escaped into the quiet sanctuary of the ladies room gratefully. She really needed to get away from Todd and his overly eager hands for a few minutes. It had been a huge mistake to invite him along as her date tonight. She’d known that the minute he had picked her up at her flat, sweeping her into an amorous embrace and a demanding kiss. He’d suggested having a quickie before going to the dinner, and even blowing the dinner off altogether. He had been a bit pissy when she had gently but firmly refused both ideas and she wasn’t looking forward to the end of the evening when she was going to refuse him again. In fact, she already knew she wouldn’t be seeing him again after tonight.
Oh, he’d been charming enough, maybe a little too much considering how touchy-feely the guy was. It seemed that his overeager hands were everywhere, and not just on places like her arm or shoulder. Three times now his hand had been sliding up her thigh, even under her dress, and she’d had to remove it a little more firmly each time. And she was cursing herself for wearing the Dolce & Gabbana, given the way Todd kept staring at the lavish display of her breasts in the low-cut dress. She swore she could practically feel his hot breath on her bare skin, and had felt his hand “accidentally” brush up against the side of her boob a couple of times.
And while there was no denying the guy was handsome – Julia had noticed all the roving female eyes directed his way – he made her skin crawl for some reason. Maybe it was the fact he wore too much cologne mingled with the scent of his hair gel, or that he talked incessantly about himself, no matter who tried to change the subject. And he was constantly checking his phone for messages or sending texts – in between talking about himself, of course. Julia was quite certain that the texts were to and from other women, a fact that didn’t bother her in the least.
The guy was a player through and through, and under normal conditions she wouldn’t have given someone like him the time of day. But it had been a necessary evil to bring a date tonight – and not just any date. Knowing that Nathan and Cameron would be in attendance, Julia supposed it was a matter of pride to show both of them that she had her own hot guy and didn’t need to lust after Cameron’s. She sure as hell hadn’t wanted any sort of confrontation with Cameron, and bringing Todd along had pretty much guaranteed that wouldn’t happen.
But, truth be told, she’d really wanted to make Nathan jealous, to make sure he really knew just how capable she was of getting a man. And, of course, to rub his nose in the reality of just what it was he’d rejected, to remind him quite blatantly of all that he was missing. While helping her get ready tonight Angela had assured her that she looked hot enough to sizzle to the touch, and Todd’s jaw had dropped when he’d first seen her in the scintillating black dress. She had hoped rather snarkily that Nathan would be eating his heart out by the time the evening ended.
The tables had wound up being turned on her, however, when she saw how mouthwateringly sexy he looked tonight. Clad all in black – suit, shirt, silk tie – he looked like the devil in his most handsome and tempting form. His thick, dark brown hair had been expertly styled, and she’d longed to climb onto his lap, kiss him senseless, and run her hands through his locks. She’d been sneaking discreet little glances at him all though dinner and the awards, occasionally meeting his gaze. Fortunately, Cameron had been chatting with someone each time and hadn’t witnessed their brief interactions.
Julia had been startled – more like shocked – when she’d seen Cameron for the first time tonight. The change in her appearance was astounding, but Julia privately didn’t think it was in a good way. The very obvious hair extensions were too long and stick straight, and didn’t suit Cameron’s long, thin face at all. The short, tight dress was all wrong for her tall, slender body, for it emphasized just how skinny she was. And the killer heels – which Julia enviously recognized as Jimmy Choos – made Cameron an inch or two taller than Nathan.
Travis and Anton hadn’t been anywhere near as kind with their opinions. After they’d stopped alternately staring in horrified disbelief, then laughing hysterically, the comments had really poured out.
“My God, she looks like a bad female impersonator, “gasped Travis in between bouts of giggles.”I swear I know half a dozen trannies that are better looking and have more curves than her.”
“Well, if her art gallery folds it’s nice to know she’s got another career to fall back on,” smirked Anton. “One that involves a lot of falling on her back. Ooh, I’ve got to get a photo and Instagram it to Stephanie. The girl can add it to her Facebook album.”
Todd, naturally, had been rather bemused at their cackling and commentary but Julia had told him this was how Travis and Anton usually behaved. That hadn’t, however, stopped Anton from keeping the quips up all during dinner, albeit in whispered tones to either Julia or Travis.
“She’s only tarted herself up, you know, to try and compete with you,” Anton had murmured. “Oh, not that you look like a tart, baby girl. On the contrary, you look more fabulous than ever. But instead of looking sexy, Cameron just looks like a sad clown.”
Julia finished tidying up her hair and makeup before tucking her lip gloss back inside her black satin clutch. As she exited the empty ladies room, she wondered what Nathan thought of his fiancée’s dramatic new style. The few times she’d dared glance in his direction, he’d seemed silent and morose, but each time Cameron had been hanging all over him – clutching his arm, rubbing his neck, kissing his cheek. Julia’s fingers had itched to go yank those ridiculous hair extensions from her scalp or to dunk her overly made-up face into her bowl of soup.
They said jealousy was a two-edged sword, and that was definitely the case tonight. While she had tried to make Nathan jealous, she herself was almost sick with the same emotion as she saw him with Cameron. Her ploy at bringing Todd along as her date hadn’t worke
d out so well, for it didn’t seem to be bothering Nathan in the least.
She hadn’t walked more than a few yards from the ladies room on her way back to the banquet when a hand reached out and manacled itself around her upper arm. Julia gasped in surprise as she spun around to face a livid Nathan. He was unsmiling, his face slightly reddened, and she half-expected to see smoke curling out of the top of his head.
“Nathan, what in the world -“
She was cut off from the rest of her sentence when he began to walk in the opposite direction of the banquet room, propelling her along in his wake. He didn’t say a word, but his anger was obvious and she had zero idea why he was so pissed off at her when they hadn’t exchanged a single word all evening. She could smell the lingering traces of alcohol on his breath, and wondered how much he’d had to drink tonight. He didn’t stop his progress until they reached the end of the hallway, and he yanked her inside an empty, darkened meeting room, slamming the door shut behind them.
“What are you do -“ she began, only to be cut off again, this time by him shoving her up against a wall and kissing her with such force that she whimpered. He held her face between his hands, his tongue ravaging her mouth as he pressed his body against hers, pinning her in place and not permitting her to move away. Julia clutched handfuls of his suit jacket, not sure if she should be pushing him away or pulling him closer. He kept kissing her with those hungry, devouring kisses until her head began to spin and she thought she might faint from lack of oxygen. She began to push at his shoulders almost frantically, and finally tore her mouth away, gasping for air. Nathan rested his head on her shoulder, his mouth pressed against her throat, his breathing as ragged and uneven as her own. His body continued to press against hers, holding her firmly pinned with her back against the wall, and she squirmed to get loose.
“Nathan, we – we can’t,” she whispered faintly. “Please, we should get back. We’ll – they’ll start to wonder where we are.”
“I don’t give a shit,” he muttered. “Unless you’re in a hurry to get back to your new lover, that is.”
Julia winced at the rage in his voice and tried to turn her head away. “Don’t, Nathan.”
He grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. Even in the darkened room, with only the Exit lights lending a bit of illumination, she could see his light blue eyes glittering fiercely. “I’ll bet he’s real anxious to get you home so he can fuck you good and hard,” he bit out. “The way he’s been putting his filthy hands all over you, how he keeps staring at these beautiful tits.” He ran a rough hand over her breast, squeezing it until she gasped. “Unless, of course, he’s already fucked you. Has he, Julia? Have you let that asshole fuck you?”
She closed her eyes, trembling from the force of his anger. “No,” she confessed breathlessly. “We haven’t – done that yet.”
Nathan’s hand caressed her cheek. “But he wants to. Badly. I can tell you all the filthy, nasty things he’d dying to do to you, baby. The first involves this pretty, sexy mouth of yours.”
He tugged her lower lip with his teeth, sucking at it until she groaned, and then kissed her again with long, slow licks. His kisses were different from earlier, more sensual and arousing, more deliberate, and she began to make hungry little noises beneath the coaxing pressure of his mouth. He kissed her until she was whimpering, her lips feeling bruised beneath the demanding pressure of his mouth, his tongue ravishing her endlessly.
“He wants to kiss you just like this,” he breathed in between those slow, seductive kisses. “To taste this delicious mouth with his tongue, lick these perfect lips, have you suck his fingers just like this.” He slipped two fingers inside her mouth, groaning when her tongue flicked out to curl around them. “But that’s only the beginning of what he wants you to do. He wants you to suck his cock, to wrap those pretty lips around him and blow him hard until he shoots his load down your throat, and watches you swallow every drop.”
Julia whimpered at this deliberately dirty talk, finding it wickedly arousing. He kissed her again, a wet, open-mouthed kiss that took complete possession of her mouth, leaving her weak-kneed and shaking. She was so turned on that she couldn’t speak, or think of anything but how much he was arousing her, how much she craved him to fuck her again.
He pressed his hot mouth against the side of her neck, running his tongue around her ear. “Next, he wants to mark you right here so that everyone will know you’re his. So that no one else would dare to do any of these nasty things to you, because he’s the only one who has that right.”
She gave a little cry when he bit the tender skin, sucking hard enough to leave a mark. He followed this action by soothing the bite with his tongue, before tugging the lobe of her ear with his teeth.
His hand moved up and down her bare arms caressingly, toying with the lace-edged strap of her dress. He ran a finger over the high curves of her breasts before dipping into the space between them. Her breathing grew choppy as he deliberately aroused her, taunting her with his caresses. There was zero doubt that he was the one in complete control right now, and she could only stare at him mesmerized and let him do whatever he wanted.
“And of course, what he really wants is to see these beautiful breasts.” Slowly he slid the strap of her dress off one shoulder, revealing the full globe of her breast encased in a low-cut black lace bra. “Every man in that room tonight wants to see these big, gorgeous tits.” He slipped his palm beneath the lacy bra cup, squeezing the bare, warm flesh of her breast.
“Nathan.” His name escaped her lips with a moan as his fingers pinched her nipple and her head fell back limply against the wall.
“He wants to kiss them.” He pressed hot, hungry kisses along the bared flesh of her upper breasts and into the deep cleavage between. “Suck and lick these pretty pink nipples.” She gasped as he yanked the bra strap down her arm, causing her breast to pop out. “Make you scream his name and beg for more.”
“Oh, God,” she panted, threading her hands into his hair as he bent and took the nipple into his mouth, suckling her hard.
Without lifting his head from her swollen, achy breast, he yanked the strap of her dress and bra down the other side until both breasts were bared, her arms trapped in place. While continuing to lick and suck at one breast, he cupped the other in his hand, twisting the nipple between his fingers.
“Ohhh,” she murmured in pleasure, feeling the wetness between her legs as he continued to lavish attention on her ultra-sensitive breasts. “God, that feels so good, Nathan.”
“Shh.” He lifted his head from her breast, placing a finger over her lips. “I haven’t finished yet.” He sunk to his knees in front of her, running his hands up and down her stockinged legs from ankle to knee.
“He’ll want you to leave these shoes on because they’re so damned hot. He’s been thinking all night about fucking you while you’re wearing these sexy shoes, with your legs wrapped around his neck.” He toyed with the little bow on the instep before wrapping his fingers around her ankle. “And he’ll be almost ready to blow his load when he feels how silky these stockings are, and sees up close how amazing your gorgeous legs look in them.”
Julia groaned when he began to run his tongue along the back of her knee and up her thigh. He grasped the hem of her dress, and slowly began to roll it upwards, an inch or two at a time, until the fabric was bunched at her waist, baring her lower body to his hot, fevered gaze.
“Jesus, look at you.” His voice was hoarse, barely audible as he slid his hand to the top of one silky black stocking, two of his fingers slipping inside to tease the soft flesh of her thigh.
“You look like a fucking wet dream come to life in this, baby,” he said raggedly, tugging at the ultra short hem of her sheer black garter skirt. His roaming hands crept under the sexy little garment to cup her butt, half-bared by the high cut of her lacy black panties.
“Naughty, dirty girl, baring your ass like this,” he scolded playfully.”Naughty girls like you need to be span
ked when they’ve been bad.”
Julie cried out, startled, when his palm smacked one round buttock, then the other. She was so aroused, so desperately needy for his touch that her whole body was quivering now. She was so wet that she thought she’d go mad if he didn’t touch her – there – and soon.
“Nathan, please. Oh, God, I need –“she broke off, unable to form the words.
“I know what you need, baby. And I’m going to give it to you real soon,” he promised in a husky voice. “Now let me finish, hmm?”
He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her panties, and pulled them slowly down her legs until they pooled at her feet and she stepped out of them. He picked them up, bringing them to his face, and inhaled deeply.
“Aw, hell, you smell so good, baby. And you got these pretty, sexy panties all wet. Mmm, I’ll bet your pussy is real juicy by now. Let’s find out, hmm?”
She let out a sigh of bliss when he ran his tongue through her slick folds. He licked her clit before sucking on it hard, drawing a long moan from her throat. And then he was thrusting two long fingers deep, deep inside of her while continuing to suck on her clit.
Julia was so aroused, so desperately needy, that the first orgasm came quickly, and she shuddered with the force of it, crying out weakly as her hands tangled in his hair. But Nathan gave her no respite, simply removing his fingers from her throbbing pussy and replacing them with his eager, hungry mouth. He licked her wet folds, sucking her labia between his lips while his thumb rubbed circles around her clit. It seemed like mere seconds before she was climaxing again, clutching his head to her as he continued to stimulate the super-sensitive flesh between her legs.
Nathan slid back up her body, holding her close as she shook, soothing her by stroking her hair and pressing kisses to her temple, her forehead. “He wants to do all that to you and more, baby,” he whispered in a low, wicked voice. “To finger fuck that hot little cunt until you scream, and then lick up all the juice until you come again. And then he wants you to taste how delicious you are.”
Serendipity (Inevitable) Page 25
