by Opal Carew
She waited until he tore his gaze from her breasts and brought it back to her face. Then she smiled.
“Do you want me to do you here or in your bedroom?”
What the fuck?
Kent’s heart pounded in his chest as she stepped toward him. She sat down beside him and ran her fingers down his arm, then across his chest.
He grabbed her roving hand, stopping it just as she started downward.
“You’re not going to do that, Christina.”
“Why not? I’m a hooker. That’s what I do. You should get some benefit from having me here.”
Then he caught a glimpse of a flash in her eyes. She was pretending to be indifferent, as if she didn’t care if he took her up on her offer or not. But he knew she wouldn’t be comfortable with it.
He didn’t know what she was trying to prove, but maybe if he gave her a good scare, she’d back off.
He pulled her hand, tugging her onto his lap, then wrapped his arm around her waist.
“All right. Here will be fine.”
Her eyes widened as he captured her mouth. He slid one hand to the back of her head, his fingers gliding through the soft, silken waves of her hair, and held her to him as he thrust his tongue between her lips, then plundered her softness.
The tension in her body, leaning away from him as much as his arms would allow, slowly eased. His tongue stroked inside her mouth, tasting her sweetness.
Oh, God, she was addictive. His brain told him he had to stop this… but he couldn’t.
Then she melted against him and her mouth moved with his. Her tongue glided over his and undulated against it.
Fuck, if he didn’t stop right now…
His rapidly rising cock twitched in his pants.
She must have felt it, because she froze.
He glided his hand from behind her head and eased away.
“I’m not a prostitute,” she blurted, staring at him with wide eyes.
“You’re not?” he asked, still in a daze from her affect on him.
“How could you possibly believe that about me?”
He sucked in a deep, calming breath, trying to find his balance.
His eyebrow arched. “Why did you come on to me?”
“I was so mad at you for believing it, I decided to shock you. I didn’t think you’d…” She trailed off, then bit her lip.
The hurt and anger in her eyes tore at him.
“Mission accomplished.” He sighed. “And, Christina, I wasn’t taking you up on your offer. I was trying to scare you into behaving.”
He leaned in close again, his gaze locked on hers. He could tell by her widened eyes and her irregular breathing that she thought he was going to kiss her again—and God help him, she seemed to want him to—but he stopped when his lips were a whisper’s breath from hers.
“So from here on forward,” he said in a low growl, “don’t make offers you don’t intend to keep.”
“Yes, sir,” she breathed.
His pulse surged at hearing her call him sir. That coupled with the feel of her snuggled so close to his body sent heat rising through him. He’d love nothing better than to slide his arm under her legs and pick her up, then carry her to his bed.
But he wouldn’t do that. She trusted him. And he was fucking old enough to be her father.
“Good. Now go to your room.”
Christina went to the room Kent directed her to and stripped off her clothes, then climbed into bed.
Oh, God, that had been a really bad move. She’d meant to shock him and he’d turned the tables on her.
She drew in a deep breath at the memory of her legs straddled over his when he’d pulled her onto his lap, his lips moving on hers.
God, that kiss had taken her breath away. He was a sexy, virile man and she’d always been attracted to him, even when she was younger, but she’d never dreamed how intoxicating an affect he would have on her.
Now her body tingled all over and a strange heat seeped through her, along with a yearning so deep it echoed through her soul.
She wanted his hands on her. Exploring her naked curves. Touching her where no man had touched her before. Taking her places she’d never gone.
She stroked her breasts, giving in to the sexual urges. Her nipples hardened and she tweaked them, feeling the ache between her legs.
She remembered the feel of his cock swelling against her stomach when he’d held her. Her breathing increased at the thought that she’d turned him on, and she longed to wrap her hands around his big member. To stroke its rigid length and hear him moan from the pleasure. Oh, God, to feel it inside her. Pumping.
She stroked between her legs, then glided her fingers inside. She was so wet and slick. She imagined Kent’s hard cock pushing inside her. Deeper into her body. The two of them tight against each other.
But then she imagined his eyes, deep and blue, staring into her own… and she balked.
She pulled her hand away. She couldn’t do this. It was too intimate. Too wicked. To think of being with Kent that way…
She pulled the covers close and rolled over, forcing herself to close her eyes and wait for sleep to come.
In the morning, she woke up and took a shower, then pulled on the tiny little dress again. She frowned as she stared at herself in the mirror. The dress was just so small. She still couldn’t believe she’d gone out in it.
She opened the door to her bedroom, which was really more of a suite with a sitting area larger than the whole living room in her last apartment, and wandered into the hallway. Her room was on the second floor and she gazed over the railing to the main floor. She didn’t see Kent anywhere. There was a stairway to a third floor and he’d told her that’s where his room was. He was probably still asleep. Or maybe he’d gone out.
She walked down the stairs, self conscious in the dress. She went to the foyer, hoping to find something in the closet she could wear over the dress, like a sweater or jacket. When she opened the closet, she found some suits and shirts covered in filmy, clear plastic with dry cleaning tags.
She uncovered a white shirt and drew it from the hanger, then pulled it on. It was huge on her, but she rolled up the cuffs and walked to the full-length mirror. It totally covered the dress, which was fine with her.
She headed to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee, then poured herself a cup and headed outside. She slid open the door and drew in a breath at the lovely outdoor space. There was a wooden deck about twelve feet wide between the wall of the penthouse and the pool. The pool continued to the glass railing overlooking the city. There were steps into the pool from the deck on both ends. On the left side, the steps led to a glassed in gym with sliding patio doors. On the right side, there were potted plants and flowers, a comfy seating area consisting of two couches and several armchairs, a dining area, and even a round outdoor fireplace.
She walked along the side of the pool, then sat down at the table and admired the view of the city below.
Living in New York City in a luxurious penthouse was a dream come true for her. And the reality of this place was more than she’d ever imagined.
She sighed, knowing it was just a temporary respite. She was going to get her life back on track and move on.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy being here now.
She thought back to Kent pulling her into his arms and kissing her, and her pulse raced. God, the thought of being in his bed, of giving herself to him, filled her with a deep yearning.
The question was how much could she allow herself to enjoy it?
Kent rolled out of bed and headed to the shower. He’d slept later than he’d intended, but then he wasn’t used to getting up in the middle of the night to rescue a young woman from jail. And he sure as hell wasn’t used to lascivious thoughts of fucking said young woman—a woman young enough to be his daughter—keeping him hard and aching all night long.
He stepped into the shower and put it on cold, then dressed and walked downstairs. He smelled co
ffee. Christina must be up.
He didn’t see any sign of her as he walked into the kitchen. He poured himself a cup and was just adding cream when someone knocked on the door. He walked across the living room, sipping the hot brew, then opened the door.
“Hey, man, thought I’d stop by and see if you’re up for a game of squash.” Avi, his friend and neighbor, stood at the door in his usual white shorts and white polo shirt.
Kent pushed his hair back. “Not this morning.”
“Okay, well how about I join you for a coffee.”
Avi had that look about him. Like he needed to talk.
“Sure. Come on in.”
Avi sat on the couch while Kent grabbed him a cup of coffee and then sat across from him.
“Is there something wrong?” Kent asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. Charlotte and I ended it yesterday.”
“Really? What happened?”
“The woman thinks I’m too bossy.”
“Well, isn’t that the point?” Kent knew his friend well enough to know that he liked to dominate women in the bedroom, and the women he dated liked to submit.
“You’d think.” Avi shrugged. “Maybe it was just an excuse."
“Or maybe she doesn’t want to play the same role all the time. Did you talk about how you could change things up?”
Avi sipped his coffee. “Not really. I like what I like and if she’s not on board, that’s fine. I don’t think I should change because she’s not into it anymore. Ending it seemed like the right choice.”
“But you’re not happy about it.”
He shrugged again. “I’ll get over it.”
Avi often told Kent he wanted a long-term relationship. That he wanted to fall in love and get married. But he acted more like a man afraid of commitment.
The patio door opened and Kent and Avi both turned to see Christina walk into the room from outside. All she wore was one of his white shirts, showing a long expanse of shapely leg.
Avi’s eyebrows quirked up and he turned to Kent with a glitter in his eyes.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Christina said. “I didn’t know you had company.” She set down her coffee cup on the kitchen counter, then headed toward the foyer. “I’ll just go out for a walk.”
“You’re not going out in my shirt, are you?” Kent said.
“Oh… of course not.”
She started to unbutton the shirt and Kent’s pulse skyrocketed.
“Christina, what the hell are you doing?”
“What?” Her gaze shot to his.
Then he realized she had the little black dress on underneath.
She dropped the shirt over the back of a chair and started to put on her high-heeled shoes.
“You’re not going out like that.”
At his commanding tone, her eyes flashed in defiance.
“But—”
“I said no.”
She glanced from him to Avi, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
Kent gritted his jaw in determination.
“And put the shirt back on.”
She frowned, but she grabbed the shirt and pulled it on again.
“Now go up to your room.”
She hesitated, but he didn’t want to give her time to defy him.
“Now!”
“Yes, sir,” she said, her cheeks flushing.
She stormed past them and up the stairs. As soon as she was gone, Avi turned to Kent.
He smiled. “So it’s like that, is it?”
No, she’s the daughter of a friend and she’s gotten herself into some trouble, so she’s staying here.”
“Hmm. And are you going to be her daddy and spank her?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Avi laughed. “It seems pretty clear to me that you’d like nothing better than to put her over your knee. I don’t know whether it’s a daddy thing, or you just want to dominate her,”—he shrugged—“but either way, why don’t you just go for it?”
“She’s too fucking young.”
“She looks old enough to me.” Avi grinned. “And very fuckable. Especially in that dress.” He leaned forward. “And from my experience, it seems clear that she wants you… or someone… to take control.”
Kent frowned as he stared at his friend.
“If you really don’t want to do it…” Avi smiled broadly. “I’d be happy to.”
CHAPTER 3
Kent walked up the stairs and knocked on Christina’s door.
“Come in,” she called.
He opened the door to see her sitting on the couch frowning. As he walked into the room, she gazed up at him. All trace of anger at what had just happened was gone from her eyes.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you and your friend,” she said.
“Avi doesn’t embarrass easily. And I’m fine.”
She nodded.
He crossed the room and sat down beside her. “Why don’t you tell me how this all started.”
She drew in a deep breath and nodded.
“I graduated from college last year. Mom didn’t have the money for tuition, but I got a scholarship and worked two part-time jobs to put myself through. It helped living at home. Then I landed a job in New York. I moved here, got an apartment and everything was going well.”
“Until?” he prompted.
“Until the company downsized and laid me off. I had to give up my apartment and move in with a friend. By doing that, I had enough money in my savings to carry me a few months while I looked for another job.”
So she had planned well, but things had gone wrong.
“But after a month,” she continued, “I found out my friend wasn’t very good with money. I’d paid her the month’s rent, but I didn’t know she was already behind and what I gave her barely covered what she owed for the previous month. We came home from grocery shopping yesterday to find we were locked out.”
“What did you do then?”
“My friend arranged for us to stay with another of her friends. All I had were the clothes on my back and it was raining like crazy yesterday, so when she let us in, we were soaked. She loaned me this dress. She’s smaller than me, so it’s the only thing that almost fit, since it’s a bit stretchy.”
As hard as he tried, he couldn’t help his gaze falling to the snug little black dress and how it hugged her curves. His groin ached as he dragged his gaze back to her distraught face.
“Then they insisted we go out to a club. Believe me, I didn’t want to go out in public like this. But one of her two roommates was a guy, and the way he kept staring at me…” She shivered. “I didn’t want to stay there alone with him. Not in this thing.”
He slid his arm around her protectively.
“Then when we went out,” she said, “they wound up ditching me to go with a couple of guys, leaving me to walk back alone.”
This friend of hers obviously wasn’t a very good friend.
“That’s when the other guy started harassing me,” she continued, “insisting I go to his hotel room with him. When the police showed up, he told them I’d approached him. In this dress, they just assumed I was a hooker.”
“You’ve had a rough time,” he said sympathetically.
She rested her head against his chest and nodded.
“So I assume your friend thought I was a hooker, too,” she said.
“I just told him you’re the daughter of a friend. But don’t worry so much about what people think.”
“You don’t understand. Last night….” Her green eyes gleamed with moisture. “It was awful to be looked at the way that man did. Like I was not even a person. Just a sex object to be used and thrown away.” She drew in a long, slow breath. “And when the police came… They didn’t even listen to me. They just believed what he said.”
He could feel her trembling.
“But the worst was,” she said in as small voice, “when you believed it.”
He saw the tears swelling in her eyes and his heart compr
essed.
“Christina, I’m sorry. I—”
She shook her head. “No. I get it. It’s just… I’ve always cared what you think of me.”
He tightened his arm around her and she snuggled closer.
“And it’s so unfair because… I’ve actually never… been with a man.”
Shock vaulted through him. “Ever?”
“That’s right.”
For some reason that made him feel… happy. And even more protective of her. And… fuck, more than a little turned on.
In fact, the feel of her so soft and vulnerable in his embrace made his groin ache.
“Why do you find that hard to believe?” she asked.
“Well, you’re a very beautiful young woman. I assume you’ve had your choice of men. Have you never felt a strong attraction to a man?”
Her large, emerald green eyes locked on him. “Yes.”
A shiver raced down his spine. The way she was looking at him…
“But you never acted on it.”
She drew in a deep breath and he was all too aware of the rise of her breasts. The way they swelled from the low-cut dress.
She drew away from him. “Do you know what happened with my father?”
“I know he left when you were very young.” He was puzzled by the change in the conversation.
“I was five years old. I really don’t remember anything about him except that day. I remember him walking down the stairs with his suitcase in hand, and my mom rushing to him, begging him not to go. He just pushed her aside, knocking her to the ground. She pleaded with him.” She shook her head. “I didn’t really understand what was going on, but I raced to him and grabbed his hand, trying to stop him from going.”
Kent’s heart ached as he watched tears trickle from her eyes, picturing her as a small child living through the horribly traumatic event. He wanted to scoop up that little girl and hold her close. To tell her everything would be all right.
And he wanted to throttle the man who’d caused her pain.
She wiped the tears from her eyes, hesitating.
“What happened then, Christina?”
She turned her gaze to his, her green eyes unseeing at first, then focused on him, as if just realizing he was still there.
