Deadly Desire

by Audrey Alexander

  Right. Of course. I gave myself a mental head slap for thinking this was anything but work, though I couldn’t stop myself from appreciating the heady scent of his manly cologne. And the way his muscles shifted under my touch. Dragging my attention away from Pierce, I scanned the dancers nearest to us. He’d been right. A woman in a lacy black dress with luminous waves swayed to the beat of the music, her arms wrapped around a thick muscular man in a suit who could have passed for a bouncer.

  After several moments, the woman whispered into the man’s ear. He gave her a lazy smile and began to lead her out of the crowd toward the club’s front door.

  “She’s leaving now,” I said into Pierce’s ear.

  Pierce immediately pulled away, taking his intoxicating scent and strong warmth along with him. “That’s your cue, Emma. Bring the photos to my office tomorrow morning.”

  “Right.” I nodded and began to step away before casting once last glance at Pierce’s silhouette on the dance floor. My entire body itched to stay there wrapped in his arms, but I had to remind myself one more time that nothing about this night had to do with whatever I felt between us.

  He’d hired me. And that was that.

  After I’d followed the unsuspecting couple down the Manhattan streets, snapping photos of their intimate moments, I headed back to my apartment. Cynthia was still waiting up, her laptop perched on her knees where she sat curled up on the dingy couch. She raised her eyebrows when I kicked the door shut and hung my purse on the coat rack.

  “You’re back earlier than I expected,” she said, a knowing smile on her lips. “Did Mr. Donovan show you the ropes—pun intended—that quickly?”

  Frowning, I sighed and eased onto the couch. “What are you on about? I told you he hired me to do some private investigator work.”

  “You have no idea who he is, do you?” She laughed and spun the laptop around to face me. An article on the New York Times spanned the screen, accompanied by a snapshot of Pierce’s handsome face.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve been internet stalking him this whole time I’ve been gone.”

  “Maybe a little.” She tapped the screen. “And so should you.”

  Rolling my eyes, I shook my head and pushed the laptop away. “It’s not my business to know gossip about clients.”

  “But you should know who they are. Did he happen to mention he’s the owner of Telecon and has a penchant for bondage?”

  My eyes popped open wide. Sure, I’d known he was a wealthy client, but if Cynthia was right, he was much more than that. Wealthy, influential, famous. And there I’d been dancing with him in a club, none the wiser. He probably thought I was an idiot for not knowing who he was.

  “I know.” Cynthia gave me a wicked smile. “Now you see why I’m surprised you’re home so early. I was certain he’d decided you were next on his list of one-nighter girls.”

  “One-nighter girls?” I asked, mind turning to the second fact Cynthia had dropped in. Pierce was into bondage. Shivers ran along my skin at the thought of being strapped to a bed with his hands running all over my body.

  “He only ever has one night stands,” Cynthia said. “He’s even come out and said it in interviews.”

  Something about those words made disappointment flood through me, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t as if tonight had been a date or that I’d even been on his radar at all. I knew deep down he’d only hired me to snap photos of that couple, but I had to admit to myself, there’d been a part of me hoping for more. He’d looked at me like no one ever had before, and as clueless as I was about men, I was certain there’d been a glint of desire in his eyes. But as attracted as I was to him, a one night stand wasn’t something I could ever do. I wanted more than that from someone.

  “Well, I wasn’t one of his one-nighter girls,” I finally said. “He’s not trying to get me into his bed.”

  “Yet,” Cynthia said with a wink.

  “There’s no yet.” I gave her a joking shove in the shoulder to take attention away from the disappointment I knew must be reflected on my face. “I’m dropping the photos from tonight off at his office tomorrow, and then I’ll never see him again.”

  ***

  My palms were slick as I stepped out of the elevator and into the glittering lobby of Pierce Donovan’s Telecon offices in downtown Manhattan. Swallowing, I stepped up to the reception desk and gritted my teeth into something resembling a smile. I’d never been more nervous in my life, and like last night, I felt woefully underdressed. Everyone wore crisp, expensive suits, even the young girl answering phones in a bright voice. There was a lot of money to be made in up and coming technology.

  When she hung up the phone, she glanced at me with a perky smile. “May I help you?”

  “Yes, I’m, ah, here to see Mr. Donovan.”

  “Do you have an appointment?” she asked, glancing down at a notepad in front her and running a manicured fingernail down a list. “I don’t see anyone scheduled with him for now.”

  “No, no,” I said, clearing my throat. Showing up like this had been a terrible idea. I should have called ahead or something. Pierce Donovan was a busy man, and I should have known his day would be full of scheduled meetings. He couldn’t just drop everything the moment I decided to stop by. “He’s expecting me, but I didn’t think to call ahead.”

  Realization dawned in her eyes. “Oh, are you Emma Berry?”

  “Yes, that’s right,” I said.

  She stood and smoothed down her skirt. “Follow me. He’s not with anyone right now, and he said to go ahead and bring you through when you arrived.”

  Relief rushed through me, but my nerves only increased as I began to follow the receptionist down a short hallway. I was about to see Pierce again, and every single cell in my body went on edge at the thought. It didn’t matter that he’d only hired me as his private investigator. He was the sexiest man I’d ever met, and the thought of being in the same room with him left me feeling a little breathless.

  The receptionist knocked on the door and then let me inside. Pierce rose from a sleek oak desk, the floor to ceiling windows behind him revealing the sparkling city skyline. I sucked in a breath, my eyes flicking from the skyscrapers outside to the handsome man in a suit before me. Combined, it was one of the most brilliant sights I’d ever seen.

  “Come on in, Emma,” he said, gesturing to a leather seat across his desk. The door shut behind me as I made my way over to him and perched on the edge of the chair. I couldn’t relax enough in his presence to do anything else.

  “I’ve brought those photos for you.” I cleared my throat and dropped the file folder on the desk. “There are quite a few solid shots of them being fairly intimate.”

  Silently, Pierce slid the folder over to his side of the desk and flipped through the offerings. He nodded, frowning. For a moment, I swear I saw a flash of anger on his face. He closed the folder and stared at me, his eyes dark and swirling. The blood drained from my face, and I shifted in the seat. My mind flicked back to what Cynthia had told me the night before, about how he liked to mix bondage with sex.

  “These will do,” he finally said. “Though I was under the impression Max Weathers tended to get more intimate photos. These are merely images of the two of them having an aggressive make-out session on the street.”

  “I’m not a private investigator, ” I said. “I told you that when you hired me.”

  A smile lit his lips. “I still expected a bit more.”

  I tried to control my frustration. He’d never said he wanted me to follow them home and take photos of them in bed. Maybe that was some unspoken agreement Max had with people, but Pierce had also known I’d never done anything like this before. If he complained about it to my boss, especially when he had no idea I’d even done it, I could get in big trouble—potentially even fired.

  “This is really the best I could do under the circumstances,” I said. “I’m sorry if it’s not enough.”

  “It will have to do.” He tapped the photos
and stood.

  I followed his lead and rose from the chair. This was it. The last moment I’d be able to look directly into his eyes. I met his gaze across the table and forced my breathing to stay steady. I wished I could read his mind, just for one moment. His face was so still and closed off, it was hard to tell exactly what he thought.

  “I guess I’ll head back to the office now.” I began to back away.

  He held up a hand. “Wait just one moment. There’s one more thing from you I need.”

  My breath got stuck in my throat as Pierce moved around the desk toward me. His gaze was dark and hot, and my face flamed as my eyes got caught on his lips. He reached out and tucked a finger under my chin, forcing me to look up and meet his eyes. My pulse quickened. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I didn’t want to stop it.

  “Do you know much about me, Emma?” he asked in such a low voice that it almost came out as a growl.

  My heart throbbed hard against my chest. “A little bit.”

  “Then, you know I’m never with a woman more than once.”

  I nodded, and his finger dug harder into my chin. Pain sparked in my skin, but I held still, afraid that if I moved, the spell would break and he’d step back, and that whatever was happening here would end just as quickly as it had started.

  “Good.” His strong hands grabbed my thighs and lifted me in the air. A shocked cry tore through my lips as my hands found his shoulders, clinging on as he shoved me roughly across the top of his desk.

  His lips fell hungry onto mine, his tongue pressing into my mouth and shooting intense lust through my veins. I moaned and closed my eyes, giving into his demands, my body arching toward his. A small part of me tried to reason with my clouded mind, but the desire for him was almost too much to bear.

  He ripped open my blouse and unhooked my bra in one fluid motion. My breasts heaved with my rapid breaths, and his lips found my nipples, teasing them and licking them as shockwaves of lust poured through me. I dropped back my head and reached for his pants, but he pushed my hands aside and lifted his head to murmur into my ear.

  “Not yet,” he said. “I say when.”

  He pulled away and unbuttoned his pants, and the slick material fell into a puddle around his feet. His boxer briefs went next, and I couldn’t help but suck in a breath at the sight of him. He was hard and big, and I wanted him inside of me right then and there. When he came back in close, I reached out to wrap my arms around his shoulders, but he clutched my hands in his and trapped my wrists against the desk.

  My breath became ragged, and as his lips moved down my body, all I could do was squirm under his touch. His mouth found my wetness, and I groaned so loud I was sure the whole office could hear. He moved his tongue against my pussy, licking me and teasing me until I almost came. Pulling back, he smiled down at where I lay helpless and panting on his desk, and a moment later, he slid his cock inside me.

  Pleasure filled up every inch of my body as he slowly began to thrust. I groaned, moving against him and arching my back. His hands gripped my breasts and squeezed my nipples so hard I wanted to scream. Every move he made felt deliciously dangerous, like I was some other girl living in someone other world. This wasn’t me, but right now, it’s all I wanted and more.

  Pierce picked up pace, gripping my thighs as my back slid against his slick desk. I wrapped my legs around his waist, spreading my legs even wider, my body screaming for more. The scent of him consumed me as my pleasure reached its peak. My body shuddered as I came, and a groan slid through my parted lips. Pierce grunted as he thrusted deep a moment longer before emptying his seed inside me.

  He pulled away, panting, and I scrambled off his desk. Embarrassment immediately flooded through me. What had I just done? I’d never done something like this before. I’d never wanted to. And now I was standing naked in the office of one of the most powerful men in the city, famous for having meaningless sex with lots of women.

  “Get dressed.” He handed me my skirt and blouse, the one he’d ripped. “My driver will take you wherever you need to go.”

  “Right, okay.” I slid the shirt over my shoulders and avoided his eyes. What could he possibly think of me after this?

  “Thank you for dropping off the photos.” He smiled. “It was nice to meet you, Emma.”

  It had been two days since I’d fucked Emma Berry in my office, and I couldn’t get her beautiful breasts off my mind. My thoughts kept flashing back to the way she’d looked up at me, so flush from desire, as I took her hard on my desk. She’d been so beautiful.

  I shook my head and closed my laptop. This wasn’t like me. I liked to enjoy the pleasures of a woman once and move on. Anything more than that had a tendency of creating a bond that I only had to break later, and I couldn’t afford any messy relationships in my life.

  Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I’d meant to wait it out and draw out the chase before giving into what I knew we both wanted. But the moment she’d walked into my office, staring at me with those wide and gorgeous eyes, I knew there was no way I couldn’t have her right then and there.

  I stood from my desk and stared out at the Manhattan skyline. I’d worked so hard to get here, against all the odds. And I wouldn’t let anything or anyone stand in my way from holding onto it. Letting someone in meant letting them become a threat to this carefully constructed life, and no one was worth that kind of risk. I clenched my fists and nodded. It was right to keep people at a bay, after everything I’d been through in my past.

  Still, that didn’t mean I couldn’t see Emma Berry one last time. Maybe the reason I couldn’t get her out of my head was because things between us hadn’t gone according to plan. I’d meant to lure her in slowly and show her the pleasures of my playroom, tying her up and watching her squirm. Nothing like that vanilla sex we’d had in my office.

  Yes, that had to be the problem. One night in my playroom was what I needed to get Emma off my mind, and then I could move on, like always.

  I answered the phone with a fake cheerfulness in my voice, a muted hope in the back of my mind. Ever since I’d dropped the photos off at Pierce Donovan’s office, a part of me had thought he might make up some reason to call, even though I knew he never saw a girl twice. If he wanted to get in touch, this was where he’d have to call, because I’d never even given him my own number.

  My cheeks flamed. He knew nothing about me, other than my name and where I worked. And all I knew about him was what the news could tell me, though to be honest, that was quite a lot. I’d found out he was pretty secretive about his past, and that no one know who or where his family was. He’d come out of nowhere five years ago and quickly built up his empire from next to nothing. He was cold and distant and seemed to have no friends, but most people respected him from a distance.

  And I’d found out that he was apparently really into BDSM, though I found that part strange based solely on my experiences with him. Sure, he’d been kind of controlling and he’d pinned my hands to the desk, but he’d also been gentle. There’d been no sign of a rope or a whip or any kind of toy…

  “Hello? Is anyone there?” the voice on the other end of the line sounded irritated and impatient, and I realized I’d just been holding the phone to my ear while I’d been daydreaming about Pierce.

  “Max Weathers’s office,” I said, gritting my teeth and shaking my head at myself. I needed to get a grip. “How may I help you?”

  The door to the office opened, and I glanced up. Pierce Donovan strode into the room, wearing a pristine black suit, shiny black shoes, and a smile that made my heart drop to my toes. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and my heart began to race. He looked better than he had the last time I’d seen him, if that was even possible. What was he even doing here? Surely he wasn’t here to see me. Was there something wrong with the photos? My eyes flicked to Max’s shut office door. If he found out I’d gone on a case for Pierce without telling him, I had no idea how he’d react. All I knew was it wouldn�
�t be good.

  “Hello!” the voice on the phone demanded.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ll need to call you back.”

  I hung up the phone and stared at Pierce. He strode closer, that smile still lighting his face. He looked so different compared to the cold businessman I’d seen in all the photos online. Now he looked almost…happy to see me. Though that couldn’t be right.

  “Emma.” His voice was low, and it sent chills down my spine.

  “Hi, Pierce,” I said, managing to keep my cool despite the thunder of my heart in my ears. “How can I help you?”

  “There’s something I wanted to ask you, and I thought it would be nice to see your face when I did.”

  My heart lifted, and I held my breath. So, he hadn’t come here to discuss the photos I’d taken for him. He’d come here for me, as hard as it was to believe. Maybe all those articles had been wrong about him. Maybe he wasn’t a one night stand kind of guy after all. I smiled up at him, hope filling up every part of me.

  Max’s office door opened, snapping the mood away. He glanced from Pierce, to me, and back to Pierce again. A bright smile beamed across his leathered face, and he strode across the room with his hand outstretched.

  “Pierce Donovan!” He grabbed Pierce’s hand and shook it hard. The warmth in Pierce’s face slipped away, replaced with that cold mask I’d seen in the photos online. “So good to see you. If you want to come on into my office, we can discuss whatever it is you need from me.”

  “No need.” Pierce gave Max a cold smile. “Your lovely assistant, Emma, delivered the results to me already.”

  I winced and stared hard at my cluttered desk. There it was. I’d been found out. I should have known I wouldn’t get away with it.

  “The results?” Max asked, glancing at me, but I couldn’t meet his gaze. “What results?”

  I felt Pierce’s eyes land on me, but I didn’t know what explanation I could give him, not with Max standing right there. Besides, how could I have told him the truth anyway? I wanted to see you again, and I was worried Max wouldn’t let me do the case myself, so I conveniently forgot to mention it to him? No way.