His eyes widen. “You’re going to that? I thought it was only board members.”
Shit. I was trying to be nice and let him down easy, and now I’ve stepped in it knee-deep. “Yes, they invited me to attend since I ended up on the cover too and I’ll be working in Liam’s office this fall. A chance to meet the board members and network a bit. I’m still in college, so those connections are essential, you know.”
He nods, smiling a little. “It’s okay. Maybe next time, huh?”
I want to tell him to stop, that there’s never going to be a next time, but I just can’t. He’s already down, and telling him he’s got a bigger chance of winning the Super Bowl than taking me on a date would be like kicking a shivering puppy.
My printing’s done and I grab it from the tray. “Oops, gotta rush this. Have a good weekend, Melvin.” I intentionally don’t answer his ‘next time’ question, figuring I’ve done enough to the poor guy’s ego for the day.
I head back to Liam’s office, setting the speech on his desk just as he comes in from his meeting. “Ms. Hunnington, is that my speech?”
“Of course, Mr. Blackstone,” I reply, picking it back up and holding it out for him.
He crosses his office, pulling me into his arms and kissing me deeply. “God, I spent half that meeting dreaming of your sweet pussy.”
He dips me back, our mouths never separating, and the speech printout flutters to the floor. Before I can catch my breath, Liam has me spread wide on his desk, his fingers already teasing along my clit as he shoves my lace panties aside. “Fuck, doll. I need to taste you right now.” He dives for my center, his breath hot as he rumbles, “Want to drink your orgasm down.”
I can’t believe how hungry I am for him. I know I’m waking up every morning in his arms, and I go to bed every night with my head on his chest, feeling safe and treasured. But right now, I need him just as much as he needs me.
Maybe I did find the perfect man, after all.
* * *
Calling Helen’s boat a yacht is pretty much stretching the term to obliteration. I’ve seen riverboats on the Mississippi smaller than this, and I’m pretty sure if it were any larger, it could qualify as a cruise ship. The top deck looks amazing, with lights everywhere, and already, on my way up, I’ve seen enough movers and shakers in the business world to make my head spin. And that’s just the ones I recognize. Some are wearing masks that don’t give a hint as to who’s inside. With a sly grin, I wonder if that’s intentional so that they can gain a bit of insider knowledge when folks don’t know exactly who’s lurking nearby. Smart business tactic, I think.
I meet Liam on the main deck, near the front of the boat, and he looks amazing . . . but those sunglasses. “The Matrix?”
Liam looks down at his leather trench coat, black pants, and black shirt and shakes his head, chuckling. “I was going for The Punisher.” He opens his trench coat to reveal a black shirt with a skull on it.
I smirk, the devil in my eyes. “You can punish me anytime, sir.”
He leans closer, whispering in my ear as he grabs my ass under the blue and red skirt I have on. “I’ll keep that in mind, Ari. I’m curious, though. Why Harley Quinn?”
I lean back, meeting his eyes and letting a bit of mania into my voice as I quote the psycho badass, “You think I’m a doll. A doll that’s pink and light. A doll you can arrange any way you like. You’re wrong, very wrong. What you think of me is only a ghost of time. I am dangerous. And I will show you just how dark I can be.”
Liam chuckles. “Well-played, doll. But believe me, I know how dangerous you are.” He steps back, putting a foot of space between us to rake his eyes down my body, taking in the full effect of my costume.
My hair is dark, not the usual blonde of Harley Quinn, but I pulled it up into pigtails and used some of the temporary color spray to get the pink and blue effect. Heavy makeup, a T-shirt that boasts Daddy’s Little Monster, my two-toned skirt, fishnets, and heeled boots complete the look. Oh, and a baseball bat that I hand-drew Good Night on as the piece de resistance.
Though not perfect, it’s obvious who I’m supposed to be, and Liam seems to like the overall effect, judging by the way he’s tracing a finger along a hole in my fishnets, right at the point where they disappear under my skirt.
“We should probably get upstairs, play meet and greet with the masses,” Liam says, though it sounds like he’d rather stay right here with me. He offers his arm, and I take it.
As we head up the elevator, I can’t help but ask, “Are you sure?” If we make an entrance arm in arm, everyone is going to know exactly what’s going on with us. I’m proud to be with him, but a tiny seed of doubt blossoms in my belly, the worry at ugly judgment coming back with a vengeance. ‘She’s the whore intern who’s fucking the CEO’ echoes in my mind.
“Totally fucking sure,” he says, his eyes glowing with desire and more. “You’re mine, Arianna. The rest of the world can go fuck themselves if they’ve got a problem with it.” I let his assertion soothe my nerves and take a steadying breath.
With Liam at my side, I can do anything. Hell, I’m learning that even alone, I can do any damn thing I put my mind to. I stand taller, letting my shoulders drop into place and my face relax into casual confidence.
The ride up to the top deck feels like both an eternity and like it can’t happen quickly enough. My heart’s swelling in my chest as we emerge on the deck. Almost immediately, we’re surrounded by photographers and some media people from various websites. Liam handles them all before we melt into the crowd. “Would you like a drink?”
“Sure, but just one—” I start.
“Hey, big brother!” a chirpy voice calls, and I turn around to see a girl pop out of the crowd. One glance and I can see she’s Liam’s sister, Norma Jean. He’s mentioned her, even shown me a few pictures, but we haven’t met. “I see you took the blue pill.” Liam rolls his eyes at the mistake people have been making all night.
She’s wearing a white skirt with a slit cut way up her thigh and a blue button-up dress shirt with poufy gathers at the shoulders. It’s almost a cute outfit, if it were 1980. The sides of her red hair are pulled back in little comb clips like it’s decades past too.
“Norma Jean, what are you doing here? And I’m the Punisher, not Neo. And who are you supposed to be?” Liam asks, obviously surprised to see her at the party.
“What kind of question is that?! I’m Lois Lane, of course, the best investigative journalist ever,” she sasses. “Something I wouldn’t need to be if my big brother told me when amazing things like a magazine cover reveal party were on the agenda. You left me no choice, and I had to finagle an invite out of Jacob.”
Liam growls, “I’ll kill him. Where the hell is Jacob?” He looks around, though I know he won’t actually harm him for inviting Norma Jean.
Norma Jean tsks. “You should’ve invited me, Liam. I want to be here to cheer for you when good things happen.” Her blue eyes are soft as she looks at Liam, and I can feel the sibling connection they have.
It’s funny to see Liam taken to task by his feisty sister, because not many people dare give him shit for anything. But she does it without restraint and he allows it without reprimand. “Sorry, Norma. Thanks for coming, and I’m glad you’re here.”
She smiles, all forgiven. Then her eyes flash to me and I’m pinned in place.
Liam laughs. “How about if I make it up to you, Sis? Strictly off the record. Arianna, this is my annoying little sister, Norma Jean. Norma, this is Arianna Hunnington, my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend. It feels so good to hear him say that. Any doubts I had about his affection or intentions are washed away when he tells his sister. Despite his feigned annoyance with her, he’s proud of her and values her opinion. I can tell by the way he’s talked about her.
Norma Jean offers her hand. “Nice to meet you. I hear we go to the same college, but what Liam here failed to mention was how beautiful you are. I’m legit jelly.”
“T
hank you,” I reply, blushing. “Liam says wonderful things about you too.”
Norma blushes back, though she playfully says, “Of course he does. So what are you majoring in?”
“Business, of course,” I reply, feeling comfortable with her immediately. “You?”
“Journalism,” Norma says, looking over at her brother. “Well, if business is what does it for you, you’ve totally picked the right guy. He used to drone on and on at the dinner table about stock market index changes. Even Dad used to tell him to hush and—”
“Norma,” Liam growls, interrupting. “Don’t.”
She cringes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Just remembering how boring you are sometimes, so if she’s into that, you should keep her, Brother.”
Liam relaxes at my side, the sting of Norma’s accidental words bouncing off as they easily forgive each other. It’s adorable, and I feel like I can understand their relationship a bit better.
Norma laughs, giving me a wink. “Before I step on another mine, I’d better work the room. We’ll talk later. I think I’m gonna go sneak around and see what kind of trouble I can get into. Bye, guys.”
She walks off, and I can’t help but notice that quite a few men watch her go, and I have to raise an eyebrow as I look at Liam. “She’s quite something,” I remark. “Why’d you keep her away?”
“She’s a royal pain in the ass and nothing but trouble,” Liam says, but it’s said with love. He snorts. “You’re going to love getting to know her.”
“I’m sure,” I reply. We move on, chatting and having a drink before the music starts.
I’m not ready to dance yet, but it still feels good to enjoy the party vibe as all these powerful people let their hair down. We’re about three-quarters of the way through the room when Liam whispers in my ear. “Let’s go for a walk. I need to relax before my speech.”
I can feel the need in his voice, and I nod, taking his hand and letting him lead me down the stairs. We walk down the hallway, and Liam checks a few doors but finds them locked. I’m hunching over, like we’re naughtily sneaking around, but Liam walks tall with confidence, daring anyone to stop him.
He finds an unlocked door, and we rush in, locking it behind us. The suite is beautiful, just one floor down from the top deck, and from here, we can see the whole horizon from the balcony as the setting sun starts to turn the sky golden. “It’s beautiful.”
“Nowhere near as beautiful as you,” Liam says, shrugging off his trench coat and taking off his sunglasses. He tosses them to the bed and I do the same with my baseball bat, the odd collection on the fancy bedding looking rather amusing. “When you said you’d have a surprise for me . . . I never thought you’d be trying to cocktease me all night with your costume.”
I grin, turning away from him and walking out to the balcony before looking over my shoulder. “You want to know the real secret of this costume?”
“What?” he asks as I sway my hips back and forth seductively, his cock stiffening and starting to press against the leather of his jeans. “That you have a spare I can tear off?”
“Mmm . . . nothing quite so big as that,” I purr, reaching down to swish the hem of my skirt back and forth. “But these fishnets I’m wearing . . . they’re thigh-highs, not pantyhose.”
Liam’s eyes drop low, and once I’m sure he’s watching, I flip my skirt up to let him see the gartered lace tops of my fishnets.
He growls. “You’re not wearing any panties, doll.”
I lean forward onto the railing and wiggle my ass. The naughtiness he’s awakened in me is recklessly daring him. “Come and get it.”
Liam doesn’t need any more invitation. I hear his zipper slide down, and a moment later, the thick, hard heat of his cock slides deep inside me, making us both groan. “You were wet for me already.”
“Being . . . ooh . . . being with you has me always wet,” I gasp as Liam starts pounding my pussy. “Mmm. That’s it . . . fuck me harder, Liam.”
He gives me a rough, deep stroke and rumbles in my ear, “You sure your little virgin pussy can handle me fucking you that hard, doll?”
I bite my lip, trying to remember that the party is just one floor above us, though it’s mostly at the other end of the boat. “Yes, yes. I can take it.”
“You asked for it,” he says through gritted teeth. And then he unleashes on me. His hips pump and slap against my ass so hard I have to fight to keep my footing. With every thrust, his balls smack my clit, adding to the sweet torture. His fingers dig into the flesh of my hips, his thumbs pressing the dimples on my spine as he pulls me onto his cock. He doesn’t vary the rhythm to keep me guessing. Instead, he just hammers into me, mercilessly driving me higher, faster than I’ve ever climbed.
With every grunt, I feel pure joy fill my being, and when my orgasm hits me, he slaps his hand over my mouth, muffling my screams. In the moment, I don’t care about the music, the party, or keeping secrets, but I’m glad he has enough forethought to keep our private moments between us. “Liam!” I scream against his palm. “Fuck, yes!”
Liam pauses, grinding his cock deep inside me, letting the pulses of my pussy squeeze him. When my orgasm sparks out, every last tremor stilling, he starts again, his breath coming in short little gasps.
“Need you,” he moans, not quite making sense but being perfectly clear all the same.
“Take me,” I reply, my body already tingling as another climax builds inside me. I thrust back into Liam, meeting his cock harder and harder as we sprint toward a mutual finish, and I feel his cock swell and his hips seize. “I’m giving you everything. Give me your cum, Liam,” I beg.
It seems like Liam’s climax starts from the depth of his very soul as he cries out, his voice gravelly and whispered. His cock slams deep inside me, and he holds there before he comes, the heat and release triggering my own release. We’re both lost to the pleasure, and I’m sure our voices rise a bit too loud in a passionate duet that echoes over the water.
I sag, my chest heaving as a droplet of sweat falls from the tip of my nose to stain the wooden decking underneath me. “Mmm . . . don’t move,” I ask him as Liam starts to pull out. “I just want to feel you inside me longer.”
“You know you can feel it as much as you want, anytime and anywhere, doll,” Liam says softly, reaching up and stroking my hair back from my face. He lifts me from my bent-over position, turning me to face him and wrapping his arms around my waist. “You . . . you’re amazing, a fucking miracle I thought I’d never find.”
“Just a girl in the world,” I reply nonchalantly, though we both know his words mean everything. I smile widely at him as I drape my arms over his shoulders. Though there’s no music currently playing, I feel like we’re dancing, floating on the waves that are gently rocking the boat.
Liam chuckles. “I’m serious. When I first wanted to fuck you, I thought that there was no hope for me. No real future, just . . . money and work. Now I know there’s so much more. I found someone I can trust and have by my side for the rest of my life.”
I feel tears threatening at the corners of my eyes, burning with emotion. “You were wrong that first night. You said there is no perfect man. You just weren’t looking in the mirror enough. You . . . you’re perfect, Liam. And you have me by your side for as long as you want me.”
Liam looks like he’s about to say something, but then there’s a knock at the door. “Liam? It’s Jacob. Helen says it’s thirty minutes until go time, and she wants to go over some stuff with you.”
Liam sighs, chuckling as he pulls back, shaking his head. “He’s got terrible timing sometimes.”
“Well, he hasn’t walked in on us in your office, so don’t give him too hard of a time. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s been intentionally giving us some privacy and fielding people for you,” I remind him. “Go, take care of business. I’ll clean up a little, fix my makeup, and meet you on deck in fifteen.”
Liam nods and gives me a tender kiss. “Arianna, I—”
<
br /> “Liam, come on! She’s about to throw a fucking tantrum!” Jacob interrupts, knocking on the door. “Seriously, guys . . .” I can hear Jacob’s eye roll even through the door.
“Go,” I whisper to Liam, kissing him again. “I know . . . and me too. See you in fifteen.”
“That’s one thing I don’t envy women for,” he says at the door. “Takes me ten seconds to zip up and walk off.”
“Asshole!” I joke, and Liam laughs as he opens the door and slips out. I head to the bathroom and clean up. My makeup is a mess, smudged eye shadow and smeared mascara. Luckily, it kinda goes with my psycho persona, so I mess it up a bit more to make it look intentional. A quick potty stop, outfit adjustment, and the mirror says I’m ready.
In the hallway, I see someone in a costume striding quickly toward me. He’s taller than me, even in my heels, but his Ted the Bear head brings him up to well above normal height. It’s a cute costume, but with this late summer heat, even at sunset, the poor guy inside has to be baking and suffocating. Then again, maybe he’s naked underneath . . . I think with an internal laugh.
“Hi,” I greet Bearman as I head toward the stairs upstairs. He stops, turning to face me, so I do the same. He gestures toward the bat in my hand, holding his hand out. I take the cue that he wants to see it and hold it up. “It was a regular baseball bat until I got my markers after it. Made it myself to go with my costume.”
He takes it from me, holding it up to the mesh eyes in the bear head to see it. Suddenly, there’s a swish of air and an explosion in the side of my skull.
I fall against the wall from the force of the impact, my mind stupidly yelling that I’m a failure as a psycho badass. As if that matters in this moment.
Leather and Lace Page 12
