But she wouldn’t just run away either. She would speak to Joshua face to face, and explain the situation. Chances are he would agree completely. She would ask him if she could be flown home on the jet, and if he refused she would make her own way back to the States. She’d officially hand in her notice when she spoke to him as well, and then she would go back to her small, ordinary life.
The likes of Natasha might sneer at her, but that didn’t matter any more. Amanda couldn’t change what she was, and she didn’t want to. She was tired of pretending to be something she wasn’t.
When she went back to the suite she found Rashid was waiting to fix her hair and make-up for the wedding. There was still no sign of Joshua, and she didn’t see him again until the ceremony itself. It was taking place beneath a huge golden pavilion especially erected in the hotel’s central courtyard. Natasha was dressed like an empress in a flowing silvery dress laced with jewels.
Ashley looked slightly less feral and dishevelled than usual, but he still didn’t seem to have a clue what was going on. Nevertheless, Amanda found the setting romantic. As they exchanged their vows on the podium at the far end of the pavilion, Joshua watched the proceedings intently.
He still maintained his charming persona in front of the guests, but he was definitely more distant with her. He did not mention what had happened last night, and apart from lacing his arm in hers as they assembled for the ceremony, he kept a physical distance from her. Amanda ignored the aching emotional pain in the pit of her stomach. This would all be over soon, she told herself, and then she would never see him again.
After the slightly less than happy couple had tied the knot, the partying started in the huge ballroom adjacent to the courtyard. Joshua made an excuse that he had to talk to someone, and abandoned Amanda in the ocean of wealth and privilege. She was soon monopolised by Gerald Kondrake, the celebrated art critic Rebecca had promised to introduce her to.
At first Amanda was terrified that he would see through the cover story Joshua had invented, but she soon realised that Gerald Kondrake was only interested in talking about Gerald Kondrake, and staring down Amanda’s top. When she spotted Joshua through the throng of dancing guests, she made her escape. Picking her way through the crowded room, she saw him disappear through a side door. Amanda went after him. She was desperate to leave now, and this was as good a time as any to tell him.
The corridor beyond the side door was welcomingly cool and quiet after the heat and din of the ballroom. She started walking down it, wondering where Joshua had gone.
“It isn’t funny!” she heard him say harshly, his voice coming from round the nearby corner.
Moving as quietly as possible, Amanda edged down the corridor and peeked round the corner. Joshua and Natasha were standing together, and Amanda’s heart lurched. A cruel smile crested Natasha’s ice-sculpture face.
“Joshy,” the woman said in a chiding tone, “it was just my little joke. No-one got hurt and my agent is having multiple orgasms as we speak. The job offers just keep flooding in.”
“You hurt Amanda,” Joshua said sharply, barely restraining his fury. “Not everyone is as calculating as you.”
“Amanda,” Natasha scoffed her voice thick with disgust. “Why are you even pretending you care? It’s all right, Joshy. I know she’s your secretary. Sabrina tipped me off about your little plan to make me jealous.”
Amanda saw Joshua visibly stiffen. He said nothing though, and regarded Natasha with hooded eyes.
“You know what the funny part is?” Natasha went on, stepping closer to him. “It worked. Seeing you with that plain little troll made me seethe, even though I knew it was all an act.” She ran her hands along the lapels of his tuxedo. “You’re the only one I want, you know that. We belong together.” She inclined her graceful neck and brought her mouth to his lips.
Amanda’s heart stuttered in her chest. She knew she shouldn’t care, but seeing them together drove an iron spike through her heart.
Just as Natasha was about to kiss him, Joshua stepped back. The woman faltered and shot him a confused look. Joshua’s face was dark with anger.
“You ever speak about Amanda like that again and I’ll throw you out of this hotel here and now, while everyone watches. That should help raise your profile.”
Natasha stared at him in confusion, and let out a nervous laugh. “Joshy, I – ”
“I wish you the very best for the future,” Joshua said, cutting her off. The bestial power in his voice made Amanda tremble.
Leaving Natasha where she was, he promptly turned and headed back to the ballroom. Amanda retreated from the corner and fled to the side door before him. As he emerged in the ballroom a few moments later, she met him and boldly took his hand in hers.
“Let’s dance,” she said.
The anger melted from his face and he made to protest. “Now,” she ordered, her tone brooking no defiance. He closed his mouth and smiled at her, making her melt like ice-cream, and they strode out onto the dance floor together.
Chapter 6: No Return
The next week was like a pleasant dream for Amanda. After what she’d learnt from Rebecca and now witnessing him making a stand against Natasha, she saw Joshua in a different light. She had decided to stay, to honour her agreement with him. After that, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Her feelings had grown too strong and she was finding it harder to stay professional. She wanted him more than ever now, and something told her he felt the same. The night on the terrace was never mentioned, and they both pretended it had never happened. But the sexual tension lingered between them waiting to be awakened.
The more time they spent pretending to be a couple, the more the tension increased. His touch made her quiver, and the connection between them grew stronger. Then, one night, the inevitable happened.
They attended an Arabian Nights themed party on one of the hotel’s terraces looking onto the beach. Persian rugs and oversized cushions covered the floor, and Moroccan décor and food created just the right ambience. Guests were dressed appropriately, in brightly coloured costumes and robes and good music, wine and food turned the evening into a tremendous success.
Amanda, dressed in a sexy and very revealing Arabian princess outfit of light blue silk, was in her element. She was more relaxed now and less self-conscious and danced and socialised with ease. It seemed to make an impression on Joshua. Looking good enough to eat in his pantaloons and open silk vest, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
At one point, as they danced together, Amanda ran her fingers along his smooth, sculpted chest and nibbled his ear. He ran his hands along her exposed midriff and around her hips, setting her nerves on fire. Judging by the iron rod grinding against her through the fabric of his pantaloons, she was having the same effect on him.
Suddenly, he held her tight and pressed his face into her hair. “I want you,” he whispered in a hungry voice.
Amanda smiled and squeezed his firm buttocks. She couldn’t deny what she had wanted for so long, no matter the consequences. She parted from him and gave a slight nod of consent. His beautiful blue eyes burned with desire and taking her by the hand, he led her back to the suite.
They were kissing each other before they were barely out of the elevator. Wild and feral, they clung to each other, their mouths locked together. The fire in Amanda was all-consuming, and she savoured his taste with desperate abandon. He hooked his strong hands under her legs and hoisted her up. She wrapped herself around his firm, toned body, clawing madly at his back beneath the rumpled up vest.
He carried her to her room, and finally breaking free of the barrage of passionate kisses, he gently lowered her onto the bed. She gazed up at him with undisguised longing. He looked so beautiful and perfect, a carved Adonis of dark grandeur. With his eyes fused to her body, he slowly removed the bikini top of the princess outfit. Her large, ripe breasts hung free, and he stared at them with savage hunger. Straddling her, he reached out and gently circled her hard nipples with ea
ch of his thumbs, teasing the flesh with the very lightest of touches.
Her breathing hitched and she arched her back as he provoked dizzying sensations through her. “Oh yes,” she gasped. “Yes!”
He grinned as he gained confidence exciting her body, and bent his head to trail soft kissed along her throat and down along the crevice between her breasts. Each kiss ignited a bushfire on her heated skin, and she moaned softly, losing herself into the sweet oblivion of his expert attentions.
Reaching her navel, he paused and moved his hot mouth up to her aching breasts, leaving off with thumbs and now licking and kissing her nipples with his tongue. Amanda bit her lower lip and writhed on the bed.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, raising his head and gazing up at her. His gifted fingers danced along her body and started to hitch down her silky bottoms. Eagerly, she lifted her lower body up so that he could pull them free. He threw them on the floor, leaving her naked except for her pink panties.
He shifted his body until he was lying alongside her with his arm wrapped protectively around her décolletage. His thick manhood strained against his pantaloons and rubbed against her shapely behind. As he trailed kisses along her neck, his free hand reached down into the front of her panties.
Amanda gasped as his fingers teased her swollen lips. He stroked and caressed her with expertise, driving her into agonies of ecstasy. As his fingers explored deeper and found her throbbing sweet spot, she let out a scream of pleasure. He held her tightly, rubbing and playing until he found all the right triggers to drive her into a wild frenzy. As he took her over the edge, she bucked and thrashed desperate for that moment of final, sweet release.
“Oh God!” she moaned. “Joshua! Joshua!”
Her climax erupted with untrammelled force, sending her into oblivion. Her skin glowed with radiance and her heart pounded madly in her chest. He nuzzled her with heartbreaking tenderness as she drifted back down to earth.
For uncounted moments he held her, and she bathed in the afterglow of orgasm, his fingers a comforting presence between her legs. His breathing stroked her neck and his meat was an urgent presence against her buttocks. He wanted to be inside her, and she now ached for the same thing.
With an unspoken agreement, Joshua eased out of their comfortable position. As his fingers left her wet heat she moved onto her back, her legs spread apart. He towered over now, slipping off the rest of his flimsy outfit. She gazed with hunger at the large, perfect beast between his legs and her fingers played with her moist triangle. Her eyes screamed at him to take her.
He looked down on her, his face a mirror to her lust. Savagely he bore down on her, and she widened her legs further. His meat crushed against her groin before he pushed it inside her tight, moist opening.
The exquisite pain took her breath away, and she clutched at his back and iron hard buttocks, digging her fingers into his perfect flesh. Her actions spurred him into a fury. He crushed his mouth against her willing lips and rammed into her with brutal abandon. She broke free of the kiss and let out a deep, throaty moan, begging him to go harder.
He was more than willing to oblige, thrusting with all his might. The bed groaned under the impact, and he growled like a wild animal. The bestial lust that ensnared him drove her to the brink again, and she wrapped her legs around his thrusting hips climaxing for a second time.
The bone-deep shudder than ran through her was enough to send him straight over the edge, and he exploded inside her. She moaned again, hugging him to her for dear life. The connection at that moment was overpowering. She closed her eyes, listening to his ragged breathing, wanting to hold him forever.
He returned the ferocity of her hug, his possessiveness making her feel safe. They lay like that for hours, lost in companionable silence, until she slipped into the deep velvet of fathomless sleep.
* * *
Amanda woke to warm sunshine and the sound of the surf below. She lay in a sleepy haze of happiness and the memory of last night’s lovemaking snuggled in her mind. Joshua had been magnificent, better than anything she could have fantasised. The connection they shared had moved something deep inside her, battering down all the barriers of self-control she had erected over the years.
She smiled wistfully. It had been fantastic for sure, but it was no doubt just a one-night stand. For someone like Joshua, making women wet and weak-kneed was business as usual. Surprisingly, she felt no anger or sadness that this was just a one-off. She had enjoyed it for what it was, and she still intended to resign when they got back to the States. Career didn’t matter to her now, and she could have at least one beautiful memory to cherish when she walked away.
“You’re awake.” The sound of Joshua’s soft voice coming form the other side of the room startled her.
She sat up and saw him sitting in one of the comfortable armchairs near the balcony window. A silk dressing gown was wrapped round his chiselled body. “Hi,” she said sleepily. “Are you okay?”
“My dad told me this day would come,” Joshua said, staring out into the distance. His toes dug into the soft fabric of the carpet. “I’d one day meet my mate.”
Amanda scratched at her tangled hair and yawned. “What are you talking about? Do you want some breakfast?”
“You don’t get it,” Joshua said hotly, getting out of the armchair. “You’re the one, the one I’m meant to be with. I tried to fight it. I thought you were like all the rest, just interested in my money and status, but I knew deep down that wasn’t true. When you got so upset over Natasha’s publicity stunt, I knew then but I tried to fight it.”
Amanda stared at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying. “Are you on something, Joshua? Don’t tell me, Ashley gave you some of his gear?”
“You and me are meant to be together,” Joshua said, pain flashing in his eyes.
Amanda sighed deeply. “Look, Joshua, that’s very sweet of you, but I’m not that innocent and naïve. I know the score. Last night was fantastic, better than anything I’ve ever had, and I really mean that. But I understand this is just a casual thing. I wasn’t going to tell you this yet, but I’m going to resign. I’ve had a wonderful time, don’t get me wrong, but this world, your world, just isn’t meant for me.”
“I have to show you,” Joshua said in a hollow voice.
Amanda stared as he slipped off his dressing gown, standing naked in front of her. A tingle danced between her legs as the prospect of a second round with him looked certain. Instead, he remained where he was, his face blank.
Amanda started to grow worried. “Joshua? What’s wrong?”
He did not answer. His eyes speared her and he started to change. There, before her uncomprehending eyes, fur, yellow with black stripes spread across his body. He bared his teeth, and they elongated into large, curving fangs that distorted the shape of his mouth.
Amanda pressed herself against the bedstead and stared in silent horror. Joshua lurched over and his body contorted and shifted, until he had transformed into a magnificent living tiger.
Amanda screamed, and scrambled to get out of the bed. In one blur-like motion, the tiger had jumped onto the duvet and pinned her down. The animal’s snout came inches to her face, watching her with Joshua’s eyes.
“Do not be afraid, Amanda,” the tiger said in a gruff voice. “It’s me, Joshua.”
She let out a strangled cry. In one fluid movement, Joshua transformed back into human form. “You have many questions,” he said in an emotionless voice.
“How. . . how did you do that?” Amanda gasped, trying to stop herself from having a heart attack.
“You can thank my notable ancestor Jack Tarran for this situation,” Joshua went on dryly. “I and all the male line of my family inherited the curse from him.”
“I don’t understand,” Amanda said, still shaking.
Joshua nodded. “I’ll give you a condensed history lesson of my family. Jack Tarran was an officer in the East India Inc. during the seventeenth century. It was he who
established the family fortune but in exchange he received the power to become a weretiger.”
“A weretiger?”
“That is what I am. A weretiger has the power to transform into a tiger at will. Jack was cursed by a powerful holy man, or sadhu, as punishment for a terrible crime.”
“What did he do?” Amanda asked, trying to take this all in.
“Jack went out to India to make his fortune. He was a backstreet brawler who left England to escape the hangman’s noose. Men like him were useful to the Company, ruthless and mercenary. He rose up the ranks quickly, but he wanted more. He heard a rumour about a treasure trove hidden in a mountain cave near Lahore. The story went that the treasure belonged to an ambitious noble of the Mughal Empire, who planned to move against the emperor. He intended to use his wealth to fund an uprising and conceal it away so it wouldn’t fall into the hands of his enemies.
The minister was captured before he could strike and executed for treason, but his treasure remained hidden. Jack used his ingenuity and cunning to track down the location of the cave.
He befriended a quick-witted beggar boy who did all the legwork for him and then took him to where the treasure was hidden. The boy had been promised a share of the wealth which he’d use to provide for his family. Unfortunately, Jack had other plans. When they found the cave, he killed the boy and took the treasure for himself.”
“That’s horrible!” exclaimed Amanda.
“The boy’s mother thought so too. She knew Jack had killed her child, but could do nothing about it, not in a legal sense anyway. But there was a holy man who possessed certain occult powers. The legends say he’s been alive for centuries and seeks to punish wrong-doers for their crimes. He appeared like a spectre before Jack one night and cursed him and his offspring with the power to shape shift into a tiger.”
Romance: The Tiger's Hired Mate: BBW Tiger Shifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 2) Page 6
