"Bullshit? I'm supposed to take that as a compliment? You wish we had met, slept together, and then you had moved on with your life so all this bullshit was over?"
"I didn't say that."
"You said exactly that, Robert. You're a pretty smooth talker, aren't you?"
"Quit putting words in my mouth, Renee. We need a time-out. Let's just forget for awhile that you work for me. Let's forget the antagonism between us and enjoy the evening, okay?"
"Fine. But I don't understand why. Why the hell can't you leave me alone and find another woman?"
"You don't understand? Bullshit. You understand, all right. You want to hear me say it. Fine. I'll say it." He reached over and took her chin in his hand. "It has to be you. I'm not going to have a moment of goddamn peace until I sink into you."
Chapter Eight
Their food arrived in the tense atmosphere of that explosive statement. Robert reluctantly released her from his hold to move back for the server to put the food in front of them. His movements were abrupt as he continued to watch her. Renee saw the flare of his nostrils and the sexually menacing look in his eyes and knew she was in trouble.
She needed to be careful about the amount of wine she consumed. She raised her eyes and asked the waiter for a glass of water. She looked back over to Robert and inhaled deeply. They watched each other in adversarial silence until the waiter moved away.
Robert saw the emotion in her eyes she couldn't hide. She was in a panic, her body trembling. It only added to her allure. Her beauty surrounded him, teasing his senses. Her eyes were wide, her face ivory, blanched of color, except for her lips, which were a deep, dark pink. She was beautiful.
And he wanted her.
The waiting was over.
His words were short, direct. "Eat your food."
****
After dinner, Renee found herself efficiently herded to the car, buckled in and driving down the interstate at a fast clip before she even realized which direction they were driving. Butterflies churned in her stomach.
"Where are we going?" The distress in her voice was haunting.
He reached down between them and entwined her hand with his. He squeezed it slightly and continued to drive.
"R-Robert. I want to go home now, please." Her voice shook.
"All in good time. We're just taking a drive. It's a pretty night. Look at that moon out the window." His voice was smooth, soothing, seductive.
She lapsed into silence and the drive continued. She wanted him to take her home, but she knew that wasn't going to happen unless she threw a screaming, hissy fit. She didn't want to do that. It was too embarrassing to contemplate. And there was another reason she didn't do it. She wanted to be with him so desperately. She didn't really have the will or the desire to fight him any longer. She was fighting herself more than him.
Minutes later, he pulled into a gated, suburban community and lowered his speed to a crawl. He pressed a button on his dash and the garage door of a large, brick house began to go up.
Her nerves shot to hell. "Robert--"
He cut her off. "Nothing's going to happen that you don't want to happen," he said as he glanced at her. "Or is that what you're afraid of? Afraid you want it to happen?" He turned his focus on pulling the car into the garage.
Renee didn't answer. The engine was cut and she waited for him to open her door. He ushered her into his home through the backdoor and Renee found herself in a large, spotless kitchen. It was decorated in the Tuscan style, with lots of black wrought iron and stone in the floors and backsplash. Bright, earthy colors in dark blues and greens dominated the color scheme. It was beautiful, and any woman who liked to cook would love the room. She was no exception, but didn't have time to appreciate it as his hand landed on the small of her back and guided her through to the living room. He turned on a dimmer switch, creating soft, subdued lighting. His hand dropped from her back to entangle her fingers as he faced her and started walking backwards, pulling her over to the couch while his eyes held hers.
She felt it all the way to her toes. She had no strength to try to stop him, and made the unconscious decision to follow his lead.
"Do you know how many days, Renee?" His voice was low and raspy as he sat on the couch and pulled her down beside him.
"H-how many days, wh-what?" She tried to control the trembling, but was totally conscious of the fact that she had never wanted another man in her whole life as much as she wanted this one.
"How many days I've wanted you. How many days you've driven me crazy." His hands tangled through her hair and lifted her face to his. "It's been fifty-three goddamn days. I give up, sweetheart. I surrender." His mouth came down on hers, his lips firm and caressing.
A delicious feeling of irresistible craving consumed her, and she forcibly shut her mind down on anything that would take that feeling away. This was all she would think about right now. She very well knew it had been fifty-three days since they had met, and the realization that he knew it too, for whatever reason, only compounded the emotions sliding through her. She had been on a precipice all that time, and she was going to let go. He wanted control; she wanted him to take it.
Her mouth opened more fully under his. He lifted her chin and drank from her, took deep kisses that tormented them both. His manner of kissing was intoxicating, leaving her on a knife's edge. He would take soft kisses, gentle whispers of flesh touching, then would plunge his tongue in and devour her like he needed her mouth for sustenance. And then it would start again. His fingers speared through her hair, he held her captive in his hold while his lips touched hers lightly, softly, their breathing harsh and difficult.
Through a haze of desire, Renee registered that he was trying to go slow, trying to maintain control. The provocative image of an out of control Robert Thibodeaux danced through her mind. The image was unequivocally addictive. She wanted that someday. It never occurred to her to be afraid he might hurt her; he was too in command of his own body for that.
Renee surfaced from her thoughts when he slid his arms under her knees and stood all in one smooth motion. He never staggered under her weight, far from it. He had the physique of a linebacker, the steely strength of an athlete, and it allowed him to lift her body without even a mild display of exertion.
He immediately turned and made his way down a darkened hallway.
Renee's brain scrambled with dizziness from the speed of the movement and she clutched him around the neck and closed her eyes against his chest to lessen the whirling in her head. The light-headedness left her abruptly and a delicious languor filled her senses.
His scent was all around her. She took deep, steadying breaths as he moved unhesitatingly down the dark corridor. His masculine aroma filled her nostrils, she didn't want to move away from him.
He shouldered a door wide, and backed into it, carrying her over to a large bed and dropping her to her knees on its edge. A faint stream of light came in from the moonlight through the windows.
His hands moved down to the buttons on her blouse and swiftly opened them. He pushed the shirt from her shoulders and divested her of it completely. Her white bra glowed in the darkened room. His inhalations became ragged as he unclipped her bra and pulled it from her arms.
He wasted no time, and his hands moved to the snap of her pants and he flicked the button and slid open the zipper. He pushed them down her hips, drawing her panties down with them. His hands were firm and sure and he pushed her to her butt as he stripped the garments from her body, taking her high heels with them.
She was naked on his bed. She quivered when a low growl rumbled from his chest.
Robert fought through a black haze of pure lust as his eyes fell on her naked form. Jesus Christ. Finally. Had he ever waited this long for a woman? Fuck, no. Women fell into his arms, fell into his bed, and then wanted to stay there.
Not so with Renee. She had fought back from day one. But that was over. The hunt. The retreat. And finally the capture.
Now he was
going in for the kill.
His eyes narrowed and he reached out and grasped her ankles in his hands. Bending her knees and pushing her legs up, he came between her thighs on his knees. She couldn't get away from him in that position. He had had enough of her getting away. Now he just felt a driving need to take. To dominate.
He looked up from the slick, hair-free mound between her thighs. A dark jealousy consumed him. A territorial feeling that he couldn't control. "Who the fuck did you shave for?" His body lowered to hers and he took a handful of her soft blonde hair. "If you have any sense you'll tell me it was for me." His words were harsh, guttural.
She panted, her eyes wide on him. His body was large, intimidating, even with his clothes on. She took his advice since it was the truth. "Y-you. For you."
His hand reached down between them. He trailed it from her throat, down between her breasts, to the vee between her legs. He pushed a rough, blunt finger into her wet softness. "Good answer, baby." His words were clipped. "Because this is mine." He swirled his finger inside her, and lowered his mouth to her breast. His lips clamped onto a pink nipple, already hardened with passion.
The twin assault of his mouth and hand brought her to a state of pure, driven need in seconds. She bucked against his finger and brought her hand to the back of his head and gripped him to her breast, her senses completely inundated. She shimmered in his arms, already close to orgasm.
Robert felt her internal muscles clenching his finger, and he couldn't wait any longer. He was driven by feelings he couldn't explain. Didn't want to think about. He raised himself off her, and started ripping at his clothes.
Within seconds, he was naked and reaching into his drawer for protection. He ripped the package and slid it on and came back between her legs. He fastened her wrists in a large hand and pulled them up over her head, imprisoning her.
He started entering her immediately. "I wanted to go slow." He said it like it was her fault that he couldn't slow down.
He took a short, stabbing thrust and pushed the words from his lips as he rocked against her. "I. Wanted. To. Be. Gentle." His breath hissed out as he impaled her completely.
Renee reeled under the invasion and constraint of his hands on her. She let out a small whimper as he pulled his hips back and pushed into her brutally, once, twice, and then three times.
Her body stiffened beneath the lash of his and her voice was ragged in his ear as she said, "Then be gentle. Ev--everything's okay."
Her soft breath and words washed over him. They soothed the ferocity in his blood and his impatience cooled from being inside her. Having her under him. He felt a measure of peace and took a few calming breaths as he let the scent of her, the feel of her wash through him. His strokes slowed, and he reached between them and lazily began playing with her clit.
Renee felt a roaring in her ears as desire pierced her once again. His shaft was thick and hard inside of her, stretching her with every stroke as he slid out and then came back inside. His hand on her clit tantalized her, and the fantastic knowledge that she was making love with Robert invaded her senses. It was too much to withstand, and her body began clenching against him as she reached a peak.
Robert felt it the moment the orgasm took hold of her. It electrified him and goaded him into hammering harder at her. Harder, faster, until a wave of intensity overcame him and pulled his mind away from his body as he pushed against her and the dam burst and he exploded in ecstasy.
The moment immediately afterward was filled with ragged breathing, his and hers. When he could tear his mind away from the euphoria of his achievement, he grabbed her skull with both hands and sank his fingers all the way to her scalp. His eyes narrowed on hers as he felt his flesh begin to rise again.
Renee's eyes opened to Robert's penetrating stare and the unbelievable knowledge that he didn't need any lead time before he could get it up again. She began pulling away from him, moving back from his possession.
His hands tightened momentarily, and then he gently began to withdraw from her. He turned toward the bathroom and the moment he was gone, Renee swung her feet to the floor and began looking for her clothes. She spied her bra in the darkened room, but above all else, she felt an immediate need for her panties. Finding them, she quickly pulled them over her hips and was beginning to pick up her bra when she heard his voice like a whip.
"You're not going to need that."
She swung to face him, her hands over her breasts.
The realization of what had just happened was appalling. She had actually had sex with her boss. Within her ninety-day probation period. And he had completely steamrolled her into it. He had gotten his way so far tonight. But no more. She sucked in a breath, and every curve in her body spoke her denial. Just because she had been easy once, didn't mean she would be easy again.
She didn't bother to argue with him, just bent and picked up the rest of her clothes.
Robert leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest and watched her. The look on her face spoke defiance and rejection, and he swiftly made the strategic decision to back off. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that he would be the ultimate winner in this game between them, but to get to that point, he needed to let her think she had a chance. She didn't.
"I'm guessing this means you won't be spending the night with me?" he asked.
Renee looked up from the button she was fastening on her pants. "I want to go home." Her voice was firm but had just enough question in it to mollify him.
He swiped his jeans off the floor and began to dress. "I'll take you."
****
Saturday night, Renee had been home from the grocery store for about an hour when her doorbell pealed. She froze as nervous tension hit her frame. It had to be him. She had that feeling that couldn't be suppressed.
She went to the door and looked out the peephole. Shock momentarily overrode her disappointment.
James Cameron was standing on her doorstep. She opened the door wide enough to speak to him, but not wide enough to be inviting. "Hello."
His face broke into a boyish grin. "Hello, yourself." He casually leaned against the door frame. "Surprised to see me?"
She smiled. "Yes. What are you doing here?"
He raised one eyebrow. "What do you think? You're a hard woman to find. I haven't had any help from your asshole boss. And do you know how many Guillot's are in the book?"
She laughed. "A lot, I would suspect. Has Robert been giving you problems?"
"Yeah, I've called five times and he gets more pissed with each phone call. Yesterday he threatened not to finish my project. And do you know how much I'm paying him? Christ, the guy has it bad for you." He paused and looked at her bare legs in the shorts she wore. "And now the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Does the guy have the right to be that jealous? Or will you have dinner with me tonight?"
Renee was stunned by his bluntness. And irritated with herself for not feeling at least a little bit thrilled. James Cameron was seriously good-looking. And wealthy enough that he must have women beating down his door.
And nothing.
She didn't feel a thing. Nothing except a secret thrill that he thought Robert was jealous. And had it bad for her. Did he? It was such a tempting thought.
She focused back on her visitor. "That's two questions. You said one."
James smiled. "You only have to answer one of them. I just need to know which one it is."
"I really don't know what to say. I think it's a bit premature to say he's jealous. Five times? You spoke to him five times about me? And he was pissed? Truly?" The door opened a bit wider.
James scowled. "You probably don't realize it, but you just answered my question." He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. "Too bad. You're seriously hot and we could've had a good time together."
A deep, angry voice intruded from behind James. "Cameron, get your mother fucking hands off her."
James's eyes lit up with the challenge and he gave her one last grin as if
he was about to enjoy the confrontation and took his hand from her face. He held his hands up indicating that he was no threat and turned to face an enraged Robert Thibodeaux. "Christ, man, calm down. She shot me down. Where's your off switch, dude?" The two men sized each other up and even though James was backing down from her, he made one last comment in retaliation. "Listen buddy, she doesn't want me, but she damn sure doesn't want you. The lady is dead set on keeping her status as single. I'm leaving." He looked once more at Renee. "You going to be okay with King Kong, here?"
Renee was too horrified to speak. She nodded her head once and watched James leave, sidestepping out of Robert's reach.
She came to her senses all at once and started to slam the door shut. A large hand and a booted foot stopped her. The door pushed open. She stepped back. "Get out of my house."
Bedded by the Boss Page 5
