by Tawna Fenske
Holly reached out and pressed a hand into the mattress. “Very nice. It seems a little firm, though.”
“It does feel that way, doesn’t it?” Ben murmured and watched the tips of Holly’s ears turn pink.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find it’s just perfect if you lie down on it,” Gloria said. She bounced her palms against the mattress a couple times in illustration. “Would you like to try it out?”
Ben turned to Holly. “How about it, honey? Want to lie down with me?”
Holly looked up at him, her eyes bright and beautiful and a little wild. “Yes, please.”
Holly eased herself down on the bed, conscious of the fact that Ben was doing the same thing on the opposite side. This was probably a bad idea, but she couldn’t recall exactly why. She could feel his weight moving the mattress beneath her, and the scent of his aftershave was making her dizzy with desire. His body was big and hard and warm and so close she could reach out and touch him.
“Heavenly, isn’t it?”
Gloria beamed down at her, and Holly remembered why reaching out and touching Ben probably wasn’t a good idea right now.
“Yes, it’s very nice,” she agreed, stretching up to grab a pillow. Ben reached for it at the same time, and his fingers brushed hers, making all the nerves in her arm sizzle.
He smiled and let go of the pillow and grabbed her hand instead. He gave a soft squeeze she knew was probably meant to be comforting, but it just left her thinking about how badly she wanted his hands all over her body.
“What do you think, honey?” he asked. “Could you see us sleeping together in this every night?”
God, yes. Sleeping and kissing and touching and—
“No!” She hadn’t meant to say the word out loud, and she felt idiotic for doing it. But her brain had latched tightly to her own memory of happily-ever-after fantasies and how that whole mess had turned out last time.
Ben was giving her a perplexed look, so Holly softened her voice and tried again. “I just mean I can’t picture it yet, because we’re on the wrong sides. That’s my side of the bed, remember?”
“Right, of course,” Ben said, grinning as he rolled closer. “Let’s fix that.”
He moved over the top of her, and Holly felt her breath catch in her throat. His hand brushed the edge of her breast as she scooted out of the way, moving into the spot that was still warm from his body heat.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much.” Holly licked her lips, trying to get some air in her lungs. She saw Ben’s gaze fall to her mouth, and he shifted a little on the bed. His leg bumped hers, sending another pulse of electricity through her body. He let go of her hand and slid his palm to her hip. It was an innocent enough gesture, and totally in character for a supposedly married couple out bed shopping on a Saturday afternoon.
So why did it leave her breathless with the urge to take off her clothes?
“Does it come in other finishes?” Ben asked. “I like this color, but my wife tends to prefer lighter hues.”
“You know, that’s an excellent question,” Gloria said. “The cherry has been our most popular option, but we just got a new catalog yesterday. I haven’t even opened it yet, but I can go take a look to see if they’ve released some new finishes.”
“That would be great,” Ben said, his hand still on Holly’s hip.
She watched as Gloria scurried away, conscious of Ben’s chest mere inches from her face. She could feel his breath rustling her hair, and the curve of his palm around her hip left his fingers grazing the edge of her backside.
“How am I doing?”
Holly blinked and turned her attention back to Ben. “What?”
“With my charming, assertive CEO persona?” He lifted his hand from her hip and reached up to brush a strand of hair from her cheek, his eyes dancing with amusement. He rested his hand on the bed between them, leaving Holly aching for his touch. “Am I pulling it off effectively?”
“Oh. Yes, yes of course.” She’d almost forgotten the reason for their visit. Right, she was supposed to be coaching him. She’d do that any minute now. If she could just stop thinking about his leg brushing hers, the swell of his bicep under that gloriously soft shirt, the zipper on his trousers that would be so easy to tug down and—
“Any tips?” he asked. “Anything you want me to be doing that I’m not?”
Touching me. Kissing me. Stroking me.
“No. I think you’re nailing it.” She swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure. “You’ve definitely improved your CEO charisma.”
“I’m not laying it on too thick?”
“Nope. Not too thick. Not at all.”
God, she sounded like a moron. She should come up with something intelligent to say. “You’re doing a great job holding eye contact. With Gloria, I mean.”
“And with you.”
She wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement, but she nodded anyway. “Yes. With me.”
“I’ve been trying to work on it. I never noticed how much I avoided eye contact until you pointed it out.”
His gaze was locked on hers, unblinking. She knew he probably didn’t mean to give her a smoldering look, but that’s what it felt like. Chemistry, is that what he’d called it? Whatever it was crackling between them was making Holly dizzy.
“Your posture has been perfect, too,” she said. “I mean, not right now—”
“No, probably not at the moment.” He smiled. “I can’t recall you giving me any tips on how a CEO should conduct himself on a bed.”
“Right. Um, I think you’re doing pretty well figuring it out on your own.”
She could feel her hands shaking as liquid heat pooled in her belly and moved down. She wanted him to touch her again. She needed him to touch her again.
“Thanks for the feedback,” Ben said. “You know, I think there’s one more thing I could be doing to solidify our ruse and really demonstrate my assertiveness.”
“What’s that?”
“This.”
Ben threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled her close, his lips finding hers. He kissed her softly at first, then with more intensity as his knee brushed hers and his hand slid from her hair to the nape of her neck.
Holly moaned and kissed him back, her palm finding its place in the hollow of his chest. His mouth was warm and soft and he was kissing her so exquisitely she couldn’t see straight. She closed her eyes and slipped two fingers between the buttons on his shirt, aching to feel his skin against her fingertips.
He made a sound low in his throat and deepened the kiss. His palm slid lower, brushing the side of her breast, the dip in her waist, the curve of her hip—
“Looks like it comes in honey!”
Holly jerked back, breaking the kiss and possibly Ben’s eyeglasses. “Who comes in honey?”
He reached up to adjust his glasses as Gloria skimmed a finger over a page in her catalog. She kept her gaze down for a few more beats, and Holly said a silent thank you—for her discretion or her cluelessness, she wasn’t quite sure. Holly leaned back to put a little space between her and Ben, but she could still feel him everywhere.
“The bed,” Gloria said. “In addition to the cherry finish, the manufacturer just started making it in honey. Here’s a sample.”
She held out the catalog, and Ben leaned forward to peer at the picture. His shoulder brushed her breast, and Holly nearly bolted off the bed as a fresh wave of pleasure coursed through her.
“It’s beautiful,” he said. “What do you think, dear?”
“I think it’s amazing.”
“Shall we do it?”
She looked at him, half expecting to see a teasing glint in his eye. But there was nothing teasing in his expression. She saw a flicker of her own reflection in his glasses, and she realized she wore the same look of desire she was seeing now in his gaze.
Something clicked inside her. She was done fighting it. All her energy was consumed with wanting him, and she didn’t
have the strength to keep pretending otherwise. So what if this wouldn’t last? She wasn’t living in the future. She was living in the present. And she wanted him now.
“Yes,” Holly said, taking a deep breath. “We should do it.”
Ben nodded, his gaze locked on hers. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Her voice sounded breathy and high, and she wasn’t entirely sure they were talking about the same thing. But she was about to find out.
“Give her your credit card,” she said. “And let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Twelve
It didn’t take Holly long to get the answer to her question, mostly because Ben had the wherewithal to ask on his own.
“Just to be clear, are you suggesting we have sex?” One massive palm gripped the steering wheel as he merged onto the freeway.
The other hand caressed her knee, sending goose bumps up Holly’s leg. She nodded, too turned on to speak, only dimly aware that he probably couldn’t see the gesture with his gaze fixed on the road.
“I just want to be sure,” he said. “Because I don’t always pick up on all the social cues, so I want to be absolutely, positively certain—”
“Yes,” Holly said, surprised by the breathlessness in her own voice. “I want you, you want me, and I’m tired of fighting it. Take the next exit, please.”
“Where are we going?” His hand moved a fraction of an inch up her thigh, and Holly nearly moaned with pleasure.
“You don’t have a bed, and my place is too far away. There’s a hotel right up there and it seems like the surest way to have you inside me within five minutes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned and slid his hand further up her thigh. “And this is why you’re well-qualified to coach me on assertiveness. You’re a woman who knows what she wants.”
“I think you’ve mastered a few things yourself, Mr. CEO.” She watched his hand slide further up her thigh as he pushed her skirt up higher.
“Yes, but a little hands-on experience is always valuable if I’m really going to get behind the issue for some strategic interplay.”
She grinned, pretty sure this was the first time anyone had attempted to use business jargon as a seduction tool. “I think I can slot you in.”
“Excellent. I’d like to touch base on the liquidity of your assets as soon as possible.”
He shoved her skirt higher and Holly let her legs fall apart. Ben accepted the invitation, his fingers grazing the satin center of her panties, and Holly heard herself gasp.
“God yes!” she gasped, pressing against his fingertips. “Right there.”
Ben smiled, his gaze still on the road, his fingers slipping beneath the elastic of her panties. She felt him dip inside her and knew from the way his finger slid and glided that she was already slick with desire. That he’d been the one to make her that way. His moan confirmed it.
“God, you’re wet,” he said. “Take these off.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. She looped her fingers under the elastic at her hips, yanking the panties off and tossing them into her purse at her feet. Ben wasted no time claiming her again, his fingers slipping inside her as he steered the car onto the off-ramp. One hand worked the turn signal. The other worked Holly’s clit, circling and stroking until she cried out with pleasure.
She threw her head back against the seat, aching to have more than his fingers inside her this time. She pressed against his hand, forcing his digits deeper as he screeched into the parking lot of a high-rise hotel.
Ben braked in a parking spot, then drew his hand back and kissed her hard. “Wait here,” he said as he undid his seat belt.
Holly nodded and crossed her legs as he threw open the car door and sprinted for the hotel lobby. She watched him go, smoothing her hair down with hands that wouldn’t stop shaking. She barely had time to undo her own seat belt before Ben was back at the car and yanking her door open. “Come on. We’ve got a room on the eighth floor, which means I can use the elevator ride to get most of your clothes off.”
She let him pull her to her feet, electrified by his touch. They raced to the hotel’s side door, pulling each other along as they headed for the bank of elevators.
“This way.” Ben gripped her hand tighter as he pulled her into the elevator after him and hit the button for the eighth floor. Then he turned and pushed her up against the wall. “Where were we?” he murmured.
“You were kissing me. And touching me. And using business jargon to get me hot.”
“Right. I think I was dipping my pen in the company ink.”
“Christ, yes,” she gasped as his hand found its way under her skirt again, and Holly thanked her lucky stars she hadn’t bothered putting her panties back on. His fingers slipped inside her as she braced herself on the handrail. Her palms were damp with sweat and she lost her grip, but Ben held her up, pinning her against the wall. He was completely in control, just like she’d coached him.
She was equally thrilled and terrified.
“Is this what they mean by market penetration?” she groaned as his fingers slid deep inside her.
“Absolutely,” he said as he slid his finger out and then in again. “We need to really drill down on the issue.”
“I believe it requires some deep analysis.”
Holly let go of the rail to caress one hand up his back. The other hand found its way to the front of his trousers and she moaned aloud at the hardness she found there. “Are your assets expanding, or are you just happy to see me?”
“I’m really fucking happy to see you,” he breathed against her neck as he kissed her there, then worked his way down. “God, Holly, I want you. I want to taste you and touch you and feel myself sliding inside you.”
“I accept that offer.” Everything inside her buzzed with energy, and she almost couldn’t believe she was about to have him for real.
The elevator doors swished open, and Ben stepped in front of her, shielding her from prying eyes. She smoothed her hands over her hair, nodding to the elderly couple that stood frowning beside the elevator. Ben turned and grabbed her hand, pulling her along behind him.
“Sir. Ma’am,” he said. “Lovely afternoon.”
Holly stifled a giggle as he tugged her down the hall. She could hear the old woman tittering behind her.
“Did you see that—”
The words faded behind them as Ben shoved the key card into the slot on the door. He pushed it open, then took off his glasses. Tossing them on a table by the door, he turned back to Holly. He didn’t bother with lights as he pulled her inside, kicking the door shut behind them.
“Are you up for some collaborative interface?”
“I should be able to fit you in and seal the deal for good.”
Her voice was high and tight and she was running out of business jargon and working brain cells. She twined her fingers around his neck as their mouths collided in a kiss so fierce it uncoiled something dark and primal inside her. Ben walked her backward toward the bed, holding her upright and not breaking the kiss as his hands moved over her back, her ribs, her neck.
Holly felt the back of her legs bump the bed as his hands moved to her hips. Then he cupped her ass, and she gave a squeak of surprise as he lifted her off the ground and tossed her back onto the bed. He fell with her, pinning her beneath all that lovely, solid weight.
He broke the kiss to gaze into her eyes. “Last chance. You sure?”
“Positive. Kiss me again.”
“I’ll take direction from you any day.” He claimed her mouth as she clawed at his shirt, tugging it free from his pants. She slid her palms over his newly bared flesh, enjoying the flex of muscle in his lower back. Ben was still kissing her silly, his mouth exploring the edge of her jawbone, the tip of her chin, the soft hollow behind her ear. One of his hands slipped beneath her, unhooking her bra through her shirt as though he’d done it a million times before. She moaned as her breasts slipped free of the underwire, and his palm slid around to cup one, his thumb
grazing her nipple.
Holly clutched at his belt, needing more. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, to know the intimate weight of his chest pressing her into the bedspread. She skimmed her hands up his body, bringing them to rest on his chest. She pushed against him, and Ben broke the kiss. She seized the chance to grab hold of his tie, her fingers fumbling with the knot at the top.
“The downside of being a CEO,” he murmured, laughing as she tugged at the necktie in frustration. “It takes a lot less effort to remove pajama pants.”
“I’m about two seconds from chewing through this damn tie.”
“Allow me.”
Ben worked the knot free while Holly marveled at how quickly he’d managed to master the unfamiliar accessory. The man was a fast learner, she had to admit. She reached up and began slipping buttons through their holes, stripping him down to a plain white undershirt. He tossed his tie aside and went back to kissing her, marking a burning path of lip prints down her throat and into the hollow between her breasts. Holly shoved the sleeves of his dress shirt off his shoulders, her fingertips lingering on the curve of his biceps.
He had her skirt hiked up over her hips again, and she wrapped her legs around him, pressing herself into the bulge in the front of his slacks. She arched her hips to grind against him, wanting more.
Ben drew back again, angling himself up on his forearms. “How about we expedite negotiations with some synergistic processing?”
“Say what?”
He grinned. “Let’s take our shirts off on the count of three.”
“Deal.”
“Three, two—”
Holly yanked her top off, not willing to wait the extra second. She tossed the garment aside and shrugged off her bra, thrilled to see Ben shirtless and gloriously bare-chested before her.
“Very efficient,” she said. “The mark of a good CEO.”
“You should see what I can do with a spreadsheet.”
She laughed as his lips found hers again and his bare chest pressed against hers. He had a light dusting of chest hair, and the feel of it against her nipples was exquisite. She moved her hands down his back, savoring every inch of muscle and bone as Ben kissed his way down her throat and between her breasts. His mouth found her nipple and Holly cried out.
