“You may want me, but are you sure I want you?” It was all she could do to keep her tone nonchalant.
“Oh, yes.” He kneaded her neck and shoulder muscles with a firm, even grip. “What do you like to be called?”
“Kate.” It came out in a sigh as she allowed him to pull her back against his muscled thighs, and she felt his rough jeans through the thin silk of her dress. It surprised her that he was wearing jeans, unlike the other TLC employees she had seen, and they felt coarse and somehow exciting rubbing through the silk.
She started to relax as his talented fingers massaged her tense muscles. He stopped his ministrations and commanded, “Stand, but keep looking straight ahead.”
Kate felt compelled to comply. Almost as if there was a kind of wild magic in his voice designed to peel away her inhibitions. When she was standing, she felt him move the settee, and then he was directly behind her. Fingers brushed her neck, along the clasp of her dress, and her heart jumped. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Checking to see how easily your dress comes off,” he murmured. “I can’t wait to find out what you look like under this red silk.”
She stiffened, clenching her hands so tight at her sides that her crimson-polished fingernails dug into the flesh of her palms. Yet at the same time her panties grew damp at the thought of this stranger with the sexy voice and sensual touch stripping her completely bare. She raised her chin and tried to turn, but he took her by her upper arms and kept her still.
“Don’t move.” The man rubbed his rough hands over her shoulders, down to her forearms and up again in a slow, mind-bending movement. What would it feel like to have those hands everywhere on my body? As he gripped both her shoulders he kissed the curve of her neck, his lips warm and firm.
Could she dare to hope that sex would be different with this man? Because of her career, men always expected her to be aggressive, like some kind of carnal Dominatrix in bed. They had no idea what she was really like.
“Come with me now.” He continued caressing her as he spoke. “I can’t wait to feel your heat, Kate.”
“You–” She took a deep breath, her voice trembling from sheer excitement and arousal. “You’re amazingly overconfident.”
He gave a soft laugh, and ran his fingers from her shoulders, down her sides, toward the hem of her thigh-high dress. “Why don’t I slide my fingers under that sexy little number you’re wearing,” he said, “and find out just how overconfident I am?”
“In front of everybody?” She tried to pull away, but his strong arms caught her waist. He kept her pinned, pulling her flush against his solid length.
“Someone would see,” she hissed. “This is business.”
“Look around.” His warm breath teasing her skin. “I doubt anyone would care.”
Kate had been so wrapped up in her mystery man that everything else around her had ceased to exist. She blinked, and the room came back into focus. The show was over, and the crowd had apparently moved down to the Ballroom for the dinner. “Sure you don’t want to join them?” Nick said close to her ear, and she shivered again.
“Ah,” Kate licked her lips. “I haven’t eaten.”
“Neither have I.” His hands encircled her waist. “It’s time to go eat. And you’re dessert.”
Panic erupted in Kate. “I—I need to find Cheryl. The show—”
“Show’s over.” His hands burned through the silk of her dress, and she could barely focus on his words. “Cheryl reserved a suite for you with room service. She figured you’d be starving after all this excitement.”
Before she had a chance to respond, Nick grabbed her firmly, picking her up. She let out a small shriek as he flipped her, and flung her over one of his broad shoulders in a fireman’s hold. She clenched her hands in his black T-shirt and clung to him as though he might drop her. “What are you doing?”
His voice rumbled. “Going someplace a little more private.”
“Who do you think you are?” Kate pummeled against his iron muscles with one hand and held on for dear life with the other. “King of the Jungle?”
He laughed and started walking. “Something like that.”
From her upside down position, Kate spotted Cheryl who had opened the door and stuck in her head.
“He’s a little untamed,” Cheryl said with a grin before Kate could beg for help. “Just hang on for the ride of your life. The show was terrific, tons of orders. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Hang on for the ride of your life, tons of orders, Cheryl’s voice repeated in Kate’s mind as Nick carried her out of sight from the showroom. It was now or never. Shameless, no inhibitions whatsoever.
As he carted her away, he rubbed her thighs through the thin silk of her dress. From her vantage point all she could see was his snug black T-shirt, black jean-clad ass, corded thighs, and the rich burgundy carpet beneath his booted feet. He’d turned her so quickly she hadn’t gotten more than a glimpse of his chestnut-brown hair. She’d always had a thing for men in black. Especially a man with brown hair, and a deep, sexy voice. A man who was dark and dangerous.
Nick Hall’s cock throbbed as he carried Kate over his shoulder, his jeans so tight with arousal he could barely walk straight. He’d gotten off his shift late after fighting a fire on West 55th Street, and hadn’t had time to shower or change yet.
Not to mention the aftereffects of the adrenaline rush that had pumped through him while fighting the fire was making him hornier than hell.
For over a year now Nick had been employed at TLC, meeting clients on his days off New York City’s fire department, the FDNY. He’d started working off hours to earn enough extra cash to help pay off his sister’s kidney transplant. It wouldn’t be long until the last bill was paid, and he would make the decision to stay or not.
He enjoyed pleasuring women and making their fantasies come true, and he found the work almost as fulfilling as the FDNY. Of course, another advantage of working for TLC was that here, he never got burned. After fighting this last fire, Nick figured he’d take a shower before beginning his “shift” at TLC. But when he walked past the showroom, the doors had been open just long enough for him to catch a glimpse of her, looking like a holiday poinsettia.
Kate.
When Nick arrived at the employee lounge, Cheryl’s assistant, Tessa, handed him the key card to the tropical island room. She’d told him Cheryl had someone special she wanted him to take care of, the famous lingerie designer.
The minute Nick had spotted Kate; he knew she had to be the one. She was flat-out gorgeous, in a girl-next-door kind of way, when the girl next door decided to go out on the town. Her generous curves were dying to be stroked, her full breasts straining through the silk fabric, needing to be licked and sucked. The sun-streaked blonde hair piled up in a French twist just begged to be set free.
She’d held her chin high as she’d surveyed the room, confidence and self-assurance in her pose yet she clenched her hands so tightly in her lap her knuckles were white. A woman who needed to let go, and be turned loose. His favorite good deed was rescuing damsels in distress. And he was the right man to make every one of her desires come true. Something about her had stirred something deep and primal in him, something territorial. He’d pushed his way into the room, straight toward his conquest, never once doubting he’d have her.
He smiled as he carried Kate, running his hand up her stocking clad thigh, and beneath her short skirt until he reached bare flesh. Damn, she’s wearing garters. “Can’t wait to see what you look like only wearing these.”
“I can walk all by myself, you know.”
Nick rounded a corner to the elevators. As he punched the Up button, he couldn’t help but admire Kate’s curvy butt in the reflection of the polished metal doors. When the elevator doors opened, he stepped inside and poked the button for the fifth floor. She was going to love where he was taking her.
“Really you can let me go, Tarzan. Between hanging upside down and your Neanderthal tactics, I�
��m getting a little lightheaded.”
As the elevator hummed toward the fifth floor, Nick stroked the inside of Kate’s thigh, moving up until he reached the hem of her satin panties. “Shaved or trimmed?” he asked just as the bell dinged.
Kate audibly caught her breath before she answered. “You’ll just have to find out.”
With a grin, Nick pulled a key out of his pocket and strode up to the door of the tropical island suite. The door swung open into one of the most exotic rooms in TLC. He eased into the dimly lit foyer, and let the door slam shut behind him.
Slowly Nick let her slide from his shoulder, her body rasping against his, until she was standing in the circle of his arms. Her heart-shaped face tilted up, her full lips slightly parted, just begging to be kissed, and he gazed down into her endlessly deep, dark brown eyes. Well, hell. He’d always been a sucker for brown-eyed blondes.
Kate struggled to think clearly as she looked up at the man who’d claimed her like a jungle warrior. It was him. The man from the portfolio. In reality Nick was beyond drop-dead gorgeous. Built like a pro-body builder, he was well over six feet of solid muscle.
His black T-shirt stretched over a massive chest, his hair was thick and slightly mussed, his features strong and chiseled. Something black smudged his cheek, and she couldn’t resist reaching up to wipe it away. As she brushed his skin, she felt his stubble coarse against her fingertips. His earthy scent surrounded her, filled her, along with that smoky odor. Nothing like tobacco, more of a deep woodsy campfire smell that somehow made him more exciting.
“Is this a battle scar?” She moved her fingertips down Nick’s cheek to his jaw, where a scar showed white against his stubbled jaw. “From some macho display of might, I suppose.”
He smiled, his teeth white against the tanned skin of his face. “All in the line of duty, Miss.”
She trailed her finger down to the cleft in his chin. “Do you always throw women over your shoulder and carry them away?”
“Only beautiful blondes with brown eyes and sun-kissed hair.” He captured her hand and brought it to his mouth, and she shivered as he pressed his lips against her palm. “And only if they’re named Kate.”
A soft moan escaped her as he moved his firm mouth to her wrist and took a deep breath. “Honeysuckle,” he murmured.
Her nipples ached for those lips, she wanted to feel him driving into her, filling her and… “I want you, Nick.”
He rose up and gave her a slow and sensual smile. “No, sweetheart.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh?”
“Not until I say you’re ready.”
Kate gave him the “don’t mess with me” look she reserved for her toughest suppliers when they weren’t cooperating. “I say I’m ready now.”
Nick shook his head and stroked his thumb along her jaw as he spoke, “You’ll have to trust me. I know what you need.”
Heat flushed through Kate, warming her from head to toe at the possessive, confident tone of his voice. “And that is?”
“A man who will make all your fantasies come true.” He moved his thumb across her lips. “A man who won’t be intimidated. A man who can teach you to surrender.” Her eyes widened. She started to protest but he pressed his hand over her mouth. “Don’t lie to me, Kate.” He leaned close and whispered in her ear. “Inside you’ve imagined what it would be like to be dominated, haven’t you? To submit to a man, sexually, in every way.”
Kate closed her eyes, trembling with raw passion as Nick voiced the fantasy she’d never told a soul. Only in her imagination, when she was using one of her assorted vibrators, had she allowed that fantasy to come alive.
“Say it.” He nipped at her lobe, dark passion in his demand. “Tell me you’ll submit to everything and anything I ask of you.”
Her lips trembled and she hesitated before saying, “I’m afraid.”
“Open your eyes,” he commanded. Kate complied and stared up into his aqua gaze. “You’ll have a safe word,” he said in that even, definitive voice. “If you’re uncomfortable with anything I demand of you, then say ‘fire’ and I’ll stop immediately. All right?”
She nodded, the tempo of her heartbeat increasing. Oh, she was on fire all right.
“I won’t give you more than you can handle—but you might think I will. Test yourself, Kate.” He hooked his finger under her chin, the current between them wild and electric. “Submit to me.”
How could she trust a man she barely knew? But, as she looked into his eyes she felt entirely safe and protected. The strength and control evident in his expression, the sureness of his touch added to that sense of security. And after all, all this was only fantasy, and she could get out any time she wanted to by saying, “fire.” And god, how she wanted him.
“Yes, Master.” The word just slipped out as she fell into the playful domination.
“Mmm,” Nick brushed his lips over hers. “That’s a good girl.”
Opening her mouth to him, he pulled away. When she gave him a disappointed frown, the corner of his mouth quirked. Then, he stepped back, flicked a switch on the wall behind him, and the room literally came to life.
Kate gasped as she absorbed her surroundings, then moved away from Nick, her heels wobbling as she walked down a series of stone steps leading to a large pool at the room’s very center. Palm trees, ferns and other tropical plants filled the area, so dense that she couldn’t see any walls.
Even the canopy of branches above was so thick the ceiling was obscured with only gentle ‘sunlight’ seeping through. Orchids in muted hues grew in clusters, their sweet perfume lending a heady fragrance to the air. Red, yellow, and orange hibiscus blooms splashed across the landscape.
A soft rainforest mist had begun to fall, the moisture dampening her silk dress, blending with the sweat of her excitement, and the fabric clung to her like a second skin. Lilies and lily pads floated on top of the pool’s crystalline green surface, stirred by the current caused from a small waterfall at one end. The whisper of the waterfall blended with the other jungle noises. She smiled. In a room like this, a woman could be anyone. Do anything. Do...everything.
“Like it?”
She jumped at the sound of his voice so close behind her. She’d been so lost absorbing everything in the room that she hadn’t heard him approach. “It’s gorgeous.” She turned and found herself in his embrace. “I love it. This must be like Christmas Island sung by the Andrews Sisters.”
“With Guy Lombardo,” Nick added with a grin. “1949.”
She smiled. “I always wanted to go to the tropics for Christmas. Get out of all this snow.”
He grinned. “Now’s your opportunity.”
She laughed. “And I intend to enjoy every moment of it.”
“After we’ve had a bath, we’ll enjoy a little room service.” His look became dark and dangerous as he released her. “But now strip, wench.”
A thrill coursed through Kate and her clit throbbed. Wench, eh? Well, she could be that. She could be anyone. And she’d do everything. And she’d give this arrogant bastard a strip show he’d not soon forget.
Smiling, she moved her palms up her hips, along the curve of her waist and over the swell of her breasts. His gaze followed her hands, and she had to hold back a laugh at the pained expression on his handsome face.
Satisfaction filled her, realizing she held as much power over him as he held over her. Maybe more. If he was turned on by the mere idea of her designing erotic fashions, then how could she disappoint?
Nick’s muscles tensed beneath his snug T-shirt and he clenched his fists to hold himself back from reaching out and ripping Kate’s clothing off her delectable body.
“Faster,” he demanded, his voice hoarse with his desire for this woman. “I have to see you.”
With movements he knew were designed to drive him out of his mind, she brought her hands around to the back of her dress and he heard the soft hum of a zipper. A sensual spark lit her brown eyes and she moved her hands from her back to
the clasp at her neck. Her eyes focused on him as she eased the clasp of her silk dress apart. In achingly slow motion, she brought the top of her dress down to the swell of her breasts and stopped.
He swallowed hard. In a rough voice he commanded, “Drop it.”
She released her hold on the fabric and the crimson fell around her high heels.
Nick sucked in his breath as his gaze traveled down her body. Her breasts were large, the deep rose nipples peeking through the delicate red lace of her bra. Her scrap of panties barely covered her mound, and damn but she looked sexy in those black garters, sheer stockings and lipstick-red high heels.
“Come here.” He gestured to the grass directly in front of him.
Her breasts strained against the skimpy bra as she stepped out of the pool of fabric and moved forward. He only wished those gorgeous breasts would bust loose so he could touch and taste them now instead of drawing out the torture.
“Here?” Kate stopped so close to him that he felt her body heat and caught the scent of her arousal. She ran her tongue along her lower lip and added, “Master.”
Nick reached up and slid his fingers along her jaw, feeling the tiny tremors in her body as his hand continued over her ear and to the back of her head. He removed the clip and her blonde hair tumbled around her shoulders, giving her a sexy just-got-out of bed look. He tossed the clip onto her abandoned dress, and then raked his fingers through her hair. Honey silk, soft and luxurious.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured.
Kate turned her cheek into his palm, her gaze lowered. “Do you get paid to say things like that?”
He clenched his hand in her hair and gently pulled her head back until her brown eyes met his. “I say it like I see it. Got a problem with that, sweetheart?”
She licked her lips. “No.”
“Good.” He brought his mouth to Kate’s, gently brushing her moistened lips and then pulled away. “You’re one incredibly sexy woman, and it’s time you realized that.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
His hand still clenched in her hair, he drew her closer and nipped at her lower lip. She moaned, placing her palms against his chest, her hands burning him through the T-shirt. He crushed his lips against hers, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Tasting, devouring, demanding everything she had to offer.
Bad Boy Christmas: Box Set Page 5
