by Marie Carnay
She took the glass with a smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He inched closer. “How was the limo ride? Did Gage take you on a tour of the Upper West Side?”
She focused on the liquor in her glass. “Not exactly. He did explain the reason for my assignment, though.”
Damn. Here he thought they had fucked. Holt drained the rest of his drink and set it on the coffee table. “And your thoughts?”
“I can’t decide if I should be disappointed or thankful.”
Holt ran his tongue over his lower lip. “I hope I can make up your mind.”
God, it had only been a few hours, but the more they talked the more Holt wanted her. Between the rise of her breasts as she took a breath, to the grip of her fingers around the glass—everything about Jess turned him on.
Her toes dug into the cream carpet and Holt resisted the urge to lay her down right there. The slick heat of her desire still lingered in his memory, her moans and gasps as she came from his hand still fresh in his ears.
Holt couldn’t wait to hear her scream his name.
She took a sip of the drink, lips pressing into the clear glass and filling Holt’s mind with visions of her mouth around his cock.
“So am I staying here tonight?”
The question dragged his thoughts back to the present. Where were his manners? “Yes. I’m sorry, my brother asked me to show you around, didn’t he?”
She nodded.
He stood up and offered his hand. “Come, let me give you a tour.”
JESS
No matter how hard she tried, making sense of the MacIntosh brothers proved impossible.
One minute they were kissing her senseless and touching her… everywhere. The next they were all business, asking about her job and giving a tour of their penthouse in the sky.
God, it wasn’t fair. Did billionaires come with an on-off switch? Did nerves of steel form after making the first hundred million?
Kitchen to dining room to bedrooms and bathrooms, Holt had paraded them through the apartment in record speed. Now they stood at the foot of the guest bed and Jess felt fourteen again.
She fidgeted with the hem of her dress. “Thanks for giving me the tour.”
“Your bags should be in the closet.” He pointed at an open door. “The bathroom is right through there. You can also access it through the hall.”
Jess nodded and hoped her disappointment stayed hidden.
“If there’s anything you need, just come find me.”
How about a kiss? A grope in the dark? Hell at this point, I’d take some heavy petting. She managed a smile. “Thanks. I will.”
After Holt disappeared from sight, Jess flopped down on the bed. How had it all deteriorated? Was Nicky Gordon that much of a buzzkill?
At least now she understood what all the fuss was about. They wanted their father’s company back. NNT was a means to an end. She was… Ugh.
Jess threw her hands out. I must be the worst kisser ever.
At least the bed was comfortable. With a groan, she rolled over onto her stomach and unzipped her dress. A night to catch up on beauty sleep, and she would start the next day lively and alert. The pants with the difficult zipper were a must.
She peeled off her dress and managed to drag herself off the bed when the view stopped her.
Oh, wow. Jess flicked off the light and stepped up to the glass. All of New York City spread out before her. Buildings. Cars. Streets. A dazzling array of lights that twinkled and glistened and turned the night into a shimmering oasis.
Her tiny apartment in Atlanta looked out over a gravel driveway and a dumpster. She didn’t even have a patio.
This was altogether different. Her fingers splayed out across the window as she leaned her forehead on the glass. As far as she could see, people touched the world.
Millions living in buildings just like the Winchester fanned out in all directions. How many were standing at windows marveling at the city?
Did Gage and Holt do that anymore? Did they see the beauty in their world?
“I should have knocked.” Holt’s voice made her jump. “I meant to tell you about the view.” Fingers on the small of her back made her gasp.
“What are you doing?”
“Something I shouldn’t.” The words echoed what his brother said earlier and Jess smiled. His fingers ran up her bare skin and splayed out across the clasp of her bra.
“Why not?”
“Gage is right. You’re here for an assignment. We should be professional.”
Jess focused on the street so far below. “Is that what you want?”
His lips grazed her ear. “I want to rip those panties off you and fuck you against the backdrop of New York.”
Oh my God. “What’s stopping you?”
His whisper lit her on fire. “You haven’t said yes.”
“What about Gage?”
“His loss.”
Holt leaned closer, body pressing tight against her back. The hard length of his erection ground into her ass and Jess rubbed against him. She couldn’t help it.
“What about the assignment?”
His hands inched up and around her sides to cup her breasts. With gentle pressure, he rolled and pinched her nipples through her bra.
“It goes forward as planned. You write an honest piece. NNT publishes it.”
She thought about Wendy and her words of encouragement, then Harvey and his pride in her work. Sleeping with Holt meant compromising her integrity.
Holt’s hands stroked her nipples until she ached. He touched her like he read her mind—hard then soft, quick then slow. Everything she wanted in a lover. Everything she needed.
Was Wendy right? Could she have a fling and stay honest? God, she didn’t know. Jess was a stranger in a new city with a man she barely knew. She could pretend for one night.
Integrity be damned.
“Yes.” The word slipped from her lips and Holt nuzzled her ear.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
“Yes!”
Holt spun her around and her ass hit the cool glass of the window. “That’s my girl.” His lips landed on hers and the fresh taste of vodka made her moan.
With a flick of his fingers, her bra unclasped and fell away. A tug from his thumbs and her panties hit the floor.
“You are spectacular.” He cupped her breasts, bouncing them in his palms before sinking to his knees. “The whole time my fingers were inside this delicious pussy of yours, I imagined my tongue there instead.”
Jess shuddered. No one ever spoke to her that way. So dirty and honest. Raw.
Holt stroked her breasts, sweeping his hands in arcs across her nipples as he trailed kisses down her belly. “Take your leg. Hold it up.”
“I’ll fall.”
“I’ll catch you.”
Jess lifted her leg in the air and hooked her arm beneath it. New York City glistened behind her as her back pressed against the glass. But Holt wasn’t looking at the city.
“Gorgeous.” He leaned forward and planted a kiss right on her clit. Jess sucked in a breath. His tongue darted out and lapped up her slick heat. “As sweet as I imagined.”
His hand slid behind her ass and before Jess said a word, Holt’s tongue commanded her silence. Up and down, over and around, he worked her. Diving in, pulling back, and turning her body to jelly.
Jess wasn’t a stranger to sexy fun—she had casually dated her way through college and the first few years at NNT. But this wasn’t sloppy kisses on a dance floor or a one-night stand with a guy only interested in his own satisfaction.
No.
Holt stroked her body with his fingers, running up and down her waist, over the hips she sometimes wished were smaller. No complaints. No rush into sex.
He worshiped her while New York buzzed and hummed hundreds of feet below. Jess closed her eyes and pushed all the doubts from her mind.
The world shrank in a slow-motion implosion. NNT, the assignment, the takeover of Mac
Intosh Hotels. Gone. Only Holt’s tongue and hands remained.
She arched her back and he groaned against her swollen skin.
“That’s it. Come for me, Jess. Let go.” Holt flicked his tongue against her clit and Jess obeyed.
The orgasm rushed through her, flooding her veins, obliterating all thought. White heat. Blinding pleasure. Her leg fell to the floor and Holt stood up, kissing her mouth with still-wet lips.
His hands ran up her sides and into her hair. “I can turn this assignment into your wildest fantasy, Jess. All you have to do is let me.”
Drunk on endorphins, Jess barely managed a smile. She lolled against the window as he stepped away and laughed. This had been the craziest day of her life.
After a moment, she reached for him. All she found was air. What? She opened her eyes. Holt was gone, but she wasn’t alone.
Gage stood in the open doorway, the pale light from the window falling across his face.
Her fingers flew to her lips. “How long have you been there?”
“You make the sexiest little noises when you come. Has anyone ever told you that?”
Chapter 11
GAGE
The shock on Jess's face made him grin. After brooding down the hall for too long, Gage had traipsed through the apartment, ready to apologize.
Billionaire or not, he knew when he’d crossed over into asshole territory. Yanking Jess out of the restaurant and pinning her to the limo seat certainly qualified.
Not the best first impression for a woman shaping the MacIntosh public persona. When Jess and his brother were nowhere to be found, he headed toward the bedrooms.
Halfway to the guest room, Gage had heard the sounds of sex. Thrill and jealousy flared as he approached. Intending to join in, he’d walked right into the room and stood still.
The view was worth enjoying.
A few minutes later, Holt barely acknowledged him before brushing past. Still hard feelings, Gage assumed.
They weren’t strangers to sharing a woman, but if Holt wasn’t interested, Gage could more than make up for it.
Jess took a step toward the bed and discarded clothes, but Gage reached them first. “Don’t. I want you this way.” Taking her by the hips, he tugged until her breasts grazed his chest.
“I didn’t mean to… I wasn’t…” The words fell away and Jess stared up into his face.
Gage leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “I’m jealous, I admit it. Does that turn you on?”
“It shouldn’t.”
“That’s not a no.” He trailed his fingers up her side, pausing to fondle her breast. So full and round with plenty of heft. He loved a good pair of tits.
Jess shifted her weight, tongue running over her lower lip before she spoke. “I don’t know the rules for this kind of thing.”
“There aren’t any. Just do what you want, when you want.” He rolled her nipple between his fingers until her whole body trembled. “Should I leave?”
“No.”
“Then I won’t.” Gage spread her legs with a nudge of his knee and slipped his free hand between her thighs. So wet. “Holt did an excellent job. You’re soaked.” He coated his fingers and brought them to his lips.
“It’s only fair I get a taste.” Her eyes widened as he sucked his fingers clean. “So sweet.”
Tentatively, she reached for his buttons, pausing at the first one. “I don’t want to be the only one naked.”
Gage smiled. So assertive and then so shy. Jess had so many layers.
Her fingers struggled and Gage closed his hand over hers. “Let me.” One at a time, he slipped the buttons of his shirt free.
The crisp white cotton fell off his shoulders and Jess reached for his bare skin, fingers trailing across his chest. Feather soft. Sexy as hell. Damn.
In seconds, Gage removed the rest of his clothes and they were on equal ground. Stripped bare and exposed. Ready for anything.
He kissed her lips and dragged her close, his cock digging into soft flesh as he grabbed her bare ass.
So thick and juicy. He squeezed and she groaned. He ran his hands up her back and she sank to her knees.
“What are you doing?”
She licked her lips and reached for his cock. “Come now Mr. Billionaire, you’ve seen this before.”
“You don’t—”
Her fingers stroked his shaft. “No. You might be the boss in business, but you don’t get to call all the shots in the bedroom. Not like this.”
Gage’s dick throbbed in her hand. What an enigma. “You’re more trouble than I realized.”
“Then you didn’t do your research.” She opened her mouth on a smile before slipping over his tip and gliding down his shaft. Oh, fuck. The woman meant it.
Down and up, up and down. Hands and fingers and tongue. Lips and throat. She sucked his dick like a melting popsicle, all speed and spit, lube and pressure.
Most women started out timid and unsure. Not Jess. She came in hot and stayed there, working him right to the edge before backing off. Damn.
How did they luck into her?
Gage slipped his hands through her hair, pulling the honeyed strands off her face as she took him deep. Another inch and she convulsed around him. Yes, baby. Just like that.
Again and again she stroked and sucked and bobbed her head. Struggling against the building pressure, Gage tried to hold off, but Jess refused to slow down. He wasn’t the one in control.
Her hand slipped down to fondle his balls and Gage groaned. The orgasm ripped through him and he released in a burst down her throat. It was over too soon.
God. Gage staggered, falling into the chair behind him with a thud. “You’re incredible.”
Jess swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Thanks.” After scooping up her underwear, she breezed by the chair.
“Where are you going?”
“First to the bathroom and then to bed.”
Gage twisted in the chair to face her. “We’re not done here.”
“You don’t call all the shots, remember?” She flounced toward the bathroom. “Tell Holt that next time, it’s his turn.”
The door shut and the lock turned. Gage stared with his mouth wide open. Jess gave him a blow job and expected nothing in return.
His cock pulsed between his legs. No woman had walked out like that before. Ordinarily, a woman wouldn't leave until exhaustion came calling. But Jessica Woodson rushed past him with a wicked smile and a bounce in her step.
Gage grabbed his clothes and tugged them on. Jess was right about one thing. There would be a next time. He would guarantee it.
Chapter 12
JESS
Thick cotton. Her mouth was stuffed with it. Jess rolled over, arm flailing out as she pried open her eyes.
Her bed wasn’t this soft… what on earth? It all came back in a rush. Holt on his knees… The skyline of New York… Gage’s salty tang of release.
Oh my God. Jess bolted out of bed in a panic. The room stood as empty as it had when she’d lost herself in the view of the city. Only now light poured in the same windows and instead of black underwear, she sported a lovely bruise where Holt had gripped her thigh.
Just the sight sent a wave of pleasure coursing through her. What a night. She scampered to the dresser and dug her phone out of her purse.
Please answer, please.
“Hey, sunshine! How are you?”
Thank God. “Panicking, slightly nauseous.” She grabbed her toiletry case and hustled into the bathroom. “I need your help.”
She practically heard the eye roll across the line. “Let me guess, you turned the assignment down? Jess, I mean really, I thought we’d—”
Jess cut her off. “Holt has magic fingers and I might have done that thing with my tongue to Gage.”
The shriek on the other end of the phone made her head throb. She held the phone out at arm’s length until Wendy ran out of breath.
“Why are you calling? Shouldn’t you be draped
all over them like butter on a croissant?”
Jess looked up at her reflection in the mirror. Streaked mascara. Major bed head. “I think I made a mistake.”
“Did you only orgasm twice or something?”
Jess counted in her head. “That’s not the point!” She cupped her hand around her mouth and the phone. “My bosses saw me naked! We did… naughty things!”
“I don’t hear a problem.”
Jess turned on the faucet and splashed the cold water on her face. “I’m supposed to be impartial. Unbiased. This is why I’ve never wanted to be a reporter. I’ve gone and messed everything up.”
Wendy tsked her. “Stop freaking out. This isn’t some life-or-death investigative piece. It’s a bio on a pair of billionaires. What you do with them in your off hours doesn’t matter.”
If only. “This piece matters to them, Wendy. If I write something less than favorable…” It would crush them.
“Any reason you would?”
Jess glanced at her reflection. “Not yet.”
“Then you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Why don’t I feel any better?”
“Because you’re hiding out in the guest room instead of chasing down the two hot guys you’re staying with for three weeks.”
Her best friend had a point. Nothing bad had happened. Yet. Jess smiled. “Thanks, Wendy.”
“You’re welcome. Now go get them. You’ve only got a few weeks, so make it count.”
Jess set her phone on the counter. She could have some sexy fun with a pair of bachelors for a while. At the end of it, she’d write her story, go back home, and get on with her life.
No strings attached. Just how she liked it.
She slipped on the fluffy white robe hanging on the wall behind her, smoothed her hair, and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
Their low voices carried down the hall and Jess paused before entering the kitchen. Laughter was promising.
She exhaled and stepped into the room.
“Well, if it isn’t Sleeping Beauty.”
She blamed her blush on the compliment. “Good morning.”
Gage checked his watch. “Afternoon, to be exact. You’ve slept the morning away.”
