“What?” he asked gruffly, noting her hesitation.
She smiled as her fingers went to his shirt and started undoing the buttons one by one. “Just thinking about all the interesting things we could do with that very conservative tie. Things that would make your constituents gasp.”
“The only person I want gasping is you,” he growled as she added his dress shirt to the pile of discarded clothes.
Robert reached for the belt of her trench once more, and again she pushed his hands away. “Uh-uh. We’re not done here.” She ran a hand over his chest, now covered only by the thin fabric of his white undershirt.
Narrowing his eyes, he reached behind his head and tugged off the T-shirt in one smooth motion.
Addie reached out again, an unintentional purring sound escaping her as her palm met the firm planes of his chest, the soft scrape of his chest hair.
This time it was her hands that were shoved away when she reached for her belt.
“My turn,” he said.
She didn’t move away when his hands found the knot of her coat, holding his gaze the entire time, even as the sides of the jacket fell open.
“You’re beautiful,” he said quietly.
Addie smiled in feminine pleasure that he appreciated her efforts, but her smile slipped when she realized he hadn’t even looked down yet—he was still looking into her eyes when he said it. He thought she was beautiful. Not her body, not her lingerie, not her curves.
Her. All of her.
She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed to hear it, to have someone see her, until this moment—until him.
His kisses were as sweet as his words, lingering and patient and tender.
Until they weren’t.
He kissed her harder. Longer. His mouth growing hungrier, his tongue demanding everything from her until she finally arched into him with a pleading moan.
Please.
He touched her. Big hands on her waist, pulling her against him, his fingers exploring the shape of her rib cage, flirting with the edge of her bra.
Finally, he pulled back and looked down. His tortured groan was more than she’d hoped for. “Jesus, Addie.”
His fingers stroked above the black lace, a low-cut balconette bra that covered her nipples, but just barely. The lace was lined with a pale pink ribbon that matched the bow of her thong. Something he found out when his rough hands shoved the trench coat off her shoulders, leaving it to pool around the black stilettos she kicked away.
He swallowed, the sound audible in the quiet room. “You’re . . . you’re . . .”
She lifted her eyebrows teasingly. “Yes?”
His eyes flicked up to hers. “Mine.”
Now it was him who teased, bending down and dragging kisses across her chest, but avoiding her breasts, even as his hands roamed her stomach, butt, and thighs, whispers of touches that left her throbbing with the need for more.
Finally, Robert’s hands closed over her breasts, seeming to revel in the feel of her, his lips pressing to the exposed swells.
His hands slid to her back, fingers finding the clasp of her bra. “Don’t think I don’t appreciate the way you look in this, but I need to taste you.”
The bra fell to the floor, and Addie’s back instinctively arched.
He gave her a wicked smile as he dragged his fingertip around her nipple. “Want something?”
She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. “Please.”
His finger drew closer to the tip, but denied her his touch. “Please, who?”
She opened her eyes and glared at him. “Please. Robert.”
He rewarded her by dragging the pad of his thumb over her nipple. His other hand lifted, repeating the motion on her left breast.
Over and over he flicked her nipples as her nails dug into his shoulder. He dipped his head. Flicked his tongue. Took her into his mouth and sucked until she was panting, the need between her thighs almost unbearable.
Robert’s palm skimmed down her belly. Fingers slipped just beneath the elastic of her underwear, then back up over her stomach once more. He repeated the maddening circles several times until, finally, on a downward pass, he went lower.
Addie gasped as his fingers found her wetness. Moaned when he stayed there, his hand stroking and circling beneath the lace of her thong. She could have come like that—would have come against his fingers—had he kept touching her.
Instead he lowered to the floor, pulling down the sides of her underwear as he kneeled in front of her. He met her eyes at the exact moment his tongue touched her.
She cried out, her hands going to his hair, pulling him closer. Robert groaned his approval, his hand hooking behind her knee to ease her leg over his shoulder, opening her more fully to his exploring mouth.
His tongue slid over, bringing her to the edge with steady, rhythmic strokes, then backing away again to tease her with light flicks. She endured it as long as she could until her fingers grew desperate, tugging more insistently at his hair.
She felt him smile against her, a finger pressing to her opening, easing inside. He began licking her faster, and looking down at the mayor on his knees before her, Addie had a new realization about sex. It wasn’t about the physical act. It was about sharing the moment with someone.
Then he pushed a second finger inside her, and all thoughts scattered as she gave in to a body-racking orgasm that would have sent her collapsing to the floor had his strong hands not held her up.
When it was over, she surprised herself by laughing, not in self-derision, not in humor, but in pure, unabashed joy.
He seemed to understand, because he was smiling as he stood, pressing a kiss to her collarbone. “Come to my bed.”
“In a minute,” she murmured with a smile. “Just one thing . . .”
This time it was her who dropped to her knees, dragging his trousers down his legs as he helped her along, kicking his shoes and socks aside.
She took her time peeling down his boxer briefs, teasing him with scattered kisses across his pelvis, her tongue accidentally-on-purpose brushing against him.
He let her tease. Up to a point.
Then he gathered her hair in his fist, guiding himself into her mouth.
Addie felt the moment his control started to fray at the edges. Felt it in the clench of his fingers in her hair, the thrust of his hips as he took her mouth. She opened her eyes, looking up his torso, and he let out an oath, pulling her off him and dragging her to her feet.
Naked, he bent to his pants and dug a condom out of his wallet.
“Since when have you carried that around?” she asked, as he tore it with his teeth.
“Since I met you.” He rolled it on, and before she realized what was happening, he hoisted her up, pushing her against the wall, her legs draped over his hips.
He plunged into her, and she wrapped around him, welcoming the strong thrusts and harsh groans, the sounds of their lovemaking nearly as erotic as the sensations.
“Why can’t I get enough of you?” he gasped, his face hot against her neck as he thrust faster. “I want—I need—Addie—”
Her name, uttered by this man as he was buried deep inside her, sent her careening toward the edge of another orgasm.
“Yes.” His hands gripped her harder, his hips moving faster. “Come for me. Come with me . . .”
She did, her body clenching around his as he froze for a millisecond and then released inside her with a coarse groan, their hands and bodies clinging to each other, two parts of one whole.
Addie tipped her head back, resting it on the wall as she waited for her heart rate to slow. He set his forehead to her shoulder, his own breath still ragged, and she ran her fingers through his hair, now damp from sweat. He slowly let her slide down his body, until her feet touched the ground.
She braced for the unavoidable awkwardness that came from that sort of frantic, intimate coupling, but he merely stretched and grinned. “I like you looking like that.”
“What,
naked? Shocking. I’m sure you’re the first man to prefer a woman without her clothes.”
“Naked,” he said. “With my mark on you.” He reached out and pressed a thumb to a red spot on her shoulder. Then touched his fingers to her stubble-swollen mouth. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be.” She pointed to the nail indentations on his biceps.
He glanced down, his smile pure, satisfied man. “You hungry?” he asked as he turned away, walking unabashedly to the bathroom to dispose of the condom.
“I—” She meant to say that she should go. That this couldn’t happen again, that nobody could know about this, for both their sakes. Instead she found herself nodding when he returned. “A little. Yeah.”
He bent to scoop up his clothes. “I’ve got some steaks in the freezer. Good?”
She smiled. “Great.”
He started to head to the kitchen, then turned back. “Thank you. For thinking I was worth a second chance, even after I lied to you. Hurt you.”
“We all deserve a second chance,” she said softly.
Robert smiled, reaching out for her hand and lifting it, planting a lingering kiss in the center of her palm.
Addie’s breath caught. Tenderness. The sixth and final seduction.
And the most dangerous of all.
Chapter Twenty-One
Monday, November 9
Robert and Kenny were drafting a polite come back in January when the new guy’s here email. A lobbyist was angling to ban chicken wings in the city because of the choking hazard they posed for the city’s domestic pets, and Robert figured it was the perfect welcome-to-the-job gift for his successor.
“‘Best’ or ‘sincerely’?” Kenny asked, from where he typed the email to the chicken-wing guy.
“How about ‘mild, medium, or extra hot’?” Robert muttered.
“‘Sincerely’ it is,” Kenny said, just as Martin Tillman came ambling through Robert’s office door.
“Hello, boys.”
Robert nodded distractedly in greeting at his campaign manager, not stopping the pacing he did when thinking through what was next on his to-do list, then gave Martin a second look. He’d worked with the man long enough to recognize his I’ve-got-news grin.
“What?” Robert asked without preamble.
“Oh, nothing much. I just . . .” Martin took his sweet time sitting down, clearly relishing whatever juicy tidbit he was eager to share. “Did you know Charlie smokes?”
Robert shrugged. “So? He does it outside, away from the building.”
“Oh, I’m not judging. I’m down from five a day to two a day, but I haven’t kicked the habit, either. In fact, I got here early today and was making my way to the smokers’ corner myself . . .”
Kenny, who’d been leaning over Robert’s computer, mostly ignoring the conversation, stood up straight.
“Your boy here”—Martin pointed at Kenny—“was having a little chat with your lead security guy.”
“They do that,” Robert said, not bothering to hide his impatience. “Get to the point.”
“Turns out, Charlie was wondering whether or not he should assign security detail to Adeline Blake,” Martin said. “And I thought, why would an event planner need security detail?”
Kenny looked disgusted. “Eavesdropping, Tillman? You realize we’re on the same team, right?”
“Are we?” Martin said, tilting his head to the side. “Because it sure feels like I’m the last one to know that the mayor clearly has a very personal relationship with the party planner if we’re contemplating giving her a bodyguard.”
Robert’s stomach knotted. Shit. He should have known it’d be only a matter of time until Martin found out. For that matter, Martin should have been the first to know that he was involved with Addie so that the man could prepare a damage-control plan if the press found out.
The smarmy expression currently on Martin’s face was exactly why Robert hadn’t told him.
“Well done, Robbie. I didn’t think you had it in you,” Martin said with a gloating grin.
Robert’s brain raced through options on how to handle the situation. Deny? Divert? Distract?
Deflect.
“Weren’t you the one who told me just a couple weeks ago that I was an idiot to get seduced by her?” Robert asked.
Kenny jumped in. “He’s right. In fact, I believe your exact words instructed me to ‘make sure he doesn’t go off the rails and get seduced by the one woman on the planet guaranteed to cost him the governor’s seat.’”
“I’ll admit to some lack of imagination,” Martin said, sounding way too happy about his own shortsightedness. “But I’m on board now. I have to admit, I’m relieved to know you’re willing to do what it takes to win.”
Robert immediately shifted his strategy: Downplay.
“It isn’t like that,” he said quietly.
Martin laughed. “Sure, sure. A girl like that probably didn’t take much sweet talk. She probably falls into any bed, with her legs spread.”
Razor-sharp rage cut through Robert with so much force, he was surprised it didn’t split him in two.
New plan: Dismiss.
“Get out.”
Martin gave a disbelieving laugh. “What?”
“I want you to leave,” Robert repeated.
Martin’s laughter faded as he realized Robert was serious. “Oh, come on, man. You’re the one who fucked her to get information. All I did was bring it up.”
The anger cut even more deeply. “How can I be more clear? Get out of my office.”
Martin heaved himself up, disgusted. “Jesus. Fine, go ahead and pretend you actually like the woman if that eases your conscience. Call me when you’re ready to talk strategy—”
“I won’t be calling you, Martin.”
His campaign manager’s smile was completely gone now. “What are you saying?”
Robert paused for a moment, giving the rational part of his brain a chance to overrule impulse and instinct.
Was he being hasty? Illogical?
But the rational part of his brain only confirmed what his gut already knew: he should have done this a long time ago.
“I’ll always appreciate what you’ve done for my career,” Robert said. “I’m grateful that you were a mentor for me in the early years. But I think we both know we don’t see eye to eye anymore. I’d be happy to write a letter of recommendation—”
“Fuck you,” Martin spat.
“Easy,” Kenny murmured.
“Fuck you, too, Lamb,” Martin said. “Don’t think I don’t know it was you who planted this idiotic idea in his head.”
“Kenny doesn’t have anything to do with this decision,” Robert said. “It was my choice, based on your behavior.”
“My behavior? Which has been what, getting you elected? Twice? For that matter, I’ve practically sealed a third election for you by dropping Addie Brennan in your lap. And now you’re taking it out on me that you took the lap part literally?”
“I’m not going to change my mind on this,” Robert said calmly, refusing to give the man any more ammunition on his relationship with Addie.
Martin glared at him a long moment, then gave a slow shake of his head. “Your father would never—”
“Stop,” Robert said harshly. “My father hasn’t been alive for over twenty years. We can’t presuppose what he’d do in a given situation.”
“You might not—you were just a kid. But I knew the politician that he was, and he would have done what was necessary—”
“He would have done what was right,” Robert cut in. “I may not ever know what he’d do in my shoes, but I know what kind of person he was raising me to be. And it wasn’t a man who’d use an innocent woman to advance his career. I’m ashamed I even considered it.”
“Innocent woman, my ass. The whole damned country has seen her nipples. Maybe not as up close and personal as you have, but mark my words, Robbie, she’ll be the end of your career if you let her. You know, I’m
actually glad I won’t be associated with you when this goes to shit, and it will go to shit. I’ll be on a beach somewhere with my severance.”
“You’ll get your severance,” Robert said. “But forget what I said about the letter of recommendation. You won’t be getting one from me.”
“Fine,” Martin said. “It’ll save me from having to read your sanctimonious drivel.” He turned toward the door, then turned back, his expression hostile but also sincere. “Let me give you one last bit of advice: You can have Addie Brennan, or you can be governor. But you can’t have both.”
Robert had no response for that. Even if he had, Martin was gone with an angry slam of the door, the slight tremor of the pictures on the office wall the only indication he’d ever been here.
“Well.” Kenny exhaled. “That was . . .”
“A long time coming,” Robert said tiredly, rubbing his hands over his face.
“I’d ask what took you so long, since the guy’s a hell of a lot dirtier than you. But then, I guess that sort of proves my point. You’re loyal.”
“I was loyal,” Robert clarified, feeling a twinge of guilt. “The guy’s been there since the very beginning, stuck around after my dad died.”
Kenny shook his head. “You said yourself that your father’s been gone for years. You can’t know what he’d do, or say, or think. Though, from everything I know of him, it might be safe to assume he wouldn’t tolerate Martin’s way of doing things now, either.”
“I’d like to think not,” Robert said. Then he shook his head. “Actually, you know what I’d like? I’d like to stop thinking about my life in terms of what would my dad do. I’d like to think for myself. To do what’s right for me.” He looked at Kenny. “Is that nuts?”
“No,” Kenny said slowly. “But . . .”
Robert sighed. “Oh hell. Spit it out. I’m down an adviser, I need all you’ve got.”
Kenny exhaled. “All right. First, I’ll apologize for letting Martin overhear my conversation with Charlie. I had no idea anyone was within hearing range.”
Robert shrugged this aside. “I know. In fairness to Martin, he actually had a point that he should have been one of the first to know that things between Addie and myself have grown . . . complicated.” He paused. “What did you tell Charlie when he asked about providing her a bodyguard?”
Yours in Scandal Page 17
