Cherish her: Laws of Seduction, Book 4

by Ava Hayworth

  Not wanting the entire office to know that we are arguing, I manage to keep my voice at a low hiss. “Of course this means that I was having a nooner with some guy. For your information, if I were to decide to do that, it would not be in a dressing room at Macy’s.”

  James crosses his arms over his chest. “Go on.”

  I can’t help fidgeting under his penetrating stare. I’m not sure the true circumstances of my visit to Macy’s is going to make him happier. ““I met with Ruby. The changing room location at Macy’s was my idea. She didn’t want anyone to see that she was in contact with me.”

  “Are you telling me that you met with Ruby, Tobin’s Ruby?”

  “Yes, I saw her when I went to get lunch. She asked me to meet with her in private.”

  James mutters an expletive and rakes his hands through his hair. “How did you know it wasn’t some kind of trap?”

  “I wanted to hear what she had to say, so I took a chance. I figured Paulson would keep me safe if the need arose.”

  “Of all the reckless, thoughtless… stupid things to have done.” James trails off as if further speech has deserted him.

  “Hey,” I object. “I wasn’t in any danger, and what she had to tell me was worth the risk.”

  “This should be interesting,” James mutters.

  “Well, I think it is.”

  James arches an eyebrow. “Let’s hear it.”

  I eye him speculatively. “I don’t think so.”

  James blinks his eyes in disbelief. “What do you mean you don’t think so? You’re not going to tell me what she said?””

  “Not when you’re in this frame of mind. We can talk about it later.”

  It is rare to see Mr. Persuasive stumped. I watch as James stares at me in perplexed wonder. He finally rallies. “You’re really going to make me wait?”

  I sit back down on my chair and mouth “bye-bye” as I wiggle my fingers at him in a dismissive wave.

  For a moment James remains standing indecisively in front of my desk. He finally straightens and walks to the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he turns back to give me a parting shot. “If you think you’ve had the last word on this, you are highly mistaken.””

  CHAPTER 10

  At six o’clock, I am half expecting James to show up at my office to take me home. When he doesn’t, I wrap up my work and get ready to leave. I walk down to his office and see that it is deserted. Melanie has also left for the day, so I am unable to ask her about James’s whereabouts. After the way we left things this afternoon, I am not about to send him a text.

  Exiting the elevators, I find Paulson waiting for me, and he directs me to a car. I return to an empty apartment. The silence echoes around me as I make my way to the bedroom to change out of my work clothes. Deciding that I will go for a run, I pull on my running clothes. I am scrolling through my playlists as I walk back into the living room and don’t notice that I am no longer alone until I see a shift in the light. I jump a mile high as I turn to see James standing at the windows. I move from foot to foot as he stands watching me with an impenetrable air. When he breaks the silence, I jump again. His parting words this afternoon have left me on edge. I know that he is planning something, but his words reveal nothing. “Wait five minutes, and I’’ll run with you.” I give a quick nod, and James heads to the bedroom to change.

  We run in the direction of Battery Park. By silent mutual agreement, we also run a long distance up the East Side of Manhattan before circling back to the apartment. With this route we have to wait at several lights, but we need to cool down anyway. When we get back to the apartment, James indicates that I should shower first while he orders food for us.

  By the time the food arrives, we have barely exchanged a handful of words and my nerves are at the breaking point. I can’t figure out if James is still mad about this afternoon or if he is playing some kind of game with me. When he does speak, it is as though this afternoon never happened. He has ordered one of my favorite meals, gourmet pizzas and salad. I watch as James opens a bottle of wine and I hold out my glass. As soon as he stops pouring, I bring the glass to my lips and take a large, fortifying sip.

  James looks at me with a slightly amused expression that I long to wipe off his face. I notice he hasn’t touched his wine. Tentatively, I attempt to break the silence. “I looked for you after work. I must have just missed you.”” James makes a non-committal noise in response. He has had me dancing around on tenterhooks all evening, and I have had enough. “What are you doing?”

  James cocks his head at me. “I’m not doing anything… yet.” His low, suggestive tone does more to set my body on high alert than the words themselves.

  I go on the offensive. “I thought you wanted to hear about my discussion with Ruby.”

  “All in good time.” He utters soothingly.

  Tired of being patronized, I jump down from my chair and walk into the bedroom, leaving the remains of my meal for James to deal with. Once within the sanctuary of the bedroom, I take out my phone and look for messages. I am disturbed by the fact that despite several urgent texts, Mark has not returned my calls. There is still nothing from him. I type something back to Sam, who has made a comment in our group chat. I am considering what I want to do next when inspiration suddenly strikes me. In order to deal with James, I need to go on the offensive. If he is expecting some little mouse to be cowering in the bedroom waiting for his next move, he doesn’t know Lainey Hart.

  Moving quickly to the closet, I search through the drawers until I find the black silk lingerie set that Sam had given me. The gift had been a joke at the time and is not my usual style. Hastily, I slip out of my standard cami and shorts and wriggle into the skimpy scraps of satin and lace. I stand before the mirror and inspect the results. I am amazed at the transformation. The bustier pushes my rather small breasts up to display an impressive amount of cleavage. Deciding to go all out, I slide black stilettos over black silk stockings and apply make-up. I brush out my long hair until it gleams. Looking into the mirror once again, I hardly recognize the sex goddess looking back at me. I take a few deep breaths, working up the courage to venture back into the living room, when James appears in the doorway.

  The temperature in the room seems to go up several degrees. I watch as James’s eyes travel up and down my black lace-clad form, taking in every inch. Not knowing what to expect next, I stand stock still. He walks into the room slowly and circles me like a lion about to pounce on his prey. The heat in his eyes sends a shudder of anticipation up my spine. He stops in front of me with bare inches separating our bodies. His voice is low and husky. “This is not what I expected.”

  Not sure how to reply, I remain silent. James gives a shake of his head. “Always full of surprises.” He extends his hand and runs the tip of his index finger down the side of my neck past my pulse point and down to the tops of my breasts. My breathing becomes shallow as he runs his finger along the top of the bustier. “I’m curious. What did you hope to gain with this… move?”

  “You act as if we are playing some kind of game.”

  “Aren’t we?” His voice is a low purr.

  “Is that what a relationship is to you… a game? Do you feel like you always have to have the upper hand?”

  “Ah ha, so you admit it. You are vying for the upper hand.”

  “That isn’t what I said, and you know it.” I know I sound defensive and resolve not to let him provoke me further. I have a feeling he is doing it on purpose.

  “Don’t deny that you are using your sexuality to what… tame me?”

  “But isn’t that what you always do? As soon as I disagree with you, you distract me with sex. Maybe it’s time that you had a taste of your own medicine.””

  James cocks an eyebrow. “Are you saying that making love to me is like taking medicine?”

  “Stop twisting my words around. You know that it is not what I meant.”

  “How did you think this li
ttle scenario was going to play out?” Since I had no plan except for using my outfit as a form of defense against whatever onslaught he was preparing, I remain silent. Realizing that I don’t intend to answer, James backs up a few steps and leans his hips back against the dresser. He grips both sides with his hands in a deceptively relaxed pose. “I don’t think I have ever been as angry with anyone as I was with you this afternoon.”” This surprises me. He hadn’t appeared that angry. Although he had been coldly distant this evening, I hadn’t detected anger in his actions. “It took every ounce of control I had not to throw you over my knee and spank you this afternoon in your office.”

  Although I have tried to keep my expression impassive, James must see some of the shock that I am feeling. “Does that frighten you, Lainey?”

  I shake my head back in forth. “I’m not afraid of you.”

  Releasing the dresser, James stands upright and moves in closer. His warm breath brushes across my skin. “I think you would be if you knew what I wanted to do with you.”

  I don’t understand the impulse I feel to push him over the edge to make him lose control. It reminds me of standing at the top of a cliff with quarry water, black and still beneath me. Distantly, I hear my friends daring me to jump. I know it is dangerous, but I know I will do it anyway. By daring James to do his worst I can get back a piece of myself that I thought was gone forever. ““Nothing you could do would make me afraid.”

  “Brave words, little girl.”

  “Show me.”

  James seems startled by my command. He looks at me for long moments trying to discern if I mean what I say. He seems to come to a decision. Putting his hands over his shoulders, he tugs off his t-shirt, revealing his mouthwatering pecs and abs. He lets it drop to the floor before walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. “Come here.””

  Knowing it would be a mistake to show hesitancy, I boldly walk over to him. I stop in front of his bent knees. Taking my wrist in his hand, he pulls me down so that my torso is laying across the bed, and my thighs lay across his lap. The back of my panties consist of a thin, black strip of lace. He brushes his one finger over my bared flesh along the edge of the lace, and my stomach muscles tense in anticipation. I am not prepared for the sting of pain as he lifts his hand and slaps my butt cheek. My automatic response is to get away, but James holds me firmly. “If you don’t lie still, it will only be worse.”

  I stop trying to squirm away, but tense for the next slap. It comes immediately, and I turn my face into the comforter to muffle my shriek. The clapping sound of his hand meeting my bare flesh echoes through the room and is punctuated by the cries that I cannot hold back. It is hard to think of anything beyond the sting of James’s hand, but then I become aware of a pulsing need in my inner core. Being dominated like this makes me want to be dominated in other ways. I can’t help but be aware of James’s hard erection rubbing against my stomach with each blow. The surprising direction of my thoughts under circumstances in which I thought I would only feel pain and humiliation leaves me feeling vulnerable. I feel the sting of tears burning the back of my throat, and I ruthlessly swallow them back.

  He stops. The only sound in the room is our harsh breathing. His grip tightens, and he turns me over so that he can look down into my face. I know the wildness I see in him reflects back my own desperation for something more. I narrow my eyes at him and hiss. “Did that make you feel better?”

  “Yes.” His admission seems to be torn out of a deep place that I want to possess.

  “Have you ever done that before?”

  “No, I’ve never wanted to.” We eye each other warily. I am burning with the need to feel him inside me, but I don’t want him to know the effect that he has had on me. I am still laying splayed across his lap. He reaches down and gently pushes his hand into my panties. When his fingers reach my wet heat, I squeeze my eyes shut. “Look at me,” he insists.

  I open my eyes, and I watch him as his fingers move inside me. He pinches my clit, and that is all that it takes to send me into an intense climax. “Jesus, Lainey.” Tremors still rock me as James tears off the scrap of lace panties and pulls my leg over his lap so that I am straddling him. Easily pulling down his sweats, he raises me up and thrusts into me. I cry out and raise up, trying to draw him in more. He moans, dropping his forehead to my chest and gripping my hips tightly. “Don’t move.”

  I remain motionless and absorb the feeling of James in every pore of my being. When he rocks his hips up, I allow myself to move again. Each piston of his hips drives me higher. He nips and kisses the areas of my neck and chest that aren’t covered by the corset. The stubble on his chin grazes over my sensitive skin and makes me burn to feel him everywhere. He growls out my name. ““Lainey, you have to stop if you don’t want me to come.”

  I undulate faster and cry out, “Do it.” I feel his cock constrict inside me, and he shouts his release, setting off my own climax. Slowly, my breathing returns to normal, and I shift my weight off of James.

  He touches my cheek. “You are so beautiful.”

  “I thought you were mad at me.”

  “I am, but you are still beautiful. I love watching you come.” James rolls over onto his back. His next words tell me that the post-coital tenderness is over. “We need to talk.””

  “I know.” I turn my head to look at James, the all-potent male lying next to me, and marvel at the fact that he is all mine. I have never felt closer to another human being in my whole life, and I doubt that I ever will again. ““Shower first,” I stipulate.

  CHAPTER 11

  We shower together, and after donning robes, go into the living room. After pouring us each a drink, James sits down on the couch. As I move to sit down beside him, he grabs my hips and pulls me onto his lap. “Tell me,”” he commands.

  Leaning back on the arm of the couch so that I can see his face, I pour out the story of meeting Ruby and our subsequent encounter at Macy’s. I stumble over my words when I get to the part about the sins from his past but manage to get it all out. When I am finished, I can’t tell what he is thinking. “What do you think Tobin meant by the sins of your past?”

  James looks away from me before answering. “He can only mean one thing. Amanda’s death.”

  “How would he even know about that? Didn’t your grandfather go to extreme lengths to keep it quiet?”

  “You know he did. The press would have had a field day if they had gotten wind of it. I don’t know how he knows.” As the silence becomes prolonged, I shift around impatiently. Taking me by surprise, James swings me off his lap and onto the couch. In a graceful motion, he stands up to pace back and forth in front of the wide expanse of windows. I watch with trepidation, wondering what is going through his mind. He rakes a single hand distractedly through his hair before stopping in front of me. “I don’t like it.” He starts his pacing again and I start to feel dizzy from watching him. The next time he stops, the look in his eyes tell me that I am not going to like what he says next. “I think you should move back in with Sam.”

  “What?” I am sure that I have heard him wrong or somehow misunderstood.

  “I said, I want you to move back in with Sam.”

  The power of speech seems to have left me, and I stare up at him in stunned silence. When I realize that reason is not going to prevail, and he is not going to retract his statement, I manage a question. “But why?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” My eyes grow wide at the sound of his raised voice. I have never seen James so animated.

  “No, not to me it isn’t.”

  “Tobin has found out about my investigation and is targeting me. You need to be as far away from me as possible.”

  “If I had known you were going to react this way, I never would have told you.”

  This remark results in a look of such blazing fury that I involuntarily shrink back into the couch. “Watch it, Lainey. You are treading on very thin ice.”

  Could he be threatening me with a
nother spanking? My bottom still smarts from his last little demonstration, and I vow he will not find me so amenable to round two. I narrow my eyes at him. “You can’t spank me every time I disagree with you.””

  James holds my gaze for a few seconds before relenting and looking away. He resumes his pacing. “I am trying to look out for you. It doesn’t have to be for long. Just until this Tobin threat is gone.”

  “When will that be? Next week? Next month? It could go on forever.”

  “No, I won’t let it.”

  I can see that he is set on this course of action, and I doubt that there is anything that I can do to change his mind. “I go back to live with Sam, and we let the world think that we have broken up. Is that your plan?”

  I wait for James to back down and admit it was a stupid idea thought up in the panic of the moment, but he stands resolute. My heart feels like it is being squeezed in two. I am such a fool to have not seen this coming. If the past is any sort of guide to his behavior, it shows that when things get rough, he pushes me aside. He did it after our first night together and again when he found out that Jett was my brother. I make one last attempt to change his mind. ““We are stronger together than apart. We need to deal with this together.”

  “No, Lainey, the only way to keep you out of this and to keep you safe is for Tobin to believe that we have broken up. I don’t want him using you to get to me. I would do anything to stop that from happening.”

  “That’s not fair. What about me protecting you? You’re the one he is after.”

  “What do you think you could do? I won’t be alone. I have Rex and my grandfather with all of his resources.”

  His words hurt. I am not sure if it is because he doesn’t think I can help him or that he says he doesn’t need me. “You don’t believe I can help you?”

  “You can help me by staying away and staying safe.”

  His words gut me, and I am horrified to feel a hot rush of tears that I am powerless to hold back. “That’s it then?”