I remove the cork from the already-open bottle and pour two glasses. Picking up my wine, I take a sip and wander around the edge of the pool, looking down into the clear water, completely amazed that people actually live like this. I mean, he isn’t some famous actor or musician, yet he lives like a king. I laugh when I think about how my whole apartment would fit into his kitchen.
Minutes later, Griffin comes out with two plates. I walk over and take my seat and can’t help but exclaim, “This looks amazing!” The chicken breast is grilled to perfection and there’s a crisp green side salad.
“It tastes even better,” he assures me, taking his seat and picking up his knife and fork.
I slice the chicken and place it on top of the salad. When I take the first bite, a soft moan escapes my lips. “Oh my God! This is delicious!”
He laughs around the food in his mouth. “Michael, my chef, is the best. He wants to open his own restaurant someday, but I might not let him go,” he jokes.
I laugh. “I wouldn’t blame you. It’s like eating out without having to go out! Much better than the mac and cheese I have for dinner every night.”
“Every night?” he asks, brows raised with surprise.
I laugh at his expression. “Well, not every night, but most nights. I’m a college student, remember?”
“You can have dinner with me anytime,” he offers.
“Be careful, I might take you up on that.”
“I wouldn’t mind, El. But I have a feeling Chase might.”
I look up and our eyes lock. I can see the nervousness on his face. “Chase and I aren’t together.”
“You looked pretty together when he was giving you flowers the other day.”
I nod and pick up my wine. “We were talking. That is, until I found out he’s engaged. I think he was just trying to use me to get to you. He needs this internship to turn into a job.”
He nods once. “I’m sorry he hurt you,” Griffin whispers, not looking up, but instead looking at his plate as he moves his food around.
“I was angry, but not hurt. I’m sure there’s someone out there who’s better for me—someone who understands me.”
He looks up at me now and his Adam’s apple bobs. “You were too good for him anyway. You need someone stronger than him—someone who’s a leader and can appreciate your successes as much as his own.” He picks up his glass of wine and takes a sip, all the while watching me.
I swallow down the fear that’s now pumping through me. “Any idea who that could be?” I ask, my hands nearly shaking as I wait for his answer.
He lets out a quiet laugh as his eyes pull away from mine. “You want me to say it, don’t you?” He glances back up at me, and the tension between us thickens.
“Say what?” I ask, unsure if I’m ready to hear the words I’ve been wondering about all day.
“That I have been treating you differently from the rest of the group. That I find you smart, and sexy, and talented. That from the moment my eyes landed on you, I’ve done nothing but picture the moment we finally come together.” He picks up his wine glass and swallows it all down. All the while, I can do nothing but sit frozen in place—and watch.
He sets down his glass and stands, holding out his hand.
I look from his hand, to his eyes, and back, wondering if I should take it. I’m so confused, I don’t know what to do. Yes, he’s good-looking, but he’s my boss—at least for the next several weeks. But he’s also older than I am. He dates women who have money and power and social status. I’m nobody. Could he really be interested in me, or is he just looking for an easy piece of ass?
I guess there’s only one way to find out.
I place my hand in his, and he pulls me to my feet. My chest presses against his and his eyes meet mine.
“I know I’m older than the guys you usually date, but give me a chance, El. The man you’ve come to know since we met—that’s not all of me. It’s just the small piece I allow myself to show people.”
Slowly, he leans in and presses his mouth to mine for a soft, slow kiss. This feeling of shock washes over me—he is my boss after all. But slowly, something happens and I melt into him. His hands find my lower back, and they pull me closer. My chest is smashed against his, and I can feel his heart racing as fast as mine. A tingle forms in my stomach, and it makes every muscle tighten.
My arms wrap around his neck, pulling him closer as I deepen the kiss, wanting to test the waters. He responds to me immediately by walking me backward until my back presses against the wall. His hand move upward, cupping my cheek as his tongue dances with my own. A soft moan escapes my mouth, and it only fuels him. He picks me up against him, and my legs wrap around his hips. The hardness in his jeans presses against my aching clit as he pins me to the wall. As our mouths move in sync, his hips grind against mine, and his hands tour my body, but still only touch me innocently: my sides, my hips, my thighs. He never pushes the boundaries of touching a place that’s craving him.
I break the kiss, breathless. “Griffin,” I whisper.
He leans back only slightly, “Yes, El?”
“We have to stop,” I nearly pant out.
“Is that what you want?” he asks, moving his mouth back to my jaw, trailing kisses down my neck and only making me want him more.
“No,” I push against him until he places me on my feet. “But we have to.”
He takes a step back, his chest rising and falling quickly as he looks a little dejected.
“This,” I motion between the two of us, “is too sudden. I need to think about this. You’re my boss!” My eyes stretch wide with that last part as I lean against the wall he just had me pressed against.
“I know,” he whispers, “but I won’t be for long.” When he says the last word, his lips turn up into a sexy grin that makes my body stiffen with anticipation.
Even though I’ve stopped things between us from happening in this moment, it feels like something is just getting started, and I’m torn. Am I ready for this?
Chapter 10
Griffin
Pulling away from her takes every bit of restraint I have. I thought I knew how badly I wanted her, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Now my body is craving her touch—it’s begging me to reach out and take her, to put myself out of this misery.
“Let me take you out to dinner, El,” I beg. “I’ve done everything I can to make sure nobody knows the real me. Let me show you…” I whisper, stepping toward her. “Let me show you who I am before you make a decision.”
Her big green eyes look up and lock on mine. Her plump red lips part as a long breath leaves her lungs. “Okay,” she agrees with a nod of her head.
She accepts my offer and I don’t push for more. We sit back down and finish our lunch, then I take her back to her apartment with a promise of returning later.
After our lunch date, going back to work was not an option. There’s no way I could lock myself in a quiet building alone with her. I know for sure I’d take advantage of our alone time and we’d never make it to dinner.
After dropping her off, I head back home and shower, needing to wash off the memory of lunch. I have to clear my head or I know I’ll do something stupid. I’ll seduce her into getting what I want.
I shave, shower, and dress in another pair of jeans, but can’t bring myself to pull on another t-shirt. Instead, I opt for one of my casual button-up shirts. I even roll the sleeves to my elbows to make myself seem more laid back.
It’s not long before we’re walking into the club that Cameron and I frequent. We take a seat in the back and wait for someone to take our order.
“Griffin?” Misty asks, surprised to see me in casual clothes instead of my normal suit.
I laugh. “Yes, it’s me.” I look at El. “El, this is Misty. She waits on me often.” I look at Misty. “Misty, this is El, my date.”
Her eyes stretch wide. “Date?” She holds out her hand. “You must be very special if he’s calling you his date.”
>
El laughs and shakes her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
We place our orders and Misty walks away to retrieve them.
“I’m a little confused,” El says, leaning toward me.
“I come to this place with my best friend, Cameron. He’s always here, picking up a different woman, but it’s not really my thing.”
“What? Clubbing or picking up women?” She shoots me a flirty smile as she pushes a strand of blonde hair away from her face.
I laugh. “Both.”
“Have you ever been in a relationship, Griffin?” Her eyes narrow, studying me.
Our drinks are placed on the table and I nod as I pick up mine and take a sip. “Her name was Candice. We were together for three years.”
“Wow. What happened?”
I take a deep breath and straighten my back. “Candice was hired at the hotel to be my replacement assistant while mine was healing from surgery. I noticed right away how beautiful she was, but I refused to do anything about it because we were working together. I was worried that things could go bad and get awkward. So, finally, it was Candice’s last day. My assistant was due to come back, and I decided to ask Candice out. I figured there wouldn’t be a problem since we’d no longer be working together.”
“What happened? Obviously, it didn’t work out.” She finishes off her drink the second Misty sets two more down.
“Things were great…for a while. Our date was a hit, and we started seeing each other exclusively. She moved into my house and we were planning a wedding. But then I discovered that she wasn’t who she said she was. She was hired by a rival hotel chain to come to Castille Hotels and steal what information she could. She made off with high-profile clients, future advertising campaigns, and confidential files. She put the whole company in jeopardy. She used me. She lied to me. And while I was falling in love, she was busy stealing from me and making money. Luckily, I didn’t lose my job, but I did lose a large piece of myself. I haven’t been able to trust anyone since.”
“What about me?” she asks, picking up her drink and taking a sip.
“What about you?” I ask, confused.
“Do you trust me?”
I smile around my glass as I take another drink. “I want to,” I finally answer.
She holds out her hand and I place mine inside, even though I’m unsure of what she’s going to do. She offers up a smile as she pulls me to my feet and walks me to the dance floor. I laugh as I spin her around.
“I’m not much of a dancer,” I warn.
She rolls her eyes. “Looks like you’re doing okay!” she yells above the music as she presses her body against mine and moves to the beat of the music.
I hold her close and enjoy the way my body comes to life when she touches me. Her hips move back and forth, softly grazing my dick, which is becoming harder and harder with her every move. When she turns her back to me and wiggles her ass against me, my hands grab ahold of her hips and stop them. She looks at me from over her shoulder, giving me a sexy grin.
“What’s the matter?” she asks, spinning around, but she knows exactly what’s wrong with me.
“You keep teasing me like this and I’ll be dragging this sexy ass to the restroom,” I say, grabbing two handfuls of her ass as I pull her chest against mine.
Her grin turns into a smile as she reaches up and laces her fingers around my neck. “A dirty bathroom fuck? That doesn’t seem like your style, Mr. Karlsson.”
I chuckle. “You have no idea what my style is, Ms. Ryder,” I whisper against her lips, and notice when her eyes drift closed in preparation for the kiss that doesn’t come.
Finally, her eyes pop open. “Are you trying to tease me?” Her mouth drops open with surprise, but the corners turn slightly upward as if she’s holding back a grin.
I have to admit, it’s fun seeing this laid-back side of her. “I want you to work for it, Ms. Ryder. Didn’t you say you didn’t want any special treatment?” I’m toying with her. And believe it or not, I think I’m teasing myself more than her.
“Work for it, huh?” she says, leaning in and pressing her soft lips against mine.
Her sweet tongue demands entrance, and I’m in no condition to deny her. Her kiss is hard and firm—full of certainty. When her hand comes up and brushes against my dick through my jeans, a jolt of electricity shoots through me and I growl as I nip her bottom lip. “You’re playing with fire, Ms. Ryder.”
Something flashes in her green eyes and she bites her bottom lip. “Care to teach me a lesson, Mr. Karlsson?”
I take her wrist in my hand and pull her from the dance floor, down the long, dark hallway, and into the private men’s room. I spin her around and push her back to the door as I step up to her. “Care to rethink that?” I ask, running my thumb across her bottom lip.
Her eyes move from mine, down my body, and back as she thinks it over. She bites her lower lip and grins. “Show me what you got, boss.”
Something inside of me breaks and my mouth smashes against hers. Her hands come up to fist in my hair, pulling me closer.
I twist the lock on the door behind her, then pick her up against me and move to set her down on the edge of the counter. Her hands work on freeing me from my jeans while I work her skirt up her thighs. My finger slides into her panties, running up her wet slit as her hand locks around my dick.
Suddenly, I’m hit with regret. This isn’t how I want our first time to go. I want to take her home and spend the rest of the night inside her. I want her screaming my name. I want her in my bed, leaving the smell of her shampoo on my pillows.
I jerk her hand away and her eyes jump up to mine. I shake my head. “I’m punishing you, remember?”
Her brow furrows as she tries to figure out exactly what that means.
“What kind of punishment would it be if you got what you wanted, El?” I slide two fingers inside her hot sheath.
Her eyes roll backward and a soft moan escapes her lips. I want her. God knows I want her, and those soft little moans aren’t helping matters. But I want to do this right. I don’t want a quick fuck in a club restroom. I want to show her that she means more than this to me. Already, I’m confused as to why she’s letting me take so much when she pushed me away earlier. Maybe it has something to do with the alcohol we’ve both consumed.
I pull her hips until her ass rests on the edge of the counter, then drop to my knees. She opens her eyes, surprised to find that I’m not standing in front of her.
I pull her panties to the side as my mouth lowers to her clit. Her hips jump upward as my tongue runs back and forth, spreading her wetness. Her muscles clamp down around my fingers while my mouth works her to the edge. Her breathing picks up, and just before her release washes over her, I pull away.
Her eyes pop open and lock on mine. I smile. “Did you enjoy your punishment?” I ask, wiping her juices off my face and standing up before her.
Her chest is rising and falling quickly, eyes wide.
I step closer to her as I fix my jeans. “Next time, heed my warning.” I step back and hold out my hand to help her down. She quickly straightens her skirt and I open the door, motioning for her to go ahead of me.
We both sit at the table and throw our drinks back before I wave Misty over for another round.
El is surprisingly quiet beside me. “Don’t tell me you’re sulking,” I say with a grin.
She doesn’t say anything, but I see her lift herself up, move her arms briefly, then slip something into my pocket.
“What are you doing?” I ask, sitting back to see a bit of white lace sticking out of my pocket.
“You tease me, you’re going to have to watch me for the rest of the night knowing that I’m not wearing any panties—knowing that you could slide inside me at any given moment.” She picks up her fresh drink and throws it back with a grin.
Fuck me. Maybe I should’ve thought this through a little better. Not only do I have a raging hard-on right now, but I can still taste her on my ton
gue, and now, her soaked panties are in my pocket while she’s completely bare and waiting for me under that skirt of hers.
I grit my teeth together and pick up my glass, trying to figure out how I can win this tug-of-war we’re playing.
Chapter 11
Janelle
A part of me feels like we’ve gone too far. But another part, a part that’s deep inside me, wants to push further, to dive in head first and see what I come up with. He’s my boss, he’s much older than me, and he’s connected to my sister through the hotel—it’s wrong on every level. I shouldn’t want him. I shouldn’t have volunteered to go back to his house for lunch today. And I shouldn’t be here with him now. But I am, and a piece of me likes it.
I’m torn between stopping this now or moving forward. I feel like we’ve crossed a line that can’t be uncrossed. Even if I did stop things now, we’d never be how we were this morning. This morning, there was a spark between us that we both felt. But that’s all it was—a possibility. Now, that possibility is a sure thing. I know he wants me, and he knows I want him, even if a little voice is telling me not to go there.
We’re both sitting at this small table in the back of a noisy club, throwing back drink after drink. Neither of us is talking. It’s almost like he’s going through the same mental battle I am. Is he worried about what could happen if we go through with this? Is he worried that it won’t work out in the end? Maybe. But I’m sure he’s not thinking about how much this could screw up my future—not his—mine. I’m the one with everything to lose here.
“Do you always drink this much?” I ask, nodding toward what must be his fifth drink.
He’s been staring at his glass, but finally, he looks up at me with blue eyes filled with a fire I know is burning for me. “Not usually. I mean, I have a drink or two every so often, but I don’t ever sit and toss back drink after drink.”
Claimed By Him: (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 64
