Auctioned to the Greek Billionaire (The Highest Bidder Book 1)

by Carmen Falcone

  “I want to kiss you,” she blurted out, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Hell, his entire scalp seared with awareness. “But you’re so big, and so intense, and obviously much more experienced than me. I’m afraid when it does happen, I’m going to—”

  He didn’t let her finish.

  Pulling her close, he captured her lips with his, feeling the tremble of her flesh. Or was it his? Shit, he couldn’t tell anymore. Desire skyrocketed through him as he coaxed her lips open. A sweet, sexy moan filled the air, and she parted her mouth further. He plunged his tongue inside, finding hers and starting a sensual dance—stroking, urging, and commanding. Blood surged through his veins, heading south, hardening his cock until it ached for her. She circled her hands around his neck, bringing him closer, and he suppressed a groan.

  What the fuck? A cold chill rolled into his gut. She’d said she’d been scared to kiss him, when he should have been the one frightened. The woman squirming in his arms opened the doors of heaven and hell at the same time, and he had no idea which one would cause less damage in the end.

  Chapter Three

  Amaya lowered her hands to his shoulders, caressing the hard muscles, then glided them to his chest. She placed her fingers over his heart, its maddening pace sending her own on a spike.

  She’d never felt like this. Sure, she’d dated a few times and kissed men—boys, not men. Theo’s presence alone diminished any male suitor she’d encountered before him, erasing from her mind any mediocre, distant memory.

  She squeezed his pecs, wishing he’d get rid of the inconvenient layer of clothes keeping them apart. A feral need to have him between her legs bolted through her, and she intensified her kiss in a desperate effort to give and get more.

  Oh, how he teased her…meshing his tongue with hers, then grazing her lower lip with his teeth, only to distract her as he dropped his hand behind her. When he reached her lower back, she clenched her thighs, wishing he were in between them.

  Heat sizzled over her flesh, and suddenly, her breasts grew larger and heavier. Adrenaline rushed through her veins. What would it be like to have him lick her tingling nipples? She wanted to find out—oh, hell yeah.

  “Mr. Rhodes,” she said, realizing she’d never called him anything. Her last thread of common sense warned her he was still her boss in the sense he’d pay her bills—by providing the money that changed her life. What if she used his first name and turned him off with the lack of formality?

  He disengaged the kiss enough so his breath still fanned her cheek, nuzzling her. “Theo. Call me Theo.”

  Her breath came in a gasp, eyes still closed. “Theo,” she said, her voice hushed, as if pronouncing a secret code no one else had access to.

  “Come with me.”

  She opened her eyes and found him watching her with a glint of lust in his black eyes. God, he was beautiful…in a way that made girls lose their minds. In a way that weakened those who were strong. And shit, she wasn’t even super strong to begin with… “Where?”

  He stood, and she glanced around, finding no trace of the flight attendant. He stretched out his hand, and she unbuckled, then surged to her feet, a bit too quickly. A rush of blood pounded in her head, working its way down her body. They’d taken off. Through the windows, fluffy clouds greeted her. Whoa. She’d not even noticed. My first flight and I missed the most important part. Not that she minded.

  He took her to a door she assumed was a restroom.

  Except it wasn’t.

  A bed occupied the enclosed area, complete with a silky bedspread and a few pillows. She looked around, fascinated. A bedroom? In a private jet?

  “Take off your clothes, Amaya.”

  She drew in a breath. What did she expect, to have sex with her Spanx still on? At some point, he’d see the curvy hips and the stubborn roundness in her belly she couldn’t get rid of no matter how many meals she skipped or how much walking around she did as a waitress.

  She pulled the black cotton dress over her head, tossed it to the side, and stood before him in her mismatched beige bra and black underwear. God, the underwear happened to be a high-waist, mid-thigh black short she’d used to slim her figure. After all, real life didn’t have the special lighting from Madame Alexa’s stage. A shiver skated down her spine, and her nipples puckered against the cotton of her lingerie.

  He didn’t take his clothes off, much to her disappointment; instead, he kept watching her with an intent that prickled her arms. Her heart beat in staccato, each thump growing louder and stronger. “All of it,” he demanded, his voice sharp as a whip.

  Damn. She reached for the clasp of her bra, ignoring the slight tremble of her fingers. She slipped it off of her, and her breasts spilled into view.

  Fire burned in his dark irises, gold flecks blazing in the depths of his eyes. Suddenly, the cold sensation engulfing her, the modesty, disappeared, and a challenging heat replaced it.

  She pulled down her underwear, wriggling her way out, then tossed the darn thing to the side. Damn. Was he going to pop her cherry thousands of miles off the ground? She threaded her fingers together, fidgeting, unsure about what to do next.

  He shortened the gap between them, slowly, his gaze sliding down her neck and lower. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest. After all, he’d paid for her—modesty had no place in this deal. He probably wouldn’t care for it, anyway. Still, she had no idea what to do. Was it too late to ask Madame Alexa for an intensive seminar on sex? Yep, it was.

  A bubble of arousal grew inside her, floating in her bloodstream and swiftly spreading though her body. She could feel her pussy lips swelling, and the steady pulse in her clit, like a simmering boil.

  “Agapi mou,” he said in his native language, his delivery so freaking sexy her clit throbbed harder in response. “You’re gorgeous.”

  She flushed. When he was within a breath of her, he pulled her into his arms, her naked self pressing against his clothed body. The friction of his clothes against her flesh quickened her pulse. A naughty sensation swirled inside her, and she felt like a mischievous teenager after stealing candy from a store.

  Would she prefer to have him naked? Hell yes. But, shit, it was hard enough already to manage the flood of sensations taking over her.

  He kissed her, a kiss that defied her sense. Urgency, need, and lust blended into one. He cupped her face, angling it to deepen his exploration, and she circled her arms around him, loving every second of the sweet agony.

  He lifted her in his arms and placed her on the mattress. She realized she hadn’t removed the shoes, but when she reached to take them off, he seized her wrists. “They stay.”

  To cement his wish, he pinned them on the edge of the bed, exposing her sex in a way she’d never exposed it to anyone before

  She propped herself on her elbows, curious. What did he have planned? He kneeled before her, upright, putting himself in front of her. Oooh. A thread of anticipation surged through her, and her thighs grew stickier from the desire drenching her folds. Maybe he was making sure her hymen was intact. Though he probably had to touch her to—

  He tossed her a promising glance, then lowered his head between her thighs. She sucked in a breath for longer than she could probably hold it. He licked her thigh, and she squirmed, reveling in the delightful sensation. No wonder so many women and men lost their heads over sex—it was worth it. From her brief pre-sex experience with Theo, she could already understand the hype.

  With a growl that sent wicked shivers down her spine, he touched her folds. The second he brushed his fingers against them, she bucked, a ripple of pleasure zapping through her faster than she could fathom. She fell on the mattress, her head burying into the soft pillow.

  Sweat slicked her forehead. He began to move his finger, scissoring her folds, parting them, then tugging at them, just enough to send a violent shot of arousal to her core. She moaned, reaching to the linens and bunching them, unable to remain still.

  When he licked he
r pussy, she arched toward him, completely enthralled. Holy fuck. “Theo,” she called, though she had no idea what she expected from him.

  “You taste sweet, glikia mu,” he said, his voice gravelly. “Sweet and irresistible.”

  His words earned him another coat of her pearly essence. She clenched the linens, her breath labored. He continued to give her greedy laps at her center, driving her crazy. Soon, he closed his mouth around her achy clit, sucking it, and simultaneously teased her folds with his fingers. Whenever he neared her breach, that thin and delicate piece of skin he had bought for his own pleasure, he retreated and focused on something else. Her inner muscles clenched with tension, and a part of her warned her she wouldn’t last long.

  He probably sensed it, too, because he made invisible circles around her clit, flicking it, and provoking her with his mouth and fingers. The pressure built to the point of explosion, and she could no longer take it. Her stomach contracted, and she stopped feeling anything and everything for one hot second. Then, she let go, as waves of pleasure washed over her, and her body broke in delicious spasms.

  She moaned, louder than a lady would in someone’s jet. But she wasn’t a lady—she was a woman, or becoming one under his expertise. Relentlessly, he continued to suck her, swallowing her every drip, until the shaking subsided.

  She closed her eyes, seeing stars behind the lids, slowly processing the diminishing tingles, her heartbeat falling back into its regular rhythm. The sound of him standing prompted her to open her eyes and search for him.

  With a half-closed smile, he reached for the door. “I’ll let you regroup. The bathroom is to the left,” he said, pointing at a narrow door by the other side of the bed.

  “Wait. What… Where are you going?” She sat upright and folded her arms over her chest. A veneer of vulnerability covered her, a draft of coldness replacing the heat that warmed her minutes ago.

  He sighed, his frustration obvious. “Back to my seat.”

  “Yes, but why?” Was it something she’d done? Anxiety chilled her bones. What if he changes his mind? Maybe she should have reacted in a different way to entice him. “I’m on the pill,” she said, though he probably knew that already. Madame Alexa required every virgin to get on birth control before the auction.

  “Yeah. I know, and by the way, I have a clean bill of health. We’ll get there, Amaya. Just not here,” he said, then left the room, closing the door behind him.

  Just not here. His words reverberated through her, long after he left her by herself. It took her minutes to will herself out of the bed, scoop her clothes from the floor and get dressed. She had to make peace with the fact he wasn’t going to take her at this very moment. She also had to make peace with that bothering her more than she’d anticipated. Be careful, Amaya. Cuidado.

  Theo was a worldly, experienced man who knew all the rules of a game she’d yet to play.

  …

  Theo fixed his collar, wishing he could remove his damn shirt. Shit, the pants too. His groin stirred. No, he couldn’t. Not yet.

  He hadn’t wanted to tell her his situation in front of Madame Alexa and her assistant, to protect his own interests. Now he had to. A ball of frustration knotted his stomach. He’d seen the disappointment in her eyes, detected it in her voice when he refused to screw her.

  A good sign. She wasn’t in it just for the money. She wanted him.

  Would that still be the case after he told her about his situation?

  He scratched his chin. Well, what could he do anyway. His lawyer had advised to keep the story with Eleni under wraps. He’d paid her enough for silence, and one didn’t get rid of one blackmailer simply to find another. Sure, Amaya seemed like a genuine person. What if she wasn’t? Would he jeopardize his image and his chance to shift from vice president to president of Rhodes Enterprises?

  She joined him in the cabin, choosing the seat in front of him and not the one next to him. For a few seconds, she glanced around, without focusing on one place in particular. Then she grabbed a magazine from the rack and began to flip through pages.

  “Amaya,” he said, and immediately her gaze darted to his. His throat clogged, and the damn collar got even tighter. He touched it to loosen it, but changed his mind. The more in control he appeared, the better. She didn’t need to know how much his body roared for her. Roared for the kind of no-barrier sex they both needed, but would take time adjusting to. “We need to talk.”

  She put the magazine to the side and adjusted herself on the seat. “Sure.”

  He bit back a smile. She didn’t play games—she probably wanted to know why he’d decided not to finish what he’d started.

  “I’m expected to marry someone in a couple months,” he said, his voice steady. He looked at her square in the eye and registered her surprise. She opened her mouth but hesitated, and the pulse in her neck jumped.

  She frowned. “You’re—you’re engaged?”

  “Not officially. My family and Talia’s family were always very close, and they made this arrangement when we were young. Of course, I didn’t think I’d have to see it through, but now I have to.” To keep my uncle from driving my family’s company to the ground and our name through the mud. “If we get married, we’ll merge with her father’s company—which is smaller, and could use the boost. In turn, her father will give me the stocks from Rhodes Enterprises he’s owned for a long time as a wedding gift. Those stocks added to mine and my father’s will make it possible for me to be in charge of the empire and change the lives of thousands of employees.”

  Currently, his father and his uncle acted as co-presidents, but because of his uncle’s support from key board members, Theo’s father’s hands were tied when it came to big decisions. Besides, his father wasn’t getting any younger, or healthier. A strand of sadness traveled through him, and he dropped his shoulders a notch. The family duty tradition ended with him. He’d never hold his future children responsible for maintaining the old-fashioned custom, or saving the company. They would be free to do whatever they wanted.

  “Then why do you need me? Is this a long-winded bachelor party?”

  He sighed. “My future bride is a virgin. I’m a big guy. I want to make sure everything goes smoothly. What better way is there to practice than with a virgin?”

  She drummed her fingers on the armrest. “You’re an experienced guy. Why practice?”

  Shit. She wasn’t going to let go, was she? Because the last virgin I bedded almost ruined my life. Guilt stabbed at him, even if a part of him reminded he hadn’t known Eleni had been a virgin—and that had been a major part of the problem. Too much alcohol and not enough talking. She’d seduced him, but he should have known better. “I’ll be more direct. My dick is bigger than most. While I’m well versed in screwing, virgins aren’t exactly my thing because they’re particularly tight. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Because of the arrangement, she has the possibility of backing out after a month if she’s not happy. I’m assuming she’ll be a lot happier if our sex life goes smoothly.”

  She nodded, relaxing in the chair, shoulders dropping a notch. “You’re shockingly practical about this whole thing. How about her? Is she as pragmatic?”

  “I’m sure she would be, had I told her,” he said. From the many times he’d seen Talia in a business environment or family functions, he always gathered she favored duties and goals over anything else. In fact, he couldn’t remember sharing a personal, meaningful conversation with her that didn’t involve stocks or assets. “See, until we get married and have to produce an heir, this is a business arrangement only. So I’m a free man for the time being,” he said, though he could have laughed at the irony.

  He was as free as an abused, caged lion in a rundown circus. Maybe he hadn’t signed the contract for a marriage yet, but their families had bonded them long ago—and recent events only cemented the need for the union. He was trapped but couldn’t afford to be selfish enough to find an escape.

  “You’re also a good salesman. But I
guess I don’t have to buy into anything, right?” She tapped her fingers on her lap, looking out the window. “You were the one doing the buying.”

  Doing the buying. The words echoed deep in his soul, causing nausea to form in his stomach. He glanced at her lap; she now threaded her fingers together, her thumbs tapping each other. The icky sensation floated up his throat. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and he touched his neck, willing away the bile. Shit. Until now, he hadn’t realized his situation might make her feel uncomfortable. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Amaya.”

  Maybe the sorrow in his voice caught her attention, as she turned her face to him. “I thought being well-endowed was a good thing.”

  “In theory, yes.” He pursed his lips, remembering all the pats on his back he’d received from friends in high school. They all probably believed the same as her. She cocked her head to one side, her big brown eyes flickering with interest. No doubt, she wanted to know the truth. Wanted to know him.

  His chest shrank to the size of a gold-plated cufflink. Opening up to her would not only put him at risk, it’d weaken him. Best to change the subject and make it about her. “What’s your story? Why were you selling?”

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The light shone on her sultry tresses, and the tips of his fingers tingled with a need to touch her mane. The damn sensation shot up his arm. Hell, maybe she was a good saleswoman, too. “I need the money.”

  “Obviously. Money’s a need we can’t go without. Why? What grand plans do you have for you to agree to such an unorthodox offer?”

  “I’m responsible for my older brother, Diego. He’s autistic, and I’m all he’s got. My parents died about a year ago, and I’ve been stuck with bills. I want him to go to a good home where they treat him the way he deserves. Where he has top-notch therapists.” A light of hope sparkled in her eyes, and an invisible force clutched his heart. He felt the affection in her tone when she mentioned her brother. She, too, was trapped to family obligations and unfair promises. “I never…imagined I’d sell my virginity at such a high price. It’s kinda crazy.”