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Max: This will be a lot more fun if I can see you.
Oh, right. He could only see bits of her through the tiny rows of blinds. And of course he’d tease her about it.
She took a step back, bumping into her desk. Her well-ordered desk, with only a pen and a blank notepad on top. Her eyes moved over the plain green bedspread of her neatly made bed and her bookshelves, contents organized by size. Not one thing was out of place.
What would it feel like to take a break from being this Natasha for a few days? Logical, orderly Natasha. Max was waiting for her to follow through, and she had two choices: back out or dive face-first into that cake. She smiled.
Natasha: I was just checking to see if you were naked. Didn’t want to be the only one.
She sent the message and waited, watching him through the blinds. Max’s head turned from his phone to her window, then back to his phone.
Max: I’m calling you out on that one. Don’t believe you’re naked for a second.
She chuckled.
Natasha: What happens if I really am?
Max’s shoulders shook a little. Was he laughing? When he looked up again, he was definitely smiling.
Max: Then I take off my pants and keep them off until I get home.
Natasha: Home = parking space? Or will you walk into your building naked?
Max: Stalling...
He was right. Natasha scanned the view from her window again. Only two lights were on in the office building across from her. No pedestrians in sight. Was she going to expose herself to this Sydney street, just to prove to both Max and herself that she could have a little fun? Yes, she was.
Nothing typical about this. Creative? Yes. Though she wasn’t sure if the real-life version of this little game of undress would be a turn-on or just nerve-racking. There was only one way to find out.
Natasha kicked off her flats and took a deep breath. She was even dressed for a strip show, with matching bra and panties. Coordinated for the possibility of post-celebration sex. Hmm...a possibility, not a sure thing? That was a little messed up.
How the hell had the evening gotten to this point so quickly? Only a few hours ago, she was sitting on the patio of La Capannina, contemplating getting a jump on her January schedule. Now she was single, on holiday and considering a few days of sexploration on a tropical island. Oh, and she would have had sex with Max right on the kitchen table minutes ago if he hadn’t stopped them. Definitely not where she thought tonight was going.
But it was certainly sexier than the night she had planned.
Even Alya, who knew every little detail of her relationship with Wayne, knew nothing about that night she’d almost kissed Max...while her sister slept in the other room. These last moments in the kitchen together were a reminder of why she had been tempted.
Natasha was stalling again. She grabbed the cord to the blinds.
Well, here goes nothing.
* * *
Hell, yes. She was actually doing this. She was really going to take off her clothes for him.
Max’s cock was already hard as a goalpost. Earlier, he’d been way too close to whipping out the magic wand. This little game she had started was going to push him over the edge soon. And despite having reservations earlier, if she was offering to strip for him on her terms, he wouldn’t say no to that.
Natasha turned around, her hands searching for the zipper of the dress. Slowly, she lowered it, down her back and over her beautiful ass. Her dress gaped open, exposing all that warm, soft skin he had wanted to touch back in her kitchen. Max was going to personally thank the architect who had chosen full-length windows in her building. Natasha let her sleeves fall off as she glanced over her shoulder. And smiled. Oh, that smile, just for him. She inched the dress down, shimmying it over her hips until it fell. Leaving her in a see-through bra and panties.
Then she turned around.
Max stared up at Natasha’s window as his cock pulsed hard in his pants. His invitation for a few days of fun had been a long shot, and her response had been straight out of his late-night, snake-spanking fantasies. He could still hear her uneven breaths, feel her teeth sink into his lip. His body was alive with the memory of the heat of her skin, the weight of her body against his. And when he’d kissed her back in the kitchen, she had finally let go, like she’d also waited for this moment for years.
Now, she was standing in front of her window in a barely there bra and panties, and those glasses of hers were the perfect addition. Innocent but naughty at the same time, which only made him harder.
Natasha certainly had two sides to her—though she tried hard to hide the second one. Most of the time she was a funny, quirky, confident scientist who chose her path based on logic and careful decision-making to make sure her life stayed in her control. Hell, Max loved this side of her. It was what had made him pay attention that first day she so thoroughly and insightfully turned him down. But it was this side that had kept her with that tosser Wayne. Because the fucker kept everything nice and orderly despite not actually caring for her.
Wayne was probably too self-centered to notice Natasha’s other side, the one she seemed to be wary of. One that was curious, tempted. She rarely let anyone see it, but Max was going to give her the chance to explore that part of herself on Green Island. Maybe if he showed her what it felt like to have a man worship her for a few days, she’d avoid assholes like Wayne. And the hurt that came with them.
This peep show was the perfect balance, teetering between both sides of her. Would she go any further? It was questions like this that made his cock ache.
Natasha: You still have your pants on.
Max chuckled.
Max: Bra and panties = naked? Or are you ready to go all the way?
Natasha: Stalling...
Max laughed and looked up at her window. She had her hands on her hips, and her smile was wide. So far, so good. As long as he kept her smiling, she’d play along. He’d have plenty of time to get to the dirtier stuff next week.
Max set his phone in the docking station on his dashboard. He tipped his seat back a bit and unfastened the button of his jeans. Carefully, he lowered the straining zipper. His cowboy leaped out, stretching the material of his boxers, ready for a ride. He slipped the jeans over his hips and pulled them off, along with his socks and shoes. Then he tugged his boxers down, giving him plenty of room for the rodeo.
He looked back up at the window as his hand moved down over his cock. He cupped his balls and moved his hand up again, slowly, over his length, his gaze fixed on Natasha. Her arms fell to her sides as she stared down at him, her mouth parting. How much could she see? Had she ever watched a man get off in front of her? Another idea to file under Things to Try on Green Island.
She raised her hands to her breasts. He closed his fist around his cock and gave himself a hard squeeze. Would she get off in front of him, too?
But no. She was holding up her phone, probably texting him. Max grinned as his phone pinged.
Natasha: I can’t see enough. Not a fair exchange.
Before he could think through the idea, he reached for his dashboard to type.
Max: You can come closer.
Silence. Was she considering it? She was still staring down at him.
His imagination kicked into overdrive. His hand was back on his cock as he pictured her walking out the front door of her apartment building and climbing into the seat next to him. She’d still be wearing just a bra and panties and those glasses, because, hey, this was his fantasy. Can I get a closer look? she’d say. Yeah, she certainly could. Max was bigger than Wayne in every way, and he’d put money on it that this included cock size. Natasha’s eyes would get all doe-eyed wide as she stared at his dick. He’d be ready to come, but he’d make himself wait.
She’d say something like, Can I touch you? and—
Max’s phone pinged, shaking him out of his fantasy world.
Natasha: Goodnight
He looked up at the window, and she smiled and waved. He smiled back.
Max: I’ll be thinking of you. In detail.
Natasha: Same
The shade on her window came down, and Max slumped back into his seat. His cock was begging for attention. How the hell was he going to drive home with a raging hard-on?
He glanced around at the deserted side street. He was a dozen strokes away from coming. Fuck it. He was going all the way. Max grabbed a rag from the glove compartment and smirked. He had thought of a few reasons to put the little towel in the car, but this hadn’t been one of them.
Leaning back in his seat, he fast-forwarded through his fantasy until he came to the part where she looked up at him and asked, Can I taste? Then she’d lick his tip, swirling her tongue around a few times before her lips closed around him. His balls tightened, and his hand moved hard and fast in a few last strokes. He grabbed the cloth and came hard into it, his hips thrusting. Max gulped in a few breaths of air. Goddamn, this woman wound him up for reasons he didn’t even understand.
He glanced at the heap of his jeans next to his seat. The trip to Green Island was going to be interesting, and a hell of a lot of fun.
CHAPTER FIVE
WHEN MAX WALKED into the virtual conference room, the rest of the Blackmore Inc. team was already there. Derek Latu and Simon Rodriguez were sprawled in two of the seats behind the room’s half-circle table, and a very real-looking image of Cameron Blackmore, the Sydney team’s CEO, was on the large screen against the wall. Cameron’s virtual half of the table, projected on the enormous screen on the wall, was from New York. The Sydney office’s screen lined up with the New York office’s table perfectly to complete a round conference table.
The whole setup had been Jackson McAllister’s idea, from when she’d done PR work for the head office. She was the Sydney team’s image consultant for a stint before Cam fell for her and chased her back to New York, where he was now working temporarily.
“How’s the Big Apple?” asked Derek. “Jackson works, so I know you’re not in bed all day.”
The rest of the team chuckled.
“Cold as hell. Thank fuck we’re leaving soon,” said Cameron, smiling. “She’s given her notice. We’re going to take off for Paris soon. Not that it’s any warmer there.”
“You’re getting on a plane again?” asked Simon. “Does Jackson really know what sitting next to you means?”
Max watched his friend carefully, waiting for the answer. Cameron had managed to keep his fear of flying well hidden from the public, but Max, Derek and Simon knew the lengths he had gone to in order to avoid travel over the years.
“She knows,” said Cameron, his expression turning serious. “Let’s get this meeting started. Surveillance update, Simon?”
Simon went through the growing list of clients their virtual security department was currently monitoring.
“You sure you’re satisfied with more of a desk job going forward?” Cameron asked him. Simon had played a big role in developing this aspect of the team’s services in recent months and would continue to oversee it.
“I’m using my degree and getting home for dinner every night,” said Simon. “I’m satisfied.”
Max let out a laugh and clapped Simon on the back. “We know you are, mate. We know.”
Big grins came from Derek and Cameron, and Simon even cracked a smile.
“You’re welcome for pushing you to take that job with Marianna,” said Cameron.
“I’ve already thanked you a hundred times, asshole,” rumbled Simon, but there was no malice in his voice. He laced his fingers behind his head. “Sometimes I still can’t believe she’s here in Sydney with me.”
Ever since Simon reunited with his first love when she came from Miami seeking protection, Max had seen a different side of his formerly stoic friend. The woman who’d been off-limits to Simon growing up was now his fiancée, and he actually looked...content. Derek had been married for a while, but now, Cameron and Simon head-over-ass in love?
That brand of happiness baffled Max. Sure, he could understand the appeal of having someone in his bed every night, but there were so many pressures that could wreak havoc on two people caught in a sex-induced haze. Life had a way of steering relationships south—as in Antarctic south—at least for the Jensen family. When his mother was still alive, the media storms surrounding his parents had pushed them to retreat to Western Australia permanently, and his brother...well, TJ was a lot like their father, and he just seemed to shut that part of his life off.
“Moving on,” said Cameron. “Reconnaissance on the world summit in three weeks?”
Derek gave a run-down on his team’s schedule, adding, “We’ve booked the final security walk-throughs and client meeting after Max returns from Green Island.”
“I’ll be back on Monday,” said Max. “Henning is covering me and keeping an eye on Alya’s ex-boyfriend’s movements from the office.”
Cameron frowned a little. “You sure you want to go on this job?”
“Why the hell wouldn’t I want to?” he asked with a smirk. “Low-risk trip to a tropical paradise.”
Natasha would be there for some bedroom paradise, too. Or maybe she liked it outdoors? He couldn’t dream of more ideal workplace conditions if he tried.
The conference room was silent, and Max shook himself out of his wandering thoughts. He looked around the room slowly. All three men were watching him, and no one else was smiling. Derek rested his hand on Max’s shoulder. “The Jensen Family Foundation dinner won’t be easy next weekend. And you’ve got a lot of changes coming.”
Max scowled. Goddamn, this was the last thing he wanted to think about right now. He had spent every day since he was eighteen making sure his family bullshit didn’t run his life. There was no way he was going to start down that path now.
Which was why he’d continue to work for Blackmore Inc. for the foreseeable future. Of course, he’d need to dedicate a good chunk of his free time to fund-raising, charity events and other activities for the foundation. At some point, he might even need to cut back a little on the number of assignments he took. But Max would never quit. He’d always want to keep this part of his life, where he’d earned his position on skills alone.
“It’s not a problem,” he said roughly.
“Someone else could go with Alya,” said Derek.
Max frowned. “I dealt with my shit last year when my mother died, and I’ll deal with it again next week. A few days on the beach won’t change that.”
The last thing Max wanted was to move back into the Jensen family world, where his easygoing nature didn’t fit with his family’s rigidity and stoicism. Where his every move was measured against his father’s and grandfather’s legacy. But his very last promise to his mother was that he’d take this position if his father asked, if her death was too much for him.
Frankly, when Max agreed, he hadn’t actually expected that request to ever come, considering his father’s well-established will of steel and unwillingness to show a hint of vulnerability. Yeah, his father had loved his mother, though he was more the taker than the giver in that relationship. Ironic that it took his mother’s death to bend his father’s will—when it was too late for her to appreciate it.
There were other issues that would come up when he headed the family foundation. Stepping into the Jensen family spotlight had the potential to play out just like his admission to Princeton. After years of falling short of family expectations, Max’s father couldn’t trust him to find a university that would take him on his own merits, so he had sweetened the deal behind Max’s back. Price tag: a new graduate library with the Jensen name on it. That way, every single person who set foot on that campus knew Max didn’t earn his place in the freshman class. The fact that his admission had cost a whole fucking library spoke for itself.
His father’s vote of no confidence had made him doubt himself. Never, ever again. If Max had to take on everything that went with being president of the Jensen Family Foundation, he would do it on his own terms. His mother’s other hope—that Max and his father would finally reconcile—had been left unspoken. Even in her last weeks, his mother had known better than to ask for that.
But enough of that shit. For the next few days, he could concentrate on a job he had earned on merit and some downtime on an isolated island. Warm water, warm beaches, hot woman...
“Yeah, I can see why you don’t want to give up an assignment like that,” said Derek, stopping Max’s schlong thoughts before they got any further.
Cameron smirked. “I’m sure there will be plenty of attractions for you to enjoy.”
Max gave them all a smile, letting his reputation work to his advantage here. He certainly wasn’t going to tell them that there was only one attraction on Green Island he was interested in. And he was finally getting private admission.
CHAPTER SIX
THE YACHT SLOWLY approached the Green Island dock, skimming through calm, cerulean waters. The ocean breeze blew through Natasha’s hair, but it barely helped. It was hot as hell up in North Queensland, even out on the water in the shade of the boat’s canopy. A bead of sweat trickled down her neck and disappeared into her tank top.
The engine cut, leaving only the sounds of water splashing against the sides of the boat and Natasha’s own breaths. How had she never made this trip before? She had been meaning to come to the Great Barrier Reef since she and Alya moved to Australia three years ago, but she had familiar research sites on the Hawaiian reefs, so it was much easier to start experiments there. And Green Island wasn’t cheap, so she couldn’t just pop up here for an extended weekend.
The captain tied up the boat as Natasha tore her eyes from the green-blue waters and gazed at the little island. White sand, palm trees, just big enough to explore, small enough to feel remote, like nothing from the mainland could touch her. Paradise, for sure. It was no wonder Tropical Bliss was shooting their new branding campaign here.
The white beach that stretched along the shore of the island was empty of people, but as they pulled in she spotted a colorful row of beached kayaks, a sign that a resort lay somewhere in the tangle of palms. Max had timed their arrival ahead of the first ferry from Cairns. They’d stayed in the ocean-side city after flying from Sydney last night. It was early to be up on a Saturday but it was worth it. The day tourists weren’t here, so the island was quiet, with only the resort staff and the other fashion shoot folks who had flown in. They had made it through the trip without even a hint of Alya’s ex, as expected. Natasha let out a deep breath and glanced at Alya. Her sister leaned over the deck rail next to her, bundled in gauzy swathes of wraps and scarves, topped with a wide-brimmed hat. The only signs of stress were in her hands, fidgeting with the strap of her handbag.
Natasha brushed her fingers over her sister’s. “It’s official. We can relax now.”
“I’m working on it,” Alya said, the corners of her mouth turning up. “Max was right about this place. I can’t see any way we could be caught unawares on this island.”
Natasha said gently, “I’m sorry you have to think about this stuff in such detail.”
Her sister sighed, her shoulders sinking a little. “It’s probably time I stopped worrying so much, but I can’t bring myself to just yet.”
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