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“Even when I was a nervous wreck in the cage?”
“Yes, even then. I shouldn’t have suggested that we dance in there.”
“It’s okay. You didn’t know how it would turn out.” She polished off her champagne. She had no intention of getting drunk, but a little buzz wouldn’t hurt, especially with the way Jake was staring at her. She was curious to know more about him. Things she shouldn’t want to know. Things she shouldn’t ask. But she questioned him, anyway. “Do you do that type of stuff?”
He put his plate aside. “What stuff?”
“Like what was in the video.” She refilled her glass, waiting to see what he would say. She’d heard that he was wild in bed, but no one had ever said just how wild. Not even the starlet who’d blogged about him had included those types of details.
“Bondage? No, I’m not into that.” Without taking his eyes off her, he added, “Why...are you a secret dominatrix or something?”
If she wasn’t so enraptured with him, she would have laughed. “Are you kidding? Me being a secret anything is preposterous. I just like regular sex.”
“Truthfully, I was kidding. But I like it regular, too. Only, I think they call it vanilla in that lifestyle.” He gestured to the vanilla-scented candle. “Like that.”
Had she actually started this conversation? She put down her champagne and reached for a scone that was glazed with white icing. “This is vanilla.”
Jake shifted on the towel, moving a little closer to her. “I don’t think I got one of those.”
“I can share it with you.” She held it out to him, caught in a trap of her own making.
He took it from her, his fingertips touching hers, creating a soft stream of electricity between them.
While he bit into the pastry, she watched him, anxious to have it back, to put her mouth where his had been.
“It’s good,” he said.
Too good, she thought when her turn came. They continued to pass it back and forth. Carol couldn’t deny that it felt like foreplay.
“What are we doing?” he asked when she finished the last bite.
“Something we shouldn’t be doing,” she replied. But it felt too incredible to stop.
As he leaned in to kiss her, she was thrilled, hungry for the taste of him. Their mouths came together in a burst of passion, their tongues meeting and mating.
When they stopped to catch their breaths, the candle flickered, its vanilla scent swirling around them. He took her plate off her lap, put it next to his and then moved in for the kill, nudging her down.
Again, she was too enthralled to stop him. She wanted him as close to her as possible.
He laid down on top of her, and they kissed like forbidden fiends, the sound of the ocean roaring in the distance. Carol’s dress fanned out beneath her, the body veil twisting up with the towel. Jake’s jacket was beneath her, too, where it had fallen off her shoulders.
He tasted like the pastry they’d shared. She probably tasted that way to him, too—sweet, sugary, filled with warmth and flavor.
She loved the weight of his body against hers, the hardness pressing down on her. Needing more, she wrapped her arms around him, trailing her hands along his spine, feeling the fabric of his shirt.
“I have fantasies about you clawing my back,” he said. “I’ve imagined all sorts of erotic things. Even biting you.” He nibbled at her ear, tugging on her lobe with his teeth. “I shouldn’t want you like this, but I do.”
“I shouldn’t want you, either.” She knew better. She was his employee. His assistant. The woman who was supposed to be so proper and composed.
His breath rushed out. “I’m so turned on right now.”
“So am I.” She could barely think straight.
Jake kissed her again, all rough and sexy and dark, his lips ravishing hers. Then he lifted his head and stared at her. Carol stared at him, too, her heart threatening to jump out of her skin.
Neither of them moved. If they kept going, they would end up naked in the sand, tearing each other apart.
Hot vanilla sex.
She wanted to be with him, but she couldn’t let it continue, not like this. She needed to catch her breath, to clear her mind, to behave like the rational person she was.
“We need to stop,” she said. Beneath her dress, her nipples were tingling, and her panties were sticking to her skin.
He sat up, his voice raspy. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Carol sat forward as well, and grabbed his jacket from where it had fallen. She put it on, needing to cover up. “We both got carried away.”
He frowned in the candlelight. “We should go.”
She cuffed the too-long sleeves, trying to make the jacket fit her a little better. “Go where?”
“Back to our rooms. To call it a night.” His frown deepened. “Unless you want to return to the party.”
She cleared her plate and wrapped the uneaten food. “Goodness, no. I’d rather try to get some sleep.”
“Yeah, it’s probably getting late, anyway.” Jake dumped out the rest of the champagne and put the empty bottle back in the basket.
Together, they cleared the evidence of their picnic, but the memory of their kisses remained, warm and wild on her lips.
He squelched the flame on the candle, pressing it between his thumb and forefinger. A moment later, he tucked the Victorian poets next to the empty bottle.
They trailed across the sand, heading for the mansion.
Once they reached the main entrance, they put on their shoes and made their way to the second floor.
As they stood in the hallway outside their rooms, she said, “We’re here.” It was better than saying nothing.
He set the basket on the ground, but he didn’t respond.
In the silence, she attempted to smooth her mussed hair. She could still feel the excitement of lying beneath him. Was she an idiot for having stopped it?
“My key is in my jacket,” he said.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She removed the garment and handed it to him, hating to let it go. She liked being snuggled up in something that belonged to him.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Carol’s key was in her purse. She tried for a smile. “It was quite a night.”
He smiled, too. “It was, wasn’t it?”
She nodded, quietly confused. “I’ve never really had an affair,” she found herself saying. “I’ve only been with men I was involved with.”
“You don’t have to explain. I understand. That wasn’t even supposed to be an issue.”
“I know. But we still have two more days of hanging out together, and I don’t want it to be awkward.”
“I should have considered the couples-only thing a little more carefully. But I guess I just wanted to spend some time with you.”
She’d had a crush on him for a long time. If she slept with him, would it get better or worse? She honestly didn’t know. “I need to go.” Before she did something crazy.
He waited while she unlocked her door. The key wasn’t the electric card kind. It was the old-fashioned, fit-in-the-hole type. She struggled to make it work, but only because her hands were shaking.
“Do you need help?” he asked.
“No, I’ve got it.” She finally managed. “Good night, Jake.”
“Night, Carol.”
She went into her room and closed the door, her pulse skittering, her emotions hanging in the balance. She flipped on the light, feeling more alone than ever.
And wishing that he was there with her.
Five
Carol didn’t get ready for bed. She didn’t get undressed. She didn’t do anything, except battle her hunger for Jake.
Was Lena right in what she’d said? Was life too short not to go after what you wanted? Carol was beginning to think so. Or her libido certainly was.
But could she actually go through with it? And what about Jake—was he still willing? Or had he come to his senses?
She touched a finger to her lips, recalling the taste of his kisses. Should she text Jake to see how he was faring? And if she did, what should she say?
Something honest, she decided. Something to remind him that she was on the other side of those double doors.
Right. As if he was likely to forget.
She retrieved her phone and typed, Can’t stop thinking about you. Then, with her heart in her throat, she hit the send button. At least she was facing her feelings.
She waited, hoping he was near his phone and hoping she’d done the right thing. She didn’t have to wait long.
He answered, Me, too. About u.
Bubbling up inside, she felt like a teenager conversing with her longtime crush. She hastily wrote, Don’t know what to do about it.
He replied, Are u in bed?
No. Still in my clothes.
So am I. Except my shirt.
Carol imagined how he looked, bare-chested and tousled from the beach, tapping out intimate little things to her.
This is weird, she texted him.
I know. Really weird. But I like it.
Me, too. Sort of seems like we’re sexting.
Yeah, it does. A second later, he asked, If I invited u to my room, would u come over?
Her pulse jumped. But just to be sure that he meant what he said, she inquired, Do you want me to come over for real? Or are we only fantasizing about it?
He popped off a quick, Yes, I want u to come over. For real.
She released the breath in her lungs and replied, Give me a few minutes.
To think about it?
To come over. She didn’t want to keep thinking about it. She just wanted to be with him.
He wrote, Excited to see u.
She was excited, too. And she wanted to look refreshed, to comb her hair and reapply her lipstick.
Before this went any further, she asked, Do you have what we’ll need? They couldn’t do this without protection.
Yes, he told her. It’s not a problem.
Then I’ll be there soon, she wrote.
I’ll be waiting, he replied.
Unlock the door on your side, she reminded him.
I will came his reply.
If Carol was the brazen sort, she would untie the front of her dress, take a seductive selfie and send it to him. But she wasn’t that kind of girl. Already, she was stepping outside of her comfort zone. But she wasn’t going to back out. She was going through with this, no matter how nervous she was.
She went into the bathroom to freshen up, warning herself to relax. Not that it would change anything. Calm or nervous. Shy or bold. She was going to make love with her boss.
And she needed to be with Jake tonight. She needed to finish what they’d started at the beach, to feel his aroused body next to hers, to kiss him with unbridled lust, to rake her nails down his back.
Once she looked presentable, Carol walked over to the doors that divided them. A few breathless beats later, she crossed the threshold.
Jake was waiting for her, just as he said he would be. He looked tall and dark and stunning: wearing no shirt, no shoes, just his trousers. By now, she was barefoot, too.
Their gazes met, and he smiled, as if he was about to commit a secret little crime.
But he was, wasn’t he?
Mesmerized, she moved closer. There were so many facets to that smile, so many ways in which it defined him.
“What kind of trouble did you get into?” she asked, reaching out to skim his jaw, her fingers igniting from the feeling.
He leaned into her touch. “What are you talking about?”
“When you were young,” she explained.
He shrugged, lifting his shoulders, as if he were knocking the weight of her curiosity off them. “The usual.”
To her, there was nothing usual about getting into trouble. She’d done everything in her power to toe the line, to be the kind of kid who didn’t make waves. “Did you ever do anything really bad?”
“What do you mean? Like break the law?”
She nodded and waited for him to reply. She couldn’t begin to guess if he had a juvenile record. At the moment, all she knew was how dangerous he still seemed, all grown-up.
“Yes,” he said. “I got caught once.”
“Doing what?”
“It isn’t important now.”
“It is to me.” To understand the boy he once was, to make love with the sexually charged man he’d become.
He took her in his arms. “We can talk about it later.”
He was right. This wasn’t the time to discuss it. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the sweet flutter of letting him hold her.
Then Jake ruggedly whispered, “I want to strip you. Tell me I can. Tell me to do it.”
With a jolt of excitement, she opened her eyes and looked into his. “Yes, do it. As fast as you want.”
He didn’t hurry, even if she’d just given him permission. Ever so gently, he removed the body veil that was draped around her dress. The fabric fell away, drifting to the floor. He continued his quest, untying the sarong. As he unwrapped the dress, she struggled to steady herself.
“It’s okay,” he said. “You won’t fall. I’ve got you.”
She was already falling, tumbling into a highly forbidden zone. He tossed her sarong over a chair, and Carol did her darnedest not to feel self-conscious, even if she was wearing nothing but a pair of beige silk panties.
Jake took her hand and led her straight to his bed. Her skin pulsed as she prepared for what came next.
As she lay there, amid his rumpled sheets, he said, “You’re incredible.”
So was he. Too incredible for words. She could barely believe that she was in his company, with him climbing on top of her.
He zeroed in on her nipples, teasing each one, going back and forth, moving his tongue in sexy little swirls. She thought she might die from the thrill of it.
He lifted his head and smiled. “Should I do it some more?”
Put his mouth on her breasts? “Yes, please.”
“You’re so polite. Such a good girl.”
She didn’t deny his claim, and this time, when he resumed the activity, she tunneled her fingers through his hair.
She sighed as he ran his hand along the waistband of her panties, teasing her, making her limbs quaver.
The lights were on, shining as bright as the sun. Only, it was dark outside, with stars dancing in the night.
He peeled her panties all the way off, and now she was naked, except for the earrings and bracelet he’d given her.
“What about these?” she asked about the jewels. “Should they come off, too?”
“No. I like how you look in them.”
“I’m trying not to worry.”
“About what? Keeping the jewelry? It’s just a few little baubles.”
“I was talking about how we’re going to feel in the morning.” She didn’t want to regret what they were doing. But she feared there would be repercussions.
“Tomorrow doesn’t matter. All that matters is tonight.”
He gestured to the condoms he’d scattered on the nightstand. “I didn’t pack these purposely. But am I ever glad that they were in my luggage.”
She put her hands against his chest, where she could feel the strong steady beats of his heart. “They just happened to be there?”
He nodded. “From the last time I traveled. I even thought about it when we were on the plane. But I didn’t think I’d be using them.”
She trailed her fingers down his body. No doubt about it, there was going to be hell to pay later on. Anything this exciting would have consequences.
Once she reached his stomach, she followed the ripple of muscle along his abs. She was familiar with his workout routine and how disciplined he was about it. He’d built an employee gym at the office for everyone to use, himself included. He had a weight room at home, too. His main residence was a glittering estate in the Hollywood Hills, with a tennis court and a poolside view of the city. Carol had been there a number of times, either running errands for him or dropping off urgent documents for him to sign. And now she was exploring his half-naked body, with a different kind of urgency coiling inside her.
He unzipped his pants, but he didn’t remove them. Nonetheless, she noticed that he wasn’t wearing underwear. But she wasn’t surprised. He seemed like a commando guy.
He said, “There are so many things I want to do to you.”
Delicious things, she thought. He put his fingers between her legs, rubbing that one little spot, making her moan from the pleasure. Everything was warm and sexy, including the sheets beneath her skin. She moaned again, trying to contain herself.
He shifted his weight, his big, broad body casting a shadow over hers. Then he took the foreplay a step further, going down on her with his mouth.
She couldn’t stop touching him while he did it: the breadth of his shoulders, the messiness of his hair, the handsome angles of his face. She even touched herself, where his tongue made contact. There were no bounds, no limits, just heat and primal hunger, shooting straight to her core, making her unbearably wet.
As the orgasm built, her nerve endings electrified. She was steeped in so many sensations, so many hungers, all at once.
Jake didn’t stop until the last spasm racked her body, dragging her under his spell.
He kissed her afterward, barely giving her time to recover. But she didn’t care. He took off his pants, and she saw that he was desperately aroused. She lowered her hand, closing it around him.
While she stroked him, he kissed her once again, heightening the passion. She tightened her grip, wanting to make him feel extra good. But all too soon, he reached for a condom. He was leaking at the tip.
When he extended the packet to her, she widened her eyes. “Why are you...?”
“Because I want to watch you put it on me.”
“No one has ever asked me to do that before. Whenever I’ve been with someone, the guy always...”
“You know how, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course. But you’d be better at it, I’m sure. Quicker. More efficient.”
“It’s not a contest, Carol.” He smiled naughtily. “It’s just a little fun between lovers.”
She opened the packet, feeling as if she was all thumbs. But it was only because she was so darned anxious to be with him. By the time she managed to put the condom in place, he was harder than hard and sexier than hell.
And just like that, he nudged her legs apart and thrust into her, stealing what was left of her breath and making her want him even more.
* * *
Jake marveled at this moment, taking a second to process it. He was inside of Carol. His marriage-minded assistant. How crazy was that?
He thrust deeper, and she gasped, closing around him in hot, slick pleasure. This was sex at its most fundamental level, boiled down to raw need.
Need. The word punched him like a fist. Jake didn’t know what was wrong with him, not having been able to control his hunger for her. She was right about tomorrow. They would have to figure things out. Normally he didn’t concern himself with incidentals. But he was in bed with a woman who worked for him. That wasn’t something that could be ignored.
But for now, morning was a ways away.
Taking what he wanted, what he craved, he kissed his newfound lover with heat and vigor. Twin moans escaped their lips. She wrapped her legs around him, and he moved his mouth to her neck and bared his teeth, nipping her skin.
Euphoria surged through him, so right, so wrong, so hot and pulsing. Was this how addicts felt when they slammed drugs into their veins?
Jake rolled over so Carol could straddle him. While she rode him, he touched her, cupping her breasts and thumbing her nipples. He liked how pink and pretty and pebbled they were.
She braced her hands on his shoulders, digging her nails into his flesh.
“Harder,” he said.
With those neat lady’s nails still sharply in place, she rode him deeper, doubling the euphoria. As she rocked forward, setting an erotic pace, a breeze from the window stirred the ghostly white curtains, sweeping air through the room.
Jake imagined that the sea was rising, crashing in orgasmic waves, coming closer and closer to the moonlit shore.
Caribbean fever, he thought. He had it bad.
“I promised myself that I wasn’t going to seduce you this weekend,” he said. “And now I am.”
Her hair fell forward, soft and shiny around her face. “Yes, you definitely are. But I had a hand in it, too.”
“Yeah, you did.” She had sent him that text urging him to be with her. He switched positions again, gulping frantic breaths in between numerous kisses.
Once he was on top, he pounded her harder and faster. By now, she was clawing his back.
Was she leaving long, sexy scratch marks? Telltale signs of passion? He hoped so. He wanted to be marred by her, to have every aspect of his fantasy fulfilled.
His skin was filled with fire, tattoos and all. Uncta was going into shape-shifting mode, and Eskeilay was hopping through the grass in her earth-womb.
“Don’t stop,” she said.
As if he could. He was on autopilot, moving like a sex machine, desperate to come.
So was Carol apparently. She met him stroke for stroke, maneuvering her body in ways that maximized the pleasure. Only, she seemed to be doing it naturally, unaware that she was so sexy. Jake actually envied the Goody Two-shoes who married her, simply because the lucky stiff would get to be with her every night.
“You’re a hellcat in bed,” he said.
Her voice went husky. “I’m not, not usually...”
“So I just bring it out in you?”
“I don’t know.” She clawed the crap out of him again. “Probably.”
He gazed into her glowing green eyes. Was this how she would behave on her wedding night? Sweet and sensual and animalistic? “Your future husband can thank me later.”
She writhed beneath him. “You’re cocky, Jake.”
He glanced down at where their bodies were joined. “So I am.”
She followed his line of sight. “That isn’t what I meant.”
“Then why are you enjoying the view?”
“For the same reason you are.”
Because being together was exciting. Because they both wanted to remember how it felt. How it looked.
Jake shifted his hips, making the moment hotter.
In. Out. Deep. Deeper.
Carol gasped, and a haze of hunger enveloped him, his body jerking, his erection pulsing, his vision glazing till he could barely see at all. She was falling, too, his orgasm triggering hers. Or maybe hers had jump-started his? He was too far gone to know.
Sensations slammed between them, and she clung to him, making breathy sounds in his ear. His personal assistant.
His very personal assistant, he amended.
When it was over Jake was beaded with sweat. He withdrew and dropped down on top of Carol, needing to drag as much air into his lungs as he could get. But what he got was the scent of sex, mingled with her citrus perfume.
She skimmed her fingers down his spine. Gone were her claws. There was just softness now.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked.
She nuzzled his shoulder. “Isn’t it a little late to be asking me that?”
He grinned in spite of himself. “I meant, am I too heavy?”
“No, you’re good.” She traced his tailbone. “I’m not an itty-bitty breakable thing. I can take it.”
He could have stayed there all night, luxuriating in her curves, except that he needed to get rid of the condom. “I’ll be right back.”
Jake got up and went into the bathroom to do his thing. When he returned, she was sitting forward in bed, with the sheet partially covering her.
“I should take a picture of you,” he said. Beside her, the ghostly curtains were billowing again.
She tugged the sheet closer. “You better not.”
It was tempting, to say the least. “You just look so pretty, that’s all.” Mussed up and wearing the jewelry he’d given her.
“Thank you, but we don’t need that kind of evidence from this night.” She patted the space next to her. “Now, come back to bed.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He hopped into the spot she offered. “So what kind do we need?”
“What kind of what?”
“Evidence from this night?”
She butted her shoulder against his. “Smart aleck.”