When I came out of the bedroom, I surveyed the rest of the penthouse: plush leather sectional couches. A widescreen TV bigger (and thinner) than I’d ever seen before. A magnificent dining table. And most surprising of all, a pool of water in the floor that glowed sapphire blue.That’s when I realized that the pool – about ten feet square – extended under the glass walls to the outside, where it joined a much larger swimming pool on a private patio. Sumptuous outdoor chairs and more potted jungle plants ringed the glowing blue water. I could start in here, swim under the glass wall, and end up outside with a few strokes.Johnny saw me looking at the pool. “Yeah, I’m not too fond of that,” he said to Connor.Connor was over by the sofa taking off his tie and jacket. I had a lovely little flashback to less than an hour ago as he shrugged off his clothes. “Relax, there’s a gate,” he told Johnny.I looked closer. Sure enough, a sturdy metal gate extended from the bottom of the tiled pool
We ate mostly in silence. At first.To tell the truth, I was incredibly self-conscious. I didn’t want to look like a pig, so I took tiny, ladylike bites.Also, I was obsessing over my table manners. I’m a fried chicken, lick-my-fingers kind of girl. I didn’t eat out in fancy restaurants growing up, so I was a little worried about whether I was using the right fork and whatnot. My fears were justifiable, seeing as the food was fancier and more extravagant than anything I’d tasted in years – maybe ever.Plus there was that whole ‘I just slept with this guy and he probably does this with every hot woman he meets’ voice muttering louder and louder in my head.Which made me feel even worse, because I am so not hot. Eventually I began wondering why he had even bothered with me.He sat back and took a sip of wine. “You look absolutely miserable.”I looked up at him in surprise. “What? No. I’m fine.”“Really.” His tone indicated he didn’t believe me.“Yes, really,” I said testily.“What’s go
As it turned out, he had to call down to the concierge for a pack of cards.“And another bottle of wine. And another table, with a selection of fruit and chocolate,” he said into the phone before hanging up. My mouth started to water. I had only eaten about half my dinner – not only had the conversation gotten distracting, but I was a little worried about pigging out and then having to strip down naked.But offer me chocolate, and all bets are off.Connor looked me over appraisingly. “Thinking of your questions? Or thinking about what I’ve got in store for you?”Yes. And yes.Damn it, I hate how he can tell what I’m thinking – especially when I don’t want him to know.“No, I’m cataloguing how many pieces of clothing I’ve got on,” I lied.Hey, nobody said anything about lying outside of the game.He chuckled. “Well, most of the clothes will come off before I begin to have my way with you, so…”Have my way with you.I crossed my legs again, both from nervousness and being uncomfortably
As it turned out, I won the next hand, too. Three jacks.“Damn it,” he swore, throwing down his cards.“You know what that means,” I said.“Clothing, right?” he asked in a fake hopeful voice.I shook my head ‘no.’He breathed out heavily, then smirked. “Well, I guess I used up all my luck earlier tonight when I got lucky.”When I got lucky.Holy crap.That was something I would say about sleeping with him… not something I would expect him to say about sleeping with me.The butterflies were twirling up a storm in my stomach, but I kept to the plan.“You don’t work for LMGK, do you?”LMGK was an international consulting firm with worldwide branches – and whom Connor had claimed he worked for. They were supposedly interested in buying out the much smaller company I worked for, Exerton Consulting.“No, I don’t.”My insides twisted. Though I felt like I had known all along – I mean, what VP has a private Bentley limo, a bodyguard, and rents penthouse suites at a moment’s notice in the most
And I did. He even tried to bluff me – or maybe he thought he could win. But my three queens beat his two pair.“Damn it, I wanted to see more,” he growled, staring at my breasts again.“There’ll be time.”“So… two pieces of clothing?” he asked, both hopeful and mocking at once.I considered. “One question, one piece of clothing.”“Which one first?” he asked with a seductive little smile.“The question.”“Go for it.”I knew I shouldn’t ask it… I knew I was asking for trouble, for heartache, for a swift kick to the gut……but I had to know. And it was going to keep on driving me crazy if I didn’t ask.“How many women have you slept with?”He stared at me, sphinx-like, and didn’t answer for a second. When he did, his face was a blank slate, and his voice was carefully controlled. “Are you sure you want to ask that?”“Yes,” I said in a quavering voice, when the truth was actually No. I wasn’t sure at all.He shook his head. “I don’t think you do.”“Just tell me.”“The truth?”When he sai
The next hand I had a pair of sixes. I thought about staying in… but couldn’t bear to lose both my bra and panties. Not at once. So I folded.I tried to stay cool and calm, but I was dreading what was going to come next. And, strangely enough, I was incredibly turned on by it, too.I’d never experienced such a weird mix of emotions.Terribly insecure, but badly wanting him to make me undress.Afraid of what he would think of me if it was ‘all just hangin’ out’… and desperately wanting him to see me and want me more.I guess I should have taken encouragement from the way his mouth was open when I took off the skirt, but I have a short memory when it comes to self-confidence. Plus, there’s a big difference between half-naked and totally naked. My bra kept things nicely in place. I wasn’t sure how he would like the total package once I was on display for five minutes.I began to wonder if I could play with one arm wrapped around my boobs. After all, he never mentioned anything about no
He won again. Not surprising, because I could barely keep my mind on the cards, or my eyes off the front of his pants.Not only that, I didn’t fold – so I lost twice over.By now, I didn’t mind at all.He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his abs and chest. In the shadows cast by the candlelight, they looked like they could have been carved out of oak. I could also see the beginning of the curves of his lower abdomen, which led down to the part I so desperately wanted to see.My mouth watered.“I thought I lost,” I said in a breathy voice.“You did,” he smiled, and took my hand. “Touch me here.”Again, I reached for the bulge in his pants.“Not there,” he said, and placed my hand on his abs. “Here.”I gave him a quizzical look and rubbed my palm over his skin.“No. The way you were touching my hand before, when my fingers were in your mouth. Tickle me. Tease me.”I gently traced my fingernails across his skin, brushing him ever so softly.His muscles jerked beneath my touch, contracting
He took me by the hand and pulled me roughly towards the nearest window. Or should I say, the nearest full-length wall of glass. Outside, the lights of LA glowed softly in the darkness.“What – ?” I started to ask, but he answered by positioning me two feet away from and facing the glass. Then he stepped behind me.I was about to ask again what the hell was going on when I felt his fingers between my shoulder blades.The clasp came undone and my bra loosened. He nuzzled my neck, and I gasped with pleasure and closed my eyes. As his lips grazed the edge of my ear, he slid the straps off my shoulders, and my bra slipped to the floor.His muscular arms reached around me, engulfing me. His warm skin pressed against me, slid softly across mine. I felt the firmness of his chest and stomach next to my back, and the hardness of his manhood pressing against my backside.Then his hands reached up under my breasts, cupping them, supporting them, caressing them. I moaned as he played with their w