22

Selena

Damn the man. Damn everything about him, including his dashing good looks and his fucking praise that got to me every time.

Damn the way he created a wave of excitement building from my core out, the hunger washing through me like a tidal wave. And especially damn him for enticing me with his dominance. As he captured my mouth, I was cognizant of where I was sitting, on a patio with a solid two dozen other people all around me, any of whom could recognize me even in the darkness. But I just didn’t seem to care in the least.

The combination of flavors from the tanginess of the oyster and his scotch to the richness of my wine was the true aphrodisiac, making my skin tingle all over and my pussy throb harder than it had done the day before. I was breathless, a shimmer of lights pulsing in the back of my mind.

I was also crazy for not leaving as soon as he’d sat down, refusing to talk to him, but he was irresistible in every way. And his prowess was off the charts.

As soon as he swept his tongue inside, he slipped his hand around the back of my neck, digging his fingers in and holding me in place. Somehow, I doubted he was going to allow me to go anywhere. I should run. I should scream. I should make good on my threat to call the police, but he was right. I’d need to come clean about my involvement.

He dominated my tongue as he’d already done with everything else, pushing me into a frenzy of need, the collision between my career and my longing for the man explosively close. He knew exactly what he was doing to me, unraveling my mind as well as my body.

And I hated him for it.

When he broke the kiss, he kept his firm hold, pulling back by only a few inches. “We’re going to enjoy spending some time together at this table, Selena. After that, you’re going to walk across the street with me to a hotel you know very well where you’re going to spend the night with me. In the morning, we will discuss how I can best protect you.”

“I don’t need protection.” And if he truly believed I would dare go behind closed doors with him, the man was out of his ever-loving mind. I’d had to explain why the door to the bathroom inside my room had been splintered. I’d found it horrifying that he’d already confessed, paying for the damage.

Why was it that the man surprised me? That was crazy. He was a monster, a madman. Yet I wanted him to the point everything inside of me ached, my entire body shaking. “Not a chance.”

“Yes, you will.”

“And if I don’t?”

He sat all the way back, grabbing another oyster, slurping it just like he’d done before. God, I wanted to slap the smug look off him and I could tell by the look on his face that he knew it.

“If you don’t then you will be punished. It’s clear and simple. However, I know how much of a good girl you need to be, so you won’t disappoint me. Will you?”

I laughed, the sound as nervous as I felt inside. I wanted to find the courage to say no, but he was the one person that defied all logic. His drink was brought, the young waitress obviously enamored with him. And for a crazy few seconds, a twinge of jealousy rolled through me. “What kind of danger are you certain I’m in?”

He polished off his first drink before answEricag, shoving the glass aside. “As we’ve already discussed, I have enemies everywhere,cherie. They would stop at nothing to get to me no matter what country I’m in and no matter who is with me. Some have even less humanity than I think I do, uncaring if their target is a woman. If they could hurt me in any way through you, then they would in a heartbeat.”

I thought about the threats and took a deep breath. “Did you threaten me these last couple of days?”

The question seemed to surprise him. “No. I don’t need to threaten you, Selena. We have an understanding between us. Yes? Now, tell me. What are you getting at? I need to know exactly what occurred.”

I debated telling him anything, but I needed to see it in his eyes if he was lying to me. What difference that would make I wasn’t certain, but it’s how I handled my business.

“I received a threat by phone and a note left on my car. Whoever it was acted as if they knew what had occurred between us. I haven’t told anyone. Not a single soul. You’re telling me that wasn’t you? You weren’t trying to exert your power, lord it over me?” When his eyes flashed in fury, I knew he hadn’t been responsible. That meant the real killer was still out there. Watching. Waiting. Fuck.

He looked out at the water for several seconds. “No, mycherie. No matter what you think of me, I’m not in the habit of threatening beautiful women no matter the circumstances. Unfortunately, I was correct in that you are in significant danger.”

“What do you suggest I do? You must have some idea.”

“At this point, I am uncertain who might be behind this, which is difficult for me to admit. However, allow me to do my job and protect you. You have no understanding of what you might be dealing with.”

I laughed, although I was shivEricag from the realization that I’d been shoved into the middle of a war. “You need to think about who the responsible party is. Give me a list and I’ll do what I can to track them down.”

His laugh sounded as bitter as mine had. “I assure you, my sweetcherie, that I have connections and men researching what we’re dealing with. I can’t and won’t place that burden on you. That will only place you even more into harm’s way. The men Isurround myself with don’t take kindly to anyone investigating them.”

“Then I can’t help you.” He was infuriating but in truth, the more he talked, the more I tended to believe he was innocent of this particular crime.

Why did his words not surprise me? I took another sip of wine, debating how the hell I was going to get away from him. And that’s exactly what needed to happen. I couldn’t give in to the attraction or my desires ever again.

When he reached across the table, sliding his finger from one side of my jaw to the other, my nipples hardened even more, poking through my blouse. With my jacket tossed over the back of the chair, he had a clear shot of exactly what he did to me. I needed to back away, creating as much space between us, but as I stared into his mesmerizing eyes, I was drawn further into the darkness.

He smelled divine, his aftershave pungently perfect, as if he’d walked out of the forest on a rainy spring day. The man was all male in every sense of the word and for a few seconds, there was no one else around us. Just the two of us engaged in a moment where pure filthy sin was certain to follow.

Finally, I found the chutzpa to pull away, breaking the hypnotic connection, staring out at the water in hopes I’d find some other course of salvation.

There was none.

The ugly truth was that his touch lingered, haunting me long after he was in my presence.

“Eat the oysters, Selena,” he commanded, allowing me to hear the sexy slurping noise he made once again. “Whether you like it or not, I’m in your life.”

God, the man was infuriating.

I slowly turned my head, unable to take my eyes off him. There was nothing sexier than the way he ate raw oysters, as if they were the most succulent thing in the world. And as he dragged his tongue across his lips collecting drops of the tangy juice, I was forced to swallow hard, my heart thudding against my chest.

There was no rhyme or reason to my actions, the way I mimicked him by grabbing one of the remaining shells, slowly bringing it to my mouth, taking my time licking off the brine before tipping back my head.

“Mmm…Tout ce que vous faites est sensuel, élégant et pourtant ce dont j’ai envie est brut et sale.”

“What did you say?” I whispered, aware that in talking I’d allowed a single bead of juice to trickle down my chin. A laugh bubbled to the surface but when he rose from his seat, bending over and licking the drop before capturing my mouth, I dropped the shell, gripping the edge of the table. He was tender with the moment of passion, gently opening and closing my lips several times before sweeping his tongue inside. As before, the combination of flavors was irresistible, so much so that the throb in my pussy became explosive.

When he pulled back, grabbing his napkin and wiping his mouth, I found myself leaning forward. What was this man doing to me?

“I said that everything you do is sensual and elegant and yet what I’m craving doing is raw and filthy. Finish your food and wine,cherie.”

“Then what?” I dared to ask, a strange sense of excitement tearing through me. I hated myself for the tingling sensations and the way he made me feel. I was so drawn to him that I wasn’t certain who was more obsessed with the other.

He lifted his glass, almost as if in a toast to what we’d shared and what he planned on doing to me. “Then I’m going to fuck you like every woman deserves to be fucked. With such powerful intensity that you’ll be left breathless for hours afterward. The kind that will leave you sweating, your pulse racing, and the desire reaching a plateau that you never believed possible. Then after you’re satisfied, reaching the greatest levels of euphoria, I’m going to do it again.”

There was no rationality for the fact I’d followed him across the street, or that once we’d reached the elevator, I’d allowed him to place his hand on the small of my back. The man was larger than life; when he walked into a room, there wasn’t a man who didn’t want to become him or a woman who didn’t want to fuck him.

I’d seen eyes watching him as we’d walked into the lobby. While I was steps in front of him in an attempt to keep prying eyes from recognizing me as well, I could sense we were being noticed. That made my heart beat faster and the intense throb between my legs more electrifying. It was as if around him, I couldn’t care less about the level of danger both to my person and my career.

The simple truth that could not be denied was that the man just did it for me. I craved him more than I had anything in my life up to this point. There was no amount of money or power that could change my mind.

As the doors to the elevator closed, he backed me against the cold steel wall, planting his hands on either side of me. He was so much taller than I was that as I tilted my head, I’d never felt so protected or wanted in my life. His eyes were penetrating mine, telling me in no uncertain terms what he would do to me.

I placed my hand on his chest, clenching my fingers around his crisp shirt. The look of heat on his face was followed by one of extreme lust. When he fisted my hair, forcing my head at an awkward angle, I felt no fear, only burning need that could combust at any moment. Everything became a beautiful blur as he slowly lowered his head, sliding his other hand down my side to my leg. As he yanked up the material of my pencil thin skirt, grasping my thigh, I could swear I heard the material rip.

And I couldn’t care less about my expensive suit.