Kitabı oku: «With Love From Las Vegas», sayfa 3

Three

So that’s what all the fuss was about.

Too exhausted to hold on any longer, Missy let her arms fall away from Sebastian’s shoulders. He lay with his face buried in her neck. His chest pumped against hers as if he’d finished a mile-long sprint. She marveled at the feel of him buried inside her.

He filled her unlike any man she’d ever known. Of course, there’d only been two. Tim and her high school boyfriend, so she didn’t have much to compare him to, but deep down where it counted, she knew that only one in ten million men could have done the things to her that he just had.

“Well, that was something,” she said into the silence, her heart clenching in a manner that had nothing to do with her winded state. Repercussions swarmed her mind. She shoved the irksome thoughts away. She didn’t want this moment to be tainted by regrets. What she did want was much less clear.

Sebastian had always been able to jumble her emotions. He could make her hungry for his approval and curse his pig-headedness in the space of one conversation. She craved his full attention but feared the effect it had on her hormones.

So, what did she want? An honest answer eluded her. Since she was fifteen, she’d let her family’s expectations subjugate her heart’s desires. Liberating her wants was as uncomfortable as standing from a crouch held for hours. Just as muscles and joints protested being used again after a long period of inactivity, so did her spirit.

Fear drove a spike of doubt into her chest. She closed her eyes until the pain eased. In her mind, she summoned every fantasy about Sebastian that she’d stockpiled during her four years of working for him. Was it reckless to want to explore a couple dozen?

Absolutely.

But if she couldn’t check her inhibitions at the door in Vegas, where could she?

Her fingers itched to wander over Sebastian’s back, shoulders, face, but he’d shuttered emotion and passion behind his granite features, and her earlier boldness was in short supply.

Glancing down his body, she stared, dumbfounded, at the erotic picture that greeted her. Her splayed legs cradled her oh-so-formal boss. The sight of him so intimately arrayed between her thighs, still mostly dressed, flooded her with satisfaction and possessiveness. He was hers. At least for tonight.

It thrilled her to have driven the impassive Sebastian Case to make love to her on the floor. He hadn’t even gotten his pants all the way down. Or his coat off. She bet his tie was still perfectly knotted. The image of them with clothes askew in such a compromising position struck her funny bone. If her friends in the office could see them now. Few would believe that the decisive, controlled Sebastian Case could have gotten swept away by the moment. And not one would believe he would have done it with her.

He lifted his head, eyebrows hammering together as he stared at her mouth and the grin she couldn’t control. “Did you plan this?”

“No.”

Her wager had been desperate and mad. She’d never dreamed she’d win. Or that he’d actually honor the bet.

If she’d had any inkling, she would have stood at that roulette table, tongue-tied and as trapped by her family’s expectations as ever. Even now, if she opened the door to her rational side even a crack, she’d start to hyperventilate at the stark reality of her and Sebastian together like this.

She waited for him to move, but nothing happened. Was he intending on staying like this all night? Not that she was complaining. Just thinking about it caused an immediate spike in her hormones. Tiny ripples of delight, aftershocks of that last incredible orgasm, tugged in her loins.

Chaos muddled her emotions. She cleared her throat. “So, what do we do now?”

For a long moment he stared down at her in that unfathomable way of his. Then, he seemed to arrive at some sort of decision. Tension seeped out of him. “What would you like to do?”

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

“You appear stumped.” He eyed her. “Would you like me to offer some suggestions? I am at your disposal for the night.”

Irony rode his tone. Missy chomped on her lower lip. Was that true? Did he intend to let her have her way with him? As if she could. He could snap her like a twig. Not that he would.

“You’re frowning.” He dusted his lips between her brows. “What’s on your mind?”

His kiss relaxed her and increased her tension at the same time. Soothed her soul and awakened her desires.

“I don’t have much experience with men like you,” she admitted. “I’m not sure of my options.”

“I see.”

Was he laughing at her? Missy surveyed his expression. Neutral. No amusement crinkled the skin around his eyes or curved his lips.

She began again. “I mean, we’ve already done a couple things …” She ran out of words about the same time she ran out of bravado.

“So we have.”

“What would you suggest?”

Grabbing her by the hips, he rolled until she sat on him. “We have lots of things we could do next.”

Where a second earlier she’d been exhausted, being on top inspired a rush of exhilaration. “Such as?”

His eyes burned with scarcely banked desire as he watched her. “There’s quite a list.”

“Starting with?”

“I could tell you.” A second later he’d rolled her beneath him once again.

Breathless and lightheaded, she clutched at his shoulders while he dusted her chin, her eyes, her nose with his lips. The light kisses frustrated and aroused.

“Or?” She groaned as he framed her face with his hands and continued to ply her skin with gentle sweeps of his soft lips.

“Or.” He drew the word out, nipping her neck, making her shudder. “I could show you.”

His offer liberated her breath. It whooshed out of her. “Perfect. I love demonstrations.”

Sebastian rested his forearm against the shower wall and his forehead on his arm. The effort it took to stand upright spoke to the rousing night of lovemaking he and Missy had shared. Cold water poured over his shoulders and back, deflating his morning erection. Waking with an ache below the belt wasn’t unusual. The curvaceous Missy slumbering beside him was a different story.

The bedside clock had warned him it was eight in the morning. After the night he’d had, he was a little surprised he’d regained consciousness before noon.

To his intense dismay, he’d spooned Missy at some point during the wee hours after they’d surrendered to exhaustion. Arm wrapped around her ridiculously tiny waist, face buried in her neck, he’d aligned them head to toe.

He’d never spooned a woman in his life.

Hell, aside from his ex-wife, he hadn’t spent the night with more than a handful of women, and none since his divorce. He’d didn’t like being touched while he slept.

Yet there he’d been, cuddled up against Missy as if he was afraid she’d steal away in the night. With a heavy, thick erection that poked at her backside. He’d kissed the side of her neck, his fingers gliding along her petal-soft skin. She’d stirred. Murmured. Stretched.

He’d jerked his hands away. The night was over. His debt paid. Awakening her with slow, sweet loving would imply that he intended to keep the affair going.

He’d been shocked by how hard it was to leave the bed. What was the matter with him? Sure, the sex had been incredible. Her enthusiastic, uninhibited responses to his lovemaking had blown his mind and unraveled his control. She’d denied him nothing. And he’d given her a night she’d never forget.

A night he’d never forget.

Sebastian shoved his head beneath the cold water to banish his steamy thoughts. Not being the sort of man who did things then lived to regret them later, he didn’t like the sensation churning in his gut. He shouldn’t have let himself agree to Missy’s wager. If he hadn’t been so damned certain he would win, he might have considered what would happen if he didn’t.

What the hell had happened to his sanity? She was his assistant for heaven’s sake.

Not anymore.

Losing the bet last night meant he would need to split his attention between the all-important leadership summit and convincing Missy to stay.

Everyone had a price. He just needed to figure out hers.

He slammed his fist against the tile. The sting restored his calm. He switched from cold to hot and soaped down.

The bed was empty when he left the bathroom to dress. His gaze slid over the rumpled covers. Images of last night’s lovemaking flashed through his head. His body’s predictable reaction infuriated him.

Convincing Missy they could go back to being boss and employee would be impossible if he let lust rule every time he thought about her.

Sebastian yanked a pair of boxers from the drawer and hauled them over his erection. Sliding into a shirt, he fastened the buttons and glared at his reflection, willing his body to behave as if he, and not it, was in control. At least Missy had made herself scarce. One glimpse of her sexy curves beneath the sheet and he’d have tossed his towel into the corner and his better judgment to the wind.

He found his watch on the nightstand and fastened it around his wrist before donning his suit coat. Sebastian closed his eyes briefly. Had he really been in such a hurry with Missy that he hadn’t taken the time to do more than shove his pants to his knees? Obviously he needed to devote more time to his sex life.

Since divorcing Chandra, he’d grown way too suspicious of the women he dated. He treated every one as if they intended to get pregnant in an attempt to compel him to marry them. He and Kaitlyn had been seeing each other for several months and hadn’t yet become intimate. So what had prompted him to throw caution to the wind with Missy?

Sebastian left the disturbing question unanswered and strode into the living room to retrieve his cell phone. The sight of Missy, wearing nothing more than a happy smile and the shirt she’d stripped off him last night, stopped him cold.

His shirt bared her long slender legs and tormented his imagination. With her moss-green eyes obscured by her glasses once again and her hair pulled into a ponytail, she looked like a cross between a pinup and the girl next door. What had happened to the conservative, somewhat frumpy assistant he knew and relied on?

“I ordered breakfast,” she said, retrieving their clothes and shoes from the floor. “It should be here any second.”

To keep from ogling her, he stared at the mixture of garments draped over her arm. “Have you seen my BlackBerry?”

“It was in your pocket.” As she held it out to him, her neckline gaped.

She’d left the top two buttons undone, offering him a tantalizing glimpse of the voluptuous curve of her breast. His fingers twitched, muscles yearning to swallow that perfect roundness in his palm.

One night. That’s all she’d demanded and all he’d intended to let her have. He needed to get them back on professional footing.

“Thanks.” He watched her carry his suit into the bedroom, unable to tear his gaze away. When she disappeared from view, he shook his head to rearrange his thoughts.

He keyed up his emails to see what sort of trouble the morning had brought with it. Dueling emails from Nathan and Max told him it was business as usual with Case Consolidated Holdings.

A troublemaker from the moment he could crawl, middle-brother Max raced cars on the weekend and partied too much during the week. But as reckless as he could be in his personal life, he was conservative in business.

That made for some interesting battles with youngest brother, Nathan, who had made his money taking risks in the stock market and venture capital. The charm Nathan used to get what he wanted was in short supply whenever Max was around.

Max was in Germany trying to save one of their key suppliers from declaring bankruptcy while Nathan looked for a replacement supplier closer to home in Ohio. Max didn’t believe Nathan’s claim that the new company could produce their one-of-a-kind part at a seventeen percent reduction in cost and still maintain the quality.

“I have reports to go over from Nathan about this new supplier he found. I could use your help right after breakfast.”

“I was planning on doing a little sightseeing this morning.” Her voice emerged from the bedroom, tinged with impatience. “I’ve never been to Las Vegas before.”

“There’s not much to see. Just a bunch of casinos.”

“That may be the case.” She reappeared as a knock sounded on the suite’s front door. “But I intend to win money in every single one.”

The words on his handheld screen stopped making sense as she strolled past him. His gaze locked on her bare legs.

With an effort, he refocused on his emails. She would not distract him all week. Playtime was over.

A familiar voice greeted Missy at the door. Sebastian’s head shot up. Framed in the doorway was not a room service waiter, but a tall man in his late sixties dressed casually in a golf shirt and khakis.

For about a millisecond Sebastian’s father looked startled to be greeted by a half-naked woman, then a broad grin bloomed. The man standing just behind him, however, dressed like Sebastian in an expensive gray suit, appeared positively shocked.

The very air in the room stilled as if everyone had stopped breathing.

Missy was the first to move. “Hello, Brandon. Good to see you.” She held out her hand to the former CEO and looked startled when Brandon not only took her hand, but also leaned forward to kiss her cheek. While Sebastian watched, she wrapped herself in professionalism as if she wore a business suit instead of a man’s shirt. She then extended her hand to the second man. “I’m Missy Ward, Sebastian’s assistant.”

“Lucas Smythe.”

Lucas might be seventy and happily married, but that didn’t stop his gaze from roving downward over Missy’s gaping neckline and bare legs.

“We’ve spoken on the phone.” Missy’s only sign of discomfort was the hot color in her cheeks as she stepped back from the door. “Won’t you gentlemen come in?”

“Hello, Sebastian,” Brandon called, noticing his son for the first time. “Look who I found in the lobby.”

“Dad, what an unexpected surprise.” And unwelcome. “Good to see you, Lucas.”

Even more than getting caught with a half-naked Missy in his suite, the appearance of his father knocked Sebastian off balance. What the hell was he doing here? And with Lucas Smythe? Brandon had been against the purchase of Smythe Industries from the start. Not that he had a say in the way Case Consolidated Holdings was run since his retirement nine months ago. Still, this hadn’t stopped him from popping into the office to say hello and lingering to voice his opinion of how his sons were running things.

Sebastian advanced past his assistant to shake hands with Lucas, making sure his body blocked Missy, giving her a chance to fade backward.

“Glad you could join us this week.”

“Glad to be here,” Lucas replied, his attention edging past Sebastian. “I’ll admit I’ve been a bit curious how you run things. Want to make sure my company’s going to be in good hands before I sign her over to you.”

Strong in his opinions about professionalism in the workplace, Sebastian now looked like a hypocrite. The fact that Missy had quit before they’d had sex didn’t make the situation any easier to stomach. Debaucher of female employees was not the image Sebastian wanted to portray.

“Have you eaten?” Sebastian asked as a waiter arrived, pushing a cart loaded with covered dishes into the room. “Looks like there’s plenty of food.”

“I’ve already eaten,” said Lucas, his gaze following Missy as she disappeared into a room Sebastian hadn’t noticed yesterday.

They were sharing the suite?

Giving the appearance of being oblivious to the undercurrents in the room, Brandon followed the waiter. “I’ll take a cup of coffee.”

“Of course.” Frustration engulfed Sebastian.

Uncharacteristically, he wanted to offer an explanation for Missy’s presence in his suite and her attire, but his father’s smirk and Lucas’s frown told Sebastian they’d already formed opinions.

With ruthless determination, he banned Missy from his mind, slamming the door on his personal life so he could concentrate on the business at hand.

“Too bad you didn’t bring your appetite.” He began uncovering trays. “Looks like Missy ordered everything on the menu.”

Brandon glanced toward the door she’d departed through. His lips formed a sly grin. “Have we caught you at a bad time?”

“Not at all.”

Filling his plate with eggs, bacon, pancakes and toast, Sebastian sipped coffee and fixed his gaze on Lucas. Seeing the speculation in the man’s eyes, Sebastian ground his teeth. He refused to feel guilty about what had happened in this suite last night, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to make excuses for his behavior.

“I think you’ll be impressed with the division executives you’ll meet this week,” Sebastian said. “We believe our employees are our most important assets.”

“I’m sure he can tell that you appreciate your employees’ assets,” Brandon said, stirring the pot with a heavy dose of irony.

Sebastian ignored the dig. His father had no business judging. Brandon had indulged in his own indiscretions in years past.

He turned to his father and decided to be blunt. “What are you doing here?”

“I told you. I came by to see if you could tear yourself away long enough for a round of golf.”

“Not here in the suite,” Sebastian countered, working hard to keep his tone even while nettles drove into his gut. “I mean in Las Vegas.”

“This is your first time in charge of the leadership summit. With both your brothers putting out fires elsewhere, I thought you could use my help.”

More likely he’d thought to take over the leadership summit and undermine Sebastian’s authority as the current CEO of Case Consolidated Holdings. Brandon hadn’t wanted to resign after his heart surgery nine months ago. He’d only agreed to step down to appease his wife of forty years.

“I appreciate the offer,” Sebastian lied, regarding his father over the rim of his coffee cup. “But I have everything under control.”

Missy closed the door between her room and Sebastian’s suite and leaned back against it, heart pounding. Dismay tightened around her chest like a vise. She’d never seen Sebastian that angry before. Usually when irritated he froze someone in place. For the first six months she worked for him, she had heard one horror story after another of how he’d terrified her predecessors, and she waited for him to turn his icy disapproval on her. But he never had. Maybe because she made sure everything was done to his exacting specifications, giving him no reason to be annoyed with her.

But was that any way to live?

She deserved a job where she was appreciated for her talents.

Sebastian appreciates your talents.

At least she thought he did. He wasn’t the most effusive boss she’d ever had. But he did give her a big raise every year.

But it wasn’t enough.

She’d wanted more from a job than a paycheck.

She wanted more from Sebastian than employment.

Her nerves stretched taut as she closed her eyes and skimmed her hands over her body, sliding her fingertips along her naked thighs, cupping her breasts in her palms while she relived the highlights of the previous evening. How could she still ache for him after he’d satisfied her with hours and hours of the most creative lovemaking ever? She should be wrung out and exhausted—not revved up for more.

Missy pushed off the door and headed for the bathroom. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she regarded her reflection in bemusement. Her lips looked fuller than usual and felt more tender. She gently ran her tongue over her lower lip. Passion-bruised. Not surprising. The man could kiss. She’d been happy to let him demonstrate his prowess over and over.

Her red hair was a tangled mess. Her cheek color high. The neckline of Sebastian’s shirt gaped, baring more than a little cleavage. She leaned forward to investigate the faint bruise on her neck put there by her boss. Branded. She stepped back and examined the full picture. Bare legs, mussed hair, well-kissed mouth. Son of a gun, she looked like she’d been up having sex all night.

No wonder Brandon had shot his son a knowing grin.

No wonder Lucas Smythe had scanned her up and down.

No wonder Sebastian appeared as if he’d very much like to throttle her.

He’d been in negotiations with the conservative business owner for four months over the purchase of Smythe Industries. Would Lucas Smythe reconsider selling his family-owned business after finding her almost naked in Sebastian’s suite? Missy prayed that wouldn’t happen. If her actions last night had blown the deal, Sebastian would never forgive her.

Caught in the undertow of repercussions, she doubled over, unable to breathe. What had she done?

Nothing any other red-blooded American girl wouldn’t have.

Slowly, her lungs began to work again.

And really, what had she done? She’d slept with a man she’d known for four years. Big deal. She’d already quit working for him. No line had been crossed. It had been one night. Casual, maybe not forgettable, but certainly not life-changing. Sebastian wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship with her. And she didn’t want to set herself up for heartbreak thinking she could fit into his world of money and social status.

For her, it had been rebound sex, pure and simple. After Tim’s rejection, she’d needed a man to demonstrate that she was an attractive, desirable woman. Sebastian had done an admirable job. Her memories would keep her smiling for a long time to come.

Straightening, she stepped into the shower, taking her time beneath the spray. The idea of returning to the suite to face Sebastian’s wrath lacked appeal. He needed some time to cool down. About a week might do it.

She’d go shopping. After her win last night, she had five thousand dollars burning a hole in her purse. The black dress had been her only new purchase yesterday. Sebastian and her father would counsel her to squirrel the money away. The pre-Las Vegas part of her agreed with their logic. Especially now that she’d quit her job. But her new future required a new attitude, and nothing boosted a woman’s confidence like looking fabulous.

She stepped out of the shower, dried her hair, and then set about taming the natural wave with a straight iron. Humming her mother’s favorite gospel song, Missy sorted through her luggage for something to wear. She’d packed nothing but boring business wear. Pantsuits in black and navy. Dress pants and sweater sets for sightseeing and business dinners.

Nothing sexy or eye-catching for her.

Tim wouldn’t have approved of last night’s dress. He was as conservative as her father. But Tim wasn’t in her life anymore. He’d lost any right to an opinion on her wardrobe the second he’d met his “soul mate” and decided to marry her instead of Missy.

Piece by piece, she consigned her wardrobe to the waste-basket beneath the desk. The act of emptying her suitcase was no less cathartic than quitting her job or wagering five thousand dollars on one spin of the roulette wheel. She’d become too complacent in her life. No wonder Tim had found somebody new.

A firm knock sounded on the door that connected her room to the suite. Startled by the sudden noise, Missy answered it without considering her attire. Sebastian stood before her, holding her purse.

“Are your father and Lucas Smythe gone?” she asked.

“Were you hoping to offer them an encore?” His gaze burned hot enough to torch the towel she’d wrapped around her body.

An encore? As if she’d planned for his father and business associate to catch her half-dressed. Whatever had transpired after she’d left had turned his mood from bad to foul.

She glared at him. “Of course not. What is your dad doing in Las Vegas?”

“He didn’t say.”

“Did you ask?”

Sebastian communicated more with one raised eyebrow than most men could with a ten-minute rant. “He claims he’s here to help with the leadership summit.”

“But you don’t believe him?”

“Let’s just say I wasn’t happy to see him in Lucas Smythe’s company.”

Few employees at Case Consolidated Holdings would know the vast chasm that existed between Sebastian and his father when it came to business strategy. Brandon liked to take risks and chase profits, often losing huge amounts of money in the process. Sebastian and Max preferred to use more structured methods when it came to growing Case Consolidated Holdings. Acquiring Lucas Smythe’s company was a perfect example of where they differed.

The two brothers liked the conservatively run company and the way the acquisition would help diversify their mix of product offerings. Brandon wanted to spend their investment capital on something that might offer more growth potential, and he had an ally in his youngest son, Nathan. Problem was, to get to the big gains, it was often necessary to risk big losses.

“Do you think he wants to sabotage the deal with Smythe?”

“He hasn’t had one good thing to say about the purchase. His showing up here means I have to keep an eye on him.”

“What did you tell them about us?”

“Us?” he echoed softly, the warning hiss of a cobra. “I didn’t tell them anything.”

“Why not?”

“It’s none of their business.”

“But they’re bound to wonder. The contracts aren’t yet signed. What if Lucas decides not to sell you his company? You have to make some excuse why I was in your suite, wearing just your shirt.”

“Like what?”

“You could have told him I’d gotten something on my dress and needed to rinse it out.”

“That might have worked if you didn’t look like a woman who’s been thoroughly made love to.”

She tingled all over, reacting not to his sarcastic tone, but to his choice of words. And his sizzling gaze. Her argument went numb.

“And the fact that we’re sharing the suite.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why are we sharing the suite, by the way?”

“We’re not sharing the suite. My room adjoins yours. The door between us has a lock.” That last bit sounded somewhat foolish. As if she didn’t trust him. As if he couldn’t persuade her to let him in. “You could have told them that I got drunk and quit. That I came on to you because I’ve had a thing for you for years.”

His gaze rested heavily on her, weakening her knees.

“No.”

“Don’t be a …” She bit her lip before the rest of that sentence came out. Had she almost called the imposing Sebastian Case a fool? “What about the deal? Are you still going forward with the purchase of his company?”

“I don’t know.”

Her breath caught. She scrutinized Sebastian’s impassive features, searching for anger, frustration, disappointment, but she saw nothing.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“Just that.” His lashes lowered, giving him a sleepy look until you noticed the intensity of his watchful gray eyes.

“Yesterday, he was ready to sign the contract once one or two points were ironed out.”

“Some things have come up since then.”

“Like him thinking you make a habit out of seducing your employees?” Missy couldn’t believe how angry she was at the moment. Angry with herself for lingering in Sebastian’s suite because of some silly romantic hope that maybe last night had been the start of something. Angry with his father for showing up this morning with Lucas Smythe. But most of all, angry with Sebastian for his stubborn refusal to make explanations. “You need to tell him the truth. And if you don’t, I will.”

His fingers wrapped around her upper arms and bit deep. “Stay out of it.”

Eyes blazing, he pulled her onto her toes and bent down until inches separated his mouth from hers. Memories of their night together swamped her. Her fingers loosened their grip on the towel, ready to discard it if he showed the slightest hint of wanting to pick up where they’d left off in the wee hours of the morning.

He must have read her thoughts because he lowered his head still farther. Missy closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss. When it didn’t come, she blinked in surprise. Sebastian had his own eyes closed. Tension pulled at his features, drawing his mouth into a grim line.

His chest lifted as he sucked in air. A second later she was free. Her heels hit the floor with a jarring thud that loosened her grip on the towel. It slipped off one breast before she caught it.

Snarling a curse through clenched teeth, Sebastian shifted his gaze to the pile of clothes spilling out of the trash. When his attention resettled on her, the only emotion he let her see was cool curiosity.

He used his chin to gesture toward her former wardrobe. “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ve thrown away your clothes.”

“I don’t need them anymore.”

Iron-gray eyes swept down her body once again. “Planning on spending the entire week naked?”

“No.”

He’d buried his mood beneath a neutral tone and an impassive expression, but her stomach muscles tightened. Getting caught half-dressed in Sebastian’s suite meant their encounter was no longer a complete secret. Were they to be boss and assistant or secret lovers? She tingled in anticipation of the latter.

“I thought I would buy some new things,” she continued.

He shook his head. “You don’t have time to shop. I need you to go over the arrangements for tonight’s cocktail party.”

Missy’s mood deflated. As far as Sebastian was concerned the night was over. He’d paid his debt. Time to get back to work.

“There’s no need,” she said. “I double-checked everything yesterday. We’re good to go. Let’s go down to the casino and have some fun.”

“This is a business trip.”

“And you can’t mix business with pleasure?” She cocked her head.