“We’re here, sir,” the driver’s announcement stilled my fingers.
“No,” she moaned her displeasure.
Cupping her chin, I turned her to look at me. “I’ve got the entire night to give you much more.” I brushed my lips over hers. She blushed at my statement, and I got the feeling she’d just realized that the next step in her acceptance laid beyond the car door. I tensed, expecting her to hesitate.
“Lead the way.” Her response made me smile. Tugging my coat around her, she slipped her hand into mine.
We strolled through the glass doors the doorman held open. He tipped his head in a greeting, “Good evening, sir. Always a pleasure to see you.”
“Good evening, Lester.” I felt her tense at my reply.
When we stepped into the elevator, she pulled away from my grasp. I sensed a subtle change and stepped closer. “Are you having second thoughts, Sia?” She shook her head, keeping her eyes downcast. I slid a finger under her chin and tilted, forcing her gaze to meet mine. “It’s the company apartment we use for some of our long-stay international visitors.” Somehow taking her to a hotel didn’t sit well with me, and my apartment would’ve meant putting her at risk if Angela decided to pay me another unannounced visit.
“Oh.”
I lifted a brow at her surprise. “Would you have preferred a hotel?” Again, she shook her head, but this time it followed with a slow smile. She had other ideas of where I brought her. A fuck pad, perhaps. My lips twitched. I was looking forward to this evening.
Inside the apartment, I helped her out of the coat then shrugged out of my jacket. I dropped it over one of the leather sofas as Sia glanced around. “Wow. This is a visitor’s apartment? It’s like a classy hotel.” Did I imagine the anxiety? “Beautiful but intimidating.”
“Intimidating?” I frowned, unsure if she was having second thoughts. “Me or the apartment?”
She didn’t answer, and as she took a step down into the combined living and dining room, her gaze fell to the table set for dinner with flowers and candles next to a roaring fireplace. “We’re having dinner?”
“You do have to eat, don’t you?” Was she just expecting me to fuck her, pay her and send her on her way?
“I prefer dessert. What’s on the menu?”
“Me,” I replied without hesitation, then smiled when her eyes met mine.
“Dim lighting and soft music as well. Very romantic.” A serene smile replaced her anxious countenance, and I relaxed a little. She moved toward the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the city. “It’s beautiful up here.”
Against the blurry mix of yellow and white lights and the dark sky, she was breathtaking. I walked up behind her pressing my body to hers. “I agree. The city isn’t bad, either.”
Another soft laugh slipped past her lips, this time filled with a hint of nervousness. With my hands resting on her hips, I dropped soft kisses to the back of her neck. She shuddered under my lips, sagging against me. My arousal pressed into her lower back, begging for satiation. I slid her hair to one side and eyed the tattoo of a small butterfly on her nape. “Why a butterfly?”
Her eyes closed, she tilted her neck, giving me easier access to nip at the soft skin there. “Now I’m a caterpillar. Soon I’ll be a butterfly,” she whispered.
“You are a butterfly, Sia. You just need to learn how to fly.” My hands climbed to her breasts, gently massaging until her nipples hardened beneath my fingers. I rolled my hips against her, letting her feel the effect she had on me.
She sucked in a breath, moaning her pleasure. “Will you teach me how?”
“Open your eyes.” When she did, I turned her around to face me. “Look at me.” Her eyes lifted to mine. “I’m going to fuck you against this window. Would you like that?” Her tongue snuck out to lick her bottom lip. She nodded. “Say it.”
“Yes.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, unaware of just what a tempting picture she created.
“Don’t,” I growled, tugging the snagged lip. “Or I’ll be fucking you instead of feeding you.”
“Then why don’t you?”
With a soft laugh, I shook my head. “Trust me. You’ll need the energy. Come.” I guided her to the table. “No seafood, I promise,” I said in her ear as she slid into the seat I held out for her.
Her head jerked up, her astonishment even more profound. “How do you know?”
“I heard you back at the bar,” I confessed, having eavesdropped on her conversation.
She laughed. “Handsome and observant.”
“You think I’m handsome?” I took a seat opposite her.
“Fishing for compliments?”
I lifted my shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “Not every day, a beautiful woman calls me handsome. Arrogant, yes. Full of shit, yes. A grouch, yes.”
Laughter bubbled out her lips as I filled our glasses with champagne. “I find that hard to believe. A handsome, full of shit, arrogant grouch?” She appeared a lot more relaxed than when I’d met her at the bar. Her easy mannerisms were beginning to grow on me. I had a feeling the night was only going to get much better than I’d anticipated.
I nodded with a smile. “I know I’m a bastard at times, but work needs to be done.”
She picked up her glass and tipped it back. Her full lips touching the rim, her tongue swept out to lick a drop that missed her mouth. The woman had no idea just how sensual that act was, and my cock gave a little twitch of appreciation. She eyed me over the flickering flames. “Are you only a bastard in the office?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” I gave her a lazy smile. She lowered her head, not before I caught the pink flush to her cheeks. I loved her coy seductiveness. Her toying between wanting to be brave yet shy at the same time. It was a long time since a woman intrigued me this much. The chef approached with a trolley of food. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I had him make a few dishes.” I gestured for him to show her the choices. I leaned back in my chair, watching her eyes light up with each raised cloche. Her excitement mixed with an underlying innocence had me wondering why she was single. Any man would want to have her as a girlfriend. Yet, I selfishly thanked my good fortune no one had. When she made her selection, I made mine and refilled her glass. A soft moan followed her first bite. I licked my lips, speculating what sounds she’d make with my cock deep inside that beautiful pussy. “Good choice, I take it?” I forced myself to concentrate on the steak in front of me.
“I haven’t eaten quail before. It’s so good.”
“Do you always like to try something new?”
“Depends.” She chewed the soft meat before looking up. “If I like what I see.” Again, cheek with a touch of inhibition.
I uttered a low laugh. “Touché.” I forked a piece of steak into my mouth and chewed slowly. “Was there any reason you didn’t pitch yesterday?”
“I wasn’t sure if I could do this.”
“And now?”
“I think I can.”
“Think?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Her bold mimic of my earlier response earned another laugh. “You’re interesting. I’ll give you that.”