“Fuck, DeVon. You are so my hero.” Steven shook his head.
“I’d shake your hand, but you might not want that.” I grinned at him. I half-turned, hoping Krissy had at least managed to cover up. The thought of Steven seeing her naked wasn’t one I liked.
She was gone, and so was a sheet we’d somehow dislodged.
“She’s a little shy.” I laughed as I turned back to face Steven.
“Sounded like the two of you were going at it good. Who is she?”
I didn’t even hesitate in my answer. “I don’t even remember her name.” I made a dismissive gesture. “Someone I picked up downstairs.”
Steven laughed. “You sick fuck. Stealing my ladies.” He turned towards the door, still talking. “Anyway, let’s do lunch soon. There’s a new project I want to show you.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Let’s do it next week.” At least with Steven, I didn’t have to fake being interested. He usually had good taste in projects.
“I’ll have my assistant call yours.” As he was leaving, he called over his shoulder, “And clean the fuck up after yourself.”
I let out a sigh of relief as I stood. I wasn’t embarrassed about being caught fucking, but I hadn’t wanted Steven to know who it was. I tossed my condom into a nearby trashcan and headed to where I figured Krissy had gone. I rapped my knuckles against the door.
“Coast’s clear.”
The door opened and Krissy stood there with one of Steven’s expensive, thousand-thread-count sheets wrapped around her. Without a word, I grabbed the edges of the sheet and opened it.
“Damn, you are so fucking beautiful.” I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I didn’t think I could ever get tired of looking at those firm breasts with their dark nipples. They were the perfect size and I thought if anyone ever tried to tell her to get a boob job, I’d kill them.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she replied. She ran her hand down my chest and my skin burned.
When her fingers trailed below my bellybutton, I laughed and took a step back even though everything in me was cursing me for the move. “If you keep that up, we’ll have to go again, and Steven might sell tickets if we keep fucking in his bed.”
She gave me a smile that I couldn’t read and I found that just as hot as her body. I’d never met anyone I didn’t have figured out in a few minutes. With her, I actually had to ask.
“Why’d you run away?” I kept my question light. “Are you shy?”
The look on her face said I hadn’t fooled her into thinking I was curious about her being shy. Somehow, she knew that I really wanted to know if she’d hidden because she didn’t want anyone to see her with me. I just hoped she didn’t realize that I was starting to think it wasn’t just about work.
“I left for the same reason you didn’t tell Steven who I was, I suppose. Awkward office gossip and fueling all those other rumors.”
She didn’t have to expound for me to know that she was talking about the rumors as to why I’d hired her.
“Yeah, that’s a good reason,” I agreed. I didn’t tell her that I was glad she’d gone because I hadn’t wanted Steven to see her naked.
We were both silent for a moment. Krissy broke it just as it had gotten to that awkward point.
“I should get home.”
“Oh, okay.” I hid my disappointment. I didn’t want her to go, or if she went, I wanted to go with her. I didn’t want the night to end, but I couldn’t think of a way to say that without revealing feelings I didn’t really want to admit to myself.
She went into the bathroom to clean up a bit and dress. As she turned to close the door, I caught a glimpse of the hickey I’d left on the inside of her thigh and my cock twitched. I closed my eyes and ran my hands through my hair. What the hell was happening to me?
By the time she came back out, I was dressed, but still no closer to sorting through the chaos in my head. As we walked out of the room, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, and it wasn’t just because I kept remembering what she looked like under that dress. It was like I was seeing her for the first time. I’d known before that she was hot and that we verbally sparred well. I knew she had a great work ethic and the fire inside her made her all the more appealing. Now, after what we’d done, I knew we weren’t just sexually compatible. We were combustable. She wasn’t some submissive who’d surrender to me without thought. She made me want to show her how good it could be, not because it made me feel powerful but because I wanted her to be trembling with pleasure, weak from the force of her orgasms. I wanted her to submit, but I wanted her to resist, too. I wanted that fire she had. She was stubborn, passionate and perfect in every way. There was no way I could let this be it. Not now.
Dammit all to hell. I was so screwed.
Chapter 19
KRISSY
I’d been tempted to make this call last night when I’d gotten home. Four in the morning here was seven back in New York, but it was Sunday so I knew Carrie wouldn’t be up yet since it was her day off. I also didn’t want to interrupt any morning ‘activities’ she and Gavin might’ve planned. I gave her until noon her time before I finally activated FaceTime and called her.
While I waited for her to answer, my fingers tapped impatiently on my thigh and I tried not to think about the dark mark I’d seen in the shower. Just the memory of DeVon’s mouth on me was enough to make me wet, and I didn’t want to be turned on now. I wanted to talk to my best friend about all of the confusing things going on in my head.
“Hey, what’s up, Valley Girl? Miss me already?” Carrie’s cheerful voice came through as her smiling face appeared on my screen.
“I fucked my boss.”
Her eyes went wide and she leaned closer to the phone. “You...you did what? You had sex with DeVon Ricci?”
“Yep.” I nodded. “In Steven Morrison’s bed. I’m so screwed.”
A puzzled expression crossed Carrie’s face. “O-kay.” She drew the word out. “Maybe you should start from the beginning. You had a threesome?”
“No!” I started to laugh. This was why I needed Carrie. “I guess I should start with when I kissed him. DeVon, I mean.”
I told the entire story, everything from that first kiss to going to the premiere, then the after party. I didn’t leave anything out, including how much I’d wanted another go when he’d pulled the sheet off of me. When I finished, she was quiet for a minute, a thoughtful expression on her face.
“I’ll be honest with you,” she said. “I’m not totally surprised. I could tell you were into him. You couldn’t stop talking about him.”
I frowned. “Really? I don’t remember mentioning him at all, hardly.”
“Maybe you were just too busy flirting with that young hottie at the club to remember,” she teased.
I stuck my tongue out at her. “Are you going to keep making fun of me or are you going to tell me what to do here? I need my best friend’s advice, not mocking.”
Carrie grew serious. “You know what I’ve always loved about you and still do?”
“No.” I wasn’t sure where she was going with that question.
“That you say exactly what’s on your mind. No matter how explicit. You don’t hold anything back, and that’s how you should move forward. Tell him how you feel.”
This wasn’t helping. “But I don’t know how I feel.” I forced myself to keep my voice down. “I wanted to fuck him to get him out of my system. It backfired.”
“You mean because he’s not out of your system yet?” she asked. “Damn, just how good is this guy in bed?”
“It’s not funny.” I scowled at her. “Yeah, he’s pretty amazing, but it’s not like I haven’t been with some skilled lovers before. Besides, I’m pretty sure he’s going to go fuck some hot blonde tonight.”
“He so not out of your system.” She ignored my glare. “You need to work on that. Either get him out of your system completely and cut him loose, or take this relationship the next step.”
“Ok
ay, so let’s pretend I want to take this a step further. What’s next? Look like some plastic bimbo? Get hair extensions and go blond? Buy a Bombshell bra from Victoria’s Secret?” My fingers curled, digging into my leg and reminding me of what it had felt like when DeVon had made the bruises on my hips.
“No, Krissy.” Carrie chuckled. “Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. He’s obviously already into you.”
“How do you know that?” I asked. “How do you know he didn’t do all this just to get in my pants?”
“Weren’t you wearing a dress?”
“You know what I mean.”
Carrie’s words turned from teasing back to the wise and thoughtful advice I’d come to expect from her. “I don’t know anything for sure, but what you’re going through is just one of life’s challenges. You never know what you’re going to get.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
“You have certain expectations of DeVon now because you slept together. If he doesn’t live up to those expectations, you’re going to resent him, even though, by your own admission, you were working to seduce him.” She paused, then asked, “He never promised you anything more, did he?”
“I see where you’re going,” I said. “But you know me. I’m not like that. I don’t give a shit. I like having sex without a commitment. Like I said, I fucked DeVon just to get him out of my mind.”
“And, like you said, it backfired,” she reminded me. “You still think about him.”
I sighed. “You’re right. I knew you’d see right through the bullshit. That’s why you’re a better lawyer than I ever was.”
“What are you talking about?” Carrie let me change the subject. “You’re not making any sense. You were always better than me. All through college, you were higher in every class ranking. You were the smart one.” Her voice took on a wistful note. “You taught me everything I know.”
A lump formed in my throat. I needed to end the call before I got too homesick and decided to forget it all and catch the first plane back to New York.
“I’ll talk to him,” I said.
“Don’t put it off,” she said. “You’ll regret it.”
Again, she was right. I knew that ignoring him and just waiting for the next impulsive encounter was going to be agonizing. Better to bite the bullet. We said our good-byes and I was left staring at my phone with Carrie’s words echoing in my mind.
What the hell.
I flipped through my contacts until I reached his name and pressed connect before I could talk myself out of it.
“DeVon.”
My insides squirmed. “Ready for round two?”
Chapter 20
KRISSY
I still wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about the way things were going. DeVon had indeed wanted a second go, but he’d surprised me by asking me out on a date.
Well, asked might not have been the most accurate word. It was more like he’d told me that before we fucked, we were going out on a date. And then he’d proceeded to tell me what to wear, down to the color of my panties. I’d considered telling him exactly what he could do with his own panties, but the memory of how hard I’d come was still fresh in my mind...as well as other places.
Besides, I’d told myself, maybe this would be what I’d need to get him out of my head. I’d see how he was outside of work, but also outside of the bedroom. I’d see the kind of person he’d be to have a relationship with and that would be enough. Not that I wanted one, but it was still a good thing to know. After tonight, whenever I found myself thinking about him, I’d remember him basically commanding me to wear a strapless dress with a long skirt but a high slit, and one that allowed me to go without a bra. My panties were to be sheer and match the dress. He wanted scarlet. Not red, not crimson, but scarlet. Which, of course, had meant I’d had to go shopping again. This one, however, I wouldn’t be able to claim as a business expense.
He’d damn well better make tonight worth it.
He’d sent a car to come get me, so when I walked into the restaurant, he was already waiting. I was pretty sure he’d purposefully gotten there ahead of me so he could watch me walking towards him, so I made sure he had time to enjoy it. Judging by the way his eyes darkened, he did.
He stood when I was just a couple feet away and pulled out my chair. Based on his previous behavior, that gesture should’ve surprised me, but it didn’t. That had seemed completely natural.
“You look absolutely breath-taking,” he said as he pushed the chair in. He leaned down so that his mouth was next to my ear. “As I knew you would.” His breath was warm on my skin and I had to suppress a shiver even though his words were innocent.
He took a seat next to me and poured some champagne into our glasses. I wondered if he’d been here long enough to have ordered it or if he’d told them to have it ready when the car was scheduled to arrive. I was willing to bet the latter. I looked around for a menu.
“I’ve already ordered.”
My eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
DeVon seemed more amused by my reaction than anything else and that just annoyed me more. “I ordered for us when I reserved the table.”
“And what if I wanted something else?” I asked.
He raised an eyebrow and took a sip of champagne “How do you know you want something else if you don’t know what I ordered?”
I scowled. “That’s not the point.”
He gave a little shrug that seemed to say he didn’t particularly care about what the point was, then he put down his glass. “Do you think you’re in charge here, Ms. Jensen?”
That question sent a bolt of desire straight through me but I pushed it down.
“Why’d you do that?” I asked. “Last night, why did you call me ‘Ms. Jensen’ instead of Krissy?”
He faltered. I couldn’t say how, exactly, but I saw it.
“Fine,” he said, his tone becoming harder. “Krissy, then. The question still is, do you think you’re in charge?”
I leaned forward, positioning myself to display the tops of my breasts to their best advantage. I had to admit, I did love the dress I’d found, and I looked damn good in scarlet. “I know you think you’re in charge, Mr. Ricci, but I intend to show you just how wrong you are.” I took a drink, proud of myself.
“Show me your panties.”
I almost choked on my mouthful of champagne. He waited patiently until I’d swallowed and determined that I wasn’t about to have a coughing fit, then he repeated himself with a clarification.
“If you’re so adamant that I’m not in control, then show me that you disobeyed my orders and your panties aren’t sheer scarlet lace.”
Damn him.
My face flamed. “That’s not the point.”
He smiled that infuriating grin he had when something went his way. “And I’m not asking.”
My temper flared and I was torn between the desire to show of my stubborn streak and not let him anywhere near my panties, and the sexual part of me that wanted to do everything he said...with my own little twist designed to drive him crazy. Not surprisingly, my sexual side won.
We were at a private table near the back – intentionally, I had no doubt – so I could turn towards him and unless someone chose that moment to walk by, I wasn’t in danger of flashing anyone but my intended target. I shifted in my seat, the movement drawing his attention down. I’d bought a dress with a high slit, just like he’d said and it allowed me enough freedom to part my knees and give DeVon a glimpse of the side of my panties, enough that he could see the color. Instead, I raised the fabric enough to let him get a good, long look at the crotch of the nearly see-through panties I’d just purchased.
The hand on the table curled into a fist and I knew the game was on. It would be back and forth all night to see which one of us cracked first. For the first time in my life, however, I wasn’t entirely sure that it wouldn’t be me.
We made small talk as the appetizers arrived and then the next round began. I’d
learned fairly young into my sexual years that anything that drew attention to the mouth and could make a guy think about you sucking his cock was a surefire way to get his attention. I’d perfected the art and knew exactly how to use my lips and tongue to keep a man’s mind exactly where I wanted it.
What I hadn’t expected was that, with the right mouth, a man could do the same thing.
By the time our main course was coming to its end, I was starting to wonder if I was in over my head. I’d met guys with big attitudes and had fucked plenty who’d thought they were the best thing to happen to women since AA batteries, but I’d never met someone who played the game like DeVon.