Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
Maeve
I ’m assured that this is an emergency, and I am desperately needed for this meeting. Going in on my day off wouldn’t be an issue, but I’m panicking that I’m a dirty mess, thanks Nicholas, and I’m two towns away. Seeing Nicholas Deschamps sitting at my grandmother’s table and then chasing me into the woods to eat me out also has my heart still thundering out of my chest. I have to clear my mind. This is my career. I never should’ve been seduced by him again. But my stupid greedy lustful ovaries. Or hormones. Whatever is causing my body to short circuit and only crave his dick no matter how dangerous the situation may be.
I apologize to Gram for such a short visit. “Even though it’s partially your fault,” I tell her.
“By the leaves and debris in your hair, I don’t think you’re that heartbroken he was here, dear.”
“Are you not concerned that you invited someone who could’ve been a psycho into your house and left him with your granddaughter?”
“I searched him for weapons and only left him with one. Your pappy was a big man, but I must say, I was a little worried about the size of what this one was packing.”
Nothing can prepare you for what Ethel Goodman will say. “You looked?”
“You’re darn right I did. I’ve lived a long life with no regrets. I intend to keep doing that until the day the good Lord calls me home.”
“Do perverted old ladies go to heaven?”
“Oh, listen to you. Besides I complimented God on His good work with that one. I always give the glory to Him.”
“Please tell me you didn’t tell Nicholas you were admiring his manhood.”
“I didn’t have to tell him. I was doing it openly. I even gave a thumbs up when I walked by. But I didn’t tell him it was one of the nicest I’d seen. Men and their egos, ya know.”
I swallow and close my eyes. She gave him a thumbs up as she creeped past the man while he was undressing from the coffee she spilled on him to get him to strip. Oh my goodness. Okay. “I have to get to work. Next time let’s just keep it just the two of us, mmkay? Love you, Grams.”
“Take care, Little Bit.”
“You too. No more naked men.”
“No promises, dear.”
I’m still grumbling about how messed up all of this is and in no way can be my reality by the time I pull into the parking garage of the building where I work. I didn’t have time to wash my hair, but I brushed it several times and put it in a neat tight bun. The grime is washed from my skin and I’m dressed in a clean and sophisticated suit. With the alarm and tone in my boss’s voice, I assumed I should dress my best. It doesn’t make sense for me to be the one they need. I can’t fathom what use I could be for this meeting, but it’s an opportunity and I’m going to take it. I’ve wanted nothing more than to prove myself. Here’s my chance.
Nerves mixed with a sense of optimism, I hurry off the elevator to the conference room. I’ve never gotten to sit in this room other than to observe or bring coffee. Getting a seat at the table is huge for me.
Upon entering the room, my mouth drops in shock. No. No, no, no, no. Nope. This is not happening. Panic floods me. What is he doing here? A smile plays on the edge of his full lips. He’s enjoying this. Why wouldn’t he? He got me again. This is all one big fucking game to him. But it’s my life he’s playing with.
Quickly I close my lips and force a smile. I have to remain professional. Miss Bowman and Kane are watching me with keen interest. Not as intently as Nicholas is staring at me. He’s waiting to see how I’ll react to him sitting at the end of the table, looking regal and exceedingly gorgeous. Sexy and formidable in his navy-blue suit and white button-up. I want to punch him in the face.
“Miss Goodman. We’re so happy you could join us.” Miss Bowman gestures for me to take a seat.
A seat at the table. This is it. Nobody is going to take this from me. Whatever Nicholas is playing, I’ve got to keep my wits about me. I pull out a chair, but Nicholas clears his throat and nods to the chair closest to him, the one that’s also directly across from my boss. With a strained closed-lip smile, I accept the offered seat.
Nicholas’ voice comes out pleasant but with a harsh edge. “Yes. And on such short notice. I apologize for that, since I was positive I’d made myself clear.”
He’s the VIP client that requested me. Miss Bowman wasn’t happy about him wanting me on the project. If he wanted me here, why not say something while he was at my grandmother’s? Unless this is about Miss Bowman not passing along the invitation, and he wants to prove a point.
Well, this is just lovely. I’m so pumped for this potentially awkward meeting.
I nod slowly and then unzip my satchel to pull out my tablet and pen. “I’m sorry to have kept you all waiting.”
Miss Bowman offers me a half smile. If my situation wasn’t so fucked up, I’d probably have a good laugh. I clear my throat and silently beg for someone to speak and break the tension. Unfortunately, it’s Nicholas who speaks.
“I apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable, Miss Goodman.”
I turn my head, planning to give a quick nod of acknowledgement, but freeze. “I, uh, I – I’m f-fine.” I stammer because his gaze runs over me as he brings his two fingers under his nose. To anyone else it looks like he’s deep in thought as he studies me. But I know exactly what he’s doing. He’s sniffing his fingers. The same ones that had been inside me earlier. His eyelids close for a brief moment. A slow grin spreads and then I hear his deep inhale of my scent.
“Good. I hope we didn’t interrupt you from anything.” His tone is level, professional even, but his eyes burn bright with his excitement.
“No.” Two can play this game. I need to be strong and appear completely unaffected. “My day was quite boring.”
His blue gray gaze meets mine. I want him, again. I’m sitting here desperate as wetness gathers at my entrance. I’m mortified. I quickly become focused with my blank tablet. Eye on the prize. I’m going to prove myself in this meeting in front of my boss. Even if my panties are a mess, dammit. Could be worse. I’d rather have evidence of arousal than evidence of irritable bowels.
Miss Bowman steps up and takes over introductions and the typical company pitch. Mr. Deschamps looks only at me as he gives details on the casino’s grand opening. “The name is Le Louve . It’s French for she-wolf.”
I swallow hard under the intensity of his stare and the deepening of his voice. He arches a single brow and asks, “Do you like it?”
“It’s your casino, sir.”
“But you work in public relations. I’d like your opinion.”
“It’s an interesting choice.”
Miss Bowman and Mr. Bradly about fall out of their chairs. “It’s a wonderful name.” “Very classy and unique.” They speak at the same time to assure him that it’s the greatest name ever for a casino.
“My nickname is the wolf. Le Loup. Maybe this casino will be my calling for my mate.”
I roll my eyes. My boss, however, sighs. “Very romantic, Mr. Deschamps. Do you have a logo prepared? Or can we assist in that, as well.”
“No. I knew immediately what I wanted. Two wolf heads, vertically mirrored. Red. Bright red.”
This is gone to full blown next level crazy. I’m going to need so much therapy, a restraining order, and possibly a new job after this meeting. Kane, completely oblivious to all the hidden meanings and how slightly creepy all this is, says, “Red is a great color, sir.”
“Him. Gone.” Nicholas calmly demands.
“Excuse me? What is wrong? Mr. Bradly is wonderful and our top –”
“Gone,” Nicholas repeats, still eerily calm.
Miss Bowman crosses her arms. “Care to tell me why you’re kicking out one of my best team members?”
“He’s a kiss ass. I’ve lost respect for him. I want him out of this room. Now, you can ask him to leave, or I can force him out.”
That sounds eerily similar to my mystery texter. He also had an issue with Kane. I lean over and whisper to Nicholas, “This has been an honest misunderstanding. We need Mr. Bradly on the team. You need him.”
“Do you need him?” The question is asked with a cool and casual tone, but I don’t miss the darkness swirling in his eyes.
This is a test. If I say yes, it could end with someone dead. If I say no, it could still end with someone dead. Best case scenario is I tell him no and have to deal with an angry co-worker. I look across from me. Or…I have an angry boss and this is the last project I ever get to do.
“It doesn’t matter if I need him. You do.”
Nicholas shakes his finger at me. “This way nobody is angry with you, eh? Tell me, Mr. Bradly, if I had asked you the same question, would you have had the gall to challenge me and say Miss Goodman was needed. Not that you need her, but that I need her for the project.”
He is purposefully sounding sarcastic. I want to tell Kane that it’s a trap. Kane extends his hand toward Nicholas. “You’re the boss. This is your project. I respect your decision for whomever you want on this project.”
“Good answer. Then respectfully get the fuck out.” He turns to Miss Bowman. “Do you always waste this much time? How do you get anything done or make money?”
“Please go, Mr. Bradly.” She doesn’t face him. I want to speak up again, but I’m afraid I’ll just make it worse.
The rest of meeting goes without a hitch. It finally resembles what I always imagined my time in this room would be like if I got a seat. When the meeting comes to an end, I jump out of my seat as fast as humanly possible. I thank everyone and run. As I get in my car, my phone dings.
UNKNOWN: Wait.
ME: Go fuck yourself.
UNKNOWN: I thought you wanted me to come out? Wait.
ME: This is over. I’m blocking your number. Stop screwing with my life.
UNKNOWN: True. This part of the game is over.
ME: Game? Okay. If you don’t stop this madness, I’m about to level up to mega bitch mode. Fully powered.
UNKNOWN: You forgot one thing.
ME: ?
UNKNOWN: I always win.
Bullshit. I block the number. Take that asshole. Let’s see him win that little game. My phone dings with another new unknown number.
UNKNOWN: Nice try.
Monday, I’m getting a new number and going to the police.
What… A strong hand shaking my upper thigh stirs me awake. Considering I went to bed alone with my house completely locked, nobody should be touching me right now. I jerk up right and scoot away from the shadowy figure sitting on the edge of my bed.
“Whoa! Sssshhh,” the deep voice says in the darkness.
A hysterical laugh escapes me. “Is that supposed to comfort me?”
“Calm down, Little Bit.”
His words and the sound of his voice breaks through the fear and haze in my brain. “You!” I growl. Without another thought, I attack. I leap forward, pouncing on him, and I don’t stop hitting. Landing blow after blow. The frustration from this entire hellish day pours through me and I let my fists rain down on him.
A large hand shoots out and grabs me by my throat. I’m stunned into submission. My body becomes putty in his hands as he guides me back against my pillow. His strong body crawls on top of me. The weight of his body pins me down against the mattress. I hate to admit that I get a thrill from it.
But I shouldn’t.
“Get off of me, now.”
To my surprise, he does. “Of course. Just tell me when you’re ready for me.”
“Wow. The audacity. What are you doing here? Get out of my house!”
He lets out a sigh. “I’m tired. I was hoping we could pick up where we left off outside your grandmother’s and then fall to sleep together. I haven’t slept as peaceful as I did with you in Vegas.”
“You call. You ask if you can come over. You don’t break into my the house!”
“What if I wanted to surprise you?” His palm gently cups my cheek, but I tilt my head away.
This is happening too fast, and I know he’s dangerous. The man is invading every aspect of my life. Forcing his way in. “Don’t you think you’ve surprised me enough for one day? Maybe you should try spacing out your bullshit instead of showing up everywhere all at once.”
He places his hand back down on the bed. After a pause he says, “I am coming on a little strong.”
“A little?”
“Yeah. I’m new to dating.”
“Nope. Not buying that excuse. You’re clearly not new to breaking and entering. You’ve obviously done your research on me. Which is evident from knowing everywhere I go, live, work – which you probably gained while following – no – stalking me! You’ve made multiple threats to poor Kane.”
“Oh poor Kane, my ass! That creep.”
“He’s the creep? Really? Mr. I’m going to mutilate his body for touching you. No. Leave.”
I can hear the smile in his voice. “You’ve realized it was me texting.”
“Out,” I grit. When he doesn’t move, I raise my voice. “You’re a stalker! You’ve been stalking me all this time. All. This. Time. You’ve violated my privacy, intruded on my life in every aspect. You’re fucking with my career, Nicholas. It’s sick. It’s disturbed. You broke into my house while I was sleeping. Leave.”
Tears are building up, but I refuse to cry in front of him. I’m not going to break down until I call the police and know that I’m safe. I’ve never trusted Nicholas Deschamps, but I never would’ve expected him to be this much of a psychopath.
“Stop.” His voice soothes. “You know you’ve let everything go on this long because you trust me. You won’t admit it, not even to yourself. You trust that I won’t hurt you. And I would never harm you or allow for anything bad to happen to you. You trust me enough to be in vulnerable situations with me. You give your body so freely to me, when we both know that’s not typical behavior for you. You can’t deny our chemistry. You barely know me yet we have more of a connection than we’ve ever felt with anyone else.”
“Seriously? Let me stop you right there. Good sex doesn’t mean soul mates.”
“Maybe, maybe not. However, it’s not just good, it’s fucking addicting. I’m obsessed with you.”
My vision blurs and a sob hiccups in my throat. He needs to leave. I’ve done nothing but fantasize about him since I left Vegas but that was pretend. This is real. He’s clearly a lunatic. This isn’t healthy behavior. Yet with all my logical and sound reasoning, my body is still attracted to him.
The room is dark, so I can’t see his face, but all my other senses are overwhelmed by his presence. His expensive cologne mixed with a pleasant smell that’s uniquely him. The warmth radiating from him. The sound of his clothes rustling and the bed dipping as he leans toward me. When he speaks, his voice sounds of lust and hunger, full of wickedly dark promises. “One kiss good night before I go?”
“I don’t make it a habit of kissing my intruders.”
“What about your clients?”
“Especially not. I’m professional.”
He inches close enough now that I can make out his masculine features. “What about lovers?”
I scoff. “Lovers?”
“Fuck buddies sounds a little crude, but okay. Considering my tongue was between your legs this morning, we’re more than acquainted and you don’t regard me as a friend…”
I hate that I want to laugh at his sarcastic humor. I hate it even more that I want to let him do all the sinful things I know he’s capable of doing to my body. Guilt and shame fill me, but I can’t help myself. Maybe it’s time to accept I’m messed up in the head. He could kill me right now but my only thought is, one more orgasm before I go?
“One kiss,” I tell him, knowing damn well it won’t stop at one. It never does.
To my surprise, he stands up, and walks until he’s standing before me at the head of the bed. I expect him to bend down, but again, I’m taken off guard as he undoes his pants.
I’m confused as to what is happening right now. “What are you doing?”
“Getting my kiss. As you promised.”
“Excuse me if I’m missing the obvious, but why do you need your dick out for that?”
“Sweet Maeve. We made an agreement that I’d get one kiss, but you failed to specify who would kiss and where.”
This sneaky bastard. “You’re really pushing your luck.”
“It’s worth the gamble. Odds are you get pissed and kick me out – which was where this was originally going anyways or I get those pretty lips, that I’ve been masturbating to in the shower every day, finally on my cock.”
Shame and arousal fill me. Then a devious plan forms in my mind. His new favorite past time has been fucking with me. Time to join him in his game. He wants to play. I’ll play.
Determination to give him the best case of blue balls fills me. I want him lost to me and completely at my mercy right before I leave him so sexually frustrated that he’ll think twice before breaking into my house and whipping his dick out. The other option would be to just bite it off. But if we’re being honest, I still might have future use of said penis.
I gently wrap my fingers around his base and then cup his balls with the other hand. My lips place a soft open mouth kiss on the head of his penis. I moan as my tongue swirls around the head and the slit. Tasting his precum, I suck on it and begin to take him deep. A low growl comes from somewhere deep within him. He whispers my name. “Yes. Fucking, yes, Maeve.” I suck him deeper, harder, and faster. “You’re so good. You’re so damn perfect.”
He won’t be singing my praises here in a minute. I’m not sure if my panties are getting damp at his words or the thought of pissing him off.
I feel his cock hardening more and his body tensing, so I take him once to the back of my throat and then quickly release him. I place my hands on his thighs and push him hard enough for him to stumble back.
“What the fu – ”
I grab my phone and run to my bathroom. Slamming the door shut and turning the lock, I giggle at his confused silence. Two seconds later, there’s a soft knock on the door.
“Care to enlightening me on what the fuck just happened?”
“Next time you want to visit me, call. Next time you want your dick sucked, ask. No more tricks and respect my boundaries.”
“Fine. Are you going to come out here and finish what you started?”
“You said one kiss. I completed the terms of our agreement.” Then in a honey sweet voice, I purr through the door, “Good night, Nicky.”