Chapter 13
Noah
I tried notto feel too full of myself, but come on. That had been a stroke of genius. One I’d never tried before, never even contemplated until that moment in the porno booth on Broadway. I wondered if Emma would be offended at where I got my inspiration from.
Knowing her, she’d probably be delighted.
I went to the bathroom to clean up, then came back to the bedroom. Emma had pulled the sheet over herself and was lying on her side, her red hair spilling gorgeously over the white pillowcase. Even with her drowsy eyes half-closed, she watched me cross the room with interest.
I pulled back the sheet and got into bed behind her, pulling her back into my chest and putting an arm around her waist. She was like putty in my hands, a warm, orgasm-drunk woman who smelled like sex. Fucking heaven.
“You’re cuddling,” she said, trying to make it sound like she was complaining.
“Relax. It isn’t holy matrimony.” I dropped a kiss to her perfect shoulder.
She grunted. “You’re strangely affectionate for a kinky man.”
“I told you, I’m not kinky.”
“So why did you bring a blindfold and wrist bindings to have sex with me?”
“Because I knew it would work.” I’d had a hunch, anyway.
When I thought about Emma’s problem, I’d realized she was probably overthinking things. Thinking too much during sex is the fastest way to get turned off. And thinking obsessively about orgasms, whether or not you’re going to have one—well, that seemed like a great way to make sure you never had one again. Especially for a woman. Women had a whole lot of complicated shit happening during sex where men were straightforward.
Honestly, thinking too much during sex was never a problem I had. But women were different.
So to make her stop thinking so much, I’d blindfolded her and tied her up. She’d been too surprised to know what was coming next, which got her out of her head. She’d been able to do nothing but feel. And when she let herself feel and stop thinking, stop worrying, she came.
I was a damned genius. I’d made investments for Tower that made seven figures, but this felt like a bigger achievement.
Emma moved against me, and though I knew she was drowsy, she wasn’t asleep. Her body fit perfectly against mine, her proportions matching me. We were like two puzzle pieces. She had that light, floral smell I remembered from before, something she used on her hair or her skin. I remembered that we only had tonight, and my mood dipped. I hadn’t had nearly enough of her.
“Come visit me in L.A.,” I said.
She made a disbelieving sound. “When?”
“Whenever you want.”
“I run my own company, Noah. I’m insanely busy.”
“I know.” Jesus, even Emma assumed I didn’t know what the word busy meant. “I’m just saying, you know where I live. If you ever feel like it, come to L.A. and visit me.”
“Just show up?” she asked, amused.
“Sure.”
She rolled over and looked up at me. I propped myself on an elbow and we looked into each other’s eyes for a second, assessing each other.
She shook her head, just a slight movement. “We could not be any more different,” she said.
“Sure we could,” I said. “We’re more similar than you think.”
“Are you going to tell Aidan about this?” she asked.
“No. Are you going to tell Samantha?”
She paused, then shook her head. “It isn’t that it’s a secret. It’s just…”
She’d never told her sister about her problem, then. I thought women talked about these things. “I get it,” I told her. “Aidan and the others don’t even know I’m in New York. I won’t say anything about us. Besides, it’s just tonight.”
Her brows furrowed a little, as if she’d forgotten about that. “Right,” she said. Then, in her straightforward way, she said, “You’re incredibly fucking gorgeous. Please kiss me.”
I did. I leaned down and took her mouth with mine, and just like that we both forgot everything. There was only the taste of her, the feel of her soft skin, her hands running down my body. After a minute I slid my fingers between her legs, taking in how slick and wet she was as she gasped against my mouth.
“God, Emma,” I said as I rubbed her. “You’re not going to give me a break, are you?”
“No,” she breathed.
“All right, then. Turn over and get on all fours.”
She did. She was the most beautiful sight, propped on the bed like that, waiting for me. I took a moment to let the image sink in as I rolled on a condom. That picture would be imprinted in my brain, along with the picture of Emma blindfolded and on her knees, her mouth on me. That had been so hot I had nearly lost my mind.
I braced a hand on the headboard and slid into her. “Onto your elbows,” I growled, and she dropped down, both of us groaning at the change in sensation.
I went slow this time, torturing both of us. Getting us both to the edge, and then back again. To the edge, and then back again. I took her as deep as I could, and I made it last.
Finally I let her slip over the edge, and she came.
I didn’t need any props this time. Just me.
I was a fucking genius. My work here was done.
An hour later,I was putting my clothes on. We’d agreed on this; I wasn’t staying the night. Neither of us wanted that.
Emma watched me for a while, propped up on the pillows, the sheet pulled up over her breasts. She seemed to be thinking something over.
As I pulled on my jeans and buttoned them, she said, “What time is your flight tomorrow?”
“Three o’clock.”
“So you’re free in the morning, then.”
I paused what I was doing, giving her a look. “Emma, tomorrow’s a work day.”
“I don’t mean free for that.” She waved a hand at me, though to be honest she looked like she was considering it for a second. Then she said, “If you still want to help me out, CEO to CEO, there’s something you can do for me.”
“I do,” I said, reaching for my sweater and pulling it over my head. “What do you want?”
“I’m doing interviews tomorrow. Possible candidates for Catharine Knowles. It would help if you’d sit in on them with me.”
“You want me to help you do job interviews?”
She shrugged her bare shoulders. “You don’t need to do any interviewing, really. Just sit in and give your impression. You know Catharine better than I do, and you might know if there’s a candidate she wouldn’t take to. And you can…” She trailed off.
I put my shoes on. “I can what?”
Emma cleared her throat. “Well.” She didn’t elaborate.
I leaned toward her, catching her gaze. “I can what?” I said again.
“Catharine said that her executive assistant will be meeting some big Hollywood names,” Emma said. “Gorgeous actors and whatnot. And she wants someone who is immune to all that. Someone who doesn’t act like an idiot around good-looking men.”
I felt myself smiling. “Like me, you mean.”
“Don’t be an ass.” She scrubbed a hand through her hair. “Okay, fine. I believe I’ve mentioned that you’re rather good-looking. And you know I’ve had a problem lately with recruits not being able to keep their hems down. It’s extra important with Catharine. The recruits I’m interviewing tomorrow are all smart, qualified women. But if any of them acts like an idiot because you’re in the room, I’ll know to cut them.”
“I’m glad to be of assistance,” I said. I tossed some black pieces of silk on the bed. “You can keep the blindfold and the wrist ties. Get some sleep. I’ll see you at nine.”