29. Gabriella
Gabriella
D amien walked me to my hotel room and said good night. There wasn’t even a kiss or a grope. It was a professional parting of ways that, as I stepped into my suite, left me dazed. For a moment I stared at the door, wondering if this was a joke or if he would knock. If it weren’t for his comments about the coat throughout the evening, I would assume that multitasking was off the table. Untying the belt, I slipped my arms from the coat and hung it up in the small closet. As I was about to take off the painful shoes, my phone dinged from the confines of my purse.
A concoction of emotions bubbled within me as I removed my phone and swiped the screen.
One message, from Damien.
“In case you’re having problems keeping up, the work portion of our day is complete. It’s time for multitasking.”
Relief and excitement simultaneously joined the already-concocted mixture of emotions.
Biting my lips, I recalled his words at the store. ‘Wear this coat to my room tonight with those heels and nothing more and your debt is paid.’
Wear the coat with nothing else.
There weren’t other conditions.
Wear the coat.
My cheeks rose as I walked back to the closet.
Wear the coat.
I could do that.
It didn’t take long to strip out of the blazer, skirt, and blouse. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I eyed my bra and panties.
Why was this hard?
This was Damien Sinclair. The man liked to play games. I could play too.
Unclasping my bra, I hung it on the back of the bathroom door and pushed my panties down, stepping out of them with my heels in place. To be honest, I was afraid if I took the shoes off, they wouldn’t go back on, not tonight anyway. My hair was still pulled back and my earrings were in place. I applied a new coat of lipstick and smacked my lips together. “Yes, Mr. Sinclair, I can play your game.” With a grin, I went back to the closet, and donned the pink coat.
As I opened the door to the hallway, I felt the sensation Damien predicted. Not only were my nipples hard, but my pussy clenched at the cool air coming under the coat. A look to the left and one to the right confirmed my show of confidence wouldn’t be enjoyed by anyone else.
Standing straight, I knocked on the door.
A moment of terror struck.
What if this wasn’t his room?
The fright disappeared as the door opened and his panty-melting stare was focused only on me.
My breathing deepened and time forgot to pass as he stood in the doorframe, his strong fingers gripping the trim, his bicep bulging beneath his shirt. His molten blue gaze scanned from my hair to the pointed tips of the shoes. I scanned him too, assessing the loss of his suit coat and tie.
“Ms. Crystal?” He gestured toward the room. “What a welcome surprise. Please come in.”
The subtle scent of his lingering cologne tickled my senses as I passed by, entering his room. I turned at the sound of the shutting door and watched as he secured the lock.
It was as he turned that I willed myself into confidence, flashed him a seductive smile, and reached for the belt around my waist.
Damien lifted his hand. “Stop.”
Stop?
My eyes opened in question.
In two long strides, he was in front of me, lifting my chin with his thumb and finger.
The temperature of the room increased as our stare-down continued. Though he’d only said one word since closing the door, within his stare was a symphony of thoughts and feelings. For seconds or minutes, I watched the energy in his eyes, the crackling of lightning in a summer sky or fireworks over a dry field, each spark both beautiful and dangerous, capable of igniting my world. As he’d done on the plane, Damien shifted his focus from my eyes to my lips. I came to his door to fulfill his request. Wear the coat and heels. However, as our breathing deepened, I wanted more.
I wanted him to kiss me like he’d done on the plane.
That wasn’t all.
I was tired of walking this tightrope between what my mind thought was best and my body wanted.
Letting go of my chin, Damien inhaled and took a step back. “You should know you were perfect today.”
Um. Okay. We’re going to talk.
I shook my head. “Thank you. The Shermans are great people. As for the rest, tomorrow will be the big test.”
Damien ran his hand over his hair. “You don’t owe me for the coat. If you don’t want to be here…if you want to sleep…”
What the hell?
“Don’t you want me here?” I asked.
“More than air to breathe.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Damien, I don’t understand what’s happening. One minute, you look at me like I’m your last meal and the next you’re telling me to go.”
“I didn’t tell you to go. I offered. I fucking want you here, in this bed, all night long. In our bed forever.” The tendons in his neck tightened. “I want to ravish you, fall into a sex coma, to wake and do it again. Rinse and repeat all fucking night long, tonight, tomorrow night, until we’re too old to fuck.” He shook his head. “One day at a time. I know. I want you here because you want to be here, not because of a debt.”
I took a step toward him, my chin raised. “Then don’t offer me the opposite.”
His nostrils flared as he stared down at me. “It’s that.” He inhaled. “I respected your wishes, but if you don’t leave now…if you stay, we won’t be having a masturbation party. When you come, it will be because I allow it. I am the one that touches your warm, wet pink pussy. I’m the one who licks it, nips it, and fills it. I’m the one who brings you pleasure.”
Each of his phrases were sparks combining within me. From firecrackers to dynamite, my nerve endings detonated.
“And one more thing, Ms. Crystal, there’s no turning back. You won’t kick me out of my own room, and unless you do it now, you aren’t leaving.” He took another step back. “What is your answer?”
I pressed my lips into a straight line. “That’s a lot to think about.”
He shook his head. “No, don’t overthink it.” He came closer, lowering his lips to my jaw. A trail of kisses traversed my face, ear, neck, and lower, into the V of the coat’s neckline.
My breathing quickened as goosebumps materialized in the wake of his descent. I closed my eyes, savoring the warmth and desire in each action.
“Open the coat for me.” His deep voice left no room for refusal.
My mouth dried as my fingers fumbled with the knot.
When the wool gaped, giving him just a peek at my flesh, he growled, “Fuck.”
With a shrug of each shoulder, the pink coat fell to the carpeting near my shoes. Passion and desire like I’d tried to forget shone in his eyes as he walked around me, completely around me.
“You’re incredible.”
“My debt is paid.”
“It is, but mine isn’t.”
I tilted my head. “Yours?”
He stopped in front of me. “I promised you seven orgasms, and I didn’t deliver.”
He snaked his arm around my waist and lifted me from the floor. Cradling me against his muscular chest, he looked at my feet. “Are you ready to take those off?”
“Yes.”
Sitting me on the edge of the bed, Damien knelt before me, gently removing one shoe and then the next. I wiggled my toes at the relief of losing the heels. “I’m not sure I will be able to walk tomorrow.”
“That’s my goal.”
I offered him my hand and watched as his long fingers encased mine. “I don’t want to leave, Damien. I’m scared, but I’m tired of fighting the way I feel. We shared a passion, one I tried to forget.”
He stood and tugged on my hand. I also stood, craning my neck and looking up at him. “I remember the passion, Ella. I remember everything about you. Give me a chance to help you remember.”
I lifted my arms to his broad shoulders and standing on my toes, I kissed him. My body melded against his as the intensity of our kiss grew. Damien’s hands fell lower until they lifted my behind. I wrapped my legs around him, pressing my heels into the small of his back. The hotel room lost focus as he turned and lowered me once again to the bed. I didn’t have time to move before his hard body was over mine. The gruff on his cheeks abraded my skin as his kisses descended lower without the impairment of the coat.