Alluring (19 page)

"Then show me," he said, grinding his hips into her pelvis.

Gladly.

Two weeks had passed since Mase's birthday extravaganza. Alexis stood in front of the full-length mirror in Jack's closet (or should she say their closet?), trying to fasten her diamond choker.

Jack stepped in behind her, breathtaking in his tuxedo.  He fastened her choker, leaning over her shoulder to whisper in her ear, "You look good enough to eat.  Shall we test that theory?"

Alexis looked at herself in the mirror.  She wore a long, red evening dress that Jack had come home with two nights pryer.  The gown was strapless and sleek with a long slit up the center to mid-thigh and was super sexy in its simplicity.  "We'll be late.  This charity is important to your mother."  Barbara had worked tirelessly for the past ten years, raising funds and opening women's shelters all over the world.  "We don't want to disappoint her."

"As long as I bring you, there's no way I'll disappoint her."  He kissed her neck then straighten up.  "Speaking of you
—
"

Alexis laughed, "Were we speaking of me?"

"Hush."  He pulled something that Alexis couldn't see out of his front coat pocket.  "I have something for you."

"You do too much for me already."  She swept her hand down her body.  "You bought me this dress."

"That dress was purchased for a function for
my
mother.  These are for you."  He held two teardrop diamond earrings alongside her ears.

Alexis reached up and fingered one.  "They're beautiful."

"Not a fraction as beautiful as you."

Alexis turned and smiled up at him.  "Now
that's
your corniest line yet."

Jack grinned down at her.  "Sweetheart, that wasn't a line."

Alexis walked into the ballroom of the Hilton, Jack at her side.  On their way in, the media had gotten a hold of them.  They'd had their picture taken (Jack's mother as a co-founder and Jack being a major contributor to the charity was big news), and Jack announced Alexis's name, as his girlfriend, for the article.  She felt strange knowing that tomorrow her picture would be in the paper.

Alexis heard an orchestra playing a soulful melody that couples danced to on the dance floor.  Pockets of people were scattered about the room creating a din of conversation and laughter.  Waiters carried trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. 

Barbara spied them from the right side of the room.  She was frantically waving her arm to grab their attention.  Jack chuckled and pulled Alexis with him to his mother's side.

"My dear, don't you look lovely," Barbara said, pulling Alexis in for a hug before she was passed to Frank.

He gave her a tight squeeze before asking, "My son's treating you well I hope?"

She gave him a smile.  "Of course."

Jack took her by the waist and drew her to his side.  "If you two don't mind, I'm going to ask my girl to dance."

He steered her to the dance floor and wrapped her in his arms.  "You know, you didn't even ask me," she said, melting into his embrace.

"You would've said yes."  He gave her a cocky grin.

She didn't comment but gave him narrowed eyes.  That was answer enough.

"So, now that I have you here, trapped on the dance floor, there's something we need to discuss."  She gave him a quizzical look and he continued.  "Our month trial is up.  I want you to give up your apartment and move in with me permanently."

"Okay."

"Okay?"  His brow furrowed.  "That was surprisingly quick and easy."

"Do you want me to make it difficult?  Drag it out?  When we both know, you'll end up getting your way in the end.  You always do."

Jack threw his head back and laughed.  He leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the lips.  "You make me happy."

"I'm glad."  She softly ran a finger over his smiling lips.  "You make me happy, too.  And that's something I haven't truly felt in a long time."

"Then that will be my goal in life.  Keeping you happy.  Always."

Over the next week, Alexis went through everything in her apartment.  She threw away some, gave things away, took some to Jack's but most went into storage.  She couldn't part with any of her mom's belonging.  Not now anyway.  After she'd explained the sentimental value of the old furniture she wanted to keep, Jack had it delivered to a storage room in the hotel so she would know it was close by and safe.

It was Thursday night and Alexis had finally finished organizing and moving in her stuff.  She hummed to herself as she padded around the kitchen barefoot, in jeans and a tank top, making dinner. 

She was at the kitchen counter chopping vegetables when Jack came home.  He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and resting his chin on the top of her head.

"You know,"  she said, slicing a cucumber.  "My side of the closet seems to get fuller every time I walk into it."  She set the knife down and turned, butt against the counter, looking up a Jack.  "Any idea how that might be happening?"

Jack reached around her and plucked a slice of cucumber off the cutting board.  He popped it in his mouth and thoughtfully chewed.  "Closet fairies?"  He plucked up another piece of cucumber.  "Wardrobe gnomes?"  He popped it into his mouth and chewed.  "Armoire elves?"

"Jack, be serious. You need to stop buying me things."

He went in for her neck and nuzzled placing small kisses between his words.  "No.  I.  Don't."

Alexis sighed, melting against the assault on her neck.  She forgot all about the closet and instead thought only about Jack and all the wonderful things he could do with his mouth.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

When Alexis came home from work the next night, she stopped by the hotel lobby to pick up the mail before heading upstairs.  She's been waiting for the monthly bill for her mom's medical care and hadn't received it yet.  She'd forwarded her mail a few weeks ago, finding it silly, stopping at her apartment every few days to collect it.  She didn't want to be late on her payment.  The fees they charged were ridiculous.

"Hey Tammy," Alexis said, stepping up to the counter.  "Any mail for us?"

"Let me go check."  She walked into a back room and came out a minute later, a stack of mail in her hand.  "Here you go."

"Thanks."  Alexis thumbed though the envelopes.  Nothing from the hospital.  Damn.  She would have to find an old invoice and call them.  She stopped on an envelope addressed to her written in red cursive lettering.  She looked front and back but saw no return address.  She laid the rest of the mail on the counter to open the letter.  Inside was a single sheet of white paper with the words 'HE IS MINE' written in red block letters across the page.

With a shaky hand, she refolded the note and put it back in the envelope.  "Is Jack still in his office or did he go up already?"

Tammy looked up from her computer.  "I didn't see him walk by, but I might have missed him.  Is everything okay?  You look a little pale."

Alexis tried to give her a smile.  "I'm fine, just a little headache.  I'll stop by his office before heading up.  If you see him, let him know I'm looking for him."

"Will do."

Alexis's heels tapped loudly on the marble flooring as she rushed to Jack's office.  She knocked on the door before opening it slightly, poking her head in.  Jack was at his desk, on the phone. 

He waved her over and when she got near, he put his hand over the mouthpiece and asked, "Everything okay?"

When Alexis shook her head, Jack quickly ended his call and put down the phone.  "What's wrong?"

"This came in the mail today," she said, handing him the envelope.  She set the rest of the mail on his desk.

Jack pulled the paper from the envelope, read it, and looked at Alexis a frown marring his brow.  "This came in the mail?"

"Yes."

He scanned the envelope.  "It's postmarked Las Vegas, so it was sent locally."

"You don't think Janet would do something like this, do you?"

Jack was still frowning.  "I don't know her well enough to know."  He took her hand and maneuvered her to his lap.  "Whatever this is, I'll take care of it.  I don't want you to worry.  It's probably some prank, but, just to be on the safe side, I do want you to be extra careful.  Okay?"

"Yeah."  Alexis laid her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Come on, let's go grab some dinner."

* * * * *

The next morning Jack sat at his desk in his home office, talking calmly into the phone, feeling anything but calm.  More than likely, like the PI he had on the other end of the line said, it was just a prank or a joke.  Jack wasn't taking any chances, and he didn't think it was funny.  Nothing was funny concerning Alexis's well-being.

"Just look into it and keep me informed," he said, before hanging up the phone.

His head of security had given him Stan Hoover's number.  He'd told Jack, the highly skilled PI was well known in the business and had a reputation for working hard to get a job done.  Jack wanted this job done fast.  The thought of Alexis in danger made him all kinds of crazy.

Jack made his way back to the bedroom.  He saw the bed was empty but heard the shower running.  He stripped off his sweatpants on his way to the bathroom.  He saw her silhouette through the frosted glass door.  His dick hardened and like a homing missile, it guided him into the shower.

She jumped, startled, when he reached around her and cupped her tits in his hands.  He gave them a gentle squeeze that elicited a small moan from her slightly parted lips.  He slowly licked a bead a water that trailed down her cheek as he pushed with his hips gliding his cock through the crevice of her ass.

He lightly trailed a hand over her ribs and down her belly, coming to a stop when he reached her clit.   He circled it with a finger, as his other hand pinched and rolled her nipple.  This brought out a gasp and a long moan as she pushed back with her ass, rubbing herself harder against him, bracing herself with her hands on the tiled wall.

His mouth latched onto her neck as his fingers slipped through her folds.  She was so wet and slick.  He loved how fast he could turn her on.  He angled her hips and bent his knees as he eased himself inside her.  So tight.  Pure heaven.

"Turn your head, baby and give me your mouth."  He captured her lips, inhaling her heavy pants as he moved inside her.  Her breathing stopped for a moment and a shudder overtook her body.  Jack moaned as he clutched at her hips, impaling himself deep as his climax shuddered through his body.

He turned her, blocking the spray from her face, with his back.  Her eyes were languid.  Her cheeks were flushed.  Her full lips, a deep rose in the muted light, parted as if begging for a kiss.

"Are you okay?"  he asked, supporting her weight as she gained use of her limbs.

Her fingers trailed up his arms to his shoulders.  "I will be," she smiled, "as soon as I regain my equilibrium."

He smiled back at her.  "Do I sweep you off your feet?"

"Oh, Mr. Cole, you do more than that."

He reverently placed kisses across her cheek, down her neck back up to her lips.  "I love you, Alexis."  He whispered it across her skin.  Felt it in his bones.  His need for her, all consuming, almost bordering on obsessive.  She was his life and if anything happened to her, he would be destroyed.

She pressed her body close to his, reaching up, on her toes, to get even closer.  She circled her arms around his back, holding tight.  She spoke into his ear, "I don't ever want to let you go."

"Sweetheart, I'll never let you go."

That night, Jack and Alexis watched as Gage gave an impromptu charity concert for a non-profit canine sanctuary he was helping raise funds for.  Jack had volunteered Pulled for the locale so all the proceeds would go to the charity. 

Gage was alone, without his band, sitting on a stool with only his guitar, singing songs shouted by the audience.  The place was packed, and Jack was grateful to be up on the VIP dais were only about twenty people were allowed. 

Supported on his arms, he leaned over the railing, slowly nursing a beer.  As he half listened to Gage and half listened to Alexis talking with Cassie, the woman who ran the non-profit organization, he felt a body settle at his side. 

"Jack, good to see you.  It's been awhile."

Jack turned his head.  Sabrina.  This he did not need.  He smiled tightly.  "Sabrina."

Sabrina moved a fraction of an inch closer leaning on the rail like Jack, her upper arms pushing on her breasts, causing them to nearly spill out of her top. 

She was looking at the stage, but she spoke to Jack.  "Like what you see?  I remember you found them quite entertaining."

Jack took another sip of his beer contemplating his next move.  Sabrina was clingy.  It took two months of constant rebuffs for her to finally leave him alone.  She was a fuck he wished he could undo.  "You need to leave the VIP section.  If you don't, I'll have security show you out."