Any Way You Want It (14 page)

“Sorry. It was a joke...sort of.” Nuzzling the nape of her neck, he savored the scent of her skin, an elusive fragrance he’d never smelled on any other woman. He wished he could bottle it.

“So,” she began casually, “I spoke to Noelani this morning.”

He instinctively tensed. “Yeah?”

“Umm-hmm.”

“What’d she say?” Remy asked, matching her casual tone.

Zandra hesitated. “She said she had a wonderful time with you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Another pregnant pause. “She thought you were very handsome and charming, and she said she wouldn’t mind going out with you again if you’re ever interested.”

Remy smiled. “Good to know,” he murmured, loosening Zandra’s ponytail and sifting his fingers through her soft, thick hair.

She purred in her throat, arching against him like a contented feline. Lust heated his blood.

“So are you?” she whispered.

Remy buried his face in her fragrant hair, closing his eyes. “Am I what?”

“Are you interested in seeing her again?”

“Who?”

“Remy,” Zandra warned.

He chuckled softly. “I had a great time with Noelani. She’s a beautiful woman, like you promised.”

“So is that a yes?”

Some perverse impulse made him respond, “I wouldn’t mind going out with her again.”

“I see.” There was an edge to Zandra’s voice. “Are you going to set up another date with her then?”

He swept her hair over one shoulder. “Maybe.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He pressed an openmouthed kiss to her nape, making her shiver. “Why are you so concerned?” he murmured, sliding her shirt aside as he nibbled his way across her bare shoulder. “Aren’t you dating what’s-his-name?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“Answer my question.”

She let out a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m not dating Colin. I told him we should just be friends.”

If she’d been facing Remy, she would have seen the slow, satisfied smile that curved his mouth.

“Just friends, huh?”

“Yes. Are you satisfied?”

“Very. Speaking of satisfaction...”

Zandra gave him a sultry look over her shoulder, her hips provocatively undulating against his crotch. His dick hardened even more, straining against the seam of his pants.

“Oh, my...” Zandra purred wickedly.

He leaned forward and kissed her, running his tongue over the plump bottom lip that had been tormenting him. She let out a soft moan, sending another jolt of lust to his groin.

He opened her mouth with his tongue and slid inside. She tasted so damn good. Sweeter than the sweetest honey.

“Should we be doing this right now?” she murmured.

“Doesn’t matter. We’re going to.”

She didn’t protest as he hiked her denim skirt up around her waist and reached between her thighs. She gasped at the brush of his fingertips as he pushed aside the damp strip of her thong. He eased his middle finger inside her creamy wetness, and almost lost his mind.

She was soaked. So soaked he had to have her. Not later.
Now.

He fumbled down his zipper, gripped his throbbing cock and slid inside her, groaning as her soft flesh expanded around him.

She moaned, her head falling back as she slowly spread her thighs, taking him deeper.

He shuddered. The hot clasp of her pussy, coupled with the lush roundness of her ass, was almost too much for him.

Bracing her hands on the arms of the chair, Zandra began riding his dick with long, deep strokes that made his toes curl inside his boots. Reaching beneath her shirt, he slid his hands up her stomach and cupped her luscious breasts. She shivered as he rubbed her hard nipples through her satin bra.

“Remy... Oh...”

There was a sudden knock on the door.

Shit!

Before he could tell the intruder to come back later, Zandra shocked him by calling out shakily, “Come in!”

He’d barely snatched his hands from her tits before the door opened, and Mona poked her head inside the room.

“Sorry to interrupt—”

“Oh, you’re not interrupting,” Zandra said sweetly.

Mona paused, one brow lifting at the sight of Zandra seated on Remy’s lap. He knew that the humongous desk concealed what they were doing—as long as Mona didn’t come any closer.

She cleared her throat. “I’m taking lunch orders, so I just wanted to see what you two wanted.”

Zandra smiled. “Oh, that’s very thoughtful of you, Mona, but I’m not staying for lunch.”

“No? You can’t?”

“Afraid not. Actually,” Zandra elaborated, subtly rolling her hips against Remy’s groin, “I’m supposed to be having lunch and going shopping with Remy’s sister, Racquel.”

“Oh, okay. Sounds like fun.” Mona flashed one of those rare smiles, then looked at Remy. “What about you, boss? What do you want?”

To bust a fucking nut!

“Uh...I don’t care. Whatever you, uh, decide is fine.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”

As Zandra tightened her pussy muscles around his dick, he smothered an agonized groan and nodded quickly. “I’m sure.”

“Okay,” Mona said dubiously. “Just don’t blame me if I get something you don’t like.”

“I won’t. I promise.”
Now just go!

“On second thought, Mona,” Zandra interjected. “Maybe I
will
stay for lunch.”

“Great,” Mona said cheerfully. “What do you want?”

“Umm. I think I’m in the mood for something hot—”
squeeze
“—and spicy. Maybe curry pork from our favorite Thai restaurant.”

Remy shuddered, his fingers digging into her thighs. “Works for me,” he said quickly.

Mona smiled. “Okay.”

As she moved to leave, Zandra called out, “No, wait.”

Fuuuccckkk!

Mona turned back expectantly. “Yes, Zandra?”

“I changed my mind.” There was a husky rasp to her voice. “I’d prefer a...spicy chicken sandwich...from that Vietnamese place...a few blocks away.”

“Mmm, I could go for that,” Mona agreed. “But they have funny hours, so let me check to see if they’re open for lunch yet.”

“Good idea,” Zandra breathed.

As Mona placed the call through her Bluetooth earpiece, Remy could feel the slow, hot trickle of Zandra’s juices sliding down his shaft, bathing him in erotic lava. He closed his eyes and buried his face in the back of her neck, biting the tender flesh there.

She shivered.

When she retaliated with another squeeze of her pussy, he almost nutted in her.

Deciding two could play that game, he reached between her thighs and stroked her hard clit.

She hissed.

Mona frowned at her. “What’d you say, Zandra?”

“I...ah...nothing.” Remy could hear the shallowness of her breath, could feel her thighs shaking on his lap. She was as close to losing it as he was.

Hiding a smile against her hair, Remy rubbed her swollen slit where it was stretched around his cock. More honey coated his fingers.

“Okay, they’re open,” Mona announced, ending the call. “Let me go see what the others want, then I’ll place the order.”

“Th-thanks, Mona,” Zandra stammered.

“Yeah, thanks,” Remy grunted.

The second the door closed, he growled in Zandra’s ear, “Now you’re gonna get it.”

She gave a throaty laugh as he lunged from the chair and bent her over the desk. She braced her hands on the surface and spread her legs apart. Remy grabbed her by the hair and began pumping, fast and furious, slamming into her wet pussy.

Within moments they exploded violently together, Remy clamping his hand over Zandra’s mouth to smother her scream.

Gasping and shaking, they collapsed upon the desk, scattering papers.

Sucking Zandra’s earlobe, Remy demanded hoarsely, “Mind telling me what that little stunt was about?”

She laughed, breathless and sexy. “
That
was for not answering my question about Noelani.”

“I did answer you. Apparently—” he slapped her butt cheek “—you didn’t like what I had to say.”

“Do that again.”

He smacked her other cheek hard, and she gave a lusty moan that shot straight to his balls.

“Little freak,” he growled, nipping her ear.

She chuckled softly. “Get off me.”

He rubbed against her round ass. “Not yet.”

“C’mon, Rem. I have to go.”

“Go where?”

“To lunch with your sister. Weren’t you paying attention?”

He frowned. “You told Mona you were staying for lunch.”

“Only to prolong the conversation.” She grinned, blowing her hair out of her eyes. “Now let me up. You’re heavy.”

He reluctantly lifted off her and stepped back, then pulled her upright.

As he zipped up his pants, she tugged down her skirt and straightened her shirt. With her hair tousled and her face flushed, she looked every bit like a woman who’d just been fucked.

He wanted to strip her naked, spread her out on the desk and do unspeakable things to her with his mouth and his still-throbbing cock.

He settled for kissing her deep and hard, as deep and hard as he’d just been inside her body.

As he drew away, she opened dazed eyes and stared up at him.

He smoothed down her hair. “You’re going to London with me.”

She blinked slowly, then frowned. “I thought I told you I’d think about it.”

“You have,” he said implacably. “You haven’t
stopped
thinking about it since I asked you. So I’ll make it easy for you. You’re going.”

Her frown deepened into a mutinous scowl. “You know I don’t like being told what to do.”

“Then do without being told.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

He stared her down.

She smirked, giving him a mock salute. “Thanks for the quickie, sailor. Bon voyage.”

As she pivoted on her heel and stalked off, Remy lowered himself into his chair.

When she’d nearly reached the door, he drawled casually, “Do you know if Noelani has ever been to London?”

Zandra froze, her back going rigid.

Remy waited.

As he watched, she spun around and stalked back across the room, those magnificent eyes flashing with fury. Slapping her palms down on his desk, she leaned over and snarled, “Sometimes you can be a real asshole.”

“I know.” Remy leaned forward, bringing his face so close to hers that their breath mingled and he could see her pupils dilate. “And this asshole wants to spend every damn moment he can with you.”

That disarmed her.

Her face softened, her eyes flickering with something warm and tender. She stared at him for several moments, then swallowed hard and stepped back.

“Fine.”

“Fine what?”

“I’ll go to London with you.”

His chest expanded with joy and relief. “Thank you.”

She shrugged a shoulder, feigning nonchalance. “I was planning to go someplace anyway. Might as well be someplace I love.”

With someone I love,
Remy wanted her to add. But he’d take what he could get for now. “We leave on Tuesday morning.”

“All right.”

They stared at each other, then she glanced at her watch. “I’d better not keep Rocky waiting. You know how she hates that.”

“I know.” Remy smiled. “Have a good lunch.”

“You, too.” Her lips twitched. “Give my apologies to Mona.”

“Will do.”

Zandra held his gaze another moment, then turned and strolled from the room, swinging her perfect ass as she went.

Only when she was gone did Remy allow a broad, delighted grin to sweep across his face.

Leaning back in his chair, he folded his hands behind his head and swiveled toward the window. As he gazed outside, he saw nothing but blue skies and sunshine.

He could only hope it would stay that way.

Chapter Fourteen

O
n Saturday Remy and Zandra braved the heat and crowds to attend the Taste of Chicago, the city’s annual outdoor food festival held in Grant Park. They strolled leisurely through a procession of vibrantly colored tents set up by more than seventy local restaurants. Musicians performed from various stages throughout the park, serenading festivalgoers with a medley of pop, country, blues and Latin music.

Mouthwatering aromas wafted thickly through the air, luring Remy and Zandra to sample an exotic array of cuisine ranging from goat with saffron rice to pork-stuffed banana dumplings. They fed each other, laughing as they licked fingers and lips, sharing a delicious kaleidoscope of flavors.

Too absorbed in each other to mind the throng of people or sweltering humidity, they wandered to the gourmet pavilion to watch cooking demonstrations by some of Chicago’s best chefs and sommeliers.

Afterward they met up with Roderick and Lena at the Petrillo Music Shell, where they all stretched out on a huge blanket to enjoy a concert. As the band performed, Zandra lay between Remy’s long legs while Lena lay between her husband’s. Lena wore a soft, blissful smile as Roderick gently rubbed her stomach, marveling at their unborn child growing inside her.

As Remy ran his fingers through Zandra’s hair and massaged her scalp, a delicious languor spread through her veins and melted her bones.

It was one of those perfect summer days that made it impossible to have a care in the world.

When the band took a break, Zandra smiled at Roderick and Lena. “Have you guys decided on any baby names yet?”

A warm look passed between them.

“We’re still tossing around ideas for a girl,” Roderick answered.

“But if it’s a boy,” Lena said, “he’ll be named after his daddy.”

“Roderick Junior.” Remy nodded approvingly. “Has a nice ring to it.”

“It does,” Zandra agreed.

Lena smiled. “Of course, if we have a boy, we already know he’s going to come out looking just like Roderick and Remy and the rest of them. The Brand men have the strongest genes I’ve ever seen.”

“Don’t they?” Zandra chuckled. “It’s crazy.”

“I think it’s good.” Roderick grinned, turning his head this way and that to show off his handsome profile. “Why should all
this
go to waste?”

“Oh, please,” Zandra snorted, and they all laughed.

“Oh, my God.” An excited feminine squeal cut through the crowd. “Is that Roderick and Remy Brand?”

The foursome glanced around to see a honey-toned, heavyset woman bearing down on them. If it hadn’t been for the gratingly perky voice, Zandra wouldn’t have recognized the approaching newcomer. But as she peered closer, she realized, with a surprised jolt, that she was about to come face-to-face with her former high school nemesis.

Tawny “The Tiara” Forrester, so dubbed because she’d been crowned homecoming royalty four years in a row. By the time she was named homecoming queen during senior year, it had been so anticlimactic that the crowd had only reacted with halfhearted applause. Though many students had privately bemoaned the unfairness of Tawny’s long reign, no one had been bold enough to publicly vent their displeasure for fear of antagonizing her. Not only was she one of the most popular students, cheerleading captain and president of the drama club, she’d also been the most vicious.

She and Zandra had been bitter rivals, but not because they’d wanted the same things. Zandra was an honors student, the first female president of the math club and a student ambassador. She was a brainiac who’d had the misfortune of being just pretty enough to make Tawny feel threatened. Her jealousy had been cemented when Zandra began tutoring her boyfriend, Kevin, in math. When the couple broke up a month before prom and he asked Zandra to be his date, Tawny had been livid. She’d glared at them the whole night, and threw a hissy fit when Kevin and Zandra were crowned prom king and queen.

But she’d gotten her revenge. After the prom, Kevin had dropped Zandra off at home and headed straight to Tawny’s house to spend the night. Two days later at school, she’d taken great satisfaction in bragging to everyone that Kevin had come crawling back to her after ditching lame Zandra on prom night.

As Zandra watched her old nemesis approach, she realized that she hadn’t seen Tawny since graduation, when she’d sneered her way through Zandra’s valedictorian speech.

“Help me out here,” Remy murmured in Zandra’s ear. “Who is that?”

Zandra smiled thinly. “Tawny Forrester.”

Recognizing the name—but not the woman coming toward them—Remy chuckled under his breath. “Damn. This ought to be interesting.”

By the time Tawny reached them, she was slightly out of breath from her trek across the crowded concert grounds. “The twins. Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe it. It really
is
—” As her gaze belatedly landed on Zandra nestled between Remy’s legs, her eyes widened in surprised recognition.

“Zandra?”

Zandra sat up slowly, but made no move to stand and greet Tawny. They’d hated each other in high school, so she saw no reason to be phony. “Hello, Tawny.”

She watched, quietly amused, as the other woman’s mouth flapped open and closed like a guppy out of water.

Taking pity on her, Zandra said smoothly, “It’s nice to see you again. You obviously remember Roderick and Remy.”

“Hey, Tawny,” they greeted her. “How’s it going?”

Recovering from her shock, Tawny beamed at them. “Hey, fellas. This is such a crazy coincidence. I was just asking one of my neighbors about you guys. She went to our high school and was in your grade, but you two were so popular you might not remember her. Anyway, you both look
great.
But that’s nothing new.” Spying the diamond wedding and engagement rings twinkling on Lena’s hand, Tawny tacked on a smile that was just as bright, but not an ounce genuine. “Lisa told me that you’d gotten married, Roderick. She said your wedding was splashed all over the papers. Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

Roderick smiled indulgently. “Tawny, I’d like you to meet my wife, Lena.”

As the two women smiled politely and shook hands, Tawny openly assessed Lena, always sizing up the competition—even when they weren’t.

“Congratulations on snagging one of the twins,” she told Lena. “Every girl at school had a crush on these two. Roderick was voted Most Likely to Succeed, and Remy was voted Most Likely to Save the World.”

Lena chuckled. “I can believe that.”

As Tawny’s eyes returned to Zandra and looked her over, her lips tightened with envious displeasure. Though she’d gained a lot of weight since high school, Zandra thought she was still very pretty. She might even have told her so if there hadn’t been such bad blood between them.

Tawny eyed Zandra and Remy speculatively. “You two look pretty cozy. Are you...?”

Before Zandra could respond, Remy drawled, “I’m working on it.”

Tawny’s eyes narrowed before she stretched her lips into another one of those fake smiles. “Oh, how nice for both of you. I must say I’m a little surprised though. You two were always more like brother and sister. It’d seem almost, well, incestuous if you wound up together.”

Remy chuckled, nuzzling behind Zandra’s ear. “Nothing incestuous about this good thing right here.”

“Mmm.” Purring contentedly as his lips caressed her sweet spot, Zandra smiled at Tawny, whose face looked pinched. “So how have you been?”

Tawny’s expression brightened. “Oh, I’ve been wonderful,” she preened with a toss of her long dark hair. “Kevin and I stayed together after high school and went away to the same college. After he was drafted by the Browns, we got married—” she paused deliberately, letting Zandra absorb this news “—and moved to Cleveland. We had a
huge,
beautiful house with a swimming pool.”

“Hey, I didn’t know Kevin played for the Browns,” Roderick interjected. “That’s great. What was his number?”

Tawny faltered. “Oh, goodness, can you believe I’m actually drawing a blank? Unfortunately he, um, got injured and had to retire a few years early. But we liked Cleveland so much that we decided to stay there. We just moved back to Chicago this summer, so I’ve been trying to get caught up on everyone’s lives.”

“Welcome home,” Zandra murmured. “And congratulations to you and Kevin.”

“Thank you. We’re very blessed.” Tawny smiled sweetly. “How are your parents?”

Zandra stiffened, having an instant flashback to the day Tawny had eavesdropped on her conversation with their homeroom teacher. Noticing the bruise on Zandra’s cheek, the concerned woman had detained her in the hallway before class, listening compassionately as Zandra tearfully explained that she had to go live with her grandmother because her father had beaten her the night before. It was the first time Landis had struck her, but it was enough to convince Autumn to get Zandra out of harm’s way. If only she’d done the same for herself.

Before Zandra could answer Tawny’s question—which had clearly been intended to draw blood—Roderick murmured thoughtfully, “Hmm. That’s odd.”

Tawny’s gaze shifted to him. “What?”

Roderick glanced up from his smartphone. “I’m on the Browns’ website looking through their old team rosters, and I don’t see Kevin’s name anywhere.”

“Really?” Tawny’s face flamed. “They, ah, probably just haven’t had a chance to, um, update the rosters.”

“Right.” Roderick smiled, eyes glinting. “I’m sure that’s what it is.”

Tawny looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

Zandra didn’t miss the amused glances that passed between Roderick and Remy. While Remy could strike fear with a look, Roderick could cut you down to size with just the keen edge of his smile. Both were equally formidable.

“Oh, look,” Roderick drawled. “Here comes Kevin right now.”

Everyone followed the direction of his gaze.

Zandra did a double take when she saw the rotund man lumbering toward them, munching on a giant turkey leg. His rumpled gray T-shirt was ringed with sweat, and he’d spilled some food down the front. He looked nothing like the cute, popular jock she’d once tutored and gone to the prom with.

“There you are,” he groused to Tawny. “I thought you were gonna find a spot closer to the stage.”

Tawny glanced at Remy and Roderick, then at her husband, and Zandra knew by her embarrassed flush that Kevin had been found woefully lacking.

“Look at you,” she sniped at him. “You look a hot mess.”

“Gee, thanks, baby. Love you, too.” Kevin rolled his eyes, then grinned at Remy and Roderick. “Wassup, fellas. Been a long time. I—” He broke off, his jaw going slack as he stared at Zandra.

“Close your mouth,” Tawny hissed in disgust. “Nobody wants to see your food.”

Kevin did, slowly looking Zandra over with frank male appreciation. As his eyes lingered on her bare legs revealed by her cutoff shorts, he licked his greasy lips. “Damn. You look good, Zandra.”

Her smile was cool. “Hello, Kevin. Nice to see you again.”

“You have no idea.” He looked from Zandra to Remy, then shook his head and snorted out the disbelieving laugh of someone who just realized he’d been duped. “That talk on prom night. It all makes sense now.”

Remy smiled narrowly.

Zandra threw him a curious glance and mouthed,
What talk?

He ignored her.

“Well, it was nice running into all of you again,” Tawny said with a strained smile that suggested otherwise, “but we need to get home to our kids.”

Kevin looked disappointed. “I thought we could all hang out together and catch up.”

“I don’t think so.” Gripping his fleshy arm until he winced, Tawny nodded tightly to Zandra, Remy, Roderick and Lena. “Enjoy the rest of the concert.”

As the bickering couple moved off, Lena raised amused brows at Zandra. “Well. That was interesting.”

“Very.” Zandra narrowed her eyes at Remy. “Did you say something to Kevin on my prom night?”

When he just looked at her, she shot a glance at Roderick. “Did he?”

Roderick laughed, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”

“Oh, my God,” Zandra shrieked staring accusingly at Remy. “No wonder Kevin looked so nervous when I came downstairs that night. I kept asking him what was wrong, but he wouldn’t tell me. And after the prom, he couldn’t get rid of me fast enough. All this time, I just thought he was bored with me, and I knew Tawny had promised to sleep with him if he went over to her house. But I never once suspected that you...you had
threatened
him!” Sputtering with indignation, she punched Remy on the arm. “You
jerk!
”

He laughed. “Come on, Z. Don’t be mad. I was just looking out for you. Kevin had a reputation at school. I didn’t want him taking advantage of you.”

“
So what!
You had no right to interfere!”

“Did, too.”

“Did not.”

Remy heaved a sigh. “Come on, baby girl.”

Not wanting to cause a scene, Zandra didn’t resist as he pulled her back against his chest, curved an arm around her waist and leaned down to nuzzle the side of her neck. “Tell the truth. You didn’t even like that meathead. The only reason you went to the prom with him was to piss Tawny off.”

“That’s not the point.”

“See, look at you,” Remy chuckled. “You didn’t even bother to deny it.”

Zandra sighed, lips quirking as she fought the tug of a grin. “I didn’t exactly have boys beating a path to my door to take me to the prom.”

“Which goes to show how stupid those boys were.” Remy kissed her cheek. “I’d have taken you.”

She went still. “You would have?”

“Yeah. But you never asked.”

“It didn’t occur to me.” She hesitated, then shyly admitted, “You were a college sophomore. You barely wanted to go to your own prom, so I didn’t think you’d want to go to mine.”

“You thought wrong.”

Zandra smiled, a warm glow spreading through her.

“Look what I saved you from,” Remy murmured, his tongue tracing the shell of her ear.

She shivered. “What?”

“If you’d lost your virginity to Kevin that night, for the rest of your life, you’d have had to live with knowing that your first was that sloppy motherfucker whose wife is so miserable with him, she has to resort to lying about him playing for the Browns, of all teams.”