High Stakes Seduction - Book 3 (7 page)

"It's complicated. It isn't possible for me to explain enough for you to understand. You’re beautiful, desirable and very tempting. Please understand when I say I would love to stay here and pleasure you, to hold you in my arms and make love to you all night. But right now, I can't." The muscle in his jaw twitched again.

I looked at this confusing, mysterious man standing over me. This man who had just given me such exquisite pleasure and was now insisting there could be nothing more.

"I don't get it. You know you want me. As much as I want you. I don't care if you have a dark past or a lurid history. Or if you want to keep secrets from me. All I care about is that you share my bed. You can't keep teasing me like this." I wanted to sound angry and confident, but I'm afraid it sounded more like hurt and begging.

"I know, Cara, I know." The sudden weariness in his eyes made me want to cry. He leaned down to kiss me. "Be patient. There's so much you don't understand, and I'm not at liberty to explain right now. Maybe soon…. someday… soon."

Someday? Someday I could be old and haggard. Someday I might actually be… married. What was this someday crap?

"Why not right now?" I stared at him, bewildered.

"Right now I have things to take care of," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I know I say that too often. I wish I could talk about it, but I can't."

He leaned down to kiss me on the forehead and I pulled his lips to mine. I gave him my sultriest kiss, trying to use anything in my power to convince him to stay.

He pulled away, brushing my hair back from my face. Then he turned and walked out the door. Again.

"Good evening, gentlemen," I said smoothly as I pulled up a chair beside Antonio at the poker table.

Half an hour earlier, I'd been so frustrated, alternating between wanting to bury my head and cry into my pillow, and wanting to just throw things against the wall. But after a long moment of sitting there, my tears barely contained, I decided on a different tactic.

I remembered the look in Antonio’s eyes. The sorrow and regret. He wanted me. Undeniably. He had said as much. Something was holding him back. I had no idea what it was, but I was determined not to let it stop me.

If there was one thing I’d finally figured out about Antonio, it was that he responded to me the most when I garnered the attention of other men. My mind went back to a night that seemed so far away, when that handsome Frenchman, Francois, had cornered me at the gala event. It was the first time I had seen the possessive side of Antonio, and it was as if Francois had known it, mouthing the words "you’re welcome," with a smile as Antonio escorted me from the room.

The memory of our first erotic encounter sent a thrill through me, fueling my desire and my determination. I snuck a glance at Antonio and carefully, deliberately, crossed my legs beside him, giving him a great view of my thigh, all the way up the side slit of the little black dress I’d chosen for the evening. I saw his eyes slide in my direction, then he quickly straightened, turning his attention back to the dealer, who was shuffling the deck.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, almost too low for me to hear.

"No," I said, leaning in close so I could whisper in his ear, "I want far more than a drink, Antonio." Then I turned to the other players at the table, who were watching us curiously. "I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced," I said, smiling and stretching my hand across the table to greet the man who seemed to know "Tony the Man" so well from his good old college days. "I’m Angela."

He rose, as did the other men at the table. "You know, you’re right, my dear," he said, taking my hand and raising it to his lips, "You’ve not been much of a gentleman, Tony, ignoring this beautiful lady at your side. You don't want to leave her on her own and bored."

Antonio frowned, but remained seated.

"I’m Jacob. But call me Jake," he said, giving my hand a little squeeze. He didn’t let go immediately, instead, caressing my wrist as he introduced the others at the table. Walker, Marvin. Even Hank, the man to my left who was always so intently focused on the game, had paused to greet me.

Jake had to let go of my hand when the others sought to give me a proper greeting.

"And … Gerard," I said, peering at the dealer’s name tag. He’d been quietly shuffling the deck, patiently waiting for us to be seated, but now he gave me a big grin, evidently pleased to be included. I gave him a wink in return. "Don’t let me interrupt. I was just feeling a little lonely tonight." I cast a pointed look at Antonio, who refused to meet my eyes.

The men remained standing until I was seated again. I decided to move a little closer to Hank as Gerard began to deal the cards. "I still don’t understand how this game works," I said to the man on my left.

"Oh," Hank said nervously. "Well the game itself isn’t that tricky. But you have to learn to read the other players."

I was reading Hank pretty well right now as sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Don’t give away all the secrets, Hank," Walker chuckled. His low voice had an almost whiny, sing-song quality that nibbled at my memory, though I couldn’t remember having seen him before.

Hank blushed when I touched a finger to his hand, leaning toward him, "I hope I’m not too much of a distraction. I can move if you want me to."

"No, no!" he said, a little too quickly, glancing down at my exposed cleavage.

I managed to suppress a grin. I tapped my foot idly to the soft music playing in the room, leaning down to run a hand along my crossed leg. Antonio did his best to not look, while the other men were less abashed with their stares.

Hank settled down a bit as the game progressed, even winning the next hand. The men seemed to take turns winning, with no one having an advantage over the others. The chatter started up again, the casual conversation of men who were comfortable with each other.

Antonio, on the other hand, was not doing so well. He seemed focused on his hand, but a scowl covered his face. A disapproving scowl, as though he had tasted something bitter. I pretended not to notice the frustrated tension that emanated from the dark carbon eyes under his furled brow. As he continued to lose, I kept my attention on the other men, who seemed to enjoy my comments and company.

"Another card?" asked the dealer

I looked up to see that Gerard was gazing patiently at Antonio, whose mind was clearly no longer on the game. I decided to give him a break. "Anyone need a drink?" I asked.

Walker looked like he was considering my offer, but Jake and Marvin just laughed.

"Thank you, darlin'," said Jake. "You are, by far, the prettiest waitress to serve us tonight, but you don’t need to trouble yourself."

"No trouble at all," I said with a smile, but I didn’t wait for them to reconsider as I made my way to the bar.

The handsome bartender I’d met a few nights earlier was there. He lit up as I slid into the chair, giving me a dazzling smile. "Nice to see you again, miss. You look lovely tonight. What can I get you?"

"Nothing," said a tight voice behind me and I turned to find Antonio standing there. "We’re leaving."

I locked eyes with him, feeling the intensity of his gaze seep into me. The sullen, distracted look from the table was gone. This was something far more dangerous.

But I wasn’t afraid.

In fact, I was turned on. Very turned on.

"Are you sure about that, miss?" asked the bartender, with the slightest note of concern in his voice.

"Mmm, yes," I said, never taking my eyes off Antonio. His hand wrapped around my wrist in a firm grip. "I’m sure."

If I’d been the slightest bit reluctant, I'm sure he would have dragged me down the hall to our room. I liked this feeling of my own power, and his primal response told me I had finally gotten through. The look in his eyes pushed my heart into my throat. I knew what he wanted and I wanted it too.

And this time, I wasn’t going to let him pull away.

No regrets, I thought to myself, tamping down any guilt or trepidation I felt as he fumbled to open the door to our suite.

We practically crashed through when he finally got it open, slamming the door behind us as he pinned me against the wall. Hot, hard muscle pressed against me as I felt my breath pushed out of my lungs. He found my throat, feasting on my skin with tongue and lips and teeth as I pulled off his jacket and threw it to the floor. Unbuttoning his shirt, I yanked it open, revealing the rippling muscles of his chest. My hands moved up around his neck, combing fingers through his hair as I kissed his neck and moaned his name. I pulled him closer, pressing my hips into his.

"Angela," he murmured in my ear. "Oh, Angela, this is torture. I want you so badly."

The words alone were enough to send a tremor of pleasure radiating through me like a shockwave. His hands pushed down the straps of my dress, smothering my shoulders with kisses. I managed to wiggle the bodice down, releasing my breasts to rub against his magnificent chest.

He tugged at the hem of my dress, pulling it up to my waist as his mouth moved to my aching breasts, sucking on them gently, one after the other. I shivered. My nipples hardened under his touch and his tongue.

My thighs trembled, warm and damp with my own juices. He ran his hands down my hips, catching the edge of my red lace panties, slowly rolling the top down, exposing my short curly hair. He ran his fingers over the curls, caressing them and pressing gently against my clit, rubbing as it hardened into a sensitive nub. Cupping the curve of my mound, he slid a finger inside me, gently probing as he continued sucking my nipple.

I could hardly stand it. I loved what he was doing to my body, but that wasn’t good enough. Not this time. What I wanted now was well beyond anything his fingers or even his talented tongue could give me. I wanted all of him and I was not going to let him go until I had my wish.

My hands were on his waist, desperately tugging at his button and zipper. I suppressed a gasp as his fingers slid out of me, his hands joining mine as we succeeded in pulling his pants and briefs down to his thighs. His manhood sprang free, firm and eager, just as beautiful as the rest of him. I bit my lip, admiring him, then tilted my mouth up to his in a hungry kiss.

I felt his hands moving between us and heard a tearing sound. I looked down again to see him deftly rolling a condom over his rigid cock. A soft moan escaped my lips in anticipation as he reached around me, his hands sliding under my ass as if to raise me up.

And then he paused. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me. The hunger was still there, but so too was a strange shadow of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Please," I whispered, taking his face in my hands and kissing him once more as I pressed my body into his.

He became even more rigid, his shaft pressing into my belly. Then in one swift move, he lifted me, shut his eyes as if saying a silent prayer, and lowered me onto his throbbing cock. I stiffened, throwing my head back with a moan I could barely stifle as he entered me.

And then, it was as if time had frozen, our bodies melded together in a moment of pure desire on the cusp of ecstasy. His arms around me, strong muscles holding me up as I clung to him with arms and legs wrapped around his waist. I gazed lovingly into his eyes, seeing desire touched with softness. Our bodies paused, perfectly still save for the steady rise and fall of our chests.

I leaned forward, laying my lips on his. His kiss was not the ravenous, desperate kisses from just seconds earlier. They were soft and warm, gentle as his tongue tentatively explored my willing mouth. My fingers caressed his neck, holding his head to mine. He shifted slightly, pulling back to look at me as he moved us away from the wall. He turned, taking two short steps as he carried me to the bed and bent to lay me down gently.

I gasped, a sense of profound loss, when he slipped out of me. Damn! For a second, I feared he was having doubts, but then I realized he hadn’t let go of me. His hands still held me tightly, as I held him, our eyes still lost in each other.

Then, his hands moved up to my waist, slipping his fingers beneath the fabric of my dress and gently sliding it over my hips, dropping it next to my panties. He kept his movements slow, deliberate, watching me all the while.

I licked my lips, raising up on my elbows to watch him strip off the rest of his clothes. Then he stood before me, my eyes raking over the smooth bronze skin and hard muscles. His broad chest, strong arms, powerful legs, his erection, still glistening from its moment deep inside me. He stood before me like the statue of a Greek champion, but with no conceit. None of the smugness I’d seen in him before. None of that business-like control.

This was just Antonio. A man I wanted so badly it hurt. A man who wanted me just as much. And at long last, I had my wish. As he stood naked before me, there was nothing to hide and nothing to hold him back.

The thought made me shudder with anticipation as he watched me, exploring my fully naked body with his eyes, just as I had done with him a moment before. I slid my hand over my belly and kept moving downward, fingers brushing over my neatly trimmed mound. Just like the dances I had performed for him, it thrilled me to have his attention entirely on me as I put on this little show.