Initiate Me (19 page)

My mother made a frustrated sound. “Don’t be silly, honey. She doesn’t hate you. She’s just playing hard to get.”

I laughed. “Really? Most of the women I ever dated never did that.”

“Mia is different, not anything like that rude and brash fiancée you had. Ask her to dinner. If she refuses, ask her again. And remember to be a gentleman about it, Zane.”

I chuckled as I stood. “I always am, Ma, always.”

“Don’t be smart with me,” she warned. “I told you before you aren’t too old for me to clobber you over the ears.” We said our goodbyes, and I picked up the hotel phone and called Mia’s room.

She answered on the second ring, “Hello?”

“Have dinner with me.” Was that too harsh? I thought of my mother’s advice and added, “Please?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Then you can have a drink. Come on, Mia. We need to talk.” Silence. My gut knotted. “Hello, are you there?”

“Okay, give me twenty minutes to freshen up. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

Damn, she was too astute. If she so much as let me meet her in her room, I would take that as a chance to steal another kiss...or more. “Fantastic, I’ll meet you in the lobby in twenty minutes,” I confirmed.

We both hung up, and I tried to figure out how to tackle that new mood of hers. She was pensive and subdued, not like the Mia I knew at all. I had to get through to her and make her understand. Determination filled me. If she was really trying to tease me and play hard to get, then I would just have to up the ante. After all, we were in Port Douglas, miles away from home, away from her family. It was time to show my hand, and that was exactly what I was going to set out to do.

***

MIA

“I
’m not interested, thank you. I’m just waiting for a friend.” I was irritated and hot and sick to death of having men assume I was single and available.

The middle-aged man with a rounded stomach and receding hairline glanced at my breasts yet again then licked his lips. “Are you sure? It’d be my pleasure to show you around the place.”

I pasted on a smile and pointedly stared at his wedding ring. “No, really, I’m not interested in—”

“She’s with me.”

I turned to see Zane behind me, a fierce frown marring his brow. He looked ready to brawl. I was so grateful he had arrived at that particular moment. “I was just about to come and find you.”

Zane placed his hand at the small of my back and waited until the stranger took the hint and disappeared into the hotel bar. “What an arse.”

“You can say that again. And that was arse number three.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Jesus, are you serious?”

“Yep, deadly serious. I didn’t think my dress was that revealing, but maybe I was wrong.” He looked me over and hummed his approval. “You look beautiful. Some men just don’t know a lady when they see one.”

I liked being called a lady; it was a true compliment. “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.” Yeah, right; he was drop-dead gorgeous. Black Armani slacks and a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up and open at the collar. His cropped, dark hair and that dangerous aura which seemed to be such a part of him only completed the package. I wanted to climb him like a great big tree. A sexy tree which was hard, hot and strong.

I fidgeted in my heels. I had the worst fashion crisis on what to wear tonight, and I had clothes strewn all over my hotel room. I decided to wear my ever-faithful black dress; it was a simple design hitting just above the knees. It was so hot and humid; I had to put my thick hair up into a French twist, with minimal makeup of gloss and blush. My heels weren’t too high but they weren’t flats, either. The way Zane was looking at my legs, I figured I had done okay with what I chose. “So, where are we going?” I asked.

“I thought it would be a good idea to eat here at the hotel. Keep it simple, that way there’s no need to worry about a taxi.”

“I hope you called ahead and reserved a table? There is no special treatment because I am a Brunetti. Max has always made that very clear.”

He nodded. “Yes, I know the rules and I’ve thought of everything,” he murmured.

“Mmm...now, why doesn’t that surprise me?”

He chuckled and steered me toward the restaurant. I was still feeling hot and bothered. I really was not used to this humidity; it was like I was living in an entirely different time zone. As the hostess seated us, I noticed our table was tucked away in a private little alcove, away from the main part of the restaurant. I wondered if Zane had booked ahead and planned the seating arrangement all along.

“Was this your idea, to choose a table so secluded?”

He winked and it made my insides melt. It caused me to think of all the wild things he could teach me, and my pussy flooded with liquid heat and my heartbeat sped up. “Yes. I wanted to get you alone so we could talk. Is that a crime?” I reached for my menu and held it in front of me, not bothering to answer.

“Everything sounds delicious and fattening.”

“Everything is delicious but they are not all fattening; stop exaggerating,” he said. “Answer me.”

I dropped the menu and frowned. “No, it’s not a crime. Happy now?” He stayed silent, watchful and mysterious. I wished I could read his mind and his moods, but the only time I knew what went through his stubborn brain was when he was turned on. In those heated moments, when he teased and challenged me and pushed me into a more intimate territory, he dropped his armor. Only then could I see into his soul.

And what I observed made me nervous as hell. He wasn’t an easy man. Zane was hard, inside and out. He played hard, worked hard, and he expected everyone to do the same. I was very much afraid that he wanted things from me which I didn’t know how to give. Those X-rated things he’d whispered to me on the plane had sent me straight to a cold shower. Well, a cold shower after I had answered several phone calls from my family asking if we had landed safely. Not just my brothers either, but Jada, Milan, Winter and even Brandon; they called to make sure we hadn’t crashed. I loved my family and my friends, but there were times I was tempted to move to Antarctica so I could escape their overprotective ways.

I glanced over at Zane and I felt a touch flustered.
I had three days of trying to deny Zane and the needs he brought out in me. I didn’t think I could do it. Since having a taste of him, I only wanted more.
Geez, I’d be lucky to last one night before I went begging for him to fuck me.

When our waitress came and started her spiel about the house specials, I glanced across the table. The wicked look he shot my way told me two things really quick. He knew exactly what I’d been thinking, and I’d be lucky if I could still walk by the time he finished with me. Excitement had my heart beating faster. Fear had me pretending an unusual interest in the menu.

***

ZANE

I
gritted my teeth in frustration. We had long since finished our meals, Mia finally opting to eat the special grilled fish of the day with a salad, while I devoured a succulent scotch fillet steak. When the waitress brought out the dessert cart, I nearly came in my pants as I watched her eyes light up. Mia stared at the selection of desserts and licked her lips. Damn, I wanted to drag her out of her chair, slam her down on the table and have her pussy for dessert. But her refusal to pick anything from the cart was causing me to lose my patience real fast.

“Order something,” I ordered.

She played with her water glass and pretended not to eye off the cart. “No, I can’t. It’s all just too fattening.”

She looked fucking amazing yet she was worried about getting fat. “Mia, we are away; you can indulge yourself this one time. You are not going to put on any weight with one slice of cake.”

“If I have dessert, I will have to go to the gym twice every day for the next week to work it off. I’ve told you before I am not naturally slim; I need to work at it.”

“Just order the damned cheesecake you’re eyeing off.”

Her lips thinned in anger. “I do not like being told what to do. I don’t need it, and I don’t want it. So drop it.”

I looked at the waitress and growled, “We’ll take a slice of cheesecake and two slices of chocolate cake. Charge that to my room, thanks.”

“Yes, sir,” the waitress squeaked before rushing off.

I watched as Mia’s nostrils flared with anger. “You did not just order me a slice of cheesecake.”

“Why do you deny yourself? You wanted it; hell, you were damned near drooling over it. As for extra exercise and working it off, I can help you out there, no problem.”

Ignoring my comment about exercise, she responded with, “I decide what I want and don’t want, not you, and I don't want the cake.”

I was forced into silence when the waitress returned and placed the decadent treats on the table then left. My gaze zeroed in on Mia.

Licking her lips, she stared at the cakes but still didn’t pick up her fork. Having enough of her stubbornness, I leaned across the table and whispered, “Angel, we can eat the cake here with forks and napkins like civilised adults, or we can lick it off each other back in my room. Your choice.”

Mia didn’t speak; she merely sat there, as if warring with herself. Was she imagining what I wanted her to visualise? I desperately wanted an answer to that question. She shocked me when she picked up the fork and chose to take a chunk out of the chocolate cake instead of the cheesecake. Her eyes trained on me as she brought it to her mouth. The fork disappeared between her plump, ruby lips. She closed her eyes and moaned deep in her throat. When she went back for a second bite, I spread my legs and sat back, content to watch her seduce me with dessert. By the time she’d devoured the entire slice, my cock was hammer hard and ready to be buried deep inside her pussy. Tight and hot, right where I belonged for the next century.

She sat back, dabbed her lips with the white linen napkin and murmured, “You’re right. I did want the cake, but you were wrong about the other.”

I cleared my throat. “What other?” I said dumbfounded. I was just glad I could speak.

This time it was Mia’s turn to lean across the table. “Chocolate is said to be orgasmic all on its own. Why would I need to have sex if I just devoured the entire slice?” She won that round. Our verbal sparring matches were wearing me down.

I couldn’t figure out why I just didn’t give in, lay myself at her feet and beg her to put me out of my horny misery. I sure as Hell wasn’t getting anywhere by hoping she’d come to me on her own. She smiled as the waitress cleared our empty plates and glasses. I sat there like a horny teenager with his first nudie magazine.

ZANE

B
y the time we headed out of the restaurant and I had my voice back, my cock was only semi-erect. When we reached the elevator, I took her arm and turned her toward me. “Come up to my room for a drink.”

“You aren’t going to molest me, are you?”

Her soft smile as she looked up at me caused my gut to clench. Her sweet innocence was intoxicating. I understood why her family always tried to wrap her up in cotton wool like a precious jewel. Yet on the other hand, I wanted nothing more than to show her all the dirty sex acts I’d learned over the years. Things which would leave us both gasping for air. The elevator chimed and opened, and there was a young couple inside waiting for us to enter.

“Come on,” I urged as I pulled her along beside me. The doors slid shut, sealing us in with the other two. The walls of the elevator were mirrored, and I was able to see the other couple behind us, kissing. Christ, that was all I needed, a visual aid.

Mia rose on her toes and whispered in my ear, “You’re blushing.” My patience snapped. I cupped her chin and ground out, “Keep pushing me, angel, and you’ll get more than a drink when we reach my room.”

She tried to step away from me but I had my hand wrapped around her forearm, preventing her escape. “I know better than that. I have proof from earlier that I have nothing to fear from you.” Damn it, she just wouldn’t let it go that I brushed her off while I took that call. Couldn’t she see I’d done it for her own good? I could have taken her right there and then, but it was too risky. But all I’d done was make it worse. With Mia, it was that old cliché of taking one step forward and ten steps back.

My gaze took in her tight black dress which accentuated her generous breasts and curvy hips. I imagined slipping her out of it, inch by delicious inch. Would she be wearing underwear or one of those sexy G-strings? “We’ll see,” I murmured.

As the elevator stopped on our floor, I looked in the mirrored wall again. The young couple was practically mauling one another. The young woman’s head was thrown back in rapture, and the man was in the process of nibbling his way down to her cleavage. I peeked over at Mia, gauging her reaction to the pair of exhibitionists. Her eyes were as round as saucers, but she wasn’t looking away. I noticed her nipples were hard little pebbles beneath the satin of her dress. She liked watching. I found that very interesting.

I tugged on her arm to indicate the elevator had stopped. Mia cleared her throat and walked through the open doors, completely ignoring me. I couldn’t tell if she’d decided to go to my room for a drink or not. I’d never known her to act so damned mysterious.

When she turned right down the hall, which would take her to my room instead of left toward her own, I let out a sigh of relief. Otherwise, I could just see myself tossing her over my shoulder and hauling her sexy butt back to my room by force. And I was just desperate enough to do it.

I moved alongside her and allowed her to pull away from me. As we approached my room, Mia stopped and turned to face me. “Drinks, nothing more.”

I moved to close the gap between us and let my fingers trail down her cheek. “Unless you want more.”

“I don’t.”

Her voice wasn’t quite as steady as it had been in the restaurant. I triumphantly held back a laugh. “You are such a liar.”

I knew she was going to say something, but she didn’t. I took my keycard out of my pocket and slid it through the slot, pushing open the door and stepping aside for Mia. “After you.” Her nose shot in the air as she walked past me. I took in the sway of her hips and her tight, rounded arse. God in heaven, the woman was a gift. Her body made every one of my instincts kick in. All I wanted to do was slam the door shut and fuck her into submission.