Knights of the Boardroom (18 page)

They moved Cressida back into the present position and each gave her two solid swats for her attempt to leave. The punishment had been more symbolic than truly punitive, but they had wanted to make a point. And now, watching her walk down the hall to the master suite with their handprints blazing brilliantly on her ass cheeks had likely caused them more discomfort than it had her. Brodie’s voice broke through his musing, “Jesus, she is fucking perfect. The way she took those swats nearly made me lose my mind. And seeing her cheeks nice and pink as she walked away is going to make walking down that hall fucking torture.”

“Don’t whine to me. I’ve had a hard-on that’s been sucking all the blood out of my brain since we walked into Tristan’s office and found out she was actually at the club—hell, it’s a wonder I’m not walking into walls from brain damage. And if we don’t get inside her quickly, there is a very real chance my dick is going to split apart in sheer anticipation.” Hell, he’d be lucky if he managed to walk at all, because knowing she was soaking in his tub, all that silky softness wrapped in a warm, wet cocoon of bubbles…
Not helping. Not helping at all.

“I don’t know what you are thinking, but that groan tells me you better pull your head out of your ass before we walk down that hall. Like I’m not struggling enough on my own remembering how our handprints looked on that heart-shaped ass as she walked down the hall.” Lawton wanted to laugh at the pained sound woven through Brodie’s voice, but he was in no position to judge, that was for sure. “We need to stick with the plan or at least as close to it as possible. She doesn’t feel as good as she’d like us to think and I don’t want to push her further than we should.”

Lawton agreed, but was still struggling to fight back the hunger he’d been fighting for two years and quite frankly, he was at the end of his rope. The two of them strode purposefully down the long hall and into the master bedroom of Lawton’s side of their uniquely arranged home. The muted sounds coming from the other side of the en suite bathroom door were unmistakable and for a few seconds Lawton was so stunned he couldn’t move—he was literally frozen in place as he listened to the sweet moans clearly coming from a woman finding pleasure at the tips of her own fingers.
Oh baby, you’ve done it now.

*****

Cressida felt herself sliding into the shadows of a good doze almost as soon as she slipped into the blanket of bubbles in Lawton’s enormous tub. She’d used enough bubble bath to send mounds of the sparkling suds high up around her neck, their earthly scent grounding her in a way little else could have in that moment. Her ass cheeks were deliciously warm where they’d swatted her, the blows hadn’t been harsh—more startling than actually painful. The anticipation of what was to come began playing out in her fantasies and she watched as different scenes skittered across the darkness of her closed eyes. It was like watching a movie trailer play out as bits of tempting snippets blurred one into another.

Her infinitely slow slide into oblivion was tantamount to floating through a series of the most erotic dreams Cressi had ever enjoyed. A part of her exhausted mind knew her imagination was responsible for the delicious feeling of Lawton’s and Brodie’s hands sliding over her wet skin, but the deeper she slid into the darkness of sleep, the more she craved the intimacy that touch brought. Sighing their names, she shifted restlessly until the fingers at the junction of her legs found the tiny bud atop her slit. As they circled the little bundle of nerves Cressi’s inner voice marveled at how expertly those skilled fingers seemed to know her body. Their touch was exactly what she would have done…and it was pushing her closer and closer toward release.

Cressi’s mind was struggling to navigate two different planes—her body’s need for sleep wanted to pull her into its depths of relaxation, but she kept fighting for the pleasure that pulsed just outside her reach. The slick finger circling her clitoris brought the shy bud out of hiding but the release her body was chasing continued to elude her—staying just out of reach, no matter how hard she worked toward it.

Crying out in frustration, Cressi shifted restlessly and wondered why the two men touching her wouldn’t push her over the edge into oblivion. Calling out their names and begging them for what she needed, she heard the desperation in her voice—Cressi knew she was dreaming, but the sounds seemed so real her breath had caught around the lump in her throat. The wanton sounds coming from her grew to a fever pitch as she gave up all pretense of dignity and begged for release. Trying as if on some deep level of consciousness knew she should, Cressi couldn’t seem to pull herself up to a level of awareness where the humiliation of begging might actually matter.

Cressi heard her own cries of frustration and need just before the hand pleasuring her was pulled away from her sex and a masculine growl rent the air. “Couldn’t get there by yourself could you, pet? We’ll show you why as soon as we get you dry and tucked between us in bed.” Cool air sent goose bumps racing over her dripping skin as strong arms lifted her effortlessly from the tub. Blinking her eyes open but unable to focus, she still knew Brodie’s arms were the ones holding her cradled against a warm and deliciously bare chest. He was the only man who had ever called her by that nickname and the distinctive scent she associated with him surrounded her.

She gave up trying to make her eyes focus letting her eyelids slide back closed, she turned her face into his chest inhaling the delectable scent of his skin. “I was so close, why did you stop?” She felt herself being laid in waiting arms and a sinfully soft, warm towel wrapping around her, quickly chasing away the chill.

“Baby, that wasn’t us—if it had been, trust me, you would have gone over exactly when we’d wanted you to.” Cressi felt herself coming out of the fog and sighed because she knew instinctively Lawton now held her. Strong fingers opened the clip she’d used to secure her long hair on top of her head, she felt the weight of it tug against her scalp as it fell free.

“Christ, I can’t wait to see all those beautiful waves draped over my thighs, but for tonight I’ll more than be satisfied seeing them framing your beautiful face as they flow softly over the edges of your pillow. I’ll cherish watching all the different shades shift like the finest silk as we make love to you for the first time.” Everyone who knew Brodie Walsh understood the power of his seductive voice, but Cressida had never felt as overwhelmed by its velvety timbre as she did in this moment. He could easily seduce her with words alone, she wondered briefly how many women he’d brought to orgasm simply by talking to them about all the ways he planned to bring them pleasure.

“But…but, I thought,” before she could finish speaking, Brodie had pressed his finger against her lips. Even though she was still in Lawton’s arms, with just that small touch she felt her entire body tense in anticipation.

“No, pet—tonight is about making a memory. Someday you’ll tell your grandchildren about the wonderful way you were introduced to making love. You’ll be able to encourage them to wait until they are ready, until the right person enters their life because you’ll be speaking from experience.” Brodie’s sweet words and the gentle tightening of Lawton’s arms as he pressed her closer was all it took to wake up her body and send sexual awareness skittering over ever nerve ending in her body.

Brodie was grateful Lawton had stopped him from crashing through the bathroom door, his friend’s hand on his shoulder had halted him a split second before he’d taken the last step. “Wait. You’ll frighten her.”

“That’s the point. She’s touching what’s ours, taking pleasure that is ours to give.” Brodie barely recognized his own voice it was so strained.

“I want to see exactly what we’re getting into first.” Brodie trusted Lawton’s instincts because they’d saved their asses too many times to count, but his palm was definitely itching for a replay of the swats she’d gotten earlier. Opening the door as quietly as possible, Brodie and Lawton both slipped silently into the humid room. It only took him a moment to appreciate the fact Lawton had just prevented him from making a huge mistake. Cressida’s head rested on a rolled up towel she’d placed on the edge of the tub, her hair pulled up in a messy mass of curls and secured by a large clip at the top of her head. Brodie assumed she’d found the large clip in the suitcase Parker brought her.

Cressida seemed to be completely lost in an erotic dream. She was calling their names letting them know just exactly who her body was responding to and that had his cock swelling to the point he wasn’t sure there was enough blood left to fuel his brain.

“She’s dreaming of us.” Brodie couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Maybe he should feel like a Peeping Tom, but he was completely spellbound and it was impossible to think of anything but how close they were to finally making love to her. Since she’d agreed to put herself in their care for a month they were perfectly justified in their observations, but it didn’t matter—his conscience wouldn’t have been enough to make him leave the room anyway. “I know you’d always sworn she wanted us, but I didn’t really believe you until now. It seemed too good to be true.”

“I’ll get a towel out of the warmer, you get her out of there before she comes. I don’t care if she is dreaming about us, the hand between those gorgeous thighs doesn’t belong to either of us so it’s stealing what’s ours.” Brodie had already pulled his shirt off and they both growled with frustration as her moans continued to fill the air around them.
You can’t get there by yourself, can you, pet? Even when your dreams are of our touch, your body knows the difference.

He suspected he’d been a sexual Dominant since his first intimate encounter with a woman when he’d been far too young to understand how to appropriately wield the power. Over the years he’d witnessed—and participated in—some of the hottest scenes imaginable and yet, he’d never been as affected by a woman’s soft cries of need as he was at this moment. Something about Cressida Walker pushed every one of his hot buttons and called to him as a man as well as a Dominant.

Shackling her small wrist with one hand, Brodie pulled her fingers from their frantic pursuit of pleasure. Cressida’s eyelids slowly fluttered open, eyes that were ordinarily brilliant green were now darkened with arousal. He knew she wasn’t fully awake, but that didn’t change the punch he felt in his gut when she asked why he’d stopped when she’d been so close. She hadn’t been fantasizing about them as she’d been pleasuring herself, she believed the fingers slick with her honey had been his and that realization gave him an inordinate amount of pleasure. Watching her settle in Lawton’s arms as he wrapped the warm towel around her made Brodie feel more peaceful than he had in years—it was as if that last piece of a puzzle had finally slid into place.

Looking down on her as she lay between them on the bed, he ran the back his fingers down the side of her face trailing slowly over the soft curve of her jaw. As his fingers moved down Cressida’s slender neck, her breathing hitched and Brodie watched her eyes blink open. They’d dimmed the lights and opened the floor length drapes, the color of her green eyes was a much darker green now and the hunger in them was unmistakable. They were high enough the lights of the city were somewhat dimmed, leaving her skin bathed in a warm glow of the candles they’d lit, it reminded Brodie of the moonlit nights he’d enjoyed camping as a kid. He may have been raised in the city, but his parents had been more than happy to send their argumentative son off to camp every summer. Between boarding school and camp, he’d rarely seen his parents—after his mom had died, he’d understood many of those excursions had been attempts to shield him from the horror of watching cancer eat away at the vivacious woman Deedra Walsh had once been.

The soft light made Cressida glow and Brodie couldn’t wait to see what she looked like lying on the deck of his dad’s yacht. They’d gotten the idea for the surprise trip when Parker mentioned her personal computer had been filled with pictures of beaches. He’d called his dad and been pleased to learn the boat he usually kept in Nantucket was currently anchored off the coast of St. Bart’s, but the best news was it was fully staffed and available. Personally, Brodie suspected that hadn’t actually been true at the time of their conversation, but his dad would have moved heaven and earth as soon as he’d heard who his son and Lawton intended to host. For all his flamboyant ways with women, Lee Walsh was a true romantic who’d never fully recovered from losing the love of his life—and just like Lawton’s, Parker’s, and Tristan’s parents, he thought the sun rose and set in Cressida Walker.

Raking his fingers slowly down her torso, he’d deliberately skirted around the outside curve of her breast, watching as her nipple drew even tighter—reaching up as if seeking his touch. Lawton’s looked over at him and smiled, “Let me see if I can help, it looks to me as if these pretty breasts are going to need some attention while you’re making our sub crazy for us.” Cressida’s soft moan and the involuntary arch of her back assured Brodie her body already knew she was theirs. He could hardly wait to fuck her into mindless abandon under the stars as the waves rocked them gently while the soft sounds of waves slapping against the hull filled the night.

Moving to the end of the bed, he looked down, “Spread your legs wide for me, pet. I want to see what you’re giving us.” He knew the split second delay wasn’t about hesitance, but it was the first time he’d seen what other Dom’s called “drunk on desire” in the eyes of a sub he and Lawton were topping. Tristan had explained that endorphins flood the brain slowing reactions, his friend often cautioned Doms at the club against punishing subs for their hesitance when it was physiological condition rather than an indication of uncertainty.