Neighbors (Twin Estates #1) (15 page)

Jesus, what does his home look like?

He'd been to her building three times, and to her apartment twice already. He'd commented on her room, on how
adorable
it was, on how it suited her, which it did. Katya knew she had a very girly style, and she indulged in it often, decorating to suit her own tastes. She had a small office at the bakery, and it reflected her personal style, as well.

He must be such a lonely person.

So when,
two hours later
, she was told she was wanted in his conference room, the first thing she asked him was about his home.

“Of course you've never been to my apartment,” he answered her, not looking up as he shoved some papers into a file. “It would be awfully strange if you had – you've never been invited.”

Katya snorted and refused to be offended.

“You've never been invited to
my
place, yet you keep turning up there.”

“Please. I'm invited anywhere you are.”

“Cocky.”

“Yes, as well as
not wrong.
”

She looked away from him, glancing around the room, not wanting to admit he was right. There was a massive table, surrounded by twenty-six chairs – she counted them all. Wulf was at the head of the table, his back to more big windows. Katya had sat closer to the door, with about ten seats between them.

“I didn't have to wait two hours, y'know.”

“And yet you did.”

“I could still leave.”

“And yet you won't.”

“I want to go to your apartment,” she finally stated. He glanced up at her.

“Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?”

Because I want to do a strip tease for you, and I want to sleep with you, and I want it to mean something. I want to be as important to you as you are quickly becoming to me. Because I want to know you. The
real
you, not the man you give to everyone else. I want to make you feel special.

“I don't know,” she lied instead. “We always meet somewhere, always your choosing, usually close to your work. Maybe I'd like a choice.”

He laughed then.

“That you think you get a choice is funny.”

“It won't be so funny when I make a choice you don't like,” she warned him.

“Oh my. Tocci has grown some balls since I last saw her,” he teased.

“You have to give me something, Wulf. I haven't asked for anything. If anything, I've been very compliant. I want to see where you live,” she said. He stared at her for a long time, then sat back in his chair.

“And if I say no?”

She shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

“Then maybe I'll start saying no more often, too.”

He quirked up an eyebrow at her bravery, but then let out a deep sigh.

“I'm a very busy man, Tocci. I'm not keeping you from my place, or anything. It's just all the way across town – I don't have time to pick you up, drive there, fuck you, take you back home, and come back to work all on my lunch break.”

She had to laugh, and was glad when he smiled again.

“Okay, I get that, but someday.
Soon.
I want to see this mysterious lair of yours.”

“Alright. Someday, in the near future, I will take you to my apartment.”

Something else occurred to her.

“What about your days off?”

“Excuse me?”

“We could go on your days off,” she suggested.

“I don't have '
days off
' – I'm either here, or I'm at a viewing, or I'm making a deal, or I'm dealing with a problem,” he said.

“Jesus, your life sucks,” she blurted out.

“Yes, my life sucks – I live in a multi-million dollar penthouse, own more real estate than you can imagine, and I have a very sexy woman as my own personal fuck toy. Life is awful.”

“That poor, poor woman.”

“I'm talking about
you.
”

“What about after work? You usually leave around six, right? We could go there, I could cook you dinner – I can do more than just bake,” she offered.

“I'm sure you can, but once I'm there, I don't want to make the trip all the way back down town to take you home,” he explained.

“Wulf, if I come to your house for dinner, it's almost a sure bet you're going to get lucky. You could take me in the morning on your way to work,” she told him.

“I know I'd get lucky, but
you
won't be staying the night.”

“I won't?”

“No. I don't let women spend the night with me.”

“Ever?”

“Not in my own place.”

“I thought I had a lot of rules for myself,” she mumbled. They were so much alike sometimes, it was almost unnerving.

I should introduce him to Liam. Would that be weird? I think Liam would be good for him.

“How many women have you taken to your apartment?” she asked.

“This specific apartment?”

“Jesus, you real estate moguls and your multiple properties. In all your sexually active years, how many women have you actually slept next to? Like all night?” she was curious.

“I don't know, a handful, maybe – if you hadn't fallen asleep the other night, I would've woken up with you the next morning.”

She was suddenly cursing herself for not forcing a pot of coffee down her throat when he'd shown up.

“You're very annoying,” she groaned, rubbing at her forehead. “In all your sexually active years, how many women have you invited to your residences, and then allowed them to spend the night?”

He stared at her for a long, long time.

“One.”

Katya was a little shocked. She'd spent many a night at her ex-boyfriend's place, as well as the boyfriend before him. Hell, she'd spent the night twice at Liam's already. What had happened to Wulf in his life that he didn't want to let anyone inside? And more importantly for her, was he a lost cause? If he was always going to keep her at arm's length, she'd rather know now, so she could protect her heart from him. Or protect what little he hadn't already stolen.

Just one. I wonder who she was – must have been someone pretty important to him.

“One,” she sighed. “You underestimate the power of a good cuddle session.”

“I'm sure, but I've survived pretty well so far without them.”

“Okay, okay. We don't have to go to your apartment, on one condition.”

“What?”

“You can't come to mine anymore.”

“Good luck with that.”

“I'm serious. You don't get to see mine until you show me yours,” she told him.

“I've already seen all you've got to show.”

She sucked air through her teeth, but refused to be rattled.

“Wulf, you haven't even begun to see all I have to show.”

Such complete and utter bullshit, but she held his stare and refused to back down. He was very good at making correct assumptions about her, but just maybe she could bluff her way through some things.

“Holding out on me, Tocci,” he finally said in a low voice. “Very naughty. I think a punishment is in order.”

“I'm trembling in fear.”

“You will be. Get on the table.”

“Why do you -”

“
I didn't ask a question.
”

Just like every time he said a command, her body automatically heeded it. No conversation with her brain or heart whatsoever. It was like she was standing outside herself, watching as the cute auburn haired girl stood up and moved to kneel on the edge of the table.

“Good enough?” she breathed.

“Stand up.”

She did so.

“Anything else?”

“I was hoping for a show, since you were bragging about having so much to see.”

Katya wondered what the hell she was doing. What the hell he was thinking. If the fucking door was locked. She wasn't sure what it was he was asking for. A show? Did she know any magic tricks? Was she supposed to get naked and just lay down?

Get naked …

Liam's words from the other day started whispering around in her brain. About how sexy and confident she'd been at her aerobics class. He'd gotten hard just describing it to her. What would happen to Wulf if he saw it in action?

You can
do
this. You've
done
this. Be
that
woman
.

There was no music, but Katya started rolling her shoulders to an imaginary beat. Moving her hips from side to side. Wulf looked a little intrigued, but not half as much as when she kicked off her shoes. He stared at her fingers as she slowly pulled her dangly necklace off from around her neck.

She sank to her knees at the same time as she peeled her shirt off. She dropped it off the edge of the table while she crawled forward. Then she rolled onto her back, looking at him from upside down while she arched her back. She was wearing all black that day, even down to her underwear, and his eyes lingered on the cups of her bra.

After fanning her legs in the air, she spun back around, always moving slightly closer to him. She moved her hands over her body as she walked down the table. When she was only about five feet away, she finally stopped and did a straight-legged bend, forcing her ass up and high, all while she slid her leggings off. With a flick of her foot, she kicked them into his face.

By the time he'd thrown the fabric into a corner, she was on all fours, crawling towards him again. He'd looked aloof for the most part of her dance, but now that she was closer to him, she could see the hunger in his eyes. Like he wanted to take a bite out of her. She stretched out flat on the table, kicking her feet up behind her and making sure her butt was popped up. Then while still staring at him, she reached out and grabbed his tie, gently yanking on it. He rolled forward in his chair till he was against the edge of the table.

“Not what I was expecting, Tocci. I'm impressed,” he said to her, his voice low. She smoothed her hand down his tie. Over his chest. Across his stomach. Clear to the bulge in his pants, which she cupped in her hand before stroking up and down.

“I'm flattered. I get the feeling there isn't much you've seen that impresses you,” she said. His hand went down over hers, pressing down harder, showing her how fast to stroke.

“Katya,” he whispered, and she shivered. He so rarely said her first name. “I've never seen
anything
like you.”

Words like that, and Wulf didn't need to make any deals. She never had to see his apartment. He'd barely finished talking, and she was all over him. His assistant was somewhere in the building, Katya was positive the conference room door wasn't locked, and she didn't care at all. Not even one little bit.

She dropped into his lap with such force that his chair rolled backwards, almost threatening to tip over. She was able to kiss him once, but then his hands were in her hair, yanking her away.

“Ah, but this is supposed to be a punishment, remember? Who said you could kiss me?” he said, and she felt him nipping at the side of her neck.

“Wulf, please, I don't want to –
AH!
” she ended in a shriek when he bit so hard, she wondered if he broke skin.

“Dissension. Tsk tsk, Ms. Tocci. You're on a roll tonight.
Get off me.
”

She wasn't given a chance to comply. He pulled harder on her hair, and she was forced to follow his hand. She slid off his lap and managed to get her feet under her, still following him as he stood up.

Katya was dragged across the room and pressed up against the window. She gulped at the feeling of cold glass on her hot skin, then moaned when she felt his lips on the back of her neck. She wasn't sure what had gotten into him – their last time together, he hadn't been so aggressive. Maybe she was seeing a new side to him. Or the real him.

Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Stone.

“Please,” she said again, pushing her hips away from the window and rubbing her ass against his crotch. “Please, I need you.”

“Hmmm, that's nice, but I don't think that's what you mean,” he whispered. As he kissed his way down her spine, his hand slowly slid out of her hair and crept over the back of her neck.

“Please, Wulf.”

“'
Please, Wulf'
. She begs so sweetly, yet still can't get what she wants.”

His free hand was at her hip, yanking and pulling at her underwear. Shoving them down, letting them fall to her ankles. Leaving her in only her bra.

“
Please.
”

She could feel his suit against her bare skin as he stood upright, and his hand slid around her neck, gently wrapping around her throat. She gasped as she was pulled back, her spine forced to arch as her head was drawn into his shoulder. She planted her palms against the window and started panting when his free hand moved across her stomach.