Stiletto Secrets (14 page)

He would have her, and he would have her tonight.

NICHOLAS
pulled his lips away from hers, and Emma sucked in a breath. Her body felt completely electrified—sizzling, scorching, burning flames turning her insides to cinder. Her lips were aching, screaming for him to kiss her again, to never stop kissing her.

Feeling his tongue lick up the salt from the hollow of her throat, the way he circled her navel with the tip of his tongue, thank God the bar had erupted in cheer and whistles or everyone would have heard her pant with need.

Emma’s skin felt hot and cold at the same time, her body melting into nothing but lust. Yes, lust. It was such a dirty, crass word with absolutely no romance attached to it, but her body craved Nicholas in the most carnal way. There was nothing romantic or poetic about it, she wanted him, she wanted to feel him and let him push her over the edge, just like he had done both times in Cinderella’s Booth. And both times he thought she was someone else. Why did the thought suddenly not sit well with her?

Nicholas still straddled her when he sat up and stared down at her with flirty eyes and a roguish grin. “You okay there, princess?”

She sat up as the crowd slowly died down, the excitement of the moment evaporating. “I’m good.” She was out of breath and prayed to God that no one noticed, especially him.

“Wow,” Adam took his seat at the table again. “I actually thought you were going to prove my suspicions right there for a minute.”

Nicholas moved off her, and held out his hand to help her off the table. “What suspicions?”

“That you, Nicky boy, are in fact an exhibitionist.” Adam winked, and Emma snorted when she saw Nicholas’ stunned expression.

“I am not an exhibitionist.” Nicholas was still holding her hand, and she liked it—a lot.

“I think if you had another two minutes you would have been.” Adam shot Nicholas a cocky grin.

Nicholas looked at Emma, and Emma looked at Nicholas, and everything around them faded to gray. For a split second nothing existed except them, at least that’s what it felt like to her.

But the moment was short-lived when Hunter also slipped into his seat.

“Well, that was probably the hottest body shot I have ever witnessed. And since I’ve hung around some very questionable bars, that’s saying a lot.”

Emma’s cheeks warmed when everyone started to make a big deal out of the whole body shot thing. That wasn’t her intention when she so willingly agreed to take part. She just didn’t want Nicholas or the other guys to think she was shy and stuck-up.

Her head started to spin, and she felt the effects of the beer, tequila and Nicholas’ lips. “I need to go to the ladies room.”

Nicholas looked at her. “Sure, do you want me to show you where it is?”

Emma smiled and pointed to the big restrooms sign on the other side of the bar. “I think I can manage.”

She moved past Nicholas and their hands accidentally brushed against each other. Emma felt that pull from deep within her, like her body was telling her that it needed him, needed Nicholas. But she hurried off to the restroom afraid that she might make a fool out of herself.

Once she was in the restroom, away from the crowd, away from
him
, she exhaled. She had been working at the Blake Mansion for two weeks now. She heard the gossip among the staff about Nicholas. He never brought the same woman home twice. There had only been two girls Nicholas had ever been serious about, one of whose dress Emma had worn that night. And she had witnessed him having two girls stay the night on the first day she started to work there.

Nicholas was a womanizer, a player who loved seducing women, who loved sex, and only sex. The man had even tried to seduce a stripper for God’s sake—
twice.

But then why did she want him so badly? Emma had never been a girl who felt attracted to bad boys. In fact, all those oversexed bastards were quite a big turn off for her. Yet here she was desperately trying to ignore her desire for one of the biggest bastards by reputation.

Emma washed her hands and splashed a little water on the back of her neck. She could not let him succeed in seducing her. If she failed her heart would suffer, she knew that.

She would walk out there and ask to be taken home. She had to stay away from him. Far away.

Emma walked out the door determined to not be taken advantage of by one of Chicago’s most notorious players, but someone grabbed her elbow and pulled her around the corner. She gasped when she met steel blue eyes. “Nicholas.”

“Emma.”

He had her pinned against the wall, staring down at her with so much hunger it almost took her breath away.

“Nicholas.”

He had placed his hands above her shoulders against the wall, trapping her between his hard body and the cold wall.

“Emma.” He leaned into her and took her earlobe between his lips. A shiver travelled all the way from her shoulders, down her spine causing her legs to feel weak.

“Nicholas, what are you doing?”

He moved his lips all around her ear. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

His right hand now moved up and down her arm with slow strokes, his touch igniting a flame deep within her, threatening to incinerate her into nothing but dust.

She closed her eyes. “Trying to seduce me?”

Nicholas let his hand rest on her hip and then pressed his lips against her ear. “Is it working?”

“Maybe.”

He smiled. “I want to kiss you again, Emma. For real this time.”

“Why?”

“Because I love the way your lips feel against mine, the way you taste.” He started to trace kisses slowly down her neck. “But mostly because of the way your lips make me feel.”

Emma had now reached out and placed her hands on his sides, afraid that he might pull away and she would fall. She could no longer feel her legs.

“How do my lips make you feel?”

Nicholas kissed his way up her neck, over her chin, and then lifted his head locking his gaze on her.

“Powerless.”

Without warning he slammed his lips against hers, kissing, sucking, claiming and taking it all. Emma didn’t stop him, she didn’t even try, because the truth was, she was powerless against his kiss as well. His lips were her kryptonite, her Achilles’ heel. Even though she felt that prickle of warning in the back of her head, there was no way she would ever be strong enough to deny him. Ever since he walked into Cinderella’s Booth the first time, all she wanted was him.

Both his hands gripped her hips, pulling her harder against him as he deepened the kiss. He kissed her like he was starved for her, like he needed her lips in order to survive. God knows she was ravenous for more of him.

Nicholas broke the kiss, but didn’t pull away. His breathing was just as labored as hers and they both stood there struggling to catch their breath.

He leaned his forehead against hers. “I really, really wish you weren’t Emma right now. Because then I’d have no problem pulling you into the restroom and doing everything I so desperately want to do to you right this very minute.”

He stared down at her and placed his thumb on her bottom lip. “But you are you, and you deserve much more than that. You deserve to be made love to, to be worshipped between silk sheets.”

Good God
. Her body was screaming, pleading, begging for her to let him worship her in any way he wanted to. She didn’t give a crap whether it was between silk sheets, in the restroom or right there against the cold wall.

Nicholas took both her cheeks in his palms, his gaze etched on hers, and she could feel herself getting lost in the blue of his eyes.

“Let me take you home, Emma. Let me worship you in my bed.”

Oh dear Lord, Emma’s control had slipped completely from her grasp. Her body and her soul had overruled the warning she felt prickle in the back of her mind. She couldn’t help but think how amazing it would feel to have every inch of her body worshipped by Nicholas Blake.

But none of what was happening made any sense to her. Why would Nicholas Blake want her, a maid, a
nothing
compared to the women he’d had in the past?

She looked away from his piercing stare. “Nicholas, it’s the tequila talking.”

“Believe me, princess, I’ve been around the block enough times to know that it is definitely not the tequila talking.”

“Why me?” She squared her shoulders and pulled her chin up, trying to look brave.

“Why not you?”

His answer stumped her. Did he not see that she wasn’t his type? Could he not see that she wouldn’t be able to give him what all those other women gave him? Yes, she had a secret identity as a stripper, but to dance and make a man desire you was something completely different than actually giving a man pleasure. And God knew she wanted to give him pleasure, just as much as she knew he would give her.

She lightly shook her head, and closed her eyes. “I’m not your type, Nicholas.”

He placed his thumb and forefinger on her chin and forced her to look at him. “What exactly is my type, Emma?”

“Women with class. Women you won’t be embarrassed to be seen with.”

Just the thought of him with another woman caused a kind of ache deep inside her chest that triggered tears that she had no right crying. He wasn’t hers. He would never be hers. She bit back the tears and stared him straight in the eye. “Women who could give you what you need between those expensive silk sheets of yours.”

She ducked beneath his arms and tried to rush away from him, but he grabbed her hand, swinging her around into his chest.

“What if I told you that what I need is not what you can give me, but what I can and want to give you between silk sheets?”

She felt his hand glide down her back, stopping just above the curve of her behind.

“I’d say that you’re a real smooth talker, Mr. Blake.”

“I’m serious, Emma.”

“So am I. I’m not the woman for you, Nicholas. I’m not woman enough for you.”

“Is this because of the whole you being a maid thing?” Nicholas stepped forward, his eyes filled with determination. “Because if it is, I’m going to tell you right now that that is bullshit. You are Henry Tremaine’s daughter, for fuck’s sake.”

“Yet I have nothing to show for it!” She gave a step back as Nicholas moved forward.

“Because it all got stolen from you, that’s why.”

“It doesn’t matter. The fact is that I am a maid, I am a…” Emma had to stop herself before she said the word
stripper
. She took a breath and tried to calm herself before she continued. “The fact is that I am a maid. The fact that my father was Henry Tremaine is irrelevant. What is relevant though, is the fact that you are Nicholas Blake, son of Robert Blake. And you actually have to live up to that reputation, and fraternizing with one of the maids is not living up to that reputation.”

Nicholas reached for her, but she stepped back and he frowned. “I don’t have to live up to anything, Emma.”

Emma glanced down at the floor, her heart torn between what she knew was right and what she so desperately wanted. “I think it’s better if we don’t let this go any further.”

“Emma—”

She turned around and felt the sharp sting of disappointment, an ache she knew would only be sated with his touch, his kiss, and just everything that involved Nicholas Blake.

Emma returned to their table where only Hunter remained seated. Adam had joined the bachelorette party, the bride-to-be sitting firmly on his lap. Emma just shook her head and took a seat across from Hunter. She didn’t know where Nicholas was. He didn’t follow her, and she was thankful for that since she needed to breathe which was extremely difficult to do with him around.

Hunter stared at her with a sudden sober expression. “So, did I hear correctly earlier when Nicholas called you Miss Tremaine?”

“Yes, my surname is Tremaine. Why?”

“As in Henry Tremaine’s daughter?”

Emma sat up straight with a huff. “God, is this like the ultimate reveal night tonight? Yes, as in Henry Tremaine’s daughter. How do you know my father?”

Hunter shrugged and leaned back in his seat, his expression unreadable. “I know
of
Henry Tremaine. He owned one of the biggest mechanical engineering companies in Chicago.”

Emma sat back. “Yes. That’s him.”

“Then why are you working as a maid, Miss Tremaine?” Hunter cocked his head to the side, staring at her like he was trying to fit the pieces of a puzzle together. Emma felt a little unnerved under his gaze, and she wanted to ask him why he was suddenly so interested in her, but then Nicholas joined them.

“Did I miss anything?”

Hunter still had his gaze fixed on her when he answered, “Nope. Nothing. Just asked Miss Tremaine here a little about herself.”

Nicholas took the last swig from his beer and then grabbed Emma’s hand. “Well then, Emma and I are on our way.”

“We are?” Emma asked confused as he pulled her off her seat.

“We are.” His tone was firm, and Emma swallowed.

Nicholas turned to Hunter. “Tell Adam to ask the bride-to-be for a ride home.”

Hunter just lifted his glass and tipped it in their direction. But Emma saw the look in his eyes as he stared at her. It was like he knew something she didn’t…and she didn’t like it one little bit.

Nicholas guided her through the crowd, not letting go of her hand once. It was just after midnight and it was like the crowd just got bigger and louder by the minute.

When they stepped out of the bar and onto the sidewalk, Nicholas didn’t slow down until he reached the car and opened the passenger side door for her.

Emma got into the car. “Why are you suddenly in such a rush?”

He slammed the door shut. “No reason.”

She watched him as he moved around the car and got in behind the steering wheel. He remained still for a while before he placed the keys into the ignition.

“I just…I just don’t want you to be here with me if you’re uncomfortable.” He didn’t look at her when he spoke, but instead started the ignition and pulled out onto the street.

“Nicholas, I’m not uncomfortable around you.” She might be on fire around him, but not uncomfortable.