Talking Dirty with the CEO (5 page)

Champagne. She tasted like champagne. And she was delicious.

He kissed her harder, deeper, exploring the heat of her mouth. She gave a soft groan, melting into him, her hands on his chest, responding to his kiss with the kind of abandon reserved only for lovers, not strangers who’d only just met. It took his breath away. The scent of her flooded his senses, lavender and underlying that, a sensual musky smell that made him think of arousal, of sex.

Helpless desire grabbed him by the throat. His hands found her hips, tugging her tall, slender body hard against him. The feel of her was incredible. So warm.

She sighed, her arms around his neck as though she never intended to let him go, beginning to kiss him back uncertainly, as if she didn’t know quite what she was doing.

It was the hottest thing he’d ever experienced.

The kiss began to burn out of control and it was only when he felt something soft against his hands that he realized he’d pulled her hair out of her bun and that it was coming down, raw silk against his skin. He pushed his fingers into the softness of it, gripping tightly as he slid a hand up from her hip, cupping one small, round breast. Then he circled her nipple with his thumb, feeling it harden beneath the stretchy fabric of her dress.

She gasped, arching into his hand, slender body shivering against his. So he did it again, circling then brushing over the hardened point with the pad of his thumb as he kissed her.

“J-Joseph,” she murmured against his mouth. “That feels…oh…”

“Good?” He eased her back against the vanity, pressing the aching hardness of his groin against the softness of hers.

“Yes….so good…” Her hands moved against his chest, curling into the fabric of his T-shirt. “I want…I want…more…”

He didn’t need to be asked twice. Sliding his arms around her, his hands found the soft, warm skin of her bare back, stroking the length of her spine. Then he found the tie of her halter dress at the nape of her neck and tugged it loose. He eased the fabric away, baring her to the waist. She inhaled sharply.

Even the harsh lighting of the bathroom couldn’t mar the beauty of her. Her breasts small and perfect. Her skin like alabaster.

He bent to kiss her throat, cupping one bare breast in his hand, her skin hot against his palm. Moving down farther to flick his tongue over her hard pink nipple, taking it into his mouth and sucking hard.

She arched her body up, her fingers pushing into his hair. “Oh please…that’s…yes…”

It wasn’t just her mouth that tasted delectable. Her skin did, too. Sweet and salty at the same time. And the sounds she made… God, he was so hard he could barely think.

Her fingers tightened in his hair as he swirled his tongue around her nipple and she shuddered, panting. Her hips shifted, pressing against his aching groin and his mind just about blanked.

Christ, he wasn’t even going to make it to his bedroom at this rate.

Releasing her nipple from his mouth, Joseph ignored her moan of protest as he raised his head. “I want you,” he murmured roughly. “Here. Now. Right now. “

Her eyes were glazed, her face flushed. She nodded. Then took a fistful of his T-shirt, pulling him back to her.

Thank God.

After lifting her up onto the edge of the vanity, Joseph pushed up her short black dress, hooked his fingers into the waistband of her underwear, and slowly eased them down her legs and off. Then he slid his palms up smooth bare skin. She shivered as he slipped a hand between her thighs, his fingers finding the soft, wet folds of her sex.

“Joseph…” she murmured, his name becoming a husky, sensual sound as she spread her knees for him.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was leaning back, her half-naked body in a graceful arch, lashes almost closed, her beautiful mouth open as he stroked her, passion and pleasure lighting her up, burning inside her like a torch.

Beautiful. She was so goddamn beautiful.

“Please…Joseph.”

Condoms. Where the hell were the condoms? God, he wasn’t going to be able to wait a second longer. He groped in the topmost drawer, finding what he was looking for. It took only a moment to rip open the packet, another moment to undo his jeans and sheath himself, and then, the most glorious moment of all, that last heavenly second as he thrust inside her, hearing her gasp of pleasure, feeling her legs wrap around him, the tight, wet heat of her surrounding him, gripping him.

Joseph groaned right along with her, his mouth pressed against the base of her throat. It was all he could do to keep himself under control, to hold himself back until she was ready.

But in the end, he didn’t need to do much in the way of holding back, because she was as ready as he was. Arching against him, her arms wound tight around his neck, she cried out as he drew his hips back, sliding out of her and then in again, deep and hard, setting up a rhythm that had her shuddering, panting, her moans hoarse in his ears.

So good. If he wasn’t careful he’d lose himself. Not a bad idea, all things considered.

He raised his head and kissed that luscious mouth of hers again, cutting off the sounds she made. No, she didn’t taste like champagne. She tasted way better. He couldn’t get enough. He wanted more.

His kisses became hungry and hot, and she followed him every step of the way. Inexperienced but in no way disappointing. In fact, it only added to her allure. Perhaps this was new for her. Perhaps she was finding this as intense as he was.

Oh God, he hoped so, because he was ready to explode here. And if she wasn’t…

Abruptly, Naughtygirl’s head fell back and her body tightened around him, her legs a vise around his waist. She gave a desperate, raw cry, almost of anguish, as the climax ripped through her. Joseph closed his eyes and turned his face against her throat, letting himself go right along with her, the pleasure shooting along his nerve endings, firing him up.

Heaven.

Afterward, it was a long time before he could move. A long time before he could speak. A long time before his hands lost their death grip on her hips.

She waited against him, barely breathing. And then, so suddenly that it took him by surprise, she pushed him away with all her strength. He fell back, stumbling, reaching to pull his jeans up. But by the time he had, it was too late. She’d slipped off the vanity and was out the door before he could even protest.

As he hauled his jeans up, cursing, he heard the sound of the front door of the apartment slam.

Naughtygirl25 had run out on him for the second time that evening.

Chapter Three

The barbarian warrior on Christie’s screen swung his ax at the rat nibbling at his feet and missed. Christie sighed. Another stupid online game. Another stupid review. She just didn’t have the patience for it today.

She glanced over at Ben’s office door. It was shut. Nervousness clenched in her gut. She’d sent her dating article to him on Saturday, having worked all night Friday to get it done.

The Friday night she’d left Joseph’s apartment.

Her cheeks burned at the memory.

She’d kissed him. She’d bloody gone and kissed him. He’d told her he didn’t want her to leave and…well, she’d decided just to go for it then and there.

Still, kissing complete strangers in their bathrooms wasn’t exactly her usual modus operandi, either. Neither was what had happened afterward.

Oh man, the way he’d touched her had been…so good. She hadn’t been able to control the intensity of her response, hadn’t wanted to. It had been so long since anyone had touched her in that way.

I want you. Here. Now. Right now.

His words had reverberated through her whole body.

In the heat of the moment she’d forgotten her nervousness. Her awkwardness. Forgotten she was supposed to be Naughtygirl. She’d even forgotten she was Christie.

For that hot, desperate moment, she’d been just a woman who wanted a man and was wanted in return.

After which, in spite of the kiss and hot sex, she’d bolted yet again.

Good going, St. John. Truly stellar behavior.

Savagely gnawing on her lip, Christie stared at her screen again, trying not to think about what had gripped her in those shocked, panting moments afterward. The unreasoning, senseless panic that had made her push him away and fueled her desperate break for freedom. As she’d run down the hallway, she’d heard him call after her but she hadn’t stopped. She hadn’t stopped running until she’d gotten back home.

Nooooo, definitely not going to think about that part.

“So what happened?”

Christie jumped as Marisa, blue eyes avid, deposited herself on the chair next to Christie’s desk.

“C’mon, St. John. Tell me. Did you do it?”

“Do what?” Christie fussed around with the mouse. Did the world really need to know about her one-night stand with a complete stranger? Uh. No, it did not.

“You know what I’m talking about. And you gave me nothing over the phone, so spill.”

Christie looked at her screen as her barbarian warrior finally succumbed to the rat and died a hero’s death. “Oh, great. Look what you did. You distracted me and now Bjorn’s dead.”

Marisa wasn’t fooled for a second. “Who cares about Bjorn? I want to know what happened with Mr. Hotness.”

Dammit. If Marisa thought you were hiding something she wouldn’t give up until she’d unearthed it.

“Oh. Him.” Christie dealt with her barbarian’s remains, eyes on the screen. “Nothing.”

Marisa didn’t say anything. Christie gave her a cautious, sidelong glance. Her friend’s mouth was open in a silent O of surprise. “Oh my God. You slept with him!”

“What?” Christie squeaked, fiery heat rushing over her. “How did you know? I mean, I never…we didn’t…”

“Ha! You did! You
so
did!”

“Did what?” One of the guys passing by Christie’s desk, paused, looking interested.

Christie froze while Marisa flapped a hand at him. “Get out of here, Mike. This is girl talk.”

Mike nodded as if the dismissal were perfectly acceptable and moved on.

“Okay,” Marisa said in a quieter voice once he’d gone. “Know this—you are the worst liar in the world so there’s no point trying to hide anything. Tell me what happened. From the beginning, please. Leave nothing out.”

Christie chewed on her lip. She didn’t want to tell her friend. Because then she’d have to reveal her ignominious retreat five seconds after having sex with him.

“Why do you want to know?” she asked bluntly.

“Because I’m bloody jealous,” Marisa replied, just as blunt. “That guy was so hot he nearly set me on fire.”

The beginnings of a tiny, helpless smile began to curve Christie’s mouth. Yeah, Joseph had been hot. And he’d thought she was hot, too. And she’d been the one to kiss him, taking what she’d wanted for a change, rather than letting self-doubt make her decisions for her.

Couldn’t she be the tiniest bit proud of that?

“Well…okay then.” She gave the area another quick scan in case any more of the guys were lurking around, then leaned forward. “We…um…ended up in his apartment. And…uh…I kissed him.”

“You
what
?” Marisa’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

The heat of Christie’s blush could have powered a small island nation. She held up a finger. “Don’t make me say it again.”

Her friend grinned at her. “Okay then, have it your way. So, anyway, the kiss was…?”

“It was nice.”

“Nice?”

Christie grinned. “Fine, it was more than nice.”

“It was fantastic judging from the way you’re blushing right now,” Marisa observed. “So, after the kiss? You did it then, right?”

Christie blushed harder. “Yeah.”

“Was it good? Come on, don’t leave me in suspense!”

On the bathroom vanity. Cold marble beneath her, Joseph’s heat between her thighs…

Her mouth had gone dry. Dammit. “It was okay.”

“Christie St. John, I swear to God…”

“Okay, fine, it was bloody fantastic. Satisfied?”

It had been fantastic. All weekend, the memory of it had kept her warm. The smell of him, the taste of his mouth, the feel of hard muscle under the material of his T-shirt. And the shock of sexual desire, hot and hungry inside her. She’d never been kissed like that before, not with such blatant demand. Greg had always been tentative, as if asking her permission. Not Joseph. He’d taken that kiss whether she’d wanted to give it to him or not.

But she’d wanted to. Drowning in it, she’d given him that and more. She’d given him everything.

Marisa grinned like a loon. “Woohoo, girl! When you go to town, you really go to town. So, are you going to see him again?”

Ah. Yes. The minor matter of her bolting out the door within seconds of coming apart in his arms. That.

Suddenly there seemed to be a lot of work she needed to do. “No. Would you mind, Mar? I’ve got to do this—”

“You’re not?” Marisa pounced on the crucial part of her sentence. “Why not?”

Christie gave her a glance and tapped importantly on her mouse. “Work. I have it. You know, like, to do.”

But Marisa just stared at her. “You ran out on him, didn’t you?”

Busted. Big time.

She fixated on her screen again, searching for a better way of putting it. “Not so much run out. More like I had to get home urgently.”

Marisa threw up her hands in disgust. “I don’t believe it. When you find a guy like that, you do not run away from him. You stick to him like glue. Especially if the sex is fantastic.”

A thread of irritation wound through Christie. She hadn’t wanted to stick to Joseph like glue. Yeah, he was as hot as hell and the sex had been amazing, but relationships were about more than great sex. You had to have things in common. Stuff to talk about. Okay, so they’d bonded over the stereo but you couldn’t talk about that kind of thing forever, right?

Besides, she didn’t even
want
a relationship right now. She had her job and her friends. She didn’t need a man to make her life complete.

Christie stabbed at one of the buttons on her mouse. “I didn’t want to. The sex was great but I don’t think we’re compatible in other ways.”

Marisa snorted. “Do the other ways even matter? Great sex is great sex.”

She had a point. Sex with Greg had been…well, comparing that with her experience with Joseph was like comparing an original old master to a copy painted by apes and then photocopied one million times. Harsh to Greg probably, but then the two experiences were so different they weren’t even the same thing.

Stupid to think about, though. She and Joseph hadn’t even swapped numbers, and there was no way in hell she was going to turn up at his apartment out of the blue.

“I can survive without great sex,” she said primly.

“You can survive without what?”

Both women looked up to see Ben, their boss, standing by Christie’s desk.

Oh, great. Had he overheard? Christie wanted to sink through the floor

“Hi, Ben.” She gave him a strained smile. “I was just saying that…uh…I can survive without texts.” She mimed texting on her phone.

Pathetic, St. John. Pathetic.

“Really?” Ben replied, a genial look on his face. “And here was I thinking you were talking about sex.”

Ben did a mild-mannered-reporter act that was very convincing, but underneath he had a mind like a steel trap and nothing escaped him. The steel trap snapped shut now. “Don’t you have work to do, Marisa?”

Marisa rolled her eyes. “And I’m gone. Catch you later, St. John.”

As Marisa left, Ben turned his attention back to Christie. “I read your dating piece.”

A thousand butterflies started doing the macarena in her tummy. She tried to act nonchalant. “So it was okay?”

“Actually, Chris, it was better than okay. It was great. I’m impressed.”

Christie swallowed and the butterflies scattered. “Oh. Oh, that’s…that’s awesome, Ben.”

“Yes. Awesome was just what I thought.” Ben’s mild-mannered reporter abruptly morphed into shark editor. “Which means you’ll be up for the launch of Ashton Tech’s E-Slate next week.”

She froze, terrified and thrilled in equal measure. “You sure you want me to cover it?”

Ben leaned against the desk. “Of course.” His brows rose skyward. “Are you sure you want to do it?”

“Oh, yes! I mean…uh…sure.”

He laughed. “Good. I’m going to give you the interview, too.”

Interview? What interview? “I thought it was just the launch you wanted me to go to?”

The shark grinned. “The mysterious Mr. Ashton will be there and we’ve been granted an audience with the man himself.”

Holy crap. The trepidation turned around and settled into outright fear. “But I thought he never gave interviews?”

“He doesn’t. He’s only doing a handful.
Total Tech
is one of the lucky recipients.”

Christie swallowed. This was a big deal. The biggest. Joseph Ashton was the largest fish in the technology pond. He never did media stuff. Never.

No wonder Ben looked like the cat who’d not only gotten the cream but swallowed the whole freaking dairy. This interview was a huge coup for the magazine.

“Yeah,” Ben said, clearly seeing every one of Christie’s thought processes. “It’s a big deal. Think you can handle it?”

This was her chance. Her moment. Her opportunity to leave reviewing the latest online war game and stupid dating website for dust, and get her teeth stuck into some real tech journalism.

This was thrilling. Exciting.

And it scared the crap out of her.

“Yes,” she said before she could change her mind. “I can. I promise you I can.”

“Good. You’re a great writer, Chris. I’d like to see you nail this one.”

She grinned. Grinned till her face ached. “And I will. You can count on me, Ben.”

…

Joseph angled the screen of his laptop away from Jude’s view. She scowled at him from across the wide expanse of his desk. “Hey, I thought you were going to take me to lunch?”

“In a sec. Just have to check something.”

His sister let out a breath and flopped on the low, squishy couch that dominated his office. “Five minutes,” she warned, knowing full well his tendency to get distracted. “Then I’m gone.”

Joseph wasn’t listening. Telling himself he was only checking on some details for the E-Slate launch, he glanced down at the laptop. But of course he couldn’t help his attention sliding toward the chat window that was also, coincidentally, open.

The empty chat window.

Right. So Naughtygirl25 wasn’t online. Just as she hadn’t been online for the past three days. That was okay. More than okay. He hadn’t created his own profile just so he could check to see if she’d visited the chat room where he’d first met her. That would be ridiculous. Not to mention desperate.

But if she had been then she would have had some major explaining to do.

Since that night three days ago, she’d steadily taken over his thoughts like a species of fast-growing, beautiful vine. The incident in his bathroom haunted him and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. About the incredible chemistry that had ignited between them. About the way she’d lit up when he’d touched her, blazing with passion and heat and sensuality. About how he’d been like a sex-starved teenage boy, taking her without any niceties at all. Thank God there’d been a condom in the top drawer because even if there hadn’t been, he wasn’t at all sure he would have stopped.

Terrible behavior. He’d never acted like that before. Why had he responded to her so intensely? Why should the best sex of his life be with a woman whom—to be totally honest here—wasn’t his type in the slightest.

Perhaps it had been due to her response to him. So abandoned. Giving herself up to him with a hunger that had nearly stopped his heart. He’d loved that.

Except for the end when she’d rushed from the room and from his apartment as if the hounds of hell were on her tail. He’d tried to go after her, but dazed after the intensity of the orgasm that had ripped him apart, it had taken him a couple of moments to haul his jeans up and get himself moving. By then it was too late. He’d even gone down to the street to see where she’d gotten to but she’d vanished.

“Joe?”

Her sudden exit had made him feel like absolute crap. Made him wonder if she hadn’t wanted it after all. That perhaps he’d misinterpreted her signals and taken her against her will.

“Joe.”

No, it couldn’t have been that. Her arms had gone around his neck and she’d told him how good he’d made her feel. Then she’d wrapped her legs around his waist just like he’d been fantasizing since the moment he’d seen her, and the sound she’d made as he pushed inside her… She’d been so wet, ready for him. Yeah, she’d wanted him.

“Joe!”

Shit. Jude. He’d been zoning out again. “What?”