Turn Towards the Sun: Book Three- Forever in Bloom (The Sunflower Trilogy) (37 page)

Martina buzzes her office. “They’re here, Miss Drake.”

Alexa takes a deep breath and throws a breath mint in her mouth. “Show them in, Martina.”

She stands and waits for Scott to appear in her doorway, gripping her fingers along the edge of her desk. He enters first; a breathtaking smile on his face. Her legs quiver at the sight of him. He still had ultimate control over her. Her eyes wash over his gorgeous frame- athletic, trim, but muscular. She knew those taut muscles are covered in super sexy tattoos, hidden by his luxurious clothing. He trimmed his black hair short since she saw him last, very short, almost shaved completely. It only served to highlight the angular features of his face. His eyes were as dark as his hair, and one could say, his soul, but that didn’t stop Alexa from staring straight into them. She wants to know if he still has it for her.

Scott walks confidently towards her and she feels herself bracing for impact.
Oh fuck, oh fuck. You stay over there, you sexy bastard.
She stays safely behind the desk, prompting him to pause in front of it, a taunting grin across his lips.

“Why don’t you come from behind there and meet Brett, Alexa.”

God, his voice! Why does he have to be so sexy? Shit. Shit!

“Of course.” She smiled with confidence, something she didn’t feel at all. But if Scott had taught her anything, it was how to hide her emotions. She was a pro at it. Except, somehow he always knew how she felt. Always.

Brett Collins strides towards her, his hand extended. She remembered seeing his face in many industry magazines and was surprised at how built he was in person. He was handsome enough, in a Scottish sort of way. He was probably far more attractive away from the pure sex aura of Scott Patrick.

“So nice to meet you, Miss Drake,” Brett says, his strong Scottish accent taking Alexa aback slightly. “Scott can’t say enough good things about your abilities.”

Scott barely conceals his grin and Alexa prays that Brett knows nothing of their sordid history together. She searches Scott’s eyes for an answer and is met with a telling wink.
Whew, the secret is safe.

Scott walks to a chair and sits back in it, crossing his well-dressed leg over his knee. Alexa watches as he tugs gently at the tailored pant leg and brushes his fingers over the material before speaking. Such a simple gesture, but so sexy when performed by Scott.

“Mentoring Alexa for so many years gave me such satisfaction. She was my star pupil, and my pride and joy,” Scott says with a tone that sounds like his voice was soaked in honey.

Alexa’s heart beats hard in her chest. Only she understood the double meaning in his words.
Star pupil, indeed.

She clears her throat. “I do owe quite a bit of my success to Scott.”

Brett laughs. “Do you two always speak so formally with each other?”

Scott laughs too. “Not always, right, Alexa?”

She feared for a moment those sweet lips would utter her nickname. She knew if he did, she would fall apart all over again.

“Not always.” She smiles and regains her cold, professional demeanor. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brett. If you’d like, I’ve arranged a tour of the office and lunch for us today. I can go over our accounts with you and future plans.”

“That sounds fine. First, I’d like to make a few calls. Do you have an office I can use?”

“Yes, of course. We’ve set up a guest office for you. I’ll take you to it.”

“Have your assistant take me. You catch up with Scott,” Brett offers.

The last thing Alexa wants is to be alone with Scott Patrick. The last time he was in her office it was a disaster. It does make more sense for Martina to escort Brett to the office though.

She buzzes for her assistant. “Martina, can you take Mr. Collins to his office, please?”

“Of course. Be right there.”

Alexa addresses Scott. “Will you be in need of a visitor office?”

He grins at her and her knees shake a little more. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be in town. Can I get back to you?”

Alexa nods, unnerved by his demeanor, as usual. “Of course.”

Martina arrives and leads Brett out of the room, leaving Alexa and Scott alone. Alexa stares at him, trying to accept his presence.

A slow grin crosses Scott’s lips. “You look stunning, Alexa. London suits you.”

“Thank you. You look well, also.” She tries to keep her words measured, her voice steady. She doesn’t want him to know how much he is affecting her. “What are you doing in London, Scott? I wasn’t expecting you.”

“It’s a surprise then. I wanted to see you. Plus I have a few meetings to attend to while I’m here.”

She narrows her eyes knowing that she handles almost all of the UK business. “Who are you meeting with?” she asks.

Scott waves his hand in the air, dismissing her question. “People.” He stands and walks towards her, causing her to back up against the window. “Don’t back away from me, Alexa. No more of that.”

Her breathing quickens. She wants to run, but there is nowhere to go. Once again, Scott Patrick has her backed against a corner.

“Scott…”

“Let me talk first.” He moves in close; so close his body presses up against her. She closes her eyes, absorbing his scent and his closeness. He always smelled like money and sex. It was the best smell on the planet to her.

Scott reaches out and strokes her cheek. “Open your eyes, baby. Come on.” She does and locks her green eyes with his black ones. “You’re gorgeous, you know that, Alexa?”

“Scott, let me go.”

“I can’t, baby girl. Can’t you see that? Why do you think I came with Brett out here to meet you? It gave me a reason to see you again.”

“You came because you couldn’t stand for Brett to be alone with me.”

Scott narrows his eyes slightly. “Maybe.” He brushes his lips against her cheek, causing Alexa to inhale sharply in response. “Let me take you out tonight.”

She knows she should say no, but she also knows she can’t. The last time she declined his invite didn’t go so well. She has no ability to turn away from Scott Patrick and they both know it. Didn’t mean she wouldn’t try.

“No, thank you,” she says with a professional tone.

“Why not?”

“I’m busy.”

“Too busy for an old friend?”

“We are not friends,” she says, her voice full of tension.

“What are we then, baby girl?”

She sighs, and stares into his eyes. As dark as they are, they still seem to dance and play in the little bit of sunlight that streams in her window.

“Please?” he asks sweetly, which Alexa knows is total bullshit.

Scott always wore her down and she had to admit that even after how he acted the last time he was in London, she still very much wanted to be around him. She sighs again and nods her head, unable to utter the words.

“Yeah? You’ll see me tonight?”

“You win.”

“Not yet, but maybe later.” His hand slides up her thigh, stopping just under the hem of her skirt. “I dream about you, baby girl. I remember how soft your skin is, how luscious your tits are. I can’t wait to climb in between those legs of yours again.”

Alexa’s body flushes with heat. “I didn’t say you could do that. I said I would
see
you; that’s all. You can explain to me why you were such a bastard the last time I saw you.”

He grins and his fingers inch up higher, softly stroking the material of her lacy panties. “Alexa…” His lips drag against her neck. “I need you, you know that. Don’t say no to me.”

Her eyes shoot towards the door, afraid someone will walk in. “Please, Scott, not now.”
Not again.
“We can talk about this later.”

“We’ll talk about it now,” he says, his voice suddenly demanding. “I’ll stop when you tell me you’re still mine.” His finger hooks in her panties and dips inside her wetness, forcing a gasp from her lips. “This is mine.” Her eyes meet his and in them she sees the familiar hardness of the dominating, controlling man she knows all too well.

“It’s not yours,” she says, defiantly. “Lots of other men have had it now. Lots.” Alexa knows this is going to piss him off. Part of her wants to.

“So, you’re a slut now? You just take what is mine and give it away?” His voice is hard and a little bit scary. As much as she wants to be free of him, she loves it when he gets like this over her. This time though, she feels like she has the upper hand.

“I do. I give it to whomever I want. Maybe I’ll give it to Brett.” Her eyes gleam, challenging him to control her.

Scott grabs her chin, squeezing tightly. “You will not fuck him. Do you understand me? You will fuck no one but me.”

She laughs and pulls her chin away. “I can fuck whomever I like, Scott. We’re over. Just like you wanted. Remember?”

Scott plunges his finger deeper inside of her. She wants to throw her head back, drop to her knees, and take him into her mouth, but she tries hard to act like it doesn’t affect her.

He pulls his finger out of her and sucks it into his mouth. “Mmm, you’ve always been my favorite flavor.” His voice is momentarily sweet before his eyes harden again. “You can act as bad ass as you want, Alexa. You and I both know I taught you how to act, I taught you how to fuck, I created you. You and me, we’ll never be over. You know it. I know it.”

“Too bad you couldn’t teach me how to feel. But then, you wouldn’t know anything about feelings, would you, Scotty?”

He finally backs away. “Just like a chick to want to talk about feelings.”

“I don’t want to talk about feelings. I don’t have any, thanks to you.”

“Whatever. You’re obviously in love with me.”

“Oh, please!” She allows herself to laugh. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth. I do not love you. I don’t love anyone. I never have.”

Scott grabs her wrist. “You’re wearing the watch I gave you. Because you love me.”

“I’m wearing the watch you gave me because it’s a nice watch. I do not love you.”

“I’m the closest you’ve ever gotten. You’ve got something for me, baby girl. Just admit it. I admit I’m not over you. I think about you every day.”

“Is that so? Then why haven’t I heard from you in months? Why did you just cut me off like you did, if I’m so goddamn important to you?” She crosses her arms.

“You needed to fly solo, baby girl. I did it for you.”

“Oh, well thank you, kind sir. I didn’t know you were so…benevolent.”

“Keep talking to me like that and I’ll take you over my knee right here in your office.”

“I don’t think so, mister. You don’t control me anymore. You gave up that right.”

“I gave up nothing. You’re still mine. I’ll prove it to you tonight.”

Alexa sucks in her breath. She knows he’s right and this power play she’s attempting is completely useless. She never thought she’d be in this situation with him again. Was she ready to give up all her power to him once more?

“We’ll see.” It’s the only response she can muster.

“Yes, we will. Get ready. I’m going to fuck you senseless.”

His words cause a shiver to course through her. “We’ll see about that too.”

“You can’t tell me you don’t want me. You’re dripping wet. Your body can’t lie.”

“Scott—”

A knock at the door interrupts their conversation. Martina comes in with a tray of tea, a British habit Alexa is still adapting to.

“Tea?” She smiles, and sets the tray down on Alexa’s desk.

“Thank you, Martina,” Alexa says, offering a strained smile.

Martina stares at Scott, a girlish grin on her face. She’s a beautiful girl with big brown eyes and long dark hair. She’s exotic, intelligent, and delightful but looking at her right now, one would think she’s never seen a man before. Alexa shakes her head. Scott’s presence is enough to throw any girl off balance.

Alexa clears her throat. “Thank you, Martina,” she says, again.

Martina startles, regaining her composure. “Right, then. Cheers.” She quickly leaves the room.

Scott rubs his finger across his bottom lip. “She’s nice and fuckable.”

“You want to fuck her too?” Alexa hates when he tries to make her jealous.

“She would do, if I can’t get you.”

“I thought you were so sure I would say yes.”

Scott grins. “I am sure. I won’t give up until you do. And if you make me work too hard, I’ll punish you for it.”

Oh hell, he said it.

To Alexa, the threat of punishment from Scott Patrick is the most tantalizing treat in the world. She never knew what he would do. Sometimes it was a spanking, sometimes he tied her up and tortured her for hours with orgasm after orgasm, until she couldn’t even hold herself up. The worst though, is when he wouldn’t let her have one. He would bring her right to the edge and then back off, until she cried and begged for release. The more she defied him, the worse the punishment would be. Her body practically shook with the anticipation of it. Unsure of her next move, she lowers her eyes to the floor and wishes Brett would come back and end this divine torture.

“Alexa, look at me.” She shifts her eyes up to meet him. “Do you know how badly I want to bend you over that desk and fuck you until you scream my name? I want your nails in my back, your tongue down my throat, your hair tangled in my hands. I’m going to have you, so just say yes. I won’t let you go.”

“I don’t know if I can do this again, Scott. It’s better for me if we don’t.”

“It’s better for me if we do. Let’s make a deal. A compromise.”

A compromise? Scott Patrick is willing to compromise?

“We’ll meet tonight and talk, clear the air. Then we can decide what to do from there. Deal?”

Some compromise.
They both know how this will end, but she decides to play along. If anything, just to end this conversation. She nods her head.

“Cool. I’ll pick you up at seven,” he says, a smug smile on his face.

“That won’t be necessary. I have a driver. I’ll come to you.”

“If that’s how you want it, baby girl.”

“That’s how I want it.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I WANT TO start off by thanking all the people who have chosen my books to read. Your kind words and enthusiasm for my characters warms my heart and fuels my writing.