The Job Read online

  Propping her up against the brick wall, Nat took the kiss deeper, while Alex ground herself against his dick in jerky moves that drove him insane. With her dress hitched up around the top of her hips by her movements, her long legs encircling his waist looked pale in the dim lighting. Alex whimpered into his kiss when he shifted one of his hands to the inside of her thigh, so that his fingertips grazed her cloth covered slit.

  He wrenched his lips off hers and groaned at the wetness that greeted his digits. Alex moaned in need when he rubbed his index finger over the soaked gusset of her lacy thong.

  “You’re so fucking wet for me already. I could take you right here, couldn’t I, baby?” Making a strangled sound at the back of her throat, she buried her face in his neck, as though she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. A wave of affection engulfed him for the trembling woman in his arms, especially when he heard her whispered reply.

  “Please…I… Please don’t … not here.”

  Nat pulled back better to see her, as he inched his index finger under the elastic of her underwear. A shiver was his response. Nathanial allowed himself one last swipe through her arousal soaked pussy lips, before he set Alex back on her feet. When she wouldn’t look at him, just yanked the hem of her dress down in self-conscious moves most at odds with her profession and worried her bottom lip with her teeth, he wrapped his hand in her hair and tugged.

  Alex gasped, but followed his gentle direction, stopping her fidgeting and looking at him. Heat rose in her cheeks when he lifted his fingers, slick with her juices, winked at her, and proceeded to lick them clean.

  “Delicious, just like I thought you would be.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but Angela’s affected laugh stopped her. Damn the woman, what did she want now? He turned his head to glare at her. Seeing his cousin with her did nothing to improve his mood at the interruption, especially when the blasted man smirked, and tried to look past Nathanial toward Alex. Nat moved closer to ensure Alex was adequately covered. There was no way he wanted her exposed in front of these two. Really, his cousin with his ex? Guess that explained how she got an invite.

  “Ah, I’m not interrupting something, am I?” Angela asked. “Far be it for me to stop you from getting what you paid for, Nathanial, but, really, out here? Kinky, even for you.”

  He felt rather than saw his girl stiffen, as he swung around fully to deal with Angela.

  “What the fuck do you want now?” He growled the words. Fisting his hands, he shoved them into his trouser pockets, lest he felt tempted to hit the woman. No doubt that was exactly the reaction she was hoping for. Alex seemingly having recovered her equilibrium grasped hold of his biceps.

  “Let’s just get out of here, Nat,” she said.

  “Oh, not so fast.” His cousin stepped forward, and fuck it, if Alex didn’t jump out of her skin. A far too extreme reaction to seeing the asshole, who’d done his best to split them up all those years ago.

  Back then, she’d chosen him, or so Godfrey had made him believe, but seeing her reaction now, Nat wasn’t so sure. She seemed scared almost, which made him want to wrap her up, protect her, fight her battles for her—such a ridiculous notion. The woman was an escort, for fuck’s sake, yet…

  Damn it, something just didn’t add up and his cousin’s next words just made Nat see red.

  “I thought that was her when I saw you two dance, but, really, Nat. I thought you’d given up sleeping with the staff.”

  Chapter Four

  That voice had lost none of its nasally twang. If anything the years had made that upper crust plum in mouth accent even more noticeable. Alex wanted the ground to swallow her up. This is why she’d kept away, hadn’t even attended Nathanial’s mother’s funeral. She had sent flowers and a condolence card instead, even though she had desperately wanted to show her respects in person.

  That would have run the risk of meeting Nat, and far worse, his cousin, the very man who now smirked at her. The years had not been kind on Godfrey Stanley the third. Whereas Nat had filled out into a muscular hunk, his cousin had expanded in other ways, which meant he resembled an overstuffed sausage. The thought should have been amusing, but Alex was too aware of the nasty smile kicking up his podgy lips. It made her want to run away and hide, as unbidden thoughts of that night invaded her brain.

  God, not now, in front of Nat. He had a low enough opinion of her as it was. Considering what he thought her profession was, he would never believe her version of events. They hadn’t then, after all. Her mother had, but had also told her to keep quiet about it. It would have been her word against his. Who’d have believed a sixteen-year-old girl?

  Who would believe her now? Best to forget about it. Besides she’d learnt to never put herself into that situation again.

  How ironic that all these years later, she had somehow managed to do just that. She was as much at Nathanial’s mercy now, as she had been at Godfrey’s ten years ago. She’d almost forgotten that with his attentiveness toward her, not to mention the fact that she actually wanted Nat. Had he continued his onslaught on her senses, she wasn’t at all sure she wouldn’t have let him fuck her right here against the wall, where anyone could have happened upon them. Had, in fact found them. Bile rose in her throat. She swallowed hard, as adrenaline swamped her. The urge to run, scream, scratch the other guy’s out was so strong, she could barely breathe, but she couldn’t do any of those things.

  Alex renewed her efforts to tug Nathanial back into the relative safety of the crowded ballroom. Surely neither he nor this Angela bird, who clearly had some sort of connection to Nat, would dare make a scene in there. After all, appearances were everything with their sort. It might well be the only thing that saved her tonight.

  However, Nathanial seemed rooted to the spot. He completely ignored her attempts to move him. She might as well have tried to move a mountain and, heavens above, waves of barely suppressed anger rolled off his tense frame. Why was he so angry? Surely that wasn’t on her behalf, was it? The thought that it might be soothed the rising panic that threatened to engulf her a little.

  “Watch what you’re saying in front of Alex, Godfrey.” Nat’s voice had dropped an octave, taking on a menacing chill. A fact that really shouldn’t sent her wayward libido into hyperdrive again, but did so nonetheless. She was a hopeless case where Nathanial Longton was concerned.

  His cousin, however, threw his head back and laughed, as though Nat had uttered the funniest joke ever. Dread crawled up her spine at what the odious man might say next. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her limbs simply wouldn’t cooperate, as darkness crept around the edges of her vision. All of her concentration was taken up with the simple act of carrying on pulling breaths into her constricted lungs.

  “Why should I?” Godfrey snorted in amusement like the pig he resembled. “She’s nothing. She wasn’t back then and she’s certainly not now. I know you only bring escorts to these things, so…” Bile rose in Alex’s throat as he slowly undressed her with his eyes. “How much does she charge to spread her legs I wonder? At least back then she did it for free. Not that she was any good at it, and …umph.”

  The rest of whatever hateful words that nasty man was going to say were stopped by Nat, as he swung his fist into his cousin’s face with a muttered curse. The sickening crunch of Godfrey’s nose breaking sounded far too loud in the tense silence that followed, before the man howled in pain. Not that Nat was finished yet. Grabbing the other man by the labels of his tux, he hauled him up against the wall, getting right in his face.

  “I told you to watch your fucking mouth around Alex, you worthless piece of scum.”

  Dimly aware of Angela’s screeching like a Banshee act, Alex desperately tried to move, but she was frozen in place, watching in horror, as Nat hit his cousin again. This time he split the man’s lip open. Godfrey’s head made a dull thud as it connected with the wall from the force of the impact. At least it stopped the man’s howling, as he feebly tried to push the
taller Nathanial away from him. Blood dripped over his face. It stained the white shirt he wore under his tuxedo. Seeing Godfrey struggling for breath, Alex finally got the words out past the huge lump of terror in her throat.

  “Nat, let him go, please.” The words came out as a croaked whisper. Alex cleared her throat and tried again. “He’s not worth it. Nathanial, please, don’t.”

  Taking another swing, he connected with the man’s solar plexus this time. Nat finally stepped away, glanced at her and frowned, before Angela’s shrill cries for help made him change direction. He advanced on her. The murderous look on his face, bloody fists raised finally got through to the panic filled haze that was Alex’s brain. She rushed to step between them.

  “Stop, for the love of god, please, stop this now.” Her voice had none of its usual cadence but she seemed to get through to him anyway, as he stopped. Nat looked at her. She flinched at the fury reflected on his face, and offered him a wobbly smile.

  “Please, let’s just go.”

  His features softened slightly when she reached out a tentative hand to touch his face, while Angela made gagging noises behind them.

  “Oh, spare me the display.” Raising her voice to an even shriller screech, she hollered, “Help. Help. He’s gone mad. Help.”

  Nathanial swore, pulling Alex behind him and out of the way. Alexandra couldn’t believe her eyes, when Angela ripped the strap of her dress. With an evil smirk up at Nathanial, she threw herself on the floor seconds before several liveried staff came running out of the ballroom, and all hell broke loose.

  Everything turned into a blur after that, as the nightmare of her past came crashing down around her ears. This could not be happening, not after all this time. All of her concentration was taken up with just breathing. With Nathanial’s hand in hers, his comforting presence surrounded her, became an anchor in the topsy-turvy world she suddenly found herself in, as accusations were being slung this way and that. To top it all, flashes went off in her face.

  This was all they needed, to be tomorrow’s gossip fodder. Blood rushed in her ears, the room spun, and she couldn’t breathe, until the world tilted and Nathanial’s deep voice registered.

  “I’ve got you. It’s okay, baby. Breathe… In and out, that’s it. Let’s get you out of here.” Her feet left the ground. She made a blind grab for his shoulders, as he started to move. Away from the light, the heat, the excited murmur of hushed voices.

  “I don’t care. You can ask me all the questions you want tomorrow. Yes, I’m staying at the hotel. No, I didn’t touch my ex-wife… Speak to my fucking lawyer. No comment.”

  Out of all that jumble it was the ex-wife that registered. It made her stomach churn anew. Nat was married, or rather had been married? Did that mean the vile Angela was his ex? It took all of her concentration to keep on swallowing so as not to give into the sudden instinct to throw up.

  She hadn’t exactly eaten a lot before she came to the hotel, too nervous about this job she had agreed to do for Marissa and what that would entail. With no food, too much champagne in her system, and the shock, her stomach rebelled. A door banged shut behind them. Judging by the rhythmic bouncing, which did nothing to help her hold onto the contents of her stomach, Nat had chosen to take the stairs back to their room.

  After what seemed like ages, Nathanial cursed as he slid her down to the floor.

  “Just give me a second to open this door, then you can do what you need to.”

  She was dimly aware of his fumbling with the key card, before the door flung open, and Alex lost the fight with her gag reflex.

  “Fuck, here, lemme help.” The room tilted again as Nathanial shoved a paper bin under her nose just in time for her to throw up. Clutching the thing like her life depended on it, Alex emptied the contents of her stomach on top of the expensive looking note paper in the bottom of the bin while she slid to the floor in an undignified heap.

  The door shut and then Nathanial was there pulling her back into his hard chest, supporting her as she puked her guts up, while murmuring nonsense into her sweat dampened neck. When at long last the gut wrenching heaving stopped, Alex screwed her eyes shut, mortally embarrassed at Nathanial being witness to her breakdown, especially when he grasped her chin to tilt her head up and dropped a kiss on her nose. His scruff tickled, and she wanted the ground to swallow her up anew at his murmured demand.

  “Look at me, girl.”

  Alex wanted to do anything but. She tried to shake her head, but his hold on her chin grew painful.

  “I said, look at me, Alexandra. I’ve had a trying evening so far. You really don’t want to push me. You won’t like me putting you over my knee right now, but so help me, if that’s what it takes to get some fucking answers, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

  His voice held that edge she was utterly unable to resist. When she opened her eyes she lost herself in the heated intensity of his amber gaze. He looked frazzled and above all concerned. That soothed the left over cramps in her stomach considerably.

  She grimaced when she caught sight of the bin she’d used so effectively mere moments ago.

  “Trying? Is that we call it now?” Alex winced at the hoarseness of her voice and the foul taste in her mouth.

  Nathanial gave a short humorless laugh. He grimaced when, he, too looked toward the bin.

  “Yes, well, let me get rid of that. Up you come.”

  Shifting himself upward, he held out his hand. When she took it, he pulled her up. The world spun at the sudden movement. Nathanial swooped her up, and deposited her on the huge bed dominating the middle of the room, before she could even blink.

  Had she not felt so wretched, Alex would have marveled at his strength. She was no lightweight, yet he didn’t even seem out of breath, as he pushed her down, fluffed up the pillows behind her back, and ordered her to stay with a grim smile.

  Picking up the bin, he disappeared into the en suite. She heard the toilet flush. There was the sound of running water seconds before he reappeared with a glass of water and a washcloth. The bed dipped as he sat down next to her, put the glass on the nightstand, and then proceeded to wash her neck with the warm cloth. Heat rose in her cheeks and she made a grab for the cloth.

  “I can do that myself,” she said, releasing his hold on the material. He sat back and let her do it. Awareness of him seeped through every fiber of her being as she made hasty work of wiping her face and hands. He handed her the glass of water in exchange for the used cloth. She murmured her thanks, and took some hasty sips of the cool fluid. It helped a little to dispel the foul taste in her mouth. Her throat went dry, as Nathanial chose that moment to shrug out of his jacket. He flung it over the bottom end of the bed. His tie and cufflinks followed. When he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, Alex bit her lip to stop herself from moaning.

  He noticed of course and gave her a wry grin as he undid the top few buttons of his shirt. The action exposed the strong column of his neck. Alex’s fingers itched to trace the dark swirls of chest hair that peeped out from the gap in his now half unbuttoned shirt.

  Her gaze snared on the bruised knuckles of his right hand, and she scooted forward to grasp hold of it.

  “You’re hurt.”

  Nathanial looked at his hand, as though it was the first time he’d noticed it. He shrugged his shoulders.

  “It’s nothing.”

  Alex rolled her eyes. “That is not nothing. You need to put ice on it. It’s already swelling.”

  Nathanial pulled his hand away from hers and flexed his fingers.

  “I’ve had worse. Besides that fucker deserved it for speaking to you like that.” She wanted to find a mouse hole to crawl into it, when he grasped her chin with his uninjured hand, and studied her.

  “That doesn’t explain your reaction though. I’m clearly missing something here.” He paused when she pulled in a sharp breath. Alex tried to shake her head, and Nat frowned. “Yes, I am. It’s not a feeling I like. What are you not telling me, girl. The truth n
ow.”

  Breathing was once again proving difficult. Alexandra hated the tears pricking the back of her eyes.

  “Baby, come on, I beat the guy to a pulp for you. The least you can do is fill me on what he’s done to you.”

  Chapter Five

  Alex wrenched out of his grasp and brought her knees up to her chin. The action was such a defensive move that Nathanial had to resist the urge to go back in that ballroom to beat that asshole all over again.

  He’d long suspected that more had gone on all those years ago than he’d been told. After all, Godfrey had shown his true colors far too many times since then. If the fucker wasn’t family he’d have cut him out of his life a long time ago. To all intents and purposes he had done so. Even Nat’s father didn’t welcome Godfrey to the family home anymore. That was saying something.

  Nathanial inwardly groaned at what Dad would make of the news reports in the morning. There was no chance of covering this up. Johnson, the family lawyer, would try his best to do damage control. He really needed to ring him, give his version of the events, so that the man could come up with a plan, but he needed to clear the air with Alex first.

  If only she’d drop the walls she’d erected around herself and talk to him.

  Instead of opening up to him, she pulled back into herself. Her voice, while wobbly, held a certain amount of disdain.

  “Well, I didn’t ask you to do that.” She glanced up at him when he grunted in answer. The way she worried her bottom lip, made him grow hard again. A completely inappropriate response considering the circumstances, but his cock always had had a mind of its own around this woman. With her knees drawn up her dress had ridden up to such a degree that Nat had an unhindered view of her lace covered pussy. It said a lot about her state of mind that she didn’t seem to notice the free peep show she was giving him. He groaned under his breath, still tasting her sweet musk on his tongue, before the evening had taken such a disastrous turn. The crotch of her lacy thong was darkened with the evidence of her earlier arousal—for him. It was a heavy aphrodisiac indeed, the knowledge that despite her protestations to the contrary she wanted him as much as he wanted her.