On Her Terms (Premiere Companions Book 2) Page 5

  “Nicoletta, you can’t even bring yourself to say the words, so—”

  “Let me suck your cock, please, Sir.”

  Where that had come from, Nicole would never know, and she wanted the ground to swallow her whole, when Sir sat down next to her, grasped her chin to make her look at him and shook his head.

  “No, only good girls get my cock, and besides, the next time you do, I will claim your sweet virgin ass.”

  Her mouth fell open in stunned silence, and Jamie laughed.

  “What, no smart comeback for me this time?”

  Unable to form the words, Nicole shook her head, and Sir got up and walked away, chuckling to himself. She ought to be appalled, shouldn’t she? He had mentioned that before, but she hadn’t really taken him seriously, and besides… Drawing her legs up to herself made her wince, as her sore pussy protested and mortification filled her anew when she saw the bloodstain on the sheet. Try as she might she couldn’t look away from that telltale stain.

  She had actually done it. The reality of what exactly she had done hit her with the full force of a sledgehammer. Oh God, Papa would be furious when he found out, and as for the man she was supposed to marry… Anxiety twisted her insides into knots, so much so that she didn’t hear Jamie’s approach until he swung her up into his arms.

  With a screech of surprise, she made a grab for his shoulders, again struck by the sheer strength of the muscles under her fingertips.

  Jamie followed her line of vision, and he shrugged. An action that made her screech and grasp hold of him tighter.

  “It’s okay, I have you. As for that…” He turned his focus on her and winked. “I’ll get housekeeping to come up and change the sheets, while you’re in the bath. Don’t worry, they’ll have seen it all before.”

  “Yes, well.”

  Nicole mumbled the words and settled for burying her head into his neck, while he carried her the short distance from the bed to the bathroom. She gasped anew when they entered the opulent bathroom. A huge claw foot bath stood on the black and white marble tiles, filled to the brim with heavenly smelling bubbles. The warm water stung her sensitive parts when Sir first lowered her into it, but that initial soreness soon gave way to soothing pleasure and she relaxed into the bubbles with a sigh of contentment.

  “There, you’ll just rest and have a good long soak now, girl.”

  Sir’s deep voice in her ear, as he kissed a path from her earlobe, and along her jaw to her mouth, before he bestowed a tender kiss on her, made her feel truly cherished, and she smiled up at him.

  “Won’t you join me?” she asked.

  He flicked her nose with his finger, and shook his head.

  “That wouldn’t be the wisest move. I’m going to have a cold shower instead.”

  Nicole’s gaze strayed back to his very much erect cock, and the imp in her made her grin.

  “Well, I did offer to help with that, Sir.”

  Something hot and dangerous flashed across his features, when she looked a long way up at him. A heck of a long way in fact, and once again Nicole was struck by the sheer masculine beauty of this man, especially, considering how much older than her he must be.

  “How old are you, Sir?” She blurted that question out before she could censor her mouth, and wanted to sink under the bubbles to hide from view, when he visibly tensed in front of her.

  After what seemed like ages, he finally replied.

  “Why? Does it matter?” The curtness of his tone made her feel all kinds of wretched inside, and she tried her best to smooth the sudden tension between them.

  “No, of course not. I just wondered, that’s all.”

  She risked a peek up at him and instantly wished she hadn’t, because he looked far from pleased. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and she could see his hands ball into fists in her peripheral vision.

  “Clearly it does matter, otherwise you wouldn’t have asked. After all, I vividly recall your distaste at being married off to an old man like Jamison, who for your information is, I believe, the same age as me.”

  There was a curious undertone to that statement, almost as though he was hurt by that, which made no sense at all.

  “I couldn’t possibly have come to that conclusion because Papa refused to tell me how old Jamison is. I know next to nothing about the man, and like I said, I don’t even have a picture, so—”

  “Ah yes, which is why you automatically deduced that he had to be old and ugly, right? Nothing at all to do with the fact that he might have very good reasons to keep his identity hidden. The man works in security after all, and if he struck a deal with your father, chances are he’s used to dealing with clients,” she swallowed hard at the air quotes he made around that word, “who value their privacy, shall we say.”

  “Criminals, you mean, like my father was…” She let her words trail off and frowned into the distance. “Still is for all I know. I’m not stupid. I know I’m a target. Sometimes I wish he’d just left me to it. I didn’t have much, but at least my life was my own.”

  She bit back yet more unwanted tears, and sank further into the bubbles.

  “I never thought you were, stupid, that is, bellissima.”

  He grasped her shoulders and heaved her up into a more upright position. It meant her breasts lost the protection of the water line, and his sharp intake of breath meant her nipples—traitorous little things that they were—throbbed and tightened. Still sore from their earlier torture that action sent a stab of arousal straight to her clit, and she squirmed under his silent scrutiny. How she could still be turned on was beyond her right now, but one heated look from this man and she was all but ready to climb him like a tree, soreness between her legs be damned.

  “Naïve, certainly, but not stupid.”

  That shook her out of her lust filled thoughts, and shaking his hands off her shoulders she glared up at him.

  “I’m not naïve. Don’t confuse me with my mother.”

  Thoughts of dear Mama brought the never far away grief at her far too early passing back to the forefront, and she was extremely grateful to him for not questioning her further on that.

  “She married for love, I understand, and—”

  “Yeah, and look where that got her.” Nicole slammed her mouth shut, horrified at not only having interrupted him, but also where her thoughts were taking her.

  “Meaning?” he asked, looking more forbidding than ever.

  “Nothing, nothing at all. This is not getting us anywhere. Go and have your shower, you…”

  Her words trailed off when she noticed he wasn’t hard anymore. Why was this subject so important to him? She looked up at him to find him assessing her. It was disconcerting to say the least, because, gone was the passionate and affectionate man she had given her virginity to. This man she almost didn’t recognize, considering the cool disdain he showed her, and a horrible suspicion dawned on her.

  “I was right before wasn’t I? Did Papa send you? Are you working for him, or perhaps Jamison?”

  Had she blinked she would have missed it, but it was there in his eyes, a brief flicker of something, before the man in front of her schooled his face into an expressionless mask. One that she recognized only too well. It was the same professional mantle that her bodyguards adopted around her.

  “No, I’m not working for either man, though I’m familiar with them and will be working with Don Cabrizi in the future.”

  Her heart splintered into a gazillion pieces at that bit of news, but she’d be damned if she let him see how much those words affected her. Surely this shouldn’t hurt so much? When had he become so important to her? This was a simple business transaction after all.

  “I see, well if you don’t mind. I want to be on my own now. You’ve done what you were paid to do, so, I would appreciate it, if you just left.”

  She put her hand up to ward off anything else he was likely to say, and much to her relief he nodded.

  “Very well, but I’m not going anywhere but out of thi
s bathroom. You paid me for the whole night, after all.”

  He stalked from the room and slammed the bathroom shut with so much force the light fittings rattled, and Nicole took hold of the bar of luxury soap in the holder on the wall and threw it at the door. It made a satisfyingly loud plop, before it slid down the door and across the marble tiles, leaving a slimy trail behind.

  To hide her tears of frustration Nicole slid all the way under the bubbles.

  Damn the man. Damn every blasted man in her acquaintance for that matter.

  ****

  Jamie wasn’t at all surprised to hear the thud of something hitting the back of the door he had just slammed behind him. She was a Cabrizi, after all, and her father’s temper was legendary. It stood to reason that his only daughter had inherited said temper, even if she hadn’t shown it openly until now.

  Besides it took tremendous guts to defy the Don and her fiancé in the way that she had done. Either man would be furious at her deception, and in truth Jamie, too, could have easily hit someone right now. He settled for punching some cushions into submission instead, and then took himself off to have that shower. By the time he re-emerged, his mind was clearer and he had his plan of action. There was no fucking way he’d leave things between them as they were. A phone call to housekeeping and to the restaurant took care of that aspect of his plan, and he settled for waiting for her to come out. As time passed and no furious Nicoletta Cabrizi appeared, he put his ear to the door. Not a sound could be heard, and when he opened the door as silently as he could, he wasn’t entirely surprised to find her fast asleep in the bath.

  The water had cooled considerably, and goosebumps chased each other across her naked flesh. Skin which still held faint marks of his flogging. His cock stirred in his pants at the sight of her red, swollen nipples and the visible crescent shaped mark of his bite on her neck. His lips twitched in wry amusement of what the fancy schmancy wedding planner the Don had hired for his daughter’s wedding would make of that. No doubt the man would have one of his overly camp hissy fits and tut about the need to cover it up. As far as Jamie was concerned, that bite looked good on her. Let her protest all she wanted, demean what they had shared to nothing more than a paid for business transaction, but Jamie knew better. She was too inexperienced to fake her responses, and he knew the look a woman got when she liked what she saw. Let her look at that bite in the mirror and remember who she truly belonged to. No matter what happened in the future, from now on in, she was his, pure and simple.

  Jamie pulled the plug and waited for the water to drain away. She really had the most amazing curves, and his dick gave up any pretense of not being interested as more and more of her creamy flesh was revealed. She shivered in the cool room, and stepping up, Jamie carefully wrapped her long, damp hair into one of the fluffy towels, before he bent down to pick her up and out of the bath.

  Nicoletta stirred in his arms, murmuring something that he couldn’t quite catch, and he froze, expecting all hell to break loose. However, her head fell back onto his chest, and her even breathing told him that she was very much still fast asleep. He carried her across to the bed freshly made by housekeeping, and having lowered his precious bundle carefully onto the covers, proceeded to dry her off with another towel he’d gotten from the shower room earlier. Even in her sleep, her body responded to him. It took ever last ounce of self-control Jamie had to not give into the blatant invitation she sent him.

  However, that would make him an ass, and whatever she might think of him, once this night was over and they both had to face up to the harsh reality of their actions, he didn’t want her to have any regrets. While he had no doubt that she would welcome his advances in her half asleep state, he wanted her submission freely given, not coerced by his persuasion.

  So, instead, he pulled the heavy comforter over her naked body, and wandered out of the bedroom and across the suite to the balcony to wait for her to wake up. Evening approached rapidly and with it the food he’d ordered for them. Jamie tipped the guy handsomely to leave the warming trolley he’d brought the food up on behind.

  “The lady is resting right now, and I’m loath to wake her up, see.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  The young guy who couldn’t be much older than Nicoletta herself glanced toward the slightly ajar door to the bedroom and grinned.

  “As you wish. Just give us a ring when you’re ready for me to collect it all.”

  With a deep bow, the youngster left, leaving Jamie to his dark thoughts.

  After all, how would she react when she found out that he was a good nineteen years older than she was? Only ten years younger than her father.

  Chapter Five

  Nicole woke up slowly, and her stomach rumbled loudly when the delicious smell of cooked food registered. The sun was just setting if the orange glow filling the bedroom was any indication. With it came the realization that she wasn’t in the bath anymore, and that she must have slept for hours. Her hair had dried in a tangled mess which would take forever to sort, not that that was her most pressing concern for now.

  No, that would be her bladder, so with that in mind she threw the covers back, and frowned at the clean sheets. Housekeeping had been then, just like Jamie had said they would. Thoughts of him made her heart beat faster. She’d been so angry with him, yet her still half asleep brain couldn’t quite compute why that had been.

  He clearly was still here, because a) his hold-all sat on one the plush chairs, and b) she highly doubted housekeeping duties extended to transferring fast asleep guests from bathtub to bed.

  Nicole rolled her eyes at her jumbled thoughts, and padded over to the bathroom to use the facilities. The reflection that greeted her in the mirror when she washed her hands took her breath away.

  She hadn’t expected to look so different, and she wasn’t talking the bird’s nest that masqueraded as her hair. If she didn’t think it a far too fanciful expression she’d have said she glowed. Was this simply the result of a good shag, or was there more at play here? The fact that it could be the latter was too terrifying to contemplate, because there could be no future for Jamie and her.

  Her Papa would never condone such a thing, and besides, it was now a matter of honor. Papa had given his word that she would marry Jamison, and the Don’s word was his bond. As old fashioned as that sounded, Nicole knew it was true. She couldn’t get out of marrying, not unless the man himself reneged. Just trying to imagine his reaction was making her head hurt. Her throat was dry, and she needed a drink and to clear the air with Sir.

  It seemed right to call him that, even in her head, because at least for tonight he was, and the night was still young. Time to make things right between them, and to simply enjoy this for what it was. Time enough for reality to intrude come morning. She traced the mark of his bite on her neck with her fingertips, and smiled. He really shouldn’t have done that, but her heart gave some very suspicious bumps seeing that mark of his possession so clearly left on her.

  Jeez, she really was a nutcase. Nicole shrugged into one of the big fluffy bathrobes provided by the hotel, and followed the enticing smell of food out into the suite. Her breathing hitched when she reached the living area, because Jamie made as much of a mouthwatering sight as the warming trolley laden with covered food dishes. He must have ordered most of the menu, judging by the sheer amount of food on that trolley, and her stomach chose that moment to loudly make its presence known. It caused the silent man staring out over the London skyline to turn ‘round. He leaned one denim clad butt cheek on the railing behind him, crossed his arms over his chest and studied her silently. It was nigh on impossible to read his expression in the darkening gloom of the balcony, but he didn’t seem angry anymore. More quietly resigned.

  “I didn’t know what you might want, so I ordered a little bit of everything.”

  His deep voice carried, and her stomach flip flopped wildly when he pushed away from the railing and slowly made his way across. No man had any right to look that s
exy and well put together, damn it. He had been devastatingly handsome in his suit, but in casual clothes, with his hair all ruffled as though he’d run his hands through it repeatedly while it had been wet, he looked good enough to eat. The well-worn denim hugged his muscular thighs, and lovingly outlined the bulge he was sporting. Her pussy clenched anew remembering how well he’d stretched her, and she had some difficulty to wrench her gaze away from that. An old t-shirt hugged his muscular torso, the fabric stretched across his biceps, and his bare feet showed manicured, masculine toes, which curled into the plush carpet as he walked.

  She really did have it bad when even the sight of his feet turned her on. When those feet stopped mere inches away from her, she forced herself to look up at him. A tight smile played around his full lips, and she noticed with a start how much thicker his stubble was already. Tinged with gray, it made him look even more virile and dangerous. A lethal combination that meant she squeezed her thighs together to relieve the instant ache in her pussy.

  Clearly fantastic sex turned one into some sort of raving nymphomaniac. Who knew?

  “Sleep well, Nicoletta?”

  Oh the way he said her name… He rolled it around his mouth like a caress, a promise of so much more, it was most unsettling. She closed her eyes to savor the tingles of awareness that voice alone caused, and gasped when he stepped so close his warmth and scent enveloped her in a cocoon of protection. Groping blindly, she reached out and wrapped her arms around him. She felt his body jerk as though he was surprised by her actions, tense and then relax as he hugged her back. Without her heels she fitted snugly under his chin, and she smiled when she felt him rest said body part on top of her head.

  “I’m sorry … about earlier, I mean … I don’t know why I said those things.”

  He tensed again, and for one horrible second she thought he would push her away, but instead he tightened his hold on her and sighed.

  “We both said things we shouldn’t have done. Let’s just move on, shall we? I don’t want to talk about him.”