Mr. Black's Proposal (Part Two: A Billionaire Erotic Romance) Read online

  I looked around the room. One of my colleagues had helped me pick out the prints to use.

  “They’re from one of my favorite fashion shoots,” I said defensively. I realized now that yes, most of them were in a state of semi-nudity. The girls were clothed in gauzy dresses that showed just about everything.

  “You like naked women, huh?”

  “I like the human body. And yes, women.”

  “Why?”

  “I find that I’m particularly susceptible to the aesthetic sensibilities of… uh…of…”

  “Of boobies?”

  She was teasing me now.

  “Yes. Boobies. Very aesthetically pleasing.”

  She nodded, sipping her Cab. I thought about her boobies. No, I couldn.” the aesthetic sensibilities of… uh…of…” breasts, pert and perfect. I remembered bending my head to her nipples, tasting their sweetness. From the way she avoided my gaze, she remembered that too.

  “And you redecorated with this for your mom’s birthday party?”

  I pursed my lips. I hadn’t really thought about that.

  “Well,” I started, “I mostly was thinking about you and how you said that the place needed more personality.”

  “So this is your idea of personality.”

  “Sure.”

  “Naked statues and naked photos.”

  “Hey!” I protested. “I didn’t plan it like that. It’s just, you know, I started picking pieces to use. I thought you’d like them.”

  “Great theme,” Steph said, her sarcasm cutting through her words. “Maybe I can put nipples on all the cupcakes.”

  “Come and see the library,” I said, going to open the door. I tried to remember what prints I’d picked out for the library, but the specific ones weren’t coming to mind. Probably more modeling prints, eesh. I bit my lip before I turned the handle.

  “Are there boobs in there, too?” Steph asked, locking her eyes onto my mouth. “You look like there are boobs in there.”

  I stopped biting my lip.

  “There… may be boobs in there too,” I said.

  “Well, let’s take a look,” she said.

  As I pushed open the oak door, I realized why Alex had closed it.

  Otis jumped through the door and came rushing into the living room, his tongue flapping out of his face.

  “Otis!” I cried. “Wait!”

  But yellow labs weren’t known for waiting, and Otis was as spastic as they come. Steph’s eyes went wide and she raised her hands, but Otis was already jumping.

  He knocked her over completely. Her arm jerked back with the blow, and red wine soaked the front of her shirt as she tumbled back onto the carpet. Otis licked her face happily.

  “Aiiii!” she screamed, lifting her glass in the air.

  “Otis, DOWN!” I yelled.

  Otis jumped away, wagging his tail.

  “Here,” I said, helping her up. “Are you okay?”

  “I didn’t get any on the carpet,” she said, putting the now-empty glass on the coffee table and looking down at her shirt woefully.

  Her white blouse made it look like she’d gotten shot in the chest. I lamented the waste of one of the better Cabernets I’d ever tasted, but on the bright side, her blouse was a little more see-through. I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and began to blot at her chest.

  She slapped my hand away.

  “Stop it!” she cried.

  “You need to clean this before it stains,” I said, a plan forming already in my mind. Maybe the spilled Cab wasn’t a waste after all. “Here. Come with me.”

  I stood outside the bathroom.

  “Take off your shirt,” I called through the door.

  “Thanks for taking charge of the situation, Captain Obvious,” Steph called back from inside.

  “You’re welcome,” I said. I pushed the intercom button on the wall and spoke in a lower voice. “Alex, could you come here?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Steph?” I called.

  “Mmm! What?”

  She sounded like she was struggling with the shirt. I took a moment to savor the mental image of her, half-naked in my bathroom, tearing off her clothes.

  “Are you shirtless yet?” I asked.

  “Yes. Do you have something for me to wear?”

  “I will. First give me your blouse. I’ll give it to Alex to clean.”

  As if on cue, Alex rounded the corner.

  The bathroom door opened two inches, and Steph pushed her wine-stained blouse through the door. Was she topless, then? I craned my neck to see if I could peek a glimpse in the mirror, but no luck. I tossed the blouse to Alex.

  “Could you clean that, or replace it, or whatever? Maybe get a couple more from that shop down the street, but with a lower neckline—”

  “Lucas!”

  “Fine. The same neckline. Just find a suitable replacement.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Alex disappeared as fast as he had come. I waited until I heard the click of the door behind him.

  “Steph?”

  “Do you have something for me to wear?”

  She stuck her bare arm out. I touched her hand, trailing my fingers up her bare arm. She yanked it back and poked her head out.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Admiring the human form.”

  “A little less admiring, a little more getting me a new shirt.”

  God, she was sexy when she was peeved.

  “Of course. I only have one of mine, but it’ll have to do.”

  I heard her sigh behind the door. Then it opened another inch.

  “Give it to me,” she said.

  “Why don’t you come out here and take it?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’m trying to be professional.”

  “And I’m not.”

  “Lucas! You’re evil.” There was a strain of desire in her voice that made my cock twitch with anticipation.

  “Evil? Come on. There’s a beautiful half-naked woman in my house. You can’t blame me for being tempted. God forgives sinners, and it can’t be that wrong of a sin, can it?”

  “Why not?”

  I leaned up against the door to whisper in my most seductive, teasing voice.

  “Because… it feels so right.”

  The door clicked shut against my face.

  “Steph?”

  “Lucas, get me a shirt!” she called through the door.

  “Why?”

  “Why? Because I’m topless, that’s why!”

  “Steph, let me tell you something. In business, we call this bad negotiating.”

  “I’m not negotiating with you, Lucas!” she screamed. “Give me a shirt.”

  “Just open the door and I’ll give you a shirt. I promise.”

  There was silence on the other side of the door.

  “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

  Again, silence.

  “Steph?” I asked. I hoped I hadn’t made her too upset. I’d made enough women upset to know what an upset pause sounded like. It didn’t sound like an upset pause.

  Then the door handle turned and clicked open, and I stepped back. Steph stood in the doorway. She was topless, but the thing I noticed first was the look in her eyes. I could sense the heat of her desire just from the way she stood. Defiant, yet tempting as a siren on the shore.

  “My God, Stephanie.”

  “Shirt. Now.” She held out a hand toward me. I took it with my own.

  “No.”

  “What do you mean, no?”

  I only thought about it for a moment. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do. But she couldn’t have expected me to do anything else.

  I pulled her into my arms and kissed her like she was the air I was breathing.

  Chapter Three

  Steph

  As soon as I started kissing Lucas back, I realized that it was a bad idea. No, scratch that. A Very Bad Idea.

  His hands str
oked my back, massaged my shoulders. I could already feel his erection through his pants, and the pressure of it was enough to make me wet. I ached to lean into his kiss. But I was supposed to be professional. I wasn’t supposed to do…

  To do this.

  With a gasp, I pulled away from Lucas. His brilliant blue eyes seared mine with desire.

  “Steph—” he said hoarsely.

  “No,” I said.

  “Why not?”

  “We should never have… you know… hooked up.” I cringed at myself for using such an adolescent term.

  “You didn’t like it?”

  “Of course… of course I liked it. That’s not the point.” I tried to remember what the point was. Lucas threaded his fingers through my hair, though, and I lost any idea of what I was thinking about.

  “Tell me you don’t want me again.”

  I couldn’t say that, because it wasn’t true. Instead, I wriggled in his strong arms and repeated myself again.

  “We can’t do this.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re not serious. This isn’t a serious thing.”

  I thought that I saw a flash of sadness in his eyes, but then it was gone and he was back to his mischievous flirty self again.

  “Just once more. Get it out of your system. I’m not out of your system yet, am I?”

  Maybe if he hadn’t already kissed me, I could have stopped myself. Maybe if my body wasn’t aching so badly for his touch, I could have escaped. Maybe if I wasn’t already half-naked and in his arms, I could have lied to him.

  But I couldn’t lie.

  “No,” I said. “You’re not out of my system.”

  “Just give me one more time.”

  “Lucas…”

  “Once more.”

  His head was bent, his lips at my neck, and suddenly I was clinging to him, urging him on with soft whimpers of encouragement.

  Once more.

  Don’t be stupid. You’ve already messed up once.

  It was true. I had already made this mistake with Lucas once. His hands ran down my back, sending chills through my spine. I was pinned in his arms, and I loved his touch, loved the way I fit against his body, my soft curves and his hard planes. If it was a mistake, it was the best mistake I’d ever made.

  Then why not twice?

  I’d slipped completely into a role I swore I’d never play. I didn’t want to be the needy one, the clinger. His lips drew back from my skin, and he held me at arm’s length. Those eyes. I could fall into them, those pools of blue.

  You don’t have to tell anyone you need him. It’s only a fling.

  “Steph?” he asked. “Talk to me.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But it’s over after this, right?”

  “If that’s what you want, it’s over.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Okay.”

  If it was a fling, I didn’t need him. It was just for fun.

  I held onto that thought as Lucas kissed me again. Thrills of desire shot through me, and I pulled him closer, closer. His hands explored my body, and I repeated the phrase over and over in my head.

  Just a fling. Just a fling.

  His mouth was hot and wanting, and as I let myself melt into his kiss, the words faded into oblivion along with any other thought. And even though I told myself nothing about this mattered, I couldn’t help but worry that we were getting too close.

  Once we had gotten so tangled together, how could we ever pull apart again? I wasn’t going to repeat my mom’s mistakes. I wasn’t going to let some guy sweep me off my feet and take control of everything.

  He held me like I was the most fragile treasure in the world, and he had to keep me safe. But the only thing I needed to be kept safe from… was Lucas.

  Lucas

  I didn’t let Steph see how much her words tore at me. She didn’t want anything serious, she said. She wanted it to be over. Well, if I only got one shot at her, I would give it my best.

  Because I knew that one more time was usually anything but.

  I pulled away with my lips at the last moment, letting our passion fill the air between us. She was so soft and pliable, and all I wanted was to throw her on the bed and take her like I had back in Paris. But no, that would be too fast. I needed to go slow.

  Steph, on the other hand, acted like I’d flipped a switch. Before, she had been all hesitation and nervousness about the “mistake” we’d made. Now that she’d decided to let it happen again— —once more—

  —now that she’d decided to let me in one more time, she was purring in my arms like a kitten.

  Her fingertips brushed the front of my pants. My cock throbbed.

  “Don’t lead me on, Stephanie,” I whispered.

  “Never,” she said. “That would be very unprofessional.”

  I smiled at her and brushed my own hand over her chest, letting my thumb tease her nipple. She let out a little gasp of pleasure and tossed her hair back.

  “What would you like me to do?” she asked, all playful innocence.

  I looked into her gorgeous amber eyes. She was a natural submissive, no matter what she told herself. Her desire to please was as strong as any I’d ever seen. I decided to test her.

  “Get on your knees,” I said.

  Her eyes widened, but only slightly. Her tongue darted out and touched her bottom lip, making my heart skip a beat. I brushed her hair back with my hand as she knelt down slowly in front of me.

  “Unzip my pants,” I ordered.

  She was more than perfect. Her fingers fumbled slightly as she undid my zipper, but as she leaned closer I could feel her breath warming me through the fabric. There was a hitch in my breath as I gave the next order.

  “Take it out.”

  She smiled at me, as though amused that I had to resort to pronouns. Her delicate small fingers hooked around the waistband of my briefs and tugged them down mid-hip. Her head tilted against my hipbone, and I swear she was trying to get as close to me as possible without touching me with her mouth. As she tugged the fabric down, my cock leapt out, bobbing right in front of her face. And her tongue—God, that tongue, soft and pink—poked out again, licking her bottom lip. I could feel my heartbeat pounding.

  “What would you like me to do with this?” she asked, a hint of a smile peeking through her innocent expression.

  “Kiss it.”

  She kissed the tip lightly. I struggled as all of the remaining blood in my body rushed to that one place. My hand cradled her head, and I ached to pull her against me farther. I wouldn’t, though. She would do what I wanted, in time. I’d wanted this to go slow, didn’t I?

  “Lick me,” I said, my voice hoarse. “God, Steph, don’t tease.”

  “I thought you were all about teasing,” Steph said. Her breath chilled the moist tip of my cock, and I drew a ragged breath. She leaned forward and that beautiful pink tongue darted out. She drew her tongue in a circle around the head, then withdrew.

  Before I could give another order, she’d pressed another kiss to the underside of my shaft. I drew a sharp breath as she ran her tongue down to the base, pressing it up against my balls. My whole body ached with the tension of waiting for her.

  It was only seconds, but it could have been an hour as far as I was concerned. My fingers flexed, threading through her hair. Finally she slid her tongue back up and took me into her mouth. Her tongue pressed hard against the small slit at the end of my cock, and I nearly exploded right then and there.

  “Jesus,” I breathed.

  “Do you like that?” she asked. Her words were a light wind across my sensitive prick, and I bit back a groan.

  “Yes,” I said instead. “God, Steph, you’re incredible.”

  She pressed light kisses along my shaft, licking and nibbling. Every touch of her tongue, her lips, sent waves of need through my body. Who was this woman? She tortured me, teased me, and all I could think about was how I wanted more, I wanted her every day, always, I needed her to do these things to me, to take me
farther into delicious need before satisfying me.

  Her fingers caressed my balls, fluttering under my shaft like butterflies. Torture, but the best kind of torture. I felt my balls tighten together.

  “Lucas?”

  Her eyelashes fluttered up at me, red-gold and long on her cheeks. I realized I’d been tensing, holding my breath, my fingers gripping her hair tightly.

  “Take me.” The command was a whisper, but it was a whisper she heard. Her cheeks pinked. “Take me as far as you can.”

  She slid her lips down over my shaft. I stroked the back of her head, but she needed no encouragement. Inch after delectable inch, she slid forward, taking me fully. I ached as the tip of my cock hit the top of her mouth, the ridged slick flesh there. And still she pushed forward, and then I felt her throat tighten around me.

  Her lips sealed around my base. Her tongue lapped lightly at my underside.

  “Christ, Steph,” I hissed, clutching at the wall next to me. My knees were going weak. It was insane, but I was already there. I didn’t know how she’d brought me to the edge so quickly, but there it was. I tapped her shoulder, the familiar feeling coming over me.

  “Steph, I’m going to come. I’m going to—”

  But instead of pulling away, her fingers tugged at my balls, urging me farther into her mouth. God, that rush of warmth, that soft hot mouth on me. It was impossibly tight, impossibly perfect. I strained not to come immediately, but I couldn’t stop myself.

  “Steph—”

  All it took was one more flick of her tongue against my cock.

  I exploded. Her hands cupped my balls as I came, tugging lightly as I pulsed against her lips. I felt her swallow my come and then her tongue was licking me, her lips pulling back.

  “Ohhhh,” I groaned. I struggled to stay standing as I shuddered once, then again, the orgasm taking hold of my whole body. “Fuck. Oh, God.”

  I’d wanted to save myself for later, but as Steph continued licking and sucking, I could feel my cock already twitching. Oh, I’d be ready for more, that was for sure.

  “Anything else?” she asked. She licked the last drops of come off of the head of my cock, her mouth quirking in a smile.

  I pulled her to her feet and kissed her roughly. She seemed surprised at first, her mouth in a perfect O of shock. God, I loved tasting myself on her lips.

  “Yes,” I growled. “Get on the bed.”