Like she should have been all along.
"What the fuck is going on between you and Dominic?"
Melissa spun around at the sound of her father's voice. He never swore. Never.
"Follow me," he demanded.
She shot out of her chair and followed him into the same conference room she and Dominic had occupied not five minutes earlier. Her father waited for her to step inside before closing the door. Loudly.
"Dominic just waltzed into my office and told me to transfer his files to you." He pinned her with a hard gaze. "Did you know about this?"
Melissa didn't know what to do. Should she lie? No, she was a terrible liar. It would only make things worse. "Yes," she said. "He wants to work with me. I told him no."
Her father's gaze was unyielding. "You turned down an offer to work with one of the greatest football players of all time?"
She nodded. "I want to be an agent, but I'm not going to steal your clients."
Tom walked past her to stare out the plate-glass windows at the Bay. "Sink or swim."
"Excuse me?"
Her father turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "I don't have the first clue why he wants to work with you. But go ahead, take him. He's yours." He strode to the door, stopping just inside the threshold, "just be careful, Melissa. Dominic might seem like a nice guy, but he's just like any other player, keeping an eye out for the next best thing to come along." He paused. "And I wouldn't trust JP as far as I could throw him. You're a pretty girl. Don't forget it."
Chapter Nine
Early that evening, Melissa spent another hour trying on outfits. She should have spent the time digging deeper into JP's situation, but too little sleep last night combined with her intense anticipation of dinner tonight made concentration impossible. So far, all she'd done was google JP and print out his long list of transgressions. The press certainly loved writing about all the trouble he got into. The huge stack of gossip pieces and articles awaited her tomorrow morning, along with an appointment with her new client at his oceanfront rental along the Pacific Coast Highway in South San Francisco.
She needed to settle things with Dominic tonight, so then she'd be clear-headed and focused in the morning. The only problem was, she couldn't forget the way he'd made her feel, the way he'd branded every inch of her skin with his touch.
One night with him had changed everything. She would never be able to settle for anything less than the passion he'd aroused in her. Which laid the impossible task before her: find another man who utterly and completely rocked her world.
The doorbell rang and her heart fluttered madly as she headed into her foyer/living room. Her apartment was piddly compared to Dominic's expensive, masculine lair, but it was a cozy place to come home to. She opened the door and lost her breath.
She should have been used to his magnificence by now, but she wasn't. Far from it.
"Come in," she said in as strong a voice as she could manage with no air in her lungs.
He handed her a single rose. A red one. "For you."
He was simply being a gentleman. He probably bought dozens of roses every week for dozens of women. Dominic's thoughtfulness was part of his innate charm. It had nothing whatsoever to do with how he did--or didn't--feel about her.
"Thank you. It's beautiful." Glad to have something to do with her hands, she found a vase for the rose.
His eyes hungrily traveled her body, and she wondered if she was imagining the possession she read in his eyes.
"You look wonderful."
The V between her legs throbbed with need, now that she knew how his touch could turn her inside out in the most pleasurable way possible.
No--she wouldn't keep doing this to herself. Crumpling the rose's wrapping into a ball and shoving it into the garbage can, she told herself to stay on track. Strictly professional.
As they walked out to his car, she stuck to business. "What do you think about the team's prospects for next year? Any new players to watch?"
He pulled away from the curb, then turned to look at her. "I have high hopes that we'll win another Super Bowl." And then: "You look beautiful, Melissa."
She turned away and pretended to look out the window. She'd thought they had an unspoken agreement to stick to business from here on out. What was he doing?
A few silent minutes later, they pulled up in front of Cravings, the hottest restaurant in the city. "I've always wanted to eat here," she said, now that there was a safe, utterly unsexy topic at hand. "I hear the wait list is crazy, that they're booked months in advance."
The valet opened her door and helped her out of the car, but Dominic was at her side before the man could help her up to the curb. She was surprised to recognize the very handsome owner standing at the entrance, saying hello to some customers, thanking others for coming. Jason had gained fame as a restaurateur in Napa and had opened this San Francisco location less than a year earlier.
A huge smile lit his face when he saw them, and he and Dominic embraced before he turned to greet her. "What a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jason."
She was amazed that a truly gorgeous man like him didn't make her heart race. "Melissa McKnight." Wanting to clarify things immediately, she quickly added, "Dominic and I work together at the McKnight Agency."
Jason's friendly expression didn't change. "He'll probably forget to tell you this, but I've kicked Dominic's ass on the football field more than once."
Dominic let Jason's obvious fib go. "I appreciate you squeezing us in last minute."
"Anything for a friend," Jason said as he escorted them through the packed house and into a private, far-too-intimate dining room. "Enjoy your meal."
"Jason seems really nice. Especially considering how good-looking and successful he is."
Something that looked like jealousy crossed Dominic's face. "He's a good guy. Married his college girlfriend recently."
A waiter knocked, then entered to pour two glasses of complimentary champagne.
"I want to know more about you, Melissa."
She hastily swallowed the liquid in her mouth. "Why?"
Dominic's small smile made her hot all over. "I met you fifteen years ago, but we've never really talked."
Because he'd always been a superstar and she'd always been in awe of him. And even though she'd memorized every interview he'd given during the past twenty years, she didn't really know anything about him at all. His prefootball past was vague and mysterious.
Another waiter came in to give them the details of the seven-course menu, and she nodded in all the right places even though she didn't hear a word he said. As the waiter placed an amuse-bouche on the plate in front of her, she told Dominic, "My life is very ordinary. I'd rather hear about yours."
"Not everyone finds football exciting." Popping a seared scallop into his mouth, he swallowed before adding, "My mother wanted me to be a doctor."
She smiled. "I remember reading about that in Sports Illustrated."
He grinned. "What else do you know about me?"
Her face grew hot. "Nothing much," she lied.
"No?" he teased.
"It's my job to know about McKnight Agency clients," she insisted.
He merely smiled at her.
"In any case," she said, trying to get their conversation back on track, "your mother must be very proud of you now. You're one of the greatest wide receivers of all time."
Again, his grin told her that she'd said too much. "Smirking at me is no way to accept a compliment," she said, liking this verbal sparring too much for her own good.
His gaze fell to her lips, then slowly moved back up to her eyes. "Thank you. And yes, she's proud. But she never quite got over my not finishing college, let alone not going to medical school."
Dominic had catapulted into the spotlight after catching a season-winning Hail Mary pass during his sophomore year. The pros had beckoned, and Melissa knew how hard it was for players to turn down millions. Especially a top draft pick, like Dominic. Finishin
g college was a great goal, but the risk of getting hurt and missing the pros was too big.
"It would have been crazy for you to play college ball. You did the right thing."
His eyes locked onto hers. "A lot of things are crazy. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do them."
Her nipples grew hard and she bit back a frustrated groan. He probably didn't mean anything sexual by that; it was just her mind playing tricks on her.
The waiter knocked again, then came in with the second course.
Dominic asked her, "Have you always wanted to be an agent?"
As she cut into the spinach and feta ravioli, she nodded. "My father's job always seemed so exciting."
"Is it?"
She smiled. "I love working with athletes. That's why 1 got my MBA. It was either that or a law degree."
"Smart move. I'd think other agencies would be dying to get you on board."
She bit her lip. She'd been planning that very thing this morning, before her father had offered her JP. And then Dominic.
"All I care about right now is making JP a great deal with a new team."
Dominic smiled indulgently. "Lucky guy."
She blinked, trying to get her feet back on steady ground. "My father went ballistic on me today, by the way. Thanks for that."
Dominic sat back, his muscular frame barely contained by the chair, and took a sip of sparkling water. She'd noticed over the years that he rarely drank, and admired his restraint. Especially since she was gulping down her wine as quickly as it landed in her glass.
"I want to work with you, and your father has no choice but to accept my decision."
She put down her glass. "But I don't. I want to build my career legitimately, not because you or anyone else feels sorry for me."
"I hear what you're saying. But I still think you're making the wrong decision."
She held his gaze. "Wrong or right, it's my decision, Dominic. Not yours."
Something that looked like respect surfaced in his eyes. "Okay then, I guess that means I'm on the hunt for a new agent."
"I hope you'll be happy at another agency."
"The only person I want to work with is sitting right in front of me." His voice was warm and smooth.
"Why won't you take no for an answer?"
The way he looked at her turned her insides to jelly. "I've never taken no for an answer."
Arousal instantly flooded her panties. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought he was trying to get back inside her panties! That was utter craziness. He was the one who'd kicked her to the curb, not the other way around.
They ate in silence for several moments, and then Dominic said, "I bought you a gift to seal the deal."
"There is no deal," she reiterated, but he'd already pulled out a small velvet bag and put it beside her wineglass.
The delicious food turned to cement in her mouth, and she took a big swallow of wine to force it down. "I can't, Dominic."
"Open it," he coaxed in a soft voice.
She'd been brought up to be polite, no matter what, and she just didn't have it in her to be surly in the face of an unexpected gift.
Plus, she was dying to see what he'd bought her. Being around Dominic was like sticking to a diet all day long, then stuffing her face with an entire chocolate cake at midnight.
She picked up the small black velvet bag and untied the silk bow around the top, and into her hand fell a string of diamonds alternating with purple sapphires on an intricately woven platinum chain. She sucked in a breath as Dominic rose from his chair.
"Let me."
He gently brushed her hair to one side, then picked up the necklace. Laying the string of jewels between her breasts, he slid his fingers up the chain, along the sensitive skin of her collarbone and neck. She shivered in response.
The necklace perfectly matched the purple cashmere sweater she'd worn earlier today.
Chapter Ten
Melissa touched the stones lightly. "Dominic, this is too much. I can't keep it; it's too expensive. Too... beautiful," she finished softly. As she turned to look up at him, her mouth lush and pink and her eyes sparkling, Dominic's hard-on edged against his zipper.
"You're beautiful," he said, needing desperately to kiss her, to feel her mouth beneath his, to taste her.
He knelt between her legs to cup her face, tangling his hands in her hair as his mouth found hers. He hadn't intended to seduce her at his friend's restaurant. Just as he hadn't meant to kiss her earlier in the boardroom. Or make love to her repeatedly at his house the night before.
He'd never felt so drawn to anyone before, never needed a woman this badly, never craved her touch beyond reason. But the past eight hours had been a goddamned eternity, waiting to taste her again, and he was rougher than he intended as he forced her lips open with his tongue.
She groaned and instinctively opened her legs so that he could move in closer.
"I want you, Melissa. Right here. Right now."
He'd meant to get her permission to make love to her here, but being with her made him crazy, made everything he intended to say gently sound like a ruthless sexual demand, instead.
She sucked his lower lip between her teeth. "What if someone comes in?"
"We're safe here. If we don't answer when they knock, they'll go away."
"Promise?"
With a groan, he slipped his hands beneath her ass and said, "I promise," before covering her mouth again in a hot kiss. As she wriggled in his palms, his brain shut down as his cock surged.
"All I've been able to think about for hours and hours," he admitted as he pushed back her black silk dress to bare her breasts, "are your perfect breasts."
A sheer black bra barely covered her tight nipples, a sexy showcase for the most gorgeous tits he'd ever seen.
"I kept thinking about doing this," he said, pushing the mounds together with his palms and cover ing her lace-covered nipples with his mouth. She arched her back as he slid his tongue and thumbs over the stiff peaks.
"And this." He gently nipped at her rosy flesh with his teeth.
"Oh, God," she whispered, "yes."
The final vestiges of his self-control vanished. With Melissa, he couldn't even wait sixty seconds to dip into her honey pot. Being with her made him crazy, made him act like a sex-starved maniac.
Even though it hadn't even been a full day since he'd fucked her.
He slid his hands down her ribs, over her waist, pushing her dress higher and higher as he made his way south. She opened her legs wide and his fingers were greedy in their desperation to touch her, to feel how wet she was, to slide into her.
Her panties were damp, and a drop of precome shot to the head of his dick. He pressed against her fabric-covered mound with the pad of his thumbs, then slipped one finger under the band, and hit gold. Her pussy was slick and smooth. He slid one digit in to the hilt. She bucked into his hand, tightened her grip on his shoulder, and a whimper emerged from her throat.
He couldn't just let her come again with only his fingers. He had to taste her, too, lave her cunt with his tongue until she cried out in ecstasy.
Effortlessly lifting her hips off the chair, he slid her panties off and dived between her legs to lick her pussy in long strokes. She rocked her pelvis into his tongue and he pumped his fingers in and out of her in perfect counterpoint to her swaying hips.
Any second now she would come, and he would be hard-pressed not to blow in his pants. He would barely be able to hold out long enough to slip on a condom and pull her down on his shaft. He wouldn't win any records for staying power, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was giving her pleasure.
And feeling her suck him dry.
Her breath came in short gasps as she climaxed into his mouth. His hands wanted to be everywhere at once: swirling her clit, in her pussy, on her silk-covered nipples. He couldn't wait another second, couldn't wait for her to come down from her climax before he sank into her tight, wet heat. He unzipped his pants, reached int
o the pocket for a condom, and slid it over his huge erection. A second later, he pulled her off the chair and onto his shaft.
She slid down, taking him inch by sweet inch into her tight hole. They were a perfect fit, and he pushed in deeper until she was rocking into him, pulling his face to hers and kissing him passionately. He knew she was going to come again, close on the heels of her first orgasm, but he could barely think about anything besides his throbbing dick. He wanted to focus on her pleasure, tried so damn hard to concentrate on swirling her clit and squeezing her breasts, but all that did was make him harder, send him closer to his explosion.
His orgasm hit him like a three-hundred-pound linebacker, knocking the breath from his lungs. Melissa's contractions merged with his as they banged against each other on the floor, coming as hard as he ever had. Their mouths were sloppy, biting and licking and kissing and sucking at each other's.
At last she collapsed in his arms, exhausted by the force of their lovemaking. He felt like he was just getting started. He wanted to take her home right now and make love to her all night long.
But less than a minute later, her body language shifted from relaxed to tense. She untangled her limbs from his, awkwardly getting on her feet in the small space between his body, her chair, and the table.
"I need to go to the ladies' room," she said, her words tripping over one another. "Excuse me."
Before he'd even zipped up his pants, she was gone.
Chapter Eleven
Melissa's alarm went off and she sat up in bed, staring at her puffy face in the mirror over her dresser. She'd barely slept all night, after running out on Dominic in the middle of dinner.
This time he'd seduced her, and she'd been even more out of control than the first time he'd loved her senseless. Anyone could have walked in on them. Anyone could have witnessed her greedily riding Dominic's huge cock for all she was worth. Not only did she have no self-control where Dominic was concerned, she was completely devoid of common sense.
Two hours later, she rang the doorbell of JP's enormous new mansion in the prestigious Sea Cliff neighborhood. A house like his rented well into the double-digit thousands per month, and with no contract, he wouldn't be able to pay for it much longer at that burn rate.
And if she didn't get JP a new deal fast, both of them would be out on their asses with no job and no money.