I pressed a hand to the glass, warmed by the sun and tried to will away the tension knotting my shoulders.
Dominic had told me that he’d like to leave at five. The party started at seven, but he wanted to go over everything with Eddie and have time to get his pieces in position. I wondered if he liked to play chess.
The door to my suite opened. Dominic. He had a copy of my room key. Tucked inside my wallet, I had a copy of his too. Not that I’d felt inclined to use it. Things still felt so unsettled between us. I felt uneasy and the sensation grew as his gaze settled on the nape of my neck.
Slowly, I shifted my attention to the wavy reflection the window provided. I could just barely see Dominic’s outline, but I didn’t need to see him to know what he was doing. He was watching me. When he started toward me, my heart skipped a beat and then started to race.
He stopped just a few inches behind me and rested a hand on the curve of my waist. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you.”
“Part of me wants to tug on this zipper…”
I shivered as his fingers brushed the tab.
“Peel this dress off of you and bend you over.” Dominic murmured the words into my ear. As he did so, he took one of my hands and pressed it to the glass. “This way…”
He caught the other hand and guided it into place and then nudged me low. “I could take you like this.”
I shuddered as I felt him rub his cock against my covered ass.
“But I think I’ll wait until tonight.”
The hand he’d put on my waist slid around and I gasped when he pressed two fingers against me. Involuntarily, I shuddered and rocked against him, drawing out a slow, startled moan. He rubbed me through my clothing, teasing me, taunting me.
When I started to pant, his motions grew quicker, and panic cut through arousal. Abruptly, I pulled away. Moving a few feet to the side, I looked down at my hands. They were shaking.
“The party,” I reminded him.
He rubbed at his top lip with his right hand, his eyes burning, pupils wide. “The party.” His gaze slid across me, the heat in it so powerful, I felt as though he’d physically ran his hands over me. He reached inside his coat and held out a box. “A gift. I saw your dress and thought you might wear this with it.”
I lowered my eyes and stared at the box. It was flat and white. White velvet, I realized, as I slowly took it from him. I gasped when I flipped open the lid.
What lay inside knocked the breath right out of me.
Diamonds. They sparkled like stars on a bed of gleaming metal and my fingers itched to touch, but I didn’t dare.
Snapping the box shut, I said, “I can’t accept this.” I pushed it back toward him.
“You can,” he insisted as he took the box.
I figured out why quickly enough. He took the necklace out and came to stand behind me, the jewels held in his hands. He put it on my neck with the skill of a man who’d done that sort of thing more than once.
“Dominic, I can’t wear this,” I said weakly.
“Yes, you can.” He trailed a finger along my neck, under the chain that held my grandmother’s necklace. He carefully unlatched it and set it aside. “You wear this one. Wearing another necklace is no different.”
“My grandmother’s necklace doesn’t have diamonds on it the size of grapes!” I turned and glared at him.
He seemed to have been waiting for just that.
Before I’d even realized what was happening, I was pressed between him and the window, and his tongue was in my mouth. Fuck. I couldn’t think straight when he was touching me. Despite the fact that I had so many reservations, that I had questions that needed answers, desire flooded me and I curled my tongue around his and sucked.
He curved his hand around my neck, his thumb pressing into the hollow in the base. He pulled back and murmured against my lips. “I want you to do that with my cock in your mouth.”
His blue eyes glittered down at me and I shuddered. Licking my lips, I tried to think of what to say, but he pulled back, the reluctance clear on his face.
“We need to go. Now.” His gaze slid over me and my nipples tightened, chafing against my bra. “Otherwise, we won’t be going anywhere.” He didn’t step back though. Instead, he turned his face into my hair and said softly, “I’m going to spend half the night thinking about that, Aleena. How it will feel when I finally have you on your knees in front of me, taking my cock into your mouth, one slow inch at a time.”
My mouth went dry.
It didn’t dawn on me until later that I’d completely forgotten to keep arguing with him about the necklace.
***
“Well, isn’t this…lovely?”
That voice grated on my ears and I was glad I’d had my back turned when she approached. Next to me, Dominic stiffened and I saw the surprise in his eyes when he looked at the woman who’d just descended the stairs of the hotel’s grand ballroom.
Eddie White, from what Dominic had told me, had been in the matchmaking game almost since before such a thing existed. He’d been one of the pioneers, quick, clever, and thorough. And somehow, it appeared that Penelope Rittenour had managed to con her way into being one of his few guests.
Eddie had given us the final headcount just a few days ago, told us the names of all the key personnel and mentioned while most of his people were married and would be bringing their spouses, a few would be coming alone or bringing significant others. We were just going over the list now and I saw she’d been added, her name glared at me from the bottom of the page.
“Penelope,” Dominic said, his tone neutral.
That didn’t slow her down. She continued her slow, sensual glide down the steps, never once looking away from Dominic’s face. It was like I didn’t even exist.
“I must say, I’m surprised to see you here,” Dominic said when she came to a stop in front of the small table where we had been discussing a few last minute details.
“Dominic.” Penelope touched her tongue to her lower lip. She wore a deep, deep shade of red on her pretty mouth, just a few shades darker than the dress she wore. The red was stunning against her ivory complexion and I had to admit, she looked amazing. Slowly, she slid her tongue along the curve of her lip and then she smiled and cocked her head to the side. “It’s wonderful to see you.”
“As I said, it’s surprising to see you.”
“Well.” Her lashes fell to shield her eyes for a moment and then she looked back at him. “I’d mentioned I had business here. I ran into Eddie and heard about his dinner party. When he mentioned you’d be here…” Her gaze slid to me and then away. “I’d love if we could have some time to talk. Alone. Eddie said you hadn’t made plans to bring a date.”
The bottom of my stomach clutched and then fell out.
“Eddie’s mistaken.” Dominic touched his hand to my lower back. “Aleena’s my companion tonight, Penelope.”
His thumb swept along my spine, burning through my dress. I clutched at the folder I’d been holding, staring blindly at Penelope.
Aleena’s my companion…
Penelope seemed to have the same trouble processing those words as I did, but I wasn’t sure it was for the same reason. Companion. Not date. Not lover or girlfriend. Companion.
What the hell did that mean?
Penelope laughed.
It was an overly loud, almost braying sort of noise that made the work going on us around fall silent for the briefest of moments. She didn’t notice or care. “I’m sorry. You didn’t…” She laughed again, but it was quieter, like she’d gathered herself. She shook her head and leaned closer, as though the table between us and the distance of two feet might account for some of her confusion. “It seemed like you said you brought your secretary as your date. Dominic, your sense of humor has been very strange lately.”
“Aleena isn’t my secretary,” Dominic said. He looked down at me. “We’ll need to wrap this up elsewhere.” He turned back to Penelope. “And I’m afr
aid I don’t see what amuses you or strikes you as humorous about my choice of company.”
While she continued to gape at us, Dominic gathered up the pages we’d been studying and then held out his hand. Feeling strangely numb, I accepted.
***
“Now just where has Dominic been keeping you?”
The voice was low, full of the kind of warning that preceded the kind of leering I’d gotten used to from certain people and the alcohol it floated on was almost enough to make me feel lightheaded.
We were two hours into the so-called party.
The senior staff at Devoted were standing around with fake smiles. The man in front of me was the son of some CEO and when he reached out to trace his finger down my arm, I backed away.
“Oh, don’t be like that,” he slurred. He leaned in a little closer and reached out, brushing his hand down my arm. When the heel of his hand grazed my breast, his smile widened and we both knew it wasn’t an accident.
This time, I didn’t put just a step between us.
I put a few feet.
He chuckled and skimmed me with a look that made me feel dirty. “I bet you’re just as sweet as sugar…brown sugar, no doubt. Brown and rich and sweet and…”
I didn’t let myself cringe or even cross my arms as a shield against his lecherous gaze. Instead, I gave him a cold glare. “You’re about as original as you are sober, and witty too. How observant of you to notice that I’m brown, Mr. Pence.”
He blinked at me, surprised.
“Is this the part where I’m supposed to stammer and get nervous or self-conscious? Or just be quiet while you make crude remarks to me?” I asked. “After all, isn’t that my place?”
“Aleena!” Penelope gasped.
I had no idea where she’d come from and I turned my head, glaring at her.
“Really, that is hardly the way to talk to one of Mr. Snow’s future business partners,” she said, glaring down her nose at me.
“Actually, he’s one of Mr. Snow’s future subordinates,” I said, watching as she hooked an arm through Mitchell Pence’s. I knew Dominic wouldn’t want it coming out like this, but my nerves had been stretched to the breaking point and this made them snap. “They didn’t have a merger. The Winter Corporation is buying Devoted and rebranding it as the nest branch of Trouver L’Amour. There’s a difference.”
Pence’s face went an ugly shade of red. “You stupid black bitch—”
“I’ll handle this, Mitch,” Penelope said softly, patting his arm. She leaned in and whispered something into his ear. The two of them were quiet a moment and then he gave a low, dirty laugh, his eyes moving to rest on the bodice of my dress as Penelope turned her gaze back to me.
“Regardless of the details of the acquisition, Mr. Pence is a pillar of this community who deserves more respect than you seem to be capable of giving him, Ms. Davison. Perhaps—”
“Respect?” Crossing my arms over my chest to keep me from slapping her, I took a few steps towards her. I didn’t particularly want to be closer to either of them, but I preferred keep my voice down and still make sure she heard what I had to say. “Tell me…just how much respect should I show a man who invades my personal space and makes lewd comments toward me, Ms. Rittenour?”
She sniffed. “You receive the respect you earn in this life, and since we all know the real reason you’re here—”
“You are...” I shook my head. “You know what. You’re not even worth it.” I turned and walked away.
I just wanted to get out of there.
I found something of a refuge near the patio doors that opened out into the night. Miriam Beckman was there with her husband and she smiled at me with a guarded warmth. “I think it went rather well, all things considering,” she said when I paused to say hello.
“I think so too.”
She made introductions and we chatted for a few minutes, the banality of the conversation allowing me to relax a bit. After her husband, a man she’d introduced as Kurt, glanced past me for the third time, I finally followed his gaze and saw Mitchell Pence leaning up against a wall nearby, staring at me.
“If your boss is even half as smart as he seems to be, the first thing he needs to do is fire that son of a bitch,” Kurt said, his voice blunt.
“Kurt, please don’t start,” Miri said, shaking her head. “Not here.”
“He’s a dick, Miri. A dangerous one.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes, of course,” Miri said, clearly lying through her teeth.
Kurt said, “No.” He gave me a mockery of a smile and then tilted his half-empty wine glass in Pence’s direction. “That man there? He’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. And if I ever see him within ten feet of Miri again, I’ll rip his balls off.”
It took twenty minutes to get the story out of them and my head was pounding by the time they were done. Miri looked humiliated, stressed and frustrated. Kurt was pissed. And now I had to tell Dominic that a CEO’s son, one of the men we’d agreed to keep on as part of the deal, had a long, quiet history of sexual harassment.
Perfect, I thought. Outside, alone at a table by myself, I watched the party going on through the windows. The dinner was done and everybody was socializing, the feeling of relief almost palpable. We’d managed to keep a lid on everything pretty well, but those in management who’d agreed to come over with us had been walking on eggshells as they waited for Dominic to make his move. Now they could all breathe again.
Through the window, I could see Dominic talking to Eddie. I had to admit, he’d done a damn good job. Eddie looked pleased. Happy, really. He could retire at his own pace now knowing that his company and his people would be taken care of.
The door slid open.
I almost got up and left. There was another door inside, but I would damned if I let Penelope think she could chase me off.
So I stayed where I was, idly swaying to the music that played softly from hidden speakers and counting down the minutes until Dominic decided we could leave. That hot tub in my room was sounding really good right now.
Penelope said nothing right away, just came over and sat down on the opposite side of the table. Almost five minutes passed before she finally spoke, “I understand why he’s attracted to you, Aleena. You really are very pretty.”
I could almost hear her adding some sort of clarification. I turned my head and looked at her. “Am I supposed to say thank you?”
“I hardly expect you to have any sort of proper manners.” She looked unconcerned with my response. “You’re attractive and probably a unique change. After all, Dominic’s lovers all tend to be from his world.”
“So, Dominic’s slumming with me.” I gave her a hard look. “You’re hardly the first to point that out. His mother beat you to it, Penelope.”
Her eyes flickered and I smiled. “She told you about that, huh?”
“You’re so crude.” She wrinkled her nose. Then she sighed. “I don’t know why I’m bothering to discuss anything with you. Have fun with him while you can, Aleena. He’ll tire of you soon enough and I’ll be there waiting, as I always am. He knows where he can find me when he gets bored of you.”
Bored. Dominic did get bored easily.
She rose and turned to go, but then, slowly, she turned back to face me. “I’ve always been there for him. I’m the one he turns to when things are the darkest when he’s lost and confused. When he’s hurting, he knows I’ll be there. He always comes back to me. You? You’re just a passing fancy.”
I stared at her. “He always comes back to you? Uh-huh. Sure.” I waved a dismissive hand and went back to staring in at the party. “I think it’s clear how much he needs you.”
Silence, heavy and weighted, fell and after a moment, I turned to look at her.
She was staring at me, a glimmer of icy amusement on her face.
“And does he need you, Aleena?” She glanced toward the window and then started back toward me. “Tell me, when he’s hurting in the ni
ght, when the nightmares are the worst, do you know why? Do you have any idea what to say to make them go away?”
I’d been sure there was nothing she could say that would get to me any more than she already had.
I’d been wrong.
The nightmares.
I could still hear the sounds he’d made that night. The first night we’d ever had sex, it had been because I’d woken him from a nightmare. I’d never asked him what it was about and he never offered.
She leaned down, braced one hand on the table. “You do know about the nightmares, don’t you, Aleena?” She paused and then added, “Unless of course he doesn’t allow you to share his bed. He might fuck you, he does have needs, after all. I know that. But there’s a difference between sex and what I can give him.”
She gave me a knowing smile and then turned.
I never saw her leave.
I was too busy staring at Dominic.
***
She’s just trying to get to you.
I spent twenty minutes trying to convince myself of that. I spent another ten minutes working up the courage to go inside again.
Finally, I had no choice when that ass Mitchell Pence came out.
Swallowing back the bile and fighting a headache, I made my way in and I would have found a dark, quiet corner, but Eddie saw me and caught my arm, guiding me back into the thick of things. “Everything’s going wonderfully,” he said, squeezing my elbow. “Dominic’s been amazing. And both you and Amber have done so much…I can’t thank you enough.”
I smiled at him.
It couldn’t have been a very good effort because he paused and studied me. “Are you feeling okay, Ms. Davison?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Just tired.”
“Of course. I’ll…” He paused and then said, “Why don’t we find you a drink? The champagne is…”