“I didn't know who he was until I sat down at the restaurant.” At least I was able to answer that one with complete honesty. “I didn't know Erika Summers was a pen name, or who it was for.”
“Really? Then when did you start fucking him?”
My jaw dropped, but the heat in my face was only half from embarrassment. The rest was anger. It didn't matter what Erik and I had done at the club, or even that I'd gone behind her back contacting him. Firing me was definitely a realistic option, and not one I'd really fight. The language wasn't even really the issue.
Her question and what it meant, however, was.
“That's what happened, right?” She gave me the sort of condescending look I'd gotten used to from people like her. The ones who liked to act like they were better than me because I didn't have a family or money.
I straightened and squared my shoulders.
Fuck that.
“What happened, Miss Foxe,” I said firmly, “is that I set up a meeting with the author of a manuscript that I believed in, and Mr. Sanders appreciated that initiative and the belief in his book. That is why he decided that he wants me to represent him. Which means, if Branch Publishing wants him to sign the contract I'll be taking him at lunch, then they must honor the terms he asked for, including me being his representative.”
Jai glared at me but didn't argue.
I stood. “Now, I have a little more to do before my lunch meeting. After lunch, I'll continue with the manuscripts you gave me last week.”
I turned and walked out, all the while expecting her to fire me anyway. After all, I hadn't yet put my name into the contract as Erik's chosen point of contact. That was one of the things I need to do before I went to lunch. I'd put in a clause that Erik could request another representative at any point in time, but I wasn't going to let Jai be the one making that call.
“Um, excuse me?” I leaned forward and tapped on the glass separating the front of the car from the back. “Where are we going?”
“Mr. Sanders requested I take you to his place for lunch, Miss.” The driver's voice was bright, and I wondered if Erik had told him to be prepared for an argument when I found out where we were going.
I frowned but didn't argue. It wasn't the driver's fault Erik was being presumptuous.
Then again, I didn't know if it was anything like that. Maybe Erik just felt like being at home for lunch so we could avoid interruptions like our last lunch had experienced. The knot in my stomach said I didn't quite believe myself.
My nerves multiplied as we pulled up in front of a stunning townhouse. I'd never been to the Upper East Side before, and definitely not anywhere near East 83rd, but I knew this was one of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods. The vast gap between myself and Erik had never been more evident than now. The rent on a place like this had to be astronomical.
Then the door opened, and Erik stood there, looking just as good as I remembered. He was dressed more casually today, wearing a pair of jeans and fitted t-shirt that showed off his muscles when he moved.
“Come on in,” he said with a smile, dimples flashing.
I followed him inside, trying not to gawk as I went. We went through a living room that was easily two and a half times bigger than my entire apartment, and then into a spacious kitchen slash dining room. A pair of French doors led out into a small garden where raised beds held some plants I recognized as thyme and lavender. Not exactly what I would've expected from a man like Erik Sanders.
“You have great timing,” Erik said as he walked over to the stove. “I was just putting the finishing touches on lunch.”
“You cook?” I blurted out the question, then flushed.
“I do.” He gestured toward the breakfast nook. “What would you like to drink? I'd normally try to suggest the correct wine to complement the chicken I'm making, but since we're supposed to be working...”
“Water's fine,” I said and held up the manila envelope I'd carried in. “I have your contract.”
“Great,” he said with another smile. “First we eat, then we'll take care of business. Now, why don't you tell me a little more about why you went into editing.”
The next half hour passed quickly as we made small talk and enjoyed the meal he'd prepared. With each minute that passed, I became more comfortable in his presence. I'd never felt so at ease in a social situation, and it wasn't only because I was trying to look at this from a professional perspective. It was how Erik didn't treat me as an inferior, how even his flirting was light. If we could put the other night behind us and stay like this, we'd have a great working relationship.
I just wished I wanted to forget about what happened at the club.
“All right,” he said as he reached for the envelope. “Do you have a pen with you? I don't usually have one in here.”
I dug around in my purse as he read through the papers, and by the time I handed over my pen, he was ready to sign. I waited for a comment on the inclusion of my name, but it never came. Instead, he handed me back the envelope and stood.
“If you could make a copy for my records and have it sent over, I'd appreciate it.”
I nodded, getting to my feet as well. “Of course.”
I tried not to show my disappointment. I'd assumed he'd wanted me to come to his house for more personal reasons, but now he looked like he was ready to show me out. That should be what I wanted to happen. Keeping things strictly business.
“I've been working on one of the scenes I know needs some improvement,” he said as he held out his hand. “I'd like to get your opinion on it.”
Oh. Apparently, he wasn't ready to get rid of me just yet after all.
I took his hand and told myself to ignore the tingle that went across my skin at the contact. He led me back into the living room and over to the massive couch that took up three-quarters of the entire back wall. He sat and then pulled me down next to him.
“Which scene?” I asked as I told the butterflies in my stomach to calm down. This was still work. Nothing more.
“Why don't I read it to you?” He released my hand and reached over to a small table to pick up his manuscript.
I really hoped he was asking for help with one of the scenes where the main character, Chase, is struggling to decide whether or not he should train Leia. I'd have no problem helping Erik out with the psychological battle Chase was going through.
Or maybe the scene where Leia wipes out for the first time and Chase wants her to quit.
Anything but...
“I'm not sure if the first time Chase and Leia have sex is hot enough.”
Shit.
“With the book opening on Chase dominating a Sub,” Erik continued, “can the more vanilla sex be enough to make readers want more of Chase and Leia together?”
I wanted to tell him that I remembered the scene and didn't need him to refresh my memory, but something deep inside me held back my words. I wanted to hear him read it.
He cleared his throat and began.
“She was too innocent, too pure. I knew I shouldn't want her. Shouldn't want to do the things to her that I enjoyed. She'd told me she was a virgin, and her guileless eyes had assured me of the truth. That should have been my signal to run away. To tell her that she needed someone who would be soft and gentle with her, who would only want to cherish every inch of her delectable body. That person wasn't me.
I wanted to kiss her hard enough to bruise her lips. Make her come on my tongue until she begged me to fuck her. I wanted to use my hands, a flogger, a cane, anything really. Turn that pretty skin of hers pink. Teach her how to blur the line between pain and pleasure. Show her that the sting of a bite or the agony of denial could transform into the most intense experience of her life.
I knew that being her teacher would only corrupt her...and I didn't care.”
Dammit. I was in trouble.
Chapter Twelve
Erik
From the first moment I'd seen her walk into the restaurant, I'd wondered what she t
asted like, what her mouth would feel like against mine. And the moment I finished with the scene, I tossed the manuscript onto the table and reached for her.
Her eyes widened as I cupped her face between my hands, but she didn't pull away. She made a surprised sound as my mouth came down on hers, but her fingers curled around the front of my shirt, pulling me closer. I traced the seam of her mouth, and she parted her lips. Part of me wanted to rush, but I held myself in check, savored the way she felt, the taste of the spices from our lunch.
When I finally broke the kiss, I kept one hand curled around the back of her neck. “So, what do you say, sweetheart?” I was surprised at how unsteady my voice sounded.
“About what?”
“About you and me exploring how hot the scene plays out?”
She went still, and for a moment, I was afraid I'd crossed a line. I'd been sure I'd read her right, that I wasn't the only one feeling a connection between the two of us. But maybe I was wrong.
“You...” She swallowed hard. “You want to do that...with me?”
I straightened and gave her a puzzled look. “Why wouldn't I?”
“I'm not exactly...” Her dark eyes slid away from mine.
“Look at me, Tanya.” I caught her chin and held it until she did as I asked. “I'm not a man who gets pressured into doing things or one who settles for anything less than what I want. And right now, I want you to come upstairs with me.”
I could see her hesitation, her anxiety. I leaned forward and brushed my lips across hers.
“We won't go any further than you want,” I promised. I ran my thumb along her bottom lip as one corner of my mouth twitched up in a partial smile. “And you can tell me if the descriptions from Leia's perspective are accurate.”
She raised an eyebrow, a ghost of a smile in her eyes. “So it's just business then?”
I winked at her. “Who says business can't be pleasurable?” I stood and held out a hand. “Just say the word, and we stop.”
We didn't go to the master suite. Having her at my home was more than I'd ever done with any other woman. It didn't matter how much I wanted her, I wasn't going to take her in my bed. She didn't ask about it though, even though the room I led her to was clearly a guest room.
“Shoes.”
She toed off the flats she was wearing, and I saw that she'd painted her toenails a seashell pink that matched her fingernails.
“Arms up.”
She obeyed, and I pulled her shirt over her head, dropping it on her shoes. Her bra was a pale sort of pink that would've washed out a different skin tone, but on her, it just made her porcelain complexion glow. My eyes locked with hers as I reached down to the side zipper of her skirt and pulled it down. The skirt pooled at her feet, leaving her in a pair of simple panties and bra that should've been easily dismissed. Except on her, it was hot.
Everything about her was different, and I knew I had to handle things different as well. While I wanted to teach her all sorts of things about how good it could be to submit, I wouldn’t go about things the way I usually did. Instead, I would do exactly what I told her I wanted to do.
I was going to act out the scene.
I stepped into her, our bodies close enough that the scent of calla lilies flooded my nose. I raised my hand and brushed my knuckles across her cheek before pulling my own shirt over my head.
Like Leia had done in the scene, Tanya started to reach for me, then dropped her hand and looked down. Damn, she had that innocence down to a science. It was hard to tell what was her and what was her insight into the characters I'd created.
“It's okay.” I picked up her hand. “Touch me.”
Her fingertips traced over the ridges of muscle before moving over the tattoo that covered my right side.
“What is it?”
The question was original, so I answered with the truth. “It's a Japanese prayer for the dead. I got it after my mother passed away.”
Her eyes were soft as she looked at me. “I'm sorry. I didn't know.”
“It's okay,” I said with a smile. “I lost my father when I was twelve, my mother just before college. I miss them, but it doesn't hurt to think about them anymore.”
“Still.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss over my heart. “I'm sorry.”
I slid my arms around her waist and ran my hands up her back. “Thank you.”
I bent my head to kiss her as I unfastened her bra. She gasped as I cupped her breasts, and I took advantage of her parted lips to sweep my tongue inside. Her nipples pebbled as I rolled them between my fingers, and I couldn't wait any longer to see that beautiful body.
I took a step back and let my gaze fall to her full breasts, pale peach-colored nipples.
“Damn, you're beautiful,” I murmured.
And that blush did indeed spread across all of her skin.
“On the bed.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed and pushed herself backward until she was able to rest on her elbows. She watched as I stripped off my jeans, eyes darkening to nearly black when she saw I wasn't wearing anything under them.
I wrapped my hand around my cock, watching her expression as I stroked myself. I wanted to be buried inside her so badly it ached, but I intended to see things through. Besides, the next step in the scene was something else I'd been wanting to do since I'd slipped my fingers between her legs at the club.
I leaned down over her and hooked my fingers into the waistband of her panties. I pulled them off and tossed them aside, all my attention focused on the thin layer of pale curls covering her flushed skin. I used her hips to pull her to the edge of the bed, then sank to my knees.
I'd never been the sort of man who minded performing oral sex, or who only used it as foreplay. I enjoyed giving it as much as receiving it. Some Doms thought only Submissives should do it, but I understood the power that came with having such control over another person's pleasure.
That part of Chase's personality had definitely come from me.
I pulled Tanya's legs over my shoulders and kissed the inside of her thigh. She shivered, and I wondered how many of her previous lovers had done this for her. I didn't ask though. I wasn't sure I really wanted to know the answer. Instead, I focused on making this so good that she'd forget about everyone else.
I started slow, teasing her with my tongue before parting her folds to lick at the even more sensitive parts of her flesh. When I reached her clit, she gasped, hips jerking hard enough that I had to hold her in place. Her hands fisted in the sheets, back arching, as I circled the bundle of nerves.
“Let me see you come, sweetheart.”
I slid a finger inside her and curled it, sliding the tip along her wall until she cried out. I placed my free hand just under her belly button, keeping her in place as I worked my finger over her g-spot.
“Do you want to come?”
“Yes,” she panted, her hands twisting in the bedspread. “Yes, I want to come.”
“What else do you want?” I kept up the pressure, wondering how long I could keep her on the edge. “Tell me what you want.”
“You. I want you inside me.”
I looked up the length of her body, and the sight took my breath away. Her nipples were hard, breasts heaving as her breathing grew ragged. Then her eyes met mine, and I knew the line between fiction and reality was blurring. She wasn't just giving the same answer Leia had given Chase. She truly meant it.
“Then come for me, and I'll give you what you want.”
I pressed the flat of my tongue against her clit, moving the muscle in counterpoint with my finger until the alternating friction made her scream her release.
Fuck. That sound was almost enough to make me come right then. A man with lesser self-control would have.
I moved back, letting her curl onto her side as I stood. I'd been hopeful enough about today to put a stash of condoms in the bedside table, so I grabbed one and rolled it on before going back to the bed. I climbed on and gently pulled Tanya into the
center.
I brushed her hair back from her face, waiting until her eyes focused again. “Ready for more?”
She nodded, a shy smile on her face. Her touch was light as she ran her fingers across my cheek. I didn't feel any hesitation on her part, but there was something strange in her eyes. Something I couldn't quite place.
I'd stop if she said no, but she wasn't taking back her consent, so I pushed all other thoughts aside. We weren't in a relationship. This was sex. Fun. It wasn't my responsibility – or my right – to ask her to share.
I settled between her legs, lowering my head to take a nipple between my lips. She moaned, fingers running through my hair, tugging as I applied suction. Some primal part of me wanted to dig in my teeth, to make her nipples so sore that she wouldn't be able to think of anything but my mouth for days. I wanted to mark her, show her how good it could feel to have some pain with pleasure.
But that wasn't what we'd discussed. Even if we weren't entirely playing out parts, I wouldn't cross that line without talking to her first, until we'd set boundaries in place.
That was a thought for later though. Right now, my cock was so hard it hurt. I needed to be inside her.
I released her nipple and raised my head so I could see her face when I entered her. I'd felt how tight she was, so I knew I couldn't just slam into her the way my body wanted to, no matter how wet she was.
She hooked her legs around my waist, her hands on my biceps, but she didn't say a word. As I began to ease my way inside, her eyelids fluttered, and her nails dug into my arms. Her head fell back as she bit her bottom lip, myriad expressions passing across her face.
Her passage tightened, and as I pushed past the slight resistance, that was when I saw it. A wince. Just a hint of pain that I wouldn't have thought anything about if I hadn't still had some of Leia and Chase's scene running through my head.
Because I'd described this moment in my book.
The moment Chase took Leia's virginity.