The Next Play: Part One Page 6

  When he looked at her with that playful twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes, it was so hard to remember that he was someone she should keep her distance from. Too hard—and it scared the hell out of her. “Do you take nothing seriously?”

  Ignoring her question for the moment, he shifted closer, and she lowered her gaze, following the sleek line of his tie. Made of raw silk, it was exquisite, and probably cost more than her entire outfit. Hell, it even seemed to be mocking her as it pointed toward the imposing bulge behind the fly of his tailored trousers.

  And when did I start staring at his crotch? Wait…shit!

  Jocelyn jerked her gaze back up to his face, but it was too late. The heat in those knowing blue eyes told her she’d been caught red-handed. Licking her lips, she quickly said, “Are you going to answer my question?”

  He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh again. “You never actually asked what you really want to know.”

  She glared. “You know what I meant.”

  With a thoughtful tilt of his head, he stared into her eyes. “Yeah, I think I do. You’re wondering how I avoid getting slapped with sexual harassment suits.”

  She nodded, and the corner of his deliciously masculine mouth twitched. “I don’t,” he said. “The truth is that I don’t have to worry about them, because I’m always a good boy on company grounds.”

  “You weren’t yesterday.”

  “What can I say?” His smirk was so sexy it should have been illegal. “You bring out the bad in me.”

  “Sure I do.” Her tone made it clear that she didn’t believe him.

  “I’m being completely honest, Jace. You make me want to do things I know damn well that I shouldn’t. And for someone with sexual preferences as…extreme as mine, that’s really saying something.”

  “Sexual preferences? You mean…like a kink?”

  He laughed at how curious she sounded, and before she realized what he was doing, he had her pinned against the counter, his long arms braced against the cupboards on either side of her head, while she gripped the edge of the countertop behind her like it was a lifeline. There was still a bit of space between their bodies, but she felt completely trapped. His head was angled down so that he could see her face as she tilted hers back, and she knew that to anyone who might walk in, it would look as if he were about to kiss the hell out of her. That thought—as well as his proximity and his provocative, mouthwatering scent—made her pulse thunder in her ears, and she had to concentrate to make out his words when he finally spoke.

  “Yeah, I have a kink,” he admitted in a husky rasp. “I’ll give you three tries to guess what it is.”

  Thinking of what had happened with Lucas, her throat got so tight she could barely respond. “Ménage? You…you like sharing your women?”

  His mouth curled in a lazy smile. “At times, yeah. Depends on the woman, the situation, the ultimate goal. On what I’m trying to achieve at that specific moment. But…” His voice trailed off, and from the corner of her eye, she could see that his right hand was moving toward her face. A second later, her breath sucked in on a sharp gasp as that big, warm hand cupped her cheek, the callused pad of his thumb stroking softly against the edge of her mouth.

  “But what?” she whispered, wetting her lips.

  He’d been staring intently at her mouth, but lifted his heavy-lidded gaze back to hers as he said, “But I think I’m starting to get a bit possessive in my old age.”

  Old age? Hah! The guy was only thirty-five! He might be older than her, but he was still a long way off from being past his prime. And men like Jonah Cartwright seemed to only get better with maturity.

  Recalling how much he’d seemed to enjoy seeing her trussed up in her sweater, she made her second guess. “Bondage?”

  He shifted closer. Close enough that she could feel the solid muscles of his chest pressed against her breasts, his shockingly hard erection nudging against her stomach. She felt her face flush with heat, thinking he couldn’t possibly be as big as he felt. Uh-uh. No way. She must be suffering from some kind of fever or delusional episode. God, something. Anything!

  “Bondage?” he murmured, sounding as if he enjoyed having the word in his mouth. “Hmm. I’ll admit that the thought of tying your sweet little ass up makes me hard as nails. But that’s not quite it, either.”

  Heat poured through her heavy limbs like warm, melted chocolate. She parted her lips, searching for an appropriate response, but nothing came out.

  “Come on, Jace, think,” he drawled, playing the word over his tongue like a succulent, decadent treat.

  Thinking about the club he belonged to, and what that might entail, she suddenly knew the answer. “You…you like being watched.”

  No question this time. Just a quiet statement of fact.

  The smile he flashed her was pure, provocative sin, as wicked and tempting as his reputation, and Jocelyn felt something heavy and warm roll through her middle, like a thick wave of lust. As on edge as he made her, it was impossible to deny that she wanted Jonah Cartwright with a ferocity that should have made her run screaming in the other direction.

  But she didn’t move. Hell, she wasn’t even breathing. All she could do was stand there, staring up at him, and imagine what it would be like to have sex with him. To…fuck him. To have this beautiful, auburn-haired male holding her spread wide while he drove his powerful body into hers, in a devastating rhythm that was as hard as it was aggressive.

  And those eyes. She could all too easily imagine them burning a shade of fiery volcanic-blue, narrowed with raw, visceral, even possessive hunger as they drilled straight into her, forcing her to hold his scorching stare as he fucked himself deeper and deeper inside her body, until he owned every part of her. Until whatever he wanted was his for the taking.

  And all the while, those other hungry, burning, lust-heavy eyes would be watching them…watching the intimate thrusting of his body into hers…watching as her tender folds were stretched and penetrated by the heaviness of his impossibly hard, thick cock. God, she nearly came just thinking about it.

  Danger warnings began blaring through her brain like an earsplitting high-rise fire alarm.

  “That’s my girl,” he crooned, and the rasp of those husky words shivered across her skin, making her moan. “I knew you’d figure it out.” He lowered his head, his lips playing over the sensitive shell of her ear while his strong hands found her hips. They clutched. Held. His breath was warm on her skin, his heady scent enthralling her senses, all but a taste on her tongue, and she realized it was something that she craved. To take him into her body—into her mouth—and know the intimate, personal flavors that accompanied that provocative scent. His teeth nipped her lobe, followed by a low, rumbling laugh of male pleasure when she gasped and pressed closer. “I fucking love being watched. Love the feeling it gives me. Question is, Little Miss Tight-Ass, do you?”

  She flinched, feeling like he’d just thrown cold water in her face. “Why?” she demanded, shoving him back a step as she blinked up at him. “Why would you do that?”

  One of his auburn brows slowly arched. “Why would I like fucking in front of an audience?”

  “No,” she replied, shaking her head. “Why come on to me, and then insult me, all in the same freaking breath?”

  “I…” His voice trailed off, and he licked his lips, looking completely lost for a moment. “I honestly don’t know, Jace.”

  “Well, you need to stop it,” she said tightly, sidestepping out from between him and the counter. “All of it. I love my job here, and I…I need it. And I’m not looking to be the butt of any more of your twisted games. So, please, just stop.”

  Before he could respond, she skirted around him and hurried out of the room. She walked down the hallway as quickly as she could without looking like she was running, fully aware that he’d followed her out of the break room and was watching her. She could feel the heavy weight of his stare the entire length of the hall, until she finally reached the end and
turned right, heading toward the elevators. Her heart raced as she repeatedly pressed the Down button, praying a car would arrive quickly. She rushed onto the first one that opened, nearly sagging with relief as the doors slid closed and she was still alone.

  If he’d followed her onto the elevator, she didn’t know what she would have done, being trapped in such a small space with him. Knowing how he affected her, she’d have probably climbed up that gorgeous body and begged him to do her against the wall. Jesus, the guy was like her kryptonite. He got close and she lost her freaking mind!

  Damn it, hadn’t her past taught her anything? She knew exactly how dangerous men like Jonah Cartwright could be. Charming one moment, until they got what they wanted, and then they turned into the biggest shitheads on the planet.

  Though, to be honest, Jonah hadn’t tried to lure her in with any false declarations of emotion, and he didn’t shy away from letting her know he thought she was a prude.

  And, thinking back on it, he’d seemed truly taken aback by her reaction to having Lucas in the room with them, as if it hadn’t occurred to him that an audience might freak her out. Now that she knew about his exhibitionism kink, she realized that fooling around in front of his friend might even be perfectly normal for him. God, it was probably why he’d been so turned on in the first place, which made sense. It’d been the fact that he’d been touching her in front of another that had prompted that whole encounter—not Jocelyn herself. Put any woman in that same situation, and he probably would have reacted in exactly the same way!

  Rubbing at the small pain that had just settled at the center of her chest, she made her way off the elevator and headed blindly into the building’s café for an early lunch, determined to put the whole depressing mess out of her head. She managed to get through the rest of her day without any more confrontations, and was already heading out the main entrance of the building when she realized that she still didn’t have any idea how she was going to handle working with Jonah on the Fillmore deal.

  “I’ll just have to figure something out tomorrow,” she grumbled to herself, knowing it would be pointless in her current frame of mind.

  The drive to her friend Rey’s house took thirty minutes when the traffic was mild, and Jocelyn used the time to get her tension under control. Rey had been married for five years and had decided to become a stay-at-home mom when her daughter, Piper, was born. It was a godsend that she’d offered to watch Davey before and after preschool on the days when Jocelyn had to go into Atlas, since she’d dreaded having to leave her precious baby boy in daycare. And he loved Rey and her family, so she knew he was not only being taken care of, but that he was also happy to be there.

  “Wow,” Rey murmured, after opening her rustic front door and giving Jocelyn a once over. “What happened to you today?”

  “Why do you think something happened?” she asked, stepping into the wide, brick-lined hallway. Rey’s house was beautiful but homey, with a lived-in feel that just made you want to kick back and relax.

  “I don’t know,” Rey said, closing the door. “I guess you kinda look…on edge. I thought you were just tired this morning when you dropped Davey off, but it’s something more than that.”

  She’d been lucky that Rey had been at the doctor’s the day before, when she’d picked Davey up after leaving work early, and she’d only had to deal with Mitch, Rey’s husband. Rey would have taken one look at her and known something crazy had gone down at the office.

  Shooting her best friend a smirk, she said, “So you’re basically telling me that I look like crap. Thanks.”

  Rey led the way into the kitchen. “That’s not at all what I was saying,” she argued over her shoulder, looking concerned. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she sighed, taking a seat on one of the high stools at the kitchen island. From the playroom, she could hear Davey and Piper laughing, and it made her smile. Looking at Rey, she said, “It was just a rough day.”

  Rey poured cups of coffee for them both, then settled on the other side of the island. Her long blond hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, making her look even younger than Jocelyn, when she was actually four years older. And she had the prettiest brown eyes that Jocelyn had ever seen. Unfortunately, she could tell by the mischievous spark in them that her best friend was about to say something she didn’t want to hear.

  “Sooo,” Rey drawled, grinning at her over the rim of her mug, “did you ask any of the hotties at Atlas out on a date yet? Shit day or not, that definitely would’ve made things better.”

  “Hah,” she muttered, reaching for her mug. “That would be a definite no.”

  Rey gave her a look that would have been adorably beseeching, if not for their current topic of conversation. “Come on, Jace. You promised me that you’d loosen up and start trying to live a little.”

  She shook her head as she frowned. “And I also told you that I don’t want an affair. I need something more stable than that.”

  “Why?” Rey pressed. “Why can’t you just have some fun before you find Mr. Right?”

  “Because sex is too emotional.”

  Rey shot her a gentle smile. “It doesn’t have to be. When you’re young and single, sometimes it can just be for fun. So long as you’re careful.”

  “Yeah, well,” she murmured, thinking of how she’d reacted to Lucas Bennett’s presence in the conference room the day before, “I don’t really think I’m wired for casual.” Or kinky.

  “And you won’t know until you give it a try,” Rey argued, acting like a little dog with a bone.

  “What? Are you afraid I’m going to turn into a pumpkin if I don’t get laid?” she asked with a rueful laugh, keeping her voice soft so that the kids couldn’t overhear.

  Rey leaned forward and pinned her with a serious stare. “Girl, I’m just trying to keep you from combusting. Now that Davey’s health issues are clearing up, it’s time to start thinking about yourself again. You’re a beautiful young woman and you have needs, Jace, just like the rest of us. Let one of those sexy studs at Atlas take care of them for you. Then, once you’re mellowed out, you can resume the search for Mr. Forever.”

  “Or,” she shot back, still too raw after the conference room debacle to agree with Rey, “maybe I should just forget for the time being about finding any guy, whether it’s for a fling or a relationship. Davey doesn’t need another man in his life. He’s already got Mitch and my dad. Honorable men who love him and will show him all the guy stuff he needs to know.”

  “You’re overthinking this,” Rey groaned with exasperation.

  Jocelyn couldn’t help but shake her head again. “You really think sex is the answer?”

  With a devilish glint in her eyes, Rey said, “I think you’re long overdue for some proper fun, the dirtier the better. And one of those single Atlas guys—say, like Jonah Cartwright—would be just the kind of man who could give it to you.”

  God, she should have never told Rey about her stupid crush on the beautiful jerk. “You don’t think it’s wrong that he’s my boss?”

  Rey shrugged. “Technically Gabe is your boss.”

  “Yeah. But they all own the company.”

  “A minor technicality. And there’s nothing that says you have to tell anyone. Other than me, of course,” Rey added with a cheeky grin, waggling her brows. “I get to hear about everything.”

  “You perv,” she laughed, just as Davey and Piper ran into the kitchen. They were in the middle of a game of tag, but the instant Davey saw Jocelyn, he gave an excited shout and ran right to her. She couldn’t believe how big he was for a four-year-old, but his father had been over six-feet, and her dad was six-three, so despite her own petite height, tall genes were definitely in his DNA.

  “Hey munchkin,” she said, squeezing him to her. “I missed you today.”

  The way his little face lit up with happiness made her nearly double over with love. “I missed you too, Mommy!”

  “Were you a good boy for Auntie Rey?�
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  “Yes,” he said with a giggle, since she’d started bouncing him in her arms.

  They visited for a bit longer, then collected Davey’s things, hugged Rey and Piper goodbye, and headed home. After having pasta for dinner, they snuggled up together on the sofa under an afghan her mom had made for them and watched The Lego Movie, since it was one of Davey’s favorites.

  Not long after the movie had started, Jocelyn looked around her small living room and tried to picture Jonah Cartwright in this homey scene with them, and it just didn’t look right, like seeing a Ferrari parked in the middle of a Minivan convention. But it didn’t matter, because the little guy cuddled up against her was the only one she had time for in her life, and that was how it was meant to be. One day, when Davey was older, she could try dating again.

  But that would be years from now.

  By then, she might not even work at Atlas any longer.

  And Jonah Cartwright would no longer even be a part of her life.

  Hell, he probably wouldn’t even remember she existed.

  But even knowing those things, Jocelyn still found herself lying in her bed late that night, thinking about the way his hot mouth had felt on her skin. About that hungry look that had burned in his sky-blue eyes. And that deep, husky voice talking about stars and queens…asking Are you wet? Do you want my cock? Do you want me to fuck you?

  “Yes,” she whispered into the darkness, squeezing her eyes shut against the dangerously tempting memory. But her own voice still vibrated with need as she groaned, “A million freaking yeses.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “So when do you think you’ll pop the question?” Jonah asked, smirking into his computer’s camera. He was sitting behind his desk in his sun-bathed office, talking to his cousin Sean on video chat, and enjoying giving the guy a hard time about his girlfriend, Natalie.