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Christina
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Even though Dmitri is gone, Ivan is tense, the air around him vibrating with restless energy. I don’t dare look up from my pad as I doodle, wondering why we aren’t leaving too. I chance a glance around the large room; despite the still busy state of the restaurant in the front, here where there are more than twenty tables available, it’s just us. Tim said they both preferred this restaurant due to the staff’s willingness to keep this area clear for only them as long as they needed it.
“I did not like the way you flirted with him. You were staring at him.” The words are growled at me.
I feel his eyes on me but don’t meet them—I’m too embarrassed. “He was, is...I didn’t mean to. He’s very attractive. It’s kind of hard to ignore. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
A hand grips my chin, pulling up to meet his eyes. His touch is wreaking havoc with my breathing, and my body. “You think he is attractive?” The words drop like stones.
I try to shake my head but his grip is too tight. Without thinking I grasp his wrist. It is so thick my hand barely gets halfway around it. The strength in it has me shaking. “Not like that. He isn’t—I...”
“He is not what? Spit it out.”
There is nowhere to hide. I squeeze my eyes shut. “He isn’t you,” I whisper with shame.
Instantly he lets go of me. In agony I picture him with an expression of horror on his face. A fluttering fingertip traces over my cheek. I open my eyes, I tremble at the hunger I see in not just his eyes, in his entire body. A heady lethargy overcomes me as my blood has been replaced with hot, sticky, thick honey. His thumb traces over my bottom lip, and the simple touch is agony.
“I need you to be my woman. To wear my ring.”
What? Shock doesn’t cover the bomb he drops on me. His head lowers to within inches of me. Ivan inhales my shaky breath.
“For Gemma. Her soon to be sister-in-law is determined to trap me into a marriage while I am there for the wedding celebrations. She will back down if I am already engaged. Come with me to Manchester, not as my PA, as my fiancée.”
I freeze as my fumbling brain comprehends what he is saying, what he means. Why do I want to cry so badly? His lips slide over my cheek, causing a shiver throughout my whole body.
“For the next few weeks, be mine in every way. I will not lie. I am a greedy bastard. I will demand full ownership of you. Every inch of you is mine, however and whenever I want you. You will deny me nothing.”
I’m a freak. I shiver in anticipation at his words; nothing has ever sounded so fucking appealing.
“Do not worry, poppet, you will not want to deny me. Pleasure is only the ultimate in its height when it is reciprocated. When I look at you, Christ I only need to think of you and I am hard for you. I know, you witch, I know you have been taunting me with your body. The skirts, the tight dresses, and it worked. Hell, you never needed it. I was already lusting for you hourly, dreaming of you every night and what I would do to you when I finally had you. What I am going to do to you,” he whispers in my ear.
Holy freaking crap, I’m so damn wet at the promise of his words. This low, the rumbling of his voice is incredibly erotic. I also want to smack him for what he is saying. To be his but not truly, it will be a fake engagement, a farce to protect him from a grasping brat who wants him at all costs. A hand grips me by the back of the neck as his tongue tastes the shell of my ear. Thank god he’s holding me up because I’m trembling so badly, I can barely stand it.
“Once our time comes to an end, it will be easier for you to remain within my company. As the wronged woman, all the disdain will be on me. No one can know the truth, though. This is just between you and me.”
A slight nip of the soft part of my ear, then he sucks lightly. The motion goes straight to my aching nipples.
“Say yes, say you will marry me.”
How could the words hurt so badly? They shake me from the haze he’s sent me into. “I hate you.”
The words are squeezed out of my throat as I fight back tears. I try to push him away, my hands flat on his hard, muscled chest, but he doesn’t budge an inch. “Find someone else.” I sob as fat ugly tears fall, still trying desperately to push him away.
“I do not want anyone else. I only want you.” He groans as his hand tightens around my neck and his mouth comes down on mine.
Even as my mind is screaming no, my body betrays me. I cling to him, falling headlong into his kiss. Yes, god yes, I have missed him, missed this. More, I need more, to climb into his skin and melt with him. I almost cry when he pulls back.
“Say yes, Christina.”
I close my eyes, unwilling to let him see how badly I want to. Then his hand is under the table, sliding under my skirt. I gasp to feel him cup the hottest, wettest part of me. Oh my god.
“Say yes, Christina, so I can take you home and fuck you the way we both have been hungry for. So very wet, the scent of your pussy has been fucking with my head for weeks. I cannot wait to taste you, to feel your juices coat my face as you come.”
Dirty, so dirty. I bring a hand up to cover his mouth. Ivan laughs, pressing a kiss against my palm.
“Shy? No, not for me. You’ll scream and beg for me to eat your pussy. For hours, I will savor your pussy, not allowing you to come until your body aches with the force of your trembling, only then will I fuck you. My cock is dying to be inside you.”
A finger trails along the soaking wet front of my panties. I choke at what he is doing to me. I grasp his jacket to keep from sliding out of my chair.
Holy fucking shit, we’re still in the restaurant. I try to close my legs. I can’t believe he’s doing this to me here, in public.
“Ivan.” I choke on the word. But the bastard is cruel—he ignores me and tugs my panties to the side.
“Interesting, bare. Hmm...all the better to see you and eat you.”
He brings his finger glistening with me to his mouth, and all I can do is watch in fascination as he sucks deep.
“I knew you would be delicious.”
I blink and he’s pulled out the clip holding my hair up again. The hand slips from my neck to go into my hair. His grip is punishing as he frowns down at me.
“You are trying my patience. Why are you not saying yes to what we both want?”
Finding my voice isn’t easy. “I don’t like lying. Not to strangers, not to Abuelo. When it ends...” I try to look away but he won’t let me. “I don’t know that I can stay working with you. Seeing you and not...” I swallow against the tears. “I can’t.”
I watch his jaw work.
“Five hundred thousand dollars.”
What?
“I will pay you five hundred thousand dollars for the pretense. I do not want you to leave my company when it ends. We could try you working out of the office, simply sending prospects through email or something. However, I will not argue if you need to leave. The five hundred is yours whether you stay or go, but it is in case you leave and it takes you time to find something else. You will be able to take your time and only accept work you truly want to do.”
Slapping him won’t solve anything. “It isn’t about the money. I don’t want money.” I swallow the words. All I want is you.
His phone rings, it’s Tim’s ringtone. Grabbing his phone from inside his jacket, he loosens his hold on me. I push him away and flee into the restroom. From far away I hear Ivan call my name, but I ignore him.
Slamming into the stall, I fumble with the lock and let my forehead fall against the cool metal. My skin is still so hot it’s a shock, a welcome one to combat the chaos inside me. This isn’t a dream. How is this real?
Ivan wants me to pretend, pretend he asked me to marry him, to pretend I said yes, and that I believe...closing my eyes, I hate the longing welling up inside me, so intense I can’t breathe from it. Longing to belong to Ivan, the way he demanded. Oh god, even now the way he said, to be owned, to belong to him.
I press my chest against the metal to assuage the aching of my breasts. But then he rocked my entire world when he groaned out how much he wanted me too, dreamed of me the same way I dreamed of him. There would be no pretending when it came between us. Except he growled about fucking me, not making love. He was willing to pay me to make me go away.
My head comes up. Wait a minute. He still didn’t want me to leave, but not only was he willing to let me go, he would make it so that I didn’t need to work. That’s nothing like the way he spoke the day he refused to let me quit. Was it because of how important it was to him to avoid the Mishka girl and ensure Gemma’s happiness?
I wince as I remember Gemma and her tears, how upset Ivan became hearing her cry. How he swore he would do anything to protect her. He was asking me to help do that too. He didn’t want anyone else, but would he find someone else if I said no? I couldn’t take that, no matter what. At the idea of him touching someone else, pain flashes sharp inside me.
I straighten as it comes back to me, what Lydia said. It feels like months ago now, she had said they were going to fight against it. How they won’t let us get away with fucking anyone but them. They feel you belong to them. The way Ivan growled at Dmitri, threatened him with violence. His reaction when I was dumb enough to say I thought Dmitri was attractive—he didn’t like that at all.
Yes, this is pretend, but it’s a chance at showing him that he could be happy, we could be happy. At the end of the week, Sunday, we go to Manchester for two weeks. So for at least two weeks, day in and day out, we would be together. It isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing. I’m willing to take the chance, on him. On us.
***
Ivan
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Stalking the length of the large room is not helping. Where the hell is she? Fuck. I cannot believe how badly I fucked up. Pawing her in public, losing my temper at the way Dmitri taunted me by flirting with her. The sight of her hand in his sent a wash of red over me, then she smiled at him with her eyes wide.
It did not matter that Dmitri is one of only two people I trust outside of my family. That he is the oldest friend I have and whom I owe much of my success to. Still, violence seethed through me. The desire to break him rose within me. No one was allowed to touch Christina, except me.
I pause at how simply remembering Dmitri’s flirting causes anger. Nothing was going to plan. I was supposed to take her back to my place after lunch, sit her down and have a civilized conversation followed by a highly satisfying hour or two of sex, then onto my lawyer’s office to put the arrangement into clearly defined terms.
In my arrogance, I never doubted she would accept for a second. How could she not when this would enable us to consummate the desire that threatened to consume us both? This was a perfect plan.
For the next three weeks, we could fuck this need out of us. Mishka would see us together and there would be no question Christina was what I wanted, and she would back the hell off. At the end of the three weeks, a broken engagement would gain sympathy for Christina. She would not endure ridicule for me having had her and ending things. I know Christina—she would not be able to take people talking about her, the whispers of co-workers. If she stayed, and I wanted her to, then this was the best way to do that.
Except I screwed everything up by losing control the moment I touched her. Was it going to happen every time?
“Ivan?”
I turn to find Christina behind me. Her eyes are glowing green, even though she is tense with anxiety. Denying my desire to touch her is not easy. However, I will not make the same mistake again.
“I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?” The words are hard to say, yet I need her to know for sure. Once she says yes, I will not allow her to change her mind. “About everything.”
She nods. “Everything.”
A small step brings her too close for my fraying control. I step back, and her eyes go big.
I shake my head. “I am trying not to touch you because every time I do, I lose control. I should not have touched you the way I did.”
She smiles bright and pure with knowing.
“Say you’re mine, Christina.”
Her hands come up to my chest, she leans into me, going up on her tiptoes. “I’m yours,” she whispers against my lips. “Now take me home and show me.”
***
Christina
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I can’t help blushing as Lawrence stares at Ivan in astonishment when Ivan tells him to take us to his home and once he does, he will no longer be needed for the day. Ivan never goes home early, ever. My embarrassment fades fast when Ivan takes my hand in his. His touch is gentle, yet I feel the tension throughout his entire body. It is so simple and almost more erotic than when he touched me between my legs.
Tension grows minute by agonizing minute. Lawrence pulls into the garage of the Watertower building. I had been curious about where Ivan lived, Tim had warned me there may be times when I would be called to work with Ivan at his home, but it had yet to happen. As soon as the elevator doors close, Ivan’s arm around me tightens. His other hand goes into my hair, pulling my head back to meet his eyes. “You excite me so much I fear hurting you.”
“I won’t break.”
Obsidian glitters down at me. “Next time, I will take my time. Next time I will ensure you come so many times you lose count. This time—” He lowers his head until his mouth is against my ear. “I am going to fuck you like the animal you have turned me into.”
I shudder as he nips my ear. The elevator doors open, then the world spins. The bastard has bent down and has me over his shoulder. Oh wow, his ass is just so hot. “If you drop me I’ll kill you,” I groan as he opens his door.
Everything is a blur. He moves so fast I barely take in we’re in his bedroom before I’m tossed on a massive bed. Scrambling to sit up, I can’t take my eyes off him. I missed his jacket hitting the floor, then he rips away his shirt.
Gorgeous, golden skin glows through a fine mat of black hair. Magnificent, it’s a word I have never used in my life but it fits him, it fits him perfectly. Muscles ripple across his chest, down his stomach, his biceps flex as he pushes down his pants and holy fucking shit, wow, wow, wow.
A flood of wet heat shocks me, what the hell was that? Even as my body reacts fear builds—he’s too big, too thick. There is no way he will fit inside me without pain. Yet I am shaking with need, not fear, as I watch him roll on a condom. Without a single thought I lean back on my hands and widen my legs in invitation.
He steps to the edge of the bed. His hands wrap around my ankles, pulling me to the edge, the dress bunching up around my waist. Despite how much I want him, I blush as he stares down at me.
“You bought these for me,” he murmurs as he runs a finger over the front of my panties, tracing the heart lace applique before trailing down over the sheer soaked heart of me.
Blushing, I nod, not able to hide a thing from him.
“I like them. I will buy you more.”
I gasp as he tears the delicate lace panties apart before tossing them away. My heart jumps as his tongue slides over me. Wrong, no, I try to pull him away. A gust of hot air hits me as he chuckles. He grabs my wrists, his grip unyielding. Shame goes up in flames as his tongue pushes inside me. He moans, letting go of my wrists, and his hands part me wider for him.
Oh god, I fight not to scream as he sucks hard on my outer lips, once, twice, harder and harder. His tongue darts inside as deep as he can send it, in a preview of what is coming. My hips rise up to meet his tongue, wanting more. He pushes me down, holding me in place, his grip punishing as his velvet tongue teases my clit. I’m already on the verge of coming when he pushes two thick fingers into me.
We both groan as he pushes deeper into me. Rough, almost punishing, Ivan moves his fingers in and out of me as he continues to send me out of my mind. His teeth nip at my clitoris—oh fuck that hurts—I plea for him to stop but he already has and now he’s sucking on my clitoris fiercely again and again in time with the fingers fucking me. Those fingers move to that spot, harder and harder they press. Oh god, oh god, oh fuck, I crash into my climax, painful shudders wracking through my body.
Still shaking, weak and trembling, all I can do is watch as Ivan tears my dress off me. Eyes gleaming, his hands run over my breasts, tweaking my tight, hard nipples visible through the sheer bra. The catch between my breasts is undone with a flick of his wrists.
“Perfect, so fucking exquisite. I knew what you were doing, teasing me with them. You witch, you wanted me hard for you. You succeeded. Now it is time for you to pay.”
His head lowers to one breast, sucking hard and fiercely as his fingers tease the other until I’m near tears. I’m too caught up in what he is doing and there is no warning, it is only for a few brief seconds I feel him hot, hard, against my lower lips, his hand is gone from my breast. A few fingers part me then he thrusts inside me. Oh god, even as wet as I am, as weak as I am, he is so thick my body doesn’t accept him easily. Too thick, too big, I can’t.
“Yes, you can. You can take me. Your pussy was made for me. Such a sweet pussy you have, as pink and sweet as cotton candy,” Ivan croons against my ear. My hands go into his hair. He’s right, so right. Inch by sweet inch he’s sinking deeper into my body. There is no longer resistance to the intense heat of him; instead my body welcomes him until with a last hard thrust, all of him is inside me.
We both gasp at the sensation. So hot, every inch of his cock is branding into me, claiming me as his alone. Awesome, amazing, incredible, no word can describe it, then words vanish as Ivan takes my mouth in a hungry, ravaging kiss. I get lost in his kiss until he grasps my hips in a painful grip and begins moving inside me. Gone is the careful, measured first thrust. He’s keeping his promise, he’s fucking me like an animal, and oh god, I don’t ever want him to stop.
A loud growl rumbles from his chest into me as he moves faster and faster. Deeper, please, more. Another growl, low and guttural, vibrates through my entire body. I scream as I crash into an orgasm so intense, it scares me.
I cling to Ivan, desperate for his solid strength against me. He’s still moving inside me, drawing out my pleasure until I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe. With a shout of my name I feel him come inside me, his thick cock pulsing, thickening, and I feel him fill the condom.
His head falls on mine, his arms sag but his body doesn’t fall on me. I run my hands over his back, welcoming the weight of him. Ivan opens his eyes, and my body clenches around him at what I see in them. Pure, unadulterated joy. Suddenly all air leaves my body. Please don’t let this be another dream, except it can’t be because I’ve never even allowed myself to hope for this.
He blinks and it’s gone, but I will never forget it. A small smile teases his lips. Slowly, his lips graze my cheek then down to my lips. Soft, gentle, I swear this man is the most amazing kisser in the entire world. His velvet tongue, teasing, tasting, owning all of me. My hands go into his hair to hold him tight.
I moan as he ends the kiss.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers against my lips.
“For what?” I give in to the need and run my fingers along his cheek, the freedom to touch him intoxicating me a little. Marveling at the sensation of his skin beneath mine, I can’t stop touching him.
“I tried not to lose control. I know I’m large and it’s painful—”
The laughter comes out of me before I can stop it. He’s done it again. That careful control of his, broken, that perfect, cultured diction gone, for me, about me. He starts to pull away in confusion, I hold him tight, shaking my head. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. That was the most amazing...I’ve never—for a minute I thought you were hinting for a compliment or something.”
Before I can stop him, he moves off me. My body doesn’t want to let him go, I’m empty aching the moment he’s gone. Ivan is pale. Frowning, he shakes his head. “Never what? You weren’t a virgin, were you? You were incredibly tight, but that doesn’t make any sense. You’re thirty. You were engaged.”
Seriously, I’m blushing after everything? I shake my head as Ivan looks like he wants to run. “No, I wasn’t a virgin. We had sex, it just wasn’t good sex. He’s the only guy I’d ever been with. I’ve never...you know.”
“You never had an orgasm? With him, or ever?” His color is back, thank goodness, but he’s still frowning.
“With him, never. I um, did by myself a couple of times. They just didn’t feel anything like what just happened.”
A hand runs through his hair, and he nods. Then rolls off the bed. I watch helplessly as he goes into the bathroom. I’m confused. Is he mad? Is this it? My phone goes off with a text, it’s Anna wondering where I was for lunch. Crap, I hadn’t let her know about going with Ivan.
Holy crap, it’s been more than an hour since we left the restaurant. An hour? It didn’t feel like it. I text her back I had a work thing with Ivan and I have to go, talk later. I never hear him come out of the bathroom. All I know is he’s pulling my phone out of my hand and tossing it on the floor. He picks me up and puts me back on the bed.
I blush until I think I’m going to pass out when he takes a warm, wet washcloth and cleans me between my legs. “Are you okay? Are you sore?”
Shaking my head, I can’t look at him. A chuckle rumbles out of him. “I love the way your blush goes all the way to your breasts. I did not savor them half as much as I wanted to.”
His phone goes off, it’s not a ringtone I’ve heard before. He frowns then smiles. “Perfect timing.”
He answers and says to send the person up.
“Someone is coming up?”
“Just a delivery. Stay, don’t move,” he orders as he goes into another room. That is one big-ass closet, it’s almost the size of his massive bedroom. He tugs on a pair of sweatpants without any underwear or a shirt. Oh goody, I hope this means we aren’t done. The minute he leaves the room, I make a beeline for the bathroom. As much as I appreciate his efforts, I’m still a mess.
I make it back to the bed and take a moment to look around. Hm, it’s kind of boring. Everything is white: white carpet, two white chairs in a seating area with a white ottoman used as a coffee table. There are white wooden bedside tables with white lamps on top. Even the interesting light fixtures hanging from the ceiling are white canvas around bare bulbs. I look up to see Ivan is back. He’s carrying a small box.
“What is it?”
“Your ring. It came from New York, they flew it out. Right on time like they promised.”
I’m stunned, he got my ring from New York? Why couldn’t he have gotten it here in—oh my god.
“It’s beautiful, Ivan.” I melt a little. It’s the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. I fell in love with art deco rings after seeing one ages ago. The center is set into the ring, not above it. A vibrant emerald is a massive round in the center of a square setting, appearing to be held in place by diamond prongs at four corners, then more emeralds are inlaid around it.
What in the hell? It’s the ring I pinned on a board ages ago. It isn’t actually vintage, it was done by a jewelry maker who specialized in a variety of different vintage styles. That means it’s an eight-carat emerald with another carat’s worth of emeralds surrounding it and almost a carat worth of diamonds and it’s worth over a hundred thousand dollars. “How the hell did you know?”
He shrugs with a smile. “You do not really want to know. All that matters is you have the ring you always wanted. And you get to keep it when...” Another shrug, he takes it from me, uncurls my hand then slides it on my left ring finger. We are both surprised when it fits, a tad snug but not enough for me to want to change it. “I wanted you to have it.”
I blink fast—don’t cry and screw this up. “Thank you. I love it.”
“How much do you love it?” Ivan asks with heat in his eyes as he walks me back to bed, pushing down his sweats as he does.
“I love it this much,” I whisper as I reach out and grasp him by his thickening cock and stroke him. I’ve been dying to do this since I saw it. Ah, it feels just as good as I thought it would, hard as steel, yet softer than the most expensive silk.
A strong hand goes into my hair, pushing me down to knees. “You like my cock?”
I nod, so wet at the way he’s controlling me.
“Show me.”