“That’s not—”
“True?” He placed a hand over her heart, gently cupping her breast. “Maybe not in your head, but most definitely in your heart. If that weren’t the case, then why do I feel it pounding so hard against my hand? Why are your cheeks flushed? Your n**ples hard?” He slid a thumb over the peak protruding through the purple cloth of her dress, smiled at her sharply indrawn breath. “You want me. I would even bet that your panties are wet right now.”
“I—” she clamped her legs together instinctively and then seemed to realize that by doing so she might as well have shouted that she he was right. “This is ridiculous. If you want me to do something for you, just tell me so we can get it over with already.”
“That isn’t how this works, Eva.” His hand slid up her right thigh, turning her legs to jelly so that he had no trouble nudging them apart. “I’m not going to allow you to deny your desires. I know you want me. And I’m going to make you admit it.”
Breathless, she watched as he nudged her legs further apart and slid his hand along the outside of her panties. He came away with glistening fingers. “Well? What do you have to say about that?”
Before she could reply, he pushed her skirt up, then yanked her panties off. The lacy material caught on the edge of one of her heels, she winced as it ripped. He tossed it aside with a shrug, then hooked each of her legs around the arms of her chair, spreading her wide.
“So pretty,” he said, stroking a finger down her cleft. “Pink and glistening, like a jewel.” His fingers found her cl*t and began stroking it. Eva struggled to hold back her moan of pleasure.
“There’s no need to fight it,” he assured her in a soft voice as he stroked her faster. “The more you fight it, the more you’re denying yourself release.” He slid two fingers inside her with his other hand. “Admit it. You want me.”
“No.” She meant for the word to sound firm, but it came out as a breathy moan as he pumped his fingers in and out of her. Whether she wanted it or not, the pleasure was building quickly. She pushed her h*ps against his hand, and instantly he stopped, leaving her aching.
“Your body doesn’t agree with your words.”
“Please,” she begged, straining, but he was gripping her h*ps with one hand, the other teasing her folds gently, enough to increase the ache without offering anything more than a hint of release. “Stop this torture.”
“Do you want me?” He thrust a finger in her suddenly and she arched her back, moaning.
“I—” the words stuck in her throat. She knew she did, but she felt as though admitting it would mean defeat. There was a battle of wills being waged here, and if she gave in she would lose. Unfortunately she was having an awful lot of trouble remembering why losing would be so bad.
“Tell me. You know it’s true.” He pinched her cl*t hard enough that there was equal parts pain and pleasure. “You can end it with a few simple words. Do you want me?”
“Yes,” she finally sobbed, giving in. “Yes, I want you. Now please, finish it!”
He grinned wickedly. “But of course.”
Leaning down, he stroked his tongue down her folds as he shoved his fingers into her. She would have screamed had he not clamped a hand over her mouth. This time he allowed her to push her h*ps against his mouth as he f**ked her with his tongue and fingers, pumping three, four into her as he sucked her cl*t into his mouth. Now that she was no longer fighting it, the pleasure built with terrifying speed until it was released with the force of a tidal wave, ripping through her. His hand over her mouth kept her from letting the entire building know just how awesome, how terrible, how delicious it felt. She’d never had an orgasm like that before in her life.
Once she’d stopped trembling, he pulled back and looked up at her. Eva realized he had gone to his knees, and felt a certain amount of pride in that. He, Greyson Stone, CEO of Creative Enterprises and her boss, nonetheless, had knelt on the hard floor in his ten-thousand dollar suit and pleasured her until she’d seen stars
“There now.” He sat back on his haunches for a moment before rising up to his full height. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”
Towering over her once more, Eva suddenly felt terribly embarrassed in her position, with her legs thrown over the arms of her chair and her dress rucked up. Hastily, she lowered her feet back to the ground and pulled her dress down tight over her body.
“No. It wasn’t.” She frowned as she smoothed some lingering wrinkles down over her ample hips, wondering why he would want her. She was no skinny model. Rather than asking, her eyes drifted to his tented crotch. “Though I don’t see why you didn’t take any pleasure yourself.”
“I was trying to prove a point.” His hands circled her waist and he pulled her to her feet. “Now that I have, I won’t hesitate to.” Glancing at his watch, he frowned. “Unfortunately, it’s time for you to get back to work. We will have to continue this another time.”
“Yes, sir.” She inclined her head, surprised at the feeling of disappointment. Surely she would be jumping at the chance to get back to work? “I will be outside if you need me.”
He smiled wolfishly. “I’m sure you will.”
****
The rest of the afternoon passed briskly, but without incident. In fact, Eva would have considered it a comfortable day if it weren’t for the hunger clawing at her stomach. She wasn’t allowed to eat at the desk, and even if she had been of a mind to her food was in the break room downstairs, well out of her reach.
Greyson, being the boss, had no such restrictions—he went out and returned with takeout Chinese. The aroma had nearly driven her mad with hunger. By the time six-o’clock rolled around, she was absolutely ravenous. She packed up hastily and was making a beeline for the elevator when Greyson stepped out.
“Eva.” Pausing, she bit back a curse and then turned to face him. One of his hands was tucked casually into his pocket as he smiled. “I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner?”
Her jaw dropped. “You’re inviting me out to eat?”
One of his shoulders shrugged. “It is partially my fault you missed lunch, and I feel guilty for not bringing you anything back. It’s the least I could do.”
She looked at him dubiously. “What do you propose? Perhaps a quick lunch at a diner or café?”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “I had something a little classier in mind.”
Of course he did. A man like him might go to Panda Express once in a while, but he’d never take a woman to a fast food joint—especially not one he intended to sleep with.
“I suppose I wouldn’t mind letting you buy me dinner.”
“Good.” He crossed the distance and took her arm. “Let’s go, then.”
The place she was whisked off to was far from a McDonald’s. It was an exclusive restaurant owned by a famous French chef, and boasted a wide variety of culinary delights. The waiter brought them a vintage red, and they sat out on the terrace sipping their wine and gazing out over Central Park. She could see Central Park lake sparkling and reflecting the vibrant colors of the setting sun, while people—so tiny and insignificant from up here—walked, ran or biked along the paths.
“This is beautiful.” She had a view of Central Park from her own apartment, but it was nothing like this.
“I’m glad you like it.” He reached across the table and twined his fingers with hers. She shivered as the pad of his thumb lightly stroked the webbing between her thumb and forefinger—a sensitive spot, and from the gleam in his eye, he knew it. “This is one of my favorite places to come to eat out.”
It also cost a fortune, if the menu prices were to be believed. She would have winced if it weren’t for the fact that he was not only paying, but he could well afford the expense. Recklessly, she ordered the most expensive dish on the menu, and proudly told the waiter her choice. Greyson only smiled, as though she were a child who, in a fit of pique attempting to get back at her parent, had instead done something terribly amusing. Shame filled her. Of course he wouldn’t care either way. She was just making herself look foolish.
Rather than make a fuss, she allowed him to draw her into conversation over the meal. She found out he’d grown up in Boston, and at one point had considered going to MIT for their Engineering program. Instead, shortly after getting out high school, he had landed a position as an assistant manager for a locally owned store, and found that he liked the business side of things. He had instead graduated from Boston College with an MBA and had gone on to New York after running a variety of successful business ventures for others to start on his own.
Eva offered sparse details about her own life, not necessarily because she wanted to hide anything, but because compared to his accomplishments she felt as though her life was a failure. Because she’d gotten a job straight out of high school, and a rather cushiony one at that, she felt as though it wasn’t necessary for her to go to college, that she would be perfectly content with where she was at. She had no concept of job security, of the state of the economy, of anything outside her little sphere. And so when the company had folded, she was left out in the cold.
Despite this, he seemed perfectly content with the anecdotes she did tell him—of life with her family in Oyster Bay, of different trips she’d taken and various exploits she’d had with her friends. A few times he’d even chuckled as she’d detailed some of the more mischievous doings she and her friends had gotten themselves into. Retelling them put a smile to her face as well—it had been a long time since she’d done anything so care free.
Once the meal was over, he took her for a walk down in the park. The sun was nearly gone by then, with only the gilt edges remaining as twilight reigned over the sky. Nowhere else in the city was it more obvious that spring had arrived—the profusion of greenery, the quiet chirping of birds settling down for the night, and the fragrance of a multitude of blossoms drifting over the wind were the season’s banner being flown high and proud.
“I love nature,” she said with a quiet sigh as they walked along a path near the lake. She could hear distant chatter and laughter of other people also out to enjoy the beauty Central Park provided, but there weren’t as many as they were during the day now that the sun had darkened the foliage. People liked to see the blossoms in full color, after all.
“So do I,” he told her, his hand at the small of her back. “This place shows us the bright side of life—that we can take pleasure in the sights, sounds and smells of the world. His hand inched a little lower, brushing the curve of her bottom. “And other things, too.”
Her pulse leaped as he turned her onto a smaller trail, one off the beaten path that lead into a cluster of trees. “Where are we going?”
“For some privacy.”
He backed her up against the tall, sturdy trunk of a tree—it was too dark for her to tell what kind it was. The craggy bark dug in between her shoulder blades, but she could hardly focus on the discomfort as his lips took hers. Their first kiss was not gentle, but neither was it particularly rough. It was simply impassioned, filled with the edge of hunger, yet there was a quality to it that told her he was in no hurry to have that hunger fulfilled.