She did so, biting her lip and holding Gregory’s leash tightly. A moment later, Travis was at her side.
“Are you sure this place takes pets?” she asked in a worried voice, staring at the sculpted bushes in front of the glass doors.
“They will,” Travis said, putting a hand at her back to lead her forward.
But Risa couldn’t fight her misgivings. When Gregory’s little hooves clacked against the marble floors as they moved through the lobby, she winced. When people passed by and gave them frowning stares, she quailed a bit internally. She glanced over at Travis, but he was still occupied with his BlackBerry, even as his hand on her back steered her toward the elevator.
They went up to the top floor, and at the door at the end of the hall, Travis pulled out a key card and ran it through. The door opened with an electronic beep, and he gestured for her to follow him in.
His apartment looked like a showplace, and the nervousness in her stomach grew. Cherry hardwood floors gleamed under a white throw rug. His couches were white leather, the coffee table a delicate glass confection. The far wall was entirely windows, showcasing the Houston skyline. Expensive abstract art hung from the walls. The place looked as if it had never seen a fingerprint or a smudge or a speck of dirt.
And here she’d brought in a pig. And while Gregory was clean, he, like any other animal, had a litter box. And he was bound to spill something at some point. Heck, she was bound to spill something.
He’d told her that his life didn’t allow for a pet and she’d blithely waved that off as something he was just rebelling against.
But the more she saw, the more uncomfortable she felt. Gregory didn’t belong in this man’s life any more than she did. Clutching the leash, she turned to give Travis a wary smile. “So . . . what are your plans for today?”
He pulled out the BlackBerry again and she wanted to grit her teeth. He studied the screen, and then clicked a button. “I have three meetings.”
“It’s Saturday.”
He glanced at her, his blank look indicating that she was clearly talking nonsense. “Business doesn’t stop on the weekend.”
Well, it should, she thought, but said nothing. “I need to make sure that Gregory has the proper food. Is there a supermarket nearby? And a feed store?”
He wrote down a phone number and handed it to her. “Call my assistant. She can get whatever you need.”
“I can do it.”
Again, he gave her a blank look. “She’s my assistant. It’s her job to do these things.”
Risa gritted her teeth.
* * *
She spent the day bored as Travis continued to work. Now that he was back in his apartment, he was on the phone constantly, flipping between that and his computer, watching a PowerPoint in a remote meeting presentation, or brokering some sort of consultancy deal, or a jillion other things she couldn’t follow. The man was a workaholic.
For her part, she played with Gregory, flipped through a magazine, and then watched some mindless TV. She’d called Travis’s assistant with her grocery list and the woman promised to bring it by in a few hours. With the sun close to setting and Travis still hard at work, she put Gregory’s leash back on and took him for a walk. This part of Houston was lovely enough, as wealth could buy manicured lawns and perfect nearby walking parks. Gregory enjoyed the excursion, seemingly none the worse despite his harrowing car ride.
But Risa was feeling unsettled. Travis had encouraged her to stay with him. He was paying her an exorbitant amount. Didn’t he want to spend time with her? With Gregory, she amended, ashamed at her own thoughts. Of course this was for Gregory. Wasn’t it?
She returned to the apartment, still rather out of sorts about things. While she’d been gone, the food had been left in grocery bags on the counter, and she put it away in his nearly empty fridge, studying the contents: a few old takeout boxes, some beer and wine and a few bottles of water. She shook her head at the sight and turned to feed Gregory.
While the pig liked carrots and fresh vegetables, she was careful with his diet and mostly fed him pig feed. She was hungry, too, so she dug through the bags for the snacks she’d requested. Finding crackers and cheese, she sat down on one of the stools at the bar in his immaculate kitchen and ate.
Some time later, he padded into the kitchen behind her, and leaned in and kissed her neck. “Want to go out and grab some dinner?”
She glanced at the clock and saw it was almost nine at night. She was a little irritated at him. He’d worked all day, ignoring them. “Now?”
“Now,” he agreed. “I’m finished for the day.”
How thoughtful, she thought dryly. “It’s kind of late and I’m not sure we should leave Gregory unattended. When he’s scared, he chews on things.”
“Ah.” He leaned in and kissed her neck again. His hand ran down her arm, caressing her. “I ignored you, didn’t I? I’m sorry. You must be starving. Pizza?”
She caved a little at that. He wasn’t used to having someone around all day. “Pizza’s fine. Thank you.”
Travis continued to nip at her neck, brushing aside her hair. He texted something into his phone, and then set it down, wrapping his arms around her waist. “My assistant will be by with one in about a half hour.”
Risa was beginning to feel sorry for his assistant. “All right.”
He tugged on her shirt, untucking it from her waistband. “That gives us plenty of time for a little privacy. Come into the living room with me.”
She only hesitated for a moment, then slid down from the stool. He linked her hand in his and led her back into the living room. He sat down on the couch and then tugged her down until she straddled him on the couch.
“Much better,” he said, running a hand down her back.
Uncomfortable, Risa felt tense and awkward in his embrace. Her weight was pressing down on his thighs, and the last thing she wanted was to crush him. “Am I too heavy?”
He shook his head, kissed the soft bend in her arm. “I like you the way you are. Soft and delicious in my arms.”
“You can melt a girl with your words.”
His eyes gleamed wickedly, and she forgot all about how he’d worked all day long and ignored her. “Good.”
Risa leaned in to kiss him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her br**sts pressed against his chest. She could feel his erection pushing up against the cradle of her sex. His hand moved between them, fingers brushing against her nipple, and she gasped against his mouth.
“Been waiting all day to touch you again,” he said softly, his thumb moving back and forth against her nipple, hardening it to an aching peak. “Couldn’t wait to pull you in my arms again. I kept getting distracted during my meetings.”
He’d noticed her? Even when she’d thought he was busy? She was going to have to prance around the apartment in nothing but her panties next time, then. She kissed him to let him know how pleased that made her, and was rewarded with a tiny thrust of his hips, forcing that hard length against her core. Pleasure rocked through her and she rolled her h*ps against him, eliciting a groan from him.
“Take your shirt off,” he told her, sliding his hand under her clothing to caress her belly.
She lifted her arms and dragged her shirt over her head, tossing it aside. His mouth latched on to her nipple through her bra, tugging at the peak and she moaned, her fingers digging into his hair. Oh God. She wanted more of his mouth, more of him. She needed him deep inside her again. She ached to have him seated deep.
He dragged his teeth over her nipple, then rolled his tongue against it, leaving the lace of her bra wet from his ministrations. He turned to her other breast, using his mouth on her nipple as he teased the other with his fingers.
She thought she’d go mad from how good it felt, and couldn’t stop rocking over his cock, the small movements as involuntary as the passionate whimpers that escaped her throat.
After a moment, he lifted his head. “Condoms.”
Risa nodded and rolled to the side of him, sitting on the couch in a daze, still in her bra and her jeans. He leaned over and pressed another hard kiss to her mouth. “Get nak*d for me while I grab one.”
Another burst of pleasure shot low in her belly at his command, and she nodded. While he left the room, she unhooked her bra and discarded it, then shimmied out of her jeans. She was just about to step out of her panties when she remembered.
His assistant was going to be here soon with the pizza.
Alarmed, she grabbed her shirt just as he returned, nak*d except for his boxers. He immediately returned to her side and began to run his hands along her body, teasing her nak*d br**sts, sliding down her belly, and dipping into the slick lips of her p**sy.
She almost dropped her shirt, her knees went so weak. “But what about your assistant?”
Travis circled her cl*t lightly, holding her body against him. “She won’t come in. She’ll just ring the doorbell and leave it for us. Get back down on the couch for me.”
“It’s leather,” she protested.
He shrugged, and then tugged her down to the floor, onto the thick white rug.
Well, hell, she couldn’t argue with that. Risa slid to her knees, and when he removed his boxers and began to roll on the condom, she lay back on the plush rug and just admired the sight of him, looming over her, his c*ck hard and ready for her.
God, he was magnificent. She was in way over her head, and she absolutely did not care.
Travis moved over her, tugging her legs apart. She gladly spread her legs for him, raising her h*ps in a suggestion of what she wanted.
And then he was on top of her, kissing her, and his c*ck sank deep inside her in a sudden move that made her gasp with pleasure. He stroked inside her, hard, and she clung to his neck, surprised at his ferocity. Surprised . . . and turned on. His next stroke was just as fierce, and she was soon swept away in each rocking thrust that seemed determined to push her across the carpet. It was possession and ownership in each plunge of his c*ck into her body, and she felt owned and dominated by him.
And she loved it.
It seemed they had just started, she had just begun to lose herself in the pleasure when that incredible tension began to build in her hips. She moaned, rising to meet him with every harder thrust. And then she was coming, his name a gasped, choked sound, her p**sy clenching tight around him. He continued to f**k her, his movements more forceful, harder and more erratic, until he came as well, with a hoarse shout. His body locked over hers, stiffening, and he gave a final rolling thrust before collapsing on top of her.
Breathing hard, Risa hugged his weight over her, a little stunned by how quick things had been. He knew just how to touch her to bring her to an almost immediate pleasure. That was incredible.
Travis leaned in and gave her a light, lingering kiss, just as the doorbell rang.
His eyes gleamed and he seemed almost boyish. “That’ll be dinner.”
For the rest of the evening, Travis was hers. They ate pizza, drank wine, and made love again in his bed. After making love, she told him all about what to expect as a pig owner, determined to hold up her end of the bargain. And she told him about Gregory’s more amusing antics, hoping that he’d start to love the pig as much as she did. They spent hours in bed, just talking and caressing each other, before making love one final time. As she drifted off to sleep, Risa thought that this Travis, this one in bed with her, just might be the perfect man.