Strictly Business (Mixing Business With Pleasure Series Book 1) Read online

  “It was very nice to meet you, Kate.” Something about hearing my name from his lips unsettled me even further.

  I took my time weaving back toward Laura; she would sense something was off. I forced a smile but kept my head down as I read through the auction list. I spotted my contribution—an afternoon driving my supercar fleet in the Hamptons—and bid on a few others. I focused too hard on the descriptive brochures, hoping to distract myself from the thoughts racing through my mind, but in between items my eyes automatically scanned the room for Bryant. One time I glanced up only to meet his smoldering gaze from across the ballroom. I turned scarlet. Again.

  I spun on my heel ready to find Laura, judgment be damned. Returning to her would be a relief. As predicted she instantly knew something was off; she walked away from Malik to intercept me but I shook my head. She understood I meant not now, and surprisingly humored me.

  2.

  I was trying to settle down enough to enjoy my meal, but that damned buzz in my veins came creeping back as I savored a forkful of scallops and the tart, crisp, Vinho Verde that accompanied them. Even distracted I couldn’t help the MMMmmm that escaped my lips.

  “Enjoying yourself?”

  The murmured words and warm breath that accompanied them made my skin flush and I was immediately upset. Upset that I recognized Bryant’s honied tone and that my body responded to the unexpected interruption.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I was.”

  I was more abrupt than necessary and didn’t turn to look at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Laura swivel to see the visitor. Bryant crouched down between us and lowered his voice so only I could hear.

  “I loved the delectable noises you were making. I’d like to hear them again.”

  Laura’s mouth dropped.

  Oh, good. She can hear this too.

  I was able to silence her with a pointed look before turning to Bryant.

  “Was there something I could help you with, Mr. Bryant?”

  “Besides treating me to a show? No.”

  He had a soft, husky chuckle, and its effect shot straight between my thighs. As soon as he saw my knees press together he stood with a self-satisfied smirk and raised his voice back to conversation level.

  “I need to speak to Dr. Malik Waters about an upcoming hospital project and have it on good authority that our next course may be slightly delayed.”

  I fidgeted under his watchful gaze.

  Fuck.

  I wanted him. And wanted to slap him.

  “Bryant.” Malik stood and greeted him; the two shook hands briskly but appeared friendly. “You pestering my date?”

  “No, not in the least, Darling. Mr. Bryant said you two have business to discuss, so please, take your time.”

  Laura was being sweet. Too sweet. She had words for me. As they turned, Bryant’s hand grazed my shoulder and my skin flushed.

  “Are you blushing?” Laura barely waited until they were out of earshot to squeal at me. The pink was absurdly out of character. “What the heck was that?”

  “What on earth do you mean?” I tried to act nonchalant and failed miserably.

  “Even I got all hot and bothered and he wasn’t talking to me.” She dramatically fanned herself.

  “Laura, I’m quite sure he was just toying with me.”

  “Oh, shut up! That was hot, and there’s no way it was just a game. You two have chemistry.” She smacked my shoulder.

  “Look, I know powerful men well enough. He likes watching me squirm, and I think he’s sizing me up. He mentioned earlier that we’re competitors.”

  “You spoke earlier?”

  “Yes, over by the bar.”

  “Was that exchange as hot as this one?”

  “Laura, I’d really rather not talk about this.”

  The next course saved me and Malik returned alone.

  Thank God.

  I was lost in my thoughts but managed to hold something that vaguely resembled a conversation between bites. Laura and Malik conversed easily with the other doctors at our table and covered for me a few times. I was getting restless by the time dinner plates were cleared.

  I needed to get up and move or do something. My mind raced back and forth between Vesper and Bryant; the nervous energy was killing me. The only place I’d have a moment of peace was the restroom. When I excused myself, I noticed Bryant seated directly in my path. Part of me wanted to stage another run in; I wanted to find some way to unsettle him the way he unsettled me.

  I started scheming but ended up imagining his breath on my neck. Just thinking about him turned me on. I knew right then it would be in my best interest to slide up the rear staircase to search for another bathroom. Before I could change my mind, I turned, took a deep breath, and tried not to take the stairs two a time.

  The water running over my hands in the sink mirrored the way Bryant ran across my mind. Why did he affect me? I was usually in charge of everything, or at the very least, my damned self. I was acting foolish. And, if we were competitors, I needed to be on top of my game. I decided I wasn’t just washing my hands; I was washing my hands of Nicholas Bryant.

  When I stepped out I noticed an open balcony door. Fresh air was exactly what I needed before heading back down to him—shit!—the event. I strode out, admiring the twinkling lights of the city. I would always love the skyline at night. Even though I’d made it, those buildings still symbolized dreams coming true.

  I was enjoying the quiet moment when footsteps fell behind me, followed by the sound of the door latching shut. The air changed, charging with a frantic energy. He was behind me, watching me lean against the railing. I was going to have to find my backbone quick, and that was going to take some work. At the moment I didn’t even trust myself to speak.

  “Couldn’t take it in there anymore?” Bryant’s velvet voice rolled through my entire body and I involuntarily shuddered.

  “Needed some fresh air, I suppose.”

  I answered without shifting; I couldn’t look him in the eye. Not yet, anyway. I wanted to feel more certain of my decision to be done with him before I had to look at that gorgeous face again. Obviously, I hadn’t really convinced myself to wash my hands of him. Or worse, couldn’t.

  Letting Bryant’s eyes roam up and down my legs was buying me time. Maybe I wouldn’t find the right words to disarm him; perhaps my scandalously short dress would do the work for me.

  Finally, I decided it would be rude not to face him, so I slowly lifted from the railing and turned. I didn’t trust my body’s reaction so I grasped the ledge to steady myself. My new stance arched my back, conveniently putting my chest on display.

  I should play dirty.

  No, I had to play dirty. I had to win the next round. I was rewarded when his perfect, full lips parted ever so slightly to suck in a deep breath.

  “It does get a bit stuffy in there with all that money and all those suits.” His crooked smirk really was something.

  “Look who’s talking,” I laughed. “Nicholas Bryant, tired of money and suits. Do tell if hell has frozen over.”

  Yes, that’s good.

  I was more myself when I could exercise a little sarcasm. I would do whatever I could to stay in control.

  “We keep getting interrupted. I’ve been meaning to tell you that you caught my eye this evening.”

  My heart leapt in my chest when he spoke. He had to hear the sound; it was deafening in my ears. Just as I feared, I wanted him far too badly to react rationally.

  “I bet you say that to all the girls.” The bite was already leaving my voice.

  “No, actually, I don’t. I only offer compliments when they’re earned.” He was forceful, but his voice remained smooth.

  “What compliments did your lovely blonde earn this evening?”

  “I haven’t given her a second thought since we met. I barely gave her a thought beforehand. She was merely an appropriate escort. I’m pretty sure Barney did, in fact, go after her.”

  S
hit.

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  My voice was failing me; he’d inched closer as we spoke. Now he could easily lean forward and run his nose along my jaw. I would have been lying if I said it would be unwelcome.

  “If you must know, I told her that her dress was nice. It is nice, after all.”

  His anger flared slightly at my insistence and his eyes turned more deadly gray then crystal blue. When he looked me up and down though, he pushed any irritation away.

  “Your dress, however, is fantastic.” He leaned in to whisper the words; his lips brushed against the sensitive spot behind my ear.

  My brain and body were at war. Yes, I wanted him. Apparently, I was desperate for him, but Vesper was involved. It was such a poor, misguided decision to give in to the burning desire coursing thick through my veins. I leaned back against the railing, moving the only direction I could away from him.

  He took a step to follow me and planted a hand on either side of my body, effectively trapping me. My pulse quickened and it took all the concentration I had not to gasp. We sat in silence, the air so thick between us that it was suffocating. My breathing went ragged just from his proximity. One of his hands dropped from the railing, giving me a way out if I wanted it.

  I thought about shuffling out, striding purposefully down the stairs and actually resolving to keep my wits about me, but in the end I couldn’t budge. Even if I could have made my legs move, I didn’t want to. I hated admitting it, but I liked that he set my skin on fire.

  When I stayed put his smile sparked, forcing me to melt against the railing. My posture said everything. I’d submitted to him, and his eyes began to burn with an intense, wildfire blue. For the briefest moment I swore they blazed with something more than lust. When he placed his free hand on my hip and began a slow exploration of my body my eyes fluttered shut. I could only focus on his strong grasp sending a trail of tingles up and down my thigh.

  My body began to move against his as if I’d always known him intimately. He slowly switched from the outside to the inside of my thigh and I couldn’t help when my neck rolled gently to the left. Bryant took advantage and began to kiss me, starting with my collarbone then moving up toward my ear. His hand pressed harder into my skin; the combination of flutter kisses and strong strokes made me moan.

  “Who knew there was a more erotic sound than you eating scallops?”

  He was breathing hard, and I was pleased to know I excited him, too. When he followed his seductive words with a sharp bite on my earlobe, I couldn’t help the, “Fuck,” that escaped my lips.

  His hand rested just below the feathers of my dress, but when he finally sealed his lips on mine, that hand drifted up. His lips were soft and firm and hot and wet, all in perfect amounts. We moved in unison as we devoured each other. His fingers explored the curve of my ass and even slid under my little lace thong.

  I was beyond all reason when he slipped one long finger inside me. I couldn’t help but whimper into his open mouth. I barely knew this man, but as he slid a second finger into me, I didn’t care. My breath caught when he spread them. He took full advantage, threading his tongue in between my lips to explore my mouth. The circles he made inside me mimicked the circles his tongue began to trace.

  Finally, he pulled his lips away from mine and looked into my eyes. His seemed to twinkle as they bored into me. He watched my labored breathing and my tongue glide along my lips, yearning for his return.

  He was still watching intently when he added his thumb to rub gentle circles against my clitoris. That’s when I lost control. My body went numb except for the ball of fire building in the pit of my stomach. The heat from his body, the warm air breezing across the balcony, his deft stroking and hungry gaze simply added to the sensation. The orgasm that followed was earth shattering; waves wracked my body and my sex clenched down hard on his fingers. I was barely able to pant, “Oh, my God.”

  He kept his fingers inside me and used them to pull my body close. He violently mashed his mouth down onto mine; first he bit my lip and then took my tongue back inside his mouth. He swirled one finger around, and when he found my G-spot he added pressure that renewed my desperate trembling. My body flexing around his fingers pulled them deeper. I almost lost my footing when I went weak in the knees. He held me tight and murmured, “I have enjoyed every second with you since we’ve met.”

  A cough mixed with a giggle from the doorway behind us stopped him short. Laura. My first thought was to throw the skinny bitch off the balcony.

  “What could you possibly need right now, Laur?” My voice came out more forceful than I thought I could muster. The intense look on Nicholas’ face was keeping me off balance.

  “Malik was called into the hospital so we have to go. Of course you’re welcome to stay, but I thought you mentioned something earlier about leaving together.”

  I hadn’t. It was her way of telling me to behave. If Bryant’s fingers hadn’t been inside me I would have thrown her off the balcony. I didn’t want to go, but crashing back to reality reminded me I shouldn’t stay, either. I searched Bryant’s face; he said nothing, and gave nothing away. When he didn’t even flinch I spoke.

  “I’ll be right down.”

  This was a good decision.

  Right?

  Despite my traitorous body, I was determined to save some face tonight. If he didn’t ask, I wasn’t going to, either. There was no way in hell I’d come off needy. I straightened myself, my dress, and took in the beautiful face of the man who was still a stranger to me. His mind was racing, but I couldn’t tell about what. His eyes clouded over as he slowly removed both fingers and slid them into his mouth.

  Oh holy hell.

  “It seems I owe you another compliment, Ms. Elliott. You taste fantastic.”

  Well fuck me. That was incredibly hot. I should be going home with him.

  I blushed a red that put my lipstick to shame. His brash words and intimate actions were so devilishly disorienting; I didn’t even get a chance to reply before he grabbed me by the hips and turned me toward the doorway. Just as I was about to step out of reach, he pulled me back. I crashed into solid pecs, washboard abs, and a hard erection that pressed up against my ass.

  “And I can’t wait to taste you again.”

  His hot breath on my neck forced me to shiver. When he let go, he placed his hand on my low back and I was grateful for the support. My knees were quaking and I needed to pull myself together long enough to get back down the stairs and out to the limo. I’d never cursed Christian Louboutin before, but my skyscraper heels were making it even harder to appear composed.

  The stairs seemed to go on forever; I took far too many shaky steps alongside Bryant to rejoin Laura. Nicholas helped me into the car, gave me an indecipherable look, shut the door, and walked away. Laura went to speak but when she saw my face she stopped short.

  “What, Laura?” I sighed. I couldn’t muster the energy to be sarcastic.

  “You just look…off. That wasn’t your average flirtation, was it?” Her eyes were glistening.

  “Is that what it looked like? No, we weren’t flirting.”

  My voice was thin and abrupt when I emphasized the last word. She didn’t pay any attention to my tone; she was on a roll.

  “Did you make out with him? Tell me everything! He has such an amazing, broad back. You were totally hidden, I couldn’t even see your face.”

  Kissing and telling was sport for Laura, she was always game to listen. All I could do was sigh. When she opened her mouth to badger me for details, Malik stepped inside and plopped his phone into a cup holder.

  “You two look guilty as sin,” he chuckled. “I’m very sorry I pulled you away, Kate, but I’m glad you’re getting home safely.”

  I mustered a small smile. Was I even remotely safe with a man like Nicholas Bryant in the picture? Every bit of me shouted No! loudly. And in unison.

  That night, alone in bed, I was restless. Eventually I fell asleep dreaming of
deep, gunmetal gray and shimmering sapphire blue.

  3.

  I was never a morning person; getting up early was always painful. Every. Single. Morning. Admittedly, I never got anywhere near the ideal amount of sleep, and today was no better when the jarring electronic squawk of my alarm startled me.

  My head pounded.

  Hangover headache, ugh.

  As soon as the world came into focus so did the ache between my thighs.

  Even worse.

  Where the hell had my brain gone last night? The throbbing suggested I’d lost it in a bottle, or three, of champagne. I clumsily fumbled out of bed and into my closet, struggling to get my booze soaked limbs to cooperate.

  As I dressed for work I couldn’t help that my thoughts kept wandering back to Nicholas Bryant. The trail of kisses he’d left on my neck still sang, and the memory of his grip was vivid—soft but strong. Very strong. I even pictured how I must have looked while totally lost to his skilled fingers. It was too late when I noticed I was turning myself on.

  I did what any sensible woman would and pulled on pants. The summer breeze would force a skirt to rustle across my thighs, reminding me of the similarly scandalous trail of Bryant’s fingertips. I needed the security of pants and the confidence of a power outfit. I grabbed a thick gold belt and my long, thin gold pendant to hang in the deep V of my shirt. This was as pulled together as possible under the circumstances.

  A coffee stop was the only thing I had the brainpower for on the way to work. The car ride was a blur and I barely registered slipping out of the backseat until I was pushing through the revolving door to step into the sunlit, marble lobby of the skyscraper that housed Vesper. Usually I was proud walking through those doors. Today I wanted to throw up. Even the ride to the 22nd floor turned my stomach. I was clutching the wall with white knuckles when the doors opened to my personal lobby.

  “Good morning, Gemma.”

  My tone suggested there was nothing good about it and she scurried toward me to take my jacket and Birkin bag.