Captivate her: Laws of Seduction Book 1 (13 page)

My legs and arms are already tired, and I am anxious to start swimming to shore. “Can you lie still for me Henry? You know I am a lifeguard, and it is my job to save little boys who fall into the water.” That might be stretching the truth a little, but I would say anything to keep Henry calm. He has stopped thrashing about and seems calmer, so I begin stroking back to shore with one arm. My other arm is holding Henry across his chest as he lies on his back. I remember that I could hold his chin, but that would probably be frightening to him. His head is elevated out of the water, and that is the important thing. He has quieted down, and I wish I could say something to reassure him, but I need to save all my breath for swimming.

I am becoming more and more tired, and I push myself harder. It wasn’t that far out, but swimming with one arm is wearing me out. Henry is sputtering from the water that hits him in the face. I try to keep his face above water, but it is difficult with the waves. I think I hear shouting from the shore, and miraculously Henry is being lifted from my arms. I look up to see a man holding him and realize that I should be able to reach the bottom with my feet. Relief fills me as my feet touch the sandy bottom of the ocean. Henry has wrapped his arms around the man’s neck. The man holds Henry steady with one arm while taking me with his other arm. He assists me through the surf when the waves would have knocked me down.

Free of the punishing waves, I collapse on the beach in front of me. I hear a woman sobbing and screeching Henry’s name. Sitting up, I look around to see if he is alright. “Henry…?” I start. Then I see a woman with long blond hair clenching him to her while sobbing. She berates him and thanks God that he is okay all at the same time. Another younger woman is standing off to the side, and she is also sobbing. The man, who has his hand on the back of Henry’s head, regards me steadily with deep-set brown eyes. “I don’t know who you are, but thank you for saving my son.”

“I’m Elaine Hart. I’m staying at Rex’s house,” I think to add.

“Well, Elaine Hart, I am forever in your debt. I am Karl Rothschild and this is my wife Deanne and my son Henry.”

His expression of gratitude makes me shift uncomfortably. “I’m just glad that Henry is alright.”

“As are we.” Karl Rothschild is
 
attractive and appears to be in his early forties. His speech is strangely formal. I don’t detect a strong accent, but he doesn’t sound American, and I wonder if he is British. After everyone has calmed down, Karl asks, “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Yes, of course. I was walking along the beach when I saw Henry walking out on the posts. I didn’t see anyone else around, and he looked so precarious standing out there. I decided the best thing to do would be to get as close to him as possible in case he fell in.”

“Which I did,” Henry interrupts me. “Lainey saved me. I was scared.” Henry’s voice trembles. I wonder if he is going to start crying again, but he just
 
sniffles a little and tucks his face against his mother’s side.

“Melody saw you from the house,” says Karl, gesturing to the other woman, who is still standing off to the side. “Melody is Henry’s nanny, and she was looking for him when she caught sight of both of you down here. She alerted us, but we couldn’t get down here fast enough to be of much help.”

Karl insists that I go back to the house with them and get checked out by a doctor. I keep insisting that I am fine, but he won’t hear of it. The house looks huge from the outside, and I am a little overwhelmed by the grandeur of the interior. We pass through room after room, each more beautifully decorated than the last. We end up in a room that I take for a study, since a large desk is the focal point. There is also room for two large stuffed floral couches and a matching ottoman. We all sit down, and I tell them a bit about my background as we all wait for the doctor. 

When the doctor arrives, I insist that he take a look at Henry first. While they are gone, Karl questions me about my job. He has heard of Houghton Mills since it is such a large firm, but I can’t tell him much since I haven’t been there for long. Karl leaves me alone with the doctor. I figure it is one of the perks of the ultra-rich to have a doctor on call on the weekends. The doctor listens to my heart and takes my blood pressure. In the end he seems satisfied that I am not suffering any ill effects from my exhausting swim. 

After the doctor leaves, the Rothschilds invite me to join them for lunch. After finding out that I don’t already have plans, Henry pleads for me to stay. Deanna insists that it is the least that they can do to thank me. When I point out that I am only wearing a cover-up over a swimsuit, they override my concerns. The whole family is incredibly charming, and after the drama of the morning, they all seem lighthearted. The food is simple but delicious: Crab cakes served with a light salad. The salad dressing is light and tangy, and the crab cakes are the best I have ever eaten. I assume they have a four-star chef back in the kitchen preparing their meals. Deanna and Karl turn down dessert, but I can’t resist joining Henry for strawberry shortcake. The strawberries and whipped cream dazzle my taste buds.

I
 
start my walk back to Rex’s house with the Rothschilds’ heartfelt thanks ringing in my ears and Karl’s card tucked in my bag. He made me promise that I will call him if I ever need anything. I have no intention of ever taking him up on his offer, since I would have done the same thing for any child, wealthy or not.

When I get back the house, James is not there. I take a shower to wash off the salt water and put on a light green bikini before moving out onto the deck to wait for James. I notice that I missed a text from him saying that he was running late but hoped to be back soon. He must have sent it while I was in the shower. 

CHAPTER 16

I fall asleep, and the next thing I am aware of is a feather light touch on my knee. I keep my eyes closed as the touch moves further up my leg. Letting my legs fall open, I open my eyes to see James sitting in the lounge chair next to me, his thick lashes hiding his blue eyes from my view. My bikini bottom loosens as he pulls the tie at the side that is holding it together, and then I am bare to him. He runs his finger gently back and forth along my slit. I cannot stop myself from arching my hips up, desperate for more. Slipping a finger inside me, James groans, “You’re already wet for me.” I moan as he thrusts another finger inside me and circles my clit with his thumb. “All I could think about all day was coming back to this.” I can’t hold back my orgasm as his fingers work their magic. Floating on a wave of bliss, I glance up to see James regarding me with a satisfied smile on his lips. He has changed from his tennis whites into another pair of board shorts, and I can see his straining erection.

I twinkle up at him. “Would you like to go for a swim?”

“Baby, I would love to go for a swim.”

“Are you sure? Because these waters can be turbulent.”

The roguish look in his eyes makes my breath hitch. “I love turbulence.”

“I was hoping you would say that.”

James had picked up some steaks for the grill on his way back from his client meeting. I am actually quite impressed that he had gotten salad ingredients as well. I make the salad while James grills the steaks. We decide to eat on the deck to enjoy the sunset. Once the food is ready, James pours us each a glass of wine from the bottle he had opened to breathe earlier. I ask about his client meeting. He doesn’t go into much detail, just saying that it went as well as he had expected. A slight ocean breeze makes the candles on the table flicker. Sitting back in my chair with my glass of wine, I regard James. Unlike other men I have known, he doesn’t seem to want to talk about himself much. On the train ride, he hadn’t even told me he was a lawyer. At the time I was glad, but now it makes me curious. It feels like James is holding a part of himself aloof from me. I don’t understand him, and it makes me feel a bit anxious because I know I am falling for him. The only things I know about him, besides the fact that he fucks like a god, is that he is a lawyer, drives a fancy Audi, and lives in a swanky apartment in Tribeca. Oh, and that he has a friend Rex with an incredible house in the Hamptons. 

Speaking of holding back, I still haven’t told James about the incident this morning. I can’t think of an easy way to broach the subject. I try out a few openers in my head. “Oh, by the way, I almost drowned this morning,” or “I saved a little boy’s life today, and his parents swore their undying gratitude to me.”

James breaks the silence that has fallen over us with the opening that I need. “How was your morning? Did you make it down to the beach?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I met the family that lives there.” James seems surprised by this revelation. 

“Actually, um,” I start, but I stop, feeling a blush wash over my cheeks. Why do I feel so awkward? I try again. “I actually had a bit of an adventure this morning. The Rothschilds’ little boy got himself into a dangerous spot out in the water, and I helped him swim back to shore.” James raises his eyebrows at this explanation.

“What kind of dangerous spot?”

“Well, there are these posts that stick out of the water. I think they must have been part of a dock or pier at one time. Anyway, Henry – that’s the little boy,” I look at James to be sure he is following. “Henry walked out on these posts, and when I saw him, I knew he would be in real trouble if he fell in, so I swam out to help him.”

“Are you telling me you rescued a little boy from drowning?”

The shock in James’s voice makes me hesitate. “Well… yes?” There I go again with the statement that comes out like a question.

James blinks at me incredulously. “Well, that wasn’t exactly what I expected to hear about your day.”

I give a slight shrug and say, “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“So you met the Rothschilds? Karl Rothschild is notoriously reclusive.”

“Huh. They actually seemed really nice. Karl’s manners were a bit formal, but other than that pretty ordinary. They actually invited me to lunch after the doctor checked us out.”

“A doctor examined you? I thought you said no one was hurt?”

“No, no. Henry and I were both fine. Really,” I reassure him. “It was just a precaution that Karl insisted on.”

“I see.” James takes my hand and kisses my palm before pulling me up and onto his lap. “Well, I’m glad that you are okay,” he says, nuzzling my neck. “How about a swim?”

“That sounds nice. Just let me go put on my suit.”

James gives me a lascivious smile. “I was thinking without suits would be more fun.”

The thought of skinny-dipping in the pool with James is an instant turn-on. He must see the acquiescence on my face, because he proceeds to pull off my clothes until I am lying naked before him. Setting me up in front of him, James removes his own clothes while I watch greedily. As I look on, he walks over to the water’s edge and dives into the pool. He stands up in the pool, whipping his head back as little droplets of water spray out behind him. “It feels great. Come on in.”

I can’t resist his dimpled smile and walk to the edge of the pool. James watches as I walk slowly down the shallow stairs into the water. I don’t know if it is the chill of the water or his gaze that makes my nipples tighten into peaks. It doesn’t take long to adjust to the water temperature. I float on my back, luxuriating in the feel of the water against my skin with nothing between me and the water. We swim a little, play a little, and fool around a little. When James’s kisses and touch become more intense, he pulls back. “You wouldn’t happen to have some gummy bears tucked away somewhere, would you?”

I look up at him in confusion until I remember the incident from the train in which I accidentally offered him a condom instead of gummy bears. I laugh and shake my head no.

“In that case,” he lifts me up so that I am sitting on the edge of the pool before hoisting himself up with his strong arms. Grabbing a towel, he first dries off me and then himself before pulling me toward the bedroom.

When we reach the bedroom, he finds a condom on the bedside table. I smile at him mischievously. “No pool sex tonight?”

He just grunts as he rolls the condom down his hard cock. “Lay back on the bed.”

The firm command in his voice causes shivers of anticipation to run up and down my spine. I do as he says and wait. James looks down at me with burning eyes and whispers, “I want you to fight me.”

Shock courses through me. My stomach drops, and I realize that I am excited by his request. Before I can overthink it, I swing my legs to the floor. James is on me before I have taken two steps. Lifting me up, he throws me back on the bed. “Oh no, you don’t!” 

I kick and push as he attempts to straddle me. My fists connect with his chest, but I feel no give. I am met with an immovable wall of muscle. He manages to get hold of my flailing arms and pin them above my head. I bring up my knees and kick out at him, but he manages to dodge my kicks by moving up and in closer to my body. Holding my arms with one hand, he pushes me hard on my hip and rolls me over onto my stomach, where I am completely vulnerable. I lie there panting from my exertions and hear James breathing hard behind me, from wrestling me down or excitement – I don’t know which.

“Do you want me to fuck your tight little pussy?” Running his hand over my back and buttocks, he gives my behind a hard smack with his hand. The sting makes me jerk and cry out. “Do. You. Want. Me. To. Fuck. Your. Tight. Little. Pussy?”