Exposing the Billionaire (Corporate Affairs, Book #1) (4 page)

“Close the door please,” he told her without looking up.

She did as he asked, turning to close the door. When she turned back around, he had crossed the room in long strides and was standing in front of her.

“Mr. Blaine—” she said in surprise.

He placed one hand on either side of her, effectively trapping her between his strong arms. “I told you to call me Lucas.”

She pressed her back flat against the door, trying to keep some distance between them. This had
not
been part of the plan. “I really think we need to try to keep this professional, Mr. Blaine.”

He leaned forward, placing his mouth near her collarbone. “Mhm,” he murmured against her neck.

Part of her was already starting to lose sight of her plan, succumbing to the warmth emanating from him and the hot breathe against her neck. With a force of will, she pulled herself together and ducked beneath one of his outstretched arms. She walked as quickly as she could in the hells to stand in front of her one of the plush chairs that faced his desk.

“Now,” she said with a shaky breath. “You said you needed a memo...”

But Blaine wasn’t interested in any memo. He walked up to her, standing behind her, and placed his hands on her full hips.

Lips against her ear, he whispered, “I just needed
you
.”

Her breath hitched and her eyes flickered shut, letting her head fall back on his shoulder. When his hands made their way up from her hips, trailing her thin waist and up to her breasts, she stopped resisting.

“You feel amazing.”

His hands went to the buttons of her blouse, undoing the first few to allow himself access to her breasts. They fit perfectly in his hands, the white lacy fabric just a little too small, making them look plump and suggesting that maybe she had secretly been hoping this would happen.

Kate bit her lip as his fingers played along the edge of her bra before dipping beneath it to feel her hot flesh. His thumb and forefinger found a nipple, pinching and tugging, and she moaned.

That was apparently what he’d been waiting for, because he pulled his hands away and spun her around to face him. He pushed her back and leaned into her, forcing her to bend over his desk. Her skirt was so tight that he could only fit one leg between her knees. That apparently did not set well with him, because his hands went immediately to the hem and rucked it up until it was around her waist, allowing him to spread her legs and settle his body between them.

“Mr. Blaine,” Kate whispered.

Hands on her hips, his brilliant blue eyes stared into her green ones. “Lucas,” he corrected. “Take off your bra.” The command was sharp, insistent and sent a spark through Kate’s body.

Kate sat up as best she could, crossing her legs behind him and using them to lift herself up enough that she could undo the rest of her shirt and unclasp her bra. Lucas hummed approvingly. His eyes flickered to her dark hair.

“Let down your hair,” he told her next.

She didn’t even hesitate, reaching up and pulling out the pins that restrained her darks waves. Her tresses spilled over her shoulders, nearly reaching her waist.

“I love your hair down,” he growled into her ear, his grip on her hips tightening. “You should always wear it down. I want to see it tumble over your breasts.”

He leaned forward, taking a peaked nipple into his mouth, sucking and licking around it. Kate arched her back, letting out a moan. One of his hands left her hip, going to the small of her back and helping to ease her back down so that she was laying on the desk with her legs wrapped around his middle.

Her breathing had accelerated, coming in heavy gasps that made her breasts rise and fall.

Both of his hands back to her hips, his fingers make their way under her lacy red panties. “I like these,” he said to her, eyeing them hungrily. “And here I was almost worried you weren’t interested.”

She might have blushed, if she weren’t already laying across his desk, naked breasts and barely covered core spread before him. “Just in case,” she breathed.

He laughed, a low, rumbling sound that filled his chest. He let his thumb rub over the top of them, feeling moisture begin to soak through. She whimpered.

His hands gripped the edges of her panties and pulled them down her legs, slowly. She unwrapped her ankles so that he could remove them completely. He slipped them off and threw them onto his desk beside her. Lifting her legs, he kissed along her ankles and calves, then set them on his shoulders. With a small smile on his lips, he bent his head forward and pressed his face between her legs.

She held her breath and felt him exhale against her nether lips. After an excruciatingly long moment, he pressed a gentle kiss there, making her release a strangled sound. His tongue flicked out, giving her a long lick.

“Oh,” she gasped as the tip of his tongue reached the small bundle of nerves.

He pulled her clit into his mouth making her jerk towards his face. He moved back down, letting his tongue slip between her folds which had become wet and slick. Her taste covering his mouth, he drove his tongue inside her and she moaned.

Curling it, he licked at her walls and lips, at first taking a slow pace, but as her legs began to tremble and she pushed herself closer to him, he started moving faster. Both of his hands had been gripping her thighs, but one slipped to the inside, thumb running along the outside of her lips up towards her nub. He began to rub there as his tongue continued to thrust and lick inside of her.

“Oh god,” she mumbled, her hands reaching out to thread through his silky blonde hair. “Please, Lucas.”

At her words, he began to rub faster and press his tongue harder against her. Her entire body flushed, burning with need. Her legs trembled and her breathing was heavy, her back arching to try to get closer to him.

He licked and sucked at her, rubbing her clit faster and faster, making her cry out his name.

“Lucas!”

She came against his mouth, her vision blacking out and her body suddenly becoming limp on his desk. She breathed heavily, waves of pleasure washing over her, leaving her sated.

It had been a while since a man had done that to her so well.

Shaking and boneless, Kate lay exposed on his desk. His hands felt hot on her skin as they moved along her side, over her breasts, until finally coming up to her face. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She could taste herself on his mouth.

“Come to dinner with me,” he murmured.

Still trembling from her release, she looked hazily at him. “Dinner?”

“Mhm. At my place.”

Maybe if she had been thinking clearly, maybe if she’d been fully dressed, maybe if he hadn’t been touching her, she would have said no. But lying there beneath him, all she could think to say was, “Okay.”

After several long moments, she managed to slow her breathing enough that she could sit up. He helped her off his desk, letting her pull down her skirt and button up her blouse. She tried to fix her hair, but he stopped her before she could put it back up.

“Leave it down,” he said, his voice husky.

She realized that, though she had gotten a heady release,
he
was still hard and full of desire. Yet he made no move to take what he needed from her.

He took her hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it.

“You fascinate me, Ms. Kaufmann,” he told her, his eyes boring into hers. “You’re not like anyone else I’ve encountered.”

“Neither are you,” she admitted, still a little shaky.

She pulled away from him and left his office. Only once she was outside did she realize she had neither her bra nor her panties.

K
ate took extra time getting ready that night. It was the sake of her story that she was doing this, she told herself again and again. But when she searched her closet for that tiny red dress that she couldn’t wear a bra with and made her ass look great, she knew that she wasn’t doing this for a story. The thought of his tongue slipping across her folds made her throb with a flash of desire.

This was just desire and attraction, she reminded herself as her only consolation. Yes, he was hot. Yes, he felt great. Yes, he gave her a deliciously wonderful orgasm with only his mouth. But that’s all it was. It wasn’t as though she were
falling
for this guy. At the end of the day, she was still going to write a scathing expose aimed to take down his company and earn her a Pulitzer.

And this stuff—the play in his office, the desire, the going to dinner at his place—well, that was all just a little fun in the meantime.

No harm in that, right?

Kate was doing her best to rationalize her actions. What else could she do?

An hour later, Kate pulled up to a very nice, but surprisingly small condo. It wasn’t as though it was tiny and couldn’t fit two people their dog and a guest inside it, but Lucas Blaine was a billionaire. She had been expecting some sort of excessively huge, high maintenance mansion complete with a gate, guard tower, and a moat. Probably with alligators.

Instead, the place looked almost... normal. Well, high-end normal, but no more so than the nicer parts of L.A.

Feeling as though she had the wrong place, Kate hesitantly rang the doorbell. It took a few moments, but Lucas came to the door, a towel slung over his shoulder. A wide smile broke across his face when he saw her. His blue eyes scanned her body—surely noting her nipples peeking out beneath the racy red fabric and the fact that most of her upper thighs were showing.

“Please, come in,” he said, stepping back from the door and letting her walk inside.

She did so with a smile. “Thank you.”

The condo was decorated much like his office, with wood paneling and beautiful paintings covering the walls. The hallway and staircase ahead was wood flooring, but there was soft beige carpet in the living room to the left. To the right, Lucas led her into the kitchen.

Delicious smells filled the room. Kate took a deep breath, telling him, “Something smells good.”

“I hope so,” he told her, taking her hand and once again placing a kiss there. “It’ll be a few more minutes, but there’s some red wine and fruit to start off.”

Kate’s eyes widened as she realized
he
was cooking. “Don’t you have a personal chef or something to do the cooking for you?” she asked before checking her mouth.

Lucas didn’t seem to take offense to the comment. “I suppose. For large functions, I have someone cater it, but not for here in my own home. I like to be a little more hands on.”

“I noticed.”

Lucas’ eyes sparked with electricity, clearly remembering their hot and heavy session in his office earlier. He handed her a glass of wine, then turned back to his cooking.

Hesitating, not sure she wanted to bring it up, Kate said to him, “I’m a little surprised you asked me here.”

Lucas glanced at her, continuing to expertly sauté delicious smelling mushrooms in a pan. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you said... earlier, that I fascinated you.”

He nodded his head. “You do. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around someone willing to say what they mean, regardless of how they think I’ll react to it.”

“You’re attracted to my bluntness?” Kate asked skeptically, hand on her hip.

He laughed at her. “Yes, among other things.”

“Well, that’s good,” she admitted. “’Cause that’s not likely to change. Three older brothers, a mechanic daddy, and no mother in sight tends to make you a little tougher than the average girl.”

Lucas moved on to chopping lettuce and tomatoes for a large crystal salad bowl—she bet
that
cost a small fortune. “I’m sorry that your mother wasn’t in the picture,” he said sincerely. “However, I can’t help but be grateful that you had such a strong influence in your life. It seems to have benefitted you tremendously.”

Kate shrugged. She hadn’t really thought of it that way, though maybe she should have. It was what had made her determined and fearless, to shoot for her goals even when they seemed unattainable. To not back down from a fight, no matter how scary the other guy was. Really, they had made her the brilliant reporter she was.

They had also gotten her in trouble, but you got to take the good with the bad, right?

“And what about you?” she finally asked. “What kind of family life leads you to become a cooking, billion dollar corporate CEO?”

Her tone had been light, but his face grew serious as he considered her question. “My father died when I was young. He had been a hardworking man, but spent so much of his time in the mines that he grew sick. When I was fifteen, he passed away, leaving me to take care of my mother who took it pretty hard. She didn’t want me to start working so young, but what choice did we have?”

Kate paused mid-drink, surprised by both his candid answer and the seriousness of it. “I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged, continuing his story. “I worked from the ground up in a shipping yard, eventually getting my shot at a corporate job. I excelled. By the time I was nineteen, I began my own business. It was small, but profitable. And its success gave me the chance to join Blaine Enterprises.”

“Back when it was still James Incorporated?” Kate added.

Lucas gave her a surprised look. “Yes. Done a little research?”

Kate froze. She had slipped up and she was worried that he might get suspicious. “I, uh, might have looked you up when I started working for you.”

“I’m flattered.”

Hiding her relief, Kate finished her glass. Lucas poured her a little more and, having finished cooking, took the food to the table. They ate in silence, sharing heated looks across the table. The food was delicious and Kate added it to the mental list she’d been keeping of his skills.

When they had finished, Kate began to gather the dishes. “Leave them,” Lucas insisted and they went together into the living room to finish their wine.

Lucas motioned for her to have a seat on a plush looking couch, while he sat across from her on a large easy chair.

They talked casually, mostly about the paintings hanging around his house. Kate carefully avoided discussion of both their earlier topics of family and of his office, mostly because she was worried it would remind him of catching her earlier.