Falling into Black (7 page)

As the waves of pleasure
slowed to a dull rocking, every muscle in my body twitched and went limp. I
wanted to keep my eyes open, but they kept slipping shut as the satisfaction
ripped and tore through my flesh. For a moment I wasn’t sure I would ever catch
my breath again, but I couldn’t help the smile on my face.

After what seemed like
an eternity, Dorian shifted his weight, leaning to the side as he pulled his
cock free. His fingers wound up and down my arms, and I blinked my eyes open to
take in his gorgeous visage.

Slowly, he buried his
rough cheek against my breast.

He smiled, the kind of
easy smile I’d never seen him display.

“I love you, Alicia
Jones,” he whispered into my lips right before he kissed me.

My heart soared with my
body as I submerged myself in his kiss, his body and his love.

As our lips parted ways,
I smiled at him. “I love you too, Dorian Black.”

Leaning back, he wrapped
his strong arm around me, pulling me into his side. “That’s what I wanted to
hear.”

Even tied to his bed I
felt safe, wanted and adored. How had this happened? I was only looking for a
job, and I found Mr. Right instead. Sometimes, I guess girls like me do get
lucky – in more ways than one!

And tonight was just the
first of many nights with the man of my dreams.

*
* *

I stared at myself in
the mirror, unable to believe what I saw. The skirt and suit jacket alone cost
more than half a month’s salary. Not to mention the fine silk blouse, pale
pink, that peeked from under the dark gray wool. The material clung to my full,
curvy hips and narrowed at my round knees.

Personally, I would've picked
an A-line that hid my curves, but Dorian Black – my lover and boss
– had a different idea.

“Lovely, Alicia.
Perfectly lovely,” he said as he emerged from the closet behind me. His dark
hair fell in careless waves across his forehead, and the sharp blue points of
his eyes trailed up and down my body.

Even when clothed, I
felt naked around Dorian. He was the only man who ever looked at me like that.
Ever desired me in such an explicit way. In fact, I’d hardly been back to my
apartment since he told me he loved me the week before.

How could I leave the
home of the gorgeous billionaire when I was naked most of the time?

“You chose it out,” I
said to his reflection and pulled the skirt down. “Are you sure it’s not too
much? Chanel’s not excessive for the office?”

He smiled and wrapped
his hands around my waist. The rough edge of his cheek tickled my neck as he
nipped at my pale flesh with his hungry mouth. “Not excessive at all. You look
the part of my personal assistant and my girlfriend. Plus, it’s not
just
for the office. It’s for our trip.”

My heart slammed in my
chest. “What trip? Where are we going?”

His hips pressed into my
rounded backside as his hands wound higher, cupping me under my full breasts.
“I didn’t tell you? A business trip to Europe. We leave tomorrow. You’ll have
to finish shopping on your own -- if that’s all right with you.”

I fought to breathe.

Two weeks ago I never
imagined I be standing here, being groped by the infamous ladies man Dorian
Black. Now we were going to Europe! How had this happened to my life? Little
Alicia Jones was dating a billionaire!

“But I don’t have my
passport. I can’t go to --”

He silenced me with
kiss, turning my body into his and gripping my chin with strong fingers. “It’s
all been arranged. Your passport will arrive in the office today. Now, I want
you to finish shopping for your new wardrobe and meet me at the office for
lunch. How does that sound?”

I squeaked my agreement
as his lips smothered mine once again. The hot force of his tongue probed my
mouth, waking the butterflies which nested in my stomach ever since we first
met. The palms of his hands traveled down my back, gripping my ass and pulling
me as close as possible.

“Yes, Mr. Black,” I said
as his mouth loosened its hold.

His lips twisted into a
seductive smirk. “Good. If you’re late, Ms. Jones, a punishment will await you.
You don’t want that, do you?”

Pressed into his strong
chest, I wasn’t sure how to answer. He’d hired me as his personal assistant
after ‘punishing’ me with a paddle during my interview. I’d never realized it
before, but my whole being longed for domination – the sweet release of
pain and control. But it didn’t mean I
always
wanted to be a good girl.

“I’ll try to be there on
time. You know how distracting shopping can be.”

His hands tightened
their grip, but his chest rumbled with suppressed laughter. “I’ll think of the
perfect punishment then.”

I nodded, and he let me
go.

After I finished my hair
and makeup, he handed me a credit card. He used it when we dined out and when
he took me on our first shopping extravaganza, but I still hesitated.

“I can use this?” I
asked and ran my fingers over the smooth black surface. Then I realized my name
and not his embossed across the front. “Wait. This is for me?”

Dorian leaned in and
kissed my temple with surprising gentleness. “Yes. It’s your own credit line.
Why? Are you planning on spending
all
my money?”

I shook my head. “I
don’t think I could spend all your money, even if I paid off my student loans
and my parent’s mortgage. You really trust me with this?”

He smiled softly, the
kind of smile I only ever saw when we were alone. Around the office he usually
smirked or glared. Why only show his soft side to me?

“Of course I trust you.
I
am
sleeping with you.”

My cheeks flushed, and I
nodded as I fumbled to slip the card in my wallet. It made my own silver card
look cheap and unprofessional. “Good point.”

He slid his arm around
me as we walked out of his penthouse. The car waited for us in the underground
garage. Instead of a limo, Dorian’s everyday ride was a Bentley. Talk about impressive.
I’m pretty sure the car was more expensive than the house I grew up in.

Dorian climbed out once
we reached the huge Black Inc. skyscraper. He kissed my cheek and pointed at
the driver. “Lance will accompany you today. I’ve already given him
instructions.”

I glanced at the
middle-aged man and nodded. “What instructions?”

Of course, Mr. Black
only smiled as he shut and door and walked toward his building.

Without a word, Lance
pulled the car away.

Walking around high-end
shops was bad enough without six feet six of pure muscle following me everywhere.
Lance wasn’t a bad guy. He was quiet and always wore a Bluetooth headset in his
ear. Plus, he looked more like a bodyguard than a driver. I’d have to ask
Dorian about him.

At least Lance kept the
vulture like employees away while I browsed through each shop. My mind spun as
I checked price tags, and I tried my hardest not to blanch. Dorian took the
liberty of even making me a map for my phone with all the designers who carried
size 14 clothing. I suspected Lance had one too.

Come on, Alicia. You can
do this. Your boyfriend is a billionaire who gave you a credit card for a limitless
shopping spree. Go wild!

“Are you looking for
something particular?” a woman asked and smiled. “Chanel 2010? I love that
suit.”

I ran my manicured hand
over the smooth wool and nodded. “I’m looking for work clothes, evening clothes
and some casual clothes for a European business trip,” I explained and tried my
hardest not to grin like an idiot.

Slipping her arm around
my shoulders the woman, Mira, led me around the store. I breathed a sigh of
relief and let her. She had an eye for fashion and my figure, something I
hadn’t quite figured out yet. Every piece she brought came alive when I put it
on.

Staring at myself in the
dressing room, I saw for the first time why Dorian thought I was beautiful. The
fitted dresses made my waist look smaller than normal and my curves delicious.
It put the rest of my T.J. Maxx wardrobe to shame!

Pants, blouses, cocktail
dresses – they had it all and it looked like a dream. The girl in the
mirror was no longer broke and worried about finding a job. She was a woman
with an impressive career path (Dorian Black’s personal assistant) and an even
more impressive boyfriend.

To think I worried about
making my rent a little over a month before. Now I was living it up at the most
prestigious shopping district in the city! And tomorrow we’d fly to Europe for
the mystery business trip.

I needed to call my mom!

I pulled out my phone,
my hands shaking, as I brought up my list of contacts. Telling my parents hadn’t
seemed like a good idea before. Sure I told them I got the job, but I hadn’t
explained the details of my relationship with Dorian yet. I didn’t want them to
worry about me, but this was too big
not
to share.

I hit ‘call’ and waited.

“Hello? Alicia?” my mom
said after a few rings. “Aren’t you at work, honey?”

“Yeah, mom. Well sort
of. I’m actually shopping for a business trip. We leave tomorrow.”

The other side of the
phone was silent for a moment. “Oh, shopping? Are you sure you have the money
for it?”

I thought of the credit
card and frowned. Even with plenty of cash at my disposal, I didn’t want to
admit it to my parents. Why not? Why couldn’t I tell them the truth about
Dorian?

What if it doesn’t last,
Alicia? Then the whole family will know you’re a failure.

“Yeah, the company’s
paying for it,” I said, which wasn’t that big of a lie. It
was
Dorian’s
company, after all.

“Oh. Where are you
going? New York?” she asked and I heard the telltale sign of pots and pans in
the background and smiled.

“Europe. My passport’s
coming in the mail today.”

“Europe? Oh Alicia!
That’s so exciting. Which country? France? Italy? Spain?”

My heart dropped.
Why
didn’t I think to ask where in Europe we were going? Stupid Alicia!

“Well, my boss is being
tight lipped about the whole thing so I’m not sure. Look, mom, I’ll call you
when I have all the details. Okay?”

She chuckled on the
other end of the phone. “I can live with that. Have a wonderful time, sweetie.
You deserve it.”

“Thanks, mom,” I said
and clicked off my phone.

I deserved it. Funny how
it didn’t feel that way.

Ten minutes before noon,
Lance and I headed back to the car. His arms were laden with bags and boxes. I
now had at least two full wardrobes, one for work and one for play. Hopefully,
Dorian would be pleased.

The traffic downtown was
heavier than normal so it was almost 12:30 by the time the car finally pulled
to a stop in front of Black Inc. I thanked Lance and hurried inside.

Shit! I was late!

Ignoring the raised
eyebrows and glares of several female employees, I rushed toward the elevator.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Anderson slipped inside right before the doors shut. She
worked in H.R. and was in control of hiring. Of course, she also didn’t like me
one bit. After she passed on my resume, Mr. Black hired me privately.

“Ms. Jones,” she said
and widened her eyes when she took in my expensive suit.

I stood as tall as my
petit stature would allow, but she still towered over me in her stilettos.
“Mrs. Anderson.”

Her pale lips turned up
into a nasty smile. “Mr. Black gave you a raise, I see. At least you finally
look
the part of his assistant.”

She’s just a cranky old,
bitch. Don’t take it personally!
I told myself, but it was hard to keep my face
neutral when she eyed me like a bug she wanted to step on.

“Yeah, a big fat raise,”
I said and forced myself to smile. Part of me wanted to whip out the credit
card Dorian gave me and shove it in her face, but I kept the urge in check.

“He does it with all his
girls. I assume you’re going to the board’s retreat with your boss? Tuscany is
beautiful in the fall.”

Tuscany. We were going
to Italy! To a board member’s retreat? Did that mean Sylvia would be there?
She’d been at the last shareholder’s meeting with the rest of the board.

“Yes. I’m attending.”

Dorian hadn’t made a
secret of our relationship, but Mrs. Anderson acted as though I was only his
personal assistant and not his girlfriend. Did it mean something? The truth was
I didn’t know very much about Mr. Black at all – besides what I’d read in
the papers. He was a playboy. Just because he didn’t go out with Sylvia didn’t
mean he’d forgone other female companionship.

The thought stabbed me in
the stomach like a knife. I was only one in a long line of women, and Mrs.
Anderson knew it.

We both got off at the
fiftieth floor, the one with the CEO’s office.