His Four Poster Bed (Bedroom Secrets Series Book 2) (5 page)

“What exactly does his little black book say about me?” I said, eyebrows raised.

Todd tightened his smile. “I’m messing this all up, please don’t tell Mr. Amador I detained you. I’ll carry your luggage upstairs.”

“Thank you Todd,” I said, as he lifted the boxes and escorted me to the private elevator. “And it’s not my luggage.”

“Of course, Ma’am,” Todd said.

“I’m returning a gift,’ I said, nodding at the boxes. “Not staying. Nope. Not staying. And please don’t call me Ma’am.”

“Yes, Ma’am. I mean Miss,” Todd said. Eyes fixed on the doors as we whirred skyward, I realized I was trying to explain myself to a college boy. He clearly counted me as one of Marco’s conquests, whatever Marco had put in his book had marked me as a woman with a pass upstairs. The thought filled me with an odd sense of pride in spite of myself.

Oh well, Todd the bellman could think what he wanted.

The elevator chimed.

“Here you are, Ma’am,” Todd said, arm extended he held open the doors. “I’ll bring your bags.”

“Not my . . . never mind,” I said, smiling.

I turned to face the entryway. It looked even more beautiful than I remembered, without the haze of Sapphire Blue clouding my mind. The walls were exposed brick with high ceilings and wide wood beams. The contrast between the raw materials on the walls and the luxurious marble floor was stunning. This place was so much different than the rundown charm of my apartment at The Holiday. I needed to say my piece, whatever that was, and get in and out.

I took a breath knowing that beautiful things have a way of changing people’s minds.

I heard the elevator doors chime and turned to catch a glimpse of Bellboy Todd waving as the doors closed. I was alone in the lobby with Marco’s gifts beside me.

“I am so glad to see you. You have no idea,” Marco said, stepping into my view from the kitchen.

Damn.

I took a breath.

Beware beautiful things and beautiful men
, I thought. Marco stood in front of me wearing the same thin black turtleneck and dark blue jeans from this morning.

How was it possible he looked sexier at night? Was it the view from his penthouse? Did he pump some sort of aphrodisiac into the air? I wanted him the moment my eyes glanced his hard body.

“I have thought over our conversation today and I have come to return your gifts,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at the packages. “I’ll keep the check for the hospital, but you owe me nothing personally. It’s too grand of a gesture. We aren’t in a relationship, I barely know you actually and I can’t keep them. It’s inappropriate.” I wished he would interrupt me.

“There are no strings attached, Odessa.”

“I can’t keep them,” I repeated.

“If that is how you feel, I understand,” he smiled. “Please forgive me if the gesture seemed a bit much. It has been a while since I have wanted to . . .”

“Buy a woman?” I asked, my tone biting and instantly regretting it. “I’m sorry, that was unkind.”

“No, it’s fair. I told you that it’s been a while since I’ve met a woman who truly inspires me. My delivery was off.”

“And last night was a mistake,” I said. “I should not have come upstairs with you. My life is my work and I have promised myself that I am going to focus on my job, the very job that you have said inspired you.”

“It does inspire me,” he said. “You inspire me. There is fire in your soul and seeing you today at the hospital, I realized that even if I only have the memory of our kiss, I am grateful to have met you Odessa Starr.”

I swallowed hard and resisted the urge to tell him I felt the same way.

“So, this is it then,” Marco said.

“Yes, this is it,” I whispered.

We stared at each other. It felt like an emotional showdown. Marco kept his gaze firmly locked with mine, and I wondered which one of us would break first; the trouble was the longer I looked into those deep brown eyes the more I wanted to throw my arms around his neck

“Will you at least sit and have a drink with me?” he asked.

“Probably not a good idea,” I said, my voice sounding thinner, breathier to me.

“We can talk about the hospital,” he said, holding his hands up. “Tell me more about your work, about your children, about your passions, about what you hate, about your breakfast, whatever you want.”

I knew he was grasping at straws, searching for a reason for me to stay. The truth was I didn’t want to disappear, not yet. I would return those gifts, but a voice inside my head was insisting that a few minutes with Marco Amador couldn’t hurt, right? I needed to stay for the good of the children.

“One drink,” I said, stepping towards him.

His face broke into a smile so lovely that I almost reached for his hand.

“Red or white?”

I laughed. “Red, of course.”

“Yes, of course,” he said.

I followed him down a short hall into a big, open kitchen that connected to the living room. The countertops were a glimmering black blue and completely spotless. It looked more like a showroom than an actual kitchen.

“How long have you worked at Children’s?” he asked, uncorking a bottle of red wine that looked and smelled ridiculously expensive.

“I did my residency there and stayed on to do research. I thought I would move east but I stayed on this coast.”

“You don’t like the West Coast,” Eyebrows raised, his poured me a glass of red wine that smelled divine. “It may need to breathe for a moment.”

“No, my family is on the West Coast and I thought I might want some distance. You know how it is, I get one coast you get the other.” I held the glass under my nose and inhaled. It smelled complex with hints of wood and fruit. I felt as though my senses were enhanced beside Marco.

“Ah, distance between family,” he said. “There is a reason I am rarely in Seattle. I get the power of distance.”

Marco leaned against the countertop as he watched me. I was aware of the space between us as I sipped the wine. He was right it was delicious and as we spoke I had the sense that this man was really listening to me.

“Do you get along with your family?” I asked.

“My father is Amador Industries. And Amador Industries is a very big company with many arms. Think of it as a many headed hydra.”

“Hydra was a monster,” I said, sipping.

“Exactly,” he shrugged. “There are monstrous parts of the company and there are good parts. Even the best villains have a redeeming quality right?”

“Well, the funding of the hospital is one of the good parts of your monstrous company then,” I said. “You are an interesting man, Mr. Amador,” I said.

“Interesting, this is an improvement Ms. Starr,” he smiled playfully and using my surname in response. I felt as though we were playing some sort of game; I just didn’t know the rules, which made me feel very uncertain. I was used to playing with men, but I was more familiar with setting up the game myself. “So you don’t despise me.”

“Despise is a strong word,” I said, cheeks burning. For a few minutes I’d forgotten about the awkwardness of the night before. The red wine, beautiful room, and conversation had lulled me into a feeling of well-being. “We may not see each other again, but there will be no hard feelings between us. I am not a woman who holds grudges.”

“It would be such a tragedy if we didn’t see each other again.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Of course you can,” he said, topping off my glass from the decanter. “You can do whatever you like Ms. Starr.”

“No, this doesn’t work. If I did see you again, I would feel beholden to you.” I said, sipping the red wine. Marco was getting to me, I felt an aching in my core that was undeniable. The way he said my name was formal but so familiar, it turned me on.

“I will never force you to be with me, I will never cage you,” he said. “I can only hope you will change your mind.”

It was early evening and already the darkness of winter had descended upon the skyline. The stars hung outside his windows filling the room with a cool blue light. My mouth went dry as I remembered standing in his bedroom the night before. I felt a bit unsteady on my practical black pumps.

“You look beautiful,” he said. “I’m sorry, I know you didn’t come here to hear that from me, but since you probably won’t be back I may as well tell you.”

“You aren’t going to make this easy on me, are you.” This wasn’t a question.

“Absolutely not,” he grinned. “If you leave without my hands on your body tonight I am going to know that I tried everything to get the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen into my bed.”

“Wow,” I said, taking a big gulp of wine.

“You know, I thought you looked beautiful last night, but this is so business like, so proper,” he grinned at me and I wanted to know what sexy thoughts were running through his mind as he eyed me from head to toe.

“I do mean business,” I whispered.

“And tonight you are here on the business of returning my gifts.”

“Exactly.”

“I call bullshit,” He said.

“You do.”

“You could have called me and asked me to pick them up, you could have shipped them back to me, or you could have sent a friend.”

“I wanted them out of my apartment right away.”

He stepped away from the counter and walked towards me. “You could have boxed them up, thrown a blanket over them, and pretended they don’t exist.”

“They are lovely pieces I didn’t want to damage them.”

“So you do appreciate them. I knew you admired fine things.”

I had no words. He had continued to move closer to me with every statement and I hadn’t stopped him. Marco was only inches away from me, his fingertips reached out and grazed my arm.

“You are a smart woman Odessa,” he said my name slowly as if savoring it.

“Thank you.”

“Brilliant, I’d wager.”

“I’m just going to say thank you and then go,” I said, finally able to break his gaze, I turned and eyed the elevator doors. I just needed to walk towards them.

He traced a fingertip along my arm; I froze in place. I could feel the tingling from his touch extending through my body. I shuddered.

“Do you feel this?” he whispered, placing two fingers against my skin. “I know you think you know me, that you believe I am trying to buy you, to take what I want.”

“Or whom you want,” I said.

“I get some things,” he said. “Other things elude me.”

“You poor little rich boy.”

“From the moment I saw you last night, I have craved you,” he whispered, two fingers replaced by the palm of his hand. His skin against my bare arms, I felt my knees almost buckling as he ran his hands up and down my skin.

“I am not looking for a relationship,” I said, wondering why I was telling this man what I wanted at all. I was here to shut a door, why did I feel like I’d opened one instead?

“It doesn’t matter what we are looking for,” he said. “You and I have found each other. Can we just see where that takes us, can we just be.”

He had moved in so close he leaned his forehead down and placed it against mine. His breath near my face, I felt my legs weaken and the wet heat of desire between my legs. I wanted this man, I wanted to feel him inside me, I wanted to wrap my legs around his hard cock and take him inside.

“I came here to return the gifts,” I murmured my lips moving closer to his.

“I believe you, stay with me anyway.”

“I came here on business.”

“I want you, stay with me.”

His voice low and sexy, his hands on my skin, my body ached to respond to him and I wondered why not. Marco wasn’t asking to put a ring on my finger, why didn’t I allow myself this pleasure, this feeling. I hadn’t been touched by a man for weeks, and Dr. Mike had been satisfactory but even our hottest nights hadn’t made me feel the way Marco did with a single touch.

“Stay with me, Odessa Starr,” Marco whispered his mouth against my ear. “Let go, let go and be with me.”

“This doesn’t mean anything beyond tonight,” I said, breathless and dizzy with desire. I wanted to step out of my heels and slide off my pencil skirt.

“Just give me tonight, give us this chance.”

I looked up at him, our eyes locking. I reached out and stroked his jaw, pressing my body against his. He moaned slightly and I felt him harden beneath my touch.

“Take me to your bedroom,” I said. “Take me in that four poster bed and fuck me until I scream.”

In a single move, Marco’s arms were around my waist and he picked me up as if I weighed nothing at all.

I locked my arms around his neck and he leaned down and kissed me hard. I moaned and held him tighter feeling the heat between my legs grow wet and hot. Holding me, he strode across the marble floor and into his bedroom throwing me onto the cool sheets of his four poster bed.

My heart raced as my body thrummed with adrenaline and heat; Marco stood above me fully clothed. I lay on the bed in my black skirt and blouse. My eyes never left his face.

I knew what I wanted, I wanted to be naked, and I wanted to rip off my clothes and wrap my legs around his body sliding his hard cock deep inside. I wanted to hear his low voice in my ear telling me exactly what to do. I spent all day being in charge, making life and death decisions, I wanted to give up some of that control.