No Greater Loyalty (15 page)

Darrell didn't speak for several uncomfortable seconds. Roni had always known him so well. "It
’s, um, it’s personal."

“
Oh.” Roni sounded taken aback. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to pry.”

Darrell sighed heavily, knowing how that had sounded. "I mean..."

"No, no, you're right. Again, I didn’t mean to pry. When I call back, I'll tell you whatever I know, which isn't much but I hope it helps."

"Roni..."

"Talk to you soon." The next instant, she hung up.

Darrell gripped his cell phone tightly and pressed his lips together. Now he felt like a jackass, but there needed to be a set boundary between them. For a moment, he'd been tempted to tell her about what he
’d learned from Tina, but that wouldn't be fair to Jerra. It was bad enough he'd called Roni, but she'd dealt with that family firsthand, and he trusted her to be discreet about his inquiry.

Taking a last drag of his cigarette, he dropped it to the ground then put it out. Now the question was whether or not to tell Jerra he
’d called Roni. She wouldn’t understand, and in all fairness, he couldn't say he blamed her. Tomorrow afternoon, he would talk to her and tell her everything about who his father was. The two of them would work through this together.

As far as his contact with Roni
…it was probably best to keep that to himself.

CHAPTER 23

Lorenzo Pattel stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom of his hotel, his only piece of clothing a pair of Calvin Klein black boxer briefs. He turned his head to the side, lifting it slightly, to shave off the last bit of shaving cream from his strong, masculine jawline. Lorenzo was completely oblivious to the handsome features staring back at him.

All his life, he'd worn his good looks with a casualness he took for granted. His sepia toned skin was an odd canvas for his beautiful silver-grey eyes. The combination of dark skin and light eyes usually made people do a double take, but Lorenzo was used to being stared at and rarely noticed the attention his coloring received.

Several inches over 6', his body was fit and muscular, and he took pride in keeping it that way. He exercised every day, whether it was jogging, lifting weights, or kickboxing with his trainer. It was a personal choice to stay healthy and keep in shape, and he'd committed himself to religiously doing just that.

Placing his razor on the marble countertop, he bent down from the waist and splashed water over his face to rinse off the residual spots of shaving cream, then reached for a towel. Straightening, he wiped his face, glancing in the mirror to make sure he
’d gotten it all. Just as he was getting ready to toss the towel down, the bathroom door opened, and seconds later the reflection of a gorgeous woman came into view as she walked in.

Lorenzo smiled. "Morning."

Their eyes met as she sent him a hint of a smile before walking over to the glass encased shower stall. Renzo's gaze tracked and followed her in the mirror, slowly skimming over her voluptuous curves in the short silk robe.

Cecila Mills, or Cece as everyone called her, glanced over her shoulder and caught him staring. He
’d looked at her that way last night at dinner, too, as if she was a tantalizing dessert he wanted to overindulge in. No matter how much she’d tried to ignore him, he’d made no effort to hide the fact that he wanted her. Even her boss, Roni Winston, had noticed and commented on it later. Cece had been embarrassed by his attention, but Roni told her that she needed to let go of the tight control she always kept over her emotions and have some fun for a change. Live a little.

Looking at Lorenzo Pattel now, Cece could say with definite certainty, mission accomplished.

"So
now
you want to tell me good morning." A teasing light entered her eyes, reminding him that he'd taken her without so much as a word when he woke up an hour ago.

Renzo grinned. "I thought you
’d still be sleeping right about now. I kept you up pretty late last night. Then of course there was this morning."

His silver eyes darkened when he thought about the intense sex sessions they'd had in the last twelve hours. Lorenzo had barely allowed her to grab any rest in between.

She gave a small shrug. "I'm up now. Did you want to join me in the shower?" Her expression was beguilingly innocent.

Renzo bit back a grin, and shook his head at her. "I've already taken my shower."

The smile stayed on Cece’s mouth as she shrugged again, wordlessly lifting her arms to pile her hair up on top of her head in a loose knot.

The amusement left Renzo's face, instinctively knowing what she wanted. His eyes travelled over her again, his hunger for her clearly evident. Mentally, calculating how much time he had in order to get to his meeting this morning, he regretfully put his desire on hold. Punctuality was one of his pet peeves. He hated to be late for anything, especially when it had to do with business, and this morning's meeting was a very important one.

"Mind if I take a rain check?" His deep voice floated across the distance to reach out and wrap around her like a warm hug.

"Of course. I know you have a long day planned. I have to meet with Roni in a couple of hours myself, so it
’s not a problem."

Cece untied her robe using slow deliberate movements. She tried to contain the excitement she felt when her lover's attention remained fixated on her hands as if waiting for her to unveil a piece of art he'd been waiting to see.

Her lover. That’s what Renzo Pattel was now; at least for a little while. She still couldn’t believe she’d done something so decadent as sleeping with a man she’d just met. Things like this, meeting gorgeous men like Lorenzo Pattel, happened to other women, not her.

Next to her ex-supermodel boss, Cece felt as if she practically faded into the background. Every man in the restaurant last night had stared at Roni with admiring eyes as she
’d passed them.

Cece had expected Lorenzo Pattel to fall into the same category of besotted male admirers when he came over to introduce himself, but surprisingly, he
’d been respectfully cordial. Lorenzo explained that his company had just purchased Rona’s clubs. After a few minutes of chatting, Roni had invited him to join them for dinner. The moment he sat down, he turned on the charm and made it clear that he found Cece extremely attractive.

Cece was gently pulled out of her reverie when Lorenzo cleared his throat and gestured for her to finish undressing. Feeling emboldened after last night, she let the robe slither from her shoulders and arms to land at her feet in a silky confection of flimsy material.

"I don't want to distract you," she said in a soft voice. 

Her eyes dropped down to the front of his briefs. She caught her breath when she saw the outline of his monstrous erection.

Wow
, she thought.
She’d
done that.
Her
.

Renzo's eyes glinted steadfast and unwavering as indecision cracked the hard shell of his resolve but crossing his arms, he leaned back against the counter and shook his head in a great show of reluctance. "Behave yourself. I
cannot
be late."

His cousins, King and Hawk, were flying in and coming directly from the airport to attend a business meeting with several investors. It was ingrained in all of the Pattels that tardiness was never acceptable for any reason. They
’d been taught that if they were on time, they were late.

The corners of Cece
’s lips turned down in a tiny pout. "Okay. I understand."

Lorenzo
’s mouth quirked upwards at the corners when he saw her disappointment. “I’ll take a kiss, though.”

Naked, with skin that gleamed a rich shade of bronze, courtesy of the Caribbean sun, she sauntered over to him with a sexy walk that made him harden even more. Her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips when her eyes dropped to the front of his underwear. Slipping her arms around his waist, Cece stood on tiptoe to kiss him. Her hips rolled forward so that her feminine mound brushed against the thick, piece of rigid wood that pulsated in his briefs. Smiling when she heard him groan, she pulled back and went to take her shower.

Renzo watched her stroll away, her heart shaped ass swinging enticingly behind her and capturing his unwavering attention. Maybe…just maybe he could squeeze out a little time for some quick loving before he left.

Cece sent him one last provocative glance before stepping into the shower. "Tick-tock. You'd better hurry."

Closing the shower door, she turned her back to him and proceeded to adjust the water until she got it to just the temperature she wanted.

Renzo followed every move she made, watching the sponge glide over her flat stomach and continue down to caress the sweet spot that beckoned him to come over and take the sponge's place.

God, she was a sexy woman. He watched as she bent down to wash her shapely legs, reminiscing about how good the sex had been last night.

Renzo had immediately spotted her the moment he saw her in the restaurant; he
’d been watching Cecelia Mills for days. Veronica Winston was only a means to make contact with Cecelia. He’d already known that if he approached her on his own, he would’ve had a harder time breaking through her defenses, but as Roni’s assistant, she’d had no choice but to interact with him and politely answer his questions.

Once he got close to her, he had to admit that the photo he was in possession of didn
’t do her justice. Lorenzo still didn’t think she was his type, though. However, that wasn’t important. This went way deeper than whether or not he found her attractive. The Pattels needed a way to control her father who was the new District Attorney. They would do it through Cece.

Watching her in the shower now, he hesitated a couple of moments longer before finally giving in to the inner struggle he'd been having with himself. Pushing away from the bathroom counter, Lorenzo hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his underwear and made short work of pushing them down his muscular thighs and kicking them off. His steps were slow and purposeful as he moved towards the shower. His cousins would just have to be mad. Getting lost inside of Cece Mills again would more than make up for the shit he
’d have to hear about being late. Renzo told himself it was part of his plan, cementing her attachment to him. He wasn’t sure if he bought that excuse or not.

When the shower closed behind him, Cece looked over her shoulder with a victorious smile she didn
’t try to hide. The expression on his handsome face told her he was getting ready to make her pay for deliberately using his desire for her against him. Her teeth nibbled on her lip in anticipation.

Without warning, Renzo pushed her back against the wall and covered her mouth with his. At the same time, his fingers found the clip she'd used to pin her hair up and pulled it out so that the glossy strands tumbled to her shoulders, quickly became soaking wet from the running water.

"You knew once you came in here I was gonna want this, didn't you?" he growled against her lips.

Without waiting for an answer, his hands went to the back of her thighs, easily lifting her and sliding her up against the slabs of granite tiles. Cece wrapped her legs around his waist. As soon as she did, Renzo thrust inside of her until he was completely embedded in her addictive treasure.

Cece’s fingernails dug into his back, holding on tight to his hard, bunched muscles. They both moaned at the same time.

"I swear if I could stay up in this all morning, I would," he breathed out in a raspy voice, growling deep when she tightened around him.

Cece tried to speak but couldn’t get enough air in her lungs to get the words out. The only sounds she managed to make were hoarse moans of ecstasy. She opened her eyes and looked directly into the heat of his stare. Lorenzo Pattel was easily the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her ass as he pumped into her furiously, tunneling into her tight crevice, bringing them closer to fulfillment.

Slices of pleasure slashed through her body, causing her to shudder under his masterful direction. How he knew her body so well after only one night was something she couldn’t understand.

"Yes, yes, yes," Cece chanted as he swerved to the left and worked the spot he
’d quickly discovered. Eyes closed, Cece’s head fell back against the wall of the shower.

"Open your eyes," he demanded.

Once her lashes fluttered open, he slipped a hand between them and caressed the sensitive knot of her clit. It was tight and swollen from sexual tension.

"I told you, I like you to look at me when you cum. I want you fully aware, fully cognizant of how good this dick is and who's giving it to you." His eyes burned with a passionate intensity that almost hypnotized her. "Keep your eyes open."

No one had ever talked so raw to Cece before, and she certainly never used language like that. However, hearing it from Lorenzo brought her even closer to the brink of release. Gasping for breath, she kept her eyes fixed intently on his, fascinated by the way the color was now slightly darker from arousal and passion.

"R-Renzo..."

"That's right, baby, say my fuckin’ name. Scream it out loud until they hear you in the next room."

Cece did just that, spiraling closer and closer to the overpowering emotion of absolute bliss until she tumbled over. Her nails scratched at his back until she broke the skin. Even when she felt as if she couldn't stand the intensity of the orgasm, Renzo never let up. He withdrew to the tip before plunging back inside of her, making sure the stiff bone of his shaft grazed her sensitive clit. Renewed sparks of pleasure continued to stoke the flames he'd built up in her very core as he finally let go of his control and fell over the edge to join her.

They slowly descended from the high Renzo had taken them to, kissing languidly and reveling in the aftershocks still shooting through their bodies.

Raising his head, he looked down at her. "This time, I really have to go," he mumbled in a sexy voice.

Kissing her one last time, he was getting ready to slip out of her and rinse off when she tightened her inner muscles.

Lorenzo
’s eyes narrowed. Letting out a sudden string of impatient curses, he gave in to what they both still wanted. Hell, he’d just have to deal with his cousins later.