Take Me Down (Suits in Pursuit) (5 page)

Still asleep with earbuds shoved in her ears, Kerrigan hadn’t heard their whispered conversation. Ashley was pissed to the tenth degree. She shook Kerrigan violently until her eyes popped open.

“Kerrigan, you’ll never believe what that… that ass of a man said to me. I can’t believe him.”

Kerrigan rubbed her sleepy eyes. “What are you talking about, Ash? Who?”

“I’m talking about Sebastian! He’s the biggest asshole I’ve ever met.”

“Obviously I missed something. Are you talking about Mr. Handsome and Dangerous from the gift shop? What happened?”

She shook her head, still in shock. “I thought our conversation was going well until he said he wanted to take me out and fuck me.”

“What! He said that? Used those exact words?”

“Nearly verbatim. I can’t believe I let you talk me into going on this trip.”

“Ashley, forget about Sebastian.” Kerrigan reached for her friend’s hand.

“That creep lives in my building.” She gripped her stomach. “I feel sick to my stomach. As far as I know, he could be some crazed lunatic.” Ashley’s leg bounced up and down as she spoke. “He could be a stalker. What if he’s stalking me?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. He’ll move on. He knows you’re repulsed by his sleazy come-on.”

Kerrigan fluffed her pillow and returned to her nap. Ashley fidgeted in her seat, stewing over Sebastian’s audacious arrogance and exaggerated confidence. She pulled out her iPad and then put the tablet away. Even listening to music couldn’t distract her from the thoughts floating in her head. No one had ever spoken so blatantly about sex and dating. Making matters worse, Sebastian had been right. Ashley did want him. The minute she saw him, she fantasized about his naked body. His raw sexual masculinity left her moist between the thighs.
Damn him.

Ashley stared at the phone number scribbled on the back of Sebastian’s business card. She flipped the card over to read the front. It read,
Wooster, Holman, and Stone, Inc.
Sebastian Stone
had been printed on the card with no title.

She reached down into her coral-and-white-striped carry-on and pulled out her iPad to Google the company’s name. Wooster, Holman, and Stone, Inc. was a real estate investment firm. A quick search on Sebastian Stone revealed his picture and title, president and chief executive officer. Ashley’s stomach knotted. His high-ranking position made him believe that he could get away with treating women as objects. Infuriated and intrigued, inspiration struck her. She would teach this arrogant, entitled ass a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.

Chapter Three

Almost instantly, as though her pull had drawn him, Sebastian reappeared, hovering again. He dipped into the empty seat next to her once more. Ashley quickly shoved the iPad into her bag.

“What do you want, Sebastian?” She rolled her eyes. “I’m giving you fair warning. I’ve had about as much as I am willing to tolerate from you.”

“Warning noted and filed away for safekeeping.” He cocked his head and smirked. “Have you given my offer any more thought, Ashley? Will you go out with me?” he asked, raising a bushy brow.

“Actually, I have.” She narrowed her gaze. “I’ll go out with you on one condition.”

“And that is?” He leaned in, his elbow rested on the slick metal armrest, and he stroked his chin.

“You promise to keep your hands to yourself unless I say otherwise.”

His eyes shimmered, a victorious glint. “Yes, ma’am. We have a deal.” Sebastian shifted in his seat.

“Oh, and Ashley, you will say otherwise. I’ll make sure you do.” The corners of his mouth slanted upward.

She huffed, releasing the tension that idled in her stiffened shoulders. “Offering full disclosure, if I was you, I wouldn’t get my hopes or anything else up,” Ashley batted her lashes. “Mr. Stone, I suspect you’ve never met a woman quite like me.”

Sebastian’s eyes flashed more brilliantly than before. “You’re right. I’ve never met a woman like you, which is why I can’t wait to get you alone.”

“You certainly aren’t lacking confidence, although you’re clearly delusional.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“That wasn’t a compliment, but then again, narcissists do tend to bend reality to satisfy their egos, don’t they?”

He chuckled. “Luckily for you, I’m not narcissistic in bed. I’m a generous lover. Are you up for the challenge, Ashley?”

“Am I up for a challenge?” She tossed her head back, laughing blithely. “Not generally when complete disregard for common sense and good judgment are concerned. I’ll agree to go out with you purely for the entertainment value. Like I said, you keep your hands to yourself. You got that, Mr. Stone?”

“Unless you say otherwise, right? That’s the most important clause in our little agreement.” He smiled.

“Ugh! I can’t believe I’ve agreed to this,” she replied, cupping her mouth to fight her gag reflex. “I must have lost my mind.”

“You’ll be surprised by what I’ll have you agreeing to, Ashley.” Sebastian rubbed his chin. “I believe in fate.” He moved closer, gripped her with his words as his long fingers stroked her forearm. “Of the thousands of people in Atlanta, what are the chances that you and I met for the first time in front of the Carlisle and then end up on the same flight to Key West? Fate will keep thrusting us together until we work this out.”

Ashley almost spewed out the sip of gin and coke that she had ingested seconds earlier. Luckily for the couple in the seats in front of her, she swallowed. A roaring laugh escaped her lips. An expectant glance met Sebastian’s icicle stare. Expecting him to join her in laughter. He didn’t crack a smile.

Ashley’s hand flew to her chest. “It’s worse than I thought. You actually believe the crap you’re saying! You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m afraid I’m serious. This principle has served me well in my business dealings for many years.”

“Sebastian, this is not a business transaction. If fate is the driving force, then why haven’t you and I met before?”

“Maybe fate had other plans for us, preparing us separately through our individual life experiences for this day.”

Ashley almost pushed the call button for help. Perhaps one business deal too many had driven Sebastian Stone crazy. She managed to keep a straight face. “Let me get this right. In your opinion, fate is a supernatural force for hookups. You think fate brought us together so that we could have sex?”

“Of course not. Sex is the perk. You and I have been fated to figure out why our paths continue to cross. Want to test fate?”

“Absolutely not. I’m not going to encourage your madness. In fact, I’m beginning to rethink this arrangement.”

“Come on, darlin’. If I’m wrong, you never have to see me again.” His lips curved into a confident smile.

Ashley’s hand cradled her face. With a tentative pause, she considered his question. What did she have to lose? After all, the man headed a wealthy real estate investment firm. If Sebastian achieved business success following such a ridiculous philosophy about life, his success must have been pure coincidence. Putting his belief to the test might be fun, or at the very least, proving him wrong would be fun.

“And if I’m right, we’ll go out. You’ll have the best sex of your life with no expectations and no one to pass judgment against you. Either way, we both win. All you have to do is spend time with me in the Keys so that we can get to know each other. Are you in?”

“You’re wrong, and yeah, I’m in,” she replied coolly. “But no sex,” she reiterated.

“There you go, darlin’. Keep telling yourself that.” Sebastian’s lusty eyes swept over Ashley and sent a shiver up her spine. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, tell me about yourself. We still have an hour of flying time ahead of us.”

Ashley didn’t like flying. At least the nut job sitting next to her served as comic relief, distracting her phobia.

She leaned back and glanced at Kerrigan on her right. Kerrigan hadn’t budged, still fast asleep. Ashley turned back to Sebastian. “What do you want to know?” she asked, cutting her eyes at him.

“What’s your favorite sexual position?”

She stared at him, mouth agape. “Or how about starting with, ‘What do you do for a living?’ Or maybe, ‘What do you do for fun?’ And then there’s the ever-popular, ‘What’s your favorite color?’” she sassed. Perhaps wallowing in her phobia wouldn’t be as bad as entertaining the jerk sitting next to her.

“Okay, let’s start there. Tell me what you do for a living, the sorts of things you like, and your favorite color.”

“I’m glad you’re agreeable.” Ashley paused and rolled her eyes. “I’m in marketing, I like long walks on the beach, classic films, and reading, and my favorite color is red. Your turn.”

He released a low chuckle. “I like that you’re feisty.” His muscled leg rubbed against hers, and Ashley shifted closer to Kerrigan. “I’m in real estate. I enjoy having sex with a beautiful woman, and my favorite color is green, as in the color of money.”

“Shallow,” she said.

“Honest,” he replied, punctuating the word. “Since we’re getting to know each other, where did you grow up?”

“Houston. What about you?”

“Same.” His eyes glinted.

“Don’t tell me, fate?”

“From your lips, darlin’.”

Were it not for his absurdly rude and disturbing views on the attraction between men and women, and the sordid and twisted way that he talked about sex, Sebastian was almost likable. Almost.

They talked for twenty minutes. Idle chitchat that hadn’t changed her opinion of his character. Soon after, awkward silence fell between them. Ashley fidgeted in her seat. Sebastian seemed content to sit there in silence and fiddle with his cell phone.

The weight of her personal drama and work stress had taken a toll on Ashley before the flight. She hadn’t slept a solid eight hours in days. Like the sudden swing of a hammer, exhaustion hit. Her eyes closed.

She lay on Sebastian’s bed in only her lacy bra and panties. Her hands bound above her head, tied to the headboard. Sebastian wore black slacks that hung low from the waist, and a white shirt unbuttoned down to his chest exposed hard ripples of muscle. His hands moved across her abdomen and down to her thighs. He fondled the cup of her bra, instantly unlatching the fastener. Ashley gasped. She wondered how he did that. Sebastian leaned over and nuzzled her naked breast with his mouth, drenching the firm nipple with the tip of his tongue. She moaned and writhed in delicious agony. His hand moved down further, between her thighs, cupping her sex as she moistened at his touch. A low humming thrummed in the background. The sound grew louder and louder, moved closer to her, and distracted her from the immediate pleasure that Sebastian promised.

What was that low rumbling sound? The deep tranquility soothed her anxiety as she slowly drifted back into consciousness. As she came into full cognition, Ashley saw burgundy fabric against her cheek. She had fallen asleep on Sebastian’s chest. He snored softly, his head nuzzled against hers as she rested on him. Ashley didn’t dare move. She stayed glued to his chest.
Shit! I had a wet dream about Sebastian.

Sebastian relished the feel of Ashley’s soft hair under his scruffy chin. She smelled heavenly. The soft, quiet moans she emanated intrigued him. He wondered what was going on in her pretty little head. Not much later, he dozed off too. When he awakened, he met her wide-eyed stare. Ashley jumped. His arms wrapped tenderly around her, held her firmly in place. He glanced down and met her nervous stare with an easy smile.

“Careful. I’ve got you.” His voice was hoarse.

“What in the hell are you doing?” She snapped and pulled out of his embrace.

“I should be asking you that. You cozied up to me and settled in. I’m just the gracious beneficiary. Even in your unconscious state, you want me.”

“You’re such a pig!” She lifted her palms into the air.

“Sorry, darlin’. You were resting so peacefully and quietly. I didn’t have the heart to wake you, even though you driveled a river down my shirt.” He tilted his head down, scoping out the wet spot on his chest. “Then I fell asleep too.”

She gasped, wincing as she slid down in her seat.

“Did you dream about me?”

“No, of course not.” She jerked back, the tone of her voice escalated.

He pinned her with his eyes. “Then why were you moaning?” He raised a brow and smirked.

Ashley cringed. “What!” Lowering her face into her hands, “Oh, crap!” she muttered into her palms.

“Don’t be embarrassed. I was happy to oblige.”

“I’ll bet you were.”

“I’m much better in 4D.”

She glanced around and caught the gaze of the same woman who had been ogling her earlier. Ashley rolled her eyes. “Go back to your seat in first class, Sebastian.”