Whatever He Wants (8 page)

 
     
He gripped her ponytail, tilting her head
back. James took advantage of her slightly parted lips by pushing his tongue in
her mouth. The taste of mint, and spices from their meal and something uniquely
James, exploded on her taste buds. Noelle was drowning in his kiss as a heat
slowly ebbed its way through her entire body. She’d been kissed before but
Walter’s wet, sloppy technique had never stirred her.

 
     
A tingling sensation seared her core and
her nipples tightened. This was the feeling she’d often read about, never
believing one day she’d actually experience it for herself. She gripped his
arms, clinging to him, wanting more. Though Noelle was inexperienced in the art
of seduction, she worked on instinct, shyly pushing her tongue forward to meet
his.

 
     
“So sweet,” He murmured into her mouth
before taking her tongue and sucking it between his lips. While one hand still
firmly gripped her hair he used his other hand to explore her body starting
with her face and trailing down her neck until he reached her breast.

 
     
Noelle whimpered in surprise as she
quickly fell under his sexual spell. He rubbed the heel of his palm against her
breast plucking and pulling at it. She was so hypnotized by his touch that it
took her several moments to realize his hand was now beneath her sweatshirt and
his fingers were inching their way inside her sports bra.

 
     
She twisted her head away from his still
seeking lips, fighting for air. “James,” Noelle moaned his name, excited beyond
comprehension.

 
     
He pressed sultry kisses on her throat,
grazing his teeth against her sensitive skin as he found his way beneath her
bra, twisting one taut nipple with the ease of a skilled lover.

 
     
All Noelle could do was grip his shoulders
and hold on tight on this passionate ride of lust. “James, James, James,” she
moaned his name over and over as each mindless sensation coursed through her
being. 

 
     
“I like how responsive you are, Noelle.
But how wet are you for me? Shall we see?” He nuzzled her neck with his nose.

 
     
It didn’t register what he meant at first
until his hand left her breast and slowly eased inside the waistband of her
pants. She caught his hand in a moment of sanity. She’d just met this man yet
he took all kinds of liberties—liberties she allowed. She could hear Aunt
Frieda’s voice in her head calling her shameless.

 
     
James brushed his lips against hers. “Let
me, sweet Noelle.” He wasn’t asking
,
it was a quiet
command. Underneath that slate gaze she was powerless. Noelle released his
hand, giving him access to the most intimate part of her body. As he slid his
fingers inside her panties, she blocked out every misgiving and willed herself
to enjoy his erotic ministrations without guilt. When his thumb grazed over her
slick little button, Noelle let out a cry. “Oh!” She squirmed against his
fingers as one of them found its way past her labia and into her sheath.

 
     
“Damn baby, is this all for me?” he
whispered leaning forward to nip her earlobe.  He pushed his finger deeper
inside of her with one hard thrust eliciting a moan from Noelle. With careful
precision, he pulled his finger to the point where it was nearly out of her body
and then pushed it back in. James repeated this motion for several more
strokes, adding another finger as he went.

 
     
Noelle was slowly coming apart with each
caress. Liquid heat surged through her body, forming in the pit of her belly
and licking its way through every single nerve ending. She trembled with her
need for more. She didn’t know what was happening to her but she didn’t want it
to ever end.

 
     
“That’s it baby, move with it,” he
commanded softly as he continued to drive her to the edge of an explosive
climax.

 
     
Noelle
gyrated
her pelvis against his hand, unable to keep still. Each passing second, her
temperature rose until an orgasm ripped through her body like an electric
current. She screamed until her throat was raw. Nothing could have ever prepared
her for this moment—books, movies and Walter paled in comparison to this very
real passion.

 
     
She leaned forward, pressing her forehead
against his to catch her breath. Her racing pulse slowly returned to normal
after several seconds. James eased his fingers from her wetness. Noelle found
herself in the crosshairs of his gaze as he brought those damp fingers to his
lips and proceeded to lick them clean, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Delicious.”

 
     
An involuntary shiver shook her shoulders.

 
     
“You’re a very passionate woman, Noelle.
Did you know that?” He caressed the side of her face with the back of his hand.

 
     
Unable to form the words, she shook her
head.

 
     
“Maybe you didn’t, but I did. I live on
something called instinct, Noelle, and it rarely fails me. When I saw you, I
knew you were a woman of hidden depths. I can help you discover all those
hidden passions.” His voice never rose above a whisper but there was an
undercurrent to his words, something she couldn’t quite put her fingers on.

 
     
“How?”
Her voice
came out in hoarse croak.

 
     
“I have a proposition for you.”

 
     
“James, your two o’clock appointment is
here. Would you like me to sit in on this meeting or send Stella in to take
notes?” Paul inquired, poking his head inside James’ office.

 
     
“That won’t be necessary. Send Mrs.
Alexander in and please cancel my three o’clock meeting and reschedule. I also
need you to go over the files for the
Matsuki
Group
and give me some input. We can meet to discuss later this afternoon,” James instructed
without looking up from the figures on his desk.

 
     
“I’ll get right on it.” Paul stepped out
of the office leaving it slightly ajar for James’s two o’clock to come in.

 
     
James didn’t need to look up to see when
his visitor entered the room, he could smell her perfume. Only when she
remained by the door did he raise his head to view the stunning brunette. Her
dress clung to her willowy figure like an expensive glove, and fell just at her
knees to reveal the curvy expanse of long legs. Her hair, worn loose, framed
her shoulders and cascaded down her back. Her full lips curved into what James
saw as a self-satisfied grin.

 
     
“James, it’s been a long time.” She
sauntered toward his desk, in a pair of six inch heels that screamed “fuck
me.”  Her fragrance, which seemed to be heavily applied, almost choked him
the closer she got to him. At one point the scent had held fond memories for
him but now it served as a reminder of a time he wished to forget. She was
dressed for seduction, and not for the business she claimed she’d wanted to
discuss with him. James knew exactly why she’d come. He could have declined but
didn’t, mainly for the ego stroke of having his
ex begging
him for something he had no intention of giving her.

 
     
“Gillian.” He inclined his head forward in
acknowledgement.  “Please, have a seat.”

 
     
She raised a dark, sculpted brow. “No hug
for an old friend?”

 
     
He placed his elbows on his large oak desk
and threaded his fingers together. “I wouldn’t want to ruin the effect of that
outfit.”

 
     
Instead of taking the seat in front of his
desk she headed to the couch and perched herself on the edge. James was sure he
didn’t imagine her inconspicuously running her fingers along one outstretched
leg.
“This old thing?
It’s so last season. So how have
you been?” She gave him that wide-eyed stare that used to quicken his heart.
Now he could see the artifice behind it.

 
     
“I can’t complain, Gillian.
And yourself?”

 
     
“I’ve been keeping busy.” She paused for a
moment to take in her surroundings. James could read the calculation in her
baby blue eyes. “I’m quite impressed with the set-up here. You’ve done quite
well for yourself. You’re mentioned in the paper quite a bit. I always knew
you’d make it here one day. I really wish we hadn’t lost touch, but I didn’t want
to make waves with David.” She lowered her lashes for a brief moment, hiding
her expression but it wasn’t hard for James to figure out what she was
thinking. She regretted passing him over for his brother who had been in a more
secure financial position at the time. Now the tables were turned, and she
wanted to give him her lost little girl act. He didn’t buy it for a minute.

 
     
“It’s strange how we remember things
differently, Gillian. You couldn’t end things fast enough with me because you
believed my future was uncertain. I believe those were you words, weren’t
they?”

 
     
Her eyes suddenly welled with tears. “I
know what I said. And at the time I was under a lot of pressure from my
parents. You have to understand they had certain expectations of me. I couldn’t
disappoint them.”

 
     
James’ bullshit meter was on overload. He
wondered if she actually believed the lies she spewed. “So you disappointed me
instead.
It’s
okay, I’m well aware of how things are.
Anyway, we both know you didn’t make this appointment with me to rehash the
past. What do you want, Gillian?”

 
     
Gillian caught her bottom lip between her
straight white teeth. “James, can’t we at least be civil. We did mean something
to each other once.”

 
     
“Once, as in no more.”

 
     
She bowed her head with an exaggerated
sigh. In a movement that would have gone unnoticed by a less observant person
she moved her hand to her thigh and raised the hem of her dress ever so
slightly.  “But there’s no reason we can’t rekindle that
friendship...didn’t you practically beg me to stay with you?”

 
     
Though that comment hit below the belt, he
maintained his composure. “We all make mistakes.”

 
     
“I’m offering you a chance to get in good
with the
Alexanders
. Isn’t that something you’ve
always wanted?”

 
     
 
“Apparently, not
as much as you, Gillian.”

 
     
She at least had the good grace to blush,
although he could barely tell beneath the artificial enhancement that lined her
cheekbones. “You never used to be so cold.”

 
     
“You never used to be this transparent.”
The little bit of patience he’d held on to was now nil. “I’m a busy man
Gillian, state your business otherwise this meeting will adjourn.”

 
     
She flinched, and was apparently surprised
her charms were no longer his kryptonite. As if to test out his reaction,
Gillian slowly ran her tongue across her lip and flipped her hair. James
remained impassive, unimpressed with her attempts to arouse him. A wave of
crimson colored her face briefly and she fidgeted on the sofa.

 
     
“Perhaps you’d like to take this seat. It
would be easier for you to discuss business if you’re facing me rather than
lounging on the sofa at the other end of the room.”

 
     
“Well, I was hoping you’d join me over
here,” she purred.

 
     
“Gillian, you’re really starting to bug
me.”

 
     
She huffed and puffed as she stomped over
to the seat he’d offered. She plopped down without the same panache she
displayed earlier. “I didn’t expect you to be so hostile.”

 
     
James glanced at his watch to underline
her time was running out. “I don’t have time to play catch-up. What the hell do
you want?”

 
     
“I...” She raised her chin defiantly and
narrowed her eyes. “I think you’ve punished us enough James. Call off your
dogs.”

 
     
He found it pathetic that the Alexander
men would send Gillian to plead their cases when she probably knew less about
running a company than the average laymen. For the first time since she’d
entered his office James found himself amused. It wasn’t because she had
swallowed her pride to ask him for help: it was that she had the nerve to. “To
what are you referring, Gillian? I work on specifics.”