Bidding on the Billionaire (10 page)

He'd chosen this place on purpose. A client had recommended it a few days prior as a good place to grab lunch. It had a dark, intimate, old pub look about it, and the place had gathered a decent crowd. Surely they wouldn't be missed if they disappeared for, oh, say, five minutes.

He picked up his phone from the table, punched in the text he'd planned earlier, and hit
SEND
. Then he waited. Across the booth, a muted buzz came from the vicinity of the bench seat beside Hannah. In the process of studying the menu laid out on the table in front of her, she lifted her gaze, the question in her eyes.

He set his phone on the table and sat back. “Answer it.”

Watching her dig her phone out of her small clutch and read the text exerted more patience than he had. He'd been hard all morning. The thought alone made him want to laugh. He'd always prided himself on being professional. The job always came first. He'd earned his position through hard work and dedication, often to the point of ignoring basic needs. These days, work provided a much-needed escape from the mess Amelia had entangled him in and the hurt and mistrust she'd left behind. He hadn't intended to date again anytime soon.

Since he'd met Hannah six months ago, he spent a good majority of his day with a hard-on. Thank God for long suit jackets. Luckily, he'd spent this morning in meetings, seated behind a boardroom table going through paperwork and last-minute details.

Hannah looked up from her phone, eyes wide with alarm. “Here?”

The disbelief written in her tone made him want to laugh. His head hadn't been in the game this morning because of her. The problem had started when he woke without her. Waking alone ought to feel natural. After all, he did it every morning. Not to mention they'd agreed her staying would complicate their arrangement.

Except he'd hated waking alone. Her softness beside him in bed last night had been a lure he missed when he woke without her. It nudged the loneliness in his gut, a feeling he needed to ignore. He loathed the monotony of his life. His entire world revolved around contract negotiations and legal documents and dating women who'd be assets to his family's good name. Waking alone every morning had grown tiresome. He longed for one woman who'd see
him
, who'd fill the empty space within.

When a two-hour window opened for lunch this afternoon, he found himself researching Hannah online. Turned out, her bookstore sat a few blocks from where his business took place. Halfway here, he passed the same streets they'd walked when they left the Space Needle the day before. Their conversation that day had filled his thoughts and an idea had grabbed him he hadn't been able to resist.

Of course, this little lunch escapade meant he'd begun to dream up excuses to see her.

“Here.” He nodded and looked down at his phone, typing in another message.

CMcKenzie: Are you afraid?

Okay, call him a rebel. He spelled out his texts. He loathed shorthand. He understood the need, but he refused to use it. It made the sender look unintelligent. He'd rather take his time.

He hit
SEND
, then lifted his gaze, arching a brow in challenge.

Hannah looked up from her phone and darted an anxious glance around, then sat straighter in her seat. “No. Just nervous.”

This time, a becoming soft pink suffused her cheeks. Her fingers trembled as she typed a return message.

Hannah: We'll get caught

Cade suppressed a smile as he punched in a quick reply.

CMcKenzie: That's the thrill, baby. You have no idea how hard I am. Bathroom. I'll order, then follow.

Hannah hesitated, staring at her screen. He pushed her limits, but the thought of her hot gaze locked on his, eyes hooded with desire as she watched him in the mirror would be the ultimate payoff. He typed in another message.

CMcKenzie: Do you want me?

Heat flashed in her eyes, answering the question, but her fingers flew over her phone's tiny keyboard.

Hannah: Badly

Cade stifled a groan as he punched in another message.

CMcKenzie: And does the thought of me fucking you here arouse you?

He sat back in the bench seat and arched a brow. “Tell me the truth.”

The pink in her cheeks deepened. She didn't answer but dropped her gaze to her lap.

Hannah: I'm so wet and my clit is throbbing.

He growled. She had a sexual appetite that burned him from the inside out. The thought of her sitting over there, hot and wet, had his cock thickening behind his fly. His hands had begun to shake with need.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Go. I'll order.”

Five minutes later, he waited in the hallway outside the women's bathroom. Standing there, unease sifted through him. He had to admit he hadn't thought this out well. Fucking her in the bathroom was high school kid stuff, not to mention risky. Christ, if he ended up in the paper for this, his father would flip. His father had an image he wanted to uphold and strict rules all the lawyers in his firm were expected to follow, him included.

He had no idea how they'd even carry it out. People packed the place. Four people had passed him in the minutes he spent waiting in the hallway. An older gentleman exiting the men's bathroom didn't as much as glance in his direction. A woman in a business suit exited the woman's restroom next, however, and came up short at finding him waiting outside.

Heart pounding in this throat, he flashed a polite smile and folded his arms. “Waiting for my wife.”

Her mouth opened in a silent “ah” and she nodded in return, moving around him down the hallway. When she disappeared into the dining area, he rapped twice on the woman's restroom door. Two seconds later, it opened, and Hannah poked out her head. She grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. The door barely closed behind him before she was pressing him back against it. She molded her mouth to his and reached behind him to turn the lock. She was panting, her mouth hard on his, her tongue restless in his mouth. Her hands trembled as she reached for his fly, fumbling with his belt buckle.

“I thought for sure someone would say something to me out there.” He reached for the button on her jeans in turn, popping it free. “We'll have to be fast.”

Hannah murmured against his mouth, something incoherent he didn't catch as she unzipped his slacks. In seconds she had his cock in her hand, stroking him in her warm palm, and whatever doubt he had was lost in the luscious stroke of her expert fingers and soft skin.

He swore under his breath and shackled her wrist. If she kept it up, the fireworks would come a lot sooner than he hoped. Right then, he needed to watch her come undone. He'd dreamed up this whole scenario for her. He'd become addicted to knowing he could undo her the way she did him.

“Mirror.” He turned her, steering her to the sink. The mirror filled the entire wall, tall and wide enough he could see everything. Her breasts heaved beneath her blouse, her nipples hard and poking against the fabric. She turned to the sink, shoved her jeans and panties down, widened her stance as much as possible, and wiggled her ass in impatience.

Desperate to know, he slid a hand down her round bottom and between her thighs. She moaned, pushing back into him. His fingers slipped in with ease, and her juices coated his hand. Christ. She really was aroused by this.

Shaking now, he shoved his pants to his knees. His trembling fingers fumbled over the condom, so that it took him two tries to get the damn thing on. With a needy groan, he grabbed her hips and pushed into her in one quick thrust. She let out a soft moan, her body already trembling in his arms, and met his gaze in the mirror. The heat in her eyes seared him from the inside out.

He leaned to his right, waved a hand beneath the automatic dryer for noise to stifle their moans, and leaned over her back. He nibbled her shoulder, her neck, her jaw, any part of her he could reach. God, his need for her…

“You'll have to forgive me, baby. I don't have it in me for finesse or tenderness right now. I need you. Badly. I have since I got up this morning. Jesus, Hannah, I'm so fucking hard. I want to watch you fall apart in my arms, feel your pussy clamping around my cock…”

She moaned. Biting her lip, she didn't ask for any softness, either. Rather, she gave as good as she got. Her hips pushed into his, soft little purrs emanating from her throat. She reached back, sliding her hand over his hip to his ass, and pulled him harder against her. He increased his tempo, lost in the moment, in her. The sound of their need for each other filled his ears, fueling his own. Their bodies coming together hard. Their harsh breathing.

In what had to be record time, Hannah tossed her head back, her eyes closing. A mix between torment and bliss crossed her features. Her fingers curled into his ass, nails biting into his skin as she let out a soft moan. “Cade…I'm…
Oh God
…”

No sooner had the whispered words left her mouth than she shuddered in his arms, her convulsing body pulling his orgasm from him at blinding speed. Cade clamped his mouth on her shoulder to stifle the moan ripping from his chest.

By the time their orgasms subsided, both were left shaking and panting. Her body went limp. He didn't know if he could move let alone stand upright.

“You are fucking incredible.” He hooked her chin with a finger and turned her head enough to brush a kiss across her mouth, then forced himself to straighten. They wouldn't have long before someone noticed the door was locked.

Hannah drew a breath between her teeth and moaned as he pulled out of her. They spent the next minute yanking up clothing. As he buckled his belt, someone pounded on the restroom door.

They both jumped. Cade cursed under his breath. Hannah's eyes widened, panic flashing across her face. Jesus. If they got caught, the place would throw them out and it would no doubt be all over the news. If he ended up on the five o'clock news, he could kiss his partnership goodbye.

Before he could make his brain work enough to think of what to do, Hannah grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him into a stall, closing the door behind her. She peeked through the slit in the door, a finger held to her lips, then moved away. The sound of water running filled the room, then the metal grinding of a key in a lock, followed by the creak of the door opening.

“Oh. I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't realize anyone was in here. Do you know why this door was locked?”

The unfamiliar male voice held distrust and suspicion. Heart hammering in his throat, Cade shifted in the stall, peeking through the slat where the door didn't quite meet the frame. Every inch of him tensed and regret churned in his gut. He'd never run from anything in his life. He was being a damn coward, hiding in a stall and letting Hannah take the fall for what had been his stupid idea.

He reached for the door handle when Hannah's gaze flicked to his. Her eyes widened, her jaw tightening, and she gave a barely there shake of her head. Then she pivoted and turned, moving out of his line of sight.

“You mean to tell me somebody locked me in here?” Hannah's voice rose in indignation. “Who the hell would lock someone in a bathroom?”

“I'm very sorry, ma'am. I have no idea. We were alerted by a customer who couldn't get inside.”

The man sputtered an apology, and Cade wished like hell he could see. From the sound of things, Hannah put on the performance of a lifetime.

“Well, you should find out, because someone obviously did. If they want to lock the bathrooms, they should make sure nobody's in here first!”

“I'm very sorry, ma'am. I'll make sure I pass on the message. I assure you it won't happen again.”

Cade shook his head. He felt sorry for the poor schmuck who'd found them. Hannah's attack had clearly surprised him so much it hadn't occurred to him the door locked from the inside.

“Thank you.” An indignant
humph
sounded in the room; then the bathroom door opened with a squeak. Two seconds later, Hannah ripped the stall door open, eyes wide and round. “Oh my God, that was close. I'll go out first and knock on the wall when the coast is clear.”

She turned and left before he'd even managed to utter a thank you. The rap on the wall came a few seconds later, and he exited the bathroom with his heart in his throat. Hannah waited for him in the hallway. He claimed her hand, threading their fingers, needing the solid presence of her to keep him from coming apart. He led her back to their table still shaking. His heart continued to hammer a panicky rhythm, throbbing in his ears.

When he slid into his side of the booth, he released his held breath and finally allowed himself to relax. Looking around, nobody even seemed to notice their absence. Their lunch had arrived, neatly waiting for them. Every table was full, the diners all engrossed in their lunches and conversations. Waiters and waitresses carried trays of food and drinks. Not a single person glanced in their direction.

Cade opened his mouth, to apologize, to thank her, to…something. Regret and gratitude had caught in his chest and needed to find its way out. Never in his life had he done something so risky. His father would have a coronary.

Across the table, an insane little giggle erupted from Hannah. She clamped a hand over her mouth and giggled again behind her fingers. “Oh my God. I can't believe we did that.”

Her expression had his mind twisting off in another direction. Regret forgotten, the knot in his stomach eased. He must have a stupid grin on his face. Her eyes glowed from within, and she continued to laugh.

He sat back in the booth, triumph and awe swelling in his chest. She really was incredible. The risk of getting caught and ending up on the front page of the
Seattle Times
had been worth it to see the light in her eyes. “I take it you enjoyed yourself, Miss Miller?”

She dropped her hands away from her face. Heat flashed like a solar flare in the depths of her golden eyes. “I enjoyed the hell out of myself, as if you didn't know. I…”