Designing Woman (The Sloan Brothers Book 2) (8 page)

Sean was fanning himself.

“Please tell me this is leading to hot sex.  I feel hot sex coming on.”

Ayla swallowed hard and fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.

“There’s something coming on, we’re getting to it.”

He nodded and I shot him a “shut the hell up” look that he seemed to understand.

Ayla continued her story while she looked at her lap.

“He stared down at me and grinned again, before asking me how old I was.  His voice was deep and smoky and I just stared up at him for a moment, trying to get my mind wrapped around his question.  He made it difficult to think because he had this presence.  You know what I mean?”

We were both nodding rapidly, even though we probably had no clue what the hell she meant.  Except I had an inkling, because I knew the Sloans.  They were like that.  It was weird.

“I told him I was seventeen and his smile got wider.  I heard his father clear his throat behind me and Tony’s eyes went to him, breaking the spell.  I heard Pauley say that I was too young.  That’s it.  That’s all he said and Tony winked and stepped aside.  As I was passing him, he leaned over and said, ‘I’ll see you next year sweet girl’ and I started walking faster.  It felt like he was sucking the oxygen right out of my lungs.  I was young and I’d been so busy trying to help Austin keep our heads above water that I hadn’t had time for socializing - much less dating.  I went to school and I went to work.  When I got home I cooked, cleaned and did laundry while he worked two jobs.  He didn’t have a social life either, but we had each other and that’s what mattered.”

“Fast forward.  I didn’t see the Marconi’s again until I turned nineteen.  By then, Austin had made it through bartending school and our lives got easier.  He got me hired as a waitress because the owner liked him and the same guy that got Austin the fake I.D., came through for me.  I was working to save money for school and I was going nights to be an accountant.  Fashion design was something I stumbled into because I became an accountant for one of the big Houses and they paid well enough that I went to school for that as well.  But that’s another story.  Let’s get back to why we’re here.”

This girl was full of surprises.  The quiet ones were the ones to watch and it made Pierce more interesting to me as well.  He was even quieter than Ayla.  She’d begun speaking again and I tuned in, less I miss something important.

“I took a full load in college, hoping to graduate early and fell into keeping books for the bar where we worked.  It was better money and a nice change.  I could take them home and do them at night after I finished my homework.  We were able to afford better furniture and clothes as well as my tuition.  We weren’t rich, but we were finally breathing easier.  Word got back to Pauley, and he was pleased.  By then, he and his wife Connie were like surrogate parents to us.  Tony was traveling for boxing matches and he was an only child.  I’m pretty sure that they couldn’t have any more after him, but I never got the full story on that.  They loved us like their own and invited us over for dinner once in awhile.  They even called regularly to make sure we were doing alright.  Pauley and Connie were wonderful people and probably still are.”

I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

“Probably?  You don’t talk to them anymore?”

Ayla was shaking her head and I could see pain in her eyes.

“I can’t.  I’m getting to that.”

I sat back for what had to be the rough part of the story, from the looks of her.

“Pauley called and asked me about the bookkeeping gig.  Nothing got by Pauley, he had contacts everywhere.  I explained the situation and he offered me twice what the bar was paying if I’d do the books for the gym.  How could I refuse?  I accepted on the spot and became a four day a week fixture at the gym.  He cleaned out a storage room and set me up with my own office space.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that the man was a financial genius.  He’d invested everything he’d made as a boxer and had come from money besides.  He and Connie lived modestly and I’d had no clue they were wealthy.”

“It was closing in on tax season and I’d been there about two months.  I was hustling to get the books ready for the accountant that would sign off on them and file the taxes.  My head was in the figures so I didn’t notice him at first.  By the time the loud voices filtered into my office, I realized that there were a lot of happy people celebrating something out in the gym.  Curiosity and that, so I stood in the doorway to see what the big deal was.  There stood the big deal himself.  Tony was back and successful by the looks of things.  He was still drop dead gorgeous and pretty full of himself.  I was just about to sit back down and finish up, when he saw me.  That was it.  He was fast.  Faster than any man I’ve ever known before or since.  That man could move.  Before I could back into the office, he was right in front of me, and I mean RIGHT in front of me.  Personal space meant nothing to Tony because he seemed to occupy all space.”

“He looked down at me and grinned.  What could I do?  I grinned right back at him.  He said, ‘Nineteen now, right?’  I nodded my head and he started walking forward, forcing me to walk backwards.  He was like that.  He always used his size to his advantage.  That didn’t occur to me until much later when it was too late.  Right then, I was nineteen and staring at my idea of the perfect man.  Remember, I’d never had a boyfriend before.”

Sean held his hand up.

“Let me get this straight.  You weigh maybe a buck ten, a buck twenty now.  I’m assuming you weren’t larger then, and you’re quite the looker in that hot irish kind of way Ayla.  Are you telling me you were still a virgin at nineteen?”

She rolled her eyes but appeared to relax a bit for the first time since she began speaking.  I reminded myself to hug Sean for that later.

“Yep.  I’d been kissed a time or two, but I was a good girl.  Besides having no time, Anton kept a close watch on me.”

“Wow.  Keep talking.”

“Okay.  So Tony backs me into the office and kicks the door closed behind him, never taking his eyes off me.  I think it was more than safe to assume that he was NOT a virgin.  When my ass hit the desk and I could go no further, he slipped his arms around me.  I put my hands on his chest because I didn’t know what else to do with them.  It was like touching a Redwood.  He was all hard and ripply and I was getting warm just being that close to him.  I’m naturally quiet anyway, so I said nothing while I waited for whatever came next.  He did the strangest thing.  He brought up one of his hands and pushed my hair behind my ear.  Then he leaned down until we were almost nose to nose before he said a word.  He licked his lips and I knew he was gonna kiss me.  I could feel it coming.  I never thought about stopping him because I wanted to know what it would be like to kiss someone so fierce, but so gentle at the same time.”

“When he planted his lips on mine, I curled my hands behind his neck and he lifted me.  I didn’t realize at the time that his hands were cupping my ass and that’s how he did it.  All I knew was, I was kissing Tony Marconi and without knowing a thing about him, I was in love.  The kiss went crazy.  Everything he did, I mimicked and he liked it.  He made noises and I got bolder.  I wrapped my legs around his waist and he groaned.  I think that was the moment my nineteen year old mind knew that he was the one.  Remember my hormones were in overdrive.  No one had ever kissed or touched me the way that he was kissing and touching me and I was thrilled that of all the women he could have, he wanted me.  That’s a big deal to a nineteen year old bookkeeper with zero sexual experience.”

“He broke the kiss and was panting hard, and he kept pulling me tighter against his body.  I knew what I felt against me, I wasn’t stupid, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.  He couldn’t quit squeezing me, even though he wasn’t kissing me anymore.  Then he spoke in a soft voice that flowed over me like lava, making me squirm against him.  He closed his eyes and I could feel him start to tremble when he said, ‘You’re mine now Ayla.  I’ll do this the right way and I’ll teach you everything you need to know, but I’ve been patient enough.  Are you ready for me?’  I had no clue how ominous that would turn out to be, but I answered enthusiastically.  I told him that if I was his, then he was mine and I was more than ready.  It was true at the time.  I wanted to be anything and everything he needed me to be.  He was Anthony Marconi and he was making good money.  I knew because I kept the books.  He was going to be a famous boxer, I knew that too.  He was proving it everyday.  I thought I was ready to be part of all of that.  I already knew I loved his family and they loved me too.  What else was there?”

I took her hand and she looked startled.

“I have no idea what’s coming next Ayla, but I want you to know that already, I’m sorry.  Whatever it is, I know you never saw it coming.  Someone like that is a lousy first experience for anyone.”

She wiped away a tear and squeezed my hand before she continued.

“Anton and I started having more and more dinners at his family’s home.  Tony bought me gifts and loved that I got excited no matter what the gift was.  Every time he went somewhere new, he’d bring me back something.  I’d still never seen his brownstone, but I chalked that up to some Italian family thing and proper courting.  How was I supposed to know any different?”

“This went on for six long months.  For six months, we’d make out my place while Anton worked, but we never had actual sex.  Oh we used our hands to our best advantage and he had great hands mind you, but when he found out I was a virgin, things changed.  He was careful and he teased me a lot.  He’d work me into this hot mess and then back off.  I was going out of my mind and he knew it.  He loved that he had that kind of affect on me.  Finally, just before Halloween, he picked me up for what I thought was going to be dinner and a movie.  Instead he took me back to his place.  I was finally going to see where he lived.”

“He unlocked the door and carried me inside.  The place was like a decorator’s dream.  Expensive wood and leather was everywhere.  It definitely belonged to a male and Tony was all male.  I barely got to look around because he kept on walking.  He climbed a flight of stairs and the next thing I knew, he was putting me down in his bedroom.  I barely had a chance to look around before he was kissing me and taking my clothes off.  More than a little self-conscious, I started to shake.  He stopped undressing me and kissed me harder and deeper.  When he felt me responding, he looked at me and said, ‘You do want to please me don’t you Ayla?’ I was way over the edge by then and praying that this wasn’t another tease play.  I nodded and reached for him again.  All hesitation ended.  He had the greenlight and he ran with it.”

I watched her turn red and start to squirm.  She was about to wade into deeper water and for some reason, it was on the tip of my turn to ask if she wanted to break for lunch.  Whatever she was about to say, I knew I didn’t want to hear it.  I knew in my heart that it would make me want to kill a boxer.  Still, she stormed ahead.

“After I was naked, he tossed me on his bed.  I scrambled toward the middle, making room for him.  The bed was huge, but so was he.  He held my eyes as he started to undress.  When he stood there with his clothes on the floor, I saw what I was up against and I started to shake.  I wanted to leave and I knew it was too late for that.  I could tell by the look in his eyes that there was no going back now.”

“He climbed onto the bed and kept going until he was straddling my waist.  I thought he wanted me to do something with my mouth and I was debating logistics in my head, when he leaned over and took my wrists in his big hands.  I was so surprised, the handcuffs didn’t register until they were firmly in place.  They’d been attached to his headboard the whole time.  I tugged and quickly discovered that I wasn’t going anywhere until he turned me loose.  Nervousness turned to fear.  He saw it and smiled.  He slid down my body and pried my legs apart.  Then he leaned over me, enveloping me until I stilled, my heart doing double-time.  He kissed me and then looked me right in the eye when he started talking.  ‘You still want to please me, right Ayla?’, I nodded but then said what I was thinking.  ‘I always want to please you, but I’m scared Tony.  I’ve never done this before.  Why do I have to be handcuffed?’  He seemed to search my face before he kissed me hard, bruising my lips before he pulled back.  ‘Because it pleases me.  You’ll be doing a lot of things to please me that you might not understand.  You have to trust me Ayla.  Trust me when I say you’ll grow to love it in time, as much as you love me.  Do you trust me?’  I was nodding because I did trust him.  I loved him and I trusted him.  ‘Good girl.  This first time will be painful and that can’t be helped.  But then you’ll truly belong to me.  You want to belong to me, right?’  I nodded again because I was out of things to say.”

I closed my eyes at this point because I didn’t want to see the pain in her eyes when she talked about the next part.  I held onto her hand though, and she held on to mine.  Sean took her other hand and together, we were going to get through this.

“There was no preparation other than another kiss.  He shoved himself inside me all the way in one go.  I screamed and he groaned and shook.  I was certain I’d been torn in half and I started to struggle.  His mouth clamped onto my neck and he started to move hard and fast.  It never got easier.  Then I remembered he wasn’t wearing a condom.  I had no clue who he’d slept with before me, and I had no protection at all.  When I started to say something, his hand went over my mouth and he started moving faster.  His other arm hooked under my knee and he pulled me up, shoving even deeper as if that were possible.  I started screaming in earnest then and his hand stayed over my mouth until he was finished.  I felt him shudder and then relax, almost suffocating until he rolled off of me.”