High Stakes Seduction - Book 1 (10 page)

The hungry look in his eyes ignited a fire within me. I tried to fight it for all of a second, before giving in, leaning forward to taste his lips with my own. He pushed me gently but firmly back against the leather, holding me there with one hand on my shoulder. I felt the cold of the leather against my bare back, which excited me even more. His hand slid over my hip, finding its way down to my thigh and through the slit in my gown. In one swift motion, he slid his hand under my thigh, pulling me closer, his other arm winding around my back. His hand caressed my thigh, leaving a trail of electric fire everywhere his fingers touched. I groaned, his fingers against my bare skin causing my breasts to ache for his touch. I arched my back, tipping my head back, lips parted.

I reached up and took his face in my hands, pulling his lips to mine. He growled deep in his throat, his lips bruising mine with his insistence as each breathless moment passed. My teeth grazed his tongue as it slipped between my parted lips, making magic in my mouth.

A voice inside me screamed for attention—warning me to stop.

But… his lips… his touch… his scent… was driving me wild. A moment later I gasped, as his fingers brushed ever so lightly through the thin fabric of my designer panties.

I pulled back, my face flushed, my breathing ragged. He was watching me with those piercing eyes, his lips parted. We stared at each other, almost as if we were trapped in a dare. Would he make the next move?

Did I want him to?

Or did I….

A thrill of anticipation ran through me as Antonio narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips as he sucked in his breath. A moment later, I felt him tug at my lingerie and then slide a single finger between my wet and eager slit. My eyes fluttered closed and my head fell back as I moaned deeply in my throat. His other hand traced up my spine, sinking into my hair and pulling my head further as he rained kisses along my neck. His finger moved inside me slowly, deliciously, I could feel my muscles pulsing around it. It was soon joined by a second.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself fully onto his lap, throwing back the skirts of my gown as I straddled his legs. His fingers turned inside me as I settled down onto them, raising and lowering myself so they slid in and out with more and more fervor. I felt a low rumbling in the back of my throat, as I moaned again, wanting more.

He pulled away slowly. His fingers stopped moving. "Angela," he said in a husky voice that was nearly a growl.

I stared into his eyes, trying to read his expression, then deciding I didn’t care.

I reached down, holding his hand as I rocked my hips against him, working his fingers further inside me. I leaned forward, pressing my breasts against him as I tipped my head to suck on his sensuous lower lip. He hesitated for only a moment before sinking his fingers in deeper, twisting and turning them as he rubbed his palm against my throbbing clit. I moaned again, grinding myself against him.

Throwing my head back, I was half conscious of my hair coming undone and tumbling down my back. I put a hand to my chest, yanking the loose neckline down to reveal my aching breasts. Antonio leaned down, taking a nipple between his teeth and teasing it with his tongue. As he sucked on my sensitive flesh, I felt a familiar building, a need tightening in my center. I moaned loudly, one last time as the convulsions took me, my muscles clenching around Antonio’s fingers as wave after wave of passion ran over me.

I don’t know if time stopped, or if everything simply went black. I had no concept of how much time passed before I raised my head from Antonio’s shoulder, my shuddering body finally falling back under my own control.

I felt Antonio’s fingers gently caressing my back and felt the cool air against my glistening skin. "Angela," he murmured in my ear.

I sat up in his lap, gazing languidly at him. "I—"

The limousine pulled to a stop, saving me from saying the words I might later regret. I looked out the window to see my house. Reality came crashing back down on me and I struggled to untangle myself from Antonio’s arms.

"I—Um. Thank you… ?" I said stupidly as I fumbled with the car door. I managed to get it open and jump out, leaving Thompson staring after me as I hurried away with what little dignity I could muster, cursing myself and vaguely hoping I hadn’t ruined the gown.

"Congratulations on winning the Carlo and Poula account," said one of my colleagues as I stepped onto the sales floor. I had been receiving accolades all week. Not that I had done all that much. I accepted the wishes with as much grace and humility as I could. But all I'd really done is treat the twins like real people. And, the truth was, I didn’t care about my achievement.

I couldn’t get Antonio Mancini out of my head.

I couldn’t get what I had done with Antonio Mancini out of my head.

I kept picturing the scene over and over. Half the time I was incredibly turned on by the memory and found myself blushing and wet. The other times, I was embarrassed and frightened by the brazen woman who had thrown herself onto Antonio Mancini's lap.

So, as much as I'd wanted to crawl into the woodwork, I went about my daily routines at the store as best I could. I had, thankfully, avoided any contact with Antonio since running out of the limo.

Maria was another story. I glanced at my watch and headed to the break room to call my sister, praying she wouldn’t ask me for more juicy details about the other night. It was bad enough that Nevia had given me a sideways, knowing glance as she passed by me on her way to the car.

I thought I’d spun enough of a tale to keep Maria happy, but she's my sister and knows me too well. That's why I always try to make sure there are elements of truth to every embellished story I've told. But she always knows when I’m holding back. I feel horrible when I have to lie to her, but this time I kept convincing myself it was to make her happy.

I sighed, digging around in my purse for my phone, but before I could pull up our home number, it buzzed in my hand.

"Hey," I answered automatically, expecting it to be Maria.

"Miss Angela Tilson?"

"Yes."

"This is the admitting desk at the hospital. Your sister, Maria, has had an accident. She’s in stable condition and resting now, but you’ll want to come and see her as soon as possible."

I was already racing out the door. "Tell Priscilla that my sister’s had an emergency," I said as I passed one of the other clerks.

"Taxi!" I cried, trying to wave down one of the yellow vehicles when I reached the sidewalk. "Taxi!"

"Miss Tilson," said a voice behind me. I turned to find Thompson standing there and noticed his limousine parked not far away. "Do you need a lift somewhere?"

"Maria’s been hurt," I said, realizing there were tears blurring my vision. "I need to get to the hospital."

Thompson’s jaw tightened and he grabbed my arm. "Let’s go."

"Hi," muttered Maria hoarsely when I arrived. She was lying on the inclined bed, a sheepish smile on her split lip. One eye was swollen shut and her left arm was in a sling that rested across her belly.

"What happened?" I asked, rushing to her side. I took her good hand in mine, squeezing it, trying not to remember the last time I'd seen her in a hospital bed.

"I fell trying to pick up a newspaper from the stoop."

"Oh my god, Maria, you know better. Why were you out on the stoop?" I asked, then shook my head. "Never mind. Are you okay?" The panic I'd felt since I got the phone call was starting to recede. I willed my breathing to slow down, and my hands to stop shaking.

"Just banged up a little," she said. Then she looked away, and I knew that wasn’t all. "I got tired of being inside. Ever since the accident… Well, you know. It was time. But I hurt my back. It doesn't feel any different to me, of course, but the doctor says it’s pretty bad. Thank goodness Mrs. Jenner was home with her kids. She called the ambulance for me."

"Excuse me, ladies." We both looked up to find Thompson standing in the doorway. "I just wanted to see how you were doing, Miss Tilson," he said with a nod to Maria.

She gave him a shy smile. "I’ll be okay. They'll be releasing me soon. But the doctor wants me to come back for some further evaluation and tests."

"Then you’ll be needing a ride home," Thompson said, shifting from foot to foot.

Maria glanced at me and I gave her a little nod. "Yes," she replied. "That would be great."

"I’ve already alerted Mr. Mancini," Thompson said to me. "He’s told me to be at your disposal."

I hated Maria being hurt like this. There wasn't a lot to keep her busy during the day, and until this accident she'd seemed happier to stay inside. It was time to look into getting a ramp built so this kind of thing didn't happen again!

True to his word, Thompson hung around the hospital with me all afternoon. I was uncomfortable with him at first, given my "relationship" with Antonio–especially the last ride I'd had in the limo. But then, we were both employed by the man. And, while Thompson had seemed somewhat reserved and distant in the past, we managed to chat a little and that helped to smooth out some of the awkwardness.

Later, when the limo pulled up in front of our house, he practically jumped out of the car to open Maria’s door while I went inside to get the wheelchair.

Thompson lifted Maria out of the limousine in one strong, sure move. Holding her firmly against his chest, he stepped around the wheelchair. Maria leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled at me. "I’m all right, Ange," she said as Thompson carried her to the house.

I smiled back, shaking my head. The doctor said Maria might suffer spasms from her injury over the next week, but with Thompson there, Maria didn’t seem to care about her diagnosis.

I hurried to the door to open it and watched as Thompson gently settled Maria onto the couch. He propped her up with cushions, fussing like a grandmother, and then headed to the kitchen to get her something to drink.

"It looks like you’re in good hands," I whispered to Maria with a wink. She got that shy, wistful look again—the one I'd noticed every time she glanced at Thompson when she thought he wasn't looking.

My cellphone vibrated in the designer pouch Priscilla let me use on the sales floor in case Maria needed me. I’d hired a nurse to stay with her for a couple of weeks so I could go back to work, but I was still worried.

But when I looked at the screen, my breath stopped as my body tensed. It wasn’t Maria calling.

"Angela," came the silky voice.

Antonio.

"I need to speak with you."

"Um, we’re a bit busy right now," I lied, trying to stall. But, even I knew I didn't sound very convincing.

"Priscilla can handle it." He ended the call.

I sighed, set my jaw resolutely, and headed for the elevator.

###

The loud voices hit me the moment the elevator doors opened on the twenty-third floor. I could hear the angry sounds down the short hallway from Antonio’s reception area. Hilary smiled apologetically. "He’ll be with you shortly," she motioned to a chair.

I sat in the waiting area, absently flipping through the pages of yet another fashion magazine, trying to ignore what had become a shouting match on the other side of Antonio’s office door.

I jumped when the door was thrown open and a tall, slim man stormed out. I recognized the District Attorney, Brad Stephens, immediately. He was a prominent figure in the city for his work with local children’s charities, but it was his alleged under-the-table dealings with certain consulting firms that had recently thrown him into the spotlight. He was one of the many people shown with Antonio in the photos from Mr. Conner’s private detective.

Stephens looked like he was on the warpath, and I made myself as small as possible in hopes that those furious eyes did not turn on me for any reason.

Hilary and I shared an awkward look as the DA disappeared around the corner. Then we both turned towards Antonio’s door. After a moment, Hilary rose and stepped into his office.

"Send her in," I heard Antonio say in a tone that I’d never heard from him before.

Hilary gave me a sheepish grin and shrugged as I rose and walked through the door. Antonio had his back to me when I entered. His hands were in his pockets and he was staring out the window.

While I'd been the one to avoid
him
the past week, I stood there awkwardly as I waited for him to acknowledge me. Maybe it was silly, but on some level, I didn’t appreciate being ignored.

After a few moments of standing in silence, I opened my mouth. "Is there something you needed me for, Antonio?"

I saw his head and shoulders rise slightly as he started to turn in my direction. He stood there another moment, then finally turned to speak to me. I almost took a step back when I saw his face. Tension radiated from every part of his body, but it was his eyes that struck me. They burned with a darkness and anger that I had never seen before.

"There’s a charity event next weekend," he said in a measured voice. "You’ll need to be available from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon."