Power Play (2 page)

It would be so easy for him to carry me away from here.

I blinked. A lot of time had passed in silence. If he noticed, he didn’t show. His light gaze simply studied me bottom to top. It was a look fit for a museum exhibit, not a person.

“Uh, hi?” I said.

“What’s your name?” he said.

“My name? Sorry, you came over here, called me a lemming and now you want my name? Do you know how conversations work?”

“No. Tell me.”

I had no words. His sentences were like thunderclaps, hard and sudden.

“Well, not like that,” I said.

“Perhaps with an introduction?” he said. “A name, for example.”

“It’s Kerry.”

I wasn’t sure I had even decided to tell him.

“I’m Deacon.”

He thrust out a hand. I looked at it and slowly offered my own. His grip was powerful but smooth, soothing and warm. He released my hand to the cold and stepped in. The noises outside us dimmed against his body.

“I didn’t call you a lemming,” he said. “I told you not to mingle with lemmings. Heading out of here was the right call.”

“I just wanted some fresh air. I don’t think there’s any right choice to make with all the flights cancelled.”

“I disagree.”

He stared at me with a flinch of a smile on his face. I would never strike a person, but I had the sudden urge to wipe it clean off.

God, why couldn’t he speak straight instead of making me beg for answers?

Maybe cause he knew I would.

“Fine, I said. “What
should
I do?”

He dipped in until his breath singed my ear. His voice sank down as a whisper, a spell:

“Spend the night with me.”

CHAPTER TWO

Deacon

When it comes to meat markets, give me an airport over a club any day.

Club girls are just there for the plucking when a guy looking like me comes around. Add in my name, and you got even the high-maintenance debutantes lining up. They're thinking,
Maybe this is the night Deacon Stone whisks me off to his castle.

I took plenty in my college years, enough to know that I’d end the night not truly fulfilled. Party girls were like pretty balloons, irritating to have around once they popped.

Now a girl who looked good coming out of a long-haul or security scan? That’s something special. You know she’s got a story to tell. One that can leave you both heaving and satisfied as she moans it out her lips. Getting there, that’s half the fun of the game.

This girl in front of me was a beautiful puzzle. She had on jeans, a purple sweater and a dark ponytail. Her expression was all business. It’d be a true pleasure getting to see that sweet, round face cascade with lust.

“Spend the night with you?” she said. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Her gorgeous eyes were wide in disbelief, just pools of molasses. I couldn’t unstick myself from them.

“Oh, I understand your confusion,” I said, gathering myself. “You’re worried I just mean you sleep on my bed and I’ll crash on a couch or something. No, darlin', we’ll be stacked on top of each other for as long as we can keep our balance.”

Her lips parted wider. God they were such luscious things, pink and full. I could already picture myself occupying the space they now formed.

“You’re crazy,” she said, finally.

“That word doesn’t even register anymore,” I said. “All I’m hearing is a distinct absence of a ‘no.’”

“No! Of course, no.”

“Uh-uh. That’s why you were eye-banging me all night?”

Her face shot an even brighter shade of red. “I was not.”

“Oh, no? My mistake then. Who were you looking at? Caleb? Hey, I can call him over. I’m always happy to hook up one of my boys.”

The girl looked mortified. Her arms crossed her chest now. But fear had a messed up way of looking close to arousal. Which meant I was enjoying this way too much.

I glanced over my shoulder at the table, where the rig hands sat buried in their mugs and crass conversations.

I cupped my hands and yelled, “Hey, Caleb!”

A dozen heads snapped my way. Damn, did I enjoy that. Take everything away from me, but leave me my voice, if it made grown men forget their own names.

Caleb looked up from the table, a fry hanging from his pudgy mouth.

Oh this should be rich
.

I beckoned him over. The guy shoved through the crowd in a hurry. Little miss innocent hadn’t budged an inch.

“Hey buddy,” I said, looping a hand around Caleb’s meaty red neck. “I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine. Name’s, uh, what was it, sweetheart?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She grabbed her luggage handle. “I’m leaving.”

Guess she had a little fire in her after all. “Oh, right. It’s Kerry,” I said.

She glanced back, then continued to head her way. I yanked poor, confused Caleb and followed her along through the thin crowd.

“Now, Kerry is quite taken with you,” I told Caleb.

“Is that right?” Caleb said.

His dull little pulse wound up. Hope he caught on. I didn’t want him getting too excited and hurting himself.

“It’s not,” Kerry yelled over her shoulder.

She kept walking. It just gave me the chance to admire the lush, curvy bombshell of her figure from the rear. Her thick, brown ponytail bounced which each step. I could just imagine the things I could make our bodies do together once I had that in my grip.

“I counted the minutes, sweetheart,” I said. “You spent a good dozen of them eyeing my buddy here.”

She spun around, shifting away from us in a jerky moonwalk. Her eyes landed on Caleb in a warm but firm gaze.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t looking at you. You guys were just a bit loud.”

“Oh.” Caleb's pulse spiked and cratered. “No worries there, ma’am. We were celebrating a bit loud. It’s me who should be apologizing.”

She flashed a smile at him.

“That’s ok. People are allowed to let loose in an airport.” Her smile crashed as it turned on me. “As long as they’re not utterly indecent.”

Her icy gaze reminded me of a Siberian chill. But hell, I’d faced those before. I summoned my reserves into the most sultry drawl I could muster:

“Your definition of indecency's gonna expand after tonight.”

Her eyes fluttered. She nearly tripped on her own suitcase. She spun around and sped up a bit.

I patted Caleb on the shoulder and let him go. “You boys get another couple rounds,” I said. “I’ll hit you with the accommodations in a little.”

“Thanks, boss. You be careful with her. She might be a bit too strong, even for you.”

“This ain’t about picking up that drill bit, is it? Cause you know I could have picked that thing up.”

Caleb laughed and smacked me heavy on the back before heading away. It was lucky neither him or this girl could hear see my face twist.

Truth was, I couldn’t deadlift what those men could. That’s exactly why I came down in the trenches – to remind myself that even a king needed good pawns.

And a king sure as hell needed a queen now and then.

I hustled up to Kerry's side. She looked up out of the corner of her eye, irritated. Still, her glance took its time working its way off me.

“Are you going to leave me alone?” she asked.

“Sure. I’m just curious to know where you’re going.”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Well, it’s a free country. I should know. I’ve been to most.”

“I didn’t realize stalking was protected in the Bill of Rights.”

In profile, I could see the full swell of her breasts under her sweater. It was like wrapper on a Christmas present. And just like every Christmas, I’d have to get the good gifts for myself.

“Where exactly are you heading off to?” I asked.

She stopped in her tracks and spun to glower at me. “Leave me alone.”

“You don’t know, do you?”

“Ok, I don’t, so what? What does it matter to you?”

“Because I can’t stand to see your beauty tarnished by a night on germ-ridden airport leather.”

She rolled her gorgeous brown eyes. “You’re a real knight, huh?”

“I think I’m more the King Arthur type. Well, King Arthur’s aura, Sun Tzu’s brains.”

Her eyebrows popped in surprise at that. Mentioning Sun Tzu had revised her opinion of me? Apparently I didn't come off as smart as I imagined.

“So what?” she said. “It’s better if I lie on the germ-ridden leather of your body?”

“Oof,” I sucked in air through my teeth. “I’ll have you know that my skin is supple as at least calf leather. What you’re seeing is referred to as a tan. Some people prefer the look, but don't worry, I'm open to all complexions, including that cream white of yours.”

Her skin was actually now a pale peach flush, but it reddened again. At the rate she was going cold and hot, she would shatter soon.

Alright, time to show her I wasn't as indecent as I felt.

“Listen,” I said. “If you can really pass up a night with me, that’s fine. Let me at least book you a separate room.”

She laughed a high flowery laugh. “Right, cause I’m going trust you after all this.”

“Scout’s honor. I gotta do it for my men anyways. Actually, I might as well get on that.”

I pulled out my phone, enjoying her look going wild.

“Every place is full,” she said, but she didn't move either.

“My company always holds some spots.”

I went for my secretary, but saw a missed call. It was from my brother, Jesse. I frowned. What the hell could he want?

Well, first things first.

Kerry tapped her feet and tried to glance out casually at the stream moving past our little eddy in the hallway. Hope and fear crisscrossed her face. There was a sweetness to her under that tough mask. I wasn't too proud of the effect it had on me.

Demetri picked up after a couple rings. “What’s up?” he said.

“What’s up is you not getting me a direct flight back.”

That sobered him up right quick. “What happened? Oh no, did that storm hit you in Chicago?”

“Yes, it did. Don’t bother looking for an alt. The whole airport’s down. Just get me six rooms. We got eight men, me, and a woman.” I ticked my head at Kerry.

“A woman?”

“Six rooms, buddy. Think you can do that, or you gonna make us drive out to Indiana first?”

“No, no. I got it. Sit tight, Mr. Stone. I’ll get you the address and room numbers.”

I hung up and beamed at Kerry. “Sound ok to you?”

“Yeah…” she said. “I’m gonna make sure to tell them not to issue you a key card to my room, though.”

“Yeah, sure, fine.”

She almost looked disappointed. I’d just let her comment go right on by. But Jesse’s number kept pressing at my head. Playing Kerry was fun, but I had other games on my table.

“Sorry,” I said. “Can you hold up a moment?”

“Sure…”

I went over into the deli at the side. The Filipino woman behind the counter looked at me expectantly, but I just hunched down at a table and dialed.

“Hello, Deacon,” Jesse answered.

“You call?” I asked.

“I did. I saw your flight was cancelled.”

His voice had its own roll, but it was nasal, all New-England boarding school. It made our conversations feel extra distant.

“So it was,” I said. “I’ll handle it.”

“But I guess you won’t be making the morning meeting tomorrow about this project you’re proposing.”

“Demetri will reschedule.”

“Hmm.”

He let his silence hang. It was straight from our later father's playbook. I didn't much care for verbal sparring when it came to business though.

“What’s the problem with meeting the morning after?” I asked. “You’re in Houston for the week, right?”

“It’s not my preference.”

“That still sounds like a yes.”

“It’s a maybe. I know Mother is certainly looking to leave tomorrow by noon. Perhaps we can push this meeting to later in the month.”

I chewed on my lip. This project would cement my power in the company. My mother and brother would be all too happy to see it delayed to death. Maybe they’d even salted the air over Chicago to bring in this storm.

“It’s a day later,” I said. “You two can handle that. Fly out and fly back if you want, but we’re meeting this week.”

“I suppose we’ll have to make it work.” Another pause. “Are you quite sure you don’t want me to send up the jet? It’d only be a couple hours each way. You’ll be here before midnight.”

Jesse and I weren’t quite at enough odds for him to want to see me dead. But this idea was practically homicidal.

“I’d rather not have my name placed on some memorial scholarship just yet.” I said. “We can’t challenge nature.”