Red Hot Obsessions (101 page)

CHAPTER 14

I’d never thought you could dine out and only be seen by a handful of people. From the elevator down to the parking garage to another garage and yet another elevator, we hadn’t stepped outside for a breath of fresh air once. And now we descended a circular flight of stone stairs that belonged in a twelfth century castle. The clicking of my heels echoed from under my soles only to be lost in the long corridor ahead. The smell of earth and mud filled the air. Cringing away from the walls, I waited for a centipede or a spider to crawl down, but the space was cleaner than expected for an underground dungeon.

At the bottom of the staircase, the corridor widened and I squeezed Tristan’s hand, wondering where this restaurant he spoke of was located. Half-moon sconces lit the walls on the side as our maître d’ opened a double glass door, revealing a lounge. At the back wall, a wine bar stocked with bottles from floor to ceiling stretched to both sides of the room. With the exception of one door to the side, beyond which I imagined a cellar, the squared-off compartments looked as if they’d been there for centuries, yet not a single speck of dust covered the bottles.

Candelabras stood tall in each corner of the room, over fifty candles lit on each one. An eerie feeling swept through me when I thought what the restaurant could have been used for when it was first constructed. A prison, perhaps? And I didn’t even want to think about what this little excursion of ours would cost.

The table in the middle was set for four, and I wondered whether Tristan had invited someone else. Our host pulled out my chair at the same time that Laura stepped out of that mysterious entrance between the stacked bottles on the back wall.

“Oh, my God! This is unbelievable!” She rushed to hug me. “They have wine in there from the 1950’s and a cognac that costs more per ounce than our rent. Wouldn’t want to break a bottle of that one.”

“I missed you,” I said.

“Who are you again, and what have you done with my friend?” She smoothed my hair.

“Part of the job,” I explained.

“You look like you’re ready to play in
Divas Gone Wild
.”

My friend cleaned up better than I’d expected her to. In fact, if she wasn’t my friend, I’d be a little jealous of Tristan staring at such a beautiful woman.

Tristan whispered something to the bar man, who in turn ventured into the deep wall. He then strolled over to our table.

“Laura, you know Tristan Cross, my employer.” I felt the pride radiate from me.

She offered her hand for a shake. “I haven’t heard enough about you.” She narrowed her brows.

“Believe me, that’s good thing,” Tristan answered, and then added, “It’s my pleasure to make your acquaintance. Allie had mentioned how beautiful you are, but she never said you were related to Aphrodite.”

Laura just opened her mouth and lifted her hand to her chest.

Yup, she’d been flabbergasted by none other than Tristan Cross. How in the world did he manage to make my friend swoon and turn her attention away from me so quickly?

“Wow,” she breathed, bracing her weight against the back of a chair.

“I’ll let you ladies be. If you need anything, I’ll be in the other room.”

That’s when I noticed another glass door on the side wall and asked, “You’re not joining us?”

“I will for the main course, but I have some business to attend to first.”

And with that he left.

“Holy crap, Allie! He’s hotter than I remember. Even with the black hair and all.”

“I know.” I sat down at the table at the same time a waiter, who was nothing short of hot as well, brought a bottle of wine. He poured a little into my glass. I swooshed it, took a whiff, and tried a sip, the way I’d seen at wine tastings, and then nodded to the waiter who filled my glass. I honestly had no clue whether the bottle cost twenty or two hundred bucks, but I hoped it was the former.

“This is better than honey.” Laura took a few swigs before she finally set the glass down. The waiter kindly topped it off. “Or perhaps it’s the service,” she winked at him. “If you’re free later on, I wouldn’t mind a private tour of the cellar.”

“As you wish,” he replied and left.

“Stop flirting with him!”

“Why? You have a boy toy now, why can’t I?”

“Tristan’s not a boy toy.”

“So, what’s going on? You quit on me, moved out, and fell in love all in a week?” She raised her brows, swirling the half-empty glass of wine while supporting her elbow on the table.

“Hold on there, Speedy Gonzales. I made a career change, I’ll move back to the apartment once we finish a job and no, I’m not in love.” But my heart pulsed in argument. Had I just lied to my friend? Why did I feel I’d just betrayed both myself and Tristan?

“Then you’re stupid. You should be down on your knees blowing this guy” – she pointed to the glass door Tristan had left – “like twenty-four/seven.”

“Shh.” I tapped her hand and scooted closer to her chair. “Who says I’m not?” I winked.

“You bitch.” Laura’s smile couldn’t have been wider.

“I’ll take that as way to go on scoring such a hunk.”

“Is he good?” she asked shamelessly.

“I’d never had better sex in my life.” Even I could picture my face mellowing. “He’s unbelievable, and very giving.”

“Yay! I told you men like a bare pussy.”

“Shut up. I’m not bare.”

“Almost. I’ve seen you in your panties, Allie.”

“You peek at my privates?”

“I don’t peek, but it’s hard not to see it when you flaunt it.”

“What happened to flaunt what you’ve got?” I asked her.

“Okay, you’re right. I may have been jealous of your tush and peeked. Hey, at least I can appreciate a nice bottom.”

“Please remind me of that when I’m in my underwear, so I can slap you.”

“Fine, seriously now, what’s this job all about?”

The waiter brought a pre-ordered entrée. Five pieces of something colorful I couldn’t recognize, with the exception of some fancy greens, glistened in an orange sauce sprinkled over the plate. It smelled delicious.

“I can’t talk about it,” I said after the waiter left.

“Undercover shit.” She touched my crow hair again.

“Yeah, you can say that.”

“And where does that leave your heart once you’re done?”

“I’m not sure. That’s what I need you for.”

“I’d say take it one day at a time. Men like Cross have lots to worry about. They don’t need a whiney girlfriend bitching over their shoulders. A strong woman like you, confident in her work, takes that much pressure off him to babysit.”

Oh, gosh, how much I’d missed her! There was nothing better than Laura’s honesty and realistic point of view.

“You think?” I poked a strawberry onto my fork.

“Trust me, I know. Just be yourself. Do a good job and see what happens. Take it slow.”

“It’s too late for slow. He introduced me to his parents, who are the most amazing people I have ever met. And his little sister... she’s just... she feels like she’s my sister too. And I’ve just been able to break ice with his brother too.”

“And you say you’re not in love?” she said sarcastically.

Was I?

“That’s impossible. It’s too fast and he’s my boss and this whole job. I can’t fail him. He’s done too much for me.”

“Then let it evolve on its own. There aren’t any rules to how the heart works. Don’t think about it. It’s the best way, especially for someone like you who has a difficult time staying grounded. You look happy around him, and I’ve never seen you so at ease.”

“Uhm…” Tristan cleared his throat.

We looked up at the same time, and Tristan wasn’t alone. “This is James. A good friend of mine,” he said.

James was shorter than Tristan by a few inches, but just as prominent in a room. He wore a striped suit that looked custom made and appeared more comfortable than any elegant ensemble I’d seen Tristan wear. This man belonged in a two-piece and probably slept in one as well just to keep his appearance. He reminded me of a younger version of James Bond.

I pushed my chair back to stand, but Tristan lowered his hand to my shoulder. “No need. James is working with us on a project. You’ll find you have a lot in common.”

Laura stared in awe at the double-oh-seven, and if she didn’t close her mouth soon, she’d start to drool. I kicked her under the table ever so slightly, and she threw me a dirty look.

James sat down between the two of us. Ready to charm him, Laura licked her lips. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she strategized, but Tristan continued, “Laura, I’m sorry to take you away from your meal. Can I steal you for a moment?”

She stood up, not too happy about leaving our new company, and mouthed
wow
in my direction when the men weren’t looking. Apparently James had more of an impact on her than I would have anticipated, and I wondered whether he’d be another mark on her four-poster bed after tonight.

Tristan’s scar on the lip lifted by a fraction. It was the only feature on his face that ever gave away what he was feeling. If I knew any better, I’d say Tristan was trying to set those two up.

“Allie, James will keep you company. We won’t be long.”

I couldn’t deny my curiosity about why he’d asked my best friend for a private chit-chat, and made a mental note to grill her the first moment I could.

At that same moment the waiter brought a plate of appetizers for James.

“Okay.” I said.

After exchanging a quick ‘what the heck’ glance with my friend, the two of them left.

“Is she single?” James asked.

“Cut right to the chase, don’t you?” I took a sip of my wine.

“I don’t have time to waste time.”

It was the same reply Tristan had used once on me. Were Tristan and James close? Were they best friends like me and Laura?

“She is single, but be careful what you wish for. Laura doesn’t exactly date.”

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t either,” he grinned. Then, his cheeks drooped lower, and I could tell James was about to change the topic to business.

“Allie, I will be there, at the hotel when you go to the auction. I can’t disclose my purpose to you, but you cannot show that you recognize me.”

“Why would Tristan introduce us, then?”

“He’s a good friend of mine. We spend a lot of time together, and we were bound to run into each other sooner than later. Tristan also wanted you to feel like you’re not alone. But know that I’m not there for you.”

“Kendra?” I picked some lettuce and a cucumber off my plate.

“No,” he shook his head, “unfortunately I’ve done everything I can to help Tristan with that. But in there, I have other business to take care of. As much as I wish I could help, this will be an opportunity I cannot miss. Someone else’s life depends on it.”

“You’re rescuing a girl,” I said.

“Yes, but please, don’t ask for details. Sometimes our plans don’t work out the way we want them to.”

“I understand.”

Our discussion turned to hobbies and workouts. I’d found James to be more intelligent than his muscle body suggested and his humor reminded me so much of Laura’s.

At the thought of my friend Tristan strolled in with Laura under his arm and they’d joined us at the table. Our business talk turned to chit-chat about movies and life. I tried to steal Laura’s glance a few times, but she wouldn’t give anything away. She was concentrating more on playing footsies with James. When she finally said she needed to use the ladies’ room, I jolted up like a spring to join her.

“What did he want?” I asked her once inside.

“Who?”

“Don’t play stupid with me. Tristan—why did he need to speak with you?”

“He asked a few questions about work and whether I’d be interested in someone like James. He said he’d set the whole dinner up so that we could meet. Man, I don’t know what you told Tristan about me, but he made me sound like an angel who could tame James.”

“Tame?”

“He has fetishes some women don’t find too appealing, like...”

“Stop!” I raised my hand. “I don’t want to know. I still think you’re lying, but I don’t want to know. Out of all people, you’re not the best person to choose to tame someone.”

“Moi? I should feel insulted.” She smiled with a poker face.

“Right, and pigs are flying in the sky.”

“Look, you have a yummy guy, an exciting job, and a great best friend. Life couldn’t get any better. Try to relax, Allie. Everything will work out.”

If there was anything Laura was right about, it was the exciting part. And Tristan was about to take it to a whole new level.

CHAPTER 15

The metal building we’d pulled up to screamed
please paint me
. A few layers of colors were peeling off the walls in some spots. I surveyed the barren area in front. Rusted pipes and chains were piled to the side. Remains of shattered windows were propped against a stack of concrete blocks and wooden beams. A used can of paint had been left behind as well. Further back, a couple of stray cats chased each other among the dried grasses and weeds. Only one other car was parked near the entrance.

Tristan opened the door for me and led me inside. I’d expected the hinges to squeak or a dusting of rust to sprinkle down, but neither happened. Inside, the building I’d judged to be an old warehouse transformed into a state of the art gym. The smell of leather and metal blended with a little bit of grease as I examined the brand new equipment. This was every trainer’s paradise, and I understood why Tristan had brought me here. A gym this magnificent should have been used by at least fifty people at a time, yet no one else was here.

“We have this place for a few days.” Tristan answered my thoughts. “Freddie delayed the re-opening by a week for me. He’s a close friend of the family. Julian and I both trained here. It was like our second home, but it’s fancier than it was before.”

A man in his late fifties wearing an Adidas track suit hurried toward us with long strides. He nearly knocked Tristan over before lifting him off the ground in a bear hug, squeezing him until I thought Tristan’s lungs would pop out. The man’s muscles ripened into grapefruit-sized ovals.

“Hey, Freddie.” Tristan returned the gesture as he was lowered.

“It’s about time you called. I wanted to thank you for what you’ve done for this place. The boys will piss with joy when they see the new ring next week.”

“Freddie lets a group of teens from the community use the boxing ring. Freddie, meet Allie Green. Allie, this is Freddie. He’s like family.” Tristan glowed with pride.

“And Tristan funded the makeover you see.” Freddie raised his chin.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I extended my hand when he did and instead found myself in the arms of this man who seemed to like hugging an awful lot. He placed a big wet smooch on my cheek, saying, “She’s a pretty one, Tristan. And well built. You wanna get your ass kicked, boy, bring a woman with these muscles in here.” Freddie set me down and winked with a flirtatious grin.

“Yeah, I’m expecting to,” Tristan laughed.

I liked Freddie a lot.

He reached into his pocket and handed Tristan a set of keys. “All yours.”

“Thanks, I owe you.”

“You owe me a coffee, nothing more. I missed my morning run to open up early for you.” He gripped Tristan over the shoulder, “Don’t let him overwork you, Allie. This man likes to pin women underneath him.”

“Yeah, I may have had the pleasure already,” I said, remembering our morning at the gym before Tristan offered me the job and that one thought of one of our first close contacts reminded my loins how good Tristan felt against me.

“I’ll buy you that coffee if you stop spreading your dirty lies,” Tristan shot back. He threw the keys onto a desk, saying, “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“And I’ll take that as ‘Get the hell out of here, old man.’ Take care, Allie.” Freddie kissed me on the cheek, winked, and left.

“Why did you make him go? I liked him.”

“That’s exactly why he needed to leave. You like older men or something?” he teased.

But I had a feeling Tristan didn’t like other men ogling me no matter what their age.

“Some competition is always good for the soul,” I said.

“You need to concentrate this week, Allie. And Freddie would be flirting with you all day long until you had a coffee with him.”

That was the lamest excuse I’d ever heard. “You’re going to train me?” I bit my lip.

“Why is that funny?” He unzipped my jacket for me and removed it. Perhaps having him so close to me this early in the morning when he smelled better than a fresh croissant wasn’t a good idea. I would have had an easier time concentrating with Freddie around.

“I’m not laughing. I just thought I’d get a professional or something.”

“If I saw another man on top of you, he’d need to worry about me wringing his neck.”

I liked the hint of jealousy I’d heard in his voice. But I did have a job to do, and from what Tristan had said, I’d better learn whatever he wanted to teach me. Today, I’d need to control the usual urges I felt around Tristan. I couldn’t let sex derail our training; although that seemed almost impossible. The mere thought of smelling his sweat near me revived a desperate tingle between my legs.

Stop it, Allie!

“First, they’d have to be able to get on top of me. Now let’s get to work, Cross.” I punched him on the arm a tad harder than intended. “What first?”

Instead of using the brand new equipment like I’d expected, Tristan handed me a jump rope.

“For the warm up.” He turned on the music. Bon Jovi sang
Because We Can
. The music blasted through the gym and I imagined myself in that boxing ring with Tristan, allowing him to teach me the tricks I didn’t know. Yeah, I didn’t think I’d mention that I’d boxed before. It had been a while, after all, and I didn’t train for long. But it did help to learn how to interpret the opponent’s body language and foresee their next move.

I smiled, hoping I’d get an opportunity to show Tristan the one skill that wasn’t in the thick file he had on me, saying, “Yes, Rocky.” I gripped the rope’s handles and swung it around my body slowly, building up my tempo.

Tristan jumped facing me. I hadn’t expected him to join me in the work out. Ten minutes passed and I began to feel the effect in my pinching lungs and dripping sweat. But I wouldn’t stop until he did. I wondered how long he was planning on simply skipping. Weren’t we supposed to practice more technical moves? And why had the scar on his lip lifted by a fraction? Did he know it made him that much sexier? The way his feet just hovered above the ground to let the rope pass under reminded me of Fred Flintstone. Except Tristan was much better looking in those sweats. Gosh, how did he manage to keep so buff? No part of his body shook when he jumped.

He must be wearing briefs to keep his package nice and tight in there, I thought. Concentrate on the work out, Allie! This is your job.

“So, what’s after skipping, twinkle-toes?”

“I’m debating.”

That scar lifted even higher; his voice sounded more primitive than earlier. What was he debating? Tristan’s focus shifted from my eyes to my cleavage. Was he watching my boobs bounce?

“I think I’ve been caught,” Tristan said with a grin.

I stopped jumping. “You perv! We’re supposed to be exercising.” I threw the jump rope aside.

“Believe me, my heart gets a better work out when I look at you.” He set his down, his chest heaving.

I scowled at him with my hands on my hips but couldn’t deny the smell of his and my sweat blending together was beginning to work itself into my core.

“Can you blame a guy?” he shrugged.

No, I couldn’t, because resisting a better look at the thickness in his pants had been more difficult than saying no to chocolate cake. It took all my strength not to give in.

“Come on, this is important, Tristan.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m a pig.”

“I didn’t say that, but if the shoe fits... Now what’s next? You gotta do better than skipping.”

He strolled over to the side and I followed. Picking up a medicine ball, he threw it at me without any warning.

The chest to ball impact felt more like chest to stone, but I caught it. Bending at the knees, I braced my feet and extended my arms, pushing with everything I had so that the ball would make it back to Tristan.

It did. And he was surprised.

We passed it back and forth a dozen times. My arms ached and legs began to burn, and I finally said, “I don’t think they’ll be throwing medicine balls at the auction, Tristan.”

“Fine, put these on and come inside the ring.” He pointed to the boxing gloves and helmet with a face guard.

“Sure.” I was actually looking forward to seeing his attempt to train me.

Tristan stepped inside wearing only the gloves.

“Cross, don’t underestimate me and put on your helmet.”

He raised an inquisitive brow, “You’ve been in the ring before?”

“Maybe.”

“Then I better suit up.”

Once inside, I stepped from one foot to another, my bulky hands protecting my face.

“Hit me,” he said.

I didn’t hesitate and threw a punch he wasn’t expecting right at his ribs.

“Wow, I guess you’re not playing.”

“Hit me,” I challenged.

He threw a straight punch, which I blocked.

“Hit me as if I’m one of the bastards from the auction.”

Tristan tried again, but I blocked that as well.

“Try again. Think about the fucker who has Kendra.”

This time the hook came from the bottom up, but I stopped that punch as well. Tristan was simply not trying hard enough. He didn’t want to hurt me.

“Think about one of them touching me.”

A harder knock came from his left. I saw the move in his eyes, and he didn’t connect again.

“And then fucking my brains out like...”

I didn’t finish the sentence. The knockout came with a piercing ring in my ear and I dropped to the floor. The room spun for a moment, and Tristan’s voice called me from a distance. When I came around, his equipment was off and I was in his arms, against his chest, as he repeated, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine, Tristan.” I grazed my palm along his worried cheek. “It wasn’t that hard.”

“I hit you. You fell down.”

“I was caught off guard. That was the point.”

“You’re not hurt?”

“No, I promise. Let’s try this again.”

“You’re the one doing the hitting this time, otherwise this stops, now.” He scanned me from bottom up. His eyes glossed over with worry.

“Fine. Are we playing by the rules?”

After a moment of thought, he said, “No rules, but you should probably avoid this area” – he pointed to his crotch – “otherwise I may have a tough time doing what I want to do to you later.”

Was he actually thinking I’d knock him below the belt? And risk his wonderfully skilled cock not functioning for me? Not that I’d say that out loud. Instead I shrugged. “All’s fair in a game with no rules.”

For a split second he actually looked nervous. After a few rounds, I managed to get through some of Tristan’s blocks. His training here had definitely paid off.

“You look too fucking sexy like this.” He stopped and dropped his gloves to the side. The gray shirt clung to his body, and I noted a definite strain under his sweats. His three steps toward me were like a caveman’s as he grasped my shoulders.

“What are you doing?” I asked rhetorically. Tristan’s intention was pretty obvious from his deepened voice and confident hands.

“Stripping you,” he stated, removing my helmet and my gloves. My top flew off next and I was left in my sports bra. That ache I’d had since this morning radiated out of my belly.

“Tat for tat.” I yanked the shirt over his head, finally getting a good luck at that chiseled torso, bathing in his heat.

We stood there facing each other, in mutual admiration, neither of us too sure where to start. My mind, lost in a maze of his muscles, didn’t know which part of his body to touch first. Tristan was like an all you can eat buffet, except I could never get enough of him. My hunger for this man would return within minutes of climax.

Was that thunder outside, or my heart begging to be closer to Tristan? I could hear it pounding in my ears. It seemed like minutes passed, but I wasn’t sure. And when Tristan crushed into me, enveloping me in his arms, I was glad I no longer had to decide what to do. Our bodies writhed together as he dominated my mouth, keeping my face firmly between his hands. Tristan pressed against me. Every curve of his excitement stung my arousal. My frantic hands wandered up and down his bulging arms, in between us, along his chest and abs, which rippled under my touch. And finally they wandered down the happy trail to the elastic of his pants.

I slid my hand inside, gripping his hard flesh, wanting his length inside me. As if hearing my plea, Tristan lowered my pants and panties at the same time, inhaling more deeply as he knelt. A loud growl escaped his throat. The moment he let go of my mouth allowed me to catch a much needed breath, but I was sure the room wouldn’t stop spinning for a while now. On the way up he removed my sports bra, forcing me to wriggle out of the tight fabric. The pressure of thick ring ropes against my back, ass, and knees restricted my movement backward. For me, there was only one thing left to do: I tugged on his pants, taking them down off his hips, right along with the briefs.

Tall and proud, Tristan’s cock freed from the constraint of his sweats, had a drip of pre-cum on its tip. His fingers slipped between my heated folds, suavely spreading my damp desire around my swollen opening. His mouth found my neck and he latched on. Lifting my leg to rest on the bottom rope I opened up for him. Lowering his own body to position his cock underneath me, Tristan prodded my entrance. And with one last look into my eyes, he drove himself into me.

Spreading my arms out to the sides, I gripped the top rope and let him take over. His mouth grazed my chin and my lower lip, biting gently as he moved in and out of my slick opening. The stretch of his width and depth of his advance was exactly what I needed. I closed my eyes, wanting him to rule my body. Tristan’s hands grasped my breasts and his mouth overpowered mine. Once again I wasn’t sure what to focus on: his desperate mouth stealing my every shaken breath; his full palms moulding my engorged breasts, thumbs grazing over my hardened nipples; or the ruthless penetration between my legs. I’d be bruised by morning, but I didn’t care. So I just hung onto the rope as if I was holding onto my life, resisting the oncoming climax, wanting this moment to last forever.

But the speed of his hips and friction of his full naked front against me, feeling his skin everywhere, was unbearable, and soon I found my focus. The sensation grew in my pussy. Right there in the middle it built in pressure with each thrust. It turned from a velvety glow to a raw force that had been swirling inside me for decades, wanting to leave my body out of each and every pore. And I let go as it took over my limbs. I didn’t know when I began trembling. The orgasm engulfed me like flames of an inferno, and my whole body quivered in Tristan’s arms. I heard a loud scream that wasn’t my own leave my mouth. Sometime during my shudders, Tristan stilled as well, tightening his full arms around me, letting his release take him over as well.