Take Me (6 page)

Ian stood behind his desk, a look of
resignation on his handsome face. A face I’d hoped to wake up to
tomorrow morning.

“We need to talk.” I closed the door behind
me.

“Did you know?” His words were tight, drawn
around the same question he’d asked at Radcliffe Software.

“No, and neither did you. It was—” I couldn’t
call it a mistake. Looking back, I understood I would have done the
same thing all over if given the chance. “It was two people who
were lonely and found a connection.” I took two steps forward. “And
we are going to deal with the consequences like adults. Not hide in
our rooms like pouting teen girls.”

His pale eyes widened. A slow blink followed.
“Excuse me?”

“That’s exactly what you did by quitting and
you know it,” I shot back.

Behind me, I heard the door open. I expected
the receptionist, but a masculine voice said, “Everything
okay?”

I whirled to find a balding man. His
custom-made suit elongated his stout build. His deep-set eyes
regarded me with a shrewd look, analyzing my presence.

“Everything’s fine, Harry.” The other name on
the marquee. Harold McKinney. Ian’s partner.

I stuck my palm out. “Lacy Sullivan. I’m
Radcliffe Software’s new CEO. Ian and I were supposed to meet for
dinner. I’m a little early.”

Harry’s tight lips relaxed into a smile, and
he shook my hand. “Pleasure to meet you. Sorry our receptionist
panicked.”

“I didn’t mean to cause a problem. I assumed
Ian would have let her know I would be coming.”

Ian didn’t contradict my lie. “Have a good
weekend, Harry.”

“You, too.” Harry’s gaze swept me again,
another evaluating look. “I’ll let building security know your
still up here.”

Maybe busting into Ian’s office unannounced
wasn’t one of my better ideas. I turned back to him as Harry closed
the office door. “I take it you’ve had a problem with irate clients
barging in before.”

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Ian crossed his
arms over his broad chest. “Did Emmett actually offer you the
job?”

“He did with one caveat—I have to convince
you to return to Radcliffe Software’s board of directors and resume
as outside counsel.” I had no illusions that Ian would cross-check
my story.

He slammed his palms against the table.
“Don’t you understand why I left?”

I tried to keep my posture relaxed. “Because
you couldn’t handle doing business with a woman you’ve slept
with.”

“I slept with?” The incredulous look he gave
me would have been comical if I didn’t feel my own heart breaking
over these stupid circumstances. “Honey, we did a lot more than
sleep.”

Heat spread up my neck and ignited my cheeks
at his carnal tone. “The point is you’re abandoning a long-time
client and friend because you can’t keep your pants zipped.”

“You’re right.” He circled the desk.
Something dark and ugly rested in his gaze. “I can’t keep my pants
zipped when it comes to you. That makes my counsel to Emmett
questionable at best and ineffective at worst.”

“Do you want me to quit? If that’s what I
have to do to get you to return to Emmet, I’ll do it. He needs
you.” This morning I thought I had everything, and now all my
dreams and desires were collapsing around me.

Ian stepped closer to me. Heat radiated from
his body. “What do you want, Lacy?”

“I-I—” Pressure grew in my chest. I couldn’t
breathe. “I need to fix things. I need you to go back to
Emmett.”

“And what are you going to do to get me to
change my mind? To get me to throw away my principles?”

I licked my lips. “Wh-what do you mean?”
Something deep inside of me wanted to push him. Wanted to force him
to show me who was boss. Wanted him to fuck me hard and rough like
he had last night.

“Are you going to beg?”

It wasn’t cruelty that prompted the question.
I finally understood the emotion he tried so hard to hide this
morning. Pain at yet another betrayal. If I tried to convince him
of the truth, he would deny it. In his mind, I was just another
bitch who’d used him before she stabbed him through the heart.

Well, he wasn’t the only one who’d been hurt.
I’d learned my lesson from the ex’s constant accusations that I was
cheating on him to cover his own misbehavior. The best defense is
one hell of a nasty offense.

I smiled, a ugly, vicious thing I’d only used
once before in my life. “Is that it? You can’t handle a real woman
unless she’s on her knees begging for your cock?”

“Get. Out.” Red climbed his neck, his ears,
his cheeks.

I stepped closer to him. “Face it, Hollister.
The real reason you withdrew as Radcliffe’s counsel was because
you’re a board member who can’t handle having a female CEO. The
only way you find a woman acceptable is when you have her pinned to
your bed so you can fuck her doggy-style.”

The muscles along his jaw twitched, and a
vein at his temple throbbed. “I asked you to leave, Ms.
Sullivan.”

My finger poked the center of his chest as I
continued my relentless dissection. “Or when she’s sucks your dick?
Either way, it’s always about you. You can’t even comprehend
serving someone else’s needs.”

The unnatural stillness of his expression
should have been my clue.

“Maybe it’s not me we’re discussing,” he said
quietly.

“Yes, it is,” I shot back.

He leaned over me, no doubt to be
intimidating, but my heart responded with a whole different
emotion. “Maybe you want to be dominated. Maybe you’re the one who
loves
to be fucked from behind. Maybe you haven’t had a man
who’ll cater to your sexual whims.”

He whipped me around and pressed me down
against his immaculate desk. I had to spread my legs to keep from
falling. One huge hand encircled my wrists. With his other hand, he
shoved up my skirt.

“Well, well, well.” He traced the lines of my
garter. His touch raised gooseflesh. “Did Emmett send you here to
seduce me into taking him back if all your pretty words didn’t
convince me?”

“No.” I struggled against his hold.

My token efforts made Ian laugh. Maybe we
both knew I wasn’t putting my heart into breaking free. He ran his
fingers down the crevice of my ass, and my body shuddered. “Why are
you really here?”

I should have said something except I
couldn’t think straight. My panting was the only sound for a moment
until I heard the distinctive sound of a zipper. His zipper.

His other hand slid between my thighs and
lightly stroked my curls. “Tell me to stop, Lacy.”

My throat itched; it was so dry. A total
contrast to my pussy. The more he played with me the wetter I
became. Why didn’t I complain? Protest? Something? Anything?

Because I didn’t want to. I’d pushed him
because I wanted this reaction from him. I wanted him to overpower
me, take me, use me.

Subconsciously, did we both know the real
reason we’d never be able to work together? Every minor
disagreement would turn into foreplay, and we wouldn’t get anything
accomplished at the company.

Right now, none of that mattered. The only
thing that did was Ian filling me with his cock. I could feel the
pad of his fingers circle the edge of my passage, spreading my
juices all over my pussy.

“Tell me no, Lacy.” His voice was husky in my
ear.

The proper thing would be to say no. This was
supposed to be a business meeting. Refusing is what I should do.
What I should have done last night in Atlanta. What Good Girl Lacy
had always done.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Yes, what?” The faintest hint of surprise
flavored the lust in his tone.

“Yes, please fuck me, sir.”

His cock replaced his fingers, nudging my
pussy, teasing me with its promise of satisfaction. “Last chance,
Lacy. Tell me no.” His harshness warned me. If I said yes now, and
denied him later, this thing between us was finished.

I didn’t want it to be over. I wanted him. I
needed
him in ways I never knew were possible. “Please fuck
me, sir,” I repeated.

His cock penetrated me. Hard. Full. My pussy
walls contracted around the length of him.

Rational thought must have invaded his mind.
He muttered a curse before he said, “Protection.”

I panicked as he started to withdraw. “No.”
This protest was loud and obvious. “Don’t stop fucking me.” A
little part of me said,
Are you insane?
The rest of me
needed him, as if I walked into a four-star restaurant while
starving, devouring anything and everything set before me.

“Lacy…” The concern and warning were there,
but I didn’t care.

“Please, don’t stop.” My plea ended in a
half-gasp, half-sob.

He did the same slow, exquisite thrust and
retreat he had in the hotel bed. Teasing. Driving me insane.
Proving he controlled my body’s responses. In this one thing, I was
willing to relinquish all power to him because I had already
experienced the explosive results.

“You can’t scream when you come this time.”
He sounded so pleased, confident in my capitulation. “Everyone in
the office will hear.”

“It’s Friday. How many people are still
here?”

“My partner for one.” His laughter sounded
strained as he continued his slow thrusts.

“Then you’ll have to stop me.” A sensual
thrill tickled my nerves.

“Is that a dare, Ms. Sullivan?”

“What if it is?” I couldn’t help smiling at
my wicked behavior. “What are you going to do? Punish me?”

“You could use a good spanking.”

The thought of him bending me over his knee
drove a sharp wave through my pussy. The idea must have appealed to
him as well. The tempo of his thrusts increased. The delightful
tension built in my flesh. No more words were needed. The slap of
his balls against me, his quiet growls of pleasure said
everything.

Once again, he paused. I was so far gone that
all I could do was whimper my dismay. Ian covered my mouth with his
hand. He tasted of salt and desire. It was like the moment between
us was frozen. All it would take was a flick of a finger to shatter
it.

He leaned closer. The woody scent of his
aftershave mixed with the floral of my body lotion. He whispered in
my ear, “What would you do if I whipped that pretty ass of
yours?”

His cocked rammed into me one last time, and
we both exploded.

I wasn’t sure if his palm muffled my scream
of ecstasy. At least, no one came to check on us. The mixture of
his come and my juices slicked my inner thighs as we both fought to
catch our breath. I didn’t want to move from this spot.

Finally, he slipped free from me, and he
helped me up. Dark humor flashed in his eyes and quirked his mouth.
“This is exactly what I mean.”

“Then can we compromise?” I smoothed my skirt
down. “Stay as Emmett’s attorney until everything gets turned over
to me. I can hire my own attorney to negotiate my contract. Then if
you want to leave as legal counsel, I won’t stop you. I’ll make
Emmett understand that if he’s serious about retiring, he needs to
let go of the company reins. But I want you to consider remaining
on Radcliffe’s board of directors.”

He paused in zipping his trousers. “I’ll
think about it, but can we keep at arm’s length for the few months
it will take?

“I can. The question is, can you?”

He rolled his eyes. “I finally find someone…”
He blew out a deep breath and finished fastening his pants and
belt. “What if this break—”

I stepped closer and laid my index finger
across his lips. “We’ll survive.”

His smile tickled my skin. “I don’t know if I
can.”

“I didn’t say our break started yet. I’m not
officially CEO until you withdraw your resignation.” I grinned. “I
suggest we don’t tell Emmett until in the morning.”

“You’ve got a very devious mind, Ms.
Sullivan.” Ian wrapped his arms around me. “I told Emmett you’d do
just fine as Radcliffe’s new CEO.”

Despite our best intentions, we broke our
agreement two months later.

A major argument between Ian and me erupted
during a board meeting. He thought we should enter the Caribbean
and Central American markets first. I thought we should target
Europe.

After the discussion was tabled and most of
the board left the room, Emmett looked at both of us and shook his
head. “Okay, I give. Ian, if you still want to resign as corporate
counsel, I won’t argue. You two need to fuck before you kill each
other.” Emmet stalked to the door, but he paused and glared at us.
“And I’d like to point out that you’re both ignoring the potential
in Asia, which is growing faster than either of
your
proposals.” He slammed the door behind him.

I whirled to face Ian. “You asshole! You
started that fight on purpose!”

“Damn straight, I did.” He rounded the table
and loomed over me.

“We had a deal,” I ground out.

“Then you should have gotten it in writing,
Ms. Sullivan.” He grabbed my waist, lifted me and set me on the
conference room table. “I can’t wait anymore.” He pressed me flat
against the laminate surface. “Not the way you kept crossing your
legs during the meeting.”

Since I’d moved to Tampa, I’d started wearing
cotton pants or skirts. I’d given up on hose completely. The heat
and humidity were too much to dress in anything heavier. Deep down,
I knew I’d picked out the ass-hugging red skirt on purpose. The
sexual hiatus was getting to me as well.

Though I wasn’t about to admit it to Ian.

“You can’t abandon Emmett.”

Ian shoved up the material of my skirt. An
evil grin appeared on his face. “That’s what I thought.” Except his
wasn’t talking about his responsibilities to his client. He slid
his index finger under the waistband of the red lace thong I wore.
With a jerk of his hand, the elastic and lace ripped. He yanked the
shreds of my thong from my body and shoved the remains in the
pocket of his trousers.