The Client: Short And Steamy (2 page)

L
as Vegas was
fun to visit, but I always enjoyed going home to the Big Apple. The hotels in the city of sin were amazing, and I never minded the attention that was thrown my way by admirers, but a part of me liked the anonymity that New York brought. While we scheduled some fights in other cities, all of the big matches were in Vegas, and when I was fighting, that had been even more true.

“Is there anything else I can get for you, Mr. Forbes?” The flight attendant gave me a polite smile.

Genevieve was pretty, but she was also married, which meant she was off-limits. I had no problem sleeping with employees, as long as they understood that it didn't come with job perks, but I never fooled around with anyone who was married – or engaged. Everything else was fair game though. And while I didn't always stick with one-night stands, I always made sure my partners knew that I didn't do relationships. No exclusivity. Not even the promise of another date. I was a few months shy of thirty, and I didn't have any plans to settle down anytime soon.

“I'm good, Gen.” I smiled back at her. Sometimes it was nice having a woman around who I knew wouldn't hit on me. Someone I didn't have to pretend to flirt with just to satisfy her ego.

“I'll leave you two alone then,” she said as she headed up to the front of the plane.

I looked over at the woman sitting across from me. Long legs, flawless complexion. Her hair was the color of honey, her tan clearly fake. Fake eyelashes too, and I was pretty sure her breasts weren't natural either. Might've even had some work done on her face, but she was gorgeous and that was enough.

Another reason I loved Vegas.

Showgirls.

Some guys liked strippers, but not me. I didn't see the point of paying women to take off their clothes when there were so many willing to do it for free. It wasn't arrogance that made me say it either. It was just a fact. I knew I was attractive, and I had money. Both things that tended to cause women to throw themselves at me.

“Did you want anything to drink?” I asked.

Amber – or was it Anna – shook her head and uncrossed one long leg. She wasn't wearing her costume, but the dress she'd put on after the show didn't leave much to the imagination either. It wasn’t sleazy, just clearly made to attract attention. Off-white, strapless and painted-on tight.

“You used to fight,” she said, leaning forward just enough for her cleavage to push up just right. “I remember seeing your last match.”

I was a bit surprised. Amber – that was it, I remembered now – must've been older than I first guessed. I hadn't fought in nearly six years, choosing instead to take over the family business. While I missed the rush at times, there was something to be said for keeping my face this pretty.

“I did,” I said and shrugged off my jacket, loosening my tie.

After my business meeting, I'd taken several of the men I'd met to a show. They'd headed to a bar once the show was done, and I'd gone backstage to see if Amber would like a free trip to New York. We'd gone straight from there to the airport, so this was the first opportunity for me to get comfortable.

“How long do you think we'll have to keep our seatbelts on?” Amber asked, her voice dripping pure sex.

I shrugged, my eyes narrowing as she ran her fingers over her breasts, then down her stomach. When she parted her legs, her already short skirt slid further up her thighs, and I could see that she wore nothing underneath.

I felt her watching me as she moved her hand under her skirt. She moaned when her fingers parted her folds, slipped over her clit and then inside her. Her fingers moved in and out, first one, then two of them.

“Let me see your tits,” I growled, palming my cock through my pants.

She pulled down the top of her dress and a wave of lust washed over me. Her breasts were full and firm, her nipples a dusky rose and already hard. While one hand was busy between her legs, the other went to work on her breasts, squeezing and teasing her nipples.

The moment the captain announced that we could remove our seat belts, I had my cock out and was rolling a condom over it. I'd just finished when Amber was there, straddling my lap. She put one hand on my shoulder, reached down with the other to grasp my cock and hold it steady.

I moaned in appreciation as she sank down on me, her height putting her breasts right at my face. I leaned forward and ran my tongue across her nipple, then took it in my mouth and sucked, hard.

“Oh, yeah, baby,” she breathed as she began to move. She rose up until just the tip was still inside, then drove herself down. Hard.

“Fuck!” I grabbed her hips and flipped us over so that she was on the seat.

Bending my head, I took her nipple between my teeth. She squealed, then screamed when I slammed into her. I took a moment to be glad she wasn't the first screamer I'd fucked during a flight, then concentrated on what I was doing.

She clawed at my back but didn't tell me to stop. If anything, she begged me to fuck her harder. I was just grateful I was still wearing a shirt. I liked some rough sex as much as the next guy, but I wasn't in the mood to be scratched up at the moment.

“Harder,” she lifted her hips to meet my thrusts. “I'm close.”

My phone rang and I raised my head. Amber glared at me as I reached for my jacket, but I ignored her. I wasn't about to miss what could be a business call, but I wouldn’t stop what I was doing either. It wouldn't be the first time I'd talked on the phone while fucking.

“Quiet,” I said as I rolled my hips. She moaned and I reached down to cover her mouth with one hand while I answered the phone with the other. “Hello?”

“Dorian?”

Shit. It wasn't someone about business.

“Jelani,” I said evenly. “Is something wrong?”

Jelani Murrow was my personal trainer...and the woman I'd been seeing on-and-off for a little over a year. I'd been straightforward with her about the fact that we weren't in a relationship, but lately, I'd started to feel like she wanted more than I was willing to give her.

“I was just wondering when your flight was getting in.”

Amber squirmed underneath me, and I looked down to see her pinching and twisting her nipples with one hand. Her other one was between her legs, fingers furiously working over her clit. Her teeth nipped at my palm, but I kept my hand over her mouth.

“It'll still be a few hours,” I said.

I closed my eyes as Amber's pussy tightened around my cock. I couldn't quite hold back the strangled sound that rose from my throat.

“Are you okay?” Jelani asked.

“Fine,” I ground out.

Amber's dark eyes shone up at me as her body moved against mine. She was a dancer, and now she was dancing underneath me, muscles tensing and relaxing, new kinds of friction rubbing in all the right places. I was vaguely aware that Jelani was still talking, but I wasn't paying much attention. All of my focus was on moving harder and faster, driving into Amber until I finally found release.

“Yes!” Amber's head tilted back, my hand falling away in time for her cry to go unmuffled. Her body shuddered as she came.

“You bastard,” Jelani snapped. “You're fucking someone, aren't you?”

“I don't do girlfriends, Jelani, you knew that.” I was so close. I needed to get her off the phone so I could come.

“Fuck you, Dorian!” Her words were clipped, harsh. “I quit.”

I tossed the phone onto the seat next to Amber and grabbed her hips. I needed to come. She squealed when I started to slam into her, but she didn't try to push me away, didn't ask me to stop, so I didn't. I kept driving into her even when she climaxed again, going over and over until, finally, I came too.

I squeezed my eyes closed and leaned over Amber, letting myself enjoy the rush of chemicals that flooded through me, the natural release of tension. I knew I'd need to deal with the ramifications of what happened with Jelani, but it didn't have to be now.

I pulled out of Amber and stood. With a grimace, I removed the condom and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. Protection was necessary, but that didn't mean I had to like the clean-up.

I yanked up my pants and fastened them, then walked over to the minibar. “Want anything?” I glanced behind me to see Amber smiling.

“I think I'll take some champagne if you have any.”

I poured her a glass, then poured my own Scotch. I pushed Jelani from my mind and turned back to Amber, studying her carefully. We had the rest of the flight ahead of us, and I thoroughly intended to enjoy every minute of it.

I
started
out late on my run this morning, even for a Sunday. Usually on Sundays, I slept in until seven before heading out. Today, however, I hadn't even woken up until past eight.

The apartment wasn't too big, but I'd never lived here alone. When I was at Columbia, I'd lived in the dorm. Since Gordon and I had already been dating for six months by the time I graduated, it had made sense that when my college roommate decided to leave after just two months in our apartment, that Gordon move in. So I'd just gone from one roommate to another.

In fact, I realized suddenly, I hadn't had much alone time since I'd moved out here. Uncle Takeshi had done the best he could raising me, and we'd been a family of sorts, but I'd spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years in relative solitude. I'd never minded before, but now it felt weird.

Gordon's things were all gone by the time I'd gotten back from my walk on Friday. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. He'd left all the shit that he should've thrown away. Razor blades and shampoo and all that. So I ended up spending yesterday cleaning the apartment. Now, there were no traces of the bastard left.

I was glad for that, because I didn't want to think about him anymore. I only wanted to be grateful that we hadn't started making plans for the wedding. I didn't even want to imagine how humiliating it would've been to explain that the wedding was off because I'd caught my fiancé with a pair of swingers.

I shook my head and pushed that thought out of my mind. I didn't want to remember what I'd seen. The problem was, the next thoughts that came weren't exactly good ones either. They were primarily concerned with how I was going to pay my upcoming rent with only what I brought in with my part-time yoga instruction. I would've barely had enough if I'd still been working at the health club. Now, I’d be lucky if I could afford to eat for the rest of the month.

At least it was a beautiful day and I had the rest of the day to myself. A run, then a hot bath. I was pretty sure I had a little bit of wine leftover from a dinner a few weeks ago. That, plus the last of the ice cream in the freezer and a good movie sounded like the best way to end the weekend. Tomorrow, I'd worry about everything else.

As I headed out of the park and down the sidewalk toward the subway entrance, however, I quickly realized that I had something new to worry about at the moment. At first, I hadn't thought anything of the limo parked at the sidewalk. There were always limos about in the city.

But then it started following me.

I thought it might've been a coincidence, but when I cut across the street, it came too.

Shit.

That was exactly what I needed right now. A rich stalker.

I began to jog. Fortunately, the streets weren't too crowded, and I was able to cut around and through. Except the limo was still following, and now I saw that there was a man following me too. He wasn't very tall, but he was bulky, and the way he moved told me he knew how to handle himself in a fight.

I was still a few blocks from the subway, but there were a lot of people around. However, I also knew that having people around didn't guarantee safety, especially when most people’s eyes were glued to their phone.

Sneaking another quick look over my shoulder, I saw that the guy behind me was walking faster. I had two choices. I could either try to lose him, or fight. I didn't know how long he could run, but I imagined that’s what he'd expect me to do.

So I’d do what I always did when someone thought they knew how I'd react or behave.

I did the exact opposite.

I waited until I was at a crosswalk and stopped with everyone else. I edged toward the closest building and waited for the man to come close enough. The moment he was, I reacted, reaching behind me to grab his wrist.

I felt his start of surprise but didn't give him time to react. I shifted, pulling him around in front of me where I quickly jabbed my fingers into his throat. He gagged, coughed, then stumbled as I swept my foot behind his. The limo was right there now and I threw the man against it, twisting his arm up behind his back.

“Why are you following me?” I demanded.

He looked over his shoulder at me. “Sara Carr?”

I glared at him. “What do you want?”

“Miss Carr?” A new voice came from the limo.

I leaned back to see the speaker without releasing my hold on the man pinned to the car. The guy inside the limo was gorgeous. Bronze-colored hair, chiseled cheekbones, and a pair of stunning violet-blue eyes.

But being good-looking didn't mean he wasn't some sort of psycho.

“What?” I snapped.

He gave me a charming smile, like I wasn't considering breaking a man's hand. “My name is Dorian Forbes, and I'd like to offer you a job.”

I
'd done
my research on Sara Carr so I knew who I was looking for. Long ebony hair. Dark brown eyes. Five feet, five inches tall, slender. Half-Japanese on her mother's side, she'd been raised in San Francisco by her maternal uncle. Graduated from Columbia with a Masters degree in sports management. Part-time employee at a health club and a yoga instructor.

I knew all of that. What I hadn't known or expected was for her to be a total badass. Or so beautiful. I'd seen pictures, but they hadn't done her justice.

When I'd gotten the call that my father was in the hospital, I'd feared the worst, and according to his doctor, if it hadn't been for the young woman who'd immediately started CPR, it probably would've been fatal. While Dad and I didn't always see eye-to-eye, particularly on my personal life, he was my father, and the only family I had left.

So I'd asked around and gotten the name of the woman who'd saved him. I'd considered going to her apartment to talk to her, but when the police officer I'd spoken with told me that Sara had been running in the park, I'd decided that I'd wait for her outside, approach her that way. I wanted to thank her, possibly offer her dinner or a gift of some kind.

I hadn't taken into consideration how it would look to have a limo follow her. When she started running, I sent Reggie after her, to let her know I just wanted to talk. And, clearly, that was an even worse idea. It had, however, given me the chance to see her in action.

The moment she'd slammed Reggie into the car, I knew I couldn't simply thank her and walk away. For the first time in a long time, I'd found someone who genuinely intrigued me.

I wasn't sure what it said about me that I found a woman taking down my bodyguard to be...well, hot. I wasn't after her for sex though. Jelani had followed through on her threat to quit as my trainer. I hadn't realized that she'd been that serious about me, though I supposed I should have. Our on-again, off-again thing had been more on when it came to her, and I'd been the one moving further away. Apparently, not far enough.

When I'd seen what Sara was capable of, and with her background, I'd impulsively decided to offer her a job. Then I spent the rest of yesterday wondering if I'd made the right call. I didn't usually do that, second-guess myself. I was the kind of man who stuck to my guns, who made smart decisions and trusted my gut.

And I didn't get nervous.

Ever.

Which was why I didn't understand the queasy feeling in my stomach or the way I'd been pacing around in my office for the past fifteen minutes. I technically had two offices, one at the official Forbes Fighting Corporation office downtown, and one here at the gym. The one at FFC was much bigger and fancier, but I still had a soft spot for the gym where I trained when I was a fighter.

I also thought it'd be interesting to meet Sara here rather than at my place where I had a small private gym set up for training. Plus, I figured she might not want to be alone with me until she realized I wasn't some crazy person who followed random women around offering them work.

When it was ten till seven, I headed out into the main area. Half a dozen guys were already warming up. We opened at four and didn't close until one since many fighters weren't able to live off what they made in the ring and had to work. I was fortunate to be born into a wealthy family, so I'd been able to focus solely on training.

A couple of the trainers gave me nods or waves, but I was pleased to see that the fighters were all focused on what they were doing. That was good. I had no problem with people who only wanted to work out, but if someone wanted to be a fighter, they needed to be all in, which meant when they were here, they were here to train. No distractions.

When the doors up front opened, I started walking toward them, already expecting it to be her. It was, but she wasn't alone. Someone was holding the door open for her.

Tyrell Smoak was twenty-seven and in prime fighting condition. He was the FFC's best shot at a title and – without sounding arrogant – the best fighter we'd produced since me. At six and a half feet tall, he was three inches taller than me, and bulkier.

I was pretty sure I could still take him though.

I forced a smile and walked right up to where Tyrell and Sara were talking. She wasn't late, but I wanted to tell her that she shouldn't be talking on my dime. A stab of jealousy went through me. I couldn't deny that I missed that part of being a fighter. The way women would look at me, like they'd do anything for a look from me, a kiss.

“Miss Carr,” I said with barely a glance in Tyrell's direction. “I'll show you to the women's locker room. I reserved the main ring today, thought we might spar a bit. Feel each other out.”

“Where's Jelani?” Tyrell asked, looking around.

I wanted to tell him that it was none of his damn business and that he needed to get his ass over to the bags and start his own work-out. I didn't do any of that though, because I genuinely liked the guy. Even if I didn't want him talking to Sara.

“She quit,” I said. “Sara here is my new trainer.”

“Is that right?” Tyrell said with his usual easy grin.

Sara glanced at the clock on the wall, then looked back at me, her eyes guarded. “I think I've got just enough time to get changed before it's time to start.” She turned to Tyrell and offered him a smile. “It was nice to meet you.”

“I'll see you around,” he said and nodded at me. “Good to see you, Mr. Forbes.”

As he walked away, I gestured for Sara to follow. When she went into the women's room, I went to the men's and changed out of my suit. I glanced in the mirror I passed on my way back out. Without my business attire, I looked younger, less like the CEO, and more like I had before, back when the only thing I'd had to worry about was a clean fight.

“Mr. Forbes.” Sara was waiting just outside the door. “Let's take a couple minutes to warm up, and then we can spar.”

I nodded in agreement and began to go through my usual warm-up routine. After a couple minutes, I glanced over at Sara and my dick twitched. Her clothes weren't particularly tight, but there was no denying the strength and grace in that body. She didn't have the full, lush curves I usually looked for in a woman, but there was something about her that made me wonder what she'd be like in bed.

She looked up just then and saw that I was staring at her. “Ready?” she asked, her pleasant tone making me realize she didn’t know I'd been watching her.

I nodded and climbed into the ring. She followed, and I could feel eyes on us. I didn't look around, hoping the trainers would get the men back to work. I told myself it was because I wanted them to focus on what they were doing, and not because I didn't want anyone watching Sara.

“Ready?” I asked.

She nodded, taking a fairly casual stance. “Your move.”

I came at her, intending to sweep her leg out from underneath her. Except she wasn't there. She'd spun around so that now she was at my back. She caught my arm and pulled it up behind me like she'd done to Reggie.

“I probably should've mentioned that I spent some time yesterday studying your old fights.”

Well, damn.

I was impressed, but not so much so that I couldn't think to hook my foot behind me and around hers. She released my wrist as she fell, twisting so that she somehow managed to be on her feet before I'd turned around. Back and forth we went, blocking punches, trading kicks. It was like a dance, each of us testing, leading, reacting. I'd never felt so in sync with anyone before.

When I finally managed to get her pinned, I suddenly realized that I wanted to kiss her. Our bodies were pressed together, breathing fast, pulses racing. With all the chemicals rushing through my veins, it was no wonder I wanted her. Even knowing the physical reason for this immediate attraction didn't make me want her any less.

So I pushed myself up and off, then held out a hand to help her to her feet.

“Excellent,” I said. “I think this is going to work out great.”

“Good.” She gave me a tight smile and walked off.

Right, I thought as I watched her – as I watched the other men watching her. This was going to work out just fine.