Читать книгу Fortunes' Women: Mistress of Fortune - Heidi Betts, Kathie DeNosky - Страница 11

Dressed in nothing but Blake’s white shirt, Sasha stared into the freezer compartment of her small refrigerator. “What would you like for dinner?”

Blake walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him to kiss the side of her neck. “You’ll do just fine.”

She laughed as a familiar heat began to flow through her. “You have a one-track mind, Mr. Fortune.”

“I can’t help it.” He tugged the collar of his shirt from her shoulder to allow him better access, and the feel of his firm lips on her sensitive skin sent tiny electric impulses skittering over every nerve in her body. “You bring out the best in me, sweetheart.”

“More like the beast,” she said, turning to face him.

When they’d arrived at her apartment, she’d barely managed to close and lock the door before Blake had them both stripped of their clothes and had carried her into the bedroom. That had been several hours ago and the passion arcing between them was every bit as strong now as it had been earlier in the day.

His sexy grin caused a familiar fluttering in the pit of her stomach. “If I remember correctly, you weren’t exactly complaining when I—”

She placed her index finger to his lips. “Point taken,” she said, blushing furiously.

His deep chuckle vibrated against her chest and caused the most interesting tingling in the tips of her breasts. “I love seeing you blush.”

“That’s apparent.” She circled his bare shoulders with her arms and threaded her fingers in the dark blond hair at the nape of his neck. “You’ve been making me turn as red as a lobster all afternoon.”

“That wasn’t embarrassment, Sasha. That was the blush of desire.”

As if to prove his point, he pressed his lower body closer and the feel of his strong arousal against her lower belly caused her to go warm all over. “If you keep this up—”

“Interesting choice of words,” he said, sliding his hands down to cup her bottom and pull her even closer. “As I’m sure you can tell, that’s not a problem.”

She gasped from the waves of renewed need that flowed through her when she felt the strength of his arousal against her lower belly. “We’re never going to find time to go over my ideas for your promotional campaign.”

He kissed her collarbone, then began to unbutton his shirt to nibble at every new inch he exposed. “Is that what you really want to do right now?”

When he parted the garment and covered her breasts with his hands, her knees began to wobble and her heart pounded so hard against her ribs, she felt as if she’d run a marathon. “Wh-what was the question again?”

“Damned if I know,” he said as he lowered his head to take her nipple into his mouth.

Teasing her relentlessly, Sasha wasn’t at all surprised to feel a delicious need begin to tighten her womb. After making love the entire afternoon, how could they possibly be hungrier for each other now than before?

“This … is insane.”

He raised his head and the intensity in the depths of his eyes, the sparkle of heat, told her in no uncertain terms what he wanted. “We’re about to go crazy together, sweetheart.”

Fully expecting him to pick her up and carry her back into the bedroom, she tightened her arms around him in surprise when he lifted her to sit on the edge of the counter. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“I want you here.” Buttons skittered across the tiled floor when he jerked the lapels of his shirt open the rest of the way to give him better access to her body. Then, shoving his boxer briefs to his ankles, he entered her in one smooth stroke. “Now.”

The feel of him filling her completely, the heat that threatened to consume her when he began to rhythmically thrust into her and the fact that they were making love somewhere other than the bedroom heightened her excitement in ways she could have never imagined. The urgency arcing between them was more powerful than ever before and Sasha felt as if she would burst into flames at any moment.

Tightening her legs around his slim hips, she clung to him as he relentlessly built the ache of unfulfilled desire within her. All too quickly his body demanded that she give into their fiery passion and she gladly complied as bursts of pleasure shook her to the core.

As she trembled against him, she felt the slight swelling of his body within hers a moment before the moist heat of his release filled her. As she held him to her, tears burned at her tightly closed eyes from the beauty of what they’d shared.

If she’d had any lingering doubts about her feelings for him being the remnants of the schoolgirl’s crush, they had just dissipated like mist under a warm summer sun. She loved him with a woman’s heart and belonged to him, body and soul. And no matter what the future held for them, that would never change.

“You want me to do what?” Blake couldn’t believe what Sasha was proposing.

“I’d like for you to consider doing a television commercial for the grand opening of Fortune’s Gold,” she said patiently.

“I have no objections to the concept of buying airtime to run commercials for my hotels and casinos,” he said, shaking his head. “I do, however, have a huge problem with starring in the damned things.”

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed, wearing nothing but his buttonless shirt and a sweet smile, she looked so sexy and desirable, Blake had to force himself to remember that he’d promised to listen to her ideas for his ad campaign. But if anything could bring him back to reality with a resounding thump, it was the thought of going in front of a TV camera. Just the idea caused a knot in his stomach.

“Blake, you’re the natural choice,” she insisted. “You’re not only the owner of the Fortune Casino Corporation, your enthusiasm and sincerity when you encourage people to visit your establishments will be captured and add a great deal to your advertising. It will make the viewers feel as if you’re issuing a personal invitation.”

He understood what she was saying and the value of the visual media. But the thought of following the nightly news like some monkey in a sideshow, even for the fifteen to thirty seconds the commercials would run, made him want take off for parts unknown.

“I think a professional actor would be a better choice,” he said, leaning back against the pillows.

“I don’t.” Raising up on her hands and knees, she crawled across the bed to hover over him. “You’re handsome.” She kissed his chin. “Sexy.” She traced the outline of his lips with her tongue. “And you’ll have the women flocking to your casinos in droves.”

He pulled her beneath the sheet that covered him from the waist down, then turned to his side and aligned their bodies so they were facing each other. “You really think I’m handsome and sexy?” he asked, slipping his hand beneath the shirt to caress her satiny skin.

“Don’t change the subject,” she said, sounding less than convincing. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you about the marketing strategy for the Fortune Casino Corporation.”

Slowly sliding his hand down her thigh, he smiled when her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed softly. “Do you really want to discuss business now?”

“We should.”

“Who are you trying to convince, Sasha? Me or yourself?”

When she opened her eyes, the sparkle of desire in her emerald gaze caused his body to harden so fast it left him feeling light-headed. “We’re never going to get anything done if you keep distracting me all the time,” she complained.

He moved his hand lower to find her receptive and ready for him. “Oh, I think we’ve accomplished quite a bit.”

She poked him in his ribs. “I wasn’t talking about our lovemaking.”

“That’s a shame,” he said, kissing his way from her shoulder, down the valley between her breasts to the small indentation of her navel. “You’ve inspired me more than I ever thought possible and I’m enjoying finding new ways to love you.”

“Your creativity certainly has … been working overtime.”

The hitch in her voice was an indication of her heightening excitement and, determined to imprint himself in her mind and on her soul, Blake turned her to her back. He held her gaze with his as he moved to kneel between her legs and he knew the exact moment she realized his intention.

“B-Blake, you can’t—”

“Yes, I can.” He could tell that she was embarrassed by the thought of what he was about to do. “I’m going to give you the most intimate kiss a man can give a woman, Sasha. And when I’m finished, there won’t be a doubt left in your mind that you’ve been loved as thoroughly and completely as it’s within my power to do.”

Unwilling to allow her to protest further, Blake bent to give to her as he’d never given to any woman and when he kissed her deeply, her soft sighs quickly turned to passionate moans. Her slender body trembled, then suddenly bucked against him and he knew the intense pleasure was about to overtake her.

Relentless in his effort to bring her to the brink, he smiled from the satisfaction of hearing her cry out his name as the tension released her from its tight hold and she found the ecstasy of her fulfillment. Only then did he move to lie by her side, his chest filling with indescribable tenderness when he realized that she’d drifted off into a peaceful, sated sleep.

As he held Sasha close, Blake stared at the ceiling and mentally reviewed everything that had taken place over the past few days. He wasn’t the least bit proud of himself for planning to seduce her as a way to even the score with his brother. Aside from the fact that she and Creed had never been romantically involved, Blake knew now that Sasha was the only one who stood to be hurt in his game of revenge.

He took a deep breath as a wave of guilt threatened to swamp him. She could never learn the truth behind his sudden interest in her after all this time. If she did, the knowledge would crush her. And he’d rather cut out his own heart than ever let that happen.

When he glanced down at her beautiful face pillowed on his shoulder, an emotion that scared the living hell out of him filled every fiber of his being. He knew that they were good together, that he felt more alive and content in her presence than he’d ever felt in his life. But he refused to acknowledge there was anything more to it than two people finding companionship and pleasure in each others’ arms.

Satisfied that he’d found an explanation for the unwarranted feeling, he kissed the top of her head. They would continue to see each other until one or both of them lost interest. Then, when the time came for them to part ways, they would do so as good friends who could look back on their time together with deep fondness and no regrets.

Sasha watched the production crew test the lighting and do a sound check in the lobby of Fortune’s Gold as they prepared to film the last segment of the commercials for Blake’s casinos. She’d finally managed to talk him into being his own spokesman for the ad campaign, but it certainly hadn’t been easy. He’d come up with every excuse imaginable, from claiming that he would feel like he was on display to wanting to maintain his anonymity. But in the end, she’d convinced him by showing him the marketing statistics. It had been proven time and again that when the public felt a personal rapport with the owner of an establishment, the amount of traffic increased and ultimately so did profits.

“We’re ready for Mr. Fortune as soon as Sally Ann finishes his makeup,” the director said, walking over to stand beside Sasha.

She’d worked with Michael Atkinson on several campaigns for Dakota Fortune and knew his production company was the best in Sioux Falls. By the time the commercials aired in all of the major cities across the Midwest, he would have them edited and tweaked to show Blake and the Fortune Casino Corporation in the best possible light.

“I want to thank you for working this into your busy schedule, Michael.” With a little less than two weeks left before the opening of Fortune’s Gold, she’d had to scramble to get Michael’s company to shoot the commercials, as well as arrange scheduling with all of the television stations to run them on such short notice.

“It’s been well worth it, Ms. Kilgore.” Michael grinned. “It’s not every day that my crew and I get to fly to a shoot on a private jet or have our lunches catered by a master chef.”

“Mr. Fortune appreciates your willingness to put your other clients on hold in order to shoot his commercial,” she said, diplomatically ignoring the fact that Blake was paying the man double his normal rate to expedite the job.

“Let’s get this spectacle over with,” Blake groused as he removed the tissues the makeup artist had tucked into his collar to keep from discoloring his shirt.

Once Michael moved away to have a final word with the cameraman, Blake leaned close to whisper in Sasha’s ear. “I’m going to get even with you for this.”

As he described exactly how he intended to make her pay up, a tingling sensation coursed through her. She started to tell him that she was looking forward to her night of reckoning, but Michael chose that moment to motion for Blake to step in front of the camera, and for the next hour she watched him deliver the ad copy she’d helped him put together.

At first, Blake appeared stiff and extremely uncomfortable. He glanced her way several times and she could tell he was adding to the sensual retribution he had planned for her. But by the last few takes, he appeared confident and completely at ease in front of the camera.

When Michael announced the job was a wrap and he and his crew began tearing down their equipment, Sasha smiled as she walked over to Blake. “That wasn’t all that unpleasant, was it?”

Placing his hand to the small of her back, he guided her toward the casino exit. “No, it wasn’t as bad as I figured it would be. But I sure as hell don’t plan on repeating the experience.”

Sasha stopped when she saw Blake’s limo waiting outside and realized that he meant for them to leave. “I should probably stay until Michael—”

“I have people to see that Atkinson and his crew get packed up and on their way.” He waited for her to get into the limousine, then slid in beside her. With a look that sent her blood pressure soaring, he pushed the button to raise the privacy screen between them and the driver.

“You owe me big time,” he said, dragging her onto his lap. “And guess what?”

She laughed when his fingers danced over her ticklish ribs. “What?”

“It’s payday, sweetheart.”

“Plan on spending the entire week of the grand opening here in Deadwood with me.”

Wrapped in plush hotel robes, Sasha and Blake snuggled on his couch as they stared at the flames from the gas log in the fireplace. “I would love to, but unfortunately, I can’t take that much time off.”

“Why not?”

A wave of goose bumps covered her arms when he kissed the side of her neck and she had to concentrate hard in order to give him a coherent answer. “I have to pay rent, utilities and eat. I can’t do either if I don’t work.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I’ll see to it that—”

“Don’t you dare say you’ll pay my bills for me.” She pulled back to let him see that she meant what she said. “I have never taken money from anyone that I didn’t earn and I’m not about to start now.”

He shook his head. “Calm down, Sasha. I was going to tell you that I would arrange for you to have the time away from Dakota Fortune with pay.”

It was her turn to shake her head. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Why not?”

From his baffled expression, she could tell he didn’t have an inkling as to why she felt the need to refuse. “For one thing, it wouldn’t be fair to my coworkers. They work just as hard as I do and they won’t be offered time off with pay.”

A deep scowl creased his forehead. “Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

“Because it doesn’t sit well with me.” Trying a different tack, she asked, “Would you pay one of your employees for work they didn’t do?”

“No.” There wasn’t a bit of hesitation in his answer.

“Then why would you think it was all right to do it for me?”

He surprised her when he smiled and shook his head. “You’re wrong, sweetheart. I wouldn’t be paying you for nothing.”

It was her turn to feel confused. “Would you care to explain?”

“How many hours would you say you’ve put in on my ad campaign and how many strings did you have to pull to make it all happen?” he asked, catching her hand in his to tug her back down beside him.

She shrugged as she settled back against him. “I don’t know. I haven’t kept track.”

“You worked last weekend to come up with a plan and every night I’ve called this past week, you’ve been ironing out the details.” He kissed the top of her head. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember giving you a single dime for any of it.”

She was beginning to understand his reasoning, but that hadn’t been part of their agreement. “I don’t expect you to pay me. You asked me to do a favor for you as a friend. Which I did.”

His frustrated breath stirred the curls at her temple. “All right. I appreciate your efforts and accept that you won’t let me compensate you for your time.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as he pushed her robe aside to trail kisses down the column of her neck and over her shoulder. “But I’m not asking you to be with me for opening week as a favor. As your boss, I’m telling you to be here.”

“You can’t do that.” Desire began to stir within her as his lips continued to move over her skin. But she refused to give in to it. They were having a difference of opinion and she wasn’t going to let him distract her until they got it settled once and for all.

“Sure I can.” He laid her down on the couch cushions, parted her robe and leaned to kiss his way down the slope of her breast. “I’m the boss. Remember?”

“But—”

“I’ll arrange for you to work here opening week, instead of at the Dakota Fortune offices.” He took her puckered nipple into his mouth and drew on it deeply, causing ribbons of warmth to swirl to the very core of her. When he raised his head, he asked, “Now, do you have anymore questions, sweetheart?”

“None,” she answered, shaking her head. “None at all.”