Caging Kat (2 page)

“Tell me, what do you have that the zucchini in my fridge doesn’t, pal?”

His eyes flashed that odd crimson shade again before he leaned in close to her ear.  “Natural lubrication.”

He had a point there.  A good one, actually.  Petroleum jelly was expensive stuff.  Her nipples tightened traitorously, proving that no matter what her mind said, her body was indeed interested in his attributes.  She hoped he hadn’t noticed. 

He chuckled, those strange, ever-changing eyes sweeping along her curves.  Oh yea, he’d noticed.

“So what’s this challenge, Mr. GQ?”  She changed the subject. 

“Somewhere in the house is a diamond.  You’re going to steal it.”

“Uhm…” she said, nodding towards the center of the room where at least three dozen couples were dancing, each woman sporting large quantities of expensive jewelry. 

He pressed a finger to her lips.  “Not just any diamond, sweetness.  The Areopagus Diamond.” 

Kat couldn’t help it.  Her jaw dropped.  “You lie,” she whispered.  The Areopagus Diamond was a blood red stone dating back to ancient Greece.  Or so the story went.  There was no actual proof that the gem still existed, or ever had for that matter.

“I don’t lie.  It’s here.  Find it, steal it, and you win.”

“And if I don’t find it, I lose?”

“You got it.”

“And what will you be doing while I’m looking?  Sitting back and drinking coffee?” 

“Not likely, Kat,” he traced her upper lip with his finger, and she fought the urge to suck it into her mouth.  “I’ll be distracting you.”

Uh, huh.  Piece of cake. 
If
this diamond did exist, she’d find it and steal it.  At the very least it was something to do.  “You have a deal.”  For the fourth time, she tried to walk away from him.

“Sweetness?”

“My name is not sweetness, you overzealous swine.”

“You don’t like it when I use your real name, and the last time someone called you ‘baby’ you stabbed a pen into his balls,” Ares responded with a shrug.  “So come up with something better, and I’d be happy to oblige.”

She rolled her eyes.  Again. 
Keep doing that and they’re going to get stuck that way
, her mother always said. 

“That outfit isn’t well suited for combat, is it, sweetness?”

Kat glanced down at her cocktail dress – a little silver number that was slit so far up the side she’d been forced to forgo panties – and shrugged.

“There,” Ares said.  “As much as I enjoyed the dress, this is
much
better.”

A second glance down revealed that her dress was gone.  She was now clad in a black bodysuit.  Correction, it would have been a bodysuit had someone not cut out the midriff leaving everything from the ridge of her hips to the undersides of her breasts bare. 
How the fuck…
?  She gave him an incredulous stare.  “First, I want to know how you did that.  And second, I want you to take this outfit back to the skank police.  Why not just put me in a damn bikini?”

He smirked.  Flash of red in his irises again.  “
I’m not going to answer your first question, it’s my secret.  For your second question, no.  My challenge, my rules.  I pick the outfits.  Did I forget to mention that?”

“Who
are
you?”

“Ares,” he repeated.

“Yea, yea,” she waved her hand.  “I know, masquerade of the gods and all that shit.  You’re Ares, I’m Athena.  But who are you really?”

“Athena is over there, sweetness,” he tipped his head towards the dance floor where a tall, well-toned woman was dancing, long red hair flowing behind her like water.  “And it’s a damn good thing you aren’t her, because I hate that bitch.”

“Yea, she kicked your ass, huh?”  It was Kat’s turn to smirk.  She may not have finished college, but she wasn’t a stupid woman.  And she knew her Greek mythology decently well.

“That stupid cow did
not
kick my ass,” he growled, stalking towards her. 

Oops.  Struck a nerve.
  “You got it, chief.”

“That tongue of yours is trouble.”  Ares took hold of her
chin and angled her face to peer up at him.  “It’s much better suited for other things.”  He bent to claim her mouth, stopping when his lips just barely brushed against hers.  “But that will come soon enough.”  Just as quickly he had retreated, walking away from her.  “One last rule, Kat.  You only have until dawn.”

***

Four hours later, Kat was pissed.  This wasn’t a challenge, it was a damned practical joke.  How was she putting her thieving skills to use by going on a treasure hunt in a house the size of the Miami?  She’d been through every room.  Twice.  Even though she swore the place was growing, and that it was three times larger on the inside than out.  She was now back near where she had started, in one of the bedrooms off the same hallway as the ballroom.  She’d go through the house again.  What other option did she have?  She’d take every damn painting off every damn wall and move every damn piece of furniture.
Damn!
 

The night hadn’t been a total wash, she had to admit.  She had a diamond tennis bracelet worth at least ten g’s stuffed in her bra, and a ruby necklace with platinum and diamond accents hidden in her sock.  The first she’d swiped out of a woman’s purse in one of the powder rooms.  The second, right off the chick’s neck
where she was passed out in one of the fifteen bedrooms.  Twenty thousand dollars, give or take a few.  Not enough for a new house, but enough to tide her over for a while. 

It was a shame she hadn’t managed to get her hands on the choker she’d caught sight of in the ballroom, worn by the woman Mr. GQ had claimed was Athena.  But when Kat had snuck up on her near the bar, the woman had whirled around
and snarled a warning in what sounded like Greek; her eyes had flashed gold – not as striking as the crimson flames of Ares’ gaze, but intimidating enough for Kat to half run in the opposite direction. 

The entire affair was completely fucked. 

“Making progress, sweetness?” Ares’ smug voice interrupted her silent bitching.  She looked up and saw him standing in the doorway, one hand braced against the wooden frame over his head.  His vest was gone, and so was his mask, revealing a regal, aquiline nose and graceful cheekbones.  Oh, the man was just lickable. 
Never turn down an opportunity for a good time
, her mother had always said whenever she’d introduced Kat to a new beau, which was about twice a week.

She scowled. 

“You know what they say, doll,” he took a step towards her and crossed his arms over his chest, highlighting his pecs in such a way that Kat was tempted to reach out and catch one of his perfectly crafted nipples between her teeth.   

Would being this man’s eternal sex slave
really
be all that bad?
  “That accepting a wager with a man who thinks he’s a Greek god is stupid as hell?”

He cocked his head to one side.  “Haven’t heard that one.  No, they say that sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to take a step back from the situation.  Take a break.  Perhaps the solution will present itself.”

“Take a break?  Alright, pass me a cigarette and I’ll take a break,” she held out her hand.

He grabbed her wrist and jerked her forward.  She slammed into the solid surface of his chest, and his other hand snaked around her waist to hold her firmly against him.  “You really are a backwards little girl, Kat.”

“Am I now?”  She made a half-assed attempt to wriggle out of his grasp. 

“You smoke
after
the mind-numbing orgasm, sweetness, not before.”  His eyes were burning – literally.  The flames within them leapt and danced.  Kat was lulled by the movement.

“Tempting,” she managed to gasp.  “But I’m busy.”

“Just the one for now,” he countered, and his arm moved lower to knead the flesh of her ass.  “The multiples come later.  You agreed to take a break.”

“Mr. GQ, I like my men—”

“Fast, hard, and gone by sunrise?” he quoted.  “I know.  And I like my women tied up, at my mercy, and screaming my name.  You know what they say about opposites, don’t you?”

“You’re a bastard,” she seethed.  “The diamond is not here.”

“I told you, sweetness, I don’t lie.  It’s here.”

“I’ve searched every fucking corner of this house!” she raged.

“No, you haven’t,” he arched an eyebrow at her. 

“I have so!”

“Then you need a break before you try again.”  That devilish hand had left her ass and was creeping around her side, grazing the sensitive flesh near her breasts.

“I don’t want a break,” she said.  Her nipples were so hard it was painful. 

“No?”  He twisted his body ever so slightly and her breasts rubbed against his chest. 

She tried to trap the moan before it escaped her lips.  Christ, she was
already getting wet and he’d barely touched her.  She realized he’d released his grip on her wrist, and her arms were now dangling limply at her sides.  He wasn’t holding her against him any longer; she was
pressing
herself
against him. 
So much for self control, toots.

“This top,” he slipped his hand between their bodies and tugged at the black fabric, “needs to go.”

And just like that, it was gone.  The diamond bracelet that had been hidden in her bra was secured to her wrist, and the ruby necklace she’d put in her sock appeared around her throat.  His skin sizzled against hers, it scorched her.  She hissed and pulled back, the pale skin of her breasts red and mottled, as if she’d gotten into a bath that was too hot.  “You’re on fire.”

“Little girl,” he chuckled, cupping one breast in his palm, “I
am
fire.”

His kiss was exactly how she expected it to be, hard and hot.  He didn’t waste any time being timid – a mistake most men made – but instead thrust his tongue into her mouth the moment their lips met.  Ares assaulted her mercilessly, every bit the conquering warrior god, and when he finally pulled away she was breathless and trembling, his arm around her waist the only thing keeping her upright.
  Okay, maybe I can take a
little
break
. 

“This
looks perfect on you,” Ares said, brushing his fingers over the rubies of the necklace before slipping lower to pinch a nipple.  Everywhere he touched her, she burned.  And she liked it.

“Get on your knees,” he ordered, pushing her down until she was eye
level with his groin.  He unzipped his fly to free his erection with one hand, and grasped the back of her skull with the other.  He stroked his length once before wrapping his fist around the base and directing her head forward. 

Kat struggled with him for a moment and rocked back on her heels, wanting to examine what she had to work with.  Sweet Jesus, the man really
was
a god.  No mortal had a cock that perfect.  And if he could use it as well as he could flaunt it, she was in for a good time, indeed.

She leaned forward and took the tip of him into her mouth.  Kat closed her eyes and ran her tongue along the crown, laving the sensitive skin, enjoying the silky smoothness.  Ares grunted his approval and she withdrew, running her lips along his shaft, pausing to deliver light flicks of her tongue to all the right places.  Another grunt from him.  A wicked grin from her.

The pressure on her hair increased, telling her what he wanted, and she opened her mouth wider, taking in his length at a slow, steady pace.  Kat gagged when he hit the back of her throat, but he continued to pull her head forward, not letting her stop.  One more thrust of his hips and she’d swallowed him completely.  Then she began to suck, a gentle pressure, cheeks hollowing. 

Kat place one hand on his flat, chiseled stomach and reached down to cup his balls with the other, giving him a gentle squeeze.

“Harder,” Ares demanded.

She complied and fisted her hand closed, increasing the pressure on his scrotum until she heard him hiss.  He groaned and rocked his hips, sliding in and out of her mouth.  His movements quickened, becoming more insistent as he neared release.

Suddenly he pulled her away and hauled her to her feet.  She grinned at him.  “I wouldn’t expect a man like you to spill the goods so soon.”

“I’m a god, sweetness, I can go all night.”  He spun her around and backed her up against the wall, willing away her pants the same way he had her top.  Strong hands grasped her ass, lifted her up, and she brought her legs around his waist, locking her ankles at the small of his back.  She wrapped her arms around his neck.  His cock nudged against her, seeking entrance. 
Kat rolled her hips, loving the feel of his shaft gliding through her slick folds.  The zipper of his jeans scraped her inner thigh as she moved, and she moaned in approval.

Something clicked in her brain.  A man like that, looking as he did, flaunting his body left and right as he had been all night, preferred to leave his pants
on
when doing the nasty?  Not likely…  “Oh, you are goddamn kidding me.”  She pulled her head back to glare at him.  “Take them off.”