Was there any way to release this man? Zane needed to find out.
“Undress me.” Knowing how much his lover enjoyed peeling away one garment at a time, Zane worked with him, moving to aid his ministrations. Bruce kissed and licked his neck, shoulders, chest, stomach, legs, and, finally, cock as they were revealed. Finally, they stood facing each other, unclothed.
“Please, you bastard.” Bruce lowered himself to his knees, dragging his fingernails down Zane’s unclothed body. He fisted Zane’s cock and twirled his tongue round and round the swollen head until a droplet of precum finally escaped. Groaning, he opened his mouth wider, relaxing his throat to take Zane’s cock to the base.
Zane fisted Bruce’s hair, holding his head still so he could glide in and out of his mouth. His lover’s groan of need vibrated through Zane’s body, igniting the first spark of desire he’d felt since Amanda had left Friday night.
Encouraged by the heat that was finally simmering in his blood, Zane fucked Bruce’s mouth harder, enjoying the way his tongue flicked along the underside when he was almost completely withdrawn. His body tightened with each in-stroke. His heartbeat quickened with each out-stroke. Until, at last, he was warm and hard and tasting his need on his lips.
Abruptly, he pulled out of Bruce’s mouth. Bruce turned tormented eyes up at him.
“There. The bed.”
Bruce stood, but instead of going to the bed as commanded, he pulled Zane into a desperate kiss. Surprised by his lover’s aggressive move, Zane tasted himself on Bruce’s lips. He fought for control as Bruce’s tongue battled with his. Hands cupped Zane’s balls, fondling them, squeezing them just hard enough to spike his temperature higher. Zane returned the favor, adding a moistened finger to Bruce’s tight hole, preparing him for what would come next.
His lover forced him back until Zane was pinned between his hard, hot body and the wall. He was no submissive. But damn did that feel good. He rocked his hips back and forth, grinding his pelvis into Bruce’s. His cock flattened against his body as he moved; the friction as it scuffed up and down against Bruce’s hip made that spark flare brighter.
Zane broke the kiss and shoved Bruce back. They wrestled, battling for control. This time, Bruce found himself pinned against the wall. Zane forced his knee between Bruce’s legs. And while his tongue plunged into the sweet, smoky depth of Bruce’s mouth, Zane’s foot kicked his lover’s feet wider apart.
“I’ve never seen you like this, either,” Zane said into their joined mouths.
“I can only take so much, you asshole.”
Zane chuckled as he nipped Bruce’s earlobe. He traced the whorl of his ear. “Maybe I need to make you wait like this more often.”
“Fuck you.” Bruce shoved him, hard, then charged him, lunging forward to tackle him to the floor. Down they went, rolling around on the pristine white carpet, wrestling like a couple of assholes who’d had too much to drink. Bruce almost had him pinned, but Zane flipped him over and nailed him to the floor. Sitting on Bruce’s stomach, legs straddling his broad body, Zane took a moment to let them both catch their breath.
Bruce, being mortal, needed more time. He took advantage of that fact by angling down to torment a nipple with his tongue and teeth. “Yes, I like this very much,” Zane said before pulling the hard little tip into his mouth. He suckled, drawing on the tight bud until Bruce arched his back and begged for him to stop. Then, because he wished to torture him a little longer, Zane used his teeth, biting ever so gently.
“Goddamn it.”
“What’s wrong?”
“You know what’s wrong.” Bruce grappled with Zane, trying to throw him off. But this time, Zane maintained control. “What’s it going to take to get you to fuck me?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Let me know when you do.”
Zane closed his fist around Bruce’s cock and gave it a slow pump.
Bruce groaned. His eyelids fell shut, shielding his dark, shadowed eyes from Zane. “Ohhh, yesss,” he hissed. “Please, fuck me. Do it now.” When Zane gave his cock another few strokes, he growled, “Goddamn it, now. Begging, dammit.”
Zane angled off his desperate lover to get some lube out of the nightstand. Meanwhile, Bruce flipped over, lifting himself onto all fours. Returning to him, Zane grasped Bruce’s hips, and after smoothing some lube over the man’s puckered anus, guided his cock to the opening with his hand. The muscles beneath Bruce’s skin rippled and flexed as he tightened in anticipation of the pleasure that was to come.
Zane wasn’t feeling much in the way of anticipation, even with the man who’d once been able to make him come with barely a heated look. If it weren’t for the fact that he needed Zane, both as lover and as more, he would have ended this thing and walked away for good.
But, as it turned out, he couldn’t.
Clenching his jaw, Zane closed his eyes and concentrated on Bruce’s pleasure. He breached him roughly, just the way Bruce liked it. He pumped in and out slowly, withdrawing almost completely before thrusting deep inside. Bruce trembled as every stroke brought him closer to orgasm. His skin warmed under Zane’s hands, the heat a welcome relief to the chill that permeated his being.
“Yes, like that. Oh, yes,” Bruce mumbled.
Zane raked his fingers down his lover’s back, leaving red stripes from the swell of his well-formed shoulders to the base of his rounded ass. Zane struck Bruce’s ass with his flattened hand, and Bruce’s spine arched, changing the angle of Zane’s penetration.
Oh, hell yes
. Zane’s body reacted at last. A charge of blinding hunger buzzed through his system. His fangs extended. Succumbing to the hunger, Zane drove into Bruce harder, faster. Bruce rocked back and forth on hands and knees, meeting his every thrust. “That’s it. You want it. Beg me.”
“Please, harder. Please,” Bruce hissed.
Spurred by the plea, Zane fucked him with everything he had. With every thrust, his body grew hotter, his need spiking. “Stroke your cock,” he demanded.
Bruce did as he was told. His anus clamped tightly around Zane’s cock, ratcheting up Zane’s need to greater heights. Blind now, and swept into a thrashing current of feral hunger and need, Zane took one final thrust, seating his cock deep inside his lover’s body. He caught Bruce’s hair in his fist, pulling him upright. Bruce shuddered, his cum spurting from his erect cock. He extended his neck, and Zane sank his fangs in. With his cum surging from his body, Zane pulled in the first gulp of blood. His mouth filled with the salty-sweet flavor.
Bruce screamed as a second orgasm enveloped him, brought on by Zane’s potent venom. Zane stroked his cock in and out, drawing out Bruce’s pleasure, as he drank his fill.
Sated at last, he licked the wound clean of all blood. He withdrew his cock, taking Bruce into his arms.
Bruce cupped his cheek and smiled into his eyes. “You’ve made me wait so long.”
Holding the man he had come to cherish but not love, Zane pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I promise, I won’t do that again. No matter what.”
“Thank you.”
Once again, the image of Amanda played through his mind.
He didn’t owe her any explanations. Not yet.
So why did he feel so guilty?
12
Name: Larry Nickerson
Age: sixty-three
Height: six feet
Hair: salt and pepper
Eyes: steel gray
Tattoos: none
M
andy studied the photograph of her newest client’s husband as his wife spat, “He bought her a Jaguar. A
Jaguar!
I’ve been driving the same Chevy for ten years. The son of a bitch has to pay. My gosh, the girl is barely out of high school.”
Ah, yes, yet another sixtysomething man chasing twenty-something girls. It was no wonder Mandy had a very jaded view of marriage.
“I’m assuming he is seeing one girl in particular?” Mandy asked the fuming wife.
Her client ran her hand over her silver hair, smoothed back from her face and knotted into a tidy bun. “Yes. Her name is Brittany.”
“Do you have any information about this Brittany?”
“She works for him. Not directly below him, but for his company.”
How convenient. Mandy scribbled some notes. “Have you seen her? Can you describe her?”
The wife’s lips thinned. “No. God help the little tramp if I do ever meet her face-to-face. I swear, I’ll tear her hair out, every last strand.”
Mandy flipped to a fresh piece of paper in her notebook. “Please, don’t do that. Things get a lot more complicated when a client goes to jail. I know this for a fact.”
The woman’s shoulders slumped. “I would never do such a thing. The fact is, I’m not that type. I’m faithful. Trusting. Trustworthy. And...” She blinked. Her eyes reddened. She clapped her hands over her face. “I’m just so shocked and angry,” she said between sobs. “How could he? After thirty-five years.”
Always prepared for the possibility of grown women crying in her office, Mandy grabbed the box of tissues from her desk drawer and set it in front of Mrs. Nickerson. She said nothing until her client had collected herself.
Finally, as the woman dabbed her swollen eyes, Mandy promised, “I will do my very best to get the proof you need to win your court case. What you do with that proof is up to you.”
“Thank you.” Mrs. Nickerson placed a personal check, made out to Mandy, on the desk and stood. Looking like her world had crashed down around her shoulders, she gave Mandy an empty smile. “I’m guessing you see a lot of this kind of thing, huh?”
“More than I wish.” When Mrs. Nickerson extended a hand, Mandy accepted it, giving it a shake. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I have something.” She watched her newest client shuffle from her office.
Another marriage destroyed.
A family decimated.
All because of lust.
Her cell phone rang. She checked.
Speaking of lust...
She hit the receive button, answering the call. Her heart did a little jump in her chest. “Hello?”
“I made reservations for tonight,” Zane said. His voice was a low, sexy rumble. It made her feel warm all over.
“Oh.”
He’d never said anything about seeing her again, after that incredible night at the party. Tomorrow, it would be a week to the day. She’d begun to think she wasn’t going to hear from him again. She looked down at her notebook.
She
should
work.
What are you thinking? This is a no-brainer.
“Amanda,” he said.
“Where?” she asked.
“The Fox and Hound.”
That was one of the most exclusive restaurants in the entire tricounty area. She’d heard plenty about it but never been there. “What time?” she asked, glancing at her clock. She’d need to go home, change her clothes. She combed her fingers through her hair. Do something with her hair...
“Six. I’ll pick you up at five-thirty.”
She glanced at the clock. Three-thirty. “Okay. Do you need my address?”
“No. I have it.”
“Yes, of course you do.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She had gone to great lengths to make sure she wasn’t listed in any directory. And she periodically checked to make sure she hadn’t been added, particularly to the ones that were easily accessed by the general public. But he had sent her that package... .
Sarah bounced into her office like she did at least a dozen times a day and made herself comfortable in the chair in front of Mandy’s desk.
“Okay. I’ll see you at five-thirty,” Mandy said into the phone.
Sarah gave her a who’s-that look.
“Good,” Zane said.
“Good-bye,” Mandy said. The line went dead. She stared at her phone’s screen. “I guess he isn’t much of a talker on the phone.”
“He who?” Sarah asked. “Is it Zane?”
Mandy’s face flushed. “Yes, it’s Zane.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “What did he want?”
“He asked me out to dinner.” Feeling a little haughty, Mandy added, “He’s taking me to Fox and Hound.”
“No kidding? I’ve never been there.” Sarah squinted at her. “It’s official. I’m jealous.”
“Don’t be. Please. Outside of dinner—”
“Shut the hell up. Of course there’s reason to be jealous. The man is clearly interested in you.
Seriously
interested. He’s playing every card in his hand. First the gifts, now the fancy dinners. What’s next? A—”
“Don’t say it,” Mandy interrupted. “I don’t know where this thing is going. Frankly, because I hadn’t heard from him since the party, I was beginning to think he’d grown tired of me.”
“I’m guessing it’s the opposite.” Sarah jumped to her feet. “I’m guessing he’s so overcome with desire for you that he’s making himself stay away. He’s intentionally trying to play it cool. I don’t think he’s used to feeling the way he does about you.”
“How could you have any idea what he’s feeling?”
Sarah shrugged. “It’s just a guess.”
“Based on ... ?”
“Intuition?”
Mandy shook her head. “You and I both know what kind of trouble your intuition gets you into.” Mandy copied a few notes from her notebook onto a fresh sheet of paper. “Here, I’ve got something to keep you out of trouble for a little while. Can you hack into this company’s computer system and access their personnel files? I need to find out who this Brittany is.”
“Okay. Piece of cake.” Sarah folded the paper, watching Mandy as she gathered her purse and car keys. “Where are you headed?”
Mandy hit the power button on her computer. “I’m leaving early. I need to run over to the mall and pick up something to wear. And I’d like to have some time to do my hair, maybe put on a little makeup.”
“My God, they must be ice-skating in hell today. Just joking. You go get him, girl.” At Mandy’s office door, Sarah gave her an elbow in the rib cage. “Zane Griffin is so freaking hot. I don’t know how you’ll sit through dinner without ripping his clothes off.”
Mandy couldn’t help laughing. “Hopefully I’ll manage okay. Would hate to be thrown out of the restaurant.”
“Yeah. That would be a shame. You’ve got to at least get through the main course before that happens. Though I’ve heard the desserts are to die for.” Out in the reception area, Sarah plopped into her chair. Her fingers began flying over the keyboard. “Brittany ... ,” she mumbled. “Let’s see what we can dig up on you.”
Mandy headed out into a warm, sunny afternoon, feeling jittery and excited. She hopped into her car and motored to the closest mall. Inside, she made a beeline for the store she assumed would carry the classiest, highest quality evening wear within her limited budget. She found a black cocktail dress, knee length, that fit her perfectly. The best part about it—the price.
After paying for her purchase, she sped home (going no more than five miles an hour over the limit) to get ready. She showered, shaved, plucked, dried, curled, and spritzed herself to perfection. A knock sounded at her door as she was applying the final coat of lip gloss to her lips.
She gave herself one last up-and-down look before high-heeling it to the door to let Zane in.
His eyes widened when she opened the door. “Hello,” he said, those wide eyes twinkling.
She waved him in. “I just need to grab my purse, and I’ll be ready to go.” After giving him a smile, she turned to snatch her purse off the sofa table. She didn’t quite make it, though. A thick arm wrapped around her waist, and she was hauled backward, into Zane’s embrace. He cupped her chin with his hand and lifted it until her head was tipped back. He kissed her forehead, the top of her head, her eyelids.
“Mmmm. I wish I’d made our reservation for later.”
Her stomach rumbled. If he decided to forgo dinner for some alone time, she was going to collapse from low blood sugar. She wriggled a little, not sure if he’d let her go. “We’d better get going.”
He audibly exhaled. “Yes, we’d better.” As she turned to get her purse, this time expecting to reach it, he ran his hand down over her buttocks. “Are you wearing panties?”
“I am.” Straightening upright, her clutch purse tucked under her arm, she turned to face him.
His sparkly eyes turned dark. “Take them off.” His expression and the way he said those words made her feel all warm and tingly inside.
She reached under her skirt, tugged the barely-there scrap of black lace down her legs, and kicked it off. A draft caressed her pussy. Her inner muscles clenched. Suddenly, as he opened the door for her, she was aware of how floaty and loose her dress’s skirt was. It almost felt like she was nude from the waist down.
With one hand pressed against her thigh to hold her skirt down, thinking a small draft might kick it up and give her neighbors a show, she followed Zane out to his car.
He was driving a black car. A sleek, low-to-the-ground model. Supersexy. She glanced at the hood.
Was it a ... Lamborghini?
It is
. Holy smokes, she was riding in a car that cost more than the average house.
The engine purred with a low rumble. Much like its owner.
Snug in the passenger seat, Mandy ran her hand over the supple leather seat. “This car is something else.”
“Thank you. It was one of my few impulse buys.”
“Well, I’m guessing if I had the money, I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to buy one of these either.”
As Zane maneuvered the car down the street, it felt like it was floating on air. Made her little car feel like a bumpy, jerky carnival car.
Zane said nothing else as they drove to the restaurant. He did, however, slip his hand under her skirt, leaving it to rest on her bare thigh. The entire time, she could think of nothing but the miniscule movements of his fingertips as they lightly grazed her skin. He didn’t remove it until they’d pulled up to the front of the restaurant.
A young, eager-faced valet hurried out to the car as Zane pushed open the door. He circled around the front to open her door and offer a hand as she stood. The car rolled away. They strolled up the walk to the entry.
The hostess greeted Zane by name when they entered the dimly lit, atmospheric lobby area. They were immediately escorted to a semisecluded table in a quiet corner.
Zane pulled her chair out for her. She sat, thanking him as he pushed it in for her. Then he took his own seat and turned his full attention on her. He stared. His tongue swept across his lower lip. His eyes glittered with what she read as sensual hunger.
“This is a very nice place.” Feeling a little uneasy, Mandy sipped some ice-cold water from the full glass that had been poured before they’d arrived. “Have you been here before?”
“I have. You?”
“Never.”
“Then you’re in for a treat.”
Looking at the wicked expression spreading over his face, Mandy wasn’t sure if he meant the food or something else.
Their waiter rushed up before she’d had the chance to figure it out. He set a plate of hors d’oeuvres in the center of the table, then placed a clean plate in front of each of them. “Wine?” he asked.
“Please,” Zane responded.
“Very well, sir.”
“And we’ll both take the usual,” Zane added.
Nobody had ever ordered for Mandy before. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
“Yes, sir.” The waiter hurried away to place their orders and get the wine.
Zane’s attention shifted back to Mandy. She realized, belatedly, that they hadn’t been given any menus. He slid his hand across the table, flicking his eyes down, as if to tell her he wished her to place her hand on or under his. When she reached, he lifted his so his palm faced her. She pressed her hand to his, and they wove their fingers together. His lips curled into a small smile.
“What’s ‘the usual’?” she asked, staring at their joined hands.
“You’ll see.” He pointed at her plate, and she handed it to him. He placed a few pieces of food on it and handed it back. Then he helped himself.