She wanted time to stand still, to somehow stay in this man’s embrace forever but suddenly she felt the lift lurch and start its downward path towards the ground floor. In that instant Dark removed his hand from her body and pulled her panties back in place as she fixed her skirt and blouse. I
n no time
the lift doors opened and silently
taking her hand he led her out and into the street.
The restaurant was literally only minutes away and Gina was grateful for that.
Her entire being was alive with an electric excitement. His touch, this power he seemed to wield over her was both exhilarating and exhausting. They’d nearly been caught, their sweet interlude cut short and her body yearned for satisfaction, a satisfaction now denied until they could be alone again.
“So what happened to you last night?” She queried
shakily
once they were on the High Street and she
’d
regained some composure. “I did wait but when it got so l
ate I presumed you’d got delayed
or cold feet,” she added reluctantly.
“Not cold feet, Gina. Beli
eve me,” he assured her. “I had to see someone and then I got waylaid by one of Carlotti’s crew, Kyle Hastings. Heaven knows what he wanted I couldn’t make out what he was getting at.”
“I see,” Gina shrugged. “I thought perhaps you’d changed your mind and being nervous anyway I decided to leave things,” she admitted with a smile.
“
Matthew
squeezed her hand.
“No need to be nervous anymore. We are going to be OK, you and me, you’ll see.”
Gina wished she could be as sure. There was still so much unresolved between them, her
true
identity for a start.
The restaurant was busy but the owner spotted
Matthew
the moment they entered and rushed to greet him.
“Ciao my friend,” he grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. “A table for two,” he offered smiling benignly at Gina.
“This is a friend of mine, Vittorio, and we want your very best this lunchtime. I need to impress the lady,” he winked.
Vittorio nodded in agreement and showed them to a window table where they could view the pretty little garden that had been created outside at the rear of the building.
“I’ll bring you wine and I can recommend the Risotto Carbonara today. It is Mama’s finest and I know you’ll love it.”
Matthew
looked at Gina who was struggling with the Italian menu and nodded. “Vittorio is right,” he confirmed. “It’s a good choice.” Then looked round he asked that a selection of starters be brought while they waited.
He’d no sooner asked than a waiter arrived at their table with a glass filled with tall sesame and bread sticks, bruschetta with garlic and parmesan cheese. It all looked quite wonderful and served as sneak preview for the main course to come.
“I don’t normally eat like this at lunch,” Gina apologized as she picked at the food. “If I eat too much of this I’ll not manage the main course.”
“Nonsense, we have plenty of time, you don’t have to rush off anywhere after, do you?” He asked. “We have a lot to discuss. First back at the office and then…,” he paused watching her nibble on a bread stick. “Perhaps back at my hotel and we can pick things up from
earlier
.”
Gina’s eyes shot up to meet his. He was watching her expectantly wanting an answer; some signal that she wanted the same.
Suddenly faced with this invitation again,
did she
really want to go and be alone with him in his bedroom knowing full well about those things she’d found in his bed?
There was a whole conversation there that she just didn’t know how to broach.
That she desperately wanted him wasn’t in doubt, her body craved for his lovemaking
, and yes, and perhaps even for his own particular style of lovemaking
. It was just that it was all so
different, so
fast and the words had fallen from his lips so casually, and rushing into bed after two short days wasn’t her usual style.
“I’m not sure,” she hesitated. “I’m supposed to be seeing someone later,” she lied lamely.
“Another prospective employer,” he queried with look of amusement on his face. “
But perhaps you’re just teasing me
, Gina, and
stringing me along
until you get
that job you
want?
Is that why you let me do what I did in the lift earlier?
”
Gina frowned; she didn’t like
the inference that she was using him. He was trying to turn things around, after all that had been his ploy not hers
.
“
What just happened between us was your doing. You rendered me helpless, remember? And anyway it was you who offered me a job and in return for a night in your bed,” she hissed at him
. “
So you might ask yourself, Mr Dark, just who is stringing who along.”
“
Touché, Miss Haddon,” he replied softly. “So there is no real need for you to look elsewhere because my offer still stands. And as for the other stuff,” he smiled, “you know there’s something going on between us so don’t pretend otherwise.”
Dark watched her, a strange expression on his face. There was something going on and something a little different from the usual. It was more than just wanting to bed and possess this one, she was different but for now he couldn’t work out why.
“Perhaps there is,” she shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean I’m prepared to play your games and you know very well what
I
‘m talking about, Matthew.”
He watched Gina’s face pink and smiled slowly. She couldn’t hide it, she’d been to his suite and he knew very well what she’d found.
“Aren’t you curious,” he asked her. “Wouldn’t you like to try sex my way, just once?”
“It’s just not my style, Matthew. When and if I take a lover then it’s a partnership I want and I won’t submit to being made some sort of sex slave.”
Now he laughed out loud and shook his handsome head at her.
“OK, in that case I’ll not enslave you, Gina. But I have held you in my arms,” he reminded her. “And a man knows and last night you were so turned on you were ready to do anything for me, cuffs and all.”
She glowered at him and swore under her breath. He was right, last night if she’d gone to his penthouse with him then who knows what would have happened and what she would have allowed him to do to her. Being restrained during sex was not her thing but she was well aware that it could add a certain erotic dimension to the proceedings, particularly with him.
“I think
you fancy me every bit as de
sperately as I fancy you? ”He put to her
watching her flush with a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. “In that case you should welcome the invitation to come to my bed.
Even if I do decide to tie you to it
”
There, it was said and Gina felt an immediate fizz of something she didn’t understand envelop her body. She wasn’t disgusted, she wasn’t afraid, instead for some inexplicable reason she was, once again, incredibly turned on by both what he’d said and the images flying around her head.
“
Tie me to your bed,” she repeated slowly her throat drying at the thought and
still blushing
. “You say those things to me and you really shouldn’t
.
I just don’t know who you are or where I stand with you.
”
Was she that transparent that he knew just how much she fancied him and his odd ways?
“OK, calm down.
Perhaps I’ve gone too far,” he allowed. “And if I have offended you, yet again,” his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Then I apologise so l
et’s just enjoy the meal and then we’ll see what happens.” His dark eyes twinkled and he
squeezed her hand.
“Gina,
sweet girl
,
please don’t think too badly of me. You have a very odd effect on my senses
, which
, I’m afraid,
is my only excuse.”
Then he
put her hand to his lips and
kissed her finger tips gently savouring their taste before taking them into his mouth and caressing them with his tongue. This act was so sensuous it made Gina tremble as she imagined him giving this attention to other parts of her body. She couldn’t take much more of this and she snatched her hand away tempted to slap his face in the process.
“Don’t,” she retorted sharply. “You’re
the one who’s the
tease. We hardly know each other and everything you
do and say
is just so, so …”
“Intimate,” he suggested his dark eyes sparkling with desir
e. “I’m a hot bloodied
male, Gina. What else would you expect?”
“A little more
self
control, you take far too many liberties, and I’d rather we took things a little slower.”
Matthew
gave her a look that plainly said he didn’t believe her but before Gina could say anything in her defence Vittorio brought the main course through and placed two platefuls of delicious looking pasta in front of them.
“Eat first and we’ll talk later,” he winked and poured two glasses of the red wine Vittorio had had sent over. “Mama’s pasta should be eaten hot and believe me, Gina, it’ll be the best you’ve ever had.”
He was right, the meal was every bit as delicious as he and the menu had promised and Gina cleaned her plate. Pudding was offered but she couldn’t take another bite and settled, instead, for a latte. The wine was strong and although she’d only drunk the one g
lass it had made her feel woozy
, the cost of drinking at lunchtime, she thought.
“We’ll go back to the office and I’ll show you around,”
Matthew
offered. “If you still want a future with my company then, yes, I think we can strike a deal
.
I’m not teasing you now,
and to prove it I’ll remove all the strings I previously attached,” he surprised her.
He smiled at her his face honest and open while Gina could only sit there and stare back comple
tely flabbergasted and wondered
what had happened to make him change his mind. Well not just his mind, the habits of his working life. ‘Employ as few women as possible’ was practically his mantra.
But it was an offer too good to refuse so Gina was more than happy to return with him to the office blo
ck
and eager to hear his offer. He wouldn’t elaborate on what he’d promised but simply told her that he’d put flesh on the bones later.
Once they were back
Matthew
showed her around. It appeared that as well as the alterations Gina was aware of he’d also bought the remaining three floors of the block. Her father had owned the bottom two and various other businesses had owned the other three. Her father had operated the workshop on the ground floor as well as limited warehousing. But
Matthew
had arranged the space differently; he wanted mostly offices although he did tell her that there was a research and development lab on the top floor.
Gina smiled politely and listened to his explanations of what went on where. She tried not to look too interested in the R and D facility but in view of what
Dark
Electronics was currently working on, she was itching to be show
n round this fascinating new addition
.
However before they got to the top floor they reached
his office doo
r and taking her hand
Matthew
pulled her in. “A little privacy,” he explained. “I’d prefer it if my employees don’t see you thumping me if you don’t like what I have to offer, or what I’m about to do to you” he explained kissing her cheek lightly.