Layers Peeled (15 page)

“Did you hide
that in your pants?” I smirked.

“Baby, there’s
no room in my pants when I see you. I hid it under the table. Now
relax.”

His palms
touched my back and spread the gooey liquid from the lower spine
where it had collected up to my shoulder blades and back down the
sides of my ribcage. The touch of his warm palms on my body and
their igniting pressure was beyond relaxing. Gosh, how had he known
this was exactly what I needed? He manipulated my muscles as if
they were play dough. Tristan pressed his thumbs closer to the
spine and drew them up and down. I felt a crack or two and closed
my eyes, relishing the exquisite release between my discs. The
earlier need between my legs dimmed as I felt my shoulders droop
lower and my head loll on the pillow.

He continued
the motion for a moment and then turned his palms to the side and
concentrated on my right ribcage, then the left one. Once his hands
traveled up toward my neck, I wondered whether one of his previous
clients was a masseuse who had given him private lessons, and if
so, where I could send him or her a
Thank You
card (with
perhaps an expensive bottle of wine).

He brushed my
falling hair to the side and rubbed my neck, releasing knots of
stress I wasn’t aware of. I was ready to fall asleep and lose
myself to his touch when his hands lowered. The trail he left on
the downward path along my skin revived something I’d pushed aside.
Tristan shifted as well, grasping my ass. The touch down there
struck a bundle of needed nerves. He kneaded his fingers deep into
the flesh. And that felt even more rewarding than my back. He
circled them with profound intent into my skin, covering every inch
before sliding closer to the center. A yearning stirred deep in my
belly, and with the knowing thought of what would happen next, I
felt his mouth kiss the dip of my spine, then tread lower to my
ass.

A wail of
encouragement slid out of my throat and I squeezed my legs
together, feeling warmer and wetter in my lower half. I wanted to
turn around and press myself to him, but Tristan kept his firm
hands on me, insisting that I stay on my front. With a tantalizing
motion, one of his hands followed my crack and slid deeper, right
between my legs. I let my muscles relax and parted my thighs as
much as he allowed me. His slick fingers found my wet opening and
he slid them inside me.

I grasped the
pillow until my knuckles whitened.

“Don’t move,”
he whispered in a low throaty tone. His horny voice was enough for
me to clench my pussy so tightly I was afraid I’d squeeze his digit
and never let it go.

Tristan
streamed his fingers in and out of me. There had to be more than
one – perhaps three. Euphoria surged through my body in a volume I
could no longer control. Hot and desperate, I knew this night would
last until morning, because having him just once wouldn’t be
enough. If he thought I was aroused before, he hadn’t seen me yet.
My ass moved to the gentle assault as his fingers hit a spot inside
me that pulsed to my clit, then shot through my entire body, and
exited my fingers and toes. Each time the feeling intensified, and
I couldn’t release it fast enough, so it began collecting in that
one tiny spot. The flesh of his cock slapped against my back thigh
as his body moved to the tempo. And as if reading my mind, Tristan
withdrew his fingers, spread my knees, and supporting himself on
his arms, slid his once-again rigid cock down along my crack,
tantalizingly slowly, to between my legs where he prodded at my
entrance and finally filled me from behind.

Tristan
stretched me wide, hitting my full depth on the first lunge. I
lifted my ass to accommodate him and before I knew it, we were both
up on our knees while my head still rested low on the pillow. I
tightened my grip. The onslaught of torturous bliss continued.
Tristan’s hand drew down under my belly and slid toward my
front.

He rammed into
me while his fingers showed no mercy on my swelling mound. I was so
close. The sound of our slapping bodies and Tristan so deep inside
me was unbearable. Containing my delight in that one spot would
have been a sin, and then with one last flick Tristan brought me
undone.

Time ceased to
exist.

The jitters
flew through me forever.

I didn’t know
who I was or where I was. The only thing that mattered was that I
was one with the man I loved. The first shock wave slowed to a
trickle of tingles. Tristan continued the gentle rubbing until all
my strength dissipated and I touched his hand to stop, at which
point his hips stilled and he released a loud, “Argh!”

Winded,
Tristan pulled out and took me into his arms. We flopped down on
the floor.

My body was
boneless as it sagged against his.

Once I
returned to some kind of present, I said, “I’m going to call you a
‘triple O’ from now on.”

“
You
can call me whatever you want, Allie. But you haven’t had three
orgasms
yet
.”

“Not
yet
, but I know you won’t disappoint me. We have until
morning.”

He growled,
gently biting my shoulder, and then kissed the marked spot.

And with that,
my eyes closed, and in Tristan’s arms I drifted into a blissful
dream.

The sun shone
through the window straight into my eyes, and I was forced to lower
my sunglasses indoors. I dropped my briefcase by my desk, removed
my coat, and plopped into the chair, quickly checking my hair. I’d
had a difficult time combing out the knots this morning. After last
night’s massage and a triple O my body felt completely spent.
Tristan had definitely lived up to his new nickname. We drove to
work this morning together, for once, planning on leaving at a
decent hour. Actually, I insisted on driving my new white Bentley.
It was a rare occasion for me to prance around with Tristan in the
passenger seat.

“Someone looks
like they got lucky last night,” Laura said as I fumbled with the
drawers.

Why the heck
was I so flustered this morning? Last night was absolutely
unbelievable, yet this morning my stomach was upset, and odd chills
kept running down my spine.

“Good morning
to you too. And are we talking about me or you?” I plopped into the
chair, clicked my laptop on, and pulled out the files from last
night. Marissa’s was still on top of the pile.

“Well, if you
have to ask, I did have to rush home at six a.m. to get a fresh
pair of clothes,” she grinned. Yup, Laura had the same look on her
face that I probably wore.

“You did him
in his office?” I knew I was being a hypocrite; after all, that’s
exactly what I had done in Tristan’s office – in fact on his desk –
when I first came to Cross Enterprises.

“I wanted to,
but it looks like he has more respect for his new boss than you
give him credit for.”

“Hotel then?”
My brows rose.

“Nope, 69
Clemmens Court. Don’t you just find that address arousing? I asked
him whether he wanted to make that number come true and he was down
on...”

“Stop!” I
raised my hand. “Too much information. Back up a little. So James
took you to his house? This is serious, Laura.” I yawned.

“It feels
different with him than with others. He’s got this move with
his...”

“Laura,
please. I haven’t had my morning coffee yet. Get that glow off your
face. I’ll grab you a mocha from the lunch room and we’ll chat over
the files. I may have an idea how to lure Marissa.”

Why did I
ever wish she’d tell me more about James?
Laura’s idea of
sharing her dating life definitely crossed a line I wasn’t ready to
go near.

“Sounds good.
It’ll give me time to check my emails.” She started clicking on her
computer.

And of course
I bumped into Tristan on the way to the lunch room.

“Good
morning,” he said with a smug smile.

“It is
indeed.” I bit my lip.

Tristan pulled
me inside the lunch room and sneaked in a full mouth and tongue
kiss. Thankfully no one was there. And now I was a total hypocrite.
No, I wasn’t about to do Tristan in the lunchroom. But the way his
mouth possessed mine at the moment, I wouldn’t care if his entire
staff watched us, right in this spot. Why was he being so
affectionate where anyone could pop in and see us? This was so
unlike the business Tristan I knew.

I pulled away
and examined at his face. When I found the guilt I was looking for,
I crossed my arms and said, “You need something from me.”

“Not as much
need as I have some bad news.” He pouted using that same expression
of big puppy eyes and curled lips I had tried on him in the
kitchen. This was big! Tristan never pouted.

My face
immediately drooped.

“Hey, at least
I’m not wearing an apron and offering chocolate ice cream to get
what I want.”

I pictured him
in my apron, all naked underneath. The vision in my mind made my
breasts swell.

“What’s the
bad news?” I finally asked.

“I need to fly
to Washington in three hours and I won’t be back until tomorrow
night.”

“Tiezzo
trouble?”

“No, this
is... more personal.”

“But nothing
to worry about?” I narrowed my brows.

“Nothing
you
should be concerned about, Allie.”

“All right. I
guess we’ll have to postpone another triple then?”

“Those
hormones of yours are working overtime, aren’t they?”

“Are you
complaining?”

“Hell, no!” He
pulled me against his body once again. My front collided with him,
and that scrumptious bulk I’d devoured last night pushed at the top
of my pencil skirt. His kiss deepened and I became lost in his
mouth. Stepping up onto my toes, I wanted to feel his growing
manhood on my little triangle, but he pulled away.

“I’m
sorry.”

“Me too.” I
straightened his tie. “Should I have Olivier prepare
something?”

“I’ll be in
just before midnight.”

“Ahh, that’s
two nights now.”

“I promise to
make it up, baby.” Tristan inadvertently glanced at his watch.

“Go,” I said.
“But please text me when you land, and maybe a few hours in
between.

“I promise.
And you too. I know you wouldn’t want me to send a security guard
with you.”

I chuckled.
“Since when does your security need me to protect them?” I winked,
and then gently slapped his behind.

And with that,
Tristan rushed to his office, his steps quickening down the
hall.

I knew every
minute he’d spent with me in that lunch room was one he couldn’t
spare. Whatever drew him to Washington must have been
important.

Once back in
my chair, I answered my emails and sorted the cases. So far, the
stings we’d organized had been successful. It appeared Laura and
James had been working not only in the office but outside as well.
In fact, I was beginning to suspect they worked overtime just so I
didn’t have to; or perhaps it was the workaholic inside me who
tried to take on more than I should have.

By early
afternoon my phone buzzed.

T.Cross:
I just got in. Missing you.

I quickly
typed back:

A.
Green:
I miss you too.

His reply was
instantaneous.

T.Cross:
Someone will knock on your door in five
seconds.

That’s
impossible, how would he know.
And before I finished the
thought, a gentle knock sounded. Tina, our receptionist, pushed
open the door and entered with an enormous bouquet of daisies.

“Is here all
right?” she asked.

I nodded, and
she set the vase on my desk.

The
arrangement was flawless. Beautiful yellow centers and white petals
released a sweet aroma. Its smell plunged into my lungs. A little
bit of pollen sprinkled onto my desk. Leave it to Tristan Cross to
time the receptionist’s entrance with his text. He had probably
told her what time to deliver these.

Tina reached
under her arm, where I’d noticed she was holding something else.
She lowered the file on my desk.

“Thank you,” I
said as she left and picked up the little envelope off the flowers.
Pulling the card out, I smiled at Tristan’s handwriting which
inscribed a simple note:
Love Tristan, aka Triple O
. I
stuffed the note into my pocket and then opened the file. It was
the missing information on Marissa. I quickly scanned through the
papers planning to read them in detail once I replied to
Tristan.

A.
Green:
Smooth, Triple O. I love them. And thank you for the
file.

T.
Cross:
I trust you Allie. And you’re welcome. <3

Right after,
Laura came into the office.

“He’s spoiling
you,” she said.

“I know.” I
didn’t mention yet he’d given me more than the flowers. I wanted to
read through the files myself before lifting Laura’s hopes that we
had something more to help us get Marissa off the streets. My
friend had developed a soft spot for these girls as much as I had,
and they meant to her more than she wanted to admit.

“That’s good.
You need to be spoiled. You mentioned something about luring
Marissa this morning?”

“Yeah, but I
don’t think you’ll like it.”

“Okay, I’m all
ears.”

“Well, do you
think James would consider working out of his car for a few days?”
I asked.

She narrowed
her brows, probably trying to figure out where I was going with
this.

“You want him
to try to pick her up?”

And as I
expected, Laura was right on the spot.

“She got in a
black SUV last night. But I have a feeling she’ll be back again.
There’s no way this was a coincidence.”

“You think she
remembers you from the auction?”