Love me if you dare (10 page)

For
long moments they remained motionless, staring into each other’s eyes in the
reflection of the mirror.  Samantha gasped and a flush stole down her body to
tint it a rosy hue all over when Nicolas’s eyes released hers to slowly travel
over her naked body.  She saw them hesitate and his eyelids lowered as he
stared at her breasts, at the round globes, which was slightly more than a
handful, with no droop in it, but the rose nipples were what made his mouth
water, large, soft and so sensitive that it shriveled at his gaze. 

His
hungry eyes slid down her perfect shape to hesitate hungrily at the juncture
between her legs, and then he stopped breathing.  Her mound was hairless and
begged for his touch.  When his tongue circled his lips Samantha managed to
pull herself together and lifted the dressing gown she gripped in her hand to
cover her nakedness from his probing eyes.

She
retreaded to the door, stammering, “I’m sorry.  I thought you would be finished
by now.  I should have knocked …”

She
desperately groped for the door handle behind her, but before she found it
Nicolas was in front of her, his hands going over her shoulders to flatten
against the door next to her head; effectively imprisoning her between his body
and the door.

He
smiled crookedly and Samantha has never felt as vulnerable in front of him as
she did at that moment. She was overly conscious of the fact that she was buck
naked, with only a satin dressing gown pressed in front of her and a very small
towel covering his hips, were what separated their naked skin.

“Yes,
baby, you should have …” 

His
head lowered and her lips lifted and met him halfway, elating him so much that
he slanted his lips over hers, kissing her hard and wickedly passionate. He
twisted his lips over her from side to side; tugging at her lips with so much
force it was as if he was trying to draw her into his body.  He lifted his head
and his eyes were hooded when he looked at her.

“Lord,
baby, you are so beautiful!”

“Nicolas
…” His name whispered between her lips and he could do no other but to swoop
down again and capture them with his.  His hands dropped to her shoulders,
drawing her away from the door and up against his body, at the same time
pulling her gown from her lifeless fingers and flinging his towel to the
ground.

When
he drew her hard against him; their moans orchestrated around them.  Hard met
soft, his muscled body fitted against her soft curves perfectly and they
strained closer.  He whispered urgently against her lips.

“Woman,
you have no idea what you do to me!”  She silenced him with soft, moist kisses
against his mouth.  His arousal grew even harder against her stomach and she
reveled in the pulsating size and life of it.  Her hand itched to fold around
the hard length.  Her hands drifted over his shoulders and caressed his back.

His
hands were not idle and stroked her buttocks, slowly up her back to circle to
her front over her ribs to fondle her breasts.  He breathed her moan into his
body and gave her one right back as her nipples immediately shriveled and
hardened further from his ministrations. He stroked, pulled and softly pinched
the burning nubs, slowly kissing down her neck to close and pull the skin at
the closure of her neck between his lips, sucking strongly.  Suddenly he had
the urgent need to leave his mark on her.  Leave a reminder of these moments,
to force her to remember the feelings running through her when he touched her
every time she looked in the mirror.

She
shivered, moaned again and gripped his shoulders, her head thrown back in
ecstasy and offering him free access to her body, which he gladly accepted. His
one arm slid around her waist to hold her in place, his other stroked a sensual
path from her throat all the way between her breasts to her navel and back up
again, at the same time bending her backwards even more.

His
lips moved lightly down her chest barely touching but leaving heat in its wake,
causing the heat to slowly burn a line of desire towards her groin. He slowly
licked the valley between her breast, nuzzling the sides of each and then
placing soft kisses on the undersides of each breast.  Her legs moved
restlessly next to his and he smiled against her breast.

“Nicolas,
please …” He knew what she wanted but he continued the torment kissing around
and closer to each nipple. The nubs were fully aroused, begging for his mouth
to taste them.

Samantha
felt as if she would combust if he didn’t take her nipple in his mouth and her
hands closed around his neck, her fingers curling in the hair at the nape of
his neck, holding him close and urging him closer still.

She
lifted her one leg and locked it around his hips pushing her wetness against
his aroused length. Jason growled and felt as if he had just been kicked in the
gut.  He gritted his teeth and his hands tightened painfully around her hips,
forcing the lust racing through his body to a raging simmer.

He
could not deny her any longer and his mouth closed around her breast, taking
half of her breast in his mouth, and then sucked hard, noisily as if he was a
hungry infant feeding.  Hearing his deep suckling enjoyment of her flesh blew
the top of the volcano she had been trying to deny for so long and a low wail
escaped her lips.  He gave the other breast the same treatment whilst his
fingers rolled and pinched the first to offer twin enjoyment.  He continued the
torture-pleasure, softly nibbling, scraping and lightly biting the tip only to
suck deeply to soften the sting until the wet heat of her arousal slithered
through her tender folds.

Nicolas’
whole body shook he was so aroused, he drew her leg still locked around his
hips higher and tighter around him and pushed his erection against the juncture
of her body, his growl so loud she caught her breath.

“God
you are so hot … and holy lord … so wet!”  He dropped his head to her shoulder
his breathing haggard, his hands tightened around her hips, his fingers digging
into the soft flesh and she winced.

“Nico
… You … We … I … ooohhhh.”  Her groan rose in octaves as he moved his rigid
erection slowly up and down her wet, hot opening.

“Nicolas,
where are you?  Nicolas!  You are going to miss your plane. Nicolas!”  It took
his hazed mind a few moments to realize it was not Samantha calling his name,
but Mary from his room.

He
groaned softly, and drew Samantha’s leg from around his waist to pull her
tightly against him and hugged her tight.

“I’m
in here Mary.  I’ll be right along.”

“You
better be.  The Shuttle is on its way up the driveway.”

He
sighed, pushed Samantha reluctantly away and looked into her desire induced
eyes.  She looked so enticing and aroused; his erection throbbed painfully against
her.  Grinning ruefully he said, “You picked one hell of a time to seduce me,
woman!”

“Me
seduce you!  Oh,  …”

“If
only we had the time! Remember one thing, my darling, when I am back we will
finish this, and I for one, can’t wait!”  He placed a hard, moist kiss on her
lips, then pulled open the door and pushed her into her room.

“Now,
get out of here so I can get finished.”

Samantha
stood motionless facing the bathroom door for a long time, mentally forcing her
body to relax.  Then she sighed and went to stand in front of the side window,
gazing down to the front door, absently noticing the white airport shuttle
waiting for Nicolas, but failed to notice the white haired chauffeur gasping
for breath when he saw her.

Her
wanton reaction to his caresses and kisses flashed through her mind and she
groaned, closing her eyes.  She heard a door opening and looking down and
watched Nicolas run down the steps with only his pants, socks and shoes on.  He
pulled his shirt on as he ran, his jacket hanging haphazardly over his one
arm.  He nodded at the old chauffeur holding the door open for him and then
looked up towards her window just before he got in and froze.

Her
hair was like a midnight ravens wing in the sun, framing her beautiful face. 
The rays of the sun played over her naked breasts and his breath caught in his
throat.  He knew just then that this would be a picture he would always
treasure and remember.

With
his eyes fixed on her chest she realized with a start that she was standing
stark naked in front of the window, in full view of Nicolas … and the chauffeur!

She
swung away and headed straight to the bathroom, her whole body flushed red.

Nicolas
pushed his shirt inside his pants, pulled his jacket on and got into the
luxurious 4 x 4 shuttle. The old chauffeur grinned at him in the rearview
mirror as he pulled away.  “I see you had a difficult time to pull away from
the misses?”

“Something
like that …”

“Well,
if I had a woman that looked like that this early in the morning, I would have
cancelled that flight!”

Nicolas
stiffened and glared at the older man. “You saw her?”

“Could
hardly miss her … not to worry, mister, at my age I can only appreciate sights
like that.”

“Yeah
… remember that!”

“Hah
… a jealous an’ p’ssessive beasty ye ar’ then?”  His Irish accent more
pronounced all of a sudden.

Nicolas
suddenly realized that was exactly how he now felt.  Having received the full
force of her sensuality and wantonness, he hated just the thought of any man
touching her or even seeing her as he had this morning.

He
groaned and knew that he has never wanted or desired a woman as badly as he did
Samantha.  Nor has he ever been jealous or possessive of any woman in his
life.  He frowned at the realization, but shrugged it off.  It was only because
he wanted her so badly, as soon as he made love to her, all those fluffy
feelings would disappear. 

But
in his heart he already admitted wryly that he was only trying to fool himself.

“No,
Stop!  Please no!  Don’t hurt me! Oh God, nooooo!”  Terrified screams echoed
through the room and Samantha woke with a start, sweat and tears streaming down
her face. She shivered uncontrollably and gasped for breath. She pulled long
deep gasps of air into her lungs and forced her body to calm down.

She
had that damn nightmare again!  That damn awful nightmare! For four years her
nights have been free of it, and now suddenly over the past week and a half
she’s had it four times already.

Weekly
she stumbled to the bathroom, walked into the shower and stood under the
stinging water until the shivering ceased. Then she grabbed the bar of soap and
scrubbed her whole body down vigorously, as though trying to rid it from
something, her breathing hard.

Wrapping
herself in a towel she went to stand on the balcony and stared into the black
night with empty eyes.  Something triggered those nightmares recurrence,
forcing her to remember that awful night and the most terrifying experience
ever. One she tried to push so far in the recesses of her mind, that she had
come to believe it was buried forever.

She
sighed as Nicolas’ face flashed through her mind, and heat bubbled low in her
stomach just remembering the highly passionate interlude in the bathroom the
day he left.  She gasped and suddenly she knew … it was Nicolas!  He was the
reason her dreams returned.

The
passion and desire between them were so intense and clearly her subconscious
mind rebelled against it, reminding her through these nightmares of the pain
caused by lust. It had to stop.  No longer could she allow him to tempt her
with his kisses.  She stood motionless until the blackness of the night
lightened lazily on the horizon.  She glanced at her clock radio and decided
she might just as well get dressed and go to the office.

She
had to use some concealer to lighten the dark circles under her eyes and more
make up than usual.  The result made her eyes appear mysterious and heavy
lidded.  Slipping high heeled pumps on, she headed for the kitchen where Mary
was already up and about.

Mary
looked at Samantha penetratingly and asked in a worried tone, “What are you
doing up so early?  It is barely five!?

“I
couldn’t sleep,” she mumbled, avoiding Mary’s eyes.

“Sammy,
what is wrong?  What are those nightmares about?”

The
first night she had the nightmare, Mary came rushing into her room, only to be
chased away immediately; Samantha was overcome with terror and did not want her
to witness her at her most vulnerable.

“Don’t
worry about me, Mary, I’ll be fine. I have so much work to do at the office, I
decided to leave early. I hope you haven’t started with breakfast yet?”

“But
it is still dark outside!”

“I
realize that, but I have to go!  I don’t know what time I will be back
tonight.  I have an early meeting and a string of appointments thereafter, so I
will have to work late to catch up on some admin.”

“But
it’s Friday!”

“Mary,
Mary … please don’t fret.  If I don’t see you later, I’ll see you in the
morning.”  She rushed out, preventing any further haggling and started working
immediately on arrival at the office and soon the discovery of what caused its
recurrence, were completely forgotten.

It
was just after seven when Nicolas came home.  He finished his business a day
earlier and took the private jet before first light this morning.  The late
dinner with a business associate the evening before could not be avoided else
he would have been home the night before already.

He
had a knot of anticipation in his stomach at the thought of holding Samantha in
his arms again. He hoped she was still sleeping, but she was usually an early
riser, so he turned to the kitchen expecting to find her there with her usual
early morning cup of coffee.

Mary
banged pots and pans with so much force, mumbling non-stop that he winced at
the sounds shooting through his head.

“At
this rate I will have to buy a whole new set of pots and pans!   What’s wrong,
Mary?”

“Oh
Nicolas, I am so glad you are back!”  The obvious relief in her face and voice
alarmed him instantly.  He waited for her to continue.

“It’s
Samantha.  If only she was not so independent and headstrong!  If only she
would open up and talk about it!  But no … I’ll be fine … that’s all she says …
I’ll be fine!”

“Mary,
what are you talking about?  I am going up to ta …”

“She’s
not here.”

“What? 
Where is she?”  Dread filled his heart.  Did he scare her away with his
promises and desire?

“At
work.”

“At
work at seven in the morning?”

“She
already left at five!”  Nicolas frowned, realizing something serious was amiss.

“You
better tell me what is going on, Mary?  What happened?”

“I
wish I knew! She started having nightmares right after you left.  Four nights I
woke up to her terrified screams.”

“Why
didn’t you go to her?”

“I
did, but she chased me off straight away. I have never seen anyone looking so
terrified and vulnerable.  Nicolas, something terrible is haunting that girl!”

“I’m
going to the office.”

“You
do that, but Nicolas, be gentle with her.  She had one early this morning
again.”

With
a deep frown marring his brow he got into his luxurious SUV and drove as fast
as he could to the office in Sandton.

It
was after eight when he stepped out of the elevator and barely acknowledged the
greetings aimed his way. He was still frowning when he walked into her office
next to his.  The door stood slightly ajar so he softly pushed it open, stepped
through and closed it behind him.  He stared at her, immediately noticing the
dark circles below her eyes, yet she was still a picture of beauty and took his
breath away.  She was so engrossed with what she was doing she did not even
realize he was there; he walked up to her desk.

“So,
our little COO loves her job so much she has to rush here at five in the
morning.” His voice sounded raspy and hoarse.

Samantha
startled and stared at him in shock.  For several moments she just sat gazing
at him, her eyes appreciating his attractive maleness and her heart missed a
beat: then started beating a mile a minute.  She only just realized how much
she has missed him.

“Oh,
how I love this man!”
The thought snapped her upright, but realized immediately she could not deny
her feeling for him.  His brooding gaze made her snap out of her frozen state.

“Mary
has a big mouth.”

“She
is very concerned about you.”

Samantha
sighed, bit her lip and wondered just how much Mary tattled to him.

“Tell
me what’s wrong, Samantha. What chased you to the office at five in the
morning?”

“Nicolas,
please, I don’t want to talk about it,” she sighed heavily and rubbed her neck.

“Well,
I do.”

“And
I have nothing to say, do you hear me?  Nothing.  Whatever is bothering me is
none of your concern and I will appreciate it if you would just let it be.” 
Her chin lifted stubbornly and she glared at him.

“I
think it has been let be once too often already.  Talk to me, my baby!  Let me
help you.”

“That
is just it.  You are the very last person I can talk to.  Drop it, Nicolas,
just drop it!”

He
noticed she was extremely agitated and her hands shook when she pushed her hair
behind her ear.  To be told he was the last person she could talk to hurt, and
he had to dig deep to restrain himself.  He sighed and turned to walk around
the desk towards her, still sitting motionless in her chair.

She
watched him warily and when he closed in on her she jumped up and kept the
chair between them.  His frown slashed his brow.  All he could think of was the
passion and wantonness she gave him the day he left, and now, right here, he
walked smack into a wall again.  What the devil went wrong?

“Nicolas,
stay away from me!  This is the office and you can …” 

She
screeched when he ripped the chair from her hold and shoved it out of the way,
catching her by the shoulder he pulled her up against him.

“I
missed you too much, my baby.  This trip was utter hell.  I thinking of tasting
your sweet lips, your soft breasts, your wet heat …”

“Stop
…”

“I
can’t, Lord help me, I can’t!”  His head lowered and his lips captured hers,
his tongue immediately surging inside to stroke the insides of her cheeks,
exulting in the taste of her.  Samantha groaned and had to pull hard at her
resolve to freeze him out, a decision she made in the early morning hours when
she came to the conclusion he was the cause of her nightmares.

Nicolas
realized immediately what she was trying to do, but he was nothing if not
patient and determined to unleash her passion and wantonness for him again.  He
set out to seduce her mouth, softly rubbing his lips against hers, his tongue
stroking tenderly over hers, nibbling at her lower lip and then drawing it
between his lips and sucking.

She
moaned and her hands clawed at his arms, her nails digging into his muscles,
but he froze out the pain and drew her tighter against him.  His kiss
intensified, became more passionate and his mouth slanted roughly over hers. 
Immediately her body reacted and her groin flushed with heat.  He was doing it
to her again and she was allowing it.

She
stiffened; catching him unawares she pushed him away and moved past him to
stand glaring at him from the other side of the desk.  His eyes were shuttered
and his mouth tightened.

“I
don’t know what happened whilst I was gone, but I will be damned if I allow you
to renege on the promise you made to me on the day I left.”

“I
made you no promises!”

“It
is too late to try and deny it now, and you know it!  One way or the other I
will found out what is wrong.  I for one am going to keep the promise I made. 
Our relationship is going to the next level, and no one, will stand in my way …
not even you!”

Samantha
stayed out of Nicolas’ way after that and only acknowledged him at the office. 
She went to ProcMerge every afternoon and arrived home very late to leave again
very early in the morning. She avoided every possible confrontation with him to
ensure he had no excuse to put his hands on her.

What
might be working for her however, was definitely not working for him.  He was
extremely frustrated, frustrated with her avoiding him, with avoiding any type
of conversation with him and that he had not held her close or kissed her for
over a week. He was cognizant of how fragile she was and she looked very tired
and listless, which was why he allowed her the space and did not push their
relationship.

Enough
was enough and he decided that this weekend she would tell him what was wrong
so they could work through it and carry on with their relationship.  He would
not be able to stay away from her much longer.  He had not been with anyone
since months before Alexander’s death and once he saw Samantha he wanted no
other.

Mary
was just as worried. She was sure Samantha did not sleep much at all.  She took
the matter up with Nicolas the moment he arrived home.

“When
are the two of you going to make peace?”

“As
soon as Samantha trusts me enough to tell me what is wrong so I can help her.”

“But
in the mean time you just ignore her and allow her to work herself in the
ground?”  She shook her head at him.  “She is going to burn herself out before
this month is over.  She is not even sleeping at night.  She sits working at
her desk until she falls asleep on her arms.”

“How
do you know that?”  His concern intensified by the moment.

“Because
I see her light burning until the morning hours and twice I went to switch the
light off she was sitting sleeping at her desk.”

He
pulled his hands through his hair and looked at her with frustration.  He
realized that by ignoring her, trying to force her to come to him had the exact
opposite effect.  All he managed to achieve was to alienate her.

“What
do you suggest I do?”

“I
wish I knew!  It is obvious she is scared of the nights, of going to sleep.  I
think she is scared she has the nightmares with you next door.”

“Therefore
she works herself in a coma so she is so tired that she literally passes out,
eliminating any chance of having the nightmare.”

“Yes
and tonight she is going gallivanting at a function.”

His
gaze sharpened on her.  “She went on a date?”

“Yes,
with a man named, Desmond, I believe.”

His
eyebrows shot up.  “Desmond Harris?”  At her nod, his gut tightened.  Desmond
Harris was a Varsity boyfriend of hers, and a real Casanova, to this day still.

“Do
you know where they went?”