Merediths Awakening (17 page)

Hands almost as rough, hard and demanding as his cock pounding into her.

Each thrust was like a jolt of electricity ripping through her. The naughty little bar-bell piercing his cock dragged over super-sensitized tissues, dragging scream after scream from her abused throat. She needed it harder, faster. She needed him imprinted on every inch of her body, and she needed to come.

Once again he seemed to read her mind, or maybe he was reading her body. At any rate, he took his hands from her straining nipples and slid them up to hook around her shoulders. Using his grip on her shoulders, he pinned her as he moved harder and faster through her tender walls.

Evidently even holding her so firmly wasn’t enough for him, or for her, and he let one hand go long enough to wrap his fingers in the short hair at her nape. He pulled her head roughly back and bent down, whispering his thoughts.

“Meredith,” his voice was raw, sex incarnate, “you feel so fucking perfect. Your body was made to take my cock.”

He bit her neck, hard. He was wild, seemed barely in control of himself, but Meredith wasn’t afraid. In fact, she felt a heady kind of thrill at the power her body held over him.
She
had shaken him loose from his impenetrable control.
She
had driven him to pound into her, to tunnel through her and make her cry out for more. It was
her
body pushing him further and further beyond the limits of sanity.

“Baby, you’re driving me crazy,” his words were guttural, almost bestial. “First with your mouth, now with your fine pussy.” His voice was hoarse from holding back.

Meredith pushed back against him. She was delirious with hunger, incoherent with the overload of sensation. The egg in her ass vibrating, Tony’s body slamming into hers. The sound of his voice as he ground out the words she’d unknowingly longed to hear.

“You’re mine Meredith Worthington. You are
mine
.”

*

Tony drove himself as deeply into his woman as possible. He wanted to stay like this forever. Buried balls deep, holding her tightly. He wanted to hold her and protect her, and to tell her so much more, but Tony was no fool. She wasn’t ready to hear him yet. His Princess would turn tail and run if he confessed his heart to her so soon.

Instead, he fucked her with all he had to give. His orgasm was building; he was dangerously close to losing it. He let go of her arm and slipped his finger to her clit.

“Come with me, Princess. I want to feel you tight around me when I come in you.” He licked her earlobe and she tipped her head back and screamed, biting viciously into the gag as her body tightened up, clutching violently at his driving cock.

Her climax caught him, dragging him after her as her silken walls closed in on his dick, his hot semen poured from his body and into hers. The orgasm seemed never ending. She ground back against him, he pumped into her; over and over, each movement spurring an equally frantic reaction until finally she had wrung every bit of cum he had out of him.

Tony’s sweat-slicked body fell to the bed. He clumsily removed her cuffs and then her gag before pulling her down against him, spooning her into the curve of his exhausted body.

*

She’d never really belonged to anyone before. All her life she’d felt like an outsider, always looking in. Always hoping to have a taste of warmth. Could Tony be the one to give her that? The idea was exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

With Tony she didn’t feel like she had to be either-or. With the Old Man it had been you are either a company drone, or you are useless. You are either a male, or you are a waste of DNA. With Marcus it was you are either a lady, or a whore. You are either the way I want you to be, or I’ll walk away from you.

Tony didn’t set limits or conditions. He seemed just as turned on by the driven executive as he was by the passionate submissive. He asked nothing of her except that she trust him not to hurt her. He respected her, and didn’t see her femininity as a weakness. Maybe, though she was afraid to even think it, just maybe with Tony she really could let her guard down and trust he wouldn’t hurt her.

With these thoughts tumbling around in her confused, sex-drugged mind, she nestled deeper into his arms.

* * * *

They slept for a while, and it was deep into the night when Meredith woke to the feeling of a warm, damp cloth being drawn over her body. The heat was delicious, and it was heavenly to have the lingering stickiness stroked away.

When Tony settled back into the bed and tugged her over himself like a living blanket, Meredith gave in without a fight and let herself sink into his embrace.

After a while, Meredith’s mind clicked back on and she was able to form coherent thoughts. And the first thought in her mind was how Tony had evaded her questions about the construction site.

Tipping her head back to look up at him, she organized her thoughts before murmuring, “So, when are you going to tell me what’s going on at the site?” His expression never changed, and if she hadn’t been draped all over him, she wouldn’t have noticed the minute tensing of his long, lean body.

“I already did tell you,” his voice was soft and sleepy, but his eyes were wide awake.

“There’s nothing going on there you need to worry about.” She didn’t know how, and she didn’t know why, but she did know he was lying to her.

“You insist on my trusting you, Anthony.” She felt him catch his breath at her use of his full name. “But trust has to go both ways.” Lifting one hand she cupped his jaw and turned his face down toward hers. “You can’t just bulldoze all my walls and then not let me past yours.”

She thought she saw conflict in his eyes for one long moment, before he lowered his lips to hers, and made sure she didn’t think at all.

* * * *

The next time she woke, she slid from the bed and gathered her scattered clothing.

Moving silently into the living room, she dressed quickly and dug through her purse for her keys. Once she’d slid behind the wheel, she just sat, considering things.

Tony didn’t fool her. It was obvious he wanted her distracted from what was happening at the construction site. She truly believed what she’d told him, trust had to be a two-way street. She’d opened up to him, given him more than she’d given anyone, ever, but when push came to shove he resorted to diversion and distraction to avoid her questions.

Something was going on at the Convention Center site. There was no more denying it. She didn’t believe Tony was involved in whatever it was, but he knew something and by refusing to share it with her, he was disrespecting her as his employer, as a business woman, and as
his
woman.

The knowledge confused her, made her weary. She didn’t know what to do about it, what she could do about it, but she did know she couldn’t share a bed with a man who didn’t trust her, or respect her. No matter how much she might be coming to care about him.

* * * *

On Tuesday morning Meredith dealt with her lingering hurt and confusion in the way she always dealt with uncomfortable feelings. She buried herself in her work.

Worthington was the one place she’d always felt safe, in control. Now she feared something might be threatening her fortress. Something happening at the construction site. She could feel her body tensing. She wished she were at the gym where she could punch the heavy bag until her knuckles hurt. It was something she often did to release pent-up anger, frustration, or hurt. She would hit the bag over and over until her arms were exhausted, refusing to rise up anymore.

It was a satisfying catharsis, and more productive than what she’d done to cope when the Old Man had died. Besides, there was only so much hair she could cut off before she ended up bald.

There was a light rapping at the door before Trey, the Office Manager, popped his head into the room. Meredith waved him in wearily. “Someone got a package.” He presented her with a large black box, tied with a red bow. “My, my, Ms. Worthington seems to have an admirer.”

Meredith cringed at his sing-song voice as Trey stood expectantly by her desk. She gave him a dry look. As if she would open a mysterious package in front of him. Trey was adorable, so adorable he sometimes gave Meredith a toothache, like too much sugar would. But, adorable or not, Trey was also the office gossip. He was never vicious, but he did love to speculate on the romances of the employees, turning life at The Worthington Group into his own personal soap opera.

He amused most of the staff, and Meredith was usually one of those who found him endearing. Today was
not
one of those days. With a pointed look at the door, she shooed him from the room before directing her attention to the box on her desk. She recognized the bold script across the envelope attached to the box immediately.

With hands that weren’t quite steady, she removed the letter inside the envelope.

Princess,

You may be able to run, but we both know you can’t hide. What’s more, we both
know you don’t really want to do either.

Put the dress on. Be ready at eight. I’ll come for you at your condo, and you will be
ready and waiting. Don’t disappoint me, Princess. Not again.

Anthony

He was angry at the way she’d snuck out while he slept. She’d expected it, but she hadn’t expected how much it would bother her.

Tossing the note on her desk, she carefully slid the red silk ribbon from the box.

Flipping off the lid, Meredith peeled back the delicate white tissue paper, then stared blankly into the box for a moment.

Reaching inside she lifted out a silver metallic dress. She held it up against her body.

The fabric was decadent, the halter-styled neckline would dip low, exposing the inner curves of her breasts, while leaving her back bare. Staring at the glittering material, she realized Tony had almost exactly replicated what she’d been wearing the night they first met. Where in the world had he found a dress like this?

Her face burned as she prayed he hadn’t sent one of his sisters out to purchase the sexy-as-hell garment. Gently laying the dress on her desk, Meredith reached back inside the box and pulled out a scrap of lace she assumed were panties. As she held up the bit of fabric she raised one eyebrow. They were missing the crotch. Had he lost his mind?

Garters and silky black hose followed.

Only one gift remained, and it was spectacular. Meredith had a thing for sexy shoes, probably because her father had never allowed her to wear any, and Tony had sent her an exquisite pair of Jimmy Choos. Black four-inch open-toe heels with long black straps that would wind around her ankles and up her legs.

Her stomach clenched as her eyes roved over the clothing. His taste was amazing.

Sexy without being trashy. She would look like his woman, his lover, but not his whore.

Meredith sighed when she realized that even five years later Marcus’ words could cut her to the quick.

* * * *

She was distracted all day, her mind on six-plus feet of walking sex. She was unusually quiet at the weekly board meeting, for once allowing Matthew to take the lead.

She was pleasantly surprised at his preparation, his professionalism. She had to wonder if Tony had been right. Had she and Marcus pushed their younger sibling out of the way when he could have been a valuable contributor all along?

There was still no word from her older brother, and the board members were getting antsy. There was only so long they’d buy the explanation he’d taken a short vacation.

Marcus hadn’t missed more than a random day of work in the last fifteen years. Now missing two in a row with no warning or advanced planning wasn’t something easily explained away to the staff and stockholders.

It was after six when she was able to escape, and she drove home in a frazzled rush.

If she hurried, she just had time to shower, to shave and pluck and smooth her skin until it felt like warm velvet. She played with her hair and make-up, starting over more than once because she’d lost the knack. It had been years, five years to be exact, since Meredith had bothered with anything more than mascara and sheer lipstick.

At eight o’clock, she was dusting her shoulders with the silver glitter Tony had thoughtfully provided when the doorbell rang.

She stared at it as if expecting it to swing open and admit an alien from outer space.

Her hands began to shake as the reality of what she was doing suddenly hit her.

She was giving in to this man who’d burrowed into her soul. This man who commanded her trust and obedience. This man who refused to give her his trust in return.

The pleasure when she opened the door to face him was bittersweet. He was gorgeous, wrapped in black leather from waist to heel, a black silk shirt partially open over his bronzed chest. His eyes burned over her, radiating faint satisfaction when he registered that she’d dressed for him. The generous line of his mouth was hard, though, and Meredith knew he’d not forgotten, or forgiven, her desertion last night.

“My dark knight,” she murmured, and flushed when he raised a brow and quirked one corner of his hard, edible mouth. “That’s how I thought of you that night,” she explained, “all black leather and sex appeal.” She rolled her eyes a little and gave him a wry smile. “I didn’t stand a chance.”

He returned her smile, but his didn’t really reach his eyes. Without speaking he offered her his arm and led her to his truck. When it became obvious that in her short skirt and deadly heels Meredith wouldn’t be able to climb up with any sort of grace, he grasped her around the waist and lifted her up.

Standing between her legs, his eyes were level with hers. He cupped her cheek with one hand and said, “We’ve started a new chapter, haven’t we?” And while she didn’t know exactly what it meant, she knew it was true.