Authors: Chanta Rand
But he hadn’t stepped to her again after that. He’d been a
ll business and sour-like. Maybe he hadn’t enjoyed the kiss as much as she had. She guessed she really shouldn’t complain. She didn’t want things to get all hot and heated with him. One kiss might lead to another, and the next thing she knew, he would discover her secret. She was too shamed to reveal that. When he’d asked her to steer clear of him, she’d dutifully obliged. She wasn’t going to mess up a perfectly good opportunity. All her life, she’d relied on others to keep her in their good graces. Now, it was her turn to make things happen.
“
You’re gonna be happy when we get our apartment,” she told La’Treece.
“
Yeah. In the meantime, I’ll be countin’ down the days.”
“
Where are you staying? Back at the shelter? “
“
With some people Porter hooked me up with.”
“
What?” Destiny pushed herself up on her elbows. “How can you hang with him after the mess he got me in?”
“That was an accident. He
explained everything it to me.”
She forced away needles of irritation that pricked her skin.
“I wish he would have extended the same courtesy to me.”
“
Oh, listen to you using big phrases,” La’Treece mocked.
“I wish he would have extended the same courtesy
.”
“
I mean, I just wish he woulda told me instead of you. I’m the one he owes the explanation to.”
“
Well, I’m passing along the message for him.” She paused, and the tension between them was noticeably present again. “I gotta go, girl. Talk to you later.”
Destiny hung up.
She’d learned early in life to trust her intuition instead of trusting people. Her intuition never failed her. And right now, something didn’t feel right. She gnawed on her bottom lip. She didn’t have the answer right now, but she knew it would be revealed soon. She got up and ran the water for her shower. Her professional life was taking shape at last. As for her personal life–she’d never felt more alone than she did now.
Chapter
7
“Case dismissed!”
The s
ound of the gavel striking the block signaled the judge’s final decision. Cayson’s smug smile of satisfaction could be seen from a mile away. Destiny was happy for him. He’d worked hard, and he was seeing the fruits of his labor on this case. From her seat in the second row of the courtroom, she watched him confidently stride to where his client sat and shake the man’s meaty hand. Not so long ago, she sat in a similar position, her heart thumping wildly as Cayson defended her. She was sure his ridiculously wealthy client hadn’t lost one wink of sleep over this case. He was used to things going his way. He probably knew this time would be no different. Destiny wondered how it felt to know everything in life would work out the way you wanted it.
Cayson closed his briefcase and shot a glance in her direction.
His smile was infectious, and she grinned. She placed a palm over her stomach, squashing the nervous flutter that had chosen that moment to make an appearance. It seemed lately Cayson couldn’t look at her without her pulse racing and her heart flip-flopping.
What the hell is wrong with me? A guy gives me one kiss and suddenly I can’t function?
Get it together, girl!
She shook the feeling off, keeping her perfect smile in place. She
’d been working hard too. Since the day Cayson had pushed a stack of files into her arms, and recruited her as his temporary assistant, she’d been helping him with the administrative pieces of this case. She’d even accompanied him to court, watching his legal prowess in action. He was confident in everything he did. The courtroom was no exception. It didn’t matter to him if his client was innocent or not. Cayson lived for the competition. Simply put, he loved to win.
“
Thanks for all of your help,” he told her as he approached. “You made my life a hell of a lot easier.”
She stood and slung her purse over her shoulder.
“Are you kidding me? I should be thanking you. I’m learning so much by watching you.”
His dark eyes brightened as his gaze swooped up and down
her body, finally settling on the bare skin at the open collar of her white blouse. She felt as though he could see right through the thin fabric. As people filed past, he lowered his voice for her ears only. “So, you like watching me, huh?”
The huskiness of his voice sent tremors through her.
When he licked his lips, her nipples tightened in response. “That’s not how I meant it, but yeah, I do like watching you move.”
“The feeling is mutual. Sometimes, I can’t keep my eyes off you.”
Her stomach was in overdrive now. She willed it to stop doing those damn flip-flops. She averted her gaze from his strong, chiseled jaw and tried to focus on his hair instead. It was a mistake. That stray lock was brushing his forehead again, dangling like tantalizing fruit, begging her to tuck it back in place. Or better yet, run her fingers through the thick waves of hair.
Cayson was all man, and right now,
she was totally unequipped to handle his ass. She felt like prey being stalked by a hunter. But was he attracted to her? Or was he simply enjoying the game? Sometimes, she didn’t know how to take him. He ran cold one minute. Hot the next. At this moment, Cayson Sullivan was definitely hot for her. Maybe winning made him horny.
She
tore her gaze from his handsome face, and looked around as the courtroom emptied. “So what now?” she asked.
“
Now, we celebrate.”
They stopped at a bar called
The Chute.
When Destiny asked Cayson about the strange name, he told her the original owner was a former CEO who opened the bar with money he’d received from a golden parachute. Now, it was a local hangout for lawyers. Some went there to lick their wounds from getting their asses kicked in court. Others dropped in to brag about their wins. They stayed there for a few hours, socializing with the steady stream of JADE staff that came through the doors. Phaedra, Destiny, and a few other ladies from the office grabbed a table and let their hair down, laughing and joking about office politics. At one point, Phaedra leaned over and whispered in Destiny’s ear. “Looks like you’ve caught someone’s interest.”
Destiny didn’t have to ask who that someone was.
Cayson’s eyes followed her around the room like GPS. Every move she made, she felt his gaze on her. It would have been creepy if any other guy had done it. But with him, it was erotic. She creamed in her panties at the thought of him lusting for her.
She downplayed the attention. “You’re imagin
ing things,” she told Phaedra. “There’s too much eye candy here for Cayson to stay focused on me.”
Phaedra smirked. “I’ve never known him to eat candy. He’s more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy.”
The two laughed, and Destiny was grateful that Phaedra changed the subject. She didn’t want to think about Cayson’s new fascination with her. Over the past few weeks, she’d felt a strong pull of sexual attraction. She was trying hard as hell to resist it. Like Cayson had told her over and over again, their situation was temporary. She was not about to waste time and energy into being his latest plaything. If and when she decided to sleep with a man, it would be on her own terms–not his.
Cayson celebrated so hard, Destiny didn’t trust him to drive home. She wasn’t sure how many Whiskey Sours a grown man could handle, but she’d stopped counting at six. The entire ten-minute drive from the bar to his house, she had to repeatedly slap his hands away as he attempted to fondle her thighs. She’d never seen him this wasted. When they walked through the front door, he was unsteady on his feet, so she let him lean on her shoulder as she helped him to his bedroom.
God! All the
se muscles are heavy!
He sang loudly as they walked. Something about an Irishman who lost his heart to a bonnie lass in Devonshire. Wherever the hell that was.
“Ssh!” Destiny admonished. “You’re gonna wake the dead with all that racket.”
He flopped
backwards onto a king-sized sleigh bed. His long legs hung off the side of the mattress. This was her first time in his bedroom. It was tastefully decorated in black. Like the rest of the house, colorful artwork and masks adorned the walls. The only other furniture besides the huge bed was a sleek, black dresser with nickel hardware, two matching night stands, and a man’s valet stand with a gray suit jacket hanging from it. An abstract red and white rug covered most of the wood floor. The dark curtains of his large window were drawn, and she imagined with all the natural light, he had little use for the three lamps that now lit the room.
The faint smell of his cologne lingered
in the air like a pleasant memory. Just beyond the far wall, she saw the door to his master bathroom. Thinking of him in the shower lathering his body with soap sent a wicked thrill of excitement through her. She glanced at Cayson, hoping he couldn’t read her expression, but he lay with eyes closed and arms outstretched.
She shook her head. The
least she could do was remove his shoes and tie. She didn’t want him to fall asleep fully dressed. She untied his laces and tugged on the heels of his black wingtips. They looked great with the pinstriped suit he’d worn earlier. She caressed the long lines of his feet, deciding to leave his silk socks on. Without them, his toes might get cold. When she reached up to loosen the fat knot of his tie, he grabbed her wrists. She pulled back in surprise, but he held her tight. His eyes flickered open and feasted on her.
“
God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured.
Goosebumps puckered on her skin.
His compliments always buoyed her ego, but she had to remember who she was dealing with. Cayson was a slick-tongued lawyer. He had a way with words. “Everybody looks beautiful when you’re wasted,” she answered.
“I’m not too drunk to
realize how beautiful you are. Or how much I want you.”
The look of longing in his eyes was practically her undoing. He held her gaze captive, and she was lost in the dark depths, wondering how deep his passions flowed. He tug
ged on her wrists, pulling her on top of him. When he brushed her collarbone with his lips, she closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his hot mouth on her skin.
There was no hiding it–she was as hungry for him as he was for her.
Heat spiraled through the pit of her belly and nested between her legs. If she put her hands between her thighs right now, she’d likely burn her fingers!
Cayson
coaxed her mouth open with his tongue. She tasted the spicy sweetness of bourbon. She suckled, pulling and stroking his tongue. She couldn’t get enough of him. His hands slid down her back and palmed her ass, his long fingers squeezing and kneading. She moaned against his mouth.
Lord! He feels
so good!
When his hips grinded
against hers, white-hot sparks of pleasure shot through her. If he kept this up, he would turn her to putty in seconds. Her experience with men was limited. How could she ever hope to handle such a skilled lover? On the other hand, there was so much he could teach her if she gave herself fully to him. But was she ready?
Self-doubt kicked in. She dragged her mouth from his, and used his body as leverage to push herself away. “No,” she shook her head. “I can’t just…give myself. I don’t…think…”
“No woman has ever left my bed unsatisfied,” he boasted. His magical hands continued to stroke her. The tips of his fingers brushed against a distended nipple, setting her on fire again.
She wrenched away, putting as much distance between her and those heavenly hands as she could. She stood over him. “I don’t want to be another one of your conquests, Cayson. I don’t want to be the subject of office gossip.”
He sat up, his dark eyes filled with desire. “Since when do you care about gossip?”
“
Since I got this good job.” In truth, she didn’t care about what others thought of her. She cared what she thought of herself. Working at JADE had shown her there was so much more to life. She couldn’t sell herself short. Cayson Sullivan could get coochie anywhere. He didn’t need hers.
With strength she didn’t k
now she had, she pushed him down on the bed, and walked from the room.
“
Where ya going?” he called after her, his words slightly slurred. “Party’s just getting started.”
If she left him alone, he’d
be passed out in ten minutes. “I’m gonna slip into something more comfortable,” she lied.
He closed his eyes and crossed his arms
behind his head. “Okay, baby. I’ll be waiting.”
S
he closed the door behind her. He was going to have one hell of a headache when he woke up
alone
in his bed.
********
Cayson dropped two antacids tablets into a glass of water. He watched as the tablets bubbled, and then filled the glass with their effervescent fizz.
That must be what
my brain looks like inside my skull right now.
He waited for the mushroom of fizz to settle before chugging the entire glass. He burped, and immediately felt the release of pressure in his stomach. Now, he needed an aspirin to quiet the pounding in his head. He was getting to
o old to drink as hard as he had last night.
His office
door burst open and it took a Herculean effort to raise his eyes to the intruder. He’d specifically told Byron
to cancel all of his morning appointments. He was in no mood for idle chatter today. When his eyes landed on Destiny, standing happily in his doorway, he winced. Even the bright color of her red, wrap dress seemed to scream at him.
“Good morning!” she chirped.
“Jeez,” he cradled his head. “Do you have to be so loud?”
“
Oh, stop being a baby.” She bustled forward, the tempting sway of her hips moving like a pendulum and hypnotizing him. His head might be fucked up, but his dick still worked fine. “Nobody told you to get shitfaced last night,” she berated. “Knowing you had to come to work this morning. Some role model you are.”
He slid his glass to the side. “Nobody said anything about me being a role model.”
“Remember, you’re responsible
for me now. What kind of example are you setting?”
How did she manage to be so cheerful? And look so great.
There were no apparent signs of her drinking last night. Yet, he knew she’d downed a few. He saw her sipping cocktails with Phaedra. He’d noticed everything about her last night. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. “Why aren’t you hung over?” he demanded.
She tossed him an impish smile. “I know how to
hold my liquor.”
“
Yeah, but I was drinking hard liquor. You only drank fruity drinks.”
“
And I know when to practice self-restraint. Something you haven’t quite mastered yet.”
He knew she was alluding to more than simply
imbibing. She had a point. He didn’t like limitations. So, he rarely imposed them on himself. He changed the subject. “You were already gone when I got up this morning.”