Authors: Carol Swan
Yet here she was, standing in the path of the hunk and he was staring at her with such burning intensity. Kara felt the shock of his gaze and she trembled slightly. He could not really be staring at her, could he? She glanced behind her and saw a few of the models looking hungrily at the specimen before her. She could not blame them. He was not just tall, but well built. He was wearing what had to be a designer suit and it was almost as impressive as the air of power and command he had about him. There was no doubt that he was the boss.
He walked slowly towards her and stopped right in front of her.
“What’s your name?”
Kara glanced behind her again and then looked at him with a frown. “You talking to me?”
“There’s no one else here.”
Kara narrowed her eyes. He was trying to intimidate her and she was intimidated, but she did not need to let him see that. She squared her shoulders and looked him right in the eyes as she replied, “I’m Kara, and you’re … Ethan Hawke.”
He simply raised an eyebrow.
When he didn’t say anything else, Kara got irritated. “Pat’s around here somewhere. He’s the one in charge of this project. I’ll get him for you.” She turned to walk away, but his voice stopped her.
“You’re the one I want.”
She paused in her tracks as her body slowly began to catch fire. She knew there was no way he’d meant what he said in a sexual manner, but her body had interpreted it thus and was reacting to that. She inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath.
“Mr. Hawke…”
“Call me Ethan.”
“Y-yeah… I’m just the lackey here. If you want to know what is going on with your ad, Pat is the person you should be talking to.”
She saw amusement light his dark brown eyes as he shook his head. “You would like for me to think that, won’t you?”
She stilled. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I have been watching you,” he confided in a low voice.
His voice sent a shiver of awareness down Kara’s spine. The man was too sexy by half.
“Why have you been watching me?” she’d meant to sound distant, but her voice had only come out sounding husky.
She saw passion flare in his eyes and could not help marveling.
“I was imagining how your body would feel pressed up to mine.”
Kara took a step back in alarm. The man was definitely crazy. But she was the one who was certifiable because she felt her breasts become heavy and her entire body had gone on red alert. The man was seriously sexy and she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. But she was no moth and she’d learned very early to avoid flames. She needed to get away from him, but she did not want to just turn and walk away. He was the boss, after all. She wondered where Pat had gone to.
“Ah, I’ll get Pat for you, Mr. Hawke,” she said, taking another step back.
“I’m right here. We’re glad you stopped by, Mr. Hawke.” Pat suddenly appeared out of nowhere and gave Kara a look that said he would take it from there.
She gave him a weak smile that was filled with relief and took off. She decided to keep out of Ethan Hawke’s way till he left. Surely he would be gone in no time at all.
She walked to the other side of the swimming pool, where the photo shoot was taking place. She had just waved to the model she’d helped earlier when her phone rang. Seeing who it was, she stepped into the dark interior of the pool house and picked the call.
“Tami, what’s up?”
“I want you to foster a kid,” Tami said without preamble.
Kara felt her entire body go weak and she leaned against the wall. Tami was her best friend. They met when they were sent to the same foster home when they were fifteen and had left as soon as they’d turned sixteen. Tami was now a social worker and she kept trying to convince Kara to take on a kid.
“Tami…”
“Wait, just hear me out please.”
Kara sighed.
“Her name’s Dani. She is thirteen years old and does not get on well in the system. She is a really bright kid, and I just need to know she’ll be okay. I’ve tried her in six different homes and each one seems to kill her a little, but I just know that if she were with you…”
Tami’s voice broke then and Kara felt the pain squeeze her heart. Dani sounded so much like her and that was why her first instinct was to turn Tami down. She did not want to relive those days.
Just then, there was a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to see one of the goons who had walked in with Ethan. She asked Tami to hold briefly and raised an inquiring eyebrow at the man.
“The boss will see you now,” he said.
Kara’s eyebrow went higher. Then she shrugged. “Tami, I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Thank you, Kara! It means a lot to me.”
“I said I was going to think about it. That’s all…” but Tami had already cut the line.
Taking a deep breath, Kara slid her phone into her pocket and turned to follow the goon to where Mister High and Mighty awaited.
Ethan was standing outside the mansion that was being used for the photo shoot when he saw Kara step out. She had one of his men with her and beside him, she looked so small. She was petite, and her body was compact and fit. He liked that about her. Hell, he liked a lot about her.
She walked to where he was and stopped.
“You asked to see me?”
“I’m cancelling the contract with your agency.”
He saw the confusion on her face and then she turned pale. “But why? And why are you telling me this?”
“Oh, I’ve already informed Pat. I just decided to let you know.”
“But why would you do that?”
“Your people know my policy on drugs.”
“But that poor girl needed the job.”
He stepped close to her, so close their bodies were almost touching. He could smell the scent of her hair and it was so sexy—he was immediately aroused. The front of his pants became uncomfortably tight. Her breath became choppy and he could see the pulse at the base of her neck going wild. Whatever it was that was going on between them, it was definitely mutual.
He waited till she tilted her head to look at him. He used his thumb to gently caress her lips and she shuddered.
“You are attracted to me,” he said without inflection.
She frowned and took a step back. “Any red-blooded female would be.”
He felt his mouth quirk upward in a smile. She was sassy.
“I don’t want just any red-blooded female,” he said. “I want you.”
“That’s not possible. Don’t mess with me.”
He did not like being dismissed that way. He stepped closer to her and looked deep into her eyes. “I want to fuck you, Kara.”
She gasped in shock at his blunt speech, then her eyes dilated. He saw her nipples peak beneath the tank top she wore, and he knew that if he placed his hand over her secret mound, it would be wet. He wished they were alone so he could confirm his suspicion.
“You should not say things like that.” Her voice was firm even though he knew she was not unaffected.
“Why not tell the truth?”
“You shouldn’t cancel the contract, either,” she said in a sudden change of subject. “It would affect too many people.”
“Are you offering to change my mind?”
Her tongue darted out and wet her lips and a desire so hot hit him that it took all he had to maintain control. He wanted to kiss her until he knew every part of her mouth intimately. He wanted to take her right there, against the closest wall. He could feel his erection pulsing in his pants and was baffled that a mere slip of a woman could have such an effect on him.
“You want me to sleep with you so that you won’t cancel the contract?” she asked.
“Are you offering?”
“I don’t roll like that.”
He nodded. “You would let me fuck you regardless of the contract.”
She took a deep breath and let it out, her expression pained. “Could we not talk about that?”
He chuckled, the sound harsh, even to his ears. “I am sporting a most painful erection, and this has not happened to me since I was a teenager.”
Almost against her will, her gaze swung there and her eyes opened wide in shock. “You really are attracted to me?”
“You’re a beautiful woman,” he said. “You’re wet down there, aren’t you?”
Even though they had been speaking in low voices, her gaze darted around to be sure no one was close enough to eavesdrop. She licked her lips again and shook her head. “This is crazy. There are a number of models in there who would be happy to do this with you. I don’t have your sophistication and I can’t play this game with you.”
“One night,” he said in a level voice.
“What?”
“I’m asking you for one night. Just you and I. One night of incredible sex and then we both walk away. No one gets hurt. That is what you are afraid of, isn’t it?”
Kara opened her mouth to reply, but he stopped the words with the finger he placed on her lips.
“Just one night, Kara,” he said in a whisper. “Think about it. I’ll pick you up by seven this evening.”
And before she could speak, he nodded and walked down the steps to the waiting limo.
Kara stood still as the elevator carried her to the penthouse suite of the Four Seasons Hotel. She was supposed to be working that night. She waited tables four nights a week and she’d had to ask someone to take her shift. Running a hand over the dress she wore, she tried to still the nerves fluttering in the pit of her belly. Nerves and excitement.
Kara caught sight of her face in the mirror and stood staring in fascination. Her face was flushed with excitement and her eyes sparkled. She raised a hand to brush back her hair and saw a faint tremor. She had been in a state of semi-arousal all day, and even though she had felt like a call girl when she’d opened her door to find a chauffeur and a limo sans Ethan, she knew that she was not going to turn down this offer. She tried to remember when last she’d had sex. It must have been while she was dating her ex. She was a modern woman, but sex for her had always meant a relationship.
So what are you doing with Ethan Hawke?
That was a question she had no answer for. The man was notorious for avoiding relationships, and here she was, going up to his hotel room to have sex. Her womb clenched at the thought and she drew in a ragged breath.
Soon enough, the elevator stopped and she stepped out into what seemed like a palace. The room, if it could be called that, was huge. From where she stood, she could see the New York skyline at a distance at the other end of the room.
“You came.”
She turned with a soft gasp to find Ethan sitting on one of the sofas, legs crossed and a snifter in his hand. He looked like a master surveying his domain.
“You knew I would.”
He put down the drink on a coffee table and stood. “I was not so sure.”
“Which is why you are dressed in all but a robe?”
He flashed a killer smile. “I’ve been walking around with a hard-on. I needed to be comfortable.”
At his words, her eyes went southward and when she saw the tent there, she felt her knees grow weak.
“You do not spare words, do you?”
He moved close to her. “I don’t know why you affect me this way, but you do.”
She was shaking badly. She clenched her thighs and could not hold back a gasp as prickles of sensation washed through her. She shut her eyes, but that only made it worse as the scent of him filled her nostrils.
His hand brushed her breast lightly and her eyes flew open. The force of the passion she saw in his eyes shot through her and she instantly went on fire. She wanted to touch him everywhere. She wanted to feel his hands on more than just her breasts. She imagined what it would feel like to have him buried deep inside her and she swayed at the wave of lust that washed over her.
Ethan reached out to steady her. He had never had a woman react so strongly to him before, and the feeling was heavy. He felt as though the part where he held her was on fire. Very slowly he brought her closer to him in an embrace. She stood still for a few moments and then let out a low moan as she pressed herself to his body. He could feel her trembling and when he lifted a hand to run lightly over her hair, he knew she was not the only one trembling. Suddenly, he could take it no longer and, placing both hands on either side of her face, he kissed her.
There was nothing hesitant about Ethan’s kiss. It was an invasion of her senses. He sucked on her lips and when she gasped at the assault, he slipped his tongue into her mouth and teased her. Kara felt her secret place become damp and she held on to him because she was no longer sure her legs could hold her. Ethan came up for air, but did not stop kissing her on her face, behind her ear, the side of her neck.
“Don’t… Ethan…” Kara was finding it hard forming a coherent word. “Aren’t we moving too fast?” she finally said.
He pulled her closer and she felt the hard ridge of his erection pressed against her belly. Kara could feel the size of it. It was clearly larger than average, and she wanted it. Every moment felt like a thousand years, waiting for her prize. She needed his hard cock buried inside her wet pussy.