The Tycoon's Marriage Exchange (16 page)

Hector was almost out the door when he heard that piece.  What contacts did she have?  And why hadn’t she come to him, asked him for his help?  He’d already resolved her father’s problems.  The company was safe, even stronger than before and
Demetrius
was even coming to Hector for advice on shoring up other areas of his enterprises, to ensure that he wasn’t ever in that kind of situation again.  Hector had been humbled by his mentor’s request for help and had done all he could to strengthen his friend’s and father-in-law’s business. 

And now he finds that his wife has needed help and hadn’t come to him.  It angered him, while at the same time showed him how much he still had to go to win her over.  He didn’t just want her body.  He wanted her love. 

He walked out of their bedroom, determined to start the ball rolling on finding out what kind of trouble his wife’s friend was in.  Then he stopped himself as he accepted the cup of coffee his housekeeper handed him before he walked out the door to the waiting limousine.  He had to figure out a way to get her to confide in him.  That was how she learned to trust him.  He wouldn’t go behind her back and get the information, concerned that any kind of action like that would violate her trust. 

Kallista
listened, fascinated as her friend relayed the story of how she’d just returned from the United States and
had finished
testifying against the men she’d witnessed shooting another man in the subway station.  She described her “amazing” husband who Dana
portrayed
as the yummiest man to walk the earth. 

“Wait.  Are you telling me that you married the
Sheik
of Odar?  The one and only sheik?  The man who
magazines
rated as the sexiest man alive and one of the wealthiest?”
Kallista thought about Hector and wondered why he wasn’t on the list.  Possibly because he shunned publicity so adamantly, but it was a pity.

Then she shook her head.  Hector already had enough trouble dodging women who wanted to throw themselves at him.  He didn’t need a silly magazine list to increase his popularity.  And add to her competition, she grimaced. 
Of course, the average person didn’t know what an amazing lover he was.  She did, sh
e thought with a secret smile.  If only there were more.  Surely there was more to this, wasn’t there? 

Kallista
talked with Dana for a long while, catching up and laughing about all the crazy issues her friend had run into.
  She then relayed her own news, confiding her angst related to
her marriage and her problems with her husband.  Feeling sad that Dana had a wonderful man who loved her with his whole heart while she made love to a man every night who had no feelings at all, much less the softer ones of love and fulfillment.  She was both jealous and excited for her friend, and eager to meet this amazing man. 

Hector came home that night and found
Kallista
still on the phone, although she probably hadn’t been on it all day long.  She was working out some arrangements, he suspected that he would be taking her somewhere to meet her friend’s new husband, the man she’d been discussing earlier this morning.

Not wanting to disturb her, he waved to her over her laptop screen, then moved into the bedroom to take a shower. 

Over the next three days, he found himself having those same feelings whenever he found his wife on the phone, which was just about all the time.  The only
moments she wasn’t on the phone was when the two of them
were at some formal function or another
event
.  On the one hand, Hector was proud to have such a beautiful woman on his arm
who was also working hard at some project that interested her.  She wasn’t someone who let the world flow by but grabbed it and hung on to the lion’s tail
. 
Kallista
’s smile and her gentle spirit drew people out and she made them feel good just by talking with her.  And every time she came out of her dressing room, she looked fabulous.  He loved the fact that he could dress her in that way.  If anyone had known him fifteen years ago, they would have laughed in his face at the idea of him being able to drape his wife in silk and satin gowns.  She needed jewels, he thought and made a mental note to have his secretary pick something out.

As he watched her move about the room
that evening
, talking with the various groups
in the ballroom
, he mentally shook his head.  Picking out jewels for his wife was something he wanted to do personally.  His secretary had purchased baubles for his mistresses in the past when a birthday or significant event came up, or as a parting gift.  Having her do that same chore for his wife left a bad taste in his mouth. 

Besides, he wanted to personally make sure that, whatever his wife wore, she would both like and
the jewels
reflect
ed
how he felt about her
, how proud he was of everything she represented
. 

Hector took a sip of his bourbon and turned away
from watching his wife laugh with a group of women several feet away
.  He wasn’t going to go into his feelings for his wife right now.  She was complicated and a free spirit
, not someone who wanted to be burdened by his emotions
.  She’d married him for his help and expertise in extricating her father from a bad situation.  He wouldn’t complicate her life and his by falling in love with her.  She was a good wife and will be a great mother to their children.  That was all he could expect from this relationship and wishing for more was asking for something outside the realm of possibility. 

The next
evening
, he came home
in time to shower and change for the evening but
Kallista
was
nowhere
to be found.  He asked his housekeeper and was informed that she’d been gone since only a few minutes after he’d left earlier in the day.

Ten minutes later, Hector was in the shower, contemplating possible places she might be when she breezed into their bedroom.  He heard her and spied her though the
steamed glass of the shower walls
, wondering why she looked so flustered. 

“Tough day?” he asked as he walked out of the shower, toweling himself off as he watched her.

Kallista
almost jumped when she heard Hector’s voice.  Of course she’d heard the shower running
so she knew he was in the bedroom
, but she hadn’t expected him to come out so quickly.  She’d actually been hoping to have a few more moments to gather her thoughts and figure out what her next move would be
with this interminable investigation
.  She’d lost the man she’d been following earlier today and had
been scouring the streets all afternoon trying to find him again.  He was one of the biggest drug dealers in the city and
she
was so close to finding out how he smuggled the drugs in and what his distribution chain was. 

She tossed her
bag
on her dressing table and slumped onto the bed, frustration and anger at losing
her prey
.
  Why couldn’t this tailing thing be easier?  The dealer was a slippery little eel!
 
Couldn’t he just walk one way and point to where he was storing all of his drugs?  Her feet ached, she was hot and thirsty and, because she’d been out in the sun all day, she felt sticky from the heat and humidity.  All she wanted to do was have a cool shower and relax with an icy, cold drink. 
And maybe rest her aching head on Hector’s broad shoulder.  A hug would be really nice too! 

“Irritating day,” she grumped and sighed
, turning away and pulling her denim jacket off before tossing it onto the bed
.  “What are we doing tonight?” she asked and started to take her
small, gold
earrings out in preparation for getting ready for the next
evening
event.  She was painfully tired and just wanted to crawl into bed, but if Hector needed her, s
he was going to be there for him
.  It was the least she could do. 

Hector watched as Kallista practically growled in frustration over whatever had occurred during her day.  She wasn’t normally this jumpy and
always had a ready smile but t
onight, she was grouchy, tossing her purse and jacket onto the bed and prowling the confines of the bedroom wearily. 
“What happened?”
he
asked
softly
as he moved closer to her. 

Kallista
’s eyes stopped glaring at inanimate objects as he
approached
.  Instead, she noticed his massive chest with water droplets still clinging to his skin.  “I…um….” She took a deep breath, trying to come up with an explanation for why she was so grumpy, but the large expanse of bare skin was distracting. 

“You…?” he asked, smiling as he realized that she was just as distracted as he was, but for a different reason
now
.  He preferred
this
excuse, but he also wanted to know where she’d been all day. 

Kallista
reached out and touched his chest, her fingers diving through the chest hairs, loving the way they tickled the palm of her hand.  “You could make my day better,” she whispered, then quickly glanced up at his face, trying to determine if he was offended by her request.  Did he think she was wanton for asking him to make love to her?  Was he horrified? 

The dark, intense look in his eyes let her know that he wasn’t.  In fact, he seemed pleasantly surprised that she had taken the initiative. 

“What do you think would help you shake off the day?” he asked and took a step closer. 

Her fingers moved slightly, her eyes glazed over and her tongue darted out to lick her lips.  “I think that if you….well…,” her hands moved down to the towel around his hips and loosened the knot holding it in place.  “Could you…?”

“Say it,
Kallista
,” he commanded with a husky, deep voice, encouraging her to tell him what she wanted.  “I’d love to hear you say the words.” 

She let her hands wander a bit more, then pushed the towel out of the way, inhaling sharply when she found him already hard and ready for her.  Her fingers moved farther downward, wrapping around his erection and feeling the velvet steel, reveling in the power in her hands.  “I want to make love to you,” she whispered a moment before she sat down on the bed, his erection right in front of her at this level. 

“
Kallista
!” he said harshly, but his hands were gentle in her hair, pulling the band out that held her pony tail in place so his fingers could wrap around her long, brown tresses.  “You don’t have t do this,” he groaned. 

A moment later, her warm mouth covered him and he almost lost it right then and there.  She was so tentative, so careful that he wanted to climax but held himself back.  This experience was too incredible to be ruined by coming too quickly.  But it was sheer torture when her hands explored, feeling her way around him while her mouth tasted, her tongue teased. 

After only a few moments, he had to stop her.  “No more,” he groaned and pulled her up, lifting her into his arms and kissing her deeply. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, loving the way he kissed her, the warmth of his body against her and she desperately wanted out of these clothes. 

“I need to shower,” she gasped when he picked her up and laid her down onto the bed.

“Damn the shower,” he growled and unbuckled her leather belt, then worked the zipper of her jeans.  With one swift movement, he pulled the jeans down her long, sexy legs then stood up to survey her.  She was too t
hin, he thought but then he bent
and dipped his head, kissing her stomach, his tongue delving into her belly button. 

When he smelled her scent, he couldn’t resist going lower, wanting to taste as well as smell.  She tried to stop him but he simply grabbed her hands and pulled her arms to the side.  Moving lower, he nudged her legs open with his knee, laughing at her resistance and winning the weak fight even before it started. 

Slowly, with taunting kisses, he worked his way up her inner thigh, trying hard not to move too quickly, but pulled closer by her sweet smell, his mouth desperate to taste her essence.  When he finally reached his goal, he blew gently, watching as she arched her back and even tried to scoot away.  But he held her firmly, placing one more kiss on her soft skin before his mouth
moved to his goal.  He smiled when he heard her cry out but didn’t relent, smoothing, teasing, licking.  With one finger, he slid inside her heat, creating more friction even as his tongue teased harder.  She was so close and he wanted this to last, but he was drawn to her more, loving those little w
h
impers she made each time he moved the way she liked.  With two fingers inside her, he bent and sucked her hard nub and watched with amazement as she splintered into her climax, holding her hips steady so he could make it longer, harder. 

When he felt her relax, he grinned, then moved up her body once again, making a leisurely trail of bites and kisses as he did.  When he reached her breasts, he couldn’t resist taking a taste and pushed her shirt higher, unsnapping the front closure
of her bra, freeing her beautiful breasts to his view and touch
.