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  Picking up the glass and then glancing up at him showed her that Rian watched her intently. She downed half of the wine in one swallow and set it down before she finished it all and made a fool out of herself. Her lips still tingled from his possessive kiss, and her body felt as though it were on fire. The room was silent, still even, and the food in front of her was covered with a metal dome lid.

  “Eat, Sorcha.”

  The way he spoke and said her name had this tingle racing down her spine. Rian always had an effect on her, and his voice had made her wet more times than she could count, but right now was different. This situation was strange and confusing in a thousand ways, and she was right in the middle of this whirlwind that would have her body moving in different directions. All of this seemed so impersonal, but she knew by the end of this night there wouldn’t be anything left secret between them. She’d be bared in more ways than she probably thought even possible.

  He lifted his dome lid off, and she looked down at hers once more, and then removed it. Baked chicken with this herb crust on it, seasoned cut potatoes, and green beans were on the white porcelain plate. There was a side salad with this little silver boat of dressing beside it. Everything down to the silverware and how it was placed seemed elegant, and made her feel so out of place.

  “It’s just food, Sorcha. You’re staring at it like you’re trying to figure out if I poisoned it or not.” There was no humor in his voice, and when she glanced up at him it was to see him positioned in this relaxed manner. He brought his fork to his mouth and took the potato off the end.

  God, watching him eat should not have had her nipples tingle, but she was aroused, so much so that she crossed her legs trying to numb some of the sensations moving through her. It had the opposite effect. If they were going to have sex tonight, she didn’t want this evening to seem so uncomfortable and forced, and she knew that if she couldn’t calm down it would be a very difficult week. She didn’t want to feel like this was just a transaction, which she supposed it was, but that was beside the point.

  So, she ate in silence, finished off her meal and glass of wine, and then stood and moved over toward him. He had finished a few minutes before she had and had been watching her, but there was now this curious look on his face as she approached. She set her empty glass on the table, and before she took a seat she reached for the wine bottle. But Rian had the same thing in mind, because he reached for it at the same time. Their fingers brushed together, and tingles of electricity raced up her arm. He lifted the bottle and poured her glass full again.

  He looked at her intently and then handed her now full glass of wine to her. Just looking at him, knowing he was watching every single little move she made, had every erogenous zone on her body standing at full attention. Sorcha brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip. She wasn’t a lush, and on occasion did go out with Cora, but right now she needed every drop of wine. This was her third glass, and already she felt the warm buzz moving through her veins. She took another sip, one that was bigger this time, and let the sweetly flavored liquid wash over her taste buds.

  “Your friend was okay with you doing all of this?” he said and grabbed his glass to take a sip.

  “My friend?” She assumed who he was speaking about, but how did he know anything about Cora?

  “Cora, the one that got you the initial interview with my office, and the one you spend most of your time with.” He was leaning back against his chair, one arm resting on the top of the table, and she watched as he ran the pad of his finger over the base of the glass.

  “Um, yeah, she is okay, I guess.” She glanced away, trying to recall if Cora had ever been to the Hartford office, but she came up blank. There might only be two businesses in the building, but the attorney office held a lot of employees, and Cora had only set up the interview appointment with an answering service for Rian. “How exactly do you know about Cora?”

  He didn’t answer right away, just brought the glass to his mouth again and took a long drink while watching her over the rim. When he set the now empty glass back on the table all he did was stare at her.

  “Why do you do that?”

  He lifted a dark eyebrow in question. “Do what?”

  “Stare at me … constantly, like you are trying to figure me out.”

  He didn’t respond right away yet again, and she found herself shifting on the seat.

  “I know everything about you, so I’m not trying to figure anything out, Sorcha,” he said in an almost bland tone.

  What did he mean by that? How much more than the personal information she had given him on her resume and application did he exactly know?

  “Besides, I enjoy looking at you.”

  The heat seemed to increase in the room, and she swallowed at the intensity of his words. But she pushed those feelings of lust aside, of just giving herself to him and “breaking the ice” and focused on what they were talking about now. She thought about his words, about what exactly he meant when he said he knew all about her. A man like Rian Hartford had resources to burn, and she knew exactly what he now meant. “You dug up my information, didn’t you?”

  He smiled, but it was a darker one, and made her feel like this small prey before this giant predator. “Do you really want to know the answer to that?”

  She felt her annoyance for this man start to return with a vengeance. “I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”

  The sound of a clock ticking in the background broke up the sudden silence, but then she saw him grab for the bottle of wine, refill his glass, and set it aside. “I look up everyone who comes to work for me, Sorcha. There are men out there that would like to know how I run things, who my contacts are, and because of that I have to protect myself and my business.”

  She licked her lips, knowing he had to look up certain things. “I have a feeling a man like you doesn’t stop at the surface.” The look on his face told her he knew what she was implying.

  “A man like me?” He sounded amused.

  “A man that doesn’t like to stop when he gets the bare facts. You keep digging because you’re egotistical and have to know everything.” She saw a muscle under his cheek start to twitch, and she knew she was pissing him off. Good, because she couldn’t count the number of times he had pissed her off since being in his presence.

  “No, you’re correct. I keep going when I scratch the surface, but the reason I kept gathering information on you wasn’t because you were working for me.” He started tapping his fingers on the table, and Sorcha realized it was a habit he had. She had a feeling it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that he was nervous—because a man like him surely didn’t feel that type of emotion—but because he was getting angry.

  “So, what did you find out? I assume shit I wouldn’t want anyone knowing unless I felt like telling them?” She clasped her hands together and stared him down as hard as he was doing to her.

  “You have quite a mouth on you, don’t you.” He didn’t phrase it like a question.

  “And you have quite the nerve digging into people’s lives when you have no business doing so.” She could understand him doing that to an extent, but she assumed he’d found out some information on her that she would have liked to keep to herself. “Besides, isn’t that why you wanted me, because of my mouth?” She hadn’t meant the literal sense, but she noticed how he dropped his gaze to her lips.

  “Yes, your mouth was one of the reasons I wanted you, Sorcha.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. On one hand, she wanted to be furious that he had the gall to pry into her life. But on the other hand, she was so aroused just being in his presence that it was hard to think straight.

  She had decided against a bra with her dress, and right now she was regretting the hell out of that decision, especially when she knew her nipples were hard. Rian confirmed that when he lowered his gaze to her chest, stared at her for a second, and then looked at her face again.

  “Are you cold or aroused, Sorcha?”
He leaned forward, and his warm breath that smelled faintly of the wine they were drinking bathed her face.

  A small shiver worked through her, and she opened her mouth, not knowing what she would say.

  “I’d say you’re aroused, Sorcha. I bet your pussy is all nice and wet for me, isn’t it.” Again, he didn’t state it like a question, and in fact sounded like he was speaking to himself. When she didn’t respond he leaned back slowly, and the chair creaked under his weight. He was a big man, but not bulky like a body builder. He was tall and lean, with hard muscle packed on. He was like a swimmer, a sexy, apathetic, swimming god. This man knew exactly what he did to the female population. He knew exactly what he was doing to her by the way the corner of his mouth lifted in a cocky fucking smile.

  Clearing her throat, she took another drink.

  “You have anything you want to ask me before we take things into the bedroom?”

  Her heart started to beat so hard and fast that she actually reached out and held onto the edge of the table. She needed her hard veneer back in place, needed to show him that she would not put up with his arrogant bullshit. And she needed to set her own rules so he knew where she stood. “What exactly are your plans tonight?”

  “Does it really matter what I want or plan on doing as long as no harm comes to you? You signed the contract, so the specifics do not need to be spelled out.” He leaned forward again and covered her hand with his. “I can guarantee that your wet little cunt will be soaking by the time I’m done with you, and that you’ll be so sore between your thighs you won’t be able to walk comfortably tomorrow.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “You’re a sadistic bastard.” She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, and hadn’t even said it with malice or disgust. Sorcha heard the desire in her voice and felt her face heat.

  “I never claimed to be anything else, and I know you didn’t expect a bed full of fucking roses.” He said it with such a straight face, with a voice as hard and cold as the granite lining his apartment, that she gritted her teeth. She loved to hate him, that was for damn sure.

  “Now, what I can do for you is have a bath drawn so you can clean off, and then after that…” He flashed this straight, white toothed grin at her, but it reminded her of a wolf about to attack an innocent lamb. “After that, Sorcha, you’re all mine.” He stood and put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Enjoy the fruit and whipped cream. I know I will enjoy licking it off your body before our time is up.” He turned and left her alone, and all she could do was sit there and stare at the whipped cream that was a few inches from her.

  She imagined exactly where he would spread the white, fluffy topping on her body. She crossed and uncrossed her legs about a hundred times thinking about that, and then when he finally came back and escorted her to the bedroom, she had to force herself to walk straight.

  Yeah, this was going to prove to be one interesting week, especially when she felt her resistance crumbling already.

  14

  Rian gave her half an hour to bathe, and that was being generous. He could have watched her wash herself, run that sponge along her curves, her breasts, and between her legs, but he’d given her this moment of privacy. She had only been here for a small window of time anyway, and he could not be this selfish bastard with her just yet. But once she was finished all bets were off.

  She would be his, would be by his side for the entire seven days, and he’d show her off. He did have to work from his home office during their time together, and had several functions to attend this week, had purposefully had them scheduled this way so he could take her with him. He wanted others to see that she was with him, because she was this gorgeous example of what a female should be like.

  He tossed back the rest of his scotch and contemplated going for another glass. He had drunk two already, but a third was starting to sound more appealing. Instead of risking getting drunk and not being able to fully enjoy the night sober, he set the cup on the coffee table and stood. He moved toward the windows that overlooked the city and clasped his hands behind him.

  He was having a hard time being around her and not showing at least a small amount of control. Normally Rian didn’t fight the desires he had, didn’t try to tame himself, but he found himself doing that because he didn’t want to frighten or make Sorcha feel uncomfortable. He told himself he only had a week with her, and that she knew what she was getting into, but for the last six months he’d watched her, grown fascinated with her, and had this sort of obsession concerning his secretary. Of course he’d never admit that to anyone, least of all her, but it was what it was.

  He headed down the hallway and to his bedroom. There he leaned against the partially opened doorframe and watched as she slipped out of the bathtub and reached for the towel. The water and bubbles slid down her back, along the crease of her big, round ass, and trailed down the length of her thighs. She wasn’t thin by any means, not sickly skinny like the women he had been with before … like the women that were part of the elite society he associated with.

  No, Sorcha was all curves, full and lush in all the right places. Her hips were wide, generous, and when she turned to the side slightly he got a sight of the slight roundness of her belly. Her legs were long, thick, and made to wrap around his hips to hold on as he fucked the hell out of her. When she bent slightly at the waist to get the towel he got a small glimpse of the pinkness between her legs, and his cock jerked forward.

  He palmed himself through his jeans as he watched her towel off, and when she turned around and gasped at his voyeurism, he grew harder still. He ached, fucking ached, to be buried inside of her, and that time had come now.

  “How long were you standing there?” she asked softly, and held the towel tight against her damp body. She was red from the bath, and the room smelled like lavender. She’d smell like the flower, and he’d run the tip of his nose up and down her body, memorizing that smell.

  “Long enough.” He pushed away from the doorframe, moved inside of the bedroom, and shut the door behind him. They were alone, would stay that way until tomorrow morning, but a closed door always alluded to the idea of privacy. He moved closer to her, watched as she moved a step back, and smiled in amusement. “You actually think you can run from me, Sorcha.” He tilted his head slightly, scanned his gaze up and down her body, and then looked back into her eyes. “That’s cute.” He stopped when she came up against the wall. “You look afraid.”

  “I am … a little bit.”

  “You’re afraid of me?”

  She shook her head. “No, not of you, but of what you want to do to me.”

  Her voice had this power moving through him. “And I plan to do a lot to you, Sorcha.”

  “I’m a little concerned there will be—”

  “Pain?”

  She nodded.

  “You’re afraid I’ll hurt you because that’s what gets me off?”

  “I don’t know, honestly.”

  He moved closer so a foot only separated them. She had looked away from him, and he took hold of her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “Look at me.” When she was staring right at him he finished. “I would never harm you. The pain that I think you’re referring to, which you think you’re afraid of, is always in a controlled environment and only meant to heighten your pleasure.” He stroked her cheek with his finger and looked at her mouth. “And I’m not a sadist in the sexual sense, not really. I just want you, Sorcha, and went to great lengths to ensure that.” He leaned forward another inch until he could feel and smell the warm, sweet scent of her wine-laced breath along his mouth. “Anything I do to you will bring you just as much pleasure as it will bring me.” He used his hold on her to tilt her head to the side, baring her throat, and having her at his mercy with just this small hold. If she just tilted her head an inch their lips would be touching.

  “Out of all the women that you could have, all of the models, actresses, heiresses, why would you want me?”

  “I told you why, Sorcha.�
� He still stared at her mouth.

  “I can’t believe that is the only reason. I can’t believe that me hating you makes you hard.” She was breathing heavier now.

  “You don’t hate me, although you like to think you do, because you think that will excuse what you feel for me.” A beat of silence stretched between them. “There is something about you that draws me in.” He lifted his gaze from her plump red lips and looked into her eyes. “There is something that has this obsession inside of me, that makes me pissed at the way you speak to me, act around me, and has me want to tear off your clothes and fuck you.”

  “You like the chase,” she said almost to herself.

  “Maybe that’s it.” He slid his hand over her cheek and to the back of her head. “I’m not being cocky when I say I could have any woman I want with just a phone call.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  He smiled, a genuine one because she was calling him out. “But why would I want a woman that wouldn’t offer me a challenge?” She didn’t respond, but he hadn’t said that to hear her say something back at him. “You’re tough, and are the kind of woman that is set in her ways, stubborn, too.” He leaned in so their lips almost touched. “You’re like me, whether you like to admit it or not. Maybe it’s arrogant of me to think, but I want you fighting back, not putting up with my shit. Because in the end you’ll give it all to me anyway, and that will make your resistance falling all the sweeter. Now, Sorcha.”

  He took his other hand and held her cheek, now cupping both sides of her face. He wanted her looking right in his eyes when he said the next part, because then she’d know pleasantries were done.

  “I want you naked, on your knees, and sucking my cock.” He took a step back, reached out to take hold of the towel that shielded her, and pulled it away.

  There she stood, naked and pissed at him. That had him smiling, especially when the blush started to cover her entire body, and her small hands were in tight fists at her sides. She didn’t bother hiding herself from his view, and he knew this sexual experience had with her would be one that rivaled anything he’d had with any other woman.