“But It’s a job I need, not a lover,” Gina insisted
her voice wavering with indecision.
“
But I think you’d enjoy being a lover, for a while at least. Gina,” he teased softly. “I’ve just witnessed the way your body reacts to mine and I bet certain other female parts of your lovely anatomy are literally aching for my attentions right now.”
Gina face raged bright red at his not incorrect observation. She hated his candour. What gave him the right to speak to her like this? He might be right, but why did he have to be so very embarrassing? .
“
Do as I ask, s
tay with me tonight,” “he spoke softly and caressed her cheek again. “
I don’t mean to appear so cold hearted it’s just my way. T
here is an attraction between us, and I know you feel it too.” He tilted up her chin
again
and looked into her blue eyes, her pupils were large, her lips moist and her cheeks glowing pink, desire he decided
satisfied now that she would agree
.
Gina felt a little light headed. The prospect of a night with him, given the admission he’d just made, was close to pushing her over the edge and she moaned softly as he pulled her into his arms.
Gina felt her knees tremble and
began to wonder if her legs would keep her upright. The mayhem deep between her thighs was back with a vengeance.
Obviously her body had no qualms about wanting this man’s sexual attentions despite what her brain was telling her.
She felt his free hand
work
its
seductive way down her body until
it found
the
split in the skirt of her gown. Pushing the fabric aside he rubbed at her leg and trailed his fingers up until he felt the lacy top of her stocking.
Gina whimpered a sultry little moan
. Damn him he was going up her skirt so fast he was only centimetres away from the flimsy thong she was wearing. She could offer no resistance and closed her eyes as she felt him scoop behind her and take the flesh of one of her buttocks in his hand and squeeze lightly
Gina groaned in his arms as he ran his fingers up the outside of her thong and gently rubbed the smooth triangle it covered. He was still kissing her, if his ravishment of her mouth could be called kissing, when she felt him rub a
finger
down the sensuous cleft between the soft fold
s of her sex. She gasped huskily
and he pulled his body away from hers for a moment watching her, savouring her reaction as his fingers continued along their secret, intimate track. Her full, pink lips were slightly parted and she was drawing in breathe heavily between them. Her eyes looked back at his misty and heavy with need. This round was his and he wasn’t in any doubt now that she’d do as he wanted.
Gina couldn’t remember ever feeling like this before as her befuddled brain tried to work out just how many hours, not days, week or even months, she’d known him. But did that make it wrong? And despite these thoughts still his fingers worked. Granted there was a fine mesh of silk between them and her body but somehow this knowledge didn’t help. Gina gasped
again
as his mouth found hers and she kissed him back.
Dark was in control now, fully in control of this intimate little interlude. Gina caught her breath
w
hat he was doing was unbelievably good. He fingers gently rubbed and swirled and she whimpered with pleasure at every stroke.
You shouldn’t let
this man
do this to you and you’ve been warned,
was the timely reminder her brain issued as
she
moaned softly at his touch.
Your attraction to Dark is getting in the way of what you really need to do,
niggled her conscience. She needed that job; she needed to see for herself what he was up to and what he’d done.
“I can’t, I need to go, this isn’t right and we both know it.”
He regarded her silently his face straight and immobile. She was doing it again, refusing him, asserting her own will over his and he didn’t like it, not one little bit.
“A night can’t hurt, can it? We both know we want this,” he tempted.
“No I think that you probably want this more, I just want a job, remember. What sort of man are you anyway to impose such dubious conditions on everything?”
“Probably the sort you really should avoid, Gina,” he confirmed. “Your instincts about me are right. I’m selfish, demanding and I like to get my own way. But doesn’t that make this whole thing just a little more exciting?”
He was looking at her again, giving her a long, sexy stare that travelled her body before finally his mouth broke into a small smile. Gina blinked as she looked into his dark eyes. A shiver snaked down her spine as she watched him. Why did he have to be so beautiful, the most handsome man she’d ever met and she fancied him like mad? Why couldn’t he be more normal and why did she have to have
all those
issues about his acquisition of her dad’s business?
“We should leave,” he decided. They’d spent enough time getting nowhere so it was decision time.
“You
are not going to refuse me now, are you Gina? You
will come with me because yo
u want this too, don’t you
?”
The question hung mid air between them while his dark eyes bored into hers. What was she supposed to say?
He’d worn her resistance down to nothing.
Her throat felt to
o
dry to speak so she simply nodded her agreement to the night of passion he’d
invited her to
.
“I
’ve
something I must see to first so in the meantime go and tell Charlie you’re coming with me and say your goodbyes,” he told her firmly while stroking her cheek. Then he pulled the key card to his suite from his inside jacket pocket and gave it to her.
“I’m on the top floor in the penthouse. Go and make yourself comfortable. Try my bed for size,” he winked, “and I’ll join you
as soon as I’ve had a word with reception
.”
He walked her back into the main event hall and left her beside Charlie. Charlie Spence knew
Dark
’s reputation all too well and given Gina’s flushed face and lack of any trace of lipstick left on that lovely mouth he could guess what they’d been up to.
He was annoyed; despite bringing her here he was happy for Gina to chat to whoever she liked, anyone that was but Dark.
He looked round at the bemused group of men
and nodding at Carlotti ushered
Gina away so they couldn’t hear what he was about to say to her.
“
Look, I’ve told you I don’t have a problem with you finding your own way but why Matthew Dark, Gina?” He asked her accusingly. “Why him, out of all the people here tonight who could help you, why choose him?”
“Well, because he offered,” she told him simply. “He’s had time to reconsider after my interview this morning,”
Gina
lied. “You know I want to work in our old firm again so I can’t pass up the chance, Charlie.”
She kissed his cheek and smiled reassuringly.
“You mustn’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, this is what I want.”
“
And the conditions he’s laid down, because you can’t kid me, I know him so I know there’ll be some. I bet I can guess what they are and all,” he told her smugly. “In fact that’s where you’re going now, isn’t it, to his penthouse?”
Charlie had guessed right but Gina didn’t want to waste time explaining herself.
“Don’t be
so two faced, Charlie. You’d never have given me a job not without strings anyway.
And I know you’ve booked a double room here so I think your criticism of Dark is very misplaced,” s
he retaliated.
“You know nothing, Gina. That double room was never intended for
us,
it’s for me and my new lady, Lisa. A woman you need to be very wary of if you’re taking up with Dark.”
“Lisa?” She questioned recalling the brunette from earlier. So she was the mysterious woman
in Charlie’s life.
“Why should I, who is she?”
“Mrs Matthew Dark,” Charlie replied and then without offering any explanation he turned on his heel left her standing staring after him open mouthed.
She couldn’t be Dark’s wife, there must be some mistake. Gina ran through every detail of what she’d witnessed between them earlier in her head. Had they behaved like a married couple? Well no, not at all and what about his invitation to spend the night with him? That was definitely not what she’d expect from a man who had his wife in tow. Could Charlie be lying? But then why would he. He had no reason to because there was no ulterior motive; after all he was planning to spend the night with Mrs Dark!
So they’d deceived each other, Dark and his wife, or perhaps they hadn’t, perhaps theirs was that type of relationship
and given what she knew about him already, that wouldn’t surprise her
. Gina was confused but felt instinctively that there must be something else to this, something Charlie wasn’t telling her.
Lisa
must be the person he spoke about, the one who’d steal Dark’s secret
s for him. Could that be why Charlie
wanted her to keep away from Dark, because he thought she might in some way spoil his plans?
But whatever the truth was Gina didn’t have time to think about it now. H
aving the key to
Dark
’s suite
was a bonus she hadn’t expected
. Like he’d said he’d been living here for weeks so the chances of him leaving paperwork there, particularly paperwork
about the new product that
he didn’t want to keep in the office was
a real possibility
.
This was an opportunity too good to miss.
All she needed was time in his suite to see what information she could find.
But how was she going to ensure that she got it? From what Dark had said he wouldn’t leave her for long.
She was thinking about this as the lift doors opened and Kyle Hastings got out flashing her a wide, boyish smile.
“Leaving already,” he asked. “I was hoping to chat, perhaps buy you a drink,” he admitted shyly.
He was nice, straightforward and if Gina was reading him correctly not someone who’d have his hands up her skirt within minutes of talking to her like Dark had. Attraction to men like Dark wasn’t a trait she should encourage; men like Kyle were a much safer bet.
“I’m sorry, Kyle, there’s something I’ve got to do,” she apologised and genuinely sorry for having to let him down. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Kyle do you know that woman who joined us briefly before, the brunette, Lisa?” She asked casually.
Kyle nodded. “Well I don’t know her personally,” he admitted blushing slightly. “But I know who she is, she’s Matthew Dark’s wife, I believe.”
So it was true, he was married after all.
“Well that gives me a little problem,” she admitted as if to herself. “Kyle would you do me an enormous favour,” she asked him?
“If I can,” he shrugged and smiled.
“I’ve got myself into a bit of a fix,” she told him. “I’m on my way up to Dark’s penthouse,” she explained. “Please don’t ask me any questions but do you think you could keep him busy for ten minutes or so for me?”
“Well I can try,” he offered his blue eyes clouding with disappointment
at the idea of her being with Dark
.
“You should find him in reception. I won’t forget this, Kyle. I don’t want to see him again tonight but there’s something I’ve got to get first. You’ve no idea how grateful I’d be if you pull this off.”
Kyle Hastings was only too happy to help and with a reassuring smile he watched her hop past him and into the lift.