Strictly Taboo, page 10
“Hello!” a new male voice growled, demanding Diane’s attention. He used a fork to chime on a wine glass at his table in a distinctly irritating fashion. “I’d like to order some food, too.”
Diane glanced up—and paled. Her pulse soared just as it had out on the balcony earlier in the day.
Garek.
What was he doing here? Diane wondered, horrified. She thought he would be more interested in the shows and massages than in sandwiches and appetizers in a practically empty dining car. Diane had been warned that her station wouldn’t pick up until after the shows had ended and the men got hungry. Even then, most of them would order room service, preferring to have naked females come to their bedrooms solo in the hopes of luring them into giving out more than trays of food.
Diane’s boss, seeing her reticence, had assigned her to the least popular area of the ship. She was fine by that—had welcomed it even—for she realized she just wasn’t up to snuff where most of the ship’s activities were concerned. She had hoped it would be otherwise, but accepted that this was as wild as she could get.
She had assumed this dining car would keep her far away from Garek. Apparently, she had assumed wrong.
“I’ll check back with you two gentlemen in a few minutes,” Diane managed to get out. She willed her heart to stop beating so dramatically. “Enjoy your lunch.”
The walk to Garek’s table felt like a death march, paradoxically the longest and shortest walk of Diane’s life. He was dressed in casual elegance, sleek black trousers and a blue silk shirt that showed off his massive, vein-roped biceps. Unlike in high school when he’d worn his jet-black hair a bit on the long side, his current style was short and neatly cropped. Those eyes hadn’t changed a bit, though. They were as jungle-green and intimidating as ever.
And lordy how those eyes were looking at her now. They missed nothing, saw everything. Garek inspected her from the top of her long, light-brown, curly hair, which she’d wound into a loose bun with curls softly cascading down her shoulders, to the bottom of her red, high-heeled shoes. His gaze stopped at her breasts, watched them jiggle as she walked, before traveling lower, taking in the sight of her light-brown triangle of neatly trimmed curls.
Against her will, her body reacted to his stare. Her nipples beaded into tight points and that knot coiled in her belly once again. This time the knot didn’t form from being watched by any man, but from one man in particular.
She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Standing before Garek totally naked, Diane gave him a faint smile. Maybe out on the balcony she had imagined that he recognized her from high school. Perhaps he had no clue who she was! Diane held on tight to that hope and plowed on. “Welcome to the Jungle Room. What would you like to order?”
A blowjob? Three hours with my face buried between your thighs? The hardest, roughest, longest fuck of my life? Let me get you pregnant?
“A beer,” Garek said a bit gruffly. He cleared his throat. “For now.”
“House draft?”
“That’s fine.”
She nodded and walked off. Garek blew out a breath, the sight of her naked, perfectly rounded ass as much a turn-on as her tits and pussy were. When she accidentally dropped a napkin and had to bend over to retrieve it, he thought he’d come right in his pants.
She was even sexier than he’d fantasized her to be. So many hours in his youth he’d spent in the shower pumping his cock with his hand while dreaming of seeing Diane Sullivan naked. Now she was here. And very, very naked.
By the time she started walking toward him with his beer in her hand, perspiration had broken out on his forehead. Her breasts were definitely D-cup, her nipples large and rosy-pink.
She leaned over the table. Garek’s heavy-lidded gaze flicked from the nipples a few scant inches away from his mouth up to her face as she set the glass in front of him. “How are you, Diane?” he murmured.
Her face paled. Did she think he didn’t recognize her? He frowned, recalling that she probably hoped he hadn’t. No, the Diane he had known would definitely not want to be spotted on a cruise like this.
It took her a moment to gather herself together, but eventually her shoulders straightened. To her credit, she was blushing profusely, but still managed to be polite.
“I’m just fine, Garek. How are you?”
Horny. “Never been better,” he lied.
She gave him a half-hearted smile while avoiding his gaze. “I’m glad. Would you like to order some food, too, or just the beer?”
His jaw tightened. She was making it perfectly clear that she was no more interested in him now than she had been back in high school.
Or was she? Maybe she was just embarrassed that someone who knew her had seen her on this boat naked as the day she was born.
Either way, Diane didn’t want to get involved in conversation. For now, he’d let it go.
“Beer’s fine. I’ll get some food after I finish it.”
Her woefully inept attempt at cheerfulness all but made his teeth grind. “Great. I’ll check back on you in a few minutes.”
And then she was gone, walking back over to where the Italians were seated. He felt like a little kid, sulking because her attention was on everyone and anyone but him—where it belonged.
An hour became two, two became three, and still Garek didn’t leave. Diane was getting increasingly nervous. And, as loathe as she was to admit it, increasingly aroused. His green eyes followed her everywhere, watching her with an intensity that bordered on possessiveness.
At first, she’d been ready to faint dead away every time she felt his searing gaze on her. After a while, she’d actually found herself relishing his stare. This was, after all, the same man who had gone out of his way to make her life hell back in Salem—now it was obvious he wanted her.
Probably only for a night, but he clearly wanted her. He wasn’t going to get a kiss from her, let alone make his way into her bed, but Diane was enjoying the feeling of being wanted by her high school crush in this moment.
Unless he decided to up the ante and touch her.
Garek had that right on this ship and he’d yet to exercise it. She wasn’t certain how she’d react if he touched her. Hopefully he wouldn’t and the what-ifs would be a moot point.
“Hey,” a busty, blonde, female said to Diane as she entered the dining car. “I’m here to relieve you. Boss says you get an hour break.”
Diane glanced up at her. “Thanks.” She smiled. “I’m Diane.”
“Good for you,” the woman said flippantly. The obvious brush-off hurt Diane more than she wanted it to. “Just be back in an hour. I hate working in the dining car. Shitty tips.”
Diane sighed and left the Jungle Room. She gave Garek a weak smile as she passed by his table and kept walking.
It took her a minute to orient herself. Her bedroom was downstairs and off the starboard wing. En route, she passed the ballroom and caught a glimpse of the sex show going on. Her eyes widened as she watched naked, oiled-down women jiggle their breasts in the patrons’ faces, writhe up and down on their laps, thrust their nipples into awaiting mouths . . .
Sweet lord, she was glad she’d been assigned to the dining car. Diane shook her head, straightened her shoulders, and resumed walking. She rounded a bend and made her way down the corridor leading to her bedroom.
A curious feeling stole over Diane, an intuition that told her she was being watched. She ignored the feeling, realizing that any number of men could be staring at her, and strode up to her bedroom door.
Just as she was preparing to sink the key into the lock, two strong hands slapped against the wood at either side of her face and didn’t budge. A huge erection poked against her back.
Diane gasped, then turned around. Her eyes widened when she realized whose embrace she was trapped in. Her heartbeat worked triple time. “Garek,” she breathed out.
His intense stare penetrated every atom of her being. His eyelids were heavy as his gaze wandered up and down the length of her. “I’ve been wanting you my whole damn life,” he said thickly.
Diane had no time to react to that astonishing announcement. One moment he was staring at her and the next his mouth roughly came down on top of hers. He kissed her breathlessly, mercilessly, as his large, calloused hands roamed the length of her nude body. He took his time and felt her everywhere, his palms massaging her breasts, her belly, then grabbing her buttocks and kneading them like dough.
She moaned into his mouth, her entire body on fire. He tore his lips away from hers and, breathing heavily, let go of her ass and grabbed both breasts. Garek stared at her nipples for a lingering moment, and then drew one into the heat of his mouth.
Diane gasped as he sucked on her nipple, the knot in her belly coiling so tight she almost came. He must have been a breast man, for he spent an ungodly amount of time sucking on them, popping one and then the other into his mouth, drawing on them, tugging them with his teeth, making her writhe and moan against him.
“Garek.”
He released a nipple with a popping sound, then kissed his way down her belly. He went down on his knees in front of her and slid his tongue along the slit of her vagina. She groaned as she opened her legs a bit more, the thought that she was standing in the hallway for anyone to see not even registering.
Garek used his fingers to spread her lips apart. “My God,” he growled, staring at her flesh, “you’ve got a gorgeous, tight cunt, Diane.”
Her heart felt like a rock pounding against her breasts. She instinctively threaded her fingers through his dark hair as he took her clit into his mouth and sucked it hard.
“Oh, God,” Diane moaned, pressing his face against her pussy. “Garek.” He sucked on her clit harder, the pressure overwhelming.
Diane Sullivan was about to come for Garek Ennis whether she wanted to or not.
She burst on a loud moan, her nipples stabbing out as she rode the sensual wave to its crescendo. Blood rushed to her face, heating it, and to her nipples, elongating them.
By the time Garek finished lapping up her juices, she could barely stand. Her heart was drumming madly, her legs as steady as rubbery noodles.
Garek took the key out of her hand, and Diane swallowed roughly as she watched him open her bedroom door for her. Would he come inside? Would he make love to her?
“I’ll see you later,” Garek murmured, his eyes blazing. She could smell the scent of her arousal all over his jaw and mouth. “Don’t ever ignore me again, sweetheart.”
Chapter 4
Don’t ever ignore me again, sweetheart.
It was a day later and Diane was still sitting in her bedroom brooding. Uncertain as to how she should feel, and depressed because of it, she’d feigned illness and called in sick last night.
Her heart had soared when Garek said he’d been wanting her his entire life. Had that been a lie? Had he done what he’d done to her yesterday because he truly wanted her, or because Garek Ennis, superstar quarterback, couldn’t stand to be ignored?
She’d never felt so vulnerable in her entire life. Garek might have been the bane of her freshman year in high school, but he’d also been her first, and if she was honest with herself, deepest, crush.
“Achoo!”
Diane’s sneeze made the light bulb in her mind flick on. If she could pretend to be ill last night, she could do the same this afternoon.
And what will tomorrow’s excuse be, smart one? How many days can you possibly pretend to be ill? Mr. Heinzman could ask for his ten thousand dollars back!
She promised herself that no matter how scared she felt tomorrow, she would not call in. Just this once. Only one more time.
Diane needed just a wee bit more mental preparation before she was forced to see Garek again. She still wasn’t ready. Feigning a case of the sniffles, she picked up the phone and called her boss.
Where are you, Diane?
The urge to see her was overpowering. He wanted to kiss her again, to touch her again. Hell, even just talking to her would suffice at the moment! Not that he didn’t want to talk to her. He had a million questions stored up to ask her, sixteen years’ worth of them.
Realizing he wasn’t the best talker in the world—his typical response was a one- or two-word grunt—Garek figured he stood a better chance at snagging Diane without words than with them. It was kind of hard to try either scenario, though, when the woman he was hunting had managed to elude him—again.
She hadn’t shown up for work last night and he’d yet to see her today. Diane had avoided him with painful accuracy sixteen years ago and she was doing it again now.
What if she’s not avoiding you? What if another man on this ship seduced her into his bed?
His jaw tightened. Can we say “death row”? He’d strangle any man who touched her.
Impatient, and feeling as territorial as a lion prepared to fight for his superiority in the alpha chain, Garek stomped off to find Mr. Heinzman.
He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.
Diane’s eyes went wide as she listened to Mr. Heinzman’s terrifying words over the telephone connection. “But I’m sick. And I thought I was working the dining car anyway,” she said a bit shakily.
“You were. You didn’t show up—twice—so I had to reassign it. Now we’re short a masseuse.”
“But I don’t know how to give massages!”
“Learn. Quickly. You’ve only got one customer tonight, then maybe I can put you back in the dining car tomorrow.”
“Mr. Heinzman, I really don’t think—”
“I sent the porter up with the key to room seventeen. He should be there any minute.”
And she had thought facing Garek was bad? Holy God! How would she get through this? Whatever man she was going to massage probably would expect sex afterward. This was terrible!
Diane felt like she was going to faint. Or vomit. “I understand,” she said a bit weakly.
“Good. Because you haven’t been earning your keep. Massage him for an hour.”
Mr. Heinzman slammed down the phone. Diane’s heart sank. She really had no choice but to give the massage. As much as she despised the old pervert at the moment, he was correct: a deal was a deal and she wasn’t keeping her part very well.
A knock at the door startled Diane. The porter. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and quickly prepared herself to get through the next hour.
It was either that or come up with ten thousand dollars that she didn’t have.
Chapter 5
Diane was trembling by the time she reached room seventeen. She’d never given a massage in her life, much less to a man while she was totally naked. This entire cruise was already getting to be too much—and it was only day two! She still had five horrid days to make it through.
Taking a calming breath, Diane stood before room seventeen with its key in hand. Deciding that she may as well get it over with, she sank the key into the lock and opened the door.
An hour. Only sixty measly minutes . . .
Entering the bedroom, she was taken aback by how lavish it was. Much different from the small, cramped quarters she’d been given to use. The living room was palatial, with a beautiful balcony that overlooked the Rhine leading off of it.
Her eyes flicked to the empty massage table set in the middle of the living room. Apparently whoever occupied this room was in the bathroom or bedroom, yet another difference from Diane’s quarters—her bedroom, bathroom, and living room were all in one very confined space. The suites for the paying passengers were beyond gorgeous.
“Hello?” She cleared her throat, her voice sounding shaky even to her. “Is anybody here?”
A freshly showered man emerged from the master bedroom wearing nothing but a scant white towel around his middle. Diane stilled as she instantly recognized who the man was. Her eyes widened.
“Garek.”
She forced herself to swallow, her mouth dry as cotton. The man looked powerful and dangerous when fully clothed, but while wearing nothing but a towel, his every deadly muscle there to see? Her heartbeat picked up in the dramatic tempo it reserved for Garek’s presence alone. Tall, tan, and heavy with muscle, his body was undeniably in its prime.
Garek.
Diane could hardly believe it. Was this just a coincidence? Or had he asked Mr. Heinzman for her specifically?
His gaze glanced over Diane’s mons and breasts before settling on her face. Her nipples stabbed out at his inspection. “Expect to be here a while,” he said softly, his voice almost a purr. Did she faint now or later? “I feel pretty tense.”
Diane’s smile was faint. “I guess we’ve finally found something in common then.”
Garek took his time looking up and down the length of Diane. Sweet lord, she was beautiful. Even prettier now than she’d been in high school. His cock was so hard he knew she could see the tent in his towel. His suspicion was confirmed when she blushed and looked away.
The desire to carry her into the bedroom and fuck her like a madman was powerful, but he’d decided at the moment his eyes had first met hers on the balcony that he was going to take this as slowly as possible. As possible being the key words here. There was only so much teasing a man could take. Standing this close to the object of his sixteen-years-long obsession and desire was testing his limits of endurance and she hadn’t even laid a crimson-manicured fingertip on him yet.
This had the makings of a very long night.
She cleared her throat. “Shall uh . . . shall we get started then?”
Garek didn’t answer Diane with words, but with actions. Moving his hands from his hips in the football player stance he favored, to the tip of the towel just under his navel, he took the scant piece of garment off and flung it away from him.
As if she couldn’t help herself, Diane took a peek at his cock. Her eyes widened a bit, a reaction that made him impossibly harder—and hornier.
“About ten inches,” Garek murmured. “In case you were wondering.”
