Serving the Mogul, page 19
Her eyes widened slightly. “I had no idea. You’ve never told me why you and Cecil ended things.”
I picked up my sweet tea and took a sip, my throat almost painfully dry. “I was embarrassed. You know I haven’t had the best luck with guys.”
“You intimidate the hell out of most of them.” Some of the tension had drained away, and she met my eyes without her earlier disapproval. “That’s not the case with James?”
“No. It’s not. Dina, he’s a nice guy. Hell, Garcia is almost ready to nominate him for sainthood for helping his friend’s business.” I picked up my phone and opened a picture from Garcia depicting a long line in front of his friend’s food truck. “James had his admin people tweet about it on their social media. That’s the result. He didn’t benefit from that.”
She nudged the phone back across the table to me, not speaking.
Sighing, I grabbed it and dropped it back in my purse.
“It’s just, I don’t want you getting hurt, Tina, or used.” She darted a look at me. “I’m your big sister, and I love you. But understand, it’s always the woman’s reputation that suffers when things go wrong. And James Maximus has a huge public image and reputation. You know that.”
“Yes. I do. But I knew that when I got involved.” I touched her hand. She didn’t pull back. “Dina, I like him a lot. You don’t have to approve, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t let this impact our family. That’s not being fair to anybody.”
“Have you and Ned been rehearsing the same speech?” She forced a laugh, and her shoulders slumped as she closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she opened them again and met my gaze. “I’m sorry about what I said to you on Friday. I didn’t mean any of it. I’m just…I reacted badly. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” My eyes burned as she turned her hand over and laced our fingers together.
“Don’t expect me to go on double dates with you and that guy, though. I’m…not comfortable with men like him, Tina. I hope you understand.” She wouldn’t look at me as she said it, and her voice trembled a little as she spoke.
“That’s fine. I’m not quite ready to take James to the family picnic yet.” A nervous laugh escaped me.
I loved my family beyond anything.
But James was becoming important to me.
Very important.
Thirty-Four
Maximus
Tina: James!! This dress!! ♥♥♥
The text from Tina left me smiling.
James: Don’t send me pictures. I want to be surprised when I see you.
Tina: I WAS SURPRISED WHEN I SAW ME.
The all-caps response made me laugh. It was weird how easily I could laugh with Tina. Firing off another response just as Miranda knocked on the door, I called out for my admin to come in.
The phone chirped out another text notification, and I had to turn the screen down so I wouldn’t feel tempted to check Tina’s response.
That, too, was another weird thing. Tina had a way of invoking reactions in me, from laughter to distracting me from work.
The laughter was acceptable. Distractions from work? Not so much.
I smiled at Miranda as she approached, and I nodded for her to sit next to me. She stopped in her tracks and stared at me with surprise on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked when she didn’t say anything.
“Ah…nothing.” She moved to the chair and sat, her iPad at the ready, a stylus in hand.
“Miranda.”
She smoothed her reddish-brown hair back and sighed. “Nothing’s wrong, Maximus. It’s just...well, I’ve worked for you for almost eight years, and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen you smile like that.”
I blinked. “I smile.”
“Not like that,” she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. “I hope she works out for you.”
I fumbled for something to say.
Miranda glanced at her notes. “Having been open for a month, the hotel has already exceeded the expectations of the board. Which, I assume, is no surprise to you, Maximus, since everything you touch turns to gold.”
It was an old joke and nudged me back on track.
“Have you sent the data?”
“Already in your email.” She gave me a sunny smile. “That’s why you pay me the big bucks.”
A dinner meeting with several acquaintances had kept me tied up most of Friday evening. I would have canceled if I hadn’t been the one arranging the gathering a month ago.
Of course, back then, Tina wasn’t in my life.
I’d be seeing her on Saturday. I could wait a fucking day.
I thought about that when I fell into bed after midnight, taking in the Houston skyline just beyond the windows of my hotel suite. I had opted to stay in the city, even though I was closer to Tina here.
My actual home felt empty without her, as if I’d chosen it, knowing one day she’d help fill the silent halls.
I didn’t have the same problem with the penthouse suite at my hotel. It was impersonal, devoid of anything that made it homely, since I’d only planned for this as a place to sleep after long days.
But when I closed my eyes, I could almost smell the scent of her hair and skin on the sheets and pillows.
When Tina opened the door, my brain went blank.
Shimmering, brilliant sapphire blue wrapped around her curves, the color picking up the deeper cerulean of her eyes and making them glow as she offered me a smile I couldn’t return. Not yet. First, I had to pick up my jaw off the floor.
The thin straps revealed Tina’s toned arms and shoulders, displaying her strength rather than softening it, while the low neckline plunged in a vee over her plump breasts. The fabric gathered around her waist, giving the impression that it wrapped around her. My sanity might be at risk if I learned it did.
My eyes caught a sparkling rose set into the dress, either a decoration or perhaps as a closing mechanism. I wanted to reach for it and discover for myself which one it was.
But if I did, we’d never leave the house.
Letting my gaze continue the tour of her body, I sucked in a hard breath at the seductive details of the dress—Zoey had outdone herself.
Inches below the rose, the dress’s material parted in a split high on Tina’s left thigh, baring her leg, revealing the sleek, sexy length down to her strappy heels with sparkling bands over her instep, alternating in red, white, and blue.
“We need to go,” I said bluntly. “Lock the door and come out now, or I’ll have to pin you against the wall, push up that skirt and be inside of you in under fifteen seconds.”
Her lips slicked a rich, bold red, curved. “Oh, well, now you’re tempting me.”
“Tina…”
She grinned but turned and grabbed something from inside the door, then shut it. I heard the chirp-chirp of her house alarm activate, then watched as she slid her keys into her small purse. Once she started down the steps, I offered my hand.
“Are you wearing panties?” I asked, as she accepted my hand.
“If you want to call them that.” Amusement and heat filled her eyes. “You probably already guessed that I’m not wearing a bra. Just little stickers that give support.”
I had to force myself to walk back to my car.
“You’re trying to make me nuts.”
“How am I doing?” she asked, a teasing note in her voice.
I opened the door, and she slid inside before answering. “The way that dress hangs, it’s easy to nudge it out of the way, pull your thong aside and push my cock into you. I just have to find a private spot at the event. Think about that while I consider your barely-there panties.”
“Interior design….” Althea Rigby, the CEO of the charity’s main sponsor, studied Tina with sharp hazel eyes. “Have you worked on anything I might have seen?”
In her late eighties, but as active as some people in their twenties or thirties, Althea had beamed when I introduced her to Tina, telling me it was high time I had brought a smart girl to one of her charity soirees.
As a widow without children, she donated most of her money to philanthropic organizations. We’d met through the literacy group that was tonight’s beneficiary.
“Here, I mostly work with small businesses and homeowners,” Tina said, “but in California, I worked in a larger firm and had many well-known companies using my services.”
“Are you any good?” Althea gave Tina a probing look.
“Yes, absolutely,” she said, unfazed by the direct question.
Althea gave an approving smile. “I like you. It’s very common for women in our male-dominated society to downplay their accomplishments. Don’t ever be afraid to let yourself shine, Tina.” She gave her a pat on the arm. “I’ll have my assistant look you up…I might call you.”
She then turned to me and tapped her cheek.
Tina looked surprised when I kissed Althea’s cheek, but didn’t say anything.
“She’s an amiable lady,” I said, feeling a little self-conscious. “I can’t say that about many people.”
Her lips curved in a beautiful smile, eyes gleaming as she stepped closer. “It’s sweet.”
Laying my hands on her waist, the delicate material of her dress warm against her skin, I raised a brow. “I’m not sweet, Tina.”
“Don’t worry.” She laughed, her head falling back so she could hold my gaze. “I won’t tell anyone that you have this big fatal flaw.”
Lips twitching, I stroked her through the material of the dress, my thumbs barely able to detect the faint line caused by her panties. “Fatal flaw, is it? I can already see the headlines.”
Tina laughed, and I wrapped my arms around her, maneuvering the two of us over to the side of the ballroom so we wouldn’t be in the way of couples and small groups gathering to talk or mingle.
“You’re a brat,” I told her.
Shoulders still shaking with her laughter, Tina looked up. “And you’re adorable.”
Not being able to control myself, I dipped my head and covered her mouth with mine.
Around us, the ball carried on. The sun was setting, and the doors to the ballrooms were flung open long ago, allowing guests to move freely between the opulent interior and the well-lit terrace.
Her lips parted, hands coming up to fist in the lapels of my suit.
Tongue sliding out to tease mine, she moaned as I slid my hand down to cup her hip, pulling her in tight against me.
Someone nearby cleared their throat.
I might have ignored them, but we were at Althea’s house, so I ended the kiss and lifted my head to look into Tina’s heat-drenched gaze.
“You still haven’t found it?” she exhaled.
I stared at her, confused.
“The ‘private’ spot.”
I remembered what I’d taunted her with earlier at her house, dipped my head and murmured in her ear, “Don’t tempt me.”
“I’m not. I’m pouting.” To back up the words, she poked her lower lip out playfully.
“You’re driving me crazy.”
But instead of nudging her away, my gaze landed on a large, elaborate clock. We were less than fifteen minutes away from the fireworks display.
Offering my hand, I waited for her to take it.
She did, brows arched. “Where are we going?”
I didn’t tell her.
Not yet.
Thirty-Five
Tina
I asked him twice more as he led me through the monstrous home.
I already knew this was Althea’s house, and the easy friendship between her and James was clear, so it was no surprise he knew the house. Still, I was a bit surprised when he led me to a small, private, roof-top garden with just a few minutes to spare before the fireworks started.
“How did you know this was here?” Tipping my head back, I stared up at the stars and breathed out an appreciative sigh at the display of stars, unrolling like diamonds on velvet of deepest blue overhead. We were far enough outside the city that the light pollution was non existent.
“I’ve been out here many times, but there are still rooms I haven’t seen, believe it or not.” He nudged me up against the railing and nodded at the crowd three stories down. Their voices carried over the music, a mélange of sound that I couldn’t pick apart no matter how much I tried. “I bet you could scream, and nobody down there would even hear.”
I shivered, the feel of his cock against my ass. But I didn’t let myself respond…yet. “You know, some could construe those words as creepy.”
James bit my ear. “But not you?”
“Hmmm…not sure. I might need to think about it a bit.” He placed a hand on my left side, fingers brushing over the closure that held the wrap-style gown together.
When James’ sister, Zoey, had told me he had asked her to make me a one-of-a-kind gown to wear to the charity, my initial instinct had been to say no. Then I thought about the appreciation I would receive from James wearing a dress like that, and I’d accepted. As Zoey showed me several design options, she spent hours measuring me and selecting materials.
I was amazed at the final result, and seeing James’s eyes on me when I stepped out, soothed over another ragged wound I still carried from Cecil.
Easy access was another benefit of the dress.
I sucked in a breath as James toyed with the closure before smoothing his hand down the fabric covering my thigh and tugging it up. Closing my eyes, I gripped the rough surface of the stone railing.
A soft whimper left me as he brought the skirt up and over, leaving my backside exposed, save for the delicately made material of my panties. He smoothed them down until they fell to my ankles in a puddle. I was about to step out of them when he stopped me.
“No. Like this. Lean forward, Pet.”
Pet. Whenever we were about to have a sexual encounter, he used words like that. Most of the time, I was okay with it.
Today I hesitated. James’s sudden stop had given me just enough time to clear my head and realize how exposed we were. “What about security cameras?” I asked. “Any…” My voice trailed off, uncertain how to explain.
He nuzzled my neck as his hand came around to cup my right breast. “No cameras. Don’t get embarrassed, but earlier I asked our hostess if there might be a private place where I could whisk you away.”
My cheeks heated, but I also smiled. Turning my head, I whispered, “What are you going to do to me, sir?”
His mouth came down on mine, hard and demanding.
The kiss ended only seconds later, and he nudged me forward, positioning my hands on the railing, so it looked like I was merely bracing my hands on it. I shivered as James pushed my dress higher, twisted the material, and secured it so it didn’t slip back down.
“Keep your legs together, Pet. I want to feel you good and tight around my cock, understand?”
“Yes,” I said, my breath hitching out of me as he pushed two fingers slowly into me.
“Yes, what?” His voice was a dark, sinful temptation.
I bit my lip. Then, “Yes, James.”
He chuckled. “I think you want to be punished.” He twisted his fingers and screwed them deeper into my pussy. “Do you want me to punish you, my delicious little Kitten?”
“Maybe.” I bit my lip to keep from crying out as he withdrew his fingers, then sank them back in, all the way, roughly. It was almost enough to push me over—I was that hungry for him already.
Almost.
He shoved his hand into my hair and yanked, and I cried out. As he drew his fingers and covered my mouth, the taste of my hunger was now on my lips. “Not so loud, Pet. I don’t want anybody to hear us and come looking.”
I tensed, despite the pleasure.
“A sub has to trust her Dom, Tina. Do you trust me to take care of you?”
Slowly, I nodded.
“Good girl. Open your mouth. That’s it…now…lick my fingers.” His voice roughened as I did so, and that sound made me squeeze my knees together. A gut-deep need for him overwhelmed me. I suckled on his fingers harder, imagining it was his cock. He knew. “You want my cock, don’t you?”
I nodded awkwardly, the best I could with one of his hands in my hair, the other in my mouth.
Then I was free, and he spun me around, big hands cupping my face and lifting my mouth to his as he claimed my lips, kissing me as if he wanted to devour me. He broke the kiss only long enough to say, “Unzip me. Take my cock out.”
While fumbling through the task with shaking hands, I freed him, feeling the silky warmth of his hard, heavy length. Pumping him hungrily, I moaned into his kiss. James let me play for only a few seconds before pulling away.
He swung us around, his hips now against the railing.
“Do you want my cock in your mouth?”
I nodded desperately.
“Then ask. Say, Sir, please let me have your dick in my mouth.” He gave me a hungry, sensual look.
I followed the instructions. “Sir, please let me have your dick in my mouth.”
“Good job.” He shifted position slightly in a way that had his erect penis thrusting forward just a bit more. “Bend over and suck me. Don’t kneel. I don’t want your pretty dress or your knees getting scratched up.”
I did as he ordered, bending over straight from the waist, almost overbalancing thanks to the high, skinny-heeled shoes on my feet. James immediately steadied me. I opened and took him in my mouth, one hand going to his hip to balance my weight.
He let me control it for a few seconds, but then he pulled me off.
“James…”
He tugged me upright, then nudged me backward. “Sit.”
I sank on the table.
He grabbed my head. “Open, Tina. Take my cock.”
I did, stretching my lips wide to take as much as possible.
