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Authors: Trish Morey
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sliding the zip all the slow way down, peeling it from her shoulders lovingly, like a lover would do from behind, sighing a kiss against one bare shoulder. ‘It’s probably just me.’
‘Why are you here?’ The words were short, but his trademark velvet voice was thick and already curdling at the edges from heat.
She smiled and flicked off her sandals, cursing when one needed another kick, feeling clumsy. Inadequate for the task. But he wasn’t looking at her feet and so she pressed on. ‘You offered me a position,’ she said, letting him wait for the rest. She tugged the hem of her singlet free from her belted jeans, waited just a moment to ensure she had his full, undivided attention, before pulling it over her head, letting her hair tumble free over her bare shoulders. She put her hands to the belt at her belly, letting her arms frame her breasts, clad in their white T-shirt bra. It was probably the plainest, dullest bra he had ever seen, but right now it was all she had and it was too late to worry about her underwear. Besides, from the glint in Luca’s eyes, he probably hadn’t even noticed that she was wearing one. That glint gave her the courage she needed if she was going to do this, courage to bare a body nobody had seen for three long years. A body that had been shut away from the world lest it betray her again. Was she asking too much of it now?
She held her breath as she slid the leather of her belt through the buckle and popped the button on her jeans. ‘I’m accepting it.’
She slid the zip down, gave a wiggle of her hips to help push them down and hesitated, leaning forward just enough to turn cotton-clad breasts into a cleavage. He wasn’t looking relaxed any more, she noticed. He was sitting up. Paying attention. ‘Oh. I thought of something,’ she said.
‘What?’ he croaked, his eyes not shifting.
‘Conditions.’
Was that a groan she heard or a growl? It didn’t matter. Either worked for her. ‘Tell me,’ he said.
‘How long am I supposed to be your mistress? Only you didn’t say.’
‘I hadn’t thought about it. However long it takes.’
‘I thought a month.’
‘A month?’
‘A month would be more than adequate. I mean, I don’t know what the going rate for mistresses is, but I’m thinking high end, late model, low mileage—well, that has to be worth more. Right?’
‘If you say so.’
‘Only I have work to do back home. And I’m sure you have something to be going on with. And it’s not like we want this thing messing with our lives, right?’
‘Right.’
Her hands lingered at her hips. She looked at him, watching her, feeling the power of his need feeding the anger that had been building ever since that phone call from Lily, the anger that had worked itself into a volcano set to erupt today, and smiled knowingly. You utter bastard , she thought with satisfaction. And you thought you were going to have this all your own way.
It was almost too good to be true. Almost.
‘And you will never contact or threaten my father with anything financial or otherwise. Never again.’
‘Never.’
It wasn’t just too good to be true. It was perfect.
‘You have such a lovely big desk, Luca.’ She edged her jeans a fraction lower, spun around to give him a view from the back as she eased the soft denim lower, making sure her underwear went with it, and looked at him over her shoulder. ‘It would be such a shame to waste all that glorious space on work, don’t you think?’
‘I think,’ he said, standing awkwardly, kicking off his loafers while he attacked the buttons of his own shirt, shrugging it off to expose a chest made in heaven and stolen from the gods. ‘I think you need help getting those jeans off.’
CHAPTER SIX
C ONTROL . It was one of the things Luca prided himself on. He had patience. He had nerve. He had control of his life and his world. It was the way he liked things to be. It was the way things had to be.
But watching a flaxen haired,
‘Why are you here?’ The words were short, but his trademark velvet voice was thick and already curdling at the edges from heat.
She smiled and flicked off her sandals, cursing when one needed another kick, feeling clumsy. Inadequate for the task. But he wasn’t looking at her feet and so she pressed on. ‘You offered me a position,’ she said, letting him wait for the rest. She tugged the hem of her singlet free from her belted jeans, waited just a moment to ensure she had his full, undivided attention, before pulling it over her head, letting her hair tumble free over her bare shoulders. She put her hands to the belt at her belly, letting her arms frame her breasts, clad in their white T-shirt bra. It was probably the plainest, dullest bra he had ever seen, but right now it was all she had and it was too late to worry about her underwear. Besides, from the glint in Luca’s eyes, he probably hadn’t even noticed that she was wearing one. That glint gave her the courage she needed if she was going to do this, courage to bare a body nobody had seen for three long years. A body that had been shut away from the world lest it betray her again. Was she asking too much of it now?
She held her breath as she slid the leather of her belt through the buckle and popped the button on her jeans. ‘I’m accepting it.’
She slid the zip down, gave a wiggle of her hips to help push them down and hesitated, leaning forward just enough to turn cotton-clad breasts into a cleavage. He wasn’t looking relaxed any more, she noticed. He was sitting up. Paying attention. ‘Oh. I thought of something,’ she said.
‘What?’ he croaked, his eyes not shifting.
‘Conditions.’
Was that a groan she heard or a growl? It didn’t matter. Either worked for her. ‘Tell me,’ he said.
‘How long am I supposed to be your mistress? Only you didn’t say.’
‘I hadn’t thought about it. However long it takes.’
‘I thought a month.’
‘A month?’
‘A month would be more than adequate. I mean, I don’t know what the going rate for mistresses is, but I’m thinking high end, late model, low mileage—well, that has to be worth more. Right?’
‘If you say so.’
‘Only I have work to do back home. And I’m sure you have something to be going on with. And it’s not like we want this thing messing with our lives, right?’
‘Right.’
Her hands lingered at her hips. She looked at him, watching her, feeling the power of his need feeding the anger that had been building ever since that phone call from Lily, the anger that had worked itself into a volcano set to erupt today, and smiled knowingly. You utter bastard , she thought with satisfaction. And you thought you were going to have this all your own way.
It was almost too good to be true. Almost.
‘And you will never contact or threaten my father with anything financial or otherwise. Never again.’
‘Never.’
It wasn’t just too good to be true. It was perfect.
‘You have such a lovely big desk, Luca.’ She edged her jeans a fraction lower, spun around to give him a view from the back as she eased the soft denim lower, making sure her underwear went with it, and looked at him over her shoulder. ‘It would be such a shame to waste all that glorious space on work, don’t you think?’
‘I think,’ he said, standing awkwardly, kicking off his loafers while he attacked the buttons of his own shirt, shrugging it off to expose a chest made in heaven and stolen from the gods. ‘I think you need help getting those jeans off.’
CHAPTER SIX
C ONTROL . It was one of the things Luca prided himself on. He had patience. He had nerve. He had control of his life and his world. It was the way he liked things to be. It was the way things had to be.
But watching a flaxen haired,
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