COME WHEN CALLED (Billionaire & Biker Menage Romance) Page 22

  “So why now? Why with me?”

  “I’ve thought a lot about that ever since Ford told me about your arrangement before dinner. That’s when I knew he was finally dabbling in it.” Charley shrugged. “Maybe he’s getting old enough to stop denying himself? Maybe his dad’s been dead long enough? But I don’t think that’s it. I think it has to do with the fact that he’s paying you. It’s like he’s found a loophole in his head. He’s using that to keep you at a distance. If you’re providing a service, then maybe it’s no different than seeing a movie—strictly entertainment. It’s certainly not who he is. It’s not a relationship.” Charley shrugged again. “I don’t know.”

  Evie thought for a moment. “So when he insists I’m his employee, maybe it’s not because he doesn’t feel anything for me. Maybe he’s just not ready to accept that he could have a relationship like that?”

  “Maybe. And did you catch his statement earlier about how no one is allowed to feel shame about what we do, not in ‘his own home’?”

  “Yeah. I do remember that.” Evie remained quiet for a while absorbing this while Charley stroked her face. Finally she asked, “So what do I do?”

  “What do you want?” He smoothed her hair behind her ear.

  Evie huffed out her breath. “I don’t know,” she said heavily. “I guess mostly I just want to not feel scared anymore.”

  “John?”

  “It’s not just John. John’s just exacerbating it. I’ve been scared my whole life. I want to feel protected.”

  “What happened?”

  Evie shrugged. “Typical sad story. I don’t really want to talk about it.”

  “Okay,” Charley whispered. “Evie, I think you are doing the right things. You need to be clear of the boundaries. Be safe. Understand the rules and don’t break them. If you can stay within the confines of what you and Ford have set up, then you should be fine. Just explore this and have fun.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was slow, sleepy.

  “But you need to keep something in mind, especially after what I’ve told you tonight. Ford is completely fucked up when it comes to relationships. I love him, but I know this is true.” He took a deep breath. “It’s too late for me.” She could only see half of his wistful smile in the faint light. “I didn’t have a Charley to warn me. But you do. Will you remember that?”

  “I’ll try,” she whispered. “I’m trying.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  WHEN EVIE OPENED her eyes to the morning sunlight, Charley was gone. She wrapped the sheet around herself and pulled all the clothes out of the bags, exclaiming happily when she found a robe. She’d just finished her hair and makeup when the phone next to her bed rang. Instantly her heart thudded out of control under the lapel of the fluffy, white robe. The phone rang twice before she had the courage to pick it up.

  “Hello?” she practically whispered, fearing she’d hear John’s laughter pierce through her again.

  “Good morning, Evie,” Ford purred. “You put in some long hours yesterday, so I let you sleep in a bit today. But now I need you. Meet me in the library. Wear the red dress and what’s in the bag with it.”

  Evie had been thinking a lot since she’d woken about what she wanted and how to get it. Her approach was simple. Ford is a businessman and speaks that language, so she decided to negotiate adding sex to their arrangement as if it were a business deal. And after all…it sorta was.

  She put on the red, silk wrap-dress Ford had indicated and another lacy thong. She knew there’d been no bra in that bag when she’d dumped it on the floor earlier. She knew this because Ford hadn’t bought her any bras at all. No problem, she thought. Going braless had to help when you’re trying to convince a man to have sex with you.

  Ford was sitting behind his desk engrossed in papers when she walked in, pulling the door closed behind her to ensure privacy for her potentially embarrassing conversation. He looked up and his face lit when he locked eyes with her, sending a thrill to her toes. He seemed so genuinely happy to see her that she wondered if all the distance between them was only in her head. “Good morning, Evie. You look lovely. Turn around.”

  She did, slowly. And when she had her back to him fully, she boldly lifted the hem of the dress to show him the skimpy panties. Her breathing had already practically graduated to panting at this “inspection”, and she hadn’t yet said a word. When she turned back to him, she kept her face neutrally pleasant.

  He came around his desk and leaned against it. “Absolutely perfect, Evie. You know exactly what I want.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Hawthorne. Could I speak to you about something before we get started?”

  He looked interested, crossing his arms and tilting his head, he eyes intent on hers. “Yes of course, Evie, what is it?”

  She took a deep breath and plowed in. “I’m feeling…unsatisfied with our arrangement.” She thought he’d be angry, but instead he looked amused.

  “Oh? In what way? I, for one, find it to be immensely satisfying.” His smile dazzled her and she had to mentally drag herself back to her task before she got caught up in him and forgot what she’d come to achieve.

  “Well, see, you are getting what you need but I want something more.” She clasped her hands in front of her and tried to remain professional, tried to pretend she wasn’t talking about what she was actually talking about.

  His smiled faded as he grew serious. “But Evie, I’m the boss. You are my employee. I am paying you to do a job. It’s fortuitous if that job is fulfilling for you too, but that’s not always the case.”

  “I know, but I’m hoping what I’m proposing will be of interest to you as well.”

  “I’m listening.”

  She tried hard to just blurt it out. “What I want… I’m just really feeling like I want to…” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I want to have sex. With you. And we haven’t yet, and thus… Unsatisfied.” She gestured weakly toward her own body, feeling ridiculous. This officially rated number one in the strangest conversations she’d ever had, and she’d had some weird ones in the past few days. She clamped her mouth shut before anything else could come out of it. She’d said what she needed to.

  He looked down, studying his shoes while she fidgeted in front of him. Finally, his voice low and serious, he asked, “What is it specifically you are unsatisfied with, because unless I’m mistaken, you looked very satisfied last night after Charley was done with you. And then of course I know he visited your room again later…”

  Her mouth dropped open. Did he really not want to add sex to their arrangement? She closed her lips and tried to regroup.

  Just tell him.

  “I want to be…” She bit her lip, delaying saying the word. “Penetrated. Have sex.” Dropping her eyes, she waited for a reaction before slowly peeking up at him when she heard none.

  “Penetrated,” he repeated when he caught her eye, a smile crawling over his face. “Such possibilities.”

  Settling her shoulders back in fake bravado, she stood firm, squeezing her hands together so she wouldn’t touch her hair and he wouldn’t see her fingers trembling. Her nipples were rock hard and her pussy tingled in a lively way only Ford seemed to produce. He’d said “penetrated” in such a loaded fashion, and she responded as if she were conditioned—her mind instantly began creating a pornographic picture-book full of creative penetration ideas involving Ford, Charley and her.

  Charley? Did she mean to include him?

  “So last night when Charley came to your room, he didn’t…?” He trailed off, but there was no question as to what he meant.

  She shook her head, feeling her face grow hot. “He said he wouldn’t. Not until you did first,” she mumbled.

  He crossed his arms and leaned back. “That’s an interesting bit of information. It tells me you wanted to and Charley said no.” Ford cocked his head, keeping his keen gaze trained on her.

  She opened her mouth, feeling as though she should say something. Apologize? But she d
idn’t. Closing her mouth she lifted her chin. No shame. She remembered the rule. Yes she’d wanted Charley. Yes he’d said no. She wasn’t going to feel badly about that. Ford wasn’t her boyfriend—he’d made that abundantly clear.

  Ford broke into a toothy, shark’s smile. “Charley is a loyal friend. He knows I like to be the first to play with my toys before I share.”

  Evie’s face hardened. It wasn’t so much just a reaction to his callous reference to her, but in the wisp of coldness she felt in his words. She might choose to be a plaything—choose to be used by this man and his friend—but only if she was being respected and appreciated while she was doing it. He’d just verbally slapped her—taking an easy swipe at her vulnerable position. Many choice words came to mind, but instead of flinging any of them, she turned in disgust on her five-inch heels and stalked toward the door.

  “Wait!” He moved quickly, deftly cutting her off before she could reach for the doorknob. He leaned against the door, blocking her. Crossing her arms, she cocked her hip and set her mouth in a thin line, refusing to speak to him. “I’m sorry.” He reached for her but she stepped back, keeping her arms tightly crossed over her body. “I’m sorry,” he tried again but she didn’t soften.

  Dropping his head, he took a deep breath and spoke looking at his shoes. “You’re not a toy.”

  “I’m not a possession,” she corrected emphatically.

  He squinted his eyes, screwing his gorgeous mouth up like he wanted to argue with her, but instead tried, “I’d like to table arguing that distinction for now, but you’re right to be upset. I meant it to hurt you.”

  “And you’re an overachiever, remember?” She inserted a hefty amount of acid into her tone.

  “Yes, so I succeeded. I get it.” He met her eyes but didn’t continue.

  “Why?” She wished his motivations didn’t matter to her, but they did.

  Shrugging, he looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable with the conversation. “You wanted to sleep with Charley.”

  “So?” She spat the word at him, surprising herself with the real anger behind it.

  Frowning, he didn’t answer right away. “So…I want you to want to sleep with me.”

  She threw up her arms, exasperated. “I do want to sleep with you. That’s what I’m in here telling you.”

  “I know. I know.” He held up his hands and looked away. “I’m sorry,” he repeated again. “I don’t know why it upset me.”

  “I can help!” she sang cheerfully, holding a finger in the air. “Because you’re selfish and arrogant, so your hope is I’ll want you so much I wouldn’t want anyone else at all.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” He seemed genuinely outraged. But she held her ground, planting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows. They stared each other down, chests heaving in the heat of the argument. Finally, Ford’s shoulders sagged. “Yes, I suppose that sounds like me.” He smiled, shifting into charmingly self-deprecating in an instant. He reached out and took hold of her wrists, pulling her forward. She allowed him to move her awkwardly, her body stiff with reluctance. “Evie, forgive me. I’m in unfamiliar territory here.” She refused to respond. “Forgive me?” He tried to catch her eye and his dimples made her heart skip, his dazzling emerald eyes warming her to the core.

  “Stop.” She couldn’t suppress the urge that made the corners of her mouth twitch up. “You know your dimples are the equivalent of me taking my top off.”

  “Is that right?” His voice twinkled in amusement. “I didn’t know that.” And then his voice was a purr, a sensuous treat like velvet wrapping around her. “Take your top off and perhaps I’ll understand the comparison.” She laughed and relaxed her stance, and he snatched the opportunity to pull her into a hug, kissing her on the forehead. “Now if you can forgive my ungentlemanly reaction to my jealousy, let’s discuss the penetration proposal you’ve brought to the table.”

  She shook her head at him. Straight back to business. As soon as Ford had gone so far as to admit he was human, he’d snapped the subject closed. “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “Let’s discuss my proposal. But you’ll be disappointed to discover I didn’t create a PowerPoint presentation or conduct a cost-benefit analysis. You’re just going to have to go with your gut as far as whether you should fuck me or not.”

  Keeping her wrapped possessively in his arms, he pulled his head back to look down at her, his grin widening. “Oh, you are very sassy. That kind of behavior is going to be so bad for you in this house, and so good for me.” There was no mistaking the naughty wickedness shining in his eyes. “I cannot allow such behavior to go unpunished…” She felt his cock stiffen against her and an assault of sexual sparks hijacked her cool intentions.

  She allowed him to lead her back to his desk, which she noticed for the first time was completely clear of any papers or objects. He turned and leaned against the broad edge of the solid mahogany, keeping her hand held in his.

  “Make no mistake, Evangeline, I want to fuck you. Hard and often.” He paused, letting those words sink in for both of them. Evie clenched her teeth against her need to squirm. This man might actually be able to make her come just by talking dirty to her.

  He moistened his lips deliberately and continued. “But there’s no doubt that fucking will complicate matters between us. So if we’re going do this, we’re going to do it my way.” It came out of his mouth so effortlessly, and with a smile, and bells rang in her head.

  He’d planned this. He had purposely withheld sex from her to make her want it. To make her crave it. To make her come begging for it. And when she did, he’d be in the best negotiating position. She should have known she was in over her head making deals with Ford Hawthorne.

  “First, tell me something. I’m assuming you are at least partially here to work toward your future?” She nodded slowly, not sure what his angle was, because with him, there was always an angle. “What is your dream, Evie? If you could do anything, where would you like to be in five years?” He let go of her hand and crossed his arms. Pursing his lips in a very distracting way, he waited for her answer.

  Though she didn’t understand what her future plans had to do with her and Ford having sex, she had an easy answer to his question. It was what she’d secretly wanted for years. And though she’d never told anyone her dream before, it came tumbling out of her mouth as easily as if Ford was her best friend.

  “I want to open my own store, a lingerie shop. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do—work for myself doing something I enjoy.” She loved lingerie stores—all the pretty, lacy things, and the way lingerie made women feel pampered and sexy. She’d often dreamed of opening her own boutique.

  He nodded his head and looked up to the ceiling, considering her idea. “I like it. You’d be good at it. You have a hell of a mind for business and you certainly understand sex appeal. You may even be able to franchise, take on the mall stores…” She could see the whole business plan forming like building blocks in his head, all the moving parts clicking into place.

  “Mr. Hawthorne?” She tried to steer him back to their discussion.

  “Right, sorry. Okay Evie, here’s my offer. I’ll give you $500,000 on top of the salary I’m giving you now for one year of your services.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “What?” she choked out. “How much?”

  Despite her shock, Ford continued in his refined and clipped professional voice. “You heard me. A half a million dollars. And I’ll still pay for law school on top of it if you decide you want to be my attorney instead of opening a store.” He grinned.

  “But why? That’s a lot of money.” This poor negotiation response was all she could manage to come up with. Then the realization hit her. There was a catch. Of course. She narrowed her eyes. “For what ‘services’?”

  He appeared delighted at her astuteness. “In return you will allow me complete access to your body, all mine to do with what I will, whenever and however I want it, for one year.” He gazed at her stead
ily, as if challenging her to refuse. “And, you will entertain Charley in the same manner. Any way he wants to have you, anytime.” He tilted his head, his face ablaze with excitement over his offer, assessing her response.

  She shut her mouth. That was some catch. She stepped away from him unconsciously. Now the large sum of money made sense.

  “Evie.” Ford reached for her. Spreading his legs, he pulled her between them, wrapping his arms around her waist and trapping her against him. She had to lean back to look at his handsome face. He was in persuasion mode, which meant she was in trouble. “Open your mind to the possibilities, love. You would enjoy it. We will be utterly discrete and you will be completely safe at all times. We just want to enjoy you.” He lifted her chin to look in his eyes. “I will not harm you or allow you to be harmed. I promise you. You’ll be mine and I will cherish you as my most valuable possession.”

  Possession. There it was again. She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. “Yes, possession. I want to own you sexually for a year. That’s what I’m willing to pay half a million dollars for. I want to think of you as mine. Please don’t look at it as belittling—on the contrary, you would be all I think about. Such an arrangement would mean great responsibility on my part.” He moved one of his hands down to cup her ass. “And the idea excites me in a way I’ve never experienced before.” Ducking his head, he placed one slow kiss along her shoulder blade. “You are intoxicating,” he whispered. “I want you completely available to me. Anything I might be in the mood for…tender, rough, Charley and I together. I want that kind of freedom. I’ve wanted to possess you ever since I met you.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “And you’re not a ‘thing’. You’re Evie, this incredible, brave, beautiful woman who might be willing to finally give me what I’ve been looking for my whole life. What I need to feel alive. But the only way it works is if you agree to become mine.”

  She hoped she wasn’t somehow letting down women everywhere by liking what he wanted from her, but she did. She liked the idea very much. The idea fanned a smolder deep inside her, in the animal part of her that knew only food, water, air and sex. That part of her wanted this as much as Ford wanted it. This craving of hers, that lived in the primitive part of her psyche and had gone undetected until she’d met Ford, was somehow the perfect complement for his own secret need. How often did human beings meet their perfect puzzle piece? His yin to her yang? All she knew is it had never happened to her, until now. From a purely sexual standpoint, Ford was her perfect partner, and it struck her what a powerful aphrodisiac that was.