Claimed by the Sicilian Tycoon (5 page)

“No
doubt,” she said, laughing softly, before giving him a smile he could only call
sultry. It made his breath catch. Made his head spin ever so slightly.

He
opened his mouth to reply, probably to say something blunt and demanding, but a
waiter arrived—saving him from himself—and Andros ordered drinks for them, as
well as some starters. The interaction gave him a moment to think, just like
the cool air flooding the car, and he gritted his teeth. Wondering how he was
going to deal with this situation.

Deal
with her.

She
was just so fucking sexy.

“Is
this your favorite place to eat?” she asked once the waiter left.

Andros
sighed. So she wanted to play it like that? To pretend this was a normal little
dinner? Question was whether or not to let her? A man of little patience, a man
used to getting his own way, ordinarily Andros would have pushed her until she
told him exactly what she wanted. Not because he didn’t know, but because he
wanted to hear it straight from her pretty little lips. Then they could get the
hell on with it.

He
shuddered inwardly as he imagined burying himself between her golden thighs. He
desired her intensely, and he could tell already that he would enjoy himself.
She would too. He’d make sure of that.

When
was the last time he’d bedded a woman? Andros searched his memory,
 
frowning slightly as he did so. It had been a
while, mainly because of how busy he had been. Then too was the fact that so
few women let him chase. They offered, he took, before long he was bored.

Lyra
was not going to be that way. He knew that already. She was going to make him
work, and with that thought, he felt excitement tingle all over his body, coupled
with anticipation deep in his gut.

“I
come here quite often,” he said, decision made.

“Because
it is in central London?”

“Because
the food is amazing.”

“I’m
hungry.”

“Then
we shall eat.”

The
service at
Junction Twenty
was
exceptional and it did not take long before the waiter brought their starters.
Andros barely noticed what he was eating. He couldn’t take his eyes off Lyra.
She ate with gusto, using her fingers often, something that many of the other
diners would frown upon, he suspected, and yet Andros did not. Her actions
reminded him—oddly—of family dinners from when he was very little.

He
watched her lips working, her fingers tracing over those lips, into her mouth,
and worried that his erection was going to become a permanent painful state.

When
they paused between their starters and main, she looked over at one of the
other tables, and nodded. “I was reading about his exploits last week.”

Andros
followed her gaze to a well-known Member of Parliament. “You and the rest of
the world.”

“His
poor wife,” Lyra said, but she was grinning.

“Her
situation amuses you?”

Her
grin widened. “I don’t know what she’d expect being married to him. Just take a
close look and it would have been so obvious exactly what sort of things he
likes to get up to.”

Despite
himself, Andros was intrigued. “You can tell just by looking at a man that he
likes to be spanked by a woman dressed as his mother?”

She
laughed. It was a delightful sound. Andros found himself smiling right along
with her. “I can tell that he likes it kinky. He’s too uptight, and he’s blue
blood, right?”

“And?”

“They’re
all weird. I mean they can’t help it. I think it might be due to the boarding
schools. Just weird situations all round.”

“Indeed.”

A
few moments later and Andros was not surprised when Lyra dug into the course
placed in front of her. He watched her some more, intrigued and aroused, and
just all round perplexed by the situation. Every so often, she paused and
looked up at him, her very long lashes fanning her face, her eyes twinkling. He
itched to run his fingers along her skin, to watch those eyes flutter closed as
she sighed her pleasure…

Dinner
was followed quickly by dessert. Lyra pointed out a few other patrons, giving
him the rundown on exactly what she suspected they did in their private lives.
He had to agree with more than a few of her assessments.

It
was, Andros thought as he poured them another glass of wine, one of the
strangest seductions he’d ever undertaken, and yet already it felt like it had
to be, that nothing else but this would work between them.

“Would
you like coffee?” he asked as the last of their meal was taken away.

Lyra
took a sip of her wine, then shook her head. “I think I’ve had enough.”

“You’re
done?”

She
nodded. “That was lovely but coffee would tip me over the edge and…” She paused
and shot him a look over the top of her glass, “…we don’t want that, do we?”

The
atmosphere between them shifted in an instant. From strained and perplexing to
thick and pulsing. It was like being back at the bar, the moment he’d grabbed
her wrists and felt the heat shoot between them. It had simmered whilst they
ate, whilst she talked and laughed, but now it was back, and Andros almost
groaned.

“Then
let’s get down to the reason we’re here,” he said, unable to wait any longer.

“Okay.”

“We’ve
eaten, we’ve drunk and we’ve talked. We’ve…how shall we say? We’ve danced
around all the little rituals.”

“Rituals?”

He
nodded. “Yes, the things women and men do before they do what they
want
to do.”

“And
what is it you want to do, Andros?”

Bend you over and fuck you senseless,
he
thought, but didn’t say. It would be far more satisfying to just do it. “You
know the answer to that. You knew it in Club Belmont.”

“Perhaps
I would like to hear you say it?”

“I
want you.”

She
dipped her finger in her glass and placed it in her mouth. His cock thickened
to the point where he worried it might explode.

“So
blunt.”

“Do
you need flowery words,
Rossa
?”
Andros asked. “Like you needed all of this?” He waved a hand around the room,
but she shook her head.

“I thought
this would be nice,” she said. “Let the tension simmer a little before we give
into it.”

“So
we
are
going to give into it?”

“Of
course we are, and I never need flowery words. I can’t stand men who lie and
bullshit. Honesty is always my motto. I’d much rather you tell me as it is.”

He
splayed his hands wide. “Then that is how it is. I want you. I wanted you the
moment I turned around and saw you in the club. You are very sexy, unbelievably
beautiful.”

“You
want to take me home with you? Tonight?”

Want?
He smiled, the
anticipation clawing at him. There was no want about it. He
would
have her. Still, perhaps before he
ran in dick first he should find out exactly how she felt, what she expected.
That would be the smart thing to do and now was the time to do it. If he left
it any longer…

 
“I do,” he stated, “and now, Lyra, it is time
that you tell me exactly what it is that you want.”

Chapter Five

Lyra
ran her finger along the edge of her wine glass. She’d never tasted wine quite
like it, so rich and fruity. It was like a little taste of Andros’ world and
already she wanted more. Wanted him.

And he wants you.

She
smiled inwardly at that thought, and couldn’t stop her mind from skipping ahead
to imagine exactly how that might unravel. But she hadn’t made all her moves
yet, and she’d promised herself, hadn’t she?

Honesty.

Play
it straight and see if he plays with.

So show time.
Only she was
nervous, more so than she had expected. After all, so much rested on the next
few moments. Not just her family’s plans but hers also. So really, taking that
into consideration, was it any wonder that her stomach was flipping, and her
head spinning?

It
all came down to this moment, and Lyra knew too that by taking the step she
planned that she was risking everything they were trying to achieve. But also
that it was unavoidable. For her this was the only way she could achieve her
mission.

The
only way to get what she wanted.

“My
words have made you thoughtful,” Andros said.

Lyra
smiled across at him, cheering a little inside as his gaze dropped to her
mouth. She licked her lips, not to tempt him more, but because they were
suddenly dry. His fist clenched on the table, and she shivered.

“They
have.”

“Tell
me.”

It
was a command rather than a question. Despite the fact Lyra would have liked to
wait just a few more moments, until her stomach settled at least, she knew she
could not. Andros had indulged her with this dinner, but she suspected that
indulgence was all but used up. So it was time.
Deep breath.

“I
was thinking,” she said slowly, “about a book I recently read.”

He
laughed. The sound filled the space around them making Lyra’s stomach muscles
clench. How was it possible that even his laugh was attractive?

“Politics,
books, there is more to you than meets the eye, I suspect. Though I cannot help
but think I must be losing my touch if you’re thinking about books.”

“I
doubt that.”

“Hmmm…well
come,” he said. “It relates in some way, no? So tell me about this book.”

This
was it. Lyra’s heart thudded so hard she was sure Andros must be able to hear
it, to feel the nerves rolling off her.

Show time.

“Did
you know,” she began, her words far steadier than she’d expected them to be.
“That in the Regency period women who were genteel and poor would offer
themselves up as mistresses to men in the aristocracy?”

Silence
for a moment, and when Andros spoke his accent was marked, thicker. “I did not
know that.”

She
shrugged, just a small movement, before casting him a look from under her
lashes. It was one she’d practiced in the mirror, worked on to make perfect,
and it had the desired effect. His eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared.

Desire. Thick. Throbbing.

“I
read a lot of historical romances,” she continued, her voice less steady now.
“My sister adores them, and you know I think it makes sense.”

“How
so?” he asked.

“They
were poor and they had no way to earn a living for themselves. Women weren’t
allowed to work after all, or if they were the jobs were pretty grim. So they
would spend time with the man, until he tired of her—men always do in the end
don’t they?—and then when the affair ended he would give her a parting gift.”

“Such
as?”

The money I need for The
Point
, Lyra thought, but of course did
not say so. There would be time and enough for that. “A house. Jewelry.
Sometimes even a pension. It ensured that the woman would be able to look after
herself in the future.”

“But
women are more than capable of supporting themselves in today’s world. A number
of my directors are women.”

“True,
though some more than others.” Lyra shrugged. “A lot depends on the start you
have in life, I think. Look around the room. How many of the women here came
from dire circumstances? Not many I bet.”

“Why
are you telling me this?” Andros asked.

Why?
Because she wanted to be open and honest, because she wanted more than just the
end mission. She wanted to be desired, properly desired. To have something that
wasn’t simply a quick fling with a guy from the estate, but an experience with
a real man. One who was commanding and…
alpha
…

Her
mind supplied the word and it fit. There could be no doubt that Andros was
alpha through and through. Of course, Lyra did not, could not, say any of that,
so instead she reached for her glass, took a small sip of wine and caught his
eye. Her gaze was steady as she spoke, wanting to make it all very clear.

“Why?
Because it always made sense in my mind. A beautiful woman using what God gave
her. Perfect sense.”

“And
would you call yourself beautiful, Lyra?”

Another
shrug, but it was clear between them now, he knew what she was suggesting and
he was not saying no. “I know what I look like, Andros. I know what men think
when they see me.”

“And
that is?”

She
rolled her eyes. “Oh, I should rephrase. They don’t think; the blood goes other
places than the brain.”

 
“Some might call you arrogant.”