Atlantis (7 page)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Two months later…

              Candice leaned back in her chair and looked around her office.
Her
office – man, she loved the sounds of that. Parker, Inc. was growing, slowly, but it was growing. Becky was fantastic, and she'd managed to get one of the top agents, Larry Hedland, to work with them. He's been fantastic, too, getting both Sloane and Candice some high profile, high paying jobs. It felt good to be back in the world they knew so well. Candice was doing a lot of photo shoots while Sloane was doing quite a few commercials. They were both happy with what they were doing – and with the fact that they didn't have to attend VIP parties for car enthusiasts anymore.

             
With Becky and Larry's help, Candice and Sloane had signed four new, up and coming models to their agency. They weren't superstars, but hopefully with the help of Parker, Inc., they would be. It was just going to take some time. That's what Becky kept telling Candice. And Candice knew that, but she was impatient. She wanted the business to thrive overnight. It was a ridiculous goal, but one that was hard for her to give up just yet. Besides, the business was doing well, so it's not like Candice had anything to be ashamed of.

             
The door to the office swung open and Sloane came sauntering in, looking like a million bucks in all of her designer clothes and expensive jewelry. Candice glanced at the clock – 1:42 p.m. Candice had been in the office since eight thirty this morning. She rolled her eyes at her sister. "Well, it's about time you showed up."

             
Sloane smiled and gave Candice a dismissive wave. "Really, sis, why do we both need to be here so early every day?"

             
This was the same argument they'd had every day for the past month and a half. "This business won't run itself."

             
"Exactly." Sloane flung her designer Louis Vuitton bag onto her desk, and then sat. "You're here running things, and I'm out networking."

             
"Is that what you call hanging out in clubs and partying all night? Networking?" Candice smirked.

             
"Yes." Sloane laughed. "Seriously, Candice, I'm out there meeting people and making contacts. It's good business."

             
Candice, despite her smile, shook her head in disbelief. Maybe Sloane was right. Maybe being out there talking to people was a good thing. Sometimes the contacts made in a bar room were just as important as those made in the boardroom.

             
"In fact," Sloane continued, "I met a man last night who's looking for representation. I told him to stop by the office later today." She smiled with smug satisfaction.

             
How could Candice be annoyed with Sloane when she really was networking and bringing in new clients? "What's his name?"

             
"Johl Edwards, and he's gorgeous," Sloane gushed with a goofy smile.

             
Oh, that was just great. If Sloane was smiling like that; then chances were good she had her eyes on Johl for more than a potential client. She had the hots for him – which might work in their favor if Sloane and Johl hooked up. What was wrong with me? Candice wondered; am I really willing to pimp out my sister to ensure this business succeeds? No, of course not. But, if Sloane had her eyes on this guy; then nothing Candice could say or do would change that.

             
"We spent all night talking. He's got a great look," Sloane said.

             
"Well, let's hope he decides to sign with us then. He could be exactly what we need," Candice said.

             
"Last night wasn't the first night I met him. I've seen him a few times before. We'd spoken, but nothing more than passing hello's. I'm seeing him again tonight."

             
"So, are you two dating?" Candice raised a brow.

             
Sloane shook her head. "No, I told him I'd take him out for dinner…on the business…as a business expense…that's what all the other agencies do when they're trying to sign a new client."

             
Candice sighed. "Yes, but we're not all those other agencies. We want clients who want us, not clients who want us simply because we feed them." She laughed.

             
"Don't be so dramatic. It'll be fine."

*****

              Johl smiled. "Sloane, you look as beautiful as ever," he said, standing to greet her.

             
She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Johl." She sat in the chair he had pulled out for her and waited for him to take his seat across from her. "Candice was really impressed with you today."

             
He smiled and Sloane felt her knees go weak. Wow, he had a great smile. Everything about Johl was great – from his deep brown eyes to his chiseled jawline and muscular abs.

             
"She's nice," he said. "And she seems to know what she's talking about."

             
Sloane nodded. "She does, and she's very excited to sign you to Parker, Inc."

             
He chuckled softly and reached over to touch Sloane's hand. "Let's talk about business later, huh?" Johl winked.

             
She smiled. "That sounds like a good idea." The waitress arrived, filled their wine glasses, and took their food orders. "So, what made you decide to get into modeling?"

             
Johl waved his finger at her. "Uh-uh, no business talk, remember?"

             
"Right. Well, what would you like to talk about then?"

             
He shrugged. "The weather…politics…religion…"

             
Sloane put her hand up to silence him. "Why don’t you just tell me about yourself? Your childhood…your parents…your first girlfriend…" She giggled.

*****

              Two hours and three bottles of wine later, they left the restaurant. The temperature had dropped a few degrees and the air was cool. Sloane pulled her shawl tighter around her, but it did little to warm her. Johl put his arm around her shoulders. "Cold?" he asked.

             
"A little."

             
"Maybe this will warm you up," he said, bringing his lips down to hers.

             
Sloane knew they'd both had a little too much to drink, but she really hoped he was kissing her because he wanted to and not because he had too much alcohol in his veins. She put her arms around his neck and welcomed his kiss. His tongue explored her mouth with expertise and she moaned softly.

             
"Mmm," he hummed, pulling away and licking his lips. "Want to go back to my place?"

             
"Yes," she said without hesitation.

             
Johl hailed a cab, but before they got one to stop, a man jogged down the sidewalk toward them.

             
"Excuse me, Miss Parker?"

             
Sloane turned to look at the man. "Yes?"

             
"Hi." He was clearly out of breath, and she wondered how long he'd been chasing them. It couldn't have been too long considering the restaurant they'd just left was only around the corner. "I'm Maddox Hunter, designer."

             
She smiled and shook his offered hand. "Hello, Mr. Hunter." She searched her mind to figure out if she'd met him before or knew him at all. She didn't, but his name did sound familiar.

             
"Sorry to catch you on the street like this…I'll get right to the point. I'm launching a new line of swimwear and I'd like you and your sister to be the face of the new label."

             
"Wow." Sloane tried to shake the fuzzy alcohol barrier from her mind. "Uh, okay, well, why don't you stop by our offices tomorrow and we can discuss the details." She dug in her purse, retrieved one of her business cards, and handed it to him.

             
Johl came up behind her and kissed her neck. "No business talk tonight, remember?" he whispered.

             
Maddox smiled and nodded. "I'll give you ladies a call tomorrow morning. Enjoy the rest of your evening," he said with a knowing stare.

             
When he was out of earshot, Sloane playfully elbowed Johl. "We agreed no business talk between us. You never said I couldn't make deals with tall, dark, handsome strangers on the street," she teased.

             
"I'm going to show you tall, dark, and handsome." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again.

             
What he said made no sense, but she was smart enough to know it was a sexual reference. Going to Johl's place meant having sex with him – and she wanted to. Not because she thought it would help her sign him, but because she was very attracted to him. "Haven't you gotten us a cab yet?" she asked in between kisses.

Chapter Fourteen

             
"Johl!" Sloane squirmed beneath him and giggled. "Stop, that tickles."

             
"Does this tickle?" He pressed his body to hers, his erection settling between her spread legs. Then he kissed her, hard, nipping at her lips and tongue.

             
"No," she moaned into his mouth and lifted her hips to meet him, to grind her crotch onto his growing erection. They'd been at his apartment for over an hour now and hadn't had sex yet. They'd had more to drink; they'd talked, laughed, kissed, but no sex – until now. She knew it was going to happen now and she was ready for it, for him. He was so sexy and a lot of fun to be with. Sloane liked him – a lot -- more than she ever liked Nate and she'd dated him for a long time.

             
"What about this?" He slid his hand up her shirt and cupped her breast, kneading it softly, rubbing his thumb over her nipple.

             
"No," she moaned again.

Johl winked, kissed her softly on the lips, and then slowly removed all of her clothing; then his own, leaving on just his boxers. Sloane frowned. She wanted to see him, all of him. She would just have to fix that.

He moved down her body and stopped at her breasts, taking one into his mouth and the other into his hand. Sloane arched into his touch, loving the firm, sureness of his hands. The feel of her hard nipple rubbing against his tongue and hardening between his fingers had her writhing beneath him, desperate for more.

Sloane arched her back and speared her fingers into his hair. "Yeah," she whispered and dragged his face up to hers. God, he was gorgeous. He had a fantastic body that she wanted to touch and explore and kiss all over.

He obliged and gave her exactly what she wanted – a kiss that was so hot and deep and passionate she ground her sex against his leg. Johl smiled against her lips and put his hand on her waist, pinning her to the bed. "You're making it very hard to take this slow," he said.

"Going slow is overrated." Sloane pushed him off her and rolled on top of him. Sometimes a woman just had to take control.

By the look on his face, she knew the action took him by surprise, but he smiled nonetheless. "Now what are you going to do?"

She gave him a wicked smile. "This." She pressed her lips to his chest, her tongue licking across his pecs and to his nipple. He put one hand behind his head and used the other to hold her hair away from her face so that he could watch her. "And this." Sloane kissed down his torso to his belly button, swirling her tongue in his navel. He squirmed a little and chuckled. 

"Oh, and this," she said, curling her fingers into the waistband of his boxers and tugging them down over his hips, allowing his cock to spring free in all its hard glory. She looked up at him under her lashes, and then wrapped her hand around his shaft, squeezing just enough to cause his hips to jerk up off the bed. Then she licked the ridge of his cockhead, drawing him deep into the back of her throat. He was bigger than she expected and he filled her mouth completely, but she liked it.

"Fuck," he groaned. "Sonofabitch your mouth is so hot and wet." He sucked in a breath, his stomach hollowed, and his mouth was stuck in the shape of an O as she deep throated him.

Wow! Sloane was both shocked and aroused by Johl's words. He seemed like such a nice guy, a gentleman. Who knew he had it in him to talk like that? It was exciting. "Mmm." She sucked on his head while stroking his shaft with her hand.

"Sloane." He gathered her hair into his hands again and looked down at her. "Holy shit that feels good."

"Tastes good, too." She looked at him, smiled, and licked her lips.

"Okay, that's it." Johl reached for her, flipped her over onto her back, and pinned her beneath his body. He found her lips and parted them with his tongue. She felt how much emotion he poured into that one kiss, and then left her wanting more as he slid down her body. "Now it's my turn." Johl resumed where he'd left off before, kissing his way down her body toward her shaved lips. He stopped, as if stunned to see her like that. 

"What?" she asked self-consciously.

Johl shook his head. "Nothing...it's just...you're…you're shaved."

"Is that a bad thing?"

He laughed. "No, just a little unexpected is all."

Sloane propped herself up on her elbows and grinned. "I model swimsuits, Johl, I can't have hair down there."

"Good point."

"You don't like it?" She titled her head to the side and waited for his answer. She'd thought men liked women who did that.

He sat on his knees, took her hand, and put it on his cock. "Feel how hard you've made me?" She nodded and started to stroke him again. He felt his knees buckle as he leaned over to kiss her again. "I think it's safe to say I like it."

Sloane smiled. "Good." She was relieved to know Johl liked it, liked her, because she really liked him.

He lowered his body, and then his head between her legs and firmly kissed her mound before parting her folds. Licking up one side, and then down the other, he closed his eyes. Sloane moaned when he sucked her clit into his mouth; then released it only to suck on it once again. She lowered herself back down onto the bed and draped her arm over her face, luxuriating in the feel of his tongue on her.

Sloane bucked beneath him, her hips lifting to meet his mouth as she clutched at his hair. "Oh God, Johl, yes..."

He eased two fingers inside of her while continuing to tease her clit with his tongue. "You taste so good, so good."

She tightened around his fingers and she knew she was close to coming. Apparently he knew it, too, because Johl slipped another finger into her and pressed his thumb to her clit; then he moved up to her mouth, claiming her lips in a kiss.

Her fingernails dug into the hard flesh of his biceps and her thighs clamped around his arm, making it difficult to move his fingers inside of her, but he persisted. "Johl," she whimpered into his mouth.

"That's right. Come for me, baby." He nipped at her bottom lip and curled his fingers against her inner walls, stroking them to their breaking point. Moments later, she came apart in his arms, crying his name as she came.

"Oh...my...God," she panted.

Johl eased his fingers from her, and she felt empty, alone. She needed more of him. But he got up off the bed and walked toward his dresser. What the heck was he doing, she wondered. Then she saw the glint of a foil packet – a condom. She smiled. Thank heavens for that. "You're prepared," she said.

"I used to be a Boy Scout." He laughed as he walked back toward the bed, tearing open the condom and rolling it down his length.

She took a moment to admire him and his sexy ass body. No wonder he'd gone into modeling. He definitely had the look for it, and he was going to be very successful, too. Sloane shook her head. Why in the hell was she thinking about work now when he was getting ready to make love to her?

Johl climbed onto the bed, settled between her legs, and positioned the head of his cock at the clenched opening of her pussy.

She wiggled, enticing him to enter her, to stop stalling. As if able to read her mind, he slowly pushed inside of her, and they moaned simultaneously. She was much tighter than he'd expected, and her pussy enveloped his cock like a glove, snug and warm. The sensations of her wet pussy gripping his cock each time he'd thrust in and out of her was like billions of fireworks going off in his mind and body. He was on an overload of pleasure that he didn't want to end. The world could end in a fiery blaze and he wouldn't notice.

She reached around and grabbed his ass, holding him deep inside of her as she rotated her hips, grinding her pussy on him. "God, Johl...ahh," she yelled.

"Christ you feel so good, Sloane, so fucking good...I can't..." He stilled inside of her, knowing that one slight move would have him coming instantly and he wasn't ready for that yet. Johl smoothed the hair from her forehead and gave her a soft, languid kiss. She scraped her fingernails up the length of his back, making him shudder. Then, with agonizingly slow movements, he began to move in and out of her again. He was doing good keeping his pace steady, letting the pleasure build between them until they were both ready to explode, but when she raked her teeth along his neck, he lost it. Thankfully she was on the precipice, too, because there was no stopping it this time.

"Johl!" His name fell from her lips as a chant.

"Fuck, Sloane." He shifted his weight into his arms and fucked her with jackhammer quick thrusts until they both gave in to their orgasms. She clenched his dick so hard it was almost painful, but nothing could've prepared him for the orgasm that consumed him. He swore he momentarily blacked out from the pleasure of it, of her.

Johl buried his face in her neck and tried to calm his breathing. He felt her heart beating just as hard as his when he kissed her neck and throat. "You okay?" He dragged his mouth to hers and kissed her.

"Never better." She smiled.