High Stakes (The Kingdom Book 2) (25 page)

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Tara says, joining our hug. Lottie is sandwiched between us and squeezed tight.

“Ugh, you girls are mushy. I don’t like this soft side you bring out in me.” She pushes us both away and hops up off the bed. “Time to wash these masks off.” She strides into the bathroom and I can hear the water being run. That’s her way of finishing this conversation. We’ve given her enough to think about, and I’ll revisit this discussion another time.

“She’s such a crank,” Tara says affectionately. “I always wanted a sister. Now it’s like I have two. You’re sticking around, aren’t you, Ari? You’re not going to leave me and my brother broken hearted?”

“I’m sticking around,” I say with a smile, “for as long as you’ll have me.”

WORK IS HECTIC.
I don’t know what gave me the impression that Wednesday would be a quiet day, but it isn’t. I have paperwork stacking up on my desk, and the shop floor has been so busy that Beth and I have been out there since eleven and it’s now three. We haven’t had lunch, and I have managed two mouthfuls of a coffee before it went cold, and a quick bathroom break.

The words on everyone’s lips are the summer ball. It appears that it’s a far bigger event than I had expected and now that I’ve dressed some of Las Vegas’s elite in their finery for the occasion, I am starting to feel a little worried that I don’t have anything planned yet.

“Arianna,” Beth calls, as I see the most recent customer out of the door. I smile at commando, who is standing there scanning everyone and everything in sight.

“Yes,” I say as I turn in her direction.

“Let’s take a break. The girls can handle it from here.”

“Okay, thanks.”

I’m grateful and by the sounds of it, so is my stomach as it growls loudly. Beth makes us both a coffee and places a brown paper bag on my desk, along with the mug of steaming hot caffeine.

“Eat.” she orders.

I open the bag to a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, and my mouth immediately starts to water.

“Beth, you’re a star, thank you,” I say, before I sink my teeth into it.

She doesn’t reply, but opens her own paper bag and we sit and eat in comfortable silence.

I hear my cell ding from my desk drawer and pull it out to check the message. There are three messages, two from Denham, the other from Lottie, reminding me to sort out dresses with Beth.

I open Denham’s message and can’t help but smile. I’ve thought about him pretty much every second that I wasn’t occupied, and it makes me really happy to know that he thinks about me when I’m not there too. Of course, I already knew that he thinks about me but, hey, I’m a girl and it’s nice to have the reassurance.

Denham - Stunner. I miss you. How’s your day? Xoxox

And another …

Denham – I guess you’re busy … I still miss you xoxox

So I message him back.

Me – It’s crazy! So damn busy, I miss you too x

The icon on my iPhone indicates he’s replying instantly and I smile.

Denham – Just one kiss? You can’t miss me all that much
☹

Me – Sorry xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox better?

Denham – Much better, will you kiss me that many times for real, later?

Me – Yes, and more ;)

Denham – Promise? Remember, it’s just you and me tonight. I want you all to myself. In fact, I have something for you xoxox

Me- oooh, what is it? And yes, I promise! Xxxx

Denham – you’ll have to wait and see …

Me – Give me a clue … Pleeeeeeease!

Denham – It involves you, and me, naked, hot, sweaty … fuck, now I’m hard.

Fuck, now I’m turned on. And I’ve just remembered I’m in the office with Beth, and I can feel the inferno of a blush sweeping across my skin.

Me – Don’t do that to me when I’m at work!

Denham – Are you alone?

Me – No! Beth is sitting at her desk right across from me.

Denham – Are you blushing? I love it when you blush. It creeps across your chest and up your neck.

Me – Yes, I’m blushing.

Denham – Fuck, I bet you’re breaths are coming a little faster too. The way they do when you feel my breath tickle your ear, right before I suck the lobe between my teeth … and right about now, you’ll want to let your head drop back a little and let out a little whimper that you know drives me crazy … Ari …

Shit, I can’t believe he’s doing this. He’s driving me crazy with his words. I can feel him, and yes, I do want to close my eyes and let my head fall back while he does all of those things to me.

Me – You’re making me crazy.

Denham – Go to the rest room.

He’s telling me, not asking me, and I can almost hear his gentle but firm voice. It’s the voice that makes me feel empowered. Like I can do anything. Especially when he has me wound tightly like this.

When I take too long to respond, his name flashes across the screen as he calls me. Luckily I had switched it to silent so it didn’t bother Beth, but I can’t answer it in front of her, so I hit reject. I can picture him chuckling to himself, wherever he is. Is he somewhere in public? Maybe in his office?

I stand up abruptly and clear my throat, placing the half-finished bagel back in the paper bag and shoving it in my drawer. I’m far too turned on to eat. My mind can’t think of anything else but him. The sound of his gravelly voice, the way he makes my skin prickle with his breath. The way his lips feel against me.

I excuse myself, and have to stop my legs from running down the hallway to the rest room. I push open the door and check to see if anyone else is here. They’re not. And, even though I’m alone, I lock myself in one of the stalls, strangely feeling like it gives me a little more privacy.

When I dial, he must have been sitting right on his cell as it hardly has a chance to ring more than once.

“Hello, Stunner.”

“Hi,” I say breathlessly. I feel like a schoolgirl with a crush when I hear his voice.

“Where are you?”

“In the restroom.” I smile, leaning back against the stall door.

“Jesus, Ari. Just the sound of your voice. The thought of you … You make me so fucking hard. Can you finish work early?”

“No, I was going to call you. It’s going to be a little later today …”

“I can’t wait. I don’t want to wait. I want you now, Stunner. I want your body underneath me. I want your lips against mine.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I don’t want to wait either. But I can’t—”

“Are you wet, Ari? Because I’m hard as fucking stone here. Touch yourself,” he says. More a suggestion than an order, but I still find it hard to do.

“I … I …” I stutter, because he makes it easy to do when I’m with him, but this feels … weird. Because he’s not here physically. Because it feels so damn dirty and not something I would have ever done before.

“I know you’re desperate for me to touch you. I can tell by the way your breathing has gotten heavier. Imagine I’m there in that stall with you. I push you up against the wall, my tongue tangles with yours and you moan into my mouth. I pin your hands above your head with one hand, and with the other, I push your skirt up. Can you feel it, Ari? Can you feel my hands on you?”

“Yes, I feel your hands.”

“What underwear do you have on today?”

“Lace, white lace,” I answer, and hear him groan.

“Push it to one side with your fingers, and stroke yourself.”

I do exactly what he says, my fingers immediately stroke with rhythm. I’m fired up. Wound so tight, it’ll only take a minute before I orgasm, and I don’t remember a time when I was so responsive. I moan “Oh god.” I gasp on a rush of breath.

“Imagine it’s my fingers working you, Stunner. I’m sucking your neck. Biting that spot that sends you wild just behind your ear. You’re close. I can hear you.”

“Holy shit,” I gasp. I knew I was close, but my orgasm is rushing up on me, making my eyes blur, my breath falter and my body start to shake. I picture him on the other end of the line. Is he touching himself too? I haven’t even asked where he is. But I can’t. I can’t process anything other than the here and now.

“You’re going to come, Ari?”

“Yes,” I pant.

“Let it go, Stunner.”

So I do.

It hits me like a freight train. Buckling my legs and forcing the air out of my lungs.

“Fuck, holy shit,” I pant. “Denham …” His name rolls from my lips in a whisper as my back arches, and my shoulders press into the stall door. As my orgasm eases, I let my body slide down, until I am crouching. The way my legs are shaking I can’t hold my body up straight yet, so I crouch here until my breathing regulates a little.

“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever heard, Ari,” Denham growls down the line.

“Shit, did you … are you …” I can’t get the words out properly.

“No, I’m currently in the corner of the gym, with my dick in my pants. But, it’s painful and I’ll have to sit here for a while and think about my elderly grandmother so I don’t get reported in my own hotel for indecency.”

“You what?” I shout. “You’re in the gym? You said all of that to me while you’ve been in the gym?”

“Relax,” he laughs. “There’s only a couple of other guys in here, they’re running on the treadmills the other side with headphones on.”

“Shit, they still could have heard you.”

“Did anyone hear
you
, Ari? You were pretty vocal …”

“Crap. No, I don’t think so,” I giggle, but I would have been mortified if they had, even if it was most definitely worth it. “Look, I don’t know how long I’ve been gone. I don’t even know what day it is now, but I had better get back to work before Beth sends out a search party to find me.”

“Okay, Stunner. Have a great afternoon.”

“You too,” I say softly. I love what we just did; it’s a first for me, another first with him, which makes me smile. But, I don’t like that he’s not here to cuddle afterwards. “Thanks, for … you know …”

“For your midafternoon orgasm? You’re very welcome. Glad to have been of service. Now get back to work.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll see you later”

“Yeah, bye,” I whisper.

It’s hard to concentrate for the rest of the day, partly because my brain is in an orgasm induced haze, and partly because I’m desperate to see Denham. It’s weird having such a physical moment with someone without them actually being there, and as much as I found it exciting, it also unsettled me for the rest of the day too.

“Ari, there’s papers on your desk that need to be faxed over today please. Before five if possible,” Beth asks as my phone dings in my desk drawer. I hadn’t even noticed that I’d switched the volume on. Beth shoots me a look as I’m thinking about answering it, but her stress levels are through the roof today, and I think better of it. I’m sure she’s noticed that I’ve been less productive since we stopped for lunch and my bathroom break, and just thinking about it makes me drift off and smile to myself.

“I’m on it,” I reply.

“And can you chase up the Rocara order. It was supposed to be here today. I have a city to dress and no dresses to put them in. I want it here yesterday.”

“Sure.”

Crap. Rocara. Rocara. I’ve seen that order somewhere but I can’t remember where. I flick through the stack of files on my desk. It’s gotten bigger as the day’s gone on and as much as I love being busy, I’m starting to get overwhelmed. This is the first time I’ve ever worked in such a senior position and I really don’t want to mess it up. I want Beth to be happy that she took a chance on me and not regret her decision.