Their mouths met in a fevered kiss.
He cupped her buttocks in both hands and
rubbed her back and forth against him until she was writhing with
him. With seemingly little effort, he walked with her to his master
bedroom, barely breaking the kiss to open the door.
He tossed her onto the middle of the bed and
she lay there for a moment, slightly dazed. Where was he going? He
couldn't take her this far and then stop.
With a wicked smile, he opened a drawer and
found what Abby knew they needed but had forgotten in her
enthusiasm. He stepped out of his boxers and handed her the small
foil package. As Dominic stood before her like a conquering hero
waiting to be serviced, Abby couldn't help but turn the tables one
last time on him.
She was a modern woman. She'd perused
articles on how to make these moments more memorable, she'd just
never been with a man before who made her want to try out those
techniques.
She took the foil package and crawled over to
the side of the bed deliberately taking her time, fully aware of
the effect waiting was having on him. His entire body jerked when
she slid the condom on his tip and finished by applying it with her
mouth. He groaned and rolled onto the bed with her, pinning him
beneath her. His expert hands were everywhere, removing the last of
her clothing, seeking out her wet nub. His large hands teased the
inside and outside of her, rubbing with a rhythm that had her
clinging and gasping.
In this merger, there was no leader, no
follower. They both gave as much as they received, demanded as much
as they offered. Each sought out the exact caresses to send the
other beyond control and then found rapture in the pleasure of
matched enthusiasm.
"Come," he said and this time she didn't
argue. Wave after wave of heat engulfed her. Just when she didn't
think she could take anymore, he slid inside her and the waves of
pleasure started again.
They rolled so she was on top. He guided her
up and down until they shared a mutual release. She collapsed on
him, unashamed and completely sated.
With a slight adjustment, she was tucked
against his side beneath a blanket. His strong arms allowed little
chance of escape and that was perfectly fine with Abby.
She kissed his chest impulsively and said, "I
suppose a little cavorting between meetings would be fine."
He chuckled and hugged her tighter even as
his breathing deepened and he relaxed into sleep. Abby would have
been offended by his quick slumber, but Mrs. Duhamel had shared her
concern that Dominic hadn't been sleeping this week. Apparently
that was no longer a problem.
She snuggled closer and remembered what he'd
said about her. She calmed him. With her own heart still racing
wildly in her chest every time she thought about the next few days
they'd spend together, she wondered if he knew that he had the
exact opposite effect on her. She’d never felt so alive.
Chapter Eleven
Two black SUVs and two limousines met them
the next morning at the private airport they landed at just outside
of Beijing. Abby stepped out of the plane into the hot summer air
and was glad that Mrs. Duhamel had thought of everything. She was
showered and dressed comfortably in a pair of light blue cotton
slacks and a cream blouse.
Four large men, two Chinese and two American,
came to greet Dominic as he stepped off the plane. Dominic
introduced them to Abby. It was a strangely informal introduction
to men who neither seemed like business associates nor friends.
Each hand that engulfed hers seemed larger than the next. They were
all simply dressed in black pants with white, cotton dress shirts,
and dark jackets.
Abby heard Dominic instruct, "I've given you
a list of places she can go, but she never leaves your sight. If
she wants to chat, you chat. If she wants you invisible, disappear,
but at no time should you be further than ten feet from her."
"In the suite, sir?"
"When I'm not there, I want at least one man
inside and the others prowling. When I'm there, disappear."
"Understood, sir."
Abby felt as awkward as a new tourist asking
if she should tip the porter or not. "Dominic? Are you sure this is
necessary?"
He looked down at her, as confident here as
he'd been in Boston, reminding her once again of how very little
she knew about him or his world. "They are as much for your
protection as for my sanity. There are those who would use you to
try to influence the negotiations."
She clasped her hands together in front of
her. "Use me?" she repeated weakly.
Her lover from the night before was
indistinguishable in the stone-faced man who explained, "There is
no going home now, Abby. You've been seen with me. You and your
sister will be under my protection until the dust from this has
settled."
With the body guards looking on, Abby knew
this was not the time to protest that she didn't even know what his
purpose for this trip was. She wanted to say that her personal
safety had not been mentioned when he'd asked her to join him and
that perhaps constant surveillance and the equivalent to home
arrest would have swayed her to reconsider this particular
adventure. There was so much that she would have said had they been
alone and if his expression had not clearly indicated that the
topic was not up for discussion.
For now at least.
"I see," she said and looked the guards over
again. They probably liked the idea of babysitting her as little as
she liked the idea of four hulking shadows. She decided to make the
best of it. "I hope you guys can at least play a decent game of
poker."
A general chuckle spread through the men and
set the tone for their relationship. She wasn't going to cause them
any grief nor act the part of the spoiled brat that she had no
doubt they'd encountered in the past.
Dominic lost some of his sternness as his
eyes lit with renewed interest. "You play poker?"
She hadn't in years, but she remembered the
game well enough. One of her uncles had taught her and for a while
there, in her younger years, she'd been known as quite a shark.
"Yes," she said, adding impishly, "but only with your money."
He threw back his head and laughed,
surprising all who surrounded him. The guards looked from him to
Abby and back. Their shock was clear. Hadn't they ever seen him
laugh before?
The driver held the door to the limo open and
asked, "The International Hotel, sir?"
Dominic put a hand on Abby's lower back and
ushered her into the vehicle, "Not this time, Scott. I booked a
suite at Aman at the Summer Palace."
The driver gave only the slightest hint of
surprise. "That is over thirty minutes from the business center,
sir."
Perhaps due to a deeper familiarity with this
driver, Dominic showed more patience with him than she'd seen the
day before. "I am fully aware of its location."
The driver smiled down at Abby before he
closed the door and said, "Ah, I see, sir."
With Dominic flush against one side of her,
Abby asked, "What does he see, Dominic?"
He looked more uncomfortable answering her
questions than he had during any of his business calls the day
before. "The Aman is in a tourist area. Its buildings are older but
the architecture is traditional Chinese. The Summer Palace and
gardens are within walking distance."
Pleasure spread through Abby. "You chose it
for me."
The back of Dominic's neck flushed slightly.
Abby loved that such a man was still capable of blushing, at least
when it came to her. "It's a good location for you. I will
accompany you to see the major sites of interest, but you can
explore the gardens through the Aman’s private entrance and even
rent a small boat if you'd like."
Abby hugged his arm. "Thank you."
Dominic pulled her closer and gave her a
toe-curling kiss. "I won't be going to the hotel with you. You'll
have to check in alone. I have people I need to see first, but I
will be back this evening." There was a promise in his kiss.
"Early," he stressed. The second limo pulled up as if on cue.
Dominic’s eyes darkened possessively. "Stay
out of trouble."
Abby smiled up at him. "What kind of trouble
could I possibly get into with my four gorillas?"
"I have no doubt you could find something."
He turned to the driver. "Scott, call me at slightest issue."
"I will, sir."
With one last kiss, Dominic exited the limo
and headed for his own. Abby sat there, still feeling that this was
all a bit unreal.
She moved to sit closer to the dividing
window between the back seats and the driver. "Have you known him
long, Scott?"
Scott pulled out into traffic, but answered
her. "He has been one of my clients for several years."
Abby felt like there was something she was
missing. Something that just didn't feel right. "You mean your limo
service?"
The driver spared her a rueful look in his
mirror. "Actually, I'm CEO and founder of Luros Security."
Abby's eyes widened. She'd heard of that
company, it was no start up. The man driving her vehicle was at
least a multi-millionaire. "And you drive limos?" she couldn't help
but ask.
"Not usually," he said. "However, Dominic
called it a personal favor."
"So, you're here to organize the security for
his negotiations?"
"No," Scott replied, looking less certain
that he should be sharing all of this information with Abby and
even a bit irritated as he added, "We were given an alternate
assignment."
Abby cocked her head to the side in
question.
Scott answered simply, "You."
Chapter Twelve
"I knew this wasn't a good idea," Scott said
as the man to his left folded in defeat.
Abby was not going to back down now; she had
them on the run.
Thank you, Uncle Phil.
She'd not only been
tutored in the art of maintaining a straight face, but she'd also
always been flat out lucky when it came to cards.
One down, two to go, face to face across the
hotel room’s delicate dining room table that the four of them had
gathered around for an afternoon of Poker, Abby let a grin slip
out. "Never let them see your fear, Scott." She turned to the
silent man beside her and said, "I'll see your Choice of Restaurant
and I'll raise you a Choice of Activity."
"Too rich for me," he said and laid his cards
down.
Scott was no pushover, but he'd seriously
underestimated her skill with the game. When she'd suggested they
actually play poker, his first response was that he didn't feel
comfortable taking money from her. Easy enough to fix, she'd
assured him, they would play for something else. Confident that one
of the three men would trump her, he'd agreed and allowed her to
write up notes instead of using chips.
None of them had expected that she would be
sitting pretty on top of a mountain of most of the cards. They'd
groaned in mutual pain when she'd won the card that read "Choice of
movie."
Now it was her and Scott, one on one, winner
takes it all. She schooled her face to reveal as little as
possible.
Scott said, "I'll see your Choice of Activity
and raise you One hour of Silence."
Don't you wish
, she thought, although
she knew that card had been jokingly been written in direct
response to her "One childhood story" card she'd written. "I'll see
your Choice of Activity and raise you One Unauthorized
Excursion."
"You're not going anywhere that isn't on the
list, Abby," Scott said in a tone that probably dissuaded most from
further argument.
"I thought you had a good hand, Scott. Now
you sound almost afraid that I'm going to win." She cocked one
eyebrow at him.
"The list was made for a reason, Abby. Write
another card and toss it on there, but that one is a no go."
Abby fingered the rough edge of the card
lightly. She didn’t have a forbidden destination in mind, but last
few days had revived a side of her she’d assumed she’d lost along
with her parents. She wasn’t going to hide from life anymore. She
had no idea what that meant as far as Dominic or her life back in
Boston, but right here, right now it meant winning when the odds
were against her. "Ok, if you really think that a public school
teacher can best three former special forces men at a game they
claimed they ruled in -- well, fold now and I will tear up this
card."
"Don't do it, Scott," one of the other men
said.
"She's bluffing," the other one said.
"Dominic would be furious," Scott added in an
attempt to back her down.
Abby upped the ante. "I'm not afraid of
Dominic." She placed her chin on one of her hands and smiled
sweetly across the table and said, "Are you?"
Scott's expression turned serious for a
moment, before he responded with grudging admiration. "Abby, word
on the street is that Dominic has come completely unglued. I was in
agreement even as I flew over here, but I may have just changed my
mind. I only wish I had met you first."
Abby blushed, but she knew a side maneuver
when she saw one. "Flattery, however sweet, will not get me to tear
this card up. And that one wrinkle on your forehead? A clear
giveaway that I've got you beat. Just admit it."
Collectively all in the room held their
breath while Scott weighed pride against common sense. He revealed
his cards with premature confidence and announced, “Full
House.”
Abby let her glee show in her eyes as she
laid hers down beside his. “A good hand, but not quite good
enough.” She laid down her winning hand with flair. “Looks like
three special ops men have been bested by four little ladies.”
She reached forward with both hands and
scooped the remaining cards into her large pile.