Vicious Seduction

26

I gave her a quick tug, bringing her back flush with my front, and wrapped my arms around her. “You have any idea what that mouth of yours does to me?” I rasped quietly, my cheek close to hers. Lina shook her head. I lowered one hand to her belly and pulled her against my thickening c**k. I felt rather than heard her sharp intake of air. “A little something to remember next time you feel like being smart.” “That’s who I am,” she said, her voice gone husky. “I suggest you get used to being painfully embarrassed.” I took her hand and spun her as if we’d been dancing, then pulled her front flush with mine, my c**k now pleasantly pressed into her lower belly. “Sweetheart, I don’t give a f**k who knows I’m hard for you.” I brought my face closer, my stare melding with hers. “Now, unless there’s something more … sophisticated on the menu, it’s time for cake. I’m famished.” “Cake,” she breathed, nodding sharply. “Yes, cake would be good.” I released her with a wolfish grin, thrilled at how thoroughly I’d managed to disorient her. We took our cake slices to a vacant table and sat with a view of the room. I grabbed a glass of champagne for each of us, smirking when she downed half in one go. “Oran,” she said quietly after she’d finished her cake. “Why are you doing this?” “Why do you think?” I asked back with a good amount of genuine curiosity. Lina shrugged a shoulder. “Hurting Lawrence would make the most sense, though being here is hardly necessary for that, and stealing me away from him is bound to hurt your business relationship.” “Maybe I enjoy torturing you.” Her gaze raked over me. “Possibly.” “Or I could just be succumbing to family pressures to marry.” She smirked. “You’re such a good catch you had to blackmail a girl into it, huh?” I shrugged. “Fewer emotions involved that way. A lot less complicated.” “True, but you had me agree to a temporary engagement, not a marriage. That’s hardly going to satisfy a Catholic grandma.” She sipped on her drink, eyes roving around the room. I, on the other hand, couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. “There’s always the possibility I’m doing it for you,” I said evenly. She looked back at me and chuckled. “This is all for my benefit, is it?” “I suppose that’s one way to interpret it.” If only she knew. Her head c****d to the side. “Do you get off on being cryptic? I’d love to have just one straight answer from you. Just once.” “I tell you what, we get one question each, but only one. Agreed?” It was dangerous but too tempting to pass up. Her eyes flared. She nodded. “I’ll start. Why do you live with a roommate?” The roommate question was informative while not overly invasive. I didn’t go for one of the more burning questions I had because I wanted her to tell me herself. I wanted her to volunteer the information. You want her to trust you. The realization sat heavily on my chest. It seemed I was doomed to repeat the same damn mistakes I’d made in the past. Only this time, it was worse because I was doing it with my eyes wide open. Lina stared at me as if she’d misheard. “You can ask me anything, and you want to know about my roommate?” “Not about her. Why her. You come from money, Lina. You don’t need to live in an old building with a roommate.” “You’re right. I came from money. That’s not my money; it’s my mother’s money, and I want nothing to do with it.” “But if you don’t use their money, how do you afford to wear designer clothes?” Her chin lifted, but her gaze dropped to her hands. “They aren’t designer—not exactly. They’re mine. I made them. That’s what I do.” I thought back to the sewing station in her apartment. I knew she was in the design business, but it hadn’t occurred to me that she made the clothes she wore. Jesus, she was talented. “The blue gown last night?” A nod. I looked down at her perfectly tailored dress. “Yes, this one, too,” she confirmed. “I put myself through design school, then started a company with a classmate. It took a while to make a name for ourselves, but the business has recently taken off. I’d planned to move into my own place at the beginning of the year, but…” She paused, her teeth raking over her bottom lip. “Things came up, and I was too busy to mess with a move.” “What things?” Her eyes locked with mine again. I thought I might actually get an answer, but she slowly shook her head instead. “You got your answer, plus one. It’s my turn.” I motioned for her to ask away. She thought for all of five seconds, then asked, “Why did you join the Olympus Club?” I had given her cart blanche to ask anything she wanted of me, and that was what she chose? Why the hell did she care about my reasons for joining? She could have asked why I’d forced the fake engagement or how I’d figured out her real address or whether I planned to hold up my end of our arrangement. She could have asked anything. Why the club? I was already planning on being honest, but it felt even more imperative, considering the importance she must have put on the answer. “To get close to Lawrence Wellington.” She stared unmoving except for a single blink as though my reply left her speechless. I didn’t think it was all that outrageous, but she’d apparently been expecting something else. “Why do you want to get close to Lawrence?” I smiled wryly. “The Q&A is over.” Lina frowned, and it was disturbingly adorable. I wanted to bite that pouting bottom lip, then soothe the burn with my tongue. “I gave you one extra.” “Lucky me,” I mused. “Hey, Oran,” a voice called over, interrupting our moment. One of the younger cousins in training approached with a broad grin. “Got your captain for you. Name’s Willis.” f*****g Christ. He was bringing up my plans for Wellington’s shipping empire demise right here in front of Lina. He was so goddamn eager to impress me that he hadn’t paid one bit of attention to his surroundings. It wasn’t the end of the world in this situation, but it was a mistake he couldn’t afford to repeat. I shot to my feet and had my hand around his throat so fast he didn’t have a chance to flinch. The kid might have been loose-lipped, but at least he knew better than to fight me. Both his hands clasped my wrist while his eyes bulged with a need for air. “Don’t you ever talk about family business again without being absolutely sure of your surroundings. Do you f*****g understand me?” I didn’t give a f**k that the entire room watched.