Heir's Affair

FOUR

FOUR

Whirling around, Tally was surprised to see Max standing in front of the closed bedroom door. “How… how much of that did you hear?” she asked.

“I won’t respond to intimidation?” Her eyes closed, and she bit her lip again. Why was her day going from bad to worse? She just couldn’t catch a break. “Lie down.”

Why did his voice sound so soft? “What?” she asked, watching him walk to the end of the bed.

“Lie down, on the bed.”

“Why?” she asked, looking at the coiled comforter.

At his behest, she’d taken off her shoes in the living room and her thigh-highs too. It was nice, and unusual, to be able to wiggle her toes while there was daylight outside.

“Do you want me to go to this dinner or not?” he asked.

Yes, she did, and she was up for anything that might persuade him it was a good idea. Pushing her fists into the mattress, she slid back and lay down in the middle of the bed, her head sinking into his pillow.

“What now?” she asked.

To her horror, he began to loosen his jeans. “Close your eyes.”

“Mr. Flynn—”

He laughed. “I think it turns you on to call me that, Boss,” he said and when his jeans were open he bent to rest his hands on her ankles. “Go on, baby, close those eyes.”

If she did, she was consenting to anything he wanted to do. His hands slid up the front of her legs as he crawled onto the mattress between them. When his palms skimmed over her knees, she let her eyelids sink shut.

His hands were rough and entitled when they continued up her thighs, pushing her skirt out of the way so he could grip the lace of her panties. She lifted her hips expecting him to pull them down, instead he used two hands to rip the lace and her eyes opened in shock, no man had ever done that to her underwear before.

“Ah, ah,” he said. “Eyes closed.”

He was so confident in his control. All Tally could do was comply. Her heart was hammering and her stomach was alive with frantic butterflies, but her fingers curled into his bedsheet in enthralled anticipation. What was he going to do next?

She inhaled a terrified and excited squeak when his tongue skimmed through her folds over her c**t. Directing her legs over his shoulders, Max sucked on her, flicking her arousal with the tip of his tongue in a quick motion, sending a vibration through her.

“Oh…” she said as he kissed and tasted her. Lapping her juice, he warmed her with his breath and circled her with his commanding tongue. His next c**t kiss made her buck up and the pincer of pleasure formed by his lips made her pant. “Oh, God, Max.”

He rose, his whole body sliding up hers as he ascended to kiss her mouth. “That’s better, baby,” he murmured. “Say it again.”

“Max,” she exhaled, and her eyes fluttered open to see his just above hers.

Dark and drowsy, he was intent on her though his hand was busy unbuttoning her shirt. “Again.”

“Max,” she said in that same breathy voice, which was the best she could muster right now.

“Good girl.”

He unclipped the front of her b*a and ducked down to suck one n****e into his mouth, then he kissed the other, teasing the very peak with the tip of his tongue.

“Max,” she whispered. “You feel amazing.” He mumbled in appreciation, his mouth enjoying her breasts while his hand went down to play with her c**t. “But we can’t.”

“Why not?” he asked, sucking her n****e into a proud peak that he admired while she struggled to take a breath.

Glancing to the window, she saw sunshine. “It’s the middle of the day.”

He smiled and kissed her mouth, sharing with her the alluring taste of herself. Running her fingers over his face, Tally lost them in his hair until he lifted to speak.

“You’ve never had a little afternoon delight before?”

No, but she’d never been considered adventurous and she didn’t want to confess how boring she was, so she moved on to her next excuse.

“There is a g**g of men I don’t know, right on the other side of that door.”

But as she nodded toward the door, he ducked down and kissed her pulse point. “Jealous f*****g guys who’d give their left nut to be where I am right now.”

“Don’t use me as a trophy,” she said, but was too boneless to be offended.

Of their own volition, her hands somehow found the hem of his tee-shirt and as they pushed up, they took the garment with them.

He smiled and rose to pull off his shirt. She stopped breathing for a minute. Every muscle was defined, and the hard lines made her knees bend to stroke up his sides. God, she wanted to touch him, everywhere, so she did. Running her hands over his toned torso, she fingered a couple of scars and outlined the black tattoo on his right pec and the one sweeping around his ribs to his back.

“Up to spec?” he asked.

But she was lost in her fascination with him. “Huh?”

He scooped up her chin and came down to kiss her. “Your tongue’s hanging out, babe.”

“Sorry,” she whispered, but he picked up her hands and skimmed them around his ribs to his back and down again.

“You’ve got a lot to learn about guys if you think you have to apologize,” he said and let his tongue slip into her mouth. “You drool away, Boss… What you’ve got here is all yours.”

All hers. Was he a one-woman man, was that what they were doing? Were they starting something? And if they were, what the hell did that mean for their futures?

She understood what a culture shock he was going to get when he was enveloped by the Stretton machine. When he was a part of it, Tally would have to take orders from him. She’d have to see him on dates with women she couldn’t even begin to compete with.

The realization should’ve made her push him away and explain. But he moved over her and slid both hands down her thighs to hook them up around him. Tally complied with his direction and locked her ankles behind him as he guided himself into her. On her back, it should’ve been easier, but his initial push didn’t get him far.

“Damnit,” she said, pissed at herself.

She had to relax and stop thinking.

He smiled and stroked his fingertips down her face from her temple to her jaw. “Look at me, baby.”

Her eyes rose to his and he eased forward, pushing without thrusting and although she had to pant through some of the sting, he didn’t let up and kept on going until he was all the way inside her; deep, snug, happy.

“Your p***y’s my favorite,” he murmured. “Of any I’ve been in, it’s definitely the best.”

Tally didn’t want to be thinking about who else he’d been with. But it was flattering to see him breathe through clenched teeth, trying to control himself. She sensed his tension; that the thread of his restraint was pulled to its absolute limit.

Whimpering, a moan slipped from her and she had to squeeze her lips together to hold it in. She couldn’t stop wriggling, trying to move around the thick column occupying her intimate space. Her stomach clenched, and she rocked faster.

Max was braced on both hands and didn’t resist when she turned her head to seek one out. He kept himself propped on one taut arm as she pulled the other one to her. From the way his muscles worked, he thought she was going to put his hand on her breast. Instead, she pressed it to her mouth and squashed hers on top.

He laughed and slid it away to kiss her. “You make as much noise as you want to, Boss. f**k those guys out there. Right here, in this bed, you’re at home. This is your castle, baby.”

On his next kiss, he pulled out and thrust back into her hard, pulling his mouth away from hers in time to make her squeal.

Tally shoved his shoulder. “Oh, Max,” she half-moaned, half-chastised.

“Tell me off, baby. I love it,” he said and kissed her again as he f****d her.

Doing it in bed was different to doing it against a door outside with tequila coursing through her. This was more intimate. More permanent. More alluring. She didn’t know how many times she said his name, but by the time her o****m was pulling the oxygen from her lungs, it was the only word she knew.

He thrust hard, driving himself into her so fast that she shunted up the bed and hit her head on the wall. Max braced a hand on the wall and the other on her hip as he shoved up once more and emptied his balls into her.

On one long exhale, he flipped over onto his back beside her. “That’s what we should’ve done the other night.”

Okay, once she processed what he’d said, she felt better. That’s what this was, they were just finishing the night that they’d started. This wasn’t a new encounter; it was a delayed conclusion to their first one.

She was limp when he drove his arm under her shoulders and hauled her over to lie against his side. “You got a boyfriend, Boss?”

Drumming his fingers on her face, Max dragged her hair beneath them.

“Several,” she said, rubbing her lips up and down on the solid pec her head was resting on. His fingers stopped moving. She laughed and explained. “I date whoever Mr. Stretton tells me to date.”

“I thought you weren’t sleeping with him.”

“I’m not,” she said, cringing at the idea of being intimate with both father and son. “I don’t sleep with them. I’m a prop. If he needs me to entertain an associate, or he has to bring someone to a party that he doesn’t want to declare to everyone as his guest, they come with me so they’re dismissed as insignificant.”

“Hmm,” he said as his fingers moved through her hair again. “And if I said I didn’t want you to do that anymore, would you stop?” So much for post-coital bliss. Tally sat up and his arm fell away. “What? What did I say?”

“Nothing,” she said and pulled her b*a closed again before starting work on her shirt buttons.

Max stayed on his back but brushed a lazy finger up and down the outside of her sensitive thigh. “Moving too fast? You wanted something casual?”

Any contact messed with her equilibrium, so she picked up his hand and pushed it onto his torso. “I didn’t want anything at all,” she said, and scooted to the edge of the bed.

“When we f**k you’re like putty, then as soon as we’re done, you bolt.”

They’d only done it twice, but that had been her MO so far.

Sliding off the bed, Tally stood up and turned back to try to locate her phone. “Your life is about to change in ways you can’t possibly imagine, Mr. Flynn,” she said and held up a hand to silence him before he could object. “And I call you that because it’s who you are to me. Right now, we feel like equals because there’s no airs, no graces.”

“Equals?” he said and rose onto his elbows. “Are you f*****g kidding me? You’re a goddess and I’m like pond scum.”

She smiled because he seemed incredulous. “I’m not rich, Mr. Flynn.”

“Ah,” he said, sinking back to link his fingers behind his head. Tally fumbled through the sheets trying to find her cell phone. “And that’s what puts us in different leagues?”

“Yes… Forgive me for not making myself clear, let me fix my mistake.” Rounding the bed, she crouched next to where he was lying, and his eyes turned down to fix on her. “Theodore Stretton plans to make every one of your dreams come true… Anything you’ve ever wanted, Max, anything in the world, it’s right there for the taking.”

“Money.”

“Yes,” she said, exhaling a laugh. “Money, it will give you security like you’ve never known. You’ll have everything, not just possessions, but possibilities, opportunities. Money opens doors. You go there, meet with him, and you’ll see what he can give you. Power. Respect. People will covet your time. They’ll fear your reprisal. No one will cross you. You will be king of your own kingdom. And women…” She smiled. “Geez, Max, you’ll have any woman you want, they’ll do anything to make you happy, anything. Any fantasy you’ve ever had, they’ll beg to make it come true for you. You’ll have supermodels on speed dial, women desperate for a second of your time… for a smile, for a kiss. You’re going to be a god.”

“A god,” he said, and his focus rose to the ceiling.

Rising to stand straight, she guessed she’d got through to him. Tally should’ve given him the sales pitch in Fitzpatrick’s instead of being distracted by their attraction. “I’ll leave the card,” she said. “And the car will be here at seven-thirty tomorrow.”

She turned, but he sat up and grabbed her hand, pulling her back. “I gotta go to a thing tonight.”

“I know,” she said. “Horizon, Aaron’s band is topping the bill after open mic night at The Lounge.”

He smiled. “Right… You coming?”

“What?” she asked, paling. “No.”

“Come on,” he said. “If this is my last night as a mere mortal, I deserve to get laid, don’t I?”

What a fly boy, she turned and folded her arms. “You just did get laid.”

“Did I?” he asked, bouncing up out of the bed. “I forgot.” He held up her cell phone proving with a wink that he’d been keeping it deliberately hidden. Handing it over, he took advantage of their proximity and hooked an arm around her. “Let me get you drunk, sweetheart… you’ll get your happy ending.”

Tally laughed and glanced down at his jeans, which were in disarray. She tucked him away and straightened them up to fasten his buttons. “I’m not wearing panties.”

He kissed her. “That’s all right, I won’t hold it against you.” Max pulled her to the bedroom door. Without caring that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, he guided her out to the living room again. “We’ve got another member for our posse tonight,” he declared to the guys who cheered, but were fixated on the TV. “We gotta pick up the others and eat first, so we’ll be leaving in ten minutes.” Tally glanced around at the mess and he stopped before he sat down, noticing the discomfort in her eyes. “Babe?”

“Can we… tidy up some of the mess before we go out?”

All the guys at least had the decency to look at the mess, acknowledging it. She squirmed, hoping they wouldn’t be offended. But Max smiled. “Okay, guys, you heard the boss, let’s square the mess.”

The guys all groaned. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t mind doing it myself, I just don’t want to be distracted by mess when we get back later tonight. I’m guessing it will be after midnight?”

The guys were all smiling at her with various levels of mischief in their eyes. Max’s smirk was intense in a unique kind of way. Damn, she was an i***t, and wanted to slap herself. The last thing she had meant to do was confirm that she was going to bed with Max tonight, but she just had.

“After midnight, sure,” Max said. “And I don’t want you distracted.” She went to squeeze into the space between him and the coffee table to begin gathering up empty bottles. He leaned in to murmur at the back of her ear, “I want you naked.”

Her eyes flared, and the guys didn’t look directly at them, but their smirks and furtive glances betrayed that they’d heard what he said.

Gathering the bottles between her body and her forearm, Tally grabbed Max’s wrist with her other hand and wound around the furniture with him in tow, stopping when they got to the kitchen.

Dumping the bottles on the counter, she spun to take a breath, and had to duck away from his advancing hands that seemed to be trying to find her face or her hair.

“I need a favor,” she said.

“Name it.”

His hands dropped. Taking her seriously, Max didn’t even hesitate to agree. His concentration became absolute, which made it harder for Tally to ask.

“I don’t know if… well… your friends… they might…”

“Might what?” he asked, offense contorted his face into a scowl. “What’s wrong with my friends?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly, resting her hands on his ribs as she stepped into him. “I love them, they’re amazing.”

“Okay, that’s too much,” he said, stroking her arms. “I’d have taken ‘they’re decent guys’ or ‘not a patch on you, lover.’ Amazing is too much. Love is definitely too far.”

Relaxing into a smile, she turned her face down to rest it on his chest and he stroked the back of her head. “You smell so good,” she murmured.

He kissed her hair and bent to pick her up, hooking her legs over his hips. “Should we take this back to the bedroom?”

The hussy that he brought out in her wanted to say yes, but she held back.

Looping her arms around his neck, she squeezed herself close. “Your friends can see us,” she whispered.

The guys had their backs to the kitchen, but there was only a narrow breakfast bar and small bistro table between them and the five other men in the room, so the couple didn’t have great cover.

Sucking her bottom lip, he walked her into the corner. “You never done it with an audience?”

Pushing her skirt up over her a*s, Max set her down on the cold tile making her gasp and pull him closer.

“You said we only had ten minutes,” she murmured, trying not to draw attention to them.

“I can do something with you in ten minutes,” he responded and nudged her head aside to kiss her neck.

His mouth was incredible, so wet, and thorough in the way it hit every nerve ending and managed to stimulate her insanity enough that she couldn’t hold on to reality.

His finger slid inside her, making her gasp. “Max!” she yelped. Some of the guys turned, Tally buried her face in the crook of his neck, mortified that she’d drawn attention to them and their antics. “Oh, God.”

His voice was triumphant and amused. “Bedroom it is then,” he said into her hair and curved a hand around her hips to lift her up again.

“No,” she said, her a*s would still be on show if he turned and walked them past the guys. But Tally had to make eye contact to show she was confident. “We have to tidy up and get out. There will be time for… other stuff, later.”

He nodded and put her on her feet, kissing her until she was balanced. She was loose and feeling a bit high when she had to take her own weight. But, if she didn’t get away from him, Tally didn’t trust her resolve to hold.

Deciding to return to the job of tidying up, she passed him to head for the living room.

“Hey,” he said. Tally turned to face him. “What was the favor?”

Would it cause a fight? Could she afford bad feeling now? No.

“Nothing that can’t wait,” she said and offered a smile before turning to walk away.

Tonight was going to be another adventure, one that would deepen her connection to Max Flynn. But she knew it would be severed quickly enough when he saw what being a billionaire involved.

Tally also knew she’d take way longer to get over their brief affair than he would, but she’d take the crash when the high was this good.