LOGINHer kisses continued down his neck, onto his right shoulder, all the while tasting, devouring.
He turned so that he sat sideways on the couch with his back to her, one knee on the cushion.
Abbey settled herself in behind him, touching his bare back with both hands and pressing her breasts into him.
Damien let out a ragged breath, his head came back, and Abbey could hear him sucking in air.
Good, she thought. It was working.
But not only on him.
Abbey's nipples screamed to be released from beneath her top. She almost obliged. She wanted to feel skin on skin, but she was all too aware of that camera with the telephoto lens on the other side of the road.
She let her hands slip around Damien's waist. Instead of flinching, this time he pushed back into her, as if he wanted to feel her nipples, harden them. She played with his, twisting them into points, and was gratified to get a gasp in return.
He was hot, she realized. Ready. He was getting as much enjoyment out of this as… she was.
No, this was not supposed to happen. She was not supposed to enjoy it! Sex with a complete stranger was wrong. Bad.
Abbey was never bad.
Then again, he wasn't a complete stranger. She'd read his file...
She closed her eyes, but they flew open again when Damien's hand brushed her leg. It moved higher, stroking, caressing the bare flesh.
Her own breath had become ragged now. The higher that hand moved the more she realized she wanted him. She wanted to push him down on the couch and ride him until they were both spent.
Control, Abbey. Get a grip.
But control was long gone. The higher that hand went, on its too-slow journey, the less control she had.
Her heart was racing now, thudding against Damien's back, and her skin felt papery thin, fragile, as her nerve endings screamed for his touch.
Damien half turned toward her to get into a better position so his hand could continue. It moved upwards and inside, under her skirt, heading higher.
Then it stopped.
She caught her breath and her gaze rose to his face. He was looking at her. Dark, hooded eyes glazed with heat and passion flashed back at her, questioning her.
In answer, she moved, just an inch, but it was enough, and his fingers brushed against the film of lace. She drew in a sharp breath and her nails dug into the muscles of his back.
More. She wanted those fingers higher, inside her. She wished she'd dispensed with the underpants tonight as well as the bra to make his job easier.
Damien obliged her need and rubbed, his fingers dipping into her wetness, the lace offering little barrier. Abbey moved her hips so his fingers slid further inside.
She was almost kneeling on the couch beside him now, and his face was at her breasts.
She took his head in both her hands and gently pulled him to her. He licked at one nipple through her tight top and it puckered, begging for more. He focused for a moment on the other one, drawing it into his mouth, sucking, nibbling.
Abbey's gasp shocked even herself. And it was enough to bring her crashing back to earth.
This wasn't right. She was supposed to be seducing him, not the other way around. And although Lucy may have got some great shots already, she'd stressed the part about getting him naked. And he wasn't. Not yet.
With a sigh of regret, Abbey released herself from Damien's fingers and his tongue and concentrated on him instead.
She unwrapped the towel from his waist and drew it open, exposing the steadily beating, hard as a rock, erection. It was up, straight up, almost flat against his stomach. It begged to be stroked, caressed, licked.
He let out a sigh then a tiny moan as she took it into her palm. He leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes as Abbey explored with her fingers, lightly touching the ridges, the veins, the smooth tip.
His breathing became loud, forced, and his eyelids fluttered.
"That feels so good," he whispered. "Don't stop. Please."
The plead made her heart thump. It was as if he hadn't felt a woman's hand there in a long time. As if he wanted—no, needed—it to go on, until the end.
She watched his face as her hand massaged. The muscles along his square jaw jumped and his sensuous lips parted.
Damien Vane was a gorgeous man. No wonder he had so many women. The thought of that long list of mistresses, and the angry wife, made Abbey's hand miss a beat.
But Damien didn't appear to notice. His Adam's apple leaped once, twice, and his hand found Abbey's leg again. He pushed her skirt up the short distance it needed to go so he could get his hand inside. He rubbed against the damp panties, pressing her swollen folds.
Abbey closed her eyes, then forced them open. She removed her hand from Damien and stood, nearly overbalanced, then wobbled on her high heels to the window. If she was going to take this further, she at least wanted to keep some of her dignity.
"What are you doing?" Damien asked thickly.
She closed the blinds and turned back to him. He looked like a pagan God, sitting naked on the couch, his legs parted, his manhood standing to attention.
"The moon's too bright."
The sound of her voice surprised her—it was heavy with lust.
She pulled the tiny top over her head then unzipped the tight skirt, wiggling it down her bottom and thighs and letting it puddle at her feet.
She hooked her thumbs into her lacy thong, and began to lower them too, but Damien, entranced by the show, held up his hand.
"Stop," he said huskily. "Turn around."
Something in his voice made her obey. His was a voice used to commanding, used to getting him his own way. Usually she hated being spoken to that way, but not tonight. Tonight she wanted to obey every command he gave to bring the evening to its logical, inevitable and very satisfying conclusion.
She turned, slowly, giving him full view of her butt and the cotton thong slicing her cheeks in half.
Aware of his black eyes on her, she did something she'd never done for any man. She swayed to a rhythm in her head. With her back facing him, Abbey ran her hands down her waist, round her gyrating hips and placed one on each cheek.
She let them explore across her skin, enjoying the way she felt and knowing he wanted to do the same. She glanced over her shoulder, cheekily giving him a view of her breasts and behind at the same time.
His face was distorted with desire as he stood, mesmerized.
She turned to face him fully.
"I want you," he whispered.
"Congratulations," he finally said.Abbey looked up at him sharply. "What for?""The promotion. Tarken must've been surprised."She grinned. "Angry more like it. I had threatening phone calls for a week afterwards."Nick frowned and sat forwards. "He didn't try anything did he?""No. He's all hot air and no action. Anyway, he got another job the following week and I haven't heard from him since.""Good. I'd hate to think he was bothering you. There's nothing worse than having a psycho ex boyfriend on your hands.""Speaking from experience?"Nick grinned. "Not about the boyfriend."Abbey had forgotten how great that smile could be, how infectious.She couldn't help smiling with him."Melinda also found another job," Abbey said. "She suddenly felt uncomfortable with me as her boss."He chuckled. "I don't blame her. I think you'd make a scary boss.""Scary! I'm the nicest boss around. Unlike you, I imagine. I hear they call you The Machine."Nick frowned. "Who told you that?"She shrugge
"Hello, Nick."It was clear he hadn't been expecting her. The wide-eyed stare and pale expression made her heart skip wildly. Was this a good sign or a bad one? Was he happy to see her?Right now he just looked shocked. His mouth hung open like an unhinged door.He also looked incredibly sexy. But despite the neatly combed hair and the carefully shaved chin, Abbey could see signs of stress. A web of spidery lines that hadn't been there before crept across his forehead, and his black eyes—which she could only remember as shining brilliantly—were dull.So, the last month had been hell on him, just like it had been for her.Good. He deserved it.Nick's colleague cleared his throat and approached. He introduced himself as the new VP of Marketing, Mathew Willis, and she introduced herself as the new manager of the JJC Pharmaceuticals Melbourne office.They sat at the long table and for several moments everyone stared awkwardly at each other.Finally, Nick stirred from his stupor. "Where's
A MONTH LATER Nick paced the length of his office trying to work off his excess energy. He was up to his fifth cup of coffee and it wasn't even lunchtime. A month of carefully piecing his self-respect together again and all shattered by a letter of intent to purchase from JJC Pharmaceuticals.He really didn't know why he was so nervous. It was only that fool Tarken after all. It's just that he was his only link to Abbey. Whether Tarken still saw Abbey or knew what she was up to didn't really matter. He knew her and the thought that he might have news about her was enough to shatter Nick's concentration.And more than anything, Nick wanted to hear about her. He wanted to know what she was up to, how she was going. If she had a boyfriend.Okay, maybe he shouldn't ask Tarken—the answer might not be something he wanted to hear.He stopped pacing. What was he thinking? He shouldn't be this nervous over a meeting with a jerk like Tarken. He could run rings around him. By the end of the day,
Nick laughed quietly to himself. He imagined Tarken reading about Vane leaving Software Solutions in the business pages of the newspapers.He'd probably think it was because of what he said. Nick wondered if they'd print a photograph. Maybe he should send one in to the papers, just to confuse Tarken. But that wouldn't help his company's business prospects in Melbourne with hundreds of seminar attendees who'd also wonder at the difference.There was a knock on Nick's door and his personal assistant popped her head around."Can I get you some lunch, sir?" asked the middle-aged blonde.He shook his head. "No thanks, Beverly. I'm not hungry."Beverly's face fell. "But you haven't eaten anything all day. Usually you have breakfast, and at least three cups of coffee by now —" "I appreciate your concern, but I'm really not hungry."She attempted a smile. "Sure. What about those appointments you cancelled this morning? Can I reschedule them yet?""I don't know when I'll be able to fit them in
Nick leaned back in his leather chair, linked his hands behind his head, and stared out the floor-to-ceiling window of his thirty-fourth floor office. The view over the Sydney Harbor usually calmed him, allowing him to think clearly through meetings, negotiations and other sundry issues.But today the view did nothing to relax him. The sharp pain that had continued to stab at his heart since Friday night was still there, hacking away.Friday night. It was a night he'd never forget, that was for sure. But for all the wrong reasons.The way Abbey had looked in that blue dress, the way it hugged her figure and rose and fell in time with her heavy breathing. She'd wanted him, he could tell. Wanted him, yet all the time, hated him.Nick closed his eyes to block out the cheery blue sky and the memory of Abbey on that night. He didn't want to be cheery today, and he didn't want to remember Abbey.Ever.Problem was, it would take a hell of a long time to forget her.How could he have made so
Abbey sat on her couch, head in her hands, trying not to cry. She didn't want Lucy to think she was weak and hopeless when it came to men.After ten minutes, she gave up trying to hold back the burning tears and let them pour out of her. Lucy would understand. She knew what Abbey was like anyway.She heard Lucy sigh, pad across her floor and felt her comforting arm around her shoulders."Why do you do this to yourself?" Lucy asked.Abbey shrugged. She didn't have an answer to that. She just figured she was genetically geared to fail where men were concerned. She had a habit of picking the wrong ones, except this time it was worse. She really felt like her heart had been ripped out of her body, tossed around, then put back upside down and inside out.She felt awful.And she had no one to blame but herself."I let him think I slept with Vane.""What! Why?"Abbey shrugged. "It seemed like a good way to punish him at the time." She sobbed. "And because I'm an idiot."Lucy hugged her. "You







