Page 21 of Sensual Games

“Yes, I am.” When she was finished, she pulled clothes from one of the dresser drawers and marched to the bathroom. “I’m going straight to bed when I come out. Don’t talk to me.”

I would have laughed that off if it hadn’t been for the tremor in her voice when she said it. Brief, barely noticeable, but present. The sound of somebody who might’ve been on the verge of tears.

I could deal with a lot of things, but a crying woman? I wasn’t strong enough to handle that. Now that we were alone and the first night of the retreat was over, and it sounded like she might be crying in the bathroom, I realized I couldn’t remember why it was so important to screw with her plans. She had pissed me off, yes, but childish shit like that was beneath me. Wasn’t it? I had always thought so. I wasn’t so sure anymore, and I didn’t know what to think about that.

I was glad for a phone call to distract me, at least until I saw who was calling. It shouldn’t have come as any surprise. Dad didn’t want to be here, but he wanted to keep tabs. Par for the course. “Everything’s fine,” I told him after the usual small talk. “We were held up by the weather, but it all worked out.”

“Glad to hear that. Do me a favor, would you?” he asked. I could hear the ice clinking in his glass. He could afford to sit back and relax with a drink, miles away from this farce.

I closed my eyes, bracing myself. Nothing good ever followed that question. “I’ll do what I can.”

“Get along with Ivy. Cynthia told me the girl is in knots over this. She wants so much to make life easier for the newcomers. She said that’s all Ivy could talk about this week as they worked together. Making sure everybody felt comfortable, since there was such a culture shock going from a little nothing operation like Jones to what we’ve built. It’s overwhelming for them.”

“Cynthia told you that?”

“She did. And from what I understand, Ivy is nervous about her mother. Being so far away from her all weekend when she lives in a nursing facility. I know you don’t like Ivy?—”

“I never said I didn’t like her.” Fuck, was there anything worse than hearing him talk to me like the child Ivy thought I was? Yes, as a matter of fact.

Ivy’s mom was alone in a nursing home, and instead of spending time with her this weekend, she decided to bring our employees together. And I had tried to sabotage that.

“Just the same. Take it easy on her. Maybe try to help her out a little. That’s what leaders do.”

I couldn’t have felt smaller if I tried. Like an insect. “I’ll do what I can.”

The shower turned off, and I knew better than to stay on the phone until she emerged. What would Dad do if she came out screaming mad and he heard her? “I better go. We have a long day tomorrow, and I want to rest up.”

“A wise decision.” Dammit, how did he manage to sound so condescending? My knee-jerk reaction was to consider heading down to the lounge just to defy him. How twisted was that?

I was still stewing over the impulse to defy him. However, I knew I’d only end up hurting myself by adding a hangover to the list of reasons I wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow when the bathroom door opened and Ivy emerged. She had changed into a worn-out tee and loose cotton shorts that revealed a lot more of her legs than I was used to seeing around the office.

Don’t stare, do not fucking stare.I gripped the duvet in my fists, staring at the television without seeing a damn thing on the screen as she settled into bed, making a big deal of punching her pillow like it had offended her before she slammed her head onto it with her back turned to me.

Don’t look, do not look.I didn’t need to. She was right there, a few feet away, smelling like coconut and lime, thanks to whatever she used in the shower. Her hair was back in a bun, and my fingers twitched, longing to reach out and stroke a few strands that had fallen loose just to remember its softness.

“I guess I should go.” Her body gleamed like a pearl in the moonlight. She sat up, stretching once the sheet fell away. Hunger flared up the second I looked at her, watching her body move. The full, perfect tits that swayed a little when she stretched again. The graceful line of her throat and slim shoulders. She was perfect, a masterpiece carved from marble, but very warm and very real.

And very, very wanted. “Who said?” I propped myself up on one elbow, grinning when her eyes met mine from across the bed. She didn’t believe me.

“I didn’t think you would ask me to spend the entire night.”

“Nobody said anything about the entire night,” I teased. It was fun making her blush. When we met at the country club, she gave off the impression of a girl with her shit together. Smart, unwilling to accept any bullshit lines from guys looking to get in her panties. She had made me work for it a little, teasing and challenging me as we flirted. What a fucking turn-on that was.

“Oh?” She turned to me, leaning in until her nipples brushed my chest and her mouth hovered inches from mine. I almost forgot to breathe, too overwhelmed at her nearness to do more than go hard in an instant. “You think you can handle another round? I figured I would’ve exhausted you by now.”

Rather than say a word, I took her hand and placed it over my very obvious erection. “Think again.”

And then I was on her, flipping her onto her back and settling over her squirming, soft body. “You think it’s that easy?” She giggled, squealing when I tried to part her legs.

“You tell me.” With one hand, I caressed her, letting my fingers trail over her throat, skimming her collarbone before moving lower. She melted like butter on a hot pan, arching her back, releasing a sigh that turned to a gasp when I brushed over her taut nipple. “Seems like it’s pretty easy to warm you up,” I whispered, lowering my head to take her rosy peak between my lips.

“Oh, my God…” The pressure of her hand on the back of my head was exhilarating, and the feeling only got more intense when her fingers began dancing through my hair. “How are you so good at that?”

I was good at this because we were good together. There was more going on here than me finding a way to get off as efficiently as possible after making a woman come, and I always made it a point to take care of that first.

I didn’t want to only make her come. I wanted to see how far I could take her. How many times she could shatter around me. How many times I could reduce her to a panting, sweaty mess. There was a rush involved, something bigger than anything I had ever known. I wanted to have her in every way possible, as many times as possible.

She let out a disappointed little groan when I released her nipple with a soft popping sound, but that sound turned to a satisfied sigh when I rolled her onto her stomach. I had never seen an ass like hers. My fingers pressed against her flesh, the excitement building in me while she moaned her approval.

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