Page 9 of A Little Harmless Pleasure

At first, he didn’t react. Being the oldest of five siblings, he wasn’t used to having his orders thwarted. Especially by a woman who stood about half a foot shorter than him, weighed less than a feather and was drunk because her ex-fiancé had gotten married. But, being in the restaurant business, he knew how to handle a drunk. Even one who was screwing with his ability to think with his big brain and not his little one.

“You don’t want coffee?”

She shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere without my champagne. Anna gave it to me.” Her bottom lip curved out in a perfect pout.

Knowing it would be best to placate her, he shooed her aside and opened the door. After grabbing the champagne bottle, he slammed the door shut, took her by the arm and hurried her inside.

“Thank you, Chris.”

Her tone had turned patronizing, as if he were a three-year-old who needed to be soothed. A strange mixture of irritation, amusement, and lust swept through him. He wouldn’t be surprised if she patted his head.

They walked through the lobby to the elevators. His fingers curled slightly at the feel of warm, bare skin beneath them. As the two of them stepped into the elevator, another couple boarded, and she had to move closer to him. Her scent was driving him crazy. Something flowery, like gardenias. He usually hated those kinds of perfumes, but there was a hint of it on her skin, and it suited the woman. The thought of it on his sheets in the morning, as they both lingered in bed, was tempting. Too tempting.

The other couple got off on the second floor, and as soon as they reached the third floor, he took hold of her by the arm and drew her out of the elevator. She stumbled and then giggled at her clumsiness. He didn’t slow down, just dragged her down the hall to his room.

Once there, he released her to pull out his keycard. As he dug into his pocket, she stepped behind him and slipped her arm around his waist. He grabbed his key, resisting the urge to give his cock a nice long stroke through his pants. Chris figured he deserved it, especially because he could feel her breasts pressed against his back, her hard nipples through their layers of clothing. Lord knew he was going to be taking care of himself later, because he didn’t see any way of relieving the tension she’d built in him, other than finding another woman or jacking off. Her hand slid up his chest, caressing one nipple, then the other, through his shirt. His fingers fumbled on the card, almost dropping it. As he inserted it into the slot, Cynthia’s fingers danced back down his torso, past his abdomen.

He cursed because it took him three times to get the key to work. When the door finally opened, her hand was slithering down to his cock. Chris stumbled over the threshold, breaking free of her hold. Not that it had been that demanding. If he were honest with himself, he would have gladly stood there all day. And that made him madder. She was easily threatening his control, something many women had tried and failed.

Turning, he shot her a glare nasty enough to burn the hair off a hog. She leaned against the closed door, trying to reopen the bottle of champagne. When she noticed his narrowed gaze, she laughed.

“Mr. Dupree.” Her voice dripped with Southern seduction. “I do believe you’re trying to scare me.”

The lust that had simmered all evening exploded into a full boil. Damn, she was smiling at him, those dimples in full force. He didn’t need this kind of enticement. It’d been a while since he’d had a woman, or even been that attracted to one. Distance was what he required. He rested a hand on each of his hips and tried to look even nastier. She erupted into a fit of giggles, laughing so hard she lost her balance. She fell on the floor, emitting a squeak when she landed.

It took her several moments to compose herself, but when she did, she said between snorts, “Chris, you can stop trying. You’re too sweet looking to be mean.”

Exasperated, he rummaged through the dresser and the desk until he found the room-service menu. He didn’t like the look in her eyes when she saidsweet, as if she were talking about more than his personality. The thought didn’t disturb him as much as the fact that he wanted to break his rule about drunk women. That, or drink a bottle of Jack Daniels to catch up with her. After ordering coffee, he removed his tie and drew in a cleansing breath. It dawned on him that the room had grown suspiciously quiet. Turning, he checked the floor to see if Cynthia had passed out and panicked when he didn’t see her.

Then he noticed the bathroom light on and walked in to see what she was up to. Lord only knew, with the amount of alcohol she had swimming in her blood. He found her sitting on the edge of the bathtub, drinking yet another glass of champagne.

He leaned against the doorjamb, watching as she precariously balanced herself and tried to drink. She had lost her jacket, as well as her shoes, somewhere along the way. “You’re going to feel like hell tomorrow.”

She stared at him, one eye closed tightly. “Well, I don’t now.”

He laughed, and she smiled, her dimples winking at him.

“Chris?” She lowered her head, but he could tell she was looking up at him through her lashes. The action dripped of coyness, something he usually disdained. But there was an air of innocence to it, as if she didn’t realize what she was doing. Again, not his style, but everything about this woman affected him. That disturbed him more than anything else.

“Cynthia?” Even to his own ears, his voice had grown huskier.

She paused, her tongue darting out, gliding along her bottom lip. He bit back the groan that rose in his throat.

Her next question demolished what little restraint Chris had left. “Do you think you’d mind if I licked you up one side and down the other?”

Chapter Three

The silence in the bathroom would normally have had Cynthia moving to fill the uncomfortable space in time. Long pauses, tension simmering, her family lived like that. No harsh words were spoken, but silent loathing had been her father’s brutal weapon. She’d mastered the skill to cover her insecurities and to banish too many of her childhood memories.

Unfortunately, in the few hours since she’d met Chris, her usual social skills had fallen by the wayside. From the moment Max first introduced them, she’d been acting like the worst idiot. So, she figured propositioning him was the cherry on top of the sundae.

As he stood there, his face without expression, she realized she may have shocked him. Cynthia Myers was not the type of woman who offered to lick men’s bodies, especially those of men she’d just met. Something else was driving her on. Something she wanted to feel, something she wanted to do with him.Tohim.

It was shocking, to say the least. With only two lovers in her past, she’d never lusted after them like this. It was as if someone had lit a match to her soul. All she understood was that it was important she make this work. Desperation clawed at her, pushed her to the edge. Odd, as she’d never had these yearnings before. She’d sort out why later, but now she wanted Chris.

“You’ve had too much to drink,” Chris said.

She glanced up at him, saw the hunger smoldering in his eyes. He wanted her. It baffled her, but he did, and she didn’t care why or for how long. Even with need etched in his face, burning in his gaze, he was frowning at her.Great. I finally decide to throw caution to the wind, and I pick a six-foot dream of a man with a conscience.

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