The man standing behind her now wanted something she was not willing to give. Oh, she was human. She wanted companionship, and she craved to be touched, but Rachel wanted the control. She never wanted to be the helpless one again—ever.
The only problem with this scenario was the way she melted at the thought of giving it all over to a suit named Cole.
“Where are you going, Rachel?”
His voice, dark and seductive, slid down her spine.
“You need to take your hands off of me.” She was proud of herself for getting even that much past the lump in her throat.
Immediately, he released her arms.
Instead of fleeing the way she had imagined she would, she stayed frozen and waited.
“They’re off. I won’t touch you again until you ask me to,” Cole whispered.
Rachel couldn’t help the ridiculous noise that escaped her throat. She tried to convince herself that it was somewhere between a laugh and a cough, but she knew it ended up sounding more like a bark.
“Well, don’t hold your breath,” she retorted.
“Why? Are you worried for my health?”
“No,” she denied emphatically.
This time, she turned her head to look over her shoulder, forgetting how close he was. Her mouth was now only a whisper from his, and as their eyes collided, Rachel felt her heart almost thump right out of her chest.
“In that case, I repeat, I won’t touch you again…until you ask me to.”
Rachel blinked and clenched her jaw as she watched his eyes trace what felt like every line of her face. Finally gathering her nerve, she pivoted around to face him. He stood back up to his full height, which caused him to look down at her, as he waited with what seemed like infinite patience.
“And what if that’s never?” she countered.
“It won’t be,” he answered with far too much confidence.
“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I don’t want to date you.”
Rachel studied him as he moved his coat aside. He pushed his hands into the snug pockets of his pants, which automatically drew her eyes to his crotch. She instantly became infuriated because she knew that had been his goal.
“I don’t remember asking to date you,” he said matter-of-factly, taking a step closer.
Rachel refused to back up. With men like him, she knew she needed to stand her ground.
“I want to touch you, Rachel, all of you, but I won’t until you ask me to.”
Rachel was finding it harder and harder to breath. The man is too fucking much—cocky, arrogant, sexy, and bad. Oh yeah, and it didn’t help that the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice screamed all the bad things he wanted to do to her. He was making it impossible for her to think rationally.
How can I be getting all hot and bothered over a man wearing a three-piece pinstripe suit? He is my exact opposite. Think, Rachel, think!
“There’s one small problem here, don’t you think?” she questioned.
She watched his light brown brow arch while his serious mouth twitched with what she could only guess was some form of humor.
“And what’s that?” he asked with a smile.
Rachel swallowed and decided it was now or never.
“We both want to be on top.”
Cole couldn’t help the wicked thrill he felt snake up his spine at her words.
“I’m not averse to being underneath you, Rachel, not in the least.”
She placed her hands on her hips as her eyes moved from his face, to his body, and then back up to meet his eyes again.
“You’d never let someone control you,” she accused.
“Is that what you want? To control me?”
As she licked her lips, Cole felt a delicious bolt run straight to his cock.
Fuck, she just might be able to control me with the way my body is reacting to her.
“I won’t lie. I wouldn’t mind getting you out of that suit. How many layers do you have on anyway?”
Cole considered her question before he extended an invitation. “Come closer, and find out.”
Shaking her head, she finally took a step back. “No, thank you, not here and not now.”
Following her retreat, Cole pushed. “When and where then?”
It wasn’t fair, he knew that, but as her back met the wall, Cole kept up his approach until his shoes met hers and their clothes were touching. He knew she had no idea, but every time she looked up at him from under her lashes, it made him want to lean down and take her mouth with his.
“When, Rachel?”
Her glittering eyes were conflicted, and her breathing was coming out hard enough that her breasts were brushing against his chest with each exhale. Pulling one hand from his pocket, he was shocked when the desire he saw in her dampened, and he was sure a hint of fear appeared. Moving back a few inches, Cole brought up his hand to show her he wasn’t doing anything more than unwrapping a piece of candy.
Her eyes shifted to his fingers before returning to his with questions. As he started to unwrap it, he asked again, “When and where, Rachel?”
She remained silent as he brought the small square to her mouth. Pressing it against her bright red bottom lip, he wasn’t surprised when she opened immediately, taking the candy into her mouth.
As she sucked it between her lips, Cole leaned down to her ear and informed her smoothly, “Caramel. You asked me the other day what I was sucking. I love caramel. In fact, I will do just about anything for it. Now, tell me, Rachel, when and where are you going to get me out of my suit?”
He could hear her sucking on the caramel square as she turned her head and met his eyes.
With the smell the sugar emanating from her breath, she whispered, “Tomorrow night. Eleven o’clock at Whipped.”
Cole winced. “I can’t.”
“More like won’t.” Rachel shook her head, breaking the spell.
“I said that I couldn’t. I never lie. You should know that about me right now.”
Cole thought about what he needed to do tomorrow. Knowing there was no way out of it, he came up with a compromise “How about tonight?”
“I work, hotshot. Now, can you move? I need to close up and head that way. You snooze, you lose.”
He stepped back, letting her walk away from him, but not before he warned her. “Rachel, I never lose. What about after work?”
“Tonight?” She stood behind the counter again, effectively protecting herself.
“Yes, after your shift at Exquisite. If you’re feeling brave, tell me where to be, and I’ll be there.”
He watched as her hands gripped the counter, her knuckles turning white.
“It’s not a matter of bravery. It’s about you keeping a promise. Will you be able to do that?”
“If I tell you I will do something, I will do it, no matter what it costs me. So, what will it be?”
He stared at her as she moved the caramel in her mouth, and he found himself fighting the urge to go and take a taste.
“Okay, tonight, but not at Whipped. Meet me here at one.”
Cole looked around the small shop, assessing the space. He wasn’t about to argue with her. The plan had been for him to be alone in a room with her. He didn’t care which room, and as she shook her head, letting her hair fall down her back, he found he didn’t give a shit about anything other than that.
If she wanted him naked, that was fine by him. The next stop after that would involve her minus her clothes, so however they got there didn’t bother him as long as they got there.
“I’ll be here,” he told her. When she gave him an amused look, he added, “And, Rachel, this better not be some trick of yours. If you don’t show, I will find you, and when I do, you best believe that this offer will be off the table.”