“Yes. Just once.” Even as she said it, she knew that it was a lie.
8
By the end of the week, he’d had her in every wing of the gallery. As soon as the museum had emptied at the end of each day, he seduced her into staying, into letting him put his hands and his mouth all over her. The look on her face when he pleasured her was etched into his mind, and it haunted him throughout the day.
It kept him up at night. He wasn’t satisfied with their trysts in the museum. He wanted to be able to languish next to her, explore her naked body, figure out just what might make her open up.
It was a strange line that they had crossed. She was hardly the first lover that he’d had, but he was driven to dominate her. When he was inside her, she was his, but when he wasn’t touching her, he almost felt as if he couldn’t reach her.
She continued to push her ideas on him—and she continued to be angry and frustrated with him. Until the gallery closed. Then she was putty in his hands.
“That’s it, love,” Khalid groaned as Katie straddled him in his office chair. That evening, they hadn’t even made it out of the office. He blamed it on the tight little green dress that she’d worn to work, but he would have wanted her if she’d been dressed in a potato sack.
His hands would leave bruises on her skin, but she didn’t complain as he gripped her hips and moved her over him. Up and down. Up and down.
&nbs
p; Ah . . .
Desperately, he wished she wasn’t wearing a dress. He wanted to bare those beautiful breasts and swirl his tongue over her sensitive nipples until she screamed.
These evening quickies were just not enough to sate his desire for her.
“Khalid!” she gasped. “Oh, please. I’m so close. So . . . close . . . yes!” Throwing her head back, she shuddered over him. Feeling her muscles clench around him was enough to send him over the edge, and he surged deep inside her.
As she collapsed on his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and held her. It wasn’t the skin-to-skin contact that he craved.
It wasn’t enough.
“I’m going on an acquisition trip on Friday,” he murmured in her ear. “I leave on Friday, and I’ll be gone all weekend.”
“Okay.” Pushing herself back, she gave him a puzzled look. “We’re usually fine while you’re gone. Did we do something last time that you didn’t like? Something wrong?”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. I’d like you to come with me.”
Her eyes lit up with excitement. “You want my opinion?”
Inwardly, he cringed. He was going about things all wrong. If he lied to her and told her that he wanted her opinion, she’d expect more responsibility around the gallery. If he told her that he just wanted a few uninterrupted nights with her over the weekend, she might take it wrong.
Taking her on as a lover should not be this complicated.
“You’re not to take an active role, this trip, but you’re welcome to observe,” he said gruffly.
Immediately, her whole body went lax with disappointment. “So you’re inviting me as your lover and not as an employee.” Glaring at him, she tried to push herself off his lap, but he anchored her in place.
“Katie,” he warned her in a low voice. “Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t want to spend the weekend in a hotel with me? There are things that I want to do to you that I can’t do here.”
When she slapped at his chest, he released her, only to hear her say, “If you wanted to turn me on, you should have told me that you were interested in my opinion.”
“You expect me to believe that you’re not wet again? Come here and prove it,” he growled.
“Khalid!” She shoved her dress down and bent down to pick up her panties.
Pissed, he moved quickly and grabbed her wrist. “Katie, I’m offering you a chance to observe me on an acquisitions trip. Our days and our nights are two very different things. You’re not going to let one affect the other, are you?”
She hesitated, and he knew that he had her. “Where are you going?” she finally asked as he released her.
“There’s a private collector in Turkey who recently passed away. He’d been promising me a chance to show his collection of ancient Greek pottery and paintings. He died a few months ago, and his heir is selling the collection. He’s giving me a first look.”