Tormented

“I don’t need ten thousand dollars’ worth of clothing.”

He raised his brows. “So now you’re no longer desperate for money?”

Damn. In her agitation, she kept losing focus of the persona she was pretending to portray.

“I’m not a charity case,” she grumbled.

“You’d rather sell yourself for sex than accept charity.”

Feeling stupid and lacking a clever response, she said, “Don’t patronize me.”

A waiter came by and asked if they would like tea or coffee. Kimani shook her head. Sensing tension in the air, the waiter made a quick departure.

She blew out her breath. “Great. He probably thinks we’re having a lovers’ quarrel.”

“You shouldn’t care so much what other people think.”

“And maybe you should care a little more.”

He narrowed his eyes. “All right. You don’t want him thinking we’re having a lovers’ quarrel, then come over here.”

She balked, too angry to want to do anything he asked—demanded, rather. “I wasn’t saying that I— I was just speculating what the waiter might be thinking.”

“Now, pet.”

She bristled, not having heard him speak quite so harshly before. She didn’t want to follow his orders if he was planning to give her back to Jake—and after all the shit she had put up with!

“Don’t make me reach over the table to drag you over here,” he warned. “You wouldn’t want sake to spill all over that pretty dress.”

Her cheeks burned. She didn’t doubt he would risk making a scene just to get what he wanted. Stiffly, she got out of her chair and walked over. He pulled her onto his lap. She ground her teeth, but the instant her derriere touched his thigh, other emotions flared within her.

“Try the dessert,” he said, spooning some of the mousse and sorbet topped with perfectly cut fruit.

“I’m full,” she said, too vexed to think of what to say or how she could exit the situation she had created from a small remark about the waiter.

He held the spoon in front of her. “Try it.”

Hating that she felt like she had no choice but to comply, she parted her lips and allowed him to feed her. The sorbet melted on her tongue, filling her mouth with brightness. The dessert was flavorful but without the heaviness of most American desserts. If she wasn’t so upset, she would have finished off the dessert.

Ben wiped a drop of the mousse from the corner of her lips into her mouth, pushing his thumb inside. Knowing what he wanted, and hating him more for it, she licked his thumb. When he didn’t withdraw, she sucked on it.

“That’s a good pet.”

She was tempted to bite his thumb, but then she might tick him off so much he could decide to fly her back to Jake tonight.

“Now take off your panties.”

“Here?” she exclaimed.

“And now.”

She glanced around to see if anyone was coming but still hesitated.

He reached beneath her dress and grabbed the boyshorts. “You want me to rip them off you?”

“No! I’ve got it.”

Fuming, she wriggled them down to the hem of her dress, took another look around, then slid them the rest of the way off her legs. He took them and held them up for assessment. She tried to snatch them back before anyone walked in on them, but he held the panties out of reach. He balled the undergarment and stuck it in his pant pocket. She wasn’t going to get the underwear back anytime soon.