Hot Boss, Wicked Nights

And seen her.

She’d looked… Not lonely, but alone. Definitely alone. Like him. Maybe that was the reason she aroused more than simple lust in him. But what?

Shrugging off the oddly disquieting feeling, he pressed their joined fingers against the stem of the glass. Forgot about jet lag and sleep deprivation and concentrated on the purely physical. The sensation of her knuckles locked like grim death beneath his, the subtle Oriental scent wafting from her costume as his gaze roamed over her once more.

Business could wait.

With most of her face covered, he had only a misty temptation to go by. Glimpses of a straight nose and high cheekbones, generous lips.

Ample female flesh spilled out of her bra top, bells and beads twinkling beneath the lights even as she drew breath. Her skirt—twenty or so gauzy scarfs in saffron and gold—sat low on her hips, showcasing her tiny waist and a glorious expanse of flat belly and golden skin, not to mention the outline of a perfect pair of legs. What intrigued him most was the ruby stone where her navel should be. How the deuce did she keep it there? he wondered. Some pelvic muscular trick?

His body tightened and the familiar rush of adrenaline he experienced before a jump rushed through his veins. Back in Oz two hours and he’d found a living fantasy. It had been a long time. He’d been too busy expanding his latest project and chasing his hunger for extreme sports across the globe to indulge in female company.

He intended to rectify that. Tonight.

He lifted the glass—and her fingers—to his lips and searched her eyes for a response. Framed with heavy mascara and navy eyeliner, they looked huge, and an honest-to-goodness lust flickered in their midnight depths. Spanish eyes, he thought, and from the recesses of his memory flashed another pair of dark eyes. He willed it away, pressed his lips to the flute and swallowed.

He could taste her on the glass. Sweet with a hint of tart. But the champagne… He grimaced in distaste. ‘Champagne should be chilled.’ He pried her fingers from the glass, set iton a passing drinks waiter’s tray and swapped it for a fresh one. ‘Here you go.’

The tips of her fingers brushed his as he handed it to her. ‘Thank you.’

He reached for her free hand. ‘Come on, Little Egypt, let’s find somewhere quieter.’ He led her around the bar, past the crowd to a corner of the room near a large potted philodendron where the noise was less intrusive. He waited for her to pull her veil aside and take that first sip. But she lifted the glass inside the gauze and her face remained that tempting mystery.

He hissed out an almost silent breath of frustration through his teeth. ‘What’s your name?’

She sipped a moment, then said, ‘Shakira.’

The way she said it, smoky and seductive, added fuel to a fire that wasn’t going to be extinguished without some serious action.

‘Okay, Shakira…’ Taking a step closer, he slid his hand beneath her disguise and caught her chin between thumb and forefinger. Tilted her head so he could see what he could of her properly. He heard her little catch of breath and a smooth hand wrapped around his forearm.

‘No.’

Her dark eyes flashed, but he soothed her with a smile and shook his head. ‘It’s okay. We can play it your way.’ So long as we can play. She relaxed her hold and let his thumb trace the plump fullness of her lower lip. Once, twice. He paused as a thought occurred to him. ‘Unless the reason’s a jealous boyfriend somewhere that you’re cheating on?’

He felt her jaw stiffen beneath his fingers. As if she’d been burned before, he thought.

‘I don’t cheat.’

‘Good.’ He couldn’t begin to say how much that pleased him. ‘Neither do I.’

He manoeuvred her so that the foliage shielded them from the majority of party-goers, then leaned in to absorb more of that exotic perfume. Frangipani and summer. It wound through his senses like one of those chiffon scarves covering her legs.

How could such an alluring woman be unattached? Don’t ask questions, just enjoy the ride. He nuzzled her neck, then, encouraged by her response, nipped the fragrant flesh beneath her ear. The little bells on her costume tinkled against the front of his trousers, her beaded bra abraded his chest, her feminine curves felt soft and sensual against his hardening body.

He slid a finger just above the band of her skirt from one pelvic bone to the other over firm, flat belly. Her flesh rippled and quivered beneath his touch, sending molten heat fizzing to his groin.

Her eyes flared with the same hot need that surged through him. He was so turned on, if he wasn’t careful, he’d come right here in front of her, not to mention a roomful of people. He wanted that belly against his. Naked. He wanted her rippling and quivering around him as he pumped into her. And he wanted it now.