Seduced (The Lottery Winners Book 8) Page 9
For them. Just the two of them.
They’d done this numerous times before. In fact, more often than not, they shared dinner and a glass of wine together after hours. It had always seemed so natural and friendly before. But somehow, tonight felt more intimate. More…frantic!
She heard the shower in Tony’s office running. Locking the doors after the last person left, she flicked the lights off. Tony showered every night. It was hot and sweaty working in a kitchen filled with ovens, stoves, and open flames. Not to mention, the frantic pace of a high end restaurant demanded plenty of energy. Tony thrived on it. But it also wore him out some nights. The shower both refreshed him and allowed him to come down from the high of cooking all evening, getting him mentally ready for the night.
When he emerged from his office, his hair wet from his shower, she felt her mouth go dry as he walked towards her. The tight tee-shirt, the jeans riding low on his hips…he looked marvelous.
And he didn’t stop. He took her into his arms, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Julia had been feeling the tension rising all night so when he kissed her like this, she melted, her arms curling around his neck as she lifted higher, needing to feel all of him against her body.
He lifted her up and carried her into her office, kicking the door closed with his foot. “Tell me to stop,” he ordered as he set her down on her desk.
“Don’t stop!” she sobbed, pulling at his tee-shirt. “Don’t you dare stop!”
And he didn’t. When he entered her this time, she cried out, her body almost climaxing just from his entry. Then he started moving and she couldn’t hold back. She was sobbing, and only moments later, her body began the climb, the tension increased, and a moment later, a burst of color as she climaxed into an orgasm that consumed her. Everything inside of her throbbed from the intense pleasure and she was barely aware of it when he finally came to his own.
When it was all over, he kissed her reverently, holding her close. Gently sliding his hands down her sides, his fingers against her bare skin. It was almost as if he felt the same intensity for her that she felt every time she touched him. That intensity seemed to be increasing each time they came together. In the back of her mind, Julia wondered if she should be concerned. But at this particular moment, feeling his lips gently kiss her shoulder, her neck, her cheek…she couldn’t think about anything other than how good he made her feel.
“Obviously, we didn’t get it out of our systems over the past few days,” he mumbled, still intimately connected with her.
Julia sighed, her fingers exploring his arms and chest, feeling the amazing power of his body.
“I guess not,” she whispered, still trying to catch her breath.
He pulled back, enough so that he could look down into her hazel eyes. “I don’t think we’re finished, Julia.”
She laughed, feeling his body harden again. “Seems like you’re right,” she teased, shifting slightly even as she held her breath, feeling him come alive inside of her.
“Come back to my place tonight,” he urged, sliding in and out of her heat just a fraction of an inch. Not enough!
She thought about that for a long moment as she felt her body spark back to life. Back to his place? She knew that wasn’t a good idea. They needed to end this, to go back to their friendship. But in the end, she nodded, knowing that she couldn’t do anything else. “Yes.”
He pulled out of her and she gasped, wondering why he’d done that. But he only laughed softly, kissing her gently. “I want you in my bed the next time,” he explained.
Julia liked that idea and smiled, thinking he was more romantic than she would have thought from his alpha male persona. Everyone thought of him as such a tough guy. They were both right and, in this instance, very wrong.
Taking her hand, he lifted her off of her desk and helped her dress. Then he took her hand and led her back out into the dining room where he’d put their dinner, both plates covered to keep the meal warm.
They ate a quiet meal, enjoying the wine and the conversation, talking about the evening, the guests and the foods that seemed to be more popular, the ingredients, and just whatever popped into their minds.
When they finished eating, Julia carried their plates back to the kitchen while Tony went to her office and grabbed her purse. In the silence, they flicked off the last few lights and, Tony took her hand as he led her out of the restaurant.
“Hey Joe,” Tony called out, handing the deputy parked on the side of the road just outside the restaurant a paper bag. “Quiet night?” he asked.
“Just the way I like them,” he grinned, taking the bag and nodding his thanks.
When Julia stepped through the door to his house, Tony immediately pinned her up against the wall, his hands slowly pulling off her clothes. When she was completely naked, he turned her around, kissing her shoulders. Her back. Bending down, he kissed her bottom, then stood and spread her legs. “I want you just like this,” he decided, his hands soothing her as he looked down at her, spread out for him.
Her only response was a whimper as she closed her eyes, trying to hold back just a little bit of herself. But it was no use. She heard the condom rip open and, moments later, he pressed into her wet heat. As he started moving, he took everything from her and she gave it. Happily. Needing to give him more. Needing to give all of herself to him. She felt his lips against her shoulder and her hand moved from the wall to his hair, running her fingers through his hair when she screamed out his name as her orgasm hit her hard. And still, he sped up, thrusting into her over and over again, taking her to another one while he found his own release.
As she lay in his big bed that night, drifting off to sleep, she felt his arms tighten around her but she couldn’t open her eyes as exhaustion pulled her down.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you, Julia,” he whispered.
She smiled, but before she could respond, sleep took over.
Chapter 11
“You know she’s the best person for the job.”
Tony stared out the window of Jason’s office, not responding.
Jason knew his friend too well. He knew that something was wrong. “Why wouldn’t you offer her the job?”
Tony sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Because she’s perfect for the job,” he told Jason with a sigh.
There was a long moment of silence and Tony knew that Jason was working through the unspoken issues. “You’re in love with her.”
Everything inside of him tensed for a moment, wishing that Jason wasn’t so perceptive. But he wouldn’t be one of the best damn lawyers in the country if he wasn’t.
“Yeah.” Damn, it felt good to admit it. He loved Julia. Loved her so much, he ached with the need to claim her for his own. For the past two weeks, they’d been sneaking around, making love at either her place or his. Those nights were steamy and incredible. She was one of the most giving lovers he’d ever been with. But they’d both agreed to keep their relationship a secret. They both knew how much LowPoint residents gossiped. And Tony knew that he could never offer her the kind of forever that she deserved, so he didn’t want her name bandied about with his own. It would only hurt her in the end and he wanted to avoid that at all costs.
Every time he thought about that, he told himself to break things off with her. She deserved someone who could love her without the risk of getting hurt. He’d learned to control his temper over the years, but what would happen if he lost that control? What would he do if he had a bad day and just…blew up? Taking his anger and frustration out on her? He knew from experience that it took only a fraction of a second’s loss of control and…everything went to hell.
The possibility made him sick to his stomach. Only cowards hit women. He was afraid of the possibility.
“Tony, what happens if you post the job and she applies for it?” Jason asked.
Tony rubbed his hands over his face, thinking that he needed to shave. He wouldn’t go to Julia without shaving, too afraid of w
hat his scruff might do to her soft, delicate skin. On a recent morning, she’d been walking a bit tenderly and he’d pulled her to the side, demanding to know what was wrong. He’d thought that he’d hurt her sexually. But when they were in her office with the door closed, she admitted, with lots of pretty blushes, that her inner thighs were a bit chaffed. He’d immediately taken a look. And then kissed the area, gently trying to soothe the hurt he’d caused. And then, because she smelled so good, he’d kissed her until she…
Damn, he needed to stop thinking about moments like that. He was now hard and aching and if he turned around like this, Jason was sure to know what was going on.
“I think you should offer her the job first. Don’t even post the job on your corporate board, just offer it to her and let her decide. Julia is the most experienced and most deserving. Out of respect for everything she’s done over the years, you should give her that, at least.”
Tony considered that for a moment, thinking it wasn’t a bad idea. “Maybe you’re right. She definitely deserves the job.” The job required a lot of travel. Maybe if she wasn’t around so much, if he didn’t see her every damn day, he could release her. And maybe if she was out in the world a bit, she might meet another man…
He couldn’t think about that possibility. Just thinking about Julia with someone else made him too angry.
“She’d be great as a National Manager,” he thought out loud. “And if she was traveling, I could get back to working in the various restaurants as well. I used to do that but…” He’d stopped traveling as much over the past year or two because…well, because he liked being around Julia.
Jason was unaware of the whirling thoughts in Tony’s mind. He continued thinking about the idea of Julia taking on the role of National Manager, liking it more and more. It made sense and, yeah, she’d do an exceptionally good job. She was organized, knew the business, and could apply her savvy ideas to all of his restaurants. He’d told his other managers about her ideas, but none had implemented them as smoothly or as effectively as Julia had at Desire in LowPoint.
“She’s raised the profits on your flagship restaurant by two hundred percent over the past seven years.”
Tony spun around, surprised by that number. “Seriously?”
“Yep,” Jason replied, tossing some papers over to him. “I had Heath run the numbers.”
Heath was Tony’s business manager. Hell, he was Ivy, Daisy, and Marilee’s business manager as well. He was also the front for Marilee’s LowPoint Foundation, the person everyone in town went to when they had an idea to help LowPoint businesses, residents, or just to beautify the town. In the beginning, her foundation paid for LowPoint residents to paint and fix up the dilapidated stores lining Main Street and Church Street. She’d helped a team of residents start their own company, which installed the fancy streetlights. That team now traveled around the country doing the same thing to other small towns that were trying to gussy up their tourists areas. There was another company that had worked on installing self-watering planters along the windows of each store. Another group of volunteers raised money from the townspeople during the quarterly festivals and planted flowers in those boxes, changing out the flowers with the seasons.
Over the years, the Main Street and Church Street store fronts had slowly filled up with artists and artisans that sold their crafts. Tony’s restaurant “Desire” brought in the regular tourists that came in from mostly Louisville or Nashville to eat. Ivy’s studio was another big draw, but that was more intermittent, only pulling people into town when she came back from one of her trips and put up some of her newest photos. Ivy used to take pictures of faraway places. She’d loved traveling and had earned a reputation for bringing the inaccessible beauty to the rest of the world. But she’d grown weary of traveling and, after she and Gunner had started a family, she focused on more local scenes, bringing the countryside to life, and capturing emotion. It was a turning point in her career and, shockingly, her pictures were even more in demand now.
LowPoint was a good town. The residents cared for each other and watched out for everyone. But crime was going up a bit, hence Emerson’s buffed up team of sheriffs and deputies, which ensured everyone stayed safe.
And yeah, Tony was procrastinating on making a decision about Julia.
Because he didn’t want her to go. He didn’t want her traveling around the country while he traipsed off to one of his other restaurants. Or worse, leaving him behind here in LowPoint. He loved working with her, teasing her, having dinner with her after everyone was gone for the night. And he loved pulling her into his arms and making love to her after they walked into his place at night. If she took the job, she’d be gone. They wouldn’t have their special times together. Everything would change.
“You know,” Jason began, his tone contemplative as he watched Tony’s mental debate, “if you’re going to offer a new position like this, then it might be a good idea for you to train the person you hire. Whoever gets the job, won’t really know anything about your other restaurants. You’ll need to take off and travel with them for a while.”
That got Tony’s attention. He spun around, frowning thoughtfully at Jason. The lawyer was about an inch shorter than Tony and lithe instead of brawny. The man was a runner and didn’t participate in Gunner’s weekend insanity through the woods whenever the Navy SEAL came into town.
But Tony knew better than to mess with Jason. He might not be as bulky, but he was hard and powerful. Tony knew he could kick the older man’s ass, but Tony wouldn’t come out of the battle unscathed.
Thinking about Julia as the National Manager, he thought about what Jason had just mentioned. “I’d have to travel with her?”
Jason lifted an eyebrow. “Her? So, you are going to offer the job to Julia?”
A smile lit his features for the first time since he’d come up with the idea. He laughed, the tension leaving his shoulders as he thought about training Julia. They would be in other towns. Away from the prying eyes of the LowPoint residents. Daisy, Ivy, and Marilee wouldn’t see that he’d fallen head over heels in love with his manager! It would be perfect!
Tony laughed, relief surging through him as he realized the advantages of her taking the job now. “Yeah. You’re right. She’d be perfect for the job.”
And maybe, if he was lucky, he could travel with her and make love to her, and this thing between them would burn itself out.
“Excellent idea, old man!” Tony said, referring to the fact that Jason was about ten years older than Tony. A point that Tony never failed to mention to Jason. But the lawyer just laughed, not taking offense at anything.
He walked out of Jason’s house, feeling free for the first time in a good long time. He and Julia traveling the country together! The idea was absolutely brilliant. With a spring to his step, he walked towards his car, ready to head back to LowPoint, eager to talk to Julia about the job. And the training. Lots and lots of training, he thought with relish. Yeah, this could really work!
Whatever was going on between him and Julia, it couldn’t last. It was too hot. Too intense to last too much longer. And when it burned out, she’d be fully trained and traveling around the country overseeing the other restaurants. Yeah, she’d still make her home here in LowPoint, but the awkwardness would be gone. They could remain friends once this mind-blowing passion fizzled out and they could resume their business relationship.
Even better, she’d be safe, far away from him and the temper that he knew was simmering just below the surface.
Then he considered his feelings for Julia. This wasn’t just a sexual fling. It was love. He loved her. He loved her so completely, he couldn’t imagine not having her around. But…he couldn’t have her around. Not for a long period of time. He couldn’t risk it. He remembered his mother’s bruised, swollen face after one of his father’s rage filled nights and the memory turned his stomach. There were mornings she was so badly beaten, she couldn’t get out of bed. He remembered broken ribs that made it h
ard for her to breathe, a broken jaw once too. Tony had brought food to her, but her lips had been too swollen to eat, so he’d made her soup or brought her milk – whatever he could find in the house that might help her.
He couldn’t…absolutely wouldn’t…put Julia in that kind of situation!
So counting on their passion and his feelings burning out was his only solution. Would it work? Would he eventually fall out of love with Julia?
Hell, no, he thought as he tossed his briefcase into the passenger seat of his Audi A7 and started it up. He’d always be in love with Julia. She was the kind of woman that snuck into his soul, melted away all the cold, and warmed him up from within. Just her smile when she walked into “Desire” was like a soothing balm. And when he watched her walk across his kitchen, he loved thinking about all of the things he would do to her after they closed down for the night. He loved the anticipation of that moment when he would close the door on the rest of the world, when it was just the two of them with no clothes and no inhibitions.
He’d always loved cooking, but now there was an extra fire in his menu. An extra power behind everything he created. And it was all due to Julia’s smile, their quiet conversations when they were alone, and the way she welcomed him every night into her bed and into her body.
Damn, just thinking about her and he was aching to kiss her, to make love to her. She was amazing and incredible!
Chapter 12
“You can’t do that.”
Startled, Julia looked up to see Jane coming towards her with a fresh pot of coffee. “I’m sorry?” she asked, brushing her fingers off and sitting up straighter in her chair. She’d come to the bakery, needing some advice and Jane was the best person for offering advice. Even if her advice was off, there was always chocolate. Chocolate in the form of hot chocolate, chocolate scones, chocolate muffins. There was even chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling and fudge icing!