Chapter Ten
It wasn’t the answer Noelle was looking for but she realized it was the most she would get out of him. He continued to hover over her, signaling for her to make the next move.
Noelle released the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding in anticipation of his response. She stood with him and pressed her mouth against his. He remained, still allowing her to take the lead. James usually took charge so this put her in new territory. The ire she’d felt shortly after he’d arrived at the penthouse was gone, to be replaced with the need to please him.
Noelle pushed James on the bed and straddled him. She locked gazes with him as she lowered her head to place light kisses along his jaw line. She cupped his face between her palms and captured his lips in a light kiss. She moved her mouth in different positions until their mouths fit together perfectly. The press of James’s cock against the juncture of her thighs emboldened her to run her tongue across the seam of his lips before pushing it inside his mouth to fully taste him. She’d never been the aggressor in bed but her movements were led by instinct.
Noelle was cautious at first, flicking her tongue along the cavern of his mouth, savoring the taste of coffee, bourbon, mint and a flavor that was uniquely James. His tongue shot forward to greet hers, tangling and wrestling with it in a passionate duel of wills but still allowing her to be in charge. Noelle caught his tongue between her teeth, giving it a playful nip and then sucked on it. He moaned, sending a delightful vibration against her lips and a tingly sensation throughout her entire body.
Her core was hot and wet and she began to grind against his erection, wanting the pleasure only he could give. Breathlessly, she broke the kiss to stare into his deep gray gaze. His eyes were filled with hunger and a lust that took her breath away. The raw passion she saw in those depths made her shiver. Still maintaining eye contact, Noelle found the buttons on his shirt and slowly undid them, grazing her finger along each inch of skin she exposed. His flesh was heated and breathing shallow, which gave her a heady sense of power. She enjoyed the ability to turn this gorgeous man on.
Once her task was complete she pushed the shirt off his shoulders. With James’s assistance, she pulled his shirt off completely and tossed it to the floor. She next turned her attention to his shoes and socks, making quick order of pulling them off and discarding them. She then moved to his belt, clumsily unbuckling it.
James caught her wrists. “Take it easy, baby. We have the rest of the day and night.”
Their eyes locked again and though no more words were exchanged, there was a wealth of meaning in that look. Slow and steady. With a nod, she followed his silent instructions and finished undoing his pants in unhurried movements and slid them down his muscular thighs. Noelle tried to be casual when disrobing him of his boxers but it was difficult to remain nonchalant when beholding such a magnificently cut figure. She bit her bottom lip to hold back a gasp. His body never ceased to amaze her. From his taut pecks to washboard abs, he was sheer perfection—Adonis in repose.
She’d deliberately skimmed over his burgeoning member. No matter how many times they had sex, it was quite an intimidating organ. Its girth alone had her shivering as she remembered how deliciously it stretched her walls until she begged for mercy. Noelle didn’t realize she was staring until James’ light chuckle reached her ears. “Go ahead and touch it. I know you want to.”
She shot him an uncertain glance before returning her gaze to his cock. Noelle moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and wrapped her fingers around his shaft. She’d only done this once since they’d been together and even then she’d barely gotten her mouth on it before he’d pulled her off and buried himself deep inside of her. This time around, she had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case. She slid her index finger along the length of his shaft. James’ sharp intake of breath indicated he liked it, encouraging her to continue. Noelle wrapped her fingers around the base and slowly stroked his cock from root to tip, gently at first but when he raised his hips she tightened her grip and sped up.
“Yes, just like that,” he encouraged. His eyes were now closed, and face taut with tension. Deciding to turn the heat up another notch, Noelle lowered her head and flicked her tongue against the head. James jerked. “Yes, more like that. Do it again.”
Noelle licked his tip like the top of an ice cream cone, reveling in the velvety texture of his skin. She circled the head with her tongue then slowly sucked his length into her mouth an inch at a time. When she took in as much as she could, Noelle pulled back until her lips rested at the mushroom capped tip again. She repeated the process several times. To her surprise, James dug his fingers through her hair and guided along his shaft. She clenched her lips around his dick to create more friction. His moans were now loud and throaty and the sound of his arousal turned her on beyond her wildest imaginings. If someone would have told her how much she would enjoy pleasing a man in this way she would have scoffed, particularly after her first disastrous relationship. But here she was, loving the feel and taste of James’s hard cock in her mouth.
She loved that she could bring this big powerful man to his knees with something so base and bawdy. It gave her a sense of power she didn’t realize she had. Feeling more confident, Noelle used her free hand to capture and caress his balls. She fondled and gently squeezed them until he yelled her name.
“Noelle! Shit. So. Fucking. Good.”
Though she didn’t think it was possible it seemed as if his dick got harder by the second. She could tell he was close to orgasm by how tight his muscles had become. But to her surprise James sat up and scooted back. He gently pushed her away. Reluctantly, Noelle let go of his cock with a wet pop. She looked up at him in bewilderment. “Didn’t you like it?”
“You only have to see the evidence to know the answer to that, my dear. But I fear if we keep that up, I’d be finished before we get started.”
“Wasn’t that what you wanted? I don’t mind if you want to…you know, in my mouth.”
James grinned. “You’ve been here for over a month and there’s still such a delightful innocence about you. You still can’t say certain things. I believe the term is come in your mouth.”
Her cheeks heated at his reminder. He’d mentioned it before and she’d tried to work on it, wanting to be as worldly as the sophisticated women he was used to. “If you want to come in my mouth I don’t mind.” She said, this time proud of herself for getting the words out without stumbling over them.
James brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Cute, but not necessary. I have a more immediate need. Come here.” Taking Noelle by her forearms, he pulled her on top of him until their lips met again. The kiss was hurried but no less passionate. He was the one to break away with a moan. “Now. I want you to ride me.”
With a deep breath, she splayed her hands over his broad torso to brace herself as she straddled him. Noelle positioned her body until her pussy hovered over his erection. James grabbed his turgid rod and guided the tip until it rested against her damp slit. “Take me inside of you. I want to feel that tight cunt surrounding me.”
She hesitated for just a moment, unsure of herself, but the desire she read in his eyes was all the encouragement she needed. Noelle was wet enough to lower herself onto his cock without trouble. She eased her way down until James was so deep inside of her she felt him all over her body. She let out a sigh of pleasure, thrilled to be so decadently filled with thick, hard cock.
“So tight. Feels so good. So damn good.” He groaned, clasping her hips in a vise. He bucked his pelvis, sending him deeper than she thought was possible.
“Oh!” Noelle leaned forward to dig her nails into his chest. She moved unhurriedly at first, searching for her rhythm, and once she found it, she sped up just a little at a time. James assisted, pushing up as she pressed down, meeting her thrust for thrust.
“Play with your tits,” he growled, becoming more aggressive with each shove.
Noelle cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples between her index fingers and thumbs. James dug his fingers into her hips and moved her up and down his cock, effortlessly demonstrating his sheer strength. Arching her back, Noelle thrust her chest forward and bounced up and down his length. She tightened her walls around his cock as an incendiary flame licked along every single nerve ending of her body, shooting straight to her core. Each time his cock hit her g-spot, she made it closer to her peak.
James sat up to capture a nipple in his mouth and he sucked and nipped on the tip like a starving man. When he bit down just hard enough to send her hovering over the line of pleasure and pain, an orgasm went spiraling through her. Noelle threw her head back and let out a hoarse scream. James continued to suckle her breasts, switching between them as she clung to his shoulders for leverage. All the while James pumped unrelentingly in and out of her.
She dragged her nails down his chest, breaking skin as he continued to hit her erogenous zone. Another swift climax hit Noelle, leaving her weak. James however kept going. To her surprise he rolled her over until he was on top. He was insatiable, plowing into her with long hard thrusts. When she reached her third peak, Noelle was on the brink of passing out from pleasure overload. Finally James tensed and thrust hard one last time, shooting his seed deep into her pussy.
James collapsed on top of her, but instead of rolling away like he always did, he stayed on top of her, resting his head against her shoulder. Noelle wasn’t sure whether to offer him the comfort her instincts told her to give him because she didn’t know if he’d pull away or not. After silently debating her next move, she decided to go for it.
Tentatively, she stroked the back of his head, preparing herself for his rejection. But to her surprise, he didn’t pull away from her touch. “Won’t you tell me what the matter is?” she whispered.
He knew he’d been unfair, a dick even, but he couldn’t help it. There was something about Noelle that made him unreasonable, something he couldn’t quite place. It was an irrational need to keep her all for himself. Something selfish and primal. With his other lovers, it didn’t matter where they went when he wasn’t here or if they entertained guests, as long as they didn’t have sexual relations with other men while he was footing the bill for their living arrangements. With Noelle it did matter.
James found himself dealing with an emotion he wasn’t used to and didn’t like it one bit. He didn’t enjoy obsessing over where she was when he wasn’t here or who she was with. It made him lash out and even though it wasn’t right, he couldn’t help himself. And despite it all, she still showed a deep level of concern for him he hadn’t experienced since his grandfather passed away. It made him uneasy and vulnerable, two emotions he wasn’t equipped to handle.
Realizing he would either have to answer her question or withdraw emotionally as he always did, James chose the latter. He rolled off of her and sat up, already missing the feel of her skin against his.
“James?” Noelle reached over and touched his shoulder but he flinched away, knowing if he capitulated to her warmth he’d enter a space he wasn’t prepared to go.
An audible gasp met his ears and he steeled himself not to respond. “I’m going to go grab a shower,” he said more for the sake of breaking the awkward silence.
Without waiting for a response, he slid off the bed and grabbed his clothes. He didn’t have to turn around to know her expression would be one of hurt. Noelle was the type who wore her emotions on her sleeve. He couldn’t deal with it. Not on top of the emotional rollercoaster he’d already been on earlier in the day.
He rested his head against the shower stall as the water beat mercilessly down over his head. Squeezing his eyes shut he attempted to force away the memories from earlier in the day but they assaulted him from every corner of his mind.
When Gillian’s attempts to wheedle money out of him had failed, he didn’t think her husband would have the nerve to contact him. But to his surprise, that’s exactly what David had done. James wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when David had walked into his office that day but the movement he crossed the threshold with that familiar knowing smirk on his face, James was instantly on guard.
James knew this meeting wouldn’t end well before it even began. Not bothering to stand when David entered, he gestured for the other man to take a seat, bowing his head slightly forward in acknowledgement.
The smirk transformed into a knowing smile. “You’re looking well. The good life suits you. Heard you were dating Eleanor Harrington. Also heard her father’s company will be bankrupt within a year if they don’t get an infusion of cash pretty soon. But I bet Harrington won’t mind sacrificing his precious daughter so he can get his hands on some of that Rothschild capital.” Instead of taking a seat, David walked around the office and casually inspected the décor, running his finger along the knick knacks as though accessing their worth.
Even after all these years, David knew exactly which arrows would hit their mark, but fortunately for James he mastered the art of never letting his opponent see him sweat.
James leaned forward on his desk with folded hands and met David’s gaze. “I seriously doubt you’ve come to make small talk, David. So drop the bullshit and tell me what you really want.”
David had always been quite the cool one himself, able to hide a wicked mean streak behind the façade of his all-American boyish looks. However, James wasn’t fooled for a second. The other man raised his chin slightly with thinned-out lips. “Finesse was never one of your strong suits was it?”
“Neither is my patience. So do us both a favor and cut to the chase or else we’ll end this meeting right here and now.”
The flare of David’s nostrils was the only sign that gave away his displeasure. Finally he took the seat directly in front of James’s desk. “I bet you’re enjoying this.”
“I enjoy classic rock when I’m driving, a good ball game on the television and the occasional glass of scotch... but this…this is a mild annoyance at best.”
David shifted in his seat, looking slightly uncomfortable before once again gaining his composure. “Why pretend, James? You know why I’m here since Gillian had already paid you a visit.”
“Did you really think she’d be able to bat those baby blues and I’d hand over money no questions asked? I find that insulting you think I’m so easily persuaded. I also find you to be a coward, seeing as you weren’t man enough to come here yourself in the first place.”
David bared his teeth in a silent snarl. “I’m here now, and as you know AlCore is in need of a significant infusion of cash or else we’ll go under within a year. I’ve done the best that I can to stave off our creditors thus far but there’s only so long they’re willing to wait.”
James steepled his fingers together and leaned forward. He could tell it had taken a lot for the other man to get that out, but he felt no sympathy for the twerp. Knowing David as he did, James was almost certain AlCore was in the position it was in because of his mismanagement.
Silence fell over the room as the two men stared each other down.
“Well?” David finally prompted.
“Well what? You’re the one in the need of cash. I assume you have a business proposal for my perusal to make investing in AlCore worth my while.”
“Business proposal?”
Shortly after Gillian’s visit, James had his contacts quietly look into how much debt AlCore was in. So he knew they were in the red for millions. No one loaned that kind of cash without collateral, or at the very least some kind of plan to future profitability. “Being the head of your organization you should know more than anyone that if you want someone to invest in your company you need some type of proposal. I’m sure you didn’t think you could come to me and ask for money on the strength of our tenuous connection. Any man worth his MBA would want a return on his investment.”
“So you’re not going to make this easy for me?”
James was now more than mildly irritated at David’s arrogance in thinking he was the same boy who’d desperately wanted to please the people who’d constantly rejected him. It was clear to James, David still thought very little of him.
James took several shallow calming breaths before replying. “I’m not sure on what planet you can come unprepared to a business meeting to ask for a large sum of money for nothing. And on the strength of what? Why should I give AlCore a dime? The only way I’d even consider it is if I was offered a sizable stake in the company and at which point, I’d have my accountants running through the books with a fine tooth comb. Plus a management team of my choosing would be put in place, but that’s only if there was a proposal for me to review.”
“So that’s it?” David sneered. “You want AlCore. I should have known better than lowering myself by coming here. I thought I could appeal to your sense of decency because we’re…” he trailed off as if finishing the sentence would scorch his tongue.
James raised a brow. “What David? Say it. Because we’re brothers? Isn’t that what you used to tell me when we were younger so I’d take the rap for you? So you could use me when it was convenient for you and forget about me when it wasn’t? If that’s what you had in mind, that’s quite unfortunate for you because those days are long gone. So, unless you have a serious business proposition, I’ll have to decline any assistance you’re looking for.”
David bounded out of his seat. He no longer hid the disgust he probably felt from the second he stepped into the office. “Screw you, James. You think you’re so mighty, lording your success over our heads. Behind the money and nice clothes, you’re still just a junkie’s son. Oh, you can buy your way into our circles but you’ll never truly belong.”
James’s ears burned in his anger but he used every bit of will power he possessed to not to leap over his desk and beat the shit out of that self-important bastard. “Seeing as how you made the ultimate sacrifice by being in my lowly presence, I bid you a good day.” And with that he picked up a pen and examined documents on his desk, not really seeing any of the words swimming on the pages. He wouldn’t give that asshole the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten to him.
“Son of a bitch,” David cursed. He slammed the door behind him.
The confrontation with his half-brother had left James in a foul mood for the rest of the day as memories from the past resurfaced—memories he’d fought hard to put firmly behind him. Yet here they were again with a vengeance.
As if sensing his mood, Paul had tip-toed around him for the remainder of the day, although it did nothing to assuage James’s ire. He’d barely managed to get through the remainder of the morning without completely losing his cool. Deciding he needed to get out of the office he sought out one of the two things that always eased his tension, and as he didn’t particularly feel like going to the gym, he headed to the penthouse.
James allowed the sting of the hot shower spray to flay his back, letting it administer scalding lashes. Despite turning the nozzle to its hottest temperature, the physical ache was easy to ignore with the various emotions warring through him.
He could do the decent thing and cut Noelle loose but something held him back. It annoyed him how she’d managed to get under his skin in such a short time. After all, Noelle was no different from any of the other women he’d kept. She was just a better actress. With that in mind, James managed to firmly stow away any residual guilt he’d experienced from their encounter. He wouldn’t think about her beyond their arrangement and he most certainly wouldn’t think about what transpired with David earlier.
He may have come from humble beginnings but now that he was on top, he intended to stay there. He’d have the life he’d always deserved: the money, the trophy wife and the social status. And no one would deter him from his goal.