The master suite stands in sharp contrast the rest of Duke’s penthouse. Rich hardwood combines with burgundy accents to add color and character to an atmosphere that is surprisingly warm, somehow erotic. Thick curtains drape from wrought iron rods that hang over floor-to-ceiling windows.

Duke yanks on my wrist and spins me around. I gasp when his lips crash against my mouth. He pushes me up against the wall and runs his tongue along the curve of my throat, flicks the sensitive flesh at the tip of my earlobe.

My body yields to his touch, growing soft and pliant.

I realize now that this is all I was really ever here for. The contracts, the so-called betrayal of our business deal, none of it meant a thing to me compared to this.

The knowledge of my own weakness is like a blow to my solar plexus, and yet it doesn’t change a thing. I’m getting what I really want, and I’m wet and ready for whatever comes next.

Duke guides me to the center of the room, hands firm on my hips. My mouth hungrily searches for his. “Stay,” he growls.

Every cell of my body snaps to attention at the command.

He stalks across the bedroom, spins around a chair, and plants it two feet away from me. He drops down into the seat and leans back, legs spread wide, eyes trapping me in place. “Strip,” he says.

My heartbeat stutters. “Pardon?”

He scrapes his teeth along his bottom lip. “Take off. Your clothes. Slowly. ”

My chin lifts. Giving in to this, to him, is what lands me in these precarious situations. I’m more aware this time, but I can no more turn around now than I can go back in time and re-draw the professional lines I’ve already crossed. Deep down, this is what I wanted. What I feared I wouldn’t get more of. Him. His hands on my body, his tongue trailing along my skin. I wanted this.

I want—

Him.

Being mad doesn’t erase this undeniable chemistry between us.

I’m addicted to the way he looks at me, and I can’t get enough.

But can I do this? Can I actually strip for him?

My hands move tentatively to the bottom of my blouse and I hook my fingers into the bottom of my skirt. I sway my hips lightly side to side, grasping for some measure of confidence. It’s not like Duke hasn’t seen my body, but to remove each piece of clothing as he watches…I shudder. It’s too raw. Vulnerable. But exciting, too. My body hums, feeling more alive than it’s ever been.

Duke nudges his head with subtle encouragement. A sly smile curls his lip and damn if it doesn’t fire a shot of adrenaline through to my core. I tug at my shirt until it hangs loosely at my sides. With gentle prodding, the first button pops loose. My fingers work slowly down the blouse, exposing the sharp V of cleavage and the outline of my black lace bra. When at last the buttons are all undone, I slide the silk over my shoulders.

“That’s it baby,” Duke says. “Slower.”

Desire is written all over his face and it’s almost my undoing. My pulse picks up speed. I’ve never been body conscious—I’d rather win over a man with my brains than my boobs—but the way Duke stares at me gives me confidence. Makes me feel empowered.

I drop the blouse on the carpet and my skin instantly cools.

His eyes lock on my chest. I heave under his scrutiny, resisting the urge to throw my arms across myself. I straighten my back.

“Remove the bra,” he says.

Jesus. His voice is all low and throaty, turning me on. I don’t speak, just nod.

I reach behind and unhook the clasp of my bra, hesitating just a little, before I slide the straps down my arms. It falls to the ground. My nipples tighten.

I wonder what I’m doing right now. What about everything he’s done to hurt me, to ruin my chance at a real career?

Why am I stripping for him after all of it?

But there’s no legitimate answer. The way he makes me feel takes away my power of reason and makes me act like a sex-starved lunatic.

A strangled groan comes from somewhere deep in Duke’s throat. My gaze flits to his groin. His dick is hard and somehow knowing that I did that, that I aroused his cock, fills me with an intense wave of power. In this moment, I am in control.

I breathe in deep, allowing him to get his fill of me with his eyes.

“Continue,” he murmurs.

I shimmy my skirt down my hips, maintaining eye contact. I have never felt more sexy and wanted.

“I see you took my advice. A wise decision.” At first I’m confused until I see where his gaze lands. Beneath the sheer nylon of my stockings, I’m naked.

“I’ve been thinking about that pussy all day,” he says.

His admission causes my stomach to flutter. That’s the hottest thing any man has ever said to me and I want to pause, rewind, play it back at slow speed. He curls his finger. “Come to me.”

I begin to wrap my arms around my waist, but Duke shakes his head. Prodding. Encouraging. I drop my arms to my sides as I saunter toward him. The sense of vulnerability is so strong it almost cripples me. Each step toward him sends a thrill up my spine. His cock flexes under his pants and I can see it.

Turning him on gets me hotter.

Duke reaches forward and trails his finger along my stomach. I suck in, shocked by the intensity of such a subtle touch. This isn’t unknown territory—Duke’s hands and mouth have explored more of my body than I’m proud to admit—but the intimacy of this moment kicks my senses into hyper alert. At the restaurant and in the office, anyone could have walked in on us, and the idea that I could get caught with my pants literally down created a heady rush that overpowered much of the nuance of what was happening.

In Duke’s home, we are alone. There is no rush. No panic.

And it’s clear Duke wants to take his sweet ass time with me.

“Turn around,” he says.

As I do, he follows the motion with a fingertip, tracing a circular pattern onto the small of my back. His tongue flicks across the flesh there, and his teeth nip at the nylon gathered at my waist. He tugs on them until they rip, a low groan crawling from his throat as my ass is laid bare.

Lord help me, I’m so incredibly wet.

He stands and presses his groin against me, his cock hard and thick against my skin through his trousers. “Stay here, baby,” he whispers.

As if there was anywhere else I’d rather be. The clarity of that realization hits me like a steamroller. This isn’t how tonight was supposed to go. But even that lie gets clogged in my throat. I can tell myself that until I’m hoarse—the truth is, on some unconscious level I knew what would happen. I wanted this. Him.

Us.

Even if it’s just this one night.

His voice hardens. “Close your eyes.”

As I do, he slips something silky over my eyes and ties it at the back of my head. Unease pinches between my shoulder blades but I don’t protest. I’m throbbing and wet, the anticipation of what may happen next building in my chest.

“Trust me,” he says, hot breath whispering across my cheek.

It’s more command than request, and I willingly obey, afraid that any signal of my inexperience will push him away.

He takes my hand and leads me to the bed, lowering me to the mattress with a gentle hand. With the blindfold on, my other senses come fully alert. I smell vanilla, hear the soft interludes of the classical music from the other room, taste the sweetness from my lips on my tongue. The tight flutter of anticipation beats against my ribcage. It’s as though I’m mainlining electricity, bracing for the shock.

Duke rolls me on to my stomach and gently spreads my arms and legs apart. “I’m going to tie you to the bed now, Hailey.”

I suck in a sharp gasp.

The cords he uses to bind my ankles and wrists are silky, like the blindfold. He cinches them tight and I tense up. I turn my face to press my cheek into the pillow, inhaling Duke’s subtle earthy scent. His lips brush against my shoulder, my hip, the tender flesh of my thigh. Tension eases from my neck and shoulders, and I give in to his touch.

“You’ve been a bad, bad girl, Hailey,” he says, voice suddenly turning gruff. “I warned you not to question me.”

I press my pelvis into the mattress preparing for the spank I know is coming, my pussy growing more wet with each agonizing second he doesn’t touch me.

“You know what happens to bad girls, don’t you?”

I whimper, not in protest, but in longing, as desire sweeps across my flesh. The first crack of the whip on my skin makes me cry out in shock. It’s more unexpected than painful, and my flesh goes all tingly. I close my eyes, pulling myself deeper into the darkness, giving in to this, to him.

Another thwack of the whip makes me gasp.

“You didn’t learn your lesson before,” he says. “You must be punished.”

“I know,” I whisper.

My skin burns, but a low moan vibrates from my throat. Something about Duke’s sexy voice mixed with the sting of the whip connecting to my ass is incredibly erotic. It’s the dirtiest thing I’ve ever done.

His voice gets lower as he continues. “And I am so going to enjoy punishing you…”

The dark promise in his voice makes my clit throb. My entire body quakes with a longing so intense, I go dizzy. I feel the whip against my ass again and get caught up in the heady rush of desire. I bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop from crying out, from begging for more. I shouldn’t want this—it’s dangerous, dirty, filled with a darkness that is addictive. My breath lodges in my chest, anticipation creating a ripple of goose bumps down my spine. I curl my fingers around the bindings and hold tight.

“That’s right, you’re a good girl now, baby,” he says. “A very good girl.”

His praise releases any remaining reservations, and I sigh with relief. There is no turning back. Duke is my drug, and I want—need—my fix. I’ll willingly submit to what he wants from me.

I anticipate another whipping, but Duke begins to untie me instead. The brief sense of disappointment turns to thrills as he softly kisses my wrists. Cool air breathes against my wet flesh, sending a sharp feminine thrill throughout the core.

I feel so completely alive to every little caress.

Duke rolls me over and lifts the blindfold up onto my forehead. At first, I see spots, dizzying as I recover from the darkness. Candles flicker from antique wall sconces. From their shadows, Duke emerges.

I go still, allowing myself to take in every inch of his physique.

He is shirtless, and my eyes trace the muscles from his chest, down to his abdomen. My tongue aches to flick along the sharp V that leads to his pelvis, and probe what’s beneath those well-fitted trousers.

“You are…”

My breath hitches.

“….So fucking beautiful,” he says.

My cheeks go warm with embarrassment. I don’t do compliments well, but this one, coupled with the intensity of Duke’s stare, makes me melt into the mattress in an attempt to wriggle free from his scrutiny. His eyes devour every inch of me, each flicker of his gaze like the sharp flick of his tongue in my skin.

He licks his lips. “I’m going to fuck you, Hailey. Is that what you want?”

I gasp. “Yes,” I rasp. I’ve perhaps never wanted anything more.

He crawls onto the bed and hovers over me, pinning me to the sheets. The heat of our naked skin ignites me like fire. He pushes my hair off my shoulder and swipes his tongue along my neck. My neck cranes as he nibbles on my ear lobe, expertly using his lips and teeth in tandem. The low vibrato of his voice against my eardrum is driving me insane. I begin to writhe beneath his weight, desperate to touch him, to feel more of his body against mine.

When at last his lips find mine, I part my mouth to allow his tongue inside. The kiss deepens, becoming more frantic and desperate. He devours my mouth in a frenzy that makes my heartbeat crank to full speed.

“I want to taste every inch of you,” he growls.

And I believe him. His mouth moves from my lips to my jaw, and down the slope of my neck. He nips at my shoulders, and trails his tongue between my breasts. His breath is hot, the air cool. Wicked sensations scream through my body. His tongue circles my nipple and I begin to pant.

“Jesus, Duke…”

His first name, so informal, feels different and foreign on my tongue. I’m caught thinking about how inappropriate—how unprofessional—this is, when Duke takes my whole nipple between his teeth and begins to suck. Soft, hard, soft. Sweet Jesus, I want it all. I arch beneath him, taking in the push and pull of his rhythm.

I begin to uncoil.

My hand finds the back of his head, and I draw his hair into my fist, pushing his mouth harder against my flesh. He nips, sucks, bites down hard enough to make me cry out, before dragging his lips to my other breast to give it its own undivided attention.

My fingertip rolls around the free nipple, raw from his mouth.

I’m so turned on even the subtlest brush against my pussy could bring me to orgasm.

He pulls back abruptly and sits upright to unbutton his pants. The anticipation builds as he reaches down to free his cock. My breath hitches and I take him all in. I’m shocked at how much I want him—on me, inside me, filling me.

Duke shifts off the bed and finishes taking off his pants, his briefs.

His cock is enormous, large, engorged, a thick vein rippling up the middle of his shaft.

“You are so fucking sexy,” he says.

He reaches over to the nightstand and grabs a condom, gaze never wavering as he tears open the package and slowly slides the rubber over his cock. The look in his eye is predatory, animalistic.

He climbs back on the bed, pushing himself between my thighs. I part my legs to make way for his mouth. He kisses the inside of my thighs, and paints tiny circles with his tongue. My pussy juices slide between my legs and he swoops in to lick them clean.

“I’ve been dreaming about eating this pussy again all day,” he says.

I whimper, aching to tell him I’ve been thinking about him too, and how perfectly his mouth fits around my cleft. I want to tell him to touch me, to taste me, but the minute his mouth closes in around my clit, I’m rendered speechless.

The orgasm starts to build but I force it back, drawing out the pleasure for as long as I can. I don’t want the night to end. His tongue plunges into my pussy, pulls out, dives in. I grip the side of the mattress as he devours me, curling the sheets under my fingers so tightly my knuckles go white. My clit pulsates.

I start gasping for breath.

If he doesn’t slow down, he’ll make me come.

Duke inserts two fingers inside me and I cry out in shock. His sucks on me as he fingers me, the crescendo rising with an intensity that claws at my skin. My pelvis bucks under his mouth. He picks up speed and I feel the orgasm cresting on my pussy. I grab his head and shove it deeper just as my release shudders over me in a seismic tidal wave. I come hard, panting and screaming until my voice gives out. Duke sucks on the juices, my wetness dripping under his tongue.

When he finally pulls away, I gasp. My head spins with pleasure and I am breathless, weightless, floating on air. I pull him towards me and he crushes his mouth against mine. The muskiness of my sex lingers on his breath, his lips.

“Jesus, Duke…”

“Oh, we’re just getting started baby,” he says, and impossibly, I get wet all over again.

I clench his back and grind up against him. His hard cock nestles against my pussy. I part my lips, inviting his tongue, and our mouths tangle together. I’m desperate to feel him inside me but I don’t want to rush. In this moment, here, now, maybe forever, I will do anything he wants, be anyone he wants.

My heart is a jackhammer.

He lays on top of me, hard cock pulsing between my thighs, teasing me with the anticipation of what’s to come. Every inch of my body tingles.

My pelvis arches against him, and suddenly he’s thrusting into me, splitting me open as he slides all the way in, without any hesitation.

I gasp at how quickly it happens.

And now he’s nestled deep inside me. I gasp at his girth, how fully he fills me. He thrusts hard and I swear his cock presses against my cervix.

“Jesus, baby, you’re so tight,” he says.

I clench my pussy around him and he lets out a low groan. He pulls out, dives in, slowly picking up speed until he drives into me with deep thrusts that knock the breath from my chest. I’m panting, moaning, biting into my lip to stop from screaming. “Harder,” I breathe.

His eyes cloud with desire and he plunges deep, fucking me like a man consumed with passion and desire. My brain goes numb. I can’t think, I can’t breathe.

I have never felt so alive as he pushes me closer to the edge of another cataclysm.

My nails dig into his back, biting at his skin with a fervor that startles me. He grits his teeth and grabs my hips, pounding harder and harder until it’s as though our bodies merge into one. His cock fills and consumes me, and I willingly give in.

“Fuck, Hailey,” he says, and the sound of my name on his lips brings another orgasm dangerously close. “Come,” he growls.

His command unleashes my release and I buck against him as waves of intense pleasure course through me. Jesus, fuck. My pussy pulses around him like a beating heart. Duke gives one last thrust. His eyes lock on mine. I feel a deep surge as he comes.

And the sound of my name reverberating from his lips pushes me over the edge.