Page 78 of Playing Pretend

I battle restraint, breathing her scent deep, waging war against lust.

“Sure.” I push back from the vanity, thankful my erection is covered by my suit jacket. “I wouldn’t want you to skip your main meal.”

On our return to the conference room, the only thing I can think about eating is her. My face between those thighs, my tongue parting her folds.

I need to make her moan again. I want those sweet sounds filling my ears.

I escort her back to the table and pull out her chair.

She perks up over the main meal, devouring every last bite of her roast duck with orange-ginger glaze. I’m the one who can no longer stomach anything other than her. I can’t quit thinking about the feast I’d prefer to have. How she’d taste. How sitting here is a waste of the hours we have left sharing a hotel room.

She laughs at the comedian’s jokes and whisper chats with Cassidy and Max about how fun it is to have someone making one-liners about the real estate industry.

Dessert isn’t an improvement.

I order a double scotch on the rocks instead of having the chocolate cake while Piper slowly dissects her lemon creme brûlée, eating one tiny sliver at a time.

She isn’t close to half done when my drink arrives. She still continues painfully nibbling after everyone else has finished and the comedian ends his performance with a tongue-in-cheek plea for anyone to help him get a foot into the property market.

I figure out my mistake once the entire room has been cleared of dessert plates except for Piper’s.

“Are you finished, ma’am?” A waitress reaches between us to indicate the last bite of creme brûlée.

“No.” Piper looks at me instead of the waitress and smiles sweetly. “I don’t think I can eat it all.”

Fuck. I said I wouldn’t increase the settings on the vibrator until she’d finished dessert.

“So you’d like me to leave the plate with you…” the waitress hedges. “Or can I take it away?”

“You can take it. Thank you.” Piper smirks. “I’m just not going to finish it.”

I chuckle, impressed and fucking triggered at the same time.

“Nice move.” I need a new plan. A strategy for negotiation.

This is far from over, but I’ll concede and admit I have to reevaluate.

The waitress takes the plate while Piper sits tall and proud.

I bask in her glory, enjoying the way she bested me a little too much. I adore the gleam in her eyes. The confident set to her shoulders. She beams with mastery, and it’s fucking gorgeous.

“Did we miss something?” Cassidy eyes us both as the DJ plays a pub-rock classic. “Piper looks like she just won the Grand Prix.”

Piper shrugs. “I kinda did.”

“You won a time trial, little Pip. The race is far from over.” I push from my chair and hold out a hand for her to take. “Dance with me.”

The exuberance seeps from her expression, concern taking its place. “No, thank you.”

“Last night you promised me a dance. Are you breaking a verbal contract?” I slide my other hand into my pocket in a silent taunt. “Because I’m more than happy to break mine.”

Panic bleeds into her eyes. “But nobody else is dancing.”

Nobody else has even moved from their seat and I don’t give a shit. I want her in my arms, against my chest. I want her moaning my fucking name in front of a crowd of her peers without them knowing I’m bringing her undone.

I beckon my fingers at her. “As far as I’m concerned nobody else exists.”

CHAPTER15

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