Page 19 of Purchase Power
She stood in front of the table, one knee cocked out and her hands folded before her hips.She’s not wearing a bra…Were those nipples hard before Noah walked in the room, or did he have that power over her already?Clearly, she is one of those women who has permanently hard nipples. Don’t make it all about you, Gabriel.Except if there was one thing Noah wasn’t opposed to making personal, it was a woman’s sexuality.
That wasn’t a thought he often had, though. Only when in the presence of a beautiful woman who had already proven susceptible to his body. That’s why she was there, after all.
“I should be the one apologizing.” He slowly approached, hands back in his pockets so he would appear more non-threatening. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner. I merely wanted to say hello before I retired for the evening.”
“Oh…” A relaxed breath left her pretty lips. Her shoulders sagged, not that he had noticed them tense before. “I see. Well, that’s lovely of you, Mr. Gabriel. My compliments to your chef, by the way.” She briefly turned to the half-eaten dinner behind her. “Really good.”
“Bernard comes from a long line of Italian chefs. Not the only thing he cooks, I assure you, but it’s definitely his specialty.” A hand popped out of Noah’s pocket. He instinctively put it back in again.For God’s sake, man, don’t be awkward.He had to assert himself in front of Lucy the kept sugar baby. He couldn’t forget that’s what she was. Sure, she may be a real person, but she was a person who had willingly sold herself to the highest bidder for a month. Noah had never been a sex worker, but he had known plenty – and their clients, like David. The mindset was completely different in these situations. Lucy sold herself as not as worldly as some of her contemporaries, but she wasn’t a virgin. Surely, she understood her role here in this house.
“Everything is very lovely,” Lucy said, swallowing. Her struggle to maintain eye contact was noted. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m a bit tired. If there’s something you need…”
He held up a hand. “All I need is your assurance that you’re comfortable. I have no plans for us tonight, Ms. Craig. The other night was…” Noah cleared his throat. Putting that memory directly into his head did not do wonders for his libido. That is, keeping it contained. The man had been perfectly in control of his sexual faculties when he walked into the room. However, sometime between beholding Lucy’s exquisite face and thatbodypresented in all its casual, hard-nippled glory, Noah became a base creature who remembered how delirious he felt slamming his cock into her and listening to her sweetly moan like it was the dessert to Bernard’s excellent cooking.
How inappropriate.
“The other night was business.”
Lucy sucked in her cheeks. “Yes. Of course. Uh, the lady who helped me settle in said you might have more instructions for me. She already went over the rules, like not leaving this space. Is that true?”
“Yes, unfortunately. I’m a homebody who lives outside of town, so it’s much more convenient to let you stay here. Yet there are a few things in my house that would be detrimental for you to see.” He didn’t give a single clue as to what those things might be. “I hope you understand. Since it’s only for a month and you are staying in the largest guest suite, I figured it would be bearable.”
“Oh, yeah, it’s fine! I’ve got cable and a sweet tub!” Lucy opened her arms, lifting her shirt up her midriff and giving Noah yet another peep show. “You see that yoga mat over there? Man, I am going toshredon that yoga mat.”
He honestly could not tell if she was being sarcastic or not. Unfortunately for Noah Gabriel, he was not a man raised on sarcasm. His parents were plain speakers who appreciated direct words as opposed to passive-aggressive jabs.
“I’m glad to hear it. I don’t have much more to go over with you. Only a few things.”
Lucy clasped her hands again, swallowing. Every time she did that, the line of her throat undulated, and Noah had to remind himself that he preferred to not kiss anyone. Even on the throat. “I see.”
“I know what you’re thinking, but I’m really not an ‘every day’ kind of guy. That said, I’ll try to give you some warning if I’m planning to come over for a visit.”
Lucy nodded. “I see,” she said again.
“Here, let me give you my number.” Noah pulled out his phone and brought up his address book. “I can text you, including with any further instructions.”
“All… all right.” Lucy grabbed her own phone off the table. “Sounds good. I like a little warning. Most of the time.”
Her fake smile wobbled, but only because a real, cheekier one threatened to come through. “I have a lot of work to do during the day, so I’ll mostly come by in the evening. That includes the weekends. My job rarely stops on the weekends, especially right now. My family’s company is growing faster than ever, and…” He shrugged. “You don’t want to hear that. Anyway, I’ll text you with anything else I think of, Ms. Craig.” Noah held his phone close to Lucy’s, waiting for the flash of light that indicated a transfer of data. “Have a nice night, and enjoy your dinner.”
He didn’t look back when he left, shutting the door firmly behind him. Noah didn’t want to risk it. Looking at Lucy, in her causal lounge wear and eating her dinner, had almost sent him over the edge. He wasn’t surewhatedge, exactly, but he was pretty sure it included his cock and the bed in Lucy’s suite.
Or the table. He wasn’t above that.
Jesus. Get a grip. You can fuck her tomorrow.Had it really been so long since Noah had regular access to the same woman for sex? When was his last steady-ish girlfriend? Eight months ago? Nine?
A whole year?
Janine. It was Janine, almost eleven months ago.They had their first date on Valentine’s and kept it up for two whole months. Noah never brought her home. He always met her in the city, where he would get a hotel room every week to have sex for as long as they could go. There had been the odd woman here and there since, but Noah was either picking up women while out with friends like David or arranging a dating service from home. When his needs, and sometimes his loneliness flared, he knew how to satiate his sexual cravings. Having Lucy in his house for a month was a novelty now. Here was to seeing what it would be like accessing her beautiful body as much as he wanted for the next thirty days.
Noah stopped halfway down the hall. He glanced into the security guard’s little office, where a cup of steaming hot coffee sat next to the guard’s phone. He had earbuds in his ears and occasionally laughed at something Noah couldn’t hear, but his eyes never left the monitors.
“Evening, sir,” he said, without looking over his shoulder.
“Good evening. I’m heading to bed. Keep up the good work.”
Noah pushed forward. Was it his thoughts holding him back? Or was it something else? Something he half-expected when he reentered his own master suite and realized someone had beaten him there?
“Ah…” He had been mildly startled when he saw the lean figure sitting at the chess table, eyes locked on the grid, the pieces, and the timepiece that Noah occasionally used to keep himself honest when he played. “Hello. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
