Page 45 of Purchase Power
“I believe he was hoping that you might talk to her about it. You’re a worldly woman, Ms. Craig. Perhaps your reassurances will help her with the experience. I’d hate to see them both so miserable with their arrangement. Of course, I’m also thinking of the money my friend has spent. It’s already a quarter of a way through the contract, and he hasn’t so much as kissed her. Never mind… what you and I do.”
“You can say sex, you know.” This was Lucy’s chance to tease him a little, and she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity. “Or fucking. It might be nice to hear you curse a little outside of you ramming your hot rod inside of me.”
If she thought she was going to make him blush, she was wrong. Noah apparently didn’t blush for any reason. Of course not. This was a man who rammed his hot rod into waiting women. No, the only nervous energy she elicited out of him was the rearrangement of his phone in his front pocket and one leg kicking over the other. She also swore that he sucked in his cheeks. That was enough to amuse her for now.
“You and David are going to get along very well,” he said. “You both have the same juvenile sense of humor.”
“Juvenile? Oh, come on. You can sayfuckwhen talking about sex. I know this for a fact.” She lowered her voice. “Or does it only activate when you have a boner?”
“A… bo….”
“Come on, Mr. Gabriel. Say it. Sayboner.”
He gazed at her in the darkness of the limousine. “I can’t tell if you’re turning me on or enticing me to pull this car over and let you walk the rest of the way.”
That’s sarcasm, right? Is he actually flexing some humor? My God! I’m getting through to Mr. Rochester!Unbelievable. Who knew it was possible? The man wasn’t only a hot and brooding sex machine. He could also trade jabs!
“I prefer to talk the way I do. I shall let you speak with your own preferences. How about that, Ms. Craig?”
She scoffed. “I see how it is.”
“Please, though,” he softly said. “If you could talk to Kelsey, we would appreciate it.”
Yes, of course. I would love to console a young, shivering virgin who auctioned it off and is already traumatized by the experience. Why wouldn’t I? Sounds like a fucking great Friday night to me.Lucy continued to glance at Noah as if he would say something else. When he didn’t, she said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.”
Lucy couldn’t hack the silence now ensuing. “You look nice as well, you know. I don’t suppose we could treat this as a sort of date night? I mean, I know I’m not actually your girlfriend, but this is my first time out of your house in a week. I’m looking forward to a little fun, and I don’t just mean the sexy kind.”
He was silent for a moment. “The ‘sexy’ kind is adequate, yes?”
She shook her head. “You think I’m incorrigible? You’re rotten.”
“Ms. Craig,” Noah purred, “I don’t know what you really think of my behavior, but I assure you, I’m neither a sex addict nor a prude.”
“Well, yeah, that’s been established. I’ve had your dick inside me every day this week.” Lucy snorted. “Except today. Figured you were saving it for later tonight.”
Noah futzed with one of the buttons on the door panel. “We could take care of that right now, you know.”
She had to double-take at that. “Oh?”
“You make it sound like it’s impossible.”
“Suppose it depends if that’s what you’re into right now, Mr. Gabriel.”
He gazed into the darkness before them. Perhaps, if Lucy could see his eyes better, she would behold the icy glaze descending across them. Was he fantasizing about her? All of the things he could do to her, as if this were another day of the week, and she was his to take?I wouldn’t mind…Focus. That’s what Lucy lacked now. She couldn’t focus on shit. She could barely remember why she had signed off to be auctioned to the highest, sexiest bidder.
“What are you offering, Ms. Craig? Because we’re down to about eighteen minutes.”
She ran her tongue against her bottom lip. “There’s plenty we could do right now.” Lucy untied the front of her coat, hand lingering against her chest. “All we have to do is get started.”
This would be so much easier if he’d let her kiss him. Nothing said “explosive sex in the back of a limo” like a heavy, soul-crushing kiss that prompted her hand to wander into his pants.
“Are you hard, Mr. Gabriel?”
Noah snorted before looking away. “Half-mast.”
“I could make that full-mast for you.”
