Courting Trouble

Which could have some downsides, he thought as her tongue dipped into his bellybutton.

‘Mmm, sorry … can’t.’ She gave a feminine purr of approval when his six-pack sucked in tighter under her ministrations.

‘Why not?’ he asked.

She swept back her hair and her butt jutted into the air as she kissed her way southward. The press of her lips against his tip made his cock jump, even though the sheet still separated them. The sensation almost made him miss her next words.

Almost.

‘Big meeting,’ she whispered.

His head jerked up off the pillow. ‘Oh, yeah? With who?’

‘Plastical. They come every year at this time to renegotiate their contract.’

Tell him something he didn’t know. He’d been trying to get in the way of that automatic renewal for three years now – and this year might be his chance.

‘Has Dumonde been talking with them?’ he asked.

The brunette stopped her nuzzling and petting to frown at him.

Jason held up his hands. ‘The shorter the meeting, the longer we have for …’ He glanced down at his cock. It was now standing up like a tent pole. ‘Lunch.’

The questions left her innocent eyes and she pouted. ‘No. That negotiation always takes days – at least it did with my last boss.’

‘Yes,’ he hissed in triumph.

She misinterpreted and smiled coyly as she pressed her lips against the tip of the tent.

Jason fisted his hand in her hair, pulling it back. He didn’t want to go flat if he felt that witch-hazel scratch against his erection.

Body prepped, he let his mind wander.

This was good news. Dumonde was the new CEO at Guardian, the company where his friendly sex partner Brandi or Sandy was employed as a senior administrative assistant. Dumonde had been brought in recently from Montréal to help Guardian turn its game around. The company as such wasn’t in bad shape. As a leading sports equipment manufacturer, it had suffered recently under poor management, but it still had a strong fist-hold on its market.

And it was a market that Jason desperately wanted to get into.

Bodycheck had its defence contracts for protective equipment for soldiers. They were gaining ground on the domestic side, too, with contracts with Homeland Security to provide protective wear for police departments.

But sports equipment … it was a market that had him practically salivating, especially with the growing concern about concussions for athletes in everything from pee-wee leagues to the professional ranks. Bodycheck had technology he knew could be modified to help protect players better. They’d just be fighting an uphill battle in the marketplace if they decided to go it alone.

He needed Guardian as a partner.

He needed an opening even more. One small crack, and he’d bump Plastical to the kerb.

‘Think you could get me a meeting with your boss?’ he asked point-blank.

Innuendo and suggestion didn’t work with this one. She didn’t get subtlety.

She rolled her eyes at all the conversation. ‘His schedule is fully booked.’

Jason pushed the crisp white sheet downward. His cock popped out, free, unencumbered and rigid.

The brunette’s eyes widened, and she licked her lips.

‘What about a dinner meeting?’ he said, lifting his hips off the mattress.

He applied pressure to the back of her neck, bringing her down to his straining erection.

She hummed in delight. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

Closing her eyes, she took him deep into her mouth. She swirled her tongue, once … twice … and then gave a firm suck.

Jason groaned. He’d got what he’d wanted.

She licked him long and slow like a big red lollipop, and his brain went blank.

Oh, yeah. What she could do, she could do very well.

And, with his eyes closed, he could picture fuller natural breasts on a longer, sleeker body. His hand moved in the springy hair, and it became softer and lighter. The red mouth going down on him turned a softer pink.

Oh, yeah. The exhausting evening had been well worth it. He’d got off twice, he had his best shot yet at a meeting with Dumonde, and he’d seen a blonde goddess in the flesh.

His hips began to rock. He’d see what he could do, too.

Chapter Three (#ulink_aa59ad26-d135-5333-92e8-c27c7b41870b)

‘But Margo, this is less than half of what you owe.’ Sienna kept her voice hushed as she looked at the wad of bills her roommate had just pressed into her palm. They were at the Apple Tree Grille, probably by intent. They couldn’t get into an argument here.

‘I know, but we had to drop out of a gig when our main amplifier blew, and getting a new one cost more than we expected.’ Margo looked apologetic, but not distraught as she tucked her curly hair behind her ear. If worst came to worst, she could sleep in the back of her band’s van or at her boyfriend’s place.

The two were still an item, Sienna knew. So were she and her vibrator.

Heart sinking, she smoothed out the bills and slipped them into her pocket. She could make up the difference with the money she’d been earning through training at Luxxor, but she’d hoped that for once she was going to come out ahead.

There was no hope of that now.

‘Jasper chipped in a twenty since he’s been staying there so much,’ Margo said, obviously thinking it would help.

It didn’t.

Sienna saw the high sign coming from her boss. ‘Pay me the rest as soon as you can,’ she whispered.

She was irritated enough that saying ‘please’ never occurred to her. If it had, she doubted she would have said it. Being nice hadn’t got her anywhere – except maybe at Luxxor. Thank God she’d gone against her instincts there.

Smoothing her hair back into its braid, she returned to work. Smiling at a customer, she picked up his empty plate and discreetly left the bill. She took the dirty dishes into the back. Surreptitiously, she pulled out the rent money and counted it. She sighed. It was even less than she’d thought.

‘Damn it.’