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  She didn’t dare go anywhere near her clit just yet, happy with teasing herself for now. Besides, she wanted to see how far she could push him. Maybe even make him come first. Just for her. Wouldn’t that be a sight?

  ****

  Mason needed to see her. Now. He couldn’t believe how quickly just watching had him aching to come. Seeing her decked in nothing but diamonds he’d provided gave him a thrill he hadn’t expected. Definitely a kink he hadn’t seen coming but one he found himself reveling. If he had to send her an ocean of diamonds to see this every night, Mason was more than willing. Maybe he’d add some color next time. Sapphires? Rubies?

  He filed the thought away for later.

  There were more important things to do. Like watching her. Seeing her skin flush and watch her bite her lip as she tried to stifle the sounds he always imagined her making when she came for him. And that had been quite often lately.

  One day soon he would have her spread beneath him, writhing. Begging him for his cock.

  Shit.

  Just thinking about that scenario was getting him too close to coming. What was it about this woman that had him constantly on the edge?

  Then she parted her thighs a little more…

  Thoughts, at least coherent ones that didn’t involve getting the naked woman across the way under him, were getting harder to formulate. If just watching her pretending she was touching him got him so hot and bothered, how in the hell would he handle the real thing?

  Mason’s tongue nearly lolled out of his mouth as she finally parted her legs and slipped two fingers inside herself and dropped her head back in pleasure.

  Shit.

  He thrust into his hand even as he pumped. He needed to match her near-frantic movements. She looked as if she was as pent-up and desperate for release as he was. If he wasn’t so wound up he might have found that interesting. As it was he just wanted—needed—to come. Preferably in her or even on her, but with things being as they were, just watching her while he came had to be enough.

  For now.

  The gems around her neck flashed as she trembled, her cheeks and chest rosy moments before she convulsed and he was sure he could hear her cry out as she came hard on her fingers.

  Mason fought against the surge of pleasure, but seeing her drawing out her pleasure as she held his gaze proved to be too much and his entire being exploded. He didn’t try to hold back the groan that tore through him along with the jet of cum.

  It was several moments before the world righted itself and he was able to focus his eyes once more.

  She stood a few paces back from the window now, still gloriously nude, skin still flushed with the remains of her passion.

  It was as if she was waiting for him to look at her again because the moment he did she smiled, blew him a kiss, and the light went out.

  That was the moment Mason made the resolution to make her his.

  Chapter Four

  August

  Chloe sat at her desk staring at the screen, though nothing she saw there registered. It was getting late in the day. One that had seemed to drag on and on. All she wanted was to get out of this place and back to her haven.

  Her secretary stuck his head through the door. “Chloe? Il y a un homme ici...

  A man? To see her? That Guillaume didn’t recognize? Her heart leapt into her throat. M?

  She waved her hand indicating he should be let in.

  Chloe quickly straightened her blouse and tucked hair that had escaped the bun. She must have looked a fright after the long day. Her back was ramrod straight in preparation to greet him.

  Only it wasn’t the handsome man she’d been sharing her evenings with the past few months.

  “Chloe.”

  She fought not to wilt in her chair from the disappointment. “What are you doing here, Charles?”

  He straightened his shoulders. “I needed to see you.”

  Sighing, Chloe sat back in her chair. “There’s nothing to talk about. It’s been nearly a year since we’d broken up.”

  “I need another chance.”

  “So you can cheat on me again?”

  “It wasn’t like that.”

  Chloe glared at him. “Then tell me what it was like.”

  He swallowed. The sound of his gulp echoed in the silent room. “I was lonely.”

  “So you immediately found someone who would let you climb on top of them?”

  Charles winced but continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I suppose it was insecurity, but I felt as though you weren’t seeing me as a man. I needed to prove to myself that I still had what it took to pull someone.”

  “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I came home to you every night.”

  “Too exhausted to do anything,” he scoffed.

  While he had been doing whatever all day to leave him so exhausted he could barely call for dinner, let alone do anything for her benefit. It was so typical of Charles to think that if she was too tired to service him, then everything else was out of the question. “So now it’s all my fault? One of us had to work.”

  “Your father was the one who ruined my chances of getting a job!”

  “There were plenty of other jobs out there. He only kept you out of the jobs you thought you could waltz into by virtue of being with me!”

  Charles puffed up indignantly. “What good is it being with the boss’s daughter if it doesn’t open up a few doors?”

  “My father was right about you.”

  “Of course Daddy’s little girl would think that! You didn’t even see he was manipulating you! You never noticed that he tried everything he could to drive a wedge between us.”

  “So, what you’re saying is the only one who should have been able to manipulate me was you?”

  His face turned purple though she wasn’t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment.

  “Either way it doesn’t matter. We don’t belong together. We never did.” And if there was anything she was grateful to her father for, it was showing her just that.

  His expression turned pleading now as he took a step forward. “How can you say that?”

  “It didn’t take much to break you, did it? I can’t be with a man who’s so weak.”

  “Weak!” Charles slammed his fists on her desk. “Who’s the one that lets her father lead her around by the nose?”

  “Certainly not me.” No one told her what to do any longer.

  Chloe pushed the button on the office phone to summon her secretary. “Please see Mr. Argyle out, s’il vous plait.”

  She turned to Charles who looked about to explode. “I tried to end this nicely in London and you wouldn’t let go.”

  “No one dumps me, Chloe.”

  Lifting her hand, she cut off his next words. “Just leave, Charles. I don’t ever want to see you again. The next time you try to get near me, I’ll call the police.”

  Guillaume strode into the room.

  Charles whipped his gaze between them. “You can’t do this to me, Chloe.”

  “You did this to yourself, Charles.” Seeing him now, Chloe knew they were never meant to be together. What had she been thinking dating someone like him? He was handsome, sure. In a glossy, fake way. It hadn’t taken her long to realize that the man underneath was as ugly as they came.

  She’d been an idiot to enter a relationship with him just to irritate her father. Charles had been so kind and accommodating in the beginning. Then, over time, the man she thought she could handle turned petty and mean. Covetous and unfaithful. Raging one moment and solicitous the next.

  What else could she do but break things off? Not only that but move away. Chloe had thought it would make things easier. Out of sight, out of mind. But Charles was relentless in his calls and now turning up in Paris and hunting her down at her new job. It was getting beyond frightening.

  “This isn’t over, Chloe.”

  Guillaume might have been of smaller build, but hearing Charles’s parting words galvanized him in
to action, almost having to push the other man bodily from the room.

  The instant the door closed behind them, Chloe sagged with relief. She always hated the way Charles made her feel after a confrontation. It was bad enough over the phone, but the trembling and anger coursing through her at the moment wasn’t something she wanted to endure.

  At least not alone.

  She pretended to get on with her work while she got herself under control knowing that her staff could see her through the glass walls. The last thing she needed was to let them see her rattled.

  By the time her nerves had calmed somewhat it was nearly time to head home. The thought of that, however, didn’t appeal.

  Chloe didn’t want to be alone. Not with Charles lurking somewhere in the city. If he’d found her place of work, it was feasible he’d ferreted out where she lived as well.

  Shivers ran up her spine. Charles might not have done anything to hurt her physically, but the fact that he’d gone looking for her and had gone as far as travelling abroad to find her made her uneasy.

  Licking her lips, she pressed the intercom. “Guillaume.”

  Her assistant appeared a moment later. “Oui?”

  “I need the number for the concierge of the building across the street from mine…”

  ****

  Mason stared at his monitor grimly. Though everything on it was good news, he just couldn’t get out of the black sulk he was in.

  By all accounts he should have been in the greatest mood in the world. His business was booming, he was in the best shape of his life, and he was in the perfect relationship. What else could he want?

  The answer to that was growing by the day.

  His mystery woman in his bed.

  Mason didn’t care that it would complicate what they had. He wanted more. If she turned out to be a shrew like so many others had, then he’d have to live with the fact and move on.

  Keeping things as they were wasn’t doing it for him any longer. For months now, it had become a nightly ritual. Hell, he hurried home every night just to see her smiling at him from her window. They’d eat. Decompress. Then one of them would initiate something sexy. Sometimes it was as simple as a look from her. A bite of the lip. A smile. Clothes would disappear. Sometimes slowly, other times torn off in their hurry to get naked. Then things would get interesting. His imagination would take over until he was a weak-kneed mess then they’d both (presumably she would be as languid as he was) go to bed sated and wake ready to do it all over again the next day.

  It wasn’t enough to imagine her skin against his any longer. He wanted to know how she tasted, what she smelled like. How hot her body was when he was deep inside her.

  Mason shifted in his seat trying to alleviate the discomfort from his growing erection.

  There was something else about her, however. Beyond her beauty there was an air of sadness. A delicacy to her. There were moments when she probably thought he hadn’t been watching when she seemed frightened and maybe even a little lost. Usually it was after a phone call that she looked panicky, which pissed him off. Then there were times she would stand at the window and just stare into space, not seeing the city below even as she appeared to scrutinize it. Mason wanted to wrap her in his arms and protect her from whatever it was that bothered her—an urge he’d never felt for anyone before, but for his mystery woman he’d play “white knight.” He’d play whatever role she asked of him.

  Mason adjusted himself as more lurid fantasies came to mind. Hell, he had to get a grip. He was at work for fuck’s sake. It wouldn’t do anything for his reputation to be caught at his desk trying to tame his cock.

  Mason lurched in his seat at the ring of the phone on his desk. Heaving a breath, he answered it. “Yes, Yvette?”

  “There’s a woman on the line for you.”

  Irritated, Mason growled. “Who?”

  “She wouldn’t say. Only that you’ve a dinner date tonight.”

  His fingers turned nerveless and he almost dropped the receiver. “Put her through.” Could it really be her?

  “Allô?”

  He cleared his throat just as a sultry voice came through.

  “M?”

  Mason’s throat closed up and for a second he couldn’t say a thing. It took an age as he fought to remember anything he knew about the French language. In the end he gave up. “Hello. Is this who I think it is?”

  “You’re British,” came the amused reply. “I never saw that coming.”

  He laughed stunned at her posh accent. “Likewise.”

  “I’m so glad we can finally talk.”

  “As am I.” As he said it, Mason was aware of the grin on his face. She sounded even more amazing than he imagined. Her voice was soft, husky, a delicate tangle of French and English accents. Perfect.

  He wanted to hear more. “How did you find me?”

  Gentle laughter tinkled through the phone. “Why don’t I tell you over dinner?”

  “I’d like that.”

  There was a pause. “I thought you’d be more take charge.”

  Mason sat up straighter. “You’ll see that part of me soon enough.”

  Her laughter somehow made his body turn to mush and get harder at the same time. “I look forward to it.” She named a restaurant to meet right after work and rang off, leaving Mason smiling at his phone feeling like he was caught up in a whirlwind and dropped back to earth.

  It seemed that this day was going to end on a much better note than he’d thought.

  ****

  It wasn’t until he strode into the restaurant that he realized he still didn’t know her name. He’d been so thrown off by a simple phone call that he hadn’t even thought to ask!

  What was it about this woman that turned him into a hormone-drenched idiot?

  Mason straightened his clothes and ran his hand through his hair. He would have preferred to have gone home first to change, but he wasn’t going to waste any time when he had the chance to meet her in person.

  The restaurant was one he’d been to a couple of times. Upscale, good food, and frequented by celebs and the like which meant their privacy was ensured. The ideal place for a first meet.

  He approached the hostess and saw the flare of interest in her eyes the same moment a wide accommodating smile spread over her lips.

  “Bonsoir…”

  Mason barely listened, instead he looked over her shoulder for her. For a moment there was nothing but a sea of faces. Then a glint of light drew his gaze.

  There she was, holding a glass of wine up as if in salute. The instant their gazes met she smiled and winked.

  He sidestepped the still-talking hostess and strode straight for her table. There might have been protestation but it was just background noise as he closed in on her. Close up she was even more stunning. Lustrous hair the color of midnight, dark eyes sparkling at him from over the rim of the glass. His gaze dropped to her full lips still moist from the wine.

  Damn. He was getting hard just from a smile. And even harder still when she stood and took his hand.

  “Finally.” He brought her hands to his lips. She smelled like some sort of exotic flower and her skin was like silk. It took all his concentration not to run his tongue over her knuckles to see if she tasted as good as she looked.

  “I can honestly say I’m delighted to meet you too. At long last.”

  “Mason.”

  “Mason.” She savored his name as she said it. “I’m Chloe.”

  “A beautiful name.”

  She laughed and waved him to sit down. “Sorry I started without you but I needed a little courage.” Chloe poured the red liquid into his glass before picking up her own. “To newfound friends.”

  “Just friends?”

  “More than friends,” she amended with a smile.

  Chuckling, he lifted his glass to tap against hers. “To being more than friends.”

  Just sipping the wine was a sensual act being with her. He cleared his throat. “So, tell me everything
about yourself.”

  Chapter Five

  Chloe couldn’t remember having as much fun over a meal. Mason was witty, charming, and wickedly funny. Even during the lulls in conversation, the silence was companionable. And they gave her a chance to just look at him.

  In a word, Mason was gorgeous. She’d known that watching him through their windows, but with him so close she could touch him—smell him—it was almost overwhelming. Especially knowing what was hidden under the tailored suit.

  She did manage to keep her hormones under control, however, as difficult as it was to do.

  By the time they’d finished dessert it was as if she’d known him for years. Mason was not only easy to talk to but he truly listened.

  What made it even more intriguing was that the few casual touches she’d initiated had been returned easily. They might have been benign. On the hand. The arm. Shoulder. But every time his hand made contact with her body, she tingled in response.

  Along with the euphoria came the guilt, however. What would Mason think if he knew that she’d initiated this meet to avoid going home? To avoid her ex?

  Chloe wanted to come clean but didn’t want to spoil the evening. It’d been perfect so far. The last thing she wanted to do was destroy the connection.

  “Shall we call it an evening, then?” Mason cocked his head toward the hostess. “She’s giving us dirty looks for holding the table so long.”

  “I doubt that’s what she’s angry about.” At his questioning glance she laughed. “She’s giving me dirty looks because she wishes she was in my place.”

  He shook his head and chuckled. “I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t believe me?” She lifted her eyebrows in challenge. “Want me to prove it?”

  Mason leaned back in his chair. “By all means.”

  Beckoning him close with a crook of her finger, Chloe leaned in. “Tell me her face doesn’t pucker more when I do this…”

  Mason met her halfway, tunneling his hands into her hair as she brushed her lips against his before delving deeper. And she wasn’t disappointed. He tasted as good as she’d imagined.