“Why?” She frowned at him. Jesse had a feeling she was well aware of the fact that he was trying to figure out just how pissed she was. She was deliberately keeping her expression only mildly curious, giving him no hint to her feelings.

His gaze flickered over her nude body. The delicate rings piercing her flesh entranced him. Only then did he notice the one piercing the skin of her belly button as well.

“When in the hell did you get those piercings done?” He fought the need to cover her body and take her again, then and there.

His cock was so hard it pulsed in agony.

“About a month after I got the tattoo.” She shrugged carelessly.

His eyes went over her body again. He didn’t see a tattoo.

“What tattoo?” He was instantly wary of the wicked glint in her eyes.

She turned over, slowly. His eyes widened. It stretched across her back. A delicate intricate vine and two graceful, open flowers just above the full globes of her buttocks.

“Do you like?” She turned her head, flexing the muscles of her ass temptingly.

Jesse felt perspiration dot his forehead. His cock was screaming for action, his hands itching to clench those tight little globes, to separate them. He shook his head, fighting for control.

“Why?” he finally asked as he fought to breathe.

She turned back over, watching him carefully.

“Tally dared me.”

He shook his head, his gaze now centered on the glistening ring at her clit. He moved closer to the bed, his mouth watering, the need to taste her nearly overwhelming.

“Tally?” he asked, wondering what the hell his secretary could have to do with this.

“Yes. Tally. Tally Raines.” The name slid through his mind with dawning horror. “We’ve been friends forever.”

He nearly lost his erection. “She’s evil,” he burst out, shaking his head as he thought of the wily, sarcastic-tongued little shrew that ruled the offices at Delacourte Electronics.

“Evil?” She tilted her head, smirking at him. “You’re just mad because she doesn’t kiss your ass and makes you do your own filing.”

He was not going to spend the rest of the morning arguing over the sharp-tongued dragon he had made the mistake of hiring last year. As soon as possible, she would be transferring to another office anyway. He’d be damned if he would have someone in his office who could out-yell him. And damned if she couldn’t do it.

“Stay away from Tally,” he growled. “She’s dangerous.”

He picked up his clothes, dressing quickly. If he didn’t get out of the bedroom he was going to lose control again. He had to figure out what the hell had happened to his control before he even considered touching her again.

She lay there on the bed. Calm. Cool. Her hazel eyes quizzical as she watched him pull his clothes on. She didn’t say anything, and he’d be damned if he knew what to say at this point.

“I’ll call you this evening,” he said as he tucked his shirt into his pants, glancing at her, his temper building as she watched him so calmly. She should be furious. Screaming, cursing and threatening him until hell wouldn’t have him.

“Don’t bother.” She finally shrugged. “I wasn’t looking for anything, Jesse. You started this, if you’ll remember. Not me.”

“Like hell I did,” he snapped as he strode back to the bed and pulled her from it as she gasped in surprise.

He had her in his arms, her gaze widening, her perfect lips parting on a gasp.

“Jesse,” she cried out, arousal and surprise vying in her voice.

“You started this the other night, Terrie,” he reminded her brutally as he fought the lust pounding through his veins. “I told you not to push me. Not to provoke something you couldn’t handle. Now I would suggest, for the time being, you stop pushing or we may both come to regret it.”

Before she could let loose with the fury of words he could see building in her expression, his lips slammed down on hers, parting them. Her tongue meeting his halfway as he pushed it past the seam of her lips. He groaned, arching her closer into his body as he ate at her, licking at her, savoring the taste of her.

They were both breathing hard when he pulled back. He knew he was damned near as dazed as she looked and once again his body shuddered as he fought for control.

“Tonight.” He was breathing hard as he set her carefully away from him. “I’ll call you tonight.”

He left the room before he lost all sanity. He was within seconds of throwing her back to the bed and fucking her again with a driving hunger he felt would never be sated. A hunger he had never known for another woman.

Chapter Seven

“Tally, hold all calls. I’m unavailable until after lunch.” Jesse entered the outer office, his eyes narrowing on the sardonic expression his secretary held.

Tally Raines was an unholy terror as far as he was concerned. The curvy, haughtily aloof Filipino watched him with what he was terribly certain was a knowing expression.

“I’ll be sure to do that,” she drawled, her cultured voice filled with amused patience. “Would you like coffee, sir?”

He paused at his office door and glanced back at her, his eyes narrowing as she watched him with superior female indulgence.

“Coffee, please,” he said coolly. “Then get me the Conover contract so I can go over it before sending it to James.”

“It’s on your desk.” She rose gracefully from her chair, long black hair rippling down the back of her white silk blouse to touch her shapely hips. “Anything else?”

Yeah, no more body piercings for Terrie, he thought with a flash of temper that he tamped down. Dammit, the woman was a menace.

“Nothing else,” he finally growled. “Bring the coffee as soon as possible.”

“Of course.” She sounded mildly surprised that he would think she would delay.

Jesse figured he might get the coffee before he left the office that evening. He grunted rudely, jerking the door open, and entered his own office. Now he knew why she drove him crazy. Terrie had to be giving her lessons.

He grimaced as he took his seat behind his desk and flipped open the file waiting on him. Lucian Conover was an old friend; part of the exclusive group that had begun back in college. Not that any of them had been moronic enough to name the group. He did know he had broken one of the cardinal rules, though. Control. Complete control. Only her pleasure mattered. Only her complete, mindless surrender to the pleasure was the goal. Not his.

He pushed his fingers wearily through his hair, frowning down at the papers before him as he fought to make sense of what had happened. Fought to try to at least understand how he had managed to land himself in this predicament. Never in his entire adult life, certainly not since admitting to himself the extreme pleasure he gained from his sexual lifestyle, had he lost control like this.

“Oh dear. Did you find a problem with the contracts?” Tally’s smooth voice cut through his musings as she set the steaming cup of coffee at the side of the desk.

“Contracts are fine.” He lifted the edge of the paper he was staring down at. “Thank you for the coffee, Tally. I’ll call you if I need you.”

“You have messages.” Her voice was insistent.

Jesse lifted his head, turning it until he could gaze up at her with level patience. Dealing with Tally demanded patience.

Her dark brown eyes danced with amusement, her lips tilting into a smirk that had him narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“What?” he asked her carefully.

“Messages.” She laid the papers beside the cup of coffee, still watching him, the smirk firmly in place.

“Thank you,” he growled. “You can go now, Tally.”

She sighed with exaggerated patience. “Very well. But might I suggest a shower, Mr. Wyman? The smell of sex is lingering. And since some of us are doing without at the present, we don’t like being reminded.”

She sauntered from the room. Jesse watched her leave, restraining the urge to bare his teeth in temperamental frustration. Dammit. He leaned back in the chair heavily, closing his eyes, fighting his need to stalk from the office and return to the object of his frustration. He knew years ago Terrie would drive him insane. She was now proving his fears as fact. And his cock was proving to be a very willing sacrifice to breakdown. Even now it throbbed in demand, in explicit, mounting excitement at the thought of touching her again.

Control. His jaw clenched as he fought for it. Control. His fist tightened as he returned to the file. Son of a bitch. He sighed wearily as the words blurred and once again he fought to understand his own weakness.

* * * * *

“Oh Terrie, you are such a bad girl.” Tally stepped into the house as Terrie stood back and welcomed her in.

Her brown eyes, usually cool and mocking, were filled with warmth and humor as Terrie shook her head wearily.

“I know he didn’t tell you. By the way, he thinks you’re evil,” Terrie informed her as she closed the door and led the way into the living room. “So how did you figure it out?”

“Hmm,” Tally mused. “It could have been the lingering smell of sex, and Giorgio’s Red was unmistakable. He should have showered before coming in,” she pouted. “I haven’t had sex in months, Terrie. I don’t like being reminded.”

Terrie flushed, though she couldn’t help the laughter that welled from her lips.

“I’ll be sure to let him know,” she promised her friend lightly.

Tally shrugged. “No problem, dear, I already have.” She sat down in the high-backed chair across from the couch and lifted a dark brow curiously. “Now come, give Tally all the dirty details. Was he positively sinful?”

Terrie collapsed back on the couch.

“He was sinful,” she sighed. “And very upset for some reason.”

She couldn’t get his reaction out of her mind. It was unlike Jesse to appear less than confident. Yet, for some reason, that impression had nagged at her brain. As though something about the act had bothered him more than he let on.

“Hmm. Yes, he was quite out of sorts when he came into the office,” Tally laughed in sheer delight. “You should have seen him trying to pretend to read that contract he had in front of him. But his expression was just dazed. I loved it.”

Terrie shook her head at her friend, but couldn’t hold her own laughter back. There was no one as dryly mocking as Tally could be. Her amusement and general outlook on life never failed to keep Terrie laughing.

“I don’t know what to do now, Tally,” she finally sighed as she leaned back on the couch. “Do you think I didn’t please him?” It was her biggest fear.

“Darling, you blew his ever loving mind,” Tally chuckled. “His nerves are fried, his preconceived notions have flown out the window, and the man is scrambling to figure out what the hell happened. I would say you were the best he’s ever had.”

Terrie bit her lip. Yeah, he seemed pretty damned confused when he rushed from the bedroom.

“You know what he’ll do next,” Tally warned her. “If he brings Lucian with him, at least videotape it so I can watch.”

Terrie’s eyes widened. “Videotape?” she gasped. “No way.”

“Oh, come on.” Tally waved her hand negligently. “At least I’m not asking to participate.”

Terrie stilled, then blinked. The object was to throw Jesse into overload. To show him she could meet him more than halfway. What if she… It would never work. Would it?

“What are you up to?” Tally asked her, laughter heavy in her voice. “Oh, I just love it when you plot. You’re almost as good as I am.”

She watched her friend closely. Was Tally really as adventurous as she swore she was?

“Participation,” Terrie whispered. “Turning the tables on Jesse.”