Suddenly His - Jessa Kane Page 0,17

off.” His throat flexes behind the knot of his burgundy tie. “It’s also helpful if I’m meeting with a beautiful girl I don’t want anyone else looking at.”

Unbelievably, jealous threatens. “Does that happen frequently?”

“No. It doesn’t, Maisy. In fact, it never happens.” Jack waits until I acknowledge his answer with a nod, then saunters toward me, a diamond flashing in his tie clip. “That’s quite an outfit.” Slowly, he circles around back of me, his warm breath ghosting over the nape of my neck, his fingertips tracing the hem of my dress, very subtly dragging it up my sensitive thighs. “Did you come to collect your money or try and double it?”

An exhale leaves me in a rush. “I just came to collect.”

“Uh-huh. Is that why you’re trembling?” He slows to a stop in front of me, tips my chin up with a single finger. “You ever come to my office again in a dress this short, I will spend the afternoon spanking that sweet teenager ass right here in front of the whole goddamn city, Maisy. So help me God.”

Heat goes off inside me like a smoke bomb, permeating every corner of my being until I can barely speak. His big hand, marking me, making me sting. Soothing me. Owning me. “Doesn’t matter. I won’t be coming here again.”

Jack’s answering laugh is tight. “Oh, you will.”

Something in his tone brings my eyes up. I wait for him to elaborate.

“Before we talk money…” There’s a flash of vulnerability in his face, but it’s gone so fast, I’m left wondering if I imagined it. “Agree to see me again. Soon. Tonight.” His eyes turn shuttered, unreadable. “Agree…voluntarily.”

Or what?

Doesn’t matter. I might be extremely attracted to Jack, but I can’t forgive what he did. The promise he broke. “No, I don’t agree.”

His jaw flexes. “I know I deserve your punishment, angel. And I meant what I said, I won’t…release. Not until you tell me I can.” He steps closer, placing his open mouth directly over the pulse on my neck. Inhaling, exhaling. “I haven’t come since Friday. You know how hard that’s been now that I know how tight that pussy is? Now that I’ve heard you moan?”

“Jack…” I breathe, powerless to do anything but gravitate toward his mouth. “Stop.”

“Say go, instead.” His erection meets my belly. “I’ll rip off that stupid dress and bang your fucking brains out on my desk.”

Oh lord. Oh God.

Why did I come here again?

I’m quickly losing focus. Can’t think of anything but him moving inside me, all those windows facing us, his tongue in my mouth…

“Money,” I blurt. “Just the money. I d-don’t trust you now, Jack.”

He curses, rolling his forehead around in the curve of my neck. When he pulls away, every muscle in his body is strung tight, his jaw on the verge of shattering. “Right.” He shoves his hand through his hair. “Creed said your cut was two million. Neither he nor the membership contract decides how it’s distributed. Therefore, you’ll receive one hundred thousand dollars a month over the course of twenty months. In order to collect the payment, you’ll come to my house and have dinner with me.”

Indignation gathers inside me like a storm cloud. No, he can’t be serious. He’s not. Is he? “That’s…you can’t d-do that. It’s wrong.”

“I can do that. What I can’t do is hand you two million dollars and let you walk out of this office, no idea if I’ll ever see you again.” His attention slides down my front, lingering on my stomach. “You could be pregnant with my child, Maisy.”

The way he says it…

It’s almost like he hopes that’s the case.

“You’re…you’re…”

“The purest asshole you’ll ever meet?” His features are unreadable now. Cold. “I believe I told you that myself.”

I’ve waited until now to play my hand—and I’m glad.

I might not be the CEO of a major hedge fund, but I listen to books, dammit, and that makes me pretty intuitive when it comes to people and their motivations. Jack Lincoln is more complicated than any fictional character I can remember, plus he’s standing right in front of me, enticing me, making my pulse race. But he’s not the only one with an advantage.

On the ride from my apartment to his office, the loose ends I’ve been trying to tie together finally formed a knot. Finally made sense. Though I still need a lot more clarity.

“How long have you been watching me?” I ask, watching him closely.

Jack goes very still. No movement, except for a