Indulging in Irene Read online

  With no preamble, I dove in. The entire night had me on edge, and I knew I would come fast. After a few circular motions with my fingertips on my clit, I was biting my lip, mentally crying out Zolt’s name.

  Ha, I thought. That was fast.

  As I fell asleep, I wondered if Zolt had done the same thing.

  I woke from a dead sleep to the sound of someone screaming in pain. Sitting up, I tried to get my bearings and figure out where the hell I was.

  Zolt! Holy shit that was his voice ripping through the early morning.

  Fuck!

  I scrambled from the bed and ran into his room, not bothering to knock.

  Zolt sat naked in the middle of his large, black canopy bed, clutching his leg. He looked up at me with wild eyes, and I was unsure whether he recognized me or not.

  Slowly, I walked to the bed in the shadowy, morning light. “Zolt,” I said in a soft, calm voice. “Are you okay?”

  He didn’t answer with words, but his crystalline-blue stare said everything I needed to know.

  I recognized that look. It was the same as that day. The same one that had haunted me for six years.

  I couldn’t help him then, but I could now.

  “Zolt, it’s okay. You’re okay,” I said in a tone I hoped comforted him.

  He kept his gaze trained on me, watching me with cautious eyes. The pain in them made me bite my lip to stop from crying.

  Carefully, I sat on the bed and placed my hand over the hand that still held his leg. In the dim light, I could see his scars. They were bad though not terrible. To me, they were his warrior’s battle scars.

  Zolt flinched at the contact, and then stilled when my hand didn’t move. We sat there for a few minutes just listening to each other breath. It didn’t take long before we were breathing in time with each other.

  When he seemed more at ease, I climbed on the bed. His eyes watched my every move. I wanted to kiss his scars, let him know I wasn’t turned off by them. I could sense he didn’t want that, so I finished my journey up the bed.

  When I was eye to eye with him, I put my hand on his face. His body trembled, and I saw his gaze dart to the table by the bed.

  I followed its path, noticing the bong. “Getting high helps?”

  He nodded, but didn’t speak.

  “This happens every night, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes,” he finally said in a rough voice. “Every morning.”

  “I’m so sorry, baby.” I brushed by his damp hair from his forehead and caressed his cheek.

  He closed his eyes and laid down, his hand leaving his leg.

  “I want to help you. Will you let me?”

  Zolt nodded again, and I softly kissed his lips, continuing my way down his glorious body. His body may not be in NFL condition anymore, but fuck was he in shape. Lean muscle defined him, making him wonderfully male in all the ways that counted. His abs were sculpted into a sexy, yet not overly worked, eight-pack. He was perfectly tanned all over, and I had to wonder if he laid out nude. There wasn’t a line anywhere on his body.

  Zolt was hot, and kissing my way down his body made me hot. My panties were moist, and I knew by the time I was done, they’d be soaked. But this wasn’t about me. This was about him. I may have not been able to help him that day on the field, but today, I could. I would take his pain and replace it with pleasure.

  I continued licking and kissing my way down his body. I teased his nipples until he moaned, and I smiled. A different kind of tenseness road over his body.

  I hoped this worked for him because it sure was for me. His hard cock told me I was on the right path.

  With a firm grasp, I wrapped my hands around his shaft, making Zolt hiss in pleasure.

  “Oh, fuck!”

  Fuck was right. Zolt was big; at least I thought so. Bigger than Marcus anyway.

  I positioned myself at his hips and curled my feet under me, praying I’d be able to do this well. Pushing my hair aside, I brought my lips to the head of his cock. My eyes locked on his as I licked it, circling with my tongue in long, slow motions.

  “Fuck!” he said again in a long exhalation.

  Smiling, I sucked and licked more, taking him as deep as possible. To my surprise, I was able to take him in completely. I read Cosmo. I knew a trick or two.

  I focused my mouth on the head of his cock and gripped his shaft with both hands. Together, my mouth and hands worked in unison in a pump-and-swirl combo that I could tell was driving him wild. It didn’t take long before he gasped with pleasure.

  “Irelyn, fuck, I’m going to come,” he grunted, grabbing a fistful of my hair.

  I took him in deeper, letting him know I could take it.

  A minute later, he came hard, and I swallowed hard.

  First time for everything, I thought. Marcus didn’t get this kind of attention from me. He didn’t deserve it.

  Zolt, however, was different. I wanted to give him this. Wanted him to have pleasure instead of pain. Really, it wasn’t as gross as I thought it would be. Nonetheless, I glanced longingly at the bottle of water next to Zolt’s bong, thinking a drink would taste mighty fine.

  “Irelyn, come here.” Zolt’s eyes trailed over my body. I knew what he wanted. And as much as I wanted to give it to him, I couldn’t. Even so, I went and laid on my side next to him.

  “Water?” he asked.

  “Please.” I took a long pull and handed it back. “Thank you.”

  “No, thank you for making me feel better. Please, let me return the favor.”

  Before I could discourage him, he was on me, kissing me. And, oh, God, he was hard again.

  Zolt kissed me thoroughly, and ever so slowly, while he ran his hand up my leg, stopping at my wet panties.

  “Oh, baby, you’re soaked,” he said, rubbing between my legs.

  I flinched when Zolt palmed my clit through my panties as guilt invaded me.

  Screw guilt! I want this.

  “You liked sucking my cock, didn’t you?” He plunged his tongue in my mouth before I could answer, ravaging me with a hunger I’d never experienced before, like he couldn’t get enough of me.

  “Last night, you said no. Is the answer still no, Irelyn?” Zolt’s heated gaze stared right through me. He wanted me, and I wanted him so badly it physically hurt. I knew I couldn’t. Fear of Marcus had me nodding, telling Zolt no when I wanted to say yes.

  He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on mine. “Please, let me go down on you. Let me show you as much pleasure as you’ve shown me.”

  I squirmed and heard myself saying yes. A mistake, maybe, but I wanted this. If I wasn’t going to fuck him, I was at least going to let him go down on me. After all, according to Bill Clinton, oral sex wasn’t sex. So technically, I wasn’t cheating on Marcus. That I cared seriously pissed me off.

  Zolt kissed the ever-loving shit out of me, and I forgot all about Marcus. He pulled my panties down, and I whimpered when he coaxed my legs apart and slid two fingers inside of me.

  I played a dangerous game, one that would have me changing my mind.

  “Oh, Irelyn, you feel so fucking good. Christ, you’re so tight and wet. One day, you’re going to let me fuck you.” He twisted his fingers, making me cry out.

  “Yes, Zolt. Yes.” The man had the most talented fingers I’d ever known. If he could make me almost come with just this, what would he do with his cock?

  With a wicked grin, he removed his fingers, put them in his mouth and sucked. “You taste sweet. Oh, baby, I’m going to enjoy this, and so are you.”

  I closed my eyes and opened myself to him as Zolt positioned himself between my legs. My heart thrummed so loudly I was sure he heard it. I’d waited all my life for a man to do this to me, and I’d fantasized that Zolt would be that man. I couldn’t believe this was happening until his tongue flicked over my clit.

  “Fuck,” I cried and tossed my head. It felt so good. There was no way I’d last if he kept doing this. My orgasm built quickly, making things deep in my b
elly clench deliciously. When he sucked and licked me with the tip of his tongue, and then slid his fingers inside me again, I was done for. My release slashed through me, and I screamed his name.

  Zolt looked up at me with a triumphant grin on his face.

  “You taste so fucking sweet, Irelyn. God, I can’t wait until you let me fuck you. Do you know how good we’re going to be?”

  “Soon,” I groaned and closed my eyes. In a weak moment, I opened my mouth to tell him yes, I had changed my mind, fuck me now. His mouth and that talented tongue silenced me before I could acquiesce. Tasting myself on his lips was fucking hot.

  Zolt pulled back and cupped my face. “I won’t push this, Irelyn. I’ll wait for you to take care of whatever it is that’s keeping you from me. Please, make it soon. I’ve never wanted someone as much as I want you.”

  “I’ll try,” I whispered. And I would. I had to find a way to get Marcus out of my life.

  “What you did for me this morning…” he closed his eyes and exhaled. “It meant everything to me.”

  “I just wanted to help you the way I didn’t before.”

  “Oh, baby,” he said and stroked my face. “You did. More than you know. But if you don’t get that hot ass out of my bed, I am going to fuck you.”

  I laughed a little and nodded. “Message received.”

  After a few more kisses, I left Zolt’s bed, leaving my panties behind. I didn’t want him to forget me, after all.

  I took a few steps toward the door, and then turned around. “Zolt, you should know Daddy’s testing you. The Aspen Holdings/Black Swan file settled two days ago for 3.5 million. The papers haven't been signed yet, but still I don’t know why he’s doing this. He has his reasons, I’m sure.”

  Zolt sat up in bed and gave me a discerning look. “Okay. Thanks for the heads up.”

  “I think he may have been testing me too, but whatever. Anyway, when you log on to the system, you won’t see any settlement docs because he had me put them in a password protected file. Here’s the thing. I worked briefly on this case last year but didn't get very far. When I asked Bennett, the attorney assigned to the case, if he'd researched the property law governing the transaction, he got really pissy with me and took the case back. He made me feel like an idiot for even asking. I thought about telling Daddy, but I didn't want to come off as the dumb blonde whose Daddy lets her come and play paralegal. I haven't given it another thought since.”

  Zolt got out of bed and came over to me. Gloriously naked, he kissed me soundly. “You, Irelyn Wilkes, are not a dumb blonde. A fucking hot blonde? A blonde I hope to fuck soon? Abso-fucking-lutely. Dumb? No. Bennett’s an idiot for treating you that way. Perhaps it’s Bennett he’s testing. Thanks for telling me.”

  I smiled at him and kissed him softly on the mouth. “I better go home. I’ll leave my number on the table in the guest room if you need to call me. Later, I’ll email you the settlement file so you can see what was agreed on. Oh, by the way, I’m keeping the shirt.”

  I heard him laugh as I walked away.

  As I drove home with a huge smile on my face, I couldn’t help but think about the man I’d just left. Something about him told me Zolt didn’t let people into his life often. He had extended an invitation, and I needed to find a way to accept it. The only way to do that was to get as far from Marcus as possible.

  After Irelyn left, I smoked a few bowls and laid on my bed, thinking about what had happened. I’d had a lot of blow jobs in my life. Some good, some bad, but fuck me, nothing like what she’d given me. My dick hardened just thinking about her lips on me.

  More than the blow job was the look in her eyes. Irelyn’s purpose had been to comfort me, take away the pain that woke me every morning. The expression on her face killed me. I have people in my life who care for me, but besides my mother, none of them were women. My relationships with the opposite sex haven’t been great. There was no point of getting to know someone when your only goal is to screw their brains out, and then send them away.

  Irelyn was different. Damn it to hell, but I actually wanted to know her beyond sex. Feeling this way would probably end up causing me grief. She had a secret, one that kept her from giving herself to me completely. But the way she’d kissed me, and the way her body responded to me as if it hadn’t been touched in months told me all I needed to know. If she had a boyfriend, I’d be surprised. Any man that left a woman like her unsatisfied deserved to be shot in the head.

  I wanted Irelyn Wilkes. In this moment, I would give almost anything to have her. I couldn’t let our connection slip through my hands, and I wouldn’t let her fade from my life without a fight.

  That thought alone told me I needed to have my head examined. Good thing Brody was a psychologist. He was going to have a field day with this one.

  Since I couldn’t lie in bed all day, I got up, swam some laps, and lifted some weights. After eating breakfast, I set to work on the Aspen Holdings/Black Swan file. When I looked up again, it was the middle of the night and my leg ached like a motherfucker.

  The next morning, I was up early, pouring over my research. Irelyn had been right. Bennett had completely skirted certain property law restrictions. Sure, the transaction had been very complicated from a property law standpoint. But from what I could determine, it was possible that Aspen Holdings's complaints against Black Swan could make a great test case, one that could potentially cost Xot International—Black Swan’s parent company—millions if the courts found in favor of our client. The bigger issue, however was the possible conflict of interest between Xot and Black Swan since we were attorneys of record for both. All of this could potentially open the firm to a malpractice complaint from Aspen Holdings.

  I sat back in my chair at my desk and rubbed the back of my neck. It didn’t make any sense. Though it had taken some digging, any attorney with a brain would have followed the same logical trail I did. Once I discovered that Black Swan was a subsidiary of Xot International, it all became fairly straightforward. I had to wonder what the hell Bennett was up to.

  A few hours later, I picked up my phone and stared at Irelyn’s number. I wanted to hear her voice, but I didn’t want to wake her. So, I settled on a text instead.

  Me: Hi, Irelyn. I hope I’m not waking you.

  Irelyn: Nope. I’m awake. How are you?

  Me: Good. You?

  Irelyn: Not bad. Did you sleep well?

  Me: I always sleep well, it’s the waking up that’s the kick in the face.

  Irelyn: :(

  Me: You were dead on about the Black Swan file.

  Irelyn: Really?

  Me: Yep. Possibly to the tune of millions.

  Irelyn: Whoa!

  Me: Our clients will be very happy. I wonder why Bennett didn’t follow the trail to Black Swan’s parent corporation, Xot International?

  Irelyn: Xot International? Hold on, Zolt, I’m calling you.

  With my eyes narrowed, I stared at the phone, waiting for it to ring. When it did, I answered it on the first ring. “Hi, Irelyn. What’s up?”

  “Hi, Zolt. Xot International is Marcus Xavier’s corporation,” she said, and I thought I heard a tiny quaver in her voice.

  “Okay. Who’s Marcus Xavier?”

  Irelyn said nothing for a minute, and I looked at the display to make sure the call was still connected. “Irelyn?”

  She released a long sigh. “Marcus is my boyfriend.”

  “Oh,” I said as my heart dropped into my stomach.

  Stupid idiot! Of course, she had a boyfriend.

  “I’m sorry, Zolt. I really am.”

  “Boyfriend. How long?” I knew I didn’t have the right to ask, and yet, I felt as though I’d been punched in the stomach. Now it all made sense.

  Fuck!

  “Uh, about nine months. I kind of inherited him.” She snorted derisively.

  “I’m sorry, Irelyn, how do you inherit a boyfriend?”

  “Marcus was Chris’s best friend. And I…” Her voice trailed off,
and I held my breath waiting for her to tell me she was in love with him, or that they were engaged.

  “You what, Irelyn?” I shifted in my chair and rubbed my shin. It was stupid that my leg suddenly ached. Not like she’d kicked it or anything. Or maybe she had. “Do you love him?”

  “No! I don’t love him. Hell, I don’t even like him.”

  Thank God, I mouthed to the heavens.

  “The problem is…” She paused again, and I heard her draw in a breath.

  “What’s the problem, Irelyn? Yesterday, you said you felt stuck. Why is that?” I heard my voice come out much more forcefully than I’d intended, but I had a sick feeling about this.

  “It’s just that he and Daddy, well, they have a very close relationship since Chris died. And I-I…” This time when she paused I heard her sniffle.

  Fuck! She was crying, and my sixth sense clicked into high alert.

  “Tell me, Irelyn. You’re scared of him, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. I mean, he’s never hurt me. It’s just that, I have a feeling he might.”

  “Are you sleeping with him?” I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth. Again, I had no right to ask this. No right at all, but I had to know.

  “No. Not for the last three weeks. He’s been in Europe, but he will be home tomorrow. Marcus will expect me to, but the thought makes me sick. I can’t.”

  She paused and drew in a shaky breath.

  “It’s never been good, ever. He is my first and my only lover. I did it because we were both grieving. I knew that night it was a mistake. I wanted to break it off then, but he clung to me. Then, he and Daddy grew closer. I kept waiting for the right time.” She sniffled again, and I heard her blow her nose.

  “It’s never been the right time,” I added, somehow finding my voice. Whoever this Marcus Xavier was, I wanted to kick his ass.

  “Zolt, I want out. I want to be with you. Saying no to you was so hard. If this scares you away, I’ll understand. But I feel a connection with you, a crazy, strong one. Maybe it’s because I was there that day. Or maybe it’s because I’ve thought about you for six years, wondering and hoping you were well. God, this sounds insane.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” I admitted. “I feel it too.”