MrTemptation Page 10

  “Your wait is over.”

  He stood and pulled her to her feet. Her blood boiled with anticipation, verging on a fever. Her legs felt heavy, her belly light. Her skin tingled. He grasped her hand and drew her closer. Their thighs, chests and everything between pressed together. Her pulse quickened. She swallowed hard as warning lights began to flash. What did he intend to do? In a bagel shop?

  But she didn’t have time to think about whether his moves were a good idea.

  He swooped down and captured her lips with his.

  Chapter Seven

  Cadence couldn’t breathe. She was suffocating. She didn’t care. She would die happy.

  The kiss was searing and lust driven. His mouth consumed hers with a needy hunger. She returned his urgent kiss with a burning hunger of her own, their lips slick and wet as their tongues tasted and swirled.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and oblivious to the crowd, she reached her arms up to cradle the back of his head, running her fingers through his short locks. His lips covered hers over and over. His tongue explored the recesses of her mouth and she responded, tantalizing him with some tongue action of her own. He tasted of coffee and minty mouthwash.

  Shivers of desire ran up and down her entire body, settling into the burning pit in her middle. Her breasts grew heavy, nipples tingled and ached for his mouth, for his fingers. Her pussy grew slick, wetting her panties in a flood of need.

  She no longer cared for where they were but wanted him to finish what he’d started. Wanted him to thrust deep inside her again and again. Wanted to hear the slap of their bodies as they moved with fevered thrusts of hips against hips. She reached on tiptoe to stay level with him, pressing her body against his, and he pulled her tighter.

  His cock pressed against the small of her belly, hard and wanting. The intimate touch, the knowing of his desire and need for her only made her pussy wetter. She pressed her hips closer to his to feel more of his hard body against her. She reveled in every inch, couldn’t get enough of him as their mouths explored and sucked.

  Preston had planned to kiss Cadence but nothing prolonged, just a sweet kiss. A promise for the future. But the moment his lips touched hers, something more urgent entered his mind. The need to explore her, to take her to bed and touch every part of her body, to fill her, couldn’t be denied.

  He’d touched her last night, made her come but his fingers had only stroked over fabric. He wanted to feel the slick warmth of her pussy, stroke his fingers over the small nub of flesh that was her clit. He wanted to lick her, taste her, drink in her essence.

  He had waited so long for this. His cock, locked and loaded, would explode at any minute. Her hands gripped his hair and she tugged closer. To his surprise, she responded to him with a need that rivaled his own.

  Her soft curves pressed into him provocatively and it was all he could do to keep his hands only on her waist. He wanted to run them down her back and grip her ass. He wanted to rip open her shirt and feel the weight of her breasts, taste the nipples he could feel pebbled against his chest.

  There was work to be done. Appointments to keep. Papers to be signed.

  Fuck business, I want her.

  Cadence heard a strange noise in the background but she gave it no importance.

  Her reverie was quickly broken when Preston straightened.

  Confused at his abruptness, head spinning, she could hear the entire bagel shop applauding.

  Her face heated to the boiling point. She had never kissed a man with such passion before. It was as if he were born to kiss her, born to make her body come alive. She had been waiting her whole life to meet a man who could kiss her like this.

  She could have wiped the table clean of everything on it and continued their lustful tryst right there and then. That would’ve given their audience something to clap about.

  Preston leaned in to whisper in her ear, “You look thoroughly kissed, kiddo.”

  A small smile lifted her lips. It would do no good to hide her emotions from him. He saw right through her as no one else had.

  “Let’s get out of here.” He wiped his lips off with the paper napkin.

  “Seriously.” She popped the last bite of her bagel in her mouth.

  His fingers were warm and strong as he grasped hers and they headed for the door.

  She was still amazed, still in shock at what they had done. PDAs had been strictly forbidden when her father was in office. Her picture would’ve been on the front page of every paper in town if she’d kissed a man in public.

  Her swollen lips would never be the same. Preston brought out a side of her that she’d kept hidden. She was excited but at the same time apprehensive about other things he would entice her to do. Or maybe she would entice him to do.

  She smiled, and not for show.

  Preston helped her slip into the waiting SUV. Too bad they couldn’t share the same seat. How fun would it be to sit on his lap? She wanted to hug him with her thighs and give him a ride he’d never forget.

  It would take supreme effort to behave like a lady.

  Preston grabbed her hand. He raised it softly to his lips as he tenderly kissed each finger. This time she didn’t shy away when Frank asked where they wanted to go next.

  “My mother’s condo,” Preston said as he continued kissing her. Each kiss was filled with tenderness, emotion, desire.

  “Yes, sir,” Frank replied, and he turned out into the traffic.

  As they gazed into each other’s eyes, she was reminded of a scene straight out of the movies, the happily ever after scene. The limo slowed down. Preston leaned toward her, she grew hot with anticipation. His breath was warm on her face and he was so close that if she just leaned toward him a millimeter more, their lips would touch.

  “You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” he said.

  “I’m beginning to get that message,” she replied.

  His finger trailed up her arm. Goose bumps followed his path. Each stroke became more desired than the last and she shuddered in anticipation of what he might do next. When his hand finally reached her face, he stroked a line from the tip of her ear to the bottom of her chin. She closed her eyes and waited for the luscious, silky feeling of his full, warm lips on hers. The moment never came.

  Frank stopped the SUV. He took out his cell phone and spoke briefly. “Your mother will be right down,” he told them.

  “Okay,” Preston said. They immediately pushed apart so they were in their own seats.

  Cadence fussed her hair, making sure it was straight. She checked her clothes. She knew he hadn’t even been close to causing any disturbance to her hair or clothes but she didn’t want to look like a disheveled hussy either.

  Preston buttoned his coat. She wasn’t the only one trying to hide something.

  Her hands stilled in her lap as an elegantly dressed older woman came out of the building. She was stunning to look at, a woman who had truly stayed beautiful as she aged. Her thick blonde hair was cut at a perfect angle to frame her oval face. Her beige suit was beautifully tailored. She wore a multicolored silk scarf around her neck.

  Preston exited the car and opened the door for his mother. She kissed him on the cheek. Cadence felt a pang of envy. Preston and his mother were obviously close. She wished her own mother could be here.

  His mother slid into the seat next to Cadence. Preston got into the front seat of the car.

  “Hello, Auntie Anne,” Cadence said. She stared in wonder at her mother’s friend.

  Maryanne Night turned to look at her. Striking green eyes, so like her son’s, filled with light and recognition.

  “Cadence, how wonderful to see you again.” She smiled. Cadence hadn’t forgotten her smile, which brought back so many happy memories.

  Preston turned to look over his shoulder.

  “I used to call your mother auntie when I was little.”

  “She told me.”

  “May I call you Auntie Anne?” Cadence asked.

&nbs
p; Maryanne’s eyes filled with tears. “I would like that a great deal.”

  Cadence hadn’t expected such a strong response, especially since Maryanne Night hadn’t contacted her once since Mother’s death.

  “Thanks are long overdue,” Cadence said. “What you did for my mother couldn’t have been easy.”

  “I was happy to do so,” Maryanne said, drying her eyes with a handkerchief. “You know I started as her personal assistant at Sparkle Industries.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “It was your mother who encouraged me to study the law in night school. She even paid my tuition.”

  “Sounds like my mother,” Cadence replied. Her mother’s generosity and kindness was part of her charm. It’d been one of the areas her parents had continually argued about. In private, of course.

  Publicly, the mayor had wished his wife’s “little projects”, as he called them, every success. Often he took credit for their achievements.

  How odd, Cadence decided, her mother never told her about helping Auntie Anne.

  Preston told Frank to take them to Sparkle Industries and the intrepid driver swerved into morning rush hour.

  Maryanne straightened. She seemed to accept what Cadence had told her as being genuinely felt. Cadence hoped so. She’d never been more sincere in her life.

  “I suppose you have some questions,” Maryanne said.

  Cadence had a ton. For instance, how had her mother managed to hide so much money from the mayor? Why hadn’t she confided in Cadence?

  Most importantly, why Maryanne Night had waited so long to inform Cadence about the trust.

  “What I’d like to know is why I’m learning about the trust now,” Cadence asked.

  “I apologize about the secrecy. Your mother had her reasons.”

  “Really?” Cadence could only think of one. “The family reputation was more important to her than being honest with her child?”

  “Cadence, she intended to tell you when you were older. She didn’t know she was going to die so soon.”

  “You knew. You could’ve spared me the agony of those years with the mayor’s wife and her children.”

  “I’m sorry we haven’t been in contact with you. I really wanted to reveal what I knew when your mother died. Again, I was following your mother’s expressed wishes. I will explain more at the office when we can all sit down and go through her papers.”

  Cadence crossed her arms. Maryanne Night wasn’t to blame. She’d done what was required of her as legal counsel.

  Mother had required secrecy because she’d been betrayed. Cadence felt a twinge of anger. They’d both been betrayed.

  Cadence would have to wait for her answers. Maryanne wasn’t about to tell her in front of Frank.

  “I really am sorry it had to be this way,” Maryanne said.

  She sounded so remorseful, Cadence couldn’t help reaching out to her and patting her shoulder. “Please don’t feel bad. Like you said, you had no control over the situation, you were just going along with what Mother wanted. I hold no hard feelings against you.”

  She wished she could give the woman a hug. For old time’s sake. For being such a good friend to her mother.

  Maryanne sighed. “She would be proud of you. You are so lovely. So grown up. You remind me of her.” She blinked rapidly.

  “I miss her,” Cadence said, swallowing with difficulty.

  “We all do.”

  Cadence settled back in her seat, her thoughts conflicted with emotions she’d tried to bury. There was the guilt that she could’ve done something to prevent her mother from going to the Twin Towers that morning. There was fear that she would lose someone else she loved. Ultimately, there was the terrible loneliness as friends and family members slipped away from her.

  The hard part was over, Cadence decided. The wound had been reopened but the pain wasn’t so sharp, so raw. What Maryanne had to tell her was a long time coming but they would unravel Mother’s complicated business dealings and messy personal life together.

  After all was said and done, Cadence hoped Auntie Anne would be her friend.

  She looked at Preston. His hair was mussed as if he’d just gotten out of bed. Had his mother noticed? Cadence would like to reach up and smooth out the errant curls.

  Preston had kept silent as she’d vented at his mother. Instinctively, he knew what she needed. She appreciated all he’d done for her. She wanted to be more than a client to him.

  They traveled east through the Holland Tunnel and sped down the Long Island Expressway. Thankfully, traffic was light for this time of day. When they returned to the city, she and Preston would fuck each other senseless. She would forget, for a while, these emotions that were so difficult to deal with.

  They exited at Huntington Station and two miles later pulled up outside of a plain, two-story building.

  Frank opened the doors for them and all three climbed out. Cadence looked about nervously at the factory that had been started by her grandfather and continued by her mother. The business had grown. Today it was worth millions.

  Sparkle Industries didn’t looked like much from the outside—a white-brick building with narrow, barred windows and surrounded by a chain-link fence. The company sign was made of stone. The logo was a thistle surrounded by stars.

  Cadence hadn’t ever wondered what had happened to Sparkle. She’d assumed her parents had put the business in a blind trust while he held public office. Mother had kept her family business separate in her estate, according to Preston, even going so far as telling the mayor she’d sold it.

  The reason she’d taken such extreme measures was clear. She’d found out her husband was cheating on her. She knew Cadence must be protected in case something happened to her.

  Maryanne charged ahead of them, her heels clicking authoritatively on the asphalt. Preston and Cadence followed.

  With all of the secrets being revealed to her, Cadence was more paranoid than ever about Victoria finding out about the trust. How was she going to hide her new wealth from the woman?

  Cyrus had followed her to the Michelangelo. No doubt he was snooping. It wouldn’t take him long to find out about Sparkle Industries, demanding his share of Mother’s estate. At any moment she expected him to pop out from behind the nearest bush and ask what they were doing here.

  When they found out, the pack of them would sue, blaming Preston and his mother for undue influence or whatever they could come up with. The thought of Victoria attacking her Auntie put Cadence’s back up. There was no doubt in Cadence’s mind Victoria would move heaven and earth if there was a dollar to be made.

  “Cadence?” Preston’s voice called her out the nightmarish, worst-case scenario. She slowed her pace and he caught up.

  “I’m sorry, just thinking about my stepbrother.” She gave him a halfhearted smile. “He’s bound to cause trouble.”

  He smiled back at her and grasped her arm. “Let me worry about the Burkes.”

  The firmness of his fingertips on her elbow gave her reassurance everything would be okay. She’d been to hell and back in the last few days. He was the constant right now, the one person she could count on in this charade she called a life.

  As much as Cadence hated the lies, the secrets and now this mystery that swirled around her family’s past, she had to know the truth before she could be whole. She had a partner in her quest, a man she could depend on.

  Cadence tucked her hip close to Preston’s and maneuvered so that she was holding onto him. His hard-muscled arm flexed. She loved the feel of him.

  A sudden jolt of possessive overcame her as she held onto him. She wanted him so badly to be hers and nobody else’s. She didn’t know what she based such a strong reaction on, only that his strength nurtured her.

  She hadn’t felt that way with anyone since her mother had passed away, and she was grateful.

  Of course, she wanted there to be more than gratitude.

  She looked up at him again and squeezed his arm, trying to conv
ey how important he’d become to her. He looked down at her with a calm smile and let his hand come up to grasp hers.

  “Everything will work out just fine. You’ll see.” It was as if he had read her thoughts.

  “Thank you. I know it’s your job but you have really tried your hardest to make it easy for me.”

  “Even if it wasn’t my job, now that you are with me, I intend to make you my number one priority.” He looked ahead. His mom was a fair distance away. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “If my mother wasn’t here, I would kiss you right now.”

  She smiled up at him and grasped his hand tighter. “If your mother wasn’t here, I would let you.”

  He laughed deep in his throat. She puckered her lips.

  She knew there was something more going on between them than just a hot kiss in a bagel shop, more than just a mystery he was helping to unravel for her. Even though they’d only been together for a few days, she was certain of an intimacy between them—the kind kindred souls experienced.

  She licked her lips, remembering the sweet taste of his kiss. He winked. Her body heated to scorching. She was starting to get carried away again. This wasn’t the time or the place to surrender to the impulses she’d kept locked up for far too long.

  She walked through the door Preston held open for her. He patted her ass as she swished past him. She shot a look at his mother, who walked regally to the security desk to greet the guard. Luckily, she hadn’t seen.

  The security guard jumped up from his chair and straightened his cap.

  As Maryanne signed them in, Cadence checked out the lobby. There wasn’t much besides the security desk and a couple of potted plants. The floors were a dreary gray concrete. The walls had been painted an institutional green. This was a place of high fashion? She noticed the cameras in the ceiling and a multitude of TV monitors flickering behind the guard’s desk. Looked more like a prison to her.

  The guard handed her a guest pass attached to a lanyard and welcomed her to Sparkle Industries.

  Cadence thanked him and put the cord around her neck.

  There were several people waiting for the elevator at the far end of the lobby. They were dressed business casual. They shot sideways glances at her, no doubt wondering who she was and why Auntie Anne had brought her to Sparkle.