Filthy Rich Read online

  What she felt for Branden was more than a desire for sexual release. Her vibrator could do that for her. No, this need, this want, was about the man who held her in his arms. Who was teasing her nipples into taut, tight buds.

  A man who intrigued her. Who made her feel safe even as he exuded an air of danger. The lure of letting him be strong for her had her shaking with want. With need.

  Sensing her distraction, Branden raised his head and stared down at her with a fierce expression. “Having second thoughts?”

  She had been. She wasn’t anymore.

  “No,” she said breathlessly. “I want this. I need it,” she admitted.

  “It? Is this about scratching an itch? Anyone would do?”

  It would be safer if that were true. It’s what she should make him believe. But as she looked into his eyes and saw more than desire—saw a genuine respect and affection for her—she knew she couldn’t bear to have him think that.

  “No one on Earth can make me feel what you do, Branden. And I need more. Please.”

  He grinned. “Hang on, baby. Because you think it feels good now? Just you wait and see.”

  He returned to sucking her nipples, making her hiss and moan, at both his touch and the echo of his words. She was at odds with her own emotions, uncertain about how dominant he was being and completely excited about it. He certainly wasn’t inflicting any pain on her, and she felt foolish for her resistance when he seemed to want nothing but to heap pleasure on her body. She forced herself to block out her reservations and closed her eyes, reveling in the exciting sensations her body was experiencing.

  “Yes…” she whispered, and his hands wrapped around her wrists, holding them down at her sides. Tethering her to him.

  Commanding her.

  Eventually he picked her up and carried her into his bedroom and placed her on his tall, wide bed. Once she was lying there on her back, he grabbed her panties and pulled them down. She was lying completely nude as his chocolate brown eyes raked across her body, pausing on her vee long enough to make her tremble.

  He caressed her face, then held her long hair in his hand, holding on to it firmly, but not tugging or pulling. It didn’t hurt, but held her in a steady position as he bent forward to kiss her neck.

  She gasped as waves of pleasure coursed through her.

  He released her hair and knelt between her legs, then used his knees to press her legs apart just before she heard the rattle of a condom package. Then his hands were on her hips and his throbbing cock was pressing against her opening.

  She was soaking wet, but tight enough that he had to guide his cock in with his hand. Once the head of his cock was inside of her he moved his hand and entered her slowly. He penetrated her fully, waited several seconds, then pulled completely out before doing it again.

  She thought he was just getting her used to him, but even when it was obvious her body had adjusted and she was grinding back against him in desperation, he continued to undulate into her slowly. Sensually. Holding back his passion, letting hers build.

  The feeling of him hard inside of her along with the heat of his breath on her face drove her crazy. She moved her hips, trying to get him to move faster, harder, but the more she writhed, the slower he went. Finally, just about the time she thought she would lose her mind, he began to speed up his movements. His hips slammed against hers roughly with each thrust. She was right there on the verge of an orgasm when he suddenly pulled back.

  “No. What are you—”

  “I have more to give you. Places I want you to go.”

  He pulled out of her then, and didn’t say anything even as she whimpered. He just pushed her legs open wider and positioned himself in between them. He spread her pussy lips open with his fingers and his tongue was suddenly on her clit. He flicked it then ran it across the edges of her lips. She tried to shift her position, trying to get him to put his tongue inside of her, but he was relentless with his assault of her clit, and the more she moved the tighter his grip became on her legs. She was moaning loudly now, ready to come just as he plunged a finger into her. He continued to lick and suck on her clit as he slid first one and then two and then three fingers in and out of her. She almost came…she was so close…and then he stopped. She wanted to scream.

  Her body was shaking all over as he straightened, leaned in close to her ear, and said, “Do you want to come, Cara?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want me to come?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where do you want me to come?”

  “Inside of me…”

  “Ask me.”

  “Oh, God, Branden, come inside of me.”

  “Beg me.”

  “Please, Branden, oh, God, please…I can’t stand it any longer. I need to come, please make me come. Please come inside of me!”

  Reaching underneath her, he lifted her hips, raising her core to him, then slipped his cock inside her. She gasped with delight as he began moving his hips. She moved hers, too, and they soon got into a rhythm. This time, the more she thrust against him, the harder he thrust into her. She was crying out and ready to come, harder than she ever had in her life, when she finally felt his body tense and his cock pulse inside of her. They both came then, with an intensity almost too great to bear given the way their bodies shook and the sounds that spilled out of them.

  She drifted on a haze of fulfillment.

  Feeling like every worry in her life had ceased to exist.

  Longing to spend the rest of eternity just luxuriating in his arms.

  Chapter Eleven

  Cara hadn’t meant to fall asleep. She hadn’t meant to spend the night. Hot, sweaty sex with the boss was one thing; spending the night in his swanky Manhattan apartment was entirely something else. To make matters worse, she woke up less than two hours before she had to be at work, tangled up so tightly in his arms and legs that she couldn’t even sneak out.

  “Branden…”

  “Hmm?”

  “I need to get up.”

  “Huh-uh,” he mumbled sleepily.

  She shifted and came up to rest on her elbows. Next to her, on his side, slightly curled around her form, lay Branden. With his body fully relaxed and his eyes shut, lashes soft on his cheeks¸ he looked almost…vulnerable.

  How incongruent from the strong, dominating man who’d taken her so roughly and thoroughly just a few hours before.

  A lightness filled her, as if her heart were floating inside her chest.

  “Um…yeah, I have to go.”

  He stirred, but just slightly, and his eyes stayed shut. Softly, he said, “I don’t want you to get up. I like you underneath me.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, you made that pretty obvious. But I have to get ready for work.”

  “Is your boss a really big jerk?”

  “He’s not that big,” she joked.

  He moved his legs. As he did, she felt the brush of his semihard erection against her thigh. He opened his beautiful brown eyes, looked into hers, and smiled. “Good morning,” he said.

  “Good morning,” she said back, and then she sat all the way up. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back toward him, sliding his hand up across her breast as he did.

  “Stop that. I have to go!” she scolded.

  “Five minutes,” he said like a child who didn’t want to get out of bed and go to school.

  “Considering last night, I doubt you could stick to that time limit.”

  “That was a fluke,” he said with a grin. “Usually I’m only good for three or four minutes.”

  “You’re lying to get me back in bed,” she said. With a moan she added, “And the way you’re rubbing that nipple is not helping, either.”

  “I admit to lying,” he said. “But rubbing the nipple is helping. It’s helping me…”

  She turned toward him and planted a soft kiss on his lips. He loosened his grip on her and she squirmed away and jumped out of the bed.

  He groaned and tried to
reach out and grab her again just as his intercom buzzed. “Shit, it’s too early.” He put the pillow over his head while Cara left the bedroom, presumably to get her clothes. He groaned in disappointment when she walked back in, clothed and pulling on her jacket, buttoning it up since her shirt buttons were still scattered on the floor.

  “It’s kind of hard to see how you do so well on Wall Street. You know…the early bird and all that.”

  He took the pillow down far enough to glower at her, then the buzzer rang once more. He rolled over and pushed a button next to his bed and snapped out, “What?”

  “I’m sorry, sir. Mr. Alex Samuels is here. He says it’s important.”

  Branden groaned and swiped a hand over his face. “Send him up, Nolan. And I’m sorry I was so short with you.”

  “Not a problem, sir. I’m not a morning person myself.”

  Cara caught Branden’s eye as he turned back to her. “Um…Alex, as in one of the people you brought with you when you bought D&M? As in, a guy from the office?” Last night she’d defied the potential rumormongers and had gone for what she wanted. Branden. But advertising she was indeed sleeping with the boss wasn’t such a great idea.

  “Yeah, he’s part of my internal team, but it’s okay. Alex is a friend. He would never say anything about seeing you here,” he told her as he swung his long legs over the side of the bed.

  Cara couldn’t help herself; she had to let her eyes wander over him one last time.

  He noticed her look and said, “I’ll send him away in a heartbeat if you come back to bed.”

  She rolled her eyes and laughed. “That’s blackmail.”

  He shrugged and said, “Whatever it takes.”

  She came over to where he sat and leaned down so that her lips met his. “I’m going to use your bathroom and then sneak out while you keep your guest busy.”

  “I’ll only need a few minutes with Alex. Wait for me and I’ll take you.”

  “I live down the street, so I hardly need an escort. Plus, I still need to shower and get ready for work.”

  “I’ll forgive you if you’re late.”

  “But Mike won’t. Your new office manager has us all scared. And despite what I said yesterday, I don’t want people—well, any more people than necessary—talking about me. I’d prefer we be discreet about what happened.”

  He caught her wrist in a tight grip and held her in place. “What’s going to continue to happen, you mean.”

  When she said nothing, he drew out her name warningly. “Cara?”

  “I’m just thinking,” she said swiftly. “Last night was amazing. Of course it was. But…”

  He stood, and with no concern for his nudity or the fact that he had a friend on his way up, placed his hands gently on her shoulders.

  “But nothing. I want to see you again. Dinner. Drinks. Trips to the opera. But mostly naked. In my arms. Taking me deep inside you. Shaking and shuddering as I make you come.”

  God, that sounded great. More than great. A part of her hungered to be wanted so intensely, but a part of her pulled away. She could see why she was so attracted to this man, but why was he attracted to her? “Why?”

  He frowned. “Pardon?”

  “Why me? Even with everything that’s going on? The gossip and the video…”

  “You’re amazing. Strong. Beautiful.”

  “I’m not as beautiful as Deena.” Oh, God. She wanted to clap a hand over her insecure mouth. This hesitation on her end wasn’t about her being jealous, was it?

  He dropped his hands and bit out a laugh. Stepped back. Reached for the robe that hung on the back of the bedroom door and put it on. “That’s ridiculous. You have nothing to worry about with Deena.”

  “Yet you just pulled away and dressed when I mentioned her.” Like he was feeling guilty and wanted to hide it.

  Her instincts had to be right—he was hiding something, of that she was certain. But what?

  His mouth twisted, humor appearing there. Humor about Deena, or was he laughing at her obvious jealousy? “I repeat—you have nothing to worry about. You want me. I want you. That’s all that matters.”

  She groped for yet another excuse. “But for how long?”

  His eyebrow rose. “It’s a little early for vows of forever, isn’t it?”

  Her cheeks flushed hot. She hadn’t wanted to sound like one of those clingy, demanding women, but somehow jealousy and insecurity had laced her words ever since he’d implied he wanted to continue their adventure from the night before. But it was too much. Too intense. She couldn’t go there—not with someone like Branden. Someone passionate, intelligent, amazing in bed, and intense…and with a hidden past. She needed someone safe.

  But she hated boring.

  “That’s not what I’m suggesting. I—I—” she stammered, then added, “Forget it.” She turned and headed to the door, but she didn’t make it before he caught her.

  “Calm down. Tell me what you meant.”

  “You’re my boss. What happens when this ends? Or when you get tired of people speculating about us?” She jutted her chin out but wouldn’t look him in the eye. “And I’m not talking about a relationship—I’m talking about my professional reputation. Last night I was willing to take a risk, and, God”—she swallowed hard—“that risk was so worth it, but you know what they say about the cold light of day. Things look a little different now.”

  He turned her in his arms. Gently lifted her chin so she would look at him. “No matter what happens with us personally, I will always do right by you as far as your job is concerned. I promise, Cara.”

  Someone rang the buzzer on the door and she jerked. Looked down. “Fine.”

  He growled in frustration. “Not fine. Look into my eyes. Tell me you believe me.”

  Reluctantly, she stared into his eyes. Saw the truth there. Something inside her melted a bit. “Okay. I believe you,” she said.

  “Thank you.” After kissing her softly and slowly, as if he didn’t care that Alex had just buzzed again, he pulled back. “I’ll see you later.”

  She didn’t confirm his assumption, just said, “Distract him so I can get out of here.”

  “I haven’t done this since I was a kid and trying to sneak a girl out before my sisters saw her.”

  “Your sisters? Not your mom?”

  His face closed up, then he said, “Not sure my mom would have noticed. She was too busy finding my next stepfather. Currently she’s working on ex-husband number six. I have five sisters—two of them half sisters, three stepsisters.”

  “Five sisters?”

  He cocked an eye at her. “What, I don’t seem like the kind of man who has sisters?”

  She tipped her head and scrutinized him. Maybe he did, at that. But wait—what was it he’d said? “A kid, huh?”

  His expression smoothed out. “Well, a teenager. Surely you snuck boys in or vice versa in high school?”

  “Um…no, I was a little too busy for such things.”

  “Busy with what?” he asked. Thankfully, before she could figure out how to evade answering questions about her painful teenage years, the doorbell rang yet again. “Damn it, Alex, I’m coming!” He sighed as he cupped her face. Gently, he stroked a strand of hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “We’ll talk later, Cara. Promise me.”

  “We’ll talk later,” she said. “I promise.” She just wasn’t sure they’d ever have a repeat of the night before.

  No matter how much her body craved it. How much her mind yearned to get to know him. How much her heart raced when mere thoughts of him crossed her mind.

  Dropping his hand, he went out to answer the door. She heard another man’s voice say, “Did I wake you?”

  “Yeah, come into the kitchen. I need coffee.”

  “What are you doing sleeping so late? Even in college you got up at dawn. Are you sick?”

  Cara peeked through a crack in the bedroom door as the men headed for the kitchen. She was surprised when she saw Branden’s f
riend. He had on a short-sleeved, blue T-shirt and both of his arms were completely covered in colorful tattoos. He was wearing a NY Mets cap and a pair of faded blue jeans with holes in the knees. He was really nice looking from what she could see, and he had a body a lot of professional athletes would be jealous of. The perfect kind of guy for Iris.

  He certainly didn’t look like the type of guy Branden would be friends with.

  Of course, how much did she know about Branden Duke? Other than he was fabulously rich, incredible in bed, and seemingly a nice guy in spite of those two things.

  In other words, he seemed too good to be true.

  Which meant he probably was.

  —

  Branden heard the door snick closed behind Cara. Done distracting Alex, he set up the coffee to brew and then dropped down into one of the kitchen chairs. Alex was giving him a strange look.

  “What?”

  “Did you get drunk last night?”

  “No,” Branden said.

  “Laid?”

  “What do you have for me?”

  Alex had a manila envelope in his hand. “You got laid. You make me sick.”

  “Shut up,” he said mildly. “You’re on the clock. What’s in the envelope?”

  Alex gave him a dirty look but then suddenly turned all business. “I haven’t been able to find much on Greg Johnson. He seems to be one of those guys that are so plain and average you forget they’re even in the room. He’s thirty-three, no kids, never married—”

  “What about his finances?”

  “So far they look squeaky clean. He makes a hell of a lot as a stockbroker.”

  “So we don’t suspect he got mixed up with a loan shark or something like that?”

  “Not that I could find,” Alex said.

  “Then it probably didn’t happen.” Branden had absolute faith in Alex’s abilities. “Keep looking, though. Look more recently.”

  “Sure, man, I’ll look into it all.”

  “What’s in the envelope?” Branden finally asked.

  Alex held it out to him. “Lee sent it. It’s the investigation he was doing for you.”

  Branden took the envelope. “Thanks. I think the coffee’s ready. You want a cup?”