Traffic is light, but I work quickly, and by the time we’re close to the hotel, I’m putting the finishing touches on my surprise.
“Are you ready, Mrs. Stark?” Edward asks over the intercom. “I can circle once if you need more time.”
“I’m good,” I assure him. “Do you see Damien?”
“He’s just stepping out of the hotel. Have a lovely evening, Mrs. Stark.”
“That’s my plan,” I reply as the limo pulls to a stop outside the hotel. I’m sitting on a rear-facing bench just in front of the privacy screen. There’s also a black velvet curtain that bisects the limo just a few feet in front of me, and I’ve closed it. The result is that I’m in a small, secluded section with no view of the rest of the passenger area.
All I can do is wait, which I do impatiently until I hear the click of the handle and then the door being opened at the far end of the limo. I lean forward, then peek through the slit between the two halves of the curtain and watch as Damien enters and gets settled. He has his phone out, the bright screen illuminating his face as he taps something out. I bite my lower lip, hoping that I’m right about the message he’s sending.
“Are you heading home, Mr. Stark?” Edward asks, and though it may be my imagination, I think I hear a note of amusement in his voice.
Damien nods as Edward shuts the door. A moment later, I hear a sharp ping from the storage area on the sidewall of the limo, just a few feet from Damien. I press my lips together, my heart starting to beat faster. Yeah, I think. The game is on.
I know I should move further back to ensure he doesn’t see me, but I can’t resist watching, and so I hold the curtain tightly shut and peer through the only gap that remains, barely larger than a pinhole.
I watch as Damien frowns, then slides across the bench seat to the compartment designed as a holding place for small personal items that might otherwise roll across the floor or get misplaced in the usually dark interior.
I know of course what he’ll find in the compartment: My phone. And a pair of lace thong panties.
He pulls out both, and even in the dim lighting I can see amusement in his eyes—along with a rising heat.
His gaze moves slowly around the limousine’s interior, and I can almost see him running through the possibilities. Is Edward taking him to meet me? Or am I right there, just a few feet away?
He eases forward, crouching as he moves toward my end of the limo. I back away, careful not to move the curtain, and sit down, my arms casually thrown over the back of the bench, my legs crossed, and a sparkly high-heeled sandal dangling from one foot.
I see his fingers first as he reaches into the gap between the halves of the curtain. Then he pushes them apart in one quick, efficient movement that has the drapery rings clacking—and which reveals him on his knees in front of me.
“Ms. Fairchild,” he says, as he looks me up and down. “This is a pleasant surprise.”
“I’m very glad to hear it.” I run my fingertips down my cleavage to the silk bodice of the gown I’m wearing. Except it’s not a gown—it’s actually a robe that’s designed to look like an elegant garment. And it’s held together by one simple tie around my waist.
“You said we’d have dinner under the stars,” I say, shifting my legs so that part of the robe falls open to reveal my bare calf and part of my thigh. “I thought I’d facilitate that.”
As I speak, I press the button on the nearby console that operates the sunroof. Above us, two large panels slide open, allowing in the cool night air, and revealing a blanket of stars. We’re in the flats of Beverly Hills now, just starting to climb up toward Mulholland Drive. The ambient light of the city is softer here, and the absence of a moon allows the sky to twinkle above us, as if it’s winking approval at my plan.
He inches forward, then places a hand on each of my knees and gently forces me to uncross my legs. As he does, he grazes my skin with his thumbs. I bite back a moan as the contact sends a wild electric current straight up my thigh to my already sensitive, swollen sex.
Even in the dim light, I can see the corner of Damien’s mouth twitch, and am absolutely certain that he understands the effect he’s had on me. More, I understand that no matter what I’d planned for this evening, I’m no longer the one in charge. I am completely at his mercy, having surrendered everything when I melted at his touch.
“So,” he says as he casually brushes a kiss on my inner thigh, just above my knee. “Dinner?”
“Y—yes.” I have to struggle to get the word out because now he’s sliding his hands along my legs, easing higher and higher with such leisurely progress that I fear I’m going to scream with frustration any moment now. “I, um, had Edward stock a selection of take-out in the buffet.”