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just about everything in the city.
 I don t know anyone like that, she answered.
 Are you sure, Ms. Harlow? You can t think of anyone who may be willing to help you out,
maybe make a trade?
Ari was stunned at his boldness. She knew exactly what he was talking about. She only hoped the
other members were clueless about his game. As her gaze collided with his, she thought about it.
Could she really turn down the money for her mother s surgery? Was her integrity worth more than
her mother s life?
She wanted to tell him that yes, she would do it. But the words just wouldn t come out. All she
could think about beyond the panic and defeat was her mother telling her to not sacrifice herself. What
if she did this and her mom found out? Would her mother ever forgive her? Could she ever really
forgive herself?
She had to breathe deeply through the blackness hell-bent on overtaking her.
 We ll meet with you again in a few days, Ms. Harlow, to find out whether you ve made any
headway in the matter, Mr. Coolidge said, saving her from having to answer Rafe.
 Thank you, Ari mumbled as the members of the board began rising from their seats.
Ari sat still, knowing her legs weren t strong enough to hold her yet. She didn t meet any of their
faces as they filed past her and walked from the room. When she was sure they were all gone, she
finally looked up and found herself alone with Rafe. She should have fled with the rest of the board.
She didn t want to be alone with him.
 Well, Ms. Harlow, it seems you have a decision to make, he said with a confident smile.  Will
you be accepting my very generous offer?
Ari remained silent as he stood by just waiting for the chance to pounce. Was he right? Did all
women have their price? Had she just reached hers?
Ari prayed for the floor to open up and swallow her. She d rather be anywhere but where she was
right then.
Chapter Nine
Arianna tossed in her bed, restless, unable to get comfortable. Her body was burning up, heat
scorching her from the inside out. An ache filled her core  pulsing, swollen, needing something 
though she didn t know what.
 Shh. You ll enjoy this, Rafe whispered.
His low, soothing tone calmed her, though her body temperature kept climbing. Her senses lit up
in a blaze of eroticism as she felt his hands on her stomach, his fingers burning her flesh. They glided
up the flat plains of her abdomen and outlined the mounds of her naked breasts. Where had her shirt
gone?
 Trust me, he whispered, his mouth caressing her ear. His hands slid underneath her arms, and
he lifted them higher, his fingers stroking her sensitive skin. Clasping her wrists together, he swiftly
tied a silk scarf around them.
Tight.
Before she had a chance to resist, she was fastened firmly to the bed, unable to move her hands,
unable to escape his touch. He kissed her wrists with feather-soft pressure, his tongue gliding along
her beating pulse, then moving down her arms and over the top of her collar bone.
 Do you like this, Ari? Do you want me to stop?
 No& please&  she pleaded with him. She wanted more. She opened her eyes, but saw only
black and felt the gentle presence of a blindfold over her eyes. Instead of inspiring fear, her impaired
vision heightened her pleasure as his hands and mouth continued stroking her body.
His hands cupped her breasts, his slightly callused fingers circling her sensitive peaks but not
touching her where she ached, where she needed to be touched.
 What do you want, Ari?
 ...You& 
 Mmm. And where do you want me?
 I want your mouth on my& on my nipples, she moaned. Embarrassment washed through her, but
she knew he wouldn t touch her unless she begged. Rewarding her, his thumbs brushed
simultaneously across her peaked nipples, making her cry out.
The tight buds were painfully hard as he circled them and then pinched them, drawing another cry
from her. She needed more. Her legs opened on the bed, her body begging him to touch her where she
really ached, end the torment she was feeling.
When she was ready to cry out yet again, she felt the wet slide of his tongue across her nipple at
the same time as he pinched the other side, making her back arch off the bed from the intense pleasure.
 More! she wailed, yearning for even more intimate contact. She pulled against her restraints,
wanting to touch him, needing to pull him closer. She shouldn t be doing this, but she didn t care. She
ached all over, her body shaking with a desperate need that only he could quench.
 Ah, don t get greedy, Ari, or I ll have to stop. I ll just fill your sweet mouth with my hardness
and win my release there, leaving you here to suffer, he taunted as he pulled away from her breasts.
She whimpered in submission, willing to give him anything in that moment, as long as he just
continued what he was doing.
 Are you going to behave? he demanded.
 Yes. Yes, I promise, she gasped as his hand settled on her stomach.
 Good, Ari. That s what I want to hear. I want your obedience. In turn, I ll give you great
pleasure, and you will satisfy my needs.
 Yes, Rafe. Please, more, she agreed with the scratchiness of pure desire in her voice.
His warm breath blew across her wet nipples, making them stiffen again and reach up toward his
hot mouth. His lips closed over them as they swelled, and she felt him suck hard, his tongue swirling
around the tight buds.
It wasn t enough.
His hand began moving down her smooth stomach, his fingers dancing across her skin as he
reached her thigh. His thumb grazed the pulsing flesh over her pelvic bone, teasing her as he circled
her swollen womanhood without touching its center, without relieving the burning ache inside her.
She knew better than to cry out, demand more from him  not until he asked her to beg. If he
stopped, she d die. Surely a person couldn t come to the brink of so much pleasure only to be left tied
to the edge. She d rather perish than feel such a pulsing desire but be left unfulfilled.
His mouth followed his hand as he kissed her between her breasts, then moved down her torso,
slowly circling her belly button, before gently nipping the soft skin of her stomach. It was all so good,
every place he touched relieved the ache for a brief moment, before the burning returned even greater
than before.
He moved further down, his lips caressing the inside of her thighs, his tongue sliding out to caress
the soft skin where her legs met her core. Just a little bit further& she begged silently.
She twisted her body, trying to lead him where she desired him most. She heard a soft groan
escape his lips as she felt his warm breath caress her swollen womanhood. The sound of his pleasure
heightened her very own, knowing she turned him on...he actually desired her. A shocking thrill
spiraled down her spine at the thought.
His mouth hovered over her aching heat, torturing her with his proximity, but not bending the last
half inch and satisfying her. She tried raising her hips, but couldn t as his hands were pressing her
against the bed, holding her in place  his captive  right where he wanted her.
When she was ready to give up, about to go out of her mind, he closed the gap. His hands moved
inward and he parted her soft folds, his thumbs caressing her inner heat as his mouth bent down and
he sealed his lips over her most sensitive area.
She screamed out in pleasure as he sucked her into his mouth, his tongue quickly rubbing over her
swollen mound. When he inserted his fingers deep inside her core at the same time as his tongue
swirled over her bud, she exploded with triumphant pleasure. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]