Seduction (The Secret Billionaire Asher Christmas Duet Book 1) Read online

  “I need you, Penina,” he soughed.

  The taste of my tongue made me put a hand over my mouth. “I want you, too, but I could use a serious teeth brushing and a hot shower.” The stress sweat from back-to-back highly challenging surgeries had made my armpits rank.

  Dr. Sparrow steered me onto my back and peeled my hand from my mouth. I felt horrified as I watched his lips move toward mine and make contact. Our kissing was slow and erotic as his teeth dragged across my lower lip. Before we delved too deep in the act, he took his shirt off, and so did I. Then we removed our remaining garments so fast that we flopped back down on the bed to catch our breaths while staring into each other’s eyes. My heart played like a fiddle.

  “Why don’t you speak to me at work?” I asked.

  He opened his mouth then closed it.

  “Are you ashamed of me?” I asked.

  “You know the answer to that, Penina,” he said finally.

  “To what? Why you don’t talk to me or if you’re ashamed of me?”

  “Both,” he said as he reached over to retrieve a condom from the nightstand. I liked that he’d entered the guestroom prepared.

  “If I knew the answer, I wouldn’t be asking.”

  He glanced back at me as he rolled the condom over his huge dick. “I’m your attending, and I’ll never be ashamed of you.”

  The corners of my mouth drew up in a satisfied smile, but I wasn’t done questioning him. “Do you own this penthouse?”

  He positioned himself on top of me. Then he used his knee to part my thighs, and without pause, his erection surged through my pussy.

  We kept our hooded gazes pasted on each other as he slid in and out of me, our bodies shifting forward and back with each thrust. Not until sparks of orgasm started to flicker down there did I close my eyes and suck air sharply into my throat.

  Then his mouth melted with mine, and we kissed as our sexes continued to collide.

  The room smelled like an ambrosia of our sweat and breath. The atmosphere was unlit, yet our eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. Each one of Sparrow’s strokes had felt so damn good up until the moment of his release. Fucking him was different from doing it with any man I’d ever been with. I couldn’t even say we had fucked. The intense feelings that had been stirred inside me were like nothing I’d ever felt. It was as if with each crashing of our hips, we were in search of something bigger than ourselves. Without a doubt, all variations of our sexual exercise were the two of us making love.

  I lay in his arms, fighting the urge to drift off. He stayed silent behind me. From his quiet and even breaths and the rigidity in his body, I was sure he wasn’t struggling to stay awake.

  “Thank you,” he said and kissed the back of my shoulder then drew me closer against him.

  “No, thank you,” I said.

  His hand slid up and down the curve of my hip. His touch held a yearning, and it made me want to fulfill his every desire to have me.

  “Are you fighting sleep?” he asked.

  I raised my eyebrows, shocked he had noticed. The thing was that I didn’t want to lose consciousness. I wanted to be with him. Whenever I woke up, he was always gone.

  “Why aren’t you sleeping?” I asked.

  “Haven’t I told you that I don’t sleep?” he asked.

  I pursed my lips as I pondered his question. I faintly recalled him mentioning it, but I’d thought he was being ironic.

  “You really don’t sleep?” I asked then yawned.

  “Rarely,” he said.

  “Are you a vampire? Because that would explain your unusually good looks.”

  He chuckled, something I’d never seen him do before, or at least not very much.

  “No, but thank you, I think.”

  I chortled. “You’re welcome. Then are you haunted by something?”

  Silence lingered between us.

  “We’re all haunted by one thing or another,” he said.

  Dr. Sparrow was a master at evading a direct question. I was developing feelings for the guy and was standing on a very important threshold when it came to choosing to fall into a new relationship with a very secretive man or get away from him as fast as I could. So far, I was leaning toward taking a chance on him. But I needed him to start telling me the truth and fast.

  “But what are you haunted by?”

  Again, silence hung in the air until he said, “A lot.”

  “Could you be more specific?”

  His hand slid from my thigh and into my pussy, and I seized his wrist.

  “No,” I said breathlessly. “I want you to pleasure me but not at the expense of you being completely honest with me.”

  He withdrew his hand and flipped onto his back. I turned to face him.

  Dr. Sparrow stared at the ceiling for a long while. I had been trained to listen, so I knew to give him space to tell all he could.

  “I like you, Penina. I don’t want you to stop seeing me.”

  I snorted softly as I jerked my head. “Are we seeing each other?”

  “You’re here, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, but I don’t even know what this is between us. And you still haven’t answered my question. Why can’t you sleep? What’s haunting you?”

  Again, silence.

  “As I said, a lot,” he finally replied.

  I took a moment to consider his answer and compare it to the strained look on his face. His eyebrows were furrowed, and the skin between his eyes was puckered. Whatever he was remembering was causing him distress.

  Gliding my hand across his strong chest, I said, “I have a lot going on in my past too.”

  He turned to watch me curiously, and I took his expression as an invitation to continue sharing.

  “I always feel I need to prove I’m worth more than the life my mother dragged me through. That feeling never goes away. All I can do is bury it, but it’s still there. We neurosurgeons are at the top of the food chain.” I cracked a tiny smile. “I mean, unless you’re asking a cardiothoracic surgeon.” I raised a finger pointedly. “Orthos and plastics have egos the size of Jupiter too.”

  His gentle smile matched mine.

  “I can’t tell you my past, Penina.”

  “Then you’re hiding from it?”

  He went silent again, and I closed my eyes and shook my head. He’d put me in an awful position.

  “I don’t think I want to be involved with a man who has secrets.” I sounded unsure about my claim, but I kept my eyes shut, not wanting to be swayed by his convincing baby blues.

  “I don’t want you to be involved with any man. I want you to be involved with me.” His finger slid gently down the side of my face, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking at him. “I can promise you that whatever I’m keeping to myself can’t and won’t hurt you.”

  At least I knew that the instincts of Angela, Kris, and probably everyone at the hospital were on the money about him. He had just admitted that he had secrets.

  “I didn’t expect to meet you, Penina,” he added.

  I shook my head emphatically. “What does that mean? People are curious creatures. You do know that, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And just about everyone at the hospital is suspicious of you. Did you know that too?”

  “Yes, but I do my job expertly. My patients don’t ask where I’m from. They just want me to save their lives or improve the quality of their lives.”

  I studied the contours of his beautiful face as he gazed into my eyes. How could a man who looks like that trust that he could drop off the face of the earth in peace?

  “Listen,” I said with a sigh. “I’m not one of those women who has to shove you into a box where their hero is spotless and unhuman in order to feel safe. I grew up in chaos. Chaos is where I thrive. But it’s tiring. I just want to know how it feels to be in a blissful relationship for once.”

  “So do I,” he said. “Let’s try it together.”

  My grimace made my forehead ache. Di
d he hear a thing I said? “I would think trying it together would begin with you telling me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

  “I agree,” he said, sounding diplomatic about it.

  I narrowed my eyes shrewdly. “Then answer this… do you own this penthouse?”

  “I bought it, but it doesn’t belong to me.”

  The fact that he’d purchased it didn’t surprise me. But I’d been correct about him—he was Mr. Moneybags.

  “Then who does it belong to?” I asked.

  He groaned as he gripped his skull and massaged his scalp. After a moment, he examined me. I guessed he was looking for trust in my eyes. I didn’t have to make my expression trustworthy. If anyone could keep a secret, I could. Though I would’ve liked to have known why I was keeping the secret.

  “I bought this place for a friend who’s like family,” he blurted then deepened his frown. “We grew up together.”

  “But this place is not cheap,” I said.

  He nodded, agreeing with me. “Right, but that’s relative. New Orleans isn’t Manhattan.”

  I smirked, thinking about how he always had an answer. I wasn’t going to ask him how much it cost, because that would’ve been a classless thing to do. But I put it all together. Dr. Sparrow was rich, but he was a successful and single neurosurgeon. That meant he didn’t have much to spend his cash on. As I recalled, he definitely had a place at the boarding hold, which wasn’t the name of the building, but it was what everyone called it. It was the place we lived until we finished our residency or fellowship. Attendings usually moved in until they were fully settled at the hospital then abandoned the boarding hold when they found a more permanent residence.

  Also, I’d shared about my family, and he hadn’t done the same. I suspected his secret had to do with them, and I could understand not being ready to divulge all the shitty family secrets. So I decided to give him a grace period, though I didn’t know when the time would end.

  “Okay, well, thanks for answering as much as you could. Now, I think I should take a shower while I can still stand.”

  He reached over to run his finger around my areola. “Call in for tomorrow. I want to spend some extra time with you.”

  My jaw dropped. I’d never called in since day one of my program. I had no need to.

  “Call in and say what?” I asked.

  “Figure it out. But I like this talking we’re doing. I want to do more of it,” he said.

  I stared at him, perhaps looking as baffled as I felt. What planet did this beautiful alien fall from? Never had a man been so emotionally honest with me. On top of that, his finger was a thing of magic. The titillating sensation from his stimulation was working its way down between my legs.

  I took a centering breath. “And you’ll be honest with me if I sacrifice my professional image and perfect attendance record to spend the day with you?”

  He chuckled. “That’s a lot of sacrifice.”

  I pointed at him playfully. “Answer the question, Doctor.”

  His hand curved around my back, and he drew me to him.

  “I’ll be as honest as I possibly can,” he said before planting a sensual kiss on me.

  My pussy yearned for more of him as we rolled across the mattress, kissing and caressing, unable to get close enough or satiate our desire for each other. While we were still making out, he reached over and plucked another condom from the nightstand. I was so soaking wet down there that I could feel the moisture glazing my inner thighs. I watched him slide the rubber over his perfect dick. I could hardly believe I had scored in the fashion that I had. Not only was he hot, but he also had the kind of dick most men should envy.

  Then Dr. Sparrow rolled on top of me. His magnificent girth filled me. I gasped and held on tight as his swollen cock dove deep into me then glided out before plunging back into my depths.

  I thrust my head against the pillow, clenching my back teeth as the nerves under my mound began to spark. Dr. Sparrow moaned as if he was feeling pleasure unheard of. I closed my eyes and raised my pelvis, chasing another intravaginal orgasm. I could hardly believe that he was capable of giving me one every time we made love. What man can do that? Jake Sparrow, that was who.

  His dick kept plunging in and out of me so indulgently and deliciously.

  Then it happened. “Ah…” I cried out as an orgasm built, one sensation after the next. “Oh!” My fingers dug into his skin. “Ah!” I convulsed while climaxing like I never had before.

  Then Dr. Sparrow wrapped his arms around my thighs and pumped in and out of me like an oil derrick. That look of pure pleasure never left his face. Then like the last time he’d come, he grunted indulgently and sucked my neck until his orgasm had ended.

  We remained in that position, our bodies rising and falling against each other as we breathed, dizzied by the warmth of being alive. His heaviness made me feel possessed by him. Where our sexual encounters would lead, neither of us knew, but they would not end, not any time soon, at least.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Penina Ross

  The best time to call Deb was while I was totally exhausted and reeling from post-sex hormones. Deb was a stickler for making residents who had the flu stay home, so when I called in, I articulated the symptoms of having the virus without outright saying I had it.

  “Then you’d better stay home and manage your health. By the way, I heard about your building. Where are you staying?”

  My chest tightened. Damn, I have to lie. “At the W.”

  “The W Hotel?”

  “Yes.” I sounded strained.

  “Are any of your cohorts in the room with you?” she asked.

  “No. Only me.”

  “Good. I don’t want you infecting anyone else. All we need is for flu to move through our department. We’re already short-staffed as it is.”

  “True, we’re very short-staffed. But I’ll check in with you tomorrow evening and give you an update on my health,” I said.

  She said, “Okay,” and that was that. I had done it. For the first time since my career as a resident started, I had called in sick.

  Dr. Sparrow had been listening to my call. “Do you find that to be an impediment?” he asked.

  I sat on the edge of the bed, hating the fact that I’d chosen to lie to my boss and trying to process his question.

  “Do I find what to be an impediment?” I asked.

  “The shortage of doctors and nurses.”

  My limbs felt heavy as I stood. “Of course. I mean, I had two very crucial surgeries yesterday, back-to-back. I’m a late-year resident, but I’ve technically been working as an attending for the past two years. However…” I raised a finger pointedly. “This is not me complaining about the last part of that.” I managed a smile.

  Dr. Sparrow walked over to wrap his arms around me. Our lips merged, and we kissed in our usual sensual way.

  “Mmm,” he said as if my bitter mouth tasted like a butter cookie. “Go take a shower so you can get some sleep.”

  I sniffed gently. “No sleep for you, I presume.”

  “We’ll see,” he said. “I’ll try.”

  One final kiss, and I trekked off to wash myself in his shower since it was my favorite. We also agreed to move my things to his room since as long as we were staying in his friend’s penthouse, we would be making love and getting to know each other better.

  I showered and finally brushed my teeth. When I was ready to go to bed, Dr. Sparrow was already between the sheets, naked and waiting for me.

  Once I slid under the linens and was close enough, he seized me. His cock wasn’t fully erect, but I gasped when it slid inside my weeping pussy from behind me.

  I released a silken sigh. His manhood really knew how to make an impact.

  “Your skin is soft, Penina,” he whispered in my ear. “Like a delicate rose.” In and out, slow and deep, his shaft shifted through my moisture.

  I wanted to whisper, “Thank you,” but sheer enjoyment had r
endered me speechless.

  “I promise you that I’m trustworthy,” he said and delicately bit my earlobe then reached around my waist to smash his fingers on my clit.

  After that, I was slain.

  My eyes opened slowly. I’d climaxed before I drifted off to sleep, and so had Jake. I wasn’t sure if he’d fallen asleep, but I hoped so. However, once again, I woke up alone. So many mornings, I’d awakened alone, but for some reason, I hated the feeling of Jake not being there.

  I found a fresh robe in his closet, and before I walked out of it, I spotted several dresses hanging on the bar. My heart sank to my stomach, but then I remembered he’d said I could trust him, and his friend was like family. Even if the friend was a woman, they were too close to be lovers. If the friend was a man, then the dresses could belong to the man’s wife or girlfriend. Arriving at that conclusion allowed me to relax.

  When I walked out of the room and to the kitchen to see if Jake had brunch prepared for me, I faintly heard his voice. He was home. I followed the sound and discovered him in a home office on the opposite side of the elevator. It was the first time I’d seen the room. And Jake looked so sexy sitting behind the desk. He had just set his cellphone down and stopped on his way to typing on the keyboard of his MacBook Pro.

  “Hello,” I said, beaming and waving by wiggling my fingers.

  “Come here,” he said, tilting his head.

  My pulse raced as I strolled across the marble floor. I was surprised by how I was walking. I’d never fuck-walked to arouse a man in my life. I used to criticize those girls, but there I was, doing it myself.

  When I was close enough, he seized me and slid a finger into my slit. I loved that it didn’t take him more than one try to find my clit.

  “How did you sleep?” he asked, his finger-work stimulating me.

  My eyes flitted closed as the orgasmic sensation feathered through my pussy.

  “Fine,” I said breathlessly.

  “I like the way this feels on my tongue,” he whispered thickly.

  I felt like guiding my hips more toward his stimulation, but my legs were getting weaker by the moment, making it hard to stand. Finally, he stopped and shoved his computer forward and his chair back.