SmokeandMirrors Read online

  Then she’d gotten sick and Alex had abandoned her.

  “Ms. Winslow? Are you all right?” Foster touched her shoulder and leaned close, concern clear in the lines on his face. “Your smile turned to a frown, just like that,” he said, snapping his fingers. “An actor always notices facial expressions.”

  “I’m fine.” She forced a smile and set her wineglass down on an etched-glass coaster. “Just a bad memory I don’t want to think about anymore.”

  “Are all your memories with Alexander bad ones?” he asked her, his voice suddenly low and serious. “If so, I’ll drive you back right now.” He set his wineglass down. “We’ll leave before he returns.”

  “That’s sweet of you, but no, most of my time with Alex was wonderful. It was just the ending that was painful.”

  “People deal with pain in different ways, I’ve discovered,” Foster said slowly. “I’m glad you agreed to come. He needs a break. This is the first weekend he hasn’t worked in as long as I’ve known him.”

  “Really?” Alex had always been driven, but he’d known how to have fun. At least the Alex she used to know.

  Foster just nodded but didn’t say anything more.

  This was probably the first weekend she hadn’t worked in years. After she’d recovered, Gaby had gone back to college and thrown herself into her studies. She earned her business degree and went to work for the family business. What else did she do but work long hours? Take work home on the weekends?

  “Sometimes people deal with pain in the same ways,” she murmured.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Don’t mind me. Alcohol makes me maudlin.”

  “As long as it’s not the company,” Foster said with a wink.

  “Hey. Stop flirting with my girl,” Alex called out. Amusement was clear in his voice.

  His girl? She hadn’t been his girl in ten years. But when Gaby looked up and caught sight of him staring at her, her heart stumbled in her chest. She knew, no matter what had happened in the past, she was his.

  At least for this weekend.

  Foster stood, but Gaby remained seated. Her knees were suddenly weak and shaky. How could Alex still affect her so strongly after all this time?

  “Ms. Winslow is much more pleasant to talk with than you are,” Foster replied dryly. “A treat for the eyes as well. I’ll leave you two to catch up. I have a date with Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis.” He lifted his glass and bowed slightly to Gaby. “It was a pleasure.”

  “Thank you, Foster.” He was gone in a flash and they were alone again. Gaby managed to stand as Alex crossed the room, his eyes burning into hers with every step.

  “I’m not your girl anymore,” she blurted, trying to ignore the way her body seemed to tingle and fill with restless energy.

  “You’ll always be my girl.”

  The possessiveness in his voice, in the expression on his face, thrilled her and confused her. She took a step away. “I don’t even know why I’m here.”

  He took a step closer, until they were no more than a breath away. “Maybe you’re here because you’re curious.”

  He could be right. She may have gotten into the limo originally because she thought Aaron had sent it. But she knew Alex would have taken her back home if she’d insisted. She was curious. She wanted to know what happened ten years ago when he broke her heart. And she wanted to know how many earth-shattering orgasms he could give her before she turned around and walked out on him.

  He stood so close it was hard to think straight. His musky scent wove through her senses and made her body want to lean into him. Or better yet, jump him. She took a step closer.

  “Gabriella,” he murmured and captured her lips with his.

  Soft and gentle at first, he brushed his lips against hers, teasing her with his taste, so intoxicating, so familiar. Gaby parted her lips for him, aching for his tongue to plunge into her mouth. But he didn’t do that right away. He swept his tongue along her lips, wetting them, making them slick. Making her yearn to drink him in.

  Her body itched with restless need. She didn’t want sweet and gentle. She didn’t want anything close to emotional. She needed hard and hot and physical. And she needed it now.

  Maybe he was psychic too, for just as she was about to reach up and pull him closer, he slid his hands down her arms and pinned her wrists to her sides, still sweeping his tongue back and forth across her lips.

  Then he began to nibble.

  First he nipped at her bottom lip, hard enough that she wondered if he drew blood. Then he ran his mouth along her jawline, sucking and nipping until he reached the tender skin of her neck. She shivered with delight.

  “You’re so delicious,” he murmured. “A rare treat for my taste buds.”

  Gaby laughed out loud. “You’re so full of shit.”

  Alex shook his head slowly. “Gabriella, we have to talk about that mouth of yours.”

  “You like my mouth,” she said and ran her lips along his throat. “You love my mouth. The way it tastes. The things it does.”

  He released her wrists then and grasped her shoulders, pulling her tight against him. His hard cock pressed into her stomach and a thrill of arousal ran through her. This time, when he took her mouth, he was no longer gentle, but the bruising kiss was just what she needed. He plunged his tongue inside and she had what she wanted at last. Her senses whirled as he circled the interior of her mouth, stroking the recesses, coaxing another groan from deep within her.

  He ran his hands beneath her hair and brushed his fingers along her neck, drawing them along her throat, sending sparks of sensation shooting along her skin. She pressed her hips harder against him, the desire whirling stronger. The need building, concentrating between her legs. She clenched her bare pussy as tingles of arousal prickled the sensitive flesh.

  Alex moaned and cupped her shoulders, sliding his thumbs beneath the neckline of her dress. She was certain he was going to pull the dress down as he had in the limo. Her skin was so heated, her breasts so swollen, her pussy so wet, she silently urged him to get the damn dress off her.

  But he didn’t.

  Instead he slowly slipped his fingers from under her dress and lifted his lips from hers. He swallowed and stared at her, his dark eyes unreadable. “I forgot. You didn’t want to have sex again.” He scooped her wineglass off the table with one graceful move. “How’s the chardonnay? Shall I refill your glass?”

  She managed a nod. Her body screamed with disappointment, but his words slapped some sense into her. It didn’t matter how many screaming orgasms he gave her, she’d want even more. Sex had never been their problem, but it wouldn’t solve their problems either.

  “I’ll join you in a glass,” he said smoothly. He turned away from her and headed to the bar. She took some satisfaction in the fact that he had a slight limp as he walked. She followed him across the room. It was better than standing there alone in the spotlight while he exited stage right.

  He filled her glass and handed it to her without a word. She leaned against one of the tall barstools and watched him open a new bottle. He’d turned up the cuffs on his shirt, revealing strong wrists with a sprinkling of dark hair. His long fingers twisted the corkscrew skillfully, the same way he worked his illusions, the same way he touched her body.

  Expertly. Sensuously. Captivatingly.

  She wanted those hands on her skin again. And again. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she still wanted him. Wanted to feel the flames of desire lick at her skin from the mere brush of his fingers. She wanted…

  “I understand you work for Winslow Enterprises.”

  “What?” That snapped her out of her erotic thoughts. “Where did that come from?”

  “It’s called conversation. Catching up on each other’s lives.”

  She lifted her brow. “Is that what we’re doing?”

  He shrugged. “We can’t have sex. Might as well have conversation.”

  Dammit, he was right. Gaby took a long drink of wine. They co
uldn’t have sex again. It wouldn’t prove anything.

  Did it have to prove anything?

  Alex rounded the bar to stand in front of her. “Do you enjoy your job, Gabriella?” he asked, as if they were two casual acquaintances catching up on the past ten years.

  “Of course,” she replied quickly. Although if there had been a time when she did, she couldn’t remember it. “I’m vice president of marketing.”

  He studied her and she forced herself not to fidget beneath his steady gaze. “I can’t picture you being happy stuck in an office, under fluorescent lights in a little cubicle.”

  “I’ll have you know I have a corner office,” she shot back. “And an assistant.”

  “You’re too important to be an assistant now, aren’t you?” An emerald scarf seemed to appear out of thin air. He brushed it across her arm and she shivered. She nearly offered her wrists to him right then and there. “I remember a time when you were the best assistant there was. Half the time the audience didn’t give a damn what I was doing. You shone like a star up there on the stage, Gabriella.”

  She clenched the wineglass in fingers that were suddenly sweaty as she remembered being bound and suspended in a cage on center stage. Every eye had been on her. But Alex’s had been the only ones that mattered.

  Restless again, she turned and strode back over to the sofa. He followed her across the room. She set the glass down on the coffee table before it slid out of her hands. “You know I loved it. I won’t deny it. But that has nothing to do with what I do now. That part of my life is over.” She took a deep breath and faced him again. “I grew up, Alexander. And you played a large part in that.”

  He didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, he reached out and traced his finger down her cheek. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman.” She didn’t know whether to scream in frustration or sigh in delight.

  Before she could decide how to respond, he slipped his finger into his wine and ran it along her lower lip. Her lip tingled. The tart tang of the wine mixed with the salty taste of his skin to create a delicious combination. She couldn’t resist sucking his finger into her mouth. He pulled his finger in and out, sliding it along her lower lip, then plunged it back in and she sucked deeply.

  She closed her eyes as she felt the pull deep within her. Did he feel it too? Did the need claw inside of him until he could hardly stand it? She clutched his wrist as she continued to suck his finger. But soon it wasn’t enough. She wanted his cock between her lips. Wanted his hands on her breasts. His mouth on her pussy.

  But this was the start of the game. It had been so long since she’d played.

  While she continued to give his finger the blowjob, she lifted her hair off her neck. She combed her fingers through the strands and let its length fall around her shoulders. Then she pulled his finger from her mouth. With a slight smile, she lowered his hand and crooked his wet finger into the low neckline of her dress, right between her breasts.

  “Are you sure about this?” he asked, his voice soft. Low. Seductive. With the one finger hooked into her dress, he pulled her forward with a yank. Her breath caught in her throat. “Because we can say good night right now and I’ll tuck you into bed in my guest room. Safe. Secure. Alone.”

  Safe and secure were only illusions. Just like love. He’d taught her that lesson years ago. The only reality was here and now. Mindless sex and a little revenge. They could fuck like animals tonight, and in the morning she’d be gone.

  She wouldn’t even tell him goodbye.

  She picked a scarf from the basket and handed it to him.

  The game was on.

  He clutched the scarf in his hand and dark eyes deepened even further. “Sit down, Gabriella.”

  A shivery thrill ran through her and she sank onto the sofa, keeping her knees together and her back straight. She could almost feel the heat radiating from him as he stood there and stared down at her. A second before she knew she couldn’t stand it any longer, he sat down beside her.

  She reached out to Alex, but whether to pull him forward or push him away, she wasn’t sure. He didn’t give her a chance to find out. He simply draped the silky scarf over her wrist and she froze. Neither of them moved for a long, hot moment.

  Her thudding heart echoed in her ears. She parted her lips slightly as she began to pant. She wanted to scream at him to do it, to hurry up and wrap her wrists and tie them tight. But that wasn’t the way the game was played.

  Alex reached down and slowly pulled another emerald green scarf from the basket and she offered him her other wrist. She watched as his long fingers wrapped one end of a scarf around each wrist. It looked like artistry as he smoothly tied the knots that looked so simple, but she knew would hold her tight.

  He didn’t tie the other ends of the scarves to anything, yet she felt bound. She placed her hands in her lap, palms up. The scarves hung down each side, tickling the outsides of her legs and reaching the floor. As much as she wanted to touch him again, she couldn’t until the scarves came off. It was all part of the game.

  “Your hair is on fire,” he said, skimming his hands over her hair, starting at the top of her head and along her shoulders and down her back. He produced another scarf and pulled back her hair, tying it into a high ponytail.

  Gaby ran her tongue over her parched lips. She had no words for the way her body was springing to life. Her blood raced through her veins. She’d never realized how numb she’d been the past ten years. Her skin was so sensitive right now, the scarves brushing against her calves felt like kisses. She shifted on the sofa as her pussy pulsed with longing.

  Alex grasped the shoulders of the dress and yanked it down until her breasts were naked and her arms pinned to her sides. His eyes were hidden from her at the moment, but she could feel his gaze burning into her breasts. Then, one by one, he lifted her arms and pulled them free, the long scarves trailing gracefully. He kissed each palm before resting them again on her knees.

  As she watched, he dipped his finger into her wineglass and then rubbed the cool liquid onto one of her nipples. It hardened beneath his finger and sparks shot through her body. He did the same with the other nipple, the cool wine puckering the areola and beading the nipple.

  “Lovely,” he murmured.

  She ached for him to do more. To touch them again or take them in his mouth, dammit. But he just sat there and feasted on her with his eyes.

  She was so needy, she couldn’t stop from dropping her head back and arching her back. As she did, she pushed her chest forward, the damp nipples closer to him now.

  He finally leaned forward, his face close to her chest. He smiled and parted his lips. But instead of taking one of her nipples into his mouth as she expected, he blew on them, cool against her damp skin. Exquisite tingles flowed through her and her nipples seemed to tighten further, if that was possible. Moisture trickled down her thigh with no panties to soak it up.

  “I remember how much you loved the scarves,” Alex said. He drew another one from the basket, this one a rich gold, and ran it through his fingers. He opened it into a sheer gold rectangle and then ran it across her breasts, tickling the nipples, caressing the swollen flesh. He took one corner of the long scarf and gracefully drew it around the back of her neck so that the two ends of the scarf now draped over her breasts. He picked up the ends and pulled them up and down, rubbing the fabric over her sensitive nipples.

  She couldn’t stop the moan from escaping her lips. Her body was awash with the most incredible sensations. It was time to up the stakes while she could still think straight. She slowly spread her knees and felt her dress rise up her thighs. The movement drew Alex’s gaze and she saw his eyes widen as he caught sight of her bare pussy.

  With a small smile on her lips, she gradually brought her legs back together again.

  Alex chuckled, low and deep. “I can tease too.” He leaned close and brushed his lips over her ear. She shivered. “I have a practice room in the apartment,” he whispered. The implications made her sh
iver again.

  She had to swallow before she could speak. “Practice room?”

  “The walls are covered with mirrors,” he said, his voice deep and seductive. “I have props in there. Cuffs. Blindfolds.” He nipped her earlobe. “Cages.”

  Gaby closed her eyes and clenched her fists as she imagined herself cuffed, blindfolded, naked. She could escape from the cage in an instant during an illusion, but sometimes after practice sessions, Alex would lock her in the cage while he teased her to distraction.

  The anticipation almost drove her crazy, but she always had the most explosive orgasms when he finally released her.

  The idea that she might be handcuffed to those bars again was almost more than she could deal with right now. Already her senses were close to overload. She used to be able to handle such intense sensations. Need them. Crave them. Now she didn’t know how much more she could take.

  If Alex hadn’t abandoned her, would they have been playing the same games for the past ten years? Would they still be performing together, seducing each other onstage while the audience watched? Would they have had ten years of driving each other crazy and explosive orgasms?

  Or had he already tired of her by the time he turned his back on her and walked away?

  Tears prickled her eyes. She had to know.

  She opened her eyes and pinned him with her gaze. There was nothing needy in her voice when she demanded, “Why did you leave me?”

  * * * * *

  The pain in Gabriella’s voice sliced into Alex like a knife. He grasped her hands. “Gabriella. Look at me.”

  Her gaze had dropped to her bound wrists. She lifted her eyes and he could see the tears spilling down her cheeks. He hoped this would be the only time this weekend when he made her cry.

  “Leaving you was the last thing I wanted.”

  She sniffed but didn’t wipe away the tears staining her face. “Then why did you?”

  “Don’t you remember how it was? We were so young. So poor. And you were so sick.”