For His Pleasure Read online

  Ari let out a soft moan as he stroked her tongue with his own. The sweet sound caused his cock to press painfully against the zipper of his pants.

  “Do you have a condom?” he asked when he broke away a few minutes later.

  “My clutch,” she gasped and immediately began fumbling around on the top of the washing machine for her purse. “Oh God.”

  “What?”

  She looked up as her eyes clouded over in pleasure. “This washing machine.” She opened the clutch and began rummaging around.

  “You like the vibration, don’t you?” Jason reached over and turned the knob from delicate to normal.

  She bit her lower lip and slid the condom out of the wrapper. “Here.”

  “Put it on me.” He eased back, allowing her access to his zipper. As she fumbled around with his pants, he ran his fingers along the outsides of her legs, toying with her Disney garter.

  “Cinderella?”

  “Who else?” Ari said as she tossed the clutch to the ground.

  She covered his hand and moved it around to her inner thigh. Carefully, he slid his fingers underneath the garter and inched them toward her center. “Do you like it?”

  “Yeah, I do.” Very much so. The garter was so typically Ari. She had this childlike passion for princesses and happy endings that he found endearing. It reminded him of her innocence. Ari’s upbringing had been so different from his. In a way, he didn’t think it was right for Leo to shelter her so much from the real world. Then again, it was that sheltered lifestyle that had allowed him to manipulate her so easily. If Ari had had any real sense of how dangerous he was, she never would have flirted with him at that charity function, and never would have agreed to dinner.

  All rational thought left him as she dipped her hand into his pants and wrapped her long fingers around his cock. He attacked her mouth once more as desire rushed through his body. When she tightened her grip, pleasure fogged his mind, causing him to gasp.

  “Ari.” His accent slipped out again, but he was beyond caring. Jason shuddered as she rolled the condom down his length. Her touch wasn’t delicate, but rough and needy. Just the way he liked it.

  “Now, Jason,” she whispered. “I want you now.” She spread her thighs wider apart and positioned him at her opening.

  With a swift thrust, he entered her, causing them both to groan. As her wet heat surrounded his shaft, Jason felt as if he was finally home.

  “Do you hear that?” A voice rose up from outside the laundry room.

  “Hear what?” a second voice responded.

  Ari widened her eyes as some shuffling echoed from the other side of the laundry room door. Jason placed a finger on her lips, quieting her. The possibility of being caught gave him an adrenaline boost that made his cock swell to painful levels. As he grew, Ari’s inner walls hugged him tighter, and he had to bite his lip to keep from groaning with pleasure.

  “It sounded like moaning,” someone said.

  Ari started to giggle, so Jason put his hand over her mouth and leaned in close.

  “Remember our game?” he whispered. Unable to resist, he slid his tongue around the outer edge of her ear.

  She widened her eyes and nodded. Reaching around his body, she dragged her long, manicured nails over his backside. Even through the cotton fabric of his suit pants, it felt incredible.

  Jason ground his teeth to keep from groaning with pleasure. Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth and leaned over to lock the laundry room door.

  “Game on,” he whispered as the voices grew louder.

  “I don’t hear anything. Do you think it was one of the machines?” one of the voices asked.

  “Possibly,” her companion said. “Those things are older than dirt.”

  Jason slid his hands around Ari’s waist and pulled his hips back until only the tip of his cock remained inside her. Then he pressed forward, biting back a moan as her muscles contracted around his shaft.

  “Maybe we should just check on the laundry room,” one of the maids said. “Perhaps something needs to be shifted in one of the dryers.”

  Ari grabbed his ass and spread her legs wider. Excitement rippled through him as he quickened the pace, performing short, shallow thrusts while he cradled her back to steady her on the machine. Ari tugged his shirt from his pants and clawed her manicured fingers down his back. The pain made him want to cry out, but he bit it back and flashed her a devilish look.

  She responded with a triumphant smile that only made him want her more.

  They had played this game enough before and knew the rules. They’d fuck just out of sight of the unsuspecting staff, each giving the other as much pleasure as possible. The first one to make a noise to trigger their discovery lost.

  Not once had Jason lost—ever. Ari seemed to think that she could win this round, but she forgot that Jason never lost at anything. Not anymore.

  Jason cradled her shoulders and leaned her back, allowing himself to perform quick, hard thrusts into her sheath. The angle allowed him to penetrate deeper, touching that extra-sensitive spot deep inside her core.

  Ari wasn’t one to be outdone. She tightened her inner muscles and slipped her hands underneath his pants and boxers. Pleasure mixed with the pain as she dug her fingernails into his skin, and Jason had to bite his lip to keep from groaning.

  He pumped harder, faster, as the noises from the hall floated through the cracks in the door.

  “I don’t know. The laundry isn’t our job. Perhaps we should get Carla to do it.”

  Ari leaned up and placed her lips close to his ear. “Come on, tiger. You can do better than that.” She bit his earlobe, then slid her tongue along his jaw. Jason tightened his grip on her back as she dug her fingers deeper into his ass, spreading apart his cheeks as she pulled him hard against her hips.

  Jason bent his head over her shoulder and tried to keep from moaning as pleasure spiraled through his torso. He ran his tongue along her neck, taking in her sweet taste. Urgency bubbled through his veins, making him crazy with need. He slid his hands down to her hips and anchored her in place as he pumped faster. The voices rose up again outside the door.

  “Yeah, we should ask Carla. It’s her job, and she takes too many breaks as it is.”

  “They’re going away,” Ari whispered. Her voice sounded disappointed.

  Jason reached behind her and turned the washing machine from wash to rinse. The hunk of metal started whirling and vibrating, causing Ari to jostle back and forth along his length.

  “Come for me,” Jason whispered. “I want to feel you grip my cock.”

  She met his gaze. “Only if you come with me.”

  Forgetting the couple in the hall, Jason slammed into her body with wild abandon. Ari let go of his ass and placed her hands on the wall behind her, using it for leverage. The washing machine moaned under their weight and began tipping from front to back in time with his thrusts.

  “That doesn’t sound right,” he heard through the door. “I think we should just peek in and see if everything’s okay.”

  Adrenaline surged through his body, moving to the drumbeat of their flesh coming together. Fuck, this was what he needed. There was nothing more intoxicating than the rush of that adrenaline high, mixing with the sharp need for rough sex. Jason needed both more than he needed air, and his sweet Ari was only too happy to give it to him.

  Sharp, metal clicks of someone turning the knob filtered through the room as the washing machine wobbled from front to back. Every muscle in Jason’s body tightened, every nerve ending felt like it was on fire. Yes, God, yes.

  “The room’s locked.”

  Ari let out a low moan and then bit her lip, as if realizing what she had just done.

  Jason kept moving. He was close, so close.

  “Here, let me try.” More clicking followed the voice. Jason glanced behind him to see the doorknob turning.

  “Come on, princess,” he whispered. “Come for me.”

  Ari bit her fist and clos
ed her eyes. Jason ground his teeth to keep from groaning as she spread her legs wider. The familiar tightening formed at the base of his spine.

  “Who would lock the door like this?”

  “I thought it would only lock from the inside.”

  Ari’s thighs quivered and her inner walls spasmed around his cock. Jason opened his eyes to see her locked in a silent cry. The image was so beautiful, so erotic, that it unleashed a tidal wave of emotion from deep within his center.

  Pleasure erupted through his system, slamming into his body like a race car missing a turn and hitting a wall. Jason gasped as the world around him faded away, numbing him to everything except pure, heavenly bliss.

  “I think you’re right. We need to get Carla.” The words sounded as if they were spoken through a tunnel. Jason’s whole body went boneless, and he braced himself on the washing machine to keep from falling over.

  As footsteps retreated in the hall, Jason leaned over and captured Ari’s lips once more. He could never get enough of her taste, her touch. Exhaustion overwhelmed him as he reached for the button on the washing machine and turned it off.

  “That was amazing,” Ari said as he broke the kiss.

  “Incredible.” He straightened her veil and brushed the dark hairs that had fallen across her face. “You’re crazy, you know that?” Wonderfully crazy. No other woman gave him such a rush. No one even came close. Ari was like some exotic drug, and he was an addict looking for that next high.

  This arrangement wasn’t only good for him personally, but professionally as well. Jason could have all the sex he wanted, and he secretly had leverage over his adversary. Yes, they had agreed not to talk about their families or businesses, but that didn’t stop Ari from dropping hints about Leo and the family business here and there. Jason had used the scraps of information to gain an edge over her family, and that advantage had driven his rival mad with frustration.

  Leo’s frustration had then doubled when the media made an issue of his dating a hotel intern, which made a wonderful distraction. While Jason had nothing to do with Karin, he didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the situation. Leo’s problems had given Jason enough time to fix the issues he was having with his new software. In a few short months, Jason would be rolling out a new technology that would drastically cut back on costs and revolutionize how hotels could serve their guests. With a little luck, the software would cripple Perconti Enterprises and cement his name as one of the most progressive businessmen in the twenty-first century.

  Jason was playing a game he knew he could win. Ari was his ace in his pocket, and with her, he’d give both Landon and Leo a run for their money.

  “I’m the one who’s crazy?” She stared at him with wide eyes. “You were the one who changed the washer speed from delicate to heavy duty.”

  Jason smirked as he slid away from her body and helped her to stand. “Touché.” He bit back a moan as she settled her skirts into place. “You didn’t wear underwear to your wedding,” he observed.

  “I often don’t wear underwear. You know that.” She picked up her clutch and slipped on her jeweled heels, which had fallen off during their sexcapade.

  “Feeling better?”

  “Much.” She flashed him a gorgeous smile. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “I’m sorry to be so impulsive. I just really needed … well, I’m glad you weren’t busy.” She narrowed her gaze. “I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

  “Just the usual.” Beating myself up over agreeing to such a stupid arrangement. While Jason knew that it was in his best interest financially to let Ari enter a loveless marriage, there was something about seeing her with another man, even a man he knew spent most nights without her at the Dark Desires sex club, that didn’t sit well with him. It was so disturbing, in fact, that Jason had purposefully avoided all of the media stories surrounding the Percontis and Ari’s upcoming marriage.

  Speaking of which … He glanced at his watch. “Shouldn’t you be at your wedding?”

  “Nah.” Ari edged past him and unlocked the door. “I left.”

  “You blew off the reception?” He frowned and rubbed his jaw. “Leo and Landon must have been pissed.”

  “Not the reception, silly,” she called over her shoulder. “The ceremony.”

  “Hold on a moment.” Jason grabbed her elbow and spun her around to face him. The movement was a little more forceful than he’d intended, and before he realized what he was doing, he had Ari up against the door and his body pressed against hers.

  “Jason, you’re hurting me.”

  He immediately eased his death grip on her arm. “I’m sorry. I thought you just said that you didn’t attend your own wedding.”

  “I didn’t,” Ari said.

  Jason couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You left him at the altar?”

  “A real runaway bride. Can you believe it?”

  Jason felt relief, he knew he shouldn’t but couldn’t help it. “I take it Landon is furious?”

  “Nah.” She waved her hand in dismissal. “He’ll be relieved. Trust me. I bet he’s already retreating to that sex club of his. My brother is a different story. He’s probably yelling and pacing like a madman even as we speak.”

  Jason could only imagine. He had been on the receiving end of Leo’s temper on more than one occasion. He didn’t envy the Palazzo staff.

  He ran a hand over his face and tried to process the implications of her actions. No matter which way he looked at the facts, only one result remained. By refusing to marry Landon, Ari not only jeopardized her family’s business, but stung Leo’s pride. She made her brother look like a fool. Leo was no doubt beside himself with anger. If Ari was discovered at Stone Suites, Leo was going to suspect he was behind her disappearance at the altar, and Jason was going to feel the brunt of the Perconti temper. Jason would have to put his renovations on hold for several months while he dealt with the ornery Italian and the resulting media frenzy he’d create.

  “Holy hell, Arianna. What have you done?”

  Chapter 3

  Nausea rocked Jason as he wrestled with what to do next. This was bad, really bad.

  “What do you mean, what have I done? I stopped myself from entering a loveless and boring marriage.” She tugged on his tie and smiled. “Now I’m free to do whatever I want.” She inched closer. “With whoever I want.”

  “Did you even think this through? Consider the consequences?” Jason stumbled back a few steps and gripped the edge of the washing machine to steady himself.

  She crossed her arms and glared at him. “Aren’t you the one who always tries to get me to be more impulsive?”

  Impulsive with sex, yes, but this … shit, this was catastrophic.

  “Jason, say something.” Ari put her thin, delicate hand on his elbow. “You’re scaring me.”

  Scaring her. More like she was scaring him. With one move, Jason felt as if his role had switched from the manipulator to the manipulated.

  Even more worrisome was his uncontrollable relief over her leaving her fiancé at the altar. The sudden surge of male pride made him want to whoop and spin her in the air. His impulsive urge felt foreign and wrong. Jason didn’t do commitment. In fact, before Ari, his relationships had never lasted more than a couple of weeks. Hell, he hoped he didn’t give her the wrong impression.

  “This was a stupid move,” he said.

  She bristled and straightened. “It was not. I don’t love Landon. Why should I marry him?”

  Her words sent heat rushing through his veins. Jason pushed aside the surge of possessiveness he felt toward her. “Leo’s probably looking for you.”

  “Of course he is.” She pulled her hand away and picked up her clutch. Jason curled his fingers into a fist to keep from reaching out to her. “I’m not stupid.” She lifted her chin, as if daring him to tell her different.

  “Ari, running out on your wedding is not only a slap in the face to your brother, but Blake as well. T
hey won’t take something like this sitting down.” He dropped his gaze to his hand. The machine was still warm from Ari’s body. Even now, he craved her as much as he wanted to throttle her. He had to get his emotions under control.

  “I don’t expect them to, but this was the only way I could get my family’s attention.”

  “Their attention?” He met her gaze and was once again struck by her beauty. Ari was almost a foot shorter than him, and full of curves. Her big, almond eyes narrowed with determination as they peered at him from under her mass of chocolate waves.

  She crossed her arms and leaned against a nearby washing machine. “I’m tired of living my life under a microscope. For years Leo has been telling me what to do and how to act. I know he means well, but I’m a grown woman. It’s time I start making my own decisions. What better way to make a statement about my independence than by leaving my own wedding and staying with … you?”

  Jason felt the world around him spin. “You want to stay here?” Fuck, he loved her spirit. It was what had attracted him to her in the first place. He understood Ari’s craving for excitement all too well. But this … this was too much. By letting her stay, he was admitting that their relationship was more than physical. He was telling her and the world that he cared about what happened to her and supported her in her decision not to marry.

  “It’s only for a little while,” she said. “Once Leo and I come to an understanding, I’ll return.”

  “You can’t—”

  “You have to see why I can’t go home now, Jason. Crawling back to my brother is like admitting I’m in the wrong. Only by staying here can I make Leo understand that he can’t control me.”

  Jason swallowed as a squeezing sensation tugged in his chest. “You have to go back,” he told her.

  “Haven’t you been listening?” She shook her head, causing her hair to fall in front of her eyes. “I can’t.”

  “You can.” He closed the distance between them and grabbed her upper arms to keep her from bolting. “You must.” She was shaking, he realized. Did Leo scare her that much?

  “Damn it, Jason.” She jerked out of his grip and put some distance between them. “I thought we had an understanding.”