Rush (Breathless #1)(85)

Where before she’d embraced the silence between them, not wanting to delve into the reason behind his moodiness, now it made her distinctly uncomfortable. She wanted something from him. Some kind of reassurance, though why, she wasn’t certain.

They rode back to the hotel, the tension welling until she nearly choked with it. She wanted to ask him, wanted to question him, but there was something in his steady gaze that made her fear what she would learn.

As soon as they were inside the suite, Gabe closed the door and focused that glittering gaze on her. He bristled with dominance where before he’d always demonstrated patience and tenderness with her.

“Strip.”

She blinked at his tone. It wasn’t angry. It was more…determined. Unease drifted over her and she hesitated, which only made his eyes narrow.

“I thought…” She swallowed hard. “I thought they were coming up for drinks.” Had the plans changed?

He nodded. “They are.”

Oh God.

“Don’t make me tell you again, Mia,” he said in a soft, dangerous voice.

Her hands shaking, she reached down and lifted the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head, letting it fall to the floor beside her. She kicked out of her heels, sending them skittering across the wood floor.

There were a thousand things she wanted to say, a thousand questions burning in her mind, but he looked so…forbidding…that she clamped her lips shut and removed her bra and panties.

“Go and kneel on the rug in the middle of the room,” he said.

As she walked slowly to the rug, he began to pick up her clothing and her shoes and then he disappeared into the bedroom, leaving her to follow his command. She sank to her knees, feeling the plush thickness of the lambskin rug against her knees.

When she heard his footsteps, she looked up, and she let out a gasp when she saw the rope in his hands. It wasn’t traditional rope, the braided kind you’d find in a hardware store, but rather it was satin covered, a deep mauve. It looked sexy and soft, and yet there was no mistaking it was meant to restrain her.

He coiled it around his hands, letting the ends hang down as he stalked in her direction. He bent where she knelt and wordlessly pulled her hands behind her back. She closed her eyes, her heart thundering in her chest as he began to wind the rope around her wrists, tying them tightly together. To her further surprise, he looped the ends around her ankles, effectively ensuring she couldn’t move, couldn’t stand, couldn’t do anything more than kneel there and take whatever it was he intended to do.

And that idea excited her. It bewildered her, this desire, this curiosity and edgy need that invaded her. She was by turns nervous as hell, but also tantalized by the forbidden. Other men touching her, doing God only knew what under Gabe’s direction. Surely that was what he intended? It wasn’t as if they hadn’t discussed it.

As he finished, there was a knock on the suite door, and she jumped, her pulse accelerating so rapidly that she became light-headed.

“Gabe,” she whispered, uncertainty bleeding into that one simple plea.

He tugged at the last knot and as he rose, he threaded his hand into her hair, stroking downward in a comforting gesture.

That little touch heartened her in a way nothing else could. Relief settled in as he walked toward the door.

She’d known from the beginning of his desires, his proclivities. He’d outlined them in stark detail. And she’d signed her name to a contract agreeing that she was his to do with as he wished.

Maybe she hadn’t really thought he would. Maybe a secret part of her hoped he would.

Whatever the case, she was kneeling, tied hand and foot, naked, and other men were about to see her.

Gabe opened the door and ushered the three gentlemen they’d had dinner with inside. Their gazes fell on her immediately, and what struck her most was that there was no surprise. No shock. There was only lust and appreciation reflected in their eyes.

Had they known? Had Gabe told them what to expect? Had he told them that she was tonight’s entertainment?

Gabe didn’t immediately direct any attention to her. She sat there quietly while he conversed with the men and poured drinks. It was only after a few moments that they entered the living area, drinks in hand.

Business was being discussed. Gabe went over his ideas for the new hotel and explained the backing that HCM already had and what further backing they were looking for. It was all very businesslike and polite. Except for the fact that she was trussed like a turkey and didn’t have a stitch of clothing on.

She watched the men, all handsome, virile. She saw the way their gazes skated sideways to her, even in the midst of their business conversation. They definitely knew she was there, and anticipation was a living, breathing thing in the room. The air was thick with it.

And then Gabe moved in her direction, his hands going to the fly of his trousers. He unzipped them and let the lapels hang down as he ran his hands through her hair, framing her head before caressing her cheeks. He ran a finger over the seam of her lips and then pressed inside, wetting it on her tongue.

The other men watched intently, their gazes fixed on Mia as they waited, lust clearly marked on their faces.

Gabe pulled out his c**k and then palmed her forehead, tilting her head back so she was at an appropriate angle.

“Open,” he commanded.

She was flush with nervousness but excitement also danced in her veins. She was aroused by the fact that he was going to f**k her mouth right here in front of these strangers. She was experiencing so many conflicting emotions that it was hard to know exactly what she thought or felt about the situation.