Defiant Mistress, Ruthless Millionaire(12)

"I didn't imagine it," he said, his voice deep and his breathing a little unsteady.

"Imagine it?"

"How it felt to hold you in my arms. How you respond to me."

Josh brushed the knuckles of one hand over the hardened tips of her  breasts, now clearly defined through the stretch knit of her dress.  Callie made a mental note to wear padded bras in the office in future.

"And was it as good as you remember?" she teased, a smile curving her lips.

"Better," Josh replied with an answering smile that sent a bolt of  electricity sizzling to her core. "You still okay for tonight?"

"Definitely," Callie answered. On more levels than just the one he anticipated, she reminded herself quietly.

"Good. I'll pick you up from your place at six. We'll dine early."

"And then?" she asked, her eyes locked with his in a silent challenge.

"That's entirely up to you."





Six


The balance of the day raced past as Josh worked to get up-to-date on  the time he'd missed in the office. He fired commands at Callie like an  army general and she earned every cent of her high-priced salary before  she finally gathered her things and headed for home.

Heady anticipation saw her race through a shower and, once it was dry,  twist her hair up in a loose knot on top of her head. Even as she  reapplied her makeup, tendrils glided down to frame her face. She  shivered a little at each tiny caress, wondering what it would be like  to feel Josh's lips, or the trace of his fingers, along her neck.

She studied her reflection in the mirror. Already her cheeks carried the  soft flush of desire and her eyes gleamed with a need she'd always been  able to keep firmly under control before.                       
       
           



       

A quick glance at her bedside clock reminded her to get her act together  and stop daydreaming. She quickly slipped on a pair of black lace  panties. The tiny diamantés, sprinkled on the lace, flashed in the  overhead light, bringing a smile to her lips. Always a magpie, one way  or another, she conceded. After so many years of deprivation Callie  unashamedly loved pretty things.

And when it came to pretty, she considered long and hard about the dress  she was going to wear tonight. Unsure of where Josh was taking her for  their meal, she chose a black halter-neck dress with a chiffon overlayer  that floated to just above her knees. The deep V neckline made it  impossible to wear a bra and as she gathered the ties into a knot at her  nape, she wondered if she should have chosen something a little less  obvious.

The summons of her doorbell made that thought redundant. She had no time  to change now. She slid her feet into black-and-silver Prada sandals  and raced from her room.

Callie's heart hammered in her chest as she opened the door. Her hungry  eyes consumed him as Josh filled the entrance. He was dressed all in  black, from the handmade loafers on his feet to the open-necked shirt  that clung to his broad shoulders like a lover's caress.

Callie stopped herself before she actually licked her lips, but, oh boy, he was delectable.

"Would you like to come in for a drink before we head out?" she asked.

There was something different about him tonight. An edge to his  self-control she hadn't sensed before. Concern plucked at the fringes of  her mind. Had he discovered that she'd accessed more than the data he'd  requested on his computer? She discounted the thought even as it  occurred to her. Josh Tremont wasn't the kind of man to let something  like that slide. He'd have reamed her out about it if he knew-she was  sure of it.

No, it had to be something else. Maybe, she wondered, he was just as  tense with anticipation about tonight as she was. They were adults,  after all. They'd acknowledged a strong attraction between each other  and goodness knew they just about ignited when they kissed.

Callie felt an involuntary tug deep inside at the prospect of going  further than just a kiss with Josh. Arousal spread with a flood of heat  through her body, and her unfettered breasts tautened, abrading against  the fine fabric of her halter with excruciating awareness. She felt his  eyes coast over her from the tip of her shoes to the top of her head.  Finally, he replied, his voice taut with restraint.

"I don't think so. With the way you look right now, I doubt we'd make it to dinner."

Callie's breath caught on her response. What could she say in the face  of that? She lifted her chin and summoned what she hoped was a casual  smile. "Another time perhaps."

She locked her front door and walked beside him to the waiting Maserati  at the kerbside, not touching but painfully aware of his proximity, of  his strength.

"Do we have far to go?" she asked as they started off down the street.

"To the waterfront."

"Oh, anywhere I know?" she probed.

"You'll have to wait and see," came the enigmatic response.

Callie settled back against the soft leather of the car seat and tried  to concentrate on the soft rock playing on the CD player, but all her  senses remained attuned to the man beside her. She wondered why they  were even going through the motions of dinner when it was clear where  they would end up. Still, she supposed, going to dinner put a civilised  veneer on what was a distinctly uncivilised need currently pumping  through her body.

She was surprised when, rather than heading along the bays, Josh turned  the car toward the helipad at Mechanics Bay. Once he'd parked the car,  he took her by the hand and led her to a waiting helicopter.

The pilot made sure that they were both strapped in and had their  headsets on before taking off. Callie's stomach lurched as they flew  across the harbour.

"Where are we going?" she asked Josh.

"Are you always this impatient for details?" he replied through the headset.

"Curious, not impatient," she corrected.

Josh merely smiled and nodded his head toward the window. "Satisfied?"

Callie looked past him to the massive white luxury launch floating on the harbour, a large H emblazoned on part of its deck.

"We're eating on the boat?"

"I hope you don't get seasick," Josh teased.

"Are you planning to hit the high seas?" Callie answered in kind, even  as her hands took a white-knuckled grip on her seat as the helicopter  descended.

"Just a leisurely cruise around the harbour while we enjoy our meal, then back to Westhaven."

"Westhaven Marina? But what about your car?"                       
       
           



       

"I won't be driving. A car will meet us there and take us home later.  Don't worry. It's all organised. You know, you're not the only one with a  knack for getting things done."

They alighted from the chopper and Callie was relieved to set her feet  firmly onto the boat's upper deck. Only now did she get a full  appreciation of just how large the vessel was. It had to be over a  hundred feet long.

"This isn't yours, is it?" she asked as they made their way down a gently curved staircase to the main deck.

"No, I just borrow it from time to time."

For a moment Callie felt a pang of envy for the other women he might  have brought here "from time to time," but then she scolded herself for  being so silly. He was a man of the world-a darn fine man of the world  at that. There'd be women in his past, probably many of them. But she  was the one with him now, and she'd take whatever she could get while it  lasted because once he discovered the truth about her working for  him-and she had no doubt that he eventually would-memories of nights  like tonight would be all she'd have left.

The evening was perfect. With daylight savings time in effect, the early  evening light dappled over the calm sea in a glittering caress. In the  distance a flock of birds still worked the waters and dotted all over  the harbour were pleasure craft under sail or motor. Muted strains of  classical guitar danced on the air through a hidden sound system and  Callie felt herself sink into the luxury of the setting with a  completeness that felt, for once, totally right.

A uniformed steward stood near a carved wooden bar and deftly popped the  cork on a chilled bottle of champagne as they arrived on the main deck.

"I took the liberty of ordering some champagne. You're not driving  anywhere tonight." Josh spoke softly in her ear, the low pitch sending a  hum through her body.

"Thank you. I don't believe I've tried this brand before."

"Then you're in for a delight."

Josh took the two glasses from the steward who melted away into the  cabin interior, leaving the two of them alone on the main deck. He  handed Callie one glass and gently tapped his cut-crystal flute against  hers.

"To getting to know one another better," he said, the simplicity of his words belying their subtext.