My Brother’s Best Friend

Business Dinner

ARELLA

MY HEART sped up when the doorbell rang. I was in the middle of inspecting myself in front of the mirror if I didn’t look underdress for this business dinner.

“You look gorgeous, Are. Don’t let your date wait outside, or someone else will snatch him from you.” Kat smiled through the mirror. She looked satisfied with the outcome of spending her two hours watching me as I got ready. She chose the red cross wrap crop top with the bodycon short skirt dress, though I wanted to wear the mustard yellow one-shouldered, I had to go with her choice when she suggested stepping out of my comfort zone.

After taking a long deep breath, I walked to the door and opened it for my date. I almost tripped at the man standing in front of me.

My mouth agape.

God, he is delicious.

He was wearing a white crisp shirt beneath his razor-sharp stylish double-breasted suit. I’d never seen him wear like this before, and that made Skip marked out as a man of distinction. His tie and scarf matched my dress. It was like we planned it out together.

I devoted a few moments to ogle him, unblinking.

He beamed, and my heart beat a little faster. “Did I pass your inspection, Ms. Rogue?”

I didn’t answer him, instead, I strolled my gaze from his head down to his toe. His long hair was pulled off into a slicked back, and his face was freshly shaved. His clad thighs fitted perfectly in dark pants. He wore a sleek watch too that effortlessly upgraded his look.

“Arella, as much as I want you to check me out, but we have a reservation, love. And you look stunning, tonight.” His eyes glittered with amazement, and I knew he meant it. He leaned over to kiss my cheek, then inhaled deeply and murmured something that I wasn’t able to grasp.

“Thank you, Mr. Linton. And you look dashing as well.” I snaked my hand around his arm when he offered.

A man in a black suit stood beside the slicked black Mercedes Benz. “Good evening, Miss Rogue!”

I smiled politely. “Good evening!”

“I want to kiss you so bad, but I’ll wait until the dinner is over,” Skip whispered in my ear, making me shiver to the hot spark that invaded my skin.

“Good thinking.” I kept a distance between us in the backseat. I wanted to kiss him senselessly because he looked sexy, hot, and powerful at the same time. I hadn’t been kissed him since the last time he came to my apartment. But I reminded myself that this was a business dinner. We could break the rule later tonight once it was over.

The car moved smoothly on the road. My hands gripped my purse tighter than necessary as I felt his eyes on me. His intense stare sizzled my body that made me want to fantasize about something here in the backseat. I felt the back of his hand feathery running on my arm, making my heartbeat instantly quickened. I bit my bottom lip to stifle the moan as my naughty thoughts worsened the scenario. My toes curled with the wicked pressure of arousal between my thighs. My arms were pricked with goosebumps.

“Business dinner, Skip,” I said through a shaky voice.

“Business fucking dinner it is,” he groaned in response, low and throaty. Then his hand was gone.

A few minutes later, I turned my head to see him. Skip transfixed his gaze outside the window, but the sexual tension between us hadn’t cooled down. And I felt terribly bad for putting up a wall between us.

We arrived at the high-end restaurant that exceedingly difficult to book a reservation even for at least three months, and still, they politely told you to be put on the waitlist. The waiting staff led us to our reservation table. Skip sat across the table like a gentleman he was after helping me out to my seat. He acted like a businessman, and I felt somehow awash with disappointment.

Skip ordered a bottle of vintage wine. He poured us the twenty-three-year-old deep ruby-purple liquid into our glasses.

The smell of excellent aromas of currant, blackberries, and vanilla reached my nostrils. I sipped it-the mixed berries and the long-aged processing made the taste subtle. “You have an excellent choice in wine, Skip.”

“I have an excellent taste in everything, Arella. Especially in women.”

I almost rolled my eyes because he wouldn’t just drop it. “I can see that, Mr. Linton.”

The waiter came back to take our order.

“A black truffle, crayfish with white wine, black pepper sauce, and vegetables for me. A white fish on a bed of tomato pulp for my business date,” Skip ordered, smiled wickedly at me, emphasizing the word business.

As the pianist in a tux played jazz at the corner of the restaurant, we casually talked in between our meals, but I couldn’t help to not notice the smile on Skip’s face. He seemed to make this dinner more casual than I had expected.

“How about we choose a chocolate mousse with lime and a chocolate fondant,” he suggested.

“What can I say I like chocolates.”

Our dessert arrived a few minutes later. We dig in, and the taste of bitter and tanginess of the lime was an excellent combination-it melted in my mouth. Closing my eyes, I licked my lips, causing Skip to groan.

I raised my brow playfully. “How about we talk about the proposal, Mr. Linton?”

“Brilliant idea, Miss Rogue.” He beamed. Just the beam alone was already an ultimate aphrodisiac of all aphrodisiacs. “I hope we can seal this deal, and I’m a little bit persuasive. So, let’s cut the chase. I want your perfume, and your name will be on the label. You can choose the name yourself as long as the board accepts it, and matches with the men’s. Your choice.” He poured another wine into our glasses like an expert.

I grabbed the glass and emptied it in a gulp. He said to take it easy, but I thought I didn’t hear him right. This has been my dream-to have my name on the bottle. For a perfumer, who could refuse it?

I blinked twice or maybe more when he remained serious. With wide eyes, I opened my mouth to respond, then closed it again. Was he serious?

Then his brow raised and stared at me, probably waiting for my answer, but all I could do was to stare back at him.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Arella?”

“Are you kidding me?” Finally, I found my words.

“I don’t kid when it comes to business.”

Leaning over, I whispered, “Are you serious? You don’t look drunk though. Is this some kind of a prank?”

He shook his head. “Yes, and no. This is not a prank, love.”

I looked around the entire restaurant, and everyone was engrossed in their food and their company. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?” I smiled.

“You didn’t give me a chance to talk.”

My smile widened-I was actually grinning like a fool. “You’re not gonna take it back, are you?”

“So, is that a yes?”

“Of course, it’s a yes!” I answered with a little exaggeration, causing him to chuckle.

“How about the deal with the lab?”

“There’s a little change, but you have nothing to worry about. Let’s have a toss then. For our partnership.” We clinked our glasses.

I glanced at him one more time to see that he was not joking.

“I know I shouldn’t say this, but I’m still saying. I’m glad we did that.”

“Did what, Reigh?”

I rolled my eyes when I saw the glint in his eyes. “I don’t know, Skip.”

“Let’s get out from here. We need to celebrate.”

“But we already did.”

“Not this kind of celebration, partner.” He winked at me.

I bit my lip to control my giggle when I got what he meant. My anticipation rose high. We haven’t slept together since that night, and I missed him terribly. My heart hammered in my chest when the car door closed behind me.

Skip pressed the button and said, “Give us some privacy, Klash. And don’t stop the car until I told you so.”

As soon as the privacy partition slid closed, I quickly closed the distance between us and grabbed his head, tangling my fingers in his hair. His mouth crashed into mine with a savage kiss. It was full of hunger and intensity. His hands dipped inside my skirt, causing it to slide up my waist. His touch buzzed every fiber in my body. He shoved his tongue into my mouth, dominating and tasting me. I straddled into his lap and positioned myself to rub my already wet center into the bulge against his pants. I pressed my chest against him, desperate for more.

“Your gonna kill me,” he groaned against our mouth.

Breaking the kiss, he then gripped my ass that could probably leave a mark, but I didn’t even give a damn. His hand slid further up, then his fingers reached the edge of my thong. Keeping his eyes pinned at me, he drew circles against the lace, making my desire spike up.

“Fuck! You’ve been wet for me all this time?”

“So confident, Mr. Linton.”

In a second my thong was ripped off of me. He groaned at the snap of the elastic of the torn fabric.

“I want you so bad, Skip,” I whispered in desperation in between panting. I was damn greedy for him.

“You have me, Reigh. Why are we letting ourselves suffered like this?” He paused. There was a minuscule sadness as his eyes transfixed on mine.

My patience crumbled, I fumbled to unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. I slipped my hand into his boxer and grabbed out his hard, yet smooth length. He hissed. With my thumb, I spread a bead of his pre-cum around his crown.

“Fuck!” Skip tipped his head back against the seat. With jaw clenched, he ordered, “Sit on me.”

I hurriedly slid into his length. “Skip!” My eyes widened in panic. Our bodies locked together perfectly. Our gaze met for good seconds in understanding. None of us move or talk, feeling our world stopped.

Grinding myself into him, I sought a release for this maddening pressure. He groaned and I moaned, feeling the fullness and stretching my walls as he was buried deep inside me.

I could hardly breathe.

He buried his face into my neck and whispered to muffle our sounds, “Reigh, it feels so good, but we don’t want to make him hard while driving, yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

I couldn’t say a word as he began to move in and out of me. I shut out the world around us-just me and Skip. We rocked along together. This experience was new to me, it sounded wild, yet it somehow felt right. My breathing became choppy.

“Fuck! Come for me.”

My fingernails dug deep into his shoulders. Every muscle in my body tensed. I nearly lost my grip as my inner walls began to pulse around him.

“Reigh-”

I came before he finished his words, panting and sated. Skip collapsed his head against the backseat, breathing heavily. Then I realized something as I felt a hot liquid inside me.

“Crap!”