Power Play Read online

  The routine was similar to their tour in Chicago, beginning with a briefing by the senior staff of the facility. Victoria met Tate’s eyes as she sat in the vacant chair next to her.

  “Here we go again,” Tate said when the lights dimmed and the first slide of the presentation flickered to life on the large white screen.

  Victoria couldn’t help but smile because she felt exactly the same way. As much as she wanted, no, needed Braxton, she had a hard time focusing on the staff member’s presentation. She had a perfect view of Tate and could look at her almost without being noticed. Her profile accentuated a strong jaw, and Victoria guessed that a break had caused the small bump on the bridge of her nose. She could picture Tate getting into a skirmish or even a brawl. More than likely someone had called her on her cocky attitude a time or two. Somehow Victoria suspected that, even with a broken nose, Tate had come out ahead.

  She refocused on the presenter and decided to take notes to keep her eyes off Tate and her mind on what was being said. She had a knack for remembering details, however minor, and rarely needed to take notes. But for the first time in a long time she needed something to focus on.

  The day finally ended and Victoria couldn’t wait to get off her feet, having walked what seemed like miles on the hard tile floor of the huge facility. Even though she had worn flat, comfortable shoes her lower back ached and her left knee throbbed. She wanted nothing other than to soak in the Jacuzzi tub and drink a glass of wine. After spending the day with Tate constantly nearby, two or three glasses sounded even better. She disengaged the car’s alarm and, over the beep, heard someone call her name.

  Tate sauntered toward her on legs that went all the way to the ground, as her father used to say. During the instant Victoria pictured them wrapped around her, her stomach jumped. She took a few quick deep breaths before Tate stopped in front of her.

  “At the risk of being rejected again, would you like to grab some dinner?”

  After the introductory briefing, Tate had stayed by her shoulder all day. She murmured flippant comments under her breath, which, like her first of the morning, were exactly what Victoria was thinking. The unfamiliar fragrance of her cologne tickled Victoria’s nose.

  “You’re persistent.” Tate rewarded Victoria with one of her dazzling smiles, and Victoria’s stomach jumped again.

  “I don’t accept ‘no’ very well. It’s usually just a stall tactic. Kind of like playing hard to get.”

  “Is that how you see me? Playing hard to get?” Victoria asked before she thought about what she should say.

  “Are you?” Tate cocked her head to the side.

  “If I were, that would imply that I’m interested in you.”

  “Are you?” Tate repeated.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to lie and say no, but instead she answered with a question herself. “Do you always hit on business associates?”

  “Only the beautiful ones,” Tate said simply.

  With a woman like Tate, that answer was more than likely true. “Don’t you find that difficult?”

  “I have no trouble separating business and pleasure.”

  The way Tate said pleasure made a tingle trickle down Victoria’s spine. Her voice was soft and warm and obviously very practiced. “Does the other side of the equation understand that separation?” A stab of jealousy pricked Victoria when she thought of another woman touching Tate.

  Tate hesitated before she answered, giving Victoria the chance to draw her own conclusion. “My point exactly,” she said, more confidently than she felt. She was drawn to Tate no matter how much she tried not to be. Something about Tate intrigued her as well as made her pulse race. She was young, charming, and smolderingly sensual. Victoria had no doubt that Tate would be more than able to cash the check her body was writing.

  “You wouldn’t make that mistake,” Tate countered, shifting her weight from foot to foot as if trying to keep her balance during this verbal sparring match.

  “How do you know?” Victoria was interested in Tate’s answer since she herself didn’t know if she could.

  “Because you’re a successful businesswoman. You understand business and what it takes to get what you want.” Tate’s eyes practically stroked her body, adding a different meaning to her statement.

  Victoria’s mouth went dry and she had trouble swallowing. She wanted to reach for the car door handle but was afraid her shaking hand would betray her. Finally she dared to answer. “Yes, I do, and I’ve already told you that mixing the two isn’t good for business. Whatever the circumstances or the understanding,” she added. She wasn’t sure which of the two of them she was trying to convince.

  “Okay, I’ll buy that. But we still have to eat. I promise I won’t bite or try to seduce you over the entrée. I can’t guarantee good behavior over dessert, though. It’s my weakness and I often can’t control myself.”

  Tate’s smile and sparkling eyes made Victoria overrule her better judgment, and Tate followed her to a Phoenix restaurant that Braxton had recommended earlier in the day. The waiting area was crowded, and the waiting patrons grumbled as a hostess who couldn’t take her eyes off Tate seated them. Their table against the window offered them a bird’s-eye view of the city lights. In contrast, a lone candle flickered in the center of the white-cloth-covered table, creating an intimate atmosphere.

  Tate scanned the wine list, congratulating herself for convincing Victoria to change her mind. Her confidence began to return. Women were all alike, she thought. They just needed a little persuasion to ease their guilt or take the decision out of their hands. However, she was slightly disappointed. She had expected more from Victoria.

  “So what do you think?” Tate asked after the waiter took their drink order.

  “About what?”

  “Braxton.”

  “The man or the company?”

  “Both.” Tate didn’t really expect Victoria to comment but she ventured down that path anyway. She had been trying to read him all day but he gave nothing away.

  “Interesting,” Victoria said.

  “Which?”

  “Both.”

  When Victoria didn’t elaborate Tate decided not to press. She chose the personal route instead.

  “So, Victoria, is anyone waiting at home for you to clinch this deal?” Tate loved the way Victoria’s name sounded as it came from her lips. It was as elegant and sophisticated as the woman herself.

  “I thought you were going to behave.” Victoria sipped from the glass of wine the waiter had set in front of her.

  “I am. I’m just making conversation.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Tate faked being insulted. “What? I promised you wouldn’t have to worry until dessert.” She laughed and added, “What would you like to talk about?”

  Victoria took another swallow of her wine, and Tate could practically feel the warm liquid slide down her long neck. She wanted to trace its path with her tongue. She was more attracted to Victoria than she could remember being to any other woman. The sensation slightly unnerved her, and she compensated by falling back on what she was most comfortable with—flirting.

  “Baseball,” Victoria answered, deadpan.

  “Baseball?” Tate wasn’t certain she heard her correctly through her haze of arousal.

  “Yes, baseball. We’re in the middle of the playoffs and every game matters. The Braves are a complete underdog to get to the Series, but I think they’ll take it all.” Victoria cut a chunk of bread from the bread basket. “You do follow baseball, don’t you?”

  “Not exactly.” Tate was almost at a total loss. She wasn’t exactly a fan. She enjoyed a game or two but had been so busy lately with the Braxton deal she had lost track of where they were in the season. Victoria laughed and Tate’s heart jumped. She needed to repeat whatever she said if it caused Victoria’s face to light up like it was now.

  “You better be careful, Tate. You’ll lose your lesbian membership card if anyone finds out you don’t follow the g
ame,” Victoria teased.

  If she thought she liked saying Victoria’s name, she practically melted when the roles were reversed. Victoria had rarely called her by her first name and when she did, Tate’s stomach tingled. What would happen if she said it in the heat of passion?

  Their dinner arrived and Tate enjoyed watching Victoria eat because she wasn’t embarrassed to enjoy the food in front of her. Tate was amazed when she finished her steak, baked potato, and vegetables on top of the salad and three slices of bread before the main meal had arrived. Where did she put it all?

  They kept up a casual conversation, Tate daring an occasional flirtatious comment. Victoria tossed them right back at her with an ease that challenged Tate to go even farther. When the waiter arrived with the dessert tray she looked at Victoria expectantly.

  “Up to you,” she said, smiling. “Just remember, I’ve given you fair warning.” Tate wasn’t sure if the flicker she saw in Victoria’s eyes was due to the candle flame or some other flame she was more familiar with. She hoped it was the latter. She started to say something to that effect but was cut off when Victoria ordered the apple cobbler.

  A recognizable throb started low in Tate’s belly. “I see you’re a risk taker. I like that in a woman.” She closed the gap between them. “I like a lot of things I see in you, and I’m sure I’ll like what I can’t see even better.” Tate lowered her eyes and her palms itched to cup the breasts that were moving up and down with Victoria’s now-rapid breathing.

  “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

  The tremor in Victoria’s voice made Tate’s confidence in getting this woman into bed grow. “No. Not when I see something I want.” And I definitely want you. Earlier she had told Victoria that she always separated business from pleasure, but with Victoria she wanted both. Even though she was immensely attracted to her, her number-one goal was Clayton’s job. One would get her the other, and she wouldn’t let either opportunity get away. Nothing ever did and she wasn’t about to start now.

  “I guess I’ll have to be on full alert then, won’t I?” Victoria replied.

  Tate noticed two things about Victoria that had changed in the last few minute. Her hand shook ever so slightly when she lifted her coffee cup to her lips, and her nipples were erect and hard under her blouse. Tate’s confidence soared.

  “Speaking of full alert,” she said, not even trying to hide her stare at Victoria’s nipples. “Is that—”

  “You’re not going there, Tate,” Victoria said sternly.

  “Uh-huh,” she replied with no conviction.

  “I mean it, Tate. You can look all you want because that’s as far as you’re getting.”

  “Tonight,” Tate replied, and locked onto a pair of surprised blue eyes when she looked up.

  *

  Victoria ordered a large pot of coffee from room service the next morning. She needed it. She had slept the entire night, but her dreams were filled with images of having sex with Tate.

  She had never figured out exactly where they were, but they had enough privacy to make love in several places and in many different ways. First Tate pinned her to a wall and shoved her hand inside her pants, her lips moving rapidly down Victoria’s neck. Her shirt was unbuttoned and the front of her bra was open. Tate alternately sucked and nipped her neck and breasts, driving her crazy. Victoria could actually feel the jolt of excitement shoot from her nipple to her clit when Tate bit it. She was helpless to do anything but wrap her arms around Tate’s neck and hang on as one hand explored her warm center, the other wrapped around her waist.

  Tate rubbed her clit faster and faster, each time driving her closer to orgasm. Victoria begged for release, and when it came it radiated from her toes to the tip of her head. She thought she would explode from the inside out, and as she cried Tate’s name she dissolved into pleasure.

  Victoria woke up after that one, her hand between her legs, the other pinching her nipple. She was embarrassed but not too much to finish what her dream had started. She fell back asleep immediately and drifted off to another erotic encounter with Tate.

  This time she was the aggressor, and they were in the conference room adjacent to her office. The lights were on, the video projector displaying a chart with arrows going up and to the right. Business must be good, she thought, glancing at the screen.

  Tate was sitting on the edge of the mahogany table, her legs spread, Victoria kneeling in front of her. Her shirt was open and she wore no bra. Tanned skin filled the open space, with just a hint of cleavage supplementing her androgynous look, but Tate was definitely all woman.

  Victoria had read that you were not supposed to be able to smell in dreams, but that was definitely an old wives’ tale. Tate had a freshness that Victoria had never encountered, and it pulled her closer. Drops of arousal glistened on swollen lips, dark curly hair, and the tip of her clitoris. Victoria wanted to stay in this spot forever and bask in the beauty of Tate, but she wanted to explore her even more.

  Slowly she moved closer, each moment disappearing like sand in an hourglass. Tate had long since stopped sitting motionless, her hips thrusting forward eagerly as if trying to make contact with Victoria’s mouth. Victoria held her breath as she snaked her tongue out for her first tentative taste of Tate’s flesh. She was warm and wet and uttered Victoria’s name softly. Tate’s flesh quivered under Victoria’s tongue, and her passion and desire threatened to overtake her. Forcing her own needs from her mind, she concentrated on giving Tate more pleasure than she had ever imagined possible. Slowly she explored every inch of her, alternating long languid licks with quick flicks of her tongue.

  Tate leaned back, her arms no longer able to support her. She was moving so much Victoria wrapped her arms around her hips to hold her tight. Tate circled her back with her legs as if she were afraid Victoria would move away. No such thought entered Victoria’s mind, and she memorized every sight, sound, and taste of Tate. Tate’s breathing quickened, matching the thrust of her hips. Her clit hardened under Victoria’s tongue and she slid first one then two fingers into Tate, whose muscles grasped her fingers tightly as she exploded in Victoria’s mouth. Pulse after pulse of desire flowed out of her, her tight inner walls spasming around Victoria’s fingers. Papers scattered across the table as Tate spread her arms and arched forward, gripping Victoria’s hair and pulling her even closer. Victoria released her own desire as Tate held her tight, trembling under her mouth.

  When the alarm clock shocked Victoria out of that dream she was totally confused as to where she was. She was breathing heavily, the room was unfamiliar, and she was soaked in sweat. It took her a minute to silence the beep blasting from the top of the nightstand, and she fell back onto the bed gasping. Her hands were shaking and her head spun when she had tried to sit up. She stumbled into the shower on shaking legs.

  Her hands were still shaking when she pulled into the parking lot. She chose the same space she had occupied yesterday when Tate asked her to dinner. Maybe she should have taken her up on her offer to have sex. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t anyway, at least in her dreams. She gathered her briefcase, her wits, and her fortitude to face Tate this morning and walked on unsteady legs to the front door.

  Their day was similar to the one before, except this time Victoria maneuvered herself behind Tate most of the time. Every time she looked at Tate, images of her sprawled on her conference table or her hand in her pants flashed in her mind. Her stomach was in knots, alternating between butterflies and throwing up. Finally after lunch the latter won and she was just able to escape to the ladies’ room in time to heave the meal into the toilet. She was alone in the restroom, thankful that Tate hadn’t followed her.

  Fighting another wave of nausea, she leaned over the sink and splashed water on her face. She let it drip off her chin as her hands came back into focus. This was more than nerves over a woman. She had either eaten something that didn’t agree with her or caught a bug. God, the last thing she needed was to come down with the flu. Lifting her h
ead, Victoria studied her reflection in the mirror. She was pale and her hair suddenly looked as limp and lifeless as she felt. Pulling herself together and saying a silent prayer that she would get through the rest of the day, she opened the heavy door. Her legs were unsteady as she joined everyone waiting for the elevator. When the doors opened she was the last to step inside.

  *

  Tate stood behind Victoria in the elevator and rubbed the back of her neck to ease the tension that had settled there. Braxton was to her left, glancing at his watch. Looking at Victoria’s reflection in the mirrored doors, Tate thought she looked pale and tired. It had been a long day.

  Tate smiled warmly into the mirror and Victoria’s face grew paler. The tension in the small elevator grew and Victoria shifted her weight from foot to foot as if getting ready to bolt. When the doors finally opened, Victoria was the first one out, barely saying good-bye to Braxton, and hurried to her car, shutting the door as if it were a sanctuary.

  What was going on? Tate didn’t know Victoria, but she had been acting strangely all day and Tate was worried. She retraced the steps she had taken last night to Victoria’s car.

  “Is everything all right, Victoria? You’ve looked a little peaked all day.”

  “No, everything is fine,” Victoria replied a little too quickly. Tate didn’t believe her and bent down to see her better.

  Victoria felt Tate’s breath on her cheek as she leaned into the open window. Tate smelled like the cinnamon gum she was always chewing. It was a pleasant scent but not this time. Victoria’s stomach lurched again. She hoped she didn’t barf all over Tate’s shoes.

  “I don’t believe you. You’ve been flushed all day and made more trips to the bathroom than anyone. Those guys were clueless but I know what’s going on.”

  “Tate, I’m fine, really.” She tried to sound convincing but her mind was losing the battle over her stomach.

  “Bullshit. Move over.”