Take Me (Lessons in Seduction #2) Read online

  Take Me

  Sophie Holloway

  Contents

  Take Me

  Copyright

  About the Book

  1. Chapter One

  2. Chapter Two

  3. Chapter Three

  4. Chapter Four

  5. Chapter Five

  6. Chapter Six

  7. Chapter Seven

  8. Chapter Eight

  9. Chapter Nine

  10. Chapter Ten

  11. Chapter Eleven

  12. Chapter Twelve

  13. Chapter Thirteen

  14. Chapter Fourteen

  15. Chapter Fifteen

  About the Author

  Also By Sophie Holloway

  Take Me

  Lessons In Seduction

  Book Two

  By Sophie Holloway

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright Take Me © 2016 Self Taught Ninja Inc.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This erotic romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, especially if you enjoy hot, sexy, emotional novels featuring Dominant alpha males. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work. Cover design by Bootstrap Designs. Editorial services provided by Leone Editorial.

  Created with Vellum

  About the Book

  I want more of her. All of her.

  I want to drive her wild every single night until she's learned all the sinfully wicked things I need to teach her.

  But someone is trying to tear us apart. Someone’s gunning for my company too. What they don’t know is that I’m the kind of man who protects what's his.

  My family, my business, and this woman. I will do whatever it takes.

  Just try me.

  Chapter One

  Eva

  When it came to sex, there were a lot of things Eva Fiorini didn’t know.

  She didn’t know exactly what it was that drove men wild, though she’d spent a lot of this night finding out the answer to that from Jack Bennett, sexual education professor of epic proportions. She didn’t know quite where to put her hands or how to touch a man, though Jack’s instructions were proving very enlightening.

  And before tonight she’d had no clue how hard it would be to turn herself off, once she’d been turned on.

  The answer? It was damn near impossible. For the first time in her twenty-six years, she was ready. She had Jack, the only man she had ever really wanted. Here. Naked. Condom on. Go time.

  But if anything could change a moment in the blink of an eye it was fear—the stone cold variety coursing through her veins. A strange man had just broken into her apartment. And according to the cell phone call she’d just received from American Security, the man was still there, looking through her things. Maybe even looking for her.

  Her heart raced painfully as worry tripped through her still-turned-on body.

  While she and Jack were getting ready to get down and get dirty, an intruder had bypassed her state-of-the-art security system and was prowling around, pawing through her home, hunting for something to steal.

  She shuddered at the image.

  Meanwhile, the security team had instructed her to sit tight and wait.

  Right.

  “I have to go,” Eva said, sitting up in bed, ignoring the way her body protested the thought of leaving the hotel. The frustrated place between her legs was desperate to continue what she and Jack had started. She was scared, but she was also at the mercy of a kind of arousal she’d never felt before.

  Jack, however, remained as controlled as ever, seeming to have no trouble switching his agenda from sex to assuring her safety.

  He rolled swiftly off the bed and reached for his boxer briefs. “No. You stay put.”

  Eva squeezed her legs together as a chill fell over her naked body, still flushed from the way Jack had made her burn. She tunneled her feet under the blankets. “But I—“

  “But nothing, Eva. I’ll go. I don’t want you anywhere near your apartment until I’m sure it’s safe.” He strode through the room, leaving her nearly salivating over his gorgeous, naked frame—the lean, sinewy muscles of his arms, the gym-defined pectorals and backside, the wondercock that was every bit as wondrous as the rumors…

  When clothed, Jack was easily the most handsome man in any room, but seeing him naked brought Eva’s appreciation to a new level. And she wanted to be free to appreciate him at leisure, not stuck freaking out about who was breaking into her apartment.

  God, who had done this to her home? And why?

  She thrust her chin up, feigning confidence. “There’s nothing you can do that I can’t, Jack. And I want to see this creep who had the nerve to break into my home.”

  Jack met her gaze in the mirror as he buttoned his shirt. “What if it’s more than that? Didn’t you say earlier that you felt you were being followed?”

  “Well yes, but…” A chill skittered down her spine. She let out a nervous laugh. “But that’s all in my head, I’m sure. Too many thrillers. Too many detective novels. I mean, why would anyone want to stalk me? It’s hilarious, really. I’m the most boring person I know.”

  Jack didn’t answer, but it was obvious he didn’t see the humor in it. The more she studied the stony look on his face, the more she had to admit this wasn’t all that funny.

  When he finished dressing, he returned to stand beside the bed, reaching out to lightly touch her chin. Even that simple touch was enough to send fresh ripples of desire all the way to her toes. “You were very precious to your family, Eva. Your safety is not something that they—or I—would ever joke about.”

  Her heart, which had been pounding an urgent but steady beat ever since the phone call from American Security, suddenly fluttered. She could’ve melted right there. Could have brought him back into bed with her and let him take care of her, and screw whatever was happening outside the hotel room.

  If she kept him here, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about him getting into danger on her account.

  And she did worry. As much as she’d told her friends Georgie and Nelson that she wouldn’t get emotionally wrapped up in Jack Bennett, she couldn’t help it. He was the closest thing to family she had left.

  She curled her fingers around his. “I don’t want you to go,” she said. She’d meant to sound sexy, seductive, but the words came out small and scared. “I mean, it’s my apartment. I should go with you.”

  “That’ll accomplish nothing, Eva. I’ll sort it out. Stay here. Be safe. I’ve got this.” He threw his jacket on and tucked his cell phone into his pocket. “I’ll call you when I arrive.”

  She wrapped the sheets tightly around her naked body as he left and closed the door behind him. In the silence of the strange hotel
room, everything that had happened in the past few hours slowly sunk in.

  She had been so nervous for her “date” with Jack, but somewhere between giving Jack her awkward first strip tease, and clutching his hair as his mouth worked between her legs, she’d become lost in pleasure. Now, there were signs of his presence everywhere, from the whisker burn his stubble had left on her chin to the delicious spice of his aftershave still hanging in the air. He had awakened a wild, hungry part of her that had lain dormant her entire life.

  She felt electrified, on edge, and desperate for more of the primal connection she’d just discovered. Combined with the unbearable quiet, the solitude of the impersonal hotel room became too much to take.

  Shivering, she pulled the covers over her shoulders and dragged them from the bed, using them as a makeshift shawl as she padded to the window. She pulled back the heavy curtain in time to see Jack standing under the marquee, hailing a cab. A light rain had fallen, making the concrete shimmer in the streetlights. She’d always thought the rain made the city beautiful, but in the past few hours her view of everything had shifted.

  She now saw another side of New York—a menacing, dangerous one.

  Someone had been following her. And maybe that same someone had broken into her apartment.

  She didn’t want to be alone. She couldn’t be. Not now. She closed the curtains and quickly began to dress.

  Chapter Two

  Jack

  Jack checked his Rolex as the cab pulled curbside next to Eva’s apartment building in Tribeca. It was just before midnight.

  He would much rather be rolling up to her place to continue their lessons in seduction¸ but he was accustomed to shifting gears quickly. It was part of what made him a shark at the negotiation table. He didn’t have as much experience using the seek-and-destroy part of himself in his personal life, but right now he was ready to tear the son of a bitch who had broken into Eva’s apartment to pieces with his bare hands.

  What if Eva had been home? Alone? What would the bastard have done to her?

  The thought was enough to make Jack’s jaw clench and his hands ball into fists at his sides.

  Eva’s apartment boasted a 24/7 doorman, a brightly lit lobby, and an address in one of the best neighborhoods in the city. One of the safest, too—Antonio had made sure of that. That safety came with a hefty Tribeca price tag, but Antonio had spared no expense where his little sister was concerned. The day they’d closed on the apartment four years ago, he’d had a team install a top-of-the-line security system. At the time Jack had thought the cameras in every room were overkill.

  But now, as he stepped onto the sidewalk to greet the policemen milling around outside the apartment building, he wondered whether Antonio’s instincts had been spot on.

  “Were you the officer American Security sent to follow up on the break-in?” he asked the young policeman who was slouching against a squad car.

  The baby-faced cop stood up straight and waved him off. “I’m going to have to ask you to move along, sir. This is an active crime scene. Only residents are allowed in the building right now.”

  Jack’s jaw clenched. Ordinarily, the kid cop’s tough-guy act would have loosened the sharper edge of his tongue. But tonight he needed answers—fast—and there were times when honey caught more flies than vinegar. “Look. I’m Jack Bennett, Miss Fiorini’s friend. I’ve known her since she was a girl, and I was with her when she got the call that there’d been a break-in. I didn’t want her coming here until I made sure it was safe. I’m worried about her and would appreciate any information you’re able to share.”

  The other man’s expression softened. “I get it. I’ve got two little sisters.”

  Jack nodded, though he certainly wasn’t thinking about Eva in a sisterly fashion any more. Not after tonight.

  “It’s safe,” the cop continued. “The perp got away, but we’ll need the resident to determine if anything’s missing. I’m Officer Valentine. Come on. I’ll show you what we’ve got so far.”

  Valentine motioned him through the revolving doors to where the doorman, an older man with a thick gray moustache, stood in the elegant lobby, looking thoroughly spooked. “Nothing like this has ever happened here before,” he said as they approached. “Been here ten years, and we’ve never had a break-in.”

  Well, that makes sense. This place is like Fort Knox. If the intruder was a junkie looking for something to sell to get his next fix, there were about a million other places in the city that would be easier to get into.

  “I have no idea how this person gained access,” the doorman continued with a huff, “but he certainly didn’t come through my lobby.”

  “It’s all right, Harry.” Officer Valentine clapped the doorman on the shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. And as soon as we do, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “You do that.” Harry nodded crisply. “If Miss Fiorini had been hurt, I never would have forgiven myself. Sweet girl like that should feel safe in her own home.”

  Jack smiled at the man as he followed Valentine deeper into the lobby, a fan of Harry already.

  “As I said, we’re working on figuring out just how the guy gained access.” The officer circled around the front desk, motioning for Jack to join him on the other side. There, below the polished black marble countertop was a console with a series of six small television screens, each displaying a stretch of empty hallway. On one of them Jack saw the frozen image of a man working at the lock on Eva’s door.

  “This is their best shot of him so far.” The officer clicked the mouse beside the front desk computer, blowing up the image until the intruder’s pixelated face filled the screen. “We’re working with American Security to get the images from the cameras inside the apartment. We should have them soon.”

  Jack stared at the blurry picture of the fucker who’d ruined his evening. The guy was tall and wore baggy jeans and a hooded jacket that was drawn tight around his face. He could’ve been any one of a million men. “That’s all you have?”

  The officer crossed his arms with a sigh. “’Fraid so.”

  Jack looked at the doorman, whose moustache was ruffling with irritation “So you were here in the lobby the entire time, Harry?”

  The older man nodded. “I sure was.”

  “And she’s on the, what? The twelfth floor?” When the older man nodded again, Jack pushed on. “Are there any back entrances this guy might have come through? Maybe a delivery entrance?”

  Harry shook his head. “There are, but all the other entrances are locked, and I didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary.” He leaned his forearm on the desk and pointed to the log book on the other side. “All the people who signed in have checked out. Unless the bastard scaled the wall, I don’t know how he got in.”

  And if he had scaled the wall—or resorted to other elaborate measures to gain entrance—then this for damned sure wasn’t a random break-in.

  Jack turned back to the officer, his brow furrowed. He didn’t like this. Not one fucking bit. “So, what happens next?”

  “We’re looking into all possible leads,” Valentine said vaguely.

  Jack sucked in a breath. In other words, they had no idea. He rubbed his eyes, his frustration growing. “Do you have any leads?”

  Valentine pressed his lips together. “We’re compiling evidence. Our first order of business is interviewing the victim. You said you were with her at the time? Is she close by?”

  “Yes, I was with her,” Jack said. “But no, she’s not close. I told you, I wanted to make sure—”

  “I’m here, I’m here,” a slightly breathless voice said behind them.

  Jack turned to see Eva hurrying toward them in her sexy-as-hell black dress and fuck-me heels. Emotions warred within him: irritation at her for not listening when he’d told her to stay put, relief that she was close enough that he could keep her safe from fuckers like the one on that screen, and gratitude that every inch of her beautiful body was unharmed.

  Jac
k flashed back to the hotel room, when she’d let her sinful dress fall to her feet, baring the goddess underneath. The mix of innocence and seduction in her every movement had blown him away.

  Now, she wrapped her arms tight around her body, fear stealing her confidence. “I’m Eva Fiorini. What do you need to ask me?”

  The officer held out a hand, which Eva shook with her usual elegance. “Nice to meet you Miss Fiorini. I’m Officer Valentine. Why don’t you go on upstairs first and take a look around, so you can let me know if anything’s missing. I’ll be up as soon as I make a quick call into headquarters.”

  Eva nodded, but as she turned toward the elevator, she cast an anxious glance at Jack over her shoulder. She half bit, half licked her lower lip in a way that made his cock twitch, despite the fact that his blood was boiling.

  What the fuck was she doing here? When he’d agreed to be her teacher, he’d assumed she would respect his direction, even if it extended to activities outside the bedroom. He needed her to listen to him, to obey him, especially at times like this. If something happened to her on his watch, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

  “I thought I told you to stay put,” he muttered as he took her elbow and led her the last few feet to the elevator bank.

  “I’m not a dog,” she said softly, irritation clipping each word.

  He gritted his teeth. “Obviously. Dogs have more sense. As my student, you are under my authority. That was part of the deal, was it not?”

  After a brief pause, her breath rushed out. “Yes, but—”

  “Then you should have listened,” Jack said. “When I say I’m going to take care of something, and I want you to stay safe, I mean it.”

  “Then I guess you’ll have to punish me, won’t you?” Her voice still carried an edge of irritation, but there was heat in her eyes—heat that made him want to push her dress up around her thighs the moment the elevator doors closed.