A step closer

Sit with me." Esmeralda gulped down saliva. Not wanting to create a scene, she nodded and took her seat. He took his own seat beside her and cleared his throat.

"We have members of both parties complete. Sir. Harold, shall we?" 

Esmeralda had no basic knowledge of what was happening, so she crossed her legs as much as the space could allow her and watched Sir Harold rise from his seat.

Kain's eyes followed Esmeralda's legs and his crotch hardened. The slit on her leg widened, and her succulent skin was in full view. The woman was a temptress. Why cross her legs and expose so much skin?

"Your father would have loved an opportunity like this, prince Kain. It is very sad that an opportunity like this has to slip by. My offer was influenced by your current predicament." 

Kain took his eyes off Esmeralda to look at Harold. The man was a willy and sly fox. A patronizing rabble rouser.

"What predicament?" Kain asked. He wanted to claw out Harold's eyes out of their sockets. He really wanted to.

"You're the heir apparent to the throne, but you can't inherit any of your father's companies. If I'm allowed to take over the textile industry, I'll not only fund your next fashion show. You'll have more than fifty percent of the shares of the-"

Kain was up on his feet in one fast movement. He leaned on the table and shook it forcefully so it rattled.

"How do you feel, Harold? I'm cursed, so what? Does that make you feel better? I can't inherit any of my father's companies because I can't find a mate!" He hit the table and the table cracked. 

There was silence in the boardroom. Esmeralda played with her thumbs.

"Don't be childish, son. We have your interests at heart. We know you're undergoing serious problems trying to balance-"

Kain didn't let him finish. He raised his hands and smacked the table with all his might. The table broke into two, both sides falling on each other like an earthquake.

This was not Kain. The wolf in him was acting. The wolf in him knew nothing other than retaliation. No one trampled on him.

Kain pushed what was left of the shattered table so it crashed to the ground finally. Murmurs and hushed whispers filled the air.

Kain flared his nostrils, daring Harold to speak more.

Esmeralda rose from her chair and held Kain's right arm. He groaned slightly. 

"We should leave." She told him. 

In the presence of everybody, this woman was standing up for him unashamedly. A gesture that softened the animal inside of him. He succumbed to her touch and allowed her lead him out of the board room.

Ravina's face held disappointment. Esmeralda couldn't possibly let him make a huge joke of himself like that. Harold had touched a sensitive nerve. He struck the match that lit up Kain's skin.

Ravina watched as Esmeralda and Kain walked out of the board room together.

The moment they were out of the boardroom, he pushed her arm off his own. Esmeralda was stunned. Just when she was starting to feel sorry for him. He had to go and ruin with his arrogance.

But that was it. He didn't want anyone feeling sorry for him. He hated people's sympathy.

His crestfallen countenance was gone. The bossy and arrogant prince was back. Esmeralda could not keep up with his angry strides, so she walked slowly behind him.

"You were flirting with him." He said huskily as soon as they got into the executive suite.

"Is that your synonym for conversing?" Esmeralda retorted.

"You were flirting with him." He reiterated, just in case she did not hear him correctly.

He started to undress. Esmeralda watched him slip his arms out of his leather penguin suit slowly like a striptease.

"I'm talking with you right now. Does it mean I'm flirting?" She asked.

"The prince's fingers stopped midway on the buttons of his shirt.

"You talk too much, for a woman so and young and inexperienced. Undress me." His tone triggered her anger, and she snorted loudly.

Esmeralda was not sure she heard him well. She tried to wrap her head around the fact that he had just asked her to undress him. He not only tortured her with outrageous assignments, he was asking her to undress him.

"We have work to do, Esmeralda." 

When she didn't move, he bridged the distance and wrapped his hand around her neck. She gasped at the warmth of his palm.

"I said something, didn't I?" His coarse palm around her neck was affecting her in ways she didn't want to admit. His voice was like a soft caress on her skin, a huge contrast to his cocky and snarky tone. 

He leaned in closer, a lopsided grin growing on his face when he heard the glitch in her breath. He caressed her skin, rubbing the back of her neck before spreading out his palm and sliding it down her back.

His hand was resting on the lower part of her back, and somehow, it was inching dangerously down the utmost part of her behind.

"Undress me." The seductive and melodic charm of his voice drew her into his spell. Her hands went to the buttons of his shirt. She released each button out of its buttonhole, careful not to touch his hard stomach.

Now done with the buttons, she proceeded to slide the shirt down his arms, but the rest of the hem of it was tucked into his pants.

"The belt." He pointed out. 

Carefully, she unbuckled his belt. Concentrating on just the belt and not his erection. He clearly enjoyed putting her in compromising situations like these. Asking her to undress him. She dragged the belt out of the belt holder in one fluid movement.

He got rid of the shirt and tossed it carelessly on the ground. He discarded the belt somewhere behind him as well. 

Esmeralda wondered why he was suddenly acting like a caveman. He slammed her against the wall and raised her arms so her breasts were puffed out. They swelled with each heave of her chest.

She clamped her thighs together, but he wasn't going to have it. He forced her thighs apart, breaching her space and putting one strong leg between her thighs.

Esmeralda shut her eyes close but he raised her chin, prompting her to open her eyes. He bit her neck softly when she didn't open her eyes right away, and only stopped biting down on her neck when she whimpered. 

The animal in him wanted to lay a claim on her. He had been with other women before, but it had never occurred to him, not even in the throes of passion, to leave a hickey.

He fingered the slit of her gown and raised it, dragging it up lazily until her lace lingerie came into view.

Her face was heating up under his hot stare.

"Did you say something?" He asked teasingly. She shook her head. He kept her hand pinned to the wall and reached down to tweak her pointed nipples. Esmeralda arched her back and moaned. Her reaction invited him to continue, and he rolled the puckered nub in his hands. 

She writhed in pleasure against the wall. A ball of fire was growing inside her stomach. 

On one hand, Esmeralda felt stupid. He was taking advantage of her and she hated to be treated like a plaything. As though she were a rag doll. But this was also a step closer to getting what she wanted from him.