Take Me

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Take Me ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Take Me Copyright © 2009 Grace Samuels Edited by Raelene Gorlinsky. Cover art by Syneca. Electronic book Publication March 2009 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

TAKE ME

Grace Samuels

Grace Samuels

Chapter One “Let’s play a game,” his throaty voice said through the crackling of the longdistance phone line. “Hmm…what sort of game?” she asked. “Why don’t you let it be a surprise.”

***** Renault Museum of Art, Denver, CO Beautiful. Diana’s gaze focused on the gold falcon. The necklace of Pharaoh Ramses gleamed in the glass-enclosed display. The Jewels of the Pharaohs exhibit would have its premiere in less than an hour. In honor of the event, the Renault Museum of Art was holding a black-tie costume ball. The museum staff had done a fantastic job in recreating an Egyptian garden in the center exhibit hall with faux temples leading into smaller rooms, each its own dynasty, where jewelry, trinkets and small statuary were showcased. It had been a year in the making and Diana was extremely proud to have been part of the museum team to help make this exhibition happen. Now if only she had someone to celebrate with…

***** There she was, gazing at Ramses’ necklace. Diana was breathtaking. She wore a gold sleeveless gown that bared her arms while hugging her breasts and hips. Her shoulder-length auburn tresses were parted to the side in rippling waves that reminded him of a 1940s Hollywood starlet.

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Because she was one of several of the museum’s representatives and required to maintain a more formal appearance, she wasn’t in costume. He, however, wasn’t representing anyone tonight and had dressed as the ancient lion-headed god Maahes, known as the Lord of the Massacre, the one who punished those who violated universal order. Thad’s body had changed over the years from that of the intern Diana had originally met. Dig work strengthened his muscles, tanned his skin. A particular dig down in South America had also garnered him a tribal tattoo circling his left biceps and a nipple piercing. He still didn’t remember that particular drunken night terribly well. Without a shirt, he in no way appeared the PhD, and that in and of itself would help with this evening’s seduction of Dr. Diana Anderson.

***** The gala had been underway for two hours. Diana was so proud the event was a huge success with the three hundred or so guests laughing, drinking, indulging in exotic delicacies and discovering the incredible intricate artistic talents of the ancients. The guest list was a who’s who smorgasbord of Denver’s elite. There was an almost equal mix of those in costume and those in black tie. Many in costume wore very familiar caricatures. Nefertiti and Cleopatra, the two most legendary beautiful women of Egypt’s past. Tutankhamen, the boy king. Anubis, jackal-headed god of the dead. Horus, the falcon-headed god of kings. Bastet, the felineheaded goddess. One bold woman dressed as Hatshepsut, the female regent who declared herself pharaoh. But the one costume that drew her attention each time it passed by was Maahes. He wasn’t a well-publicized god. As a matter-of-fact, very few knew of him outside those with a strong interest in Egyptology. The man behind the lion mask was fascinating. His body was long and lean with strong muscle definition. He looked at home in the linen kilt and knee-high wrap sandals. But what intrigued her most was the tiny glimmer at his nipple and the tattoo around his biceps. It set him apart, gave him a slightly exotic and dangerous aura.

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She had noticed him glancing her way off and on. He would draw her gaze, devour her with his eyes then turn away, summarily dismissing her. It was equally frustrating and captivating. Then “Maahes’” tactics changed. As she conversed individually or within a group, Diana would see a shimmer of movement, feel the skim of a hand at her hip. A caress gliding across her silk-covered tummy. A finger whispering down her bare arm. Before she could respond, he was gone. She would turn, but all she ever saw was a retreating back. A tanned back that rippled with muscles with each step he took. Had a man ever looked so devastating in an Egyptian kilt? He was as Maahes would have been. Strong. Confident. Striding with pride. The tight curve of his buttocks was delineated through the linen. His thick, dark hair invited a woman’s fingers to run through it. She smelled him before she saw him. She had incorporated his scent into her memory. His flirtatious dance of the evening had seduced her, enticed her, invited her to play. But play what? Was she really interpreting his touches, his glances correctly? Or was her imagination on overload? His smell was earthy, fresh with a hint of spice. The man was standing much too close for her peace of mind. She could feel his heat. She wanted to reach out and touch the bare, toned flesh. She turned to face him. “Why are you standing so close to me?” “Because you are beauty personified. You are enchanting and I am defenseless to resist.” His low-timbred voice sent shivers coursing down Diana’s spine, but his glib tongue and the hand grasping his bare chest over his heart made her want to roll her eyes. She looked him straight in the eyes and felt a thrill like static electricity go through her. Blue eyes the color of lapis lazuli shining through a golden mask. She tore her gaze away before she revealed how much the man was affecting her.

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“Are you following me?” she asked when she moved to a headdress worn by Cleopatra and found him inches away from touching her, surrounding her body with his. Creating a private moment within a hall filled with chatter. “You’re not with anyone tonight, are you?” Thad already knew the answer. Of course he knew the answer, but it was part of the game. He knew he would never tire of the little minx. Not when he compared every woman with her. It was how she made him burn with not just her body but her mind. How hungry she made him. With her, he never felt he was boring his companion with the mysteries of the past. With Diana, they would never run out of topics to explore or banter over, and bantering led to hot, sweaty bodies. “What kind of question is that to ask a total stranger?” “Just tell me the answer then I’ll explain.” Despite the slight wariness he could see, Diana was amused. “No, I’m not with anyone. Why do you ask?” “Because I’d like to seduce you tonight.” “Seduce me? You don’t know a thing about me,” she told him in an incredulous voice. “Trust me, I know enough, Dr. Diana Anderson. I’m a very determined and persistent man. I won’t give up until you say yes.” Diana laughed. The man was a total nut. Gorgeous eyes, fabulous body, but a real fruit loop. She looked at him briefly. Crazy or not, he was clearly uninhibited and that held a certain sexiness. “Look—” “Call me Maahes.” “Look, Maahes, I think this is a ridiculous conversation and you should probably move along.”

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“Oh, you don’t have to give me your answer this minute,” he said graciously, even reasonably. “I’m only putting you on notice. You’ll come ‘round to my point of view. I can be very persuasive.” “I’m sure you are,” she said dryly. He just smiled and clasped her hand, bringing it up to kiss the delicate skin of her wrist. He inhaled, taking her scent into his body. There was nothing disrespectful in his touch. There was really nothing overtly sexual in the deed either, yet it was a provocative act. As he held her hand, she felt a strange, heady drug begin to flow in her veins, a drug that sent a quick rush throughout her body. She felt lightheaded and slightly drunk. Her mouth went dry. She knew it wasn’t alcohol-related. She’d been drinking club soda all evening. Why not let go a little, see what developed? Her responsibilities for the evening were done and she could leave or stay. What should have been another distinctly unexciting party filled with pretentious speeches and networking had become something a bit mysterious and enticing. Despite what the mask hid, before her was a very attractive man. A man who, with the slightest of touches, had already created a flame. Given the chance, just how high could he take her? She looked down at his large, strong hand. Could feel the fingers and palm held calluses. This was a man who worked with his hands. With some difficulty, she restrained herself from trailing her fingers along the back of his hand, from touching the dark hairs that grew at his wrist. Suddenly she didn’t want to care about where they were. He was a drug and she wanted to revel in the narcotic, damn the consequences.

***** “I want to taste you.” “We should wait until we’re sure of our privacy,” she demurred. 8

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“What makes you think I can wait?” Thad asked her with a smile. He buried his face in Diana’s neck while the slow elevator climbed to the administrative offices of the museum. He knew exactly where and how he wanted to take her. He wanted her looking at him, at them, while he buried himself in her. Finally being able to touch her after so long created a heat that sluiced through his body like a potent scotch. Diana leaned back against the old-wood paneling of the elevator and gazed at him as he inclined his head to nibble her arm. He could see her nipples hardening under the tight bust of her gown. “You’ll have to wait,” she said. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. She sighed with pleasure and relaxed her body into his. Her forehead just reached his chin. A perfect fit. He was kissing the top of her head when a grind and whirr announced the elevator had arrived. Thad released Diana’s waist but lifted her hand, kissing her fingertips. Then he extended his hand and she laid hers over his, palm to palm. The passion pulsing through his body didn’t allow him to smile, but he was sure what he was feeling was blazing through his eyes. Guiding Diana out of the elevator, he led her down the carpeted hallway. He walked backward, she forward. He couldn’t get enough of looking at her. The shimmer in her auburn hair, the sparkle in her emerald eyes. The gold gown hugging her ulta-feminine form. Aphrodite would be jealous of the beauty before him. Reaching his destination, Thad opened the door, led Diana inside. Diana chuckled. “A bathroom? Isn’t that a bit tacky, not to mention clichéd?” “Oh, trust me, gorgeous, it’s the perfect place for what I have in mind.” Her masked man grinned. The bathroom was at the far end of the museum’s administration offices. The likelihood of anyone seeking to use it was nominal. The room was well lit and nicely decorated. A pleasant venue for a bit of naughtiness, Diana thought, grinning. The 9

Grace Samuels

vanity was a double, one side lower for disabled use. The mirror above was large and spanned from vanity to ceiling. They stood facing the mirror, male flush against female, masculine hands caressing feminine hips. “This is happening so fast,” she said. “And?” Diana sighed, lowering her head to look at the tile floor. “You seem too good to be true.” “I made up my mind I wanted you the moment I saw you.” Maahes lifted Diana’s chin, turning her body so she looked him in the eyes. “Don’t look for the catch, gorgeous. Everything will be all right, I promise.” His voice was low, reassuring even as he pushed her back until her bottom touched the edge of the vanity. He wrapped her in his strong arms before his lips whispered across hers. A fleeting touch. A warning before he sought to devour. Diana parted her lips at the rush and accepted his warm tongue. So heady. She could taste champagne. He smelled fresh, clean. She could feel the heat pouring from his bare chest, sinking into her, making her hot despite the air-conditioned room. His lips were soft but insistent. The demanding movements on her mouth turned a burn into a fire. He gave no quarter and asked for none in return. “Maahes,” she whispered, seduced by the mystery of the man behind the mask. He ran his hands up and down her sides, over her bare shoulders to the zipper running along the curve of her spine, slipping it down, baring her back. She felt the slight roughness of his fingers on her smooth skin as he eased the top of her dress over her bare breasts, exposing them to the cool air. His large hands glided down her sides, easing the dress over her hips, following the fabric the length of her legs. Her skin tingled wherever his fingers traveled, leaving a burning sensation in their wake.

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She closed her eyes and listened to the sharp intake of her own breath while his mouth covered the scented skin of her stomach with a trail of small kisses that led up to her breasts. She felt the ripple of his warm breath across the peaks and valleys before he lifted away, grasping a breast in each hand, raising them to his lips. He devoured the mounds as if they were his salvation. Brought them together and pushed them high so he could lave both pebbled tips. “Beauty,” he called her. “Take off your kilt,” she demanded in a low, throaty voice. His deep chuckle filled the small room, reverberated off the walls and flowed into her. “As you wish, gorgeous.” She kicked away her gown then leaned back against the vanity so she could watch as his magnificent body was revealed, admiring the trim lines as he removed the kilt. He was bare beneath it. Could a cock have ever been so beautiful? She reached out to touch, but he evaded her. He was in charge, not she. Naked but for his half-mask, wrap sandals and that intriguing nipple ring, he lowered his face toward her, pulled her close into his groin with a muscular arm. His fingers pulled her thong down and off, trailing a flame over her already fevered skin. “This is so wrong,” she admonished. “But it feels so right,” he finished with a smile. “Yes,” she agreed. “I understand, Diana. I really do. The balance between propriety and unseemliness. But let your sense of adventure free tonight. Don’t think about tomorrow because it will take care of itself.” He moved in closer. His mouth hovered above hers as he pinned her between him and the vanity. Stealing her breath. Her resistance. “Please.”

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Grace Samuels

“Please?” His breath provided the air for her lungs. “Please touch me.” She couldn’t find more than those basic words. To go further down this path they were headed was idiotic. Was she really such a thrill-seeker? But she wanted this. Wanted this godly embodiment to take her beyond herself. Perhaps some things were worth the risk. He took a half step back, reached down and grasped her fingers in his. He twirled her slowly as a dancer would until they faced the mirror, their images fully visible. He uncrossed their arms and wrapped hers around his neck. “Keep them there,” he instructed. Diana nodded, too intrigued to do otherwise. He lifted her leg until she placed a sandaled foot on the lower vanity then angled her body back against his so her glistening folds showed clearly in the mirror. He slipped a finger down until he reached moist, silky-smooth flesh. Diana arched, moaned. He inserted his finger, slid another in beside it, stroked her. She couldn’t breathe, could only watch as he lifted a glistening finger to his mouth. “Mmm…delicious,” he murmured in her ear. With his other hand, he reached under her from behind, tormented her with his fingers. A nail flicked her clit, sending her higher. She took his fingers deeper, watched their movement in the mirror. Her inner muscles gripped him, tried to hold those digits within. “Come for me, gorgeous.” “I need you inside me,” she moaned. “I am inside you,” he whispered, and slapped her pussy with his free hand. Diana cried out, shocked. His knowing chuckle filled her ear. God! So good! He pushed his fingers deep, scraped them along the wall of her vagina while spanking her clit with his other hand.

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She felt it. A spiral of sensation. Heat. Her eyelids fluttered. She forced them open. Watched in the mirror as her body climaxed. “That’s right, Diana, come for me, feel me inside you.” He felt as if he were on fire. He wanted to create a memory she would never forget. A portrait so detailed she would remember each nuance. It took all his self-control not to ravage her, to fold her over the vanity and fuck her. She tasted so good. Her skin was dewy. Her natural scent mixed with something balmy to create a haze in his head. He couldn’t get enough. The delicate color of her skin was such a fascinating contrast to his own darker tone. Those nipples. God, how he loved those nipples. In the years since they first met, she had blossomed into full womanhood. Her stomach was still flat. But her hips… The hips of a woman. His eyes couldn’t draw away from what he saw in the mirror—the embodiment of sensuality. His little scientist had the body of an exotic dancer. Perhaps one day he would ask her to dance for him. He held her until clarity returned. His erection nestled into her lower back. It felt large, heavy, hot. There was so much he wanted to do to her, with her, but that would have to wait. He had to have relief now. If he didn’t take her this moment, he would explode. The beauty of watching her come had snapped the last thread of his control. “Diana,” he said, gaining her attention. “I’m not going to be able to be a gentle lover. I need to take you fast. I need to take you hard, and I won’t stop until we’ve both come.” She gazed at his reflection. The slight undulation of her body becoming more distinct with each word he spoke. “I won’t play games and I won’t let you change your mind once we’ve begun,” he went on. “If you want me to thrust my cock into you while we both watch, you have to tell me.” “Yes. Yes. Fuck me. I…want you to fuck me. Now,” she breathed.

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He’d given her a final opportunity to say no. His cock was hard and his balls were tight. The pressure in his stomach was almost unbearable. It was too late for him to take her with discipline, their time apart had been too great, his game of cat and mouse this evening played too long, the desire to see her come on his fingers too much a luxury. They could both clearly see her denuded pussy in the mirror. The plump lips open to reveal the flushed, dark pink flesh, inviting him in. Diana arched her hips higher, exposing more of her secrets to him. Her eyes pleaded with him to take what was being offered. Decadence. The Romans had inspired the word with their hedonistic indulgences, but the image before him was so much more. Holding her hip, he guided his cock into her from behind. The feel of her flesh parting for him, accepting him, made him groan. He wouldn’t rush this initial touch no matter the cost to his sanity. It had been so long and he needed to experience, to memorize each sensation as it happened. Her heat was exquisite. The clasp of her muscles consummate. Each movement until he was seated fully within her a test of his willpower. He could happily listen to her breathy moans for a lifetime. The press of her rounded bottom against his groin a touch he needed with desperation. “I’m sorry,” he murmured in her ear. “For?” she questioned his mirror image. “This,” he said as he pulled back and plowed forward with all his strength. Her groan of pleasure as she accepted him was incomparable to his ears. They watched as their bodies merged, undulated against each other, racing down a path that would send them crashing into oblivion. Sweat trickled down the valley of her breasts as they bounced in rhythm with their bodies’ movements. Together they created such heat, such energy in the mirror that he could no longer stave off the orgasm that had been so long in the making.

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He wanted to come. He needed to come. Diana… His fingers found her clit as he thrust harder, faster, into her welcoming warmth. He rubbed the charged spot, circled it, teased it and finally in rapid succession spanked it with firm fingers. He knew it was the final straw for his little scientist. The imagery, the fullness, the texture of mixed sensation all collided into a flash so strong that Diana cried out and fell forward, grasping the vanity edge while she pulsed and thrust against him. Thad lost control. What had been dominating became animalistic. Hands now clutched with bruising strength. Thighs bunched as strong, deep thrusts became frenzied. There was tension in his face—he could see it in the mirror, in the stiffened posture of his body, in the taut muscles of his abdomen and thighs that stood above the bentover feminine form of the woman he loved. He knew she could feel his body burning, hardening then climaxing, exploding within her soft warmth. He thrust his head back, losing their image as he parted his lips on a deep-throated groan that seemed to last forever and yet not nearly long enough. As he ejaculated, all he could do was call her name. “Diana!”

***** Blistering heat. Pounding thunder. Decadent need. A cry of desperation. The pulsing of her body in orgasm. Breathless, she wilted into the strong arms cradling her. She rested there, enjoying the lassitude, the small pulses that fluttered with the languid strokes of the semi-hard cock inside her. He held her steady, his hips moving with leisure, allowing her to relax and enjoy the slow descent back into reality. “Hello, gorgeous.” He smiled at her. “Hello yourself, my Egyptian god.” Diana couldn’t help the tenderness in her voice. “Ready for round two?” His smile had turned into a naughty grin and there was a distinct twinkle in those lapis lazuli eyes. 15

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“Hmm…what I want, Maahes, is a kiss.” “Oh, I think that could be arranged.” He left the warmth of her body, turned her in his arms and lowered his head until their lips grazed. “Is this what you wanted, gorgeous?” “More,” she whispered. The kiss he gave her held all the passion of those previous but without the urgency. It was as if a deep longing had been softened or made content for the moment. It was such a beautiful kiss. She’d had every intention for the masked man to remain behind his guise, leaving her with the memory of making love to a god, but his kiss reached beyond her volition and the desire to see the whole of the man was beyond her control. Reaching up, she touched his cheeks, caressed the smooth surface then began to lift the form-fitting half-mask up and off. “Hello, Dr. Anderson.” Diana smiled. “Why hello, Dr. Mrs. Anderson.” The corner of Thad’s lips quirked up in a small smile. “I missed you.” Now Diana laughed. “And I missed you. This was certainly a lovely reunion but rather risky, don’t you think?” Thad hugged Diana close. “I did ask if you wanted to play a game.” “Hmm…that you did. I’ll have to be a bit more careful of your games in the future.” “Aw, sweetheart, you love the games.” Lifting her face, Diana gazed at her husband who had been in Peru for the last three months working on a burial site high up in the Andes. “I may love the games, but I love my husband more. Welcome home.”

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About the Author Who am I? I’m the woman you pass on the street who smiles at you. I’m your best friend with that tiny secret you wonder about. Ultimately, I’m you. A lover of romance and someone who sees life in bright colors. There are so many amazing wonders in the world we live in, so many questions as to who we are, our mythologies and belief systems, how we were able to build the civilizations of the ancient world and what some of their purposes were. Every time I am at a dig site (be it underwater or on the surface) a city center, temple or standing on top of a pyramid, I can “see” the shadows of those who built, lived, gave birth and died in those places. They might walk by and smile or show the sorrow of their world being destroyed by nature or an invading force. Recently, as something to satisfy my own imagination (remember that within every myth, there is a grain of truth) I began blending my love of romance and some very naughty places to make love, with the mysteries of our ancient selves. Hopefully, I’ve created something that not only satisfies the sophisticated, passionate person you are, but I do so in a way that is not necessarily in the most common or expected way. Good reading! The author welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Also by Grace Samuels One Night With Anubis

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