by Donna Raider
Leah looked down, studying her hands. She truly wanted to accept the disqualification but knew being disqualified would be a big disappointment to Richie, the band, and the entire town. The thought of the women rubbing all over her wife sent a wave of fury through her.
Mika placed a calming hand on her arm. “I’m certain Mayor Cross will be able to persuade the singer to perform.”
“Okay,” the mayor growled. “We will bring the same singer, but only if we get to select the venue from your list, and the performance is scheduled before Christmas.”
Marcus considered her proposal for several minutes, weighing the pros and cons of it. “What venue?” he asked.
“Radio City Music Hall,” she said, selecting the hall guaranteeing the smallest crowd.
Marcus nodded. “What about talk show appearances, interviews, etc.?” he pushed.
“If it can happen in December,” the Mayor said. “The band members are out of school the entire month of December to celebrate Christ’s birthday.”
“You are religious?” Marcus queried.
“Yes,” she smiled proudly. The priest’s smile let her know how pleased she was with her. Leah’s eyes locked with Mika’s and held a little too long.
You are sleeping with your parish priest; Marcus thought as he watched the brief exchange between Mika and Leah.
“How long will you be in town?” Marcus asked.
“Why do you ask?” Leah smiled her politician’s smile.
“I just need to go over this with the promoters. Using the Music Hall greatly limits the income from ticket sales.” I want to get you alone. Marcos thought.
“Call me before noon tomorrow,” the Mayor instructed. “After that, I will be unavailable.”
“I will do my best to have an answer for you, this evening,” Marcus smiled, his white teeth sparkling against his dark complexion. “Perhaps we can finalize things over dinner.”
Leah brought her left hand to her lips, trying to decide her answer. It was then Marcus noticed the wedding band on her left hand.
“What an exquisite ring,” Marcus frowned.
“Yes,” she smiled, “my wife is a woman of exceptional taste.”
“In every way,” Marcus said as he slowly let his eyes move from her face to her body and back. If she is married and having an affair with her priest, she is not as prudish as she appears and obviously fools around, he thought. He had to find a way to be alone with her.
Marcus’ blatant scanning of her wife’s body did not escape Mika’s attention. Leah ignored it. Men had always looked at her that way. She was used to it. It always worked to her advantage.
“What time?” she asked finally.
“What time, what?” Marcus pulled from his thoughts of her.
“Dinner tonight,” she smiled, “what time and where?”
“Seven. I will pick you up.” Marcus smiled slyly.
“That won’t be necessary,” she stood. “Just text me the restaurant name and address. I will be there at seven.”
“Mika,” Marcus addressed the priest, “there is a special mass tonight at Old St Peters. You might enjoy it. St. Peters is the oldest Catholic Church in New York. It’s quite lovely.”
“Thank you,” the priest nodded as she followed the mayor out of the office.
James was waiting for them when they walked from the building. Once they settled in the car, Mika leaned over and kissed her gently. “It was all I could do not to strike him blind,” she scowled.
Leah nodded, “Wasn’t he typical?”
“A typical lecherous male,” Mika huffed. “Men like him give the gender a bad name.”
“I hate to break it to you, darling, but most men are like him. I’m afraid there are few exceptions.” Leah’s eyes danced as she spoke to her wife. “Is there a way to give us privacy in this limo?”
Mika pushed a button, and a partition slid up between the driver and the passengers.
Leah slid her dress up to her waist, as she straddled her wife’s lap, kissing her deeply. Mika was pleased to find Leah wore no undergarments. A look of surprise crossed Leah’s face as Mika pulled away from her lips. After a moment’s hesitation, Mika pushed the intercom button. “James, please drive around until further notice,” she said trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.
Mika kissed her cheek, her ear, slowly moving down her neck. Her chest ached as she inhaled the scent of Leah. “Leah, I love you, so much,” she breathed into her hair. Mika’s hands slid down Leah’s back, then back up to the zipper of her dress. She slowly eased it down along with the top of the dress. She kissed each new inch of skin revealed as she undressed her wife. Mika kissed the flesh she had been eyeing during the entire meeting, slowly kissing and caressing her ample breasts as Leah moaned her approval.
“Yes, oh yes, baby,” she whispered. “You know what I like.” Leah slipped her hands behind Mika’s head, pulling Mika harder against her as she strained toward her.
Still holding Mika tightly to her breast, with one hand, Leah let the other slide down to unfasten her slacks. She was briefly gleeful Mika hadn’t worn a belt. Leah flicked her wrist, and Mika’s slacks were on the floor of the limo, around her ankles.
After they had satisfied each other, Leah slumped against Mika’s shoulder, still straddling her lap. “Mortal lovemaking has its advantages,” she mumbled. It was a good fix for those times she needed Mika desperately.
“Um,” Mika murmured against her neck.
They drove around New York for a long time, just holding each other. Leah moved to sit in Mika’s lap, her legs stretched across the seat beside them. Mika fed her cheese and crackers. Mika loved the way Leah took a fresh strawberry between her teeth then closed her lips around it. “Thank you for getting my favorite wine,” she kissed Mika softly. She waved her hand, redressing them. Finally, Mika asked James to take them home.
##
Leah didn’t agonize over dressing for dinner with Marcus, but she did want to look breathtakingly elegant for her wife. She knew Mika had made plans for them tonight and wanted her to be proud that she was with her.
Mika was glad to see that Marcus had selected a trendy restaurant without much atmosphere for his dinner engagement with Leah. While it was crowded, the faux leather, circular booths did offer a modicum of privacy.
Marcus waited outside the restaurant for the mayor and was surprised when she arrived in a white limousine. The driver was at her door almost as soon as the car stopped at the curb. Marcus watched as an expensive pair of high heels stepped out onto the pavement, connected to the shapeliest legs, he had ever seen. Then the woman slowly emerged looking around as if she owned the world. She looks like a queen, Marcus thought. She smiled and spoke to the driver who closed the door and disappeared into the limo. Marcus was disappointed that she hadn’t dismissed her driver but simply had him pull to one of the limo parking spaces in front of the restaurant.
Ah, but the woman. She made eye contact with Marcus and moved slowly toward him, her hips swaying slightly. Like many men before him, Marcus thought, No one should walk that sensuously. He didn’t move toward her. He couldn’t. Watching her walk toward him seemed to be all he was able to do.
“Mr. Devon,” she smiled, pulling him from his stupor. How kind of you to wait outside for me. The mark of a true gentleman.”
I would wait outside in the pouring rain and driving snow for you, he thought, as she linked her arm through his to be escorted into the restaurant.
Marcus was delighted the hostess remembered him and greeted him by name. She took Leah’s coat, then led them to his favorite table in the far back corner. He had seduced many women starting at this table. Somehow, he knew he wouldn’t be that lucky tonight. Leah Cross wasn’t a woman easily seduced, but there was always tomorrow.
The waiter poured wine into their glasses. Leah raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Oh, I come here often,” Marcus grinned smugly. “They know what I like.”
“Um,” she smiled
slightly, “but they don’t know what I like.”
Marcus was dumbfounded. He knew he should have deferred to her preference. He wasn’t used to dating an intelligent, self-confident woman who knew not all wines tasted the same. “I am sorry…”
“Not important,” she waved her hand as if the entire thing was of no consequence. “Before we start drinking wine, I would like to conduct our business. I assume you have brought final contracts?”
“Yes,” he frowned, opening his briefcase. “I took the liberty of drawing up two contracts. One is at the American Airlines Center with one performance. The other is for two performances at Radio City Music Hall. Both contracts call for talk show appearances and interviews with the band during the month of December. The actual performance will be the weekend before Christmas.”
She scanned the contract for Radio City Music Hall. “Can the two performances be in one weekend, say Friday and Saturday?”
Marcus and the promoters hadn’t considered back-to-back performances in one weekend. He wasn’t sure everyone would agree with that. “I don’t…”
She leaned forward, and he found himself looking at the most perfect cleavage he had ever been allowed to admire. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. She laid her hand on top of his and said, “It would be an easy change to make,” as he raised his eyes to meet hers, an amused smile decorated her beautiful lips.
“I don’t see why not,” Marcus gulped a drink of wine, trying to hydrate his mouth that had suddenly become parched.
“We can just mark thru this line where is says ‘to be named at a later date’ and print in ‘two consecutive, night performances’ at Radio City Music Hall,” she continued to smile as she pulled a pen from her purse and made the notations on the contract.
“There, I have initialed the changes and signed the contract. Now if you will do the same, we can forget about business.” The sultry, dark-haired beauty smiled coyly at him. She wanted to finish both this negotiation and the concerts a quickly as possible. She had no desire to interact any more than necessary with Marcus Devon.
Not even caring what he was signing, Marcus initialed beside her initials and wrote his signature on the line above his name.
“If you don’t mind,” she smiled, “I’d like to take the contract and read it tonight.”
“Marcus, old boy,” a handsome man in an expensive business suit slapped the agent on the back but abruptly stopped when he saw Leah. “Oh, Marcus, you are way out of your league,” he smiled at Leah taking her left hand. “Adam Rothchild, at your service.” He proceeded to kiss her hand.
She nodded but remained silent as Marcus interrupted the other man’s maneuver. “Adam, how nice to see you,” Marcus seethed. “We were…”
“How did you convince this gorgeous creature to go out with you?” Rothchild ran his eyes over Leah. “I don’t believe I have ever seen you out with a lady of this caliber.” His eyes fell to the wedding ring on her left hand, and he raised an eyebrow.
“This isn’t a date,” the mayor glared at Rothchild. “We were just finalizing a contract. Mr. Devon represents the Maine’s Got Talent group and my son won the contest.”
She picked up her purse and the signed contract. “I will drop this by your office tomorrow,” she smiled at Marcus then turned to walk away with the priest who had quietly joined the group at the table.
“Darling, sometimes your beauty completely overwhelms me,” Mika tucked Leah’s hand through her elbow.
Fury swept through Marcus as he watched the priest help Leah with her coat and guide her to the waiting limo. “Damn you, Rothchild.” Marcus slammed his fist into the table. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Marcus, in case you didn’t notice that work of art she has on her left hand, the woman is married. Oh, yes, I forgot, that doesn’t matter to you.” Rothchild shook his head and walked away, secretly aware of Marcus’ brief affair with his own wife.
Marcus didn’t care if she was married. She was sleeping with the priest, so obviously wedding vows didn’t matter much to her. If she were prone to stray outside her marriage, he would be there to help her. He had to find a way to get close to her.
##
“Phantom of the Opera,” Leah’s smile told Mika she had selected the right musical. “Oh, Mika, I have always wanted to see this. What a wonderful surprise. I love the music, and the story is intense.”
They settled into their seats at the Majestic Theatre. Leah slid her arm through Mika’s and hugged her arm tightly. “Umm,” she hummed. They pressed as close to one another as possible in the theater seats. “Phantom is the longest running musical in New York.” Mika informed her.
Leah sat in awed silence as the driving music and melancholy story carried them away. Although they had attended many musicals in Boston, there was nothing quite like New York theater.
After the musical, they walked down Broadway to Times Square. Leah was speechless. She had never seen such opulence. She was a little intimidated but totally secure with her wife. She hugged Mika’s arm tighter, pulling it between her breasts. Mika pulled Leah into her arms, intending to kiss her quickly, but Leah’s lips pushed against Mika’s, and she caught her lower lip between her teeth when Mika pulled back slightly. Completely oblivious that they were standing in the center of Times Square, Mika kissed Leah with all the passion and longing that had built up in her during the day. While she had found it very arousing to watch Leah’s skillful manipulation of Marcus Devon, Mika hated the way the man had looked at her. When she opened her eyes, they were standing in their penthouse.
Mika took her by the hand and led Leah onto the terrace where candles lit a dinner setting for two. “We haven’t eaten much all day. I thought you might like something to eat.” Mika poured her favorite wine, pushed the button to alert the kitchen they were ready for their midnight supper. Within minutes, a soft knock on the door announced the arrival of their meal.
“Would you like to change into something more comfortable,” Mika asked, “while I place supper on the table.”
“No. I am very comfortable,” Leah smiled her ‘tilt your world’ smile. “I wore this dress with the express purpose of having you take it off me.”
They slept late the next morning, partly because the prior day had been exhausting and partly because Mika was an expert at taking sexy dresses off her even sexier wife.
CHAPTER 22 - Old Black Magic Called Love
“Friday,” Leah laughed aloud as she fell on the bed beside Mika, “We have all day today and tomorrow and Sunday to make love.”
“At some point today, we need to get a copy of the contract back to your boyfriend,” Mika teased.
Leah slapped her playfully then kissed her tenderly. “How did I ever get so lucky to have a wife like you?” she grinned.
“Same way I was lucky enough to have a wife like you. God allowed it.”
“Yes,” Leah said thoughtfully, “we must go to Mass. While you showered, I got the schedule from the internet. Is Saturday at four, okay with you?”
“Yes, now let’s get dressed and drop the contract to Marcus and I will take you for a carriage ride, Your Majesty.” Mika bowed low.
They picked up the copies of the contract from Mrs. Worth on their way out the door. James drove them to Marcus’ building where Mika left the agreement with the receptionist in the lobby. Leah sent Marcus a text the contract was with his receptionist. A brief “Thanks” was all she received back.
James dropped them at Central Park, and they soon settled into a carriage.
Mika put her arm around her wife and pulled Leah tight against her side. Leah snuggled into her. Both loved the soft warmth of the other.
“The carriage will take us around and through Central Park,” Mika explained. “This is the huge expanse of land you asked me about.”
Leah had ridden in many carriages in the past, but this one was the most wonderful. The joy of her wife beside her; the way she continually stole kisses and professed her love. Everyt
hing about her life was perfect.
After the carriage ride, Mika took her to a small, but unique Italian restaurant. The food was exceptional; the quality of the wine was indescribable. “I hope you don’t mind trying my favorite wine,” Mika grinned.
“This is incredible,” Leah looked up at her through long dark lashes. “The aroma and flavor are delightful. I feel almost as boorish as Marcus. I have never asked you if you had a wine preference. I just assumed mine was the best.” Leah sipped her wine again. “I was wrong.”
“This is one of the few restaurants that has it,” Mika laughed. “I doubt you have ever encountered it. “It comes from the vineyards surrounding our villa in Italy.”
After lunch, Mika pulled her into a shaded doorway and kissed her slowly, sweetly. She parted her teeth allowing their tongues to taste each other’s wine. Leah slowly became aware of the sound of rushing water and pulled her head back to look around. Still in Mika’s arms but in a different shaded doorway, Leah noticed an enormous waterfall. The cascading waters were almost deafening. “Niagara Falls?” she asked. “You transported us to Niagara Falls!”
Mika took her by the hand and led her to a railing overlooking the falls. “We’re on the Canadian side,” she explained. “I find it much more beautiful. It has fewer large rocks than the U.S. side, and we can go under Horseshoe Falls on the boat.”
Mika put her arms around Leah’s shoulders as the cold spray from the falls settled on them. “Look! That is a Maid of the Mist boat going into the falls.”
Leah watched as a steamboat disappeared under the falls. She held her breath until it reappeared from the frothy, white waters. “That looks dangerous,” she exhaled.
“It is the closest I have ever felt to my maker on this earth,” Mika said softly in her ear. “Will you ride it with me? I want you to feel it.”
Leah smiled mischievously at her. “You should know by now, darling, I will do anything with you.”
Mika kissed her softly, trying to quell the heat that consumed her body, at Leah’s words.