My cock hardens from the reminder of what I felt that night when I was watching her.
“Were you there together?” Isla asks as the video ends.
“Yes.”
She smiles brightly. “Next time you should do a duet. Something tells me it would be pure magic.”
***
An hour later I’m standing in the open doorway of Olivia’s office with two cups of coffee in my hands.
I decided to make the trip to Foster Enterprises after I left the rehearsal hall. I made a quick call to Sheryl, Olivia’s assistant, to find out how her boss takes her coffee.
One cream and one sugar.
I stopped at the café down the block from here, ordered the coffees and rode the elevator up hoping to hell that Olivia would still be behind her desk.
She’s not.
She’s standing, with her back to me, gazing out at the skyline of Lower Manhattan.
She’s wearing a navy blue dress and her hair is pinned up in a messy bun.
Her phone is to her ear. As she talks about lace bras, her ass sways a tempting beat I can’t ignore.
My cock can’t ignore it either.
The jeans I’m wearing don’t mask my erection. I don’t want to hide it. I want this woman.
I clear my throat to get her attention.
The sound lures her head back with a turn of her neck.
“Oh, I…” she pauses to smile at me. “I need to go. I’ll get in touch tomorrow morning to finish this up.”
She nods before she lowers the phone and places it on her desk.
“Alexander.” My name falls from her perfect pink lips. “Why are you here?”
I raise both coffees in the air. “It’s time for a coffee break.”
Her gaze darts to a clock on the wall. It’s past four p.m. and I have no fucking clue when she gets a break or if she even takes breaks.
“Have a seat.” Her hand waves in the air toward two white leather chairs that face her desk.
I advance into the room, kicking her office door closed with a push of my shoe.
It slams shut.
“Come sit next to me.” I point at the white chairs.
She looks at the office chair behind her desk. I imagine she spends most of her day in it, handling whatever issues come her way.
I can tell that she’s good at what she does and that she takes pride in it.
She rounds the desk, lowering herself into one of the chairs. I take a seat next to her, handing her one of the cups. “One cream. One sugar.”
Surprise flashes over her expression. “How did you know?”
“Intuition,” I lie through a smile.
“Sheryl,” she responds with a sigh. “Your attention to detail is impressive.”
I lean close enough to her that I can whisper in her ear. “The better you get to know me, the more impressive it becomes.”
Taking a sip from the cup, her eyes narrow. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’ll take the time to understand every nuance of your body, Olivia. I’ll make you come often. Intensely.”
She coughs on a swallow, shoving the cup back at me. “You didn’t just say that.”
I place both cups on her desk. Reaching for her, I rub a hand over the center of her back as she coughs again. “I did and I meant every word.”
She glances at my face, her breathing labored. “You’re so sure that I’ll sleep with you.”
I slide my hand up her back, to her neck. I run my finger along the soft skin. “You will.”
“You’re cocky.” She lifts a brow.
“Confident,” I fire back with a lift of my own. “I’m confident that you want me just as badly as I want you.”
Her lips part but she doesn’t reply. Instead, she picks up her coffee cup and takes another drink.
She’s flushed. Her nipples have furled into tight points beneath her dress. Her crossed legs are shifting restlessly.
“What are you doing tonight?” I rub my hands together. “We need to get to know each other better.”
That draws the corners of her lips up. “I have plans.”
“Don’t tell me that they’re with a man.”
Her shoulders relax as she lowers the cup to her lap. “I’m meeting Kate for a drink.”
“After that, you’ll meet me for a drink,” I tell her.
She tilts her head and pauses. “One drink.”
“One drink,” I repeat back. “You name the place and the time.”
Chapter 24
Olivia
When Alexander walks in, I’m watching from a table in the corner.
It’s been hours since he left my office. I tried to refocus on work, but it was impossible.
Every time I’m in the same room with him, my resolve melts a little.
He may be arrogant, but he’s charming.
From where I’m sitting it looks like he’s charming a smile out of the red-haired woman who complained incessantly that her order wasn’t made to her exact liking.
He holds the door open for her as she exits, calling after her that he hopes she has a great night.
I smile inwardly, waiting for the moment when his eyes lock on mine.
He rakes a hand through his hair as he scans the interior of this quaint tea shop.
The jeans he had on earlier are now paired with a black sweater instead of the blue dress shirt he wore to my office.
He looks casual and elegant.
When he finally spots me, I wave my hand in the air to signal him over. He points to the counter as if to ask if I want anything.
I hold up the cup of tea that I ordered when I arrived twenty minutes ago.
He nods, approaching the female barista. He says something to her that makes her face light up.
I glance down at the white plastic table I’m sitting beside. I don’t blame her for grinning at him like that. He’s a gorgeous man with a bare ring finger.
He exudes a level of raw masculinity that I’ve never experienced before. I instantly wonder if the barista senses it too.
“Olivia Hull, you’re full of surprises.”
I look up to find Alexander standing next to the table. “I thought we’d indulge in a good bottle of wine or beer. Earl Grey would be proud of us both.”
His order is the same as mine. It’s a medium cup of tea.
“I like to think outside the box.” I motion for him to sit across from me. “Did you have any trouble finding this place?”
He looks around the eclectic shop. The walls are covered with orange paint and pink shelves which are home to a collection of antique teacups and saucers.
I consider it a Manhattan treasure. It’s one of those hole-in-the-wall places that only local and loyal customers frequent.
“I’ve been here before.”
The admission surprises me enough that it catches my breath. “You’ve been here?”
“Many times. I like the tea.” He raises his cup in the air. “We have more in common than you think.”
I laugh that away with a wave of my hand. “You’re a conductor. I work in lingerie…”
“Stop right there.” He leans back in his chair. “You work in lingerie as in you wear Liore lingerie to work?”
My pulse thrums. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“But you do,” he says boldly. “You’re wearing Liore lingerie now.”
I glance down at the red sweater and jeans I’m wearing. The large white scarf around my neck covers any hint of the skin on my chest.
“What color, Olivia?”
I sip my tea, ignoring the question.
He persists. “White lace? Black satin?”
“Pink.”
He growls. A literal growl curls off his tongue. “Fuck.”
“Lace,” I say softly.
“Goddammit,” he rasps. “Show me.”
I laugh. “No.”
“Show me,” he repeats. “It can be the top of your bra. The strap. Hell, I’m g
ame if you strip right here and let me see it all.”
I glance over his shoulder at two women leaving. There are only a handful of people left. None of them are glancing in our direction.
“Give me something to remember tonight by.” A sexy grin takes over his mouth.
I close my eyes briefly, wondering if I’m doing this because of the half glass of wine I had earlier with Kate.
When I open them, his expression has shifted to pure desire. Lust dances in his blue eyes.
I slowly unwrap the scarf from my neck, carefully tugging it free before I let it fall to my lap.
His eyes drop to the skin of my chest and the v that dives between my breasts.
I inch forward, slip my hand down the smooth skin of my neck, and then lower until it’s resting between my breasts. I slide it under the left side of my sweater and pull the material back just a touch.
I look down at the faintest hint of pink lace.
“There’s something we need to discuss, Olivia.” His voice is low, thick and filled with the same need I feel within me.
“We will soon,” I say as I drop my hand. “Soon, Alexander.”
Sliding back on his chair, his jaw tenses. “It can’t be soon enough.”
***
“Do your panties match your bra?” he asks as we stand on the sidewalk outside my building. We walked the three blocks from the tea shop. He insisted. I didn’t argue.
I shake my head as I wrap the scarf tighter around my neck. “I’m not showing you my panties.”
“Yet, Alexander,” he finishes the sentence. “Yet.”
“I wasn’t going to say that,” I point out with a finger push to the center of his chest.
In one swift movement, my hand is in his, resting against his chest. “You are thinking it.”
I am. I think about it more and more.
I thought about it while we had our tea and he talked about an upcoming performance of the symphony. I listened to every word he spoke with rapt attention.
His voice is mesmerizing. As he was explaining about the cadence of the music and the intensity of the string section, I drifted into thoughts of what he must sound like during sex.
The deep, ragged breaths he would take, the grunts, the growl that might escape when he comes. I focused on all of that while he smiled through a one-sided discussion about classical music.
“I’m thinking about the fact that I need to be in my office bright and early tomorrow so I should get to bed.”
“I can take you,” he offers with a lift of one brow.
A grin spreads over my lips. “That’s not up for discussion tonight.”
He steps closer to me. His hands leap to my scarf, untying it slowly until it’s hanging loosely around my neck.
“Is a kiss?” His voice is a deep rasp.
My tongue darts out to slick my bottom lip in anticipation. “A kiss?”
“Let me show you,” he whispers.
I close my eyes when I feel his lips crash into mine. His hand moves to the back of my neck, the other drops to my hip. He pulls me into him as he kisses me deeply, tenderly and in a way I’ve never been kissed before.
Chapter 25
Alexander
She lets me between her lips without any reservation. I take full advantage, gliding my tongue along hers, gently biting her lower lip.
She moans into our kiss, and I deepen it more. My hand slides down to her ass. I grab it, squeeze it and pull her closer so she can feel what she’s doing to me.
Her breath catches when she grinds her body against my erection.
I could come. I swear to fuck I could come from the taste of her.
It’s minty and fresh. She’s pure heaven.
Her hands are on me now. One is wrapped around my neck, the other resting on my shoulder.
I want to pick her up, carry her inside, pin her against the wall of the elevator as we ride it up to her place and then I want to fuck her.
She pulls back a touch and I groan aloud. I don’t care if she knows how she’s making me feel.
“Alexander.” Her eyes blink. “Not yet.”
I nod through a rush of frustration. I’ve never had to wait this long to have a woman.
Hell, I rarely put in any effort when I meet a woman I want to take to bed.
A drink and a flirtatious grin are usually all I need to do to get laid.
“Olivia.” I press my lips to the corner of her mouth. “You’re killing me. My cock is as hard as steel.”
She rubs against it. “I know.”
I close my eyes. This woman knows how to tempt and tease me. I can’t tell if she’s playing with me or if her refusal to fuck me is based in a real need to have a connection before she shares her body.
“I’ll go home and think about you.” I pull her even closer, my lips whispering over the shell of her ear. “I’ll stroke my cock until I come. That will all be for you.”
Her eyes find mine. “You’re going to masturbate and think about me?”
“I do it every day, Olivia.”
“Every day?”
“Every fucking day.” I nip at her bottom lip.
She winces. “You’re not sleeping with anyone else?”
What the hell?
“Are you?” I push back, my hand dropping to her ass again.
She squirms under my touch. “No. I’m not.”
Relief floods me, sending a new raging need straight to my cock. I’m so hard there’s a persistent deep ache within.
“You’re the only woman I want to fuck,” I say so there’s no misunderstanding about how badly I need to be inside of her.
Her gaze falls to the front of my jeans. “I didn’t realize.”
“I won’t push to come up to your place tonight.” I draw her eyes back up with a hand to her chin. “But it’s going to happen soon. You want it just as badly as I do.”
This time she doesn’t protest. Her chin moves under my touch. It’s a faint nod.
I take her mouth again in a kiss. It’s soft and lures a breathy sigh from her throat. “Goodnight, Olivia.”
Her hand darts to her lips. They’re pink and swollen. “Goodnight, Alexander. Sweet dreams.”
I watch as she turns and walks into the lobby of her building.
“Sweet dreams indeed,” I mutter under my breath before I take off down the street in search of a bar and a shot of something much stronger than tea.
***
“I thought you forgot about me, Alex.” Alvin shoves a book into my hands. “I saw this at the library today. We can look at it together.”
I catch Phoebe’s eye from where she’s standing next to her dining room table. Her bottom lip quivers. This is what she’s longed for. She wants there to be a connection between Alvin and me just as badly as I want it.
I’d say that that book I’m holding is a strong start.
I glance over at Alvin as he takes a seat next to me on the couch. “Does this mean you’re taking up the piano again?”
Looking back at his mom, he lowers his voice. “I want to learn how to play a song before mom’s birthday.”
I thumb through the tattered book of sheet music.
“Which song?”
He turns a page, and then another before he points at the book. “That one.”
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Phoebe calls from across the room. “I hope you’re both hungry.”
I was going to skip the meal to go back to Manhattan. I planned to surprise Olivia at her place with some take-out. I haven’t stopped thinking about her since we kissed last night.
When I dropped in here unannounced, Alvin was in his room working on his homework. Phoebe was grading papers, but she set that aside to talk to me about how much she misses Monte.
I wish to hell I could right her world.
She deserves everything she wants, including family dinners with her husband sitting next to her.
“Don’t tell mom.” Alvin slams the book shut.
I
nod. “What I can do to help?”
He opens his mouth to reveal a toothy grin. “Teach me. I want you to be my new piano teacher.”
I should tell him that I don’t have time for that, but I’ll make it work. If I have to give up a few hours of sleep and drag the orchestra down to the rehearsal hall at six a.m. I’ll do it.
“When do we start?”
He’s on his feet, bouncing in place. “You’ll do it?”
“Anything for you, Alvin.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Whatever you need, I’m there for you.”
He takes off toward the table. That kid just gave me a gift. He doesn’t realize it, but I’ll leave this house a happier man than when I walked in.
Chapter 26
Olivia
I watch Kate as she takes a sip of the smoothie. Her eyelids flutter shut.
“It’s good, right?” I tuck my yoga mat under my arm. “I told you it was worth the subway ride.”
We came to Washington Square Park after our yoga class. We hadn’t been in weeks, but when I woke up this morning with a sharp pain in my shoulder, I knew that I needed a good workout.
I could have experienced that last night if I had invited Alexander up to my apartment.
“It’s amazing.” She takes another drink. “We should find a yoga studio close to here so we can grab these smoothies as soon as we’re done class. It would save us the subway ride and a lot of time.”
Time.
It’s the most valuable currency in Kate’s life.
She busies herself at her bridal shop to avoid facing her pain. Gage Burke, the man who broke her heart, damaged her in ways he may never be aware of.
She tells me often that she’s put their breakup in her rearview mirror, but it’s a lie.
Her days are packed with work, friends and whatever else she can cram into the remaining few hours before she falls asleep.
“There’s one two blocks over.” I point down the street. “I took a class there once. I liked it. I’ll book us in for one next week?”
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