by Kami Larke
She moaned and almost lost her grip on the board as she felt his hand slide down her stomach and urge her legs apart. She gasped as one deft finger found its way between her folds and stroked her before sliding into her.
“Rob,” she gasped, struggling to open her eyes. “I’ve never….”
“Shh, it’s okay, just go with it,” he told her as he slid another finger into her, stroking in and out. Abby couldn’t help it as she wrapped her legs around his torso. Arching her back, she raised herself partially out of the water. Rob made a sound of approval deep in his throat as he renewed his suckling.
Abby’s head dropped back as she lost the ability to think. It took all her will power to remember to hold on to the diving board so they didn’t both drown. With every stroke of his fingers, she felt herself drawing tighter, closer to the edge of release.
It was like he knew how close she was, as he bit her slightly harder than before, sending her tumbling over the edge to release, her body convulsing around his fingers. She didn’t even try to hold back her cries of pleasure as her orgasm shook her.
Her fingers lost their grip, and she slipped into the pool, only to have Rob hold her up as he swam slowly toward the shallow end. Abby floated along, her entire body limp, sated. As they reached the steps in the shallow end, Rob leaned back, drawing her floating body over his.
Abby smiled as she felt herself stop moving, her head coming to rest on Rob’s shoulder. His hands were already on her again, stroking and skimming her. As he caressed her sensitive nipples, she gasped slightly.
“I want you, now,” he said huskily. Abby cut her eyes to him. His eyes almost seemed to glow with desire.
“I’ve never done it in a pool before,” she confessed, her words negated by the eager tone in her voice.
“First time for everything,” he said, already tugging her into position above him. He raised his hips slightly, moving up one more step so his lap was out of the water.
“But,” she protested, realizing he was positioning her back to him. She felt his erection against her, seeking entrance. Wrapping her legs around his, she pressed down onto him, passion making her forget where they were as they quickly established a rhythm. His hands came around to cup her breasts, as his lips found the side of her neck. With a moan, Abby leaned her head back, rocking her hips back against him.
It only took a few more strokes for Abby to find her release, Rob right behind her. As she slowly came back to herself, she realized he was softly stroking her arms, murmuring soft words in her hair.
“That was wonderful,” she whispered.
“Yes, you are,” Rob replied. After a few moments, he urged her to her feet and guided her from the pool up to his room. The shower rinsed the chlorine from her hair and she fell asleep almost as soon as they curled up in the bed together.
Chapter 16 ~ rob
The ride to Atlanta from Columbus on Saturday was noisy and bumpy. Rob was regretting using the shuttle service. If it weren’t for the fact that Abby kept ending up pressed hard against his side, it would have been a total loss.
He was grateful she had to have the books shipped to the hotel from the printer rather than trying to take them on the shuttle. They would have had to pay for the extra baggage, and given what the rates were, he choked a bit at the expense of it all. He hoped the convention was a success for Abby, otherwise he didn’t see how she could afford to keep going to them.
The flight she had booked was direct, first class. While Rob wasn’t a snob by any stretch of the imagination, he was grateful for the extra leg room on the plane afforded to him by being in first class. As they landed and collected their luggage, Rob trailed behind Abby. He hadn’t traveled much since his years in the MMA circuit, and he was just as happy to follow her lead. In no time, they had a cab to the hotel and were on their way.
“Do you think you have any books waiting for you?” he asked.
“I actually hope so, since it will give me time to sign some for giveaways,” Abby said, her eyes taking in the scenery as they rode along.
Check-in at the hotel was accomplished quickly, and they were both issued their event badges with the warning they had to wear them at all times while at the convention. Several casinos and restaurants were offering discounts to convention participants, and they were urged to use the badges to get the most out of their experience.
Their room was on the thirty-second floor with a spectacular view of the surrounding area. Rob wasn’t feeling up to going out that night and suggested room service and dining where they could see the sun set.
“Well, we’re here,” Abby said, as she propped her feet up on an empty chair and toasted Rob with her glass of wine.
“Yes, we are. What are we doing tomorrow?”
“We have a welcome brunch in the morning and then really nothing for the rest of the day. The real activities aren’t scheduled to start until Monday. Then I have three panels I am on, and two classes I’m attending.”
Rob nodded. “You have these marked for me?”
“Yes, but it’s not like you will really need that, you will be with me the whole time, right?” She took another sip of wine.
“Right.” Rob shook his head as he looked at the pamphlets and booklets they had been handed when they checked in. “This this is a nightmare. How do you find your way around?”
Abby laughed. “I’ve been doing them for a while. I’ve got the banquet hall layouts of several hotels from around the world committed to memory.”
“Wow. And people really pay to come to these things?”
“It’s a lot of very good information. Classes are given on character development, sticking with a POV, when to use which POV, publishing, printing, editing, the whole writing process.”
“I guess so,” he said. “I never realized so much went into writing.”
“Books are like the tip of an iceberg. The reader rarely sees what goes into producing what for them is a few hours entertainment. Some books take literally months to go from concept to being on the shelf in the bookstore.”
“Guess it was kinda naive of me to think it was nothing more than jotting down some words and making trips to the mailbox to pick up the royalty checks.”
“That’s honestly what most people think writing is, and that I make tons of money from writing. It wasn’t until I had written at least ten books that I started to see any real money from it. I was only able to quit my day job about three years ago. I’ve been writing for over ten.”
Rob’s brows rose. “Still, you have something you do now that you love, right?”
Abby grinned. “I can’t think of another thing I’d rather do.” Setting her glass down, she held out her hand to Rob. “Let’s go to bed. I’m wiped out.”
Chapter 17 ~ abby
The welcome brunch the next morning started smoothly. Abby found their table and introduced Rob around as her assistant, there to do the heavy lifting of all the boxes of books she expected to sell and buy. She was delighted to see her friend A.D. Herrick seated at her table. A.D. had been one of the first authors to read one of Abby’s early works and had encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone and try something different. In a way, A.D. was the Godmother to Abby’s best seller, Bron Tucker.
“Hey, girl! I’m so glad you made it.” A.D. greeted her with a hug. “Who’s the honey?”
Abby giggled as she pulled Rob forward to meet her friend. “This is Rob Edwards, he’s my PA for the week. Try to not scare him off too fast. He’s taller than me,” Abby concluded in a stage whisper.
“Welcome, Rob. Hope you don’t get too bored waiting around to do the heavy lifting.” A.D. told him as she took her seat.
The emcee stepped to the podium and the room fell silent as they listened to the welcome speech, followed by the overview of the events for the week. Finally, all the formalities were over and the food was served.
“So, are you going to attend any of the lectures, Rob?” A.D. asked as they dug into the first course.
“I was just going to kinda tag along with Abby, go where she does.”
“Awe, that’s so cute. But really, you should try to branch out a little. She can be kinda vanilla, you know.”
Abby felt like kicking her friend under the table.
Rob chuckled. “Trust me, she is anything but vanilla.” A.D.’s eyes grew wide as she caught the double meaning to what he said.
“Really now.” A sly look came over her face as she looked over at Abby. Abby swallowed hard, praying the floor would open up and let her gracefully make an exit by dropping into a pit.
“See, I can work outside my comfort zone,” Abby told her. A.D. hooted with laughter.
“Damn, girl, I’m so proud of you.” She exuberantly threw her arms around Abby and hugged her tight. “I want details.”
“A.D.! I’m not that kind of girl,” Abby said primly, playfully sticking her nose up in the air as she reached for her juice.
“So, tell me, what’s new in your life?” A.D. asked, not bothering to hide the fact that she was fishing for details of Abby’s life.
“Well, my apartment is getting redecorated while I’m here,” she said.
“Really? Who are you trusting with that one?” A.D. knew what a control freak Abby was about her personal surroundings.
“Crissy is in charge, actually,” Abby replied after a quick bite.
“She’s good.” A.D. said, her gaze straying to Rob who was glancing around the room. Leaning in to Abby she whispered, “What’s really going on with you and Hunky Dunky?”
“He’s my self-defense instructor,” Abby whispered back. A.D. sat up abruptly, her eyes slightly wide.
“Gotcha.” Showing tremendous restraint, she let the subject drop. As brunch wound up, A.D. invited them to join her casino hopping.
“I have no interest in running around in this heat,” Abby told her honestly.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” A.D. pleaded with her.
“Maybe tonight, after it cools off some,” Abby put her off.
“Well, all right. I’ll see you later. Nice meeting you, Hunky Dunky.”
Rob chuckled as A.D. rose and left the room. “Interesting friends you have. A cop, a PA, which I’m still not sure what that is, and her.” Shaking his head, he rose and helped Abby from her seat.
“So, what are we doing for the rest of the day?” he wiggled his eyebrows at her as they crossed the lobby, headed toward the elevator bank.
Abby gave a short laugh. “Unfortunately, I have stuff I have to get done. I need to stop by the front desk to see if my books have arrived, and if they have, I need to get them sent up so I can start signing them.”
Rob dutifully followed her to the desk, waiting patiently as she checked. Abby wasn’t sure if he was happy or irritated that her books had arrived, but she was grateful he didn’t complain when she asked for them to be sent up straight away.
She worked away that afternoon, creating gift bags, signing books, and swag she had brought with her and getting everything organized for the book fair that would be held on Saturday after the final ball of the week. After watching for a few minutes, Rob began to pitch in, catching on quickly to what went into the gift bags.
Checking against her schedule, Abby counted out the number of gift bags she needed for each panel she was chairing and the lectures she was leading.
“Why are you doing this?” Rob asked.
“People like getting stuff. Each of the QR codes on these postcards is good for the download of one free short story by me. Some people who have been to a lot of these will already have them, but it’s a teaser, designed to get someone hooked on my writing so they will order actual books.”
“You give away stuff, in order to sell more stuff?”
“Pretty much.” Abby laughed at the confused look on his face. “Books aren’t like clothes. You have to sit down and read them before you know if you like that person’s writing style or not. Clothes, well, you can tell just by looking at them if you will like them or not.”
“I get it. I just think you should charge for everything you do. You undervalue yourself by giving stuff away for free.”
Abby shook her head, a slight smile on her face. “It’s how it’s done,” she said, turning back to work.
Once they were done with the bags, she checked the count of attendees for each event and separated the bags into groups.
“I think you need more boxes,” Rob said.
“Nope, what we do is take all the books out of their boxes, load the gift bags in, and then mark them clearly for which event they are tied to. I’ll end up with some left over, because most people will realize that it’s the same stuff in each bag, and if they attend more than one event I am hosting, they won’t grab more than one.”
“What do you do with the leftovers?”
“I give them away at the book fair.”
“Oh, of course.” Abby laughed at his deadpan tone.
They took dinner in the room again, and Rob went over the next day’s schedule again.
“Your first event is at ten? Then you have another at eleven, one, and three.”
Abby nodded as she ate. “Yep, then there’s the mixer at the end of the day. Actually, one is at the end of each day. But essentially, after the stuff I host, I’m a free agent until Tuesday. Half the day will be things I host, and the other half is things I’m going to.”
“What are the mixers?”
“Think after-party. We get dressed up and go mingle with the other authors, publishers, agents, editors, and readers. Attendance is not mandatory but is in my best interest. The whole reason people come here is to see their favorite authors in a social setting. The more I’m seen, the more I sell.”
“It’s all advertising then?”
“I get a lot of sales from doing this, yes. Not even all the sales are from the day of the event. I also pick up more followers on my social media.”
“Mmm, not sure how I feel about that,” Rob teased.
“About what?” Abby asked.
“You having lots of followers on social media. Are there men followers?”
“Yeah, men love my books.” Abby gave him a puzzled look, but shrugged. “Anyway, mystery writers get a more diverse following than romance, which is easily ninety percent or more women.”
“I saw some people dressed up downstairs,” Rob mentioned.
“Yeah, those would be the cos players. Everyone gets some. Ours tend to dress up like the theme of their favorite books. You will find space bandits, bounty hunters, guys in fatigues, the whole gamut.”
“Some people need to get a life.” Rob shook his head. “Well, here’s to tomorrow,” he said as he toasted her and finished off his drink.
Abby was thrilled that her panels and lectures went off without a hitch. If it weren’t for the fact that it had happened so recently, she could almost forget about the break-in. She caught herself using it as a point of inspiration for a book. It really was true that writers draw inspiration from everything around them.
Rob argued with her about going to the costume party on Wednesday night. It was really the only bump in the road they had hit all week.
“It’s expected,” Abby explained for the millionth time. She refused to let down her fans who had come to see her.
“Fine, but you stay with me. We still haven’t had word from the police back home if they have caught anyone or not.”
“Did I not tell you? Jade called. She said they were closing in on a suspect.”
“No, you didn’t tell me,” Rob said levelly.
“Yeah, she called this morning. I guess you were in the shower. But anyway, she said they had finally turned up something in the canvas and someone had spotted a messenger boy in the building around the time of the break-in. No one thought anything about it, and I guess in the confusion it was forgotten. She said they should have him in custody soon.”
“Well, good, so the nightmare will be over for you.”
Chapter 18 ~ rob
Rob stepped out of the shower Thursday morning in time to see Abby hanging up the phone.
“What’s up?” he asked, toweling his hair as he stepped into the bedroom.
“Oh, nothing. Crissy wasn’t there in time this morning and the super let the painters in, but they set off my alarm. I had to put out the minor fire and assure the super he had done nothing wrong.”
“You have your own security system?” Rob asked, a little surprised.
“Yeah, Crissy insisted I get one put in back when the first letter arrived. I guess the super forgot about it.”
“How do you get deliveries?”
“I requested they wait until I’m home before bringing them up.”
“I didn’t know you could get your own security system in your apartment.”
“Yeah, I mean, why not? You live there. If you get permission from the lease office, you can pretty much do what you want. Mine is a little different since it’s more like a New York style apartment than a southern one. I own the apartment, so I don’t have to run every little thing I do by the super. I just have to keep it up and make sure there are no pests.”
“Oh,” Rob said before turning to his suitcase to pull out his clothes for the day. “You ready for breakfast?”
“Waiting on you, sexy.” Abby settled in at her computer while she waited for Rob to dress. She managed to answer a few simple emails before he was done. Locking the screen, she lowered the top and rose.