“I’ve changed, Patrick, in more ways than one.”
“A leopard doesn’t change its spots.” He smiled a saccharin grin. “Let’s face it babe, you’re not wild about sex.”
“That’s it.” Anna stormed over to the front door and opened it wide. “Get the hell out of my house.”
“Oh, come on babe. You know I was only pulling your leg.” He slowly rose from the sofa and stood near the door. “You have to admit though. You weren’t chomping at the bit to get into bed with me.” Casually, he loosened the front of her gown exposing her flimsy nightgown. “You could show me how much you’ve changed? Maybe teach me some of your new moves?”
A leopard can’t change his spots? Anna remembered Derrick saying the same thing about Patrick when she insisted that he genuinely loved her and wanted her back. She hated to admit that Derrick was right but Patrick was displaying the same characteristics as when they were together. No wonder she hadn’t been thrilled at the prospect of lovemaking with him. He was crude and vulgar and his idea of foreplay was telling her that he felt like a bit. He was the same self-centered, egotistical creep and she knew now that he would never change. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Patrick’s neck, widening his stance with a nudge of her knee. “You want to see my new moves?” she asked in a low, sultry voice. “How’s this one?” With one swift action, she drew her knee up to connect with his groin, then pushed him out the door where he lay curled on the ground in the fetal position, clutching his privates.
As she slammed the door, Anna called out “And don’t call me babe.”
Chapter Seven
“You knee’d him in the family jewels?” Susie almost tripped over her own feet as Anna related her story during their morning jog to the beach. “You go girl.”
“I know I should be ashamed but if felt great bringing him down a peg or two. I can’t believe he said I was frigid.”
Susie motioned for Anna to stop jogging. She bent over and stretched her hamstring, pulling on her toes for a deeper stretch. “Cramp … in my … leg.”
“I guess I have been driving us hard this morning.” Anna surveyed her surroundings and realized they had covered at least six kilometers. “Do you want to have a breather?”
“Oh, thank god.” Susie slumped to the sand and lay on her back. “I didn’t want to be a wuss but I ran out of steam about a kilometer ago.”
Flopping down beside her, Anna admitted to her own exhaustion. With less than two hours’ sleep, it was only the adrenaline and anger driving her on. Now that she’d finally calmed down, every muscle in her body screamed for attention. She threw herself backwards onto the sand. “I think I’m dying.”
“No, I think dying would be less painful than this.” Susie reached into her pocket for her mobile phone and punched in a number.
“Hey, Carol. Does Frank have any appointments open today? I’m booking for Anna and myself.”
She held her hand over the receiver as she explained the call to Anna.
“Frank is our resident masseuse. His skilled fingers will do wonders with your aching muscles—” She pointed her finger to the sky and answered the phone. “Oh, can you hold on a sec?” she turned back to Anna. “He can see one of us this afternoon and the other this evening around eight. I have a yoga class tonight. Do you think I could have the afternoon appointment … pretty please?”
“Sure. Eight is fine.” Anna lay on the sand and contemplated her evening. Baked beans on toast while watching the Saturday night movie on television. Frigid Anna, alone again.
****
Anna arrived for her massage at ten to eight, anxious to relieve the pain of her tortured muscles.
“Go straight in and strip down to your undies,” Carol informed Anna the moment she walked into the gym. The tall dark-haired woman grabbed her handbag from behind the counter and rushed past to lock the back door, before returning with the keys jingling in her hand.
“Hello to you too, Carol.” Anna could sense Carol’s rush to leave. The short dress and expertly applied makeup implied a night out. The air was heavy with perfume. “Hot date?”
“Yeah, sorry to be rude, Anna. Derrick asked me to lock up and I’m kind of anxious to leave, if you know what I mean?” She tugged at the hem of her snug dress.
“No, probs.” Anna held the front door open as Carol rushed out. “Have a great time.”
“You too.” Carol didn’t bother to turn around as she raced to her car. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“As if.” Anna muttered to herself as she locked the door. The way Carol was dressed, her appointment suggested pleasure and lots of sex. Anna’s, in comparison, promised pain and the only release she could expect would be from her physical tension. She slowly made her way to the therapy room feeling miserable and lonely.
The door to the room was open so she walked in and dropped her bag on a chair near the closest wall, taking mental note of the “torture chamber” sign as she stepped behind the screen to disrobe. There was a bottle of Moscato on the bench with instructions to “help yourself” so she obeyed, and downed a whole glass full. It was her first massage and she was a little anxious as to what to expect. Not long after she had positioned herself face down on the table, the towel draped over her bottom to cover the parts left exposed by her G-string, and then a CD player clicked on. Soft music filtered into the room while the fragrance of white musk and vanilla began wafting from a newly lit candle. The lights in the room dimmed moments before quiet footsteps stopped directly to her left. Through the face hole in the table, Anna spotted a pair of ASICS-shod feet. Wrapped in barely more than a towel, she felt vulnerable and awkward when she felt her only covering being rolled down almost to her hips and tucked into the top of her panties. She tried to break the ice.
“Hi. I’m Anna.”
“I know,” Derrick answered.
Anna covered her breasts with her arms as she turned to face him.
“What are you doing here, Derrick? Where’s Frank?”
“Frank had to leave early so I offered to do your massage.”
“Are you qualified?”
“I have the same qualifications as Frank but if I make you uncomfortable … we can reschedule.”
Anna thought for a moment. The old Anna would have rescheduled in a heartbeat. Derrick’s signals were all over the place and it confused her. She didn’t want to give him the advantage of touching her while he maintained that there was no chance of a relationship but, the thought of his hands on her body…
“No. It’s okay.” She placed her face back down in the hollowed part of the table and was grateful that during the massage, Derrick wouldn’t be able to see her expressions.
She sighed as she waited for her massage to commence. It seemed like an eternity of waiting and concentrating on the sounds in the room, while she assumed he was massaging oil into his palms but she wasn’t prepared for the attack on her senses when the large hands made contact with her bare skin.
“Oooh.” She gasped as the heat from his hands warmed her aching flesh. “Your hands are warm. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Shhh. Just relax” mumbled her masseuse.
Fine … be that way. Anna thought to herself as she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sullen man whose warm fingers kneaded her back. She sighed with approval as her muscles relaxed beneath the magician’s hands, deeper and deeper he delved into every fiber of her tense and knotted ligaments. His magic fingers massaged away at the stress in her neck and shoulders. He began kneading in small circular motions at the muscles and ligaments in her arms and then her lower back, his thumbs locating all the tension triggers and releasing them one by one. Try as she might, she couldn’t prevent the groans of relief escaping as all the drama and tribulations of the last month melted away. Tempting as it was to praise him for his skill, she didn’t want to admit to him how wonderful his hands felt on her bare skin. Experience had taught her that every time she let her guard down with him, he too
k off and if he stopped now, she feared she would die from the disappointment.
When another mewing sound stole quietly away, Derrick paused. He seemed to lose concentration. His hands froze on her lower back.
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” She pleaded. “I really need this … ouch, ouch, ouch.” Anna twisted her arm around to rub her right thigh.
“Cramps?”
“Yes.” She groaned again. “I overdid my run today.”
“Relax. I’ll see what I can do to help.” He eased her back down on the table, this time with a smooth caress of his palms against her skin as he started work on her legs. To Anna’s surprise, he began with the toes.
“That’s not where it—”
“Relax.” He repeated, rubbing scented oil into the soles of her feet. Gently he bent her knees and drew her feet up, placing them to rest against his belly, soles up so he could massage both feet at once. The sensation was almost more than Anna could bear. There was something sensual about having her feet rubbed, her ankles manipulated, and when he worked his magic on her calves … whoa baby. She had read about the big “O” in women’s magazines but never expected to feel anything like this from her calves. As his warm hands worked their way up her thighs and under the towel to cup her buttocks, she instinctively thought to shoo them away but she was past the point of no return now. All her frustration rose to the surface, building to a crescendo. She didn’t want this to stop. She needed this and she was going to see this massage through to the end, even if it cost her last shred of self-respect.
He massaged every inch of her skin, from her toes to her the tip of her spine. His firm but gentle touch stretching her skin, manipulating her senses and sending waves of pleasure through her core. The terry cloth of the massage table scraped her sensitized nipples as she wiggled and squirmed against the fabric. This was the closest thing to sex she had experienced in seven years—and what she had once considered “the norm” with Patrick didn’t hold a candle to this—so she lay there, completely under Derrick’s control while she allowed him to rock her world. And rock her world he did. Wave after wave of pleasure rippled through her body taking her to dizzying heights until she felt she would die from satisfaction. When her body stopped shuddering from the most mind blowing release she had ever experienced, Anna realized she had wailed with enthusiasm. She waited for him to make another move fully expecting him to roll her over and make love to her. Surely this had been his intention all along? The wine, the music, and the candles. Hadn’t he set the scene for romance? She waited, wondering what she should do next. Should she roll over and reach for him? Was he waiting for her to make the next move? She felt confused. What was he waiting for?
While she was trying to regain composure, she heard the door open and recognized the sound of hurried footsteps as he fled from the room leaving her feeling confused, physically drained and still, sexually aroused on the massage table.
What did I do wrong? She wondered as she dressed quickly, suddenly ashamed of her nudity. Leaving her shoes off—which she carried for a stealthy escape—Anna stole out of the “torture chamber” after first checking around the corner to see if the coast was clear. She tiptoed towards the door, passing the men’s shower as she tried to make her exit. The sound of running water attracted her attention and knowing that Derrick was the only one left in the gym, curiosity got the better of her. After all, moments ago he had his hands all over her near-naked body. It was only fair that she could at least take a peek at his. Leaning against the wall for support, she peered into the stall and spotted a very firm bare behind. Nice.
His long lean legs were paler than the tanned type she usually preferred but heavily muscled with a generous sprinkling of fine dark hair. His buttocks were firm and rounded but not big. Her masseuse had broad shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist, and the biceps in his muscular arms flexed as he vigorously shampooed his hair. When he shook his head to rinse out the bubbles the beads of water glistened in his dark hair like diamonds.
He was as perfect beneath his Armani clad body as she had suspected and the reality only made her feel worse. She wanted him so badly that she physically ached for him and his body language seemed to indicate that he felt the same but he constantly pushed her away. She wiped away a tear as she wondered about his strange behavior. Why don’t you want me?
As if hearing her thoughts, Derrick suddenly turned to face her. He remained motionless for a moment as if trying to think of the right words. Finally, he spoke.
“I’m sorry, Anna. When I read your name on the client list, I talked Frank into allowing me to take over. I didn’t know it would go this far.”
Anna fisted her hands and pounded the air. She stopped abruptly when she noticed Derrick’s very impressive erection as he stood stark naked facing her. “I can’t think while you’re pointing that thing at me.”
“I never meant to hurt you,” Derrick told her as he reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist. “My behavior was inexcusable and I promise it will never happen again.”
“You keep saying that you don’t want a relationship but then you try and seduce me,” she reminded him. “You’re a tease Derrick Corel. A low-down, no-good, manipulative bastard!”
As she ran from the building, she heard Derrick call for her to wait but she hurried her steps not wanting to discuss the matter. Not tonight. Not while her body still throbbed and tingled from the effects of his massage. Not while her mind raced with images of satin sheets and tangled bodies. She jumped into her car and floored the accelerator. Tomorrow … she would make him pay.
****
“What the hell was that crash?”
Derrick turned in his seat at the kitchen bar to face his brother as David rushed into the kitchen. He held a handkerchief to his bleeding forehead and shrugged when David looked from the shattered kitchen cabinet back to him.
“Hard night?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.” David struggled out of his skin-tight leather jacket, threw it on the back of a chair and settled down beside his sulking, slightly concussed brother. His expression changed from concern to amusement as Derrick imparted his tale of deception.
“You dog.”
“I know, I know. You couldn’t make me feel any worse than I already do.”
“Then why did you do it? I thought you wanted to keep your distance from the little firecracker?”
“So did I, but when I arrived at the gym and saw her name on the massage list … I couldn’t help myself.” He raked his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “I needed to be close to her, to touch her. I’ve never wanted something so bad in my life.”
“Well, spill. Was it worth it?”
A sly grin curled the corners of Derrick’s mouth as he nodded and blew out a long breath. “Yes. Yes … it was worth it.”
“So, what happens next?”
“I don’t have any idea? I can’t be with her … but I can’t be without her. She’s addictive, seductive. I’ve tasted a little, now I crave more.”
“I really don’t see the problem.” David told him. “She obviously wants to be with you, so just have at it and take her to your bed.”
“We both know that it isn’t that simple.”
Derrick was no virgin. He had enough experience in the bedroom to realize that he could not control his vampire tendencies in the throes of passion. He would be forced to bite her and after tasting her blood again, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to stop. “If we make love, I might lose control.”
“If it comes to that, at least you could turn her. There is no downside. Either way, you get what you want.”
“What I want is for Anna to experience something that we never had, what Isabelle never had. A life with children of her own and sunshine and—”
“And rainbows and puppy dogs.” David shook his head. “You always were the romantic Derrick. When are you going to realize that life doesn’t always go
to plan.”
“I guess that will be around the same time that you stop being cynical and start caring about someone other than yourself.”
David’s smile disappeared. His eyes lowered to the floor.
Derrick realized he had crossed the line. “I didn’t—”
“No. Don’t apologize for the truth. I haven’t always been there for you and I definitely wasn’t there for Isabelle when you both needed me.” He touched his brother’s shoulder and asked. “How can I help you now? What do you want me to do?”
Derrick rose from his chair and began to clean up the wreckage from his temper tantrum. “I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way before.”
“Are you strong enough to stay away from her?”
“I have to be…” Pausing, he asked, “Will you help me?”
Chapter Eight
“Did he say when he’d be back?” Anna struggled to hide the disappointment in her voice as she addressed the aging butler. She had spent more time than usual applying her “war paint” and had squeezed herself into a tiny dress that she had borrowed from Susie in order to tease Derrick, only to be told he had left town.
“I’m sorry, Miss Anna. He didn’t say. Would you perhaps like to ask Master David?”
“Is he here?”
“Yes, miss.” Evan invited Anna in and led the way to door at the bottom of the stairs. “He’s downstairs.”
Briefly, Anna waited at the door, wondering what to expect. Maybe there was a coffin after all. Perhaps a coven of vampires waited in ambush? Her heart beat faster, harder, as she slowly eased onto the first step. When Evan called out behind her, “Mr. David. I am sending Miss Anna down to speak with you,” she almost lost her footing, stumbling down the next two steps. She was still shaking when she reached the bottom. Too her relief, she noticed there wasn’t any sign of a coffin. David was standing behind a large easel, his paintbrush moving furiously over the canvas. Not a sign of a single vampire or for that matter—a window. Strange. The workshop was flooded with artificial light. Completely sealed from the sun’s glare. Fueling her suspicions.
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