by Lily Harlem
His mouth left mine and I opened my eyes. It took me a second to focus on his chocolate gaze.
“You’re so damn responsive,” he said quietly, his eyes searching my face, his hands and arms still tight on me, in me.
I dragged in a breath and felt a tear slip from the corner of my left eye—a single drop of regret for what could have been.
“Hey, babe, what’s up?” His brow creased and he caught the tear with the tip of his thumb. “Did I hurt you?”
I shook my head. He hadn’t hurt me, he’d made me feel amazing. No one else had ever affected me the way he did.
“So what is it?” He slipped his hand out of my bikini bottoms and rested it firmly in the small of my back, pulling me closer to him in the chugging bubbles and allowing his steely erection to push into my belly.
My face got hot, there was a tightening in my throat. It was all very well him saying I was perfect and encouraging me to hand myself over to him, but if he ever found out about my past, about old Dana and her reckless ways, would he still want me, still think I was right for him? I very much doubted it. My past couldn’t be brushed off as a quick mistake. I had lived that way for years.
“Please, take me home,” I said, placing my palms over his hard pecs and removing his cock from my abdomen. “I really need you to take me home.”
“But, Dana, I don’t understand.”
“No, you don’t and you wouldn’t.” I managed to slip from his embrace. Rick Lewis was a heartbreak waiting to happen if a woman was foolish enough to fall for him. And I for one didn’t use the “foolish” label for myself anymore. Okay, so I was behaving like the worst sort of tease, but it was his fault. He didn’t have to give me dessert.
I dressed quickly and hovered by the front door as Rick slipped into dry clothes and did up the laces on his sneakers.
In silence he helped me into the car and went through the ritual of opening the gates and watching them close in the rearview mirror to ensure no one slipped into the grounds of his home.
“Dana, I want to see you again,” he said in a low, determined voice as he turned onto my street.
I shook my head and stared out at the amber lamps lining Highgrove Avenue. “No, I’m sorry.” I couldn’t be trusted around him so there was only one thing to be done. I would have to stay away from him altogether.
“But I thought everything was going well between us, we had a great evening, chatting, eating. I… I can’t understand what I did so wrong. I thought you were enjoying yourself, you sure seemed as though you were.”
I looked at him and saw him glance my way through the shadows.
“I told you before, it’s not you. I don’t want a relationship. I don’t want a man in my life.”
“And I’m telling you, again, that you do.” His voice was firm and his hands gripped the steering wheel. “My god, you’re like a wild flame in my arms, you want it, you need it, I’ve never felt so…”
I tipped my head. “So?”
“So goddamn crazy with lust and then been able to let it go without feeling mad, cheated.” He reached across the stick for my hand, squeezed it tight in his palm. “Because it’s not just about sex, it’s about you. I want to get to know you, figure out how you think and make you understand that there is no sense in being alone.”
“But why would you care about me being alone?”
“Because that’s how my life is, trying to meet someone is always superseded by my NHL fame. Women see the money, the hockey captain. They don’t see me.” He lifted my knuckles to his mouth. “I can sense that you’re different and I like that. I like it a lot.”
The car purred to a stop outside my house. “I am different, but that doesn’t necessarily mean in a good way.” I pulled my hand from his and gripped my purse. I had seen how relationships could go. The way my mother and father lived together was enough to put anyone off getting involved.
“Let me be the judge of that.”
I shook my head and opened the door. “I came out with you because you left me no choice. The meal was lovely and I wish you well in all your future plans, Rick, but…”
“But?” His voice was a low growl. “But what the hell is the problem?”
“Once again you caused me to break a promise I made myself and I can’t afford to do that.” I slipped out. “Goodbye.”
Quickly I shut the door. Tapped my heels up the path and let myself into my home. Dead-bolting the locks, I leaned back against the wood, my eyes filling with tears as they adjusted to the darkness of the living room. The Lexus waited several minutes, ticking over in the silence, then revved away, a deep hum that faded into the distance and out of my life.
Chapter Four
“Have you sorted out the Warringtons’ cake yet, Maddie?”
“No, I haven’t had time. This golden anniversary thing at the zoo is a complete headache. They even want to ride off on an elephant at the end of the evening.”
“Is the zoo okay with that?”
“Yes, but they say it has to be before eight because apparently that is elephant bedtime.”
“And have you told Mrs. Johnson?”
“Yes, she told me to offer them an extra five hundred dollars to have the elephant stay up late but the zoo isn’t budging.”
I sighed and rubbed my hand across my forehead. “Okay, you carry on with that and I’ll do cakes and balloons for Rachel Warrington’s christening.” I wandered back into my office and stared at the pile of notes and files on my desk. My to-do list was as long as my arm but my heart just wasn’t in it. I couldn’t summon the enthusiasm I usually did for anything involving Best Laid Plans. It was as though a part of me was elsewhere, but I wasn’t sure where.
I frowned. We needed some help. We needed some help fast. “You know anyone who’s on the ball and needs a job?” I shouted to Maddie.
Quiet.
“Maddie?”
“Actually, yes.” She appeared at the door to my office, a broad beam on her face. “My cousin Cassie has just moved back home, she’s been living in Ohio with her boyfriend and it all went wrong. She’s smart, efficient and has turned her hand to all sorts of things over the years.”
“Perfect,” I said, flopping onto my chair. “Give her a call and see if she can stop by tomorrow. Tell her to park for the day. If I like her she can start immediately.”
“You’ll like her,” Maddie said with a grin. “She’s just like me.”
“In that case I will adore her,” I said, smiling back and picking up my mobile. Perhaps that would be one problem solved.
I got busy, booked two venues for events over the next three months. Sorted out a halal buffet and sourced a dozen white doves for a wedding in the spring. I chased up the fountain to be delivered to Carly’s and ordered gladiator outfits for the fifteen male bar and waiting staff.
Despite the rush of business, I had no events to attend this coming weekend—a rarity—and I was looking forward to kicking back in sweats and lazing around. Just me, quiet, no commitments. The blank two days on my calendar looked very inviting.
I nibbled on a blueberry muffin Maddie had brought me and began the satisfying job of ticking off my to-do list.
Suddenly Maddie’s voice, high and authoritative, caught my attention. “I’m sorry, but you’ll need an appointment, we’re rather pushed at the moment.”
“I don’t need an appointment.”
My heart stuttered. I recognized the deep, rumbling voice I didn’t think I would hear again. A voice full of determination and intent, belonging to a man who seriously played with my rules every time I saw him.
“But she is very busy, Mr., Mr.…?”
“Lewis. And I’m sure Miss Wilcox would rather speak to me in her office than have me turn up on her doorstep later.”
What the hell is he doing here? I thought I’d been perfectly clear last night. As irritation spiked my scalp, my traitorous heart did a flip of excitement and my nipples puckered beneath my blouse.
“We
ll, I-I…” Maddie stuttered. “I’m not sure now is a good time.”
He appeared in the doorway of my office, paused, then strode purposefully up to the front of my desk. The late-morning sunshine cut across his cheek and one corner of his mouth. His big body created a shadow against not just the flecked hessian carpet but also on the opposite wall, creeping up and over a photograph of a giant birthday cake with a team of cheerleaders bursting out of it.
I swallowed tightly. The last thing I needed was a nerve-twisting conversation with Rick. I’d been busy pushing him from my mind and seeing him standing in front of me all heart-stopping, head-turning gorgeous was not going to help me wean myself off him.
“Nice setup you’ve got going on here,” he said, placing his hands on his hips and looking around.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m having a party and I want to book the services of Best Laid Plans.” He pulled up a chair and folded his large frame into it. His gaze trapped mine.
“I’m sorry, Dana, he just walked in and I…” Maddie rushed into the office, pushing her small red glasses up the bridge of her nose.
“It’s okay, Maddie,” I said, my gaze leaving Rick’s for the briefest of moments. “Mr. Lewis won’t stay long.”
His brows tilted and he folded his arms over his wide chest, settling back farther into the chair as if he was planning on staying a while.
I frowned. “I’m sure there are other party planners you could use.”
“I want to use Best Laid Plans. They have a great reputation.” His mouth tipped into a devilish grin. “And I also want you there, overseeing the event.”
“Is this some kind of elaborate way to get me to go out with you again?”
“No.” His eyes widened, feigning hurt. “Of course not.”
“Because you know that isn’t going to happen.”
“You went out with him?” Maddie asked, her mouth forming a perfect ‘O’. “But you never go out on dates.”
I frowned. “I can take it from here, thanks, Maddie.”
She pointed at me then at her chest. “Later,” she mouthed. Her lips pursed and she left the office, not quite shutting the door.
I sighed. “When do you want this so-called party?”
He reached forward and spun my calendar to face him. “This weekend is looking good.”
“This weekend?”
“Yeah, you have nothing on Saturday night, so that will be just fine.”
“But that’s not nearly enough time to organize anything, that’s only three days away.”
“I have every confidence in your planning abilities.”
“It’s impossible.” I shook my head.
“Nothing is impossible, Dana. Why don’t you look upon it as a challenge.”
“Don’t you have a game you have to be at?”
“Nope, not on Saturday.”
“Practice, training?”
“Nope.”
I sighed. “What kind of party?”
“A bachelor celebration for Brick. He’s just proposed to the woman of his dreams and us guys should definitely give him some kind of slap on the back.”
“And you want me to be there? At a guy thing? Won’t that be a bit odd?”
“Oh no, I think it will be just fine. And it’s going to be at my house so you’ll know where to come.”
I picked up a pencil and scribbled down Saturday—Rick’s. “I think Maddie will be able to handle this very well. She is attending events now on my behalf.”
He leaned forward and his fisted hand dropped onto the table. My pencil pot shook as did my half-empty coffee cup. “No, absolutely not. It’s you or not at all, Dana.”
“So what if I said not at all?”
“I don’t think you would want to piss me off like that.” His eyes flashed dangerously and a muscle jumped in his cheek.
He was right, I didn’t want to piss him off, and I did like a challenge. Organizing something in three days would be tight. “So, if I took the job on, tell me what you would need.” How does he always make me forget I said no?
He grinned, as if he knew he’d won. “Pizza, beer and some girls, I dunno, dancers or something.” He shrugged. “What do you think?”
“Dancers?”
“Yeah, I was imagining something real sexy, you know, pole dancers, belly dancers, the guys would enjoy that. They can’t go to clubs and enjoy a show without getting photographed and having it splashed all over the gossip magazines.”
I gulped in a breath. Pole dancers, why the hell had he come up with that? Had he been digging and found something out about my past? No, he couldn’t have. Impossible. I’d left a clean trail, there was no evidence of my past anywhere.
“Nothing sordid,” he went on. “They can keep a few of their clothes on, but something pretty to look at always appeals to the guys.” He tipped his head and his eyes grew heavy. “Like you in that bikini last night, that was a real pretty sight.”
My stomach did a flip and my cheeks heated. The way he was devouring me with his gaze brought memories of the intense orgasm he’d given me with just his fingers. I should resist this man, I knew I should, but I couldn’t. “Okay,” I said, nodding curtly and looking away to hide my internal battle. “Tell me what time, how many guests and I’ll take care of it, but it will cost you. A lot.”
“I don’t care how much it costs,” he said, rising to his feet. “And cater for about twenty. Here’s my cell number, tap it into your phone in case you have any questions.” He turned and stepped toward the door. “I’m out of town for the next two days, got games on the West Coast but don’t hesitate to call.” He narrowed his eyes. “And I’ll see you at my house at seven on Saturday. If you’re not there by ten past I’ll be around to collect you.”
After a grilling from Maddie about Rick “Ramrod” Lewis, I set about ordering enough pizza and beer to feed twenty hungry hockey players on Saturday night. Possibly the easiest catering job I’d ever had to handle.
I called a rigging company and organized a pole to be delivered and installed into Rick’s home cinema on Friday afternoon. It would fit nicely in front of the enormous screen and would even be slightly elevated like a stage. The guy on the phone didn’t seem fazed when I told him what it was for.
Needing to sort out the actual dancers, my hand hovered over the phone. Tina sprang to mind. We’d been really good friends. She was a great dancer, taught me a lot and was stunningly pretty. Trouble was, it had been a while since we’d been in touch. I’d sent her a hundred dollars at Christmas for her to treat her young son, Raif, but since then we’d had no contact. That part of my life no longer existed and that was the way I liked it. But Tina did still exist and I cared about her, thought about her, wondered how she was faring in the lifestyle I’d escaped. I also knew she would need the money. Money went through her fingers like water and this could set her up for several weeks’ rent, food and bills.
I dialed her cell, hoping she hadn’t changed it and praying I wouldn’t regret bringing my old best friend into my new life.
“Hey, sugar lips, I was waiting for you to call.”
“Tina?”
“Er, yeah, who is this?”
“Tina, it’s Dana.”
“Well, for crying out loud, girl, how are you?”
“I’m good, and you?”
“Doin’ amazing, finally got me a decent man.”
“Is he treating you well?” Tina’s idea of a decent man was probably one who didn’t think it was fun to beat her every second night.
“Like a princess, and Raif adores him, especially when he takes him out in his car on night rides.”
An image of angelic Raif sitting in some mean and noisy roadster filled my mind. I pushed it away. “Did Raif have a good birthday last month?”
“Yes, I took him to the mini golf, he loves it. Let him take a friend too.”
There was a moment of silence.
“You okay?” Tina asked.
“Great
.”
“Got yourself a man yet?” she asked.
“No and I’m planning on keeping it that way.”
“Oh, give that a rest already, girl, it’ll close up.” She laughed. “Is your business still going well?”
“Busy, really busy. Look, I’m calling to see if you want some work.”
“If it’s my kind of work, honey, then sure, count me in.”
“I’m organizing a party this weekend, some hockey guys, they want a couple of dancers.” I paused. “It would be great money, you’d just have to sign to keep your mouth shut about it.”
“Sure, but what’s your idea of great money these days?”
“Five hundred dollars for an hour’s work.”
“Hell, count me in.”
“Is there someone else you could bring? I need two dancers.”
“Mmm, yeah, I’ll ask Cindy. It’s her night off, she’s new. A tall Amazonian type, rocks the pole.”
“Sounds perfect, I’ll send a car to collect you both. Are you still in Canton?”
“Yep, it’s a shithole but it works for me.”
“Be ready for about nine and any problems call me on this number.”
“Sure thing and, you know, thanks for thinking of me, I appreciate it.”
“I often think of you.”
“And I think of you too, honey.”
“Also, Tina, would you mind not mentioning to anyone you happen to talk to at the party that I used to dance at Mackay’s.”
“Of course I won’t, I know how hard you worked to turn your life around. You’re an executive now, got your own company, a car and a house. I’m proud of the new you, I wouldn’t jeopardize that.”
“Thanks, Tina, I appreciate it, I’ll see you Saturday then.”
“Are you gonna be there?”
“Yes, the host is insisting upon it.”
She snorted with laughter. “Ah, I think there’s more to this story than you’re letting on—hockey players, dancing. I’ll get it all out of you, Dana, I know the chinks in your armor.”
“There’s nothing to get out of me.” She was as bad as Maddie.
“Mmm, we’ll see.”