She followed Lizette into the penthouse and almost stopped in her tracks as she heard laughter from the other room. A laugher that sounded familiar. As they entered the kitchen, she found proof that her ears were not playing tricks on her. Trent stood talking with Jon. Oh yes, she had been set up. She turned to Lizette who smiled innocently.
“Hi, Trent. I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“I had that feeling earlier.”
She gave him a warning look then turned to Jon. “Nice to see you again, Jon.”
“Same here, Elaine.
“Well, you are in for a treat. Lizette has been preparing dinner all afternoon.”
“You haven’t even tried it yet, so don’t be bragging too much,” Lizette teased.
“Well, whatever it is, it smells wonderful,” Elaine said.
“Everything is ready so why don’t you have a seat next to Trent while Jon and I bring the food to the table?”
Once they were alone, Elaine turned to Trent and asked, “Did you know about this?”
“It is possible.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you would have come up with some excuse not to show up.”
He’s got me on that one.
“Your silence speaks volumes. So why don’t you just relax and enjoy the blind date they so thoughtfully planned for you.”
Date. Wow, that was not a word she wanted anyone to associate with Trent and her. Not as long as she was working for him, at least. And she had no intention of quitting her job. “You should have told them you weren’t interested.”
“But I am.” Trent reached out and touched her hand.
Pulling it back, she put her hands on her lap under the table. “Do they know? I mean, about us?”
“I haven’t told them anything. If they know anything, it’s purely speculation.” He smiled. “But if you keep looking at me like that, I’m sure they are going to guess.”
He was right, just the slightest touch from him excited her. In this environment, amongst friends, it was going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
“So is it safe for us to come back in now?” Lizette asked.
Oh great. So much for no one knowing. “So you guys know?”
“Elaine, I have known you for years, so when I saw the way you looked and acted around Trent, I knew instantly.”
“Please, Lizette. I don’t want anyone to know. Can you promise me you won’t tell anyone? Not here and not back in Rhode Island.”
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us. But the food is going to get cold, so let’s eat.”
Pulling her hands off her lap she reached out to Trent and for the first time publicly, she touched his hand. This was nice.
The four sat and ate while Lizette explained the different things she had cooked. Elaine enjoyed hearing the excitement in her voice as she described the different seasonings and techniques she used to create homemade okonomiyaki, sushi, and summer rolls. Who knew she could cook like this? The meal was fabulous.
“So this is what you did in Japan? Maybe I need to travel there someday too, because my cooking skills are lacking.” Elaine turned to Lizette, giving her a warning with her finger. “Don’t say it.” Both women burst out laughing.
“You just need someone to cook for,” Lizette said, then winked at Trent.
“That sounds good to me,” Trent added.
“I think it’s going to take more than that, but thanks for the confidence. I did stop at a bakery on the way here. Is anyone in the mood for strawberry cheesecake?”
Lizette told the men to go sit in the living room, and they would bring them dessert. Elaine knew that meant it was time for girl talk.
“So, tell me.”
That didn’t take long. “Yes, I like him. Is that what you wanted to hear?” Elaine asked.
“It’s a start. I can tell you Jon said Trent has changed lately. I think he likes you, too,” Lizette teased.
“Don’t get any ideas. We haven’t known each other that long.”
“When it happens it happens, Elaine. Time has nothing to do with it. So don’t let it get in your way. If it is meant to be, let it happen.”
She was right. Elaine had to find a way to relax and enjoy what they shared. Just not publicly. “Thanks, Lizette. Let’s get in there before they start talking about us.”
They spent the next several hours talking and playing cards. They decided to play men against women. The women totally kicked ass. She thought last night at the masquerade couldn’t get any better, but this had its own charm. Tonight was what couples do together.
“It’s almost midnight. We better get going,” Trent said.
Elaine was surprised how quickly the time went by. Getting up, she hugged Jon and Lizette. “Next time maybe you can come to my apartment, for takeout.” They all laughed.
“Sounds great, let’s do it soon,” Lizette said.
When they got in the elevator, Elaine said, “You wouldn’t be willing to give a girl a ride home, would you? In all the excitement I forget to call the driver. I hope he wasn’t up waiting for me.”
“Don’t worry, I let him know earlier he had the night off.”
“Hmm, you were that confident I would stay?”
“Confident? No. Hopeful? Yes,” he said and then kissed her deeply. “One question.”
“What?”
“Yours or mine?”
“Let’s go to mine tonight.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sunday night and once again she was unable to sleep. But tonight was different; it was not due to stress. Her mind was spinning from the joy of a perfect weekend. It had been a long time since she’d felt so at ease. Maybe things were not as complicated as she’d first thought. The saying “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” was obviously wrong.
She had the job, and she had her . . . her what? Her lover? Her boyfriend? Her what? Did it really matter what label she gave him? Somehow they worked together. Who would have thought Trent and I would hit if off? Thinking of dinner Saturday night, she had her answer: Lizette.
Funny, she should have picked up that Lizette was up to something when she saw her speaking with Trent in the lobby the day they went to lunch. Oh, she is good. In the five years they had worked together, she’d never seen Lizette act as a matchmaker. The past few months were surprise after surprise.
Elaine lay on the couch, turned on the television, and started flipping through the channels. News, no. Comedy, no. Drama, no. Food Network, no. Sitting back up, she turned the television off, picked up her cell phone, and headed for bed. She tossed and turned; sleep was not her friend tonight. Picking up her cell phone again, she looked at the time. It was almost one a.m. She knew why she couldn’t sleep. Without Trent by her side, her sheets were cold.
She scrolled through the phone till she found his number. Funny, she’d never called him before; he always just showed up. First time for everything. She hit call and waited—one, two, three rings, then she hung up. Maybe he was sleeping? It was a bad idea calling him anyway. What was she going to say? “Hi, what are you doing?” That was lame. Good thing he didn’t answer. Placing the phone on her nightstand, she turned off the lamp and closed her eyes. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Yeah, that’s not working.
Then her phone rang with the sweetest sound. “Hi.”
“Is everything okay?” Trent asked.
“Oh yes, everything is fine. I guess I called you by accident. Hope I didn’t wake you.” Guess that sounded better than I butt dialed you.
“No, I was reviewing a contract I need for tomorrow. Are you missing me?”
“No, I’m . . . I’m in bed.”
“Elaine, I didn’t ask if you were in bed, I asked if you were missing me.”
“Yes, a little I guess.”
“Well, let’s see what I can do about that.”
“Are you coming over?” She heard the excitement in her voice and covered her face in embarrassment, glad h
e couldn’t see her.
“No, I can’t tonight.”
“Oh. I shouldn’t keep you, you probably want to go to go to sleep.”
“Did I say I was tired?”
“No, but . . .”
“I know you want it.”
“What?”
“You heard me, you want it. Admit it, Elaine.”
What good was it going to do telling him if he wasn’t coming over? All it was going to do was frustrate her even more. “Trent . . .”
“Tell me,” he insisted.
“Yes, I want it.”
“Then let me give it to you.”
“You said you weren’t coming over.”
“I’m not.”
“Oh.” He couldn’t mean that they were going to have phone sex. She’s never done anything like that before.
“Do you have any toys, Elaine?”
Oh God, there was no way should could admit that. That is too personal.
“I know you do. You are too passionate not to. Now get one.”
“Trent, I don’t . . .”
“Now, Elaine.” Trent’s no-nonsense growl reverberated through the phone, instantly causing her to become wet. Why is it I love his growl so much? “Get it now.”
She opened the middle drawer of her nightstand, and under some linen she kept there for privacy was her seven-inch, multi-speed, ribbed vibrator, something she swore never to admit she owned.
“Put the phone on speakerphone next to your ear.” She did as he said. “Are you wearing any underwear?”
“No.”
“Hmm, good. Are your nipples hard for me? Touch them, pinch them like I do when I nibble on them, suck them, and trace them with my tongue. Now take your other hand and touch yourself. Open for me. Are you wet?”
She moaned as her fingers entered her delicate folds and touched her clit.
“Yeah, that’s it, slowly circle around like my tongue is licking it. Open wider for me. I want to taste all of you.”
She moaned more as she obeyed. Eyes closed, she pictured him kneeling between her legs holding her thighs as his mouth explored her intimately, his tongue circling her clit.
“Don’t stop, keep touching yourself. Take the vibrator with your other hand and bring it between your legs. Turn it on but don’t put it in yet.”
The buzz sent tingles of pleasure as it touched her outer folds. Oh, she wanted him, needed him. “Trent, please . . .”
“Rub your clit faster, oh yeah, feel me stroking you with my tongue, burying my face in you. You taste so good, and you’re so wet.”
Deep moans escaped her as her fingers rubbed harder and faster. “I need . . .”
“Tell me; do you want my cock inside you?”
“Yes.” Her voice was more of a cry.
“Put me inside you hard and fast.”
She arched her back and tossed her head as the vibrator entered.
“Feel my hard cock inside you, riding you deep and hard. You feel so good. Open wider for me, let me in deeper. I want all of you. Yeah, give it to me, give it to me now.”
She heard herself call out his name again and again. “Trent. Trent.” Her body shuddered as the waves of her climax came over and over while she continued to fuck herself. It seemed to have gone on endlessly.
“Oh, that felt so good,” he said.
“Hmm,” was all her voice would allow. He chuckled, although he sounded a little breathless too. Had he made himself come as well?
“Goodnight, Elaine.”
“Goodnight, Trent,” she said softy, her breath still shallow from her release.
Her senses slowly came back as she realized what she had just done. She was a thirty-four-year-old having phone sex. And loving it!
Chapter Sixteen
Monday morning had come too quickly, and all she wanted to do was stay home and savor each moment of the past weekend. She showered and dressed and was just about to head out the door when she noticed time had gotten away from her. The weekly staff meeting would have already started. I’ve never been late for work, even for a fake job. She laughed softly to herself. Since she was already late, she might as well sit and have a cup of coffee. Another thirty minutes wouldn’t make a difference at this point.
Coffee in hand, she sat at the kitchen table where she’d left her laptop. There were so many people she’d started to chat with online the other day. She wanted to follow up with them, see if they had made any progress. She was surprised at how many messages she had on Facebook. Some had additional questions, and others thanked her for her help.
There was one that really touched her. It was from a man who had been searching for his parents for forty years.
“Dear Elaine, thank you for all your support and information on how to search for who you are. After our conversation, your words stuck in my head. You are not defined by where you came from. You are defined by where you go and who you help along the way. I will continue my search, but no longer make it my sole goal in life. I have joined a local charity group. Hope your journey brings you to a place of peace as well. Sincerely, Albert.”
She remembered when she wrote that for the first time. It was the day she graduated from high school. That day, Elaine decided to make a difference in the world. Of course at eighteen, her dreams were endless and some were not practical. But after all these years, one had been obtainable, if nothing else—she had made a difference. If she got nothing else from her searches the other night, his message said her time had been well spent.
Once she finished with the messages, she noticed what was trending. At the top was the Masquerade Ball. Curiosity got her, and she clicked the link. It brought her to a fan page for it. The banner was a picture of Trent dancing with her. If it weren’t for the fact she knew it was them, her only thought would have been, stunning.
She was caught up in all the comments. Everyone talked about their clothes and their masks. Then came the interesting comments, people guessing who this sexy mystery couple was. Oh, this is dangerous. Their picture was buzzing all types of comments and guesses. Normally she wouldn’t bother with gossip, but she couldn’t help read them. Welcome to social media. Some were absolutely ridiculous and others were sweet. People had guessed everyone from movie stars to baseball players and one even thought it was the President. Then their guesses started to get too close. One said Jonathon Vinchi and Lizette Burke. Even though it was wrong, they were heading in the right direction. She could only hope if anyone asked either Jon or Lizette for confirmation, they wouldn’t tell the truth about who the couple really was. Thinking back to Saturday night, she was feeling confident her friends would keep their secret.
Looking at the time again, she saw it was after ten. She best get to the office before the entire day was lost. Closing the laptop, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.
Since she was already late for work she had a heightened sensitivity to the looks she was going to receive that day. Who would blame them? The new girl had only been here for a few weeks and was already missing meetings. If the shoe were on the other foot she would have a few questions herself.
What remained of the morning went by so slowly. How can two hours feel like eight? Simple, her body was in the office, but that was all. She responded to the few emails she had received, mostly invites and solicitations. No real work because she didn’t actually work for Davis Enterprises.
Coffee! Leaving the safety of her office, she headed for the one place she avoided, the break room. She was pleased to see it empty. Perfect timing! She made coffee and headed back to the office.
“Hello, Elaine. How was your weekend?”
Turning, she saw Wendy not far behind her with a stack of files a foot high. She wasn’t even sure how she was able to see her over everything she was carrying. Elaine quickly put her coffee cup down. “Wendy, let me help you with those.” Taking more than half the stack, she asked, “Where are we heading with these?”
“The record room on the third floor. Are you s
ure you don’t mind helping me? I don’t want to pull you away from anything important.”
“I don’t mind at all, and I needed a break from the computer.” There was no way she was going to admit it was this or fall asleep at her desk today.
“Did you do anything exciting this weekend?”
“I’m still new to New York, so I did a little sightseeing. How about you?”
“We celebrated my granddaughter’s first birthday. She is such a cutie. You’ll have to stop by my desk sometime to see the pictures. It’s amazing how messy you can get with a chocolate cupcake.”
“I’ll make it a point to stop by.”
They entered the elevator that was already occupied by two young ladies from the mailroom.
“I have no idea who the guy was, but imagine if it was Mr. Davis. Think how cool that would be,” one said.
The other replied, “OMG. That would be awesome. So who do you think the woman would be if it was Mr. Davis?”
Elaine could feel her palms begin to sweat. The media couldn’t guess, but leave it to a couple of nineteen-year-old girls to nail it. That was it; they knew it and were about to tell the world. Her heart was pounding, waiting for the words to be said.
“The woman would be me, of course,” the first girl answered. The elevator doors opened and they pushed their mail carts out, laughing.
When the doors closed again, Wendy asked, “Are you okay?” She hadn’t heard Wendy the first time. “Elaine, is something the matter?”
Only then did she realize she’d been holding her breath. “Yes. I’m fine. Thanks. I haven’t had lunch, so I think I’m running low on energy.”
“Trent’s not in the office, so this is the perfect time to take it easy. I know last time you tried to sneak out it didn’t work for you.”
Had he told her he was traveling? If he did, it was most likely forgotten because he told her while kissing her neck. How did he expect her to remember when she could hardly remember her name after they finished? She was tempted to ask where he went, if he was traveling on business or pleasure. Asking the question would only add to the suspicions people already had. Wendy knew she was off from Wednesday to Friday last week. Does she know I don’t actually work for Davis Enterprises? If so, what does she think I actually am if not an employee? Perhaps she is testing me. Eyeing Wendy closely she looked so sweet and sincere, but she wasn’t going to forget who her boss was. Elaine would not make the mistake of underestimating her. “That sounds like a great idea, Wendy. I’m not fully well yet. I can work from home. Right after we deliver these files, I will head out.”
The Billionaire's Masquerade: Betting On You Series: Book Two Page 11