“Did that live up to all of your dirty fantasies, Mr. Gregson?” she asked in that high, breathy voice that kept him in a state of perpetual arousal.
He laughed, or at least tried to, for the sound that came out of his throat was raw and raspy. “That, darling, far surpassed the most explicit, X-rated wet dream any man has ever known,” he assured her. “That mouth of yours - what you can do with it should be illegal.”
She began to stroke his thigh, her eyes twinkling up at him mischievously. “I had a very good teacher, as you’ll recall. In fact, he’s taught me all sorts of very wicked things over the past year. And fortunately my education is far from over.”
Ian shook his head. “I think that in this case, love, the student might be surpassing the teacher.” He brushed his thumb over her lips. “I told you not long after we became lovers that you had a great deal of untapped sexuality, and that I was very much looking forward to helping you uncover all of it.”
He bent down and gave her a deep, open-mouthed kiss that left her gasping. “But you’ve far exceeded what I first saw in you, Tessa. You’ve matured from a young, rather innocent girl into a very sensual, very sexual woman. What’s more, in helping you to uncover all of that, I realized that I had ignored my own needs and desires for far too long, didn’t realize that I was such a sexual person. So you may think that I’ve taught you practically everything you know about sex and passion, darling, but I’ve learned just as much from you.”
He zipped up his trousers before standing, and then pulled her up into his arms. Their kiss was hungry, passionate, but also tender and loving at the same time. His hands traveled down her naked back to the waistband of her skirt, his fingers beginning to toy with the zipper. But he looked up in surprise when Tessa stilled his progress.
“Wait.” She gave a little shake of her head. “Not here. Over there. I want you to take up exactly where you left off a year ago. I want to see how it would have happened if that phone call hadn’t come through.”
She inclined her head towards the wall where he’d had her pinned against his body on that fateful night. He had kissed and caressed her wildly that night, without the smallest bit of finesse, so sexually aroused that he’d been out of his mind with desire. He had ground his cock against the notch of her thighs, stimulating her enough even through the layers of their clothing to make her come. And if his damned cell phone hadn’t rung at that precise moment…
The memory of how she’d looked that night, how the orgasm had taken her by complete surprise, made him instantly hard again. Roughly, he all but shoved her against that very same wall, his body trapping hers in place.
“It was just like this, wasn’t it?” he rasped, lifting one of her legs to hook around his hip.
Tessa wound her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to hers. “It was exactly like this,” she whispered just before kissing him fiercely.
His hand found her breast, his fingers plucking at the nipple, as he continued to grind himself against her. They were like two animals in heat, dry humping each other frantically, just as they had done exactly a year ago in this very spot. His other hand slid up her thigh until it reached her soaked slit, and she was so wild with need by now that he merely had to brush his fingers lightly over her clit before she fell apart in his arms.
“I believe this is the point where we were so rudely interrupted,” he whispered teasingly in her ear, stroking her back comfortingly as she continued to tremble in reaction.
She nodded. “So, what - what would have happened next? If your phone hadn’t rung at this exact moment, what would you have done now?”
“This,” he muttered hoarsely, unzipping her skirt and pushing it to the floor before dropping to his knees in front of her. She emitted a little yelp of surprise as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her panties and pulled them down her legs, urging her to step out of them.
Ian smirked as he picked up the tiny scrap of silver gray lace. “Well, I hope you packed a spare pair in your purse, darling, because these are a bit too, er, soaked, for you to even consider wearing home this evening.”
Tessa shook her head, her thighs quivering in anticipation of what he was about to do. “I, ah, didn’t think about it.”
He grinned up at her, his hands sliding up the backs of her legs to cup her naked ass. “Well, you’ll just have to go without, won’t you? Now, be a good girl, and spread your legs a little wider for me. Ah, that’s it. Perfect. Speaking of perfect - you’re as beautiful down here as every other part of your body. I remember how shy you were the first time I wanted to do this. But you love it now, don’t you, Tessa? You love having my mouth on you this way.”
Her head fell back against the wall, her arms hanging limply by her side at the first slow, sensuous lick of his tongue against the slick opening to her body. “Yes,” she panted. “God, yes! I love everything you do to me, Ian. I love you.“
Her passionate declaration spurred him on as he ate her out with an almost ferocious hunger, his mouth nearly ravenous as he pleasured her for an untold number of minutes. He loved doing this to her, loved the clean, musky taste of her, and especially loved the way it drove her crazy, how she bucked back and forth against his mouth and tongue. He added two fingers, pumping them in and out of her as he sucked on the hard little nub of her clit. She climaxed with his tongue deep inside of her, his hands clamping down on her hips to hold her still.
He would have continued, would have happily feasted on the sweetness of her pussy for hours longer, but his own body was begging for release by now. He stood, cupping the side of her cheek in his hand as he kissed her rawly, letting her taste her own essence on his lips and tongue.
“What happens next, love,” he rasped, “is entirely up to you. After I left you that night, running out of here in a blind panic like the roof was about to cave in, I couldn’t think of anything else the entire evening - not even when I was trying futilely to fall asleep later on. Like you, I imagined what might have happened if my phone hadn’t rung at such an inopportune moment.”
Tessa stared up at him in a daze, the way she always looked after she’d just climaxed, and he knew how hard she was struggling right now to speak. “Um, what - what sorts of things did you imagine?” she stammered.
Ian stepped away from her and began to remove his suit jacket, tie, and shirt, toeing off his shoes at the same time. “Fucking you. For hours and hours. But I couldn’t decide where - my desk, the sofa, the rug. So I’ll let you make that decision now. Where would you like to be ravished, my sweet?”
Her eyes dropped to where his hands were unbuckling his belt, her flushed cheeks turning an even deeper shade of rosy pink, her lush mouth opening into a wide “O” as he stepped out of his pants and briefs, revealing his immensely swollen dick.
“I, um, don’t - don’t know,” she babbled, her eyes fixated on his erection as he began to approach her. “The - the desk?”
He gave her an unholy grin, just before sliding his hands beneath her buttocks and hoisting her up. She barely had time to wrap her legs around his hips before he carried her the short distance to his desk and set her down on the edge.
“Lay back,” he urged her, stepping in between her widespread thighs.
“I - I thought you wanted me the other way,” she reminded him hesitantly. “You know, um, bent over.”
“We’ll do it that way next time,” he assured her, and began to slowly guide his cock inside of her glistening pink sex an inch or so at a time. “Unless, of course, you’d prefer the sofa.”
She gasped as he unexpectedly changed the rhythm and thrust all the way in, causing her hips to lift off the surface of his gleaming mahogany desk. “It’s - it’s all good,” she whimpered as he began to fuck her harder, pistoning his hips a bit more forcefully with each powerful thrust.
He bent her legs at the knee, spreading them wider and pushing them up towards her shoulders. “That it is, love,” he groaned. “Every moment of every day with you is good. Per
fect. A thousand times better than any fantasy I might have had. And this is especially perfect.”
He threaded a hand into her hair, pulling her upper back off the desk until his mouth crashed down on hers, swallowing the screams she made as she came and came and came, the inner muscles of her vagina milking his cock until he was spilling himself deep inside of her.
They sunk to the floor in front of his desk, too spent from what had just happened to remain upright at the moment. Tessa’s head rested against his bare chest as he held her close, his hand combing through her tangled blonde curls. He kissed her forehead tenderly, causing her to gaze up at him with what looked like wonder in her blue eyes.
“Hmm,” she murmured, her hand caressing his cheek. “I had a slightly different vision of what might have happened next. But I think I prefer yours. Mine would have been, um, rather tame in comparison.”
He laughed. “Darling, I wanted you so damned much that night I wouldn’t have cared how it happened. And there is nothing the least bit tame about you. Even that first kiss we shared, the little sounds you made. I knew then that you were a wildcat, that sex with you would be something spectacular. And it’s been all that and more, every single time we’ve been together. Not to mention the fact,” he added in mock sternness, “that you’ve been doing your damndest ever since we met to corrupt me. I still can’t believe that I allowed you to coerce me into having sex in my office. I - good Lord. Is that stain on my desk what I think it is?”
Tessa only giggled mischievously, her eyes sparkling with glee as she whispered, “Happy anniversary, darling!”
Chapter Ten
Late January
Julia’s green eyes were sparkling with anticipation, and she was so excited that a passerby would have thought she was the prospective bride who was waiting to try on wedding gowns instead of Tessa.
“How can you be so calm?” asked Julia in disbelief. “When I was trying on dresses for my wedding, I was almost jumping up and down with excitement. Lauren swore she was going to pinch me if I didn’t calm down. And when she pinches, it hurts - a lot - so I managed to control myself somehow.”
Tessa smiled at her matron of honor. “Well, I promise not to pinch you, so you can get as excited as you want. Oh, here’s Marlene.”
The personal shopper, who Tessa had come to regard as a good friend since meeting her over a year ago, was carrying an armload of frothy, lacy wedding gowns. Right behind her was the in-store bridal consultant who had another half-dozen or so dresses in her arms.
Tessa’s blue eyes widened in alarm. “How many dresses are they expecting me to try on anyway? There have to be at least a dozen there.”
Joanna gave her future daughter-in-law a reassuring pat on the arm. “That’s likely just the first batch, dear. I hope you aren’t expecting to settle on the first gown you try on.”
“I tried on over thirty dresses,” admitted Julia. “Though the one I eventually picked was one of the first ones I looked at.”
“You’ll know which one is the right gown for you,” assured Joanna. “Though as wonderful as you look in everything, it’s not going to be an easy decision to make.”
Tessa was thrilled that Ian’s mother was here with her this afternoon. In the absence of her own mother, Joanna was a more than acceptable substitute. And Tessa knew how pleased and flattered Joanna was to have been asked, especially since she had no daughters of her own, and hadn’t been invited along when Victoria and Selina had picked out their wedding dresses.
Tessa had been rather hesitant to bring up the subject during their visit to England last month, not sure if Ian’s parents would be able to schedule a trip to California on such short notice. But Joanna had agreed immediately, assuring Tessa that it would be both an honor and a pleasure, and that she would make the trip alone if Edward couldn’t go. But, as it turned out, he’d been more than agreeable, and they would be spending a total of ten days in San Francisco.
Tessa was also eager to get Joanna’s opinion while she was in town on some of the other wedding plans - invitations, flowers, the menu. Ian had given her carte blanche to make whatever arrangements she desired, having introduced her weeks ago to Zara, the wedding planner who would be helping them with all the details. And of course Ian had his own expert opinions about everything. Having spent his entire adult life working in the hotel industry, and having attended too many social events to even begin to count, it was to be expected that he would know a great deal about matters like catering and music and wines. Whereas Tessa’s own knowledge of such things had really only been acquired over this past year she’d been with Ian. She was more than happy, therefore, to accept his advice and ask his opinion about all of the decisions that would need to be made about the wedding.
Julia, too, had been extremely helpful, drawing on the experience of having planned her own wedding less than a year ago. But Tessa had still been more than a little wistful that she didn’t have her mother by her side to lend assistance. Though knowing Gillian and how flighty and moody she had so often been, she would likely have been more of a hindrance than a help. Tessa couldn’t help smiling rather sadly as she imagined some of the odd, decidedly untraditional plans Gillian would have dreamed up - everything from holding the ceremony in a meadow or under a grove of redwood trees, to finding some obscure verse of poetry to read, or convincing Tessa that she ought to choose a more vibrant color for her wedding dress, something like scarlet or purple instead of the more traditional white or cream.
Tessa shook her head, unable to imagine for even a minute how her mother could have possibly fit in with all of this - not just being in Neiman Marcus, surrounded by designer clothing and smartly dressed patrons, but the privileged lifestyle that Ian had always enjoyed, the sort that Tessa herself was finally becoming used to.
But then again, if Gillian hadn’t died tragically in the apartment fire, it was highly unlikely that Tessa would have ever crossed paths with Ian. She’d more than likely still be living with her mother, doing her best to take care of her and provide for both of them. She wouldn’t have moved to San Francisco or gone to work for the Gregson Group, and she certainly wouldn’t be here now about to try on a bevy of designer wedding gowns. Fate worked in mysterious ways at time, she mused. But since thinking about how different her life might have been if Gillian had survived that night only made her sad, she forced herself to stop dwelling on the matter.
“Sorry I’m late. My client was a few minutes late arriving for their massage. Hope I haven’t missed much.”
Tessa gave Sasha a quick hug as she entered the bridal salon. “Not a thing. They’re just bringing in the first selection of dresses for me to try on. Hopefully I find the perfect one quickly, so that we can focus on finding a dress for you and Julia.”
Sasha gave a small shrug. “There’s no rush, Tessa. My schedule is clear until my next class at six this evening. Take as much time as you need to find the ideal dress. Your wedding is going to be the most important day of your life, after all.”
“Thank you for being here,” Tessa told her earnestly. “I’m guessing that a store like Neiman Marcus isn’t exactly your thing. In fact, until Ian brought me here last year, I’d never been inside any sort of high-end store myself.”
“It’s fine,” Sasha assured her. “Even though wearing designer clothing isn’t really my style - as you’ve certainly noticed - that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate beautiful things. My mother would be in her element in a place like this, though. Unlike me, she’s something of a clothes horse.”
Tessa regarded her friend curiously, for Sasha never really spoke about her family. She didn’t question her further, though, and instead introduced her to Joanna, Marlene, and Tracy, the bridal consultant. The three women seemed a bit taken aback to meet Sasha, who was certainly quite different in appearance than either Tessa or Julia, but also a strikingly lovely woman in her own unique way. Of medium height, she was slender and graceful, the easy way she moved a clear result of her years
of both yoga and dance training. Tessa was used to seeing her in either yoga apparel or some sort of floaty, tiered peasant-style dress or skirt, her slim feet in sandals. Today, perhaps in deference to her surroundings, Sasha was more conservatively attired than Tessa could ever recall - a tan faux-suede maxi skirt, cream cable-knit sweater, and tan ankle boots. Her mass of corkscrew curls were half a dozen different shades of blonde, ranging from dark caramel to almost platinum, and almost overwhelmed her delicately boned face. Tessa knew that Sasha’s father was Spanish or Portuguese, and that she’d inherited her olive gold complexion from him. Sasha rarely bothered with makeup, but it looked like she’d done something subtle to her eyes today, and applied a clear gloss to her lips.
Sasha’s beauty wasn’t the sort that hit you all at once, like Julia’s did, for example. It was more understated, not as obvious, but the more you looked at her, the more you were tempted to keep looking. She never fussed with her appearance, didn’t seem to care a whit for what she was wearing, or how her hair looked, and Tessa figured that was a big part of her appeal. She was also the calmest, most serene, and gentle person Tessa had ever known, and being in her presence was almost a spiritual experience.
“Let’s begin, shall we?” asked Tracy, the young, fashionably dressed, and undeniably perky bridal consultant.
Tessa had been a little dismayed upon learning from Marlene that store policy required her to bring in a bridal consultant, but had been mollified when the personal shopper assured her it was all for the best. Marlene had confided that she was far from an expert on wedding gowns, but that she would certainly be on hand when Tessa tried on dresses to offer up an opinion or help with the selection.
But Tessa had to admit that the rather annoying Tracy did have a wonderful eye for style, for each wedding gown she tried on was more beautiful than the last. She had only tried on half a dozen dresses so far, but already knew it was going to be a tough choice. What made matters worse was that all six women present, herself included, seemed to favor one particular gown - none of them the same one.
Claim Page 18