Relentless Desire

by Jacqwin Hess

He looked down as Adri stepped up into the kitchen. Reaching out and taking the flowers from her, he set them down on the counter. He turned and opened the cabinet, getting down two vases and opened a drawer to retrieve a pair of scissors. He then set them and the vases by the flowers. Adri grabbed the shears and trimmed the stems, stepping back as he put the trash can under where she was cutting—which she gave a cute ‘oh’ and rolled her eyes.

  “Thanks.”

  He went to the fridge and saw that it had been stocked as he requested when he called the caretakers to get it ready for him. Seeing her peeking up, she noticed it was stocked too, and she knew he’d called ahead.

  “This is ah…some first date, Mr. Darvaine.”

  “Well, we Darvaine men have a saying. ‘If you’re going to do it, do it right and over the top,’” he replied, closing the fridge. She began mixing the flowers up in the vase when he grabbed her hand and stopped her, putting white flowers in one and the red flowers in the other. She smiled and started laughing at him.

  “Seriously?”

  “Sorry and…cut that much more off so they’ll fit tighter in the vase,” he replied and she laughed again, but did as he said, taking off another two inches and then arranging them grouped by color.

  “Well, they are beautiful no matter what,” she replied and he smiled at them. He grabbed up the white Irises and handed them to her, pointing down to the front room to the white marble coffee table. When she looked back he was pulling out a bottle of wine and opening it with an automatic wine opener. He set it open to let it breathe, grabbing two glasses. She went to the fridge and opened it up. “That’s ah…a whole lot of food for one day, Sebastian—one meal actually.”

  “Yee have little faith.”

  “Every time I’ve seen you, we’ve been cut short because of that phone ringing and the hell that’s breaking loose on the other end that you have to leave to go deal with. Not…that’s it any of my business. I’m just grateful for the drive out here. It’s been nice and this place is beautiful.”

  “Two things going for me. One: I have total satellite connection, internet, the whole tech set up and all—so any business that suddenly comes up, appointment and meetings, I can do via the webcam, phone, fax and emails. I’m good to go. And Two: I’ve cleared my schedule and actually threatened my managers’ lives should they call me for anything less than a tsunami. This will be a test to see if they’re actually doing what they’re paid to do, having me backing off and not checking up on them; outright doing their job for them.”

  “Yeah and also, if you’re capable of not being a tsunami, dying to go back yourself, unable to stand it—crashing in on the full force. You don’t trust anyone much, do you?”

  Tsunami! That’s me all right. Boy did she have me pegged. “No. No, Adri, I don’t, but it’s too early for serious conversation. Come on; let me show you the rest of the house,” he replied handing her a glass of wine.

  “First, show me the ladies’ room.” He pointed across the living room and just when her door closed, his phone rang…

  When Adri was finished and came out, she smiled when he shoved his phone in his pocket real quick, trying his best to look innocent. Not saying a word, she headed for the stairs and reached down, grabbing up her bag. “Faith. See, this is me, having faith.”

  Yeah and this is me, wanting to bend you over, grab your hips, hold you still and lick your pussy and bite your ass. Fuck, those jeans are hot on her.

  “Oh shit!”

  Sebastian looked up as Adri stared out of the windows of the master bedroom, looking out over the lake and vista, dropping her bag in the master bedroom. She burst out in laughter and ran across the room, jumping up on the huge canopy bed, slipping on the silk linens, tumbling down, and then throwing herself over in the luxurious down comforter.

  “Shot-gun!”

  “Shotgun, huh?” Sebastian set his bag down next to hers and went over to where she rolled onto her stomach and moved to the head of the bed more, setting her chin on her crossed arms as she looked out of the window. He put a knee on the edge of the bed and got up there with her, but left a good foot or more between them, wanting so badly to touch her—to fuck her in that bed. He closed his eyes, rotating his head to stretch his neck and try to work out the tension, to put sleeping with her out of his mind; that’s not what he was there for.

  “Are you going to fuck me here?”

  He jerked in shock and his eyes flashed open. She was lying on her back, looking up at him, an arm tucked under her head and the other resting on her stomach. “No. That’s not why I brought you here, Adriaunn.”

  “Didn’t you? You didn’t bring me here to this gorgeous place, thinking to sweep me off my feet and overtake my senses—to seduce me?” she asked and snickered up at him. “Your wallet is huge. Filled with condoms!”

  He leaned up, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his billfold, showing her the inside of it; where it was filled with hundred dollar bills. “As you can see, it’s devoid of condoms. I ah…didn’t know how much we would need for the trip. I didn’t bring any condoms at all.”

  “Are you kidding me? What if we actually ended up wanting to?!” Adri was actually livid, having wanted too and here he sat, condomless!

  He closed his wallet and put it back and then looked back out of the window, leaning on his hand and sweeping his finger up his forehead, keeping his eyes off of her. “Even if I had them I wouldn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I want to. Of course I want too. I’m not ever going to lie about that. I couldn’t if I wanted to. But that’s not why I brought you here for. I genuinely want to spend time with you and get to know you. I mean, I know I would have had you the day you walked into my house if you would have allowed it and you would not have been sorry.”

  “No doubt,” she groaned and rolled her eyes up at him. “Well, I’m certain you would have been sorry and very disappointed. Cal told me I’m no good at it.”

  “Bullshit–Total bullshit. You got the goods, darling, and men stay around for what you’re capable of doing with them. I felt you tighten when I was touching you. I’ve seen it, you are more than capable, amazingly so. Trust me, Addie baby, I know a lot more about it than you do, what you can do and it’s universally known that men like them tight—the tighter the better and you…are phenomenal.”

  Ooh. Addie. The way he said her name like that just had her instantly melting! She hated Addie or Ads, but to hear the words come from his lips—it just melted her! She remained lying on her back, staring up at him. “I’ll think about it,” she softly admitted to him as he shifted his eyes down to her. “A lot, if…maybe for one night.”

  “One night?” He chuckled and turned around, scooting off the bed.

  Adri twisted her lips to the side and watched him grab up his bag and wine glass, taking off down the hall. After a few seconds, she jumped up and went to go follow him, watching him disappear into the bedroom down at the end of the hall. The house was amazing, passing a bedroom on the right that was decorated in dramatic, vibrant floral bedding she recognized from Neiman Marcus—so gorgeous. She went on down the white hallway and stepped into the room Sebastian disappeared into, which happened to be the next door on the right. She came to a stunned halt, gasping out and placing her hands over her smiling lips. “Oh my god!” She laughed again at the stunning panoramic view. The bedroom was on the end of the house and took up the whole end, but the sight before her had her breath caught in her throat. She was just shocked at the beauty. It was the view of a rocky gorge, the cliffs rising up next to the house with a small stream running down it. The gorge ran northward and emptied into the lake.

  “They say good thing comes to those who wait,” he replied, flopping down on his bed and bouncing his brow at her.

  “This was…is your room, isn’t it? Grandma giving her favorite and only grandson the best room in the house,” she replied and he only smiled at her looking around his bedroom.

  Sebastian remembered many days sitting on the fl
oor in front of the leather couch in front of the fireplace, reading a book, playing chess by himself, or working on his computers.

  “Wow, you couldn’t even tell all this was here as we drove up or parked in the drive. You would have never guessed that such an incredible beauty was here.” She looked over to the east end of the room where a longer rectangular window gave the view out over the lake. That end of the room had floor to ceiling shelves that were filled with books, artifacts, fossils, and strange rocks that looked like meteorites. She lifted her fingers and ran them over books. Biology, chemistry, every kind of mathematical book, and some she would never admit to being clueless about, astronomy, science, physics, several business, economy, and books on finance. There were books on aeronautical propulsion, tons of engineering books from computers and cars to planes, to small technology, robotics?! He also had magazines stacked on all the subjects as well, so he was serious about all that scientific stuff. Wow. There was a lot more to this man than she ever thought.

  She pulled her hand back when she walked past the different sized microscopes, chemistry sets, bottles, and tubes. She walked past the huge telescope he had set up in the corner, looking out of the window where she saw there was a walking path that led down to a dock and boathouse. She looked along the next wall where he had more shelves and books on everything from biographies, philosophy, the classics, and some fiction, mainly science fiction; the full Dune trilogies, Star Wars, Star Trek, and other fantasy-science novels. She looked down at the desk and saw that Sebastian was indeed well equipped with every means of communication, having a desktop and two laptops there, and glancing into the closet, she saw he had a large commercial size printer/fax/scanner. The strange thing was…that it all looked recently used, messy, and lived in. “Sebastian? Ah…”

  “Welcome to my home. My…private sanctuary. This is the one place I can be myself, just be me, Sabs, no one of importance or interest; not the business tycoon with endless appointments, meetings, and fucking schmoozing piece of shit clients, business partners, and acquaintances. Here, there’s no pretense, false friendships, or constantly having to uphold a certain image—being what others expect me to be.”

  “So have you ah…Is this where you bring your women?”

  “No, you’re the first,” he admitted and then he winked at her. “Well, since high school, never anyone since I’ve gone to college.”

  “Hm, I feel honored then.” Adri came up next to him where he stood at the end of the bed, going up on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek. She spun on her heels, giving a little jump and boosting her bottom up on the bed, flopping back down.

  “What are you doing? Trying to kill me? This is the second bed you’ve thrown yourself on and looking as sexy as fuck. I’m beginning to wonder who’s seducing whom here,” he replied and she gave a slight smile, staring up at him.

  Sexy as fuck, huh. Adri would have normally scoffed at that, rolling her eyes, but being with Sebastian, she felt sexy, beautiful, and desired, wanted.

  Adri was definitely wanted, very much desired, and being that it was Sebastian Darvaine who wanted her…she was already caught, taken, and owned. She just didn’t know it yet. Before long, however, she would and she would never question his interest, feelings, or her own beauty and allure again.

  He opened his bag and saw the folded piece of paper he tucked in there, pulling it out, opening it, and then tossing it on her lap. She sat up, picking it up and reading over it, instantly smiling out and laughing up at him—causing his insides to tighten from the beautiful melodic sound. Her laugh was infectious.

  “Man, this is awesome.” Adri looked down at the paper Sebastian gave her, kicking off one boot and then the other, drawing up her feet and then laying back over on the bed. “A list of all your favorites.”

  “Yeah, you told me some things on the phone and that I had to fess up next time, so…there you go.”

  “So efficient,” she teased and then looked back to the list, reading it. Favorite Music was just as he said. “Wow. You weren’t kidding about the heavy metal, huh?” Metallica, Anthrax, Judas Priest, Pantara, Led zeppelin, Queensryche, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Korn, Three Days Grace. “Marilyn Manson?” She then smiled and laughed again at the last two listed, in a different color of ink, so he’d just added them; Nine Inch Nails and Thirty Seconds to Mars. How funny, but then it suddenly got better and she laughed again. “Oh wow, favorite flower: Irises, Hollyhocks and Foxgloves. Um, all long, thick stalk-like flowers. Hm, wonder if it’s just a masculine thing to be attracted to these types of flowers.”

  “What? Oh. Ha! I didn’t think of that,” he chuckled as he turned and went over to his dresser, pulling off his jacket and shirt, tossing it aside and grabbing out a T-shirt from the drawer. He turned and slipped it on, noticing she went suddenly quiet, but didn’t look back and went into the closet.

  What are those ridges across his back?! What in the world?! Adri had been admiring his beautiful body, but small dark marks across his back had caught her attention. She watched as he continued undressing and changing into more casual clothes, but knew she wouldn’t say anything about the markings on his body. He actually had a number of them here and there, but didn’t want to ruin the mood, which was really good right now. If he wanted her to know, he’d tell her.

  He unbuckled his belt–removing his shoes as well, then undressed out of his pants, grabbing out a pair of old, torn up and faded jeans. He figured she’d noticed his scars from the beating his mother once gave him—once—but wasn’t going to bring it up and hash out all that shit with her. He went back into the room where she shook her head and forced her eyes back down on the paper.

  “Well, if that were the case, you forgot Amaranthus Dick on that, but I figured you’d be more inclined to like all the pussy flowers, there’s a lot more of them than penis flowers.”

  “Not into erotic floral, but glad to know where I need to go for such information,” he teased, getting up on the bed with her, except up at the head of the bed, crushing the pillow more under his head. She followed suit, scooting up next to him, dropping down and looking back at the list he made her.

  “Shut up! I saw a book on it in the library. People will write about anything these days. Now, let’s see here. Favorite color.” She looked over, seeing he was wearing an unusual dark gray colored cotton shirt, though she wasn’t comfortable calling it a T-shirt since it was designer and yuppie looking. “Slate first, then blue. Slate?”

  “Yes, slate. That’s my favorite color. Like my shirt. Not black, but almost; dark, but it’s definitely grey. I like dark grey.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “I think it is.”

  “Okay, now we have, favorite food: pork tenderloin?”

  “Yeah, but I’m being a brat, because I only like my grandmother’s. It was…oh my god, in-credible—Amazing. I haven’t had it since she passed away.”

  “You? A brat? Never say! Pork tenderloin, hmm, would you be willing to eat it again if it were fixed for you?”

  “Yeah, maybe, why? Are you going to cook one for me—you cook?”

  “Mm, I dabble about the kitchen. I have my select dishes I’m really good at. That happens to be one of them and…desserts, pastries and such. I’m rather good at baking. Maybe someday I will.”

  “That can be date two.”

  “Date two? So confident.”

  He only smiled at that and she looked back to what he’d written.

  “Favorite fruit: pears. That one I remembered. Any other kind you’re particularly fond of?”

  “Just the normal, tomatoes, peaches, apricot, plums, nectarines, mango, Mandarin oranges, Granny Smith apples, bananas, papaya, pomegranate, figs, blackberry over raspberry, cherry over strawberry. Not picky, but definitely, at the top of the list is pear, over anything else. Not melon. You’ll always win me with pear. Don’t like coconut. Just in my suntan lotion.”

  “Oh god, suntan lotion,” she repeated, smiling with a shake of her he
ad. “Favorite dessert: anything with pears, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “Okay, let’s see.” She continued to read down his lists. “Favorite candy.” She stopped and looked up at him, giving a sly grin, and shaking her head. “Everything—anything; truffles, jelly, gummy, fruity flavored, but not chocolate-covered fruit.”

  “Uh-no. I don’t mind like the chocolate cake with the fruit flavor, but to cover the fruit in chocolate? No.”

  “Okay, another good-to-know.” She then came to the list of favorite things-to-do / recreation, what he liked to do, and read it to herself. How cute! He had written down the words she spoke on the phone. Well, I’m a man, SO: I like anything with cars or motorcycles (any and everything motorized), the races, planetariums, science museums, any museum. Tech shows, car shows, anything scientific. I have season tickets to the Giants’ games; go every chance I get, so yes I like sports; basketball and soccer. “You ah…don’t do Polo sports or anything ah…equestrian?”

  “Well, of course, grew up doing it, but I don’t stable a horse or anything anymore. Not since college.”

  “It seems as if your life ended at college. No sex in the bed once you went to college. No equestrian or sports after college.”

  “You ride?”

  “Yes. Passionately. My horse is stabled in Taos, New Mexico at my best friend’s ranch. I’ll show you a picture later. He’s…gorgeous, a big, black Arabian. I miss him so much, riding him. He’s my baby. I pulled him into this world when he was born. It was beautiful.”

  “Oh really. Hm.” He looked over as she turned her head away yawning. Again. “You were asleep when I called–texted you, weren’t you?”

  “Yeah. Bad night. That storm came in and the temp dropped, I don’t have any heat, and I wouldn’t have turned it on anyway, since it was due to be hot today. Plus, I went out with a friend of mine, Laney Summers. So on top of getting to bed late, too much to drink, and freezing all night, I really haven’t slept.”

  “Well—”

  “NO, absolutely not. I’m not wasting the only time you have off lazing around. I’m going to go walk the gorge, the lake and go up to the boathouse!”