She waited several seconds, then grabbed her keys from the hook by her door and took the elevator down to the lobby. She hadn’t ordered anything so she wasn’t sure what could possibly be delivered. Whatever it was, she didn’t want a stranger to enter the building and she didn’t want to be caught picking it up by someone she didn’t know and didn’t trust. Strange things had happened in New York City. Everyone in a city took precautions, but a woman alone had to be a little more aware of security than people paired up.
As soon as she stepped off the elevator, she saw the large, red box with a big white bow. She saw the name of the exclusive boutique and her eyes widened. As she peered through the glass doors that separated the lobby from the elevator area, she wondered if that could possibly be her delivery. It was very large and looked very expensive. Probably someone else’s she told herself, approaching the door warily.
Lana stood at the glass door for a long moment, afraid to investigate the box. There were no other deliveries in the lobby so that had to be it, but what could it possibly be? Shaking her head with impatience, she forced her hand to pull open the door. There was no way she’d discover what was in the box and who had sent it until she picked it up and opened it.
Walking slowly across the linoleum, she tentatively picked up the card attached to the big bow. Sure enough, it had her name on it. Without another thought, she excitedly grabbed the box and rushed back into the elevator which was thankfully still on the bottom floor for her so it wouldn’t be as long a wait for an elevator as it usually was. Taking the package into to her apartment and kneeling in the middle of her family room floor, she untied the bow excitedly, knowing it was probably from Victor.
Her fingers shook as she lifted the incredibly beautiful red silk dress out of the box. The name on the label identified it as a designer she’d never be able to afford even stepping into the store for and here she was, holding the most incredible dress she’d ever seen.
Holding it in front of her, she saw the low cut front and non-existent back and instantly, her body reacted with excitement. She could feel her body heating, her legs trembling at the thought of Victor seeing her wearing something like this. Could she wear such a seductive dress? She’d say that her nightgowns covered more of her than this dress, but her billowing flannel and cotton nightgowns covered more than her day clothes so that wasn’t saying much.
She immediately pulled off her old shirt and slid the incredible dress on over her stretch pants. Spinning around and surveying her image in the mirror, she noticed that the waistband of her leggings peeked through the back. Pulling them off, she looked at her back and was stunned.
The bodice of the satin dress hugged her breasts, showing more cleavage than her bra. It smoothed over her flat stomach and hugged her hips, the back dipping lower than normal so that the top curve of her bottom was revealed.
She loved it! It was sexy and daring and more than she’d ever thought about wearing. Or less, she giggled to the mirror. It was only dinner at Victor’s penthouse so who would know? Looking in the box, she saw the red strappy shoes and her eyes widened when she noticed the small, red silk thong underwear. Her fingers shook as she pulled it on, instantly feeling naughty.
When the doorbell rang that evening, she’d already showered, curled her hair and pulled the sides up with small sparkly clips. She wore more makeup than usual, highlighting her eyes with brown eye liner and wearing red lipstick that perfectly matched the dress.
“Good evening, Miss,” Jimmy said, tipping his hat graciously. “Are you ready?”
Taking a deep breath, she smiled and nodded, holding her jacket closed. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She wasn’t surprised that Jimmy was there instead of Victor. Usually Victor picked her up at the door but occasionally, he had a meeting that ran later than expected which kept him busy. He always was driving up to his building at the same time Jimmy dropped her off so she didn’t care, although tonight she would have loved the experience of seeing Victor’s eyes light up when he saw her in the dress he’d sent.
She was sitting in the back, her hands nervously fluttering over the soft leather seat when she noticed that they weren’t heading toward Victor’s building. Lana couldn’t believe her eyes when the limousine stopped in front of a strange building. “Jimmy? Where are we?”
Jimmy was just about to reply when Victor strolled out of the building, talking with several other men. He winked at her in the car but continued talking for a moment. When the men moved off, he walked over to the car and bent down. “Are you coming inside?” he asked, his eyes raking over her figure but all he could see was the bottom of her dress since her coat covered the top part.
She swallowed painfully, pulling the edges of her trench coat more tightly about her figure. “Inside?” she squeaked.
Victor’s smile turned mischievous. “Yes. For dinner. We’re dining out tonight.”
Lana couldn’t believe her ears. “We’re not eating at your place?” she asked quickly, her fingers clutching at the edges of her coat, knowing what was inside, or more specifically, what wasn’t. Looking at him desperately, she asked, “Wouldn’t that be more comfortable?”
He chuckled softly before saying, “In some ways, yes. But I want to show you off and you’re going to enjoy tonight. I can see you’re wearing the dress. Come along and I promise you’ll love dinner,” he coaxed and held out his hand to her.
Lana took it tentatively, wishing she could be more blasé about the situation. But she couldn’t. Everything about her was telling her to run in the opposite direction. She was about to walk into a public place dressed like a trollop. An expensively dressed trollop though. Stepping out onto the sidewalk was difficult but Victor’s hand, warmly encasing her cold, trembling one, gave her courage. Looking up into his eyes, he could see that he understood her feelings and wanted to hug him, then dive back into the limousine.
Instead of letting her fears get the best of her, he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and smiled down at her. “You look lovely,” he said as he walked her into the restaurant. “I like what you’ve done with your hair.
Lana couldn’t believe her legs had carried her this far. Why wasn’t she running back to the car, hiding out and shaking her head at his ridiculous assertion that she should walk with him inside a restaurant, a public place, dressed with more uncovered than covered?
Looking up at the strong, handsome profile, she knew it was because of Victor. He was pushing her, letting her experience new things and she wanted desperately to show him that she wasn’t the cowering woman he’d met in what seemed like another life now.
“Be brave,” he whispered in her ear when she initially refused to relinquish the coat. Finally, she let go and he was able to hand it off to the hostess who was standing surreptitiously behind Victor.
She turned around, her shoulders tense and looked up at him. “I thought we’d be alone,” she whispered somberly, a catch in her voice that told him more than words how she was feeling.
He looked at her worried expression and smiled. “First of all, pretend like you wear this kind of dress all the time. Relax your shoulders and be proud, knowing that you have a better figure than just about every other woman in there. Show it off.”
Looking into his dark eyes, she saw the admiration, and more importantly, the respect and sexual longing, in his eyes and it gave her courage. Taking a deep breath, she forced her shoulders down and smiled nervously up at him.
“Good girl,” he chuckled. “Secondly, think about how you’re turning me on. I’ll be looking at you during dinner, knowing exactly what you’re wearing underneath that dress. Or more specifically, what you’re not wearing,” he said silkily, his hand gliding up her arm and causing goose bumps to form on her sensitive skin. “And I won’t be able to do anything about it until I get you back to my place. Enjoy the power you have over me. Feel it as we eat dinner and know that you completely control the night.”
As he spoke, he moved closer to her, whisperi
ng in her ear, his lips so close, they brushed against the delicate shell of her ear occasionally, sending sparks of desire through her body. His words evoked a latent femininity that she hadn’t even known existed and she wanted to turn to him, put her lips against his and taste him, see if he felt as good as he smelled.
“That’s my girl,” he said softly, his eyes locked to hers and he could see the brilliance in her eyes, the feminine knowledge and he almost regretted showing her this side of her. Just seeing her face, her increasing sexual awareness was making him hard and he knew it was going to be a long night.
The hostess showed them to their table and Lana, who had thought she’d be painfully self-conscious, didn’t even notice the other diners in the restaurant. She moved with thoughtless grace, the different underwear and luxurious silk caressing her in ways that she had previously never considered possible. As she walked to the table in front of Victor, she could feel his eyes on her back, remembering how low the dress dipped, and he was right. She felt strong, powerful and incredibly sexy knowing that his eyes were watching her, seeing that she wasn’t wearing a bra and that he couldn’t do a thing about it. At least not right at the moment. She knew, as soon as the dinner ended, that he would certainly take charge, just as he normally did, when they made love. But right now, she was the powerful one. She was in charge. And she reveled in it.
The waiter held her chair out for her and she smiled her thanks, then watched Victor sit down across from her. “What’s good here?” she asked, pretending to skim the menu but she couldn’t see the words. She could only feel how desirable Victor was making her feel by his look and admiration.
“Everything,” he replied, tossing the menu to the side. “Champagne,” he told the wine waiter as he approached.
The man reappeared only moments later with an ice bucket filled with ice and a bottle of Crystal champagne. He uncorked the bottle and poured it into the two flutes, leaving quickly and efficiently.
Lana picked up her glass. “What’s the occasion?” she asked, her eyes slipping to his. She could feel his heavy lidded gaze slide over her figure, pausing at her breasts which made her nipples instantly hardened with the intensity of his gaze. She knew he could see the impression of her nipples through the thin silk and it only made the feelings intensify.
“I think tonight you’ve easily graduated to the next level in my tutorial.”
Lana raised her eyebrows. “Sounds intriguing. What are the other classes at this level?”
He leaned forward, chuckling softly at her engaging expression and shook his head. “I think I’ve given you enough secrets for one night. Don’t you?”
The smile that crept over her face was slow but no less impressive. She leaned forward and loved it when his eyes dipped to the dark shadow between her breasts. “Never.” He was right. She felt powerful and sexy and alluring. It was quite a combination.
Victor laughed, causing several of the other diners to glance at them but they immediately turned back to their tables. If Lana had been looking, she would have seen some of them whisper behind their hands excitedly but she only had eyes for the man across the table who had completely changed her life in such a short period of time.
Victor watched the delicate beauty sitting across the table from him and was amazed that she wasn’t preening for the rest of the restaurant. He could honestly say this lovely, amazing and beautiful woman had no interest or knowledge that anyone else in the restaurant was looking at her and wondering about her. The dress was a turn on absolutely. But the fact that Lana had eyes only for him, was focused and interested only with him, made him ache with the need to make her his, to put his stamp on her. It was an odd feeling for a man who had never cared if he dated any particular woman once or five times as long as they interested him.
The waiter appeared at that moment and she leaned back in her chair as she watched him, sipping her glass of champagne and allowing Victor to order for her. When the meal was over, she had no idea what she ate. They talked and laughed, someone came over to say hello to Victor and he introduced her to them but a moment after shaking the man’s hand, she had no idea what his name was.
“Would you like coffee or perhaps a brandy?” he asked as the waiter cleared away the decadent chocolate dessert they’d shared.
“No,” Lana breathed, leaning back in her chair, her eyes telling him exactly what she wanted.
Victor’s body, already on high alert throughout the entire meal, needed no further encouragement to leave. He was primed and ready to take her into his arms and couldn’t imagine anything more alluring than Lana in that dress right at the moment. “Let’s go,” he replied, not letting her gaze slip away. He stood up and tossed several bills on the table and Lana took his hand, walking quickly through the restaurant. Jimmy was already outside the front door with the back of the limousine open. All they had to do was step through the door and into the limousine. Victor didn’t hesitate as he pulled her into his arms. Lana eagerly moved into his arms, more than ready for his kiss.
Jimmy drove quickly and before she knew how, they were at Victor’s building, being whizzed to the top floor by his private elevator.
Victor didn’t wait until they were in the bedroom. As soon as they stepped into his penthouse, he pulled her against him, his mouth coming down over hers, demanding submission. Lana gave it uninhibitedly, pressing her curves against his hard, muscular frame. He pushed her back against the wall in the foyer, one hand pulling her leg up so it was against his thigh. Victor couldn’t wait. His hand reached under her dress and tore off the scrap of material covering her, sliding into her warmth and Lana sighed happily as Victor groaned. It took only two strokes and Lana was wildly thrown into a climax that was almost painful in its pleasure. It wasn’t more before Victor followed.
As their breathing slowed and reality came back into focus, both of them realized that they were still in the foyer against the wall. He lifted his head and looked down at her, still holding her against the wall. Shaking his head, he said, “I’m sorry Lana. This wasn’t….”
She stopped his apology with the expedient method of covering of his lips with her own. When he was silent, she said, “I was right there with you and thought it was wonderful.”
His eyes cleared and he bent to gently kiss her lips. He let her down to the floor but the moment her feet touched the floor, he swung her up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom. There, he proceeded to make up for the previous quickness by taking her slowly, driving her insane with need and forcing a cry when he finally took her over the edge into bliss.
Chapter 5
Lana’s fingers flew over the keyboard. She’d started a new manuscript instead of revising the old one. This new plot was completely different. It had an edgier quality that she recognized instantly but she also thought it was more sophisticated. And she couldn’t type fast enough to get the words onto the virtual page. The ideas were more detailed, the scents and smells more powerful. She lived off of coffee, whatever kind of sandwich was fastest to make and most of those were only half eaten. Her only slow, savored meal was with Victor each night followed by mind-blowing sensuality that only increased as they learned more about each other.
Her phone rang and she picked it up eagerly, knowing it was Victor or Nancy checking in with her.
“Hello?” she replied on the first ring.
“Lana?” Victor asked through the line.
There was something in his voice that broke through her concentration on the manuscript. Something wasn’t right, she thought instantly. “Victor? What’s wrong?” she asked, instantly alert and her body tensing. “Are you okay?”
She could hear the smile in his voice and relaxed. “Yes, I’m okay.”
“Whew!” she said into the receiver and relaxed against her desk chair. “Please don’t answer the phone with that tense tone of voice. It scares me. Besides, you still don’t sound okay. What’s going on?”
“I have to go out of town for a couple of days.”
Of all the things she’d been expecting, that wasn’t one of them. That news instantly deflated her. “Oh.” She tried to think of whatever would be the polite and politically correct comment to say during an affair when one’s lover told her he would be away. But she couldn’t think. The disappointment was crushing her. Her brain was telling her to be sophisticated and act like she didn’t really care. But her heart, a part of her body which she’d been hoping had been safe during this adventure, started worrying. “Where are you going? Not that it’s any business of mine,” she said quickly, afraid she was coming across as needy. That was the last thing she wanted him to think of her. She wouldn’t be a clinging vine and suffocate him with her needs. She’d never been like that before, but somehow, the idea of not seeing him made her whole world cloud up.
He chuckled at her quick reply which quickly eased some of Lana’s anxiety. “Lana, by now you have every right to ask where I’m going. I have a meeting in London early in the morning. I’d take you with me but I’ll have meetings on the flight on the way over and I’m afraid you’ll be bored.”
The Tycoon's Seduction Plan Page 7