by Cece Baker
“Actually, no,” Landen responded. “I was on my way home from the office and decided I needed a decent meal. I’m here all alone.”
“Excellent,” Ben exclaimed. “I’ll let the wait staff know you’ll be joining us. We can have them hold our meals until you can make your selection and order yours. Please. Come this way.” Ben led the way to the table and Landen made a motion for Thea to go next. As she moved in front of him, Landen got a glimpse of her corsage and grinned widely.
“Can this night get any worse?” Thea thought. “What next? Will the waiter spill her dinner down the front of my dress?” As they approached the booth, Ben sat on one side and Thea slid in on the opposite bench. She scooted all the way to the wall so there would be room for Landen to sit next to her.
While they’d been away, their wine had been delivered. Ben proceeded to share his so-called extensive wine knowledge with Landen. The waiter approached and Landen said, “I’ll have what the lady is drinking.”
Ben let out a little giggle and said he thought that was an excellent choice because Thea was such an elegant lady and obviously knew about wine. She smiled grimly at Landen and sighed.
Once their entrees arrived and they began eating, each of them commented on how tasty and flavorful the food was. Since Landen was sitting to Thea’s left, she kept bumping him with her corsage. At one point a petal from the unnaturally bright blue daisy landed on Landen’s salad plate. Thanks to Ben bringing it to Landen’s attention, it was not ingested. Silently, she groaned again.
As the meal wore on, Thea became aware of the heat emanating from the man next to her. She felt flushed. Ben commented on this and she waved it off as the way that wine affected her.
Landen focused his gaze on her face, agreed she did look flushed and brought his thumb up to her cheek and caressed it gently. Her skin seared with his touch. Her whole body tensed and she couldn’t breathe. As he brought his hand down the tip of his fingers skimmed her shoulder and the side of her breast. She gasped slightly and felt the side of his thigh touch hers. It wasn’t just a brush of their legs touching under the table. It was deliberate. His thigh didn’t move. It was still touching her leg. Thea’s silverware clattered to her plate noisily and she took a big gulp of her wine.
“You okay?” Landen asked huskily.
“Yes, you do look out of sorts, Thea,” Ben commented with food in his mouth.
As Thea looked down at her plate she felt Landen’s hand on her thigh. The touch was confident and wandered down to her knee and back up her leg under her dress. Thea tried concentrating on eating as she felt his hand nearing her inner thigh. The moment was broken as Ben announced that he needed to visit the “little boys room.” Thea smiled as he rose and pretended to be very interested in her meal.
Landen leaned into neck and whispered in her ear, “Your skin is so soft, Thea. I’ve never felt anything as soft in my entire life. All I can think about is feeling that softness on my lips as I kiss my way up your thighs to your….”
At that exact moment Ben rejoined them. Thea slammed her legs closed just as Landen was about to touch her inner thighs. Oh, how she wanted him to touch her there, but not like this. Not in a restaurant. Not on a date with Ben Houston. She wanted his full attention, no holds barred. She wanted him to worship her body, every inch of it, and in return she wanted to do the same to him.
Thea was brought back to the present when Ben kept asking her if she was okay and should he get her a cab to take her home?
“No. Really, Ben. I’m fine. I guess I’m just tired. It was a busy week.” Satisfied, Ben continued rambling on about his college days or something.
As the waiter cleared their dishes he asked if anyone was interested in dessert.
“Not for me,” Thea said smiling, “but thank you. The food was excellent.”
“We are so happy to hear you were pleased, miss.”
The waiter turned his head as Landen said, “I’d like some dessert,” and at the same time he let his hand drift back to Thea’s thigh and gave it a squeeze.
“I would fancy some dessert as well. Please bring us your dessert menu, kind sir,” Ben said with a mock flourish and a bad Australian accent. “Why don’t we get a couple desserts and then share them with each other?” Ben suggested.
Landen just smiled at him. Looking at the choices on the dessert menu, Ben spoke about the options he had to avoid because of one ingredient or another. He ended up ordering two scoops of ice cream, one vanilla and one chocolate, “for variety, don’t cha know,” he said, his accent sounding a bit British this time. Landen just smiled and proceeded to order the decadent flourless chocolate mountain cake, an offering that Ben would have to avoid.
When the dessert arrived, Landen’s eyes were on Thea. “Would the lady fancy a bite of chocolate heaven?” in a mocking fake Australian accent.
Thea giggled quietly, glanced down to avoid Ben’s gaze and looked back up into Landen’s eyes and whispered a throaty, “Yes.”
Landen then took his fork and inserted it deeply into the cake, being sure not to miss any of the layers of goodness. He brought the fork filled with chocolaty decadence to Thea’s mouth and fed her the first bite.
Thea took the fork into her mouth, closed her lips around it and Landen slowly pulled the fork out of her mouth. She groaned loudly and closed her eyes as she savored the rich chocolate flavor. When she opened her eyes Landen was staring at her. He glanced down, put another bite on his fork and took it slowly into his own mouth, his eyes never leaving Thea. She felt her temperature rise once again and quickly took a drink from her water glass.
“That is a really rich dessert. One bite is all I need.” Then she declined Ben’s offer to have a bite of his ice cream sundae.
“Suit yourself. That means more for me,” he replied amiably.
When the waiter returned with the check, Ben mentioned it should probably have been split in three ways. Without a sound, Landen reached into his wallet, pulled out his Centurion American Express card and handed the bill back to the waiter.
Ben was silent for a moment then realized he just got a free dinner and happily went back to scraping the last remnants of ice cream from the bottom of his dish. Thea just shook her head and vowed to get back at her sister at her earliest convenience.
The waiter returned Landen’s card and thanked him personally. Landen added a tip onto the bill and placed the receipt upside down on the table. With that Ben picked up the receipt looked at the size of the tip and whistled. “Dude, you must be loaded.”
Landen looked directly at Ben and in very calm yet serious voice said, “Yes, in fact I am.”
As they exited the restaurant and stood on the sidewalk outside, Landen took Thea’s valet ticket along with his and gave it to the attendant. Meanwhile, Ben had clumsily tried to figure out a way to kiss his date goodnight, but Landen intercepted the action. He held out his hand to Ben who shook it with a limp and sweaty palm. Ben promised to call Thea again very soon, turned, and began the walk to his car parked some blocks away.
As Thea’s car pulled up to the curb, Landen met the attendant getting out of the front seat, slipped him a generous tip, took Thea’s elbow and personally helped her into her car. He leaned down into her space looking her directly in the eyes.
“I had a very lovely evening. We’ll need to do this again, although minus a certain third wheel,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. With that he reached up to touch her chin, brought his face in close and every so lightly pressed his lips to hers.
He moved away and Thea was frozen in the moment. What had just happened? She glanced into her rearview mirror and saw Landen Ellsworth fold gracefully into his sleek red sports car. It was real, she thought. It wasn’t a dream. She could hardly believe the evening she’d had. She’d have a lot to think about when she got home. As she pulled away from the curb she glanced down at her left wrist and began to laugh. “Jill is never going to believe this when I tell her,” she thought as she pulled the corsage
off her wrist and threw it out the car window.
Chapter 5
A couple weeks later, Thea was preparing to go home after a day filled with preparation and pampering for Caroline. She had just finished affixing Caroline’s gorgeous diamond earrings to her ears and matching necklace that clasped in the back to complete her formal look. Tonight was the annual MS Society charity ball. She and William were the official hosts, and Ellsworth Construction the major sponsor of the event. Caroline was resplendent in her deep burgundy off-the-shoulder satin gown complete with a matching shawl. Her nails and makeup were expertly done thanks to the professionals who made house calls, and her dark hair was styled to perfection.
“You’re so beautiful, Caroline,” gushed Thea.
“Indeed you are, my darling,” said a deep voice from behind them. William Ellsworth leaned in to give his wife a gentle kiss. Caroline blushed, but Thea could tell she was pleased at the praise.
“Are the boys here yet?” Caroline asked.
“I heard Westin arrive just a few minutes ago with that friend of his, what is her name again?”
Caroline thought a minute and then said, “Joy?”
The fact was confirmed when they heard Westin say, “Yes, Joy is here with me tonight. Mother, you remember Joy don’t you? We went to college together.”
Joy added, “He’s like the brother I never had,” as she greeted Mrs. Ellsworth amiably.
At that moment they heard Landen’s deep voice greeting his mother as well. Caroline commented, “Landen, you look so handsome in your tux. Where is your date?”
Sheepishly, Landen said, “Mother, tonight I’m going stag.”
“What?” Caroline responded incredulously. “You can’t go by yourself. That will not do at all. You’re the master of ceremonies. Thea! We need your help, dear. I know this is short notice, but would you be willing to change your plans for the evening and join us at the MS Society charity ball? Landen needs a date.”
Stunned, Thea looked from Caroline to Landen and finally said, “I, well, uh, I… I can’t… I mean, he doesn’t want to go with me.”
“I would be honored if you’d accompany me, Thea,” Landen said with feeling.
Thea blushed and responded, “I don’t have anything to wear. I can’t very well go to a ball in scrubs.”
Caroline interjected, “That’s not a problem at all. The ladies on the planning committee have been collecting ball gowns from women all across the city to auction off next month. We’ve got a ton of dresses and as luck would have it, they were all delivered here last week. Just find one you like, wear it tonight and then return it when you’re done. Truly, it’s no problem at all.”
Thea was shocked and didn’t know what to say.
“Go on, Thea. Go pick out a dress and then we’ll have your hair and makeup done by these fine professionals and you’ll be ready to go.”
“Well … if it’s no trouble, I guess I can go.” With a big grin, Caroline instructed Arthur to take Thea to the guest suite on the east wing where all the dresses were being stored.
Thirty minutes later Thea was admiring her look in the mirror and gathering her wits about her. “I can do this,” she told herself. And with a confident nod of her head she walked to the top of the grand staircase and saw the family waiting below in the foyer. All heads turned her way as she began to descend the staircase. There were a multitude of admiring glances and comments of “You look gorgeous!” and “Wow. Beautiful.”
Concentrating on not falling down the stairs, Thea wasn’t too aware of many of the comments and looks until she saw Landen’s reaction. He had been looking at his phone, but glanced up as she stepped onto the marble floor in the foyer. He looked down again, then immediately his head snapped back up. His lips parted slightly as he took in the sight before him. There stood a woman transformed. Her dark blonde tresses were gathered at the nape of her neck and wispy tendrils framed her round face. Her eyes were dark and smoky. She wore a dusty purple dress that showed an indecent amount of cleavage and the creamy smooth skin of her neck, shoulders and chest. Immediately Landen had a vision of running his lips and tongue lightly over the skin behind her ear, down her neck and into the space between her full breasts.
The dress she wore fit her curves perfectly. It clung in all the right places. The heels she wore made her legs seem impossibly long. He couldn't take his eyes off her. His gaze ran from her face to her chest, down her torso and back up again. Lustily he ran his tongue over his top lip imagining what her skin would taste like.
As if time had sped up by three hours, Landen saw himself standing behind her in his bedroom directly in front of the full-length mirror, moonlight shining in through the windows. His hands unzipped her dress and he touched his lips between her shoulder blades. Her scent was intoxicating. He rubbed his growing erection on her plump ass lazily, from side to side. She groaned and leaned back into his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. His hands moved from the sides of her hips upward to cup her breasts, now just barely covered by her dress. He glanced up and saw her eyes watching the reflection of his hands as they memorized her body.
She moaned. "More. Keep touching me. Yes. Oh god, yes." He pushed the top of her dress down the sides of her arms and watched as it fell off her shoulders, down her torso and to her hips. He stopped his hands from moving and just watched her skin come into view. Her breasts were covered in a lacy, see-through bra that was sexy as hell. He pushed her dress down the rest of the way to the floor. He froze. She wasn't wearing any underwear. The woman had gone commando. He had danced with her pressed up against his dick and she hadn't had any panties on.
"Fuck," Landen groaned in her ear. “You're not wearing any panties,” he said in a guttural rasp.
With a coquettish grin she said, “Yes. I know.”
“Do you have any idea how much that turns me on?”
Again she laughed huskily and said, “I have some idea,” as she rubbed her body against his straining cock.
His hands slid from her waist forward to her belly and finally stopped between her legs. Thea groaned. "Oh, God, Landen," she said in a husky voice.
"Watch me Thea. Watch me in that mirror as I finger you and make you come." She sucked in a sharp breath and did exactly as she was told. His eyes were glued to the reflection of her face in the mirror so he could see her every reaction to his ministrations.
His right hand slipped lower on her torso and his middle finger delved into her hot pussy. There was a moment of silence that filled the room with electricity. Finally Landen whispered "You're so wet, Thea. Are you always this wet?”
"No,” she said with a gasp. “It’s you, Landen. I'm wet for you." She closed her eyes and he immediately withdrew his finger and reprimanded her.
"Open your eyes, Thea. Do not take your eyes off my hand. If you do, then I stop. Got it?" She nodded her head quickly and refocused her gaze back on the reflection of his hand as it resumed its exploration. "I love your pussy. It's so fucking wet for me. I want to drown in your wetness."
There was a pause as Thea tried to remember how to breathe. Finally she stammered, “Please don’t stop.” Landen’s finger had moved upwards toward her clit. He circled his finger on that oh-so-sensitive spot. "Oh yes. Oh god yes. More. Please. Oh god, that feels so good.”
He gave a low chuckle in her ear and increased the speed of his finger moving in and out of her sex. "Landen!"
That's it Thea. Say my name."
"Oh, god, Landen."
"Louder, Thea. I want the whole city to know my name. Got it?" he commanded.
"Yes. Oh yes. Landen, LANDEN! LANDEN! LANDEN! Thea shouted as she came.
“Landen! Landen, dear! Landen? Are you okay?” Landen was shaken from his daydream and realized his mother had been calling his name.
“Right here, mom. I’m fine. Did you need something?” he said.
“Isn’t Thea beautiful?” his mother said with a knowing smirk.
“Absolutely. Yes. Of course. Yes. Sh
e looks beautiful.”
Laughing his mother directed, “Well, dear then tell her, not me.”
Landen focused his gaze on Thea and said softly, “You’re stunning.” He extended his arm to Thea and said, “Shall we go?” Thea blushed, shook her head yes and took Landen’s arm. Regally, they walked to the waiting town car together.
The family arrived at the event in a convoy, Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth first, Westin and Joy next, followed by Drake and the swimsuit model and finally Landen and Thea. Their car door was opened swiftly by a doorman wearing a tuxedo and white gloves. The attendant extended his hand to Thea as she exited the vehicle. She was grateful for the steadying hand because she was so nervous. There was a red carpet laid out for them, and photographers from local news outlets were snapping pictures. Thea prayed, “Please don’t let me fall. Please don’t let me fall.” She smiled as soon as she realized the flashes were from cameras. Landen was soon by her side guiding her forward, his hand on the small of her back. Just the feel of him so close warmed her and relaxed her at the same time. “I can do this,” she thought to herself.
Landen leaned into her ear and whispered, “You’re so beautiful, Thea. I’m the luckiest man here.” Her lips immediately formed a huge smile and her whole face lit up. Then she saw a flurry of flashbulbs going off and she hoped someone had captured the moment on camera. The double doors were opened for them and they entered the lavish event hall. Inside, all the Ellsworths and their dates were waiting patiently for Thea and Landen’s arrival.
Drake commented, “Well, big brother, I see the press is interested in you tonight. What’s that all about?”
Landen ignored the implied tone and simply responded by saying “The photographers were mesmerized by Thea, that’s all.”
Drake shook his head and agreed heartily, which earned him a scowl and elbow to the ribs from the swimsuit model.
The group was ushered into a large room where cocktails were being served. An official-looking woman in a business suit with an earpiece approached and told them that cocktail hour would end in exactly forty-five minutes. At that time she, Elise, would escort them to the head table.