by BJ Wane
They were going to have to accept his plans, however, which included Eve, if they wanted anything to do with him in the future. As Eve came to the end of her piece, he realized he didn't care what they thought, or anyone else for that matter. All that mattered was what he and Eve wanted, and right now, he wanted her in the basest of ways and wasn't willing to wait.
Chapter Eighteen
Eve's mind filled with the building crescendo of her finish, her body swaying with the haunting melody that reached a feverish pitch before ending on a resounding note. The enthusiastic applause that greeted the sudden silence took her by surprise, filling her with a sense of accomplishment and pride she hadn't felt in her music since playing for the Julliard board and receiving admittance for her performance. For a split second that was all that mattered, then the only thing that mattered was Nate. She felt him take her arm as she rose from the bench and acknowledged the applause with a small bow before quiet conversation resumed around the room and she was forgotten by everyone except him and she knew she was okay with that.
"I want you," Nate whispered in her ear as she leaned into him and he made sure she felt the effect both her and her music had on him. "Now."
"Nate," she sputtered on a laugh, "We can't…"
"Yes, we can." His low, rugged, implacable voice sent shivers down her spine and heat between her legs. As he led her away with dubious intent, she followed him with an excitement that rivaled what she was feeling when she sat down to play ten minutes ago. The whisper of a door opening followed by the frigid blast of cold air replacing the interior warmth of the ballroom told her they were out on the veranda that Nate said looped around the perimeter of the hotel.
"Oh, God," she moaned when she was backed against the hard exterior wall, Nate's even harder body pressing against her front. "What if we're seen?" She squirmed as he rucked up her dress.
"Then those prudish, two-faced bitches and their two-timing husbands will get an eyeful and possibly a much needed education." Nate ran his hand up her silk covered thigh, traced over the garter that held her stockings up and pictured what she'd look like wearing nothing but them. "Nice, but these have to go." He reached her crotch, encountering a small swatch of silk and lace instead of soft, bare skin. With a yank, he ripped the offending garment off and swallowed her gasp with his mouth, that cute, cock jerking catch coming up from her throat making his cock swell even more.
Eve forgot about the close proximity of people who would be shocked at their actions and wrapped her legs around Nate's waist as he grabbed her ass and lifted her to meet the thrust of his cock. Nothing mattered but the grinding together of their hips and the forceful thrust of his steely cock invading her welcoming pussy. What better way to follow her successful debut performance than with the heat of his silken cock stroking her to another one of those breath stealing climaxes?
Soft, wet flakes fell on her upturned face, but Eve was never cold when she was with Nate. He pulled away from her mouth, burying his lips in her arched neck, his deep moan and the jerk of his cock as he pounded inside her a sign he was as close to orgasm as she was. "Nate, yes." She trembled, tightening her arms and legs around him as the first tremors of her climax grew stronger and stronger.
Nate's senses clouded with pleasure, her muscles squeezing and massaging his thick girth, the friction incredibly hot as she bathed him with the slickness of her release and pulled his own orgasm up from his balls to spew deep inside her. He tried to slow down, tried to gentle his hold and thrusts, but both were impossible. Since she wasn't complaining, he went with the need and the pleasure and lost himself once again in both.
"I'm sorry, Eve." He lowered her and pushed her dress down, just now becoming aware of the cold, light snow falling on his head. "Your panties are history so you'll have to return inside going commando. Just think of the scandalous expressions the Commonwealth of Virginia bluebloods would have if they knew. That ought to be enough to amuse you for the rest of the evening." Picking up her hand, he led her laughing back around the corner and inside the ballroom to come face to face with the disapproving faces of his parents. "Well, hell."
"Nate," Eleanor Radcliff hissed with disapproval, aiming a scathing look at Eve. "What is the meaning of this behavior? You look like you've been…" She stuttered to a stop, unable to voice what she knew her son had been up to.
"We have, Mother."
"Nate!" Eve's shocked, mortified tone made him curb his annoyance.
"I'm sorry, sugar. Eve, I'd like you to meet Eleanor and Nathaniel Radcliff, my parents. This is Eve Sawyer; the woman I've told you about. Be nice," he warned them.
Eve sent Nate a glare then held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you both." She didn't add that Nate had told her about them because he had spoken little about his family other than he enjoyed irritating them.
"Ms. Sawyer." Nathaniel took her hand briefly. "My son tells us you teach music to blind children. I'm surprised you're able to work at all, and, despite your impressive talent, that seems a rather dubious accomplishment given your handicap."
"Couch your remarks," Nate snapped, not liking his father's derisive tone.
"Can't the girl stick up for herself?" he countered with smooth coolness.
"Yes, she can," Eve interrupted, squeezing Nate's hand in an effort to calm him down. Sometimes she liked his overprotectiveness, and others times, like now, she hated it. "Given my musical background as well as the years I lived with sight, I would think my career choice and ability to handle it would be obvious." Eve heard the low murmur of people standing nearby and was uncomfortable with being the center of attention and with the disapproval she could sense coming from the Radcliffs.
"Since I know little about you, it wasn't obvious to me. Besides, I'm always interested in people who work for a living, those who don't shirk their responsibilities or expect others to carry their weight for them," Nathaniel said with a pointed look at Nate.
"Like you?" Nate shot back thinking of his and Leah's childhood.
"Yes, like me," he responded, deliberately missing his son's point to emphasize his own. "I've carried my weight far longer than I should've needed to."
"Then I suggest you and your brothers start recruiting one of my cousins. I'll be much too busy with my new project."
"What're you talking about?" Eleanor asked, hoping Nate wouldn't embarrass her further tonight.
"I told you about the new riding facilities I'm sponsoring along with Wes Montgomery. We'll be breaking ground as soon as weather permits then I'll be overseeing the classes myself." Nate knew he was dropping a bombshell since they both assumed he was just using Radcliff money to pay for this new venture, but he still wasn't prepared for his mother's appalled outburst.
"Nate! What on earth are you thinking? Is this just another stunt of yours to embarrass us?" Eleanor cast a quick, furtive look around to see if anyone was listening. "Assign the charity work to underlings and let the foundation handle the day to day running of it. You know we only involve ourselves personally in functions that will enhance business opportunities, or you would know that if you spent your days where you belong, at Alliance."
Eleanor sent a pointed glare toward Eve who looked decidedly uncomfortable with their arguing. "I suppose we have you to thank for this latest debacle."
"Mother!" Nate snapped, incensed, tightening his hand around Eve's when she tried to pull away.
"I'm not discussing this anymore tonight. We can…"
"Eve, you have got to come look at some of these things that are going to be auctioned off tonight," Holly interrupted, having seen Eve's stricken look from several feet away and grabbed the chance to make the Radcliffs' apparent dislike of her work to her advantage.
Eve had never been grateful for Holly's rude interruptions until now. Needing to put space between her and all the Radcliffs, she latched onto Holly's arm. "No, Mrs. Radcliff, I had nothing to do with Nate's decision to do this. It was nice meeting you both," she blatantly lied. "We'll be right back, Nat
e." She let Holly lead her away without waiting for a response from either of them.
Holly smiled at Nate, ignoring his scowl as they stepped up to the long table laden with expensive donated items from Richmond's most exclusive shops and artists. "Good grief, what was that about?"
"Just a difference of opinion between Nate and his parents." The lingering pleasure she had been enjoying from their quickie outside dissipated quickly from the obvious displeasure in the Radcliffs' voices. She questioned who Nate was fucking with a few moments ago, her or his parents. She didn't like thinking he had used her as another way to needle his mother and father, something she knew he enjoyed doing. Of course, after just a few minutes in their company, she could see why he did it and why he preferred keeping his distance from them.
"From the daggers they're sending your way, I'd say you were the focal point of their differences. Don't worry, hon," Holly added soothingly, "they aren't worth giving a second thought to. Here, look at this stunning bracelet." She handed Eve the diamond studded, gold jewelry. "We would have nowhere to wear such a piece, but it's absolutely gorgeous and would complement any one of these decked out women."
Eve felt the small, intricate links and the hard stones in between them, picturing Nate's ex wearing it on her wrist, her hand latched onto Nate's arm, a proud look on his face as she walked by his side with faultless grace. "It's beautiful; it ought to fetch a high price." She set it down and moved with Holly down the table, running her fingers over the items to be auctioned, her mind not on the exquisite, high-dollar objects but on Nate and what he was telling his parents. Was he making excuses for her, for his interest in the riding venue for the disabled? Or was he sorry he brought her here, maybe regretting letting her believe their relationship was going somewhere?
"Wow, this is awesome." Holly picked up a vase and turned it in her hands, suspecting that the lines of gold and silver interwoven in the delicate pattern of swirling blues and greens were the real thing. She handed it over to Eve saying, "That ought to fetch a fortune. I'll bet it's worth ten thousand at least. Uh, oh," she continued without breaking stride. "I'm sure it's nothing, Eve, but Nate's ex is hanging all over him and he doesn't seem to mind in the least."
"Here, take this and take me back to him," Eve demanded in a strident whisper, struggling to draw a breath against the unreasonable anxiety flooding her. She wanted to return to Nate not because she worried about the other woman, but because she was ready to get out of this place and away from these people before the entire night was ruined because of them.
"Just set it down while I go look at this clock then I'll walk you over to Nate." Seeing Nate headed their way, Holly leaned against the table just hard enough to move it over an inch or two, leaving enough of a gap for Eve to miss her aim.
One second Eve was turning and setting the vase down and the next she was fumbling with the expensive glassware as she felt it teeter then fall between her and the table, shattering against the marble floor. People started talking at once, but Eve could distinctly hear Clarissa's voice exclaiming, "What was Nate thinking bringing someone like her here?" before she heard three small, condemning words from Nate next to her.
"Oh my God," Nate breathed in dread, arriving too late to prevent what he saw happening, his gaze not on the glittering shards of breakage at Eve's feet, but on her ashen face, stark against her dark hair and looking like she would crumble any second. He reached out to touch her, but his mother's strident, angry voice had him facing her in anger instead.
"Really, Nate! This is too much. That woman is an embarrassment to not only you and us but everyone here."
"Shut up," Nate bit out.
"Don't you dare speak to me that way," Eleanor hissed, looking around to see who heard her son speak with such disrespect to her. "We told you we wouldn't welcome her tonight, and this is why. You need to…"
"You need to keep your God damned mouth shut. I'll write a check for the vase and no harm will be done to the profits for tonight. Let it go, Mother." Nate's anger was a simmering cauldron threatening to bubble over. Ignoring his father's warning glare, he turned back to Eve only to see her and Holly across the room, heading out the door. The look of malicious triumph on Holly's face right before the door shut behind them filled him with dread. Unfortunately, his friends approached at that moment, along with the auctioneer and it was fifteen minutes before he could get away. By then, they were well on their way back to Eve's place.
When will I ever learn? Eve leaned her head back against the headrest as Holly started her car and pulled out. Nate's shocked, disbelieving voice, his stunned exclamation of 'Oh my God' reverberated in her mind over and over. She berated herself for being a fool, for once again harboring hopeful expectations when she knew nothing ever came of them except disappointment and disillusion. She still didn't know how she had gone from giddy excitement over her performance, to heady, body pulsing pleasure to mind numbing despair in such a short time. Yet, even now, knowing Nate was most likely breathing a sigh of relief at her quick, silent departure, she wanted nothing more than to rush back to him, feel his body and strong, implacable voice buffering her against the harsh realities of her life.
"Well, that was a dreadful scene."
Holly's crisp tone roused Eve enough to say, "Yes, dreadful. Does Nate know I left?"
Holly listened to the quiet resolution in Eve's voice and gazed at the resigned acceptance on her face with an air of satisfaction. It was about time she came to her senses, she thought smugly. It was just too bad it had taken such dire action to get through to Eve. She was hurting now, Holly mused, but that was okay because she was here to see her through this, just like she had every other time Eve couldn't see that the only person she needed in her life was her.
"He was still arguing with his parents, so I doubt it," she lied, not wanting Eve to get her hopes up thinking Nate might come after her. He might not like Holly, but now that he has had to face the turmoil of what life with Eve posed, he was sure to keep his distance.
"And I suppose the vase is unsalvageable?"
"I'm afraid so. But it's over now and time to move on," Holly stated briskly, killing the small thread of hope Eve was clinging to. She turned onto Eve's street hoping this light snow kept her irritating, nosy neighbors at home for the rest of the night.
"Yes, I suppose it is," Eve answered, her voice subdued, feeling as if her heart was splintering apart.
"There are other things we need to discuss now, Eve. Surely, now that you've seen the obstacles you'd face when with his peers, you can see that it never would've worked out for you two, how difficult it would be for both of you to cope, especially now that he's subjected you to how cruel the people he associates with can be."
Eve was trying desperately not to torture herself by remembering all the fun and excitement she had had with Nate in the last three months, scenes of their time together and all the ways he had brought her body alive played through her mind. "Not all of them." She recalled the unequivocal acceptance and erotic pleasure she had received from Nate's friends, all of whom came from prestigious, wealthy families like Nate. "You met Nate's friends. Didn't you notice the difference between them and the narrow minded majority of people who were there tonight?"
Holly pulled up in front of Eve's condo and cut the engine, struggling to temper her irritation. Why did she have to be so stubborn? It would only cause her more pain. "Yes, they seemed accepting of you, but really Eve, don't you think that might be because Nate was so willing to share you with them?"
"Holly, if you knew how fucking awesome it is to have the sole attention of two men on your naked body, you'd understand why Nate wanted to give me that experience. Everything he's done has given me what I had not only been missing, but asked for."
"Everything, Eve?" she snapped in frustration. "I didn't want to tell you this, but your refusal to see the truth leaves me no choice. Last week, Nate came on to me when he walked me out to my car. Naturally I turned him down, but now even you can
't be blind enough not to see him for the jerk he is."
Not even you can be that blind. Eve recalled Nate saying those very same words to her concerning Holly. "He said you came on to him," she replied stiffly, opening the door to the steadily dropping temperature and snow.
"Of course, he'd say that; he's a guy who had just got shot down. Really, Eve, you can't possibly believe him over me."
"I'm sure you misunderstood his intentions," she murmured, ignoring the exasperation in Holly's tone as they walked up to her door, the wet snow dampening her hair and face, chilling her and making her long to have Nate's hard possession warming her again. Not only had Nate been nothing but open and honest with her since their first encounter, he had been clear about how much he disliked Holly. He was a man who could have any woman he wanted; he wouldn't waste his time, or go behind her back, with a woman he not only didn't like, but didn't trust. Eve didn't know what Holly hoped to achieve by lying to her, and now she wondered if Nate hadn't been mistaken, that her best friend had attempted to seduce him. But why? Holly disliked Nate as much as she did Carl and Mark.
Unlocking her door, she hung her coat in the entry closet and went straight to the gas fireplace, intent on relieving the chill from both the weather and the suspicion that Holly was lying to her. Flipping the switch, she opened the glass doors to get the full blast of heat from the small flames, holding her hands out to the warmth as she listened to Holly moving around behind her.
Holly tossed her coat, not noticing how one long sleeve landed at the edge of the fireplace grate while the rest fell off the ledge. "You don't believe me?" Building irritation drove her to pace as she rubbed absentmindedly at the headache brewing behind her eyes. "You would take his word over mine?"
"No, but… Holly, I need him, I want him," she burst out in desperation, just now realizing how deeply true that admittance was. With Nate's constant assurances he wasn't going anywhere, that their relationship had gone way past just sex, he'd managed to break through her wall of resistance and made her believe him, enabling her to give into her own growing feelings.