Picture Perfect (The Wilsons)

by Alicia Roberts

  Once Lea realized how busy he was with his work, she used this opportunity to observe him in secret. He was definitely attractive – there was no doubt about that. He was tall, and his formal shirt did nothing to hide the fact that he was strong and muscular. Even with the slight limp, he moved gracefully, and there was an intensity about him that would’ve scared her if she hadn’t known him better.

  He fascinated her, and that was worrying. If he was attractive on the surface only, with nothing underneath, she could’ve gotten away with an emotion-free holiday fling with him. But he sucked her in, in a mysterious way, and she wasn’t about to take an unnecessary risk with him. Why had she ever agreed to share that suite with him? She’d grab her luggage tonight and move back to her smaller room. She was thankful she’d stopped that kiss in time.

  Chapter SixBy the time Lea got back to the suite, it was late.

  She’d gone out with her girlfriends for drinks after the dinner, and though she’d only had a couple of cocktails, she’d had a great time. It was only hours later, when they were all saying goodbye, that she realized she had no option but to sneak into the suite and grab her luggage. Hopefully, at this strange hour, Adam would be asleep.

  She opened the door to the suite quietly, and was immediately assaulted by the smell of hot chocolate cake. Adam was sitting quietly at the dining table, doing something on his laptop, and the whole place reeked of a delicious bakery.

  “What’s going on?”

  The surprise was evident on her face, and she wondered if Adam looked a bit relieved to see her.

  He shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m baking a cake.”

  She looked at him like he’d just sprouted horns. “You’re baking,” she repeated in disbelief, “A cake. At this hour.”

  “Yep.”

  He was busy working at something on his laptop, as he waited for the cake to be done, and barely glanced up at her. “Where’ve you been, by the way? It’s late.”

  He sounded vaguely annoyed, and this pissed her off.

  “It’s none of your business,” she said. “You’re not my mom.”

  Adam cracked a thin smile and looked up at her again. “Do you want some cake?”

  She shook her head in despair. If she’d thought Adam was strange, she’d been mistaken – he was extremely strange.

  “Who bakes a cake in the presidential suite?” she wondered out loud. “Has that oven even been used before?”

  His grin was wider now, and that posh accent made a re-appearance. “Why, my dear,” he said, “The President prefers to eat food prepared only by his personal, Michelin-starred chef.”

  Lea bit back a smile and headed towards her luggage.

  “Have a slice before you leave,” he said. “It’s almost done and it’s too large for me to finish.”

  “Why’d you make it, then?”

  “I like baking. Reminds me of my Gramps.”

  “Oh.” The surprises never ceased. “So he baked?”

  “All the time. And cooked and basted and roasted. He taught me that a man should know his way about the kitchen – if you’re gonna eat, eat well, was his motto.”

  Curiosity got the better of her. “Was he a chef?”

  Now it was Adam’s turn to look surprised. “No. He just liked food. He was a school-teacher.”

  “Oh, did he retire?”

  “No.” Adam paused. “He died three years back.”

  Lea felt like kicking herself for asking the wrong thing. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Adam smiled. “That’s ok. He had a long and happy life, and he got to see most of my success, so that makes me happy.”

  “Were you two close?”

  “He practically raised me. And he taught me how to make cakes – this one’s triple chocolate…”

  Lea grinned. “Ah, what the hell. I love desserts.”

  “Really? I thought maybe Park Avenue Princesses didn’t eat sugar or something.”

  She refused to rise to the bait. “No way, I love my sugar. My cousin Mel’s a baker, she usually supplies me with my hit of pastries and cakes.”

  She winked broadly, and Adam felt something stirring inside him. What was he doing with her so late at night, he chided himself. Why had he asked her to stay for cake? He must be an idiot.

  He ignored the part of him which was scolding him and said instead, “Mel sounds cool, tell me more about her.”

  Lea shook her head. “No, tell me more about your Gramps, what was he like?”

  “Sure you want to know?”

  She nodded, and he moved to the couch, and settled down opposite her. He hadn’t told anyone about his grandfather in a long time, and he actually enjoyed this chance to talk about him.

  His grandfather had raised him because his mom had been a shitty parent. There was no denying that fact – after his grandma died, Gramps had spoiled his only daughter and let her do whatever she wanted.

  Adam’s mother grew up wild and selfish, and led a life of partying and “socializing”. One of her numerous boyfriends had gotten her pregnant, but she didn’t let that dampen her social life – she merely chose richer guys to date, and made them hire nannies so she could be a better girlfriend.

  After one too many fights with her latest boyfriend, Adam had run away to his Gramps when he was fourteen. His goal was to get enough money to go over to Canada, where he’d get a job in an oil rig.

  “I’d heard it was easy money,” he laughed, and Lea smiled, imagining a young, naïve Adam.

  His grandfather offered to let Adam stay with him and pay him the money – if he finished high school. By then, Adam had cooled down enough to accept the offer, and he struggled through and finished school.

  His grandfather bought him a camera for his fifteenth birthday, and pretty soon he used up the “bribe” money to buy a better kit. He started doing wedding gigs – at first it was for the easy money, but later he fell in love with the art.

  By the time he’d graduated high school, he’d amassed a decent portfolio and gotten a job at a local newspaper. From there, it was only a matter of time before he move to World News Wire and became their war-zone photographer.

  “But that’s enough about me,” he said, looking awkward. “What about you? I Google’d you, but I didn’t find anything about your life in the last six years. What’ve you been up to?”

  Lea looked distressed, and just then the oven beeped.

  Adam got up in a hurry, putting on an oven mitt and taking out the cake. Chocolatey goodness filled the room, and Lea cooed excitedly. “It looks great,” she said, “Where are the plates?”

  Adam laughed at her impatience and indicated the china cabinets. She dug out two fine bone china plates, a knife and two forks.

  She handed Adam the knife so he’d cut the cake, but he looked at her doubtfully. “I was planning to make some icing.”

  Lea shook her head decisively. “No time. I’m starving! And that looks perfect as it is!”

  She was right, of course – the cake was dark and gooey and delicious, just the right amount of sweetness mingling with the rich taste of the chocolate. It was decadent and indulgent, even without the icing.

  She moaned happily and dug into the cake, savoring each bite. Adam watched her, pleased by her reaction, and thinking to himself that this was probably the only time he’d watch her enjoy such amazing bliss. He imagined her in bed, making the same noises, and cut off his thoughts before they could get any further.

  “You were telling me,” he said, “About your life.”

  She shook her head. “No, I wasn’t.”

  “Well you were about to.” When she stayed silent for almost a minute, Adam finally asked, “What? Is it a secret?”

  “Yes. It is.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Then tell me. I’ll keep your secret safe.”

  She looked at him doubtfully and he said, “It’s eating you up inside. Tell me, before you get an ulcer.”

  She laughed. How could he always be so lighthearte
d? “Do you promise you won’t tell anyone?”

  “Cross my heart.”

  “You might hate me.”

  His eyes softened and his voice was low. “I don’t think I could ever hate you.”

  Something in his gaze made Lea look away quickly. “Well, let’s try you then. How about this: six years ago, I almost killed two people.”

  Adam’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “How did that happen?”

  Lea sighed, but there was no going back from here. His voice was surprisingly non-judgmental. “I used to party a lot. One night, I had a couple of drinks and decided to drive home. I crashed into another car.”

  Adam nodded. “Was anyone hurt?”

  She shook her head, no. She remembered that moment all over again, everything happening in slow motion – the screech of her tires, the smell of rubber, the blinding lights, and finally, the crash.

  Thankfully, the two passengers were unhurt. The accident had left her numb and in shock - and had scared her enough to go and get therapy. She could've killed someone, just by being careless.

  She explained to Adam how that night, the memories of her last four years' of partying had turned sour. A few weeks later, she'd quit drinking, given up on her old friends and habits, and gotten an internship at a small hedge fun. Her dad’s lawyers managed to keep the news out of the papers, and a generous settlement to the passengers of the other car meant that nobody ever breathed a word of what had happened.

  Adam moved over to her sofa and took her hand in his. “It’s okay.”

  His voice was gentle and he squeezed her hand.

  Lea gulped and looked up at him. “Why are you consoling me? It was my fault.”

  Adam felt tingles travelling up from his fingers where he held her, and quickly let go of her hand and scooted further away on the couch.

  “It’s not your fault anymore,” he said, shrugging casually. “You could’ve hurt someone, but you didn’t. It’s like saying I could’ve killed that receptionist because I was mad at him, so I should feel guilty. Anyway, you paid the guys whose car you hit a lot of money, so they’re happy. And you turned your life around. You’re making sure you’re doing a good job, making people around you happy, and all that stuff. You’ve got nothing to feel guilty about now.”

  Lea nodded slowly. “Well, at least what you’re saying makes me feel better. Sure you don’t hate me?”

  Adam smiled, his eyes glowing gently. “I’m sure.”

  “Ok. Then tell me about your work. How do you see such terrible things and stay so happy and carefree all the time?”

  She almost regretted asking him. Almost, but not quite – she was far too curious about his contradictions.

  Adam’s eyes darkened and he stared down at his plate, and then glanced at the cake he’d made. Finally he said, “I’ve seen a lot of terrible things. People are brutes, they’re savages. It’s unbelievable what terrible things they’ll do to others, and you… You don’t even understand when you hear it, or see photos. You see it in front of you… You talk to…”

  He blinked and stared at his fingernails, and then cleared his throat. “Anyway. It’s too easy to see terrible people and terrible things and get down on life. There was a time when I questioned God, and I wondered why I was the one who was so lucky, the one on the other side. Not the one getting raped or tortured or murdered. But it’s just the way it is.”

  It was Lea’s turn to scoot closer to him, and now she really did regret asking him and dredging up his old memories. She placed one arm awkwardly on his shoulder, and grabbed hold of his hand.

  “I’m sorry I asked,” she said.

  He turned to look at her, and his eyes had a blank, distant look. “No, it’s ok,” he said, and then his tone lightened. “Anyway, what I was just about to say, was – at some point I realized that it wasn’t my fault for being lucky, for being born in the right place to the right parents. I can’t blame myself for that, I can only do what I can to report the violence. And at the end of the day, there are a lot of great people in the world, and I owe it to myself to be happy. And if I seem crazy and lighthearted, it’s just because I don’t see the point in getting too serious about stuff.”

  ***

  Adam’s eyes intensified again, boring into hers, and Lea smiled and removed the arm she’d placed on his shoulder. “I think it’s ok to be serious about stuff sometimes,” she protested lightly. “I could never survive without my to-do list.”

  “It’s good to be spontaneous sometimes.”

  Adam grabbed hold of both her hands, and looked into her eyes. His gaze was deep and powerful, and Lea found herself growing increasingly nervous. His presence was magnetic, and she looked away from his eyes and drew her hands away.

  She stood up. “I should get going. Thanks for the cake.”

  Adam leaned back and looked at her silently, and Lea waited for him to say something.

  She stood motionless, and finally he said, “Stay.”

  “Wh- What do you mean?”

  He stood up and towered over her. “I won’t ask again and you can leave if you want. But stop being so organized for one night – just for one night, be spontaneous. Life’s too short, so stay with me.”

  Lea stared down at the floor. His muscular body loomed over hers, and she knew that if she wanted to leave, this was it. He’d made it clear that he wouldn’t chase her, and she wasn’t the kind of girl who chased men. There would never be anything between them if she left now.

  His oceanic scent wafted towards her, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed how strong his forearm was, how tanned. She let her gaze drift upwards, across his broad shoulders, beyond his square jaw. His eyes were dark and gentle and he leaned closer.

  There was no way she could say no to him now. Transfixed as his face drew closer, she half closed her eyes and offered him her mouth for a deep soul kiss, his tongue seeking hers and devouring it.

  The kiss was gentle, smooth and sensual and unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. When it was over, she looked up at him with a combination of surprise, amusement and expectation.

  In one sweeping motion, his arm pulled her close and lifted her up, so that she was lying in his arms. He walked with her over to the nearest bedroom, the one done in shades of mahogany and cream, limping slightly as he moved.

  “That might not have been the best idea,” he laughed, as he placed her gently on the bed, and she joined in, her nervousness dissolving. “But the doctor didn’t say no lifting.”

  He winked broadly and leaned down over her, kissing her deeply. Lea felt her premonitions dissipating, and as their kiss became more and more passionate, her last thought was that it might be good to have fun sometimes.

  Adam continued to kiss her deeply, and slowly stroked his fingers down her neck, making her hair stand on end. He moved his hands lower, past her shoulders and down to her breasts. He cupped each breast with his hands, squeezing them gently.

  Lea broke the kiss and turned on her side, and started fiddling with the zip on her dress. Adam found it, and pulled it down in one swift motion, and then helped her out of the dress. He spent a moment staring at her, as she lay in bed in her black bra and bikini panties, and he slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

  He devoured her with his eyes, and Lea found herself blushing and trying to avoid his gaze. She stared at his upper body instead – he was strong and muscular, and there was a spattering of light hairs across his chest. When he took off his pants, her eyes travelled downwards, to the prominent bulge in his boxer-briefs, which he took off without inhibition. His cock sprung to attention, large and thick and excited, and she smiled to herself in anticipation.

  He came closer to her again, and unhooked her bra. Lea slipped out of it, and her breasts spilled out, and Adam bent down to kiss each nipple briefly, a quick tease, just enough to make them harden in anticipation for more. He moved upwards again, kissing her deeply and moving her hand so that it covered his erection.

  His big cock f
elt so good in Lea’s hand as she stroked its length. Adam explored the heft of her breasts with his large hands and skillfully pulled at each nipple, just right, not too hard, but hard enough to make her gasp with pleasure.

  Adam moved downwards again, fluttering small kisses along the side of her neck, along her shoulder blade, and then down into the hollow between her breasts. Lea moaned out loud as his mouth finally found her breast again, and he sucked on her nipple, teasing her with his tongue, and then taking more and more of her breast into his mouth. She was throbbing with intense pleasure, and she drew his hand down to her mound.

  Adam moved his attentions to her other breast, sucking with an intensity that made her cry out loud. His fingers moved downwards and found her clit, and he traced delicate circles around it. Lea groaned and thrashed as the ripples of pleasure travelled through her veins and up her spine, and she moaned out loud, “More, Adam, more…”

  She spread her legs wide apart and tried to pull his hips down, tried to indicate what she wanted, but he merely swatted her hand away.

  “Please,” she moaned, “I want you inside me, now.”

  His voice was hoarse, but he moved downwards, trailing kisses down her stomach. “Not yet,” he said. “I want to taste you first.”

  Lea closed her eyes, anticipating the pleasure of this gorgeous man going down on her.

  Adam wasted no time, he knelt down and wrapped his tongue around her clit. She moaned and thrust her hips up at him, spreading her thighs out into the dark as his tongue engulfed her flesh with wetness and warmth. His tongue seemed enormous, as huge as his cock, so warm and wet and generous. He scooped up big laps of her juices with his tongue and savored them as he rolled his face around in her pussy and caressed her lips and clit with his face as well as his tongue.

  Lea was fucking his face now, heaving her hips rhythmically and rubbing herself off against his tongue strokes. She felt the familiar fire building within her body and heard herself panting and sighing as her orgasm drew closer. When it came, she cried out over and over again as Adam gradually decreased the pressure from his tongue, skillfully extending her pleasure several minutes as her whole body writhed and throbbed.