She did and as she met his gaze, she crossed her legs once again. She had an itch all right, and the damn thing just wouldn’t go away.
She swallowed some more water, perspiration breaking out on her skin. “If you don’t mind,” she said, getting up, “I need to take a break.”
“That’s fine,” he answered, his finger tapping the table. “Our meeting is almost done.”
She left and went to the ladies room, then remained in her office until most of the staff had left. The last thing she wanted was to run into Hunter or any of the guys who’d been with her in Vegas. The sooner she could put that trip behind her, the better off they’d all be.
She was a professional and needed to start acting like one.
Sneaking out of her office, she glanced down the hall, checked out the canteen area and noticed a few of the secretaries hanging about. It was safe to make her move.
Striding briskly to the elevators, she punched the down button, and heard the ting as the elevator reached the floor. The door slid open and she stepped in. Before it could close, a hand shot out, preventing it from shutting. Heart thudding, she had a very good idea who’s hand it was.
“Jen,” Hunter said as he entered. “I saw you leaving, and I wanted to check on you. You didn’t seem yourself at the meeting. You looked flushed and hardly spoke a word.”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“I don’t believe that, and neither do you.” His eyes were tender on her face, and there was a look of helplessness about him. Defeat. Surrender.
“What don’t I believe?” She stared straight ahead at the shiny metal door, not wanting to see any of those emotions on his face.
“That it’s over. Leaving Vegas didn’t fix our problem. I want to do you on top of my desk, in the copy room, on some file cabinet. That’s all I can think about.”
She laughed, the image was so ridiculous. “This is silly. Why are we acting like two kids lusting after each other?”
The door slid open and he put a hand on her back as they both stepped out. “I don’t know, but we need to talk. Not here.”
She nodded and took a step away. She wanted to run but instead she turned to face him. “I know a place that’s quiet and out of the way. We can grab a glass of wine.”
“Sounds good. Where?”
She cleared her throat. The file cabinet? “My place.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” His gaze dropped to her mouth.
“No. I think it’s terrible. You got a better one?”
“Give me your address.”
Discreetly, so the receptionist in the lobby wouldn’t see, she handed him her card.
“I’ll stay here for another half hour,” he said, his voice a whisper. “Does that give you enough time?”
“It does. I live about fifteen minutes from here.” She sucked in a breath. “I have wine. Scotch too.”
“Make it a double. I’ll be needing it.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Hunter drove like a madman to get to Jennifer’s apartment. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he’d held her in his arms and made sweet love to her. He knew he was making a huge mistake right now, but that didn’t stop his adrenaline from kicking in. Damn, he couldn’t wipe the ditzy grin off his face.
Sara, the receptionist, must think he’d either won the lotto or had a rich old uncle die, from the spring in his step as he’d waltzed out the door and given her a cheery goodbye. She was a pretty brunette in her mid-twenties, slim—almost too much so—but she dressed nicely and always greeted everyone with her friendly grin.
When he’d winked at her and said his goodbye, her brown eyes had grown big as saucers, then she’d given him an answering goofy smile. But he didn’t care what anyone thought. He liked being happy, and he hadn’t felt this good since his divorce was final.
Thinking of Cameron, he called the house number. His son should be home from school and he’d been too busy over the weekend to check in with him.
“Hey, Adrienne, put Cam on the phone, will you?”
“And good day to you too!” she answered sharply.
“Yeah, it’s a great fucking day having to call my kid who’s half way across the continent instead of picking him up after school.”
“You could always move to New York,” she said in a sing-song manner that made his blood curdle.
“And you could cut the crap and let me speak with my son. I’d like to see him more often instead of our mandatory allotted dates.”
“You expect too much. Always have.”
“And you never fail to disappoint. Put him on.”
A minute later, he heard Cam’s soft voice. “Hi, Dad. How come you didn’t call me over the weekend?”
“I was in Vegas, son. At a conference. That’s why I’m calling now. So I can hear all about your weekend.”
“I’ve got news!” he shouted with glee. “I’m going to be in the Christmas pageant at school. I get to be one of the shepherds.” He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Can you come and see me?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Hunter hadn’t planned on making a trip to New York, he’d hoped Adrienne would bring the boy to him as she had the previous year. But he wouldn’t let his son down. “I’ll come see your play, then we could go ice-skating at Rockefeller center and see the big tree. We could go visit all the store windows and see their Christmas displays. We haven’t done that in years. It’ll be fun.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
“We’ll stay overnight in New York, then you can come out here for a week, how’s that?”
“I don’t know, Dad. Mom and her boyfriend want to take me skiing in Vermont.”
“Well, I don’t think that will be happening. I have you for a week every Christmas.”
Adrienne must have snatched the phone away, because she hissed at him, “You can have him the week before. We’ve already booked the lodge. It’s a done deal.”
“Like hell it is. You can’t go making arrangements for Cam when it’s my time to have him. You had a frickin’ nerve to move him without my consent, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you interfere with one minute of my allotted time. Now put Cam back on.”
“You are so unbelievably selfish. Cameron is looking forward to it. Do you want to disappoint him, when it would be a simple matter to change dates by a week?”
“He’d only be disappointed because you filled his head with this idea. Damn you, Adrienne!”
“Dad?” Cameron had the phone again. “Are you and Mom fighting?”
He heard the sound of tears in his boy’s voice and subdued his temper. “I just want to have you here for the holidays as planned. I miss you, son, and I’ve been looking forward to your visit. Got a huge list of fun things to do.”
“Miss you too, Dad. Why can’t I do both? See you and ski too?”
Seething, he kept his voice calm. “We’ll work on that.” Was Adrienne in violation of their agreement? He’d call his lawyer. “Look, I’ve gotta go, but I love you, and whatever you want to do is good enough for me.”
“I love you too. Bye, Dad.”
“Bye, baby.” He hung up and swiped his wet eyes. His ex-wife knew he would cave rather than disappoint his son. She’d been counting on it, and as always she got what she wanted.
He parked his car in front of Jennifer’s apartment complex and made his way to her door. If Adrienne could manipulate him, the law, and every other damn thing, why couldn’t he and Jen get what they wanted too? Why did they have to choose between her career and their own personal happiness? Who were they hurting? Except themselves?
Sometimes you couldn’t play by the book. You had to make your own rules.
His heart raced. By God! That was exactly what he was going to do. If Adrienne was around right now, he’d want to kiss her. This was his wake-up call. Take what you wanted, and screw the consequences. Or better yet—change the outcome. He and Jen deserved to have their cake and eat it too.
H
e was tired of being the good guy who finished last.
He knocked, and the door opened. Jennifer stood there in shorts and a t-shirt, wearing a big welcoming smile.
He closed the door quickly behind him and picked Jennifer up. “Your room?”
“What are you doing?” she asked with a nervous giggle and a jerk of her head to an open door on the right. “I thought we were going to have a drink and conversation.”
“No, you didn’t.” His mouth took hers hungrily as he made large strides across the tiled floor. He dropped her on the bed and kneeled down beside her. “I don’t want to talk right now. What I want is this.”
He removed his shirt and tossed it over his head. He undid his fly and pushed his pants over his legs. He slid her top off and pushed her shorts and panties down.
His mouth and hands were everywhere at once. He couldn’t get enough of her. It had been a long, long time since he’d tasted her and felt her move beneath him. Too many hours had passed, and he was empty without her.
His tongue dipped in and found her sweet spot. She moaned and called out his name, but her hands held his head, holding him to her. He licked and sucked until she shuddered and came.
He kicked off his shoes, got rid of his pants and pushed into her, going deeper and deeper with every stroke. She clung to his shoulders and rode him hard, taking, giving, lifting her bottom and wrapping her legs around his back.
Her emerald eyes were dark as jade, her cheeks rosy, her mouth juicy and sweet.
Hunter had never seen a more beautiful woman or been so turned on as he was this moment. He was taking what he wanted, and he’d damn well not apologize for it either.
Sometime later, it may have been hours, all he knew was that it was dark, he rolled off her and went in to her bathroom to shower. She’d fallen asleep, but as the hot steam washed away the scent of her, he heard the bathroom door open.
“Can I come in?”
He grinned, a wicked grin. “You can come all you want.” She glided into his arms and he soaped her down, letting his soapy hand roam over her luscious breasts and between her legs. Their chests rubbed together, their hips found solace in each other’s.
He slipped into her and held her body firmly against the wall. He lifted one slim leg behind his back, and with the shower raining down on them, he took her deeply again and again.
She bit his shoulder and dug her nails into his back. She cried with pleasure, shaking with her explosion. Her body slowly slid to the floor and he sat beside her, holding her hand, both of them gasping for air.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Oh, my.” She kissed his hand and shifted her bottom so she could look at him. “When I invited you over, I didn’t expect this.”
“You’re not complaining, are you?” His eyes glittered, and his tone was teasing.
“Not at all.” She looked at their entwined feet, and then glanced back up at him. “I’ve never felt this happy. So for better or for worse, I don’t care what happens next.”
He stood, turned off the shower, and helped her up. Her knees were weak, and she needed his support. “Good things are going to happen. I promise.”
She nodded and swallowed hard, too emotional to speak. She trusted him. She had to. “Okay.” She stepped out of the shower, tossed him a towel and then wrapped one around herself.
His back was to her, and she admired his physique once again. He was a beautiful specimen of a man, and not just outwardly either. Intelligent, kind, thoughtful, honest and loving. A man to keep for a lifetime, not just a month or two. How long could they do this without getting caught? A week? A month?
Letting him go would be extremely painful, but she couldn’t live for tomorrow. So, for however long it was, she’d take it, with no regrets. Not one, she admonished herself. She was a big girl, and big girls knew that nothing lasted forever. They lived on borrowed time, and had to enjoy each moment because happiness didn’t come with a guarantee.
“You hungry?” he asked, taking her towel, and patting her dry.
“Not really, but I could use that drink.”
“I’ll go make it, while you get dressed. What do you want? Wine or scotch?”
“Chardonnay, please. It’s in the fridge.”
She watched him leave, then hung up the two towels and went to find some clean underwear. She opened her top drawer and pulled out a pink silky pair, and was half way into them when it hit her.
They hadn’t used a condom. Not in the bedroom. And not in the bath.
Still naked, she ran into the kitchen. “Hunter. We’ve got a problem.”
He turned and smiled. “You’re going to have a problem if you don’t put some clothes on,” he answered, looking her up and down. “You have any idea how sexy you are?”
“No, and that’s not it!” Her heart thumped painfully against her chest as she thought of how hard she’d worked toward being the best in her career. “We didn’t use a condom.” Visions of her overworked mom raced thought her head. “I could get pregnant.”
His face lost some of it’s color, and his shoulders slumped. “Shit. Jen. I didn’t think of that. I’m sorry, babe. But don’t worry. The odds are nothing happened, and if by chance it did, well, we’ll make a decision together.” His hands didn’t seem steady as he put the wine glass on the counter.
She could see the worry on his face, and it was a wake up call to her heart. They were having a good time. It was not forever. Neither of them wanted a commitment, or a baby complicating their lives. She wasn’t pregnant. What would the chances be? Next to zero.
“I’m so sorry. I should be on the pill, but I’m not. I don’t get much action these days.” She peeked at him. “Or didn’t until you came along.”
Hunter tried to grab her hand and pull her in for a kiss, but she wasn’t having it. A kid would ruin things. How could she raise a child and keep her job? She didn’t want to end up like her mother. A single mother, trying to make ends meet. Dammit! This was why she had worked so hard, not to have the same life as the woman who’d raised her.
“It’ll be all right,” Hunter said with a shrug. He was trying to be nonchalant, but she knew he must be thinking terrible things inside. That maybe she was trying to trap him into marriage, for one.
She left him opening the bottle of wine and went to the bedroom to dress. She knew the possibility of getting pregnant was small, and she had more immediate worries than that.
She had a T-shirt half over her head when it suddenly hit her. The pill! Plan B. Oh, my gosh, she’d forgotten about the morning after pill. She’d never needed it before, but she knew it was easily available. Thank the dear Lord! She let out a long sigh of relief as her worries slipped away. That little pill would solve any potential problem.
She dressed quickly in casual wear, a comfortable oversized Tee and black leggings, and returned to the kitchen with a smile on her face.
She caught him rummaging threw her bare fridge. He glanced up. “You okay?”
“Couldn’t be better. Sorry about the melt-down. I just remembered there’s a pill I can take. It’ll make up for our little mistake.” She gave him a happy kiss. “So our troubles—in that department, at least—are over. You see anything in there that you like?”
Forgetting about food for a moment, he turned to her. “A pill? Like what kind of pill?”
“Don’t worry. It just ensures that I won’t get pregnant. It’s very safe.”
“I hope so. Are you all right with that?”
“Yes! Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Just checking.” He turned back to the fridge. “So, let’s see. You have eggs, wilted celery and withered carrot sticks, and moldy cheese. It looks like you don’t eat in much.”
She opened a drawer and pulled out half a dozen flyers. “No, but I know where all the best delivery services are in town.”
“Do I pay you too much?” he asked, handing her a chilled glass of wine. “You’d rather eat out every night?”
“No. You work me to
o hard,” she answered with a grin. “When I get home, the last thing I want to do is cook a meal for myself.”
Hunter toasted her with his scotch. “Maybe from now on you won’t have to eat alone.”
“Meaning?” She sipped her wine and leaned against the counter. Things were moving way too fast but she didn’t want to get off the ride.
“Meaning, I like being with you. I want to see you after work. I’ve decided we should buck the system instead of playing by other people’s rules all the time. What is so wrong with us seeing each other? We still do our jobs. And what we do outside of work is nobody’s business but our own.”
She took another careful drink, wondering if it was possible to have everything. It was a risk to her professional reputation, something she’d worked hard to achieve, if they were discovered. For a girl who’d grown up with nothing, her credibility mattered a lot.
“I want this too, but Hunter it’s important to me that we keep our affair a secret. I don’t want everyone knowing about us, snickering behind our backs, or being the butt of jokes in the lunchroom.”
“I understand.” He nodded, his expression as intent as if he was planning a marketing strategy. “We just have to be careful, come and go at different times. Take separate cars. No lunches together or coffee at the canteen.”
He made it sound plausible. “We can try,” she said calmly, ready to believe his line of reasoning. “If it gets uncomfortable, I can leave Sonesta.”
“You’re not leaving.”
“With a good recommendation from my boss,” she said, sliding up to him and giving him a hot kiss. She wanted him again.
He wrapped one arm around her and kissed her neck. “Sonesta needs you, Jennifer. We will make it work.”
They ordered from a local Thai restaurant and watched old Seinfeld reruns on TV. They laughed and talked and kissed for hours, then made love once more.
Hunter left her bed around midnight. She heard him leave but didn’t ask him to stay.
* * *
Jennifer and Hunter were cordial at work but very careful around each other. One week passed and then another, and another. They spent most evenings together but were afraid to go out. Mountain View had a very nice, pedestrian-friendly downtown center, but it would be too easy to run into someone from work. On weekends they’d escape into the touristy areas of San Francisco, hoping to lose themselves in the crowds. They rode a cable car up and down the hills, took a ferry to Sausalito where they stopped for brunch. On the return trip they even took selfies as they passed Alcatraz and the Golden Gate, like the rest of the tourists. Another weekend they picked up some take-out at Fishermen’s Wharf and had a picnic down by the bay. Dinner in Chinatown. And on and on it went.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: TROUBLE IN VEGAS series Page 19