Contrasting Lives

by Leah Dempster

  “It's okay.”

  Matt let his gaze roam over the beautiful woman before him, cursing himself for not calling her. She was wearing a pretty little cotton top, which skimmed across her amazing breasts and followed sleek curves down to her narrow waist. Her gorgeous hips were encased in low-riding jeans and he curbed the desire to ask her to turn around so he could see how defined her ass was in the tight denim. Then again, he mused, maybe that was exactly what he should do. “Turn around,” he demanded huskily.

  “Excuse me?” Emily stared blankly for a second, her blue eyes startled.

  “I asked you to turn around, Emily. The front view is perfect, but I want to see that gorgeous ass, outlined in those tight jeans.”

  He grew harder as he watched her nipples harden, and then she slowly pivoted on the spot. Obviously, his request was turning her on, she was breathing heavily, and he could see the subtle tremors shaking her body. He curbed the desire to tear her clothes off, slam her against the wall, and fuck her until she moaned. He'd give a million bucks right now, for a private room somewhere, away from the kids.

  Matt reached out and rubbed his fingertips across Emily's shoulders, eliciting a little shudder from her small body. Christ, she smelled so good. The scent of jasmine and roses filled his senses, leaving him reeling. Letting his fingers wander down her back, he leaned in close to her ear. “You like this, don't you sweetheart?”

  Emily nodded, the sensation of his warm breath against her ear had her wanting more, wanting him to touch her, to dip his hands inside her jeans and caress her clit. This was madness, they barely knew one another, but she wanted him more than she could remember wanting anyone else.

  Matt's warm hands trailed slowly down her back, until he reached her jeans and Emily whimpered a little as Matt caressed her backside, his fingers squeezing her buttocks. “I wanna see you, Emily,” he whispered against her ear, “I want to see every damn inch of you, naked and panting for me. Do you want that too?”

  Emily nodded again, her throat dry as she pushed back against Matt, wanting to feel his erection against her ass.

  Matt placed his hands on her hips and turned her around, so she was facing him. “I want you, Emily. I want to take you to bed and strip you naked and fuck you, until you're screaming my name.”

  Emily groaned, wrapping her arms around Matt's lean waist and running her fingers across the tight muscle in his back. “Sounds great,” she murmured with a wry grin. “But there are four reasons in the kitchen why that won't happen right now.”

  “But this will.” Matt lowered his head and caught her lips against his, mashing his mouth against her own. Without worrying about finesse, Matt deepened the kiss, tracing his tongue across Emily's lips until she granted him access to her sweet, sweet mouth and it was Matt's turn to groan as he crushed her against him, their tongues dancing around each other. He ground himself against her belly, making certain she was aware of how turned on he was. Emily slipped her hand down across his backside, her fingers trailing a delicate burning path around his hip and she rubbed her fingertips across the front of his trousers, from his balls and up the shaft of his cock. “Christ, Emily, you're driving me wild,” he moaned against her lips.

  “I want you,” Emily admitted huskily.

  Breaking away from her lips, Matt buried his face against Emily's neck and smiled to himself. “It's gonna happen, sweetheart. We just have to figure out how.”

  A discreet cough from the door saw them break apart like two scalded cats and Matt turned to see who was interrupting them. Paul stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and he was grinning. “You guys want a room?”

  “Yeah. You got one?” Matt asked bluntly.

  “Could be arranged. Or you could leave the kids here with us; take Emily back to your place. We'll babysit.”

  Emily glanced at Matt, saw a dark shadow cross his features as he shook his head. “Nah, not my place.”

  “Fine. We'll get the kids sorted out and then work out what's left,” Paul responded easily. “Do you want to come and help with sleeping bags and stuff?”

  “Sure,” Matt agreed. He turned to Emily and offered her a dazzling smile. “Don't go anywhere. You and I need to talk, work some stuff out.”

  Emily nodded, her heartbeat still pounding in her ears. “I'll help Mandy with the children.”

  It took nearly an hour to get the children settled in various rooms of the house, Millie and Harper were sharing one bedroom, and Brandon had taken the other. Courtney was in the family room; being older, she wasn't ready to go to bed yet and had elected to chat to some of her friends on Facebook. She'd barely said a word to Emily after Matt's revelation about the date he and Emily had gone on last Friday, eyeing the older woman with undisguised hostility and Emily wondered if she intended to make trouble. The teenager was already causing trouble for her father, it wouldn't surprise Emily if she felt resentment about the idea of him seeing someone. Completely understandable, given she'd lost her mother only eighteen months ago, but it made Emily nervous and she wondered if she could build a friendship with the girl. Emily smiled wryly to herself; she'd barely explored whatever this was between Matt and herself – other than a healthy dose of lust and physical attraction.

  They'd finally gotten the kids sorted out and Paul slumped back into an armchair in the living room with a fresh beer. “Shit, partner, I don't know how you deal with the four of them on your own.”

  Matt sat on the couch beside Emily and she noticed how tired he looked. “It isn't easy,” he admitted.

  “Now, what are we going to do with you two?” Mandy questioned. Standing in the middle of the room, she eyed Matt and Emily with an amused grin. “We're fresh out of bedrooms.”

  “Give us yours,” Matt suggested with a wink.

  “Actually,” Emily spoke up, her voice soft, “I think I'll go home.”

  Matt frowned, his eyebrows dark slashes against his skin. “Why?” he demanded quietly.

  Emily offered him an affectionate smile. “I think we need to talk first, and we should give your children some respect. How are they going to feel if you stay the night with me?”

  Matt leaned forward, dropping his beer onto the coffee table. “I don't want you to leave,” he stated firmly. Christ, they'd barely had time to breathe since Emily and Mandy had arrived with the kids, now she was going to go home?

  “I think it's for the best,” Emily assured him. She wanted nothing more than to fall into the nearest bed with him, but she was certain it wasn't the wisest thing to do right now. Matt hadn't called her in a week, and obviously, there were reasons for that. No doubt, he wanted to sleep with her, his erection left her in no doubt about his intentions and desire, but there was a lot more to consider. His children for one thing. And his quick refusal to consider taking her to his home. What was that all about? Emily thought there were a few things they needed to talk about, before they did anything else.

  “Come for a walk with me,” Matt demanded huskily.

  Emily considered for only a second, before nodding her agreement and Matt stood up, offering her his hand and pulling her gently up from the couch.

  “We'll be back in a while,” Matt told Mandy. “You okay to keep an eye on the kids?”

  “Of course,” Mandy agreed readily. “Have a good time.”

  * * *

  Chapter Eight

  The weather outside was cooler, the moon bright and full overhead. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and Emily walked along beside Matt, admiring the stars overhead. And the man walking beside her. He was close enough for her to catch a hint of his cologne, a combination of pine and mint and it was intoxicating, reminding her of their night together in the hotel.

  She was delighted when Matt caught her hand in his, gripping her fingers lightly. The physical contact was enjoyable, a tingle of awareness sizzling up from her fingertips and throughout her whole body. She didn't know why he had this effect on her, it was a first in her life, and something she'd never ex
perienced before with any other man. Client or boyfriend. Why Matt had this effect on her, she didn't know. She was certainly attracted to him; it was the one fact she couldn't deny. As to what that meant, she didn't know. He'd said it was up to her if they saw one another again, something she was definitely interested in pursuing. There was no doubt he was sexually attracted to her, the hardness of his erection when he'd been kissing her spoke volumes about his physical reaction. Could they have more though? Or was he only interested in a sexual relationship?

  He hadn't spoken since they left the house and Emily was content to walk silently beside him. He had matched his pace to her own, a consideration she appreciated. The man was so tall; he towered over her tiny frame and was a stunning package, wrapped in a level of sensuality to which she could easily become addicted.

  “I did call you – last Saturday night.” Matt broke the extended silence. He glanced across, his expression rueful. “I thought you were with a client, and it pissed me off.”

  How should she respond? If she told Matt, she'd decided to stop seeing her clients because of him, would it make her sound pathetic. Would it seem as if she was making choices to try to please him and was ashamed of her work? She wasn't ashamed of what she did for a living, while it wasn't for everyone, it provided her with good money, let her take control of her life and work towards a future. Besides, she liked her clients, all of them. The men Sally had placed her with were gentlemen, charming and considerate. Although sex was a part of their relationships, she genuinely enjoyed the company of her clients and liked to think their enjoyment was mutual. Realizing Matt was waiting for her response, Emily inhaled deeply. She needed to be honest with him. “I worked in the bar at Salacious. You didn't like the idea of me being with other men. In the interests of giving us a chance to see where this is going,” and one of these days they were going to have to find a better way of describing it than 'this', “I decided to stop the escort work for the moment.”

  “So Paul told me. How does your boss feel about that decision?”

  Emily smiled, squeezing his fingers. “Sally isn't only my boss, she's my friend. She's never forced me to do anything, which I didn't want to do.”

  He remained silent for a few minutes, apparently digesting her statement. “How do your parents feel about your work?”

  “They don't have a lot to do with my life,” Emily admitted. “I haven't seen them for years.”

  Matt continued walking, drawing Emily towards a park that encompassed the corner block of Paul's street. “You don't get on?” he pressed.

  “Not particularly. My father is the President of Ontell Corporation, something that has taken up most of his life, and his family has come a very poor second. He's never understood me, I'm not sure he's even tried.” The knowledge still haunted Emily, knowing no matter what she'd chosen to do with her life; it would never be good enough for her father.

  Matt stopped walking and stared down at Emily. “Your father is Emerson Coulter?”

  “Yeah. Obviously you've heard of him.”

  “Seen him on the news once or twice. When did you last see your parents?”

  “I left after my eighteenth birthday. I've only been back a couple of times since.” She hated visiting her parents, detested her father's desire to control her life and her decisions. He was a control freak, cold and demanding, with little time for a family he'd never seemed to want. All of Emily's life, he'd found faults in her, she'd never been good enough, smart enough. Her every breath seemed to be a continuing disappointment to him and her mouth twitched at the thought of what he would do if he knew she worked as an escort. Her fall from grace would be absolute, no doubt dear old Dad would blow a gasket, ban her from his sight forevermore. Actually thinking about it, that wouldn't be such a bad thing – if she were banned from the house she would never need to see him again. A bonus.

  “Where do they live?”

  “San Francisco.”

  “What about your mother? Do you get along with her?”

  Emily shrugged delicately, wondering about his line of questioning. “Why are you so interested?”

  Matt raised his eyebrows and his lips curved into an easy smile. “Sorry. Curiosity comes with the territory. I'm a detective, I ask questions to get a handle on things.” It was his turn to squeeze her fingers. “And I'm curious; I want to know more about you and your life.”

  Emily sighed, chewing her lip. “Mom's okay. She doesn't have a strong personality, so she always agrees with my father. It frustrates the heck out of me.”

  “Do you have brothers or sisters?”

  “Two sisters.” They'd reached a playground with a couple of wooden benches positioned around the edge, Emily drew Matt towards one and sat down, waiting until he settled beside her, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “Anne and Charlotte.”

  It was obvious Matt wanted to laugh, his lips twitched and his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Emily, Anne— and Charlotte?”

  “Mom had an obsession with the Bronte sisters, read every single book they wrote,” Emily grinned. “What can I say?”

  He didn't try to hide his amusement now, grinning at the ridiculous names her parents had bestowed upon them. To use one name would have been fine, but to have three daughters and name every one of them after the Bronte's – it was inhumane. And intensely embarrassing when they'd all been in the same school.

  “Do you get along with them?” Matt asked.

  “Yeah. We aren't close, but we get on okay.”

  “So what's the problem with you and your father?” Matt was rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand, the motion serving to both soothe her and heighten her awareness of him. He was close enough that she could reach out and touch him, close enough for his scent to envelop her, increasing the rate of her heartbeat, making her nipples harden, and her stomach muscles clench in delight. How could he have this effect on her?

  “My father tried to rule our lives from the very beginning. Protect us and control us. He chose the schools we'd attend before we were born. Career choices were made by him. He chose our friends, our sports, our social engagements. None of us was allowed to date until we were eighteen. It was suffocating.”

  “Your sisters – did they find it difficult?”

  She knew what he was asking, the underlying question was there to recognize. She'd become an escort – what choices had her sisters made?

  “Anne and Charlotte are less… headstrong than I am. Anne married a man who garnered my father's approval. Her husband is a Vice President at Ontell, one of Daddy's pet projects.” She couldn't keep the derision from her voice, the frustration with Anne for doing as their father had wanted without complaint, without argument. “I'm not convinced it's a happy marriage, but they have a couple of kids and live in London.”

  “What about Charlotte?”

  “Charlotte went to Harvard, studied law. She's working in New York, I think. At least she was, the last time I spoke to her.”

  “Not married?”

  “No.” Emily chewed her lip thoughtfully. “I have suspicions she might be a lesbian, although she's never admitted it to me. She would never, ever admit it to my parents; my father would disown her immediately.”

  “They haven't disowned you.” Matt posed his words as a statement, rather than a question, not wanting to offend her.

  “They didn't get the chance.” Shifting on the bench, she turned to face Matt, wanting to see his face in the lamplight overhead. This was something she never usually spoke about, not even with her closest friends, Sally and Bud. Her past life was not up for discussion as a rule, but with Matt, she wanted him to know about her life. She wanted to know about him and his life and would get to that subject soon. Very soon. She still had questions she wanted answers to. She didn't know very much about him – sure, she could have asked Paul and no doubt, he would have filled her in with some of the details, but it was Matt she wanted to talk to, Matt she wanted to have telling her about his life. “I was a
complete disappointment to them in so many ways. I could never conform, I wasn't particularly good at school, and I rebelled against everything my father wanted. I knew my developing sexual tastes were not in keeping with their very strict ideals; it seemed better to get out, make a clean break, and find my own way in life.”

  “You knew then you were submissive?”

  Emily nodded. “My sexual tastes have always been submissive. Perhaps because my father was so overbearing – I don't know.”

  “Seems like an unlikely combination – being both headstrong and submissive.” Matt straddled the bench and draped his arm around her, dropping a row of kisses across her neck.

  “I guess it does,” Emily smiled as Matt kissed her neck, closing her eyes, and arching her neck towards the whispered touch of his lips. Desire blossomed and spread through her body. “Keep doing that and this conversation might be difficult to continue,” she whispered.

  Matt straightened a little, drawing away from her neck and Emily wanted to cry out at the loss of his lips against her skin. “Why don't you want to stay with me tonight?” he demanded.

  “It wouldn't be fair to your kids,” she responded decisively. “They need to get used to seeing us together first.” She snuggled closer to Matt's chest, enjoying the sensation of his strong body against hers and silently cheering when he tightened his arms around her. “I'm the first woman you've seen since your wife died; it's going to be tough for your kids to come to terms with.”

  Matt huffed out a breath. “You're right, I know.”

  Emily considered her next words carefully, wondering how Matt would react. “Do you mind if I ask how your wife died?” She held her breath, uncertain how he would feel about discussing the subject.

  “Ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed a couple of months after Millie was born,” he answered gruffly.