A Convenient Arrangement

by Maggie Marr

  “Right, Gwen.” Todd pointed his chopstick at Leo. “Did she talk to you about that venue we want?”

  “The Puke Palace?” Leo lifted an eyebrow. “Uh, no. Absolutely not. Gwen will be making the venue selection.”

  “That wasn’t part of our deal.” Todd slouched back against the chair. His shoulders hunched and his lips twitched, as though he were an annoyed adolescent.

  “Nor was it part of our deal that the two hundred A-list guests I’ve invited be forced to attend a launch party in a venue that has vomit on the floor.” Leo leaned forward. “Look, I’m doing the media campaign, Gwen is selecting the venue. You two will still determine the look and the feel of the launch party, but I need the location to be safe, convenient, and clean.” These weren’t big asks. Then again, maybe they were for Ilko and Todd, who were used to having their own way. As the hippest in the room, backed up with their track record of success, they had everyone catering to them and their wants in the hopes of using their brains and their hipness to strike it rich. Hell, Leo had said yes to this app because it was Ilko and Todd asking to create it. They had the sales to back up their reputations, but regardless, he was not having the launch party in a place that deserved a condemned sign.

  “I’m chill with that,” Ilko said. She looked at Todd, who gave a grudging nod.

  “Great. Liaise with Gwen.” Leo put his credit card on the plastic tray holding the check. “Now, I want a complete list of all the media outlets.”

  *

  “Tell me about your date last weekend.” Aubrey lay on her bed, propped up on a mountain of pillows. Gwen had come by to talk planning, but clearly her friend wasn’t willing to be put off any longer.

  Gwen blushed. Her date, her weekend, had been fabulous. Beyond what she could have wanted. It was only Wednesday and already she’d had dinner with Leo two times this week. She expected a text asking her to come by his place tonight.

  Aubrey smiled and looked down at her lap to scroll through the pictures Gwen had loaded onto the iPad: the color palette, decorations, and floral arrangements Gwen envisioned for the baby shower.

  “The date was good.” Gwen turned toward the window and bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want to lie to Aubrey, but she definitely wasn’t ready to tell her, or anyone else, that Leo had taken up residence in her mind and sexual fantasies. Especially knowing how Aubrey felt about Leo and his dating habits.

  “Just good? Or really good?”

  As much as she wanted to downplay it right now, the happiness Gwen felt couldn’t be denied, and her smile stretched across her face. “Really good.”

  Aubrey put down the iPad and clasped her hands together. “Oooh, we like really good. Tell me.”

  “What’s to tell? He tried to cook on Friday, which was a complete fail, so we ordered Chinese food and stayed in.”

  “And you stayed over.”

  “Mmhm, I stayed over and then he came to my place on Saturday and I cooked, which I have to say was much better than his cooking.” Gwen sat on the corner of the bed. It wouldn’t hurt to tell Aubrey some of the details.

  “Well, of course. You’re a great cook. I love your roasted chicken with rosemary potatoes.”

  “That’s what I made. He loved it too.”

  “And Sunday?

  “Breakfast, a movie, and then he went home.”

  “That’s it? Nothing since then?”

  Gwen couldn’t hide her widening smile. Really, why should she?

  “Stop! You’ve seen him every night?”

  “Not every night,” Gwen hedged.

  “Most every night?”

  Gwen nodded. Aubrey beamed, but Gwen knew that Aubrey wouldn’t be nearly as happy if she had any idea who Gwen was talking about. She certainly wouldn’t be encouraging Gwen to see him.

  “Monday and Tuesday,” Gwen whispered.

  “That is every night.”

  “We didn’t stay together on Sunday.”

  “Puh-lease. The exception that proves the rule. This is going fast. You look so happy.” Aubrey rested a hand on her pregnant belly. “When do we get to meet him? You know you can’t hold me and Shelly off for long, and Nina will be back from Kansas soon. We have to see if this guy is okay for you. Give you our stamp of approval.”

  Gwen’s stomach flipped. Uh-oh. No, Aubrey would not give her stamp of approval on this relationship. Nope. Instead, she’d be warning Gwen away and forcing Justin to have a serious conversation with Leo.

  “Um, not just yet.” Gwen traced her fingertip along the embroidery of Aubrey’s duvet. “It’s…I mean, I just…”

  “I get it. It’s new, and I understand. Everything seems so great and yet so fragile at the same time.”

  Gwen looked up to meet Aubrey’s gaze. “Exactly.”

  “And you don’t want to put any additional pressure on the relationship just yet,” Aubrey continued. “Almost as though all those outside influences could make the whole thing break, right?”

  “It’s like you’re in my brain.” Gwen’s feeling of relief mingled with guilt. It felt lousy to be hiding things from a friend who understood her so well.

  Aubrey nodded and put her palms together. “Fine, we’ll give you space.” Then a mischievous grin curved over her lips. “For a while.”

  Gwen’s heart rate picked up speed.

  “But if this thing lasts more than a month, come on, you’ve got to let us meet him.”

  A month? She hoped this “thing” would last years, perhaps even a lifetime. Leo was…he was perfect. Exactly what she wanted in a man—charming, funny, handsome, successful. Plus, she’d spent the better part of two years working with and around him. She knew who Leo was on a professional level, and now she was learning about him on a personal level too. The evidence of Leo’s good qualities was drowning out the inner voice that clamored on and on about her fears: He was a commitment-phobe, a workaholic, a confirmed and dedicated bachelor, a man who eschewed having children, who didn’t want to settle down.

  “I can do that,” Gwen conceded. “I mean, if it lasts.”

  “If this guy is even half as taken with you as you are with him, then how could it not? I mean, the look in your eyes? I only see that when someone is madly in love. I know it’s early days, but you just…you’re glowing with joy.”

  “You’re the one who’s supposed to be glowing.”

  “Oh, I am glowing,” Aubrey said, stroking her hand over her belly. “The doctor said I can come to the launch party.” She picked up the iPad from the bed. “Everything with the baby looks good, and by the time that event happens it absolutely won’t matter if I go into labor.”

  “That’s still a while off.”

  “Tell me about it.” Aubrey released a sigh. “Everyone is being so nice, and I know I’m turning into a big complainer, but I can’t tell you how absolutely bored out of my mind I am.” She turned her attention toward the iPad. “I like these floral arrangements for the baby shower.” She pointed to a picture of cut roses tightly packed into a square vase. “Did you contact the venue?”

  “Shenille was lovely. Said she completely understood the situation with your bed rest. They’re returning your entire deposit.”

  “Really?” Aubrey clasped her hand to her chest. “I love them.” Her eyes started to tear.

  “Oh my”—Gwen jumped up to get the tissues beside the bed and extended them to Aubrey—“are you okay?”

  Aubrey plucked two tissues from the box and dabbed her eyes. “Yes, of course. I mean yes…it’s the hormones. I’m as big as a whale and—” Her face crumpled into a full-on crying jag.

  Oh dear. Gwen pulled Aubrey in for a hug.

  “I’m just so damn emotional all the time.” Aubrey pressed the tissues to her eyes and nose. “I’m so lucky you’re here and in my life. I don’t want to be sad around Shelly. I mean, she just got engaged, and Nina’s so far away right now. What would I do without you?”

  Gwen hugged her best friend closer. Renewed guilt tugged her heart. S
he was lying to Aubrey. Fibbing, really, by not telling Aubrey about Leo. But goodness, if Aubrey was crying over floral arrangements and guest lists, what would she do if Gwen told her about Leo? Who knew? No, best to wait, see if this “thing” even kept going. While Leo was perfect, made her heart beat fast and her toes curl, that didn’t change the fact he seemed to want a very different future than she did. No, now was not the time to tell Aubrey about Leo.

  Aubrey sniffled and picked up her phone. Her tears faded as quickly as they had started, and a faint watery smile replaced them. “I almost forgot. Nina texted me an hors oeuvres menu and asked me to pass it along to you. See what you think.” She touched the screen a few times to get to the correct message, then forwarded the text. “Said you can text her any time, but I’m still restricted.”

  “When does she get back?”

  “First week of March, just before the baby shower. Which really isn’t that long from now, unless of course you’re trapped in a bed on bed rest.”

  Gwen pulled out her own phone and skimmed the forwarded text. “Excellent menu. And ooo, I love her crab cakes and spinach puffs. So happy she’s making both.” Gwen’s phone buzzed and a new text appeared at the top of the screen.

  Lunch?

  Her stomach fluttered and warmth filled her chest. She unconsciously pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she began to tap out a response.

  Aubrey perked up. “It’s him, isn’t it? You’re totally blushing. Tell me he asked you to lunch.”

  Gwen nodded. “He asked me to lunch.”

  “Go! Get out of here. Enjoy. It’ll be vicarious for me.”

  “You’re sure?” Gwen hesitated, even though she wanted to run out the door to meet Leo that instant.

  “Positive. We’ve gone over everything, you’ve let me cry, I feel one hundred percent better, and besides, Justin is coming home early to keep me company.” Aubrey handed Gwen the iPad.

  “Really?” Gwen scooped up her bag and slid it inside.

  “Maybe send me a picture when he’s not looking,” Aubrey suggested. “I’d love to see what this man who has you blushing and meeting up for clandestine lunches looks like.”

  With a noncommittal smile, Gwen gave her friend a peck on the cheek and walked out the bedroom door. She absolutely would not be sending Aubrey any pictures of her date any time soon.

  Chapter 12

  The suite at The Four Seasons had been prepared just as Leo requested. Champagne chilled in a bucket; rose petals adorned the bed; and chocolate, fruit, cheese and the gourmet lunch he’d ordered for them both rested on the table. Leo had spent two of the last three nights with Gwen, and yet his body still craved her today. He wanted her. The entire morning, as he sat captive in meeting after meeting, he’d tried desperately to banish the thoughts of her warm smooth skin beneath his fingertips, her lush supple curves caressed by his hands, her flaming red hair brushing across his flesh. Leo had tried to push the thoughts from his mind and he’d failed, utterly and completely. He finally surrendered to his desires with a text to Gwen and a phone call to the hotel.

  He’d never before experienced this overwhelming obsession for a woman. More than simple desire, this was a thick craving that wound deep within his belly and squeezed. He couldn’t remove the need. Thoughts of her smile, the way she laughed, her words crept into his mind, making him smile, distracting him with want and need. This wasn’t any kind of convenient arrangement. In fact, if he truly considered how intrusive his thoughts of Gwen were, this entire thing between the two of them was damned inconvenient.

  The primary benefit of a convenient arrangement was the ability to schedule time with the opposite sex, much like one scheduled a workout or a meeting or a dental exam. That worked if your mind wasn’t consumed by the woman, but it was problematic when you couldn’t convince your mind to stop obsessing about the little curve above her lip. The tiny spot Leo liked to nibble, which caused the loveliest of moans to come from Gwen’s throat.

  My God, where was that woman? Just standing in the room waiting for her and fantasizing about her mouth nearly had him undone. No, this was not convenient, not convenient at all. He walked to the window and peered out at Manhattan. The sky was grey and snow threatened. He’d cleared his schedule for the rest of the day and most of tomorrow morning. He hoped that he might convince Gwen to do the same.

  A knock sounded at the door.

  “It’s open,” he called.

  The doorknob turned. Gwen walked in.

  His heart thudded and his sex hardened. Her hair was pulled back and her bright blue eyes shone. The high heels, black skirt, and creamy silk blouse showed off the curves of her body. His hands itched to run along her sweet lush curves, to cup her breasts and kiss her long luxe neck.

  Her eyes widened and her gaze swept the suite. The place was pretty spectacular. This suite had housed presidents, heads of state, and the business tycoons of the world. The suite also housed the Travati brothers when they so desired.

  She raised one eyebrow and tilted her head. A slight smile curved her lips. “This is our lunch spot?”

  “You requested discretion.”

  “This? A twenty-five-thousand-dollar-a-night penthouse is your version of discretion?”

  “I’d much prefer taking you out, but so far you’ve said no to my every request.”

  Gwen didn’t respond, but her lips tightened for an instant. Was this secret difficult for her? Was she having a hard time believing he didn’t think of this, what they were doing, as disposable? And yet…he couldn’t promise her permanence either, if she asked for or needed it.

  She slid the strap of her bag from her shoulder and dropped it and the coat she carried over her arm onto the couch. She walked across the room and stood at the window, taking in the view. “It’s pretty spectacular.”

  “It is.” He walked up behind her, his arms circling around her waist. She relaxed into his embrace.

  Lemons. Lemons and lavender. Her copper-red mane was infused with the smell. She’d left her scent on his sheets, his skin, his clothes. She leaned against him, her back to his chest, and his muscles responded. His stiff cock pressed to her lusciously full backside, and his lips grazed her hair.

  Damn it, he’d wanted to show restraint, to have lunch with her, maybe a conversation, but her body, her scent, the heat of her pressed to him swept away any discipline he’d wished to impose on his body.

  “You ordered lunch.” Her voice was low, rough with desire. Ah, yes, so her own resolve was weak. She too felt this unflagging passion between them. His hand drifted over her belly and gently rubbed the front of her skirt, where that lush vee, the pathway to pleasure, was buried beneath fabric.

  “I did,” he whispered into her ear.

  Her breath came in jagged bursts. He kissed the ivory skin of her neck and cupped his hand around her breast. Her hips pushed back against his hard sex as his lips worked down the soft curve of her neck. “Are you hungry?” He circled a taut nipple beneath her blouse.

  Her hips ground against him in response. His hand clutched the fabric of her skirt and pulled it up until her legs, her hips, and the sweet round curve of her ass were exposed. Now only the lace of her panties separated his fingertips from the pleasure spot between her legs.

  “I could eat,” she breathed, barely able to form the words.

  “So could I.” He wound the lace string of her panties around his hand, and with a twist of his wrist, the thin thread gave way. He laid her back onto the couch and spread her legs. The sweetness of her pussy, her scent, aroused him, overwhelmed him. He pressed his lips to her, needed to have her, to eat her, to lick her, to make her call his name. My God, he could barely stand to be away from her. She lifted her hips upward, her mound meeting his lips. He pulled her clit deep into his mouth as his fingers slid into her core.

  “Leo, my God.” One hand tangled in his hair, while her other hand yanked at the back of his shirt, her nails scraping against the cloth, pulling it up until his back w
as exposed. Her nails raked across his flesh, and the sweet pain of her possession only fueled his desire.

  His tongue swept over her clit and he rolled the sweet flesh, teasing her, every hitch of her hips spurring him on. The desire to see her come, to give her pleasure, was nearly as strong as his own need to be deep inside her body.

  “Leo!” Gwen groaned. He stroked over her clit, lapped at her, drawing out every bit of her pleasure. She jerked and spasmed as he took her to the utmost heights of orgasm. Her muscles clenched around his fingers, her body stilling, her breath caught in her chest, quelled by the pleasure of his touch. With one long final moan, her entire body softened. A soft mewing sound like a sweet kitten’s came from her lips, her orgasm having wrung every drop of ecstasy from her. She was soft and limp and completely his.

  *

  Numb with delight, her senses heightened, blood coursed through her veins. Her sex throbbed, still alive with a furious pleasure, tender and sensitive, so wet and so ready. Her body craved Leo’s. Even after orgasm, she still yearned for the physicality of him, the link created by his touch to her body. She still needed him to fill her, needed to feel the masculine pulse through her.

  “I want you,” she whispered, still drunk on the endorphins flooding her bloodstream.

  In one effortless sweep he lifted her into his arms and stood. His lips, wet with her scent, her taste, found hers. His tongue parted them and he probed deep within her mouth. A fire of want blazed between them. He walked through the giant suite into the bedroom and set her on her feet beside the bed, stripping her clothes from her. He pulled back the duvet and lay her on the bed.

  His dark eyes, black with desire, mesmerized her. He unbuttoned his shirt and slid the fabric over his shoulders. Hard, quilted muscles curved over his shoulders and across his chest and belly. Her eyes followed the trail of dark hair from his chest down his belly, knowing it led to the place that would provide her amazing pleasure. He pulled his pants off and stood beside the bed. Her gaze was open, awakened, aroused. She felt no embarrassment as her eyes consumed his naked flesh.