by Jeny Stone
She laughed, tilting her head, now slightly embarrassed to disclose the pathetic choices of her lily-livered life. “Okay, let me warn you. I realize how idiotic this is going to sound. Try not to laugh hysterically or judge me based on one sliver of my life. Yes, it turned out to be a big sliver… However, I’m not as brain dead as you might think after hearing my comedy of errors.” His intense gaze coaxed her to continue. “It was the natural progression of growing up together, hanging out in a group, dating and then the inevitable engagement. We were paired together through years of friendship. It was expected and comfortable. I found myself stuck on a Ferris wheel with no way off. The other cars kept picking up baggage, gaining momentum, making it impossible for me to leave the monotonous circle. My life is one of those…you really had to be there things.”
His voice disguised his amusement but his smile didn‘t. “So, your ex stuck his dick in the gears and you jumped off.”
The image he created was satisfying and gratifyingly humorous. Her laughter spilled passed her lips. She twisted the stool so her knee touched his elongated leg still planted on the floor. Face to face with her left arm on the bar, she leaned back to admire the strong presence of the stranger that had her heart doing double time against her heaving chest.
“Good one….but it was more like I was shoved out of the car… at the tiptop of the wheel. After the initial shock…just like that…” She snapped her fingers. “I discovered I could fly.”
“I can actually relate to that. All of us need a good kick in the ass every now and then. It looks like I met you just as your wings are starting to unfurl.”
Larry slammed his hand, holding a damp bar rag, down on the bar. “Can I get you anything else?” Larry asked with a low growl.
“We’ll let you know.” The mystery man answered.
Neither of them looked Larry’s way. She was completely alone with the gorgeous hunk of a man in the crowded bar. No one or nothing penetrated the electrifying connection between them.
“I’m curious, would you have gone through with the wedding if your ex hadn’t given you a way out?” His eyes searched her soul. His confident air teased her into believing he already knew the answer. How could he, since she didn’t? Hannah was thankful she would never know the answer.
“I don’t know. I’ll never know for sure. I’m thankful he made the decision for me.” Talking to someone nonjudgmental and not vested in her broken relationship increased her natural high. She was released from her bonds of commitment. Free to do as she pleased.
He moved closer, exchanging his arm’s resting spot from the back of his stool to hers. “Truthful and beautiful…that’s a dangerous combination. What are the chances you’ll forgive him tomorrow?” A single finger trailed across her bare shoulder. His touch heatedly tickled her skin and her need for more. The violent twitch in her lower abs moved south from his touch. His seduction was slow, confident, barely detectable and yet extremely efficient and absolutely perfect. He was the one, Mr. Perfect in the flesh.
“There’s nothing to forgive. What was done was done. You can’t change the past; you just live with the consequences. What brought you into this bar?” He imprisoned her in his barrier by moving his hand from the bar to her knee.
“I was looking for something to distract me from my sorrow. I’m quite certain I found the perfect distraction sitting on a bar stool in need of my assistance. I’ve heard once. . . you save someone . . . you own them.” His voice slowly resonated from deep inside him with a hypnotizing result. She hung on his words, his touch.
“I think you might have twisted that quote just a hair. So you randomly chose this bar for a glass of scotch?”
“No, as an upstanding citizen, I felt it was my civic duty to rescue the walkers of the city from an enchanted nymph. Her long curls flowed in the breeze with the sunlight reflecting off the golden and auburn highlights.” He singled out a single ringlet of her multi-faceted hair and twirled it around his thick finger. “I might have passed on by but then she performed perfect pirouettes, in the middle of a crowded street, I might add. I knew that creature was exactly what I needed. Now I’ve discovered she also needed me.” Hannah sat spellbound from his romantic words as his hand that had started out on her knee slid up her thigh to the last button actually buttoned on her dress. His thumb moved soothingly over her heated flesh. Sparks flew up her leg. She allowed, or more truthfully, welcomed the seduction of his touch.
She knew she should walk away, regroup, and get a frigging hold on her raging hormones. But that would entail separating herself from him, so screw that plan. The feelings he incited inside her were new, exciting, and undeniable. After years of Jay’s groping attempts to entice her into having sex, her body craved the intimacy from a stranger. As senseless as it seemed, she wasn’t about to pass on this opportunity, even if it was only for one night. This sexy stranger proved her lack of sexual desires had derived from her choice in a partner… not some mental or physical illness as Jay so frequently proclaimed.
“Now I’m embarrassed. You saw my moment of complete insanity. I can’t believe I actually did that. In my defense, I’ve been known to openly express my emotions. You don’t strike me as a man who would wallow in sorrow. I suspect whoever caused your sorrow might regret their actions. But, I hate to think of you being sad. If you tell me the problem, maybe, I can help dry up some of your tears.” Tears would be a snap, since she could evaporate a river in a second with the heat radiating through her. Her sexuality, now awakened, seemed shockingly as loose, free as the curls on her head, and maybe as unruly.
“I missed out on an investment. But you’re right, someone will have serious regrets. I can think of many ways you could help me feel better. Of course, not here and preferably, without clothes.” His eyes narrowed slightly for a bulls-eye view of hers.
Oh yes, she knew that look. She felt the heat of being his target, cross-haired in his sights. Her complete surrender was imminent. “Does that mean you’re an investor?”
“Not as an occupation. I only invest for personal reasons in things I really want. Once I want something I don’t stop until it’s mine.” His eyes scanned a trail of fire over her body, hotly and wantonly molesting her with his gaze, and his words implied it was her he wanted.
Their transparent flirting was a spectacle that caused a stir in the bar. Several mutual friends of hers had sauntered up to the bar to order a drink. You would have thought the space behind her new acquaintance was the starting point of a free drink line. The usually quiet bar was becoming crowded, with more friends milling in and no one attempting to leave. She had grown up in this neighborhood. This was one of those bars, where everyone not only knew your name; they knew your life history.
She finished her drink, running her finger around the rim, collecting the salt. She licked the tip of her finger before she placed it in her mouth and pulled it out. His eyes never wavered from her lips. For the first time in her life, she felt power over her destiny. Her choices belonged to her and her alone. She liked it, a lot.
The tall dark haired man scanned the room, moving his hand to her back. Her fingers tingled as she imagined them entangled in those unruly waves, holding his head as her lips touched his.
“I think we should cut out of here and find somewhere with some ambiance. I’m thinking darker with candles and some soft music. Your bartender friend is most likely on the phone with your ex. I wouldn’t want this evening to be spoiled by a confrontation.” His voice was low, slow and seductively enticing.
The tall muscular stranger had stimulated her curiosity and she didn’t want to leave alone. Seeing Jay was the last thing she wanted to do right now.
“Thanks for the drink, handsome. I think you’re right about going elsewhere. We are getting the evil eye… aren’t we? Do you happen to know of any bars close by where we could safely continue celebrating?” He drew into her to whisper in her ear. She tilted her head to feel his warm breath caress her neck. The sensation on her neck wa
s as heated as his words, exactly as she imagined. Her fingertips whitened from the pressure of grasping the edge of the bar.
“Well I know the perfect place. I’m still waiting to see you get wild and crazy. Then maybe you will decide to have vindictive sex. Once I’m in, I like to follow through. I never fold and I don’t like to lose”
He was the exact opposite of her; confident, demanding, daring, and without an ounce of shame for his brazen actions to get or take whatever he wanted. She hoped he wanted her because she, without any doubt, needed him. The raw desire that consumed her body was unfathomable, breathtaking and possible fleeting if she allowed him to slip through her fingers. She gave herself to him, in her mind. Her body had already jumped ship and relinquished control from the first glance.
“Intriguing…where are we going?” He stood, sliding her off her stool. His fingers met on her back with his hands encircling her waist. Pressed together between the two bar stools, he hesitated before releasing his hold. Her body trembled wantonly against his powerful torso. She knew she was giving him a green light. She was delighted he accepted her invitation.
Her body was ecstatic with enough electricity firing inside her to light up the bar for a solid week. Her wanton need overshadowed any trepidation or her common sense.
Larry frantically yelled from behind the bar, “Jay’s on the phone and he wants to talk to you.”
She laughingly shook her head over the absurdity of speaking to the low life weasel, never looking back. That part of her life was shattered, just like the broken shards of glass from the sparkling water that had scattered across Jay’s living room floor. He was able to clean up the water mess. There was nothing left to piece together between them. Her tethers were broken. She flew solo now, apparently, into the strong arms of a sexy stranger.
“What should I tell him?” Jay yelled louder, with more urgency in his voice.
With his arm firmly around her waist, the man of her dreams escorted her to the door. He answered Larry with the perfect words that said everything for her. “Tell him I said thanks.” His voice carried over the music and the silence of the other patrons. His gaze remained on her.
“Shall we maintain the mystery or do you want to tell me your name?” He asked her in a subdued tone.
He possessed her with his arm as he opened the front door of the bar, asserting his ownership. She smiled up at him, sliding her arm around him, melting into the heat of his rock hard body. “I live for a good mystery. It stimulates the imagination.”
She fleetingly wondered why she left the safety of the bar with a perfect stranger. Very fleetingly, since she knew the answer with every aroused nerve in her body. The air of danger that surrounded his presence, his authoritative personality, the possessive way he touched her and the fact he was the sexiest man she had ever seen, made her want to go with him, to where ever he decided to take her. Lord help her, she wanted him to take her.
They walked outside leaving her past behind the slowly shutting door of the bar. He signaled with a wave of his hand and a town car stopped directly in front of them. He opened the back door, holding her arm as she sat down backwards. Hannah gathered the flowing bottom of her dress, pulled in her legs and then scooted over. He joined her sliding his arm over her shoulder. “Take us back to the hotel.”
Which hotel, she didn’t know, because he didn’t say and she really didn’t care. At least, not after he placed his hand on the side of her face turned her head and his lips, soft yet adamant, grazed over hers. His warm moist mouth covered hers with a persuasive possessiveness. She fell head over heels into his kiss, parting her lips, hungry for more. His tongue searched her mouth finding everything she needed him to find as he guided her desires to an upward spiral. The heat from his kiss, his hands on her body, and his masculinity sucking the breath from her lungs, consumed all her reason. A fire coursed through her body that only he could extinguish. Her head spun. Her body craved. He delivered everything with his kisses and caresses.
When the town car stopped, she found herself laid on the seat with her feet still in the floor. Her arms snugly held his head. She was pinned to the seat under his persistent weight with one of his arms under her, supporting her head with his hand. His flexing muscles trundled over her in waves, reacting to his escalating arousal and increasing hers. He raised his head from the assault his lips performed on hers. His other hand hesitated to stop its exploration of her breast, sides, back …Her fiery flesh wanted him to continue and touch the volcano between her legs.
He sat upright in the seat bringing her with him. She found it difficult to catch a breath without it sounding like a gasp. Reluctantly, she released her hold on his head, sliding her hands over his neck onto his chest. His lips touched hers, allowing her to savor one last taste. He straightened her spaghetti strap that drooped over her shoulder, grazing his finger over her tingling flesh. She did a quick check of her appearance smoothing her rumbled dress.
Her eyes darted through the dark tinted windows of the town car to get her bearings. Oh yeah, the Eleganté the most extravagant hotel in town, rose in front of the stopped town car. The twenty-two floors towered to touch the clouds. Hannah had met numerous clients in the luxurious bar, when the exchange of rare and expensive purchases required a person-to-person meeting. Her casual attire was a far reach from the business suits she wore on her previous visits. Yesterday, she would have been mortified to enter in her plain dress. Today, she thought what the hell. If they don’t like what I’m wearing then screw them. She doubted anyone would dare say a word considering the intimidating presence of her escort.
He opened the car door and stepped out onto the pavement. He turned to extend both of his hands to offer his assistance in helping her. She swung her legs out of the car, placing her half-his-size hands in his. With his gentle pull on her hands, she stood in front of him. He neatly wrapped her arms behind her, crushing her against him. His hardened manhood pressed into her lower abs. Her stomach twitched hysterically. She realized he felt her as easily as she felt him by the glaze that passed over his eyes. Oh shit, her spasmodic reaction had the same effect as a vibrator.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to let go of you yet.” The intensity in his husky voice dampened her already wet thong.
She wanted to scream “then don’t, damn it” but found she had some dignity left. “We could always circle the block.” Obviously, she didn’t have as much dignity as she originally thought. He smiled with a devilish gleam in his eyes that intensified her desire for him. A blaze of wanton lust flowed through her blood. The feelings were new, exciting and, damn it, she was going the distance.
“There isn’t enough room in that back seat for what I have in mind. Besides, I wouldn’t want to give my driver a free show.”
“Then maybe we should go in and see where it leads.” She already knew where it would lead, straight into his arms before she fell into his bed. Every part of her wanted him with an increasing urgency. This was the man and the circumstance she needed. They had identical needs and anonymous identities, the perfect combination to spread her wings. No seriously, she knew she meant legs.
His arm around her waist tightened with the insistency, she stayed touching him. She complied by slipping her arm around him. They walked into the bar. By his request of dark and private, they were seated at a secluded table. He placed drink orders for them both, of frozen margarita and scotch. He moved his chair beside her.
One arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder, leaving the other one free to roam her torso. “This is much better. I don’t feel like a hungry mountain lion about to chomp down on everyone’s favorite bunny.”
“This is much better. I feel more relaxed. It is a close knit neighborhood and you are out of character for me. There might be a search party out scouring the streets for me now. Their concern didn’t seem to dissuade you. What exactly is your agenda?”
She found it hard to think, breathe or speak with him so close and his hand so hot on her body.
Hannah attacked the drink in an effort to gain some control, or lose it. Either way, the ending would be the same. He had already won the battle for control. She was his willing pawn. “You realize there’s a slight flaw in your plan. I can’t have vindictive sex if I don’t have a vindictive bone in my body.”
His moist breath returned to her neck. Shivers ascended over her body. “Yes you do…everyone does. I can see, feel and smell what you want. So, the only question remaining, is why?” His constrained voice failed to conceal his lustfulness. His hand pressed against her stomach. Spreading his fingers his thumb worked its way up to graze the underside of her breast. Her muscles quivered in response.
She turned her head, lightly tasting his lips lined with scotch. “So I can move forward and leave the past behind.”
His strong hand held her face. His thumb under her chin tilted her head. His eyes penetrated hers. “I already have a room here. I am offering you a night of pleasure. You must feel some attraction or you wouldn’t be here. You want freedom so I say dive into the deep end. If you change your mind tomorrow and want to return to your ex and get married, no one will know what happens tonight, but us. You will remember it for the rest of your life.”
Not just no, but hell no, to any chance she would return to her past life and get married. He had made a valid point. He was the deep end. She had already left the diving board back at the first bar.
“In that case, I probably shouldn’t finish this drink. I would hate to pass out.” She sliced through the transparent layer of lingering doubts plunging into the depths of his seduction without the slightest wake.