Chick with a Charm

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  The shower was already running by the time she worked up the energy to climb out of bed. In theory, making love all night sounded great. In practice, for a couple of working folks, it could cause problems.

  She walked into the steamy bathroom, but even with the mirror fogged, she could see that her hair was sticking out in all directions. Not what she’d call gorgeous. But his comment had been good for her ego.

  From inside the shower came the sound of a washcloth slapping against damp skin. Her libido perked up, but she told it to calm down. She and Griffin needed several hours of sleep more than they needed to dance another horizontal mambo.

  “Griffin?”

  “I’m almost done.”

  “Listen, I’m flattered that you want to pick up where we left off, but you have to get up early for work. What if we make a plan for tomorrow night after I’m finished at the Bubbling Cauldron?”

  He turned off the shower and slid back the curtain decorated with red and black swirls.

  She gulped. There was nothing quite like a fine specimen of manhood standing in a girl’s shower to ruin all her noble intentions. His muscled body glistened in the overhead light. Droplets of water clung to his chest hair and the dark curls surrounding his penis.

  As her gaze wandered in that direction, his balls tightened and his penis swelled. He had quite a package there, and she was mesmerized by the rapid inflation going on.

  “I can’t wait until tomorrow night,” he said quietly.

  Her brain stalled. She’d been trying to make a point, but damned if she could remember what it was.

  “Stay right there.” He stepped out of the tub and left the bathroom. “I’ll put something on.”

  “Don’t do that on my account.” She couldn’t have moved if she’d wanted to. The sight of his tight ass when he’d walked away had rooted her to the spot. No doubt she’d had her hands on that very fine part of his anatomy earlier tonight, but she must not have been paying proper attention. That was the kind of feature a girl needed to worship with both sight and touch.

  When he returned, she realized what he’d meant by putting something on. He was nicely dressed in another condom. His eyes were hot as they roamed over her.

  Suddenly sleep was the farthest thing from her mind.

  Her nerve endings began to hum and her vagina grew slick with anticipation. “I take it you have a plan?”

  “Uh-huh.” Circling her waist with his big hands, he lifted her to the bathroom counter. “Lean back on your hands and spread your legs for me.”

  She did as he asked, feeling wanton and daring as she gave him a full, well-lit view.

  “Nice.” He ran his knuckles gently over her moist folds.

  She closed her eyes as his lazy touch carried her closer to an orgasm than she cared to admit. She’d never been this responsive with any man, and she shocked herself a little.

  “I think you like that,” he murmured.

  “Mm.” She fought to steady her breathing, but it was no use. The more he casually brushed her with his knuckles, the more her control slipped.

  “I think you might like this, too.” Using one hand to steady her on the counter, he began to caress her more deliberately. Parting her, he slid two fingers in partway as his thumb settled with devastating accuracy over her clit. “Look at me.”

  Opening her eyes, she discovered his were heavy lidded with passion.

  “I want us to be looking at each other when I make you come.” He circled her clit with his thumb as he curved his fingers and stroked her G-spot.

  “That’s a bad idea.” She groaned as her climax bore down on her at breakneck speed. “Nobody . . . oh, that’s good . . . nobody looks good when they’re coming.”

  “You will.”

  “No. Let’s both . . . close our eyes.” She squeezed hers shut as she felt the wave about to crash over her.

  “Lily, look at me.”

  She could hardly refuse him when he was doing such a lovely thing for her. She opened her eyes right before the first contraction. She opened her mouth, too, so that she could give vent to the pleasure. Her cries echoed in the small bathroom.

  His face was a fierce mask of triumph; and then his image blurred as her orgasm rolled through her and rolled through her again. But as he’d demanded, she kept her eyes open. It was the least she could do.

  As he had the last time, he entered her while the walls of her vagina were still flexing with her climax. The exquisite timing of his penetration meant that with each stroke, he took her surely and confidently back up the mountain she’d so recently hurtled down.

  Instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist, increasing the friction.

  “Yeah, like that. Good.” He pumped faster, his big hands clutching her tight so the force of his thrusts wouldn’t send her sliding right across the counter into the large wall mirror behind her.

  She gasped, ready to fly apart once again. “Griffin, I’m—”

  “Me, too, babe.” He increased the pace a fraction more. “Ah yes.”

  “I’m coming!”

  With a shout, Griffin pushed deep one last time and held her tight as his large body quaked and his chest heaved. Through it all he held her gaze, as if keeping that connection was even more important than keeping the tight connection between their bodies.

  When they’d both caught their breath, he withdrew and disposed of the condom. Then he picked her up and carried her to bed.

  Her back to him, she snuggled against him, spoon fashion. “Now we’ll sleep.” Her eyes drifted closed.

  “Maybe.” He tucked her in close and cupped her breast. “No guarantees. I seem to be obsessed with you.”

  Her eyes snapped open and she stared into the darkness. Then she told herself to relax. The novelty would wear off and then he’d be more like a regular boyfriend, one who liked sex but could do without it sometimes so that each of them could get on with their normal routine. At least she hoped it would work out that way.

  Chapter 7

  After years of needing to be at the office before nine, Griffin had trained himself to wake up at seven, which he did, right on schedule. Waking up naked wasn’t unusual—he wasn’t a pajama kind of guy—but waking up with a naked woman on a weekday wasn’t his usual pattern.

  After the first jolt of surprise he felt a sense of rightness, as if he was supposed to be here with Lily this morning. He might just call in sick to the office. Sure, he had the Altman hearing this morning, but he could ask Kevin to handle that for him. Estelle Altman should be fine with that.

  Propping himself up on one elbow, he gazed at Lily, who was still fast asleep. If he remembered correctly, her shift at the Bubbling Cauldron didn’t begin until four in the afternoon. She was probably used to staying up late and sleeping in. He didn’t want to disturb that routine.

  Naturally, though, as he watched her sleep he got a hard-on. He briefly considered waking her up so they could have sex again, but that seemed like a damned selfish thing to do, no matter how much he wanted to. Besides, if he played his cards right, he might be able to spend most of the day in bed with her.

  He’d sacrifice short-term for long-term gain. She would probably sleep for at least another couple of hours. That left him plenty of time to prepare for a day of hanging out with Lily.

  Something niggled at him, a thought having to do with his original plan regarding Lily. Had he figured on one night with her to get her out of his system? If so, he’d seriously miscalculated. He had no intention of ending this relationship after one night.

  In fact, he had no intention of ending this relationship anytime soon. That was weird, because Lily was no more right for him today than she’d been yesterday, and yet he couldn’t imagine giving her up. Eventually he would have to, but not in the near future.

  That being the case, he needed to take a cab home, grab a change of clothes and come right back. He’d borrow her key. Maybe he should have an extra one made while he was at it. That would simplify things,
because he expected to spend quite a bit of time in her apartment.

  Moving carefully so as not to disturb her, he climbed out of bed and gathered his clothes and shoes. Then he crept, naked, into the living room and was greeted enthusiastically by Daisy. Oh yeah. He’d nearly forgotten about the dog.

  She danced in front of him, obviously wanting to go out. Logically, she shouldn’t be desperate if she lived on Lily’s schedule. The dog would be fine until he came back with fresh clothes, maybe even croissants. He’d check to make sure Lily had a coffeepot and coffee before he left.

  But as he pulled on his clothes, including the jacket Lily had loaned him, Daisy pranced around him, tongue out, as if she just knew they were going to play some more in the park. In the end, he couldn’t leave without her.

  Scribbling a note on a pad saying he’d taken Daisy for a walk, he left the note on the table in front of the sofa. He’d checked the kitchen and found a coffeemaker, a grinder and a jar of fresh beans that smelled exactly like the ones he had at home.

  Daisy’s leash and Lily’s keys were on a small table next to the front door. Griffin snapped Daisy’s leash on her collar, pocketed Lily’s keys and headed out the front door, locking it behind him.

  On the street, people were heading off to work. Horns blared and people in business clothes whistled for cabs. Griffin felt very strange being out here in his sweats, walking a dog on a Wednesday morning. Maybe he should let Daisy do her business, take her back to Lily, and return to his apartment.

  He still had time to change and make it to work on time. The Altman hearing was important, and Kevin hadn’t been briefed on it. Griffin needed to be there to make sure the agreement they’d hammered out didn’t get mucked up somehow.

  But Daisy didn’t seem interested in doing her business. She pulled on the leash, urging him in the direction of the dog park. Oh, what the hell. Estelle Altman would be fine. He’d ironed out all the issues, and a robot could handle the hearing. Kevin wouldn’t mind helping out.

  Once Griffin had made up his mind, he approached the dog park with relish. He’d had a great time with Daisy the night before, and he looked forward to testing out her abilities even more.

  The place wasn’t deserted this morning. A guy in jeans and a sweatshirt had brought a standard poodle to run, and a matronly woman was trying to get her cocker spaniel to play with the poodle. Neither dog seemed interested in the other.

  Considering the time of day, Griffin didn’t expect either the guy or the woman to recognize Daisy. Daisy was probably lucky if she got to the dog park by noon, so he wouldn’t have to explain why he was here instead of Lily. Not that he minded advertising his relationship with Lily, but he wasn’t quite sure what the nature of it was yet.

  He wanted to be with her. That much he knew for sure. But if someone had asked him to explain why that was, after he’d specifically decided against going out with her, he wouldn’t have been able to offer an explanation. A logical guy like Griffin found that perplexing. For the first time in recent memory, he didn’t understand his own actions.

  The connection with Daisy was far easier to understand. He’d always loved goldens, and Daisy was an exceptional example of the breed. After he opened the gate, she walked into the dog park as if she owned the place.

  Griffin unsnapped her leash, curious as to what she’d do regarding the other two dogs. Lily had said Daisy hadn’t seemed interested in playing with other dogs, so now he had a chance to witness that for himself.

  First Daisy took care of her necessary business in a small gravel area near the trash cans and the convenient dispenser of disposable bags. Griffin handled his part of the chore as Daisy pranced over toward the standard poodle.

  So much for Lily’s claim, Griffin thought as Daisy and the poodle greeted each other in the familiar head-to-tail routine.

  “Pretty dog,” said the guy in jeans.

  “Thanks.” Honesty prompted Griffin to explain. “She’s a friend’s dog.”

  “I wondered. I haven’t seen a golden around this time of day.”

  “I’m sure Lily brings her later.” Griffin discovered he was happy about that. The guy in jeans might appeal to Lily, and Griffin didn’t want them bonding over their dogs.

  He didn’t want Lily bonding with anyone, come to think of it, other than him. He wasn’t sure what he and Lily were to each other, but when he thought of another man showing interest, he felt like growling. Funny; he wasn’t ordinarily the jealous type.

  “I hope she takes to Max,” the guy said. “The cocker spaniel doesn’t want to play, and Max loves to run.”

  “So does Daisy.” He remembered the thrill of chasing around the park with her last night. She’d seemed to read his mind, which was crazy, but he hadn’t been able to shake the idea, especially after he’d executed his airplane maneuver with the thought that if she leaped over him it would be very cool. Then she’d leaped.

  “Will you look at that?” The guy stood, hands thrust in his jeans pockets, as Daisy led Max over to the cocker spaniel. “It’s almost as if she’s introducing them.”

  “It is. But I’m sure we’re assigning motives that aren’t there.” In his line of work, he saw that all the time. It was one of the principle reasons for divorce.

  “Could be. So, are you self-employed?”

  Griffin glanced at him. “Why do you say that?” “You have the look of a professional, but you’re here on a weekday morning. I peg you as a consultant.”

  “Actually, I’m a lawyer who decided to take the day off.”

  The guy laughed. “So you could walk your girlfriend’s dog?”

  “Something like that.” Examined in the cold light of logic, his behavior made no sense. The dog didn’t need to be walked right now, and he didn’t have to spend the day with Lily. Or did he? His urge to do that was one of the strangest ones he’d had in ages.

  “All I can say is, your girlfriend has a very unusual dog. Somehow she’s coaxed Max to play with the cocker while she stands on the sidelines.”

  “As if she’s admiring her handiwork,” Griffin said.

  “I was thinking the same thing. But like you said, we’re probably assigning motives that don’t exist. She’s only a dog.”

  “That’s true, but I’d love to know her background. Lily adopted her from an animal shelter, and I have the feeling this dog was trained in ways that most aren’t.”

  “Maybe so.” The guy turned and stuck out his hand. “Mitch Adams. Semisuccessful novelist.”

  Griffin shook his hand. “Griffin Taylor. Divorce lawyer.” Now he was doubly glad Lily slept late. A novelist would pique her curiosity for sure.

  “I probably should have met you a year ago when I was going through my divorce. In any case, thanks for bringing Daisy this morning. She’s an excellent matchmaker.”

  Griffin laughed. “No problem.” Daisy had trotted over to him as if she was ready to leave. “Guess we’re outta here.”

  “Maybe I’ll see you again,” Mitch said.

  “Probably not during the week. Most of the time I really do have to work.”

  “I’m here every day,” Mitch said.

  “All righty, then. I’ll probably be around this weekend.” As he snapped Daisy’s leash onto her collar, he wondered how he could be so sure that he’d be at the dog park this weekend. Yet he knew he probably would.

  He was at a loss to explain it, but somehow, some way, he’d become hooked up with Lily Revere. That reminded him that he needed to break that date with Debbie. He definitely wouldn’t be going out with her on Saturday. He was involved with Lily, now.

  Lily woke and stretched, feeling the unfamiliar twinges that accompanied a night of good sex. The who and the why didn’t come to her right away. Then she remembered. Griffin. Griffin!

  She sat up and looked at the bedside clock. After ten already. Griffin must have decided to leave without waking her. That was considerate of him, but she wondered where they stood. Was he coming back? Had the spell work
ed the way it was supposed to?

  Then the aroma of coffee drifted through the bedroom door, which was now open. She listened more closely and heard the rustling of paper. Surely Griffin wasn’t still here? He had a job, obligations. He couldn’t hang around her apartment.

  Slipping out of bed, she took a red silk robe from the back of her bedroom door and put it on. They’d been very intimate during the night, but waltzing out in her birthday suit wasn’t her style. She didn’t know what sort of discussion they would have this morning, either, and the robe gave her a measure of psychic protection. She’d inherited it from her great-aunt Violet, the powerful witch and spell maker from whom she’d inherited the tendency to get jacked up whenever she did magic.

  Still, she winced at the picture she probably made. She hadn’t taken off her makeup last night, and her hair was probably in even worse shape than when she’d glimpsed it in the bathroom mirror hours ago. She could use a magic spell to repair the damage, but that would require her wand, which was somewhere in the living room.

  Dear goddess, she hoped she hadn’t left her wand lying about. The last thing she wanted was for Griffin to discover she was a witch. She had a few books in the bookcase, but those could be the result of idle curiosity. Her crystal ball could be dismissed as a trinket.

  She might even be able to explain the wand, but the more things in plain view, the more questions he might ask. She’d rather avoid all that, at least for the time being. In her experience, men didn’t like thinking they’d been hoodwinked, and in a manner of speaking, that’s what she’d done to Griffin.

  The fact that he was still here meant the spell had worked better than she’d even imagined. She’d have to make sure he returned to work, though, because an unemployed boyfriend wasn’t her idea of a good situation. It wouldn’t impress her parents, either, who were arriving tomorrow.

  The coffee smelled delicious, though. She wasn’t used to waking up to the smell of coffee in her apartment. If she wanted coffee in the morning, she had to make it herself or take the bus over to Anica’s shop, Wicked Brew.