As he exited that lonely hotel room, he knew that an equally lonely condo was waiting for him. That place hadn’t felt like home since Giada left. Now Fabian wanted to get her back even more.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Were you serious about having my babies?” Kentucky asked much later on the ride back to his house. Giada was spending the night again.
“Serious as a heart attack,” she replied from the passenger seat.
“But what about school? Your career?” A worried look crossed Kentucky’s features before he added, “What about the possibility of having a hard delivery?”
“I can have babies and a career in law.” Giada turned to smile reassuringly at him. “As for the delivery of those babies, I’m a lot stronger than I look. I don’t have these childbearing hips for nothing. And haven’t you noticed how much junk I have in my trunk for my size?” she added, referring to her wide hips and thighs and her ample bottom.
Kentucky smiled at her answer. “You are sturdily built. How soon do you want to start?”
“As soon as we get married. One trip to my ob-gyn is all it’ll take for me to be ready to conceive,” Giada replied, referring to the effective birth control device still implanted in her body.
“Let me make some adjustments in my schedule, move a few funds around for that big wedding I know you want, and then we’ll get married and go on a great honeymoon somewhere exotic. How does July sound?”
Giada smiled. “July sounds great. I’ll be on school break and eligible for a vacation at my job.”
“So it’s settled then. We get married in July and use our honeymoon to start our family. By the way, how many kids do you want?”
“Four,” Giada said, remembering her vision. “Definitely four.”
* * * *
At work the next day, Giada found a bouquet of flowers and a gift certificate to her favorite boutique waiting for her when she came from lunch. She didn’t need to read the card to know that Fabian had sent them. Kentucky wasn’t flashy with his gift-giving. He preferred to give her things without all the fanfare.
Calling the number on the card, Giada promptly informed Fabian that he was not to send her any more gifts and that she would be returning the things he sent today, including the airline ticket she still had from another gift-giving day.
“I’ll stop sending you gifts under one condition,” Fabian said, fishing for a compromise.
“What condition?”
“That you keep the stuff I sent you today and the airline ticket.”
Giada was about to say that Kentucky wouldn’t like that when she saw the paralegal across from her choke on a sob, slam her phone down, and run toward the ladies’ room in tears. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong to make cool, calm, and collected Velicity act like that.
“Fine, whatever, Fabian. I need to go now. Bye,” Giada said, leaving Fabian hanging midsentence when she hung up.
After rushing off the phone, Giada went to see about Velicity. She left the other paralegal and two legal secretaries to handle the phones alone.
Giada found Velicity in the bathroom sobbing hysterically in front of the mirror. Though the two women normally only tolerated each other, seeing the other woman in obvious pain made it impossible for Giada to remain emotionally detached. She’d never been that hard-hearted toward other women, despite how they’d treated her.
“What’s wrong?” Giada asked, going up to her weeping coworker.
“What does it matter to you?” Velicity snapped, looking distrustful of this unexpected offer of compassion.
“It doesn’t. I just thought I could help ease your pain or something.” Giada shrugged. “But if you can handle it on your own, I’ll just go back to my desk.” She turned to walk away.
“My grandmother just died,” Velicity said, looking desperate for comfort from whomever was offering it.
Giada’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. It was like she was back at the moment of losing her own grandmother. “I’m so sorry, Velicity.” Before she knew it, she’d placed her arm around the grief-stricken woman in comfort.
That hug and a half hour of crying and talking together caused Giada to do something completely unexpected, something she never thought she’d do for another woman in her life. Giada gave Velicity the airline ticket and the gift certificate. This way her new friend could fly back to her hometown in first class and looking first-rate.
Though Giada’s act of kindness wouldn’t bring either of their grandmothers back, it did make them both feel better inside. They felt a lot better.
Unfortunately, Giada couldn’t share her kind deed with anyone she loved. Kentucky and Hannah would probably both scold her for taking those gifts from Fabian in the first place, despite the fact that she used those gifts for good.
I guess it’s going to have to be enough that I know about my good deed. Giada deemed that the best thing for everyone. At least I can tell them that I finally found a female friend in my own age group.
* * * *
After Giada abruptly ended their call, a frustrated Fabian decided to put a plan in motion that would not only take Kentucky out of the picture temporarily, but possibly for good.
One way or the other, Giada is going to be my wife, not yours, country bumpkin. Fabian dialed the number of an ambitious photographer he had met during his recent tour.
* * * *
Since Velicity was still on extended bereavement leave, Giada didn’t get to formally introduce her to Kentucky at the firm’s annual spring fundraising masquerade. However, she was able to introduce him to everyone else.
The men at the firm were initially wary of Kentucky. They were intimidated by his size. The black-and-white pirate’s costume he wore only magnified his bulk. Plus, many of them were jealous that he’d gotten the hottest female employee at the firm. That tight lady pirate’s costume Giada wore made the men even more jealous of Kentucky since it showed off her assets in the most scrumptious of ways.
Surprisingly the men weren’t wary for long. Kentucky was quickly able to melt their resolve with his intellect, tales of past adventures he’d had with the rich and famous—though he made sure not to call any names—and the motivational goals he had concerning the foster kids in his school. Two hours into the evening and he had accumulated no less than ten potential donors for his school.
The women at the firm had a different reaction to Kentucky altogether. From the beginning, they welcomed him into their midst. He had not only removed their biggest competitor from the pool of eligible bachelorettes in the firm, but his body reeked of sex appeal.
The long V-neck opening in the shirt of Kentucky’s costume showed off that extraordinary chest of his, causing many women to see why Giada was able to look past his ordinary face. Some of those women had subtly flirted with him right in front of her. Some had gone beyond that as the alcohol consumption increased and people became more uninhibited.
“Okay, you can put your claws back in and relax now,” Kentucky whispered in Giada’s ear as they slow danced. She was as stiff as a board in his arms.
“I’ll relax when we leave,” Giada replied stubbornly. “Until then, I’m keeping my guard up in case one of these heifers tries to take my man again.”
Kentucky chuckled. “As I recall, the last one didn’t want to take me from you. She just wanted to share me with you for the night,” he said, referring to the whispered offer from one of the senior partner’s wives.
It seemed that this particular wife was one half of a swinging couple. She and her husband, otherwise known as Mr. Kerrigan, had been lusting after Kentucky and Giada all night from afar. When Giada briefly left Kentucky’s side for a trip to the ladies’ room, Mrs. Kerrigan propositioned him since it was legally and physically safer for her to do so than her husband.
Though Kentucky politely turned down that unexpected offer, the persistent woman lingered until Giada returned. Then Mrs. Kerrigan propositioned the both of them. She even went so far as
to accidentally call Kentucky “Terminator” during their conversation.
Although Kentucky found the whole thing funny and downright flattering, it rubbed Giada the wrong way. As a result, he had to take her to the dance floor in order to avoid an unpleasant confrontation between the two women that might affect Giada’s job come Monday morning.
“I don’t care what she wanted. I’m never sharing you with another woman,” Giada said as they continued to slowly sway together.
Kentucky noticed how much tighter she hugged his neck as she said that. “What about Mama? Our female offspring? They can’t get any of my time?” he teased, deliberately misinterpreting her words.
Giada laughed, despite her bad mood. “You know what I meant, Kenny. I’m not sharing you sexually with another woman.”
“And you never will,” Kentucky assured her, bending to plant a tender kiss on her forehead. He didn’t have to bend very far tonight due to the six-inch boots she wore.
“Now that’s what I like to hear.” Giada snuggled against him even more.
Kentucky smiled, pleased that she’d forgotten all about the Kerrigans and her anger just that quick. A comfortable silence blanketed them as they continued to sway to the Latin beat from the live band.
A few short minutes later, Kentucky heard Giada moan deep within her throat. He felt her grind against him soon thereafter as things started to heat up rapidly between them. The contagious sensuality of the music and the prolonged proximity of their bodies had him hot and bothered, too.
At Giada’s second grind, Kentucky moaned this time. He lowered his right hand to the tight black bell-bottoms of her costume and squeezed her generous rump. He sent his lips on a mission to capture hers as another moan bubbled up from her throat.
As soon as their lips touched, Kentucky and Giada completely forgot where they were. It didn’t really matter, though. Around them were other serious couples kissing on the dance floor, at tables, and up against the walls. As wanton as the ball attendees were behaving now, one would never believe that they were some of Miami’s most prestigious legal minds.
But they were. Fortunately, the law firm had a Vegas-like motto for all of their office parties and social events, “What happens here, stays here,” which meant they could get as frisky as they wanted without fear of judgment or exposure. No camera phones or other recordable electronic devices were allowed at their parties for that very same reason.
Kentucky and Giada continued to kiss and grind against one another on the dance floor. It wasn’t until the Kerrigans bumped up against them by “accident” that they were reminded of the need for privacy.
“Come on, baby, let’s go find a private spot,” Kentucky said upon breaking the kiss. “I may like making love in all kinds of places, but I don’t like having an audience when I do. Plus, I don’t want anybody getting any ideas about joining us.” He nodded toward the Kerrigans when he said that last part.
Giada looked where he indicated and frowned. “I see your point.”
Saying their good-byes to those they encountered on the way to the exit, Kentucky and Giada went in search of their private spot.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kentucky and Giada’s private spot turned out to be his house. It didn’t require any extra expense, and it was far away from any swingers like the Kerrigans. Not only that, but it gave Kentucky a chance to see all the new tricks Giada had been practicing during her lonely hours.
“I see you’ve been busy while I was away,” he said, sitting in a chair in his candlelit bedroom, watching his woman do a striptease routine a few feet away.
“Yes, I had to fill my lonely hours with something constructive,” Giada said, removing the last piece of her costume to the sensual beat coming from the stereo.
Kentucky moaned with passion at the vision before him. Giada had on nothing but two red pasties, a black-and-red thong, and black garters. When she turned around, smiled seductively back at him, and then slapped one cheek heartily before jiggling them both with a strong bounce, he reached for her. It was time to feast upon this hot tamale.
“Uh-uh,” Giada said, quickly moving out of Kentucky’s reach. “The female dancers don’t get touched, remember?”
“Right.” Kentucky groaned in frustration, dropping his hands back down to his sides. “Unless she gives the man explicit permission to do so,” he added, referring to one exception to that rule. “What about it, baby? Can I please touch you?” His voice was the deepest and huskiest it had ever been.
“Not yet, Kenny,” Giada replied, though her eyes said yes. “I’ll give you permission a little later. I really want to try my hand at this lap dancing thing first. I won’t be able to pull it off if you touch me right now.”
“Fine, but at least let me get out of this costume,” Kentucky replied, still dressed in full pirate’s gear. The only thing he didn’t have on was his hat. “I want to be ready when you finally give me that green light to touch you . . . and do so much more.” He licked his lips with anticipation.
“Okay, but leave your briefs on. If you get completely nude, I might attack you.”
Kentucky chuckled and stood up to quickly disrobe. When he was done, he returned to his seat. Let the rest of the show commence!
* * * *
Giada’s lap dance began in earnest. With her arms about Kentucky’s strong neck and her legs on either side of his thighs, she grinded in an erotic circle a few feet above him. Her back remained arched and her thrusts remained strong as she inched closer and closer to his hardened desire. Each movement was in perfect timing to the slow music playing in the background.
The whole time Giada watched Kentucky’s face. She got to see his eyes blaze with desire as they followed the rotation of her hips. She got to witness the way he kept licking his lips when gazing at her breasts. She got to hear his breath hitch when he thought surely this time she’d touch down upon him.
Finally Giada did touch down. She moaned louder than Kentuckyand the music as her valley skimmed suggestively over his mountain range, allowing them to feel each other in the most intimate of ways.
“I need to touch you now,” Kentucky said, not even waiting for permission as he grabbed her bottom with both hands and squeezed her closer. His hips thrust upwards in invitation.
“Yes, baby,” Giada agreed, issuing that permission anyway before negotiating a compromise. “But let me drive, okay?”
“Okay. This is your show tonight,” Kentucky said, stilling his hips. After giving her bottom one more firm squeeze, he released it and then moved his hands upwards to her breasts.
Moving all necessary items of clothing out the way, Giada joined them with deft fingers. She didn’t even have to look down to do it either, having memorized the planes of his body by now.
Then, returning her arms to Kentucky’s neck, she used that hold as leverage to ride him very, very slowly.
Down.
Down.
Down Giada went, causing sweat to break out on Kentucky’s forehead. His mouth gaped open, but no words came out.
Up.
Up.
Up Giada rose, moving just as slowly, drawing out every second of their coupling. There was something special about tonight. There was something that demanded this unhurried pace so that every movement, every nuance could be thoroughly committed to memory.
Groaning loudly, Kentucky seemed to feel the difference in tonight, as well. Thankfully he didn’t dare rush the moment by prompting a slamfest. Instead he allowed Giada to maintain the pace she’d set while his mouth feasted upon her neck and plump melons.
Kentucky’s hands got in on the action by roaming up and down Giada’s back, giving her any extra support she needed. Every now and then those hands would dip lower to squeeze her bottom. She liked that he never forgot to do that.
With their simultaneous moans penetrating the air around them, Giada picked up the pace. She also increased the force behind her thrusts. The rotation of her thrusts changed as well as she beg
an to ride him hard.
Circular.
Back and forth.
Rocking chair.
Bucking bull.
Oh, yes, Giada rode Kentucky well. She rode him so well that the man actually began to . . .
Cry?
Kentucky didn’t actually burst out into tears, but two stubborn drops did escape his glossy eyes and slide down his cheeks.
Suddenly their gazes met and held. Their hips stilled as the moment became even more special.
Giada had never felt more powerful than at this very moment. Yet all she wanted to do was lie at Kentucky’s feet. She was humbled by his potent reaction to her lovemaking. She was proud of the way he didn’t look away in shame at his tears.
Leaning close to his face, Giada proceeded to lick those tears away in a slow upwards track. By the time she made it up to his right eyelid, Kentucky was breathing hard and sweating profusely as he fought for control of himself.
Leaning back a little, Giada gasped at the feral look in his eyes. Her heart hammered in her chest because she knew, she just knew she was going to get it now . . .
In a good way.
In the best way.
* * * *
Overwhelmed by his deep passion and even deeper love for her, Kentucky snatched Giada to him again. Capturing her lips and her hips, he went for broke.
Kentucky was in control now . . . and yet not in control at all as he went wild within her, stroking more fervently than he ever had before. It was a good thing the chair was built sturdily. Otherwise all that rocking would have surely weakened its legs and sent them sailing to the floor.
Giada tightened her hold about Kentucky’s neck as he proceeded to teach her what the word union really meant. With each stroke it became abundantly clear that they were no longer two people in this pivotal moment. They were one.
One!
Kentucky and Giada surrendered to ecstasy as one, too. Even their voices rose in unison, drowning out the music still playing in the background. No doubt neighbors thought wolves were in the area howling at the moon.
Pretty Packages Page 16