She traced the circle then she looked up at him, her finger still on the silver. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
Ridiculously pleased, he picked it up. This part, he had imagined.
All week, he’d thought about seeing her again. If this event hadn’t been on his calendar, he’d have invented something. Even if she wasn’t a crack web designer, he would have hired her as a reason to stay in contact.
Her house was crazy with noise and activity. In contrast, the walls in his home had echoed with loneliness.
She lifted her hair, and he fastened the clasp. “Perfect,” he told her when she turned to show it off. “Better than I imagined. And I imagined plenty.”
Together they took the elevator to the lobby, and were among the first to arrive.
The hotel didn’t have a specific ballroom. Instead, the main floor served as the party space. There were plenty of alcoves for silent auction items and a large, open area for mingling. A band was warming up in what was generally the bar, and a space had been cleared for dancing. Tables were triangular in shape, rather than round. Chair backs were short. Tall glass vases filled with flowers sat next to shorter, squat ones. Everything was a visual feast.
“This isn’t what I expected,” she said.
“Is it pretentious enough for you, though?”
“I apologise if I was a brat. This is fabulous. Exactly my style.”
“Which is quirky?”
She wrinkled her nose.
“Bold?”
“Yes.”
“Fun?
“All of that,” she responded with a laugh. She leaned into him and pressed her palm against his chest, on his heart. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“If you see something we need to bid on, let me know.”
“Denver Nuggets tickets, if they have them.”
“You like basketball?” He couldn’t have been more shocked if she’d asked for tickets to outer space.
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“No. In fact, some people can’t stand it.”
“Fine, if we win them, I’ll take Margot to the game.” She grinned.
“On second thought, I like basketball just fine.”
His aunt spotted them and hurried over. “Incoming,” he warned Brandy. “And she’s a bit like you, in that she speaks what’s on her mind.”
“I adore her already,” Brandy said.
“I was afraid of that.”
Tall and thin to the point of being gaunt, Aunt Mame wore a long, cream-coloured sequined gown that plunged in the back. She shimmered and shone, and teetered on four-inch heels. Her short silver hair was spiked and held in place by some gravity-defying feat. She had eyes only for Brandy, and her bright red lips were parted in a genuine smile.
Now that he saw Auntie Mame, he was glad he came. When he’d first lost Eleanor, Mame’s vibrant energy had been hard to take, but now it was infectious.
He expected a hug or for her to present her cheek for a quick kiss, but she ignored him and swept Brandy into her arms. “Hello, luv. Thank you, thank you.” She stepped back and held Brandy by the upper arms. “I’ve been dying to look at you. Beautiful. My gawd, that hair.”
“Aunt Mame, meet Brandy Hess. She’s a web designer and she—”
“Yes, yes, we can get to that later. The only thing that matters is she got you out of the house and to my party. She could be on the police blotter for all I care. In fact, hiding her in the kitchen when the coppers show up could be fun.”
Brandy laughed.
“Brandy, meet my incorrigible auntie.”
Mame spared him a glance. “Why don’t you be a good boy and fetch us a glass of something while we get to know one another?”
“Brandy, say the word and I’ll rescue you from my aunt’s well-meaning, but nosy questions.”
“I’m parched,” she replied.
“Run along,” Mame said, in the same tone she might have used when he was ten years old.
He held up his hands. “Two-to-one. I can’t win.”
“Off you go,” Mame said.
He headed for the bar and began to feel as if there was a conspiracy. The bartender took his time finding a bottle, uncorking it then pulling out glasses, lining them up in a precise row. He chatted about the upcoming Denver Broncos game and told him they’d be televising it if he was ever downtown and wanted to watch it away from the usual sports bars. Which made him think of Brandy and her short kilt.
That was he point the stopped listening to the man.
When Niles drew out his wallet to pay, the bartender waved him off, saying champagne was included in the price of the tickets. Niles left a nice tip, mostly because of the image of Brandy bending over in that tartan skirt.
By the time he found the ladies, his name was the first on at least six bids sheets, getting things rolling. With luck, he wouldn’t win them all. But if he did, Brandy would be happy. He supposed that made it a no-lose situation.
“Brandy’s going to take a look at one of my websites,” Mame said.
“Indeed?”
Mame held up her smart phone. Her home page was displayed on the screen. There were some funky words and symbols displayed. “I thought I knew how to do all that myself, but I obviously did some things wrong. This dear girl said she could have them all fixed by Monday, and she had the idea to acknowledge tonight’s winners and thank all the donors, linking to each person’s site as a way to draw more traffic.”
“All that happened in five minutes?” he asked.
“No. All that happened in less than one minute,” Mame corrected. “I spent the other four grilling her about your relationship. She changed the subject. Smart and socially astute. Well done,” she told him. “Hold onto her, Niles, my boy.”
She patted his cheek before excusing herself to hone in on new arrivals.
“Whew,” Brandy said. “She has more energy than I’ve had in my entire life.”
Waitstaff brought around canapés, and Brandy bit into a crab cheese wonton with great gusto, another thing he appreciated about her. It wasn’t just with food, it was everything. Her sunny outlook gave him new appreciation.
He got caught up talking to an associate, and he saw Brandy out of the corner of his eye, chatting with a couple who used to be friends with Eleanor. She seemed relaxed, interested in the conversation.
Throughout the evening, he saw her touching her necklace, and every time, he had a visceral response. He wondered what it might be like if she was his. Though he’d sworn never to fall in love again, that didn’t stop him from imagining.
The band struck up a love song, providing him the perfect opportunity to hold her. He went in search of her, seeing her chatting with a tall, broad man. She was leaning towards him, obviously engaged in a discussion.
She dazzled him with a one thousand watt smile when he walked up. Her reaction left no doubt she was here with him. “This is Marvin Jones. He’s looking for investors for his start-up electric vehicle company. Not cars. Something else entirely. It might be a good fit for you, but I told Mr Jones that he’d need to schedule an appointment with you.”
“Indeed?” More and more, this woman was getting to him. She hadn’t been flirting with the guy, she had been talking business—his business. And she hadn’t promised he’d speak to this Jones fellow, she’d been protecting his time. “If Brandy thinks it’s worthwhile us talking, I’m happy to meet with you.” He gave the gentleman one of his business cards. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to dance with my woman.”
He guided her towards the dance floor. “How long before we can excuse ourselves?” he asked as she wove her hands around his neck and placed her cheek on his lapel. The way she had greeted him with her genuine smile had made it clear he was the only man in the room she was interested in.
“I’m ready to go anytime you are, Sir,” she said.
When the dance had ended, Mame took the microphone. She thanked everyone for coming, then turned over the event to th
e people she’d hired to hype the silent auction. Over the next couple of hours, the items were described with Hollywood flair. And the donors were acknowledged and asked to take a bow.
He and Brandy stayed until the end. He did win her the basketball tickets. No doubt he could have bought the team for less money.
“The research society thanks you,” Mame said.
“And so do I,” Brandy added.
“You have to wear a kilt to the game,” he told her.
“Sir, I’d do anything for you.”
“Told you she’s a keeper,” Mame said, moving off with no apparent loss of energy.
“That was a joke,” he clarified when they were in the elevator.
“What was?”
“The kilt. I’m not letting you out in public dressed like that.”
“I could wear white stockings with it.”
“Put me out of my misery.”
“Here?” she asked, sliding her hand towards his crotch. “Now?”
“Good God, no.”
“Just thought I’d ask, Sir.”
When they returned to the room, she finished what she’d started. She unfastened his belt and trousers, then said, “Commando, Sir?” before sliding to her knees and taking his cock into her warm mouth.
She sucked him off, and he had her head trapped between his palms.
After their shared shower, he licked her cunt until she screamed, then she fell asleep in his arms.
When he awoke in the middle of the night, he pulled her against him.
When dawn lit the mountains, she was still there. Because of her breathing, he knew she was awake. “Go home with me?”
“I’d love to, Sir.”
They joined a jubilant Mame for breakfast and coffee.
“Congratulations on a successful event,” Brandy said. “I’ll be sure to email you with those suggestions so you can keep some momentum going.”
“Do you mind just going ahead and doing the work? My assistant can give you logins and whatnot. I emailed her your information and told her to get you the attendee list and the donor list. You’ll also get a list of all the winners. I’ll leave you two to sort it all out. I’ve decided to take a trip to Belize for a little R & R,” she said. Grinning, she added, “With Truex Williams.”
“Isn’t that a little sudden?”
“Spur of the moment.”
Niles sat back and drummed his fingers on the table. “Truex Williams is thirty years younger than you are. At least.”
“Thirty-five. But who’s counting? But at least he can keep up with me and none of the old farts my age can. I need some good loving,” she said. “From a man who can keep it up all night.”
“Bleach! I need bleach for my ears.” Niles groaned. “Too much information.”
“Pish. Like you two didn’t go at it like rabbits last night.” Over the rim of her mimosa, Mame regarded Brandy.
“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, ma’am.” Brandy poured a splash of cream into her coffee. “I went upstairs and fell asleep.”
Mame nodded then wagged a finger at Niles. “This one’s definitely a keeper.”
He was beginning to think the same thing.
After Mame had excused herself, he and Brandy packed their bags. She followed him to his loft, which wasn’t more than two miles away. He directed her to his garage while he parked under the carport.
“I had no idea you were so close. We could have stayed here,” she said.
“I wanted to spoil you.”
“I appreciate it.”
His place was wide open, industrial-looking with exposed brick and duct work. It was constructed from light wood, stainless steel, tall windows, lots of stunning lighting and not much else.
“No artwork, Sir?”
“I’ve never gotten around to it.”
“No photographs? Mementos? I gather you didn’t live here with your wife?”
“My aunt isn’t the only one who’s nosy.”
“You can always refuse to answer or put your tongue in my mouth to shut me up,” she said lightly, though her brows were drawn together.
He didn’t respond right away, and she walked towards the window, her back to him.
“This must be difficult for you,” he said. She obviously wanted to get to know him better, and she had that right. But when she asked questions, she was treading on uncertain ground. “It’s not easy for me, either.” He joined her at the window. “I’m not accustomed to talking about it, about her.” Wryly, he added, “Most people have respected that. Except you and Aunt Mame.”
“Sorry, Sir. I guess you could order me not to mention her again, and I will honour that. But I think that changes our dynamic, puts boundaries around it. In that case, I understand where you’re coming from.”
He took her by the shoulders and drew her towards him. “I wouldn’t have invited you to my place if I had wanted to keep you out of my personal life.”
“Then you’ll have to put up with my inquisitiveness.”
“I suppose I will.”
“Is it a hardship, Sir?”
“At times, yes,” he admitted. He used both of his hands to brush hair back from her face. “But you’re worth it.”
“Thank you.”
“And no, I never lived here with Eleanor.”
“It’s obvious. Not to be insulting, but your space doesn’t have a woman’s touch. It seems as if you hired someone, or you looked online and picked out a style from a home magazine and ordered everything they suggested.”
He was a man accustomed to being in charge, confident. But he let her go and shifted uncomfortably. “You’re right. I hired someone. I never saw this place before I bought it. My real estate agent put our house on the market, arranged for the sale of all our personal belongings and found me this loft. You’re the first person to visit me here.”
She curled her hand into his T-shirt. “Shall we make some memories?”
In his bedroom, they did.
* * * *
He took her to dinner at a loud place on the Sixteenth Street Mall. They sat on the patio, drank ridiculously large beers from glasses that resembled fishbowls and watched people pass by. “Did you make arrangements for someone to take care of the Hess Zoo?”
“Thank you, yes. I called my neighbour while you were in the shower earlier.” She took a drink, needing both hands to lift it up. “Thank you for the concern. I’m free until mid-morning then I have to get back in time to go to work at the Den.”
He nodded, feeling more uncomfortable with that idea than he might have imagined. He wanted Brandy on her knees, but greeting him. He didn’t have the right to ask that of her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t tempted.
“There’s a store in Larimer Square I’d like to stop in on the way back, if you don’t mind?”
“Anything in particular you’re looking for?”
“Candles. For your place, Sir. Unless that’s too presumptuous?”
“Not at all.”
After dinner, they walked back up the mall, dodging pedestrians and stopping to watch a woman who created charcoal caricatures in less than two minutes.
“I want one of us,” Brandy said.
“Are you serious?”
“Do you ever do anything spontaneous?”
“No.”
“You do now, Sir,” she said, taking a twenty dollar bill out of her wallet.
The artist directed Brandy to sit on a stool, and he stood behind her.
With a few dozen, economic yet bold strokes and blurring the lines with the heel of her hand, the woman created a portrait that captured his expression—happier than it had been in years, and yet pensive at the same time.
The piece of paper rolled, wrapped in a rubber band and safely tucked inside her purse, they headed for the shop in Larimer Square.
She picked out a couple of candles, one that smelt like vanilla, the other unscented. After selecting two glass holders for them, they strolled back towards his LoDo
loft.
At home, she placed one on the table and the other on the vanity of the master bathroom.
“They make your place feel more lived in,” she said, returning to him.
He was in the kitchen slicing a lime for the glasses of sparkling mineral water that he’d just poured. His loft was as sparse as hers was cluttered. He hadn’t noticed how sterile his was until now.
Niles laid down the knife on the cutting board.
“Oh, oh, Sir.” She clutched her hands in front of her.
“What?” he asked.
“You have that look.”
“What look?”
“The one where you’re going to ravish me.”
“If I hadn’t been planning that before, I am now.” He pulled her against him. “Open your mouth,” he said. “I’ve wanted to taste you all afternoon.” He sought out her tongue. At first he was as easy-going as he had been on the dance floor last night. But always, where she was concerned, carnality unfurled inside him.
She responded in kind, reaching around him, moaning, granting him deeper access.
All of a sudden, it was about far more than the kiss. It was about them, about how she reacted to him.
He was with subs all the time, and this interaction was beyond that. Though she never overstepped his unspoken boundaries, she pushed him in ways no one else did. He liked that about her, even as it frustrated him. She tasted of sunshine and laughter, but that was undercut by the danger she presented. This supple submissive made him question everything he’d promised himself. The idea he wanted her around for more than just a day conflicted with his sworn promise to never fall in love again. Still, the way she felt in his arms left him thinking about tomorrow. “Damn,” he said as he ended the kiss. “We should make out more often.”
“Is that what that was?” she asked from the protective sphere of his arms.
“Having sex with clothes on?”
“That’s what it felt like to me.” He left her long enough to lower the blinds. “I love your breasts.”
“They’re for you, Sir.”
“Damn fucking right,” he said. “Now get that shirt off.”
She took hold of the hem and tugged the material up over her head and dropped it on the floor. The bra quickly followed as did her panties, jeans and platform sandals. Then she was standing in front of him in her necklace and nothing else. It looked beautiful against her creamy skin.
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