by Jo Briggs
WITH MY BODY
By Jo Briggs
Table of Contents
First impressions
Flowers and Dreams
Kisses in the Rain
The First Time
Sightseeing
Seduction in the dark
Diesel fumes and new addresses
Life’s ups and downs
The Last time
Life changes
Hard decisions
Regrets, I have had a few
Memories
The gift
Wine talk and Glad rags
Ghost of Emotions
Lessons still to learn
Broken Dreams
Truce
A family of three
Family ties
Vengeance can be bitter sweet
Parisian interlude
Malicious intent
A long night
Highly strung emotions
Retribution
Reconciliation
A question asked
Five would be agreeable
Other Books
Contact Jo Briggs
Copyright
All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution, circulation or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
Copyright © 2011 Jo Briggs.
Published by Jo Briggs. October 2012
With my body is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover art by Jo Briggs featuring Stock photo
First impressions
March 2002
Can a poor first impression be overcome, or will there always be a basic doubt in that person’s true nature? This thought troubled Elle, as the arms of a certain arrogant man drew her closer.
The man in question, William Dexter, had a reputation for being somewhat aloof in society, and had offended Elle the first night they met. She had overheard him call her a gold digger simply because of her chosen profession of modelling. He rather snobbishly determined that because of prior experiences of women, outside his usual circle, being intent on catching him as an income source that her friendly manner meant she shared the same intention.
The sense of presence he exuded astounded her at first, his sapphire blue eyes twinkling with something she could not quite explain. As they locked with her emerald-green ones, it warmed her insides. Whatever it was, only lasted a few moments, before it shattered into a million pieces. As soon as he opened his mouth, the warmth replaced by resentment at his condescension, perhaps some might even consider his attitude offensive, when he acknowledged the introduction of her two sisters, and herself to the Bingham and Dexter group.
She still could not quite bring herself to forgive him for this insult, but he had apologised and shown a more appealing side, so she decided to put the unpleasantness to one side for the sake of her sister. Her sister, Jess was dating William’s best friend, Charlie Bingham, and it was inevitable she was going to have to get used to seeing William more and more.
When she had agreed to be his date, she told herself, it was for the sake of Jess’s budding romance, but the nerve endings all over her body on high alert, told another story.
She had been so determined not to dance with him, but now here she was on the dance floor with him, his body pressed so close up against her, causing her stomach to quiver uncontrollably.
Trying to ignore all these new sensations, she glanced around the room, noticing the jealousy expressed on most of the women's faces standing around watching them. Even Elle could not deny that William Dexter was among one of the sexiest men she had met, and she had met a fair few in her line of work. Their envy bolstered her ego, as it was unheard of to see William Dexter dancing in unfamiliar company.
The Benedict triplets were just coming up to their eighteenth birthday and had been sharing a flat in London’s Notting Hill for the past year. The girls’ parents were two successful travel writers, who were more interested in their careers than raising their children, so their Aunt and Uncle Gardiner had mostly raised the girls until last year, when the couple decided to move to New York.
In that year, Jess and Elle had become successful models, and Cate showed considerable promise in her photographic work. Her portfolio earned her the opportunity to help Lucas Potter, a renowned photographer of both celebrity and fashion. Elle was the most efficacious of the three of them; she had recently won a contract to be the face of a global cosmetic company that meant she was appearing on billboards and TV commercials all over Europe and America.
The girls were becoming regular attendants of many charity dinners due to their rising celebrity status. These meetings finally encouraged an otherwise shy Charlie to ask Jess on a date, several months earlier.
“You seem lost in thought, Miss Benedict,” William’s voice spoke formally. His hot breath teased against her ear, making it difficult for her to breathe without taking in his glorious scent. The mix of Frankincense, vanilla and wood teasing at her nose as his voice penetrated her thoughts, returning her to reality. As her mind crashed into the present, Elle became increasingly aware of his fingertips caressing the bare skin of her back in time to the slow rhythm of the music.
“Umm, sorry was just enjoying the lyrics.” She stumbled over her words. She could not help, but blush as he leaned back to look intently at her face, she felt sure he could feel her body reacting against his touch.
“Do you often let yourself drift away, and immerse yourself into the words of a song?” He questioned, his usual air of indifference had gone, as he seemed to take a genuine interest in what her answer would be.
Elle smiled weakly under the continued power of his gaze, as he awaited her reply. “Yes, it’s an excellent way to relax. I like the sense of storytelling each song invokes, the writer opening a window into a make-believe world that they have created.”
Her response intrigued William; he felt drawn to her since the first night. He never meant to be so blunt in his assessment, but Charlie had been goading him to dance all evening, an activity he hated when in unfamiliar company. By the time, he met Elle and her sister he was in a foul mood. The error mortified him even now.
He had been trying to make amends since then. It took him several attempts at apologising and asking her to dinner, before she begrudgingly accepted his wish to be his dinner partner to this event. Her resistance towards him drew him to her even more. He was used to women falling at his feet, but she was not like that. He had come to enjoy their verbal battles, which ensued when she gave a candid opinion on whatever subject they had been discussing.
Her sexy curves were on his mind constantly. He was so tempted to pursue her until she agreed to be his. With her vivacious personality, and the caring attitude towards the charities she supported, had made him decide she was the woman he needed by his side. He just needed to get her to share this point of view! Simple enough, you would think, and maybe it would have been if he had not been so stupid as to insult her. Now he was paying the cost of having to work harder to get her to like him. But, the sensation of her in his arms felt so right; he knew she was worth any h
ardship.
Despite having the responsibility of business assets worth well over £10 billion, he would prefer to spend his life in Derbyshire simply writing songs. The motivation of having someone like Elle in his life was just what he needed to start changing his business priorities, and hand over more responsibilities to his brother, Evan.
“I agree, a writer is giving you a piece of his or her life to experience.” He answered, as the dance came to end. He offered her a reassuring smile, as he escorted her back to the table, they were sharing with the rest of their group.
William sharing a similar view on music caught Elle off guard; she presumed him to be too conservative to be interested in the intricates of song writing from the perspective of the writer.
They continued to talk about music for the rest of the evening and actually discovered they shared an appreciation for several of the same music artists.
After making sure that Evan would accompany their sister home safely, William and Elle took a cab back to her house that she shared with her sisters.
Asking the taxi to wait for a moment, he walked her up the stone steps to her front door.
“Thank you for agreeing to go to dinner with me tonight,” he began, his voice strained with nervous energy. His eyes were gazing at her luscious lips as the trace of lip-gloss glistened from the diffused porch light above them.
“Thank you for asking me, I enjoyed myself.” She smiled nervously back at him. Her tongue flicked over her lips subconsciously, as she felt his gaze upon them. Her own gaze fell upon his lips unintentionally, as she remembered the beautiful smile that adorned them periodically throughout the evening, when he glanced her way. She wished he would smile more openly as it brought out the dimple on his cheek, softening the hard mask he sometimes wore upon his features.
“I am glad. In that case, would you be available for dinner again tomorrow?” The beautiful smile was back.
“Ohh,” she said, feeling caught off guard. She certainly was not expecting him to ask her out on another date so soon. It was not that she did not want to see him again; rather, she was just astonished by his eagerness. She had shocked herself by enjoying his company so easily after their poor start. “I will be in Prague tomorrow night for a photo shoot, but I will be returning the following day. Would you be available for dinner that night instead?” She blurted out, noting his smile had begun to fade as she was taking too long to respond.
“Yes, I can be free then.” He knew there was a prior engagement in his diary, but he would change it. He wanted to spend as much time with her as she would allow him to do.
“Ok, text me the details of the restaurant, and I will meet you there.”
He nodded eagerly.
“If you give me your mobile, I can put my number in for you.”
He handed over his smartphone, and she entered her details for him.
“I should let you get inside,” he said as he observed Elle shivering slightly.
Her wrap only covered her elbow and lower arms, leaving the top of the arms, neck and chest bare to the brisk evening air. He could not help, but notice the outline of her nipples protruding through the dress material as the coldness made them rise to attention. A thought of taking them in his mouth flashed randomly into his head causing his groin to stir. Swallowing hard, he looked away trying to recover his composure, before turning his gaze to her face once again.
She smiled shyly, inwardly surprising herself that she felt disappointed that the evening was over.
He took a step forward. Her stomach flipped over with unexpected excitement as the realisation he was going to kiss her hit her between the eyes. She honestly could not believe she had gone from hostility to wanting to kissed by him in just one evening.
His hands came up to grasp her upper arms lightly, as he pulled her gently towards him, so his lips brushed against hers, soft and barely there on the first sweep. Electricity crackling between them at this first contact, drew him back for a second sweep of his lips over hers, this time longer with more demanding pressure.
Elle's heart raced, a fire spreading between her legs as he pulled away all too soon.
“Good night Elle, I will text you tomorrow.” He said softly, his eyes darkened with intensity, his breathing rate harsher than it had previously been.
With that, he was gone.
Letting herself into the empty house, and closing the door behind her, Elle leaned up against its wooden surface and sighed, letting the tip of her tongue move over her lips, so she could continue to taste him.
Flowers and Dreams
William gave the cab driver the address of his house.
As he leaned back against the leather of the seat, he was still aware of the semi hard erection pulled tight against his boxer shorts and began to close his eyes to drift back over the evening’s events.
When she had first arrived at the hotel where the dinner was being held, he had to stop himself from gawping at her. She looked stunning in her pale-pink chiffon dress that flowed down to her ankles, with a silver halter styled neck detail that matched the colour of her high heels. Although the length of the dress did not give much of an opportunity to admire her long, shapely legs, he had caught the odd glimpse through the high split as they began to revolve about on the dance floor.
He recalled the memory of her bare back beneath his fingertips, it gave him an idea of how sweet the secret flesh, he hoped to devour at a later date, would be. The feel of her generously sized breasts rubbing against him through his shirt had almost been the undoing of him. He could not wait to release them, from the restriction of any lingerie, and enjoy watching them bounce up and down as she sat on his lap. Despite being more of a leg man, he had a feeling she would transform him into becoming a breast man, as well.
Overall, he was pleased with how the evening had gone and from her reaction to the kiss; she seemed to be warming to him slowly.
As thoughts of her flesh subsided, he watched the London nightlife whizz by out of the passenger side windows, and realised for the first time he had been so nervous not to show the effect she had on him, that he had forgotten to compliment her attire altogether.
Usually it was part of his playboy MO to compliment every woman’s appearance to whom he felt an attraction to. But the magnetism pulling him to her felt different, stronger, more than just pure lust that he usually only allowed himself to feel.
Pulling his phone from his suit jacket pocket, he touched the contact's icon and found his assistant’s mobile number. He hit the call option, and waited for David to answer the phone despite the late hour. David assisted him in anything and everything to do with the company or personal business. He was paid highly for being at William’s command twenty four seven.
“Mr Darcy, it is 1am.”
Absentmindedly, William checked his watch, not realising how late it was. “Sorry David, I hope I have not interrupted anything.” There was music and talking in the background.
“No, what is it that you need?”
“Can you arrange to have some flowers sent first thing in the morning?”
“Of course, roses as per usual?” David was used to William requesting him to send flowers to random women.
“No, this lady is different. Send her lilies.”
“A different message than usual, as well?”
“Yes.” William reeled off the specific message he wanted on the card.
As David took the message down, he could not help but be intrigued by this change in behaviour. Very interesting
Elle was due to fly out to Prague in the mid afternoon. She would be there for less than 24 hours to do a night photoshoot for a clothesline she had modelled for in an earlier season. She rose early, and was packing a few items in her overnight bag, when the doorbell rang. Cate shouted from downstairs that she would grab it, so Elle carried on with what she was doing. A few minutes later Cate appeared in her room. “You have a rather keen admirer,” her sister said, leaning up against the doorframe, and s
mirking.
Elle turned to look at her sister; her eyebrows rose as she saw why she had made such a statement. Cate held, in her hand, the largest bunch of white lilies, with baby’s breath and heather, she had ever seen. “They are for me?” She asked, realising what a stupid thing to ask, as soon as she uttered the words.
“Yes, dear sister, they are.” Cate stepped closer to give them to Elle.
“Did they say who sent them, or is there a card?” Elle said still feeling quite disconcerted. She had received the odd bunch of flowers before, but nothing compared to this.
Cate could not help, but laugh softly at her sister’s naivety, at her effect on a certain gentleman last night. The whole room had seen how he looked at her and paid no other person any attention throughout the evening, except where politeness was required elsewhere. “There is indeed a card. But I am sure they are from a rather lush man, whose blue eyes followed you everywhere last night,” Cate teased, pointing to the card among a section of greenery.
Elle blushed, “I am sure you are mistaken that he looked at me all night.” Taking the card and opening it, her cheeks flushed red as she read it under Cate’s scrutiny.
“So, I was right?” Cate smirked “Perhaps I should start calling you, Mrs. Dexter, from this day forwards."
“Cate,” Elle rebuked softly.
“So, what does it say, and I wonder how he knew lilies were your favourite flower?”
“He may have asked Charlie to find out from Jess.” Elle suggested, not answering her question about what he had written.
“Maybe,” Cate hugged her sister, and left her alone since she was not going to reveal the card contents.
Alone again, her packing forgotten, she sat on the edge of the bed and read the card once more:
A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady; until tomorrow at eight @ Netherfields, Will
Netherfields was a highly publicised, one off restaurant owned by both William and Charles, located in Covent Garden where many opera and ballet goers attended before shows.
After she had arranged the flowers in two crystal glass vases, she sat down to catch her breath before going back to her packing. Her mobile began to vibrate on the kitchen counter, as she took a swig of water from her constant companion of a drinking bottle. The screen indicating that it was her agent, Lauren.