by J A Fielding
Climbing into his lap, Leslie pulled Ken’s head up for a kiss. She parted his lips and delved her tongue into his mouth, eliciting a growl from deep in his throat. Ken deepened the kiss, plundering her mouth with a new fever that he’d not exhibited before. Desire raced through Leslie’s body, sending delicious shivers of pleasure radiating from her core out to the tips of her fingers and toes.
Once the flood gates were opened, Leslie couldn’t get close enough to Ken, wanting to feel his skin on hers. She unbutton his shirt and ran her hands along his smooth muscular chest, enjoying the feel of his skin under her hands.
When she brazenly broke the kiss and teased one of his hard nipples with her teeth, he rolled her off him and covered her body with his. Cradled in his arms, she looked into his eyes, startled by the depth of the desire she saw there. Leaning on one elbow with one leg thrown over hers, he used the other hand to unbutton her blouse, never breaking eye contact.
Once her shirt was unbuttoned, he covered her breast with his hand, gently massaging it until she began to moan with pleasure. He gently rubbed his thumb across her hard nipple causing her to arch her back in pleasure.
The sheer fabric of her bra was no obstacle for his mouth as he captured the hard nipple in his mouth through the fabric. Hot waves of desire shot though her body at the feel of his hot mouth on her, she was throbbing with need as the wetness between her legs began to grow.
Ken pulled her bra away, exposing her bare breast to the warm night air, causing her nipple to harden further. Ken teased the hard peak with his teeth as his hand began to travel down her stomach to the button on her pants. As he continued to nibble and suck on her breast, he unbuttoned her pants and slid his hand into her panties to find her hot and wet.
Spreading her legs for him, she thrust her hips up to meet his hand, wanting to feel his hands on her most sensitive places. Leaving her breast, his mouth found hers again and his tongue began to explore her mouth, sending shivers down her spine.
When his finger found her hard clit, he began to stoke her, loving the feeling of her desire for him. He continued to stroke her, nearly bringing her to climax then slowing, all the while ravishing her mouth with his.
When he finally thrust his finger into her hot wet center, her orgasm came with such force she called his name out, shuddering beneath his hands. As the world slowly came back into focus, she found Ken watching her and blushed.
Cuddling her in his arms, he kissed her on the top of the head and they watched the sky in comfortable silence for a while. “You know I never wanted to go on your program. I did it because the other investors thought it would be a good idea. But now I’m thankful that I did, I’d have never met you if not for that show.”
“No, I can’t imagine our paths would have ever crossed if not for the show. Honestly, I would have run from you if someone had tried to introduce us,” Leslie said. “I usually find billionaire hotties to be rather self-absorbed and boring. But that’s not you by a long shot.”
“Well, I’m glad you don’t find me boring and I’ll definitely work hard to make sure you never find me boring,” he said, kissing her.
*****
Leslie and the crew were on the road early the next morning. They had a lot of ground to cover in just a few days and she didn’t want to be rushed when it was time to tape interviews. Each one she had done so far had added some real depth to the film and would be a great accompaniment to the footage they already had.
Over the last few weeks, she and Mark had fought their way through hours and hours of footage, pulling out only minutes of usable footage from each hour. It was painstaking work but made more fun by the people around her. She still had dialogue to write but was sure that it would come once the footage and interviews were complete.
She had really grown to respect the minds that had gone into creating the tower. These were people with not only vision but the skills to make that vision a reality. Each had given her their own take on the project and their motivation for participating. For many, what had started out as a way to pay their tuition had quickly turned into life time accomplishment.
Many would go on to fabulous jobs only on the power of having contributed to the project. That is if it worked. There was still a chance that it would be a huge failure, and she had addressed that possibility with her interviewees as well.
Most still believed that even if it failed, it had been the chance of a lifetime to be allowed to be a part of the process. Leslie knew exactly what they meant because she felt that way as well. She had forgotten what it felt like to actually work on something she could made a difference in the world.
She loved the challenge and excitement of her job, and while she cared about producing a good show, it wasn’t the same as bringing new ideas to the public. She’d been so wrapped up the world of Hollywood for the last few years that she’d almost forgotten that there was a real world out there full of people with problems and tragedies.
In some ways she had been helping people by giving them a chance to laugh and think of something besides their lives for an hour each day, but when she’d set out to produce, she’d had dreams of changing the world. But now she was beginning to question where her future would find her.
As miles flew by, Leslie thought long and hard about where she wanted her life to go. She was still happy producing the late night show and after her Emmy nomination this year, she’d added a new goal to her list. She was under contract for another year and she had every intention of making it the best year the show had ever had.
Back in Hollywood, Ken was already missing Leslie and she had only been gone a few hours. For the first time in a long time, he was feeling hopeful about the future. He loved his family but knew that his life was here in America.
He had been feeling that way for quite a while now. He figured that part of the reason he felt more comfortable here than in China was the fact that he had spent most of his childhood here. His father had wanted him to understand the American way of thinking but hadn’t planned on Ken becoming more American than Chinese.
Making his father understand this had been one of the most difficult tasks he had ever undertaken, and the fact that his father was still searching for a bride made it clear to him that his message still hadn’t been fully understood.
As much as it pained his mother, she had understood his need to make his home in the States. She was still hopeful that he would marry a nice Chinese girl but now was just hoping he would marry soon. Her other children were all married with children, but her first born seemed to be reluctant to settle down.
During his last trip home, they had talked about it at length, and although he hadn’t mentioned Leslie, he’d known that his mother was suspicious that he had met someone. She’d never asked, but he’d seen her looking at him with a calculating look.
He was sure she would bring it up at some point during his visit and true to form she did. He was up in his room packing when she knocked on his door.
“Hi, Mom. Come on in, I was just packing,” he said, gesturing for her to sit in one of the chairs by the window.
“I thought you might be. Your visits never seem to last long enough for us to get caught up,” she said, taking the chair.
“I know, but duty calls.”
“And maybe a girl?”
Ken whipped his head around to look at his mother sitting innocently in the chair pretending she hadn’t just poked her nose into his life.
“Okay, I wasn’t going to tell you yet because I don’t know if anything will come of it. But I have met a woman. She’s younger than me by quite a bit, but she’s wonderful,” Ken said, with a big grin on his face.
“Oh, I know that look all too well. You got that same look the first time your papa took you to the library. Your falling in love with this woman, aren’t you?” she asked, shaking her fist at him as if she was angry. “And I haven’t even met her yet. How terrible you treat you poor mother.”
“Mom, I promise when the time
is right I will introduce you, but remember she’s an American and if this goes anywhere our home will be there. But you can visit any time you want,” he said, crossing the room and pulling her up for a hug.
Chapter 5
Leslie was exhausted, they had covered hundreds of miles in just a few days. The interviews had all gone well and now she was ready to move on to the next stage of production, splicing together all the footage as well as the interviews.
She was curled up on the bed in her hotel room, checking the airport website for a list of flight delays. The weather in Savanna had gone from bad to worse all day and Ken’s plane was due in later that night. He’d be taking the last flight, then after grabbing some sleep, they would be on the road to her home town early in the morning. She would take the first driving shift to allow him to sleep a bit more, then he would take over the driving, allowing them to make the trip in one day.
Leslie was concerned about the weather, but the forecast was predicting that the storms should end by morning. Happy to see that Ken’s flight was still listed on time, she decided to give herself the rare pleasure of an afternoon nap. They had all worked hard the last few days; the rest of the crew had already headed home, happy to have a week off while Leslie was gone.
She awoke a few hours later and ordered room service, a rare treat. By the time she had eaten, it was time to head to the airport. She was excited to see Ken and looking forward to being with him for an entire week. She pushed any worries about what she would find at home from her mind, knowing that she would have to deal with the reality soon enough.
Ken’s flight arrived on time and they were back to the hotel in a matter of hours. After a few quick kisses in the hallway, they parted for the night, knowing that they would be up and on the road well before dawn.
A few hours later, Leslie woke to the sound of thunder and hoped that the storm was moving off, but when she turned on the television the forecast was for increasing rain. Apparently the storm had stalled off the coast sucking wet moist air into it, fueling torrential rains and flooding. Travel was difficult at best and dangerous at the worst.
Determined to make the trip home today, Leslie hoped that they would drive out of the worst of the storm. Deciding that a few more hours sleep would be beneficial, she snuggled down again and prayed for the weather to clear.
She awoke several hours later to the smell of fresh coffee and bacon. Pulling back the covers, she went to investigate and found Ken in their shared living room with room service all set out on the little table.
“Can I assume your lack of a wakeup call means that this weather is going to delay our departure?” he asked, handing her a cup of coffee.
“What’s the latest weather forecast?” she asked, plopping down in one of the chairs at the table, feeling let down that they might not be able to go today.
“About the same. Storms stalled off the coast and more rain expected, lots of flooding and bridges out all over the place,” he said, putting some food on her plate.
“Well, we can still try and get out. Once we get a few hundred miles away, the rains will let up and we should be fine. The trick is going to be getting out of the area.”
“What’s the worst that can happen? We’ll just end up stuck somewhere else. Of course it might not be as nice as this place, but we can always stop if it gets too bad. We’ll pack some food and a few emergency supplies,” Ken said, grabbing a piece of paper to begin making a list.
“Thank you, I don’t know if I could stand just sitting around this room thinking about home all day,” Leslie said, relieved that Ken still wanted to try getting to Mississippi.
“I’m up for an adventure, but let me make one thing clear, I would have no problem keeping us entertained and your mind off the trip home for the day,” he said, crossing the small kitchen and grabbing Leslie up to give her a passionate kiss.
Feeling the desire starting to build and knowing that there was not one, but two beds just a few feet away, she laughed and broke away. “Well, since that’s not in our plans, you had better go get yourself ready. We’ve got to go shopping before we head out now and it’s getting late.”
They decided they might have better luck with supplies farther from the storm so they ordered sandwiches and other portable food from room service and headed out. It was slow going through town, but traffic cleared as they got further out.
They stayed on the highway for as long as possible, but finally found it closed and took their first detour of the day. Traveling the back roads was actually an advantage; many of the stores and restaurants along their route were still open for business and after several stops they had accumulated enough supplies to get them thought whatever they came across on their trip.
By the middle of the afternoon, they were both exhausted. One detour after another had resulted in their having only traveled a few hundred miles of an almost eight hundred mile trip. Discouraged, they stopped at a little diner for coffee and an update on the weather, only to find that the forecast was for more rain.
“I know how much you wanted to make it home today, but I think for our safety we better call it a day soon. Let’s find a place to stay for the night, then get back on the road tomorrow,” Ken suggested, seeing how tired Leslie looked.
“I suppose you’re right. If you’re as tired as I am, it’s not safe to go on,” she conceded.
Ken went in search of the waitress to see if there was lodging available in town. He returned a few minutes later to report that there was a small hotel in the center of town just a few blocks away. “She said it’s clean and the beds are new,” he reported.
“Okay let’s go get a couple of rooms and wait out the storm. I was stupid for putting you through this. I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. We’re here together, this is the most time we’ve spent together and now we get an entire night to ourselves. Do you suppose they have an exciting night life here?” he asked, pulling her to her feet and wrapping his arms around her.
“I would guess not, but we’re about to find out.”
They found their way to the center of town and the small hotel located there on the square. The entire hotel couldn’t have had more than six rooms, but Leslie was sure they would still have some vacancies; there couldn’t be that many people staying in this tiny little town.
But they discovered that there were other stranded travelers in town and there was only one room available. Leslie did a quick search on her phone and discovered that there weren’t any other places to stay close by. The next nearest hotel was on the other side of a large river, and they had been rerouted often enough by high water to know better than to take that risk.
“We’ll just have to make it work. We’re not strangers and I promise to behave myself if you promise as well,” Ken said with a wink.
“Fine, I just want a place to sleep and to get out of that car,” Leslie said, getting tired of the entire trip and thinking about just going back to Savanna and flying home tomorrow.
“We don’t serve any food, so if you want some dinner you better get it now. The café closes at 5:00 pm and so does the grocery store,” the clerk informed them.
“Thanks, but we came prepared. We’ve got plenty of food and stuff,” Ken said, escorting Leslie up the stairs to upper level and their room.
Once in the room, he pushed her back on the bed and took her shoes off. “Take a nap, I’m going to get some of the stuff out of the car. I’ll check the weather report. I hate to say it, but we may be here for a few days,” Ken said, throwing the blanket over her that had been draped across the back of the couch in their room.
Considering where they were, the room was quite nice. There was a little sitting area by a fireplace which was all ready to light. There was only one bed, but it was king sized and would easily accommodate them both without too much contact. Ken was hoping he wouldn’t have to sleep on the couch, but if Leslie was more comfortable with that, he would.
There was a small kitch
enette behind a partition and a bathroom at the end of a short hallway. All in all, it wasn’t a bad place to be stuck in. The café would open again in the morning and they could get a hot breakfast, but they had brought enough food for several days if they chose not to leave the room.
Ken hauled their luggage and other supplies up from the car and put it all away. Leslie stirred in her sleep but buried herself deeper under the blanket and slept on. Chores finished, Ken got out his computer to see if there was internet, but with the storm, all connections were down.
Hoping for a forecast on the news, he turned the television on and found a local station. As he feared, the storm had worsened and would continue through the night. All rivers had reached flood level and travel would be restricted through the day tomorrow. It was clear that they would be spending the next day here.
Secretly, Ken was happy with this development; he and Leslie had so little time together, having her to himself for an entire day and two nights was a gift. He decided it was time for some dinner and busied himself putting together an impromptu meal of leftover sandwiches, cold salads, and fruit.
Hearing Ken rustling around in the kitchen, Leslie pulled herself from sleep to see a pleasant fire burning and a small feast spread out on the small table in front of the couch. Stretching, she groaned in pleasure; she had slept so soundly that she felt completely rested.
Looking out the window she said, “Still raining I see.”
“Yeah, and will continue to do so for the next 18 hours. Then at least another 12 for the flood waters to recede enough for us to give it a go again. I’m afraid we’re stuck here for the next couple of days.”
“Well, I guess I could be stuck in worse places with worse people,” she said, coming up behind him where he was standing at the window looking at the rain. Slipping her arms around him from behind, she took a deep breath and smelled not only his cologne, but his own distinctive smell.