by Lucy Gage
“We've got a system. It's my job to pay attention to Rob, what he's doing, who he's with and to be discreet about it. He's got a route from the hotel that tells me where he's thinking he'll go and he gives me signals if he sees the paps before I do, though usually I see them first. If he can make it to where he's headed with minimal interference, then he stays on course. If not, we have backup plans. It's easier here, because he knows the city well. You guys must have taken a little detour earlier. It took you longer to get to The Glass Door than I expected. Did they tail you for a while?” Rick looked at his brother.
Rob nodded. He turned to Emily. “Once we were safely inside the club, Rick called Mo – he's my driver when we're in town. Mo came around and picked up Rick in the limo. They stay nearby so I can call whenever I need them.”
To Rick, she said, “And this happens all the time?” He nodded. “Doesn't that get boring?”
Rick smiled and showed her his sleek, high tech phone. “Not when you've got a smart phone and can access Facebook, YouTube, the Vikings game and Angry Birds.” Emily laughed. No, she supposed it probably wasn't too terrible.
She asked Rob, sympathy in her voice, “And this is how you have to live your life every single day?”
He sighed. “Well, no, not every day. I mean, sure, there are times when it's like this a lot, but most of the time, I'm not very exciting news for the shutterbugs. They like drama and I don't produce it. They like couplings, and I don't have many. When I've got a movie premiering, I get more coverage. Or, if I'm spotted with a pretty woman, they want to know all about it. Hence, why we were stalked tonight. Someone tipped them off that I was with you at the restaurant. It happens easily in Minneapolis because most people know who I am. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I spent time with a woman who wasn't a family member while I was in the city. Usually, I spend my time here just being social and not worrying about dating.”
“So I should feel special,” Emily teased, almost forgetting that Rick was sitting there. Rob nodded and smiled. Her heart further attempted to expose its underbelly. No, heart. Don't go there. But then she stared into Rob's eyes again, and their soft, blue depths had her wishing they were already back at the hotel.
Despite the fact that they had walked to The Glass Door in less than half an hour, even with the detour of running from the photographers, it took a while to get back to the hotel. Emily commented at one point that it seemed like they were leaving the city and she joked that if she was a paranoid person, she might think they were kidnapping her.
Rick explained that their plans always involved a bit of cloak and dagger to thwart the paparazzi as much as they could. There were the occasional diehards that would wait all hours, but most of them would rush back to the hotel and be gone in an hour.
With that, he gave Rob a look and pushed the button to lower the window into the front seat.
“Mo, this is Emily. We're going to give her and Rob some privacy, so when you get a chance, stop and I'll hop in front and we can listen to the Vikings on the radio.”
Mo, a slim white guy about her dad's age with brown hair fading to gray, said hello to Emily, agreed on the plan and Rick put up the window.
“You don't have to do that.” Emily didn't want to be rude to Rob's brother.
Rick smiled – he had a lovely smile, she noticed. She could really see the resemblance to his brother when he smiled. “It's my job. Don't worry about it. You're not causing a rift between siblings. When I'm on the clock, I try to pretend Rob is the same as any other client.”
Rob must have sensed Emily's question or at least seen the look on her face, because he interjected. “Rick owns a security company. He's my usual bodyguard, but he needs to have a life, too, so when I'm gone for shoots, or in LA for a while, I often have one of a handful of his best guys and he stays around here for the other high-profile jobs.”
Emily nodded her understanding and inwardly smiled at Rob's care for his brother. So many people in his position could have been more selfish. Narcissism and celebrity seemed to go hand in hand.
Just then, she could see that Mo had pulled into an empty parking lot and Rick opened the limo door. “It was nice to meet you, Emily. I hope I'll get a chance to talk to you again.”
Emily said, “Same here,” as Rick got out and shut the door. She heard the front door open and close quickly, but she didn't see him get in the front because the privacy screen was in place. She looked at Rob and he was grinning.
“What?” He unnerved her.
He hesitated for a moment. “I want to pick up where we left off at the club, now that we've got some privacy, but I don't want to offend you.”
“Why would that offend me?” She wanted that, too. She had hoped they would already be back at the hotel by now and was afraid she was losing her nerve to take this wherever it was going. She was never this spontaneous. Her heart rate increased with the anticipation.
His grin faded.“I don't do this often. Actually, I've very rarely done this. I don't want you to think that you're just my flavor of the month.”
Emily had no idea why she believed him, but she did. Still, she had to ask. “Why did Rick go up front then? If this isn't your usual thing, that is.” She hoped she sounded like she was teasing him.
“That wasn't a bodyguard thing, that was a brothers thing. He can tell I like you. And he knows we'll be on the road for a little while longer, so I guess he thought we might want to be alone.” The grin was back. He definitely wanted to be alone with her and she with him.
“I'd say you've got a perceptive brother.”
She leaned toward him and glanced at those lips just a moment before she looked into his eyes. She knew by now that he could see her answer on her face: she wanted to pick up where they left off, too. This was so unlike Emily, so foreign to her typical sensibilities, that the passion which consumed her when Rob was near threatened to drown her. And yet, she could do nothing to stop the momentum that propelled her toward him once she'd started down the path to his arms.
Rob leaned in and kissed her, this time not asking for permission or waiting for her to give him a definitive answer. She could tell he was very polite and courteous, but if he could read her face, she was beginning to read his body language well. He wanted her, there was no doubt, even less so when he pulled her onto his lap and she felt the bulge pressing into her bottom.
His lips claimed her, no longer patient but demanding. That passion she sensed before had erupted like Vesuvius. He bit her lower lip with his teeth, parting her lips so his tongue could mate with hers. No more slow, sensual dance – this was need and hunger and wanting.
She met his kisses with equal fervor and the desire to crawl inside his body, to become part of him, urged her forward. Her hands couldn't settle and required an exploration of his every inch. They ran up his chest and discovered sculpted muscles under the cashmere sweater that was as soft as it appeared. Around his neck they went, then landed in his hair, which was glossy and thick and silk to her fingers threading through it.
Rob flipped her onto the seat and pressed his body into hers. Emily adjusted her legs and her skirt rode halfway up her thighs.
He shifted his weight then, somehow holding his whole body with knees between her legs and forearms braced on either side of her. The man must have incredible abdominal strength, Emily thought. She had to feel his stomach and ran her hands back down his chest to the ridged muscles in his torso. She sighed in appreciation. I can't believe this beautiful man wants me so much. How am I possibly worthy of this lust?
He sat up just a little, never letting his mouth leave her own. Rob's hands, which before had held her face with his callused palms and clasped her body to his, now moved to her leg and the hem of her skirt. The rough fingers grazed her outer thigh before they raised the edge of the fabric. Emily lifted her hips slightly to help the cause and when she did, her pelvis brushed his. That elicited a sexy groan from Rob which kicked her sprinting heart into high gear.
Her skirt now around her hips, Rob began toying with the edge of Emily's panties. They were nothing special, just a comfortable cotton bikini, but you'd have thought she was wearing a silk thong by the growl that rumbled in his chest. His fingers skimmed the edge of the cotton, dangerously close to her private bits. She felt the tug of her pubic hair as it caught the fingers gliding by and she knew he could feel how utterly damp her panties had become over the course of the night.
She didn't care.
She opened her legs further, allowing his hips to settle against her own, and the erection she could feel under her butt earlier was suddenly grinding into her pelvis. God this felt good. She wanted, no needed, to feel that inside her, to know what it was like to be with him. Who are you? Cautious Emily tried to ask. Who is this brazen girl?
The lust-filled harlot taking over her brain ignored the other parts of her at the moment, because Rob moved a hand up her shirt and palmed her breast, kneading with his fingers and circling her nipple with his thumb. So many sensations assaulted Emily at once: the hand alternately caressing and groping her breast; the other hand now entwined in her hair; the mouth ravaging her swollen lips and tasting the sweet spot on her neck; the tongue warring with her own; the pelvis crushing her into an orgasmic frenzy; her own hands in Rob's hair and on his tight butt, pulling him closer and closer; her hips rocking into his. All of this had her moaning and whimpering, sounds that should have been foreign but seemed so natural.
It appeared as if Rob could read her mind, because he put his hands and his mouth in all the right places. Josh took most of the first couple years to know what she wanted in foreplay, and she hadn't really had another sexual relationship that lasted past the initially exciting stages.
Sex had been one of the reasons she stayed with Josh. Em had often wondered if the real problem was her own fear of commitment or if the hopeless romantic in her refused to settle for less than fireworks every time. There were no fireworks with Josh. Ever.
Now, Emily knew the answer to what her issue was with Josh. If she had felt this kind of chemistry with him, maybe things would have been different between the two of them.
Emily hadn't felt like this in longer than she could remember. Sex with Josh had always been good, even in the last year or so as her feelings for him had changed – he knew what she liked and he made sure to do it. But she didn't ever recall this level of carnal desire with Josh or with anyone else, even when things had been new and exciting. The passion was like a drug and Emily was already getting addicted.
Lucky for her Rob had sense enough for them both.
He pulled away and looked at her, breathing heavily.
“What's wrong?” she asked
“I can't do this to you. I can't make love to you for the first time in the back of a limo with my brother and my driver sitting just a few feet away. You're better than that. Hell, I'm better than that.” He sat up and they both straightened themselves a little.
Emily wasn't sure if she should be offended or flattered or maybe a little of both. Her heart leaned toward grateful that he was a gentleman.
“So, you think I was going to let you have your way with me?”
Rob was nearly speechless at that and stumbled a little with his words. “No. I mean, I hope so, but that wasn't...it wasn't what I meant. I was just trying to be honest with you.”
Emily stopped him. “I was just teasing you. I know what you meant and I appreciate that you respect me enough to care about making this into something a little less tawdry than sex in the back of a limo. It's exciting if you don't think about it too hard, but it sounds slutty when you say that your first time with someone was in the back of a limo after only knowing them a few hours. I'm not really that kind of girl.”
She turned her eyes from his gaze, embarrassed at her behavior now that the high of the sexual endorphins had begun to wane.
As he'd done at the club, he brought her chin to look at him. He kissed her gently on the lips. “I know you're not. It's why I like you so much.”
He uttered the sentiment so quietly, it was difficult to hear him. She looked at him intently and she could see he meant what he said. He must not say it often, because he seemed taken aback that it had come from his mouth.
He laced their fingers together and looked at her for a moment before pushing an intercom button. “Let's head back.” She heard Mo's reply in the affirmative and soon they were crossing back into the city limits. Rob held her hand and pulled her close. They sat that way for the rest of the ride to the hotel. It was unexpected and made Emily's insides turn to mush.
When they passed The Debussy, Emily said, “Wasn't that the hotel?” Rob explained that they always went to a back entrance used primarily for high-profile hotel guests and certain upper-management personnel. It was a reminder of who her companion was and that life with him would be anything but simple.
They stopped at the hotel's back entrance, where Emily followed Rob's lead and waited to get out of the car. While they sat, she looked at her wrist and noticed the time. It suddenly occurred to Em that this wasn't just a spontaneous date, it was also a work night. Her conflict must have immediately registered on her face.
Rob said, “What's wrong? Having second thoughts about me?”
Emily grinned. She was most definitely not having second thoughts about Rob. “Not exactly. But I did just realize how late it is and I have to be at work pretty early tomorrow. Don't forget, I'm here for an assignment.”
“Yes, you did say that. What you didn't say was what you do at that magazine which would require you to be up early. I thought writers were late risers?”
“Well, I'm technically a copy editor, so I don't get late days. And I don't know about anyone else, but I write better in the early morning. That's not why I have to be up early, though. I'm the magazine's liaison for the Fluxus Gala and Opening. I've got a bunch of last-minute things to do before the gala next week and then there is a bunch of stuff to do before the official opening of the retrospective.”
“So you work for Art Wurks.”
“Yeah, how did you know that?”
“Remember, I'm attending the gala and the opening. You should be my date,” Rob said with a nudge and a smile.
Emily was flattered and she felt herself blush. “You don't have a date already?”
“I usually decide who I'm taking to an event a week in advance. Most of the time, I take my mom or my sister if I don't have anyone in my life. My mom and sister have been to a lot of parties by now, so they know the drill.”
“I'd be honored to be your date.”
Just then, the limo door opened. It was Rick and he swiftly ushered them into the hotel. They made their way around to a private elevator, which apparently went to the penthouse. Rob and Emily stepped inside and Rick swiped his card. Emily asked where he was going, and Rob explained Rick would be upstairs at his post once he knew they were safely inside the suite. One of his guys would relieve him for the night in about an hour.
Rob had been holding her hand the whole time, and he finally let it go and turned to her. He put his hands on her hips and leaned back a bit so that he could look at her head on and not look down upon her.
“Do you want to stay the night? No strings. I won't expect you to sleep with me, Emily. I won't say no if that's what you want, but I won't pressure you. I'd love for you to stay and have breakfast with me in the morning. When Rick gets back tomorrow, he can escort you back to your room to change for work.”
It was a tough offer to refuse, though the old, cautious Emily was back and wanted to
decline. New Emily made her at least give him a chance. “What would I wear to bed? And where would I sleep? Assuming I decide I don't want to sleep with you.”
He told her the penthouse had a couple extra bedroom suites and that he would gladly lend her something to wear.
She nodded. That seemed reasonable, even to Old Emily, but she insisted on concessions. “Okay, I'll stay. But I think I should be fair and tell you that, while I'd love to be the crazy, spontaneous girl who picks up a guy in a bar and goes home with him, I'm not. I'd really like for us to get to know each other a little more before I sleep with you. I hope you're not angry.”
Rob ran his fingers gently down her jaw. “How can I be mad about that when it's exactly why I'm so attracted to you in the first place? You'll still be my date for the gala though, right?”
Both Old and New Emily's heart exposed itself with a smile that showed how touched it was by the sentiment. As the elevator doors opened on the penthouse, Emily said, “Absolutely.”
Rob clicked on his phone and called Rick to let him know they were safe in the suite and that Em was staying for the night, but she'd like an escort at – he looked at her for an answer she gave with her fingers – “8 a.m. tomorrow. Yeah. Thanks. No, she turned me down. I'm sure my ego will survive. I'll see you in the morning. Kiss the kids for me, and tell them I'll see them in a few days.”
He held her gaze the whole time. She contemplated changing her mind about the sex, but she knew she'd regret it later. Besides, she thought it would be better to officially break up with Josh before she slept with anyone else. If he thought they were still a couple or still had a chance, he'd see that as cheating and so would her family. Emily didn't want to care what they thought, but it mattered.
They stepped into the living room and Rob excused himself for a few minutes. It gave Emily time to absorb her surroundings. Since they ran down that alley, she had been so overwhelmed with the circumstances of the night, she hadn't processed anything but Rob and her attraction to him. Even that needed further analysis. For the moment, she felt like she could relax a little bit and appreciate where she was.