Very gently, he pulled his fingers away, letting her relax against the bed as he stood up and undressed. Her eyes fluttered open and she sighed.
“Do you still hate it?” he asked as he tossed his shirt onto the floor. He laughed when her eyes widened as she registered what had just happened. But he didn’t give her time to become self-conscious. Discarding the rest of his clothes, he grabbed a condom and rolled it down his length before coming back to her.
“Admit it,” he teased, pressing her legs wider as he settled his hips against hers. “You enjoyed it.”
She placed her hands on his shoulders, resting them there carefully. He watched the emotions roll through her eyes. He loved it – the embarrassment, the blush that colored her beautiful cheeks, and still the sizzle in her lovely eyes all gave him the truth. “You don’t have to answer that,” he said as he shifted against her. Pulling her legs higher, he lowered his head to tease her nipple again. “Besides, you’ll probably try to save face and lie to me, then I’ll just have to prove it again so there’s no need.”
He shifted against her and Alex heard her gasp of surprise. “I’ll be careful,” he told her as he clasped her hands against the mattress. Sliding into her heat, he had to grit his teeth against the sheer pleasure of feeling her tighten around him. In and out, he slowly shifted until he felt her start to participate again. “You okay?” he asked. Her fingers were gripping his in a death-like vise, so he knew that she wasn’t completely okay. Relaxing, he waited, feeling her trembling as if he were a part of her. And as he looked down at their bodies, he realized that he really was a part of her. It was like they were one. . He’d never had this sensation before with anyone and he wanted Becca to share the joy he felt.
“Relax your legs, honey,” he coaxed, lowering his head until he could nibble along her neck. It took several more minutes, but finally, he distracted her enough so she was a bit more relaxed. “Now show me how you need me to move,” he whispered in her ear. He shifted slightly, just an inch or two out of her, then slowly back in, listening to her breathing, feeling her hips shy away from his initially. But when he moved back into her heat, she lifted her hips tentatively to him. “That’s it,” he coaxed. “Just relax and let me do all the work.”
“That’s not really fair,” she replied, and gasped when he pressed into her once again.
“Let me decide what’s fair,” he countered. “And right now, what you’re doing is pretty hot, so I feel completely compensated.”
When she laughed, he knew that was a good sign. “Faster?” he asked, showing her what it would feel like. “Or slower?” and he changed the pace to a bit slower, moving deeper into her heat.
She bit her lip, closing her eyes as she debated. “Faster, I think,” she told him, then lifted her hips to meet each of his thrusts. “Yes,” she sighed, arching into him.
He knew the moment when things changed. Her fingers tightened and her body shifted. She was moving now for herself, not just allowing him to do the work. He didn’t mind in the slightest, doing it all himself, but seeing her come alive like this, he wanted to roar with the amazing pleasure. Instead, he focused all of his attention on her, on ensuring that she found her own release. Shifting once again, he took her gasp into his mouth as he moved faster, lifting her legs higher so that he could thrust at another angle.
Her fingers tightened around his only moments before he watched her face tighten, her body tightening as well and then…
She screamed out his name as her body throbbed around his. He watched for as long as he could, but it was just too hot, seeing her like this and he lost his control, his body joining hers as the climax consumed them both.
A long time later, he pulled her against him, looking down into her eyes as their breathing slowed. “You okay?” he asked. The smile that lit up the room told him everything he needed to know.
Relief surged through him and he laughed, pulling her into his arms, then readjusted her so that she was draped over his body. “You’re more than okay,” he repeated and hugged her.
Becca laughed, thinking he was the most charming man she’d ever met. “Yes, I’m okay,” she agreed, then kissed the middle of his chest.
“And?”
She lifted her head up, not sure what he wanted her to admit now. “And?”
His hands slid against her back, soothing her muscles that were already liquid after that experience.
“And, you don’t hate sex, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “No,” she grudgingly admitted. “I don’t hate sex. It was pretty…” she paused, laughing at the way his eyebrows went up. It was almost as if he were daring her, challenging her in some way. “It was amazing,” she told him.
As a reward for her honesty, he rolled over again and kissed her, his leg sliding between hers as the kiss morphed into something more. When he finally pulled away, she was sighing with pleasure. “Thank you,” she breathed, sleepiness hitting her hard. It had been a long, crazy day.
“My pleasure,” he told her and his arm reached out to switch off the lights. “Go to sleep for now,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms. “You’re going to need your rest.”
Chapter 6
Boy, he hadn’t been kidding! Becca smiled as she stepped into the shower the following morning. He was on the phone with someone, speaking in rapid French and she felt as if her bones had melted from the heat and pleasure last night. Over and over, he’d woken her up to make love to her. She had never been a very sexual person, but after last night, after the way he’d made love to her and shown her how to move, how to explore everything, and enjoy what her body was capable of, she could already feel things heating up. Just the thought of what he could do to her made her go weak in the knees!
This was nuts, she thought as she grabbed the soap and started lathering her body. She’d never been this kind of sexual person. Sex had been tangential to her relationships. After last night, she knew that it was going to be front and center from now on. Oh yeah, it was a big issue now!
The sudden warmth behind her told her that Alex had finished with his phone call. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” he asked, his lips nibbling along her neck and shoulder.
Becca laughed. “Yes, I’m purposefully showering,” she teased, but leaned her head to the left to give him better access. Then she gasped when his hands moved, sliding against her waist and moving higher to cup her breasts. “What’s your purpose?” she asked, bracing her hands against the shower wall. It was either that or fall over, she thought.
“Ah, perfect,” he mumbled, taking the soap and sliding it against her body. “Excellent position, my dear,” he told her as the soap slid against her back, then lower. She gasped and tried to wiggle away, but she should have known after last night that he wasn’t allowing her to get away from him. He was strong and grabbed her hands, once more putting them against the wall of the shower. “Stay,” he commanded.
She glanced at him over her shoulder and knew that he meant business. But that didn’t stop her from challenging him. “And if I don’t?” she teased.
His hands slid from her stomach to her bottom, just resting there for a long moment. “If you don’t then…” he swatted her bottom. Not hard, but the sound was loud and surprised her. “Then I’ll have to think of some way to get you to obey me,” he told her. His fingers immediately slid along that skin, soothing and teasing her. The slight sting actually turned her on more. She couldn’t believe it, but her fingers curled against the marble wall and her eyes closed against the sensations hitting her hard and fast.
Then his long fingers slid into her heat and she gasped, shocked by the invasion.
“Ah, you’re already ready for me, aren’t you, love?” he asked, his lips against her ear. She heard the foil wrapper tear. There was a moment of silence and she glanced behind her. But he was finished rolling the condom down over his erection and was right back with her, sliding his hands around to her breasts. His thumb and forefinger tweaked h
er nipple at the same time that he slid himself into her heat. It was a double assault that had her gasping, wiggling for more. “Alex!” she called out, wanting to spin around to face him so that she could kiss him, but he had her pinned against the shower wall. It was all so incredibly erotic, she could barely think. Just react.
And then he did something equally shocking. As he thrust into her, he pulled the showerhead down, adjusting the stream. A moment later, he focused that jet right at her nubbin. The pressure was so fast, so intense that she almost lost her balance. But his arm was around her waist and he held her steady, thrusting into her over and over. With his stimulation from behind and the water in front of her, she couldn’t hold back for long. The orgasm that hit her had her screaming until her throat was raw. She wasn’t even aware of him climaxing as well. Just his strong arms holding her gently against his chest as they stood there in the warm water afterwards.
Over the next several days, she spent as much time as she could in Alex’s arms. Most of that time, they were naked, but when possible, they ventured out into the city so that Alex could show her his favorite places around town, a good restaurant or just walking along the waterfront, holding hands and talking about anything and nothing at all.
The nights were the best though. As soon as she left her friends each day, she’d text Alex and he would magically appear. They would then spend the next several hours exploring each other’s body. Alex was a masterful instructor, teaching her about her body, teaching her how to relax and move, to accept her sensuality and share it with him. In return, he gave her more pleasure than she’d ever thought possible.
Chapter 7
The week was over and Becca stared at the closed suitcase on her bed. A porter would be here any moment to pick it up and all she wanted to do was cry.
But she couldn’t do that. Lillian’s wedding was…well, Becca wasn’t completely sure what had happened there. It was all a crazy mystery that Becca would figure out at another time.
Right now, her priority was to leave here with as much dignity as she could muster. And she had to do it fast. Glancing at her watch, she knew that it was too early for most of the others to be awake. That was her plan, she thought. Get out of town before…well, before things became awkward. She wasn’t handling this departure very well. This week…nothing had gone as planned. Nothing at all.
Placing the letter on the dresser, she hefted her suitcase off the bed herself, deciding not to call for a bellhop after all. She could do this on her own. Besides, she doubted any bellhops would be on duty this early in the morning. It wasn’t like there were a lot of flights in or out at this time of the night. Or morning. Whatever, she thought as she tugged the suitcase behind her. The bell announcing the arrival of the elevator sounded extremely loud in the quiet hallway. With a deep breath, she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby.
“Please don’t let him wake up,” she whispered as she watched the lights indicate which floor they were passing. When the light lit up the L circle, she breathed a sigh of relief as the doors opened up to the hotel lobby. She slipped her sunglasses on, not wanting anyone to see the redness or the tears. She knew that she probably looked silly as she walked through the lobby in the dark morning hours with sunglasses on, but if anyone even smiled at her, she would burst into tears. It would be better if no one knew how close to that pathetic state she was in right now.
Thankfully, she’d been right in that not a lot of people were roaming the lobby. Nor were there many people on duty. The doorman jumped up from his station and held the door open for her. “Do you need a cab, ma’am?” he asked politely.
“Yes please,” she replied, bowing her head and praying that she could hold the tears away for a bit longer.
Immediately, the man lifted his hand in the air, blew a whistle and a cab pulled up to the curb. Why they were here waiting for customers at this time of the morning, she had no idea. But she was grateful that the doorman didn’t have to call for a cab and make her wait. It was so much faster this way. Easier.
The doorman stuffed her bag into the trunk of the cab and Becca handed him a couple of dollars. “Thank you, ma’am.” He hesitated, but finally asked, “Are you okay?”
Was she okay? “I’m fine,” she lied and smiled, but pushed the sunglasses higher so that there was no potential for them to fall off and reveal her lie.
She wasn’t okay at the moment. But she would be okay. Eventually. After all, a broken heart wasn’t terminal. Perhaps the sadness might become terminal, but…no, she had no right to be sad about this. She’d arrived in New Orleans to celebrate her friend’s wedding. Just because she fell in love, had the most amazing affair with the man and fell in love with the sultry, sexy city, that was no reason to quibble about her survival prospects.
She’d be fine.
Eventually.
“Airport, please,” she said to the cab driver. The cab immediately pulled away from the curb and turned right, heading for the highway. The world seemed different now, she thought as she watched the landscape change from the old-time elegant and elaborate downtown New Orleans to the beautiful mansions, then further out, the smaller, suburban houses that made up the normal suburban sprawl that one could find outside of every big city.
It was good for her heart that she was able to get a seat on an earlier flight to New York, but bad for her bank account since it pretty much wiped out her savings. It was worth it though. Getting away clean, no recriminations with Alex, no “thanks for a great week” or anything else. Just walk away with the happy memories. It might mean no stops at a coffee shop on her way to work for the next…ten years. No eating out. No…nothing special for a while. But she needed this. She needed to get away from Alex and the incredible nights they’d shared. She would not have been able to handle the casual, “good bye and thanks” that would inevitably have happened.
As the plane took off, she stared out the window and fought the sob that tried to burst out of her as she realized that it wasn’t just the elimination of coffee and social outings that would be gone from her life. It was Alex. She wouldn’t wake up in the morning and find his strong arms around her. She wouldn’t see his sleepy smile as his hand smoothed up her arm or her leg.
New Orleans was warm and humid and alive. Becca had felt more alive over the past week with Alex than she’d ever felt in New York City. And yet, that city had been her dream. Her challenge. She’d known that making a success of herself in New York would mean that she could go anywhere in the country.
But as the plane took her away from New Orleans, away from Alex, Becca knew that she’d never feel that kind of warmth again. She’d never find another man like Alex. Granted, he did that for a living, making a woman feel good and wanted, but deep down, she knew with absolute certainty that he hadn’t been playing a role with her. He hadn’t been doing the gigolo thing. Not with her.
Did every woman come away from an experience with Alex thinking the same thing? Was he just that good? Becca didn’t like believing that she’d been played. Not with Alex. Her heart simply couldn’t take the idea of him playing a role.
That thought hurt so much that she couldn’t stifle the sob as the plane took off, taking her back to New York. She ignored the glare from the passenger in the seat next to her and grabbed the stash of tissues she’d stuffed into her purse before leaving the hotel. Angrily wiping away the tears, she forced herself to think rationally.
It had been a vacation fling. Just sex.
Rubbing her forehead, she knew that it hadn’t just been sex for her. She’d fallen in love with him. Completely, madly in love with Alex. A gigolo. A man who courted women for a living.
But was he? Becca thought back to all of the times they’d gone out. She hadn’t really considered it, but he’d been treated…almost with reverence by the other wait staff and management! At the time, she’d been so wrapped up in being with Alex and enjoying his company, not wanting to squander any moment of her limited time with him
. Was there more to him?
She suddenly realized something…and Becca wasn’t sure if this was important or not. Alex had never actually said he was a paid escort, he’d never confirmed nor denied it. Just laughed it off. What did that mean?
Leaning her head against the high back of the chair, she stared up at the ceiling of the plane’s cabin. Becca had no idea what that meant and she was too tired to figure it out.
The plane landed and she waited patiently for the other passengers to disembark. It was a slow, painful process, especially since she was at the back of the plane and everyone needed to lug their suitcases that rarely fit into the overhead bins. Because she’d been gone for a week, Becca had needed a larger bag, so she’d checked her huge suitcase.
Which meant her next stop was at the baggage claim area. Then a long wait for the next available cab. And then, a long cab ride into the city. Unfortunately, she’d also landed during the tail end of rush hour traffic, so the drive was even longer than normal.
When the cab finally pulled up outside of her tiny apartment building, she stepped out and stood on the sidewalk with her huge suitcase, wondering if she had the energy to pull it up the three flights of stairs. Even on a good day, those stairs were difficult. And today was definitely not a good day.
“You should have waited for me to wake up, Becca.”
The deep voice startled her and she spun around, her hungry eyes looking for the owner of that familiar voice. “Alex!” she breathed when she spotted him standing about ten feet away from her.
He was wearing a beautiful cashmere coat with a silk scarf around his neck. He always looked devastatingly handsome, but she’d thought that was just because he “fit” into the New Orleans style. Looking at him now, she realized that he looked perfectly at home here on the dirty streets of New York City as well. She suspected that Alex would look perfectly at home anywhere.
Passionate Mystery Page 7