Feather Light (Knead Me)

by Lorenz Font

  His hands went to her face, no doubt to feel her emotions. In the few hours they’d been together, she’d discovered his gentle nature and wondered where he had been all her life.

  “Just overwhelmed, I guess.”

  It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Still reeling from their amazing lovemaking, Kelly couldn’t keep her tears at bay, because she hadn’t felt this good in a long, long time. What must Parker be thinking? On both occasions they’d been together, she’d managed to blubber like a small child. How could she tell him that she’d been lying to him all along? Well, maybe not a full-blown lie, but intentionally omitting the most important aspect of her identity constituted lying.

  “Damn it! This is the part I hate.” Parker’s hands kept tracing the path of her tears to wipe them away. Although his mood had shifted, the hands on her face remained gentle and steady.

  “Which part?” She looked up and found him staring at her forehead.

  “I can’t see your face. I can’t make out your expression. I have to rely on what you tell me and what I can sense. It gets frustrating sometimes.”

  “Why?” Kelly propped up on her elbows to watch his expression.

  “I don’t think what I see is what I’m getting here.” He plunged his fingers through his hair and sighed. “I know we don’t know each other that well, but I feel some type of connection. Do you feel the same way?”

  Kelly stiffened and looked away as an uncontrollable panic swept through her. Parker couldn’t see her face nor read her reaction, and yet it seemed like he could. All of a sudden, she felt guilty because she had no plans to tell him who she was, and as he had said himself, they hardly knew each other. What made her think she could trust him? You went to bed with the man. What he doesn’t know about you is unimportant.

  “Ann?”

  “Hmm …” Kelly slid out of bed and out of Parker’s range. Perhaps if she wasn’t close to him, she’d be able to think with a clear head and lessen the chance of him sensing her discomfort.

  “Am I right?” She watched him angle his head to follow the sound of her footsteps. Kelly walked to the glass sliding door and slid it open, hoping to catch a whiff of fresh air and clear her mind. Instead, a wild gust of wind blew in, rustling the loose papers on the desk.

  “Oh, crap.” She ran after the flying papers and gathered them from the floor.

  “Ann, why are you avoiding my question?” Parker asked, going down on his knees to help with the pick-up effort.

  Kelly’s gaze traveled down his naked body while he moved around,trying to gather some of the papers littered across the floor. Her eyes were glued to his form. His ass was perfect—each muscle contracting and relaxing with his every movement.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kelly stood, holding a handful of stray papers she would have to put back together later.

  Parker rose to his feet, dropping the stack of papers in his hands. His proud cock dangled before him. Even in its soft state, it was a sight to behold. She drew a deep breath, fighting the sudden excitement pulsating between her legs.

  He strode to where Kelly was piling the mishmash of a script she’d been reading earlier.

  “Don’t play coy with me.” He placed a hand on her arm. “Please, look at me.”

  Kelly had avoided many things in her life, and this brewing confrontation was something she could do without. With annoyance she didn’t bother to hide, she turned around and faced him.

  “For your information, I’m not playing coy. I don’t know what you’re referring to. If you think I’m hiding something, then you’re right. We all have secrets, and this is personal. I have no intention of telling you what it is.” Holding her tongue had never been her strong suit. She immediately regretted speaking her mind when a fleeting, wounded expression flashed across Parker’s face.

  “I apologize if you think I’m prying. I just want to get to know you better … but you know what? Forget it. It was nice spending a great evening with you, Ms. Sutton.” Parker pivoted and walked toward the bed, picking up his clothes that were littered on the floor with his toes.

  Stunned, Kelly just stood there as Parker dressed himself, finding each piece of his clothing without difficulty. Once he was done tying his shoelaces, he reached inside his pocket and speed-dialed a number. “Meet me at the front door.”

  Furious at herself for ruining a perfect night, Kelly crossed the room when Parker turned in her direction. “Parker, I didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did. Please, forgive me.” How could she explain herself without blowing her cover? Things had happened so fast, and even if Parker seemed the perfect guy, she wasn’t about to bare her soul to him yet.

  “I think you made your point loud and clear. You want to be left alone. You don’t have anything to worry about as far as I’m concerned. Again, thanks for the … lovely … evening.” Parker tilted his head before he walked out the door.

  Dumbfounded, Kelly stumbled forward in her haste to follow him. How would he find his way to the elevator and down to the lobby? Before she could call out after him, she saw his hand skimming the wall for guidance, his gait rigid while he walked down the hallway.

  She stopped herself from following. Offering help would insult him even further. Sadness swept over her when she closed the door and looked around the room. Parker’s scent still lingered, and the makeshift dinner table remained, a reminder of a wonderful night that had ended in a disaster.

  Parker had no idea who she was, since he couldn’t see her face. Her name would be the only clue to give her secret away. Kelly tried pushing him out of her mind but only half-succeeded. She began picking up the rest of the papers on the floor. God, she had enough on her mind as it was. The last thing she needed was to tangle herself in another relationship that had zero possibility of working.

  The media would be all over him, no doubt. Once they found out she was involved in any way with him, they’d dig up anything they could about him, and it wouldn’t be pretty. His blindness would thrust him into an ugly limelight, which just might hurt him even more—not a place she wanted him to be.

  And what made her think that, even if she and Parker had a connection, things would work out between them? She and Matthew had a connection, too, and where had it led them? Besides, she was done being on the tabloid’s front cover. Her baby’s death had been plastered in every single one without consideration for her privacy or even her grief.

  Kelly opened her monogrammed LV trunk and yanked out a cream tank top and pink boxers before proceeding to the bathroom for a quick shower. Her skin still tingled from Parker’s touch, and it was a shame she had to wash the remnants of their lovemaking from her body.

  There was one thing she had been trying not to think of until that moment. As much as she’d enjoyed their moment together, the whole “wait for my orders, say the safeword” thing had scared her. “What the hell was that about?” she said aloud while she toweled off.

  Walking toward the bathroom sink, Kelly wiped the steam off the mirror and caught a glimpse of her reflection. She hadn’t lied to him about the color of her hair, her eyes, or her countless freckles. What she’d left out was her true identity. Not a good start if she wanted a relationship with him.

  “But there won’t be any relationship, considering the way things ended tonight!” she shot back and stomped out of the bathroom.

  She glared at the clock and groaned. Two in the morning. Jessica would have a hissy fit when she saw the big bags underneath Kelly’s eyes later. Powering on her laptop, she climbed into bed and settled in. Images of Parker kissing her and touching her in all right places began replaying in her mind. Remembering his stimulating hands on her body brought back another wave of desire she couldn’t stop. She wasn’t a prude by any measure, but Parker had awakened new and sensitive areas in her that she’d never known existed.

  When the Google search engine popped up, she typed his name. Articles upon articles showed up wit
h his picture, but one in particular caught her eye. The piece was an interview with a former lover, it seemed. The woman, whose face she recognized, had given an interview about what being in bed with Parker was like. She spoke about his dominance and how he wanted “control in the bedroom.” This made Kelly pause and think about what she had with Parker. She had no idea what they’d just done or the name of the process he’d used. She keyed each term until several options came up. Clicking on one, she began reading. By the time she’d finished the article, her heart was racing and zooming along information highway overload. She read some more. An increasing sense of unease settled in the pit of her stomach. Kelly had no idea what she was reading, or if she could even trust the information on the Internet.

  A small part of her had felt excited when he’d bound her hands, but in retrospect, it frightened her. She closed her eyes, feeling tired. Parker was a Dom of some sort, as the article suggested. And if she were with him, she’d be a submissive? Kelly wasn’t sure she liked the word, but she couldn’t shake off the thrill she’d experienced under his guidance.

  “I can’t believe you overslept!” Jessica shrieked, lifting the pillow off Kelly’s face.

  “Go away,” she mumbled and tried to pull the pillow back down. The sound of hushed voices came from the other side of the room, momentarily paralyzing her. Kelly bolted upright upon realizing she had company. She had forgotten about the Gucci photo shoot and the taping for the David Letterman Show.

  “Oh dear!” She gasped when she saw the crews gawking at her and whispering among themselves. Some she’d already worked with in the past, but others were new faces. Kelly slid out of the bed and faced Jessica’s fury.

  Jessica Renoir was her assistant, gopher, confidante, and best friend. “You’d better have a good explanation for being late.” Jessica pushed her to the bathroom amid the curious stares of the photographer and the makeup and lighting crews.

  As soon as they were away from prying eyes, Jessica shoved Kelly’s toothbrush into her hand. “Brush. It’s all you have time for, considering how late it is.” Her tone suggested she was irked, so Kelly complied without arguing. “I can see you had company last night …,” her best friend observed with keen interest.

  She finished brushing her teeth and splashed cold water on her face. Jessica yanked her back into the room, where the crew was already rearranging the furniture, leaving the sofa in one corner and adding some shimmery throw pillows and yards of orange taffeta-looking fabric in the surrounding area. A big, black canvas stood behind the sofa, and light fixtures were being assembled.

  “Here’s your first outfit, Ms. Storm.”

  A representative from Gucci lifted a garment bag before her. She took it while Jessica shooed her back to the privacy of the bathroom. Kelly hung the bag behind the door and pulled the zipper down. A white gown burst out of the confines, and she gasped. Fingering the fine material and the intricate embroidery around the bodice, Kelly removed the outfit and dressed in haste.

  A hush fell over the room when she walked out. The men followed her movement with open admiration, their eyes fixed on the low-cut neckline that barely covered her breasts. The women were more guarded, but their expressions conveyed envy.

  “Please, sit right here.” Fiona, a makeup artist Kelly had worked with a couple of times in the past, gestured to the space she’d set up next to the bed.

  Jessica followed and pulled a chair next to her as Fiona began applying the basics to Kelly’s face. “We have less than two hours before the limousine arrives for your taping,” Jessica said while consulting her Blackberry. “I will ask my questions later. For now, just pray Fiona can do magic on those horrible bags of yours.”

  Fiona giggled, and Jessica continued reciting her schedule for the day. Kelly tuned them out after they began chattering and closed her eyes. The next two hours were as excruciating as getting her teeth pulled—changing outfits, posing for a millionth time, and being under the hot lights as if she were a piece of cooking meat.

  As soon as the photo shoot was over and everyone had left, she changed into a simple black sheath and high-heeled shoes. She left her hair the way Fiona had arranged it. The makeup artist and the hair expert at the studio would change them anyway. Kelly grabbed her purse, slipped on her dark glasses, and followed Jessica out the door.

  “You ready?” Jessica asked once they stepped off the lobby elevator. The plush carpeting muffled their footsteps while they headed to the front door. A doorman dipped his head and held the glass door open for them.

  She took a deep breath and plastered on a winning smile. “I guess.”

  Hundreds of lights flashed when she emerged to make her way to the waiting limousine. Despite the rope cordoning them off at a safe distance, several bolder shutterbugs got closer. One of them was Rigor James, an annoying man who was dead set on making Kelly’s life a living hell. They’d had several run-ins in the past, with Rigor pushing her to her limits. The last one had been the most upsetting yet, ignoring the unspoken boundary between privacy and what the rest of the world was entitled to see. Rigor had taken snapshots of Kelly on a private getaway on a friend’s yacht off the coast of Marseille that was meant to get her head together after her very public breakup with Matthew. The picture had been snapped when she had been crying her eyes out to Jessica.

  “Kelly Storm, I’m watching you,” he shouted above the clamor of snapping sounds and questions raining down on her. Kelly shot him a disparaging look while the man pointed to his eyes.

  She hated threats and disliked the man with a passion, but she didn’t have enough credible evidence to convince the court to grant her a restraining order.

  “Rigor, why don’t you shove your camera up your ass and beat it?” Jessica shouted, pushing Kelly inside the waiting limousine.

  “Thanks.” Kelly gave her friend a grateful smile and massaged her throbbing temple once the car started moving.

  “Don’t mention it.” Jessica regarded her with obvious curiosity before she pushed the button to raise the divider between them and the driver. “What did you do last night?”

  Here we go … “I invited Parker for dinner.” What was the point of lying to Jessica? Kelly’s friend possessed Superman’s x-ray vision and Daredevil’s radar sense. There was no hiding anything from her for very long.

  Jessica’s eyebrows shot up so high they almost disappeared into her hairline. “And?”

  Kelly turned her face to the window to watch the throng of people trekking the city. She loved the cosmopolitan buzz of the Big Apple, but lately her fondness for the place had been replaced by a phobia of rushing fans and crazy paparazzi. “He spent the night.” She didn’t meet her friend’s inquiring gaze and wasn’t surprised when Jessica snorted.

  “I could tell. Your bed looked like it had been hit by a cyclone.” Jessica’s tone turned somber. “What, may I ask, made you to go to bed with a stranger? I mean, you’ve seen the guy twice, and you know he’s …”

  Kelly whipped her head around in amazement. “Blind?”

  Jessica seemed contrite, and Kelly felt bad for snapping at her.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. I’m confused, Jess.”

  Jessica reached out and patted her on the knee. “It’s okay. That was a bit callous of me. I just feel like he’d be another piece of baggage you don’t need in your life right now, after the fiasco with Matthew.” Her face clouded in anger.

  “Parker is wonderful. He’s independent and very capable. There is nothing the man can’t do. His blindness is just another test he’s going to overcome.” Kelly had no idea why she was singing the praises of the man who’d evoked both happiness and terror within her at the same time.

  Jessica gaped at her. Her green eyes sparkled with undisguised mischief. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’re falling for this guy. What gives? What sets him apart? Why so sudden?”

  Kelly shook her head. Who knew what she found most attractive? Was it Parker’s body or his ero
tic lovemaking? “How do I explain instant attraction? I don’t know. He’s easy to talk to …”

  “I guess this question is in order, then. Does he know who you are?” Jessica had always been the nagging conscience she’d refused to listen to and yet couldn’t ignore.

  Kelly shook her head. “I told him my name was Ann Sutton, and on the two occasions I visited his office, I was in heavy disguise.”

  “And you think you’re being fair?” Jessica spoke without waiting for an answer. “What’s more deceitful than that? The man is blind, and you masquerading under different names and costumes won’t make it better. I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Kels.”

  Kelly had no answer to offer. She gazed out the window and stayed silent.

  It had been several weeks since Parker last saw Ann, and he felt like he was ready to scream. He had walked out of her hotel room like a pouting teenager whose parents had refused to let him borrow their car. Now, he felt like an ass and had no idea how to rectify his actions.

  He’d tried to call the number she’d supplied in her record, but his call had gone straight to voicemail. With his aversion to leaving messages, he’d hung up and stewed for days. Now Parker was back in Los Angeles, and he had no other choice but to continue with his life pre-Ann. His perspective had undergone a slight shift, along with his plans. It seemed like he wanted Ann in his life. There was a burning deep inside him to get to know her more. He had no idea how she felt about him, except for her confessed fascination with him. Whatever it meant, he hoped it was enough to build on.

  “You’re being foolish, Parker.” He threw his hands up in frustration and jammed them through his hair. A squeaking sound alerted him that he wasn’t alone. He turned to the direction of the door. “Who’s there?”

  Her scent wafted around him before she answered. “It’s me, boss,” Webster answered, and the soft click of the door closing sounded. “Since when did you become foolish?”

  “There you are.” He smiled in her direction and motioned for her to take a seat. “I’ve been hoping to talk to you but haven’t found the time.”