She had found the bra and sweatshirt. Now she wandered around desperately looking for the underwear. Where were they??
She racked her brain trying to remember how everything had played out. The stretch pants. She found those, turned inside out near the bed. Her white, cotton, panties. His finger. She shivered as she felt the tip of it caressing her sensitive lips underneath the fabric—
Natalie shook her head. She had no idea where they were. She pulled the legs of her stretch pants right side out again as she searched the room with her eyes.
Whatever. He’d have a nice souvenir of their little tryst. Serves him right. Serves her right.
“That’s what you get for being a naughty girl, Natalie,” she said to herself. She sighed and pulled on the pants.
Jake was staring out the window by the desk with a cup of coffee in his hand. Natalie had a brief view of the silhouette of his firm ass….and the dick hanging between his legs in the morning light. She paused, staring open-mouthed at the picture before her as he turned around. She quickly composed herself, walking over to where one UGG boot lay on the dining room table.
Jake apparently saw her scanning the room for the companion and pointed his coffee mug to the area near him. She made her way over, conscious of how close she was getting to him. She pulled out the chair to the desk and sat down to pull on her boots.
When they were on she stood up and faced him. She stood there for a second, staring out the window, thinking of some way to politely say goodbye. Goodness, the view was spectacular in the daytime!
Jake rested the mug on the desk and stared at her with a slight smile on his face, waiting.
Natalie, sighed and turned back around. She brought out her hand to shake his.
“Well, Jake—”
He ignored the hand and brought his hands up to her face, surprising her. The next instant his lips were on hers, pulling them apart to give his tongue access to her mouth.
Natalie gave a slight yelp in surprise underneath his probing tongue, then relaxed, falling into his body. Between the flimsy fabric of her pants and his boxers, she could feel his harness against her abdomen. She brought her hands up to his hard chest to steady herself. The feel of his warm, firm skin under her hands only made her legs weak.
Jakes hands slid from her face an caressed her neck, causing her to moan against his lips. Her body shivered as they traced their way around her collarbone to reach around and bring her body into his in a firm embrace. Her own arms went around his body, gliding over the rippling muscles of his back. They moaned and slid against each other, tasting one another, feeling the heat rise between them.
No, she thought.
She had to get going. This could only lead down a dangerous path. She was heading back to L.A. And he was headed back to…Jesus, she didn’t even know where he lived.
She let her arms fall. When he didn’t let go, she brought them around to his chest again, momentarily falling back under his spell as they felt their way across his skin. She gently pushed and he grudgingly broke away from her lips.
Natalie looked up at him. The eyes were actually more green than hazel.
“Thank you,” she said, and pulled away.
She quickly headed to the door, noticing her e-reader on the couch and grabbing it before making a quick exit. She looked back one last time and saw him staring at her with that smile. She smiled back and closed the door behind her.
Outside she brought the reader up to her chest and fell back against the door. There were no words, just a million thoughts running through her head. Finally she shook them free, her head going back and forth, and pulled herself away from the door to head back to her own room.
JAKE
There was no way he was letting her get away without tasting those lips one last time. They were practically begging for it.
When she broke away and fled the room, he stared after her with wonder and disappointment. So that was it, then.
He knew her name. Natalie Damond. Librarian at large.
Her image fresh in his head, he walked around to sit in the chair by the desk. It still radiated the heat that she had left and he was all the more inspired. He opened the laptop and pulled up his novel.
It was easy creating the scene. It was even easier—and far more enjoyable—describing the new heroine: silky, smooth brown skin; full, delectable lips; killer legs (capped in stilettos instead of UGG boots).
Unforgettable face.
He typed for hours, inserting her in one scene after another. Memories of last night flooded his brain and splashed across his keyboard as he brought them back to life on the screen in front of him. The blood pulsed through his body as he relived it on the page. That was a good sign.
Jesus, this woman!
The name was the hard part. His first instinct had been to go ahead and name her Natalie. Somehow it seemed wrong. It wasn’t that it didn’t fit, it was that he wanted Natalie for himself. This woman would be shared with the world (God willing), and while Natalie was certainly the inspiration, she belonged to him and him alone.
Jake went through a litany of names: Nancy; Nicole; Noelle. Naomi was the one that stuck.
Nick and Naomi. It was perfect.
Hours later he looked up to see that the sun had reached the other side of the lake, creating new and different shadows. The grumbling of his stomach reminded him that he’d only had coffee today. The breakfast he’d ordered for Natalie was probably disgustingly cold by now, but it was good enough to tide him over until he could order something fresh.
He made his way into the bedroom and inspected the scene. Apparently Natalie had a time of it trying to find her clothes. The arm chair was pushed aside and the bedspread was thrown to one side, practically off the bed.
A white spec caught his eye as he surveyed the area. It was on top of the armoire near the back. Even at 6’2” he had to strain his neck to get a better look at it. He walked over and stood on his toes to reach it. Pulling it down he realized it was Natalie’s underwear. A clear memory of pulling it down her silky thighs and flinging in the air went through his mind and he smiled down at them. He wondered how frantic she must have been searching for these. Obviously she had been too short to see where they were located.
“I guess you’ll be my good luck souvenir,” he said, looking down at them.
Jake bent his head down, memories flood his brain as he took in the scent of her. He grabbed a piece of bacon and made his way back to his laptop. He put the bacon in his mouth and the panties on the desk next to him.
It was time to put the finishing touch on this revision.
The dedication page read:
To Natalie, my muse and the inspiration for Naomi.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
NATALIE
The first half hour of the car ride home to Los Angeles had been strained silence. Natalie, still not fully recovered from her hangover, had sat in the front passenger seat avoiding her friends’ unspoken questions.
Unfortunately, Natalie hadn’t made it back to the room before her friends did. In fact, she had been literally steps behind them as they came back from breakfast. It wasn’t lost on her that the long kiss with Jake was probably the reason for this.
Naturally it had opened the door for a barrage of questions. They took in the disheveled state of her hair and clothes, the face that probably broadcasted her hungover state, the fact that she hadn’t showered, and they started in on her.
Yes, she was okay.
No, she didn’t need to eat anything.
She was sorry they were so worried.
“Okay, spill it,” Denise finally said, slapping the steering wheel with her hand.
Natalie closed her eyes as her head fell back into the headrest. “I’ve already told you, there’s nothing to spill!”
“So, you spent the whole night in the bar lounge area reading your book?”
“Yes.”
“And that’s why your hair is was a mess and your clothes were wrinkle
d?”
“Yes.”
“And why you smell like sex?” Mia asked in the back seat.
Natalie’s head spun around. “What? Do I?” she bent her head down to sniff into her shirt.
“I knew it!” Mia laughed falling back into her seat. “I told you Dennie!”
Denise wasn’t nearly as amused. “Who was this guy, Natalie? Did you just pick up some random man in the bar? He didn’t get you drunk did he?”
Natalie sank back in her seat since it was all pretty much true. Of course Denise would be the one asking all the direct questions. They had been friends since elementary school and ended up as roommates in college. She had always been the leader of the two.
These days she was an associate producer for Channel 5. It was easy enough for her to judge since she was finally engaged to a writer she met at the station. Natalie looked at the rock on her left hand with envy. They had only been dating a year! That was half as long as Malcolm and Natalie had been together. No wonder it hadn’t lasted.
“Yes, yes I did!” she confessed out loud with vigor. “And it was awesome. So leave me alone!”
Denise turned to give her a sharp look.
“You get yours, girl!” Mia said, leaning forward to high five her.
Mia had joined the two of them during a group project in one of the classes they had all ended up in together. The odd part was that Denise and Mia were so different but almost closer to each other than they were with Natalie. Mia let Denise mother her around and in turn Denise let Mia loosen her up. It was a perfect Odd Couple.
Natalie turned around to the confidant that wasn’t being so judgey. Mia’s facial features were also a complete contrast to Denise’s with a button nose, round cheeks and light brown eyes. Where Denise was tall and lean, Mia was tall and curvy, mostly in the hips. She had skin that was a perfectly neutral shade of light beige, the same color that uninspired people painted their walls. It was ironic, because she was anything but boring. She was a graphic artist who worked as a DJ on weekends. The soft, natural curls that fell almost to her waist were constantly dyed a different hue. This weekend it had been a deep maroon color. Mia swung both ways and had no intention of settling down anytime soon, so she was the perfect one to dish with.
“He’s a writer, actually,” she started. “Have any of you heard of Jake Cavanaugh? He writes spy stuff, I think. ”
Both of them thought for a moment then shook their heads.
“Yeah, me neither,” Natalie admitted. “I’ll have to look him up or ask my dad when I get home. He reads that stuff.”
“Enough with his job, what did he look like?” Mia urged.
“Well…he’s white,” she said.
Natalie knew it wasn’t a big deal with her friends. Denise’s fiancé, Ross, was white. In fact, she was planing on converting to Judaism before the wedding.
“Wow,” said Mia, who was less into dating outside her race, “when you rebound you rebound hard.”
“There’s nothing wrong with it, Mia,” Denise said, finally coming to Natalie’s defense on an issue they could agree on.
“You know I don’t care who you guys date. I’m not racist…I just prefer my cocks to be black, the blacker the better!”
“Ugh,” Denise said. “Why do you always have to put things in the most vulgar terms?”
Mia just laughed. This was how they spurred with one another. Natalie watched it with amusement, and a bit of relief that the focus wasn’t entirely on her escapades from last night.
“If you all are expecting me to complete the circle of swirl you seem to have started, you guys are sorely mistaken,” Mia said. “I’m not going to be dating any white dudes anytime soon.”
“Whoa, who said anything about dating?” Natalie chimed in. “Like you said, it was a rebound, that’s it. I don’t even know where he lives.”
“Or if he’s clean, or if he’s a stalker, or if he’s even single,” Denise went on. “Please tell me you at least used a condom.”
“Yes, mother,” Natalie said rolling her eyes.
“Well you know I have to ask these things,” Denise said with school marmish tinge to her voice. “One of us has to be responsible here.” She looked up meaningfully in the rear view mirror at Mia, who kicked the back of her seat lightly in response. “It’s all well and good to get your kicks, but the way you looked this morning….” She let the sentence trail off.
“Means that you must’ve had a hella good time!” Mia finished, laughing.
Natalie joined in, and eventually so did Denise.
“So come on,” Mia urged. “Details!”
Natalie bit her lip, bits and pieces coming back to her.
Mia saw the look on her face. “Ohhh, girl,” she sassed. “That good, huh?”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “He was fun,” she admitted. “He had this thousand dollar bottle of whiskey—“
“What?” the both exclaimed at the same time.
“Who pays that much for whiskey?!”
“So you did let him get you drunk?!”
“Are you going to let me finish?” Natalie asked, ignoring their questions. They both shut up.
“Anyway,” she continued, “I was drinking my milk with Bailey’s, you know the one I like to make.” They both nodded, Mia rolling her eyes in disapproval. Natalie shot her a nasty look before continuing.
“He apparently disapproved and offered some of his instead.”
“Well at least we know he has better taste than you,” Mia interrupted, earning another nasty look from Natalie.
“Well, one drink led to another.”
Denise sucked her teeth, earning her own look from Natalie. She raised her eyebrows and nodded her head in apology, letting Natalie finish.
“Then we ended up in his room. He was in one of the suites on the top floor,”
“The man has dinero. I like it,” Mia threw in.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Mia.” Natalie said.
“I’m just saying, if you’re gonna have a one-night stand, he might as well have money.”
“Emphasis on one-night stand,” Natalie said. “And no, before you start Denise, he didn’t leave money on the night stand for me the next morning.”
“I haven’t said one word,” Denise protested. “Save your criticism for Ms. Gung-ho back there. But it is nice he let you stay the night.” She smiled at Natalie.
Natalie blushed, thinking about how Jake had pulled her back into bed with him. She remembered the smell of him as she nestled in the crook of his arm, the feel of his fingers lightly brushing her back. Both of her friends were looking at her now, reading every thought.
“Somebody’s got it bad,” said Mia, smiling at her.
“I’m surprised you remember anything, after the wine, and the Bailey’s, and how many drinks?” Denise said, switching topics. “You don’t even drink hard liquor.”
“Yeah, the hangover was pretty bad,” Natalie confessed. “What is ‘hair of the dog?’”
“Booze the next morning. Works like a charm,” Mia said.
“Well, yeah, that, and then he ordered breakfast—”
“Jesus, Natalie,” Denise spoke up, surprising them both. “Maybe you should have at least got his number.” She saw the looks on their faces and shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
They all laughed. Natalie thought about it. He had been a pretty decent guy. And that kiss….
“But was the sex good?” probed Mia.
Natalie broke out of her revery, and smiled.
“Yeah, it was pretty damn good. And dude knows how to go down. He did this thing with the whiskey down my thigh.” Natalie blew her lips out and shook her head in disbelief. “It was amazing. That’s all I can say. Almost worth breaking up with Malcolm.”
They both stared at her in awe. Denise turned back to the road with a smile and Mia fell back into her seat.
“Well I’d say that was a successful girls’ weekend,” said Mia.
Natalie couldn’t have agree
d more.
JAKE
“Martha,” Jake said into the phone. “I’ve got some good news for you.”
After proofing the revised novel for plot holes and editing mistakes, Jake was satisfied with his new masterpiece. He christened it with the last of the whiskey before calling to break the news to his agent. Martha Shapiro was a feisty woman pushing 70, with no intention of ever retiring. She had gone to bat for Jake since day one. Anyone who could take on the CIA and the publishing industry was a lot tougher than Jake had ever been. Of course, after the first successful book her job was a lot easier.
These days she tended to play the role of busy-body aunt. Much like his dear sister, she had a tendency to prod him about his intentions on settling down some time soon. He was fully prepared for a barrage of questions along those lines as he revealed the new plot twist to his Nick Zane series.
“You know how you’ve always thought I should add a recurring love interest, well I finally took your advice.”
“Ok, who is she, this girl you’ve met?” Martha prodded. “Should I start saving date?”
Jake should have known she’d see straight through him. How was she so wicked sharp?
“No one, I just decided to take your advice is all. The series was getting kind of repetitive.”
“Well that’s true,” Martha confessed.
Jake winced. Along with being sharp, she was incredibly blunt. However, her advice had never ceased to work in his favor so he put up with it.
“Just out of curiosity,” he continued. “Why do you assume there’s someone I’ve met.”
“Jake, honey,” she said in that matter-of-fact tone of hers. “I’ve known you for two years now. You push and you push when I say add a love interest. No, no, no, you say. I say, ‘okay, okay.’ Then you go on your little writing hiatus to some place in the mountains, telling me it’s going to be same old, same old. Then just before the draft is due you call me up to tell me you changed your mind?
One Night: A BWWM Interracial Romance Page 6