B004D4Y20I EBOK

by Taylor, Lulu

‘I’m glad you’re here,’ said Ferrera. ‘It’s pretty boring on my own.’

  ‘Really?’ Tara looked out at the starry sky. ‘That’s hard to imagine.’

  He lifted his glass of champagne. ‘I want to toast our new partnership.’

  Tara smiled and lifted her glass to his. ‘To our new partnership,’ she echoed.

  ‘I’m sure it will be very successful for both of us.’

  ‘That is the idea.’

  Ferrera grinned. ‘Do you think your sisters will accept the new arrangement?’

  ‘I’m sure they will.’

  ‘Good.’

  The dinner came, laid before them by discreet staff who vanished back to the galley as soon as they had finished. Cold Scottish salmon, brown bread, lemon juice and black pepper was followed by a poulet des Landes roasted with a stuffing of foie gras and served with thyme-scented roast vegetables. Pudding was the lightest, freshest lemon sorbet Tara had ever tasted.

  ‘You know, I really liked your ex-wife,’ Tara said, as they ate.

  ‘Yeah, she’s a good woman. It didn’t work out for us but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.’ Richard smiled at her. They’d left Mia’s flat together after that short visit, but he didn’t ask her what the women had discussed. Instead, as they walked back, he told her everything she needed to know about his relationship with Jecca, and why he thought that Trevellyan and FFB were perfect business partners. All the way to his apartment, she’d listened, trying to absorb what he was telling her, while not being distracted by his dark brown eyes, expressive hands and strong shoulders.

  ‘There was something I wanted to ask you today in the park,’ Tara said, fiddling with the stem of her wine glass. ‘About Erin de Cristo. It’s the last little niggle. My source – OK, not the most reliable source, it turns out – told me that you were planning to strip control from Erin as soon as the ink was dry on your contract, and impose your own vision for her company.’

  Ferrera frowned. ‘Where exactly did this rumour come from?’

  ‘I really can’t say. I’m sure you understand that.’

  ‘OK. Whoever said it had their reasons for wanting to undermine me, but I can assure you that none of it is true. I’m not so stupid as to want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Erin’s artistic vision and creative ability have made her millions. Now I want them to make me millions too.’ He shrugged. ‘If it ain’t broke …’

  She smiled back at him. ‘And I’m sure that any minute now, you’ll have Erin on the line to tell me so herself.’

  He laughed. ‘If that’s what it takes.’

  When the meal was over, she leaned back, happy. The fine wine they’d been drinking had relaxed and warmed her, so that she was deliciously fuzzy at the edges. It was so peaceful up here, so far from all the troubles and difficulties down on the ground. ‘Wouldn’t it be lovely to just stay up for ever, sailing through the sky?’ she sighed.

  ‘I think you’d soon grow tired of it,’ remarked Ferrera. ‘You like to be kept busy, I can see that.’

  ‘I’d miss my babies.’ As she thought of Edward and Imogen, she was seized with longing to see them, to hold them and smell them. She imagined them asleep in their little beds at home, their fair heads on the pillows, tiny bodies curled up as they slumbered. How desperately she loved and missed them. ‘Do you want to see a picture?’ she asked.

  ‘Of course.’

  She pulled her purse out of her bag and reached for the snapshots she always carried with her. ‘Here.’ She passed them over, beaming proudly. ‘I’ve got some video of them on my laptop but luckily for you, it’s packed in the locker.’

  ‘Oh, they’re gorgeous,’ Ferrera said admiringly. ‘They look like you.’

  ‘Do you think so?’

  ‘Yes – see, your daughter has pretty blue eyes, just like yours.’ He glanced up at her, smiling. ‘I mean it. You have stunning eyes. You are a truly beautiful woman.’

  She was suddenly self-conscious and felt herself pink slightly, just as she had in the park earlier that day.

  ‘I’ve embarrassed you again,’ he said, looking uncomfortable. ‘I always forget that British women aren’t very good at accepting compliments. But I can’t help speaking my mind. I’d like to do business with you because I respect everything you’ve achieved. But more than that, I enjoy your company. You make me laugh and you also make me want to reach out and look after you, even though I know you are a strong, capable and independent woman. You’ve been through so much. Most ordinary people would have buckled under the strain long before now.’ He smiled at her.

  Tara felt breathless. This evening was so bizarre already – like something out of a movie … it was all too perfect, too luxurious. She hadn’t expected it. She ought to be wearing a fabulous evening gown and jewels but instead she was in a business suit. She wished she looked beautiful and seductive. I want to be as passionate as Jecca, she realised. But he’s seen me at my worst – hysterical, crying, almost comatose. And then this morning when I came out of the guest bedroom in that robe – my hair everywhere, my face a mess …

  But why should she care? What did it matter?

  Oh God, I fancy him, she realised with horror. No. No. I can’t! He’s probably slept with Jemima. She hinted as much when she said they’d met in Paris. He’s definitely slept with Jecca. I just can’t even think about it, it’s too distasteful. She looked back at him as he sat across the table from her. Could he possibly want to seduce her? She thought back over everything that had happened between them, from her tipsy harangue to their quiet, intimate dinner and the sweet, friendly walk they’d shared today in Central Park. He took me to meet his ex-wife. He cares what I think. Mia had thought they were an item. Could they be?

  Three days ago I hated him! I thought he planned to destroy me. Now he wants to save my business, he thinks I’m beautiful, capable, funny … Can everything really change so quickly?

  Ferrera seemed aware of some discomfort between them. He looked concerned. ‘Are you tired? Would you like to rest?’

  She blinked at him. She’d been lost in thought and hadn’t realised she was staring at him. ‘I … I … I suppose I should try and sleep. It’s going to be a busy day tomorrow.’ She didn’t feel in the least tired but the atmosphere was becoming distinctly strange: she had the feeling that anything might happen up here in their little capsule, locked away from the world. A surge of power rushed through her. If I want it, I can make it happen, she told herself. I just have to be sure that I want it.

  ‘Let me show you where you can rest.’ He got up and led the way down through the cabin to a door. He stepped aside, allowing her to see what lay beyond. It was a bedroom, like that of a luxurious hotel, with a large double bed swathed in pearl-grey satin, black polished tables on either side, and chrome lamps with pale grey shades. A smaller door led to a tiny shower room and lavatory.

  ‘Is this for me?’ she said, stepping inside. ‘But where will you sleep?’

  ‘I’m happy enough out in the cabin,’ he replied. ‘I’ll do some work. Perhaps watch a movie to help me unwind. There’s a stretch-out divan if I need it.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said. She glanced back at the bedroom. She knew that Ferrera meant what he said – he was perfectly willing to sleep in the cabin. He expected nothing more. She felt the pivotal strength of the moment. In another instant, she could accept his generosity and he would leave her alone. Or … Turning back to look him full in the eye, she said huskily, ‘I don’t like to deprive you of your bed.’

  Ferrera showed a tiny start of surprise but he quickly mastered it. He smiled at her a little quizzically.

  ‘You’re very welcome to my bed,’ he said in a low voice.

  She took a step towards him so that they were standing very close together. ‘It looks lonely there, for just one person,’ she breathed, her eyes full of meaning.

  ‘Tara,’ he said, and reached for her hand. His grasp was smooth and warm. ‘You’ve been under a lot of strain. I d
on’t want to take advantage of that.’

  ‘No, of course not,’ she said, only able to think of the heat coming from his hand and the overwhelming desire she had to kiss his full lips and run her hand along his jaw, where a dark shadow of evening stubble was just appearing. ‘That’s OK.’

  There was a pause. ‘You’re not supposed to agree with me,’ he said softly.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You’re supposed to protest that you’re fine, that you can’t think of anything nicer than allowing me to take advantage of you.’ He laughed lightly. ‘That’s what I was hoping, anyway.’

  ‘Oh, oh. Oh, yes, you’re right, you’re completely right!’ She felt flummoxed, like a gauche schoolgirl in the presence of a worldly wise roué. ‘I mean, I do want you to take advantage of me.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Um …’ She wished she could concentrate on what they were saying but his nearness was too intoxicating. He was the first man she’d been this close to since she’d married Gerald, and the effect was overwhelming her. All she could think was how it would feel to kiss him.

  ‘We can’t stand here talking all day,’ he murmured, putting his mouth close to her ear and almost making her shiver with pleasure. ‘But I’m beginning to suspect that you’re not able to finish a sentence.’

  ‘I’m not,’ she said. ‘You’d better start without me.’

  He moved his mouth slowly to her lips. With infinite patience, he kissed her, putting one hand behind her head and wrapping his fingers gently in her hair. She clutched his other arm. Her legs felt weak and his strength immediately held her as everything became focused on their mouths meeting, and the kiss that was growing in sweetness. He was an excellent kisser, and it felt utterly natural. All her fears that she wouldn’t know how to kiss a man who wasn’t Gerald vanished. In fact, she’d never had a kiss like this, so soft and floating at the same time as firm and confident. He was embracing her now, running his hand up her back and round her waist, relishing the feel of her body beneath the soft cool material of her silk shirt.

  ‘Are you sure about this?’ he asked breathlessly, breaking their kiss for a moment.

  ‘I want to make love with you,’ she murmured.

  He kissed her again, pushing them both into the small bedroom and kicking the door shut behind them.

  Should I stop this now? she wondered. Is it wise? It crossed her mind for an instant to say ‘we’d better not’ – but then she tried to imagine making this delightful feeling stop. That was impossible. She was on the ride now. She wouldn’t get off until it was finished.

  He returned to her mouth, pressing his tongue inside it, exploring her, while one hand began stroking her leg, pushing her skirt upwards until he reached the top of her thigh. She slipped her jacket off, letting it fall to the floor and revealing the gossamer soft silk shirt. His hand left her thigh and moved to her breasts, undoing the buttons on her shirt to display her bra and the small mounds of flesh inside. For a moment she hoped he wasn’t disappointed – she was so flatchested compared to other women – but she didn’t have long to dwell on that as he ran his hand over her tits, murmuring appreciatively. She pulled away from him long enough to slip off her shirt and deftly unhook her bra, before he couldn’t bear it any longer and pulled her to him. He dropped his mouth to her nipples, sucking deeply on each one until they sprang out, pink and stiff.

  She breathed in hard as the tingles of pleasure rippled outwards. She surrendered to the waves of arousal that were engulfing her. When had she last felt like this? With Gerald, towards the end, she had had to use every ounce of imagination to become excited. With this man, the touch of his thumb on her collarbone was burningly arousing. She could already feel an ache growing in her groin, and the hot swell that told her she was ready to receive him.

  He pushed her back on to the smooth grey satin bedcover until she was lying on her back, her chest bare, her skirt rumpled round her middle. He undressed himself swiftly, dropping his clothes to the floor until he was wearing only his boxer shorts, then he eased her skirt downwards so that she was wearing only her lace briefs.

  ‘You’re beautiful,’ he breathed, looking at her, his gaze raking her body.

  ‘Can we turn down the lights?’ she asked shyly, trying not to catch his eager eyes. His face was impossibly handsome and his body was the same: a golden honey-brown, with dark hair covering his chest. She couldn’t help but look at his long, thick penis that was pressing outwards from his boxer shorts, embarrassed despite her arousal and the lust coursing through her. She had not yet lost all her inhibitions.

  ‘You should have more confidence,’ he said, smiling. ‘I mean it, you’re gorgeous. I want to see you.’

  They lay together on the bed and kissed again, taking their time, allowing their blood to come slowly back to the boil, exciting each other with the stroking and nibbling of their exploratory kisses. He returned to her breasts, kissing each one in turn, circling the nipples with his thumb and making her sigh with pleasure at the sensations he was creating. Then he trailed his fingers lightly down over her stomach to her panties, rubbing his fingertips along their edge until he suddenly slipped them inside and into the short bush of her pubic hair. She shivered uncontrollably as his fingers touched her clitoris, and then slid down to explore the wetness below.

  Her muscles tensed and she kissed him harder, rubbing her hands over his chest, touching his small hard nipples and grasping the firmness of his biceps. He left her for a moment to take her hand and guide it to his cock, which was now fully engorged, pressed flat against his stomach. She wrapped her fingers round it, moving the soft skin gently up and down, then pulling her hand over the velvety head. He moaned softly. For long, appreciative minutes, they played with each other until Tara thought she could not stand it much longer. The sexual passion he was igniting in her flared up, taking control of her. She rolled over and moved downwards to kiss his cock and take its head in her mouth, sliding her tongue over the top of it and tickling the tiny slit. Then she straddled his legs, pressing her chest down on the stiff rod of his penis, moving up and down on top of it. He moaned and his breaths sharpened until he could obviously take no more and pulled her upwards until her own hot sex met his and she instinctively felt him urge her to move her hips, rubbing against him with short, fast strokes.

  He watched her, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips, breathing hard.

  ‘Do you have a condom?’ she asked breathlessly.

  He nodded quickly, rolled to one side and collected a small packet from the bedside table. She moved off him to allow him to slide it quickly on, then returned. She put a leg on either side of him and raised herself up. Then she grasped his penis, pulling it away from his stomach until it pointed upwards, and lowered herself down on to it, moving as slowly as she could, savouring every sensation as the tip pushed against her and then found its way into her depths. She felt herself stretch around his thick girth, and the exquisite sense of being filled up as she sank down until their pelvises were pressed together. Then she began to thrust up and down, slowly at first, and then faster and faster. His hips moved more powerfully as they found their rhythm and his face contorted with the pleasure she was giving him. The more they fucked, the more she could take and she urged him on, to push into her harder and harder. She sensed his climax approaching and began to grind down, so that his pubic bone pressed against her clitoris, sending her towards the orgasm she could feel building inside. As she rode him, he slipped his hand to her mound, finding her clit with his thumb and rubbing it with sure, swift strokes that matched his own thrusts into her. They saw the peak approaching in each other’s eyes and that sent them both whirling towards their climaxes, both crying out with the extraordinary ferocity of pleasure that possessed them.

  She fell forward on to his chest and he wrapped his arms around her until they had both recovered sufficiently to speak.

  ‘Oh my God,’ she said breathlessly. ‘That was amazing.’ She looked at him, her
eyes astonished. ‘You were amazing.’

  ‘It might not all be to my credit,’ he said modestly. ‘They say the high altitude increases the intensity of physical sensation.’

  ‘Really?’ Tara kissed his chest. ‘Well, there’s only one thing for it, then. As soon as we land, we’ll just have to do it all over again.’

  54

  THE PHONES IN the Trevellyan offices were ringing off the hook. The news had broken that Neave was the face of Tea Rose. At her Bond girl press conference, she had obligingly announced it, guaranteeing maximum exposure.

  ‘This year is so excitin’ for me,’ she told the roomful of eager journalists. ‘I’m gonna be a Bond girl, and the face of the sexy new scent from Trevellyan, Tea Rose. My agent once said that she wished she could take whatever it is I have and put it in a bottle. Now someone has. It’s the most wonderful fragrance: fresh, romantic and incredibly feminine.’

  The press duly wrote it all down and printed it. The newspapers and magazines started calling the next day, with beauty editors begging for samples and promising wonderful puff pieces if they could get an exclusive with Neave or the Trevellyan sisters, or even better, with all of them.

  Jemima released some pictures of the photo shoot as teasers, to get anticipation building for the launch of Tea Rose. They were published everywhere. It seemed that the public really couldn’t get enough of Neave – any shot of her was gold dust. Little phials of Tea Rose in nude-pink boxes, accompanied by a stylish booklet of portraits of Neave, the Trevellyan sisters and the whole extraordinary, glamorous story of a perfume loved for generations, forgotten, and then born anew for modern women. The press lapped it up.

  The brand new Tea Rose mini-site was being designed, while the tired old Trevellyan website, not much more than information for trade customers, was being completely overhauled in the beautiful new company colours and fonts. A virtual tour of the renovated shop and treatment rooms was designed to showcase the fresh, modern look and entice the high-end customers in to try for themselves everything on offer. Gift packages and hampers were available to order online, stuffed with Trevellyan goodies, for friends, family or corporate clients.