Desire

by Marina Anderson

  Digital Galley Edition

  This is uncorrected advance content collected for your reviewing convenience. Please check with publisher or refer to the finished product whenever you are excerpting or quoting in a review.

  Desire

  The Dining Club

  Part One

  Marina Anderson

  New York Boston

  Chapter One

  Lying on her back with her eyes closed, Grace tried desperately to hold on to the final seconds of her orgasm for a few moments longer, but she couldn’t. The last flickers died away, and with a sigh of exhausted contentment she opened her eyes and looked up at her lover. “You’re wonderful!” she exclaimed.

  “And you’re insatiable,” David retorted dryly, as one corner of his mouth lifted in one of his rare half-smiles that she always found incredibly endearing.

  “I wish I was, then we could spend a whole day and night making love.”

  Wrapping his arms round her and pulling her onto her side so that her head rested against his chest, he kissed the top of her long, dark tousled hair. “That sounds like a very good idea to me too,” he admitted.

  She licked lightly at his chest, loving the salty taste of his sweat, mingled as it was with the distinctive but subtle aftershave that he always wore. When she got back to her own small studio flat in Central London she knew that she would smell of it too. She liked that; it always helped her relive their lovemaking again when she was alone in her bed.

  David’s two-bedroom apartment was one of twenty in a Grade II-listed building on the outskirts of London. The whole apartment was decorated in shades of cream and brown, with the exception of the kitchen, which was black and white. It was always immaculate, thanks to his cleaners. Grace knew that if she lived there it wouldn’t remain immaculate, but she loved it. It was an oasis of calm in her chaotic world as a young, up-and-coming theater director.

  “What are you thinking about?” asked David.

  “Your flat,” replied Grace with a laugh.

  “How very unromantic of you!”

  “Do you mind?”

  “Why should I mind? I’m not a romantic either, I’m afraid,” he said lightly.

  She snuggled closer to him. “I can be.”

  His arms loosened their hold on her and he rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “Yes, I imagine you can,” he said thoughtfully.

  Grace realized that he was doing it again. Time after time, just as they were becoming closer emotionally, usually after sex, which was the most incredibly satisfying sex she’d ever had, he would close himself off.

  He was subtle about it, never leaving her feeling alone or used, but she was used to working with actors. She understood nuances of tone and body language, and that was definitely what he did.

  She was too wise to try and talk about it. They’d been together for six months now, and he was the most attractive, charismatic and charming man she’d ever been in a relationship with. He was also an incredible lover, easily the most thoughtful and attentive one she’d ever had. Her pleasure always came first, and unlike other men who’d been in her life and bed, he never left her unfulfilled while he satisfied himself.

  She knew that she was beginning to fall in love with him, but also knew that he wasn’t in love with her yet. He seemed totally committed to their relationship, she hadn’t heard any rumors about other women since they’d met at a theatrical fundraising evening and ended up in bed the same night, and as far as she knew he spent most of his free time with her. All the same, he definitely wasn’t in love with her.

  David glanced at his watch. “Time to shower and get you back home, before your clothes turn to rags. Not that you’re wearing any right now of course! You did say you wanted to be back by midnight, didn’t you?”

  Grace nodded. “I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow with some possible sponsors for a new play I want to put on, if I can find a fringe theater that’s free in the next six months.”

  “That’s what I thought; shower or bath for you? I’d suggest we share the shower, but we haven’t enough time,” he said, and flicked lightly at her left nipple until it started to harden again.

  “Stop it! We don’t have time, and anyway I’m exhausted.”

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, David glanced back at her. “Really? You don’t think you could, even if we tried?”

  “I know I couldn’t!”

  “Interesting,” he murmured, almost to himself, and then he lay back down on the bed again, his fingers lightly touching her now soft nipples. Slowly he rolled them between his fingers, and Grace felt her body start to stir again.

  “I can’t, truly I can’t,” she repeated, pushing his hands away. “And we don’t have time.”

  “Relax, this won’t take long,” he assured her, and then his tongue was lapping at the areola, while his fingers continued to work on the slowly hardening nipples themselves.

  Despite herself she began to squirm on the bed, her eyes wide as she looked up at him. He was watching her very closely, his expression tender and yet also watchful. She’d never seen that look on his face before.

  Under his expert touch her nipples were now rigid, her breasts swollen and despite her previous exhaustion she could feel another orgasm building slowly deep within her. She moaned softly, her legs moving restlessly as she waited for the pleasure to come.

  Then, without any warning, David closed his teeth around the tip of her left nipple and bit hard on it. With a scream of shock she started to push him off her but then, to her total disbelief she realized that her whole body felt hard and tight, tensed for the blissful moment of release. She couldn’t believe it.

  She waited for David to do something, anything, to trigger that final moment of ecstasy, but instead he stopped touching her and when she opened her eyes he was watching her with such tenderness that for one brief moment she could almost have believed that he loved her.

  “What happened just then?” she asked in bewilderment.

  He looked faintly amused. “I proved you wrong, that’s what happened! You weren’t as exhausted as you thought, were you?”

  “No, but why didn’t you finish what you’d started? I wanted…”

  “What did you want, Grace?” he asked with interest.

  “I wanted to come, you must have known that!”

  He nodded. “I did know, but I also knew you wanted to get back home because of your work,” he said with apparent regret.

  “You hurt me,” she added.

  David shook his head. “Not really; I shocked you but you enjoyed it, didn’t you?”

  Grace wished she could deny it, because it didn’t seem right, but it was the truth. “Yes,” she admitted quietly, “and I didn’t want you to stop.”

  “I thought we might go away next weekend,” he said after a few moments spent watching her body as she continued to shift restlessly on the bed.

  “Next weekend?”

  “Yes. Why the surprise?”

  “It’s the weekend you always have to work.”

  “I’ve decided I deserve some time off. We can stay at a club that’s managed by Andrew, a friend of mine. I have a feeling you’ll really enjoy it.”

  “Hopefully we’ll both enjoy it?”

  “That’s the general idea of a weekend away isn’t it?”

  “What sort of a club is it? If it’s a sports club I’d rather not. I know you enjoy squash, tennis, badminton and every other game under the sun, but I don’t.”

  “I may not be romantic, but I do realize that a sports club wouldn’t be a romantic break for either of us!” he retorted.

  “Then what kind of a club is it?” Grace felt there was something he wasn’t telling her.

  “I want it to be a surprise for you, but if you don’t
want to come then of course we won’t go. I only want to please you, darling.”

  Grace wasn’t sure herself why she wanted details, but it seemed strange that he hadn’t suggested a hotel.

  “Is it a private club?” she asked. “You know, members only, that sort of thing.”

  “In a way, but as I’m a member they will let you in! It’s in a beautiful building, there’s a sauna, swimming pool, steam room and the food is excellent.”

  “What’s its name?”

  “It’s called The Dining Club,” said David quietly.

  “So it specializes in fine dining?”

  “You could say that.”

  There was something about the look in David’s eyes at that moment that Grace found unsettling, but she didn’t know why. What she did know was that if she asked one more question he would rightly think her very ungrateful and might drop the whole idea.

  The prospect of them spending an entire weekend together was very appealing. With her work schedule frequently involving evenings, and his days often starting with working breakfasts, it would be the first time they’d managed two whole days and a night together.

  “No Internet access, no long business calls?” she said teasingly.

  “Certainly not; it’s a place to relax and indulge ourselves.”

  “That sounds wonderfully decadent,” she said with a laugh. “And where is this oasis of calm?”

  “You’ll find out when we get there, but it’s not a long way to travel. Better take a couple of evening dresses though; they’ve got a very strict dress code for the dining room.”

  Grace looked at him in genuine horror. “Evening dresses? I don’t possess an evening dress of any kind! I’ve got some very smart trousers and tops, but…”

  “Sorry, but it’s evening dresses for the women, suits and ties for the men.”

  “Well,” muttered Grace as she left the apartment and followed her lover to his car, “I hope it’s worth all this fuss and money.”

  “It will definitely be worth it,” David assured her, closing the passenger door behind her and walking round to the driver’s seat. “If you like it as much as I hope you will, we’ll go there again, so the money you spend on dresses won’t be wasted.”

  * * *

  When he walked her to her door and kissed her goodnight, David seemed reluctant to let her go. “I’m really looking forward to our weekend break,” he whispered as his mouth moved up her neck. “I’m so pleased you decided to come. I wonder, would you do anything for me, Gracie? Anything I asked?”

  Before she had time to ask him what he meant, he’d gone, leaving her standing under the porch light, the unasked question going round in her head long after she had left.

  Alone in her own bed later that night, Grace still felt uneasy about the forthcoming weekend. “It’s only a club,” she told herself, “a rather stuffy club by the sound of it, but a club. Grow up, Grace. With David at your side for two whole days and one long night, the Dining Club should give you the best weekend of your life so far.”

  As she started to fall asleep, back in his apartment David was talking animatedly on the telephone. For him the weekend couldn’t come soon enough.

  Chapter Two

  Amber stood in the arched entrance to the vast dining room and looked around. It was her job to make sure that everything was perfect for the evening’s visitors. She was the hostess and if anything was out of place, or the ambience wasn’t to David’s liking, he would make his displeasure very clear later on, when they were alone together. Although normally that excited her, there were times when he could make sure that his displeasure didn’t cause her any pleasure at all.

  Walking slowly round the tables she checked the silver cutlery, the crystal wine glasses and the red damask napkins that provided the only touch of color in the room, apart from a single red rose in a slender silver vase in the center of table five.

  Table five, her table, or rather their table. She was relieved that David, who could do almost anything, couldn’t read her mind. She knew that in his view it was merely the top table, belonging to no one, just as he belonged to no one, at least not yet. He most certainly didn’t consider it Amber’s table, of that she was in no doubt.

  All was well. Only the menu cards were missing, and that was because David was still putting the finishing touches to them.

  With a sigh of contentment she walked back to the arched entrance for one final look at the room, the cream walls and matching cream chairs in stark contrast to the dark wooden floor and dark mahogany dining tables.

  As she walked back to the archway she saw David coming toward her. Unlike her he wasn’t yet dressed for the evening, and was wearing a pale blue open-necked shirt and dark blue casual trousers. He must have just showered, she realized, as his light brown hair was still trying to curl.

  He was clearly deep in thought, as though his mind was a million miles away. Perhaps it was, thought Amber. She really had no idea what David thought about when they weren’t together at the monthly weekends, and she knew better than to ask. He was the most private and controlled person she’d ever met, except sexually.

  Her breathing quickened as she thought of the weekend that lay ahead of them; so many surprises, so many unexpected delights that would leave her sated and exhausted but longing for the next month. David was ingenious because, thanks to the way the monthly dining weekends were run, no two weekends were ever the same.

  “Is that the dress you’re wearing tonight?” he asked.

  “Yes, if you approve.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Ten o’clock. I thought I should get your approval before you went back to your office until this evening.”

  “God, is it ten already? I must go and pick up Grace. Here are the menus.” He handed them to her and as their hands touched he looked at her more carefully. “That dress is excellent,” he said. “It sets the tone perfectly. And it suits you,” he added.

  Moving behind her he put the palm of one hand against the exposed, velvety skin of her back. The backless dress was made out of black silk, a fishtail design with an intricate flowered neck and a diamond-encrusted front collar. The silk bodice was draped and then pulled round and up at the back, meeting the collar at the nape of her neck.

  “I like the draping effect,” he said, his fingers now stroking the nape of her neck as he pushed her long honey-blonde hair to one side. “It’s perfect, and the bondage effect makes me wish I could stay longer so that I could take full advantage of it.” As he spoke he twisted her hands behind her back, gripping her wrists tightly together with one hand while pushing her up against the wall.

  Then, with his free hand, he pulled her left breast out of the bodice of the dress and squeezed it hard. She let out a tiny sound of surprise mixed with excitement.

  “You’re not to make any noise,” he said quietly. “Not one sound. Do you understand me?”

  Amber nodded, swallowing hard as she fought to obey. His long fingers were now squeezing her rounded breast with increasing pressure. At first it was comfortable, then uncomfortable, and then as he kept his eyes on her face, he gripped it with all his strength and red-hot pain lanced through the delicate tissue.

  Even she had difficulty in keeping silent, but then the pressure was released, and bending his head he licked tenderly at the marks his fingers had left behind on the soft globe. Amber trembled, because she knew this was only a temporary respite. Sure enough a few seconds later his fingers began to tighten around the aching flesh once more, and this time the pain came more quickly.

  The only sound in the room was that of Amber’s breathing as she struggled to stop herself from crying out, not with the pain but with the wonderful hot, liquid pleasure that was starting to flood through her body. As her climax rushed through her she closed her mouth tightly, knowing that any sound would mean David would walk away, and she needed him inside her now.

  When her body arched away from the wall, David, who’d been watching h
er eyes closely, roughly pushed up the long folds of her dress and inserted two fingers inside her damp, needy opening.

  She was soaking wet, and when his fingers located the tiny raised G-spot just inside the entrance and lightly massaged it, she convulsed with pleasure and a tiny whimper escaped from her lips.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, David bit down hard on the breast that was still imprisoned in his hand, but although it was her punishment it merely served to extend her orgasm, although now she shuddered in silent ecstasy.

  Half-slumped against the wall she realized that he was still watching her, and he touched the side of her face with the back of his hand. “So wonderfully decadent,” he murmured. “If only I could stay, but I must go and collect Grace.”

  “Who is Grace?” she asked, trying to rearrange her dress and regain some of her more usual poise.

  David smiled at her. “Grace is to be my guest at table one tonight. She’s a theater director, and she’s very special to me.”

  Amber was stunned. “You mean, you’re bringing her here to try and complete the whole trial?”

  “Yes, it’s been a long time since I’ve brought my own guest. I’m looking forward to it.”

  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It had been over two years since David had brought anyone to the Dining Club, and after such a long time she’d felt secure in their relationship. She was shocked to the core by the realization that there was now going to be a potential rival on the scene. “Presumably she spends her life telling people what to do,” she said, trying to gather her thoughts together. “That might make it difficult for her to let anyone else take over during our evening entertainment.”

  David caught hold of Amber’s chin and turned her head toward him. “If she finds the weekend challenging, that will make it all the more interesting for us, won’t it?”

  His fingers were strong, and she didn’t want any more marks to spoil the way she looked this evening. “Yes, I know, I was only…”

  David’s startlingly blue eyes stared off into the distance and he released her. “Don’t prejudge my guest, Amber. And don’t try to change things to make it more difficult for her than it should be during her first visit. I’m sure you don’t want to annoy me, and that would annoy me, very much.”