Private Engagement

by Adrienne Perry

  “She’s on her fourth marriage now. I think. It could be more. They never last long. She likes the planning, as I said. She plans the perfect marriage, the perfect life, but when reality sinks in, and she realizes that her perfect is still just ordinary, she leaves for something new. I guess that explains why I do what I do. Typical, huh.” Emily shrugged.

  “There is nothing ordinary about you, Emily,” came Ethan’s reply. “You are so extraordinary, and you don’t even know it. Whatever your mom finds to criticize about you, she’s wrong. Dead wrong.”

  “You barely even know me,” Emily protested. “Believe me, there’s plenty about me that needs to be fixed.”

  “I haven’t known you long, but I know that you’re dedicated, committed to your job, and doing your best. I know you can read people better than anyone I’ve ever known, and I’ve interacted with a lot of very astute people in my work. I know that you can evaluate a situation accurately in minutes, something some senior FBI agents can’t do half as well. I know you care about your friends. I know you want to do the right thing even if it’s not what makes you happy. I think you have far more romance in you than you believe, and I think you’re searching for your happy ending, even while you pretend that it’s nothing you’ll ever find.”

  He stroked the side of her neck with his thumb, pressing at her pulse point. He replaced his thumb with his lips, so softly, and Emily’s pulse rocketed. She could feel his lips curve into a smile at this.

  “I also know that your ass fits perfectly in my hands, and that your skin tastes like strawberries.”

  He kept delivering soft kisses on her neck, and he reached down to caress her butt. The sensation of his mouth and his hand, and the hardness of his thighs intoxicated her.

  “I know the sounds you make when you like something, and when you want more. I know you like a bit of kink, and I can’t wait to explore that with you.”

  At this, he smacked her ass, causing her to jump and yelp in surprise.

  Emily opened her mouth to chastise him, and then blushed as she fell into the pleasure of him rubbing the sting away from her butt. Without thought, she began rotating her hips in time with his stroking on her bottom.

  “Do you want to know what else I know?” he asked.

  Incapable of speech, Emily nodded mutely.

  “I know that I can give you everything you want, and more. I will make you scream my name as you orgasm. I will make you beg for release. I know you need someone who will be in charge, and that once you find that person, you’ll realize that sometimes you’ll want to be in control, too. You think you only like it when it’s hard and fast, but I’m going to make you realize that slow can be just as good. I’m going to convince you that you’re as big a romantic as any one of your brides. You think you’re only jaded and cynical, but you have that softness inside you, hidden away somewhere. I’m going to open it up. I intend to show you all that.”

  Emily had felt his erection growing as she rocked on him. He was now caressing her thigh, inching his way higher with each lazy circle his fingers traced over her heated skin. With just the slightest pressure, she let her legs fall apart, opening herself to him. He nipped at her earlobe, teeth scraping the delicate flesh. Just these simple touches and she was lost in him. She would do just about anything to make him keep going.

  “I’ll show you soft, but I’ll also give you hard. I can’t wait for the day when I have you on your knees for me, begging me to let you come. I promise you that you can have me on my knees anytime you want. What do you say about that, Emily?”

  “Yes.” It was all she could manage between her thudding heart and rapid, raspy breaths. “God, yes.” Everything he said, she wanted.

  “Good,” Ethan replied, satisfied.

  He lifted her off his lap and plopped her back in the passenger seat. Flushed and already nearing the edge of orgasm, Emily looked at him with confusion. Why had he stopped so abruptly? She knew he was turned on, had felt his erection. Could see it, even now, straining at the zipper of his pants.

  He was already pulling the car back into traffic, but he slanted his gaze at her.

  “I know what you want. I’ve felt how wet I make you, but I’m going to make you, us, wait a little longer, because it will make it so much sweeter when it happens. I don’t want it to be in an open field, or in the front seat of a car. You deserve more than that. This just gives you something to think about while you wait.”

  Unbelievably aroused and incredibly frustrated, Emily scowled at Ethan, who just laughed in response. Neither said anything for the remainder of the drive. Emily was still caught up in the emotions of the afternoon. The house, the memories of her childhood, letting out all the tears that she’d kept inside for so long and finally telling someone about her past. And Ethan, turning her on, then flipping the switch, leaving her achy and unsatisfied. Ethan, for his part, seemed deep in thought as well. Emily gained some small measure of satisfaction that his erection seemed to cause him discomfort, based on the number of times he had to readjust while they drove through the darkening streets.

  They never did go out for dinner. Ethan dropped her back at her office, giving her a quick peck on the lips before walking off. He paused just once, to tell Emily what he’d meant to say right away, the reason he’d really come by in the first place: he and Charlotte needed an engagement party, and it was to happen in just over a week’s time. Emily could handle that, right?

  Chapter Fifteen

  As the day of the engagement party approached, Emily became more and more nervous about the event. Not the planning part…that she could do in her sleep. This would be the first time she’d be in public with both Ethan and Charlotte at the same time, and they would, by the very nature of the event, have to show everyone how madly in love they were with each other.

  To say that it would be awkward was, to Emily, a vast understatement. However, Vivienne and Mari had both been insistent that Emily coordinate the party and be on hand for any last minute crises. Added to that, Charlotte had begged Emily to stay close and help her. If Emily thought her nerves were an issue, Charlotte was an absolute mess. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, or the fact that Charlotte was going to have to beg the Spanx gods for a miracle to disguise her slightly rounding belly if she still planned to wear the form-fitting maxi dress she’d already selected for the occasion.

  By the time the night arrived, Emily was a ball of nerves. She contemplated calling in sick, or calling in a dead grandma, or something, but she knew all along that she’d go, however miserable a time it turned out to be.

  Emily arrived on schedule at 2:00 pm, so she’d have plenty of time to set up, direct the caterers to the kitchen and where to set up the tables, inspect the servers and review with them who and how to serve, make sure the bar was stocked with all the favorite drinks of key guests, inspect every floral arrangement to make sure there were no drooping buds or brown leaves, as well as, well, everything else that had to checked and modified and perfected before the first guests arrived at 6:00 pm. The party itself was at the home of one of Charlotte’s bridesmaids. It was a renovated colonial that had retained its closed-off kitchen, though the rest of the space had been opened up to maximize entertaining space. Emily idly wondered if the owners had chosen to keep the kitchen sectioned off so they could hide the caterers and wait staff there when they had parties. It didn’t look like the homeowners did much cooking in the space.

  Troy was just arriving as well, along with another assistant from the office. He looked questioningly at Emily, but wisely refrained from asking her why she was there. Though Emily might be expected to be present for the set-up of certain events, she usually left the preamble to smaller events like engagement parties to others. Troy’s one attempt to get information from Emily involved him raising his eyebrows at her in question, to which Emily glowered in response. With a shrug of his shoulders, Troy continued to work and did his best to stay out of her way.

  *****

  The party
was even more excruciating than Emily had imagined. Every time Ethan held Charlotte’s hand, or she gazed up into his eyes and laughed at something he said, Emily felt like someone was sticking a dagger through her heart. She knew it was an act, but how could they make it look so natural, so real? Maybe there was more to it than just pretend. Charlotte was gorgeous, and kind, and wonderful, so it would be no stretch to imagine any man, even Ethan, falling for her.

  Added to that, Emily felt like an invisible dormouse in her standard outfit she wore to such events, simple tailored black pants and a soft silk blouse in a blue gray color. She had thought she looked sophisticated and professional when she’d put it on, but now, here, surrounded by people in designer gowns and sparkly jewelry, Emily felt like she blended into the wallpaper. As the event planner, normally that was exactly what she wanted. But tonight, with this event, she wanted to be in the center. For the first time ever, she wanted the spotlight on her. Even more, she wanted Ethan’s arm around her shoulders, his whisper in her ear, his caress on her back, and his eyes and attention on her. Only on her. Instead, he hadn’t glanced her way even once. He played the perfect fiancé to Charlotte, the ideal devoted lover and partner. Emily couldn’t be more miserable.

  Beyond that misery, which would have been enough on its own, Emily also had to play nice with all the snobby, rude guests at the party. For the most part, thankfully, the crowd was genuine and kind. However, there were enough polished, snotty debutantes who treated her more like a servant than server. One in particular, Shelly, was a young woman who was a supposed friend of Charlotte to whom Emily had taken an instant dislike. The animosity between the two had been cemented when Emily caught Shelly flirting with Ethan in a manner that was far past innocent. Emily had, in fact, heard Shelly propositioning Ethan in a way that she found disgusting on a protective level for her friend Charlotte, and on a personal level for herself.

  When Shelly realized Emily had overheard her inviting Ethan up for a drink in her room, her eyes had narrowed to slits, though she’d covered by pretending that she had just been joking and then deliberately referred to Emily as Erin. “Oh, Erin, can you get me a fresh glass of wine? The good white, not the house.” Then smiled nastily while Emily had no choice but to smile back and fetch the glass. She’d been tempted to spit in it, but settled for bringing the cheapest vintage they had, even though it was still much better than what Emily usually drank.

  After that exchange, everything became too much. A headache pressed at the back of her eyes, she hadn’t eaten anything for hours, and the glass of wine she’d gulped just before the first guests arrived was making her stomach queasy. Finding Troy in the kitchen directing the caterers to make more of the mini crab cakes, which were a huge hit, Emily asked if he could take the lead for a while. She needed just a few minutes to collect herself before she could face the crowd again.

  Troy scrutinized her for a moment. “You can go home, Emily. Everything’s running smooth as Jamaican rum around here. I can handle anything that comes up. The guests are happy, the food is delectable, the liquor is stocked. Go home.”

  Emily sighed. As much as this was torture for her, she had to stay. And she couldn’t explain why to Troy. Instead, she said, “This is my biggest client yet, and I need to be here just in case. I know you can do it, but…” She trailed off, not sure how to explain.

  Troy filled in with a conspiratorial gleam in his eye. “If you’re thinking this is your big moment before moving out on your own and need to keep an eye on everything, then I forgive you for your lack of trust in me.” He paused. “If you’re here to make yourself miserable watching a man you’re so obviously head over heels for, then have at it. You don’t need to, though. You can step out and let us take it from here.”

  Emily gasped, fearing that her attraction to Ethan was so obvious that others could see it. “What do you…I mean, that’s not…it’s just…” she stammered. “Why do you think that I am attracted to Ethan?”

  Troy smiled. “Relax, Em, you do a good job covering. I suspected, but I know you better than most people do. I notice things that other people don’t see. It’s part of my charm. I don’t think anyone else suspects. Yet. But tonight it’s written all over your face. You can’t stop looking at him. Also, you keep trying to send that arched-eyebrow look at the happy couple, and you know how that turns out. Some old woman asked me if you were challenged. So if you’re going to stay, go take your fifteen minutes, and then come back here with your game face.”

  “God, what did I do to deserve you? You’re….thank you.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m a regular fairy godmother. Now go.”

  Emily blushed in embarrassment and frustration that she had been so transparent, but then fled to the safety of one of the upstairs bedrooms to collect herself. She had to get herself straight. Standing with her back to the door, her palms resting on the top of the comforter on the large bed in the center of the room, Emily closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. She tried to harness her yoga training and use the breathing exercises that normally calmed her.

  It took longer than usual for the ritual to settle her, but she kept with it, and eventually it started to work. She felt her frustrations lift, and the tension leaving her shoulders. She ended up getting so into her meditation, that she didn’t hear the click of the door opening behind her. She didn’t sense the muted footsteps crossing the room toward her. She had no idea that anyone had entered the room until she felt arms wind themselves around her waist and pull her close.

  Yelping in surprise, she struggled to free herself until a deep, familiar voice rumbled in her ear. “I have been waiting all night to have you in my arms. No way are you getting away so easily.”

  Emily gasped and spun to face Ethan, pure pleasure coursing through her. He had come to her! Without hesitation, Emily rose on her toes and pressed her mouth to his, circling her arms around his neck and pressing her body into his. He responded instantly, claiming her mouth with his, pushing his tongue against her lips to open them. He ran his arms up and down her body as if he couldn’t get enough of touching her, cupping her ass and bringing her hard against his growing erection.

  Without any thought to where they were, or who might be coming in, Emily nearly purred at the satisfaction she received from feeling his weight pressed against her. She urged him closer with her arms, and arched her body against his.

  He deepened the kiss, tongue exploring farther, demanding more access, and he reached for her leg, pulling it up and around his waist. His touch changed from skimming her curves to lingering caresses and then became strokes along her sensitive skin leaving trails of heat at each point of contact. Touching him again filled Emily with pleasure.

  At first, the feel of his lips on hers was enough, and the presence of him against her satisfied. But before too long—Minutes? Seconds?—Emily needed more. Impatiently, she pulled the tail of his shirt from his pants so she could run her hands up the muscles of his back. She wanted him closer, though he was already pressed as tightly against her as possible. She wriggled her hips, reveling in the feel of his erection pressing into the vee between her legs.

  “More,” she murmured into him when his lips left her mouth to nip at her neck, to nuzzle the soft spot behind her ear.

  His only response was a deep, guttural growl as he pulled her blouse out of the waistband of her pants and started undoing the buttons. In his fever to undress her, he pulled at the delicate fabric of her blouse, nearly ripping it before muttering a curse and letting go. “Dammit, Em, you’d better do this or I’ll destroy your outfit.”

  Emily let out a shaky laugh, and began to do her own fumbling with the buttons. Though Ethan had released her blouse, he kept his hands on her ass, kneading and stroking. When Emily finally undid her blouse, she began to shrug out of it until Ethan’s hands stilled her.

  “Let me,” he demanded.

  Emily let her hands drop to her sides. Suddenly shy under his intense glare, she fought the urge to press back u
p against him, to shield herself, and her flaws, from his eyes. But when she tried to look down to avoid his scrutiny while still allowing him to do it, he tipped her chin back up so she was looking at him again.

  “Don’t look away,” he said. “I want you to see me seeing you so you know how much I am enjoying the view.”

  “But I’m not sure I want you looking this closely,” Emily protested. “Or I don’t know if I want to know you’re doing it. It’s too much.”

  Emily tried to look away again, but Ethan pulled her head back towards his again. “Emily, it’s not enough. Don’t you know it’s not nearly enough? This is what you do to me.” Ethan guided her hand to his cock, and Emily need no encouragement to grasp it in her hand and feel its hardness through his pants.

  He groaned in response to her touch. “I am hard for you all the fucking time, and I might burst if I can’t be buried inside you right now. I wanted to give you soft, but it’s not going to be now.”

  Emily gasped in surprise, pleasure, and desire. She wanted the same thing.

  “I want to take this second to look at you because you are so fucking gorgeous, and I’ve wanted to see you and feel you for so long. And even though it hurts to hold back, I want this moment anyway.” Ethan’s voice mesmerized her, and she stood tall as he looked.

  Ethan slid his thumbs under the silk at her shoulders and eased it back until it fell down her arms and puddled on the floor at her feet. His body was rigid as he gazed at her, desire clouding his eyes. Emily’s earlier shyness faded as her own arousal grew. She knew her nipples had hardened into peaks that were clearly visible under the lace of her bra, but instead of feeling embarrassed by it, she reveled in it, and the way Ethan’s eyes darkened as he stared at them. When he brought one thumb up to skim the sensitive nub, Emily’s lips parted as a sigh of pleasure escaped. When he touched her again, it was with his thumb and index finger, and he squeezed her nipple between them, this time eliciting a moan from Emily.