by AC Arthur
Sailing the Seine at night was almost as beautiful as watching Zera sit on the bench on deck, her arms wrapped around legs pulled up to her chest, the yellow polish on her toenails twinkling in the dark. It was a breezy evening and her hair wafted up from her neck to blow in the wind. She looked both angelic and sexy simultaneously and in that moment, Dane knew that he wanted her. It was that simple and that complex. He wanted this woman in a way he’d never wanted before.
That was strange because he’d actually already had her, more than once. As angry as Dane had been with her when he’d left Paris four years ago, he’d always cherished the memories they’d made together. Probably because he’d never shared peanut butter and jelly on croissants or nights listening to the bluesy tones of Miles Davis with any other woman. Or perhaps it was because finding his release while buried deep inside Zera had been better than being with all the women he’d had prior, and after, those two months he’d spent in Paris.
What was even more perplexing was the fact that she’d not only told him no, but that he was still feeling a bit annoyed by it.
“I love sailing,” she said. “The air is different on the water. Fresher and cleaner. And I love the sound of the waves. I mean, of course we’re not hearing any crashing waves on the Seine, but out on the ocean, it’s such a soothing sound.”
“I’d rather fly, or drive a really fast car,” Dane admitted.
“Really? What type of car do you drive when you are at home?”
She tilted her head so that she was looking over to where he stood at the railing. He’d been leaning against it, hands stuffed in his front pockets as he’d stared at her.
“I have a few vehicles in New York,” he told her. “A Jaguar X Type, BMW Alpina, a Cadillac XTS sedan and an Escalade. The Jaguar is, of course, the fastest. But I don’t get to drive it much.”
“Right, because you’re probably being picked up in a limo and chauffeured around all the time,” she said.
Dane paused before replying, wondering if that was bitterness or sarcasm he heard in that statement. “I do have a driver who uses the sedan to drive me to work, but only because driving in the city isn’t my favorite pastime. Other than that, I drive myself. Especially when I’m in San Francisco. I enjoy the scenery there.”
She nodded. “That’s right, you have more than one house.”
“You’ve done your research on me,” he said. “I know because you figured out where I was staying. Tell me what else you know.”
She leaned in closer, resting her chin on her knees and Dane wanted to walk over and touch the skin of her cheek.
“You’re forty-one years old, and will celebrate your forty-second birthday in November. You graduated from Harvard with honors before returning to Harvard Business School and obtaining a masters. You also own a private jet—a Gulfstream G650, three houses and one beach house in Bali. But no pets.” She narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. “What’s the matter, you don’t like pets, Dane?”
“It’s a commitment,” he replied instantly. “You’ve retained all that information as if you were preparing some type of report. You have a great memory.”
She shrugged and said, “Sometimes.”
Dane continued watching her as she unwrapped her arms from around her knees and turned on the bench. Her legs straightened and her bare feet touched the glossed wood floor of the deck. She stood up and stretched her arms above her head. Her breasts pressed into the thin white material of her top and his fingers itched to touch them.
“What time is it? It feels like it’s pretty late,” she said, when her stretch was over and her arms fell to her side.
He pulled his hands from his pockets and looked at the watch on his wrist. “Just a little after eleven.”
“Wow. We’ve been out here a while,” she said and took a step toward where she’d left her shoes.
“Time flies,” Dane said before quickly closing the space between them.
He had his hands on her waist in seconds, holding her still in front of him. Her hands gripped his biceps, probably more out of instinct than desire. But when she looked up at him Dane wasn’t so sure. Her gaze was dark, her lips slightly parted.
“I want to kiss you,” Dane said by way of asking permission.
He waited a beat for her response and when none came, he lowered his head until his lips brushed lightly over hers. Zera’s fingers tightened on his biceps and Dane groaned because that was, no doubt, an act of desire. He touched her lips once more, just a whisper of his over hers. She didn’t pull away. She didn’t whisper a no or curse him for taking liberties. So he touched his tongue to her bottom lip and felt her lean closer into him. He licked the seam of her lips, the corners and then over the plump bottom lip again. She held on to him tightly. He slipped his arms around her waist, cradling her body against his as he tilted his head and touch his tongue to her lips again.
“Let me in,” he whispered over her mouth.
She was staring at him, her long lashes fluttering as she tried to keep from closing her eyes.
“Again,” she sighed as she opened her mouth to him.
His tongue was on hers instantly, a soft, warm touch before the long slow swipe that re-ignited the heat that had never died between them. Her arms moved quickly, up and around his neck, her palms flattening on the back of his head. Dane’s fingers splayed over her back as he held onto her as if he thought she might slip away. He deepened the kiss, loving the taste of wine and chocolate soufflé from the dessert they’d shared.
Before Dane could think of whether he should stop himself or not, he was cupping her ass, pressing her against the erection that had grown quickly. She moved her hips, pumping against him and Dane thought if he were a lion this would be the part where he roared, loud and strong. With one hand he gathered the material of her skirt until he felt the smooth skin of her thigh and then the bare curve of her ass. Whatever she wore by way of underwear didn’t cover her completely and the thought had him aching inside.
On a hungry moan, Zera lifted her leg, wrapping it around his waist. Dane had missed this, the instant lick of wantonness that came when Zera was officially aroused. It was like flicking on a light switch and being offered a view into the erotic desires of a beautiful black goddess. It surpassed any dream or image, engulfing him with a certainty that he would never experience this again.
Dane lifted her other leg, locking them both behind his back as his tongue continued to duel with hers. He walked them back to the bench where she’d previously sat. He turned, sitting down and holding her on his lap, his hands coming up, fingers delving into her mass of hair to scrape lightly along her scalp. Her hands came down to his shoulders, kneading and then gripping the material of his shirt. The kiss grew hungrier, more desperate as his heart rapped mercilessly against his ribs. Her legs stayed tightly around him, her center pressing against his groin as if they were totally naked.
He groaned raggedly, his teeth scraping over the line of her jaw as their mouths finally parted. She moaned and gyrated over him. Dane let his hands fall down to her back, holding her as she arched over him. He lowered his face until he could brush a cheek over her breast. The breathy sound she made in response made him want to call out her name. He rubbed his face over her other breast, then covered one nipple with his open mouth. He didn’t care that she still wore her shirt and bra. It didn’t matter that they were on the deck of a yacht he’d rented for the evening. Nothing mattered but the feel of her in his arms, the sound of her voice in his ear. Nothing mattered at all.
“I can’t.”
Dane went instantly still at the sound of those two words. They seemed to quietly fall over the heat that had shrouded him, but landed like a deafening blow. On the inside he still burned for her. On the outside, he slowly lifted his head to stare at her.
She was still on top of him, but sitting up straight now, her gaze intent as she stared at him.
“I am not willing to have another affair with you, Dane,” she said
evenly. “I simply cannot afford to go down that road again.”
Before he could find any words, Zera moved off of him. She stood in front of him for a moment waiting for his comment, but when it did not come, she turned away. He watched her go to where her shoes were sitting by a table and two chairs. She sat in one of the chairs and put each shoe on her foot, tying the straps around her ankles and then pushing her skirt down.
“You have to understand,” she began when he still hadn’t spoken.
Dane stood and cleared his throat. “I do,” he told her, cutting off whatever else she may have wanted to say. “I understand completely and I will respect your wishes. It is getting late. I’ll instruct the captain to take us back now.”
Chapter 5
Zera knew now without any doubt, that she was out of her mind. Her body would certainly agree, as twenty minutes later the hum of unsatisfied arousal still buzzed throughout her every pore.
She walked with quick strides down the street. Dane was right beside her. He’d insisted on walking her back to her car. She hadn’t realized they would do so in complete silence. Was he angry because she’d stopped their little interlude on the yacht? Did he really want to have another affair with her that badly? Settling down with one woman was not in Dane’s future. He’d told her that the night they’d first met the last time he was in Paris. She’d been fine with hearing that because she wasn’t looking to get involved in anything serious either. Truth be told, Zera hadn’t come to Paris for any of the romance included in the city’s reputation.
“Your phone’s ringing.”
“Huh?” Zera asked when Dane’s hand touched her shoulder.
“Your phone,” he said, pointing down at the small purse she was carrying. “It’s ringing.”
“Oh!” Zera reached down and into the purse. She pulled out her phone and hurriedly answered without looking at the screen.
“He’s dead,” the familiar male voice on the other end announced.
“What?” she replied and stopped herself from asking who was dead.
They were still about half a block away from the car park and she knew that telling Dane she could go the rest of the way on her own was pointless.
“Debare’s body was found in a hotel room late last night. We just got word and I thought you should know.”
Zera swallowed and did her best to keep walking when her legs had suddenly turned wobbly. “Yeah. Ah, thanks for letting me know,” she managed. She had more questions but knew she couldn’t go into them right now.
“You can come home now,” he said. “Or at least back to Arlington, I mean.”
“No,” she replied instantly. “I can’t. Not yet.”
“Zera?”
“Look, I’m gonna have to call you back. I’m about to get in my car and drive and you know what a hazard it is to talk on a cell phone while driving. I’ll catch up with you later.”
She disconnected the call before anymore could be said. Words were the last thing she needed right now. Zera needed to think. This was unexpected and it was problematic and she had to figure out what her next steps would be and…
“Is something wrong?”
Her head snapped to the side as she came to an abrupt stop. Dane was still beside her.
“Ah, no. Nothing is wrong.” She lied. “Just an old friend from home.”
Dane stood on the sidewalk with the city’s picture-perfect backdrop behind him. The cobblestone path of the left bank was just below the street where they now walked, so the sounds of the river and the lights from the Pont Neuf were still present.
“That friend told you something that surprised you,” he said. “That friend upset you.”
“No,” she replied shaking her head a little too adamantly. “Nothing like that. I’m good. Just a little tired. Want to hurry and get home.”
His gaze narrowed, but he did not respond. He continued walking. Zera followed. Still holding her phone in one hand she dug into her purse with the other and pulled out her car keys.
“I’m just up on the second level,” she said when they came to the double door entrance of the car park. “You don’t have to go up with me.”
He paused again and looked as if he wanted to say something. Maybe he wanted to ask her more questions. If she were in his position she’d wonder herself what was going on. But Zera was not in Dane’s position. She was still in the spot she’d been in for almost five years now. This was still her priority over any and everything else.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said. She desperately wanted to do and say more, but couldn’t. Zera leaned in to place a quick kiss on Dane’s lips before heading into the car park.
He had looked as if he wanted to insist on going to her car with her, but Zera had moved fast not to allow him that choice.
As she walked up the flight of stairs and turned down the numbered aisle where she’d parked her car, Zera half expected to see a white rose on her windshield. That was how Aasir normally reached out to her, as direct contact was dangerous for both of them. But the news of Debare’s murder was big. Hence the reason Aasir had just called her instead. After finding the white rose in her apartment three nights ago, Zera had already traveled to their meeting spot and had spoken to Aasir. Now, it seems the tentative plan they’d put in place during that call would be changed.
There was no rose on her car, but she slipped behind the wheel and closed the door. Dropping her purse on the passenger seat, she reached into the glove compartment and pulled out her Bluetooth. When it was attached to her phone and she’d started the car’s engine, Zera found the number stored in her phone’s memory and dialed it.
“We have a problem,” was the first thing she said when the woman on the other end answered.
“I know,” she replied. “Get to a safe place and we’ll figure out what to do about it.”
Dane didn’t care what was going on with Zera.
He really didn’t.
He’d resigned himself to the fact that they were still attracted to each other and he was willing to act on that. With eleven days left in his two-week trip, he had other things to do with his time, if sleeping with Zera again wasn’t an option. What he was not going to do was spend any of that time wondering why she looked so damn spooked when she received that call.
It was none of his business. Who she had been speaking to and whatever they’d said to her had nothing to do with Dane. So he should simply let it go. But an hour after leaving her, he was still sitting at the small desk in his hotel room, staring at his laptop screen. He’d googled her and read as much information available online, which wasn’t much. Aside from her name, a Facebook page that she hadn’t visited in three years, and a picture of her when she was seventeen and had been awarded two full scholarships as well as an international grant which Dane had never even heard of before, were all he could find.
She’d attended college in the United States, something else Dane had not known. Tuskegee University was where she’d studied political science, or at least that’s what she’d stated were her plans when she was interviewed after receiving that large endowment. The name of the foundation that had funded the grant seemed vaguely familiar to Dane and for the next hour he found himself deeply entrenched in a rabbit hole studying the Fordhiem Reitz Foundation.
When Dane glanced at the clock to see that it was nearing three in the morning, he shut down the laptop and moved to the bed. He checked his phone which had been connected to the charger on the nightstand and noted no text messages. Dane held the phone for another couple of seconds before opening a new message screen and typing:
can’t stop thinking of you
He stared at those words wondering if he should send the text, or delete it and go to bed. As an unstated rule Dane did not do overly personal or emotional text messages. For him, text messages served a purpose of quick communication of important facts, times, appointment changes, etc. The people he dealt with on a personal level, he either talked to in person or on the ph
one.
Dane was tired and it was late. He sent the message, switched off the lamp on the nightstand and lay down in the bed. He’d pushed the duvet and sheet back when he’d first entered the room, and now pulled them to cover his body. He closed his eyes even though he knew sleep would not come quickly. This had been the routine for the last three days. This was his time to think about Zera without the guilt of needing to focus on either his supposed relaxation or the business endeavor.
Tonight he’d touched her skin, felt the curve of her ass and just a brief hint of the heat burning between her legs. She’d straddled him and memories of her riding him until his release had almost paralyzed him were vivid in his mind. His dick hardened at the thoughts, but Dane’s breathing remained normal. He could think about her, be aroused by her, and not lose his control. For Dane, control was so much more than a virtue. It was a life-line. Throughout all that had happened to him in these past couple of years, he hadn’t lost control. He hadn’t lashed out at any of the Donovan cousins that had looked at him with disdain, or the ones who had insulted his mother. He hadn’t even pulled the trigger to end his mother’s life when he knew that was what needed to happen to keep more people safe.
What he did do was lick his lips as he recalled his tongue tracing a path down Zera’s neck and dancing over her covered nipple. He wanted to taste her skin-to-skin. Every inch of her, one more time. He wanted to… His phone chimed.
likewise. but there is no point.
After reaching over for the phone and reading her message, Dane fell back against his pillow.
pleasure is a valid point
indeed it is, was her response.
And just like that Dane wished he could see her again.
send me a picture to go with my thoughts
This was way beyond Dane keeping personal out of his text messages. It was, in fact, something he’d never imagined himself doing. Hadn’t there been a slew of celebrities and politicians whose phones had been hacked and personal pictures plastered all over the Internet? This message, and whatever response she might send, was not smart. Still, he waited with bated breath for her response.