Imminent Affair

by Sheri WhiteFeather

  Leaded glass doors led to the backyard, where decorative brickwork and a collection of café tables made a lovely retreat. A stone fire ring created nighttime warmth. The weather had cooled off a bit, and the setting was perfect for a southern California gathering. Beyond the patio was a dazzling garden, with elegant bridges and fish ponds.

  Glynis was outdoors, seated at one of the café tables and smoking a cigarette from an art deco holder. Her 1930s-style dress was gold lamé and her emerald necklace appeared to be from the same era. She was chatting amicably with a group of equally glamorous people.

  She turned and saw Allie and Daniel. She got up and came toward them, gliding across the patio, cigarette and holder still in hand.

  “The dragon lady approaches,” Allie said.

  “I wonder if she’ll blow smoke in our faces,” Daniel responded.

  She did no such thing. Instead she gave each of them a Hollywood hug, while keeping her cigarette at a proper distance. She smelled like tobacco splashed with Chanel No. 5. Trust Glynis to favor the oldest, most high society signature fragrance of its time.

  “Allie,” she said, catty as ever. “You look stunning. And you,” she roamed her saucy gaze over Daniel, “are almost as yummy as my soon-to-be new boy toy.” She gestured to the bartender. “I’ve got my sights on that one.”

  “Too bad for him,” Allie said.

  “Now, don’t be bitchy. This is a party after all.”

  “Sorry.” Allie faked an apology. “My manners must have slipped. That happens when one is being stalked.”

  “I already told you that I wouldn’t waste my time with something that petty.”

  “Petty? You should see the picture my stalker drew. Oh, wait, maybe you already did. Maybe Margaret drew it.”

  “Margaret? My housekeeper wouldn’t draw you a bath, let alone a picture.”

  “Not even a ghoulish one?”

  Glynis raised her brows. “Just how ghoulish was it?”

  “Horror comic book style.”

  “Really? Well, that’s hardly Margaret’s forte. She paints landscapes.”

  “So, you’re not denying that she’s an accomplished artist?” Daniel interjected.

  “I wouldn’t say that she’s accomplished. She merely dabbles.” The dragon lady turned to Allie. “You’re the professional artist. Oh, here’s a thought. Maybe you drew it yourself. Maybe you’re doing all of this for attention.”

  Allie wanted to choke Glynis with her big, sparkling emeralds. “This from the dame of death?”

  “I got over that a long time ago. I much prefer the living. Now, let’s quit quarreling and relax, shall we? I’ll finish my cigarette, and you two can mingle and enjoy the buffet. There’s a variety of canapés and crudités. I’m sure you’ll find something to your liking.”

  They did. The food was scrumptious.

  As they milled around, quite a few people approached Daniel to say hello. Of course he didn’t recognize them, and it made for fascinating conversation. He casually quizzed them about Glynis, admitting that he didn’t recall his relationship with her.

  Finally, Allie and Daniel slipped off by themselves and went for a walk in the garden. He offered her his jacket since her wrap wasn’t readily available.

  They came to a bridge, crossed it, then stood in the shadows, evergreens scenting the air.

  “Do you think Glynis was trying to throw us off track with her interest in the bartender?” she asked.

  “To prove that she’s not still carrying a torch for me?”

  She nodded and snuggled deeper into his jacket. It was almost like being wrapped in his arms.

  “I don’t know. So far, none of the other guests implied that Glynis is the clingy type. If anything, they portrayed her as just the opposite.”

  “That doesn’t mean she isn’t the stalker. This could be a game to her. Watching us run around like chickens with our heads cut off.”

  “That’s not what we’re doing.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “We’re just trying to find answers, Allie.”

  “I wish we’d find some soon.”

  He escorted her back to the party, and the dragon lady threw them for another loop.

  All gold and glitter, she strode up to them and said, “I’ve been thinking about this stalking business, and something from the past hit me.”

  “A corpse?” Allie asked, unable to curb her bite.

  “Don’t get smart or I won’t tell you what I know.”

  Was this part of the game? Whatever it was, Daniel managed to keep his calm. But he always did. Allie couldn’t deny that she was the hotheaded one.

  “We’re listening,” he told Glynis.

  She lifted her chin. The queen of the manor. “There was this odd little girl who more or less adored you.”

  “Who was she? How was I acquainted with her?”

  “She was someone’s daughter. Someone you’d completed a Warrior Society mission for. I don’t remember her name. I just remember you talking about her. How shy and withdrawn she was. How she would sit in a corner at her parents’ house and draw secret pictures. How she would stare at you when she thought you weren’t looking.”

  Clearly, none of it rang a bell. Allie could tell that Daniel didn’t recall a thing. For all he knew, Glynis had just fabricated the whole convenient story.

  “How old was she?” he asked.

  “Twelve, thirteen. The crush age. But this was about ten years ago, so she would be an adult now.”

  “I’ve known you for that long?”

  “Yes, you have. We go back forever.”

  “You better not be sending me on a wild goose chase.”

  “And you better kiss my lily-white butt if she turns out to be the stalker. You, too,” she informed Allie. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other guests to tend to.”

  The dragon lady disappeared, leaving them to mull over what she said.

  “Do you think she’s lying?” Allie asked.

  “I have no idea. But I’ll call Rex first thing in the morning and have him look into it.”

  Exhausted, she sighed. “Can we go home now?”

  “Absolutely.” They were both more than ready to blow Glynis’s pop stand.

  But they only made it as far as the cloak closet when their hostess reappeared with a sprig of ribbon-wrapped mistletoe and thrust it at Allie.

  “It’s a party favor,” she explained. “Everyone goes home with one of these tonight.”

  “As what? An incentive to kiss your lily-white butt?”

  The dragon lady laughed, albeit clipped. “You can use it for whatever you like.” She leaned in close and whispered, “When I was with Daniel during Christmastime, I tacked mistletoe above his bed. But don’t go copying my moves. You aren’t nearly as seductive as I am.”

  With that, Glynis walked away, taunting Allie with the very thing she’d yet to do.

  Make love with Daniel.

  “What did she say to you?” Daniel asked Allie when they got home. He’d already asked her the same question in the truck, too.

  “Nothing,” she responded for the second time.

  “She said something.” He glanced suspiciously at the mistletoe. “I’d rather not be around that stuff.”

  “Why not?” Did it subliminally remind him of Glynis? Or did it make him want to kiss Allie? She hoped it was the latter.

  He provided a skewed reason. “Mistletoe is classified as a parasite, living off of other trees. Honestly, where’s the value in that?”

  In spite of it being a “party favor” from Glynis, Allie defended it. “There’s a lot of history behind mistletoe, a lot of cultural value. In European folklore, it was one of the most magical, mysterious and sacred plants.”

  He didn’t say anything, so she went on. “Kissing under the mistletoe started as a Greek tradition and continued throughout the world. It’s also associated with Frigga, the goddess of love. It has a religious connotation, too. Some say Christ’s cross was
made of the wood of mistletoe.”

  He frowned. “Is that how mistletoe became a parasite? Was it doomed after the crucifixion?”

  “According to that legend, it was. But I prefer to think of it as magical.”

  “Because you’re a fantasy girl. Because everything is magical to you.”

  No, not everything. She finally came clean. “Glynis said she seduced you with it. And she told me not to copy her.”

  “You wouldn’t need to.” He took a small step in her direction. “Just looking at you seduces me.”

  Allie’s breath lodged in her throat. Should she tell him that she wasn’t wearing any panties? Or should she lift her dress and show him?

  “I’ve been wondering if we could make it work,” she said.

  “Make what work?”

  “Friends with benefits.”

  Now his breath seemed to lodge in his throat. “Have you ever made that work with anyone?”

  “I did with Raven.” Because the time-traveling, shape-shifting warrior had still been in love with his dead wife. He’d only slept with Allie for companionship.

  Daniel didn’t move forward again. He didn’t invade her space. But he captured her with his unwavering gaze. “If you want to be my friend with benefits, I’m more than willing.”

  Of course he was. It would absolve him of having to make a commitment. But this was a serious decision for her. She was already desperately in love with him.

  Now she knew how Raven had felt about his wife.

  Allie glanced at the mistletoe in her hand. She set it on the coffee table, discarding it for the night. She wasn’t going to make a decision based on intimidation, and certainly not by Glynis.

  “You’re still unsure,” Daniel said.

  “I’m trying not to be.”

  “Maybe we should just go to bed. Separately.”

  Maybe he was right. She knew better than to jump into something that would further complicate her already complicated heart.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “There’s no need to apologize. We’ve been dancing around this issue since we admitted that we’re attracted to each other. And now that we know for sure that it isn’t going to happen, we can relax and forget about it.”

  Relax, right. She was still having trouble breathing.

  Coming to an agreement, they walked down the hall together. Then they paused at their respective doors and turned to look back at each other.

  If time could truly stand still, this would have been one of those moments. Everything seemed to stop. Even Allie’s pulse had gone dormant.

  Until Daniel made a husky sound. He still wanted her. And she wanted him. So what were they doing? Going off by themselves?

  “Night, Allie,” he said, his voice rough.

  “Night,” she responded. Her voice was soft, barely audible.

  He turned his doorknob, and she turned hers. He went into his room first. She entered hers and glanced back, hoping to make time stand still again. But his door was already closed.

  The loss of connection all but shattered her.

  She didn’t want to climb into bed and touch herself. She wanted Daniel’s warm, strong hands roaming her body.

  So what if being with him complicated her heart? At least she would know what it was to like to have him thrusting deep inside her, making her moan, making her hot and erotic.

  Anxious, Allie left her room and headed for his.

  To get what she needed.

  Chapter 9

  Daniel’s door creaked open, and there stood Allie. He didn’t trust himself to speak, to utter a word.

  Had she changed her mind?

  God, he hoped so.

  In the silence they stared at each other, and his pulse pounded at his fly. He wanted nothing more than to sweep her into his arms.

  She looked like one of her paintings come to life: a fairy, a wood nymph, a mermaid, a storybook princess.

  “I’m bare under my dress,” she said.

  The pounding got worse. He got hard, too. Brutally hard. Could she be any sexier? Could he be any more turned on?

  “Totally bare,” she clarified, in case he hadn’t understood the first time.

  Daniel wondered if he’d just died and gone to friends-with-benefits heaven. Or maybe it was hurry-up-and-make-love hell. He could barely breathe, and his mouth had gone dry.

  Braless was one thing, but no panties. He’d never imagined her being that daring. Not sugar-and-spice-and-everything-nice Allie.

  She reached for the hem of her dress. She seemed nervous, yet eager, too. A sweet seductress. An innocent vixen.

  “Do you want me to show you?” she asked. “Do you want to see?”

  He wet his parched lips. He wanted to do more than look. He wanted to eat her alive. “Only if I can put my mouth on you.”

  She was still clutching the hem of her dress. “You can put your mouth wherever you want.”

  He considered dropping to his knees, right then and there. “Then do it. Show me.”

  She inched up the silk, moving the fabric at an agonizing pace. He didn’t blink. He refused to lose sight of her, even for a second.

  Already he could see the shapely curve of her calves. Soon her thighs would be exposed. His zipper strained something fierce, and he considered undoing his pants to ease the tension. But he wasn’t about to move, to risk breaking the spell.

  Whoosh. She lifted her dress some more.

  He held his breath, watching every lethal move she made. Finally, showed him what he wanted to see. She was soft and sexy, with a bikini wax that left little to the imagination.

  “Should I take it all the way off?” she asked.

  “Yes. Please,” he added, sounding more polite than he felt. By now, he was fully aroused.

  She peeled off her dress and tossed it aside.

  Gorgeous didn’t begin to describe her. Allie Whirlwind was a Lakota goddess, an Apache queen. Some of the pins that held her glorious hair came loose, making the style even messier.

  He moved closer, and her stomach muscles quavered. They both knew what he intended to do.

  Boom.

  He fell to his knees with a thud. He looked up at her, and she looked down at him.

  He parted her with his fingers and teased her with his tongue. In response, she moaned his name. Already she was wet.

  He licked her some more. Foreplay, he thought. Hot, sizzling oral sex. “I could do this to you forever.”

  She moaned again. “Promise?”

  He gripped her butt cheeks and tugged her closer, making her rock against his mouth.

  Like the sweet, naughty girl she was, she widened her stance, showing him how much she liked it. Her juices flowed onto his tongue, searing him with her feminine flavor.

  With his mouth still fused between her legs, he reached up to knead her breasts. Her nipples were as ripe and dark as wild berries.

  “Keep watching,” he said.

  Her voice was breathy. “I am.”

  Yes, she was. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted to take it to the extreme.

  “Lie down,” he told her. “But leave your shoes on.” Her high heels stirred a multitude of fantasies.

  Daniel was never going to be the same after tonight. And neither was Allie, not after he got done with her.

  She scooted onto the bed in her animal-print pumps, and he finally undid the front of his pants to relieve the tension.

  Then, with his fly open, he climbed on top of her, kissing her lustfully on the lips.

  The weight of his body pinned her down. She wrapped her arms around him and held tight. The kiss was warm and sinfully wet, and they went after each other in hot, hammering desperation. As their tongues danced and dived, she bucked beneath him.

  The yearning was almost more than he could bear. He wanted to be inside her. But he wanted to finish what he’d started, too, and make Allie come against his mouth.

  So he worked his way down: sucking on her berry-ripe nipples, blo
wing his breath across her stomach, toying with her belly button, doing everything within his power to arouse her.

  By the time he buried his face between her legs, she was crazy with need. She tunneled her hands through his hair and moved with the rhythm of his mouth.

  Writhing like the she-devil/sweet angel she was, she hiked her legs up over his shoulders, jabbing him with her shoes.

  Yes, the heels he’d insisted that she wear. Nothing had ever felt so painfully good. He craved every curvaceous part of her, right down to her pretty little pumps.

  She jabbed him again, and he praised the repeated pain. He couldn’t think beyond the lust.

  He glanced up and saw that she was watching him, as he’d instructed her to do earlier.

  “Do you like being a voyeur?” he whispered against her slick, damp center.

  More of her hair came loose, tangling around her breasts and falling to her waist. “Is that what it’s called when you watch a friend drive you mad?”

  The soft, husky way in which she said “friend” punched a shiver straight to his groin. “It is to me.”

  “Then I like being a voyeur.” She touched herself, then sucked on the tips of her fingers, tasting the hunger between them.

  Delicious frenzy.

  He went down on her again. She gasped in raw excitement and begged for more.

  He gave her everything he could, and she climaxed all over him.

  In the heart-palpitating moment that followed, he lifted his head, and she removed her legs from his shoulders.

  “Look what I did to you,” she said, trying to soothe the heel marks on his skin.

  “And look what I did to you,” he responded, reminding her of how wildly she’d come.

  She flushed, and he leaned forward and kissed her. Deep and rough. Until they were rolling over the bed.

  Locked in another bout of passion.

  Allie kicked off her shoes and grabbed the front of Daniel’s shirt. Pulling at the tails and tugging at the buttons, she divested him of it.

  She put her hands down the front of his pants, too. She needed to touch him, to stroke him, to feel how big and hard he was.