Isaac traced the shape of her lips with the tip of his finger. Her insides quaked at the tender gesture and she leaned into his embrace, forgetting that she wasn’t supposed to want more.
“You’re really special to me. Do you know that?”
She gulped in surprise at his words. “No,” she admitted. He lifted her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes. “Then let me show you.”
Isaac’s lips trailed slowly over hers, one corner to the other, as if discovering their taste, so gently that he nearly brought her to tears. She reached up and grasped the back of his neck and pulled him closer, opening her mouth to accept his tongue.
Autumn kissed him back with a fervor that would later on astonish her. But, for right now, everything blurred and nothing mattered except for the moment they were creating together.
He groaned as he probed the inside of her mouth, his lips grinding against hers. With every kiss, their passion increased and so did the desperation to capture and hold on to it, each knowing that it had to end.
Still, they held the kiss and each other as the taxi raced over bumpy roads and swerved through honking traffic, each not caring about the final destination.
The taxi stopped suddenly, breaking their embrace and bringing them both back to reality.
Isaac exhaled deeply and grinned. “With a kiss like that, I’ll never have to drink coffee again.”
Autumn nodded distractedly and barely heard his statement. She was worried that Sterling was in the lobby, waiting for them. If he had seen them kissing, she knew he wouldn’t be happy, plus it would destroy any trust he had in her to conduct an impartial investigation.
She grabbed her purse and quickly exited the taxi. She smiled at the doorman, who already had the lobby door open for her, and she was relieved that Sterling was nowhere in sight.
Isaac caught up and reached for her hand, but she took a few steps back, avoiding his touch.
He gave her a strange look. “Are you okay?”
She briefly touched her lips, still burning from his kisses, and nodded.
“Yes, I just want to get this presentation over with, know what I mean?”
Before she could walk away, he ran his hand slowly down her arm, the heat of his palm somehow searing through the heavy fabric of her wool coat, and she felt her knees weaken.
Isaac took a step and closed the gap between them. “And when it’s all over, what are we going to do then?”
His voice was low and her loins tightened at his question, a hidden promise of continued passion.
“I guess we’ll have to wait and find out.”
But Autumn already knew the answer. She was leaving Isaac forever.
* * *
Isaac examined Autumn’s face as they rode the private elevator to Eleanor Witterman’s penthouse apartment.
She seemed to want to be with him, but the abrupt change in her demeanor led him to believe she was holding something back, too. The passion for him was assuredly there. He felt it in her kiss, heard it in her cries when he’d pleasured her to orgasm in her office, and that memorable first time in her apartment.
Still, there was an inexplicable hesitation on Autumn’s part and before they moved to the next level in their relationship, Isaac knew he had to put her at ease somehow.
He had to tell her his feelings about her even though he was still trying to figure them out himself. It wouldn’t be easy, for he realized he wasn’t a very outwardly emotional man. But inside, the intense feelings she invoked in him were raw, powerful and very scary.
The elevator doors opened and Sterling greeted them.
“Here they are, Eleanor. We were wondering what happened to you both.”
Isaac and Autumn stepped out onto the marbled floor.
“We left in plenty of time, but crosstown traffic was a mess this morning,” he lied.
A tall woman with a regal air walked toward them, holding a small dog in her arms.
“Not to worry, dears. Sterling and I have been having a grand time catching up on old times. Haven’t we?”
“Old times?” Autumn asked in a confused voice.
Sterling appeared embarrassed. He put his hands behind his back and cleared his throat. “Eleanor and I are old friends, and I’m hoping that after today, I’ll be able to call her a client, too,” he said tersely.
The latter statement was obviously directed at Isaac and Autumn and was followed by a yip from the dog.
“We’ll do our best,” Autumn replied hastily, cutting her eyes at the bundle of fur.
“I’m eager to hear where you think I should invest some of my money. It was a good thing Sterling called me when he did,” she added. “I was ready to leave it all to my little Pookie.”
When Ms. Witterman pursed her lips and started making obnoxious kissing noises at the little fur ball, Isaac glanced over at Autumn, who appeared to be struggling not to laugh.
“What do you say we get started then?”
“Great idea,” Sterling replied hastily. “We’re going to be meeting in the media room. Eleanor, will you direct us?”
She nodded and set Pookie down on the floor, and they all followed her to a room on the farthest edge of the luxurious penthouse. When she opened the door and Isaac took one look at the movie-theater-like setting, complete with a popcorn machine on wheels, he knew he had to have a similar room in his own apartment.
“This is fantastic,” Isaac commented, setting his briefcase on the floor. “It would be great for watching sports or movies with my k—” He stopped himself just before saying the word kids. “I mean friends.”
But thankfully, Sterling and Eleanor weren’t even listening. They were busy getting Pookie settled. Apparently the dog had his own booster seat.
He turned to Autumn, shaken inside at his near error. Now wasn’t the time to reveal to Sterling the fact that he had two children and the reasons he chose to keep them a secret.
“That was close,” he whispered, shrugging out of his coat and laying it over a nearby seat.
She unzipped her laptop bag and nodded. “I know.”
She squeezed his hand, her touch instantly calming him.
Autumn handed him the laptop. “Let’s get the computer set up. The sooner we get this over with, the better.”
Isaac kept his eyes on hers as she took off her coat, hoping she could see the grateful look in his eyes.
Turning away, he located an elaborate console in a small closet. In just a few minutes, he was able to figure out how to get the presentation to display on the large plasma screen.
When Isaac joined Autumn in front of the room, Sterling and Eleanor were already sitting in the second row, with Pookie in the seat between them happily gnawing on a small bone.
He dug his small laser pointer out of the inside of his suit coat, smiled at Autumn and then at the group in front of him.
“Ms. Witterman, thank you for having us here today. Autumn and I are excited to represent Paxton Investment Securities to discuss our plan to grow your capital through a sound investment strategy that we predict will result in long-lasting and profitable dividends.”
“Show me the money!” replied Eleanor enthusiastically, backed by Pookie, who looked up from her bone and yipped in agreement.
* * *
Three hours later, Isaac and Autumn emerged from Eleanor Witterman’s penthouse apartment exhausted and unsure.
While their potential client had listened intently and had asked a ton of questions, which they and Sterling had taken turns patiently answering, neither knew if she was on board.
“She really had her poker face on,” remarked Isaac. “I think that was one of the most stressful presentations in my entire career.”
“It was pretty nerve-racking,” Autumn agreed as she slipped her arms i
nto her coat. “But that damn Pookie dog sure made out like a bandit. Did you see how many biscuits Witterman fed him?”
“Yeah,” Isaac agreed, laughing heartily. “I think he wanted us to convince her to invest in the pet industry instead of diamonds, technology, health care and wind engineering.”
Autumn cracked up and they were both laughing as they made their way to the lobby door.
“Isaac! Autumn! Wait!” Sterling called out.
They turned and watched as he strode quickly to them.
“I’m glad to see you’re both in a good mood. I have news.”
Sterling slapped Isaac on the back. “She loves the strategy you guys presented. Congratulations, we won!”
Isaac and Autumn turned to each other, wanting to embrace with joy but knowing they couldn’t.
“That’s wonderful,” Autumn replied.
Isaac added, “Coming out of the meeting, we weren’t sure. It was hard to gauge her reaction to our ideas.”
* * *
Before Isaac could ask if Autumn would be involved, Sterling stuck out his hand. Isaac shook it, followed by Autumn.
“Great job, both of you. She’ll be in our offices sometime on Monday to sign the contract. Isaac, be sure to clear your schedule.”
Sterling checked his watch. “It’s way past lunchtime, plus it’s Friday. Why don’t both of you take the rest of the day off. You deserve it.”
“Thank you, sir,” Isaac replied. “Are you headed back to the office now?”
Sterling shook his head and adjusted his tie. “I’m going to go back upstairs and try to convince Eleanor to go to lunch with me.”
“Good luck,” Autumn said.
Isaac and Autumn watched as Sterling hopped into the elevator and smoothed his hair. Just before the doors closed, he gave them the thumbs-up.
They walked outside, where a taxi sat idling and the long Friday afternoon stretched pleasantly before them. The sun was shining, making it seem warmer than it really was, and Isaac felt like a heavy load had been lifted from his shoulders.
Winning the Witterman pitch was the last hurdle to his becoming a partner at Paxton. Once that happened, he’d be able to tell Sterling about his kids and he would have achieved everything he’d ever wanted in life.
There was just one thing missing. The love of the woman standing before him.
Autumn looked back at the building and shook her head in amazement. “Now that was really strange. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sterling so happy. He’s normally such a grump.”
“Me neither,” he responded, belatedly shrugging into his coat. “And I don’t think winning the deal had anything to do with it.”
She turned back as he was picking up his briefcase and he smiled at the curious look on her face.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
His eyes floated slowly over her beautiful face, the lithe body that, ever since he’d met her, he craved night and day.
“Let’s go home and I’ll show you.”
Isaac reached for her hand and his heart lifted in his chest when, this time, she took it willingly.
Chapter 13
The cab eased away from the curb and Autumn knew there was no going back.
Her bare hand, still firmly clasped in Isaac’s, and the utter calm she felt in the depths of her spirit, were both proof that she was about to risk everything for what lay ahead.
The silence between them gave her time to think, and she idly wondered if she was being foolish or, worse, naive. But Autumn forced those thoughts from her mind. If she had to, she would admit to being a lot of things.
Ambitious.
Willful.
Defiant when she had to be. Harsh, too, although the barbs she dealt were primarily directed at herself.
Some people would call these personality flaws; she preferred to think of them as her protection. Her dad had taught her to never let her guard down, for right around the corner, waiting in the dark and ready to leap, was the unknown.
Thus, naïveté didn’t fall into the realm of her existence. Her new life as a private investigator was far too unpredictable for her to be anything but completely confident in her decisions.
She looked out the window and squeezed Isaac’s hand. A tense and palpable excitement hung in the air around them, waiting to be unwrapped and explored. In her mind, she cursed the lumbering midday traffic and urged the taxi to drive faster.
When they finally arrived, they hopped out and Isaac suddenly turned and pulled her aside, and she almost slipped on a patch of ice.
She opened her mouth to protest, but he leaned his cheek against hers, his breath hot in her ears. “I want to make love to you, Autumn.”
Isaac’s voice was low and urgent. “Really make love to you.”
He caressed her earlobe with the edge of his mouth and she shivered against his overcoat. “And I don’t want you to say anything. Just follow my lead, okay?”
Autumn knew it was crazy, to be at this man’s bidding. But, without a moment’s hesitation, she found herself nodding her head.
Some would call her decision selfish, since she was leaving town in a few days. But she didn’t think it was wrong to take one afternoon of passion with her. Memories were the only things that lasted anyway. Relationships sure didn’t. They only got in the way of, well, everything.
This was the right decision, for it would protect both of them from eventual and mutual heartbreak.
Isaac draped his arm around her shoulder and they walked inside the building. As they rode the private elevator up to his penthouse, he pressed his body against hers and kissed her gently.
The doors opened and he backed her into the foyer, his lips never leaving her mouth.
She dropped her purse and he let go of his briefcase, not caring at the moment if the laptops and cell phones within suffered any damage when they hit the marble floor. Their only concern was the inner world of pleasure they were in the midst of creating for themselves.
Autumn’s hands drifted up Isaac’s back, the heavy fabric of his coat tickling her palms, while he got busy unbuttoning her coat. He eased it over her shoulders and she shivered and broke out in goose bumps in spite of the heat between them.
“Cold?” he asked, shedding his own coat.
She nodded, feeling as needy as a child yet wanting him like a woman.
“I know just the thing that will warm you up.”
He led her to the master bathroom and started the water in the huge Jacuzzi tub.
She stepped out of her shoes, trembling in anticipation. As the water ran, he quickly undressed her. She thought it was odd that he did not caress her skin and she found herself yearning for his touch.
When he began to undress, she started to turn away, her nipples puckering painfully in the cool air.
“Watch me,” he commanded.
She felt his eyes on her face as he undid his belt and his trousers fell to the tile floor, revealing the bulge of his erection, the outline so deliciously apparent in his white briefs that she bit her lip and prayed he removed his underwear next.
She let out a low groan of frustration when, instead, he slowly unknotted and removed his tie, and then his blue oxford shirt to reveal a muscular frame that seemed even more imposing and sexy in broad daylight.
Finally, Isaac slid his briefs down over his thighs and she gasped as the length of his penis sprang forth.
He placed one hand and ran it up and down the shaft. “Do you like what you see in front of you?”
She pursed her lips and nodded in response.
“So do I. You’re beautiful, Autumn. Do you know that?”
It was a good thing he’d commanded her not to speak, for she didn’t know how to answer his question. She never thought of herself a
s beautiful. Pretty, maybe, but never beautiful.
Autumn held her breath as Isaac went to her, his penis jutting out between them, and cupped her face in his hands.
“If you don’t think you’re beautiful, you will soon,” he said urgently.
After grabbing a couple of towels, he turned off the water, took her hand and helped her step into the tub.
“Wait,” he said, stepping in after her. “Before you sit down, there’s something I need to do. Turn around with your back to me.”
Autumn did so and when Isaac traced his finger down the hollow of her spine, from her neck to the crest of her ass, she began to shudder uncontrollably and put her palms against the wall to steady herself.
He ridged a finger against the soft folders of her outer lips and the intense rush of pleasure she experienced as he slid it back and forth made her hands curl into fists.
Isaac sucked in a low breath. “Already wet. Good.” He pulled her up against him, and she felt his hard penis roll against the small of her back. “I knew you wanted me.”
He wrested her gently around to face him. And she saw that his eyes were as dark and as wanton as his actions.
I do! she wanted to cry out as they sank on their knees into the warm water. Her unsaid thoughts were quickly forgotten by the pressure of his mouth against hers, while their tongues entangled in a lush firestorm of intense need.
Their kiss seemed to last forever, and when Isaac broke away, she whimpered a little and reached for him again. He placed a finger upon her lips to shush her and she stuck her tongue out and licked it in defiance, enjoying his wide-eyed look of surprise.
Autumn gladly complied when Isaac motioned for her to sit astride his lap, facing him. When her buttocks touched his hard thighs, he moaned and clutched each cheek in his hands, drawing her even closer.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and she didn’t have to look down to see just how much Isaac wanted her. The evidence was pressed against her abdomen, taunting her. It took all her strength and will to not lift her hips and slowly guide him inside her.
Instead, she closed her eyes, leaned in and nuzzled at his neck. Inhaling Isaac’s dense, spicy-musk scent made her feel more alive than she had in a long time. The slightly rough texture of sponge he used to gently wash her back and arms only added to the pleasant sensations. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so cared for by a man.
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