by Folsom, Tina
“The only poker I’m interested in playing with you is strip poker,” he retorted quickly but kept his eyes on the road.
She had to hand it to him. No matter what subject they were talking about, he managed to bring it back to sex every time. He might have promised her to not force her to have sex with him, and she trusted him to keep his word, but it didn’t mean he was going to keep the subject off the table.
She’d have to be careful not to have him trip her up. If she wasn’t vigilant this weekend, she’d be tumbling into his arms in no time. She couldn’t allow herself to let her guard down and give him another chance at hurting her. The damage he’d caused was already big enough.
Even though she’d accepted his explanation about his ex-girlfriend Audrey, she wasn’t truly convinced that he was honest with her. No man would spend thousands of dollars for a few days with an escort without expecting to have sex with her. He was up to something, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
After they left the highway to find the turnoff that would bring them to the little bed and breakfast he’d reserved for them, they got lost for a short time. She was surprised when Daniel stopped to ask a passing farmer for directions. She knew plenty of men who would have rather driven around in circles than admitted they were lost.
He smiled at her as if he knew what she was thinking. “We should be there in a couple of minutes.”
The place he’d chosen was a dream. They’d arrived at a working vineyard, which operated a small bed and breakfast. But unlike other bed and breakfasts, this one had a few little cottages dotted around the large estate. One of those would be theirs.
Daniel dropped their bags in the living room as they stepped into the place after picking up the key from the main house. There was a small kitchen to the left of them. It would be sufficient to make coffee in the morning.
Sabrina walked through to the bedroom. It was furnished with a Queen size bed, night stands, and a dresser as well as a couple of comfortable chairs. The en-suite bathroom had both a tub and a shower. The French doors in the bedroom led out to a large terrace spanning the entire width of the cottage.
But the view was something else. As soon as Sabrina opened the doors and stepped out onto it, she was mesmerized. Looking down from the top of the hill on which the cottage was perched, the vineyard stretched out into the valley. Gently rising slopes on either side were planted with rows and rows of vines.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Breathtaking,” she heard his voice behind her, his breath caressing her neck. “You think you’ll enjoy staying here for the weekend? Even if you have to put up with me?”
She turned her head and gave him a soft smile. “Even if I have to put up with you.”
His eyes caressed her, but he made no attempt to touch or kiss her, which surprised her. “Come, let’s go for a walk around the vineyard.”
Daniel offered his hand, and she took it without hesitation as they left the cottage and wandered down the path, which led through the vines. The sun was already hot and pleasantly touched her skin while she strolled along the dirt paths with him, her fingers intertwined with his.
It was a casual touch, not the purely sexual touch she was used to by him. She wondered what had brought this change about. Even when they’d met at the coffee shop the night before, he’d been full of barely contained desire. But now he’d turned into the sweet guy from next door. He was funny and entertaining, and apart from the few sexual innuendos he’d made in the car, he’d shown no sign of wanting to seduce her.
It had felt as if the farther away from San Francisco they’d driven, the more he’d left his seductive side behind. His easy going demeanor relaxed her, and it felt as if the tension from the last few days finally left her body. Even the unpleasant and potentially dangerous situation with Hannigan faded into the distance.
Daniel helped her up a steep path, and they suddenly stood on a little grassy plateau. Several trees provided shade. The view was three hundred and sixty degrees and stunning. Rolling hills, trees, vines, a small stream in the distance. It looked as if taken right out of a tourist brochure.
As Sabrina examined the plateau more closely, she noticed a large blanket with a basket resting underneath one of the trees. He followed her gaze.
“I hope you’re hungry. I had a little picnic basket put together for us.”
Daniel smiled in response to her surprised face.
“Wow.”
Daniel took out the food from the basket: bread, cheeses, olives, spreads, cold cuts, and of course a bottle of wine. No picnic in the wine country would be complete without wine.
Sabrina let herself be pampered. It had been very thoughtful of him to plan ahead and organize a lunch for them. She hadn’t expected him to put this much thought and planning into the weekend.
Daniel poured the wine and handed her a glass.
“To a wonderful weekend,” he toasted.
“To a wonderful weekend.”
Before she had a chance to drink from her wine he bent to her and softly pressed his lips on hers. It only lasted a second before he pulled back and drank from his glass. Sabrina quickly took a sip to disguise the fact that the simple touch of his lips had completely ruffled her. When she’d felt him kissing her, she’d instantly wished for more, for a deeper connection and not the light, barely-there touch he’d teased her with.
“I’m glad you decided to join me.”
“You didn’t exactly leave me much of a choice.” Sabrina took an olive and popped it into her mouth.
“Some people need a little persuasion.” Daniel’s smile was warm and kind. But she wasn’t easily fooled. Underneath the sweet exterior the predator lurked. The man who’d practically devoured her in bed was still there. He hadn’t just disappeared.
“Tell me, what’s your plan?”
“My plan?” he gave her a sideways glance.
“For this weekend. It looks like you have a plan. This picnic didn’t just appear out of nowhere. What other things do you have up your sleeve? Planning to soften me up, are you?”
“If I were, what makes you think I’d tell you what else you’re in for? It would be showing my cards, wouldn’t it?” He changed the subject. “Cheese?”
She took his offering, and they both started eating.
15
Daniel smiled inwardly. Sabrina was sharp, and there was little he’d get past her. She had to let him know that she was onto him, his cute pretend escort. Sure, he had a plan for the weekend, but there was no way he’d let her know the things he’d planned to sweep her off her feet and right into his arms.
With Tim’s help, he’d come up with all kinds of ideas, and he would put as many as possible into practice. If by the end of the weekend she wasn’t as taken with him as he was with her, he’d just have to try harder the next week. Failure was not an option.
Pouring the last of the wine into her glass, he noticed that she could hold her own. They were making light conversation during their meal, talking about wine, food, and vacations. Daniel lay back onto the blanket after he’d finished the last sip of wine. The lack of sleep was catching up with him.
Planning and preparing for the perfect weekend with Sabrina, even with Tim’s help, had taken most of the night. He’d barely gotten two hours of sleep, and the wine had done the rest. His body couldn’t hide the tiredness any longer.
In the morning, he’d left a message with his new lawyers about where they could reach him in case of absolute emergency but told them he didn’t want to be disturbed. He’d even switched off his Blackberry, which he’d never done before.
“Do you mind if I close my eyes for a few minutes?” he asked her.
“Go ahead. It’s nice up here. I might just nap a little too. The wine has made me a little tired.”
Daniel saw her smile before he closed his eyes. Seconds later, he felt her shift on the blanket and knew she’d lain down next to him. He drifted off quickly, feeling a
light breeze caress him. The tree provided sufficient shade for them to remain relatively cool despite the warmth of the sun.
He fell into a light dream, imagining her arms around him, her head resting on his chest and her even breathing soothing him. He could easily see himself with her, and not just in bed. He could see her by his side doing things couples did. But mostly, he could see her in his arms.
When he’d dated plastic women as Tim liked to call them, he’d never been very demonstrative with his feelings. Apart from lending a woman his arm to lead her to the table or to help her out of a car, he wasn’t one to hold hands in public, let alone kiss. His girlfriends had always understood this.
With Sabrina, all he wanted to do was show the world that she was his. He wanted everybody to see that he was the one holding her hand, that he was the only one allowed to kiss her. When he’d left her with love bites after their first night together, he hadn’t understood why he’d done it. He wasn’t a teenager anymore, who did stupid things like that, and he’d certainly never done it to any of his previous girlfriends. But now that he knew the feelings he harbored for her, he knew that during their first night he’d instinctively branded her.
Daniel’s chest felt heavy when he finally woke, and he felt something pressing against his thighs. As soon as he opened his eyes, he realized to his amazement what the cause of the weight was. His lips lifted into a smile.
Sabrina had snuggled into him and slept deeply, her head resting on his bicep. Her arm lay heavy on his chest, and she’d placed one leg over his thighs. Just a look at her peaceful body sprawled over him, coupled with the feel of her bare legs touching the exposed skin on his shorts-clad thighs, was enough for his body to heat up.
Suddenly, the shade of the tree wasn’t sufficient to cool him, nor was the light breeze getting even close to lowering his body temperature.
He was in deep shit. What had made him think he could spend the night in bed with her without touching her? Even now, he could barely restrain himself from putting his hands on her to tug her even closer, or run his hand underneath her shorts to touch the soft skin of her ass. And now she was dressed. Tonight, she’d be naked or as close to naked as possible.
Panic gripped him. He’d never be able to go through with his plan. The coldest shower in the Antarctic wasn’t sufficient to cool his thoughts or bring his erection under control once Sabrina was in his bed tonight.
How could he ever go through with his slow seduction to make her come to him when he would jump her bones the minute they were back at the cottage? Whose brilliant idea had that been? Oh yes, his own. Tim had doubted from the start that he’d ever be able to go through with it and had suggested he’d tell her the truth the minute they got out of town. One-nil for Tim.
***
Tim waved to catch Holly’s attention when he saw her appear at the door to the coffee shop. She spotted him instantly and shuffled past the busy tables to plop down next to him on the couch. They kissed on the cheek.
“Darling, you have no idea what kind of night I’ve had,” Tim complained theatrically.
“Don’t get your knickers in twist, sweetie, at least you didn’t have to deal with Sabrina crying her eyes out again.” She let out a long breath of air.
“I love it when you talk dirty to me,” he teased her.
“I wish, sweetie, I wish. For you I’d give up my job, honestly I would.”
Tim gave her a friendly squeeze. “Sorry, darling, I can’t change what I am. But if I could, I’d do it for you in a heartbeat.”
She shrugged. “I think it’s your turn to pay. I’ll have a triple grande—”
He cut her off instantly. “Already ordered. I’m so way ahead of you.” Her drink was called out by the barista and Tim got up to collect it for her.
Holly took a greedy gulp, then wiped the foam off her lips. “I needed that. I got up way too early to make sure Sabrina was really going to leave with him and not change her mind at the last minute.”
“That’s nothing. Danny kept me up half the night to organize everything for the weekend. Okay, so I volunteered to help him.”
Holly raised an eyebrow.
“Fine. I convinced him that he needed to put some thought into this.” Tim glanced at her and grinned. “I made him take a crash course in sensual massage.”
“You did what?” Holly almost spilled her latte.
“I called my masseuse and had her teach him how to do a sensual massage. Trust me, Sabrina will thank us for it later. He’s a fast learner. And he’s motivated.”
Holly shook her head. “Don’t you think we’re taking this too far?”
Tim made a dismissive hand movement. “After all you’ve told me about Sabrina over the years, I’m telling you they’re perfect for each other.”
“I’m having second thoughts. She’s going to get hurt. We should have never done this. What the hell were we thinking?” There was concern in Holly's voice.
Mischievously, Tim looked at her. “Did I mention that he’s fallen in love with her?”
Holly’s mouth dropped open. “Are you sure?”
He tossed her an offended look. “Do I know Danny, or don’t I know Danny?”
“Did he tell you?”
“No, I told him. He needed a bit of a jolt. But he’s on board now. I saw it in his eyes, the full shebang. Rattled him quite a bit, but he’ll be fine.” He smiled self-assuredly. “I’m sure everything will fall into place when he tells her the truth.”
Holly shook her head. “And when do you think there’ll ever be the right time for the truth to come out? Sabrina is so paranoid about getting hurt again that she’ll just shut down.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll handle it. Our work is done. And a great job we did. Don’t you think so?”
“That’s still not decided. By the way, great timing with the phone call. Sabrina bought it instantly. Didn’t suspect anything. Who was the girl?”
“A waitress I know. It told her to pretend it’s a monologue for an audition.”
“I wish we could have orchestrated this differently though. Sabrina is going to be so mad at me when she finds out.” Holly bit her lower lip.
“Hey, not my fault. I wanted to set them up on a blind date, but he didn’t want a date. I couldn’t just let that opportunity slip through my fingers. Who knows how long we would have had to wait for another one. It was perfect timing. Believe me, even though I never met that ex-girlfriend of his, I know the type. None of those women he went out with were right for him. I love him like a brother. I’m not having him end up with some money-grabbing plastic bitch. He needs a real woman with real feelings.” His tone was adamant.
Holly nodded in agreement. “Well, here’s his chance. She’s got feelings all right. I just hope your friend can handle that. I hope he’s not out to play her.”
“Oh, he’ll play, but he’ll play for keeps. When he gets something into his head, he’s not going to stop until he’s got what he wants. And I tell you, he wants her. He wanted her already when he still thought she was an escort. Deep down he doesn’t give a damn about conventions. Even if she were an escort, he’d still want her. Even if it meant he’d have to tell his parents that he’s in love with a prostitute, even though for Mamma’s sake I’m sure he’s glad she’s not. Not that he’d ever tell her.” Tim chuckled softly, and she jabbed him in the ribs. “There’s nothing wrong with being an escort, and would you please not call it prostitute,” she snorted.
He hugged her. “Absolutely right. It’s all a matter of price.”
“You’re such an ass sometimes,” she retorted laughingly.
“I suspect that’s why you love me?” Tim smirked.
“Why did you never try to set me up with him?”
He gave her an incredulous look. “What? And lose my best female friend? What am I, completely selfless? Don’t you know me at all? And besides, you’re not his type.”
She sighed. “He said as much when I met him. God, he’s even hotter in pers
on than on the pictures you showed me.”
“Don’t I know it? And don’t worry, I’ll find you somebody else. But not yet. I’m not quite ready to let go. Who else can I call at two in the morning when I’m feeling blue?”
Holly shook her head and laughed. “Selfish bastard.”
16
Daniel needed a cold shower, and he needed it now. They’d returned to the cottage, and just looking at Sabrina’s legs sticking out from her shorts as he followed her inside made him feel like walking on a bed of hot coals. Barefoot.
“Will you excuse me for a few minutes please?” he managed to press out before he made a mad dash for the bathroom. Locking the door behind him, he stripped and jumped into the shower. She was probably thinking he was crazy, but it was either that or him wrestling her to the ground, tearing her clothes off.
When she’d finally awoken in his arms, she’d looked embarrassed, and he’d let it go and not made any sexual comments about it. But it didn’t mean he could forget about how her body had felt. It had reminded him of all the things they’d done in and out of bed the first two evenings they’d spent together.
The cold water ran down his hot body but did nothing to ease his throbbing erection. Like a soldier on the parade grounds, it just stood there, straight, hard, and unyielding. Who had ever created the rumor that a cold shower got rid of an erection? It obviously was some old wives tale.
For sure it wasn’t working for him. Damn! He couldn’t go out there and face her with that thing. It was like a loaded gun, liable to go off at any moment. No safety on. There was only one other surefire way to unload that weapon.
As Daniel took his cock into his hand, he closed his eyes and imagined Sabrina in the shower with him. Her hand touching him. Her mouth. Her tongue. Her hand tightening around his shaft, sliding up and down on it, first slow and then faster, harder. Until he was panting.
It didn’t take much for him to find release. Within seconds, he came and shot his seed against the tile wall of the shower. Daniel only hoped that this release would help him get through the rest of the day and the night. But he had his doubts.