Recap: In Part One, Lexa learns of Tom’s interest in her and they plan an encounter for the next day.
Wrapping a thick cotton towel around herself, Lexa left the steamy confines of her bathroom and ventured out into the carpeted hallway. She took two steps toward her bedroom, paused and glanced at Barry’s door.
How the man managed to sleep through his own snoring continually amazed her. Akin to the ripping of phone books or a diesel train roaring by, her husband’s loud snores reverberated throughout the house.
Lexa gave a brief snort and continued on to her room. Closing the door, she dropped her towel and padded naked to the closet. She reached in and pulled out the new dress she’d purchased a few days earlier for the presentation today. Black, with a fitted blouse bodice and full, knee length skirt—the dress was simple, elegant and perfect.
Laying the garment across the end of her bed, Lexa turned to her dresser. She pulled open the top drawer, the one containing her lingerie, and recalled the words she’d uttered to Tom. Could she really go through such an important presentation without panties? Maybe, if she managed to keep the insane urge to blush under control.
She reached in and pulled out her favorite hot pink lace bra, the matching garters and sheer stockings. In another drawer, she found a slim, red leather belt and tossed it onto the bed while she put her undergarments on.
A soft tap on the window drew her attention. Lexa fastened the second stay on her garter and put her right leg down. She crossed over to the window and pulled the curtain aside to peer out over the patio. Tom stood exactly where she’d left him.
The early morning sun shone down on him and gave his hair the appearance of a halo. He caught sight of her, smiled widely and wiggled his fingers in a brief wave. Feeling brave, Lexa smiled back and pulled the curtain further aside to allow him a view of her from the waist up.
Tom’s eyes widened momentarily and then narrowed with undisguised lust. His gaze tracked her movements as she reached up and pulled the top window pane down to allow them to speak. The action lifted her breasts and pushed them together in a tempting display for him.
“Good morning,” she said through the open window.
He adjusted his tie and smirked. “It was. That little display just made it a whole lot better.”
Lexa smiled, resting her hands on the wide window sill. “What brings you by? Hoping to discuss a few last minute details before the presentation?”
“No,” he said. “I wanted to see if you’d like to ride in to work together.”
She looked him over while contemplating his offer. He wore a tailored black jacket, a crisp, white shirt and a red silk tie. From what she could see of his pants above the gate, they were also black. Their outfits matched.
“Too funny,” she chuckled.
Tom eyed her quizzically. “What?”
Lexa shook her head and smiled at him. “Nothing. Give me twenty minutes to finish dressing. I’ll meet you out front.”
“I think you’re perfect just the way you are,” he quipped. “See you in twenty.”
Laughing, Lexa let the drapes fall back into place and turned to slip into her dress. She slid her feet into her favorite pair of stilettos, the thin belt around her waist and went to fix her hair. Nothing fancy today, a quick blow dry of her bangs—tie half of the wavy mass back with a clip, and done.
Lexa applied liner to her eyes, brushed a dusting of bronzer over her cheeks and skimmed her lips with a clear gloss. Giving herself one final look over, she turned off the light and walked down to the kitchen.
Her bag sat on a chair at the small breakfast table. Reaching inside, she pulled out a slim packet of paper from the inner pocket. For three weeks the pages had been sitting in her portfolio but she hadn’t built up the courage to hand them to Barry. Now, with her career about to take a jump for the better and Tom’s obvious mutual interest, the time had come to put the dead horse of her marriage to rest.
She set the bundle where she knew Barry would find it—in front of the coffee machine.
Butterflies took up residence in her stomach as she looked at the pale blue exterior page. She’d done it. Now all she needed was Barry’s signature on the divorce papers. Then she could file them and move on with her life.
The sound of a key turning in the front door lock drew Lexa’s attention. She turned, surprised to see her housekeeper arriving on a Friday morning.
“Oh,” the pretty redhead exclaimed and stopped in her tracks. “Mrs. Porter. I didn’t expect you to still be here.”
Lexa cocked her head to the right. “I could say the same, Carissa. You’re supposed to come on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Is there a reason you’re a day early?”
“Barry, um, Mr. Porter asked me to come by today instead.” She bit her lip and looked down the hallway. “I can come tomorrow if you want but, I’m already here.”
“No, it’s fine,” Lexa said. She picked up her bag, keys and purse. “You go ahead. I’ve got to get going. Make sure he… Forget it. I’m sure he’ll pay you well enough.”
The maid nodded and Lexa exited without her morning cup of tea, or breakfast. Great, she thought. I let the little hussy chase me out of my own house.
Making her way down the front steps, Lexa shook her head and laughed softly. What did she care about her soon to be ex-husband and the maid getting it on while she worked? As soon as Barry autographed the divorce papers she would be a free woman and the hunt for a cozy little apartment of her own would begin.
A sleek, silver Lexus pulled up to the curb and Tom smiled at her from the driver’s seat. He climbed out and, coming around to her side, took her bag to place it in the backseat.
“Your chariot, milady.”
“Why, thank you, kind sir.” She laughed and climbed inside.
Lexa smiled and shook hands with the CEO of Watts & Associates. Tom stood to her left, his hand firmly in their boss’ grip. Their presentation had gone off without a hitch and met with a rousing round of approval from everyone present. The account, Mr. Watts had announced almost immediately, was theirs.
Messrs.’ Page and Butler took Lexa and Tom out for a celebratory lunch at one of the most expensive restaurants in town. As she had expected, they announced her promotion to senior account manager, effective immediately. Tom smiled proudly at her from across the table.
So far, the day had been a banner one for her but, Lexa couldn’t help waiting for the other shoe to drop. Four o’clock rolled around and still, nothing. She gave the artwork on her desk one final look over and decided to call it a day. The photographs wouldn’t get any better no matter how long she stared at them.
Shutting down her laptop, Lexa gathered everything she’d need to get some work done on the weekend and placed them in her bag. A soft knock at the door made her look up. She smiled at Tom as he leaned against the frame.
“Looks like you’re ready to go,” he said.
She nodded and zipped the bag shut. “Yep. I was hoping I could entice you into playing hooky with me for the rest of the day. We deserve it.”
Tom grinned, leaned down and showed her the briefcase he’d stashed out of sight. “No enticing needed. I was planning the same thing.”
“Well, then,” she laughed, picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s go. No point in hanging around here when there are much better things to do.”
He stepped aside to allow Lexa to lock the door to her office. When she turned, Tom leaned in.
“Like each other?” he whispered in her ear.
Lexa shuddered, a zing of desire skidding down her spine. She nodded and smiled up at him.
“Yes, exactly.”
Tom laughed and the two of them headed out of the office.
Lexa stood with her back to him while Tom prepared a light supper for them. Something in the back yard had caught her attention and he glanced out the kitchen window to see what might be out there.
Across the yard, on the steps leading down from her patio, several suitcases and boxes sat waiting for someone to come get them. He shook his head, rubbed his eyes and looked again. Yep, still there. What the hell?
“Am I seeing right, Lexa?” he asked.
She nodded. “I never would have expected it from him.” Lexa shrugged. “Can’t say I’m totally shocked though. I did serve him with divorce papers this morning. Wonder which box or bag they’re in?”
Tom gaped. “You what?”
“I served him with divorce papers. This morning.” She turned to face him. A sheepish smile curved her lips. “I’ve been holding on to them for a while now. This morning just, I don’t know, felt right. Guess this means I need to speed up my search for somewhere to stay.”
Putting down the knife he’d been using to chop mushrooms, Tom crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her gently and brushed a loose curl from her cheek.
“You can stay with me,” he offered. “I have plenty of room in the garage to store your stuff and a guest bedroom, if you want it.”
Uncertainty flashed through her eyes. “I don’t know.”
He gave her an encouraging smile. “Come on. Let’s get the boxes in the garage and your bags in the house. You can think about my offer while we’re moving stuff.”
She nodded and he gave her an enthusiastic kiss. Mother Nature took the opportunity to punctuate the caress with a thundering boom and flash of lightning.
“Oh, shit,” he said. Releasing Lexa, he moved to the patio doors and yanked the sliding glass panel open. “Let’s get that stuff inside before it starts to pour.”
Lexa dashed outside and Tom hit the garage door opener button beside the door on his way through. He quickly followed her across the yard and joined Lexa in moving boxes and bags.
They were down to the final four boxes and her five suitcases when the skies opened on them. Tom looked up at the steel gray clouds above and cursed. He picked up two boxes and ran for cover. Lexa passed him on her way out of the garage as she ran for the last two.
Several minutes later, soaked to the skin and laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, Tom deposited the largest suitcase on the dining room floor. Despite their mad dash to get everything in the house, the water dripping off the bags formed a large puddle on the tiles.
“Oh well,” Lexa giggled. “The stuff inside will dry. They should only contain clothes.”
Tom nodded, his gaze travelling over her waterlogged dress. The thin material moulded to the curves of her breasts, showing off nipples pebbled by the cold rain. He swallowed the lump suddenly blocking his throat and stepped closer. She met him halfway.
She reached out, bringing her hands to rest on his chest. One by one she slowly undid the buttons on his dress shirt.
“Lexa?” he asked, the tone in his voice uncertain.
“Shush,” she replied. “I’ve been waiting all day to get my hands on you and I’m not going to let being homeless keep me from getting what I want.”
He chuckled softly and let her nimble fingers continue their path down his stomach. She pulled the bottom of his shirt out of his pants and quickly finished unbuttoning it. Chilled by the rain, her cold fingertips brushed his skin and set off a cascade of goose bumps.
Tom lifted a hand to caress the full sweep of her lower lip and he noted the way she trembled. He caught one of her hands in his free one and took a step back.
“Come on,” he urged. “We’re both freezing and I have the perfect solution.”
Tugging gently on her hand, Tom led Lexa down the hall to the bathroom. He stepped inside the glass walled shower and turned the water on to warm up. Steam began to billow in the bottom of the enclosure and he swivelled back to face Lexa.
She smirked sexily and spread the already unbuttoned sides of her dress. Dark pink lace encased the creamy swells of her breasts. The puckered, brownish tips were visible through the thin material and his shaft bucked in response to the visual stimuli.
“God,” he said in a low voice. “You’re beautiful.”
Her cheeks and the tops of her breasts colored with a soft blush. Tom reached out and slid the dress from her shoulders. He bent to press a kiss to the curve of her neck as she reached up to slid his shirt off. The material, tailored to fit him perfectly, bunched around his elbows and trapped his arms to his side.
Tom chuckled, kissed her and stepped back to shuck the garment.
“Don’t move,” he ordered and began stripping while she watched.
Hunger and desire darkened her eyes with each piece of clothing removed.
Taking his time, Tom undid his belt buckle. Lexa’s eyes tracked every movement as he slid leather through metal and let the sides hang loose. He moved on to the button on his pants and popped it open.
A swift tug undid the zipper and revealed his naked erection to her.
“You went commando?” she asked breathlessly.
“Yep,” he replied with a cocky grin. “Figured you shouldn’t be the only one walking around bare assed.”
Lexa laughed huskily and his shaft bucked in response. He dropped his pants, toed off his socks and stepped out of the pile of clothes.
“Come here,” he beckoned. “You’re overdressed.”
The room had been relatively quiet while he stripped. Behind him, thick glass muted the shower’s spatter against the tiles. Clothing had rustled during their removal and exile to the floor. All of the sounds were quiet compared to the suddenly loud beating of his heart.
He skimmed his hands over her ribs, sliding them around to caress the curve of her lower back. Encountering the damp material of her dress, he pushed it down over her rear and dropped it to the floor.
Bending to lay a series of kisses along Lexa’s shoulder, Tom glanced down the line of her back. Dark curls tumbled down over smooth, creamy skin. The hot pink garter belt she had on barely covered the rounded swell of her rear. Hands down, it was the best ass he’d ever seen.
“Tom?”
He shuddered, closing his eyes for a moment. Her warm breath against his chest zinged lust straight to his groin.
Lexa brushed a thumb over one of his nipples and he pulled back to look at her.
“Sorry,” he said. “You’ve got me feeling like a teenager with his first girl.”
She chuckled huskily and nipped at his chest. “You’re definitely not a teenager and, that I can make you feel this way… it’s a huge compliment.” Lexa smiled at him. “What I wanted to say though, was that I accept your offer. I’ll stay here until—.”
He cut her off, a wide grin spreading over his lips. “You can stay as long as you want.” Tom cupped her face between his hands and leaned in close. “Now, shush and let me show you how a woman’s supposed to be loved.”
~*~
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Copyright © 2011 Danielle Gavan
Danielle Gavan
Urban Fantasy and Erotic Romance Author
All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.
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