Mistletoe Maneuvers

Nine

“I’m sorry,” Lessa said quickly, breaking away. What was she doing? What had possessed her to kiss him like that? “I don’t know what got into me.”

But Rick did not look offended. There was electricity in the air as he gazed at her seductively. “Stay with me tonight,” he said finally. He stepped toward her, trailing his hand down the side of her neck. She held her breath, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the delicious sensation. He tilted her head slightly upward, as if to kiss her. She felt her resistance fade away. He kissed her again, rough and hard. It was as if every part of her were on fire. She was powerless to do anything but give herself to him.

He took his time, intimately exploring her mouth. His tongue tickled and probed, claiming ownership. She arched against him, craving more. She ran her fingers up and down his back, feeling the strength of his muscles underneath his starched cotton shirt.

Her brain had long ago stopped working. Lawrence Enterprises seemed like a name from a distant past. All that mattered was what she was feeling right then and there.

She inhaled slightly as his hands slipped under her dress. His fingers made their way up her legs and sides, lightly touching her lacy bra. She arched her back, silently begging for more. Within a second, he had unhooked her bra and, with one hand, he began to finger the soft, plump flesh of her breasts while the other hand lifted her dress over her head. As her dress fell to the floor, he dropped to his knees in front of her, kissing the bare skin of her belly, working slowly, taking his time. He gently pushed her back onto the couch. As she sat against the smooth leather, he moved over her, working his way toward her breasts. He freed her breasts and took her nipple in his mouth, gently sucking and kissing. In one smooth maneuver, he removed her bra and leaned over her. In the light of the moon, she could see him stare at her, his eyes gazing up and down her body as if committing her to memory.

He reached his fingers inside the waistband of her panty hose, carefully taking them off. Still looking into her eyes, he slid his fingers in between her legs and underneath her panties. A ripple of excitement surged through her as she arched her hips. His touch was as light as a feather as he made his way toward her most sensitive point. The pressure slowly increased as he continued with his most intimate massage. She closed her eyes and her body began to surrender. “Let it go,” he whispered. “Let it go.”

When the release came, he silenced her cries with a kiss and cradled her in his arms, kissing her ear and brushing the hair, damp with perspiration, away from her forehead.

But if he thought that one orgasm was enough, he was wrong. It had done little to quench her desire for him. She was consumed with what it might feel like to have him inside her, to feel his naked body against hers. To have him make love to her.

“Your turn,” Lessa said, staring brazenly into his eyes.

She unbuttoned his shirt, kissing his chest as she went. As he shrugged off his shirt, she kissed his neck while running the flats of her hands over his bare chest and down toward his belly. Her fingers slid over the hardness inside his pants, then reached for the zipper. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

She had never been so certain in her life. “I want you to make love to me,” she said, looking deep into his eyes.

He paused, as if giving her another chance to change her mind. She gave a tug on his pants and he kicked them off.

Like a Greek god, his finely carved body stretched out beside her. Every muscle seemed taut, as if his whole body were tense with desire. She ran her finger over his lips, working her way down his chin and his chest. As she moved down his belly and toward his hard self, she could see him swallow, fighting for composure. She took him in her hands, wrapping her fingers around him.

“I want you inside me,” she said. “Now.”

Staring deep into her eyes, he pulled her down beside him and skillfully flipped her underneath him. She opened her legs and he gently put himself inside her. He slowly began to move, thrusting deeper and deeper. She buried her hands in his thick hair as he kissed her, his lips hungry and demanding. It was unlike any sensation she had ever felt. Her body filled with a lush feeling of pleasure as she submitted her heart and soul to a primitive power.

Still pushing himself deep inside her, Rick stopped kissing her, hoisting himself up so that he could look directly into her eyes. It was even more intimate than a kiss. It was as if he could see directly into her soul. She fought off the climax that was threatening, desperate to maintain the luxurious tension between them. As if reading her eyes, Rick smiled slightly, and she could see his muscles tense. It was a dare to see who would lose control first. He gave a final thrust and together they relinquished control, releasing their bodies to pleasure.

When Lessa woke up, it was nearly two in the morning and she was naked on Rick’s bed, locked in his embrace. She was filled with a feeling of bliss, a sense that all was right in the world. And then, just as quickly, the bliss did a one-eighty and turned into remorse. What had she done?

She had slept with Rick Parker. And not just once either. Twice.

He moved slightly in his sleep, his hand brushing against her bare breast. And just like that, the bliss was back. She was half tempted to reach under the covers and start everything all over again. But that would be a bad idea. If she didn’t get home soon, her aunt would start to worry. Of course, she thought optimistically, she could call her and tell her she was, um, detained.

But that was a really bad idea. Because soon it would be morning and she would be forced to endure the official “morning after,” complete with awkward conversation and embarrassing attempts to explain their behavior. Better to leave on a high note.

She slid out from underneath Rick’s arm and scooted slowly out of bed. She grabbed her clothes and tiptoed quietly into the other room. She called a cab and dressed as quickly as she could. She arrived home and was thankful to discover her aunt sound asleep. She crawled into bed, her head spinning.

She had spent so much time hating Rick Parker. How could so much change so fast? As much as she was tempted to explain her behavior as an aberration, the truth of the matter was that she had known exactly what she was doing and to whom she was making love. And she hadn’t cared one iota. It had been worth every single orgasm.

After a nap and a shower, she headed back toward the office, eager to return to the normalcy of work. It was only six o’clock, yet she felt certain that a long, hard day was just what she needed to snap her back to reality. But as she made her way through the office, occasionally passing a half-empty glass of champagne, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad the evening was over. Although she knew she shouldn’t, she couldn’t help herself from wishing she could go back in time. That she could once again feel the strength of Rick’s arms around her and the emotional power of their lovemaking.

She stopped. There, standing in her office, leaning up against her desk as if waiting for her, was Rick. His normally slicked-back hair was tousled and he was unshaven, wearing jeans and a black turtleneck. He had, she thought, never looked so good.

“Good morning,” he said.

“What are you doing here so early?”

He paused for a moment and said, “I came looking for you.” He sighed. “I have a meeting and I wanted to talk to you before everyone else arrived.”

But she didn’t want to hear any I-don’t-know-what-got-into-me excuses. That was exactly the reason she had left so early.

“Look, Rick,” she said, raising her hand. “Let’s not make a big deal about this. It happened. Let’s just forget about it.”

She thought she saw him hesitate. That was what he was going to say, wasn’t it? She felt like kicking herself. Why had she cut him off? Why couldn’t she just let the man speak?

“Forget about it? Is that what you want?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said as confidently as she could, flashing him her best all-business smile as she sat behind her desk. “I thought I’d try and set up a look-through at Mara del Ray later today,” she said, referring to the Florida property she had told him about. “I figure including air time, it would take us about eight hours.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Rick, if you’re worried about what happened last night, you don’t need to be. It was just one of those things, a one-night stand, so to speak. We got it out of our systems and now we can move on.” She tried to sound as casual as she could.

“It’s not that,” he said.

Well then, what was it? Was he still mad at her about Antigua? “I thought we worked out our difficulties last night. You said you were willing to look at the property and we have to do it today. I don’t want to risk losing the buyers for Antigua.”

“Look, Lessa. I have…another commitment this afternoon. A personal commitment. I can’t make it.”

Her heart fell. Another commitment. “What’s her name?” she asked quietly.

He glanced toward her. “Her name?”

Normally she wasn’t a masochist but, in this case, she couldn’t seem to help herself.

He shook his head. “I don’t have a date,” he said. “Believe me, if that was the case, I’d cancel it. I have a family obligation.”

She felt a sense of relief wash over her. His family.

He smiled and said, “My sister’s getting married.”

“On a Wednesday?”

“She wanted a Christmas wedding and it was the only time she could get the reception hall she wanted. It’s a…well, a last-minute affair.” He hesitated a moment and said, “Maybe you should come.”

“What?” He wanted to introduce her to his family?

“Makes sense. The wedding’s in White Plains at two o’clock. There’s an airport in Westchester. After it, we’ll leave directly for Florida. We should get there before sundown.”

“I’d love to, but-” She hesitated. “Do you think it’s a good idea? How’s your sister going to feel about you bringing a co-worker to her wedding?”

“She knew she ran a risk having her wedding in the middle of a work week. She’ll just be happy that I’m there.”

She saw herself surrounded by his devoted and loving family, all asking the same questions: Who are you and what are you doing with Rick?

“It’s business,” he said, summing it all up.

He made it sound so simple, as if meeting his family would be the most inconsequential event of the year.