by T. C. Clark
He reached down and took off her shoes first. He planned to unwrap her like a present. But she was not going for it. She slapped his hand away and looked at him in a sinful way.
“For every piece of clothing you remove I will do the same,” she said huskily, running one hand through her midnight black hair, while another one played with the top button of her silk blouse. He started to challenge her. He liked to be in control. He was always in control. But her eyes warned him she was going to be an equal in the bedroom games.
He started with his shirt and groaned when she removed hers. She had on a lace push-up bra. He wanted to go slow but he needed her naked now. So he moved quickly through the rest of his clothing and didn’t stop until he stood fully naked in front of her. He felt pride as she looked him up and down. He wanted her to know the effect she was having on him.
His cock was so hard that it stood out from his body. When her eyes caught the size of him, she stiffened. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You’ll stretch ómorfo.”
“Ómorfo?” she asked.
“It means ‘beautiful’ in Greek,” he explained as he pushed her back on the bed. Every instinct screamed at him to take her now. But he wanted to take his time and savor the moment. He had a feeling once this night was over; he would have to fight for another.
He kissed her deeply, his intent clear. He needed to make her understand the importance of tonight, what it meant for both of them. His hands moved over her body, taking note of her curves. God, what a body smooth and toned.
Tara moaned and moved against him. He undid her bra with one hand while his other moved down to remove her panties; he didn’t hesitate as he ripped them from her body. She tilted her head back and smiled up at him with approval.
“I can’t wait,” he rasped against her neck. Her chocolate eyes honed in on his. She gave him such a sinful look that he almost came.
“I didn’t ask you too. I’m ready whenever you are ómorfo,” she whispered shuddering when his fingers found her. He used his thumb to excite her, flicking rough hard movements across the bundle of nerves. He groaned when he realized how wet she’d gotten.
She threw back her head and screamed when her first orgasm overtook her, locking his hand between her thighs with the strength of her release. Her skin was growing dewy with sweat as she moved under him. He used that moment to slip one finger inside and stilled. She was so tight that he didn’t know how he would handle it.
Alex reached over the side of the bed, dragging her with him refusing to leave the oasis of her mouth, and pulled out a condom from his wallet.
As her eyes cleared and her body relaxed she moved against him more strongly, seeking control. Her nails raked across his skin so sharply that he wondered if there was blood. But the pain was too sweet to stop. Her hands moved over his body with expert precision, somehow finding his most sensitive areas with ease.
When she pinched his nipples, his body bucked against hers and she leaned forward and licked the sting away. Alex tried to shake his head to clear the red mist of lust forming behind his eyes. Every sound she made was feeding the madness and then she opened her legs, giving him the ultimate invitation a woman could give a man.
He lodged his body firmly between her thighs and leaned forward. She pulled the condom package from his hand and placed it to her lips to tear it open.
She opened it and put it on him. He grimaced when she touched his cock. She purposely stroked him as she rolled it on. When she smiled, whatever was holding him back snapped and he grabbed her arms and pushed them back above her head making her arch her back and present her breasts.
He took one brown nipple into his mouth and sucked hard as he thrust home. He tried to slow down but as her wet heat engulfed him he lost it. He thrust again and again, sharp, brutal strokes that rocked the bed hard against the wall. She was too tight. He could already feel the pressure building deep within his body.
He let his body go as he gave into the beast inside of him. Tara merely wrapped her legs tighter around his waist and reached up to pull his mouth to hers. He could feel the orgasm building in her. Her legs shook around him. He pulled them higher and pushed his legs farther apart to give him better access.
Tara yelled and arched against him. He gritted his teeth as the force of her orgasm hit him. She clenched and started milking him. Her body demanding his release. He couldn’t ignore the call. He roared as he came, his massive body shaking over hers from the force of it. She held him close with her legs and arms.
Alex took deep, gulping breaths as he emptied into her. His only regret was that they weren’t skin to skin. He lifted his head from her now swollen mouth and looked down at her. She looked shell shocked. Her beautiful hair was a mess. Her brown skin was covered with the red marks he’d left with his mouth. She smiled. He was rapidly becoming addicted to seeing that particular smile.
“Let’s do that again,” she said huskily.
“Tara, you are a woman after my heart,” he said reaching down to grab another condom and cursing when he found none.
She tugged at his hands and moved out from under him. It took her a second to get to her feet and his lips curved into a satisfied smile.
She walked over to her suitcase reached inside, and pulled out two condoms and brought them back to the table. His eyes devoured her naked body. Something about her confidence called to him.
Alex sat up and held out his arm. As she slid back into the warmth of the bed the sinful man who promised her a night to remember got to work.
* * *
Thank god I woke up first, Tara thought as she gathered her things. Alex Stravanos was everything he’d claimed to be and more. She was sore and exhausted from his intense lovemaking.
She threw her stuff into her bag quickly. She would have to shower at home. That’s what people did when they had one night stands or at least that’s what she assumed they did. She looked back at the man on the bed. His massive bronze body gleamed in the morning sunlight filtering through the blinds. He was a devastating lover. One who would be impossible to forget and for a second she felt regret.
She wanted to stay and see where this would go. But she was a realist; they both knew what this was when she’d led him to her room. She wasn’t a fan of people changing their minds after the fact.
It was clear she’d worn him out as well. Again and again, they’d woken each other up to make love; it was as if they’d both wanted to keep the morning at bay. She grabbed her cell phone and texted Bella back. Her sister had left multiple text messages about a little girl in the charity program they’d co-founded.
She had too much to do to wait around for Alex to wake up, and honestly, she didn’t want to speak with him. Often men ruined things when they opened their mouths and right now their time together was a perfect memory.
She would pay for the room for another day in case he wanted to stay and send him up some room service. Tara walked out of the hotel with her head down, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. She was sure they’d made quite the scene last night.
Her mind brought forth an image of him and she shivered from head to toe. She was glad to put some distance between them. That man affected her on a level that she’d thought didn’t exist for her. She shook her head to clear the confusing thoughts.
Only when she was safely buckled into her Escalade did she relax. She would go home, soak in a hot bath and relax for the rest of the day.
Alex opened his eyes slowly. His body felt recharged. One night with Tara had changed his perspective on one-night stands. Sex was good but what happened between them was different. He didn’t know how to explain it but he knew it was.
Today he needed to find out more about the woman herself. Last night would not be the only night he claimed her. The explosive heat that existed between them wasn’t going to be found anywhere else. He’d held enough faceless women in his arms to know that. He was happy he’d come across a woman like her now in his mid-thirties because it made
him appreciate the rarity of the situation.
He reached out to pull her back into his arms and frowned when he found an empty space where her sexy body was supposed to be.
Sitting up slowly, he looked around the room. He grabbed his glasses from the night stand and stood up to check out the place. All of her bags were gone. He ran his hand through his hair as he got up and checked the bathroom.
Everything was gone; she’d even straightened up before she left. Surprisingly, he felt anger shake him. He wasn’t a man prone to anger but he couldn’t deny that was what it was. Who the hell did she think she was? She’d run before he had a chance to speak with her
When he heard the knock on the door relief flowed through him. Maybe she’d gone downstairs to ask for a later checkout. He threw on his suit pants and walked back out front. A smile lit his face as the door opened.
A smile that slipped when a man walked in pushing a cart. Automatically, Alex pulled out his wallet and tipped him. He waited until the young man was gone before he lifted the tray. She’d ordered him room service. He knew for sure she’d left then because it was an order for one.
With a sigh, he took a seat at the small table and opened the cover of the plate. He ignored the feeling of unfamiliar disappointment. He wasn’t done with Tara. After he’d eaten and changed, he would find her.
He didn’t know why she’d decided to run this morning. Last night had been perfect. His body still throbbed with need. He still craved her. If Tara thought this was over she had another thing coming. Alex Stravanos wouldn’t give up that easily.
* * *
Tara arrived home later that morning. She still needed to check in with Bella but first, she needed to straighten up and relax. After trips, she always needed to decompress once she got home. Like her sister, she was a natural homebody. She didn’t mind going out but preferred the simplicity of her home.
She dropped down to open one of her cabinets in the bathroom and pulled out her blow dryer and brush. She needed to wash and rewrap her hair. As she stood back up she caught her reflection in the mirror. She had the look of a well-loved woman, with her swollen lips and the love bite marks on her neck.
That man sure knew how to leave a mark. She’d discovered a few things last night. One was that Alex was dangerous. He was the type of man who could easily get under your skin and into your heart. The second thing was that it was time for her to start dating again. She’d been single for too long after Reese. She couldn’t count her relationship with Aidan. That had been based purely on satisfying a carnal need. Now that he was pulling himself off the market, he’d left a gaping hole in her life.
She knew she was recovered from the pain of her previous breakup. It was the betrayal that stung her the most by both people involved. But years had passed and if she’d learned anything last night it was that she craved something more. She wanted to be someone’s person.
Her cell phone buzzed and she looked down at it. A private number was calling her. She shook her head. This is what she got when she signed up for things with her cell phone number. She swiped to answer.
“Hello?” she said as she walked back into her kitchen to pull out a skillet. Tara stopped when silence greeted her. She could hear light breathing on the phone but no one spoke. She frowned as the breathing got heavier. Before anything else could happen, she hung up.
She jumped when the phone went off again. She hesitated for just a moment before answering it.
“Hello, who is this?” she asked as her heart started to beat fast. There was still only silence and that heavy breathing. She was starting to get a bad feeling. Quickly, she hung up again and then put her phone on silent. Relax, she told herself. It was probably just someone messing with her.
She flipped her phone over and went to check the locks on her doors, just to be safe. She logged into her ADT Home Security App on her phone. The whole time she was gone nothing had been disturbed none of the doors or the windows were tampered with. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves. She knew this was a reaction to what had happened this past weekend.
She worked with the Chicago PD as a consultant. They often called her to do profiles on criminals. This weekend Dan, one of the police officers she worked with had asked her to evaluate a man who was going to stand trial. He wasn’t one of her patients and she had taken on the job with an open mind.
Josh Boehm was a former marine turned college professor who spent his off days raping and dismembering female students. The case they’d built against him was circumstantial at best. The one solid point was a piece of a murder weapon they’d found in his home. Tara had been surprised when she read that. Josh’s profile read like a man who was tedious and exact, she wouldn’t have thought he would bring a murder weapon home.
She’d met others like him. She knew what the dark side of humanity looked like. Her time with them had taught her to always think about her personal safety first. Although last night, she hadn’t exactly practiced what she preached.
She didn’t look at her phone again until after she’d bathed and donned some yoga pants and a spaghetti strap tank top. Her breath caught as she read the screen. She had thirty-six voicemails.
Setting her phone down, she took another calming breath. She would call Dan tomorrow and tell him about the person calling. It was definitely going to be awkward at first dealing with him. She had not handled their impromptu date well. She hated when men lied about their intentions.
She would have never gone to the restaurant if she’d known what he was up to. She didn’t date cops anymore and she damn sure couldn’t date a man who was her ex-husband’s former best friend. She didn’t know how to explain that to him. When she saw his face she thought of the past and that wasn’t what she wanted to focus on.
Tara walked around her apartment and rechecked all the locks on the doors and windows. She would talk to Bella later. She needed to take some time to relax and rethink her plans. Even before this case, she’d wanted to take some time off. Something had felt off lately and she needed to figure out what it was. She would make a plan and then implement it just as she had done so long ago. She smiled a secret smile as memories of her night with Alex started to replay in her mind. That man had woken her up. It was time for Tara Denton to start living again.
Two
Forget about me and save yourself...
A Few Months Later
“Tell him I’ll have to call him back. I have to leave for my brother’s fight,” Alex yelled to Leslie from the closet of his office. He was happy for the distraction tonight. The last week had been awful, filled with tedious meetings and adult babysitting.
Why do some people never grow up? He thought as he slipped on his tailored jacket. He went to the mirror and adjusted his tie. He had a date later this week with the PR rep he’d met last night. So, the trip would have to be a quick one.
He’d finally given up on finding the elusive Tara. He’d tried to track her down but it turned out she’d given him a fake name. He’d even returned to the restaurant to tell Antonio to call him if she came back. He’d thought about hitting up the hotel but it felt a little too stalkerish. At this point, it was clear she didn’t want to be found. Unlike her, he’d been honest when they met. He couldn’t deny the anger that filled him when he thought about that morning.
“Do you want me to do anything else while you’re gone? Taylor turned in those contracts you wanted to review,” Leslie said, walking up to place them on his desk. Leslie was a pretty woman in a mousy sort of way, with thick black curly hair that she often wore in twists. He’d chosen her as his PA because of her nonexistent attraction to him and her general desire to be left alone.
During her initial interview, he’d learned that she spoke fluent Spanish. She was African American and Spanish by birth. Her mother was a doctor and her dad was a musician. One of the things he’d liked most about her was her openness. His secretary wasn’t a person who hid what she was thinking.
Even with her quiet na
ture she always stood up for herself and his last few years professional wise had run like clockwork because of her. She kept her personal life private just as he liked, but sometimes he wondered if she dated. She was pretty but she tended to choose the wrong outfits to display her looks. He’d thought about mentioning a stylist but didn’t have the heart to tell her that with the right clothes and hairstyle she could be a knockout.
She handed him his glasses and waited patiently for him to answer.
“No, go home tonight, Leslie, and get some rest. We will resume on Tuesday,” he said, turning to grab his suitcase. “Oh, and send some flowers to that PR rep Marsha Brown.”
“Ah, and another one bites the dust,” she said, writing down his command in her black notebook.
“What are you talking about?” He flipped through some messages on his phone.
“I thought you were still looking for Tara?”
“Leslie…” he warned. He didn’t like talking about that woman.
“All I’m saying is Marsha can’t be like your infamous Tara. Don’t forget I’ve met the woman, she’s as dull as a Hampton Barbie Doll,” Leslie said closing her book and placing it in a large flower-covered tote bag. She grabbed a stack of papers from her desk.
“Her personality is not what I’m interested in,” he said dryly
“Okay, then. Is all of your family going to be there?” she asked keeping her eyes on the papers in her hand.
“Are you asking if Maks is going to be there?” he questioned and then immediately felt regret. He always got defensive whenever anyone mentioned his night with Tara.
