She chose the shimmering emerald green dress because she knew Leland would love the way it clung to her curves. "Thank you, you look very handsome as well." She brushed a non existent piece of lint off his shoulder, not bothering to straighten his bow tie. Except for that one night, his tie never needed straightening.
His gaze traveled over her and he raised his eyebrows. "The dress barely does you justice. I don't know if I want all those men from the bar association gawking at you." He let one hand travel down her waist to her hip. "God, I want you."
Her cheeks heated at the intensity of how he needed her. No, the man truly didn't need anything to help him in that arena. Too bad she wasn't allowed to wish for love that day.
"Before we go I need to ask you a question." He guided her over to the small seating area and motioned toward one of the antique chairs.
"I have the tickets for the ball in my purse, and I made sure to confirm the driver will stay outside for us in case we need to leave early." She gave him a glance over her shoulder, punctuated with a smug smile to show him she always knew what he wanted.
"Once again you're wrong." He gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Please sit, I want to discuss a case with you real fast."
She did as he asked, but wrinkled her nose. Only on the day outside the elevator was she ever wrong about something Leland wanted. Her radar had been off. "All right."
He paced in front of her, taking his time, not unlike the way he created his buildup in the courtroom. Fact of the matter was patents didn't have that much drama, he needed to create his own to win. "Miss Hollingsworth."
"Yes." She crossed her legs and the slit in her skirt opened to her upper thigh.
He licked his lips and cleared his throat. "Can you believe it has been a year since that fateful night in the conference room?"
Not sure what this had to do with any case, she answered anyway. "It has been a wonderful year for me."
He nodded and continued his pacing. "I've done a lot of thinking about that night and something had me curious."
She uncrossed her legs and sat up. What was he trying to say? They vowed not to talk about her foolish extreme measures. "Leland." Every muscle in her body stiffened.
He held up a finger, stopped his pacing and stood in front of her.
His scent of success wafted around her, but she could barely breathe it in.
"That night, what was it you truly wished for?" He knelt down in front of her.
"What do you mean?" She avoided staring directly into his face.
"What did you really want that night?"
"I wanted you to..." Not able to resist, she looked into his dark, serious eyes, but managed to cut herself off. "I wanted you."
"You wanted me to what?" His voice deepened. "Tell me, Emma."
No way would she ever lie to him, he would know in a heartbeat. "I wasn't supposed to wish for that."
"You're not wishing anything, no one is making any potions. Just tell me what you really wanted."
"I wanted you to love me." She trembled with her admission.
He paused.
She held her breath. At least she got to say it.
"Then I guess its time you really get your wish." He put his closed hand out in front of her and opened it to reveal an amazing yellow diamond ring.
"Leland." Her heart swelled to such a point she could get no more words out.
"I loved you before that night. I think I always loved you, but I thought maybe it was time to make it legal." He smiled and held up the ring. "Is that what you wished for?"
Without a word, she put out her hand.
"Now is the time to answer, Emma." He slipped the ring on her finger.
"Yes." She wrapped her arms around him. "This is what I wished for."
Vertigo
By Rue Volley
Published by Hot Ink Press
An Imprint of
Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing
This Book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
©Text Copyright 2014 Rue Volley
Cover By Rue Volley
All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, or locales or persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental.
I leaned in, green mask of anti-aging mud caked all over my face; I stared at the Television with wide eyes. I took a bite of my truffle and then stopped chewing. The gorgeous man on the screen grabbed the heroine, jerking her to him as she gasped for air, like she had to gasp, but whatever. He touched her cheek as I sighed and started to chew again. Then she did it, that hussy reached up and ripped his shirt open, only to expose a tattoo, which she suddenly felt the need to lick. I raised an eyebrow as they started to lower, ignoring my phone as it went off on the coffee table in front of me. It buzzed and buzzed and buzzed, until it took a tumble over the side and like a ninja I caught it, never taking an eye off of my Television for one second. I held it and slowly brought it up to my ear as the moaning started up. He thrust forward, her leg went up, his nails dug into her thigh and I pressed the button on my phone.
“Hello.” I said, my voice sounded a bit odd. She knew why, “she” being my best friend, Molly.
“Dirty girl.” I grinned and shoved another truffle into my mouth. I licked my fingers as a perfectly round breast suddenly appeared and ‘said hot man love’ placed his lips to it and bit her nipple. She arched her back and I adjusted on my couch as if he had done it to me.
“It’s an after dark special.” I whispered, like someone else would accidentally hear me or something.
“More like a deep and dark special.”
“Molly, seriously.”
“What? You are the one watching porn.”
“This is not porn. Porn has penis and stuff.”
She laughed at me and I don’t blame her.
“Okay well ‘penis and stuff’ or’ implied penis and stuff’ is just about the same thing.”
“I have to disagree with you.” I reached out and took a sip of my wine as the woman on the screen rolled him over, flipping her ridiculously long black hair, she started to simulate riding him. I sighed and leaned back as I realized a bit of penis would not be such a bad thing. This was seriously NOT porn.
“Well I would like to know why you are sitting at home alone on a Saturday night.” Molly asked me as I got lost looking at the couple in front of me.
“I like hanging out and relaxing.”
The man on the screen grunted and the woman leaned forward and kissed him. All tongues and craziness like you see on these things. They always act like fucking is something they so desperately need. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love it and sometimes I get sick of my rabbit hidden away in my dresser drawer. I would love to be a little less pro-active on my down unders.
“Erin, you need to go out….I NEED to go out. You have to stop this.”
I looked at the phone with Molly’s smiling face on it. She was right. I had to get over this phobia I have. You see I had a boyfriend. He was, well let’s just say, he was more of a fuck buddy than a friend. In fact we didn’t really talk much at all. The most I think we said was “Oh yeah, put it there” and “No, not in my ass.” So to be this weird about him leaving was just plain stupid. I guess it was a comfort thing with him, if you can understand that. I think we have all been there before. I met Andy in college, my 2nd year, and it was on. I mean on, on. I don’t think I had ever seen a boy I wanted more, the only problem was he stimulated me in one place only and if my brain could had gotten in on the Andy action, I would have married him. I leaned back and
reached up, touched my chest as a flash of memory swelled up in the recesses of my mind. Andy…damn. He was amazing in bed. I mean, the best I ever had. I started to float off into Andy land and then heard Molly’s voice, irritated, as she should be.
“Erin?”
I hit the speaker button on my phone and set it down on the coffee table.
“I’m here hun, I am sorry. I just…”
“You know he was a tool.”
“Andy? Well fuck yeah he was. I mean he was not the commitment type.”
“You don’t need that. I told you to go out and get some the first two weeks after he left, but no. What did you do Erin? You bought batteries.”
I laughed and took another drink of my wine as she was so right.
“Fine.”
“What?” she said as her voice went up an octave with traces of excitement.
“I said fine, let’s go out.”
“Ahhhhhh!”
I shook my head as she screamed on the other end of my phone. Who knew something as simple as a ‘yes’ would make her night.
“I am coming over.”
“What, now?”
“Yes now.”
“Molly…”
The phone went dead as her picture disappeared and I slapped my forehead with my open hand.
“Shit.”
Chapter One
AA
I washed my face quickly and wiped the lime green mud mask from it. I stood up straight and felt my skin. I bit my lip as I thought I could see traces of faint lines forming at the corners of my eyes. It is funny how as you age you suddenly give a shit about such things, but it happens. Don’t let a woman fool you into thinking that we don’t all check for crows feet. We do, and you can bet your sweet ass that the companies who pedal all the anti-aging products have a heyday with it too. Well, honestly, I do know how they spin it. I went to school for marketing and promotion. I understand how to sell a product and I also understand the underlying neurosis we all carry that force us to buy the things that we do. It’s all buttons we push in the business I work in. In fact, I work in beauty products, so it is always on my mind.
I wiped the mirror with the side of my hand and helped dissolve some of the steam I was creating with my breath. I honestly know I look young, being only 28, I just wish I could shut off my evil eye, the one a woman has that see’s every damn flaw in ourselves. It sucks and having someone like Andy leave me for a woman 5 years younger than me hurt, even though it was not about him or love, it was vanity…the worst of all things.
I grabbed the brush and started to get the tangles out of my long red hair. My hair is naturally red, but as with everything else I do to pamper myself, I have it colored to “brighten” and “highlight”. It is ridiculous, but I do it anyway. In fact, I do a lot of shit. I also get acupuncture once a week, I do steam baths, detox and botox, manicures and so on. I even went and did the Brazilian wax thing last week, which was fucking PAINFULL, Good God. Anyway, I must have been bored because I was not doing it with hopes of getting laid; I just wanted it as a special thing for me. I could have done without it, just saying. The pain was not enjoyable, not that I was looking, but for the price a bit of a “ahhhh” moment would have been sweet.
I reached down and touched myself all smooth and inviting. I smiled now that the tenderness of having the wax done had faded. It was nice to be so naked down there. I looked and then heard the doorbell. I grabbed my red satin robe and slipped it on, tying it in the front as I ran through the house to front door. I peeked out and saw Molly, all dolled up and gorgeous as usual. I opened the door and she grinned at me as she looked me over.
“Not dressed yet?”
“I will, I just had to wash the mask off.”
I walked away from her as she came in and closed the door. She was 6 foot with heels on. Flat stomach, nice perky breasts that looked amazing in anything she put on. Her hair was brown, chocolate brown that matched her large eyes. Her eyebrows arched with precision, being manicured to perfection and her lips, crimson red tonight and full as always. Molly spent as much time primping herself as I did and she worked in the same department at our corporation, that of “Mills and Mayburn.” Two patriarchal families in Chicago owned it. In fact they probably gave God loans when he or she needed one. I was fortunate to get in with them after I graduated college and it was there that I met Molly. We hit it off the first day and now, after 5 years, she felt more like family than anyone else I knew, including blood family of my own back in Ohio.
I walked back up to her and handed her a full glass of wine. She took it and grinned at me before she placed it to her lips and took a sip. I watched her and then shook my head.
“Out huh? This should be interesting.”
“This will be a-mazing.” She said, pausing to add a dramatic flair to the word.
“I love this dress on you.” I looked her over and she looked down.
“I have three, you know I buy more than one of anything I love. This is dress #2, #1 is at the cleaners.”
I walked back to my bedroom door and shook my head.
“I have no idea what I am going to wear.”
“Nothing.” Molly said as she laughed and walked into my living room. She looked at the half empty bowl of truffles on the table and snatched one up, carefully biting into it as she paid attention to her lipstick. She sat down, crossing one long leg over the other and flashing a bit of black lace panty. She wore no bra, she never had too. I don’t need one either. We had both gone in and had our breasts lifted and perked up 2 years prior and at the time Andy was still with me. I remember he loved to push me onto my back and try to fuck them, of which I always told him to get off of me, they were expensive. I mean come on. I guess if he had meant more to me and I to him I would have let him do whatever he wanted to me, but no.
I stepped into my walk in closet and flipped the light on. I have too many dresses, tops, pants… and shoes. I buy like I have to and not within my budget. The “budget”, being that of one credit card I got solely for girlie splurges, but depression had sent me out with the other card, the one for bills and I had wrecked it. I fixed all of that though. I really did, after Andy. In fact that is what this time will now be known as. AA for “after Andy”.
I walked along my clothing, fingering each one like it needed to be reacquainted with me and stopped as I pulled a black dress, which was being saved for a special occasion. I stared at it, the material so light and airy and I remembered how sexy I felt when I had tried it on in the store. It clung to all the right parts of me as if some team of magical elves had constructed it after taking my measurements. I pulled it up to my nose and smelled it. I have a habit of spraying my favorite things with my perfume and I had done the same with this. It smelled delicious and I closed my eyes and let the hints of sandalwood and spices engulf my senses. I am not a flowery type of perfume wearer. In fact I prefer something a bit earthier with character, as I call it. I do this for a living so don’t hate me, I describe most things out of habit. This particular blend was called “Entice” and it did just that with me. I ran across it as I did a marketing campaign for it with an up and coming musical artist named Viola Vine. She tattoos and has a band, but she also has a perfume, a clothing line and make-up. I love what she does all of that, so I tend to buy her things. It does not hurt that the majority of her marketing is that of my own. I adore strong women anyway so I was thrilled to get her as a client.
I slipped my robe off and it fell to the floor around my feet. The satin felt nice and caused a small amount of goose bumps to well up on my thighs. I smiled as I took the dress and slipped it on. It fell right into place. Classic, yet modern, sexy, and sexy is what I needed if I was really going to go out and do this. I heard a click of a heel and turned to see Molly standing there. I grinned as she looked me over.
“Damn.” She said as I nodded.
“I have been saving this one.”
“It is gorgeous…Viola Vine?” she asked me and I grinned.
>
“Of course.” I turned to my shoe wall and clapped my hands as the wall lit up and so did my eyes. I said I have too many shoes, I wasn’t kidding. I reached out and grabbed a deep mustard yellow pair that screamed fuck me. I laughed as I leaned and placed one on, my fingers lingering up my leg and my hair falling over my shoulder. I felt Molly’s hand on my shoulder as I looked up and she grinned at me.
“Thank you.” She said as her lips became all I could focus in on. I will not lie and say that being with her, in a sexual way, had never crossed my mind. In fact, I had fantasized about her a couple of times when I had fucked Andy, thinking of how it would have been if we had all been together, at least once. I am still surprised it never happened. I let my eyes linger and then noticed her earrings, they were vintage and absolutely beautiful. They were small, but leaving an impact, rubies, if I could guess correctly, each one square and surrounded in diamonds.
“Your earrings are incredible. I have never seen you in them.” I placed my second heel on and we were now almost even in height. She still had about a half an inch on me. She touched one and licked her lip as if a memory welled up for her and I titled my head.
“Molly?”
She looked at me and her eyes lit up as she laughed quietly. Everything she does has a delicately coy feeling to it, which would be annoying if I was caddy bitch about things, but I am not.
“They were a gift.”
“From who?” I said as she walked to my cushioned bench and sat down on it. I walked over to her and sat down, facing her and wanting to know where she got them.
“A man, two men… actually.”
“Two?”
She bit her lip again and looked down, almost as if she was embarrassed by it.
“I had sex.”
I raised an eyebrow as I studied her face.
“I know you have sex, I mean come on.”
Between The Sheets (A Naughty Box Production Book 1) Page 4
