The conversation was going smoothly, and their glasses never seemed to be empty. It was odd that Luke rarely brought up his own life, but Tasha judged he was still shy about that. She gave him a pass, but only for so long. The alcohol had done its job, and she was eager for him to talk.
“What about your family?” she asked.
“What about it?” he smiled, meaning to change the subject.
But that would no longer fly. “You tell me,” she said with an inquisitive grin.
Luke paused, blushing once again. Tasha was sure he wasn’t that good of a Poker player. He said, “My dad is a doctor. Was a doctor.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault.”
“And your mom?”
“Never knew her.”
Tasha felt terrible now. It was so obvious now why Luke would be secretive about his family. Nobody’s eager to talk about their dead parents. Tasha drank champagne, letting Luke steer the conversation from there.
“My dad left Italy with my mother when they were both teenagers, or so he’s told me. Once I was born, she left him for an American, and that was it. He became a single dad, but he managed to become a doctor. He had a clinic in the city.”
Luke sounded as if he was choosing words and phrasing each sentence carefully. Tasha thought, without real reason to, that he was selecting the facts he revealed, too. As if there was another half of the story he was withholding. Again she thought it to be his right to have skeletons in the closet. God knew she had her own.
“One day he left for a fishing trip with some friends, but they never returned. I was in college.” He emptied the flute glass and put it on the small table beside the sunbeds.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Luke. I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, well. That was the whole point of telling you.” There was that sorrowful smile she’d seen at the Gala. “I actually feel a lot better sharing it. Good therapy.”
“Well, let’s not turn it into that. We’re having fun, right?” Tasha finished her champagne and put the glass next to Luke’s.
“I hope we are!”
Luke’s phone buzzed then, and he excused himself. Tasha’s own cell phone had been left in the beach bag on the lower deck, safely on one of the couches, and not once during the trip did she worry about it. There was a strong urge to call the office, now that she saw Luke checking out the screen of his phone, but she decided against it. The worst thing that could happen was for them to get stuck in work during the trip. Luke grunted in frustration, then put the mobile away.
“Everything okay?” Tasha asked.
“Business,” he replied without pleasure.
She nodded, knowing all too well what he meant.
The yacht was in the Lower Bay now, Brighton off to their left. Luke said the water was still too cold to swim, but the pool was heated. It took Tasha a moment, he meant the pool on the yacht. The champagne called to adventure, and she agreed to take a swim.
They went downstairs, where Tasha grabbed the bag and went to get out of the dress in the room Luke pointed her to. Looking at herself in the mirror of the small bedroom she found herself in, Tasha was confident as ever. Perhaps part of it was the bubbly speaking, but as she shook off the summer dress, it revealed a perfect body – toned but curvy in all the right places.
As she was about to go out, there was a slight jolt that almost knocked her off balance. She felt the yacht start turning in a wide arc. Were they going back? She quickly figured it had something to do with that message Luke had received earlier. The pool would have to wait for the next time.
Tasha opened the door and found Luke on one of the couches, silently drinking from a big glass of wine. Tasha stood in the door frame for a moment, admiring the view: she was in a spacious living room, with the view of the Bay, lofty Manhattan far on the horizon. In the room, there was a man, whose posture commanded the space, even though he was seated. He looked saddened and irritated, which told her the business that interrupted the trip was urgent. Tasha didn’t want it to end. Not like this.
“Are we going back?”
“I’m afraid we have to,” Luke said. His eyes widened as he saw her standing there, and he looked her down and up again before getting to his feet. “My God, you are sublime!”
That made Tasha chuckle, because saying that, he looked a lot younger than he was. She had almost forgotten what it was like, leaving guys with their mouths hanging open. Luke passed her a glass, and she took a sip. The wine was good, but it wasn’t what she wanted.
“Shall we skip the pool party then?” she said.
Luke was quiet for a moment, figuring out the hint. Then he said, “We shall.”
They left the glasses on the table, and Tasha took Luke’s hand. She led him back into the bedroom she’d just come out of, but he stopped her. Instead, he went down the stairs, even lower, and there they entered the master bedroom. It was a wide room, almost the size of the living room they just left, with ambient lights and dominated by a huge circle of a bed. There was a bar with an island in the left-hand corner and a table on the other side of the room.
Tasha barely noticed anything else, because as soon as they entered the room she turned to face Luke. He was pleasantly surprised and didn’t know what to do with himself. Tasha put her hand on his upper arm, feeling his biceps through the shirt. He was tense, but still dumbfounded at how fast things were going, unable to believe his luck.
Tasha was surprised as well at the unexpected tickling in her belly, and the uncharacteristic adventurism she displayed. But she wanted it. Right from the beginning, from their time at the Gala, the whole affair fascinated her, and as it progressed, the attraction between the two of them grew uncontrollable, even though Luke seemed to be handling it better than her. The trip was amazing, as well, a fairy tale in the middle of monotonous days at work, which Tasha had grown so used to. But none of that was on her mind now.
She looked into his eyes, biting her lower lip and tugging at the collar of his shirt, but not kissing him just yet. She backed towards the bed, seeing him tense, his breathing picking up pace. The back of Tasha’s knees touched the edge of the bed and she sat down. While she was in her bikini, Luke still had a shirt and khakis on, which had to be corrected. Tasha had to level the playing field, so to speak.
She began unbuttoning his shirt, slowly, going from the bottom one upwards, looking Luke in the eyes. He was mesmerized, but coming to. The ambient light switched smoothly from cold white to warm yellow.
Tasha pulled him down to the bed next to her, and pushed him to his back. His shirt was undone, revealing his chest and stomach, both muscular and without a hair. She put a hand on his cheek, and they kissed for the first time. His lips were warm, his tongue tender and slightly tickling. As they did so, she took his hand and put it on her hip, shivering at his touch. The tips of his fingers were cold, holding her tight. His other hand was gentle on her neck. Tasha reached down, unbuttoned and then unzipped his pants skillfully, and Luke finished the job, shaking them off. She was on top of him the next moment, and he sat up for her to help him get out of the shirt. Once that was out of the way, she pushed him back down, leaning in to kiss him as he pulled off his underwear. He was well into it, which was evident by his erection – Tasha could feel it through her bikini bottom, hard and hot.
He kissed her, and his hands reached behind her back, untying the strings of her top. It fell down on his chest, and Tasha swept it aside, sending it flying to the floor. The ambiance switched once more, coloring the room a shade of red.
One of Tasha’s hands was in Luke’s hair, pressing his face between her breasts, as she simultaneously started shifting on him to and fro. He kissed her breasts, his hands strong on her hips. His penis was stone hard, and Tasha was wet and ready for it.
She sat up and put her hands on his, pushing them down, until Luke felt the strings of the bikini bottom. Looking at her, he pulled on both sides at the same time, and the bottom fell off –front part o
n his stomach, rear part between his legs – revealing her fresh Brazilian wax.
Slightly shifting again, she took his hands and put them on her breasts, kissing his fingers. The bottom of the bikini was almost off, when they felt the yacht slow down considerably. They froze, looking at each other, as the yacht kept slowing, until it stopped completely. Tasha couldn’t believe they were back – she’d completely lost track of time.
She sat on top of him for a few more seconds, his hands under her breasts, the pendant still neat between them, and her nipples hard. Then Luke pulled her down, kissing her hard, before saying, “We’ve run out of time.”
“Not even five minutes?” She put her hand on his penis, squeezing it carefully, but he took it off.
“We really need to go.”
He kissed her once more and sat up on the bed, putting his underwear back on, and then his shorts. Tasha stayed in bed for a minute to watch him dress. Her heart was still racing, her mind unable to think straight. She considered staying behind and taking care of the need herself, but from the way Luke was hustling, even in her aroused state it was easy to deduce that whatever urgent business there was, it was about to take place on the yacht.
Catching her breath, Tasha tied up the bottom, and then the top of her bikini, by which time Luke had already left. She hurried upstairs to the smaller bedroom, where she put her dress back on. She was considerably upset and unsatisfied, but being outside, if for a moment, sobered her up a bit. She gathered her things.
Luke knocked on the door.
“You coming?”
Tasha uttered a curse at the irony of that phrase. Out loud she said, “Be right there!”
He met her on the deck, just as the Captain was extending the ramp. Tasha could still notice the bulge in Luke’s pants, and put her hand on it to help him fix it as she kissed him.
“Are you sending me home?”
“I’m afraid I have to,” he replied, kissing her back, his penis tensing when she touched it. “The car’s in the parking lot, I believe.”
“You’re not even going to see me to it?”
“Something’s come up and it is really urgent, I’m sorry.”
She whispered, “I can name a number of things that have come up and are urgent.”
She wasn’t used to that kind of dirty flirting, but apparently it worked, because Luke tensed once more and breathed out into her ear.
“You need to go, Tasha. I will call you, I promise.”
They kissed once again, and she walked down the ramp reluctantly, but generally pleased with the way the trip turned out. Now that she could think straight again she felt a tiny bit ashamed of her behavior, thinking she might have come off as easy to Luke, which led to doubt creeping inside her.
As she neared the same Lexus she had arrived in, a dark Mercedes with tinted windows flew by, almost running her over.
“Asshole!”
The driver didn’t slow down, however, and Tasha continued on her way. When she reached the car she looked back and saw the Mercedes had stopped in front of Luke’s yacht. Two men stepped out, the driver large and broad-shouldered, while his passenger was short and ungainly. Both had dark hair, and grim faces.
Tasha saw Luke on the ramp, waving at them and inviting them to come up. The smaller man led the way, and the taller one followed, and then all three of them disappeared on the boat. Tasha waited a moment longer, trying to figure out what she’d just witnessed. She wasn’t sure what kind of people Luke had dealings with, but the pair did not look like respectable Manhattan businessmen. At the same time, she thought, what else could it be? She rejected the idea of any trouble, because given Luke’s status and resources he could easily protect himself from such things, at the very least by not interrupting his weekend only to invite them to his yacht.
Giving one last glance to the fabulous vessel, Tasha climbed into the back of the car, and the driver took her home.
It wasn’t even dark outside when they arrived, but too late to do anything productive. She called the office once she’d taken a shower, and was told that all was in order and she needn’t worry about it; all the progress would be on her virtual desk come Monday, and she could finally wrap up the microprocessors report. That was good news, leaving Tasha with the rest of the day off.
It was impossible to get any work done on such a nice day anyway, so instead she went for a run, ending it at a café near her brownstone.
Kelly messaged her in the evening, saying she was headed to the fraternity party, if Tash was interested, which she wasn’t. Going to a college party after a sailing trip on a luxury yacht in company of a billionaire would be a comical downgrade, and Tasha knew better.
So, she stayed at home, in company of a bottle of red. Had she hit a jackpot? And it wasn’t about the money, either, she had that covered and then some. But was Luke the guy for her? There was electricity between them, obviously, and they seemed to have plenty to talk about. He wasn’t talkative, which was fine, too. Tasha liked that. It made the man interesting. Not mysterious in a cliché kind of way (although that, too), but it told her there was a lot more to him than the money. In fact, he came off as someone who cared little about immediate benefits of his wealth. He wore no excessively expensive jewelry, and there was no otherwise flashiness about him. As she thought about it more and more, Luke seemed to be perfect in most ways.
Her phone buzzed. It was him.
“Luke?”
“Hey Tasha.” He sounded stressed and tired at the same time. He sounded like he needed to talk. “Sorry again that I had to kick you out like that.”
“Forget about it. We had a good time. How’d your meeting go?”
He blew out air forcefully and said, “Not too well.”
“Oh?”
“You know, the usual crap. Everyone wants money. And the more of it you have, the more they want it, and they grow… more persistent in getting it.”
Now there was a reason to start getting worried. Was Luke really in trouble? No, how could he be? And if he were, surely Tasha wouldn’t be the first one to receive his call.
“Is there any way I can help?”
“Will you have dinner with me?”
“Tonight?” It was already half past eight, and she was wearing only sweatpants and an old t-shirt.
“In an hour? I’ll understand if you have other plans.”
“Pick me up?”
“Count on it, Tash.”
She hung up, put the wine aside and ran to get ready, which didn’t take all that long. Luke hadn’t specify where they’d be going, but something told Tasha it wouldn’t be one of those supremely expensive places where everyone wore evening dresses. From what she could tell, Luke would choose a modestly fine restaurant, probably in one of the Manhattan high rises. She put on a good dress, one of her favorites, which ended just above her knees, but had a push-up effect and sexy cleavage. She wanted to feel sexy around Luke, so that the next time they would go all the way.
Luke picked her up at 9:20, behind the wheel of a BMW coupe. It was a nice ride, but not standing out on the street. Tasha had imagined a billionaire would be driving one of those bright-colored supercars that could be heard roaring around Times Square every now and again, but once again Luke proved to be humble. He kissed her when she got in, and they drove through light traffic to, as Tasha had predicted, one of the glass-and-steel buildings that rose to the sky. The restaurant was called The Platinum and had a valet service, which picked up the car for them. Inside everything screamed luxury, but the supermodel looking hostess did not take them to any of the tables in the main room. She led them to an inconspicuous elevator in the far corner.
“A favor from a friend,” Luke explained, without explaining anything.
The elevator took them to the top floor slowly, and they used that time to kiss. Tasha was sure there was a camera, and didn’t care. She was living the dream.
The terrace was much smaller than the ground floor space and had no roof, but there
were patio heaters at every table to keep the place warm.
“So,” Tasha asked once they’d ordered, “What was the deal about?”
That seemed to have caught Luke off guard. “Ah, don’t worry about, just some hefty clients with hefty appetites…”
“Oh, I’ve met those! All is well, I hope?”
“Yeah, fine. I’ll just have to… sign the papers later.”
“That serious of a deal, huh?”
Luke changed the subject: “Red or white?”
“Red.”
The wine arrived shortly, and they drank to at least making the night great, since the afternoon got cut short. The wine was delicious, too, and got even more so once the food arrived.
“I wanted to tell you something,” Luke said, lowering his voice. “You know what SEF stands for?”
“Sure, South East Financial. Why?”
“That’s the official name. But really, I named it Santa Elma Financial.”
It took Tasha a moment to start piecing things together. “My dad’s clinic was called Santa Elma Medical. I thought it was appropriate.”
“Elma was your mother’s name, wasn’t it?”
“Yep.”
“That’s a nice thing you did. Santa Elma Financial. Has an even better ring to it, if you ask me.”
“I agree, but I like to keep it personal.”
“To Santa Elma,” Tasha said, and they clinked glasses and drank.
Once again, the ice was broken, and they spent the evening talking about everything from business to favorite vacationing places. Luke said he enjoyed Europe a lot, but work kept him locked in Manhattan, which was a shame. Tasha confessed she hadn’t had a vacation for the past three years, since college. He promised to take her to Côte d'Azur some day, provided she’d be willing to take a vacation. She said she’d think about it, although she was ready to leave everything behind right then to travel with him.
Her Russian Millionaire (BWWM Romance Book 1) Page 17
