She squinted her eyes as she thought about the ramifications of her laughing at what Terrill had just said as opposed to telling him off. She slid off of his lap and sat down beside him. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
She had been so consumed by his heated kiss and embrace that she hadn’t even realized that the car was moving.
“So. You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you? Your really want to do this? Us?” Tired of fighting for the moment, she rested her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the ride.
“No. I’m not taking no for an answer. We are doing this. It’s our time, Maritza. I can’t fight this feeling anymore. I want you in my life as more than a business partner, more than a friend, or as I’m sure you can wait to remind me, a friend of a friend. Because according to you we aren’t friends.”
“You know me so well. You just see right through me and know exactly what I’m going to say or do, huh?”
“I’ve studied you for years, Maritza. I probably know you better than you know yourself.”
“Whatever.”
“I know that you are really skittish right now and one false move will have you running for the hills as fast as your feet can take you.”
“Well, at least you’d be able to catch me quick because I’ll tell you I won’t get very far in these bad boys. They are fierce, but they don’t do marathons.” She kicked off her black patent leather Mary Jane–styled Manolo Blahniks and stretched her feet.
“So where exactly are you taking me, Terrill?”
“I’m taking you out on a hot date.” He gave a half smile. “Hotter than the date you went on Saturday night.”
“I don’t know about that. My Saturday night date was something special. The memories of that evening will stick with me for some time to come. I won’t be able to get rid of them easily…”
She laughed at the sour expression on his face. If she didn’t know any better she might have actually believed that he was jealous.
“Really? Then I’ll just have to use everything I’ve got to give you better memories to get rid of those.” His sour expression turned to determined just that fast.
“Really? So you’re taking me to the gym?” She giggled.
He frowned. “The gym? No. Why would I take you to the gym?”
“Because that’s the only thing that’s going to help me get rid of these pounds that hot date with Ben & Jerry’s added to my hips and thighs.” Her voice sounded light and wistful and she wondered what was happening to her.
Who was this person that wanted to flirt and be all girly-girl with him? It couldn’t be her! It couldn’t be Maritza Morales.
A sly smile crossed his lips and he kissed her again, softly and sweetly.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with your hips and thighs. They are as perfect as the rest of you.” He licked his lips like he could taste her and she thought she was going to turn to mush and slide out of the seat.
She smiled, slightly surprised at how much his approval warmed her insides and made her feel so much glee.
“So where are you taking me?”
“A new restaurant downtown that’s supposed to be really good. They specialize in transnational fusion cuisine. Apparently on any given night you can go there and experience the fusion of at least three different parts of the world.”
“Oh, I read about that place. It’s supposed to be really hard to get in there.”
“After dinner, I figured we could play it by ear. I know you’re probably tired from working all day and holding things down while Penny is in Jersey.”
“How is she holding up?” She hadn’t heard from Penny much lately.
“As well as can be expected. Her mom and her ex-boyfriend are both working her nerves. And her long-lost father showed up. Fresh out of jail, I might add…he’d been in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.”
“Get out of here, for real? I need to call girlfriend and see how she is holding up. She must be stressed as hell. Good thing you were there for her.”
“I was glad to be able to be there for Penny. But I am even more glad that I’m back here and I’m with you now.”
She found herself gazing in his eyes then. She had no idea what she was looking for. She only knew that she needed something to help her be able to resist this man.
“You know we can’t go public with this, right, Terrill?”
“Why can’t we? I don’t want to date you in secret. I want the world to know.”
“I was serious when I said I didn’t want Penny or any of our other mutual friends to have to decide who to still be friends with if things don’t work out.” She sighed. “And I mean…come on…how long do you expect this to last anyway before we end up killing one another or something?”
He pulled her closer. “We can sort out the details later. For now, let’s just enjoy being together and get to know more about each other.”
She started to argue with him and list all the reasons why they needed to set up firm rules of engagement right now before they moved any further. But she couldn’t.
Dinner was even better than she had expected. She had expected the food to be out of this world. But she had no idea how captivating and charming Terrill could be.
The atmosphere in the restaurant gave off an air of understated elegance and exclusivity. The high, almost covered dining booths made it so you really couldn’t tell who was dining there. All kinds of Hollywood A-listers could have been in the place and only their companions and their wait-staff would know. It wasn’t a place to be “seen.” Rather, it was a place to get away from being seen.
The food was absolutely amazing. She studied the man across the table from her and made a decision that she hoped she wouldn’t regret.
“Terrill, I think we should explore the chemistry between us. But I think we need to keep it just between us. No one needs to know. If you can promise me we will have a discreet affair, then we can do this.”
“But I don’t want to have an affair with you. I want to date you. I want you to be my woman, in public and in private.” Terrill looked so frustrated she almost caved. And caving would be absolutely the wrong thing to do.
There was so much he just didn’t know about her or her past and so much she hoped he never found out…
An affair was all she could risk.
“We can get started on the private tonight, Terrill. If you’re willing to do it this way, we can start now. You’re right. I’m tired of running, too. But we have too much to risk.”
“It would be worth the risk, Maritza.”
She wanted to believe him. But she couldn’t. “Please, Terrill. Let’s try my way first, and then we’ll see.”
“Fine, we’ll do it your way for now—”
Maritza couldn’t believe he was going to do it her way. “Great! Let’s blow this spot and finish the night at your place.”
“Check, please.” Terrill got them out of there, into the Maybach and back at his mansion quicker than she ever could have imagined.
Maritza had always loved Terrill’s mansion in Bel Air even though she couldn’t imagine what one man did with so much space. His mother lived in a condo nearby, but she spent the majority of her time traveling. Terrill spared no expense when it came to his mother. That woman had been all over the world.
Maritza assumed he used the home mostly for entertaining and big parties for his music company. She had never spent a significant amount of time there. She had a feeling that was about to change.
As soon as they entered the mansion, Terrill pulled her into his arms and she forgot all thoughts about his space and what he did with it. The only thing she was concerned with was what he planned to do with her in it at that moment.
His lips brushed hers softly and he inhaled. “We don’t have to go this fast, Maritza. I want to take the time to woo you and wow you and make you see that I’m the guy for you.”
Her insides melted and she knew she should run from his embrace as swiftly as
her feet could carry her. There was no way she could possibly resist Terrill if he insisted on being this perfect!
“Why now, Terrill? Why are you so determined to pursue this now?”
“Why not now? How long were you going to keep doing this dance we have been doing?”
Forever…
“I don’t know. I just know that things were a whole lot simpler when we couldn’t stand one another…”
“I could stand you just fine, Maritza. It was your attitude that I wanted to adjust.”
He laughed and when she opened her mouth for a smart retort he kissed her again. His mouth possessed hers as surely as he was slowly but surely possessing the rest of her. Goose bumps trailed down her entire body as he caressed and held her close.
“I want you, Terrill. We don’t have to wait. I want this.” The certainty in her voice would have shocked her if she didn’t know from the bottom of her gut how much she really meant the words she had just said. She had wanted him the very first moment she set eyes on him. That had never really changed.
He took her hand and led her up the stairs. When they made it to his suite she couldn’t help but continue to be impressed by him. His home was the perfect mix of stately with a touch of subdued opulence. It had a done-but-not-overdone appeal to it. From the artfully modern design throughout, to the original artwork on the walls, his home epitomized style and class. He had come a long way and that was enough to make anyone proud. And she didn’t find it odd that she could finally admit she was more than a little proud of him herself.
As soon as they entered the room, he kissed her again and their kisses turned into a groping and clingy exchange that had them disrobing each other as they tried to cop feels. She knew she wanted to touch every piece of skin on his body. So as soon as she removed his jacket, shirt and undershirt, she let her hands trace the rips and cuts of his finely chiseled chest.
Damn.
She hadn’t known that he had so much going on under those custom-tailored suits. She would have been feeling him up a long time ago. His muscles and his smooth skin felt like velvet-covered steel to her touch.
He managed to get her dress off of her while she touched him and then he made quick work of her bra, leaving her thong, thigh-high silk stockings and Manolos on her. His strong hands moved up and down her back and caressed her ass with each stroke down. Then his hands moved up her belly and he took a breast in each hand. He molded her breast with his hands and teased her nipples with his mouth. He moved steadily from one nipple to the other and sucked them until they tightened to peaks. He massaged her breasts and soon her legs were shaking with a built-up desire and need that she couldn’t put into words.
He moved one hand down and placed it between her shaking legs. He pushed her thighs apart and pulled her thong to the side. She could feel her womanly juices rushing to meet his fingers at the door to welcome them in.
One finger.
Two fingers.
Three fingers.
She let out a gasp of breath and she hoped each digit found a nice and welcoming home inside of her because she loved the way they were making her feel. His mouth remained on one breast as his fingers probed her from her slick folds to her heated core. Soon she was shaking with an orgasm that could only be described as amazing.
Jolts of pleasure seemed to lift her and make her sway at the same time. She let out a scream that she was sure must have been heard all clear across his mansion. It was a good thing he lived alone and his servants were discreet. Her body sagged against his when the last ripple of her orgasm passed through her and she wondered how she would find energy for anything more.
He lifted her up and carried her over to his California king-size platform bed. He laid her down and slid off her shoes and then her thigh-highs before slowly and seductively taking off her thong underwear. Before she could do or say anything, he lowered his head and gave her the most intimate of kisses.
With each stroke of his tongue, she struggled to keep her eyes from rolling to the back of her head.
It felt just that good.
She moaned and locked her thighs around his head, effectively holding him in place and making sure that her legs didn’t take on a life of their own and just start kicking and waving everywhere.
Terrill couldn’t believe that he was finally tasting Maritza’s sweet nectar. She tasted better than anything he had ever tasted. And to finally be able to see her gorgeous body in all its splendor, splayed out on his bed for him to pleasure and taste and worship, was almost enough to make him enter her and bring them both to completion, quick, fast and in a hurry.
But he couldn’t.
He couldn’t rush this moment.
He had waited too long for it.
So he allowed his tongue to travel up and down her slick folds. He let it tunnel forth and mimicked the thrusts he would soon be doing with his penis. He touched her and tasted her, letting his fingers feel the soft wet caverns of desire that she offered.
He knew he was humming with a happiness that refused to be contained. But his sounds of pleasure had nothing on her moans. The grip of her thighs on his shoulders and her fingers in his hair told him without her having to say a word that she wanted this, too.
He let his hands caress her behind and slide down to her full hips and luscious thighs as his tongue continued to tunnel and lap up all of her sweet juices. He couldn’t even begin to remember how many times he had gone to bed thinking about having her thighs wrapped around him as he spent his seed inside her.
He was so addicted to the taste of her that he lost count of how many times she had come. All he knew was he wanted to be inside her the next time she did. So he reluctantly pulled away from her, got undressed and put on a condom.
Maritza didn’t know how Terrill managed to break free of the kung fu grip her thighs had on him. But he did. She gazed up to see him removing what was left of his clothing and placing the protection on his very well-endowed penis.
She let her eyes roam over his body and soaked in the one hundred percent pure masculinity that exuded off of him like water down the falls. It was so overwhelming she thought she could actually drown in it.
His honey-complexioned skin showed only the slightest hint of the work he had already put in in bringing her to orgasm after orgasm. The barest traces of perspiration glistened on his skin, making the honey underneath look good enough to lick. When he joined her on the bed she did just that. She let her tongue trace the ridges and contours of his muscled chest and imagined this is what a pec tastes like.
She thought she was wet and ready enough to take anything he came with until she felt the beginning of his penis stretching her in ways she had never been stretched before. She groaned and relaxed herself even more so that she could have all of him in her. She was shocked by how much she wanted that. He felt so thick and good inside of her. And as he pulled back a little and pushed farther into her, she realized he had considerable length to go along with that width.
Once he reached the hilt, he stopped for a moment and she found herself lost in his gaze and glad he was giving her a moment to get used to his size.
He bent his head and kissed her deeply, completely. She had kissed a lot of men in her thirty-four years of living, but she had never been kissed like this. Terrill’s kisses felt as if he were marking her soul deep. She knew no matter what happened between them a part of her would always belong to him just by virtue of the way he kissed her.
“You ready for me, babe?” He stopped kissing her and had that intense expression in his eyes again.
“Yes.” She knew her voice was breathless because she was still holding her breath, partly in disbelief that she was actually making love with Terrill and partly in order to stop herself from saying just how much she had wanted this and for how long she had wanted it.
He pulled out and pushed back in, slowly at first and picking up speed with each thrust. The back-and-forth motion of his hips seemed to hook her like a yo-yo. Her hips follow
ed his, lifting off the bed and bouncing back down. She wanted him bad. She wanted him deep.
“Feel good, babe?” His words flowed with the perfect mix of strain and sensual seduction.
She worked her hips, tilting her pelvis and clenching his penis in her inner walls, giving him the ultimate massage.
“Does that feel good?” She smiled and winked at him, all the while giving as good as she got.
He smiled a devilish grin and began to piston his hips harder and faster. “Tell me…why the hell did we wait so long to do this?”
His power thrusts were taking her closer and closer to the edge, so close she could almost feel the orgasm. It was going to be amazing. She could already tell. She wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her thighs firmly around him.
She looked him dead in the eye. “I don’t know what took us so long. But. Don’t. You. Dare. Stop.”
The orgasm blasted through her and she screamed out his name. His thrusts keep coming and extended her orgasm until she didn’t know if she was coming or going. She heard mumbling and moaning all around her and she realized that she was doing it. If she were in church, she would have thought she was speaking in tongues.
He kept his thrusts going and soon she was crying out again. But this time she wasn’t alone. His grunts accompanied hers as they both found their release together.
The next morning as Terrill waited for Maritza to get dressed at her house so that they could go out for breakfast, he wondered how he was going to get her to see that they were meant to be together and the only thing they were doing was wasting more time by not just coming out and admitting to the world that they were a couple now.
The upscale breakfast café near Maritza’s loft in downtown Los Angeles was already filled to capacity with Los Angeles’s beautiful people, movers and shakers. Even though he and Maritza definitely fit in, Terrill still couldn’t help but wish that her clothes were at his mansion and he could have served her breakfast in bed before they got dressed and went off to work.
Ready for Love Page 7
