A Cinderella Affair

by A. C. Arthur

  “Hmm?” she said absently, then turned to face him. “I mean, yes. I’m fine.” Because he didn’t look as if he believed her she reached out and rubbed his arm. “I’m fine. Where are we going?”

  Adam stared at her for a moment then said, “I’m taking you out to dinner, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah.” She did remember but had just thought of something else she’d rather do. “Why don’t we go to your place instead?”

  Adam’s head jerked as he looked at her this time. “What? My place?”

  “Yes, Adam. I’d like to see where you live.” She smiled. “Unless you don’t want to share that part of yourself with me.”

  “Don’t be smart. I don’t have any secrets from you. I just didn’t think you would want to… I mean, I didn’t know if after last night you’d still want to…”

  Camille put her hand on Adam’s thigh. “I want to go to your house.”

  Adam had no idea why their plans had changed but wasn’t particularly upset that they had. Twenty minutes after Camille’s request was made they pulled into the garage at his apartment building. After parking the car he went around to let Camille out, taking her hand and pulling her close to him as he did.

  “Just so you know, I don’t bring women to my apartment,” he said when they were standing against the car.

  Camille blinked as if in shock. “Really?”

  He brushed her hair back from her face and nodded. “Really.”

  “Then where do you…ah… I mean, where…” she stammered.

  “Vegas has a multitude of hotels.” He grinned, then took her hand and walked toward the elevator.

  He opened the door and watched as she walked inside. The layout put her in the middle of the living room, and he leaned over to turn on a lamp so she could see. She moved through the room looking around, touching a picture of his parents on the coffee table then sighing as she ran her hand over one of the huge suede pillows on the sofa.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked, thinking to himself that if he was going to have to watch her walking around his apartment in those tight-fitting slacks and even tighter turtleneck he was going to need all the help he could get.

  When she’d entered the living room at Linc’s house where he waited for her earlier this evening he’d almost swallowed his tongue. She looked absolutely edible in the apple-green pants and matching top. Her beige boots had a spiky three-inch heel on them and should have been illegal for the way they emphasized her calves.

  “I’m not thirsty,” she said in a voice that was way too sultry.

  He instantly turned away. “I am.” Moving to the bar in the corner of the room he poured himself a brandy, choosing that over the really hard liquor, which he was afraid he probably needed more. How was he supposed to keep his hands off of her if they were alone in his apartment? That’s why he’d been glad they were going to a restaurant for dinner.

  He emptied the contents of his glass then turned, ready to face her again. Except she was directly behind him so when he turned they collided. She stumbled back and he instinctively reached out to grab her to keep her from falling. His hands fitted around her waist, his fingers splaying over the top of her buttocks.

  Her palms flattened on his chest and they both laughed.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t indulge in another drink, Mr. Donovan,” she said with a smile that could only be construed as coy.

  Adam blinked in surprise. Camille being coy. That was definitely new. “Maybe we should have a seat,” he said, removing his hands from her body and walking toward the couch.

  He sat down and looked up to see her approaching. When he thought she was going to sit beside him she stepped between his legs and leaned over him instead.

  “Are you nervous, Adam?” she whispered, so close to him that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his face.

  He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, inhaled the floral scent of her perfume and felt his body fill with heat. “No. I’m not nervous.”

  “Then why don’t you kiss me?”

  “I didn’t know you wanted to be kissed.”

  For a moment she looked startled. Then she smiled. “I always want to be kissed. By you.”

  He had no idea what had changed with her and wasn’t about to complain. While the Camille he was used to had a quiet demeanor this one was a pleasant shock with her blatant sexuality. Whatever her personality profile, at the end of the day she was a woman and he was a man.

  So the fact that he reached up, grabbing her by the back of her head, and pulled her down until his lips felt hers should have been expected. When she opened her mouth in response, her tongue dipping languorously into his mouth to capture his, he knew that it was more than expected. She had demanded this response from him and while he had no clue why, again he wasn’t about to complain.

  She took the kiss deeper, pushing him back until he lay on the sofa, then climbing on top of him. His hands went to her bottom, cupping the voluptuous mounds and she began to pump. Heat swirled through his body until he thought he would explode from the intensity. Every brush of her center over his engorged sex made him dizzy and thankful of the fact that he was lying down.

  Her breasts moved over him, a wicked enticement that he cursed. Her hands moved over his shoulders, down his torso and were now pulling his shirt from his pants. She seemed impatient, frenzied in her movements until her hands touched the skin of his stomach. Then she stilled, only her tongue moving inside his mouth. Adam wasn’t sure what she was thinking but knew that between her kisses and her touch he was on his way to heaven.

  After a few moments Camille moved her hands, slowly, tortuously, over his abs, up his sides then rested one on each pectoral. Following her lead he slipped his hands under her sweater, feeling the bare skin of her back. When she tore her mouth from his to nip his jawbone he breathed, “Camille, baby, what are you trying to do to me?”

  She pulled back, looked down at him and smiled. “I’m returning the favor from last night.”

  Adam’s eyes rolled back in his head. If she for one minute thought she was going to do to him what he did to her, he was definitely in trouble. “Ah, wait…wait a…minute,” he said, trying to talk as she pushed his shirt up and over his head. His chest was bare now and she didn’t waste a moment bending her head and capturing his nipple between her teeth.

  He hissed. Then moaned as her tongue flattened over the spot.

  “Camille.” Her name was a deep-throated growl that seemed to spur her on.

  Lower and lower her busy little mouth and tongue moved until her fingers traveled to his belt buckle, deftly undid it and unbuttoned his pants. He heard his zipper being lowered and grabbed her shoulders.

  “Camille!” He shook her slightly, intent on stopping her before she did something she would regret. Although he was sure he would absolutely love it, he wasn’t so selfish as to allow her to go this far without understanding what it meant.

  “What? Am I doing something wrong?” she asked.

  Her eyes had grown larger, her mouth, swollen from their kisses, looked delectable. Adam sat up, keeping her comfortably on top of him. “No, baby, you’re not doing anything wrong. I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing.”

  She looked down at her hands, then away toward the other side of the room. “You’re right. I don’t know what I’m doing. But if you just tell me I know I can make you feel good.”

  He’d been in denial since the first time he’d kissed her. He’d fought it and chalked it up to this business deal or anything else. But at this precise moment, looking into her warm brown eyes, seeing her worrying, her embarrassment coupled with her desire to please him, he knew all was lost. He was in love with this woman.

  “That’s not what I meant,” he said softly, brushing his fingers over her lips. “Are you ready for this, Camille? Because I guarantee you that if I let you proceed there will be no turning back. I want you so badly I’m on the brink of exploding right here, right now. So y
ou’ve got to be absolutely sure.”

  She nodded, then eased her tongue out to lick his finger. “I’m positive.”

  With those words Adam didn’t waste another minute. Standing, he held her in his arms and walked to the bedroom.

  He sat her on the bed and kissed her long and lovingly. She reached for his pants again and he moved her hand away. “Not yet. I won’t survive if you touch me right now.”

  Instead he began to undress her, loving each feel of her flesh against his hands as he did. When she was naked he moved her to the center of the bed and looked down at her. All the curves he’d seen through her clothes were exemplified. Her mocha skin almost sparkled and his mouth watered. “I told you before you were beautiful.” He shook his head. “But now, that word does not seem to do you justice.”

  She reached her hands up to him and whispered his name. Adam reined in his raging hormones and said, “Undress me, Camille.”

  She sat up on the bed and pushed his pants down over his hips. When he climbed off the bed to step out of them he noticed her watching him. She scooted to the edge of the bed then pushed his boxers down and again watched him as he stepped out of them.

  “Now, touch me,” he said through clenched teeth.

  Tentatively Camille wrapped her fingers around his length. When he was cupped in her hands he sucked in a breath. “Stroke me.”

  She did and Adam felt the room tilting around him. “Camille,” he whispered and closed his eyes.

  He was enjoying the feel of her hand moving over him, loving the attention she paid to what she was doing and all but ready to push her back on that bed and sink inside of her when he felt warmth over his arousal.

  He cracked his eyes and wished he’d kept them closed. Her head was lowered and in the next instant her mouth was on him. His heart stood still, then hammered. Adam felt like screaming, every muscle in his body had grown taut. Instead he focused on breathing, on keeping calm until she was through. He had no doubt that this was her first time doing this, just as it had been her first time on the receiving end last night. Just as what they would do next would also be her first.

  Her movements were tentative at first then increased to a rate that had him seeing stars. Of their own accord his hands rose and fisted in her hair. His teeth clenched and his breathing grew labored. On that final shaky breath he pushed her away and climbed on top of her. In his mind he knew that this was her first time and that he should go slow, but his body wanted total dominance, total satisfaction. He quickly pushed her legs apart, got a glimpse of her moistened center and shook.

  To clamp down on his own arousal he only had to look into her eyes. They were dulled by desire, etched with expectancy. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose and finally her lips.

  “I want you to relax and trust me,” he said, his lips a whisper from hers, his fingers moving to her center.

  Camille gasped then nodded. Her goal had been clear: make love to Adam tonight, no questions and no regrets. She would be returning home tomorrow, returning to her normal, business-as-usual, boring life. She wanted for once to experience something else. She wanted to take a piece of Adam back to L.A. with her.

  His finger moved slowly inside of her, back and forth until she could hear the sound of her moisture on him. He kissed her, his tongue parting her lips slowly and pushed another finger inside of her. She moved her hips, wanting more of the sweet sensations rippling through her body.

  Withdrawing his fingers from her center he spread the moisture over her labia, upward to touch the hood of her and back down to the center again.

  She murmured his name over and over again, unable to do or say anything else. Then he lifted from her, reached over to the nightstand and produced a condom. He quickly sheathed himself then settled between her legs once more. She spread them wider in an effort to show him that she was more than certain, that she wanted this more than anything else in the world.

  The tip of his hardness settled over her opening and she tensed, sucking in a breath.

  “No,” he whispered, “keep breathing. Take long, deep breaths.”

  She did as he said and felt her body relaxing.

  “Keep your eyes on me,” he said and she felt him pushing against her.

  It felt as if he wouldn’t fit and her fingers fisted in the sheets. She closed her eyes and heard him telling her to open them. She did, looking deeply into his eyes and feeling a connection beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

  “Just a little more and then it’ll be okay,” he said and pushed his length farther inside her.

  Camille gasped with the brief moment of pain. Above her Adam stilled, showering her face with kisses.

  “Thank you. Thank you,” he whispered over and over again.

  Instinctively Camille wrapped her arms around his neck, lifted her legs and clasped them behind his back, then she moved her hips.

  “Mmmm,” he moaned and began stroking, slowly with her.

  Camille felt something building in her center, a ball of fire, growing, causing her to move her hips faster. Adam gripped her hips, tightly holding her as he moved deeper and deeper inside her.

  This feeling was supreme. Pleasure she couldn’t quite describe. Their bodies joined at the center, locked into a mating dance that seemed beyond natural. Her heart swelled with emotion, although she didn’t dare name that emotion. Each time his fingers touched her it was with a gentleness that almost made her cry. And when he impaled his length in her, it was with slow deliberateness designed to make her beg.

  And that she did when that fire had grown inside of her and now felt as if it were a volcano about to explode. She couldn’t hold on; her breath hitched, her head thrashing against the pillow. For a minute she felt she was losing control, almost as if she was having one of her panic attacks. But this was different, this was propelled by pleasure and not fear or worry.

  Adam lifted one of her legs, propping it up on his shoulder, thrusting deeper into her and she cried out. He filled her completely, moving with smooth precision and pushing her carefully over the brink.

  With another thrust she fell, her limbs slackened while she panted, wondering why she’d waited so long for this type of pleasure. He whispered in her ear, “I love you, Camille.”

  He’d said it and he probably shouldn’t have. No woman believed first confessions of love in the heat of the moment.

  Still his hips moved above her, his length buried to the hilt inside of her. She was so warm, so tight, so wet and so accommodating. She gripped him until he was sure that she would drain all the life from him. And yet, he continued to pump, without another choice actually.

  The fact was he did love her and even beyond that he loved the way it felt to be inside of her. How could he ever let her return to L.A. after this?

  That decision along with that train of thought was taken out of his control as his entire body tensed, his climax taking over completely.

  Chapter 11

  Camille awoke in his arms. She was neither groggy nor tired as she usually was when she got up in the morning.

  This morning she felt energized and ready to take on the world. Well, her thighs were a little sore, but it was a pleasant soreness. Visions of what she and Adam had shared last night materialized and she felt her body warming all over again.

  It had been this way all night. All he had to do was touch her, brush a hand over her hip, or a kiss to her neck and she was on fire. Wanton was what most people would call it, but she didn’t care. Over and over again he’d taken her and she continued to want more. Everything he did to her felt perfectly wonderful and while she had no one to compare him to, she was sure Adam was the very best lover in the world.

  Gingerly she slipped out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom. Switching on the shower she waited while the water warmed. Just as she had every morning, every day of her life, she looked in the mirror. It was the same face she’d always seen and yet it was different. Her cheeks were flushed,
giving her a mature glow that seemed to say, “I’ve had multiple orgasms.” She smiled at the thought then looked down at herself. Her body looked the same but it felt totally different. She decided she liked the newness and stepped into the shower.

  The water felt heavenly and she closed her eyes, arching her neck and turning so that it touched every part of her body. She continued to think of Adam and the words he’d said to her. Again he’d told her she was beautiful. As a matter of fact, he said those words each time he looked at her. Then he’d said something that she hadn’t expected and didn’t quite know what to do with.

  He’d also said he loved her. At first she’d thought she was hearing things but when he’d reached his own climax he’d repeated it. And throughout the night he’d told her over and over again as if he were trying to get her to memorize it.

  She shook her head and water from her hair splashed onto the tiles. Adam Donovan couldn’t possibly be in love with her. Opening her eyes she reached for a bottle of shampoo that she’d spotted on an earlier trip to the bathroom. Lathering her hair she thought of his words and knew that if he said them, he most likely meant them. Adam didn’t strike her as a liar. The question now was why.

  Why would he choose her?

  Then realization hit her. Why wouldn’t he choose her?

  She was just about to step beneath the spray of water again to rinse her hair but when she moved she bumped into a hard body. Attempting to turn around she was stopped by his hands in her hair. His long fingers stroked her scalp, massaging gently. Her entire body relaxed against him. From her scalp down to her toes her body tingled and she let out a soft moan.

  He turned her to face him, pressing his hard length against her then backed her up until she was under the water. He rinsed her hair again, massaging her scalp, then his hands moved down to her neck and her shoulders.

  In seconds he was palming her breasts, squeezing them until her nipples were turgid peaks. Over her belly his hands roamed. And since Camille had passed the self-conscious point about seven hours ago she focused totally on the pleasure of his touch.