by Audrey Harte
CHAPTER SIX
After she called the Office Manager to let her know she’d be leaving her car in the parking structure over the weekend, Annie took a cab to the airport and breezed through security, thankful she had taken advantage of the online check-in and printed her boarding pass ahead of time.
Barely making it to her gate in time to board the plane, she collapsed in a seat and buckled herself in, then leaned back to take a nap for the next hour. When the plane touched down in Phoenix, her eyes flew open and her stomach gurgled. She giggled to herself as she remembered she hadn’t stopped to eat anything all day, she’d been so wound up and nervous about the trip.
On her way to baggage claim, she stopped by the ladies room to freshen up, reapplying her lip gloss and touching up her eyeliner and mascara. After using the restroom and washing her hands, she took a few minutes to inspect her appearance, trying to calm her nerves.
She was wearing a short, tight black skirt with a white chunky sweater and a black scarf. On her feet were what Alex had affectionately dubbed her “hooker heels” — a pair of black strappy sandals with super high, spiky heels. In other words, she was dressed to kill.
She called Gabe’s cell as she made her way out through baggage claim, wincing as her sexy shoes were already starting to kill her feet. Her only comfort was that she wouldn’t have to do much walking around in them since they were just going to dinner and then back to the hotel. To be on the safe side, she had a spare pair of flat sandals in her carry-on that she could change into.
He answered on the third ring. “Hey sweetie, where are you at?”
“I just came out of baggage claim and I’m standing at the curb.”
“Okay, I am circling, so I still have to loop back around. How was your flight?”
“Uneventful. How did today’s meetings go?”
“Not too bad. I’ll know more after tomorrow. We just made an offer today and are waiting for the seller to get back to us.” He cleared his throat and coughed. “Ah, you know what, I think I may have missed you. What are you wearing?”
“Short black skirt, white sweater, my black ‘hooker heels’.”
She heard a car screech to a stop. “Oh shit, that was you?”
She laughed as she looked for his car. “What are you driving?”
“Blue Bimmer. I just passed you.”
Her head swung to the right to look for his car and she soon spotted him pulling to the side and backing up until he stopped in front of her. Gabe got out of the car and his gaze swept over her from head to toe, making her blush. She smiled, thinking he looked good enough to eat himself. He was dressed in slacks and a button-down dress shirt, but he had taken off his tie and had the top two buttons undone. She had never seen him so cleaned up and professional before, but he exuded raw masculine sexiness and power.
“Wow.”
“I was just going to say the same to you. You like what you see?” she asked, grinning impishly at him.
“Uh huh…ah…when I was looking for you, I have to admit that I got distracted by the sexiest pair of legs and then when you told me what you were wearing, I realized it was you and I had driven right past.” He laughed and pulled her into his arms, sliding his fingers into her hair as he lowered his lips to hers in a searing kiss that made her foot pop like Andrea’s did in The Devil Wears Prada.
“So you saw my legs and liked what you saw before you realized it was me?” She pretended to consider that for a moment and then grinned up at him. “I think I can live with that.” He grinned back and kissed her again, releasing her so she could climb into the passenger’s seat. He shut the door behind her, put her bag in the back seat and returned to the driver’s side.
As they pulled away from the curb, he turned up the volume of the stereo and she smiled, recognizing the song as one of her favorites from Dave Matthews' latest album. The evening had just begun, but she could already tell that it was going to be a great night.
~ . ~ . ~ . ~
“Want a glass of champagne?”
“Yeah, bring it out here to the patio, but give me two more minutes.”
“What are you doing?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Ha…should I be scared?”
“No, just pour the champagne and bring it out here.”
Clothed only in a soft white bathrobe, Annie opened the bottle of champagne that was chilling in the lounge area of their suite at the Sanctuary on Camelback Resort and poured two glasses, then wandered toward the lit patio area. As she stepped through the door, her breath caught and her mouth dropped open.
There was a large white bathtub overflowing with bubbles sitting at the end of a walled outdoor patio that had been designed to give the feel of a Chinese rock garden. Lit candles were scattered around on a few low tables that had been placed around the tub and there were red rose petals strewn along the hewn rock pathway. An iPod speaker was set up in the corner and Norah Jones’ sweet voice played into the night, singing The Nearness of You. Her lip quivered and she felt her eyes water as she looked at Gabe standing there in his bathrobe.
He smiled and beckoned her to come closer to him. She complied and joined him by the tub, handing a glass of champagne to him. He raised it to clink against hers and then they both took a sip.
“Surprised?”
She smiled and nodded a little shyly. “Yes, most definitely. I can’t believe you went to all this trouble for me.”
“It was worth it just to see you smile.” He pulled her close with his free hand and lowered his head to kiss her softly, then looked around for a place to set down his glass. She took another quick sip of champagne and then turned to set hers down as well.
As she turned back to him, he reached for her waist and pulled her close, slowly untying her belt, then pushing the robe back until it slid off her shoulders. Not breaking eye contact, she did the same to him.
Even though she had seen him without clothes many times in the past couple of weeks, his naked body lit by candlelight was still a wonderful sight to behold. He was so tall and lean, his skin still holding onto the faint tan he’d acquired in the late summer. His tattoos didn’t detract from his looks, but only served to enhance his features. He climbed into the tub first and turned back, taking her hand to help her into the tub and get settled on the other side from him so they were facing each other. With them both being so tall, it was a tight fit and she couldn’t help giggling at his discomfited expression.
Sliding down into the hot water, Annie sighed contentedly. “So I have to admit, this is pretty damn cool. I’ve never taken a bath outside before. The moonlight and stars are a nice touch as well.”
“It is pretty cool, isn’t it? A friend of mine told me about this little perk and I knew I had to try it out sometime. I’m glad you’re here to try it with me. Also, I put in a special request with management to make sure that the stars were extra bright tonight,” he said with a wink.
Goose bumps ran across her shoulders as she giggled at him. Tilting her head back to lean against the edge of the tub, she smiled dreamily, closing her eyes to enjoy the absolute perfection of the moment. An incredible guy had put a great deal of effort into creating a very romantic, enjoyable evening and she could hardly believe it was real. No one had ever done something like this for her before.
Robin Thicke began to croon and to her surprise, Gabe started singing along with him as they both serenaded her. Without a doubt, she knew this was definitely the best night of her life. She even started humming along and sang a few lines with him.
“You didn’t tell me you could sing.”
He shrugged. “I’m a man of many hidden talents.”
“You should come to karaoke with me sometime.”
“Maybe,” he murmured.
“Maybe we can even do a duet, like from Grease,” she teased. “Or maybe from a Disney movie, like Aladdin.” She couldn’t help but laugh at his disgruntled expression.
“Not really my style,” he drawle
d as he crooked his finger at her. She leaned forward, thinking he was going to kiss her, but at the last moment before her lips reached his, he splashed water up in her face instead. Sputtering, she let out a protest, her face scrunching as water went up her nose.
“Hey, no fair! That wasn’t very nice,” she laughed and splashed back at him. As a result of the mini water war that erupted between them, most of the bathtub’s contents sloshed over the side and onto the ground, extinguishing some of the candles along the way.
As they weren’t very comfortable squished together in the tub and were starting to get pruny anyway, they decided not to refill the water and headed back inside. They dried themselves off with the fluffy white towels that had been laid out for them before pulling their bathrobes back on and heading into the lounge area. They lay down, facing each other on a couch near the fireplace, the dancing flames sending welcome waves of heat over their chilled bodies. She snuggled closer to him, tucking her head under his chin and slipping one of her legs in between his.
“Damn, woman. Your leg feels like an icicle,” he complained.
“Mmm, and you feel like a warm toaster oven,” she moaned in appreciation.
Gabe rubbed her back and arms vigorously, bringing some feeling back into her numbed limbs. “Is that better?” he murmured, kissing the top of her head.
“Mmm.”
“Do you want to stay here or move into the bedroom?”
“Mmm.”
He chuckled and slid his hand under her robe and down her back, cupping her ass and massaging it gently as she sleepily hummed her approval. Then he started to lightly caress down her thigh, barely letting his fingertips graze her. Her eyes flew open and she arched her back, her hands slamming against his chest as she tried to push up and away from his touch.
“Ohmigod, nonono,” she shrieked.
He ignored her and continued his playful assault, tickling her ribs, her knees, her neck, anywhere he could reach until she was squirming like a fish, contorting her body this way and that.
“You, you….ahhh okay stop, seriously, ohmigod, please, you’re killing me, ahhh!” She was laughing so hard she was almost crying and halfway on her way to hyperventilating.
Chuckling, he finally stopped and raised his hands in mock truce. “Okay, okay, I’m stopping. I stopped. Happy?” He laughed again as she glared at him suspiciously.
“Somehow I don’t believe you,” she retorted, her hands raised defensively in front of her. “No more tickling.”
“No more tickling,” he promised. “But you were falling asleep in the middle of the romantic night I planned for you.”
“Aw, I’m so sorry,” she apologized, immediately feeling contrite. “I’m awake now — promise.”
“Good,” he said as he pulled her close and began to kiss her softly, his hand slowly sliding her bathrobe off over her shoulder. He stroked the smooth skin of her arm, making her toes curl at his touch.
Feeling emboldened, Annie slid a hand under his bathrobe and smiled as his hard, smooth length pushed against her questing fingers. She loved how easily she could turn him on, how he always seemed to want her like it was the first time. It was such a welcome feeling after dating assholes like Mark who took her for granted and had done a bang-up job of making her feel like she was incapable of being loved and desired.
Sitting up, she got to her feet and sent him a “come hither” smile as she let her robe slide completely down her shoulders and drop to the ground in a puddle around her feet. Gabe’s eyes narrowed as he considered her thoughtfully for a second before suddenly lunging to his feet. He leaned forward and caught her around her waist, easily hefting her onto his shoulder. She shrieked and started laughing again as he carried her off to the bedroom, stopping at the edge of the bed to put her down before he shrugged off his robe and joined her.
The sheets were cool to the touch, giving her goose bumps and making her nipples harden so tightly, it was almost painful. He buried his face in her stomach, nuzzling against the middle of her torso as he slowly made his way up under her breast.
Annie inhaled sharply as she felt his breath fan across her sensitive skin and then gasped as his warm mouth closed over one rosy areole. The sensations she felt from him sucking on her nipple made her hips buck up from the bed as she moaned with pure feminine pleasure, wanting him so badly that she ached. She arched up to him, her fingers clenching in his hair as she dragged his mouth up to hers. He kissed her senseless, making love to her mouth until she was begging him to fuck her.
Breaking away from her arms for a moment, he reached for a condom that was sitting on the nightstand but she raised a hand to stop him. He raised an eyebrow at her and she found herself unable to look him in the eye as she cleared her throat. “Um, it’s up to you, but I wanted to tell you I’m on the pill, and we’ve been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now, so if you want, well…you know…um, you don’t have to use that if you don’t want to.”
Gabe gazed down at her for a moment, his expression indiscernible. Then his face broke into a wide grin and he tossed the unopened foil packet behind him. Thanking her lucky stars for his positive reaction, she shivered with anticipation as she thought about how he was going to feel sliding into her absolutely naked…and with those piercings. If he could give her multiple orgasms wearing a condom, she couldn’t begin to imagine what he could do without one.
Returning back to her arms, he kissed her deeply and positioned himself between her legs, reaching down to drag the head of his pulsing cock through her slick folds. The little metal balls of his piercings teased her as he dragged them across her sensitized skin. Annie whimpered and urged him closer with her legs, but he wouldn’t budge, letting only the tip continue to slide back and forth, never quite slipping into her.
Finally, as she continued to wriggle and moan, straining to lift her hips up to meet his, he began to push into her slowly until the entire length of him was buried deep. She couldn’t believe how incredible he felt inside her with no barrier between them, just skin against skin. The fullness she felt was almost too much to bear and it wasn’t long before she was moving frantically against him, wanting and needing the friction of him moving in and out of her.
Slowly and deeply, he fucked her, driving her closer and closer to the edge. She couldn’t stop the torrent of moans and whimpers that escaped from her mouth as he moved within her, feeling the spasms of her first orgasm beginning to throb within her. Her legs clamped tightly around him as she rode it out, and he held himself there for a few moments before he started to move again. His thrusts started to pick up speed as he rested his forehead against the pillow, his mouth next to her ear as he moaned his pleasure.
“You feel so fucking good,” he said with a strained voice. Abruptly, he pulled out of her and helped her up to a sitting position, twirling his finger around in a circular motion. She grinned and flipped over to her stomach and then slid onto her knees, pointing her ass directly up at him. He guided his throbbing cock down and slid smoothly into her with one hard thrust. Her eyes widened at the feeling as she rocked forward on her knees at the force of his entry, then found herself begging him for more as she ground her hips back at him. “Babe, you keep doing that and I’m going to fucking come.”
“Good,” she groaned.
“Not yet,” he said, trying to still her hips for a moment, but she was so close, she kept pushing back at him, a little sob escaping her throat as she began to come again. His breath hissed sharply between his teeth and he stopped resisting and let her fuck him. Moments later, he began to shoot hot spurts of cum deep within her as he growled his release. He thrust into her a few more times in a jerky motion before collapsing on top of her with a loud groan.
After a few moments, he rolled off and pulled her close to him, tucking her back against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. They cuddled for a few moments, then reluctantly, she rolled off the bed and headed to the bathroom to clean up. When she returned to bed, he was already fast
asleep. She crawled back into bed next to him, snuggled deeply into his side and smiled with smug satisfaction as she drifted off to sleep.
~ . ~ . ~ . ~
The next morning, Annie woke to the sound of water running and lifted her head to squint at the light coming from the adjoining bathroom. “What time is it?” she croaked when Gabe walked back into the bedroom.
“A little after eight. I need to leave in a few minutes, but I’ll be back around five this afternoon. I ordered you some breakfast – it should be here shortly. I have a car picking me up, so I left the keys to the Bimmer on the coffee table.”
“Mmm, do you really have to go right now?” she pouted as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.
“Business before pleasure,” he murmured, then lightly kissed her lips. His cologne was intoxicating and she breathed deeply of his clean masculine scent as she pulled him close to her in an affectionate hug. She tried to drag him down to join her back in bed, but he resisted with a laugh and kissed her nose before standing up straight and walking away. “I’ll call you later,” he said before grabbing his suit jacket and walking out of their room, softly shutting the door behind him.
Annie laid there for a few minutes as she stared at the ceiling, luxuriating in the feel of the comfortable bed. A huge yawn threatened to crack her jaw as she slowly stretched, sprawling her body diagonally across the bed. Hugging a soft pillow to herself, she closed her eyes and thought about the lovely evening Gabe had given her. He was making it so easy for her to fall in love with him.
She allowed herself a few more minutes of laziness and daydreaming before rolling out of bed and picking up the robe she had dropped on the floor. She had just pulled it on when the doorbell rang. Wrapping the robe around her and tying it shut, she padded to the door and checked through the peephole to confirm it was room service. Opening the door, she smiled and beckoned for the waiter to come in.
