by Kalena Lyons
“Well, I sit down and wave my hands at a bunch of numbers on a computer screen,” she said jokingly. The martinis were really starting to make her feel warm and fuzzy, and she was sure she’d answer any questions he had. Claire sobered up just enough to sit up and find his dark brown gaze. “Seriously, though, I am a meteorologist. I went to school for that, you know. Some people think I’m a ditz who doesn’t know the difference between a cumulus and a cumulonimbus.”
“You’re interesting, Claire,” James said as he shifted a little closer to her. She could feel the heat of his palm as it almost touched her thigh and was a little ashamed at how eager she was to feel his large, warm hand on her flesh.
“Hey, there you are!” Marie chimed as she sat down on the other side of Claire and ordered a drink without a second’s hesitation. “I’ve been dancing all night with this really hot, adorable man and he said he’s got a friend if you’re in-” Marie cut herself off when she turned to see that Claire was staring at her with a quirked eyebrow and a fourth martini in her hands. It would be her last for the night, she was sure.
“That’s alright,” Claire said as she leaned back. “This is James. He’s-” And that’s when Claire realized she had no idea what James did for a living or if was even from New York or just visiting. Had they really talked all about her for the past hour and a half?
“Pleased to meet you,” he said as he held out his hand to Marie. She was flushed from dancing and her dressed had slipped a little to reveal more cleavage than usual. Her dark eyes seemed to light up and she pushed a lock of her auburn curls behind her ear and smiled. Claire felt the stab of jealousy and wanted to slap their hands when they touched, but she had no claim to James.
Besides, the man was most likely tired of hearing her talk and would want someone who actually listened to him for once.
“I’m Marie,” her friend said and then let her hand slide away from the light one grasping it. “Claire’s friend,” she added before she grabbed her drink, neatly bottled for her convenience, and slid off her stool. Marie leaned over and put her hand up to Claire’s ear to block her voice, “Call me if you need anything later.”
It was their code they’d used years ago when they were in college and out at a party. It translated to, be careful and text me when you’re home so I know you’re safe.
“She’s bubbly,” James commented as he watched Marie leave.
“Yeah, great dancer, too,” Claire commented as she finished her martini. “I think I’m going to head out. It was nice meeting you, James.”
“So soon? It’s only eleven forty-five and at midnight, the drinks are half off.”
“How do you know that?”
“It was in the invitation,” James told her as he stood with her. Claire tucked her clutch purse beneath her arm and smiled at him. He was tall, dark, and handsome. So what was it that was making her hesitate in giving him her phone number? Perhaps it was the thought that maybe he didn’t want it.
“Oh, I didn’t read it. Marie read it and told me I had to come. But I think I’ve taken up enough of your time tonight, and if I’m honest, I’ve had a little too much to drink.” She had needed out of the club before she did something brazen like ask this man to come home with her.
“Then let me walk you home.”
“I’m taking a cab,” she told him as she took a step back.
“Then I’ll walk you outside to your cab,” James told her with authority as he held out his hand to her. “To be honest, you’re a little tipsy and I’m worried, so do a man a favor and let him at least walk you to a cab.” Claire wanted to argue with him that she was fine, but as soon as she opened her mouth someone bumped into her back and toppled her over.
The first thing she noticed about him up close was that he’d worn just enough cologne that only someone hugging him would smell it. Her fingers dug into the sleeves of his suit jacket as she tried to keep from losing her footing, and she could feel the sinewy muscle underneath the material. The man was strong, but it was in a way that made him look professional rather than rugged. When she looked up, she could see that there was a ring of green around his brown eyes. They were concerned, kind eyes and she was lost in them momentarily.
“I’m so sorry! I lost my footing in these damn shoes and-”
“It’s alright. I’m fine,” Claire said quietly as she found where her feet were and regained her dignity by standing in her heels. The woman tried to apologize again, but Claire smiled at her and waved it off. “Really, no big deal.”
“Are you okay?” James asked as he took hold her elbow as if she were going to topple over at any second.
“Really, I’m fine,” she lied as she tried to keep her breathing normal. The truth was, in that split second, she’d wondered what it would be like to have those arms wrapped around her in an embrace that was anything but friendly.
Chapter Four
“You’re cold.” James pulled off his jacket and slid it over her shoulders without waiting for her response. It was so heavenly warm that she didn’t argue and she couldn’t help but inhale gently at the manly scent she pegged as a mix of his cologne and just him.
“How’d you know?” she asked as she peered down the street for a cab driver. It was classic New York traffic and there wasn’t a cab driver in sight.
“You have goosebumps on your arms.” He hesitated a moment and she looked up at him, wondering if he’d laugh at how short she was compared to him if she took off her heels. “I have a car, you know. I could drive you home if you don’t want to walk or take a cab.”
Only people with a lot of money have cars in New York, Claire thought as she narrowed her gaze. He seemed to catch on to what she was thinking and shrugged wordlessly. “Alright, but this doesn’t mean you’re coming in or anything,” she warned him as she gripped his jacket tighter around her shoulders.
James chuckled as he put his hand on the small of her back and led her across the street to a parking garage. They stepped into the elevator and were whisked up to the fourth floor where James helped her into the well-lit row of cars. They stopped in front of a shiny, black sedan that was nondescript, and yet it told her James had more money than she’d originally thought.
“Nice car,” she told him as he helped her into the leather upholstered passenger seat. Claire tilted her head back and watched him as he walked around the front of the vehicle. He had his thumb and his finger on his chin as he smiled and she couldn’t help but smile even though he wasn’t looking at her. There was something catchy about that grin.
James slid into the driver’s seat and turned on the heat so that she would be comfortable. The car purred when it started rather than roared, but it was a quiet purr that told her there was power under the hood. “Do you want to listen to some music?” he asked as his thumb hovered over the touchscreen.
“What’re you listening to?” Without answering, he pressed down on the touchscreen and music filled the interior. It was a sweet, haunting melody sung by a woman who sounded lost. “Jazz,” Claire answered for herself. She found her foot was tapping gently to the beat as James pulled out of the parking space.
“What’s your address?” he asked as he pressed a button on the screen again.
Claire recited her address and the vehicle automatically began to give directions to her apartment complex. She’d heard of cars like this and she’d thought about buying one herself, but what was the point when she lived in New York City and could get a cab at any time? Well, almost any time. They had been sparse that evening.
“So what’s it like, being the weather girl of New York City?” James asked conversationally as he took a right. Traffic was still heavy and they had to sit at a red light for a good seven minutes.
“It’s not what I thought it would be. I got the position by accident,” she admitted to him as she pulled his jacket around her tighter. It wasn’t that she was cold, but they were getting closer to her apartment and she didn’t want to leave him yet.
�
�How so?” he prompted as he pressed the gas pedal.
“Well, I ended up going to college to be a meteorologist, and not the kind that stands in front of the cameras. I wanted to travel the world and record all the different weather patterns. Did you know they have positions down in Antarctica? It would have been nice to end up there.”
“Seriously? You can’t even handle sixty-five degree weather in the fall,” James replied incredulously as he turned onto her street.
“But it would have been beautiful. Could you imagine the weather down there? Not to mention the wildlife.” Claire lifted her head so that she could look at his face and marveled at his strong jaw in the glow from the street lamps.
He expertly parallel parked next to her building and paid the meter before he came around to help her out of the car. Claire stood awkwardly as she wondered if he would ask for her number, but she didn’t have to wait long. He grasped her elbow gently in his warm hand and helped her up the stairs to the door. The doorman eyed her a moment to see if she was under any kind of duress, and then he stepped to the side and said a polite, quiet good evening to the both of them.
“This is a nice building,” James commented as he led her to the elevator. Claire kept one hand in the pocket of his suit jacket as she walked and looked around at the complex’s foyer before the elevator doors closed.
“It’s pretty secure and the rent is reasonable. So yeah, it’s nice,” she said as she leaned forward and pressed her floor number on the panel. There was a second’s hesitation where she wondered if it was a good idea to let him know where she lived, but it passed quickly. The man was dangerous in a way that made her feel excited and alive, but not afraid.
The rest of their journey up to the seventh floor was in silence. Claire pulled out her apartment key and cell phone from her clutch purse. She texted Marie as she and James walked to her apartment door to let her friend know she’d arrived home safely. Then she stood outside of her door and shifted on her heels as she looked into those disconcerting, brown eyes rimmed with green.
“Would you like to come in?” she heard herself ask before her brain could tell her no.
Chapter Five
His eyes narrowed infinitesimally and his fingers loosened on her elbow. Claire was afraid she had said something wrong until he leaned down until they were gazing at each other at eye level. She still had to look up, but she didn’t mind. James’ lips were a whisper from hers and when he spoke, she had to do a double take in her mind to remember what he’d said.
“I need my jacket back,” he had whispered. Claire felt her face redden and she gently slipped the jacket from her arms. “Thank you,” he told her with a smirk on his lips. Her hands were shaking and her palms were sweaty as she turned around to sluice the key into its receptacle. She’d blown it by asking him inside, and now he was going to think she was just some floozy who barely deserved a ride home.
My first real night out single in three years and I act like a teenager who's about ready to come in her panties at the sight of a man who might want her. Claire gritted her teeth together as the thought whammed into her chest and vibrated through her being.
When she turned around, he was still standing there with his jacket now on and one arm to the right of her head. She could smell the cologne he wore and her mouth grew wet.
“What are you doing?” she asked as her door slid open behind her.
“I was hoping to get a number and maybe a goodnight kiss, but I won’t be coming in tonight, Claire.” He said it so smoothly and matter-of-fact that she barely had time to bolster herself against the anticipation and the regret. “What’s the matter?” he asked as his sultry grin turned into a frown.
“Nothing,” she told him too quickly. Marie would die if she knew Claire had come only seconds away from a one-night stand. It would have been her first.
“Something’s wrong. I upset you,” James stated as he stood up straight. “Tell me what it is,” he demanded.
Claire took a step back into her apartment and she hoped he would follow, but he didn’t. “I just thought you liked me,” she whispered as she gripped her door. “I mean enough that you wouldn’t just be polite and ask for a number.” It was the first time she’d been openly honest with a man in more than a year. The reality of the situation caught her off guard and she felt a little more sober, and a little foolish.
“Claire, I do like you. That’s why I’m asking for a number and hoping that you’ll give it to me. If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t have seen you home, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be turning down a beautiful woman’s offer to come into her apartment if I didn’t have a little respect for her.”
The frustration on his face told her he was telling the truth, yet it still made her feel like she was an inch tall. “Oh, well, respect is fine; I guess.”
“Tell me, if I came into your apartment and we ended up doing what I think we’re both thinking about doing tonight, would you be able to look me in the eyes if we went on a date tomorrow night? Or would you be embarrassed and ashamed?” Claire was barely able to hang onto what he was saying after he hinted that he was thinking some of the same, raunchy thoughts she was.
“It depends,” she whispered as she trailed her gaze down from his face to look at the bulge in his suit pants. She could tell she aroused him, and she could tell that it was rather large.
“On what?” he whispered back, his fingers twitching at his sides.
“If you stayed the night or left before morning.”
“Which would you prefer?”
“If you stayed the night,” she told him honestly as she looked up at him. It would feel less like a booty call and more like something if he made it until sunrise.
James looked down at his shoes as if he were really thinking about it hard, but when he looked up, Claire could tell he’d been trying to see if she would change her mind. He took one step into the apartment and she knew that he’d be there until sunrise, and she wondered what was in store for her now that she’d invited this man into her home. “I’ll stay, but only if you promise me one thing,” he whispered to her as she stepped back and he closed her door.
“What’s that?” she asked as she felt her insides quiver. She was growing warm and she desperately wanted to see what this man who was cool and collected on the outside was like when his clothes were off.
“I want your number in the morning, and I want a date. A real one,” he told her with a sly grin as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Claire felt her breath hitch and pondered what had made him think she wouldn’t give him her number. Even if he’d told her he was leaving, she would have scribbled it down somewhere to give to him.
“Deal,” she told him before he took her mouth hard. It was so sudden that she squeaked and jumped, but that didn’t deter him.
Chapter Six
“Wait,” Claire said firmly as she pulled away from him.
“Ah, see? I knew it. You were just bluffing,” he told her with a grin as he slid away from her. She pulled off her shoes and stood at her full height of five foot five and was barely able to look at his chest he was so tall. He had to be six foot five or more, but he wasn’t willowy in the least.
“No, it’s just that, well, I have to tell you something.” She fumbled for words as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling and blew out a deep breath. “My friend, Marie, she made me wear something under the dress. Makes my boobs kind of perky,” she told him as she turned around and ran a hand through her dark hair. James followed her into the living area of her apartment and she wondered if he liked her beige furniture and the green throw rug on the hardwood floor.
“You’re wearing tape, right?” he asked as he sat down on her couch without asking. Claire had to admit she liked the way he looked there.
“How do you know about boob tape?” she asked incredulously as she made her way to the kitchenette and grabbed a glass of water. She was feeling parched from her martinis earlier in the night and the buzz was being replaced with a slig
ht headache.
“I’ve dated other women who wore dresses like that, Claire. It’s no secret women use tape to hold those things up in a lot of those dresses, or they used it to hold the dress on. Tell me, you didn’t make the mistake of putting it on your nipples, did you?” The way he asked told her he knew it was her first time wearing it. It was a little disconcerting having the man know more about boob tape than she did.
“Uh, maybe,” she said nervously as she set her glass of water down. In all reality, she’d let Marie put the tape on her nipples and now she worried it would hurt when it came off. James shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose and confirmed her worst fear.
“Come here,” he told her with a dark undertone. Claire’s feet gently hit the hardwood floor as she walked toward him. He patted the couch beside him and she sat down beside him. He wasn’t having the distance between them and she felt her breath leave her lungs with anticipation when he swung her legs over his.
Finally, his warm, large hand on was on her thigh and it was sliding up, but it slid over her dress instead of under and she felt annoyed that he’d bypassed her hot, throbbing pussy. He made a tsking noise as he slid the sleeve of her dress down over her right arm, and then her left. “I’ll make it better when I’m done, okay?” he told her softly as he grasped the first piece of tape and gently peeled it off her flesh. It wasn’t bad until it was at her sensitive, peaked nipple.
Claire bit her bottom lip and was surprised by the way she enjoyed the twinge of pain mixed with pleasure. He watched her every facial muscle and tore off the second one a little quicker. Before she knew it, he was helping her out of her dress and his suit jacket, along with his shirt and pants were strewn across the back of the couch. Claire wanted to wiggle out of her underwear, but when she reached down to take it off; he shook his head and held up a finger to her.
