Trouble on Her Doorstep

by Nina Harrington

  ‘That colour looks great on you.’ He smiled. ‘Stylish and...’ He paused and, when he was sure that she was looking at him, silently mouthed the word ‘hot’ before slipping off the bar stool and grabbing her hand.

  Her eyebrows lifted and she replied with a girly giggle and a small shoulder-wiggle, which was so endearing that he had to distract himself by focusing on the way her fingers felt clasped inside his.

  Time to move to something less likely to scandalize his staff.

  ‘I think it’s about time you showed me what you have been up to in my conference suite. Don’t you?’

  Dee paused outside the main doors to the conference room where she had spent most of the day with Prakash, and a stream of porters, delivery drivers and other people who she had never met before but who somehow seemed to be able to transform her sketches and lists into reality.

  She raised one hand, palm upwards. ‘Now, it might come as a bit of a shock. So prepare yourself.’

  Sean nodded just once. ‘I have been through everything, from Mardi Gras to beer festivals. I can handle it.’

  Dee stretched out her hand towards the brass door plate, then lifted it back and whirled around on her heel. ‘First of all, I should say that Prakash and the team were amazing. Just amazing. And they did it all in one day! Totally brilliant, in fact. I couldn’t have done any of this without them... And now I am babbling, because I’m so excited and it’s wonderful, and did I say that it is amazing and the festival is tomorrow and...?’

  ‘Dee.’ Sean smiled and gently rested a hand on each of her shoulders. ‘I spoke to Prakash. He helped, but this is your idea. Your design, your colour scheme, your concept. So I know that it is going to be wonderful.’

  ‘Perhaps you should come back tomorrow when the exhibitors are setting up. There will be such a buzz.’

  Sean looked over her shoulder into the middle distance and seemed about to say something, but changed his mind, turned back and lowered his head so that his nose was almost pressed against hers. He spoke in a jokey, firm voice.

  ‘Dee. I want the full tour and I want it now.’

  ‘You are so bossy!’

  ‘I know. But that’s why you like me.’

  ‘Really? Is that the reason? I thought it was your snazzy ties and shiny shoes.’

  ‘They only add to the allure. And you’re putting off the inevitable. What is it? Why don’t you want me to see your design? You know that I am going to, one way or another. ‘

  ‘Yes. I know. It is your hotel. It’s just that...’ She sucked in a breath then exhaled on one long string of words. ‘I am seriously nervous because this is the biggest thing that I have ever done on my own and I know that it’s mad but my whole future depends on this being a big success.’

  Then she stopped, but Sean kept looking at her with that smile on his face, as though he was waiting for her to carry on.

  Then without waiting another second he stepped forward, pushed open the doors to the conference suite with both hands and stood to one side.

  Then he nodded towards the space behind him, reached out and grabbed her hand. ‘Come on.’ He smiled. ‘Show me what you have done. Show me what your imagination has created. Share it with me. Please.’

  For the next ten minutes Sean walked slowly around the room as Dee explained each of the display panels in turn, starting with the history of tea production, then slowly walking from stand to stand.

  She didn’t need to. But he liked hearing her voice, so he let her carry on.

  The whole room was decorated in co-ordinating shades of green with stencils of green tea leaves against cream, pale gold and emerald green. There were plenty of stands for the exhibitors, power points, fresh water dispensers. And a portable professional kitchen. All ready for the morning. He couldn’t have been prouder.

  ‘So this is where the magic is going to happen. I love it. Professional, elegant and attractive. It’s a hit!’

  ‘Do you really think so?’ Dee screwed up her mouth.

  ‘It looks fresh and inviting. And the colour scheme is great.’

  His hands moved in gentle circles on her shoulders, up and down her arms, and slowly, slowly, the stiffness in Dee’s neck relaxed and she felt her shoulders drop down from around her ears.

  ‘You must think that I am a total idiot,’ she chuckled. ‘All of this work for a one-day festival of tea. The world will not end if nobody turns up to drink the tea and buy the china. And on Sunday I can go back to the tea rooms and carry on as normal. I know that; I’ve known that from the start. But being with you and working in the hotel here has given me so many ideas for new projects, and new ways I can sell my blended tea, I can hardly sleep at night. It is so exciting. So, whatever happens tomorrow, thank you, Sean. Thank you for helping me.’

  His response was to step forward and gather her into his arms, holding her tight against his pristine shirt, not caring that he was crushing his superb suit jacket in the process. Holding her with such tenderness and warmth that she melted against him with a gentle sigh. Instantly his chin slid down and rested on the top of her hair, and his arms relaxed their grip and rested gently on her back.

  It had been so long since she had felt so close to another human being. Lottie and the girls were her best friends, and she loved every one of them, but this was different, felt different; this was special.

  It had been ages since her last boyfriend in the tea house. Years of watching other girls go on the dating scene, and comforting them with tea and cake as each broken heart had healed and they’d gone out again so full of hope.

  Not for her. She did not want that emotional destruction. She knew that she was too different for most men. Too quirky. Too obsessed. Too unusual.

  She was not the girl that the boys in catering school introduced to their parents. She was the girl they dated until someone better came along. And it had taken her a while to realize that she was not putting up with being second best. And she never would.

  Until Sean had shown her that she was a woman a man could admire and want to be with.

  Sean had chosen her. Picked her out. Made her feel special. Made her feel that she was capable of running her own business and making her dream come true.

  Sean. The man who was holding her in his arms at that moment.

  The man who meant the world to her. But she was too afraid to tell him.

  She revelled in every sensation, her eyes closed, locking each tiny moment into her memory. The heady aroma of Sean’s body wash or aftershave blended with the subtle scent of laundry lavender, and a lot of Sean that only a long day in a hot office could produce. If only she could bottle that aroma, she would never be lonely again.

  This was one man who had listened to what she wanted and helped her make it happen in a way which was even better than she had imagined.

  She wanted this moment to last as long as possible. She wanted to remember what these little bubbles of happiness felt like.

  ‘You are most welcome,’ he replied, the sound muffled as he spoke into her hair, but the sound reverberated through her skull and came to rest in the centre of her heart. Where they exploded into a firework display of light and colour.

  Exploded with such force that they made her shuffle back a little so that she could look up into Sean’s face and trace the line of his jaw with her fingers. Her reward was to see his eyes flutter just a little as her fingers slid down onto his neck and throat.

  This man had pressed buttons that she did not even know that she had.

  ‘If you ever see that Frank Evans, be sure to thank him for me.’ She grinned. ‘Because it seems to me that I came out with a pretty good deal.’

  Sean rested his hands on her hips and nodded. ‘True. The Beresford Riverside is a rather more impressive venue than the Beresford Richmond Square, and you did get it for the same
price. That was what you were referring to...wasn’t it?’

  Dee dropped her head forward onto his chest with a short laugh, only too aware that she was blushing and her neck was probably a lovely shade of scarlet.

  When she did dare to lift her head, Sean was looking at her, his eyes more blue than grey in the artificial lighting above their heads, and as her eyes locked onto his the intensity of that gaze seemed to penetrate her skin.

  For one fraction of a second all the need and passion of this remarkable man was revealed for her to see.

  In one single look.

  It took her breath away and she lifted her head higher. So high that, when his head tilted and he pressed his lips against her forehead, and then her temple, she was ready.

  More than ready.

  She was waiting for his kiss.

  She had been waiting all day for his kiss, to see him again and to hear his voice.

  And it had been totally, totally, worth the wait.

  Sean took one step forward, and before Dee realized what was happening he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, his fingers working into her hair as he pressed his mouth against hers, pushing open her full lips, moving back and forth, his breath fast and heavy on her face.

  His mouth was tender, gentle but firm, as though he was holding back the floodgates of a passion which was on the verge of breaking through and overwhelming them both.

  She felt that potential, she trembled at the thought of it, and at that moment she knew that she wanted it as much as he did.

  Her eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around his back and leaned into the kiss, kissing him back, revelling in the sensual heat of Sean’s body as it pressed against hers. Closer, closer, until his arms were taking the weight of her body, enclosing her in his loving, sweet embrace. The pure physicality of the man was almost overpowering. The scent of his muscular body pressed ever so gently against her combined with the heavenly scent that she knew now was unique to him.

  It filled her senses with an intensity that she had never felt in the embrace of any other man in her life. He was totally overwhelming. Intoxicating. And totally, totally delicious.

  And, just when Dee thought that there could be nothing more pleasurable in this world, his kiss deepened. It was as though he wanted to take everything that she was able to give him, and without a second of doubt she surrendered to the hot spice of the taste of his mouth and tongue.

  This was the kind of kiss she had never known. The connection between them was part of it, but this went beyond friendship and common interests. This was a kiss to signal the start of something new. The kind of kiss where each of them was opening up their most intimate secrets and deepest feelings for the other person to see.

  The heat, the intensity, the desire of this man, was all there, exposed for her to see ,when she eventually opened her eyes and broke the connection. Shuddering. Trembling. Grateful that he was holding her up on her wobbly legs.

  Then he pulled away, the faint stubble on his chin grazing across her mouth as he lifted his face to kiss her eyes, brow and temple.

  It took a second for her to catch her breath before she felt able to open her eyes, only to find Sean was still looking at her, his forehead still pressed against hers. A smile warmed his face as he moved his hand down to stroke her cheek.

  He knew. He knew the effect that his kiss was having on her body. He had to. Her face burned with the heat coming from the point of contact between them. His heart was racing, just as hers was.

  Dee slowly, slowly slid out of his embrace and almost slithered onto the floor. And by the time she was on her unsteady legs she was already missing the warmth of those arms and the heat of the fire on her face.

  She had to do something to fight the intensity of the magnetic attraction that she felt for Sean at that moment. Logic screamed at her from the back of her mind: they were both single, unattached and they wanted one another.

  She had never had a one-night stand in her life. And, if she was going to do it, this was as good a place as any, except of course it would never be casual sex. Not for her. And, she suspected, not for Sean either.

  Would it be so ridiculous if they spent the night together?

  Sean gently drew her back towards him so that their faces were only inches apart at the same height.

  His hand moved to her cheek, pushing her hair back over her left ear, his thumb on her jaw as his eyes scanned her face, back and forth.

  Her eyes opened wide and she drunk him in—all of him. The way his hair curled dark and heavy around his ears and neck; the suntanned crease lines on the sides of his mouth and eyes. And those eyes—those amazing blue eyes which burned bright as they smiled at her.

  She could look at that face all day and not get tired of it. In fact, it was turning out to be her favourite occupation.

  Sean was temptation personified. And all she had to do was reach out and taste just how delicious that temptation truly was.

  Did he know what effect he was having on her? How much he was driving her wild?

  Probably.

  Panting for breath, she rested her head on his chest, listening to the sound of Sean’s heart under the fine cloth, feeling the hot flood of blood in his veins and the pressure of his fists against her back. She could have stayed there all night but suddenly the silence of their private space was broken by the loud ringtone from the mobile phone inside Sean’s jacket pocket.

  ‘That can wait,’ he whispered and carried on stroking her hair. ‘Now, tell me about the tea. What delicious aromas can the hotel expect...?’ But he never got to continue because his phone rang again, and this time is was a different ringtone.

  ‘Oh, I don’t believe it.’ He sighed, stood back, tugged out the phone and checked the caller ID. ‘It’s my dad’s personal line.’ He shook his head. ‘I am so sorry about this. Stay right where you are. Two minutes.’

  * * *

  Dee sat down at the reception table just inside the door and watched Sean stride out into the main hotel space, the phone pressed to his ear. He was pacing up and down, one hand pressed against the back of his neck in a nervous gesture that she had seen him use a couple of times.

  She pressed her fingers to her mouth, which was feeling slightly numb, and covered a chuckle. He didn’t even realize that he was doing it.

  Dee stood up and strolled into the kitchens between the display areas. She was just about to pour some water when one of the flyers dropped to the floor in the cool breeze from one of the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that was still half-open.

  But, instead of closing it, Dee stepped onto the stone courtyard area outside the conference room and slowly inhaled the cool evening air.

  After the heat of the past hour it felt deliciously cool on her hot skin.

  In the cool February air she could see the lights of the high-tech businesses, city offices and homes which lined the opposite bank of the river Thames. The hotel was partly shaded from the riverside public footpath by landscaped grounds and trees creating a calm and open feel.

  It was exactly what she wanted: no white plastic underground basements, just a well-lit and modern space which opened up to the air whenever she wanted.

  There was a faint rustling from the room behind her, and Dee looked over one shoulder as Sean came to join her on the terrace. His face was in shadow but she would recognize his shape anywhere.

  A soft and silky Sean-warmed suit jacket was draped over her shoulders and she snuggled into it as a cold shiver ran down her spine.

  She could feel the warmth of his chest through the many layers of clothing as he pressed his body against her back and wrapped his arms around her waist so that they were both facing the river and the superb view of the city spread out in front of them.

  It was as if they were the only people alive at that m
oment and in that space.

  Instinctively she leant backwards so that the back of her head was resting on his chest. The beat of his heart was steady in her ears, then faster.

  She did not need to hear it to know that it grew faster for her.

  Sean was breathing faster, his pace matching her own.

  ‘No stars tonight,’ she whispered and pointed up at the clouds which had already covered the crescent moon. ‘But you can still make a wish if you like. You don’t need a shooting star to have your dream come true. I know that now. So tonight is your turn.’

  His reply was a hoarse whisper and she felt his hands slip away from around her waist as he spoke. ‘I wish I could. But I can’t. In fact, I have to go and get packed straight away.’

  Dee slowly turned around in the circle of his arms so that they were facing one another, and suddenly a shiver ran across her shoulders. In the light from the room she could see the new harsh lines on Sean’s face. All easy chatter and smiles had been wiped away as if they had never been there.

  ‘Packed? I don’t understand. You are not due in Paris for another few days and you’ve only just got back. You told me that yourself. You don’t need to get packed tonight.’

  He licked his lips and looked at her, his gaze darting across her face. ‘I thought that I had at least a week. But that telephone call changed everything.’

  Sean lifted his chin as though he was preparing himself.

  ‘I am sorry, Dee, but I am booked on a flight to Chicago. We have an emergency at the new Beresford hotel we opened at Christmas and they need me to help sort things out. I have to go. And I have to go tonight. So you see, I’ll be gone by the morning.’

  Dee stepped backwards and out of his arms, her fingers running down his shirt sleeves so that she was clinging on to him with only a thin layer of fine cotton.

  ‘Tonight? Do you really have to? We have worked so hard on this together. I...I was hoping that you would be here for the festival tomorrow.’

  Dee turned and stared out into the dark night. Her eyes fixed on the movement of the wind in the trees that she could just see in the light from the hotel. There was a cold, damp wind blowing up from the river and she could feel the moisture cooling her face. But it didn’t help to cool the fire burning inside her head.