I must have made some noise because he and my auntie both turned towards me at the same time. Seeing his eyes take in my appearance in the daring dress, I was glad I had listened to Consuelo. His eyes raked me up and down, and proceeded to repeat themselves.
When a knowing smile appeared on his face, and his eyes darkened with desire, I knew I had made the right choice. It wouldn’t matter what anyone else thought about my appearance tonight. I had dressed for my man, and him alone, and it was plain to see that he liked what I was wearing.
As he stalked towards me, he twirled his finger around. I obeyed and carefully navigated a 360-degree turn on the four inch heels. I would need to walk leisurely tonight or risk falling flat on my face. When my back presented itself to him, I heard the low gasp and finished the turn to see his face hardened in sexual need.
“Are you trying to kill me?” he murmured as he drew near enough to place a kiss upon my lips.
“Consuelo said that all the women tonight will be showcasing their bodies. I didn’t want to embarrass you…”
“Embarrass me? Why would you think such a thing? At this point, I’m liable to embarrass myself by carrying you off to the nearest coat closet. That dress is…”
I waited for him to finish his statement but he simply pulled me to him, taking my mouth in a kiss that bordered on savage, but was still in-control. His fingers skated up my spine, igniting the banked fire deep within and leaving me yearning for the dinner to be over quickly.
He stepped back from me, giving me another glance and then shook his head, “I wish I didn’t have to leave so early in the morning.” Without another word, he nodded to my aunt and pulled me from the house.
*****
Peter’s co-workers were all extremely nice, and I recognized several of the people from the weekend beach party. My heart swelled as I heard him introduce his “girlfriend” to them, and I was flying on a wave of bliss until I spied her striding across the room.
Lara. His ex-girlfriend and viper. I examined her attire as she navigated her way towards us. Unlike the other women in attendance, Lara was wearing a form-fitting haute couture designer pantsuit by Chanel that molded to her figure, leaving nothing to the imagination. The neckline dipped to her waist and showed more than a glimpse of her ample breasts.
She was wearing a small fortune in jewelry, which no doubt had been paid for with daddy’s money. When she stopped to speak to someone, I caught a glimpse of the red sole of her spiked heels. Louboutin. Her shoes alone cost more than a normal employee made in three months. She screamed big money with an attitude that let everyone else around her know she was favoring us with her presence. I felt sick to my stomach.
“Here comes trouble,” murmured Consuelo, who was standing in our little discussion group.
I looked at her before asking, “You do not care for Lara Bishop?”
“Care for her? No one here would shed a tear if she drove her car off a cliff. She is horrible. I don’t think she’s ever heard of asking for something, she first demands and then threatens. I think the entire team has been threatened with their job in one way or another over the last few weeks.”
I looked back at Lara in disgust. “She’s pretty full of herself.”
“That’s the understatement of the year. She thinks the universe revolves around her. I’d love to be there when she finally gets put in her place.” Consuelo smiled at that thought and I joined in.
“Me too. I’d pay good money to spectate.” I remembered our last encounter where she had set my hair on fire and then pretended to come to my rescue. It had been at a corporate dinner like this one. I straightened my back, firming my resolve to have this encounter end on a more positive note. Lara was evil, but now that I knew what to expect, I was ready for her.
She approached us and I saw she was trailed by several members of the company whom she introduced to Peter as board directors and members of the administrative panel. Peter graciously introduced me and I shook hands with everyone under the hateful glare of his ex. She made my skin crawl with the hatred that poured from her.
When introductions and pleasantries had been exchanged, her expression cleared as she addressed the group in general, “Rachel, you look lovely tonight. Very neat in your store bought dress.”
Consuelo gasped next to me and I was struck speechless. The woman had absolutely no tack. I glanced at Peter, but being a man, he had completely missed her barb. He actually thought she was complimenting me!
Before I was able to think of a suitable reply, she stepped closer and asked, “Did you get that at Zara’s? I didn’t know they made these neat looking business-like dresses?”
Peter, in his oblivion, totally missed her attempt to humiliate me, and answered her as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, “Yes. Rachel looks gorgeous, doesn’t she?”
Several of the men agreed with him and I relaxed as I saw Lara’s eyes narrow in defeat. Her attempts had been thwarted.
Moments later, one of the waiters announced that dinner was ready to be served. The men shook hands and everyone headed towards their own tables. Before Lara left, she drew right next to me and leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Back off!! He’s mine!”
When she lifted her head, she was all smiles and gave Peter a little wave of her fingers before sauntering off to find her own table.
Consuelo had already headed off, and Peter was grinning at me, “I’m glad to see you and Lara are getting along better.”
I huffed out a disgusted breath and turned to follow Consuelo. Peter still didn’t fully understand how evil she was. Not wanting to ruin the evening, I decided to enlighten him, later.
Consuelo was seated at our table and throughout the meal, gave me a Spanish lesson, naming each dish, and hiding her laughter as I butchered the pronunciation. The rolling r’s did not come naturally to me and more than once she had to say the word two or three times before I even came close to getting it right.
Peter was busy talking with the other men at the table, and I was grateful that Consuelo had chosen to distract me from my altercation with Lara earlier. I tried to ignore her presence, but found my eyes straying to her throughout the meal. Just before dessert arrived, I looked up to see her glaring daggers at me across the room.
A shiver of apprehension took over before I could stop it and I knew deep down that she was going to be a problem. “How do you say ‘snake’ in Spanish?”
Consuelo looked at me in surprise, followed my gaze, and replied, “Serpiente. Ella es una serpiente venenosa!”
I repeated the phrase, for once getting all the inflections right. Consuelo smiled at me and nodded. “Yes!” I grinned back. I could learn Spanish; I just needed the right motivation.
The rest of the evening passed without incident and luckily I didn’t have to interact with Lara again. After dinner, everyone dispersed fairly quickly. The entire team was leaving for Madrid at 5 a.m. and everyone wanted to get a little sleep.
Peter drove me home and even though he kept his hand on my thigh the entire drive, he left me at my aunt’s house with nothing more than a lingering kiss and a promise to call me tomorrow evening.
The sexual tension from earlier had dissipated. I wished we’d had more time alone, but I also knew that the sooner Peter wrapped up his project, the sooner he would be able to return to the United States.
“I’ll be back Friday. How about we take another trip this weekend?”
I nodded, “Great Idea. What did you have in mind?”
“I’d love to head to Siurana. I hear the climbing up there is fantastic.”
“Climbing? Okay…” I hedged, remembering how we had met and how far above me Peter was in his abilities.
“Don’t worry so much,” he grinned, “We won’t tackle anything too hard. And I’ll be right there to help you.”
I smiled, “Okay. Talk to you tomorrow?”
“You bet. Sleep well.”
I exited the vehicle and headed off to bed myself. Three days without
him was nothing and the weekend end would arrive soon enough.
Chapter 5
The next days passed quickly as I worked with Sophie around the house and in the gardens outside. It was getting close to harvest time and there was much to do. I threw myself whole-heartedly into the tasks, finding it helped to keep my mind off Peter. I missed him and longed for out weekend trip, when I would have him around me 24 hours a day.
I learned a lot about Sophie during those days. She explained to me how she had fallen in love with Carlos, her husband, and had followed him across the ocean. She talked about growing up in America with my grandmother and reminisced about their childhood antics.
I laughed at many of them, coming away with lots of information I planned to tease my grandmother with.
“Auntie, did you ever regret leaving America?” I asked her on Friday afternoon as we sat on the porch sipping Sangria and resting from a day of harvesting in the gardens.
Sophie shook her head, “No, never. My Carlos – he made sure I had everything I needed when I first set foot in Barcelona. He stayed by my side and taught me everything, even Spanish. I didn’t speak a single word of this language when I first came here. I missed seeing my sister and her family, but without my husband, I wouldn’t have wanted to return to America. My home is with him.”
“So, you never missed anything?”
“Well, I can’t say that. There were some conveniences that I enjoyed in the states that didn’t exist in Barcelona, especially 40 years ago when I first came to Spain. But life is simpler here. I found that after a few weeks, I loved being here and the small differences didn’t matter that much.”
I looked thoughtful as I tried to imagine leaving my country and moving to a strange country for a man. I had followed Peter around the world to spend a month with him while he worked in Spain!
“What has put that worried look on your face, Rachel?”
“I guess I’m worried about going home in a few weeks. Peter was hoping to finish up his project within the original three months time frame, but it’s not looking so good. There have been come complications and he might be here for another 2-3 months.”
Sophie reached across the table and patted my hand, “Do not worry so much. Your Peter loves you. True love can conquer any obstacle. Even being separated for a period of time.”
But is what I feel for Peter true love? That question plagued me for the remainder of the afternoon.
My feelings for Peter were stronger than any I’d had for another man. I loved being with him, admired him and respected him. The chemistry between us was off the charts. But was that what defined ‘true love’ or simply infatuation?
Sophie must have detected my withdrawal and changed the conversation, “Tell me about your upcoming weekend trip to Siurana.”
Shaking my head to clear my meandering thoughts, I smiled, “Peter wants to go climbing there. I started climbing this year, but Peter’s been doing it for years and I guess Siurana is a climber’s paradise.”
“Yes, many tourists go there as well as many Spanish to pit their skills against the mountain. You be careful and don’t overdo it.”
I laughed, “I promise. I’m about as novice as they come. I’ll probably try a simple climb and then watch Peter doing the more difficult routes.”
“That will be a hardship?”
“No,” I replied with a laugh, “No hardship. Peter’s pretty easy on the eyes. He also likes to climb without his shirt on.” I waggled my eyebrows and Sophie grinned back.
“I remember when the sight of my Carlos, working in the vineyard with only a tank top on, lighted my fire. It is the same with your young man?”
I blushed, but nodded, “He’s got really great abs.” My mind drifted back to Yosemite and seeing him climb to the top of Half Dome. He hadn’t taken his shirt off on that climb, but I remembered the way his muscles had bulged beneath his tight t-shirt, and the way his shorts had molded to his firm ass. He had moved so gracefully and made it seem easy for spectators like me, but the tension in his muscles had told the true story. The climb had been strenuous and demanding; challenging his abilities and he had eagerly taken up the challenge.
I would enjoy expanding my climbing knowledge, but I would also enjoy watching Peter show off his climbing prowess just as much. I had already searched some of the climbing routes in Siurana, and there were some really steep vertical overhangs and such that required freehanding it. Knowing Peter, he would most likely be trying those sometime during our weekend stay.
“It is good that you share a hobby together. Perhaps Peter can teach you so that you may climb right beside him in the future.”
“I hope so. But for now, I’m happy to tag along and look at him.” I really liked watching him!
Chapter 6
Peter didn’t arrive to pick me up until almost lunch time on Saturday, some emergency phone call had taken up most of his morning. He looked tired, and I was glad we were getting away for the weekend. I didn’t like seeing him looking so worn out.
“Rough week,” I asked him as we started out on our trip.
“Yeah, a couple of new problems cropped up, but I think everything’s going well now.”
“I’m glad. You look like you really need this trip. Too bad it’s only for two nights.”
“Hey, be happy I don’t have to work until later on Monday, otherwise, we’d only get to spend tonight up there.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining, just wishful thinking.”
Peter smiled at me and reached across to hold my hand. “So, you up for trying an easy climb tomorrow morning? It’s getting almost too late today to take on anything so strenuous.”
“I hope so. I looked up some of the climbing routes on the internet, and most of them are way out of my league. But don’t worry about me, I’ll have as much fun cheering for you whilst you conquer the mighty mountain.”
“Conquer the mighty mountain?”
“Yeah, you know. Like Columbus conquered the New World, Peter Shaw is going to conquer Siurana.”
Peter laughed at my banter, “We’ll see. For now, I want nothing more than to check into our room and get a little closer to my girl. It’s been a long week without you.”
“How was Madrid?”
“Let’s just say I’m glad I’m back in Barcelona. Things in Madrid were pretty chaotic when my team arrived. It seems there is a struggle between the administration and wannabe administration.”
“Too many chiefs?”
“Not enough Indians. Everyone wants to be in charge, and no one wants to get their hands dirty and do the actual work.”
“Did you set them straight?”
“You bet I did. I put Consuelo on it. She had them all scurrying around like little mice before the first hour was up.”
I laughed, “I can imagine her giving orders. Her bark is pretty good.”
I stopped talking as Peter pulled up to a very old looking building. “Well here it is. The Refugio di Siurana.”
“What does that mean?”
“I think it’s kind of like a hostel. We have our own room with a private bath, but that’s all I know.”
“I’m sure it will be fine. We could be sleeping outside in a tent.” I was remembering Yosemite, and how we had first met. Glad to be past that time!
“Let me get us checked in and then we can go exploring.”
“Sounds good to me,” I replied, hoping that once we reached our room we might stay a while and explore each other. Not having seen Peter for several days, I was hungry for his touch.
Peter obtained our room key and escorted me down the hallway to a quaint little room with a delightful view overlooking the valley below. The landscape was amazing and as much as I wanted to see more of it, I really wanted to spend some quality time with him.
Peter set the bags off to the side and joined me at the window, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning his chin upon my head. I leaned back against him, enjoying his strong
arms around me and closed my eyes to savor his unique smell.
We stayed like that for several long moments before he spoke softly, “I missed you this week.”
“Hmm, I missed you too.”
He dropped his head to nibble on my earlobe and then let his lips trails down my neck to where my shoulders and neck met. I shivered in response as he placed little nips along the back of my neck before running his lips up to the other ear.
“You smell so good,” he told me, loosening his arms from around my waist to run his hands up my sides and to rest just under my breasts. “You feel even better.”
I leaned my head back against his shoulder, inviting his lips to discover more of my flesh. He was slowly stoking the flames of the fire that had never gone completely out and I was happy to let him do it.
When he placed his palms firmly over my breasts, I arched into his hands without a second thought. I snuggled my hips back into his, rejoicing at the evidence of his desire.
Peter palmed my breasts for several minutes before he stepped away and pulled me back to the bed. Untying the halter string which secured my dress around my neck, he gently pushed the material down, revealing my naked breasts as the dress did not allow for a bra.
When he dipped his head and covered first one, and then the other, with the warmth from his mouth, a groan of pleasure erupted from my mouth.
“Peter...” I started, pulling frantically to get his t-shirt to lift over his shoulders. “Take your shirt off.”
Peter did as I requested and then pulled me against him, smashing my breasts against his hard chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his head down to mine.
The melding of our lips and tongues was euphoric and immediately we were both frantic to remove the rest of our clothing. We stepped away from each other and shed the rest of our clothes, climbing onto the bed simultaneously and falling into each other’s arms in a tangle of limbs, hands, and mouths.
Peter pushed me back against the pillows and proceeded to skim his mouth over every inch of my person. When I was squirming uncontrollably against him, he finally let me pull him back up and over me, making a place for himself between my thighs as he once again took my mouth in the gentlest of kisses. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered to me, brushing my hair back and off my forehead.
Falling for Him 2 (Rachel and Peter in Love) Page 3
