by Jessie Cooke
“What I do want to know is, why the lack of personal effects?” she asked. “No pictures. Nothing remotely intimate. Why not?”
Reece shrugged.
“Never really saw much point in all that. Plus, I let my friends stay here. Used to rent it out for a while, but had some bad experiences with that. There are years I let the snowbirds rent it for the winter months, but . . . I don’t have a lot of personal pictures or anything like that at my home in Dallas. Didn’t see the point in having them here.”
Bella allowed herself to imagine their portrait hanging on the wall over the fireplace. It would be a black and white or sepia toned photo of the two of them on her family’s ranch, longhorns blurry in the background.
The thought of the imaginary portrait made her think of Christo and the long talk she had made him promise to once she returned from her weekend. She refused to tell him where she was going, accusing him of harboring his own secrets from her.
“I know for a fact you’ve been hiding parts of your life from me, Christo Drake, and now, I’ll make certain you understand that I’m hiding something from you,” she had said, though she’d been hiding quite a bit from him all along.
He’d convinced her to pose for what he called a tastefully artistic nude. His secret commissioner had given him detailed specifications on the female form he wanted, and Christo had thought it a stroke of wonderful luck that his roommate and best friend Bella Ryan had fit those specifications perfectly.
Of course she had balked and refused for days, but Christo had a way of always convincing her, and that was just what he had done. She had agreed to sit for him on certain conditions, one of which was they would have a long talk during which he would truthfully answer any questions she had during the sitting. He was so desperate to begin the commissioned work and cash in this astronomical paycheck that he would have agreed to anything.
But for now, she wanted to relish the present moments.
And relishing his moments with Bella was exactly what Reece had in mind. In fact, he was looking forward to relishing every inch of her body. He brought her small suitcase into the bedroom where she stood surveying the previous decorating job she’d completed for him. The circular bed was covered in a grey and white Moroccan tile pattern to match the slate grey walls. Throw pillows of chartreuse and coral matched the accent colors of the room. It was still masculine while incorporating that South Padre Island feel, and she loved it.
Suddenly, Reece swept her off her feet from behind and carried her to the circular floating bed. He knelt upon the mattress and lay her gingerly among the throw pillows. He allowed himself a few seconds to peruse her body and face straight on before bending down to cover her mouth with his. She entwined her arms under his as he balanced over her, and Bella gripped his buttocks tightly as she pulled him down on top of her, her body stretching towards his. She felt his kiss turn into a grin against her lips.
“So this is the way you want to start your weekend?” he teased her.
“It’s kinda like having dessert before dinner,” she responded. “It’s a special weekend, so why not start with a special treat?”
Reece pushed himself away from her. He liked toying with her, and he did have some special treats planned, but he really wanted to prove to her that there was more to him—to them— than just the physical chemistry.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this, but you’ll just have to wait, my dear,” he said to her. “We have dinner reservations and then a few surprises afterwards.”
Bella sat up on her elbows.
“Weeeelllllll,” she drawled. “I must admit I’m a little miffed yet intrigued at your determination.”
“Determination?”
“To woo me, spoil me a little. Not simply to have a weekend of never leaving the bed.”
He returned to his previous position above her and kissed her deeply, his tongue probing into her mouth lustily as his knee slid up between her legs granting a tantalizing pressure in just the right spot.
“Don’t mistake my chivalry for lack of desire. If I had my way, I’d strip you down and leave you that way for the rest of the weekend, taking you to worlds you have never known over and over and over again.” He had lowered his body onto hers, and each time he said the word “over” he thrust his hardened excitement into her pelvis.
Bella’s nipples were hard through her V-neck, the soft bra doing little to cover her enthusiasm, and she felt a yearning dampness between her legs that ached more for his touch with each thrust of his pelvis. Reece fell upon her neck and kissed her, his hot breath only making her hotter, and then he whispered into her hair.
“Now get your sexy body off this bed before I forget exactly what I had promised to do this weekend. Dessert will come after dinner, and it will be the best thing either one of us has ever tasted, be assured.”
Reece hopped off the bed and went to the closet. He pulled out a chic black party dress, with a sheer halter and glittery midriff.
“Your first gift of the weekend,” he presented. “I’d like it if you wore it to dinner.”
Bella fingered the gauzy material of the dress.
“It’s so pretty,” she said.
“It’ll be prettier once you’re in it,” came his response.
“Wow, so far, you’re batting a thousand, Mr. Hamilton,” she said. “Now, let’s see how this fits. So glad I brought my red pumps. That’ll give this just a bit of an edge.”
“If not,” he said as he pulled out a pair of Jimmy Choo pink suede Anouk pumps, “I took the liberty of completing the ensemble for you, with a little help from my assistant, of course.”
Bella’s eyes lit up as she reached reverently for the shoes. She caressed the softness of the suede and traced her fingers lustily around the scalloped edge of the top of the shoe.
“These are lovely,” she said in a whisper. “I don’t mind at all.”
She broke her gaze away from the shoes just long enough to kiss Reece on the cheek and then bounded off, a child-like excitement in her step.
“This is better than Christmas!” she called as she skipped into the bathroom to ready herself for her big date.
16
Bella emerged from the rooms in the back of the house to the front and immediately felt a sense of disappointment and confusion. Where was Reece? She had hoped to make a grand entrance to which he would whistle and his eyes would dazzle at the artistry he had helped to create. She decided that if she looked half as beautiful as she felt, she would knock his socks off.
But there was no one in the living area when she arrived.
“Reece?” she called.
“Out here,” she heard his voice muted by the sounds of the night and realized that the doors to the upper patio were opened, a faint dancing orange glow beckoning to her.
She walked out onto the upper patio to the sight of an elegantly dressed table, complete with candle light, fine china and crystal. A chef had set up a mobile cooking station in the corner and was conversing amiably with Reece as he put the finishing touches on a beautiful salad.
The coral cordyline and fuschia vinca still hung lusciously around the gazebo and trellises of the patio, and the pink dianthus grew as thick as carpet in the mild winter of Texas.
Bella uttered a gasp of content surprise, and both men’s faces lit up at the sight of the beautiful Bella.
“Reservations, eh?” she smirked as she sidled up to Reece who looked dashing in his formal dress pants and tuxedo shirt.
“Hey, I didn’t say they were anywhere in particular,” he winked. “I booked Andy here for a decadent dinner here on the patio. South Padre doesn’t exactly offer everything I want to give you. So, I brought it all to you.”
Bella greeted Andy and thanked him for coming, to which he invited them to sit and be served their wine and salads.
The evening was perfect. A slight nip of a chill was in the air, but Reece had already thought of that by placing a pink pashmina on the back of her chair.
“I told you: just give me the chance to show you the man I can really be . . . outside of the bedroom. You already know enough about that.”
But Reece felt a stabbing pain within his gut, knowing that part of all this was a lie. He had brought her here with the promise to woo her, to prove to her what a stand-up guy he really was, but he sat across from her now, knowing that even if he convinced her that he was worth it, he would never be completely hers . . . not since Nicky had told him she was pregnant with his child.
He pushed the feeling aside, shoved it way down deep, and leaned in towards Bella, her sky blue eyes dancing in the candlelight.
“You look absolutely wonderful,” Reece complimented. “Even better than I had imagined when I first saw that dress.”
“Thank you, and thanks again for the dress and shoes. I feel a little like Cinderella.”
Andy approached with their seared scallop appetizer.
“You are a princess,” Reece commented. “It’s time I was able to actually treat you like one.”
Bella laughed, and then realized Reece wore a look of pain.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she patted his hand. “It just seems so . . . lame.”
“What?”
“That you called me a princess. You don’t know anything about me.”
“I think you’d be surprised to know what I already have gleaned,” Reece said.
Bella raised an eyebrow.
“Do tell,” she remarked.
“Bella Elizabeth Ryan,” Reece said as he settled into his chair. “Born December 12, 1985 to Marcus and Gale Ryan, an only child born into a family of cattle ranchers from Brownsville, Texas. You attended Rivera High School where you graduated with honors and were on the volleyball team all four years. You’ve attended several college and design schools, including SMU, where you received a degree in graphic design, but most recently have been taking classes at the Art Institute of Dallas in Interior Design and working for Rita Turner at Dreamscapes Interior Design LLC, following your newest passion and slowly, finally finding yourself.”
Bella’s eyes had widened during his discourse.
“Oh, and I forgot that you sometimes moonlight as painted waitress for body-painter and artist Christo Drake, who also happens to be your gay roommate and best friend.”
Bella blushed, flustered at the memory of the body painting and the first (and second) time she had met Reece.
The unspoken name of her second best friend hung in the air between them, both of them certain it was there, but neither wanting to say it and break the dome under which Nicky had been placed for the weekend.
“Amazing,” Bella remarked. “I’m surprised that’s all you really know.”
Again Reece leaned towards her and whispered into the candles.
“Oh, there’s a lot more I could tell you about yourself, but I’ll save that for after dinner. Wouldn’t want to fluster our guest.”
And Bella felt a fluttery response that started in her stomach and travelled south.
The filet mignon with lobster tail was cooked to perfection, and Bella didn’t care one iota that her incredible love for food was more than obvious during their dining experience. Andy was a wonderful chef and attentive waiter, giving them just enough space to converse intimately yet never leaving them wanting for anything . . . except each other.
“So, you know all about me, but I know nothing of you,” Bella prompted.
“Boring life,” Reece responded. “Raised by a single mom in Dallas. Went to UT on a soccer scholarship. Injured myself in my second year, so I had to find a new way to pay for school. Started working for a guy my mom knew who owned a construction company. Liked it a lot but also found I could look at properties and see how to shape them, flip them into something new. Decided to major in civil engineering with a minor in business, and then, through networking with my mom’s clients, made clients of my own and built myself a property development team.”
“What did your mom do?”
“Cleaned houses.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Just didn’t expect that. So you’re a real Cinderella story: blue collar boy builds himself an empire.
“That’s me,” Reece said, unashamed. He was proud of how far he’d come, and he would never apologize for it.
“Sisters or brothers?”
“One sister, Marie. She lives in Tucson now with her husband and five kids. Loves the married life, loves being a mom. Very different from me in that way.”
“So, you have no plans of marrying? No desire for kids?”
Reece’s gut plunged at the mention of kids. His mind was propelled back to Nicky’s news regarding the child within her . . . his child.
“Not closing myself off to the possibility,” he said. “But the difference was that she married straight out of high school. Knew that life was what she wanted and went for it. Me, I had other plans.”
Bella nodded.
“What about you?” he asked, shifting himself from the hot-seat so to speak. “Marriage and kids in your future?”
“Hard to tell,” Bella remarked. “Maybe. If I meet the right guy.” She lifted her eyes to his and held them steadily, sending her message very clearly.
Thankfully, Andy approached with his famous Flaming Foster dessert to place in between the couple.
“Did you know this tidbit about me?” Bella asked.
“What—that you’re secretly a pyromaniac?”
“No, well in a way yes. What I meant though was that my favorite dessert is Bananas Foster.”
Andy smiled.
“Allow me to describe my unique take on your favorite dessert,” he said, and he proceeded to describe the decadence that glowed in flames before them.
When she had finally had her fill and licked her spoon so that the silver winked in the candlelight, Bella leaned back in her chair and patted her belly with satisfaction.
“I’ll bet you didn’t know I could eat like that,” she smiled at Reece.
“I must say that I’m impressed,” Reece admitted. “Though, in my experience, if one has a voracious appetite in one aspect of life, then it manifests itself in other aspects as well.”
“Voracious appetite, eh?”
“Yes. And in my experience, you have quite a voracious appetite when it comes to sexual encounters with masked men.”
This time Bella leaned forward towards Reece.
“Only masked men who save me from ridiculous drunk assholes,” she smiled.
“Hmmmmm, but I seem to remember a time when there was no drunk asshole involved,” Reece countered. “Yet, your appetite was more than what I would call ‘healthy.’”
He was tracing circles with his finger on her hand, the touch sending slight shock waves through her system.
“And then there was this afternoon when I practically had to pry you off of me,” he smiled. “I think your voracious appetite is not just for food.”
Bella licked her lips slowly, realizing that in spite of all she had just eaten, there was much more that she wanted, and it wasn’t on the table.
“Do we have to do the dishes?” she asked.
“Nope. All has been arranged.”
“Then I think you’d better get me back into the house before I break something.”
“Break something?” Reece cocked an eyebrow.
“I keep having visions of letting you take me right here on this table out here on the patio.”
Reece raised her hand to his lips and caressed them with his fingers.
“I definitely didn’t pay Andy enough to have to witness that.” He pried up one of her fingers using his lip and sucked it into his mouth gently, his tongue rubbing the length of it inside his warm lips.
Bella felt the movement of his tongue down to her core, almost as if the tongue strokes were elsewhere on her body. And then, she knew she had to have him exactly
where she wanted him.
She rose, thanked chef Andy for his services, and then led Reece into the house, confident in herself and her hold on him.
Once inside the bedroom, she shut the door behind them.
“That’s enough wooing for one night,” she said with authority. The bulge she noted rising in Reece’s pants was plenty encouragement for her to know he was liking this control she’d assumed.
She gently pushed him onto the bed.
“Now watch,” she commanded as she let the pink pashmina slip from her shoulders slowly.
17
Bella reached up to unfasten the straps around her neck. The chiffon and lace fabric of the halter fell away revealing her breasts, nipples heightened with excitement. Slowly she reached around the back to unzip the waistband. The natural arching of her back with the movement was not lost on her, and she watched Reece carefully for signs of arousal, which was evident in the strain within his tailored pants.
He leaned back on his elbows.
“The view from down here is breathtaking,” he said.
“Not bad from here, either,” she smiled. He had opened his collar earlier and his informality clothed with such formal dress was a juxtaposition that turned her on. Not to mention the way his copper eyes smiled at her in the dim lighting of his bedroom.
She stepped gingerly from the dress that had fallen to the floor, her pink suede pumps still in place and accenting the black and pink lace thong that had been hiding under the skirts.
“Don’t think you knew that pink was my favorite color,” she said. “All shades. And especially paired with black.”
She approached him slowly, her shoulders confident and her breasts thrust forward. She was amazing herself at this strong woman that appeared whenever Reece was near. Never had she been so forthright. Never had she felt so confidently sexy, and never had she known so intensely exactly what she wanted.
Bella lowered herself to the floating bed and straddled Reece’s reclining body. She teased him by placing her breasts mere centimeters from his lips. Then she grabbed his hair from underneath and tilted his head up.
