"And a mani-pedi. I booked your hair dresser at eleven."
Capri scratched her forehead.
"Did I forget something?" Her assistant pulled his cell out of his pocket, touched the screen and read aloud. "I am a complete mess. Need a total overhaul. Please book a hair appt, massage and a most importantly a mani-pedi. C.G."
"No, you missed nothing. I guess I'm still jet-lagged. I don't remember sending you the message. No worries. Since I'll be gone for the rest of the day, why don't you take the afternoon off?"
Terrence smiled. "I work for a slave driver. Makes me take time off, when she knows I'd rather be at my desk. Oh, well. Must do what the boss orders." He closed the office door behind him.
Capri leaned back in her chair, stared at the bright white and yellow daisies and thought about Thall. She liked being with him. She loved the way he made her feel. A shudder passed through her. Closing her eyes, Capri remembered the internal heat he created in her on the yacht's deck.
Her brow darkened. It can't be just about lust. There must be more.
She opened her eyes, glanced at the flowers then focused on her monitor. Absentmindedly, she clicked through emails, deleting the unimportant ones or anything from Dickerman.
She paused. He did say he asked Lachesis if he could give up his immortality. That's an incomprehensible sacrifice. To be willing to give up eternal life to be with someone. Just to be with me.
The light on her phone flashed. She ignored it. But the alternative for him would be to live through eternity denied the chance to be loved.
The light persisted in its flashing. She clicked on it. "Ms. Gray, the cab will be here to take you to the spa in fifteen minutes."
"Thank you, Terrence."
"If there is nothing else, I'll be leaving now?"
"No, go ahead. And have a nice afternoon." Capri spun her chair around, stood and peered out her forty-eighth floor office window. She voiced the thoughts in her head. "There is no easy solution. He's obviously infatuated with me. I am…aroused by him."
She crossed her arms and shook her head. "It's too much of a risk." A twinge of sadness pinched her heart.
"Should I take the risk? Could we have a relationship? A life? Marriage? Children?" She glanced over her shoulder at the flowers. "Do I even want all those things?"
She clicked off her computer, picked up her purse and exited her office, heading for the elevator. Once inside, she leaned against the back wall, watching the numbers count down as the elevator descended. I do. I want all those things. And I want to try with Thall. I have to take a risk once in a while. Live life on the edge, so to speak.
The elevator doors opened and Capri crossed the lobby. "Leaving early, Ms. Gray?"
Hesitating before stepping into the revolving door, Capri turned. "Yes, Gabino, I'm leaving a little early. I'm going to meet my future."
Three hours later, Capri lay stretched out of the massage table with hot rocks draining their heat into the tight muscles of her upper back. Eucalyptus scented the air and soft spa music floated in the background. She sighed with deep contentment. Oh, to spend every day of my life like this. No worries. No decisions. Just pampering.
The door opened and closed and Capri listened to Felicity, her masseuse, pad about the room. She bit back a groan when Felicity lifted the rocks off her back and began with feather-light brushes against her back, shifting to deeper strokes as she worked out the tight knots in Capri's muscles. With a final finishing stroke, Felicity then placed a warm blanket over her back, and her soft voice pulled Capri out of her catnap. "Take your time, Ms. Gray. When you are ready, there is a glass of orange water, and I'll be waiting outside to escort you to your cab."
Capri giggled. She expects me to walk when I feel like melted Jell-O.
She wiggled her fingers and toes to wake up her relaxed muscles, then dressed, and exited the spa. The cab ride home was rush hour slow, but soon Capri stood before her apartment door with her key in her hand. She inhaled a big breath. Like I told Gabino, ready to meet my future.
Inserting the key in the lock, she opened her door. Capri stepped toward the foyer and glanced around. The sweet aroma of flowers tickled her nose. The room was exactly as it was supposed to be, except one thing. Thall was no longer asleep on the couch.
The bang of a pot drew her attention to her kitchen. Peering around the corner, Capri stifled a giggle. Her first impression, Thall was attempting to cook dinner. Her second, it wasn't going well. Pasta, garlic, flour, a bottle of olive oil, an unopened package of chocolate chips, bottles of spices, sugar, two cake pans and several pots were scattered across the kitchen counter.
Thall glanced up from a book lying on the table. "There's no food in your kitchen. How the heck do you eat?" He rubbed his hand over his hair. "I was going to make supper. Spaghetti and chocolate cake. Your favorites."
He rose from the chair, crossed the kitchen, grabbed the package of pasta and waved it at her. "Spaghetti you got."
"Yay me."
"But for sauce you need—" He returned to the book he was reading and ran his finger down the page. "Olive oil. Got it. Garlic. Got it. And some spices. What you're missing is: onions, fresh basil, mushrooms and carrots."
Capri pulled open the cupboard door on her left, reached inside and pulled out a jar. "Ahem."
He glanced up from the book. His eyes narrowed, glaring at the jar she was holding.
"If you remember, I was away. It's not a good idea to keep perishables while you're gone. Unless you want a biology project growing in your fridge when you return. Instead. Ta da." She waggled the bottled. "Sauce in a jar."
He took the bottle from her hand and matched the ingredients with what was in his cookbook. "Thyme. Uh huh. Peppers, onions. Good. What's natural flavoring? It's not listed in your cookbook."
"Better you not know."
Thall furrowed his brow and handed back the jar.
"Let me get dressed and we'll go get some groceries because I'm guessing this isn't going to impress you." She reached into another cupboard and pulled out a box. "Cake in a box."
"Cake. In a box?" He followed her to her bedroom. "You eat cake from a box?"
She laughed and kicked her shoes into the closet. "On a bad day, Thall, I'll eat the icing right out of the can."
He hunched his shoulder, scratched his head then crossed the room to her dresser. Reaching down, he pulled open the fourth draw and pulled out her red silk bustier. He turned and held it out. "Why don't you wear this?"
"Grocery shopping?"
He nodded.
Capri fumbled on how to reply then released a sigh of exasperation. "You do mean under my clothes and not just that?"
"No, I kind of like seeing you in this. But I think I understand your issue with wearing just this."
"You mean, besides being arrested for indecent exposure?" Her hand shook as a shiver of desire raced through her. She could slip it on under a blouse and slirt. Her pussy clenched at the idea of how naughty she'd feel strutting through Bernstein's SuperFoods squeezing bread and sniffing strawberries while wearing it.
Her fingers trebled as she peeled off her clothes, stepped into the bustier then slipped on a white silk blouse and navy blue skirt. After securing her nylons to the clasps on the garter, she stepped into her heels. "Ready. Let's go"
Once they settled into the cab, Thall nestled against Capri's side and casually rested his hand on her lap. When the taxi pulled away from the curb, he slid his fingers under her skirt and between her labia. With lazy strokes, he caressed her until the cab stopped in front of Bernstein's SuperFoods.
Capri fumbled with her wallet, pulled out enough money to pay and tip the driver, then opened the door and glanced back at Thall. "Coming?"
He grinned. "Not yet. How about you?"
She stepped out of the cab, closed her eyes and settled her breath to a calm pace. "Let's just buy groceries, so we can get home and eat."
He stepped onto the curb beside her. "Eat what?"
&
nbsp; "Dinner. You started this."
As Capri marched through the grocery store, she caught the gazes of men, watching her breasts bounce under her blouse. When they would pause in an aisle, Thall would slide his hand down her ass, cup and squeeze it. When she leaned over to reach for a big onion, Thall snuggled in behind. "Is it against the law in this country for me to pull up your skirt and fuck you right here, right now?"
While Capri debated the consequences, he rubbed his swollen cock against her backside. The do it and the not here sides of the argument battled it out, until Thall pulled back. Capri snapped into corporate mode. She handed Thall the little grocery basket. "Put these away. Meet me at the cashier."
She scurried past aisles until she reached the organic foods section. Wrapping her fingers around a jar, she skimmed the ingredients. No artificial anything listed. She turned, headed toward the produce section, snatched a bag of salad and scooted to baking section. Grabbing a container of French Chocolate premade icing off the shelf, she continued to her final destination. At the bakery, she selected a double layer, dark chocolate cake with green and pink flowers.
"Should I write anything on it?" The clerk smiled.
Capri blinked. "Um, no. Thank you." She turned, hurried to the cashier, paid and led Thall outside. With an experienced whistle, she hailed a cab and placed the groceries between them on the ride back.
As she reached to place the key in her apartment door lock, Thall stopped her. "The seduction continues until after dinner. And with that in mind, could you strip off those annoying work clothes?"
"What? Out here?" She glanced up and down the empty hall.
"Now that you mention it."
He reached over and took the grocery bags from her hands. While she unzipped her skirt, Thall slid the key in and out of the lock. He increased his pace with each button she undid. When she dropped the blouse to the ground, he clicked the lock with a loud thunk.
Capri turned her head right and left, listening for the sound of a door unlocking, but instead she heard a ding of the elevator.
Thall bent over and scooped her clothes into his hand. He positioned himself between her and the door. The elevator doors swooshed open.
Capri's voice was a low hiss. "Thall. Come on. Open the door."
He turned the handle and pushed. She stumbled in behind him, slammed the door and placed her hand on her chest. "Oh, my God. What if someone had seen me?"
Thall tossed the key onto the hall table and rubbed his hand along her pussy. "Your heart is pounding in fear, but your nipples and pussy are excited at the possibility of having been caught."
"This is so not like me. I'm used to being in…"
"Control." He placed the bags on the floor and pressed her up against the door. "But you aren't in control anymore. I am. I can give you what your soul craves."
Fighting the excited nervous tension building in her, Capri forced her voice to be level. "What does my soul crave?"
Thall grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them above her head. "A complete loss of control. Total freedom." He thrust against her. "A night of not being in charge or having to make a decision."
He lowered his head and slid his teeth across her nipple.
"Aah!"
"A night where pleasure will be given and taken."
Capri could not respond. Every word he spoke was true. She'd been the good little girl in school, then the dedicated student in university. Placing what needed to be done ahead of her own desires; she climbed the corporate ladder and sacrificed a marriage in the process. What she wanted was Thall to take her. To make her love him. To make her scream with passionate agony.
"I am yours, Thall." She locked her gaze onto his. "I turn myself over to you."
A grin slid across his mouth. "Do you happen to own pair of red, fuzzy handcuffs?"
Chapter Twenty
Capri swallowed hard and blinked. "Pardon?"
The bouquet of Capri's arousal filled Thall's nose as he nuzzled her neck. "You heard me. Do you own a pair of red, fuzzy handcuffs? When you were at that sex toy convention, did you buy a pair?"
"No. I almost did. I wanted to, but I didn't."
"I might have to spank you for that."
She giggled. "I did buy something for that."
Thall stepped back. "The delights of this evening are seemingly endless." He bent over and picked up the groceries. "And now to continue the seduction. Time to make supper."
Capri lowered her arms. "Well, if I'm dressed like this, you need to change into something a little sexier."
He handed her the bags. "Unpack those. I'll be right back."
Standing in Capri's bedroom, Thall closed his eyes and reviewed images that Capri had shared with Kat. One photo they'd discussed displayed the image of a male in low-slung jeans and no shirt. Capri's comment had been something about a desire to fuck the guy's brains out.
Exiting Capri's room, Thall paused and checked his reflection, faded jeans and what she'd called a lickable six-pack. The thought of her tongue gliding over his stomach and chest pulsed a shiver through him that ended in his balls. He bit back a groan, entered the kitchen and watched Capri's eyes as she scanned his shirtless chest.
He stepped behind her, slid his hand around her waist and pulled her close. "How about you sit in that chair there while I fix us some dinner. I'll get you a glass of wine."
"You better be careful. I could get used to being spoiled like this."
"It's how you should be treated. Like a queen." He kissed her cheek, released her waist and opened the wine cupboard. "Hmm? What do you have that's good with pasta?"
"There should be a nice little Australian Shiraz in there."
Thall checked a couple of bottles, pulled one out and showed the label to Capri. She nodded. He placed it and a second bottle on the counter then opened the Shiraz. After filling a wine glass for himself, he poured another and handed it to Capri. He held his glass out. "To fulfilling fantasies."
Capri tapped her glass against his. "To fulfilling fantasies."
He sipped his wine. "This is good. How did you get to know so much about wine?" He placed his glass on the counter, leaned over and pressed the number pad to preheat the oven. Picking up one of the discarded pots, he put the pasta pot under the tap and filled it.
Capri settled herself on her chair with her legs spread apart. She swallowed a mouthful of wine. "My parents own Little Fox Winery. I grew up playing in the grapes."
Thall placed the filled pot on the stove and turned to ask a question. Capri's spread legs and exposed pussy jolted him from his core to the tip of his cock. "Nice view." He turned the heat on under the pot and stepped closer to Capri.
"Now what can I do while the water heats?" He pulled a chair in front of her, sat and licked his lips. "I think I shall make love to your breasts until the water boils. You sip your wine and enjoy, but no touching me."
"Not fair. With a body like that. I want to—"
"Nope. Drink and enjoy." He lowered his mouth to her nipple and flicked the tip of his tongue across it.
"Mmm, that feels so good."
While Thall squeezed his lips around her bud and suckled her, he reached up and massaged her breasts through the stiff red silk. He released her nipple and leaned to the right, pressed his opened mouth to her breast and grazed his teeth across her swollen flesh.
Capri raised her hands and entangled her fingers in his hair. With his teeth pressed against her nipple, he mumbled, "No touching."
"Ahh. I want to grab you, kiss you, run my hands over your body." She glared down at him. "I need to touch you."
Thall slid his teeth across her nipple then sat upright. "You want to get spanked?"
"You wouldn't dare."
"Your mouth says no, but your eyes just dilated." He grinned. "The thought is quite appealing. Flipping you over my lap and having you writhing and screeching."
Capri reached for her wine. "You wouldn't dare." She raised her wine glass to her lips.
&nbs
p; "You said that already." He rose from his chair then adjusted the throbbing bulge in the front of his jeans.
Swallowing, Capri's eyelids opened wide. "What are you going to do?" She inched away from him.
He cast his gaze over her body then around her hip to her backside. A small grin settled on his mouth. He licked his lips. "I think I might just…"
"Just what?"
"Put the pasta on. The water's boiling." He reached for the package of spaghetti and pulled it open. "Should I heat the sauce in the microwave?"
After dropping a handful of noodles into the bubbling water, he peered into the cupboards looking for a container big enough to hold the pasta sauce. "Where do you keep the…"
Capri nestled up behind him. One hand reached to the stove and turned off the burner and the oven. The other gripped his blue jean encased swollen bulge. "I can't take this anymore. You drive me to the edge and walk away. I need you. I need you to fuck me now."
Thall closed his eyes and gripped the edge of the counter, the low growl of her voice and the insistent pressure of her hand almost made him release. He, too, was at his breaking point. It hadn't been easy pushing Capri to the limit when his body screamed at him to take her, but it was what she wanted. It was what she fantasized.
He shifted around in her arms, grabbed her face and pressed his mouth against hers. Their tongues met tip to tip and writhed around each other's mouth. Thall released her face, reached around and undid the bow that held the ties together. With sharp pulls, he loosened the bustier. Between kisses, he gasped out his sentence. "Next time, get one with Velcro."
Capri grabbed at the bottom of her garment, pulled and let it fall to the floor. Stepping out of it, she kicked it aside then reached for his fly. With quick moves, she popped the button, lowered the zipper and tugged on his jeans and shorts. Planting a foot on a pant leg, he pulled one leg free and then the other. He bent lower and dropped his shorts. Liberated, his swollen cock sprang forward.
Gazing into Capri's eyes, Thall could see the heat boiling within her. "You're mine."
Capri's Fate Page 15
