“I can make this easy for you. I’ll make it as the dinner special that night. You only need to come and get it.”
“I’m listening,” Matthew chuckled.
“Crab Ravioli in basil cream sauce. We’ll steam a lobster tail or two, and I’ll pack up a salad of arugula and cherry tomatoes with pine nuts and fresh Parmesan, with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. It’ll be perfect! And I’ll ask Anthony to make a Charlotte Russe cake for dessert.
With the meal planned, he knew the music he wanted – Van Morrison was one of her favorite artists. He thought about the collection she listened to and found a mix that she had. He knew the soothing sounds of Van’s voice would make their surroundings mellow, and he knew that jazzy sound would be perfect. But he knew of the entire mix, “Crazy Love” would be ‘the one.’ He chose the Machus wine and chilled it, and he was ready.
~ ~ ~
Deb stopped by to visit for a bit and stay with Carlee while Matthew ran out to pick up everything for the evening.
“You look good,” Deb told her.
“I feel wonderful! Like scary wonderful! I worry what the future holds, but I’m gonna live and enjoy every second until I’m no longer able. I feel as though I was given a gift – it wasn’t cancer. I can handle whatever it is,” she paused. “I wish they didn’t have to have someone baby-sit me, but I get it.”
Deb thought about all Carlee’d experienced in her life already, only 21. But she seemed a better person for all she’d been through. A gift, she thought. Doesn’t seem like a gift… but Carlee’s got a different outlook than most of the world.
“Do you know what Matthew has planned?” Deb asked.
“No clue,” Carlee laughed, “and I feel like I can’t think about anything because Matthew has some plan already in place.”
“Whatever it is, the two of you deserve a special evening; you’ve sure had a time.”
At that moment, the door opened, and Matthew came in with several big bags.
“What on earth?” Carlee laughed.
“Can’t tell, surprise…” he replied.
“Carlee, I’m gonna go. I enjoyed our visit. I’ll see you soon. Happy New Year!”
After Deb was gone, Matthew pulled her from the sofa into his arms. “We’re dressing up,” he whispered in her ear.
“Hunh?” Carlee laughed.
“Dressing up. If I can’t take you out, I want to see you dressed up as if we were.”
“And that means?”
“A dress, Carlee - with one of those surprises underneath…”
“You’re so funny,” she giggled, interrupting him.
“Carlee,” and just the sound of his voice sent a shiver up her spine. He wrapped her tighter in his embrace and whispered in her ear, “I want this to be another first date. A sexy, seductive first date…”
“Then that’s what it will be. Sexy. Seductive. If you’re sure you can handle it,” she laughed. “Shall we shower?”
She heard him groan as she walked toward the bedroom.
Stripping, she left a trail of clothes on the way, and Matthew followed anxiously, grabbing them up in her wake.
“No touching,” she said.
“Are you sure?” he asked reaching toward her.
She took his hand to stop him. “I’m sure.” She turned it to kiss his palm as she sat on the chair to wait for him.
“Carlee, I can’t be this close and not touch you.”
“No touching,” she said again and reached for the shampoo. Squeezing a small bead of it into her hand she massaged it into her hair and reached for the shower nozzle and rinsed, allowing the fragrant suds to slide down her naked body as Matthew watched.
“You’re making me crazy…”
“It’s sexy, right?”
“God, I guess,” he said in a raspy, whisper of a voice, his hands reaching to her again.
“No,” she said.
“Who are you?” he laughed.
“You said ‘sexy and seductive’… I think I’ve only begun.” She rose from the chair, “Hand me a towel please, and go get dressed. I’m gonna sit here, dry my hair, and get ready.”
“Carlee…”
“When I’m done I’ll call you. I can sit here, and everything I need is right there in the closet. I can do this!” she laughed and looked over her shoulder. “Now go. How can I surprise you if you’re right here? Go.”
He dressed in a suit and tie, and Carlee smiled. He sprayed a light mist of what Carlee referred to as ‘Adonis in a bottle’ on himself. She inhaled and closed her eyes, feeling dreamy…
She was naked as she sat at the vanity to get ready. He leaned to kiss her, and she allowed his lips to touch hers, but when his hands moved toward her, once again she said, “No touching. Go.”
He stood right outside the bedroom door – waiting. He leaned against the door frame so that he could watch her, because he wanted to make sure she was OK, but he also liked what he was observing.
~ ~ ~
She dried her hair into a mess of curls, nothing pinned up, nothing styled - it was really just a mess of hair that looked like she’d already participated in a wild night of sex. Satisfied with the look, she applied her make-up, giving a smoky look to her eyes. She took Matthew’s cologne and added a light spray just between her breasts, so she could smell it.
She raised her left leg onto the counter. Taking her time, she slowly applied lotion from her toes to her thigh. She lowered her leg and began applying the lotion to her torso, rubbing seductively from her neck to her breasts and then lower. Finally, she put her right leg up and applied the lotion. She dabbed a brush of red lipstick across her lips, and a shiver went up her spine thinking about later.
Oh my god, I’m a tease, and I’m getting myself all worked up over it. She smiled at the reflection in the mirror and slowly rose from the stool. “Everything’s OK; I’m just going in the closet.” She knew he’d been watching her, so she stretched her naked body and turned to look over her shoulder in the mirror at her reflection from behind. She moved into the closet where he could no longer see her.
Geezus, she’s killing me, and I think she knows it, he thought and stepped one step into the room so he could hear her.
She slipped on the tiniest white lacy panties, the tallest black heels, one of Matthew’s white shirts, and nothing else. She turned to the jewelry armoire and picked a long strand of pearls and large gold hoop earrings. She tousled her hair again, took a deep breath, and slowly made her way out of the closet and stood in front of the mirror. Happy with what she saw, she turned and found Matthew coming around the corner.
“Damn, Carlee. I can’t take it anymore. Who are you?” he asked again with a laugh bordering on a wolf’s growl, and she shivered.
“Someone who appreciates life and cherishes every moment. You can kiss me, but you still can’t touch,” she told him, but as he leaned to kiss her, he couldn’t stop himself. His hands went to her cheeks, drawing her close, and as he allowed his fingers to run through her hair, he felt her nipples harden, heard her breath come in pants. As he pulled her close she felt him and pulled away.
“Enough.”
She turned to walk away, and with each step she took, Matthew felt like he was losing his mind. He’d lit candles. Soft music was playing, and he had two glasses ready to pour their wine. As he did, she sat on the sofa and crossed her legs, and again he thought he’d lose it right then.
“Wine first, then dinner,” he said as he joined her on the sofa.
“Whatever dinner is, it smells yummy,” she said and watched him watching her. “How’m I doing?”
“Geezus, Carlee, you’re driving me insane.” He reached to touch her thigh, and she turned to him.
“Sexy and seductive… not yet, Matthew.”
“Just let me touch you,” he said as she held his hand in place.
“Not yet,” she said again. She sunk back into the sofa, sipped the wine, and closed her eyes. “Van,” she said, “You know what I like.
”
“Carlee…”
“Just savor a minute, Matthew. That whole getting ready thing tired me.”
“I want to savor.” He grinned as she opened her eyes and turned to look at him. “You look so amazing, way better than the dress I envisioned seeing you in. I’m not sure how long I can hold off.”
“Soon.”
~ ~ ~
They finished the wine, and “Crazy Love” began. Matthew pulled her to her feet, into his arms, and he danced her to the candle-lit dining room table.
“I love you so much,” he said as he kissed behind her ear, down her neck, to her cleavage. He pulled the chair out at the table for her and went to the kitchen to serve the meal. Placing her plate in front of her, he leaned to kiss her, his fingers brushing against her breasts. She couldn’t have stopped him if she wanted to – but she didn’t want to. He eased her into a passionate kiss and felt her tremble.
“This is all so beautiful. Thank you, Matthew.”
He poured more of the wine. Finally, she took the first bite, and the noise she made to show how good she thought it was had Matthew squirming in his seat again.
“Stop it,” he laughed, “because I’m on the edge here, Carlee.”
She said nothing, picked up her glass of wine, and peered into his eyes over the rim of the glass.
“I mean it, Carlee,” he laughed. “Stop it.”
After a few more bites, she pushed her plate aside. “What’s for dessert?”
He pushed his plate aside, took a sip of his wine, and looked at her; she seemed to have no inhibitions this evening. “Well…”
“Not yet. Cake? Something sweet,” she purred.
Two can play this game, he thought. “It’ll be sweet, alright,” and the words came as a seductive tease.
She laughed a laugh that once more had him squirming in his seat. “I’ll go dish it up. Cook suggested Anthony make a Charlotte Russe cake.”
He came back with the cake and a spoon. She suggested they move to the living room. He carried the cake in and went back for what remained in the bottle of wine and grabbed their glasses.
He’d only brought one spoon thinking he would feed it to her, but it seemed Carlee had other ideas. She stuck her finger into the custardy, pudding-like filling and put it in her mouth.
“I’m so full but oh my, it’s so good. Just the right amount of sweet,” she said, allowing her head to fall back against the sofa.
“Just the right amount of sweet,” Matthew repeated. “I know what that tastes like.” And as he said the words she felt heat rise low in her body. He took her finger and dragged it thru the filling once more putting it in his mouth when it was coated.
“Delicious,” he said as he sucked it off her finger.
Carlee did it again, and as she sucked in the taste and a breath, Matthew watched her and squirmed again.
He put the cake aside. Pulling her close he whispered in her ear, “I like this sexy seductive Carlee. I love the Carlee I’ve known all along, and this Carlee makes me anxious - but I don’t want to hurry because I don’t want it to end. I don’t know what brought ‘sexy-seductive-Carlee’ to life, but I love it.”
“Life, Matthew,” she said, sliding onto his lap. Peering into his eyes, she loosened his tie. “There were moments in the beginning of this ordeal that I didn’t know how much of that was left for me, or how I would feel if I came out on the other side. Life has given me a gift, and I’m going to live with no regrets...”
She started to unbutton his shirt, and he buried his face in her neck leaving a blaze of kisses everywhere his lips touched her skin. He reached for the top button of the shirt she was wearing. It wasn’t the first button; she’d left it open almost to her belly button, giving him peeks throughout the evening when she turned a certain way.
“No, I’ll do it,” she said, once again holding his hand in place. First, she pushed his shirt from his shoulders and admired a body that she knew like her own. But it was.
She felt him ready as she did, but still she didn’t hurry. She unbuttoned the shirt the rest of the way, and he ran his fingers along the line of the pearls, touching her skin softly as he did.
Finally, unable to control himself any longer, he ran his hands under her hair, drawing her to him. Wherever he kissed, she felt fire. She pushed back to rid herself of the shirt. Wearing nothing but the pearls, heels, panties, and a seductive smile, she scooted closer and felt him pressed against her.
“I can’t wait any more, Carlee. I want you.”
As he slid with her to the edge of the sofa, she kicked the shoes off. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he carried her to the bed.
He shed his pants while she waited. When he joined her she slid closer, and he reached for her.
“No, Matthew; this is my seduction...”
~ ~ ~
Andy had reservations for the evening at Ronnie Scott’s. Geni spent a day at Harrods – without him – and shopped until she found a cocktail dress that the sales assistant said ‘enhanced her assets.’ It was black and revealed just enough, she thought. She found a rhinestone necklace that the sales assistant suggested was ‘perfect for the neckline of the dress,’ and then found strappy black shoes. She found herself anxious about the evening and decided to stop in the lingerie area and found something perfect for under the dress.
This was a ‘first date’ for them, and Andy wasn’t sure who was more excited. Geni asked him to dress in the second bathroom so she could focus on herself and not be distracted by the handsome man who would be her date for the evening.
She did her make-up and twisted her hair in a chignon. She slipped into the chemise that she’d chosen for under the dress and suddenly feared the ‘getting naked’ part that she knew would come later. They’d made love, but to that point ‘naked’ happened in the bed. She hadn’t undressed in front of him. She hadn’t showered with him; she knew what his naked body felt like more than the sight of him.
Everything she’d chosen for the evening was sexy but not over the top. She didn’t want anything that would make her uncomfortable or embarrass her. I’m not a young woman, she thought.
She added the finishing touches and stepped out of the room to the dining room, where Andy waited.
“Wow,” Andy said.
“I’m never sure what ‘wow’ means,” she laughed using a phrase he’d said to her several times in their time together. “You are pretty ‘wow’ yourself.”
He pulled her into his arms, kissed her forehead and said one word, “Beautiful…”
“I’m not sure about that, but I feel good in this.”
“Shall we go?”
It was a cold evening, and she’d found a classic wrap instead of a coat when she’d been shopping. Andy wrapped it around her, and she reached for her clutch, but he took her hand before she picked it up. He kissed the back of her hand and then her forehead again. He grabbed the clutch, and they exited to a waiting limousine.
They dined, enjoyed good jazz music, drank champagne, and danced. And with each slow, mellow, jazzy selection played, Andy’s fingers traced circles on her back as he held her, nuzzling her neck.
As the waiter made his way around serving champagne for the arrival of midnight and a new year, Andy slid his chair closer to Geni and slipped his arm around her. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve got going on under that dress.” He chuckled when he felt her quickly turn to look at him - saw the blush on her cheeks even in the dimly lit room. He ran his fingers up her neck, leaving a light touch and a gentle massage.
As the host of the evening raised his glass and began the countdown, Andy pulled her closer. “7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3…” he nuzzled her cheek and whispered in her ear. “To us, Happy New Year, Geni.”
She closed her eyes, melted into his arms.
~ ~ ~
Carlee woke in the middle of the night, curled into the hollow of Matthew’s body, his arms wrapped around her, one hand rested on the flat of her belly as he held he
r. When she moved, he pulled her tighter in his arms and rubbed his hand from her belly to her breasts.
“Are you awake?” she whispered.
“Mmm hmm…” he replied. “Can’t stop thinking about earlier,” he whispered in her ear.
“I want more,” Carlee said turning in his arms to face him.
He leaned up on his elbow to look at her. “Now?” he asked, hopeful.
“Yes,” she whispered against his chest leaving him breathless. “I want more of that Charlotte Russe cake – now,” she laughed, and it was a throaty, seductive sound.
“Before or after?” he asked.
“Oh, dessert always comes after…”
~ ~ ~
When Geni woke the next morning, Andy was sitting with his back against the headboard, shirtless, legs stretched out with a cup of coffee watching her.
“Someone can’t handle champagne,” he laughed and pointed to the cup of coffee waiting for her on the table on her side of the bed.
“Can too,” she grumbled, followed by a laugh and then rubbed her temples. “Whewww… What a fun night. I haven’t had that much fun in a really long time…”
“Yes,” he said with a smile, watching her, “it was fun. I can only hope it was as enjoyable for you as it was for me.”
She blushed, sitting up to join him for coffee.
“Probably ought to take a look at this before your phone starts ringing,” he said showing her the screen on his tablet. It was a photo of the two of them leaving Ronnie Scott’s. Andy Stevens’s Mystery Woman, the caption with the picture read.
“Wow, does it ever stop for you?”
“Only when there isn’t anything interesting to take photos of,” he chuckled. “I’m sure there will be more, now. Can you handle it?”
“I reckon,” she said in that southern twang that he loved. “I’ve been in every paper in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. I reckon I can handle People magazine.
Feel Like Makin' Love (Rock and Roll Trilogy #3) Page 16
