“I’m a bad influence on you,” he said against the skin of her neck.
“Why’s that?”
“When I first met you yesterday, you were cussing like kindergartener. Now, all I hear is fuck and cock,” he said with a laugh.
“True. You are a bad influence on me,” she said with a thoughtful tone. “Do you think we can get another round of bad influence in before I pass out?” He pulled his head up from the spot on her neck that he showered with kisses.
“Seriously?” he asked, looking into her blue eyes.
“Seriously,” she replied, moving her hips against him. He groaned and felt himself start to stiffen again.
“I haven’t even pulled out yet and you’re ready to go again?” He ran his fingers along her cheek. His thumb brushed gently over her bottom lip.
“Please,” she said with a giggle. He lowered his lips to her and nuzzled her bottom lip between his teeth.
“You’re going to be the death of me, Tessa,” he whispered against her mouth. “But I can’t think of a better way to go than buried inside you.” He pulled out of her, tossed her over his shoulder and walked her to the bathroom, where he fucked her in the shower until she was incapable of standing. Then he carried her back to his bed and slept like a log wrapped around her beautiful body.
Chapter Eight
“Start to wiggle your toes,” Tessa said softly, sitting on her purple yoga mat at the front of the studio classroom at Advantage. Everyone was in relaxation pose, lying on their backs. “Wiggle your fingertips.” She was slowly bringing them back to the present. She was wrapping up her Friday lunchtime class and then had to hustle to her studio for her Friday afternoon class there.
She could hardly believe it had been almost exactly one week since she met Greg in the parking lot of this office building. It had been a glorious week. He’d made a great effort, especially considering his work schedule, to see her every day even if for just for a short while. She had only spent two nights without him. He had to work a couple of nights really late, so he reluctantly agreed to sleep apart. But he had stressed to her that he had not liked it. And the moment he was within ten feet of her, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her. He had to be touching her in some fashion.
“Roll over to one side,” she said, continuing on with her class. “Please push up to a comfortable seat.” The twelve students did as they were told. “Breathe in and raise your hands over your head. Exhale your hands in prayer position.” She did as she instructed the class to do. “The spirit in me honors the spirit in you. Namaste.” She bowed forward and so did the students. After a few seconds of silence, the students started to rise and roll up their yoga mats.
“Thanks, Tessa,” several of the female students said before walking out the door.
“Yeah, Tessa, thanks,” said a guy that had been attending her class for the last several weeks. She thought his name was Brad or Brandon or something like that. He was one of three guys that attempted to join the class. She loved having guys in her class because guys were so in need of improving their flexibility. It was nice to see a few guys admit that.
“You’re welcome,” she said, smiling at him. She squatted and started to roll up her yoga mat. She had noticed that a gorgeous red head was moving slow in gathering her things, sort of lingering. She was new to the class. Tessa had been teaching at Advantage for months now and had never seen her in a class before.
“Tessa,” the auburn haired beauty said, walking towards the front of the class where Tessa stood.
“Yes,” Tessa said.
“I’m Elizabeth Wright,” she said, holding out her hand. “John Dorsey’s girlfriend.” The name sounded familiar, but Tessa couldn’t figure out where she had heard either of their names or why she should know them.
“Nice to meet you, Elizabeth,” Tessa said, grasping her hand and shaking it gently. Elizabeth had a firm handshake. It was almost intimidating.
“You don’t know who I am, do you?” Elizabeth asked softly. Tessa watched as her green eyes sparkled and a smile inched across her lips.
“Sorry,” Tessa said. “Am I supposed to?” Tessa slid her yoga mat over her shoulder and picked up her purse from the floor by the mirrors.
“You and Greg are coming over tomorrow night for dinner at our place on the beach,” Elizabeth said. The smile still on her lips. “Well, it’s technically John’s place. I’m partially moved in.”
“Oh God,” Tessa said. Now she knew where she had heard the names before. Greg had told her that his friends wanted to have them over for dinner. He had explained that the two of them had been eager for him to get a woman so they could double date and travel together and they were so excited he was dating her. Tessa had been a little worried about the dinner. There was a huge age difference between her and Greg and even though neither of them were bothered by the age gap, she couldn’t be sure that his friends would accept her.
“Well, at least now, I know that Greg mentioned the dinner. I was afraid perhaps he didn’t tell you in hopes that he might be able to wiggle his way out of it,” Elizabeth said with a giggle. She was definitely older than Tessa, but not by much. Elizabeth had no wrinkles, no crow’s feet, no laugh lines. And she was gorgeous. Tessa actually felt childlike next to Elizabeth’s voluptuous body.
“He did mention it,” Tessa said softly.
“Good,” Elizabeth continued. “I didn’t want to have to kick his ass for trying to keep you to himself. I mean, seriously, John tells me Greg’s been MIA since meeting you, which I think is wonderful. Greg is a doll and he deserves a good woman. I thought we’d never find him one and as it turns out, he was capable of finding one on his own.” She smiled broadly and winked at her.
Tessa couldn’t help but smile herself. Even though Elizabeth looked like a model on the cover of a lingerie magazine, there was something about her that made Tessa like her immediately. Maybe it was the fact that she obviously cared for Greg and seemed to look after him and that made Tessa happy to know that he had good friends. Maybe it was the fact that Elizabeth seemed so excited about meeting her. Maybe it was the prospect of actually having a girlfriend. God knows, it wasn’t easy making friends growing up when she had to care for her drunken mother regularly.
“John and I are really looking forward to having you guys over tomorrow,” Elizabeth said, resting her hand on Tessa’s shoulder. “It will be a good time.”
“Thank you,” Tessa replied, starting to walk towards the classroom door. “It was sweet of you guys to invite us.”
“Ha! As if we’d pass up the opportunity to meet the girl that got under Greg’s skin,” she said, holding the door of the classroom open for Tessa. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that he’s found someone that puts such a huge smile on his face. He deserves it.”
“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you early, Elizabeth,” Tessa said, standing at the doorway of the gym. “I will be so much more comfortable now heading your way tomorrow. Thank you for introducing yourself. I appreciate it.”
“Absolutely. Thanks for such a great class. I’ll be down here twice a week for sure now. I didn’t know what I was missing,” Elizabeth said. “See you tomorrow.” She threw an arm around Tessa and gave her a quick squeeze before disappearing in the women’s locker room.
Tessa wandered out of the building and to her VW Bug in the parking lot. She hadn’t had a single issue with her car since Greg had it fixed. In fact, it seemed to be even better on gas mileage and all the squeaks and squeals were non-existent now. She probably owed Greg more than the car was worth given the fact it was a 1998 model, but she did love it, even more so now. That darn car was the reason she met him.
She loaded her things in her car and headed out towards Treasure Island and her studio. About halfway there, her phone started buzzing. She picked it up and saw Greg’s name on the screen.
“Hey,” she said, answering the phone.
“Hey yourself,” he replied. “I just got a phone call from Elizabeth. She
said she ambushed you in yoga today and I wanted to make sure you were alright.” The concern in his voice warmed her. He really did care about her. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt like anyone really cared about her. Her mother only cared whether she had a few bucks for the next bottle of gin.
“I’m fine,” Tessa said with a laugh. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it an ambush.” She cruised down First Avenue North. For whatever reason, traffic was relatively light.
“Elizabeth is really sweet,” Greg said. “But she can also be a little overwhelming.”
“She caught me off guard, but she was great. I’m actually glad I got to meet her. It takes a little of the edge off of tomorrow night.”
“I’m sorry about that,” he said softly. “I wouldn’t bombard you with my friends this soon if it weren’t for the fact that neither of them will take no for an answer.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Tessa replied. “I’m glad you have such good friends.”
“They will love you, Tessa,” he said. The tone of his voice showed that he knew what her concern was. How did he know her so well already? “How could they not love you? I do.” She felt her eyes grow large as she came to a stop at the red light before the bridge. The same spot that Greg first kissed her. The same spot where he just said that he loved her. What the flip is with this red light? Did he just say that? Did he just say he loved her? She sat there speechless.
“Tessa? Tessa, you still there?” she heard Greg say.
“Uh, yes. Yeah,” she replied.
“Where’d you go? I thought the call dropped, except I could hear your radio. I asked you about dinner tonight and got no response. You okay?” He sounded completely oblivious to the bomb he dropped a couple minutes ago.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m great,” she said. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t wipe the ridiculous grin off her face. “Dinner would be wonderful.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said. “Gotta run. Have a conference call with a big client in five minutes, but I had to make sure Elizabeth didn’t have you running for the hills.”
“We’re in Florida, Greg. There are no hills.” She heard him laugh a big laugh.
“Very true. Nonetheless, I’m glad you’re still here,” he said. She could hear the smile in his voice. “I can’t wait to see you later.”
“Me too,” she said as she pulled into the parking lot of her yoga studio.
Chapter Nine
“They live here?” Tessa asked as Greg pulled his BMW into the driveway into John Dorsey’s beach house on Pass-a-Grille beach. It was a three-story Spanish style house with multiple floor to ceiling windows and a tiled roof.
“John’s been here for a couple years,” Greg said, putting the car in park. “He built it himself. Elizabeth has only lived here for a couple weeks… technically, that is. In fact, I’m not sure all her stuff is even here yet.” He looked over at her in the passenger seat and winked.
Tessa looked adorable. She wore a little black dress and her hair was pulled back in a knot at the nape of her neck with wisps. With her hair off her neck, Greg had a difficult time not staring at the elegant length of it. On more than one occasion since picking her up, he had to convince himself not to lean over and run his tongue along her skin from her collarbone to that delicate spot just under her ear. Quite honestly, he could not get enough of her.
They had dinner last night at a sophisticated restaurant up the coast on Madeira Beach. He stayed the night at her place because she had class in the morning and refused to drive his BMW. But that was fine. He didn’t really care where they stayed so long as he could spend the night making love to her and waking up next to her in the morning to make love to her again. Those few days they had stayed at their own places had been excruciating. Greg knew they hadn’t known each other long, but he wanted to spend every moment he could with this woman.
“Your expression is even more hysterical than when you first saw where I lived,” Greg said, leaning over the console and kissing her cheek. “Let’s go. Elizabeth is sure to be awaiting our arrival.”
“I can’t believe how far out of my element I am here,” she said quietly. Her gaze raised to his and he saw worry in her eyes.
“What is it, Tessa?” he asked. He held her chin between his forefinger and thumb.
“We’re from different worlds,” she said softly. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes.
“What makes you say that?” He scanned her face. The beat of his heart increased as he wasn’t sure where this conversation was headed. A tear escaped her eye and ran down the side of her face. He leaned forward and kissed it away.
“Look at this place. I have no fantasy that this is the kind of place I’d ever live. I’m a yoga instructor, for flipping sake. Look at where you live! Not to mention the fact that I’m twenty-seven and well…you’re not. We’re just on different planets.”
“Tessa, I will move to whatever planet you want to live on. I don’t care where we are.” He felt himself start to panic. After his divorce from Nicole, he buried himself in his work. He didn’t know if he’d ever really put himself back out there… until he met Tessa. She put a chink in his armored heart and now he feared she was about to end it all.
“You’re too good for me,” she said, looking him in the eyes. “I’m an only child, who has no idea who her father is. I’ve never met him. And my mother is an alcoholic of epic proportions. I’ve taken care of her for years despite the fact that she has stolen from me, beat me down both physically and emotionally. I’m finally on my own and making a go of my life. I can’t afford to fall head over heels in love with you only to have my heart shattered. I can’t do it, Greg. This whole relationship is going to blow up in our faces.” He had known there was something in her that was broken. And now that he knew what put those insecurities in her head, he promised himself he would not stop until she felt completely secure in his love for her.
“You know what, Tessa,” he said. “You’re right. This may blow up in our faces. It may. But then again, I think I’m more likely to change your name.” Her eyes grew round as saucers. She looked like a doe in headlights.
“What are you saying?” she asked. He could hear the quiver in her voice. He took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, pressing little kisses over them.
“I’m saying I’m going to marry you,” he said, watching her reaction carefully. “I’m saying I want to give you my name. I want to take care of you. I want to laugh with you, cry with you. I want to love you. I most definitely want to make love to you over and over again. I know that we have only known each other for a very short time, but the minute I saw you, my heart opened up again. So, please don’t break up with me. Please give this… give us a chance.”
“Oh. God,” she said, tears streaming down her face. He gripped the back of her head and pulled her closer to him. Leaning his forehead against hers, he looked deep into her eyes.
“Please give me a chance,” he pleaded.
“Yes. Yes. Yes!” she said through her tears and pressed her lips against his. Her hands came up and cupped his face as she deepened the kiss. The feel and taste of her tongue surging into his mouth made him moan in hunger and he wished they were anywhere but sitting in the driveway of his good friends’ house because he wanted more than anything to make love to her right now.
“Hey! Are you going to come in for dinner or are you going to spend the evening making out in my driveway?” he heard Dorsey say as he banged on the driver’s side window.
“Oh flip,” Tessa said, ducking her head in embarrassment.
“I told you we should have gone in right away,” he said, placing a kiss on her nose. “These two can’t keep their nose out of my business.” He heard her giggle. Greg rolled down his window just a crack. “Get your ass back into your house. We’ll be in in a minute. You need to work on your patience.”
“Ha-ha! Elizabeth wanted me to come out here the second you pulled in the driveway. Co
nsider yourself lucky you got the minutes you did,” John said over his shoulder as he turned and walked back towards his front door.
Greg looked over at Tessa, who was fixing herself in the mirror on the shade. He watched as she powdered away her tearstains and spread lip-gloss over her beautiful lips.
“You know I’m just going to kiss that off you, right?” he asked. She looked over at him and smiled. Her blue eyes sparkled and her smile was genuine, reaching her eyes. Damn! He was one lucky son of a bitch.
“Well, I certainly hope so,” she whispered in her sexy voice. She popped open her door and hopped out of the BMW. “Let’s go start the colliding of our worlds,” she said, leaning back into the passenger side as he sat there almost dumbfounded. She slammed the door shut and started walking the short distance to the front door, shimmying her backside the entire way. He groaned. He was going to have to take her over his knee soon because she obviously enjoyed torturing him way too much.
He watched as Tessa was greeted immediately by Elizabeth and John. Elizabeth enveloped her in a warm embrace before Greg could even get out of his car. He received the same welcome from Elizabeth.
“I really like her, Greg,” Elizabeth whispered in his ear. “You’re both very lucky to have found each other. John and I approve.” He followed the three of them into the house to the smell of some delicious Italian dinner. He smiled broadly as he sipped on his glass of Chianti and watched Tessa carry on with his friends. He really was a lucky man.
The End
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