He topped it off before leaning onto the bar and holding it out to me. He was daring me to take it all and I wasn’t about to disappoint.
“You have no idea.” I taunted seductively and tipped it toward him before bringing it to my lips and throwing back my head.
It wasn’t my first time so I wasn’t worried about doing anything embarrassing like choking and spitting fire.
I set down the glass and smiled. “Thank you,” I said and walked away.
I made sure to add the extra bit of oomph to the sway of my hips, happy that the dress I’d chosen to wear molded to my curves. It felt fun to flirt with a random stranger. It was strongly addicting, making me realize just how much I missed the attention from the opposite sex.
As I walked toward the exit, the inside of my head started to feel fuzzy. I didn’t normally drink so much, but I knew I wasn’t driving and I decided what the hell?
I got caught up in a group of people on my way but broke free as they stopped, clogging the entrance with their good-byes. Daddy was waiting for me by valet.
“Are they getting your car?” I asked when I didn’t see his Mercedes out front.
“No. It’s right around the corner. I figured I could walk.”
“Do you want me to walk with you?” I asked as we walked toward the corner of the street.
The outside patio was packed for happy hour and there was a cluster of different conversations going on, and I had no idea which one went to which group. The awning was decorated in twinkle lights and the reflections caught on the drinking glasses, dancing like a million sparkles.
“No, I’ll be fine, sweetheart. Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you home?”
“Yes, Daddy, I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, then. I guess I’ll see you when I return.”
“Tell Uncle Robert I love him, okay?” I told him, focusing back on the present.
“I will.”
l threw my arms around my dad and kissed him on the cheek. I watched him walk away before I turned to hail a cab.
I moved faster than I meant to and my surroundings spun as I found myself in the arms of a stranger who was walking by. I grabbed onto his arms and steadied myself before I fell on my ass.
“Sorry,” I breathed out, feeling the effects of the shot. Maybe a double with all the wine I’d had at dinner was a bad idea. “I never drink this much. I guess it’s a good thing I’m taking a cab home.” I confessed and wondered why I was telling this stranger.
I smiled up at the silent stranger. He was silent, but it was more comforting than off-putting. I blew a piece of hair out of my face and noted the way his eyes watched my lips.
Maybe it was the sadness etched in his features or the pain that he seemed to be hiding in his mysterious brown eyes that made it acceptable. Maybe because it’s who I was, the need to comfort him pulled strongly at my emotions.
“I don’t normally drink this much.” I felt the strange sense of déjà vu and realized I had already said that. “I said that already, didn’t I? I don’t normally talk this much either.” I laughed at myself.
The heat from under my hands reminded me that I was still holding on to him, and that was probably the reason he was still here enduring my momentary lapse of insanity.
“Sorry,” I said, letting him free.
Despite the one-sided conversation, I didn’t know why I was still standing here. Maybe it was the intense way he was looking at me. It locked me in place and made me want to bathe in his fierceness. It was exactly what I’d been craving all this time and it felt wrong to give it up so easily.
With the blink of an eye, it was gone and he became a mask of nothingness. His features, designed to keep people out, hardened. It wasn’t enough to scare me, but I got the warning.
“Good night,” I whispered and sidestepped him to hail a cab.
I watched him from inside the cab until he was out of sight. I wished it was that easy to get him out of my head.
I distracted myself with a newly formed plan to add a little fun in my life. Maybe I’d make a few spa appointments, maybe take a few days off from work and go on my own little vacation.
I called my assistant on the way back to my apartment and had her cancel all of my appointments for the following week. Daddy and Ethan were both going to be far away, and I was thinking it was time that I did something spontaneous and exciting for myself.
When I got home, I texted my father to let him know I’d gotten home safe and sound and got ready for bed.
I thought sleep was going to come easily after that double of tequila, but when I lay down, all I could think about was the stranger outside the restaurant.
His dark-brown eyes haunted me. The way he’d towered over me and the strength in his arms as he held me up was nothing like Ethan and his smaller frame.
I closed my eyes and imagined the stranger’s brown eyes were looking down on me. I imagined his work-roughened fingers making their way down my body and lifting the bottom of my nightgown.
Squeezing my thighs together, the slide of my own moisture turned me on even more. How was it possible that Ethan couldn’t do this to me when he touched me, yet the stranger that I was sure to never see again could, in my imagination?
Reaching down, I lifted the elastic band of my panties and slipped my hand down, cupping myself. Curling my finger into my moisture and finding the sensitive nub that was throbbing, I envisioned it was the stranger’s finger and not my own.
My toes curled into my mattress as he gave me an intense orgasm like I hadn’t felt in months. The darkness of my room was filled with my own panting cries of release, and my sheets stuck to my moist skin.
Within minutes, I fell asleep, exhausted and satisfied, with the memory of his shadowy eyes looking down at me.
14
Emily
I was practically floating on air the next morning. I was excited for all the possibilities the week ahead held. It’d been so long since I had a vacation of any kind. I was always looking after others, not that I didn’t love what I did, but it was time to look after me.
I made an appointment at the spa and spent most of the day there. I thought about inviting Nicole—she was the closest thing I had to a best friend—but I wanted my day to be about me and only me. Nicole was a sweet girl, but she tended to make everything about her in some way or another.
Who knew a massage could feel like the next best thing to an orgasm and chocolate? I didn’t want to leave the table when my time was up, but I somehow found the strength.
I got my toes and fingernails done and even had time to get my hair cut and colored. By the time I left the spa, I was a brand new person. When I got home, I called Nicole to see if she wanted to hang out.
“Well, look who’s still alive and kicking,” Nicole said sarcastically.
“Sorry, girl. Things have been crazy since I picked up more hours at the practice.”
“Look at you being a big fancy doctor.”
I laughed. “It’s not as exciting as it sounds, believe me. How are you?”
“You know… I’m still me.” Which meant she was single and on the prowl, but that was nothing new.
“You want to go out tonight?” There was silence on the other end, and I checked the screen of my cell to see if I’d dropped the call. “Hello? Nicole?”
“I’m here. Sorry, I was waiting for the rest of the joke.”
“Ha, ha, ha. I’m being serious.”
“Holy shit, yes!” She practically moaned into the phone. “Where?”
I turned to look at the dress hanging from my closet door. “The Roaring Fork?” I thought about going somewhere new, but it was my favorite restaurant. I had the entire week to try new things.
“You don’t have to ask me twice. I’m there. What time?”
We finished out the details for meeting up later and hung up. Lying back on the bed, I fell asleep. Hours later, I woke up with plenty of time to get ready.
I was looking forward t
o what the night held, and who knew? Maybe I’d see the bartender again. My thoughts were full of excitement as I put on my red lipstick. I did a simple French braid with my hair that cascaded over my shoulder so it didn’t take away the sex appeal of the dress.
Walking over to the dress, I snipped the price tags and slipped it off the silk hanger. Laying it on the bed, I debated on whether or not I wanted to add the thigh-highs and decided against it, leaving them on the bed.
I pulled the dress up and it fit like a second skin. It been a long time since I had anything that required no bra, but I liked the way the material felt against my nipples so I didn’t mind it.
Slipping on my heels, I sprayed on perfume in all the right places. My phone rang and I knew it was my cab, saying they were there. When I got to the restaurant, the valet opened my door for me. It wasn’t the first time he’d done that for me, but it was the first time I’d ever gotten that look from him.
“Dr. Gelding,” he said around the lump in his throat.
“Thank you,” I said with a wink and enjoyed the red that heated his cheeks.
Thanks to the valet, I entered the restaurant with more confidence than I knew what to do with. The hostess spotted me and she tried to cover her shock with a delayed smile.
“Dr. Gelding… how are you this evening?”
“I’m good, Linda.”
“I’m sorry, but your father isn’t here yet…” she said, picking up two menus from her podium.
“Actually, I’m meeting a friend tonight.”
More shock. “Oh, would you like your regular table still?” She said it as if I’d be cheating on my regular table if I said no.
“Do you think I could sit at the bar tonight?”
“Of course. Right this way.” She set down the menus, and I followed her to the bar.
I couldn’t stop myself from searching for the bartender’s familiar face. I was disappointed when I saw someone different working tonight.
“Do you know if the bartender from last night will be here later?” I whispered to Linda.
She smiled a knowing smile. “Ben? I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t worry. Peter is just as nice.” She winked and leaned onto the counter and whistled for the bartender’s attention.
He turned to look at Linda and his eyes shifted and caught mine. He smiled and tapped the bar top in front of him, ending the conversation with the man he was speaking with. He made his way over toward us.
“Peter this is—”
“Emily.” I interjected before she could introduce me as Dr. Gelding.
Not that anything looked like it could intimidate the gorgeous man in front of me, but I decided it was better if he just knew me as Emily.
“Emily. Take extra good care of her.”
“My pleasure,” he purred, and Linda smiled again, walking toward the front.
“What’ll you have, Emily?”
“Surprise me,” I told him, enjoying his sexy grin.
“My kind of woman. I’ll be right back.”
I looked around the room and realized that I never actually paid attention to my surroundings when I came for dinners with my father. I had no idea if any of these people were regulars, too. I checked toward the front, scanning the crowd for Nicole, but I didn’t see her.
“Here you go.” He set a drink in front of me.
“What’s it called?”
“A screaming orgasm,” Nicole said before he could.
I turned around to see her slipping into the empty seat next to me.
“The lady knows her drinks,” he said.
“She does indeed.” Nicole flirted.
“Can I get you the same?”
“Yes, you can,” she nearly growled.
When he walked away, I turned toward her. “You’re here!” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in for a hug.
“A girls’ night out? No one could’ve kept me away. Unless handcuffs were involved, then you would’ve been on your own. However, it looks like you’re in good company.” Her eyes got wide as she tilted her head in the direction of the bartender.
I laughed. “I haven’t made any commitments. The night’s still young.” I tipped my drink at her and took a sip.
She shook her head. “What’s gotten into you?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You seem different. Cute dress.”
That was her way of saying it was something she never thought she’d see me in, and she was right.
“I feel different, and thank you. It was spontaneous.”
“I like the new you, Em.”
“Here you go.” Peter was back and placing Nicole’s drink in front of her.
“Thank you, sugar,” she drawled sweetly. “Don’t go too far now.”
Nicole wasn’t a native to Arizona, but she’d been living here for five years and her Carolina accent hadn’t faded in the least. It was all part of her southern charm and it seemed to drive the men around her wild.
She was far from ordinary and she stuck out in all the right ways. I envied her easy attitude and the way she managed to catch the attention of everyone around her. She was far from boring.
“I didn’t know you ended it with what’s-his-face.” She drummed her purple-painted nails on the bar.
“Ethan? I haven’t.”
Her eyes bugged. “Holy shit, you are different.”
“We’re not exactly a couple.” I was quick to defend my actions, but it was true.
Ethan and I had never made things official. It was casual and the fact that I wasn’t seeing anyone else had nothing to do with him.
“So what’s this all about?”
I took a deep breath and another drink. “I’m tired of being boring, Nicole.”
“You get to be in the heads of some damaged people. Your life’s not boring.”
“I’m not talking about my life. I’m talking about me. I’m boring. I don’t want to be boring anymore. Just from the cab ride to seeing you, I’ve managed to shock everyone who knows me. That’s never a good sign.”
“It looks like you’re on the right path. You seriously look hot. I’d do you.” She shrugged and took a drink.
“You’re not just saying that, are you?”
“Nope. I’d do you right here in front of everyone.”
I laughed. “Thanks.”
“I think this is good for you. You need some fun in your life, and I’m just the woman to help you with that.”
“What do you mean?” I looked at her suspiciously. Knowing her, her idea of fun was stealing a car and ending up in a Mexican jail.
“Truth or dare.”
“What?”
“You heard me! Truth or dare?” She nudged me with her shoulder.
“Don’t you think we’re a little old for that?”
“You’re never too old for truth or dare. Besides, we’re playing the adult version. So what’ll it be?”
I thought about it for only a second before blurting my answer. “Dare.”
“A woman after my own heart. Okay, I dare you to…” She pressed a finger to her pursed lips and then smiled. “I dare you to kiss a stranger.”
“What? I thought you’d start me off small and simple!”
“I told you we were playing the adult version. There is no such thing as small or simple. Come on, don’t chicken out on me now.”
“Fine!” My heart felt like it was going to explode from my chest. “Who’s it going to be?”
“Let’s see what we’re working with.” We both turned in our chairs and then I remembered there was one prospect I wouldn’t mind kissing.
“What about Peter?”
“Who’s Peter?”
“Keep your voice down.” I shushed her. “The bartender.”
“Too easy. You need a challenge.” She continued to look around, and I tried to finish my drink. I was going to need the courage. “Hmm… what about that guy?” She pointed toward the crowd of people.
“Who?” I
arched my neck.
“Right there. Mr. Tall-dark-and-brooding.”
I spotted him before she finished describing him. “I know him,” I whispered.
“You know him?”
“Why do you say it like that?” I took offense at her tone.
“He doesn’t exactly look like someone who’d run in your circle.”
“Well, I don’t know him, know him,” I said with a wave of my hand. “I ran into him, literally, last night outside this restaurant.”
He looked different. Gone was the old hoodie and jeans, and in its place was a plain white button-down and newer jeans. He hadn’t shaved completely, but he’d trimmed to a light stubble. He wasn’t looking in our direction, and that gave us the opportunity we needed to openly stare at him.
“Maybe he’s following you.”
I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t exciting enough to have a stalker. “Or maybe this is a really popular restaurant. I mean, I come here all the time.” I wanted to ask what that said about me, but I was afraid of her answer.
“Well, he seems harmless enough.”
“Seems?”
“It’s not like you’re going to go home with him… right?”
“Of course not.”
I wasn’t at all hesitant about kissing the mysterious stranger. I’d be lying if I said he hadn’t popped into my head once or twice after I ran into him. Memories of my late-night fantasy popped in my head.
I finished my drink and set my clutch on the bar.
“Here goes nothing.” Standing, I smoothed down my dress.
“Go get ‘em.”
She made a catcall as I walked away and I swiped my hand at her from behind my back. She snickered, but I ignored her as I was swallowed in the crowd.
As I emerged on the other end, I suddenly had the urge to turn around and run, but then he turned and his eyes locked in on mine and I knew there was no turning back now.
“Hi,” I said, stopping in front of him. I rushed on in case this was going to be anything like last night’s conversation. “Do you remember me? From last night?” He frowned and I realized how this was sounding to him, and I blushed. Like a damn schoolgirl, I blushed. “I ran into you… here,” I said quickly. “Well, actually outside. I was the babbling tipsy girl? Not much different than tonight.”
The Wrath of Sin Page 5
