A Taste of Paradise

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Calling him back, she gritted her teeth when the call went right to voice mail. Texting him, she told him not to come over, but there was only silence in response.

  “You’re a horrible jerk!” she yelled at the phone, as if Logan could hear her.

  Pacing back and forth, she tried to come up with a plan of action. He was on his way over here and her first thought was to put lipstick on and run a brush through her hair. But when she headed to her bedroom to do that, she stopped and closed her eyes. She wasn’t going to doll herself up for him! He was coming here uninvited! She didn’t want him here. Her stomach was not filled with butterflies in anticipation of seeing him again. She was just painfully hungry because she’d skipped lunch again today!

  Gaia thought about grabbing her purse and just leaving. She didn’t need this kind of frustration. But then he would win! He would be running her out of her own house! She had plans for tonight. Yes, they were kind of pathetic plans with a very high priority on sleep, but they were her plans! And more specifically, they didn’t include a tall, handsome, overly arrogant man who…made her feel crazy!

  Perhaps if she’d been less tired, or maybe if she hadn’t seen him the night before and knew what he was capable of, she might have pulled herself together faster and come up with a plan. Just leaving her apartment might have shown him that she was serious and he couldn’t tinker with her evenings.

  But she was tired, and, the thought of him coming over made her nervous, flustered. So she wasn’t thinking fast enough. Logan was too quick-witted, too intense. He’d have her all confused and seduced before she knew what was going on!

  All too soon, there was a knock on her door, quickly followed by the doorbell. She stood there, staring at the door. Glaring might be a better verb for what she was doing. Or maybe not. Maybe it could only be defined as a frantic watching of her door.

  She had no clue at this point.

  “Open the door, Gaia. I have dinner.”

  Dinner?! At that moment, her stomach growled and her angry glare turned to desperate hunger. Placing a hand over her stomach, she knew that her will was weakening.

  He must have heard her mental ruminations because he continued, “Come on, Gaia. You know you’re starving. Open up and we’ll just talk.”

  Those last three words...she didn’t believe him. But goodness, she wanted to believe him. Was he capable of just talking? She doubted it.

  “If you don’t open the door, I’m going to get the building manager to let me in,” he threatened.

  Okay, that worked! She could even hear the amusement in his voice, but she still knew that he wasn’t bluffing. The man didn’t bluff! He would follow through on every threat!

  With a sigh of resignation, she opened the door. Pulling it open, she stared at him, drinking in the sight of him. He was so darn tall! And every inch of him was just pure, unadulterated alpha male! Even his ridiculously long eyelashes behind those too-hot glasses seemed to be dominant male!

  Leaning forward, he placed a chaste kiss on her lips, over before she could even react. “Are you going to invite me in?” he teased.

  She leaned her head against the side of the door, frowning up at him. “I didn’t invite you over here. Why on earth would you wait for an invitation to come inside now?”

  He laughed, nodding his dark head. “Good point,” and he pressed the door wider until he was inside the door, closing it when he was on the other side.

  His smile dropped from his face as he took her in. “You look tired, love. You didn’t sleep well last night, did you?”

  She was already shaking her head before she realized what she was admitting. “I just had a hard day at work.”

  “Quit your job and come work full time for Steele Industries.”

  Gaia laughed as she stepped out of his way. “I would imagine that working for you and your company would be significantly more stressful.”

  He smiled slightly. “You might be right, but I could make it much more rewarding for you.”

  Gaia couldn’t believe his teasing. Still laughing, she led the way into the kitchen. “I don’t even want to know what incentives you’d offer.” She reached up and took two plates out of the cabinet.

  “I brought Chinese for dinner. I didn’t know what you liked, so I just got a bunch of different dishes.” He lifted two heavy bags up and set them on the counter, starting to empty the plastic containers from the bags.

  “I love Chinese. There isn’t much I don’t like,” she said, leaning over to peer into the bag. “You got sweet and sour shrimp though, right?” she asked, her mouth watering over the thought of the incredibly unhealthy food. But she was just hungry enough that the thickly battered, deep fried meat covered in a sugary sweet and sour sauce sounded perfect.

  “Sweet and sour shrimp, General Tso’s chicken, kung pao chicken and several other items. I think there’s something with seafood in here too.” He continued to unload the bags and she realized that he really hadn’t been kidding. He’d gotten enough to feed an army!

  “While I get this out, you go bring me the dresses you are so sure would be appropriate for Friday night. I’ll be the judge and let you know if they are okay or if you should wear what I sent to you this afternoon.”

  Gaia laughed. “There’s no way I’m going to wear that dress. I don’t care if you approve or disapprove of my current cocktail dress wardrobe.”

  He broke a pair of wooden chopsticks apart and lifted a bite of spicy chicken, holding it out for her.

  “Oh!” she sighed and, before she realized what she was about to do or the dangers of her actions, she leaned forward, unconsciously placing her hands flat on his chest as she opened her mouth to take the bite.

  Closing her eyes, she savored the taste, enjoying the spicy sauce and the tender chicken. “This is so good,” she moaned. Most Chinese food restaurants, especially the takeout places, overcooked their chicken. Most likely afraid of salmonella poisoning, but the result was tough, chewy chicken. This was not tough. It was tender and flavorful and so very good!

  “Oh, that was perfect,” she sighed, her fingers curling slightly in happiness.

  Logan watched the woman, wondering if she realized she’d touched him without his prompting. Her fingers were still on his chest and he would be a happy man if they never left. Hell, he’d like to rip off his shirt so that her soft, delicate hands would be against his skin. He wanted all of her naked. No barriers as she touched him, writhed against him as he explored every part of her body.

  “More?” he offered, his voice husky. Deep. His body came to life as he watched her. Damn, he wanted this woman! Never had he had to work this hard to get a woman into his bed, but he didn’t mind. He was enjoying the chase, although he knew that he was going to love the success even more.

  She opened her eyes and looked up at him, obviously startled by what she’d just done. Thankfully, she didn’t move away.

  “Why are you here?” she asked, her voice just as affected by their proximity.

  One side of his mouth quirked up. “Because you haunt me, Gaia,” he admitted, open and honest. His truth was just as raw as the rest of him. “Go show me those dresses.”

  She pulled back, not sure what she should do.

  He could read the indecision in her pretty eyes. “Don’t question it, honey. Just go show me the dresses,” he murmured and picked up another chunk of delicious chicken, holding it out for her. She took it and moaned again with ecstasy before turning away. She was almost to her bedroom door when she started to question why she was blindly following his orders. But in the end, she still went to her closet, pushed back her work clothes and reached in to get the three black cocktail dresses she’d purchased over the years. The shoulders of each dress were a bit dusty because she didn’t use them often. Most of the social events she attended were more casual. But they were decent dresses and she knew that they would be appropriate for just about any cocktail evening event.

  Carrying all three out to him, she li
fted them higher, standing in front of him, daring him to tell her that they weren’t the right style or fabric. They were good quality and dressy enough for anything that came her way.

  Logan looked at the dresses as he leaned against the counter, using the chopsticks with expert skill. He walked over to her and lifted another chuck of chicken to her mouth, which she automatically accepted.

  “Go try them on,” he told her. “I can’t determine what they will look like on you when they are just hanging from the hangar.”

  She looked up at him, then at each of the dresses. “They’re just black cocktail dresses, Logan. There’s nothing special about them.”

  He shrugged slightly. “You are special. So yes, they look like just average dresses, but I’m guessing they will look much better on you than they do on the hanger. If they don’t, then you’re wearing my dress.”

  She laughed at his logic and couldn’t help but feel flattered. “Don’t use your charm on me. It won’t work,” she said.

  In reply, he offered her another bite of chicken, then nudged her back towards the bedroom. “Show me. And if you need help with the zipper, I’m very good with my hands.”

  She laughed at his quip and was halfway to her bedroom, again, before she realized that she was blindly following his orders. Again!

  Gaia just accepted that she was more exhausted than she’d thought.

  Walking into her bedroom, she closed the door, but not before she glanced back down the hallway. Sure enough, he was still watching her, his eyes almost glowing with heat.

  Shaking her head, she closed the door and tossed the three dresses onto the bed, wondering why she was doing this. She wasn’t a wimp. Why was she bowing down to his demands?

  Because…

  Because she didn’t want revenge on his family, her brother was wrong, and Logan might be terrifying, but there was definitely something between them. No other man had ever made her feel so…feminine. Pretty.

  Wanted.

  Pulling off her silk blouse and slacks, she stared at the first dress. It was just a simple black sheath dress in silk crepe, but she thought it was a solid, professional outfit, nothing special about it. She twisted slightly, turning to look at herself in the mirror and realized that she’d lost a bit of weight, so the dress wasn’t as flattering as she’d remembered.

  Not bothering to find the shoes to go with this particular dress, she stepped out of her bedroom and walked down the hallway.

  Standing awkwardly in the doorway to her kitchen, she glared up at him, daring him to criticize her dress.

  Oh, he dared!

  But first, those green eyes traveled up and down her figure in the black dress and she had no idea what he was thinking. But she also knew that she wouldn’t have long to wait. Logan was nothing if not blunt.

  “It’s a chastity dress,” he told her flatly.

  Gaia burst out laughing, completely forgetting to hide her dimples. She should be offended but...well, it wasn’t the most flattering dress. “Don’t hold back, Logan,” she said when her laughter subsided.

  He leaned down and kissed her. “I never do,” he told her. “Go try the next one,” and he lifted another bite to feed her. This time it was the sweet and sour shrimp but these were in smaller bites, thankfully. Normally, the sweet and sour shrimp were huge, three or four bite pieces.

  On her way back to her bedroom, she felt a bit more relaxed but was unaware of the saucy sway of her hips.

  Logan noticed and almost choked on the bite of shrimp. He couldn’t pull his eyes away and his body, already alert, went into full, aching, painful erection mode. Damn, but the woman didn’t know how powerful she was! He instinctively knew she wasn’t doing it consciously. There was no coy glance over her shoulder, no come-hither smile…unfortunately.

  So instead of barging into her bedroom like he wanted to do, tossing all of the dresses onto the floor and then her onto what he knew would be a perfectly made bed, he held back and took several deep breaths, trying to get his body back under control.

  He thought he’d done a fairly good job of that, but then she walked out again. No, this dress, another black one, was just as demure as the last one, but Gaia was in it. He was finding that it didn’t really matter what she was wearing as long as she was in the outfit. He was immediately hard and throbbing with the need to make love to her, to hear her cry out with release and then he wanted to see that beautiful smile after she climaxed in his arms.

  “How’s this one?” she asked, those luminous golden eyes looking up at him. He forgot to swallow.

  “You’re beautiful,” he told her, not even looking at the dress.

  When she smiled this time, he noticed a slight tinge to her cheeks and he gripped the chopsticks to keep himself from grabbing her.

  “But the dress is horrible.”

  Another burst of laughter. “I know. I didn’t realize how frumpy these dresses are.” Stepping forward, she took the container of Chinese food out of his hands and sauntered back to her bedroom. “Hey!” he called out, feigning an objection to her theft.

  She glanced over her shoulder. “Consider this penance for being so blunt,” she told him.

  He crossed his arms over his chest, enjoying her feisty attitude. “You like my bluntness,” he called out a moment before she closed the bedroom door again. Logan chuckled as he picked up another container of food, opened another package of chopsticks.

  He was in trouble, he thought. Big trouble!

  Gaia leaned against the bedroom door, her eyes staring up at the ceiling as she tried to get her panic under control. Good grief, she was in trouble! That man could send her senses spinning harder and faster than she’d thought possible! How could he have such an effect on her? And it seemed so effortless!

  Staring at her bed, she wondered what it would be like if she just gave in to the need clamoring inside of her. Just one night. One perfect, amazing night in Logan’s arms. She knew that he would make it wonderful for her.

  She reached for the door handle, about to ask him to come in here and…and what? Make love to her? Have sex? Was there even a difference?

  She barely knew the man! And he was sort of her boss! Well, okay, not really. Not in any way, actually. But even if he wasn’t her boss, what she was contemplating still wasn’t right.

  Good grief, her brother was trying to bankrupt Logan’s family! This was wrong! So very wrong!

  She couldn’t do anything with Logan until she’d convinced her brother to leave them alone and move on with his life. Probably the only way to do that was to convince Logan that the waterfront project wouldn’t work. She knew buildings. She could go over the building with him and point out all of the problems, the dangers of the building.

  Yes, discouraging him on moving forward with the building renovation seemed like the right thing to do. At this point, there wasn’t any money lost. She could do this!

  But no, she couldn’t be with Logan. Not ever. Not with the way her brother felt about the Steele family. It just wouldn’t be ethical.

  Taking a deep breath, she nodded her head. She was better now. She knew what she needed to do. She was back in the game. No sex with Logan. No matter how much she wanted it, she couldn’t, morally, be with him.

  Slipping on the next dress, she stared at herself in the mirror. Why did she have three black cocktail dresses? Why had she bought three dresses in basically the exact same style? It made no sense! This one was a bit lower cut than the other two, but since the first one came up to her neck and this one had a rounded neckline, it wasn’t saying much. There was absolutely no cleavage showing in any way.

  “Gaia?” Logan called out. “Is it that bad? This last one can’t be as bad as the other two!”

  Gaia snorted with laughter. Stepping out of the bedroom, she tried to glare at him. But when he just rolled his eyes, she couldn’t help it. “Okay! I know! They’re all very…boring. But they are professional and stylish.”

  Logan popped a piece of broccoli into hi
s mouth, set down the food and walked over to the box where she’d left the rose colored dress. “Here. Try this one on and then tell me what you think.”

  She looked up at him, the sparkle in his eyes coming across as dangerous. Not dangerous in a physical way, but dangerous to her very recent vow.

  Gaia thought about telling him no, that she needed to just wear one of the black dresses. But the look in his eyes, that challenging, I-dare-you look, was back in his eyes. He knew what she was thinking! How could he read her so easily?!

  “Fine!” she snapped as she took the dress, careful to not touch his fingers again. “But I’m not wearing it Friday night,” she told him firmly. “This dress isn’t professional.”

  “It will look perfect on you.”

  She glanced down at the tag, hoping that it was the wrong size. But it wasn’t! Darn it!

  “It’s the right size,” he told her with a chuckle, correctly reading her actions.

  She glared up at him. “How did you…” she stopped before finishing that question. “Never mind. I don’t want to know how you gained your feminine expertise.”

  He laughed. “Oh, you’re going to benefit from my extensive feminine expertise, Gaia. Never doubt that.”

  Gaia didn’t. Doubt him, that is. Taking the dress, she walked back into her bedroom, more stiffly this time. Her stomach was doing somersaults and her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. She just hoped that he couldn’t see the impact he had on her. She had to have some secrets! And obviously, her thoughts weren’t very private. Not around him!

  She quickly slid the black dress off and tossed it onto the bed, right on top of the other two dresses, as well as her slacks and blouse from the day. It occurred to her that her bedroom was looking like a stripper’s hangout.

  Turning away from the mirror, she pulled on the amazingly beautiful dress, already loving the way it clung to her curves. The material was softer than she’d thought possible and the way the rose material felt against her skin…! It should be itchy and scratchy with the rhinestones all over the netting material of the sleeves, but the whole dress was amazingly soft! The deep V neckline of the dress was much more than she was used to. She’d never worn anything like this. In fact, she had to unzip the dress and slip her bra off because the edge of her bra was showing. It didn’t matter. The dress had built in support and when she turned to look in the mirror, she couldn’t believe the image staring back at her.