Twelve Days - The Beginning

by Reyner, Jade

  “I can’t wait to see these,” he said, “You have no idea.”

  Looking up, she caught the glint in his eye and smiled. Who would have thought a pair of hold ups could have this much effect on a man like Vaughn?

  “Well, you’d better behave yourself then. I’d hate to have to disappoint you after you’ve made such a big deal about them.”

  “Define ‘behave’.” Vaughn said but before she had time to answer he moved his hand down further, across and over her knee and onto the sensitive skin at the back.

  “Would you consider this to be behaving?” he asked, the question largely rhetorical as his hand carried on its journey, following the back of her leg and down her calf. He lingered there for a moment and then leant down a little to take the hem of her dress. Elise’s breath hitched as she realised his intention and hastily looked around to see if anyone was watching. No one was but if they had been, Vaughn completed the manoeuvre in such a way that to anyone on the outside, it looked as if he was merely picking up something that he had dropped on the floor.

  As soon as he had the hem in his hands, he began his journey back up her leg; this time with his hand underneath her dress and directly running up the sheer fabric of her hold ups. His upward journey to her knee was relatively quick and Elise drew in a sharp breath as his hand headed over the top of her knee and continued up to her thigh.

  “You are so silky smooth, babe – you feel unbelievable.” Vaughn had his lips pressed right against her ear and had started to run his tongue along her earlobe, nibbling here and there at the same time. She was struggling with her control and had to clench her hands together to stop her from just grabbing hold of him and kissing the life out of him in full view of anyone who happened to walk by.

  As his hand continued up her thigh and almost reached the lacy tops, he paused and began to whisper in her ear again.

  “Have you ever been watched, Elise?” he asked, “In public like this, trying to pretend that everything is normal when, really, you just want to let go like you’ve never let go before? How does that make you feel? Do you like it? Would you like to be watched?” His voice became more intense, his breathing rapid and shallow.

  By now Elise had gone way beyond horny and his words, the implication that someone could see what they were doing, had her skyrocketing and she felt a burst of wetness release and trickle down her thigh. Normally, she would have been mortified at her body’s reaction but this was so hot that she was too far-gone to care.

  “Answer me, Elise – how does this make you feel?” He was whispering more urgently now, his breath hot as his fingers continued to play at the top of her thighs.

  She looked at him and saw the unmistakable lust in his eyes, knowing that it was reflected in hers too.

  “This.....” she swallowed “I’ve never done anything like this before but I like it, I think – really like it. It’s so... so hot. I hate the thought of being caught but I love the thrill, the fear. I’ve never felt anything like this before. This is definitely a first.”

  “You don’t know how good that makes me feel.” He almost growled in her ear. “We won’t get caught, Elise, I assure you. I told you to trust me and I promise that I will take care of you – just do as I say. I want to make this the best first time that you’ve ever had.”

  With that he started to move his hand again; this time reaching the lacy tops of her hold ups where he paused briefly before he continued past them and up her bare leg, heading for the exposed junction of her thighs.

  As he got nearer, she felt more wetness release and he groaned in her ear when it connected with his fingers.

  “Shit, Elise – you are going to be my undoing. Seriously.”

  Slowly he continued to walk his fingers upwards, massaging in her wetness along her upper thigh, until he reached the curls at the apex. Briefly he brushed over them and Elise sucked in a breath, struggling to maintain control as her thighs began to quiver.

  “Hold on, babe – hold on for me.” he said, his voice low, sexy, raw and thick with desire.

  Leaving her curls, he moved his fingers lower, lightly tracing the line down through her folds, slowly at first, taking her wetness with him; all the while continuing the outward pretence of the two of them sat at a table, heads lowered talking - he with his arm slung across her shoulders. She looked up and met his eyes, saw the passion smouldering there and bit gently down on her lip to stop herself from crying out. Vaughn continued to tease her with his hand under the table, running light circles up, down and around, teasing her, promising more and then moving away, only to return and tease her again. His finger lightly brushed her clit and this time she sighed, unable to prevent the small sound escaping and that noise seemed to tip him over the edge. Unexpectedly, as if he could hold on no longer, he thrust a finger inside of her all the way, nipping on the lobe of her ear almost painfully as he did so.

  “You are so warm and wet – Christ babe, we really need to get out of here. I’m not sure how much longer I can promise to behave.”

  Despite his words, Vaughn added a second finger and began to slowly thrust in and out and around and around, mimicking a similar action with the hand caressing circles on her shoulder. He was still nibbling on her lobe and moved lower to the sensitive spot on her neck just underneath her ear. At the same time he added his thumb to his hand below the table and used it to rub lightly over her curls, parting her folds, teasing her until she was on the brink of losing control.

  Suddenly, as if realising where they were and what they were about to do, Vaughn began to slowly withdraw his fingers, placing lingering kisses on her neck as he did so. Elise, however, had reached the point of no return, and clamped her inner muscles down hard onto his retreating fingers, causing him to still.

  “Seriously? You really want to do this here?” he asked incredulously, his voice not quite steady.

  Helplessly she looked at him – she was lost, she couldn’t have stopped if she’d tried. She needed this release now and if he didn’t give to her, she almost felt like she would die.

  Wordlessly, she nodded, there was no point in trying to speak.

  “Fuck ...” he bit out as he slammed his fingers back inside of her. “Hell Elise, this is the hottest thing I have ever done – and I mean ever.” He began to thrust his fingers in and out impatiently, all the while continuing to tease her clit with his thumb. “I really didn’t think you’d want to do this; I was teasing you, expecting you to pull away but babe, you have well and truly called my bluff. I don’t know how the hell I’m going to get from here to my room now.”

  She whimpered slightly as she started to reach her peak and she felt him curl his fingers inside of her as the first waves of her release began to form.

  “Put your head into my neck, babe - pretend you’re just resting your head on my shoulder.” He instructed, “Bite down if you need to. I’ll keep you safe but you have to be quiet. Really, really quiet.”

  Following his command, she turned her head and connected with the lapel of his jacket just as the first explosion hit. It was by far and away the most incredible experience of her life and she bit down hard into the rough material to stop herself from crying out. The fact that they were still in the ballroom and in a darkened corner only added to the intensity of it all and she rode wave after wave; coming like she had never come before and feeling as if it would never stop. Vaughn continued the assault with his fingers inside her until she was done and then gently removed them when the last of her contractions had passed. His breathing was shallow and uneven and from where her head was resting on his shoulder, she could see the unmistakable bulge in his trousers. She was shattered, completely sated and heady with the knowledge of what she could do to this man.

  Slowly Vaughn brought his hand back out from underneath her dress and the table and she watched enthralled as he licked his fingers carefully, his eyes half closed in desire. Almost immediately, she felt stirrings of desire again, and had to look away to prevent herself from
doing something way beyond what was acceptable in a public ballroom.

  When he had finished, he looked up at her from hooded eyes before glancing around the room seemingly to satisfy himself that no one had noticed anything untoward.

  “We were lucky, babe and shit, that was amazing – but we really need to get out of here now. You go first; I need to...compose... myself. I’m in room 154 - take the card and I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.” He thrust the key card into her hand and then helped her to stand and straighten her dress before giving her a playful swat on her backside. “Get out of here, you hussy!”

  She smiled and winked at him and then walked to the exit of the ballroom. She turned back just as she got to the door to see that Vaughn had sat back down and had his head in his hands, breathing deeply. And as she closed the door behind her, she registered that he looked as ragged and shell-shocked, as she felt.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Room 154 turned out to be on the same corridor as Elise’s so she took the opportunity to quickly pop into her room and freshen up. She had just put the card into the lock of Vaughn’s room when he emerged from the stairs and headed along the corridor. In the light of the hallway, she could see how stunning Vaughn looked in his dinner suit; the jacket and the trousers clearly tailored and not like the usual off-the-peg stuff that most men made do with.

  As he approached she let her eyes drink in his height, the breadth of his shoulders, the length of his legs, his beautiful dark hair curling just above his nape and his striking dark dark eyes. He was an amazing visual feast and Elise felt herself pale in comparison. She was nothing special, just an ordinary girl with a few too many curves and relatively nice eyes. She was at a complete loss as to why someone like Vaughn would even spare her the time of day. Almost embarrassed at the comparison, she dropped her eyes.

  By now, he had reached her side and gently removed the key card from the lock as the door clicked open. As if understanding her thoughts, he placed one hand underneath her chin and brought her eyes up to his, rubbing his thumb absently along her jaw.

  “Don’t...” he said softly, “don’t do that. Don’t run yourself down. You are impossibly beautiful, Elise and you need to learn to believe in yourself. If that man.......” he drew in a breath, “If that man hadn’t done such a good hatchet job on you, you would see what everyone else sees – not what he wants you to see. You would see your beauty, your strength and your compassion. I need you to let me show you how wonderful you are.”

  He pressed a kiss to her temple and then lightly propelled her through the door, closing and locking it behind him. He had such a way with words that Elise found herself wondering again, how he was still single. She was infinitely grateful that he was but she couldn’t believe that no one had ever fallen in love with him before. It just didn’t seem possible.

  Shrugging off the thoughts, she took a moment to look around and observe her surroundings. Vaughn’s room was similar to hers although it was on the other side of the corridor so had a different view. It still looked out onto the grounds but this end of the hotel faced towards the town so in the distance, you could see the buildings and the commerce of Swindon. The curtains weren’t drawn and it was still dark in the room. You could see all of the lights of the town beyond and it was immeasurably pretty – almost like having your own private lighting display.

  It was still early so most of the guests were continuing to enjoy the food and entertainment in the ballroom – the sounds of which could just about be made out drifting up from below. As a result, there was very little movement or sound from any of the adjoining rooms and Elise closed her eyes momentarily, almost believing that they were completely alone in their own private paradise.

  Vaughn moved across the room and lit a couple of lamps, giving it a cosy, golden glow and Elise took the opportunity to move across the room and sit down on the sofa which was adjacent to the bed. She felt the sofa dip and Vaughn dropped down next to her, gently taking her hand and then following her gaze to the window where the beauty and tranquillity of the lights lay beyond.

  “Would you like a drink?” he asked quietly, “There are some bottles in the mini bar or we could order a bottle of wine?”

  “No, I’m fine – thank you.” she said, her voice wobbling a little and she coughed lightly, in an effort to maintain some control.

  “Okay. Well, if you change your mind, let me know.” He was silent again for a moment, continuing to hold her hand and gently rub his thumb across her knuckles.

  “Elise?” he said after a while, breaking the silence. “Have you been with anyone else other than Dale?”

  Startled, she turned to face him; the question seeming to have come totally out of left field.

  “Erm... no. No, I haven’t. Came close a few times but Dale was my first. And only. Why do you ask?” she replied, suddenly terrified that he’d find her lack of experience a complete turn off.

  “I don’t know really,” he answered, “I just wanted to know. Call me old-fashioned but I was kind of hoping that’s what you’d say.” She nodded, understanding his sentiment on some level.

  “We married young.” She continued. ”After we met and fell in love that was the end of it really. I never thought about having anyone else - until you walked into my life.” she grinned at him, “Except for the time when I walked in on Celeste with two men in her bed – that made me think a bit!”

  “Two men, eh?” he laughed, “Think you could handle that?”

  “Well....not before but now – who knows?” she said saucily, “Maybe you’ve unleashed the vixen in me!” She laughed, the thought of her being anything close to a vixen was hilarious.

  “Steady on! Just so you know, sharing’s not usually my thing – particularly when I’ve got you in my bed. I don’t want anyone else to have you – ever.” Vaughn suddenly became serious and Elise realised that she needed to lighten the mood. They’d both been serious enough for one night.

  “Caveman!” she teased. “Next thing you’ll be standing over me and beating your chest!”

  Vaughn lunged and grabbed her, hauling her onto his lap. “If you keep up with your smart mouth, Miss Grayson, there will be some beating going on but I can guarantee it won’t be on my chest!”

  Before she had time to work out what he meant, he smashed his mouth down onto hers, his desperation clear, and she moaned under his assault. Reaching up she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling his head closer and deepening the contact. Vaughn groaned and ran his tongue across the seam of her lips, begging entrance which she gave without question. His hands ran down and across her back, eventually finding the half a dozen concealed buttons that secured her dress. Slowly he undid each one, taking his time to gently caress each piece of bare skin that he uncovered.

  Their mouths were still locked; duelling, their breathing heavy and Elise could feel herself beginning to get more and more aroused despite her very recent performance in the ballroom.

  Vaughn had managed to undo all of the buttons, leaving her dress to flap open slightly at the back. Both of his hands were now on her skin, rubbing up and down her back as far as the opening would allow and he groaned into her mouth when he came into contact with her bra strap. Thinking he wanted to remove it, she leaned away slightly to allow him to undo it but he surprised her by shifting her off his lap.

  “No, Elise.” He said thickly, “Not here like this, I want to see you - all of you - properly.” He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and gently deposited her on the bed, turning on a hidden light that illuminated the curtain rail around the four posters and bathed the bed in a deeply sensual light.

  Suddenly feeling as if she was on display, Elise began to experience a wave of self-consciousness and even though she was still fully dressed, she moved to try and cover herself with the throw, rolling to one side to pull it out from underneath her.

  Seeing what she was trying to do, Vaughn stopped her, placing his hand on her shoulder and sitting down on the bed besi
de her. He had returned from closing the curtains and putting the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.

  “No...” he said softly “I need to see you – I have to see you. Don’t hide from me.”

  She met his eyes, read the sincerity there and nodded her acceptance slowly. He had told her that she was beautiful on more than one occasion; she just had to trust that he was genuine. It was hard though, putting yourself out there on the line for someone – she’d not done it for so long and even though this felt totally right, the circumstances were about as wrong as they could possibly get. She just hoped that she could live with herself in the cold light of day, when the passion had cooled and all she was left with was a broken marriage and beautiful memories.

  Vaughn watched her steadily as she fought with her emotions and he gently brushed the side of her cheek with his knuckles.

  “I have an idea,” he said, gazing deeply into her eyes, “I don’t want you to feel nervous around me. I want you to believe in yourself and believe in what I see. I don’t want to rush this, I want this to be the best night of our lives. But for that to happen, I need you to relax.” He paused, briefly allowing his gaze to roam the full length of her body.

  “How about for every article of clothing I remove of yours, you get to remove two of mine? Like strip poker but without the cards.” He smiled lightly. “That way we’ll both be getting naked at the same time and me, more than likely sooner than you. What do you say?” Vaughn finished speaking and watched her face closely, no doubt waiting for any indication of her response.

  Elise flushed at how blatant he was about the fact that they would both be getting naked. Although she too had worked out that that would be inevitable, to actually have it out there was a bit of a shock. Dale wasn’t a talker and she wasn’t used to men verbalising their feelings. Although she liked it, the bluntness was going to take a bit of getting used to so deciding that attack was the best form of defence, she went with one of her usual sarky comments, hoping to hide some measure of her vulnerability.