by Mia Ford
I simpered, now moving in so close to his face that I could feel his breath against my face.
The warmth of it transcended the chilly evening and it made the rest of my body yearn for his embrace.
Gazing deep into his eyes, I pressed myself forward, inching closer to his lips and heaving my breasts against him with fervor.
Making a connection with him caused a shiver of excitement to travel up my spine and awaken me.
If the simple essence of his masculine aura was enough to make me feel a moistness in my nether regions, I couldn’t wait to feel what his touch did to me.
I grinned, daring him to kiss me. However, he decided to leave me in suspense as he backed me up against the pillar I was previously standing against.
His arms pressed against the column, on either side of me, while his eyes pierced into mine with a calming, confident sense of allure.
“What if someone see’s us?” He whispered, bringing his lips so close to mine that they teasingly brushed against them, causing me to feel a shudder of intense emotion beckon. My obvious reaction and intense need for him caused Anthony to grin, almost wickedly.
“Well, then, you’d better make sure we’re not too loud,” I retorted in a challenging tone.
A simper escaped his lips, before they pressed against my mouth, commandeering it, along with any doubt I had left over what I was doing.
The taste of him erupted in my mouth as his tongue immediately thrust through my teeth and drew out my essence.
I grasped ahold of him tightly as his protective arms surrounded me.
My heart pounded, and all my senses immediately came to life. I moaned behind his lips, causing him to grasp the back of my neck and direct it to the side so that he could venture deeper into the kiss.
After a moment of bliss, he pulled back, but I playfully pushed him back until he sat down on a stone bench.
Easily, I ran my fingers through his hair as he pulled me close to him, reclaiming my lips.
Hiking my dress up, I straddled his legs, pressing my womanliness against his pulsing member.
The moment I applied pressure, it was Anthony that groaned. He pushed me back only long enough to hurriedly unbutton his pants, giving me unfettered access to him.
Feeling his warm, pulsing unencumbered manhood thrust against me, I moaned and slid my moist bodice up against him.
By now, despite the time of evening and the chill in the air, we were both heated and sweating, needed one another intensely.
My hands ran up and down his front, utilizing my sense of touch to imagine the sight of his muscular form.
The grooves and valleys that my fingertips traced led me to a mental image that caused my pelvis to quake.
Even though there was dim lighting, I felt the urge to press his nakedness against me and so, I urged him to remove his shirt.
While he tossed the shirt to the side, I slid the dress that I was wearing over my head, forsaking all attempts at public decency and pressed myself against him heavily.
Skin against skin, my heart thudded even quicker in my chest and the moistness between my thighs urged me to feel closer to him.
So, after kissing his bare body and reveling in the warmth of him against my lips, I ushered myself up and eased myself on top of him.
We both groaned as I felt him inside of me and I held onto him tighter.
At first, our movements were slow and careful but as the intensity of our fervor increased, so did the hastiness of our motions.
Back and forth, we rocked as one, ignoring our breathlessness and the world around us completely.
As we both encroached upon the moment of euphoria, I could hear Anthony’s breath, in chorus with mine, before he let out a long groan.
With one final thrust, I felt him inject his essence into me, filling every crevasse of me completely.
Excitement thrashed through me as I utilized the knowledge of my accomplishment to reach my own intense awakening.
When we had both finished, we continued to hold one another closely as our bodies quaked with the revelation of our natural ascension into unbridled euphoria.
However, when the feeling of leaving this world started to wear thin and our breath and heartrates eased back to a normal level, I sighed and pulled myself away from him.
“Where are you going?” Anthony asked, narrowing his eyes with genuine confusion, “Didn’t you enjoy yourself?” As his eyes glistened with the memory, he snickered, “I mean, that’s a stupid question…but what’s wrong?”
I cleared my throat as I slipped my dress back up, over my shoulders, which were still hot from his touch and threw my tossed hair up into a bun before answering, “I did have fun but it’s over now and we both have lives to live.” I turned to him now, my eyes softening as my gaze slid down his taut chest, hoping to catch just one more glimpse of his manhood before leaving, “Now, don’t overstay your welcome, yankee. Ya hear?”
As I chuckled, he narrowed his eyes as though he didn’t quite understand what I had said. Nonetheless, he reached for his shirt, which was covered with dirt and leaves from the surrounding vegetation, being that it was discarded thoughtlessly.
“Okay,” he mumbled, “So much for southern hospitality.”
“God, Anthony,” I hissed, overdramatizing my disgust, “We just had a friendly fuck. What do you want? Homemade sweet tea and a place for you to put your boots?”
“Well, normally, women aren’t busting down the door after…” he stopped speaking, allowing the sly grin and the provocative trail of his gaze to finish his statement for him.
“Your first mistake was assuming that I’m a normal woman.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Yes, Sir,” I answered, sauntering out of the barn without looking back, leaving Anthony with his shirt still in his hands, staring after me in disbelief.
Chapter 3
Walking away from him was difficult but it was something that needed to be done. While I wasn’t used to one-night stands, or whatever that was, I knew that it simply couldn’t be anything more. I was certain that it wouldn’t happen again. It couldn’t and since Mr. Shields was only in town for the week, I was certain I could survive long enough for him to ride off into the sunset.
The next morning, I found myself helping my mother with some household chores and conversation was slow, so I asked her if everything was all right.
When I only received a strained, one-word response, I was certain that I needed to pry a little in order to ensure that I hadn’t been caught sneaking out the night before.
“I suppose Daddy’s still upset about what happened?” I inquired, keeping my voice low, unsure of where my father had gone.
“You could say that,” my mother replied, “He’s been pouting around all night.”
“Why won’t Daddy just talk to him? I mean, it isn’t like he said for certain things were going to change. Isn’t business about give and take?”
“Yes, but your father has given his entire life to clients like the Shields and now that this…child is coming in place of his father and the first thing he wants to do is make his profit margin bigger, it’s infuriating.”
“But Momma, A-I mean Mr. Shields didn’t say anything other than they had to talk.”
“And when is that sentence ever lead to something good? He wasn’t selling anything to your father, he was dictating it. He thinks that he can just come in here and change the game so that he doesn’t have to work as hard. I don’t know if he thinks we’re stupid, or if he’s just stupid but either way, he’s not going to come here and push us around.”
“I don’t want him to push us around either but…”
“But what? Sahara, why are you defending him?” My mother demanded, and I felt my stomach drop with fear.
I swallowed hard, hoping my mother wouldn’t notice and tried to ignore the faint taste of Anthony still lingering on my lips.
“Umm, I’m not defending him, Momma but from the way I under
stand it, you and Daddy don’t have much of a choice. You need this deal. Daddy needs to sign this new agreement.”
“Your Daddy doesn’t need to do anything. If he decides to tell this northern prick to go to Hell, we’ll find some other way to make up the difference.”
“Why start a brand-new business arrangement when you can just work with what you’ve got?”
“Because if he gives into anything this year, then the next year, he’s just going to want more and more until we’re paying him to stay with us.”
My mother and I held one another’s stare for a long time, but in the end, I let out a deep breath and shook my head, “Well, I sure hope Daddy knows what he’s doing.”
“He does,” my mother insisted, “But what’s with you doubting him all of a sudden? It’s like you think you know better than we do. That’s the problem with the younger generation. Y’all think you know better than your parents. No one puts any worth in wisdom anymore.”
“It’s not that I’m questioning him, I’m trying to help you guys make a decision,” I replied, “You want me to be a part of the family business but any time I speak my mind, you accuse me of being against you.”
“Maybe because it seems like you are always against us.”
“Well, I’m not. I just want to speak my mind. I might actually have something useful to contribute.”
“If only,” my mother hissed, rolling her eyes at me.
This angered me, but I refrained from saying anything, just in case I got ahead of myself and said something I would ultimately regret.
That morning, we finished our housework in silence and I decided that until Anthony Shields was out of our life and I could justify going to back to trying to please my family, that silence would continue. There was nothing more I had to say to my parents anyway.
If they wanted to dig their own financial grave, I was going to let them.
So, in keeping with my vow of silence, for the next few days, I went about my business without speaking to anyone of merit. I didn’t speak to my parents and I didn’t hear anything from Anthony. If anyone spoke to me while I was in town I would smile and wave, pretending to be friendly long enough to escape.
I didn’t like the thoughts that tossed around inside my head but that was a small price to pay to avoid letting my secret out and having my parents hate me forever.
I didn’t regret what happened between Anthony and I but since I was stuck with my parents after he left, I didn’t want my life to become overly miserable. I knew I couldn’t let my rebellion get out until I could figure out how to get out of this damn town.
Yet, when I returned one evening after visiting a friend, I found my father waiting for me. I knew from the look on his face that he is wasn’t going to be good.
“Hi Dad,” I offered in a strained manner, “You’re up late.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve been waiting for you. I have a question for you.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah…I finally met with that northerner. I still don’t like him, but we talked, and he asked me something strange.”
My heart started to pound heavily in my chest and my hands started to shake. I pressed them firmly against my sides in an attempt to hide their instantaneous reaction, but I couldn’t tell exactly how obvious my nervousness was.
“What?”
“He asked about you,” my father insisted. “You didn’t have any contact with him, did you?”
“After the other night? At dinner? No,” I replied, suppressing the urge to tell my father exactly how much contact I have had with Anthony, simply to see his dumbfounded expression. To my merit, the comment came out sounding halfway decent.
“Then, why would he want to ask me how you are?”
“Maybe he was trying to be friendly,” I offered, surprised at how nonchalant my comment sounded. “I mean, you do seem to think that he is out to get you. Maybe you’re misjudging the situation.”
“No, I don’t think so,” my father ruffed, “But I guess it’s possible he fancied you.”
“That’s possible,” I replied, again trying to stifle another more damning comment. “Maybe he’s just bold and thought he would get somewhere.”
“Well, he’s definitely bold but fairly stupid, if he thinks you’re going to fall for a man like that. Disrespectful carpetbagger,” my father chuckled and shook his head, “I guess he doesn’t understand that there are far more fish in your sea than he could ever compete with. Gentleman who know their place.”
I gave my father a strained grin, nodded my head and turned around.
“Goodnight, Dad,” I offered, suddenly realizing that if I stayed too long I might once again say something I regretted.
By the time, I made it up to my room, I was fuming. Mostly, I was angry at my father and his blatant insolence, but I was also mad at Anthony.
He had no right or claim to me whatsoever!
So, I decided that as soon as I got up in the morning, when I could think a little clearer, I would go to his hotel and demand to know what the hell was going on.
Chapter 4
The place where Anthony had to be staying was the only hotel both in town and for miles around. It wasn’t particularly nice, since it catered to everyone across the spectrum of morals and social standing.
While wealthy people did frequent this hotel, in this area, their main concern was secrecy and a clean bed with good room service.
Thus, this hotel ensured to excel in such traits, which presently worked to my advantage.
When I walked into the lobby, I started straight for the front desk.
I knew the man behind the counter recognized me but here, it didn’t matter who you were, no one said anything, and no one asked any questions outside of their business.
It was strangely refreshing in that sense.
“Hello, can you tell me what room Anthony Shields is in?” I demanded, laying a twenty-dollar bill on the desk that separated us.
The man snickered for a moment before reaching out and sliding the money closer to him, before answering my question.
“The northern businessman? He hasn’t had any visitors, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m not worried about that. I’m a visitor.”
“Of course,” he responded before informing me of the room number.
“Thank you,” I replied before taking off toward the elevator doors.
I walked up to his room with determination as I focused all my energy on remaining vigilant. I was coming here for answers and if I didn’t like those answers, I was going to let Anthony know.
I wasn’t about to get pushed around and swooned by a man who probably was trying to make trouble.
I thought about this all night and concluded that his intentions had to be some fun game to him. After all, we had made it clear that we were not going to be romantically involved, that what happened between us was playful.
It meant nothing.
When I pounded on the door, I could feel the anger and emotion pulsing out of me with a fervor that was intense and nerve wracking at the same time.
It was rare that I ever stood up for myself and so the fact that I was actually confronting someone, whether Anthony was practically a stranger or not, was a big deal for me.
However, realizing how loud I was made me hope to God this was actually his door. It hadn’t occurred to me until now that this might not be his room.
Although, when I heard footsteps coming in my direction, I realized that there wasn’t anything I could do about it now but pray that something had not gone horribly awry with my plan.
When Anthony opened the door, I was almost so overcome with relief that I momentarily forgot why I was there.
I felt myself smile at him as I gazed into his eyes, that seemed to brighten when he saw me standing there.
Yet, once I remembered that this wasn’t supposed to be a social call, I knitted my brow together as my anger returned and I demanded, “What the hell were y
ou thinking? Why would you do this to me?”
“Do what?” He asked, “Do…Do you want to come in?”
“No! I don’t want to go in there. I want an answer!” I insisted, then lowered my voice, “Why would you ask my father about me? I thought we agreed to keep everything that happened a secret.”
“We did…Oh…Right,” he responded as his eyes softened with understanding. Seeming almost relieved himself, he relaxed against the doorframe and snickered, “Well, it got you here, didn’t it?”
“What?”
“I missed you, Sahara,” he replied, sounding earnest but I didn’t want to buy it.
I scoffed, “Do you think I’m a damn fool?”
“No, of course not. I’m serious. I wanted to see you but since you wanted to keep our relationship a one-time thing, I wasn’t about to be the one to come crawling, begging you to give me a shot.”
“So, you tricked me.”
Anthony chuckled easily as his eyes lit up with amusement, “Yeah, I guess…But I didn’t mean to,” he added hastily. “I just wanted you to come to me…And you did.”
“You look pretty proud of yourself,” I hissed, trying to keep my steadily declining stream of anger from dissipating completely, “Well, sorry to throw a wrench in your plan, buddy, but I just came here to get answers. Now, I’m gone,” with a cheeky simper, I turned and started to walk down the hall.
