by Jaid Black
Valentina gasped as he entered her, clutching the back of his shoulders as her legs wrapped around his waist. Her head fell back on a moan as he slammed into her hard, bringing her to the brink of orgasm.
She could hear her flesh slurping up his cock, hear him groaning as he pounded away into oblivion, mindless of everything save the body he was claiming. His hands found her breasts, cupping them and forcing them up and close together so he could suck on her nipples while he fucked her.
“Neil.” Valentina climaxed violently, her back arching and her nipples poking up into his warm mouth stiffer than before.
He groaned, sucking the peaks more vigorously, surging into her sopped flesh in fast, deep strokes. Her legs continued to cling to his waist, affording him a deep penetration that aroused them both to a fevered pitch.
His mouth firmly latched onto a jutting nipple, he moaned onto her breast as he came. His entire body convulsing, Neil erupted into her violently, spurting his hot cum deep inside of her womb.
He could feel her hands roaming over his back, massaging his buttocks as his breathing steadied and his eyelids grew heavy. He didn’t let go of the nipple, wouldn’t let go of the nipple. He fell into a sated sleep still drawing from it.
Chapter 13
“Oh Cynthia, please tell me you’re joking.”
“’Fraid not.” Her sigh could be heard clearly across the telephone connection. “That worthless bastard left my ass.”
Valentina chewed on her bottom lip as she clutched the phone firmly in her palm. “Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I never realized the two of you were having problems. You and Osmond seemed as though you were meant for each other, both of you being sci-fi writers and all.”
“Looks can apparently be deceiving. As we speak, my husband is moving in with the cover model from his latest novel.”
“Oh dear.” Valentina closed her eyes briefly, feeling Cynthia’s pain as if it were her own. The two of them had been the closest of friends ever since they’d met at a dinner party hosted by Ballast Books. Both women wrote for the publishing company, though in different departments.
“What am I going to do, girl?” Cynthia sighed wistfully. “To be honest, I haven’t been in love with Os for years, but he was still my husband. I’m so depressed I can barely see straight.”
Valentina pondered that over for a moment. “Well,” she said, clearing her throat, “why don’t you come over to Scotland and stay with me for the next week?” She smiled, thinking it a truly wonderful idea. “Not only would I love tooling around with you, but if you hadn’t been so worried about what that jerk would think of you vacationing in Europe in the first place then you’d be here any way. As a matter of fact, you’re supposed to be over here with the rest of the Ballast authors.”
“That’s true,” Cynthia agreed, sounding as though she was warming to the idea.
“You could stay right here with me. Ballast set me up in a nice room.”
“Forget it.” Cynthia chuckled, her first sign of good humor since she’d called Valentina’s room a little over twenty minutes ago. “No offense Tina, but the last thing I’m in the mood to do is listen to you be all lovey-dovey with that guy you met.”
Valentina’s face colored slightly. “Have you ever known me to be the lovey-dovey type?” She refused to think about the mushy feelings she harbored for Neil. “Besides, he’s never even been up to my hotel room.”
“Uh huh. So you haven’t slept with Dr. Stud then?”
“I didn’t say that,” she mumbled.
Cynthia threw her head back and laughed. “Never mind, girl. Now I really don’t want to know.”
Valentina chuckled, shaking her head slightly. “Just say you’ll come. Bring Erica if you want. Just please say it’s okay for me to call the front desk and reserve you a room?” she asked hopefully.
Cynthia was quiet for so long that Valentina was certain she was going to say no. But then, miraculously, she did an about-face and changed her mind. “I can’t bring my daughter because school will be starting soon, but I’m sure my mother will keep her for me. It is a working vacation after all.”
“Then...”
“Yes.” Cynthia chuckled, feeling more wicked and brazen than she had in ages. “Go ahead and reserve that room. For one week.”
Valentina grinned, unable to believe she’d managed to convince her. “Excellent. I’ll call downstairs right now. Book that flight as soon as we hang up!”
“I will honey. Thanks for everything.” Her voice took on a tremulous note, letting Valentina know she was getting excited about the idea. “If there’s a seat on tonight’s flight I’ll be there tomorrow morning.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Me neither! See you then.”
As Valentina hung up the phone it occurred to her that a week wasn’t a very long time, not very long at all. And yet that’s all the time she had left with Neil. One more week and she’d be headed back for Atlanta. The thought was depressing in the extreme.
For the past seven days, ever since the evening of Neil’s formal university reception, she had been seducing him in new ways each day. She’d made herself available to him in his office, sneaked into his flat and made love to him there, she’d even lured him to Sterling Castle and rode him into ecstasy on the palace grounds.
And yet, after all of her effort, Neil still hadn’t sought her out.
Valentina stood up with a sigh and strolled over to gaze down upon her view of Edinburgh from the window. Crossing her arms over her breasts, she wondered if all of her planning and plotting had been in vain. Perhaps Neil was content to have an affair with her while she was here, but maybe he truly didn’t want to continue things beyond her remaining scheduled week.
He knew she was planning to leave, knew that her tickets back to Atlanta were a week from today. He hadn’t said anything to try and thwart those plans. Nothing at all.
Valentina slumped down in the nearest chair and took a deep breath. She had the same nervous feeling in her belly that she’d had while waiting on Ballast to get back to her concerning whether or not they planned to buy her first manuscript. Only this time, she conceded, the stakes were a hell of a lot higher.
* * * * *
The next evening Neil sat in his Lexus staring broodingly up at the Balmoral. This was the second day straight that Valentina had not come to him. All last night and today he’d been walking on eggshells, wondering what new erotic situation she had devised for him to partake of. He’d waited at his flat tonight for her until after ten o’clock in the evening and then, unable to bear it any longer, he had gotten in his car and drove over to her hotel.
So now here he sat wondering whether or not he should go upstairs, wondering whether or not she would be pleased by such a move on his part or wishing he’d leave her alone. Perhaps she hadn’t shown up for a rendezvous these past two days because she’d decided she wanted nothing further to do with him. She was scheduled to leave in a week. Perhaps she wanted a clean break.
And perhaps he wouldn’t let her get away so easily.
Neil’s fingers gripped the steering wheel so harshly that his knuckles turned white. He was tired of playing Mr. Nice Guy, sick to death of letting life happen to him instead of taking what he wanted from it, consequences be damned. He had been raised to be a considerate gentleman, for all the nothingness that had brought to him. Well no more.
He wanted Valentina, needed her. Nothing was the same anymore. Hell, he didn’t even dress as he used to. Gone were the gold spectacles, gone was the sensible lecturer’s attire outside of university, gone was everything he had ever called normal.
Glancing down at the snug-fitting black jeans and polo-shirt he wore, Neil arrived at an irrevocable conclusion. If Valentina hadn’t figured out by now that she would never be going back to Atlanta then she was about to figure it out tonight.
Wrenching open the car door, he alighted from it smoothly, his steps determined. Making his way into the Balmoral he bypassed
the lobby entirely and headed straight for her suite upstairs.
When he got out of the elevator on the fifth floor, he perused the room numbers until he located the one he knew belonged to her. Knocking abruptly, he waited impatiently for her to answer the door, glancing at his watch when she didn’t appear right away.
She wasn’t there.
Neil narrowed his eyes, his mood grim. If she wasn’t in her hotel room and she wasn’t with him, then where precisely—
The sound of familiar feminine laughter struck his ears and made its way down his spine. Neil turned around slowly, cautiously, all of his senses on alert. Eyes narrowing in possessiveness, his hands balled into fists as he watched Valentina’s voluptuous form leave a suite that didn’t belong to her. Giggling, her eyes went wide in—shock? fright?—as she came to a halt in front of him.
“Neil,” she breathed out, “what are you doing here?”
His eyes flicked over her breasts before settling on her face. “I think,” he said distinctly, his words clipped, “that the more appropriate question is where in the bloody hell have you been and who have you been with?”
Valentina’s eyes widened. She’d just come from helping Cynthia settle in across the hall so she hadn’t been able to go to him today as she’d planned. And yesterday—she sighed—yesterday she had been so distraught over the idea of leaving Scotland, of leaving Neil, that she hadn’t been able to work up a sexual appetite of any sort whatsoever. Seduction had been the last thing on her mind at the time. She supposed she’d better lay all of her cards on the table and tell him her feelings. After all, there was only six more days left. “I think we better go inside my suite and talk.”
His nostrils flared. “Like bloody hell.”
Valentina spun on her heel, thinking Neil was about to leave her, her heart plummeting because of that fact. But he didn’t walk all the way back to the elevators. Instead of leaving her forever as she’d thought he was about to do, he stopped in front of Cynthia’s suite and started pounding on the door like a man possessed.
“Open up you goddamned bastard!”
Valentina’s jaw went slack as it dawned on her that Neil thought she’d been inside of Cynthia’s hotel room with another man. If she hadn’t been so elated by the fact that he was jealous, that he didn’t want her with anybody else, she would have thrown something at him to keep him from humiliating her in front of her best friend. He was banging on the door quite loudly after all.
“Neil,” Valentina said, her voice finally working as she rushed over to his side, “please quit pounding on that door. You’re going to regret it!”
“Oh I am, am I?” he said through clenched teeth, the veins and muscles in his forearms visibly cording. “Somehow I doubt that.” He pounded louder, his voice gone mad. “Open up damn it! Open up this door before I kick it...uh...in,” he finished softly.
Neil stared down at the tiny form of a very beautiful African-American...woman. He was so taken aback by his mistake, so grateful that it indeed had been a mistake, that all he could do was continue staring down at her.
Cynthia’s hands flew to her hips. She scowled up at him. “The door is open, Rambo. Now what can I do for you?”
Valentina was quick to intercept. “Cynthia,” she said, clearing her throat, “ I’d like for you to meet Neil. Neil, this is my best friend Cynthia.”
“Cynthia,” Neil repeated, his dark eyes lighting up, his lips kicking into a grin. He was simply too relieved to be embarrassed. “How do you do?”
She shook his hand and chuckled, effectively letting him off the hook. “I’m doing alright considering I almost got my ass whooped for having an affair with my best friend.”
Neil had the good grace to look chagrined at that. “I, uh, I had no intention of whooping your ass as you so plainly put it. I was just uh, I was extremely anxious to make your acquaintance.”
“Uh huh.”
“It’s true. Tina’s told me a great deal about you.”
“Uh huh.” Cynthia grinned. “The doors aren’t sound proof you know. I heard everything you said to Tina before you threatened to kick in the door.”
Valentina bit her lip, stifling a grin. She was pleased to note that Neil was recovering quickly.
“Well,” he burred, “perhaps you will allow me the privilege of making this rather awkward meeting up to you tomorrow. Perhaps I can take the two of you out for drinks or something?”
Cynthia chuckled, nodding her acceptance. “Sounds good.” Her eyes flicked to Valentina. “Y’all go ahead and talk. I’ve got some unpacking to do.” She smiled up to Neil. “Nice meeting you, Rambo. Tina, I’ll meet you for breakfast.”
Valentina chuckled as she watched Cynthia make her way back into her suite. She shook her head at Neil and grinned. “I told you you’d regret it,” she murmured.
His smile was sheepish. “I suppose you did.”
She waved a hand toward her own suite. “Would you care to come in?”
He met her gaze. “Very much.”
A few minutes later they were seated at a table inside of her suite sharing a bottle of wine. Valentina wasn’t certain how she should go about telling him her feelings, but she intuitively sensed that this was the time to make them known. “Neil,” she expelled on a sigh of resignation, “we really need to talk.”
Neil watched her face, not certain he cared for the expression writ on it. She looked down in the dumps, depressed, perhaps already contemplating her planned departure—a departure she didn’t yet realize she’d never be making. “Go on.”
She sighed, smoothing back a tendril of golden brown hair. She met his gaze. “There’s something I’ve been needing to say to you for days now only I haven’t been able to work up the nerve to say it. I...” She took a deep breath and expelled it, looking away.
“Is this bad news?” he asked. “Because if it is I’m not certain I want to hear it. Let me rephrase that. I know that I don’t want to hear it.”
Valentina’s smile was bemused. “I suppose the definition of bad depends upon your vantage point.” She bit down on her lip and nibbled at it for a moment. “And if I knew what your vantage point was it would be a hell of a lot easier to say what needs to be said.”
Neil’s eyes raked over her body, over her face. He didn’t want to hear any more, didn’t want to chance the fact that it could be bad news. In that moment his only concern was to bind her to him, to keep her with him always. Despite the doubts, the worries he’d sometimes entertained since meeting her, he had always known that when they were together sexually they were as one mind in all things. He decided to use that knowledge to his advantage.
“Come here,” he murmured, holding out his hand, “I want to play with you.”
Valentina’s head shot up. A part of her wanted to say no, to insist that they talk without sexual contact of any sort, but another part of her, the insecure part, wanted to be with him one last time before being forced to tell him that she was in love with him. If he didn’t return her feelings after all, she would never be able to be with him again and enjoy it.
And so she stood up and pulled her cotton sundress over her head, exposing herself to him with a few small tugs. She was naked, he was clothed, and for the first time since she’d met him she felt utterly and completely vulnerable to him.
“Come here,” he coaxed, his eyes burning into her flesh, “whatever you have to say can be said whilst sitting on my lap.”
Valentina walked the small distance that separated them and stood before Neil. Before she could sit down on his lap as he’d told her to he buried his face in her chest and popped a nipple into his mouth. He drew on it, hardening and elongating it, inducing her eyes to close and her head to fall back on a moan.
Neil’s hands roamed all over her body, settling at her golden buttocks where he palmed and kneaded them as he continued to draw from her breast. He was losing control as he always did when he held her sexually, all higher level thinking quickly discarding itself to be repl
aced by primitive need. He pushed her hand down to cover his erection and groaned when she began to rub him through the jeans material.
“Take him out and sit on him,” he said thickly, releasing her nipple. “I need to feel you wrapped around me.”
Valentina did as she’d been bade, unzipping his jeans and freeing his stiff erection. Neil took the liberty of divesting himself of his shirt while she ran her hands over the expanse of his chest, loving the hardness and musculature of it. “Do you still think we’re not suited for each other?” she asked boldly as she came down on him and straddled his lap, her vagina poised at the head of his cock.
Neil’s fingers dug into her hips as he surged upwards, groaning as he entered her, gritting his teeth at the feel of her warm, wet flesh enveloping him, taking all of him in. “I never thought...” It was so difficult to speak, so difficult to think. He surged upwards again, ringing a gasp out of her. “I never thought that.”
“Then why did you wait until tonight to come to me?” Valentina held herself still, refusing to ride him into orgasm until he answered her. She knew she was toying with him, knew he’d only be able to endure so much.
“Because,” he said, his eyes narrowed in primal anger, the primitive part of his brain fully registering the fact that his sexual mate was withholding from him. His fingers dug deeper into her hips as he thrust upwards in a powerful, smooth motion both of them found highly stimulating. “Because,” he ground out, “I wanted to be certain you wanted me here.” He surged up again, earning himself another feminine gasp. “But I’ve decided that I’m keeping you regardless.”
Valentina smiled slowly. She rewarded his unexpected answer with some brisk, hard riding. He moaned, his tongue coming out to instinctively curl around her nipple, drawing it in, rolling it around with his lips and tongue.
