by Zuri Day
The phone rang. She checked the ID.
Dad. Great. Dream over.
Lauren started not to answer. But her curiosity about what was being cooked up between her dad and Ed trumped her desire to leave all of her problems behind and head straight to the plane. She pressed the speaker button and continued to pack.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hello, Lauren.”
He sounded formal, official, the same as he would while addressing a client. The history was different, but when it came to personality, Ed and her father were a lot alike.
“Faye said you wanted to speak with me regarding my project with Ed. I was disappointed to learn that she’d divulged my personal business. It is none of your concern.”
“Good, then I expect you to stop campaigning on Ed’s behalf. I will not marry him.”
“Ed loves you dearly, as do I, and wants to build a solid foundation that will benefit generations for both of our families.”
“There doesn’t have to be a marriage for that to happen.”
“But Ed is in love with you. It’s what he wants.”
“What about what I want?”
“And what is that?” Lauren bit her lip to remain silent. Given that there were few secrets between her parents, her dad most likely knew about Christian. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid, Lauren.”
“I’ve got to go. Bye, Dad.”
“Lauren!”
It was the first time in her life she’d ever defied him. But Lauren wasn’t about to make a promise that she wasn’t sure she could keep.
An unexpected knock at the door caused her to flinch, a sign of just how badly the conversation with her father had put her on edge. She hoped it was Frankie, always good for a laugh or lending a compassionate ear. Her smile was faint yet hopeful as she peeped through the hole.
“Hey, you,” she said after opening the door, batting away frustrating tears.
Christian stepped inside and took her into his arms. A diversion was just what she needed.
Twelve
It wasn’t what he’d intended to do, but Lauren looked as though she could use a hug. He would have ended it there, but when she glided her arms around his neck, wearing a skimpy top and boy shorts, reminding him of a butterscotch bar, what could he do but accept the invitation to cuddle? Then when she pressed her body into him and thrust her tongue into his mouth all Christian could think was...well, damn!
Christian deepened the kiss. He loved kissing, always had. It was an art he’d purposely perfected and growing up had practiced every chance he got. Lauren’s kisses were magical, and the thought of her becoming proficient the way he did made him want to punch every guy she’d ever dated. Their mouths fit together as though hers had been made especially for him. But had it? Were those delectable lips now sliding down the side of his face to his neck a gift...or a weapon?
He slowly pulled away from her. “That was some greeting.”
Lauren stepped back to let him in. “I won’t apologize for it, but I got carried away.”
“Are you all right?”
“Not really.” Lauren reached for the crutch leaning against the wall, crossed to the bar counter and perched on one of the stools.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” She looked at his lips.
“Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”
“You can use that irresistible mouth of yours for something besides talking.”
Without a word, he swept Lauren up into his arms and walked them into the bedroom.
He gently laid her on the bed and followed her down. Lauren’s movements were urgent, but he slowed the pace, kissing every exposed piece of skin. He felt pebbling beneath his chest and rose up just enough to lift up her top and give a nipple a nibble. Laving the darkened circle barely discernible in the darkness, he thought of truffles and bonbons, only Lauren was sweeter. She moaned, and he kissed the other peak, a mere flicker really, a promise that he’d be back. Then he was back at her mouth, and this time he meant business. He pressed his tongue inside her warm, moist cavern. Their tongues danced and dueled and got to know each other.
“Chris.” His name floated on a whisper into his ear. She moaned again, pulled off her tank top and reached for his belt. Christian felt himself harden and lengthen, and no longer cared to slow things down. They’d take their time on round two. And there would be a round two. He’d make sure of that.
Placing a knee on each side of her, he sat back and stared at her perfectly shaped, weighty globes, then gripped the waistband of her shorts and began to pull. Lauren rose up, her eyes dark with desire. She ground her hips a little.
Sexy-ass minx.
He eased the shorts over her hips, smiling at the patch of curly black fur covering her treasure. Some guys made a big deal of a girl being shaved, but for Christian that was overrated. If that was the woman’s choice, cool, but sometimes a mass of soft ground cover meant she hadn’t recently prepared it for anybody, that she hadn’t been ravished in a while. Lauren said she hadn’t recently dated, and not that it mattered, but he believed her. The thought of a snug welcome and rhythmic friction lengthened Christian’s erection even more.
Propping his hands on her knees and careful of her ankle, he coaxed her legs apart and took a long, slow dip into her dewy valley. The long moan emitted from the back of her throat let Christian know he was onto something that Lauren liked.
A lot.
That meant he couldn’t half step. He needed to do the job right. So he shifted them until he could lie comfortably between her legs and spread apart her folds with his tongue. Licking, lapping, he tasted her essence, massaged her into a hardened pearl. He spread her wider, tasted deeper, raised his hands and cupped her breasts. She ground her hips against his face. Encouraging his direction. The move made him so dizzy with desire, he was about to burst. Sliding off the bed, he shimmied out of his pants and reached for his wallet in one smooth motion. He quickly tore open the foil packet and sheathed his engorged member. He climbed on the bed and held his body aloft.
“Are you ready, baby?” he whispered.
“I’m so ready,” she replied.
“Then let’s do this.”
He aimed his ample appendage at her entry of ecstasy and connected with her in the deepest way possible with one...slow...continuous thrust.
Then the party started for real. Him plunging, retreating and plunging again. Her lifting her arched body, wanting him again and again. And when she squeezed her inner walls, tightly, it was Christian’s turn to moan. He eased his hands beneath what could only be described as the juiciest booty, squeezing her softly as he branded her core.
“Oh my goodness,” she gasped as her hip motion increased. Then more sounds, high-pitched, unintelligible, until her nails dug into his back as she went over the edge. Just in time, too, as Christian was also at his zenith. He plunged harder, faster, backward, forward, then shouted his release before collapsing on the bed beside her.
“What just happened?” Lauren asked in wonder, still catching her breath.
“Whatever it was,” Christian muttered as he reached over and pulled her against him, “I cannot wait for it to happen again.”
He didn’t have long to wait. The second time was slower, languid, like blue-lights-in-the-basement, straight-ahead jazz. They showered together, and Christian received an unexpected treat. Turns out that kissing wasn’t the only thing Lauren did well with her mouth.
Later, clean and sated, they cuddled beneath a sheet, watching the candle Lauren lit between rounds one and two flicker against the wall.
He stroked a finger across her shoulder, kissed her temple. “Do you feel better?”
“Infinitely so,” she murmured. “You?”
“I’m not sure, to be honest. I might need rehab.”
He felt Lauren’s head rise off the pillow. “Rehab? Why?”
“Because your love is addicting and I could get hooked.”
“Oh, Lord.”
They laughed, hugging, before Lauren perched against the headboard. Christian rose up, too.
“So you haven’t been with anyone in a while, huh?”
Lauren chuckled. “How could you tell?”
“I could tell.”
“What about you?”
“Nothing serious, not lately. I have a few friends with a clear understanding. We’re casual, getting together to have a good time. That’s about it.”
“Have you ever thought about getting married?”
Christian ran a hand over the sheet as he pondered the question. “I did, once.”
“What happened?”
“Someone I’d dated but no longer dealt with came back and messed it all up.”
She arched a brow. “You cheated with her?”
“No, but that’s how she made it look.”
“Wow, that’s jacked up.”
“Totally.”
Lauren could feel his eyes searching for her in the darkness.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Ever thought about getting taken off the market?”
“Taken off the market? Ugh! What am I, an egg?”
“Well, technically speaking...”
She hit him with a pillow. Talk lessened after that and then ended altogether. They fell asleep, spooning, Lauren clutching Christian’s big, strong arms around her. They woke up, hours later, the very same way.
Thirteen
Las Vegas was known for attracting the world’s finest in the art of illusion and wizardry. Christian had sat in premium seats and seen the best of the best. But he’d never experienced the kind of magic that had happened last night between him and Lauren. He didn’t want to overthink it or ruminate on what had happened before he arrived last night.
She’d pulled back a bit this morning, more guarded, less carefree. Clearly she didn’t want to put a label on what was happening. Heck, he didn’t either. But Christian knew one thing for sure. Even with the level of heat between last night’s high-thread-count Egyptian sheets, the passion between them was just beginning to burn.
After a quick trip to Dr. Burman’s office, Christian and Lauren headed straight to the airstrip. Their luggage had already been loaded, the plane had been checked, and they were ready for takeoff. Most of their time together had been with each of them handling last-minute business before leaving the country—Lauren on her tablet, Christian on his phone. But now, as they settled into the first two seats with Lauren’s ankle propped up on a padded stool, a light breakfast ordered and the Gulfstream taxiing down the runway, Christian reached over and squeezed her hand.
“You okay, beautiful?”
“I’m fine, especially since speaking with Victoria this morning. Frankie is going to work in my absence so I don’t feel that I’m leaving her in a lurch.”
“And your ankle? There’s really no pain?”
“None at the moment, thanks to this functional yet ugly thing.”
Lauren lifted the leg that the doctor had outfitted with a sleek black bionic ankle brace and wriggled her freshly painted toenails.
“I don’t know,” he replied, his voice as silky as the leg he now squeezed, peeking out from the thigh-high slit in Lauren’s maxi. Knowing that heaven awaited mere inches beneath the fabric almost made him go hard. “Your boot is kind of sexy.”
“Frankie would kill me if he knew I’d matched this dress with such plainness.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Christian reached for his phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“The other passengers coming on this trip.”
“I thought you said it would be just the two of us.”
“I said it would be only you and me in Djibouti. But we’ve got a couple slackers wanting to bum a ride to London.”
Lauren frowned, obviously confused.
Just then the captain—not Jesse but an equally capable and more formal young pilot named Dennis—came over the intercom.
“An official good morning to you, Mr. Breedlove, Ms. Hart. You’ve picked a great day to fly across the pond. We’ve reached our cruising altitude of forty thousand feet. All the way into Hayward there’s nothing but golden sunshine and blue skies so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.”
“Hayward?”
“Northern California, near San Francisco.”
Lauren’s eyes lit up. “Ace and London are coming with us?”
“They are indeed.”
* * *
An hour later the plane descended and scooped up Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery. While London and Lauren settled on the couch and Christian gave Ace a tour of the plane, the ground crew loaded their luggage.
London reached into a designer tote and pulled out a sock dipped in crystals. “Voila!”
Lauren laughed out loud. “You’ve got to be kidding! Frankie made the glittery bootee I wore to the show. I didn’t know they could actually be purchased.”
“They can’t be. That’s an original, darling. Whipped up just for you.”
“No way. Christian just called you, what, half an hour ago?”
“How long do you think it takes to dip a piece of apparel in fabric glue and roll it in Swarovski?”
“Is that what you did?”
Now it was London who chuckled. “Hardly. Ace called one of the guys at the shop who worked his magic and met us here.”
“Wow, that makes me feel really special. Thanks.”
“No, thank you. A version of what you’re holding will be in our next collection. Hey, maybe we’ll use you as the model.” London lifted her chin as Frankie would. “You’ll be fabulosity, sweetness.”
“Oh my goodness, the moment Frankie sees this he’ll expire on the spot. In fact, you should get him to model for you. Wait! I just thought of something.”
“What?”
“Where’s the baby?”
“Our little princess left with her nanny and the staff last night. They’ll be there and have the house ready when we arrive. Speaking of, how long will you be in London? We’ve got some great friends there that we’d love you to meet.”
Christian and Ace joined them in the sitting area. The plane took off and the party started. That London and Ace were on board with them could not have made Lauren happier. She didn’t regret what happened last night. In fact, she couldn’t wait for it to happen again. But having sex with Christian couldn’t help but complicate a situation that the conversation with her dad made even more convoluted. A situation that no matter how much she wished, seemed to not be going away.
Later, she told herself, as the flight attendant brought out mimosas made with freshly squeezed orange juice and a ridiculously expensive bottle of Krug vintage brut.
For the next ten hours they ate, drank and, for Lauren, experienced shoptalk at a whole other level. She marveled at how London, Ace and Christian discussed billions and trillions the way average people talked about twenties and tens. The slackers, Lauren learned, would play an intricate role in the playground of the rich that Christian envisioned in Africa, with a designer house of Ace’s fashions anchoring a sprawling mall and London’s A-list celebrity connections purchasing properties and making the man-made islands like pricey, limited-edition baubles that only the wealthiest and luckiest could attain.
She watched the ease with which these friends did business together and couldn’t imagine the same relaxed camaraderie between Ed and her dad. The pilot announced the plane’s initial descent. The couples returned to their seats and buckled up for landing, and Lauren snuggled into the comfort of Christian’s warm embrace.
“Good idea, baby,” he whispered
, his breath hot and wet against her ear.
“What?”
“Getting your rest. You’re going to need it.”
She shifted her head to look at him. “Is that so?”
“That’s so so.”
“Why? What’s going to happen later?”
He pulled her closer to him. “It involves getting you wetter for me tonight than you were last night, and then taking my time to lick you dry.”
His plan was already working. Lauren squeezed her thighs together against the pulsating flesh.
“Stop being a bad boy,” she cooed, nestling deeper into his arms.
He kissed the top of her head. “Not a chance.”
For a second her shield slipped, and Lauren wondered how it might feel to spend a lifetime in this luxury, night after night in the protection and passion of Christian’s strong arms. Just as quickly the fantasy dissipated, replaced by a vision of Ed’s cocky smirk and the memory of her dad’s somber plea. Christian was a stellar deflection from what she faced once back stateside. But Lauren held no delusions that he’d ever be anything more than that.
They touched down at London’s Luton Airport in the wee hours of the morning. After customs personnel had boarded the plane and quickly cleared them, the foursome dashed through a steady drizzle to a waiting car. As they neared the driver hopped out, opened the door and ushered them inside before handling their luggage. London nestled her head against Ace’s shoulder and closed her eyes. Then, in a universal man move, Ace and Christian settled into a conversation about the car transporting them, a Rolls-Royce Phantom with seats that faced each other and leather so soft it cupped the body like a blanket.
