TAKE ME BY CHERRY ADAIR novel - الصفحة 7

26-08-08, 12:55 PM

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الكاتب:	cocubasha
اللقب:	عضو راقي

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التسجيل:	Oct 2007
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كاتب الموضوع : cocubasha المنتدى : الارشيف

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was a good thing she wasn't prone to excessive drinking or tantrums. Jessie swallowed two aspirin, more for the Joshua-size headache than for her cramps, and glared at the calendar.
She wasn't pregnant.
Her cycle had always been erratic, but there was no mistake. The disappointment felt like a physical blow to her chest. Her throat had felt tight with unshed tears for hours.
The times with Joshua were becoming more and more like real dates. She didn't want to date the blasted man. It seemed Fate conspired against her, as if the gods were challenging her to get to know him before they allowed her a child.
Jessie walked downstairs into her studio. She knew all she wanted to know about Joshua Falcon. He was impatient, arrogant, dictatorial and rude. He was also generous, insightful and an incredible lover. She groaned. She had told the guys the relationship with Joshua wasn't personal, but it was becoming more personal by the day.
She didn't like it. He had one purpose for being in her life, and one purpose only. She couldn't lose sight of the whole point of this exercise. There was no use weeping and wailing and pounding her breast. If she wasn't pregnant, she wasn't pregnant. Yet.
She'd keep doing it until she got it right.
She stepped back from the samples she'd propped on the three-hundred-year-old refectory table she'd bought for a song and refinished herself. Arms folded, she critically eyed the wallpaper and fabric combination, visualizing it all in conjunction with everything else in the client's living room.
Her own home was decorated in the primary and secondary colors she loved. The sunshine-yellow canvas sofa was strewn with plush pillows in blues and reds and parrot green. Various clay pots held grasses or twigs. A large brass spittoon on her drafting table held the mixed bouquet of iris and daffodils Joshua had sent her a few days ago. The cottage was a comfortable blend of antiques coupled with a very modern drafting table and her computer, which she'd used to prop up the enormous wallpaper sample book.
The client, a retired dentist, wanted Victorian and Laura Ashley. Jessie slowly walked backward, her hands framing the still life on her desk, her head tilted. "Perfectomundo!" She stepped back and walked smack into a hard body. "Joshua." She turned into his arms, lifting her face.
His mouth came down hungrily on hers as he angled her head for a perfect fit. Jessie wound her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She made a soft sound of pleasure as his hands slid under her flannel lumberjack shirt and found bare skin.
She'd given him a key last month, the day after Billy, although this was the first time he'd used it.
She savored the feel of his fingers against her skin as his large hand skimmed up her back. "What are you doing here?"
"If it's not obvious then my technique is lacking something," Joshua said dryly. "I came to invite you to dinner. How about Japanese tonight?"
"Great." Jessie unwound her arms. It was becoming too easy to be touched by him. Far too enjoyable to have his mouth explore hers. She strolled across the room, then plunked down in her seat and hit the save button on her computer. "I love Japanese." She looked up at him. "I actually thought it would be hard to fit in with your rarefied lifestyle, but it's not all bad."
"You'd put up with the paparazzi and other hoopla for the food alone."
"The travel benefits aren't bad, either." She wanted to touch him but rested her fingers on her keyboard instead.
"Good, because we'll be eating that Japanese meal I was talking about in Tokyo."
She should have realized, with Joshua, nothing was quite that straightforward.
"Not we, Joshua." Jessie closed the wallpaper book before turning from her computer, resting her arm along the back of her chair. In a dark business suit, with a teal tie and his hair brushed back, he looked immaculate, efficient and cool. As usual. She knew she must look like hell with her hair haphazardly piled on top of her head and anchored with a couple of pencils. She wore no makeup and was dressed in black leggings and her favorite red-and-black plaid shirt which came to her knees. She hadn't expected him. Usually at this time of the morning he was entrenched in his office in the city.
She'd left him sleeping at 3:00 a.m. and now, seven hours later, he was insisting she pack for a trip to Japan and leave within hours. He hadn't said a word about it last night.
His eyes went cool, aloof. She knew he was ticked off by her refusal to go. His lips tightened. "Part of our agreement, Jessie, was that you would be available to accompany me on my business trips. I'm leaving out of SFO in two hours. Don't bother packing much. You'll have ample time to shop in Tokyo."
"Please don't tell me what to do, Joshua. I said no, and I mean it." Joshua used shopping trips like a carrot at the end of a stick. Shopping had obviously been an inducement to his other mistresses. She supposed she should be grateful he wasn't observant enough to realize she wasn't enticed by the same baubles as his former mistresses.
He hadn't liked it when she'd refused the BMW he'd had delivered a few weeks ago either. He hadn't understood the charm of her ancient Celica.
"I have plenty of clothes—that's not the point. You'll have to give me more than a couple of hours notice for these trips. I have clients who require my attention and two bosses who depend on me to carry my share of the work."
His face rigid, Joshua dug his hands into the pockets of his coat. In the bright morning sunlight streaming into her downstairs studio, Jessie could see how tired he looked. Not a hair was out of place and no wrinkle marred his impeccable suit or crisp white shirt but lines of fatigue were clearly visible on his face. The man worked too long and too hard.
She softened her tone. "I enjoy being with you, you know that. But we only got back from Greece ten days ago—"
"This is strictly business. It won't be a repeat of the yacht."
"It will always be a repeat." Jessie said with sardonic amusement. They'd spent seven days on his yacht in the Aegean. "I only saw you after sundown." While the men talked business in the luxurious stateroom, the women had tanned up on deck. There were plenty of hot-and-cold running waiters, the Greek sun had baked out the last of her Billy bruises, and she'd been amused by the other men's trophy wives or mistresses. But the time was wasted if she wasn't spending it in bed with Joshua. They had gone during peak conception days. Taking advantage of the golden opportunity was the only reason Jessie had hurriedly juggled her schedule.
"As much as I enjoyed it, taking a week off unexpectedly like that threw me off. I have to finish this before my meeting with Dr. Low on Friday."
"Send Conrad."
"Con's an architect, not a decorator. Besides, Jenn is my client, Joshua." She rose and put her arms around his neck. Despite his obvious reluctance to be cajoled, he dipped his head and accepted her kiss.
There was one place Joshua Falcon was not one hundred percent in control and that was in the bedroom. She needed him to respond to her without restraint, and he did. Jessie didn't want to analyze why it had become important but with every breath she took, she wanted to know that, in this, she had power over him. That she could make him melt in her arms. She felt the stiffness in his shoulders gradually ease. His lips felt warm, alive. Her body jolted with the erotic touch of his tongue against hers. His arousal was even more potent; she felt his erection through her Lycra leggings.
She moaned into his mouth and, after a minuscule pause, Joshua's arm tightened around her back, drawing her up and onto her toes, one hand buried in her hair. She heard the anchoring pencils fall onto her worktable as Joshua bent her backward like a bow, his teeth nipping ravenously on her lower lip.
Suddenly he gripped her wrists and brought them from around his neck taking a step back. His fingers imprisoned the delicate bones. "Come with me, Jessie."
"No. I'm sorry you're disappointed, Joshua. But I have a life, too. My business is important, and when I make a commitment to a client, I damn well keep it."
"You have a commitment… " he said harshly, his fingers flexing on her wrists. "To me. Which is far more important."
Jessie twisted out of his hold. His grip hadn't hurt and he let her go immediately. She leaned her hip against her desk and gave him a cool look. Still struggling for a breath, her heart pounded. He was as cold as the spring breeze whipping the trees outside.
"I'll be seeing these clients again next year, and probably the next." His mouth tightened. He got the point. Jessie forged on. "My clients are a long-term commitment Joshua. By next January you won't even remember my name. I'll be mistress number—" she waved a hand "—whatever." She crossed her fingers behind her back for implying she'd still be around then. By next month she wanted him out of her life.
"I'll be gone fourteen days." Joshua searched her face. Jessie had no idea what he was looking for. Capitulation?
"Have a safe trip."
There was a long pause. "I'd like you to do the interior design on the resort I'm buying in Tokyo."
Jessie closed her eyes and sighed inwardly. The multi-billion dollar resort in Tokyo was a very big carrot to dangle indeed.
"I prefer residential to commercial." She hardened her heart. She had a bad habit of believing she knew what he was thinking and invariably ended up being wrong. There wasn't a needy bone in this man's body. If Joshua wanted her in Tokyo, it was for his convenience.
He'd told her what a good hostess she was, how well she fit in with his business associates and their wives and mistresses. Fine. Well, this time, he could do his entertaining on his own. She had other things to do and people who needed her immediate attention. Besides it was his fault she had PMS.
She leaned over her desk and snagged her day planner. "Let's coordinate this trip and I'll make time—"
"By the time you've thought about it," Joshua stated in a voice sharp enough to chip ice, "I'll have contracted Evelyn Van Roosmalen to do the job." He fastened the buttons on his navy-blue cashmere coat and strode to the door. "I beg no woman, Jessie." He reached for the doorknob. "You only had to tell me once. I won't ask you again."
"Joshua—" The door shut quietly behind him. "Damn!" Jessie spun her chair around before sprawling inelegantly in it. "Damn and double damn."

* * * * *

Joshua pushed away the paperwork he'd been trying to concentrate on for three hours. Damn her. She was his mistress, for Christ's sake. What in the hell did she want? He'd never had a mistress who made him feel as if he were jumping through flaming hoops. And she did it seemingly without guile.
She never complained, usually complied and rarely caused even a ripple in his normal workday. He'd become used to her waiting for him at his house in the evening. Used to the novelty of helping her prepare a meal in his kitchen. Damn well complacent about having her in his bed at night.
He felt annoyingly uncomfortable making Jessie get up to go home. Usually he left the woman right after sex. But she refused to let him sleep at her place.
Somehow, spending the entire night with a woman had always implied an intimacy he'd never wanted, a level of trust he'd never experienced. This way the sex act was easy—fast, satisfying and impersonal. Intimacy was different. Intimacy required vulnerability, loss of control.
It was probably a good thing the affair with Jessie Adams was over.
Joshua stared at the clouds drifting by the window of his 727. The pressurized cabin was cool, the way he liked it. Except that he could smell the faint scent of Jessie's perfume on the still air. She hadn't been on his plane since the trip to Greece. The aircraft had been cleaned several times since then and yet her fragrance lingered still. That annoyed him. Joshua scrawled a note to himself to inform the flight crew to make sure the plane was scrubbed down after every flight. His pen pressed so hard he gouged the paper.
He'd been forced to be emotionally independent early in life. He'd learned the lesson well. It was damn hard for him to trust anyone. But, damn it, he wanted to trust Jessie. He wanted it badly enough to relax his guard once in a while, like a dog belly-crawling for a pat instead of the stick.
From the hidden speakers came the faint sound of a dreamy Brahms waltz. Something Jessie would love to dance to, her tall, slender body pressed against his chest, her arms stealing up around his neck, her fragrant hair tickling his chin as she hummed along, out of tune, with the music. Joshua laid his head back against the velvety nap of his seat and squeezed his eyes shut against a headache starting to throb in his temples.
How dare she presume that he would come running back when she clicked her fingers. Like a goddamn lap-dog. He didn't need her. He didn't need any woman, least of all her. She was too tall, her breasts were too damn small...
Joshua wished to God he hadn't thought of her breasts. Which, of course, like everything else about the woman, fit him to a tee.
He wished he'd never met her. Never tasted her soft, pouty mouth, never held her in his arms or felt her velvety skin beneath his hand. Never had her slick and panting under him, crying his name as her slender body convulsed time and again.
He hadn't become a millionaire by being dictated to by anyone. He called the shots and people obeyed or were eliminated from his equations. He made a thousand competent decisions a day. Had thousands of people working for him who considered his word law. Jessie Adams was dangerous. She reminded him of things he'd never had.
He'd left Jessie five hours ago and already his body ached for her. Joshua gripped the armrests with fingers that turned white. He was getting too involved. It wasn't emotional, of course. But his body craved hers like a drug. He'd never before bedded a woman as sexually compatible. That was all it was.
If any one of a number of other mistresses in the past had done to him what Jessie had done today, that would have been the last time he'd have seen her.
Hell, he hadn't seen his mother since she walked away from him when he was kid. And he was a lot less forgiving now. He'd been shunted between two hedonistic, uncaring people who had the misfortune to be parents. His mother's pregnancy had been cold-bloodedly calculated to snag Joshua's very wealthy and totally unromantic father. Wife number five, the only wife to give him a child. The marriage endured for three years. Joshua had been the pawn in their power-play game of revenge.
Neither wanted him. Both fought over him. He wasn't being volleyed from parent to parent for anything other than power and money. If his father had him, his mother toed the line. If his mother had him, her expenses skyrocketed as she squeezed his father mercilessly. Until his Uncle Simon and the family lawyer had insisted young Joshua be sent to boarding school where he wouldn't expect anyone to care and therefore would never be disappointed.
He'd never seen his mother again. His father had died of a massive coronary when Joshua was seventeen.
Joshua pushed himself upright and drew the papers on his desk closer. To hell with Jessie. She wasn't worth all this introspection. When he said jump to a mistress, she sure as hell better ask how high.
He paused, his eyes on the phone at his left hand. He could call her and give her one more chance. He'd make sure she understood she'd been given a reprieve. It was damn inconvenient when he was so busy to be looking for another bed partner.
Joshua picked up the phone.

* * * * *

Juggling two bags of groceries Jessie managed to open the back door into her kitchen as the phone started ringing. Rushing, she set the bags down. Her heart gave an illogical leap. Joshua. Apples rolled from the bag and her eggs landed, box open, to splatter on the tile floor. The second her hand touched the receiver the ringing stopped.
Jessie picked up the phone anyway. For a moment she stood there in her kitchen, eggs slithering across her clean floor as she clasped the phone and its dial tone to her chest. Her heart was beating much too fast for a short sprint across her kitchen.
Jessie carefully hung up phone.

* * * * *
MAY

Joshua had not called once in the three weeks he'd been gone. There had been an unusual amount of hangups—people not leaving messages. But Jessie knew that Joshua would always have something pithy to say to her machine when she wasn't there. The hang-ups were just coincidences.
Joshua's absence was intolerable. Once again her C days had come and gone while he was somewhere else. Damn him, the least he could have done was call. He'd been gone a week longer than he'd said.
The enormous black wrought-iron gates slid open, the gold Falcon, wings spread, parted in the middle as she drove her five-year-old Toyota up the herringbone brick driveway to the house.
Joshua's home was a two-story English Tudor set on six acres of prime real estate just south of San Francisco. Behind the stone wall surrounding the property, emerald-green lawns and deep flower beds, filled with a brilliant profusion of spring bulbs, lined the long entry to Joshua's very private estate.
The weeks he'd been gone had crept by, no matter how busy she kept herself. He hadn't even bothered to call her himself this morning. One of his secretaries had called and set up an "appointment" for Thursday evening at seven. Typical Joshua. He was still ticked off that she hadn't gone with him. Jessie wasn't going to tell him how close she'd been to hopping a commercial jet and surprising him in Tokyo.
She was starting to get desperate. Perhaps she shouldn't limit their sexual encounters to just her fertile days. Perhaps she should go with what her body was telling her and have sex as often as she could. The law of averages made a compelling argument for increasing her chances of conception.
She parked beside a brilliant bed of pink parrot tulips, right over the drip pan Barlow had discreetly supplied weeks ago. She grinned.
The crisp breeze played with her hem as she hopped out of the car. Perhaps she should have worn something a little more conservative. She looked like a wild gypsy with the brilliantly colored, ankle-length, ruffled skirt and off-the-shoulder blouse. Hardly appropriate donning for May, but she'd changed so many times before coming, she finally decided she needed the added confidence of the bright colors.
Her hair was its usual wild, curly tangle around her shoulders and the air currents ruffled through it as Jessie sprinted up the shallow brick steps curving up to the massive black front doors. She shivered. The spring air felt crisp on her bare arms and caused the gold charms on her hooped earrings to tinkle softly as they brushed against her cheeks.
The doors were slightly ajar. She rubbed her arms briskly as she stepped into the dim entry hall checkered in black-and-gray Italian marble. She'd been here so many times, she knew her way around the mansion by heart.
She'd love to redecorate the house out of its official, ******-cutter, corporate mold. Bold colors, she thought, her skin adjusting to warm air as she closed the front door behind her. Teal and sienna, gold and royal purple. She'd strip the tall windows of their fussy layers of draperies. Let the sunlight pour in to warm both house and man.
Jessie's heels clicked across the marble, dulled a little on the polished parquet of the corridor and then became muffled on the thick burgundy carpet of the formal living room. Every one of his homes carried the same corporate colors as his office, planes and yacht.
Joshua stood at the Palladian windows at the far end of the room overlooking the rose garden. Outside, the gardeners had turned on the sprinkler system. Water sparkled in lazy swoops across the freshly mowed lawn. Other than dropping the sheer back across the window, he didn't acknowledge her arrival.
"I'm here," she said unnecessarily, tossing her purse onto the white brocade sofa and stepping up behind him. Her heart suddenly pounded with anticipation, her mouth dry. Obviously her body had made up her mind for her.
More sex, more often.
He didn't turn around as she slid her arms around his waist. His stomach contracted, his only acknowledgment. Rock hard under her fingertips, his skin felt warm, alive. Jessie rested her cheek against his broad back. "How was your trip?"
"Profitable."
"Did you get any rest?" Jessie felt the exhaustion dragging at his shoulders beneath her cheek.
"I'm not a child. I know my own limitations."
"No, you don't," Jessie scolded as she felt his stomach clench under her hands. "You push yourself to the very edge. One day you should play hooky with me and smell the roses."
"I suggested that, you declined."
"Japan?" Jessie tried to turn his large body. He remained like a blasted rock. "Tokyo wouldn't have been playing hooky, Joshua. You probably worked eighteen-hour days, and I would have been sightseeing and waiting in a hotel room for you to come to me. Come upstairs, and I'll help you relax." Jessie ran her hands up his flat stomach, pressing a series of kisses on his back.
"Is sex all you think about, Jessie?"
Jessie gave a soft, incredulous snort of laughter. "Talk about the pot calling the kettle black." He had no idea how close to the truth he was.
"We've been apart for three weeks, and all you can think about is going upstairs and having sex."
The smile died on Jessie's face. "Good Lord. You're serious." She moved a step away from him. "Joshua, I can tell how exhausted you are. I just wanted to help you relax. That doesn't always mean we have to make love."
"Have sex."
"Make love, damn it. I missed you more than you'll ever know. And that has nothing to do with sex." Oh God. Where had that come from? Jessie thought, panicked.
"I don't want you to love me."
"I know." Jessie squeezed her eyes shut. I'm trying not to.
"And I'll never love you. From observation, love isn't all it's cracked up to be. It binds you, strips away your pride and strength with nothing in return."
"You've had more experience. I'll take your word for it," Jessie hedged. "But I did miss you holding me. Turn around. Kiss me. Please, Joshua." Her voice sounded thick. Her heart took up a dull, heavy beat as he remained facing the window before turning around slowly. He looked down into her upturned face, using a finger to trace the curve of her cheek.
The feel of his fingers on her face was unbearably tender. A contradiction to the rock hard look in his pale eyes.
"Did you miss me, Jessie?"
"Yes. Very much." She ached for him to wrap his arms around her, to hold her close to his broad chest. She uselessly yearned to have him welcome her into his arms. Every time they were apart, it seemed to Jessie as if they had to start again from square one. The man had the worst timing of anyone she knew.
He dropped his hand from her face, reaching into his jacket pocket and withdrawing a glossy black paper bag with gold corded handles. "Here."
She looked at the bag. Jewelry wasn't what she wanted from him. "I told you I don't want you to keep buying me things, Joshua." She refused to take it from him. "Don't make me feel… cheap."
He ran his knuckle down her cheek as he stared down at her meditatively. "No, you're not cheap, are you, Jessie?"
I'll stay for as long as it suits us both, but I won't be bought." Her cheek was immediately cold as he dropped his hand.
"Just open the damn thing. It's no big deal."
Jessie didn't care about the present. Why hadn't he kissed her? Was this his way of punishing her for not joining him on his trip? She absently took the bag from him, and inserted her hand into the iridescent, gossamer-thin paper inside.
She pulled out a delicate rose quartz box the size of her palm. It was crusted with pearls, what looked like pink diamonds and intricately woven gold leaves. It was feminine, delicate and quite unlike anything he'd given her before.
"It's exquisite." Jessie looked up at him. Please don't just stand there with that hateful cold look on your face. "Thank—"
"Open it."
Jessie clicked open the lid. Inside, nestled on a bed of blush-pink satin lay two pale green spheres, each about three quarters of an inch across. Earrings. She lifted one from the box. It moved in her hand. Jessie stared at it.
Not an earring. It had no back to it.
"Marbles?" she asked, puzzled. She flattened her palm, and the small ball rolled across her hand.
"Benwa balls," Joshua told her.
Jessie put the thing back into its box, then gave him a puzzled look. "Benwa balls?"
"You insert them into your vagina," Joshua said, watching her face. "You'll have continuous orgasms when we're apart."
Jessie pulled a face. "Sounds exhausting. Think I'll pass."
"These particular benwa balls were hand carved over a thousand years ago." He removed both balls from the box. "Give me your hand. See how they move? That's because they've been carefully weighted so that they'll continually shift inside you. They're made from white jade found in Myanmar, Burma. This particular jade is called moss in snow—see the little flecks of darker green? They're said to have magical powers."
"Well, anything that can give a woman multiple orgasms without human contact, must," Jessie said with a small smile. "But if these things are over a thousand years old I'd hate to think how many women have… used them. Ew. Thank you for the gift, but I'll definitely pass."
Joshua took the box from her and inserted the jade balls. He snapped the lid closed then shoved the box in his pocket. "They're nonporous and sterilized. Do you think I'd give you anything that would harm you?"
"No. But I'd still prefer to have something as intimate as that in its original, sanitized, shrink-wrapped packaging, thank you very much."
"Go upstairs and wait for me," he said coldly. "I have to make a few calls."
Jessie gave him a narrow-eyed look before turning on her heel and leaving the room. She left a drift of Joy and disappointment in the room behind her like an invisible ghost.
He should have given her more diamonds. She'd liked the earrings he'd given her for Valentine's day. The benwa balls had been too intimate, too personal. He'd been thinking of her pleasure. The antiquities had cost enough to support a small nation, and she'd dismissed their value as casually as she would a Cracker Jack box toy. He'd seen the disappointment in her eyes when she'd opened the damned box. She'd expected jewelry. Something she could wear and show off. Damn. He rubbed the ache between his eyes.
Once when he'd been about twelve, he'd given his mother a purple leather coat. It had cost him his month's allowance and humiliating hours trying to choose the one he knew she would like. The memory of her laughter made him cringe to this day. The color, of course, had been all wrong with her skin tones and didn't he know that she had wanted a red fox fur, for God's sake?
His mother had returned the coat and kept the money. The look on Jessie's face had frozen his marrow in exactly the same way as it had frozen all those years ago. Joshua hadn't liked it then, and he sure as hell wouldn't tolerate it now.
He'd watched her bounce in, her bright figure reflected in the small baroque mirror on the wall beside him. He'd squeezed his eyes shut as her fragrance drifted closer and closer. God, when she'd walked in, he hadn't been able to turn around without making an absolute ass of himself.
If he had, he would've grabbed her and held on tightly. He would've inhaled the sweet familiar fragrance of her hair and brushed his mouth across her velvety check. He'd ached so, missing her.
His need for her was alarming. Jesus. What the hell was this? It was more than sex. He was addicted to the taste and feel of Jessie. Addicted to the touch of her hands. Hell, he didn't care where she touched him. Didn't care whether it was sexual or not. He wanted her hands on him.
He'd just realized since meeting her that the only time anyone had touched him in his life had been purely by necessity, for sex, or by accident. Who would have thought that touching could become so damn addictive? When he was with Jessie he felt as uncontrolled as the boy he'd once been trying to hug his mother without blubbering like an infant.
It was easy for Joshua to express himself with sex. Sex was physical, immediate, the meaning unmistakable. His insatiable desire for Jessie was a clear indication of his… Joshua grit his teeth. What? God only knew, nothing as clear cut and simple as physical desire described what he felt for the infuriating woman upstairs.
He didn't understand this emotional churning, or the mental upheaval of titanic proportions he'd been experiencing in the months since he'd met her. Instinct warned he was in way over his head and sinking fast.
He glanced at his watch. Eleven minutes had passed. He turned for the stairs, warning himself to slow down and not appear more eager than was financially advisable. The woman turned him inside out, but she didn't have to know it.
Joshua winced when he recalled his crude question to her about just thinking about sex. Christ. He was the one who thought of nothing else. He walked slowly up the curving staircase, his footsteps as heavy as that frozen rock in his chest.
Only the light beside the bed broke the darkness. The room was empty. He could hear water running in the bathroom. Joshua shrugged out of his jacket and loosened his tie. He and Jessie had never taken a bath together. Their coupling was always too fast and hard to waste a moment. Joshua felt his arousal despite the bone-weary exhaustion that dragged at his shoulders and made every step seem a mile.
He envisioned Jessie up to her pink nipples in foaming water, holding out her arms to him wearing bubbles and a smile. She'd be slick with water and desire. He moved into the luxuriously appointed bathroom.
She was still fully clothed. The brilliant orange, red and yellow skirt trailed onto the black-carpeted floor as she sat on the top step near the edge of the tub, her fingers testing the water.
"You're not naked," he said more harshly than he intended. Steam had made her hair curl more tightly and filmed her face and neck with a pearlescent glow.
"Not yet." She stood and wiped her hands on a towel she'd draped on the heated rack next to the sunken tab. She moved toward him with that lithe, catlike grace that made his mouth water and his penis stand to attention. Her fingers finished loosening his tie, tossing it behind him where it landed in the doorway.
She stripped off his shirt, tossing it the way of his tie. Her hands felt cool against his stomach as she unbuttoned, unzipped and managed to draw down his shorts with his pants.
"What d—"
Jessie stopped him midword. "Joshua?" She curved her palm against his cheek.
"What!"
You're behaving like a jerk." She reached up on her tiptoes and gently kissed his mouth. "I know you're tired. Just don't say anything for a while, okay?"
His forehead dropped to rest on hers, and his arms looped around her slender waist "Jesus, Jessie," he groaned. "What are you doing to me?"
"Tonight, let me be a friend, even if you are behaving like an ass." She methodically removed the rest of his clothing. "The closer we get, the harder you try to push me away. Sometimes you push too hard and it hurts. So, tonight we'll just be friends."
Joshua bracketed her face with both hands, closed his eyes as if in pain and then opened them to look down at her, a half smile curving his mouth. "What will my 'friend' do when she sees how aroused I am?" he asked on a huff of air.
Jessie grinned. "Oh, I'm friends with that part too. Don't worry, I can control my baser side."
"Shoes?" he asked, amused by her enthusiasm. "The shoes come off before the pants, darling." Joshua buried his fingers in her hair as she knelt at his feet. Impatient with how methodical she was being, he cupped her face. "Stand up, Jessie."
She rose slowly, hitching up her blouse where it drooped off one slender pale shoulder. Her dark eyes grew heavy lidded as he stroked the warm, damp skin of her neck, then slipped the elastic farther down her arm.
"I know I don't always respond to you appropriately," he said softly as she looked up at him warily. The woman turned him inside out. "But can we be 'friends' later?" he murmured roughly, "As much as slow turns me on, I need you hard and fast right now. It's been too damn long."
As he talked, he stripped her naked. Despite the blustery weather, she hadn't worn much. Her gypsy-girl outfit was more color than substance. She wore no underwear. Joshua groaned, kicking off his shoes as his mouth hungrily sought hers.
Jessie pulled his head closer, kissing him open-mouthed. He swiftly turned the kiss into a prolonged, nonverbal apology.
He felt very, very apologetic.
They sank onto the carpeted steps running the length of the deep Jacuzzi tub. Joshua lay back, and Jessie straddled his hips, holding herself over his erection until she was comfortably situated. "You don't get to call the shots tonight. It's my turn. Just lie there and let me do my thing. Now, put your arms out on either side of you where I can see them, and don't touch."
Joshua's mouth watered as he let his gaze travel from her wild hair, down the smooth satin of her skin. She lifted her arms to shake back her hair, baring the slender length of her throat and the gentle slope of her breasts. He reached for her, but she gently pushed his hands away. "Uh-uh. Tell me what you want. I'll give it to you."
He stretched his arms out along the step. "I want to taste your nipples."
She arched her back, leaning forward, hands braced on the step near his head. Her dark, fragrant hair fell in a silky curtain around their heads. Her nipple was hard and puckered as she brushed his lips with first one and then the other. God, she was responsive. Joshua latched on to one hard point on her next pass and gently closed his teeth around the bud, then laved it with his tongue. She moaned low in her throat, and he felt the shudder run through her body. He nuzzled his face between her sweet breasts, inhaling the heady fragrance of an aroused Jessie.
"Go down on me, Jessie," he begged, his voice almost unrecognizable.
"Kiss me first," Jessie said thickly. "Kiss me as if you're thirsty, and I'm water." Her slightly parted lips brushed his mouth. Eager to taste her, Joshua allowed Jessie to take the initiative. Her tongue slicked along the seam of his lips and he opened his mouth to her. She tasted achingly familiar. For a moment, he couldn't bear to move as she brushed her soft lips over his and tasted him with her tongue.
"I'm dying of thirst here, Jessie. More."
Her husky laugh tickled his lips. She angled her head and tunneled her fingers through his hair, holding him where she needed him, not that he was going anywhere. Joshua dug his fingers into the thick pile of the carpet, resisting the overwhelming need to touch her velvety soft skin.
She kissed him back boldly, aggressively. Her tongue mated and dueled with his until his erection jerked and bobbed against his leg.
They were both breathing hard when she lifted her head. Their eyes met for a moment, then, keeping eye contact, Jessie slid down his body, supple and eager.
Joshua's head fell back on the thickly padded stair as her hair flowed like summer rain across his chest. Stomach. Groin. Ah, Jesus… She knelt between his legs, naked and glorious, her pale body luminous against the matte blackness of the carpet
Jessie.
Her fingers were cool as she tested the weight of his balls in one hand, while with her other she brought the tip of his penis into contact with the slick, wet heat of her mouth. And, all the while, her big, brown, beautiful eyes watched his face.
As delicate as a cat, she licked the bead of moisture from the tip, then ran her tongue down the length of his erection as though it were a Popsicle. She wrapped her cool fingers around the base, and his nostrils flared and teeth gritted at the exquisite sensation. He bit back a groan and dug his fingers into the carpet to anchor himself.
Jessie.
Her lips worked the swollen head of his shaft as though she'd done this a million times before. Her eyes lost focus as she concentrated on pleasuring him.
She drew her slick tongue down the length, and then took the head into her mouth and sucked hard. Joshua's shoulders came up off the step, and he let out a feral growl of pleasure.
He grabbed Jessie's slender shoulders and pulled her up the length of his body.
"Not good?" she asked crawling up the rest of the way on her own.
"Too good." His erection demanded relief, it bobbed and stroked her flat belly with a mind of its own. "Top or bottom?"
"Top," Jessie decided, voice thick. She took his shaft in one hand and guided it home.

26-08-08, 01:15 PM

المشاركة رقم: 32

المعلومات
الكاتب:	cocubasha
اللقب:	عضو راقي

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التسجيل:	Oct 2007
العضوية:	45117
المشاركات:	8,329
الجنس	أنثى
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كاتب الموضوع : cocubasha المنتدى : الارشيف

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jessie glanced at the clock on her nightstand as she finished dressing for the party. For once she might be ready when Joshua arrived. Grabbing the yellow clutch that matched her dress, she dashed downstairs to her studio to put the finishing touches on the presentation she'd been working on for the past week. It was a nice commission, one she wanted to close.
Despite Archie and Conrad being good friends, they were also her bosses. She'd hardly been bringing in enough to cover her paycheck in the past few months, and she was starting to feel guilty.
When Conrad had hired a new designer for the team a month ago, he'd been quick to assure Jessie that she still had her job. The architectural design firm was simply growing.
It was. Jessie knew that, but she felt guilty all the same. Getting out of bed at 3:00 a.m and then getting out of bed to go to work again at 7:00 a.m. was hardly conducive to a good night's sleep. She was starting to feel the strain.
But neither by word nor deed did she intend Joshua to know that. She'd just have to become more organized.
They spent almost every night together, and every morning at three, Jessie drove herself home. It was ridiculous, not to mention inconsiderate, to wake the chauffeur to have him drive her back to the cottage at the crack of dawn. She didn't care how much he was paid.
That time of the morning was the loneliest Jessie ever felt. If sometimes she needed to cry on the drive home, she wanted to do so in private. Almost five months of being Joshua's lover, and she still wasn't pregnant. The spare room was overflowing with baby stuff. A white wicker crib, a high chair, toys, clothes, books.
She'd tossed out the calendar and the basal thermometer. If rabbits could do it then so could she. The fact that she wasn't pregnant wasn't for lack of trying. Joshua couldn't seem to get enough of her and Jessie was afraid to analyze too closely what was going on in her own mind.
She stuck her client's paperwork, which she hadn't even glanced at, back in the file so she could get up and pace. High heel sandals picking up speed from the doorway to the far wall and back again.
"What am I doing?" she asked herself in disgust before flopping inelegantly into the comfortable chair by the window. There was no point anticipating failure. It wasn't over yet. She still had more than half her "contract" time left. She'd just never thought she'd need this much time.

* * * * *

Tonight they were attending an engagement party and Jessie was curious to meet his friends.
"How do you know this couple?" She leaned against the brass handrail in the elevator; it felt cool on her bare back. She wore a bias-cut, silk chartreuse dress and huge dull gold earrings that dangled almost to her bare shoulders.
"Guy works for me. I've never met Ginny."
"How long—" Jessie's eyes widened as Joshua took two steps to close the space between them the moment the elevator doors closed on the parking garage.
"There can't be a yard of material in that dress."
She clasped her hand around his wrist in warning, glancing at the flashing numbers above the door. "Behave yourself."
"You look absolutely delectable in yellow, Miss Adams," Joshua said huskily, surveying her from very close up. His hand went to the back of her neck. "What happens if I undo this little button right here?"
Undoing the halter neck would get him a pair of naked breasts against his chest Which was exactly his intention. Jessie's fingers tightened around his wrist. He grinned wickedly, hesitated, then removed the threat of his hand.
"You're creasing me," she admonished, grateful the party was in the penthouse, seventy-two stories up, and they were alone in the elevator. She wasn't sure she would have stopped him.
"Silk doesn't crease," he assured her, nuzzling her neck. Her short, sassy skirt rustled over net petticoats. Jessie trembled as he pressed her gently against the elevator wall, her breasts flattened against the hard plane of his chest. He'd been in New York for the last three days and arrived home barely in time to change and pick her up tonight.
"We have about forty seconds before this elevator door opens. I'm just making the most of them," he murmured, a breath away torn her mouth.
"I wish we'd stayed home." Jessie fluttered her long eye lashes. "Why'd we have to come to this dumb old party anyway?"
Joshua grinned. "For a bright brunette, you certainly do a great dumb blonde."
"Hey," she said indignantly, leaning into him. "I was flirting."
"You were asking for trouble."
She smiled seductively. "Have I come to the right place for it?"
Joshua made a sound deep in his throat as he lowered his head. Jessie tilted her chin, offering her mouth. He brushed his open mouth against hers, then stroked her lips with his tongue.
She had a vague thought that she was playing with fire, but his mouth was so seductively sweet all thought of propriety fled. He exuded pheromones like a musky cologne and her body chemistry always responded.
Jessie slid her hands beneath his jacket to stroke his back. He kissed her harder, tilting her head back so he could slant his mouth and deepen the kiss. She whimpered helplessly. He lifted his lips from hers a fraction of an inch, his breath warm on her face. "One more taste before the doors open."
"Living dangerously, Mr. Falcon?" She could feel how much he wanted her. His need was in the depth of his kiss, in the press of his body against hers, in the urgency of his hands. The rigid length of his arousal pressed hard against her.
When the elevator jarred to a stop and the doors slid open, Joshua straightened the halter straps, used his thumb to remove her smudged lipstick from her mouth and then his own.
A dozen laughing, talking people got into the elevator on the next floor of the garage. They were clearly going to the same party. The fragrance of expensive cosmetics and perfume filled the small space. Jessie moved closer to Joshua and he pressed her back into the corner, a wicked gleam in his pale eyes.
"Hold the elevator!" a voice yelled.
Joshua slid his hand up Jessie's thigh. Under her skirt. Eyes opened wide she shot him a startled look. He gave her a sexy smile and kept on going. Jessie grabbed his wrist and tried to pull his hand away.
"Thanks," the guy said, ushering three more people into the already crowded car.
What do you think you're doing? Jessie's eyes demanded as Joshua's fingers slid inside the elastic leg of her panties. He gave her an innocent look back. He stroked a finger in the crease between leg and mound. Her knees went weak. "Stop it!" she mouthed.
Everyone in the elevator was laughing and talking and watching the numbers above the door. Joshua was the only one turned her way. Still… His finger slid inside her.
Jessie's knees went weak. His foot came between hers, and gently spread her feet apart.
Jessie licked her lower lip, then squeezed her eyes closed as he inserted a finger deep between her slick folds. Oh. My. God. Her petticoats rustled around his arm.
All it needed was one person to turn around… one person to look…
A second finger joined the first. She bit her tongue to prevent the moan from escaping, and leaned back into the corner. His thumb brushed her clit. Jessie shuddered. Brush harder. She felt the coils tighten. His fingers were deep inside her, and her muscles tightened and spasmed around them as he played her clitoris like a master. Her body throbbed, her nipples clearly, visibly aroused behind a thin layer of silk. She was beyond ready to come. How could so many people just be standing there, oblivious to what he was doing to her?
His fingers slid in and out. Faster. Faster. Faster.
Jessie came in a dizzying rush. Her back thumped against the wall, and she pressed her hand over her mouth so she didn't shriek with pleasure.
Everyone around them continued chatting and laughing.
Jessie's muscles tightened as Joshua removed his hand. She flashed a glance at the numbers over the door. Seventieth floor.
His hand was back. No way. In a few seconds that door was going to open and everyone would spill out She was not going to get caught with Joshua's hand up her skirts and down her panties.
Something cool rolled passed her clit… and again something. She felt a weight deep inside and her muscles automatically tightened in response. She met Joshua's eyes. "What… ?" she mouthed.
He smiled.
The door clinged, then slid open.
Everyone poured out, leaving Joshua and Jessie behind.
Joshua had his handkerchief in one hand. He offered her his other hand. Jessie took it and stepped forward. Oh, my God.
The benwa balls shifted and slid inside her. She stumbled, holding on to Joshua's hand for dear life. Her vaginal muscles clamped down hard. She shot him a narrow-eyed look.
"I'm operating these things without a license, and without instructions," she said between her teeth. "I'm going to get you for this, Falcon."
They followed the noise to the open doors of the penthouse. He smiled, tucking his damp hankie back in his pocket. "All you need to know is muscle control. You can do it."
"Easy for you to say," Jessie groused. "You're not the one walking like a duck."
"I am walking with a limp, however. I haven't seen you in seventy-two hours. God, I missed you."
The unexpected flash of a camera captured Jessie and she started to laugh. "Oh, no, the paparazzi are here." She got the giggles. "Oh, Lord. What if these damn things fall out and roll across the floor?"
"They won't." Joshua squeezed her hand against his body. "Everyone's going to see that picture and want to have you."
"I'll have to tell them I'm taken 'til December." Jessie looked around for a familiar face, trying to concentrate on anything but what was happening to her body. Those benwa balls certainly produced an odd sensation. The more she walked, the more they slid around and the hornier she became.
"Rat," she grumbled under her breath as a nice little aftershock traveled up her spine and she pressed their clasped hands against her aching breast.
He smiled. "Thank me later."
The balls did a slow shimmy. Jessie tightened her pc muscles. Oh, brother. Wasn't this going to be an interesting evening? There were several of her clients and a few other people she recognized. She turned back to him. He had the strangest look on his face. His playful mood of moments ago evaporated. Once again he was The Glacier. Now what?
Raising her voice above the noise, she stepped closer to Joshua as people surged around them. The balls danced around a bit, then settled when she stood still. Good. Stay that way. "Which is the engaged couple?"
"The joyous couple over by the ice sculpture." Joshua indicated with a nod. He slid his arm around her waist, anchoring her to his side.
"The blonde in the blue dress and the tall guy?" Jessie observed the newly engaged pair as they gestured angrily, oblivious to their guests. In the din, it was impossible to hear what they were saying, just observe how they were saying it.
"That's a photograph I'd put in the dictionary under divorce."
"They're not married yet," Jessie reminded him. He was in a strange mood. Yeah, well, it won't last if they already argue in public like that."
"Not all marriages end in divorce."
"Just more than fifty percent."
"That means almost fifty percent are happy."
Joshua touched her cheek. "The half-full glass theory?"
"Works for me."
"Let's agree to disagree." Joshua's hand lingered on her cheek. Jessie searched his face for a clue to his mood. "We'll drink some of their, no doubt, excellent champagne then go home. How does that sound?"
Every opportunity sounded promising to Jessie. "I'd rather have you in me than these million-year-old balls."
Joshua chuckled. "Me, too."
She looked wistfully at the elegantly draped tables groaning under elaborate canapé's and soaring ice sculptures. "The food looks good." She shot him a mischievous grin. "How about this, we grab something to eat before we push our way over there, say congratulations… or offer condolences, whichever is more appropriate, and then go home?"
"Smart as well as beautiful. How unusual—damn."
Jessie followed his gaze and recognized the busty blonde making a beeline toward them. Her photograph had accompanied Joshua's in the press for twelve months the previous year. "Stick by me. I'll protect you," she said dryly.
Joshua looked as suave and debonair as a man could, caught between this year's and last year's models. "Perhaps we should save time. You go and congratulate Guy and Ginny, and I'll tackle Megan."
Jessie shot him a reproving glance just as the other woman stepped closer. "Megan, hi." Jessie gave her a cheerful smile, stepping a little in front of Joshua, which was a mistake because moving made her little friends dance happily inside her. "I'm Jessie Adams."
Joshua placed a hand firmly on her waist and eased her back to his side again. Out of clawing range, Jessie presumed. He kept a proprietorial arm around her.
Megan Howell narrowed her baby blues as she glared up at Jessie. "Do I know you?"
"No," Jessie said gently, seeing the high emotion under the other woman's flush. "I recognized you from that great photo of you in the Inquirer last December." Jessie carefully removed her hand from Joshua's. "I'm sure you want to talk privately with Joshua, so I'll go over and—"
"You might as well hear this." Megan's tone was pure hostility. Jessie moved closer to Joshua, her eyes narrowed on the blonde.
The Glacier was back in full force as Joshua bit out icily, "Say what you have to say and leave Megan."
"I'm pregnant," Megan said defiantly in a too loud voice as she crossed her arms over her plastic bosom. A very elegant tent dress effectively hid any hint of a baby.
Jessie felt an immediate surge of anger. How dare this woman be carrying Joshua's child! Jessie wanted to rip her lips off.
She felt sick with jealousy and heartsore with disappointment Megan was pregnant Damn it it wasn't fair. A heavy lump in her throat made swallowing impossible. She looked up at Joshua. He had a very nasty smile on his face.
"Congratulations. Who's the father?"
"You are, you bastard!" Flashlights popped. "What are you going to do about it?" the blonde demanded, not missing a beat.
"Ask you to lower your voice, for a start," Jessie cut in, for a moment hating them both, "unless you enjoy having your private life speculated about over breakfast. Guy and Ginny have invited every tabloid in the universe to their party. So smile nicely and behave like a lady."
Joshua looked at her as if she had sprouted another head. He turned back to his ex-mistress, his pale eyes frosty. "It's taken you an inordinate amount of time to come up with this, Megan." Joshua tsked. "You used to be much faster than this at cooking up money-making schemes."
"I've talked to your lawyers," Megan snarled, her cheeks scarlet eyes flashing him a grim warning.
"Wise idea." Joshua rested his hand on the small of Jessie's back. "They no doubt told you about the mandatory DNA test?"
"I refuse to harm my baby just because you don't believe me," she said caustically, glaring up at him.
"DNA testing can be done at twenty weeks, Megan, without doing any harm to the fetus. I'm sure Felix gave you the facts." Joshua rubbed his thumb on Jessie's bare back.
"This is obviously a private discussion," Jessie inserted. "I'll wait for you over by the bar," she added to Joshua over her shoulder. She turned on her heel and walked away.
As if the world hadn't come crashing down around her.

* * * * *

Her lightly tanned back was very straight when Joshua found her on the other side of the room minutes later. She was by herself, ostensibly looking at one of Guy's nightmarish paintings. She made a spectacular picture herself in the barely there little number that showcased her gorgeous long legs and the sweet curve of her spine.
"Let's go." Joshua came up behind her, resting his hand on her naked back. Her skin was silky smooth, shimmering with vitality.
"Let's say our goodbyes to our hosts first. I think they're done with round nine."
He glanced down at her set expression. "Can you walk okay?"
She shot him a look. "I took them out," she said under her breath. "I had ninety-nine orgasms without you. I didn't like it."
He didn't talk all the way down in the elevator. The paparazzi had gotten off several dozen shots of the three of them, he knew, in just about every configuration. Jessie was going to have a million questions. Hell, if she wanted to know what he and Megan had discussed she only had to buy one of the tabloids in the morning.
She rested her head on his stiff shoulder as he drove. Of course, she wouldn't pull away, Joshua thought bitterly, leaning back against pliant burgundy leather. She was his mistress. Another woman was threatening her cash cow. What the hell, she only had to put up with him another few months and she'd be free as a bird.
Joshua exited the parking garage, staring straight ahead before he said grimly, "She was lying—"
He felt her exhale before she said calmly, "I know."
Joshua looked down at her. The passing streetlights dappled her face, making her expression hard to read. "Did you hear what I said?"
Jessie yawned. "Mmm. The baby isn't yours."
There was a heavy weight in his chest "How do you know?" His voice almost cracked in the middle of the question. Far from being concerned, Jessie was almost asleep.
She squeezed his waist, snuggling closer. "You just told me."
"You believe me?"
"Of course," she mumbled matter-of-factly, although her voice sounded thick. "You're a man of your word. If you say the child isn't yours, it isn't."
He stared at her. There was no doubt in her voice, or on her even features. She believed him. No ifs, ands or buts. She just… believed him. Un*****ocally. A wave of emotion swept through him. Disbelief. Acceptance. And something else too powerful, too impossible, to believe.
Jessie rubbed her cheek on his upper arm, sweetly drowsy as she settled her arm across his waist eyes closed. "As a matter of curiosity, what would you do if she was pregnant?" she asked in a soft, casual voice.
"Thank God that can be proven one way or another in this day and age—"
"But what if—"
"She just got greedy."
"She's trying to blackmail you?" Jessie asked indignantly, sitting up straighten "That little b—"
"Felix will take care of her." Joshua tucked her back against his side.
"If he doesn't, I will," she said firmly, then snuggled against him again. Her hand stroked lazily up and down his side under his jacket.
Jessie tucked her thumb under his belt as Barlow made a hard right at the corner. When Joshua looked down, her long lashes were casting shadows on her cheeks. He tightened his arm around her slender shoulders and held her close.
"I wish—"
"What do you wish, Jessie?"
He felt her small shrug as she whispered dreamily, half asleep, "A little girl. I'd dress her in clean, pretty clothes and keep her safe. She'd never ever be hungry or afraid." Jessie covered a yawn. "But most of all, I'd just love her."
Joshua felt the ache in his chest tighten a notch. Jessie seemed unaware of what she'd just revealed. He knew firsthand a mother's neglect, but at least he'd had someone to care for his most basic needs. Housekeepers and nannies may not have provided anything more than necessities, but he had been clothed and fed and had never known cold, fear or hunger.
As a child Jessie had known real hunger and very real fear. She seldom spoke about those years. She'd never known if or when her mother would come home. According to Felix, Jessie's mother had been picked up for solicitation a dozen times or more. Where had Jessie gone when her mother was in jail? How had Jessie, who had never known security or trust as a child, grown into a woman who trusted so easily?
He was basically a solitary man. He had a few men he called friends, but they were really just business associates he trusted. He had never had a woman trust him as much as Jessie did, understand him as Jessie did. It was a novel experience. Joshua savored it as Jessie's body relaxed against his. He brushed a strand of hair off her cheek.
She was asleep in moments, her fragrant hair tickling his face as it blew about in the warm breeze through the open window. Well, hell, Joshua thought, wanting to laugh out loud. She believed him. No fuss. No muss. He leaned his head against the plush leather upholstery, closing his burning eyes. How the hell could such an uncomplicated woman be so damned difficult to understand?
When she'd said earlier, oh, so casually, that she was taken until December, he'd checked a surge of anger. She didn't have to be so damn complacent about the temporariness of their arrangement. Joshua scrubbed his face with his hand. She turned him inside out, then left him swinging. And somehow she made him think he liked it!
As the gates to the estate skimmed open, Joshua recalled a conversation he'd had with his lawyer just before he'd left for New York last week. Apparently his wife wanted more money. The only time Joshua ever heard from her was when she contacted Felix to up the ante. A small price to pay for a trouble-free invisible wife.
"Jesus, Felix," Joshua had griped. "What's she trying to do, squeeze me dry?"
Felix had looked serious as he'd handed the paper-work over for Joshua to sign. "Hardly. You'd give an employee an annual raise. Why not your wife?"
"I'm giving her enough to support a small country now, for God's sake!"
He might not remember anything about the girl, but she had served her purpose. He'd made her a promise. "All right, Felix. Give her what the hell she wants."
He was a man of his word, as many people had learned to their regret.
Joshua carried Jessie into the house and upstairs without disturbing her sleep. She would be awake soon enough.

* * * * *

Joshua hadn't mentioned Megan Howell all week. He'd been more intense than usual, more serious. Jessie thought he watched her as if he were trying to read her mind.
He called her in the middle of the day several days after the party and told her to pack a bag. They were going to Tahoe for a long weekend.
Jessie nibbled the cap of her pen, wrapping the telephone cord around her hand. "How many bedrooms does your cabin have?" she asked innocently.
"One." Joshua sounded amused. "How many do we need?"
"That depends on if I have to haul my butt out of bed at 3:00 a.m.," she said carefully. The cord left red marks on her fingers and she unwound herself, listening carefully to his tone.
There was a slight pause, so slight that if she hadn't been listening for something, she wouldn't have heard it. "I'll throw away the alarm for the weekend."
Jessie laughed. "How soon can you pick me up?"
They flew to Tahoe in Joshua's Lear. He didn't want to waste time driving. A shiny black Range Rover waited for them at the airfield when they arrived.
The cabin was far from a log shack in the hills. It was built of cedar with a wall of glass facing the north shore of Lake Tahoe. It was luxurious, with an enormous bedroom cantilevered over a naturally terraced lawn. The living room and kitchen overlooked towering pine trees and the shimmering blue lake.
Despite the corporate colors, the cabin was less decorated than his other residences, more casual and conducive to relaxing. And there was only one phone. Jessie was thrilled.
Joshua carried their suitcases into the bedroom and came into the kitchen for a snack. "You know what the best thing about you is?" He nuzzled her neck.
"What?" Jessie ran short nails through his silky, dark hair as he pressed her lower body against the stainless steel sink behind her. She nibbled at his chin.
"You never ask me for anything."
The one thing I want, you haven't been able to give me, Jessie thought, turning her face up for his kiss while her heart squeezed hard. There was no use dwelling on it. When it happened it happened.
His open-neck blue shirt was the exact color of his eyes and she had ogled him the whole time she fixed the cheese-and-tomato sandwiches. "Actually, there is something I want," she teased, her finger trailing to the top button of his shirt.
"Lord, woman, you're insatiable."
"I can't help myself." Jessie pretended to pout. "I just love it." She fluttered her lashes, trying not to giggle. "I think… yep, I think it might be one of my most favorite things in the world."
"Take me, I'm your… " He started dramatically then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Just what is it you love, you little tease?"
Jessie laughed. "Gambling." She stood on her tiptoes and twined her arms around his neck. He smelled of pine and clean air, the stiffness had eased from his shoulders while they were in flight, and the lines of strain had left his face by the time they landed. He smiled down at her indulgently, obviously amused and perfectly relaxed. Her eyes sparkled as she lured him closer, still laughing as she avoided his tickling fingers. She danced backward. "Can we go gambling? Can we, huh, huh?"
Joshua laughingly agreed. It was only after they were in the car and halfway around the lake that Jessie said mildly, "I think it's time you bought a pair of jeans. You look as if you're ready to play polo."
"One does not wear summer-weight wool slacks to play polo, Jess. One wears breeches to play polo," he pointed out drolly as he pulled into a frighteningly large shopping mall at Jessie's urging. He couldn't remember when last he'd shopped for clothing for himself. Years. Normally his secretary called a clothier in London or Milan, and they'd send him what he needed.
Clothes shopping with Jessie was a surprisingly pleasant experience. She didn't dawdle about making selections. She knew exactly what she was looking for and didn't linger if the shop they were in didn't have it. Two hours later, Joshua was the recipient of three pairs of jeans and several shirts he wouldn't have looked at twice if he'd been on his own. He'd tried to tell her he only wore blue or white.
Jessie had coerced several mall-walking senior citizens to come into the store to give him their opinions. How could he win against Jessie Adams at her best, and several blue-haired little old ladies?
After depositing his new purchases in the hands of the owner of the local laundromat they went to lunch.
"I hate to ask—" Joshua toyed with her fingers on the bare oak table as they waited for their spaghetti to arrive "—but why did we just purchase clothing that needs to be laundered before I wear it?"
"The jeans have to be prewashed a couple of times before they feel slouchy," Jessie said absently as she watched a toddler across the room trying to get into his baby brother's high chair. She smiled at the ensuing drama.
Joshua glanced over his shoulder to see what Jessie was smiling about. He'd never seen quite that look on her face before.
She gave the waiter a soft smile as he set her plate down. The guy almost tripped on his own feet as he became the recipient of the smile Joshua should have gotten. He shot the hovering kid a pointed glare and almost had a plate of pasta and marinara deposited in his lap as the guy gulped and scurried to make himself scarce.
"I love kids, don't you?"
"I don't know. Probably not." Joshua unwrapped his silverware from the paper napkin. "The only ones I've been around seem… disorganized."
He looked up as Jessie burst into peals of laughter. "Disorganized?" She choked. "Of course they're disorganized!" Her eyes were sparkly with mirth. "They're just learning everything. Even you were disorganized when you were a little kid."
Joshua thought if he could bottle and sell that laugh he would quadruple his money. "Actually, I wasn't." He pushed the limp spaghetti around his plate. A pool of watery sauce made a moat surrounding the unappetizing lump of his pasta. "I was a well-disciplined, clean, respectful and organized child from as far back as I can remember."
Her eyes got more liquid as that sweet, soft smile quivered then died.
"Good Lord. Don't start crying, for God's sake." He leaned over and wiped away the mascara under her right eye.
Jessie blotted her eyes with her own napkin. "You had a shitty life," she said fiercely. "I wish I could make it all up to you, Joshua."
"My childhood was perfectly acceptable, Jessie. Don't overdramatize it."
"Your mother was a real bitch."
He smiled. "No arguments there. Are you done poking that revolting mess? I'd like to go somewhere and get some real lunch. Then I'll take you to some den of iniquity so you can throw away my money."
Somehow the glow seemed to have gone from Jessie's face. After playing a few hands of blackjack, with the money she had brought for the purpose, thank you very much, she wanted to go home. Joshua liked the sound of that.
"How about going for a walk?" he asked after parking the car in the carport beside the house. He held out his hand for her and she handed him the laundry and an arch look instead.
"Go put on your new jeans and shirt first." She followed him into the house, immediately throwing open all the windows to let in the warm, scented air before she followed him into the bedroom.
"I just love this house." Jessie flopped down on the king-size bed, watching him with hot-chocolate eyes as he changed. "If I ever have a summer house, this is what it would be like. Far enough away from city noises. Nice, clean air." She fell onto her back as he struggled with the unfamiliar closure of the jeans. "That fabulous smell of pine and lake water. Fishing. Boating. Gambling—"
"Jessie?"
"Hmmm?"
"Do you think you could help me with this?" He walked toward her sprawled legs.
Without moving and not bothering to hide the smile tugging at her lips, Jessie asked seriously, "Which do you need help with, sir? The buttons or the erection?"
She was bonelessly relaxed against the burgundy spread. Her left knee rose to bracket his leg as Joshua leaned down so his braced arms framed her head. "Which do you think?" he asked huskily.
Jessie reached up and gave him a quick peck on the lips before she pushed at his shoulders, her eyes devilish. "I think you need help with those pesky darn buttons so we can go for that walk."
"Touch these buttons and I won't be able to walk, woman."
Jessie lectured him on self-control, all the while her nimble fingers enclosing him tighter than a straitjacket behind the row of metal buttons.
"I don't think I like jeans, Jessie," Joshua confessed pitifully as she dragged him outdoors.
Jessie grinned. "They look ma-a-avelous on you, dahling." She hung back then patted his behind. "Great butt." She linked arms with him and gave him a sultry look. "We'll keep them at my house. I don't want you wearing these when I'm not there to beat the women off with a stick."
"That good, huh?" he asked, highly amused. She gave him a sultry look, and he wondered fleetingly what he had ever done to deserve her and how he had managed for thirty-three years without her.
They walked hand in hand on the lakeshore. The smoldering fire of the sun melted into the water, leaving a dancing, shimmering reminder as dusk stole slowly over the lake. Purple and royal-blue faded into black ridges and ranges, spiked with the suggestion of forest. There was an anticipation of things to come as stars started shining more brightly and the velvety sky darkened to reveal a wisp of a moon.
He took her hands, pulling her against him. She'd changed into black leggings and a thick, white cotton sweater with a wide neckline that kept slipping off her shoulder. Her skin felt cool as he caressed the back of her neck, his thumb finding the vulnerable hollow at her nape. He felt her deep shudder through his bones. God, she was responsive. He touched his lips to her temple.
Jessie turned in his arms, rising up on her toes as she gathered handfuls of his hair in her fists. With a little pressure she brought his face down to hers. "Don't play with me, mister," she warned in a tough voice, and she kissed him, her lips insistent and ravenous.
They eventually had to come up for air. Jessie's dark gaze stayed riveted to his face. "I can hear your mind whirring," he said, amused at her intense scrutiny. "What are you thinking about?" Her lips looked soft and slightly swollen from the kiss. The moonlight loved her face, sculpting it with silver.
She opened her mouth as if to say something; Joshua held his breath for a painful heartbeat. Then she shook her head. "Nothing." She touched his face with a small, cool hand as her eyes seemed to memorize his features. "You make me very happy, Joshua."
He couldn't explain his disappointment. Didn't even try. He dipped his head and feathered a kiss on her closed mouth. She tasted of the rich coffee ice cream they'd bought on the way home. Jessie had eaten more than half the carton in the car and then claimed that the bites she had spoon-fed him had been way bigger than the teeny ones she'd had.
A banner of geese flew across the moon. He turned her and braced her back against his chest. Wrapping his arms about her, he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "I had no idea," he said into the deep pool of silence, "that I could feel this… *******." Jessie stroked her head against his chin, resting more fully against him as he leaned against the trunk of a ponderosa pine, looking at the shimmering lake through a veil of her frothy hair. He added softly, "You make me happy, too, Jessie."
Around them the gentle silence of night drifted as soft as a breeze. The air was warm and fragrant with her floral perfume and the scent of woods and water.
There was nowhere on earth he would rather be than right here, with Jessie in his arms. There was no need for conversation. Even his sexual desire seemed tamed and manageable. He felt… calm. For the first time in memory, he felt strangely at peace with himself.
He had learned his lessons of self-preservation as a child, but with Jessie he found his emotions blatantly out there. Sometimes he felt so raw and exposed with her, he wanted to flee back into that same protective, rocky shell he was almost ready to cast aside. And other times, like now, she brought him more joy and *******ment than he had ever known.
He didn't want her to know just how vulnerable he was to her vibrant spirit, her gentle eyes and soft mouth. He felt raw enough as it was.

* * * * *

The next morning Jessie went swimming in the lake. Her suit was perfectly decent Red. Plain. Skintight. Joshua watched her from the window in the kitchen as she played in the shallows like a child. She wasn't a child. As the three kids in a speedboat noticed, making ever smaller circles closer to shore.
The waves were lapping at Jessie's calves when he came out to join her. "Hi." Her smile was brilliant, white and directed solely at him. "I thought you had calls to make."
"Made." He dragged his eyes from her sun-kissed face to the three teenagers who were a little less cocky now.
"You look good enough to eat," he told her as the boys took off, the wake making her sway against him. The tight Lycra of her suit flattened her breasts, but he could clearly see her hard nipples.
"Finished swimming?"
Jessie looked at him under her lashes. "Got a better idea?"
"How does grabbing a blanket and taking a walk deep into the woods sound?" He wiped away a droplet of water from her temple with his thumb, her skin was sun warmed and damp.
"Why do we need a blanket when we're going for a walk?" His lady had very expressive eyebrows.

* * * * *

Jessie rolled him off the blanket. A pinecone or something jabbed him in the back as she straddled him, her eyes determined, her hands firmly planted on his chest. "I don't know why we brought the blanket," Joshua said mildly, as he shifted his hips and Jessie's off whatever was under his bare back.
"Cause you thought I'd be on the bottom." Jessie pointed out reasonably, her knees nudging his sides.
He reached up to gather her loosened hair back into the scrunchie and out of her face. "Why aren't I on top?"
"You were being too darn fussy." She leaned forward to nibble a damp path up his chest as she spoke. "Everybody knows… one… never… bothers to fold their… clothes in the woods."
She reached his jaw, while behind her she slapped at the hand he was using to try to get her hips and other body parts aligned where he wanted them. "I don't want you rushing me," she groused against his throat. "In fact,"
she took a sharp nip and every nerve in his body stood at attention, "don't touch me at… all."
She gave some attention to his lower lip. "At all?" His hands itched to caress her smooth, damp skin.
"At all," Jessie whispered when they were nose to nose.
"You don't like me to touch you?" he asked. In answer Jessie slid her sweet breasts sensuously across his chest "Because, darling, I sure as hell love to touch you."
"You will lose control."
Joshua huffed. "Are you telling me or hypnotizing me?" It was damn hard to be amusing when he felt like taking off like a rocket.
"I want to see you lose control. Don't touch." When she paused, he could feel the rush of her blood through her veins as she pressed him down. He closed his eyes, letting his arms fall over his head. "You have too much control," she added.
"There's no such thing as too much control, Jessie," he murmured, using every scrap he had. "Although I must admit, with you I seem to have less control than ever before… " She looked down into his eyes. "Let me see you lose control, Joshua. Don't think. Just close your eyes and feel." Her small white teeth closed in to give a sharp love bite on his neck before she dragged her body up his and took his mouth in a kiss so sensual, so erotic Joshua had to give himself up. He wanted to howl with the pleasure of it.
He sighed, slitting open his eyes. "Have your wicked way with me." Her nimble fingers slid unfairly up his sides. "I'll only touch if you beg me to."
"I won't," Jessie assured him with false confidence as she nibbled his mouth.
The air smelled of the pine needles she was crushing under her knees. Dusty sunlight filtered through the tall trees, dappling her tanned, lithe body as she drove him wild with a deep, wet kiss. He allowed her to believe she was suppressing him with her small hands pressing his above his head into the leaves and needles that made up their bed.
He had never seen her like this. She tormented him with her mouth. Slowly. Maddeningly. Joshua lay where she had pushed him, half on, half off the blanket. Her eyes got so dark there were almost no pupils. She kissed his cheekbones, his nose, his eye sockets and his forehead before she got down to some serious lip action.
He could smell her sensual woman's essence as she broke contact. He thought he would explode without her moist heat surrounding him. Her breasts heaved as she gulped in air, her hands braced on his chest. She must be able to feel his heart thundering beneath her palm.
Her hair, never tamed, slipped from confinement and tumbled into a dark cloud around her shoulders as she kept her hot center inches away from his straining flesh. She slid slowly down his body, kissing a path toward very dangerous territory.
"This is torture, you know," he groaned as her tongue discovered his navel. He sank his fingers in her hair. She tasted lower. "Jessie—"
"I'm busy!"
He laughed on a huff of frustration as she finally did something about his agony. They probably heard his groan as far away as Sacramento when she skimmed that clever little tongue around his erection.
Joshua gritted his teeth and he closed his eyes, fisting his hands against her scalp. Nothing in his life had ever felt this good.
Cool air blew on a hot place. His eyes shot open. Jessie looked up the length of his body. "Uh… what now?" she asked uncertainly, her short nails digging into his flanks as though if she let him go he would disappear.
Oh, God, she had been doing just fine. Joshua closed his eyes on a prayer before pulling her to sit astride him.
"Whatever you want. Just don't stop," he panted, seconds before she sank home to the hilt. No testing the waters for Jessie. His vision blurred as she started to move. Hot, slick, tight. Agonizingly perfect. He held her hips long enough to start the rhythm.
"I can do it, I can do it," she said through clenched teeth and he let go and left her to it. She was doing a damn fine job.
Her breasts were slick, her nipples dark and fully aroused. "Touch me!" she demanded. He slid his hands up her slim hips to her rib cage, feeling her heart fluttering beneath his fingers like a frantic bird. Fascinated by the absolute concentration on her face, Joshua lost track for a moment. Sweat glistened on her skin, sticking her hair to her cheeks, making her skin glow. Eyes narrowed, her concentration complete, she growled ferally as his hands closed over her breasts. He knew exactly how Miss Adams liked those pert little breasts touched, and he did his humble best.
She rode him with a fierce and beautiful savagery, her rhythm perfect. Her primal mating brought them both to the point of no return before easing up just enough to drive him wild—a high-speed chase over a precipice only to slow down to the speed limit at the last second.
"Your… hands aren't… m-moving."
"I'm in ecstasy." Joshua was polite enough not to remind her of her command.
"You're in me," Jessie reminded him, his hands on her hips gently showed her he knew exactly where he was and who he was with bare-ass naked, outside, in broad daylight.
Sweat stung his eyes as she leaned down and bit his shoulder, hard. He knew he would leave fingerprints on her bottom. No one had ever made love to him like this. Hell, he'd never considered making love in the wide-open wilderness until he'd met Jessie.
She was his amazon, a Valkyrie. Pagan in her beauty as she loved him ruthlessly. She was as focused and intense as he had ever seen her. Wild and erotic, as sweat glistened on her skin out here in the woods where any hikers could trip over them. He didn't give a damn.
Her back arched as she took him deep into her womb.
The pleasure was agonizing.
Joshua reached down, touching his fingers to where they joined. Her stomach muscles clenched as he unerringly found the small nub.
Eyes tightly closed, Jessie rose and fell, losing momentum as she got closer and closer to climax. Internal muscle pulsing around him gave him fair warning.
Bracing her, his hands enormous on her pistoning hips, Joshua helped her to a faster rhythm. Until she clenched, curved and cried out his name…
Then she threw back her head and screamed.

26-08-08, 01:32 PM

المشاركة رقم: 33

المعلومات
الكاتب:	cocubasha
اللقب:	عضو راقي

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التسجيل:	Oct 2007
العضوية:	45117
المشاركات:	8,329
الجنس	أنثى
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نقاط التقييم:	1435

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كاتب الموضوع : cocubasha المنتدى : الارشيف

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Could you explain to me, Felix," Joshua asked grimly, looking at his lawyer across the expanse of the other man's desk, "how the hell Vera can run up twenty thousand dollars in bills in one month and I can't even get Jessie to use one credit card?"
"Which one are you angry with?" Felix asked, keeping his eyes off Simon who sat across the room nicking through a magazine.
Joshua had arrived half an hour ago. Accustomed to his uncle's presence in his lawyer's office, Joshua got down to business immediately. That done, he leaned back in Felix's cordovan leather guest chair and stretched out his long legs.
"Neither. Both. Hell, I don't know. I don't give a damn how much Vera spends, you know that I just wish to hell Jessie would let me do more for her."
"Signing over the Tahoe house should do it. Have you told her yet?" Simon asked from across the room. "No." Joshua rotated his shoulders while squeezing the back of his neck. "I'll wait for the right moment before I give her the deed."
"December?" Felix asked, checking the thick stack of papers Joshua had just signed to make sure his signature was where it was needed.
"It's not a parting gift," Joshua said more harshly than he intended, then modified his tone. "She loves the house. I wanted to give her something… " He smoothed back his hair. "I want to make sure she's taken care of when I… She should have the house," he finished brusquely, having no intention of telling either his lawyer or his uncle how happy he and Jessie had been in the Tahoe house. It was none of their damn business.
And he sure as hell wasn't thinking about what Jessie would be doing after December 23. Giving Jessie the Tahoe house was a smart move. He would never be able to take another woman there without thinking of her. It was logical to give it to her.
"She seems ******* not to be seeing as many clients as she did before." Joshua cleared his scratchy throat. "But it will take her a while to build up her clientele after… later. The property will be a good investment for her." He paused. "Has she said anything to either of you about being bored?" he asked casually, picking up his briefcase.
"No," both men admitted in unison.
"Fine." His tone indicated he was done with the conversation. "I'm on my way to the airport. When I get back from Russia I'll give her the deed."
"Jess going with you?" Simon asked.
"No. I'm not taking her on this trip. The schedule is too grueling, and I don't think she's getting enough sleep as it is. Keep an eye on her while I'm gone, will you, Simon?"
"If I can convince her to make the time to see me," Simon said dryly from across the room. "Every moment she isn't with you is spent at your house. Gives her more time to fool around with that mausoleum you live in and fiddle around in your garden. Never seen her happier."
"Is that enough for her?" Joshua asked, recapping his pen and sticking it in his pocket.
"She enjoys being an interior designer, but I've never gotten the impression she's a career woman. Despite the way she looks, Jessie is a homebody." Felix slipped the paperwork into Falcon's personal file. "Hate to rush you, Joshua, but Simon and I have a date with a racquetball at three, and you said you had a plane to catch."
Joshua glanced at his watch. He had plenty of time to get to the airport. He rose, shaking hands with Felix and resting his hand on his uncle's back as he passed Simon's chair. Clearing his throat, he said briskly, "Bring Patti for dinner next week so you can both see the house. Jessie will have everything finished by then, no doubt." He smiled. "Anyone else would take a year to do what Jessie does in a week. She really has a damn fine talent. I'll have her call Patti to set it up." He turned to Felix. "Rustle up one of your attractive blondes and come, too." He coughed dryly before opening the door.
"Sounds like you have a cold there, son." Simon rose, slapping the magazine he'd been pretending to read on the coffee table.
"Allergies," Joshua dismissed. "I'll see you both sometime next week. Thanks for taking care of this, Felix." Joshua indicated the desk where he'd signed several dozen business contracts and his wife's bills. "Oh, by the way," Joshua turned and said casually to Felix, "where is Vera living now?"
Felix's gaze shot to Simon, then back to Joshua. "Uh… Phoenix, when last I heard. Why?"
"Get her number, will you, Felix? I'd like a word."
The moment the door closed behind him Felix turned to Joshua's uncle. "Holy hell, Simon. What was that all about?"
"God only knows," Simon said with a frown. "We've told him for years how much Vera loves to travel. He'll buy that she's on another trip. An extended trip."
"For how long?" Felix asked. "I'm a lawyer, Simon. Joshua is my client. I could be jailed for conflict of interest here. Or worse."
"Never happen." Simon waved away the possibility.
Felix's expression was serious as he said to his best friend, "If he ever finds out what the hell you and I are doing, he's going to have our asses in a sling, you know."
"By then he'll be so madly in love with her he won't be able to see straight, let alone care one way or the other." Simon shrugged on his jacket, loosening his tie.
"Then why are we doing this?" Felix demanded.
Simon scowled. "Just in case he doesn't see the treasure stuck under his nose. There're five months left. If—and I say if, mind you—Joshua is going to give Jessie her walking papers, she'll have a nice little nest egg to tide her over."
"She most certainly will." Felix grabbed his sports bag from the credenza and flicked off his desk light "I received the copy of her portfolio from the brokerage house last week. Hell, I never expected that Senses stock to split so quickly. So far we've almost doubled her money. We're up to six million dollars for Vera."
"Close, but no cigar," Simon reminded him. "We decided on ten."
"You decided on ten." Felix hefted his bag on his shoulder. "I hope to hell you're working on how we're going to explain to Jessie why we ignored her instructions and continued taking money every month from Joshua, long after she told me to stop."
Simon opened the door for his friend. "And to think she's been slavishly depositing hefty chunks of her pay checks to pay him back. What she's scrimped and saved will be a mere drop in the bucket." He gave a quick nod of the head. "If he does leave her, I have no doubt she'll be dammed grateful to have financial security. She won't give a damn where it came from."
"I hope you're right about this, Simon." Felix crossed to the elevator beyond his office and pressed the down button. "The more I know Jessie, the more I realize she doesn't give a damn about material things."
"She sure as hell likes not working," Simon told him. "They all like not working, Felix. As soon as Jessie has that money in her hands, she won't feel as bad. You and I have had her best interests in mind ever since that farcical wedding, for God's sake. Joshua wouldn't care or even miss the money. To Jessie, it could be a life-saver."
"I'm betting on a wedding in the very near future. Hell, he's given her the Tahoe house. You know how much he loves that place. You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. I love that girl as if she were my own daughter. And I know women." Simon laughed, slapping Felix on the back as they stepped into the elevator. "Hell, I had my share of lady friends before I married Patti. Trust me on this. I really know women."

* * * * *

Jessie yanked a navy velour robe off its hanger and pulled it on over her naked body. Its soft folds engulfed her, surrounding her with Joshua's scent. She rolled up the sleeves and tugged the belt around her waist before going downstairs to wait for him.
Too tired to bother eating, Jessie flopped down on the new sofa in the family room. She tried to read. Even the latest terrifying vampire novel couldn't keep her awake. After laying the book on her lap, she channel surfed and found an old movie. She tried to concentrate on Fred and Ginger, pulling down the soft folds of Joshua's robe to cover her bare toes.
He'd gone to Russia this time. As usual, she'd overdone it while he was gone. Sick of the sterility of his house, she'd persuaded Joshua to let her do something about it while he was away.
Conrad and Archie had been so good to give her a job when she had no experience years ago. This commission would balance things out. And the money meant nothing to Joshua, so for once she had no compunction about spending some of it. At least it was for him.
She had adamantly refused his offers of money and expensive gifts for months. She'd refused money, the car, a condo and a hundred other perks he'd offered. When he realized she was in deadly earnest, he'd started giving her beautiful costume jewelry. It was obviously expensive, but at least she wasn't having sleepless nights worrying about losing it. She had to admit she loved the clothes he insisted on buying for her. Things she could never have afforded herself. Things she would never have needed. He moved in elite circles. To him, the designer gowns and jewelry were part of her uniform. She hadn't been able to refuse, given his logic.
Little did he know that most of the clothing she had was from her college days. College and clothing he had paid for. That was why she'd worked so hard to pay back every cent he'd given her as Vera. She refused to be bought and paid for. No matter how this relationship progressed, she didn't ever want Joshua to think he'd had to pay for her services.
She couldn't stop thinking about their trip to his cabin last month. It had been a magical time. For both of them.
But it had made her reluctantly reassess what she was trying to get out of their relationship.
They had been sleeping together for months and she was still not pregnant. Each month the crushing disappointment had warred with a strange feeling of relief. The relief that the gods were giving them a little more time together.
That weekend had nudged a little place in her mind that said perhaps what she felt for him was more than the need to cold-bloodedly procreate. She'd been struggling with the decision for weeks.
She'd originally decided that having the baby alone, raising it alone, would be ideal. However, the better she got to know The Glacier the more certain she was that she would never walk away from him once she was pregnant with his child. She was positive now that Joshua would track her down to the ends of the earth if he ever found out she had stolen something so precious from him. Because, even if he didn't know it himself, Joshua would make a terrific father.
Once he forgot about his image and they were alone, he could be tender and demonstrative. The man had potential. They deserved the opportunity to explore this relationship. He made her happy. She made him laugh. Surely, there was more to what they had than just sex?
Jessie wanted to find out.
She had shed a bucket of tears before going to the drugstore. She had spent a whole day packing all the baby things and putting everything in storage.
Luckily Joshua was on one of his long trips. For days she had been alternately weepy and then optimistic. Finally she had become sick of the inactivity. The decision had been made.
The small pouch wouldn't fit into her little purse because of the divorce papers. In a moment of indecision she looked at the papers, then at the birth control packet. There was room for only one in her purse… and in her heart.
The decision was remarkably easy. She tossed the papers into the back of a drawer. The birth control fit just fine in her purse.
She'd packed a small bag and had been at Joshua's since.
Redecorating his house into a home had been exactly what the doctor ordered. The busier she was, the less time she had to think. In the last ten days she had supervised painters and wallpaper hangers, had furniture and live plants delivered and generally had a wonderful time changing the house into the home she'd always wanted. Except, of course, she'd never, even in her dreams, pictured a home quite so grandiose. And it was the first time she'd approached a job with her teeth gritted for battle and her brain conjuring up untold fairy tales.
She was worn to a nub, she thought with sleepy satisfaction, letting her head fall back on the plump pillows. The room still smelled faintly of paint She smiled.
Not a trace of his corporate colors survived. Instead, she had filled his home with light. Beautiful fabrics and textured wall coverings, flowers and wonderful antique accent pieces had brought it all together. She'd rearranged his priceless art collection, consigning the boring pieces to the attic.
The house had been crawling with people for days, sending Joshua's security staff into fits.
Jessie rested her eyes. She wanted him home, sitting beside her, rubbing her feet as he sometimes did. Or making love to her over there on the floor by the fire-place where he'd filled the missing gaps in her education with alacrity. Telling her what a shamelessly slow learner she was, so she had to keep practicing until she got it right.
Making love with Joshua was the best experience she'd had in her life. Dashing to the bathroom first was going to take some of the spontaneity away.
It was those quiet moments with him she cherished most: Listening to music. Watching an old movie. Talking. It was amazing they had so much to talk about, considering they hardly agreed on anything. But, no matter what the subject, they were both fascinated with looking up strange facts in Joshua's extensive library. When she came up with some off-the-wall question, Joshua would laughingly look it up in one of his many books or on the Internet.
He seemed more relaxed. He laughed more. He seemed to like her touching him even when they weren't making love. And Jessie touched him whenever she felt the urge, which was often. She loved the feel of his dark hair between her fingers. She adored the scrape of his rough jaw under her mouth as she snuggled against him on the sofa. He didn't push her away. If he didn't enjoy the cuddling as much as she did, he didn't show it. He seemed perfectly ******* to let her tumble against him at whim like a pesky kitten.
Most of the time, if she didn't dwell on not conceiving, she was happy.
His control was phenomenal. Jessie had never seen anything like it. Conrad had been right. It was hard to tell if Joshua ever got really ticked off. She'd learned the angrier he was the quieter he got. Thank goodness he'd never been angry with her.
Their lovemaking was spectacular. Jessie could never have imagined two people being more in tune, more compatible than she and Joshua in bed. Or on the floor. Or on a chair. They were both insatiable. He taught her to be uninhibited and inventive. Jessie blushed at some of her choice locations. She would never be able to look at the stairs again without remembering the rug burns she'd had on her butt the next day.
Jessie had practiced the wind sprint required to get to the bathroom, get prepared, and then get back to the bed. She had practiced until she was fast.
She sighed *******edly and slid down into a more comfortable position on the sofa. Even Fred and Ginger waltzing around the ballroom couldn't force her eyes to remain open.
Joshua come home.

* * * * *

Joshua could hear the TV as he let himself in and set his garment bag by the foot of the stairs to retrieve later. A strong smell of paint permeated the air. She'd left the front hall light on for him as she always did when he was late. A small thing, but something he always noticed the moment he walked in.
She'd placed an enormous, and rather ugly, vase on the half-circle table against the far wall. The smell of the massed fresh flowers vied with the unmistakable odor of paint and lemon furniture polish. She'd probably worked his staff mercilessly. To them Miss Jessie could do no wrong. They all adored her. A small, satisfied smile tugged at Joshua's mouth.
He loosened his tie and top button, his eyes gritty with exhaustion as he walked down the short hallway to the family room in back of the house.
"Jessie?"
He didn't remember being this tired in his life Although his business had gone well, he'd missed Jessie more than he'd thought possible.
"Jessie?"
There was no response to his second louder call. For a moment he stood in the doorway. So much for fantasizing about her silky naked skin on satin sheets. He didn't have the energy right now anyway. He glanced at his watch. Well after midnight. She must have left the TV on and gone home.
The configuration of the room was different, the smell of fresh paint much stronger in here. His head throbbing, Joshua moved to turn off the TV before he went to bed.
The flickering test pattern illuminated Jessie asleep on the sofa, her neck at an impossibly uncomfortable angle, her feet tucked up under his robe. Her lashes cast intriguing shadows on her lightly tanned cheeks.
"Jess," he whispered with intense satisfaction. She was here. Crouching down, Joshua ran the back of his fingers across the silky skin of her cheek.
She slept as she did everything else. Totally. Nothing short of an earthquake would wake her. He took the book off her lap and marked her place.
She stirred briefly, capturing his hand under her cheek with a sigh. With a lightening of his spirits, Joshua bent and lifted Jessie to carry her upstairs.
He lay her gently on the bed, then stripped, settling under the crisp sheets beside her. The room was dark and warm, Jessie's scent tantalizing as she unconsciously snuggled against him. Before he could sleep, he wanted to feel her naked skin against him. He skimmed off the velour robe she'd appropriated and for a moment was tempted to turn on the light. She had a magnificent body and he wanted to see it. Was hungry to see it. But he could wait. Even with the brief glance he'd given the house when he walked through it, he could see she hadn't wasted a moment of the time he'd been gone. Jessie must be as exhausted as he was. She stirred restlessly as he slipped her arm out of the second sleeve, her silky hair frothing over his chest as he settled her against him.
Obviously they both needed to… Ah, hell! Jessie's open mouth found his naked shoulder and sharp little teeth took a nip before her lips trailed like liquid fire to the joint of neck and shoulder. Was she awake? Tired muscles electrified back to life as her tongue sent jolts bone deep.
He shifted to his side, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Desire clenched in his gut Now that she'd aroused him, she damn well better be awake! His hand made a slow and thorough inspection of one plump breast, finding the nipple pebble hard. As his body came wildly alive, he groaned aloud. He pressed her against the pillows and took her mouth. He could feel the firm curve of her breasts and hard points of her nipples now flattened against his chest. Catching a handful of springy hair in his fist, he nudged her head up so he could just make out the pale oval of her face.
"You'd better be awake, lady."
"Cyril?" Jessie whispered huskily, as her fingers climbed his shoulders.
Joshua fell on his back, taking her with him. He grinned up at her. "Cyril? You little wretch. How long have you been awake?"
"Since you started ripping off my clothes." Jessie ran her fingers through his hair, the tips lingering on his face.
He needed a shave. "When did you get back?" She wriggled farther up his chest.
Joshua captured her hand and brought it to his lips, a feeling of profound… something pouring through him. He had no name for what Jessie did to him. He didn't even want to think about it. Her entire satiny length was pressed the length of his body. "Half an hour ago." His answer was muffled against the pulse in her throat.
Jessie's mouth blindly searched for his. His arms went around her. They kissed slowly, savoring the moment.
"I missed you." Jessie's voice was low, husky with need.
Joshua's grip tightened as she moved with catlike grace, her smooth skin skimming over his. He heard her sigh. Shifting her, Joshua ran his hand up her side, her skin shimmering under his hand. He found her breast and tended to it with infinite care.
He'd missed her, too. He hadn't wanted to. For days, the memories of this woman had colored his thoughts. It was unprecedented. It was unacceptable. It was. He nudged her knees apart and settled in the cradle of her thighs. "Show me how much you missed me, woman." He slid into the welcoming warmth of her. They made love slowly, savoring the closeness.
Suddenly her body stiffened. "Oh, damn… I forgot to… never mind."
As her body melted into deep sleep, he reached out and turned off the alarm.

* * * *

He hadn't had enough sleep. He must be getting old. Traveling had never dragged at him like this. The trips were becoming mundane. He buzzed Angela to put together a list of candidates for future travel.
Hell, he'd been almost too tired last night to love Jessie. Not that she'd been too chirpy herself. He grinned. He had left her this morning with her face buried in the pillow. He'd stroked his hand down the silky curve of her bare back, lingering on her heart-shaped butt and she hadn't moved a muscle. He'd missed too many mornings when she wouldn't have been fast asleep. And he wanted them, damn it. He was throwing away that alarm clock ASAP.
He picked up the phone. "Ange, get me Felix, then have Craig from advertising come up. No, I'll hold while you get through. Thanks."
"Felix? Find out where the hell Vera is off to now. I want a divorce."

* * * * *

Jessie jumped up off her knees as soon as the Rolls pulled up in the circular driveway in front of his house. She fought the black dots in her vision from jumping up too fast, and tugged off her soil-encrusted gardening gloves. Joshua had left before she was awake this morning. Their first morning together at the house and she'd slept right through it.
She tossed gloves aside as she pulled open the back door of the car. "You're home early," she said happily, as he swung his long legs onto the brick. "Hi, Barlow," she called over the seat. The chauffeur grinned in the rearview mirror and touched his cap, waiting for her to slam the door shut before he took off to the garages behind the house.
Jessie linked her arm in Joshua's as they walked inside. He set his briefcase down and turned to look at her; a small smile tugged at his mouth. "I have seven gardeners," he said dryly, taking out his handkerchief to wipe her dirty cheek. "Why are you digging in the dirt again?"
"I'll run up and take a quick shower," Jessie said quickly.
"I wasn't criticizing, Jess. You can do whatever you like around—" Joshua sneezed twice. "Damn." He walked into the family room and collapsed on the sofa, pushing one of the new pillows Jessie had bought behind his head and swinging his feet up. He held out his hand. "The house looks great. You did a spectacular job, Jessie. When I have more energy you'll have to give me a tour. In the meantime, come and lie here beside me and tell me what you planted today."
"Ugh, I'm all dirty and sweaty." Jessie's nose wrinkled.
Joshua laughed hoarsely. "I love it when you're sweaty. Come here, woman. I'm too damn tired to chase you upstairs."
He did look tired. His face seemed paler than usual to Jessie as she lay down beside him and felt his arms come around her. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
She was afraid to interpret what it meant for Joshua to turn off the 3:00 am alarm and then come home early the next day. She wondered if she should read anything into it before deciding not to get too excited. He was more than tired—she could tell by the way his arms held her. He was more interested in holding her than in taking her upstairs to bed. She stroked his face.
His jaw was slightly rough with the stubble he hadn't shaved at his office. Jessie knew he usually shaved twice a day. His skin under her questing fingertips felt warm and dry.
"Do you feel all right?" She lifted her head from his chest to look up into his face.
His eyes were closed, but he rubbed a small circle in the small of her back where his hand held her close. "Tired," he admitted on a sigh. "Just damn tired."
He was more than tired Jessie realized as she scrutinized his pale face, scorched with two angry red patches on his high cheekbones.
Jessie carefully swung her legs off the sofa. "Come upstairs, Joshua. I think you should be in bed."
He opened his eyes, taking a moment to focus on her face. "Don't think I can get it up right now, darling," he mumbled, his lids drifting shut. "M'be later."
She laughed softly. "No sex for you, big boy." Jessie carefully slipped her arm under his back and helped him sit up. "Do you think you can get upstairs on your own or shall I call Barlow?"
"Own." Joshua leaned heavily on Jessie's arm as he stood up, almost tumbling both of them back onto the deep sofa.
Terrified he would fall, and alarmed at his pallor and disorientation, Jessie managed to get him upstairs and onto the bed. After undressing him and rolling him under the covers, she searched his phone book for the number of his doctor.
"Joshua?" Jessie sat on the edge of the bed. He had fallen into a restless doze. "I need the number of your doctor. What's his name?"
"Never get sick."
"There's always a first time," Jessie said dryly. She rested her cool hand on his hot cheek. "What's your doctor's name, Joshua?"
He coughed, turning his head feverishly on the pillow. "Jessie?"
"I'm right here."
"Jessica. Jessie. Jess," he said softly, rolling over to bury his face in the pillow.
"That's me." Jessie went into the dressing room to call her own doctor to see if she would make a house call.
He murmured her name again, shifted restlessly and hugged his pillow.
By the time the doctor arrived his temperature had climbed to 104. Jessie bathed his hot face in cool water, dribbling some of the moisture between his dry lips. He didn't want to drink, didn't want to take his cough suppressant, didn't want to do anything but sleep. He sounded like a fractious child. Her heart squeezed. Who had taken care of him when he was a child? A nanny? Had the woman loved him? Or had she just done her job?
Jessie nursed him with TLC. She managed to sponge him down without getting yelled at. First he was boiling, and then he was freezing. He hated the cold wet cloths she ran over his sweaty body. She was sweating herself by the time she'd dried him and made him take aspirin. Then she let him sleep.
Until the next time.
The next day his temperature was down and he was just plain bad tempered. Jessie carried on as if he were being his most charming best. She forced him to drink and take his medication. He couldn't resist her when she closed the drapes and lay down beside him. "Sleep," she'd say, stroking his hair, and he'd rest his head against her without a complaint. He'd be asleep in seconds.
She spent every moment with him in the bedroom, coaxing, cajoling, bullying and browbeating him until he got well. It was no hardship for her to take naps with him. He was a harsh taskmaster when he was sick. Worse when he was recovering.
After five days, he thought he was well enough to use the phone. Jessie had taken it downstairs. He was still too wobbly to try the stairs, and he fumed for hours. A short nap took care of that mood, Jessie thought with amusement watching him sleep on the eighth morning.
Whereas she came rushing out of sleep to get on with her day, Joshua woke with a soft sigh. She loved him best like this. When he was soft with sleep, vulnerable and malleable.
She leaned up on her elbow and touched his forehead. Cool, thank goodness. She'd made him stay in bed yesterday even though he could probably have been up. She'd teased him about how much control she had since he was too weak to fight back.
She slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him. Dressed in navy leggings and a thigh-length cable-stitch navy-and-white cotton sweater, she pushed up the sleeves as she made her way to the kitchen. She had the coffee on and was breaking eggs into a glass bowl when Joshua came in.
"Where's Mrs. Godfrey?" he asked, referring to the cook.
"She took her grandkids to the park."
"Hmm." He nuzzled the back of her neck.
Jessie turned to look at him. He had showered and shaved and dressed in the jeans and dark-purple shirt she'd bought him in Tahoe. "Well, don't you look handsome." She moved to arm's length, eyeing him up and down. "Great buns."
Joshua's lips quirked. "You're looking at my front, Jess."
"Trust me, I know." She grinned up at him, automatically checking his forehead with her hand. Satisfied, she turned back to the stove. "Scrambled or omelette?"
"Scrambled." He pulled the wide neckline of her sweater aside to nibble her shoulder.
She poured the egg mixture into the pan. A comb fell out of her hair to the floor. Joshua bent to pick it up. "I don't know why you bother trying to control your hair, darling. It has a mind of its own."
She used one hand to hold her hair up as she tried to force the comb back into the thickly curling mass. Joshua smiled, his eyes getting crinkly the way she loved. "That doesn't do any good you know. It won't stay up."
"I can't do anything with it. I probably look like a wild woman."
"It looks sexy as hell."
She gave him a speaking glance. "I'm cooking breakfast here."
He looked at her innocently. "I was just making a comment."
She laughed. They hadn't made love since the night he'd come back from Russia. Considering his libido, she was surprised he hadn't taken her on the kitchen floor by now.
He still looked a little pale. She decided she could always persuade him to take a nap with her after breakfast. The meal would never get cooked though if she had to hold up her hair with her hand. Too lazy to run upstairs to look for a scrunchie, she coiled her hair off her neck and anchored it with a pencil she grabbed from the cup by the phone.
He frowned.
"What's the matter?"
Joshua shrugged. "Déjà vu."
Jessie put four slices of bread in the toaster then looked at him. "Are you sure you're feeling all right? Maybe it's too soon for you to be out of bed. Should I call Dr.—"
"Forget the doctor." He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, his eyes lambent as he pulled her closer. "I want to drag you upstairs and do sexy stuff to your body until you yell."
Upstairs was good.
She would make a quick detour to the bathroom before they hit the bed. She took the pan off the stove, then draped her arms around his neck and wriggled her eyebrows. "How sexy?"
"How much can you take?" He used his thumb to stroke the slick inner surface of her lower lip, his gaze scorching her face.
The toast popped up behind her. "You just got out of a sick bed." She tried to be reasonable.
"Come back to it with me." He swung her up in his arms and strode out of the kitchen, across the wide entry hall and started up the stairs.
"I don't think you should be carrying me, Rhett. You've been flat on your back for a week." She held on tighter as he picked up speed the closer he got to the bedroom.
He kicked the door shut behind him. "Didn't I tell you yesterday I wouldn't always be weak and lying flat on my back?" He settled her carefully on the freshly made bed. "Now, my pretty, what do you have to say about that!"
He leaned over her, the purple shirt doing wonderful things to his pale eyes. He was teasing her but his eyes were hot.
"I say, fine." Jessie started unbuttoning the cotton shirt. Her throat felt dry and her pulse had sped up. She wanted to consume him in large bites. "Hurry." She couldn't believe that throaty voice was hers.
She had no idea what happened to their clothing. Or who removed what. The moment her naked skin touched his, he went wild, carrying Jessie along on a tidal wave of sensation so intense she lost all sense of reason.
Her climax was so explosive, so prolonged she almost lost consciousness. After a while she managed to slowly open her eyes. Sunlight streamed through the open window. Blankets and sheets were mounded on the floor. Jessie could feel a pencil under her right hip. She couldn't move a muscle and she struggled to draw an even breath.
She'd forgotten the detour.
Joshua leaned over her. His face had lost its pallor. His hair was sweaty and their skin was sticking together everywhere they touched. In a moment she would be able to speak. For now all she could gather the energy to do was gaze into his eyes. They held some emotion impossible for her to read. She felt the deep breath he took through her breast and down to the juncture of her thighs.
"I'm sorry."
For a moment she was so lost in the sensual haze she didn't comprehend his words. "What?"
"I'm sorry," he said stiffly. "I lost control. Did I hurt you?" A dark frown pinched his eyebrows together.
"No!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down. "I love what we did. I love knowing I can make you forget you're The Glacier when you're with me."
Jessie felt the brief suspension of his heartbeat under her hand. It took her a moment to realize that whatever he had felt in that shattering moment, he'd caught himself and brought his emotions back under control. Damn. She'd just have to try harder. She glanced at him under her lashes. A telltale pulse pounded in his temple. So, he wasn't as immune as he liked to appear.
"There's nothing you have ever done to hurt me. In bed or out. I promise." He lost some of the concern in his eyes. "I'm starving. Can we go down for breakfast soo—"
The phone rang and she groaned. Joshua's business calls had stopped while he'd been ill. No doubt he'd called his secretary this morning and told her he was up and about. He was definitely up—and about to be cut off. Her fingers walked deliberately down his chest.
Joshua stuffed a pillow behind his head. "What the hell do you mean you can't find… ?" He glanced briefly at Jessie. "The principle party?"
She loved his crinkly chest hair, but didn't waste too much time there. He had been gone for ten days, then sick for a week. He had a lot of catching up to do. Her fingers closed around him.
She jumped when Joshua said loudly into the phone, "Then damn well hire detectives. I want her found." There was a short pause. "As death and taxes. Keep me informed Felix."
"Bad news?" She crossed her arms on his chest and tried to read the expression on his face.
"Just someone I need to contact to get some papers signed."
She made tantalizing swirls around his left nipple. "Another merger?"
"A contract dissolution. Felix will take care of it."
He looked pointedly at her hands folded on his chest "Wasn't this hand somewhere else?"

26-08-08, 03:02 PM

المشاركة رقم: 34

المعلومات
الكاتب:	Lola Ali
اللقب:	ليلاس متالق

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التسجيل:	Dec 2007
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كاتب الموضوع : cocubasha المنتدى : الارشيف

coco, sweetie, I can hardly wait for you to finish the novel, so I can read it. Amazing work, sis

26-08-08, 03:11 PM

المشاركة رقم: 35

المعلومات
الكاتب:	afraa
اللقب:

البيانات
التسجيل:	Aug 2006
العضوية:	10263
المشاركات:	104
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كاتب الموضوع : cocubasha المنتدى : الارشيف

تسلم ايدك ياكوكو فرح باشاااا
الرواية هي كانت من أوائل ماقرئت بالانكليزي وحلووة كتير وخصوصاً مقطع الهدايا بالاخير ..بكاني
اختيار موفق وذووق رائع ...سلام عزيزتي