Chapter Seven
Anna
There was a distinct giddiness about my mood as I let myself back into Daniel’s flat the following morning. I had woken up to Ethan trailing kisses along my body. He told me he was hungry and that he wanted to taste my honey. Who was I to argue? I loved the way he was so keen to make me come.
There was something about him that was almost addictive. I couldn’t get enough of his body, his touch. If someone said that I could trade any hope of a normal existence and spend the rest of my life in that bed with him, I think I’d sign on the dotted line. Even now, twenty minutes since I last saw him, I wanted him again. And who was he? He was a stranger to me, and I to him. But I think part of him knew me better than anyone else. The way he looked at me, through me, and right into the center of me. Somehow, that ability to see me in a way others didn’t meant he could do things with my body that no one could. No one had.
Leah was right. It was impossible to think about anything else, and Ben in particular, while I was with Ethan. Maybe I could fly to New York every time I got heartbroken. Ethan was almost worth getting heartbroken for.
* * *
“Are you mad?” I asked Leah as we sat down at a table at a coffee shop on Prince Street.
“What about?”
“Me spending time with Ethan.”
“Yes, I’m super-mad that you are happy and having fun and being distracted from Ben the Bastard while I get to have super-hot and very loud sex with my super-hot and very loud boyfriend.”
“Well, when you put it like that.”
“Are you seeing him again tonight?”
“Err.” How had we left it? He had dropped me at Daniel’s on his way to work, but he’d left some of his stuff in the suite; he was in a fresh suit this morning, not wearing the same clothes from last night like I was. But he’d just kissed me and told me he’d see me later. “We didn’t make any plans,” I said, trying to sound breezy but I felt a pit in my stomach. I hoped that wasn’t it. I hoped I would see him again. I reached into my bag and to find my phone. Nothing.
“Daniel has this reception thing at the hotel tonight and I said I would go with him. You should come.”
“Sounds fun.” I was trying to seem enthusiastic.
“But if Ethan calls, then go do your thing.”
I smiled tightly. I shouldn’t want to see him this badly. “You are the most awesome friend in the world.”
“Uh uh.” Leah shook her head. “No, that title belongs to you.”
My phone rattled against the table.
SG: What are you wearing?
A warmth spread across my chest at his text and I laughed.
“Ethan?” Leah asked and I nodded as I typed a response.
Me: My oldest jeans, and a T-shirt with a hole under the arm. Super sexy.
SG: You’d make a garbage bag look super sexy.
Me: Shut up.
SG: No bullshit.
SG: I can leave work by 6 p.m. tonight. Meet me at the hotel?
I laughed. He was all for getting down to business. No dinner and drinks tonight. Well, it was fun, not romance that I signed up for.
Me: Only if you promise to be naked when I arrive.
SG: You drive a hard bargain. See you then.
I looked up to find Leah looking at me and my wide grin. She wiggled her eyebrows. “We need to go underwear shopping.”
“We do?”
“We need to get something to seduce our sexy men with.”
“Well, A, he’s not my man, and B, I think he’s a sure thing. But ok, let’s go.”
Leah took me to an amazing lingerie boutique. She’d been there before when shopping alone in New York, thinking of ways to distract Daniel. She warned me it could be expensive, but assured me it was worth every penny. When we walked in and were handed a glass of champagne, I knew there was some serious money going to be spent.
Going through the racks I realized I hated shops like this. There was not a single item in the boutique that I didn’t want to try on. As I started to select items, an assistant took them to a changing room. Dangerous. I couldn’t remember how many I’d selected.
“Hey,” Leah loud-whispered at me. “Come look.” She held up a bra that I could sue the owner of the boutique for misrepresentation over. It was no more than a few strips of material, none of which would cover an actual breast.
“Kinky,” I said.
“I have this one. It always goes down well … or ensures Daniel does.”
“Leah Thompson. I’m shocked. I thought you were going to be a virgin until your wedding night.”
We both giggled.
My eyes darted to the rack next to her. This was clearly the kinky section. I picked up even more things to try on and finally made it to the changing rooms.
I could imagine Ethan ripping off everything I tried on. That was a good thing, but an expensive thing. The beautifully soft lighting that made me feel like Heidi Klum didn’t help. I tried a very simple black bra and panties, which were entirely sheer. I loved them and decided I had to have them. I was sure Ethan would love them, too. I grabbed my bag to find my phone so I could text him and tell him what I was doing, and then the champagne suggested that showing him might be even more fun. I arranged myself so I was leaning on my side in front of the mirror, one hand reaching up against the wall. I then snapped a photo. Was I really going to do this? I typed out a message.
Me: I’m doing a little retail therapy. What are you up to?
I hadn’t even changed into the next set when my phone buzzed.
SG: Charge it to my card and don’t take it off. Wear them tonight. I’m in an all-day meeting and now I’m hard and want to be inside you.
Shivers rippled across my body and my nipples tightened under the sheer fabric. I wanted him inside me, too.
I chose three sets. One had a bra and bustier, so maybe that might count as four. Oh, and then there was the corselette and the teddy. Shit. I wasn’t going to let him pay and I wasn’t sure my credit card could handle it, but it would be worth it to see his face when I wore them. Would I get to wear them all by the end of the week?
Ethan
The meeting I was in was a total waste of time. Clients moaned about lawyers’ fees but loved wasting our time. I considered announcing that I would double our rates if this meeting went for more than another 30 minutes. I wanted to get out of here. It was coming up to 5 p.m. and I had much better things to be doing with my time than listening to this old guy complain that he was going to make $5 million less than he was expecting on the deal we were all killing ourselves to make happen. I headed to the counter with the coffee and poured myself a cup. I glanced around to make sure nobody was nearby and found Anna’s text. She looked incredible. Her eyes were naughty, but her pose a little coy. She managed to do sexy and sweet at the same time. How was that even possible? I couldn’t wait to see her in that underwear and then peel it off her.
Finally our meeting wrapped up and I headed back to my office.
“I have 19 messages from Mr. Dillon and then about 200 from BoNY,” Susie said as I walked past her into my office.
“Fuck, what does Dillon want?”
“Something about an article in the FT. I had a look but couldn’t find anything.”
“Shit. I’ll call him from the car.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving for the day. Unless there’s a fucking apocalypse, I’m not answering my phone.”
“Is everything ok?” Susie asked. She looked concerned, like I was unwell or something.
“Fine. I’m just taking the night off.”
“Is your sister ok?”
Susie had worked for me for nearly ten years. And over the course of that decade, the only time I dropped things at work was for my sister. And then there was tonight, with Anna.
“Yeah, she’s fine. I just have a friend in town who I really want to catch up with. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I headed out the door and down the elevators to flag a cab. No need for my driver tonight. We weren’t going out. I could feel the blood in my veins and I could hear my heartbeat. Just the thought of her on her way to meet me had my body reacting. I checked my watch. I wanted to make sure I arrived before she did. I had a promise to keep.
* * *
I’d left a key at reception for her so she didn’t have to knock.
I still had my watch on and it was telling me it was 6:10. Where was she? I heard a rustling in the lock and grinned and shifted on my seat. Was she going to think I was a total dick? I was sitting at the dining room table, naked apart from my tie, my legs on the chair beside me, one knee bent.
She saw me as soon as she walked into the room and just stood still. The sight of her almost made me forget my line.
“How was your day, dear?” I asked, looking at her and adjusting my tie.
She looked beautiful in some kind of long t-shirt that was too short for other men to see her in. She didn’t take her eyes off me. Shit, was she going to respond? Her face broke out into a wide grin.
“I like your tie.” She walked toward me, dropping her bag on the floor.
“I wore it for you,” I said as she sat on my lap.
“You are my favorite person in the whole world right now. For this week.”
I swallowed. Fuck. I felt winded and full of … something—light, warmth. I wasn’t sure. I grabbed her ass and brought her closer to me and she buried her face in my neck.
“You’re my favorite person in the whole world right now too.”
“How do you know Pretty Woman so well?” she asked, pulling away from my neck so she could look at me.
“I have an older sister. I know every fucking line from that movie.”
“Sounds like I’d like your sister.” She blushed and put her head back in my neck. I stroked her back.
“Yes, I think you would. She’d like you, too. She lives in London, actually.”
“She does? Have you visited?”
“Yes, last year when their daughter was born.”
“Oh,” she said quietly. I wanted to see inside her head, see the question she didn’t ask me. She could ask me anything. I wanted her to ask me everything.
“I have a present for you.” Her mood shifted from quiet to excited and I found myself grinning at her as she leapt off my lap. She turned so her back was facing me and reached for the hem of her t-shirt and stripped it off in one swift movement.
Fuck me. I was faced with her perfect ass wrapped in a black silk bow. I was speechless. Maybe it was my lack of reaction that caused her to spin around to see if I was watching. I watched the bow disappear as she revealed what looked like a normal pair of panties. My eyes met another black silk bow wrapping up her perfect tits.
Fuck.
Best. Gift. Ever.
“Your gift to me is your body?”
She nodded and blushed again as I stood in front of her.
“And I can do what I like with it?”
She nodded.
“You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. All my Christmases just came at once.”
“Ethan,” she scolded.
“No fucking bullshit.” I bent down and threw her over my shoulder and carried her into the bedroom. “Let’s get you unwrapped.”
I put her down on the bed and watched her watching me. Something shifted. I wanted her, but it wasn’t just lust I felt. I reached to her chest and pulled the ends of the bow to reveal my gift, keeping my eyes on her. As I felt the material loosen, my eyes went to her chest just as her beautiful skin was revealed. Her nipples were puckered and waiting, as if they were being offered up to me. I couldn’t resist.
“Jesus, beautiful. You look amazing.” I dipped my head and grazed her nipple between my teeth. “You taste amazing.” She arched her back and I slipped what was left of her bra off her shoulders, running my hands down her back. “You feel amazing.”