Chapter 5
Hailey got out of bed and reaching for her robe, she pulled it on over her naked body. “Wine?” she asked him as she turned to look at him lounging on her Egyptian cotton sheets. He was totally naked and her dark brown eyes wandered over the magnificent body. He did not need to hide, why should he when he had a body that brought out the painter and the sculptor and the writer in her!
“Please.” He smiled at her and put his hands beneath his dark head. “Hurry back.”
“You are not spending the night.”
“Just once?” His dark blue eyes pleaded with her.
“Unlike you, I have a job in the morning. I have to get prepared for classes. End of year exams and all that.”
“Get the wine and we will discuss it more.” His voice was unconsciously arrogant, and she quirked a brow at him. He grinned at her sheepishly. “Please.”
She went out of the room and went to get the glasses and the bottle of red. He had persuaded her and she had told him to come over under the cover of darkness. He was highly recognizable so she had told him to use the back stairs to avoid the neighbors. She went back into the room to find that he had gotten up and pulled the shades and turned the lamp on. The light cast a rosy glow on his tanned skin and his dark hair. He came forward and took the bottle from her. He opened the cork and poured the wine in the glasses. He pulled her over to the sofa and planted her onto his lap.
“David,” she moaned as he nuzzled her neck. She could feel the imprint of his erection beneath the thin silk of her robe. The glass trembled in her hand as she arched back against him.
“We could do this every night,” he whispered. That brought her back to reality and she hopped off his lap.
“You know the rules,” she told him as she placed the glass onto the table.
“Rules are made to be broken, darling,” he told her lightly as he looked at her with narrowed eyes. Her robe had opened up and he could see her slender body clearly. She was stunning! How could she possibly be forty-five?
“Not mine,” she told him silkily. “You know why I am so good at my job?”
“Because you look the way you do?” he teased.
She sent him a dirty look and continued. “I am unorthodox, but I play by the rules and I set boundaries with my students. I reach out but just so far. I know where to draw the line.”
“And you are drawing the line with us?”
“There is no us!” she said as if explaining to a very dense child. “There is you and there is me. You go about your life and so do I.”
“I have not seen anyone since I have been with you.”
“That’s a damned lie and you know it! You were with Madeline Brightly a week ago. You were seen holding onto her as if she was the next love interest.”
He got to his feet abruptly at that. “I only went out with her to try and get myself back.”
“What exactly does that mean?” she demanded.
“It means, darling, that since I met you, I have not been myself. I am not interested in another woman and I wanted to see if it was just a fluke.” He faced her, his magnificent body in full view. He had not one ounce of self-consciousness about him. Why should there be when he looked the way he did! “It means that I cannot stop thinking about you! I want to get to know you better. I want to try and see if this will work-” He broke off as she started laughing and stared at her fumingly.
“You are cute, honey.” She went forward to kiss him on the lips. “One last one for the road.”
He wanted to refuse, but as she melted in his arms, he hauled her closer to him, his lips bending to take hers. He was feeling these feelings that he had no idea what to do about them!
******
“You have been scarce,” Marge commented as her friend walked into the room. Outside was a ball of fire, but the tall slender woman looked as if she had just stepped from the shower. Her light green cotton dress suited her curves so much that she caused eyes to follow her as she crossed the room. She took off the floral scarf from around her neck and slid onto the stool next to her friends.
“A tall glass of lemonade, please,” she said, smiling at the waiter. “I have a very demanding career.”
“Bitch, we have not seen you in two weeks!” Hillary exclaimed as she sipped her fruit punch. It was their favorite place to meet when they get together. A sort of informal bar that was not far away from the campus.
“End of term exams and meetings in between.”
“If I did not know any better, I would say you found yourself a man,” Hillary said, looking at her curiously. She looked different; Hailey was always beautiful but there was something about her that looked different. “Don’t tell me you gave you in to that stodgy professor and gave him some?”
Hailey laughed at that and wondered what her friend would say if they knew who she was having sex with! “Not a chance!”
“A student?”
Hailey gave her a dirty look.
“What? I have seen some of the boys who attend, honey, and trust me, you could do worse.”
“I am not that hard up for sex.”
“I am,” Hillary admitted. “I came this close to having sex with my gay assistant.”
Both women laughed at that. “I am sure he would have turned you down flat,” Marge told her.
Hillary sighed. “I came very close to calling Colin.”
“We cannot have that, honey. What can we do?” Hailey asked her seriously.
“Find me a man. Even if it’s just the slaking of this horniness that has come over me.”
“That’s not such a bad idea,” Hailey said casually. Both women stared at her. “What? As long as both parties are clear on the rules.”
“You sound like you have done this before,” Marge said.
“Maybe,” she said with a shrug.
“Hailey Amber Donaldson, you are the queen of what’s right. So when did you change your mind?” Hillary demanded.
“I have not changed my mind,” Hailey said, wishing she had not said anything. “I am just saying that not everything has to be set in stone. Two people can become involved and it is just physical.” She saw the looks on her friends’ faces and then shrugged. “Forget it.”
“We will of course be bringing it back up in the future,” Hillary warned her.
******
“Marissa, how does it feel now that your wedding is a week away?” a reporter called out as they milled around the room. It was her bridal shower and was being combined with the new scent that was also out. ‘Breathtaking’ was the newest rage and was being promoted along with her upcoming nuptials.
“I feel fine.” She flashed her famous smile as she linked hands with her fiancé. He topped her by a foot and she loved it. “We are looking forward to it. Aren’t we, darling?” she asked, looking up at the tall silent man at her side.
“We are.” He smiled at her gently.
The reporter moved on to David who was leaning against the column and sipping a glass of wine, trying not to look bored. The woman fluffed her blonde hair and walked over to him. “What about you?”
“What about me?” His dark eyes sized her up without the slightest ounce of interest. All he wanted to do was to be with Hailey. He had called her and told her about the event, and she had told him to have fun.
“I wish you would come,” he had said.
She had laughed at that. “I don’t.”
“We are going to have to go out sometime.”
“David, stop,” she had told him in exasperation before hanging up.
“You look like this is the last place you want to be.”
“How do you figure?” he asked her in amusement.
“You look a bit bored,” she said flustered as she looked at him with longing. “We could go somewhere else.”
“While you are working?” He quirked one thick brow at her. “I am sure you are a professional?”
Her expression made it clear that she would shelve it in a minute if he made her an offer. He leaned off the column as Marissa came forward. “Excuse me. Duty calls.” He linked arms with Marissa and bent to kiss her cheek.
“What was that for?” she asked, looking up at him.
“For rescuing me,” he told her lightly. People were milling around the conference room making light conversations and eating the light finger foods that had been offered.
“I never dreamed you would need rescuing from an attractive woman.” She looked up at him. “And you are by yourself. How is that possible?”
“Maybe I have changed,” he told her.
She laughed at that. “That would be the day.”
“You don’t think I can change?” he asked her seriously.
“Darling, are you coming down with something?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Maybe.” His tone was light and he forced the smile to his lips. “This is your day. Go and be with your fiancé.”
He left shortly after that and called her as he went into the unobtrusive grey car that he used whenever he was going to visit her.
“I am coming over,” he said abruptly.
“I thought you had a thing.”
“I got bored and realized that I wanted to be with you.”
“Come on over.”
A grateful smile hovered around his lips. “I thought I was in for an argument.”
“You thought wrong. Hurry.”
******
His fingers wandered down her bare back as she lay there sprawled against him. “I was thinking that we could go to Paris together during the summer break,” he said casually.
“Hmm.” Hailey felt sated and wonderful. She had met him at the door and he had taken her right there. They had eventually ended up in the bedroom.
“Is that a yes?”
“Is there anywhere we go where you would not be recognized or where you had a relationship with someone?” She raised her head to look down at him. He looked incredibly sexy and relaxed.
“You have nothing to worry about.”
“I am not worried.”
“I know that you want a physical thing-”
“We both want that.”
“No, we don’t,” he told her firmly.
“Are we going to have this argument every time we are together? It’s becoming tiresome, David.”
“My sister is getting married and I would like you to come.”
“As your date?”
He looked at her broodingly. “Bring a girlfriend if it makes you feel comfortable.”
“How would that make sense?”
“I just want to see you outside of these walls,” he muttered as he brushed back her short curls. “You forbade me from coming to where you work-”
“As well I should.”
He looked at her in frustration. “I want to see you otherwise, Hailey.”
“Okay.”
He stared at her in shock. “Okay?”
She smiled down at him. “I am sure Hillary and Marge would get a kick out of attending a high society wedding.”
“And you?”
“I don’t care one way or the other. Society weddings have a way of ending abruptly.” She laughed at the look on his face. “I truly hope your sister’s nuptial is far different. That basketball player seems to adore her.”
“I am starting to know what that feels like.” His hands tightened around her waist as she moved. “Stay,” he whispered.
“As long as you stop talking,” she murmured as she bent her head to his.
******
“My good Lord!” Hillary exclaimed as stated around the vast ballroom where the height of high society mingled, laughing and chatting. They had decided to come to the reception because the wedding had been a ‘small intimate’ ceremony with only close friends. “How did you get invited again?”
“Snyder’s Sportswear, Inc. is sponsoring an event for the summer on campus so a few of us got invited,” Hailey said smoothly as she looked around. She was happy that the place was so packed that her friends would not notice that she was the only one there from campus. All she had to do was to dodge the many reporters and photographers milling around. How on earth could people live in the spotlight like this all the time? she wondered. Her eyes fell on a group of women she had always read about. African American women married to rich white men and making a difference.
“Do you think I look good enough to fit in?” Marge asked them anxiously as she smoothed her hands down her rich burgundy silk dress. When Hailey had told them of the invite, she had wanted to say no, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Hillary was wearing a stunning pale pink pantsuit that she had designed herself, and Hailey had on an ice blue dress that hugged her curves lovingly. Dangling diamond earrings went to her shoulders and her makeup was flawless. She seemed as if she belonged, and Marge envied her the self-confidence she possessed.
“Honey, you look beautiful,” Hailey said carelessly, her eyes going around the room to see if she could spot David. He looked up as if he realized that she was there and his dark blue eyes smoldered as they ran over her slowly. He was talking to a group of men including the groom, but his eyes were on her. Hailey felt as if she was being stripped naked as his eyes lingered. “Let’s go get something to eat,” she suggested as she tore her eyes away from his. This was getting ridiculous!
“Good idea. I am starving,” Hillary muttered. “And who knows? I might just meet a rich man here who wants to have his way with me.”
They separated, and Hailey wove her way through the crowd to find a place to sit. She accepted a glass of champagne and sipped it as she looked around. She stiffened as she saw him coming over to her and got to her feet quickly. He was being watched by almost every female in the vast room and some of them happened to be reporters. She placed the glass on a tray and hurried out of the room to find a bathroom. It was the newest hotel uptown and was sumptuously furnished. She had not gotten far when he caught up with her, and pulling her into an empty room, he pulled her into his arms. He fastened his mouth on hers and for a few moments conversation was not possible. He finally dragged his lips from hers. “You came,” he breathed through his teeth as he fought for control. It had been hard put for him to carry on the conversation as soon as she entered the room.
“I said I would.” She wrapped her hands around his neck. “You look very good in a tux.”
“Want to take it off me? We could get a room upstairs.”
“Aren’t you the best man or something?” she asked him.
“A mere usher.” His lips feathered along her cheek. “In a party of twelve.”
“Twelve?” She laughed at that. “What a crowd!”
“You see why I need to get out of there and be with you?” He tilted her chin up and ran his tongue on her full bottom lip causing her to tremble. She could feel his erection through the thinness of her dress.
“We cannot pull the disappearing act another time. My friends will start to get suspicious.” She opened her mouth for his tongue and arched her body to his. “You could come over after.”
“And spend the night?” He lifted his head and looked down at her.
She hesitated and then nodded. “Yes.”
“Yes?” His dark blue eyes smoldered at her response.
“Yes. We have to go back.”
“Not yet,” he whispered as he took her lips with his again.
******
He watched as she came back into the room. He had come back first and then she had waited a few minutes before she came in. His eyes narrowed as a man cornered her. He was on the board and had been friends with his dad. He saw when the man touched her arm and wanted to go over there and claim ownership! He stiffened as the man leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. His hands clenched into fists and he tried to appear calm as his mother came over to him. “There you are, darling. I have been looking for you.”
“You found me.” He tore his gaze from them to look at her. “Where is the fire?”
“I was just talking to Mel and he was saying that we should take this opportunity to make an announcement about the new scent. I think that should be you.”
“Why not someone from the PR department?” His gaze wandered over to where Hailey was dancing with the bastard. He had his hands all over her!
“Darling, you are the face of the company.”
“Mother, I am sorry. I can’t right now.”
“Darling, is something wrong?” She asked looking at him anxiously.
“No.” He took a deep breath to get his feelings under control. Jealousy was new to him and he did not like it! He had to get out of the room or he was going to do something she would not like! “I just need a minute.” He turned and walked away without waiting for her to respond.
*******
He was waiting for her when she got there and he did not say a word as he walked behind her up the stairs. She opened the door and he came inside and went straight to the bedroom. Hailey looked after him and with a shrug she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. She deliberately stayed in the kitchen long enough for him to consider stewing then went into the bedroom. She saw him standing by the window looking out. “Are you going to tell me what’s eating you?”
“I did not know you cared,” he said coldly as he turned to look at her.
“Let’s pretend that I do,” she said calmly as she sat on the sofa and took her shoes off.
“I am not one of your goddamned students, Hailey!” he snapped.
“Then stop behaving like one.”
He shoved his hands into his pocket and stared at her. “Did you get his number?”
“I am assuming you are referring to the man who was dancing with me?” she asked him mildly. “What is it to you? Don’t tell me that you are jealous?”
“He had his hands all over you!”
“And it is my body. You thought I was your property?”
His eyes smoldered as he looked at her. “I wanted to tear him away from you.”
“It was just a dance, David, and it is not like we are in a relationship.”
He moved towards her swiftly and before she knew what he was doing, he hauled her up to him. “We are in something and the next time I see a man’s hands on you like that I will not be responsible for my actions.”
“Do you think you can frighten me with threats like that, David?” She could feel the anger shimmering off him. “Just because we have sex does not give you the right to-”
He cut her off as he roughly took her lips with his. David felt his control slipping away from him and felt the desire and frustration punching through his body. He lifted her slender body and carried her off to the bed. He threw her down onto the bed and climbed over her, his hands going between her legs to tear the flimsy underwear. He fumbled with his zipper to release his erection. This was the only time he had some control over her and he was using it to prove a point to her and to himself. He entered her swiftly, going in deep. He had taken off his jacket and his tie and unbuttoned his crisp white shirt. Hailey ran her fingers over his muscled chest before wrapping her hands around his neck. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed up against him. With a groan, he buried his lips on hers, his hands biting into her hips as he plunged into her helplessly!