Johnny was piiiiiissed.I couldn’t make out exactly what he was saying, but whatever it was, he said it loudly enough for Connor to make a face and hold the cell phone away from his ear.It sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher’s wah-wah-wah-WAAAH crossed with a fire-and-brimstone preacher.Connor let him vent for a few seconds, then said, “I’m getting on 10 East… you can find me, I’ll be the maroon Lamborghini Aventador.”More wah-wah-wah-WAAAAH.“Yes, fine, okay, I’ll drive under the speed limit so you can get to me… jeez, man, I don’t know who’s worse, you or Lily.”Things quieted down on the other end as Johnny asked something in a lower tone of voice.Connor smiled. “Because she’s with me.”Silence. Then Johnny said something else, and Connor pulled the cell away from his ear and hit a button for speakerphone.“Lily?”I smiled. “Hi, Johnny.”“You made him call me, didn’t you?”“Yes.”“Thank you. At least SOMEBODY’S brain is working right.”“Hey,” Connor warned.“Where’d you get th
I experienced vague flashes of the trip as I dozed. Whispered phone calls… the purr of the engine… patterns of sunlight and shadow…Once or twice I woke long enough to take swigs from a bottle of water, but then I lapsed back into semi-consciousness.Until I felt someone’s arms circling around me and lifting me out of my seat.I looked over blearily. “…wha… where…”I tried to force myself awake, but I was still so tired, it was like I was drugged.“We’re here,” Connor said as he held me against his massive chest. Even through his suit, I could feel his hard muscles pressed against my body.The sun was beating down with scorching heat against my skin. I saw the blurry outline of a gigantic white and glass building, much taller than the Dubai Hotel.I winced against the bright light. “…what are you doing…?”“I’m carrying you,” he said, and then we were moving. The bright light ended and shadow enveloped me. There was the sound of an automatic door, and cold air swept over me. The light
I awoke with no idea of where I was or what time it was.I opened my eyes halfway. I was on the edge of the bed, facing outwards. Dim shapes of furniture lined the room, but I couldn’t see a clock or a window or anything that might tell me whether it was day or night.As I lay there in a muddled haze of brain fog, I replayed the last events I could remember, though they were like images from a fading dream: Connor carrying me into the room……slowly undressing me……me pulling off his underwear…At that particular memory, something inside me woke up a little bit more.I turned over in the bed.There he was a few feet away, lying on his back, one arm sprawled above his head, eyes closed and lips slightly parted.Perfection.I began to remember everything: the screaming match with Klaus… finding out my car had been towed… bursting into tears in the parking deck… Connor driving up… his impassioned speech… me crying in the car… his kissing my hand… the conversation with Johnny over the pho
We eventually got up and made our way to the bathroom, where we took a long, sensuous shower together, rubbing soap (and our hands) all over each other’s bodies.Once we got out, I saw a tiny digital clock on the bathroom counter.It was seven o’clock in the evening.“Oh my God, I have to call Anh,” I said in a panic.The last my roommate had heard, I was heading home after being fired. She had probably gotten back to the apartment, found it empty, and wondered if I’d nodded off on the freeway and gotten in a car wreck.For the second time in four days, I was worrying my best friend sick.“You have your phone, or do you need mine?” Connor asked as he toweled his hair dry.I watched below his waist as the movement made his manhood swing back and forth. “Um… yeah…”He saw what I was looking at. “Focus,” he teased.“On this?” I asked as I reached out and caressed his limp shaft – after which it wasn’t quite so limp anymore.“Ah,” he groaned, and leaned down and kissed me. Then he pulled
Sebastian came through with the reservation – which meant the start of the next round of negotiations.“Will you at least put on the bulletproof vest?” Johnny asked.“No,” Connor said as he popped a piece of cheese in his mouth and took a sip of the white wine that room service had brought.“Fine – I just won’t drive you, then.”“Fine. I’ll just take the Lamborghini, then.”As they quarreled, I wandered the main room of the penthouse. It wasn’t the Dubai, but it was pretty damn nice. The ceiling towered thirty feet overhead, and a curving staircase made of pounded bronze connected the first floor with the second. Luxurious couches were scattered throughout the room. The marble flooring – dark green swirled and speckled with white – reflected back the dim lighting from far overhead, with the occasional rug thrown in here and there. There was a flat-screen TV on the wall that was as big as a car, a full bar made of the same speckled marble, and a kitchen and dining area down a hallway t
Not only did I get the dress, I got a black wrap that offset the dress beautifully. Los Angeles is basically a desert, and the temperature can swing between extremes from day to night – so imagine what it’s like with Las Vegas, which is all desert. At this time of year, once the heat from the day radiated off and the night really took hold, it was going to get really chilly.That was how I rationalized the wrap, anyway.There wasn’t much of a way to rationalize the shoes, though. (They were absolutely jaw-dropping, though.)Or the seductive bra and panties. (Although I guess you could say Connor was going to really enjoy them later. Or enjoy taking them off, anyway.)At any rate, I left the store a completely new woman – sashaying around in luxury, feeling like the clothes were kissing my skin with every step, and looking like a million bucks.At least it didn’t cost that much. A million bucks, I mean. Because I’m sure it cost plenty.Although I have no idea what the final price tag
The dinner eased by in a sumptuous parade of dishes, things I’d never tasted – or even seen – before. I’m more of an onion rings kind of a girl than an haute cuisine chick, but I was so dazzled by the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that I completely surrendered.If that sounds naughty… it kind of was. In a culinary way, anyhow. There was a strawberry soup to start, both spicy and sweet. Foie gras, which is definitely not my favorite food in the world – but the shavings of truffle scattered across the top quickly became my favorite (at least for the next fifteen minutes). A carpaccio of a delicate fish, followed by scallops served on half a scallop shell. A truffle tart with smoked bacon. A cheese soufflé. Abalone and leeks in a ginger broth. Roasted lobster with lemongrass. Grilled seabass with spinach. A tiny veal chop flavored with pesto. Three or four desserts, including a chocolate mousse with a Fuji apple compote. (I was in heaven with the chocolate.) Not only was the food
Things got less dark after that.Although it took me awhile to recover.Connor knew he’d frightened me a little, and so he spent the rest of the time regaling me with stories about playing pranks on schoolmates at boarding school… and bizarre tales of business deals gone wrong… and funny bits about how much Sebastian hated Connor’s family, and all the snide remarks he would make when he talked to them. Eventually the wine took over and put everything into a nice, soft haze… and the food overwhelmed me with the sheer sensual delight of it all. And I forgot about the creepy family history.For a while, anyway.We finished dinner – all sixteen courses – around 11PM. I swear I almost asked the restaurant staff to cart me out in a wheelbarrow. As we walked out into the lobby, Connor did the worst thing he could have possibly done under the circumstances.“So… want to go back to the hotel and have crazy sex?” he whispered in my ear.“UGH. NO,” I said, not wanting to admit that I felt abou