Back to December (Ward Sisters Book 1) (8 page)

“Then maybe you can help take that stress away.”

Rob got the message. He dragged Emily on top of him and his mouth found hers immediately, the kiss as passionate as it had been in the car the night before. His hands slid under the shirt he had loaned her. A groan escaped his throat as he caressed her back and realized she wasn't wearing a bra. He rolled her underneath him so quickly it made Em gasp.

He drew back, concerned. “Are you okay?”

She nodded vigorously and brought his lips toward hers again. Emily opened her legs more and wrapped her ankles around his back. His hand was under the shirt, fingers trailed from her waist across her ribs and to her breast. He teased her nipple and she moaned. A smile crossed his lips as he lifted the shirt and looked at her bare chest. Then his mouth was on her breasts and she thought she would die from the pleasure. She arched her back and he yanked the shirt over her head, tossed it aside and kissed her again. Their skin touched chest to chest.

Emily's fingers wandered lower and lower along Rob's chiseled chest and abs. Her hand found the waistband of his pajama bottoms and she sneaked it inside. She discovered what she'd sought and caused him to gasp.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked. He looked at her with such intensity she thought she might crumble to pieces. It almost overwhelmed her, but the harlot regained the control she'd seized the night before.

She reached in further, grasped him fully, pulled the pants down with her other hand and smiled appreciatively when she saw his impressive erection.

“Yes. Absolutely.”

He wiggled out of his pants, and there he was, the finest male specimen she had ever seen.

“I want you, Emily. I don't think I've ever wanted anyone so much in my whole life. Are you sure
you
want this?”

Minutes ago, Old Emily, the cautious girl, would have hesitated when he gave her the opportunity. But this New Emily – the one who desperately yearned for Rob's touch on every single inch of her body – was in charge right now.

“I can't think of a single reason why not,” she said, breathless. Her hands cupped his face and she kissed him, her lips saying what the rest of her body meant: she wanted him too.

He slipped the sweatpants off her hips – an easy feat, given that they were barely held up in the first place – and his smile said he was pleased she wore nothing under them.

If he had tried to just push inside her, she would have let him, the arousal was so potent.

But instead, he took his time and appreciated her body with his hands, his lips, kissed her neck, her breasts, worked his way down her stomach. He eased apart her thighs and while she would normally have been shy and suggested that wait until later, when they were more familiar, she let him put his mouth on her privatest place. Her inner harlot asked,
What reason is there to say no?
She had never felt so sexually liberated before.

His lips were magic. His tongue teased and stroked and Emily couldn't believe she felt so close to orgasm already. He slid one finger and then two inside her and she almost lost it then.

A moan escaped her throat and her fingers entwined in his silky hair.

“Don't stop. Please don't stop,” she begged.

Who
are
you?
Old Emily attempted to ask, but New Emily smothered her question and rode the wave. She came, hard, and ripples of pleasure smashed her into the bed.

She screamed, “Oh God!” It was the first time Emily had ever cried out during orgasm before, but she couldn't help it. Sex with Josh was good, but this was some plane of existence that went so far beyond good there must be a special name for it. And this was just foreplay.

Rob kissed his way back to her breasts and Emily thought she would die when it sent aftershocks of need through her as his mouth suckled her nipples. She had no idea they could be so sensitive after an orgasm. Usually, she just came during sex and that was it. They rolled away from one another, cleaned up, and maybe snuggled for a few minutes before going to sleep. These new sensations assaulted her left and right and she felt completely out of control.

After paying attention to her breasts, Rob kissed back up to her neck, sucking hard enough to make her think about hickeys but not so hard that she felt compelled to care. His mouth found hers again, and she didn't even think about where it had been, she just kissed him, passionately.

She could feel the smooth flesh of his erection pushing into her pelvis. She wanted him. Now. She tilted her hips to give him access and he paused for just a moment to reach toward the nightstand.

“I'm an Eagle Scout,” he said to her confused look. He opened the drawer and pulled out condoms. She laughed. She had never laughed during sex. Wasn't that supposed to be a sin, to laugh during sex, lest the man feel you were laughing
at
him? And yet, she was laughing. And he was laughing too.

He rolled on a condom and just before he could show her more of his bedroom talents, there was a knock at the door. He smiled wide and she was puzzled. He looked at the clock.

“Room service. We said we were going to eat at 7 a.m. They're very punctual here.”

He got up from the bed, his erection still prominent, sporting the condom. He grabbed a fluffy white robe off the back of a chair and threw it over himself.

“I'll be right back.”

She had to laugh. Who walked out to greet room service still hard as a rock with a condom on? Apparently, Rob did. Oddly, it made her like him more.

She could hear him talking quietly to the attendant, directing the guy to leave everything. He must have tipped the man and sent him on his way quickly, because within a minute or so, he was back in the bedroom.

“Now, where were we?” He threw off the robe and resumed his position to make love to her. Once again, he was about ready to push inside, then his cell phone rang. It wasn't a standard ring, it was some 80's tune she couldn't place instantly. He touched his forehead to hers.

“We can't catch a break right now. I have to get that. It's Jenna.” Ah. It was
867-5309/Jenny
by Tommy Tutone.

He rolled off her and, lying there with his erection still covered in the condom, she was about to mount him to make him forget Jenna, whoever that was. He must have seen her intent on her face, because he put up a finger to tell her to wait.

“Jen, what's up? Yeah, you're about an hour late. Yes. She's here. Yes. No, not last night. Jenna, you know I'm not going to tell you that. No, her sister called an hour ago. Well, she's from the East coast, they were all awake at that hour. I know. No, I don't blame you, it's not your fault. You did your job. If it was just me, then you'd have been right on top of things. You had no way of knowing. I told you that I don't want you doing that, Jen. No, it's not that crucial. Stop. You need to have a real life and get sleep, too. No, don't worry about that. Yeah, I think I've got that one covered. Call Barry and let him know so we can handle it for the interviews tomorrow. Okay. Yeah, let me know. Okay. Bye.”

Em knew she must look perplexed, because he touched her face and said, “Sorry about that. Jenna is my assistant in charge of social media. Which basically means she monitors the tabloid sites, runs my Facebook page, my Twitter account, my website and whatever else she deems necessary to keep me in the public eye just the right amount. It's her job to warn me and my publicity team if there are rumors out there or if some photographer got pictures that might be compromising. It's ridiculous that I need a person in my life for that, but that's the name of the game these days.”

She caressed his cheek. “I'm so sorry. You don't need this. I just made your life a lot more complicated.”

He laughed. “This is my life on a regular basis, Emily. I should apologize. You're the one who doesn't need this right now. As much as I'd like to keep doing what we were doing – or about to do, at any rate – we should eat. You have somewhere to be and I don't want to make you late. I have a lunch meeting today, or else I'd ask you to lunch. But I'm free for dinner. Will you have dinner with me?”

Emily smiled, touched that he was already thinking ahead to when they could be together again. “Yes. You're too sweet. When should I meet you?”

“I'll give you my number and you can call me when you're done at the museum. We can decide what to do then. Does that work for you?”

When she agreed, they put on robes and sat for breakfast. The conversation was light and easy, and it was, hands down, the best breakfast she had eaten in ages. Mostly due to the company, though the eggs, bacon, juice, pastries and coffee were all delicious. Before she knew it, Em was walking to her hotel room with Rick to get ready for work.

Rick went inside first, to make a sweep of the room for her. “Is that really necessary?” she asked, concerned.

“Just a precaution. There are all kinds of freaks out there. Everything looks fine. I'm sure I'll see you later.”

“How can you be so sure about that?” she asked as he opened the door to leave. It seemed rather presumptuous.

“Because he likes you. A lot. And you clearly like him. I haven't seen him like this in a long, long time. I'll see you later.”

And with that, Rick left, with Emily wondering just what he meant.

Emily got a clue about 45 minutes later as she made her way to the lobby so she could walk to the museum. A mob of people stood at the door, many of them with cameras. She assumed they waited for Rob or another high profile guest at the hotel.

She was disabused of that idea as soon as Rick appeared at her side. His hand rested at the small of her back and he steered her toward the entrance where they arrived the night before.

“What's going on?” she asked, clearly confused.

His deep voice was loud in her ear. “I'm taking you to the museum. I'll send someone else over once you're there, but we thought you needed an escort this morning. I saw those guys when I arrived. I told Rob I wanted a security detail on you. He won't get in your way while you're at the office, but he'll be as close or as far away as necessary if you have to leave. I've got a guy who's an ace at being discreet. Ex-CIA.”

Em was scared. She knew it must show on her face, even if Rick couldn't read her as well as his brother.

“Is that
really
necessary?” she found herself saying for the second time that morning.

“Welcome to the entertainment business.”

He ushered her into the limo. Mo said hello as he opened the door for her. This was getting more bizarre by the moment.

They drove the few blocks to the museum and pulled up to an entrance she hadn't seen the day before. Mo let them out and Rick followed her to the office. No one batted an eye as he walked with her.

Rather than reassure her, it unnerved Emily. The man was a giant. It wasn't like he was easy to miss.

When they arrived at the desk that was hers while in Minneapolis, Becky, the girl she had met the day before, appeared at her side. Emily noticed her photo badge on the desk. She hadn't realized that they'd bypassed security.

Before Em could speak, Rick said, “Hey, Becky. I'm sending Liam over. He'll be here in about an hour. She doesn't need to leave before then, right?”

“Hi, Rick. No, we're all set. Today is mostly in-house except for lunch. You're all set there?”

“Yeah.” He looked at Emily. “Okay, Liam will be here around 10 a.m. He's a good guy. Becky will find somewhere for him to hang out until lunch. When you leave, he'll tail you, but you won't know he's there unless you need him, okay? He'll introduce himself when he gets here so that you know who he is, but you'll hardly see him after that.”

Emily could only nod. Rick said he would see her later and said goodbye to Becky. Em was struck dumb. What had she gotten herself into? And how, in God's name, did Rick accomplish all that in such a short time?

Becky's voice brought her back to reality. “He's a good guy.”

“I'm sorry, did you say something?”

“Rick. He's a good guy. You'll like Liam. Not that you'll know he's there unless someone is bothering you.”

“How do you know all that? Is this a regular thing?”

“Sorry,” Becky said in her slightly Midwestern twang. “I know Rick from high school. I actually dated Rob in middle school. Rick's company handles security whenever we have high profile guests at the museum. Liam is his go-to guy when he needs discretion.”

“And he needs discretion with me?”

“Oh, hon, he doesn't want you to feel like you're being watched all the time, but he's concerned. Rob doesn't date much, and since you're not a performer with your own security, he just wants to make sure the paps leave you alone.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“You have
no
idea. Let's get started. Liam will be here in a bit and we'll take a break then. Meanwhile, we've got a
lot
to do in the next few days.”

The gala took place first, so they got engrossed in the details for that. There were a lot of items Emily had to handle for the publicity, including interviews with prominent guests. Becky explained the itinerary for the next several days. Emily's schedule was jam packed daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. She might have to arrive early just to stay on top of it all.

At precisely 10 a.m., Liam arrived at her desk. He introduced himself and then Becky ushered him to a conference room, where he would spend his time while she worked until her lunch appointment.

She wasn't sure what she had expected – a guy in a suit looking like Tommy Lee Jones from
Men in Black
, maybe? But Liam was about as average a guy as you could get: medium height, medium build, medium brown hair, unremarkable in every way. He was probably in his mid-30's, maybe a little older or younger, and he wore jeans and a sweater under the parka he removed before he shook her hand.

If he had approached her on the street, she would have believed he was just a regular guy. In fact, if pressed, she might have a hard time picking him out of a crowd if she really needed him. Although, she suspected that if she truly needed him, he would be there before she knew his services were required.

The morning passed so quickly, without a schedule and Becky as guide, Em might have worked through lunch. But at 11:45, Becky reminded Emily that her lunch appointment was scheduled to pick her up in fifteen minutes.

“Pick me up?”

“Your lunch date is with one of our biggest patrons. You didn't think he would just have you meet him, did you?”

“I guess I had no idea. So, who is it?”

“He said he'd meet you officially when he arrived. He called a few minutes ago to say he was running a little behind. He has your cell number, so he'll call you when he's a few minutes out. You remember where you came in this morning?” Em nodded. “Go down to meet him there in ten minutes.”

The sudden anxiety gnawed at Emily for the ten minutes she had to wait. It was impossible to get anything done. She hoped that she wouldn't screw up this meeting. It might make or break how her performance of her duties was perceived by Marcus.

Becky popped her head into the office as Em was putting on her wool trench. “Your lunch meeting has been extended to two hours. Sorry, I forgot to mention that before. We'll make it up on the other end.”

Emily nodded. She had eagerly anticipated a nice dinner and evening with Rob, but that looked less and less likely. Em had so much to get done she hadn't been sure if she would leave at 7 p.m. before. Now, it was all but assured that she wouldn't leave before 8 p.m..

She hoped the lunch wasn't insanely boring and that the patron wasn't some stodgy old man who resented having to meet with her at all. Or worse, some young socialite who was jealous after seeing the video on YouTube this morning.

She waited at the door, as instructed, and her phone rang. She looked at the ID, expecting to see a number she didn't recognize, but instead, she read
Rob's cell
. She answered because she wanted to talk to him, but she knew she didn't have much time before her lunch appointment called.

“Hi.”

“Hi, yourself. Are you heading to lunch?”

“I am. I shouldn't stay on here long. My lunch date is supposed to call when he's near.”

“Lunch date, huh? Should I be jealous?”

Flattered, she huffed a little laugh at the idea. “I doubt it. I'm sure it's just some old, rich guy. I have no idea why he extended lunch an hour, but that's what I was told.”

“Oh, that's too bad. Does it mean you won't be able to meet me for dinner?”

“I don't know yet. I doubt I'll be done before 8 p.m., if you can wait that long.”

“For you? I'll wait as long as you need.”

Emily was touched. “You're sweet.”

“I'm selfish. I want to see you again. Soon.”

Her phone beeped call waiting. She didn't have time to look at the number. “I've got to go, that's probably him. I'll call you later?”

“I can't wait.”

She clicked over to the other line. She answered and the voice on the other end said, “The car will be there in one minute. Wait at the door.” Then they hung up.

The voice sounded familiar. Was it someone famous? If so, Em couldn't place who it was. She walked to the door and waited. Seconds later, a limo pulled up to the curb. Out stepped a face she knew: Mo.

He walked to the museum door and opened it for her, then gestured for Em to get in the car, whose door he had opened already. She thought it was weird, but Mo was a limo driver, and he could have been driving anyone around.

Or maybe he had a twin, since this guy said nothing to her. It seemed odd, but then, stranger things had happened, even in the last 24 hours.

When she got inside the limo, she almost fainted. It was Rob sitting across from her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, confused.

“Taking you to lunch.”

“Rob, I have an appointment with a museum patron. I'd love to have lunch with you, but I can't.”

“Well, since I'm your lunch appointment, I hope you'll reconsider.” He smiled. It was very mischievous.

Em raised her brows. “Wait, you're my lunch date?”

His grin was huge. “I am. Surprised?”

She laughed. “Yes. Pleasantly. Why didn't you say something this morning?”

“I didn't want to interrupt your day.

Emily laughed. “You keep surprising me.”

“Right back at you. So, we have to actually talk about museum business during this lunch, at least part of the time. We have reservations at Park on First, which is where I would have taken Andrew. We'll put in an appearance there and talk about the event. Then, I thought we could go for a drive. I want to show you something.”

“You're the boss,” she said, winking.

“Good. Then come over here and sit next to me. I want to kiss you.”

“I don't know, that might be construed as harassment. You
are
in a position of power.”

“Are you saying you don't want to kiss me?”

She moved to sit next to him. “I didn't say that.” They leaned in at the same time, hands on faces and in hair, lips meeting, tongues saying hello.

“Hi,” Emily sighed. God, did she love kissing him.

He nuzzled her neck, breathed in her scent. “Hi. How is it that I could miss you in just a few short hours?”

That made Emily smile. “The feeling is mutual. Sorry we were interrupted this morning. You took away my stress, but I didn't get to do the same for you. Thanks, by the way.”

“No thanks necessary. It was my pleasure. Truly.”