CaddyGirls (18 page)

Lowering his mouth to her parted lips, he smoothed his hands down the curve of her bottom. His erection strained against the fabric of his pants, pressing tight against her naked abdomen. She moaned as he ground his cock against her and reached down to pull apart his belt buckle. In the time it took for a low rumble to rise up from his throat, her deft fingers had his zipper down and were stroking his erection through his briefs. “Oh yeah,” he groaned, lowering his head to her generous breasts.

Torrey freed his cock, languidly stroking it as he bent to capture one stiff nipple in his mouth. He suckled the taut point while she pumped his cock with one hand and gently caressed his balls with the other.

“That’s it,” she breathed, arching her back as he gave a deep suck. “God, I love the feel of your mouth on my nipples. It always makes me so wet.”

Julian unlatched himself just long enough to rip apart the buttons of his shirt, kick off his loafers and step out of his pants and briefs. Breathing hard, Torrey helped him undress, pulling the shirt from his arms and tossing it to the floor. Naked, he swept her up and laid her on the long leather sofa, directly in front of the fire. For want of a bearskin rug, the sofa would have to do. He wasn’t about to take her on the stone tiles of his living room floor, and he couldn’t make it to the bedroom.

He tossed the throw cushions onto the floor and knelt, his hand caressing her stomach as he marvelled at how a caddy he’d met only a week ago had been able to make him forget everything but his endless desire for her. He’d had his fair share of sensual women, but Torrey was different. Torrey played for the heart, whether he wanted her to or not. He suspected she just couldn’t help it.

“Julian? What’s wrong?” she whispered.

He snapped out of his little reverie, his heart twisting a bit at the anxiety shading her voice. Shaking his head in reply, he bent his head, tonguing her breast as he slid his hand between her silken thighs. The heat of the now-roaring blaze in the fireplace washed over his back, and sweat beaded on his brow. But most of the heat he felt came from her, and his roaring desire to be inside her. He coasted his hands up her thighs to delve between her wet folds. When he found her hard clit, she whimpered, moving her hips to follow the play of his fingers. Her head fell back against the bolster of the couch, her eyelids fluttering shut, her pretty mouth forming a soft O of pleasure.

God, she was the hottest thing he’d ever seen.

“Sit up a bit,” he commanded in a raspy voice.

Without opening her eyes, she pushed herself up. He knelt between her open legs, sliding his hands under her thighs to ease them wide open. He wanted to see all of her, drawing her folds apart to stare hungrily at the pink, glistening flesh. With a low growl, he sucked her hard nub into his mouth, eliciting a gasp of delight from deep in her throat as she laced her fingers behind his head. Alternately flicking her clit with his tongue and sucking it gently into his mouth, he slipped two fingers into her moisture-drenched vagina and stroked it with a steady rhythm. Torrey’s breathing grew rapid, almost ragged.

Her big brown eyes flew open. She stared at him, looking all soft and starry as if he were some kind of god. It was stupid, but his cock seemed to swell even more.

“Julian, I want you inside me now,” she moaned.

He needed no further encouragement. “Turn over,” he rasped, nudging her hips.

She immediately understood, rolling onto her stomach and pressing her chest and arms into the sofa while allowing her hips to hang over the edge. Julian reached for his pants and took out a condom, enjoying the sight of her submissive, beautiful ass tilted in the air as he sheathed his erection. Moving between her legs, he spread her thighs wide, positioned his cock against the wet curls of her pussy and entered her with one smooth, deep thrust.

He ground his teeth to keep from exploding as her inner muscles flexed around him, ratcheting his lust to unbearable heights. For a crazy moment, his cock felt bigger and harder than it had ever been, surging deep into Torrey’s wet, welcoming body. He’d always loved sex, but never had he felt like this. Torrey intuitively knew how to move, how to breathe, how to
be
in ways that lit him up, inside and out.

As he thrust hard and deep, she matched him stroke for stroke. “Oh, oh, oh. Don’t stop, Julian. God, don’t stop!”

Bathed in sweat, the relentless pressure in his groin building fast, Julian knew he couldn’t last much longer. As he drove into her again and again, he reached under her belly to caress where they were joined, sliding his finger over her clit.

“Yes!” Torrey cried out into the cushions. “Yes!”

As her body shuddered Julian let go, climaxing as he pulled her ass hard against him. He spread himself over her slick back, running kisses over her shoulders, tasting the salty tang of her perspiration. Torrey was gasping so hard she was almost sobbing. Finally Julian let her go and lifted his body from hers.

Torrey curled up onto the sofa, then reached for him. Julian stretched his body alongside hers.

“Hold me, please,” she whispered, a funny little catch in her voice. Julian wrapped his arms around her. As he pulled her head against his chest, her tear-drenched cheek rested against his skin.

Monday morning had rushed at Torrey like a scudding storm cloud. When she left Vegas on Saturday, she knew she had the better part of forty-eight hours of Julian to look forward to. Even though they’d packed a lot of living into their weekend together, now that it was almost over it seemed to have passed in an instant.

As Julian drove her to the San Jose airport, Torrey fought down her growing anxiety. She’d held her breath since yesterday, waiting for him to tell her when and where they could get together again. But he hadn’t said a word about it. Would he just drop her off at the curb with nothing more than a wave goodbye? She wouldn’t be able to stand that.

Get a grip, Torrey. You can do this.

“Julian?” she said tentatively.

“Uh huh?” He flicked his eyes in her direction, away from the heavy, early morning freeway traffic.

She knew her eyes must be revealing everything she felt. “These were two of the best days of my life.”

He gave her that wide, genuine smile she’d come to recognize as his reaction to a compliment he felt was sincere. “I’m glad. I had a great time, too.”

She reached across the console and pressed her palm against his muscular thigh. “I think this is the point where someone asks what’s next, isn’t it? So, I guess it might as well be me.”

Julian raised his brows almost imperceptibly, but the slight gesture was enough to make her heart do a back flip.

Oh, my God—please don’t let him tell me this was a one-off.

Silently he took his right hand from the wheel of the Lexus and reached into an inside pocket of his suit. Torrey held her breath, dreading what she thought would come next.

“Here,” he said, handing her a plain white envelope. “Inside, there’s a round-trip e-ticket from Vegas to San Jose, arriving Friday and leaving Monday. That’s what’s next.”

Torrey ripped open the envelope with shaking hands and unfolded the piece of paper inside. An electronic ticket on Southwest Airlines, just as he’d said. Her heart took a great leap into her throat, but she managed not to rocket out of her seat.

“I don’t know,” she said pensively, touching the tip of her finger to her chin. “I’m pretty busy these days. What with Q-School and all.”

He looked at her as if he might pull over, throw her across his knee and spank her. As much as she might enjoy that, she couldn’t keep a straight face. “Don’t worry—there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be next weekend.” More seriously, she added, “Thank you, Julian. I’ll be thinking about you all week and how much I miss you.”

“Hey,” he chided, “you’d better be working on your game, not indulging your sexual fantasies. I’ve got an investment in you, you know.”

She scoffed. “Killjoy. I’m perfectly capable of multi-tasking. Don’t you want me thinking about climbing on top of you and—”

He sent her a smoldering glance. “If you don’t stop, you’ll miss your plane and I’ll miss my meeting. Listen, why don’t you bring your sticks next time? We’ll play a round or maybe even two at my club. That way you won’t miss out on practice.”

“I told you multi-tasking worked.” She laughed. “Good solution. I was worried about how much time I’d have for practice this week, since I still have to work at the casino until my notice period is up. Plus, I’ve still got two CaddyGirls bookings.”

He looked at her in disbelief. “Surely you can cancel those bookings now?”

She shook her head. “One’s this afternoon—I can hardly cancel that. Then my last booking is on Wednesday. I figure I should see it through. Honor my commitments. I wouldn’t feel right, otherwise.”

He rewarded her with a smile. “Ms. Responsible. Good for you. At least you’ll be done with caddying by mid-week, so you’ll have some daytime hours for practice. Not that you need all that much. The way you played last week, I think you’d be competitive on the tour already.”

Julian dropped her off at the curb at the departures area. To her surprise and delight though, he told her to check in and wait for him while he parked the car. By the time she’d groped her way through the long line-up and the irritating automated check-in, he arrived, looking perfect as always, a cup of Starbucks coffee in each hand.

As they strolled toward the security screening area, Torrey forced herself to trade jokes and barbs with him, but she found her throat tightening up. Even though she knew she’d be back in just four days, she wanted to grab Julian by the hand and run from the airport as fast as she could. It didn’t make any logical sense, but leaving him even for a few days felt both unnerving and depressing. She ached to tell him that she was falling in love with him but couldn’t yet bring herself to take the risk. Her tangled, frustrating emotions transformed what should have been a joyful parting into a wrenching sense of loss.

As they stood outside the security area, Julian tossed his empty cup into a trash container and handed Torrey her sports bag. She slung the bag over her shoulder and drained the last of her coffee. “I’m afraid I have to get moving,” he said, reaching for her. “I’m running a little late.”

As he folded her into his arms, Torrey stood on tiptoe, closed her eyes and tilted her head up. When his lips touched hers, his kiss was so tender she thought she’d dissolve right then and there in a puddle of tears. His touch was gentle, but she held his arms in a fierce grip, as if the force of her grasp could bind him to her.

“Until Friday,” he said, kissing her cheek as he let her go.

“Call me?” she whispered, trying not to sound like a wimpy girl.

“I will.”

Julian turned and walked away, his stride long and forceful. Torrey gazed at his back until he disappeared into the crowd, hoping he’d turn and wave.

He didn’t.

As Julian’s car crawled up the 101 freeway toward Mountain View, he worked at forcing Torrey from his thoughts. The weekend had been great—better than great—but now it was over, and he had to focus all his mental energy back on business.

He reviewed the events of the previous afternoon, when Colton Kerr had shocked him by calling his home late Sunday afternoon, just as he and Torrey were dressing for an evening of dinner and opera in the city. His voice guarded, Kerr had asked if he could meet Julian on Tuesday afternoon. Knowing it was pointless to try to grill the man on the phone, Julian had agreed to the meeting, and Kerr said he would book a suite at the San Francisco Marriott. After he got off the phone, Julian had then texted his three partners, summoning them to a meeting this morning in his office.

As he swung off the freeway, his mind drifted away from work and back to Torrey. That in itself was odd, since his mental discipline was usually better than that. He had to admit she’d gotten to him over the past two days. Smart, unpretentious and naturally sexy, she’d been open and undemanding, willing to try anything and everything. She appreciated fine things when they came along but didn’t get dollar signs in her eyes when he brought her into the wealthier parts of his world.

The only thing that kept eating at him was how quickly she seemed to have gotten serious about their relationship. The tears she tried to hide, the catch in her throat—it hadn’t taken him long to understand what was rushing at him like a runaway bullet train. She was falling in love with him—or at least she thought she was—and that made him nervous as hell.

It was just too damn soon to be thinking about love. They’d only known each other a week. If it were just up to him, they’d keep dating, spending weekends together when they could, having good times and great sex but not rushing ahead of themselves. Unfortunately, Torrey looked like she’d stoked up the engine and shot ahead. If things careened out of control, Julian knew he’d have to jam on the brakes. And when he did, the whole train would probably derail. Because if he knew Torrey, she wouldn’t settle for what he could offer.

He was surprised by how much that thought left him feeling hollow inside.

Torrey retrieved her car from the economy lot near McCarran and raced home with her windows rolled all the way down. After the cool sunshine of the west coast, the desert sun overhead was a bit of a shock to her system. An afternoon in the relentless heat, lugging around heavy clubs while trying to stay focused and cheerful, struck her as just about the last thing she needed.

At least she no longer had to rely on caddying to pay the rent. Not for the next few months anyway—thanks to Julian. Her skin flushed as images of their weekend flashed through her mind, but she forced them aside. By the time the flight landed in Vegas, she’d managed to put a lid, however temporarily, on her ramped-up yearnings. Now she felt ready to get on with her new life, her exciting, somewhat daunting life as a professional golfer. Okay, a would-be professional golfer, to be technically accurate. But she was starting to believe she really could succeed. The talent had always been there—a gift from God, nurtured to full flower by the love and dedication of her dad. With OTE’s sponsorship, mental discipline and iron will were all she’d need to take her to the next level.

And a cool, steady hand with her putter.

After the hot car ride and climbing the stairs to her apartment, she was soaked in perspiration. That would be another blessing from the sponsorship money—she’d finally be able to get the air conditioning in her car repaired. She had an hour or so until she had to leave for the course, so she might as well clean up before changing into her golf gear.

After a long, soapy shower, Torrey had just turned the water off when the buzzer from the building’s front entrance startled her. She threw her robe around her dripping body and pressed the intercom.

“Yes?”

“Flower delivery for Torrey Green.”

A shock of pleasure raced down her spine. Julian? They had to be from him.

“Come on up,” she answered, pushing the button that unlocked the entry door.

Leaving the chain lock attached, she cracked the door to watch for the delivery man. As she peered down the steps, a young man in a tee shirt and shorts that came down past his knees turned the corner of the landing below and started up the last flight of stairs. Balanced on the palm of one hand rested a heavy glass vase filled with a bouquet of tall flowers, shrouded in green cellophane.

Torrey practically ripped the flowers out of his hands. Remembering the tip, she put the bouquet down on the kitchen counter and reached into her cash stash coffee tin. As she shoved two dollars into the young man’s hands, he grinned and ran his eyes up and down her scantily covered body. She practically slammed the door in his face, tore apart the cellophane and reached for the note that rested between a lily and the greens. Opening the tiny envelope, she read the card.

Torrey felt her stomach tighten. She’d been thrilled when she glimpsed the flowers, but his tepid note left her disquieted. Was that how Julian saw her—as his weekend amusement?

Doubt, her ever-constant companion, clawed at her brain. She forced it aside, telling herself not to read so much into a few words on a card. It was idiotic and sappy to expect some perfectly penned, romantic sentiment. He’d just hurried to send her a sincere and sweet thank you. She should be thrilled.

What she
should
do is call to thank him. She tracked down her cell phone and speed-dialed the cell number she’d programmed. Disappointed when his voice mail picked up, she left a message she hoped was cheery and gratitude filled. Glancing at her watch, she realized she had to get moving or she’d be late for her round at Navajo Wells.

Because she hadn’t caddied there before, Torrey made sure she got to the Navajo Wells course early to check out the layout. She normally tried to stick to courses she was familiar with, but had made an exception in this case because she’d caddied for the client, a New Jersey businessman, before. She kept her eye out for Julieta, who’d told her last week they had the same foursome on Monday.

Relaxing with the course guide in a locker room chair, she had her feet propped up on a bench in front of her when Julieta arrived. Julieta shook her thick, dark hair and grinned as soon as she spotted Torrey.

“Hey, girl.” Julieta pulled open her sports bag and extracted her golf shoes.

“Hey, Julieta.”

“Torrey, could you freaking believe the nerve of those guys last week? What jerks!”

The other caddy’s words jolted Torrey. “What? What are you talking about?”

Julieta’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, you haven’t heard, have you? I thought Krista would have called you too. She called both Annie and me on the weekend.”

Oh, God. This has to be about Julian and his partners
.

Torrey pulled herself to her feet. “I spent the weekend in California. With Julian.”

Julieta tried to stifle a gasp but Torrey didn’t miss it. This was going to be bad.

“Just tell me exactly what I need to know,” she managed. Her heart pounded so hard it actually hurt.

Julieta hung her head. “All I know is what Krista told me,” she said softly. “She said the guys last week made a bet about which one of them could screw his caddy first.”

Torrey’s mouth gaped open as her mind went black. She had to put a hand against the bank of lockers to steady herself.

Julian had made a bet about screwing her? Like some sordid frat boy with his buddies? She’d sensed all along that something was going with the partners, something that involved the caddies. And he must have picked her because he thought she’d be thrilled with his attention—an easy lay if there ever was one. She’d fallen right into his trap.

Her heart rebelled. She couldn’t be that wrong about him. That was her fear speaking, always trying to undermine her.

She finally got enough deep breaths into her to find her voice. “Krista might have just made this story up. She can be a jealous bitch sometimes.”

“I don’t think so, Torrey. Sure, she was a little miffed at Josh over how he treated her, but what would she gain by concocting a big lie like that?”

Instinctively, Torrey knew Julieta was right. “Did she say how she found out?”