Fallen for You (11 page)

“And, for you, sir?” the waiter asked, knowing Neil had struck out.

“I’ll have the same,” he said flatly.

“I’m going to go to the ladies room again,” she said. Neil nodded. She needed to get a hold of herself. She wanted to go back to his place. She wanted him to make mad passionate love to her. But he had indicated that he liked a challenge. At least for tonight, she would hold out and be just that.

***

After dinner, Neil walked Kate out to her car. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her to him. It felt so good to have her body pressed up against his. She could feel his desire for her. His strong arms held her tight. She felt safe with him. She didn’t know why. She barely knew him, but his confidence and strength drew her in.

“Please have dinner with me tomorrow night,” he said inhaling her essence. “I would love to cook for you. I will be a perfect gentleman. I promise.”

“Okay,” she said, although agreeing to dinner at his place was against her better judgment.
How was she going to withstand his charms? The kiss in the restaurant nearly did her in. She was in unchartered waters. She had only had sex a few times with David before –

“I’ll text you my address with directions. I live in La Jolla. What time are you working tomorrow?”

“Nine to five.”

“Great. Then I’ll expect you between five-thirty and six. I can’t wait to make my specialty for you,” he said, his eyes blazing with carnal lust.

She figured that his specialty was him on a stick
.
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then,” she said swallowing hard.

He let go of her a little and planted a very soft kiss on her lips, keeping to his word of being a perfect gentleman.

***

As Kate climbed the stairs to her apartment, she saw that Roger’s door was open. He came out onto the landing just as she reached the top step.

“How was your day?” he asked.

“It was great, just tiring.”

“Oh, well you look really great. Did you have a date after work?

“Yes, I did.”

“How was it?”

“I had a great time.”

“Oh, good. Is it serious?”

“Not yet. I just met the guy this week. It was our third date.” She didn’t want to give too much away. It was a balancing act being friendly and guarded at the same time. She wanted to give Roger the benefit of the doubt since she had met Rose.

“Well, if you want to come in, I’ll be happy to rub your feet for you. I’m really good at it. At least that’s what Rose says.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I just want to take a shower and go to bed,” she said.
What the hell is he thinking? I don’t want him to rub my feet.

“Well, good night,” he said.

“Good night.”

***

Roger recoiled and returned to his apartment, where he stretched out on the sectional. His disappointment reached the depths of his stomach. Why wouldn’t she let him get close to her? Rose wasn’t spending the night and some alone time with Kate would do his body good. Obviously, offering to rub her feet was a little too forward. He would have to come up with a more subtle approach. Giving up wasn’t an option. She was the woman who would make his life complete. She was perfect for him, even if she couldn’t see it yet.

Unfortunately, she looked like she had been on more than just a regular date. He could tell by how she was dressed. She had pulled out all the stops to impress the man she was seeing. He clinched his teeth at the thought of her going out with another man. Fucking another man. How could she do this to him? He was going to have to keep wearing her down. He would go check on her later when all was quiet and she had drifted into dreamland. One thing was for sure. She had occupied many of his dreams both awake and sleeping.

***

Charlie and Mitch were curled up on the sofa watching a movie when Kate came in and shut the door behind her.

“How was your date?” they asked in unison. They looked at each other and laughed. This was a side effect of being together for so long.

Kate sighed a dreamy sigh as she leaned against the door. “It was wonderful. He’s cooking me dinner tomorrow night at his place.”

“Oh,” said Mitch. “It looks like our Katie is going to get some tomorrow night. Good for you,” he said with a smile and a wink. Kate joined them by sitting down on the oversized love seat.

Charlie elbowed Mitch. “Do you think he expects me to sleep with him?” Kate asked, both shock and hope in her voice.

Mitch laughed out loud. “Girls are so naïve. Of course he wants to have sex with you. Have you looked in the mirror lately? There aren’t many straight guys who wouldn’t want to take you to bed.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with him. But he is the first guy I have really wanted since David. Well, with the exception of Mark,” she said. Why did thinking of David still bring forth tears?

Charlie moved over to the love seat to hug her friend. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Just be true to yourself.”

Mitch piped in, “Have a good time. And tell him I’ll kick his ass if he does anything to hurt you. You are like the little sister I never had.”

“Thanks, Mitch. I’ll keep that in mind. Not to change the subject, but you’re not going to believe what Roger just offered me,” Kate said.

“What?” asked Charlie, imagining the worst.

“He offered to massage my feet. Don’t you think that’s a little weird?”

“Well, Roger has been overly friendly since we first met him,” Charlie said.

“I think that he has a crush on you,” Mitch said, laughing. “He’s probably just doing whatever he can to get into your pants,” he offered. “That’s how guys are. We have a one-track mind.”

“Well, he has a girlfriend. She happens to be someone that I like very much and I don’t want to hurt her by playing footsy with Roger. Plus, it is becoming very annoying that he always has his door open and wants to talk every time I am on the landing.”

“I know,” said Charlie. “He has left me alone since he met Mitch. But since he hasn’t seen you with anyone, maybe he thinks he has a chance with you,” she said with sympathy.

“I guess you’re right,” Kate said with a shrug. “I’ll try not to let him bother me. I am sure he’s harmless. He’s probably just a shameless flirt.”

“Well, that’s going to change as soon as he sees you have a boyfriend,” Charlie said coyly.

“That’s a nice thought, but Neil’s not my boyfriend yet.”

“He will be soon enough,” Mitch stated. “You girls seem to get your way when you want to. The poor bastard doesn’t stand a chance,” he said, gleaming at Kate. “He’ll be one lucky bastard if he becomes your boyfriend.”

Chapter 11

The doorbell rang. Kate waited anxiously for the door to open. She had been thinking about Neil all day, wondering if he would keep his promise to be a perfect gentleman. She was confused about what she wanted from him.

Neil opened the door and his eyes immediately moved up and down her body. “Wow! I thought after seeing you last night that there was no possible way you could look any more beautiful, but you have managed to prove me wrong,” he said.

She was wearing a white sun dress. It highlighted her ample bosom perfectly. The bodice had white embroidered flowers on it and the skirt portion had slits up the sides.

“Thanks, you’re looking mighty fine yourself,” she said.

He was wearing jeans and a white button-down shirt that showed off his sun-kissed skin. She realized that there was a promise of sex in the immediate future.

“Please come in and make yourself comfortable,” he said. As she walked in, he offered her a drink. “I picked up a bottle of Riesling. Would you like a glass? Dinner is almost ready.”

“That would be lovely,” she said, making her way toward the living room. “Your condo is incredible.”

“Thank you. I really enjoy living here.”

Neil lived in the penthouse with an ocean view and old-world charm like the cliffside homes along the Amalfi Coast. She stepped down three steps into the sunken living room. The floors were a travertine tile and looked like wet sand with glints of sparkle running through them. An enormous plush area rug grounded the sectional to the room. The walls had been treated with Venetian plaster in warm butterscotch and cream tones. The fireplace was made out of ivory stone and there was a scenic Italian landscape above it. She sat down on the chocolate brown leather sectional and immediately sank into it.

Being in his presence made her feel a little weak in the knees, so she was glad to be sitting. His Hollywood smile made her melt inside. Concentrating at work had been very difficult. As she gazed at the beautiful painting above the fireplace, Neil came up behind her and started massaging her shoulders. Her head dropped and she became putty in his hands. It felt so good for him to rub her neck and shoulders. “Did you do the decorating yourself?” she asked, her defenses lowering rapidly by the minute. He trailed kisses from the nape of her neck down to her shoulder, igniting her sex. She realized that resisting him tonight was going to be quite a feat as he continued massaging her.

“Actually, my mom helped me decide to do an Italian theme and did much of the decorating. She has a flair for it,” he said, taking his magic fingers off her shoulders. “I thought we could dine al fresco this evening,” he said, motioning to the large terrace as he handed her a glass of wine.

“That sounds perfect. It’s a beautiful evening. Do you need any help with dinner? Her nerves were getting the better of her. She was glad to have the wine to give her hands something to do.

“No, I have everything under control. You just relax, my beauty. We’ll eat in a few minutes.”

“What’s for dinner?”

“We are having Caesar salad and shrimp scampi. I still have the cheesecake for dessert.”

“Sounds delicious. I’m famished. We had a busy day.”

“I had a busy day too,” he said, taking her hand and leading her out to the terrace. He had already set the table with fine china and linens. She was impressed with his domestic abilities.

“I’ll be back in a moment with our dinner. Please sit down here,” he said squeezing her hand. She saw a beautifully wrapped package on the table next to the spot where she was sitting.

“What’s this?” she asked puzzled.

“Open it and find out,” he said, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. She sat down on the cushioned chair and began to open the extravagant package. Neil went back inside to dish up their food. He returned with a tray containing a large salad bowl and another bowl with the shrimp scampi. He put salad on each of their plates and dished up scampi for each of them. Water and his wine were already on the table.

“Everything looks so delicious.”

“I hope it will be to your liking,” he said, drinking her in. Somehow she felt that he was talking about something other than the food.

“I’m sure it will be. You strike me as someone who does everything well.”

He motioned to the gift. “You haven’t finished opening your gift yet. But before you do, I want to make a toast.” Kate lifted her wine glass as did Neil.

“Here’s to getting to know each other better.” They clinked glasses and each took a sip.

“You shouldn’t be giving me a gift,” she said.

“It’s something that you’re going to need tonight. I didn’t want to be presumptuous,” he said, his eyes sparkling with the promise of sex as she was about to pull the lid off the box.

Her eyes became big as she saw the shimmery bikini she had been eyeing from
Everything but Water
. Underneath it was a fluffy bathrobe.

She looked him in the eyes with her mouth open. “How did you know I wanted this particular bikini?” Before he could answer, recognition came over her. “Nat! I was wondering why she couldn’t go to lunch with me today.”

“Yeah, I called her on Friday to get her help. I have a Jacuzzi and I didn’t want to assume that you would soak in it with me without a swimsuit, you know since I promised to be a perfect gentleman. Natalie met me at the store during her lunch break and showed me the one that you liked. She also told me that you would want a robe. I found this one at Macy’s. I thought it went nicely with the colors in the swimsuit,” he said, picking up his fork. “Please, let’s dig in.”

“This is so thoughtful of you, but it’s really too expensive,” she said taking a small bite of pasta. “Mm, this is delicious. You’re an excellent cook,” she said before taking a sip of wine.”

“Thank you, and it is not too expensive. I can afford it,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it. She felt a charge go through her as his lips touched her hand.

“When I saw this bikini a few weeks ago, I wanted to buy it, but it was out of my budget. Spotting it in the window brought me back to when I was a little girl. My family and I lived in Hawaii then. It was the only time that I can remember my parents being happy together. The only time I can remember my family being together. My parents separated when I was seven, but I have vivid memories of going to the beach with my mom, dad, and younger brother. It was so much fun. It has become a really important memory for me.”

Neil reached over to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Playing in the waves, I would imagine I was a beautiful mermaid. I always wanted to be a mermaid because I loved the ocean so much and this bikini with the colors and sequins is reminiscent of a mermaid to me. The moment that I saw it, it took me back there to a simpler time in my life. A happy time before life got messy. I kept checking on it, waiting for it to go on sale. I can’t believe you bought it for me, but it really is too much,” she said, her eyes tearing up.

He took her hand and kissed it again. “No, it’s not too much. I want to spoil you. Please accept it. I want you to have it.”

She nodded, suddenly too emotional to say anything else.

“I hope that you don’t think I was overstepping my bounds by contacting your friend Natalie,” he said.

She got up from her chair, took his face in her hands, and bent down to gently kiss him on the lips. “No, this is the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me.”

She looked into his eyes and could see that she was having an effect on him.

She sat back down and they continued eating for a few moments in silence. The evening was going just as she had hoped. She was letting him into her heart little by little. Her need to be transparent with him was growing by the minute.

“So, do your folks both live in San Diego?” he asked.

“My mom does, but my dad lives in Florida.

“How often to you get to see him? That’s pretty far away.”

“Actually, I haven’t seen him since I was 14,” she said.

“Really? What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“We had a falling out because I asked him why he didn’t pay more child support. We really struggled for a long time. My mom didn’t have a great job and the court only ordered my dad to pay $250 a month. That doesn’t go very far for two kids. Anyway, when I turned 15, I started working to help support my family and the money I made bridged the gap for us. We were able to make ends meet then.”

“Wow! You had to be so responsible from such an early age. It sounds like you gave up a lot of your childhood.”

“I had no choice. My mom and brother needed me and my dad wasn’t there for us. I grew up feeling like my dad didn’t care if we suffered. The worst part was that he had plenty of money; he just moved it to another family member’s bank account and quit working so he wouldn’t have to pay that much in child support. He is really bitter toward my mom for divorcing him and ended up taking it out on his children,” the sorrow ruminated in her voice.

“I’m so sorry. That must have been so difficult for you,” he said, stroking her arm just as she had stroked his the night before. “Your dad is the one missing out. You are an amazing young woman.” Then he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Her body responded immediately. She could feel a slight pulsing between her legs. He put his hand on her thigh and continued trailing kisses on her neck. “I thought we could soak in the hot tub and then have some dessert,” he said between kisses.

“That sounds very relaxing.”

“There is a bathroom down the hall for you to change into your bikini,” he said quietly in her ear. She could feel his breath against her hair. It felt heavenly to have him this close to her. He stood up to show her to the bathroom. She grabbed the bikini and robe and followed him. He switched on the light for her.

“See you in a moment,” he said, his eyes locked on hers. I’ll get the jets started.

“I’ll be right out,” she said as he closed the door, leaving her alone to change.

She took her dress off and folded it, placing it next to the sink. She looked at her thong underwear.
What a mess! How am I going to resist this man? Did she want to resist him? He’s so sexy and he knows it.
She put on the bikini. She had tried it on at the store while she was shopping with Natalie one day. Nat knew her size, so it was a perfect fit. She checked herself in the mirror from different angles.
Well, it’s a bikini. It doesn’t cover much.
She wrapped herself up in the cozy robe. It draped her body, concealing her for the moment. The night air had turned cool and she would need it when she got out of the Jacuzzi to keep warm. However, she had a feeling that Neil was going to do everything in his power to ensure her warmth sans the robe.

She got a hair tie out of her purse to put her hair up. She walked out onto the terrace. The sun was beginning to set and the ripples of the ocean glistened. Neil was sitting on the edge of the hot tub, his feet dangling in the bubbling water.

Kate couldn’t take her eyes off of his god-like physique. His body was so muscular and sexy. He must work out a lot to have those amazing abs. His shoulders were broad, his arms cut, and his pecs were firm. What a specimen of perfection. He was an Adonis. And he wanted her.

As she approached, he slipped into the tub.
I Want to be Your Man
was playing in the background. The music was sultry, the perfect song for the moment. He held his hand out to her, his gaze burning right through her.
Okay, here goes nothing. Or everything.
She loosened the tie on the robe and let it drop to the tiles beneath her feet. Neil’s face lit up, his desire showing through his expression. He let out a small groan. His eyes devoured her body like a lion devours its prey. As she entered the hot tub and moved toward him, his eyes stayed locked on hers. She wanted to look away because of his intensity, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t break free of his gaze. She knew in that second she would do anything he asked of her.

“I’m so glad the suit fits you,” he murmured in a sexy tone.

“Yeah, it just barely covers what it needs to. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination.”

“Who cares about imagination? I’m into reality and the reality is that you are a beautiful sight to behold,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her on top of him, her legs straddling his hips. She could feel his erection between her thighs. He was right there.
This is so hot.
He put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her mouth to his. He consumed her, scouring every part of her mouth. His tongue was sweet like wine, caressing hers. She kissed him back with urgency. His hands roamed up and down her back. Then she realized that he was untying the strap of her bikini top. The two triangular pieces fell forward, revealing her breasts. He stopped kissing her and looked deep into her eyes.

“I know I said I would be a perfect gentleman. But the truth of the matter is you make me absolutely wild.” His breathing was heavy. “I want you so badly. I want to be your man,” he said, echoing the song. She felt the pulse between her legs heighten as she heard his words. She wanted him desperately too. All she could do was stare into his eyes as words failed her. He put his hands on each side of her breasts, pushing them together. He began licking one nipple, swirling around in circles, gently nipping and then licking again. Her nipple became erect. Then he moved to the other one, groaning the entire time. She arched her back, pushing her breasts toward him, letting her head fall back. Her hands held onto his shoulders. He was driving her wild between his sucking and licking. He pulled her head toward him. He looked into her eyes.