One Night Stand: One Night Stand: Book One (2 page)

Lisa sat back in her seat, then uncrossed and re-crossed her legs, moving her left knee from underneath the right one so that it ended up resting on top of it. John just couldn't help himself. His whole attention shifted downward for the chance of glimpsing her thighs. His penis stirred uncomfortably in his trousers.

Lisa spoke as if she'd noticed nothing. "Actually, I don't know. I don't work for this company. I don't even have a teaching contract with them. I own my own computer firm in Hartford, but I'm down here helping out a friend. She signed on to teach these classes, but then her mother fell and broke her hip and she had to drop everything and fly to Florida. I volunteered to fill in so she could go."

John absorbed that information and wondered if the many degrees of separation meant that asking Lisa out would
not
equal an office romance. He didn't oppose such affairs in principle, but felt cautious about developing the wrong sort of reputation with his colleagues.

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One Night Stand

by Veronica Tower

Lisa re-crossed her legs again, offering John a second peak of her thighs. The opportunity propelled John's thoughts further away from the professional world and focused them on private considerations. If Lisa didn't really work with him, there clearly wasn't any cause for concern. Besides, a reputation didn't result from asking out one or two women.

Lisa didn't even live in this city. If he took her out to dinner, kissed those luscious lips, licked his way past the necklace to her cleavage...

John's eyes grew suddenly wide as the delectable breasts in question moved suddenly toward him.

* * * *

Lisa realized that John had stopped listening to her, but couldn't decide if this amused or annoyed her. On the one hand, there was no question that he was interested in her.

Interested enough to embarrass himself trying not to stare at her body. It had been fun finding that out, taking a risk to throw John off his stride with a quick flash of leg.

On the other hand, Lisa didn't like to have the rest of her ignored, so she thought it only fair to enact a punishment upon him. It would certainly be unprofessional, but in truth Lisa simply didn't care about this job. She had taken it only to help Liz. After this class she would get back on the train and return to her life in Hartford. If she had a little fun teasing 12

One Night Stand

by Veronica Tower

John for not paying enough of the right kind of attention, well she didn't see any harm in it.

Lisa leaned forward to put her decision into action. She liked games—liked them a lot. Starting one on the job added spice to the adventure.

Reaching across John, she put her hand on his mouse, allowing her breasts to hover right next to John's cheek. Her nipples tingled with excitement, growing hard against her bra.

The look on John's face encouraged her to push further.

Lisa used the mouse to move the pointer to the Excel icon on the screen. "We might as well run over a few basics," she told John. She used her very best instructor's manner, as if she was completely oblivious to the effect she was having on him.

John reluctantly transferred his attention to the computer screen, his face flushed, his breathing audible. Lisa's own heart pounded rapidly in her chest. Nothing felt quite as exciting as teasing a man. She didn't know how far she was willing to go yet, but John Walker—not Excel—had just become the primary focus of the afternoon's lesson.

* * * *

By the end of the afternoon, John was rock hard, highly agitated and absolutely determined to get Lisa Madison into his bed—whatever the consequences. Judging by his past 13

One Night Stand

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experience, however, determination did not guarantee success. Yet he had to try, because he'd never forgive himself if he let the opportunity slip through his fingers. If he could only get his hands on Lisa's breasts or kiss his way up her thighs. He wondered if she was the kind of woman who shaved or simply trimmed, and he intended to find out first hand.

John had never dated a black woman before, but meeting Lisa Madison had convinced him it was time to try.

He glanced at the clock. Four fifty-five. If he didn't take a chance, soon the class would end and Lisa would be gone.

* * * *

Lisa wondered if her face had flushed as deeply as John's.

She knew she'd been acting unprofessionally, yet couldn't bring herself to regret a single moment of the past two hours.

She commanded every iota of John's attention. Every move she made attracted his eyes. When she leaned forward, he followed her cleavage, or took in the erect nipples straining at the fabric of her blouse. When she leaned back he sought out her knees, hoping for a tantalizing glimpse of thigh.

They had started their game subtly, but as the class progressed they had become increasingly brazen with each other. It had actually made her wet. She couldn't wait for five 14

One Night Stand

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o'clock to arrive so when John stood to leave, she would be able to see his erection. She knew he had to have one.

When she last leaned over to point at the screen, she had casually rested her hand on his thigh and John's whole body had shuddered with carefully suppressed excitement. She had never felt so powerful in her entire life. She'd always enjoyed teasing guys, but doing it here on the job had added a whole new dimension to the excitement. She knew when she got home she would fill the bath with hot soapy water and relive this afternoon, imagining it coming to an even better conclusion.

"So if you're from Hartford, you must not be that familiar with New York," John noted.

"I've been to the city before," Lisa answered without thinking. She immediately realized it would have been better if she'd headed off the coming invitation by inventing an appointment back in Hartford.

"Why don't you let me take you out to dinner? There's a great steak house right around the corner."

Lisa felt a twinge of uncertainty. Of course she couldn't agree. She had to catch a train and John's expectations had to be sky high after all the teasing she had inflicted upon him.

Going out would be a mistake, even if he were tall, dark, handsome and completely captivated by her charms.

John got to his feet. The bulge at the front of his dark pants looked even more promising than Lisa had hoped.

"Seriously," he told her. "I don't know how much I learned about Excel today, but I really had a great time talking with you."

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One Night Stand

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Talking clearly wasn't the only thing he'd enjoyed this afternoon, but Lisa didn't feel the need to correct him.

"So what do you say?" John continued. "What do you have to lose? It's only dinner."

Lisa's spirits began to wane under the knowledge that she had to refuse the invitation. She really had had fun this afternoon, but the game was over now and she knew it was time to leave. She opened her mouth to decline, but the wrong words escaped her lips.

"I'd love to," Lisa told John, both shocked and thrilled that the game would continue.

* * * *

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One Night Stand

by Veronica Tower

The walk to Charlie's Steak House had been a little awkward. John had clearly wanted to offer Lisa his arm, or at least hold her hand, but after teasing him so brazenly in the computer lab, Lisa found herself suddenly embarrassed to be with him.

She wasn't embarrassed
of
John. She found his contradictory mixture of self-confidence and uncertainty unexpectedly charming. Nor was Lisa concerned by John's race. She'd heard endless speeches from her mother on the subject of white men exploiting black women's bodies throughout history, but that argument didn't resonate with Lisa
today

No, it was the expectations she'd instilled in John that made her uncomfortable. Everything had been fun while she had been in control, but now that they had moved to neutral ground she felt less poised than she had in the classroom.

They were no longer in her element, playing by her rules.

John opened the door of the steak house and held it for her. "It's still a bit early. Why don't we start with a drink at the bar?"

The thought of John getting her drunk amused Lisa when it should have worried her. She did not need to further loosen her inhibitions, but despite this reservation she let him order two glasses of the house red and sat next to him on a stool while the bartender poured the wine. The restaurant looked 17

One Night Stand

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practically empty, although the bar was beginning to see some action.

Lisa decided to gather some information and establish some limits on the evening. While still somewhat conflicted as to what she ultimately wanted to happen tonight, she had no doubts that she was not fooling around with a married man.

Some lines were inviolable and for Lisa, this was one of them.

She picked up her glass and swirled her wine. "So who is this Robin you mentioned earlier?"

John smiled, sloshing the liquid in his own glass. "This is the moment I'm supposed to be offering a toast. You know, something lame like
to new friends
or something clever like
to
interesting encounters
. In this case, let's make it something sweet." He lifted his glass. "To serendipity. If Robin hadn't signed me up for your stupid class, I wouldn't have the pleasure of sitting at this bar with a gorgeous, sexy woman, wondering what have I done recently to make things start going right in my life."

He tried to touch his glass to Lisa's, but she avoided his attempt and set hers down on the bar. "And Robin?"

John's smile grew broader and he put his own glass down beside hers. "Just a friend, decidedly
not
my girlfriend." He raised both hands so she could see he wore no rings on any of his fingers. "I'm not married; not dating; and under no possible definition could be considered attached."

Lisa hadn't realized how tense she had become until she relaxed after hearing his answer. Her shoulders loosened and the breath flowed easier in her chest.

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