Push & Pull (4 page)

“I have a better idea. Are you tired
yet?” I shook my head. “Up for a quick trip?”

“Does it mean I have to put on normal
clothes?” I asked looking down at my yoga pants. They’d grown increasingly
comfortable and the fleece sweater felt nice against my nipples. For some odd
reason I felt sexy.

“Please don’t,” he winked, grabbing
his keys and my hand before heading out the door.

We arrived at Padua several moments
later and he parked his Audi on the street.

“Umm…pretty sure it’s closed,” I said
motioning towards the dark restaurant front. Considering that it was Wednesday,
most everything shut down at midnight. He ignored my observation and dashed
around to open my door. Before I could protest he pressed his finger to my lips
and guided me toward the back entrance. He jingled his keys carefully into the
lock, holding fast to my hand.

“Do you work here?” I whispered,
darting my eyes around the quiet alleyway.

“You could say that.” The door swung
open and he dipped a hand in to disarm the alarm. As he flicked on the lights he
added, “Okay, I own it. Silent partner. Now, what do you want for dessert?”

“Mmmm, what’s on the menu?” I had to
admit that I was hoping more and more it’d be him.

“Good question. It changes weekly,”
he said. “Why don’t we take a peek?” With his fingers still tangled in mine he
pulled me gently into the kitchen, navigating through a maze of stainless steel
appliances. The place was spotless, as I’m sure it had to be for health reasons
and it was much larger than I’d imagined. The restaurant itself only held maybe
one hundred and fifty guests, at most. But the kitchen was nearly the same size
as the dining room.

“Why is the kitchen so big?” I asked,
trying to keep up with his steps. I’m sure the question seemed weird, but he
answered it with ease.

“We do prep here for more than one
restaurant.” When I didn’t speak again he continued, “There’s several LA based
soup kitchens that don’t have a large enough space. We allow them to prep here
on alternating days depending on their expected capacity. I actually own one of
them and when I signed on to this venture it was one of the prerequisites for
investing. My partner has been trying to expand the dining room from day one,
but my fifty percent won’t let him.” For once, in a long while, I was
legitimately speechless. His face lit up with excitement and for a moment, I
thought it was the topic. But we had reached the walk in refrigerator and
dessert was waiting. Aside from the biting temperature, I was overwhelmed with
the quantity of food. So neat, so organized. Sections were labeled by type with
their respective expiration tags facing out. A few stainless steel carts were
pushed toward the back, one of them containing an array of desserts.

“That’s convenient,” I laughed as he
wheeled the cart toward me. He pointed out a few, giving brief descriptions as
he went.

“Tartlet. Fruit, crust, and cream,”
he said showing me a colorful, palm sized dish. “Banana spring rolls. Banana,
fried tortilla, dusted with cinnamon sugar.” I licked my lips as my stomach
growled a little. I hadn’t realized that I was actually hungry. “And the
chocolate mousse. Chocolate. Need I say more?” He handed me a spoon.

“These aren’t made to order?” I
asked, giving him a playful smirk as I took a bite from the mousse.

“Perhaps I thought you might be
hungry.” His eyes drew level with mine. “At least, I hoped you would be.” The
cold temperature suddenly caught up to me and a slight shiver rocked through
me. He cupped his palm along my neck.

“You’re freezing,”
I tried to play it off as I continued to eat my dessert.
Mid shiver a bit tumbled from my spoon and down the front of my sweater. I
hoped he hadn’t noticed but the twisted smile on his face indicated otherwise.

“I’ll get it,” he
offered, stepping into me so close that the only distance left was maintained
by my plate. I put it down. His hands hooked possessively into the bottom of my
sweater, pulling me closer. For a moment, I stopped shivering. My whole body
must have gone from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds. He brushed his
fingertips along the tenderness of my stomach before traveling farther. Inch by
inch, his hands eased upward, dragging my sweater with it. Our breathing grew
heavy. Pockets of steam emanated from our mouths as my sweater lifted past my
breasts. Before I could breathe another word, his lips fell softly between
them, circling his tongue around the little bit of chocolate left by my
dessert.

My whole body erupted
into chills. His tongue probed along the base of my breast, sliding up onto my
nipple, as he wrapped his arms around me.

“Are you sure we’re
alone?” I asked, not really caring about the answer. He peeled my sweater off
completely and dropped it on the ground.

“Mhmm…” he murmured,
mouth full of breast. He was like a radiator, body blazing with fists of fire. Each
motion drew out the cold and replaced it with an intense desire. I pulled off
his shirt. As if he could read my mind, he wrapped his arms around me again,
extinguishing my chills. 

“Do you want me?” he
asked, barely above a whisper.

Without hesitation I
moaned, “Of course I do.” His hands hooked behind my knees as he lifted me up
against the shelves. My ass rested on the edge, his erection grinding with need
between my thighs. He tilted me up again only to peel my pants off before
setting me back on the cool steel surface. His cock was wound hard against my
clit, rubbing unbridled with need. I felt exposed, completely naked amid my
sterile surroundings, but so alive. Aware. Raw. Liam turned and swept the
dessert cart, knocking all of the contents to the ground before snatching me
off the shelf. He rested me on my back and quickly dropped his pants. The
surface was frigid but the warmth from him sliding between my legs was more
than enough. He entered me gently at first, filling my most intimate place with
his substantial girth. It felt intoxicating. Easing in and out, he draped my
legs over his shoulder while gripping my ankles.

“Damn, Claire,” he
groaned, thrusting harder. The cart started to wobble under the momentum as he
buried deeper inside of me. “You feel incredible.” He slid his hand down the
inside of my thigh, resting his thumb on my folds. Stroking me in rhythm with
his thrusts, my breath suddenly caught in my chest.

“You like that?” I
gasped drawing my hands across my breasts before playing with my nipples. The
action drove Liam wild. He split my legs open, resting each ankle on his
shoulders.

“You’re so fucking hot.
Play with yourself for me.” I was about to explode, but I obliged as I pinched
my nipples. Pleasure surged through me. I tried to grip the cart but it was too
late. My thighs shook as my hips tremored against his and I cried out.

“Oh, Liam!” He pressed
a finger down against my lips, giving me a crooked smile. Another orgasm rocked
my body but he continued to pump in and out of me. My breathing grew stagnant.
The cart ceased to wobble. He gripped me tightly one last time before giving in
to his climax. Leaning over, he brought his lips firmly to mine, pressing his
tongue passionately into my mouth. Our chests heaved in unison.

“That was…”

“Amazing,” I said as I
wrapped my arms around his neck. I drew him in for one more kiss before he
hoisted me off the cart and set me on my feet. My breathing had evened out a
little by now but my legs were still weak. Shaking with exhaustion, Liam caught
me before I collapsed.

“You okay, tiger?” he
asked with a reckless chuckle. He kissed me on the forehead before I could
answer. “Let’s get you home.”

When we arrived back at
the apartment Liam walked me to the door.

“Thanks for humoring me
tonight,” he said, giving a subtle wink. “I had a nice time.” He clasped my
hand before kissing me tenderly on the cheek. “Goodnight, Claire.” As he turned
to leave, I was reminded of the excitement we shared in the fridge.

“Stay,” I called. His
head turned slightly over his shoulder. “Stay with me.” This time the words
came out more as a plea. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a man of his
caliber in my bed.

He scooped me up in his
arms and whispered in my ear, “As you wish.”

6

The sun blaring through the window of
my fourteenth floor high rise was enough to wake me up. I probed for another
pillow feeling only empty space on the other side of the bed. He was gone. The
night had been perfect so of course it would end like this. No breakfast. No
note. I pulled the blankets over my head and allowed myself a moment to wallow.
I should have known better. He was successful, charming, and too good to be
true. My phone emitted a soft chirp causing my heart to skip a beat. It was
Jill. We had talked on and off since the Lucca incident and I had resigned
myself to the fact that maybe he was a good man after all.

“Hello?” I answered, trying to mask
my sleepy tone.

“Claire. What are you doing tonight?”
She sounded manic as ever, occasionally shouting out directions to voices in
the background. It was Thursday.

“Nothing,” I grumbled pulling the
covers back over my head. If there was ever a time to get a life, it was now.

“Look, we’re having an impromptu
engagement party tonight at my place. Do you think you can find some
unsuspecting soul to be your date?” I tried to ignore her sarcasm.

“Yeah, I already have someone lined
up.”

“Oh! What’s he like? Is he handsome?”
she asked, sounding surprised. Resentment swelled in my gut.

“He’s…” I hesitated, thinking about
the night prior, “He’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“Sounds like a dream. Bring him
tonight at 8. I’ve gotta run. Ciao, Bella!” And with that, she was gone. I
often wondered how we ever maintained a friendship. She was so hard to pin
down. The realization that I had just committed to bringing a date sunk in.
Dammit. Despite the wonderful evening I’d shared with Liam, I didn’t think I
could bring myself to invite him. The last man who ditched out on me took
everything and left me a shell of a woman. I refused to be a victim again.

Browsing through my phone, I dialed
the only number that made sense.

We arrived at Jill’s at 7:45 sharp.
Everyone who knew her understood the obsessive need for punctuality. If you
weren’t early, you were late.

“Claire, honey,” she greeted me,
kissing the sides of my cheeks. She turned to my escort and said, “This must
be…”

“Andrew,” he stated, politely taking
her hand and kissing the top of it. Jill’s lips turned up in a satisfied smile.

“So handsome and well-mannered too.”
Her tone made it sound like she was speaking of my dog. Andrew didn’t seem to
notice or care much as he hooked his arm in mine. We hadn’t seen each other
since the rendezvous in Liam’s apartment, but we kept in contact. A flirtatious
text here, a voicemail there. He was even more attractive than I remembered.
Eventually I left Andrew with a few of the other men at the party and joined
the ladies in the den. Jill had an incredible high-rise with a 360 degree view
of greater Los Angeles. Not to mention it was impeccably decorated and
spotless, much like Jill. It brought back memories of the apartment I had
shared with my ex husband, Jason. Jill would never admit it, but there once was
a time where my wealth and influence spanned even farther than hers. It seemed
like a lifetime ago.

“Claire. Come, sit.” She patted the
maroon cushion conjoined with hers. I poured a glass of scotch instead and
carefully lifted my glass as a gesture of camaraderie. Whether she took it that
way or not, I didn’t care.

“So, where’s Lucca?” I asked, going
straight for the jugular. It pained me to behave this way but I couldn’t wrap
my mind around how cold Jill had become. We weren’t exactly the fondest friends
before. In fact, Jill had always been an at arm’s length type. It wasn’t until
here recently that she’d become snide. Assertive. Jealous. But of what?

“Work ran a bit late for him. He
should be here soon.” She smoothed her short, cream dress across her perfectly
tanned legs and smiled. I wanted to shake her. “What’s the story with you and
Andrew? You’ve never mentioned him before. How did you meet?” Knowing she would
be curious, I’d rehearsed a story with Andrew on the way over. He understood my
desire for discretion.

“I was looking for a larger space and
he is subletting his condo. He showed me the place and while it wasn’t quite
what I wanted, we ended up getting coffee and the rest is history.” My eyes lit
up and for a moment I almost believed my own story. A few of the other women
offered their well wishes and Jill looked like she was going to say something
more but the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” I said, taking the
opportunity to get out of dodge. I knew it was Lucca and I was sure he wasn’t
expecting to see me. It’s always better to get the awkward part out of that
way. Jill wasn’t far behind me when I opened the door to see Liam standing
there. Our jaws dropped. Before I could confront him, Jill appeared next to me
practically jumping into his arms.