Red Hot (11 page)

“Why was she there last night then?”

“Her boyfriend isn't who she thought he
was. She was trying to have another go at me thinking if I missed her enough I
would be who she wanted me to be. I can't do that. I've already told you we
would try to see if we had something.” He walked closer. Lifting his hand, he
ran a finger down her cheek catching the tear making its way down her face. “I
told you I would give you total honesty, Rhian. I won't go back on that, I
promise you.”

He kissed the salty tear and leaned to do
the same on the other side before coming to her lips. She moaned and melted
into him. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, he held her tight.

“I'm so sorry, Rhian. She called me at work
the other day and left a message. I ignored it. I figured if I didn't answer
her she would go away. My mistake.”

“Will she come back again, do you think?”
She sniffed and rubbed her hand over her face.

“I certainly hope not but you know the real
story now. She can try and do what she wants but she's definitely not in the
picture Rhian. It's you and me until we see how far this is going to go, okay?”

“Okay. I'm sorry I left. I should have
stayed and knocked the bitch in the gutter.” She let out a shudder of a laugh
and tucked her head into his shoulder.

“That's something I would have liked to
have seen. If she doesn't get the hint you can have a clear shot, I promise.”
He held her tightly, relieved beyond belief she had believed him. Eleanor had
been unwilling to listen to his reasoning and left unconvinced. He wouldn't put
it past her to try again.

“I'm sorry we missed the picnic last night.
Do you want to try another night?” Rhian looked up at him with a watery smile.

“Why don't we try tonight? I have nothing
planned.”

“Um, the food is still in the car where I
left it last night but I don't think it's going to be edible now. The wine will
be okay though.”

“We can eat out. There is a nice little
restaurant down by the wharf if you like Italian food. Nothing flashy but the
meals are terrific.” Red nipped her lip and waited for her answer.

“I like the sound of that but only if you
come back for coffee with me afterward.”

And hot sex.

“And I like the sound of that. Deal. Do you
want me to feed Bambi while you get ready?” Red walked over to the little deer
and picked it up tucking her into his body. He stroked the line of spots
running down his back.

Rhian laughed and walked over to the
kitchen to make a bottle. She handed it to him then left to go and change her
clothes.

When she came back he was on the deck and
Bambi was exploring the potted plants Rhian had clumped together in mass
displays. Red looked up at her and smiled. She was dressed in one of her floaty
dresses that swung around her ankles when she walked. It was soft peach and
crossed over her breasts showing plenty of cleavage. His cock throbbed and he
wondered if he should forget dinner and take her straight to bed. But being the
man he was, he didn't want to rush her after their near break up. He wanted to
woo her and make up for last night’s clusterfuck. She deserved that at least.

She took the fawn and put him in the pen
before she locked the veranda door.

“I don't think that dress is bike material.
We might have to cab it.” Red ran his fingertip along the neckline of her
dress.

“No, we can take my car. Ready?” She hooked
her arm through his and picked up her keys from the counter and guided him out
the front door. Rhian laughed as Red folded his long legs into the front of her
small car. “I don’t think I can see you in anything this small.”

“No, it’s fine honestly, it’s only a short
trip to the restaurant. Head down toward the wharf. We can park and walk the
rest of the way.” He reached up and pulled on the seatbelt as Rhian pulled out
of the driveway.

“So how was your day?”

Red glanced over at her and grinned at the
cheeky smile on her face. “Shocking for all the obvious reasons. How was
yours?”

“Pretty much the same. I did have a few of
my regulars tell me I looked like I needed a holiday and one of my braver ones
said it was time I got a date. She all but told me I was missing out on sex but
she couldn’t bring herself to say the actual word. I got the idea though.”
Rhian laughed out loud, the sound going straight to Red’s groin. He had been
sweating on this all day and thought he was getting off incredibly lightly. If
this had been Eleanor, not Rhian he would have been ignored for weeks.

He showed her where to park the car and
came around to open the door for her. Arm in arm they walked along the wharf to
the small restaurant with the bright striped umbrellas outside on the sidewalk.

Red walked in and took her straight to a
table at the back of the dimly lit restaurant. “Can I order for you? I eat here
heaps and can tell you the best dishes.”

Rhian leaned her elbows on the table and
dipped her chin into her hands. “That would be wonderful, thanks.”

Red waved down a passing waitress and gave
their order adding a bottle of crisp white chardonnay to drink while they
waited for their meal. The waitress placed it on the table in an ice bucket and
he poured each of them a glass. He picked both glasses up and passed one to
Rhian.

“To us and a steadier relationship without
the bumps along the way. Here’s to being open and honest.” He tipped his glass
toward hers, touched and sat back taking a sip. The cool fruity flavor rolled
over his tongue and slid down his throat. He looked at Rhian. She was blushing
and looked slightly uncomfortable.

“Hey, I mean it Rhian. I’ll never be less
than honest with you, I promise.”

“Um, likewise Red,’ she replied taking a
sip of her wine looking around her.

“Are you okay? Not still worried about
Eleanor are you?”

“No, no, it’s okay. Just a bad day and I am
a little bit tired. This looks nice.” She gazed around the room taking in its
simple décor before their meals arrived.

* * * *

 “Oh my God, that was awesome.” Rhian held
her stomach and moaned. “I've never been here before. I can't believe I’ve
never even seen it. I go past here all the time.”

“Friends of my parents own it so we used to
come here a lot. That was when Dad wasn't working late. I think this is the
only restaurant we ever went to actually, come to think of it.”

He took a sip of his wine and looked behind
Rhian, and quickly put it down on the table. He stood and held out his hand to
the man walking toward them. “Nico, how wonderful to see you. Rhian, let me
introduce you to my father's best friend.” The elderly man grabbed Red in a
tight hug and patted him on the back.

“It has been too long, my boy. Why do you
not come here more often? You know we miss you.”

“Working Nico, working.” Red replied. “This
is Rhian, my friend.”

“Girlfriend, eh?” The jovial Italian man
lifted her to her feet and wrapped her in a big hug. “Any friend of our Carrick
is welcome in my restaurant.”

“Thank you.” Rhian took a breath as he let
her go and she smiled at Red. “The meal was wonderful.”

Nico sat at their table and called for a
glass for himself. Red poured him a drink and asked how he was.

“Good, good. Some days are better than
others. I think I should retire soon, go back to the old country before it is
too late for me. But that is enough of my problems. Tell me, where did you meet
this lovely lady of yours?”

“I almost ran her down on the coast road.
Her orphaned deer ran in front of my motor bike.” Red laughed at the look on
Nico's face.

“And the bike, she is good, yes?”

“Yes Nico. Jake fixed it, although not
without his usual lecture.”

“Why haven't we seen him lately? He is
hiding like you, too lazy to come and see old friends for a meal once in a
while.” Nico acted as though he was hurt Red and his friend were ignoring him,
but Rhian suspected he might be bluffing.

“I haven't met Jake yet. What does he do,
apart from fix your bike, I mean?” she asked.

“If it has a motor of any kind, Jake will
know how to fix it or make it go faster. The guy is a total rev head.”

“The boys, they have been together since
school. They were both outcasts, you understand,” Nico said, shushing Red when
he tried to protest. “They go to high school together and remain friends all
this time. True friends never let you down. False friends stab you in the back
when you're not looking.”

“Leave it Nico, please.” Red put his hand
on the older man’s arm.

“Shush Red. This sounds interesting and I
know nothing about you growing up. Tell me what happened, please.”

With a groan Red sat back in his chair and
let Nico speak.

“The boys, they are not like the other kids
at school. Carrick here is very quiet, not noisy like other boys his age. He is
more sensible, wants to follow in his father's footsteps you understand.
Clever, clever man.” Nico patted Red’s arm to stop him protesting. “Jake has
accident as child, bad leg. He needs a crutch to walk and other boys make fun
of him. Our boy here--” he smiled at Red “--he stand up to the bullies. Ends up
in headmaster’s office with a bloody nose and black eyes.” Nico laughed loudly
at the memory. “Calls me, not his father. I go to school and tell the
headmaster Carrick a good boy to stand up to his classmates for a friend. His
father not punish him, he only do what is right. You have to meet Jake. He is
good boy. Bring him for a meal soon both of you please.” Nico pushed himself to
his feet. “I leave you to finish your meal. Don't leave it so long before you
come back next time. Make an old man happy and come soon.”

He leaned over and kissed Red on both
cheeks and turned to Rhian and did the same thing.

She watched him walk away. “What a sweet
man.”

“He was almost a father to me. My mother
and his wife were cousins. Both are gone now and he is lonely. I really should
come down here more often but I seem to always be busy at work. Maybe that will
change now.”

He looked over at her and clasped her hand.
He twined his fingers with hers and gazed into her eyes. “You could always make
a point of booking a table here if you wanted to.”

“I might just take you up on that. Now, I
don’t want to upset Nico but how about coffee at my place?” She ran a finger up
his arm and goose bumps rose on his skin. There would be more than coffee
tonight if he had his way.

Red kept his hand on Rhian’s leg as she
drove them back to her house. As soon as they were through the front door she
grabbed his face in her hands and plunged her tongue into his mouth. Grasping
her hips, Red pulled her to him, pushing his arousal against her. He was intent
on being in charge again. He pinned her to the wall in the hallway, sliding the
dress from her shoulders as his mouth locked onto hers. His hands cupped her
full breasts, his thumbs caressing her hardening nipples through the thin
fabric of her bra.

Rhian pushed herself into him, grinding her
hips against his erection. Her hands worked at his belt, fumbling with the
buckle. He reached down and took her hands in his, lifting them over her head
and pinned them to the wall. Red held them tight with one hand while the other
freed her breasts from her lacy bra. He dipped his head and ran his tongue over
the rosy nubs and she moaned with pleasure

He nibbled up her neck and back to her
lips. “Tonight, you will do as I say, okay?” His voice was husky with passion
and she nodded, her tongue swiping over her lips as she gazed at him. He pulled
her from the wall and she stepped out of her dress, standing before him in her
panties and high heels.

Red groaned aloud as he pulled her toward
the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them. He pushed her gently back
against the door and held her hands in his. Placing them above her head he
whispered in her ear. “Don’t move. Keep your hands where they are or I’ll stop
and go home. Understand?”

Her eyes grew huge and he could see the
flush creeping up her face as she started to breathe in soft fast pants. She
nodded her head and kept her gaze on his as he stepped away from her. Rhian
followed his hands as he undid his belt buckle and shucked off his jeans. He
hooked his fingers inside his boxer shorts and pulled them down a fraction
before sliding his hand inside and grasping his erection, stroking it slowly.

“Oh God, stop,” groaned Rhian, her mouth
working as she struggled to stay where he had put her.

“Don’t move, I mean it Rhian. Tonight is
mine and I will tell you what to do.”

She squeezed her eyes tight for a moment
and then opened them again, following the action of his hand. He watched her
squirm against the door, heightening his pleasure and his hips strained against
his hand.

Releasing his cock he pulled his T-shirt
over his head, throwing it to the floor. Then he stepped out of his boxers and
approached her. Kneeling down at her feet he grasped her hips and pulled them
toward his mouth. The smell of her arousal had his cock throbbing, but first he
was going to pleasure her.