PeakExperience (9 page)

He held her close as her breathing slowed, then eased his
fingers out of her body and her clothes. He licked them. “You taste so sweet.”

She blinked as if coming out of a dream. “That…” she
started.

“Was wonderful,” he said.

“Shouldn’t have happened.”

“But it did. You wanted it and I wanted to give it to you.”

“Which doesn’t make it a good idea.” She fiddled with her
clothes and smoothed her hair as she tried to regain a professional appearance.
He could have told her it was useless. And she looked better flushed. “I should
have stopped you.”

“You didn’t want me to stop.”

“I should have anyway.”

“Aren’t you in a ‘should-y’ mood.” She didn’t smile so he
continued, “Don’t you ever let yourself get carried away?”

“No, I prefer being sensible.”

“Then it’s no wonder you haven’t had more orgasms with a
man.” Stepping back he adjusted his clothes and left without another word.

* * * * *

For the next several days she kept busy, wrapping up one
client’s project while beginning to work with Daniel in short blocks of time on
the Golden account. He would show her a sketch or an idea, she would offer
suggestions then try to get back to her office as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, her core would clench in memory every time she walked into her
space, and it was an effort to sit at her desk and not remember Daniel’s
fingers buried inside her.

They had to work together no matter her discomfort, although
she worked to mitigate the issue by having someone from the marketing team join
her whenever possible, to prevent herself from being alone with him. To add to
her frustration, Daniel seemed to be able to keep his desires under wraps so
she couldn’t tell if he was struggling as much as she.

In addition, the more time they spent together, the more she
learned what a complex and exciting man Daniel was. Each interaction revealed
something she admired and liked. He had vision, creativity, a sense of humor
and was a surprisingly good collaborator, a rare talent in an artist. But no
matter how focused on business their conversation was, Lena frequently needed
to force her mind back on the project when it wandered to more sensual
thoughts.

It was clear to Lena she needed a social and a sex life.
After they won the Golden account and the company was solid again—she needed to
think positively—she would ask Michelle for help with her dating life. She’d place
herself in her friend’s capable manicured hands and start having fun again.

* * * * *

After a week of work and with only ten days to go until
their presentation, the team didn’t feel they’d hit on the campaign they wanted
to bring to Golden. Lena was feeling frustrated and frightened when an instant
message popped up on her computer screen with Daniel’s name at the top. “Have
you had dinner yet?”

“No,” she typed back. “Guess it’s another night of ordering
in.”

“If you’re ready to leave for the day, I know a great
Italian place nearby where we could go.”

Her stomach growled at the invitation. She was tired of
using her desk like a dining room table. It made her a little nervous to have
dinner alone with him, but a public place was probably safe.

Safe. Why was she always worrying about being safe? Without
thinking any more about it she responded, “Sounds good.”

“I’m ready when you are,” he replied.

Her body tingled and before her brain could stop her, she
wrote, “Yes, I’ve noticed that about you.”

He sent her back a smiley face icon and said, “Meet you at
the door in five.”

She saved the files she was working in, threw other work
into her bag and headed to the lobby. When he wasn’t there she walked to the
large office he was using as his studio. Organized chaos reigned. Paper,
pencils, charcoals and pastels covered every available surface, except a couch,
which she knew he lay on to brainstorm new ideas. Concepts ideas were tacked
onto the walls and decorated with Post-it notes of comments and suggestions.

“You always were creative,” she said, unwittingly referring
to their history.

“You remember?” His gray eyes held hers and she couldn’t
look away. It was unnerving.

“I do,” she said, looking anywhere but at him. “Whatever
materials I gave you to try, you dove in. First you’d use them the way they
were meant to be used, then you’d do different things.”

“Which didn’t turn out very well with the papier-mâché.”

She laughed and sat down on a chair by his desk. “That’s
right. I almost forgot. I think the floor is still lumpy from that little
experiment. Of course, once I gave you the camera and showed you the dark room,
everything else disappeared.”

“When I find what I like I have a tendency to stay with it.”

Lena swallowed. He wasn’t discussing photography or his work.
She should change the subject or try for a funny comeback, but nothing came to
her. Except the image of him focusing his attention on her body. Naked. Open.
Wet and ready for him. A flush starting at her cheeks traveled over her body,
heating her and making it difficult not to squirm in her seat.

“Are you okay?” His question pulled her out of her
imaginings.

“Yes, sorry. I got distracted. I was,” she was reaching for
something, anything to say that wouldn’t embarrass her, “thinking if there was
something in the creative process itself we could connect with the process of
choosing and putting on makeup.” She hoped that sounded right. Her brain was
too muddled to be certain.

He gave her a knowing smile. “Hungry? Let’s get out of
here.”

Nope, she thought, she wasn’t doing a good job of hiding her
thoughts from him. Not in the least.

* * * * *

Daniel had no doubt of Lena’s attraction to him, but he also
saw clearly that this sweet, sensual woman had a tendency to be skittish, an
unexpected trait he found endearing. He loved a challenge.

For dinner he brought her to an Italian place two blocks
over and down a small flight of stairs. He’d discovered it accidently and had
been a regular ever since. They knew him well and the owner’s wife fed him as
if he were one of her children. Inside, it was bright enough so it wasn’t
threatening but dark enough to give them the privacy he wanted.

Over antipasto and fresh manicotti they discussed the
history of Golden Cosmetics, what made them successful so far and what might bring
them new customers and create the biggest buzz in the future. By the end of the
meal they were talking over each other, jotting notes on napkins and racing
back to the office to see if there was anything new that could lead to the
“that’s it” they needed.

Three hours later, they were still struggling to get it
right. “We are so close,” she said. “I can feel it.”

“But we haven’t found it,” he said, running his hands
through his hair.

“Maybe we should call it a night.”

He looked at his watch. “In a few more hours we can call it
a day. It’s after one.”

She fell back against his couch. Her shoes were in a corner,
her makeup long rubbed off but she managed to find the energy to wad up another
piece of paper and toss it at the waste paper bin.

“Two points,” Daniel said when it fell neatly in the basket.

“Great, at least I’m successful at something tonight.”

He heard the pain in her voice. “We’re going to get this,
Lena.”

“I’m not so sure anymore. At first, when all the ideas were
bubbling I was certain this was going to be a smooth process. Then every time
we step away from it, or show it to someone new, we don’t get the connection or
reaction we want. I’m running out of energy. And hope. The company needs this
account. I don’t want to think about what will happen if we don’t get it.”

Daniel left his drafting table and joined her on the couch,
pulling her into his arms. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. Her
leaning on him without a struggle or stiffening told him how concerned she was.
“We’re going to get this. We’re going to find that combination of magic and
buzzworthy images.”

“Buzzworthy?” She turned to look at him.

“Not a word?”

“Not as far as I know,” she said.

“Well, it should be. Something worthy of being buzzed about.
Seems like a reasonable new expression to me.”

“I’m sure if we start using it in the right places, it will
be in no time.”

He kissed the top of her head. “The struggle is a good sign.
It’s because we’re determined to create something amazing and we’re not willing
to settle for anything less. We’ve come up with some great ideas. Heck, we’ve
got enough material to make five companies happy.”

“But not necessarily to break into this one.”

Placing his hand under her chin, he lifted her face so he
could look at her. “We will find it. We’ll create it, and it will be magic.”
The look in her eyes touched him. He understood all she was feeling—fear,
frustration and the desire to get it right. Without thinking he leaned forward
and kissed her.

It was a slow kiss and he let it linger, giving her the
opportunity to pull away, even if he didn’t want her to. She was the one who
deepened it, opening his mouth with her tongue and bringing them closer. He
didn’t wait for her to change her mind.

After so many days of either trying to ignore or fight her
attraction to him, Lena was more than ready to give in. She wanted his kisses,
his touch. She wanted to melt in his arms the way she had on that first night
and get completely carried away by the feelings he brought out in her.

Before her brain could suggest something logical that could
distract her, she undid the buttons on his polo shirt and took it off over his
head. Running her hands over his chest, she reveled in the feel of muscle and
skin, the hair that was unique to him, which she traced down his stomach to
where it disappeared beneath his belt. She kissed his jaw then his neck as he
worked on getting her blouse off.

Her bra followed soon after and she leaned back to let him
touch her more. She threaded her hands through his hair as he kissed and licked
his way to her breasts, teasing and sucking her nipples, making them hard,
making her want more.

He seemed to know what she was thinking because as he
continued to arouse her, his hands were busy undoing the zipper on the side of
her pants. The sound as it slid down her thigh made her shiver, but not as much
as she did a moment later when he removed them along with her underwear. She
couldn’t remember ever being stripped so quickly.

“God, you’re beautiful, Lena,” he said. “I could spend hours
painting you, longer, and still never manage to capture how incredible you
are.”

His words sent a rush of pleasure through her but before she
could say anything, his fingers were on her pussy and instead of telling him
her thoughts, she showed him as she wet his fingers with her need. Any
additional foreplay was unnecessary—she was ready for him.

Unfortunately, he enjoyed tormenting her and instead of
letting her strip him, he moved onto the floor, turning her hips toward him. As
he covered her pussy with his mouth, he inserted two fingers inside her, making
her gasp from the intensity of the sensations. Lena gripped the couch and
looked down, blushing to see him enjoying her body in a way she’d never
experienced. She was used to sex in a bedroom with dim or no lighting. This was
new.

And thrilling.

Lying naked on the couch she felt exposed and vulnerable,
but thrilled beyond anything she could remember. Her heart raced and her skin
tingled as her passion built. His mouth and fingers seemed to find every
sensitive part and perhaps create new ones. She was on fire.

“Come for me, my sweet. I want to taste your passion,” he
said and his tongue swirled around her clit then flicked repeatedly over the
swollen bud, bringing on her climax faster and harder than she expected. There
was no soft buildup, just a surge of intensity. As it swept through her she
arched up and he grabbed her hips, bringing her closer to him. She could feel
him drinking her in and melting truly seeming like the only option.

He kept his fingers inside her, stroking her, making her
orgasm last. With his other hand he took his wallet out of his pants pocket,
then got rid of the pants and his briefs. He stopped touching her only to take
the condom out and put it on.

“Tell me what you want,” he said.

“You. Inside of me.”

And before she could take another breath he was.

Fantasies and vibrators were nothing compared to the real
thing. Lena wrapped her legs around him and brought him as close as she could,
pulling his mouth to hers, wanting there to be no space between them. He ground
his hips against hers and she reveled in the feel of him completely inside her.

She pulled her hips back into the cushions then lifted up
again, taking him deeper, enjoying his moans of pleasure. He found the rhythm
she started and soon they were moving together, meeting each other’s thrusts,
coming together harder and faster each time. She loved watching the play of
emotions and delight that moved across his face, and noticed the moment when
his body shifted to the final buildup to the climax she was aching for him to
have. It was wondrous to want pleasure for another person as much—or more—than
she wanted it for herself.

“Lena.” It was almost a growl.

“I know,” she said, and after the orgasm he’d given her, she
did. Words weren’t necessary. He thrust up hard inside her as he came, lifting
her off the couch, and she reveled in his desire for her. He kissed her again
and she couldn’t stop herself from touching him everywhere she could reach,
wanting to enjoy as much of him as she could.

He rested against her as his breathing returned to normal,
then somehow flipped them over so she was on top of him, lying comfortably on
his chest. “That was rather wonderful,” she said.