Authors: J. S. Scott
Oh hell...who was she trying to fool? She had just had the most mind- blowing sex of her life and she wanted this man. Had she paid attention to her own emotions she would have realized earlier that she wanted him and what she was really feeling was chemistry. Most likely she had been afraid that the attraction wouldn’t be mutual and had wanted to avoid making a fool of herself. Maybe she had needed something drastic to get her attention and keep her from running away from something that could be damn good.
"Do you do this to all of your trainees?"
"Oh, hell no. I was risking my job, Lilly. But I guess I was willing to take the risk. I've never felt like this before," he muttered in a dejected voice.
She melted and caved in. He had risked his job, which she knew was the most important thing in his life. Could she blame him for getting caught up in passion? She had ended up caught in the very same web of desire herself.
She slid off the bed and grabbed a robe that was thrown carelessly onto a corner chair. She breathed in the material, loving the smell of it. It smelled like…Jake. Tightening the belt she asked in a low, suggestive voice, "Okay...where's the hot tub?"
His head popped up and his gaze searched her face. He met her eyes with a dark, passionate, adoring expression. "You aren't mad?"
She shrugged. “I wanted you too, Jake. I think you figured that out pretty quickly or we wouldn’t have continued. Besides, all of those orgasms seemed to have made me pretty forgiving," she informed him wickedly.
"Well, hell!," he exclaimed as he shot out of bed. "Don’t forgive me completely. I’m willing to keep working on it."
He stalked towards her naked and she sighed. Would she ever get tired of admiring that view?
He swept her up in his arms and hugged her. She could feel him trembling.
She stayed there for a few more moments and then pulled back to look at him. Her big guy was smiling.
"Are you going to find us that hot tub?,” she asked in a sexy whisper.
"Let's go," he said eagerly as he pulled her through the bedroom door by the hand. "I have work to do and I take my jobs very seriously."
She laughed as she let him lead her towards the door. "I expect a great report, Sergeant Simmons."
"Absolutely!"
They both laughed all the way to the hot tub.
She was going to kill Cindy. Her best friend was so...dead. She tried to calm her nerves by thinking of the many ways she could dispatch her best friend for sending her on this crazy drive.
Hannah Rowan's stomach rolled as she searched for an address on the lone building in an unpopulated area of the mountains.
This has to be it.
The grounds of the building were kept up well. Ivy and moss clung to the brick, two story structure like a permanent fixture. It was hard to see much except the blur of stone and ivy. The deluge of rain pouring down obscured Hannah's vision even though her wipers were on full speed. They couldn't keep up with the downpour of rain she had encountered about ten miles back.
She steered her small economy car into the driveway and parked next to the only other vehicle in the driveway. A black BMW. She put her car in park and shut down the engine as tendrils of unease crept through her body. They started at the top of her spine and spread along her spinal column, around her ribs and straight to her gut.
She watched the rain beat down on the windshield as she waited for a break in the storm.
"Happy Birthday," she mumbled to herself miserably as the roar of the rain continued to pound against the glass and metal. She jumped as a crack of thunder pierced the air. "It's a perfect day."
Hannah's mood felt as gloomy as the day. She tried to shake herself out it as she wondered what Cindy had done this time.
With Cindy…it was hard to tell. Her free spirited best friend lived life to it's fullest, experimenting with anything and everything that caught her attention.
Hannah sighed. She was never sure whether she should be envious of her friend or terrified for her safety. There were times...occasionally...that Hannah wished she could be more like Cindy. She just...wasn't.
She had spent most of her adult life in school, struggling for her law degree. Now that she had achieved her goal, she spent most of her time working.
Her social life was nil and she knew she needed to get out more, socialize with someone other than criminals and her colleagues at the Public Defender's Office. She hadn't had a boyfriend since law school and Cindy was about the only friend she saw on a regular basis.
The rain subsided. It hadn't completely stopped but the storm seemed to be moving off toward the east and it might be the only break she was going to get. Time to make a run for it.
She hadn't had a chance to grab an umbrella. It had been a glorious late spring day when she had left for work this morning. She didn't know she would end up driving thirty miles outside the city in miserable weather right after work to claim her thirtieth birthday present from Cindy...whatever it was.
That creepy feeling was running down her spine again.
Cindy thought Hannah needed to let loose a little. She had been completely mysterious about Hannah's gift and Cindy's surprises could probably scare the hell out of Hannah.
She hadn't been able to say she wouldn't go and retrieve the gift. Cindy had been so excited and she was, after all, the only one who had even acknowledged Hannah's birthday.
Taking a tense breath and letting it out, she opened her car door and made a run for the front door. Her sensible heels slid in the mud as she scurried for the stoop where she would be protected. By the time she arrived her brown pencil skirt with the matching jacket were soaked, along with her white blouse that was now clinging to her body like a second skin.
Hannah pulled the tie from her damp hair. It wasn't like there was a crowd here and it was going to be a rat's nest. She pulled her hair free and dropped the tie into her pocket. She kicked herself for not bringing her purse in so that she had a brush. She certainly wasn't running back to the car again. She started to finger comb her shoulder length brown hair the best that she could while she hit the lock button on the key chain to secure her vehicle. She dropped her keys into the pocket of her damp jacket.
Okay...here it goes. Let the birthday surprise begin.
She rang the doorbell, trying to be optimistic. It wasn't as if her best friend would set her up for anything dangerous.
Oh God. It was Cindy. Anything was possible.
She was still trying to straighten out her hair when the door opened. Her knees almost gave out as she saw who stood framed in the doorway.
*****
Ryan Brenner had to mask his shock as he opened the door.
Hannah Rowan? Well, well, well. What a complete surprise.
The woman had been a thorn in his side on more than one occasion. Since he was a prosecutor and she a defense attorney, they had battled it out over a negotiation table several times.
She had an icy demeanor in negotiations and in the courtroom. She was an excellent defense attorney, able to uncover secrets and information that others would probably miss and he had to admit that she drove a damn hard bargain most of the time.
Strange, but he had pictured her as the strictly vanilla sex type, a lets-do-it-under-the-covers-and-in-the-dark type of woman. How marvelous that Hannah Rowan had a dirty little secret.
Ryan opened the door wider and motioned her in. He saw a flash of fear and vulnerability in her sea green eyes as she hesitated before walking through the open door. She covered it quickly, but he had noticed it. At that moment, there was nothing he wanted more than to crack the icy exterior of Hannah and see the real passion behind the facade.
He nodded slightly at her as he closed the door firmly behind her and flipped the lock. "Counselor Rowan."
"Counselor Brenner." She acknowledged him abruptly. "What are you doing here?"
The ice queen was back, but she hardly looked like her usual calm and composed self. Her damp hair hung around her shoulders in adorable disarray and she was soaked from the rain. It was a rather nice look on her. He especially liked the thin, wet blouse.
"Follow me." He led the way to the discussion room. It looked like a normal den, equipped with a big screen T.V. and a comfortable brown leather sofa with a matching recliner. He took a seat behind Mike's desk and requested, "Have a seat."
He watched her perch nervously on the corner of the sofa. He leaned forward and opened her file. "I was instructed to give you this." He slid the white envelope across the desk.
Hannah stretched and grasped the note, ripping it open impatiently. She pulled out a sheet of paper, her eyes darting over it quickly.
Ryan savored her expressions. He wasn't exactly sure what the note said, but he enjoyed watching her face. He had never seen anything but cold distain from her before...and he had definitely looked. He couldn't help himself. She was a cute little thing with her curvy body and brown hair that threw off red headlights when she cocked her head a certain way. He had alternately cursed and admired her intelligence. She was a sharp woman and her eyes usually showed it. Her green eyes were usually cool, but they weren't at the moment.
Embarrassment. Shock. Horror. Fear. A range of emotions traveled over her face and he delighted in each change of expression.
She looked up at him, her confusion and mortification apparent.
"I...you...this...," she was so flustered she couldn't string a sentence together.
"I've never seen you at a loss for words, Counselor." He informed her patiently. He stood slowly, anxious to see what sort of information would so completely bowl over a woman that usually had complete control of her emotions.
I need to see that letter.
*****
Hey Girlfriend!
I found your stash of BDSM magazines and movies in your closet when I went to get the sweater you borrowed. I knew somewhere beneath that prim and proper exterior was the heart of a naughty girl. I decided for your birthday that you deserved your fantasy. Mike is one of the best doms in the country. He can teach you everything you need to know and then some! Have fun and Happy Birthday! Love ya, Cindy
Oh. My. God. Hannah's hands trembled as she started to fold the note from her best friend. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.
She felt the waves of guilt and shame as she thought about anyone knowing about her deeply hidden secrets desires. She buried them...tried not to think about them.
Much
. There were times when she just couldn't overcome the temptation and she turned to her movies and magazines to satisfy her. Cindy had found them.
She felt her face flame as Ryan walked calmly over and snatched the letter from her hand.
He was reading it before she could even protest. She stood, fighting to take it back. He turned his back on her and read it while she continued to reach around him, trying to retrieve the personal information. "Give that back. It's personal." She was angry now, her fury overtaking her shame.
"Sit down, Hannah. We will talk about this rationally." he turned around and handed her back the letter.