2SpiceRack_bundle (10 page)

After looking over the menu, Olivia decided
on a pear and Gorgonzola salad and a New York strip. She waited until the
waiter served the wine Brian had ordered before broaching the subject she’d
wondered about since their shopping excursion.

“Bri, honey, I have to ask you. How did you
decide on Michael?”

Brian traced his fingers around the base of
the wineglass. “A number of factors, really. First off, it had to be someone
nearby. I hadn’t exactly planned this out ahead of time.”

“Ah, okay.” She nodded. “Hence our trip to
the city.”

“Well, to be fair, I also just thought it
would be fun to come into Manhattan for our getaway.”

“Absolutely. Excellent choice. What else?”

“He had to be someone we both could trust,
but someone who also has an adventurous spirit. He had to be single.” He
cleared his throat and smoothed the napkin in his lap. “Remember the last time
I came into the city for work? I had dinner with Michael and we went out
drinking? Well, I asked about his love life that night and after a few bourbons,
he told me all about it. He has a regular arrangement with a couple that’s into
this. He knows what he’s doing.”

“Huh. Now that I think about it, I can
totally see him doing that.”

“Adventurous spirit” certainly fit Michael
when they were in school, although she’d have thought he would’ve mellowed
after years on Wall Street. She’d eyed Michael several times in college after a
few too many refills from the keg, but her devotion to Brian never wavered.
Michael had always been ridiculously handsome with a charm that no woman could
resist. It was hard as hell not to look. It was probably why he’d never been
able to find the right woman to hold on to. There was likely always someone new
waiting in the wings, vying for his attention.

She nodded. “Makes sense. But you also said
he had the hots for me. Michael and I were never more than friends. You know
that, right?”

Brian smirked and leaned over to peck her
on the forehead. “Honestly, Liv, sometimes you don’t have a clue how gorgeous
and sexy you are. There were plenty of guys dying to get with you. Michael was
just annoyingly vocal about it.”

“Vocal?”

“He said he was waiting for the day you’d
dump me so he could dry your tears and seduce you once your heart was no longer
broken. He even used to ask me what you looked like naked.”

“No way.”

“He’s not exactly a shy guy.”

She blew out a deep exhalation. “True. Not
exactly shy.”

“You’re okay with my choice, right?”

She’d had plenty of time to think about it
in the shower before they left for dinner. The idea was both intriguing and
exhilarating, but her biggest doubt was Brian’s ability to handle this
scenario. Fear of his reaction had her questioning her own ability to relax and
let go.

“I want to make sure you aren’t going to
get jealous.”

“I wonder the same thing, believe me. But I
figure there’s a reason this fantasy has stuck with me for so long. I can’t
shake it. I find the idea about as hot as anything I can think of.”

“Okay.” She nodded and smiled. “Good.
Because I think it’s pretty hot too.”

It had been threatening to rain all day,
but now that Brian and Olivia were on their way back to the hotel, it was
coming down in torrential sheets.

“I’m glad I booked a car for tonight,”
Brian said. “We never would have been able to find a cab in this mess.”

Olivia snuggled closer and he cupped her
shoulder. “Clearly my husband is a genius.”

“Yeah, right.”
Genius. I hope you still
think so after tomorrow night.

He’d had plenty of time to think about his
fantasy coming true, about his reasons for it, but the very core of that desire
was still indecipherable. The idea was so primal, to watch a man driving his
wife crazy, doing things to her only he had true permission to do, knowing all
along that she was his.

Olivia’s feelings had been of paramount importance.
If she’d shown any trace of unwillingness, he would have accepted that it
wouldn’t happen. It wasn’t his place to convince her, only to explain what he
wanted and why. Everything else was up to her. But now that she’d said yes, he
hoped that she would come away from the experience having received the message
loud and clear—she was his wife, she was his and he never wanted anything about
that to change.

He looked up to see a wide sweep of red
taillights blurred by raindrops pelting the windows. New York drivers,
notorious for their short fuses, were at their stereotypical best as car horn
after car horn blared.

“How long have we been sitting here?” he
asked.

“I don’t know. Ten minutes.” Olivia
fidgeted in her seat.

“Working the pearls?” He trailed a finger
along her knee, swathed in sheer black stockings.

“Not exactly. I really have to pee. It’s
making this little experiment of yours much more interesting.”

He snickered. “I can imagine.”

“I’m serious. I don’t think I can last much
longer.”

Brian glanced out the window again and
leaned forward to talk to the driver. “What do you think? Are we stuck here for
a while?”

“Hard to tell, Mr. Saunders. There must be
an accident up ahead or we’ve got gridlock. You know how it is in the rain.
Everyone drives like a real asshole. Excuse my French.”

“How far is the hotel?”

“Just a few blocks. I’m sure I’ll have you
there in another ten or fifteen minutes.”

Olivia’s eyes pleaded with him. “I don’t
think I’ll make it,” she mumbled sheepishly.

He peered through the window again before
removing his suit coat and handing it to Olivia. “Hope you can run in those
shoes.”

“What?”

He leaned forward to speak to the driver
again. “We’re square on the fare from this evening, right?”

“Yes sir, Mr. Saunders. We have your credit
card on file. We’ll email you a receipt.”

“Perfect. You have a nice night now.”

He opened his door to a steady rain, but it
seemed lighter than it had been when they left the restaurant. He tugged on
Olivia’s arm. “Come on. Use my jacket to shield yourself from the rain.”

She hopped out behind him and he slammed
the car door, taking her hand, leaping over a puddle and up on to the curb.
Fortunately, Olivia’s graceful legs afforded her the ability to follow him
easily enough in heels.

They began to jog along, ducking from the
awning above a boutique to the overhang on a skyscraper. The rain continued to
lighten, but his shirt was already soaked. He couldn’t bear to think about his
tailored suit jacket and what the rainwater was doing to it.

“This is crazy, you know,” Olivia yelled,
holding his jacket over her head, managing to keep up with him. “And this is
adding an entirely new level of excitement to these panties.”

“I bet.” Brian smirked as he stopped at the
curb for an instant before bolting across the street with Olivia in tow. Just
as they made it to the other sidewalk, the sky opened up. “Oh shit, Liv. Come
on, babe.” He yanked her arm but she stumbled. “You okay?”

“Yes,” she lumbered ahead. “Crack in the
pavement.”

The rain came down in endless sheets.
Everything was clinging to him—his shirt, his pants, his hair. Olivia grabbed
his shoulder and pulled off her shoes.

“You sure you want to do that?”

She bolted ahead with the shoes in one
hand, holding his jacket above her head with the other. “I told you,” she
yelled back. “I really, really have to pee.”

He sprinted behind her, watching as she
rounded the corner to the hotel. By the time he caught up to her, she was steps
from the regal gold awning. With a gentle scoop of his arms, he ushered her out
of the rain.

She lowered the jacket and her chest
heaved, her homerun of a black dress clinging to her entire body. Beads of
water dotted her clavicle.

“So much for the jacket keeping you dry,”
he said, also struggling for air.

“Come on.” She thrust the garment at him
and sprinted up the stairs to the revolving door.

He dutifully followed, enjoying the way her
dripping dress showed off her butt.

Within seconds, she was at the elevator,
hopping back and forth from foot to foot and staring expectantly at the numbers
above the door.

“Liv, use the lobby bathroom.”

She pointed at the corner where the ladies’
room was. A housekeeping cart sat parked in front of the entrance. “They’re
freaking cleaning it.”

The elevator dinged and the elderly couple
stepping out of it expressed horror as he and Olivia rushed past them. “Sorry,
emergency,” he called out as he punched the button for the doors to close. He
sagged against the wall as it finally began to climb.

Olivia was again squirming. “Come on, come
on,” she pleaded as they passed the floor before theirs and the bell chimed.
She burst through the opening when it was wide enough to accommodate her
slender frame.

Brian trailed her down the hall as she hit
a full-out sprint. He was about to slow down when he realized he had the only
room key. “Oh crap. I’m coming.” His feet went double-time to get to her and he
crammed the card into the slot.

Olivia turned the knob the instant the
light turned green, storming into the bathroom. “Oh my God,” she exclaimed.

He rushed into the room and flipped on the
light. She was on the toilet with the pearl panties around her ankles. “You
okay?”

She sighed and dropped her shoulders. “I am
now. I don’t think I’ve had to pee that bad in a really long time.” Resting her
elbows on her thighs, she began to giggle. “You look like a drowned rat.”

Her laugh had always been infectious, but
something about the situation amplified it. He chuckled so hard that tears
began to form at the corners of his eyes. “You look spectacular.”

“No I don’t,” she remarked, flushing the
toilet. She stepped to the sink and he eased behind her as she washed her
hands. Her mascara was smudged beneath her eyes, her perfectly styled hair now
a mix of matted and wet. Still, he’d never seen her look more beautiful.

He threaded a finger beneath her hair,
collecting it in his hand and moving it away from her neck. She tilted her head
to the side to welcome him with unimpeded access. He needed no further
invitation. Her skin was moist and warm as he pressed his lips to the graceful
stretch above her collarbone. “I think you look spectacular, Mrs. Saunders.
Just like I like you. Messy and wet.”

Olivia smirked at him in the mirror.
Handsome
bastard.
Every kiss against her neck was white hot even though he was
biding his time, knowing full well how that drove her crazy. Placing her hands
on the marble vanity, she arched her back and pressed her ass against his
crotch. He followed, bending forward at the hips and planting one of his hands
next to hers on the counter. His lips continued to blaze a hot trail, now along
the back of her neck as he lifted her hair up and away. She wiggled into him
and could feel him growing harder.

“Maybe you need to get me out of this wet
dress.” Warmth had gathered between her legs but it was of an entirely
different nature now. After hours of the pearls rolling between her folds, over
her clit, the pressure and need was building in a way she hadn’t felt in a long
time. It had been a ridiculous amount of foreplay. One touch from Brian and she
might blow up.

“No way. I’m taking you right here and
now.” He stood straight for an instant and she heard the clatter of his belt
buckle and the zip of a zipper. With insistent hands, he pulled up the back of
her dress.

She caught his eyes in the mirror
again—those icy-blue babies were blazing. His jaw was set firmly, telling her
she was now to surrender to his control. “Does that mean you’re going to give
it to me hard?” He may have been in charge, but a little encouragement never
hurt.

One hand pressed the center of her back,
while his other hand jerked her hip closer. She dropped her elbows down onto
the counter.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

Her face was mere inches from the mirror,
breath fogging the glass, damp locks of hair dangling. She focused on the
reflection of his face, which was commanding and stern. Her eyes fluttered shut
when he pushed aside the pearls and found her opening. Without hesitation, he
drove several fingers inside.

“Oh God, yes,” Olivia whimpered. Each
spiraling thrust of his fingers gave her warring sensations of relief and
torture. She wanted it, she needed it, but the tension he was creating in her
body was unreal.

He withdrew his fingers and unbuttoned his
shirt. Seconds later, he pushed inside at a painstakingly slow pace—inch by
glorious inch. His self-control was unmatched and she knew it wasn’t just for
her benefit as her body stretched and conformed to his cock. A throaty groan
left his mouth when she squeezed her muscles around him. As soon as his thighs
met the backs of hers, he pulled out far but not all the way, feeling heavenly
as he went.

He kept one hand on her hip and reached
around to slip his other hand between her pelvis and the counter. His fingers
found the pearls and pressed them against her clit, rubbing in tiny circles. He
went slowly at first, but quickly picked up speed. She moaned as he met more of
her need with every deep stroke inside, every masterful caress against that
tight bundle of nerves.

“Look at me, Liv,” he insisted with a gruff
voice.

She craned her neck to see him, but it took
considerable effort. His every move left her ready to collapse into a heap on
the floor.

“No. In the mirror.”

She turned and watched as he cocked his
eyebrows. The placement of his hands was there for her to see, the way he
thrust her body forward and jerked it back as he drove into her harder. His
thighs slapped against hers with each forward stroke. She caught his gaze again
and their eyes locked as if neither would ever look away.

“Come for me,” he said.

“I’m close,” she murmured. Her brain was
turning fuzzy. All she could concentrate on was watching his face as he bit
into his lower lip and grunted. His eyes were steely and determined.
Unrelenting thrusts, heat and friction, brought the peak barreling at her. “Oh
God.” Her body was wound tight as a spring. With another fierce stroke, the
pleasure tore through her. She arched her neck and called out, Brian quickly
following. He pulsed inside her while her clit throbbed with fading waves of
pleasure. She dropped her head down onto her hands and Brian bent forward and
kissed her neck softly.

“You okay, darling?” he asked.

A smile bloomed on her face. “Perfect,” she
answered, surrendering to everything she wanted—desire and love, and for Brian
to take charge.