Blind Attraction (17 page)

“Oh,
Vi; one more question,” Catherine said. As Victoria looked over her shoulder, already weary with Catherine’s questions no matter how well-intentioned, Catherine asked, “Have you asked your mom about your father since our discussion?”

“Uh, no,”
Victoria answered, more and more confused by the random inquiries than ever. “I’m not sure I really want to know who he is.”

Catherine smiled mischievously, obviously considering something.
“Interesting. You might want to look into it.”

Rolling her eyes,
Victoria walked out of the office, her stomach painfully tight with sudden apprehension. She didn’t want to know who her biological father was because somehow it felt wrong. It would be as if she would no longer belong to her daddy if she knew. Her fear was irrational but it was very real to her.

In spite of Catherine’s eerie talent,
Victoria still liked her. Glancing over her shoulder as she shut the door, she caught the wistful expression on James’s face; he was just as reluctant as she was to part. Sadly, her schedule was going to prevent her from seeing him until Friday night at the earliest. Marnie was planning on visiting her parents over the next couple of days. And, since the Grand Opening was Sunday, they were keeping the store closed Saturday to make sure everything was ready to go.

She only had to get through three days and then she would be his for most of the weekend.
Fortunately, preparations at her store were going to keep her extra busy until Friday evening. And when she wasn’t running around making sure everything was ready for the Grand Opening, she would find a few moments to talk to him on the phone.

The three days since Victoria had brought lunch to the office were interminable at best. Although James had talked to her over the phone on several occasions, he missed having her near. It seemed odd that they had barely just met, had hardly spent any time physically together, but he knew her. He
knew
her. All of their phone conversations had been entertaining and he really loved her sense of humor. He also really loved listening to her talk in that smooth, sexy velvet voice of hers. Even talking about mundane things like the weather turned him on and made him so damn hard.

She was going to be at his house in a few minutes and they were finally going to make love; he was going to discover what it was like to be in her body. Their souls had already consummated the relationship a long time ago, their minds were perfectly in tune; sex was going to be phenomenal because it was going to be with her
; he had the seduction all planned out.

As soon as she walked through the door, he would lead her to the
study and offer her a brandy, warm her up some in case she was nervous. While they sat there sipping the amber liquid, he would casually touch her, maybe stroke her arm or her cheek, whatever; he would engage in as much physical contact as possible to prepare her. In case things went up in flames too quickly, he had a box of condoms in the side table. He had several other boxes located in strategic places throughout his house. Just in case.

Eventually, they would make it to his room where he would explore every inch of her feminine body, taste her,
bring her to the heights of passion. He was looking forward to running his fingers through her silky, pale blond hair, to sliding his hands over her golden skin, to plunging his cock into her honeyed depths. Already he could imagine her naked body beneath his, her heart racing against his tongue, her long legs wrapped around his waist. He only wished he could see the passion in her eyes when he drove her to the heights of desire.

First she had to get there.

“Will that be all, Mr. Templeton?” Daisy, his housekeeper, asked from his left. She was the last of his house staff to leave and he was eager for her to go.

“Yes,” he said briskly, anxious for Victoria’s arrival. What if she got stuck at work with last minute preparations for her grand opening on Sunday? Or worse, what if she changed her mind? No, he wasn’t going to let himself even think that; the last several phone conversations had been pure foreplay. She was anticipating this as much as he was.

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” the older lady asked, the concern apparent in her voice. Since the accident it seemed nobody liked to leave him alone anymore. Usually it didn’t bother him so much; his friends, family, and employees liked to feel as if they were doing something and they all cared for him. Now, however, he was impatient for everyone not Victoria to be gone.

“I will be,” he assured her, feeling the tightness along his jaw. “I have a… friend coming over so there’s no need for you to worry.”

“The staff cannot help but worry, Mr. Templeton; you’re the one that signs our paychecks,” she said cheekily.

After the accident his parents had wanted him to move back into the estate, where they could keep an
eye on him. He had been able to alleviate their fears by reminding them how efficient and dedicated his own household staff was and by promising them he would never be alone. Yet here he was sending everyone away before Victoria even arrived. He just had no desire to share her with anyone, and that included his staff.

“Thanks, Daisy. Now go before I change my mind and make you work this weekend.”

“I’m going,” she said quickly; James could hear the smile in her voice. Perhaps he was acting a bit out of sorts but this was Victoria; everything had to be perfect. His chef had prepared some wonderful meals for when they got hungry – simple meals that were quick to heat up, or even serve cold, as well as several desserts which might not be eaten in the traditional manner. The thought of eating melted chocolate from Victoria’s smooth belly curved the corners of his lips upwards in an erotic smile and his stomach tightened in anticipation.

“You look like the cat about to eat a bowl of cream,” Victoria’s voice drifted through the air, startling him. He hadn’t
known she was there, though he should have realized it; he had felt the humming in the atmosphere but he had attributed it to excitement.

As if sensing his surprise, she walked over to where he leaned against the wall and dropped her overnight bag to the floor. Taking his hand in hers, she stood up on her toes and placed a quick kiss on his smooth, warm cheek. “Hello.”

“Victoria,” he murmured, the image of her chocolate-covered body still firmly imbedded in his mind. Bending his head, he softly kissed her cheek, lingering a moment to just breathe her in. As her familiar, feminine scent filled his lungs, he felt that he could finally breathe for the first time in three days. “I’ve missed you.”

Victoria turned her head slightly so her
lips could touch his. Murmuring against his mouth, she whispered, “I’ve missed you, too. Now, what were you thinking about when I arrived? Your smile was very intriguing and a little naughty.”

“I was thinking about you,” he
admitted in a low growl, deepening the kiss and pulling her into his arms where she belonged. Her soft breasts tantalized him, her sweet smell invigorated him, her soft moans drove him mad with desire. They wouldn’t make it to the study….

Suddenly she gasped and let out a delighted little laugh. Assuming she was enjoying his kisses he trailed his lip along her slender throat, loving the sweetness of her supple skin, feeling her neck move as she asked, “Do you play?”

“Huh?” James’s brain was slightly fried and he had difficulty comprehending Victoria’s words. “Do I play what?”

“The piano,” she clarified, taking his hand and leading him into the drawing room where a seven foot grand piano was housed.

“Um, no.” Though the instrument was digitized and he kept it in tune, it was mostly for show. The designer thought it would be perfect in the large, open room with floor-to-ceiling windows and twelve-foot ceilings. Most of the time he kept the curtains closed to protect the ebony polish but other than that, he never really gave it much thought. Of course, when he hosted parties, he turned it on so the guests were entertained with “live” music.

He felt the loss when she moved away from him, leaving him in darkness until a few notes filled the silence.
He heard the excitement in her voice as she asked, “Would you mind? I have a piano but it’s just an old upright, nothing as glorious as this.”

“Sure,” he said with a slight frown. He would deny her nothing but how in the world could she think about playing the piano when he had seduction in mind? But then she started to play and he fell a little
bit more in love with her. Plopping down on the bench next to her as her fingers flew over the keys, as music filled the room, all he could do was listen to the music that was played from Victoria’s soul.

*****

The last few times they talked on the phone had been very intimate and she blushed as she remembered some of the things they said, the things they did. Chemistry changed everything, she knew that. Two years with Alex and she still debated whether or not to sleep with him and then the decision was taken away from her and she hadn’t cared. Less than two weeks with James and she wanted to make love. Playing the piano for him seemed like the natural thing to do.

At first it was difficult to play with James sitting right next to her; every time her arm brushed against his a jolt of awareness coursed through her body. Eventually, she lost herself in the music; the music flowed through her body and her fingers danced as they never danced before, passionate and joyful. Beethoven sounded a million times better on his
grand than he ever did on her little piano. The acoustics in the large room were also very impressive; she felt as if she were on stage at a concert hall, performing a piece for the most important audience of her life.

Throughout her playing she was aware of James but he wasn’t a hindrance, he was a part of the music, soaring with her as her fingers flew over the keys. Their breathing became as one and she was sure their hearts were also beating in unison; when the music sped up he was right there with her. When it came crashing down he was there to catch her as she fell. Playing the piano had never felt so profound; with James it was a spiritual experience.

As the final notes came to an end, the music lingering a little longer, she turned her head and saw that James sat there with his eyes closed, a rapturous expression making his handsome face almost ethereal. Unable to help herself, she placed a light kiss on his cheek where she knew his dimple to be.

After a moment, he opened his unseeing eyes and
cleared his throat; “That was amazing; how long have you played?”

Victoria smiled,
slightly at a loss after feeling such a rush of sensation. Plunking a few notes as she continued to sit there, aware of the heat emanating from James’s body, warming her, setting her on fire, she finally answered, “Many, many years.”

“Can you play something else
for me?” he asked softly.

“Sure,” she shrugged, placing her fingers over the keys to play
one of her favorite Chopin’s nocturnes.

“Wait,” he murmured, putting his hands over hers. Running his hand along the piano, and then reaching beneath, he muttered to himself, “Where is that damn thing?”

Victoria frowned as she watched James playing with a small, black electronic device attached to the underside of the grand piano. She hadn’t noticed it there before, but now that she saw it, she smiled. His piano was digitized. “Are you going to play a disc?”

“No,” he smiled through a grimace, still fumbling with the black box
. “I’m going to record you.”

“You can do that?” she asked in wide-eyed amazement.

“If I can figure out which buttons to push,” he grumbled, a frown starting to mar his forehead. “I’ve never had a reason to record anyone before. Would you mind looking?”

“Sure,” she said, leaning over him, feeling his muscular thighs beneath her chest, hearing the slight intake of
his breath as she brushed against his erection. With a small, euphoric smile at his response, she almost forgot why she was over his lap before remembering that she was looking for something. After a very enjoyable moment, she found the record button and pressed it before straightening to play.

The piece she was playing was haunting and beautiful and it took all of her effort to remain focused on the music as his hand moved
from her knee towards her thigh. This time when she played the music was secondary to the lust simmering between them. As she played and the piano recorded, James slowly ran the palm of his hand along her leg, sliding his long, artist’s fingers beneath the hem of her dress. “James.”