Gimme an O! (20 page)

Lecia stepped into the room—and stopped dead in her tracks. A profound feeling of disappointment swept over her.

Anthony wasn’t there.

So much for their night of wicked lovemaking. Clearly, he’d had second thoughts. And why not? She had to be as frigid as they came, stopping him at every advance to babble in his ear, completely spoiling the mood.

She emitted a little moan and closed the door. Then two strong arms made their way around her waist. Her heart nearly exploded from fright.

“Tony, you jerk!” She slapped his arm with her free hand.

Laughing, Anthony turned her in his arms. He took the shopping bag from her fingers and dropped it onto the floor. “I missed you.”

She would never tire of his bedroom voice. “I bought a bunch of stuff,” she told him coyly.

“I don’t care what you bought.”

“Oh, I think you might. Three packs of condoms. Different sizes. Different shapes.” She paused. “Flavors.”

“Oh, baby.”

He was still wearing the towel. As he held her close, she rested her face against his hard, smooth chest. She wanted to lick it and bite it. She wanted to feel his strapping body pressed against her naked breasts.

Anthony stepped backward, his eyes roaming over her slowly. “Take off your clothes.”

From anyone else it might have sounded like a crude demand, but from Anthony it was an invitation to seduction.

She reached for the bottom of her shirt to pull it over her head, but paused. “I’m hot, sweaty.”

Anthony pulled her shirt off for her. “Let’s get hot and sweaty together. Then take a shower.” His eyes locked with hers, he reached for the clasp of her bra behind her back and popped it with ease. Then he reached for her skirt, pulling it down over her hips. Lecia did a little shimmy, and the material fell in a heap at her feet.

“Turn around.”

Inhaling a shaky breath, Lecia did just that.

“I swear, you look hot in that thong.”

Lecia’s entire body tensed with sweet expectation when she felt Anthony lower himself to his knees behind her.

For several agonizing seconds he didn’t touch her. “What?” she asked, hardly able to stand it. “Are you checking out my stretch marks?”

She felt a feathery touch, and wasn’t sure if it was his mouth or his finger.

“You have one sweet ass. I want to kiss every inch of it.”

She was as wet as the Pacific. “You want to kiss my ass?”

“You better believe it.” Those were definitely his lips now, kissing her butt once, twice. “I don’t know why, but there’s something about you that drives me wild.”

His tongue was hot against her skin, his teeth playfully
erotic. As he kissed the entire plane of her behind, he slipped a hand between her legs and ran it back and forth over her. Every inch of her throbbed. She wanted to feel his tongue where his hand now roamed.

“Turn around.”

Her knees nearly gave way, but she managed to move without falling. She looked down to see Anthony staring up at her. His eyes never moved as he eased her thong aside and lightly touched her nub.

His touch was electric, and Lecia cried out from the pleasure.

“Oh, baby.” He planted a kiss on her inner thigh. “You’re so wet. I love that.”

Lecia couldn’t stand any more of his teasing. She dropped to the floor to meet him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She planted her lips on his, moaning into his mouth.

“Your tongue, baby.” Anthony’s voice was low and seductive. “Give it to me.”

Lecia opened her mouth wider.

“That’s it.” He flicked his tongue over hers, then suckled the tip softly. “Damn, girl. You’re making me lose my mind. I want to do very naughty things to you.”

Lecia’s heart spasmed. “Oh?”

“Hell, yeah.”

She wanted to ask what kind of things, but wasn’t much of a talker when it came to sex. With Allen, there had been no verbal foreplay. There had been no foreplay, period.

Their lips locked together, Anthony guided them to their feet. Then he pulled her against him with a sense of urgency and gyrated his hips. His penis slipped out of the towel and rubbed against her belly.

“Oh my,” Lecia said, her hands stilling on his shoulders.

“What?” Anthony leaned his forehead against hers. “You want me to stop?”

“No. No, I—”

“Then why’d you go still?”

She hesitated, then asked sheepishly, “The truth?” She didn’t meet his eyes.

“Tell me.”

“Your…” Suddenly, her face was flaming. She talked frankly about sex all the time, yet here she was, unable to say “penis.”

He pulled his head back to look down at her. “My what?”

In reply, she shimmied slightly against him. “That.”

When his eyes grew wide with recognition, Lecia couldn’t help giggling. “Your
package.
I don’t think I’ve ever been with anyone so…”

“Hung?” he supplied.

“Oh, God.” Lecia burst into laughter.

“That
is
what you were trying to say, isn’t it?”

“I was thinking of a better way to put it.” She covered her face with a hand. “Don’t I feel stupid.”

“But you look cute.” He looped his arms around her waist.

“I do?” she asked, eyeing him skeptically.

“Oh yeah. Especially the way you blush when you’re talking about sex with me. Who would have thought—the sex therapist shy about sex?”

“Do you always talk like this?”

“Usually. Unless I’m doing this.”

His mouth came down hard on hers. This time his hands explored her body with more urgency. He cupped her butt, squeezed it. His broad hands moved upward and to the front, covering her naked breasts, stroking her nipples.

Lecia sighed into his mouth.

“You like that, huh?”

“Mmm…”

“Tell me,” he whispered.

“I like it.”

“Like what?” He dipped his tongue into her ear.

Lecia’s knees buckled, but Anthony held her firmly. “
That
. Your tongue in my ear. God, do I ever. Oooh, and that, too. The way you touch my nipples.”

He moved his mouth to her neck and brushed his lips across her skin. “Is that all you want?”

“N-No…”

“Tell me what you want.”

Lecia was used to telling her patients to go for what they wanted, yet when it came to herself, she had trouble following her own advice. She wanted to tell Anthony exactly how to please her, how to end her celibacy in grand style. But she was pathetically shy.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he urged.

“I want you to…” She looked up at him, running her tongue along her bottom lip as she met his eyes. “I want you to nibble on one. Put my nipple in your mouth and make me crazy.”

Anthony skimmed the mound of her breast. Closing her eyes, Lecia arched her head backward. The anticipation of his mouth closing over her nipple had her body thrumming.

Slowly, he touched every part of her breast—every part except the nipple. It was exquisite torture. “Tony…Tony, please…”

“I know what you want.” He flicked his tongue over her nipple but didn’t take it into his mouth.

“Oh, God. Tony, please tell me you’re not going to tease me all night.”

Anthony looked up at her. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. Squeezing the soft mound of her breast, he opened his mouth wide. Lecia sucked in a sharp breath as she watched and felt his hot tongue cover her nipple.

She expected him to be wild and frenzied, but again he was surprisingly gentle. Intense in a quiet way that thrilled her like nothing else ever had.

“Tony?” she managed on a ragged breath.

“I know, babe.”

“No, you don’t know. I need to…I have to say something.”

Anthony paused. “Uh-oh.”

“No, it’s not bad.” She blew out a shaky breath. “I just want to say…I think I’ve got my mojo back.”

Anthony’s sexy lips curled in a smile. He slipped a hand between her legs. “Just in time, baby.”

Lecia heard a soft thud as Anthony’s towel hit the floor, and seconds later he was pulling that wisp of material people called underwear down her legs. He planted a gentle kiss at the apex of her thighs, sending shivers of delight along all the nerve endings in her body.

“I’d better get a condom,” he said after a moment.

Lecia watched Anthony’s beautiful form as he tore open a box of ribbed condoms. And knew she wouldn’t turn back from what she was about to do, not for a million bucks.

If this was foolish, then so be it. She preached sex for a living. It was high time she got some.

Oh, yeah. She was going to enjoy this ride.

Breathing like he’d run a marathon, Anthony slipped his slick body off of Lecia’s and rolled onto his back. A long gush of air whooshed out of her lungs. She felt she could stay like
this forever, a smile plastered on her face, her body thrumming from the sweet aftermath of yet another orgasm.

Wow oh wow, had she ever gotten laid.

It couldn’t be any better than this. Anthony was…simply amazing. Were all athletes like him, with never-ending stamina? For over an hour they’d made love without a break. Every time she thought he would climax, he merely slowed, only to pick up speed and bring her back to the brink of another wickedly delicious orgasm.

She was no longer sure how many she’d had. Somewhere in the vicinity of ten or fifteen. A whopping number that was a record for her.

Anthony draped an arm across her waist, and she snuggled her back against him. Her body was a perfect fit.

“I’ve got to ask,” she said, her breathing still irregular. “Are you on Viagra?”

Anthony roared with laughter. “I lived up to
The Big O
, did I?”

“That was ‘the Big Multiple O.’”

Anthony turned away from her. Lecia heard the snap of latex and knew he was taking off the condom. He got off the bed, and she watched the way his firm ass moved as he walked to the bathroom. Moments later she heard the toilet flush.

“Did it break?” she asked when he was returning. If it hadn’t, it was the best damn rubber ever made, to endure the marathon session they’d had.

“I don’t think so,” he replied. He ran a finger along her shoulder as he got back into bed with her. “Would it bother you if it did?”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning do you want to have kids?”

Exactly what was he asking her? Surely Anthony didn’t want to go from A to Z in the span of one night.

“I’d love to,” she told him. “I have one niece, and she’s a total gem. But…I’m not sure why you’re asking.”

“I don’t know. Ginger didn’t want children.”

A lump lurched into Lecia’s throat. She couldn’t swallow it, but managed to speak around it. “You’re thinking of Ginger?” She eased up onto her elbows. “You just made love to me and you’re thinking of Ginger?”

Anthony groaned. “I didn’t mean it like—”

“I know. You were just thinking out loud.” Lecia threw the covers off and leapt out of bed. She searched the ground for her shirt and skirt, then slipped both on.

“What are you doing?” Anthony asked, sitting up.

“What does it look like?”

“Don’t do this, Lecia. Don’t leave.”

Anthony got out of bed, and Lecia quickly grabbed her purse. She wasn’t wearing any underwear, but if she stopped to put it on, she wouldn’t escape the room in time.

She charged for the door.

“Lecia, will you wait a second?”

“Why? You got what you wanted. There’s no need to further humiliate me.”

Then she swung the door open and ran down the hall.

Lecia had to give Anthony credit. He was right about the Hurricanes at Pat O’Brien’s. They were pretty damn delicious.

And pretty damn potent.

She’d chugged back the first one as if it were Kool-Aid, and halfway through the second one, the room started to spin. Not so much that she couldn’t hold her head up, but enough that she was seeing two of the sandy-haired man seated on the bar stool next to her.

“John,” she said to him.

“Joe,” he told her.

“Joe, sorry.” She took another swig of her drink, wincing as she did. “The reality is, you’ve got to read between the lines if you want to hear what your girlfriend is saying. You not taking the garbage out is not the reason she won’t have sex with you. It’s an excuse.”

“That’s why I figured I’d ask you about this, Dr. Love.”

“What your girlfriend is trying to tell you is that when you don’t take out the garbage, when you don’t do any of the housework, your actions say you aren’t concerned about her. If you loved her, you would do those things to make her life a
little easier. Why make love to you if you aren’t concerned about her happiness? At least, that’s the way she sees it.”

“I do care. Guess I’m just lazy.”

“You have to decide what’s important to you.”

“You’re right, Dr. Love. I’ll try to be better.”

Lecia took another sip of her drink. “And one last piece of advice,” she said, on a roll now. “It should be pretty obvious, but I don’t think most guys get it. Whatever you do,
don’t
bring up your ex the moment you’ve rolled off your girlfriend when you finish making love. She’ll never want to have sex with you again.”

“Huh?” Joe’s expression registered confusion. “I didn’t say I did that.”

“No, um, you didn’t. It’s just…a lot of women complain about that, so I thought I’d bring it up. Just a helpful bit of advice.”

Lecia faced forward again, rubbing her temples as she did. She was surrounded by men, most of them cordial, a lot of them good-looking, but this wasn’t where she wanted to be. She wanted to be back in the hotel room with Anthony, but that wasn’t an option.

The man was stuck on Ginger like gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe. What hurt most now was the deep connection she had felt while making love to him. It had seemed so real, how could it have been one-sided? Maybe because Anthony had closed his eyes and pictured her as his estranged wife.

“Dr. Love? If you have a moment, could I ask you a question?”

Turning to her left, Lecia saw a very attractive, dark-skinned brother. He was definitely hot. The kind of man women lost their heads over. So why wasn’t she the least bit intrigued?

Because he wasn’t Anthony.

Forget Anthony.

Lecia opened her mouth to speak to the man, but before she could say a word, she heard, “What are you doing?”

Damn if her heart didn’t flutter.
Anthony.
He’d come for her.

Tamping down on her excitement, she faced her lover coolly. “Oh, so now you’re blind?”

Anthony smiled without humor. “I can see that you’re sitting here having a drink. What I want to know is why.”

“I didn’t realize it was a crime.”

“Why don’t we step outside so we can talk?”

“No.” Lecia squeezed her eyes shut as her head swam.

“How many of these have you had to drink?”

When Lecia opened her eyes, she saw two of Anthony’s head. “Only two. I think.”

“Two? Holy shit. That’s way too much.” He slid the mammoth-sized drink glass down the bar, out of her reach.

“Hey!”

“Don’t do this, Doc. Don’t sit here drowning your sorrows in booze. Hear me out. All I said was—”

Lecia threw up a hand, silencing him. “I know what you said. And worse, I know why you said it, even if you don’t. I was just a temporary diversion for you. A warm body to substitute the place of your precious Ginger. Because she’s the one you really want. It’s always been about her.”

Anthony glanced around the bar. One guy looked at him and smiled, and Anthony figured him for a fan. But the others…eyebrows were raised superciliously, and he sensed some of the onlookers were itching for a fight. Lecia was airing their private business, and making him look like an ass in the process.

“Let’s just go,” he told her.

“No,” she said, poking a finger against his chest. “You go.”

She turned her back on him and Anthony gritted his teeth. Damn the woman. Weren’t shrinks supposed to be good at listening?

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“You heard the lady,” the guy next to Lecia said.

“Listen, buddy. This is between me and her. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, Dr. Love here’s a friend, and if she doesn’t want you around, then you best be heading off.”

Lecia turned to the man. “John, it’s okay. I can handle this.”

“Joe,” the man said.

“You’re on a first name basis with this guy?” Anthony asked, wondering just how cozy she’d gotten with the men at this bar.

“John’s been a helluva lot nicer to me than you’ve been. And he would
never
bring up his ex—”

“Okay, that’s enough.”

“Yes, it is.” Lecia swayed ever so slightly as she wagged a finger at him. “Go away.”

Anthony stared at her in disbelief, but she met his gaze dead-on. Surely she couldn’t be serious. It had to be the alcohol. “We’re in this together, remember?”

“Not anymore we’re not. You’ve taken advantage of me for the last time.”

It’s the alcohol talking
, Anthony told himself, surprised at how her words hurt. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m not gonna leave you here.”

“Don’t touch me.”

Both the bartender and Joe glowered at Anthony.

“All right,” Anthony said, pulling his hand back. “I’m not touching you. But at least—”

“You know,” she began, “I’d wondered why anyone in their right mind would leave a guy like you. But now I know. Just because you’re Mr. NFL MVP, you think everyone around you is supposed to do what you want. Well guess what—even the most patient of women get tired of that kind of ego. You need to get over yourself.”

“Ouch,” the bartender said.

Defiance shone in Lecia’s eyes, mixed with victory. Anthony shook his head. Clearly, he couldn’t talk to her. Not like this. They’d only end up in a huge blowout, the last thing he wanted.

“You’re a big girl,” he finally told her. “Do what you want.”

Then he turned and walked out of the bar.

The look of pain that passed over Anthony’s face was like a dose of cold water. It sobered Lecia considerably.

She watched Anthony retreat from the bar, thinking she’d be happy to see him go. Instead she felt horrible.

She had been such a bitch. Her words had been harsh, aided by these damn Hurricanes. And they had been uncalled for.

What she really wanted to tell him was that she’d been hurt by his comparing her to Ginger, that she had wanted to savor their intimacy after making love for the first time.

“Oh, shit,” she muttered. Securing her purse strap over her shoulder, she hopped off the bar stool. The draft of air under her skirt reminded her that she wasn’t wearing any panties.

“Tony!” she called, although the buzz of chatter in the bar was so loud, she didn’t think he would hear her. “Tony, wait.”

Anthony heard Lecia calling him, but he’d be damned if he was going to stop. Her words had stung, but they’d also brought him back down to earth. He had been fooling around,
having a good time, when his wife was missing. How had he lost sight of that?

He maneuvered through the crowd of drunken partygoers and out the bar’s door. The air was warm and muggy, sticking to him immediately. He would march right back to the hotel and figure out a new plan of action. He would—

“Tony!”

There was a desperate note to Lecia’s voice, and this time Anthony stopped. Turning, he saw her trying to pull her arm free from some guy who looked like a linebacker.

Anthony didn’t hesitate. He stormed toward them while Lecia struggled to get free. “Get your hands off of me, you pig.”

“C’mon, baby,” the guy said, still gripping her.

“Yo, buddy.” Anthony put a hand on the big guy’s shoulder and pushed him backward. The force of it made him loosen his grip on Lecia. “What’s your problem, man?”

Muttering under his breath, the guy turned and walked away. He was probably harmless, just drunk. But drunks could quickly turn nasty.

It was exactly the reason he hadn’t wanted to leave Lecia here on her own.

Forgetting his bruised ego, he wrapped an arm around her. She cradled against his side. She probably did so as much because of a throbbing head as for any other reason, but still it felt good to know that he could offer her comfort and she could accept it.

They walked in silence through the crowded streets of the French Quarter until a flash nearly blinded them. Lecia gasped. Anthony drew up short.

The guy who took their picture sprinted off, weaving through the throng of people.

“Hey!” Anthony called. “Hey, buddy!”

Releasing Lecia, he started after the guy, but stopped when he heard her say, “Anthony, no. Please, let’s just leave. It was probably just a fan.”

Was it? “I sure as hell hope so.”

He made his way back to Lecia. Before he could reach for her, she leaned in to him, wrapping both arms around his waist.

Anthony had gone in search of her so they could talk. He wanted to tell her that maybe they’d been hasty in falling into bed. But feeling her warmth now, he couldn’t quite believe that what had happened between them had been a mistake. Rather, it had felt right. And something about the good doctor had him wishing this road trip would never end.

At least she seemed to have sobered, although tomorrow she might have a killer headache. He’d have to make sure and order room service once they got back to the hotel.

They didn’t say anything else as they walked back to the Sheraton. Once in the hotel lobby, Lecia let him go and walked beside him.

“Tony, I’m sorry,” she said after a moment. “I shouldn’t have said the things I did at the bar. The truth is, I wanted to lash out at you because I was feeling hurt.”

Anthony nodded. “I understand. But maybe you’re right. Maybe I do expect everything to go the way I want when I want it. I don’t know. Maybe that
is
why Ginger didn’t want to work things out.”

“No,” Lecia said softly as they stood outside the elevator. “Your wife has other issues. She had her own reasons for telling you a web of lies. Just as she had her own reasons for not wanting to save the marriage. Everything she’s done seems like some part of a calculated plan.”

The elevator opened, and two young couples whizzed past
them, giggling. Anthony’s stomach tightened as he watched them disappear around the corner. Never once had Ginger clung to him that way. Never once had he missed that kind of intimacy—until now.

His arms yearned to reach for Lecia, to cradle her against his chest not for comfort, but because she belonged there.

She walked onto the elevator, going straight for the corner. He followed her, only he went to the other corner. Only a few feet separated them, but it might as well have been miles.

“I want to make something perfectly clear,” he said as the elevator whizzed up. “What happened between us…it had nothing to do with Ginger.” Lecia didn’t speak, so Anthony continued. “In the beginning, yeah, I wanted to reconcile with her. Even though she said she wanted a divorce, I stubbornly pressured her for another chance. But not for the right reasons. The only reason, really. It should have been about love, but it was about money.”

The elevator door opened, but Lecia didn’t move. She stared at Anthony, her eyes searching his face, but she didn’t say a word.

Anthony was tempted to press the stop button. Something about the way she was looking at him made him want to take her right here, on the elevator floor. But instead he stepped forward and caught the door before it closed. They had a room down the hall that offered plenty of privacy.

“You coming?” he asked her.

Silently, she stepped out of the elevator.

“You know, Doc, you’re starting to give me a complex. You say you want me to talk, then when I do, you shut down.”

“I’m listening.”

Moments later Anthony slipped his key in the door and opened it. He let Lecia step inside first. He lingered a moment
at the door, taking his time double-locking and bolting it. But he was really buying time, wondering if he should continue to share his feelings or just shut up.

Inside, sitting on the farthest bed, Lecia stared up at him. And Anthony knew right then that he had to make her understand.

“Tonight, when I went to look for you, it was because I cared. Not because I wanted you back to help me search for Ginger. Yes, that’s why we’re on this trip, but finding Ginger…it’s not about what you think it is. I realize that now. Days ago, I thought I wanted to save my marriage for the marriage’s sake. Now I know that my only motivation was saving it so she won’t get the five million she wants. I need that money. Kahari and I are opening a youth center for troubled teens. That’s why it matters.” Anthony blew out an exasperated breath. “You’re not gonna say anything?”

Lecia wasn’t sure what to say. She had told herself that she would snap her fingers and turn off her feelings for him, but now, as he spoke so honestly, she felt her heart melting. She
did
care for him, and she wasn’t sure there was a damn thing she could do about it.

“Are you hungry?” she finally asked.

Anthony’s eyes narrowed. “Hungry? That’s all you’re gonna say?”

“I’m afraid to say anything else.”

He walked across the room and sat down beside her on the bed. “I’m hard,” he said softly. “I have no clue why, but I want to make love to you again.”

“I’m not wearing any underwear.”

His eyebrows shot up. “What?”

She smiled. “In my haste to get away from you, I didn’t have time to put any on.”

“You went out to the French Quarter without any underwear?”

“Uh-huh. Are you gonna spank me?”

“I should.”