Illusion (6 page)

“I’m sorry you’ve been worried.  I’m fine.  We’re in New York City right now.  Lukas is here too.”  I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand.  “We’ll be heading back to Indonesia in a few days.  Stefan just has to wrap up some business first.”

Another pause on the line and I could hear her inhale loudly.  “You’re gonna leave us, aren’t you?”

“What?  Georgia?“

“You’re gonna follow him wherever he goes.  He has you dickmatized.”

“Dickmatized?  Are you sure you and Lukas aren’t related? He told me Stefan was pussy whipped earlier.”

Georgia barked out a laugh and then the line went silent again.  “Good try at attempting to change the subject on me, chick.  I don’t think so.  You can avoid answering me, but I know you’re leavin’.”

“We’ll be back in a few days.  Tell Anna I said hi.”

“Tell her yourself.  She’s your friend too,”  Georgia retorted sharply, then sighed heavily.  “Shit, Josie.  I’ve gotta go.  See ya.”

“Bye, Georgia.”

Staring at the phone, I wondered if she was right.  Was I already subconsciously preparing myself to leave Bali and live a life of anonymity with Stefan? I’d only escaped to Indonesia to seclude myself away from visions and if I was completely honest, feeling anything.  Stefan had swaggered into my life and heart and now I didn’t feel the same need to hide anymore.

Sinking down on the couch, I placed my phone down on the ottoman and stared out the windows.  Georgia was way too perceptive for her own good.

The phone rang again and I glanced at the phone, beaming as I saw Stefan’s name show up on the caller id display.

“Hey,” I murmured into the phone.  Just hearing his voice made me feel better.

“Ah, vackra.  Hearing your voice is a welcome relief.  I was calling to tell you that I should be home in the next hour or so.  If you are not too angry with me for leaving you with Lukas, do you feel like going out for dinner?”

I could almost hear his smile through the phone.  Lowering my voice seductively, I murmured softly to him.  “Are you asking me on a date?”

He laughed loudly, the sound deep and rich.  “Even though I think we are past the dating phase, yes.  Consider this my attempt at wooing you.  Dress to impress, Josephine.  I will see you soon.  Jag älskar dig.”

I’d been around Stefan long enough to begin to start picking up on his Swedish.  “Love you too.”

He hung up and I held the phone against my chest for a moment.  Shaking my head at my own sappiness, I dropped the phone on the couch, hurrying down the hallway to get ready.  Sorting through the garment bags on the bed, I smiled when I picked out the dress I’d wear for Stefan tonight.

Dress to impress indeed.

* * *

I was putting on my earrings in the mirror when I heard him clear his throat.  Turning to face him, my breath caught in my throat.  He was standing the doorway to the bedroom, still dressed in his expensive black Armani suit.  It exaggerated the impressive width of his shoulders, tailored to fit him like a second skin.  His white dress shirt did little to conceal the muscles in his broad chest and when he slipped his hands into his pants pockets, his gold cufflinks twinkled in the bright lights in the bedroom.  He looked like sex incarnate, and he was all mine.

“As usual, you look exquisite.”  His blue eyes swept over me, lingering on my breasts and hips to finally caress over my legs in my high heels.  The chocolate brown knit dress I had chosen to wear had three-quarter length sleeves and ruched details on the side, giving the hemline an asymmetrical hemline.  It clung to every curve I had and the matching shoes added almost five inches to my height.

“I could say the same for you.  You look too handsome for your own good.”  I almost sprinted across the room to him, reaching up to adjust his red silk tie.  His blond hair gleamed against the blackness of his suit and as my hands slipped under his jacket to run over his chest, his blue eyes were glowing with undisguised want.

“Shall we go? It is time for me to suitably woo you.  I do have an ulterior motive,” he confessed.  He ran his fingertips over the swell of my breast and down the curve of my side sensuously, his eyes never leaving mine.

“An ulterior motive?” I eagerly licked my lips at the thought of those very fingers running over my naked body.  Frissons of fire and ice ran up my spine and my pulse flickered and leaped from his touch and my vivid imagination.

One side of his mouth raised in a sexy grin as he dragged me roughly against him, his large hands gripping my ass possessively.  “I always have an agenda.  You are so sexy, Josephine.  You do not even realize the power you have over me.”

Looking at him with wide eyes, I let out a shaky breath as he placed his forehead to mine.  His soft lips brushed over my cheeks and a low growl rumbled in his chest.  He reluctantly pulled away from me and he tucked my hand in the crook of his arm, guiding me down the hallway to the living room, my heels clicking over the wooden floors.  He chivalrously opened the door for me and we headed towards the elevator.  He pushed the down button and we stood in silence, waiting for the car to arrive.

The elevator opened and we hurried inside.  As the doors closed and we began our descent, Stefan turned towards me and captured my lips in a feather-light kiss, then lowered his mouth to my neck, his cool breath whispering over my skin.  I was lost in him, surprised when his voice floated into my mind.

“Come.  We need to hurry.  We have reservations to keep.”

He directed us through the lobby and the doorman opened the door for us, slightly bowing as we exited the building.  Stefan steered us towards a black sedan at the curb, the doorman following behind us to open the rear door for me.  I slid into the back seat of the car, gliding across the soft, buttery leather.  I watched as Stefan folded his large frame into the seat beside me and the door closed behind him.

“349 W. 46th Street,” Stefan said to the driver.  The car smoothly pulled away from the curb and I was left looking at Stefan with a mixture of wonder and admiration.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we drove along, the lights from the traffic and street lights flickering over the planes of his chiseled face.

“Swing 46.  Dinner and dancing counts as a suitable date, yes?”  Stefan questioned as he tapped his fingers on his thighs.  He seemed nervous and unsure of himself for the first time this evening.

Amused at his obvious discomfort, I nestled against his side.  “You did fine.  And yes, it counts.”

Chapter 3 - Suitably Wooed

Tucked away in the corner at Swing 46, we were hidden from the prying eyes of other patrons, making it easier for Stefan to maintain his façade of acting human.  I’d finished dinner and was sipping a glass of white wine, enjoying the soulful sounds of the singer performing.  She was singing renditions of Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, and Billie Holiday.  Stefan was holding my hand across the table, his thumb tracing patterns on the top of my hand.  The dim lighting and candlelight made him appear more mysterious and preternaturally beautiful than usual.

Strains of
The Very Thought of You
had just begun to play.  I was startled when he suddenly stood, smoothly drawing me to my feet and leading me in the direction of the dance floor.  He wrapped  his right arm around my waist and took my hand in his, tugging me close to him.  My other arm reached up to rest across his wide shoulders as he slowly whirled me around the dance floor, his movements effortless and polished.

His breath tickled my ear as he hummed along with the music.  When he began to sing in my ear as he pulled me closer, the sound of his smooth voice made my stomach clench.  “The mere idea of you… the longing here for you… you’ll never know...how slow the moments go… till I’m near you.”

Drawing in a shaky breath, I turned my head slightly to meet his eyes.  The raw emotion that he revealed to me was so powerful that it shook me to my very core.  If it was possible to fall in love with him even more, I think I did in that moment.  My eyes filled with tears as we effortlessly moved together in time to the music.

“If there was a song that was written that describes how I feel for you, this would be what I would write, Josephine.”

Speechless, I could only nod and swallow back a moan. 
“Stefan…”

The song came to an end but he didn’t let me go.  He held me until the next song started, the seductive sound of
At Last
filled the room.  Stefan quickly flicked his wrist and spun me away from him, only to quickly pull me back to his chest in one fluid motion.  Our bodies were molded together and it still wasn’t close enough to suit me.  His right hand began drifting lower to cup my ass and he brought the hand he held to his lips, his mouth cool against my skin.  I could feel the outline of his fangs against my hand, aware of his presence in every pore of my body, his nearness, the scent of him, the coolness of his skin.  It was almost too much to bear…

The song finished and he brought both of his hands to cradle each side of my face.  His eyes searched mine for a moment before he lowered his lips to mine.  His mouth was firm and strong  as he kissed me deeply.  I savored the taste of him, losing myself in the moment, standing in the middle of a dance floor in New York City.  He smiled against my lips and sighed.

“Are you happy, vackra?”
His voice drifted through the haze of my mind
.  “Have I wooed you?”

“Yes… I think you’ve wooed me, Romeo.  Take me home.”

Stefan glanced at me and nodded, pulling his cell phone from his jacket.  He typed out a text message before dropping in back in his pocket.  We stopped by our table to pick up my clutch and slowly made our way out of the club.  By the time we climbed the steps to the street level, the black sedan was waiting for us at the curb.  He opened the door for me and I got in, glancing over my shoulder to watch as he walked to the other side of the car to slide in beside me.

“261 W. 28th Street,” Stefan said.  He pressed a button that raised the tinted  partition up between the back seat and the front of the car.  When he twisted to face me, his eyes were burning devilishly.  His large hand disappeared under the hem of my dress, creeping up the inside of my thigh.  My legs instinctively parted for him and he turned, placing one knee down on the floor of the car, angling his body closer to me.  Pushing my panties to the side, he slipped two of his long fingers on the outside of my folds, spreading the slickness of my arousal over my clit.  A lustful cry fell from my lips as I watched him pleasure me, growing more excited when he thrust his fingers inside of me, curling them upwards as he slid them in and out.  His eyes flickered up to meet mine and his lips parted, exposing the tips of his fangs as he watched me writhe.  I arched my back, pressing my pussy into the heel of his hand.

He would bring me to the edge of orgasm, only to back off and gently stroke me.  This mind-jumbling torture went on for blocks until we pulled up in front of our building.  His fingers slipped from inside of me and he adjusted my panties as if he’d never touched them.  He placed both of his fingers that were coated with my juices in his mouth, slowly licking them with his tongue.

“We are home, vackra.  Come with me.”  With a wink, he was out of the car.

On fire for him, I rushed out of the car and took his hand, intertwining my fingers with his as we walked into our building and waited for the elevator.

The doors had barely closed when I lunged at him.  Slamming him against the metal wall of the elevator, I showed him that I wanted him with a ferocity that both excited and terrified me.  My hands savagely pulled at his tie and my fingers were frantic as they struggled to unbutton his shirt.  I grabbed the lapels of his jacket, pulling his face down to mine.  My lips collided against his, my tongue forcing its way inside his mouth.  His mouth was equally as hungry, his skilled lips taking control.  A low, rumbling growl shook his chest as we came to a halt on our floor.

Stefan backed us out into the hallway, our passionate kiss never breaking.  He smoothly pushed me against the wall on one side of the hall and I pressed back, knocking him to the other side.  He somehow had the presence of mind to find his keys, swiftly opening the door.  We stumbled inside, our arms and legs tangled together.

We were a blur as we struggled for dominance in our need to make love.  Our hands were in perpetual motion, stripping away the layers of our clothing as we continued our frenzied dance.  His suit jacket fell in the living room, my shoes were haphazardly kicked aside in the kitchen.  His dress shirt and tie landed in the hallway and my dress ended up in the doorway of our bedroom.  Our mouths were relentless as we devoured each other with mindless, drugging kisses that left me shaking, breathless and craving more.

“You told me I suitably wooed you, Josephine.  Now I am going to properly fuck you.”

I broke free from his grasp and backed away until I was on the opposite side of the bed, moving faster than I ever had before.  Cocking my eyebrow in defiance, I crooked a finger at him, motioning for him to come to me.