Indulgence (180 page)

“I’ve imagined this moment for ages, Cassidy. I’ve tried
staying away.” I opened my eyes to see that his eyes were now a vibrant green.
I moaned as he rubbed his arousal against my hip. His cologne was intoxicating
and I felt like I was in a fog. I ran my fingertips over his smooth cheek.

The elevator bounced to a stop and chimed that we had
reached the lobby. He growled, pushing away from me just as the doors opened.

“Cassidy, come on. Cecily is here!” Lena grabbed my hand,
oblivious to what and who had just happened to me and pulled me toward the
ballroom. I gazed back at James, breathless, and the smile was back on his
face.
What the hell just happened?

Masquerade

~ CASSIDY ~

I didn’t have time to contemplate it further. Cecily was
there and she didn’t have much to say. I had worked for her long enough to know
that when she was quiet, she was pleased. Shortly after the doors opened the
guests started piling in. Lena and I were busy welcoming guests when Mrs.
Whitford walked in. I made my way over to her, happy to see a familiar face.
She was beaming!

“Well done, my girl. Everything looks fabulous. And you look
stunning. I almost didn’t recognize you with the mask. Why are you still
single? I have a feeling that you won’t be for long.” I blushed as she kissed
my cheek and I thanked her for the many compliments. “I just love Halloween.
It’s my favorite time of year.” I chuckled at her enthusiasm. “You remember my
daughter Jane.”

“Yes, of course.”

I shook Jane’s hand and we began catching up from the last
time we’d seen one another. She was an attractive brunette with brown eyes and
stood a few inches shorter than me. She was single, recently moved back home
and, I was guessing, around my age. I knew I would love to get to know her
better. Something told me we could be great friends.

Everything ran smoothly through dinner. I was seated with
Mrs. Whitford, at her request, though I didn’t have time to enjoy my meal.
James was seated next to Jane and it was apparent to me that they knew one
another. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were more than friends, or were at
one time.

I was still turned on and humiliated all at once. He made me
lose self-control too easily. I avoided eye contact, but anytime I tried to
sneak a peek at him I would discover him already drilling his eyes into mine.

The wait staff began to remove all evidence of dinner as
couples made their way to the dance floor. The music fell right in with a
masquerade ball theme; dark and haunting classical melodies filled the air with
the occasional gothic rock ballad. Mrs. Whitford was very serious when it came
to her annual masquerade.

I had just returned from the powder room and was admiring my
handiwork from my spot in the corner; everyone seemed to be having a great
time. I was suddenly startled when someone spoke in my ear from behind.

“May I have this dance, Cassidy?”

Startled, I turned to him. His hand was outstretched and he
was holding out a blood red peony for me, which he had clearly pulled from one
of the floral arrangements. I took it cautiously. Knowing I should refuse him,
especially if he was attending with Jane, I carefully placed my hand in his and
allowed him to lead me to the dance floor.

I instantly recognized the song that began to play. Phantom
of the Opera was my favorite musical. It didn’t matter how many times I saw the
musical, I always hoped for a different ending; I’d always felt sorry for the
Phantom. I thought if it were me, I’d pick the Phantom every time.
Music of the
Night
played its dark seductive notes as James pulled me into a
strong embrace and glided us across the dance floor with ease.

The lights were low, his head bent and I could feel his
steamy breath grazing my ear. “You look lovely, Cassidy.”

The flutters rose up again and my senses were in overdrive.
His gravelly voice raked over my being. I could listen to him read the phone book.
I felt like a girl who just had her first kiss with a giddy ball of nerves and
a flock of butterflies flitting about in my stomach. I rested my cheek on his
shoulder and enjoyed the moment; a moment I wanted to last forever, knowing it
couldn’t.

Gazing around the floor, I saw Mrs. Whitford and Jane
looking at us while they exchanged some words. I raised my head and stared into
his eyes. He simply gazed back as I abruptly tried to pull away from him.

“I’m sorry, I’m being terribly rude. You should be dancing
with Jane, your date, Mr. Benedict.”

His hold on me was unbreakable. He would not let go. “Jane
is fine. I assure you, she’s not my date, Cassidy, you are. And I said to call
me James.”

“James, this can’t happen.”

He pulled me tight against him again, whispering into my
ear, “It already has, Cassidy.”

I was lost in the music and in the warmth of his arms. His
cologne had intoxicated me, again. I felt like we were alone in the room, that
night only meant for us. The hand between my shoulder blades slowly traced its
way to my lower back. He was on the verge of being inappropriate, but I didn’t
dare stop him. It was beyond intimate what was going on between us.

I whispered, “James, I apologize for the incident in the
elevator and your office. I’ve given you the wrong impression. It won’t happen
again.”

“Cassidy, what are you worried about? We’re grown adults
indulging in our attraction.” The song began its demise. I searched his eyes as
the song completed its haunting melody. He pulled me outside to the terrace,
dragging me to a corner not yet occupied by other couples. “Cassidy, I know you
feel it, too.” He pulled his mask off.

“Cassidy! Cassidy Charles.”

I turned to see my boss headed my way. There was no avoiding
her. I put on my best game face, flashing her a smile. “Yes, Cecily?”

“I knew you had it in you. You did a marvelous job. I didn’t
realize you were acquainted with James.” She smiled at James and he nodded in
return. “We have a few things to discuss, but they can wait. I expect to see
you first thing Monday.” She turned away before I even had a chance to respond.
I still couldn’t figure that woman out even after working for her for three
years.

I was then bombarded by other guests and staff with
compliments, questions, and other tasks regarding the entire evening. Getting
time alone with James to digest all of what had happened would have to wait.
Reluctantly, he left me to my work.

The evening finally wrapped up and I looked for him in the
diminishing crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen. Jane came over with a glass
of champagne and a huge smile on her face. I happily took the drink and
swallowed its contents whole.

“James isn’t your date is he?”

She smiled and said, “No, Cassidy, he’s yours.”

“What is
wrong
with you people?!” I removed my mask
and placed it in my purse.

“He knows what he wants and that’s you!”

She kissed me on the cheek and congratulated me on a
successful night before leaving. I was speechless and didn’t have a chance to
ask her meaning. I proceeded with some cleanup duties for what felt like hours.

Long after midnight I made my way back to the terrace and
the balcony. The lights of the city sparkled like diamonds on the water and it
made me remember how Holly loved walking by the river at night. The tears snuck
up on me, at the thought of her, and started rolling down my face. I missed her
so much. I began to shake from pure exhaustion, or the cold, I wasn’t sure
which.

My feet were killing me, and before I had a chance to remove
my heels, I felt his presence. I didn’t need to turn to see his face, I knew it
was him. I felt the weight of his jacket fall around my shoulders. The jacket
was warm, like him and my shivering began to subside.

I let him pull me to his side as his arm wrapped around me.
I didn’t have the energy to fight him off and I couldn’t explain the
overwhelming tug at my heart that told me this was where I belonged. I didn’t
know this man and I had never expected to see him again. Call it fate, destiny,
whatever you wanted. At that moment every trivial thing telling me to run from
him seemed to fall away.

I was vaguely aware of the elevator doors opening and
realized he was carrying me.
Did I fall asleep?
I reached up and touched
his face as the elevator doors closed. He looked at me like the promise of a
million stars was in his eyes. “How, what…?”

He gently whispered, “In due time, Cassidy.” His response
was to a question I wasn’t asking. He punched a few buttons on the panel and
the elevator started moving.

He leaned down and placed his forehead on mine. I closed my
eyes and lifted my chin, welcoming his kiss. It was soft and tentative, almost
seeking permission to possess me. I ran my hands over the stubble beginning to
form on his cheeks and pulled him closer. He accepted my invitation and his
tongue assaulted my mouth. A hint of liquor was on his breath and had me
wanting to taste more of him. My entire being was vibrating with need. He
released his hold on my legs and I slid ever so slowly down his body as he held
me up against him, my feet barely touching the floor.

Our tongues continued dueling and exchanging blows. He
traced my upper lip then greedily sucked on my tongue before pulling my lower
lip between his teeth. Aphrodite herself must’ve taught him to kiss. He ruined
me; no other kiss had ever compared and never would. I moaned my appreciation
into his mouth. Before I was aware of it, he had pivoted and I was now up
against the back wall of the elevator. I ran my hands up to the back of his
head and wrapped his hair around and through my fingers. He growled in
appreciation.

The elevator stopped and alerted us that we had reached our
destination. With the speed of a bullet he pulled S
top
on the panel and
we were suspended in air. James pulled me to him and removed his jacket from my
arms, throwing it aside. I noticed that his tie was already undone and hanging
around his neck. The top few buttons of his shirt were open too and my hands
were itching to touch his chest. I could see the muscles in his neck tensing
before he lowered his mouth to my jaw and kissed a path to my ear. His hot
breath on my earlobe had me reeling.

I grabbed his arms, desperate for something to hold onto.
His mouth traveled along my exposed collar bone as my chest began heaving. His
hands then encircled my waist. I wasn’t used to a man making me feel small and
being able to easily overpower me the way he did. I loved it. Even through the
layers of my dress I could feel his arousal against my lower abdomen. I gently
swiveled my hips which immediately caused him to curse.

“Cassidy?” He pulled back and gazed into my eyes, looking
like a starving man in front of a buffet.

It was a question and I answered him. “Don’t stop, please,”
I begged him.

“I don’t want to do anything you’re not prepared for. If you
ask me to stop, I won’t lay a hand on you.”

I was panting but managed to breathe out, “But I want your
hands all over me.”

He smiled that devilish smile and pounced on his meal. We
were nose to nose, winded like a couple of marathon runners.

“Those eyes have haunted me for months.”

His hands cradled my face while his thumbs traced my
cheekbones. I was shaking as he wrapped his hands around my neck and feathered
them down my shoulders and to my arms. He intertwined his fingers with mine and
slowly raised our joined arms above my head. “Don’t move.” He pulled away and
stood to his full height. “That dress is exquisite, like it was made for you.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle and his eyes immediately
questioned me. “It’s a rental.” He was amused and tilted his head at me. I
really needed to learn how to keep my mouth shut.

Finally, he spoke, “We can fix that.”

Before I had a second to question him he attacked my mouth
once more. He then lowered himself so that he was kissing the top of my chest.
He wedged his leg between mine and I shifted slightly, eager for the pressure
of his thigh against my pussy.
Damn dress and all its layers
. He knew
just what I needed. His hands pulled down on my shoulders so that I was rocking
back and forth on his thigh as his groin pressed into my hip. I was humping his
thigh like a horny teenager and it was miraculous.

Before I could object, he spun me around to face the
elevator wall. The cool steel against my cheek was a sharp contrast to how hot
I was feeling. My hands lowered to my sides.

His hands were on mine again and he guided them up once
more, “You make me want to lose control. I told you not to move.” I had never
been so turned on in my life. One more touch from him and I was likely to
explode.

He buried his head in the back of my neck. I let my head
fall back to him and his mouth was there, waiting for me. I felt his hand in my
hair while the other traveled down my side. His hands were like liquid fire on
ice and soon all that would be left of me was a puddle on the floor. He started
pulling pins out of my hair while running the other hand along my side and
under my breasts. I was trembling with a need I didn’t know existed until then.
Once he had all the pins out of my hair he circled my hair around his wrist and
pulled back before massaging my scalp.

“Oh, God.”

“You can call me James, though God is nice, too,” he panted
in my ear.

I let out a chuckle that was immediately silenced when he
bit the curve of my neck. He was still massaging my scalp while his other hand
moved down my stomach to my hips. He hit along the inner curve of my hip and I
bucked against his arousal. His hand abandoned my scalp and joined the other on
my hips as they started trailing down to my thighs. I pressed my thighs tightly
together seeking some form of relief as he pressed harder against me. There was
nowhere for me to go—pinned between him and the elevator wall—and I was
grateful.