Look At Your Future (5 page)

“Thanks dad,” Max said as he hugged his father and then he
left to go to Lily.

It was a little after three when he arrived at her
apartment.  He stopped to get her some fresh flowers on the way.  He picked up
some calla lilies, he always liked the way they smelled.

Lily opened her door with a smile.  He kissed her cheek as
he handed her the flowers.  He pulled back and saw the soft smile she wore as
she looked at the fresh blooms and then back at him.  Ah, man, that was so worth
it, just to put that look on her face.

“Oh Max, they are beautiful.  Thank you.”  She stood back to
let him inside, and then she closed the door and went into the kitchen to find
a vase.

Max tipped his nose into the air as he followed her,
whatever she was cooking smelled great.  He couldn’t help but watch her walk in
front of him.  She moved so gracefully, but at the same time, so very sexy. 
She was wearing a pair of thin cotton pants that hugged her curves and the blue
oversized shirt she wore looked soft and comfortable.  She glanced at him over
her shoulder and he saw her blush when she realized he was checking out her
ass.

“What are you cooking Lily?  It smells great.”

“Just a beef roast, it sounded good.”

“Mm, I can’t wait.  Did you get all your work done yet?”

“Almost, I have a few more chapters to read, I’m sorry, I
would blow it off, but Mondays are always so hectic for me.  I’m not usually
done before eight.”

“That’s late; does your building have security?”

“Some, why?”

“I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

Lily looked at him for a second; he seemed so protective of
her.  It was nice to have someone care about her other than her family.  It had
been a long time since she’d had that. 

“Do you have family nearby Lily?”

She had just started to arrange her flowers in a crystal
vase and she glanced at him as she answered.  “My Mom lives about a half hour
away, both my sisters live on the other side of the state.  My brother lives
close to my Mom so I don’t have to worry about her. I try to see them as often
as I can, but I’ve been so busy lately.  One of my coworkers quit and I have
been assigned her clients till they find a replacement for her.  I would have
volunteered if they hadn’t offered it to me though.  I love my work, and I am
the only one who isn’t married with children.  It only seemed right to take the
extra work, everyone helps me out, but I still have to work part of my days
off.”

“Why did she leave?”

“I’m not sure, she never said, but I think it was bad, she
left in quite a hurry.  She almost seemed…scared.”

“No one ever found out why?”

She shrugged her shoulders as she looked at him.  “I know
she had been seeing someone, but I don’t know for sure who it was.  She kept it
pretty quiet.”  She let out a breath and she brushed her bangs out of her eyes,
she needed to make an appointment with Jess.  She was going to have a cow when
she found out she’d been trimming her own bangs for the last month.  “Max, do
you have any work you need to do? I don’t want to be rude, but I really need to
finish what I brought home.”

“Lily you don’t need to entertain me.  I have my laptop in
my car.  I’ll go get it and we can just sit together.  How does that sound?”

“It sounds really nice, I like spending time with you.”

Max gave her a smile and touched her cheek with the backs of
his fingers.  He enjoyed the shiver she couldn’t control; he liked how he
affected her.  When he came back inside he found her sitting in an overstuffed
leather chair by the window.  She had her feet tucked up under her and an afghan
around her shoulders.

“I like that chair, but how can we sit in it together?” Max
asked.

She smiled up at him, “something tells me that we wouldn’t
get any work done if we were actually touching.  Sorry, I need an hour tops.”

He gave her a quick grin as he sat in an arm chair and
opened his lap top. “I see your point.  We’ll have plenty of time for that
after dinner.”

Max surprisingly was able to get a lot of work done.  He had
a few mergers and acquisitions to go over for Monday.  He felt her presence; it
was nice, just being around her made him happy.  He knew if he sent some sexual
vibes her way that she wouldn’t be able to resist him.  Maybe he’d do that
later.  He was aware of her moving around her apartment a little later, he
could hear her washer and dryer running, and then she would sit back down in
her chair.  She stopped by him once and set an ice water beside him as she
leaned down to kiss his forehead.  Then she sighed happily as she once again
sat down in her overstuffed chair.  It really was a nice chair, not conducive
for work, but for play, it had a lot of possibilities.  Oh yeah, it had a lot
of potential.  He felt her beside him again a while later.

“Max I hate to bother you while you are working, but dinner
is ready.”

He looked up at her, he had heard her moving around again,
but he had been in the middle of something.  He quickly closed his computer and
stood, he stretched a little as he followed her into the kitchen.  She had a
nice place, the kitchen was good sized, and they had been sitting in her
office, which was cozy.  He had yet to see her living room or bedroom.  The
outside of the building was deceiving, the apartments inside were more like
condos.

“Everything smells really good.”

Lily flashed him a smile and then handed him a bottle of
wine and an opener.  She found herself watching his hands as he expertly opened
it.  She flushed thinking about what those hands could do to her.  She looked
up and found him watching her.  His eyes were glittering, and her body started
to quiver, recognizing the look in his eyes.

“Did you finish your work beautiful?” He asked her softly.

“Yes…I did, did you finish yours?” She answered huskily.

“I’m all caught up now, I have some notes to finish, but I
don’t need them till later in the week.  I’m all yours Lily.”

Ooh, she liked the sound of that.  She gave him a smile as
she made them each a plate and set them down on the table.  She heard Max’s
chair protest a little as he sat down.  They were well built chairs, she wasn’t
worried about that. It was just that they were hardly ever used.  It seemed
like she was always alone.  She watched him as he poured her a glass of wine
and then he started to cut his meat.  She couldn’t wait to have his hands on
her later.  She clenched her thighs together under the table as she looked up
at him.  He gave her a knowing smile and she felt heat pool inside her.  She
blushed and then looked down at her plate to concentrate on her meal.

Max didn’t need to listen to her thoughts to know that she
wanted him.  Her chest was flushed and she took deep breaths trying to control
her breathing.  He was amused by her reaction to him.  He hadn’t sent any vibes
her way at all, just being around her did it. He could tell she wanted him bad,
he was curious to find out how much. He could smell her scent, there was no way
she could hide it from him.  She gave him a cool look, but there was no way she
could fool him.  Just knowing she was ready for him made him rock hard.

“So, what do you want to do after dinner?” He asked her
innocently.

“Uh…I don’t know,” she answered huskily.  Lily tried to
clear her throat a little, but it still sounded husky when she spoke again. 
“We could watch a movie if you’d like.”

“What kind of movies do you have Lily?”

“All kinds, but I don’t have any westerns.”

“Good to know,” he smiled. He looked at her lips when her
tongue suddenly darted out to wet them.  “I’ll look at your collection after
dinner and pick something out.  I like action movies myself.”

Lily looked at him for a second, it seemed so unfair.  She
was totally turned on by him, but he seemed so cool and in control.  She
wondered what he’d be like if he lost it completely.

Max listened to her for a minute.  That was his biggest fear
for her.  If she saw him lose control over what he really was.  It would kill
him if he hurt her, or if she became afraid of him.  That was something he
couldn’t allow.  If she knew what he really was that would be different.  He
never wanted her to be afraid of him. 

They finished eating and Lily shoed him from the kitchen while
she cleaned up.  She sent him into the living room to pick out a movie for them
to watch.

She filled their wine glasses and then went to find him. He
stood in the middle of the room; he stood so still, like he was waiting for
something.  He hadn’t even picked out a movie yet, what was up with him?

“Max are you okay?” she asked as she approached him, she
lightly touched his arm as she stopped beside him.

“I was admiring your painting.”

“It’s wonderful isn’t it,” Lily stepped past him
irresistibly drawn closer to it.  “My friend Kristi bought it for me.  I’ve
always loved wolves, even when I was a kid.  The weird thing is that I notice
something different in it every time I look at it.”  She rubbed her arms as she
stood in front of the painting.

“Like what?” He asked her curiously, he came up behind her
and put his arms around her and then slowly rubbed her arms for her, as if to
warm her from a chill he knew she didn’t have. He looked back up at the
painting, trying to see what she saw.

“Well I only saw the white wolf at first. It’s like the
painting is so dark and your eyes have to adjust to see it.  Then I saw the
smaller wolf later.  Now I see pairs scattered through the painting.  I tried
to do some research on it, but there isn’t any information available on it.  I
can’t find out who painted it either, there is no signature on the painting
anywhere.  I called the gallery that she bought it from, but they don’t
remember having it there, they said they have no record of her even buying it
from them.  Isn’t that weird?”

“Yep, I like it though.” he said as he moved her hair from
her neck and rubbed his nose along the smooth skin he had uncovered.  He felt
her shiver and he smiled, “are you cold?”

“Uh…no,” she turned in his arms and looked up at him.  “Did
you decide what movie you want to watch?”

“Not yet, I’m a little busy right now,” he said into her
neck, softly blowing his hot breath into the sensitive swirls of her ear.

“Would you like to stay with me tonight Max?” She asked
hesitantly as she blushed.

He looked down into her beautiful blue eyes, like he would
ever be able to be away from her for very long now.  This was the painting his
father had talked about. Lily was ‘
the
gift’
, just wait till his
mom and dad found out.  All this time they had been looking for the wrong
woman, he would bet her friend Kristi was a tall, willowy brunette.  “I’d love
to stay Lily,” he gave her a sheepish smile. “I have a bag in my car; I was
hoping you would ask me.”

She gave him a big smile, “why don’t you go out and get your
bag and I’ll pick out a movie for us while you are gone?” She shivered again as
he slowly trailed one fingertip along her jaw and down her throat, ending just
shy of her cleavage.  She slowly closed her eyes as he leaned down to kiss her
softly, not even realizing that she let out a soft sigh before his lips touched
hers.

He went to the door with a quick smile and she moved toward
the shelves that held her movies.  She was a big movie buff, she loved to read
and immerse herself in a story, but she enjoyed the visual part of a movie and
how close they could get to her imagination. Kristi had encouraged her to write
while they were in school, but she had a hard time with it.  She knew writing
wasn’t for her, but editing, she loved it.

As soon as Max left her apartment he called his father and
left a message. ‘Dad, hey I can’t talk long, I’ll see you in the morning, but
it’s her, Lily has the painting. I’m staying at her place tonight. I’ll come
see you after she leaves for work.’ He quickly closed his phone and got his bag
out of the trunk, he didn’t want to miss a single minute of being with her.

Lily rolled over to shut off the alarm.  She glanced over at
Max; he had turned over onto his back, effectively releasing her.  He was still
asleep, snoring softly.  She smiled as she watched him, even in his sleep he
growled every once in a while.  She rubbed her neck where he had bitten her
last night, it was bruised and sore.  She would have to find something that
would cover her neck today for work.

They had never watched the movie she had chosen, the opening
credits hadn’t even finished rolling and he had her pants and shirt off.  Then
she was naked and trembling in his arms as he licked every inch of her body. 
He had spent quite a bit of time running the tip of his tongue around the base
of her spine, just above her buttocks.  She had no idea what had intrigued him
so much there, she would have to look in the mirror to see.  He hadn’t let her
touch him at all.  He had finally flipped her over, she had been so ready for
him; she had begged him to take her.  Only he had pushed her thighs apart with
her legs over his shoulders and he had devoured her.  There was no other word
for it, she had felt truly ravished.  She had been laid out for him like a
sexual buffet.  After two earth shattering orgasms he had carried her boneless
body to her bedroom.  He had laid her on her belly and pulled her hips up, and
then he had entered her in one deep thrust.  She had cried out when he almost
bottomed out inside her. 

She had been just on the edge of pleasure and pain, after
she had tilted her ass towards him he was able to pump into her without pain. 
He had wrapped her hair around one hand and held her in place while he pounded
into her.  It was unexpected to say the least, but she had enjoyed every minute
of it.  Urging him on with whimpers and moans, and begging him for release. 
She could feel her body flush and her belly clenched at how wild they had been
last night.  He had covered her back with his chest and whispered hot words in
her ear; she couldn’t honestly remember what he’d said; only that he had turned
her on even more.  Then she had felt him thrust deep once more, just as he bit
her neck.  She had clamped her mouth shut to keep the scream that rose in her
throat from coming out.  Her orgasm hit her and she had passed out, her last
thought before blacking out had been thinking that if she would have let that
scream out her neighbors would have called the police.

She quickly got out of bed and went into the kitchen to
start some coffee.  Then she padded quietly back through the bedroom to take a
shower.  She looked in the mirror at her neck, she was sure that he had broken
the skin, but there was no mark, only faint bruises.  She slipped off the robe
and stood in front of the mirror, turning slightly to look at the small of her
back.  Dimples?  Oh, how embarrassing, he had been dipping his tongue into the
dimples above her ass cheeks.  She hadn’t even realized they were there.  Oh,
well, he seemed to enjoy them.

After turning on the taps in the shower to get the
temperature just right she stepped under the hot spray.  She loved her shower,
it was just the right size so it stayed warm and it had multiple heads.  She
soon had her hair washed and then worked some conditioner into the long
strands.  She wound it up into a clip to hold it up while she used her body
wash.  The fragrance mixed with the steam, invigorating her and slowly chased
the last dregs of sleep away.  She pulled the clip from her hair and stood back
under the spray, watching as the suds ran down over the curves of her body to
swirl into the drain.  She shut the taps off and stepped out of the steamy
stall.  After toweling off she turned her blow dryer on to clear the fog from
the mirror.

She slipped her robe back on and stopped by the bed to watch
Max sleep for a moment.  She didn’t have the heart to wake him, even though she
was surprised that he was still asleep.

She went back into the kitchen and popped a piece of bread
in the toaster while she made a cup of coffee.   She stood at the counter to
eat and looked out the window as the birds flew around the few flowers she had
on her balcony.  She had a small feeder on the railing and pretty cardinals
came every morning to see what fruit she had put out for them.  The grapefruit
that she had put out yesterday was almost gone.  She absentmindedly realized
that she would have to go shopping after work today, she hadn’t gone this
weekend.  She smiled as she thought about how busy she had been.

She really was hoping that today wouldn’t be that busy,
maybe she had gotten enough work done this weekend.  Maybe she would get lucky
and actually be able to leave early.  It was wishful thinking on her part, but
with the added temptation of seeing Max again, surely he would be enough
motivation for her to get done early.

Lily finally sat down at her desk after a busy morning.  Her
boss Mark was pleased that she had gotten so much work done over the weekend. 
The latest manuscript that she was reading was from a new author.  She truly
felt that she had the talent and could easily become a top author with them,
with the right help and guidance.  Her stories were raw, but came with just
enough of real life to almost make paranormal believable.  Some of the other
editors asked for the first few chapters so they could form their own opinion.

Mark had asked her to stay for a few minutes after their
meeting had wrapped up.  They had eaten lunch while they brainstormed.  With
one editor gone and her working extra there was still a lot of work to get
done.

Lily was still a little surprised to be singled out.  After
she had sat back down, he told her what a good job she had been doing and that
everyone appreciated her stepping up and handling Tammy’s clients.  He told her
she would have some new manuscripts come across her desk the next day.  She had
been shocked when he told her she could leave early today.  She would be able
to leave by four, much better than the eight o’clock she had planned on. 
Obviously with the warning that she would probably be working late tomorrow
night instead, oh well, it would be so worth it just to leave before six.

Lily shivered as the air vent blew cool air over her.  She
would have to wear something heavier tomorrow.  It had gotten warmer out today
and the cooling system was working hard to keep up.  Unfortunately her office
always seemed to be cooler, but she dealt with it.  It was worth it though,
usually during the winter her office was the warmest.  She wore a thin shell
today with a matching sweater, but it still wasn’t warm enough.

She brought up her emails, at the moment her other work was
caught up, if she could answer a few before four; it would be a stellar day for
her.  After checking the time, she figured that two hours would give her plenty
of time.  About a half hour and handful of replies later she heard a quiet
knock at her door.

“Come in.”  Lily said as she looked up from the screen, her
assistant came inside, at least she thought it was her.  Clara came inside and
the whole upper half of her body was blocked by a huge bouquet of assorted
flowers.  Holy smokes, it must be Max, he was the first man to give her flowers
in a very long time.  She thought of the lilies he had gotten her yesterday,
she still wondered how he had gotten such blooms on a Sunday.  They certainly
hadn’t come from a convenience store.  She stood up to meet Clara, and they
both sighed as Clara placed the arrangement on her desk.

“Boy Lily, you sure impressed someone.  These are beautiful;
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so pretty.  Who’s your new beau?”  Clara
asked.

Lily smiled at her; Clara was close to retiring, she had no
idea what she would do without her here.  She was of course, a hopeless
romantic, like herself.  “Let me make sure before I tell you.”  Lily said as
she reached for the card.  She read it to herself; thank goodness it was way
too personal to read out loud.  She felt a blush rush into her cheeks as she
read the card.  It was hand written, she hadn’t seen Max’s writing yet, but the
masculine strokes were just so sexy, she felt her belly clench just looking at the
writing. ‘I missed you this morning, have dinner with me tonight.  Pick one
flower and put it in your hair. I want you spread out naked for me with just
one bloom behind your ear.  Max’ “It’s from Max, I met him Friday night, and we
hit it off.  Oh, my God, Clara, I think I’m in love.  Can you believe it? It’s
happening so fast, but I’m not afraid.  It’s like I’ve known him forever.”

“Lily, dear, I knew you’d find the right man soon.  He must
be something special to have you blushing just from reading the card.  Are you
sure you won’t let me read it?”  Clara teased.

“No way Clara, I already have to put up with your teasing, I
don’t need to give you any more ammunition.”  Lily said saucily, and they both
burst out laughing.  “I should probably call him and thank him for the
flowers.”  Lily sat back behind her desk and admired the flowers.  Roses,
lilies, gerbera daisies, and fresh tulips made up most of the arrangement,
there were a few others she didn’t recognize.  They smelled divine.  She
watched as Clara left closing the door with a girlish giggle.

Lily smiled as she pulled the business card out of her purse
that Max had given her yesterday.  She sat back in her chair resting her head
back as she waited breathlessly for him to answer.  Just thinking about hearing
his voice was turning her on.  Oh man, she had it bad.

“Thompson.”  He answered in clipped tones.

“Max?  Uh…hi it’s Lily.  Did I catch you at a bad time?” 

“Lily,” his deep voice cut across the line and sent jolts to
her belly.  “I’ve been waiting for you to call me, did you get my flowers?”

“Just now, they are lovely Max, thank you.”  She shivered as
she squeezed her thighs together, man, she sounded so breathless.

“So when do you get off work?  I’ll take you to dinner.”

“Actually my boss said I could leave early today.  I have to
stop and get a few groceries when I leave, but I could be ready any time after
five.”  Why did her voice sound so husky?

“I’ll pick you up at five,” he paused, “will you do
something for me Lily?”

His voice had gotten a seductive tone to it, irresistible,
she should have known better than to say yes to him.  “Yes.”

“Wear a dress and the stockings you had on the other night.”

“All right.”

“No panties though, I want us both to think about that all
through dinner.”

She gasped; shocked, scandalized that he would ask her such
a thing.

“Lily,” there was an edge to his voice now.

Lily took a deep breath, “uh…okay.”   Could she sound any
more slow witted?

“Good girl, I’ll see you at five then.”

Lily looked at the phone for a second, completely dazed; it
took her another minute to realize that he had already hung up.  She looked at
her watch as she absentmindedly hung up the phone.  How was she supposed to
concentrate now?  It was a good thing she didn’t have to work late; she would
have never gotten anything done.

She went back to her emails, when she didn’t find anything
else that was pressing she shut down her computer for the night and started to
get her things together.  She stood next to her desk and she looked at the blossoms. 
The gerbera daisies were so pretty, their sunny faces seemed to smile at her. 
She couldn’t help but grin looking at them.  She chose a blue calla lily; it
was dark, almost purple.  She had a lovely blue dress that would be perfect for
tonight.  Lily smiled to herself as she touched a few of the blooms and then
walked toward the door.  She decided to leave them here.  She would spend more
time here than at home this week, so at least she would get to enjoy them. 
After pulling the strap of her purse over her shoulder a little more securely
she told Clara good night and headed for the elevators. 

The elevator doors had just closed when another office door
opened, revealing a tall man standing in its doorway.  He looked around as if
searching for something.  When he noticed no one was around he tipped his nose
into the air.  He had smelled that scent before, but where?  He looked down the
hallway once more, using his keen nose and hearing.  Nothing out of the
ordinary, he would have to make a trip around the office later when everyone
left. He ran an agitated hand through his thick shaggy hair, the dark strands
brushing past his shoulders.  He needed to find out who the scent belonged to,
it was far to alluring to let pass by.

Max stood outside Lily’s door, he paused for a second before
he knocked.  He could almost imagine her expression when he had given her his
request.  What had made him ask her for that?  He had never asked a woman to do
that before.  Maybe it was just to see her pretty blush all evening, with him
the only one who knew what caused it.  He looked at his hand as he raised it to
knock and noticed a slight tremor.  What the hell?  He wasn’t a callous youth,
he knew his way around women.  So why was he so uptight all of a sudden?  He
heard his inner voice answer him, ‘you miss your mate, and you can’t wait to
touch her.  We can’t wait to touch her’.  This was the first time his inner
wolf had ever made any comments about a woman.  That was interesting, he had no
doubt that Lily would be his; evidently his wolf didn’t doubt it either.  His
mouth tipped up on one side as he knocked, he took a deep breath and sensed her
as she walked through her apartment to get to the door. 

Lily opened her door and could feel her heart flutter with
anticipation as the door swung wider to reveal Max.  Yummy, was all she could
think, he had on a dark suit with a dark blue tie, the color was close to the
dress she wore now.  How perfect was that?  She swung the door wider to take in
his powerful frame, and then she looked up into his eyes and felt caught.  She
took a deep breath as he stepped towards her, he cupped her jaw with one hand
and the other went to rest at her waist.