Stoned (The Stone Series) (3 page)

He is dressed in a pair of black slim jeans, a tight striped v-neck t-shirt and a pair of steel gray sneakers. His hair is tasseled and hanging over his eyes, still damp from a shower. I go weak in the knees and my belly muscles clench. I gulp in as much air as I can into my lungs knowing that in his presence I will be unable to breathe. I use my hands to brace myself up against the stone facade of the restaurant and within minutes I am trapped between stones, the stone of the building and the man whose chest looks as hard as stone. He lunges at me and leans up against the wall trapping me with one arm that he places on the wall next to my body as he casually leans into me like it’s his right. I begin to daydream what it would be like to run my hands over the muscles that are under that shirt but that’s not enough for me, oh no. I need more. I imagine what it would feel and taste like to run my tongue over his nipples as they grow hard and down to his belly button swirling it around inside. I want to lick the hard slab of muscle that I just know is his stomach. I am snapped out of my thoughts when I hear his deep voice.

“What a pleasant surprise Sydney. Are you here to see me?” he asks in that super sexy raspy voice that I realize I have been yearning to hear again since we said good-bye days ago, it snaps me back to reality. His voice brings a calm warm feeling over my body but at the same time causes many chaotic internal responses.

“Um” I’m confused, why would I be meeting him here?

“No, um…I was just heading to campus and then I guess I wondered off course. The next thing I knew I was leaning against this building with these smooth stones, I rubbed my hands over them just thinking about stuff. My mind is a little scattered today I guess. My roommate left today and I’m...I don’t know.”

“Yes, I was afraid of that. I’m glad I found you. Come, let’s talk over lunch” he says as he leads me inside the restaurant by placing his strong hand at the small of my back again. This I can get used to and fast. I welcome his guidance and follow him without question into the restaurant forgetting all about my meeting with Alex to discuss the upcoming auction. Then something he said strikes me as peculiar. Why would he be afraid that I’d be lost without Parker? I didn’t tell him she was leaving.

I’m immediately distracted by the décor inside the restaurant. The stones are carried out inside, there is a gorgeous stone wall that is floor to ceiling on one side of the room; upon closer inspection I realize it’s a water wall. The water is gently running over the smooth river rocks creating a soothing feel for the diners seated next to it. The other walls are painted a sandy color with bronze sconces on the wall. The lighting is subdued and the table linens are a fabulous burnt red, almost the color of my hair.

We are greeted by the hostess upon arrival. “Mr. Stone sir, can I show you to your room?”

“Yes, thank you Andrea, you may.”

Well, at least it’s nice to know I am not the only woman he has this effect on because this Andrea chick is staring at him enthralled by his beauty as much as I am. At that moment something, a feeling, one I have no words for comes over me and I want to slap her face. I don’t like the way her eyes are roaming over his impressive physique, like she’s seen it up close and personal.

Andrea shows us into a private dining room with a table for two in the center of the room. This space is the same as the main dining room, painted a sandy color with burnt red linens. Instead of the stone wall this space has art work throughout; paintings, canvases and prints all depicting stones.

Oh. My. God! It finally hits me, this must be his restaurant. As if he can read my mind Damian says, “Yes, Sydney this is my place. Come. Sit.” It was not a suggestion but rather a command. Damian pulls out a chair for me and I sit as he smiles at me.

Andrea is still staring at him when he dismisses her, “That will be all Andrea. Tell the staff I do not want to be bothered. We’ll have marinated olives for the table with bread, and then to start we’ll have the Calamari, two salads, and for our main course we’ll share the pasta special of the day. They know my taste in wines. Thank you.” Another command.

Andrea leaves us, following his command as if it’s second nature. He turns his attention to me and Damian’s face softens when he looks at me. I have no idea what I am doing here; I am way over my head. I have never been on a date with a man much less one who owns his own restaurant and orders for his dates. But the more I think about it, I’m glad he’s ordered for me. I would never have known what to pick and would have embarrassed myself no doubt.

Damian smiles then speaks, “I’m glad I ran into you. I was going to call you later to see if you’d want to go check out an apartment.”

“Uh, yeah, of course. Where?” I ask.

“On Park, it’s one of my buildings. It’s actually the one I live in. We’ll discuss the details later. I want to talk about you now.”

“I can’t afford…” I begin but he cuts me off. “I said later. You, I want to talk about you now” he says brushing off my statement.

“Um, okay. What about me? I’m not all that interesting.”

“I’ll be the judge of that and so far I think you are intriguing. You don’t seem like a city brat like me so I’m guessing you grew up somewhere else and came here for school?” he guesses.

“I grew up in Connecticut” I say without adding any other details of my life, hoping this will be enough to quench his thirst for knowledge but I’m wrong.

“Don’t be difficult Sydney. Tell me everything. Siblings, parents, school, friends…” Then with a venomous look in his eye he adds, “Boyfriends.”

All areas I want to avoid.

“Um…I’m an only child, my parents are divorced, my mom is still in Connecticut but my dad lives in New Jersey. I was a decent student in high school but not popular, I hated the four years I had to spend there. I never had a best friend until I met Parker, my roommate, the one that left for Paris this morning. She’s a model; I think I told you that already. She’ll be gone for a month or two and I already feel lost without her.”

He is staring at me as if I should know why but I have no clue. His eyes feel like they are looking inside me making my mouth go dry but my lady parts go wet.

“Continue, I believe you left out one item I inquired about. Perhaps on purpose, Sydney.” It wasn’t a question but rather a statement and I have no idea how I should respond, I knew I couldn’t avoid it any longer or protest.

A very attractive waiter arrives with our olives just as Damian is finishing his inquisition and Damian stares at him sending chills up and down my spine. The waiter puts the olives on the table and backs away slowly like one would do in a jungle after discovering that they are face to face with a puma. No sudden movements don’t make eye contact, back away slowly then run for your life. It makes me wonder if I should be doing the same.

Abandoning for now his questioning, Damian very seductively pops an olive into his mouth then leans forward towards me with another in his fingers and I instinctively open my mouth like a baby bird. The olive is strong tasting and salty. I taste vinegar, garlic and basil on Damian’s finger that he leaves lingering in my mouth for just a second. As I chew and swallow my gaze never leaves his eyes even when I taste the heat of the red pepper flakes from the olive. Wow, that was hot, both the olive and the experience of being fed by this sexy man sitting across from me. Damian has managed to awaken my coma induced sex drive in a matter of seconds and she is hungry, very hungry.

When he pops another olive into his mouth I lean forward hoping to receive the same treatment as the first time and I’m not disappointed. This time when his finger lingers just a fraction of a second longer than necessary I suck on it, he closes his eyes and a low grumbling moan escapes him. It happens so quickly I’m not sure if I’ve imagined it or not.

We continue to eat three more olives each in the same manner before the waiter reappears with our Calamari and I find myself excited to see how we’ll eat this course. He also pours us each a glass of a wine. We both take a sip while looking at the other over the rim of our wine glasses. The Calamari consists of perfectly breaded hoops of octopus artistically arranged on a platter. Alongside is a spicy Fra Diavolo sauce and sliced lemons. Damian looks at me with those piercing blue eyes and says, “It’s your turn Sydney, I’m waiting” while he leans forward with his lips slightly parted. “And I’m not a patient man.”

Guessing that he wants me to feed him this time I dip a hoop of the calamari into the sauce then slide it around my index finger before offering it to him. Damian takes it off my finger with his teeth and starts to chew as he leans back in his chair. “Eat, Sydney. I want to watch you enjoy some first then I want you to feed me more” he commands.

I pick up another hoop and dip it into the sauce before popping it into my mouth. I close my eyes and block out all of my other senses, all I have left now is my sense of taste. When the exquisite flavors explode on my taste buds I moan and allow my head to fall back. When I open my eyes Damian’s eyes look glassy and he raises an eyebrow at me as he shifts in his seat. I repeat the dipping with another hoop and lean towards Damian who opens his mouth and once again uses his teeth to snag the calamari from around my finger. When he starts to chew I leave my finger on his lips. After he chews he nips at the pad of my finger.

“Ow. What was that for?” I ask.

“Couldn’t help it. More please” Damian demands with a slight raise of the corner of his lips. I obey and feed him hoop after hoop watching as he nips them off my finger. When he’s had enough he leans back in his chair and tells me it’s my turn again. I finish off the last of the calamari as the waiter returns with our salads. There’s this growing feeling in the pit of my belly, a burning feeling and I don’t know if I can eat another bite.

Damian tucks into his salad and once I taste mine I know why. I instantly taste the romaine mixed with eggs, lemon juice, olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Damian finishes chewing what he’s placed into his mouth, wipes his mouth then asks, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, I’m all yours” I say.

“Interesting choice of words, Sydney. You know eating is a very sensual experience but I’m wondering what you enjoyed more, me feeding you or when you fed me?”

“Um…if I’m being honest” I begin but Damian interrupts. “You will always be honest with me Sydney; I won’t have it any other way.”

“Um..okay. As I was saying, if I’m being honest, which I am, I enjoyed feeding you. But it made me a little uncomfortable. I liked being fed better. Why do you ask?”

“We’ll discuss that at another time but that’s what I thought. You seem apprehensive when you’re the one controlling things, you seem much more comfortable when I take the lead. Good to know, I like. Now I believe there is still another question that you have left unanswered. Boyfriends.”

I give up and decide to finally stop eluding his question. “I have never had one so there’s really nothing to say” I admit with my head slightly down, embarrassed about the truth while Damian munches on more of his salad.

As he uses his pointer finger to lift my chin so I am once again looking at him in the eye he says, “Sydney, come on. Do you honestly expect me to believe that? I told you, only the truth. You are striking; your hair alone can bring a man to his knees. I feel like I’ve been on mine since I met you. Your eyes put a hold over the person looking into them and I won’t comment on your body as it would be rude not having the privilege of personal knowledge of it but Sydney, but you are flawless.”

I become breathless from his words; they overpower my senses and send me into a tailspin. I manage to tell Damian that I am telling the truth and that in high school I was an angry kid after my parents got divorced and my mom got a new boyfriend so I kept to myself. I conveniently omit the real reason for my less than charming personality during those years. I tell him that I did whatever I could to cover myself up and make myself as invisible as possible. All I wanted to do was blend in; I didn’t want anyone to know I was there. I didn’t want to be touched; I wanted to be left alone. “When all the other girls wanted to be some exotic flavor like Tutti Fruitti all I wanted to be was vanilla” I admit before taking another bite of my salad.

“Is that what you still want Sydney, vanilla?” he asks.

I finish chewing and wipe my mouth before I say, “No, I think I want to be anything but and lately since I met…well for the first time I think I just might be able to let myself find out what it’s like to be Tutti Fruitti.”