The Hourglass (16 page)

“Hey, I have a great idea for tonight. Instead of leaving Luke high and dry yet again I was thinking you could show up at his place and interrupt us just before I let him do the deed.” The tiny Asian lady looked up at me with a smirk on her face and shook her head.

Brooke laughed into the phone. “Yes, that’s perfect! He won’t know what to do with himself. He’ll be so caught off guard he’ll be ruined for the entire night, and what’s a girl to do on a night in when a man can’t get himself aroused.”

Giggling, I responded. “She’ll be so disappointed in the situation that she’ll have to leave.” Trying to control my laughter I whispered into the phone, “There’s no doubt the lady doing my pedicure wants to know what in the hell I’m talking about. We’re sick bitches, you know this, right?”

I could hear the devilish smile in Brooke’s voice. “I learned from the best.”

All too soon, my day of pampering had come to an end and I was dressed and ready to head over to Luke’s house. Twirling in my mirror, I stopped and posed for Brooke. “What do you think?”

She looked me up and down. “Oh he’s going to have you out of that dress in no time.”

High-fiving her we both cracked up. “Okay, I will text you as soon as we get started, he likes foreplay, but I don’t want to go too far. I’d say give me five minutes after you get the text before you come knocking on his door.” I grabbed my purse and keys then waved goodbye to my best friend and made my way downstairs to the car Luke had sent over to pick me up.

Standing in front of his two story red brick colonial townhouse I rang the bell and awaited his answer. He pulled the door open and stood before me in a pair of rugged jeans and green sweater that made his eyes glisten in the moonlight. Looking up at him, I remembered the man I’d grown to care for, the man who was beyond amazing in bed.
The man who was screwing you and your best friend,
I reminded myself. Slipping his arm tightly around my hip he pulled me in close and pressed his lips against my neck, his tongue trailing its way to my earlobe. Pressing my hands against his chest I pushed him lightly. “Not outside, it’s not ladylike.”

Pulling me into the house, he scooped me up into his arms in one fluid motion. “Since when do you give a shit about being ladylike?”

“Since I decided I deserved it all,” I teased.

Luke didn’t waste any time getting me right where he wanted me. “I love this dress, but it’s got to go.” He slid both slinky straps off my shoulders, and the dress slipped to the floor, leaving me in nothing but a pair of thong panties and stilettos.

“Oh Luke, you never were one to waste any time.”

His eyes were hooded with desire as he looked down and shifted me in his arms, forcing my body up against the wall. His right hand slid down the curves of my figure as his left rested on the wall next to my head, caging me in. Luke gripped my thigh with his free hand and hooked one of my legs around his hips. My breath hitched slightly as he leaned into me, close enough that his mouth had full access to my breast.
Shit! Text Brooke, now!
I thought to myself as Luke grazed his teeth against my nipples.

Taking his face between my palms, I knew I needed to act fast; there was no time to waste. Luke was sexually deprived and he fully intended on getting what he wanted, right here, right now. “Babe, please put me down for one minute, I have to pee so badly and I’d like to get it out of the way before you ravage my entire body.”

The second my feet touched down, I snatched my phone out of my purse and ran off toward his bathroom. “Meet me in my bedroom,” he called after me.

Closing the bathroom door I sat down on the edge of the tub and sent a quick text to Brooke.

Screw five minutes; he is full on ready to devour me. Do not wait a second past three minutes or I’m going to have a dick between my legs!!!

Brooke responded instantly.

That slimy son of a bitch, you have three minutes, starting NOW!

Doing my best to take my sweet time I emerged out of the bathroom and tiptoed to Luke’s room where he was waiting for me, naked, in bed, and stroking his fully grown erection. Seductively making my way toward him I climbed on top of his lap and began teasing him with kisses on his neck. His eyes closed and a groan escaped his mouth, allowing me to steal a glance at the clock on his night stand.
Thirty seconds down, two and a half minutes to go.

His hands made their way down my sides and gripped my ass, as I continued to kiss his body. Pulling my body down on top of his, I began to work my hips against him, counting down in my head as I did so,
hurry the hell up Brooke.

“I want to feel your lips around me, babe.”

Looking into his eyes I knew what he wanted, so I very slowly made a trail of kisses from his neck, down his chest, stopping right above his perfectly trimmed patch of hair.
Oh. My. Gosh. Hurry up, Brooke!
Grabbing his full length in my hand I took one more glance at the clock as Luke looked down at me and groaned. “You’re killing me.”

Smiling, I opened my mouth and was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Shooting straight up on my knees I looked at Luke. “Are you expecting company?”

His face was confused as he shook his head. “No, we’ll just ignore them. Please baby, I need to feel your lips on me.”
Shit! Shit! Shit!
I grabbed his length again and the doorbell rang, three times in a row, followed by a pounding on the door.

Luke’s hands went flying up in the air. “Jesus! Who in the hell is here?” Pulling himself off of the bed he slid on a pair of shorts and tried to quickly calm the pole that was forcing his shorts into the shape of a tent. Swinging his bedroom door open he stomped off toward the sound of the bell, which was being rung yet again.

I climbed out of his bed and pulled his shirt over my head then ran into the hallway so I could listen without being caught. Brooke’s voice floated through the foyer and I could hear Luke trying to keep her quiet as he attempted to keep her outside on the front porch. Rushing over to the closed door, I pressed my ear against it, but Luke must have been whispering because I couldn’t hear anything.

Knowing Brooke would eventually fill me in, I retreated back to his bedroom and waited almost fifteen minutes for him to return. Brooke must have been doing a number on him. Luke walked back into his bedroom looking utterly exhausted.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, pretending to be concerned.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, just an old buddy, he was kind of having a nervous breakdown.”

Luke sat down on the bed, the mattress dipping beneath his weight. I knew I needed to push him to the edge, so I tugged his shirt bag over my head and climbed over next to him. As I kissed his neck, I cooed, “Well why don’t we forget about him and get back to what we started?”

Reaching down into his shorts I grabbed him and began stroking him slowly. Closing his eyes he leaned back, obviously trying to focus on what I was doing, but I could tell his head wasn’t there. He had to be internally freaking out about how close he’d just come to being caught by me and Brooke. “Umm, is something wrong? I don’t think this has ever happened before.”

Falling backwards on the bed Luke let out a huge huff. “I can’t, I’m so sorry babe, but I just can’t. I can’t stop thinking about my friend. He’s really having a hard time. I’m sorry. I swear it’s not you.”

Rising from the bed, I pretended to be upset with him. “Are you kidding me? Luke, this has never happened. Are you
sure
it’s not me?”

He sat back up and pulled me toward him. “No, baby, it’s not you at all. My head just can’t focus right now, I promise. I was so ready for you. Please, just stay, maybe if I get a few hours of sleep we can forget this ever happened and I’ll be as good as new.”

Back in the foyer, I scooped my dress off of the floor and pulled it over my head, adjusting it as I grabbed my purse. “I think I better go, you obviously need to rest and possibly call your friend. Maybe we can get together sometime this week to make up for all of this.”

Luke stood, pulling my body up against his and kissed my cheek. Grabbing my hand he led me to the front door. “Sav, I’m so sorry.”

I tossed him a wink and a wave. “No worries, you’re not my only Friday nighter.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Brooke

SAVANNAH CALLED AFTER
she left Lucas’s house. “Thank God, I thought I was going to be mauled!” She laughed out loud making me smile with her.

“I bet! It sounded like it was a close call. Can we talk all about it in the morning? I’m off to bed. Monica is riding my ass these days between the auction and next issue.” Saying our goodbyes, we hung up.

The next day at work I was dying to talk with Savannah, but Hourglass was a madhouse with the Spring Issue going to press. For probably the twentieth time, Lisa had come in to get approval on design boards and prints.

“Yes, Lisa, it’s perfect – print it. Can you hold down the fort?” as she nodded I continued, “I’m just going to run to the lobby café to get a coffee. Don’t make any decisions beyond what I’ve already given instructions on until I return. I should be back in thirty minutes.”

After spotting an elevator open, I rushed to the doors hoping to catch it. “Hold the car, please!” The elevator doors began to shut. I mashed the button to catch it while several pairs of eyes stared at me from inside and the gap finished closing.

“Dammit!” I yelled at the door in front of me. How rude that nobody could be bothered to push the button to open the door. After pressing the down button, I tapped my foot against the marble tile, impatiently waiting for the next car to arrive, The ring of the bell signaled the arrival of the elevator and I slid in and pressed the button for the first floor.

Standing in line waiting for the people to clear, I pulled out my phone and began scrolling through emails, trying to keep up with the endless last minute requests and needs of the different departments. One from a certain Nike employee that had become the bane of my existence caught my eye, and curious, I clicked to open it.

Hey beautiful, hope you are feeling better. How about we reschedule? You free tonight?

Love, Lucas

“Yeah,
you
can kiss my ass,” I grumbled at the phone closing out of the email.

“Bend over and point out a spot,” a feminine voice chided behind me making me smile.

“Hey, whore,” I teased as I turned around to hug and plant a kiss on my best friend’s cheek.

“Hey, prude,” she replied with a wink. Looking over my shoulder at the barista, she ordered. “Mocha Frappuccino please, extra whipped cream.”

I spun around to face the barista; his eyes were filled with lust as he raked them over my best friend.

“My God, you are incorrigible Savannah Prescott,” I joked giving her a little shove. “Hey,” I called snapping my fingers. My eyes locked on his black name tag, “Joe, eyes over here. Focus. I don’t have time for your other head to take over, and I will sic Monica Vincent on you if you mess up her spring issue.”

Terror replaced the desire as he turned a slight shade of green. “Yes ma’am I apologize, what can I get you?”

“I’ll take a Chai Tea, and I suppose I’ll pay for my friend’s Mocha Frappuccino,” I requested palming him a twenty dollar bill for payment.

“And extra whip cream,” Savannah called over my shoulder causing me to start laughing out loud.

Stepping away, we began chatting about the night before and Savannah’s close call with Luke. “He was like a mad man, Brooke! A mad man, I tell you. It’s amazing I made it out alive.” She dramatically replayed the events of the evening prior to my arrival. “But then you should have seen his face. He looked like he lost his best friend. What did you say to him?”

“Well,” I began drawing the word out as a sinister grin spread over my face. “I told him I had heard you were dating a new guy, and was hoping we could get back to being friends and then told him I was going to set up a group date immediately. When he began turning white, I went on a longwinded explanation of why I thought it was a brilliant idea and then left before he could defend his side. Told him I was off to go beat on your door until you answered.”

Savannah threw her head backwards as laughter consumed her. Her small body
previously referred to as 6 ft tall
shook with force as tears streamed down her face. “I’m almost feeling sorry for Luke Wellington. Almost, but not quite. So our next plan of action is what? When will you tell him about the other issue? Don’t you two have a date coming up?”

Nodding as I grabbed our drinks from the barista, I turned back to Savannah and passed over her drink. “Yeah I think we’re going out tonight, I’ll probably keep it low key. I’m not the temptress you are. I’m saving the big announcement though for another night. When do you two go out again?”

Savannah’s pupils enlarged as she sipped her Frappuccino. “Look Brooke, I’m not sure if we can be friends again or not. You said a lot of hurtful things, and I just can’t move past it.”

As I shook my head in confusion, Savannah tilted hers to the side. Slyly glancing the direction of the nod, I instantly spotted the gorgeous man we were destroying piece by piece cautiously striding our way. He looked like the epitome of sex with his fresh haircut and five o’clock shadow. The charcoal material of his designer suit had been tailored to hug every strong, lean muscle in his body. “Remind me again why we hate him,” I whispered as my mouth watered.

“Umm…,” Savannah stammered softly. “He played us both and destroyed our friendship. We. Hate. Him.”

I growled in frustration. “Bastard. Shame all those good looks are just wasted on an arrogant ass.”

“He’s getting closer, Brooke,” Savannah’s voice getting a touch panicky.

“Look, Savannah!” I yelled, my voice nearing hysterics. “I just want our friendship back. This is me trying to reconnect with you because I know we both regret our actions over this last month.” The waterworks in my eyes began, right on cue, thank you drama class! Sniveling, I continued. “I just want things to go back to how they were, I need my best friend. You don’t understand what’s going on in my life right now.”