Debra passed her thanks to the barman and wandered, as slowly as she could and not be thought to be loitering, toward the lift. Opposite the lift doors was the reception.
As ever, two smartly dressed receptionists sat there. One looked up as Debra waited for the lift to arrive and smiled.
“Had a good day, Mrs. Scotburn?”
“Oh, yes, thank you. Lots of fresh air and exercise. It’s an early night, I think.”
The lift arrived and the doors opened. Debra stepped inside and slid her key card into the slot to activate the lift.
“Hold it, please. Ah, Mrs. Scotburn, how are you? Have you had a good day?” Braam got into the lift next to her and winked. He was still dressed in the shirt and shorts he wore earlier and there were weary lines in his face. “What floor do you want?”
“Oh, er, the terrace please. I need some fresh air after my dinner.”
He knew what she meant. Not that he’d managed any dinner. The moment he’d stepped inside the hotel, the new manager had asked for his help. He hadn’t even managed to pull on a pair of trousers and it felt wrong to be inside the hotel, sort of on duty and dressed so casually. It had been well over an hour before he had the chance to even open his own emails and a further hour to work through them and now he had to answer the most important. He still had at least another hour’s work before he could happily call it a night.
“I wish I could join you,” he spoke softly. “And I also wish to hell that this bloody lift didn’t have security cameras in it. But it does.”
Debra swayed. “Oh fu—er, damn, perhaps as well I didn’t follow my first inclination then.”
He raided one eyebrow in inquiry. “Which was?”
She bent down to fiddle with her shoe. As she stood up she held onto the wall so her mouth was close to him. “To jump you.” She raised her voice. “Are you going to the terrace, Mr. Van Meister? I hear it’s a great place to walk in the evening.”
“Alas no, I’m going for a well needed shower and then back to work for an hour before I can relax.”
The lift stopped and he stood back to let Debra precede him out onto the terrace foyer.
“All work and all that,” she said.
He nodded. “Oh, yes, which is why I’m going to get the work done as soon as possible.” He gave a half bow, drank in her smile and watched her stroll toward the terrace walking track before he turned toward his suite.
He really did need that shower.
The trouble was he kept imagining what it would be like to share it with Debra. To take the bar of soap and run it over her body and soap up the sponge and circle her breasts and rub between her legs. To sit her on the ledge and kiss her senseless. Then turn her around and rub his cock over the luscious globes of her ass, before slipping between them and…
The soap slid from his hands and onto the floor of the shower with a thump. Braam jerked and his cock hit the wall of the shower. The pain was totally unexpected and surely too excessive for what had happened. But then it was as hard as timber and ready for action. Maybe not that sort of action.
Braam swore and turned off the water
. Bugger it, she’ll be the death of me.
He stepped out of the cubicle and wrapped a towel around his waist. If she was going to be the death of him, he was going to make sure it was a pleasurable death. And happen sooner rather than later. But first he had to finish work. At least he didn’t have to go downstairs to do that.
He dragged on a clean shirt and jeans, set up his laptop and tried to involve himself in work, but he couldn’t settle. The thought of Debra on the terrace by herself didn’t sit comfortably with him. Even though once he realized she often went there late in the evening he’d arranged for a security guard to be on duty.
He made his mind up and dialed her room number.
He was about to hang up when Debra answered. She sounded breathless.
“’Lo?”
“Hi.”
She giggled somewhat choppily. “Am I supposed to add silver lining? Oh, no, that’s the other way round, or nearly anyway. Er, who is this? Are you a heavy breathing phone call?”
Sometimes she was so damned difficult to follow. Braam ignored the first part of her reply and homed in on the second.
“Would you like me to be?”
“We—ell. Only if you follow it up.”
He laughed. “I wish. It’s going to be about another hour I guess before I can finish for the day and not feel guilty I’ve missed something. Will you still be awake?”
“Ah. Let’s see, hi…ho…and silver lining. Is there one? Well now, there’s one way to find out now, isn’t there.” The line went dead.
Braam shook his head. How could any man understand the workings of a female mind? Hi, ho, silver lining? He got the connection and was sure he had a stupid, sappy look on his face as he went back to work.
This time he blocked everything out except work. It wasn’t going to be long before he was moved to wherever the next crisis was looming. He wasn’t the computer guru and he’d done almost as much as he could to find out what had been happening at the hotel. Lax security, not enough supervision and a massive case of lust for the head receptionist seemed to have tipped the ex-manager over the edge into crime. Braam had mostly fixed the first two and shuddered at the thought of the third. The new manager had a lot more rules and regulations to follow. Channing Hotels always learned from past mistakes. Even though there hadn’t been many, there would be a lot fewer in the future.
Braam stretched his arms above his head, checked his watch and groaned. He’d been so involved in tying up as many ends as he could, he hadn’t been aware how much time had passed. He’d be lucky if Debra would let him through the door. If she was awake. It was after midnight. Still, he was going to see. At least he’d showered and changed earlier, so it was a matter of minutes to leave his room and go down a few levels to hers.
He rang the buzzer and leaned on the wall as he waited to see if she would answer the door. Half of him hoped he hadn’t woken her up. The other half hoped if she was asleep, he had.
Contrary bastard.
The door swung open and his tiredness dropped off him. “What the hell would you have done if it wasn’t me?” he asked hoarsely. The sheer black item of clothing she wore barely covered the bits of her that needed covering in public.
“Asked if you had a twin. I looked through the peephole.” Debra stood back to let Braam into the room. She looked at his face as she closed the door and curtseyed. “What’s up, Braam. Don’t you like it?”
“I think ‘like’ is a bit lukewarm, love. I’m not entirely sure what it is, but I love it.”
Debra walked around him and did a twirl. The hem of the garment flicked up and showed tantalizing glimpses of her bum and pussy. She stopped abruptly and leaned on him.
“Whew, twirling after a glass of wine is maybe not the best thing to do. I get giddy enough being near you without adding to it.” She raised her eyebrows and licked her lips. “If you get my meaning.”
“Every time, love.” Braam held her arms and pulled her close for a hug. “Likewise with me. I feel eighteen and scared and about to discover how a man and a woman mesh. Twenty-five and wondering what next and thirty-two and thinking, why me? All mixed in together and damned humbling as I ask how the hell I could be so bloody lucky.”
“Aw.” Debra sniffed, as his sincere words hit her. “It’s strange isn’t it, how you can think you’re perfectly happy as things are. Then you meet someone and know that all along you were waiting for that person. Then it’s scary, scary, because you don’t want to screw things up. Added to the worries of does he like me, like I like him. Will he laugh at me for liking furry toys and having to use kids’ chopsticks? Can he cope with me singing out of tune and always scoffing the red jelly babies first? Does he mind me being so much older? All important stuff like that.”
“Well, most of it’s fine. But the red jelly babies?” Braam shook his head and put his finger on his cheek. “That’s definitely a negotiable subject. Do you save the orange ones till last?”
“The orange ones?” Debra did her best to sound shocked. “I don’t like those. Nah, the best ones are blackcurrant and I hoard them. Er, would I need to share?”
Braam sat down on her settee and lifted her onto his lap. “Well now, what’s it worth?”
He kissed the nape of her neck. Debra determined there and then that it was her new erogenous zone. The soft touch, the warm breath that stirred her hair, the shivers and tingles he gave her, all combined to make her body stir and want more. She twisted around on his lap and he groaned as his cock hardened beneath her ass. Debra loved the sexy sound. She wriggled a bit more.
“Enough, woman. This is supposed to be me tucking you in and giving you a cuddle not fu—making love.” Braam held her firmly against him. “If you continue wriggling, I’m not going to be accountable for my actions.”
Debra tried to wriggle again, but Braam held her tight.
“No more, Deb, please. I’ve still got to do a last check around before I turn in.”
It was the look on his face that made her sit still. She wasn’t being fair.
“Sorry. Take my word for it, I’m happy you got here anyway. I was going to say I’m glad you came, but maybe that’s not the right word?”
He chuckled. “Well, I did earlier. More than once. Now, though, I need to go.” He stood up, still holding her and dropped her gently on the bed. Debra bounced.
“Damn, there I was hoping my souvenir of Hong Kong was going to be so irresistible you’d succumb to my wiles and charms and stay.”
Braam ran his hands through his hair. She’d observed that particular action when he was worried or thinking hard.
“Braam, it’s okay. I know you’re busy. This,” she ran her hand over her teddy, “was as much for me as you. I thought it was time I ditched the granny jammies. I’ve been lusting over this in that wee shop in the arcade ever since I arrived. I’ve been careful how I spent my money and made up my mind it was me time. Well, me for you time.”
“Will you join me in the gym tomorrow?”
The chance of subject surprised her. She’d seen the wicked glint in his eyes and the way he’d adjusted his cock under his jeans. He hadn’t tried to hide his actions.
“In this?” Debra asked. “That would maybe cause a bit of talk.”
“As tempting as it is, maybe not. Although I want to meet there before it opens to the general public. Will you?” He knelt on the bed next to her. “And save this for another night? I’m going to have wet dreams and fantasies about how I’m going to take you whilst you wear it, take you as I strip you out of it.” He stroked her over the silk around her nipples and down toward her pussy. “And make love to you as you lie naked on top of it.”
He stood up and walked to the door. “Have I now got a fetish about you and black silk? You bet.” He blew her a kiss. “Six a.m. The gym. Don’t be late.”
Debra threw a pillow in the general direction of the door as it shut behind him.
How the hell was she supposed to be able to get to sleep after all that? Apart from anything else, what did you wear to the gym when you didn’t exercise?
* * * *
It seemed Braam had an idea. His text woke her a few minutes before her alarm.
That little flirty skirt I saw you in the other day and a vest top would be ideal for our gym appointment. How do you get on with the exercise machines?
That was easy.
We’ve never been introduced and I was always told I needed to be introduced first.
Ha ha. Get your cute little self up here.
She could imagine him saying the words as he typed and just about saw the glint in his eyes in her mind.
She took out the skirt he’d mentioned and looked at it in doubt. It was shortish and the hem was barely above her knees. Perfectly respectable, with underwear and a bra. But with nothing except a vest top? She’d wobble and jiggle all over the place and even the slightest breeze might cause embarrassment.
Should she or shouldn’t she? Debra pulled it on and added a vest top. As she thought, her boobs needed the support of a bra. She was no stick insect, far from it. A twist and a shake in front of the mirror confirmed her thoughts. A bra was a must. She could probably get away without any knickers as long as she walked slowly and decorously and made sure she kept her legs close together. But did he mean that? Was she reading sexual innuendo and banter where there wasn’t any intended?
The pinging of her phone to indicate a text made her jump. In her introspective mood, Debra decided her boobs jerked so high they nearly took her eye out.
Oh, enough already
. She opened the message.
Ah, love, I’m sorry to tease you. Come as you feel comfortable. I need to exercise and I thought even if it’s not your thing, you could be here with me to encourage me. Otherwise I’d be skiving off to share your bed and who knows when we’d get out! See you when you get here.
She could understand what he meant. They did have a habit of getting carried away, and she rather liked it. It was so not the old Debra and so part of how she now felt. Braam had dragged her out of her comfort zone, shot her complacent ‘I don’t do anything non-conforming’ attitude to smithereens and woke up a part of her she’d thought long gone. Debra took a deep breath, slid her feet into trainers—at least they’d look the part—grabbed her room fob and left before she could change her mind.
Chapter Eight
Would she come? If so what would she wear? Should he have sent that text? Was it too suggestive, cheeky, presumptuous, tacky or out of order? How did he know, really know if she could see the humor and the need in those few words? Loving someone so soon after meeting them, and pushing both of you way out of your comfort zone was hard and bloody scary. Braam switched the lights on in the gym, checked the blinds were down, made sure the notice about opening hours was clearly displayed outside and proceeded to go through his warm up as he waited to see if Debra turned up.