Promises (3 page)

A
lexandra leaned back in the bath, her green eyes closed, and relived that night. Two weeks had passed, but she couldn’t get it out of her mind. Still shocked at what she had done to him, she smiled. She swished the sponge between her legs and wished his mouth was at that spot right now.
What that man could do with his tongue should be illegal
, she thought with a sigh of regret.

Alex had a
lways been shy and timid. Her confidence, out of a range of one to ten, was a big fat zero.

Y
et that night, she had been who she had always wanted to be: a tempting seductress.

She’d resurrected memories from
every erotic book she’d fed on. He had been the embodiment of her fantasies, and she’d feasted on him. Each and every word she had ever swallowed and digested was restored to life. Safe and secure that she’d never see him again, she had acted out her fantasy of pure, raw sex. She gave a wicked grin and thought of her reasons for agreeing to the mind-blowing sex. Fate gave her the opportunity and she took it with both hands, for the first time ever pretending to be one of the sexual vamps she’d read about. She was put to the test along with his touch, or to be more exact, hers. Her face flushed with a burst of heat when she thought of the blow job she’d given him. Even now she could remember the silky texture and the taste of him as he’d shuddered into her mouth.

O
h God
, she groaned inwardly, moving the sponge across her fanny.

She won
dered if he was married.
Had to be
, she thought and tried to ignore the sharp twinge of pain, of disappointment. Somehow she couldn’t visualize a man who was that good-looking remaining single. Unless he was gay, and she knew he wasn’t. Alex felt her face flush hot at the mere thought of where his hands had been. And his fingers! Jesus, he certainly knew what to do with those. Then she remembered her response, and
wild
didn’t even come close to being the right word. What she’d done to him didn’t bear thinking about.

S
he’d read about it, dreamed of it.

B
ut only with him had she released her fevered fantasy, and how. She shivered at the memory before blinking open her eyes.

T
hat’s all it was now, and all it ever would be.

The high peel of the telephone reverberated through the
air and broke into her sexy reminiscing. With a groan, she rose and stepped out onto the cool tiles. The water dripped off her wet body, pooling in droplets on the floor. She cursed whoever it was. She attempted to work out why, whenever she was relaxing beneath a blanket of hot soapy suds, someone always wanted to speak to her. She chewed her lip, guessing who it might be. It could only be one of three people—her friends’ list being almost as empty as her bank account. Not bothering to reach for a towel, she padded naked across the landing into her bedroom.

“Hello
.” She threw herself back onto the bed, oblivious to the damp patches made by her wet hair.

“Alexandra, it’s your mother
.”

“I know
. I recognise your voice.” The sarcasm would be lost on Fiona and Alex rolled her eyes. The nagging would soon follow.

Since she’d left the family home
, her mother had persisted with her selfish assault, her quest.
God
, thought Alex, she was a regular living torture machine, relentless in her mission. Not a week went by that she didn’t ring her, reminding her of her obligation to her genetic gene pool.

If she wasn’t harping about babies,
her mother would rip into her looks, into anything that was guaranteed to upset her. Fiona, she realized, was a self-centred, controlling bitch of a mother. Was it any wonder her father had up and died?

“Well, have you met anyone yet?
You’ve been living there for six months. I’m sure that’s long enough to find a man. Even for you!” Fiona’s tone was scathing, as usual.

“Yes
, Mother, but I don’t want just any man.” She smiled and thought back to ‘that night,’ as she’d christened it. The label was firmly in place because ‘that night’ would have to satisfy her for one hell of a long time. Not only was Brindley Bay quiet, it was also virtually bereft of any available talent.

“I don’t
know why you’re being so fussy. I mean, time is passing you by.” She paused for breath. “You’re not getting any younger, and looks don’t last forever. Well, in your case, they haven’t even made a start.”

Fiona’s sigh flitted down the line.
“You were a beautiful baby. And then you grew up. Forget the ugly duckling turning into a swan, you had to do it the other way around. Do you know how embarrassing it was buying your bras?”

“Mother
, I was ten. I couldn’t get them myself.”

“Stop making excuses
. I wish I’d followed the Chinese concept binding feet.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my feet.” She hesitated. “Is there?”

“Oh for goodness sake, it’s your breasts I’m talking about. I should have kept them bound, stopped them from growing into watermelons.”

Alex sucked in a sigh.
“Mmmm.” So used to the insults, she was able to switch her mind off. She could recite the words by heart. Instead of listening, she held her leg up and examined her toenails, debating what colour to paint them.

“I want to be a grandmother, and your biological clock is ticking
! You’re thirty-two and your chances of conceiving are dropping as we speak.”

“I’m not a brood bitch
, Mother. And trust me, my clock has well and truly stopped.” The memory of Solomon floated in front of her and she gave a smug grin. A vision rose of his dark head between her thighs, her hands on his head as she’d held him there.

She spared
a glance at her vibrator. Needs must, at least with her toy she was safe. No emotional rollercoaster ride, just straightforward and simple.

No s
afer sex than that.

“W
hat about Max. He’s getting married soon?” Alex tried to push her mother’s maternal instincts towards her brother. Let him suffer her nagging for a change.

“They’re both pursuing career
s. By the time they’ve achieved their goals I could be dead.”

“No such luck
!” With a sudden horror, Alex realized she’d spoken her thoughts out loud.

“What did you say?”

“Sorry, my friend Tanya is here and she asked me something,” she lied smoothly. “Anyway, Mother, got to go. I’ll ring you tomorrow.”

After r
eplacing the receiver, Alex stared in a daze at her vibrator. Since ‘that night,’ she’d tried to use it to achieve the same goal, the same sense of urgency. Somehow, she couldn’t come close to what she’d experienced with him. Swearing loud and long, she rose with a bounce and grabbed the nearest clothing from the stockpile that littered the floor. Alex slid into a fitted pair of cropped denim shorts and an oversized T-shirt. As she dressed, she glanced out of the window and noticed a ‘For Sale’ sign going up next door, dreading the arrival of new neighbours. Struggling to strap her sandals, she shook her head. With her luck it would be a couple with a dozen kids—at least one of them with a drum set—and a pack of vicious dogs.

Alex
gave a brief check at the time and realized she was running late. But that was normal for her. Punctuality had never been a strong point. She felt her mobile vibrate and glimpsed the name as she snatched it up. “Yeah, on my way, leaving now.” Slipping the phone into her bag, she slammed the door behind her and raced down the street towards the beach.

* * *

Tanya was perched on a high stool, her long legs crossed, revealing a length of bronzed thigh beneath her tight dress. She sipped in a slow draught of wine, ignoring the looks she was attracting. Lustful glances didn’t impress her unless she wanted to reciprocate.

She grinned
, peering into the distance. She could just make out Alexandra’s red head bobbing along. It was obvious she was running, and Tanya wondered if she’d end up with nipple burn. Those boobs of hers resembled wild things on the move.

“Oh my
God!” Alex gasped, at last reaching the bar. Her face was flushed and shone with a film of perspiration. “I’m knackered.” She hauled herself up onto the nearby stool, fanning a hand against her red face.

“You’ve got no concept of time
,” said Tanya, pushing a long blonde lock behind her ear. Diamond studs glinted bright in the play of light.

Alex
could only stare at the simple action that oozed so much sex appeal.

“Blame mother
.” At last able to breathe, Alex signalled to a waiter. She squirmed, feeling the moisture gathering beneath her breasts.

“
Same old?” Tanya asked. She handed Alex a tissue and grinned at her attempts to dab discreetly beneath her hammock of a bra.

“Yep
, why won’t she just give up?” She paused to give the waiter her order. “You okay, Tanya?” She checked Tanya’s glass, paused, then flashed the waiter a smile. “Make that two.”

“She’s persistent
, I’ll give her that,” agreed Tanya, aware of Fiona’s obsession. A grandchild! The fact that Alexandra hadn’t ever been in a steady relationship didn’t concern her. “Why doesn’t she just book you into a sperm bank?”

“Oh m
y God, don’t give her ideas,” Alexandra chuckled with a small shake of her head. “I swear she thinks I’m on this earth just to reproduce. I mean, come on, with who? The only regular guy I meet up with is my Roger.”

“Bet you’d like to with that guy you met
.” Tanya’s eyes glinted with mischief as she peeped over the rim of her glass. A flush crept up her friend’s face.

“
Now I wish I hadn’t told you,” Alex said, taking the wine from the waiter and counting out her change. “But think I that would be a yes and a no. Yes, because he was drop dead gorgeous. And no, because he scared me.” She rested her chin on her hands, a frown scuttling across her brow.

“
He scared you? How?” Tanya tilted her head to one side, trying to follow her reasoning. She pushed a straw into her glass and her pearly pink lips sucked it with a delicate precision.

“He’s dangerous.
Too confident, and much too good looking. He’s the type to eat you alive and spit you out.” Alex gave a dramatic sigh. “But Tan, even if I have a hundred lovers in my future, I doubt any of them could make me forget him. He took me to places I didn’t even know existed.”

“Sounds to me you’ve got quite a thing for him
.” Tanya smiled at her friend, filtering her straw through the ice cubes.

“Nah,
I think it’s because for the first time ever I just let go. Releasing the hot and sassy woman hidden inside, instead of this plain old librarian.” She laughed without rancour.

“Bullshit!” s
aid Tanya, looking at her friend, only too aware of the low, unrealistic opinion she had of herself. With her fragile bone structure and striking features, she was undeniably beautiful. Yet she was convinced she was an ugly duckling, and nothing could change her mind. Tanya guessed it was the constant bullying from that bitch of a mother.

She didn’t blame Alex’s father for dying
. It was the only way he’d get any peace and quiet.

* * *

Solomon strolled through the office. He was oblivious to the looks generated from the female workers, producing more heat and electricity than the national grid. His mind was focused on one thing, and that was his mysterious lover. He wanted a repeat performance, and soon. He felt hot, horny, and hungry. Moreover, he knew exactly how he was going to satisfy his urges.

Throwing the door open
, he turned to his secretary and came straight to the point. “Everything in hand?” His powerful body filled the small room.

“Yes, took a bit of persuasion.
But since we’re paying him over the odds, he was prepared to put his house on the market.” She gazed up at him, appreciating the way his Armani suit fit snugly over his muscled body and the beauty of his tanned face. “Why didn’t you simply buy it off him?”

“Authenticity
. I want it to look like a freak coincidence,” he said, showing her a glimmer of white teeth, a small smile on his lips. He was looking forward to the reunion, curious as to how she’d react. He trusted it would be with the same wild abandon.

“Hmm, well I
hope she’s worth it because this has cost you a fortune,” she reminded him. The amount he’d paid just for the privilege of living next door was unbelievable.

Solomon thought back to that night
. He couldn’t forget it, couldn’t forget her. She was a beautiful mystery, one he was intent on solving and enjoying for as long as she could hold his interest. He was determined to seduce her, get her into bed again before moving on. He knew it wouldn’t take long, that he’d soon get bored.

“I can afford it, and what
else is money for?” He tugged at his tie, hating the constriction. “When I move in, I’ll be away from the business for a few weeks. I’m guessing four, max. But I’m sure you can all manage without me.”