Authors: Vivienne Harris-Scott
She had closed her eyes and he found
himself looking at her to his heart's content. His head was against the
headboard, while hers was on a pillow that gave him a vantage view of her face
and shoulders. She looked scrumptious. He let himself dream of her skin,
languishing for a taste of it. It looked so warm and velvety like burnt
caramel, or honey
…
Golden. Her skin reminded him of the
sweetest of confections he wanted to
savor
. He was so
tempted to touch her, but didn't dare; instead, he tried to memorize every
single detail of her face. Her skin was flawless, yet, he could swear she
wasn't wearing any make up. He couldn't see any wrinkle or even sun spots, her
pores were simply invisible, her lashes were long, black and curly, her button
nose just perfect, and he wondered just how old she was. Her posture at the
airport told him she was a woman over thirty, but looking at her now, he
wondered if it truly was possible considering how perfect her complexion was.
His gaze rested on her lips. Juicy was the only word that came to his muddled
mind. Yes, plump and juicy as if a cherry had made her permanent home there.
Her black hair was layered with auburn streaks, her soft and voluminous curls
were scattered around her face on the pillow; she was breathing softly and
Julian couldn't help but get closer.
Before long, they found themselves leaning
against each other, and she nestled against his hip, while imprisoning his
mid-section with her arm. She had fallen asleep. He looked at her and for the
umpteenth time he speculated on who she was and more importantly, why she was
affecting him that much. The situation was unnerving. He couldn't wrap his mind
around the fact that he had a perfect stranger sleeping inches away from him,
and he hadn't had sex with her, nor made one of his signature attempts; but on
the contrary was willing to do whatever she asked, when she asked, and of
course, he still did not know her name!
All the questions swirling in his mind
made him feel restless and he found himself trying to extricate himself from
her grasp, only to have her whimper in her sleep,
“
Don't leave me
…“
as she was clutching the pillow and
freeing him. He caressed her hair, bent over to kiss her forehead and said
softly,
“
Baby, I'm not going anywhere.
”
As he did, he took a whiff of her
perfume, and he couldn
’
t help inhaling deeply. The scent was
unusual, yet oddly comforting, if not entrancing, and, he almost kissed her
again, her fragrance pulling him in.
He ran his fingers through his
hair, trying to distance himself, and shaking his head, thinking,
Baby?
What the fuck is wrong with you? You are ridiculous! Thank God, she is asleep
and won't remember any of this! Jesus, I need a drink!
He kept looking at her, wanting to leave;
yet, not able to, even though he was now free to do so. He was conflicted and
confused, and getting slightly ticked off. This whole setting was bizarre; too
much so, actually. He didn't watch women sleep! He was Julian McCarty for
crying out loud! He sent them to heaven crying out his name, and then,
sent them on their way!
What the hell was happening here?!
The restlessness eventually won, and he
retrieved his cell phone from his pocket, while making sure he wasn't awaking
her. He texted his older sister, which in itself was kind of another first
because he couldn
’
t recall a time he ever asked her love
advice
.
Love
? What!
Maybe Melissa could help him. Never mind,
she was on the other side of the world, in London, with her husband and
according to the phone clock, it was the middle of the night there. For some
unknown reason he felt she could shed some light on the peculiar situation he
was unexpectedly faced with. He needed a woman's opinion here, and any sort of
insight would be appreciated, because he felt like he was sinking, and fast.
Above else, he also knew, none of his boys would take this situation seriously
or even kindly.
He could already hear their laugh in the
distance.
Julian
He was watching over her and conjuring up all sorts of
scenarios about her identity when he saw her move. It took him a few seconds to
erupt from his haze and realize his phone was receiving a call. She had
heard the noise and she made a slight moaning sound, turning away from the
noise.
He got up hastily as his phone vibrated
and started to ring crescendo. Once outside the room, he picked up and
whispered,
“
Hello?
”
“
Well, hello to you too, brother of mine!
So, what is going on? You have a stranger in your house? Should I be concerned
and call the cops?
“
said the chirpy voice of his older
sister.
He laughed, exhaling and realizing this was
the relief he needed.
“
No.
”
he answered, and went on telling her what
had happened from the minute he picked up the woman at LAX to her present
presence as she laid asleep in his guest room. Melissa was silent for a minute
and finally asked,
“
What is the problem Julian?
“
“
I don't really know to tell you the
truth...
”
he replied, perplexed.
“
Hmm, you seem puzzled, if not rattled, and
I have to say this is very odd for you...
”
she continued laughing, and adding with
mirth,
“
Have you tried to bang her yet?
”
“
No.
”
he cleared his throat.
“
Well, this is a first! You go through
women like other men go through underwear...
”
his sister mocked him.
He cut her out, protesting,
“
I don't even know her name!
”
“
That never stopped you before!
”
she insisted.
“
True.
”
he admitted, sheepishly.
“
Well, maybe you should snoop in her
luggage. That should give you some clues...
”
“
I can
’
t.
”
The suggestion had brought a smile to his
face, but he knew he could not follow through with it.
“
Why the hell not?
“
Melissa enquired, surprised.
“
It would be invading her privacy. I don't
think she would take it too kindly. Besides, I don't know, I think she would be
disappointed if I did...
”
he retorted, not quite believing his own
ears.
Silence met his answer.
As silence perdured, he looked at his
phone to check the connection and said,
“
Mel?
”
“
Yeah, I'm still here. Jul, why do you care
if she is disappointed?" she asked in a serious tone.
“
I honestly don't know
…“
was his slow and simple reply. He
repeated the words, quite shocked by his own admission.
“
Well, maybe this woman, whoever she
is, will be the one to finally tame you. She dazzled you into a stupor it
seems! You sound positively whipped already and I have to say, I'm enjoying
this!
“
her clear voice said with undisguised
glee.
“
Bitch!
”
he grunted.
“
Jerk!
”
she countered with a laugh.
“
Well, thanks for calling, I have to go...
”
his voice, trailed off.
“
Jul?"
“
Yes?
”
“
Keep me posted. Try to be kind...
”
she advised with a smile in her tone.
“
I will. We'll talk soon. Bye Mel.
”
Julian quickly ended the call, shaking
his head and grinning.
He shut is phone off. He didn
’
t want to be disturbed by anyone until he
figured out what to do next about the stranger who occupied his every thought.
He went back into the guest room, and once
he confirmed the sleeping beauty was still out for the count, he descended to
his kitchen and decided to cook. Cooking always relaxed him. It was a side of
him not many people got to see, even his girlfriend had benefited of only a few
meals cooked by him over the span of their on and off relationship.
He really didn't want to think about her
right now, but solely of the woman upstairs, and he hoped she'd be hungry upon
waking up. The thought of her getting out of bed, prompted him to walk
to the main door as he realized he never took her luggage out of the car
and he figured she'd want to dress when she woke up.
Lifting a soft leather bag, he examined it
and again noticed the business class priority tag, the airline, but also
noticed a tag with a single word, a name
“
McGregor
”
and a phone number with a 415 area code,
no address, nor email. He knew this was San Francisco area code and wondered if
it was where she lived, already thinking about the logistics of their
relationship.
He caught himself shaking his head.
Relationship?
You have a girlfriend, remember?
Evidently, Frances was already in the past
as far as he was concerned. She never managed to stir him the way the stranger had
in such a short period of time.
But what of the
“
McGregor
”
name? Clearly, that's Irish, and she's
not.
What if she has a husband? Well, why wasn't he at the airport?
So many questions and he was not any
closer to answers. He took her two bags and case upstairs, left them close to
the bed and before leaving the room, couldn't resist the impulse to come close
to her and caress her hair. He remembered smelling jasmine and pepper? And
again, he felt something stir inside him.
He gave her a last look before heading
out.
I need a drink, preferably a strong one,
was his thought as he exited the room.
With the
Ipod
on
he started to cook, and was grateful for the distraction of his hands and mind.
After an hour, and with a meal almost ready, he felt the restlessness come
back with force, but refused to succumb going upstairs to wake her and
demand answers.
Instead, he left the house and descended
to his pool. He disrobed, got a pair of Speedos on, plunged into the blue water
and started to swim like the devil was chasing after him.
I
’
ll never leave you
…
Vi
I stirred and opened my eyes. It took a full minute to
come out of my haze and recall where I was.
Then, it hit me like a brick. I was at Julian
McCarty's house! In his guest bedroom to be precise. The events from
the afternoon came rushing back, and while examining the room, I smiled.
I got up and noticed my luggage had
magically appeared by the bed. I couldn't help my smile to grow wider as I
thought,
How considerate of him!
Then I burst out laughing, as my inner
voice hammered,
“
Don
’
t
even think about it!
”
“
I'm not thinking about anything! The man
is fine as hell, but we both know NOTHING is going to happen here, so calm
down! He caught me off guard because I was tired, but trust me I have no
interest in him!
”
I
said aloud.
I opened one of my bags, chose a
pair of boy shorts and a shirtdress and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Once cleaned and dressed, I pulled out a Hediard chocolate from my beloved
Hermès
case to get some courage, and headed downstairs to
find him.
I was just going to thank him, order a car
and take my leave.
Piece of cake, right?
Of course, I knew who he was upon laying
eyes on him at the airport. Who didn't know Julian McCarty?
He was everywhere. From silver screen to
business magazines, very difficult to ignore once you had him in front of you.
Even more so for me, as I knew more about him than the general public and had
personal accounts of some of the events that marred his personal life at a
point in time.
I confess, I had also seen the recent
pictures in People and Paris-Match, like anyone else! Any red blooded woman
salivated over that tanned body, the onyx hair and those navy blue eyes. I had
never met the man but I felt I already knew him. But, that knowledge was enough
for me to stay clear of him.
Nothing can happen between us
…
I had already decided to avoid him when I
saw him at LAX, trotting while chatting away on his phone. After all, I
knew of his reputation and simply didn't need to fantasize over a Casanova!
Yet, the distraction of watching him had made me stop my luggage cart, but I'd
never admit this to anyone.
I simply no longer looked at men. Not
since...
Well, I wasn't going to think about it,
but let just say, after five years of being utterly celibate, seeing Julian
swaying in his perfect Boss suit, totally oblivious of his surroundings stirred
something in me. My heart hadn't felt anything for so long, it took me off
guard.
It was his smile. I saw him smile and then
laugh over the phone and I figured, it couldn't hurt to just discreetly look...
Never in million years did I expect him to
bump into my cart or even speak to me! The whole thing took me by surprise and
rendered me speechless. And because I didn't trust myself, I went on the
offensive when I finally found my voice.
I thought I handled him and myself pretty
well, showing both firmness and coolness that seems to destabilise him.
Now, hours later, here I was, descending
the stairs in his mansion, wondering how I would get out of this situation
unscathed.
The man was attractive, hot even, if the
flock of women trying to pin him down were any indication, but I had taken a
vow, and if he thought I would spread my legs for him or worse become
enamoured of him, he simply had another thing coming. I didn
’
t care if the man was sexy as sin, rich or
rude as hell, I had to get away from this house. And the sooner, the better.
I called out his name, several times, and
didn't get any response as I advanced in the living room. Reaching the terrace
panel door, I saw him in the pool below and found myself unable to stop staring
at his long, tanned, perfectly proportioned, stretched body, moving
forward, stroke after stroke.
I licked my lips, thinking I might just
dash upstairs, put my boots on, grab my bags and just leave without saying a
word. I simply was not sure I could find my voice in the presence of this man.
He was twenty feet away, and already, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by his
body. I knew the closer he would be to me, the harder I'd find it to stand on
my own.
I had a preview when he gave me the wine
upon our arrival. It scared the hell out of me then.
He'll never know it but the reason I
didn't turn around to accept the glass he fetched me was because I could barely
stand on my legs feeling him so close. My own weakness is how I ended up
leaning against him for support, while my eyes were closed and I was summoning
the Lord to give me the strength to help me speak so I could get away from him.
Yes, his proximity was a very dangerous
distraction.
While I was contemplating the best course
of action, his dogs had come to the terrace and started to bark.
It was too late to run.
((~~!~~))
Julian
I felt her even before seeing her. I got out of the
pool because I could feel her gaze on me. I just knew she was there, watching.
And, the dogs were barking, but in truth, I couldn't really hear them. I pulled
a towel from the chaise and wrapped it around my waist while climbing the
stairs to the terrace, and there she was: on the other side of the glass, only
wearing a white shirtdress with cat's eyes on it, just standing still and
staring. Her look made me swallow. Hard. I tried to smile, but I'm sure it
looked more like a grimace than anything else. I felt paralysed; like I was in
a cloud and couldn't shake it off.
I slid the panel door and said with all
the confidence I could muster,
“
Hi, you're awake...
”
She looked up at me, wide-eyed, and said
softly,
“
You left. I woke up and you were gone.
“
Her green eyes bore into mine and I found
myself replying out of nowhere,
“
I didn't leave. I'd never leave you.
”
My hands seemed to have a life of their
own, and touched her hair, pulling her towards me until I had her body tight
against mine. My voice, just above whisper, against her ear, I repeated,
“
I did not leave you, I wouldn't.
”
What? Where the fuck is this coming from?
Jesus man, you've got to get hold of yourself! You do sound whipped!
Before I could reflect on my shocking
statement, I felt her relax against me, and once again my manhood started to
take control under the towel, and I forgot it all again.
She looked at me, smiled, and said,
“
This is the nicest thing you said to me
today.
”
I couldn't help but laugh. I lifted her,
taking her inside, to the kitchen, and sat her up on the island. With both
hands on her sides, and her face inches from mine, I sheepishly said,
“
This is going to sound odd... but what is
your name?
”
Her head tilted and still looking at me
straight, she asked,
“
Does it matter?
“
I stared back at her, pondering the
question, and replied truthfully,
“
No, actually it doesn't matter at
all...But, we're no longer strangers, are we?
”
“
No, we're not.
”
smiling, she added,
”
Victoryn is my name.
”
“
Julian.
”
I introduced myself.
“
Nice to meet you Julian.
”
she grinned.
“
Likewise, Vi.
”
I said with a broad smile.
“
Now that introductions are out of the way.
Are you hungry? I cooked. I figured you'd crave a homemade meal after your
nap...
”
my hands were showing
her the stacks of food.
“
Yes, I am craving good food among other
things...
”
she countered, licking her lips.
“
I
…”
I don
’
t know what I was going to say, but she
put her index on mine and her darkened eyes displayed inner
hunger. I could feel myself open my mouth before even thinking of doing it, and
before I knew, I was sucking on her finger. She moaned, looking straight at me
with a primal look, and I felt my legs shake. I had never heard a woman moan
quite like this and that look...
Jesus
.
Using both my hands to steady myself, I
held her hips, released the finger and kissed the nape of her neck, provoking a
deeper moan.
My lips trailed to her earlobe, her cheek
and finally made contact with her bottom lip. Touching her felt electric, like
a bolt of lightning had suddenly gone through my body. Parting her lips, I
finally felt her tongue against mine, and I realized she tasted like apples and
chocolate. Deepening the kiss, I was unable to control the growl rising into my
throat. Trying to catch my breath, I looked at her and said with an Australian
accent that I thought I lost years ago and which sounded foreign to my own
ears:
“
Baby, we need to stop right now, because
if we don
’
t
…
I
’
m gonna fuck you on this counter, and I
don't want our first time to be on a kitchen island...
”
I pulled back, and unable to sustain the
fire I could see in her eyes, turned my back on her to compose myself.
After a few seconds, my breathing
regulated, I said,
“
Let's go eat. I'll grab some clothes and
meet you at the table.
”
I had no idea how I would get through the
meal. All I knew was she was making me lose control, and that was dangerous.
((~~!~~))
Vi
Ok, so I know. I was supposed to get up, get dressed,
say thank you and leave... right? Right.
The minute I saw the droplets of water on
his body, I realized there would be no easy way out. I could feel my breath
becoming more labored as I was watching him approach the glass panel. My
heartbeat seemed to be located in my apex instead of my chest, my ears were
buzzing.
By the time he did open the panel, my
voice had, once again, left the building and I could only whisper in a shaky
voice,
“
You left. I woke up and you were gone.
“
.
I was petrified. This was not supposed to
happen. I simply couldn't be falling for this man, or any man for that
matter.... Definitely NOT, especially not this one....
What are you doing?,
was my main thought, as he was pulling me
against him.
Oh God!
, came next, as I felt his hardness, the heat of his
body, and his voice whisper into my ear.
When he lifted my body to take me to the
kitchen, the brief minute it took was enough for my nipples to get stiff and
for my juices to start flowing.
Who knew? My body was alive in his
presence. This was a shock.
It was bad, very bad; but, why was I
already eager to his touch?
He hadn't touched me yet, but I was
craving him like no one else before.
“
Damn, girl! Really?!
”
,
said my inner voice as I was caressing his lips
with my finger hoping he would suck on it as I was boldly telling him I craved
more than food...
I just wanted, no, needed to feel him.
Fuck,
I replied to my inner voice.
It's been five years,
over five long years, and I don't even remember what it feels like, so leave me
alone. Just this once! It's just fucking. Nothing else will happen here...I
just need this
…
I
...
My train of thoughts was interrupted when
I realized he was kissing my neck and I was openly moaning....