The Seduction Plan (12 page)

When they finally stepped onto a dock several hours after the plane originally took off, it was dark. There were small lights that lit up a pathway but the dock was at the bottom of a hill and Victor swept her up into his arms, carrying her into a building but not allowing her to stop and gawk at any of the extraordinary rooms they passed by. He carried her right into a bedroom where the sheets were already turned down, the lights were low and as soon as Lana’s back touched the soft sheets, Victor’s mouth covered hers. She didn’t want to know anything anymore except where Victor would touch her next and what she could do to elicit his groans of pleasure.

The next three days were glorious. Victor was a little misleading when he said he had a house. He actually owned an island off the coast of Barbados which was taken care of by a couple most of the year. The wife cooked delicious meals and cleaned the house while the husband maintained the grounds. They slept, ate, swam in the ocean and the pool. Victor taught her how to wind surf and she found that she genuinely enjoyed the sport although she was only able to maintain the sail upright for a few moments at a time. When she wasn’t working on her wind surfing, she lazed away on the beach watching Victor as he kite surfed; a relatively new sport where the person’s feet remained on a surf board and was carried along the surface of the water by a parachute type of kite. Lana sipped ice cold refreshments and tried to hide her fear for his safety as he whizzed through the waves, skimming across the surface far out to sea and then back again.

The rest of the time, they talked and joked, argued good naturedly about politics or any other topic that came up. Lana couldn’t remember laughing so hard or eating so much food during a three day period.

And of course, Victor challenged her in all ways. When they were just lying about on the beach together, Victor wouldn’t let her wear a bathing suit. She was horrified at the idea at first, especially since she only had a one piece, having discarded the bikini she’d originally thought to buy since it had been too risqué. Victor solved that problem by having several bikini bathing suits brought out the next day, which he refused to allow her to wear the tops to. By Saturday morning, she didn’t even hesitate. Wearing her bathing suit down to the beach in the morning, she simply shrugged it off that afternoon. Of course, she blushed profusely as he watched her, and the incorrigible lout started chuckling as she pretended to not care.

They delayed their return until the last possible minute, not arriving back in New York until midnight.

Walking with her down the long hallway, Lana knew she was almost asleep on her feet but she didn’t want to let him go. He had an arm around her shoulder while he walked her to the door of her apartment. “Thank you for a wonderful weekend,” she said sleepily as he kissed her goodbye at her doorway.

“You’re welcome. And I still think you should sleep at my place instead of here,” he replied, pulling her into his arms but he didn’t press her, knowing she was too tired.

“I wouldn’t get any sleep,” she laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder as he unlocked her door and led her inside. He always turned on several lights, making sure she was safe before he left. Lana thought it was a very sweet, considerate gesture and it made her feel cared for.

“You’re right,” he replied, not even arguing the point. “But would you care?”

She sighed and slipped off her shoes. “Not tonight. But I have to work on my book. I have a deadline coming up and my editor is getting impatient for the final chapters.”

He saw how hard she was working to just keep her eyes open and relented. “We’ll talk about it over dinner tomorrow night. Are you up for it?” he asked, kissing her on the forehead.

“Absolutely,” she sighed, happy to have any time with him.

 

“Good. I’ll pick you up at six o’clock.”

The rest of the week was just as nice. By Friday, she was finished with her book and wanted to celebrate. She wasn’t sure how to do that but she was determined to show Victor some way to thank him for what he’d done for her.

She printed out her manuscript and took it along with a red pen to a coffee shop. She didn’t go back to the one she’d run into Drew, not wanting to risk it once again. The last time hadn’t been awkward but if she knew him, she suspected that, since he didn’t get a reaction from her the last time, he would try harder to make a pointed dig the next time. She didn’t want the bother so the best course of action was to simply avoid the annoying man as if he were a pointless mosquito.

She found a cozy coffee shop a couple of blocks in the other direction. This one had a gas fireplace and overstuffed chairs off to one side and she was lucky enough to find an empty one right by the fire. Pulling out her manuscript and pen, she laid it on her lap but couldn’t seem to focus on it. Her mind was working a mile a minute, but not on the plot. She was trying to come up with different ways to surprise Victor and thank him for all he’d done for her over the past several weeks. He’d been so instrumental to everything she’d accomplished in the last month and she wanted to show him her appreciation.

Maybe flowers? No, he sent her flowers on several occasions. She wanted to do something different, something unexpected. Maybe she could cook him a meal? She was a pretty good cook but she couldn’t compare to his housekeeper who served him five course gourmet meals regularly.

She could show up at his office with cookies. She knew he loved chocolate chip cookies. She watched as several people walked by, wishing she could come up with something more interesting than simply bringing him cookies. That seemed like such a minor offering for what he’d given to her. It wasn’t just sexual freedom or passion. Her feelings for Victor were so much deeper. She’d never been with someone so considerate, who challenged her opinions, made her laugh, teased her and was just fun to be around. She knew she was in deep. Her feelings were so much more intertwined than she wanted, but there was nothing she could do about it. How did one not fall in love with a man that made her feel wonderful on so many levels?

Someone walked by the window with a trench coat and a gust of wind swept through. The flap of the coat flipped back and Lana saw the woman’s skirt underneath. It wasn’t the skirt that caught her eye so much. But the fact that the trench coat flipped back.

Her mind considered an idea that was so outrageous, she instantly rejected it. Tossing it out of her mind, she forced herself to concentrate on the manuscript. But her mind kept coming back to the idea. It was daring and perhaps a little too risqué. What if she irritated him by coming to his office? What if he was with someone else?

The risks were too much and she forced it again from her mind. She read through the same paragraph two more times, missing important punctuation errors and even a misspelled word before she gave up and put the pen down.

Continuing to watch the people outside, she debated the pros and cons of her idea. After only a few minutes, she realized that the cons side of her argument was made up mostly of her old fears about what was right and wrong in an intimate relationship. But what if his reaction was positive? What if he really liked it? If he was irritated, she could just hand him the cookies and back out of the office. If he were with others, or in a meeting, she could leave the cookies with his secretary and walk out, waiting until later when they met for dinner or whatever they had planned.

Deciding that she had to at least try out her idea or stop thinking about it, she pushed her manuscript back into her bag and tossed the whole thing over her shoulder. She wasn’t exactly sure where to go for what she was looking for, but she started at the major department stores. After several tries, she eventually found it and made her purchase with nervous excitement.

Glancing at the clock, she realized she only had two hours to make up her mind. Telling herself it was now or never, she phoned Jimmy and arranged for him to pick her up a half hour earlier than Victor had previously arranged.

The grocery store was her last stop and she hurried through the store to get all the ingredients. Back in her apartment, she mixed up a batch of the chocolate chip cookies and put them in the oven. While they were cooking, she curled her hair then pulled it all on top of her head. When her hair was finished she applied her makeup subtly so he wouldn’t know what was going on. The last part was the hardest. Pulling on the bra and garter belt was exciting, the silk stocking were erotic and she couldn’t believe how much the idea of wearing this underwear turned her on. The buzzer to the lobby doors dinged just as she strapped the second lace stocking on.

The cookies smelled delicious but she didn’t try one. Her stomach was filled with butterflies at what she was about to do. What if they were caught? Would Victor get into trouble with his company? Then she considered reality. Who would catch them her mind countered? She still wasn’t sure what Victor did for a living, but he was obviously the owner of whatever he did since he owned a fleet of planes. He referred to his vice presidents on occasion so she knew that he was higher than they were.
Whatever his position, she was going to follow through with her plan.

She placed plastic wrap over the plate of cookies just as the doorbell rang indicating Jimmy was here to pick her up. Right on time, she thought with a fluttery smile.

Lana pulled on her trench coat and belted it tightly. She considered adding a wool scarf but then tossed it out. She’d look and feel silly since she was going from her building, to the back of Victor’s limousine and straight into Victor’s office building. A scarf would only be overkill and one more thing to carry once she was inside the warm building.

Picking up the plate of cookies, she answered her door, smiling at Jimmy who was waiting patiently on the other side. “Hi, Jimmy. I’m all ready. Is Victor still at his office?” she asked, following him out to the car.

“I just phoned Edith and she said he’s finishing up for the night. He should be done just about there by the time we arrive.”

 

Lana looked at him nervously. “He doesn’t know I’m surprising him, does he?”

 

“I don’t believe Edith mentioned it,” he said with a wink as he held the door open for her.

 

Lana was relieved. “Thanks, Jimmy. You’re wonderful,” she said and reached up on her toes to give him a peck on his weathered cheek.

 

“Not a problem, Miss Lana,” he replied with a huge grin and closed the door behind her.

She sat in the back of the car and tapped her high heeled pump nervously. The shoes matched her lacy bra and panty perfectly. The plate of cookies on her lap should have been a distraction, but because Jimmy was such a smooth driver, she didn’t need to balance it much.

They arrived at Victor’s office much too quickly and Lana had second, third and fourth thoughts about what she was about to do.

Courage, she told herself as she slipped carefully out of the back of the limousine. Walking up to the security desk, Jimmy was right behind her and introduced her, telling them to issue her a visitor’s badge. That was something she hadn’t prepared for. Where in the world was she supposed to put a security badge she thought frantically. Thankfully, the badge had a cord that she could hang around her neck so that was one problem solved.

Riding up the elevator, she thought about what she was going to do. Was it a good idea? Should she follow through?

 

Yes! She had to. Remembering the night he’d sent her the dress and how powerful she’d felt, how pretty and sexy and desirable, that helped spur her on.

“Good evening, Ms. Michaels. I’m Edith. We’ve spoken on the phone,” an older woman smiled as soon as Lana walked up to the door. “He’s currently on a conference call with some Japanese suppliers but I don’t think he’ll mind if you pop in. I was in there a moment ago and he’s just about finished now.” She finished turning off her computer, then pulled her coat out of the closet behind her. “He wasn’t in the best of moods earlier. I don’t know why.”

Lana glanced at the older woman anxiously. “Uh oh. Is he like that often?”

 

Edith grinned conspiratorially. “He’s been in a very good mood for the past six weeks.”

Lana smiled back, enormously encouraged. She’d been seeing Victor for the past six weeks. That had to mean something, didn’t it? Something around her heart area fluttered with excitement and the whole evening changed from something scary to something wonderful.

Taking a deep breath to gather her courage, she straightened her shoulders and looked at the door to his office with determination. “Thank you, Edith. I appreciate that. I’ll let him know you left already.”

She waved that aside and picked up her purse. “He’s pushed me out the door, already. He’s told me to get out of here several times already but I think he’s pretty much finished for the night and won’t need me anymore. It’s my grandson’s birthday so I’m told to head out of here immediately. Victor will be thrilled to see you.”

Edith walked out of the office, winking at Lana as she turned the corner to the elevators. Lana gripped the cookies in her hands and squared her shoulders, her mind taking on a completely different attitude after Edith’s comments.

Lana knocked on Victor’s door and waited. There was a long silence and then she heard his voice. She didn’t understand his words in the foreign language but she understood his tone. He was angry for some reason. She was just about to turn around, nervous about arriving at his office unannounced, when the door opened unexpectedly.

Victor’s face when he saw her was initially surprised, then a smile formed on his face. He didn’t say a word but waved her into his office, closing the door behind them.

 

He spoke in a language she didn’t understand but he put a hand to the small of her back while he led her into his office, talking all the while.

 

She looked up at him, her eyes enquiring about whatever was going on. The conversation from his end seemed aggressive and she was wary about interrupting.

His only response was to shake his head and nod towards the phone on his desk. She nodded, understanding what he was silently telling her. Lana walked over to his desk, not wanting to interrupt as she placed the plate on his desk.