Growing up, few things scared me like a thunderstorm. My fear had sprung from a terrible winter night when Leti and I had waited for my parents to get home from work. In the midst of a huge clap of thunder, the howling wind had pushed the giant pine tree in our front yard over. Its branches shot through the kitchen window, narrowly missing me as I scrambled away. It was a terrifying moment in time that I still occasionally relived, particularly during severe weather.
But tonight I wasn’t a little girl sitting at a kitchen table waiting for her parents. Tonight I was spending the evening with a man who I couldn’t push out of my mind. Even after the intimate time we’d shared in the gazebo, I was hardly able to contain myself when I thought about seeing Grayson. I wasn’t completely sure when I’d turned the corner into mild lunacy over this guy, but it had happened. It was probably a good thing this was just a weekend fling. I couldn’t imagine what kind of havoc a man like Grayson would have on my otherwise mostly planned out life.
The reflection in the mirror blinked back at me. My cheeks were pink from the sunshine and from thinking about Grayson. I hadn’t seen myself look this relaxed and happy in a long time. My shoulders drooped some as I thought about my structured, over-planned life and future. Would a little havoc and a few left turns really be all that bad?
A knock at my door pulled me out of my somber thoughts.
“Hey, Jessi, I’m going down to dinner.” Grayson’s smooth deep tone came through the door.
“I’ll go down with you.” I walked to the door and swung it open. His hair was still wet, and he’d pulled on a black sweater and jeans. Yep, a little havoc might not be a bad thing at all, especially when it came in such a dreamy package.
Grayson looked equally pleased with my attire. His gaze dropped down the dress to my bare feet. He laughed. “I like it.”
I held out my arms. “The dress?”
“And everything that goes with it.” Without warning, he circled his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. “I missed you, V.P..”
I lifted up on my toes and kissed his mouth lightly. “Missed me? You’ve seen me three times today, and during one of those times, you saw a lot of me. I’m still feeling the sweet tenderness from that particular meeting.”
He kissed me long and deep. Even with the delicious scents climbing the stairs and circling the narrow hallway, it seemed entirely possible that we wouldn’t make it down to dinner. Then Coco’s voice brought the kiss to a reluctant halt.
“Jessi, Grayson, if you two are up there, I’ve set dinner up in the dining room. Apple pie is heating in the oven, so listen for the timer.”
“We’ll be right down,” Grayson called, his voice sounding slightly rough.
“That’s fine. No hurry. I just didn’t want the food to get cold. I’m on my way out.”
I peered up at Grayson. He looked equally confused.
He dropped his arms, and I followed him down the stairs. Coco was pulling on her coat. “The storm is about to barrel through, and my sister, Ginger, gets nervous about bad weather. I told her I would come stay with her. So you two have the place to yourself.” She shot a quick wink my direction. “That dress is perfect, Jessi. I knew it would be.”
I looked down at the pretty blue fabric. It was soft and worn and like nothing else I owned. “I agree. I may have to hire you as my personal dresser.”
Coco laughed at that idea as she pulled a purple umbrella out of the entry closet. She pointed it to the floor like a cane. For a fleeting second, it seemed as if she was crouched and slow like an elderly woman. But as she opened the door, she straightened and even added an extra spring in her step as she walked out and shut the door behind her.
I looked over at Grayson to see whether or not he’d noticed the strange transformation, but he was gazing raptly at me . . . and the dress. Selfishly, I had no intention of distracting him by bringing up the ambiguous age of our hostess.
“To the dining room?” He lifted up his arm for me to take. I wrapped my hand around his arm, and we headed in the direction of the wonderful aromas.
“You must be hungry after a long day of work.”
“As a matter of fact, I am very hungry.”
We stepped into the hexagon shaped dining room. It was an ornately decorated room, complete with bright white trim and richly colored wall paper. Two plates and a silver platter of food were set on a white-washed wood table that was surrounded with blue satin cushioned chairs. A candelabra of lit tapered candles sat in the center of the table. A bottle of wine was chilling in a silver bucket. Coco had thought of everything.
I walked over to the table and placed my hands on top of the chair as I admired the pretty place settings that had been laid right next to each other. There were only two. It seemed there had never been any indication of a third.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say our hostess might just have looked for an excuse to leave us alone tonight.” I turned back to Grayson.
He was leaned casually against the buffet, with his feet crossed in front of him. He’d already poured himself a glass of whiskey. He took a drink, all the while staring at me with a dark intensity that made my knees wobble.
“Shall we sit?” My voice cracked. “I think I could use some wine.”
I pulled out the chair as he walked to the table. He set his highball glass down next to a plate. He took hold of my hand. His dark lashes shaded the deep blue of his eyes as he dropped his gaze to my legs. “Since we are completely alone, I say this dinner will be a whole lot more enjoyable if you slide your panties off first.”
I bit my lip, holding back the smile that badly wanted to break through. He was terrific at making bold suggestions, and damn, if I didn’t just want to bend to his will immediately.
“But you said you were hungry.” My voice sounded a little shaky.
“I am.”
I scooted back a step as his heavy lids lifted. He looked at me as if he would take me right there on Coco’s lovely table.
“Didn’t say we weren’t going to eat. I just want you to take off your panties first.”
“I don’t know. It seems like such a formal dining room and the antique dishes—”
“Darlin’, it wasn’t a damn suggestion. Or maybe you need some help.”
“No,” I said abruptly. “You already shredded one pair, and Coco gave me these.”
He shrugged. The casual gesture always reminded me of just how broad his shoulders were. “Your choice then. Either way, they’re coming off.”
I reached under the dress and shimmied out of the panties. They pooled around my feet, and I stepped out of them. I lifted them and twirled them around on my finger. “Satisfied, sir?”
“No, but getting there.”
He turned the chairs at an angle so that they were nearly facing each other but still close enough to the table to eat. He waved his hand in front of the chair, motioning for me to sit. He picked up his drink and watched me over the rim of his glass as I circled in front of the chair and sat.
I primly pulled the hem of the dress down as far it would go. Even with a dress on, I felt near to naked being without panties.
He sat down with far less manners. He reached to the platter and served each of us some meat and potatoes. The chair creaked beneath him as he pushed his long legs out so that they were on each side of my chair. He leaned forward. Before I could stop him, he had the hem of the dress shoved up far enough to expose my naked pussy. He nodded, obviously pleased with himself.
“So, I’m to sit here half naked while I eat pot roast?”
“Looks that way. I want to stare at desert while I’m eating my meal. But there’s one more thing.” He leaned back against his chair and moved a big foot between my bare feet. He nudged my feet apart, exposing me even more. Suddenly, the delicious dinner was the last thing on my mind. From the look in his eyes, pot roast wasn’t first and forefront either.
It was nearly impossible to control the tremble in my hands as I picked up the fork. Grayson, on the other hand, had no problem at all. He took a forkful, pushed it into his mouth and sat back to chew. He watched me, his gaze shifting from my mouth to my pussy and back again.
I pretended nonchalance and stabbed a piece of pot roast. It was delicious and as tender as butter, but I found it hard to concentrate on chewing and swallowing. I was no longer flustered by him staring at me, quite exposed, as I ate. His lingering gaze had sent so much heat through me, all I could think about was his touch.
“You look as if you could use some wine, V.P..” He seemed to take extra pleasure in calling me by my business title as if he was reminding me of my executive status one moment, and reminding me, the next moment, that, in this scenario, he was completely in charge. I found myself more than willing to be his subordinate. This man, with the navy blue eyes and incredible shoulders, could boss me from here to damn eternity, and I’d bend to every demand. It was freeing to give up control for a change.
Grayson leaned forward and reached for the wine. He poured me a glass. As I reached for it, the hem of my dress slipped back down, covering me some. I wrapped my fingers around the glass.
He didn’t release it right away. “Fix the dress first,” he ordered.