I wove my way around the people that lingered on the sidewalk window shopping or chatting with to-go cups of coffee. I noticed the label on them said "The Magic Bean" and decided to stop in there tomorrow for coffee and maybe breakfast if they carried pastries.
Another couple of blocks and I entered the cafe. It was exactly what I expected and needed. Though most of the tables were full, it wasn't loud. Conversations were low and the lights were dim. I didn't relax completely, but the tension headache in my temples faded.
I took my time with dinner, enjoying the atmosphere and the food. I watched the people around me and, for the first time in a long time, immersed myself in a place. I was just finishing the last few bites of my dessert when my phone buzzed.
I clicked on the new email notification and found a message from Mr. Dumont about the job. Destiny was on my side once again because he said he would be in Austin tomorrow for other business and he would like to meet with me and interview me for the job. If things went well, he wanted me to get started right away. He named a place and time and asked if I would be able to make it.
I typed out a quick reply telling him I could and would be there, smiling to myself as I did. The money I would earn from this job would put enough extra padding in my account if I needed to go back on the run.
As I paid my bill, I smiled to myself. Though my short encounter with Rhiannon had derailed me for a year, I already felt more in control and stronger.
But not in control enough to walk back to the hotel without my hand in my pocket, wrapped around the pepper spray.
I refused to feel badly about it. Baby steps were still steps.
* * *
The next morning,I didn't have time to go by The Magic Bean before my interview with Mr. Dumont, but I fully intended to drop by after. Hopefully, to celebrate my new job.
I'd gone out to my car the night before and dug through one of the boxes in the trunk that held my extra clothes. Even before I'd essentially gone on the run, I worked from home most of the time and didn't have a lot of dressy clothes. In fact, I only owned two dresses—one black and snug and the other in a deep lavender that edged toward gray and floated around my body. Neither were appropriate for a job interview.
I dug around and found some black pants that were light enough for the warm weather but tailored enough to pass as business wear. I also found a white blouse with vertical black stripes of varying thickness. I didn't remember buying it but figured it was one of those 2 a.m. Amazon purchases that sometimes showed up like little surprises. Again, that was pre-Rhiannon.
I had to settle for simple black sandals to finish the outfit. Maybe they weren't the most professional choice, but they were the closest thing to a dress shoe I owned. I didn't even have heels anymore. Just one pair of tan wedges that I considered tossing but kept because they would go with the lavender dress. As if I would ever have a place to wear it.
I'd ironed the outfit last night before I climbed in bed with my laptop and spent another frustrating hour looking for information on Rhiannon's whereabouts.
I'd given up at midnight because I needed to at least attempt a good night's sleep. I was a bit nervous about the interview because I hadn't been to one in over a year. Still, I managed to drop into sleep quickly.
And into the hottest, most erotic dream I'd ever experienced.
Strong hands laced with calluses stroked my waist before sliding up to cover my breasts. I shivered when his thumbs rasped over my nipples. My back arched and my head fell back on his shoulder. When I opened my eyes, we were standing in front of the mirror in my hotel room, his broad, tanned body surrounding my smaller, paler form. We were both naked and I could feel the firm length of his cock against my lower back.
I covered his hands with mine, urging him to touch me in the way I liked best. I gasped when he tugged at my nipples as his lips and tongue cruised down the side of my neck.
Then, he lifted his head and I nearly froze.
It was Marcus, the man from the grocery store, and the heat in his eyes made them seem radiant, almost as if they were lit from within. His gaze met mine in the mirror and grew brighter.
"You're beautiful," he said, his voice deeper and rougher than I remembered it. One of his hands left my breast and his palm felt molten as it moved over my abdomen, down and down. I rose up on my tiptoes and chills broke out on my skin as his middle finger slid over my clit and down to my entrance. I inhaled sharply as his finger sank inside me, slow and deep. I arched as other hand cupped my breast and his fingers tugged at my nipple. Fire arced from my nipple to my clit and I shuddered against him. The long hard length of his erection pressed against my back. I wanted to feel him, inside me, around me.
His finger slipped out of me and he began torturing my clit with firm, slow circles, just enough to make every muscle in my abdomen tighten but not enough to take me over the edge.
"Please," I whispered, staring at the image we created in the mirror.
His eyes were even brighter as his mouth trailed over the side of my neck, causing me to shiver.
"Please what?"
"I need..." I gasped as he tapped my clit with his finger once before he began circling again. "I need..."
"What do you need?"
"I need to come."
Sharp teeth grazed my throat and the pressure of his other hand at my breast increased, nearly painful against my nipple. I shivered in his arms, my breath coming in short pants as he also increased the pressure his other finger put on my clit.
The tension wound tighter and tighter until it was nearly unbearable. My breath caught in my chest and my hips jerked as the orgasm burst over me. My head fell back against his shoulder as I shuddered against him.
