FOUR
SHE’D WATCHED ERIC GO OVER his TV and appearance schedule for the next three months with his publicist who almost managed to hide her iron will beneath her pretty façade. Only the fact that he was the most stubborn strong willed person Julie had ever met kept the petite woman from railroading him into a schedule that would have killed lesser men. As it was, she couldn’t believe how tightly he was scheduled and that didn’t include his obligations to Comme Ci or taking the time to find inspiration for his new menus and cookbooks.
Anna had booked media to catch Eric eating at the uber trendy OOTB run by a hot new chef Diego Reserva. Short for Out of the Box, OOTB served mostly square food either cut into cubes or stacked. It sounded funny and it might have been a little silly but behind the gimmick was a talent even Julie could recognize. After the last of a half dozen tasting courses was served Reserva joined them at the table. Both men kept things cool and almost adversarial for the cameras flashing in their faces, but in an unguarded moment, Julie could see the admiration and almost hero worship Reserva had for Eric. For his part, Julie knew Eric’s expressions well enough to tell that despite the gimmicks, he was intrigued by the younger chef’s work.
It was a fascinating meal and between the posturing chefs, eager reporters and aloof security, an excellent chance to people watch, but nothing about it was relaxing. They’d barely tasted dessert, some liquid nitrogen frozen concoction, before it was time to go to Eric’s next appointment.
This time when they climbed into the back of the town car, she was ready for him.
“Eighth and Sixth, James,” said Eric, barely managing to get the directions out before Julie hit the privacy screen button and climbed onto his lap, straddling him.
“The Out of the Box food seemed pretty boxy to me,” she teased, leaning in to nip at the skin behind his ear. She tipped her pelvis and grinned when she felt his cock swell under her.
Watching Eric in his element was a powerful aphrodisiac. The cocky edge that came from mastery at his level was intoxicating. It was almost as if he vibrated at a different wavelength, and her body instinctively wanted to get closer to his, subconsciously aligning herself with his energy. She rocked her hips against him, giving in to the delicious curl of heat licking through her as the long hard ridge of his erection rubbed against her aching clit.
“Cher,” he said, gripping her hips and holding her still. The warning in his voice and heat in his slate gray eyes had her pulse kicking up another notch.
“I’m just saying.” She fluttered her eyelashes in mock innocence.
He slid his hands up to circle her waist, and she arched, trusting him to hold her as she let her back bow, thrusting her silk covered breasts toward him. Shocked at her own brazenness she reached up and popped open two more buttons on her charcoal blouse revealing her black lace demi bra. His breath went out on an exhale and his hands, warm and strong, glided up her ribcage until his thumbs rested under her breasts, fingers splayed across her back.
He dipped his head, and she felt his mouth hot and demanding on her neck. He trailed kisses down her throat to the tops of her breasts. When he slid his tongue under the lace edge of her bra to lave the tight point of her nipple, she sighed in pleasure, sinking her fingers into his hair and anchoring him to her. He bit gently, dragging his teeth over the satin covered peak, and she cried out, thrusting her breasts toward him.
Before she realized what was happening she landed on her back sprawled across the leather seat. In one fluid movement he’d flipped her, covering her with his body and pressing her into the seat. He cuffed her wrists over her head with one of his large strong hands, pinning her in place. His hips wedged between her legs, and she felt the long hard length of him grind against her aching sex.
“Now cher,” said Eric, rotating his hips and torturing them both. “You are going to stop wriggling on my lap and teasing me with your luscious tits, or I am going to fuck you in the back of this car, and we’ll go to the next meeting smelling like sex. Understand?”
Another roll of his hips and her body rose up to meet him. She couldn’t help it. It wasn’t conscious thought as much as pure need. He kissed her, groaning into her mouth as his body kept her caught in place. She felt his cock throb beneath the thin fabric of their slacks, a small movement that let her know he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Feeling his weight on top of her, mastering her, was almost enough to make her throw good sense out the window and let him take her right there – consequences be damned. But as much as she’d love to fuck him, take him inside her and move together until they both lost their minds, she’d learned enough about his schedule and how hard he worked to know that if he had a meeting it was because he needed to be there. She wouldn’t ever be the one who held him back or kept him from reaching his goals.
“I understand,” she said, nodding.
“But wewilltake this up later.” He rolled his hips again, and her eyes drifted shut. “And Iwillmake you pay for keeping me hard all day long.”
Even fully clothed he was the best lover she’d ever had. Her body responded to him as if she were an instrument, and he was the musician. He gave her a long lingering kiss, teasing the seam of her mouth with his tongue, tangling and tasting until she opened for him, meeting him thrust for thrust. He rolled his hips one last time to drive home the point, and she let out an honest to God whimper because he felt so good.
Releasing her wrists, he sat back, and she schooled her body to keep from following his strength and heat. Reluctantly, she shifted until she sat beside him on the seat, not touching. She slanted him a glance and the smug set of his jaw had her making one last dig.
“Promises, promises,” she said, looking at him from under her lashes while she fastened the buttons on her blouse and straightened her clothes. She heard his growl and tightened her lips to keep from smiling, knowing at least he was suffering as much as she was. Before he could respond the car came to a stop in front of an impossibly tall glass and steel skyscraper. Peter, the security guy who’d been with them all day wrapped on the door before holding it open for her, and she wondered again how much of the security was because of her compared to what Eric normally had when he travelled. She slid across the seat and out into the sunlight, pulling her coat tighter around her against the chill. Eric hustled her across the sidewalk and through the huge seamless glass doors and into the warmth of the flawlessly elegant lobby.
“We may be a while,” he said. “I can’t text you when we’re ready to leave.”
Peter didn’t look happy but he held the elevator door for them and waited until they disappeared behind it.
Eric’s meeting was on the eleventh floor, and the elevator doors slid open to reveal a young receptionist with a sleek bob and lacquered lips sitting behind a rough-hewn marble counter high desk. A barely smaller than life-sized Eric smiled down at her from one of the huge mock book covers hanging in a row on the wall. The receptionist smiled at Eric, her red lips curling in almost predator pleasure, and Julie had an unreasonable flash of jealousy.
“Eric.” She stood, gliding out from behind the desk and toward him on impossibly high fuck me heels. Julie could tell the moment the other woman noticed her by the slight flare of her nostrils and just like that, the jealousy roared back. “Chef Auxtres,” she said, catching herself. “It’s so good to see you.”
Julie tried not to hear it as the “better to eat you with, my dear” of someone who’d already had the pleasure, but before she could do more than glance at Eric to see if his expression confirmed her suspicions a gorgeous older woman with silver gray hair strode down the hallway. Eric was reaching for her before she got close, and they leaned in to kiss each other’s cheeks with far more affection than polite air kisses.
“Josephine Carter,” he said, finally letting go of the older woman. “I’d like you to meet Julie Blake. She’s going to be sitting in on our meeting today.”
Josephine didn’t hide it as she looked her up and down and Julie was glad she’d worn her nicely cut charcoal slacks with the gray silk blouse and her good black pearl earrings. With her classic sheath dress and elegant shoes, the other woman wore her polished look effortlessly, and Julie still felt underdressed. She just prayed she didn’t look too mussed from their tussle in the car.
“Ms. Blake,” she said with a nod of approval. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Julie please,” she said, taking the woman’s offered hand. “And the pleasures mine, but I don’t want to be in the way.”
