"Sinatra is our favorite." Tom tosses me a wink.
I scroll through the music app on my phone until I find a ballad. I turn up the volume, and the song starts just as Tom reaches to tug his wife into his arms.
They move together seamlessly, their bodies obviously so familiar with one another that they can anticipate the other's moves before they happen. I watch spellbound, the wishful parts of me hopeful that one day I'll have a connection as intense and natural as this.
The song ends and another begins. This one is even more soulful. Irene closes her eyes as she rests her head against her husband's chest.
I almost jump out of my skin when I feel the light tap of a hand on my shoulder. "May I have this dance?"
I smile as I cock my head to look and into Julian's face. "You want to dance?"
"Don't you? How inspiring are those two?" He gestures to Tom and Irene who are lost in a world of their own.
Before I have a chance to answer, Julian is sliding off his suit jacket. He places it over the back of a leather sofa before he sets to work removing his silver and sapphire cufflinks. Those get placed on a small wooden table next to the sofa.
I watch intently as he pushes the sleeves of his white dress shirt to his elbows revealing toned, thick forearms.
"I need to get comfortable to dance." He extends a hand to me. "Do you want to take off anything before we get started?"
I glance down at the short black dress and strappy heels I'm wearing. "I'm good."
Another slow song begins and as the magical sound of Sinatra's voice fills the air, I step into Julian's arms.
"You should call me over to dance during every listing appointment you have," he whispers those words as he leads me over the hardwood floor. "You're a wonderful dancer, Maya."
He's kind. He's an incredible dancer. Sure of each step, his touch gentle enough to guide me, yet firm enough to command my body to follow his.
I'm pressed against his chest. My left hand is resting on his shoulder, while the right is cupped tenderly in his palm. This is the closest I've ever been to him. I feel every ridge of his firm chest and toned stomach beneath his white dress shirt. I know he's hard. He has to know I'm aroused.
"You two are a sight," Irene says as she glances at us. "Who do they remind you of, Tom?"
"Us, my darling." He kisses her cheek. "They remind me of us the very first time I asked you to dance."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Julian
As the music fades,Maya steps away from me and I feel a sense of loss that is hard to explain. I've never felt anything near what I'm feeling for her and touching her that way, as innocent as it was, left my body twisted with need.
I'm erect, wanting and tired of the craving ache that has become a normal part of my life whenever she's near me.
"This is Irene and Tom Clarkson." Maya steps closer to the older couple she asked me here to meet. "They are staying at Bishop Tribeca and noticed the brochure."
I shake both of their hands firmly. "It's good to meet you both. How are you enjoying your stay?"
"The hotel is one of the best we've ever stayed in." Tom smiles as he wraps his arm around his wife's shoulders. "We want something more permanent now that our son is living here. Tell us about the neighborhood."
It's a question he easily could have asked Maya, but he didn't. He wanted a face-to-face with me for the simple reason thatthis property costs a fortune and if he's going to invest his hard earned money in it, he wants to know the owner.
I get that. I would do the very same if I were standing in his shoes.
"You're not going to see as much tourist traffic here in Chelsea as you would in other areas." I walk toward the wall of windows that overlook the Hudson River. I doubt anyone has noticed my now semi-hard cock pressing against the fabric of my navy trousers, but I need it to calm down before I walk out of here. "The restaurants in the neighborhood are great. They're not as stellar as our offering downstairs, but you can sample a different dish every night for a year within a two block radius."
"The views are what grabbed us when we saw the brochure." Tom moves to stand next to me. "This is what a person moves to New York for. That and their family, of course."
I chuckle. "It's the ideal space to host family gatherings. It's a place where memories can be built for generations to come."
"I said the very same thing as soon as we walked through the door," Irene chimes in from behind me. "I'm in love with this apartment. It already feels like home to me."
