Business and Pleasure (24 page)

“No!” He stops suddenly, and withdraws as he
takes a step back. Taking my hands in his, he lifts me to my feet.
“My God, Elizabeth. I want more, but I don’t want to come in your
mouth. I want to come inside your hot, tight pussy. Come with
me.”

Although my knees are weak, and I can barely
stand, I allow him to lead me toward the dining room. With every
step, I wonder what he has planned. The anticipation is killing me.
He leads me to the glass dining table.

“I’ve wanted to do this with you from the
second we met,” he says.

I gasp as he bends me over the table so that
I’m lying flat, my breasts pressed against the glass. I turn my
head and rest my cheek on the cold, hard surface. Then he enters me
as I let out a scream of pleasure.

“Yes, baby, let it out.”

My screams fill the apartment, echoing his
every stroke. He goes deeper, and reaches around to caress my
breasts as he thrusts in and out. My heart pounds against my
ribcage, and I’m gasping, unable to draw a full breath. My body
feels like it’s on fire. He thrusts in again, harder and deeper
this time. Tears of pleasure fill my eyes. Moving quickly,
frantically, he releases my breasts and grabs my hips. He’s close;
I can sense his impending release in his actions, in the way his
breath catches. He thrusts again and again, and my passion builds
along with his. My entire body tenses, every muscle begging for
release. We fall over the edge together, both of us crying out, as
Alex fills me with his hot cum. I collapse on the table, completely
and utterly spent. The tears that had filled my eyes spilled over
rolled down my face, and onto the glass tabletop. But these are not
tears of sadness; they’re an outward sign of insane pleasure.
Slowly, Alex lifts me off the table.

“So, would you like to finish unpacking now,
dear, or would you like a shower?”

“Mmmm… Shower, please.” I can barely speak,
and I’m very drowsy. I’m also utterly and completely content.

Alex scoops me into his arms and carries me
down the hall.

Chapter Fourteen

The shower revived me, and I dressed in one
of my new sets of loungewear—a loose pair of pajama pants that
reminded me of something a harem girl might wear, and a matching
camisole top. Alex and I then spent the next several hours
unpacking…a job that took us twice as long as it might have,
normally, due to Alex’s apparent inability to keep his hands off of
me. Every time I turned around…literally…he had his hand on my ass.
Or his arm would “inadvertently” brush against my breast, and the
next thing I knew, we’d be making love again…on the couch, against
the kitchen counter, on the floor in front of the fireplace, and
once, we even made it to the bed. We created a vicious albeit very
wonderful circle, and I decided unpacking isn’t so horrible a task,
after all.

Finished with the last box, I walk through
the house and survey our work. We found a place for the few pieces
of important furniture I brought with me. My books are here, in
stacks near the fireplace and on shelves. Alex even found a special
spot to display my vintage pottery collection, even though the
pieces looked a bit out of place with his ultra-modern décor.

Alex comes up behind me and wraps his arms
around my waist. I sigh and rest my head back against his chest. I
am officially moved in with Alexander Preston.

“This feels so strange,” I tell him.

“Everything new feels strange, for a while.
You’ll get used to it.” He squeezes me tight. “The only important
thing to ask yourself is if you’re happy. Are you, Elizabeth? Are
you happy?”

“Yes.” I answer without hesitation. I am
definitely happy. After all I’ve been through the couple weeks or
so, it’s not surprising I feel out of sorts. Moving, leaving my
sister, and not having talked with Nicki in a while have all added
to my stress level. Speaking of Nicki…she’d been worried sick about
me. I had to promise her we’d get together tomorrow, so I can fill
her in on everything that’s happened.

“I do miss Becca,” I tell Alex, and just
thinking of my little sister causes my eyes to sting as tears
threaten. I’m proud of myself, though. I only texted her
twice…three times, actually, if you count the last time, when she
told me to cut it out, that we’d talk later this week.

“Well, I think everything looks great, and
I’m totally amazed your clothes fit in the closet.”

I smile. Instead of taking over the closet
in the spare bedroom, as Alex recommended, I put all my suits in
the walk-in closet next to his. Having them there makes me feel
like we’re a real couple, sharing a home, a room, a life… I even
added a pink throw pillow to the mound of black ones on
his—
our
—bed. The pillow belongs to Becca, but I took so I’d
have something to remind me of her. My eyes start burning again, so
I force my thoughts away from Becca and turn in Alex’s arms.

“Are you happy?” I ask him.

He grins, dips his head, and kisses me like
he’s starving and I’m a piece of steak.

“Does that answer your question?” he
asks.

Breathless, unable to speak, I nod and
smile.

“Well, love, I took care of all the empty
boxes. You are officially moved in.”

His smile is as big as the moon.

“Yes, it seems I am. Thank you.”

Alex kisses my hair. “My pleasure. Now, why
don’t you take a long, hot bath, while I have Joseph start some
dinner?”

“Sounds wonderful…but what are you going to
do?”

“I think I’ll get a little work done.”

I must admit, a bath in that enormous tub
sounds really good right about now. “Okay. I’ll see you in a
bit.”

I make my way toward the bathroom as Alex
heads into the kitchen to find Joseph. I start the bath water, then
strip down and climb in. I allow the sound of the water filling up
the tub to consume me, to distract me from my thoughts. I hadn’t
realized how sore I was until I lay down in this tub. The warm
water cascades over my body, warming every inch of me. As soon as
the tub is filled I turn on the jets and let the pulsing water
relax away my aches and pains. I lay my head back and think of how
things have changed in such a short amount of time. Everything in
my life has been turned completely upside down. I went from having
four lovers, available at my beck and call, to having one, and
surprisingly, I’m okay with that. I fired a maniac at work and
almost lost my sister in as a result. My best friend—and, up until
recently, my favorite lover—is in love with my sister. And last,
but certainly not least, I turned my beautiful apartment over to my
sister and moved in with a guy! Talk about big changes. I wouldn’t
do anything differently, though. I love Alex. I thought I
experienced love once or twice before, a long time ago, but that
was nothing compared to this. This is true love. This is the stuff
they write stories about. He is perfect for me. He is incredibly
handsome, has remarkable business sense, he understands how I feel
about my work, he just plain gets me, and he’s in love with me. How
lucky am I? The great and wonderful Alexander Preston loves me. The
thought makes me smile.

The sound of someone chuckling draws my gaze
toward the doorway. Alex is standing there. I must have been so
lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear him come in.

“Enjoying your bath, sweetheart?” he asks, a
chuckle in his voice.

“As a matter of fact, I am. I think the
soreness is gone now.” I feel a little embarrassed, although I
don’t know why.

“That’s good. I knew the bath would help.
May I help you out? I have something to show you downstairs when
you’re ready.”

Whatever he has to show me must be
wonderful, because he’s grinning like a fool.

“Sure.” I start to rise.

Alex holds out a huge, white towel for me to
step into, and then wraps it around me. The thing is so huge; I
could probably wrap it around me twice. He rubs my arms as we stand
there looking at each other. His sweet, green eyes sparkle, as if
reflecting his happiness.

“I love you, Elizabeth.”

Those eyes now fill with tears. I reach up
and cup his cheek.

“I love you too. Is everything okay?” He’s
making me nervous.

“Perfect. Once you’re ready, come
downstairs, okay?”

“Okay.”

Alex leaves me to get dressed. I watch him
go, wondering what’s up with him. I hurry to get dressed so I can
find out. Inside my closet, I go through all my suits, looking for
my jeans. I find an old, faded pair and a white t-shirt, and walk
out into the bedroom to put them on. As I approach the bed, I stop,
frozen in place. There, lying on the mattress is the most
magnificent dress I’ve ever seen. The dress is floor length, red
silk, and strapless. There’s a pair of matching, designer heels
sitting on the floor. Next to the dress is a box from one of the
local, high-end jewelers. My heart starts pounding in my ears. I
walk over to the bed very slowly, hardly able to breath, and I
carefully open the box. Inside, there’s a necklace that knocks the
breath right out of me. A gorgeous, white-gold necklace with
emeralds the color of Alex’s eyes and onyx stones. I run back to
the bathroom to blow my hair dry and throw on some makeup; with
that dress and that necklace, I have to look just perfect. After I
finish, I walk back to the bed, pick up the dress, and slide the
silky material over my body. I zip the back, slip my feet into the
heels, and then carefully put on the necklace. I take a quick peek
in the mirror, and then, pleased with my reflection, I head
downstairs. I can hear music playing, and as I near the bottom
floor, I the scent of roses overwhelm me. Alex is waiting for me,
and when I see how he’s dressed, I smile. He looks like he just
stepped off the cover of a men’s magazine, in his custom-tailored
black tuxedo. Beyond him, I see roses in the living room, covering
every available surface. A huge bouquet sits in the middle of the
table. There must be ten dozen roses in there! There are candles
all over the room, too, all lit and giving off a beautiful glow,
which creates such a beautifully romantic ambiance. Alex strolls
towards me, smiling that cute, mischievous grin of his. He has one
hand in his pocket, and he looks like James Bond. He also looks
like he’s, up to something. Well, obviously…

“Would you care to join me, Miss Hamilton?”
He extends his hand.

I place my hand in his.

“Of course, Mr. Preston.”

He leads me through the living room toward
the dining table, pulls out the chair for me, and as I sit, he
leans down and whispers in my ear. “You look ravishing.”

My breath catches in my throat. I am utterly
speechless. Here I was, thinking we were having a simple, quiet
dinner, and then he goes and surprises me with all of this. Not
that I’m complaining…

Alex picks up the Dom Perignon and pours
each of us a glass, and then he sits down next to me as the chef
begins bringing in our meal, which turns out to be five courses…
caviar, Maine lobster, lamb with sweet peppers, a selection of fine
cheeses, and finally, the best chocolate soufflé I have ever
tasted. Joseph must have spent hours preparing all this.

I glance up from my plate to find Alex
staring at me…again.

“What?” I ask, a little uncomfortable. Do I
have sauce on my chin or something?

Alex shakes his head, but he doesn’t stop
watching me, and he’s hardly touched his own food. I attempt to
distract him.

“So, are you going to explain why we’re all
dressed up with no place to go?” I wink and smile.

“Actually, now that you mention it…” He
lifts his glass to his lips, finishes off his champagne, and then
stands. He comes around to my side of the table and kneels near my
chair.

Oh, no…he’s not doing what it looks like
he’s doing…is he? I shake my head. No way. This is impossible. But
Alex takes my shaking hand, confirming my suspicions.

“Elizabeth, looking at you right now, I
realize how lucky I am. You are breathtaking. Absolutely gorgeous.
I had that necklace custom made, just for you. I wanted to save it
for a special occasion. The design suits you…mysteriously beauty.
You have bewitched me, body and soul. I have loved you from the
moment our eyes met. You stole my heart that first day. From that
moment, I was yours. I know we haven’t been together very long, but
I cannot imagine living my life with anyone else but you. You make
me feel complete. When you are here, this place doesn’t feel like
just an apartment; it feels like home. With every day that passes,
I love you more.”

He reaches into his inside coat pocket and
pulls out a little velvet jewelry box. Tears make his emerald eyes
sparkle. He opens the box, and I am temporarily blinded by a
beautiful, princess-cut diamond ring. Set in platinum, the
glittering white gem is sandwiched between two emeralds that
exactly match Alex’s eyes. A huge lump forms in my throat, and my
eyes fill with tears. My heart swells.

Dear God, what do I say
?
Are we
moving too quickly
? I gaze into his eyes, see the love he has
for me shining there, and suddenly I know for sure… Yes, I want to
marry him. How can I not? I love him, and he obviously cares for me
beyond my wildest expectations. How many men go to such trouble to
propose? He’s down on his knees, for heaven’s sake. I put a shaking
hand to my lips to hold back a sob.

“Elizabeth Hamilton, will you live your life
with me? Grow old with me? And will you please make me the happiest
man in the world and marry me?” The tears that had filled his eyes
spill over and flow down his cheeks as he awaits my answer.

“Yes, Alex. Yes, I will marry you.” I answer
him easily, never more certain of anything. I’m crying openly now,
too, but I smile through my tears.

As I hold out my hand, he places the ring on
my left ring finger, and then he jumps up, scoops me into his arms,
and spins me around. He places my feet back on the ground and bends
down to kiss me. With the music still playing from the stereo on
the living room, Alex wraps his arms around me and begins to slow
dance. We sway to the beautiful words of a love song, and I’m lost
in the perfection of the moment. No woman could ask for a more
romantic, more memorable marriage proposal.