Dark Desire (Touched By You 1) (3 page)

"Are you excited?" Natalie realized that Jazzy was directing a question to her.

"Scared and excited, both. I don't know if I'd be able to do this without Ellis. I'm so proud of him. You know he got a job at Artisan French Cuisine, as the sous chef. He risked everything when he skipped college to go to The Culinary Institute in New York. Now it's paying off." She smiled at her friend's success.

"Yes, dear Ellis Larsen. It's a relief that he will be there for you. I'd hate to think of you going off to that big city, all by yourself. At least, you know you'll eat," Jazzy giggled.

Natalie had met Ellis in high school and they'd been friends ever since. He'd given her plenty of tips on cooking. It was a great help, since she prepared the meals at home. He was always fun and they got along well.

It had never been romantic between them. Not just because Natalie never seemed intereste
d in the boys in her hometown. It just wasn't that type of relationship.

S
he'd talked to him on the phone plenty since he moved to New York, where he seemed to blossom. Maybe he'd meet the right person. Certainly, he deserved it.

"And don't worry about mom," Jazzy admonished. "I know you, big sister. You always take care of us. But I can cook. Well, maybe not like you, but we'll get by. I'll do my best."

"I know you will," Natalie agreed. "I love you, Jazzy. I'll call often, I promise."

"You better," she grinned
.

Natalie pinched herself. The flight to New York was underway and her heart was soaring higher than the plane. Design school had always been her dream. She'd lived at home and gone to
the local college to save money for her tuition. Then, the notification about the scholarship arrived.

When she
’d applied, she had little hope of being chosen. Apparently, her designs caught someone's eye and she couldn't be more grateful. She'd work hard. It wasn't work to her. She'd loved designing clothes since she was a little girl, dressing her dolls in new outfits.

Now,
she had the opportunity to get her Bachelor of Design degree for fashion. Even with all the money she'd been able to save as a seamstress, she couldn't pay the full tuition. Without the scholarship, her education would have been delayed. She couldn't believe her luck.

The institute's brochure had proudly mentioned that some of their students had received prestigious awards from the Fashion Foundation and were awarded 12-month internships in New York with high-profile labels such as Calvin Klein. Natalie pushed the idea aside for now. It was enough
that she'd be in the program. She couldn't be greedy. But, she'd sure give it her best when the time came.

Out the small window of the plane, she could only see clouds. She put her head back and closed her eyes. There he was - Mr. Gorgeous, tall and lean, his pale skin contrasting against his dark brown hair with brilliant auburn highlights. She could still feel his rock-hard muscles, smell his male scent and hear his baritone voice, just as though she was in his arms.

She felt the pressure of his swollen cock against her and the erotic feel of his tongue, every time she masturbated. She'd never be able to explain why, after such a long time, he appeared in her mind frequently or why the memory was so vivid. The image was burned in her mind. She should have dated more. Now, the memory of that night was all she had.

She couldn't delude herself. What she felt was strong, very strong. It seemed nothing could erase her desire for him, nor did she want it to. Just the opposite, she clung to her desire like a lifeline. There he was, emblazoned in her fantasies, his stern countenance in conflict with his gleaming, baby blue eyes. If she could paint a picture of the perfect man, it would be him - Tanner. She
'd often said his name out loud when no one was around to hear her.

It wasn't that she was never asked on a date. She just never felt that kind of attraction to any other man. All others, frankly, seemed inadequate compared to Tanner's feral, rough sexuality. She guessed she was weird. All her friends dated.

Her mother encouraged her to go out more, reassuring her that she didn't need to be home so much. Maybe her mother feared that her own nightmare-like relationship with an irresponsible man had jaded Natalie. But it was really the opposite. Natalie admired her mother's undying love for one man. No matter that it was ill-placed.

She often wondered where Tanner was and what he was doing, even though she had no right to care. Surely by now, he was married. He was several years older than she was. From the
look of him, he'd probably attended some Ivy League school. Odd, she remembered his upper class look. Well, not really. She remembered everything about him, as if time could not erase the images.

Here she was, leaving home for the first time at age 22.
She wondered if he ever thought about her. She shook herself back to reality. Sometimes, Tanner seemed more real than her normal life. She'd have to watch that. He didn't even know she existed.

The idea that he even remembered what happened at the concert was remote. She envisioned he had a very full, successful life
– wherever he was. She'd known from the start that he was in a different class than she. At best, she was a tiny speck in his past. And that was enough for her. Just the memory that she'd been with him for a brief moment in time, meant everything.

Flying into La Guardia Airport was quite an experience for a girl who'd rarely been outside rural America. Natalie had purposely taken an early flight, so it would still be light when she landed. There was no way she'd fly in at dark and miss seeing the Statute of Liberty.

There was the lady of freedom, standing tall against the flat ocean. The landing was too quick to suit Natalie. She wanted a longer look at the statute, from above. At least she saw her, as she knew that not every landing offered that view. It depended on the approach taken to the landing strip. She felt lucky. Maybe New York would mean good things for her.

Inside the terminal was bedlam. She'd never seen so many people in one place and was relieved to see her friend's smiling face.
At over six feet tall, he stood above the crowd and was not far from her. She saw his pale blue eyes, light brown hair and handsome face. "Ellis!" She shouted. The noise level prevented him from hearing her.

But Ellis was looking at each person as they exited and spotted Natalie even before she yelled. "Natty!" He strode forward and wrapped his arms around her for a tight hug. She giggled with delight, all concern and fear of the new city dissipated by his familiar presence. She hadn't seen him since he'd moved to New York, but they chatted frequently by cell phone or annoyed each other with endless texting.

Ellis got Natalie efficiently through baggage claim and safely into his silver Volkswagen GTI. They both stopped for a breath before continuing. "Nice car," she said looking around.

"I like it. It's the sporty model," he beamed at her. "I take the subway most of the time, though."

"It's so great to see you," she said. "Let's get out of this airport. I'm getting claustrophobic."

"Su
re thing. How about some food? I know they don't feed you on those flights. I'm a chef and the idea of bagged peanuts is revolting."

"Actually, I'm starved," she sighed, rubbing her belly.

Dinner was at a quiet place that Ellis frequented, if you could call anywhere in New York, quiet. All the way to Gino's Trattoria, Natalie looked out the window, drinking in the sights. The little Italian restaurant was everything Ellis promised. It was cozy and the food was excellent. They shared a bottle of Nebbiolo, an Italian red that Ellis chose. She dug into her spaghetti with meatballs and caught up on news between bites.

Natalie listened while Ellis filled her in on the restaurant where he'd been hired. It served French cuisine and he was fortunate to work with the world-renowned chef. He hadn't met anyone special yet, in his personal li
fe. Now that he was out of culinary school, he'd have more time to socialize. He was just so glad to see her and she felt exactly the same.

Their time together seemed to speed by. He
dropped her off at the home of Cheryl Easton, an instructor at the design institute she'd be attending. She was renting a room. She felt fortunate to have found something affordable.

During admissions, students were provided assistance to locate lodging. Paying for a room in Cheryl's home, not far from the institute, was perfect. Natalie wasn't sure why Cheryl wanted to rent space in her lovely penthouse near the Fashion District, and for such a reasonable price.  But, she was thrilled that she did.

Cheryl Easton was a former fashion model. Natalie was looking forward to meeting her. She had connections in the industry and made some guest appearances at the institute. From the photos Natalie had seen of the penthouse, Cheryl lived a luxury lifestyle.

Parking was impossible, so Ellis
let Natalie out of the car in front of the building. On the way over, she’d called, so Cheryl was expecting her and buzzed her up, immediately.

Cheryl Easton was more striking in person than in her photos. She looked much younger than her 48 years. She was several inches taller than Natalie and seemed to glide when she walked, such was her grace achieved from years on the runway. Natalie
tried not to embarrass herself by tripping over her own feet.

"Hello, Cheryl. I'm Natalie. It's so good to be here," Natalie managed to state without being tongue-tied in front of
the famous model and sex symbol, but found she was staring. Cheryl Easton's brown eyes had a bronze hue and were the most unique color Natalie had ever seen. Her long, dark hair hung, far below her shoulders. Her short bangs contrasted with the dramatic length.

"Welcome," Cheryl greeted her warmly. "Let me show you to your room first. We can chat and get to know each other, once you get settled." Cheryl strode ahead, her long slender legs showing beneath the short tight skirt and her radiant black hair blowing around her as if she'd be photo-ready at a moment's notice.

Natalie’s rented room looked like something out of a magazine. It was a corner bedroom with deep magenta carpet. Otherwise, everything was white including the walls, the bed cover, the four posts of the bed and the sheer canopy. The contrast was stark. Two of the walls were floor-to-ceiling windows with breathtaking views of the high-rises in the Upper East Side. Natalie walked to the window and looked out at the massive city.

If only Jazzy were here with me, she wished, as she dialed her cell phone. "Jazzy, I'm here," she told her. "It's unbelievable! You should see the view from my bedroom."

"Oh, Natty, it's so good to know you got there safely. I wish I could see it. Maybe sometime I can visit," Jazzy replied.

"Yes, I'll make sure you do," Natalie assured her. "Everything okay there?"

"Yep, all is well. Mom misses you but I'm taking good care of her. She's been tired today, just all the excitement of seeing you off, I think. Right now, she's sleeping. I'll tell her you arrived, safely. We can talk again tomorrow night. I want to hear all about what it's like there," Jazzy said.

"Absolutely," Natalie agreed. After hanging up, she did a quick unpack and went out to the main room, to get to know Cheryl.

Cheryl was very interested in Natalie, her family, her career and who she knew in New York. Natalie told her about Ellis, her friend from home who worked as a chef. But other than him, Cheryl was the only person she knew, so far. She told her about her sister and her mother and how much she missed them, already.

Natalie gushed with enthusiasm about finally making it to New York to attend design school. It meant so much to her. But, what she wanted to hear about was Cheryl and all about the fashion world.

Natalie was enthralled, chatting with Cheryl like they'd been girlfriends for years. Cheryl was not only a stunning woman-of-the-world, but exhibited a warm, friendly personality, as well. "Modeling is an exciting career, but it's not for every woman. Those of us that do succeed start with the right body type, but it takes hard work to be a supermodel.

I think back on it, and realize I could only do that when I was young. My diet was very strict. Prior to a big show, especially if the clothing was revealing, I'd only drink protein shakes, no solid food at al
l. Plus, I drank a lot of water so I wouldn't bloat. Then hours before the show I wouldn't drink at all, so I could drop several pounds.

Like peaking for any sport,
it takes dedication. And the schedule can be grueling. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. I had the opportunity to wear many expensive designs. I met so many interesting, talented people, and got to travel. It was a time to remember.

But, I'm glad that I don't have to maintain such a strict diet, or work out twice a day anymore," Cheryl smiled, pleasantly. "I model a bit, still. And I enjoy being a guest instructor at the design school. The passion of the new designers is very inspiring."

Natalie couldn't take her eyes off the lovely woman. She was still as slender as a reed and stunningly beautiful. As far as she could tell, a more relaxed diet and exercise program had done nothing to detract from Cheryl's image.