Possessed by a Stranger (3 page)

The tall muscular stranger had stimulated her
curiosity and she didn’t want to leave alone. Seeing Jay was the
last thing she wanted to do right now.

“Thanks for the drink,
handsome. I think you’re right about going elsewhere. We are
getting the evil eye… aren’t we? Do you happen to know of any bars
close by where we
could safely continue
celebrating?” He drew into her to whisper in her ear. She tilted
her head to feel his warm breath caress her neck. The sensation on
her neck was as heated as his words, exactly as she imagined. Her
fingertips whitened from the pressure of grasping the edge of the
bar.

“Well I know the perfect place. I’m still
waiting to see you get wild and crazy. Then maybe you will decide
to have vindictive sex. Once I’m in, I like to follow through. I
never fold and I don’t like to lose”

He was the exact opposite of her; confident,
demanding, daring, and without an ounce of shame for his brazen
actions to get or take whatever he wanted. She hoped he wanted her
because she, without any doubt, needed him. The raw desire that
consumed her body was unfathomable, breathtaking and possible
fleeting if she allowed him to slip through her fingers. She gave
herself to him, in her mind. Her body had already jumped ship and
relinquished control from the first glance.

“Intriguing…where are we going?” He stood,
sliding her off her stool. His fingers met on her back with his
hands encircling her waist. Pressed together between the two bar
stools, he hesitated before releasing his hold. Her body trembled
wantonly against his powerful torso. She knew she was giving him a
green light. She was delighted he accepted her invitation.

Her body was ecstatic with enough electricity
firing inside her to light up the bar for a solid week. Her wanton
need overshadowed any trepidation or her common sense.

Larry frantically yelled from behind the bar,
“Jay’s on the phone and he wants to talk to you.”

She laughingly shook her head over the
absurdity of speaking to the low life weasel, never looking back.
That part of her life was shattered, just like the broken shards of
glass from the sparkling water that had scattered across Jay’s
living room floor. He was able to clean up the water mess. There
was nothing left to piece together between them. Her tethers were
broken. She flew solo now, apparently, into the strong arms of a
sexy stranger.

“What should I tell him?” Jay yelled louder,
with more urgency in his voice.

With his arm firmly around her waist, the man
of her dreams escorted her to the door. He answered Larry with the
perfect words that said everything for her. “Tell him I said
thanks.” His voice carried over the music and the silence of the
other patrons. His gaze remained on her.

“Shall we maintain the mystery or do you want
to tell me your name?” He asked her in a subdued tone.

He possessed her with his arm as he opened
the front door of the bar, asserting his ownership. She smiled up
at him, sliding her arm around him, melting into the heat of his
rock hard body. “I live for a good mystery. It stimulates the
imagination.”

She fleetingly wondered why she left the
safety of the bar with a perfect stranger. Very fleetingly, since
she knew the answer with every aroused nerve in her body. The air
of danger that surrounded his presence, his authoritative
personality, the possessive way he touched her and the fact he was
the sexiest man she had ever seen, made her want to go with him, to
where ever he decided to take her. Lord help her, she wanted him to
take her.

They walked outside leaving her past behind
the slowly shutting door of the bar. He signaled with a wave of his
hand and a town car stopped directly in front of them. He opened
the back door, holding her arm as she sat down backwards. Hannah
gathered the flowing bottom of her dress, pulled in her legs and
then scooted over. He joined her sliding his arm over her shoulder.
“Take us back to the hotel.”

Which hotel, she didn’t know, because he
didn’t say and she really didn’t care. At least, not after he
placed his hand on the side of her face turned her head and his
lips, soft yet adamant, grazed over hers. His warm moist mouth
covered hers with a persuasive possessiveness. She fell head over
heels into his kiss, parting her lips, hungry for more. His tongue
searched her mouth finding everything she needed him to find as he
guided her desires to an upward spiral. The heat from his kiss, his
hands on her body, and his masculinity sucking the breath from her
lungs, consumed all her reason. A fire coursed through her body
that only he could extinguish. Her head spun. Her body craved. He
delivered everything with his kisses and caresses.

When the town car stopped, she found herself
laid on the seat with her feet still in the floor. Her arms snugly
held his head. She was pinned to the seat under his persistent
weight with one of his arms under her, supporting her head with his
hand. His flexing muscles trundled over her in waves, reacting to
his escalating arousal and increasing hers. He raised his head from
the assault his lips performed on hers. His other hand hesitated to
stop its exploration of her breast, sides, back …Her fiery flesh
wanted him to continue and touch the volcano between her legs.

He sat upright in the seat bringing her with
him. She found it difficult to catch a breath without it sounding
like a gasp. Reluctantly, she released her hold on his head,
sliding her hands over his neck onto his chest. His lips touched
hers, allowing her to savor one last taste. He straightened her
spaghetti strap that drooped over her shoulder, grazing his finger
over her tingling flesh. She did a quick check of her appearance
smoothing her rumbled dress.

Her eyes darted through the dark tinted
windows of the town car to get her bearings. Oh yeah, the Eleganté
the most extravagant hotel in town, rose in front of the stopped
town car. The twenty-two floors towered to touch the clouds. Hannah
had met numerous clients in the luxurious bar, when the exchange of
rare and expensive purchases required a person-to-person meeting.
Her casual attire was a far reach from the business suits she wore
on her previous visits. Yesterday, she would have been mortified to
enter in her plain dress. Today, she thought what the hell. If they
don’t like what I’m wearing then screw them. She doubted anyone
would dare say a word considering the intimidating presence of her
escort.

He opened the car door and stepped out onto
the pavement. He turned to extend both of his hands to offer his
assistance in helping her. She swung her legs out of the car,
placing her half-his-size hands in his. With his gentle pull on her
hands, she stood in front of him. He neatly wrapped her arms behind
her, crushing her against him. His hardened manhood pressed into
her lower abs. Her stomach twitched hysterically. She realized he
felt her as easily as she felt him by the glaze that passed over
his eyes. Oh shit, her spasmodic reaction had the same effect as a
vibrator.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to let go of you
yet.” The intensity in his husky voice dampened her already wet
thong.

She wanted to scream “then don’t, damn it”
but found she had some dignity left. “We could always circle the
block.” Obviously, she didn’t have as much dignity as she
originally thought. He smiled with a devilish gleam in his eyes
that intensified her desire for him. A blaze of wanton lust flowed
through her blood. The feelings were new, exciting and, damn it,
she was going the distance.

“There isn’t enough room in that back seat
for what I have in mind. Besides, I wouldn’t want to give my driver
a free show.”

“Then maybe we should go in and see where it
leads.” She already knew where it would lead, straight into his
arms before she fell into his bed. Every part of her wanted him
with an increasing urgency. This was the man and the circumstance
she needed. They had identical needs and anonymous identities, the
perfect combination to spread her wings. No seriously, she knew she
meant legs.

His arm around her waist tightened with the
insistency, she stayed touching him. She complied by slipping her
arm around him. They walked into the bar. By his request of dark
and private, they were seated at a secluded table. He placed drink
orders for them both, of frozen margarita and scotch. He moved his
chair beside her.

One arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder,
leaving the other one free to roam her torso. “This is much better.
I don’t feel like a hungry mountain lion about to chomp down on
everyone’s favorite bunny.”

“This is much better. I feel more relaxed. It
is a close knit neighborhood and you are out of character for me.
There might be a search party out scouring the streets for me now.
Their concern didn’t seem to dissuade you. What exactly is your
agenda?”

She found it hard to think, breathe or speak
with him so close and his hand so hot on her body.

“I thought I made my intentions perfectly
clear. I want you and I won’t give up until I get what I want.” He
nibbled her ear and neck until the server interrupted with their
order. She missed his warm lips the second they moved. He thanked
the server, handing her a fifty-dollar bill. With a nod and a wave
of his hand, he indicated the transaction was over. The server left
with her generous tip.

Hannah attacked the drink in an effort to
gain some control, or lose it. Either way, the ending would be the
same. He had already won the battle for control. She was his
willing pawn. “You realize there’s a slight flaw in your plan. I
can’t have vindictive sex if I don’t have a vindictive bone in my
body.”

His moist breath returned to her neck.
Shivers ascended over her body. “Yes you do…everyone does. I can
see, feel and smell what you want. So, the only question remaining,
is why?” His constrained voice failed to conceal his lustfulness.
His hand pressed against her stomach. Spreading his fingers his
thumb worked its way up to graze the underside of her breast. Her
muscles quivered in response.

She turned her head, lightly tasting his lips
lined with scotch. “So I can move forward and leave the past
behind.”

His strong hand held her face. His thumb
under her chin tilted her head. His eyes penetrated hers. “I
already have a room here. I am offering you a night of pleasure.
You must feel some attraction or you wouldn’t be here. You want
freedom so I say dive into the deep end. If you change your mind
tomorrow and want to return to your ex and get married, no one will
know what happens tonight, but us. You will remember it for the
rest of your life.”

Not just no, but hell no, to any chance she
would return to her past life and get married. He had made a valid
point. He was the deep end. She had already left the diving board
back at the first bar.

“In that case, I probably shouldn’t finish
this drink. I would hate to pass out.” She sliced through the
transparent layer of lingering doubts plunging into the depths of
his seduction without the slightest wake.

The wickedly pleased gleam that appeared in
his eyes sent a blaze directly between her legs. She was afraid the
thong, the only other article of clothing she had on other than her
dress, would bursts into flames. As drenched as she was, she
doubted it.

He wasted no time lifting her out of the
chair. His arm claimed her waist as they proceeded to the
elevators. They passed the main grouping of elevator doors. Hotel
occupants waited for individual elevators, singularly or in their
group, to travel privately to their destination. Turning the corner
at the end of the hallway, he stopped. He extracted his key card
from his shirt pocket and slid it in the lock mechanism. The
private elevator doors opened.

CHAPTER TWO

Once they stepped inside the mahogany paneled
box, he pressed the singular floor button with the letter ‘P’
printed in gold. The private elevator zoomed to the penthouse
floor. It slowed its ascent before it came to a smooth seamless
stop. The doors automatically opened. The nameless man pushed the
lock button. He took both her hands in his, staring squarely into
her eyes. He tightened his grip on her hands, moving her arms out
to the sides then over her head.

A wicked half grin tugged
on one corner of his mouth. He stretched her arms upward until she
stood on her tiptoes. With her arms pinned to the wall of the
elevator, he bent to be face to face. He feathery
touched his lips to hers, and then outlined her
lips with his tongue. His teasing was deviously arousing. His lips
urgently pressed against hers insisting they open. She willingly
complied. Being held against the elevator wall totally at his mercy
commanded her to respond. With nothing left inside her but a
desperate need, her body’s unleashed animalistic urges took
control. Her back arched as her shoulders rolled sending a muscle
spasm down her spine. She pressed her body
against him in a snake-like slither following the heated
flush his kiss released.

His lips moved softly on
hers as he spoke. “This is your last chance to back out. Once we
step inside my room, there is no changing your mind. I’ve got a lot
of sorrow to drown and I plan on drowning it in you.” His
guttural voice, his warm breath evaporated any
reservations.

“I’m on a mission to change a lot of things
in my life but my mind isn’t one of them.” Maybe, it was the
tequila or her newfound freedom, but most likely, it was the
throbbing pulse between her legs that persuaded her to walk into
that room. She wanted the sexy stranger to rip off her clothes and
give her what she craved, to feel this gorgeous man ravish her
starving body.

The main room of the penthouse suite was as
big, if not bigger, than her apartment. With his hand firmly
clutched to her waist, he led her through the French doors, past
the thick appliquéd drapes, the half circle leather sectional, the
seventy inch wide screen on the wall and the fully stocked bar. He
swung open one door, assuredly guiding her through the doorway in
front of him. He closed the door. They both were inside the
darkness. Lights lit up the huge room and she saw him at the light
switch as he turned the controls to a less brilliant glow.