Ray of Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 3) (5 page)

BOOK: Ray of Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 3)
12.4Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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*******

Ray stared at his phone with a perplexed look on his face. He knew Faye wasn't the type to sit around and wait. She was an instigator. But it surprised him that she called while she was with her friends, since she was at pains not to let them know they were going out. Still, it pleased him that she did. She wanted to see him again and she wasn't timid about it. He really liked that.

They must be talking about him - or rather, John. They might even be talking about their kiss in his car. He snorted. What they shared in his car wasn't a 'kiss'. It was a make-out session.

He shifted in his seat as his pants became too tight at his heated memories. Damn it, but she was making it very difficult for him keep his greedy hands to himself. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

It nearly killed him when he went home last Saturday without taking what she clearly offered. He was determined to take it slow so she would know his interest in her went beyond physical. But that determination was quickly crumbling from the sheer need she kindled in him. Even now he was burning for her. If she was as hot for him on their next date as she had been the last time, he didn't think he'd be able to stop.

He racked his brain for ideas on where to take Faye on Thursday night as he headed out to buy himself some lunch. He'd have to check online to see if there were any interesting shows or events she might like to go to. He knew where he wanted to take her to dinner, but he needed to make phone calls and pull some strings for that. The place he had in mind would, no doubt, be fully booked. These days you had to call at least four months in advance to guarantee a table.

He chuckled as he realised it was because of his magazine that that was the case. When a positive article was published about them in
Lifestyle by Design
, establishments were pretty much assured a huge spike in business.

He thought fondly of Faye's best friends. They were key to the magazine's success. He was happy their new writer, Mark Reed, was proving to be just as good as Clarise and Jessa. Not only was he an added asset for the magazine, but him being there took some pressure off the girls. They were becoming much too busy. As for Victor's graphic design assistant, she seemed to be a bit of a concern. The feedback he was getting was she was more of a hindrance than a help to Victor.

Speak of the devils.
He grinned as he saw them walking back to the office from their lunch.

"Where are you off to, Ray?" Victor asked as they got nearer.

"Just going to get something to eat. How was lunch?"

"It was good. Hey, guess what? Faye went to Dara last weekend."

Ray's lips twitched and he had to force himself to look innocent. "Really? Did she enjoy it?"

"Yeah, she said it was great. We should go there again for a staff lunch."

"Sure. You guys really liked it there, didn't you?"

"Yeah, great food, great ambiance."

"I must give André the feedback. Did Faye said what she ate?"

"Apparently they tried a few house specials."

"They?"

"Uh, yeah. She was with a date," Victor answered with some reluctance.

"Oh, right," he smiled in response. Ever since his reddening and stammering a couple of months ago when they talked about Faye going on a speed date, he knew these guys thought he still had a thing for Faye. Of course they were right, but they didn't have to know that. Not yet.

"Great place to take a date," he continued. "I took a date there myself a few days ago."

Three interested faces looked back at him.

"Do we know this person?" Jessa asked.

"Hm. I don't think so."

"What's her name?"

He chuckled as he shook his head. "Ever the curious ones, aren't you?"

"We like meeting your girlfriends, Ray. It's been a while since we last saw you with one."

Ray knew it would be a great relief for all three of them if they thought he had moved on - again - from Faye. "Her name is Jane."

Christ. Couldn't I be more creative? John and Jane. How lame.

"Well, good to know you're dating someone, Ray. We'd love to meet her someday," Clarise replied.

"Sure. So did you guys have lunch again at that Japanese place you went to last week?" He wanted to continue chatting with them. More specifically, he wanted to hear more about Faye.

"No. We were back at our usual. We were there early enough for a table."
 

"You guys are creatures of habit. Do you go to the same restaurants on Friday nights, too?"

"Oh, no. We're more adventurous at night."

"So where are you off to this Friday, then?"

"We're not having dinner together this Friday," Clarise responded. "We're all going to my sister's hen's party on Saturday so we thought we'd give it a miss this week."
 

A funny feeling settled on Ray's chest. "Oh, right. Well, I'll see you guys back in the office."

Faye said she was busy on Friday. Did she have another date?
Jealousy coursed through him at that unpleasant thought. Well, he wouldn't just stand aside and let her slip through his fingers again.

~~~~~~~

Ray chucked the empty take-away container that held his lunch in the bin and got up to make himself some coffee. He preferred to make his own rather than get his PA to do it. It gave him an excuse to mingle with his staff.

Four of his employees were there chatting and waiting for their turn at the state-of-the-art coffee machine. That appliance may have cost his company a fortune but it was well worth it. The office kitchen had become a hub for some staff bonding time. The we-are-a-family feeling he painstakingly fostered certainly helped with teamwork and staff morale which, in turn, increased productivity. He was proud to say most of his staff, bar one or two, really enjoyed working with each other.

His eyes went wide when he saw what Clarise was making for herself.

"A full-strength espresso coffee, Clarise? Not a hot chocolate? Not even a weak latte?"

Clarise laughed. "Yes, I need some caffeine to last me this afternoon. I had a really tiring weekend helping prepare for Megan's hen's night and wedding."

"After that, you'll be preparing for your own wedding."

"Yes, I know," she responded with a glowing smile on her face. "But don't worry. I'm not slacking off the job."

He chortled. "I know you're not."

His phone rang and his heart stuttered when he saw 'Faye' on the screen. He made a mental note to change that to 'Jane' just in case someone happened to glance at his phone.

"Hi, Jane," he said warmly.

There was a pause before he heard her respond in a rather cold voice. "It's Faye."

He grinned. "
Jane,"
he enunciated. "I'm back in the office. I'm just in the kitchen waiting for some slowpokes to finish making their coffee so I can have my turn."

A few pairs of eyes mockingly rolled upward at his words. He waved to them as he walked back to his office to get some privacy.

"Oh, right. So that's my nickname? Jane?"

"Yeah. It goes very well with John, don't you think?" he replied in a low voice.

"Ray! Someone might hear you!"

"No one can hear me now."

"Okay, good. Anyway, I was calling about Thursday night."

"Uh-huh." He hoped she wasn't cancelling on him.

"I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner at my place instead of going out?"

"Your place?"

"Yes. I really want to satisfy your hunger. I promise you'll enjoy it very much," she replied seductively.

Goddamn. She's not talking about food
.

Those X-rated images of him and Faye popped unbidden in his mind.

"Sounds good to me," he croaked.

"Great. I'll see you there at seven."

"Shall I bring something?"

"A bottle of red will do."

"Okay. I can't wait. See ya, F — Jane."

Her soft laughter warmed his whole body. "See ya, John."

She'll satisfy my hunger. At her place.

His cock swelled in anticipation. His own commitment to take it slow just got shredded to tiny itsy-bitsy pieces. Faye wanted him. How could he continue to hold back? He couldn't.

He was only human, after all. Made of flesh and blood. A mere male who was in love with her.

CHAPTER FIVE

"Shit, shit, shit!"

Faye stared in dismay at the cup of coconut milk she had knocked over when her buzzer sounded.

Move, Faye!
Quickly, she snatched some paper towels and pressed them on top of the spill before running to the intercom.

"Ray?"

"Yup, it's me."

"Come on up." She pressed the buzzer to let him into the building.

She took a deep breath to settle her nerves before propping her apartment door open for Ray. She returned to her kitchen to hastily clean up the mess she created.

This wasn't how she wanted their date to start. She had suggested they stay at her place so she could play the ultimate seductress. Instead, here she was, stressed to the max because she'd only just started to make dinner.

She got home with plenty of time to have a shower and prepare for Ray's arrival. Choosing her outfit took longer than usual but she allowed herself to take her time. She couldn't decide between her little black dress that showed plenty of cleavage or her skimpy tight-fitting blue one that showcased her long legs. In the end, she decided on a red number that had a low-cut back and was the easiest to take off, even with fumbling fingers.

She was even humming to herself when she put on her apron and started laying out the elements for the Thai dinner she planned to make when, to her utter chagrin, she discovered she didn't have all of the ingredients she needed. She could have sworn she had everything. Then she remembered her brother came over on Tuesday night to have a home-cooked meal courtesy of his older sister. Riley had asked if he could grab a few things from her pantry and she'd said yes. She thought he wanted some sugar or salt or something else. It never occurred to her he'd take ingredients for Thai food. Since when had Riley started cooking anything apart from eggs?

She had no choice but to head down to the supermarket and pick up her missing essentials. It was, thankfully, only a five-minute brisk walk away but before she went, she had to change to a shirt and jeans. She couldn't walk fast in the red garb. She silently cursed herself for not checking what Riley took and for taking too long in determining what to wear.

She didn't have much luck at the supermarket, either. The queues at the checkouts were much longer than usual. They only had two lanes open and those who were using self-service were constantly making mistakes and calling the lone staff to help them get going again.

She had wondered whether she should call Ray and suggest they go out instead. But she had been excited to cook for him and she hated changing plans at the last minute.

By the time she came back to her place, she was sweaty, frazzled and running severely late. She freshened up - much quicker this time - and put her red dress back on.

After all that, she was definitely not exuding seductress vibes.

"Hello," a masculine voice called out.

"Come on in, Ray, and could you shut the door behind you? I'm in the kitchen," she called back to him.

A moment later, the gorgeous hunk she had been dreaming about for days appeared in her line of sight carrying a beautiful bouquet of red tulips - one of her favourites - and a bottle of wine.

"Hi," she said, wiping her hands with a tea towel. "Sorry, but dinner won't be ready for another forty-five minutes, at least. I started late," she said apologetically.

"No worries. I'm not in any hurry. Take your time." He put the bottle of wine down on the kitchen counter.

She smiled at him and eyed the colourful arrangement he was still holding. "Are those for me? They're beautiful. You know I love tulips, right?" She was surprised when he moved his hand away to stop her from reaching them.

"No flowers for you until I get my hello kiss," he said with a sexy grin.

She smiled and bit her bottom lip before raising her mouth to meet his. His lips were soft and his tongue was gentle but in just a second, it roused the seductress in her that had been looking forward to this night to the nth degree.

The last time they saw each other he made her wet and wanting, then left her unfulfilled. Well, that wouldn't happen tonight.

What's more, this seductress would make him beg.

She broke the kiss just as she felt him deepen it. Grabbing the bouquet, she ran a finger along his jawline as she said, "Thank you." She turned her back to him to fetch her vase from a cupboard and heard his appreciative whistle.

"That dress is stunning on you, Faye."

She glanced at him with a flirty smile. "Thanks. Wait 'til I take my apron off."

She was glad she took the time to put her hair up. It gave Ray an eyeful of her bare, smooth back. And, oh yeah, she was sure he could tell she wasn't wearing a bra.

"Do you want to open that bottle you brought with you?" she asked him as she put the flowers in water.

"Sure."

"There are wine glasses in that cupboard over there."

She went back to her dinner preparations as Ray poured them a glass of red.

"What are you making?"

"Thai red chicken curry and beef stir fry."

"Oh, yum. Did I mention to you I love Thai food?"

"Yes, you did," she laughed. That was one of the things he shared with her during their last date.

"Well," Ray said as he handed her her drink, "here's to a wonderful night with great food and beautiful company."

She clinked her glass with his and took a sip, holding his gaze. "Hmm. Nice." She leaned forward to place a light kiss on his lips. "Hmm," she repeated as she licked his lower lip. "Nice."

Ray let out a soft growl, crushed her to him and plunged his tongue into her mouth.
 
Moisture pooled between her thighs. She savoured his kiss for a few seconds before reluctantly pulling back. "I have to get back to my cooking or we won't get to eat tonight."

Ray exhaled harshly and released her. "Can I help you?"

BOOK: Ray of Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 3)
12.4Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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