The Arrangement (25 page)

The
morals of the world said that this was all wrong.

Lucas
did not agree.

This
was the right thing to do.

‘Oh,
Lucas,’ Emma didn’t hold back from calling out his name.

He
sat back on the couch and stroked his hands up along her smooth back.
Emma glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. He could tell from
the look within her eyes that she was getting closer by the second.
Her mouth momentarily hung open and she released a sweet erotic moan.

‘I’m
close,’ she told him.

‘I
know.’ He smiled. ‘I can read you like a book.’

‘You
can?’ she smiled back. ‘What am I thinking?’

Lucas
looked deep into the windows of her soul. It was like every single
thought, emotion and feeling she had for him was open for him to see.
She wasn’t holding anything back or trying to hide anything
from him.

‘You
are thinking that you love me,’ said Lucas.

Emma
opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing in reply.

Her
face contorted into a mask of pleasure and her hips began to roll
faster.

Lucas
exhaled a long deep breath out through his mouth in an attempt to
calm his fragile mind. The sudden increase of her hips was causing a
build up on pressure to gather between his legs. It wouldn’t be
long until he lost all his self-control.

‘Does
that bother you?’ She seemed to moan out the words.

‘That
you love me?’

Emma’s
hips suddenly jolted. She tried to speak, but it came out as a high
pitch squeal. He could see every muscle in the body tense up. Her
face was a mixture of absolutely pleasure that bordered on agony
because it was becoming too much for her body to take. She resorted
to frantically nodding her head in reply.

‘That
does not bother me.’ Lucas sat up and hugged her from behind.
He whispered the last part into her ear. ‘The reason is doesn’t
bother me is because I am falling in love with you, too.’

That
was it.

That
was the final push she needed.

Emma
gave out one long continuous moan.

Her
entire body shook like it had just been struck by a bolt of
lightning.

Her
hips went into overdrive.

‘Oh,
god,’ gasped Lucas.

Emma
was going wild. He fell backwards onto the couch and clenched
handfuls of the couch pillows within his grasp, as an overwhelming
sensation began to drop through his body like water breaking through
a dam. ‘Emma!’ He howled her name like some kind of wild
animal.

‘Yes.’
She could feel him climaxing inside her. ‘Oh, yes.’

‘Don’t
stop,’ his mouth said one thing, but his brain was thinking
else. Emma had blown his mind, and his body literally couldn’t
take much more of this. It felt like he was having some kind of out
of body experience. All of his senses and awareness were being sucked
into the black hole of ultimate bliss.

‘Lucas,
Lucas, Lucas!’ she screamed his name into the night.

Moments
later and her hips rolled to a standstill.

The
sound of heavy breathing filled the silent house.

Both
of their bodies continued to spasm and jolt, as powerful aftershocks
of pleasure ignited within the core of their soul. Emma let herself
fall backwards until she was lying with her back upon his muscular
chest. Lucas wrapped his arms around her body and held her tight.

‘Did
you mean what you said?’ she spoke softly.

‘I
meant every single word of it.’ He kissed her on the side of
the face.

Emma’s
smile spread across her face. ‘That makes me so happy.’

***

Scarlett
returned home to a silent house. The lights were out and the morning
mail still rested on the doormat. Lucas’s car wasn’t in
the driveway either. She knew he would be working late after she
received his text message, but she had half expected to find him home
before her. She had even come up with a pretty decent lie for where
she had been for the whole day.

She
placed her keys down on the phone stand and picked up the phone.

Lucas’s
office was on quick dial.

It
began to ring. A smile split her lips, as she listened to the ring
tone. Today had been a pretty wonderful day. That was the most time
she had spent with another man since she was in high school. Hanging
out with Brandon was so much fun. She also secretly enjoyed the way
he cupped her breast when he thought she was drowning. He was out
going and confident. She liked that.

After
five or six rings she hung up.

Lucas
wasn’t at the office. He usually picked up straight away.

She
decided to call his cell phone.

It
began to ring. Scarlett giggled out loud at the memory of kissing him
when she left. That had not been an accident or spur of the moment
type of thing. She had been thinking about kissing him all day long
and she enjoyed it. Brandon would probably never know how tempted she
was to go back inside and have her way with him. The man just made
her insides feel all funny.

Lucas’s
cell went straight to voice mail

Scarlett
hung up.

‘Classic,
Lucas,’ she gave an annoyed grunt. ‘I should have stayed
out longer.’

Chapter Six: The Wanted Woman

Lucas
cracked open an eyelid and stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. A
horrible taste, like a monkey’s arse, sat in his mouth. His
body felt completely devoid of energy. He went to move, but a sudden
skull crushing pain exploded within his head. It felt like someone
was attempting to drill into his brain. He sank back into the pillow
and groaned.

‘I
feel the same way,’ said Emma from the bedroom doorway.

She
was wearing a long silk dressing gown and had tied her beautiful red
hair back into a ponytail behind her head. In her hands, she held two
big mugs of coffee. The images of last night’s events washed
into his mind like a tidal wave. It had been a long, wild, and
passionate night full of love making and naughtiness.

‘You
don’t look it,’ replied Lucas. ‘You look
beautiful.’

Emma’s
cheeks turned a lovely red colour and she smiled that angelic smile.

‘Thank
you.’ She walked into the bedroom and placed the drinks on the
bedside table. ‘And thank you for last night. It was
unbelievable.’

‘You
can say that again.’ He grinned. ‘What time is it?’

‘We
have about an hour before we have to leave for work.’ Emma
climbed onto the edge of the bed. ‘Won’t your fiancée
worry about where you were all night?’

‘Most
likely, but there is nothing I can do. I made my choice.’

She
straddled him over the top of the covers. ‘I still don’t
believe you choose me.’

‘You
will have to get used to it.’ He stroked his hands up the top
of her smooth silky thighs. One was placed either side of his hip, as
he lay upon the bed. ‘I plan to be seeing you a whole lot
more.’

‘What
about her?’

‘I
will have to talk to her.’

Emma
frowned. ‘Are you being serious?’

‘I
told you last night.’ Lucas untied the cord around her
mid-section. ‘I am falling in love with you. The passion, the
romance, the lust, and the love have gone from my relationship with
Scarlett. You make me so happy.’ He slowly opened the front of
her dressing gown.

Emma
didn’t even attempt to stop him.

Her
gown fell off her shoulders and onto the bed behind her.

She
straddled him naked in the bed.

‘We
have an hour you said?’ he asked.

‘That’s
right.’ She was smiling so wide it was threatening to consume
her eyes. His hands stroked up across her body.

‘That
is more than enough time to make love to you again.’

***

Scarlett
woke on the living room couch. She could see sunlight pouring in
through a gap in the curtains. ‘It is morning already?’
She never heard Lucas come in last night. Her eyes glanced towards
the antique clock on the shelf. It was coming up half nine. She had
slept in. Achy, from sleeping in an awkward position, she got off the
couch and stretched up towards the ceiling. Unconsciously, she
stepped over towards the windows and threw back the curtains. His car
was not in the driveway.

‘Did
he even come home last night?’

Scarlett
walked out into the hallway and picked up the phone.

She
speed dialled his office number.

‘Hello,’
said a woman. Scarlett recognised the voice from the night she called
Lucas at the hotel. This was his new secretary. This was Emma.

‘Is
Lucas there?’ she said without formality or politeness.

‘He
is currently busy at the moment. Could I take a message?’

‘It
is his fiancée. I want to speak to him now.’

There
was a slight pause at the other end of the phone. ‘I will put
you through right away.’

The
phone beeped and rang once.

‘Hello?’
answered Lucas.

‘Why
didn’t you come home?’ Scarlett’s tone had a sharp
edge to it.

‘I
am sorry about that. I was called in at the last moment to a meeting
and it ended up going on all night. I woke up in the office this
morning. I am so sorry.’ He lied once again.

‘I
called your office last night,’ she replied.

‘My
secretary was home by that point. It wouldn’t have heard the
phone on her desk with my office door closed. I should have called
you. I am sorry.’

‘Yes,
you should have.’

She
hung up the phone.

***

Lucas
let out a short sigh and placed the phone down on his desk. Things
between him and Scarlett were going to be getting awfully complicated
from this point in. He felt bad about not calling her last night, but
by the time he realised how late is was he had already consumed a
fair bit of alcohol. She would have been seriously pissed to hear him
slurring on the other end of the phone and would have demanded to
know his location to pick him up. Lucas didn’t want that,
because he was happy where he was. Last night was a night he would
never forget for as long as he lived.

Someone
knocked on the office door.

‘Come
in.’

The
door opened with a faint click to reveal Emma. She entered the room
carrying a heavy load of files. ‘I gathered all the files you
requested.’

‘That
was quick,’ he replied.

‘I
look to do a good job.’

‘Yes.
I noticed that last night when you gave me a very good...’ he
mouthed the word ‘blow,’ and then whispered the word,
‘Job.’

That
naughty smile split her soft red lips.

‘I
thought you said we were going to be good at work.’

‘It’s
kind of hard when you are so sexy.’

‘It’s
kind of hard is it?’ She placed the files on top of his desk
and purposely leaned forward so that the top of her blouse fell
loose. Lucas had a bird eyes view at the two greatest wonders in the
known world, Emma’s breasts.

‘Why
don’t you come around here and find out.’

She
bit her bottom lip. ‘You are a bad man, Lucas.’

‘The
way you like me.’

‘Come
back to mine tonight and I promise to be bad, too.’ She winked.

***

The
sound of children playing upstairs vibrated down through the ceiling.
Scarlett cradled the cup of tea between her hands, as she sat across
the kitchen table from her older sister. Anne hadn’t been able
to find anyone to watch over the kids so it was up to Scarlett to
drive over to hers for a good old chat. Scarlett was doing her best
sad trout impersonation, where the lips curl down at the edges. Rain
was tapping heavily against the kitchen window.  She had watched
the grey clouds gathering in the sky, as she drove over, but had
prayed for a sunny day. When the weather reporter on the news had
forecast rain she had hoped that they would be wrong. Scarlett had
already arranged to meet Brandon. She had hoped for another gorgeous
day with him on the beach. He was going to give her swimming lessons
and she was planning to pretend like she was drowning every ten
seconds, so he would have to hold her. It was a perfect plan for a
perfect day, but it was ruined by the rain.

‘You
really kissed him for a second time?’ asked Anne.

‘I
did,’ Scarlett sighed wistfully.

‘Did
anything else happen?’ The wiggling eyebrows meant no more
words were needed.

‘It
easily could have. I was so tempted. It was like every fibre of my
being was saying “go back inside” with him, but I went
home. Of course, as usual, I didn’t hear from Lucas and he
didn’t even bother coming home. He wouldn’t have known
any better if I had spent the night with Brandon.’

‘So,
what’s going to happen now?’

Scarlett
shrugged her shoulder. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Are
you going to see Brandon again?’

Scarlett
checked her little silver wrist watch. ‘I am seeing him in an
hour.’

Anne
placed down her cup of coffee on the kitchen table. The soft gentle
look that she normally wore upon her face turned into a mask of
seriousness. When she spoke next she spoke in a concerned, but
controlling voice.

‘You
do realise you are having an affair.’

Scarlett
knew in her heart of hearts this was right, but blurted out. ‘I
am not having an affair. We haven’t done, what you think we’ve
done.’

‘Sex
does not facilitate an affair. I am only saying this because I care
about you and I want you to be happy.’ She reached across and
placed her palm on the back of Scarlett’s hand. ‘You have
kissed this man twice. When you talk about him it is like you are
describing some kind of wonderful saint that cures wounded puppies
just with his smile. It is like he is the greatest man in the world.
You have so much in common with him. You are attracted to him and
from what you say he is very attracted to you. And now you are going
to see him again.’