The Arrangement (8 page)

‘So,
you’re saying that you fancy me?’ she asked.

‘I
am engaged,’ Lucas reminded her.

Emma
laughed. ‘I know you are, but I asked if you fancy me.’

Lucas
unconsciously found himself looking the beautiful red head up and
down. They both knew before he even said anything that he was
attracted to her. ‘You are very beautiful.’

‘I
think you’re gorgeous, too,’ she replied.

Lucas
nervously swallowed down the lump in his throat. ‘Thank you,
but I am engaged.’

‘So
you keep saying.’ She smiled a naughty smile.

He
directed his focus to the road and for a long moment no one said
anything. The traffic was practically non-existent tonight, but that
was no surprise considering the late hour it was. He had stayed
behind much longer than he had originally meant to do. Emma’s
place was slightly out the way for his journey home, but he would be
lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying her company.

‘What
happened between you and your boyfriend?’ he broke the silence.

‘I
think we lost the passion.’

‘That’s
it?’ asked Lucas.

‘You
don’t think passion is important?’ Emma countered with a
question of her own.

‘I
think it is very important, but I don’t see how he could lose
his passion to be with you. Were you the one that left him?’

Emma
smiled. ‘Aren’t you full of compliments tonight?’

‘Eh?’
he replied. His mind replayed what he had just said. Oh god. “I
don’t know how he could lose his passion to be with you.”
‘I am so sorry,’ he was quick to say.

‘Why?’
Emma shrugged her shoulders. ‘It is nice to know that such a
good looking man finds me attractive and to answer your question. He
left me.’

‘What
happened?’

‘Basically,
his work took over his life. We never got to see each other and when
we did finally get to go out he was always so distracted. I don’t
mind being with a man that is driven by goals and wants to do well in
life. I knew he was like that when we got together, but at the start
he managed to give me one hundred percent of his attention even if it
was for only a couple of hours. That was all I needed. Eventually, he
became too distracted to spend even an hour with me and the romance
died. Don’t get me started on the sex.’

‘The
sex…?’ he muttered.

They
nearly swerved into an oncoming car he was so distracted by the
visual image of Emma’s naked body lying beneath him on a bed.

Emma
giggled.

‘The
sex was very boring. We used to be so wild and passionate.’
Lucas nearly swallowed his own tongue. ‘But when he was
distracted it was too quick and too robotic. I prefer to make love to
my man.’

They
pulled off the main road and headed down a long street.

Lucas’s
mind was in a state of shock.

He
couldn’t think of any possible suitable reply to that, well,
none that a man that is soon to be married could possibly say.

‘It
is this one here.’ Emma pointed to a house in the middle of a
row of houses.

The
car pulled up at the side of the road.

‘Did
I overstep my mark?’ she asked into the silence of the car.

‘No,
not at all,’ replied Lucas. ‘I like that you can be so
open with me.’

‘I
know. It is strange,’ she admitted. ‘I haven’t
spoken to anyone like this in years. Even my ex-boyfriend and I had a
hard time communicating, but we have talked each other’s ears
off.’ She looked him dead in the eye and smiled a smile that
caused certain things to happen below his waist. ‘You’re
fiancée is a lucky lady.’

Lucas
smiled from ear to ear. ‘Thank you.’

‘I
wish I could find a man like you,’ continued Emma.

‘I
am sure you will find someone much better than me.’

‘Don’t
sell yourself short.’ It was her turn to look him up and down.
‘You are a gorgeous guy. I have only known you for a day, and I
know you’re a really nice guy. It is rare that I find someone I
like so quickly. It is just a shame that your already taken.’
The atmosphere in the car was starting to take a strange twist.
‘Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?’ she
asked.

Lucas
could feel his heart stop.

Emma
had said one thing, but they both knew she meant something else.

‘I-I,’
he stuttered nervously.

‘And
if you don’t like coffee I am sure we can find something else
you like.’

A
big part of Lucas was screaming for him to say “Yes” and
go up into this sexy woman’s home, but another part of him. The
part that loved Scarlett unconditionally said “No” it was
time to go home.

‘I
should really be getting home.’

If
she was disappointed by his answer, she didn’t show it.

‘Yes.
It is late.’ She popped open the car door and stepped out onto
the side walk ‘Thank you so much for the lift home.’

‘Don’t
worry about it.’ She went to close the door and head inside
when suddenly he blurted out uncontrollably. ‘I could pick you
up in the morning if you want?’

The
smile returned to her face. ‘I would like that.’

‘Okay
then. Tomorrow morning it is.’

***

Lucas
returned home to a silent house. It was so quiet you could hear a pin
drop. Flicking the lock on the front door, he kicked off his shoes
and hung up his coat. The welcoming smell of a home cooked meal
tickled his nostrils and teased his empty stomach. Something smelt
good. Without turning on any lights he headed across the hallway and
entered the kitchen.

A
hollow sensation sank into the pit of his stomach.

The
lazy glow of the moon poured in through the kitchen window and
illuminated the feast of a meal that Scarlett had prepared for him.
At first glance he could instantly see how much heart and hard work
she had put into this dinner. No small detail had got unprepared.
Scarlett had picked out her favourite table cloth, favourite cutlery
and the posh plate set that she only used for when they had guests.

She
had done all this, and where had he been?

He
had been staying at work to avoid her, whilst flirting with his new
secretary.

‘I
really am a scum bag,’ he told himself.

Lucas
walked out the kitchen and back into the hallway. He headed upstairs,
silently as a ghost in the night. Upon reaching the landing he found
the bedroom door ajar. He paused before entering.

How
upset would she be?

But
the real question within his mind was what could he say to her?

Lucas
pushed open the door and looked at the angel of beauty. She was
sprawled out on covers of their double bed. A sad smile appeared upon
his face. Scarlett was wearing a beautiful dress, but it wasn’t
the dress that was special. It was her. She made everything she
touched special. It broke his heart to watch her sleeping like this.
She had gone to so much trouble for him and the time he should have
spent with her he had spent learning all about Emma.

‘Oh,’
Scarlett moaned in her sleep.

She
shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

Her
eyes remained shut.

‘Lucas,’
she muttered.

‘I’m
here,’ he spoke softly.

‘Lucas,’
she repeated his name.

‘I’m
sorry I got in so late.’

‘Lucas,
why don’t you love me?’ she turned in her sleep.

A
ton of guilt fell upon his shoulders. She was having a dream? But she
was having a dream about him not loving her? He did love her. He
loved her with all his heart. It was this stupid arrangement. It was
coming between them.

‘I
will tell you in the morning.’ He leaned down and kissed her
softly upon the forehead. ‘I will tell you everything. I
promise.’

***

‘I
do love you,’ he told her.

Scarlett
looked up into those big brown beautiful eyes and smiled. She could
see straight through the windows of his soul and knew he meant every
single word.

Lucas
rolled his hips in a slow sensual motion.

‘Oh,’
her moan filled the void of silence in the bedroom.

Her
back arched up several inches up off the bed. It would have kept
going if it wasn’t for his muscular torso blocking her way, as
he lay on top of her. The feel of his firm pectoral muscles pressing
down against her naked breasts was sending ripples of pleasure
throughout her entire body.

Lucas
forced his lips down against her.

Scarlett
sank into the kiss.

She
could feel his large powerful hands stroking softly down the inside
of her forearms. He grabbed her gently by the wrists and began to
move them to where he wanted them. Scarlett didn’t even attempt
to put up any sort of resistance. They were pinned down onto the bed
above her head.

Smiles
were exchanged.

‘I’ve
missed this,’ she whispered. ‘I’ve missed making
love to you.’

‘I
was a fool.’ His lips dropped down onto the curve of her swan
like neck. Butterflies fluttered within the depths of her stomach at
the feel of him walking a line of kisses down and across her
shoulder. ‘I won’t make that mistake again.’

He
groaned loudly.

It
was a deep almost primal groan.

It
was the type of groan that awoke the demon of lust with her soul.

Lucas
started to move his hips faster than before. The sudden increase in
speed nearly caused her eyes to roll back and the top of her head to
blow off. Scarlett wrapped her feet around the back of his thick
muscular thighs. With what little strength she had left within her
body she pulled him in closer towards her. The feel of her lover
moving inside of her was a sensation that could cause an out of body
experiences it was so powerful.

‘Oh,
Lucas,’ she called out his name.

The
headboard of the bed began to thump off the wall. High pitch cries
competed with deep manly groans for airspace. If Scarlett’s
body had been a refinery then alarm bells would be warning everyone
to evacuate. The overwhelming sense of pressure within her body had
now moved beyond the point of no return.

‘Look
into my eyes,’ he said between heavy pants.

There
was no more need for words.

Silent
signals were being transmitted between the windows of their souls.

The
way his face contorted into a mask of agonising pleasure showed her
how close he was. And then it happened. It was a mind melting
explosion of bliss from deep down within her soul. Her mouth hung
open, her back arched, and her hips jolted as if she had been struck
by an electric bolt.

‘Lucas!’
she called out his name and sat up upon the empty bed.

Scarlett
looked around the cold dark bedroom. Lucas was nowhere to be seen.

‘Eh?
What…?’ it took a moment for her mind to return to
reality.

Disappointment
quickly set in.

It
had only been a dream.

***

A
shooting star flashed across the clear night sky. Not a single cloud
was to be seen. It was just the endless deep black of space sprinkled
with thousands upon thousands of twinkling stars. Lucas had been
laying outside on the deck chair so long that his eyes were starting
to notice the really dim stars that only appeared when his eyes
became accustomed to the dark. It was so beautiful and peaceful out
here. Feeling such an inner peace felt foreign after the day he had.
His body had been far from peaceful. It had felt like he had a
thunderstorm of lust rolling within his soul. The constant feeling of
always being horny was driving him to a point where he found
everything and everyone sexy. Even the bucktooth woman down the
corridor from his office, the one with the bad hair, and worst dress
sense known to humanity, even she was looking doable to him.

‘Emma…’
her name echoed within his head.

She
was gorgeous, but worst than that she knew he fancied her.

He
had done well this last month ignoring Scarlett’s advances and
attempting to focus on his work. He had avoided all other women and
refused to give into the tempting urges within his soul, but the
question upon his mind was how long he would be able to maintain this
self-control with such a tempting forbidden fruit working with him
each and every day.

‘Lucas?’
a sleepy eyed Scarlett flowed into view beside him.

She
was still wearing her beautiful dress, but her eyes were hardly open.
It was like she had used only will power just to stop herself from
falling to sleep. Even now, as he looked at her, he could almost hear
the creaking sound of the eyelids closing shut.

‘Hey,
baby.’ He held out his arms towards her.

Moving
on autopilot, she squeezed onto the deck chair and cuddled into him.

Lucas
kissed her softly upon the top of the head.

‘Where
were you?’ her voice sounded dreamy and far away.

‘I’m
sorry. I was stuck behind work with meetings,’ Lucas lied.

‘I
made you a special dinner.’

‘I
know you did. I am so sorry I ruined that. You went to such great
efforts for me.’ He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her
petite body to him.

‘I
wanted to do something special for you.’ Her breathing was so
shallow that it wouldn’t be long until she slipped into the
world of dreams. ‘I know I have been making you feel
uncomfortable by trying to make love to you.’

‘You
don’t make me uncomfortable.’ Lucas was quick to correct.
‘It is just…’

This
was it.

It
was his opportunity to tell her the truth.

‘I
just wanted to wait until the wedding day to prove my love to you.’

Lucas
felt like kicking himself. He wanted deep down within his soul to
confess the real reason he couldn’t make love to her, but that
nagging thought of Mr Mills lingered in the back of his mind. He had
promised his soon to be father-in-law that he could do this. He
wanted to prove that he was a man Mr Mills could trust and be a
person he could be proud to have in his family.