The Tantric Principle (2 page)

She'd gone and hoped for a miracle.

And gotten it. Along with a sexy teacher who was beginning to drive her crazy.

Arianna shook off her thoughts and re-focused on Tim. “Stop making fun of me. The asanas help me relax and focus better on work.”

“Ass what?”

She laughed. “The postures. It’ s a great workout. I finally have some arm muscles from all those push ups.”

Tim waved his hand in dismissal. “You need a burger and a roll in the hay.” He waggled his eyebrow. “I’m free tonight if you want to use me.”

“No thanks. You’d fall madly in love with me again and we wouldn’t be able to work on the Rosebud account.”

“That’s why you should be working with me this weekend. Not running off to some guru camp to find inner peace.”

She made a face at his obvious displeasure and shooed him off the chair. “I promised I’d help my teacher out. I’ll have my cell phone and be instantly reachable. Send me the print ad as soon as Mel finishes. On Monday I’ll meet with the team and we’ll go over our final pitch.”

“Yeah, no pressure.” Tim rose and walked her out. “Don’t get too relaxed out there and leave me stranded.”

“Have I ever?”

He gave her a raunchy grin. “Nah, never. It’s always been good for me.” She laughed and locked up her office. As she drove home, she thought of spending the next two days with Grant. Alone. A delicious shiver slithered down her spine and pooled between her legs. She shifted in her seat at the throbbing ache and wondered how he would be in bed. She firmly stopped the thought. No sense in going there or she’d need her vibrator. Again.

Boston was strictly business, just as he relayed. He needed someone to demonstrate the poses to the class and be a general errand girl. He’d offered to pay her but she laughed and requested a few free classes. Arianna assumed her teacher knew she didn’t need his money. She wondered how much yoga teachers made, and then wondered if he had problems with women making more money. As a successful advertising executive, she’d made her way through the ranks, starting as an intern. A ruthless cunning and hunger for success finally placed her at the cusp of an account that could launch her into the big time. She’d been at G&B for ten years now, and no one had invaded her turf yet.

She realized Grant Madison lived in a different world. He’d never understand why she had to work late on their anniversary, why stress made her curse like a truck driver, and why she didn’t view the world through rainbow colored glasses. She’d made her own way with no help.

No. Grant was definitely not the man for her.

But, damn, what she would give for just one night with him to scratch her itch.

“Are you ready for me?”

Her breath hitched at his low throated question, his breath hot in her ear. Arianna managed a half-hearted nod and prayed the students couldn’t tell her nipples had tightened under her skimpy lycra shirt.

She felt his hands push into the small of her back to send her deeper into the Downward Dog position as he instructed the small group of students on the basic points of the posture. His fingers trailed down the backs of her thighs and kneaded a gentle pressure so her heels sunk deeply into the mat.

Crap. She had to get out of here.

Grant kept speaking in his soothing voice, while Arianna slowly went out of her mind.

He had to get his hands off of her or she was going to explode. After a full day of having his fingers explore every intimate, clothed part of her body, she was ready to get naked and get serious.

He patted her rear gently as if she was a horse and instructed her to ease back into Child’s pose.

She rested her forehead on the mat and mentally cursed him with her whole arsenal of weapons. And she had a lot of them.

“Class dismissed. We’ll see you tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. sharp.” Arianna groaned with relief. Suddenly, he was beside her.

“Are you okay? Sore?” he asked with concern as her groan rose to his ears.

Arianna swore she’d become the Dali Lama himself if she could wrest all this sexual frustration and put it into her practices. Slowly, she raised her head and met his gaze. “No, I’m fine. Just letting out a little tension.”

His full lips quirked in a half smile. “You’ve done yoga for the last six hours. How could you be tense?”

“Poor choice of words. Never mind.”

She stood up and wondered why she felt so cranky. This is what she wanted, hours of asana practice and him to stay away from her. She needed no complications in her life, and God knows, he would be one giant complication.

Arianna knelt to roll up her mat and felt the power of his stare. She refused to look up.

After a few moments, he walked away to chat with the other students as they left.

She pulled her hair out of her ponytail holder and squeezed her fists over her eyes. Okay, she was going to act like a grown-up. Be polite, yet distant. Get a drink at the hotel bar, some food, and a good night’s sleep. There wasn’t too much to clean up so she’d sneak right out of here with the group and tell him she would meet him in the morning.

“Let’s get some dinner.”

She turned and faced him. God, he looked good. Inky strands of hair pulled back from his face. His features stark, slashed cheekbones, high dark brows, piercing eyes so deep they reminded her of polished onyx. His black yoga pants and tank showed off lean, hard muscles.

She wondered how he moved in bed. If class was any indication, he knew every pulse point of pleasure in a woman’s body and how to make her sing.

“Maybe not such a good idea.”

He laughed. “How can you be cranky? You should be buzzed with energy after opening up all your chakras.”

“Maybe you opened up too many.”

He caught the undertones and acknowledged her temper with a nod of his head. Still, his gaze gleamed with humor. “Point taken. We’ll eat and discuss it.” Arianna lifted her eyebrow. “I didn’t think discussion was an option.”

“I’m a civilized man. Discussion is always an option.” He stopped the conversation by interlacing his fingers with hers and led her out of the studio. Arianna was too taken aback to protest as he guided her into the car and drove to the hotel.

She said nothing on the short ride, but stopped at the elevators. “I have to take a shower and change,” she said. “I’ll meet you in the lounge in half an hour.”

“Is that enough time?”

“I’m the type who can be ready in fifteen minutes. The extra was for you.” She heard his chuckle as the doors shushed before her.

Arianna wasted no time. She refused to analyze what had changed, but the possibility of sex with her teacher was too tempting to discard. She showered, threw on a black lace thong and matching bra, and wiggled into her one knit black dress, casual but sexy. The knit dipped in a low rounded neck that showed her cleavage, and stopped above the knee. She left her legs bare and hooked strappy jeweled sandals on her feet. Then headed out.

* * * *

Grant watched her walk into the dining room with a fascination and desire he no longer wanted to hide. God, she was gorgeous. This woman knew who she was and her confidence shimmered from every facet of her body, from her long legs and determined stride, to the gleam of mystery in her jade green eyes. Her dark hair swung silkily past her jaw, gleaming burgundy in the low light. Arianna Devlin would challenge a man on every level, and only the strong would survive. A pleasant buzz rang in his head at the thought of taking all that passion and channeling it. Her mind held a feminine strength which showed in her practices. Difficult postures usually frustrated beginner students. Arianna let her mind go and trusted her body to surrender. Her quick wit and honest conversation was a refreshing change from the women he usually met. His resolution to avoid her shattered into pieces when he’d put his hands on her today. Her flesh bent under his persuasion, and the heated resentment in her gaze only intrigued him. She obviously wanted him, but he held back. One word and she’d be in his bed. One word.

She reached the table. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted to order,” he said, as she took her seat.

“Steak. Bloody. Steamed broccoli. Vodka martini, extra dry, shaken, not stirred, and extra olives.”

He signaled the waiter with the order and then leaned forward, intrigued. “Most of the women I know are vegetarians.”

She tilted her head in challenge. “I have no problems eating cows. I love bacon, vodka and bread. I also balance my cravings with salads for lunch and yogurt for breakfast.”

“A woman in balance is someone I respect.”

“I’m glad.” She smiled at him, her face open. “I take pleasure very seriously. Life is too short.”

“I agree. So, tell me what brought you to my yoga class?” She started on the dinner rolls and slathered the inner flesh with butter. “I work in an advertising agency. Fast pace, tons of stress. All the late hours and bad food finally caught up with me. I didn’t like the way I felt anymore, so I needed a change.”

“Most people never slow down to even assess why they aren’t happy. I give you credit.” She took a bite of the roll. A drop of shiny butter gleamed in the corner of bee-stung lips.

Her tongue slid out and licked the corner of her mouth with slow motions. Grant stared at her openly. His erection was immediate, imagining those same lips over his shaft, opening and sliding upward to receive him. Again, she didn’t pretend not to notice. She smiled the age old smile of Eve and beckoned him over to her garden.

“Why don’t you want to go to bed with me?” she asked.

Her blunt question only made him want her more. Her body was dangerous, but her cleverness and companionship was deadly. Damn, he liked her. Grant reached for his red wine.

“Would you like to hear my story?”

“Yes.”

He nodded and went back into his past. “I was married. She began as one of my students.

I loved her and I was faithful. My following began to grow and instead of hopping to different locations, I decided to embark on a yoga school. I wanted to develop something like the karate schools and train students to go deeper into the practice than a class at the local gym. She supported my goal, and we built the school together.” He paused and waited for her questions. She said nothing, just nodded her head for him to continue. “The school became successful, but my wife began to change. She became jealous of the female students. As you know, the practices sometimes morph into an intimate level. There are standards to follow, but sometimes the women in class form an attachment to me. The same thing happened with the male students and my wife.”

“Makes sense.”

“She believed I was having an affair. Became irrational, stalking me and the students.

Began a chasm within the school until sides formed. Rumors started. I tried to talk to her, pulled back from my classes so we could fix it.” Grant kept his voice neutral though the old emotions still clawed at his gut. “During one of my classes, I was served with divorce papers. Things got nasty. She rallied the students against me and some females made accusations that weren’t true.” Their food came. Silence settled over the table while he forked up his pasta. Then he continued. “She ended up getting the school. My reputation was ruined as a teacher. I walked away with nothing and had to start over. So, I moved to New York and made a fresh start.”

“I’m sorry.”

She offered no more, but he spotted an understanding in her gaze that soothed him. Grant realized he had never told the story to anyone other than his close friends back in Florida. No one in New York had ever scaled the wall to learn his past. Somehow, Arianna had gotten past. On some strange level, he trusted her. So, he told her everything.

“She lied to me.”

Arianna blinked, seeming to realize the worst had not been told. “How did she lie, Grant?”

“She was having an affair with one of the students the whole time. While she accused me and took my school, she was screwing around with one of my senior aides.” Her hands reached across the table and interlinked his fingers as he’d done back in the studio. The warmth and softness of her flesh closed around him and chased away the cold. “It doesn’t matter,” she said softly. “One of the principles you teach is correct. It’s your own karma that you need to account for. You didn’t cheat. You didn’t do anything wrong. And another principle I’ve learned in this life.”

“What?”

She smiled then, dazzling, sexy. “Life sometimes sucks.” He smiled back. “Sad story over. Now you know.”

“But I don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“I don’t know why you won’t take me to bed.”

Her words shot like cannon fire in the candlelit room. The waiter took their plates, brought two fresh drinks and moved on.

“I promised I would never have an affair with a student. Too messy. Too many lies to cover up.”

“I’m a grown woman with a mind and career of my own. I’m not promising love everlasting and white picket fences. You’re not married. I’m single. And we’re both dedicated to our careers. I just want you. For as long as it lasts.” His body shuddered in response. Grant fought the knowledge things too good to be true usually weren't. “Arianna,” he said softly, his hand tightening over hers. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want to make a mess of things again. I worked too hard to get back where I am.”

“I understand.”

Slowly, her fingers unraveled and she picked up her martini. He felt the distance close around her and knew it was his doing. Her body would be as open as her mind. He just needed to say yes. “Arianna—“

“No.” She shook her head. “I do understand, Grant. Life’s messy. I’m not going to chase you like some love-struck teenager. I work long hours and weekends. My smart phone is another appendage I can’t live without. I don’t want to change your life, I just want you in my bed. I’m even willing to let you set the rules.”

She waved a hand in the air. “But we probably wouldn’t fit. I’m direct and sometimes rude. I love sex and alcohol and red meat. I swear like a cop in Detroit and would probably side with a condo developer over saving some extinct bird species no one gives a crap about. I’ll still come to class, and I’ll finish up the weekend, but don’t play games with me.” He almost gasped. “Play games with you?”