Destroy (A Standalone Romance Novel) (2 page)

I looked at Jeff
inquiringly. “So, where’s this hotel suite of yours?” I asked, hoping it was
not going to be some fifty miles away from the airport, in a winter resort of
some sort. I was not relishing the thought of getting up at five in the
morning, catching a cab, and running through the airport again.

“Around the corner,” he
replied. “They only had a suite left and most people didn’t want to fork out
the big bucks for it.”

“Just tell me this,” I
said, walking toward the door and the taxi rank beyond, “Have you got a rich
uncle somewhere?”

He erupted in laughter
and shook his head while re-adjusting his garment bag over his shoulder. “No, I
just have a credit card that I use in case of emergency. And I think you would
agree this is some sort of emergency, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, but—”

“Why is there a need for
a ‘but’?”

I stopped walking. He did
too, and turned to face me. “Because I object!” I said with a degree of
fluster. “Like Martin Luther King, I’ve got the right to object.”

He chuckled. “Okay, go
ahead, object all you want, Ms. Williams, but remember: you have agreed to
share a suite with me. You made a verbal commitment as I recall, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but—”

That was it. Both of us exploded
in loud laughter.

“Come on, let’s get a
cab, before we have a debate over your ‘
butting
in
’,” Jeff told me, taking my free
hand and dragging me, my carryon case, and my bruised face out of the darned
airport.

When we reached the
hotel, I knew it by reputation only. My wallet was never bulging with the dough
it would take to pay for a room in that luxurious residence.

Jeff went to the desk to
register while I stayed in the foyer where I took a seat on one of the posh
sofas furnishing several mini-salons around me. I flicked through the magazine
left on the coffee table and looked at the impressive décor. I wondered if I
would have enough money on me, or even on my credit card, to order a sandwich
in this place.

I was lost in thoughts of
McDonald’s burger and fries, which were available at the airport, when I saw
Jeff come back to fetch the luggage and me. He handed me a keycard, saying,
“Just in case you feel like taking a stroll in the middle of the night.”

I took the plastic card
from him, stood up, and smiled. “Thanks for that, Jeff. I know you said that
you wouldn’t hear of me sharing the cost of the room with you, but you cannot
expect me to be quiet about it all. I am sincerely grateful for the gesture. I
mean it.” I peered into those beautiful brown eyes of his. I saw a flicker of
genuine happiness in those eyes. That’s all I needed.

The suite was as splendid
as we both expected it to be; a large bedroom, king size bed, a comfortable
sitting room, a dining corner, and a fantastic bathroom. And that shower–you could
have stood eight people at least in that space. The deep tub and double-sink
vanity were reminding me that I would have to bare my damaged face some
time–not too soon, I hoped.

Once Jeff had freshened
up and changed into an elegant pair of slacks, open neck shirt and jacket, I
took my turn in the bathroom. I opened my case and the only decent thing I
could wear that evening in this hotel was my little black dress, the one I was
going to wear on Christmas Day. I exhaled a sigh of dismay and went to turn on
the taps in that enormous shower.

I was as quick as I could
be, and dried myself even quicker. I knew a wonderful man was waiting for me in
the sitting room, and I had no intention of disappointing him at this juncture.
Once I got into my dress, I had to address the most prominent problem staring
back at me from the mirror: my bruised cheek and black eye. Swearing under my
breath, I re-applied some cream and foundation on the damaged half of my face,
dabbed a little make-up on the other half and finished the job rapidly. I had
to admit; I looked the best I could under the circumstances.

After all the hurrying,
to my utmost disappointment, no one was waiting for me when I came out of the
bathroom. My eyes zoomed-in on the note left on the coffee table.

“I’ll be in the bar.
Let’s have a drink.”

I shrugged, flung the
strap of my purse over my shoulder, and marched out of the room. If I needed to
go back to the airport to grab a hamburger for dinner, I could always come back
to get my anorak.

When I entered the bar,
as packed as it was, I noticed Jeff sitting on a stool at the far end. I made
my way to him. He had saved a seat beside his.

He smiled and said,
“Looking good, Ms. Williams, very good indeed!”

“Thanks,” I replied,
climbing onto the stool and depositing my purse onto the counter.

“Good evening,” the
bartender said to me. “What can I get you?”

“A dry martini,” I
replied, throwing him a nice smile. I looked at Jeff’s beverage.
Scotch and soda, nice!

“I had a look at the On
Demand movies available in the suite,” Jeff said, “and guess what?”

“What?” I asked.

“We can watch
Selma
tonight.”

“Already?” I was
surprised. “Wow! It’s only been out for a few weeks, hasn’t it?”

“Sure, but this is New
York, remember?”

“Oh yeah; sorry, I almost
forgot. In this hotel, I feel like I’m somewhere else. Like it’s not real.” I
looked around me. I had seen pictures of these sorts of establishments on the
internet, but never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be stuck,
literally, with a gorgeous guy at my side in one of them.

“There you are, ma’am,”
the bartender said, sliding the martini toward me. “Shall I put it on your room
tab?” He looked at me staring at him.

Jeff smiled and said,
“That will be on my tab, if you don’t mind. Suite 2506.”

“Very well, sir,” the
young man mumbled, turning toward the computer register. I looked at the screen
as he punched the price. That martini could have paid for a six-pack back home.
Ridiculous! Yet, I was determined to say nothing. There were no more
“butts”
to come between us…or were
there?
A pleasant thought indeed
.
 
I smiled to myself

As Jeff caught my grin,
my eyes staring into space; he asked, “So, did you say you were going home for
the holidays?”

I nodded and turned to
him. I lifted my glass in a toasting gesture. He did the same. As our glasses
clinked, I said, “Cheers. And yes, I am going home. I wish my parents lived
somewhere else than Nebraska, though. If only they had chosen to live in Hawaii
or somewhere warm like that, I would be looking forward to the trip.”

“Don’t you like seeing
your folks?”

“Oh it’s not what you
think. I love my mom and dad, don’t get me wrong, but they always think New
York is too big for me. Mom is worried that I’ll fall into the traps.”

“What sort of traps are
those?”

“Oh, the usual, I guess.
I reached the age of consent a few years back, but they still think I’m
fourteen or something. In a way I am very glad they care, but when it comes to
check on my calendar or the company I keep, they’re a bit too protective.”

“You know, Heather, I
might be a man, and one who passed the age of consent not a few, but many years
ago, and my dad is still checking on me. But for him it has a lot to do about
seeing a grandchild bouncing in his lap before he goes six-feet under.”

“Yeah, I know what you
mean. My mother is like that. She married my dad when she was younger than I am
right now and she’d like to have my dad walk me down the aisle as soon as
possible.”

We talked for a while
longer and then, all at once, Jeff was on his feet.

“Where are you going?” I
asked, taken aback.

“Come on, it’s time we
get something to eat.”

“Really? Is there a
McDonald around here?”

Chuckling, Jeff helped me
down from the stool and, taking my arm gently, led me out of the bar and toward
the restaurant.

“Jeff, please,” I
pleaded, “I can’t afford it. Truly, I can’t.”

He stopped a few feet
from the wide-open door and turned to face me. “I know, Heather. But put it
down to a first date, if you like, or just a Christmas present from a total
stranger, I don’t care, but don’t fight me on this anymore; okay?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean
to offend you. But I’m really not used to all this”—I waved my arm around—“and
receiving gifts like that. I am just not used to it. That’s all.”

“Okay, Ms. Williams. As I
said, take it
anyway
you like, I don’t care. But you
and I are stranded in a New York airport on a blizzard night; why not make the
best of it?”

I nodded twice and bowed
my head. “Alright. And to tell you the truth, I’m hungry too.”

Looking much happier now,
he took my arm again as we went to stand in front of the
maitre
d’. He smiled benignly and invited us to our table.

The dinner was nothing
short of superb. I ate a little of everything I liked and smoothed each dish
down with a delicious glass of wine. Although I could never afford such things
at that time, I knew what I liked and what I liked was generally out of my
price range.
 

When the waiter brought
the tiramisu to the table and deposited a glass of cognac beside each of our
plates, I gasped. I had mentioned in passing that tiramisu was my favorite
dessert, but I didn’t expect to see one to end such a fantastic feast as the
one we just enjoyed.

Jeff looked absolutely
pleased with himself. He knew it. He could see it on my face. I more than
appreciated the gift. I was living a dream, and he was the wizard who had made
it happen. I can’t remember what I said, but I must have babbled something to
the effect that I was overwhelmed.

“You know,” I said a
while later when I was reaching the bottom of the snifter, “there are two
things in life that I love most.”

“Oh yes?” Jeff said
encouragingly. “What’s that?”

“Well, I love good food—as
you probably guessed. And I don’t mean McDonald’s either. I mean good cooking
and good wines.”

“Okay, and what’s the
second one?” he asked, leaning to the back of his chair.

“I don’t know if I should
say it here.” I looked around me. The restaurant was practically empty at this
point. “The walls may have ears.”

“Come on, tell me,” Jeff
said, advancing his body against the edge of the table. “I won’t repeat it. I
promise.”

“I love s-e-x.” I paused
to peer into his eyes. By this time I was a little more than tipsy, I was
getting ready to jump from the edge of sobriety into the ravine of drunkenness.

He took my hand, stood up
and helped me do the same. I might have drunk a little too much, but I still
knew how to maintain a smidgen of dignity. I laced one arm in the fold of his
elbow and walked out of the restaurant as if I was ready to make a grand
entrance at the debutante’s ball. As we stepped into the first elevator, and as
soon as the doors closed on us, Jeff took me in his arms, caressed my back and
kissed me feverishly.
Oh God, finally!
I
had been waiting for that moment ever since I first laid eyes on the man. I
didn’t want to admit it until that moment, but I wanted him. Every part of me
was screaming for him.

As the elevator doors
opened, we rushed to the room as if there was a fire pursuing us. There was: a
fire of lust and sexual desire. When he closed the doors of the suite on us, he
lifted me off the floor and carried me to the bedroom. I could not have been happier
than I was at that moment; or so I thought, but I was wrong. Real pleasure was
yet to come.

He took his jacket off
and then took my shoes off one at a time. His caresses and gentle rubbing of my
feet sent vibrations throughout my body. I was caught in his web, and he knew
it. Climbing on top of the covers, he rolled me over and unzipped my dress. As
he unclasped my bra, he passed his tongue along my spine, all the way down to
my lower back. I couldn’t resist the desire to turn around.

As I did, he pulled back
and unzipped his trousers. His erection was obvious. He seemed proud of it. He
shed his shirt as I took my dress off. My gaze didn’t leave his penis. I wanted
it. I wanted him to long for the pleasure of feeling the inside of my vagina. I
wanted to suck him; to have him all to myself; to give him as much of a dream
night as he had given me so far. He came to stand at the edge of the bed,
naked.
God all mighty, the man looked
good! Ravishing. Desirable.
As I put his cock into my mouth, he moaned. I
knew he would moan a lot more in a few minutes yet.

I sucked the head of his penis
delicately, twisted it around my mouth, and then plunged it as far as it could
go to the back of my mouth. He caressed my breasts and pinched my nipples a
couple of times. I repeated the tease until I knew he couldn’t stand it
anymore.

He pulled out and I was
ready. He bent down and took my nipples one at the time into his mouth. The
sensation sent me onto yet another road of superb delight. I parted my legs as
he fell to his knees.
While he massaged my thighs
with one hand and caressed my belly with the other, he began licking my
clitoris. I could have screamed with relief. His tongue going in and out of my
vagina felt divine. He knew how to make dreams come true. The man himself was a
dream. He continued to tease me until I grabbed his shoulders and pleaded for
him to take me.