Scent of a Woman

“You’ll see.” She caught the bartender’s attention, nodded, then slipped off the bar stool. She picked up her purse and coat from beside her, then turned to him. Her lashes lowered, shyly, then she opened her eyes and met his gaze. The invitation in her gaze told him most of what he needed to know.

He stood, then went for his wallet.

“It’s taken care of,” she said.

“Wait a minute—”

“Don’t worry about it. Tonight’s on me. I invited you, remember?”

“I don’t—”

She put one finger on his lips. “We can talk about money for as long as you like. Or we can go upstairs.”

He took her wrist in his hand, then headed for the elevators, pulling her along after him. Forcing himself not to run.

He was in. Committed. To whatever was going to happen.

Charley would be shocked out of his mind. Jane would understand completely.

This wasn’t his normal modus operandi. When he dated, which wasn’t that often anymore, he always did the right thing. Maybe a kiss on the first date. Flowers. Three, maybe four dates later, if it ever got that far, there would be sex. Safe sex. And not just because he used a condom. It was safe in every way. He never truly let go, too afraid to upset the very nice women he found himself with. Sometimes, they’d get a little wild, like sex in the shower, or on the kitchen table.

But the sex, even when it was very good, had never been enough. Not that the women he’d met weren’t great. They were to a one. But none of them had been right. One was too flighty, one too prissy. Kathy had been close, but the woman hadn’t read a book since high school. Allison never shut up. Kim, no, Kerry, she’d been fine in the bedroom but awful in public. Her laugh had been loud, garish…

Tonight, none of that mattered. Tonight, he wasn’t Dr. David Levinson. He was a stranger. Meeting a stranger. Who could be anyone.

The ideas tumbled inside him, one more enticing than the next. He was already hard, and they were still in the lobby. He’d have to slow himself down if he wanted tonight to be everything it promised. He said a silent prayer to whoever was listening. Please.

Susan clutched her coat, each step making her more and more aware of what she was about to do. In very short order she was going to be in a room, which was primarily a bed, with a man she hardly knew. A man whose touch made all sorts of unpredictable things happen inside her.

They were across the lobby in no time, then he pushed the button for the elevator. He hadn’t let her go, and she became terribly aware of his hand circling her wrist. He was long and lean, a runner or a swimmer she’d guess, and strong. She felt his banked energy in the way he held her so carefully. As if he could break her.

Her gaze met his, and her own curiosity was echoed in his eyes.

“Sue,” he said softly, trying her name out.

Unfortunately, she hated being called Sue. It rankled each time she heard it, which wasn’t in the game plan for the night. “Susan.”

He nodded slowly. “Better.”

The elevator arrived, and he led her inside. They were alone, they could have talked, but they didn’t. The only thing that happened was that David rubbed the inside of her wrist with his thumb. No biggie. Just a slight caress. But the ripples it set off were very big, indeed. Straight up her arm to her chest to her tummy to her thighs and every place in between. A tightness, an electricity, a chemical reaction that made it difficult to breathe.

The tension broke as the door opened on the fifteenth floor. It was her turn to lead. They went all the way to the end of the hall. He let her go so she could get the card key from her purse. Her fingers shook as she slipped the card in, and she almost laughed. She’d thought the tension in the elevator had been bad.

He pushed open the door and as soon as she walked inside, he followed, closed the door and locked it. Susan’s gaze went straight to the bedroom.

It was a beautiful suite, an eclectic mix of oriental and European sensibilities with stunning modern art that somehow made the whole thing work. The space was large, for Manhattan, with a nice sitting room, a wet bar, and, of course, the bedroom. She could see the bed from there. Unique for a hotel because of the wrought iron head and baseboards, it was also a California king, big enough for three. Not that she’d ever know that firsthand. Oh, God. Maybe this was a mistake. A colossal error in judgment. There was still time to back out.

She turned to David, and his excitement fairly vibrated. Which made sense. It was exciting. And dangerous. And wicked as all get-out. Well, if she was going to go down in flames, she wanted to do it with this man. He was extraordinarily beautiful, in a completely masculine way. Granted, his jaw was too square, his nose too big, but that added to his attractiveness. If she’d been a painter, she would have done canvas after canvas of his face, from every angle possible. Something told her it would be time well spent.

He took her coat from her arm. “Would you like me to order drinks?”

She nodded. “Champagne?”

“Good. Anything else?”

“Not unless you’re hungry.”

His lips curved into a sort of grin.

“What?”

“This is a most unusual night.”

She grinned back. “I would have to agree.”

“What are your thoughts about actually moving into the room?”

“We’ve come this far,” she said, liking him more by the second. “We might as well go all the way.”

His left brow rose and she realized her double entendre. “Go call room service.”

“I will in a moment,” he said. “But first, there’s something I need to do.” He took her coat and laid it over one of the wing chairs. His own coat followed. Then his suit jacket.

Her eyes widened at the contrast between his shoulders and his hips. And when he turned she got a nice long look at his behind, which was as stunning as anything she’d seen in ages. She wanted to touch it. Run her hand along the curve.

He turned, walked up to her, lifted her chin with the side of his finger until she met his gaze. Then, slowly, he bent and kissed her.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt the tenderness of his lips. It was a soft kiss, a brush, barely touching. Puff of breath, and she could taste him, breathe him in, and she leaned in, wanting more.

He obliged, but in his own time. “Susan,” he whispered against her lips. Then a soft, cool kiss that lingered, deepened as the seconds ticked by. As the night changed from question to promise.

Pressing harder, he used his lips to open hers, then his tongue flicked once, twice against the soft inner flesh under her top lip. Her gasp gave him full entrance, and he took advantage of the situation. Now he explored her more fully, not rushing, languid, as if he needed to learn every taste, every nuance.

She put her hand on his neck as she did her own exploration. Teasing heat and a flavor that was completely new. Completely David. Her fingers moved up into his hair, and she could hardly believe how soft, how smooth. She moaned as his arm went around her waist and he pulled her tight against him, and when he shifted his hips, she felt his hard length press her lower belly.

She shivered at the contact, at the heat. He thrust into her mouth, and she captured his tongue, sucking hard. It was his turn to moan.

His arm stayed around her waist, although he loosened his hold. His eyes were half closed, lazy with desire. She could see herself with him, in the bed, naked and touching and doing everything that pleasure would allow.

But that wasn’t her plan. If she didn’t do something about it now, she would be lost. This was her party, and she was going to keep it that way.

As he moved to take her mouth once more, she leaned back and shook her head. “Champagne,” she whispered.

He looked into her eyes, letting her know he wasn’t through.

He let go of her waist and walked to the phone by the couch. The thick outline of his cock pushed against the fine wool of his pants. As he spoke to room service, he turned away, and she felt a flush on her cheeks as she realized he’d watched her checking him out.

Luckily, her desire wasn’t so obvious. It was the only thing that made her plan workable. If he had any idea what he did to her…