Scandalous: Scandalized!

“It’s about a twenty-minute drive.” Twenty minutes that would seem like two hours. “Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“Are you sure? I could stop at a drive-through.”

She glared at him. “No. I am not hungry.”

He liked the idea that she was as anxious to get under way as he. They stopped at a traffic light and he said, “Well, then how about scooting over here and giving me another kiss? It’s the truth, I desperately need something to tide me over.”

Her chest rose and fell in several deep breaths, then she scooted. Tony caught her mouth, pressing her back against the seat and this time skipping the teasing. He slid his tongue into her mouth and stroked her deeply. Olivia’s hands came up to rest on his shoulders, and then curled to pull him closer.

The light changed, and at a snail’s pace, traffic moved.

They continued to kiss and cuddle and touch at every opportunity, and Tony knew they were making each other just a bit crazy. But he didn’t call a halt to the touching, and finally, after excruciating frustration, he pulled into his long driveway. It had taken twenty-five minutes, and every minute had been a form of inventive foreplay. Olivia had her eyes closed and appeared to be concentrating on breathing. Her coat laid open, her knees pressed tightly together, and her hands, where they rested on the seat on either side of her, shook.

Tony said very softly, “We’re here.”

She slowly sat forward and surveyed his home through bleary eyes. She was quiet for long seconds, then whispered, “Oh, Tony. It’s beautiful.”

He was pleased with her praise. “I had it built a few years ago. I made certain as many trees were left as possible.”

“It almost seems a part of the landscape.”

That had been his intention. Built of stone and wood and slate, the house blended in with the background, sprawling wide with only one level, and surrounded by oaks and pines and dogwoods. “Now, with the trees bare, you can see the house better. But in the spring and summer, it’s nearly hidden.”

He hit the remote to open the garage door, then drove inside. The four-car garage held only one other car, and was very quiet.

When he opened Olivia’s door for her and she stepped out, he couldn’t help but kiss her again. And this time, since they were assured of privacy, he gave his eager hands the freedom to roam. His palms coasted over her back, feeling her warmth even through the thickness of her coat, then scooped low to cuddle her soft rounded buttocks.

Olivia sucked in a deep breath and moaned when he brought her flush with his body. He knew she could feel his erection, knew she was reacting to it, and with every rapid pulse beat of his body, he thought: this is Olivia, the cool businesswoman, the shark, and she’s pressing against me, trembling and wanting more. It was wonderful and strange and so exciting he almost couldn’t bear it. He felt his body harden even more, felt himself expanding, growing. He felt ready to burst.

He back-stepped her toward the door leading into his house. Now that he was this close, he certainly didn’t want to make love to her in the garage. But when he lifted his head, his eyes were immediately drawn to her heaving breasts, and he saw again her stiff little nipples. Her coat was open down the front, and he pushed it farther aside, then gently cupped her breasts, shaping them, weighing them in his palms. She was soft and warm and her nipples were pressed achingly against the fabric. She tilted her head back against the garage wall and made a small sound of pleasure and need.

Before he could give his mind time to approve his actions, he unbuttoned three small pearl buttons, and peeled aside the soft wool material. Her bra was lace and satin, a pale coffee color, but so sheer he could see the entire outline of her. It nearly sent him over the edge. He brushed his thumb over her nipple, gently, teasing, and watched her tremble. He lost control.

He growled low in his throat, pulled the bra down so it was cupped beneath her pale breast, pushing her up, seeming to offer her to his mouth, and then he brushed his thumb over her again. She panted as he toyed with her, building the suspense, the excitement.

“Tony.”

It was her small, pleading voice that brought him around. He couldn’t wait much longer to taste her, but neither should he be rushing things. He kept his eyes on her beautiful body, on the breast he’d bared, then wrapped his arm around her waist to guide her inside. He reached for the doorknob and turned it, then jerked when he heard a screamed, “Surprise!”

He looked up and saw his entire family, balloons in the background, streamers floating around. It took everyone a second to realize the misfortune of the entire scene, and then little by little, expressions changed. He saw his mother gasp, his grandfather chuckle. His brother was now wearing a wide grin.

His own face must have looked stunned, and he couldn’t find the wherewithal to move. Both he and Olivia seemed frozen to the spot. Then he saw his six-year-old nephew turn his gaze to Olivia, and watched as his sister-in-law rushed over and slapped both hands over her son’s eyes. Tony came reluctantly to his senses. He slammed the door shut, then tried to get his mind to function in some semblance of order so he could figure out what to do.

“Oh my God.”

He glanced down at Olivia, her hands covering her face, her shoulders shaking. She said again, “Oh my God.” Her breast was still uncovered, and more than anything, he wanted to taste that small pink nipple. He wished his family elsewhere, but when he heard the sudden roar of hysterical laughter inside, he knew not a single damn one of them would budge. Meddling bunch of irritants.

“Oh my God.”

Tony frowned, his gaze still on that taunting nipple. He was beginning to feel like Pavlov’s dog. “Are you praying or cursing?”

She peeked at him from between her fingers, her expression as evil as any he’d ever seen. Through gritted teeth, she said, “You promised me privacy, Tony. There must be fifty people in there.”

“No. If everyone’s present, and I suspect by the low roar that they are, there’s ten, maybe twelve total. It only seems like more because a portion of them are kids. Noisy kids.” She dropped her hands and glared at him. She seemed totally oblivious to the fact that her body was bared. Tony, still retaining a death grip on the doorknob in case anyone tried to open it, reached over to cup her with his free hand. She jerked.

“Tony.”

How her voice could change from cold and angry to soft and pleading so quickly, he didn’t know. “One small taste, Olivia, okay? Then I can sort the rest of this out.”

She didn’t appear to understand, which was probably the only reason she didn’t protest.

Tony shook his head, then bent down and slowly drew his tongue around her nipple. She gasped, and he gently sucked her into his mouth, holding her captive with his teeth. Her flesh was hot and sweet and her nipple was so taut it pained him. He licked his tongue over her, flicking, teasing, making her nipple strain even more. When she moaned, he suckled, holding her close to his body.

Olivia’s hands settled in his hair just as a discreet knock sounded on the door. “You might as well come in, Tony. I sent the kids into the kitchen for some punch.”

Tony cursed, dropped his forehead to Olivia’s chest, then felt himself rudely pushed aside as she frantically tried to right her bra and button herself up. “Calm down, Olivia, it’s all right.”

From the other side of the door, he heard his brother say, “Yeah, Olivia. It’s all right. We’re glad you’re here for the party.”

Tony growled. “Go away, John!”

“All right. But I’ll be back in two minutes if you don’t present yourself. Both of you.”

Now that she was decently covered, Olivia sent her gaze searching around the garage, and Tony realized she was hoping to find a means of escape. “Forget it. They won’t let me leave, therefore, you’re stuck, too.”

“But you don’t want this,” she wailed, her hands twisting together at her waist. “This is your family, Tony, part of your private life, and I don’t want to intrude. We both agreed I wouldn’t intrude.”

Tony sighed, knowing she was right, but also accepting the inevitable. “I’ll find some way to throw my family off the scent. Just play it cool. As far as they need to know, we’re business associates and nothing more.”

Olivia’s look told him how stupid she thought that idea was. “Play it cool? After what they saw us doing?” She shook her head. “No. I’m not going in there.”

“Olivia…”

“They saw us!”

He shrugged. “It’s none of their damn business. If anyone gets impertinent with you, tell them to bug off. Or better still, just tell me, and I’ll handle them.”

She didn’t look at all convinced, and Tony touched her face. “I’ve seen you at work, lady. You can easily handle a few curious relatives. You’re a shark, remember? Now pull yourself together.”

She drew a deep breath and gave an uncertain nod. Tony dropped his gaze to her mouth, then had to swallow a curse. His fingertips slid over her lower lip. “Do you have any idea how frustrated I am right now? How badly I’m hurting?”

Olivia seemed to regain some of her aplomb. “No more than I am, I assume. After all, this was my idea. You, as I recall, were very reluctant to agree.”

“I was an idiot.” He turned to the door again. “I suppose I can suffer through a few hours. How long can a family birthday party last anyway?”

OLIVIA TRIED FOR A serene smile as Tony’s family lined up to meet her. Tony waited until he had everyone’s attention, then said with astounding sincerity, “Everyone, this is Olivia Anderson. She’s a business associate. She owns the lingerie shops Sugar and Spice in the hotels, and today we were working on finalizing the placement of one more.”