Studly Service

Lizzie T. Leaf

Studly Service By Lizzie T. Leaf

Erotiqué Press Contemporary Romance 2

Studly Service

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Erotiqué Press 9735 Country Meadows Lane 1-D Laurel, MD 20723 Copyright © 2006 by L.T. Leaf ISBN: 1-59080-966-1 E-book www.erotiquepress.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Echelon Press. First Erotiqué Press production: February 2006 Cover Art © Karen Syed Edited by Peggy Roberts Erotiqué Press is a division of Echelon Press Publishing. Produced in the USA

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1 Michael Crane inhaled the spicy aroma coming from the kitchen. Curry was one of his favorites and his stomach growled to emphasize the pains of hunger he'd been feeling for the past half hour. No time to indulge in a full meal now, but he grabbed a roll and bit, not worrying about butter. Anything to placate his rumbling stomach so his customers wouldn't hear it, and hopefully it would hold him over until things in the dining room slowed down. "Hey Mike, you got a four top. The law group," Chris, the Trade Winds Tavern host, called out. "Thanks. Be right there." Great. He'd been waiting for the Legal Beagles to move from the seats they'd occupied in the bar since they arrived for happy hour. Only four? Hmm, that was going to make it a little more difficult to do what he had planned. Tonight he was going to ask one of the group regulars for her phone number. It would have been less noticeable when he dropped the napkin on which he had written the note to Rissa if the group was the usual loud, rowdy bunch that ate dinner at the restaurant on Friday nights. He'd spent a great deal of time drafting the request for her phone number, explaining how tomorrow will be his last day at the Tavern before he started a business venture of his own and he wanted to stay in touch with her if she was agreeable. The contact would have happened long before now if 4

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restaurant's owners didn't frown about the staff hitting on customers. Their rule had stopped Mike from following the impulse to get to know Rissa better. He had reached the 'what the hell' point though. Tomorrow night would be his last night at the Trade Winds and he wasn't about to let the opportunity to stay in contact with the woman who'd held his interest all these months slip by. If Karl or Trudy wanted to fire him tonight, so be it. They weren't going to be too excited when they found out he had become a competitor either. Especially when he lured some of their better staff away to work in Shimmers, the restaurant that would soon be his dream come to life. Thoughts of the redhead brought a smile to his lips. He'd been attracted to her the first time she slid onto a barstool, slapped the counter with her hand, and yelled out, "Hey bartender, how about a little service here?" Whirling around ready to tell the obnoxious customer where to take her demands, he'd stared into laughing green eyes and couldn't help noticing the up-turned freckle dusted nose. Over the next few weeks he'd learned her name, Marissa Woods, but everyone called her Rissa. A paralegal at one of the law firms housed in the building across the street from the Trade Winds, the Friday afternoon watering hole for most of the Legal Beagles who worked there. Signaling to the replacement he was training to follow him, he moved toward the dining room. Disappointment flooded his senses. It was some of the people from the law firm, but tonight no Rissa. In fact, it was only four of the male attorneys. None of the women usually a part of the group was in sight. 5

Lizzie T. Leaf "Good evening, gentlemen. What can I get you to drink?" A glance at the eyes of a couple of them and he knew they'd had more than enough already. Thankfully their beer glasses were half full and he didn't expect them to request another round, yet. "Think we're good here, Mike. Some of us don't need anything more." Lloyd Ames, one of the more senior attorneys shot a dark glance across the table. The recipient of the glare guzzled the rest of his beer and held the empty glass toward Mike. "I'll take another," he slurred. Mike tried to find a diplomatic way to tell the bleary eyed customer he was cut off. "Sure you don't want to slow down, Jim. You've got a long drive ahead of you. Have something to eat first." "Excellent idea." Lloyd took over. "We don't want lover boy to wrap himself around a tree just because he's pissed with his latest woman." Jim's defiant scowl turned into a burp. "She's not my latest woman. Dumb bitch can go piss up a rope for all I care." "Yeah, right. Next time maybe you'll listen to me about not dipping your wick in the office pool. Now you're going to have a group of bitchy women to deal with, including Rissa." Lloyd shook his head in disgust. "Naw, Rissa's cool." "Not when you just screwed over her friend. You saw who she sided with when you opened your big mouth at the bar. She's going to make your life hell for awhile on the lack of research she'll be able to do for you. And you've got that big trial coming up." A look of almost compassion passed across the older man's face before he 6

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scoffed. "Sorry Mike, don't mean to air the firm's dirty laundry in public." "No problem. Does everyone know what they want to eat?" Damn, damn, damn. Why had he waited until the last minute to make his move? His pen wrote the orders out of habit, his mind working overtime to figure out his next step. It was obvious. He would have to call her at the office and now that would have to wait until he got back from Mexico. Sunday would find him on a plane to a sunny beach resort to give his mind and body the chance to rest before he had to deal with the last minute details of opening Shimmers. Food had always been a passion and when he made more money than he'd ever dreamed of through real estate investing, he decided to make his dream of owning a restaurant come true. Not having experience in the industry, he'd spent the past two years learning from on the job training. When he succeeded in talking the owners of the Trade Winds Tavern into giving him a job, he'd spent a lot of time buried up to his elbows in soap suds as chief dishwasher. From there he moved over to the prep station and spent several months chopping. His out front appearance was as a busboy and one night the bartender didn't show up. Mike moved behind the bar, which meant he had to get a bartender license. Now, he was finishing his education as a waiter, which at crunch times also included hosting. Yes, he'd achieved the knowledge he craved and would soon apply it to his own place of business. He had high hopes of Shimmers becoming the next 'in spot' in Denver. He'd managed to get as his Head Chef, Pierre 7

Lizzie T. Leaf LaRoux, the hottest chef around, and the rest of the staff he lined up were all tops in their fields, also. *** Marissa couldn't believe the words she heard from her friend's mouth. Jenny had talked her into this trip and made all the arrangements. "Sorry, Rissa. I'm too sick. There is no way I can make the trip. The bathroom has been my best friend since four this morning." Searching through Jenny's medicine cabinet, Marissa pulled out a bottle of Pepto Bismol. "Here, all we need is to get a couple of doses of this into you and you'll be good as new." Jenny shook her head to the negative. "Nope, been there, threw up that. I can barely keep weak tea down." "Crap. Guess I can kiss the money for this trip goodbye." "Why? You're not sick and you can use the break. All the research you did for that class action suit earned you a vacation." Jenny rubbed her stomach and made a dash for the bathroom. "Keep talking. I can hear you," she called from the other side of the closed door. Rissa leaned against the wall beside the door and raised her voice. "I don't know anyone." The door swung open and Rissa took in the sheen of sweat on the pale face that emerged. She helped Jenny to the sofa where she collapsed against the cushions. From a prone position the sick woman peered up at her friend. "It's a singles resort. We selected it to meet guys, so I don't think you're going to be lonely." Jenny waved a limp wrist in her guest's direction. "Now go. Let me die in peace." She rolled over and buried her head in the 8

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pillow. *** Okay, she was on her way to the Costa Playa Resort alone, Rissa thought as she checked her seat belt. The middle seat wouldn't be so bad if Jenny were the passenger in the window seat, but no, the rat had come down with some stomach flu thing and bailed on the trip. Rissa still wasn't convinced that Jenny's illness wasn't brought on by how upset she'd become a few nights before when she clashed with the latest boyfriend. When the usual Friday happy hour at the Trade Winds Tavern turned nasty, Rissa'd left with her friend in an attempt to calm her down. Jim Conley would pay dearly for humiliating the petite dark haired legal secretary. Announcing to everyone at the bar he was tired of her and didn't want to see her outside the office anymore had been a cruel and vicious thing to do. Right there was justification to Rissa's own policy of not dating her fellow co-workers. Not that she'd really have an issue there. She was always the girl the men thought of as a friend. They brought their problems with other women to her, seeking solutions to whatever they had done to mess up what had the potential to be a great relationship. Nope, she never attracted the nice, normal guys. The men who came on to her were the creeps, just like in high school and college. She'd determined after the last jerk that no man was better than one who offered nothing more than bad sex. Someday she'd meet a nice guy and build a real relationship. Until then, being married to the job with an occasional night out with friend met her needs. 9

Lizzie T. Leaf True, her virginity had been lost under the bleachers at a high school football game her senior year. Another truth was she'd broken the guy's nose when she overheard him sharing the details with some of his biker friends. That ended her high school dating career and other than an occasional bad ass, she hadn't dated much since then. Hell, she was almost re-virginized it had been so long since she'd had sex. So when Jenny announced this morning she was too sick for the trip, Rissa eventually decided she would go it alone. She'd shelled out the money and the travel insurance she'd paid for didn't cover her friend being sick as a good reason for reimbursement. Maybe she'd get lucky and get laid. After all, she was reasonably attractive and no one had called her Bugs Bunny since she had her teeth fixed. Yep, she would use this trip to have a mad fling with some hot Latin guy. He didn't have to be another vanilla American who had come to the resort with the same idea in his little pea brain. The plane landed with a thump and bounced down the runway. Good grief, the pilot must have learned to fly over the internet.

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2 Crammed up against the window of a Volkswagen bus, that had to have been made in the fifties, the hour drive to get to the resort seemed endless. Combine her cramped quarters with no air-conditioning and a group of what appeared to be college age males in the partying mood, it rapidly turned into the trip from hell since the adolescent humor no longer appealed to her. The last time she'd smelled that much testosterone was in the boy's locker room when she managed the track team in high school. When they pulled up to the front door of a pink stucco building, Rissa was more than ready to take advantage of some of the all-inclusive alcoholic beverages the flyer promoting this ideal vacation touted. Uncurling from the van, she bit back a groan. A massage quickly went to the top of her mental 'to do' list. "Margarita or Pina Colada, Senorita?" A handsome waiter held a tray in front of Rissa offering the temptations. "Yes, thank you." She reached out and took one of each drink in her hands. This left her with no way to pull her luggage. "Brilliant." Making a quick decision, she gulped down the Pina Colada, and with the margarita in one hand, she pulled the suitcase behind her and made her way toward the front desk to check-in. 11

Lizzie T. Leaf Safely in her room, she briefly appreciated the colorful décor. The Mexican rugs hung on the wall seemed to have slid off onto the floor and some also doubled as a bedspread. "Guess the person who decorated this room liked rugs." She sat on the edge of the bed and gave a couple of bounces. "Springs sound like they'll hold up to a little exercise if I can find a workout partner." The suitcase was quickly emptied, her one cocktail dress hung in the tiny wardrobe and shorts and t-shirts tossed in one drawer with underwear in another. Her bathing suit had immediate use as she planned to hit the pool. Glancing at the two small pieces of material in her hand she once again debated her wisdom in letting Jenny convince her the green didn't make her look like a Christmas tree. Then again, there wasn't enough material to worry about it. *** Mike stretched, only too glad to be out of the VW bus that had transported him from the airport. Costa Playa lived up to the picture in the brochure the travel agent had given him. Pink stucco and lots of palm trees. A riot of color climbed along the building where bougainvillea grew in some sort of an untrained pattern. He took the offered drink wishing the margarita was water, but it helped wash some of the dust off the back of his throat. Eyeing the mob waiting to check in at the desk he decided a trip to the bar for a beer to cleanse the rest of the dirt would be a wiser course of action right now. Seated in a dimly lit corner of the large room he settled back and sipped on the cool beverage. So far most of the other guests appeared to be on the young side. 12

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Lord, he hoped he hadn't ended up here over Spring Break. He'd have to go back and strangle a travel agent if the peace and quiet he sought turned into a round of beer drinking and wet t-shirt contests. Oh well, nothing he could do about it now. May as well get signed in for his room and unpack. It was getting close to dinner and the snack he bought on the plane seemed a long time ago. *** "Unbelievable." Rissa took in the mob scene of hard bodied males and sexy females cavorting around the pool, all scantily clad. The travel agent really screwed up when she pitched this trip, somehow missing the fact that this all-inclusive resort catered to the Spring Break college crowd this time of year. Finally, she found a couple of empty chairs in a far corner. Planting her butt on one, the hot plastic seared through the fabric of her swimsuit. Jumping up quickly she fished her towel out of the bag and spread it over the lounge chair webbing. Slathered with sunscreen, she settled in to read the erotic romance she'd bought just for this trip. "Great place, huh?" Shielding her eyes from the sun, Rissa looked up find one of the luscious hard bodied males standing above her. She could sound like his mother and say 'not hardly', but she had reached a scene in the book that had left her feeling a little heated and what the hell, why not go with the flow and see where it took her. "Sure is." Her new friend took a seat on the lounge chair beside her, not seeming to find it as uncomfortable as she had. 13

Lizzie T. Leaf "Been here long?" His gaze was locked on her chest, where she had to admit her cups came close to overflowing. Should she ask him to talk to the face not the boobs? "Just got in today. How about you?" He licked his lips, not bothering to look up. Bet he could pick her out of a lineup if they covered her face and told him to focus on the mammary glands. "Been here a couple of days. Ahhh…I…hmmm." Blue eyes darted a quick glance at her face. "My name's John." The stare had already returned to his favorite part of her anatomy and the lust in his eyes seemed to take away the ability to speak. "Maybe I should put on my wrap." "Huh?" Reaching for the sarong tossed across her beach bag, Rissa stood and wrapped it around her body, tying it above the scanty bikini top and let it drape over the rest of her. "You seemed to have a little trouble talking when you're so focused on my chest. Maybe if you tried to look at my eyes, you might be more successful in conversation." "You're funny." He did force his eyes to meet hers. Okay, so she was funny. That was a good thing, right? "Thank you. I'm Rissa." She watched him shrug wide shoulders and grin. "Rissa. I like that. You remind me of someone I know. Not the name of course." Of course, but hey, if she reminded him of a hot college girl, then maybe she wouldn't have to spend so much time alone. Lord knows, he didn't have to be a brilliant conversationalist to meet the needs of what she 14

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had in mind. She smiled her most provocative smile. "Thank you, again." "Yeah, you remind me of my mother. She's got a sense of humor like you." His mother! Since when did thirty-five qualify her to have a twenty something son. Maybe it was physically possible if she'd started young, but good grief…his mother. How could he even go there the way he stared at her boobs before she covered them up? Little shit. Time for her to dump this stud since she couldn't be sure now if she should burp him or screw him. She reached for her bag and stuffed her book in. "You know, I'm getting a little over heated here. Think I'll go back to my room." Thanks to his remarks, her hot now came totally from the sun. He managed with one comment to douse the heat created from her earlier reading. The blue eyes clouded with what she thought might be disappointment. "Well, okay." He stood and grinned at her. "Hey, we'll both be around a few more days. Maybe I'll see you again." Not if I see you first. Flashing him her best fake smile she waved and called over her shoulder. "Sure. Look forward to it." *** "Rissa?" Maybe she shouldn't have had three Margaritas before getting in the buffet line. Now she was hearing things and that was all that it could be since no one knew her name other than the child from the pool. She turned to see who called her name. "Mike?" If paramedics were talking her pulse right now, they'd 15

Lizzie T. Leaf swear she was having a heart attack. The sound of her heart thundering echoed in her ears. In front of her stood the waiter she'd spent months lusting after and without a tray in his hands. In fact, he was dressed as casually as she was. If he'd had a coin in the tight jeans, she could have read if it were heads or tails. Managing to control the drool forming in her mouth, she plastered a smile on her face. "I don't believe it. What are you doing here?" "Just taking a little down time. And you? Who're you here with?" Crap, did he think just because she was female she had to be traveling with someone. That sort of chauvinist thinking could be a strike against him. But darn, he was cute and she was really happy to see someone her age here. At least she thought he was closer to her age. "Me. I'm here with me." She saw his eyebrows raise into the shock of dark hair that fell across his forehead. "Long story and I don't really want to go into it. How about you? Who are you here with?" The grin he flashed at her melted her heart and created heat between her thighs. "I'm my own best company." His quick glance around the room spoke volumes. Laughing Rissa shook her head. "I know what you mean." Mike reached out and took her hand. "I think for me that's just changed. Let's eat and then find a quiet place to talk."

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3

Mike suggested a stroll on the beach after dinner and drinks in the dimly lit bar. He held Rissa's hand in his and they let the waves play around their ankles as they made their way along the packed sand. She'd explained her reason for being alone while they consumed copious amounts of food and drinks. Yes, this was a resort with a good name, but he still didn't think it was wise for her to be alone, especially with all the horny, young bucks around. His attraction to this woman was becoming stronger by the minute and if anyone was going to enjoy the promises her body offered, it would be him, not some kid out for a one-night stand. Looking around he realized they had walked a long way. The lights of the resort were barely visible. Before he had a chance to mention the distance they'd covered, Rissa stopped. "Do you know anything about the constellations?" She stared up at the sky. He inhaled her scent before replying. "A little. Do you?" A sad little smile played across her lips and she seemed lost in thought before responding. "My dad use to point them out to me, but I don't remember much. I think that's one of the dippers over there." "Yep. That's the Little Dipper. And that large star 17

Lizzie T. Leaf there," he pointed to the large star that seemed to hangout in the glow of the moon, "is Venus." He glanced over to find her no longer looking at the sky, but at him. The words slipped out of his mouth of their own volition. "Moonlight becomes you." Her laugh sounded nervous and she walked a few feet up the shoreline and sat down. There had not been a lot of nervousness at the restaurant when she'd laughed and joked with him. In fact, she flirted outrageously at times and never blushed. "Rissa, am I making you nervous?" She was making him a lot of things, but nervous wasn't at the top of the list. God, he had to be the horniest man alive if his cock ached like this while he tried to have a serious conversation. Shaking her head, she patted the sand beside her. "No. Maybe…a little." The light from the full moon cast a pearly luminescence on her fair skin and Mike resisted the temptation to kiss the hollow at the base of her throat. He sat down and watched her toes dig into the sand. The feeling that clutched his gut reminded him of high school. Okay, he was beginning to get nervous. Better just kiss her and be done with it. If she slapped his face at least he'd know where he stood. Leaning forward he reached out to pull her face up to his. She raised her head at the same time and caught him under the chin, slamming his mouth closed so hard he thought she'd loosened some of his teeth. He saw stars and not the ones in the sky. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz." She stroked his face and murmured more apologies. 18

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The copper taste of blood filled his mouth and Mike knew he'd bit his tongue. Checking as his vision returned to normal, he determined he'd only nicked one side and he'd live. "It's okay." He took her face between his hands and covered her mouth with his. What was a little blood when he could claim the sweet lips that would help the pain heal? Maybe he had a little vampire in him. Her whispered response against his lips surprised him. "Mike, do you know how long I've wanted you to kiss me?" Elation surged through him and his heart skipped a beat at her question. The instant response of his penis told him his ears weren't the only part of his body to hear the words. "I've wanted to kiss you since the first time you came up to the bar with your rowdy friends and demanded service." Rissa pushed away and glared at him. "Then what the hell took you so long?" Did he spend several minutes explaining his prior employer's policy of no interaction with customers…not likely. "That's the past. Let's just focus on now." Claiming her mouth again, he lay back on the sand and pulled her with him. The voluptuous body fit perfectly against his and he pressed his aching penis against the v of her legs. He gasped when she ground down in response and, his sore tongue forgotten, he slid into her mouth seeking its promise of a taste of heaven. Home at last, he let the liquid heat flow though him as he continued to explore the wet warmth of her hot mouth and matched her sigh for sigh. 19

Lizzie T. Leaf His fingers seemed to have a mind of their own and slipped under the hem of her white cotton sundress. Mike couldn't control them from working their way beneath the damp lace that covered his goal. The soft, slick wetness told him there was no turning back for either of them. He slipped a finger in and felt the tight muscles grasp and release as he worked another finger in. With reluctance, he pulled his fingers out and inserted them in the elastic at the top of the flimsy material. Working slowly, he inched the lacy underwear down over her well formed ass, inch by inch. Rissa took her mouth from his and lifted her hips. With one hand she assisted in the removal of her panties and tossed them off with a foot somewhere into the sand. Her hands started working on the button of his jeans and somehow between them in their lust-filled rush, they managed to free him of all his restrictive clothing. The throbbing of his cock matched the pounding in his ears and he lifted her hips and impaled her on his quivering sword. Tight. She was so tight he didn't know if he could last long. A wave washed over him, but it didn't dampen his need. The roar of the ocean mixed with the one in his ears. She tightened and released her pelvic muscles and pushed down against him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this hard or needy. Trying to hold in his own shout of release as Rissa rode him, Mike lifted his head as the next wave rushed in covering both of them with water and sand. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" Rissa cried out and collapsed on him. They lay there letting the water claim them as they 20

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basked in the after glow. Talk about going from zero to sixty in a space of seconds. Obviously, they both had been deprived too long. Gasping after taking in a gulp of seawater, Mike pushed to sit up. "We'd better move before we drown." Laughing Rissa stood and shook out the wet dress that now clung to her body like a second skin. "I could use a shower to get some of the salt and sand off me." With difficulty Mike located his pants, but they finally gave up on finding her panties. The bits of lace had probably been carried off by the tide. "Come on. I'll walk you back to your room and you can accomplish get your shower. How about I come by in the morning about eight and we have breakfast together?" Rissa linked an arm around his waist. "Sounds good. Maybe we could do an encore of tonight's performance, only on clean sheets."

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4

The ringing of the phone pulled Mike from a glorious dream in which he and Rissa were making love. "This had dammed well better be important," he mumbled as he snatched up the phone. "Mike?" The voice of Terry Wells, his friend and Denver attorney, didn't sound too sure that he'd reached his client. "What the hell do you want, Terry? I'm on vacation." "Sorry, friend, but vacation is over. We got problems." Terry had his full attention now. Sitting up on the side of the bed he ran a hand though his hair in an effort to clear the fog from his brain, addled by too much tequila and hot sex. Come to think of it Sex on the Beach wasn't just a drink to him anymore. "Problems? Better explain." Damn, now that he was awake he needed to pee. "Hey Terry, can you hold a minute?" Much more comfortable after the quick trip to the bathroom he was now ready to focus on whatever Terry had to say. He loved the guy like a brother, but Terry had the tendency to over react sometimes, making mountains out of molehills. "Okay, I'm back. Shoot." "You've got to get back here immediately." Mike 22

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could almost see his friend pacing back and forth along the front of his desk. "Pierre is threatening to not sign the contract. He wants a face to face with you this evening." "Shit." The timing couldn't be worse. He had finally connected with Rissa and had planned to make the next six days ones neither of them would forget. Mike wasn't ready to come back, but if that's what it took to smooth over whatever had the chef in an uproar then he had to go. The temperamental cook was too important to the success of Shimmers. "Okay, I'll check on return flights and get back with you." "Don't bother. I've already taken care of it. All you have to do is get your ass to the airport within two hours. I'll pick you up on this end." Terry hung up before he had a chance to respond. "Damn." Okay, he'd throw his clothes in the suitcase and make a quick stop by Rissa's room to let her know. They would have to work out getting together when she got back. No, calling her would be faster and she could meet him in the lobby while he attempted to get a ride to the airport. One thing he'd noticed, things didn't happen fast around here, especially if they were out of the ordinary. Grabbing the phone, he dialed Rissa's room. Numerous rings later he threw it down in frustration. They were suppose to meet at eight and it was only a little after six now. Where the hell could she be? He'd just have to write a note and leave it at the front desk if he didn't reach her before he got a ride. *** Rissa returned from her walk on the beach in time to grab a quick shower before Mike was due to arrive. Sleep 23

Lizzie T. Leaf avoided her after they parted company in the wee hours of the morning and she'd given up on the tossing and turning. Instead, she decided to watch the sun rise over the water. Sitting in the sand brought back the memories of making love on the beach. The practical side of her admitted it wasn't a location she'd want to try again anytime soon. She hated the gritty, sticky feeling left on her skin from the sand and salt water and was glad Mike had been the one on bottom. The romantic side of her warred with this. Memories of an old movie she'd seen as a young girl still dwelled deep in the chambers of her heart. Hell, she couldn't even remember the name of the movie or the stars, but she'd never forget the scene of the couple on the beach with the waves washing over them. Of course, the camera cut away when things were about to get interesting. Those scenes were handled a lot different in those days. Well, she had her fantasy and the only thing she wanted to repeat was having Mike's body against hers, and him buried deep inside her. Sure, it had been a little uncomfortable when he plunged into her, but she'd been so wet and horny it had taken no time at all for her to appreciate the feel of him. "Oh, Jenny if you only knew how accurate you were with all those comments." Towel drying her skin she remembered all the conversations she and Jenny had about the hot waiter at the Trade Winds Tavern. Jenny always wondered if he was as studly in other areas as he was with his table service. 24

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"Yes, he is and then some, but I'll never tell." A glance at the clock and she realized she'd spent more time daydreaming than she'd thought and hurried to get ready. Mike would be knocking on the door in about fifteen minutes and she still needed to dry her hair. Thank goodness the tropical heat made it useless to worry about makeup. A touch of lip gloss was all she needed. Thirty minutes after the arranged time Mike was to pick her up, and still no Mike. She'd tried his room a couple of times and got no answer. Maybe she'd better try the front desk and make sure she had the right room number. "Sorry, Senorita. Senor Crane has gone." "Gone. What do you mean gone? Did he leave a message for me?" She held her breath, listening to the rustling in the background. "No. Sorry." "Thank you." Rissa hung up the phone. "Gone." Tears rolled down her cheeks. Numbness gave way to pain and then anger. Furious, she picked up a vase and threw it against the wall. "Son of a bitch. Dirty rotten son of a bitch men. Give'em what they want and they move on to the next conquest. I hate every fucking one of them." She collapsed on the bed and gave into the sobs, letting them consume her body in much the same manner as Mike had on the beach.

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5

Mike exhaled slowly and willed his heart to return to a normal rate. It was amazing how every time he caught a glimpse of a redheaded woman a picture of Rissa flashed in his mind and adrenaline flowed. Good grief, he'd only had one night with her. Sure, he'd spent several months wanting to know more about her and the chance meeting at the Mexican resort had given him a reality far beyond his dreams. It still stung that she was never available when he'd tried to reach her after she retuned home and the messages he'd left were never acknowledged. Still, he couldn't count the nights over the past six months when he'd gone home ready to drop from exhaustion only to have Rissa's face dance before his eyes and sleep elude him. The solution to ease his stiff, aching penis was one he hadn't had to use this many times since his teen years. It was amazing his palm didn't have calluses from the use it'd had lately. Screw it. He didn't have time to work on a relationship right now anyway. His vision for Shimmers had far exceeded his expectations. Almost from the first night, there'd been a waiting list. Customers would hang out at the bar in hopes someone would cancel or not show for their reservation. No. A woman wasn't in the picture for him anytime 26

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soon. They took too much energy. Still, regret surged through him each time he saw someone who reminded him of Rissa. "Michael." The wine steward's face wore a thunderous look which spoke volumes. "The customer says this bottle of Petrus Pomeral is bad." Taking the bottle from the glaring man, Mike sniffed the expensive French Merlot and detected the fruity aroma he expected. "What do you think, Paul?" Earn your salary he thought as he handed the bottle back to the wine expert. "I think the customer looked at the wrong price line when ordering and has now realized he just bought himself a sixteen hundred dollar bottle of Merlot." Paul shrugged his shoulders. "Of course, this is after all the glasses have been filled and one emptied. That person wanted a refill before Mr. Big Spender objected to the quality." "Have you tasted it?" Being a wine connoisseur, Mike knew the man could tell just from a sniff if a vintage had gone bad, but if he was rushed, he may not have taken the time to actually take a sample taste in front of the customer when he opened the bottle as the procedure at Shimmers required. "Surely you jest?" The short waiter looked more like a Penguin than usual as he adjusted his tux jacket. "Of course I did and the taste was a delight to my palate." Mike nodded and bit the inside of his cheek to stop the grin that wanted to spread across his face. The little guy knew his wine, but he also became offended easily. Why did he have to hire such a temperamental staff? There had to be experts in the field that didn't behave like 27

Lizzie T. Leaf prima donnas. Writing off a bottle of wine this expensive wasn't something he wanted to become a habit. It was probably best he go over to the table and talk with the customer. Maybe he could convince the man to at least split the cost. "Take me to the gentleman's table. I'll deal with the matter so you can attend your other customers, Paul." Approaching the table Mike saw the backs of two women, one who had hair the color of Rissa and his heart started to pound. Did he need counseling to get over his infatuation with a woman he barely knew? He'd had sex with a lot of women who didn't affect him the way thoughts of this one did. A little voice inside his head said, "Yeah, but not one you could love." "Good evening. I'm Michael Crane, the owner. I understand you have a problem with the wine." "Damn right we do." A florid faced cowboy-want-tobe stood up. "I don't waste my money on horse piss." Taking in the cocky attitude Mike expected he had a problem on his hands. "Mr…" he paused to give the man the opportunity to tell his name. "Mike." The squeal of delight focused his attention in the direction of the dark haired woman at the table who'd called his name. "Jenny?" He glanced at the female sitting beside Jenny and breathing became a problem. Staring into cold green eyes that cut him to the core he managed a whispered, "Rissa." *** Rissa now understood what people meant about time standing still. All the occupants and noise in the crowed 28

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restaurant faded into the background and only she and Mike remained. What had been a pretty miserable evening suddenly became a totally impossible one. The man that she'd spent too many hours thinking about over the past six months stood in front of her. How should she handle this? Spit in his face. Slap the hell out of him. Distance was definitely needed to give herself time to think. She stood and knocked her chair over in the process. "Excuse me. I need to powder my nose." Inside the safety of the ladies room she leaned back against the door. "Breathe girl. Take a couple of deep breaths and you'll be okay." The pressure of someone pushing against the door sent her scurrying into a stall. She didn't think it was Mike, but she didn't want to face anyone right now. "Rissa?" Jenny came over to Rissa's hiding place. "Come on out and talk. You've been different since you came back from Mexico. I've tried to give you space, but tonight…well, you're acting really strange. What gives and what does Mike have to do with it?" Pressing her forehead against the cool metal of the stall door, Rissa considered how much she wanted to share with her friend. Did it really matter if she confessed all? Maybe sharing what happened at the resort would help purge the man who had captured her heart and then tossed her aside like another one night stand. To really rub salt into the wound, he'd called her at work in hopes of an encore performance. By not returning his calls, she'd showed him she wasn't interested. She might be easy, but she wasn't cheap. Or was that the other way around? It didn't really matter. Squaring 29

Lizzie T. Leaf her shoulders she opened the door and stepped out. "Okay. I'll tell you about Mexico." When she finished, Jenny stared, mouth gaping. "I don't believe it. You two ended up in Mexico and got it on. Then he dumped on you and had the nerve to call later. What a shit! I'll punch his lights out." Rissa laughed at her friend's defense of her honor. She felt better now. Maybe confession was good for the soul. Jenny gave her a quick hug. "Let's blow this place. I know you didn't want to come anyway." She gave Rissa another hug. "Thanks for doing the blind date thing with me. I'm sorry this has turned out to be such a mess." "No problem. You just owe me big." Rissa returned her friends hug. "Next time could you make sure my date didn't step out of a John Wayne movie? And make sure he's not so cheap he sends back an excellent bottle of wine when the dumb shit realizes the price. In addition, it would be nice if he knew to remove his Stetson when he went to a nice restaurant." Jenny linked her arm through Rissa's. "Anything else?" Giggling they walked out of the restroom and came face to face with Mike. "Rissa, I really need to talk to you." His sad eyes reminded her of a puppy who'd been kicked and wanted to be forgiven. "Do we really have anything to say to each other? You got what you wanted in Mexico and I'm not up to an encore." "Damn right she's not." Jenny clutched her arm and attempted to pull her toward the exit. The restaurant was empty now, so at least they didn't 30

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create a scene as her friend towed her in the direction of the door. Even their dates were gone, but that was no great loss. Jenny stopped at the coat check to get their coats from the sleepy looking girl behind the counter. Mike came up behind her and touched her shoulder. "Please Rissa. Let's talk. I don't know what happened, but you seem to think I used you." "You left me twiddling my thumbs waiting to have breakfast with you without the courtesy of a goodbye. A gee, thanks for a good time would have been nice, at the very least." Mike's eyes widened in disbelief. "I left a note explaining I'd been called back to Denver. There was an emergency with this place that I had to get back to take care of." "You did? I asked at the front desk. They told me you'd check out and left no messages." If this was true she'd really caused a lot of pain for herself when she refused his calls after her return. "Let's go." Jenny had put her coat on and held Rissa's out for her to slip into. "Not now, Jen." She looked at Mike and back to her friend. "Would you mind taking a taxi home? I'll pay for it." Fishing in her purse she handed a couple of twenties to the confused woman. "Are you sure?" Jenny's brow wrinkled in doubt. "Yeah, I'm sure." Rissa smiled at Mike. "I think I should hear what he has to say." *** After Mike had seen the last of the employees out the door, locked it behind them, and turned off the lights 31

Lizzie T. Leaf other than one above the bar, he'd poured each of them a glass of wine. He started explaining how Shimmers was his dream. "And dreams take a lot of time to make them come true." Disappointment hit her like a ton of bricks. Why hadn't he just left things as they were if that was the case? She could have continued to hate him. She didn't want to be just friends as she was sure that was what this was leading up to. "But Rissa, if you're willing to bear with me, I'd like for us to see as much of each other as possible." He swirled the ruby liquid around in his glass watching it coat the sides. Finally he looked up at her. "I think we have something special. I'd like to give it a chance. How about you?" If only her heart would stay in her chest. The flipflops it did as it pounded against her sternum presented breathing problems. "Yes," she managed to choke out, barley above a whisper. "Yes." That one came out loud and clear. Mike came from behind the bar and stood behind her. "Say it again." "Yes." Her knees trembled when he slipped his hands around her waist and traced her curves, finally stopping under her arms and sliding forward to caress her breasts. The play of his fingertips peaked her nipples to hard buds and she bit back a moan as heat built between her legs. Responding to his hand, she turned her face and his lips captured her mouth, tasting as good if not better as she remembered. She gave into the desire to melt against 32

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him and gasped when his mouth left hers and traced a path to an ear where he nibbled on the lobe. "Have you ever made love in a restaurant?" A giggle escaped and she rubbed her cheek against his. "No. That hasn't made it to the top of my fantasy list." "I think it's time Shimmers was broken in." His mouth claimed hers again and his hands caressed her back, stopping when he grasped an ass cheek in each palm. The soft squeeze and release technique he used on her bottom, combined with the exploration of her mouth that his tongue continued to indulge in, left her panting. Mike stood back, loosened his tie, yanked it over his head only to toss it across the room, took off his tuxedo jacket, and spread it on a carpeted area of floor. Sitting down, he held out his hand to her. "Come." The chemistry was so strong; she couldn't have resisted the invitation if she'd wanted to. He pulled her onto his lap and sought her lips again. The intensity of the kiss caught her by surprise and she responded in kind until he softened it and began to explore the inside of her mouth with his tongue. He lay back on his coat and positioned her against him. His hand ran up the inside of her thighs until he came to the barrier of her panties. "I don't think we need these." His fingers worked their way under the lace, and he ripped them off with one tug, tossing them aside. "See, they're disposable… and replaceable." Rissa's laughter turned to a groan when his fingers slid inside her, working in and out. Her muscles caught 33

Lizzie T. Leaf them, not wanting to release. Pressing against his hand she rubbed her heated nub, needing more. "Don't you have something better to put in me?" "Oh yeah." Mike lifted his hips in the air, unfastened his pants, and pushed them down, kicking them off along with his briefs. Rolling over he used his knee to encourage her legs to spread and position himself between her thighs. "Is this what you had in mind?" The tip of his erection teased her wet sex and Rissa reached for his hips and pulled, plunging him into her. "Does that answer your question?" Rocking her pelvis against his, the need became an itch. The urge to scratch it was almost unbearable. She ground harder and he began to thrust, allowing his penis to come all the way out, and slide along the outside of her valley before entering again. The intensity of the explosion took her by surprise. Her stomach muscles cramped as wave after wave of the orgasm ripped through her. Mike plunged once more and moaned. She felt the convulsions of his body and knew he'd joined her. In the dimly lit room it was hard to see the expression on his face, but she was sure it matched hers, happy. Contentment settled around her and she cuddled on his shoulder. He stroked her stomach and she heard the smile in his voice. "I'm falling in love with you, Rissa." She buried her head in his shoulder and fought back tears of joy. "I'm falling in love with you, too." A button from the jacket they were laying on bit into her hip. "But there is one thing I'm going to need in this relationship." 34

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"Anything. You name it." Sitting up, Rissa rubbed the irritated spot. "We need to make love in a bed for a change." Laughing, Mike pulled her down for a kiss. "Done." He placed her hand on the part of his anatomy that had a life of its own. "Do you think we could wait on that until later?" She placed his hand between her legs to let him feel the heat. "Yeah. Oh, yeah."

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Lizzie T. Leaf Meet the Author: Lizzie T, Leaf's Call Me novella series started her road to erotic romance writing. Her Christmas novella Forget the Mistletoe added an element of fantasy to her work and will reflect in some future offerings. In addition, she's looking forward to adding a historical line. When not pounding the keyboard, Lizzie surrounds herself with family and friends. Her favorite non-work activity is traveling with her husband and sharing new experiences.

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