Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Julian
As the music fades, Maya steps away from me and I feel a sense of loss that is hard to explain. I've never felt anything near what I'm feeling for her and touching her that way, as innocent as it was, left my body twisted with need.
I'm erect, wanting and tired of the craving ache that has become a normal part of my life whenever she's near me.
"This is Irene and Tom Clarkson." Maya steps closer to the older couple she asked me here to meet. "They are staying at Bishop Tribeca and noticed the brochure."
I shake both of their hands firmly. "It's good to meet you both. How are you enjoying your stay?"
"The hotel is one of the best we've ever stayed in." Tom smiles as he wraps his arm around his wife's shoulders. "We want something more permanent now that our son is living here. Tell us about the neighborhood."
It's a question he easily could have asked Maya, but he didn't. He wanted a face-to-face with me for the simple reason that this property costs a fortune and if he's going to invest his hard earned money in it, he wants to know the owner.
I get that. I would do the very same if I were standing in his shoes.
"You're not going to see as much tourist traffic here in Chelsea as you would in other areas.
" I walk toward the wall of windows that overlook the Hudson River.
I doubt anyone has noticed my now semi-hard cock pressing against the fabric of my navy trousers, but I need it to calm down before I walk out of here.
"The restaurants in the neighborhood are great.
They're not as stellar as our offering downstairs, but you can sample a different dish every night for a year within a two block radius. "
"The views are what grabbed us when we saw the brochure." Tom moves to stand next to me. "This is what a person moves to New York for. That and their family, of course."
I chuckle. "It's the ideal space to host family gatherings. It's a place where memories can be built for generations to come."
"I said the very same thing as soon as we walked through the door," Irene chimes in from behind me. "I'm in love with this apartment. It already feels like home to me."
"Two spa certificates and dinner at Axel compliments of the hotel," I tell my assistant. "Tom and Irene Clarkson. I want that set up within the next hour."
I end the call as I watch Maya round the corner from the corridor that leads to the private elevator.
I held back as she said her goodbyes to the Clarksons. I didn't want to crowd her. Her job is to sell this space. Mine is to give her the room to do that.
"Shit," she mumbles under her breath as she comes to an abrupt halt near the kitchen counter. "Goddamn it."
I laugh. "What's the problem?"
She lifts her left foot inches off the floor. "The strap on my shoe came loose again. I keep meaning to drop them off to get fixed, but they're one of my favorite pairs of sandals and I don't want to be without them."
I close the distance between us in measured, heavy steps before I drop to one knee in front of her.
She gasps. "Julian, get up. What are you doing?"
I reach forward to grab her foot. I rest it on my thigh. "I'm having a look at your shoe."
She tries to pull her foot away, but I cup my hand over the back of her calf. "Maya, please."
I feel the shiver that courses through her. "Julian."
My name is a whispered threat. She's warning me. I should heed that, but I don't. Instead, I slide my hand further up the back of her calf. "It will only take me a minute to tighten it, Maya. You need to hold still."
She reaches down to balance herself with a hand on my shoulder. "I'll stay still."
I get to work on the strap, pulling it taut before tucking it under another strap and looping it through. "It'll stay in place."
"Thank you," she says softly. "You can get up now."
I can. I should, but I don't.
Instead, I look up into her sky blue eyes and those lips. The beautiful pink lips that have been tempting me since I first saw them in Falon's studio.
I hold her gaze as my hand begins a slow path back up her leg. Her skirt is short. It's short enough that I could flip it over easily and rest my mouth against the front of her panties. One sharp twist and her panties would be gone and she'd feel my tongue sweeping over her core.
"You're an incredibly beautiful woman, Maya." I inch my hand higher until it settles at the back of her thigh. Her skin is smooth and warm.
"We shouldn't." She stares down at me.
I made her a promise that I wouldn't push her to break that fucking rule about not dating a man who just went through a breakup.
If she only knew how many nights I've fucked my fist since I first met her. I lost track months ago. Coming alone in my shower while thinking about her became more fulfilling than an actual fuck.
I carefully move her leg and stretch back up to my feet. I look down at her. I see the same thing in her eyes that I feel inside of me.
"Thank you for the dance, Maya." I reach forward to glide my lips over her cheek. "It was the highlight of my day."
I stop when I feel her hand reach for my shoulder once again. She takes a deep breath. "Julian."
My name is a plea this time, an unsheltered need for more. "Show me, Maya. Show me that I'm worth breaking your rules for."
She does. Her lips move to mine and when I cup my hand behind her head and seal my mouth over hers, I know that it's a kiss that will change me forever.