15. Lady in Red
15
LADY IN RED
CHELSEA
Rex had yet to walk into the deli and ask me out. I started hopeful every day and developed a nasty habit of checking the door each time the bells chimed, announcing another customer entering the deli.
By Friday, I resigned myself to being just another notch on this playboy’s bedpost. I wasn’t mad, exactly, just…disappointed. I enjoyed our night together in the Hamptons as much as I thought he did. Great sex was hard to come by these days. I guess I had hoped for something more.
Oh well. I peeked at my NYC bucket list where I’d hastily scrawled Have a grand affair at the very bottom as an after thought back in Holly Creek when I wrote it. If a one-night stand could be considered an affair, I snorted and crossed that achievement off the list as done.
I was about to do a pre-lunch post on social media about our hearty autumn beef soup special, when his assistant, Pearl, came in early before the lunch rush, having easily become one of the deli’s regulars. She motioned me to the side.
“In case you’ve been wondering, I haven’t ordered two pastrami sandwiches all week because I have a huge appetite. Rex asked me each day to bring him one back.”
“Oh? Why didn’t he just come down and order one himself?”
“I don’t know, but all week he’s been really nervous, sweating about something, talking with his lawyer a lot, and I’ve heard your name mentioned a few times. I wondered if you knew what it was about.”
“Me?” I wrinkled my forehead. “What would make you think I would know?”
“Well, he asked me to come down here and get your cell phone number today,” she said, cocking her head and eyeing me. “But I told him to come down and ask for it himself.”
“Oh, poor guy. I know he gets anxious about the deli. Here, I can give it to you for him.” How silly of me to think I’d cured him of his deli issues? My heart surged, thinking all week he’d wanted to ask me out, but his anxiety stopped him.
She put a hand over mine before I could jot the number down. “Listen, honey. If my instincts are correct, I think he’s smitten with you. The other bimbos he dated all catered to his whims. But you’re different. Make him sweat a little.” She wrinkled her nose and reached on the counter for one of the sandwiches, leaving the other. “Why not deliver his personally to his office?”
Smitten? Interesting. I kept playing over our time together on his boat, and how Rex knew his way around pleasuring a woman’s body. And that’s one reason I tried to keep myself in check, not letting thoughts run rampant.
I viewed him like a wild horse I wanted to tame and saddle. A horse-whisperer I wasn’t though, and hardly had the answers how to do that. But I could certainly deliver his sandwich and see where we stood after finishing a live video post about our lunch special.
“Mm. Nothing beats the flavor for fall more than a simmering hearty soup.” I zoomed the camera in on my spoon, stirring up the beautiful veggies. “Look at all the fresh vegetables that go into my recipe. And beef? Trust me, when you dip your spoon in for the first bite, you won’t have to ask where the beef is because we put extra in it to—beef—it up.” I chuckled at my joke.
I never wrote this stuff out, only winging it. I knew my cooking, and I knew good comfort food. That’s all I needed to convince someone to try it.
I glanced at the names of people who watched my live video and commented, only to double take at a name. Dino B who wrote, Hi Sweetness. There’s only one man who called me that. Could it be Rex Buchanan? As in Tyrannosaurus Rex—Dino B? Was he watching my social media accounts? Now I was even more self-conscious knowing he might be.
Was Pearl right and he was pining away for me way up there in his office? There was only one way to find out.
“I’ll be back,” I told Annie behind the counter, tearing off my apron, and grabbed Rex’s sandwich. “Making a special delivery.”
The entire way up the elevator, I thought about what I’d say to Rex. I needed a cute line, something that said I was just casually delivering this. No big deal, it doesn’t mean we’re an item or anything.
When Pearl ushered me right into his office with a knowing look, I burst in with a smile. “I have a hot pastrami sandwich, looking for a mouth to feed,” only to find he was meeting with four other men in suits. Pearl closed the door behind me and left me standing there, stranded.
Each three-piece suited man stared at me, looking like I was from another planet. And I was, considering I’d worn my dress that was colored like candy corn with wide stripes of black on the bottom, orange in the middle and white on top, with black suede boots to my knees and a bright orange flower in my hair.
“Oh, I-I didn’t realize you were in a meeting. I’ll just drop this off here.” I awkwardly tiptoed over to his desk and dropped his sandwich into the middle of it. He stared at me as if dumbfounded to see me.
I swiftly turned and headed for the door, but before I reached it, he ordered. “Everyone out—except you, Chelsea.” I froze in place and watched the men dutifully empty the room.
Behind me, the footsteps rushing up to me from his pricey leather shoes matched the pace of my heart. His hands landed at my waist, and his body so close to mine caused a thrill up and down my spine.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Fuck, it’s good to see you.”
“You could have seen me every day if you’d come down from your tower.”
“I know. I had some…arrangements to make, and I was planning to come see you after you closed today. Come here.” He turned me in one smooth move, wrapping me in his arms and taking my lips. My heart thumped so rapidly, it wouldn’t have been possible to count the beats.
My hands landed at the back of his neck, fingering his short hair there. His suit felt like expensive fabric, probably made from a billion silkworms, and his cologne—Mm. Manly, seductive, powerful, just like Rex. I parted my lips, letting his tongue in, letting him claim me because the undeniable chemistry between us couldn’t be ignored.
He pursued me until I couldn’t possibly have any breath left in me. And when his lips finally parted from mine, I was jelly in his arms. My mind yelled, Just take me, use me, do what you want with me.
“Stay here.” He growled and walked to the door only to lock it and return, as if he read my thoughts. Then he came up behind me again, only this time, his hands landed on my thighs, grazing my skin under the fabric of my dress and lifting it up, exposing the black lace of my panties. He palmed my buttocks and fingered the lace.
My breath hitched. “What are you doing, Rex?” I whispered.
“Tell me to stop, if that’s what you want.”
I didn’t. I should return to the deli and help with the lunch rush, but he rendered me senseless with his attention. He shifted me toward the wall, my back landing against the wallpaper of golden stripes.
“That’s my good girl,” his voice, thick and sultry, praised me. He raised my arms above my head and pinned them there, claiming my lips again. His thigh shifted between my legs and I couldn’t help myself. I ground against the silk and muscle, seeking relief, while the thickness in his pants hardened against my stomach.
He kissed down my neck to my cleavage, and I finally found my voice again, but only in a whisper. “What are you doing to me?”
“Whatever you want. Name it.”
“I-I should go. It’s lunch rush and the deli?—”
“I can make this quick.” His hand dove into my panties, rubbing circles on my clit. “Someone is wet. Tell me you’ve been thinking of me.”
My thoughts stuttered, and I debated about giving him the satisfaction of knowing the answer, but my eyes betrayed me.
“Yeah, you have.” Damn, he was so arrogant sometimes, and why did I find that so sexy? “Fuck, thoughts of you have plagued me all week. I can’t stay away from your sweetness.”
“Yet you have. I was beginning to think I was just another notch on your bedpost.”
“No. You’re not at all like the others. I’d burn the damn bedpost down for you.”
I both hated hearing that and loved it at the same time. What if…what if things progressed between us? For the first time, I allowed myself to think beyond Christmas, to peek at a future with Rex. I’d have my deli, date Rex, enjoy living in the city. By this time next year, could I have Rex eating wedding cake out of my hands?
“Oh, God.” I shuddered, my legs shaking, and squirmed in his hold as he pumped fingers in and out of me.
“No, remember? Oh Rex, is all you need to say.”
“Your ego, I swear,” I chuckled, riding the edge, about to crash land on the other side. I reached for his belt. “I want you inside of me.”
He shoved my hand aside. “Later. Right now, this is all about you.”
“You say later like you expect to see me or something.” I was almost there. Another minute of this, and I’d be boneless in his hands.
“I do. I planned to ask you out tonight to a wine bar a buddy of mine just opened. Come with me. Say yes. ”
Ooh, I was there and couldn’t hold back. He had me feeling so good. “Yes. Oh Rex, yes.” I moaned and broke in his arms, holding onto him for dear life.
“That’s it sweetness. Let it all go.” He held me close as the orgasm rolled through me. Only when my breathing returned to normal did he carry me to his private bathroom, setting me down carefully, kissing my wrists before he let me go. Without a word, he left me there to clean up.
Wow. He left me dizzy. I held onto the ledge of the sink and stared at myself in the gold-gilded mirror. The only remnant of my old life in Holly Creek was the silly dress I wore, surrounded by marble tile and all the luxury of his bathroom.
I could hardly believe this was my life right now, getting fingered in the executive suite by a billionaire playboy. But the heart desired what it desired, even if it made little sense.
When I exited, he was waiting for me with a smoldering grin. “ Come and personally deliver my sandwiches anytime.”
“Funny. But I’m just as busy as you are, so this won’t be a regular thing. You should come down to see me.”
“But the deli isn’t as private as my office,” his cheeky smile continued as he kissed my forehead. “About tonight…I’ll pick you up at eight. Give Pearl your address.”
“Okay. See you then.” Still dazed from what had just happened, I managed to recite my address to Pearl’s all-knowing smile. Rex’s door was closed, so I asked her, “So, what would one wear on a date with Rex to a wine bar?”
“Black, honey. Everyone in New York wears black.”
Black again…I fingered my bright dress on the elevator ride down. Guess I needed a whole new wardrobe to fit in with life in Manhattan.
“Trust me, this outfit is perfect,” Sophie beamed. “Especially for a date with a rich man.”
“I don’t know. I thought I should wear black.” I twisted in the mirror to see all sides of me in the strapless red dress that hugged my curves. “Let me just wear that little dress I wore to the opera.”
“Are you kidding? He’s already seen you in that. No, red is the way to go. And you’re not changing for the fifth time.” Sophie crossed her arms, exasperated.
Maisy leaned against the bathroom door frame. “I’m texting with Brooks right now, and told him you and Rex have an official date.”
“Oh? And what’d he say?”
“He said to tell you to be careful around Rex.”
I didn’t quite know what to make of it, but the door buzzer rang. “He’s here. Okay, final outfit?”
“Yes!” They both yelled.
“I’ll be right down,” I spoke into the intercom for Rex to hear. He replied, “Okay.”
“Now go on and have a great time, and text us if you’re staying overnight so we don’t worry about you.” Sophie held out my toothbrush, just in case. It hadn’t dawned on me that this date might turn into an all-nighter in Rex’s bed.
“And do be careful,” Maisy warned, the tables turning.
“Who’s acting the mother now?” I smirked and wrapped a black shawl around my shoulders. “Besides, with the fact that you’re texting both Brooks and Archer, maybe I should be concerned about you ? These are older men and you’re still young?—”
“I’m fine. And I’m not texting Archer anymore, just Brooks. He’s asked me out to dinner. I told him maybe next week after midterms.”
“Brooks?” I arched a brow, and the buzzer buzzed again.
“Your impatient man waits for you. Go. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” She shooed me away.
“Fine. Love you.” I closed the apartment door behind me and stopped, taking in a deep breath. As elegantly as I could, I treaded down the steps in my black patent heels until Rex appeared outside the window of the door, eyeing me up and down.
“My God, I’m not sure I can be seen with you in public tonight,” he addressed me as he held the door open.
My heart dropped. “I knew it. I’ll go back up and change.”
“Are you kidding?” He pulled me back and closed the door, eyeing my cleavage. “You’re stunning, lady in red. The problem is, I’ll be a walking hard-on all night, not to mention have to hold myself back from knocking out every man who dares stare at you.”
I sputtered a laugh, relieved at his comments. He held out his elbow for me and walked me to the car, and I walked a little taller next to him.
My confidence soared. I leaned in and whispered, “I’m wearing red lacy panties, by the way.” His jaw set, and he growled.
As the driver held open the door for us, Rex’s mouth descended on me, warming me, taking away all my nerves, replacing them with excitement for the adventures to come with him.