Author's Note: This is the entire chapter fourteen. Enjoy
Chapter 14
"I forgot my shirt," he said.
She couldn't think and frowned. "Your shirt?"
"Yes, this afternoon. I took my shirt off and your doorbell rang, but I didn't think you wanted them to know you had guest."
"I-I didn't... I mean, I wouldn't have minded," she said. "Please come in."
He walked inside ducking as usual due to his unusual height.
Just to make conversation, she asked while closing the door, "You ever play sports?"
"I get that question a lot. I learned at an early I would inherit height, but unfortunately, I received my mother's knees. Bad from the beginning and it wasn't until I got surgery for them after college that I was able to even support my height and weight."
She was barely able to concentrate on what he was saying because she was just mesmerized by the fact that he was there again in her dimly lit foyer.
If someone had asked her later who took the first step toward the other and initiated the kiss, she wouldn't be able to tell them, but one moment she was listening to him talk and the next, she was being lifted in his arms and kissing him all over again. He carried her to the front room and she reeled feeling her back on the couch and his body over her. His jacket was already on the floor somewhere and her shirt was off. The feel of his body against hers was titillating beyond belief and damn if his mouth wasn't delicious.
He kissed like he couldn't get enough of her and he touched her as if his soul couldn't do without.
She grinded her body against his, spreading her legs around his waist and loving the large budge pressed against her womanhood. He felt so damn good and she wanted to feel the real thing.
Axel groaned and gasped, cursed viciously and then held her so tight she couldn't breath for a good minute.
Time seemed to stand still as she felt his whole body shudder over her and then the room was silent...
He had broken the kiss off and was panting hard in her neck. When she knew she had to breath, she lightly tapped his shoulder hoping he had not died on top of her because she wasn't sure if she had the strength to push him off of her.
An exasperated groan came from his lips as he lifted up and looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry."
She smiled wickedly and moved her hands down to the front of his pants to undo them.. "That's fine, but do you think next time I can be in on it?"
Chuckling softly, he kissed her brow while placing a firm hand on her wrists to halt her movements. "I shouldn't have come. Everything in me told me to stay away."
"Why?" she asked.
He moved off of her and stood up. There was a stain on the front of his pants and he turned away, took off his shirt and wrapped it around his waist. She watched as he ran a frustrated hand through his thick hair and then picked up her shirt.
"It's a long story and ... I can't explain. I just shouldn't have let it go this far." He turned to her just as she was sitting up and handed her shirt to her.
Standing up and putting on her shirt, she knew this wasn't enough to really intimidate him, yet she noticed he stepped away and shoved his hands in his pants. "I don't think this was a mistake, Axel."
"That's because you're still horny. I have a little bit of a clear head and I think I should make it up to you. Let me take you out to dinner tomorrow night. Please."
Stefanie was confused, frustrated and definitely very horny, but she didn't know how else to explain that he needed to get naked and take her in her bedroom right now. Taking a deep breath, she tried to convince herself she was still horny and she shouldn't be rushing into something like sex with a man like Axel Black.
Nodding reluctantly she said, "You're right and yes, dinner would be nice."
He leaned and kissed her cheek. "And I promise to be a gentleman."
She really didn't want him to be but kept that opinion to herself as she watched him walk out of the front room and listened to her door closed. Flopping down on the couch groaning in frustration.
Damn! Damn! Damn!
Grabbing the sofa pillow, she screamed her sexual frustration as loud as possible. Her phone rang through the second scream.
Reluctantly, she answered really not wanting to speak to anyone else tonight.
“It’s Treasure,” the voice on the other end.
“Hi,” she said forcing herself to sound enthuse.
“I know you said you don’t want to, but the client just called me again.” Before Stefanie could even think of protesting, Treasure said quickly. “I know you didn’t want to, but I started thinking about how frustrated you are.”
Defensively, Stefanie said, “How did you know I was frustrated?”
"You told me," Treasure said obviously. "I was just there when you told me about the hallway?"
Calming down, Stefanie gripped the pillow harder. How the hell had she allowed Axel to leave?! Damn! She felt her whole body was in knots!
"Yeah," Stefanie said calming down with a deep breath.
"That clearly shows you need to get the edge off. And I know you said you didn't want to and I perfectly understand your circumstances regarding why you didn't want to see the client anymore Stefanie, but he just called me and asked if I would try again just one more time and this time let you know that he was begging for just one more time."
Stefanie rolled her eyes wanting to smile because it felt so good to know a man wanted her very much - even if she didn't know him that well.
"Are you there?" Treasure asked when there was too much quietness on the phone.
"I'm here," Stefanie said almost in a whisper, very confused about what she should do. On one hand she really wanted to accept, but on the other, she really wanted more from a man. These past few days, she wanted a change in her life and she knew not accepting less from anyone anymore would be the change she needed. Plus, in some small way, she felt this client was being deceitful by not showing his real identity and although she was sexually attracted to him, she still didn’t want any more deceit in her life.
Treasure noted. “I’ve never heard a man so desperate to have a woman before. You should really consider letting the client take the edge off before considering other possibilities.”
Stefanie was enthralled her mystery man wanted her that much and she was still very much sexually frustrated. In truth, she held no real commitment to Axel Black - yet and she was very positive the client would not leave her in her state of current frustration.
Yet Treasure had tried to sneak her request of staying away from Axel Black in her request.
“I’ll consider it if you answer on question, Treasure,” Stefanie said.
“Anything,” Treasure said enthusiastically.
“Why do you want me to stay away from Axel Black for a while? And it can’t just be about him designing the software for your company.”
Treasure sighed in her own frustration. “It’s a long story, but I think there’s a conflict of interest and in my attempt to be discreet about my client that’s really all I can say. I hope you don’t pressure for more but still consider the option of being with him.”
The answer was rather evasive and Stefanie really wanted to demand to know more about Treasure’s misgivings about Axel Black.
Taking a deep moment of consideration for all she was going to accept, she decided to give Treasure the answer to the question. “Fine, Treasure. I’ll meet with the client one more time under his terms, but let him know this is the very last unless we can meet under mine.”
“Most definitely,” Treasure agreed. “I have something special for the both of you, but I must ask in this endeavor, you trust me. Know that I’m just arranging this for his experience and to take the edge off for at least a while.”
“A while?”
“Just trust me.”
Stefanie relaxed. “I trust you,” she said confidently and listened to Treasure’s instructions.
***
In one hour just as Treasure had told her, there was a car waiting for Stefanie in front of her home. Dress in a black dress with nothing underneath and four inch platform heels she had to dig in the back of her closet to find, Stefanie stepped outside and gasped as the cool night wind whipped under her dress.
A tall black guy dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt leaned on the side of the dark gray Ford 500. What was so unique about him even though it was dark on the street, she could clearly see he had red hair and cinnamon red eyes. There was this dark amusement in his eyes.
“You Stefanie?” he questioned as she walked up to him.
“Yes.”
“I’m Stephen Heart. I’m here to drive you to your destination.” He opened the rear passenger door for her and handed her a black envelope. “Sorry about my dress, but Trez called at the last minute and I couldn’t find a driver to boot tonight, so I decided to take the responsibility myself.”
Stefanie gasped. “Oh my! You’re Red Heart! Aren’t you? Your father...” She stopped what she was saying and bit her tongue.
The side of his lip twitched and the humor erased for a second but then returned. “I like to be called Red, although I was saddled with the nickname due to my coloring. Can’t deny my blood, Ms. Stefanie and thankfully it didn’t affect my decision just now, huh?”
A little bit of fear gripped her, but dealing with any Heart, she knew she was taking a chance. Red Heart just came from a line of the family not many people wanted to get to know. To change the subject she asked, “You own this?”
“I own a fleet of fifty which I often rent or lease out.” He shrugged. “We could stand out here all night and talk about me or you can get in and we can be on our way.”
Getting inside, she was very glad to be sitting behind him instead of beside him. While he got in the driver’s side and started the car to the destination, she opened the envelope she knew was sent by Treasure with the rest of the instructions.
He gave her a moment to read the letter, before he said, “I’m to let you know I’m going to wait for you at the exact location I drop you off at, but I’m supposed to walk you down to a certain location.”
She nodded. Most of the instructions he had just said were in the letter. stefanie knew she had ever second that passed as they came closer to their destination to change their mind, call Treasure and let her know there was no way in hell she was going to do this.
Yet, curiosity and sexual frustration was eating her from inside out and Stefanie really wanted to see how this was all going to play out.
Red parked the car blocking the delivery alleyway behind the St Royal Hotel. It was power washed to keep away all vermin - animal or human and tonight it was even cleared of the large dumpsters used for trash. Nervously, she let Red escort her toward the delivery door. Right before there was one narrow walkway and it was dark. Just like the instructions said, she watched Red give her a wink and walk away toward the car, while she took out the black silk blindfold that had been in the envelope.
Tying that around her eyes, she made sure she was pointed down the dark narrowed alley way.
The letter had said, “Four steps to heaven.”
Taking a deep breath, she knew her mystery man was down there in the dark, waiting for her.
What was too come, she didn’t know, but all the letter said was, “Open your mind, allay your fears and trust you will enjoy yourself completely.”