They danced for the rest of the song, and then headed back to their group who were all preparing to leave.
"We’re going!" Liam announced as they rejoined his associates. And after a round of goodbyes, they were outside in the street climbing into a taxi.
They travelled in silence, across town, through the hotel. Neither spoke until the door of the suite had closed behind them. As Melissa kicked off her heels and sank onto the sofa, he poured them both a whisky.
"I saw you today."
She looked up at him, and accepted the glass, "you did?"
Nodding he sat opposite her, looking for those signs of guilt, "I finished early and I saw you on Broadway. I was going to stop and join you..."
The way his face changed, the confusion, and finally a hint of the hurt shed craved, the penny suddenly dropped, "you saw me with Caleb! That explains everything!" She raised a hand to her head and laughed.
"What do you mean?" He was genuinely confused.
"All this!" She gestured to her clothing. "Your anger.....it all makes sense. Caleb is an old Uni friend. I was at his wedding a few years back. He’s invited us over for dinner, but I couldn’t commit as I don’t know your plans are for tomorrow."
He nodded knowingly, "you were hugging him."
Melissa chuckled, "he told me that he and Talia are expecting their first baby. That’s news worthy of a hug."
She stood and crossed the room toward Liam, moving his arms so that she could sit astride his knees. His eyes flared at the intimate gesture, then he realised how much she'd had to hitch up that ridiculous skirt to accommodate that position straddling his legs.
"Is this why you’ve been so horrible to me? Were you jealous?" Placing a finger to her lips she looked at him coyly, this was Melissa at her teasing, pleasing best.
Liam couldn’t think. He wanted it all, he wanted to touch her, to taste her, the need to be inside her was immense, overwhelming. He put down their drinks, then pulled her face down to him, kissing her. Suddenly the animosity was gone, leaving nothing but desire. As her lips plundered his mouth, he felt blood rush to his groin.
Smiling into his lips, she slid a hand between them, and found him hard and struggling to be restrained by the fabric of his bespoke suit. Still kissing him, she managed to unzip his trousers and free him. He was ready for her, and her hands drove him wild. He slumped back in the seat, unable to kiss her AND absorb the sensations she was creating, so he merely watched her through half closed eyes. Knowingly, she slipped off his lap and knelt between his thighs, his arousal becoming more obvious by the moment. She licked her lips involuntarily and that caused a groan of anticipation to escape his lips, just as her mouth covered him, her tongue swirling over the tip of him, her hands caressing his thighs. He came too soon, but she leaned back from him and licked her lips. It was almost the undoing of him.
Standing, he led her into the bedroom, and proceeded to strip them both, he'd never felt so content as he did standing at the foot of the bed, looking down at Melissa, she was draped across the bed, hair fanned out over the pillows, her arms tossed above her on the pillow, her body open to his eyes. Enticing was an understatement. Reaching for an ankle, he lifted the foot to his lips, sucking the big toe for a second, then starting a trail of kisses, licks and little nips along the inside of her calf. Who'd have known that the back of her knee was such an erogenous zone? As he licked there, her whole body arched from the bed, almost as though she'd been electrocuted.
Chuckling, he gave another lick for luck, before continuing his trip up her thigh. When he reached the apex, she was bucking and writhing for a completely different reason, and as he dropped his head, slid his tongue over her, her moans were like a lottery win.
"Have you got to work today?" she asked as she snuggled up to him and they watched the earliest hint of the sun rising through the part-open curtains.
"No, I have got a free day."
She lifted her head to stare down at him, "really? Liam Hart has no work planned for a whole day?"
Smiling he brushed her loose curls behind her ear, "I do have things I should do.....but didn’t you mention dinner? With some friends?"
Melissa nodded enthusiastically, "we can dress up warm and stroll around Central Park, then get some breakfast then go to Greenwich to see Caleb and Talia."
He looked at her, at the energy and enthusiasm, "I haven’t got any casual shoes, and my coat isn’t that warm..."
"You’ve got some jeans and some trainers or boots?"
He shook his head, "I’ve got six suits, and some shirts, and three pairs of dress shoes. That’s about it!"
She smiled, "you can’t walk around all day in hand made leather shoes.....well it seems that the roles will change later, I’m going to buy you some clothes when we wake up!" It was five am, virtually morning already but she was so enthusiastic. Kissing his nose, she closed her eyes and curled up into his chest.
Liam woke hours later. His watch informed him it was after ten, unheard of for him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept for more than five hours in any one go, and he couldn’t remember feeling this relaxed, this comfortable. He rolled over to see the bed next to him was empty. Sliding on his black boxer shorts, he strolled into the lounge. Empty.
Then he spotted a note on the table.
"Gone shopping, will be back to take you for breakfast!" If it was possible to see enthusiasm in the written word then he did. Chuckling he made for the bathroom.
Liam had barely stepped out of the shower when the door burst open, and Melissa thrust five bags down in front of him. Rummaging through, she pulled out items and threw them toward him.
"Jeans...sweater, a very sexy one I think. And boots...!"
"You’ve thought of everything!" He slid the jumper over his head, "sexy you say?"
She walked up to him and ran her hands up his chest to link behind his neck, "very!"
After a brief kiss she swatted at his backside, "dress...now! I’m starving!"
When he emerged from the bedroom dressed in the rather snug jeans and the sexily described jumper, Melissa was sat waiting. He noted with irony that their roles had indeed been reversed.
"How do I look?"
She looked him up and down, in a slow and deliberate manner, "you more than pass Mr Hart, I just hope you can relax enough to suit those clothes."
Taking his hand she led him out into the brisk May day. She was an enthusiastic guide, and he could tell she'd spent a lot of time in this city. He had...but until today he hadn't really seen anything bar the inside of a limo and a boardroom. They strolled past Central Park and he was amazed when Melissa dragged him down a small side street and into a cafe.
"This is the best breakfast in the City!" she whispered.
He took a seat opposite her in the haphazardly decorated cafe, it had a real European feel compared to most diner style places, leaning back and folding his arms, "I guess I’m in your hands. You can order!"
Smiling she closed the menu, "good choice!"
With that she ordered them pancakes, eggs and link sausages, coffee, orange juice. A virtual feast.
He took a deep breath as the table was filled, with numerous plates of wonderful hot food, "Wow!"
"Brunch is the done thing here Liam, and ‘when in Rome’ and all that!" Her eyes glittered with amusement as she watched him fill his plate.
He nodded, "you are a definite bad influence on me." As he said it he was tucking into the strong dark coffee.
They ate in a pleasurable silence, until full and replete, he ordered more coffee.
"I don’t think I can move!" he finally announced. "Can we just go back to bed now?"
She chuckled, "Oh no, I’ve got too much planned today!"
Eventually they meandered across the City, browsing in the Sunday street markets, pointing out a whole variety of shops to each other, then there were the numerous street entertainers who tried to coax the keen tourist into their antics.
Every now and again Liam moved away from her, and took a call on his mobile, disappearing back into the hectic World of his businesses, but the rest of the time he really was with her, cut off from it all, seeing things through her eyes, eating morsels of food she slid into his mouth from street sellers, holding her hand to dodge traffic. And most of all laughing together.
"I had no idea so much happened in this city!" he laughed as she purchased him an ‘I heart NY’ key ring to match the earlier gaudy yellow t-shirt with the same logo.
She reached up and kissed his lips, "that is so sad, considering you are here so often! Like I say life is passing you by Liam, you really need to get off the train every now and again! After all, all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy!"
"Lecture noted and appreciated!" he mock saluted her. Then tugged her hand so she turned to face him, "dull? Really?"
Grinning she swung her arms around his neck and joined their lips in a long passionate kiss unable to remember when she'd last felt this happy, "not ALL the time!"
As she dashed away from him with a squeal he chased her across a small park, before capturing her again and devouring her lips once more.
They were in Little Italy early afternoon, and bought large greasy slices of pizza from a window next to a very busy restaurant for lunch, the cheese dripping in strings down their faces. Stopping a couple of times for a beer, they soon found themselves in the heart of SoHo.
"What time are we meeting you friends?"
She glanced at her watch, "I said I’d call him when we were in the area, they wanted to cook for us, but I think that's too much, I convinced them to come out. "
He groaned, "more food? My body doesn't know what has hit it today!"
Laughing she pulled out her mobile. "Hey Caleb!"
Liam leaned against a door jamb watching her chatting animatedly.
"Yep we’re in the village," she described their location. "Yep I’m sure we can find it!"
She hung up, "there’s a bar on the corner, two blocks away. We can wait for him there."
The bar was Irish themed, and they ordered beers and sat at a booth deep inside. There was sport on every TV, and the smell of fried food wafted through the air.
"Caleb said this place is a bit touristy, but easy to find."
Liam shrugged, "it’s ok. I find most bars are much the same, it’s the company that matters!"
Mock swooning, she fanned herself, "is that your effort at a compliment?"
He shrugged again, "I’m glad you forced me out here today. I needed the fresh air! Normally I’d have spent the day on the internet, working and at the gym!"
"And this is so much fun......But you still despise me?"
He drank his beer and stared at her, "I don’t despise you Melissa, I just have different morals to you. And if nothing I am a person who stands by their beliefs."
"You’re wrong about me, you know that don’t you?" She so desperately wanted him to believe her. It was so important to her that he changed his mind and saw that she wasn't the silly rich girl just out for money.
Liam's face was grim and his lips pulled into a hard line, "Unfortunately I’m never wrong!"
And so the animosity between them raised its head again. Every time they started to get along, something happened to bring it all back to a base level. Though this time Melissa did really believe she saw a chink in his armour, the littlest sign that he might be starting to doubt his own instincts.
Still, the silence one again loomed between them, only disturbed by a shout across the bar.
Melissa dived out of her seat to embrace Talia. "Congratulations! I am SO pleased for you!" Then holding her at arm's length she looked her up and down appreciatively. "You look so well!"
Talia smiled, "well it’s going to be a real wake up call for us both!"
"Talia, this is Liam, Liam - Talia." The two shook hands, then she repeated the introductions when Caleb appeared from the bar.
She sat next to Talia discussing the baby, her job, the new apartment they’d recently purchased. Feeling Liam’s eyes on her, she looked up and he smiled. He was engrossed in conversations about mutual business acquaintances and companies with Caleb. Melissa knew they'd get on, Caleb was a great man, and they did mix in similar circles. He was relaxed. His face free of the frown lines that so often dogged him. A million miles from the man who'd kept her waiting two weeks previously.
Her and Talia headed to the bar to organize refills."He’s lovely Liss, where did you meet him? You’re such a lovely couple!"
Melissa laughed, "he’s rescuing my father’s business. I don’t think there’ll be a relationship after that."
Talia nodded knowingly, "yeah right! He hasn’t taken his eyes off you all evening, he’s clearly besotted with you!"
Melissa laughed, "I think you’d be surprised!"
They ate dinner in a little restaurant Cal and Talia knew, and despite Liam's protests that he coudln't possibly eat anymore food, she was amused to see him tackling a huge bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.
At gone midnight there was a round of sad goodbyes with Melissa promising to visit once the baby arrived. She'd have no money to do that, but she'd deal with that nearer to the time. Liam finally hailed a taxi and took her back to the hotel.
Shattered and a bit drunk, they changed and slid into bed, falling straight asleep in each other’s arms. Content and comfortable with each other.