Afternoon Delight - By Mia Zachary Page 0,35
seductive in her ear. “You’re already in the car, so let’s cut down on the wait time. I promise to make it worth the drive when you get here.”
“I know you will.” She laughed softly even as her body thrummed in anticipation. Scribbling on the notepad she pulled from inside the dashboard, she wrote down the directions he gave. “I’m on my way.”
She was about to hang up when he spoke again. “What are you wearing? I want to fantasize about the clothes you’ll be stripping off in a few minutes.”
Rei looked down at her oxford cloth shirt and light wool trousers. And she didn’t even want to think about the plain cotton bra and panties she wore underneath. But there wasn’t time to go home to change or to stop and buy something more enticing. So she told the truth and described her attire. “Not exactly sexy, huh?”
“On you, I’ll bet it is. Besides, I never told you about my wool fetish.”
Rei laughed. “My turn. What are you wearing?”
“I’ve got on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. But, by the time you get here, I’ll be naked.”
LIPSTICK HAD probably been a mistake.
She’d taken the time to paint on a dark peach gloss she’d found in her purse. However, in the next few minutes she’d either chew it off in nervousness or Chris would smear it off when he kissed her. Applying the lip color had been as much a waste of time as securing her hair in a chignon when she was only going to let it down again.
Why the hell was she nervous anyway? She stepped into the elevator and stood near the wall, remembering how she’d made Chris do the same thing at the hotel. It should have calmed her, knowing that he wanted her, knowing that he waited for her. Sex was a sure thing and, based on their last encounter, so was satisfaction. So why did she feel so anxious?
Rei walked up to the address Chris had given her and saw an envelope taped to the door. Her name—or rather Jade’s—was printed in a bold, sure hand on the front. Inside was a note that read, ‘I’m glad you’re here. The door is unlocked. Come on in and be prepared to come a lot.’ She smiled at the sexual arrogance but also the warmth that suddenly filled her.
She turned the knob and stepped eagerly into the entryway. Dozens of bright spotlights shone down from tracks on the high ceiling. Soulful jazz music drifted softly from a stereo somewhere, both calming and seducing her. There was another note on the floor with only an arrow pointing deeper into the loft.
Rei walked further inside, her heels clicking on the hardwood, and glanced around curiously. To her right was a rustic-looking Italian kitchen; to the left an ornately dramatic French Provincial dining room. Ahead she could see that the living room was decorated with British Colonial pieces while the office area was strictly modern.
She stopped in her tracks, bemused by the schizophrenic mix of styles. The eclectic décor made her wonder if Chris had serious commitment issues. Shaking her head, Rei looked down to find another paper arrow. This one directed her to the circular staircase near the wall of windows overlooking the city.
She made her way up the steps and finally rounded a half wall that opened onto a deep, carpeted room. Here the only light came from a gas fireplace and the candles illuminating the animal print motif. She stifled a giggle when she saw the zebra striped throw rugs and leopard spot armchair. Good grief, this man had awful taste.
At her feet was a long arrow made of silver foil condom packets. Giggling aloud, she looked over to see that the unusual sign pointed to the king-size bed. Chris was lying on the mattress with a tiger print sheet draped over his lap and a grin on his handsome face.
“Welcome to the jungle.”
Rei laughed heartily. “You need to fire your decorator.”
He gave a good-natured shrug. “I can’t. She’s my sister.”
“You Tarzan, me unimpressed.”
“You’re also overdressed. Do something about that, will you?”
She tossed her purse onto the leopard chair and toed off her pumps. Rei unfastened her trousers and slid them down her hips, along with her underwear. Kicking the pants aside, she watched Chris’s face, saw the quickening rise and fall of his bare chest. In the firelight, she watched him watching her. She saw the desire in his expression…and in the tented shape