Amber's Fantasy (3 page)

“So,” she said lamely, “how’s it going?”

“Almost done. Would you like that tour we talked about? The
equipment isn’t installed yet but the view at night is great.” Ray walked
toward her. He extended his hand and gave her another heart-stopping grin.
“That way you’ll know where to find me if you need me to come and plug your
computer in again.”

Suddenly Amber found her hand engulfed by his larger one. It
was the first time they had intentionally touched. His fingers were strong and
supple as they entwined with her own, and the heat of his skin sent little
sparks of excitement jumping between them as he led her around the corner and
down the hall.

“Back in a few minutes, Cal,” he called over his shoulder.
To Amber he said, “That’s my cousin Cal. He’s pretty shy. I’ll introduce you
when we come back around.”

“Okay,” she murmured, acutely aware of the vitality in his
hand pressing into her palm and the clean, male smell of his body. Her pulse
thrummed in her ears as he led her through an opening into a large, dark room.
Only the light spilling through the doorway allowed her to see the intense
expression on his face. Her belly lurched.

“This will be my domain,” he said softly, drawing her
forward. Their hips bumped together, and the heat of his body seemed to radiate
clear through her, stealing her breath away.

“Can we turn on the lights?” she whispered.

“In a minute. Let your eyes adjust.”

She stood stock-still, heart galloping, wondering what came
next. Her hand throbbed where he held it. Suddenly she was aware of the
vulnerability of her position, alone here in the building with the two big men.
Unbidden, a series of naughty pictures began to reel through her head, pictures
starring herself, Fantasy Ray, and a faceless guy who bore a strong resemblance
to his quiet cousin.

Aghast, she shoved the mental images away. What had made her
think about that out of the blue? And what if Ray were to guess her thoughts?
Certainly she could trust him not to take advantage of her. He’d never been
anything but respectful in all the time she’d known him.

But the longer they stood there, unmoving, the more she felt
like a helpless doe in the sites of a stealthy hunter. The suspense made her
breath catch in her throat.

Across the room, a long expanse of chest-to-ceiling windows
showcased the Milky Way and the starry lights of neighboring skyscrapers. “Oh,
look at the view!”

She pulled her hand free and went toward the window, feeling
relieved and silly at the same time. What was she running from? What was she
afraid of? She was acting like a high school girl, not a confident business
woman interacting with an associate.

Leaning her palms against the wide sill, she tried to still
her thundering heart. She heard his unhurried approach as he crossed the room.
And then she felt the heat of his body again, this time up close beside her.

“It’s pretty spectacular, isn’t it?” His warm breath tickled
her cheek as he settled his folded arms on the sill next to hers. There was
enough light coming in to show her those muscular forearms up close, and the
sheen of fine hairs covering them. She kept her eyes down, not daring to look
up into his face.

“It looks completely different at night.” She hoped he
hadn’t noticed the slight tremor in her voice.

Perhaps twenty seconds ticked by.

“I can see my kitchen window from here.” He pointed toward
one of the tall condo buildings bordering the Willamette River several blocks
away.

“It must be handy living so close to work.”

“Yeah, I love the short commute. Unless it’s pouring rain I
walk it.”

“So you walk to work—what?—the whole second week in August?”
Amber ventured, borrowing the time-honored tradition Oregonians had of joking
about their rainy weather.

Ray laughed. When his breath settled again, she felt his
fingers brush across her shoulder and then slip away. How did that casual touch
set her whole body on fire?

Amber was not a forward woman. Though she had her fantasies,
when it came to actually being with a man, she considered herself shy and
modest. But there was something about Ray that made her want to be different.
Maybe it was because he knew about her book collection, about her hidden
desires?

His fingers reached along the window sill and found her arm,
idly stroking the sleeve of her suit jacket, then caressing the skin near her
wrist.

“What are you doing?” she whispered. Thrilling sensations
skittered over her skin where his fingers played. She felt his eyes on her too
as he bent close to her ear.

“Just getting to know you, Amber. You’re a smart, funny
woman.” His voice dropped a notch. “You’re also very beautiful.”

She dared to look up and the expression on his face made her
gasp softly. He was turned toward her, so only half his face was lit, the other
half obscured by the night. One brow quirked upward, the visible eye sparkling
with intense interest. She stared at his full mouth, wondering if he was going
to try to kiss her.

Wondering if she should let him.

Her nipples came alive inside her bra. An odd weakness
spread through her limbs.

Oh, this was a bad idea! They were co-workers. He shouldn’t
be crossing the line like this.
And I shouldn’t be letting him!

“Where do you like to be touched?” He slipped behind her and
his lips returned to her ear, his breath feathering against her neck. All the
tiny hairs there quivered.

“Wh—what do you mean?” Her heart thundered so hard she
thought she might faint.

His hands caressed her upper arms, stroking downward to
capture her wrists behind her back, holding them between their bodies. He kept
her there for a moment, leaning in close. She felt the unmistakable ridge of
his arousal press against her behind.

“A sensual woman like you must be aching to be touched,
Amber.”

She couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. She could barely breathe.

Grasping her shoulders, he slowly turned her body toward
his. She felt the edge of the window sill against her lower back.

“Here?” His finger trailed along her jaw, then moved down
her neck to the top button of her blouse. She gasped again as he flicked the
little button open.

“No,” she whispered. But she couldn’t seem to raise her hand
to stop him. She was frozen in place, swept into a vortex of helpless desire.

“No? Really?”

Now his lips followed the trail his finger had blazed,
nibbling a molten path down her throat to the hollow between her collarbones
where her pulse beat like moth wings.

“Are you sure?” he said, rough and low. “I’ve been thinking
all week about your secret book collection, Amber. I’ve been wondering exactly
what those books mean to you.”

A rush of raw excitement swirled through her as she stood
there in the dark, his body hard against hers. His hot mouth moved lower,
painting her skin with fire. Down below, she felt her traitorous pussy
responding, growing warm and slick with unwitting arousal.

She realized he was totally in command. How could she have
let that happen?

“Oh. Those silly books?” She turned her head to one side and
tried for a dismissive laugh, but the sound came out all quavery. “They don’t
really mean anything.”

“Oh, I think they do, Amber.” He waited a beat or two. “And
I’d love to make your fantasies come true. You ever thought about being with
two white guys?”

She gasped and tried to move away. He captured her chin and
forced her to look up again. He stared down into her face. Could he read the
truth there? Did he guess how aroused she was by the idea of being taken by
Fantasy Ray and his shy cousin?

Ray could feel Amber’s irregular breath on his cheek, her
breasts swelling and retreating against his chest. He hesitated, his pulse
pounding, his lips poised above hers. He wanted to crush her soft mouth with
his, crush any possibility of her saying no. If she said no, he would have to
respect that and let her go, even though he knew she wanted him.

He made himself ask again. “Do you want to play out your
fantasy for real?”

He could feel her raw desire in the way her body leaned into
his. He could also sense her fear and indecision. She shook her head almost
imperceptibly.

“Maybe,” she whispered. “Someday.”

Okay. That was better than a no. Maybe he could eventually
convince her. She wasn’t trying to move away from him, he realized. Her body
still pressed into his as if they were molded from one piece.

“Say you want me to kiss you,” he growled. “I know you do,
Amber.”

Her big eyes shimmered in the dark as she stared up at him.
Finally she nodded.

“Say it,” he urged.

“Ki—kiss me, Ray,” she breathed, and lifted her lips.

With a groan, he claimed her mouth, covering its plump
softness with his own. For a moment she hesitated, and then she let her lips go
completely open, allowing him full access. A little whimper escaped her throat,
and Ray thrust his tongue deep into her warm, sweet mouth, reveling in her surrender.
The blood thrummed through his body as her tongue began to dance like a shy
maiden with his. One of her hands came up and gripped his arm, and she leaned
into him.

She seemed to melt willingly into his embrace, giving in
completely to the heat of her desire. And then she suddenly drew back. “We
shouldn’t be doing this.”

He could tell that she was trying to make her words sound
firm, but her voice trembled with barely leashed passion.

“Why not? Saundra’s not here to catch us.” He let his hand
stroke down her back and come to rest on her hip. Her curvy body pressed close
again, though her voice still held a note of resistance.

“No, but your cousin’s just down the hall, remember?”

“He won’t bother us.”

He planted more kisses at her hairline and down her cheek
and jaw once more. Her breasts moved erratically with her shuddered breath. Her
scent rose to his nostrils, exotic, feral. It clouded his senses. He had to try
again.

“We could always ask him to join us.”

She went stiff in his arms. He let the words hang in the
darkness, feeling the sharp intake of her breath where her breasts molded to
him.

“I—I never said I would do that, Ray. I barely even know
you,” she finally said in a small voice. “And I don’t get involved with co-workers.”
She made an attempt to pull away.

“You’re going to deny how you feel, huh? Why bother? Why not
take this opportunity? No one will ever know about it.”

“Except you,” she pointed out. “You’d know. There’s no way
we could do…that, and still work together.”

He could tell that she was still at war with herself. For
all of two minutes she had allowed herself to imagine actually acting out that
secret fantasy of hers, and now she was stuffing herself back in her
restrictive box. Disappointment stabbed through him.

“Are you sure about that?” He claimed her lips again. This
time she acquiesced more easily, a deep sigh escaping as his tongue moved
against hers in a suggestive rhythm. He let his hand drift up from her hip,
across her ribcage, coming to rest under her breast. When she moaned softly he
opened her jacket and cupped her flesh. Through the fabric of her blouse he
couldn’t feel much, but the lush weight that filled his palm was all woman.

* * * *

Amber heard a primitive little sound come up from her own
throat as Ray kneaded her breast. All the blood in her body seemed to surge
toward her core, making her pussy engorged and tender, opening her. It was the
most intoxicating arousal she had ever experienced, and he hadn’t even touched
her down there! How could he know so much about what turned her on?

She lifted her chin and closed her eyes, giving his hand
better access to her breasts. She felt another button give way and gasped as
his hand slid inside her blouse, hot and seeking against her pulsing skin. He
found his way inside her bra and pinched her nipple. His breath scorched her
neck.

“I want you naked.” His voice was a whispered growl.

She thrilled at the note of possession in his voice and the
audacious claim his roving fingers were making on her body. She sagged against
him and let her lips part as he kissed her yet again.

“Ray? Ray, you down here?” Cal’s anxious voice penetrated
the haze of Amber’s arousal. Heavy footsteps came toward them down the hall.

“Damn!” Ray’s whisper was harsh against her cheek.

They drew apart. As she struggled to button her blouse, he
lunged around her and flicked the light switch on. The room exploded in a
fluorescent glow, making her squint.

“Yeah. In here,” Ray called back. Then, in a voice still
loud enough for the other man to hear, he said, “Anyway, Amber, back here is
the climate controlled room where the network servers will be located.”

“I see.” She followed his lead, feigning interest in the
windowed cubicle where he pointed. From the corner of her eye, she saw the
doorway darken with Cal’s tall frame. “Thanks for the tour, Ray. I guess I
should be getting back to my work now.” She held up the floor plan drawings,
amazed to find she still clasped them in one hand.

“Right. See you later.”

She turned and ducked through the doorway, not raising her
eyes as Cal stepped to one side to let her pass. She almost ran down the
corridor. Once she was in the elevator, she punched the button and slumped
against the wall, squeezing her eyes closed.

What the hell had just happened?

Nothing.
Nothing happened, she told herself,
straightening her clothes. Even as her lips went on tingling where his mouth
had left its burning brand, and her breasts felt achy and heavy under her
jacket, she struggled to deny the facts. Ray Ferris had stirred something in
her, some untamed impulse she’d never acknowledged to anyone before. It wasn’t
just that he knew exactly how to kiss her, or that his touch set her on fire.
There was much more to it, a masculine self-assurance that made her quiver with
helpless desire.

And those things he
knew
about her! Things no man had
ever guessed before. Was there any point in denying her naughty fantasies when
Ray Ferris could apparently read her like one of her erotic books? He’d offered
her the chance to play those fantasies out with him, and for a moment she’d
actually considered it! A wave of heat rolled through her as the elevator car
bumped to a gentle stop on her floor. Remembering the bold way his fingers had
worked her nipple, the suggestive thrust of his tongue in her mouth, she knew
he’d been more than serious about that offer.

Amber walked blindly toward her small office, hand at her
throat.

Why had she let him touch her in that familiar way? She’d
just stood there, caught in the thrall of his masculine presence. She really
should have set him straight on the spot. She should have given him a firm
NO!
What must he think of her?

Her nipples throbbed, remembering the impudent invitation in
his touch.

What would have happened if I had said yes?

* * * *

Three weeks later, as Amber lay back in the bathtub on a
Saturday night and let her eyes drift closed, she was still asking herself that
question. She had studiously avoided the man since that night. Even at staff
meetings she made sure to sit as far from him as possible and never directly
met his eyes, though she often felt his gaze linger on her. With only four days
now until the big move upstairs, everyone at Crescent Design was busy and
distracted, and that helped take her mind off their encounter as long as she
was at the office. But once she was home, in the quiet of her apartment, the
erotic thoughts came flooding back.

She lay still in the warm water, savoring the smell of the
gardenia-scented bubbles that tickled her chin. Her body felt so relaxed, tired
muscles unknotting. She let out a long sigh. And almost immediately her head
filled again with the images of sexy Ray Ferris and his handsome cousin.

In this fantasy scenario, as usual, they were shirtless,
their tanned chests broad and hard and their jeans riding low on lean hips. Cal circled and came up behind her, pressing the length of his hard, warm body up against
her backside just as Ray closed in from the front. Once more she felt those
bold hands roam over her hips and up her ribcage, peeling away her jacket,
making short work of the buttons on her blouse. From behind, Cal nuzzled her
neck, his breath hot and ragged against her skin as he helped Ray strip away
her clothes. She shuddered when his fingers grazed her spine as he unhooked her
bra. The bra slipped down and her naked breasts thrust forward into Ray’s
waiting hands, aching to be played with. In her mind, she watched through
lowered lids as he began to fondle her flesh, his lighter colored fingers a
sexy contrast to the mocha tones of her own skin.

“You’re beautiful, baby.” With expert care he pinched and
rolled her swollen nipples into hard nubs of incredible sensation as his warm
mouth hovered close to hers.

Lord help me!
She’d never felt anything so delicious.

She moaned, offering her lips, but he didn’t kiss her
immediately. His lips only brushed against hers lightly, tantalizing and
teasing her, making her wet between the thighs as she waited helplessly for him
to take her mouth. At the same time, from behind, Cal’s hands stroked up her
bare arms and then grasped her at the elbows, holding her firmly in place. A
soft whimper escaped her as she realized she was effectively imprisoned between
the two half-naked men, completely at their mercy. She’d never been so turned
on in her life!

Totally lost in the building heat of her erotic fantasy,
Amber’s fingers moved down her slick body, swirling the warm water over her
taut breasts and then splaying open on her tummy, seeking, seeking…

Her fingers slipped lower, over her neatly trimmed mound and
into the slick, swollen folds of her pussy. She moaned aloud as she touched
herself, sliding her finger back and forth in her soapy cleft, tweaking the
sensitive little bud that hid there.

“Yes, Ray,” she whispered, imagining it was his fingers
stimulating her. She spread her legs wider and arched her back. Water sloshed
over the edge of the tub. The tension began building inside her, urgent and
delicious, following the play of her probing fingers.

Purrrowwwww.

Amber’s eyes flew open as her cat, Simon, landed on the edge
of the tub. As he settled into a seated position, wrapping his bushy tail
around his front paws, his round gold eyes stared into the water, making her
giggle self-consciously.

“What are
you
looking at, mister?”

The cat winked as if the two of them had just shared a
private joke.

“I suppose you think I should take Ray up on his offer,
hmm?”

No answer.

“But then what? How could I ever work with the guy again?
I’d die of embarrassment every time I ran into him, knowing that we’d done
something like that together.” She sat up and rinsed the suds off her chest.

Simon eyed her silently.

“You’re right, buddy. It’s a very bad idea. I don’t even
know this Cal guy. Or what if Ray blabbed to the other guys at Crescent? Or to
Saundra?” She shuddered at the thought of possibly being fired. “I guess that’s
one fantasy that’s doomed to stay a fantasy.” She pressed a washcloth against
her warm cheeks, then stood up and got out of the tub.

If only I could stop thinking about it!