Cover to Covers (19 page)

“
Right after we got married.” She put her sandwich down. “Once the excitement of the wedding and buying our new house wore off, I think we realized there was nothing between us, or at least I realized it. I thought about going back to school or even going back to teaching, but then I started putting my feelings down on paper. After a while, it turned into a story. That was my first book,
The Taskmaster’s Bride
.”

Tyler
negotiated his hands around his po-boy. “Still can’t believe you’re a writer.” 

“I was always a writer, Ty.”

They sat on the grass, enjoying their food as the heat of the summer sun bared down on them. Occasionally, an ominous storm cloud would block out the rays of the sun, bringing a welcomed bit of relief from the heat.

Tyler was surprised to find that he had soon nearly finished the oversized sandwich and
let the last remnants of french bread fall onto the white paper. Wiping his hands on a napkin, he turned to Monique, who was picking at some of the greasy fries.

“Why is it I feel like I am just getting to know the real you?”

She tapped a french fry against the side of the paper dish. “Perhaps you are just getting to know me. Those few months we were together you weren’t exactly at your best.” Monique popped the french fry into her mouth.

“I’m not at my best now, either, Moe.”

Chewing on her fry, she lay back on the green grass. “I don’t think that. You’re more together now.”

He spread out beside her. “Together or falling apart? It’s a matter of perspective.”

“I like you better this way.”

He pulled her into his arms. “
But you don’t know me, Moe, at least not the real me.”

She kissed his neck. “I know you, Ty. A lot better than you think.” Her teeth teased the skin along his neck. “For instance, I know what you’re thinking right now.”

“You do?”

Her hands traveled
to the crotch on his pants. “You ever done it out in the open?”

He
laughed at her audacity. “Not like this.”

“Then it will be a first for both of us.”

Chapter 14

They arrived back at her house just as a thunderstorm released its fury over the city. Ducking in her front door, he held on to her wet body while she tugged at his soaked shirt.

“Again,” she whispered to him as he kicked the front door closed.

A loud clap of thunder shook the house and the lights in the entranceway flickered.

“You’re relentless.” He pulled her wet T-shirt over her head.

“I can’t get enough of you.” She unzipped the front of his blue trousers.

He unclasped her bra. “But now I get to do what I want with you.” He bit her earlobe as he secured her hands behind her back and then tied them
above the wrists with the damp, beige bra.

She kissed his naked chest. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

Tyler’s body surged with lust. He wrapped his wet shirt around his hands, and then positioned it over her eyes. Blindfolding her with the shirt, he tied it snuggly behind her head.

“Whatever I want?
” He pinched her right nipple. “But you don’t know what I want?”

She swayed slightly next to him. “I don’t care.”

He unzipped her jeans and pushed them to the floor. “That’s what I like to hear.”   Looking over her semi-naked body, Tyler fingered the elastic waistband of her beige silk panties. “I think I’m going to see just how much you can take from me.” He placed his lips against her ear. “It will be fun to see how long you can last before you are begging me to stop. You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” she moaned.

“Get down on your knees.”

Tyler waited as she did as he requested
. Kneeling behind her, he peeled her underwear from her hips.

A giant clap of thunder hit right above the house and then the lights went out. Un
perturbed by the darkness, Tyler continued. 

“Bend over,” he commanded in a firm voice.

With her hands tied behind her, Moe gingerly rested her head on the hardwood floor.

R
aising her hips higher, he let his fingers pass lightly over her wet folds. “This excites you,” he whispered.

Her body quivered as
he lightly stimulated her. Slowly, he applied more pressure to her sensitive flesh, making her rock beneath him.

He
withdrew his hand. “You cannot move, cannot make a sound, or I will stop.”

R
eaching down, he pressed even harder into her folds, making her flinch slightly, but then she stilled. As his fingers brought her to climax, she remained perfectly still. When the orgasm erupted through her, she only slightly bucked against his hand, but remained silent. He did not stop when her body relaxed and kept on with his firm stroking, and soon he could see her skin flushing as her next orgasm came even faster than the first.

Her fists clenched when he kept on. Her back arched as he applied even more pressure
, and he could hear her rapid breaths. She was rocking against his hand when her third release seized her.

Tyler smiled as he continued stimulating her, determined to see how much she could take. Unable to hold back, her body shudder
ed as he fondled her. She grunted when he slipped three fingers from his left hand into her, while his other hand kept teasing her. When she threw her head back and let out a deep guttural moan, he still kept on with his sweet torture.

With every orgasm, he increased the speed of his fingers. Soon
, his arms were burning against the exertion, and when she climaxed for the fifth time in a row, her body rolled over slightly to the side. She was covered in sweat and breathing hard. Feeling her body shaking with exhaustion, Tyler finally stopped.

“Good girl
.” He placed her on her right side. “But I’m not done.”

She whimpered as
he brought her knees to her chest and kneeled over her. Quickly dropping his pants and briefs, he then spread her folds apart and entered her.

Her body tightened as he pushed into her.
Wrapping her in his arms, he pounded into her, holding nothing back. The image of bringing her to climax again and again had excited him like nothing he had ever known. He needed to drive hard and deep into her flesh. She lay still in his arms as he thrust into her. When he finally came, she never even moved.

He
was on top of her, listening to the sound of his labored breathing and feeling her damp skin against him. Kissing her cheek, Tyler removed the blindfold from her eyes.

“Did the lights go out?”

He untied the bra from about her hands. “Right after I blindfolded you.”

“I never knew you could come that many times in
a row.” She stretched out next to him. “After the third one, everything became one big blur.”

“That’s the idea, baby.”

He stood, picked her up from the floor, and cradled her naked body against his wide chest. Carrying her up the stairs in the dark, he listened as the heavy rain hammered the house, sounding like a thousand fingers drumming along the roof.

After finding his way to her bedroom, he placed her on the bed. He went to the adjoining master bathroom and fumbled along in the half-light to an old, claw-footed bathtub in the corner. He turned on the hot and cold taps, and left the tub to fill.

“Come with me, my Moe.” Lifting her from the bed, he carried her into the bathroom.

Tyler
checked the temperature of the water before lowering Monique into the half-full bathtub. As he flipped off the taps, she eased against the tub and then motioned to the double vanity across from her.

“I have some candles on the counter there.”

Tyler went to the vanity and found three round white candles next to a box of matches. As he lit the candles, the soft light reflected off the pale beige walls of the bathroom, adding to the relaxing ambience. Then, he heard a soft panting sound coming from the floor.

When
Tyler looked down, he was startled by Bart’s presence. “One day that dog is going to give me heart attack.”

“He was probably hiding under my bed. He always goes there
during a storm.”

H
e climbed in and Monique cuddled against him. Holding her in his arms, he settled back against the tub and closed his eyes. Soon, Bart’s continued panting chipped away at his patience.

“That’s just what I needed to hear.”

“At least he’s not snoring. Snores like mad when he’s sleeping next to me in the bed. Just give him a minute and he will settle down.”

Within seconds the loud panting
subsided and all Tyler could hear was the rain falling outside.

“That’s better. We need some peace after our strenuous workout.”

She giggled into his chest. “It sure beats the gym.” 

“But you liked it, didn’t you, Moe?” 

“I never thought submitting to someone else could feel so…liberating.”

He
ran his finger along her right shoulder. “Some women aren’t brave enough to embrace it.”

“
Have you ever been with any that didn’t like it?”

He nodded. “A few. It’s easy to read the signals. You can tell when it’s going to be just straight up sex or when you can push the boundaries.”

“When could you tell that you could push the boundaries with me?”

“
From the moment I saw you standing next to me in the bar. You took a chance and came to say hello. I knew then that you would be adventurous.”

Her hand swirled about in the water.
“Quite a talent you have there.”

“
It comes from years of dealing with people, in both business and in life.”

“Do you like what you do, Ty? I mean do you like the oil business?”

“At times, but then there are times…forget it.”

“No, tell me,” she insisted with a nudge.

He hesitated. “I’ve wanted to do more with the company. Expand into different areas.”

“Like what?”

He let out a long breath, uncomfortable with sharing his plans. “Well…I’ve always been interested in alternative fuel development. You know, solar, wind power, things like that. I’ve dreamed of bringing Propel into the twenty-first century, but there has never been a right time.” 

“You can’t wait for the right time. You just have to do it. If I had waited for the right time to start writing, I would still be waiting.”

“But I’m not like you, Moe.” He twirled a lock of her hair about his little finger. “I don’t have any talents or gifts that can make people happy. Changing up my business would create a lot of problems and make a lot of people, including my stepfather, very nervous. Things are fine where they are.”

She
sat up, facing him. “But if you could change it, would you?”

“Ever since my mother married Gary, it was pretty much written in stone that I was going to run his company. And running the company meant sticking to the status quo.”

“But what if you did shake things up? Imagine the possibilities, Ty.”

“I’m not in the business of imagining, that’s your job.
” He pulled her back down to him. “Not everyone in the world is meant to change it. Some of us are here to help the others who are special. Maybe that’s what I am here to do, make you happy.”

She
traced her fingers over his chest. “You’ve already done that.”

“Ah, but I have a few more tricks up my sleeve.”

“Like what?”

He kissed her forehead. “Patience,
Moe. Just relax and let the warm water do it’s magic, otherwise you’re going to be sore later.”

She
snuggled against him. “Yes, Ty.”

He rested his head against hers. “I promise there is more fun to come.”

***

It was well after six that evening when the lights finally flickered back on. Anxious to return to her book, Monique
retreated to her sitting room with Bart while Tyler went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. He carried his cell phone with him, figuring he could check e-mails and voice messages as he cooked.

He was rummaging through Monique’s pantry as he listened to Lynn
’s updates on certain projects, potential problems, and a few small fires that she had redirected to different department heads. As her lovely voice filled the kitchen, Tyler made a mental note to give the woman a raise when he returned to Dallas. Lynn was one of the reasons Propel ran so smoothly. Reaching for a packet of spaghetti, a thought crossed his mind. What if he never returned to Dallas? What if he stayed with Monique in New Orleans? Settled down with her and retired to a life of taking care of her interests?

He stood in the corner walk-in pantry and was momentarily stunned. He had never
considered changing his world for a woman, and a life after Propel had never occurred to him. Just like his stepfather, who had been forced into retirement by a two-pack a day cigarette-induced heart attack, Tyler had never contemplated not working. Up until that moment, work was the only thing that had given him satisfaction in life. But now he had Monique, and suddenly the idea of going back to Propel lacked the completeness of being with her. He had never before experienced such an emotion. Completeness was foreign to him; one of those adult life goals often strived for but never truly attained. He thought of a future with her, and soon his mind was overrun with concerns for his business.