Darlene (3 page)

"Conference?
The only big thing going this week is the gem show."

 
I gulp. Correction: a smart-assed law student. "Well, yeah. The gem show."

 
"Are you a dealer?" The flicking sound of my lighter dramatically fills the room, now silent.

"No," I finally respond. I inhale deeply.
"A buyer. I make some of my own jewelry and sell to several Chicagoland jewelers."

"Cool," Adam says dismissively as he steps into a pair of Sperry Top-Siders.

He's not too inquisitive which is good. I walk a now fully clothed Adam to the door and give him a quick kiss before pushing the door shut.

"Night," he says to me through the crack.

"Good night, sweetie." I smile, at the same time wondering why I do this kind of stuff. Although I have the feeling that I'm not the first well-off looking woman Adam's laid in her room after his shift. I'd be stupid to think so. Stupid is one thing I'm definitely not.

 
After a quick shower, I pin my hair up and get ready to hang out for a while. The last time I was in San Diego, there was a wonderful jazz and cigar bar not too far from my hotel, and it's worth the cab fare to find out if it's still there. I slip into a short sheath and a pair of sparkly ballet flats, throw on a few diamond bracelets to match my studs and head out of the room. The lobby bar is quite busy, as is Adam, since I see him behind it serving up drinks already. He notices me and winks.  Obviously, I'm staring back a second too long because just as I'm heading out to the sidewalk, I bump into none other than Kevin MacInness.

"I'm sorry," is my sheepish response. I bumped him pretty hard.

"It's okay," Kevin says, laughing. "You okay?"

"Of course."

"Headed out for the night?"

 
"Yes." I give Kevin a once over, silently complimenting his straight-legged khakis and fitted shirt. Now that we're out from under the shade of the cabana I notice Kevin's beautiful gray-green eyes. His tall frame is strong, and his tan isn't overdone. My skin gets prickly as my nipples rise. I'm blushing and I don't like it.

"Well …
do you want some company?"

"Sure, why not?" I pretend to be resigned. This is exactly what I want.

"Wow, don't sound so thrilled."

We both laugh as Kevin hails the taxi in front of the hotel. Within seconds, a cabbie spots his fare, and we hop inside.

"Do you know the Libertine?" I ask the driver.

 
"Yeah, yeah," the driver responds crudely. "The cigar joint. Hop in."

 
We slide into the cab sharing the backseat and I can't help but wonder if Kevin is deliberate in his closeness to me. I can smell his cologne now—Burberry—and it's intoxicating. As the driver flips the switch on the meter, Kevin looks into my eyes. "I'm really glad to have met you, Darlene."

"Really?
Then you won't mind showing me an awfully damned good time tonight, will you?"

Kevin
grins, leans in to whisper into my ear and says, "Absolutely not."

Chapter 5

"So, I don't think you ever told me what you do for a living," Kevin says, shouting over the music. It is a little loud tonight because there's a live band.

I take a sip of my and squirm a bit. I'm not nervous at all, I've practiced this already. It's just that Kevin does seem like a genuinely nice guy, and it's a shame that he has no idea how perfectly he fits into my plan, and that he'll very likely be one of the dealers I rip off before this week is out. I decide to give him my canned answer anyway. "I'm an organic food consultant to school districts
Chicagoland."

Utter bullshit. I know you're thinking that's too complicated, but let me say this: I'm staying at a swanky ass hotel, my dress is Versace and I'm wearing around twenty-five thousand in cool white diamonds. My occupation has to be believable. Kevin's eyes go up, and I can tell he's pleased.

"Wow. I knew you were smart. I love that in a woman." He relaxes his arms on top of the table and plays with the straw in his boring vodka cranberry.

"I'm relatively dull
compared to you. A gem dealer—wow. What's that like?"

"Oh, it's not as glamorous as you think," he replies. "I travel around, buy gems and make wholesale transactions."

I sip my drink again, this time plucking the cherry out, letting it dance playfully on my tongue as I listen. Finally, I take it in and chew it slowly, licking my lips after I swallow.

"It gets sort of repetitive after a while, believe it or not." Kevin stares at my mouth as he talks.

"Humm. Married? Kids?"

"Yes and no," Kevin says, smiling. "I'm divorced, but I do have two wonderful little girls." His face beams with pride, even in the low lighting of the bar.

"You're a proud dad, I see."

"You could say that. My oldest Rebecca just started
high school, smart as a whip. She wants to be an engineer. I’m not sure I can afford it." He sips his drink and politely raises a finger to signal our waitress. "The youngest—her name's Julie—she's in seventh grade trying to figure out her hormones."

We laugh, and it's less awkward this time around.

"I have a sister. I understand."

Our waitress saunters over again with her tight skinny jeans and over-processed blonde locks. "Same?" Her eyes dart between Kevin and I.

"Sure," he says.

"You know," I interject, "I'll have a shot of tequila."

Kevin chuckles. "Going hard?" He laughs more when my eyebrows go up as I grin. "You know what," he tells the waitress, "I'll have one too."

"No problem," she says before scooting off.

"So, I want to know more about what you do." I'm prodding, forcing him to talk about himself. Less attention on me, just like I prefer. "Where was the last place you've traveled to?"

"Last
week I was home with my girls—a well needed rest, I'll say."

"What part of Jersey?"

"Right around Hoboken," Kevin says.

It's a polite brush off, and I don't blame him. We just met.

"And you?"

I decide to indulge him. "Home is Chicago, but I've recently relocated to metro D.C." This is almost true.

Blondie sets our shots down in front of us before disappearing in the dark club again. I tip the shot glass and drink mine in one gulp.

"How do you like it?" Kevin turns his body toward me, obviously flirting now. I feel the buzz of the alcohol already, and my panties are moist.

"It's okay." I shrug. "Great restaurants, beautiful suburbs."

Only now am I impressed by Blondie. She brings more shots and water before we can ask. This time, I go for the lime and salt with Kevin. I raise the glass in his direction. "Cheers."

"Cheers," he responds.

Seconds later, we're feeling the rush of tequila and the sour-sweet of lime that follows. I pick up my cigar and fish for my lighter.

"How about we dance instead?" Kevin says quickly, stopping me mid-flick.

I listen and notice the band was doing a pretty good cover of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing
". Oh, why not?
To signal my consent, I slide out of my seat and Kevin takes me by the arm.

On the dance floor Kevin wastes no time turning me on. His hands gently glide down my hips, his fingertips resting on the fleshy part of my ass. Guiding me, he grinds into my pelvic bone, holding me close. I feel his breath on my shoulder, smell the musky cologne he wears. I notice a few eyes on us just before Kevin spins me around artfully. He briefly breaks body contact,
then pulls me back inside his arms. I lean my head back, becoming one with the bass guitar's rhythm and Kevin's touch. He kisses my neck, leaving behind just enough saliva for me to feel the heat of his breath on the wet spot. Before I know it, the song is over and the band has moved on to a more upbeat number. I'm wet, tipsy and horny. Briefly, I think of the way Adam's thickness reached all my depths earlier. I glance over and am immediately disappointed. I've caught Kevin yawning.

"Too late for you, huh?"

He looks up at me, a sheepish smile plastered on his chiseled face. "Sorry. It's not you, trust me. It's been a long day, long flight, long everything."

Although I really wanted to smoke my cigar, I relent. "It's okay. We can go." I clutch my purse and start toward the door before Kevin can pretend to object. He follows behind me, hailing a cab as he walks out the front door of the cigar bar. It's late, so a cab comes in no time. We slide in.

"The
Kimpton," I say to the driver. I notice Kevin flash a look in my direction. "What?"

"Nothing.
I like a woman who knows how to handle herself."

"Well,
good." I look out the window of the cab, admiring the lights of the city. "So, is this gem show open to the public?"

"It is, yes. However, I can get you a VIP pass for the entire show. That way, you can enter before the masses and get the best stuff before they do. If you're interested in buying, that is."

"That's nice of you to do that for me, Kevin. I'll take you up on that."

"And what about dinner while you're here too?"

 "Absolutely," I say, purposely brushing his arm.

"Really?"
His voice is husky as he looks into my eyes. His hand gently rests on my bare thigh. He has no idea I'm his twelfth man right now, cheering him on.

"Really," I murmur, just before my lips touch his cheek. I love the roughness of the stubble on his face. My lips find his and we linger, our tongues darting in and out of each other's mouths. His hand eases up the inside of my thigh as we kiss each other harder.

"Mmm," he whispers. Our lips make a quiet smacking sound as he pulls away briefly. "I've wanted to do that since I saw you."

"Well, why are you stopping?"

Kevin goes in for more, passionately tonguing my mouth as my hands caress his back. Unfortunately, our cab ride is too short. The cab comes to a stop in front of the hotel and now that my attention isn't focused on Kevin, I see the irritated cabbie's eyes glaring at me in the rearview mirror.

"Ten fifty," he says curtly.

Kevin pulls a twenty out of his wallet and hands it to him. "Keep the change," he says as he ushers me out of the cab.

We walk into the lobby and head toward the elevators. As soon as the doors close, Kevin lunges at me, his tongue no less skilled now that he's standing on a moving elevator.

"Wait," he says, turning toward the buttons.

"What are you doing?" I laugh as he pushes the "HOLD" button, causing the elevator to rumble,
then slow to a stop in between the third and fourth floors.

"A little mischief never hurt anyone."

Kevin's tongue finds mine again while his free hand caresses my nipple through my dress. Briefly, my mind wanders as I start to wish I'd worn something with buttons, but I turn my attention back to Kevin's mouth nibbling my neck. I gasp as his fingers find my wetness, deftly pushing my panties aside.

"
Mmmm," Kevin mutters between nibbles.

He fingers me, running his thumb over my inner lips. Instinctively, I spread my thighs. My skin feels like
it's on fire as he begins to slide his fingers in and out. Kevin lifts one of my legs, taking more access for himself. I moan with pleasure, resting my head against the wall. To my surprise, Kevin grabs at my lacy panties and rips them off. My eyes pop open and he's smiling. I relax, grateful to know I'm not in the hands of some crazed rapist. I smile inside at my own ridiculousness.

"Yes, baby," I encourage him, threading my fingers through his hair before gently pulling it.

Still holding my leg squarely against the wall, Kevin's free hand slides my dress up to my waist as he kneels between my legs. His tongue teases me, lapping at my milk. I run my fingers through his hair as he flicks his tongue back and forth. Faster, he works me into a frenzy, letting my leg go free as he grabs both cheeks in his hands.

Kevin doesn't like to waste time, which is fine with me. He takes me into his mouth, his head bobbing in between my now glistening thighs, working faster, more intensely until I come hard. His face rides my orgasm until I stop, licking every bit of it from between my legs
. Slowly, he kisses his way up my midsection, finally rising and letting my dress fall around my nakedness.

"That was good." The hoarseness of my voice surprises me.

Kevin releases the elevator and it finally rises to the fifth floor. I'm shocked when he turns toward me and gently kisses my cheek.

"Good night," he says, smiling.

"Good night?" I mean it as reciprocation, but it ends up more like a question. Yes, that's what he means. My mouth is slightly open as Kevin turns and walks out of the elevator. Resting my hand on one of its doors, I peek my head out.

He looks back. "Come on," he says, laughing. "Wasn't that the awfully damned good time you wanted?"