Renaissance: A Contemporary Erotic Romance (Iris Series Book 5) (17 page)

She covered his hand with hers.  “What is it?”

“Let me kiss you.”

“Todd, listen,” she started to say.

“One kiss.”  Without really waiting for her response, he leaned forward and gently captured her lips with his.  He slowly and expertly moved his mouth on hers, taking small licks and bites.  His lips were soft but firm, he didn’t overpower her, and proved to her that he knew his way around a woman’s mouth.  And even though he was no Drew, she knew if she hadn’t already had feelings for the doctor, Tiffany might have been able to see this sweet man differently.  His hand slid back into her hair and just as he began to deepen the kiss, she pulled away. 

He rested his forehead on hers.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

He sighed.  “Nothing, huh?  I’m still in Category three?”

She laughed lightly and they finally pulled apart.  “There’s nothing wrong with Category three.”

“You’re right.  Except for when you want to be in Category one,” he said wryly.  “You’ve always been honest with me, and I appreciate that most of all.  And,” he took a breath, “you still have feelings for Drew.”

She hesitated, then said, “What makes you say that?”

He just smiled knowingly.  “And if I’ve read the man correctly, I’m fairly certain he has feelings for you too.”

She sighed.  “I
am
sorry, Todd.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.  Feelings are what they are, you know?  I’m glad you’re my friend.”  He pulled her in for a hug.  “I’ll see you next weekend, okay?”

“Definitely.”

“I’m gonna get out of here,” he said with self-effacing charm.  “Have a good week.”

“You too.”

She walked him to the door where he said a sweet goodbye, then left.  Once the door was locked, she went to her bedroom and dropped on the bed.  She was glad she had Todd as a friend too.  He was a good man.  But now that she had a moment to think about the evening with no other distractions, a happy glow began to emanate from her. 

Drew and Katrina aren’t dating any more.  Drew, the man you’ve been fantasizing about for months is now available...and he wants you, Tiff.  He’s coming after you.

She bit her lip.  Feeling the confidence of a woman who knew the desire of a man, she picked up her phone and toyed with it, wanting to send him a text.  She thought for a moment, wondering why she found this arrogant version of the doctor so damned attractive. 
I mean, who did he think he was demanding that she end things with Todd?
It was ridiculously conceited of him to dictate to her how she should change her life.

I mean, seriously.
If he was going to come after her, then so be it.  But he was so confident that she’d end things with Todd.  He
demanded
it.

She started typing out a text to the man, just to make a point.

TIFF: 
Just for the record, I don’t care to have u dictate how I manage my affairs, Doctor.  Just saying.

So there.  She may have wanted him to the point of pain, but he wasn’t going to tell her –.  She turned her head, his response text coming in quickly.

DREW: 
Some people need a little help managing their affairs, Ms. Daniels.

Ass!

TIFF: 
Excuse me?  Look who’s talking, Doc.

Such nerve.  Jerk.

DREW: 
Had I known u wanted me to manage my affairs differently, I would have. 

Her heart beat a little faster at that.  Another text came in almost immediately.

DREW: 
Regardless, my affairs are over.  And your affairs are what I’m talking about at the moment.

She didn’t know how to respond to that.

DREW:
  One week, Daniels.

She’d felt the ripple of heat course through her.

TIFF:
  Arrogance, Dr. Huntington. 

DREW:
  Seven days is all you have.

She didn’t know how to respond to that one either. 

TIFF:
  I don’t like your DNA.

DREW: 
U will. I’ll make sure of it.
 

She didn’t write back after that.  Instead, she stewed, mulling over and over in her head how she wanted the week to play out.  She could certainly wait for the fundraiser for him to make his move.  But she had a different thought in mind. 

What would it be like...if she went after
him
?  What would it look like if she finally ruffled those damn steady feathers of his?  That constant patient air he always had about him?  She would love to see him go off the rails.  Could she do that to him?

A plan began to form in her mind causing a smile to curl her lips; a smile only a woman on a mission could have.

Screw him coming after her.  She was changing up his plan.  She was going after Dr. Drew Huntington...and with a vengeance.

……

It was Thursday night, two days before the fundraiser, and Tiffany had worked like a crazy woman to get all of the details for the event completed by that night.  She had set up the security, called the press and sat for interviews, got her RSVPs in and finalized everything with Janie and Ayanna.  Everything was set so she could focus on the most important personal decision she’d made in years.

Tonight was the night she was going to be ready for another event.  She was finally going to make her move and if she played her hand right, she was hoping to see Dr. Drew slowly unravel in the coming hour.  It was only fair since he’d unraveled her all week long. 

Starting on Sunday, she began receiving notes with corresponding objects sent by courier.  Sunday’s was delivered to her apartment and the note had said
Day One.
With it was a doctor’s pamphlet on the anatomy of an eye.  She’d had no idea what it meant, but became aroused unexplainably.  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize he had been trying to send her a message.  She just hadn’t known what it was.

On Monday, the next delivery was made to the warehouse.  The note said
Day Two
, and with that note he’d sent a small framed paper with artistically scattered words written in calligraphy.  All of the words were in different languages, but the one thing they had in common was the meaning of the words.  They all translated into the word ‘want’.

A pamphlet on eyes, and a framed piece of paper with the word ‘want’.  It clicked just as she was falling asleep that night.  It was the beginning of the message. 
I want...

She didn’t sleep a wink that night.

Tuesday’s note said
Day Three
and was accompanied by two purple orchids.  They were gorgeous, but before she could appreciate their beauty, her mind began moving in a hundred different directions. 
‘I want flowers’? ‘I want orchids’?  ‘I want purple’?  There were two of them.  I want two of something?  Or maybe it was just ‘I want to...’?

Wednesday was
Day Four
and the only thing that was in the envelope with the note was the famous swoosh belonging to the sport’s brand demanding that people everywhere were to ‘just do it’.  When she got home that night, she had laid it next to the growing number of objects on her dining table. 

I want to...just do it?
  Or
I want to do...?

She bit her lip to stop the giggles in her chest.  He was certainly a creative man, and she couldn’t wait to see what it was he wanted to do.

That answer had come that morning, and by then she’d been in quite a state.  She’d already been planning her own seduction, but after she opened the small package delivered to the warehouse that afternoon, it pushed her into full gear. 

The message was succinct and straight forward, and left her no doubt what the good doctor wanted to do.  Or perhaps she should start calling him the bad doctor.  After all, receiving a copy of the Kama Sutra in the midst of contractors and security guards was enough to make her blood flow hot.

She’d thought about him all week, his surety of himself, his confidence of her ending her relationship with Todd.  She’d even talked it over with the girls, all of whom happily put in their two cents.

She’d made a point not to contact him, wanting him to sweat a little.  It killed her, the arousal building each day, but she was determined to wait until she was done with the details of the fundraiser, allowing her the time to execute her plan of seduction. 

And that time was tonight.

She took her time and showered, shaved, lotioned, then put on a dark pink lacy thong and walked topless to the kitchen for a glass of wine.  Once it was poured, she headed back to her bedroom and after a couple of minutes of gathering her nerve, she grabbed her phone and looked at the time.  It was past ten in the evening.  She knew his rounds were usually over by this time, so she could only hope she didn’t have to wait too long.  Biting her lip, she began typing.

TIFF: 
I’ve been getting strange packages in the mail all week.  I might need to call Mike to investigate.

She put the phone down on the pillow and waited...and she didn’t have too long to wait.

DREW: 
Interesting.  What are the notes and packages about?

TIFF: 
I think it’s a stalker.  It seems this person wants to do something to me.  Today’s package was a doozy.

She smiled and waited.

DREW: 
Perhaps this person is trying to send a message.  What is it, do u think?

TIFF: 
Apparently he wants to try some things that are a little, shall we say, naughty.

Tiffany couldn’t believe she was about to do what she was about to do. She smiled and gnawed on her lip, lying back onto the bed pillows, allowing the coolness of the sheets to soothe her skin.  She lay with just her panties on, letting her fingers stroke over her stomach.  The rings in her nipples pulled as the skin around the nubs tightened.  She brought her fingers to one of her nipples and played with the ring.  Letting out a decadent sigh, she imagined how his strong fingers would feel.

Her hips began to pump of their own accord and she let her legs drop open further.  She’d been wet so many times this week, she’d lost count.

DREW: 
Hm.  Do u feel safe?  Maybe u shouldn’t be alone.

A giddiness welled up inside her, her body now flushed with excitement. 

TIFF: 
Maybe I shouldn’t.
 

Who knew she had this vixen inside her?  Knowing that he wanted her, made her want to come out and play.  She continued playing with the ring, feeling like someone had zapped her nipples and clitoris with an electrical current.  The sizzling feel of arousal raced through her and she felt the wetness pool once again in her thong. A couple of moments passed.

Her phone rang.  She looked at it and saw that it was Drew.  Smiling, she answered.

“Hello?”  Her voice was breathy.

“Hello, Ms. Daniels.”  His voice was steady.  The man was always so damn steady.  She couldn’t wait to change that. 

“Hi Doc.  Where are you?” she purred.

There was silence for a moment, then, “I just left the hospital.  Where are
you
?”  His voice had taken on a quality she wasn’t used to hearing from him.  It was soft and sultry for sure, but this time it had an added bite to it.  A sexy bite.

“On my bed.”  She smiled and waited.

Another moment of silence passed.  Finally, she heard him clearing his throat.  “Hm, well, that’s a very enjoyable image you’ve put in my mind, Ms. Daniels.”

She smiled.  “I’m feeling a little lightheaded this evening.”

“You are?”  He sounded concerned.  “Are you okay?” he asked, switching into doctor mode.

Her finger took a smooth trip from the top of her collar bone down to her belly button. “Mm.”  She left it at that and let him in wonder.

“Seriously, what’s wrong?”

I need you to get your ass over here pronto, that’s what’s wrong. 
She choked back a laugh, her voice taking on a sultry tone.  “I think I may be in need of a doctor.”

His breathing came through over the phone, then, “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m definitely feeling a little feverish.”  There were sounds in the background, muffled voices, then he returned back to the phone.

His voice turned intimate, so low that she had to strain to hear him. “I would suggest taking off your clothes and cooling down a little.  Maybe grab a wash cloth and wet it, run it over your body.  That will help with lowering your body temperature.”  His voice whispered to her.

She heard more noises in the background, but she couldn’t decipher what they were. Wow.  This was really happening.  She let go of a nervous laugh, then sighed.  Putting him on speaker phone, she left the phone on the pillow by her ear.  Her fingers now ran over both rings in her nipples and a moan escaped.  She coughed slightly to cover it up.  “That sounds like good medicine.  I’ve already taken off my clothes, so hopefully that will help.”  She let a smile play on her lips while waiting for his response.