Romance: Luther's Property (74 page)

Bradley read the email over and over again, looking for any
hint of what kind of trouble Zoey was in. He had felt his heart skip a beat
when he saw her email. It had been quite a while since he last saw her, but he
had fond memories. Zoey was a good, quiet girl who loved books. She also loved
to do things her own way, which her mother hated. He rubbed his eyes and
scratched his scruffy beard, recalling the many times he witnessed the poor
girl being yelled out for little to no reason from her mother. How she grew up
so good he wasn’t sure, but a part of him hoped that it had been because of his
gentle hand.

Still, divorcing Tori had been the best thing that he had
done for himself, and though he was lonely now, he was also drama free. Bradley
stood up from his chair and walked over to the stainless steel fridge to grab a
bottle of water. He owed it to Zoey to at least call her and see what was wrong.
If it were hard drugs or bail money, he’d have to decline. He meant no offense
to the kids that went through that stuff, but he refused to go anywhere near
crime like that. He had a chip on his shoulder about it ever since he could
remember, and had a strict policy for obeying laws. It was one of the many
reasons he divorced Tori.

Picking up his cell phone, he dialed the number and hoped
that it wouldn’t go to voicemail. If she didn’t pick up the first time, he
wasn’t sure if he would be able to call again.

“Hello?” A soft voice answered, slithering against his ears
like satin.

“Zoey?”

~

The Next Night

Zoey couldn’t believe it. He had called. He had
actually
called her and agreed to have
lunch with her. She walked up to the five star restaurant she used to frequent
so often and a chill of longing went down her spine. Zoey was a young woman
used to the finer things in life, and was not enjoying her nightly deep fried
meals and poorly cleaned motel room. She wanted out of there as soon as
possible. Like she had guessed, every single company that she applied to had
sent her a rejection letter after she couldn’t provide a reference. Whether she
liked it or not, fried foods and cheap motels were all she could afford until
her situation was fixed.

The Maître D greeted Zoey with a smile, and after she told
him her name he walked her amicably back to the table where Bradley was already
seated. Zoey felt her heart jumping in her chest as she looked over the man. He
was handsome as ever, she thought, and he wore the well-trimmed beard very
well. It made him seem different somehow. Less fatherly and more, well, manly.
Just like he had when she was younger, he kept his body in great shape, and
wore well a well-tailored blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She
could see the muscles through the fabric, and a sensual stir roused in her
belly. Yep. Definitely not fatherly.

“Zoey,” Bradley breathed, taking in the site of her. “Look
at you. You look- I mean you look absolutely beautiful.”

“Thanks Brad,” Zoey whispered, going into his arms for a
hug. “You look really good too.” Zoey could tell he was a little taken aback by
her sudden physical show of affection, but she couldn’t help it. Whether they’d
talked or not, she had missed him. She just hadn’t realized how much until that
moment. After a moment she felt Bradley relax and could feel his arms closing
around her to return the hug. He felt warm and safe, and she didn’t want to let
go. It was the first time in days that she felt normal.

“Sorry,” Zoey apologized as she forced herself to pull away.
“It’s just been a really rough few days, and I didn’t realize how much I needed
a hug.”

Bradley pulled out her chair for her and shook his head. “No
need to apologize, honey. I’m glad that you came. Can you tell me what’s going
on?”

Together they sat down and in between ordering their drinks
and their food, Zoey told him her entire story and how hard the last few days
had been on her. Ever the gentleman, Bradley remained silent as she spoke,
absorbing everything in that she had to say. When she was all talked out and
after a few tears were shed, he took his turn to speak.

“First of all, I’m so sorry all of that’s happening to you,
and I’m going to offer to take care of that work situation right now. I don’t
know if you recall but I’m a pretty fantastic lawyer and I promise you that
I’ll either get your job back or you’ll have so much money you won’t need a
job,” Bradley promised, happy to come to her rescue. He was a corporate lawyer,
and in his older years he was starting to hate the way he felt about his job.
However, Zoey’s case had an actual cause, and he hoped that if he helped her
with it he would find his passion for law.

“Thank you so much!” Zoey gasped, excitement spreading
through her. “That sounds amazing. I promise I’ll pay for it as soon as I win.”

Bradley shook his head, not hearing of it. “I don’t think
so. After not taking care of you like I should have all those years ago, this
is the least I could do. What else do you need?”

Zoey sucked her lower lip into her mouth and bit into the
fleshy part. She felt guilty asking for more, but she just couldn’t stand the
idea of living in that motel one more night.

“I need a place to stay,” she said softly, her eyes darting
from his down to her half eaten food, then back up to his. “I can help out
around the house, anything you want. Just please, don’t make me go back to that
motel.”

There was so much emotion in her voice that Bradley felt the
urge to once again wrap her in his arms and comfort her. Still, he wasn’t sure
if he could let that happen. It had been four years since he had seen Zoey, and
she had transformed from a pretty girl to a beautiful woman. She was no longer
the daughter like figure he had imagined, but instead, a tempting invitation to
ease his loneliness.

“Okay,” he said finally, not able to see her beg. “Okay you
can come with me. But I do expect you to help out around the house while I’m
working on your case. Do you have anything in your savings account until I
close your case?”

Zoey nodded her head, excited that she was actually getting
out of the flea-ridden room. “Not much, but enough to cover my bills for a few
months.”

Save it,” Bradley advised, pulling out his billfold to pay
for the check. “I’ll cover your bills while you are living with me too. Just
remember, I want your help around the house okay?”

“Yes, of course!” Zoey agreed, absolutely bubbling over with
joy. She couldn’t believe it. Despite all the other people that had turned her
back on her, Bradley had kept his promise and had come to her rescue.

“Now come on, my car is outside. Let’s go get your stuff and
get you home.”

Zoey sighed in relief as she sank into the deep white tub
that was in her private bathroom. It felt good to actually be in water that
felt clean. Just like he had promised, Bradley had driven her to the motel and
they had picked up her things. Decidedly she left the sheets she had put on the
bed there. They were a remnant of her life with Zack and she didn’t want it
anywhere near her.

Bradley lived in a townhouse in the best part of town. It
was no easy feat to afford such things, so Zoey knew just by pulling up to it
that he had been doing quite well, despite her mother nearly draining his bank
account in the divorce all those years ago. Inside, Bradley had helped her take
her things into the guest room. It was directly across the hall from Bradley’s
room on the second floor.

“I hope you don’t mind being so close to me,” he had said as
he opened her door for her. “But I use the room on the third floor for an
office and I use the office downstairs for an at home gym. Funny I know, but I
didn’t want to fall down those steps carrying all those weights.”

She assured him that it was more than fine, and thanked him
for the thousandth time that night for being her rescuer. After they had said
goodnight, Zoey had flopped down on the soft queen sized bed, happy to once
again be in the lap of luxury. Now that she was alone and in a safe space where
there no apparent flesh eating bacteria, she made her way to the giant bath
tub.

As she soaked away her worries, she let her mind wonder to
her ex stepfather. She felt odd calling him that, even thought that was exactly
what he was. Still, it wasn’t like she had ever actually seen him as her father
figure. He had been the nice face to see when she came home from school or back
from her dad’s house. He had been the guy to step in and save her from being
yelled at for something idiotic. He was the volunteer dad at her school, and
the guy that picked her up when her mother often forgot her. But for some
reason, he was always just Bradley.

~

The next morning Zoey woke up early and went downstairs to
make Bradley breakfast. It was while she was in the tub last night that she
recalled that he liked eggs benedict. Now, thanks to a couple’s cooking class
she had taken with Zack, she knew how to make them quite well, and thought it
would be a great way to start earning her keep.

Upstairs, Bradley woke the smell of freshly brewed coffee
and Canadian bacon. The aroma was tantalizing, and immediately brought him out
of bed to get ready for work. He had meant for Zoey to help around the house by
doing the laundry or the dishes, but if she wanted to cook for him as well he
certainly wasn’t going to stop her either.

As quickly as he could, he showered and dressed, choosing a
navy blue suit with black shoes and belt with a white collared shirt. He had a
case to handle that morning and then that evening he planned to begin the
paperwork of suing Zoey’s company. Checking the mirror, he smoothed his hand
over his facial hair one more time before he headed to the stairs. As he
rounded the bend from the dining room into the kitchen, he found himself
stopping dead in his tracks.

Through the doorway he could see Zoey, looking both innocent
and sexy in her pale pink silk nightie. It was a short thing, riding several
inches above her knee. The baby doll style sleepwear had a cream lace covering
her breasts, with just a tiny bit of pink silk for added coverage. It hugged
her body perfect, and as she bent over to take the English muffins out of the
oven, it gave him a tantalizing view of her thong-clad backside.

Bradley stifled a groan and ignored the aching of his groin
as he forced himself to focus. Lifting his hand to his mouth, he faked a cough
to announce his presence. Zoey turned to look at him quickly, a smile wide on
her beautiful face.

“Good morning!” She practically sang, sitting two plates of
his favorite breakfast dish on the small kitchen table. “I remembered that you
liked eggs benedict so I made you some. There’s coffee and fruit too!”

“Wow,” Bradley breathed, taking in the beautiful spread of
food. “This looks amazing Zoey, thank you.” As soon as he sat down Zoey was at
his side, pouring coffee into his cup for him and even adding the two spoonfuls
of sugar.

“It’s absolutely not a problem,” she assured him, taking a
seat close to his. “I like to cook. I’m not too great at cleaning, but I’ll get
better at it I’m sure.” As the two enjoyed their breakfast, Zoey asked him
about his day and what he had planned. He told her his schedule and as he did,
he couldn’t help but feel a tad surreal about the entire moment.

In a perfect world, this would be the best girlfriend
moment. Fresh breakfast, engaging conversation, and then a short but passionate
kiss before he went off to the office to bring home the bread. He was so
wrapped up in thinking about it that he had completely spaced on what he had
been telling Zoey.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Bradley asked, looking up into her
eyes. It was a mistake and a big one. In them he saw her kindness, her
appreciation, and her eagerness to please him. It was tormenting his moral
compass, and he didn’t like it.

“I just asked if you were feeling okay. You stopped talking
midsentence and started staring off into the distance,” Zoey told him.
Concerned, she reached out and squeezed his hand.

“I did? Shit. I’m sorry honey. I guess I just got caught up
in my thoughts. I’m fine, really. But if I don’t leave now I’m going to be late
for my appointment.” As he stood up to go, Zoey rushed up to hug him, her tight
body wrapping around him affectionately. It drove him wild, and he had to once
again lock his jaw to stifle the groan of sexual agony.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said curtly, practically running
for the garage door.

After he left, Zoey began to clean up the dishes of the
meal, and let her mind wonder to all the places it wanted to go. She had seen
the desire in Bradley’s eyes the moment he stepped into the kitchen, and she
couldn’t deny that she felt it too. Even though he was fifteen years than her,
he was still an incredibly sexy older man. In her dreams the night before she
had been in passionate love with him, and they had ravaged each other in bed
until neither could walk.

It had aroused her so much that upon waking up she let her
hand disappear between her legs and pleasure herself to the thought of the
possibility. She knew it wasn’t proper or befitting for her to have thoughts
like that about her ‘father’ figure, but she didn’t care about proper anymore.
After all, where had it gotten her? Estranged parents, loss of boyfriend, and
loss of job. What was the point of propriety when all it brought to her was
agony?

Bradley rubbed the bridge of his nose, hoping that it would
take the pain of his headache away. His morning meeting had been fine.
Everything had gone according to plan and for a while he completely forgot
about the gorgeous barely clad woman that had served him breakfast that
morning. At lunch, he had met with his secretaries and confirmed a few
appointments for next week. His next payoff was scheduled for three days from
then, and according to Hillary, the accountant, it was going to a big fat juicy
one.

Then after lunch everything went down hill. Zoey’s company
gave him the runaround on the phone for over an hour. It was a common trick
used in the corporate world. If you made some wait long enough, they would
simply go away. But in this particular case Bradley just couldn’t bring himself
to hang up the phone. Zoey’s case was slowly starting to become an obsession,
and after some light digging while he was on hold, he began to understand why.

When he was finally connected to the legal department all he
got was an answering machine that could generate appointments for people to
come in in person to discuss whatever issues they may have with the company.
Annoyed, Bradley set the appointment for eleven the next morning and went back
to digging. There wasn’t much, but he had just begun to look for dirt. He knew
that if he was given more time he would find something odd, something not quite
right about the company, and then they would be in the money faster than a bee
went to honey.

“Bradley,” Jill whispered, knocking softly on his door. His
secretary looked at him from the entryway, concerned.

“It’s nearly seven o’clock. What are you still doing here?”

It was a good question, one that he didn’t have an answer
to. He had given up on digging over an hour ago. Had he really just been
sitting at his desk rubbing the bridge of his nose for an entire sixty minutes.

“Lost track of time I guess,” he answered, lifting his head.
“What about you? Why are you still here? Didn’t you have to pick Tommy up from
practice at five?”

As if on cue, the little blonde haired boy popped his head
out from around the corner, giving Bradley a toothy grin.

“Hi Mr. B,” the little boy greeted, waving at him. He still
had on his soccer gear, including the cleats that Bradley had given to him for
Christmas the past year.

“Hey buddy,” Bradley responded, waving back.

“I forgot my wallet in my desk,” Jill explained, putting her
hand on her son’s back. “So we just came back real quick to grab it. I saw that
your lights were on and I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

Bradley nodded his head and stood up. With nothing else to
do at the moment he might as well head out himself. “I’m good, just have a
headache. Got the runaround today. Give me a minute and I’ll walk you two to
your car.” Bradley gathered up his things and thought about why he couldn’t
fall for a woman like Jill. She was nice, smart, age appropriate, and had a great
kid. There was just no spark in her eyes, not like Zoey’s.

He blushed at the thought and forced it out of his head.
“Ready?” He flicked the lights off to his office as Tommy gave him a thumbs up,
and together they all headed towards the elevator. On the way down Tommy told
him about his practice and his excitement to get home.

“Mom promised if I got an A on my last spelling test I would
get mac and cheese,” he explained, grinning widely. “She always makes me eat
that organic stuff. It’s gross, but she says it’s good for me.”

“It is good for you,” Bradley agreed. He smiled at Jill as
she mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to him.

At their cars they called goodbye to one another and Bradley
finally began his journey home. He was tired and hungry, and as he closed the
distance between himself and Zoey, he thought about her more and more. The only
problem was, any time he thought of her now all he saw was that pert little ass
in the air, begging to be spanked and massaged.

~

Zoey felt a wave of sadness as she knocked on Bradley’s
bedroom door, afraid that he wouldn’t answer. He had barely looked at or spoken
to her at dinner, and as soon as he was done eating he had bolted from his
chair, claiming he had work to do in his study. She hadn’t seen him the rest of
the night, even after she had cleaned up the kitchen again and took his clean
laundry up to his room. She was worried that she had done something wrong. If
she had, she wanted to fix it, and fast.

“Yeah?” Bradley called gruffly from the other side of the
door. His tone was abrasive, and it made Zoey wince.

“May I come in?” She asked, her voice soft and persuasive.
Several seconds ticked by before she heard the lock click open, and Bradley
appeared at the door.

“What is it?” He asked, sounding more annoyed than ever.

“Did I- did I do something wrong?” Zoey asked, taken aback.
“I thought I was doing everything that you asked?”

Her question and tone of voice cut directly into Bradley’s
heart, and he immediately softened. He gave her an apologetic glance, and moved
to let her come into his room. She took a seat on his bed and looked up at him,
still wanting an answer.

“Is there something wrong? You can tell me if there is. I
don’t mind constructive criticism. Really, it helps me in the long run! Did you
not like dinner?”

Bradley shook his head, not sure at all how to approach the
subject of his admittedly wondering eyes. “No, it’s not that at all. The
chicken cordon bleu was amazing really, and thank you so much for taking my shirts
to the dry cleaners. That was really nice of you. I guess, well, it’s just that
I haven’t had a woman in the house in a long time. It’s nice, don’t get me
wrong, but it’s usually women that I’m dating that are this close to me. Not an
ex’s daughter.”

Pain seared through Zoey’s heart as she heard his excuse.
“I’m not my mother’s daughter any more that I’m yours Bradley. I mean come on,
from the couple days that we’ve spent together you should be able to see that
she and I are nothing alike. Hell, we don’t even look similar. I take after my
dad. And in case you forgot, I grew up! I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m a
woman, my
own
woman.”

“You’re right,” Bradley soothed, walking over to place his
hands on his shoulders. “I’m sorry. It’s just-okay, the truth is that I saw
your um, your ass this morning, and it was so- well it was amazing if I’m being
honest, and I’ve been thinking about it, and you, practically all day, and I
feel guilty about it because I watched you grow up, like a father does a daughter.
But now I want you, like a man wants a woman, and I feel perverted about it.”

His confession shocked Zoey, but she couldn’t pretend that
she wasn’t pleased about it. She had always found Bradley handsome, and now
that she was a woman and he had divorced her mother, there was no longer
anything creepy about it. Standing up, she took a couple steps closer until she
was standing toe to toe with him.

“I like you too,” she whispered, boldly placing her palm on
his chest. “And I don’t feel perverted about it. If anything I feel relief.
Today is the first time in a while that I haven’t thought about the awkward
position Zack has put me in, and it has been great.”

“Really?” Bradley breathed, feeling excitement course
through him. He watched as Zoey nodded her head slowly up and down. “Then, this
is okay,” he asked, his tone switching from awkward and insecure to sounding
seductive and sure of himself. His voice slid across Zoey’s ears like silk and
she felt a shiver go down her spine as she listened to him.”

“Really okay,” she assured him. Leaning in, Zoey felt
Bradley’s arms close around her and she knew that he was giving in to his
desires as much as she was. She moaned in pleasure as she tasted his lips on
hers, and melted further into his chest. He tasted of peppermint and white
wine, a surprisingly delicious combination that she suddenly craved more of.
Parting her lips, she allowed Bradley’s tongue to dart inside her mouth. He
found her tongue and seduced it with his own.

Beneath her dress Zoey could feel her nipples tightening and
rubbing against the cups of her bra. Her clothes felt too tight and her skin
felt itchy. She wanted to be naked, and to have her way with Bradley right then
and there in his bed. When he pulled away from she gasped in agony, not ready
to be separated from such a warm and comforting space.

“Wait Zoey, wait,” Bradley breathed, trying his best to use
the head on his shoulders and the one between his legs. However, as he looked
down at her all he could feel was wanting. Her eyes, big and full of lust were
staring up at him, begging him not to stop. If he wasn’t looking to them then
he was staring at her lips. Those two soft, plump pink pillows that were now
glossed over and bruised from his intense kissing. “God, that felt good.”
Groaning in decisiveness, he pulled her back into her arms and once again
brought his lips down on hers.

He could feel Zoey’s fingertips shakily working at the
buttons of his shirt until she made a hole big enough to wear she could slip
her hands inside and run her fingertips over the smooth muscle of his chest.
Her touch was so soft and sensual that it drove him crazy. In the heat of the
moment, he grabbed both sides of the opening of his shirt and yanked hard,
sending buttons flying all over the room.

“Touch me,” he moaned, grabbing her wrists and placing her
palms on his chest.

“Only if you touch me too,” she moaned back, moving away
just enough so that she could pull her dress up and over her head.

Bradley groaned and looked at her beautiful well cared for
body in admiration. She had a small frame, but just enough curves to make her
look like a goddess. Her breasts, heavy and held high, were wrapped in a white
bra with blue lace. Her matching hip huggers teased him and he wondered if she
had worn them in hopes of him seeing her without her clothes on. After all he
had known and dated many women, and matching underwear was absolutely not
something that that occurred every day.

That very thought though stopped him in his tracks. If she
wanted him to see her naked then this was all pre meditated. Suspicion snuck
into his mind, and he took a step back.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, confused. Everything was going so
well, then as soon as she removed her dress bam, he stopped. She knew he liked
the way he looked. He just told her that he did.

“I think that you should leave for now,” Bradley suggested,
taking another step backwards.

Hurt, Zoey didn’t reply or try to figure out what was going
on. Instead, she grabbed her dress and darted for the door. If he didn’t want
to be with her that way then she was sure as hell not going to force him.