Stroke of Luck (8 page)

The phone rang just as she was packing up and shutting down her equipment. “So what’s this I hear about you falling into the river?” Uncle Vinnie said, not wasting any time in getting to the point of his call.

“Uh, how did you hear about that?” Annalisa stalled then tried to misdirect him by adding, “Did you see the shots from today? Jonesy said they’re my best work.”

“Yes. I agree. But don’t change the subject,” Vinnie responded. Annalisa rolled her eyes. Just one of the reasons Vinnie was still the best journalist and boss in the world. He appreciated good work and didn’t fall for bullshit. “How did you fall in the water? And why are you hitting me up for a new camera body?”

So Annalisa told her uncle everything that had happened. Vinnie knew her better than anyone else and she could never keep things from him—hadn’t been able to from the moment she’d gone to live with him when she was twelve. “This Buchanan fella sounds pretty special,” he said.

“He is, Uncle Vinnie. I’m so happy he’ll be going to the Olympics. It’s his dream,” she answered.

“And your dream? Does this fella fit in with that?” Now there was an undertone of seriousness in Vinnie’s voice.

Annalisa didn’t have a good answer though, so she avoided the question. “Look, Uncle, my cell battery is drained so I’ll talk to you later, okay? Love you.”

She snapped the phone shut and took a shower, taking extra time to spread some honey-scented body lotion over her skin. Being a photographer meant a lot of time out in the sun, and since she was so light-skinned she had to take extra care that the strong rays didn’t take their toll. Then she sat in her room and waited.

When the knock sounded on her door almost three hours after the race had ended, she jumped up as if she’d been shot. She raced over, opened the door and smiled at Robert.

“Hey there. It’s the US Champion in the singles,” she said. “Aren’t you the one all the experts said didn’t have a chance?”

“Hey yourself. Where were you? I expected to see you at the press conference or at the party. Frankly I expected you to show up for both,” he said, pulling her into his arms before closing the door behind them.

“Oh, I didn’t want to interrupt your celebration with your teammates,” she said with a big smile. “I’m so proud and happy for you! You probably couldn’t hear me, but I was screaming like everyone else. When you got that slow start, my heart nearly stopped. I was afraid something was wrong.”

“Nothing except that I was thinking about you,” he said, his lips against her skin. “I should be pissed—it could have cost me the race—but all I could think about was touching you, tasting you, feeling you wrap your beautiful, sexy legs around me, and the way it felt when my cock slid inside your wet pussy.”

He moved his mouth up her neck so his lips were at the tender area of skin where her top and bottom lips met. He nibbled there.

“God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured against her neck, his lips vibrating against her skin and sending ripples of desire rocking through her. “Jesus, you taste good—all clean and fresh. But I’m a little pissed. I wanted us to take a shower together.”

Annalisa closed her eyes then opened them to look into his. “I can take another,” she said, her tone mischievous. She wouldn’t mind getting him in the water again—this time with no clothes between them. “Taking photos is a dirty business.”

Before he could respond, she took a step back from him and started undoing her clothes. He did the same and soon they were naked and heading for the bathroom. Annalisa had lucked out with her hotel room, and the bathroom was large, including a Jacuzzi and separate shower. She had taken a shower earlier but thought the tub was the ticket for her and Robert.

She turned on the faucet, letting it fill quickly. She turned around to ask Robert about bubbles but he beat her to it and found a bottle provided by the hotel and poured a few drops in. He looked at her for a long moment then added a few more.

Annalisa turned on the jets and soon the water was churning and bubbling. He turned her into his arms for a long, satisfying kiss then lifted her off her feet and into the tub. In seconds, he was over the side and joining her. She noticed he had brought a condom with him and it was on the wide marble edge.

Then he lowered himself into the water and took her in his arms. They kissed and she felt the excitement growing inside her. This was it for her. She had known it before, but now there was no escaping it. She was in love with him, and though she instinctively knew he wasn’t ready for the words, she wanted to try to show him how she felt with her touch.

He seemed content to kiss for as long as she wanted. It was as if he sensed that this didn’t need to be rushed. But there was no doubting his desire. Even in the hot water, she could feel his dick hardening against her leg.

When they finally separated their lips to take a breath, he pulled her to one side of the tub, where there was a short bench carved into the side. He adjusted her so that she was sitting on his lap, his cock nestled against her pussy. He ran his fingers across her breasts, stopping at her nipples for a little tug.

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, his voice low and a little harsh with desire.

“I’m not,” she felt obliged to protest. “I’m a little too heavy.”

He shook his head then held her chin between his thumb and his forefinger so she had no choice but to look straight into his eyes.

“No, you’re perfect in every way,” he repeated.

Annalisa felt her heart growing with pride and contentment. He must feel what she was feeling, she decided. But something kept her from saying the words that were pushing against her lips. So she leaned forward and kissed him again, this time putting all her feelings into the kiss. As she leaned forward, she felt herself opening and his cock sliding between her pussy lips.

He broke away from the kiss and moved quickly. “Just a minute, babe,” he said, reaching for the condom on the tub’s edge. He sheathed himself and reached for her. With his butt resting on the edge of the tub, he helped her to stand then, keeping her back to him and her feet not so firmly on the bottom of the tub, he entered her swiftly from behind. The position made for a perfect fit and it nearly sent her into an orgasm on the first stroke. But he wasn’t nearly done with her.

“Not yet,” he grunted, his voice a low growl right next to her ear. With one hand, he tweaked her right nipple. It echoed immediately in her pussy and she tightened involuntarily around him.

“Damn,” he muttered. “You feel so good.”

Her breath stuttered and another shockwave rocked through her as he pulled out and thrust again.

“Robert,” she cried, needing the final push for her satisfaction.

“No, damn it. It’s too soon.” He groaned and pulled almost all the way out of her.

When he thrust again he deliberately stopped short and her vaginal muscles clenched in protest.

But instead of giving her what she wanted, he used the fingers of his left hand to find her clit and rub it.

“Please,” she begged, her vision starting to go gray as the need rose even higher inside her.

“I don’t think you’re quite ready,” he said. She would have believed he was taunting her except for the way his breath was coming from his lungs in pants. He pulled out and thrust a little deeper this time, his cock pushing a centimeter farther inside her pussy. He played her clit at the same time with those fingers and stroked her breast.

Annalisa felt as if she were leaving her body the pleasure was so intense.

“Oh, God, please make me come,” she cried again, the tears of want choking her words.

Robert’s breath in her ear sounded as ragged as hers. For a second she thought he was going to deny her again, but then he pulled completely out, turned her around so she was facing him, her legs wrapped around his waist, and thrust his cock all the way home. She felt as if her body were shaking into tiny pieces as her orgasm shattered through her. Some part of her knew that he came as well, from the jerks of his body, but she couldn’t have said exactly when or how. She just knew she would never be the same again. He had taken her, completely and in a way no other man could match.

* * * * *

Annalisa shut the door to her hotel room as quietly as she could. She didn’t want to wake the still sleeping Robert. After winning the Championship then being an active participant in their own private celebration last night, the poor man needed sleep. She smiled to herself as she thought about what she had planned for their morning. She had her wallet, her room card and a plan. There was a convenience market across the street where she’d pop for a few minutes and get some surprises.

“Hey there, Annalisa. I heard that WNO is pleased with your shots,” Jason Hull said, startling her. He was standing in the hall of the hotel, very near to her door. She hadn’t seen him when she opened the door because the hall turned just past her room. He’d apparently been leaning across the wall around the corner. Now he was blocking her way in the narrow space.

She felt her nerves tighten. Once, when she’d been a high school senior, an aggressive boy had backed her against the wall outside the girls’ locker room. He hadn’t done anything, but Annalisa had never known what he’d intended. That time she’d been saved by some friends coming down the hall. She’d taken a class on self-defense shortly thereafter and felt confident in her ability to defend herself, but she also followed the cardinal self-defense rule and always tried to avoid situations like this.

“Jason. You startled me. I didn’t know you were staying here.”

“Yes,” he answered. “The BNA values me enough to insure my comfort. I’m considered one of the top sports photographers in the world, so it’s only to be expected. Of course, with your connections at the WNO, I’m not surprised you’re here as well.”

Annalisa bristled. He was implying that she wasn’t one of the top photographers and that the only reason she was here—both at the event and at the hotel—was because of her uncle. Annalisa was surprised by this attitude from Jason, who had never been openly hostile before. She’d always thought he was attracted to her—now she was reassessing that assumption.

“Whatever, Jason,” she said, deciding her best tactic was simply to walk away. She had more important things to do. As she moved to pass him, however, he grabbed her arm roughly.

“You will not dismiss me,” he said.

Annalisa was stunned. “Dismiss you? You’re not my boss, my father or my friend. All you are is an annoyance.”

“All I’ve ever tried to do is help you,” Jason said. “You’re young and inexperienced. I could have made you a better photographer.”

“No, Jason—I was a better photographer than you with the first picture I took. I always treated you with respect. I thought you did the same to me, but something has changed. What?”

“Look, I just don’t want you messing up your career by getting involved with the athletes,” he said. He was still holding her arm and it was starting to be uncomfortable. She wasn’t afraid of him—she was too angry for that.

A light went off in Annalisa’s head. Now she knew what this was about. It wasn’t about professional envy. This was personal.

“Look, Jason, I don’t need a father or a brother and I’ve certainly never indicated that I was interested in anything of a personal nature with you,” she said. She wished she’d started this off a little more forcefully, but she truly didn’t wish to be mean even if Jason was being a baby, throwing up work issues when he was really just jealous of her personally.

“Oh no—you’ve ignored me for years, yet you drop your pants for the first jock you run into,” Jason said.

Okay, no more Miss Nice Girl
, Annalisa thought.

“Oh, I’ve heard enough,” she said.

“Yes, we both have.” Robert’s strong voice broke over Annalisa and Jason. “I would strongly suggest you let go of her arm. Now.”

Jason’s grip tightened painfully and Annalisa gasped. “Now,” Robert said. “I won’t tell you again.”

Annalisa pulled her arm back to her body. She didn’t know whether that move surprised Jason enough to make him let her go or whether Robert’s presence was the motivation he needed. Whatever, Jason let go of her and she stumbled away from him. Robert moved so he was between them, forming a protective shield for her.

“I can’t believe you’ve turned into such a slut,” Jason said, his voice rising in the silent hall. “Worse, you’ll never be anything more than just a
feature
photographer—and a poor one at that!”

He turned and hurried away. Annalisa knew it was silly, but she was shaking. She had no reason to be upset. She truly didn’t think she’d been in any danger. Robert’s arms came around her and she turned from shaking to shivering.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Robert was warm, strong and so very dear to her, she realized. The tide of emotion rising in her made it hard for her to speak. “Damn it, I should have clocked that jackass instead of just threatening him.”

She shook her head but since he’d pulled her tightly against him, she was moving it against his chest. “No,” she said, her voice soft. She cleared her throat and tried again, this time she was successful with the sound. “I’m okay.”

Robert eased back so he could see her face. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. I just wasn’t prepared for that from Jason. It never occurred to me that he would be so fixated. We’ve barely spoken to each other.”