Chapter Fifteen
Valentine’s Day
There was a bounce in my step when I exited the elevator and saw Grant leaning against his Range Rover on the side of the street. His arms were braced behind him on the hood, and his legs were crossed at the ankles. He had a boyish grin on his face that made my heart melt. I was noticing that the more time we spent together, the more lighthearted he was becoming.
He pushed off the car and met me at the door. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he whispered right before his lips claimed my mouth in a brief, but effective kiss.
He grabbed my suitcase and stowed it in the trunk. After helping me into the car, he walked around the hood and folded into the driver’s seat.
“So where are we off to?” I asked with enthusiasm.
“My house in Vermont. Do you ski?” He sported another one of those boyish grins and rested his arm on the steering wheel with his body turned towards mine.
“I’m not very good at it, but I’ve gone a time or two.”
“I also have a snowmobile so we can do that too. Or we could just spend the whole weekend naked and relaxing in the hot tub.” He wagged his eyebrows and I laughed at the sight. So very un-Grant-like. Or at least what one would assume to be uncharacteristic of a serious looking, three-piece suit wearing, high-powered attorney.
“Sounds good to me.” My face felt heated and I shoved my hands in between my legs, hoping the pressure would alleviate the aching that I felt whenever thoughts of sex and Grant occupied my mind.
The drive to Vermont was scenic and relaxing. We talked casually about work and friends. Grant spoke lovingly of his grandfather, Devereaux, and their time together and how he really looked to his grandfather as a role model since his parents were so cold and standoffish. It made my heart hurt for him, imagining a little boy who felt no real affection in a cold, upper Manhattan home. His only sibling – his older brother – was very much different from him. Trent preferred living snobbishly and circulating with the upper crest of Manhattan. It must have been lonely for Grant, especially after he lost the only man who gave him real love.
We drove through the woods on a long and winding road for several miles before Grant signaled and pulled into a long driveway. As we approached the house, I felt my excitement building. I watched in awe out the window as the most gorgeous A-framed home with cedar shingles came into view. The front porch was covered and had several Adirondack chairs sitting underneath it.
Grant pulled into the two-car garage and helped me out.
“Come. I’ll get our luggage later.” He guided me into the house with a hand to my lower back. We walked through an enclosed breezeway from the garage into the open concept house.
My mouth hung open as I looked up at the huge vaulted ceilings with exposed wood beams and arches. To the right was the kitchen with white cabinets and butcher block countertops. To the left was the dining room with a long mahogany table and ten chairs. Further into the house was the living room that had a stone fireplace going up to the ceiling. I instantly had visions of being stripped and us making love slowly and passionately in front of that fireplace. Spinning around I took in the rest of the room which consisted of a cozy sectional and two chairs facing the fireplace as well as the floor to ceiling windows that looked out into the vast wilderness beyond the back of the house.
I walked over to the French doors in the dining area and out onto the huge deck. Right now it was covered in snow and the outdoor furniture put away, but I could just imagine how great it would be to sit out there during the summer months and drink coffee in the morning.
“Do you like it?” He asked with hesitation in his voice.
I turned to see him watching me closely. “I love it. It’s the perfect mixture of rustic and cozy.”
He smiled at that and gestured for me to precede him on the rest of the tour.
Off the living room were barn doors that opened into a spacious master suite. Dominating the space was a king size bed and a granite fireplace. There were more French doors leading out to the deck. I wandered into the giant master bathroom and just about swooned over the claw foot soaking tub and the huge tiled walk in shower. The shower was massive, taking up one whole wall and could easily fit half a dozen people. There was a tiled bench on one side and jets surrounding the entirety of it. I got wicked thoughts imagining us taking showers together this weekend.
Leading to the upstairs was a solid mahogany and wrought iron staircase. There were two bedrooms, a bathroom and a quaint reading nook nestled upstairs. I was thankful that I brought my Kindle with me in case I had some alone time to read.
The tour ended in the walkout basement, fitted with a game room and media center. There were another two bedrooms down there that shared a bathroom and the laundry room. A bar with granite counters finished off the space.
This house was everything I would have imagined it would be. It was perfect. I thought that it would be fun to maybe bring some friends up for a weekend trip of skiing, drinking and playing games. I knew Maya would love this place.
We worked together in the kitchen to make chicken and spaghetti with lemon sauce and capers. After sitting to eat at the dining room table with a glass of white wine, we cuddled in front of the fireplace and watched the snow falling outside.
It was the most perfect Valentine’s Day I could have asked for. I hadn’t had a love interest for Valentine’s Day since I was in high school. Unless of course, you counted Matt, but at the time we were relatively new to the benefits part of our friendship so it was all about the sex. Although, to be honest, I’m not even sure we spent Valentine’s Day together.
My skin started to tingle when Grant grazed his lips over my sensitive neck and planted a kiss behind my ear. I stretched out along the couch to accommodate his roaming hands. They moved down over my chest, fondling my breasts through my sweater and down to the juncture between my thighs.
“Grant,” I moaned at his touch.
“I want to take you to bed and make love to you, my sweet Elizabeth. I’ve been dying to be inside you all day. I missed you last night. I don’t like it when you demand time away from me.”
Leave it to Grant to be such a spoiled boy sometimes. I chose to stay home last night since I had to work late and pack for the trip. He of course pouted over a Thai lunch at his desk. It was cute, although I was sure one day I’d find it annoying.
I stood up and held my hand out to Grant to lead him to the bedroom. “I want to show you the present I got for you.”
“Oh, are we doing presents now?” He cocked his head to the side. “I think I should go first.”
I shrugged and agreed, figuring my gift was more of the quickly take me to bed variety.
Lying on the bed was a brownish gray gift box with gold colored ribbon. He must have put it out when he brought in our luggage. The box and ribbon both read Louis Vuitton. I quirked my eyebrows and got really nervous. This gift was going to be too much. And it was way more than I got him.
I undid the bow on top and lifted the lid. I carefully moved the tissue paper aside and saw the most breathtaking bag I had ever seen. And I’d been known to window shop a time or two. It was a black leather Louis Vuitton Capucines bag. The handles had jewel-like rings and there were two spacious inside compartments with calf skin lining. There was a flap that revealed the outline of a Monogram flower while on the outside or if tucked inside, it showed the infamous LV initials.
“Look inside,” he murmured softly.
I opened the bag and revealed a brand new iPhone with a white leather Louis Vuitton case. I eyed the presents and realized that my hands were shaking.
“I’m assuming your silence means you don’t like them? We can get you something else. I just thought you could use them to be more organized and to run your business more efficiently. I know how important those things are to you.”
My eyes flew up to his. “No, I love them. They’re just… I don’t know. Too much. You spent all this money on me and I can’t reciprocate. I don’t know if I can accept these.”
“It doesn’t matter how much I spent on your gifts. What matters is the thought behind them. I gave you something that I knew you would like and could use. I’m sure you did the same for me. Please don’t let money come between us. Because it always will, Elizabeth. I have a trust fund and make a ridiculous amount of money every year. The scales aren’t based on monetary things. They’re based on give and take. As long as I’m giving you what you need and vice versa, that’s all that should count.”
I held his gaze, arguing with myself over this. I knew that he had a very valid point, but another part of me didn’t like feeling as if I was constantly taking expensive gifts and giving nothing back. I was the furthest thing from a gold-digging whore, and I didn’t want people to think that I was one.
Hurting Grant’s feelings was the last thing I wanted to do though. He’d been nothing but caring and supportive to me as long as I’d known him. He must have put a lot of thought into the gift. And it was a beautiful gift. I would be crazy not to accept it. I could stop carrying the tote I used in addition to my purse and combine the two. And I really did want a new iPhone, but was waiting for my upgrade next year.
“Thank you. For understanding and for the gifts. They’re fabulous and I will definitely put them to good use.” I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arm around his neck. His hands went to my waist, and I kissed him slow and sweet.
“Does this mean we can get to sexy time now?” Grant asked with a twitch of his lips. Ever since I said that the other night, he has constantly teased me with it.
“Well, if you don’t want your gift I suppose so.” I peppered kisses over his jaw and lightly traced my tongue along it.
“Hmmm… it’s tempting but I think I’ll take my gift first.”
I pulled away from him and dug into my suitcase for the gift bag. “It’s nothing much,” I said shyly remembering he spent a small fortune on me. “I think you’ll enjoy it though. Or at least I hope you will.”
I handed the bag to him and held my breath while he pulled the items from it.
“Huh,” he said as he studied the items. The anticipation was killing me. Did he hate them? Was he excited about them? I had to admit I was a little nervous about what they meant, but I figured if anyone would be the best person to give them to, it would be Grant.
I bit my lip and twiddled my fingers. Shit. I shouldn’t have gotten them for him. I knew it was a bad idea. I went back and forth for days before finally caving in and buying them. I was drawn to them and craved the adventure they would give.
“This certainly is going to make sexy time far more interesting.” His fingers went over the sexy nightie, lube, vibrator and anal beads lying on the bed in front of him.
“I’m sorry my gift wasn’t as thoughtful as yours. It’s just I’ve always wondered what it would be like and I trust you completely and wanted to try it with you.” I spoke quickly, embarrassed with how things were turning out.
Grant turned to me and lifted his sweater over his head. His muscles rippled with the movement, and my mouth instantly went dry. Next he unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down his legs. He bent over and took his socks off, leaving him and his quite evident erection in only his boxer briefs.
“Your turn, Elizabeth. We’ll save the nightie for another time.” I stuttered a breath when he palmed his erection through the cotton of his briefs. I undressed as quickly as I could. Once I was standing completely naked in front of him, he stalked towards me predatorily until my knees hit the bed. I went down on my back and looked up at his dark beauty. I don’t know what I did to deserve to be with this gorgeous, sweet, sensitive, fierce man, but I was thankful for it.
“Spread your legs,” he commanded with a deep, silky voice. I instantly complied, widening my legs as far as they would go. I secretly loved when he demanded I do this. I felt so wanton exposing myself to him like this.
His fingers ran up through my folds and dipped inside me. My back arched and my breath started panting as he pumped his finger in and out of my now wet channel. I could faintly hear rustling, but my ears were buzzing with a rush of blood caused by the pleasure he was inflicting on me.
A buzzing noise filled the air, and my body jumped when he placed the vibrator over my swollen *. I moaned loudly, and my hips surged up trying to get more contact from the wonderful vibrations. “Oh God,” I whimpered when he turned the speed up.
“I need you to be ready before I do this, Elizabeth. Hold the vibrator, but do not come. If you come, I will spank you.”
“Oh God,” I whimpered again as his words washed over me, and I dipped the vibrator inside my p-ssy, which was aching with the loss of his skilled fingers.
“That’s it. Let me watch while you f*ck yourself. Does it feel as good as me? Does it make you want to come hard? Or do you wish it was my cock filling you right now?”
My head thrashed on the bed as he continued to whisper dirty things to me. I didn’t know if I could hold off much longer. The more he talked, the harder I thrust the vibrator inside my p-ssy. I could feel it building, and I started reaching for it, wanting it.
Grant grabbed the vibrator from me and pulled it out of my body. “No,” I cried out, so close to release. The buzzing of the vibrator ceased and all you could hear was my labored breathing.
“I told you not to come yet. You were nearly there. Did you forget what I said?” He loomed over me, and it was all I could do not to pull him down to me and force him inside of me. I needed him so badly at that moment.
“Answer me,” he demanded and I shook my head no.
The vibrator began buzzing again, sending my heart racing. Grant placed it perfectly over my * and my orgasm built intensely and quickly. My thighs began to quiver in their stretched position and sweat beaded on my body. “Please,” I begged, needing him to push me over the edge. “Please, Grant.”
I closed my eyes, but abruptly opened them when I felt the beads prodding my entrance. It felt foreign and wrong. He slowly started sinking them in, and I felt a burning sensation.
“Relax, love. Push against them. That’s it. Just like that,” he commended me when I did as I was told.
When the beads were all the way in, Grant pushed the vibrator inside my p-ssy and slowly pulled it in and out. I felt so deliciously full. It was an odd feeling, and at first I fought the urge to remove them.
“Relax,” he reminded me as he continued to f*ck me with the vibrator.
My breathing became more labored, and I could tell a huge wave was going to take me under once I finally came. Grant pulled the vibrator out, but I didn’t have a chance to miss it before he grabbed my inner thighs and slammed into me.
A shout of pure bliss left my lips at the same time he let out a low, guttural groan.
I could do nothing but watch as he kept my legs spread, and he f*cked me with a power I’d never experienced before. His eyes watched while his shaft disappeared inside my body. I could tell they were heated, and that he enjoyed what he was seeing.
“Grant. Grant!” I shouted when my whole body began to vibrate with my need to release.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” He murmured while looking into my eyes. In that moment, I knew what he said was true. He had me, and I could trust in that.
He reached down and started pulling the beads from my ass. The feeling of it scraping my untouched tissues was almost too much to bear. When he slammed them into me again, in time with his thrusting into my p-ssy, the overwhelming feeling to release was almost too much. A few more thrusts of the beads and I fell headlong into the hardest and longest orgasm I had ever experienced. My hands clutched the bedding, and my toes curled with its force. Nonsensical words and shouts erupted from my mouth.
Grant powered through my orgasm, but didn’t last much longer. When he stilled in me and I felt his cock throbbing with his release, he said my name like a litany before he collapsed on me.
Our sweat slickened bodies struggled to contain our ragged breaths. I ran my hands through Grant’s hair on my chest. His ran lightly down the side of my body.
After many minutes, he reached between us and slowly pulled the beads from my ass. My mouth opened on a silent moan as my p-ssy constricted with aftershocks from my orgasm.
“That was amazing,” I whispered.
“Every time we have sex, I think it can’t get any better. You proved me wrong tonight, Elizabeth. Your body was made for mine. I’m looking forward to experiencing this connection more.”
“Me too,” I whispered and leaned my head up for a swift, light kiss. My head fell back to the bed, and I smiled dazedly. Grant left me and went to dispose of the condom, allowing me time to replay that spectacular bout of lovemaking.
When he joined me in bed, we snuggled under the covers. “Did you enjoy your gift?” I asked as I buried my head in his neck.
“More than you know. The very idea that you trusted me enough to take you out of your comfort zone means the world to me.” He kissed my forehead and rested his cheek on my head.
“A lot of what we do is outside my comfort zone, but I trust that you will make it worth it and won’t take advantage of it. Sometimes I struggle with that, but you’ve never given me a reason not to trust you. So thank you for always taking care of me and showing me unbelievable pleasure.”
“You’re welcome. I would do anything for you.” And the conviction in his voice had me believing that promise.
?????
“Wooooo!” I shouted as we raced over the terrain. I could hear Grant’s chuckle, but I ignored it and continued enjoying the view. We were snowmobiling over the thirty-eight acres that Grant owned, and it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Grant stopped us in a bluff that overlooked a town below us. I couldn’t get over the views in and around his house. It was a spectacular.
He lifted off his helmet and then helped me with mine. “I take it you’re enjoying yourself?” He asked with a wide smile. His soft, plush lips begged me to taste them. Damn winter and layers of clothing.
“Oh my God! You have no idea! I could do this every weekend and never tire of it. It’s so relaxing and fun out here. I haven’t thought about work once since we got here on Friday.”
“Good.” He tucked a piece of hair behind my ears and trailed his gloved fingers down my neck. “I like seeing you happy. I love the ways your eyes dance with delight and your cheeks are flushed with excitement.”
I swallowed hard, fighting the emotions bubbling within me. I so desperately wanted to blurt out that I loved him. I knew it was too soon though, and that I would probably run him off. For as wonderful as he had been and for as much as he told me and showed me he cared about me, he was still a man. And men did not do well with over aggressive, clingy emotional women.
“We have to get back and pack our things. I’m afraid if we stay here much longer, I might be tempted into figuring out a way to f*ck you without either of us getting frostbite.”
I bit my lip at the idea of him f*cking me on the snowmobile. If the engine was running, the vibrations would definitely be something to experience.
“Stop,” he said. “You’re making it worse. You’re practically f*cking me with your eyes right now.”
“Sorry,” I said with absolutely no remorse.
Grant put our helmets back on, and we flew back over the terrain, all the while I screamed and laughed. And when we parked, I thought my face was going to split in two from smiling so much. Nothing could touch the high I was feeling from my weekend with Grant. Nothing.
?????
My phone ringing had me stirring in my sleep. At some point, I must have fallen asleep on the drive back to the city. I heard Grant’s soft murmurs, and my eyelids fluttered open.
I was completely wiped from our weekend of sex, skiing and snowmobiling. Grant might have been able to keep himself from ravishing me on the snowmobile that morning, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking me on the pool table and in the shower before we left to drive home.
“Hi, Maya. She’s sleeping. Is this something that can wait or should I wake her?”
I waited while he listened to her and watched as his jaw got tight and a muscle ticked there. “I’ll deal with this,” he said ominously.
“I’m awake,” I said and reached for my phone wanting to know what he was going to deal with. Reluctantly, he gave me the phone.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked Maya.
“Shit, E. I’m sorry to do this, but you need to know what you’re coming back to.”
I sat up straighter, alarmed by the tone in her voice.
“It seems the story of you and Grant has broken. It’s all over the rag mags and newspapers. It isn’t pretty, but there is one particularly racy magazine that is claiming you are an escort, not a personal concierge, and that you’re taking Grant for all he’s worth. They even posted a picture of the two of you together from the gala. The work line has been ringing off the hook.”
Shit. I had forwarded the line for the business to Maya so that I could enjoy my weekend with Grant. I knew she could handle the emergencies and would call me if she needed to.
“How many clients have a problem with this? How many have seen the article?” My control was hanging on by a frayed thread, and I could hear the panic in my voice. Grant reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it in silent support.
“Only two have fired you so far. The others I was able to talk around. And there was one who was particularly lewd and I told him that he needed to go elsewhere for his future needs.”
“No. No, no, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. We need those clients Maya. What am I going to do?” My voice was raised with the terror coursing through my veins.
“We’ll figure it out, E. They weren’t worth being your clients if they were going to act like that. They should know better than anyone what kind of business you run. And honestly, the only reason why they quit was because they know their husbands have wandering eyes and they are jealous of you.”
“You’re right. We’ll figure this out. Thanks for calling. I’ll call you in the morning and we’ll get together for coffee to regroup.”
After a long night of me pacing the floors trying to figure a way out of this, I thought wryly.
“I love you, E. It will all be okay,” she reassured me before hanging up the phone.
I dropped my arm and stared unbelievingly out the window. How could this have happened? And why would someone be so cruel as to call me an escort?
“I’m sorry,” Grant’s sad voice broke the silence. “It’s my fault the media is tearing you to shreds. I should have never allowed the ideas of me being a playboy to run so rampant. I never dreamed they would hurt someone I care about.”
“Obviously you didn’t think,” I snapped at him. I knew it wasn’t his fault, but in that moment, I needed to blame someone, and he was my scapegoat. “Can we not talk about this? I need time to process it.”
He didn’t verbally reply, but I could see his nod out of the corner of my eye.
The rest of the drive to Manhattan there was an awkward silence. When he pulled up to the curb in front of my building, I quickly jumped out of the car and went to get my luggage out of the back. He beat me to it and wrestled the bags from my hand. Refusing to leave me to bring my stuff in, he followed me up to my apartment and set my bags inside the door.
“I really am sorry about all this. I swear to you, I’ll fix this. Please,” he stopped and swallowed. “Please don’t give up on me because of this. We can overcome it. I want for us to overcome this.”
I turned my head to the side to hide the tears in my eyes. He didn’t deserve this torture, yet I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I didn’t blame him. The hurt was still too raw and fresh.
I heard his footsteps and the soft click of the door. And that’s when the floodgates opened. I cried for hours trying to come up with a way to salvage my reputation while still keeping the man I love.