The Job Offer

chapter 7


Anne nearly threw herself into his arms when he started talking about kissing her on a regular basis. Ever since they parted that afternoon, she wondered if she would see him again other than in passing. Then when he maneuvered himself into having dinner with her, she was both nervous and thrilled to have him there. All evening long, she felt the desire to kiss him, to taste him, to touch him, grow as it did all that last summer when she turned seventeen and that morning after his too brief peck on her lips.

It did not surprise her that she sincerely enjoyed spending time with him. She and Ben always found it easy to talk to each other. What did surprise her was just how much they still had in common. Then when he looked at her with those brown eyes warm with desire, she felt like she would melt from the heat. Once he started talking about taking her for a walk down to the water after dinner, she practically jumped at the chance to find out what a real kiss from him would be like. She knew that he was angling her toward one or two in the moonlight when he talked about bringing her down here. Chelsea showing up had only added a new twist to the already eventful day. Anne never planned on initiating the engagement story. It just came out. Thankfully, Ben went with it.

For the last ten minutes, she waited calmly, watching his anger rise then disappear altogether, bringing him back to his usual friendly self. She remembered that about his personality. If it was something that he was really passionate about, his emotions were closer to the surface. The exchange with Chelsea clearly upset him. He may have followed along with Anne’s story, but when they were finally alone, he let her see that he was angered by the exchange. But, just as quickly as his temper rose, it went away leaving him once again looking at her with that intense gaze that set her insides quivering in anticipation, her desire returning to match his own.

When she felt his arm slide around her and his other hand touch her face, she closed her eyes and leaned in for his kiss. The first brush of his lips was soft against hers as if he was testing the texture of her lips. She liked it. His lips were firm and soft at the same time. Then his tongue darted out to trace the seam of her lips, and she opened her mouth to allow in his tongue. The pressure of his lips increased and she moaned softly at the pleasure, wanting to feel and taste more of him. She wrapped her arms around to his back to hold him closer and felt his body heat warm her front. His kiss was wonderful. Then he sucked gently on her lower lip, and she felt a strong stirring straight down to her core.

He responded to her moan of pleasure by pulling her in closer to his chest until her breasts pressed flat against him and she was leaning backward from his weight. His hand that touched her face moved down to stroke her neck then slid to her shoulder when she pulled him in closer to her body. His tongue once again invaded her mouth, and she rubbed her tongue against his seductively. He tasted like the coffee he drank just before they left the dining room and the strawberry cheesecake she shared with him for dessert. Then he pulled his tongue back slightly and sucked on her lower lip again sending the wave of pleasure to her core until she felt the first sign of wetness.

She moaned again softly with the pleasure and raised her arms until they circled his neck. Then his hand moved down over her front brushing against her breast before moving to her waist. Her breast continued to tingle where his hand brushed and she wanted it back on her. She groaned in protest and nipped his lip causing an answering groan from him.

Then he broke the kiss and pulled back so that he could look at her face. He was breathing heavy, and she could feel his arousal pressed between them hard against her belly. She was practically laying under him from his leaning over her.

"We definitely have chemistry," he said huskily before his mouth found hers again.

This was what she wanted. She gave herself over to the pleasure of Ben’s mouth and his hand that rested on her hip while his thumb brushed over her low belly.

She had never had such a primal reaction to a kiss before. She wanted to be closer to Ben in ways that she had never wanted with anyone else. She wanted desperately to feel his hand back on her breast and his lips on her body. It was as if her body had taken over and she was no longer capable of rational thought. He understood what she wanted because he suddenly lifted her until she straddled his lap. Her senses were immediately assaulted with the feeling of his arousal now at her juncture and his hand that rose again to her breast. He found her hard nipple and teased it with his fingers through the thin material of her sundress making her whimper with desire.

Then his mouth moved from hers to the sensitive side of her neck and down to her collarbone. She tilted her head to give him better access as she drowned in the sensation of his mouth finally on her skin and his tongue lightly brushing her collarbone and the indentation at the base of her throat. The teasing fingers at her breast and the feel of him pressed against her caused her core to begin pulsing and flood with moisture. She gasped in breath and pressed herself closer to his erection, eliciting another groan from him. She felt powerful in her ability to excite him. His hand stopped its gentle teasing to slide the spaghetti strap from her shoulder and push her bodice down enough to free the breast he had been teasing the second before. Then she felt his hand cover her and test the weight of her full breast. She almost climaxed from that alone, but she wanted his mouth to cover it. She wanted him to suckle her, and she tried to change her position so that he could reach her with his mouth.

Knowing what she wanted, his mouth moved to her breast at last and she felt his warm breath on her skin and the touch of his tongue tease over the nipple. The feel of his tongue sliding over her sensitive nipple nearly drove her over the edge, and she gasped. She felt his free hand slide down to the hem of her dress then move under the fabric until he was touching her naked thigh. She gasped again when she felt him finally take her breast into his mouth and suckle, each pull causing the pulsing in her core to increase in intensity. More moisture went to her core until she could feel that her panties were wet. She was losing herself in the pleasurable sensations he caused and wanted him to touch her. She wanted to touch him, too, but all she could reach was his head to hold him to her breast.

Then his hand slide up her thigh, and she moved to allow his fingers better access to her. He soon reached her apex and rubbed her over her panties. She moaned and began panting, pushing against his hand. She gloried in triumph when he pushed aside the thin strip of cloth that barely covered her and touched her swollen folds. The thong she wore offered no resistance to his searching fingers, and she cried out when his fingers finally found her naked core. That was what she wanted.

Moving his lips back to her mouth, he began to kiss her again to drown out her cries as his fingers began to move over her hypersensitive nub. She bucked against him lost in sweet torture trying to find her release. Then he pushed his fingers inside of her and stoked in and out as she pushed herself onto his fingers to take him in deeper. Her climax, when it came, overtook her fully and she powerfully gripped his fingers squeezing him inside of her in a pulsating rhythm that went on and on until her body finally was sated and became relaxed in a wonderful afterglow.

He released her mouth once she climaxed and put his lips on her neck again where her pulse hammered away wildly. Still holding her to him with his fingers held deep inside of her, he breathed deeply and struggled to get his own desire under control. When she was finally able to breathe normally again, she brushed her fingers through his hair liking the thick silky texture. He gently removed his hand from between her legs and pulled it out from her dress before wrapping his arm around her to hold her tenderly against him. She could smell the musk of her arousal on his hand.

"I like your idea of 'mostly good', Ben," she managed to say, her voice husky with spent passion. "What do you say we go back to your room and I will show you my version of 'mostly bad'?" He chuckled and kissed her neck where her pulse beat.

"As tempting as that is, Anne, I can't let you. I promised you that I would not ravish you tonight, remember. It's too soon." He looked up at her and smiled at her frustrated look. Then he gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I can't let you take advantage of my virtue, young lady."

"Too soon?" She kissed him in a lingering kiss that caused him to moan and pull away in frustration.

"It's too soon for us. It's not the right time, and I don’t have what I need to take care of you right now. If you were another kind of woman, Anne, then maybe we would take it further. But you're not the kind to let a man even go this far this soon, are you? So, Sweetheart, I promise it will happen, but first I need to woo you a little bit first. We both have to be ready." Ben gave one last kiss before standing up. Seeing her breast still exposed, he cupped her with his hand then regretfully moved the bodice and shoulder strap back in place.

"Woo me," she said to herself. "The man drives me wild until I climax in his arms, then he says he wants to woo me. What's next, Carlson?" At his look, she gulped. She had a good idea of what came next, and she was surprised how much she wanted it. Remembering her sandals, she leaned against him for support so that she could slip them back on her feet. The little break allowed her to gain control of her breathing. Looking around, she saw that the sun had set while they were out here. He had her so wrapped up with what he was doing to her body that she did not even notice. Holding his hand now as he led her back along the shore, she was lost in thought until they climbed the steps to the dock that was now lit by overhead lights.

"There is something I need to tell you, Ben, about myself." She stopped to look at him and her face became illuminated by the light bulb shining down on them.

"Is it bad?"

"No, it's not bad," she answered with a small laugh. "I wanted you to know that Anne is actually my middle name and the name I go by here at the inn. My mom and I have the same name, but to avoid confusion I usually go by my middle name. I just wanted you to know in case we run into some of the locals who call me Jane."

"Jane Anne. Not a problem, Sweetheart. But I'll stick with Anne if it is all right with you."

"Ok, Ben."

"Ok, Anne." He grinned at her then reached out to brush away strands of hair that blew into her face from the soft breeze that came in over the water. Her hair was a riot of brown curls that only emphasized her bright blue eyes. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, and she had a beard rash on her neck and chin because he had not bothered to shave again that evening when getting ready for dinner. She did not know any of this. She only knew that he was staring at her in a way that made her want to drag him off down the shore again so that they could finish what they started.

"Do I look all right to you?" she finally asked him. He had to stop looking at her like he was doing, or she would drag him back. The last thing she wanted was to have everyone know what they had been doing together out here.

"You look great to me. You look just like a woman who had sex."

"I do not, do I?" She looked up at him in alarm.

"Relax, Anne. You look fine. Come on. We had better go explain the plan to our families."

Taking her hand, he walked beside her back up to the main building entering the building this time through a back entrance that would take them down a hall and into the lobby. After all of their talk of speaking to their families, it was rather anticlimactic when none of their family members were around. The only person they encountered was Chelsea who sat in the lobby reading the newspaper. She watched them enter the lobby suspiciously but, otherwise, left them alone.

"Come on, Sweetheart. Time for bed," he said before steering Anne over to the elevator. While they waited for the car to come to the first floor, he whispered to her then leaned down for a sensual kiss. Anne knew the kiss was just as much for Chelsea's benefit as it was for her own, but she smiled at Ben anyway.

Walking beside Ben in the hallway down to his suite, she wondered if she could change his mind about sleeping with her tonight. The thought shocked her, but then she was shocked at her overall behavior tonight. She could not even blame it on alcohol because she only had one glass of wine. Since when had she become such a wanton woman that she would sleep with a man after so short an acquaintance? She had only had two short lived romances in her twenty-nine years and not a lot of sexual experience from either. Apparently she had some latent sexual tendencies that Ben brought out in her, she thought logically. She needed to get back to her parents' house and think about all of this without his presence affecting her judgment.

He opened his door and allowed her to walk in first, and she flipped on the light as she waited for him to close and lock his door. They were in the sitting room of the suite. He came to her immediately after locking up and pulled her into his arms. Then he kissed her until she was ready to drag him to the bedroom for more. All too soon for her tastes, he stopped and pulled back enough so that he could hold her still in the circle of his arms. He looked down at her with a look of frustration then kissed the end of her nose before letting her go entirely.

"You have quite a powerful effect on me, my dear Anne. Did you know that? You always have. Not tonight, but soon, you won't be going out that door." He kissed her again then pulled away with a groan to look down at her. "I intend to make sure you experience my 'mostly bad' in a very good way." She sighed in frustrated desire then allowed him to pull her to the back balcony door off of the sitting room. Before stepping outside, she pulled him back into her arms and kissed him until he was drawing her in closer to his body. Then she stepped away, walked over the threshold, and turned to look at him.

"You always had an effect on me, too. Goodnight, Ben. What are you going to do for the rest of the night? It’s still pretty early."

"Take the coldest shower I can handle then try to get a few hours of work in. Goodnight my sexy little temptress. I'll see you in the morning. I get up around five and usually have coffee in my room before heading down at six. So meet me up here before six." She gave him one last smile before she slipped quietly into the night.


* * * * *


Ben did not waste any time after Anne left his suite. After a quick cold shower, he went down to the lobby where he was told by the front desk that his parents and the Petrovics were in the lounge. He noticed that Chelsea was gone. Thank God for that. He decided to skip talking to his and Anne’s parents tonight, preferring to do so when Anne was with him, and asked for keys to one of the inn's cars. Then he drove until he found the island’s only 24 hour pharmacy. He went inside and came out a few minutes later with a box of condoms and a few other necessities. If tonight was any indication of what was ahead, he would have Anne in his bed tomorrow night if not sooner.

Thinking of Anne, he smiled. He liked her. He always had, and there were not that many women whom he actually liked as a friend and whom he also wanted to take to bed. She was fun to be with, had a quick intelligent mind, and had a great sense of humor. Then there was her body. She had a body made for sex. In all his fantasies about her when they were teenagers, he never thought that she would be as responsive as she was tonight. It was all he could do to hang onto his control when she climaxed, he thought. Her lips were like honey, too. He never kissed a woman who could seduce him so quickly with just the touch of her lips and tongue on his. He knew that she was not the type of woman to fall into bed with virtual strangers, which they were after all of these years. Neither was he, for that matter, but when he touched her it was like a flame went wild in both of them. He could not explain it. He had never had that connection with another woman before.

It's was a good thing she was leaving the state after that weekend because, if she lived in Seattle, he would be tempted to keep seeing her. He would not have been able to stay away. It was just as well she was leaving, he told himself again. At least he knew that she was not after him for his money. She did not know who he really was, and she was perfectly okay with leaving once their vacation romance ended. He ignored the catch in his gut at the idea of using her then walking away and drove back to the inn.