A/N: Yeah, I can't believe I've started on another new one, either. LOL. HOWEVER! I MUST thank LaurieM for the permission to go ahead with this story. This is her premise, which she explored in "Echo" on this site. It's an *excellent* story and I highly recommend reading it before this one. However, the basic premise is, what if a 20-year-old Brenda met one Ray Luca ("Crime Story," Tony Denison in the role) in Las Vegas in 1985? In "Echo," they have a moment, and Brenda leaves, feeling very much out of her depth... This will end back at the LAPD in the last chapter. Until then, thank you LaurieM for permission to play with your idea, enjoy the show and *please*, R&R! Also, many, many thanks to LF for the encouragement! I appreciate it, you little monster! ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "Crime Story" or "The Closer."
Chapter 1: The Morning After the Night Before
Brenda lay on her back on the lounge chair beside the pool. She adjusted her sunglasses and looked for her friend, Cathy. She spotted her flirting with the hunky lifeguard. She still couldn't get last night out of her mind. Ray Luca was almost legendary among her friends who were majoring in criminal justice at Georgetown. And she had gone to one of his parties, met him, drank his excellent Merlot and he kissed the life out of her. When his big, dark eyes had sparkled at her, however briefly, she felt it all over her body. Her boyfriends had always been sweet, deferential, pliable, easily manipulated – and boys. Once again, it came to her that Ray Luca was a man, and a dangerous one, at that. He had killed people – no one knew exactly how many notches were on his gun barrel. When she told her friends in the CJ program that she had actually met the man, to say nothing of having kissed him, they wouldn't believe her. They'd go nuts.
The casino/hotel belonging to Luca was an elaborate place. Cathy's parents had beaucoups bucks and insisted on paying for it, so their little girl could have a memorable spring break. There was a shopping mall, and a huge marble foyer and lobby. The pool area was like some kind of tropical paradise in the desert. And while roaming the hotel with Cathy, Brenda had felt that hard, dark stare on her several times that day. She had turned to look, and never saw Ray Luca, but somehow, she knew his eyes were on her. It was his casino after all, so he was bound to be around, but for all her looking, she never spotted him, or his flunky, right-hand man, whoever, named Pauli. Still, she knew those black eyes were watching her.
As she dozed, refusing servers asking for cocktail orders, a shadow fell across her. She opened her eyes to see Pauli standing by her lounge chair, just looking at her. What the...?
"Miss Johnson, this from Mr. Luca." He handed her an envelope as he spoke.
Brenda took the envelope, suddenly acutely conscious that she was wearing a string bikini, and that Ray Luca was somewhere, seeing her in it. "Um, thank you," she answered, feeling her world was just nearly ready to tip off its axis.
"He'll be expecting you," the man said, and nodding at her, disappeared into the crowd, pompadour and all.
Brenda sat up in her chair and looked at the ivory envelope, front and back. Nothing, but it was an expensive kind of stationery. She opened it and took out the card inside. It was on heavy stock with the embossed logo of the hotel on the front. No monograms or anything like that. Inside the card was writing in a bold, masculine hand. "Penthouse 22250. 8 p.m." And that was all. Brenda suddenly felt butterflies in mad circles in her stomach. She looked up toward the penthouse level. Somewhere behind the glass windows, Ray Luca was watching her. She was sure of it. She wondered, suddenly, if her Daddy would fly to Vegas to escort her back to Atlanta. She had a strong feeling Ray Luca would respect a father's protectiveness over his daughter. And Navy Lt. Commander (Ret.) Clay T. Johnson was a force to be reckoned with, even for a man like Luca. She strongly considered calling him and knew he would be on the next flight out.
However, a dominant character trait in Brenda's personality (some said it was her downfall), was her insatiable curiosity. She had to know things. Other than for the obvious, why would Ray Luca want her? What a fascinating character he was! She might never get this opportunity ever again. She wasn't still a virgin. Well, not really. If you could call Shane Carpenter's inexpert fumbling actual sex, that is. And it was, in the most basic sense of the word. It was intercourse, and there had been penetration, but that was about it. Not the most memorable experience of her life. But with Ray Luca... Oh, things would be very different, she was certain, and her whole body shivered at the thought.
What would she tell Cathy? Of course, if she managed to score a date with that lifeguard, it might be a moot point, anyway. And it looked like she was about to do just that, if her body language was any indication.
Brenda stared at the card, trying to suss out something from the handwriting until Cathy came over, and she tucked it into her book. "Hey. What's up?" she asked.
"Got a date with Brennan! He said he has a buddy he could hook you up with."
"No, that's all right. I think I partied too much last night," Brenda answered.
"You sure?"
At Brenda's nod, her friend shrugged and said, "O.K. I'm going to the room, then. See you later?"
"Sure," Brenda answered. She needed to see if she could find anything suitable for a date in one of the shops. Once Cathy was gone, Brenda looked up to the penthouse level again and sighed. What in the world was she doing?
She put on her swimsuit coverup and went to one of the shops. Naturally, they were accustomed to serving ladies just in from the pool and she looked around at the dresses. She found a knee-length one in black velvet. It was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and had a matching velvet bolero jacket.
"I'll take this one," she told the sales associate. "And please, send it to my room about seven-thirty if you would." She didn't want Cathy getting suspicious.
"Certainly, ma'am," the associate said.
Brenda put on a good show of being in for the night, and Cathy breezed out the door about seven. Her dress arrived promptly at 7:30 and she put it on. It was a perfect fit, and Brenda was glad for the jacket. It camouflaged her generous bustline a little. Brenda took extra pains with her hair and makeup, slipped on her black pumps and took her small clutch and made sure her room key and a few necessities, including her ID, were inside. She left the room and when she stepped inside the elevator, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirrored wall. She looked like a sacrificial lamb. She wondered how stupid this was.
When she stepped off the elevator, on to the penthouse floor, a doorman met her in front of double glass doors. "Miss Johnson?" he said.
"Yes," she answered, her voice quavering.
"Mr. Luca is expecting you," he replied, and opened one of the doors. "First door on the right, please."
"Thank you," she said, hoarse. She walked through the doors and stood at the one indicated for several seconds before she gathered the courage to knock very softly. This was a different suite from the one where the party was last night, she thought. The door opened and Ray Luca stood there, looking absolutely luscious in a black silk shirt and black trousers. He took in Brenda's outfit and his eyes came suddenly alive.
"Miss Johnson, please come in," he said.
"Thank you, Mr. Luca," she answered and stepped inside the room. It was very different from the party suite. This was obviously where Ray Luca lived. The furniture was comfortable, masculine leather. The carpet was lush and the room was altogether much more livable than the other penthouse.
"Please sit down," he said, indicating the sofa. Brenda did so.
"This is a very nice place," she said.
"Thank you. I like it. It's private. Not even Pauli comes here unless I call him."
"I see. I understand a person needing privacy."
Ray lifted one eyebrow. "Especially a man in my business, right? So tell me again, why are you here in Vegas? This isn't your kind of town."
"What makes you think that?"
He snorted with amusement. "I told you. I know things. Savannah might be your town, or more probably, Atlanta, but not Vegas. Now answer me, please. Why are you here?"
"Spring break," she said, involuntarily. How did he do that – make her say what he wanted her to say?
"Isn't that Florida or Myrtle Beach or Cancun, usually?"
"My friend Cathy wanted to come here. So here we are."
"Where's your friend?"
"On a date with a guy she met this afternoon."
Ray nodded. "All right. With Brennan, one of the lifeguards. Yeah, I remember now."
"How did you know?" Brenda was stunned.
"I didn't know she was your friend, but that's good. Not as many awkward explanations. For you, I mean." His eyes were actually glittering at her, now, as if he enjoyed her possible predicament. "You haven't had dinner yet, have you?"
"No, I haven't."
"Great. I have dinner here for us. Come into the dining room and we'll eat."
Brenda followed Ray into the dining room and he motioned her to a table for two, set with a dinner service, and a side table where she assumed the food was. "You like Italian, don't you?" he said.
"Of course," she answered.
First, he took a bottle of Merlot and poured a glass for each of them. "Since you like it, and it goes well with Italian."
Brenda sipped the wine, watching this man take covers off the dishes on the side table. He set a plate in front of her. "Beef scallopine. My mother's recipe. And a salad."
"It looks delicious, Mr. Luca," Brenda answered.
"Ray. And do you prefer Brenda or Brenda Leigh?"
"Either is fine – Ray."
"Brenda Leigh is so quintessentially Southern, but Brenda sounds like a woman and not a little girl. I know you're not 21, but I am assuming you're over 18."
She nodded.
"Thank God for that." He sat down with his own plate. "So if you're on spring break, there's a college somewhere with your name on the roster. Which college would that be?"
"Georgetown," she answered and took a bite of her dinner. "It's very, very good."
"Glad you like it. And have you declared a major at Georgetown?"
"I'm considering criminal justice, but I haven't made up my mind quite yet."
Ray gave her the first real grin she had seen on his face. "Looking for a career in law enforcement?"
"I don't know. Maybe just in law. As an attorney."
He gave her an assessing gaze. "You'd be lethal in either profession. Remind me never to get arrested by you, or end up in your courtroom."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should, Brenda. I meant it as one."
"I have to ask, Ray. Why?"
"What? Why did I ask you to dinner? After telling you to go home? I said you were a challenge, and I have never in my life been able to resist a challenge. Ever."
"How am I a challenge?" She was genuinely puzzled.
"I don't know if I can explain it. You'd have to be me to know, I guess."
"I see."
"Do you? I don't think so, but I'll let it stand. Tell me about Georgetown. What kind of place is it?"
Brenda was sure he had probably been there, but she humored him and described the campus and her apartment.
"Sounds very collegiate," he said.
"I guess. I never really thought about it."
He gave her a look that said he doubted it and said, "Are you finished?"
"Yes. It was delicious."
"Dessert?"
Brenda nodded. Anything to keep him on the other side of that table. She was a little scared of not having something solid between them.
"Let's go back into the den, then. Coffee?"
"Yes, that would be nice."
"I'll meet you in there, then."
Brenda stood as Ray pulled her chair out and he dropped a kiss on her neck. Brenda's heart nearly stopped. His mouth was gentle and so hot. But he was apparently content with that contact for the moment, as he stepped back and she looked at him as she went to the den. There was a deep fire in his eyes. She didn't know what she was going to do, she thought, as she sat on the sofa. This had been a galactically stupid idea. The phone rang and it nearly scared her out of her skin. Ray picked it up in the other room and she could hear him.
"Yeah. God, Pauli. What? What could possibly be so important? I don't care. I didn't say I'd see him tonight. Set him up with one of the girls and do not call me again tonight unless the hotel is on fire. Got it?" He hung up. "I swear, that Pauli is a mental case. He knew I wasn't available for anything tonight."
Brenda bit her lip and Ray came into the den with a small tray. He handed Brenda a cup of coffee and a saucer with something that looked like a custard drizzled with chocolate sauce and garnished with strawberries.
"Panna cotta. It's an Italian custard," he said, sitting beside her on the sofa.
"It looks good. Thank you, Ray." Brenda noticed he was drinking brandy and she ate her dessert. She drank her coffee and watched Ray watching her. It was unnerving.
"The conversation seems to have died out a little," he said.
"I'm sorry. I didn't really know what to talk about."
"It's all right." He leaned toward her. "Are you still a virgin?"
Brenda's eyes widened in shock. "I think it's time for me to be getting back to my room, Ray."
Ray picked up Brenda's hand, suddenly gone nerveless, and stroked it. With every touch, Brenda could feel her blood quickening. "You don't really want to leave, do you, Brenda? Not really."
"I-I think I really ought to."
"I didn't ask you if you ought to leave. I asked if you wanted to leave." His voice was low and hypnotic.
"Um," she said, when Ray turned her hand over and kissed her palm, touching the tip of his tongue to her skin.
"The question was, do you want to leave? You haven't answered me." His mouth traveled to the inside of her wrist and heat flooded every inch of Brenda's body. She could even feel herself getting wet for him. And she had the feeling he knew it. "Still no answer? That's all right. I do know what you want from me, by the way. I knew what you wanted last night, even though you really didn't." His kiss traveled up to the inside of her elbow, where her jacket sleeve hit. He mouthed that sensitive area and before she could hold it in, a small whimper escaped her lips.
"See? I was right," he said, hardly above a whisper. He brought his hands up her arms to her shoulders and slipped her jacket off. "Beautiful," he said as he looked at her. "Almost as good as you looked in that little bikini this afternoon at the pool."
Brenda knew he had been watching her. And it bothered her that she couldn't control this. She was used to being the one who called the shots. That strategy would not work with this man.
Ray brought his mouth over her shoulder, down her collarbones and dipped his tongue in the valley between her breasts, where her neckline ended. So far, he hadn't attempted to touch her anywhere covered by fabric, but something in Brenda - despise herself as she might - something ached for him to touch her all over her body. And Ray, damn him, knew it. But for now, he continued kissing her neck, parting her hair in the back for access. He twined his fingers in her curls and pressed his mouth and tongue to the nape of her neck, his teeth grazing her skin and she was hard put not to whimper or moan or something, constantly.
"Your skin is beautiful. You've stayed out of those tanning beds. God, it's so smooth and soft. I want to kiss your skin all over your body," Ray rasped in her ear.
Brenda was dying. She knew it. No one could stand the kind of heat Ray Luca was firing in her blood. She could feel the silk of his shirt against her back, and could feel his hands leave her curls to stroke the skin on her neck. Her neck was slender, she knew, and it felt even more so in Ray's large hands.
As he touched her neck, he brought her cheek around for his mouth and he said, "I asked if you're a virgin, Brenda. Are you? I need to know."
What would he do if she said yes? What if she said no?
"Tell me Brenda, and tell me the truth. I'll know if you're lying to me." His voice was still low, still rough with passion, but there was a hardness underneath that terrified Brenda, even as it made her desperately want to please him.
"No," she said, barely audible.
"No? But not very experienced, either." It carried no judgment; it was merely a statement.
How did he know? "Not very, no," Brenda answered.
The phone rang again and Brenda started.
Ray let loose an impressive string of profanity. He got up. "Excuse me." Brenda was almost glad. She needed a minute to get her head together. None of her boyfriends had ever made her feel like this. She had never wanted to please them, to just take her clothes off and let them have her body. How did Ray Luca inspire these emotions? She heard him on the phone. He was not happy.
"Yeah. Moron, what the hell are you calling again for? The hotel isn't on fire, I don't think, now is it? So, he's unhappy. Make him happy, then. Take him to the casino. Do I have to tell you how to do everything, you idiot? Bankroll him. Let him win. I'm tellin' you Pauli. Call me again for anything but a major national emergency, like the Russians just launched nuclear warheads at the U.S., and I'm doing what I shoulda done to you about 1965. Am I clear? Good." He hung up.
Ray came back into the den and shook his head. "I'm sorry about that, Brenda. Pauli Taglia is the biggest imbecile in Vegas, but he's a genius at ruining a moment, that's for sure."
"I understand," Brenda said softly.
"And now you've had time to think about it, and you're officially scared to death of me."
"Well, you're not the kind of man I usually date, that's all."
Ray snorted in amusement. "I'm not the kind of man you're used to dating because, I'm willing to bet, Brenda Leigh Johnson – and I only bet on sure things – that you've never actually dated a man before. You've only dated boys, and boys who were a little afraid of you. But," he said, putting one knee on the sofa beside her and his hands on her shoulders. "I am not afraid of you. I don't force women. I don't have to. So if you want to leave, I won't stop you. But I won't lie to you, either. I want you in my bed. And if you stay, just know that's where you'll spend the night: with me, in my arms, in my bed, naked. Just so we're clear." He leaned down to kiss her and his mouth was not crushing, as it had been last night. No. It was tender, but definitely not tentative. His tongue asked for entrance into her mouth and she gave it; she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't turn from his kiss. It was too good. Her head was spinning already, and all he had done was kiss her, one hand moving from her shoulder to her face, holding her to his kiss. The coiled sensuality in Ray's body reached out to circle around Brenda and her head fell back against the sofa in submission.
Ray's mouth was rougher as he kissed her neck and his arms came around her, pulling her up from the sofa, his mouth still on her skin. His arms were steel around her back, holding her to his body, and all Brenda could do was put her arms around his waist and hang on. Her legs weren't going to hold her up, she thought, leaning against Ray's strength.
Again, he seemed to know what was going through Brenda's mind, and he reached down and picked her up. In his arms, looking into his eyes, her arms around his neck, she was lost. She couldn't walk out. There was no way she could leave this. This man might well be Satan himself, and Brenda couldn't say no to him. He bent his head to hers again and kissed her as he carried her to his bedroom.
When they reached their destination, Ray set Brenda on her feet and reaching to her side, unzipped her dress. The bodice was boned so she wasn't wearing a bra. Ray's eyes glittered as he slid her dress off her hips and saw her. Brenda had the irrational urge to cover herself, but she stood her ground as he gazed hungrily at her body. He took her hands and brought them to his shirt buttons. "You gonna help, or do I have to do all the work?"
Wide-eyed, Brenda forced her fingers to the task of tugging Ray's shirt out of the waist of his trousers and unbuttoning it. When she finished, a shrug of his shoulders sent it to the floor. His chest was so sexy, with its mat of hair and defined muscles. He must work out. He did not have the body of a man over 50 – or at least what Brenda had assumed men over 50 must look like.
"Now for my pants," he said casually, and Brenda lowered her hands to the fastening and unbuttoned and unzipped them. She started easing them down and Ray took over and stepped out of them and kicked them to the side. He took her hand again and put it against his groin. "Feel what you do to me? Touch me, Brenda." She stroked his hardness and felt her senses go fuzzy again.
She felt his hand on her rear and he massaged its firmness. "Lie down, Brenda," he commanded and she obeyed. He was beside her in a moment, pulling her to him, kissing her again, without so much tenderness, but with heat and passion. She arched against him and felt his fingers, finding her heat underneath her panties. "You'd better be glad the pool was so crowded," he growled into her ear. "Because when I saw you in that string bikini, it was all I could do not to go to you and take you right there." She felt him easing her panties off and he leaned back on his elbow and gazed at her. "Some man is gonna be damn lucky to have you all to himself one day. Did any of those other boys you went out with tell you how ungodly beautiful you are? Oh, they probably said, 'Brenda Leigh, you're so pretty' or 'Brenda Leigh, you turn me on,' or some kind of junior high crap like that, right?" He resumed kissing her neck and put his hand on her flat abdomen.
Brenda couldn't even speak. She didn't know what to say. She just looked into his eyes. She realized that, for all the romance novels she read, for the few physical experiences she had, that she might have theory up to her hairline, but nothing she had ever read about or done could have prepared her for Ray Luca. He was in a class by himself.
"I'll bet you're not nearly this shy at Georgetown. That's because when you're there, you run the show. But you're smart enough to know you can't pull that crap with me. Remember I mentioned Teddi? That was her downfall. She couldn't just shut up and let me take care of her."
"I won't say anything, then, if you don't want me to," Brenda whispered.
A wry grin crossed his face. "Now that wouldn't be much fun, would it? Silent sex? Not my style. I want you to tell me what feels good, and how much you want me. I want you to scream my name while you're coming apart for me. And you're going to. You won't have to fake a thing."
Brenda swallowed, wide-eyed, but arched toward his body again as he touched her heat again.
"You like that?"
"Yes," she gasped.
"Good girl. You want me to keep on?"
"Yes. Please."
His chuckle was low and sent reverberations down Brenda's spine. "Tell me. Tell me you want me."
"I want you Ray. Real bad." With the heat in her blood, Brenda couldn't be bothered with niceties like proper grammar.
"Real bad, huh? Except this is gonna be real good. You might be still a little innocent, but you're sure as hell not frigid." He kissed her, his tongue stroking hers with the skills of a man who knew what he was doing, and exactly how to do it. He trailed his mouth down to her breasts, which he had been teasing with his fingers.
When he covered one breast with his mouth, Brenda gasped, "That is so good, Ray. Don't stop. Please don't." She ran her fingers through his salt and pepper hair, feeling how thick it was. "Oh hon," she sighed.
He continued touching her as he was mouthing her breasts, and Brenda could hardly focus on which felt better. When he slipped one finger inside her, her eyes flew open and she moaned. No one had done this before. Oh, it felt too good.
"Is this what you want?" Ray said.
"Yes, please. I need it. I need you, Ray," she moaned.
He continued moving his finger, and catching that little nub with his thumb. Brenda was writhing on his hand and grasping the sheet. She wanted even more. He moved his mouth up to hers and she knew what was next, but she couldn't keep from crying out when he entered her. Her whole world had dwindled to his body moving inside hers, with him telling her how hot she was and how he had watched her and wanted her.
Brenda did come apart in his arms – completely. She was screaming and gasping his name as she climaxed and he even cried out as he found his release. His weight was on her briefly, but then he shifted his body over and brought her against his chest and she sighed into his mouth as he kissed her.
"You are hot, Brenda," he said against her mouth. "That was really, really good. You wanted that."
She nodded. "Yeah. I did."
He stroked her back softly and held her and ran his hands over her body possessively. In that most private recess of his mind that he never showed and rarely admitted existed, he wished he was the kind of man that Brenda Leigh Johnson could take home. But he knew what he was. He was a thief and a killer, even though he hadn't killed anyone in many years.
"Ray, are you all right?" Brenda asked softly.
"Sure. Yeah. I'm good."
"O.K.," she answered, and cuddling to him again, fell asleep. Ray kissed her hair and even dozed a bit, himself.
He woke up a couple of hours later, to his surprise. He rarely slept at night. He preferred to sleep in the predawn hours, in perhaps two or three hour stretches. Brenda slept peacefully, curled to him. Her body felt incredible against his. He didn't want to wake her, not really, but his body, amazingly, was feeling heated again. He wondered exactly what he could get away with while she was still asleep. He eased away from her and she flopped over on her back. Perfect. Ray dipped his hand between her thighs and stroked her. In just a very few minutes, he could feel her moisture and heat increase. Carefully, he parted her legs and put his mouth to her center. As he loved her with his tongue, he could feel her stir.
Brenda was dreaming Ray was touching her. She woke up to the most incredible sensation. She wanted more of it and realized what he was doing. No guy had ever done that, and she stiffened, but then, under the assault of his mouth and tongue, she relaxed into the feeling and in a shorter time than she would have thought possible, she climaxed. This was quickly followed by Ray leveling himself on top and taking her again. His climax was quick and he stayed on top of her this time, his weight on his elbows, looking down at her as though she belonged entirely to him. For tonight, she supposed, she did.
"I'm not apologizing," he said. "I wanted you again."
"It's all right," Brenda panted. "Nobody has ever done that to me."
"Nobody? Damn. You didn't act like you minded."
"I didn't." And she hadn't. Ray's mouth was more than unbelievable.
He took a deep breath. "After all this, I need another shower. You're welcome to join me. There's plenty of room in there, believe me."
Again, the command couched as a request. He fully expected her to join him. So she nodded. "Sure."
He led her to the shower and Brenda couldn't believe he could be so gentle as he washed her hair and dried it for her. She brushed it out and wrapped the towel around herself. She turned to see Ray looking at her, obviously displeased. "What is it Ray? You look a little upset."
"I am. At myself. I knew I was asking you up here for the night, and I didn't make any arrangements. You don't have any clean underwear or anything to wear back to your room except your dress. Dammit. I was in meetings all day and I just forgot. I should have had some things here for you. I can't believe it slipped my mind. I'm sorry."
"It's all right, Ray. Really. As late as it is, nobody will see me going back tonight." She tried to show him she wasn't upset.
"Tonight? No. In the morning. But I can at least maybe fix you up a little right now. Come on back in the bedroom."
Brenda followed him. He was still naked and she admired the lines of his body as he walked. He went to a large dresser and opened a drawer. He extracted clean underwear for himself and tossed it to the bed. Then, he opened another drawer, and after rooting around for a moment, found what he was looking for. It was an unopened package of underwear. "They sent the wrong size. These are like two sizes too small for me. But they'd almost fit you. I guess I kept them around for just such an occasion." He opened the package and handed her a pair of boxers. "At least they're clean. I feel like an idiot for not taking care of this."
Brenda took the underwear. "Really, Ray. It's O.K. She slipped the shorts on. "See? They're fine."
Ray raised an eyebrow and went back into the dresser drawers. This time, he came up with a cotton T-shirt and tossed that to Brenda, as well. She put it on. "Thank you Ray. I'm very comfortable. It's not so different from what I'd wear in the dorm. Honestly."
He crossed the distance between them. "Except you look sexy as hell in my clothes. Maybe I'm not such an idiot for not having something here, after all. Because seeing you like that is starting to mess with my head." He drew her to him and gave her one of those hard kisses. "What the hell do you do to me, Brenda?"
As he kissed her, she could feel his body against hers, and it was obvious he was aroused again. She had never done it before, but she wanted to please Ray – really please him. So, she started backing toward the bed and somehow, got him to sit on the edge. She knelt in front of him and touched him and caressed him. He looked at her, a question on his face, and then she took him in her mouth. She tried to call to mind everything she had ever read or heard or known about doing this, and let herself be guided by that, and the soft noises he made. With a hoarse groan, he climaxed and lay back on the bed as she cleaned up.
"Who else knows you can do that?" he gasped.
"No one. I didn't even know. I've never done it before. Did you like it?" she said anxiously.
"Like it? For a chick who says she's never done a lot of things, you sure do catch on in a hurry. Holy Mother of God."
Brenda smiled. "I'm glad I did something for you, for a change," she said.
Ray sat up and pulled her down to his lap. "You are completely one of a kind," he said, kissing her. "Let me kill the lights and maybe we can catch some shut-eye, how about it?"
"Sure, Ray," Brenda answered. She got back in bed and after turning the lights out, Ray joined her and twined his body around hers.
"You're incredible, Brenda," he whispered. "Good night."
"Good night, Ray," she answered.
When morning came, Brenda woke and actually had the chance to see him asleep. He looked younger and the lines were gone from his face. He looked almost not dangerous. Then, he woke up and swept her into a hot kiss and she was reminded all over again how unpredictable he was.
"Good morning, Ray," she said, when she could breathe.
"Hi there. Ready for some breakfast?"
"Sure."
"Good." He placed a call and ordered a meal. "It'll be a while before it gets here. After we eat, I hate to tell you to get dressed and kick you out, but I've got this guy I have to see, and I don't want you involved in anything. For your protection, you understand. But I'll expect you back here tonight at eight. And this time, I'll be a little more prepared, I promise." He paused. "For some things. I think I still really like you in my shirt and boxers. Even if I never wore the boxers."
"It's comfortable, Ray. Really."
He kissed her again and said, "At least I remembered this," and reaching into the nightstand, pulled out a jewelry box. "A little something for you."
Brenda took the box, a little confused. "Ray, you really didn't have to."
"Yeah. So look at it." His eyes were back to being inscrutable and it made Brenda nervous.
She opened the box and gasped. Inside was a beautiful diamond circle pendant on a white gold chain. "It's gorgeous. Thank you so much, Ray. It was so thoughtful of you." She started to say something else, but Ray put his finger to her lips.
"If the next words out of your mouth are 'but I can't accept this,' well, it won't be good. You can accept it. It's not some kind of favor you have to return. It's a thank you. So take it, all right?"
Well, there was no percentage in being prissy in this kind of situation, so Brenda nodded and said, "It's a beautiful gift Ray, and I'll remember you when I wear it."
"That's the idea, babe. And you are one smart cookie. I like that."
Ray actually did know how to cuddle, and he cuddled and snuggled with Brenda until their breakfast arrived. It was delicious, she thought. They ate and Brenda dressed. She slipped the pendant box in her clutch and stepped into her shoes.
"I guess I'll see you tonight, then," she said.
"Yeah." He had sort of put on his business face, which meant he was distant. But then, he turned and caught her arm before she left. "I can't let you go without this," he said, and kissed her deeply. "Have a good day. I'll see you tonight."
"You have a good day, too, Ray. Till tonight," she returned and left the penthouse. The doorman opened the glass doors and she went to the elevator and pushed the button for her floor.
She looked at herself in the mirrored wall again. How much had changed since last night! She was a little sore, deliciously so. It was sweet. And she still couldn't figure out Ray Luca. That he was extremely dangerous, she never doubted. Still, she had felt reasonably safe with him. It was unsettling and arousing at the same time. Cathy was going to have a fit, though. Brenda had been gone all night. What would she tell her friend? The elevator arrived at her floor. Well, the truth would have to do, Brenda decided, as she stepped into the hall.