Authors note; this chapter heads into very adult territory, just sayin'. It's a LONG one too!

Warnings for language and sexuality.

Chapter Seven

Saturday was a busy day for me. I threw myself into writing my cover letter with a grim determination at the ungodly hour of 5am.

By 11am I had a semi decent book proposal but I felt manic. David left at a quarter to 4 that afternoon for his flight to France and I was still writing. Rose drove him to the airport. I read through what I'd written another handful of times while handling Rosalie's personal mail, appointments and posting to her social media accounts. I felt my brain threaten to fuse from overwork. I was as tense as fuck, my shoulders aching, my belly in knots.

I didn't hear Rose return but I felt her presence as soon as she entered the house. It was as if the house came alive and my life had purpose.

The office was situated just off the dining room in the main house. Honeysuckle ambled aimlessly along the window and framed a gorgeous view of the courtyard which was hidden by tall white walls from the outside world. There was a pond overgrown with lilly's which was home to a multitude of Japanese koi. They swam beneath the surface like golden blobs of tranquility. This was the garden which Rose's bedroom opened out onto through latticed French doors.

I was staring out into the garden with my laptop open in front of me when I became aware of her directly behind me. A tingle rode down my spine and I found myself smiling as I chewed the pencil between my lips. I deliberately didn't turn around. I waited for her to speak.

But she didn't. I felt the air move and then her slender hands were on my shoulders, a soft weight which made my heart jump like I'd been electrocuted.

"You're back." I said unnecessarily, as always feeling at a slight disadvantage in her presence. I was beginning to think that I was addicted to feeling this way. A little intimidated and a lot aroused.

"Yes, his flight was early." She said from above my head, obviously reading what I'd written so far.

The familiarity with which she treated me made me glow from the inside out. I loved that she knew I wouldn't mind. I stopped moving altogether as her fingers moved over my shoulders in a soothing motion, as if to distract me from my woes. It was working - she was all I could think about now.

"You're tense." Rose observed, a smile in her voice. "Cover letter kicking your ass?"

My smile widened.

"Yes, it's a disaster." I admitted sadly.

She continued to knead my muscles, before her fingers slid up along my neck. They threaded through my hair absentmindedly. I almost groaned out loud. I could feel her body directly behind me, its heat beckoned, taunting me. I longed to lean back and rest my head against her. But that would be far too forward and familiar coming from me. I preferred that she led the way in breaking small rules here and there, I was only too eager to allow as many liberties as she liked.

These moments when she touched me with such familiarity blurred the lines which kept me from showing her exactly how much I wanted her. I struggled to rein in the impulse to touch her in return on a daily basis.

Rose chuckled, "Bring your 'disaster' to my room in twenty minutes and I'll go over it with you. I'm going to shower."

I turned to watch her walk away.

"Okay." I said somewhat belatedly. "Thanks."

Rose smirked at me as she reached the giant stainless steel fridge and opened it to take out an iced tea. She peered at me from around the massive door, her arresting eyes filled with amusement.

"Bring wine." She suggested. "I always work best while drinking - ask Leah." I returned her smile.

"White or red?" I asked, closing my laptop.

"You chose." She shrugged, closing the fridge and leaving the room.

I took wine glasses down from the cupboard and found a bottle of dark red wine in Rosalie's collection. Dry red was my favourite.

I went to shower too, not wanting to arrive in her room unclean. I laughed to myself at the mental image that conjured up.

Once clean and wearing a completely respectable pair of my favourite mens pyjamas in mint green, I went to Rose's room with the wine and my laptop. I was calm again and fully prepared to hide my infatuation behind work, determined not to give anything away.

Rosalie was on the patio looking ridiculously attractive wearing a long cotton robe in dusky pink. She wore reading glasses while she typed away furiously on the laptop which sat before her on a low garden table with wrought iron legs. All the while she spoke into an earpiece in rapid, perfect French. All that beauty and talent made me feel light headed. Could she get any more attractive?

I was so ridiculously in love with everything about her, completely besotted even.

It felt like I was intruding and I stopped just inside the doorway, fully prepared to leave if necessary. Rose saw me and beckoned, gesturing for me to put the wine down and wait. I did so, feeling completely out of my depth. After about five minutes she resolutely closed her laptop.

"I'm sorry about that. I'm done now, I swear!" She told me with a smile.

"This can wait if you're busy, honestly." I assured her, gesturing to my laptop.

But she ignored me and took my hand. My fingers tingled from the contact as she towed me towards her bed.

"Let's see this disaster of yours." She said.

.

.

.

Two hours and four glasses of wine later my cover letter was all but perfect and I was relieved and more than slightly drunk. Rose had helped me immeasurably and I was feeling inordinately grateful. I was struggling to rein in my impulses and that meant it was time for me to leave. Rose refilled my glass and I shook my head.

"I think I've had enough." I explained. "I should go to bed."

Rose took a large sip from her own glass, eyeing me over the rim, then shook her head.

"No! You can't leave yet." She smiled as she placed my wine glass on the side table, along with her reading glasses.

"I was going to give you a back rub."

I gaped at her.

Rose took another huge sip of wine while watching me closely, as if gauging my reaction.

"You clearly need one, Izzy, and my husband tells me that my hands are magic."

I panicked at the thought of her touching my drunk and highly excitable body. This was crossing a major line. She was after all my boss! Although we had crossed a few innocent lines over the course of our friendship, this would be my undoing. I was sure of it.

"Um, can I take a raincheck?" I said, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.

Rose laughed and tugged me down onto my back, hovering over me on her knees playfully.

"Roll over! No excuses. This will make you feel better, I promise."

I seriously doubted that, if anything it would probably make me feel worse in ways she couldn't possibly imagine.

I gave in as gracefully as I could, rolling onto my belly. Even though I was dying to know how it felt to have her hands on my body, I was also incredibly nervous. Terrified even.

"Unbutton your top." She told me, her voice slightly husky - or was I just that drunk? I raised up onto my elbows and clumsily undid a few of the buttons. Rose tugged the fabric down over my shoulders until my pyjama top lay around my waist and my arms were trapped by the sleeves. I shuddered as her finger traced the lotus flower tattooed on my upper back, over the centre of my spine.

"When did you get this?"

I drew in a shuddering breath, trying to focus when all I wanted to do was give in to the sensation of her touch.

"About ten years ago - I have a few others too." I admitted.

"I've never wanted one enough to actually go out and get one." Rose mused. She noticed my arms were trapped and laughed. "Just take it off." She told me and I stopped breathing.

The flesh between my thighs throbbed, deep, insistent and irresistible. I was painfully aroused and she hadn't even really touched me yet.

Driven on by the need to please her in all things, I got up slowly and undid the last buttons, my gaze drawn to hers irrevocably.

She gave nothing away, her mesmerising eyes enigmatic as she watched me. At last my top parted completely and I shrugged it off, baring my breasts to her gaze. I felt lightheaded as we stared at each other for a few heart stopping moments. The wine had warmed my blood, but Rosalie set it on fire. Her gaze dropped to my bare breasts noticeably and I felt my nipples begin to harden. Before I could embarrass myself I lay back down on my belly and rested my chin on my folded hands.

My cheeks felt strangely warm too and I realised that I was blushing. I was mortified. I never blushed. I jumped when I felt Rose slide her leg over my body, straddling me. The warmth of her most private place rested directly over my lower spine.

"Relax." She whispered, her hands sliding onto my skin.

She had put some kind of lotion on her hands, I shivered. I didn't dare reply. I was way past the stage of speech. This was a really bad idea. I was terrified of doing something wrong. I didn't want to lose my job, or most importantly, my place in Rosalie's life.

Her short nails raked my skin ever so slightly and I stifled a moan. She massaged my tense muscles slowly, her full weight on her knees, her body only brushing mine now and again. I was a mess. The throbbing need between my legs was growing more insistent by the second. Rose shifted over me, moving downwards, the apex of her thighs now brushing my buttocks. I stopped breathing. I was going to do something very stupid. I just knew it.

Rose rubbed each of my vertebrae, feeling out each notch and dip in-between the bones. I inhaled deeply, focusing on the act of breathing to distract myself. She climbed off me moments later and I sat up, bringing my knees up to my chest for a bit of modesty. My hair chose that moment to fall from its precarious perch on top of my head, tumbling down around my face in a tangle. I raised my eyes to Rose's face hesitantly, terrified of what I might see. She looked stunningly lovely, her cheeks flushed, full lips parted and blue eyes sparkling with some unnamed emotion. Her short golden hair was an unstyled halo around her face. I wanted to touch her. My fingers trembled with longing, so I balled them up into fists.

She reached for my glass and handed it to me, her gaze never leaving my face. I took it without protest and sipped it gratefully.

"Feeling better now?" She asked, a trace of irony in her tone.

I smiled at her, my lips barely lifting, my emotions too chaotic to truly smile.

"Your turn." I countered, joking.

Rose emptied her glass in one gulp and loosened her gown, rolling over onto her belly before I had time to register that she was giving me permission to touch her.

Psychotic butterflies exploded inside my belly, my heart was in my throat. The smooth expanse of her back looked like satin and her gown dipped down to reveal the swell of her buttocks. I was lost, good sense going out of the window. I wanted this. More than my next breath. I looked for the lotion she had used on me and found it half buried in the bed cover. I squeezed a large amount onto my palm, allowing my body to heat it as I rubbed it between my hands.

My mouth was dry, literally parched. I licked at my lips. Slowly I reached out and put my hands onto her skin. There was a distinct shimmer of heat along my fingertips at the contact and I heard Rose moan softly.

Was she feeling this too? This wild, delicious attraction which hummed between us was decadently potent and until now, I'd thought it was only me who felt it. The possibility that she did too made my heart race madly, the butterflies in my belly going crazy.

I massaged her flesh, revelling in her smooth skin and delicious scent. I was in heaven. Gingerly I slid my leg over her body, mimicking her earlier move. I was in dangerous territory now. My entire body was a live wire, pulsing with need while my head swam with the wine I'd consumed. I touched her gently but firmly, allowing my fingers to memorize every inch. I felt out every dip and hollow, rubbing each vertebrae and then the indentation in-between each rib, just as she had done to me. I lost track of my own reactions. I stopped trying to hide my arousal and just concentrated on giving her the best massage she'd ever had. I hovered over her, making sure my pulsing sex never touched her. That would be my undoing. I was focused on every groan and whimper which left her lips, loving that I was making her feel good.

When I finally stopped, I paused for a moment, not wanting the contact to end. In that moment of hesitation Rose rolled over beneath me and I gasped in surprise.

Suddenly I was face to face with her and my breath caught in my throat. Her robe was fully open and her delectable breasts were visible. They were perfect. Dark pink nipples surrounded by perfectly symmetrical areola. They stood proudly erect and I wanted to taste them. I knew I was staring and yet I couldn't stop. I was still topless myself and yet I didn't feel naked. I felt wonderfully zen and comfortable in my own skin.

Rose didn't speak, she simply watched me, her dark blue, truly arresting eyes unreadable. Then she shook her head slightly as if she were dismissing reason itself. She reached up and framed my face with her hands. Her thumbs brushed my lips as her gaze dropped from my eyes to my mouth and I felt a burst of sexual energy unlike anything I'd ever felt before. I shuddered. The butterflies in my belly surged wildly. What was she doing? This wasn't right. I was pretty sure I must have passed out and I was now dreaming. Rosalie slowly pulled me forward and I toppled, falling directly into her.

Rose was gravity. I didn't resist, why would I? She was the center of my universe. My hair fell forward, creating a curtain around our faces. But she held it back, twisting it into a rope which she wrapped around her hand. Our eyes locked and I stopped breathing altogether. My body trembled with tension and need.

And then Rosalie kissed me on the lips. Her mouth was soft and demanding. My belly flip flopped deliciously as I responded. Our lips moved together like poetry; pure perfection. Velvet and satin, oh so soft. I whimpered as her tongue touched my lips and the ache intensified between my legs. I opened my mouth to let her in and our tongues touched. I was so gone.

Rose used my hair to pull me even closer, until I was bracing my weight on my arms, hovering over her. Her robe parted further and we were skin on skin for the first time. This was fucking heaven. I moaned into her mouth as our breasts met and her answer was to pull me even closer. We kissed until we were breathless. We breathed each other in. We were one in that moment and I'd never been happier.

Her hands slid down from my neck to cup my breasts. Heat, plenty of it, surged through me. My nipples pebbled, achingly hard in her palms. I whimpered into her mouth and she moaned in response. It was like we were having the most intimate of conversations.

I couldn't get enough of the taste of her mouth, she was so sweet. Our kisses were so deep now it was as if we were trying to consume each other.

Rose plucked at my nipples and I arched into her, the ache between my legs growing to painful proportions. I needed her to touch me there, where it hurt, now.

I broke the kiss and trailed my lips down the side of her neck, moving downward until I could worship her perfect breasts with my tongue. She writhed against me as I licked and then sucked a turgid nipple into my mouth, a soft cry on her lips. There was a surge of moisture between my legs; I fucking loved making Rose feel good.

She rolled over suddenly, taking me with her. I was pressed into the sheets with her slender body on top of me. She kissed me again, slowly this time, as if she were savouring the taste of my lips. She pulled back a little and I opened my eyes shly, only to meet Rose's electric blue gaze. My heart skipped a beat, desire making my limbs feel heavy. I lifted my face towards her, asking for another kiss and she did. Rose parted my lips almost savagely, claiming me. My lips thrust against her automatically seeking friction and she responded in kind, rolling her body against mine. My hands swept down her spine towards the swell of her ass, pulling her into me. She was so fucking perfect.

Rose rolled her slender hips against me again and my legs parted naturally, allowing her body to fall between my thighs. She did it again, against my pussy and I cried out, unable to stop the raw need surging through me. And then her hand was sliding into my pyjama pants and she was touching my slick, needy sex. She watched me closely, holding my gaze mercilessly while her fingers explored my pussy. I was mortified and more turned on than I'd ever been in my life.

"You're so fucking wet." She whispered as her fingers slid inside me, I moaned thrusting against her hand. That dirty word said in her soft cultured voice undid me.

" You make me wet." I whispered back.

Where the fuck had that come from? I was usually shy during sex.

Her gaze burned, back-lit with fire. Iridescent blue ate me alive and I trembled as a tsunami of need pulled me under.

She thrust her fingers into me again, deeper still, her hips moving with her hand. I pulled her against me harder still, my hands curving around her ass. Rose whimpered, the sound going straight to my pussy. I clenched around her fingers, hungry, needy.

She shrugged her gown off her shoulders and I pushed it off her completely. We stared at each other, both assessing the shift in our dynamic. This was so new, raw and messy. I shivered as the enormity of this moment hit me. We were going to do this. After months of wanting, we were going to bed together.

Rose wasn't wearing anything at all under her gown, her naked body now rested against mine. I was overwhelmed and more turned on than I'd ever been in my life. She was so fucking beautiful.

I pushed off my pyjama pants and kicked them away. Rose watched me closely, her gaze eating me up as her hand returned to my very needy pussy.

I moaned wantonly, thrusting up into her touch eagerly. I was so wet. My soul was wet. I was on fire. We kissed all teeth and tongue, hungry, dirty, ravenous.

I wanted to touch her, so I did. Her pussy was almost completely bare, like mine, soft lips, slippery warmth, as soft as the finest velvet. I was so fucking lost. She moved against my hand desperately, betraying her arousal. I found her entrance and slowly sunk two fingers inside her, revelling in the sensation of claiming her in such an intimate way. Rose cried out against my mouth, as we paused our kiss, our lips millimetres apart. Her soft, hot breath fanned out across my face and I loved the scent of it. Once my fingers were fully inside her body I moved them experimentally, in and out, encouraged by her whimpers and breathless moans. Rose began to move her fingers into me in sync with mine, our bodies rhythmically moving together. She curled her fingers upward and a strange new sensation curled through my belly.

It was wild and uncontrollable, it scared me.

I gripped her arm momentarily, terrified of how she was making me feel.

"Sshhhh," she told me softly, right beside my ear. "Relax, Izzy."

And suddenly I wasn't trying to stop her any more, I embraced the foreign sensations. I imitated her and did the same thing to her and Rose trembled against me with a moan pressed into my neck.

Our cries mingled, intensifying until we climaxed together, kissing through the tremors which racked our bodies.

We kissed as we came down from our high. We couldn't get enough. Our chemistry was as addicting as an illegal substance.

We didn't speak, except for occasional erotic exchanges whispered into the night.

We fell asleep eventually, limbs entangled, fingers interlaced, our faces an inch apart.

I woke up hours later, it felt like the middle of the night. My belly tightened with nervous dread as every moment came rushing back in startling clarity.

What had I done?

I opened my eyes slowly. Rose was lying beside me, watching me intently, her gaze dazzling and enigmatic.

My heart froze.

What had we done?