Alliances

Part 23

J.R. covered Sue Ellen's mouth with earth-shattering kisses. She was angry at J.R. for the way he reacted to discovering her at the restaurant with Cliff Barnes, but her anger quickly gave way to passion, as J.R. continued his friendly assault on her lips. The numbing pressure Sue Ellen felt on her back when J.R. pushed her up against the terrace wall subsided, as she leaned into J.R.'s embrace, and gave in to her escalating feelings for him.

J.R. pulled away from Sue Ellen, but maintained eye contact with her. J.R. had to let her know that in spite of their heated argument, he loved Sue Ellen more than he could understand. Sue Ellen's hazel eyes met J.R.'s concentrated gaze, as her breath caught in her throat. The flecks of gold and green in Sue Ellen's eyes seemed to flicker like the glow of a burning candle, as a smile spread across her face.

Sue Ellen hoarsely whispered, "I'd better take Cliff back to his car."

J.R. asked, "Will you be comin' by the office, then?"

Sue Ellen muttered, "Umm-hmm. Are you stayin' here for lunch, or are you takin' your lunch back with you to the office?"

J.R. replied, "I'm takin' my lunch back to the office. I'll see you there?"

Sue Ellen gazed at J.R. through lowered eyelashes, and said, "I'll be there as soon as possible."

J.R. kissed the side of her neck, breathing in the scent of her perfume. He released her, and walked back inside the restaurant, just as Cliff was coming out of the door. J.R.'s typical response to seeing Cliff would have been a snide remark, or a disgusted stare, but J.R. grinned a wide smile, as he walked past Cliff, on his way into the restaurant.

Sue Ellen's eyes followed J.R. as he walked away from her. She lifted her fingers to her mouth, tracing her fingertips over her inflamed lips. She closed her eyes, and swallowed the emotions J.R.'s ravenous response had stirred inside of her.

Cliff's eyes were wide, as he asked, "Are you okay, Sue Ellen? J.R. didn't hurt you, did he?"

Sue Ellen turned away from Cliff's curious stare, in an attempt to hide her reddened cheeks, and said, "No, J.R. didn't hurt me. Are you ready to go?"

Did J.R. hurt her? Sue Ellen silently pondered Cliff's question, as she and Cliff walked toward her car. No, J.R. didn't hurt her, he stirred feelings in Sue Ellen she seldom permitted herself to feel, let alone display when she was in the public eye. J.R.'s eyes bore into the very depths of Sue Ellen's soul, when he looked at her the way he did after his kiss. Her anger had been swallowed by empty space. J.R.'s skilled movements against her mouth invaded her thoughts, imprisoning her, leaving her impatient for more.

Sue Ellen shook her head, trying to clear her mind, as she inserted the key into the car's ignition. The engine roared to life, as she shifted the transmission into reverse, and backed the car out of the parking stall. Cliff glanced at Sue Ellen's profile, as she turned her head over her shoulder to safely back her car out of the stall.

Cliff said, "Stop. Don't move a muscle. You…you're the new Valentine model."

Sue Ellen's jaw dropped, as she said, "That's ridiculous, Cliff. That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard you say."

Cliff asked, "Is it? Look at me and tell me that the beautiful woman in those ads isn't the same woman I'm sitting next to."

Sue Ellen was incredulous, and said "You can't be serious, Cliff? I haven't modeled in years, let alone while wearin' trashy lingerie."

Cliff skeptically shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't believe you, Sue Ellen. It makes sense. I couldn't figure out where I knew that model from, but it all makes perfect sense to me now."

Sue Ellen found it difficult to meet Cliff's intent stare. She felt a strange compulsion to admit the truth to Cliff. Yes, she was indeed the model in the new ads, but she had to stick with the promise she made to herself, and J.R. She didn't trust Cliff enough to divulge the truth to him, not now, not ever.

Sue Ellen pushed her foot on the gas pedal, and started to laugh.

Cliff said, "Laugh all you want Sue Ellen. I can tell when you're hiding something, and I know you are the woman in the new Valentine ads. I'd bet my life on it."

Sue Ellen said, "I wouldn't go that far, Cliff. Your reputation precedes you. You've never had much luck at gamblin'."

Cliff thanked Sue Ellen for joining him for lunch, and vowed that he would find out the model's true identity, whether it was Sue Ellen, or someone else. Sue Ellen looked into her side view mirror, before pulling her car into the rapidly moving traffic on the Dallas Parkway. She merged her car into traffic when the coast was clear.

J.R. leaned against the hood of his Cadillac, waiting for Sue Ellen. He grinned when he saw her car stop at the traffic signal at the corner of Commerce Street and Elm. Sue Ellen pulled in behind J.R.'s car, and disengaged the ignition. She placed the key in her purse, and stepped out of the car. J.R. reached for her hand, and smiled at her.

Sue Ellen followed J.R. into his new office building. The gleaming glass exterior of the thirty-story building towered over some of the other office buildings in the area. Sue Ellen looked up at the building, tilting her head back for a full view of the impressive structure.

J.R. opened one of the main doors for Sue Ellen, as his eyes fell to her backside, as he watched her walk through the doorway. J.R. licked his lips as he gazed at the seductive swagger of Sue Ellen's hips as they swayed back and forth with each unhurried step she took. J.R. possessively placed his arm around Sue Ellen's slender waist, as he walked her past the security guards, toward the elevators in the main lobby of the building.

J.R. pressed the call button for the elevator car that would take him and Sue Ellen to the nineteenth floor. The floors above and below the nineteenth level were in various stages of completion, and J.R. would have plenty of time to give Sue Ellen a grand tour of the building when construction was fully complete.

The shiny, brass elevators doors opened, revealing the pristine interior of its cherry wood paneled walls, and its polished, marble floor. J.R. pressed the button for floor nineteen, and manually closed the elevator doors. Sue Ellen furtively glanced at J.R., as he placed his arm over her shoulder, and cupped her chin in his hand. He lifted her head, and brushed his lips against her supple, inviting mouth.

Sue Ellen moved closer to J.R., aching to feel the scandalous way his earlier kisses made her feel. J.R.'s tongue moved against her lips, as she opened her mouth to him, relishing the practiced movements of his tongue inside her mouth. J.R.'s hand fell to the back of her neck, as he pulled her tightly to him, plundering her mouth with his kisses.

The elevator doors opened, as J.R. pulled away from Sue Ellen. His breath was coming fast and hard. Sue Ellen was dizzy, and her knees were trembling. She was grateful for the support the interior walls of the elevator provided, or she might have fallen to the floor.

J.R. reached for Sue Ellen's hand, and said, "My offices are just around the corner, Honey."

Sue Ellen looked around the spacious hallway leading up to the entryway for J.R.'s office reception area. Reinforced glass doors opened into a well-lit waiting room, with recessed, incandescent lighting, and wall sconces. A framed and mounted picture of John Ross "Jock" Ewing Senior faced the west wall of the waiting room. The picture was illuminated from every angle, adding to his rugged appearance.

Sue Ellen stopped, and reached out her hand to touch the picture of her deceased, former Father-in-law. Prior to her friendship with Clayton Farlow, Jock Ewing had been the only semblance of a father figure Sue Ellen had ever known. Sue Ellen feared and respected Jock all at once. He had been kind to her when warranted, but Jock was not prone to affectionate displays. Sue Ellen's eyes filled with tears, as she recalled her tempestuous relationship with the man in the painting.

J.R. touched Sue Ellen's shoulder, and asked, "Are you alright, Sugar?"

Sue Ellen sniffled, and said, "Mmm-hmm. I'm sorry, J.R. I don't know what has gotten into me, lately. I'm an emotional basket-case."

J.R. viewed Sue Ellen as an enigma. She was a ravishingly beautiful woman, stylish, elegant, and highly sophisticated, but she could cut you to the quick you with a single look, if you caught her in a foul mood, then there were those moments when J.R. would catch her crying, and he felt as if his heart would break. He ached for a chance to ease her pain, and hold her in his arms until her tears subsided, and she would smile again.

Sue Ellen wipe at her eyes, as she walked into J.R.'s office, and appreciatively looked around the room. The antique mahogany desk that had once belonged to Jock, had been refinished, and highly polished to a spotless shine. The walls of the room were paneled in dark, cherry wood, and the panels were interspersed between tinted, floor length windows. The heavy draperies were drawn to stave off the blinding sunlight reflected off the windows of the neighboring buildings. The drapes were teal-blue, and helped to set-off the blue-green, and silver-colored streaks in the charcoal-colored granite floor.

A high-backed, maroon-colored, Napa leather chair sat behind J.R.'s desk. Sue Ellen ran her finger over the leather surface of the top of the chair. Sue Ellen had always been an extremely tactile person, and she learned a great deal about people, and objects through her expressive touch. Sue Ellen leaned over the back of the chair, and smelled the rich scent of the new, leather upholstery. She smiled as she detected a hint of J.R.'s intensely masculine cologne.

J.R. could scarcely control his urge to clear off his desk, and make love to Sue Ellen on its smooth, reflective surface. J.R. moved toward Sue Ellen, and put his arms around her waist, pulling her to his chest, and lowering his head to kiss her neck. The indescribable aroma of roses filled his senses, as he inhaled her perfume.

Sue Ellen reached her hands up to J.R.'s arms, and rubbed his arms with her delicate hands. J.R.'s mouth trailed kisses down the side of Sue Ellen's neck. Sue Ellen closed her eyes, as J.R.'s mouth moved to the skin at the base of her collarbone. J.R. moved his hands up Sue Ellen's ribs, stopping below the swell of her breasts. Sue Ellen turned her head, as her mouth eagerly sought J.R.'s lips.

J.R. moved his fingers to the solitary button on Sue Ellen's jacket. J.R. unbuttoned the button, and imperceptibly removed garment from her shoulders, letting it fall to the granite floor. J.R.'s hands were warm, as he touched her bare arms. He turned Sue Ellen around, and placed his hands at the sides of her head, pulling her to him for a kiss worthy of the love he felt for her. J.R. breathed Sue Ellen's name into her mouth, as his hands moved to her back.

Sue Ellen said, "Oh, J.R. I am so sorry about that scene at the restaurant."

J.R. touched his finger to Sue Ellen's lips, silencing her apology, and said, "That's in the past, Sue Ellen. I'm only interested in you and me, and right now."

Sue Ellen's eyes were ablaze with her insatiable thirst for J.R.

J.R. pushed her thighs against the side of his desk. Sue Ellen slipped against the desk's smooth surface, but J.R. caught her before she fell. J.R. reached his hand out clear a spot for her on his desk. Sue Ellen inhaled sharply, as she realized that she and J.R. were about to make love on top of the desk.

J.R. lowered Sue Ellen on top of the smooth, wooden surface of the desk. He removed his jacket, and dropped it on the floor, next to Sue Ellen's jacket. Sue Ellen playfully tugged on J.R.'s tie, bringing him closer to her. J.R. move his hand over Sue Ellen's dress, pushing the fabric down over her thighs.

Sue Ellen whispered, "God, I want you, J.R."

J.R. tore at the knot in his silk tie, and pulled the loosened tie over his head. Sue Ellen lifted her legs on top of the desk, while J.R. removed his shirt. Sue Ellen's bronze legs were reflected on the surface of the desk. J.R. leered at Sue Ellen, as his hands unbuckled his belt, and he unbuttoned his trousers. Sue Ellen slid further back on the desk, to make room for J.R.

J.R. climbed on top of the desk, and pulled Sue Ellen toward him. Sue Ellen sat up, as J.R. pulled her onto his lap. Sue Ellen kissed J.R., parting his seductive grin with her tongue. J.R.'s hands searched for the zipper on Sue Ellen's sleeveless dress, and quickly lowered the zipper, revealing her lithe, bare skin underneath.

Sue Ellen wrapped her legs around J.R.'s hips, as she slowly moved against him. J.R.'s heartbeat thundered in his ears, as he fell victim to Sue Ellen's compelling spell over him. J.R. looked down at the image of him and Sue Ellen reflected on the desks' surface. He bit at his lower lip, as the reflected representation of their bodies increased his arousal ten-fold. Sue Ellen clamped her legs around J.R. like a vise, as she quickened the pace of her gyrations.

Sue Ellen threw her head back, as she reached the height of ecstasy, followed soon afterwards by J.R. shouting her name, as he met his peak. J.R.'s head fell on top of Sue Ellen's chest, while he desperately labored for a full intake of breath. Sue Ellen's life- giving breaths came to her in short, wheezing gasps. J.R. shook as Sue Ellen held him to her chest.

J.R. lowered Sue Ellen to the top of his desk, and lay at her side, holding her tightly to him. Sue Ellen kissed J.R.'s forehead, as she traced her fingertip over the outer surface of his ear. J.R. trembled at her touch, still sensitized from their lovemaking. Sue Ellen was thrilled by his response to her soothing contact.

Sue Ellen softly spoke, "I love you, J.R."

J.R. pulled her to him, and whispered, "God I love you so much, it hurts, Sue Ellen."

Sue Ellen seductively moaned, "Ahh…you are so incredible, J.R."

J.R. laughed, and said, "Oh, Honey, the pleasure was all mine."

Sue Ellen rolled over and lay on top of J.R.'s chest. J.R. drew his hands up Sue Ellen's thighs, over the swell of her hips, and up her back. Sue Ellen arched her back, thoroughly wrapped up in the luxurious feeling of his hands on her skin. J.R. was once again aroused, and seized the opportunity, as he pulled Sue Ellen on top of him.

A feral-sounding moan escaped Sue Ellen's mouth, as J.R. pushed her hips up and down on top of him. J.R. closed his eyes, and clenched his teeth together as he allowed himself to enjoy the way their bodies felt as they came together as one. Sue Ellen leaned back, and placed her hands on J.R.'s thighs, as she met him, thrust for thrust.

J.R. arched his back, as his ability to hold anything back from Sue Ellen overwhelmed him, and he gave in to the cresting wave of passion. Sue Ellen legs trembled as she fell backwards, on top of J.R.'s legs. J.R. reached for her hands to prevent her from falling off the desk, and pulled her to his side. J.R. gently kissed Sue Ellen's face, as she lifted her hands to his chest.

Sue Ellen smiled at J.R., and said, "God, J.R., you are so damn good."

J.R. grinned, and said, "It could be like this all the time, Sugar. Sell your company, and come work with me as an equal partner."

Sue Ellen's eyes darted away from J.R.'s face as a worried look passed through her eyes. She had so many wonderful memories of the success she had known as the owner of Valentine Lingerie, that it troubled her to think of kissing the memories of her company goodbye, if she were to sell the business. Then again, she mused, Carson DeWitt had offered her more money for Valentine Lingerie than her financial advisor told her it was worth.

J.R. said, "I won't pressure you, Sweetheart. I just want you to think about my offer. Say that you'll at least think about it for me?"

Sue Ellen looked directly into J.R.'s eyes, and said, "I promise. I'll seriously think about it. I'll have an answer for you in a few days."

J.R. grinned, and said, "You won't regret this, Sue Ellen. I swear it."

J.R. mischievously winked at Sue Ellen, as he continued, "We could even have interludes like the one we just had from time to time."

Sue Ellen giggled, and asked, "Who's to say we're through with the last one, Darlin'?"

J.R. smiled at Sue Ellen, as she kissed his chest…