As I fold Gregory's jacket under my arm, AJ looks at it with the same disgusted expression. It's amazing how one man can have some much dislike for another. I move so he's on the opposite side as Gregory's jacket. Putting as much distance between them as possible seems foolish because it's just a suit coat, but maybe it's the symbolism. Gregory can still keep me warm and AJ hates being reminded of it.

Not that it was cold in the elevator. In fact, chill had nothing to do with Gregory's gesture. Our main concern was the way the zipper on my dress refused to close after our encounter. I brush my hand nervously across my cheek and hope AJ doesn't catch my blush. It's never been like that with AJ, but that's not his fault. It's never been like that with anyone but Gregory.

My high heels click against the sidewalk as AJ leads me into Grenadine's. I don't know how any of us thought this family dinner would be a good idea. Here I am with the father of my daughter's husband, who also happens to be my ex-husband's worst enemy. And we're meeting the same daughter who's raising my son, her brother, as her own child because I can't bring to take him away from her.

And I can't help thinking that none of this would be happening if it wasn't for the wh#re who's married my husband. My ex-husband, I correct myself, as AJ opens the door for me. If Annie hadn't taken him we might actually be a family at this dammed dinner instead of just a collection of weary souls.

Gregory doesn't look weary. In fact he's the only one to really smile at me as we approach the table. Caitlin's fretting with her cellular phone, calling Bette to check on Trey again. Cole puts his hands on her shoulders and whispers something to calm her down. Caitlin and Cole are on the side of the circular table closest to the door into the private room. Annie's on Caitlin's left, and Gregory's by her side.

I can't stand the thought of sitting next to Cole so I let AJ take the chair next to his son. That leaves me between them. Caught between my first love and my true love. I pass Gregory's dark charcoal jacket to him with a tiny smile. "Thank you for lending me this."

He raises an austere eyebrow, as it he's surprised I remembered at all. "I couldn't let you be cold now could I?"

I giggle nervously, and try to make it seem like it's covering my contempt for him. He knows better, it's obvious by the glint in his eye, but AJ buys it.

"Was the air conditioning really that bad?" He asks thoughtfully as he takes up the wine list.

"Awful." I reply as I reach for my water glass. Gregory's reaching for the menu at the same time and our hands brush. My sip of water does nothing to fight the flames licking up my arm from the point where our hands touched. My hand rests on the table at the base of my glass and his elbow is only a breath away. If I stretched my fingers I could touch him. Licking my lips involuntarily, I wonder what he'd do if I did.

Gregory sets his menu down and folds his hands over it patiently. "It was up way to high, I've even been meaning to talk to hotel management about it-"

He's such a convincing liar. The elevator was the hottest place we've both been since our trip to Rio with Alex Mitchum so many years ago.

"I know it's hard to believe in August in California, but poor Olivia was nearly shivering with the cold." He continues as he toys with the edge of his green cloth napkin. The fidgeting puts his fingers even closer to my own. I can barely follow the conversation as the memory of his hands sends a shiver down my spine.

"She's lucky you were there to keep her warm." Cole intones dryly. It's nearly an innuendo as it rolls off his tongue. I toss a glance his way and wonder what he's getting at.

Gregory thinks it's just a cut at him and clears his throat indignantly. "At least I remember to treat her like a lady."

I inhale so quickly that I start to choke on my water. As I struggle to regain my breath, two hands close down on my shoulders. AJ's on my right shoulder, his hand is soft, comforting. Gregory's on my left and the tip of his finger breaks the line of my collar, brushing the skin of my neck. The electricity of his touch sends a shock down my chest that quells the coughing fit. "I'm sorry."

"Just forgot you couldn't breathe water mom?" Caitlin shuts her menu and hands it to the waiter with a smile. "You really need to work on that."

AJ takes my menu and hands it off before I realize I didn't get a chance to order. "Yes darling."

I shoot him a curious look and AJ grins gently. "I ordered for you, don't worry about it."

I can hear the gruff noise in Gregory's throat, he's obviously not too fond of the idea of AJ choosing my dinner for me. Annie drags him into conversation about Liberty and I can feel the start of a headache burrowing into my skull. Dinner with Cole is bad enough. Adding Annie is like making it an endurance race.

I hold back a sigh and pray AJ choose something I'll like. "What did you get for me darling?"

"The prime-cut filet mignon wrapped in bacon." He lifts his bottle of merlot and fills his glass. "It's one of the specialties here."

I bit my lip just thinking about the mass of meat they'll be putting in front of me. It's going to be a marathon after all. "Sounds lovely."

My lack of enthusiasm goes unnoticed as AJ falls into conversation with Cole and Caitlin about Trey's recovery after the earthquake. I start to listen in, but I nearly jump to my feet when I feel the hand on my knee. My left knee, the one on Gregory's side, but surely it isn't him. He's talking to Annie seriously about rebuilding the resort that collapsed in the quake. He's certainly not toying with the slit of my skirt.

I lift my napkin and 'accidently' drop it to the floor between Gregory and I. Leaning down slowly I peer beneath the table and immediately recognize the silver Rolex around the wrist just above my knee. I can feel my cheeks start to flush as I sit up. Only Cole seems to have noticed my momentary disappearance, and I hold up my napkin sheepishly in explanation. "Don't know where my mind is tonight."

Gregory's hand is still on my knee when the waiter sets my dinner in front of me. He feels my shudder as I look down at my food. I'm sure it's wonderful and to die for if you like that sort of thing. AJ dives into his with gusto, but I only manage to lift my fork towards my potatoes. I resign myself to at least pretending to eat most of my steak as Gregory suddenly drops his fork in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Annie buts in immediately. "Burn yourself?"

Gregory wipes his mouth with his napkin and shakes his head. "This salmon is covered with tarragon."

Four faces look at him in confusion. Caitlin takes a sip of her white wine and tilts her head in curiousity. "I don't get it. What's wrong with tarragon?"

"Most people find it a rich and pleasing taste." AJ jumps in as he smacks down on another bite of steak. "In fact, in my home country, it is referred to as the king of herbs."

"There's nothing wrong with it." I explain with a soft smile. "Gregory used to enjoy it a great deal."

"Until?" Annie presses as she reaches for the Bordeaux she's sharing with Gregory.

"Until it started to make me break out in hives." Gregory finished with a disgruntled shrug. "I guess I'll have to flag down the waiter-"

He starts to get up, and I grab the wrist that was so recently just on my knee. "You'll never get anything new before we're all done eating. They're so busy on Fridays." I ease him back in his seat. "Why don't you just trade with me? You've always liked their filet mignon, and I can personally assure you it doesn't have any tarragon on it."

Gregory stares into my eyes and I see the start of a smile in the corners of his. "Oh you don't have to do that. I'm sure I can find the waiter."

I lift up my plate and pass it towards him with a relieved smile. "It's no trouble at all. Can't really let Annie see you that way. She might be scared off by your plague."

The plates are swapped and I know there's no tarragon from the first bite of salmon. Gregory's hand drops back to my knee and the squeeze of my upper thigh is his way of sharing his favor with me. He knows I hate filet mignon nearly as much as I hate the slut on his left.


The plates languish empty in front of us and the wine passes around the table, neatly avoiding me as Gregory begins his serious exploration of my inner thighs. I take a long drink of the ice cold water in my glass and part my knees, hitching up my skirt and leaving him a larger area to play in. He rewards me with half a smile as he outlines the latest proposal the insurance company has made towards rebuilding the house. I can feel the metal band of his watch slip beneath the edge of my skirt as he lets his fingers creep their way up.

I take my napkin and lower it to my lap under the pretense of making room for the waiter to remove my plate. Crushing it in my hand, I bite down on my lip as he frees his hand from his watch. The Rolex lies between my legs on my chair. I slip my right hand beneath the table cloth and retrieve it as a trophy. I slip it into my purse and return my right hand to the stem of my water glass. My left leaves my napkin in my lap and wanders beneath the long white cloth. Thank heaven for the romantic drape of it over the end of the table towards the floor.

My fingers wander all the way over to his lap and the sudden rise of his eyebrow is all the incentive I need. I slip my fingers into his pocket and he retorts by finding the fastening of my garter belt to my silk hose. He undoes it nimbly as he continues to calmly go over insurance law. "Of course the sudden jump in claims will make premiums go up all over the south west-" Gregory explains for Cole and Caitlin's benefit. Annie's no longer listening as she digs into her cheesecake.

My desert crawls up the line of my garter. Gregory's always loved them, in fact, I smirk to myself as I realize these are one of his favorites. A deep, rich red that can only be worn underneath dark skirts. Something he picked up at a little shop in Paris. Thinking of France makes me think about AJ and his lazy hand on my arm. I shake it free to take another sip of ice water.

Cole thoughtfully reaches over to refill my glass as Gregory dances across to the other thigh. As the waiter drops off his coffee, Gregory moves our chairs together, so close that we're brushing elbows. No one notices that he doesn't scoot his chair back. His pant's pocket is empty, so I travel up to his belt, trying to recognize it just by the feel of the leather. I open my legs again, using the motion to pull my dress up farther, furthering the gap in my dress he's having so much fun exploiting.

The conversation moves on to Cole and Caitlin's wild adventures on the Neptune II. I'm still not expected to participate and I can bite my lip in concealed pleasure as strong fingers detach my garter on the other side.

I start to pull his belt free in retaliation. Inching it out of his belt loops a tiny bit at a time. The small spasm of his hand is the only sign that he can give me to continue. Between us the signals fly like fireworks, exploding into our perceptions of each other. Around us it's fog and scattered voices. Gregory traces a circle on the bare skin of my leg. Another circle follows and he's tracking a dangerous path up to his destination. I concentrate on my breathing, keeping it slow and regular as my heart races away from me.

I fumble with the catch of his belt, forgetting how difficult it is to take one of the damn things off with my left hand. Gregory's not making it any easier for me. He's found the edge of my panties and he takes no small pleasure in proving to me just how sadistic he can be. The tip of his little finger traces the line of the hem along one side, feather-light against me, but definite there.

His belt finally gives in and I slip it free from the buckle, spending a moment on the button beneath has his pants undone. He takes a long sip of his coffee, and I smirk to myself. He's feeling the heat of the room as much as I am. As I take my time on the zipper of his trousers, I'm relieved to find Annie hasn't managed to change his habits any. The silk boxers have the same feel I remember to them as I slip my hand inside.

Brushing against the transparent silk of my panties, his bent knuckle nearly draws a moan out of my throat. I quickly bit it back, and am careful not to reach for my water too quickly. I can't seem desperate. Not that AJ's watching me. He's too busy talking to Cole. No, my careful act of control is for Gregory's benefit alone. I want him to know I can keep my composure. No matter how delicately he invades me with searching fingers. They run damp over the outer edge of my thigh and he begins to remove my panties, one damming inch at a time.

I keep my hand outsider the silk of his boxers. They slide over my fingers as I close down on his hardening erection. I copy his technique, fingers whispering across him even though we're both desperate to increase the pressure. Neither of us wants to be the first to commit ourselves.

He slips his hand across the ease the other side of my panties free from my hips. I switch my weight to my feet just long enough for him to retrieve them down to my knees. They'll be his souvenir later as they slide down to my ankles. He's entirely unencumbered now, and he pauses only a moment. For me the moment stretches into eternity as I contemplate squeezing my revenge out of him. Sensing my growing desperation, Gregory finally, finally caresses my aching wetness with the wonder of his fingers.

Starting low, he works his way up. Teasing me as I increase the speed of my hand. I debate the wisdom of making him come first, giving me the glory of all of his attention. Gregory has other plans. He catches that sensitive part and rolls it between two merciless fingers. My hand clamps down around him out of desperation instead of concern for his pleasure. Judging by the flush in his cheek, and the edge to his breathing I can hear in the minimal distance between us, he's every bit as insane with sensation as I am.

Two of his fingers make their way inside, mimicking his motions from yesterday, his bent knuckle continues to massage me up and down as he thrusts his fingers up and in. I step out of my panties with my heels. Either we're going to make a very embarrassing scene for our daughter, or there's going to be a mad retreat from the room. I stop and withdraw my hand from him as I realize how close to the edge he is. Gregory follows suit, leaving me with a gaping emptiness that is physically painful. He catches my eye and flicks his gaze upward. The key to my hotel room is in my purse. I kick my panties over to his shoe, making sure he knows I've left something there with a brush of my foot against his ankle as I retrieve the from the bottom of my purse.

Gregory moves quickly, surprising us both as he jumps back into the conversation with a wild gesture of enthusiasm. That collides with the $200 bottle of bordeaux, sending it on a course directly into my lap. As I jump up in surprise, he dives beneath the table, secretly retrieve my panties and shoving them in his pocket as he hastily arranges his pants. Undoing that belt again is going to be one of the fastest things he's ever seen.

Everyone is immediately trying to help dry me off, but it's a lost cause. I'm drenched with wine. Annie mutters something that I would have jumped all over any other day. Tonight, my trembling body insists I have better things to do.

"Let me walk you to your room." Gregory offers sheepishly. "I'm so sorry Olivia. I should really watch where I put my hands."

I can barely retrain myself. I want to jump into his arms and bite the smirk off of his face, bruising those teasing lips with passion. Instead, I hold up my wine-soaked hands in defeat. "It's really not like you to misplace your hands."

He shrugs and puts an arm around my shoulder, stealing me away from AJ as he starts to get up. Having AJ walk me to my room would be the worst kind torture. All of the promise we've built up beneath that table cloth would be lost to his passionless touch.

As soon as we're in the elevator, our elevator, all pretense is gone. Gregory gives me a glimpse of the deep red silk of my former panties as he tucks them deeper into his pocket. I push him back into the buttons as I devour his lips. His silver tongue may be amazing in court, but it's even better against my own, searching the inside of my mouth. I groan in frustration as I realize my enthusiasm has pushed every button in the damn elevator. We stop at floor after floor, each time he slams his elbow back into the close door button with a wicked grin.

I decide not to waste any time and use both hands to undo his belt. The naked desire in his eyes increases to a blaze as my hands brush against his fierce desire for me. Finally the chime of the door is the correct floor. Ignoring anyone else who may be foolishly traversing the corridor we run to my room. He shoves me against the door, reminding me that there are sensitive parts of my body above my waist as one of his hands dives boldly down the neckline of my shirt. The door flies open and we tumble inside. I slam the door and tear of his jacket as he reaches for the buttons down the front of my shirt. They're tiny and too delicate for our current state.

We rip them together. Carried away by our own desperation, his shirt goes the way of mine. Housekeeping is going to have a fit with the buttons in the carpet. His chest is bare and he undoes the clasp of my bra with the speed of a practiced hand. My skirt doesn't take the time to come off. Instead of comes up to my hips as we tumble down to the bed. He leans over me, finishing my lips off as the final course of our meal, as he steps out of his pants.

I reach to pull him down to the bed on top of me, if he doesn't remove the longing from me it'll certainly crawl up to my heart and make it stop beating.

Gregory stops, paused over me a only a second from climax. His gaze burns into my soul, marking me forever. "I've never wanted you more."

There's no arrogance in his tone. None of his cultivated confidence. it's the truth, and nothing he's said has ever been sexier. Nothing has made my whole body scream for him like this before. We're so close that we cry out together as we touch. I pull him in, drawing him deeper into me as we push against the bed. My arms are around his naked shoulders, my breasts flattened against the friction of his chest. "Oh god-"

But god's not the one I want. God's not the one electrifying every muscle of my legs. He's not the answer to my prayers. Gregory is and he's in me and I'm around him. We share our breath as we forget to part lips. He's moaning and I'm screaming into his neck. I collapse around him as he explodes to fill the space within me. It's the kind of climax that explodes inside my head, So intense I think I've been blinded as I sob for breath.

It's only as we lie there, shaking and wondering how we're ever going to part our souls enough to sleep in separate beds tonight, that I realize the darkness is because we never bothered to turn on the lights. We didn't need light. As soon as I have enough breath I'll giggle and ask him if he realized how easily we make love in the dark. How all we need is each other to find our way.