You Don't Know Me/ CH 6
While he frantically searched for his passport, Daniel smiled to himself, as he pulled out his boxers from his top drawer. He quickly found a pair of jeans and went to his closet to find the particular shirt he was looking for.
Good fashion had come fairly easily for him, for one thing, because he could always afford designer clothes and had been familiar with the fashion world in general. He personally knew (and often dated) famous models, designers, singers, movie stars.
So the transition from partying with famous sports stars to the world of fashion hadn't been a huge one, really. But he still felt like he was swimming against the tide in fast-moving rapids with how quickly everything changed (not to mention, looking out for those "sharks" in the water!)
Betty, on the other hand, had started out as a little fish in that HUGE
river! He knew how uncomfortable she was at Mode. But rather than cut and run like many people surely would have (honestly, like he would have if he were in her shoes), he saw over the years he had gotten to know her exactly how determined she was to succeed at all costs, no matter what was thrown at her.
She not only survived, but she thrived, no she kicked ASS! And she had managed to drag him along with her, often kicking and screaming (or hungover, not doing his job without her nagging him).
He would NEVER have survived HIS first year, hell his first MONTH without Betty by his side, helping him navigate the world of high fashion. The same little girl who had started her first day at a high fashion magazine wearing braces, ugly glasses, bangs, frizzy hair, a red tourist poncho and had slammed right into those damn glass doors to the conference room!
If he was going to survive starting over in a new country, he realized how much he really did need Betty's help! For one thing, those silly little pep talks of hers always seemed to brighten his day. He would have to learn to start doing more things for himself, though. There was no way he would allow her to keep bailing him out all the time like she had often been doing at Mode. He was a grown man.
And if she got hired by Dunne, and had her own responsibilities there, he wasn't going to monopolize her time during work hours. She deserved the chance to follow her own dreams. She definitely had earned it!
Less than an hour had gone by since she had gotten off the phone, and Betty was trying not to panic. Trying, but not really succeeding. She had a few glasses of wine and got somewhat flirty on what she had thought would be the safety of the phone with Daniel and now, suddenly, she had decided to run off to London to live with the man? Was she totally insane?! She closed her eyes, trying to think of everything that was said.
She knew she should have told Daniel about Christina introducing her to Lindsey Dunne and setting up the interview the minute she got back from London. The one she had turned down because she wanted to get OUT of the fashion world, not go further down the rabbit hole. She could tell Mr. Dunne was somewhat intrigued by her rather unorthodox responses to his questions. It was likely nobody had ever actually turned down a position before!
Even more exciting was Daniel's suggestion that they could collaborate once they relocated to London and work together as a team. She missed the give and take they had when she was his assistant and got to work hand in hand with him. But would they be able to still have that great rapport at work if they also acted on their chemistry after hours?
Being an editor was one thing. She enjoyed writing her own stories and editing was amazing. But running the entire magazine? That had always been her dream, for as long as she could remember. But could they work as equals? If he was using his own money to start up the company and bringing in advertisers to provide ongoing revenue, would he be able to let her actually run the magazine? Or would he miss being editor-in-chief?
She was still running around, cleaning up her apartment, when she heard a soft knock at her door, "Betty? Hey, it's me!"
She gulped, "Uh-huh. Okay. Hang on!" she pulled her hair into a high ponytail and had earlier switched back to her glasses, removing her contacts. She blew out a breath and opened the door, leaning against it with a smile, as she held up a spare key, "I KNOW I gave you one of these! Did you lose it like you do your own?"
He shrugged, handing off the two coffees to her before digging into his jeans pocket and producing a duplicate, "I know you did. No, smarty pants. I didn't lose it, I didn't want to just barge in here. Look, can we sit and talk, please? This is serious! Aren't you going to get dressed? That's really …not helping me think straight right now!" He glanced at her robe and headed for the kitchen.
She eyed the coffee gratefully, "Ooh, coffee! Thanks, Daniel! Did you bring donuts, too?"
He rolled his eyes, pulling a bag from his overcoat and placing it on her kitchen counter as he followed her, "Duh! Of course! I know my Betty! Chocolate donuts for you, cinnamon twist for me. It's four in the morning, so our favorite bakery was just opening. I called ahead and got our Daniel/Betty combo."
As they sat next to one another, hungrily devouring the sweet treats, they both grinned as they took slow sips of the heavenly coffee. Betty sighed, closing her eyes, "Mmm…this is just what I needed! Thank you, Daniel! Awe, that's nice that they named a combo after us! Wow, we must get this a lot!"
"Apparently." As he smiled, leaning forward to wipe away a bit of chocolate from the side of her mouth, he stared into her eyes, seeming completely overwhelmed with her suddenly, "God, Betty! You know…you're really driving me crazy!" he pulled her up and kissed her intensely, backing her against the kitchen wall.
He quickly dropped his hands and found the tie on her robe, tugging on it effortlessly, and slid one hand to her thigh, practically growling as he discovered to his delight that she was indeed wearing nothing under her robe.
Her eyes popped open, as he took hold of her face, staring into her eyes with a passion and desire she had never seen, "I need you, Betty! You're sure…you want this, you want…me?"
She was swept up in his kisses, but taken aback by his sudden intensity, and tried to lighten the mood, teasing him, "Of course, but…what, no foreplay? I thought that was your…specialty?"
He looked mildly offended, "My…specialty is sex, Betty! Not to brag, but I'm pretty damn good at it! Or at least, I used to be. Not to mention, I AM a somewhat recovering sexaholic, don't forget!
Of course, I was totally faithful to my wife in our brief time together and then as you know, I was Mister celibate for almost six months, before I had my little um…problem for a while after Molly died, and then a few months with Amanda before she replaced me with a younger model from the wild west! And before you ask, NOTHING ever happened with Trista, okay? So yeah, sure, maybe I'm a little out of practice, but… clearly, I'm more than ready!"
She looked puzzled, "Problem? I knew you were really sad after that cult fiasco. You told me you never slept with that Natalie woman, right? Because that would be just…wrong! Wait, PROBLEM? What problem?"
Her eyes widened as she felt him against her and looked down, "Oh, OH! YOU? Couldn't… oh, REALLY? When was this? How come you never told me you couldn't…do that? WOW! YOU? Seriously? That's…crazy, Daniel!"
He rolled his eyes and sat down on her couch, as his hand went up to brush his hair that was stuck to his forehead. Damn, he was sweating? He needed to calm down. Things with Betty would happen … naturally, he tried to reason with himself.
Why was he charging at her like some crazed animal? He smiled as she came and sat next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder casually, like she often did when they had been up together late.
Not that he would ever have admitted it until recently, but that simple little move of hers had always caused somewhat more than friendly reactions in him to be honest. He shrugged, "Um, maybe because it's not something a guy likes to EVER admit, Betty!
I mean, what the hell was I supposed to say, nice weather we're having. How's the family? Oh, yeah, by the way, I can't seem to get it up lately? You want to lend a hand?"
They both laughed somewhat uncomfortably and he brushed back her hair, "I should never have wasted my time getting drunk with Marc at that bar and hitting on some random woman only to completely humiliate myself! I should have just found you and kissed you!
You could have been my… sexual healer! It would have saved us both a hell of a lot of aggravation! Me with getting my pride hurt with Amanda "dumping me" for the stupid cowboy and it also would have saved you the trouble of getting back together with stupid Fartley only to have him turn around and run off to Africa a few months later!"
She turned and put a hand on his cheek, "I agree! We SHOULD have probably not wasted our time with those two in the Bahamas…but I still had my braces then, so…I'm sure you wouldn't have been interested in me!"
He shrugged, touching her glasses, "So? You really think that 'turned me off' or something? Betty, you had your braces most of the time I've known you. I'm still getting used to having you without them! I mean, not "having you", of course. Seeing you without them, hell, you know what I mean!
I will admit, ever since you got your braces off, it has been…sort of freaking me out. You've got the most amazing smile I've ever seen! And were these glasses supposed to slow me down? Seriously? Clearly, they had the opposite effect! I practically attacked you the minute you let me in! I'm so sorry about that!"
She giggled slightly, blushing, then smiled at him, "It's okay. I was kind of thinking we could…well, the reason I didn't get dressed was that I was thinking about what you said on the phone about…you know, that massage and stuff? But I didn't mean to…to…"
He chuckled, then kissed her softly on the cheek, "Massage and…stuff, huh? Sounds like a great idea! Listen, we can do…whatever you're comfortable with, Betty. I just got ahead of myself because I was so for lack of a better synonym excited that my…tray table was able to GET into the upright and locked position! I didn't mean to scare you off, though!
Even when we do move in together, I never want you to feel rushed or pressured, honey. Um…you do realize pretty much everyone at Mode thinks we are already sleeping together though, right? I don't know if me punching Matt that time helped or just made things worse!"
"I'm well aware, trust me! Girls can be very mean when they want a guy and THINK another girl…well, has him!"
He put his arm around her, and kissed the top of her head, "Awe, I'm sorry those girls were mean to you, sweetie! But who cares what those idiots think? Besides, once we move across the ocean, it's definitely nobody's business what the hell we do behind closed doors. Or…don't do.
Or maybe do…eventually? How long are we talking here, like…a few weeks, a month, um…another four years? Because I might need some kind of outlet for my blue balls if you intend to keep me waiting THAT long! Maybe I should join a gym…or take up archery. Or knitting? I could try cooking, I guess. Your dad has offered to teach me. Since we both know it's a lost cause for you!" he teased.
"Thanks a lot! I know you're right, though. Hey, it's not like you're Gordon Ramsey, either!"
"True. More like Chef Boyardee! I think the thing we're both best at is ordering take-out!"
She laughed, trying to not turn bright red again, wondering if she was ever going to be NOT nervous around this…freaking adonis who just happened to be her boss and her best friend for years and was now acting like he was very interested in HER!
He stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, sliding down one side of her robe, as he began kissing her gently, first her cheek, then her ear, and nuzzled her neck. Then he started pushing down the other side of the robe, repeating his actions on that side.
He whispered, "So, do you trust me enough to give you that massage now? We could do it on the floor out here on a blanket if you want. Or…maybe on your bed? It's up to you. I mean the massage, of course." he smirked, winking at her.
She gulped, and grabbed his hand, pulling him back to the bedroom, not daring to turn and face him and make eye contact. She knew once she stared into those intense eyes of his she was a goner! When they stood next to her bed, he took her hand and made her face him, then kissed her hand, smiling at her hopefully, and said quietly in that ridiculously sexy, gravelly voice of his, "Why don't you lay face down and um…you can untie your robe? Do you have any lotion or oil you'd like me to use?"
She nodded, as she blew out a breath and shakily handed him a bottle of almond oil, almost spilling it, as she looked up at him, then did as he instructed her. Once she was lying down on her stomach, he took her towel and placed it over her bottom, then tossed the robe onto a chair next to the bed.
He turned on some quiet music, and quickly stripped down to his boxers, then straddled her, sitting on his knees, and warmed the oil, by rubbing his hands together, then started rubbing the back of her shoulders, down each arm, then working his way down her spine, then kneading the muscles in the back of her calves back up each of her thighs, "Hey, try to relax, okay? This is supposed to be fun! There is no stress involved, I promise. I'll be very gentle and take my time."
The more he caressed her body, the more relaxed she felt. Every stress and anxiety she had been holding onto slowly seemed to melt away. She moaned softly at his gentle touch. She barely noticed him removing the towel that covered her and leaning his body closer to touch her back with his bare chest as he continued kneading her arms and legs deftly with his magic fingers.
His touches became more sensual and personal and he was starting to explore her body completely now, kissing and stroking into her before he carefully helped her turn to lay on her back, and gave her the most incredible smile, before sweeping his eyes over her exposed breasts appreciatively, "God, you're so beautiful, Betty!" he leaned down to kiss her passionately, then continued his mission to give her the most pleasure she had ever received.
First, his hands massaged her arms from the front, down to her fingertips, then he kneaded her breasts, slowly and reverently, following with kissing them, and swirling his tongue tantalizingly around each one. Finally, he gave equal attention to the front of her legs up to the inside of both thighs. With almost each and every kiss and touch, he made sure to look at her and see that she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
She found herself getting more desperate with his slow and steady pace until, by the time he finally had begun stroking her and kissing his way down her stomach until he slipped his fingers inside her, then followed with his extremely talented tongue, she was panting out his name in ecstasy. His own enjoyment derived from pleasing her was growing more evident with each stroke and she frantically helped him remove his boxers, taking hold of his impressive erection with eagerness and guiding him inside her.
"Daniel…please…" was all she could manage to get out before they both began pumping furiously towards their mutual intense climax. When they collapsed next to one another, he handed her the towel, then got up to get them both a warm washcloth. As he lay down beside her, she blew out a breath, "WOW! That was…totally amazing! Thank you!"
He leaned down to kiss her deeply, then smiled, "You're very welcome! Trust me, the pleasure was equally amazing for me!"
"I don't know if I can give you as good a massage as you just gave me, but…I definitely would like to try to learn sometime! Maybe you could teach me?"
He nodded, "Sure! I have to be honest, though. I've never given anybody a full-body massage like that before. I usually just do about a tenth of that much. It's just…well, I really wanted to make sure you were completely relaxed and comfortable with me touching you before we made love. But once I started touching you and seeing how you reacted…it really turned me on, seeing YOU get so turned on! You are a very sexy girl, Betty!"
She reached over and kissed him passionately, and they both smiled, "Thanks! You're pretty sexy yourself! I've never…um…that was definitely the best, most erotic, completely intense sex I've ever had!"
He smiled, nodding, "Yeah! Me, too! Of course, I think that's probably because the other times weren't with my best friend who…I'm totally in love with like I am with you! Okay, I know that wasn't the best grammar. But…"
She shook her head, kissing his face all over eagerly, wiping at her eyes, "I don't care! That was great to hear, Daniel! I"m in love with you, too! And I agree, we really do make a great team! I can't wait to move in with you! The only thing I'm worried about is…it's going to be really hard not to say anything to anybody else until after Hilda's wedding!"
"We can let them know we're dating, though, right? Just not mention us wanting to move to London."
"Right. Dating is fine. She can't get jealous of me finally dating my friend I've known for four years! She's the one who told me I should ask you to her wedding because she didn't want me to come alone and look pathetic!"
He laughed, "Well, yeah, I get that no bride wants to be upstaged at her own wedding. But you can't help how beautiful you are!"
She smiled and kissed him again, "Thank you! But definitely don't say THAT at her wedding! At least, not anywhere that she can hear you! You can whisper it to me, maybe."
He nodded, "Sure. She's getting married at the Astoria, right? I could get us a room there, on the other side of the hotel from the happy couple, so we aren't competing with them on their wedding night. But we can get totally drunk if we want, and dance all night and have lots of fun, then stay up, making love until the next morning."