Can't make it tomorrow. Call you later. No, that was too abrupt. Duncan cursed silently as he deleted the message and started over. Need to cancel. Please forgive me. Can I call tonight? No. Too apologetic. It wasn't his fault that his car had broken down, after all. And there was no way he was going to go by train. At this time of the year, the trains would be stuffy and overheated. Besides, there were bound to be delays. One more attempt. Sorry, have to cancel. Will explain later. Call you at eight? Yes, that should do.
Duncan sighed deeply. He had really been looking forward to seeing Isabela again. The night they'd spent together after the Christmas party had been nothing short of spectacular. Since then, they had spoken several times via Skype. It had taken Duncan a while to get used to it, but on the whole it was really fortunate that Aedan had insisted on setting everyone up with proper equipment for video conferencing, even the external consultants. True, sometimes he caught himself hankering for the good old days, when people were satisfied with a simple phone call. On the other hand, being able to see Isabela as well as talk to her was quite the treat.
When he made the call at the appointed time, Isabela was already waiting and, to his relief, she didn't seem angry, despite the short notice. "Duncan. What happened?"
He smiled at the sight of her. Isabela had obviously decided to take the laptop into her bedroom with her. She was sitting propped up against a big pillow, with a metal bedframe visible behind her, and she was dressed in something blue and satiny, a nightgown or maybe a slip. Either way, it allowed him to catch glimpses of her lovely breasts, which he very much appreciated.
"My car refused to start this morning, and the guys at the garage say it will take at least until Friday to fix it." He made a face. "I'm sorry, honey. I would have loved to be there."
She shrugged. "Can't be helped. Such a pity, though. I've been missing you." With a regretful sigh, she stretched voluptuously, lifting her arms over her head.
Eagerly, Duncan followed the movement of her breasts with his eyes. He inhaled sharply. "I've been missing you, too. And I had such interesting plans for our evening together."
"Did you, now?" There was a naughty gleam in Isabela's eyes.
"Oh, yes." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Do you want me to tell you about it? In detail?" Her breath caught and he smiled to himself. Got you. "You like that, don't you? Me talking dirty to you?"
"God, yes." Isabela didn't even bother to deny it. That was part of her attraction, he realized. She wasn't going to apologize for anything that turned her on.
"Just give me a moment." He wasn't too sure about how this was going to work, but he certainly wasn't going to do it sitting at his desk.
Carefully he unplugged his own laptop and got to his feet to carry it over to the couch. It took him a moment to settle down properly, and to work out a good camera angle.
Isabela watched the manoeuvre with interest. "Make sure the laptop is on a firm surface," she advised him with a saucy wink. "You want to have your hands free."
He grinned. "Good point. Have you done this before?"
"On occasion." Isabela smirked. "So, what's next?"
"Well, let's imagine I was there with you. On your bed." God, he was already getting hard, and they hadn't even properly started yet.
"Hmmmm." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Nice thought… What would you do?"
He swallowed. Take your time. There's no rush. "I think… I'd kiss you first. Slowly, deeply, plenty of tongue. And at the same time…" He held back for a moment, but then he gave in to the temptation and let his hand drop to his crotch, rubbing himself lightly through the fabric of his pants.
Isabela had opened her eyes again, and she hadn't missed the movement, even though he had kept his hand out of the camera frame. "Yes?" She let her own hand slowly trail lower, brushing against her breasts.
Duncan moistened his lips with his tongue. "I'd caress your breasts." He could see her nipples grow taut, just barely hidden by the thin fabric of the gown, and it spurned him on.
"I'd roll your nipples between my fingers… Yes, just like that." It was incredibly hot, watching her do what he described, watching her reaction to it. "And then I'd pinch, harder, because you like it rough, don't you?"
Isabela actually arched up at his words, gasping as her fingertips squeezed her own flesh. "Go on. Please."
He grew bolder, unzipping his pants and reaching inside to touch himself. "I'd push aside your gown so I could lick your nipples."
Without hesitation, Isabela bared her breasts to him, still playing with them, trying to imitate what he was describing.
"Yes, just like that." He was breathing faster, but he did his best to match his pace to hers. "I'd tease you, just a little, and then I'd suck, as hard as I could."
Isabela whined softly, her head lolling back against the pillow.
Instinctively, Duncan gripped himself harder. "And then I'd take your hand and put it where I want it, where I need it."
Isabela nodded. "Yes. And I'd stroke your cock, up and down, just like that." Her eyes were firmly glued to the motion of his arm, and for a second Duncan considered tilting the camera just a little, letting her see, but then he decided against it. Better to let her imagination play freely.
He was finding it increasingly hard to breathe, and he realized he would have to speed things up. "I'd spread your legs, wide, and then…"
She complied, giving him a full view of her lacy panties, and he actually had to pause for a moment before he could go on. "I'd push those panties aside and put my mouth on you."
Isabela's hand found its way between her legs, brushing lightly over the silky fabric, and he cursed under his breath.
"I… I'd lick you, find every spot that makes you scream, fuck you with my tongue, taste you…" He tried to slow down, desperately tried to make it last longer. "Fuck, you are so damn delicious, you taste like heaven, damn it, Isabela, you-"
It was no use. He was drunk on his own words already, thrusting hard into his own hand. Somehow he kept talking, but he was getting increasingly incoherent. Isabela was whimpering, her fingers struggling to keep up with his words, dancing over her heated flesh with assurance, faster and faster, until she couldn't take it anymore and came with a wordless cry. He wasn't far behind.
When her breathing had calmed down, Isabela opened her eyes again, smiling mischievously. "Gods, Duncan. That was good. Almost as good as the real thing."
"Almost." He nodded his agreement. "You're amazing."
His heart was racing like mad as he reached for a tissue and cleaned himself up, turning away from the camera. I need more practice with this kind of thing, but hot damn!
When they had both rearranged their clothing, he cleared his throat. "So, much as I enjoyed this… Do you think we can find a new date?"
"Sure." She reached for the laptop again, all business now, her face taking on a focussed expression. She must have opened a second window. "Let me check my calendar. When are you meeting Aedan?"
"He suggested the 22nd. Wednesday." Duncan followed her example. "I'll see him at two o'clock, but we could meet- Aw, damn it!"
"What's the matter?" Isabela yawned.
"I'm seeing an old friend for dinner on the 22nd. Riordan Ward. We went to medical school together, and we haven't seen each other in ages." He rubbed his eyes wearily. "He won't be in town for long, so I can't really postpone it. Could we meet the day before?"
"Nope." Isabela categorically shook her head. "Tuesday nights are reserved for my dance class. Sorry."
He raised a surprise eyebrow. "A dance class? What kind of dancing?" He tried to imagine Isabela on a dance floor, in a formal dress.
"Oriental dance." She actually seemed a little embarrassed. "Belly dancing," she elaborated when he looked confused. "It's fun. And it's not as easy as it looks."
"I bet it isn't." Picturing her was pretty enticing, though. "I'd love to watch you dance."
"Not going to happen." Isabela shook her head. "I dance to keep in shape, not to entertain anyone." She softened her harsh words immediately with a smile, but Duncan duly took note of the warning.
"Right. Anyway…" He decided to change the subject. "I would really like to see you again before Christmas."
"Me, too. Give me a sec." She was gazing at the screen again, frowning slightly. "Your friend's called Riordan Ward, you said? Sounds familiar… I think I met him at a conference a few months ago. Ah, here he is." She whistled softly through her teeth. "Yup, I remember him. Aedan and I had coffee with him, and he made quite an impression. That's a good picture of him, on the website of his clinic. Tall, dark, and handsome. He's a very attractive guy."
"He is," Duncan agreed. "And a brilliant doctor, too. Specializes in tropical diseases. What-"
"He sounds interesting. Maybe I could join the two of you for dinner?" Her eyes were twinkling again. "If you pick a nice place, that is."
"Riordan suggested a French restaurant in the City. Let me see..." A quick search produced Riordan's message. "Le Dragon Rouge. Knowing him, the food will be marvellous. And incredibly expensive."
"Not a problem." Isabela looked thoughtful. "I could probably get Aedan to pay for it, if you want. Networking expenses, you know."
"I don't think that will be necessary." Duncan smiled. "But yes, dinner for three is a good idea. I'll ask him, and I don't think he'll mind." He hesitated. "And after dinner?"
"Well, that depends…" Isabela let her voice trail off suggestively. "You and Riordan, back at school, were you friends or were you friends?"
Duncan gasped as the implication of her words hit him. "Just friends, I'd say. At least, about ninety percent of the time." He smiled fondly as he remembered a few incidents in their shared dorm.
Once again, Isabela didn't miss a thing. "Actually, it's the other ten percent I'm interested in." She clucked her tongue. "Why don't we wait and see what happens?"
"Let's do that," Duncan agreed, feeling a pleasant shiver race down his spine. "I look forward to next week."
Many thanks to my marvellous beta suilven! You're such a huge help, and I'd never get this done without your support. :)