CHAPTER FOUR
Dominic is taking me home in his sports car and he is making light conversation, but I'm not really engaging. I nod and smile when I'm prompted to but I'm distracted and obviously still light headed from the kiss. It had been a long time since anyone kissed me. Hell, I don't even remember being kissed like that ever.
"Hey Rose, are you there?" Dominic asks noting the blank stare in my eyes as he pulls into my driveway. He appears concerned.
"Sorry, I drifted off for a bit... I've had a long day," I lied quickly, avoiding his gaze as I grab my clutch from the floor mat of his car.
"Well, I won't keep you too long then," Dominic replies with a sympathetic smile.
"He hops out of the car and opens my door for me. His hand is outstretched to help me out of my seat. I grab his hand and try to ignore that jolt of electricity that passes through my arm. But I can't, I'm so drawn to him and his energy and everything about him. I almost don't want to let of his hand.
"Nightcap before you go?" I find myself offering him, knowing that I shouldn't.
"What do you have?" He asks, his interest perked.
"Whiskey." I tell him. "Don't worry, I know you have to drive so I'll pour you a tiny one."
"Excellent, I love whiskey." He replies.
"It's cheap whiskey," I warn him as I lead him into the house.
"Even better!" He says with enthusiasm, which I laugh at. I can tell he's accustomed to the more expensive stuff, so he's not fooling anyone.
I lead him to our kitchen and have him sit at the breakfast bar. I then pick out two whiskey glasses and a bottle of black label Johnnie Walker.
"Let me guess, you want yours neat?" I ask as I unscrew the cap of the whiskey bottle.
"You would be guessing correctly," He confirms with a nod.
"A man after my own heart," I say as I pour two fingers of the whiskey into each glass.
"If it's up for grabs, I'm definitely interested." He replies as reaches for one of the glasses.
He gives me a pointed look as he swirls the whiskey in his glass.
"That's going to take a lot more whiskey than I have here," I say jokingly, picking up the other glass.
"To cheap whiskey, then." He says as he raises his glass. We then clink our glasses together.
"This cheap stuff isn't that bad," He comments after taking a sip.
"It's definitely a change of pace from the wine from the restaurant..." I say as I take a small sip from my glass. "Considering your expensive tastes, what made you enter my coffee shop today?"
"Well, your coffee shop is located in area that is going to go through a real-estate boom in the next couple years. I was meeting up with some government officials nearby to assess the land they want to develop," He explained as he places his empty whiskey glass down on the counter. He signals that he would like a top up and I happily oblige before I pour more into my own glass. I never did like drinking this stuff alone.
"There's a couple of other high end coffee places in the area that you could have went to..." I surmise aloud before taking a long sip of my drink.
"But your coffee shop had the best reviews in the area. I had to check out how this little no-name coffee shop had higher reviews than some well-established chain cafes." He told me with that half grin of his. "And after I tried your biscotti, I understood why... It was the best biscotti ever, even better than Balsamico's. I really appreciated that you used dark chocolate, it gave the cookie just the right balance of sweetness."
It was gratifying to know that all the hard work and effort I put into making the baked goods fresh and delicious was actually appreciated. I also didn't know that our shop was so favourably reviewed. I stopped reading my online reviews because I cried so much when I read my first bad one. Some douchebag complained that our macaroons didn't have enough coconut, our coffee was too strong and we didn't have enough staff. It had hurt to read his words. Regardless to say, Juliet basically forced me off reading our Yelp reviews from that day forward. So, I hadn't read anything about our cafe for a couple years now.
"I told you, right? Baking is one of my passions in life. Nothing in my cafe is ever done half-assed!" I say with a confident grin.
"We're a lot alike in some ways. I don't like half-assing either. Which is why it's very important to me that this deal goes through. Then maybe I'll have the opportunity to visit your cafe more often," He says and my heart skips a beat. Seeing more of Dominic? How could I not look forward to that?
"I guess you're a big time property developer, eh? Have you built anything already that I might have heard of?" I inquire with genuine curiosity.
"The greatest project to date would probably be the Stardust Hotel close to 5th Avenue," he answers and my jaw drops.
The Stardust Hotel? That's one of fanciest hotels I've ever laid eyes on. The only reason I knew about it, is because Juliet's scummy ex- boyfriend Charlie was keeping a room there. He had super wealthy parents who had cut him off financially, but they still paid for his room and board at the Stardust. During the good times of their relationship, Juliet and I would lounge around the hotel pool area, sipping on mimosas while we worked on our tans. I never really warmed up to Charlie but the man knew how to fix us some mean mimosas.
"Wow... that's serious. You actually built the Stardust." I say with awe. "It's such a beautiful building... I love that it has so much old world charm to its architecture."
"Thanks Rose," he replies as a bashful smile plays on his lips. "My team and I worked really hard to blend the modern and traditional together on that project."
"I really hope you win that contract then. I'm really tired of seeing boring buildings on my way to work." I tell him as I finally drain my drink. The whiskey pleasantly warms my belly and leaves me feeling delightfully tipsy.
"Oh, as property developer I can promise you that I hate boring buildings more than you do." He agrees, draining his drink too.
We hold each other gazes and the air between us electric. His sky blue eyes are captivating and I find myself getting lost in their depths. He caresses the side of my face with the back of his fingers gently as I lean into it with a soft sigh. Before I know it, he grabs my face and fuses our mouths together for the second time this night and I am powerless to stop him. As if I'd ever want him to stop...
His hands move to my hair, tangling themselves in my long loose curls as his tongue delves into my mouth. I'm suddenly getting tipsy on the feeling of his lips against mine and I know I want more. I attempt to get closer but the breakfast bar counter remains between us and I growl in frustration.
"This maybe the whiskey talking but I think I want to extend that invitation to my bedroom," I whisper as I look up at him with mischievous smile on my lips.
"Are you certain about this?" He ensures as he slowly rubs his thumb across my bottom lip. His eyes are now a deep blue with passion as he watches me for more assurance.
I then grab his face and crush my mouth to his, silencing any doubts that he may have about my desire. I need more of this, more of his kisses and his touches.
"So certain," I murmur against his lips.
"Thank God, you're driving me absolutely crazy," He mutters roughly.
He then comes around to my side of bar before he throws me over his shoulder.
"I hope this is okay," He asks as he walks towards the stairs.
"I'm still wearing high heels, so my feet are sore and I'm a little dizzy from the whiskey and your lips... So this is definitely more than okay with me," I answer with a giggle.
"Please direct me to your boudoir..." He drawls as he climbs up the stairs. Although I ate a ton of food at dinner tonight, he carries me easily as if I'm weightless. Maybe because his kisses make me feel like I'm floating?
"The last door on your left..." I tell him and then he pats my bottom in response.
When we get to my room, he finally sets me down. Being back in a position to kiss again, we don't delay. Our mouths find each other again as our hands frantically pull off articles of clothing. His suit jacket falls to the floor with a quiet thud and then my white cardigan follows right after. He shakily kicks off his Italian leather shoes and shortly after my high heels joins the pile. My fingers are trembling with anticipation as they start to unbutton his dress shirt and he just deftly tugs my dress over my head. I then start unbuckling his belt with some trouble. He's wearing one of those tricky belt buckles and I am finding it challenging to get it free. He offers to help out, but I am determined to undress him. With a strong yank of my hands I am finally able to get it free but the motion causes me to fall backwards on the bed. I sit up slightly startled and I can hear Dominic chuckle at me. Free of his belt, he throws off his remaining clothes and then advances on me in bed in a lion like motion. Biting my bottom lip, I throw my head back as I sink into the mattress as he devours the side of my neck and collarbone area. His coarsened fingertips are running along the curves of my body as they remove the last of my undergarments.
"You're beautiful..." He breathes as he cups my face in his hands and stops for a moment to look at me.
I take this moment to stare at him too. He's definitely a sight to behold, from his devilishly handsome face, to his muscular naked body. The moment finally passes and we continue from where we left off. My hands glide up his powerful chest and I wrap my legs around his lean hips. Our bodies fuse together in a rhythmic pace that stoke the fires that have building inside me since I first laid eyes on him. I cling to his shoulders in wanton abandon, my breasts rubbing deliciously against the rock hard slab that is his chest and the fires between us grow hotter and brighter with every thrust of his hips. I feel the levels of pleasure climb higher and higher until my world bursts in an explosion of amazing colours. We finally collapse in each others arms, our bodies spent and slick with sweat. We lay next to each other in a comfortable silence as we attempt to catch our breath.
"I don't want this night to end," I say with a soft sigh as I roll onto my back.
"Me either," Dominic replies and he pulls me back into his strong arms. "And so we should make the most of it..."
He gives me passionate kiss and I just melt in his arms, ready for round two.