After the Interview (16 page)

“I don’t think we need anything from the duffle bag right now, so I’m leaving it on the porch,” she said, holding out her hand.

C J took her hand and they walked to the water’s edge and stood, both visibly enjoying the feel of the salt spray misting them as the waves crashed against the shore. C J noticed the beach was almost deserted but he could see a spot nearby where there had been a campfire next to some boulders clustered above the high tide line. Giving Zoe’s arm a tug, C J headed toward the boulders and then spread the blanket out on the sand, using the boulders as a screen from people and the wind. He sat down, leaning against a small boulder, feet close to his body, allowing his arms to casually rest on his knees. Then he made space for Zoe to sit between his legs and she scooted into place with her back resting against his chest and his arms encircling her. Zoe relaxed and let C J’s shoulder become a cushion for her head. They sat in silence enjoying the peace and calm that being near the water brought.

Realizing she must have dozed off, Zoe turned her head and saw C J’s eyes slowly open. He sat forward and stretched his arms out in front of her and then once again wrapped Zoe in his embrace. After a few moments she looked over her shoulder and whispered, “You want to make out on the beach?”

“Is this another one of those things you have always wanted to do?” C J asked, grinning.

Zoe smiled and said, “With you.”

“Oh, I see, but no public nudity, Ms. Alden,” C J said with mock severity.

“I promise, Mr. Fairchild,” Zoe said as she swiveled in his embrace to face him, rose to her knees and kissed him tenderly.

C J returned the kiss with enthusiasm and then moved to lie on the blanket, waiting for Zoe to join him. When she was lying next to him, looking into his eyes, a wave of fear surged within her at the intimacy of the moment. Fighting back tears that welled in her eyes, Zoe began to kiss C J with more fervor than she had intended to. As they kissed, C J caressed her body and kept her close without taking things too far. He also whispered to her while they caught their breath how he admired her strength and found her beautiful and incredibly sexy. Zoe told C J he was the most confident man she had ever known and this, coupled with his sensuality, made him irresistible to her. While they were laughing over a shared memory from her trip to Houston, a man walking a dog paused and gave them a disapproving look. C J just nodded at him politely, and Zoe gave him the finger behind C J’s back.

“How about we go to the porch, grab a bite and then head back to the city. We don’t want to miss the last ferry or you might have trouble catching your flight in the morning,” Zoe said, growing quiet with the reminder C J was about to return to Houston.

“Sounds reasonable and then we can figure out what to do with the rest of our evening,” C J said seriously.

Chapter Eleven

The wine, bread and cheese Zoe had packed disappeared quickly, and then the pair headed down the porch steps to the car sitting on the driveway. As she closed the trunk, Zoe assured C J he had consumed most of the wine and she was fine to drive. Plus, it was a short way to the ferry terminal. On the drive back to Manhattan, Zoe talked about a few of her friends, giving C J more insight into Zoe’s life in New York. Once the Alfa was securely parked in the garage and covered they started the walk back to Zoe’s apartment.

“Great day, Zoe, thanks,” C J said.

“You’re welcome anytime,” Zoe said, meaning it.

“So, will Henry crack a smile to see we have returned together or should we enter separately—you first—to soften him up?” C J asked with a note of mischief.

“I say we’re in this together,” Zoe said spontaneously.

“I like the sound of that,” C J said.

Walking into the lobby of the apartment building, C J flashed a smile at Henry and got one in return.

“Good evening,” Henry said.

C J and Zoe both said, “Yes indeed.”

Zoe pressed the elevator button and C J talked to Henry while they waited. When the elevator doors closed behind them, Zoe turned to C J and said, “It seems you’re a member of the gang now.”

“Maybe that was the nice twin,” C J said jokingly, shaking his head.

Once inside the apartment, Zoe walked straight to her favorite chair, dropped into the seat and began taking off her boots.

“Before you start undressing,” C J said with a hint of a smile, “how about we go to my hotel tonight. I have a car picking me up early in the morning for the ride to the airport. We can either get room service or grab dinner on the way to the hotel.”

Zoe pondered this as she took off the other boot and swiveled, sitting sideways in the chair. C J stared at her and raised his eyebrows in anticipation of her answer.

“I say we grab pizza on the way to the hotel. I was about ready to accuse you of not liking my cooking but then I know that is impossible, so I won’t bother.”

“Is the pizza place close to here, on the way to the hotel or far away in another part of the city?” C J asked.

“Oh, it’s in Little Italy. We can take the subway and walk a few blocks to get there then grab a cab to the hotel. Once I throw a few things into my bag, we can head out,” Zoe told him.

Before C J could respond, Zoe turned, bounced to her feet then headed to the bedroom. C J shrugged and busied himself with gathering his clothing. Telling me the place is in Little Italy doesn’t clear a damn thing up but whatever, C J thought. He heard Zoe moving about in the bedroom and, if he wasn’t mistaken, she was singing. C J slid silently to the doorway and peeked around the opening. Zoe was singing in French, and her body was swaying in a suggestive manner. When she picked up her bag and headed toward the living room, C J quickly jumped back from the doorway and did his best to look disinterested.

Zoe entered the room and said, “Don’t bother denying you were spying on me. You’re pretty easy to spot.”

C J didn’t bother protesting his innocence but said, “I liked that song. Will you sing it again?” Then he started gyrating his hips.

Trying to not smile, Zoe said, “You never know what type of performance you might see later. I can dance too.”

“Oh, you have more talents than the ones I already know about? This sounds very promising,” C J said with amusement in his voice.

“Ready?” Zoe asked impatiently.

“Give me a minute. What is this constant rush?” C J asked. “We have no set schedule to keep but you are relentless.”

“I feel like I need to cram as much as possible into your time here,” Zoe answered.

“Zoe,” C J answered, looking at her intently, “I’m not going to disappear.”

Zoe looked at him and wanted to believe with all of her heart that what he said was true. What she knew was that life didn’t always give you what you wanted, so you needed to live now and be prepared for the unexpected. Zoe smiled at C J but she was already thinking about the fact that this time tomorrow he would be gone.

The subway ride and walk to the pizza parlor was quick given it was a Saturday night. C J was not prepared for the atmosphere of the restaurant. There were no real tables to sit at. Instead, you stood at bar height tables and ate while you watched the cooks toss the pizza dough and finish off the orders for the oven. His plan had been to have a quiet talk with Zoe about their next rendezvous and whether or not she was able to set up a schedule of regular flights to Houston for visits. C J knew he could get to New York or meet Zoe elsewhere but not on a set schedule. For the first time in his life he wanted to make a relationship work and be more permanent. What he needed to know was what Zoe wanted.

They ate their pizza and talked sparingly over the noise of the restaurant then left to hail a cab at the first corner. Zoe could tell C J wanted to have a serious conversation, and she had been doing everything to avoid it. Right now she had no other tricks up her sleeve to stall him, especially since there was no cab in sight. What she could do was ask about his sister; that might get him talking about something else. Zoe asked about Logan, and C J told her Logan had left for Africa on Wednesday and that all he knew was she had made it safely to Kenya.

C J looked at Zoe searchingly and started to speak but was stopped by her arm waving to get the attention of a cab headed their direction. Crappy timing, C J thought as he opened the back door and Zoe slid into the seat. He gave the driver the name of the hotel and settled next to her. C J wondered if Zoe seriously believed she was going to keep conversation about the future out of the evening’s picture. No such luck, Ms. Alden, he thought. I know a thing or two about negotiating and can bide my time.

“What’s next on your work schedule, any travel?” Zoe asked C J, looking into his face.

“I’m at headquarters as far as I know for the next few months. Ironing out details on the purchase from Hercules will take most of my time. Nothing is a done deal until it is signed and recorded,” C J said soberly. “How about you, Zoe, any travel plans?”

“You remember I’ll be in Paris two weeks from now,” she answered.

“Business or pleasure?” C J asked.

“Some of both; I still have old friends there and the city was my home for years,” Zoe answered but not with any enthusiasm.

“Let’s skip the talk about work,” C J said, “I’m still on vacation until I land in Houston tomorrow.”

Zoe looked up at him, leaned her head against his shoulder and stared straight ahead. A faint smile crossed her lips as she envisioned his naked body last night during his strip tease in her living room. This man was full of surprises, she thought. The cab ride seemed to go by in a flash and they arrived at the Four Seasons. Walking through the hotel lobby to the bank of elevators was a non-event, especially after the scene two nights ago.

As if he was reading her mind, C J nudged Zoe and said grinning, “Want to head to the bar for a nightcap?”

“Ha, I think I’ll pass on that idea. Surely you can ply me with alcohol in your room with no audience,” she said.

It took C J a few minutes to find his room key card and Zoe paced the hallway behind him the entire time. Her edginess started to infect C J as they entered the room, and he was steeling himself for an argument. Once inside, C J turned to Zoe, preparing to tell her what was on his mind, but she immediately pulled him to her and started kissing him with an urgency that was unexpected. Zoe opened her mouth to C J, willing him to understand how desperately she needed him to ravish her and blot out any doubts she was having. C J knew there was no stopping the two of them once desire took over, so he reached down and gripped the front of Zoe’s shirt, pulling it, not caring that buttons flew across the floor. His eyes took in her bare breasts with their taut tipples. Zoe hadn’t bothered to wear a bra.

As C J’s hands began to caress her breasts, he felt her rapid heartbeat in his palm. C J also felt the pain of his erection constrained by his jeans but he didn’t want to release Zoe’s breasts to fix the problem.

Looking at Zoe he said, “Undo my pants before I am permanently injured by the zipper,” no trace of humor in his voice.

Zoe moved her hands to the top of his pants and quickly undid the button and zipper. She felt the hardness and pulse of his penis before she could push his pants away and free him. C J stepped back to kick his pants out of the way and Zoe now realized he was minus briefs. His firm hard penis was so erect that it was plastered against his body. She moved to stroke it with both hands and was overwhelmed by her desire for C J. Lowering to her knees she held his penis in her hands as she kissed its reddened head and then took him into her mouth. Zoe’s tongue on his penis was forcing C J’s passion to escalate quicker than he wanted, so he grasped her face and asked her to stop in what was almost a whisper for him.

Zoe stood and let her loosened shirt fall from her shoulders and then she rushed to remove the rest of her clothing. The moment she was naked, C J pulled her to him and kissed her with a fervor Zoe had been seeking. Then, suddenly, he turned her body and Zoe grasped the back of the sofa. C J entered her from behind with such force that Zoe dug her nails into the sofa. As he thrust into her with hard deep strokes, Zoe was thrilled that C J had known exactly what she was craving. For several minutes she enjoyed the urgency of their desire, and then they climaxed simultaneously with such force that her orgasm’s strength verged on the edge of painful. C J’s head now rested on Zoe’s back, and she could feel him breathing heavily but he was making no move to leave her body. Still feeling the effects of their lovemaking, C J took his time breaking physical contact with Zoe. When he did release his hold on her hips and step back, Zoe turned to face him and entered his waiting embrace. They stood silently for several moments, and then Zoe looked up into C J’s eyes.