Bonds of Attraction (Full Length Erotic Romance Novel) (10 page)

Marilyn leaned back in the chair, relaxing
slightly as she pondered what she was going to say.

“As far as food goes, I absolutely love Asian
food, especially Thai. I could live off of Thai food. And for fun, I really
enjoy being social, dancing, having great conversations.”

“What do you look for in a man?”

“I need a man with edge,” Marilyn said,
lowering her voice. She briefly looked around before continuing, “I don’t know
if I should really mention this or not, but I like some rough stuff, if you know
what I mean. I don’t mean anything super crazy, but yeah, a little bit of rough
stuff is necessary.”

I wrote down ‘a little bit of rough stuff’ in
my notebook.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, studying
her.

“Well, I’m into BDSM. I was introduced to it
a few years back by this guy who was a Dom. So naturally I fell into the role
of the sub. Do you know what both those are?” Marilyn asked me, her voice
showing a hint of concern over my alleged ignorance.

“I’m aware of the roles of BDSM,” I said.

“I mean, aside from sex, I need a man who has
a great sense of humor. And by that I mean very dry, dark, and sarcastic. I
like when a man is quick on his feet and can tear things apart with his words.
A man must be smart to be able to be with me.”

I was taking notes on everything Marilyn was
saying, wishing now that I had recorded this. I hadn’t expected much when I saw
her, but now it seemed like she was giving me answers that were right in
accordance with what I had been searching for. Yet even though she had taken a
good amount of time to consider her responses, I could hear something odd in
her voice. It showed through her expressions too, but I couldn’t place it. It
was as though she was hamming herself up or reciting a written passage.

This wasn’t abnormal. Many clients came in
with an entire life story prefabricated. And really, who wouldn’t try to hype
themselves up when they were pitching themselves to a matchmaker? But I still
couldn’t suppress the odd feeling I was having. There was something just a
little off.

“What’s the highest level of education you
have?”

“I have BA in Economics with a minor in
International Studies. I’m currently enrolled in a master degree program for
business.”

I wrote this all down. I took out Leon’s file
and scanned the information he had sent over after our meeting. He had also
majored in economics for his undergrad and then graduated with a MBA in
business. Marilyn was lining up with Leon in every way so far. Had I really
been so lucky to have her just walk into my office?

“I’m going to have you arrange a meeting with
April for us in the next day or so, a longer meeting where I can interview you
further.” I felt uneasy about another meeting with Marilyn. She had arrived so
suddenly that I didn’t have any time to process what had happened. I wanted to
mull over her responses and get some background information on her. Was my
apprehension towards her an indication that she might be the answer to Leon
Christensen’s problem?

Marilyn stood up and smiled wide. The
friendly smile that adorned her face had never faded or flickered since her
arrival. I felt a hint of distrust towards her, as though her attitude was
feigned.

We shook hands amicably and she made an
appointment with April that was to take place in two days. I watched Marilyn as
she spoke with April, arranging the meeting. Her eyes never left April, never
blinked. It was though they were studying her coldly and calculatingly, but
why?

April handed her a business card with our
next appointment written on the back. Marilyn left, waving to me as she walked
out. Every step she took was accentuated to show off her curves. I should know;
I was an expert myself at this very same walk. In the wake of Marilyn’s
departure, I felt relief wash over me, but I was unsure as to why.

“She was... nice” April said politely,
stuttering as she struggled to find the right word. I looked over to April and
we shared an unspoken moment. So, April had felt it too. A sense of
justification over my gut reaction to Marilyn solidified itself when I saw that
April shared my feelings. Marilyn, while perfect on paper, had made us both
uneasy in some unidentifiable way.

I shrugged. She had been friendly enough, but
maybe she was just a little too eager or looking to please. It was subtle, no
doubt, but I had sensed its presence in every mannerism and word of hers.

I sat back down in my chair and the phone
rang. The hotel chain heir’s voice started firing off excitedly in my ear over
his date and I leaned back in my chair, grinning. I listened to him and I
allowed myself to feel a sense of accomplishment.

The feeling didn’t last. The hotel chain
heir’s exuberance could only fulfill me vicariously for so long. His case had
not been a particularly difficult one; I had just felt a certain affection towards
him that made me work harder. When a glimmer of hope had elevated him to the
clouds, I felt satisfied that I had helped, but I wasn’t in the clouds with
him.

I drove home, the music in my car loud enough
to drown out any thought but not loud enough to push away the heavy feeling in
my chest. No music was loud enough for that.

At my apartment, I found myself pacing from
room to room, occupying myself with menial tasks. I cooked a dish from a
complicated recipe online that took almost two hours and actually came out
pretty good in the end, but I easily could have ordered take out and been done
with it. Nervous energy was coursing through my blood and I needed
distractions. On the bright side, my apartment had never been so clean.

I sat down on the couch. I turned on the
television and watched a wildlife documentary that was beyond beautiful, but
the magic was broken every time a commercial break tried to sell me a new car
or revolutionary form of birth control. I turned it off at the second
commercial break and sat with my legs crossed on my couch, thinking.

Marilyn Benedict had waltzed into my office
and presented herself as the exact person I was looking for. I didn’t trust it,
despite the fact that I had called several old clients hoping for that exact
outcome. When it happened that a woman with the same interests and educational
background walked in from the street, I had found myself distrusting her and
probing her every move with a microscope.

Why did I care so much? Leon Christensen was
a babe, that was for sure, but his personality left much to be desired.
Memories of our first encounter flashed back to me. His vulgarity, the edge to
his words, the cockiness all surrounded the image of Leon Christensen. Stills
saw something deeper in him, but I really had yet to experience it. If there
was experiencing any deeper side of him at all. So far, all he had presented to
me was a man with so much confidence that it protected him like an impenetrable
wall.

No, I had sensed something in him. At our
last meeting, Leon had let just a little bit of his guard down.
I do not
believe in love.
Those words had been genuine. A confession of his soul,
unmasked of defense or motive. And hadn’t his eyes softened when he spoke, as
though he didn’t believe in love, but he wanted to.

Could he look at Marilyn and feel love for
the first time?

Anxiety crept up in my chest like a shadow
forming as the sun fell behind me. The idea of Marilyn and Leon out on a date
brought with it a finality of any fantasy that I held onto about Leon
Christensen. Why did letting go make me feel so tense?

I did know the perfect way to relieve
tension.

No, I wasn’t going to give into temptation.
While I was alone in my apartment, and no one would know besides me, I didn’t
want to further my growing want of Leon Christensen. Yes, I could definitely
close my eyes and imagine he was beside me, rubbing my shoulders while his soft
lips kissed the back of my neck gently, but it was better not to. Right?

Soon, I would show Leon just how good I was at
my job, how I had proved unfazed by the difficulty of finding him a partner.
Then why did thinking about that day make me feel even more anxious?

A bath was just what I needed. A hot, bubbly,
inviting bath where I could lay my head back and listen to mellow music while I
relaxed. It was what I needed to calm me down.

I drew a bath and dropped off the clothes I
was wearing. The mirror reflected a curvy woman in her early-thirties,
confident and sexy. The body that stood before me was a body that many men,
probably more than I could ever know, had lusted over and broken their necks
for just another look. No, I would never be a Victoria’s Secret model, but I
was a real woman, sexy and desirable. I rubbed my hands over my hips and turned
around to study my backside. I nodded my head in approval and slipped into the
bath.

The bubbles felt glorious. A feeling of peace
came over me as I closed my eyes. I had lit some candles when I drew the bath;
the environment was perfect. Music played at a low volume, completing the
perfection of my relaxation.

My heartbeat had slowed, but after only a
minute or two it began to speed up again. Everything that I had thought was at
bay returned, slowly and insidiously. I bit my lower lip, feeling the tension
growing inside my chest. My restraint slipped away and soon the answer to all
my tension was there.

Leon sat on a couch, lounging as he sipped a
glass of expensive whiskey. His shirt hung open, the buttons all undone. The
light cast shadows across his contoured stomach. When I walked up to him, his
eyes studied me, locking me in his gaze with his sapphire eyes.

“You are a phenomenally gorgeous woman,” Leon
said.

I was naked. My hair was loose, untamed. It
hung on my shoulders wildly and I tossed it back slightly, letting my motion
shake through me. Leon took another large sip of his glass and placed it down
carefully on the table before him.

The fantasy was in full-swing, moving quickly
and away from me. I was a voyeur to my deepest, darkest wants and my hand found
its place between my legs.

Leon stood before me, his hand raised to
caress the side of my face. Up close, the sapphire in his eyes moved as though
it were the ocean itself. His breath was sweet, so sweet it called for me to
taste. I moved my head closer and our lips met softly. Leon fell down to one
knee and before I could register what was happening, he scooped me up in his
arms.

A bed appeared before us. He laid me down
gently on my stomach, breathing in the scent of my skin as he did. A warm
liquid spread across my back before I figured out it was oil. Leon kissed the
back of my neck one more time and then his hands spread across the open skin,
rubbing in the oil with an increased amount of pressure.

His eyes greedily washed over every inch of
my skin. Hands moved up and down my back and legs, grazing over my ass cheeks
but not stopping to squeeze or push further between them. Every muscle cried
out in agreement over the enjoyment of the massage. Leon was a master and I
melted under his touch.

I turned over and Leon lay next to me, naked
now as well. His cock was hard, laying on my outer thigh. His eyes were focused
on mine, locked in on me. His mouth opened, but no words came out. The tension
in my chest dissipated and when it was gone, I wasn’t sure it had ever been
there in the first place. Leon’s arms wrapped around me and pulled me closer
until my face was pressed against the lower part of his neck.

I kissed his neck, keeping my lips closed as
I did so. Our naked bodies felt wonderful pressed together. I couldn’t help
moving, pushing my hips in and out slightly. In the tub, I rubbed myself faster
as my other hand massaged my breasts. I imagined Leon’s beautiful face inches
from mine, looking at me as though I had shown him something that he hadn’t
thought existed.

Leon moved on top of me, propping himself up
so he could look into my eyes. My skin was alight with sensation as if I had
been plugged into a power source. Every hair stood on end and little vibrations
shook me. His eyes were warm and open, inviting me in to look at something deep
inside of him, his soul, perhaps. He lowered his head and our lips met as he
slid inside of me.

I was moaning loudly in the bathroom. My head
protruded from the bubbles, but my eyes were closed. The warm water was a poor
substitute for Leon’s touch.

It was more than just a want for company or a
lusting for a physical man to be with me. I moved my hand against my pussy,
rubbing my clit hard as I rubbed my own nipples simultaneously. Yet even as I
brought myself closer and closer to orgasm, my heart screamed out for Leon’s
presence.