More Than A Four Letter Word (10 page)

For the next hour, Julian kept a firm hold on
Clarissa's arm as he introduced her to at least forty people. Her
head hurt just trying to keep track of the names; the only thing
she wants to do is go home. To her relief, dinner bell chimes right
after all of the introductions were made.

Clarissa seized a seat far away from Julian
and Karen Nash as possible. Julian may think his relationship with
Karen is over, but she seems determine to reestablish herself in
his life. The last thing Clarissa wants is to be pulled into a love
triangle. As soon as dinner is over, she plans on leaving. She
waited patiently for dinner to be served before noticing the person
sitting next to her.

"Hello Rissa it's been a long time."

Clarissa couldn't believe her eyes, next to
her was an ex-classmate Randle McHale. She had a bit of a crush on
Randy back in high school, but he was popular back then and didn't
spare her a glance. He still had the same boyish looks and flirty
blue eyes that captured her attention years ago. "Hello Randy I
can't tell you how surprised I am to see you here."

Randle's greedy eyes glance pointedly at her
body. Little Clarissa Marks is all grown up, and he would love the
chance to know her better. "You've changed."

Clarissa gives him a warm smile. "After ten
years I certainly hope so. What are you doing here? This party is
for Rosscom executives and potential clients."

Randle leans towards her, putting his arm on
the back of her chair. "Well I've been working for Rosscom for at
least a month now. I hear through the grapevine that you're a
security executive at Rosscom. I've looked around for you, but I
couldn't find your name in the directory."

Clarissa could feel the heat of Julian's gaze
on her, and she chose to ignore him."Well I don't actually work for
Rosscom, I'm working on a pilot program for the feds. I'm glad to
see you though; maybe we can get together for lunch or something
and celebrate your new position. What have you been doing since
high school? Are you married with children?" Randle's appearance
couldn't have come at a better time.

***

Julian wants to know what's going on between
Clarissa and Randle McHale. Damn it! The man is practically sitting
in her lap. He's also perturbed that Clarissa felt it necessary to
sit as far away from him as possible. He tried to explain to
Clarissa that Karen is just a friend of the family and nothing
more, but Clarissa refused listen. After the party, Julian plans to
talk to Clarissa whether she likes it or not.

After dinner, the quartet Julian hired for
the party began playing current tunes that were on the jazz charts.
He does determine that he would hold Clarissa in his arms tonight,
even if it were only for a dance. It's after ten o'clock, and some
of his guests have started to depart.

"Hey Rissa would you care to dance?" Randle
stands up offering his hand to her.

Clarissa could ascertain from the grim
determination on Julian's face that he's headed her way. "Sure why
not, I haven't danced in a bit so be gentle with me."

Randle whisks her onto the dance floor and to
her surprise she has a good time. That is until the music turned
into a slower beat. "Maybe we should sit this one out." Before they
could leave the dance floor, Julian appears and pulls her into his
arms.

"I believe this dance is mine."

Randle lifts his hands in mock surrender.
"I'm sorry Mr. Ross I didn't mean any disrespect." Randle winks at
Clarissa and leaves the dance floor.

She couldn't refuse Julian without causing a
scene, and he knows it. She allows him to lead her off to the dance
floor. "Just one dance Julian."

Julian is a possessive man and Clarissa
didn't realize that she's walking a tight rope. "I didn't wait
months for you to let you walk off with a bootleg Prince Charming.
Who's your friend? "

Clarissa didn't answer his question right
away. "He works at Rosscom I'm surprised you don't recognize
him?"

"Let me rephrase the question. Who is he to
you?"

"Randy is an old friend from high school?

Unappeased, Julian tightened his arms around
her. "Also I'll have you know that thousands of employees work for
Rosscom, it's impossible for me to know them all."

Clarissa raised her head looking into his
dark eyes. "Yes, but Randle is your new Executive Director of
Sales. You mean to tell me that you didn't hire him."

"Recruiting does all the hiring."

"Well that's not true you hired me." Julian
pressed his body closer to her so she could feel his erection
against her stomach.

"You're a special assignment that only I
could handle." He lowered his hand from her back to her firm behind
pulling her even closer to his body.

She needs to make a retreat before she begs
him to make love to her on the dance floor. A wave of chills swept
through her body. She didn't know if she's coming down with
something, or her proximity to Julian is making her feel this way.
Clarissa rested her head on Julian's shoulder as they danced.
Clarissa felt nauseous, and all she wants to do was go home to
bed.

Julian felt pure contentment when Clarissa
lays her head on his shoulder. He felt his body harden in response
to her softness. Julian wanted to take Clarissa upstairs to his
bedroom and make love to her all night long. It takes him a few
minutes to realize that Clarissa fainted. All at once, her whole
body seemed to go slack. He carried her off the dance floor, took
her to his den down the hall, and placed her on the sofa.

It's a good thing he invited a doctor to his
party tonight. He sent one of the waiters to find Dr. Arnold and
bring him to Julian. As he waited for the doctor, Julian tried to
make Clarissa as comfortable as possible. He removed her shoes and
the jacket that went with the bewitching dress she's wearing.
Julian almost lost his composure when he realized that the back of
Clarissa's dress was non-existent. It's a good thing that Clarissa
was smart enough to wear the jacket with her dress, or she would
have spent the night fending off unwanted attention.

Dr. Arnold came to the den as soon as he
retrieved his bag from his car. "So this is the sick young lady."
By this time, Clarissa's alertness enabled her to talk to the
doctor as he took her blood pressure and her temperature. "It looks
to me as if she has a case of the flu and total exhaustion. She's
not serious enough to take to the hospital, but she'll need plenty
of rest and fluids. Does she have someone who can look after
her?"

"She doesn't have any family in town; I'll
take care of her."

Dr. Arnold saw the gleam in Julian Morgan's
eyes. "I'm sure that she's in good hands."

"Thanks for your help Doc."

Julian showed the doctor out, when he came
back and found Clarissa asleep. He carried her up to his bedroom
placing her on his bed. There was no way that Clarissa could be
comfortable sleeping in her dress. He found a pair of his pajamas
and threw them on the bed. He touched Clarissa's forehead to
confirm that she had a temperature. Clarissa looked like a little
girl who had a rough day at the park. She turned onto her side, and
Julian could see the tips of her breasts.

Julian hissed to himself. "Damn it woman, you
picked a fine time to become ill!"

Julian had taken control of himself before he
did something he'd regret. He wanted Clarissa badly, but making
love to an unconscious woman just isn't his style. He quickly
stripped the dress from Clarissa’s body and whistled through his
teeth as his eyes traveled down her lush body. The dress has a
built in bra and now Clarissa lay before him naked except for the
piece of lace covering her mound.

He pulled his pajama top over Clarissa head
and covered her up. He felt like a wolf salivating over Little Red
Riding Hood. He has never taken advantage of a woman before, and he
certainly isn’t going to start with Clarissa Marks. “You win this
round Clarissa, but one day soon you’ll be in my bed and not
because you got ill.” Julian turned out the light and left the
room.

***

Clarissa woke from a troubled sleep. Her
mouth felt like cotton, and she had a horrible headache. She looked
around the room she certainly wasn’t at home. The last thing she
remembered was talking to a doctor last night in Julian's den. She
sat up suddenly, which did nothing for her headache. Crap! She got
sick at the party she must be in one of Julian’s guest rooms.

“
Good morning sweetheart how
are you feeling today?”

Clarissa glanced at the doorway; Julian's
standing there looking as if he owned the world. He's wearing a
black T-shirt and jeans; damn he looked good in those jeans. She
isn't used to Julian calling her sweetheart. Clarissa wishes that
he was serious. Karen Nash is proof that Julian certainly isn't
lacking female companionship. "What's the prognosis?"

"Well Dr. Arnold says you have a touch of the
flu and need to rest."

"Sorry I flaked out on you."

Julian stepped closer to the bed wishing
Clarissa well so he could join her for another reason. "Don't be
sorry Clarissa; I enjoyed playing white knight to your damsel in
distress. I wanted us to end up in bed together, but you blew my
plans out of the water by becoming ill."

Clarissa didn't like that fact that Julian
has her at a disadvantage, and she needed to reset the stage
quickly. "Where's Micah?"

"He's practicing the piano, he's got a
recital in a couple of weeks, and he's excited. Maybe he can visit
with you for a few minutes later this evening.” Julian couldn't
keep his hands to himself; he touched her face with his fingers.
He's pleased to note that the shivers running through her body were
from her attraction to him not her illness. Clarissa tries to
adjust the bedding as her erect nipples push against the pajama
top. “Are you hungry, I’d be happy to make you some eggs or
toast?”

Clarissa takes a deep breath before
responding. “That’s okay Julian; I don’t think I could eat a
thing.” God she wished she could disappear. She didn't like being
ill, on those rare occasions she never wanted company. She feels
his dark gaze resting on her body, the signs of her arousal is
evident even to a casual observer.

“
Since you're not hungry,
how about I get you some fruit juice? You can use this as an
opportunity to freshen up. There's a towel, wash cloth, and a tooth
brush in the bathroom waiting for you?"

Clarissa wondered what she did to deserve to
be trapped at Julian's house. It's obvious to her that Julian
undressed her last night and put a pajama top on her. She's just
happy that he left her underwear in place. The thought of Julian
seeing her bare breasts brings a rush of heat into Clarissa's face.
There has to be a way of convincing Julian that she's well enough
to go home.

Julian sees the blush on Clarissa's face; she
probably just realized that he undressed her last night. He
couldn't believe that this woman could keep him in a constant state
of arousal. More than anything he wanted to join her in bed.

"I could use a shower, but I don't have
anything to put on."

Julian hides a smile he comes close to
telling her that she doesn't need to wear anything at all. "I put a
clean pajama top in the bathroom on top of the towel. Do you think
you can make it to the bathroom on your own? You were weak last
night."

Clarissa pulls the covers back and gets up
slowly. "I'm still a little weak, but I shouldn't have any problems
getting to the bathroom."

Julian takes a long look at Clarissa's
shapely legs; he imagines them wrapped around his waist or over his
shoulders as he makes love to her. "Well, I'll leave you alone for
a while. I'll come back in thirty minutes to make sure everything
is all right."

As soon as Julian leaves the bedroom,
Clarissa walks to the bathroom on shaky legs. She has thirty
minutes to take a quick shower and get back into bed. She's proud
of her body, and the next time Julian sees her naked she plans to
be awake.

Clarissa liked taking leisurely baths, but
she didn't have enough time this morning. She has a serious problem
that she has to deal with. How is she going to be able to stay in
Julian's presence without betraying the way she feels about him?
He's a predator. He would sense her acquiescence the moment he
looks into her eyes. Hell she almost surrendered to him on the
dance floor last night. She wants Julian in the worst way, but she
couldn't be a casualty for him.

Clarissa stepped in the shower letting the
water rain down on her head. She's a realist. She wants Julian too
much to walk away. She would show him that she wouldn't be used and
discarded like his other lovers. She would decide the terms of
their love affair. She refuses to become like Karen Nash waiting in
the wings hoping that Julian would take notice.

She gets out of the shower, dries herself
thoroughly before brushing her teeth. Clarissa has about five
minutes before Julian returns to the bedroom. She dries her short
hair with the blow dryer. The one notable thing about having short
hair is it didn't take long to dry. She has to admit that she feels
a lot better; she opens the bathroom door and slowly makes her way
back to the bed.

"Look at what we have here," Karen Nash said
with a haughty tone. "You don't look sick to me. Matter of fact in
that enormous pajama top, you look even less inviting than you did
last night."

Karen Nash is the last person Clarissa
expects to see. "Good morning to you too Karen. I didn't expect to
see you so soon after last night's party. Do you usually roam
around Julian's house the day after a party or is this a special
visit to see who's sharing his bed?"

"Julian's a good lover, and I’m always
available for a sexual rendezvous. Matter of fact, we have a date
today. He must have forgotten about it in the heat of the moment. I
might as well be the first to tell you that Julian doesn't get
personally involved with the hired help. My guess is that he used
you last night because I couldn't stay. Nevertheless, make no
mistake about it, Julian is mine and I intend on being the next
Mrs. Ross.