Pleasure My Lustful Heart: A Romance Novella (7 page)

I looked over at him, and he smiled at me. “Was this day for fun or for real?” I said. I regretted it as soon as the words came out of my mouth. One day of passion, and here I was trying to nail the guy down like some schoolgirl after her first time.

“Both,” he said. “And the first of many, I hope. Should I be hopeful?”

“There’s always hope,” I said as I squeezed his arm.

“Good,” he said. “Then we have a future.”

That sounded even better than I could have wished. Gregg
Monsell was some prize. And it was about time for me to win a prize, I thought.

“Speaking of the future, could we talk about — “ But he didn’t finish.

“What?” I said.

“Nothing.”

“No, go on.”

“Never mind,” he said. “Wrong place, wrong time.”

“Now my curiosity is eating me up. You have to tell me.”

Gregg took a deep breath, let it ou
t slowly, and then began. “OK, remember, you insisted. I know we said no shop talk, but I’m under the gun with my friend Higginson. I talked to him yesterday, and he says they’re ready to make a decision about that new line of leisure wear. I have to get back to him soon, or this chance will just drift away.”

I said nothing.

“See, I said this wasn’t the right time. Let’s just forget it,” he said. “It’s been too beautiful a day to mess it up with business.”

“It’s all right. It’s fine,” I said. “Please go on.” But it’s not all right and fine, I thought. Is this why he’s romancing me, on land and in the water, so he can get me to push Pa into a merger deal? Pa said to be wary of him.  “Look, we’re into it now. There’s no harm in talking about it. If it’s a good deal for both companies, let’s make the most of it.” And if it’s a bad deal, I thought, let’s find out sooner rather than later.

We talked through Gregg’s plan again as we drove. Even if he was trying to manipulate me, his plan might still be right for Porteous Limited. The day’s events had taken my mind off our business problems, but the problems hadn’t gone away. Whatever his motivation, Gregg did have an idea that sounded good.

As we turned into the driveway of my apartment building, a said, “I’ll do my best to put together another meeting, this time with all of us. Pa,
me, you and Uncle Aaron. He’s in charge of cutting, and he owns a piece of the company. But you have to understand that if Pa doesn’t want to go along, it’s not going to happen. Pa makes the decisions.”

Then
I recognized a battered old Chevvy parked near us.

Lucien’s car.

CHAPTER 8

No question that it was Lucien’s car — an old gray Chevrolet sedan with a badly dented right rear fender.  And if I still had any doubts, there were the Alabama license plates. Lucien was here — someplace — waiting for me.

I had two immediate concerns. One was that he’d confront me again, because the situation had reached the point where he scared me. And the other was that I couldn’t avoid explaining a foolish part of my past to Gregg. I couldn’t let Gregg just drop me off here, then leave. I needed his presence, his protection.

Explaining about Lucien was embarrassing, but necessary. “I never thought I’d see him again,” I told Gregg. “He just showed up out of the blue. It was just a college relationship that we had, and he never grew up. He thinks we should still be together. ” I tried to make it sound innocent. But, hey, Gregg was no angel, himself. He’d understand.

And he did, or at least he appeared to. “I’ll go up with you and get rid of him,” he said.  “I’ll tell him you and I are together now.”

“Are you sure you want to say that?” I said.

“Absolutely.”

I thought Lucien would be waiting in the
foyer, but it was empty. I don't know how he got into the building, but he was sitting on the floor of the hallway opposite my apartment door, his back against the wall, with his arms hugging his knees. He looked haggard and dirty.

“I’m back,” he said, still sitting.  “I thought maybe we could have dinner — split a pizza like we used to. I’ll stay here with you, so we can talk. There’s so much more I want to tell you.” He was looking up at me. He didn’t seem to notice Gregg at all.

“I told you before, Lucien. We have nothing to say to each other anymore. You have to go home and stop trying to see me,” I told him.

He slowly raised himself to his feet. “I know you don’t really mean that. We have a bond, you and I.”

Gregg stepped directly in front of him, standing face to face. “There’s no bond,” he said. “Whatever happened back in college, that’s history. Kit wants you to go away.”

Lucien looked puzzled. “Kit, who is this?”

“I’m her friend,” Gregg said. “Kit and I are together now. There’s no place for you. Go get into your car and drive away. And don’t come back.”

“I can talk to her if I want to.”

Gregg shoved him toward the elevator door. “She doesn’t want to talk to you. Get out. And if you come back, or ever try to contact her again, you’ll have a fight on your hands. Understand?” He shoved Lucien again, then pushed the elevator call button. The door opened at once. Lucien backed into the elevator, and as the door began to close in front of him, he called out, “I know you still care, Kit.” Then he was gone.

Gregg and I stood in the hallway looking at each other. “I don’t think he’ll come back,” he said.

I said, “I don’t know. Nothing he says or does makes sense. I think he’s sick.” I felt bewildered, and suddenly, desperately tired.

“You want me to stay with you, just in case?”

“Thanks. I’d love to have you come in, but I’m feeling drained. I just want to sleep. I’ll be all right. I’ll lock the door behind me.”

“I’ll check to see that his car is gone,” he said. “Do you think a passionate goodnight kiss before I leave would help matters?”

“It couldn’t hurt.”

It felt good to be in his arms once more.  I only wished I could be sure he was really who I wanted him to be, and that I was doing the right thing.

Pa was waiting for me in my office when I arrived at the shop Monday morning. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d come in to my part of the plant. If Pa wanted to talk to me, he’d ask me to come to his office.  But there he stood, and I knew what it was about before he said a word.

“I understand that Monsell soldier boy — what’s his name? Gregg, right? — came here to have lunch with you on Friday. Everybody’s talking. I heard Henrietta on the phone about it this morning.”

“He wanted to tell me about his idea. And I wanted to hear it.”

“I already told you all about it. It’s a rotten idea.”

“I wanted to hear what he had to say.” There’s no avoiding it now, I thought. I have to tell him the rest. “I’ve seen him other times, too.”

“Why?

“Don’t get mad, Pa. He’s a nice guy, and we hit it off. I like him and he likes me. That’s not so terrible, is it? It’s been a long time since I had a man in my life.”

“Of all the boys around this town, you had to pick this Monsell. Don’t you understand, he’s trying to get control of our company." Pa hooked his thumbs in his suspenders and started pacing, often his way to show displeasure.

“Pa, don’t worry about it. He couldn’t if he wanted to — which he doesn’t. You’re the only one who can make that decision. And that’s why I want you to talk to him again, Just you and him and me and Uncle Aaron.”

“There’s no point. What’s the use of talking?”

“It can’t hurt to discuss this. Please. Pa, I never ask you for anything. Do it for me.”

“All right, then. For you. But we don’t need Aaron.”

“He’s an owner. He should be there.”

“A minority owner. He’ll only get us tangled up in — Well, you know how he is. He’s an old lady.”

“He has to be there. It’s his future, too.”

“Oh, for chrissakes.” Pa threw up his hands as he started out of the office.  Without turning to look at me, he said, “You arrange it.” I could hear him muttering to himself as he walked down the corridor.

CHAPTER 9

The time for the meeting was set for one week later.
During that week Gregg and I saw each other twice — once just for dinner, and once for hours of love-making at my apartment. We couldn't keep our hands off of each other. Pretty nice, right?

It began with my usual
hot shower, to wash off the cares of the day.  I set the water on full pressure and a temperature as hot as I could stand it. I stood there letting the water beat against me, feeling my muscles relax, like knots untying themselves throughout my body, everywhere.

The glass shower door was fogged over from the steaming hot water, but I could make out the blurred form of Gregg’s naked body as he approached. The door opened and he stepped under the
shower-head with me.

“
Ow! You sure like it hot,” he said.  Then, “I’m here to wash your back for you.”

I handed him a bar of soap. “As long as you’re here,” I said. I turned around and he began lathering my back, starting at my neck,
then slowly, slowly working down to my ankles.

“How’s that?” he said.

“You’ve only done half the job.”

“Turn around.”

I turned, and he soaped the front of me, my breasts, my stomach, and then, with great care, between my legs. He heard me sigh, and went back to the most sensitive spot again and again.  Then he was kissing my mouth as he rubbed me, adding more lather. I felt my passion boiling there in the hot shower, as Gregg kept on, slowly, persistently. “Don’t stop,’ I whispered to him, then I exploded, first holding my breath, then letting it all out with a groan that I couldn’t hold back.

“I love you, Kit,” he said into my ear.

“Give me the soap,” I said, when my breathing finally slowed, “and I’ll return the favor.” I worked up big handfuls of lather and rubbed them over his body. His sex stood up solidly, and I soaped him with both hands. He began to thrust his hips, and within several minutes I could tell he was climbing to his pinnacle. He closed his eyes and reached out to put his hands on my shoulders. I squeezed him as he shuddered with pleasure, and a moment later it was over.  We held each other, kissing as the hot water washed the remains of the soap from our bodies.

As we stood in the bathroom drying off, it was clear that our hunger for each other hadn’t been satisfied in the shower. Gregg kissed the beads of water running down
my  breasts, then dried me all over with a towel. I began to dry him, and he became aroused again. “I know there’s a nice bed in this apartment,” he said.

“Yes, there is,” I took hold of him and pulled him gently out of the bathroom and over to my double bed. He fell back on the bed and I scrambled on top of him. “Don’t you ever get enough?” I said.

“Enough of you? Never.”

We were connected now. It was I who was setting the rhythm of this love-dance. I held Gregg captive as I leaned forward over him on my knees. He was a willing prisoner. On and on it went. I bounced and gyrated faster, and it seemed the whole room was in motion.  With one final, desperate thrust we arrived at our destination at exactly the same moment. I threw my head back in what I believe is called wild
abandon, hoping that somehow the ecstasy would last forever. I stayed where I was, kneeling above Gregg for as long as I could. When there was no more summit to be conquered, I rolled off and collapsed on the bed beside him.

“That was immense. Wonderful,” he said. “Just one thing, though.”

“Oh God, what? I did the very best I could.”

“You really need a bigger bed.”

CHAPTER 10

Monday afternoon at three, Pa, Gregg and I sat in Pa’s office, waiting for Uncle Aaron.  Pa was at his desk, shuffling papers and trying to look indifferent.  I sat there smiling at Gregg, while doing my best to look businesslike. No jeans for me today. I wore my pleated beige slacks and a new printed silk top, which I bought for the occasion. Conservative, but with flair.

After ten minutes, during which very little was said among the three of us, Uncle Aaron arrived. He and Pa grunted their
brotherly greetings. I can't remember ever seeing them smile at each other.

“Aaron, this is Gregg
Monsell,” Pa said, with a clear lack of enthusiasm. “Alex Monsell’s son. Alex left Superior Apparel to him. He has no experience in the business, but he’s the boss anyway. He has some idea about taking over both our companies. The idea doesn't make sense, and I told him so already. But Katherine wants to give him another chance to talk me into this, which he knows is not going to happen.”

“Why am I here?” Uncle Aaron said. “The business end is your department, Sidney. Whatever you decide is what will happen. That’s the way it works in this company. ” He started to rise from his chair.

“Just listen, Uncle Aaron. I want you to know about this.” I took him by the arm and nudged him to sit back down. I wanted to get this started quickly. If they began arguing now, Gregg wouldn’t have a chance to tell his story. I nodded at Gregg, encouraging him to take over. “Tell us your plan.”