The VIP Room (36 page)

Derek stood up and walked around the table, stopping behind Lauren's chair and waited until there was a break in her conversation.

"Ms. Daniels, would you like to dance?"

She looked up at him with her big blue eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Holmes, but no. I had an injury to my ankle a week ago, and I'm still feeling a little unsteady. Perhaps some other time." She turned back to her conversation, and Cade returned with their drinks. He set Lauren's down in front of her and handed Derek the other one.

"Lauren, I see the band has begun. Would you like to dance?"

Lauren took a long sip of her wine. She looked up at Cade and smiled. "Yes, I would."

Cade helped her out of her chair and Derek once more watched helplessly as they walked off to the dance floor.
I should have walked to the bar with Cade and told him straight out that Lauren is my girl instead of trying to steal her away while he was gone.
He stared stonily at the couple on the dance floor, when he felt a tug at his arm.

"Come on, Derek, dance with me." Carly was practically dragging him toward the dance floor.

Derek let himself be pulled along. Once on the dance floor, he quickly led Carly over to his brother and Lauren and tapped Cade on the shoulder. "How about giving me a chance to get to know Lauren, too?"

The song ended and the bandleader asked everyone to return to their tables for the appetizer.

Cade snickered. "Tough luck, Derek. The music has stopped." He led Lauren back to the table, his hand on the small of her back.

It took all the control Derek could muster not to go over and punch his brother out cold.

L
auren continued
to refuse to make eye contact with Derek, although she felt his angry glare from across the table. She was half listening to Cade, who droned on about his business and who he knew.

Lauren drank quickly in an attempt to get over her anger and hurt. Not only did Derek lie about where he'd be tonight, he was involved with Carly after all. And if he or his brother were here for membership, they had to be worth millions.

Suddenly Cade's voice broke off, and she realized he was waiting for her to say something.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't quite hear what you said. Could you repeat it?"

"Where did you go to school, Lauren?"

"I went to Stanford for both my undergrad and Masters degrees," she said.

She was bored with Cade. He certainly was good looking enough and well built, although not as tall or broad as Derek. He was like the rest of the simpering fools who pretended interest in her so they could advance their careers with her father or hook up with her in hopes of getting their hands on her money. He clearly didn't need her money, so it must be her father he was after.

She smiled and nodded at his light conversation, trying to decide how she could screw things up for these brothers. New members, indeed! She should write letters to the review committee and tell them to be more selective.

Her eyes drifted across the table. She wanted to look at Derek while she decided how to humiliate him for what he did to her. His seat was empty, as was Carly's.

Lauren sighed when she realized her motivation was jealousy and revenge. It wasn't worth it to cause a scene. She'd embarrass her parents. And her father--no small man himself--would come after Derek if he knew how he'd broken her heart.

She turned back to Cade who was still going on and on about something that didn't interest her.

"I'm sorry," she interrupted him. "But, a little earlier, before I met Carly, I was feeling ill and thinking about going home. I thought I might feel better after eating something, but it hasn't helped. Please excuse me, I'm going home now."

Cade stood up and held her chair. "Let me walk you out and wait with you while they bring your car around. Are you sure you're all right to drive?"

She shook her head. "I came with my parents. If you don't mind, I'll have my father call me a cab."

She hurried away before Cade could say anything else, hoping not to run into Derek or Carly on the way out.

L
auren paid
the driver with the twenty dollars her father slipped her before putting her in the cab. He had wanted to drive her home, but she convinced him to stay for her mother.

Once inside the house, she tossed off her shoes and stripped naked, leaving her clothes in a pile at the door. She headed directly to the wine rack and pulled out a vintage bottle of wine that she had received as a housewarming gift. She'd been saving it for a special occasion and planned to share it with Derek.

"Ha, so much for that little romantic notion," she said and laughed wildly. She unceremoniously uncorked the bottle of vino worth several hundred dollars and quickly drank a glassful and poured another. She hadn't eaten much at the dinner and begun to feel woozy. She grabbed the bottle in one hand and her glass in the other and headed into the kitchen to see what she could find in the refrigerator. She intended to keep drinking and knew she had to eat something or she'd be sick.

Lauren sat on the stool at the breakfast bar and looked out her kitchen window while drinking her wine and picking on some cold leftover spaghetti.

"Oh, God," she slurred. "Every stinking plant out there is going to remind of him. I hate those pretty little flowers, all cute and perky--like Carly."

She stumbled over to the closet in the hallway off the kitchen that housed her washer and dryer. She reached into the dryer and pulled the contents onto the floor until she found a pair of shorts and an old tee shirt. She pulled the clothes on over her bare bottom and breasts and wobbled out to the backyard with a huge garbage bag.

Lauren started to pull the plants out one by one, trying to stuff them in the garbage bag, but at least half missed the opening and fell back down to where they had been planted. The ground was wet from all the watering she'd been doing, and she got sidetracked by the mud squeezing up through her toes.

"Ya know, that feels pretty good." Lauren began to giggle and dance around in the mud like she was smashing grapes, but instead was annihilating her flowerbed. Her feet got tangled in some of the vines and she lost her balance, falling backward on her bottom. She began to laugh, then cry, and covered her face with muddy hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

She stopped after a few minutes, wiped away her tears, and picked the bag up again, resuming her trash detail. But bending over made her dizzy and she fell to her knees. She shrugged and kept pulling the plants, pushing them into the bag while crawling on her hands and knees as she moved along slowly.

D
erek squealed
up to the curb in front of her house, jumped out of the Corvette, and strode up her driveway. He rang the doorbell and pounded on the door. He stomped over to peer in her living room window, but the shades were drawn and the drapes pulled shut.

He returned to banging on the door. "Lauren, I know you're in there. Open this door right now."

"Hey, buddy!"

Derek swung around and came face to face with Lauren's next-door neighbor. The guy had come over while he and his men were working there the week before. He was real pain in the butt, asking a million questions and being the typical nosy neighbor.

"Hey," Derek replied.

"She's in the backyard. I think she may have been drinking. She was singing, and her words were all slurred."

Derek nodded. "I owe you, man. I'll have one of my guys come over and cut your lawn next week."

"Hey, all right. Thanks. And good luck with that one. She's seems like a real spitfire."

Derek was already around the side of the house and headed to the backyard. As he turned the corner, he stopped short. There was Lauren, bent over on her hands and knees. He was treated to the same rear view of her as he had the first time they met.

"Lauren, what the hell are you doing?"

Lauren jumped at the sound of his voice. She rose up on her knees and turned toward him, but she lost her balance. She swayed side to side before falling backward into the mud. That didn't keep her from glaring at him, though.

"What are you doing here?" She tried to shoo him away, and flailed her arm awkwardly. "Get off my property."

Derek couldn't believe how much she looked like the first time they'd met. She had dirt streaked across her face and her boobs were wet and muddy from where she fell in the mud. He had to admit, this was worse, but, damn, she looked cute.

He burst out laughing, which only seemed to infuriate her.

"Hey, don't you laugh at me. And where's your little--and I mean little--girlfriend? Or is it fiancé? That's what she told me, you know."

"What? That girl is crazy, Lauren. You can't believe a single word she said."

Lauren tried to stand up, but couldn't lift herself out of the mud, so she settled back in like she was sinking into a comfortable armchair. "Evidently, I can't believe a word you said, either, if you have enough money to join Spring Rock Country Club."

Her voice cracked and tears started to roll down her face. "Why did you lie about everything? What could you possibly want with me if it wasn't my money or my father's connections?"

"Lauren, none of that matters to me."

"I don't matter to you, either. You have a pretty girlfriend."

"Yes, I do, and her name is Lauren. At least I think she's pretty. Right now, it's kind of hard to see her under all that mud."

Lauren stuck her tongue out at him.

Derek strode over and pulled Lauren up, holding her tight in his arms.

"My girlfriend was a knockout tonight. She had on this elegant blue dress that showed off her sexy body. She was so hot, all the guys were throwing down drinks to cool off."

"No, Derek. Carly's dress was white. Like a little bride."

"Not Carly. You. You were the most beautiful woman in the club."

"Yeah, right."

Derek shook her lightly. "Stop it, Lauren. I won't have you put yourself down anymore. What do I have to do to convince you that you take my breath away?"

Lauren pushed Derek away and tried to pull free of his grasp, but he held her tight. She was no match for him, especially in her current state of drunkenness. She pulled herself up the best she could.

"You might start by telling the truth. You weren't at a business dinner with your brother. You were with the woman you swore meant nothing to you, and you obviously have more than a little neighborhood lawn business."

"It was business for me. Cade somehow talked me into it against my better judgment. He meant well. He's trying to get me to land big contracts to push the business to the next level. Whatever money I have, Lauren, I earned myself. I haven't touched my trust fund, and when the time comes, I'm donating the entire thing to charity. I don't want my father's money, or yours, or your father's."

Lauren swayed a bit. "And what about the bride-to-be who happens to keep showing up on your phone and your arm, Derek?"

"She came with Cade, not me. Everything you think you saw was because of bad timing. Whatever she said to you about me was a lie, I swear it."

"So you've never slept with her?"

Derek was silent.

Lauren squirmed out of his grasp. "That's what I thought. Go on, Derek. Get out of here and don't come back." She picked up the garbage bag and started for the house.

"Lauren, wait." Derek came up from behind and swung her around. "It was a long time ago, and she tricked me into letting her stay the night. It was only once. I'm not proud of what I did, but I've spent years now paying the price for that mistake. Please believe me."

She appeared to be relenting. Derek took her face in his hands and drew her mouth to his. "Lauren, I love you, only you," he whispered. He kissed her deeply, then pulled away, and scooped her up in his arms. "Let's get you inside for a shower." He started for the house.

Lauren wrapped her arms around his neck. She suddenly seemed to become aware of the tuxedo he was still wearing. "Um, I think they're going be mad when you return this monkey suit," she said.

Derek looked at where her hands had grasped his shoulders and down the front of his jacket where Lauren was pressed against him. He was covered with mud, too.

"Guess I'll have to get in that shower with you," he said and slid his hand under her shorts leg. His fingers slid right into her soft, slick folds.

"Well, what do you know? I've got a little commando here. Who would have thunk?"

D
erek put
her down in the shower stall and ripped off his tux, shoes, and socks and stepped in with her. She slipped her shorts off, and he helped her pull the shirt over her head.

Derek grabbed the handheld shower head off the wall and adjusted the water temperature before spraying her down. Dirty brown water streaked down to the tile floor as she held her hands under the stream. Lauren pulled out the clips that were holding her hair back, and Derek put the shower head back on the wall so she could put her head under the water flow.

She pointed to a row of bottles on the recessed shelf on the shower wall. "Shampoo," she ordered. He poured a generous amount on her head and began to work it through her hair. A mountain of bubbles began to form and slide down her body. She giggled. "Too much, I think."

Lauren ran her hands over her hair and filled them with suds. She reached for Derek, who was wet from the jets on the opposite wall and lathered his short hair. "Still lots of bubble left," she said, and took another handful to blond tufts of hair on his chest. She continued to transfer the soapy lather from her body to his, traveling down the line of hair on his abdomen to the base of his shaft, which was pointing straight at her. She ran her soapy fingers along his length and circled the tip with her thumb while he massaged her breasts.

Lauren took the shower head down and sprayed him until his body was free of soap. She handed him the handle and dropped to her knees, cradling his balls in her hands while she took his bouncing tip between her lips. She drew him into her mouth little by little, head thrown back so she could look up while she pleasured him.

Derek groaned deeply. He put one hand at the back of her head, holding her to his cock and began rinsing her hair with the sprayer held in his other hand. He tried to keep his eyes open and fixed on her big blue eyes while she continued her suck fest, but she was too good. He shut his eyes tightly as his balls contracted and felt the pleasure surge through him. One more second and he'd be releasing himself into her mouth.

She grabbed his ass and he lurched forward, releasing the handle of the shower head. Water started to spray around them wildly as the device swayed in the air. With both hands, he supported himself against the shower wall while leaning into Lauren's face. Her mouth was so wet, he easily slid down her throat, and she barely gagged as his hot creamy seed filled her mouth. When it finally stopped streaming, she swallowed.

Lauren sat back on her heels, water running down her face, and smiled at him. "Now do me," she ordered.

She didn't have to ask twice. Derek put his strong hands under her arms and lifted her up gently, guiding her over to sit on the shower bench. He grabbed the swinging shower head handle and adjusted the pulsing stream to one forceful spray and aimed it between her legs, directly at her pleasure spot. Lauren leaned back against the wall and brought her feet up on the bench, spreading her legs and opening her flower to its fullest.

She started to push her fingers into herself, but he leaned in and pushed her hand away.

"That's my job."

He kneeled before her and held the shower head close to her clit. His fingers followed the flow of the water as it bounced off her swollen nub and flowed through the folds of her flower. Lauren clenched the edge of the seat and pushed her bottom up toward him. Her moans heightened to shrieks as contractions started at her core and rippled through her. The intense pain was almost unbearable. "Fuck me, Derek, now."

He pushed two fingers in and stroked. "Like this?"

"More."

Another thick finger entered, and Lauren bore down as hard as she could squeeze. He was torturing her, curling his fingers so they grazed the sensitive wall inside her and using the water jet to circle her clit. The contractions began to cascade down from her belly to her sex in waves of pleasure.

"Yes. More. Harder."

She was screaming.

Derek dropped the handle and took her clit into his mouth, using his tongue and teeth to bring her to climax. Once the slow burn began, there seemed to be no stopping it. Lauren wrapped her legs around his neck, pressing herself into his face, and felt him replace his fingers with his tongue as her release started to flow. When she was done and her lower half was finally still, he mimicked her earlier movement, dropping back on his heels, and pretending to gulp.

Their eyes met and they broke out in wicked laughter.

L
auren woke
up with her head on Derek's chest and her legs tangled in the sheets. Her mouth was next to his nipple, and she licked it and then rubbed the wetness lightly with her finger. He stirred. She nipped a little harder and ran her hand down his chest, under the sheet, and between his legs.

"Now this is a wake up call I can get used to." He moaned and ran his hand along the side of her face.

"Oh, but that's only the first ring," Lauren said as she turned her face up and met his lips for a kiss. She threw her leg across him and scooted up so she was kneeling with a leg on either side of him. She licked two fingers of her left hand and slid them between her legs. She put the fingers of her other hand deep into her mouth, letting her tongue roll all around them, coating them with her saliva before placing her hand around his shaft. She ran her thumb and forefinger across his tip, spreading the drops of his pre-cum down his length as she rubbed it.

Lauren worked herself expertly with one hand and Derek with the other until she felt her insides opening wide and his cock swell to full extension. She positioned herself above him and then bore down on him in one single slide, feeling his penetration fill her completely.